South Florida Business Journal articles from November 1996

South Florida Business Journal archives from November 1996

Florida adds more jobs under Clinton than Bush.
November 1, 1996... Florida's job growth has more than doubled under President Bill Clinton. But Republican administrations, overall during the last three decades, have been much kinder to Florida's unemployment rate, according to research conducted for the South...

Renters shop for empty stores: tight market has back-office tenants looking for options. (empty retail space for back-office tenants)
November 1, 1996... Here's an increasingly common conundrum for commercial real estate specialists: How do you get a tenant with a massive parking requirement into office space without breaking the budget? As South Florida's office and flex space fill up, empty...

Humana's Rx: better service. (Humana Inc.)(includes related article on customer service tips for health maintenance organizations)
November 1, 1996... HMO aims to please angry patients, doctors and brokers Plagued by complaints of poor customer service and thorny relationships with doctors, Humana Inc. has launched an all-out effort to win back disenchanted customers and mend fences with...

More bang for tourist bucks: Broward TDC moves money from local groups into AmEx ad deal. (Broward County's Tourist Development Council splurges in advertising campaign; American Express)
November 1, 1996... Broward County events were left scrambling for money after the Tourist Development Council decided to spend $200,000 formerly reserved for local grants on a national advertising campaign. Despite some grumbling, organizers of the spurned events...

One company, four hotels for Miami airport site: Choice Management plans two new hotels plus food court and 'sports court.' (Choice Management and Realty Services' Clarion, Quality, Sleep and Mainstay hotel brands)
November 1, 1996... MIAMI - Choice Management and Realty Services, parent of the Clarion, Quality, Sleep and Mainstay hotel brands, soon will offer all four of them on the same Miami property. Choice, formerly a division of Manor Care Inc., is looking to cast a...

Contractor backs 'design-build' schools concept: Haskell Co. hires former Dade County school chief to run Miami office. (Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Octavio Visiedo)
November 1, 1996... MIAMI - As superintendent of Dade County Public Schools, Octavio Visiedo battled the intractable problem of new schools being built over budget and behind schedule. Visiedo thinks he found a key part of the solution in his last two years as...

State re-opens bidding on Medicaid HMO program. (Florida's health program; health maintenance organization)
November 1, 1996... Managed care companies once again have a shot at the state's $6.7 billion Medicaid program. The competition to provide Florida's Medicaid prepaid health services is on again, now that the state settled a protest on Oct. 29. PCA Family Health...

New Southwest, Delta flights have USAir flying scared. (South Airlines Co. and Delta Air's low-fare flights; USAir Inc.)
November 1, 1996... USAir has decided not to sit quietly while Delta and Southwest increase their flights to the Northeast from Florida. The airline has entered into talks with its pilots' union to try to lower costs to compete against Southwest and Delta in the...

E-Centric: furnishing a dream. (E-Centric Inc.'s furniture business)(Small Business Strategies)
November 1, 1996... Happy accidents and helpful friends aided launch of offbeat furniture store FORT LAUDERDALE - Lisa Martinez, dental hygienist-turned-gym manager-turned-furniture retailer, is proof of the old adage that success in business is all about who you...

Mitsubishi's Spyder an exceptional value, but not a classic. (Mitsubishi Corp.'s sports car, Eclipse Spyder)
November 1, 1996... As I punched the accelerator of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder convertible, I could feel my body being sucked back slightly on the seat. I wasn't exactly sucked back on the leather by G-force, but drawn in just enough to create a little...

Honda's targa-top del Sol a unique, fun alternative. (Honda Motor Company Ltd.'s sports car)
November 1, 1996... More than a decade ago, Honda released one of its most appealing cars, the Civic CRX. While it looked a little too much like the Datsun B210 of the late 1970s, Honda's good-looking two-seater was attractively priced and enormously fun to drive....

Mercedes new SLK will sport a pricey 'bargain' tag. (Mercedes Benz's sports car)
November 1, 1996... Beginning early next year, Mercedes-Benz plans to go after its own piece of the roadster market with the SLK sports convertible. Like the Mazda Miata and BMW Z3, the SLK will be a small two-seater with a 4-cylinder engine. The primary...

BMW's Z3 is pick of sports cars. (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG)
November 1, 1996... Despite BMW's best marketing efforts, a real James Bond would never drive its new Z3 roadster, at least not professionally. The German carmaker hyped the roadster in its advertising as James Bond's newest ride in the spy thriller Goldeneye. But...

Despite small cockpit, the Miata is exciting, fun drive. (Mazda Motor Corp.'s sports car)
November 1, 1996... Happiness is: driving a sports convertible with the top down on a beautiful day. That was my first thought as I opened the door to climb into the Miata. But it soon gave way to less positive thoughts as I squeezed into the tight cockpit. The...

BF Goodrich pays $3M for repair plant; company won't be leaving S. Florida. (B.F. Goodrich Aerospace Div.)
November 8, 1996... MIAMI - Count BF Goodrich's 300-person aviation maintenance facility among the employers South Florida isn't losing. After a 3 1/2-year search for space, BF Goodrich Aerospace last week ended its quest by paying $2.95 million for a...

Tired of office supplies and bored with retirement, Mark Begelman's new passion is a rock 'n' roll depot. (owner of Ace Music Inc.)
November 8, 1996... In the summer of 1995, Mark Begelman retired from the presidency of Office Depot to spend more time with his family. Today he's working harder than ever, after turning his passion for music into a full-time job. "You never know how these...

Temporary gains: growing business in renting workers.
November 8, 1996... South Florida's healthy economy is creating a steady stream of job openings for the region's temporary help firms, which send out more than 30,000 employees every day. That figure, an increase of almost 15,000 from the early 1990s, is based on...

Health care workers - even doctors - are seeking unions.(Health Care Monthly)
November 8, 1996... Not so long ago, it would have been almost impossible to imagine that medical doctors would want to join labor unions, but union organizing today is on the upswing among Florida health care workers, including doctors. A ground-breaking union...

New Palm Beach dental implant center is one of three in nation. (Institute of Dental Implants)(Health Care Monthly)
November 8, 1996... No matter how much adhesive he used, a 68-year-old South Florida psychotherapist who had lost his teeth three decades ago began to find it increasingly difficult to keep his dental bridge in place. The problem, caused by jaw bone atrophy, the...

Aftermath of Andrew still powers Broward job growth. (Broward County, FL)
November 8, 1996... But pace may slow as some companies start moving out Looking for jobs in all the wrong places? Try Las Vegas - but steer clear of Knoxville, Tenn. According to a South Florida Business Journal job-market study based on Labor Department...

Magicworks goes public, eyes consolidation; entertainment firm will produce, manage and more. (Magicworks Entertainment Inc.)
November 8, 1996... One of Miami Beach's well-kept entertainment secrets has gone public with designs on consolidating the industry. Magicworks Entertainment Inc., a newly formed company that produces, manages, promotes and merchandises live performances including...

Doctor's IPO attempt a hair-raising experience. (lawsuit against Medical Hair Institute former president and CEO Dr. Michael Alea)(initial public offering)
November 8, 1996... A South Florida doctors prospect for starting a national chain of hair restoration clinics is looking worse than a bad toupee. Seven months after announcing plans to take Medical Hair Institute (MHI) public, the company's one-time president and...

Ensuring quality: the next challenge for managed care.(Health Care Monthly)
November 8, 1996... Managed care plans have largely succeeded in slowing the rising medical costs. Now they face a new challenge: Ensuring the quality of health care. For South Florida businesses and individuals served by health maintenance organizations (HMOs),...

CPAs, lawyers and brokers add star clients in a twinkle. (relocation to South Florida)
November 8, 1996... As the shiny world of film, music and television continues to move into South Florida, mainstream businesses once considered too stuffy for entertainment are starting to go Hollywood. The Miami CPA and consulting firm of McKean, Paul, Chrycy,...

South Florida health care market on the cutting edge.(Health Care Monthly)(Industry Overview)
November 8, 1996... South Florida is experiencing one of the nation's most far-reaching trends in the modern business of health care: the movement of Medicare enrollees out of fee-for-service health plans and into managed care organizations. This trend sets the...

Nursing home workers join UNITE.(Health Care Monthly)
November 8, 1996... An aggressive project launched this year to recruit South Florida health care workers into union ranks has resulted in the addition of more than 700 nursing home workers to UNITE (the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees)....

Profits are his drug of choice; former DEA agent busting Lauderdale drug-testing firm's red-ink habit. (Drug Enforcement Administration; Substance Abuse Technologies Inc. Chairman and CEO Robert Stutman)(Small Business Strategies)(Company Profile)
November 8, 1996... FORT LAUDERDALE - Dubbed "the most famous narc in America" by New York Magazine, Robert Stutman is taking his war on drugs from the streets of the Big Apple to the corridors of America's workplace. A 25-year veteran of the U.S. Drug Enforcement...

Temp workers gain bigger parity with full-time employees.(Human Resource Quarterly)
November 8, 1996... Employees of many South Florida temporary help firms are finding some new deductions on their weekly paychecks, but they're not complaining. They've chosen to shift that money from net pay to cover their share of health insurance premiums...

Insurance options for small businesses offer good benefits, low premium.(Human Resource Quarterly)
November 8, 1996... When computer consultant Martin Hamstra decided to start his own company several years ago, he spent weeks looking into health insurance policies. After speaking with eight agents, he finally chose a policy that provided basic coverage. But he...

Chiles sets wish list for health care. (Florida Governor Lawton Chiles)
November 15, 1996... Fingerprinting doctors, HMO "report cards," outlawing "gag rules" and improved patient rights - all are among the health care reforms Gov. Lawton Chiles wants to become law next year. State Agency for Health Care Administration Director Doug...

No flash in the pan: restaurants taking a bite out of Thanksgiving at home. (includes related article)
November 15, 1996... More than ever, South Florida restaurateurs and food markets are cashing in on one of the year's most fattening days. And while most people still want the traditional Thanksgiving feast - turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie - many...

Consultants: strict scrutiny threatens start-up airlines.
November 15, 1996... WASHINGTON - Federal aviation regulators have stepped up inspections of airline operations to such heights that during the next two years the industry will sustain few, if any, startups. Since the crash of the Valujet airliner in May, the...

Rainforest Cafe becoming the 'Disney World' of eateries. (includes related article on new Rainforest Cafe at Aventura Mall)
November 15, 1996... SUNRISE - It's 3 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon at the Sawgrass Mills mall and several dozen people are crowded around the green gates of the soon-to-open Rainforest Care. They're trying to catch a glimpse of what may be the closest South...

A stitch in time at Sheridan: physician management firm hopes minor cuts prevent major surgery. (Sheridan Healthcare Inc.'s revamped strategy)
November 15, 1996... HOLLYWOOD - In the highly competitive world of physician management, failing to be flexible can mean the difference between black and red ink. Just ask the folks at Sheridan Healthcare Inc., a Hollywood-based physician management company....

Hospitals, nursing homes dislike new beg regs.
November 15, 1996... The folks who decide which health care facilities get what beds are finding themselves in a no-win situation with hospitals and nursing homes. The Florida Hospital Association, the Florida League of Hospitals and the Association of Voluntary...

California brokers open Fort Lauderdale office. (Marcus and Millichap Co.)
November 15, 1996... Marcus & Millichap focusing on on investment sales FORT LAUDERDALE - When Marcus & Millichap officials talk about South Florida's commercial real estate climate, they invariably use the phrase "market velocity." While brokerages these days...

Overcoming a real hang-up. (Cellular Works)(Small Business Strategies)(Company Profile)
November 15, 1996... Cellular Works was a cell phone company that wasn't allowed to sell phones. So how come the company has turned into a ringing success? HOLLYWOOD - Ever since they opened a cellular phone kiosk at Sawgrass Mills three years ago, entrepreneurs...

Jobs: struggling to keep up: burst of new employers may not match county's population boom.(Focus on Palm Beach)
November 15, 1996... Iowa cornfields are no match for Palm Beach County's beaches and golf courses - at least for Universal Gym Equipment. In October, the fitness equipment manufacturer announced it was relocating its corporate headquarters from Cedar Rapids to...

School district needs support, commitment from business.(Focus on Palm Beach)
November 15, 1996... More than 100 years ago, long before today's students were even born, a book was written describing a trip to the moon. It predicted that an American would fly to the moon in an upright ship propelled by fuel, launched from the southeastern tip...

The three keys of getting - and keeping - jobs.(Editorial)
November 15, 1996... Blockbuster moves from Fort Lauderdale to Dallas. IBM packs up its Boca Raton shop and moves to the Raleigh-Durham golden triangle in North Carolina. Motorola transfers hundreds of employees from Boynton Beach to Fort Worth, Texas. Allied Signal...

Indoor air quality examined.(Editorial)
November 15, 1996... Washington - The issue of indoor air quality rarely surfaces as a topic of concern at most small businesses. But the issue will be a hot one in Washington next year. Regulators and special interests are working on ways to clean up indoor air,...

Hurdles haven't stalled MRI centers. (International Magnetic Imaging Inc.)
November 22, 1996... New CEO hopes public buys into consolidation plans BOCA RATON - Ten years ago when Dr. Stephen Schulman asked administrators at a Plantation hospital to buy a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine, they scoffed. Hospital execs said the new...

HomePlace sets December debut. (Home Place Inc. opens three South Florida stores)
November 22, 1996... 53,000-square-foot stores will dwarf many competitors HomePlace, one of the nation's fastest-growing home and kitchen store chains, win make its South Florida debut this winter with three super-sized stores in Broward and Palm Beach counties....

Clothing company is bursting at the seams. (Supreme International Corp. to relocate in West Dade, FL)
November 22, 1996... Supreme International plans $12.2M West Dade plant MIAMI - After a year that coupled two acquisitions with a 25 percent growth in revenues, a Miami apparel manufacturer found its warehouses and offices tighter than an shrunken polo shirt....

Finding profits in the cards. (GoCard Postcard Advertising)(Company Profile)
November 22, 1996... Hip advertising post cards bring partners $70,000 per month A pair of Generation X-ers have turned what they call "trading-cards for the tragically hip" into a big-bucks business. GoCARD Postcard Advertising, a 13-month-old enterprise,...

Founder sells for a new lease on LifeWay Inc. (Fred McCall-Perez)
November 29, 1996... MIAMI - One year after Fred McCall-Perez launched LifeWay Inc., the health care consultant has found a partner "with deep pockets" to take his company into the next century. The Miami-based disease management firm has been sold to home health...

Don't blink - eyeglass distributor starting to see a return to profits. (Ocean Optique Distributors Inc.)
November 29, 1996... MIAMI - If there's one thing you can say about Miami eyeglass frame distributor Ocean Optique it's that its stock has been consistent - consistently going down. Since going public in 1991, the stock, which trades on the Nasdaq Small Cap market...

Biotech firms cloning statewide trade group. (Florida)
November 29, 1996... MIAMI - An eclectic group comprising businessmen and scientists is joining forces to form a statewide organization they hope will speak with one voice for Florida's fledgling biotech industry. Across the country, biotechnology companies are...

Selling without scaring. (ChildTrace International)
November 29, 1996... That's the challenge in marketing a DNA test to identify missing children When cases of missing and murdered children make the news, many parents are quick to tighten the reins on their own children and go over the rules about avoiding...