The Business Journal (Serving Greater Tampa Bay) articles from November 1994

The Business Journal (Serving Greater Tampa Bay) archives from November 1994

Telephone access fight shaping up: competitors such as MFS, GTE marshal their forces at Capitol.
November 25, 1994... Anyone wondering why telecommunications companies are flocking to the Bay Area, and all of Florida, need only look to Tallahassee. An immense battle to deregulate local telephone service is shaping up in Florida's capital, pitting the newly...

Homebuilder goes where no one has gone before. (Ronzetti Land Development and Building Corp.)
November 25, 1994... Homebuilder Duke Ronzetti, hoping to build a new-home development amid Cypress Lakes and bike trails, has purchased 650 acres in northern Pasco County. But rather than building in one of Pasco's fast-growing housing corridors, Ronzetti Land...

TIA packs in new retailers with opening of new terminal. (Tampa International Airport)
November 25, 1994... The new passenger terminal at Tampa International Airport will feature an array of big-name food retailers, including a sweet newcomer to the Bay Area. Cinnabon, a popular chain which sells cinnamon buns, will open its first store in the...

Opus Corp. loses two buildings to foreclosure.
November 25, 1994... Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance has foreclosed on two 400,000-square-foot office buildings in the Westshore district after their owner failed to meet mortgage obligations. An Opus Corp. joint venture with American Linen called ALSCOR owed...

Mortgage firms retreat with layoffs, closings.
November 25, 1994... In the latest consolidation to hit the mortgage banking business, New York-based Citicorp Mortgage Inc. has closed its Bay Area office, laid off seven employees and abandoned the West Coast of Florida. At the same time, Illinois-based...

Electronic sign firm displays energetic performance. (HiTech Electronic Sign Co.) (Company Profile)
November 25, 1994... It has seen revenue grow five-fold in just the past few years Ralph Paonessa III started Clearwater-based HiTech Electronic Sign Co. in 1984 with only $2,500 in hand. The electronic sign hardware and software manufacturer is now on its way...

Bay Area loses a little of its pro-growth reputation; but attitudes and regulatory climate differ considerably around region. (Real Estate Monthly)
November 25, 1994... The general perception of the Bay Area as a thoroughly pro-development region has been diminishing lately, largely because of increased regulation. The paperwork that businesses must complete is repetitive, cumbersome and time-consuming,...

How's business? Depends on who and where you ask; thumbs up in Polk, Pasco and Manatee, but opinions differ elsewhere. (Tampa Bay Area) (Real Estate Monthly)
November 25, 1994... How has economic development been progressing lately in the Bay Area? It depends on who you ask, and their answer will likely depend largely on the specific locale in which they do business. Ask people in Manatee, Pasco or Polk counties,...

Tech Data: does it have cash flow woes? (includes related article)
November 11, 1994... Not according to a close look at its books Tech Data Corp., one of the fastest-growing computer parts distributors in the nation, received its first blemish when public company enemy No. 1, Howard Schilit, questioned the company's health....

Rising paper prices - bad news for newspapers.
November 11, 1994... Steep increases in the price of paper have squeezed the Bay Area newspaper and printing industries just as they had begun to benefit from the revived national economy. While the increases are simply a matter of demand finally catching up...

Troubled title agency, underwriter part ways. (American Surety Title Agency)
November 11, 1994... A Bay Area title insurance company has drawn the attention of the state Department of Insurance, the latest in a string of firms in the industry to do so in recent months. Although a formal investigation has not started, the agency said it...

As the election dust clears, what does it all mean? (election results in Florida)
November 11, 1994... A sampling of opinions from business leaders around the Bay Area As the results of the election tend to show, there are about as many opinions out there as there are voters. To put the election results in some kind of perspective, the...

Battle brewing between developer and non-profits. (housing policy)
November 11, 1994... Some of the participants in the fight between private developers and non-profit organizations for affordable housing dollars appear ready to take off their gloves. Although these developers acknowledged the non-profits provide a valuable...

Publications. (Tampa Bay Area)(tabular data only) (Directory)
November 11, 1994... BOSTON, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing its steady growth in the fast-moving personal computer faxmodem marketplace, Zoom Telephonics, Inc., (Nasdaq: ZOOM) today announced record sales for 1994, an increase of 23.4% over 1993 sales....

Hospital ownership group grows according to plan. (Dynamic Health Inc.)
November 11, 1994... Dynamic Health Inc. shops carefully, but wastes no time making buys If 3-year-old Dynamic Health Inc. of Tampa has its way, it will one day be known as the Wal-Mart of hospital corporations. That certainly sounds ambitious, but Dynamic is...

For heart surgery, the competition begins early. (Tampa Bay Area hospitals)
November 11, 1994... U.S. unveiled Global Information Infrastructure (GII) policy Wed., stressing less regulation, private control and collaboration among nations to make sophisticated data and services as accessible as telephone. Vice President Gore said...

Reflectone Inc. (proxy report excerpts)
November 11, 1994... Cal. PUC revoked Sonic Communications' authority to offer long distance service, saying company has failed to file user fees, universal lifeline telephone service fees and annual financial reports. Commission said it has received more than...

It's no mirage: area retailers find market in the desert. (Tampa Bay, Florida retailers Beall's Department Stores Inc., Fletcher Music Centers Inc. and Robb & Stucky Ltd. expand to Phoenix, Arizona)
November 4, 1994... Phoenix, they all confirm, is one hot spot For some Bay Area retailers, the closest thing to home is Phoenix. Striking similarities between Florida's Gulf Coast and the Arizona capital have prompted a trio of local retailers to select the...

Bond deal dies, college looks to $16.5M loan. (planned Tarpon Springs, Florida osteopathic college's inability to sell $13.4 Pinellas County-backed bonds seeks $16.5 private financing loans)
November 4, 1994... A planned osteopathic college in Tarpon Springs, stymied by an inability to sell $13.4 million in Pinellas County-backed bonds, is preparing to announce a $16.5-million private financing loan. If the deal goes through, construction could...

Property owners find preservation plan taxing. (owners of historic properties in Tampa Bay, Florida)
November 4, 1994... The savings promised are an all-too-often iffy proposition A City of Tampa program that grants tax exemptions to owners of historic properties who restore their buildings has left some landlords frustrated and feeling cheated. The program,...

Prudential finding new clients as dispute nears arbitration. (Prudential Health Care System of Tampa Bay)
November 4, 1994... While a doctors' group "fired" by Prudential Health Care System of Tampa Bay prepares to go into arbitration over $6 million in back-pay claims, Prudential says newly signed companies will more than make up for the business it lost due to the...

Medical supply maker sold to Atlanta concern. (Contour Medical Inc.; Retirement Care Associates Inc.)
November 4, 1994... A 65-employee St. Petersburg medical manufacturer has been acquired in a $4 million stock deal by a company that manages about 60 retirement and nursing homes in the Southeast United States. Atlanta-based Retirement Care Associates Inc....

Davel makes third big acquisition of 1994. (Davel Communications Group Inc.; Cherokee Communications)
November 4, 1994... Davel Communications Group Inc., a fast-growing public pay phone owner and operator, has acquired a bank of several hundred pay phones in Iowa for $1.7 million from Jacksonville, Texas-based Cherokee Communications Inc. The cash deal, which...

Habitat for Humanity to build 26-unit development. (Habitat for Humanity in Atlanta Inc.; 26-home subdivision in Tampa Bay, Florida)
November 4, 1994... The subdivision represents the group's first large-scale project locally Tampa Habitat For Humanity Inc., positioning itself to become a major player in the low-income housing market, has developed plans for a 26-home subdivision. Hope...

Polk welcomes the future but doesn't toss out past. (Special Report: Polk County)
November 4, 1994... Much is changing in Polk County. Although still deeply entrenched in phosphate mining, citrus and tourism, Polk is in the middle of a campaign to diversify. And at the heart of that drive is a plan to become the energy center of Florida....

Council, born of hard times, pulls for turnaround. (Central Florida Development Council) (Special Report: Polk County)
November 4, 1994... Just a few years ago, Polk County was in sad economic shape. Central Florida's citrus crops had suffered a string of freezes, the phosphate industry was in the dumps, and Piper Aircraft, one of the county's largest private employers, closed...

Partnership of business and education is for real. (Special Report: Polk County)
November 4, 1994... A lot of places talk about it, but here is an example that's working You can't talk about education in Polk County without talking about business and partnerships. Business is heavily involved in developing curriculum at all levels of...

Largest employers provide stability and growth. (Special Report: Polk County)
November 4, 1994... On list of the Top 25, government, above all, just keeps growing Four of the top 10 spots on the Business Journal's list of Polk County's top employers are government agencies, a segment of the county's economy that has grown by more than 9%...