Sacramento Business Journal articles from May 2000

Sacramento Business Journal archives from May 2000

RALEY FIELD.(Sacramento's new baseball field)
May 26, 2000... Designing and constructing simultaneously, the River Cats build a Sacramento-area landmark in a short eight months Raley Field reflects the shape and style of baseball stadiums at the dawn of the 20th century. In vintage baseball flavor,...

GALLERIA AT ROSEVILLE.(new mall)
May 26, 2000... Curved walkways, arches offer stunning views of Placer County's first full-sized mall It's hard to label the design of the new Galleria at Roseville mall. It has a little of everything -- from the drama of Greek-revival inspired columns...

A BUILDING WORTH SAVING.(moving an apartment building)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Area agency, developer rescue art-deco apartments Moving an eight-unit apartment building a couple of blocks through midtown Sacramento is an "average" job for Montgomery Contractors Inc. So it was average work for the 125-year-old local...

UC DAVIS CENTER for the ARTS.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Delivering high-quality sound is the goal in this dramatic blending of glass, steel and wood When the UC Davis Center for the Arts is completed in 2002, its stunning glass, steel and granite design shouldn't leave anybody guessing what...

CAL EPA.(California Environmental Protection Agency's new headquarters)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... With its great expanses of glass, a sequoia forest and a nightly rooftop light show, one thing is for sure: This isn't your father's government building It won't be hard to find the entrance to the new headquarters of the California...

PROFILE: LPA INC.(Company Profile)
May 26, 2000... Whether designing smaller projects such as the Pavilions shopping center or resorts in 600-square-mile parks in Taiwan, this company has an eye for classic design When the president of Sacramento's fourth-largest architecture firm says...

Largest architectural firms.(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Largest architectural firms (Ranked by number of licensed architects; in ties, ranked by 1999 local gross billings) 1999 gross ...

Commercial building developers.(Directory)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Commercial building developers (Ranked by local construction cost of projects begun in 1998; in ties, ranked by cost of all projects) ...

Electrical contractors.(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Electrical contractors (Ranked by gross billings for 1998) 1998 Number of gross employees Rank ...

Largest Engineering firms.(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Largest Engineering firms Suzanne Webb (Ranked by gross billings) Gross Number of ...

General building contractors.(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... General building contractors (Ranked by contract income for 1999) 1999 contract billings from...

Land developers.(Directory)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Land developers (Ranked by number of acres owned) No. of acres Firm owned in Rank Address ...

Largest mechanical contracting firms.(Directory)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Largest mechanical contracting firms Sharon Havranek (Ranked by 1999 gross billings) 1999 Rank Company...

Monarchs bag Ralphs.(Sacramento Monarchs)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Sponsorship in 'six figures' The Sacramento Monarchs have signed Ralphs Grocery Co. as their biggest dollar sponsor ever and the WNBA's second-largest sponsor. The two-year "fully integrated partnership," which was to be publicly...

Brewery pulls out of waterfront site.(Pyramid Breweries)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Seattle-based Pyramid Breweries Inc. has pulled out of negotiations to build a huge brewery and restaurant on the waterfront in Old Sacramento. The city is now looking for some other operator to step in and develop a 12,000-square-foot...

Tough patient advocate to oversee state HMOs.(Daniel Zingale)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... The eyes of the HMO industry are on Daniel Zingale. He'll be staring right back as the first director of California's new Department of Managed Care. When the new department kicks off operations on July 1, Zingale will be overseeing...

Cable news start-up two steps closer.(Cable News Service)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... The group trying to establish a statewide cable television news service in downtown Sacramento expects to announce today that it has secured $40 million in venture capital. "We think we have a funding deal with a company," said Ken...

Downtown Plaza theater sued again for back rent.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... For the second month in a row, the United Artists Theater at Downtown Plaza has been sued by the mall for missing its monthly lease payment. Downtown Plaza wants $81,963 in back rent for the seven-screen theater, with the clock ticking...

Comcast to offer cable modems.(in Sacramento, California)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Comcast Corp. is planning to offer cable modems to its Sacramento subscribers by the third quarter, says online manager Greg Bell. It all depends when the hardware gets delivered. It'll be yet another high-speed Internet link, about 100...

Raid rumored at brokerage.(in Sacramento, California)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The buzz among insurance agents is that a small, property-casualty brokerage that's been doing business in the area for a number of years is under investigation by the Department of Insurance. Stories vary. Some say there was a raid in...

No extension for hotel owner.(Ramesh Pitamber of the Heritage Hotel, Sacramento)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The long-suffering lender for the Heritage Hotel in Point West, originally built in 1980 as the Beverly Garland, has denied a request by the hotel's owner, Ramesh "Ron" Pitamber, for two more years to sell the place. As part of...

Look out, Lincoln.(Lincoln Hills senior community)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Del Webb Corp.'s new seniors' community, Lincoln Hills, is selling homes so fast the Phoenix company is planning to buy 310 more acres. That could boost the project from 5,800 homes to 6,600, says spokeswoman Judy Bennett. Half of the...

Intel makes huge contribution.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Intel Corp. on Wednesday will announce it has chosen Sacramento Food Bank Services in Oak Park as the home of its first Computer Clubhouse in the region. Intel is giving $100,000 to set up computers with high-speed Internet access at the...

Beverage distributor buys 12 acres in Southport.(Mesa Beverage Company)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Second bottler may expand in West Sac Two beverage distributors, preparing for long-term growth, separately plan to develop large campus-style facilities. One has committed to West Sacramento and the other is rumored to be looking there....

Elk Grove rebels against bleeping phone service.(Citizens Communications' California service)
May 26, 2000... Late last year, Dan Kramer realized that after seven years living in Elk Grove, he was mad as hell and he wasn't going to take it anymore. Lousy phone service, that is, from Citizens Communications. Thanks in large part to a campaign...

First Union Securities joins crowd in Roseville.(opens new California office)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... First Union Securities is opening an office in Roseville, joining about every other securities brokerage on the planet with an office on or near Douglas Boulevard. Formerly called Everen Securities until it was acquired by First...

CORRECTIONS AND AMPLIFICATIONS.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
May 26, 2000... Placer wineries The May 12 story on the Placer County Wine and Grape Association, "Placer grape growers return to their roots," incorrectly reported that there is only one winery operating in that county. There are, in fact, two: Granite...

Base is a pot of redevelopment gold.(Mclellan Air Force Base, Sacramento, California)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... A new McClellan/Watt Avenue Redevelopment Area to be formed this year is expected to become the largest pot of money for community improvements ever in Sacramento County history. The redevelopment area will generate an estimated $775...

Foundation renews pact that employs 600 locally.(Foundation Health Systems)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Foundation Health Systems Inc. has nailed down an extension to one of its military healthcare contracts and expects to negotiate two more extensions later this year in a business that brings in $1 billion in annual revenue. The contracts...

River Cats' fans dish out added trade for eateries.(Sacramento, California)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... With a week of Sacramento River Cats home games in the books, Old Sac's restaurants and nightclubs like what they're seeing so far on the ledger. "I've certainly seen a lot more business right after 5 p.m. People come in and want to have...

New leases nearly fill high-price high-rise Esquire Plaza.(Sacramento, California)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Three new leases have nearly filled the 22-story Esquire Plaza just a year after the downtown high-rise was finished. The leases were by two public relations firms and an organization that lobbies for victims of sexual violence. "It...

Tortillas blanket the area as taquerias take off.(new Baja Fresh Mexican Grill opens)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Former McDonald's man Skee Zaret just opened his third Baja Fresh Mexican Grill franchise, this time in the Howe 'Bout. Arden shopping center. It's in the space that used to be a Huey's Diner. The restaurant cost about $600,000 to open,...

Mas tacos por favor.(two new restaurants open in Sacramento)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... A lot of tortillas are going to be manipulated around University Mall in Davis. Just open are a Wraps N' Rolls restaurant and the area's fourth Rubio's Baja Grill. Both are expected to open in the summer. Rubio's plans 10 to 12 local...

Yan can do KVIE.(Martin Yan)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Martin Yan is done filming his latest series of cooking shows at KVIE's studios in South Natomas. The celebrity chef taped four shows a day for his latest series. The show largely is taped in Asian countries, but each segment includes dishes...

Zigatos zags to new flavors.(Zigatos Restaurant)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Zigatos Restaurant in the Howe 'Bout Arden center hired Irie Gengler as executive chef last month. Gengler was a sous chef at Brix in the Napa Valley, and he's worked at the Manale Bay Hotel on the island of Lanai and at Wolfgang Puck's Spago...

Facelift in midtown.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The old American Legion Hall on 21st Street in midtown Sacramento (Fort Sutter Post 392) is getting a major remodel -- into something. The place has always been a bar and restaurant, and now it's going to be more inviting to the public. The...

Aviators off the ground.(new restaurant opens at Executive Airport)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Aviators, a new restaurant, opened at Executive. Airport a couple of weeks ago. The restaurant overlooks the runway. Years ago it was the Red Baron, and then the Stick & Rudder for about a year. Now Cheung Chick, owner of Michelle's Carousel...

Big Mac quits Broadway.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The company-owned McDonald's at 1401 Broadway closed a couple of weeks ago. Oak Brook, Ill.,-based McDonald's Corp. didn't comment. The conjecture is that the 3-year-old location was quit because of the recent acquisition and conversion of...

Maker of liquid-crystal displays bets on China.(Granite Bay Technologies)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Rocklin-based Granite Bay Technologies just lost $1.3 million on sales of $2.6 million in its first quarter. But company chairman Steve Kircher isn't panicking. He figures it's only a matter of time before the new company's numbers come...

California, Texas add most tech jobs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... America's high-tech work force grew by 1.2 million workers from 1993 to 1999, with California, Texas, Virginia, Colorado and Georgia adding the most new jobs. This explosion in high-tech employment, documented in a new report by the...

New Fairfield factory will make bento lunches.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... A Japanese firm plans to start construction in June on a factory in Fairfield that will turn American agricultural products, including organic rice from Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, into Japanese boxed lunches called bento. NRE...

Roseville company plans huge cheese factory near Hanford.(California Natural Cheese Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... A Roseville company is preparing to start building a gigantic cheese plant in Hanford. The little dairy town near Fresno will be home to a $225 million state-of-the-art cheese factory. California Natural Cheese Corp.'s plant will employ...

Largest private companies.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Largest private companies (Ranked by 1999 revenue) Percent Rank Name 1999 of change last...

Some bank stocks are poised for rapid returns.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... I can't say I'm a big fan of Alan Greenspan these days. When he wanted to stimulate the economy, I stepped up to the plate and did my part, even if I couldn't afford to do it. Now that the Fed chief is concerned about inflation, I'm...

Study of the Internet economy calls for [ldots] more study.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Local economic development officials just got back the results of a $5,500 two-month study aimed at measuring the local Internet-based economy. It appears to have made one big finding: Much more information is needed. Dr. Robert...

Visa puts its stamp on Davis start-up.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Early last year Aaron Souza was just starting to launch his new creation, a greeting card company. He had an innovative idea: selling greeting cards with stamps already affixed to them at points of transit like airports. He designed a...

House again tries to repeal estate taxes.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The House is expected to vote during the week of June 5 on legislation to phase out the federal estate tax. Congress passed similar legislation last year as part of a $792 billion tax cut, but that package was vetoed by President Clinton....

SBA targets Asian Americans.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The Small Business Administration has agreed to work with the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development to increase business opportunities for Asian Americans. The outreach effort is part of SBA's program to help...

Bill would require disabled-access notification.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Becky Ogle is no Clint Eastwood fan. The disabled rights activist from Bethesda, Md., parked her wheelchair outside the House Judiciary Committee's hearing room to confront the movie star after he testified in favor of modifying the...

Digital voice recorders beat tape over short haul.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Small-business owners have been using portable voice recorders for years to record their latest, marketing brainstorm or that crucial decision-making meeting. If you're in the market for a new recorder, you probably won't be surprised to...

NET Interional trade.
May 26, 2000... EARTH IS PLUGGED IN To THE INTERNET AND A WIDE WEB OF OTHER TECHNOLOGICAL DEVICES. THAI HELPS SOME IMPORTERS AND EXPORTERS -- BUT IT DOESN'T CHANGE EVERY BODY'S WORLDVIEW In recent years, Chuck Sins would log a half-million flight miles...

Local exporters eagerly eye pending U.S.-China pact.
May 26, 2000... Exports from Sacramento go to every corner of the globe and are an increasingly important source of revenue for local businesses. So it's no wonder that local company officials are watching with keen interest the debate over trade with China,...

Trade Center services worth the price, members say.
May 26, 2000... A Galt company had been exporting building materials to Japan, but wanted to expand to other international markets. Instead of hiring brokers in every country to get the lowdown on specific markets, company officials joined the Northern...

Center inks pacts with minority chambers.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... In an effort to broaden its international connections, the Northern California World Trade Center has embarked on a campaign to attract local minority businesspeople. Three months ago, the center signed agreements of cooperation with the...

Variety of high-tech services for global trade available locally.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... International trade service organizations locally provide a variety of high-tech offerings to companies looking to expand globally: * Video conferencing is becoming more widely available, but local organizations haven't made full use of...

Art Quinn.
May 26, 2000... Millworks Specialties International / president Someone showed Art Quinn the door one time, but rather than take offense he had an idea. Doors are necessary; everybody needs them. So he made doors, and he sold them. Lots of doors....

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Dave Mendoza has been promoted to senior shareholder with Comstock Mortgage, while Steve Romero, Scott Schleicher, Brent Wilson and Pete Jensen joined the company as senior loan officers and Monty Maxwell joined Comstock as a loan officer....

Leads Club.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... A new Leads Club chapter is forming in East Sacramento, and applications for membership are being accepted. Each Leads Club chapter is open to business professionals, sales associates, managers and small-business owners seeking to expand or...

Pacific Access Technology Holdings.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Pacific Access Technology Holdings opened a 12,000-square-foot Rancho Cordova center for the staging and testing of data networking, equipment for installation in telecommunications central offices. For further information visit...

Waste Connections Inc.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Waste Connections Inc. of Folsom (Nasdaq: WCNX) has obtained a $385 million revolving line of credit and purchased operations in Kansas from Allied Waste Industries Inc. The credit line from Fleet National Bank and Deutsche Bank is for five...

R.H. Phillips Inc.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... R.H. Phillips Inc. (Nasdaq: RHPS) announced record financial results for the winery's first-quarter. Net income rose to $583,000, or 9 cents a share, from $379,000, or 6 cents a share, a year earlier. Sales in the first quarter were $7.06...

Aerojet.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Aerojet has won a three-year, $5 million contract to develop Army missiles. Starting this month, Aerojet will produce designs, then test and build by 2003 the flight hardware -- controllable thrust propulsion for Army tactical missiles.

STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST WINNERS & LOSERS 1 Supermail +50.0% 1 Peregrine -27.3% 2 Ophthalmic Imaging +10.0% 2 Track 'n Trail -24.2% 3 R.H....

Malta Toyota of Sacramento.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Toyota Motor Sales has awarded Malta Toyota of Sacramento its President's Award, the highest national honor a dealership can earn from Toyota. The award is given to dealerships that have shown a commitment to maintaining Toyota's standards...

Chris Andrade.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Westamerica Bancorporation has feted Chris Andrade and Justin Coletti with the 1999 Star Performers award. The award includes 150 shares of Westamerica stock and is the highest award the company gives.

California State University Sacramento.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... California State University Sacramento has named its seven Outstanding Teaching Award recipients for the 1999-2000 school year. From the College of Arts and Letters, Lucien Agosta, English; from the College of Business Administration, Craig...

Maggie Carlile Memorial Scholarship Fund.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The Maggie Carlile Memorial Scholarship Fund awarded 14 graduating high school seniors from throughout the Sacramento area each a $1,000 college scholarship. The scholarship was established by Kaiser Permanente physicians and staff in honor...

Greg Murtha.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Greg Murtha, Sugar Bowl marketing director, was honored at the National Ski Areas Association Convention in Orlando, Fla. Murtha was one of four industry executives honored with Ski Area Management Magazine's SAMMY Future Leadership Award....

Building Industry Association.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The Building Industry Association of Superior California award for Dream Home 2000 went to Lucky Eriksen of Eriksen & Sons Construction. Eriksen & Sons walked away with six awards: best landscaping, best floor plan, best elevation, best...

Track 'n Trail Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... The El Dorado-based shoe and apparel retailer, which went public in the fall of 1997, was founded in 1979 in San Jose. In 1996 and 1998, respectively, the company acquired Overland Trading, a chain of shoe stores, and Eagles Nest, an apparel...

Invasion of privacy.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... THE ISSUE: Banks continue to escalate their efforts to cross-sell products to their customers OUR POSITION: Cross-selling by banks comes uncomfortably close to violating our privacy Just as a stopped clock is right twice a day, you'd...

The new HMO boss.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... A key chapter in the future of managed care, as it turns out, will be played here in Sacramento, one of the first markets where HMOs gained a foothold. A package of reform bills, that went into effect in January which, among other things,...

Fore! My day as a golf ambassador.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Many months ago, four of us from the Business Journal entered the Roseville Mayor's Cup Golf Tournament. We were to be golf ambassadors for the paper. We wanted to reach out to friends in Roseville and carry high the Business Journal banner....

Don't end disclosure on county investments.
May 26, 2000... Most Orange County taxpayers vividly remember that just six years ago, their county -- one of the wealthiest in the nation -- was forced to declare bankruptcy after losing $1.6 billion in a series of high-risk investments that were made with...

STRUCTURES EDITOR'S LETTER.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Much of what we do at the Business Journal is tell you about things before they happen, in other words, report about what's in the works. Taking that approach with this issue of Structures, we decided it would be fun to show you what...

Late report on hantavirus death worries officials.
May 26, 2000... Alfonso Alvarado died in Davis of the rare hantavirus on April 24. It wasn't until April 29 that Yolo County public health officials were alerted. The delay in reporting the death, according to Yolo County public health director Bette...

[0] Beverage distributor buys 12 acres in Southport.(Summit Commercial Properties sells about 12 acres to Mesa Beverage in business park)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... West Sac business park enjoys rapid development Developer Jose McNeill likes to move his hands when he talks about his project, Southport Business Park. It's a charming habit, but scary when he's driving guests around the park. ...

Sunset Industrial Area heats up.(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Pacific Bell site would employ up to 1,150 workers Pacific Bell is planning to build a huge complex in the Sunset Industrial Area just north of Roseville that could house up to 1,150 workers. Pacific Bell wants to build four...

300 homes set for Del Paso Heights.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Developers are getting ready to start construction next month on a new community in the Del Paso Heights redevelopment area. Del Paso Nuevo will be a 300-home project covering 150 acres. It is the biggest venture attempted in Del Paso...

Mercy battles two whistle-blower suits.(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Federal law lucrative for insiders who tattle Back in 1993, Mercy Healthcare Sacramento knew it had been paid too much by the federal Medicare system. So, the hospital company says, it tried to pay the money back. To figure out the scope...

Track 'n Trail limps along after closing 42 stores.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... May hasn't been kind to Track 'n Trail, the El Dorado Hills-based shoe retailer. The stock price -- at least as of press time -- has continued to hang below the buck mark. Track 'n Trail was delisted in late March by Nasdaq to the...

Call it the Light Opera no more.(Brief Article)
May 19, 2000... The Sacramento Light Opera Association -- which puts on the shows at Music Circus and the Broadway Series -- has changed its name to California Musical Theatre. The name change comes at the company's 50th anniversary. "It seemed an...

Cell phone talk is cheap here.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Ever notice all the people around Sacramento who always seem to be on a cell phone? While walking down the sidewalk, while bicycling and much too often while trying to drive a car and coming too close for comfort to the car you're trying to...

Local SBA office honored.(Brief Article)
May 19, 2000... The Sacramento District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration won an award last week from the National Association of Development Companies, a trade group of certified development companies. The award recognizes Sacramento's...