The Business Journal (Serving Greater Tampa Bay) articles from August 1998

The Business Journal (Serving Greater Tampa Bay) archives from August 1998

Blood bank consolidates under one roof. (Florida Blood Services)
August 28, 1998... Florida Blood Services, the Tampa Bay area's leading blood bank, has bought the 140,000-square-foot CCH Inc. building in St. Petersburg's Gateway area for $8.5 million. The deal was signed Aug. 24, said Don Doddridge, the blood bank's chief...

Lockheed plans bid for agency. (Lockheed Martin Corp.)
August 28, 1998... Efforts are under way to privatize the state's welfare eligibility and benefits program, and the government services subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp. appears to be emerging as the leading contender for what could become a multimillion-dollar...

Pennsylvania bank looks for growth in Bay area. (FNB Corp.)
August 28, 1998... FNB Corp., a bank holding company probably better known in Pennsylvania than Florida, is making a name for itself in the Tampa Bay area with the purchase of several community banks. The $3 billion concern is set to complete its buyout of...

Bacteria found in state's cattle herds.
August 28, 1998... Tampa Bay area cattle producers are expecting an increase in out-of-state shipping costs because of isolated bacteria problems on two farms in DeSoto and Clay counties. Local cattle ranchers and farmers also see no other way but to absorb...

Hospital loses tax decision. (Anclote Psychiatric Center Inc.)
August 28, 1998... WASHINGTON - A Tarpon Springs psychiatric center was ordered by a U.S. Tax Court judge to pay $453,000 in back taxes. Tax Court Judge Lawrence Wright's ruling upheld an Internal Revenue Service decision to strip Anclote Psychiatric Center...

Clearwater bottling business shows signs of growth. (AquaClara Bottling and Distribution Inc.)
August 28, 1998... Ex-San Francisco lawyer's AquaClara company injects oxygen into water to create premium product Some folks chase their dreams. John McAvoy ran from the law. The practice of law, that is. Fed up with long hours and less than grateful...

Aerosonic survives, excels in aircraft industry. (Aerosonic Corp.)
August 28, 1998... Nestled in Clearwater is one of the country s leading manufacturers of aircraft instrumentation and test equipment. Aerosonic Corp. supplies the private airline industry and the United States military, as well as foreign customers, with...

Vehicle retrofit gives disabled wheels. (customized vehicles for the handicapped)(Company Profile)
August 28, 1998... Company secures place as trusted auto customizer Customer service and keeping up with technology has helped B & R Mobility Services Inc. of Tampa stay in business and improve in an industry known for short-timers. B & R customizes vehicles...

Grand journey. (planned improvements for Port of Tampa)
August 21, 1998... Port begins largest campaign to grow as a center for trade An ambitious three-year plan is under way to turn the Port of Tampa into a world-class trading center. By all accounts, the $140 million capital improvement plan is the largest...

Tower Records owner sues Tampa firm. (MTS Inc's suit against Futurescape Inc)
August 21, 1998... The owner of the Tower Records chain of music, book and video stores has sued a Tampa company for allegedly using a similar Interact name for a Web site with links to adults-only sex sites. In a lawsuit filed July 22 in federal court in...

Travel industry at crossroads as small firms struggle. (Tampa Bay Area)(Special Report: Hospitality)
August 21, 1998... Airlines' commission cut creates fee system that may be driving travelers away from agencies High consumer confidence, low unemployment and cheap gas prices have led more people to plan trips this year, a great situation for navel agents....

Expect more hotel rooms in the area, expert says. (interview with The Plasencia Group owner Lou Plasencia)(Special Report: Hospitality)(Interview)
August 21, 1998... Consultant sees strong industry worthy of money from investors Tampa native Lou Plasencia is a veteran of the Florida hotel industry. After working for Hyatt. Plasencia was a real estate broker specializing in the hotel industry for Grubb &...

New president wants to target different audience. (Bok Tower Gardens Pres Robert P. Sullivan)(Special Report: Hospitality)
August 21, 1998... Bok Tower Gardens boss Sullivan wants to tap more into school-aged children's market When Bok Tower Gardens began looking for a new president, its board sought a leader with experience in the tourism, museum and public gardens industries....

Mystery themes keep corporate events lively.(Special Report: Hospitality)
August 21, 1998... Consultant comes up with themes, plots to keep business, social groups wondering whodunit Some businesspeople in the Tampa Bay area are dying to get Tom Denham to throw their next company party. By day, Denham works as a self-employed...

New hotel seen winning business for Jacksonville. (Adam's Mark Hotel in Florida)(Special Report: Hospitality)
August 21, 1998... JACKSONVILLE- With about 70 extended-stay companies peppering the Duval County landscape, there is a perception that the recently approved construction of the Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown Jacksonville is only adding to overbuilding in the...

Defense contracts propel tech company. (Aero Simulation Inc)
August 21, 1998... Mom & pop gets boost as minority contract firm Joe and Jill Fernandez work practically shoulder to shoulder most days in the small executive office the two share at Aero Simulation Inc. Married nearly two decades. the husband-and-wife team...

Eatery defeats port over tract. (case between Bay Inc. owners and Tampa Port Authority)
August 14, 1998... The Tampa Port Authority has failed in trial court to prove ownership over several hundred square feet of property claimed by the owners of a neighboring small business. In the adverse ruling, the port authority has been barred from...

Tampa Bay region assets, deposits rise. (banks)
August 14, 1998... Community-based banks talk a lot these days about growth opportunities following the multibillion-dollar merger between Barnett Banks Inc. and NationsBank Corp. But the proof is in the numbers, and so far the evidence has been solid. ...

Rebound camps firm puts Boggs on team. (baseball player Wade Boggs signs up with Rebound Sports Inc.)
August 14, 1998... Tampa Bay's most famous third baseman has signed up with Rebound Sports, a company trying to consolidate the growing-but-fragmented sports camp industry. Wade Boggs, one of the stars of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays lineup, recently invested in...

Ybor City transit service files to publicly trade stock. (Ybor City Shuttle Service Inc.)
August 14, 1998... The owners of a shuttle service that would offer college students rides to and from Ybor City on weekends are seeking to publicly trade stock in the ventura. Ybor City Shuttle Service Inc. has registered for a small business stock issue with...

AmSouth branches out. (AmSouth Bank expands in Tampa Bay area)
August 14, 1998... Bank begins breakout from Pinellas County beachhead AmSouth Bank wants to make itself a household name in the Tampa Bay area. To do that, though, it needs to become more balanced on both sides of the Bay. The Birmingham, Ala.-based...

Health care fight heats up. (case between Columbia/HCA HealthCare Corp. and United HealthCare Corp.)
August 14, 1998... In the latest round of a 10-month Tampa Bay area war, Columbia HCA/Healthcare Corp. has demanded $14.2 million from United HealthCare Corp. Columbia says United owes full charges - not discounted rates - for services provided to health plan...

Hospital closer to funding spine center. (James A. Haley Veterans Affairs Hospital)
August 14, 1998... James A. Haley Veterans Affairs Hospital in Tampa moved closer to a long-sought goal on Aug. 3 when the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill authorizing $20 million to build a 100-bed spinal cord injury center. The new,...

Sarasota-Bradenton tops job growth lists again. (American City Business Journals Inc.'s report on employment in Florida)
August 14, 1998... The Sarasota-Bradenton market has earned top billing for the second consecutive year as the nation's leader in job growth. A new report published by American City Business Journals Inc., parent of the Tampa Bay Business Journal, shows that...

Layoffs: Design Data sees sales soften. (Design Data Systems Corp)
August 7, 1998... A Clearwater software maker that ranks among the Tampa Bay area's fastest-growing private companies has laid off nearly one in seven of its employees. Design Data Systems Corp. let go of 10 employees more than a week ago, said Vice President...

Death industry consolidates. (Big Death)
August 7, 1998... Funeral home director Michael Adams pulled off quite a feat recently. Adams and his investors developed a 47-acre cemetery, funeral home and crematory in east Hillsborough County. It may not sound like a huge accomplishment. But it could...

Ybor project secures tenants. (Centro Ybor shopping center)
August 7, 1998... When the highly touted Centro Ybor entertainment and shopping center opens late next year, guests can expect to find one of the South' s hottest new restaurants, a comedy club, and a high-tech arcade backed by Sega and Steven Spielberg....

United Bank's parent company files IPO. (United Financial Holdings Inc plans for initial public offering)
August 7, 1998... The holding company for United Bank and Trust of St. Petersburg is looking to go public. United Financial Holdings Inc. recently filed registration papers with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public...

Hot tub firm regains its health. (Gatsby Spas)
August 7, 1998... When directors at Gatsby Spas named a new president and CEO last year, they hoped their choice could keep the company afloat. Sales figures at the portable spa company in Plant City had climbed, then plunged like an Olympian off a high dive....

Southern Commerce Bank goes online.
August 7, 1998... A small Tampa bank is venturing into high-tech territory once reserved only for giant institutions by introducing an Internet banking service designed specifically for small businesses. Southern Commerce Bank is launching its SCBank Online...

Group to court Canadian firms. (electronics industry)
August 7, 1998... Economic developers from the Tampa Bay area and other parts of Central Florida will venture to the Great White North next month in search of firms to locate along the burgeoning Interstate 4 high-tech corridor. As many as 25 business groups...

Health care stocks on critical list. (MedPartners Inc)
August 7, 1998... Physician practice managers' stock prices in free fall for past year MedPartners Inc., the nation's largest physician manager, suffered a 12.5 percent drop in its stock price last Tuesday. But shareholders, including son]e Tampa Bay area...