South Florida Business Journal articles from December 1995

South Florida Business Journal archives from December 1995

College bowl games bring bucks, attention; Orange still strong, Carquest sees bright future. (Orange Bowl Game; Carquest Bowl Game)
December 29, 1995... The most recent editions of the Orange Bowl and Carquest Bowl were played on the same day in the same county, but they offered a study in contrasts. The venerable Orange Bowl brought a sell-out crowd and drew substantial television...

New brew for S. Florida: brew pub plans up to 15 locations. (Hops Grill and Bar)
December 29, 1995... South Florida beer lovers may soon be skipping the Bud and Michelob for a frosty mug of Lightning Bold Gold, Hammerhead Red or Clearwater Light. Those are the specialty beers at Hops Grin & Bar, a Tampa-based chain of restaurant/brew pubs...

Miami starts ad campaign to build tourism momentum. (Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau)
December 29, 1995... Prepare to be immersed in Miami. According to Merrett R. Stierheim, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, there's a new, million-dollar TV advertising campaign in the works for 1996. This in the wake of...

Managed care forces changes in mental health treatment.
December 29, 1995... COCONUT CREEK - The demands of managed care for shorter hospital stays and more outpatient care are forcing mental health professionals to become more innovative. Barbara Peterson, who runs The Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, has spent the...

Sumitomo may buy Daiwa's U.S. operations. (Sumitomo Bank Ltd.; Daiwa Bank Ltd.)
December 29, 1995... Bank has submitted application to Federal Reserve Bank Sumitomo Bank Ltd., a multi-billion dollar Japanese bank that ranks as the world's fourth largest, has submitted an application to buy the offices - including the downtown Miami office -...

Carr leaves GM position at Channel 33. (Jerry Carr, WBFS-TV vice president/general manager)
December 29, 1995... MIAMI - WBFS-TV (Channel 33) is experiencing a changing of the guard. After more than a decade, vice president/general manager Jerry Carr has resigned and will leave the station at year's end to pursue other interests. "Let's see, there's...

IntraCorp plans initial public offering. (IntraCorp Entertainment Inc.)
December 29, 1995... MIAMI - Despite a very volatile market for technology stocks, IntraCorp Entertainment Inc., a local developer and publisher of entertainment software, plans raise about $31 million in an initial stock offering. That's based on an offering of...

Snag slows down Cordis deal with Johnson & Johnson. (Cordis Corp.'s planned merger)
December 29, 1995... MIAMI - The planned merger between Miami-based Cordis Corporation and Johnson & Johnson has hit an apparent snag, but industry analysts don't think it's big enough to end the deal. The two companies announced this week they were extending the...

Miami software publisher to buy competitor. (FDP Corp.; System Innovations)
December 29, 1995... MIAMI - FDP Corp., a local software publisher, is buying a Colorado-based competitor in a deal that could be worth about a million dollars. The Miami developer of software for life insurance and employee benefit professionals is buying...

Wee-bag-it repacks concept. (Wee-Bag-It Delivery Emporium Inc.)
December 22, 1995... FORT LAUDERDALE - Wee-Bag-It Delivery Emporiums, a once-hot restaurant chain that specializes in lunch delivery, is looking to sell its concept and at least two of its remaining locations. After the collapse of numerous franchising deals and...

TMC to take business national. (offers for Total Medical Compliance franchises)
December 22, 1995... First franchise deal signed NORTH MIAMI - Chuck Weiss has spent the last two years helping South Florida doctors and dentists comply with state and federal safety and health standards. Now he's ready to take his business national. Last...

JW Charles expansion brings legal headaches. (J.W. Charles Securities Inc.)
December 22, 1995... JW Charles Securities Inc. has hit a few bumps in its drive to open an Atlanta office and extend its national presence. Since striking a deal with a group of 20 brokers last month, the Boca Raton-based securities firm has been sued three...

OrNda doctors' group form strategic alliance. (OrNda HealthCorp.)
December 22, 1995... FORT LAUDERDALE - A group of Broward physicians is forming a unique partnership with OrNda HealthCorp that will give them the cash infusion they need to grow while still being able to maintain their autonomy. The deal was struck between...

Peaches Entertainment Corp. quietly closes six of 22 stores.
December 22, 1995... MIRAMAR - While music stores everywhere are struggling to survive the CD price wars, one of South Florida's oldest chains has been quietly closing stores and shrinking its payroll. Miramar-based Peaches Entertainment Corp. has shuttered at...

Primus looks for new way to raise cash. (Primus Health Care Corp.)
December 15, 1995... NORTH MIAMI BEACH - Raising capital to form a physician-owned and operated health maintenance organization is no easy task. Just ask John Audette. The president and CEO of Primus Health Care Corp. has spent months considering his options. In...

Going statewide: Beacon chief tackles Enterprise Florida. (interview with Miami's Beacon Council President John Anderson)(Interview)
December 15, 1995... John Anderson, president of Miami's Beacon Council since 1991, will step down this month to take on a similar job with greater ramifications. Anderson is the new president of Enterprise Florida, an Orlando-based public/private partnership...

Kevin Berg & Assoc. opens S. Beach office.
December 15, 1995... MIAMI BEACH - Kevin Berg & Associates, a slick, Chicago-based advertising and promotions shop boasting clients such as R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. is corning to South Beach. "This will be a true regional office where we'll provide creative and...

Americas Fund makes a deal. (merger between Americas Growth Fund and Tallard Technologies)
December 15, 1995... MIAMI - Launched 16 months ago as an opportunity to invest in small companies doing business in the Caribbean and Latin America, The Americas Growth Fund is merging with a computer sales and service company that does business in those regions....

State buys former Sony plant in Broward. (Florida)
December 15, 1995... FORT LAUDERDALE - After three years of negotiations, lobbying and delays, the state of Florida finally owns 25 acres just west of I-95 that once housed a Sony Corp. manufacturing plant. The state Department of Management Services recently...

Lawsuit mars deal by Expert. (Expert Software Inc.'s acquisition of SWFTE International Ltd.)
December 15, 1995... CORAL GABLES - With the ink barely dry on its acquisition of Swfte International Ltd., Expert Software Inc. has been sued by Swfte's former chief executive and president for alleged breach of contract and fraud. The lawsuit, filed in...

Dialing (long-distance) for dollars: TresCom IPO would raise $60M. (TresCom International Inc.; initial public offering)
December 15, 1995... FORT LAUDERDALE - After just two years in business, TresCom International Inc. has filed an initial public offering to raise more than $60 million. According to a prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the...

Consolidating in Miami: The Box music network expands presence.
December 15, 1995... The Box music network expands presence MIAMI BEACH - The Box, the Miami Beach-based interactive music video network, is moving its international and affiliate sales offices from Wayne, Pa., and Los Angeles. To accommodate additional staff,...

TPI Enterprises Inc. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
December 15, 1995... 3950 RCA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens 33410 (407) 691-8800 TPI Enterprises Inc. is the nation's largest franchisee of Shoney's and Captain D's restaurants. From its headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, TPI operates 256 restaurants, including...

Dary Rees' pieces tap growing market for 'table jewelry'. (table jewelry designer)
December 8, 1995... NORTH MIAMI - You may not know her name, but you've probably seen her designs: simple plates, flatware, glasses and serving pieces dressed up with aluminum spirals, crystal beads and brightly colored stones. Dary Rees calls her whimsical...

Blaya to head Solomon Int'l Latino. (Joaquin F. Blaya)
December 8, 1995... MIAMI - So much for Joaquin F. Blaya's siesta. Blaya, who left his post as CEO and president of Telemundo Group Inc. earlier this year, has emerged as president of Solomon International Latino, the new, Latin America-oriented arm of Solomon...

Star hot for Florida. (Star Multi Care Services Inc.)
December 8, 1995... Home care company wants, bigger part of state market HOLLYWOOD - A New York-based home health care company is making giant inroads in Florida, and says it has just scratched the surface of what it wants to do here. Already, the Sunshine...

HSSI bounces back from tough times. (Hospital Staffing Services Inc.)(Health Care Monthly)
December 8, 1995... Rebounding company plans to retrench, then seek new ventures FORT LAUDERDALE - As the song goes, Ronald Cass is picking himself up, dusting himself off and starting all over again. During the past few years, the chairman and chief executive...

Hotel Network scores big with events. (South Florida Hotel Network)
December 8, 1995... Booking company wants to build rep beyond South Beach MIAMI BEACH - When the Carquest Bowl comes to Joe Robbie Stadium this month, Murph Brown and Bob Guilmartin will be keeping score - but not of the game. They'll be too busy counting...

Hospital program serves employees and the community.(Health Care Monthly)
December 8, 1995... Most corporate wellness programs are restricted to employees. But not at Broward General Medical Center. If you want to learn about tae kwon do, low-fat cooking or the latest stress-reduction techniques, the Fort Lauderdale hospital's...

Dadeland Pavilion on hold. (planned Miami hotel/retail complex)
December 1, 1995... Fate of hotel/retail complex hinges on new owner MIAMI - Dadeland Pavilion, a five-story retail/hotel complex that was to have opened next year across the street from Dadeland Mall, has been delayed - perhaps permanently. Chicago-based...

Paradise Air grounded for FAA violations. (Paradise Island Airlines Inc.)
December 1, 1995... FORT LAUDERDALE - Paradise Island Airways voluntarily grounded its fleet of planes this week after failing to maintain proper maintenance and repair records for the Federal Aviation Administration. "They grounded their own fleet; the FAA did...

Big changes + biz printer = big biz. (BCT International Inc.)(Company Profile)
December 1, 1995... FORT LAUDERDALE - Changing area codes may irk most people, including plenty in Fort Lauderdale, but not the folks at BCT International. New area codes are big business for the wholesale printing company - now business cards, new letterhead -...

'Smart cards' target new markets for Visa, MasterCard.(Special Pull Out Section)(Finance Monthly)
December 1, 1995... In the next decade, your familiar ATM, debit or credit card with the brown magnetic stripe on the back will probably be history. Instead, you'll be using a "smart card" with a tiny microprocessing chip able to store all your financial...

Henriques says NationsBank has lots of room to grow. (Adolfo Henriques, senior banking executive of NationsBank Corp. in Dade County, FL)(Special Pull Out Section)(Finance Monthly)(Interview)
December 1, 1995... Adolfo Henriques is the senior banking executive of NationsBank in Dade County and manager of the bank's international Latin American division. Henriques, 42, joined NationsBank in 1992. Prior to that he was with Barnett Bank and the Bank of...

The capital gains tax: what's in store for investors?(Special Pull Out Section)(Finance Monthly)
December 1, 1995... If you're an investor in equities, there's a good chance that the IRS could soon be claiming a smaller chunk of your gains. That's because Congressional Republicans have made a capital gains tax cut one of their top priorities this year. And...

Doctors unveil statewide cancer-treatment network. (Quality Oncology)
December 1, 1995... PLANTATION - Dr. James Schwade wants to re-engineer the way cancer is treated. He thinks he can do it through Quality Oncology, a statewide network that includes more than 100 medical, surgical and radiation cancer specialists and the...

Crown Sterling hotels to become Embassy Suites.
December 1, 1995... South Florida will see the last of Crown Sterling Suites next year when four local hotels make the switch to rival brands. Between now and next summer, three Crown Sterling properties, a 340-suite hotel on NW South River Drive in Miami, a...

Premium bonds will produce greater yield.(Special Pull Out Section)(Finance Monthly)
December 1, 1995... It is almost impossible to pick up a financial publication today that does not have a headline heralding the bull that is rampaging in the stock market. The Dow Jones Industrial and other major indexes have recorded one record high after...

JW Charles expands; opens Atlanta office. (J.W. Charles Financial Services Inc.)
December 1, 1995... BOCA RATON - In a move that will increase its national presence, JW Charles Financial Services Inc. has struck a deal with a group of 20 brokers to open an office in Atlanta. The office will be independently owned, meaning the brokers are...

Firm claims plagiarism; sues Internet competitor. (LambGroup Inc.; Guru Communications Inc.)
December 1, 1995... MIAMI - More and more, the confusion over what the Internet is and how it can be used is leading to ethical and legal debates between the businesses that have a presence on it. And one of those legal battles has erupted in South Florida....

Tips for uncovering fraudulent conveyances.(Special Pull Out Section)(Finance Monthly)
December 1, 1995... ABC Corp. owes you thousands of dollars for equipment. ABC is months in default, and you have been unable to learn why no payment has been made. You go to court and are awarded a judgment. Afterward, ABC goes out of business. Days later, a...

Punitive damages and attorney's fees in arbitration.(Special Pull Out Section)(Finance Monthly)
December 1, 1995... In the late 1970s and early 1980s, brokerage firms began including provisions for binding arbitration in their customer agreements. Investors' lawyers were reluctant to waive their clients' right to a jury trial and challenged the validity of...

Baptist planning new surgery center construction. (Baptist Hospital of Miami)(Health Care)(Column)
December 1, 1995... Baptist Hospital in Miami soon will begin construction on a new $3 million outpatient surgery center. Currently, patients undergo outpatient surgery in the hospital's main operating suites, which has put a strain on surgical demands, said...

Southeast Bank gallery plans traveling shows.(Money and Banking)(Column)
December 1, 1995... While tilting at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and others over the demise of Southeast Bank, bankruptcy trustee William A. Brandt Jr. says the gallery created a year ago to sell the bank's art collection has rung up $1.45 million in...

Approach a referral right and reap the benefits.(Sales Moves)(Column)
December 1, 1995... The most coveted prize in selling besides a sale is a referral. How do you approach this person? Everyone tells you to get referrals; no one tells you what to do next. How do you maximize the selling power of this referral? Here are 8.5 rules...

Always utilize full service title company to close deal.(Workplace Law)(Column)
December 1, 1995... Two years ago, I observed a real estate closing that took place in a real estate broker's office and turned out to be an absolute nightmare. Before the buyer's attorney arrived, the buyer and the seller began to argue about the size of the...

Helping your attorney to help you.(Business and the Law)(Column)
December 1, 1995... Being served with a subpoena is never pleasant. The natural reaction is fear and uncertainty - sometimes mixed with a touch of hostility. Dealing with the legal system does not have to be a mysterious or intimidating process, however. In most...