Austin Business Journal articles from September 2000

Austin Business Journal archives from September 2000

Bradley to buy 2,400 acres.
September 22, 2000... Developer has contract with arm of A&M to purchase property near Buda for multiuse project Local developer Gary Bradley plans to purchase 2,400 acres immediately south of Austin for a master-planned, mixed-use community. Bradley has...

Networker being revived.
September 22, 2000... One of Austin's early dot-corn deaths, Networker Inc., has risen from the grave -- only this time, it's headed by marketing consultant Harry Pape, organizer of the popular High Tech Happy Hour. Pape, who's built the monthly High Tech Happy...

Software firm snags $18M.
September 22, 2000... Lombardi Software cutting loose from OpenPlus parent company, hires first full-time chief exec An Austin software startup has clinched $18 million in funding and has drafted a former Ernst & Young LLP equity partner as its first full-time...

New journey for Journyx.
September 22, 2000... Austin software company Journyx Inc. plans to double its space with a move down Lamar Boulevard into more than 6,000 square feet. At 42 employees, Journyx will combine its headquarters at 11507 N. Lamar Blvd. -- which comprises about 2,900...

Bring it on.
September 22, 2000... What's the most affordable city for technology professionals? One survey says it's Austin. A recent affordability survey by Minneapolis-based job finder techies.com Inc. places Austin first, followed by Dallas and Houston. Techies.com...

BATS for Beethoven.
September 22, 2000... A new social group for young professionals interested in supporting the Austin Symphony Orchestra will host its kickoff event Sept 28 at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. More than 200 people have signed up so far, says Thorn Singer...

Environmental salute.
September 22, 2000... The National Recycling Coalition has honored Balcones Recycling's partnership with Dell Computer Corp. The Tim McClure Award for Outstanding Environmental and Community Leadership salutes organizations that show commitment to recycling, the...

Docking in Austin.
September 22, 2000... Pierpoint Communications, a public relations firm based in Houston, recently set up shop in Austin. The firm's Austin clients include HEB.com, ConnectSouth Communications Inc., iTeam and Pervasive Software Inc. Pervasive dropped...

Please lift up your tray tables.
September 22, 2000... A 5-year-old catering company owned by chef Pascal Michel Jeannin has purchased and plans to move into about 7,000 square feet adjacent to the old Robert Mueller Municipal Airport. The site was owned by Sky Chef, a company that...

Pocket protectors on board.
September 22, 2000... Austin's CollegeHire is getting down to business with some of the country's top students. CollegeHire has formed a student advisory council composed of eight students to guide the companies' service offerings during the current academic...

On the AIR.
September 22, 2000... Austin's Accessibility Internet Rally, or AIR-Austin, is expanding into the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Denver this year after three years in Austin. The Oct. 14 event lets Austin Web designers compete in building Web sites for people with...

Pushing their buttons.
September 22, 2000... A new service in the Austin area will allow radio advertisers to hook up with potential customers with the push of four buttons. #333 from Chicago-based ewireless Inc. allows drivers to use their wireless phones to respond to radio ads...

Psychiatric clinic may move to Texas.
September 22, 2000... DALLAS -- The worldrenowned Menninger psychiatric corporation and clinic might be picking up stakes and moving to Texas. Officials at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and the Baylor College of Medicine in...

Telecom company expands operation.
September 22, 2000... ALLEN A Silicon Valley maker of telecommunications equipment is moving a Plano researchand-development lab to more than twice as much space in Allen, where it will hire about 100 people over the next year. Metro-Optix also will do some...

SBC Communications to take former HQ of Builders Square.
September 22, 2000... SAN ANTONIO -- The city's biggest tenant is making a move for more space. SBC Communications Inc. is close to signing a lease for the former headquarters of Builders Square, real estate sources say. SBC would take all of the...

AIM Management Group starts investment management center.
September 22, 2000... HOUSTON -- Taking a cue from one of its founders, mutual fund giant AIM Management Group is making a permanent name for itself on the University of Houston campus. The Houston growth fund has launched the AIM Center for Investment...

Deloitte beefs up presence.
September 22, 2000... Firm is last of Big 5 to locate a ccounting, tax practice in hot Austin business market Deloitte & Touche LLP is returning to Austin, making Silicon Hills home again to all the Big 5 accounting firms. Deloitte & Touche, the accounting...

Bidder pursues Empire.
September 22, 2000... Florida company seeks to pay $16 million for assets of Austin mortgage lender in bankruptcy A Florida company has bid about $16 million to purchase the assets of Austin mortgage lending house Empire Funding Corp., which filed for Chapter...

Taxing situation in Austin.
September 22, 2000... RECA leader says study should prompt questions about 'tide' of high tech high, prosperity Both income and taxes have risen in the Austin area over the past decade - and the Real Estate Council of Austin says its annual Austin Combined Cost...

Chavez makes a deal.
September 22, 2000... Manny Chavez, president and CEO of Harvard Manufacturing Texas, has become the sole owner of one of Austin's fastest-growing private companies. Chavez says he recently purchased 49 percent of Harvard Manufacturing for an undisclosed amount...

Software group to lead trade mission to Japan.
September 22, 2000... Representatives of three Austin companies will dine on sushi and green tea next month while introducing Austin's tech industry to the Japanese software industry. Wham Engineering and Software Inc., Adhesive Software Inc. and SciComp Inc.,...

DeMarco gets energized with investment of $8M.
September 22, 2000... Austin-based DeMarco Energy Systems of America Inc. has lined up $8 million in first-round funding. Peter Des Camps, vice president of corporate development at DeMarco Energy, says the money will be provided by a New York-based investment...

Women's health group cuts ties to major HMO.
September 22, 2000... Nina Janes of Austin says she feels like she has to make an unfairly difficult decision. Two-thirds of the way through her pregnancy, she must choose between changing physicians or coming up with the money to pay for her prenatal care and...

Combined travel company targets Austin market.
September 22, 2000... Corporate Travel Planners, one of the San Antonio's fastest-growing players in the travel industry, has struck a deal to purchase the oldest San Antonio firm in the business, Rennert World Travel. Christine Richardson, president of...

New organization backs Nov. 7 light rail proposal.
September 22, 2000... Another group has thrown its support behind the light rail proposal on the Nov. 7 ballot. Austin Choices for Transportation is led by former Austin City Council members Bill Spelman and Brigid Shea.

N. California company has designs on Austin.
September 22, 2000... A recent spin-off of San Jose, Calif.-based Philips Semiconductors has opened an Austin design center. TriMedia Technologies Inc. recently set up shop in about 3,000 square feet in Barton Creek Plaza, where a group of engineers will work...

Kerrville among the ranks of America's 'dreamtowns'.
September 22, 2000... Southerners who prefer small-town life have a broad range of appealing options. Thirty-eight small cities across the South are "dreamtowns," according to a new study by Demographics Daily. The country as a whole has 141 dreamtowns, defined...

Produce growers feel squeezed by 'slotting'.
September 22, 2000... As a result of consolidation in the supermarket industry, produce growers say they now must pay the same kinds of fees that dry goods manufacturers have paid for years to get their products on store shelves. In the past, retailers have...

Clock running out for sports gambling measure.
September 22, 2000... The odds are against legislation to ban gambling on college sports, despite the House Judiciary Committee's 19-9 approval of the bill Sept. 13. Supporters say they could win a vote in the full House, but congressional leaders aren't...

Weyerhaeuser chooses Dell for up to $60M in equipment.
September 22, 2000... Dell Computer Corp. [Nasdaq: DELL] has been chosen by Weyerhaeuser Co. as its supplier of computer hardware. Round Rock-based Dell estimates the contract will be worth up to $60 million in revenue over its life. Weyerhaeuser, a forest...

New HMO bill fails to ease employers' fears.
September 22, 2000... A leading employee benefits association says a revised managed care reform bill gaining steam on Capitol Hill doesn't protect employers from being sued over health insurance coverage decisions. Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga., and Rep. John...

Employers consider ways to cap health care costs.
September 22, 2000... The country's largest employers, fear this year's 8.3 percent increase in the cost of health insurance isn't a short-term phenomenon and they're beginning to think about ways to cap their premiums, says Larry Atkins, coordinator of the...

Government contracting Web site targets women.
September 22, 2000... The federal government has launched a Web site, WomenBiz.gov, to serve as a portal to more than 100 procurement sites hosted by various agencies. The site also provides basic information for women business owners who are interested in...

Small business optimism increases slightly in August.
September 22, 2000... The NFIB Education Foundation's Small Business Optimism Index rose by eight-tenths of a point last month, as concerns about inflation eased. The 561 small business owners surveyed by the foundation reported fewer price increases in August...

A wealth of riches.
September 22, 2000... Philip Berber may have made h is financial fortune with the sale of CyBerCorp Inc., but his true affluence stems from what he gets from his family and gives back to his community For five years, Westlake Youth Soccer President Jerry Galow...

New site aids entrepreneurs.
September 22, 2000... A new Web site offers entrepreneurs information on such topics as how to start a business, how to buy supplies and how to hire staff. The new site is (www.austinentrepreneur.com). Similar sites are operating in nine other cities, including...

Austin ranks No. 2 for biz retention.
September 22, 2000... Austin is ranked No. 2 this year in the Brandow Co.'s business retention index for large metropolitan areas. Salt Lake City is No. 1, and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., is No. 3. Rounding out the top five are Orlando, Fla., and Grand Rapids, Mich....

Flowing with liquidations.
September 22, 2000... Pflugerville company makes money with castoffs One week, Lafe Chaffee bought 200 truckloads of silk flowers. The next week, he sold those flowers to retailers throughout the country. The flowers, purchased from a assets of Dallas bank...

Construction can build your base of business.
September 22, 2000... A recent report cited construction as one of the country's fastest growing employment fields. That same trend holds true in the Austin area. According to the report, construction jobs nationwide rose 4.2 percent last year, the largest gain for...

Green Mountain pursues licensing in Connecticut.
September 22, 2000... Green Mountain Energy Co. has refiled its application to become a licensed electricity provider in Connecticut. Citing cumbersome licensing procedures in Connecticut, Green Mountain withdrew. its original license application earlier this...

Boosting staff loyalty can boost customer loyalty.
September 22, 2000... I'm often asked to identify the most important thing a company can do to increase customer loyalty. And my answer is always the same: start by increasing staff loyalty. In my 20 years of helping companies build customer loyalty, I've seen...

Cygnal Integrated buys Austin's SiLogiX.
September 22, 2000... Austin's Cygnal Integrated Products Inc. has acquired locally based SiLogiX LLC. Financial terms weren't disclosed. Cygnal, founded in 1999, designs, manufactures and markets mixed-signal "system on a chip" products and support tools....

Company rings up sales success on the Internet.
September 22, 2000... Frustrated by the lack of easy to use shopping cart programs, Shawn Roop hired a software consultant to create a customized e-commerce program to sell his mother's toe rings online. "A few days later, he called me back and says he read...

Is buying online a good deal for your business?
September 22, 2000... From cattle to construction, small businesses are going online in record numbers to purchase goods and services from trusted suppliers and online exchanges. Small businesses spent $55.4 billion buying goods and services over the Internet...

Convergent Investors closes on $64M venture capital fund.
September 22, 2000... Austin-based venture capital group Convergent Investors LLC has closed on a $64 million venture capital fund. The new fund, Convergent Investors VI LP, follows two years of investing in 11 early stage tech companies, primarily in Texas. The...

Tensleep to move HQ to Southern California.
September 22, 2000... Tensleep Corp. [OTC BB: TENS], which develops and sells Internet products and services, says it's moving its headquarters from Austin to California. Ronald Tucker, president and CEO of the company, says: "An exact location has not been...

Legerity president joins board of Houston company.
September 22, 2000... Daryl White, president and chief financial officer of Austin's Legerity Inc., has joined the board of directors of Houston-based PentaSafe Security Technologies Inc. PentaSafe develops auditing and security management systems. Before...

Dell to make personalized computers for LoanCity.com.
September 22, 2000... Dell Computer Corp. will make customized personal computers for customers of San Jose, Calif.-based LoanCity.com. LoanCity.com provides e-finance services and technology for mortgage professionals. Customers visiting LoanCity.com will sign...

Retailer chooses Globeset for electronic cash management.
September 22, 2000... Austin's Globeset Inc. has been chosen by men's clothing retailer Structure, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Limited Inc. [NYSE: LTD], to maximize cash flow from daily deposits. Structure will use Globeset's electronic cash management...

A new lake beacon.
September 22, 2000... Imagination and cooperation provide a 'makeover' from working water tower to attractive, eye catching landmark The colorful lighthouse perched on a hilltop 300 feet above Lake Travis isn't likely to save many ocean-going vessels from the...

Lenders adapt to Islam needs for Austin project.
September 22, 2000... The recently announced 232-unit Maconda Park Apartments for northwest Austin is more than just a new multi-family residential project. It's a first for Austin and the U.S. - a successful western effort to meet construction project requirements...

Choosing an urban lifestyle in downtown Austin.
September 22, 2000... Downtown. Where all the lights are bright and everything's waiting for you. Austin's downtown is becoming more like the one Petula Clark sang about, as more people make it their home. And downtown isn't just Sixth Street or the...

Where have all the -- local -- builders gone?
September 22, 2000... Fans of the television hit Survivor will enjoy this information. Even those who have heard just about enough on that topic will still appreciate the staying power of Austin builder, David LeBoeuf. Like many other builders, he has been...

Walking a paper trail to residential construction.
September 22, 2000... Where there's a will, it's said, there's a way. That adage applies even when cultures that, at first look, may seem worlds apart work together to meet challenges and solve problems. Every day more and more new residents find their way to...

Look for small changes in residential market.
September 22, 2000... Austin's tight residential housing market continues to be a hot topic at just about any type of gathering and in any office around town. While no relief seems to be in sight any time soon, there's action in some related areas, around the state...

PEOPLE.
September 22, 2000... 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,...

The return of Gary Bradley.
September 22, 2000... Development proposal returns renown developer to the forefront, but with a different tone Here comes Gary Bradley again. It's a reality that strikes fear into some Central Texas residents' souls, brings a cheer from' others. But this...

A pitch for good business.
September 22, 2000... Success can breed contentment, even contempt. When there is a plethora of customers, it can seem worthwhile to let one get away if he or she seems too "high maintenance." After all, when everyone's buying, surely there's two more available to...

TAKING STOCK OF AUSTIN.
September 22, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

TOP 25 RESIDENTIAL BUILDERS.
September 22, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

TOP 25 RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS.
September 22, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Bradley sues over partnership.
September 29, 2000... Co-owner of Heep Ranch vows to fight Bradley's suit over soured deal for 1,355 acres along I-35 Developer Gary Bradley's latest proposed project already is entangled in litigation. Process servers attempted to reach South Austin...

Startup gets Grande infusion.
September 29, 2000... Telecommunications company gets $25M from unit of Reliant, with option for another $25M Grande Communications Inc. is getting energized: Houston's Reliant Energy Ventures Inc. has pumped $25 million into the San Marcos company, with an...

Crow sets sights on $40M park.
September 29, 2000... Trammell Crow Co. is preparing to launch its biggest Austin development project since the 1980s. Crow's $40 million project will create 750,000 square feet of flex offices and warehouses on 68 acres west of I-35 just south of Round Rock....

The ballots are in.
September 29, 2000... Hart Information Services Inc. has won its campaign for funding: The Austin company drummed up $32.5 million in second-round financing to sell and market its electronic voter registration systems nationwide. Leading the round was...

Incubator company grows up.
September 29, 2000... Radiant Photonics Inc., a graduate of the Austin Technology Incubator, has received $18 million in first-round equity funding. The round was led by Adam Smith Investment Partners of New York and KLM Capital of San Jose, Calif. Intel Capital...

Itadakimasu!
September 29, 2000... Fine Japanese dining is coming to downtown Austin's Warehouse District. Aspen, Colo.-based Kenichi has leased 4,700 square feet next door to Delaware Subs, at the southeast corner of Colorado and West Fifth streets. The space had been...

Two forks up.
September 29, 2000... Four local restaurants are eating up some praise. The eateries have gamed mentions in the October issue of Gourmet magazine's first "Guide to America's Best Restaurants." Zoot and Jeffrey's Restaurant have been named among the top 10 best...

Sitting in TL Ventures.
September 29, 2000... Sitting in TL Ventures has added entrepreneur-in-residence program to the Austin office. The Pennsylvania-based venture capital firm brought in two entrepreneurs in Austin with plans to have between four and six serving at a time, says Bob...

CORRECTION.
September 29, 2000... An item in the Sept. 22-28 issue of the Austin Business Journal, "New journey for Journyx," incorrectly states that Psionic Software Inc. is considering vacating its facility. The company doesn't have such plans. A story in the Sept. 22-28...

Two health firms file for bankruptcy.
September 29, 2000... HOUSTON - Two Houston-based health care companies have filed for bankruptcy in recent weeks, a sign that the industry's financial struggles aren't over yet Houston-based Paracelsus Healthcare Corp., a publicly traded company that has been...

Film group buying land for movie complex.
September 29, 2000... HOUSTON -- A group of television and film buffs led by former Hollywood actor and screenwriter Price Hall has been trying to bring a full-scale film production studio to Houston for the past three years. The acquisition of 65 acres of land...

Chip startup goes to extremes.
September 29, 2000... Extreme Devices secures $30M, will build its own fab in Austin Semiconductor chip maker Extreme Devices Inc., the first spinout of private research firm Systems and Processes Engineering Corp., plans to spend about $30 million in...

McAllister flying solo.
September 29, 2000... One of Austin's largest commercial real estate firms is changing its name to reflect consolidated ownership. Joe McAllister says he has bought out his former partner, Mike Girton, who was president of Girton & McAllister Real Estate...

Wooley case is set for trial.
September 29, 2000... Benchmark Land Development makes claims against brothers over Oak Parke home project A 4-year-old lawsuit involving Schlotzsky's Inc. CEO and president John Wooley is scheduled for trial Nov. 6. The suit was filed in 1996 by Austin...

Not so divine anymore.
September 29, 2000... divine interVentures cancels plans for Austin 'habitat,' will shut down local office Chicago incubator company divine interVentures Inc. has scrapped plans to build a 500,000-square-foot "habitat" downtown for high tech firms. Since...

Software firm enlarges semiconductor domain.
September 29, 2000... A 15-month-old Austin software developer will put its technology to the test at a semiconductor manufacturing plant in Irving. Austin's domainLogix Corp. has been awarded a multimillion-dollar contract from Brooks Automation Inc. to provide...

536-unit complex is set for development on 620.
September 29, 2000... A 536-unit apartment and townhome complex will be the first project to go up in a 150-acre multiuse development on RR 620 northwest of Austin. Houston-based Real Estate Development Services Inc. has purchased 38 acres in Grandview Hills to...

PointServe brings suit against investor Cox.
September 29, 2000... An Austin software company is suing one of its main investors, claiming that the investor's actions endangered the company's viability. Austin's PointServe Inc. filed suit Sept. 19 in Travis County District Court against investor Cox...

Flextronics plans campus for corridor in Richardson.
September 29, 2000... Flextronics International Ltd. is planning what could be a 1 million-square-foot campus in Richardson's Telecom Corridor. Singapore-based Flextronics, the world's fifth-largest provider of electronics manufacturing services, will make a...

Herman Miller acquires furniture dealer in S.A.
September 29, 2000... Office furniture powerhouse Herman Miller Inc. has bought San Antonio office furniture dealer Marshall Clegg Associates Inc. Herman Miller representative Steve Visser says the deal was completed the week of Sept. 18. Marshall Clegg,...

House requires SBA to track contract bundling.
September 29, 2000... Small businesses know they are losing government contracts because of federal agencies' growing tendency to bundle procurement deals into large packages, but they lack hard data to prove how harmful the practice is. That might change with...

Lawmaker proposes breaks to woo Intel, others.
September 29, 2000... State Rep. Kim Brimer, R-Arlington, hopes to woo Intel Corp. back to Fort Worth with a business incentive bill that he thinks would make Texas more competitive with other states in attracting big business. The bill would stipulate that a...

Greenspan: Poor math, science skills adding up.
September 29, 2000... Alan Greenspan says he's glad he learned math the old-fashioned way: with a pencil and paper, not a calculator. Americans are glad Greenspan developed such an analytical mind, based on the credit the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board...