South Florida Business Journal articles from February 1995

South Florida Business Journal archives from February 1995

Coastal buying OB practices. (Coastal Physicians Group Inc.; obstetrics)
February 24, 1995... Palm Beach deals first for new network Fort Lauderdale - Coastal Physicians Group Inc., the nation's largest provider of contract health care, has begun building a network of obstetrics services in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties....

'Reality' scam series a hit? (Marcus Productions Inc.'s reality-based television program, 'Scams Caught In the Act')
February 24, 1995... Producer close to sales goal Fort Lauderdale - A veteran South Florida producer is getting thumbs up for a syndicated series so promising it's already been picked up by 52 stations in just five weeks. Marcus Productions' reality-based...

Turf dispute. (lawsuit filed by Barry Seinfeld against Bank of Oslo)
February 24, 1995... Chapter 11 filing blocks foreclosure Miami - A dispute between the owner of a thoroughbred training center near Calder Race Course and his lender has led to a lawsuit, an aborted public auction and a bankruptcy filing. Barry Seinfeld, who...

Project set for Metro station. (planned construction of Dadeland Station in Miami, Florida)
February 24, 1995... $30M retail center planned for Dadeland North Miami - Soon to rise on an old Metrorail parking lot just east of Dadeland Mall: Dadeland Station, a three-story, $30 million shopping center by Miami developer Jeffrey Berkowitz. The...

Strategy revamp may lead to profits. (HEARx Ltd.)
February 24, 1995... West Palm Beach - A year after retooling its business strategy, HEARx Ltd. has won contracts with almost every large managed care company in South Florida. The restructuring may give the publicly traded company a lock on providing discounted...

Toojay's splits with west coast franchisee. (Southeast Restaurant Management Inc.)
February 24, 1995... West Palm Beach - Toojay's, the West Palm Beach-based deli chain, plans to open three new restaurants in Florida this year, but a difference of opinion has cost it three locations on the state's west coast. Toojay's co-owner Marc Katzenberg...

Bauer's thrift fund solution: give government equity. (Coral Gables Federal Savings and Loan Association analyst Paul Bauer)
February 24, 1995... Many are predicting a bloody battle between banks and thrifts over the undercapitalized thrift insurance fund. The Bank Insurance Fund is so well-capitalized that banks are about to get a big break on premiums. But the Savings Association...

Bank exec is 'high energy' guy. (First Union National Bank Pres. Carlos Migoya)
February 17, 1995... Miami - He's in charge of Dade County's largest bank, and many see Carlos Migoya as one of Miami's next generation of leaders. "A lot of people see him as an example," said one prominent Hispanic banker. "He's an impressive, articulate...

Land battle ties up prime Key property. (Crandon Park Arcade in Village of Key Biscayne, FL)
February 17, 1995... Key Biscayne - Crandon Park Arcade once represented the epitome of a quaint neighborhood shopping center on this affluent island. It sported a dive shop, a bike shop, a plant store and a barber shop. It was where neighbors often bumped into...

Weitzer IPO will mainly pay debt, partners. (Weitzer Homebuilders Inc.; initial public offering)
February 17, 1995... Miami Lakes - Weitzer Homebuilders Inc. wants to raise nearly $13 million in an initial public offering next month, but documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission show that the company would be left with only about $2 million...

Lawsuit sheds light on HMO billings. (health maintenance organizations)
February 17, 1995... Miami - A Plantation mental health care provider has gone to court to collect at least $1.5 million in a lawsuit over billing practices that are an established part of the managed care industry. UniPsych Systems of Florida claims that it is...

House calls are part of the job of film scouts. (part 1) (Film Biz)
February 17, 1995... This is the first in a series of stories examining the growing entertainment industry in South Florida. Coral Gables - OK, so Adolfo Alvarez-Calderon and his partners can't make you a star. They can do wonders for your house, though....

PHP readies South Florida launch. (Physicians Healthcare Plans Inc.)
February 17, 1995... As Physicians Healthcare Plans enters the crowded South Florida managed care market, the company is readying ammunition to entice doctors and patients. Flush with $30 million from an equity investment firm, PHP is expanding its Medicaid and...

For these businesses, a little means a lot. (Working Capital Partners for Self-Employment)
February 17, 1995... Miami - Salomie Chung has dreamt about being a bridal consultant for several years. But Hurricane Andrew interrupted her plans. Her home damaged, Chung left Miami, but returned last year. "I couldn't get funding, so I put it on the shelf...

Lenders, builders team up on mortgages. (Home Financial Network Inc.)
February 17, 1995... Miami Lakes - A new company that offers "mortgage companies in a box" to homebuilders is the latest alliance between lenders and real estate professionals. Home Financial Network Inc. gives builder-owned mortgage companies access to a...

AstralTech expands manufacturing line. (AstralTech Americas Inc.)
February 17, 1995... Boca Raton - AstralTech Americas Inc., a company that produces CD-ROMs, compact disks, videos and audio cassettes, will be adding a sixth CD manufacturing line. The company said this latest expansion should enable it to make 30 million CDs...

Marine owner files Chapter 7 in wake of property eviction. (Virginia Key Marina Inc.)
February 17, 1995... Virginia Key - Virginia Key Marina Inc., the former operating company of the dry-storage Virginia Key Marina on Key Biscayne, has filed for bankruptcy less than two months after the company's principals were evicted from the site. The...

Mexican restaurant chain plans 12 units in South Florida. (Chevy's Mexican Restaurants of Chevys Inc.)
February 17, 1995... Chevy's Mexican Restaurants, a San Francisco-based chain owned by PepsiCo through its Taco Bell unit, is laying plans for a dozen South Florida locations in the next two years. Modeled after traditional Mexican cantinas, Chevy's promotes the...

Know the rules when using outside contractors. (Business and the Law) (Column)
February 17, 1995... Using independent contractors is one way to cope with soaring employment costs. You'll get essential work done without paying federal and state employment taxes. Cost-effective? Sure. But it can be risky. Failing to follow state and federal...

Looking for a bank? Start with these steps. (By the Numbers) (Column)
February 17, 1995... Ask some of the more cynical business owners you know what bankers really want, and they might say, "To lend money to companies that don't need it." Luckily, that's a misconception, passed along by people who don't know how to work...

Hobby can give you exporting niche. (phone cards) (Take on the World) (Column)
February 17, 1995... Used cars are pre-owned vehicles. Remnants from the attic are repackaged as antiques. The difference is largely in salesmanship and perception to tell the difference between a valuable item and something that's just plain old. Keep that...

The next marketing wave ... doing business on the Internet. (Technology Quarterly)
February 17, 1995... When her employer, Harris Computer Systems Corp., began marketing its computer "hacker" protection device on the Internet in October, Gail Truman put her personal electronic mail address as the destination for queries. "I was swamped with...

Tech center up and running with a new name and a new director. (Enterprise Development Co.; Howard Yenke)
February 17, 1995... West Palm Beach - Howard Yenke cremates businesses and jobs for Palm Beach County's displaced workforce. "I think the county has the talent. I'm looking for the technology, and all I say is that the technology has to be developed here in...

South Florida is focal point for women-owned businesses. (Women in Business)
February 17, 1995... In the past decade, South Florida has emerged as a prime location for women who want to start and run their own businesses. Among metropolitan areas, South Florida has the highest concentration of women-owned businesses on the East Coast,...

"Being a woman in this industry is a good thing": Carole Korn. (interview with Carole Korn Interiors President Carole Korn)(includes related article) (Women in Business) (Interview)
February 17, 1995... What do you think has been the most important factor in your success? Probably the willingness to work 12 or 14 hours a day, six or seven days a week, in our busy times or whenever a client demands it. We expect that from all our employees,...

"... If you don't make money, you can't do good work": Joyce Beber. (interview with Beber Silverstein McCabe and Partners Advertising Co-Chairman Joyce Beber)(includes related article) (Women in Business) (Interview)
February 17, 1995... What do you think has been the most important factor in your success? Our obsessive concern with consumer response. There are a lot of agencies that are more like banks or accounting firms, but we have a reputation for great creative....

LeBow's new moves: dividend, spinoff. (Brooke Group Chairman Bennett S. LeBow)
February 10, 1995... Miami - For the first time since 1992, Brooke Group Ltd. shareholders are getting regular cash dividends, and the Miami-based holding company is spinning off its 65 percent stake in MAI Systems Corp., its computer subsidiary. The biggest...

Miami Grand Prix foresees increased economic impact.
February 10, 1995... IndyCar Series should appeal to wider audience, organizer says The folks at the Miami Grand Prix don't want you to walk to the race - they want you to "run like hell." So says one television commercial that's part of a advertising and...

Office deals fuel prices in Broward. (Broward County, Florida)
February 10, 1995... Fort Lauderdale - Investors are turning their attention to Fort Lauderdale's Cypress Creek market. A private group, Tricony Cypress Associates Ltd., has agreed to pay $17.2 million for two office projects - Corporate Park at Cypress Creek...

Golfers latest to get satellite help. (global positioning system)
February 10, 1995... West Palm Beach - U.S. Army troops used it to avoid land mines embedded in the desert during the Persian Gulf War. Now South Florida golfers can use the same technology to decide between a 7-iron or a 3-wood in avoiding sand traps on their...

PR shop loses two of its three partners. (public relations firm Azen Bitner Pierson)
February 10, 1995... Fort Lauderdale - Azen Bitner Pierson, Fort Lauderdale's largest public relations firm, has lost two of its three partners and a key employee. Less than two weeks ago, partner Gary Bitner tied-up a long-negotiated deal to buy out partner...

Longhorn newest entry on menu. (Longhorn Steaks Inc.)
February 10, 1995... Longhorn Steaks, a western-themed chain with 61 locations nationwide, will make its first foray into South Florida this spring. The Atlanta-based chain will join several national competitors and a number of local players in its quest for the...

They've built it, but will it sell? (Frank and Nilsa McKinney's oceanfront luxury home in Delray Beach, Florida)
February 10, 1995... For about $6 million, you'll get a 1,900-sq.-ft. master bedroom that comes complete with a kitchen Delray Beach - Last month, Frank and Nilsa McKinney invited 500 people to see the house that took them a year to build. Now they're waiting...

Firm offers 'Ultimate Nintendo' trip. (Pan Am International Flight Academy in South Florida)
February 10, 1995... Miami - Pedro Sors crashed when he was learning how to fly in Venezuela years ago. Today he's flying without leaving the ground, and he's taking a few people with him. Sors is president and chief executive officer of Pan Am International...

Coping with failure: the sales doctor makes a house call. (Small Business Strategies)
February 10, 1995... Tom Hopkins, a master sales trainer and presenter, has delivered more than 3,200 seminars and helped more than two million people attain greater success in the selling profession. His first book, "How to Master the Art of Selling" has sold...

Put your ideas on paper - before you forget. (business plans) (Small Business Strategies)
February 10, 1995... Ask the owner of a medium-sized company if the company has a business plan, and the answer will be yes. Ask if the plan is written down, and most likely the answer will be no. Maybe it seems like a tree-falling-in-the-forest question, but if...

Remember to collect those debts quickly. (Small Business Strategies)
February 10, 1995... The most important thing businesses can do to make sure their debts are collected is to see that all of their transactions are well-documented. First, all corporate obligations - particularly those from new or small businesses - should come...

A new push to use the metric system.
February 10, 1995... Which of the following can be converted to the metric system? A. Inches. B. Francs. C. Minutes. D. Tons. E. None of the above. This is a trick question, since even though inches and tons have metric equivalents, no one really seems to care....

Weighing the benefits. (managed care plans) (Health Care Monthly)
February 10, 1995... Remember the good old days? Anyone who does probably has heard from a managed care company trying to sell Medicare-based health plans. That's because South Florida managed care providers are putting a big push on to convince elderly people...

Demand keeps growing for temporary healthcare workers. (Health Care Monthly)
February 10, 1995... Interim expects rolls to grow by 20 percent Fort Lauderdale - The nation's second largest provider of health care services is about to get larger. Because of a greater demand for home health services, Interim HealthCare, a subsidiary of...

Low-budget program offers help to Hallandale city workers. (Florida) (Health Care Monthly)
February 10, 1995... Hallandale - For the past three years, the city of Hallandale has been providing a little H.E.L.P. to its 450 employees - the Hallandale Employees' Lifechoice Program. H.E.L.P. includes a wellness program that provides information and...

State limits HMOs: South Florida firms blocked from selling Medicaid plans in key markets across state.
February 3, 1995... The state has ordered several South Florida-based managed care companies to stop selling their Medicaid plans in some Panhandle, Central and North Florida counties. One South Florida-based company, CAC-Ramsay, will be forced to stop serving...

Infomercial maker draws complaints. (Worldwide Target Demographic Television)
February 3, 1995... Some say he delivers, but others want money back Deerfield Beach - Dan Dailey says he has a better mouse trap for selling goods and services: Produce and broadcast soft-sell infomercials, with products praised by well-known personalities like...

Transmedia adds hotel, resort discounts. (Transmedia Network Inc.)
February 3, 1995... North Miami - Once limited to dining discounts, Transmedia Network Inc. is now offering a smorgasbord of reduced rates on hotels and resorts to its cardholders on a trial basis. The company also is looking to offer discounts on mail-order...

Market test aims mail at gay men. (direct-mail)
February 3, 1995... Fort Lauderdale - A Washington, D.C.-based company that specializes in gay and lesbian marketing and public relations has opened a South Florida office and plans to use the area as a test market for direct-mail campaigns to gay men. "We...

Travel Channel eyes Miami for Latin office.
February 3, 1995... Miami - The Travel Channel, an Atlanta-based national cable network owned by Landmark Communications Inc., is looking at Miami as a possible base for a Spanish-language channel that would be broadcast in Latin America. "We're looking at...

Boca's new funnies: construction under way on cartoon museum. (Boca Raton, Florida; International Museum of Cartoon Art)
February 3, 1995... Boca Raton - The International Museum of Cartoon Art, which broke ground last month in Boca Raton's Mizner Park, will soon be making a bid for South Florida's corporate pockets. Although its board includes such heavy hitters as Sensormatic...

Flipper in flight? TV series may move from Keys. (Florida Keys)
February 3, 1995... Florida Keys - Executives of the Flipper television series, a Samuel Goldwyn project being filmed in the Florida Keys, may move production to either Miami, Orlando or San Diego. "We may be leaving, though nothing is definite," said producer...

Robins in deal to buy Beach hotel. (developer Craig Robins; Governor Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida)
February 3, 1995... Miami Beach - South Beach developer Craig Robins, who has masterminded some of the city's best-known hotel and retail renovation projects, is adding the Governor Hotel to his resume. Robins, founder of The Dacra Cos., plans to buy the...

Lipton tourney in talks with MTV Latino. (Lipton Championship tennis tournament)
February 3, 1995... Key Biscayne - Lipton Championship tennis tournament organizers are discussing a deal with MTV Latino that would include a four-hour special showcasing the event and its players. "It's premature to confirm, but I'll tell you that we're...

Cessna settles injury suit with broker. (Cessna Aircraft Co.)
February 3, 1995... Hollywood - Real estate agent David Braun expects to receive $145,000 from an out-of-court settlement of a 1989 aircraft accident near North Perry Airport. Cessna Aircraft Co. of Wichita, Kansas, agreed to pay the money to Braun and his...

Unum looking for S. Florida properties. (Unum Life Insurance Co.)
February 3, 1995... West Palm Beach - The commercial property was on the market less than three months. And the buyer paid more than the listing price. That's indicative, real estate observers say, of the upturn in business throughout most of South Florida....