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

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

$30M face lift for arena.
October 27, 2000... America West Arena, home of the Phoenix Suns, is about to get a $30-million face lift. The project, being designed by DLR Group, will upgrade the exterior of the building, add new restaurant space inside and outside the building, and...

Hot to trot.
October 27, 2000... Valley ad agencies aim for big leagues Phoenix agency Riester[sim]Robb has landed a $30 million account -- what may be the most lucrative piece of business in the history of the Valley ad market. The agency beat out 36 competing...

Tempe company quietly gets first piece of GE action.
October 27, 2000... Mehmet Salahi has a secret, sort of. He brought General Electric Co. to the Valley scene a week before the much-acclaimed merger with Honeywell, Arizona's largest employer. Salahi, who helped a Tempe startup rise to national...

Three wireless firms give Airpark a boost.
October 27, 2000... After years of being held hostage by expensive high-speed Internet service, businesses in the Scottsdale Airpark are about to be rescued by unlikely heroes. A small Temple-based company called Renaissance Networking Inc. is flexing its...

Swelter while you yoga.
October 27, 2000... Ahhh, summer is over and people remember once again why they live in Arizona -- the beautiful weather. So to pay for a workout in 100-plus degree heat seems ludicrous. Or is it? Not to the new owners of Bikram Yoga Institute in...

This is a good time to add a little fuel to ethics and values.
October 27, 2000... The topic of next week's Arizona Town Hall is one I hope we all personalize: Values, Ethics and Personal Responsibility. Timing certainly is good. Case in point: the state's alternative fuels fiasco. Who's to blame more in this...

High-altitude dealing.
October 27, 2000... America West Airline's new service to Reagan National Airport in downtown Washington is shaping up as a prime place to cut deals. Waiting to board one of the flights last week; I chatted with Congressman J.D. Hayworth, who does the...

Hall of Famer.
October 27, 2000... George Schreiber Jr., former president of Pinnacle West Capital Corp., was named this week to the business hal of fame at Arizona State University. He works in New York now for Credit Suisse First Boston's global energy group.

Running strong.
October 27, 2000... Pam Cooper, senior manager at Deloitte & Touche, ran in last week end's Chicago Marathon. Here's her stats. Time: 5 hours, 44 minutes. Finish: 26,300 out of 29,000. But best of all: She raised $1,000 for diabetes research.

Fiber-optic cable loop designed to lure tech firms.
October 27, 2000... A 32-mile loop of telecommunications fiber linking downtown Phoenix to the Bell Road-Interstate 17 area is being proposed to spark high-tech employment. Routes for the fiber-optic cable, estimated installation costs and other details...

Midtown telecom hotel planned to attract smaller-size companies.
October 27, 2000... A telecom hotel is planned in midtown Phoenix by a new company scouting several western states for future projects. Ideal Development Corp. in January will start construction of a three-story, 45,000-square-foot building south of the...

9 banks partner to give Native Americans credit.
October 27, 2000... In the, first program of its kind, nine banks have joined to form the Arizona Native American Community Development Corporation; an organization that could revolutionize Native Americans' access to credit in the state. Under the aegis of...

Sundt moves to Tempe headquarters.
October 27, 2000... Sundt Construction Inc., the largest Arizona-based general contractor, has moved its headquarters and Phoenix Building Division offices to the Fountainhead Corporate Park in Tempe. The company has taken the entire sixth floor of the Park...

Scottsdale chamber skates into Los Arcos battle.
October 27, 2000... The Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce has, until now; stayed out of the political fray between The Ellman Cos. and the Scottsdale city government over the Los Arcos redevelopment project. But on Oct. 20, the chamber issued a statement and...

Convention and visitors bureaus combine to produce Web site.
October 27, 2000... More than 1,000 nonprofit convention. and visitor bureaus, including the Phoenix organization, have banded to create a dot-com company intended to use content and connections to drive profits. The International Association of Convention...

Glendale man develops new products Web site.
October 27, 2000... If you're looking for new products, new discoveries, new surveys, new trends, new technology or new places to go, it's available on the "NEWbie Network" at www.NEWbieNetwork.com. The locally developed Web site debuted Oct. 23 and its main...

DeVry launches new degree offering.
October 27, 2000... DeVry Institute of Technology in Phoenix is launching its telecommunications management bachelor's degree program in March. This is the seventh bachelor's degree program to be offered at DeVry's campus in north Phoenix. The new...

Biltmore turns profit during slow summer season.
October 27, 2000... The landmark Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa has passed a milestone in its 71st year: For the first time, the Phoenix resort turned a profit during the traditionally slower summer season. Despite its long-standing reputation as a...

Rio Salado course aids foreign officials.
October 27, 2000... Rio Salado College, part of the Maricopa County Community College system, is about to graduate a group of students who aren't your typical college-age coeds. Through a special partnership with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the...

Hospitals find critical resources through partnering.
October 27, 2000... At a time when hospitals are under extreme financial pressure, they are beginning to look to each other as partners to expand services and reduce duplication. The most recent example happened this week between John C. Lincoln Health...

Work-at-home schemes under investigation.
October 27, 2000... Duping the duplicitous -- that's how Operation Job Fraud, a task force composed of the Better Business Bureau of Central and Northern Arizona, other BBBs across the nation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service exposed two fraudulent Valley...

Bank One building better alliance with Hispanics.
October 27, 2000... Phoenix was the site of an innovative pilot program for Bank One that, if successful, could be adopted as an integral part of its Hispanic small-business lending programs throughout the country. The program, known as Alianza Days, which...

First Capital agrees to merge with Colorado bank.
October 27, 2000... First Capital Bank of Arizona has agreed to merge with Colorado Business Bankshares Inc. of Denver. First Capital, a 4-year-old business bank based in Phoenix, will continue to operate under its own charter as a wholly owned subsidiary...

Export Assistance Centers receive ISO certification.
October 27, 2000... The U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Centers in Phoenix and Tucson have become the first of 250 such centers in the world to get ISO certification. The ISO-9002 Certificate of Registration, a worldwide quality standard of...

Proposed power plant may prevent SRP shortfall.
October 27, 2000... A power plant proposed for construction in La Paz County could end up providing energy to the Salt River Project in Phoenix, an SRP spokesman said. "We are facing a major shortfall in electricity over the years," said SRP's Jeff Lane....

Accounting firm adds package of online services.
October 27, 2000... As of this month, RSM McGladrey Inc. has begun hosting application solutions and Web sites for small- and medium-sized companies in the area. The accounting, tax and consulting firm has become a full-service application service provider,...

GE agrees to $45B Honeywell International purchase.
October 27, 2000... The General Electric Co. had its marriage proposal accepted by a bride that already had left one suitor at the altar. General Electric Oct. 22 agreed to acquire Honeywell International Inc., which employs more than 17,000 people in...

Del Webb earnings climb.
October 27, 2000... Planned community developer Del Webb Corp. reported an increase in net earnings for its first quarter, climbing from $13.8 million to $16.5 million. Del Webb, which is based in Phoenix, reported modest increases in both revenue and net...

Webb pursuit continues.
October 27, 2000... Walnut, Calif.-based J.F. Shea Co., which has offered to buy Del Webb Corp., sent a letter to Philip J. Dion, the chairman of Del Webb's board of directors. In the letter dated Oct. 23, Shea called on Del Webb to "drop its delaying...

Dial reports net loss.
October 27, 2000... Scottsdale-based The Dial Corp. reported third quarter net income of $4.4 million before special charges, well below the $30.8 million it earned for the same period last year. Dial, best known for its bath products and Armour canned...

Bashas' makes list.
October 27, 2000... Family Business magazine's autumn 2000 issue features a list of the 100 largest U.S. family companies and one Arizona company is among them. Bashas' grocery store chain came in at No. 100. The Chandler-based company, headed by Eddie...

Royal Phoenix spins off.
October 27, 2000... Desert Health Products Inc. of Scottsdale spun off its Royal Phoenix group of herbal products. Desert Health president Johnny Shannon said the action provided Desert Health with a means of marketing its Royal Phoenix products through an...

Firm reports loss.
October 27, 2000... Mobility Electronics Inc., Scottsdale, which produces remote connectivity technology and products for the computer industry, reported increased revenue, but ultimately a loss in the third quarter. Revenue was $7.6 million, up from $3.4...

Mesa Air secures credit.
October 27, 2000... Mesa Air Group, a Phoenix-based airline operating in the Southwest under the America West Express name, received a commitment from Fleet Capital for a $35 million line of credit. The line of credit, to be secured by the company's...

Book4golf.com buys site.
October 27, 2000... Book4golf.com Corp., an Internetbased, tee-time reservations network, acquired all of the outstanding shares of NetHandicap Inc., a personal golf analysis and handicap tracking Web site. "Performance tracking and handicapping have become...

Arizona leads in category.
October 27, 2000... Arizona led the nation in gross state product growth from 1991 to 1998. According to U.S. Department of Commerce data released to the Center for Business Research at Arizona State University, total GSP -- representing value added in...

Avnet acquires firms.
October 27, 2000... The European Commission has cleared the way for Avnet Inc., a Phoenix-based computer parts distributor, to buy certain electronics units of Veba. Veba's parent company, E.ON AG of Germany, will receive about $2.35 billion in cash, including...

Resale home market drops.
October 27, 2000... Higher mortgage rates pushed down Valley resale home sales in the third quarter. According to the Arizona Real Estate Center at Arizona State University's College of Business, the quarter's total of 14,075 recorded sales fell short of the...

JDA board OKs buyback.
October 27, 2000... JDA Software Group Inc., a Scottsdale-based software provider, said that its board of directors has authorized a repurchase of up to 2 million shares of the company's outstanding common stock. Under the buy-back plan, the company may...

Viad profits up.
October 27, 2000... Viad Corp, a Phoenix-based company specializing in travel/leisure and payment services, reported third quarter 2000 earnings. Driven by strong results in payment services, income from continuing operations increased 12 percent to $43.1...

On-site parent class ups job satisfaction, productivity.
October 27, 2000... Parent Project, presented by the Scottsdale Prevention Institute, is a program that teaches parenting skills, balancing work and family, and family health education. The program, designed to help parents manage their time, was developed...

Custom Printed Labels Inc.
October 27, 2000... Custom Printed Labels Inc., Phoenix, was acquired by Argent Tape & Label Inc., Tray, Mich. The name will remain the same, but the Argent logo will be added to its business stationary.

The Boulders.
October 27, 2000... The Boulders was chosen as the best U.S. resort hotel by Andrew Harper's Hide-away Report. Travel and Leisure magazine rated the hotel as one of the best in the world and the continental United States and Canada.

Greater Phoenix Chapter of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association.
October 27, 2000... The Greater Phoenix Chapter of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association received the HSMAI's 1999 Frank W. Berkman North American Chapter of the Year award for leadership.

Cache Valley Electric.
October 27, 2000... Cache Valley Electric, based in Logan, Utah, with a Phoenix office, was ranked as the 41st largest electrical contractor in the nation based on 1999 revenue, according to Engineering News Record, a McGraw Hill publication.

Mark Media Group.
October 27, 2000... Mark Media Group, previously Local Video Events Inc., was named one of the Top 100 video and multimedia producers in the United States by AV Video & Multimedia Producer Magazine.

Legacy.
October 27, 2000... Legacy, a Scottsdale custom builder, remodeler and repairer, was recognized by Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse as a recipient of the 2000 Chrysalis Award for the best whole-house remodel by the National Association of Remodeling Industry.

Sunnyslope Canal Demonstration Project.
October 27, 2000... The dedication of the Sunnyslope Canal Demonstration Project is slated for Nov. 18 from 9 to 11 a.m. on the north bank of the canal just west of Seventh Street between Northern and Butler avenues. The 1.5-mile section features landscape...

Students say book covers sending wrong message.
October 27, 2000... American History students at Mesa High School are not impressed with anti-tobacco book covers being distributed by the world's largest cigarette company. Philip Morris Cos. Inc., New York, has distributed 28 million book covers to...

DataSoft Corp. tapped to develop KnoWatt Web-based energy system.
October 27, 2000... DataSoft Corp., a. Web integration and software services company, was selected by KnoWatt Inc. to develop its Web-based energy cost-management system. KnoWatt is a Phoenix-based energy-management firm that helps large companies track and...

Phoenix population breaks million mark for 1999.
October 27, 2000... Phoenix is a city on the move. Arizona's largest city, soared from 989,000 residents in 1990 to more than 1.2 million in 1999, according to figures released Oct. 20 by the U.S. Census Bureau. That means Phoenix now ranks seventh in...

Poll: Stricter growth controls favored in U.S.
October 27, 2000... A new poll released by Smart Growth America finds that more than three-quarters of Americans favor stricter controls over new development, including the establishment of zones for green space, farms and forests outside of existing cities and...

Click4services brings online phone book to Phoenix.
October 27, 2000... New Jersey-based Click4services.com has begun a national roll-out of localized Web sites starting with Phoenix. The site essentially is an online phone book of home repair businesses with added information for each entry. Every business...

Bridging investments.
October 27, 2000... Just a few after acquiring three businesses and launching an equity-for-services program, Digital Bridge Inc. now is asking venture capitalists to take equity in its clients, as well. The Phoenix-based company launched a program to...

e-mazing.
October 27, 2000... A new report by eMarketer identifies e-mail as the dominant Internet application and estimates that expenditures on e-mail systems and related services total $1 billion: The research report also predicts that amount will reach $4.6...

'Neo' release.
October 27, 2000... NeoPlanet Inc. has released version 5.2 of its customize-your-browser software. Available immediately for free download at www.neoplanet.com, version 5.2 combines a variety of improved features including a Download Manager to organize...

Phoenix online.
October 27, 2000... More than one in four state residents have purchased something online, according to a September poll by WestGroup Research in Phoenix. The. survey of Arizonans' Internet shopping habits also revealed that those age 29 and younger are the...

Local businesses selected.
October 27, 2000... TheJobsite.com has chosen Phoenix-based Informative Graphics' Brava! program so trade contractors and suppliers using the Web site can markup drawings or documents traded online. The Jobsite.com is an application service provider and...

Hopping to it.
October 27, 2000... Davis may be casual, but his work ethic shows Tom Davis is so casual that even when he's in his standard business uniform of dress shirt, slacks and tie, he doesn't hesitate to jump on a pogo stick in the office. "Been on a pogo...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
October 27, 2000... Accounting Rita Hughes was named office manager of Abalos & Associates PC, Phoenix. Arthur Andersen LLP, Phoenix, promoted: Barbara Dickerson, Charles McLane, Elizabeth Sexworth, James Swanson, Barbara Hackbarth, Elizabeth Hoffman...

Physician-assistant master's program offered online.
October 27, 2000... Arizona School of Health Sciences and Compass Knowledge Holdings Inc. of Ocoee, Fla., will offer a master's degree program in physician-assistant studies via the Internet. Delivered by Compass Knowledge's Global HealthEd division, the...

APIPA wins awards.
October 27, 2000... Arizona Physicians IPA Inc., a subsidiary of United Healthcare of United Healthcare of Arizona, has won two national awards for improving children's immunization rates. It received third place in the Fifth Annual Wyeth-Ayerst Hera Award...

Cool laser treatment.
October 27, 2000... The Arizona Heart Institute & Hospital has premiered a new "cool" laser treatment used to vaporize plaque in obstructed arteries of the heart and legs. This treatment offers people with coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular...

Foot practice.
October 27, 2000... Cathleen McCarthy, a doctor of podiatric medicine, has opened a podiatry practice at Tatum Highlands Medical Clinic on the southwest corner of North Tatum Boulevard and Jomax Road in Phoenix. McCarthy specializes in diabetic foot care,...

Cigna goes alternative.
October 27, 2000... Cigna Healthcare of Arizona is offering a Healthy Rewards program that gives beneficiaries access to more than 475 local practitioners, including chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists. They also have access to 15,000...

JCAHO appointment.
October 27, 2000... Rhonda Anderson, senior administrator for Desert Samaritan Medical Center in Mesa, has been appointed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations to serve on its board of commissioners. JCAHO is the accrediting...

Heart healthy recipes.
October 27, 2000... Valley chef Eddie Matney has co-authored a heart healthy book, with proceeds to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Heartfelt Cuisine, Quick and Easy Heart Healthy Comfort Food, a Cardio Friendly Cookbook for Meat and Potatoes Folks...

Arthritis Web site debuts.
October 27, 2000... Arthritis Education by Professionals Inc., a Phoenix company that provides arthritis education, has launched a new Web site: www.arthritiseducation.com. The centerpiece of the site is the Arthritis Learning Center, a growing library of...

First Latina among three state federal judges named.
October 27, 2000... After weeks of waiting and concern that President Clinton's term of office would be over before the appointments were made, official, Arizona finally has three new judges for the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. It is...

New Sacks Tierney partner.
October 27, 2000... Kraig J. Marton has joined the Sacks Tierney law firm as a partner. As a member of the firm's litigation practice group, his practice includes health care law, employment and labor law, and libel, slander and defamation law. Before...

Washington Fed grows.
October 27, 2000... Washington Federal Savings has broken ground on two new branches. The Mesa branch will be at 5852 E. McKellips Road, while the Gilbert branch will be at 675 S. Cooper. Both branches are scheduled to open in March. Over the past two...

Lovitt & Touche adds 3.
October 27, 2000... Dave Wilder, Mike, Ketcham and Moni LaLonde, three senior level producers with Peak Insurance Group have joined Lovitt & Touche Inc., one of the largest insurance brokers in the state. Wilder, who had been executive vice president and...

Desert Schools, AOL join forces.
October 27, 2000... Desert Schools Federal Credit Union, the largest credit union in the state, has launched an exclusive partnership with America Online/Time Warner to deliver its message to nearly 600,000 users in the Phoenix area. When users log on to...

ABA appointment.
October 27, 2000... Jean Harris, a shareholder in the Phoenix law office, of Greenberg Traurig LLP, has been appointed by the American Bar Association's board of governors to its Standing Committee for Audit. It is a three-year term. The committee assists...

Spanish-language cable station fills talent roster.
October 27, 2000... Cox Communications Inc. has announced the key staff lineup for Mas! Arizona, the Spanish-language. cable channel it jointly launched this month with Belo Corp., parent firm of KTVK-TV 3, where production will take place. Luis Olivas will...

Magazine debuts.
October 27, 2000... ABE (Arizona's Black Executive) magazine, a bimonthly business and lifestyle publication targeted to affluent black executives, will kick off its first issue in December. Publisher Brandon F. Harris said greater Phoenix, once perceived as...

Westcor scores honors.
October 27, 2000... Westcor Shopping Centers has won top honors from the MAXI Awards program of the International Council of Shopping Centers this fall. The awards convention took place in Atlanta; winners were selected from a field of 386 entries and 211...

Phoenix air awards.
October 27, 2000... Oct. 30 will be the day Valley radio stations and agencies gather at the Herberger Theater to find out the winners of the Phoenix Achievement in Radio Awards 2000. This is the second year Phoenix has participated in the event. Proceeds...

Simula Inc. awarded military body armor contract.
October 27, 2000... Simula Inc., a Phoenix-based company that designs and manufactures occupant safety systems for air, ground and sea transportation vehicles, has been awarded a contract to produce small arms protective inserts for the United States Army and...

Motorola enables shuttle.
October 27, 2000... Motorola Inc. has announced the launch of their advanced radio frequency communication equipment for the International Space Station on board NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery. Discovery contains two new segments for the international space...

Cerprobe donation.
October 27, 2000... Thanks to Cerprobe, Arizona State University East will be able to offer students test equipment for processed silicon wafers. The donated wafer-probing equipment, worth $100,000, will be used in the College of Technology and Applied...

Phoenix ITEC draws near.
October 27, 2000... The Phoenix Information Technology Exposition and Conference, or ITEC, is scheduled for Nov. 1 and 2 at Phoenix Civic Plaza. Nearly 5,000 corporate, government and education information technology professionals are expected to attend, as...

APS agreement reached.
October 27, 2000... Arizona Public Service and six other parties recently signed a settlement agreement for the closure of the historic Childs-Irving hydroelectric plant. The agreement is a significant step toward decommissioning the generating facility and...

Heavy rains give fund-raiser attendees culture shock.
October 27, 2000... The Friends of COMPAS' Culture Shock fund-raiser probably felt more European than coordinators ever dreamed. When they chose a European theme, however, I doubt they had the Eastern Bloc in mind. But that's what the night felt like. The...