Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky articles from February 1999

Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky archives from February 1999

Totes looking for sunny returns from kids' line.(Totes Isotoner Corp.)
February 26, 1999... The Butler County-based umbrella maker will launch a product line for children this summer that it hopes will boost profits. Totes Isotoner Corp. will hunch its first-ever line of umbrellas for kids this summer in an effort to capture a...

Local Humana, Anthem HMOs rate highest.(ChoiceCare/Humana and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield)
February 26, 1999... Report card compares Tri-State's health plans Despite consumer demand for more choice in health care, it was two small-netWork HMOs that scored highest in a just-released report card measuring local managed care plans. In fact, it...

Developers eye Fourth St.(Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate Inc.; Cincinnati, OH)
February 26, 1999... Private groups mull specialty retail center The old downtown McAlpin's building could soon be reborn as a privately financed specialty retail center under a plan being pursued by Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate Inc. The plan is one...

Delta has $3 billion impact on local economy.(Delta Air Lines Inc.; Cincinnati, OH)
February 26, 1999... Airline's clout similar to Procter & Gamble's Delta Air Lines Inc.'s economic impact on Greater Cincinnati is just a little less than the venerable Procter & Gamble Co.'s. New statistics from the University of Cincinnati's Economic...

Antique boom brings national company here to develop mall.(Brass Armadillo Antique Mall)
February 26, 1999... New wealth has fueled consumer interest in old items, leading to plans for a huge antique mall in the Tri-County area. The economy was key to the move. The Tri-State's booming economy has made it a prime landing spot for a huge antique...

Riverfront Steel plans move to Evendale.(Ohio)
February 26, 1999... Firm has no room to grow at Mehring Way A Cincinnati steel processor could more than quadruple its size with a $2 million expansion and relocation that will move it outside the city limits to Evendale Enterprise Park. Riverfront...

Cuts to hit Medicare managed care plans: HCFA shifting more funds to sickest patients.(Health Care Financing Administration)
February 26, 1999... HCFA shifting more funds to sickest patients WASHINGTON - Managed care companies serving Medicare patients may soon see the federal government cut their reimbursement rates to make the system more efficient. The Health Care Financing...

Circle of partners.(Growth Strategies)(Hunter Haas & Broker)
February 26, 1999... All seven agents at Hunter Haas & Broker have been president at one time or another. It is a revolving title the firm, which operates under a unique philosophy in the home-selling industry. Care to sell homes for a living? And while...

Ethos Interactive's product mix spells success.(Growth Strategies)(includes interview with Pres. Chris Evans)
February 26, 1999... Firm expects revenues of over $1M in 1999 For Ethos Interactive, the first three years of business have been packed with dramatic changes. What started a little over three years ago as a two-man operation in an apartment suite has...

Fidelity-Glenway merger to create powerhouse.(Fidelity Financial of Ohio Inc., Glenway Financial Corp.)
February 26, 1999... Bank to focus on business clients The almost-completed merger of Fidelity Financial of Ohio Inc. and Glenway Financial Corp. will create the region's biggest thrift and Hamilton County's fifth-largest banking institution, as measured by...

United eyes Tri-State for insurance plan test.(UnitedHealthcare)
February 26, 1999... Plan would offer additional choices Cincinnati may become a test market for a new health insurance plan that seeks to ride the rising tide of consumerism in health care. The new plan, called Millennium, is being developed by...

Center signs upscale retailers; Rockwood Commons is two-thirds booked.(shopping center in Norwood, OH)
February 19, 1999... Rookwood Commons is two-thirds booked The developer of Rookwood Commons, the shopping center to be built adjacent to Rookwood Pavilion in Norwood, has signed a lineup of blue-chip retailers for the $72 million project. Half of the 17...

Blue Chip acquisitions expand format; Ross Love's local radio firm will purchase stations outside of the urban format.(Blue Chip Broadcasting president and CEO)
February 19, 1999... Ross love's local radio firm will purchase stations outside of the urban format. Ross Love, president and CEO of Blue Chip Broadcasting, was struggling to maintain the reserved demeanor honed during his 28 years with Procter & Gamble....

Developer plans $25M Deerfield office campus.(Peregrine Properties Ltd.)
February 19, 1999... Three-building project will take key location near P&G A new development company formed by two commercial real estate veterans will break ground this spring on a $25 million office campus in Deerfield Township. Peregrine Properties...

Light-rail bid gets early nod.(Cincinnati, OH's light-rail project)
February 19, 1999... Mount Auburn rock prime for tunnel dig Light-rail backers got a major boost recently when early results from an engineering study showed Mount Auburn has suitable geology that is conducive to building a $100 million tunnel that would...

Silly sounds put Paradigm on new track.(Paradigm Communications Group produces custom music and sound for Gibson Greetings Inc.'s toys)
February 19, 1999... Voice-over duo has carved a niche for the production firm by providing custom music and sound for Gibson's hot toy line. David Storm does a dead-on imitation of Arnold Schwarzenegger's "I'll be back." But his favorite voice he has done...

Building to a Tee.(Growth Strategies)(Erpenbeck Co.)
February 19, 1999... With building in this blood, Bill Erpenbeck created a flourishing construction business by catering to people's desire for quiet living and lush fairways. After his wife died in late 1990, Bill Erpenbeck stepped away from the family...

There's no biz like show biz for Rouse Associates; exhibit/display firm thrives on creativity.(Jack Rouse Associates)(Company Profile)(Interview)
February 19, 1999... Exhibit/display thrives on creativity Jack Rouse was teaching opera and music theater at the University of Cincinnati in 1971, when Taft Broadcasting hired him to produce stage shows for the debut season of Kings Island. In the 18...

Cintas growth spurred by biggest acquisition ever.(Company Profile)
February 19, 1999... Uniform maker adds niche items Cintas Corp. began the year by making its biggest purchase ever, a deal that will increase the company's annual revenue to $1.8 billion. On Jan. 11, uniform-maker Cintas agreed to buy Unitog Co., a...

School's out at JLS Realty; former U.C. professor making his mark in local commercial real estate.(Focus on Real Estate)(University of Cincinnati; John Stalnaker)
February 19, 1999... Former U.C. professor making his mark in local commercial real estate Eight months ago, President John Stalnaker of JLS Realty Inc. said he wanted to "pick up the pace." A recent flurry of activity involving the Roselawn-based...

Hach tops them all for commercial sales.(Focus on Real Estate)(Cincinnati Commercial Realtors Inc. VP Wayne Hach)
February 19, 1999... CCR exec rolled the dice, picked a lucrative career During his first six months in business, Wayne Hach made $200. Last year, Hach, executive vice president of Cincinnati Commercial Realtors Inc., finished as the top commercial...

Meridian pinning hopes on Gull deal.(Meridian Diagnostics Inc. to acquire Gull Laboratories Inc.)
February 5, 1999... MERIDIAN DIAGNOSTICS' STOCK got pounded last year when earnings faltered. Now it looks to return to Wall Street's graces. As William Motto spoke of reviving the record growth that has defined Meridian Diagnostics Inc. the past decade, the...

Cincinnati companies generating interest in recruiting on Web.
February 5, 1999... COMPANIES USING THE INTERNET TO RECRUIT EMPLOYEES are finding it less expensive than traditional methods and yielding enough applications to jam e-mail systems. Months before Internet employment services made their mainstream debut in...

AK Steel delivered year of record performance.(AK Steel Holding Corp.'s stock performance)
February 5, 1999... Product mix saves it from onslaught of foreign steel As most domestic steel giants stand powerless against a pricing crisis caused by an onslaught of foreign steel, Middletown-based AK Steel Holding Corp.'s unique product mix has allowed...

Instinct for ice.(Clyde Perfect's management of his ski resort Perfect North Slopes Inc.)
February 5, 1999... Forget the business plan and consultants. Clyde Perfect has turned his ski resort into a success by breaking the rules and having an... To understand the Clyde Perfect approach to business management, consider his elaborate process for...

Uniglobe prospers: focuses on customer service.(travel agency Uniglobe Expert Travel)
February 5, 1999... Company expects to generate $7M in 1999 Laurie Battiston worked for others in the business for 18 years before taking the plunge in 1994 with her own version of travel service, Uniglobe Expert Travel. After doubling sales each of her...

Earnings take off as Comair makes switch to jets.(Comair Holdings Inc.)
February 5, 1999... Innovative plan spurs growth Comair Holdings Inc.'s switch from turboprop planes to jet aircraft continues to pay off as passenger traffic climbed again last year. "We carried more than 5.4 million passengers (in fiscal 1998), a 16...

Working couples take tax hit.(Ohio tax policy)
February 5, 1999... Filing separately, investing wisely can reduce annual burden Tax-savings options for two-career couples whose income levels bump them into higher tax brackets are not plentiful, but area financial advisers say there are ways to reduce...

Banks form 'militia' to lobby lawmakers.(Ohio Bankers Assn.)
February 5, 1999... Credit unions' efforts may spark opposition Ohio's credit unions want to update the state's Credit Union Act this General Assembly session, but they will face a more militant banking industry if they propose anything controversial. ...

Going wireless flexible option.(Ohio's wireless local-area network industry)
February 5, 1999... Some companies would rather not be tethered to a telephone line On a cold winter morning after an ice storm, Mike Vournazos will grab a hammer, climb a radio tower and start to work. The previous night's precipitation has left an ice...