Austin Business Journal articles from July 2001

Austin Business Journal archives from July 2001

Austin may get another mall.(Austin, Texas)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Maryland-based REIT searching area for land to put up mall, possibly in Northwest Austin A Maryland real estate investment trust is scouting Austin for land to build a shopping mall. Sources say The Rouse Co. has inquired about land...

BroadJump gains $22M.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Austin-based BroadJump Inc. has secured $22 million in third-round funding from three strategic partners as well as previous investors. San Antonio-based Southwestern Bell Communications Inc., Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp. and...

Power company ramps up.(Integrated Power Solutions)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Startup in Kyle boasts $3M in seed funding, high-profile board Some of the biggest names in Austin's business community have banded together to empower a Kyle-based startup. The board of directors for Integrated Power Solutions, or...

Contagious blackouts?(website publicizes energy crisis)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Looks like our neighbors out West want to teach the Lone Star State a lesson. The Web site (www.sfgate.com/energy/texasblackout) features a picturesque scene of Austin in the evening. The University of Texas tower is orange, and the...

Political positioning.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Two Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls have taken advantage of Austin's recent surge in sublease offerings to land campaign offices. Laredo banker Tony Sanchez Jr. has subleased 7,000 square feet from Infraworks Corp. at 6207 Bee Caves...

A billion here, a billion there.(advertising billings in Austin, Texas)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Although not quite in the Top 10, Advertising Age magazine ranks Austin No. 12 in a survey measuring the amount of billings from ad firms around the United States. The amount Austin ad firms billed in 2000 -- $1.4 billion -- rose by...

Making Limon-aide.(nonprofit organization buys Austin building)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... A former restaurant-turned-office building in East Austin soon might add an indoor/outdoor playscape to its growing history of uses. The 11,000-square-foot structure at 1121 E. Seventh St. was built as Don Limon's Restaurant & Cantina in...

Music to your tongues.(Schlotzsky's Inc. plans advertising campaign)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Austin-based Schlotzsky's Inc. turned to the City of Ideas' music community to write and record songs for the company's new television advertising campaign. Its first campaign, which ran from June 25 through July 22, featured...

A tale of two Jims.(Jim Moore; Jim Clardy)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Jim Moore, a general partner with Austin's CEO Partnerships LLC, now is becoming a CEO. He will be the full-time CEO of Austin's Alchemy Semiconductor Inc. Moore shared the interim CEO position with Jim Clardy, a venture partner at...

Best in the travel biz.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... After racking up thousands of frequent flier miles, Leigh Ann Cloutier of Rico Tours should feel like she's on top of the world. Cloutier appears in the August issue of Conde Nast's Traveler magazine as one of the top 107 travel agents in...

CORRECTION.
July 27, 2001... The headquarters for Hester Capital Management LLC was incorrect on the Austin's Top Money Management Firms list in the July 20-26 issue of the Austin Business Journal. Hester Capital's headquarters is in Austin.

Hospital systems explore alliance.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... SAN ANTONIO -- Executives with Baptist Health System and Christus Santa Rosa Health Care confirm they are exploring formation of a corporate alliance. Under that alliance, the hospital companies likely would operate financially as a...

Houston council rejects abatement.(transfer of ABB tax abatement agreement)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... HOUSTON-In a surprise move, the Houston City Council has voted against transferring an existing tax abatement agreement. Council members rejected a transfer of tax breaks for the first time ever by voting against an agreement with...

Dallas HMO wins retirees' contract.(Texas Health Choice to serve Employees Retirement System of Texas)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... DALLAS - Texas Health Choice LC has been awarded a contract to provide HMO services for the Employees Retirement System of Texas. The yearlong contract begins Sept. 1. It covers active and retired state and higher Education employees and...

Telecom initiative under way.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Execs in Austin, San Marcos areas seek to mirror success of Richardson Telecom Corridor Watch out, Richardson. A new Central Texas initiative hopes to galvanize the region's telecommunications and data communications industries. The...

Central Texas may strike gold.(USA Stars scoutingAustin-San Antonio corridor for Olympic training center site)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Oklahoma organization hunts for site along I-35 corridor to build Olympic training center The Austin-San Antonio corridor could score an Olympic training center. Officials with an Oklahoma based nonprofit organization called USA...

Tax-pay balance shifts.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... RECA study indicates Austin tax bite rose at greater rate than income did last year Austinites' taxes increased at a greater rate than their income in 2000 -- a dramatic shift from the previous year, when income levels rose at more than...

AV beefs up some areas.(Austin Ventures expanding in data communications and semiconductor areas)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Venture capital firm to hire associates or principals for semiconductor, communications Austin Ventures, the largest venture capital firm in the Southwest, is expanding its semiconductor and data communications practices amid one of the...

American clips Austin's wings as demand drops.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 27, 2001... An airline that ramped up Austin operations with the rise of high tech is clipping service here as that economic' sector declines. American Airlines' parent company, Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., plans to scale back service to high tech...

I-35 acreage for sale near San Marcos outlets.(being sold off by Sperry Van Ness)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... About 65 acres near I-35 and Centerpoint Road in San Marcos is for sale through a sealed bid auction. The minimum asking price is $2.5 million, or 89 cents a square foot. The property is directly across I-35 from the Prime Outlets...

Fitness center being built near Lakeline Mall.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... A two-story building that will house a fitness center is being built at 11900 N. FM 620 on more than four acres south of Lakeline Mall. Austin-based Full Court Corp. is building the first of what could be a chain of fitness centers. ...

Baker Botts to remain in downtown building.(San Jacinto Center in Austin)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... After evaluating potential addresses throughout Austin, law firm Baker Botts LLP has renewed its lease overlooking Town Lake. The law firm has signed a deal with Equity Office Properties Trust for 62,160 square feet in San Jacinto Center,...

PR firm's name changes to reflect partner's role.(Don Martin Public Affairs Inc. becoming Martin and Salinas Public Affairs Inc. in recognition of Trey Salinas)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... An Austin public relations firm is changing its name to recognize the work of one of its partners. After 14 years, Don Martin Public Affairs Inc. is renaming itself Martin & Salinas Public Affairs Inc. The shift reflects the...

Federal Communications Commission--and MetroPCS Inc. (Dallas).(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal by federal regulators in a battle with a Dallas company, clearing the last legal hurdle in the firm's fight to supply wireless phone service in 14 markets covering 22 million people. ...

Farmers and Merchants Bank (Miami).(Farmers and Merchants Bank of Tallahassee )(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The State of Florida's chief information officer is under investigation for grand theft. Roy Thomas Cales Jr., 39, has been accused of using a forged letter to obtain a loan from the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Tallahassee on which he...

Stanford University (San Jose).(report on securities fraud lawsuits)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... It's nothing new for Silicon Valley tech companies to-get hit with shareholder class-action lawsuits as their stock prices fluctuate. But the number of such filings this year is on pace to shatter all previous records. A total of 183...

Kentucky Lottery Corp. (Louisville, Ky.).
July 27, 2001... The Kentucky Lottery Corp. is hoping a new game with a CD-ROM tie-in will scratch the surface of a new pool of players. The lottery will be the second U.S. lottery to sell Treasure Tower, game that originated in. Canada last year....

New SBA administrator feels 'higher purpose'.(Hector Barreto Jr.)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Hector Barreto Jr. says his parents built a successful restaurant business in Kansas City, Mo., because they had ganas -- "an unrelenting desire to accomplish a great goal." That same quality led Barreto to shut down his Los Angeles...

Hard Rock Cafe 10 open in February.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Orlando, Fla.-based Hard Rock Cafe International Inc. is scheduled to open its fourth Texas location in Austin in February. The 9,000-square-foot cafe will be on the northwest corner of Sixth Street and San Jacinto Boulevard. Company...

Builder Homesite establishes alliance.(Builder Homesite Inc. establishes Web site in conjuction with iBidCo)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Austin-based Builder Homesite Inc. and Oakland, Calif.-based iBidCo are teaming up to offer online promotion and distribution of sales events through NewHomesSource.com. Financial information about the alliance wasn't disclosed. ...

Wisconsin company acquires Austin's EPSHA.(Fiserv Inc. )(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Austin-based EPSHA Corp. has been acquired by Fiserv Inc. [Nasdaq: FISV] for an undisclosed amount. Leslie Muma, Fiserv's president and CEO, says: "The impact on Austin should be positive. These guys are joining us to be part of a larger...

Workers seek office courtesy.(finds survey)(Brief Article)(Polling Data)
July 27, 2001... A few more "pleases" and "thank yous" in the office would definitely be welcome, a new survey suggests. More than 40 percent of workers polled say the level of professional courtesy at work has decreased over the past five years. The...

Antiques above the Fray.(the Jean-Marc Fray antique gallery, Austin, Texas)
July 27, 2001... Gallery strives to bring unique French pieces to Austin clients Jean-Marc Fray discovered his passion for antiques at his father's side, in the French auction houses where the two shared many an early morning. As a young boy, the drama of...

Making a choice to be 'at choice' in life.(the role of choice in how one lives one's life)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... "There is no such thing as a bad habit." My teacher stated that as he took a long smooth drag from his cigarette. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. Here was a man who worked out four to six hours a day and adhered to a...

Simple devices can make working less painful.(preventing overuse injuries in office workers)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Do you or your staff spend much time in front of the computer? Repetitive strain injuries, or RSIs, affect the arms, wrists and hands of those of us who always are tapping away at our keyboards, and are the country's most common occupational...

Covasoft receives $2.8M loan from Imperial.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 27, 2001... Austin's Covasoft Inc. has received a $2.8 million in working capital and equipment lending from Imperial Bank. Covasoft develops e-business systems management software. Covasoft, founded in 1999, has received investments from...

Inman accepts chair at UT public affairs school.(Bobby Ray Inman, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Retired Adm. Bobby Inman, a private investor from Austin, will assume a permanent faculty position in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. Inman will hold the LBJ chair in national policy, which was occupied by...

Small businesses can flow with unique credit.(lines of credit based on inventory)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Jeffrey Martinez-Malo, president of Ocean World Fisheries USA, a Miamibased importer of shrimp and crab from Latin America to the United States, had a problem -- but it was a good one to have. "We're able to sell all the shrimp and crab...

Adviser: Don't count on small business tax cuts.(R. Glenn Hubbard)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers says it is "not a foregone conclusion" that small business tax cuts will be included in legislation to raise the minimum wage. Senate leaders from both parties say a package of...

Postal official fails to deliver at hearing.(House Small Business Committee examines proposed new practices of United States Postal Service)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The manager of delivery operations for the U.S. Postal Service was held hostage by the chairman of the House Small Business Committee at a hearing about government agencies competing with small businesses. At issue was new Postal Service...

Health care providers slow to standardize EDI.(electronic data interchange)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... A new Gartner Inc. study finds 85 percent of health care providers haven't completed assessments that are a critical step in meeting an Oct. 16, 2002, deadline for standardized electronic data interchange transactions. Because of this...

Foes of estate tax repeal seek tax rebate donations.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The group that led the unsuccessful fight to stop estate tax repeal is asking Americans to donate their tax rebate checks to organizations that are working to overturn President Bush's $1.35 trillion tax cut or to social service providers in...

OSHA to crack down on exposure to lead.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration will make targeted inspections, in industries where there's high potential for exposure to lead, a leading cause of workplace illnesses. These industries include construction that...

Fortune 500 execs favor Austin as tech locale.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Austin has the highest percentage of most desirable attributes in deciding where to locate a tech-related business, according to a survey of senior Fortune 500 executives. Senior executives prioritized a list of nine attributes and...

Seton expanding, renovating Austin medical center.(Seton Healthcare Network raising funds)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Seton Healthcare Network is kicking off a $15 million fund-raising campaign for expansion and renovation of Seton Medical Center. The $50 million project will increase surgical procedure capacity by 50 percent, expand emergency facilities...

Businesses enter new domain with .biz, .info.(registering domain names)(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The introduction of two new top-level domain names, .biz and .info, has led to a complex registration procedure that's supposed to broaden the availability of Web addresses but just might be another administrative headache for some...

Site introduces world to spinoff of Vignette.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... When executives at fledgling software firm SoloMio Corp. were determining parameters for its first Web site, they had to make sure they didn't let the cat out of the bag concerning the company's upcoming projects. The resulting Web...

Time off for Agea's CEO offers fresh perspective.(Brief Article)(Interview)
July 27, 2001... Bob Rostohar, 42, began a self-imposed retirement in 1999 after working three years as an executive at Austin's Vignette Corp. But even in retirement, Rostohar was working. For instance, he was an adviser to Austin's Agea Corp. ...

Startup Guard-IT gets to the intellectual source.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... One Austin high tech company is truly getting to the source. By independently administering "source escrow" agreements, Austin-based Guard-IT Corp. becomes a trusted third party, helping software developers and their licensees protect...

LARGEST CUSTOM COMPUTER BUILDERS.(Directory)
July 27, 2001... LARGEST CUSTOM COMPUTER BUILDERS Ranked by 2000 sales of custom-built computers Name 2000 Address 2000 Austin Area: Rank Rank Phone/Fax Computer sales 1. 1. Dell...

LARGEST COMPUTER REPAIR AND SERVICE FIRMS.(Directory)
July 27, 2001... LARGEST COMPUTER REPAIR AND SERVICE FIRMS Ranked by 2000 computer repair and service revenues 2000 FT techs/ Name repair & PT techs/ ...

PEOPLE.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... The Austin Business Journal publishes news about promotions and hirings each week. Listings in People are free. Send a typewritten announcement including the person's name, new position title, the name of the company, job responsibilities,...

It's all about the right deal.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Incentive packages for businesses are a necessary economic development tool -- if there's gain Whether they're called tax incentives or subsidies or corporate welfare, Central Texans must acknowledge that to thrive in this world economy,...

Playing cow pattie politics.(Brief Article)
July 27, 2001... Politics has lost some of its character these days. Unfortunately, conversation about politics leads to common folks questioning which special interest is supplying reams of cash that control an elected official or salacious inquiries into...

AMD's HQ moving to Austin?(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Sources: Chipmaker considers relocating offices from Silicon Valley to Hector Ruiz's home base Advanced Micro Devices Inc. might be considering placing its corporate headquarters in Austin, possibly downtown. Sources say executives...

TManage's new terrain.(telecommuting services)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Telecommuting services provider will manage, create networks Austin's TManage Inc. is extending its line of business to tap into a market that's expected to grow to $36 billion over the next four years. TManage, which specializes in...

Winstead's firm to merge.(Winstead Sechrest and Minick)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Winstead Sechrest & Minick's combination with Houston firm Dow Cogburn set for Aug. 1 A law firm whose Austin office is headed by high-profile attorney Pete Winstead is involved in merger talks with another law firm. Dallas-based...

The Magical Mystery Tour.(conference on environmental law)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Looks like organizers of the 13th annual Texas Environmental Superconference don't need any "Help!" coming up with a theme. Each aspect of the August conference correlates with one of the Beatles' hits. Participants will register...

Isochron gains $1 .5M in credit from Imperial Bank.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Austin-based Isochron Data Corp. has received a $1.5 million line of credit from Imperial Bank. The line of credit comes from Imperial's Emerging Growth Division. Imperial is a subsidiary of Comerica Inc. [NYSE: CMA], based in Detroit....

California company to use software from Tonic.(Electronics for Imaging Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Electronics for Imaging Inc. [Nasdaq: EFII] will use software from Austin-based Tonic Software Inc. for design and maintenance of its portal site for customers. The value of the two-year deal wasn't disclosed.

Real estate group backs wildlife suit.(Real Estate Council of San Antonio)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... SAN ANTONIO - The Real Estate Council of San Antonio is backing a planned lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The suit, to be filed later this month, will take issue with recommendations the wildlife agency put in place...

Cousins Stone declares Victory.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... DALLAS -- Cousins Stone LP, a locally based division of Cousins Properties Inc. in Atlanta, might assume an equity and development role in Victory Tower, the primary office component of Victory, a 72-acre, mixed-use project anchored-by the...

Biotech park seeks $633M.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... HOUSTON -- The Southeast Texas BioTechnology Park needs to raise more money to keep the $633 million project moving forward. A coalition of Texas Medical Center institutions, biotech companies, professional organizations and government...

Cadence shops for location.(Cadence Design Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Company looks at Austin, San Marcos, Round Rock for 'school' One of the country's leading designers of software and tools for the semiconductor industry might put a "school" in Central Texas -- for the right price. Leaders from...

Oracle seeks data site.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Giant considers Austin, two other U.S. markets for center Oracle Corp. is scouting Austin and two other markets for a spot to place a data center of at least 50,000 square feet. Real estate sources say Austin broker Bill Anderson,...

ABIA zoning to change.(Austin-Bergstrom International Airport)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... City officials try to avoid problems that plagued area around old Austin airport City of Austin officials are establishing zoning on nearly 7,000 acres surrounding the city's new airport in an effort to avoid a problem that led to...

Law firm formed.(Thomas Hudson and Nelson)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Three former partners at Bickerstaff Heath leave for their own venture Three former partners from Austin law firm Bickerstaff Heath Smiley Pollan Kever and McDaniel LLP have teamed up to form their own firm. Robert Thomas, Greg...

Sears beefing up call center in Round Rock.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... A Sears Roebuck and Co. call center IN Round Rock is gearing up to accept calls once handled by another center that will close this fall. Sears [NYSE: S] expects to close its call center in Provo, Utah, by Oct. 1. The closure will...

Daily updates available on Business Journal Web site.
July 20, 2001... For the latest-breaking business news from Austin, pull up the Austin Business Journal's Web site at (www.bCentra1.com/austin). Each day, the Business Journal posts news from the Austin area that breaks between our weekly deadlines. ...

Time Warner leases part of Agillion's former HQ.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Time Warner Gable has leased about 22,000 square feet in a building originally built for Agillion Inc. The cable television and Internet service provider signed a deal this month to take half of one floor at 3300 Duval Road, a...

Two tech companies tie their fortunes together.(Momentum Software Inc./ Agea Corp.)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Two Austin high tech companies are banking on a new partnership. The alliance between Momentum Software Inc., a software and consulting firm, and Agea Corp., a developer of wireless device software, could generate new business for...

Oracle Corp.(salaries at high tech companies)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... The Bay Area's tech sector is experiencing the worst downturn in years, but you would never know it from looking at tech executives' paychecks. The top end of the list of the highest paid executives in the Bay Area reads like a Who's Who...

EarthLink Inc.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Pretty soon, EarthLink Inc. President Mike McQuary won't have to go far to get a decent meal. Neither will EarthLink's 1,000 employees. The head of the country's No. 3 Internet service provider plans to open a restaurant and bar on the...

Allied Riser Communications Corp.(Abstract)
July 20, 2001... A group of five high-powered executives that includes former officers of Dallas' Allied Riser Communications Corp. has formed a consulting company that provides assistance in navigating stormy technology seas to public companies and...

International Research Center.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Auctioning domain names for profit comes with a price - legal fees. Mark Goldstein, a Valley technology consultant and president of the International Research Center, is sitting on a heap of 600 domain names he soon will auction but first...

ExecuTrain of North Carolina.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Once the largest computer coaching company in the Triangle, ExecuTrain of North Carolina has laid off employees and signed to sell the franchise to a Florida firm. The training operation cut its entire staff in mid-June and began...

Condominiums launch amid 'softened' market.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... A local developer of residential subdivisions is trying his hand at building condominiums in Northeast Austin. Madden Development Co. has broken ground on Bella Terra, planned as a 90-unit residential complex at 1100 E. Parmer Lane. ...

Profit soars by 135 percent at Multimedia Games Inc.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Multimedia Games Inc. [Nasdaq: MGAM] reported a 135 percent increase in net income for the quarter ended June 30. Net income was $1.96 million, compared with $832,000 for the same period last year. Revenue for the quarter was $35.4...

Citizens added to Russell 3000 stock index.(Citizens Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Austin-based insurance company Citizens Inc. [AMEX: CIA] has been added to the Russell 3000 stock index. The Russell 3000 measures the performance of the 3,000 largest companies in the U.S. stock market, based on market capitalization....

Hoover's teams up with California company.(Mightywords Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Austin-based Hoover's Inc. [Nasdaq: HOOV] has teamed up with MightyWords Inc., a provider of business research, to place MightyWords' reports on the Hoover's Web site. The partnership will give Hoover's subscribers the option of buying...

Congress rejects plan to raise SBA loan fees.(Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... House appropriators added $186 million to the Bush administration's 2002 budget request for the Small Business Administration, eliminating the need for the agency to raise fees for its flagship 7(a) loans and start charging for consultation...

Broadwing signs $18M deal with Hotel Net.(Broadwing Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Austin-based Broadwing Communications Inc. has picked up an $18 million deal with Hotel Net Inc. Broadwing Communications, a subsidiary of Cincinnati-based telecommunications company Broadwing Inc. [NYSE: BRW], will provide dedicated...

DomainLogix acquires Web design firm in Austin.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Austin-based domainLogix Corp. has acquired the assets of Webcore Technologies, a Web design and Internet services company in Austin. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Webcore was established in 1996. It now has more than...

Unblocking your career blocks.(Brief Article)
July 20, 2001... Has your career hit a stumbling block? Max Messmer chairman of Accountemps and author of Managing Your Career for Dummies, says you can take several steps to ease emotional stress and put your career back on track. "Most successful...