Austin Business Journal articles from January 1993

Austin Business Journal archives from January 1993

Mauro wants tax on beverage containers. (Texas Land Commissioner Garry Mauro)
January 4, 1993... In some circles, the mere suggestion of beverage container deposits might as well be fighting words. Beverage distributors and retail grocers -- both armed with strong lobbying groups -- stridently oppose mandatory deposits on beer and soft...

Lottery sellers dropping out. (lottery ticket vendors dwindle)
January 4, 1993... Game a loser for small fry Despite the phenomenal success of the Texas Lottery, with initial sales pushing national records, not every business has been thrilled with the games. In fact, some retailers have taken their cash registers and...

Radian designs nuclear waste facility. (Radian Corp.)
January 4, 1993... Go West, nuclear waste, and find your resting place For the last two months, a team of about 20 Radian Corp. engineers have been huddled over a drawing board designing what ultimately will provide Texas with its own low-level radioactive waste...

Product color: secret to higher sales. (Color Marketing Group)
January 4, 1993... Every Christmas for the last 20 years, Aunt Ginny has given you white socks. But this year, she comes up with a purplish-pink ice chest. Why? Maybe the color made her do it. In some ways that are subtle and others that are completely obvious,...

Fit employees fatten corporate profits. (Focus: Get Fit for the New Year)
January 4, 1993... Curbing the skyrocketing costs of health care and insurance and improving morale are good reasons for companies to encourage employees' good health. Three area companies, Dell Computer Corp., Apple Computer Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc.,...

Selling fitness means finding the niche. (Future Firm) (Focus: Get Fit for the New Year)
January 4, 1993... Knowing what a physically fit Austinite wants and targeting marketing strategies to those desires keeps Austin fitness centers fiscally fit. Future Firm, an Austin-based workout center, thrives on crowds, said spokesman Brian Monshower, general...

Working with AIDS. (bias against employees with AIDS)
January 11, 1993... A business matter Five years ago, Mary Moreno's life couldn't have been much better. She was advancing in her job with the city of Austin, having reached a management position in her department. Her advancement was due in part to the master's...

Money issues top the agenda. (73rd Texas Legislature)(includes related article on lobbying ethic law)
January 11, 1993... The 73rd Legislature Business lobbyists have vowed to focus their sights on school financing, the state budget, product liability and health care during the 73rd Texas Legislature, which kicks off its 140-day session Tuesday (Jan. 12). This...

Senate Bill 3: a family affair. (employment provision for family leaves)
January 11, 1993... What do IBM Corp., Pitney Bowes Inc. and Aetna Life & Casualty Co. have in common? The three major corporations, all with Austin offices, offer generous family leave policies. IBM leads the pack with a three-year, unpaid leave option for its...

Texas gets a 'reel' boost from the movies. (filming on location in Texas)
January 11, 1993... Even after the hero rides into the sunset and the house lights are raised, some moviegoers are staying glued to their seats awaiting the final plot twist on 1992's film offerings: the credits. That twist is found under the words "Filmed on...

Covering the world without wires. (wireless telephones) (Telecommunications: Key to Beating Competitors) (Industry Overview)
January 11, 1993... Major U.S. telecommunications companies are wired up for a high-stakes journey in search of the wireless phone market. The goal is to establish world-wide pocket-phone communications by the turn of the century. The journey began four years ago...

Call centers offering quicker service. (telephone answering service) (Telecommunications: Key to Beating Competitors) (Industry Overview)
January 11, 1993... The software has crashed and monthly reports are due in an hour. The software package lists an 800 number to call for help. You dial. "All agents are busy, please hold. Your call will be answered in the order it was received," a recorded voice...

Keeping competitive in telecommunications. (Telecommunications: Key to Beating Competitors) (Industry Overview)
January 11, 1993... Offering unique products or bettering those sold by the competition are essential to staying ahead in a tight telecommunications market. Long-distance service providers like American Telco and Metromedia Communications Corp. are scrambling to...

East side story. (reconstructing the east side of Austin, Texas)
January 18, 1993... Revitalization project It's not hard for Gene Watkins to see a future that lifts East Austin beyond the old service station, the ramshackle hamburger joint and block after block of boarded-up houses. Watkins points to the aging filling...

Bank books bulging. (growth of banks in Austin, Texas) (Industry Overview)
January 18, 1993... A positive trend Reflecting a trend across the nation, Austin's banks are getting stronger every quarter with surging profits. According to Veribanc Inc., a Wakefield, Mass., financial institution information company, Austin banks made more...

Austin lenders lead the state. (two highest ranking lenders found in Austin, Texas)
January 18, 1993... Small businesses complain that 1992 was a dark year for financing but Austin may have seen a glimmer of light. According to fiscal year-end reports from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) district based in San Antonio, Austin was home...

Settlement reached in Schlotzsky's suit. (Schlotzsky's Franchising Limited Partnership)
January 18, 1993... Three men who invested in Schlotzsky's Franchising Limited Partnership have swallowed their differences with the managing partners and settled $25 million in lawsuits. And year-end company figures suggest the taste may have not been all that...

Workforce changes target of legislation. (work laws to upgrade skills of workers)
January 18, 1993... Two things to remember in 1993: Cheap labor is out, skilled workers are in. Twenty years ago, a report containing that bit of advice would have garnered little more response than "so what?" But time and technology have changed all of that....

Finding patent success. (patents of Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp. and Sematech)
January 18, 1993... Thomas Dolbear was a fresh-faced 23 year old when he landed a job at Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp. (MCC). Now, four and a half years later, Dolbear holds the honor of being one of MCC's youngest patent holders. Make that three...

Waste disposal a costly prescription. (medical waste management) (Business Experts Solve Environmental Problems)
January 18, 1993... Syringes in the sand. That's what Texas hospitals hope never to find on Texas beaches. But the expense of getting rid of medical waste can be staggering. Two of Austin's largest hospitals each pay approximately $100,000 a year to dispose of...

Lenders wish to avoid cleanup costs. (liability of lenders on contaminated property) (Business Experts Solve Environmental Problems)
January 18, 1993... A loosening of liability for lenders who foreclose on environmentally contaminated property has not led to more relaxed lending, Austin experts say. In April 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a revised rule that relieved...

New rules aim for asbestos abatement. (Texas Department of Health new set of rules on asbestos) (Business Experts Solve Environmental Problems)
January 18, 1993... On Oct. 6, 1992, the new Texas Department of Health (TDH) published regulations (25 TAC 289.141-157) in the Texas Register to govern the management of asbestos in public buildings and the licensing of asbestos contractors and consultants. These...

Local facilities good at meeting needs. (meeting facilities in Austin, Texas)
January 18, 1993... Smaller groups looking for meeting space in Austin have several choices for accommodations. Among them are the Joe C. Thompson Conference Center at the University of Texas-Austin, which has rooms for 20 to 260 people, said Diana Dobson, a...

Presentations are getting more graphic. (business presentations)
January 18, 1993... Two-dimensional presentations just don't cut it anymore in a world accustomed to "Star Wars" graphics. In fact, meeting experts said, dull, flat graphics placed in front of a television generation leads to low retention rates and audience...

KHFI-FM changes hands with frequency. (acquisition by Clear Channel Communications Inc.)
January 25, 1993... On the radio Maybe KHFI-FM 96.7 should have been named SOLD-FM. The Top 40 hits radio station, currently No. 2 in the Austin Arbitron rankings, has been sold -- pending federal approval -- to the parent of another Austin radio station,...

Home-equity battle brewing. (lobbying efforts of Texas Bankers Association and Texas Association of Realtors)
January 25, 1993... With both sides taking a consumer-interest stance, the banking and real estate industries are arming their respective forces for a potential battle that could determine the future of home-equity lending in Texas. The Texas Bankers Association...

Predictions are good for Austin. (economic forecasts; Austin, Texas)
January 25, 1993... Economic growth expected Prognosticators are putting roses in Austin's economic future. Two economists predict Austin's economy will grow at a 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent rate in 1993, with strength in the real estate and service industries....

Office market shifts to favor landlords. (Leasing Resource Book) (Industry Overview)
January 25, 1993... Space filling, rents rising The consistent factor in Austin's office building market is change. The real estate market can best be described as cyclical and this also holds true for components that comprise the real estate industry. Changes...

Local stores fight to survive the giants. (Leasing Resource Book) (Industry Overview)
January 25, 1993... Some think mom-and-pop retailers are done for, in the end How does the under-developed kid survive with the bully on the playground every day? He finds a different punch. It's no different in retailing, according to Austin merchants who do...

Retail sales rising, rents to climb too. (retail property market) (Leasing Resource Book) (Industry Overview)
January 25, 1993... Retail market overview As the Resolution Trust Corp. (RTC) completes the disposition of its retail space, we see a familiar pattern emerging. As with multifamily and other major market groups, the trophy properties moved quickly, followed by...

Phar-Mor closures leave huge hole. (Leasing Resource Book)
January 25, 1993... 300,000 square feet dumped onto market The buyers, sellers and brokers for five empty spaces in Austin may be assuming new positions in tenant negotiations. No matter what their role, however, they see it as "just a matter of time" before the...

Stable growth fills best retail centers. (Leasing Resource Book) (Industry Overview)
January 25, 1993... Tenants advised to lock into long-term leases Ghost town shopping centers may have more than a ghost of a chance of being filled with tenants over the next couple of years. As prime retail locations are snapped up by investors, more and more...

Northwest Austin top retail hot spot. (retail property market in Austin, Texas) (Leasing Resource Book) (Industry Overview)
January 25, 1993... Investors show high interest but few properties are on the market Go west, young retailers. Northwest, that is. Real estate experts agreed the hottest spot in Austin for retail expansion is in the northwest area, home to the Arboretum and...

National retailers flocking to Austin. (Austin, Texas) (Leasing Resource Book) (Industry Overview)
January 25, 1993... Discounters, grace and speciality retailers come here to grow As Austin's retail market recovers from the great bust of the mid-1980s, national retailers are finding an eager base of customers here for their newest locations. Retail real...