Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky articles from April 2001

Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky archives from April 2001

OVERLOADED.(Health care in the Greater Cincinnati area)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... THE TRI-STATE'S GROWING UNINSURED population is pushing our local health care system to the breaking point. At some point this year, one in six Greater Cincinnatians will find themselves without health insurance. Of course, these...

Hospital levy seen as critical to city's future.
April 20, 2001... Hospital leaders, politicians and community health clinic administrators almost all agree on one thing: If Hamilton County voters do not renew the tax levy that pays hospital bills for people who can't afford care, the entire community will...

Recent violence hasn't fazed downtown apartment market.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Early data suggest last week's riots will not harm the downtown housing market. An informal survey of apartment developers finds some buildings lost tenants during the turmoil but others gained. "We did sign a couple of leases last week,...

iRhine aims to heal wounds.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Riot led to early launch of community forum With a new multimedia mouthpiece known as iRhine, a coalition of Over-the-Rhine interest groups vows to speak louder than the breaking glass, wailing sirens and gunshots that shattered their...

UC's Nippert Stadium to get overhaul.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... NEW SCOREBOARD, NEW SEATS will bring a high-tech feel to the on-campus stadium, home to the Bearcats football program. The decidedly low-tech Nippert Stadium at the University of Cincinnati will soon have a new $1 million high-tech...

Options add millions to execs' compensation.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... But if stocks don't perform, packages left 'under water' The average value of stock option packages to Tri-State CEOs in 2000 reached $3.4 million. But for Richard Wardrop of AK Steel Holding Corp. and Rick Ellenberger of Broadwing...

Another Zaring to build homes.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Mark Bradley Zaring, son of Allen Zaring III, has joined forces with Mason architect Larry Tokarsky to open Mark Bradley Homes in the Baldwin Center in Walnut Hills. Zaring represents the fourth generation of builders in the Zaring family,...

Dot-com earns Ky. tax credit.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... A dot-com offering funeral services information on the Internet has qualified for up to $1 million in Kentucky state tax credits over the next 10 years. As a result, FuneralCENTRAL.com has decided to locate its headquarters in Northern...

Ky. lawmakers study wage law.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Kentucky's Program Review and Investigation Committee authorized a study on Kentucky's prevailing wage law to determine whether the law is adding cost to construction projects. The law applies to all public construction projects and requires...

Pinnacle Computer saved by acquisition.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... New owners rename tech firm Maximize IT Burned by the economic downturn and on the verge of closing its doors for good, downtown-based Pinnacle Computer Corp. is rising from the ashes. In an eleventh-hour deal, former Real Time...

Manufacturing group sues to block OSHA regulation.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Rule issued just before Clinton's departure The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has sued the Department of Labor to block OSHA's new record-keeping regulation. The association contends the rule, scheduled to go into effect...

Management consultant small but mighty.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 20, 2001... Capstone specializes in process 'fix-it' jobs Geoffrey Davis' 9-year-old Hebron firm, Capstone Inc., has competed against Deloitte & Touche and Arthur Andersen for business in the management consultant field. And, Davis is proud to...

CB to manage properties for Lend Lease.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... The local office of CB Richard Ellis recently scored a major coup by landing a property management and leasing package measuring 1.4 million square feet of local properties. The assignment and the buildings, owned by Lend Lease Real...

Holland, MacConnell agencies ink merger.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 20, 2001... Combined marketing firm takes Holland name When Brian MacConnell called Bryan Holland last September to broach the idea of a merger between their marketing communication agencies, the two 40-somethings didn't know each other personally,...

Far East, Canadian imports contributed to trade deficit.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 20, 2001... Three countries were responsible for almost half of America's trade deficit last year. Goods imported from China, Japan and Canada in 2000 were worth $215.6 billion more than U.S. exports to the same nations, according to a new...

Russian franchisee-to-be gets advice in Tri-State.
April 20, 2001... After spending a few days at Penn Station East Coast Subs, developer Maxim Nazarchuk is returning to his native Russia with plenty of ideas about starting a fast-food restaurant -- even if he isn't sure he can get his hands on the fast food....

Fine appliance distributor unveils new showroom.
April 20, 2001... High-end appliance distributor John Tisdel is really cooking. He attracted 300 visitors from across the Midwest to the grand opening of John Tisdel Fine Appliances' Mason showroom, signed well-known chefs Paul and Pam Sturkey as...

Prep matchup to feature Highlands, Beechwood.
April 20, 2001... One of the nation's premier organizers of prep sports tournaments -- Don Schumacher & Associates Inc. -- is taking its act to Northern Kentucky, where it will feature one of the most anticipated match-ups on the high school gridiron:...

Tom Jackson.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... The city of Cincinnati is a whisker away from winning about $2 million in federal grants to fund the renovation of Findlay Market. The grants, from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, could...

James Zimmerman.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 20, 2001... Federated Department Stores Inc. plans to open nine new department stores and two new furniture galleries in 2001. But a Kenwood Bloomingdale's will not be among the new openings. In its 2000 annual report, filed with the Securities and...

Mario Gabelli.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 20, 2001... Good shareholder relations are hard to come by for many a company in this crummy market. So it was no doubt fortifying for Midland Co. executives to hear from Mario Gabelli on their Apr11 12 first-quarter earnings conference call. Yes,...

Fifth Third 1Q profits rise 18%.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Fifth Third Bancorp reported first-quarter 2001 net income of $244.3 million, an increase of 18 percent from a year ago. The Cincinnati-based bank's return on average assets rose to 2.18 percent up from 1.9 per cent in last year's first...

MYCOM completes merger.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... MYCOM Group Inc. and Broughton International Enterprise & Web Solutions closed on their merger April 16. Under the agreement, privately held Broughton exchanged all of its stock and assets for 20 million common shares of MYCOM and a $1.3...

Huntington 1Q earnings fall 35%.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... In first-quarter results that CEO Thomas Hoaglin called "clearly not acceptable," Huntington Banchsares Inc.'s net income fell 35 percent from a year ago. Net income was $67.9 million v. $104 million in the first quarter of 2000. Huntington's...

Metro gained riders in 2000.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Metro, Cincinnati's public transportation system, said it provided 24.4 million rides in 2000, up 400,000 rides from 1999. Metro said 2000 ridership was about 2 million more than in 1995. "In the past five years, Metro has added new express...

Delta launches travel Web site.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Delta Air Lines is targeting small-business travelers with its new Web site, MYOBTravel.com. The site is designed for small businesses that spend less than $500,000 annually on airfare. It allows travelers and company travel planners to book...

Capacity for GROWTH.
April 20, 2001... Instead of a costly expansion, Basco Manufacturing opted to change its production methods. Bigger is better, not best. That's why George Rohde is pursuing a two-pronged strategy of sales growth and operating efficiency at his...

Wornick adding retail foods to military rations.(Company Financial Information)
April 20, 2001... Quick meals augment firm's MRE business The Wornick Co. has a new recipe for success, mixing commercial food production and distribution with its traditional business of cooking up military rations. Ron Davis, president and CEO of...

Turn off your e-mail -- and get more productive.(Column)
April 20, 2001... Staffers start solving their own problems It's amazing how attached we can get to our e-mail. I arrived at my office a week ago, and before I did anything else, I hit the power button on my computer. I got settled in as the computer...

Despite jittery market, you can sell your business.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 20, 2001... Get realistic estimate of company's worth Anxiety created by a jittery stock market is prompting many business, owners to think hard about why they are in business and consider whether they should sell out. The good news is that owners of...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(News Briefs)
April 20, 2001... BANKING/FINANCIAL SERVICES First Financial Bancorp has promoted Betty Irvine to assistant vice president with responsibility for employee benefits for all of its affiliates and J.J. Lee was promoted to financial officer. First...

COURIER RATE BAROMETER.
April 20, 2001... COURIER RATE BAROMETER Latest Year ago Two Three week week wks. ago wks. ago AVERAGE INTEREST RATES 30-yr. mortgage ...

Deft use of ETFs helps Mench land on best-managers lists.
April 20, 2001... Alternative investing strategies given a try during tough times Already an acknowledged leader in the use of exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, Kenwood-based Mench Financial Inc. now has a five-year track record to back up that reputation....

TRACKING LOCAL STOCKS.(News Briefs)
April 20, 2001... TRACKING LOCAL STOCKS Year-to-date 10.5% Gradison-Courier Cincinnati Stock Index Jan. 29 139.9 April 16 138.0 Note: Table made from line graph The index...

Lack of explanation for downturn scary.
April 20, 2001... The United States has experienced economic recessions and severe bear markets on Wall Street many times, and it has managed to live and tell the tale. The current economic slowdown is still unfolding, but so far it hardly qualifies as a...

Cisco.
April 20, 2001... For a short while in 2000, Cisco was the world's most valuable company at more than $550 billion. Although there were concerns about its huge price-earnings multiple when John Chambers, the company's CEO, addressed analysts last December, its...

MONEY MARKET.
April 20, 2001... MONEY MARKET Fund 7-day average yield Fifth Third Govt. Money Market Fund 4.33 Fifth Third Prime Money Market Fund ...

GREATER CINCINNATI HIGH SCHOOL STOCK MARKET GAME.
April 20, 2001... Student investor teams from Moeller have moved from fifth to first in two weeks. In Week 7 of the local High School Stock Market Game, Moeller teams whipped the rest of the top 10, passing both Withrow and Taft to grab the top spot. Loveland...

EARNINGS.
April 20, 2001... EARNINGS (Dollars in millions except per share data; revenues for financial institutions are net interest income plus other income) ...

INSIDER TRADING.
April 20, 2001... INSIDER TRADING (Number of insider transactions in past six months) Company/Officer Transaction Amount Price Date Ashland Inc. Paul...

DIVIDENDS.
April 20, 2001... DIVIDENDS Increase Company Amount Period (from) American Financial Group Inc. 25 cents quarterly No American...

INSIDER TRADING RECAP.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
April 20, 2001... INSIDER TRADING RECAP (Number of insider transactions in past six months) Company Buy Sell AK Steel 0 9 American Financial 1 ...

STOCK STATS.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
April 20, 2001... STOCK STATS Exchange/ Year- Week- Ticker Close to-date ago net P/E Name of security symbol 4/16/01 chg. chg. ...

MORNINGSTAR MUTUAL FUNDS.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
April 20, 2001... MORNINGSTAR MUTUAL FUNDS Rank Fund name TOP 20 GREATER CINCINNATI FUNDS 1 Firstar Strat Income Ret B 2 One Group...

Chiquita outlook improves following EU deal.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... But quick turnaround unlikely, say analysts After eight years of falling market share and net losses in five of the last seven years, executives and shareholders of Chiquita Brands International Inc. will take the agreement reached...

Bank president displays pride in alma mater.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Perhaps the only place where George Schaefer Jr. has more ties than in his closet are the hallowed halls of Elder High School. Schaefer is a 1963 alum. His father -- the original George Schaefer -- graduated from Elder in 1934. Two...

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL REMEMBERED.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Elder looks to the future, salutes one of its own at $3.2M high-tech project A couple of years ago, Principal Tom Otten of Elder High School, a man of few words, found himself in the middle of something that had a lot of people in the...

Duke-Weeks closes down in Jacksonville.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Huge developer could not achieve critical mass An Indianapolis-based real estate investment trust expects to sell its $40 million Jacksonville portfolio and close its remaining Jacksonville office before the end of April. A spokesman...

Ten things you should know when subleasing.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Issue can be more complex than original lease With the slowdown in the economy, many companies are facing the tough task of cutting their work force and the dilemma of excess office space. For some, the answer is subleasing part of...

Pension funds looking to Europe for returns.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Less risk, easier (and cheaper) debt available Because pension funds in the United States allocate billions of dollars to real estate investments, it is essential for developers and investment real estate professionals to stay current on...

Industry group urges national energy policy.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... BOMA-backed proposal ensures access to energy In January, Vice President Cheney announced to the press that President. Bush had appointed him to lead a task force on energy. Also in January, the Building Owners and Managers...

DEAL OF THE WEEK.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... THIS WEEK'S DEAL: Colliers' Khoury and McCormick, Grubb/Shell's Daly, Hodge nail $1M lease DEAL OF THE WEEK examines a recent noteworthy lease or sale of local commercial properly and/or q residential sale; the transaction must be a...

Kerry Seitel.(receives Greater Cincinnati Sales and Marketing Council award)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Kerry Seitel, director of sales and marketing at Rhein Interest Inc. was named Marketer of the Year 2000 by the Greater Cincinnati Sales and Marketing Council, and Robert Rhein, owner of Rhein Interests Inc., was named Developer of the Year...

HomeBizSOS.(receives trademark for business consulting services)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... HomeBizSOS has received a federal trademark from the U.S. Patent and Trademark officer for providing business consulting services for home-based businesses.

Century Construction Inc.(receives Sugarcamp Properties contract)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Century Construction Inc. has been selected as the construction manager by Sugarcamp Properties to construct a 26,350-square-foot, two-story, Class A, professional office building on Route 237 in Burlington.

Largest Tri-State Women-Owned Businesses.(Directory)
April 20, 2001... Largest Tri-State Women-Owned Businesses (Ranked by 2000 revenue) Name address 2000 1999 phone Web address revenue revenue 1 United...

Largest Downtown Employers.(Directory)
April 20, 2001... Largest Downtown Employers (Ranked by number of local employees) Name Total Top address local local phone Web...

ASK THE CEO.
April 20, 2001... THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Are you spending less personally than you were last year? ASK THE CEO is a continuing series in which we ask important-to-the-region questions of corporate leaders. Chris Frutkin City Center Properties ...

Air quality should concern local businesses.
April 20, 2001... Editor: Re "Watching the watchdog" (April 6 issue): The (Hamilton County) Department of Environmental Services refers to "odor control," "odor reduction" and nuisance odor." In Northside, it isn't the annoyance of the smell of farm...

ULI planners had new vision for downtown.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is a very prestigious national nonprofit education and research organization which has as its members some of the most successful and creative people in the commercial real estate industry. During the week of...

Usual tactics aren't working.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... This is a fundamental truth: If you saw off one foot, you won't have to spend as much on shoes. But the metaphor works another way: Sawing off the foot, which is what the rioters seemed to have in mind, also leaves you lame. There are a...

Love's labor lost at local McDonald's.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... If you have an appetite for drama and intrigue, look no further than your local McDonald's. Beneath the golden arches of any McDonald's in America you'll find a microcosm of society. Life's big themes are played out amid the smell of...

Common Fantasies About Consultant's Roles.
April 20, 2001... Director, Goering Center for Family & Private Business In today's world of fast-paced competition, instant communication, the desire to maintain profit margins and achieve growth, and the need to satisfy a diverse shareholder base, the...

An Advisory Board: A Valuable Tool.
April 20, 2001... In most family-owned businesses, family members usually own 100%, or nearly 100% of the company. Therefore, the family typically has the final say, and often-times the only say, in all aspects of company business. This can be a great...

Annual Corporate Meetings.(shareholder meeting procedures and requirements)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... One of the advantages of operating a business in the form of a corporation is to limit the liability of the owners. Shareholders only risk what they have invested in the entity and are not subject to personal liability for the debts or the...

CBA Ventures Into International Family Business Field Case Study.
April 20, 2001... Now it its 28th year, UC's College of Business Administration's (CBA) Small Business Institute" (SBI) program has built quite a positive reputation in the Greater Cincinnati area. That reputation is now spreading overseas! For the past...

Building an Effective Executive Team.(in family businesses)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... The question of "who's in charge" can be particularly confusing in family businesses, yet it must be answered if the business is to prosper. Increasingly, we are seeing that the "who" is a team or a partnership, rather than one single...

Independent Perspective for Your Family-Owned Business.(an outside advisory board)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... How to See Both the Forest and the Trees An outside advisory board can be incredibly effective in transcending the infrastructure of a family-owned business to achieve real results. The primary reason for establishing an advisory...

Lunken goes to ground for amateur auto races.(first Lunken Runway Enduro 2001)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Cincinnati will host an auto race for the first time in 50 years this summer when Lunken Airport unveils Lunken Runway Enduro 2001, organized by the Sports Car Club of America. The race will take place Aug. 18-19, the weekend before the...

Pay hikes mirror performance.(survey on top executive salaries in Cincinnati, Ohio)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... Salaries for top execs depend on stock price Pay-for-performance among top executives is catching on among Greater Cincinnati public companies, though glaring exceptions still catch the eye. The Courier examined the pay packages of...

CLOSED for business?(Cincinnati, Ohio, could face boycott over death of Timothy Thomas)
April 13, 2001... CINCINNATI'S EFFORTS TO REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN and revive Over-the-Rhine were dealt a crushing blow by fear-inducing race riots. The violence that began rolling through Cincinnati on April 10 destroyed not just windows and shops but also...

Airport ready to take off as retail hot spot.(Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Traffic through local hub gold mine for shop owners It's a 63-location retail opportunity with the potential for sales per square foot twice as high as Greater Cincinnati's swankiest malls. But it's not a mall at all. It's the...

Black leaders plan to pressure local economy.(following shooting of Timothy Thomas)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... Local black leaders are exploring a pair of economic strategies aimed at keeping pressure on civic leaders to improve race relations. One option involves encouraging black consumers to patronize firms that make new investments in black...

Michael Fisher.(calls for peace in Cincinnati, Ohio)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... A weary Michael Fisher was among the community leaders present at Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken's press conference April 12 where the mayor announced he had declared a state of emergency for the city. Fisher, the new president of the...

Ohio, Indiana lag country in economic ratings.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... Capital cities provide bright spots for states Economic conditions are great in the capital cities of Indiana and Ohio, but they're not as great in the rest of the two states. Indianapolis earned five stars, the highest possible...

Auto insurers hit brakes.(four insurers cease writing Ohio business policies)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... Four more stop writing Ohio business policies Several insurance carriers have followed Travelers and stopped writing new commercial auto policies in Ohio. The moves follow the Ohio Supreme Court's 1999 and 2000 decisions that vastly...

Startup's success came almost as fast as clients' tax refunds.(Tax Centers of America)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... FESUM OGBAZION STARTED INSTANT REFUND WHILE still at UC and sold it for millions. Now he's got a new tax business and aggressive goal: 500 offices by 2006. Fesum Ogbazion fingers the four-inch-high stack of credit cards. They no longer...

For new CEO, Cincinnati Zoo a natural selection.(Gregg Hudson)
April 13, 2001... Facility's reputation lured Hudson from Fort Worth Zoo Tile Cincinnati Zoo's new CEO, Gregg Hudson, vows to use skills he developed in the hotel, retail and theme-park industries to increase efficiency and boost corporate sponsorship. ...

P&G licenses Noxzema, Old Spice.(to Universal Razor Industries)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Procter & Gamble Co. licensed Old Spice and Noxzema shaving products to Universal Razor Industries, which will conduct all future development and production in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. P&G will share in revenue and retain...

Pepsi sponsoring Bassinet Stakes.(horse racing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... River Downs' Bassinet Stakes will have a sponsor for the first time in its 18-year history -- Pepsi of Cincinnati. The race, to be known as the $100,000 Pepsi Bassinet Stakes, is the richest race for 2-year-old fillies in Ohio. The Pepsi...

Stonebraker retiring from Broadwing.(Barbara Stonebraker)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Barbara Stonebraker, Broadwing Inc.'s senior vice president of external affairs, will retire April 30 after nearly 30 years with Broadwing and its subsidiary, Cincinnati Bell. "Although I am sorry to see this gracious, trail-blazing leader...

Dot-com shakeout doesn't rattle startup.(HyperQuake, Internet design firm)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... HyperQuake covering Web design spectrum When Chad Reynolds, a spare-time screenwriter, tells the tale of his 10-month-old Sharonville Internet design firm, it sounds like a movie trailer: In Reynolds' version, an older, experienced...

Concrete fabricator launched in Fairfield.(Ohio Valley Precast Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... Ohio Valley Precast in former auto plant A new concrete fabrication firm has been launched by the partners of TruWall Concrete Inc. in Evendale and private investors. Ohio Valley Precast Corp. will open in Fairfield's old General...

SBA hoping budget gets fully funded.(Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... The Senate added $264 million to President Bush's $539 million budget request for the Small Business Administration, restoring money that Bush proposed to cut for core programs such as the agency's flagship 7(a) guaranteed loans and Small...