The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun articles from January 2000

The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun archives from January 2000

A new chapter.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... MicroAge aims to restore profits MicroAge Inc. has been one of Arizona's most phenomenal business success stories. But lately, the Tempe company -- which built its multibillion-dollar empire from a single computer hobby store in 1976...

State faces $1 billion in hospital cuts.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Arizona's hospitals will be forced to cut back services and staff if Congress doesn't provide more relief to its Medicare budget. Over the next five years, Arizona hospitals will be bit with a $1.1 billion reduction in Medicare payments...

Diamondbacks' marketing strategy includes mascot.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Arizona Diamondbacks is rolling out a marketing campaign -- introducing a mascot and pitching ticket deals -- to get families in the stands. Marketing gurus aren't worried about Major League Baseball's target audience, men ages 25 to...

Challenger center receives million-dollar donation.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Paul Koehler will never forget the million-dollar phone call. It came from a truck driver friend. But this caller offering him $1 million was no ordinary master of the long-haul 18-wheeler. This caller was Kevin Knight, founder and...

What's old is new ... again.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... It's a safe bet that when Pam Evans' grandfather opened his first trading post in New Mexico, his vision didn't include sequin-adorned dresses with snappy hat, purse and shoe coordinates. But that was the early 1900s, and the family...

TOURISM TAX.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... TOURISM TAX A financing plan for a new Cardinals football stadium calls for a hike in bed and car rental taxes. 503 registered voters were asked if they would support that plan. Here's what...

Intel plant latest boost for good times in Chandler.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Chandler's on a roll. The momentum continued this week with news of Intel's expansion. The company is going to build a $2 billion chip fabrication plant in the Dobson and Queen Creek roads area that will employ 1,000. Just a couple...

Jax gets bankers' hours.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Garth Jax was a hard-nosed linebacker for eight years with the Cardinals. Now he's tackling a new assignment for Sunrise Bank of Arizona, which he has joined as vice president of business development. Jax has kept a high profile around...

One less bloom.
January 28, 2000... In this here today/gone tomorrow world of ours, it's not big news when a small business shuts its doors. But it is noteworthy when it has been a fixture for four decades, an eternity in this town. Such is the case with Dee's Flowers, 49...

Sweet sounds at the ball.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Phoenix Symphony raised $400,000 net at its ball over the weekend, and co-chair Jordan Rich raised a few eyebrows when she told the crowd the wedding song is in her future. Jason Rose, a public affairs consultant, is the target for a...

A serious hang up.
January 28, 2000... Just when you think it's sate to nana out a legislative pat on the back it comes back to haunt you. I sang the praises of a Senate panel last week that killed the silly measure to ban cell phone use in cars. Alas, just after we put the...

McGladrey's acquisition of Toback CPAs is final.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... In a move to grab a foothold in the Phoenix market, McGladrey Inc. this week announced its acquisition of Toback CPAs and Toback Technology Group. "Toback was the only non-Big 5 competitor that we went head-to-head with," said Todd...

Growing LeapSource has new home.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... After four months of' searching, LeapSource -- and 100 new employees -- have found a home. Chief executive Christine Kirk, one of three former Arthur Andersen LLP partners who started LeapSource late last year, said the company's...

CORRECTION.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The "People On The Move" feature Jan. 14, incorrectly, reported the position of three attorneys at Phoenix law firm Jennings Strouss & Salmon PLC. The article should have said associates Gordon Lewis, Stephanie McRae and Andrew Turk...

Tour promoter applauds Phoenix for theater plan.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Music stars across the United States plan to shine brighter lights on Phoenix, thanks to a $30 million theater planned downtown. Steve Hauser, a senior agent at the William Morris Agency's Nashville offices, is applauding the theater...

Del Webb builds campaign for brand name recognition.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Just as Kleenex means tissue to most, the Del Webb Corp. wants people to think "active lifestyle" when they hear its company name. Del Webb officials are launching a national advertising campaign with television commercials in selected...

OAS Group takes reins of Arizona Tourism Alliance.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Arizona Tourism Alliance will be under new leadership Feb. 1. The association's first executive director, Jeanne Westphal, a veteran in the tourism industry, will step down to focus on consulting work. The OAS Group, a Phoenix...

Three bills in legislature could change the way state tourism is funded.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... There could be up to three bills weaving through the Arizona Legislature that would change the way the Arizona Office of Tourism is funded. The desired outcome for the tourism community would be a heftier budget for the office charged...

Baptist Hospitals readies sale of two nursing homes.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Baptist Hospitals and Health Systems Inc., which is selling its two Phoenix hospitals to Vanguard Health Systems of Nashville, Tenn., now is negotiating to sell its two nursing homes. It also has signed a letter of intent to sell its...

Arizona Bank to become Compass.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Arizona Bank offices statewide will lose the "Arizona" name, changing Feb. 1 to the banner of parent company Compass Bank. Officials at Birmingham, Ala.-based Compass Bank said the change is designed to provide continuity and make it...

KhiMetrics CEO draws 7 executives from JDA.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Just two months after bringing his new software firm to the Valley, former JDA Software Group Inc. chief executive Brent Lippman is beginning to feel like he's back at his old job. Lippman, now CEO of KhiMetrics, Scottsdale, has been...

Amber Forensics wins $10,000 in US West ventures competition.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... An 8-month-old Phoenix technology company was the winner of $10,000 in the US West New Ventures Seed Money Competition. Software developer Amber Forensics triumphed over nearly 2,000 entrants in US West's 14-state region to win the grant....

Arizona Lottery picks E.B. Lane services again.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... E.B. Lane & Associates Inc. has retained the high-profile and high-dollar Arizona Lottery advertising account, edging out Lavidge & Baumayr and Thelen Pollick Inc. The State Procurement Office notified the advertising agencies of its...

Economists warn of growth limits.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Sierra Club's proposal to draw a growth boundary around the Valley would put the region's economy on the skids, Valley economic and real estate leaders say. Economist Elliott Pollack said the proposed Citizens Growth Management...

Scottsdale e-tailer gets big boost from web deal.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... DesignersDirect.com Inc. in Scottsdale is going big -- TheBigStore.com, that is. The clothing and apparel e-tailer has partnered with TheBigStore.com to be featured as one of many merchants on the one-stop-shopping site. Customers...

Driving the competition.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Progressive.com, the online arm of Phoenix-based Progressive Auto Insurance, received more visitors to its site in the last quarter of 1999 than any other auto insurance company. Neilsen/Net Ratings found the site had more than 630,000...

E-partners.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Administaff, a Houston-based personnel management company with offices in Phoenix, has established an "e-business relationship" with IBM Corp. IBM Global Services will construct and maintain Administaff's e-commerce portal where it also...

E-Health Investor.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Now investors in the Internet health care market have a trend watcher, too. A Connecticut-based company has created The e-Health Investor, a biweekly newsletter focusing on investment trends in the emerging Internet health care...

Special provisions.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Have you noticed something missing at the Biltmore Fashion Park? The Visitor's Center gazebo has been down for a few months reportedly because Cartier, one of the newest tenants, wouldn't move in until it was gone. The famous jewelry...

Getting a bigger share.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... The number of minority-owned businesses increased 168 percent between 1987 and 1997 with Asian-American and Hispanic-owned businesses leading the way, according to an early census report from the U.S. Small Business Administration. While...

Putting the 'e' in project.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Phoenix chapter of Project Management Institute, a 450-member organization for project managers, will present a seminar on how to adapt traditional projects to address e-commerce issues. Suzanne Freuh, e-commerce project manager for...

Retired doctor works to insure Arizona's children.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Only four months into his retirement and Leonard Kirschner, M.D. is back. And this time he's not stopping until he can see all children insured.. Kirschner retired from information systems firm EDS, or Electronic Data Systems, four...

ESI inks insurance deal.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... Employee Solutions Inc., a professional employer organization based in Phoenix, has agreed to establish a marketing alliance with American Heritage Life Insurance Co. of Jacksonville, Fla. American Heritage will market its voluntary...

Epoch expands in Arizona.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Epoch Senior Living of Waltham, Mass., has bought SunBridge Assisted Living in Sun City West. The residence will be renamed Epoch Assisted Living of Sun City West. It is one of eight locations being purchased by Epoch Senior Living from...

P.V. Hospital web site.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Paradise Valley Hospital is launching a web site that incorporates several interactive components. For example, new parents can e-mail birth announcements, including their baby's photo, to family and friends. Angela Gonzales, senior...

New public health college.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Arizona Board of Regents has voted to establish the first College of Public Health in the Southwestern United States. The new college will be based at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center in Tucson. It will consolidate the...

Ventana seeks FDA OK.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Ventana Medical Systems Inc. of Tucson has submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration a premarket approval application for its diagnostic test that analyzes breast cancer. Called CB11 antibody, the test is used to determine...

Maricopa Integrated Health System.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... T.J. Bunt, M.D., has been appointed chairman of the department of surgery for Maricopa Integrated Health System. Bunt said this is like a homecoming for him. He had spent seven years at Maricopa Medical Center earlier in his career. Most...

Rocky Mountain raising capital for expansion plan.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... Rocky Mountain Bank, Chandler, has announced its intent to offer up to 500,000 shares of its common stock at $8 per share in a private placement transaction. The bank is raising additional capital of $4 million to facilitate plans for...

Bank opens in Scottsdale.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... California Center Bank, Los Angeles, last week announced the opening of a new loan production center in Scottsdale. President and chief executive Seon Hong Kim said the bank is committed to pursuing strategic business expansion in other...

Smooth transitions.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Marty Ganzel just can't pull himself away from Sun City Bank. After announcing his Dec. 31, 1999, retirement, Ganzel will continue on a part-time basis to represent the bank in the Sun Cities' communities. Ganzel's successor as...

City attorneys form firm.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... James Tinker, former Phoenix assistant city attorney, and David Ward, former Surprise deputy city attorney, announced the opening of the Law Offices of Tinker & Ward LLP at 6520 N. Seventh St., Ste. 235, Phoenix. The practice will focus...

Name change.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Walk through the halls at Ridenour, Swenson, Cleere & Evans PC and you might see some faces missing. After 20 years, and with a strengthened focus on serving a strong core of Arizona-based corporate clients, certain insurance defense...

Local women recognized.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Five Arizona women were honored Jan. 26 by Bank One and its involvement in Working Woman Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards. Local winners were: * Susan Thomas, Perfect Match Personnel, Phoenix, for Best Employer. * Cynthia...

New & Improved lands $6 million ad account.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... New & Improved Advertising has snagged what many Valley ad agencies want: an out-of-state client with a sizable advertising account. Instant Auto Insurance, a direct marketer of auto insurance headquartered in Irving, Texas, has hired...

Super Bowl or bust?(advertisement)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... Will droves of people watch Super Bowl XXXIV even though it features small-market teams helmed by seemingly come-from-nowhere quarterbacks? That question likely is nagging advertisers who spent millions of dollars on this year's NFL...

Teeing up.(Richard Mandell Golf Architecture)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Richard Mandell Golf Architecture, Durham, N.C., has hired Element Design + Communications. The Mesa design firm will help the company create a new logo, identity and collateral materials. Richard Mandell's golf courses include...

Catching up with ...(post production facility)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Downtown Digital Post, a post production facility in Phoenix, recently provided services to four Valley ad agencies. Downtown wrapped up a three-minute, 30-second project for Moses Anshell, Phoenix, and client DC Ranch. A 30-second...

Silver and gold.(Motta Co. honored)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Phoenix ad agency The Motta Co. won one gold and five silver awards at the National Homebuilders Association Sales and Marketing Awards. Another silver Best Television Commercial award honored Motta's campaign for the Howard Hughes...

Ad 2 lunch Feb. 1.
January 28, 2000... Michael Reagan, owner of Fastsigns on Central in Phoenix, will discuss networking at the next Ad 2 Phoenix lunch. The lunch is at 11:45 a.m. Feb. 1 at the Arizona Club, Bank One Building, 201 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. Free for Ad 2...

Copper Quill.
January 28, 2000... Just a reminder that the entry deadline for this year's Copper Quill Awards is Feb. 18. The awards, which honor communications programs and projects that demonstrate excellent strategic thinking and execution, are sponsored by the...

AMA names directors.(American Marketing Association)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The American Marketing Association, Phoenix chapter, named three new board members: Dan Schaefer is director of membership; Nicole Magnuson is director of communications; and Stacey Fox is director of public relations. Schaefer is...

Philanthropy Works.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Philanthropy Works, Phoenix, has launched PhilanthropyWorksAZ, a contemporary journal that offers strategies and resources aimed at enhancing the philanthropic process.

R&R Partners.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... R&R Partners, Phoenix, will provide public relations services for Columbia University's Biosphere 2 and Sandella's Cafe for its new Peoria location.

GO Media.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... GO Media, Phoenix, recently set up national coverage for Molina Fine Jewelers, Phoenix, on morning newscasts in major markets and on CBS' Early Show with Bryant Gumbel.

AZSOFT. net picks startups for investor conference.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... A dozen Arizona-based companies will get to pitch their business plans to venture capitalists, investors and other financial professionals at AZSOFT. net's upcoming "Investing In Innovation" conference. This year's presenters cover a...

Visitalk sings.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... San Diego online music provider MP3.com Inc. will use Phoenix Internet telephony provider Visitalk.com's services, and it also plans to invest in the company. The partnership with Visitalk.com will enable MP3.com's artists and consumers....

Mainstreet action.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Scottsdale Internet startup MainstreetAuctions.com is trying an innovative approach to drumming up investor support. The company, a community-based auction service geared toward uniting local businesses with consumers, is holding an...

Robots take Japan.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Amtech Systems Inc., Tempe, has secured its first order from a Japanese semiconductor manufacturer for its "IBAL" robot system. Amtech officials said the Japanese purchase of the IBAL system, which automates part of the chip-making...

Chinese phone book.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Three-Five Systems Inc., Tempe, has won a contract for its Beijing facility to make LCD displays to be used in Chinese cellular phones. The deal is one of two recent contracts for Three-Five with Chinese telecommunications providers. ...

AV merger.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Tempe audiovisual staging company AV Concepts has acquired a local competitor, Cactus Productions AV Inc., Scottsdale. AV Concepts, a high-tech multimedia staging and equipment rental firm founded in 1987, will merge its staff with Cactus...

AAI hires lobbyist.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Norton and Associates, the lobbying firm formed by Jim Norton, former director of communication and policy at the Arizona Department of Commerce, has been named as the lobbying firm of choice by the Arizona Association of Industries for the...

Best Western hotels add new properties abroad.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Best Western International has opened the Best Western Westminster Catering and Conference Center in Westminster, Md. The hotel is managed by Inns of Distinction Inc., which also manages Best Westerns in Philadelphia and Gettysburg, Pa....

AWA expands giving.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... America West Airlines is expanding the scope of its corporate contributions. The airline has begun Operation: Special Delivery, a program that gives resources and assistance to organizations -- many of them local -- with specialized...

And your point is?(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Orpheum Theatre, the Phoenix Art Museum, Camelback Mountain and the Wrigley Mansion are all places that make Phoenix unique. They're "Points of Pride" according to the Phoenix Pride Commission, and there's probably more of them out...

Kids check out careers.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Start making plans to host a student on the third annual National Groundhog Job Shadow Day, Feb. 2. Students "shadow" professionals in the hospitality industry to learn about career opportunities. In Arizona, students will be hosted...

Chaparral beefs up PR.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Chaparral Suites Hotel-Scottsdale has hired Katherine Christensen & Associates Inc. to handle its public relations, promotions and special events. Its first task is to coordinate the grand opening of its new 11,000-square-foot ballroom...

Caminidi leads Legacy.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Legacy Golf Resort has promoted Michele Caminidi from assistant general manager to general manager of the resort and timeshare. Caminidi will be responsible for overseeing all resort operations, including the grand opening activities...

Fashion curator hired.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Phoenix Art Museum has hired Dennita Sewell as curator of fashion design. She will oversee all aspects of the museum's fashion design collection, which includes organizing special exhibitions, advising on acquisition and presenting...

Log on for a room.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Grand Hotel in the Grand Canyon gateway village of Tusayan has implemented an online reservation service via its web site at www.gcanyon.com. The hotel's web site features photos of the property, area maps and information about...

Body language is critical to successful negotiations.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Jane was dressed smartly and professionally, with an obviously expensive dark blue business suit and a brown leather briefcase. She walked purposefully into the room, surveyed it, sat down, placed her briefcase on the table. She took out...

Business groups take page from labor on Capitol Hill.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Money may be the mother's milk of politics, but business groups learned from organized labor's success in the 1998 congressional elections that money alone can't buy happiness on Capitol Hill. Business outspent labor by an 11-to-1 margin...

In the game.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... NFIB director carries torch for business Michelle Covel wants to get close to Terry Bradshaw, James Brown, Cris Collinsworth and Howie Long -- hosts of FOX NFL Sunday. It's not that she has a crush on them or needs an autograph for...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Architecture William Weikart, design director at Scottsdale architectural and design firm AAD, was recognized with certification from the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Associations The Arizona Production...

Hospital plan could signal good session.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Arizona Legislature's approval of a plan to build a new state hospital came early in the session and elicited a cheer from Samantha Fearn. "I think it sends a message of 'We are fully ready to do the people's, business and do it...

SCORE numbers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... The Service Corps of Retired Executives' fiscal year 1999 annual report featured some interesting statistics: * In fiscal 1999, SCORE provided 384,854 services to the Valley's small-business community. * Of that, 58,825 services were...

Getting visual.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Kinko's and Forbes 'Special Interest Publications have launched a magazine designed to help entrepreneurs create effective visual communications. Each quarterly issue of Impress addresses how technology and the Internet can enhance...

Focus: Duffy Research.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Duffy Research Inc.'s new web site turned out to be a family affair as it features the president's husband's art work. Kathleen Duffy Ybarra, founder and president of the Phoenix recruitment firm, asked Frank Ybarra for illustrations to...

House rules.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Monti's La Casa Vieja serves up 40 years of tradition Monti's La Casa Vieja: Popular meat and potatoes restaurant established by Leonard Monti Sr. in the 1871 home of Tempe founder Charles T. Hayden. Now in the hands of...

What do you like most about your job?(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Joe Yuhas Executive director, Arizona Restaurant Association "I can honestly say I look forward to coming into the office every morning. A big reason is the people who I work with -- our staff, our board of directors, our members. I...

Trademark is 'well advised' but not necessary to operate.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... How does a business trademark its name? It may surprise you to know that it is not necessary to register a name with any state or federal agency in order to acquire trademark rights. In fact, trademarks and trademark rights occur...

Seven steps outlined for effective problem-solving.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Problem solving and decision making. Ask anyone in the workplace if these activities are part of their day and they'd certainly answer, "Yes." But how many of us have had training in problem solving? People tend to do three things...

Booming business opens doors for Scottsdale cabinet installer.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Company: J&D Installations Inc., Scottsdale Type of business: Installs cabinets and counter tops in multifamily apartments, assisted-living residences and extended-stay hotels Originally profiled: May 8, 1998 Revenue: $2.3...

SCORE hosts entrepreneurs workshop.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Phoenix chapter of SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives, is presenting a Pre-Business Planning Workshop for budding entrepreneurs. The seminar will help people determine if they're ready to own and manage a business, and...