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

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

Logan tapped to run Bank One. (Robert Logan; Bank One, Arizona N.A.)
March 3, 1995... Announcement due in days, sources say Robert Logan has been tapped to run Bank One Arizona, the state's largest bank. Logan, a close associate of departing Bank One Arizona chairman Richard Lehmann, is at the top of the list of candidates to...

Not striking out: Cactus League still catching advertisers. (baseball league)
March 3, 1995... In a year where the words loyalty and baseball don't seem to go together, Arizona stadiums hosting Cactus League spring training games are finding that advertisers are standing by them as the season opens with replacement players and possible...

Public input sought for assessment of environment. (Arizona)(includes related article)
March 3, 1995... An effort to change the way Arizona treats environmental risk using public opinion as well as input from the scientific community is picking up steam. The Arizona Comparative Environmental Risk Project is taking the issue to the next stage...

Small business gets chance to air gripes.
March 3, 1995... Time and again, small-business owners in Maricopa County have listed excessive government as one of the most frustrating roadblocks to running a successful company. "The three worst areas are taxes, regulation and paperwork. They have become...

Ira Domsky deals with air quality rules. (official of Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality)
March 3, 1995... Most of us probably don't think much about the air. After all, its only vital to life, but since we're surrounded with a few trillion cubic feet of it, availability is rarely in question. Increasingly, what is questionable is the quality of all...

Modest job gains seen for Valley. (Phoenix, Arizona)
March 3, 1995... Modest employment gains are seen for the Phoenix area this spring, while nationally the job outlook appears headed for its highest level in nearly six years. The forecast comes from Milwaukee-based Manpower Inc. and Joseph Tuerff of Manpower...

Political bug bit mayor at ASU. (Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano; Arizona State University)
March 3, 1995... While politics is said to make for strange bedfellows, it was a film about strange bedfellows that first enticed Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano into politics. Like most of the other 1970s students at Arizona State University, Giuliano was...

Staying ahead with the Internet: connection puts you in touch with the world.
March 3, 1995... Even if the Internet is not changing the way you do business, it is changing the way your competition does. Bill Kircos, an associate at the Phoenix firm, Southwest Public Relations, recently took a call from a client who needed a song, trivia...

US West seeks ways to aid home workers. (US West Inc.)
March 3, 1995... As more and more members of the work force start doing their "homework," technology firms are expanding their telecommunications services and products to meet the changing demands of those working in the "home-office boom." "Telecommunications...

Doctor reduces work with computer's help. (Dr. Curtis Maynard, chiropractor)
March 3, 1995... Computers are edging their way into the medical profession with time and money-saving software packages that allow doctors to spend more time with more patients. Dr. Curtis Maynard, a chiropractor specializing in sports-related injuries and...

Guarding your Email a priority, experts say.
March 3, 1995... Protecting one's Email from the prying eyes of others both inside and outside the company is becoming more critical as technology continues to out-pace efforts to maintain proprietary interests. At one time, Email systems were isolated within a...

Fiber optics can keep businesses connected.
March 3, 1995... For businesses that rely on the phone lines as their main form of connection to their customers, downtime can mean disaster. "There are businesses out there where telecommunications is a big piece of their business," says Michael McHale, vice...

Keep open mind when considering an open office.
March 3, 1995... You've labored for years at your trusty desk - drafting letters, writing schedules, answering customers' questions and calming clients' anxieties over the phone. Your 10-by-15-foot office has been your private oasis from the rows of workstations...

How to deliver criticism to help your employees. (The Human Side) (Column)
March 3, 1995... The time has come to tell your employee that he/she has not met your expectations. You've been called upon to earn your pay as a manager. You may consider delivering constructive criticism a burdensome administrative task that must be done for...

Receptionist makes or breaks image. (corporate image) (On Excellence) (Column)
March 3, 1995... Note: This column, first published in 1992, is among those most requested by readers. The final Tom Peters column will run next week. About 20 people, employed mostly in management-training activities, work in the Palo Alto, Calif., offices of...

1994 was a very good economic year. (Arizona)
March 3, 1995... Despite the interest-rate hikes that banks passed on from the Federal Reserve Board to commercial and consumer borrowers last year, Arizona's economy turned in a sterling performance in 1994, ending the year considerably better off than where it...

PacifiCorp challenges APS, SRP. (Arizona Public Service Co.; Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District)
March 10, 1995... The West's largest wholesaler of electricity is expanding its power presence and positioning for retail electricity sales throughout the region, including Arizona. PacifiCorp, a Portland, Ore.-based producer, wholesaler and retailer of...

Nursing home development sizzles in 1995.
March 10, 1995... Arizona's nursing home industry is revving up with more activity than it has seen in nearly 10 years. At least four new nursing homes and one retirement apartment complex are expected to be built this year and hospitals are switching their...

Baseball to bring hotel, new vitality. (Major League Baseball in Phoenix, Arizona)
March 10, 1995... Baseball coming to downtown Phoenix will be more than a home mn for the city, it will be a grand slam, driving in new development of restaurants, retail shops and a third downtown convention hotel. The addition of Major League Baseball and a...

Arizona Enterprise going private. (Arizona Enterprise Development Corp.)
March 10, 1995... Arizona Enterprise Development Corp. is going private by merging its loan portfolio with Business Development Finance Corp. AEDC, formerly administered by the Arizona Department of Commerce, provides SBA 504 loans at below market rates and has...

Bank One leads Valley in real estate loans. (Bank One, Arizona N.A.; Valley of the Sun, AZ)
March 10, 1995... With more than $260 million in commercial real estate loans, Bank One Arizona was the most prodigious lender in Maricopa County during 1994, according to a survey by Coopers & Lybrand LLP. It was reported in the Feb. 24 issue of The Business...

Ex-head of Charter Title gets new trial date. (Charter Title Agency Inc.'s Dean Brewer)
March 10, 1995... Dean Brewer, indicted last September on 133 counts of theft and fraud totaling $8 million in the collapse of Charter Title Agency, has a new trial date of June 5. Brewer, free on $75,000 bond since Oct. 11, asked on March 6 that his trial this...

Scottsdale Health System to build new office facility. (Scottsdale Memorial Health System Inc.)
March 10, 1995... Scottsdale Memorial Health System Inc. plans to build a $7.5 million medical office building on its Scottsdale Memorial Hospital-Osborn campus in downtown Scottsdale. The 60,000-square-foot medical office building and 300-space parking garage...

Construction permits for homes drop 20%.
March 10, 1995... The number of construction permits issued in January for single-family homes plunged 20 percent from the same month last year, and homebuilders are scrambling to reposition themselves in the dwindling market. In Maricopa County, 1,618 building...

Arizonans voice their preference for telecommunications options.
March 10, 1995... A statewide telecommunications teleconference has sent a clear message to the Arizona Corporation Commission: Arizonans want telecommunications options. "Arizona's Telecommunications Future Opportunities and Regulatory Issues," a statewide...

Firm helping Mexico dispose of assets. (Kenneth Leventhal & Co.)
March 10, 1995... An Arizona office of a public accounting firm is working with Mexico's largest banks to establish an organization similar to this country's Resolution Trust Corp. to dispose of thousands of non-performing real estate assets throughout Mexico....

Aircraft maker passes up Valley for plant site. (IPTN, Indonesia)
March 10, 1995... The Valley won't be the final landing place for a $100 million Indonesian aircraft manufacturing plant. Officials with IPTN, Indonesia's government-operated aircraft manufacturer, told city of Goodyear economic development officials March 7...

Per capita federal spending ranks Valley in 52nd place. (Valley of the Sun, Arizona)
March 10, 1995... [TABULAR DATA OMITTED] By population, Phoenix and the Valley represents the 19th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., but it is 52nd among the nation's 80 largest metros in per capita federal government expenditures. Washington spent $9.5...

Five new stores moving into Fashion Square. (Scottsdale Fashion Square, Scottsdale, AZ)
March 10, 1995... Scottsdale Fashion Square, at the northwest corner of Scottsdale and Camelback roads, has announced the impending arrival this spring of five new stores. The state's first Guess Home Collection is a spinoff of the Guess clothing lines into...

Small-business owners get their say. (White House Conference on Small Business, Arizona session) (On the Road to the White House )
March 10, 1995... Starting with a videotaped message from President Clinton and ending with 352 Arizona small-business leaders reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, the opening address at the Arizona session of the White House Conference of Small Business set the...

Conferees pinpoint 9 issues of concern. (White House Conference on Small Business, Arizona session)(includes related article) (On the Road to the White House)
March 10, 1995... Enlarging the current Small Business Administration loan guarantee program was one of the suggestions participants at the Arizona session of the White House Conference on Small Business hope will reach the ears of Washington lawmakers this...

Chamber seeks funds to fuel bid program. (Phoenix Chamber of Commerce)
March 10, 1995... The Phoenix Chamber of Commerce is battling Maricopa County budget cuts by turning to private enterprise to help fund its Bid Source program. Maricopa County cut its support of Bid Source from $144,000 to $94,250, says Lisa Noble, a...

Electric cars won't solve air pollution, study finds.
March 10, 1995... Electric cars boost the bottom line of utilities and are not a panacea for air pollution, results of a national study show. The fifth annual Arizona Public Service Co. electric car race was held at Firebird raceway March 3 through 5. Walking...

America West selects California ad agency. (America West Airlines Inc.; Team One Advertising of California)
March 10, 1995... Valley-based America West Airlines has announced that its $18-million advertising account will land at an out-of-state agency. The company reported March 2 that it selected Team One, a full-service agency based in El Segundo, Calif., to handle...

St. Joseph's throwing giant 100th party. (St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center)
March 10, 1995... St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is celebrating its 100-year birthday by throwing a $200,000 bash for the community. The giant birthday party will spread throughout downtown Phoenix on March 19 at the Civic Center Plaza, the Mercado,...

Phoenix firm to help reshape Ukraine's laws. (Fennemore Craig)
March 10, 1995... Phoenix-based law firm Fennemore Craig will play a leading role in the design of Ukraine's commercial legal system as the former Soviet Republic transforms itself into a free market economy. The firm is part of the Commercial Law Project for...

'Arizona Highways' celebrating 70th birthday. (periodical)
March 10, 1995... The magazine that brought Arizona to the world and the world to Arizona is celebrating 70 years of publication. Arizona Highways will commemorate its anniversary with this April's issue being designed as a "Collector's Edition," complete with...

Vodavi product combines phone with computer. (Vodavi Communications Systems's PC Phone)
March 10, 1995... Scottsdale-based Vodavi Communications Systems displayed its latest computer telephone integration product, the PC Phone, at the March 7 through 9 Computer Telephony Expo in Dallas. PC Phone, which operates on a Windows platform, allows users...

County plans depot for hazardous waste. (Maricopa County, AZ)
March 10, 1995... As Phoenix prepares for its annual household hazardous waste collection day, Maricopa County is on its way to establishing a regional, year-round household hazardous waste center. "It is not a large waste stream, but it is the most toxic waste...

Expert wants moms-to-be to get word. (umbilical blood for HIV treatment) (Focus: Health)
March 10, 1995... A University of Arizona researcher is negotiating with three Valley hospitals to allow pregnant women delivering at those hospitals to receive information about how they can save the blood from the umbilical cord for treatment of possible...

Major medical office projects planned for Valley. (Valley of the Sun, Arizona) (Focus: Health)
March 10, 1995... About a dozen new Valley medical office projects are in the pipeline for 1995, totaling more than 400,000 square feet and millions of dollars. A majority of the existing medical office buildings on or near hospital campuses are nearly or...

Prenatal education free to employees. (from March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) (Focus: Health)
March 10, 1995... The Arizona Chapter of the March of Dimes is offering Valley businesses free workplace prenatal health promotion programs for moms-to-be. The program is called Babies & You, and has been implemented nationwide for the past 10 years. Thanks to...

Valley doctor invents insert to curb foot pain. (Valley of the Sun, AZ) (Focus: Health)
March 10, 1995... A local foot doctor has devised a shoe insert designed to eliminate pain associated with foot ailments. Dr. Mark Gorman, past president of the American Podiatric Medical Association, says millions of people in this country suffer from foot...

Women's shelter seeks funds to buy complex. (Open Door Shelter Inc.) (Focus: Health)
March 10, 1995... The Open Door Shelter Inc., which provides a haven for abused women, is in escrow to purchase a nine-unit apartment complex at 40th Street and Indian School Road in Phoenix for $250,000. The deal is scheduled to close on March 15. Problem...

New Birthing Center keeps families together. (at John C. Lincoln Hospital and Health Center, Phoenix, AZ) (Focus: Health)
March 10, 1995... Before an award-winning renovation of the Birthing Center at John C. Lincoln Hospital and Health Center in Phoenix, mothers and newborns were unable to spend their fast night together. Health Facilities Management magazine, a national industry...

Medical library set for St. Joe's. (St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ)
March 17, 1995... Mercy to build $10.5 million high-tech center Mercy Healthcare Arizona will build a $10.5 million learning resource center on a prime parcel of its St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center campus in midtown Phoenix. Plans call for razing in...

Venerable firm Jennings Strouss faces problems. (law firm Jennings, Strouss and Salmon)
March 17, 1995... Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, the Valley's fifth largest law firm, is having internal problems that could jeopardize its future, but company officials say they are "optimistic" that the firm will have a future. According to sources both inside...

Diamondbacks investors are not in baseball just for profit. (baseball club Arizona Diamondbacks)
March 17, 1995... Although investors in Arizona baseball are expected to receive only a nominal return on their multimillion-dollar investments, Arizona Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo says he did not have to work very hard to convince them to open their...

Legislature may divert enviro-plate funds. (Arizona; promotional environmental-protection car plates)
March 17, 1995... Money generated from the sale of Arizona's promotional environmental-protection auto tags soon may be going to ranchers instead of teachers. Critics are calling the plan fraud. Led by Rep. Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, there is a move in the Arizona...

Developers consider adding office space. (DMB Associates Inc.)
March 17, 1995... DMB Inc., in development on a vacant 12-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Camelback Road and 32nd Street, may decide in the next month whether to include a Class A office space in the planned retail development. The Phoenix-based...

New software lets patients reach doctor 24 hours a day. (Patient Results Network voice-messaging system)
March 17, 1995... A medical student who started his own medical software company in Chicago is marketing a medical voice-messaging system to physician practices in Arizona. Victor Viner, the software designer and president and CEO of Chicago-based Viner Medical...

Court decision affects software industry. (copyright infringement suit involving Borland International Inc. and Lotus Development Corp.)
March 17, 1995... A recent federal appeals court decision has major implications for the Arizona software industry. Judges of the 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston voted 3-0 on March 9 that Borland International of Scotts Valley, Calif., did not...

Interface Data moving to new, larger facilities.
March 17, 1995... Phoenix-based Interface Data Systems Inc. will open expanded facilities March 22. The 4-year-old company, which is both minority- and employee-owned, is moving into 45,000 square feet at 3333 West Flower St. The facility is an existing...

Sneva: Victory Lane ready for expansion. (Tom Sneva; sports complex in Glendale, AZ)
March 17, 1995... The 38-acre Victory Lane sports complex in Glendale is considering several expansion projects, including the offering of roller hockey, a miniature Indy 500 race track, bumper cars, miniature golf and even an amusement park. Tom Sneva, Indy...

Blue Cross agrees to fix contract problems. (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona Inc.)
March 17, 1995... Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Arizona Inc., one of the state's largest insurance companies, has signed a consent order with the Arizona Department of Insurance, promising not to offer discounts to customers without specifying the discounts in its...

Health firm to begin stock repurchase. (First American Health Concepts Inc.)
March 17, 1995... Phoenix-based First American Health Concepts Inc. will initiate a stock repurchase program for up to $1 million, or about 5 percent of FAHC stock outstanding. The stock may be repurchased through private transactions or in the open market...

Syntellect joins NOAA in developing system. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; PC-based voice processing system)
March 17, 1995... The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, in conjunction with Phoenix-based Syntellect Inc., has developed a revolutionary PC-based voice-processing system that provides vital information to maritime pilots attempting to navigate...

Central Public Library to open May 20. (Phoenix, AZ)
March 17, 1995... New facility doubles size of old building Construction is in its final phase and the Phoenix Central Public Library will be in its new building May 20. "We're planning on that for an opening date," says Rosemary Nelson, the central library's...

Extra rooms needed for Super Bowl crowd. (1996 Super Bowl)
March 17, 1995... Valley residents may not know it, but they may be sitting on a hot commodity to be cashed in during next year's Super Bowl. Scott Stuart, owner of Bed & Breakfast Inn Arizona, a Scottsdale-based reservations service, has established a data bank...

Diamondbacks fever still rattling in Valley. (baseball club Arizona Diamondbacks)
March 17, 1995... Almost one week after Arizona Diamondbacks fever officially coiled itself around the Valley, retailers say the demand for the team's merchandise is still running high. "It's slowed down since the first and second days, but the first shipment...

New directory lists facts on area hotels. (1995 Resort Hotel Motel Directory of Metropolitan Phoenix)
March 17, 1995... With the Valley's tourism industry booming and growing everyday, it's hard to keep track of the almost 200 hotels and motels in the metro Phoenix area. But a new resource has been developed by a Valley hotel appraiser that will solve that...

Unitech buys 7-acre plant site in Scottsdale Airpark. (Unitech Industries Inc.)
March 17, 1995... Unitech Industries, a manufacturer of cellular phone products, has purchased for $1.6 million a 7-acre parcel in the Scottsdale Airpark and plans to begin construction on a 120,000-square-foot headquarters during the second quarter. The...

Chic area to get hotel. (corner of 20th St. and Highland Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona)
March 24, 1995... Suites near Camelback aim to open in time for Super Bowl The Promus Cos. Inc., a Memphis, Tenn.-based hotel developer and management company, has signed a long-term lease on a parcel of land near the popular corner of 24th Street and Camelback...

Protests filed on state's lucrative lottery account. (Arizona's advertising account)
March 24, 1995... Two losing finalists for the highly lucrative Arizona Lottery advertising account have filed formal complaints with the state calling for a re-awarding of the account. It is estimated that the contract, awarded Feb. 17 to E.B. Lane &...

Palo Verde gets eyed as hub for power futures. (Palo Verde)
March 24, 1995... Investors in the futures markets may soon be able to trade in electricity, with prices pegged to delivery at the Palo Verde switching station west of Phoenix. Using local power rates as a benchmark for electricity futures could result in less...

Dental Health Club sees national market.
March 24, 1995... The Dental Health Club is new in Phoenix and it plans to expand nationwide by offering unlimited dental care for its members for one annual fee. Club members receive unlimited dental services for an annual fee of $200 for singles, $350 for a...

Legislators in stew over veggie debate. (Agriculture Protection Act)
March 24, 1995... A newspaper may say "President Clinton's policies are like old Arizona lettuce: they aren't fit for human consumption." President Clinton can't sue that newspaper for defaming his character. But, in Arizona, the lettuce soon may have that right....

FTC questions claims about local product. (Federal Trade Commission; Mayor Pharmaceutical Laboratories Inc. products)
March 24, 1995... The Federal Trade Commission has charged the Home Shopping Network Inc. with making several unsubstantiated claims about the benefits and efficacy of three vitamin sprays and a stop-smoking spray manufactured by a Phoenix company....

Seeking better forecasts. (real estate market) (Industry Overview)
March 24, 1995... Brokers, developers square off in predictions With all segments of the Valley's real estate market under pressure, predicting its 1995 performance should prove to be more entertaining and informative than forecasts of the recent past. This...

Colangelo describes his downtown vision. (Arizona Diamondbacks CEO Jerry Colangelo)
March 24, 1995... The long-term impact of a new baseball stadium on downtown Phoenix will be so intense it will make the area almost unrecognizable compared with its current state, predicts Arizona Diamondbacks CEO Jerry Colangelo. "I can't even perceive what...

Venture funds profit in AZ. (Arizona)(includes related article) (Arizona Money)
March 24, 1995... Venture capitalists have been rewarded with big payoffs from several Arizona companies during the past few years - bringing more attention to the state from investors willing to trade high risk for high return. In terms of venture capital...

Steps in getting a bank loan. (Arizona Money)
March 24, 1995... The first place most businesses go for financing is to the bank, but walking in the door cold can lead to quick rejection. Here are some tips from bankers on how to get a loan. "The process starts way before a business actually needs a...

More cash for real estate deals. (Arizona Money)
March 24, 1995... In a year that saw vacancy rates substantially decline and lease rates rise for every kind of commercial building - office, retail and industrial - there also was a strong increase in interest from the capital markets to loan money for all types...

Factor financing back in vogue. (Arizona Money)
March 24, 1995... One of the oldest forms of financing, factoring is a popular option for many small firms seeking an alternative to traditional bank money. Factoring involves companies selling their accounts receivable for cash that can be used to boost the...

SBA cuts may create more loans. (Small Business Administration)
March 31, 1995... More loans may be available next year for Arizona small businesses, but borrowers and lenders may be forced to dig twice as deep into their pockets to pay for their financing. Both groups see a benefit to that tradeoff, which is part of a plan...

MDs sue Phoenix General. (Phoenix General Health Care Systems Inc.)
March 31, 1995... Osteopathic physicians in the past often were shunned by medical doctors. But in a recent lawsuit, the tide has turned. A group of emergency room medical doctors has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Phoenix General Health Care Systems Inc.,...

Valley seen as longshot for $1 billion fab. (Sun Valley, Arizona; LSI Logic Inc. fabrication plant)
March 31, 1995... The Valley is being considered as the site to build a reported $1 billion semiconductor chip manufacturing plant. LSI Logic Inc., a Milpitas, Calif.-based custom chip manufacturer, plans to select a site for a new fabrication plant as early as...

Rio Salado hotel's goal: kickoff prior to Super Bowl XXX.
March 31, 1995... Fido would have wanted it this way. Developers are in escrow on a parcel of land - the site of a former pet cemetery within the Rio Salado Project in Tempe and plan to begin construction in August on a $5 million, 110-room hotel. Greater...

Power company competition closer.
March 31, 1995... A proposed federal regulation would require U.S. power companies to open their lines to competitors and help other utilities left in the lurch by competition. On March 29, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a proposed rule to...

Valley firm to build Alzheimer's complex. (Sun Valley, Arizona)(American Family Care Concepts)
March 31, 1995... Phoenix-based American Family Care Concepts will begin construction in July on what will be the biggest Alzheimer's complex in the state. It is the first of 30 facilities planned nationwide. Phase one of Paradise Plaza, to be built at Greenway...

State dismisses lottery account complaints. (Arizona)
March 31, 1995... In the face of two lengthy complaints calling for the dismissal of E.B. Lane and Associates Inc. as the winner of the lucrative Arizona Lottery advertising account, the state is standing by its choice. But that won't stop at least one of the...

'Heavier' skim milk hits Valley shelves. (Sun Valley, Arizona; Skim Delux)
March 31, 1995... Many people say they would eat healthier if only fat-free foods tasted better, and a recently introduced product on the Valley grocery market shows researchers have listened. Skim Delux is real milk that combines the best aspects of both skim...

Garagiola set to start giant task as GM of new Diamondbacks. (Joe Garagiola Jr.)
March 31, 1995... Beginning in mid-May, Phoenix sports and entertainment lawyer Joe Garagiola Jr. will have a little less than three years to scout, analyze, draft, sign and put on the field for opening day the roster of the Major League Baseball expansion team,...

Venture capitalist on cutting edge. (Arizona Growth Partners L.P. general partner Jock Holliman)
March 31, 1995... Providing money to firms developing such cutting-edge technology as changing the way bones are healed or putting X-rays in holographic form is all in a day's work for Jock Holliman. General partner of the venture capital firm Arizona Growth...