Austin Business Journal articles from November 1992

Austin Business Journal archives from November 1992

Phar-Mor opts out of Austin. (Phar-Mor Inc.'s closing of stores in Austin, Texas)
November 2, 1992... There will soon be far less Phar-Mor in the Austin retail scene. In fact, there will be none at all. A large portion of the attempts by the Phar-Mor discount retail chain to survive is being carried on the backs of Austin residents. Almost 10...

Austin lawyers back Clinton with bucks. (Bill Clinton)
November 2, 1992... A dog quickly finds out what happens if it bites the hand that feeds it -- it goes hungry. Maybe President George Bush should have had a talk with Millie, the White House pooch. In a campaign where Bush and running mate Dan Quayle have...

Can reporter rewrite developer's image? (Freeport-McMoran Inc.'s hiring of environmental writer Bill Collier)
November 2, 1992... Local environmental reporter Bill Collier's decision to accept a public relations position with Freeport-McMoRan Inc. is being looked upon with both suspicion and admiration by activists and news colleagues. Collier will leave the Austin...

Business lobby plans for '93 Legislature. (Texas Association of Business' support of priority legislations)(includes related article on Dane Harris' reaction to Texas Workers' Compensation Commission appointee)
November 2, 1992... Disgusted with growing tax bite on business Anyone who believes politics and business don't mix hasn't talked to Dane Harris, president of the Texas Association of Business (TAB). Problem is, he says, the two aren't mixing well of late....

Frost: banks will weather the storm. (forecasts of Tom Frost, CEO of Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc.)
November 2, 1992... The head of one of the oldest banks in Texas came to town recently to tell his people the house is clean and it's time to start inviting in company. Tom Frost, chief executive officer of San Antonio-based Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc., visited the...

Keeping the air clean. (limitation on perchloroethylene emissions)
November 9, 1992... 23,000 small businesses affected by new law Winn McCrea isn't satisfied with staying one step ahead of the law. To hear him tell it, his dry cleaning operation in North Austin would keep even the most rigid environmental watchdog at bay for up...

Realtors need to look ahead. (1993 real estate industry forecasts) (Industry Overview)
November 9, 1992... Real estate professionals must take on the role of soothsayer if they are to survive the revolutionary changes in store for the 1990s, local panelists warned at a Nov. 4 meeting of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). The 1993 IREM...

Austin bank gets low rating. (Austin National Bank in Texas)
November 9, 1992... Austin National Bank has received the lowest rating of any Austin financial institution for performance under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). The CRA is intended to encourage each financial institution to help meet the credit needs of...

One price, no haggling. (one-price selling of vehicles)
November 9, 1992... You find the product you want, check to ensure your wallet and the price tag are compatible and then make the purchase. It sounds like a million retail transactions made everyday, but the movement toward that system in one industry is...

Kozmetsky gives more than he receives. (George Kozmetsky)
November 9, 1992... Early in life, George Kozmetsky determined that being the first child in his family to be born in the United States carried an enormous responsibility. "I had the rare privilege of being born in this country," he said. "So I am putting back...

Credit unions aim for young and old.
November 9, 1992... A pack of about 100 came to Austin recently to learn how to aim for the young and old. But it wasn't predator school. It was a marketing seminar for Texas credit unions. Credit unions across the nation have changed greatly in the last 10...

Database handy for Phase I assessments. (AP Environmental Data Co.'s online database) (Focus: Business and the Environment )
November 9, 1992... Consultants frequently find that gathering information from various governmental sources for environmental site assessments can be both frustrating and time consuming. However, modern technology has come to their aid. Online databases have...

Restaurants add recycling to menu. (Focus: Business and the Environment)
November 9, 1992... As generators of large amounts of recyclable materials, restaurants would seem a natural for recycling. However, recycling is only just beginning to catch on, though not without a catch. Because there is more supply than demand for recyclable...

Concerts draw cash. (Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas)
November 16, 1992... Live music capital Things are booming in the Super Drum. In the city that claims it's the capital of live music, some of the greatest successes recently have been in the Frank Erwin Center, nicknamed the Super Drum for its appearance....

Austin works on a Dell deal. (Austin, Texas officials and Dell Computer Corp. negotiating a job-training incentive)
November 16, 1992... Dell Computer Corp. and the city of Austin are negotiating a job-training incentive package to replace the company's initial proposal for tax abatements, which drew a cool response from city leaders. Austin's only Fortune 500 company, Dell...

Buyers sought for First City. (First City Bancorporation of Texas, Inc.)
November 16, 1992... Since August, the "For Sale" sign has been up on most bank branches of First City, Texas. Three months later, the names have changed, but the game's the same. It's now New First City, Texas and the owners are the taxpayers, while the...

Pelham leaves Seton for Mercy Health. (Judy Pelham resigns as head of Seton Medical Center to be president and CEO of Mercy Health Services)
November 16, 1992... Judy Pelham, head of Austin's Seton Medical Center, has been named president and chief executive officer of the second largest Catholic health care organization in the nation. Beginning Feb. 1, Pelham will head Mercy Health Services, based in...

Look under the hood before buying. (buying used computers)
November 16, 1992... Used computer equipment Buying used computer equipment may save a business money, but as with buying a used car, purchasers should proceed with caution. Despite recent price wars among major computer manufacturers, the used computer market...

Specialized software suits special needs.
November 16, 1992... Customized for the customer While off-the-shelf software may serve some businesses nicely, others may want to look into a specially tailored package. Businesses may want customized software for two reasons -- customization of existing...

Hotels use slowdown to spruce up. (Austin, Texas hotels remodeling and services on holidays)
November 16, 1992... Special rates and renovations Austin hoteliers are hard at work to stave off the holiday blues. Hotels traditionally experience a slowdown in occupancy as the Christmas season nears. Because business travel is most hotels' bread and butter,...

Austin wins if AMD wins. (Austin, Texas; Advanced Micro Devices Inc.)
November 23, 1992... Microchip battle Anticipating a favorable court ruling in a long-standing microchip battle, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has informed Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif., that it may begin shipping a clone of the Intel 486 microchip either late...

Fund available for making jobs. (Texas Growth Fund)
November 23, 1992... There's a new $52 million fund looking for businesses worthy of an investment. But the rules of the game will be a little different. The money comes from the Texas Growth Fund, created in 1988 when voters approved a constitutional amendment. It...

New publications aim for gay audience. (Austin Gay-Friendly Resource Directory and The Texas Triangle)
November 23, 1992... Austin's gay and lesbian community is taking to the printing presses. Two gay-oriented publications, one a newspaper and the other a resource directory, have premiered in Austin in the last two months. The three-week-old Austin Gay-Friendly...

Computers: what the doctor ordered.
November 23, 1992... At long last, doctors and nurses are beginning to look at computers in a new light. Medical professionals have come to realize that computers can make their lives easier by reducing the agony of paperwork while enhancing the quality of health...

New program speeds up loan process. (new electronic loan processing program) (Focus: Banking)
November 23, 1992... Less work, less wait An electronic loan processing program under scrutiny by the U.S. Small Business Administration may take some of the wait, if not work, out of applying for a small business loan. The pilot program that began last year in...

Record profits not likely to continue. (US bank profits) (Focus: Banking)
November 23, 1992... Bankers don't anticipate the near-record profits seen in the first and second quarters of 1992 to continue. But the drop won't be as dramatic as when the bottom fell out in the mid-1980s, said Gary Valdez, president and chief executive officer...

Keeping pace in the face of paperwork. (federal fiduciary paperwork)_ (Focus: Banking)
November 23, 1992... Banking balancing act Banks are struggling to continue their role as community leaders but are drowning under a flood of federal fiduciary paperwork, banking analysts said. Banks always have played an important role in the community from...

SBA plans to boost minority business. (Small Business Administration) (Focus: Banking)
November 23, 1992... Creating a new billion dollar guaranteed loan program for disadvantaged firms and streamlining the agency's minority business development program are goals of proposed legislation submitted by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), said...

Banks under FBI scrutiny. (Austin, Texas)
November 30, 1992... Although the highest flying thieves and scam artists in Texas financial circles may have been shot down, there still are some vultures in the sky, according to a federal law enforcement agency taking aim at that group. In fact, a year and a...

Small business, banks battle over loan data.
November 30, 1992... Small is in the eye of the beholder. That's the case in a big battle being fought in Washington, D.C., between banking lobbyists and small businesses. The battleground is bank regulation, with small business advocates trying to obtain...

Evolutionary Technologies grows up. (leaves Austin Technology Incubator)(includes related article) (Company Profile)
November 30, 1992... Armed with moral support and financial backing, Evolutionary Technologies Inc. (ETI) is ready to strike out on its own. The company, which develops and markets software tools, is leaving the cozy confines of the Austin Technology Incubator, a...

Management key to successful mall. (shopping center management firms) (Focus: Property Management) (Industry Overview)
November 30, 1992... Shopping center smarts Managing the property at retail shopping centers encompasses much more than just getting tenants to sign leases. Educating shopowners, keeping the property in good working order and promoting the center all make up...

Retailers hope for happy holiday profits. (Focus: Property Management) (Industry Overview)
November 30, 1992... Ringing cash registers will be music to beleaguered retailers' ears this holiday season. Most hope to have a happier holiday this year, as indicators point to merrier spending patterns for consumers. "From what we've been hearing from our...

Scarbroughs' fare has a new focus. (Scarbroughs Department Store concentrates on women's apparel) (Focus: Property Management) (Company Profile)
November 30, 1992... Cocooned for the spring and summer in the Arboretum, Scarbroughs has emerged a trimmed down yet eager butterfly. Last February, Austin's last family-owned department store sold two of its three locations to Dillard Department Stores and began a...