Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky articles from July 1999

Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky archives from July 1999

Small banks see big gains in mutual fund sales.
July 2, 1999... Partnerships help mid-sized firms compete with brokers Though their piece of the pie remains tiny, a handful of Cincinnati-area mid-sized banks and thrifts are making a dent in the mutual fund market, with their successes boding well for...

Speeding toward success.(Escort Inc.)
July 2, 1999... As Greg Blair scans the road ahead for Escort Inc., the bankruptcy of the company's predecessor, Cincinnati Microwave, looms in the rearview mirror like a "Smoky" from hell. But Blair is determined that two-year-old Escort will not fall...

CTL diversifies aerospace technology segments.(CTL Aerospace Inc.)
July 2, 1999... Company also shifts its mix of customers When he was a kid, Janes T. Irwin had an unfair advantage on the tennis court. An engineer at his father's company, CTL Aerospace Inc., made the youngster a special tennis racquet out of...

Architectural firm has 'university' for staffers: NBBJ's training includes travel, stress management.
July 2, 1999... With rapid-fire advancements in technology, continuing education programs are being embraced by companies to ensure an up-to-date and skilled work force. The Columbus architecture firm NBBJ has a continuing-education program for which it...

Internet viruses modern plague.(computer services firm PC on Call)
July 2, 1999... Most firms aren't inoculated well enough against bug's invasion Smyth Marketing Resources thought it was covered if a virus got into its computer system. The Hyde Park firm installed virus protection software and had it set up to do...

E-commerce: finding your way through the world of the Web.(Special Report)
July 9, 1999... It is the goal of every entrepreneur: Something that helps sell more products in less time, to an infinitely larger customer base while maintaining quality and cutting costs.The ultimate sales machine. A growing number of business owners...

Cooperative staffing plan key to growth.(Jireh Consulting)
July 9, 1999... Jireh Consulting has become a fast-growing software consulting firm in a tight labor market by taking a different approach. Anthony Lunsford believes in the value of giving people a chance. In 1977, he landed his first job out of high...

Kenwood developer to build retail project.(Midland Atlantic Development Co.)
July 9, 1999... Midland will take 75 acres at former VOA site A new Kenwood commercial real estate firm plans to build a major retail project as part of the redevelopment of the Voice of America facility in Butler County. Midland Atlantic Development...

Yahoo deal boosts P&G's Web presence.(Procter and Gamble Co.)
July 9, 1999... A dozen brands to be promoted on Internet One of the best-known Internet names has struck a marketing deal with Cincinnati-based consumer product giant Procter & Gamble Co. P&G greatly expanded its Web presence when it announced a...

Richards unit's expansion to hike sales by 15%.(Richards Industries Metalworking Group to expand its existing facility)
July 9, 1999... Metalworking Group to add 20 jobs on west side Richards Industries Inc.'s Metalworking Group will break ground this month on an expansion that is expected to create 20 jobs within the next two years and increase sales by 15 percent. ...

IFS Financial Services Inc. beefs up sales force.
July 9, 1999... The company is also adding to product line Western-Southern Life Insurance Co. is on a mission to build "wallet share." That's how company executives refer to the practice of cross-selling annuities, mutual funds and other financial...

Ohio Casualty continues with restructuring plan.(Company Profile)
July 9, 1999... Costs being cut after acquisition The work is still in progress. CEO Lauren Patch has led Ohio Casualty Corp. through an extensive and sometimes tortuous reorganization process during the past five years. After closing the vast...

Business park set for Mason; CUC plans $40 million center near P&G site.(Central Parke of Mason; Cincinnati United Contractors; Procter & Gamble Healthcare Research Center)
July 16, 1999... A $40 million business park slated for a hot corridor in Mason is already virtually sold out. Cincinnati United Contractors recently launched $2 million in infrastructure improvements and new roads for the 26-acre Central Parke of Mason,...

P&G fallout: expectation and anxiety.(layoffs at Procter & Gamble Co.)
July 16, 1999... Layoffs have begun at Procter, leaving many to wonder about potential financial packages. The shoulder-tapping has already started at Procter & Gamble Co., as the consumer products giant begins the process of eliminating 15,000 jobs...

Bell to squeeze White Pages onto CD-ROM; new 'phone books' first offered to area businesses.(Cincinnati Bell)
July 16, 1999... For many local businesses, the White Pages are about to get thousands of pounds lighter. This month, Bell is unveiling a new CD-ROM version of the directory. It will allow large companies to give their employees desktop access to the White...

Radio station to get boost; Infinity seeks OK to shift classic hits station.(WYLX-FM; Infinity Broadcasting Corp.)
July 16, 1999... Classic hits radio station WYLX-FM will soon have a much clearer broadcast signal in Cincinnati if its owner, Infinity Broadcasting Corp., has its way. Infinity has asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to move WYLX's...

Regional auction site to debut on Internet.(AuctionCincinnati)
July 16, 1999... Auction Cincinnati to compete with Up4Sale The local online auction market is going to get some added competition in the very near future. A Dayton resident who started a regional auction for his city June 1 plans to copy the concept...

Bell taking on Ameritech in Ohio markets.(Cincinnati Bell Long Distance)
July 16, 1999... CBLD touts cheaper business phone rates Cincinnati Bell Long Distance has begun taking on the big dog in much of Ohio after a regulatory ruling allowed it to have access to areas where Ameritech provides service. The Public Utilities...

Firstar's stock still darling of Wall Street; bank's net income exceeding expectations.
July 16, 1999... Bank's net income exceeding expectations Firstar Corp. continues to be the darling of stock analysts, even though the market continues to move away from banks in general because they have underperformed against small-cap stocks. ...

Constructing family ties: passing the family business on became a challenge for Hemmer Construction Co.(Growth Strategies)
July 16, 1999... Paul Hemmer Jr. remembers the conversation he had with his father in 1982, the year the two became business partners. "His comment to me back then was he wanted to work three to five more years. Starting in 1991, I began to ask him, 'Will...

Corporex on track to post $300M in '99 revenue.(Growth Strategies)(Corporex Cos. Inc.)
July 16, 1999... Diversification has led to 2 5% annual growth The Corporex family of companies that has hopscotched back and forth over the Ohio River in recent years is on track to post a record $300 million in 1999 revenue this year, a 25 percent...

Pomeroy's profits, sales expand with acquisitions.(Pomeroy Computer Resources Inc.)
July 16, 1999... Services segment to be emphasized Pomeroy Computer Resources Inc, has profitably integrated its recent acquisitions, as evidenced by its first-quarter results, with profits up 18 percent from a year ago and revenues jumping 21 percent. ...

CB Richard Ellis wins huge CALPERS deal.(Focus on Real Estate)(California Public Employees Retirement System)
July 16, 1999... Deal adds 500,000 SF of local, industrial buildings The Los Angeles-based parent of CB Richard Ellis of Cincinnati recently scored a huge deal with one of the largest pension funds in the U.S., paving the way for a few professionals working...

Home run on the river: private team of investors hit one out with Midland Building revival.(Focus on Real Estate)
July 16, 1999... And to think it all started with the inability of Cantina Del Rio, a Mexican restaurant owned by Bob Evans Farms Inc. of Columbus, to sell enough bean burritos and frozen margaritas. When city of Cincinnati officials decided several years...

Corporex plans Boston hotel/office/sports club.(Corporex Companies Inc.)
July 23, 1999... Developer leases site for $ 50-70M project Real estate developer Corporex Cos. Inc. has signed a lease for a $50 million to $70 million project in the Boston area that will feature a hotel, office building and a Five Seasons Sports Country...

Tech firm rolls out product.(eLynx Ltd.)
July 23, 1999... eLynx has high hopes for e-delivery service A new Sharonville high-tech firm is ready to roll out its first product nationwide with an aggressive business plan that calls for sales to reach $26 million by 2003. The company, eLynx Ltd.,...

Vencor scraps plans, selling Westwood property.
July 23, 1999... Troubled firm had planned long-term-care unit at site Vencor Inc., the troubled Louisville health care company, is selling the Westwood properly it planned to convert to a long-term care hospital. In 1997, Vencor paid $2.5 million to...

Ship terminal project lures local developer.(Madison Marquette Realty Services)
July 23, 1999... Madision Marquette bidding in San Francisco Cincinnati-based developer Madison Marquette Realty Services is among a flotilla of powerful players vying to develop a state-of-the-art cruise ship terminal along the San Francisco waterfront....

Hops considers jumping into local brewpub market.(Hops Restaurant Bar Brewery to open two sites in central Ohio)
July 23, 1999... Eatery/brewery opening two sites in Central Ohio A Tampa-based casual dining chain has its eye on the Greater Cincinnati market after tapping two central Ohio sites. Hops Restaurant-Bar-Brewery will open its first restaurant at...

Ris Paper Co. continues with its buying binge.(Company Profile)
July 23, 1999... Ris looking to buy in Chicago or Atlanta As one of Cincinnati's largest private firms, Ris Paper Co. started on an acquisition binge earlier this year that should continue to add volume and geography to the paper distributor as it enters...

Roto-Rooter growth spurred by acquisition binge.(Company Profile)
July 23, 1999... Chemed buying back franchises Chemed Corp.'s plan to spend $85 million to buy as many franchises as possible of its Rote-Rooter Inc. plumbing and drain-cleaning subsidiary has paid off so far. For the first quarter of 1999, which ended...

Delta eyes old WCI building.(Delta Air Lines Inc.)
July 30, 1999... Airline would vacate Atrium One building Delta Air Lines Inc. might move its downtown reservations center to the new Sawyer Point Place office building on East Pete Rose Way, according to local sources. Several sites in Northern...

Ethicon aims to become cancer force.(Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc. wants to become the complete breast care provider)
July 30, 1999... The blue ash-based medical equipment firm wants to be a complete breast care provider. Karen Licitra sometimes works seven days a week and runs from meeting to meeting, but she has never felt such a sense of mission in her 15-year career...

American Financial plans to open savings bank.(American Financial Group Inc.)
July 30, 1999... Lindner holding company following lead of peers American Financial Group Inc. is setting up a savings bank in an attempt to expand its share of policyholders' wallets. American Financial, the flagship holding company of Cincinnati...

Key practice drops Anthem.(Mayfield Clinic drops Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield after reimbursement dispute)
July 30, 1999... Mayfield in dispute over reimbursements Mayfield Clinic, the area's largest anti most prominent neurosurgery practice, has dropped the area's largest health insurer, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, after a dispute over reimbursements. ...

Bell boosts speed, lowers price in Internet war.(Cincinnati Bell)
July 30, 1999... ZoomTown in battle with Time Warner's Road Runner Cincinnati Bell's move to upgrade its high-speed ZoomTown Internet service should allow it to better compete with Time Warner Cable's new Road Runner offering, experts say. Bell...

Company selling ads on taxis' rooftops.(TaxiCab Advertising of Greater Cincinnati)
July 30, 1999... They've been around for years in other cities, but taxi ads are just arriving in Cincinnati. Peter Eden is targeting tourism businesses. Taxi cabs dressed with advertisements have long been a common sight in cities like New York, Chicago...

ProLogis plans N.Ky. distribution facility.(ProLogis Trust Inc.)
July 30, 1999... Denver developer buys Boone County acreage The impetus behind a Denver company's move to build yet another huge warehouse/distribution facility in Northern Kentucky on a speculative basis is simple: everything else it's built at its Boone...

Messer, Dayton firm to build arts center.(Frank Messer and Sons Construction Co. and Danis Building Construction Co. form Messer/Danis LLC)
July 30, 1999... Project part of downtown Dayton's revival Cincinnati-based Frank Messer & Sons Construction Co. is one of two prominent construction firms that have created a joint venture to build the performing arts center in downtown Dayton. Messer...

Sharing the wealth.(Floturn Inc. cuts prices when its after-tax margins exceed 10%)
July 30, 1999... In a competitive industry, Floturn's lower-priced products give it an edge. Robert Glutting is doing his part to keep inflation in check. Meanwhile, the chairman and CEO of Floturn Inc. has also found a simple way to bring more sales...

Belvedere Corp. sells two downtown properties.
July 30, 1999... Seventh Street garage sells for $9.5 million In the past 19 months, Belvedere Corp. has raised $13 million by selling two buildings in the Backstage Entertainment District of downtown Cincinnati. At the same time, Belvedere is trying...

LanVision System looks to get over Y2K hump.
July 30, 1999... Software firm hopes for boost The millennium can't come fast enough for Brian Patsy, president and CEO of LanVision Systems Inc. Patsy's concern - and hope - about the millennium stems from the fact LanVision develops and markets...