Austin Business Journal articles from May 1991

Austin Business Journal archives from May 1991

Payday blues plague workers. (inability of Texas Employment Commission to process all wage claims)
May 27, 1991... Payday blues plague workers When Tommy Vasquez asked the Texas Employment Commission last month to help him collect about $700 in wages he claims he is owed, he joined a logjam of Texans who may have to wait more than a year to have their...

Mayor-elect defines goals. (interview with Bruce Todd) (interview)
May 27, 1991... Mayor-elect defines goals Austin mayor-elect Bruce Todd thinks Austinites are ready to be agreeable. Todd, who narrowly defeated Robert Barnstone in the runoff for mayor on May 18, said he learned during the arduous campaign that the...

ComputerLand buying Nynex. (Nynex Business centers)
May 27, 1991... ComputerLand buying Nynex ComputerLand stores are expected to begin integrating with competing Nynex Business centers in 40 major U.S. markets, including Austin, around June 1. The combining of the two computer retailers is likely to...

Security loosened. (adjustment of security procedures at Robert Mueller Municipal Airport)
May 27, 1991... Security loosened As a result of reduced tensions in the Middle East, the Federal Aviation Administration again has adjusted security procedures at Robert Mueller Municipal Airport. Under what the FAA calls "modified threat level II,"...

Sematech hosts prince. (Prince Philip's tour of Sematech)
May 27, 1991... Sematech hosts prince As part of his one-day visit to Austin with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip made a brief tour of Sematech. The 45-minute visit included a window tour of the clean room and the scanning electron microscope. A...

Payless stores sold.
May 27, 1991... Payless stores sold Diamond Shamrock officials have signed an agreement with Strasburger Enterprises in Temple to acquire 64 Payless convenience stores in central and south Texas. The acquisition, expected to be completed by the end of...

Continental goes green. (Continental Airlines' environmental policy)
May 27, 1991... Continental goes green Continental Airlines and Browning-Ferris Industries have announced a joint recycling partnership that will reduce waste from the airline's domestic, Houston-bound flights by more than one-third. Continental cabin...

GM looking at battery. (General Motors Corp.; lead-acid battery designed by Electrosource Inc.)
May 27, 1991... GM looking at battery A division of General Motors Corp. has agreed to evaluate the technology for a more efficient, longer lasting lead-acid battery designed by Electrosource Inc. Developers of the Horizon battery believe it will be...

Austin Weekly tax liens collected from advertisers. (advertisers to pay directly to IRS any money owed Austin Weekly)
May 27, 1991... Austin Weekly tax liens collected from advertisers Advertisers of the Austin Weekly have been ordered by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to pay their bills directly to the IRS to satisfy federal taxes and penalties totaling more than...

Sales secrets of some top agents. (Focus: Who's Who in Residential Real Estate) (directory)
May 27, 1991... Sales secrets of some top agents We set out to find the Top 10 producers in Austin residential real estate. We wanted to find the agents every broker would die for, the people who have peddled real estate through the thick and thin of...

Both Goodwin and Prudential place in top 200 U.S. firms. (J.B. Goodwin Realtors; The Prudential Owens Realty; real estate firms)
May 27, 1991... Both Goodwin and Prudential place in Top 200 U.S. firms Two Austin real estate companies have been recognized among the top 200 brokers in the United States by Real Trends, a real estate newsletter for industry executives published in...

No more check filing. (Frost Bank's new service, image statements)
May 27, 1991... No more check filing Frost Bank has become the first bank in Texas to offer "image statements," a new service which will do away with cancelled checks in monthly checking account statements, save on postage for the bank and help out the...

Sales taxes still rising.
May 27, 1991... Sales taxes still rising "Austin's city sales tax rebate this month is $5.7 million, 1 percent more than one year ago. Thus far in 1991, the city's total has reached more than $23 million in sales tax payments, 8.9 percent higher than last...

Greater Texas Landscape Services. (Contracts)
May 27, 1991... Greater Texas Landscapes Services Greater Texas Landscapes Services has been awarded the following contracts for landscape management: Congress 25, Aus Tech Business Park, 3355 Bee Caves Road, Hunters Point, One La Costa, Franklin Federal...

Healthvest. (Earnings)
May 27, 1991... Harren-Cummings Realtors Harren-Cummings Realtors announced the following persons as its top agents for April: Rex Manaster, top leasing agent and Keeth McKneely, top sales agent. In addition, Harren-Cummings Realtors and the Central Texas...

Du Pont. (Earnings)
May 27, 1991... Du Pont Du Pont announced 1990 sales of $40 billion compared to 1989 sales of $35.5 billion. 1990 net income was $2.3 billion, or $3.40 cents per share compared to $2.5 billion, or $3.53 per share for 1989.

Harold's Stores Inc. (Earnings)
May 27, 1991... Harold's Stores Inc. Harold's Stores Inc. announced net sales of $38 million for the fiscal year ended Feb. 2, 1991, a 17.8 percent increase over the prior fiscal year's sales of $32.2 million. Net sales for the fourth quarter were $11.1...

Southern Union Company. (Earnings)
May 27, 1991... Southern Union Company Southern Union Company announced net earnings for the first quarter of 1991 of $5.7 million, or 94 cents per share compared to $5.5 million, or 91 cents per share for the same period of 1990. Operating revenues for the...

Alexander Consulting Inc. (Openings)
May 27, 1991... Alexander Consulting Inc. Alexander Consulting Inc., an advertising, public relations and business marketing firm, opened new offices at 8200 N. Mopac, Suite 280.

InterFace Computer. (Openings)
May 27, 1991... InterFace Computer InterFace Computer, a German software company, opened new offices at 1705 S. Capital of Texas Highway, Suite 200.

Tessar Communications Inc. (Openings)
May 27, 1991... Tessar Communications Inc. Tessar Communications Inc. opened new offices at 3913 Todd Lane, Suite 507.

The Austin File Room Inc. (Openings)
May 27, 1991... The Austin File Room Inc. The Austin File Room Inc. acquired operations of Austin Data Archives and has now become a full service records management facility located at 400 E. Third St.

Tramex Travel. (Openings)
May 27, 1991... Tramex Travel Tramex Travel opened new offices at 4505 Spicewood Springs Road.

Radian Corp. (Openings)
May 27, 1991... Radian Corp. Radian Corp. opened new technology office in Boulder, Colo.

Environ America Inc. (Openings)
May 27, 1991... Environ America Inc. Environ America Inc. opened new offices at 13740 Research Blvd, Suite N2, Austin, 78750, phone (512) 219-9100.

CRA ratings. (Community Reinvestment Act)(Focus: Banking and Finance)
May 20, 1991... CRA ratings When the federal bank examiners left Austin after scrutinizing records at Franklin Federal Bancorp December, compliance officer Tim Mattox immediately went on vacation. Mattox was relieved about the completion of...

Tax break or bust. (tax abatement offer to keep Nalle Plastics Inc. in Austin, Texas)
May 20, 1991... Tax break or bust Executive of Nalle Plastics Inc. expect to decide by mid July whether to move the firm's downtown plant five miles down the road to South Austin or 160 miles east to Houston. Austin officials, trying to keep the...

CableVision profits soar. (Austin CableVision)
May 20, 1991... Cable Vision profits soar Rapid growth in the number of new subscribers is generating soaring revenues - and profits - for Austin CableVision, the company's financial report to the city of Austin reveals. The report also shows that...

Dell number one. (Dell Computer Corp., top personal computer manufacturer according to customer survey)
May 20, 1991... Dell number one Small and medium-sized businesses named Dell Computer Corp. the top PC manufacturer, according to a customer satisfaction study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. The study was part of a series designed to measure...

Happy anniversary. (Austin Computer Systems' 7th anniversary)
May 20, 1991... Happy anniversary Austin Computer Systems celebrated its seventh anniversary earlier this month. CEO Robert Diwan moved to Austin to found the company after working for an accounting firm in the Northeast. He originally set up shop in...

Portillo: Tramex's quick takeoff. (Juan Portillo of Tramex Travel) (interview)
May 20, 1991... Portillo: Tramex's quick takeoff Juan Portillo arrived in Austin from northern California in 1984 and, with his wife Margo, quickly began building a thriving travel agency specializing in corporate travel and meeting arrangements. ...

Motorola-Austin Marathon to light up hike & bike trail. (Motorola Inc. sponsors marathon to raise money for lighting project)
May 20, 1991... Motorola - Austin Marathon to light up hike & bike trail Plans to install lights along the city hike-and-bike trail are expected to get a big boost from Motorola Inc., which is planning to raise money for the project by sponsoring an annual...

Small loan specialists. (personal finance companies)(Focus: Banking and Finance)
May 20, 1991... Small loan specialists Almost everyone hits a financial pothole once in awhile and, for some, that's when personal finance companies come to the rescue. Vernon Lemens Jr. says his family's company, Lemens Finance Co., has even made...

Holding onto a niche. (personalized service at smaller Austin banks)
May 20, 1991... Holding onto a niche When someone walks into one of the Austin area's smaller banks for a loan, the loan officer might also turn out to be the bank president. That's the kind of personalized, customized service that executives of...

CSE of Texas Inc.
May 20, 1991... CSE of Texas Inc. CASEY HOFFMAN has been named president of CSE of Texas Inc., a private child-support enforcement service newly opened in Austin.

Team Bank.
May 20, 1991... Team Bank's ANDY BLACK has been named president of Team Bank's Westlake office.

Environ America.
May 20, 1991... Environ America JOHN VOSS has been named president of the Austin office of Environ America, an environmental specialists company.

McKinnon Media. (Contracts)
May 20, 1991... McKinnon Media McKinnon Media has been awarded a national marketing contract for Consumer News and Business Channel.

GSD&M Advertising. (Contracts)
May 20, 1991... GSD&M Advertising GSD&M Advertising has been selected as agency of record for the Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Company of Kansas City, Mo.

Radian Corp. (Contracts)
May 20, 1991... Radian Corp. and The National Radian Corp. and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration entered into a Cooperative

Southwest Network Services. (Contracts)
May 20, 1991... Southwest Network Services Southwest Network Services has been awarded a contract to provide wide area network services to Evernet Systems Inc.'s coast-to-coast locations.

Alexander Consulting. (Contracts)
May 20, 1991... Alexander Consulting Alexander Consulting has been selected as agency of record for The Capital Fulcrum Group in Austin and CARS of San Antonio.

Harren-Cummings Realtors. (Contracts)
May 20, 1991... Harren-Cummings Realtors Harren-Cummings Realtors, southwest office, has been selected as the marketing agent for Hampton Homes.

Thrifty Rent-A-Car System Inc. (Contracts)
May 20, 1991... Thrifty Rent-A-Car System Inc. Thrifty Rent-A-Car System Inc. and Travel Trust International signed a two-year agreement naming Thrifty as a preferred vendor.

Employers Casualty Company. (Earnings)
May 20, 1991... Employers Casualty Company Employers Casualty Company announced unaudited first quarter profits of $2.7 million compared to a loss of $9.1 million for the same period of 1990. Stockholders' equity increased by $2.6 million during the first...

Convex Computer Corp. (Earnings)
May 20, 1991... Convex Computer Corp. Convex Computer Corp. announced total revenues for the three months ended March 31 of $55.6 million, compared to $48.6 million for the same period of 1990. Net income for the 1991 quarter was $3.98 million, or 17 cents...

Schlumberger. (Earnings)
May 20, 1991... Schlumberger Schlumberger announced a 1991 first quarter income of $132.8 million, or 56 cents per share, compared to $128.6 million, or 54 cents per share for the first quarter of 1990. Operating revenues for the 1991 quarter were $1.5...

Hibernia Corp. (Earnings)
May 20, 1991... Hibernia Corp. Hibernia Corp. announced a $49.5 million net loss, or $1.77 per share for the first three months of 1991, compared to a net loss of $24.9 million, or 92 cents per share for the same period of 1990.

Tuesday Morning Inc. (Earnings)
May 20, 1991... Tuesday Morning Inc. Tuesday Morning Inc. announced 1990 net sales of $107.4 million, compared to 1989 net sales of $96.7 million. Net earnings were $4.7 million, or $1.20 per share, compared to $4.3 million, or $1.10 per share for 1989.

Diamond Shamrock. (Earnings)
May 20, 1991... Diamond Shamrock Diamond Shamrock declared the corporation's regular quarterly dividend of 13 cents per share, payable on June 7 for shareholders of record as of May 20.

KFIT-AM Radio. (Locations)
May 20, 1991... KFIT-AM Radio KFIT-AM Radio opened offices at One Wild Basin Point, 110 Wild Basin Road, Suite 375.

Mayor Lee Cooke shares exit insights. (tenure in Austin, Texas) (interview)
May 13, 1991... Mayor Lee Cooke shares exit insights Mayor Lee Cooke is the first to admit that he didn't come close to solving all of Austin's problems during his three-year tenure as mayor. But he likes to think that he took a good, honest whack at a...

Appraisers get reprieve. (Texas real estate industry)
May 13, 1991... Appraisers get reprieve The Texas real estate industry got a little more breathing room when the federal government recently postponed its appraiser certification deadline from July to the end of December. The Financial Institutions...

Values down, taxes up. (property taxes in Texas)
May 13, 1991... Values down, taxes up Local property tax rates in Texas increased 9.7 percent in the 1989-1990 tax year while property values dropped by $15 billion, according to the Texas Research League. Local governments raised tax levies by $745...

Germans in Austin. (American InterFace Computer Inc.)
May 13, 1991... Germans in Austin A German software company has chosen Austin as headquarters for its American subsidiary. American InterFace Computer Inc., located at 1705 Capital of Texas Highway, offers its clients IF/Prolog and related software...

Bank One; phone-to-computer link. (Business Banker)
May 13, 1991... Bank One: Phone-to-computer link Small businesses can now use their personal computers to print out bank account statements and to transfer funds between accounts at Bank One, Texas-Austin. The new service, called Business Banker,...

First bank goes green.
May 13, 1991... First bank goes green Founded by a group of investment bankers and environmental technology experts, the First Environmental Bank recently got permission to begin raising capital for what President Ronald F. Reilly said will be the...

Austin sales tax revenues rising.
May 13, 1991... Austin sales tax revenues rising "[April's] city sales tax rebate to the city of Austin is up 26.2 percent, or $738,413, compared to last April's check," said State Comptroller John Sharp. The comptroller's office mailed Austin a check...

Kyle A. Baker.
May 13, 1991... KLYE A. BAKER has been named president and director of Biomedical Research Group Inc.

Law firms join hustle for work. (due to glut of lawyers in Austin, TX)
May 13, 1991... Law firms join hustle for work Facing unprecedented competition and a glut of lawyers, law firms are increasingly venturing into uncharted waters that many once feared to tread. They are marketing themselves. Some of the feistier...

A woman's place is at the helm. (women-owned businesses)
May 13, 1991... Women-owned businesses A woman's place is at the helm Should women be included in programs that give special consideration to minority-owned or disadvantaged businesses? How much of a liability is it for a business owner to be...

Help for women- and minority-owned businesses. (includes related article)
May 13, 1991... Help for women - and minority - owned businesses The outlook for minority- and women-owned firms seeking help looks good, thanks to government and private groups that are implementing new assistance programs and meeting previously set...

Smith Allen. (Contracts)
May 13, 1991... Smith Allen, a development firm, has been awarded the contract to plan and develop the construction of a distribution facility in the Ben White Business Park.

Valero Energy Cor. (Earnings)
May 13, 1991... Valero Energy Corp., which has an Austin location, announced a net income of $20.6 million, or 47 cents per common share, for the first quarter 1991 compared to a net income of $9.7 million, or 22 cents per common share for the same period of...

Hibernia Corp. (Earnings)
May 13, 1991... Hibernia Corp. announced a net loss of $49.5 million, or $1.77 per share, for the first three months of 1991 compared to a net loss of $24.9 million, or 92 cents per share for the same period of 1990.

Compaq Computer Corp. (Earnings)
May 13, 1991... Compaq Computer Corp. announced sales rose to $971 million for the quarter ended March 31, an 11 percent increase over sales of $872 million for the same period of 1990. A net income for the first quarter was announced at $114 million, or $1.26...

Oryx Energy Company. (Earnings)
May 13, 1991... Oryx Energy Company, which has an Austin location, announced a net income of $82 million, or 94 cents per share, for the quarter ended March 31, compared to a net income of $40 million, or 38 cents per share for the same quarter of 1990....

Centex Corp. (Earnings)
May 13, 1991... Centex Corp. announced corporate revenues of $2.2 billion for the fourth quarter ended March 31, an 8 percent increase over 1990's fourth quarter revenues of $2 billion. Net earnings for fiscal 1991 were announced at $43.6 million, a 30 percent...

National Instruments. (Products)
May 13, 1991... National Instruments, which has an Austin office, announced the release of a demonstration package and video featuring LabVIEW 2; no charge. Also available is a free LabVIEW Solutions directory, a guide to the services and products offered by...

Convex (Products)
May 13, 1991... Convex, which has an Austin office, will announce the release of the C3 computer May 7 at their corporate headquarters in Richardson.

Units. (Products)
May 13, 1991... Units, a manufacturer and retailer of mixable separates for women and Fiber Industries with Austin locations, announced the release of The MicroSpun Collection, a collection of knits and wovens made of Fortrel MicroSpun and MicroSpun blends.

Blue Bell Creameries Inc. (Products)
May 13, 1991... Blue Bell Creameries Inc. announced the release of Blue Bell Free, a frozen dairy dessert with no cholesterol, no fat and no added sugar.

Digital Equipment Corp. (Products)
May 13, 1991... Digital Equipment Corp., which has an Austin office, announced the release of the first five of its new family of desktop interconnect and hub-based products that help in the assembly of Ethernet Local Area Networks; suitable for small...

The American Institute of Small Business. (Products)
May 13, 1991... The American Institute of Small Business announced the release of a business plan model that includes a three-year balance sheet, cash flow and profit and loss statements, as well as a narrative that accompanies the model; $85; to order, write...

Electric Bookshelf Inc. (Products)
May 13, 1991... Electric Bookshelf Inc. announced the release of the PC Job Locator software, enabling job seekers to fax their resume to prospective employers using any personal computer running MS-DOS; software, $195; software and JT Fax 4800 fax board,...

MCI Communications Corp. (Products)
May 13, 1991... MCI Communications Corp. announced the release of MCI Preferred, a package of long distance services designed to give small businesses the ability to control telecommunications expenses to best suit their needs; for more information call (800)...

Second Wave Inc. (Products)
May 13, 1991... Second Wave Inc. announced the availiability of Apex, a plug-in option board for the Macintosh LC; $249.

Mr. Software Inc. (Products)
May 13, 1991... Mr. Software Inc. announced their appointment as an authorized developer for the Atari Portfolio in conjunction with the release of the newest version of List Management System, version 2.10; single user, $198, Novell Network, $498.

ABC Technologies Inc. (Products)
May 13, 1991... ABC Technologies Inc. announced the release of a new introductory level training tool, the ABC Primer Pack and, for power users, the EasyABC Plus; Primer Pack, $750; ABCPlus, $2,495.

Carroll Touch. (Products)
May 13, 1991... Carroll Touch announced the release of a new scanning infrared touch system for the 640x480 Sharp black and white LCD flat panel display and a software-based controller touch system for the 14-inch Goldstar 1450 monitor.

New York Life Insurance Co. (Products)
May 13, 1991... New York Life Insurance Co. announced that its "Conservative Dollar Annuity" has been approved for sale in Texas.

RealData. (Products)
May 13, 1991... RealData announced the release of Version 7.0 of Real Estate Investment Analysis for both the Apple Macintosh and MS-DOS computers.

Apple Mackintosh Inc. (Products)
May 13, 1991... Apple Macintosh Inc. announced the release of two low-cost laser-quality printers, the Apple StyleWriter, $599 and the Apple Personal LaserWriter, LS, $1,299.

Wilson. (Products)
May 13, 1991... Wilson announced the release of the Tuffy II Video Tables specially designed for classroom, training and group presentations that require television receivers with screen sizes up to 31 inches; available in five standard heights from 28-54...