Austin Business Journal articles from April 1992

Austin Business Journal archives from April 1992

OSHA regs weigh cost of rules vs. lives. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration's rules on handling of bodily fluids to protect health-care workers)
April 6, 1992... At a time when the cost of health care is dominating the public agenda, a slew of new federal regulations may add $813 million a year to the costs of businesses related to the field. But the regulations are also expected to save thousands of...

Self-help law: yeas and nays. (low-cost and accessible non-lawyer legal services)
April 6, 1992... Gary Calabretta wanted a quick and easy way to incorporate his retail business and he wanted it done right. So he did it himself. Calabretta walked into the Pro Se Law Center one Thursday night, picked up a book on Texas corporations and filled...

At last, the perfect semiconductor. (Motorola Inc.'s 200-millimeter semiconductor chips) (Advanced Technology Industry Report)
April 6, 1992... On April 1, Motorola's MOS 11 silicon wafer manufacturing facility in Oak Hill shipped its first semiconductor chips to a customer, six months ahead of schedule. When Bill Walker, Motorola vice president and director of MOS 11, sketched plans...

Virtual instruments a real success. (National Instruments Corp.'s innovations in computer software) (Advanced Technology Industry Report) (Company Profile)
April 6, 1992... One day in 1976 three electronic engineers at the University of Texas' Applied Research Labs decided to branch off on their own. Their specialty, they agreed after a straw vote, would be to make it possible for instruments and computers to talk...

Medicine + technology = profits. (use of hardware and software to stimulate and track abnormal heartbeats) (Advanced Technology Industry Report)
April 6, 1992... Sometimes, the difference between life and death is purely rhythm. According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 deaths a year can be attributed to variations in the rhythm of the heart. An Austin company is on the driving edge...

Austin rides crest of Silicon Hills. (Austin surpasses Silicon Valley, California as an advanced technology center) (Advanced Technology Industry Report) (Industry Overview)
April 6, 1992... Austin has emerged as second only to Silicon Valley in California as an advanced technology center. Just call us the Silicon Hills. Firms involved in artificial intelligence; microelectronics research, development and manufacturing;...

Radian repairs air, earth and water. (environmental engineering and consulting services) (Advanced Technology Industry Report) (Company Profile)
April 6, 1992... You never know where a taste of Texas will turn up. Take a drink of water in Roja, India, or Jooetsu, Japan. Take a breath of air in Taiwan, in Sydney, Mexico City or even Houston. You're sampling the handiwork of Radian Corp. In each locale,...

Kingpins of low prices, top service. (Dell Computer Corp.; CompuAdd Computer Corp.) (Advanced Technology Industry Report)
April 6, 1992... It's hard to argue with success, even when the paths to reach it diverge as dramatically as do those followed by Austin's premier home-grown computer manufacturers, Dell Computer Corp. and CompuAdd Computer Corp. But first the similarities....

Arch rivals IBM, Apple team up. (International Business Machines Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. to jointly develop a new microprocessor) (Advanced Technology Industry Report)
April 6, 1992... 1991 was a big year for Planet Earth. The communists had an abortive coup in Moscow that failed to derail the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Oh, yes. And computer giants IBM and Apple, previously unintelligible to one another in every...

Barter system goes modern. (Barter Exchange Inc.) (Company Profile)
April 13, 1992... There's either a revolution or an invasion of computer "nerds" going on in an industry that has a major player based in Austin. Bartering is one of the world's oldest ways of doing business. But it's no longer a chicken for a doctor's visit...

Heart center opens. (HCA South Austin Medical Center opens cardiovascular center)
April 13, 1992... There's about to be more heart in South Austin. HCA South Austin Medical Center is about to open a cardiovascular center, Travis County's first heart-oriented treatment center south of the Colorado River. Austin's medical community already...

Lexus employees learn about luxury. (Lexus of Austin's customer relations policy)
April 13, 1992... "No one buys a Rolex to tell time. Or a mink coat to stay warm. Or a luxury car for transportation." That's the short version of the Lexus philosophy, and the reason Lexus is one of the marques on the leading edge of change in business. The...

Women in architecture: razing barriers, building careers. (Focus: Architecture)
April 13, 1992... Although the number of women entering the traditionally male bastion of architecture rises every day, twice as many women in America make their living as doctors or lawyers than by designing buildings. The American Institute of Architects (AIA)...

IBM's attitude sells. (competitive attitude)
April 20, 1992... While IBM captured national headlines when it reported losing $2.8 billion in 1991 -- it's first-ever deficit -- an Austin arm of the giant New York-based firm ran against the tide of bad news by racking up sales of $250 million and coming out on...

Six flags over Foley's? (amusement, entertainment and personal services offered by shopping malls to attract customers) (Industry Overview)
April 20, 1992... How about Dillard's Disney Land? Or Putt and Shop? Although the names sound silly, retail analysts and local shopping mall managers say they reflect the future trend for American shopping malls. Just having stores won't be enough, they say. A...

Environmental booster. (Texas Air Control Board environmental education program for small businesses) (Focus: Business and the Environment)
April 20, 1992... Many businesses would like to cut down on their waste, become more efficient and help improve the quality of the environment, but they just don't have the necessary information. The Texas Air Control Board (TACB) will fill that void with its...

First City, Texas going, going .... (First City Bancorporation of Texas Inc.'s financial health)
April 20, 1992... Any day now, First City, Texas is expecting a financial savior to pull it from the mire of bad loans that are dragging the holding company down to levels that call for banks to be taken over by the government. But the nominees for the savior's...

Dell set to sell in the new Europe. (Michael Dell of Dell Computer Corp.)
April 20, 1992... Would Michael Dell be willing to trade some computers for a cold brew? That may be the type of question Dell Computer Corp. of Austin faces as it establishes a beachfront in Eastern and Central Europe, where countries moving further into the...

Air, water best of Texas metro areas. (Focus: Business and Environment)
April 20, 1992... Environmentalists and real estate developers in Austin agree on at least one thing. They believe the quality of life here is better than any other city in the state. But is it? Whether Austin's highly touted live music venues or scenic...

Solar homes save money - and no longer look odd. (Business and the Environment)
April 20, 1992... Want to save anywhere from a third to half of your electric bill and help save the environment in the process? Think solar. This isn't some pie-in-the-sky idea about converting completely to solar energy and it doesn't involve doing business...

Buy Greater Austin via catalog? (list of local businesses)
April 27, 1992... The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce is considering coming into your home. The move wouldn't be a violation of your privacy, but an attempt to get you to Buy Greater Austin in the way Americans do their shopping more and more these days....

Friendly guides for novice exporters. (services of Expedition Company) (Company Profile)
April 27, 1992... With politics so prevalent in 1992, a pair of Austin businessmen have launched a new venture with a page right out of the candidates' handbook: They're promising the world. Parts of it, anyway. The venture is called The Expedition Company,...

$1 billion lottery attracts 7-Eleven.
April 27, 1992... When it comes to the Texas lottery, there's a fine line between what you may want to hear and what you will be allowed to hear. But it's a line at least one major retailer is eager to walk. Historically, 7-Eleven convenience stores are lottery...

The paper trail: check processing. (Austin Clearing House Association)
April 27, 1992... About $1 billion passes through one small Austin office each month. And odds are, part of it is your money. The money's not actually cash, but checks written by thousands of Austin residents. Eight of the 21 financial institutions in Austin...

NationsBank gets SBA lender status. (Small Business Administration)
April 27, 1992... NationsBank has received a certification that will allow it to make quick loans to qualified small businesses. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has noted NationsBank's success with small-business loans by naming it a certified...

Patients avoid hospital beds. (Focus: Health Care)
April 27, 1992... Austin is in the forefront of the movement to shift most hospital services to an outpatient basis. Led by remarkable advances in medical technology and procedures and by the need for hospitals, insurance companies and individuals to cut costs...

Austin retailers: no yen to bash Japan. (Industry Overview)
April 27, 1992... Small firms find big markets capitalizing on Western craze AUSTIN -- Several Austin retailers say they have no time for the current popular trend of Japan-bashing. They're too busy raking in the yen. While many American business people peg...