Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky articles from March 1999

Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky archives from March 1999

Fifth Third may open campus; former Nine West site might see expansion.
March 5, 1999... Former Nine West site might see expansion Fifth Third Bank, bursting at the seams downtown, may establish a new corporate campus at the former Nine West facility in Madisonville. Cincinnati's largest bank, Fifth Third is taking a hard...

Medica slashes work force.
March 5, 1999... IPO will operate with skeleton crew of two Medica Inc. has slashed its corporate employment to two and ceased providing management services for its 450 Tri-State member physicians. The move comes just weeks after Medica reduced its...

Kemper buys Galvin's interest in ad agency.(Robbie Kemper; Jerry Galvin)
March 5, 1999... Former CEO signs contract to stay until 2005 Robbie Kemper has purchased the interest of partner Jerry Galvin in Galvin Kemper Advertising, an Over-the-Rhine-based advertising agency. "After years of partnership, we're moving to the...

Call center boom boosts Cintech product demand; software maker gets profitable.(Portfolio)
March 5, 1999... The growing number of businesses using small call centers to manage incoming telephone calls has helped boost demand for Cintech Tele-Management Systems Inc.'s line of software products. "I think things are going quite smoothly," said CEO...

Staff scattered at virtual office; DiaLogos had to rethink how it managed its spread-out operations.(Focus on Technology)
March 5, 1999... Visitors of the DiaLogos Inc. office in downtown Cincinnati may be in for a shock when they see four people in the office. The software company, which produces education modules for computer networks, is larger than it appears: Along with...

Hamilton has 'vision' to boost civic image; Vision 2020 plan to draw businesses to city.(Focus on Butler County)(Hamilton, OH)
March 5, 1999... The biggest obstacle to growth for the TriState's second-largest city comes down to a simple problem: image. "The biggest challenge is remolding the image of the community to allow businesses to see that this is a place for them and a good...

Middletown sees assisted-living miniboom.(Focus on Butler County)
March 5, 1999... Summerville Group plans 60-unit center The assisted living boom has hit Middletown, with construction of one of the largest facilities expected to get underway this spring. Summerville at Middletown, a 47,000-square-foot assisted-living...

Huge vision plan based here.(Coordinated Vision Care Inc. plans to set up headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio)
March 12, 1999... United taps local execs to start national venture The parent of health insurance giant UnitedHealthcare has chosen Cincinnati as the headquarters for a new national vision benefits management company. Coordinated Vision Care Inc. will...

Ris completes purchase, looks for more.(Ris Paper Co.)
March 12, 1999... Florence paper giant sees consolidation as incentive Ris Paper Co., having completed its first purchase in a decade, is searching for more acquisitions to further expand its paper distribution network. Florence-based Ris, one of the...

Ruby interested in former Ciao site downtown.(restaurateur Jeff Ruby; Ciao Baby Cusina)
March 12, 1999... Bring on the beef. A trio of steakhouses - including one that would be operated by restaurateur Jeff Ruby - are among the eateries vying to fill the empty Walnut Street space left by the January closure of Ciao Baby Cucina. "It's a...

Venture fund opens office.
March 12, 1999... Indy company seeks new local investments CID Equity Partners, an Indianapolis-based venture capital firm, has opened an office in Cincinnati with plans to aggressively seek new investments here. "We think there's a lot of...

Funds prompt Allergenics to move to Calif.(Allergenics Inc.)
March 12, 1999... The Blue Ash Biotech Company got $7.5 million in venture capital from two California funds and will move to Silicon Valley this spring. Allergenics Inc., a promising biotech company in Blue Ash that landed $7.5 million in venture capital...

Key developer plans Union Centre retail project.(Madison Marquette Realty Services)
March 12, 1999... Madison Marquette to buy 50 acres for shopping center A Cincinnati developer with a reputation as a unique retail specialist is bringing a 400,000-square-foot shopping center to the Union Centre area of Butler County, according to local...

Web design firm starts `family exchange' site.(Tango Development Inc.)
March 12, 1999... A Hyde Park company wants to bring a fast-growing service that links family members on the Internet to schools and businesses. After a friend asked Tango Development Inc. founder and President Alexander Romero to create an Internet site for...

New $5M retail center set for West Chester.
March 12, 1999... West Chester-based DA Development Inc. is planning a 30,000-square-foot retail center in that area, which could cost nearly $5 million. George Flynn, general manager of the real-estate development company, said his firm wanted to construct...

The cutting edge.
March 12, 1999... Several large companies are showing an interest in partnering with Enable Medical Corp. because its successful inventions have put it on... Michael Hooven carefully observed the old adage to "not bum bridges" when he left Ethicon...

Millennium implements expansion strategy.(Millennium Marketing Inc.)
March 12, 1999... New product could help firm double size Millennium Marketing Inc. has begun its sixth year by launching an Internet-based training product aimed at doubling the size of the company. "It's a new growth strategy that will increase...

New major stockholder has big plans for Intrenet.(Brookhaven Capital Management LLC)
March 12, 1999... Goal is to hike earnings growth The company that recently took a 33 percent stake in Intrenet Inc.'s common stock has big plans to turn around the trucking company's slow growth in earnings and sales. "We're looking for excessive to...

Looking for a few good RNs.(registered nurses)
March 12, 1999... With a nursing shortage looming schools are working to find students Nurses are in high demand and low supply, not only in the Cincinnati area, but throughout the country. To counteract this, area schools and the Greater Cincinnati Health...

City scraps minority program.(Cincinnati, Ohio)
March 19, 1999... Set-aside plan shelved amid court challenges The city of Cincinnati has indefinitely suspended a 20-year-old set-aside program that steered millions of dollars in contracts each year to minority- and women-owned companies. In its...

Physicians may bypass Children's: a group of pediatricians says it is weighing referring routine procedures to other hospitals.(Children's Hospital Medical Center)
March 19, 1999... A large group of Cincinnati pediatricians may move its referrals for routine surgical procedures away from Children's Hospital Medical Center. The reason: While no one questions Children's quality, which has earned national acclaim, the...

Local money managers fight to beat the bull: large cap-stocks were key to outperforming S&P 500.(Provident Bank, Scudder Kemper Investments)
March 19, 1999... The local money-management firms that stuck with large-cap stocks with consistent earnings growth were the big winners in 1998. Forty percent of Cincinnati money-management firms beat the S&P 500 index's 28.6 percent gain in 1998, according...

Delivery firm to be acquired.(American Package Express to acquire RDS Delivery Services)
March 19, 1999... Sale to close in April; new unit to open here RDS Delivery Service is in the final stages of talks to sell to American Package Express, a delivery holding company that is expected to open a local operation at RDS Delivery's current...

Drug maker wants partner for marketing.(Duramed Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
March 19, 1999... Duramed Pharmaceuticals is trying to get FDA approval for its first brand-name drug. The next step is getting a big-time marketer. Duramed Pharmaceuticals Inc. plans to sign a national marketing agreement with a major drug company if its...

Consultant IDs eight potential train station sites.(R.L. Banks and Associates Inc.)
March 19, 1999... High-speed rail station likely to be built near downtown A city consultant has identified eight potential sites for a new train station that could accommodate high-speed rail service linking Cincinnati to Cleveland or Chicago. Half of...

Ohio marches inexorably toward deregulation.(deregulation of Ohio's electric industry)(Industry Overview)
March 19, 1999... Efforts have started to restructure the industry by introducing competition. This could be the year Ohio chooses a plan for deregulating its electric industry. Efforts are underway to restructure the industry by making electricity...

New players to target market.(electric utilities Cinergy, FirstEnergy announce plans)
March 19, 1999... One-size-fits-all approach likely won't work Cinergy CEO James Rogers and other utility executives have the challenge of leading their monopolistic businesses into a new era. Cinergy closely guards its strategic plans, and the company...

A satisfying palette.(RBM Fine Arts Design Inc.)(Company Profile)
March 19, 1999... Mel Becker has carved a niche in the art world by creating a company that sells high-quality reproductions of masterpieces Every sale Mel Becker makes these days is a masterpiece - or at least a close copy. Over the past eight years,...

Tight labor market is blessing for Transcon Co.(Company Profile)
March 19, 1999... Company acts as other firm's HR department The tightest labor market in 30 years isn't bad news for everyone. Angie Strunk, for one, sees plenty of opportunity in unemployment rates below 3 percent, a number so low it has human...

Duramed now banking on brand-name drug.(Cenestin)(Company Profile)
March 19, 1999... Firm hoping for FDA approval Duramed Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s five-year quest to bring to market its synthetic conjugated estrogens drug, called Cenestin, stands at another crossroads. The drug maker is waiting for an approval - or...

P&G veers away from Delta.(Procter & Gamble stops using Delta Air Lines as its exclusive international air carrier)
March 26, 1999... Other airlines to share international flights Protesting rising air fares, Procter & Gamble Co. is no longer using Delta Air Lines Inc. as its exclusive international carrier and has shifted a sizable share of its large overseas travel...

JTM expanding in Harrison.(JTM Provisions Co.)
March 26, 1999... New product line to be announced soon The Maas brothers of JTM Provisions Co. are planning a $4 million expansion to their Harrison food factory, less than a year after completing the largest project in company history. The newest...

Fifth Third still has appetite for Tri-State growth.(Fifth Third Bancorp eyes acquisition of three more Tri-State area banks)
March 26, 1999... Schaefer: Bank interested in any sizable deals in region Think Fifth Third Bancorp's 1998 shopping spree in central Ohio sated the Cincinnati banking company's appetite? Think again. Fifth Third CEO George Schaefer Jr. said he's...

Stone company set for Union Twp. move.(International Marble and Granite to open Butler County showroom)
March 26, 1999... International Marble cracks Midwest market A Denver stone company that imports from 27 countries has cracked the Midwestern market with a new Butler County showroom/warehouse facility that will open in June. The 32,000-square-foot...

Cintas to slash jobs, facilities at Unitog.
March 26, 1999... Managers to be replaced when merger closes When Mason-based corporate uniform maker Cintas Corp. completes its largest acquisition ever this month, it will immediately lay off the top level managers at acquiree Unitog Co. Sources close...

Llambi plans to spread ownership to employees.(architectural firm Vivian Llambi & Associates Inc.)(Company Profile)
March 26, 1999... Offer is made so firm's growth is not stifled Vivian Llambi is taking her 15-year-old design firm into unfamiliar territory. The Cuban-born landscape architect recently moved her firm, Vivian Llambi & Associates Inc., away from its...

Globe's acquisitions beginning to pay dividends.(Company Profile)
March 26, 1999... Earnings climb after dozen buys The 12 acquisitions that Globe Business Resources Inc. has made in the past two fiscal years have certainly slowed income growth. But the corporate housing and furniture rental company says it's not...