San Antonio Business Journal articles from February 1991

San Antonio Business Journal archives from February 1991

S.A. firm gets FDA consent on Osteoport. (LifeQuest Medical Inc., Food and Drug Administration; screw-like device implanted under the skin in the hip bone enabling patients to receive shots through the screw's cap)
February 22, 1991... S.A. firm gets FDA consent on Osteoport For 15 years, local cancer specialist Dr. Daniel Von Hoff pondered the problem of treating patients with collapsed veins. "We were perplexed. We were trying to find a way to give pain medication...

New mental health care center opens. (Operation Springboard opens first treatment center)
February 22, 1991... New mental health care center opens Operation Springboard, a San Antonio firm specializing in adolescent mental health care, has opened its first treatment center -- a 40-bed center at Canyon Lake -- and plans to expand the low-cost...

Board stymies firm's insurance sales. (State Board of Insurance; Armed Forces Emergency Travel Services Inc.)
February 22, 1991... Board stymies firm's insurance sales The State Board of Insurance has ordered a halt to the operations of a local firm that allegedly was marketing "travel insurance" to those stationed in the Persian Gulf. An official order from the...

Burn Care hopes to pick up slack from Brooke Army Medical. (Burn Care Associates Inc., Brooke Army Medical Center)
February 22, 1991... Burn Care hopes to pick up slack from Brooke Army Medical In anticipation of ground warfare in the Persian Gulf, Burn Care Associates Inc., a seven-member group of San Antonio plastic surgeons, is preparing to handle the immediate treatment...

Powell snags major warehouse contract.
February 22, 1991... Powell snags major warehouse contract In the largest contract since its inception, The Powell Cos. has secured a contract to lease and manage 1.2 million square feet of warehouse space on the city's East Side. The city's third-largest...

Business group, doctors launch permanent So. Side MRI center. (magnetic resonance imaging; Professional Imaging Services Inc.)
February 22, 1991... Business group, doctors launch permanent So. Side MRI center Professional Imaging Services Inc., a new firm composed largely of South Side doctors, is opening the first permanent magnetic resonance imaging center in South San Antonio. ...

Benefit Planners hikes client base.
February 22, 1991... Benefit Planners hikes client base Benefit Planners Inc., a San Antonio-based insurance claims administrator, has added three major clients -- a boost in business that required the hiring of 10 new employees since January and will bring in...

Paramount Communications to buy KRRT-TV parent company. (TVX Broadcast Group)
February 22, 1991... Paramount Communications to buy KRRT-TV parent company Paramount Communications Inc. is close to buying the parent company of one of San Antonio's top independent television stations, KRRT-TV, Channel 35, for some $200 million -- in what...

Dell unveils lightweight computer. (Dell Computer Corp.)
February 22, 1991... Dell unveils lightweight computer Dell Computer Corp., an Austin-based company, has introduced its first battery-operated notebook-sized computers. Dell, a producer of personal computers since 1984, is targeting highly mobile...

Brawny border banks; South Texas banks weathered rough times on the border, but still emerged lean and mean. (Special Report: Financial Institutions)
February 22, 1991... Brawny border banks South Texas banks weathered rough times on the border, but still emerged lean and mean In contrast to their peers, bankers along the Texas-Mexico border personify the old breed of conservative,...

Robert Sherwood. (Banking-Financial Services)
February 22, 1991... Robert Sherwood was promoted to senior vice president and chief of staff, Kurt Rechner was promoted to vice president of accounting and finance and Paul Roberson was promoted to vice president of human resources and marketing at Security...

GSA leasing space to help war wounded. (General Services Administration; warehouse space for medical equipment)
February 15, 1991... GSA leasing space to help war wounded In anticipation of casualties from a ground war in the Persian Gulf, the General Services Administration -- the purchasing arm of the federal government -- has signed a major lease for warehouse space...

Seguin gets more work but few jobs from Gulf war. (manufacturers in Seguin, Texas; defense contracts; Persian Gulf War, 1991-)
February 15, 1991... Seguin gets more work but few jobs from Gulf war As the war in Iraq progresses, federal contractors in Seguin have been working night and day to cope with the military's increasing demands for materiel, but so far the town has seen few...

Slipper maker mulls move to S.A. (R.G. Barry Corp. plans move to San Antonio, Texas)
February 15, 1991... Slipper maker mulls move to S.A. The R.G. Barry Corp., manufacturer of comfort footwear, is moving two divisions of its Ohio-based corporate offices to San Antonio in March -- a move company officials say could be the prelude to relocating...

Auto Parts Club signs major lease on South Side for warehouse store. (warehouse-type auto parts stores building from Central Life Assurance Co.)
February 15, 1991... Auto Parts Club signs major lease on South Side for warehouse store With the signing of a major lease on the city's South Side, San Diego-based Auto Parts Club has decided to expand its chain of warehouse-type auto parts stores into San...

Cox & Smith trims support staff to stay lean during local legal slump. (personnel downsizing of law firm)
February 15, 1991... Cox & Smith trims support staff to stay lean during local legal slump Reflecting a slowdown in the legal job market, San Antonio's Cox & Smith Inc., the city's second-largest law firm, has laid off 10 paralegals and secretaries -- a 5...

Vermont official takes S.A. law firm to court. (commissioner of banking, insurance and securities; San Antonio law firm of McCamish Martin Brown & Loeffler; for recovery of unpaid insurance premiums)
February 15, 1991... Vermont official takes S.A. law firm to court A Vermont state official has sued the San Antonio law firm of McCamish Martin Brown & Loeffler for malpractice over allegations that it failed to recover about $485,000 in unpaid premiums for an...

Locally based gov't securities fund reaps in $1 million in just 10 days. (U.S. Government Securities Savings Fund; United Services Advisors Inc.)
February 15, 1991... Locally based gov't securities fund reaps in $1 million in just 10 days In just 10 days, investors poured more than $1 million into a newly created government securities mutual fund at San Antonio's United Services Advisors Inc., partially...

Competitors say new Gold's Gym will sweat it out in soft S.A. market. (opening of new fitness club by Gold Gym's Enterprises Inc. in San Antonio)
February 15, 1991... Competitors say new Gold's Gym will sweat it out in soft S.A. market Gold's Gym, a Venice, Calif.-based chain of 300 gymnasiums, is about to try muscling into the soft, fiercely competitive San Antonio fitness club market. A...

New S.A. firm selling residential lots in Dallas. (Park Lake Capital Corp.)
February 15, 1991... New S.A. firm selling residential lots in Dallas A Dallas-based mortgage company has formed a local firm in its efforts to sell foreclosed acreage in a Dallas residential subdivision. Park Lake Capital Corp. was formed last month to...

Leonard Tschirhart. (Accounting)
February 15, 1991... Leonard Tschirhart and Paul Oroian of Tschirhart & Oroian CPAs, and Fisher Little Jr. of Little & Little CPAs merged their firms to form Tschirhart, Oroian & Little, CPAs.

Chester Rose. (Accounting)
February 15, 1991... Chester Rose and Erica Huang were admitted as partners with Hahn, Small & Batto, a firm of certified public accountants.

Alan Schoenbaum. (Law Firms)
February 15, 1991... Alan Schoenbaum and John Fessenden were named partners in the San Antonio office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. Fessenden is principally engaged in corporate and intellectual property law. Schoenbaum practices principally in the...

Iraq war may cost bank $1 million. (USAA Federal Savings Bank to forestall payments on credit card debts owed by reservists)
February 8, 1991... Iraq war may cost bank $1 million USAA Federal Savings Bank is preparing to lose more than $1 million in revenue this year on special provisions it is making for more than 4,200 of its members who are reservists called to active duty in...

USAA lobbying for earthquake insurance. (USAA Insurance Co.)
February 8, 1991... USAA lobbying for earthquake insurance You're watching a newscast on TV when suddenly you notice that the studio begins to shake. Within seconds, the anchorperson announces that there has been a catastrophic earthquake in the Midwest. And...

NCNB picks Clarke Corp. as its printer. (Clarke American Corp.)
February 8, 1991... NCNB picks Clarke Corp. as its printer NCNB Corp., the nation's seventh-largest banking company, has chosen San Antonio-based Clarke American Corp. as its exclusive check printer, meaning a three year, multimillion-dollar contract and 80...

Monkey business lands firm in suit. (copyright suit bet. PMI Toys & Novelties and Big T Enterprises about stuffed toy monkey)
February 8, 1991... Monkey business lands firm in suit Copyright law usually isn't as fun as a barrel of monkeys, but monkey business does constitute the heart of a suit a San Antonio toy maker recently filed against a competitor in California. The...

New Mexican-American magazine set to be launched in San Antonio. (new periodical to be called Magazin)
February 8, 1991... New Mexican-American magazine set to be launched in San Antonio It's "a Mexican-American cross between People and Rolling Stone." That's how Carlos Guerra, the editor of Magazine, describes his publication -- a tabloid-sized magazine...

Foreign entities sue Dee Howard seeking portion of major project. (Dee Howard Co.)
February 8, 1991... Foreign entities sue Dee Howard seeking portion of major project In a breach of contract suit filed in In a breach of contract suit filed in Bexar County District Court, the estate of a Saudi Arabian businessman and a British trading...

Strasser, Gemcraft at odds over ad. (real estate agent George Strasser; Gemcraft Corp.)
February 8, 1991... Strasser, Gemcraft at odds over ad Charging that the Gemcraft Corp. has caused him "humiliation, embarrassment, frustration and general mental anguish," local real estate agent George Strasser sued the residential developer, alleging that...

Houston banking firm takes Los Patios partners to court. (Dillon Rubinstein Inc.; Los Patios Investors Ltd.)
February 8, 1991... Houston banking firm takes Los Patios partners to court Los Patios Investors Ltd., the partnership that bought the Los Patios restaurant and retail complex on the North Side last year, is being sued for allegedly reneging on an agreement...

Station named in license dispute. (Laredo Broadcasting Co. owner of KRRG-FM)
February 8, 1991... LAREDO BROADCASTING CO. Station named in license dispute Broadcast Music Inc. in New York recently filed suit against Laredo Broadcasting Co. Inc., owner of Laredo radio station KRRG-FM, alleging that the Texas company bilked it out...

Headquarters relocates to Austin. (Purchase Power Inc. )
February 8, 1991... PURCHASE POWER INC. Headquarters relocates to Austin Purchase Power Inc., a division of Consumer Cause Inc., has relocated its national headquarters to Austin, the company announced. "Austin was chosen because of its unique...

Firm plans to move Austin office. (State Farm Insurance Companies)
February 8, 1991... STATE FARM INSURANCE COS. Firm plans to move Austin office State Farm Insurance Cos. plans to buy 97.4 acres north of Austin as a site for a 400,000- to 500,000-square-foot South Texas regional office. The insurer plans to...

New product at fiberoptic firm. (SunRiver Corp.)
February 8, 1991... SUNRIVER CORP. New product at fiberoptic firm SunRiver Corp., an Austin-based supplier of high-performance work group fiberoptic graphics terminals, last week introduced the industry's first series of fiberoptic terminals designed...

Firm wins Fiesta Texas contract. (JanCom Inc.)
February 8, 1991... JANCOM INC. Firm wins Fiesta Texas contract Austin consulting engineers JanCom Inc. won the professional engineering services contract for the overall electronic systems integration and intra-park cabling design for Fiesta Texas...

PG&E acquires offshore operator. (PG and E Resources; Corpus Christi Exploration Co.)
February 8, 1991... CORPUS CHRISTI EXPLORATION PG&E acquires offshore operator Corpus Christi Exploration Co. and its subsidiary Corpus Christi Oil & Gas Co. have been acquired by PG&E Resources of San Francisco. The merger, which went into effect...

Bob Marbut. (Communications)
February 8, 1991... Bob Marbut relinquished the title and responsibilities of president and chief executive officer of Harte-Hanks Communications Inc. to Larry Franklin, the company's executive vice president and chief operating officer. Marbut will become vice...

Rufus Hoefer. (Health Care-Medicine)
February 8, 1991... Rufus Hoefer, Terri Maldonado and Billy "Chip" Naramore were given new assignments with Santa Rosa Health Care Corp. Hoefer was named associate administrator and chief operating officer of Villa Rosa Hospital. He previously was...

Mary Jo Hutton. (Real Estate)
February 8, 1991... Mary Jo Hutton is the president of the newly opened Hutton Co. Hutton is an active appraiser and consultant. The firm's primary trading area includes Texas, Tennessee, Washington and Alaska.

Jack Rogers. (Real Estate)
February 8, 1991... Jack Rogers purchased the Ticor Title Insurance Company of California's San Antonio office. The company name is Ticor Title Agency of San Antonio. Rogers previously was executive vice president of First American Title Company of San Antonio....

Valley-Hi National Bank. (Earnings and dividends)
February 8, 1991... Valley-Hi National Bank reported an increase in net income, total assets and total deposits for the 12 months ending Dec. 31, 1990, for the 12th consecutive quarter. Net income increased 10 percent from $1,008,717 in 1989 to $1,109,434 this...

Valero Natural Gas Partners L.P. (Earnings and dividends)
February 8, 1991... Valero Natural Gas Partners L.P. reported a 1990 net income of $50.7 million, or $2.62 per limited partner unit. Net income for 1989 was $13.3 million, or 67 cents per limited quarter unit. Partnership operating income for 1990 was $105.2...

Kinetic Concepts Inc. (Earnings and dividends)
February 8, 1991... Kinetic Concepts Inc. declared a quarterly cash dividend on its preferred and common stock in the amount of 3 cents per share. The fourth quarter dividend is payable on Feb. 15, 1991, to shareholders of record on Feb. 8, 1991. There were...

Marriott strengthens hand with local holdings; Japanese investments may aid hotel project.
February 1, 1991... Marriott strengthens hand with local holdings Japanese investments may aid hotel project A Japanese investment group may provide the needed $30 million to fund a long-planned Marriott suites hotel at downtown's Rivercenter mall, the...

Lincoln Heights center gains five more acres. (Marriott Corp.)
February 1, 1991... Lincoln Heights center gains five more acres After two years of negotiations, the Marriott Corp. has purchased nearly five acres of land in the Lincoln Heights development for an undisclosed amount on which it plans to build retirement...

Highlight zone: one step beyond.
February 1, 1991... Highlight Zone: One step beyond Michael Mehl, whose business activities range from photographing nudes to producing Mexican TV commercials to creating New Age music, runs his San Antonio-based company, the Highlight Zone, with more of an...

Defense Dept. probes firm's alleged bribes. (Sherwood Van Lines Inc.)
February 1, 1991... Defense Dept. probes firm's alleged bribes Three U.S. Department of Defense agencies have launched a joint investigation to determine whether a San Antonio moving company bribed military officials and falsified documents, the Business...

RTC evaluating sealed bids for local Radisson Hotel. (Resolution Trust Co.)
February 1, 1991... RTC evaluating sealed bids for local Radisson Hotel The Radisson Hotel at San Antonio International Airport, the city's sixth-largest hotel, may have a new owner and a new name shortly. Sealed bids for the beleaguered, primely located...

Wildlife feeder files copyright suit. (Spin-Cast Inc., San Angelo Sports Products Inc.)
February 1, 1991... Wildlife feeder files copyright suit A local wildlife feeder manufacturer has filed suit in federal court accusing a San Angelo company of trademark and copyright infringement. San Antonio-based Spin-Cast Inc., which manufactures a...

Health care center targets personal injury lawyers as potential clients.
February 1, 1991... Health care center targets personal injury lawyers as potential clients Touting itself as "one-stop shopping" place for doctors and personal injury lawyers, the Diagnostic & Rehabilitation Center opened its doors late last month employing...

NCNB closes three local branches in consolidation process. (NCNB Texas)
February 1, 1991... NCNB closes three local branches in consolidation process In an ongoing effort to reorganize its 22 San Antonio branches, NCNB Texas will close three local offices it acquired from National Bancshares Corp. of Texas and university Savings....

Apartment videos allow buyers to shop from their living room. (video apartment guide for San Antonio)
February 1, 1991... Apartment videos allow buyers to shop from their living room A former property manager is preparing to unveil a free monthly video apartment guide to San Antonio that advertises the city's apartment complexes in 30-second slots. ...

Black gold: how the quest for oil breathed new life into a sleeping Texas town. (Special Report: Environment and Energy)
February 1, 1991... Black Gold How the quest for oil breathed new life into a sleeping Texas town Eighteen months ago, Pacho Garcia built his restaurant, one of two Garcia's Cafes in the South Texas town of Dilley, in the hopes of tapping the truck...

Companies find green marketing aids environment and bottom line.
February 1, 1991... Companies find green marketing aids environment and bottom line Making good business sense out of good environmental sense is gradually becoming easier. Almost on a daily basis more businesses are finding cost-effective -- even profitable...

City examines waste management efforts to meet goals of '90 report. (San Antonio, Texas)
February 1, 1991... City examines waste management efforts to meet goals of '90 report City officials are working to implement a stronger waste management system for San Antonio in light of a report that the city faces problems of a "crisis" proportion if it...

Frost Bank. (People on the Move)
February 1, 1991... Frost Bank promoted five officers and elected 12 new officers. Promoted were Don Frost, senior vice president, private banking; Roger Lind, senior vice president, properties and support services; Virginia Kline, vice president,...

Robert Mcdermott. (People on the Move)
February 1, 1991... Robert McDermott, chairman and chief executive officer of United Services Automobile Association, was named vice chairman of the Insurance Information Institute.

James Uptmore. (People on the Move)
February 1, 1991... James Uptmore, chairman of the board and president of J.H. Uptmore and Associates, was awarded the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce's 32nd annual Joe Freeman Award in recognition of his many contributions to agriculture.