South Florida Business Journal articles from April 1995

South Florida Business Journal archives from April 1995

Critics target WPBT profit arm: companies say Channel 2 has unfair edge. (Florida public television outlet)
April 7, 1995... Miami - Miami-based WPBT-TV (Channel 2), Florida's oldest and largest public television outlet, is about to face renewed scrutiny of its for-profit subsidiary - a venture critics say has hurt their business. Executives of a Tampa production...

Records disclose CEO's salary. (WPBT-TV's George Dooley)
April 7, 1995... Miami - George Dooley, who built WPBT-TV (Channel 2) into one of the nation's most successful public TV stations, earned $345,000 last year. Records filed by the station and its foundation with the IRS - available to the public - show three...

Upscale bakery expanding. (Biga Bakery Corp.)
April 7, 1995... Pair line up financing to add new units in 1995 Miami Beach - Less than two years after the debut of its first store in Miami Beach, Biga Bakery Corp. plans to add eight more South Florida locations by the end of 1995. "I don't know of any...

Strike three for retailer: competition, no baseball hurt sales. (Benchwarmers to close shop)
April 7, 1995... Fort Lauderdale - Baseball may be back, but the game is over for Fort Lauderdale-based Benchwarmers. After a rough year that saw a 50 percent drop in sales, the six-year-old retailer has closed its stores and ceased publication of its...

FAA may fine Arrow. (Federal Aviation Administration; Arrow Air)
April 7, 1995... Miami - The Federal Aviation Administration may impose civil penalties on Arrow Air in a bid to settle its dispute with the cargo carrier, according to a source familiar with the case. Once any penalties are paid, Arrow could apply for...

Miami firm signs option for studio property. (Venture Productions to erect motion picture complex in Dade County, Florida)
April 7, 1995... Miami - Venture Productions has signed an option agreement on 13.2 acres in North Miami to build what would be the first major motion picture studio complex in Dade County. The $2.4 million agreement was signed a few weeks ago, confirmed...

Telemundo readies revamping. (Telemundo Group Inc.)
April 7, 1995... Newly installed president seeks greater market share Miami - Fresh from bankruptcy, Miami-based Telemundo Group Inc. is hoping that its newly appointed president and chief executive officer can revive the underdog station and create a ratings...

OHM offers growth - and risk. (OHM Corp.)
April 7, 1995... Fort Lauderdale - Last week, H. Wayne Huizenga disclosed that he had made his largest single investment in a publicly traded company since stepping down as chairman of Blockbuster Entertainment Corp. OHM AT A GLANCE Year end 31 ($...

New look, new tenants for mall. (Kendall Mall in Kendall, Florida)
April 7, 1995... Kendall - Kendall Mall, a 25-year-old property that survived foreclosure in 1991 and Hurricane Andrew in '92, will return this summer with a new look and a host of new tenants. Developer Lefmark Florida Inc. paid about $12 million for the...

Boston investor adds to Miami holdings. (T.A. Associates Realty)
April 7, 1995... Miami - With its latest acquisitions, TA Associates Realty has emerged as a major player in Miami's industrial real estate market. Last week, the Boston investment concern paid $9.75 million for two multi-bay warehouses, pushing TA's South...

Jackson Memorial to build $42 million care center. (diagnostic treatment center at Jackson Memorial Hospital)
April 7, 1995... Miami - Jackson Memorial Hospital is planning to build a $42 million diagnostic treatment center that will also serve as a second entrance to the medical center. "The building is part of the evolution of the hospital," said Mark Cohen, a...

FAA, Arrow negotiating fine. (Federal Aviation Administration; Arrow Air Inc.)
April 14, 1995... Cargo hauler expected to pay $5 million in penalties; scale back operations Miami - Arrow Air is expected to pay up to $5 million in civil penalties to settle a dispute with the Federal Aviation Administration, said a source familiar with the...

No action on cargo crime. (cargo thefts at Miami International Airport, FL)
April 14, 1995... Task force still waits for money as some shippers begin using other ports Miami - Cargo thefts continue to plague businesses that ship through Miami International Airport and the Port of Miami, but a federal task force formed to look into the...

Bankruptcy court now rap star's new stage. (2 Live Crew's Ruther Campbell; Luke Records Inc.)
April 14, 1995... Miami - Local rapper Luther Campbell is in court again - bankruptcy court. The leader of rap band 2 Live Crew, who is more used to legal fights over his crude language and flying fists, is now fighting to keep his record company in business....

Swerdlow's shopping spree. (real estate developer Michael Swerdlow plans new Broward County, MI, projects)
April 14, 1995... Three new Broward projects planned Hollywood - Michael Swerdlow, the developer of Hollywood's $70 million Oakwood Plaza shopping center, is wrapping up his first retail project in Dade County and making plans for at least three more in...

Barnett readies international push. (Barnett Banks Inc. introduces new international bankiing services)
April 14, 1995... Miami - When it comes to international banking, Barnett isn't necessarily the first bank most people think about. But Florida's largest bank has a good chunk of the foreign exchange and trade finance business in the state. And it wants more....

A mag for soon-to-weds. ('Honeymoon' magazine)
April 14, 1995... But don't wait until your honeymoon to read it Miami - For publisher Adam Sandow, a single guy, life is one long honeymoon. His new national magazine, Honeymoon, is a glossy compendium of sensuous, sun-soaked locales, interspersed with...

Boca docs plan $14 mil med center. (Physicians Specialty Group of Boca Raton, FL)
April 14, 1995... Boca Raton - A local physician group is building a $14 million medical office building in west Boca Raton. The 100,000-square-foot facility owned by Physicians Specialty Group of Boca Raton will be on 13 acres on Clint Moore Road just west of...

Winner needed just one stock. (Fastcomm Communications Corp.)
April 14, 1995... John Wicknertz hit a home run in South Florida Business Journal's first annual stock-picking contest - and won the game. Too bad he was just using play money - although Wicknertz will get two round-trip tickets to New York via Carnival Air...

SunBank finds success in loans. (SunBank/South Florida)(Company Profile)
April 14, 1995... Fort Lauderdale - Bankers often complain bitterly about complying with community reinvestment act requirements. But SunBank/South Florida has seen great success with its Affordable Home Loan Program. Since the program began in 1989, the bank...

Health provider picks Miramar for regional HQ. (Abbey Healthcare Group Inc., Costa Mesa, CA)
April 14, 1995... Miramar - One of the country's largest home health care companies is pushing to increase its South Florida business. Within the next 90 days, Abbey Healthcare Group Inc. of Costa Mesa, Calif., plans to open a headquarters office in Miramar to...

Trading volume way up in shares of Home Financial. (Home Financial Corp.)
April 14, 1995... Hollywood - Trading has been unusually heavy in Home Financial Corp. stock over the past couple of weeks, but company executives said there is no deal in the works for the parent of Home Savings Bank, a thrift often mentioned as a takeover...

SafeCard faces new criticism. (Safecard Services Inc.; accuracy of financial statements)
April 28, 1995... Shareholders challenge company's financial statements, SEC filings Some SafeCard Services Inc. shareholders - including founder and former chairman Peter Halmos - are raising new questions about the accuracy of the company's financial...

Italian cops want exec's testimony. (Andiamo Tours and Cosmopolitan Travel founder Giovanni Arnaboldi; extradition request to testify in Italy in probe against former PM Silvio Berlusconi)
April 28, 1995... Fort Lauderdale travel agency boss spent month in jail The owner of two Fort Lauderdale travel agencies is wanted in Italy to testify in a probe against a former Italian prime minister. But the Fort Lauderdale businessman, Giovanni Arnaboldi,...

10% savings seen in new 'comp' plans. (workers' compensation plan; from Gulf Atlantic Management Group and Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association)
April 28, 1995... Fort Lauderdale - Gulf Atlantic Management Group and Blue Cross and Blue Shield have created a partnership to offer South Florida businesses what they say will be the state's first worker's compensation plan with both HMO and PPO options....

Top consultants open offices. (Hay Group Inc.; Korn/Ferry International; South Florida)
April 28, 1995... Two national service firms have opened offices in South Florida, lured by the area's continued growth as an international business center. They are human resources firm Hay Management Consultants and executive search firm Korn/Ferry...

Ten ideas for entrepreneurs in 1995.(Small Business)
April 28, 1995... The year 1995 will bring mixed results for small businesses. Owners that survive and succeed will have to anticipate and cope with an economy that will falter in many areas. Rapid changes in the economy and in numerous industries will create new...

FIU study: trade pricing out of sync. (Florida International University)
April 28, 1995... U.S. Tax Losses IMPORTS Spark Plugs Canada $70.24/unit Bras Italy $1,576/dozen Tweezers Japan $112.55/unit...

Sponsors warm to SunFest. (West Palm Beach, Florida festival)
April 28, 1995... WEST PALM BEACH - What began as the fancy of some local business people has become a big-time marketing event that bills top talent and generates big bucks. SunFest attracts all walks of life to its juried art shows, craft fairs, water...

Shoe designer on way to new digs. (Unisa America Inc.'s relocation to new headquarters in Dade City, Florida)
April 28, 1995... MIAMI - Unisa America Inc., a shoe designer and distributor with 110 employees in Miami, will move this week to larger quarters at West Dade's new Beacon Industrial Park. Wallace Ruiz, Unisa's vice president and chief financial officer, said...

Hands-on public offering. (Natural Health Trends Corp.)
April 28, 1995... Massage therapy school seeks $2.5 million LAUDERHILL - Natural Health Trends Corp., which runs two vocational massage schools in South Florida, wants to raise nearly $2.5 million to renovate and relocate one campus, repay debt and be recognized...

Investor with vision, cash turns Mayfair Shops around. (real estate investor George Goldbloom; Mayfair House shopping center)(Real Estate Monthly)
April 28, 1995... COCONUT GROVE - It's 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, and the lunch crowd is already filing into Planet Hollywood. "(I've had) the time of my life" from the film, Dirty Dancing, is blaring from restaurant speakers. Upstairs, in a small, nondescript...

WPBT-TV launches response to Comtel criticism. (TV station; Comtel Corp.)
April 28, 1995... MIAMI - Florida's oldest and largest public television station, WPBT-TV (Channel 2), has launched a counter-offensive to allegations that it has used state money inappropriately. Last week, WPBT executives sent out public information kits...

IntegraCare still dealing as merger moves closer. (IntegraCare Inc.'s merger with Integrated Health Services Inc.)
April 28, 1995... DELRAY BEACH - As IntegraCare Inc. prepares to close on its merger with Integrated Health Services, it continues to purchase medical practices. Last week, the Delray Beach-based health care provider purchased four primary care practices,...

Coral Springs will provide home for artist's works. (Florida; artist Max Schacknow's art museum)
April 28, 1995... CORAL SPRINGS - After two years of failed negotiations with the city of Plantation, amateur artist Max Schacknow is taking his $1.5 million art museum north to Coral Springs. Schacknow, a retired New York textile broker who longs to see his own...

Beach development moving north with major projects. (Miami Beach, Florida)(Real Estate Monthly)
April 28, 1995... MIAMI BEACH - A decade after South Beach began its second coming, the rebirth is moving up - and north. The beach is undergoing a surge in new construction and redevelopment that will bring condominiums to where apartments and hotels once...

Former Oak Tree exec now with larger firm. (Oak Tree Medical Management Systems former president Edward E. Goldman now CEO of PhyChoice Inc.)
April 28, 1995... MIAMI LAKES - The former president of Oak Tree Medical Management Systems said he left his job to work for a company with more assets and the ability to provide more medical services. Dr. Edward E. Goldman left Oak Tree several months ago to...

Windmere Corp. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
April 28, 1995... 5980 Miami Lakes Drive, Miami Lakes 33014 (305) 362-2611 Windmere Corp. is a manufacturer and distributor of personal care and seasonal products, such as hair dryers, curling irons, mirrors and electric fans. The company's products are sold...