South Florida Business Journal articles from April 2001

South Florida Business Journal archives from April 2001

Cure for drought: Pumping water underground.(bill in Legislature)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Water with trace amounts of contaminants, including coliform, would be pumped underground for later use during droughts under a bill in the Legislature. Surface or ground water would be injected deep into an aquifer and then pumped to the...

Bear market's hibernation coming late.(four industry experts analyze economy)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... The bear became so comfortable with the stock market that he hung around all winter, rather than hibernating in January as pundits predicted and hoped. And there should be enough lingering bad economic news to make the bear stay awake all...

Stagger Lee legend alive in Tate, Collins cases.(Racism in America)(Column)
April 6, 2001... Elvis is dead, James Dean is dust, Brando is a punchilne, but Stagger Lee rolls on. I remember learning the words to "John Henry" in second grade, singing about his mighty arms as they drove steel. But my music teacher never introduced her...

Chips are up for All American Semiconductor.(opportunity in Poland)(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... In a region once brutalized by fascists and communist despots, a revolution is taking place. But political idealism has been replaced by a passion to fill a technology void. "In the high-tech manufacturing areas, Eastern Europe has the...

NorthPoint crash brings out best in some.(NorthPoint Communications Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... For the 12,000 or so South Florida customers of NorthPoint DSL, losing their service overnight was a traumatic experience. Last weekend, the plug was pulled on all 105,000 of California-based NorthPoint Communication Group's nationwide...

Redevelopment in Hollywood hits a dramatic stage.(Hollywoodood Boulevard Theater to be torn down and rebuilt)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Hollywood is losing its downtown professional theater. Some of the city's cultural community say loss of the theater could hurt efforts to revitalize the downtown where a variety of building renovations and new projects are planned or under...

HMOs down in fourth quarter, but not out for year.(Health Maintenance Organizations)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... Don't rush out to buy sympathy cards for Florida's HMOs just yet. Despite monumental fourth-quarter losses, many of the state's HMOs still managed to pull a profit out of their hats for the year. And, overall, things are looking up,...

Jury acquits two in fraud case that sparked review.(Florida Medical Quality Assurance, Louise Wild-Jones, Jennifer Lee Barnett)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... A federal jury in Tampa has acquitted two Florida women of all charges after a two-week trial that examined whether they jointly conspired to defraud the federal Medicare program. Louise Wild-Jones, 59 of Plant City, and Jennifer Lee...

Pier 66 GM takes top U.S. honor.(James R. Allmand III, Outstanding General Manager of the Year)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... James R. Allmand III, VP and GM of the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale, has been named Outstanding General Manager of the Year by the American Hotel & Motel Association in the medium-size property category. Allmand's nomination...

BankAtlantic stock price sings after 9-city tour.(BankAtlantic Bancorp Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... Shares of Fort Lauderdale-based BankAtlantic Bancorp (NYSE: BBX) rose 71 percent during the first quarter, with Chairman Alan Levan attributing the bounce partly to a series of February and March meetings with investors and analysts. At...

Landmark parking lot to sprout luxury living.(Summit Properties of Charlotte, North Carolina, Fort Lauderdale apartment towers)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Summit Properties of Charlotte, N.C., is planning to build two luxury apartment towers on a downtown Fort Lauderdale tract it acquired last month from the owners of the adjacent One Financial Plaza. The 3.8-acre site is a surface parking...

Attorney: Seminoles break own law.(over 100 senior citizens evicted)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The Seminole Indian tribe of Florida may have acted in conflict with one of its own tribal ordinances when it evicted more than 100 senior citizens from a trailer park in Hollywood in November. Louis St. Laurent, an attorney who filed suit...

Hard work, steady success takes Tinsley to top.(Tinsley Advertising and Marketing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... Tinsley Advertising & Marketing in Miami tops The Business Journal's list of Largest Women-Owned Businesses. "We work very, very hard. Our growth has been a steady climb over the past 26 years," said Sandra C. Tinsley, president of the...

FPL merger ends; six plants needed.(Florida Power and Light Co.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... Juno Beach-based Florida Power & Light Company projected it would have a 20 percent generating reserve margin for this summer's power demand, but predicted it would need six new power plants rather than three by the end of the decade. The...

Despite problems, BellSouth shares could double.(financial analysis)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... Dear Mr. Berko: What is your opinion of BellSouth as a five-to-six year investment? Dear R.W.: BellSouth (BLS-$40) is just two points away from its two-year low of $35 and trading at an attractive 15 times next year's expected earnings of...

Don't tread on me.(wrongful discrimination suit)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... A.E. Products President Stan Allina said his Lake Park company is getting a bad rap. Allina and his company were targeted in a discrimination lawsuit brought by a former employee who A.E. said was rightfully terminated. Allina believed...

South Florida firm introduces ergonomic device.(Surf Rx Computer Wrist support)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
April 6, 2001... New Island, a Coral Springs-based manufacturer and distributor of computer ergonomics and workstation devices, has launched a computer ergonomic device, the Surf Rx Computer Wrist support. There has been a rise in muscular-skeletal disorder...

Swing song.(2001 Ericsson Open)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... The 2001 Ericsson Open became history this week as Andre Agassi became the first man to win a fourth Ericsson Open Men's Singles title. The tournament was covered by 731 journalists from more than 25 countries, including 371 TV journalists; 228...

Zo's return sunshine to network.(Alonzo Mourning's return to Miami Heat lineup)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... Sunshine Network's telecast of the surprise return of Alonzo Mourning to the Miami Heat lineup was the highest-rated regular season Heat game on Sunshine in three seasons. It was easily the highest-rated game season-to-date for the Miami Heat...

Hurricane shelter.(University of Miami builds new basketball arena)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... After six years of fund raising and planning, the University of Miami was set to break ground this week on a $48 million on-campus basketball arena. The Hurricanes play home games at Miami Arena and look forward to having "a real...

Pachyderm proliferation.(Six Flags Marine World elephant is pregnant)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Is he the father or not? Twenty-year-old Bulwagi, the only zoo-born African bull elephant in America, has the job most young males fantasize about: He's a sperm donor. The star elephant at Lion Country Safari in western Palm Beach County is...

Block it out.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Inspectech Aero Services, a Fort-Lauderdale designer and distributor of components for airplanes, has signed an agreement to distribute Suspended Particle Display technology for airplanes. The technology patented by New York-based Research...

Brotherly pitch.(ChampionLyte, sugar-free sports drink)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... Miami Heat Alt-Star Anthony Mason, seated left, and Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler, seated right, spent years under the tutelage of Fiedler's father (and Mason's high school basketball coach) Ken, behind Mason. The bunch teamed up in a...

Istanbul on sale.(airfare discounted)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... For the vacationing South Floridian who wants someplace different to go this year, Turkish Airlines is offering twice weekly flights out of Miami International direct to Istanbul. It's a long hop - 11 hours - but only $478 round-trip if you...

Sensormatic buys UK partner, hires new executives.(Richmond Security Ltd.)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... * Profile: Sensormatic makes surveillance and theft-prevention systems used by many of the world's top 100 retailers. With customers in 113 countries, the company makes electronic article surveillance systems and manufactures...

Cushions and cabinets.(from Pottery Barn)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... From Pottery Barn comes seating to sink into. The Madison Collection features a velvet covered sofa with "deep seats and high rolled arms," according to the company. It is 100 percent cotton velvet and finished with welting at the cushions and...

A phone in 256 colors.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Sprint PCS says it has the first mobile phone with a full color screen to be marketed in the United States. The SCP5000 has a 256-color screen display onto which 20 digital photos can be downloaded and synchronized with phone book entries -- in...

JKF Medical Center.(named one of 100 Top Hospitals)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... JKF Medical Center was named on of the 100 Top Hospitals in a study by the Solucient Leadership Institute.

Gold Coast Advertising.(wins awards for Office Depot commercial)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Miami-based Gold Coast Advertising won a gold award at the annual Retail Advertising Conference for its Office Depot television commercial "Teacher, Back to School Campaign."

George A. Pincus.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Attorney George A. Pincus, senior counsel for Proskauer Rose of Boca Raton, was awarded the National Association of Industrial Office Properties South Florida chapter's individual Member of the Year award.

Robert M. Heuer.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Robert M. Heuer, general director and CEO of Florida Grand Opera, received the Joseph R. Narot Award for community service.

Merle Cyr.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The Deaf Service Center of Palm Beach County honored Merle Cyr as Volunteer of the Year.

Toll Brothers.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Toll Brothers, a Delray Beach-based Luxury home builder, was awarded five blue ribbons in the Builder's Association of South Florida's BEST competition for its Mizner Country Club.

Suzanne Keeley.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Suzanne Keeley received the Dade County Psychological Association's Distinguished Service Award for outstanding psychological contributions in the area of public service.

Norman.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Norman's in Coral Gables was a winner of the Annual Restaurant of Distinction Award given to establishments with the highest standards in food, hospitality and service.

J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation donated $2 million to Johnson & Wales University in North Miami to endow scholarships in its hospitality management program.

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded a $175,000 grant to the Miami Museum of Science for planning related to the development of a planned 365,000-sq.-ft Science Center.

Walgreens Health Initiatives.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Walgreens Health Initiatives donated 10 beds to the Missions of Mercy program at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, as well as $100,000 worth of medical equipment to Nicaragua.

South Florida Annenberg Challenge (SFAC) and Florida Medical Center.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The South Florida Annenberg Challenge (SFAC) and Florida Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale launched a fundraising partnership to fund grants to benefit children attending Lauderdale Lakes Middle School. Pledges will be matched 3-to-1 by the...

Retzsch Lanao Caycedo Architects.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Boca Raton-based Retzsch Lanao Caycedo Architects was retained by Codina Development Corp. to design warehouse renovation and expansion projects at Beacon CyberPort in Miami.

Argent Creative Services.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Argent Creative Services, an advertising and public relations company in West Palm Beach, was retained by Boynton Beach-based puraDYN Filter Technologies to develop its national advertising campaign.

Thorp & Company.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Coral Gables-based Thorp & Company, a full-service strategic communications firm, launched national public relations programs for two technology companies - USADATA and OpenNetwork Technologies.

Mondial Translations & Interpreting.(contract with Great Locations magazine)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Mondial Translations & Interpreting, based in Plantation, was awarded an ongoing contract with Great Locations, a Fort Lauderdale-based tourism industry magazine.

Robert Walters Architects.(receives contract)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Robert Walters Architects of Fort Lauderdale has been awarded the contract to design the Southwest Recreational Center for the city of Pompano Beach.

Hales & Co.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Miami-based advertising design firm Hales & Co. was retained by Cellit Technologies of Miami to handle advertising, branding and graphic design.

Constant change.(business statistics)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... According to the "Handbook for Organizational Change" by Price Pritchett and Ron Pound: * Half of all U.S. companies restructured in the 1990s merged. * Several hundred thousand downsized. * About 700,000 sought bankruptcy...

Productive energy.(employee training)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... According to Training Magazine, the following have a positive impact on productivity: * Having clear, work-related goals * Less workplace bureaucracy * Feeling that your work makes a difference * Having more up-to-date...

Top-shelf panel.(IBM's online panel)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... There are many Ask the Experts panels on the World Wide Web.IBM has a particularly impressive panel. According to its Web site: "This panel can advise you on many facets of small business and technology including: startups, business...

ROOM AT THE TOP.(plans for opening other Grand Bohemian Hotels)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Bigger, grander plans grander plans for hotelier Kessler The opening of the Grand Bohemian hotel is still a month away; but Richard Kessler already has an even grander expansion in mind. The Orlando-based hotelier is looking for a...

Decipher family business lingo before it hurts you.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Like all specialized areas of human activity, family business has its own lexicon of meaningfully pungent phrases. Whenever I hear one of them, I have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen next. Here's a sampler: * "Give up that job...

You get what you sow when employees afraid to act.(taking customer service too far)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Pigs do fly. I recently read the USA Today account of US Airways letting a pig on the plane. The passenger claimed it was a 13 pound "service animal" and got a letter of doctor's approval to prove his case. When the pig and the...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(appointments and selections in Florida business)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT Miami City Ballet added Nicolle Ugarriza as communications coordinator. BANKING/FINANCE William Owen joined Sun Capital in Boca Raton as regional sales manager. Bankers Trust Private Banking in Palm Beach...

Boca Resort celebrates 75th year with expansion.(Boca Raton Resort and Club)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... You know you're in for something special when you turn off Federal Highway onto East Camino Real in Boca Raton. Make that "when your driver turns onto East Camino" if you're like many of the chauffeured folks who travel this elegant...

GFLCVB won't let summer slow down hotel sales.(Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Just when things get cranking at South Florida attractions, the season ends and tourists -- and the money they spend -- vaporize. Still, business goes on. Bills have to be paid. Hotel rooms need to be filled. And residents must be kept...

M-DCC offers new hospitality program, degrees.(Miami-Dade Community College)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Miami-Dade Community College, with the help of a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, has launched a new program in hospitality management. The school received a $1.68 million Title V grant through the DOE's Hispanic-Serving...

Army association marches into Fort Lauderdale.(best for hospitality)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Hospitality experts insist that excellent service remains the key to convincing tourists and meetings decision makers to keep choosing South Florida as a top destination. This feature provides viewpoints from groups and individuals who have...

Largest Women-owned Businesses.(in no. of employees)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Largest Women-owned Businesses Ranked by 2000 gross revenue, ties broken by number of full-time ...

Merger mumbo gumbo.(FPL Group and Entergy Corp. merger is case study in how not to merge)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... If you want a textbook example of how to screw up a merger, take a look at FPL Group of Juno Beach and Entergy Corp. of New Orleans. Both sides have wound up with etouffe all over their faces. For starters, in most mergers, there's at least...

How dry we are.(Water wells)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Florida is one giant straw that recently seems like it has run out of water to suck up. The Legislature seems to have found a solution to the problem by facilitating the drilling of wells where water could be injected during wet seasons and...

Inside and outside the process.(nursing homes, health insurance)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Last week, 200 movers and shakers from Broward County flew to Tallahassee to watch our government in action and to schmooze various legislators into their way of thinking. As a newsman, I tagged along to monitor the process. Since my last...

Promote yourself and make your family proud as well.(attorneys advertising)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... It would be nice if we could all afford the luxury of hiring a prestigious public relations firm to help us develop a sophisticated marketing strategy to penetrate every aspect of the legal marketplace. We could begin with a beautifully...

How to deal with millions in medical money.
April 13, 2001... Seven hospitals sue Miami-Dade A fund with up to $300 million to care for the indigent is generating indignation -- and a lawsuit -- in Miami-Dade County. Seven hospitals are attacking Jackson Memorial Hospital's exclusive use of...

How to deal with millions in medical money.
April 13, 2001... One Bush brother helps another President George W Bush ran on a platform to trust the states and return government to the people. Of course, if you are a governor, it helps to have your brother in the White House. President Bush helped...

How to deal with millions in medical money.
April 13, 2001... Judge not finished yet with AHCA The on-again, off-again contract to provide Medicaid utilization review to patients in Florida is now off-again -- and could ultimately drag on further in appellate court. The state Agency for Health...

Profits come quick for some startup banks.
April 13, 2001... When TransCapital Bank of Hallandale Brach opened in July 1999, President/CEO Terry Best was confident that the bank would become profitable by the following summer. That timetable was optimistic because banks historically have needed at...

Secrecy surrounds NAP financials.
April 13, 2001... Real estate developer Manny Medina, father of the NAP of the Americas, calls it a world-class project that's on track to open July 1. "We are building the virtual gateway capital of the Americas at the NAP." Medina said. Other real...

Jury finds for cargo line worker.
April 13, 2001... Despite annuities, verdict is firm's second in a year Rudolph Stamp's paralyzed body is frozen in time. So a jury in a Miami-Dade County courtroom moved for him, bringing in a negligence verdict last week against his former employer for...

Bluegreen closes Orlando office as disputes continue.
April 13, 2001... Bluegreen Corp. of Boca Raton closed its Orlando timeshare sales office on March 20 after salesmen alleged inappropriate sexual conduct on the part of a male Bluegreen employee while the employee said he was being badgered. Then there was...

Late 10-K filings plague South Florida companies.
April 13, 2001... It's a red flag that raises the eyebrows of analysts and quickens the heartbeats of shareholders. While experts say that the late filing of a 10-K -- a company's annual report -- may not be a kiss of death, it is definitely a financial wake-up...

Atlantic States targets businesses, home builders.
April 13, 2001... Atlantic States Bank, a subsidiary of First Citizens Bancshares of North Carolina, has entered South Florida with a focus on lending to homebuilders and small and mid-sized businesses. Atlantic States opened a loan office in Pompano Beach...

Citigroup coup: former SunTrust chief onboard.
April 13, 2001... Hunting Deutsch, who was SunTrust's top private banker in Florida during most of the 1990s, has joined Citigroup as managing director for the Miami office of the company's fast-growing South Florida private banking division. Deutsch, who...

Firms offer supercenter, townhouses for 50 acres.
April 13, 2001... Plans for 50 acres at Broward Boulevard and I-95 in Fort Lauderdale range from construction of a Wal-Mart supercenter to development of a townhouse community with a landscaped boulevard and riverwalk. The plans were submitted to Philip...

Office, industrial markets show signals of weakness.
April 13, 2001... The U.S. economy may be sputtering as it approaches the middle of 2001, but according to data by brokerage firm Cushman & Wakefield, the office and industrial real estate markets in South Florida endure. That said, there are cracks in the...

Daleen cuts 200, closes offices, warns of shortfall.
April 13, 2001... Boca Raton-based software seller Daleen Technologies {Nasdaq: DALN) slashed its workforce 52 percent by cutting 200 jobs, closing offices in Toronto and Atlanta, and consolidating offices in Boca Raton. The company cut 135 jobs in January. ...

European Micro to be delisted.
April 13, 2001... Miami-based European Micro Holdings (Nasdaq: EMCC), a distributor of microcomputer products, announced that it expects its shams of common stock to be delisted from the Nasdaq National Market and to trade on the OTC Bulletin Board after April...

Techdyne sold; earnings up.
April 13, 2001... Medicore (Nasdaq: MDKI), parent company of Hialeah-based Techdyne (Nasdaq: TCDN), has signed an agreement to sell its 71.3 percent ownership in Techdyne to Sinclair International, a Scottish company engaged in contract manufacturing. The...

Hydron has 4Q, year losses.
April 13, 2001... Boca Raton-based Hydron Technologies (OTC 13B: HTEC) had a loss of $138,756 or 3 cents a share on revenues of $426,154 for the fourth quarter ending Dec. 31, compared to a $1.6 million loss or 32 cents a share for the fourth quarter 1999. ...

Spherion CEO resigns.
April 13, 2001... Ray Marcy, who took Fort Lauderdale-based temporary staffing agency Spherion public in 1994 and tripled its size, resigned as chairman, president/CEO, the company announced Tuesday. Spherion (NYSE: SFN) appointed board member Cinda Hallman,...

Ursus Telecom files Chapter 11.
April 13, 2001... Sunrise-based Ursus Telecom Corp. (Nasdaq: UTCC) filed for protection under Bankruptcy Code Chapter 11, according to the company. When asked in November if Ursus would continue as a going concern, CEO Luca Giussani said, "Of course, why...

Sensormatic warns 3Q profit down.
April 13, 2001... Boca Raton-based Sensormatic Electronics Corp. (NYSE: SRM) said earnings are expected to be 6 to 7 cents a share in the third quarter, down two-thirds from a market consensus of 21 cents a share. There was a corresponding 2 percent drop in...

AVTEAM in Chapter 11, gets delisted.
April 13, 2001... Miramar-based AVTEAM (Nasdaq: AVTMQ) has been delisted from Nasdaq. The company is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. Recent correspondence with Nasdaq indicated AVTEAM could not comply with all requirements for continued listing and...

Transmedia appeals delisting.
April 13, 2001... Miami-based Transmedia Network (NYSE: TMN) will appeal a New York Stock Exchange decision to delist its stock for failing to maintain an equity worth $50 million. "Having been listed on the NYSE sin cc June 1995 when this standard did not...

Dycom protects against takeovers.
April 13, 2001... Palm Beach Gardens-based Dycom Industries (NYSE: DY) has adopted a shareholder rights plan to protect against partial tender offers and what the company calls other coercive, unfair or abusive takeover tactics. The company offered no hint...

Frank Sacco.
April 13, 2001... PERSONAL Title: CEO, Memorial Healthcare System Education: Bachelor of arts, University of Miami, 1970. Then served as an officer in the Army Medical Service. Master of science, Florida International University 1978. BUSINESS...