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

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

'Tech hotel' coming downtown.(former home of Phoenix Newspapers to house telecommunications concerns)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The fortress-like building filled with the ghosts of 50 years' worth of newspaper stories is coming back to life in downtown Phoenix. The former home of Phoenix Newspapers Inc. will open in June as one of the largest telecommunications hubs...

NeoPlanet, Coyotes pair up.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Question: What do you get when you a coyote with a mouse? Answer: Possibly one of the most innovative promotional alliances ever between a sports team and an Internet firm. The Phoenix Coyotes hockey team has partnered with Tempe...

Cash crop.
March 3, 2000... Phoenix company has global view with sea veggie It's about finding new ways to use natural resources, developing uninhabitable parts of the world and helping Third World countries prosper. It's also about gourmet garnishes and eating...

Las Vegas targets 6 teams.
March 3, 2000... Las Vegas officials are taking a swing at bringing spring training baseball to the Silver State -- a move that the Cactus League is watching very carefully. Representatives from several Major League Baseball teams are meeting in Las Vegas...

A mushroom boom.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... In 1,000 bags of wet straw, Bruce Atwood is growing an exotic delicacy. The straw soaked with water and nutrients is compost for Atwood's crop of oyster mushrooms. The straw is in gallonsized plastic bags on wood racks in lightand...

Historic Phoenix Country Club hits 100-year mark.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Phoenix Country Club, one of Arizona's most venerable institutions, had a birthday party over the weekend. It turned 100 years old. And in a state where a house built in the 1980s is considered old, that's a notable fete. To this...

They're on the A-list.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Speaking of cutting deals, I'll bet the seeds of one or two were planted during our Book of Lists networking event last week. A crowd of about 600 turned up, and the versatile mix made for some terrific networking opportunities. They...

Scouts honors.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... It's Girl Scout cookie season, so get ready to pay up for all those boxes you ordered from your co-worker's daughter a few weeks back. Meantime, the scouts' Arizona Cactus-Pine Council will be paying tribute to six women at a luncheon...

MARKET FACTS.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
March 3, 2000... MARKET FACTS ADVERTISING AWARENESS Percent of Phoenix adults who have seen or heard advertising discouraging: Smoking 98%...

Wells Fargo launches mid-market online tool.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Mid-sized companies looking for a way to do business in the New Economy may have an answer. Wells Fargo & Co. launched its eStore Business Solutions March 1, providing a more extensive Internet catalog and marketing support service for...

Companies enter 'virtual world' in their search for venture capital.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... One of Arizona's biggest economic dilemmas has been a lack of venture capital, but organizers of an online conference hope to "virtually" solve the problem. Virtual Venture Capital Conference 2000, presented by Phoenix-based...

CORRECTION.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
March 3, 2000... The Herold Report, a Valleywide quarterly published by Linda Herold, is based in Scottsdale. An item in The Business Journal's "People On The Move" feature of Feb. 25 listed the wrong Valley city.

Broadcasting museum searching for new house.(House of Broadcasting Inc. )(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... House of Broadcasting Inc. is preparing not only for its annual fund raiser, but a relocation. The nonprofit museum that preserves memorabilia from Arizona's broadcast industry has outgrown, its space at Chris-Town Mall in Phoenix. It has...

Tourism leaders push separate tax to funnel money into industry.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Tourism officials outside of Maricopa County are looking at a new game plan that would impose a tax on their own industry -- as long as the money doesn't go toward a new football stadium. "We would absolutely do that -- in a New York...

Developer has lofty goals for 70-year-old building.
March 3, 2000... When Kris Lowrey passes boarded-up historical buildings in downtown Phoenix, she has visions of future housing. One of her dreams is coming true. She and developer Bill Mahoney are converting a distressed 1929 apartment building into The...

Valley midwife promotes Phoenix birthing center.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... In an effort to reduce the number of infant deaths in the Valley, a group of health care providers are working on plans to establish a comprehensive center for pregnant women and families. Lylaine Gavette, a nurse midwife and director of...

ClearData.net buys TK Internet.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Phoenix data communications services, provider ClearData.net Inc. has acquired Phoenix-based TK Internet from Systems Solutions Inc. -- its eighth acquisition in two months. The company also has secured $5 million in venture capital from...

Commercial broker NAI expands online services.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Internet has become a worldwide merchandise mart with a growing inventory, from new cars and rare antiques to first-edition books and collectible maps. But how about buying, selling or leasing office buildings worth millions, anywhere...

Business mentoring program begins.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Representatives from big and small business ventures in the Valley are coming together to launch a mentoring program aimed at helping them learn from one another. The Partners for the Future program, created in part by the Greater Phoenix...

Phoenix amusement park targets corporate visitors.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Enchanted Island Amusement Park is beefing up its corporate picnic program. The private operation at Encanto Park near 15th Avenue and Encanto Boulevard in Phoenix has incorporated the nearby paddle boats that previously had been operated...

City speech looks at economic future.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza will shed some light on downtown business issues and trends, as well as detail his views for the metro area's economic future, in his annual State of the City address April 12. Part address, part luncheon, the...

JDA expands customer base by acquiring Intactix.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... JDS Software Group Inc., Scottsdale, announced last week the acquisition of Intactix, a provider of space management solutions, for $20.5 million in cash. The company had been owned by Swedish-based Pricer AB and posted revenue of $24...

New product.
March 3, 2000... Evergreen Internet Inc., Chandler, released a new platform for e-commerce solutions that company officials say will work with any standardsbased platform and application server. [ECential.sup.TM] software may be distributed across existing...

Homes on quepasa.
March 3, 2000... Quepasa.com, a Phoenix-based web portal, has partnered with RealEstateEspanol.com to provide home-buying services in both Spanish and English. RealEstateEspanol has been designated as the official Internet site for the National Association...

New facility.(CheckFree Holdings Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... CheckFree, a provider of e-commerce payment options, will open a new facility March 6 in Phoenix. The site will be the company's 10th office nationwide and opens just days after CheckFree announced a deal to provide electronic billing and...

Dot-com of the week.
March 3, 2000... Late last year, Bob Westinicky decided to make a profit from years of hoarding car memorabilia and literature. He quit his job as web master for a Tempe company and became web master of his own stuff. Westinicky started auctioning his...

McKesson HBOC snags Symmetry software renewal.
March 3, 2000... Symmetry Health Data Systems Inc., a national software developer for the health care industry, has signed a 15-year renewal agreement with the Information Technology Business of McKesson HBOC. The agreement allows the Information Technology...

Heart healthy lessons.(Arizona Heart Institute Foundation and Cox Communications Inc. "Heart Healthy Lessons for Children" project)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... More than 150 Valley students who have been learning heart healthy lessons met this week to watch a video of Dr. Edward Diethrich perform open heart surgery. The project, conducted by the Arizona Heart Institute Foundation and Cox...

Thank you veterans.
March 3, 2000... Robert Allen, who served as a private in the U.S. Army during World War II -- and now is the oldest veteran living at the Nursing Home Care Unit of the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center -- is getting special recognition from elementary students...

Laser studies.
March 3, 2000... The Barnet-Dulaney Eye Center has been selected as a clinical trial site for a new laser treatment for patients with astigmatism and nearsightedness. The clinical trials will be of the Wave-Light Allegretto Excimer Laser System, an...

Care giver site launches.
March 3, 2000... A new Atlanta dot-com company has gone live to offer consumers mouse-click access to home health care services. AmericanCareGiver.com will continue its site roll out over the next six months in major metropolitan areas in Arizona, Florida,...

Good Sam stars.(Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Camera crews from the TLC cable network's prime time series, "Trauma: Life in the ER," were in Phoenix this week, filming Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center's emergency and trauma center. The footage filmed at the hospital is scheduled...

New and Improved wins hot dot-com ad account.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... New and Improved Advertising has landed a dot-com account that will fit right in with the Scottsdale advertising agency's client roster. SmartAge.com, San Francisco, is a business-to-small business e-commerce company, and New and...

L&B nabs C-K staff.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Cramer-Krasselt's former creative director and senior art director/account supervisor have turned up at one of the Phoenix ad agency's competitors. Lavidge & Baumayr Advertising and Public Relations, Scottsdale, has hired Eric Labas and...

Stevens Tarr growing.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Stevens Tarr, a strategic design firm in Scottsdale, has added design duties for Universal Propulsion Co. Inc., Phoenix; Breakthrough Management Group, Scottsdale; and Roger Alan McGill, a country music singer in Nashville, Tenn. For...

Newsstand sales up.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Two Cities West Publishing Inc., Phoenix, magazines racked up significant newsstand sales last year. Phoenix Home & Garden sold a record 102,329 copies in 1999, up 35 percent from 75,918 in 1998. The 20th anniversary issue published in...

'New Homes' wins award.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... One of Scottsdale-based Linder Publishing Inc.'s magazines won the 1999 Housing Guides of America Award for Best New Publication. New Homes Magazine, which covers the greater Phoenix area, was recognized for its overall format,...

Oops.
March 3, 2000... A recent press release blooper featured an interesting (and wrong) form of a common word. Most people are familiar with "it's," a contraction, and "its," a possessive form of the neuter pronoun. But one press release refers to how an art...

Intel small-business tool being tested in Phoenix.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Intel Corp. is test marketing a program for small businesses in Phoenix that promises to help them use technology and the Internet to enhance communication, productivity and profitability. The Intel InBusiness Small Office Network, is...

SEMY European.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Phoenix semiconductor process-control firm SEMY Engineering will be helping European chip-making plants run their operations better, thanks to a new agreement with French distributor TELTEC. TELTEC, based in Montpellier, France, will...

Foreign Matter.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... AZSOFT.net is planning a seminar to review the pros and cons of outsourcing software development to offshore facilities. The breakfast, sponsored by Complete Business Solutions Inc., Phoenix, will include guest speaker Marty McCaffrey,...

Pentawave products.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Scottsdale software firm Pentawave has two new products that help online classified advertising businesses match supply with demand via the Internet. IdealHire gives media organizations the tools to turn their web-based classifieds into...

New video CDs.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... In the past, viewing full-screen videos on a personal computer required expensive, special equipment. But MicroVision Interactive, Fountain Hills, has developed a system of converting conventional video to compact discs in a format that...

Interactive webcast.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Phoenix e-learning firm ComputerPREP Inc. hosted the Information Technology Training Association's first interactive "cybercast" event using its web-conferencing technology. ITTA, an international information technology industry training...

Fresh Trax.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Mesa e-logistics firm Trax Technologies Inc. has opened an office in Scottsdale and another in Boston. Officials at Trax -- whose clients include EMC Corp., Compaq Computer Corp., CompUSA and Ford Motor Co. -- said the expansion is part of...

Breakfast with Dell.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... One of the toughest decisions facing Valley small businesses is whether to buy or lease their information technology. Dell Computer Corp. is trying to help out by providing businesses with criteria for making that choice. The company's...

Writers' documentary film promotes Grand Canyon.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Two years ago, the Arizona Office of Tourism co-sponsored a unique project that sent 15 women writers down a white-water rafting trip of the Grand Canyon. The result was a book including stunning photographs of the Colorado River and writings...

Olympus grows in East.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Olympus Hospitality Group of Scottsdale has acquired the assets of Chalet Susse International Inc., a chain of 34 economy hotels in New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The...

Embassy going digital.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Embassy Suites in northeast Phoenix is beginning to take shape. Workers are hauling in furniture and rolling out carpets for the March 6 opening. The property, at 4415 E. Paradise Village Parkway South, contains 270 suites and will...

Disney draws the crowd.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Disney's Fantasia 2000's The Sorcerer's Apprentice has set record box office attendance at Tempe's IMAX Theatre, including selling out all shows during the first three days of the film's run. The animated feature has drawn more than 80,000...

Peoria's pride.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Peoria Chamber of Commerce is asking the public's help in deciding what Peoria location deserves special recognition as a place of pride. Residents can vote for a location they feel is a "must see" around town, one that every resident...

Skating into Peoria.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Maybe you'll want to vote for the RollerPlex facility, a $1.8 million entertainment center currently under construction in the Arrowhead Towne Center corridor in Peoria. The 29,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to be completed for the...

Growing and growing.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Best Western International, Phoenix, has added three properties: * The Best Western Inn of Navasota, a newly constructed hotel in Navasota, Texas, is a 40-room property. * The 72-room Best Western Stone-ridge Inn and Conference Centre...

Las Vegas to the canyon.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Grand Canyon Railway, in partnership with sister company Farwest Airlines, will start its own daily flights April 2 from Las Vegas McCarran International Airport to the Grand Canyon. Prices for the two-day trips start at $320.60 per person...

Zealot for justice.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Civil rights cases grant inspiration to attorney When Stephen Montoya was a boy, he couldn't decide what he wanted to be when he grew up. A favored uncle, whose profession was medicine, drew him to follow in his footsteps. An appreciation...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Accounting At Arthur Andersen, Phoenix, Brian Christensen was named partner-in-charge of business risk consulting and assurance, and Terry Trost joined the state and local tax practice section. Promoted to managers at the firm were Dave...

Urban growth issues are hot topic nationally.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... In case, you missed it, metro Phoenix is part of a large club When it comes to tackling problems associated with urban growth and sprawl. A glance at January and February headlines, in metro newspapers across the country shows that many...

Central Avenue lofts?(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Eric Brown, president of Artisan Lofts, is searching for property along Central Avenue for another luxury loft-style property. Brown confirmed talk on the street that he has contacted a property owner but until he has a contract in hand,...

Luxury apartments.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... BRE Properties Inc. plans to start more upscale apartment communities in Phoenix this summer. One is a 226-unit development next to Stonecreek Golf Club, 4435 E. Paradise Village Parkway, south of Paradise Valley Mall. A second...

New luxury rental retirement community opens in Scottsdale.(Sierra Pointe)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Officials said a $30 million, luxury rental retirement community they are opening in Scottsdale is the wave of the future. Retirement communities such as Sierra Pointe will be popular, they said, because some retirees want security, privacy...

WHO'S WHO.(Connie Wilhelm-Garcia of Home Builders Association of Central Arizona)(Brief Article)(Interview)
March 3, 2000... Connie Wilhelm-Garcia President, Home Builders Association of Central Arizona Years with organization: 15 Group's current major activities: Growth-related legislation, including land planning, preservation, transportation, air...

Hot Deals.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... COMMERCIAL $14.1 million McCormick Place Office Building Northeast corner of Via De Ventura and Hayden Road, Scottsdale Buyer: Abart Properties, Bourbonnais, Ill. Seller: Lees Mayfield, Phoenix Listing and selling agent:...

Architectural design firm even offers Kitchen Sink.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... One of the Valley's newest and smallest architectural design companies is working on some of the region's biggest projects. They include the Collier Center, visible from the studio windows of Nick Hower and Kory Kapfer. Hower and...

Two Phoenix construction project managers earn excellence awards.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Two construction project managers in Phoenix have tied for a special award from the Arizona chapter of the American Subcontractor Association. The association also named Layton Southwest Inc. the 1999 contractor of the year. Bill...

Hendricks opens in San Antonio.(Hendricks & Partners)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... A Phoenix-based real estate company is opening an office in San Antonio. "Until recently, San Antonio has been an overlooked and overshadowed jewel of the state," said Don Hendricks, founder of Hendricks & Partners. "Now, investors,...

'Net firm aims at chambers of commerce.(B2BExplorer)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... B2BExplorer, a business-to-business Internet firm based in Maine, is promoting its B2B platform to local chambers of commerce across the United States. The company's web site allows businesses to list themselves for free in a global...

Ranking opportunity.(Arizona franchises gain recognition)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Two Arizona franchise opportunities received recognition in the February issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. Scottsdale-based Cold Stone Creamery ranked as one of the 100 fastest-growing franchises, while Truly Nolen Pest Control, Tucson, was...

Listen up.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano will speak on how to protect your business from crime at the March 8 meeting of Phoenix's National Association of Women Business Owners. Napolitano will address cybercrime, as well as child care and...

Focus: Mike Laporte.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... When Mike Laporte came on board at Caliber Signs & Graphics, he not only convinced the owners to make the business a full-time endeavor, he helped the company reach $150,000 in revenue that first year and become a one-stop sign solution. ...

Center stage.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... American Audio pumps up business volume American Audio Visual Center: Provides audio visual equipment and staging services to hotels, resorts, convention centers, corporations, meeting planners and their clients. In 1999, the...

READERS RESPOND.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... What would you most like to improve at your business? Chairman, president, chief executive Valley Commerce Bank, Phoenix "I think what we would like is a more effective level of communication. Technology raises the expectation...

Small-business lobbying.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... What grass-roots lobbying efforts can busy small-business owners fit into their schedules? A quick and effective way to communicate your views to your elected officials is by telephone. Plan your call beforehand and know what points...

Brown & Bain hosts labor seminar.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Brown & Bain PA, Phoenix, is hosting a Labor & Employment seminar designed for corporate human resources professionals, business owners and management executives. Discussion topics include balancing electronic communications and employee...

How-to tips for building c-business.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Building electronic storefronts may seem daunting for small companies. Here are some tips: 1. Domain name registration. What's in a name? Plenty when you are an e-tailer. It is not only your company's brand name, it's also your cyberspace...

Restaurant group debuts web site.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Arizona Restaurant Association has launched a web site to connect visitors with the organization and Arizona's food service industry. The site, www.azrestaurant.org, created by I-ology in Scottsdale, offers a variety of information,...

Offroad offers option to venture capital financing.
March 3, 2000... Ross Smith was in a quandary. Last year he was helping launch a 3-D graphics company. He needed additional capital, but since Quantum3D Inc. wasn't a dot-com, venture capitalists weren't exactly knocking down his door. "We weren't an...

Windows 2000 better but small firms should wait.(Column)
March 3, 2000... Microsoft has always been better at monopoly than marketing. That's why I've been impressed how well it has positioned its latest desktop operating system, Windows 2000 Professional, as the choice for business. Customers who couldn't...

How to choose the right consultant for your needs.
March 3, 2000... Your company is growing in a marketplace that appears to provide boundless opportunities. But you lie awake at night with the nagging feeling that all is not well within your organization. You need expert help -- probably from a consultant....

PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCIES.(Illustration)
March 3, 2000... PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCIES Ranking: Local P.R. FTE employees Rank 2000 Name 1999 address 1 Brodeur Worldwide 3 2198 E. Camelback Road, Ste. 325 Phoenix 85016 2 Martz...

Hyatt concierge gains symbol of professionalism.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Anita Lane, concierge for the Hyatt Regency, Scottsdale, was awarded a set of gold keys from Les Clefs d'Or USA for her seven years of customer service for resort guests. Les Clefs d'Or, an international association of professional hotel...

Miscellaneous.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... * Tempe Public Library, 3500 S. Rural Road, Tempe, has added services and materials in Spanish. Bilingual electronic databases, magazines, videos and books now are available. Information: 480-350-5556. * Scottsdale Healthcare's...

Two named for Drinkwater Spirit Award.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... In honor of their corporate leadership and charitable participation, Robert Bohannon and William Peltier of Viad Corp will receive the Herb Drinkwater Spirit Award from the American Cancer Society on March 25. The two recipients, who will...

Sales surge.(Statistical Data Included)
March 3, 2000... Arizona public company revenue soars in fourth-quarter '99 This is the debut of a new feature that will take a quarterly look at the performance of Arizona public companies. We compare changes in sales and net income from fourth-quarter...

Burr-Brown Corp.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Sales up 36 percent The appeal of high-tech conveniences is driving a resurgence of the semiconductor industry, and Burr-Brown Corp., Tucson, is one of the companies reaping the rewards. Burr-Brown in 1999 saw a 36 percent increase in...