South Florida Business Journal articles from April 2001

South Florida Business Journal archives from April 2001

State sets crackdown on auto insurance fraud.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Time is running out for perpetrators of rampant auto insurance fraud in Florida. By next Friday's adjournment, state lawmakers are likely to slam the brakes on ambulance chasers, phony clinics, unscrupulous attorneys, bogus "crash for...

Crouching Tiger casts long shadow on golf marketing.
April 27, 2001... Golf may attract the affluent and famous, but as a marketing tool, the sport is helping sponsors score better sales and visibility. Even with smallish TV ratings, golf's upscale demographic and wholesome image is attracting a new breed of...

Identity theft nightmare grows.
April 27, 2001... Somebody might be impersonating you and you wouldn't even know it. Identity theft is a growing menace across the nation and especially in South Florida. Here, according to Detective Ed Madge, head of the identity fraud division at the...

Dania Beach in line for hotels, retail.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Dania Beach may soon be acquiring two new hotels plus more commercial development if real estate projects being planned work out. City Manager Jason Nunemaker said Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) is considering building a hotel and...

SportsLine.com in running for lucrative football deal.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... AOL and SportsLine.com of Fort Lauderdale have emerged as the lead candidates for the rights to produce, distribute and market nfl.com, replacing the presumptive favorite, incumbent ESPN Internet Group, according to industry sources. The...

BankUnited president steps down, but remains force.(Mehdi Ghomeshi)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Mehdi Ghomeshi has stepped aside as president at BankUnited Financial Corp., following two years in which he launched and directed the company's self-touted restructuring program. But analysts anticipate that Ghomeshi, as executive vice...

Cushman to manage sale of closed Wachovia banks.(Cushman and Wakefield Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Cushman & Wakefield will manage the expected sales and sub-leases of 15 Wachovia Bank branches in South Florida -- 13 from its acquisition of Republic Security. Bank and two it already had. Wachovia announced the closings April 19, with...

New insurance protects e-merchants.(Furman Insurance)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The way Randy Gordon sees it, firms that want to guard their e-business are in good hands with Furman Insurance. Gordon, a cyber-insurance specialist, said the Fort Lauderdale firm offers a product that covers risk traditional policies...

Electronic hiring now for small firms, too.(Hirebridge)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Move over, Spherion. When it comes to online job posting and application management, it's one for all and all for one, said Marc Berman, president and CEO of Hirebridge in Pompano Beach. The practice of e-recruitment has generally been...

Quarterly earnings decreases.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... * Miramar's Aviation Safes Co. (NYSE: AVS) reported a net Loss for 2000 of $211.6 million or $14.09 a share, compared with a loss of $21.7 million or $1.56 a share for 1999. The company has temporarily shut down its Oscoda, Mich., airframe...

Quarterly earnings increase.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... * Extended StayAmerica of Fort Lauderdale (NYSE: ESA) reported net income for the first quarter ended March 31 of $16.56 million or 17 cents a share compared to $11.28 million or 12 cents a share in the same quarter last year. Revenue...

Gerald Stevens files Chapter 11.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Fort Lauderdale-based Gerald Stevens (OTC BB: GIFT), a troubled roll up of flower shops and related services, filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 this week with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Miami. The firm said it didn't...

Kos consolidates, cuts 20.(Kos Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Miami-based Kos Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: KOSP) announced that effective July 1, it will consolidate manufacturing operations in Edison, N.J., and cut about 20 manufacturing-related jobs in it manufacturing site in Hollywood. The company will...

Mayor's wants to sell, merge.(Mayor's Jewelers)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Sunrise-based Mayor's Jewelers (AMEX: MYR), which operates an eight-state chain of 35 upscale jewelry stores, wants to sell out, consolidate or merge, according to a company statement. The firm has hired New York-based investment bank TM...

SafT Lok reverse split 1-10.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... West Palm Beach-based SafT Lok (Nasdaq: LOCKC), a manufacturer of hand gun safety locks, reverse split its stock 1 share for each 10 shares outstanding, according to a company statement. The move is in response to a Nasdaq delisting move...

Silverzipper.com closes.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Boca Raton-based Silverzipper.com (OTC BB: SZIP) has gone out of business. The sportswear seller said in a statement that its primary credit facility, Merchant Factors, had declared a default on a company subsidiary and seized all...

Consulier wins lawsuit.(Consulier Engineering Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Consulier Engineering of Riviera Beach (Nasdaq: CSLR) reported that its subsidiary, Southeast Automotive Acquisition Corp., received a summary judgment against American States Insurance Co., and is in discussions concerning the amount to be...

iDial execs convert debt to equity.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Fort Lauderdale-based iDial Networks (OTC BB: IDNW) said that Chairman Mark T. Wood and Vice Chairman Carl K. Battie will convert $1.3 million in company debt provided by them into convertible preferred stock, which would eliminate 50 percent...

ProxyMed to acquire MDP.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Fort Lauderdale-based ProxyMed (Nasdaq: PILL) plans to acquire Atlanta-based MDP Corp. for $10 million. MDP is an electronic claim clearinghouse and patient statement processor. The transaction requires ProxyMed to pay $3 million at closing...

Carnival increases offering.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Miami-based Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) has increased its offering of convertible senior notes, due 2021, from $400 million to $500 million. The convertible notes have a yield to maturity of 2 percent and are convertible into Carnival common...

Hearing set for EBS plan.(Electronic Business Services)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Fort Lauderdale-based Electronic Business Services (OTC BB: AEBS) has filed an amended plan of reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court under its Sept. 11 Chapter 11 filing, according to a statement. A hearing on the plan will be May...

Liquid assets.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Sterling Financial Investment Group of Boca Raton has not been shy about issuing "sell" recommendations since it launched its stock research division two years ago. During this year's first quarter, clients who followed Sterling's "sell"...

'Old School' investing pays off.(Ellis Traub)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Investing has been a long, painful flight for Davie-based Ellis Traub, taking him from near-destitution to riches. Traub flew Eastern Airlines jets for 31 years, but he had not saved enough money to send his kids to college. He met a...

Advertising gives Miami national recognition.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Miami will be hosting two of the advertising community's most glittery award ceremonies -- the Clio Awards June 22-25 at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel and the national ADDY Awards in June 2002 at the Sheraton Bal Harbor Beach Resort. The...

Picking up the petals.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Gerald Stevens of Fort Lauderdale (OTC BB: GIFT) ran into a zoning snag when it tried to sell a Buning the Florist shop in Hollywood. Josh Rodstein of Larkin Schmidt Commercial Real Estate Services in Miami said he arranged for a group of...

Wholesaler goes retail.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Joe Rieger, 31, is a third-generation jeweler who has just opened Giovanni's, a retail jewelry showroom in West Palm Beach's Esperante Tower. (Giovanni is Rieger's middle name). His mother, who trained with Harry Winston in England, is a...

This ain't your grandma's piano.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Hale Piano, a piano retailer in Coral Gables, is selling a new piano that may give Bill Gates a reason to take piano lessons. Hale is displaying the Yamaha Disklavier Pro 2000 at its Coral Gables store, one of six of those pianos built by...

The stocks we're afraid to buy, afraid not to buy.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Dear Readers: Many of you ask for high-tech recommendations. The following may be the best of a sad lot. These companies are the backbone of the New Economy, and in many instances their share prices have fallen 70 to 90 percent. Most of us...

Analysts don't like news out of SportsLine.com.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... * Profile: The CBS SportsLine.com Web site offers sports news and editorials, scores and statistics, and fantasy leagues, as well as audio and video content. SportsLine also produces the official Web sites for Major League Baseball, the PGA...

Class pet.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... It seems there's a class of 2001 Mercedes Benz for every appetite looking to spend it on a luxury car. Now that the new millennium is old news, there's plenty of high-tech innovation to pique your interest. The company is debuting its first...

Award for excellence of design.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... St. George's Landing in Delray Beach was honored by the city with an award for excellence of design in the Multifamily Residential Development Category.

Junior Achievement's Gold Leadership Award.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... David and Lynn Nicholson of the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation received Junior Achievement's Gold Leadership Award for volunteerism.

2001 Pillars of the Industry Award.
April 27, 2001... The Stiles Corp.'s Sunrise Harbor community was awarded the National Assocation of Home Builders - Multifamily Division 2001 Pillars of the Industry Award for the nation's best luxury multifamily development.

2001 Spectrum Awards.(American Red Cross)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The American Red Cross honored Jennifer Valoppi, Barbara S. Stein, Lilia Garcia, Alicia Cervera Sr., Marlene E. Williams, B. Landon Carlin, Brenda Moreira, Courtney Goodwin, Elizabeth Rivers, Susan Potter Norton and Sonia M. Puopolo with at...

Employee of the Year 2000.
April 27, 2001... The Palm Beach Kennel Club named Ibis Morales Employee of the Year 2000.

Smashing principals with Sue Kronick.(Brief Article)(Interview)
April 27, 2001... When Sue Kronick was named group president of Federated Department Stores in February, guess what she did first? She blocked out vacation time. That surprised me. I'd have thought she'd have a zillion things to do, people to meet,...

Siebert builds trading site for women.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Muriel F. Siebert, chairwoman and CEO of Siebert Financial Corp. of New York with offices in South Florida (Nasdaq: SIEB), has created a women's financial Web site -- WFN by SIEBERT, www.wfn.com -- as the first women's site that incorporates...

WOMEN RECOVERY UNIT OPENS.(Center for Women's Recovery)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The Hanley-Hazelden Center at St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach has opened the Center for Women's Recovery. The Center and its treatment methods are designed specifically for women who suffer from alcohol, chemical and substance abuse...

BUSH APPOINTS MIAMI LAWYER AMBASSADOR TO JAMAICA.(Sue Cobb)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... President George W. Bush has appointed Miami-Dade County lawyer Sue Cobb ambassador to Jamaica. Cobb served as an adviser to Gov. Jeb Bush during his 1998 campaign and on his transition team. She is managing director and general counsel of...

VIOLENCE PROGRAMS FUNDED.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Under President Bush's budget for 2002, the Department of justice's Violence Against Women Office will receive the $390.57 million it sought, a $102.52 million increase over 2001. "No American should feel beyond the protection of the...

Iron Man meets the Closure Fairy.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Pick apart Kate Callahan's life and you get what looks to be a red-haired bushel of contradictions -- a Jewish woman who is sister to a Catholic priest, an aficionada of grueling Iron Man triathlons who loathes pain and suffering, and,...

Free books.
April 27, 2001... As A MAGAZINE, WE RECEIVE A LOT OF BUSINESS-RELATED BOOKS, AND WE WANT TO SHARE THEM. IF ONE OF THESE CAN HELP YOU IN YOUR BUSINESS OR CAREER, LET US KNOW. CALL EDITOR LUCY CHABOT AT (954) 359-2113 OR E-MAIL HER AT LCHABOT@BIZJOURNALS.COM....

Be a guilt-free parent.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... It used to happen all the time: I'm late pickling up my son at day care and feel the adrenaline rush and heart palpitations. But one day, weaving my way through traffic, my cell phone rings. My mother, who is thousands of miles away, senses...

Real estate entrepreneur takes her chances, flies.(Brief Article)(Interview)
April 27, 2001... When Diane Lieberman launched South Beach Investment Realty in August, she didn't have a business plan. But what the real estate entrepreneur did have was 25 years of experience in competitive markets like Philadelphia and New York, a...

After 20 years, Barry's president stands on national stage.(Interview)
April 27, 2001... If you believe that nuns are prudes wearing habits, consider these scenes: a Dominican sister in a floor-length, royal blue gown sweeping the U.S. Ballroom Championships. Or a nun garbed in a feather boa and white satin gown on a millionare's...

Pamela Conover sees life from the bridge.(Cunard Line Limited)(Interview)
April 27, 2001... Imagine being 45 and sitting at the helm of the QE2, the largest passenger cruise ship ever built. That's what Pamela Conover does as the head of Cunard Line Limited, the luxury cruise sector of Miami's Carnival Corp. Born in Thailand and...

Affairs in the Workplace.(Interview)
April 27, 2001... Local psychologist's research illustrates the reality of extramarital affairs Seems as though working women are doing more than climbing the corporate ladder. Experts say that there's lots of evidence that more women are having...

Beware that low bid may not be best bid.(choosing construction services)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Shopping for a service, especially in the contracting business, should never be valuated by the bottom line -- never. Buying by numbers -- the lowest number -- without factoring in reputation, experience, reliability, insurance qualifications...

A fight of her own.(Brief Article)(Interview)
April 27, 2001... In the news... In 1997, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel K. Hurley ruled that Joe's Stone Crabs "unintentionally discriminated" against women by not hiring any as servers from. 1986 to 1991. On March 28, 2001, he reversed his decision...

WCC Broward merges with Fort Lauderdale chamber.(Brief Article)(Interview)
April 27, 2001... The Women's Chamber of Commerce of Broward County and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce are combining. The WCC will now be an official arm of the GFLCC. The newly named Women's Council of Commerce will continue to serve its...

More small business women, minorities will face death taxes.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... At a Capitol Hill press conference in late March, a small business advocacy organization noted that more women and minorities will increasingly carry the burden of death taxes as these first generation business owners attempt to keep...

WCC miami-dade.(Women's Chamber of Commerce)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The Miami-Dade Women's Chamber of Commerce has grown its membership 30 percent since last year, according to president Annette Taddeo. "We have compassion for the professional and executive woman and we help them advance in their career...

Steer clear of Celtic bonds.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Q: I've worked for 45 years and my spouse has worked for 21 and we have practically nothing to show for it. We put four children through college and that has made our retirement plans difficult. We have $73,000 in savings earning 4...

Marketing tips.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... REFER MADNESS Although businesses benefit greatly from referrals, how many actually have a system to cultivate them? People who refer your company to others have a passion for your company and love to spread the word to their circle of...

Strides.
April 27, 2001... ACCOUNTING Karin Vickers joined the Miami Lakes accounting firm Moore Stephens Lovelace as tax manager. Vickers has more than 13 years experience in public, private and government taxation. She earned her bachelor's degree from Hofstra...

Turning the page on the Cover Girl.
April 27, 2001... There are three types of women: 1. Women who walk as if they are listening to "Miss You" by The Rolling Stones. 2. Those who walk as if they are listening to "My Heart Will Co On" by Celine Dion. 3. Those who know that any man...

Miller Construction Company beat tight timeframe to build WTVJ/NBC6 digital broadcast facility.
April 27, 2001... From the moment WTVJ/NBC Channel 6 selected Miller Construction Company to build its new all-digital broadcast facility in Miramar, the clock began ticking. The Fort Lauderdale-based construction company had only 18 months to complete the new...

Land developers take share of drought blame.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Lawns turning brown. Filth clinging to cars. Canal levels at record low levels. These are the effects of the 2000-2001 Florida drought. Too many people using too much water and not enough rain to replenish the supply. Then there are the...

Residential demand strong despite rising cost of land.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Builders continue to stake out land acquisitions to position themselves for future growth. Notwithstanding national economic concerns, residential demand is strong here in South Florida, and builders want to assure themselves of having enough...

FPL, Habitat work on energy-savers.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Juno Beach-based Florida Power & Light Company will complete work on two BuildSmart/Habitat for Humanity homes on Saturday. The homes are on North Hepburn Avenue in Jupiter. "This program is good for all concerned," said Patricia...

Residential growth fosters Schools, land value.
April 27, 2001... Most towns begin with a few pioneers. As their numbers grow, commerce and governance develops, usually in a central location, which becomes the downtown and serves as the pulse of activity, where neighbors gather to discuss issues of mutual...

Making room for warehouse, industry distribution centers.
April 27, 2001... When it comes to distribution, location is everything. That's why high-profile companies such as Office Depot, American Express and Andrx have selected industrial parks in Weston such as the Weston Business Center and the Weston Park of...

Commercial and retail areas expanding ... and expensive.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... There's been a lot of speculation about what finally will define Weston, the pricey, carefully planned community on Broward County's far-western border. Two trends have gained notice recently: An influx of medical professionals and a...

Hollywood's 20th Avenue emphasizes retail yearnings.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Millions of dollars have been poured into redeveloping downtown Hollywood's historic business district -- from the creation of brick-lined sidewalks to new lighting and landscaping. The goal: to attract retail businesses, restaurants and...

Anderson plans stress individuality of projects.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Some architects spend their entire careers searching for their own styles. Or they adopt a particular design approach and decide to improve upon it. And others -- such as Eric Anderson of Boca Raton -- intentionally create projects that...

Spelling tax relief.(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The Small Employer Tax Relief Act of 2001 (HR 1037) includes 21 provisions that deliver substantial tax relief for small businesses while making the tax code simpler and more fair for small employers. The bill is designed to complement...

TAKING WING.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Employee--owned Cape Air growing with flights around South Florida If you haven't heard of Cape Air, join the anti-jet set crowd. It flies off the usual path. This low-profile carrier also has a habit of doing things differently. ...

Want to make the sale? Show me the pictures!(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... When I was 17, I took a summer job selling baby pictures. The best part about this job was that they actually trained me on what to say and how to act. The deal was that a photographer came out and took pictures under the condition that...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... ADVERTISING/PR Waters, Pelton, Ostroff & Associates in Palm Beach Gardens appointed Nancy A. McGinn vice president. Progressive Public Relations in Coral Gables named Vanessa Lopez account executive. Edelman Public Relations...

South Florida tournaments strategize to widen fan base.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... At The Honda Classic in March, a softening economy meant sales of big ticket items, like $20,000 hospitality packages, declined while advance ticket sales were the best ever for the 20-year-old event. That's meant a retooling of the...

Weeding the garden.(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Our governor is fighting one of the biggest baffles of his life, and it has nothing to do with offshore oil drilling or butterfly ballots. After standing up to his brother to protect the Gulf of Mexico, Jeb Bush has taken on state...

PIP squeaks.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The state should be applauded in its efforts to end the ambulance chasing behavior of shysters seeking to cash in on Florida's nofault auto policies. What was intended to be a measure saving money for consumers has turned into a cottage...

Smoke, mirrors and a lobbyist's views.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Hal Shoup spent part of his career in the toughest creative field I can imagine -- lobbying for tobacco and alcohol advertising. Shoup retires this month after serving in Washington, D.C., for 12 years as executive VP of the American...

Stock of Digital Angel's parent falls to earth.(Applied Digital Systems)(Statistical Data Included)
April 20, 2001... Applied Digital Systems needs a small miracle, or, at least an angel -- and fast. Red ink is everywhere for the Palm Beach company (Nasdaq: ADSX). It lost $112.14 million last year from poor performance, discontinued operations and...

Development hot spot: Tri-Rail lots.(Commercial development of under-used Tri-Rail park-and-ride lots)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Trains running every 20 minutes, I-95 access pitched as selling points Commercial development of under-used Tri-Rail park-and-ride lots is being promoted as the commuter service matures into a system with trains running every 20 minutes....

Boom hits a slowdown in Weston.(Weston Park of Commerce)
April 20, 2001... Publix opting out of an e-commerce distribution center in Weston may have been the first sign. Now Federal Mogul has decided to downsize from its planned 225,000-square-foot facility inside the Weston Park of Commerce, according to real...

Morgan Stanley unwinds Mastec ownership stake.(MasTec Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Besieged by sputtering shares and a succession of analyst downgrades, Miami's Mastec took another hit when Morgan Stanley Dean Witter reduced its stake from 5.8 percent to 0.3 percent. The bailout by Morgan Stanley was revealed in an...

Beacon Council ads under lens for importing talent.(instead of South Florida photographers)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Turkel Schwartz & Partners may have paid as much as $60,000 for a Boston photographer and California location scout to produce the photos in an ad campaign for Miami-Dade County's economic development agency - a decision South Florida...

Local offices see service benefits from trust merger.(Franklin Resources Inc.)(Fiduciary Trust Co.)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... The South Florida offices of Franklin Resources and of Fiduciary Trust Co. are preparing for joint marketing of their mutual funds and trust banking services following this month's completion of the companies' merger. Wealthy Latin...

Wachovia, First Union deal alters branch landscape.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 20, 2001... Business people in South Florida might have to wait until 2003 for all the sign switches coming from the merger of First Union Corp. and Wachovia Corp., which follows Wachovia's recent purchase of Republic Security Financial Corp. of West...

CORRECTIONS.(Correction Notice)
April 20, 2001... * EdVerify CFO Robert Gorman's name was spelled incorrectly in a photo caption of the April 13 techBiz. * In the March 16 Structures section, the architect of Gables Tower II was misidentified. Robert Swedroe was the architect.

Study: States CAPCO initiative creates jobs.(Certified Capital Company)
April 20, 2001... As the state Legislature considers bills to expand Florida's Certified Capital Company (CAPCO) program, a prominent South Florida research firm has released a venture capital industry-sponsored study suggesting the program is on pace to add...

More pharmaceutical firm settlements on horizon.(Medicaid fraud)(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... On the heels of a $14 million federal settlement with Bayer Corp. for alleged Medicaid fraud, the state of Florida said it plans to pursue settlements with a veritable who's who of major pharmaceutical manufacturers -- some of which may be...

Scamists pitch promissory notes amid stock turmoil.
April 20, 2001... The term "promissory note rolls off the tongue easily, like a sure thing. It's a secure yet delectable sound that is both alluring and a little dangerous, like fine chocolate. But for some investors, the words are the definition of original...