South Florida Business Journal articles from September 1997

South Florida Business Journal archives from September 1997

Out of the dark at Catalina Lighting: Westinghouse deal sparks high hopes after years of turmoil. (includes related article)(Company Profile)
September 26, 1997... * Westinghouse deal sparks high hopes after years of turmoil Describing his company's financial resurrection from a tumultuous few years, Catalina Lighting CEO Robert Hersh sounds like a surgeon completing a complicated operation. "The...

For Visual Data, Internet travel is the only way to go.(Company Profile)
September 26, 1997... It started out as conversation about Brownie Pops, chocolate dipped treats on a stick. Alan Saperstein had a Pompano Beach factory full of them. Randy Selman had a client who wanted them. Their conversation quickly advanced from...

Merger helps Rubin Barney & Birger attain global PR goals. (interview with Chairman Bruce Rudin on merger with public relations firm Weber Public Relations Worldwide)(Company Profile)(Interview)
September 26, 1997... The best time to sell out, says Rubin Barney & Birger Chairman Bruce Rubin, is when you don't need to. The Coral Gables public relations firm has been growing steadily and had no major problems. So, Rubin said, last week's sale of the agency...

Revamped Legal Club adds members and lawyers, mulls public offering. (Legal Club of America)
September 26, 1997... * Prepaid legal plan grew out of forms business by avoiding limits and caps of competitors Hollywood lawyer Kevin Hagen agreed to take the case as a favor to a friend, even though doing so meant collecting his check from one of those...

Build-to-suit projects suiting more companies. (demand for new commercial and office space in South Florida)
September 26, 1997... Pent-up demand for new space launched the build-to-suit boom five years ago and it's still going strong As the recession ended about five years ago, some South Florida businesses grew restless for more space. Pent-up demand for relatively...

Reaching for the stars. (hotels plan on building in South Florida)
September 26, 1997... * After several record-setting tourist seasons, luxury hotel development is one the upswing, with a galaxy of new four- and five-star properties In mid-September, after years of searching in Dade County, the Ritz Carlton, the Atlanta-based...

Stage set for bankruptcy battle. (introduction of Responsible Borrower Protection Act)
September 19, 1997... WASHINGTON - Banks and credit lending institutions scored a major lobbying victory Wednesday when a bill to curb bankruptcy abuses was introduced in Congress. Reps. Bill McCollum, R-Fla., and Rick Boucher, D-Va., introduced the Responsible...

Pollo heads South. (Pollo Tropical to expand in Latin America and the Caribbean)
September 19, 1997... But will new strategy catch Wall Street's eye? The folks on Long Island just didn't get it. But surely the folks down south will. That's what Pollo Tropical CEO Larry Harris is thinking as his company employs new economic and marketing...

Fun-Train owners hope next stop is profitability. (Florida Fun-Train owner First American Railways)
September 19, 1997... Allen Harper is counting on his brightly colored train to carry more than just tourists. Harper, developer of the Hollywood-based Florida Fun-Train, hopes the venture can haul parent company First American Railways (Nasdaq: FTRN) to...

Colonial BancGroup's acquisitions turn it into a prominent player. (interview with President and CEO for South Florida Barton Goldberg)(Interview)
September 19, 1997... Alabama-based Colonial BancGroup remains enamored with Florida in general - and with South Florida in particular, where it continues to bulk up. Colonial this week closed on the acquisition of Dadeland Bank, a community bank based in...

Rainy weather has area businesses drying up. (South Florida's rainiest season's effect on the construction industry)
September 19, 1997... * Businesses cope with higher costs and lower productivity in South Florida's rainiest month of the year Ron Spada watches the Weather Channel with his fingers crossed. When the map showing South Florida indicates rain, he cringes....

Doctors, pharmacies say fen-phen recall no problem. (diet drugs Fenfluramine and Phentermine)
September 19, 1997... The fallout from Mondays Food and Drug Administration recall of the popular diet drugs that formed the combination known as "fen-phen" has so far been slight, say South Florida physicians who prescribed the medications. Fen-phen, made up of...

Boca.Net launches $7 million Internet spending spree. (internet service provider)
September 19, 1997... Internet firm snapping up other service providers in bid to boost sales from $1 million to $14 million The casually-clad brass at Boca.Net have been busy these days, working their way down a lengthy shopping list of other Internet services....

Bank trust officers help boomers care for parents. (trust agreement services)
September 19, 1997... * Trust agreements can handle all kind of personal affairs of life - and death if you have enough money If you're wealthy enough, bank trust officers will do just about everything for you, from making hair appointments to negotiating...

Growing sub-prime auto lender trains dealers on 'deadbeats.' (Auto Marketing Network Inc.)
September 19, 1997... * Auto Marketing Network seminar is part of an increasingly sophisticated approach in the industry Over Paul Snider's left shoulder, luxurious yachts occasionally navigated the Boca Inlet. But the mission of the small group gathered in...

Knight-Ridder may have a buyer for information arm. (M.A.I.D. PLC's planned acquisition of Knight-Ridder Inc.'s Knight-Ridder Information)
September 19, 1997... On-line data provider M.A.I.D. plc is negotiating to buy the information arm of Miami publishing giant Knight-Ridder Inc., a move that would make M.A.I.D. a top gun in the field of selling information via computer. Knight-Ridder Information...

Congressional cuts could make bullet train a dud. (Florida Overland eXpress)
September 19, 1997... * Florida Overland express could create 5,380 jobs a year, but also faces community opposition in South Florida A new study contends high-speed rail could create 5,380 jobs a year in Florida, but Congress is applying the brakes to the...

Public Storage launches $12 million building spree. (Public Storage Properties to build four new warehouses in South Florida)
September 19, 1997... Four months after launching its delivery service, Public Storage Properties plans to spend $12 million to build four new warehouses in South Florida. Public Storage, a California real estate investment trust, in May started pickup and...

Going for broke: the bankruptcy game. (increasing number of bankruptcy filings)
September 19, 1997... With more Americans filing for personal bankruptcy each year, a congressional committee proposes several bankruptcy reforms. Consumers get some help, small business gets fewer breaks - and banks and credit card companies say they're worse off...

Ch. 11 reforms aim to block abuses by small businesses. (Chapter 11 bankruptcy)
September 19, 1997... Consider: After three years of toiling to make the company work, an entrepreneur falls behind on taxes, bank payments, paying his suppliers, and keeping his employee workers' compensation and pension fund payments current. Clinging to his...

One part CPA, one part detective: bankruptcy trustee digs for hidden assets. (Soneet Kapila, owner of Kapila and Co.)
September 19, 1997... For Soneet Kapila, being a bankruptcy trustee is like being a detective. But instead of searching for weapons and motives, the Fort Lauderdale accountant is on the trail of hidden bank accounts and buried assets. The more finds, the bigger...

There's a big business in going broke. (growth of bankruptcy legal services)(Industry Overview)
September 19, 1997... * Credit doctors, counseling services autioneers, liquidators - and lawyers - are just a few of the businesses paying the bills off people who can't pay theirs They call to you late at night from your television set. They jump out from...

A 'slap in the face' for banks and credit card companies. (changes in the bankruptcy code)
September 19, 1997... WASHINGTON - Banks and credit card companies perhaps had the most to gain from changes in the bankruptcy code that made it tougher for consumers to write off their debts. But three years later, these financial institutions say they would...

Sunshine State is one of debtor's best friends. (Florida's exemptions offer protection)
September 19, 1997... * State exemptions offer many debtors enough protection to wipe out their debts without paying a cent - all while keeping their treasured riches In the mid-1980s, hundreds of real estate developers around the nation found themselves in...

Profits and parenthood. (stay-at-home dads start their entertainment complex, Metrowalk Entertainment Corp. of America)
September 19, 1997... Dads went from stay-at-home neighbors to business partners Frank Piccolo and Larry Schneider's pasts are uncannily similar. Both made enough money to retire when they were in their 30s (Frank was 36, Larry 38), and both retired for the same...

Shrimp plant's move raises a big stink. (Kitchen of the Oceans' employee satisfaction)
September 12, 1997... A Deerfield Beach shrimp firm has a better deal pending Jacksonville, but workers say the move amounts to union-busting Dorothy Amitie says the shrimp-processing plant she worked at for four years paid her poorly, then fired her when she...

Weekends get stronger: a surge in weekend stays has hotels turning on to a bigger off season.
September 12, 1997... Scott Brush used to take more week-long vacations, but the hospitality consultant personally has joined a trend that he studies on the job: He is taking more weekend vacations. "It's been hard this summer to get away for any length of time,"...

Barnett sale stalls Publix mini-banks: sale to NationsBank halts plan for 23 new supermarket branches across Broward and Palm Beach. (NationsBank Corp.;Barnett Bank)
September 12, 1997... Publix Super Markets has halted its planned rollout of Barnett Bank mini-branches in 23 stores throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties amid questions raised by the pending purchase of Jacksonville-based Barnett by NationsBank of North...

Premier Cruises unites three companies, targets veteran cruisers.(Interview)
September 12, 1997... Larry Magnan is chief executive of Miami's Premier Cruises, a consolidation of former Miami-based Seawind and Dolphin cruise lines and Port Canaveral-based Premier Cruise Lines. Formerly Cruise Holdings Inc., the company will be based in the...

Faison adds contracts on 4 shopping centers. (Faison Associates Inc.)
September 12, 1997... When it moved into South Florida last year, Faison & Associates said it aimed to do battle with reigning retail champs Terranova Corp. and Gumberg Asset Management. Richard Egitto, managing director for Faison's South Florida office, said...

Mobile 'auto beauty salon' starts franchise offerings. (Car Cosmetician International)
September 12, 1997... Craig Thompson use to sit in his Miami auto body shop and watch the parade of service trucks come and go from the auto wholesaler across the street. "I saw broken-down trucks offering dent repair or painting services," Thompson said. "I...

Quality Oncology adding 800,000 patients: Lauderdale managed cancercare firm's IPO could pay off big for schools and other investors.
September 12, 1997... Lauderdale managed cancer-care firm's IPO could pay off big for schools and other investors Fort Lauderdale-based Quality Oncology Inc., which covers about 240,000 Floridians, is slated to sign a number of deals with several third-party...

Sunny skies brighten insurers' profit: fair weather in 1996 brought big drop in losses, say industry group stats.
September 12, 1997... Insurance companies doing business in Florida generally had a better-than-average year in 1996, but the industry warns that one bad year could erase last year's profits and more. According to recently released statistics from the National...

How to be fast: secrets of South Florida's corporate speed demons.
September 12, 1997... Sure, growing a company takes fiscal prudence and management prowess. But ask the CEOs of fast-growing companies what they attribute theft skyrocketing revenue to, and there is a common denominator. People. Scott Scherr, CEO of Fort...

The PCS formula for speed: great people, great service. (PCS Telecom)
September 12, 1997... That a stocked wet bar is the centerpiece of Mark Balentine's office might seem strange. But when you think about the circumstances surrounding the office building and the company, PCS Telecom, the bar fits right in. The building was the...

OutSource proves you don't have to be small to be fast. (OutSource International Inc.)
September 12, 1997... OutSource International is the anomaly on this year's Fast Track 40 list. The personnel services firm is by far the largest among South Florida's high-growth private companies. Every executive knows that as revenue rises, double- and...

For Mark Group, strategy, anxiety - and then success.
September 12, 1997... Growth does not just happen,' says CEO Michael Tiernan. 'You've got to develop a strategy' For The Mark Group, the bottom line just gets better with age. Founded in 1951 as a Delray Beach seaside boutique, the Boca Raton clothing retailer...

Friends turn Initiatives into fast-growing business family. (Initiatives Corp.)
September 12, 1997... Joseph Franz didn't heed two common business maxims: "Don't go into business with your friends," and "Don't get too close to your employees." The result? Initiatives Corp. of Miami - the smallest company on the South Florida Business Journal's...

At Miller, Legg, everyone helps set the pace. (Miller, Legg and Associates Inc.)
September 12, 1997... As a captain in the United States Army during the Vietnam war, Robert Miller gave his troops orders. Anyone who disobeyed him was disciplined. His management style has taken a 360-degree turn since those days. In fact, the tight internal...

There's the door. (firing employees; Florida businesses)
September 5, 1997... Here's what it takes to get fired on the spot You name the excuse, and personnel agency owner Sue Romanos has probably heard it. "We had this one woman say she had to take the day off because she didn't have anyone to stay with her cat,"...

Maroone on front lines of auto battle. (AutoNation USA Pres. Michael Maroone)
September 5, 1997... If Wayne Huizenga succeeds in remaking the world of automotive retailing, Michael Maroone will get much of the credit. Huizenga, who made billions in waste management and video rentals, appears bent on building another business empire, one in...

The newest tool for Internet speed demons: wireless access. (DirectNet)
September 5, 1997... Pete Nicoletti was in full salesman mode The CEO of DirectNet typed an address into the computer at his Lauderdale-by-the-Sea office last week, then gushed as the web site appeared almost instantly. "The page just snaps onto the screen," he...

Miami's status as cruise capital was key to Cunard move. (Cunard Line Ltd.)(Newsroom Q&A)(Interview)
September 5, 1997... These haven't been the most promising of times for economic development types in Dade County. But despite being battered by political scandals at the city and the Port of Miami, Dade landed Cunard Line Ltd. The corporate relocation is...

Producer hopes to hit big with 3-D video. (B.A.N.G.S.)
September 5, 1997... When Raleigh Nanasca was 18 and working at a North Miami Beach hospital, he discovered that surgical tubes glow when hit by light. Twenty-two years and several failed advertising agencies later, Nanasca has taken his discovery to market as a...

Miami Beach developer looks to raise $64 million. (Equity One Inc.)
September 5, 1997... A Miami Beach real estate investment trust plans to take its 2 million-square-foot portfolio public. Equity One Inc. will try to raise $63.8 million in an initial public offering, according to a registration statement filed with the...

Some retailers slow to switch to e-welfare. (Florida)
September 5, 1997... The state's changeover to an electronic system for handling food stamps and welfare benefits is drawing a slow response from the retailers who are expected to soldier its front line - as well as criticism over the fees that retailers and...

Surfing the 'net may lead you to your next employer. (South Florida companies with employment pages on their World Wide Web sites)
September 5, 1997... When the human resources department at Sensormatic Electronics Corp. started getting mountains of e-mailed resumes, it realized there were a lot of potential employees in cyberspace. So two months ago, Sensormatic joined a growing list of...

Sun-Sentinel, New Times ready to race for readers.
September 5, 1997... What's in a name? A lot of confusion, if that name happens to be XS Magazine. Reader interpretation of the weekly magazine's name runs the gamut from "X-rated, X-cessive to Generation X," said Stephen Wissink, publisher and editor. And...

Drive to merge wildlife commissions gains speed. (Florida)
September 5, 1997... TALLAHASSEE - A push to merge the state's two marine wildlife commissions has amassed enough signatures to make it as far as the state Supreme Court and enough money to keep the drive alive, but it has also picked up some opposition. The...

Tax hype or business help? (income tax law)(Health Care Monthly)
September 5, 1997... A new law making long-term care insurance tax-deductible won't boost business, according to area nursing home operators Here in the nation's retirement capital, the burgeoning business of catering to the elderly promises to grow even more...