Austin Business Journal articles from July 2001

Austin Business Journal archives from July 2001

Earful going public.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Audiobooks chain executing merger with Austin company Two Austin companies are pulling off an unusual marriage. Earful of Books Inc., a chain of audiobook stores, was to have become a public company through a reverse merger July 5 with...

Occupancy rate drops.(Austin, Texas, office space)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 6, 2001... Report indicates office space occupancy at 85 percent citywide Austin's office occupancy has dropped to 85 percent citywide and an even lower 78 percent in the Far Northwest area, according to a new report. "It's safe to say that our...

AMD: High-stakes contest.(Advanced Micro Devices could place new plant in Central Texas)
July 6, 2001... Many of the region's boldest and brightest, most notable and most quiet have been giving it their all to lure Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s next chip fabrication plant to Central Texas. While the players have the same end goal in mind -- to...

A star in the Star kitchen.(Chef Ron Brannon becomes Star Canyon executive chef)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... To the delight of some local palettes, Chef Ron Brannon has returned to Austin. He's accepted the executive chef position at Star Canyon, a ranch-themed restaurant in one of the city's renovated historic hotels. Some might remember Brannon...

Hot seats.(Furniture Marketing Group fire drill)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Corporate furniture supplier Furniture Marketing Group Inc. lit a fire under its employees with a surprise fire drill and pep rally recently. The Austin Fire Department helped kick off FMG's three-month sales and marketing campaign by...

Not a scratch-off game.(Texas has 85 species of mosquitoes)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 6, 2001... Austin may have the largest urban bat population in North America, but the creatures' voracious appetites for bugs failed to keep the city off the Top 10 list for "itchiest" places. B.F. Ascher & Co. Inc. recently named Austin the eighth...

Matches, anyone?(Spark Academy opens in Austin, Texas)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Austin's creative community welcomed an extra sparkle to its Fourth of July celebrations this week. A new Austin-area design school chose the nation's birthday as the day to launch its opening -- complete with distribution of boxes of free...

Tech Stars: The Next Generation.(NexTech Summit to be held in Austin, Texas)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... In spite of Austin's reputation for heat in July -- and despite the current economic downturn -- the next generation of technology workers is on its way to town, for a short visit anyway. A summit designed to bring technology inclined high...

New kid on the block.(Van Slyke and Company Marketing Communications)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... A new marketing and advertising firm has arrived on the scene to cater to small and midsized businesses. Van Slyke and Co. taps into Austin's network of freelancers to perform ad work, resulting in less overhead. Dirk Van Slyke, a veteran...

Revved up.(Autostrade U.S.A., new sports car dealership)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 6, 2001... German drivers have the Autobahn, Italians have the Autostrada and Austin has I-35. But for those Austin drivers who dream about escaping I-35, they can make their way to an autostrada in the heart of Central Texas -- Autostrada U.S.A., a...

Minneapolis firm buys Askew/Reese.(NorthMarq Capital)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... DALLAS -- Minneapolis-based NorthMarq Capital Inc. has acquired Dallas-based Askew/Reese Investment Co., the third-largest mortgage banking firm based in the Metroplex. The deal gives NorthMarq an additional $630 million in annual loan...

Online obit firm gains $7.5M in VC.(funding of business enterprise Final Arrangements)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... HOUSTON -- Houston-based Final Arrangements has raised $7.5 million in third-round funding. Final Arrangements is the Parent company of Arrangeonline.com, which operates the National Obituary Archive and is the world's largest publisher of...

Software company files for Chapter 11.(Sevis Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... SAN ANTONIO -- Sevis Systems Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after failing to secure its latest round of private equity financing to keep the software company afloat. Sevis officially shut down in March after laying off...

BridgePoint acquires firm.(OnQ Technology)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 6, 2001... Semiconductor services provider expands by buying Colorado packaging company BridgePoint Technical Manufacturing Inc. is expanding outside Austin for the first time, thanks to the purchase of a Colorado company. BridgePoint, a...

Company targets Austin.(Invesmart Inc. could consolidate services)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 6, 2001... Central Texas may benefit from office consolidation planned by Pittsburgh investment firm Austin could be the location for one of three or four consolidated back offices proposed by a Pittsburgh-based retirement planning company. ...

Cleaning up in Austin.(Austin HDC Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Franchisee bringing new concept for environmentally friendly cleaning to area An Austin entrepreneur is bringing a new method of environmentally friendly garment cleaning to Central Texas. Austin HDC Ltd. owns rights to local...

Trilogy gives up space.(Trilogy Software Inc. seeks tenant to assume lease of corporate buildings)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Software company seeks tenant to assume lease at headquarters along 360 Trilogy Software Inc. is seeking a tenant to take over the lease at its Austin headquarters so the company can consolidate to leased offices nearby. Trilogy's...

Austin at heart of push by British tech company.
July 6, 2001... Austin is at the center of a British company's emphasis on a new business model. At a June 28 meeting, RMR PLC's board began discussions on how to expand the company's business, from producing online conferences to licensing conferencing...

GCI Read-Poland merging with Jennifer Hill PR.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... GCI Read-Poland is merging Jennifer Hill Public Relations into its Texas operations to form a new consumer marketing and media group. Financial terms weren't disclosed. GCI Read-Poland is a public relations and public affairs consulting...

Aperian moving from E. Austin to NW Austin.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Aperian Inc. is moving its main Austin office from East Seventh Street to space it already occupies in Northwest Austin. In June, Aperian announced it would move its headquarters to Phoenix as part of a merger with Fourthstage Technologies...

Partnership in California buys Austin office building.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... A California investment partnership has purchased an Austin office building leased entirely to the State of Texas. Randall Beaman, a broker with Austin real estate firm The DuPont Group confirms the Texas Real Estate Commission building at...

IBM Corp. (Raleigh/Durham).(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... IBM Corp., the crown jewel of the area's technology sector, perhaps won't be shining quite s brightly. For weeks, Big Blue quietly has been drastically cutting contract workers at its Research Triangle Park campus -- the company's largest...

Hewlett-Packard Co. (San Jose).(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... With one of the Silicon Valley's most effective corporate evangelists at its helm, Hewlett-Packard Co. has an ironic, problem: weak marketing. The 62-year-old company has enjoyed almost uninterrupted success, and the garage where HP...

Teradyne Inc. (Boston).(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Boston-based Teradyne Inc. transformed its business so it no longer would be a traditional semiconductor equipment maker solely dependent on the volatile whims of the semiconductor market. The plan...

Intel Corp. (Washington D.C.).(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Chipmaking giant Intel Corp. is shopping around its 73,000-square-foot data center, sources say, as several other companies -- including Sprint Corp., InfoCrossing Inc., Broadwing Inc. and Cable & Wireless PLC -- cancel or scale back plans for...

Law firms in Austin cast an eye toward Houston.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Silicon Valley law firms already active tech-heavy Austin now have accelerated their search for new technology clients in Houston. Four California firms with Austin offices have conducted business in Houston before, but three are doing more...

Texas vs. California: the view from Silicon Valley.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Californians angry at Texas energy companies sometimes characterize the Lone Star State as a sea of rednecks and oil companies -- a view that overlooks the state's emergence as a significant high tech center second only to the Golden State. ...

AMD trio to carry big weight on plant decision.(Advanced Micro Devices Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Although his replacement is waiting in the wings, Jerry Sanders isn't a lame duck. Sanders, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices Inc., has designated Hector Ruiz, president and chief operating officer, as his successor....

Workers fear violence at work.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... More than one fourth of U.S. workers lack confidence in the ability of employers to prevent workplace violence, according to a new poll. Findings of the poll commissioned by the Employment Law Alliance, include: * 27 percent of the...

Mining for business gold.(21st Century Technologies Inc)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... 21st Century Technologies digs niche in software industry Sherry Marcus is a numbers person. She holds a doctoral degree in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is one of those people who's fascinated by algorithms...

Playfulness plays into company productivity.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... There quote I often show at the end of a workshop or speech. I don't know who to attribute it to, so I use the standard "Anonymous" under the quote. It goes like this: "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop...

'Hell will break lose' if Web tax ban isn't extended.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... The Internet moratorium expires Oct. 21, leaving Congress only three months to grapple with the related, question of whether states should be allowed to require e-commerce sites to collect sales taxes on purchases made over the Web. Rep....

NetChoice formed to fight 'protectionist' middlemen.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... A handful of New Economy trade associations formed a new coalition, called NetChoice, to fight Old Economy middlemen who, the coalition says, want the government to protect them. from e-commerce innovations that allow businesses to sell...

New coalition to promote transportation spending.(Americans for Transportation Mobility)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Americans for Transportation Mobility, a new coalition led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, plans to spend $1 million over the next 12 months to promote increased spending on highway and airport projects, and to streamline the approval process...

Businesses cut travel costs 28 percent; rebound to be slow.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... A Business Travel Coalition survey of 62 corporations found 86 percent are taking steps to reduce travel costs this year. On average, the companies plan to reduce their business travel budgets by 28 percent, the survey found. Business...

New fiscal year brings business opportunities.(Texas state government appropriations)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... After the legislative session ends, serious research begins for most companies that sell to the public sector. The recently passed appropriations bill outlines all authorized spending for the next two years in state government. That means it's...

Daily updates available on Business Journal Web site.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... For the latest-breaking business news from Austin, pull up the Austin Business Journal's Web site at (austin.bCentral.com). Each day, the Business Journal posts news from the area that breaks between our weekly deadlines. The news...

Phenix & Phenix names new president.(Phenix and Phenix Literary Publicists)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Michael Odom has been named president of Austin's Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists Inc. Odom joined the firm. in October as vice president of operations. Leann Phenix, founder of the company with her father, George, was president of...

Austin company to develop Harlingen cargo space.(Lynxs Group)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Austin-based The Lynxs Group is developing an air cargo center at Valley International Airport in Harlingen. The Lynxs NAFTA CargoPort will feature warehouse and other space. The first phase of NAFTA CargoPort, encompassing about 75,000...

A tale of two city tracts.
July 6, 2001... City infill projects wind down a long road from first concept to final formal approval Two of Austin's major infill real estate projects cleared threshold development hurdles in the past month, following years of contention among...

Renewable energy finds fans in commercial world.
July 6, 2001... Businesses of sizes in Austin and around the nation are increasing their usage of renewable energy sources. The effort is intended to gain some control over surging power expenses and, at the same time, contribute to a leaner environment. ...

Broker designs system to track sublease space.(Buls Hodge Consulting)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Mike Buls, commercial real estate broker, market researcher and principal of Austin's Buls Hodge Consulting, turned to his competitors this February in an effort to improve knowledge and awareness of the real estate market. Knowing 70 percent...

Building owners want to 'get the mold out'.(Texas Department of Insurance hearing on the subject of household mold)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... It may seem unusual for public hearings sponsored by state government departments to include the makings for media coverage and community controversy. So why all the fuss over the hearing in Austin on June 26 sponsored by the Texas Department...

'Caveat emptor' applies when looking at a lease.
July 6, 2001... Most business people would never walk into a courtroom without a lawyer, or face an IRS audit without an accountant, but many of them negotiate long-term, high-dollar leases without professional advice. Crafting a lease that protects your...

Downtown Houston site faces musical Destiny.(Destiny's Child Inc.)(Music World Entertainment)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... The new owner of a historic downtown Houston property with a colorful past is aiming to give the site an even more colorful future. Mathew Knowles, manager of musical pop trio Destiny's Child,' has bought an entire city block of land...

Reuse -- from wood chips to computer chips.
July 6, 2001... New construction brings more than just change to Austin's landscape. A more impressive skyline, glistening buildings to line ribbons of freeway, retail centers to enhance a neighborhood's identity. New construction also brings unsightly...

TOP 25 MULTITENANT OFFICE BUILDINGS.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
July 6, 2001... TOP 25 MULTITENANT OFFICE BUILDINGS Ranked by total amount of rentable square feet Name/ Total rentable ** Total available Address/ square feet/ square feet/ Year built/ ...

LARGEST BUILDING MAINTENANCE COMPANIES.
July 6, 2001... LARGEST BUILDING MAINTENANCE COMPANIES Ranked by 2000 gross revenue Name Address 2000 Phone/Fax Rank rank Year established in Austin 1. 1 Ciola Enterprises LP 2324 Ridgepoint Dr.,...

PEOPLE.(personnel changes)
July 6, 2001... News about people who are moving to and moving up at companies in the Austin area. GEORGE ALLEN was promoted to operations manager at Constructors & Associates Inc. He is responsible for all departments. Previously, he worked for R.B....

Move ahead on tax debate.(taxation of Internet commerce)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Moratorium on new Internet sales taxes expires in October, so Congress must act with some speed The Internet clock is ticking. But it's doubtful that, as one California congressman puts it, "all hell will break loose." Time is running...

Attention, local shoppers!(Nordstrom Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2001... Hey, Austin. We've hit the big time. After much speculation, we're going to be home to a Nordstrom department store. But don't whip out your charge cards just yet. The store isn't set to open until the fall of 2003 at Barton Creek...

'Corporate welfare' attacked.(by Taxpayers Against Corporate Subsidies)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Group forms to incentives such as those offered to AMD At the same time Austin government officials are pitching a major incentive package to try to attract the next generation of chipmaking and related jobs to the city, a group is forming...

SOS for environmental group?
July 13, 2001... Central Texas political and business leaders question if the clout of what was once the area's pre-eminent environmental group hasn't been drained away by numerous leadership changes and high-profile departures. In the 1990s, the Save Our...

Spinal concepts taps VC.
July 13, 2001... Implant maker closes on more than $16M, with nearly $5M more on the way from investors As it looks to more than double its revenue this year, Austin-based Spinal Concepts Inc. has closed on $16.25 million of a $21 million round of venture...

What's in a name?(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Austin would-love to lure Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s next multibillion plant and tried to tell company executives so in an April letter. The letter from Austin City Manager Jesus Garza spelling out the financial incentives Austin would...

No respect.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... USA Today didn't cut Austin much slack in a July 10 article on die faltering high tech market's effect on U.S. cities and Austin's Digital Downtown. The story cites halted or slowed office development for Intel Corp., Computer Sciences...

That's right (You're not from Houston).(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Houston may have a lot to offer, but it turned to Austin for creative expertise. Austin film and video maker Granite House is producing an interactive CD with direction by local company Nion Interactive that is meant as a tool to help...

Guarantees and Humvees.(TriActive Inc. )(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Austin-based software provider TriActive Inc. has taken its marketing efforts even farther down the road. It now offers a form of "wheels" and a money-back guarantee on its product, a Web-based software to manage corporate information...

Green kids, not green eggs and ham.(Green Mountain Energy marketing campaign)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Austin-based Green Mountain Energy Co.'s new advertising campaign puts children in the spotlight -- as advocates. Advertising industry publication Adweek states that television, outdoor and print ads for Green Mountain created by...

Daily updates available on Business Journal Web site.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... For the latest-breaking business news from Austin, pull up the Austin Business Journal's Web site at (bCentral.com/austin). Each day, the Business Journal posts news from the area that breaks between our weekly deadlines. The news...

Electricity reselling firm powers up.(AC Boxer Power )(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... HOUSTON -- The day Andrew Segal's electricity bill jumped 35 percent on his portfolio of Houstonarea office buildings, the owner of Boxer Property Management decided to take matters into his own hands. Segal is launching an electricity...

Accenture to lease 150,000 square feet.(contract information)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... DALLAS - In a coup for Cousins Stone LP, consulting powerhouse Accenture has signed a 10-year lease for the top six floors of Williams Square's East Tower in suburban Dallas. The new 150,000square-foot Las Colinas office will serve as a...

UTSA to launch $19M in projecis.(University of Texas at San Antonio )(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... University of Texas at San Antonio officials are set to break ground on about $19 million worth of "quality of life" building projects designed to help change the image of the 32-year-old campus. UTSA President Ricardo Romo says it will...

Aviation firm file's to G'town.(Goodrich Corp facility information)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Goodrich to leave NE Austin for seven-yea lease in 60,000 s.f.at airport in Williamson Co. An aviation services company with nearly 100 local employees is leaving Austin to set up shop al Georgetown Municipal Airport. Goodrich Corp....

Environmental lawyers split up.(Henry Lowerre and Frederick)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Attorneys from Henry Lowerre firm to part ways, create three independent Austin law firms The leaders of one of Austin's oldest environmental law firms will part ways and create three independent firms later this month. The law offices...

Hotel project in works.(by Landmark Organization Inc)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... The Austin-based Landmark Organization Inc. is among four finalists to build the convention center hotel in Fort Worth. Other contenders are Dallasbased Garfield Corp. and two developers from the Atlanta area, Stormont Hospitality Group LLC...

VC returns to 'normal'.(Austin, Texas venture capital industry)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Entrepreneurs in Austin area amount of venture capital plummet as VC firms take steps to shore up reserves and ensure success with portfolio companies Paul Kirchoff is postponing any sort of venture capital funding for his Austin startup...

Construction company builds two new divisions.(DPR Construction's Special Services Group, Tilt-Wall Specialty Group)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... A construction company in Austin might hire as many as 50 people over the next 12 months to staff its two new divisions here. DPR Construction Inc.'s new units are the Special Services Group, which will perform mostly interior finish jobs...

BusinessThreads CEO Patrick Houghton dies.(Obituary)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Patrick Houghton, president and CEO of Austin software company BusinessThreads Inc., died July 9 of an apparent heart attack. "Pat has left a clear and lasting mark on our company with his unique energy and spirit," says David Bolene,...

Software firm will merge units, seeks acquisitions.(Pavilion Technologies)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Austin's Pavilion Technologies Inc. has the urge to merge. The software company is planning to consolidate its three business units into one company based in Austin and is in acquisition talks with four unidentified technology companies in...

Two Pro-Cuts shops sold to Decatur company.(Charlie Dane Co.)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... A Decatur company has purchased two Pro-Cuts hair care shops in Austin. Charlie Dane Co. bought the shops from Pro-Cuts Franchise Corp., based in Hurst. The shops opened in 1999. Michelle Dry manages the store at 3421 William Cannon...

Air Liquide to sell Austin, S.A. stores.(to Texgas)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Air Liquide America Corp. is selling its Austin and San Antonio retail welding stores to Texgas Inc. Texgas, a subsidiary of Irving-based Union Industrial Gas Group, specializes in repackaging of industrial, medical and specialty gas as...

Raleigh / Durham.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Significant revenue might not be pouring in yet, but investors appear to be more than willing to place their bets on BOPS Inc. The chip design firm, which has an office in Austin, is closing in on a $25 million venture capital infusion that...

Atlanta.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Alpharetta, Ga.-based ChoicePoint Inc., which provides decision-making information to businesses, has made its 10th acquisition in nearly as many months with the purchase of Pinkerton Services Group's drug testing and pre-employment division....

Seattle.(Aventail Inc)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... At a time when venture capital is hard to come by, Aventail Inc. of Seattle expects to land $47.5 million in new backing to position the company for an expansion of the secure network services it provides to large enterprises. The deal is...

Charlotte, N.C.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... In contrast to technology industry trends, the Charlotte, N.C., operation of Electronic Data Systems Corp. is planning an expansion that could add more than 200 jobs. Thanks to several new service contracts, Plano-based EDS has been on a...

St. Louis.(Bridge Information Systems Inc.'s bankruptcy case)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Bryan Cave LLP has billed Bridge Information Systems Inc. for more than a $500,000 worth of work as co-counsel in Bridge's bankruptcy case. The St. Louis law firm was among nine accounting, consulting and legal firms that submitted a total...

Austin software startup receives venture capital.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... ForwardVue Technologies Inc., an Austin-based provider of risk optimization software, has received an undisclosed amount of first-round funding from Austin Ventures and AV Labs. ForwardVue plans to use the money to develop its software. The...

Interlogix division wins contact worth up to $2.5M.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... A business unit of Austin-based Interlogix Inc. [Nasdaq: ILXI] has been awarded a contract valued up to $2.5 million to provide digital video surveillance systems for the New Orleans Regional Transportation Agency. Oregon-based Kalatel, an...

Hoover's completes move of headquarters.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Austin's Hoovers Inc. [Nasdaq: HOOV], a provider of online business information, has completed its move to offices off Highway 290 in the former Butter Krust bakery building. The corporate headquarters now is at 5800 Airport Blvd. Hoovers...

E-commerce boutique.(West Tenth)
July 13, 2001... West Tenth sells home furnishings online but aims to avoid pitfalls of e-tailing predecessors West Tenth is an online furniture store. But co-founder Karey Butterworth says people shouldn't be so quick to compare it with that other Austin...

Managing relationships with your customers.(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
July 13, 2001... Businesses small and large no longer can ignore the need to gird themselves for tough times. After all the knee-jerk protective measures have been taken, such as restricting travel, slashing ad budgets and delaying approved capital...

Coalition pushes relief measure.(Bridge Act)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... A business coalition is promoting federal legislation designed to improve cash flow for growing businesses. The Bridge Act aims to provide relief to businesses that have up to $10 million in annual sales and use accrual accounting for tax...

E-solutions ease small business management.(Creativworks)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2001... Two years ago, industry analysts predicted small business owners would be managing most of their business operations online -- including payroll, human resources, marketing and sales. It didn't happen, and many of the small...