The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun articles from September 1999

The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun archives from September 1999

Business bankruptcies on rise.(Arizona)
September 3, 1999... Impatient creditors, higher risks are cited Arizona businesses filed 38 percent more bankruptcies during the second quarter than in the same period of 1998. The state's numbers depart from nationwide figures, which show a only a 10...

National filings down: Arizona lags behind.(Business Bankruptcies on Rise)(personal bankruptcies)
September 3, 1999... Fewer Americans filed personal bankruptcy in tile first halt' of 1999 titan during the same period last year, the first sign of a turnaround from 1998's record levels. But in Arizona, the decrease has not been as significant and local...

Key leaders in shake-up at CIGNA.(CIGNA HealthCare of Arizona)
September 3, 1999... CIGNA HealthCare of Arizona is getting a major shake-up in leadership with at least four executives leaving and general manager Dr. Clyde Wright moving to a new assignment. These departure's come at a time when CIGNA is setting up seven...

Former O'Connor lawyers find Miami firm a good fit.(O'Connor Cavanagh; Greenberg Traurig)
September 3, 1999... The opening of Miami's Greenberg Traurig this week signifies more than just another name in the Valley's roster of law firms. It represents a rare ability among national law firms to grow through carefully selected, established attorneys -...

Neighbors miffed at plan for N. Scottsdale Target.(Arizona)
September 3, 1999... The proposed addition of a Target store in an upscale area of north Scottsdale has some residents on edge. Developers, however, promise that they will be sensitive to the way they design it. Nonetheless, the issue is likely to spark...

Downtown growth could include St. Mary's school.(St. Mary's Elementary School)
September 3, 1999... The closed school is waiting for graduation. Not the students', who last studied and played in its rooms and gymnasium five years ago, but its own. The two-story St. Mary's Elementary School, next to St. Mary's Basilica Catholic...

Jotter software relieves 'filling-out-forms' blues.(Jotter Technologies Inc.)
September 3, 1999... All Jodie Tessier wanted to do was save herself a little typing. Her annoyance at filling out forms on the Internet - the information blanks required to purchase a book or register with a web site - led to a conversation with fellow...

Rio Salado president gets down to business.(Linda Thor, president of Rio Salado College)
September 3, 1999... Linda Thor, a straight-A student and class valedictorian, was so bored with high school that she didn't want anything to do with college. So her mother made a deal with her. If she tried college for a year and still didn't like it, she...

There's no monkey business here.(Nature's Partner LLC)
September 3, 1999... Don't laugh at the orangutan sitting in Ed Leclere's front lobby. The meticulous bronze replica - known as Billie around the office - is one of his favorite creations since starting Nature's Partner LLC four years ago. That's no empty...

What you should do to be 'export ready.'.
September 3, 1999... Taking a business abroad can be an extremely lucrative venture, but getting started is far from simple, with a number of tactical considerations and cultural challenges. Opening an office in another country is frequently at one end of a...

ASU may purchase Mercado.(Arizona State University's intention to acquire the Phoenix, Arizona-based shopping center)
September 10, 1999... Arizona State University is considering buying the Mercado, the downtown Phoenix shopping center that became a flash point in former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington's personal bankruptcy and subsequent resignation from office. Since its...

Business booms for security firms.(corporate security)
September 10, 1999... Business is booming for Dan Ketcherside's consulting firm, and that, he admits, is a sad statement for society. Ketcherside makes money protecting Arizona businesses from crooks, liars and thieves. His company, Global Business...

Little immediate effect locally in CBS/Viacom deal.(the effect of Viacom Inc.'s acquisition of CBS Corp. to affiliates in Phoenix, Arizona)
September 10, 1999... Viacom Inc.'s purchase this week of CBS Corp. is not expected to negatively affect Phoenix's CBS affiliate, nor hold up a Phoenix outdoor advertising company's purchase by a CBS subsidiary. But the future of a local UPN affiliate is...

Man of the house: Ron French builds relationships as well as homes.(profile on the president of Richmond American Homes)
September 10, 1999... Ron French builds relationships as well as homes Among his homebuilding company's awards, Ron French's favorite came from a group of little people. The award is a handful of thank-you notes in crayon and finger paint. He received them...

3-D ultrasound cool but not needed for all babies.(three-dimensional ultrasound imaging)
September 10, 1999... New technology in the Valley is allowing parents-to-be to get a better look at their unborn child, but few doctors are rushing to offer this three-dimensional imaging. More patients are asking for the 3-D ultrasound images, yet many...

P.F. Chang's plans to open restaurant in Tennessee.(P.F. Chang's China Bistro)
September 10, 1999... An upscale Chinese chain restaurant has picked a prime Nashville location for its first store in Tennessee. Phoenix-based P.F. Chang's China Bistro (NYSE: PFCB) has leased space in the West End office, retail and hotel development now...

Ailing profits put heat on HMO rates.(Arizona's health maintenance organizations)
September 17, 1999... Arizona employers can expect to see health insurance premiums go up this year and next as insurers continue to struggle. "We do see premium rates rising," said Roger Stinton, vice president of network development for One Health Plan, the...

Z'Tejas Inc. positioned for national expansion.
September 17, 1999... Z'Tejas Inc.'s hunger for growth could lead to more than additional restaurant locations, considering Paul Fleming is the Scottsdale company's largest shareholder. Fleming founded P.F. Chang's China Bistro Inc. (NYSE:PFCB) in Phoenix. The...

Diedrich grinds out plans for the Coffee Plantation.(Martin Diedrich, vice chairman of Diedrich Coffee Inc.)
September 17, 1999... As Martin Diedrich discusses expansion plans for Coffee Plantation, his attention strays occasionally to the brass coffee roaster in the company's Mill Avenue location in Tempe. The roasting process is crucial, he says. The most important...

Firstar works to retain customers after merger.(Firstar Corp.'s merger with Mercantile Bank)
September 17, 1999... Ron Barnes, who became chief executive of Mercantile Bank in Kansas City, in 1998, is preparing for his fourth set of business cards in three years. His company is finalizing a merger deal with Milwaukee-based Firstar Corp., the parent...

Robson plans $1.8 billion retirement community.(Robson Communities Inc.)
September 17, 1999... Arizona senior-housing developer Robson Communities Inc. has chosen the Dallas area as the site for a $1.8 billion retirement community. It is the first retirement development by Robson outside Arizona. Robson, based in Sun Lakes, is...

Playoff payoff.(impact of Arizona Diamondbacks' playoff performance on the economy of Phoenix, AZ)
September 24, 1999... What post season means to economy The crack of the bat. The smell of a hot dog. The ka-ching sound of money. That's what downtown Phoenix business leaders and merchants expect to experience if the Arizona Diamondbacks continue their...

Video games spawn idea for collector cards.(Tomb Raider collector cards from Precedence Entertainment Inc.)
September 24, 1999... Ted Kraver never thought he'd be thanking weird little alien creatures for opening up a world of new business opportunities. But thanks to the startling success of a trading-card series based on Nintendo's fictional Pokemon organisms, the...

Fannin, two others depart for rival Steptoe & Johnson.(attorneys Bob Fannin, Wendy Briggs and Jeff Sandquist)
September 24, 1999... The shuffling of attorneys among the Valley's law firms has become almost as commonplace as cards in a deck. Last week, attorney Bob Fannin announced he is taking the government relations group from Quarles & Brady LLP to Steptoe & Johnson...

Defection of 3 Andersen partners create ill will.(Christine Kirk, Kim Hartmann and Julie McCollum)
September 24, 1999... Former boss claims agreements violated A Chicago firm's first venture-capital deal with an Arizona company is making history - but it's also flaring tempers. GTCR Golder Rauner LLC has offered $65 million to three former partners at...

1st Bank of Arizona head hires 7 from former post.(President Raymond Lamb)
September 24, 1999... Like a general returning from exile, 1st Bank of Arizona president Raymond Lamb continues to gather his former troops and pick up the battle where he left off. Lamb, who was forced by a former partner to sell his Bank of Arizona to Norwest...

Tempe company removes tires to market software.(Reliance Systems Inc.)
September 24, 1999... Only in the high-tech industry would sending out a toy Ferrari with missing tires seem like a good idea. But Sanjay and Kiran Dhole vow they're not going to make the same mistake they did three years ago when trying to launch their first...

Running busy airport is 'incredible experience.'.(David Krietor, acting director of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport)
September 24, 1999... Dave Krietor's definition of crisis has expanded since moving from the economic development department of the city of Phoenix to running the city's airport. As director of community and economic development, Krietor tackled problems such...