South Florida Business Journal articles from April 2000

South Florida Business Journal archives from April 2000

What would God think about this lawsuit?(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... "God Speaks," a billboard advertising campaign that gained the SmithAgency.com national attention, is at the center of a lawsuit against its former president and another ex-employee. The suit, filed in Broward County Circuit Court, accuses...

Tomorrow's cures being tested here.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Florida ranks third for clinical trials The ads are hard to miss. Solicitations on TV, radio and in print solicit humans to act as guinea pigs for pay on clinical trials of pharmaceuticals. But it's not sci-fi. Drug-testing in South...

Panelists provide the ABCs of ASPs.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... ASP has become one of the hot acronyms in technology. It stands for application service provider and provides businesses the ability to have their applications run under the care and guidance of an outside company. often under a pay-as-you go...

CyberGuard plans return to Nasdaq.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Executives at CyberGuard Corp. in Fort Lauderdale expect to return to a Nasdaq listing within the next three months. South Florida's largest software security firm (OTC BB: CYBG) is making the move less than two years after being delisted...

A quiet performer: Lantana Airport has business tradition.
April 7, 2000... As a boy raised in Palm Beach County during the 1930s, Owen Gassaway flew rubber-band-powered and motorized model airplanes in the meadow where Morrison Field - now Palm Beach International Airport -- eventually was built. As a teenager,...

Motorola takes some breathing room in Sunrise.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Manufacturer also discussing plans for large new complex In a move intended to give its South Florida work force more elbow room, Motorola has leased a 63,850-square-foot building along I-75 in Sunrise. The deal will mean 210 sales...

CORRECTION.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... A Small Business Strategy story on Miami domain name auction company Solutionhome.com, published March 24, contained an inaccuracy. The company does not own or operate "Lawyer.com." The homepage gallery feature referenced in the article is...

Palm Beach County gets 2 more banks.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Advantage Bank of North Palm Beach and Flagler Bank of West Palm Beach are preparing for mid-April openings. Flagler Bank plans to open at 1801 Forest Hill Blvd. during the week of April 10, perhaps as early as that Monday, said James...

Lucent Technologies to put HQ in Miramar.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Telecommunications giant Lucent Technologies has sealed a deal to build a $40 million regional and Latin American headquarters in Miramar. The deal, completed in mid-March, means 1,100 jobs will be heading to a 20-acre site along I-75 and...

Business Journal staff wins national award.
April 7, 2000... The Business Journal serving South Florida has been recognized as one of the best business weeklies in the nation. The paper received a certificate of merit award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, which announced...

OSHA issues warnings to South Florida firms.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... OSHA's effort to target workplaces with the highest occupational injury and illness rates includes 118 South Florida businesses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reportedly has sent letters to 12,764 such workplaces...

Sports Authority launches in-store TV.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... The sports Authority (NYSE: TSA), the struggling Fort Lauderdale sporting goods retailer, is hoping the installation of a new, in-house "infotainment TV network will help spike flattened sales. The programming, dubbed "WTSA -- The Sports...

Bottom line hitting spring training cities.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... The president of the St. Louis Cardinals stands in the sunshine on the terrace that stretches from his spring training office, pointing as a ball clears the right-field wall and caroms off the concrete facade below his feet. If you had...

Burger King castle may include 12-story tower, office space.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Possible Gables HQ dubbed 'regional activity center,' avoiding DRI Coral Gables could land a whopper of a real estate project later this month when Burger King Corp. announces plans for a new world headquarters. After saying in...

NationsBank's signs will come down May 8.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... New signs will be uncovered at NationsBank's South Florida branches May 8, and parent Bank of America is preparing a marketing campaign to remind customers that the change is in name alone, not a new merger. In late February, the company...

Clinton, Congress agree on stock options bill.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman traveled to Capitol Hill to endorse legislation that would overturn her department's ruling that profits from stock options must be included when calculating overtime pay for rank-and-file employees. Many...

Bill gives small business tax break for software.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Small businesses could immediately deduct the full cost of software instead of writing it off over three years under legislation introduced by Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif. Current law governing software purchases requires businesses to...

Business leaders No. 1 in helping urban schools.
April 7, 2000... Public school officials in the nation's largest urban areas rate business leaders and foundations as the most helpful outside groups. Congress and the news media ranked at the bottom of the survey conducted by the Council of the Great City...

More businesses may get get interest on checking soon.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Banks would be allowed to pay interest on business checking accounts under legislation passed by the House Banking Committee. Small business groups and community banks wanted to repeal the prohibition on interest-bearing business checking...

Armey tells manufacturers to have workers push China.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Armey said President Clinton and the Senate were committed to the deal, but "the problem is in the House," which is expected to vote on the agreement by the end of May. The four manufacturers who spoke at the press conference illustrate...

Office supply fraud profits outweigh penalties.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... The Federal Trade Commission recently slapped a $500,000 fine against Ultra Ribbons, whose 700 telemarketers sold computer ribbons, printer cartridges and other office supplies from a Southern California boiler room. The Ultra Ribbons...

CHS Electronics files Chapter 11.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Miami's CHS Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: HS) filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition that included a proposed reorganization plan. Its major creditors have agreed on terms for the plan, according to a Reuters release. CHS and its subsidiaries will...

Andrx files for public offering.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Andrx Corp. (Nasdaq: ADRX) in Fort Lauderdale has filed a registration statement with the SEC relating to a proposed public offering of 3,675,000 shares of its common stock (7,350,000 shares, giving effect to Monday's two-for-one stock split)....

Lennar seeks tenders of debt.(Lennar Corp.)(U.S. Home Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Miami-based homebuilder Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) is making, through a subsidiary a tender offer for all the publicly traded notes of Texas-based U.S. Home Corp. (NYSE: UII), which will expire April 28. UII has five outstanding issues of such...

Wackenhut gets FAA contract.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Wackenhut Corp. (NYSE: WAK) of Palm Beach Gardens said its subsidiary, Wackenhut Services, won a five-year contract from the Federal Aviation Administration to provide security services at the Atlantic City, N.J., International Airport The...

Hvide chairman hospitalized.
April 7, 2000... Hvide Marine Inc. (OTC BB: HVDM) of Port Lauderdale announced that its chairman and CEO, Jean Fitzgerald, had been hospitalized with a heart condition and underwent surgery April 3. He will be out of the office a minimum of four weeks,...

Xcelerate gets $35 million.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Fort Lauderdale e-business consulting firm Xcelerate has received $35 in mezzanine funding from three major investment firms - The Carlyle Group, idea lab Capital Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners." This round of funding plays a...

orbitTRAVEL.com to be traded.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Miami Beach-based orbitTRAVEL.com filed 1998 and 1999 10-KSB reports this month with the Securities and Exchange Commission, after having been deficient in filing any financial reports since the quarter ended Sept. 30, 1998. The company lost...

McGuire resigns as CEO.(Enterprise Development Corp. CEO Jeanie McGuire)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Jeanie McGuire, the CEO of South Florida's Enterprise Development Corp., a nonprofit, high-tech, business and resource program, has reigned. McGuire said she was retiring after four years of leading the EDC and Ann Salamone, who has been the...

Exclusive Cruises & Resorts grows.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Exclusive Cruises & Resorts Inc. (OTC BB: XCLU) of Miami Beach announced the commencement of operations of ExclusiVacations travel Ltd. (Greece), its first international sales and marketing subsidiary. ExciusiVacations Inc., of Florida, owns 80...

Technical Chemicals reports.(financial results for fourth quarter and year ended Dec. 31, 1999)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Technical Chemicals and Products Inc. (Nasdaq: TCPI), a Pompano Beach-based developer of point-of-care medical diagnostic products, announced financial results for the year and fourth quarter ended Dec. 31. For the year, net sales remained...

Universal Heights reports results.(for year ended Dec. 31, 1999)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Aventura-based Universal Heights Inc. (OTC BB: UHTS) reported net income of 7 cents a share on a fully diluted basis on revenues of $8,779,195 for the year ended Dec.31. The year 1999 represents the second year of insurance company...

Tobacco giant's earnings go up in smoke.(Brooke Group Ltd.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... * Profile: Brooke Group is the smallest part of Big Tobacco, but a part nonetheless. The holding company's Liggett unit, the No.5 U.S. cigarette maker, makes Eve premium cigarettes as well as generic and discount lines. Brooke Group's...

A barrel of oil for a bushel of wheat?
April 7, 2000... Dear Mr. Berko: I remember Ross Perot telling Al Gore that we can't rely on Mexico to maintain its current oil production, that it would increase the price at the first opportunity. So, Why should we trust the Mexicans to abide by the...

Hit the white water!(with Eagle Explorer canoes)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... It's a bit of a drive from South Florida to the nearest white water. But if you're going to go find a rushing river to paddle in, how about spending it on the Sea Eagle Explorer 380x inflatable canoe. The boat is 12-feet, six-inches and can...

For drier moments.(Sulka's menswear collection)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 7, 2000... Everyone defines style differently. But if designer labels are something you can spend it on, consider the spring/summer 2000 collection from Sulka of New York. It was created for "the man for whom luxury equals style," according to promotional...

Banking on Hollywood incentives.(SunTrust Bank signs for city of Hollywood, FL, Buydown Loan Program for developers of commercial properties)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... SunTrust Bank has become the first bank to sign up for the city of Hollywood's Buydown Loan Program, which enables developers and business owners to obtain low-interest rate loans for redevelopment of commercial properties in four low- and...

Local analyst makes good watching.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Noble Financial stock market guru Daniel A. Morgan has always been accessible, giving insight on what makes South Florida public companies tick. Never too busy to give great quote, Morgan has now been "discovered" by the TV financial...

Serve and volley.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... A view from the camera pit at center court of the Ericsson Open, South Florida's premier annual tennis tournament, which closed last weekend. The $5.76 million tournament featured, among other things: 92 televised matches; 7,000 Dolphin...

Psssst! Want to have a good time for $25?(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... If so, make plans now to attend the April meeting of the Gold Coast Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Thats when experienced retailer and communications authority Gary Schweikhart will explore the twists...

On track for help.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Enterprise Florida is boldly going where few economic development organizations have gone before: Ten of this states toughest inner city neighborhoods. The Orlando-based group, which took over the states economic development...

Time wanes for American Family refunds.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Florida's Attorney General Bob Butterworth is reminding Floridians they only have until May 5 to file for refund claims under an agreement settling private litigation against American Family Publishers. A federal court in New Jersey...

King arena scores with state.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Boxing promoter Don Kings grand plan to turn the abandoned Palm Beach Jai Alai fronton into a 9,999-seat sporting and entertainment arena has been given the nod by the state. In a recent letter, officials with the state Department of...

Help for an easy break-up.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... If a mind eraser shot and Bobbit sundae at Dick's Last Resorts Divorce Party wont help you forget your ex, nothing will. It's the latest gimmick from Dick's, a Dallas-based restaurant-nightclub chain with a location in Miami's Bayside...

Changing the score.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... SportsLine.coms planned acquisition of rival Total Sports Inc. fell through last week because of SportsLine's concerns that the purchase price, $300 million in company stock, represented too much of its market valuation, at the time roughly...

Microsoft, now you just play nice, OK?(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, to no one's surprise, ruled that Microsoft Corp. is a monopoly, that it acts in a predatory manner toward competitors, that it is mean, dirty, lowdown, uncouth and has head lice. In response,...

Success Strategies of Palm Beach.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Success Strategies of Palm Beach received The Golden Web Award for excellence in design from The International Association of Web Masters and Designers,

L&L Communications.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... L&L Communications, a public relations firm in Deerfield Beach, received a silver and bronze award in the 2000 Summit Creative Awards competition based on the firm's Web site.

Sanchez & Levitan.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Sanchez & Levitan, an advertising and public relations agency in Miami, won the Bulldog Award for Excellence in Media Relations and Publicity for the Chivas Regal public relations program.

Ben A. Rodriguez.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Ben A. Rodriguez, chief nursing officer at Florida Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, was chosen a winner in the 11th Annual Florida Medical Business Awards.

[Sackman.sup.2].(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... [Sackman.sup.2] in Coconut Grove received the 2000 Award of Excellence for "Spec" Industrial Building for designs at Seneca Industrial Park in Hallandale Beach.

JM Family Enterprises.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... JM Family Enterprises honored eight African-Americans with the African-American Achiever Awards: Irma Wesley, Leslie Bailey, Dawn Gibson-Brehon, Dr. Minnie Lowe-Joyner, Ted Johnson, Mary Butler Hooks, Irvin Minney and Sandrell Lindsey Rivers.

Suzanne Lasky.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Suzanne Lasky, co-owner of South Florida Productions in North Miami, received the 2000 Award by the National Association of Woman Business Owners.

National Car Rental Center.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... The National Car Rental Center in Fort Lauderdale received Business Leader of Year Award from The South Florida Chapter of the National Safety Council.

Boca Raton Museum of Art.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Boca Raton Museum of Art received a $700,000 from the Kresge Foundation.

Global Crossing.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Global Crossing in Miami donated $25,000 to The American Red Cross for Venezuelan flood relief efforts.

Protect-A-Med Corp.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Protect-A-Med Corp., a manufacturer of specialty disposable linens in Fort Lauderdale, was contracted by Stryker Medical for emergency room stretcher sheets.

Elcon Electric.
April 7, 2000... Elcon Electric in Fort Lauderdale was awarded the contract for FAU/BCC Higher Education Complex and for Lois Pope Life Center in Miami.

George F. White AIA & Associates.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... George F. White AIA & Associates in Boca Raton was awarded the contract for architectural services for Motorola.

Slattery and Associates.
April 7, 2000... Slattery and Associates in Boca Raton retained the architectural contract for Carl's Patio Furniture in South Miami to design Beachwalk, a residential condominium in Vero Beach.

Retzsch Lanao Caycedo Architects.
April 7, 2000... Retzsch Lanao Caycedo Architects in Boca Raton was retained to design a 100,000-square-foot building in Beacon Pointe for Codina Development of Coral Gables.

Visual Fire.
April 7, 2000... Visual Fire has partnered with Broadcast Video in Miami to provide an interactive shopping channel.

Seitlin.
April 7, 2000... Seitlin, an insurance agency in Fort Lauderdale, has merged with AdvanTech Solutions, a professional employer organization in Tampa, to provide administration and risk management services.

Production Resource Service.
April 7, 2000... Production Resource Service and Chaos Films in Miami have merged to further service the needs of producers shooting on-location in South Florida.

The Florida Internet Service Providers Association.
April 7, 2000... The Florida Internet Service Providers Association entered an agreement with BellSouth to market DSL broadband Internet access to its customers over regular phone lines utilizing BellSouth's network technology.

Express Personnel Services.
April 7, 2000... Express Personnel Services in Fort Lauderdale was certified ISO 9002 compliant, to serve clients that require quality management certification

Miami Metrozoo.
April 7, 2000... Miami Metrozoo received accreditation from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

English, McCaughan & O'Bryan.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... English, McCaughan & O'Bryan, a law firm in Fort Lauderdale, has formed The Real Estate Development Group to provide a variety of legal service to the real estate industry.

Ryder Systems.
April 7, 2000... Ryder Systems in Miami has implemented a distribution management system incorporating newly constructed facilities.

STAYING SMALL.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... 3-man law firm doesn't plan to get much bigger The business law firm of Litow Cutler & Zabludowski has only three lawyers. But each one of them is a partner, with different legal skills and expertise from the other two, all of which...

Balance.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... As work and personal lives converge, take heed that there can be consistency in inconsistency! All aspects of life as a small business owner or executive require the trait of flexibility. As we "get good" at flexibility, we find consistency....

Plan your work and work your Plan.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Most busy executives and business owners plan their time. But do they work the plan? At the end of the day or week, have the important items and tasks been accomplished? Many time management gurus are a proponent of the "do it now" philosophy,...

Customer service?(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Technical support is available on most high-tech items today. And most of the time it is easy to access. But when it is not, get out the blood pressure cuff! How much time is spent looking for the technical support contact information, wading...

Here's my nonsystem and the secrets of nonselling.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Q: Is there a system of selling? A: No. But there is a nonsystem. Q: Is there an easier way to sell than others? A: Yes, but it requires hard work and dedication. Q: This is getting complicated - is it easy or hard? A:...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
April 7, 2000... ACCOUNTING London Witte & Co. in Fort Lauderdale promoted Tray J. Enos to manager. H&R Block promoted the following to manager: in Delray Beach, Frank Trullender; Rebecca Goodman in Lake Worth, Marian Tripode and Marlene Kiriloff in...

MAKING A FEDERAL CASE.(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... SEC's Miami office going after Internet boiler rooms When the Securities and Exchange Commission last year created a 90-member task force to investigate securities fraud on the Internet, it assigned six of those slots to its Southeast...

Republic Security planning more diversity.(Statistical Data Included)
April 7, 2000... Republic Security Bank is always on the lookout for acquisitions, but chances are its next major buy will not be another bank. "We would consider [companies in] factoring, insurance, asset-based lending, money management, securities and...

SEC keeping close eye on accountants' independence.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... The Securities and Exchange Commission is putting major accounting firms in South Florida and around the nation under increased pressure to follow its rules that prohibit partners and managers from owning stock in public companies their firms...

Venture capital not that easy to get, experts say.
April 7, 2000... The perception is that there's a ton of money out there for start-up emerging technology companies looking for venture capital. Although that may be the case, there's also lot of competition for those dollars. And according to experts, most...

New leadership at Grant Thornton.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... Shelley Stein is taking the new system-wide post of managing partner for client projects in Latin America and Richard Jacobson is succeeding her as the accounting firm's South Florida managing partner. Stein had been Grant Thornton's...

OnLoan.com expands.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... OnLoan.com of Fort Lauderdale has been in business just five months, but it recently made some big strides in the highly competitive Internet mortgage business. Last month, Onloan.com signed an agreement for a $100 million secured credit...

Investors challenged in technology revolution.
April 7, 2000... World economic growth is poised to accelerate in 2000 to its strongest level in years with expansion likely to be synchronous across every region of the world. While we do expect the U.S. economy to slow modestly, this will be more than...

Largest Financial Institions.
April 7, 2000... Largest Financial Institions Ranked by South Florida [*] de[psots as Sept. 30, 1999 Rank Institution Phone 2000 Address ...

Collecting money from people who file bankruptcy.(Brief Article)
April 7, 2000... More than one million bankruptcies are filed each year. Most of them are filed by consumers. Overuse of credit cards is a primary cause for the increase. This large number of cases has a substantial impact on banks, credit unions and other...