Austin Business Journal articles from December 1992

Austin Business Journal archives from December 1992

BIG help for small business. (Austin's Business In Growth program)
December 7, 1992... Judy Paul has $10,000 to expand her T-shirt design business, even though she lacked the standard collateral to earn such a loan. How did she get the cash? Paul pocketed the money by going to school and joining forces with some peers who will...

Silicon Valley envies Austin environment. (Austin business, government and education)
December 7, 1992... Austin may be a long way from becoming the next Silicon Valley, but it does have three advantages over the high-tech region of the West Coast: business, government and education. Not that the three alone are capable of sustaining the city's...

A Dell of two cities. (expansion plans of Austin-based Dell Computer Corp.)
December 7, 1992... Expansion plans While Austin officials craft an incentive package designed to keep Dell Computer Corp.'s expansion plans within city limits, Round Rock waits patiently in the wings with another offer. "What we've agreed to do is let Austin...

Conservation pays. (energy conservation in Austin, Texas)
December 7, 1992... When it comes to energy conservation incentives, money sure can talk. The city of Austin learned this rather quickly when it began offering rebates to apartment complex owners who install energy-saving fixtures in their units. Launched as a...

Unemployment down in Austin. (In Brief)
December 7, 1992... Austin had the state's second best unemployment rate for October, according to the Texas Employment Commission (TEC). Austin's rate of 4.5 percent fell just behind Bryan-College Station's 3.4 percent of the 27 Metropolitan Statistical Areas...

McCall successful heir to hair business. (Armstrong McCall's head John McCall)
December 7, 1992... John McCall has a legacy of both substance and style. McCall is the owner of Armstrong McCall, an Austin-based hair-care products company with operations that do everything from distribute shampoo to design hair salons from coast to coast...

AIDS: it's time for business. (employment of AIDS patients) (Editorial)
December 7, 1992... The problem of AIDS transcends boundaries and forces our attention to shift from day-to-day business matters so we may address one of the most pressing issues of our time. AIDS, like any catastrophic illness, can affect employers through...

Car repairs like mother used to make. (women car mechanics)
December 7, 1992... Julie Weismann-McClain admits sexism is a key to her business. Weismann-McClain owns Mom's Garage, a mechanic service that offers something no other grease monkey in town can -- a totally feminine view of repair. All the mechanics in Mom's...

Not a lot of lots remaining in Austin Area. (housing)
December 7, 1992... A low rate of platting activity in the last five years may have caused a shortage of lots. Builders such as Bill Milburn of the Bill Milburn Co. say they are running out of lots. "I can see the screws tightening," he said. By the summer of...

Multifamily housing good investment.
December 7, 1992... Austin apartment-dwellers' nightmares have become multifamily housing investors' dreams. Double-digit rent increases and high, stable occupancy levels make investing in multifamily housing an attractive prospect for investors. And because...

Ernst & Young will pay for bank failures.
December 14, 1992... $400 million settlement Federal banking officials say $35.8 million of a $400 million settlement paid by the accounting firm of Ernst & Young will be applied to the costs of the failure of three Austin banks and savings and loans. Ernst &...

Texas gets a jolt from cars. (commercialization of electric-powered vehicles)
December 14, 1992... Utility companies and private businesses are getting in on the ground floor of what could become a major economic boon to Texas: the development and commercialization of electric vehicles. Like a bolt out of the blue, this emerging technology...

Hospitals getting wired. (cable television systems in hospitals)
December 14, 1992... Got a complaint about your hospital room? Tell it to your television. That's a possibility at several major hospitals across the country and soon will be possible for patients at St. David's Hospital in Austin, thanks to Austin-based Cable...

Mexico prime motel market. (SuiteMark Inc. to do business in Mexico)
December 14, 1992... An Austin-based company believes cultural changes in Mexico have created an unfilled market niche -- motel accommodations for the middle class. So SuiteMark Inc., owners of AmeriSuite hotels, is heading south to fill the gap. Along the way,...

Auto industry coverage runs out of gas.
December 14, 1992... "I didn't realize Brian Capo was on retainer at the |Austin~ American-Statesman." That was the laughing reaction of Lindy Cannon, general manager of Van's Auto Parts stores in Austin, to a story written by the owner of Autosport Motoring...

Office supplies cater to demand. (office supply dealers and retailers) (Focus: Office Supplies) (Industry Overview)
December 14, 1992... The arrival of national discount office supply dealers in Austin has made selling pencils to pencil-pushers much more competitive than three years ago. While many small office suppliers were forced out of business and others reworked the way...

Copiers do more and take less time. (Focus: Office Supplies)
December 14, 1992... Copier users in the fast lane have at least two high-speed, high-volume machines to choose from, the Sharp SD 3075 or the Risograph. The Sharp machine, handled by Dahill Industries Inc. in Austin, uses improvements on standard copy technology...

Deck the malls. (shopping malls increase advertising budget in anticipation of a better Christmas season)
December 21, 1992... Christmas shopping For sale: Three malls containing every product and entertainment imaginable, plus a good time. In a nutshell, that's the classified advertising version of what the three Austin regional malls would like you to think this...

Tank farm relocation may be paid at pump. (Austin, Texas)
December 21, 1992... Oil and gas industry representatives predict gasoline price hikes will follow the departure of oil companies from the controversial East Austin storage tank area. An informal survey of oil corporation officials, service station owners and...

McMorris makes tracks. (McMorris Downtown Ford, Austin, Texas)
December 21, 1992... When the boss says move, you move. Just ask McMorris Ford. The Austin-area Ford dealer will leave its site at 808 W. Sixth Street next year and relocate to a newly constructed, $2.3 million dealership at 5000 S. I-35. That general area has...

Services take charge of credit card debt. (debt management services) (Focus on Personal Debt & Financial Planning)
December 21, 1992... A failing economy in the late 1980s combined with increasing consumer credit availability has caused a run on debt management services. Much of the business for Credit Services of Austin comes from those people about to emerge from the doldrums...

Financial planners offer special options. (Focus on Personal Debt & Financial Planning)
December 21, 1992... A wide variety of specialization can make choosing a financial planner fairly confusing. Many planners specialize in types of planning, such as retirement or education funds for children, said Nan S. Mead, director of communications for the...