Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky articles from January 2001

Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky archives from January 2001

No reason to change way we elect president.
January 5, 2001... Much has been made of the Electoral College since President-elect George W. Bush won without winning the popular vote nationally. The Electoral College, which was a central aspect to the founding fathers' vision of a constitutional republic, is...

Region can collaborate on greenspace plan.
January 5, 2001... Editor: It is apparent to me through conversations throughout the community that many people don't understand the term "brownfields," much less the connection between the reclamation of brownfields and the conservation of greenspace....

Hyster MidEast.(acquisition )(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Hyster MidEast has completed the acquisition of the Lexington branch of BGM Equipment Co.

Taft merges with Cleveland firm.(Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, Kelley, McCann & Livingston LLP.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Taft, Stettinius & Hollister expanded its presence in northern Ohio by merging with Cleveland law firm Kelley, McCann & Livingston LLP. The deal, effective Jan. 2, will add 34 attorneys to Taft's roster of 150. The combined firm will...

Intrenet halting operations.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Intrenet Inc. announced Tuesday that it would cease operations immediately and lay off its 1,700 employees. The Milford-based trucking firm said problems with high fuel prices, driver retention and lack of capital led to the decision. Problems...

Recreation panel names director.(Cincinnati Recreation Commission, James Garges)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... James Garges is the new director of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission. He succeeds Wayne Bain, who is retiring in February after 30 years with the CRC. Garges is currently the director of Kettering Parks Recreation and Cultural Arts...

Duramed's Cenestin sales up 40%.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Duramed Pharmaceuticals saw weekly prescriptions for its menopause drug Cenestin grow 40 percent from the last week of third-quarter 2000. For the week ended Dec. 22, 2000, weekly prescriptions were 18,705, up from 13,323.

AFG declares dividend.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... American Financial Group Inc. declared a quarterly dividend of 25 cents per share, payable Jan. 25 to shareholders of record Jan. 15. AFG is a Cincinnati-based insurer specializing in automobile and specialty property and casualty lines.

GE shares drop on engine probe.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... The confirmation of an investigation into GE airline engine breakups sent the company's stock slipping nearly 9 percent to $43.75 per share Tuesday. A spokesman for GE's Evendale-based aircraft engine plant said the company is working to...

SDRC takes $45M charge.(Structural Dynamics Research Corp. )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Structural Dynamics Research Corp. is recording a $45 million, or $1.28 per share, charge from restructuring. SDRC still expects to exceed its earlier forth-quarter earnings per share estimate of 5 cents per share, before the charge.

WHO'S WORKING WHERE?(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... WHO'S WORKING WHERE? More than 30 percent of 1999 employment in Hamilton and Clermont counties was in the service sector, with...

Executive PERSPECTIVE.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... CEOs find support and advice from their peers at several locally operated roundtables. Jean Lauterbach encourages candor from the CEOs who take part in her monthly roundtable meetings. But sometimes, even Lauterbach is surprised by how...

Downtown law firm has new name, 7 new attorneys.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Statman, Harris, Siegel also acquires title agency A downtown Cincinnati law firm has boosted its lineup of lawyers by 50 percent, changed its name, and is relocating to larger offices. The former Statman, Harris & Bardach recently...

Broadwing stock set for rebound in 2001.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Telecom firm well-managed, stock pickers say Broadwing Inc. shares fell almost 40 percent in 2000, enough to convince four of the eight money managers taking part in the Courier's annual stock-picking contest to name the company their best...

WebStateU.(OfCourse, online training)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Like a typical college student, WebStateU founder Steve Osbourne has struggled through the learning curve and had a hard time raising funds. But he is determined to graduate with honors. His company, Deerfield Township-based OfCourse,...

Darius Bobo.(Co-owner of PC Outlets)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Darius Bobo practices what he preaches: He's not afraid to fail. "If you want to win big, you've got to play big," he told the Courier in May. The co-owner of PC Outlets computer service and retail stores tried a few big things this year....

Visiting Nurse Association.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Two years after a group of local businesses and charities put together a $1.3 million bailout package to save the Visiting Nurse Association, the nonprofit agency still has $200,000 in debt. The association provides homemaking assistance...

Dave Evans.(AccuPhoto closes)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... For years, Dave Evans climbed every mountain that presented itself. And as the owner of a small photo-developing business called accuPhoto, there were quite a few mountains. Distracted by his wife's traumatic pregnancy and his father's...

Allergist Jonathan Bernstein.(Combines Internet with brick and mortar in StopAllergy.com)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Allergist Jonathan Bernstein knew that to succeed in an online venture, he had to stay grounded in the bricks-and-mortar world. So, as the Courier reported in March, he launched StopAllergy.com in conjunction with a rehab of his Blue Ash...

Jeff Woodward.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... In late 1999, Jeff Woodward, CEO of Woodward Construction Inc., was building his own headquarters. Woodward told the Courier in February that he wanted to grow revenues 60 percent, reaping the benefits from a capital-spending boost in 1999 and...

Randy Carson.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... In November 1999, a new venture formed by two former Bank One executives planned to invest several million dollars in Randy Carson's Midwest National Mortgage Banc Inc. in return for a majority stake. At the time, Carson told the Courier that...

Donna Salyers.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Donna Salyers may make her mark oh the fashion world with fake fur, but her growth plans for 2000 turned into real results. As she predicted in the Courier in June, Covington-based Donna Salyers' Fabulous-Furs by year's end had twice the...

CEO Jack Coors.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... CEO Jack Coors had planned for North Side Bank to add $30 million in assets this year, a growth rate of about 10 percent. Much of that was to come from a year-old branch in Blue Ash and a new office on the. West Side. Coors also told the...

Findlay Market.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... The long-anticipated renovation of Findlay Market's historic market house is scheduled to start sometime this year. Cincinnati city officials have long hoped the renovation of the 148-year-old public market would spur other development and...

Louisville forum touts Latin American markets.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Northern Kentucky businesses won't want to miss the Governor's Conference on Latin America, which starts Jan. 8 at the Ken-tucky International Con-vention Center in Louis-vile. The conference is designed to teach businesses of all sizes how...

N. Ky.'S 2001 goal: Lure higher-paying, tech job's.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Northern Kentucky's business movers and shakers are expecting a successful year in 2001, but they're looking for a different brand of success than the region has seen in years past. The last few years have been marked by new companies...

Interlott wins stock performance jackpot.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Interlott Technologies Inc.'s stock performance topped all Tri-State-based public companies during 2000. Spurred by strong sales growth, shares of the Blue Ash-based instant lottery ticket machine maker soared 154 percent during the year and...

Wymore & Associates.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Wymore & Associates has been named 2000 Corporate Partner of the Year by the Ohio Chapter, Southwest Ohio Division of the March of Dimes.

KZF Design.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... KZF Design has received an Air Mobility Command Design Award from the United States Air Force for its work on the Global Reach Conference Center's Visiting Officers Quarters at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

Daniel Buckley.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Daniel Buckley, a partner at the law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, has become a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Largest Tri-State 2000 Hosted Conventions.
January 5, 2001... Largest Tri-State 2000 Hosted Conventions (Ranked by number of attendees) Number Name of attendees 1 African...

Butler County Transportation Improvement District.(Ohio district wins American Concrete Pavement Association award)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Butler County Transportation Improvement District was awarded an Excellence in Concrete Paving Award from the American Concrete Pavement Association for the Michael A. Fox Highway.

Flottman Co. Inc.
January 5, 2001... Flottman Co. Inc., Crestviewl Hills, was selected a winner at the third annual Pinnacle Awards.

Dallas firm toting new office, product to Tri-State.(First Insurance & Appraisal Service Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... A Dallas firm is scouring Greater Cincinnati for a new office, set to open this year. FIA Financial Services plans to market a unique, insurance-based product to owners of commercial real estate. FIA, which stands for First Insurance &...

Katz leaves Carew Tower merges with Barron Peck.(Richard Katz merges with Barron Peck and Bennie)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Richard Katz, a Cincinnati attorney and prominent local sports agent, recently merged his law practice with Barron, Peck & Bennie. Late last year, Katz relocated his office one block south from Carew Tower to the Fourth & Vine Tower,...

DEAL OF THE WEEK.(Grubb and Ellis Co., West Shell Commercial Inc., and Re/Max Affiliates Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... DEAL OF THE WEEK examines a recent noteworthy lease or sale of local commercial property and/or a residential sale; the transaction must exceed $1 million THIS WEEK'S DEAL: Trio of Grubb/Shell agents close $2.9M sale for next phase of...

Economy set to chill out in '01.(Cincinnati, Ohio)
January 5, 2001... Last year at this time, we were giving thanks that the millennium hadn't ushered in a global computer breakdown that would have left us freezing in the dark. This year, we're just freezing. But the chill, unfortunately, goes deeper...

Life: It's all over all the tender age of 36.
January 5, 2001... Some of you heartier readers may remember a column I wrote several years ago detailing my struggles over the cosmic question "Would you rather fly or be invisible?" I explained that men, as a rule, want to fly, and women would rather be...

PGA: All in a Name.(Professional Golfers' Association, golf is big in southern Ohio)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Working for the PGA of America, I have numerous opportunities to travel and meet people from across the country. As golf is usually the topic of conversation, I am proud to be from Southern Ohio and always boast about how special the game is in...

TRACKING LOCAL STOCKS.
January 5, 2001... Gradison-Courier Cincinnati Stock Index Year-to-date -3.50% Oct. 16: 130.0 Dec. 29: 124.9 The index measures local stock performance by tracking 40 Cincinnate-based stocks with the largest market capitalization. Stocks are...

Largest Tri-State 2001 Planned Conventions.
January 5, 2001... Largest Tri-State 2001 Planned Conventions (Ranked by estimated number of attendees) Estimated number of Name...

ASK THE CEO.(opinions of President Bush's top priorities)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... ASK THE CEO is a continuing series in which we ask important-to-the-region questions of corporate leaders. THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What should President-elect Bush top priority be? Paul Kitzmiller Core Resources Inc. His first...

Web opens doors when home shopping.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... When K. Hovnanian, one of the nation's top 20 builders, agreed to let us create its Web site and attach it to our Florida Internet Real Estate Guide back in 1994, both of us were pioneers of a sort. This was new territory for a major builder...

INTERNET BUILDS FIRM FOUNDATION.(internet usage in the construction and architectural industries)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Construction and architecture industries reap benefits With the turn of a new millennium and the flourishing of electronic media, the future is today, the cliche goes. That holds true for the architectural/engineering/construction realm....

Try kicking your disk drive into overdrive.(utilizing hard drive space)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Defragmentation can speed sluggish computer For many companies, sluggish computer performance and frequent outlays of money to upgrade workstations are just a part of life. But some experts say it doesn't have to be that way. ...

Your Web site is much more than a sales tool.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Click-through, sticky content, unique visitors -- the jargon behind the Internet is endless. It's easy to get caught up in the hype without understanding how much potential the Internet has to reach your customers. We are still learning to...

Many nonprofits falling behind in technology.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Some find innovative ways to stay up-to-date Recently, I witnessed firsthand the division between the corporate world's haves and have-nots. I had a telephone conversation with someone from the Muscular Dystrophy Association about...

Make training pay off for company, employees.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Sometimes, saying no is the right decision It happens every day. An employee asks to attend a training class. This employee is a solid performer and one you wish to keep, but the cost of the class will take a big bite out of your budget....

Interior Services pushes work space envelope.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Office furniture firm takes holistic approach Stepping into the offices of Interior Services Inc. is like discovering the polar opposite of a Dilbert comic strip. Instead of rows of identical towering cubicles, ISI employees helped...

Modeling agency shows disabled kids' beauty.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Owner stays course despite lack of profits When Susan Kane, editor in chief of Baby Talk magazine, a parenting magazine with a circulation of 2 million, wanted to feature a baby with Down syndrome on the cover, it took her almost a year to...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Accounting Franz CPAs Inc. has named William Bertemes partner ADVERTISING/MARKETING Chatham Lewis has joined Justice & Young Inc. as director of business development BANKING/FINANCIAL SERVICES Fifth Third Bank has...

'Sandwich generation' can take steps to ease money squeeze.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Employ four basic steps to meet needs of children, parents Taking care of your children, working full time and caring for an elderly parent may seem overwhelming, but today that's what many Americans are facing. Matters can become further...

COURIER RATE BAROMETER.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... COURIER RATE BAROMETER Latest Year ago Two Three week week wks.ago wks.ago AVERAGE INTEREST RATES 30-yr. mortgage ...

Investors pin hopes on January Effect.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Beleaguered tech-stock investors are consoling themselves that the January Effect -- the well-known tendency of the stock market to perform well as the New Year begins -- could be favorable again next year. The reason for the...

Time of uncertainty might be great chance to invest.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Remember the goldilocks economy -- not too strong or too weak, but just fight? Now that we have a president; we are also likely to have gridlock in Congress that will, in turn, keep government spending in check. Eventually, the Federal...

MONEY MARKET.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... MONEY MARKET Fund 7 day average yield Fifth Third Govt. Money Market Fund 5.71 Fifth Third Prime Money Market Fund 5.90 Fifth Third Tax Exempt ...

INSIDER TRADING RECAP.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... INSIDER TRADING RECAP (Number of insider transactions in past six months) Company Buy Sell AK Steel 0 10 American Financial 2 1...

STOCK STATS.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... STOCK STATS Exchange/ Year- Week- 52- Ticker Close to-date ago net P/E week Name of security symbol 12/29/00 ...

MORNINGSTAR MUTUAL FUNDS.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... MORNINGSTAR MUTUAL FUNDS Fund Star Net asset Rank Fund name category rating value TOP 20 GREATER CINCINNATI FUNDS 1 ...

DIVIDENDS.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... DIVIDENDS Increase Company Amount Peirod (from) Payable Record Cincinnati Financial Corp. 19 cents quarterly No ...

INSIDER TRADING.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... INSIDER TRADING (Number of insider transactions in past six months) Company/Officer Transaction Amount Price Date Pomeroy Computer Resources Inc. David Pomeroy, ...

Valeriani to head Ethicon's global operations.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Product innovation key to boosting sales Nicholas Valeriani is starting out the new year with a big promotion. Valeriani, who served as president of Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., is now the group company chairman for the Blue Ash-based...

Chamber chief's been there.(Michael Fisher, president of Premier Manufacturing Support Services, becomes president of Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Fisher grew family firm into international player As president of Premier Manufacturing Support Services, for more than a decade, Michael Fisher built a 60-employee local business into a global company with 3,500 employees in 10 countries....

Eric Kilb.(owner of fiberglass fabricating firm The Glass Hand)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Six months ago, Eric Kilb was knee deep in pork and looking for a way out. Kilb owns The Glass Hand, a fiberglass fabricating company that produced 270 of the 400 pigs sold for Cincinnati's Big Pig Gig. The summertime 2000 public-at event...

Garth Finch spent 2000.(searchlight maker Carlisle & Finch Co. head won't sell)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Garth Finch spent 2000 worried about the world around him. Finch's Winton Place company makes high-beam searchlights for a variety of marine and architectural uses. Carlisle & Finch Co. is one of Cincinnati's oldest family-owned firms, with...

Yung closes in on purchase of hotel chain.(Bill Yung nearly ready to buy Lodgian Inc.)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Bill Yung is in the home stretch. The Northern Kentucky hotelier has signed an agreement that gives him 60 days to finalize the $133.6 million acquisition of Atlanta hotel chain Lodgian Inc. Yung has pursued the takeover for more than a...

Adams, Nash acquires California HR company.(Adams, Nash, Haskell & Sheridan buys The Smith Group)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Fort Wright firm has coast-to-coast presence Adams, Nash, Haskell & Sheridan now has a coast-to-coast presence after acquiring a California firm in December. Adams, Nash is a Fort Wright-based consulting firm that specializes in human...

CORRECTION.(Correction Notice)
January 5, 2001... A Nov. 17 list of the Tri-State's largest Web-design firms incorrectly identified the 19th-ranked company. The correct name is Eclectic Studios Inc. Its Web address is www.eclecticstudios.com.

Xavier adds e-MBA degree.(Xavier University to offer Master of Business Administration degree with specialization in e-commerce)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... New program expects 120 students initially Xavier University is offering the region's first master's degree program with a concentration in business administration in the New Economy. The program, starting this semester, includes...

Willie cashes out of the cafe biz -- for now.(Bill Cunningham sells Willie's Sports Cafe chain)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
January 5, 2001... BILL CUNNINGHAM FOUND HE WAS A better promoter than manager, so he sold his sports cafes to two employees. Now the trio might expand the chain. Bill Cunningham's venture into the restaurant industry has earned the brash broadcaster and...

TechSolve wins award for work with Boeing.
January 5, 2001... Group helps weapons maker lower manufacturing costs A local manufacturing organization was recognized recently for work it's done to help Boeing Co. and the U.S. Air Force cut the cost of producing certain defense systems. Boeing and...

City to pay $2.6M for Batsakes corner.(Cincinnati to clear land for Contemporary Arts Center)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... The city of Cincinnati will pay $2.6 million for the so-called Batsakes building at the corner of Sixth and Walnut streets, a move that should enable construction to begin soon on a new Contemporary Arts Center at the site. "Our understanding...

UC Physicians close land purchase deal.(to build medical office building)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... UC Physicians finalized a $4.9 million purchase of 45 acres in West Chester Township Jan 4. Dan Gahi, administrator for UC Physicians, said the purchase is a key component of the medical group's plans to expand its presence in the fast-growing...

A.F. Kelly deal lands small firm, big clients.(buys Bara Interactive)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
January 5, 2001... Bara Interactive purchase adds major accounts A.F. Kelly & Associates, a Covington information technology firm, has purchased a small company with big clients. In its third acquisition in less than two years, A.F. Kelly bought Bara...

Regulators go on last-minute rulings spree.(Clinton Administration repays political debts with regulations)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... The final days of the Clinton administration appear rather serene as the president spends much of his time reflecting upon his eight years in office. But, lest you think that the wheels of government have come to a grinding halt while...

Chamber chief fills big shoes.(Michael Fisher new president of Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... Michael Fisher says he is more accustomed to asking the questions than answering, them, as he has had to do in the days following his appointment as president of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. But the former president of...

Procrastinators are born, not made.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 12, 2001... My fellow procrastinators, let me start by thanking you for taking the time to read this column. I know you're all busy right now addressing Christmas cards, so I'm honored. Some of you might be procrastinators and not know it, so here are...

Courier reporters make broadcasting debuts.(Lucy May, Andy Hemmer)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2001... WBOB airs Hemmer; May gives WLW update The Courier has expanded its multimedia reach with a daily, one-hour sports business talk show on the local affiliate of ESPN Radio, hosted by Courier Staff Reporter Andy Hemmer. "The Sports...

Janice Sturkey.
January 12, 2001... Cincinnati Business & Professional Women, a group that had been inactive, is relaunching itself with a breakfast meeting Jan. 27 at the Cintas Center on the Xavier University campus. The group is planning monthly breakfast meetings though June....

Most-Difficult Tri-State Private Golf Courses.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 12, 2001... Most-Difficult Tri-State Private Golf Courses (Ranked by USGA slope rating) Golf course USGA USGA address ...

ASK THE CEO.
January 12, 2001... Can the new Congress achieve a bipartisan relationship? ASK THE CEO is a continuing series in which we ask important-to-the-region questions of corporate leaders. John Shortridge InterStar North America Inc. I certainly...

'Small oil' needs needs more farsighted policies.(independent oil producers)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 12, 2001... In his excellent book "GeoDestinies," Walter Youngquist noted the negative perception many people have of "Big Oil," viewing it as a monolithic conglomeration of multinational companies. But what of "Small Oil?" Youngquist explained...

Pat Winchell and Skip Merten.
January 12, 2001... Pat Winchell and Skip Merten of Star One Realtors have earned e-PRO certification by the National Association of Realtors and Christine Heeney has been awarded the President's Sales Club Award designation from the Ohio Association of Realtors.

Thomas Conlan Jr.
January 12, 2001... The following were honored by Clovernook Center for the Blind during its 14th Annual National Philanthropy Day Luncheon: Thomas Conlan Jr., Hyde Park; Robert Kay, Fairfield; and Philomena and Charles Miller of Greenhills.