Orlando Business Journal articles from January 1997

Orlando Business Journal archives from January 1997

Walkup trying to sell contaminated land. (Walkup Exterminating Inc. owners Tom and Sam Walkup)
January 31, 1997... Meanwhile, The Orlando Sentinel is moving forward with TCE cleanup To the casual observer, the polluted ground water in northern downtown Orlando is old news. To brothers Tom and Sam Walkup, the mess most likely will mean frustration for...

The sweet smell of success: Mrs. McCorvey's Pies plans national expansion.
January 31, 1997... Mrs. McCorvey's Pies plans national expansion The highly reputable Mrs. McCorvey's Pies of Longwood is becoming a major national competitor. The company's owner, Gus Pappas, is expanding and positioning the neighborhood pie shop concept for...

Walker brings 20 years' experience to Osceola CVB. (Osceola County's Kissimmee-St. Cloud Convention & Visitors Bureau executive director Jeter Walker)
January 31, 1997... It may have taken awhile, but Osceola County officials finally found their man. After nearly six months of searching since the departure of Paul Comer, Jeter Walker has been hired as the executive director of the Kissimmee-St. Cloud...

Old Town hopes new look will attract customers. (Old Town renovation in Kissimmee, Florida)
January 31, 1997... Old Town in Kissimmee is going through a number of changes to keep tourists and local residents coming to its attraction. The shopping, dining and entertainment attraction has brought in more rides, entertainment and specialty shops, and...

National players planning to build bulk warehouse on Landstreet Road. (National Distribution Centers' plans to build warehouse in Orlando, FL)
January 31, 1997... The Brown brothers of Vineland, N.J. - they call themselves "The Four B's" - are entering Orlando's mushrooming bulk warehouse development turf with their first major from-the-ground-up project in about 10 years. "They are big players, all...

Executive Press founder sells company to two employees. (Executive Press Inc.'s sale by Ray Brownlee to Marybeth Holland and Keith Kent)
January 31, 1997... The founder of Executive Press Inc. has sold the commercial printer to two employees for more than $6 million in cash. Ray Brownlee, who started the Orlando company in 1974, sold it to Marybeth Holland and Keith Kent, who say they intend to...

Health Central kills ORHS deal. (Orlando Regional Healthcare System)
January 31, 1997... Health Central put the kibosh on a deal that would have allowed Orlando Regional Healthcare System to build a 60-unit assisted living facility on four acres on Health Central's campus in west Orange County. Instead, Health Central plans to...

Local cancer center only one in Southeast to get therapy device. (The Center for Cancer Care's radiation-therapy device, Peacock system)
January 31, 1997... The future has arrived at The Center For Cancer Care in Winter Park. In December, the radiation-therapy center began using what is called the Peacock system, a new device that enables physicians to target some head and neck tumors more...

Podiatrist hopes to start 'Ask Dr. Rich' TV show. (Rich Cowin)
January 31, 1997... Someday, an Orlando podiatrist hopes to light up the television screen with his friendly, crooked smile as host of a proposed new medical talk show called Ask Dr. Rich. Rich Cowin, who has practiced podiatry for more than 15 years, has a...

Orlando selected for 1997 Street of Dreams. (Street of Dreams Inc.)(Column)
January 31, 1997... Seattle-based Street of Dreams Inc., a national luxury home promoter, has selected Orlando for the second time in five years to stage its annual showcase. Orlando beat out Tampa, West Palm Beach, Atlanta and Phoenix for the honor. Five...

Airport offers opportunities for small businesses. (Greater Orlando Aviation Authority)(Small Business Strategies)
January 31, 1997... When Connie Prebenda took over Fann Emblem & Embroidery Co. Inc., she went to the city of Orlando to get her minority/women's business enterprise certification, and the airport was listed as a place to do business. She called them up, not...

Changes in Florida law can impact non-compete clauses. (Florida Anti-Trust Act)(Small Business Strategies)
January 31, 1997... In a business in which the barriers to entry are low (including many service businesses), an employer's greatest fear may be that his key employees win quit and become his competitors. The employer may go to work on Monday morning and find...

Florida Solar acquisition marks first expansion outside Orlando. (Florida Solar Inc.'s purchase of Mirasol Fafco Solar Inc.)
January 31, 1997... Florida Solar Inc. of Sanford has purchased another company in the solar pool-heating business, Mirasol Fafco Solar Inc. of Sarasota. The acquisition marks Florida Solar's first expansion outside the metropolitan Orlando area. Marketing...

The New Orlando Science Center: world class ... by design.(From the Ground Up)(Cover Story)
January 31, 1997... Touring the new Orlando Science Center, it is hard to imagine the amount of work expended by the entire project team. It began with key members of the Orlando Science Center's board, administration and staff. As the project concept grew, the...

Lockheed Martin to add 650 jobs here. (Lockheed Martin Corp.; Orlando, Florida)
January 24, 1997... Lockheed Martin Corp.'s missiles unit in Orlando plans to hire 650 additional employees this year to help develop emerging military technologies. The surprising news comes a decade after U.S. defense spending took a nose dive, forcing...

New Quest leads to mass defection from Lat Purser. (Quest Co. formed by former Lat Purser and Associates employees)
January 24, 1997... 'Philosophical differences' main cause of 'pleasant' real estate firm divorce Five real estate professionals and seven support staff members have left Lat Purser Florida's 13-person Orlando office to form their own company, Quest Co. of...

Orlando's $15 million house. (Florida)
January 24, 1997... Family from Hong Kong building huge mansion on Butler Chain With little fanfare, the $15 million Entrelagos, believed to be the most expensive single-family residence built in Orange County in the past 10 years, has entered the final year of...

Finding the right employees.(Human Resources Quarterly)
January 24, 1997... Interviews aren't enough for some companies, which also test job candidates It's the ultimate pitch to frustrated employers: a tool that garners better employees who are well-suited for their jobs. It even could create a better basketball...

Central Florida businesspeople support diverse work forces.(Human Resources Quarterly)
January 24, 1997... Californians have voted to do away with their state affirmative action laws, but support for a diverse workplace in Central Florida is thriving. That's because diversity puts companies on the superhighway to success, say local...

Foreclosure auction set for five local Days Inns. (Orlando, Florida; Days Inns of America Inc.)
January 24, 1997... Five local Days Inn properties, with a total of 1,790 rooms and 600 suites, are scheduled for public auction Jan. 30 to satisfy a $70.45 million foreclosure judgment against the owners, which include national hotel operator Tollman-Hundley....

Disney Cruise Line takes Mears' buses. (Disney Cruise Lines; Mears Transportation Group)
January 24, 1997... Disney Cruise Line has contracted with Mears Transportation to provide shuttle bus service for the line's guests when it sets sail in February 1998. As a result of the contract, Mears has placed an order for 45 motorcoaches from Belgium's...

Marlins throw Sunshine curve over TV games. (Florida Marlins baseball team; Sunshine Network)
January 24, 1997... If the Florida Marlins only played hardball on the field as well as they're playing it with Sunshine Network, the team would win the World Series. Tensions have mounted between the South Florida baseball team and Sunshine over how and when...

Airport proposes plan to add parking spaces to ease crunch. (Orlando International Airport)
January 24, 1997... Greater Orlando Aviation Authority Chairman Bob Hattaway thought he had heard of every problem there could be at Orlando International Airport. This December, he heard a new one. "There are only 40 parking spaces left at the airport," an...

GOAA picks Canin to work on DRI application for southern terminal. (Greater Orlando Aviation Authority; Canin Associates Inc.; development of regional impact)
January 24, 1997... The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority took its first step toward building a southern terminal Jan. 15. The GOAA board agreed to negotiate a contract with Canin Associates Inc. to put together an application for a development of regional...

Drug-free companies save on liability, workers' comp costs.(Human Resources Quarterly)
January 24, 1997... The decision to screen employees for illegal drug use to become designated as a drug-free workplace helped Riker's Wrecker Service save several thousand dollars last year. The company is one of many that are turning to drug screening tests...

Companies must encourage creativity to make strong leaders.(Human Resources Quarterly)
January 24, 1997... Recently, the belief that we face a "leadership void" at policy levels of both public and private sectors has become fairly widely held. Assuming that the allegation is true, one is presented with the option of deciding if an absence of...

ORHS loses bid to recover legal costs of South Seminole hospital battle. (Orlando Regional Healthcare System Inc.)
January 24, 1997... The sale of Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp.'s half of South Seminole Hospital to Orlando Regional Healthcare System likely will be held up for a while longer thanks to some Jan. 15 rulings on post-trial motions. ORHS lost its bid to force...

Zwirn new president of Westinghouse's Orlando power unit. (Randy Zwirn; Westinghouse Electric Corp.)
January 24, 1997... After a year of being groomed for the job, Randy Zwirn now leads Westinghouse Electric Corp.'s Orlando-based power generation unit, responsible for growing sales in an increasingly competitive world market. Westinghouse named Zwirn, 43,...

HTE will co-market products. (HTE Inc.; Software Corporation of America)
January 24, 1997... Orlando software company HTE Inc. has formed a partnership with Software Corporation of America, based in Stamford, Conn., so the companies can market their public-safety products together. HTE will sell its dispatching software along with...

Coleman signs Air Force contract. (Coleman Research Corp.)
January 24, 1997... As expected, the U.S. Air Force this month awarded Coleman Research Corp. a contract worth up to $136 million to build rocket launch systems for the U.S. Air Force. Under the five-year deal, Orlando-based Coleman will compete with other...

Hotel builds 'virtual playroom.' (Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort Lake Buena Vista)
January 24, 1997... A Central Florida hotel is betting that many travelers can't go long without an online fix, even while vacationing. The Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort Lake Buena Vista has opened its Cyber-Arcade, a 2,100-square-foot "virtual playroom" with a...

Lotus trainer opens downtown. (Workgroup Connections Inc.; Orlando, Florida)
January 24, 1997... St. Louis-based Workgroup Connections Inc. opened a four-employee Orlando office this month for training businesspeople how to use Lotus Notes database software. The 2,215-square-foot facility, inside One Landmark Center, will concentrate on...

Disney World helps hearing-impaired guests. (Walt Disney World)
January 24, 1997... Working with the U.S. Department of Justice, Walt Disney World plans to add two new technologies to its theme parks. Both of the new features will help hearing-impaired visitors enjoy the shows at the resort. In 23 locations at the Magic...

Companies consolidate in Orlando. (Florida; Sparks Exhibits Corp.; Piper Productions Inc.)
January 24, 1997... A tourism construction company has merged its 75-year-old Melbourne facility into its newly acquired Orlando company. Melbourne's Sparks Exhibits, which designs and builds exhibits for trade shows and museums, closed its 12-member office to...

Transtar enters publishing field. (Transtar Transportation Inc.)
January 24, 1997... Transtar Transportation has started a monthly magazine to tell its customers about Orlando while they ride in a Transtar vehicle. The company sells ads to tourist attractions, focuses on one segment of the industry in each publication and...

Garfield honored: Warren promoted. (Disney Attractions Senior VP and Walt Disney Travel Pres. Randy Garfield; Walt Disney World PR manager Warren promoted to PR director)
January 24, 1997... Travel Agent magazine has honored Randy Garfield, Disney Attractions senior vice president of sales and travel operations and Walt Disney Travel Co. president, as its Attraction's Person of the Year. The magazine said it was because of the...

Pain management company to grow nationally. (Universal Pain Technology Inc.)
January 24, 1997... Heathrow's Universal Pain Technology Inc., a subsidiary of Cluster Technology Corp. of the same city, plans to open 200 pain management franchises across the nation this year, including several in the Orlando area. The company will begin...

TV show featuring The Moffatts to be produced in Orlando. (country musicians; Florida)
January 24, 1997... A Jan. 3 visit to Orlando by country music's Moffatt brothers appears to be the first of many to come. Production of a new TV show featuring The Moffatts as hosts in a music/variety show format is being discussed, with Orlando as the...

Hartford builds roofing business with repeat clients. (Hartford South Inc.)(Company Profile)
January 24, 1997... Commercial roofing is a business, Jay A. Rintelmann likes to point out, "where you don't knock on a customer's door twice if you've ever done a bad job for him - he'll never forgive you." Rintelmann has few worries on that score. His...

Treat TV-viewing numbers as trends, not something sacred.
January 24, 1997... One of the major marketing-related inanities of the 20th century is the TV-viewing diary. It has had an enormous impact on the marketing universe. The fate and flow of literally billions of dollars rest upon the crude and lowly TV viewing...

World Publications buys Caribbean Travel & Life magazine. (World Publications Corp.)
January 24, 1997... World Publications of Winter Park on Jan. 16 bought 10-year-old Caribbean Travel & Life magazine from a group of Silver Spring, Md., investors at an undisclosed price. With a total paid circulation of 115,000, the addition of the Caribbean...

Poe & Brown buys 2 agencies. (Poe and Brown Inc.; Dade Underwriters Insurance Agency; Willits Insurance Agency)
January 24, 1997... Poe & Brown Inc., a general insurance agency based in Daytona Beach and Tampa, has acquired two South Florida agencies: Dade Underwriters Insurance Agency and Willits Insurance Agency. Dade Underwriters will continue at its current location...

Cox buys Harris package. (Cox Communications Inc.; Harris Corp.)
January 24, 1997... Atlanta-based Cox Communications has selected Harris Corp.'s HNM enterprise network management package to manage its expanding telecommunications operations. Cox is expanding its cable systems to provide telephone service and broadband data...

Polk pushes tourism with new info centers. (Polk County, Florida)
January 24, 1997... Polk County, whose roads are filled with tourists headed to Tampa or Orlando, is trying to capture some of that traffic for itself. The county recently started touting its virtues from a portable information kiosk at the newly refurbished...

Chiles' budget raises economic development ante. (Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles)
January 24, 1997... While other state agencies get by with less, Florida's economic development and tourism initiatives would see double-digit increases under Gov. Lawton Chiles' proposed $42 billion budget for 1997-1998. In all, economic development programs...

Eland Energy buys 2 distributors of wholesale fuel in Tampa area. (Eland Energy Corp.; Florida)
January 24, 1997... Orlando's Eland Energy Corp., in hot pursuit of acquisitions across Florida, has purchased two Tampa-area companies in the wholesale fuels distribution business. The acquisitions of PetroCard of Clearwater and Tom McDonald Oil Co. of Tampa...

Handex management team takes environmental services firm private. (Handex of Florida Inc.; Handex Environmental Inc.)
January 24, 1997... The management team at Handex of Florida Inc. in Mount Dora has purchased the New Jersey-based parent company of Handex in a transaction valued at about $20 million. The acquisition includes moving at least five executives of the parent,...

HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital. (30-bed addition contract with CLJ Architects)
January 24, 1997... HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Treasure Coast in Vero Beach, 30-bed addition, $2.5 million; CLJ Architects of Birmingham, Ala., is the architect.

Hotels. (Homegate Hospitality Inc. plans to build Homegate Studios and Suites hotel in Orange County, Florida)
January 24, 1997... Dallas-based Homegate Hospitality Inc. plans to develop a 134-room Homegate Studios & Suites hotel on a 3.69-acre site at The Summit, a 138-acre mixed-use project on Maitland Boulevard just west of Interstate 4 in north Orange County. The...

Apartment sales. (Chateau Orleans Inc. purchased the Chateau Orleans Apartment)
January 24, 1997... Chateau Orleans Inc. paid $2.3 million to Robert G. Arnold of San Clemente, Calif., for the 26-year-old, 98-unit Chateau Orleans Apartment complex at Oak Ridge Road and John Young Parkway in south Orlando. The price equates to $23,496 per unit,...

Land sales. (Meyer's Bakeries Inc. purchased 5.25 acre tract from Airport International Park of Orlando)
January 24, 1997... Meyer's Bakeries Inc. of Hope, Ark., paid $490,875 to Airport International Park of Orlando for a 5.25-acre tract where it plans to break ground in February on a 50,000-square-foot commercial bakery. The price equates to $93,500 per acre, or...

Industrial real estate. (ASI Productions purchased Orlando, Florida warehouse)
January 24, 1997... ASI productions paid $840,000, or $21 per square foot, to Robert Young for a 40,000-square-foot warehouse at 10101 General Drive, Orlando. Matt Messier of Faison Orlando and Susan Ruby of Cushman & Wakefield of Florida Inc. co-brokered the...

Osceola convention center starts over. (Osceola County, Florida)
January 17, 1997... County, developer have 180 days to work out deal Despite working with the Osceola County Commission for nearly a year, the developers of a proposed convention center, hotel and trade mart have started over with the county. The County...

Atlanta-based Carter buys Orlando, Tampa brokerages. (Carter and Associates L.L.C.; Florida real estate brokerages Newport/Orlando and Newport Partners Tampa/Oncor)
January 17, 1997... Carter, a large Atlanta-based commercial real estate brokerage, has broken into the Central Florida market by acquiring Newport/Orlando, a 4-year-old downtown Orlando firm, and Newport Partners Tampa/Oncor, a 15-broker firm. The merger...

Young entrepreneur pumped up about fitness club, TV ventures. (Pierre Romain; Workout Partners; CRK Pictures)
January 17, 1997... In his brief 29 years, Pierre Romain has experienced both the thrill of making a lot of money and the heartache of losing it all to a business mentor who emptied his six-figure savings account. His story, in fact, was one of many about...

New downtown bank finds home, 'on target' for regulatory approval. (Alliance Bank; Orlando, Florida building)
January 17, 1997... Alliance Bank is beginning to taste reality after months in the purely theoretical realm. The planned independent bank has secured a home - in the circular building at 455 S. Orange Ave. across from Orlando City Hall - and expects regulatory...

Plans for many entertainment centers fail to unfold. (Orlando, Florida)(Tourism & Hospitality Quarterly)
January 17, 1997... Just a few projects are moving forward as planned According to talk in 1995, 1997 was going to be the year of the entertainment center. By the end of 1995, 12 companies had announced plans to build an entertainment center somewhere in...

Restaurants object to new food-handling rule. (Florida)
January 17, 1997... Wearing gloves gives workers 'false sense of security,' they say While the Florida Restaurant Association agrees on the importance of preventing food-borne illness, it does not agree with the Florida Department of Business and Professional...

McCreary has goals for local hotel association. (Central Florida Hotel and Motel Association Pres. Bill McCreary)(Tourism & Hospitality Quarterly)
January 17, 1997... As CFHMA's new leader, he hopes to make it bigger, stronger Few hoteliers can say their training in leading a hotel's staff was like Bill McCreary's. The typical route is for hoteliers to learn in a college classroom at Cornell University,...

Mercado gets ready for Pointe competition. (Mercado Mediterranean Village; Pointe Orlando; Florida shopping centers)
January 17, 1997... As the opening of Pointe Orlando approaches in July, Mercado Mediterranean Village is setting itself apart as the family-entertainment destination for tourists. Mercado, built in 1985, stood out as the only food, entertainment and shopping...

French bakery to bring in more dough for restaurant owner. (Douce France Bakery; La Normandie owner Andre Bilheux)(Tourism & Hospitality Quarterly)
January 17, 1997... La Normandie owner and President Andre Bilheux is realizing his dream of opening a bakery. Never satisfied with the bread other bakers have supplied him over the 17 years he has operated La Normandie French restaurant on Colonial Drive,...

Now that he's a U.S. citizen, Allard joins local SunTrust board. (Jean-Marc Allard; SunTrust Central Florida)
January 17, 1997... SunTrust Central Florida wanted to elect construction executive Jean-Marc Allard to its board of directors a few years ago, but the law got in the way. Today the bank is happy. SunTrust Central Florida recently appointed Allard to a...

Gray Harris law firm forms high-tech 'financial swat team.' (Gray, Harris and Robinson)
January 17, 1997... Gray, Harris & Robinson, a 54-lawyer, downtown Orlando-based firm, has created an innovative three-attorney team to advise Central Florida's burgeoning high-tech industry on how to obtain capital. "We won't actually go out and raise the money...

Kribs to unveil second Crystal Collection Tour of estate homes. (real estate developer William Kribs; Windermere, Florida housing)
January 17, 1997... William "Bill" Kribs - yachtsman, art collector, tennis/skiing devotee, former professional saxophonist, recession survivor, real estate developer and custom home builder - is unveiling his second Crystal Collection Tour of five furnished and...

Planet Hollywood won't talk, but Marvel says restaurants still on. (Planet Hollywood Inc.; Marvel Entertainment Group Inc.)
January 17, 1997... Marvel Entertainment Group Inc. plans to go ahead with its rollout of Marvel Mania comic book-themed restaurants and stores in a joint venture with Planet Hollywood, despite Marvel's recent financial woes. Marvel Entertainment filed for...

Butler Mortgage does its 'home'-work. (Butler Mortgage Inc.)
January 17, 1997... December is usually a sluggish, downright dismal month for people whose livelihoods depend on home sales. Money is spent on gifts and holiday festivities, not houses and other major purchases. Right? Not exactly. Last month ended up as one...

ISDN can make online world quicker for most businesses. (integrated services digital network)
January 17, 1997... If you have ever waited to e-mail a large file or to view a page on the World Wide Web, you know that modems are not the fastest of technologies. ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is a phone company service that allows users to...

State rejects Melbourne, Celebration hospitals. (Florida; Westhoff Health Systems; Florida Hospital's Celebration Health)
January 17, 1997... The state on Jan. 13 turned down two Central Florida companies' requests to build acute-care hospitals. The state also denied requests by two other companies. Eight health care organizations in all sought permission to build new acute-care...

Long-term care hospitals, home health get cold shoulder. (Florida)
January 17, 1997... Forget it. That's what the state has told all the health care companies hoping to build long-term care hospitals or open home health agencies in Florida. Three companies wanted to build long-term care hospitals ranging in size from 60 to 150...

Taxpayers should exercise rights in IRS disputes.
January 17, 1997... To collect a debt, private creditors generally must file suit against the debtor in a court of appropriate jurisdiction. Thus, a private creditor must prove its case in a court of law in order to get a court judgment allowing it to collect...

County wrong to offer subsidies to lure Hewitt here. (Orange County, Florida; Hewitt Associates)
January 17, 1997... Taxpayers, grab your wallets! Orange County has just given away $500,000 of your tax money and has laid the groundwork for another $2 million of your state taxes to be paid to Hewitt Associates, an international benefits management company....

Is incorporating the best thing, really?(Business Focus '97)
January 17, 1997... A house in the suburbs, two kids - a boy and a girl - two dogs - a boy and a girl - a convertible in the driveway and a corporation. Having your own corporation is a common part of the "American dream." But, is incorporating really the best...

Performance measurement and quality management systems.(Business Focus '97)
January 17, 1997... We want our organization to function smoothly... we plan, organize, motivate and control. We have systems in place and can "out-process" the best of them. Still, some things just don't get done. There's so much going on...people fighting...

Capital improvements: a seven-step guide to lobbying your legislators. (Florida)(Business Focus '97)
January 17, 1997... As a business person in Florida, one of your responsibilities is to help elect legislators who represent your interests. Although the state's 14 million residents share 160 state senators and representatives, your role in the democratic process...

Liquidity for shareholders of privately held companies.(Business Focus '97)
January 17, 1997... Overview This article will present five methods that can assist shareholders of successful private companies to achieve liquidity or partial liquidity. As with most things, there are tradeoffs. The alternatives that produce the most value...

Business leases: don't let the state write your lease for you.(Business Focus '97)
January 17, 1997... If your company leases business equipment or other goods, the lease your company requires its customers to sign, or the lease your company signs, forms a contractual basis for your ongoing relationship. The difference between a well drafted...

Are you ready for the year 2000? (correcting computers to consider the year 2000)(Business Focus '97)
January 17, 1997... Consider the following scenario: A customer of Sunshine Bank received a car loan in 1995. In order to calculate the age of the loan today, the legacy computer system installed at the bank would subtract 95 from 97. This loan would be two years...

Merits of a cost leadership business strategy.(Business Focus '97)
January 17, 1997... Most strategic business plans, whether written or intuitive, have a tactical component for marketplace warfare with major competitors. The tactic is intended to improve market position, regain market share, or expand market shareholdings....

Estate planning with family limited partnerships. (real estate limited partnerships)(Business Focus '97)
January 17, 1997... The IRS abandoned its most recent attempt to levy higher taxes on transfers of minority interests in family-owned businesses on February 13, 1995. Under extreme pressure, the Service amended the Anti-abuse Rule, Treasury regulation section...

The basics on patents, copyrights and trademarks.(Business Focus '97)
January 17, 1997... In today's competitive business environment, every business owner needs to understand how to protect their organization's work product, discoveries or creations and the goodwill associated with their business. Known collectively as...

Start 1997 out right with a financial analysis.(Business Focus '97)
January 17, 1997... The new year is here...they seem to arrive with ever increasing speed. This is an excellent time to take a look at your personal financial situation. Estate Planning Quiz Drawing up an estate plan isn't everyone's idea of a fun way to...

Vistana, Promus do time share deal. (Vistana Development Ltd.; Promus Hotel Corp.)
January 10, 1997... One of Orlando's largest time share companies has teamed with one of the nation's largest hotel companies to develop and manage time share resorts across North America. Vistana Development Ltd. and Memphis-based Promus Hotel Corp. have...

Moscow Circus coming here, maybe for keeps. (The Moscow Circus)
January 10, 1997... By the middle of February, The Moscow Circus will have an Orlando address. The circus will pitch its tent next door to Pirates Dinner Adventure, a dinner show near International Drive. That may not be the only new attraction at Pirates...

Cirent on cutting edge of rapidly growing industry. (Cirent Semiconductor)(Technology Bimonthly)
January 10, 1997... Inside the sanitized "clean rooms" of Cirent Semiconductor, technicians in head-to-toe laboratory garb build some of the world's most advanced computer chips. Meanwhile, in the hallways surrounding manufacturing areas, laborers wearing tool...