Fairfield County Business Journal articles from May 2001

Fairfield County Business Journal archives from May 2001

Snack-maker finds recipe for growth.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Aurora Products builds new plant in Bridgeport What's the secret behind a small gourmet foods and candy manufacturer that has seen its sales soar four-fold at the end of its third year in business. For Aurora Products Inc. of...

Diageo halts UDV relocation.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... After considering a move from Stamford to 601. Merritt 7 in Norwalk, it appears that UDV North America Inc. is staying put -- at least for now. Several Norwalk and Stamford officials said the relocation has been postponed at the...

Judgment tops $1.1 million in Wiretex pension case.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... A $1,127,263.90 default judgment was entered recently in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut against Wiretex Manufacturing Company Inc. and Robert and Emil Garofalo as officers and sole shareholders of Wiretex. The...

March housing permits hurt first-quarter figures.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 7, 2001... In another sign of a slowing economy, Fairfield County cities and towns issued far fewer new housing permits in March compared to the same period last year when the stock market was at its height. Of the county's three labor market areas,...

Mercator Software lays off 170 workers in restructuring.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Mercator Software Inc. (NASDAQ: MCTR) of Wilton has completed a strategic restructuring and reorganization, announced on April 20, including a 21 percent reduction in the company's workforce. Mercator eliminated 170 full-time positions...

Technology and language result in geek-speak.
May 7, 2001... Long before there were mouse potatoes, there were couch potatoes. Before websites gave out cookies, we bought them at Mrs. Fields. And before geeks became zillionaires and the darlings of the computer world, they were circus performers who bit...

Humble investor's fortune is a treasure for us all.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... In 1995, Anne Scheiber made headlines when, upon her death at the age of 101, she left a $22 million endowment to Yeshiva University in New York City. Her generosity to a school she'd never attended would benefit students she'd never meet...

Before the ink dries.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... It might seem counter-intuitive, but the time might be right for employers to ramp up hiring. Even with a souring economy, the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reports that displaced workers are finding jobs practically...

Work takes a vacation.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Three-quarters of financial executives accept that they will have weekend work, but when it comes to vacation, more than half say they rarely or never take work with them. A survey by Accountemps, a staffing service, shows that 22 percent...

ERS begins winding down label operations.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Electronic Retailing Systems International Inc. (OTC BB: ERSI) of Norwalk said it is winding down electronic shelf label (ESL) operations after concluding there is insufficient interest in the retail community for ESL systems to justify or...

Protect your privacy, read those inserts.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Don't be too hasty to toss out those annoying inserts from your bank and credit card statements. You could be throwing away your chance to stop financial institutions from selling your sensitive information -- Social Security number,...

New index ranks 'computer savvy' of 47 nations.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... The United states, Finland, Iceland, Canada and The Netherlands ranked highest in e-commerce potential among 47 nations, according to the "2001 World E-Commerce and Internet Market Report" released May 2 by META Group of Stamford, an IT...

Invitation to mortgage refi-fest is one hot item.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 7, 2001... Hurry up and wait. That's the advice for homeowners who want to refinance their mortgages. The rush to refinance is on again in a nationwide mortgage boom not seen since 1998, when rates for conventional 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages last...

Top 10 job search tips for the New Economy.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... With layoffs being announced daily and the number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits rising to the highest level in five years, executives are examining their career growth options carefully--with the realization they may...

President Bush and the 'trickle down' leisure theory.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... In summertime people often look forward to vacations and the enjoyable use of leisure time. Hotter weather, kids being out of school, and longer days, all contribute to a greater pull towards vacation, fun and leisure time. According to...

Caterers.(Statistical Data Included)
May 7, 2001... Caterers Ranked by number of events catered in 2000; alphabetically in event of tie Rank Name,...

Best and brightest.(Statistical Data Included)
May 7, 2001... Retaining top talent requires creativity, flexibility In the current economic climate, "it is all about the people. Getting and keeping the very best and brightest, this is the trump card," says Karen Shellenback, senior consultant at...

New website lists tech jobs and information.(www.cthightech.com)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... The burgeoning high-tech industry in Connecticut has led to the startup of a new website -- www.cthightech.com -- for jobs and information geared towards job seekers and employers of biotech, Internet and information technology companies. ...

Cost of employee turnover can be staggering.
May 7, 2001... The following is a comprehensive checklist of items to include when calculating the cost of turnover in any organization. To determine the costs, have the hourly and weekly cost of fully loaded payroll costs (i.e. salary plus benefits) of the...

Successful recruiting requires savvy marketing.(employee recruitment)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... After 18 years in the human resources and recruiting industries, I've found that the key to attracting quality employees lies in establishing a well-thought out recruiting plan for your business. You can't expect great employees to find...

Outsourcing market to top 58 billion.(human resources outsourcing)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... As many enterprises try to balance new technology adoption for human resources with the burden of managing day-to-day operations, HR outsourcing is one way in which companies are meeting this challenge. In the United States, the HR...

Bus carries biotech message to area students.(public relations for biotechnology industry)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Connecticut's biotechnology companies have found a unique approach to recruiting employees for jobs in its industry. But these potential employees are still in school -- middle and high school to be more specific. More than 15 companies...

Easing the pain.(drug delivery system for treating liver cancer)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Delcath Systems developing new cancer treatment For thousands of Americans suffering from inoperable liver cancer, loss of hair, weakness, vomiting and thrush are common side effects they sadly encounter if they choose to undergo aggressive...

Bioscience cluster's R&D spending tops $3 billion.(research and development)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 7, 2001... Bioscience-related research and development (R&D) expenditures grew by 15 percent, or from $2,645,045,136 to $3,052,285,367, last year, according to the sixth annual economic report released by CURE, Connecticut's BioScience Cluster. The...

Pharmaceutical Discovery moving offices to Danbury.(Pharmaceutical Discovery Corp., Conneticut)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Pharmaceutical Discovery Corp. is expected to move from Elmsford, N.Y, into a Danbury building previously occupied by Davis & Geck Co., a real developer said. George Mulvaney, president of Danbury-based Mulvaney Properties L.L.C., said...

Steven B. Levine.(Ear, Nose, Throat and Facial Plastic Surgery Associates P.C.)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Steven B. Levine of Weston, a physician at Ear, Nose, Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery Associates P.C., Trumbull and Fairfield, presented a seminar at the ASEAN Congress of Otolaryngology, recently held in Singapore. Levine spoke on the use of...

Dave Parkins.(owner of Imagen Digital Graphics)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Dave Parkins of Shelton, owner of Imagen Digital Graphics, Shelton, a pre-press and graphics production firm, received an Outstanding Service Award from Emhart Fastening Teknologies Inc., Shelton, a division of Black & Decker Corp., for his...

Reebie Associates.(transportation consulting services)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Reebie Associates, Stamford, a provider of transportation consulting services, won three awards at the 2001 Communications Award Competition sponsored by the Transportation Sales and Marketing Association. Reebie Associates placed second in the...

Newsmakers.(employee selections and appointments in Connecticut)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2001... Allen Levenson of Westport was appointed chief marketing officer and vice president of customer experience at Asbury Autogroup, Stamford, a car dealership network. Since June 1999, Levenson was founder, president and chief executive officer at...

Make it a double: cloning battle brews.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Genetic scientists toil in laboratories trying to unlock the mysteries of the human body knowing their research will provide direction in the fight against deadly disease. The problem is, the same technology is creating scenarios...

Techs feel heat of icy economy.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... The soft economy has battered many Fairfield County businesses, especially the technology companies, which have slashed hundreds of jobs and posted millions of dollars in revenue losses. Even after drastic work force reductions, the techs...

Regional investments decline at slower rate than rest of U.S.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 14, 2001... Sixty-five New York metropolitan area companies received $875 million in equity financing during the first quarter of 2001, according to a survey The just-released Price waterhouse Coopers Money Tree Survey, conducted in partnership with...

Deal-maker: Michael Siegel marks three decades of office leases.
May 14, 2001... Starwood Hotels & Resorts inc. had spent three years bouncing around office sites in Westchester County, N.Y., when it started getting serious about establishing a permanent home two years ago. Just where that should be was the challenge...

International storm warnings.(international politics and economics)
May 14, 2001... With all the talk about a possible recession and what that would mean to jobs and incomes, there are things happening overseas which no one seems to pay much attention to. Those happenings could, however, have a profound influence on our...

Becoming 'aged to perfection' takes a while.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 14, 2001... If we are so smart when we are young, why do most of us grow up to discover that we aren't quite as savvy as we once thought we were? This is life's sucker punch. We are groomed early on to believe the possibilities for our work lives are...

Employee benefits issues in a changing economy.
May 14, 2001... The current economic climate has brought with it a set of circumstances that even seasoned human resources professionals have not had to deal with for along time, if at all. Many of these issues involve employee benefits; often in the context...

Estate-tax debate raises wealth of controversy.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... You might think that the controversy over the federal estate tax doesn't concern you. After all, only 2 percent of estates must pay it. The Republicans, led by President Bush, want to eliminate the tax altogether within the next decade....

Small-business owners smart, but need to think about future.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 14, 2001... Small-business owners are generally mature, stable, well-educated, affluent and probably more financially sophisticated than the average American. They are also big users of the Internet, with more than half of small businesses having their own...

Bringing home the bacon (and other palatable oddities).(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Daniel Philips considers the sound and smell of bacon cooking in the morning to be one of life's great pleasures. Daniel Philips started out as a wine guy. He's still not sure how bacon came into it. About a year ago, as part of the...

PDA makers duke it out in the marketplace.(personal digital assistants)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Faced with an inventory excess and competition to position their products as viable alternatives to cell phones for the mobile Internet, manufacturers of personal digital assistants, or PDAs, are slugging it out in the marketplace. Palm,...

Weighing relocation's real estate options.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Whether it's a huge corporation or a small enterprise, the decision to relocate a business is rarely a whimsical choice. It's almost always the result of another agenda -- cost cutting, expansion, or perhaps a new chairman who wants to move his...

The right move.(business relocation)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Pre-planning is essential to ease corporate relocations All that was required to move an office as recently as the 1960s was to find adequate space in a new location, bring in a mover and call the telephone company to install simple...

Good places to be.(employee relocation)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Austin, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver and San Diego are listed as the five most desirable relocation spots for out-of-work managers and executives willing to leave to their hometowns, according to a survey by the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray...

The best laid plans are no guarantee of success.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Having spent a lifetime in the newspaper, radio and cable TV industries, I have been charged with moving a facility many times, usually with a small staff and an even smaller budget, which didn't allow for professional movers. Doing it...

Region still draws young and ambitious employees.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Repeated headlines about layoffs at companies in Fairfield County and New York's Westchester County might leave the impression that the region has ceased to be a destination spot for job seekers, but relocation specialists offer a different...

From the publisher.(Business Showcase 2001)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... We are delighted to be part of Business Showcase 2001, one of the best and most widely respected business events in the region. It gives business people an opportunity to meet and learn about their colleagues. It also gives us an opportunity to...

RAINBOW ACADEMY TO OPEN IN WATERBURY WITH HELP FROM CHEFA AND PEOPLE'S BANK.(Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority)
May 14, 2001... Child cam center starts with a love of children Until recently, child care centers and commercial banking had little in common. After all, caring for 4-year-olds doesn't require heavy machinery or a fleet of trucks...unless they're Tonka...

Fairfield firms optimistic about future of economy.(Connecticut)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 14, 2001... Economic growth in Fairfield County has been slightly ahead of the national trend, but because of the current national downturn, some analysts are forecasting a recession. "Not only is Connecticut doing well, but Fairfield County seems to...

Family business owners await legislation to protect heirs.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Southern Connecticut family business owners and others throughout the United States are concerned about the ultimate fate of legislation in Congress of what has been named the "death tax" by its opponents. Family business organizations and...

Raising a business.(family-owned enterprises)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Communication is the key to running a family business. That's what 15 people who are involved on a professional level, not just a personal level with relatives, learned at the meeting "Cain & Abel: Why They Couldn't Grow Their Business or Find...

Cashman & Katz gets 'creative' with Market New Haven.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... "C'mon, live a little!" is the official logo and tagline of a multimedia advertising campaign that was launched recently to market downtown New Haven. The campaign, which employs television, radio and print, has been developed by Cashman & Katz...

Gambling in Bridgeport up in the air.
May 14, 2001... The Mohegans and the Mashantuckets give 25 percent of their slot machine revenue to the state, which totaled $335 million last year. When you add revenues from the state lottery, gaming brings close to $600 million to the state, making it...

Golf Courses.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Golf Courses Ranked by number of number of rounds played in 2000 Fairfield County Rank Name, address, phone number and website Fairfield County area code: 203...

Apex Development to restore New Milford historic district's 140-year-old Bostwick House.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Union Savings Bank has asked Apex Development, a Goodfellow company, to restore its future New Milford branch to its former glory. The Italianate-style house has many beautiful architectural exterior and interior elements which will be...

Major companies still family owned.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Among some of the Fortune 500 companies considered as "family owned" are. campbell Soup, founded by fruit merchant Joseph Campbell and icebox manufacturer Abraham Anderson Today, the Campbell family still controls more than 50 percent of the...

Shake on it.(job interview techniques)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... The latest advice for job seekers is how to shake hands to seal the deal. Patcher & Associates, a training company in Cherry Hill, N.J., says your handshake tells a prospective employer something about you. "We make assumptions about...

Hispanic Commercial Guide founded by Venezuelan native.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Twenty years ago, publishing an exclusively Hispanic commercial guide in the United States was unheard of. However, the commercial and social needs generated today by the largest minority in the country, have made a guide which acts as a...

Making connections.(Latino employee networking)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Volunteers provide link between Latino workers and employers After two years of planning, the Rev. Jack Miller and a group of volunteers recently opened Neighbors Link in a converted warehouse to bring employers and day workers together....

State provides help to minority and small businesses with 'Showcases'.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... "We're the first state in the country to have live commercial recording of business information available free on our website," says Susan Bysiewicz, Connecticut's Secretary of the State. "Amazingly, we get about two million hits a month on the...

Bertha's European Spa: for pampering, eradicating stress.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... It's only natural that there be times one can't help but want to get away from it all. The body and mind, tired of their daily diet of chaos and pollution, suddenly signal that it's time to take a break. Some have already begun to count the...

Credits, Clients and Awards.(business philanthropic achievements)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Denis J. Nayden of Wilton, chairman and chief executive officer of GE Capital Corp., Stamford, a financial services company and a subsidiary of General Electric Co., received the 2001 House of Heroes Award from the St. Luke's LifeWorks,...

Newsmakers.(selections and appointments)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Patrick F. Lynch of New Fairfield was promoted to president of O'Dea, Lynch, Abbattista Consulting Engineers, Hawthorne, N.Y., an engineering firm formerly named O'Dea & Associates P.C. Since 1993. Lynch was principal/vice president of...

Prudential Connecticut Realty.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Prudential Connecticut Realty Rocky Hill, with 38 offices in the state, was named the number-one real estate company in Connecticut for 2000, according to "The Top 350 Power Brokers of 2001 Report," a publication of National Relocation & Real...

William Pitt Real Estate.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... William Pitt Real Estate, Stamford, a firm with 18 residential sales offices, named Ruth Williams of New Canaan as the company's "Manager of the Year" for 2000 for her outstanding performance during the year. Williams is manager of William...

Nancy Thome.(and Margaret Nipar-Upton received President's Award for 2000 from the System 1 Real Estate Network)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Nancy Thome of Fairfield and Margaret Nipar-Upton of Redding, Realtors at Dunlap-Hibbs Real Estate, Fairfield, each received a President's Award for 2000 from the System 1 Real Estate Network, an alliance of independent real estate firms in the...

Pharmaceutical Discovery Corp.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Pharmaceutical Discovery Corp., a pharmaceutical company based in Elmsford, N.Y., acquired two buildings in Danbury -- a 117,000-square-foot structure at 1 Casper St. and a 70,000-square-foot structure at 8 Casper St. -- from Sherwood - Davis &...

Wit SoundView Group.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Wit SoundView Group, an investment banking firm, signed a lease for 79,079 square feet of office space at 1700 East Putnam Ave., Greenwich, in a sublease transaction with Fortune Brands Inc. Wit SoundView plans to relocate to the site from...

Lynwood Place L.L.C.(bought Rocky Glen Office and Retail Complex)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2001... Lynwood Place L.L.C., Westport, purchased the Rocky Glen Office and Retail Complex, totaling more than 75,000 square feet of newly renovated office space, near exit 10 of Interstate 84 in Newtown. The Braverman Group, L.L.C., Westport, was the...

Pilot's fancy takes flight in Startford.(Morgan Kaolian)(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... For Morgan Kaolian, owner of Aero Inc., a Startford company that offers an array of aerial services such as photography, aircraft sales and biplane sky rides, "the worst thing about flying is that sooner or later, you have to land." "I got...

The Brunner-Winkle Bird.(aircraft)(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... Brunner-Winkle's first three-seat Bird -- there was built around 1928 in New York City. The plane was powered by an Ox-5 engine, similar to those which powered many of America's World War I air aircraft. Brunner-Winkle later switched to a more...

Partners combine job effort.(The Connecticut Business and Industry Association, CTJobs.com and the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges)(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... The adventure of finding the right employees for a business and that of job seekers looking for work just got a whole lot easier thanks to a new partnership involving The Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA), CTJobs.com and the...

Coca-Cola acquires Mad River brands.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... The Coca-Cola Co. has acquired Mad River Traders Inc. of Greenwich, a provider of unique teas, juices and premium carbonated soft drinks sold primarily in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northwest. Financial terms were not disclosed. ...

Moore accepts $2.6 million relocation package.(Moore Corporation Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... Connecticut has agreed to pay Moore Corporation Ltd. $2.6 million to entice the Toronto, Canada-based company to relocate its U.S. headquarters from Banockburn, Ill., to Stamford, a state official said. Of the total amount, $2.3 million...

XFL's fumbles underscore need for solid game plan.(extreme football league)(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... Many of the miscues that kill traditional businesses could be seen in the XFL football league, which succumbed earlier this month to weeks of record-low ratings. The XFL was owned by the Stamford-based World Wrestling Federation...

1830s technology gives Rocky Glen energy edge.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... The need for new sources of electrical power is one of the most pressing issues facing government leaders and the energy industry. Yet, it's not a problem at Rocky Glen, a 14-acre office and retail complex recently sold by the Braverman Group...

A plan for promoting energy efficiency.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... Most of American business would prosper under a policy framework that promotes energy efficiency and fosters sound environmental practices, according to the Center for a Sustainable Economy (CSE) in Washington, D.C. The center has released...

Jobless rate underscores vigor of state economy.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 21, 2001... While the national economy may have the shakes, the latest state figures show that Connecticut's economy remains robust. As of April 20, the unemployment rate was 1.9 percent; according to Mark Prisloe, chief economist at the state...

Psychic helps open minds to fresh ideas.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... Reg Byrd paced the hotel hallway, sum-morning the courage to knock on the door to the suite. His job called for him to meet with the psychic inside. "I was panicked," says Byrd, controller for Loew's Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego,...

McHale brothers are gnat-urals when it comes to taming pests.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... The dry, warm weather that has blessed the Northeast in recent weeks may be keeping the mosquitoes at bay, but they won't be held off for long. "There are some semi-permanent puddles that have dried up where mosquitoes would breed," said...

Debtors Anonymous helps big spenders control urge.
May 21, 2001... Scurrying inside out of the drizzle and darkness, one by one they stand in the doorway, scanning the room for familiar faces. Generous smiles and an occasional hug warm up the sterile surroundings of a public meeting space, and as they scoot...

Less costly expert financial advice is on the way.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... Imagine you're a scientist with a biotech company in the in the year 2005. You Make a good salary, but you want to be sure you're on the right track financially. So you decide to vi it a financial advisory firm recommended by our...

Mall launches new website to attract regional shoppers.(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... While most Internet sites are created to take advantage of the World Wide Web, the Stamford Town Center Mall on May 18 launched a website designed to reach the mall's thousands of customers in this region. "The site is designed to provide...

Major Employers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 21, 2001... Major Employers Ranked by number of employees in county Rank Name, address, phone number Top local executive and website Area code: 203 ...

W.B. Wood: a company built to last.(W.B. Wood Integrated Interiors Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 21, 2001... W.B. Wood Integrated Interiors Inc. has been outfitting offices in the tri-state region for nearly 100 years, surviving the Great Depression and other economic do turns with innovative thinking and prudent business practices. It was, says Lynn...