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

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

Proposed bank law designed to speed interstate branching. (Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994)
September 8, 1995... With the first phase of federal interstate banking ready to kick in Sept. 29, Arizona legislators are looking to speed up phase two, making it easier for out-of-state banks to open branches here. Few customers will notice changes at their banks...

From kitchen table to a $7.5 million biz. (Interface Data Systems Inc.)(Company Profile)
September 8, 1995... Mahasen Samaravijaya said some people thought he was crazy when he founded Interface Data Systems Inc. during the height of the recession, but he quickly proved them wrong and proved to himself he could achieve the American Dream. Interface...

US West lag on ISDN frustrates businesses.
September 8, 1995... US West Inc. lags behind other Baby Bells in high-speed digital technology and that has frustrated local businesses and kept others from relocating here. In Arizona, the technology is available on less than 70 percent of the phone lines...

High-tech magnets pull in supply firms. (MGC Pure Chemicals of America Inc. to build chemical plant in Phoenix, AZ)
September 8, 1995... As the number of semiconductor manufacturers continues to grow in the Valley, so does the number of companies that supply them with goods and services. MGC Pure Chemicals America Inc., a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. Inc., plans to...

United Way groups set goal of $26.5 mil. (United Way of Mesa; United Way of the Valley of the Sun)
September 8, 1995... An aggressive 1995 fund-raising goal of $26.5 million has been established for the Valley of the Sun and Mesa United Ways, a 5.7 percent increase from last year's achievement. United Way officials have set Sept. 18 as the official kickoff of...

Venture capital infusion may boost Avalon growth. (Avalon Software Inc.)
September 8, 1995... A California venture capital firm is buying a majority interest in Avalon Software Inc., giving the Tucson firm a $15 million boost and a chance to get back on track after failing to meet sales projections and paring nearly a fifth of its staff....

Samaritan, TMC talk merger. (Samaritan Health System; Tucson Medical Center)
September 15, 1995... Samaritan Health System, the largest health system in Arizona, is negotiating to merge with Tucson Medical Center, the largest health system in the southern half of the state. The merger would be the largest transaction in Arizona health history....

35 years of hard work before instant success. (Apex Manufacturing Inc.)(Keys to Emerging Business)(Company Profile)
September 15, 1995... Apex Manufacturing Inc. has been building aerospace parts in the Valley since 1958, but it wasn't until Jay Berens and Bill Reitz took over two years ago that the company launched into a plan for diversification has stimulated high-speed growth....

AZ gas stations finally getting the lead out. (Arizona filling stations' switch to unleaded gasoline)
September 15, 1995... Regular leaded gasoline is headed for extinction in Arizona, as it already is in most other states. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has mandated that all leaded gasoline be out of service-station storage tanks by Dec. 31, and that it...

Tempe firm finds concrete cleaning solution. (Cyclone Surface Cleaning Inc.)
September 15, 1995... Environmentally safe cleaning of concrete surfaces and removal of petroleum-based waste materials and hydrocarbons is the specialty of a new Tempe-based company, Cyclone Surface Cleaning Inc. The cleaning process creates "zero discharge" of...

Hotelier has the magic touch. (Doubletree Suites Phoenix Manager Mitchell Prager)(Profile)
September 15, 1995... As a youngster, he was known as "Miracle Mitch," competing with David Copperfield to perform at backyard birthday parties. Now, as general manager of the Doubletree Suites Phoenix, Mitchell Prager still is working magic. At 32, Prager has...

SC&T, 2-year-old Tempe tech firm, seeks $4 million in IPO. (SC and T International Inc.; initial public offering)
September 15, 1995... SC&T International Inc., a 2-year-old Tempe technology company, is looking to raise more than $4 million through the sale of common stocks and warrants. Existing shareholders, including company president and chairman James Copland, also stand...

Circuit City to employ up to 700. (Circuit City Stores Inc. signs lease for planned customer-service center in Tempe, Arizona)
September 29, 1995... Customer service center set for Tempe Circuit City Stores Inc. has signed a lease for 65,000 square feet in a Valley development where it plans to establish a national-customer-service center that will have a staff of between 600 and 700...

Wal-Mart heir, Motorola exec team to fund technology firms. (John Walton and Robert Solem, partners at Quantum Partners)
September 29, 1995... A silver of the Wal-Mart fortune has slipped into two Valley technology companies through a $7 million investment fund headed by a former Motorola executive. Robert Solem, a retired Motorola Inc. corporate vice president, has formed Quantum...

British Airways route gets $1 million boost. (nonstop air service from London to Phoenix, Arizona)
September 29, 1995... Phoenix has landed its first nonstop flight to London and will ante up $1 million for marketing and advertising the new British Airways route. British Airways announced it would begin daily nonstop service from Sky Harbor International Airport...

Honeywell sales mean larger workforce. (Honeywell Satellite Systems Operations)
September 29, 1995... Honeywell's Satellite Systems Operations in Glendale has boosted its workforce by 158 employees since the beginning of the year as the result of international sales and its increased role on the space station. During July and August the...

UNUM pays $9 mil for Scottsdale buildings. (UNUM Life Insurance Company of America)
September 29, 1995... In its first purchase in the Scottsdale market, UNUM Life Insurance Co. of America has paid $8.96 million for a 113,000-square-foot office/warehouse campus at Scottsdale Municipal Airport. "UNUM is very impressed with what is going on in...

Premier Healthcare adds insurance plan.
September 29, 1995... Premier Healthcare of Arizona, the state's first health maintenance organization formed by a group of hospitals and doctors, is launching its first commercial product in Phoenix. Plans call for adding an insurance product for the small-business...

First Interstate campaign targets Hispanics. (First Interstate Bancorp.)
September 29, 1995... Los Angeles-based First Interstate Bancorp has launched a marketing campaign targeting the Hispanic community in its 13-state territory. "Cumpliendo con Usted," which roughly translates as "meeting your needs" or "keeping our promise to you,"...

He sees excitement in software. (Ken Bender, president of KN Bender and Associates)
September 29, 1995... "I am old enough to look behind and understand and young enough to look ahead with excitement and anticipation." In a room filled with the Valley's software gurus, Ken Bender is in his element, playing host, gracefully working the crowd and...

Allied Waste acquires Phoenix firm, others. (Allied Waste Industries Inc.; Best Disposal Services Inc.)
September 29, 1995... Scottsdale-based Allied Waste Industries Inc. continues to collect acquisitions. The solid-waste management company, which has operations in 10 states, has picked up Best Disposal Services Inc., Phoenix, and three Chicago-area companies for a...

Delta ponders launch of no-frills clone. (Delta Air Lines Inc.)
September 29, 1995... Delta Air Lines' plan for a clone of the low-cost Southwest Airlines is up in the air, said a spokesperson at the Atlanta-based airline, who was tightlipped because of ongoing union negotiations. If Delta is successful in the start-up of a...

McKee study shows success for securities firm. (W.B. McKee Securities)
September 29, 1995... WB McKee Securities had the best return - 232 percent - on initial public stock offerings of less than $10 million from Jan. 1, 1994, to Aug. 31, 1995, according to data from Securities Data Co. in New York. Only one Valley company, Mobile Mini...