The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun articles from June 1995

The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun archives from June 1995

County hospital hot property. (Maricopa County, Arizona)
June 2, 1995... At least five private-sector hospital systems could be ready to shell out millions of dollars to take over Maricopa County's ailing health-care system, which is expected to lose as much as $18.3 million this year. Maricopa County has issued a...

It's 'Bank One Ballpark,' but it's Bank of America loan. (Arizona's first Major League baseball team; stadium)
June 2, 1995... It will be called the "Bank One Ballpark," home runs will be "Bank One Boomers," but the financial muscle to build the stadium won't be Bank One's at all. Bank of America will likely provide the construction loan as well as a portion of the...

Nation envies Arizona's senior HMO enrollment. (health maintenance organization)
June 2, 1995... Health maintenance organizations have managed to penetrate 40 percent of the senior market in Arizona, causing Congress to turn its eye toward the state as a model for Medicare reform. Arizona seniors finally are overcoming their fears of...

Investment firm and Opus to build Scottsdale offices. (Opus Southwest Corp.; Globe Corp.; Arizona)
June 2, 1995... Opus Southwest Corp. has teamed with the Globe Corp., a real estate investment company, in a joint venture to build a $45 million, multi-tenant 250,000-square-foot office complex in Scottsdale. The first phase of development would include two...

U-Haul outsider plan to sell stock rejected.
June 2, 1995... The outsider group of stockholders in the Shoen family fight over control of the giant U-Haul truck rental firm lost its attempt to write its own "slam-dunk" plan on how the company will pay $461.8 million for the outsiders' stock shares. U.S....

First-quarter results bright for small biz.
June 2, 1995... As analyses of the first quarter roll in, one thing is evident - small businesses got a jump start in 1995, bucking the traditional first-quarter slumps in sales, net income, spending and hiring. And they did so even in the face of rising...

Feds change rules on community lending. (Community Reinvestment Act revision)
June 2, 1995... A revised Community Reinvestment Act will go into effect July 1, limiting federal regulatory control on local banks. CRA lending was implemented in 1977 by the federal government to ensure that banks did not discriminate against low-income...

Investors must settle sooner starting June 7. (stock market)
June 2, 1995... Investors who place an order to buy or sell securities will have only three days to get the job done beginning June 7. In October 1993, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved a proposal to implement a three-day settlement. The idea is...

Scottsdale considers art, design museum. (Arizona)
June 2, 1995... The Scottsdale Cultural Council is studying the feasibility of purchasing the building being used for the United Artists Scottsdale Discount Cinema on the Scottsdale Mall and turning the space into a contemporary art museum. The tentative name...

Heywood rides crest of airwaves. (radio host Bill Heywood)
June 2, 1995... BILL HEYWOOD TITLE morning host FIRM KFYI-AM 910 EDUCATION Bachelor's, Business, Radio and TV, College of the Pacific, Stockton, Calif. SPOUSE Susan CHILDREN 4 HOME Phoenix AGE 58 ASSOCIATIONS Board member, Arizona Women in...

Biltmore restoration follows Wright ideals. (Arizona Biltmore resort; Frank Lloyd Wright)
June 2, 1995... "Destroy the box," said 20th century luminary Frank Lloyd Wright, stating his metaphor for destroying established architectural modes in order to create new, more innovative values. But when it came to the $35 million renovation of the Arizona...

Phoenix firm to help rebuild Japanese city. (Jones Studio Inc.; Kobe, Japan)
June 2, 1995... Two members of a small Phoenix architectural firm will try to provide some stability to the Japanese city of Kobe, devastated in January by the worst earthquake to hit the country in 50 years. Neal and Eddie Jones, of Jones Studio Inc., are...

City lacking 'true' architectural significance. (Phoenix, Arizona)
June 2, 1995... Throughout my life as an architect, I have been challenged by the question of just what is the essence of architecture. This is far different from trying to determine what makes good architecture so wonderful and bad architecture so disgusting....

Security features incorporated in building design.
June 2, 1995... With concerns about crime on the rise, more and more building owners are turning to architects to solve their on-going security problems. Building owners are asking architects to design structures that will inhibit crime and increase the safety...

Architects are key to ADA compliance. (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990)
June 2, 1995... Building designers must consider accessibility for disabled Phoenix architect Robert Lynch is fighting what he calls a "silent revolution" in the design and construction industry. Lynch, an architectural consultant in private practice, is a...

Health network loses owners. (Arizona Healthcare Alliance; Mercy Health System and Lutheran Health Care Network)
June 9, 1995... Arizona Healthcare Alliance, a network of care providers joined to contract with insurance companies, is parting ways with Mercy and Lutheran hospital systems, two of its largest members. At a time when the alliance is seeking new members, it...

Valley trails Oregon in bid for chip plant. (Phoenix, Arizona; Newberg, Oregon; Sumitomo Sitix Silicon Inc.'s planned semiconductor manufacturing plant)
June 9, 1995... A "groundswell of community support" from Oregon residents and politicians has knocked Phoenix out of its front-runner position to land a $400 million semiconductor manufacturing plant. Sumitomo Sitix Corp. was scheduled to announce June 8 that...

High-profile D.C. PR firm ponders Phoenix office. (Washington, D.C.; Smith and Harroff; Arizona)
June 9, 1995... Smith & Harroff, one of the country's top 50 public relations firms, is nearing a decision on opening a Phoenix office. The high-profile Washington firm has some familiarity with the Arizona market. It has worked on U.S. Sen. John McCain's...

Homeplex headed for proxy fight. (Homeplex Mortgage Investment Corp.)
June 9, 1995... One of the two largest shareholders of Homeplex Mortgage Investment Corp. is waging a proxy fight against the Phoenix-based real estate investment trust, claiming the 7-year-old corporation has not been able to increase its stock value. Ira...

Health providers look to combine services. (Phoenix Children's Hospital and Mercy Healthcare Arizona)(includes related article)
June 9, 1995... Phoenix Children's Hospital and Mercy Healthcare Arizona are discussing ways to work together, possibly including a combined hospital. Leland Clabots, president of PCH, said the talks center on pooling resources to benefit children. "It could...

Money woes close venerable law firm. (Rawlins Burrus Lewkowitz and Feinstein PC)
June 9, 1995... Struck down by economics, a Phoenix law firm with roots stretching back to frontier Arizona has closed with nine of its 11 remaining attorneys sprouting to associate with two other Valley firms. Rawlins Burrus Lewkowitz & Feinstein PC ceased...

ADFlex to sell shares to raise $5.7 million. (ADFlex Solutions Inc.)
June 9, 1995... Chandler-based ADFlex Solutions Inc. has filed for a secondary offering of 2.1 million common shares at $25.50 per share, a deal expected to raise $5.7 million for the company to be used as working capital and other general corporate purposes....

Arizona Highways gets new publisher. (periodical; Nina La France)
June 9, 1995... Nina La France spent all last weekend pinching herself, making sure she had really been named the new publisher of Arizona Highways magazine. "After a few interviews, I had a pretty good idea I was in the running, but I still can't believe...

It's a New World at the top of KSAZ-TV 10. (New World Television)
June 9, 1995... Like an unexpected aftershock from an earthquake, the recent shake-up in the top management position at Channel 10 (KSAZ) is a delayed reaction to last year's network switches. When New World Television Inc. bought KSAZ last May, the...

Physicians criticize AZ health-care firms. (Arizona)
June 9, 1995... SAN FRANCISCO - Doctors in the San Francisco area battling to gain vital links to managed-care networks have been offered a unique prescription by two Arizona-based companies: Send us your money, preferably by credit card, and our affiliated...

R&G merger could mean smaller staff. (merger of newsrooms of Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette)
June 9, 1995... The merger of the newsrooms of The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette, now, a sure thing, won't cost any of the 380 employees their jobs. But it also won't keep the staff from shrinking. Ever since the initial May 17 announcement of a...

Bank to offer more dollars to community. (Norwest Bank Arizona N.A.; Community Lending Initiative)
June 9, 1995... As a result of its acquisition of Caliber Bank, Norwest Bank Arizona, has announced it will expand its Community Lending Initiative by $210 million and add to the Minority Advisory Committee that previously served Caliber. When Norwest...

Rafting trips offer whitewater thrills. (Arizona)
June 9, 1995... You're flying down the whitewater of the Colorado River in a 20-man raft that's breaking through the rapids at speeds faster than any roller coaster you've ever braved. Your heart is racing almost as fast as the boat. It's a rash you've never...

Lavin's work makes Valley a better place. (volunteer and fund-raiser Ira Lavin; Sun Valley, Arizona)
June 9, 1995... Ira Lavin came to Phoenix from Chicago in 1957. Ostensibly, the move to a drier climate would alleviate his wife's complexion problem. He had a broadcast background and landed a job as general manager of a local radio station. But the move...

Glass ceiling stronger in law profession. (discrimination)(Focus: Legal Profession)
June 9, 1995... Move is on toward equality for women, minorities in law The glass ceiling preventing women and minorities from entering top corporate positions is still firmly in place in most white, male-dominated industries, but some say the glass is...

Employers faced with greater liability. (liability for failing to report inappropriate social behavior in the workplace)(Focus: Legal Profession)
June 9, 1995... Failure of an employer to fully and carefully investigate a report of inappropriate social behavior in the workplace can be a two-edged sword poised over the financial heart of a business. Sloppy or less than prompt attention to such complaints...

Grocery complex seen as key to spur in-fill. (Kitchell Development Inc.; Phoenix, Arizona)
June 16, 1995... Kitchell Development Co. is in negotiation to purchase a 7-acre parcel at the northwest corner of Seventh Street and McDowell Road with plans to build a $7 million, 60,000-square-foot neighborhood center. The in-fill grocery would be the first...

Doctors' network launched in Valley. (OrNda Physician Services)
June 16, 1995... Nashville, Tenn.-based OrNda Healthcorp, which recently paid $120 million for St. Luke's Health System in Phoenix, now has turned its eye toward physicians and is using Phoenix as a headquarters for acquiring and managing physician practices...

Minorities fear court ruling. (affirmative action programs)
June 16, 1995... A U.S. Supreme Court ruling this week ordering strict scrutiny of federally funded projects involving affirmative action programs has some local minority business groups fearful the decision will cause a chain reaction. The Supreme Court voted...

Builders seek early trial over city's hiring policy. (Arizona contractors; Phoenix, Arizona; policy for hiring minority and women-owned businesses)
June 16, 1995... Attorneys for a group of Arizona contractors want to speed up proceedings in a lawsuit filed last year objecting to a Phoenix study that sets goals for hiring minority- and women-owned businesses. A Jan. 16, 1996, court date has been set,...

APS agrees to export electricity to Mexico. (Arizona Public Service Co.)
June 16, 1995... Arizona Public Service Co. is expanding its utility business into Mexico with three low-voltage lines that will be used for emergency backup and some direct service beginning in November. Mark DeMichele, APS president and CEO, and Rogelio...

CB Commercial plans to consolidate offices. (CB Commercial Real Estate GroupInc.)
June 16, 1995... CB Commercial, the Valley's largest real estate brokerage firm, plans to close its Scottsdale office and consolidate the staff at its uptown Phoenix office. The centralization of the staff is a precursor to the firm's planned move to a new...

Lavidge Hiegel wins state print account. (Lavidge/Hiegel; Arizona)
June 16, 1995... Lavidge Hiegel Communications beat out 11 local competitors for one of the state's "big four" advertising opportunities, the $250,000 Arizona Department of Commerce print advertising account. Lavidge Hiegel's low bid, which involves a proposed...

Lawyers: Driggs deal best for both parties. (Resolution Trust Corp.'s suit against former West Savings and Loan Association Pres. and CEO Gary Driggs)(includes related article)
June 16, 1995... A pending settlement in the Resolution Trust Co.'s $400 million civil damage suit against Gary Driggs, the former president and CEO of the failed Phoenix-based Western Savings & Loan Association, is the best either side can expect, lawyers on...

Insurance firms warming to alternative treatments.
June 16, 1995... More insurance companies are listening to their customers and as a result starting to pay for alternative medicine, including acupuncture. Samaritan Health Plan considers paying for alternative medicine on a case-by-case basis, said Phyllis...

County to get tough on bad-check writers. (Maricopa County, Arizona)
June 16, 1995... The Maricopa County Attorney's office soon will be able to crack down harder on bad check writers with the help of new legislation. The Arizona Legislature passed a series of amendments that take effect July 17 and increase the fees charged for...

Hald's vision kicked off MicroAge. (founder and Vice Chmn. Alan Hald)(Company Profile)
June 16, 1995... Valley entrepreneur, bungee jumper, high-tech leader and MicroAge Inc. founder Alan Hald has the power to see things other people do not. And that vision has provided insight for such people as Alvin Toffler, one of America's hippest futurists....

Impact fees may be building block. (Phoenix, Arizona; commercial real estatedevelopment)(Focus: Commercial Real Estate)
June 16, 1995... The city of Phoenix has imposed impact fees for nearly seven years on commercial real estate development in an area north of the Central Arizona Project Canal. But only now, with development of both commercial and residential real estate in...

World's largest sundial proposed for Phoenix. (Koerper and Company Inc.; Arizona)(Focus: Commercial Real Estate)
June 16, 1995... Win Koerper has made a living creating successful eye-catching logos for big-name companies like Lee jeans, The Coleman Co., Folger's coffee and The Arizona Biltmore Resort, but his latest trademark idea could be the one for which he is best...

Denver eatery chain expanding in Valley. (Quizno's Franchise Corp.; Sun Valley, Arizona)(Focus: Commercial Real Estate)
June 16, 1995... America is changing the way it eats and a Denver restaurant chain is looking to capitalize on that trend as it expands in the Valley and across America. There was a time when going to a restaurant for dinner or lunch was a special event;...

Construction field opening to women.(Focus: Commercial Real Estate)
June 16, 1995... Heather McFaul, a 25-year-old graduate from Arizona State University's construction department, is the project field engineer for a $27.7 million renovation project at Sky Harbor International Airport. She works for D.L. Withers Construction,...

Japanese unload U.S., Arizona properties.(Focus: Commercial Real Estate)
June 16, 1995... Japanese investors unloaded $6.4 billion worth of U.S. real estate last year. In Arizona alone, $244 million in real property assets were divested by the Japanese, according to a study by Arizona-based E&Y Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group....

Mercy closing nursing home. (Mercy Healthcare Arizona; St. Joseph's Care Center)
June 30, 1995... Mercy Healthcare Arizona, which recently eliminated 250 full-time positions, is closing its nursing home, which employs 200 full-time employees. The 236-bed St. Joseph's Care Center at 531 W. Thomas Road is being closed because there is no...

Small banks find niche in loaning to small business.
June 30, 1995... Small banks are making comeback in Arizona, rushing to fill a void created in small-business services created by the February sale of Caliber Bank to Norwest Bank Arizona. Applications are pending for two new banks that would join a growing...

Construction on west side autoplex set. (SunCor Development Co.'s Palm Valley Crossing in Goodyear, Arizona)
June 30, 1995... Goodyear's effort to attract big-ticket retailers by reducing its sales tax on high-dollar items has been rewarded. Suncor Development Co. plans to begin construction in the next 30 days on what could be a seven-dealership autoplex on a 35-acre...

Super Bowl room scalping. (hotels in the Phoenix and Valley of the Sun area)
June 30, 1995... Super Bowl organizers, who cautioned local hoteliers not to gouge visitors during the two-week super extravaganza in January, may have inadvertently set up a haven for scalpers - not ticket scalpers, but hotel-room scalpers. The National...

State staffing problem delays money for arts. (Arizona Corporation Commission)
June 30, 1995... An accounting logjam at the Arizona Corporation Commission has cut into funding collected from corporations for local arts groups. The Arizona Commission on the Arts receives about $1 million each year through the Arizona Arts Trust Fund, which...

Travelers finding Phoenix major hot spot.
June 30, 1995... So what if it's 110 degrees in the shade? Phoenix - with its lower-than-average prices - still ranks as one of the top 10 domestic destinations in the country for summer travel, according to a recent survey conducted by a national group of...

America West now official airline of Diamondbacks. (America West Airlines Inc.; Arizona Diamondbacks)
June 30, 1995... The partnership announced Tuesday between America West Airlines Inc. and the Arizona Diamondbacks is about to take off - but at least two of the original equity investors in the team have been grounded. Major League Baseball reportedly rejected...

Lower temperatures cut into utility revenues.
June 30, 1995... Lower temperatures in May and June are cooling summer revenues by millions of dollars for Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service Co., leaving both utilities short of their expectations. SRP and APS reported a May revenue loss of about $8...

Key baseball stadium architect leaves firm. (Michael Hallmark of Ellerbe Becket Inc.)
June 30, 1995... In the midst of finalizing plans for the Arizona Diamondbacks' $275 million stadium, the project's principal architect has left the architectural firm that is in charge of the design. Three key architects, including Michael Hallmark, a senior...

Big-budget, but slightly used, TV ads for sale. (AdvantEdge Television Advertising)
June 30, 1995... Randy Hecht is looking to sell some old advertising ideas to Arizona's small businesses, and if other markets are any indication he will have no problem getting them to bite. That's because the ideas he's selling - big-budget television...

Republic, Gazette staff must compete for jobs. (The Arizona Republic and The Pheonix Gazette)
June 30, 1995... Reporters and editors at The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette will find themselves putting together their resumes and filling out job applications over the next few months - but that doesn't mean they'll be out on the street. In...

She seeks philanthropists to aid Scottsdale. (Marilynn Pauwells, head of Scottsdale, Arizona's formal gift-giving program)
June 30, 1995... For the amount of newsprint and broadcast time recently devoted to the subject. you would think that creating land trusts, establishing endowments or making donations were totally new ideas in the battle to preserve the quality of life in...

He found success in honky-tonk. (Tucker Woodbury, owner of The Rockin' Horse nightclub and restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona)
June 30, 1995... The noon sun has yet to hit the back door of the Rockin' Horse, the "upscale honky-tonk" near Scottsdale's gallery row at Indian School and Goldwater Boulevard, and already Tucker Woodbury, is on the verge of one of those moody days of feeling...