Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky articles from May 1998

Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky archives from May 1998

Hofbrauhaus may tap riverfront: famed beer palace eyes local outpost. (Hofbrauhaus Munchen)
May 1, 1998... The recent death of Cincinnati's riverfront retail project hasn't dulled the appetite of Munich's famous Hofbrauhaus. The German beer hall will announce plans to open a Cincinnati outpost May 15, marking its first U.S. location. "We want to...

Bell breakup won't help phone unit. (Cincinnati Bell Inc needs to expand to other markets to attract buyers)
May 1, 1998... The creation of convergys has led to speculation that Bell Telephone may be for sale. Analysts aren't excited. After spinning off its two fastest-growing subsidiaries, Cincinnati Bell Inc. may be on the selling block, analysts say. But the...

Hensley Segal forms global marketing alliance: business-to-business niche primary focus. (Hensley Segal Rentschler Inc)
May 1, 1998... Hensley Segal Rentschler has launched a global alliance with three other marketing communications agencies in Germany, Hong Kong and Brazil that it believes will open doors to new business and help keep the clients it already has. "Most...

Network plans more fee-free ATMs locally: sites being chosen for up to 140 machines. (Tri-State's fee-free ATM network)
May 1, 1998... As they mark the one-year anniversary of the Tri-State's fee-free ATM network, leaders say they are upping the ante. Nineteen members of the alliance of banks, thrifts and credit unions are teaming up to install up to 140 non-charging ATMs in...

Leveling the ad roller coaster: Mann Bukvic Gatch creates steady revenue sources to smooth the ride. (Mann Bukvic Gatch Partners)
May 1, 1998... David Bukvic will even chase UFOs if it means a potential new revenue source for Mann Bukvic Gatch Partners, the advertising agency he co-owns with Ronald Mann and Trina Gatch. "It's a six-hour television documentary about UFOs we've developed...

New markets tempt software consulting firm: Application Objects to boost jobs, revenue.
May 1, 1998... Rob Sullivan is confident his software consulting firm can help any Fortune 1000 company through a computer crisis. But don't ask downtown-based Application Objects Inc. to solve the Year 2000 problem. "There's a lot of companies out there...

New, existing markets to drive insurer's growth. (Cincinnati Financial Corp)
May 1, 1998... Cincinnati Fin'l. eyes $2B in sales The goal is simple. By the year 2000, Cincinnati Financial Corp. wants to write $2 billion of direct premiums annually. But to do that, the Fairfield-based insurer will need to maintain its strong rate of...

Market fuels 'spec' boom: interstates, airport, wide-open spaces lure developers to Boone County.(Focus on Boone County)
May 1, 1998... Twenty years ago, it wood have been difficult to imagine developers wrangling for spots amid the empty expanses of Boone County. In 1998, however, companies have shown such intense interest that 1980s-style "speculative" commercial building...

Industrial projects fill Boone pipeline.(Focus on Boone County)
May 1, 1998... After the triumphant February announcement of DHL's projected $170 million sorting facility at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, the Tri-County Economic Development Corp. should have been resting on its laurels. But there...

CBIS/Matrixx chief to run Convergys: fast-rising Bell exec key player in growth. (Cincinnati Bell Information System; Matrixx Marketing; James Orr; Cincinnati Bell Inc)
May 1, 1998... In 1996, as head of Cincinnati Bell Information Systems, James Orr pushed hard to get CBIS clients to generate business for its sister company, Matrixx Marketing, another Cincinnati Bell Inc. subsidiary involved in telemarketing. When a call...

Lindner buys Indiana ethanol firm. (financier Carl Lindner; Energy Corp.)
May 8, 1998... Purchase allows Chiquita to divest Cincinnati financier Carl Lindner has acquired a debt-ridden Indiana ethanol maker. The $70 million purchase, disclosed in American Financial Group Inc.'s annual prow statement sent to shareholders...

Midland hits stride, stock price soars.
May 8, 1998... After years of stagnation, Midland's stock price has jumped 45 percent since Jan. 1. Analysts are rating it a "buy." As if rejuvenated after a long, deep sleep, Amelia-based Midland Co.'s stock is charging through 1998 with newfound energy....

The Gap fills need with giant Boone center. (Gap Stores Inc.; Boone County, Ohio)(includes related article on new building)
May 8, 1998... Clothing chain will open another distribution center The Gap is opening a half-million-square-foot distribution center near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport at Park West International in Boone County. Officials at San...

Two hospital systems invest $5 million in Medica. (Mercy Health System of Greater Cincinnati and TriHealth)
May 8, 1998... Mercy, TriHealth take stake in group of 450 physicians A major investment by two local hospital systems has eased the cash crunch for Medica Inc., a Cincinnati-based group of about 450 independent physicians. Finalized in April, the $5...

Cinergy changing strategy. (small acquisitions and alliances)
May 8, 1998... CEO: Utility targeting small deals for growth Cinergy Corp.'s chief executive is aggressively looking for small acquisitions and alliances, rather than focusing on a big deal, in order to grow. Analysts say Cinergy's new attitude reflects a...

Used-car sellers think small, take on big boys. (Cincinnati, Ohio)
May 8, 1998... Newly formed used-car ventures such as Drive 1, which plans to go national, are competing with behemoths like AutoNation. While big-box retailers grab the headlines, local used car dealers are also making money by thinking small. A handful...

Local firms not ready for euro's '99 debut: currency could complicate overseas dealings. (Europe's common currency)
May 8, 1998... Currency could complicate overseas dealings The upcoming party celebrating Europe's new common currency could leave some Tri-State firms with serious hangovers, experts say. Eleven of the 15 European Union countries locked their exchange...

New real estate firm lands $6M project: Baird and Bessey begin business with a bang. (Tim Baird and John Bessey's Site Advantage Inc.)
May 8, 1998... Former Mayerson-Anderson Group partner Tim Baird has formed his own commercial real estate firm and hit the ground running, with a $6 million retail center in Loveland and a boat-load of expansion plans in the works. Baird and John Bessey, a...

Cinergy Corp. (proxy report excerpts)(Company Profile)
May 8, 1998... BACKGROUND Name: Cinergy Corp. Address: 139 E. Fourth St., Cincinnati 45202 Phone: 287-1940 Business: Cinergy provides electricity, natural gas and other energy services through four business units: wholesale energy commodities, energy...

Wall Street urging Cinergy to make acquisitions.
May 8, 1998... CEO says utility is on the prowl Cinergy Corp. CEO James Rogers says the Cincinnati utility needs to make another acquisition because Wall Street analysts consider its stock to be fully valued based on current earnings prospects. "Wall...

Mattel ready to play in N. Ky. park. (North Kentucky)
May 15, 1998... Toy maker brings 100 jobs to Boone Toy giant Mattel Inc. has tapped the former Hutch Sports distribution center in Boone County for a major hub that will create 100 jobs. El Segundo, Calif.-based Mattel signed a five-year lease April 20 to...

New markets write prescription of Omnicare growth.
May 15, 1998... The fast-growing drug supplier wants to utilize its experience in geriatric pharmaceuticals to build its customer base. Omnicare Inc. is taking what its president calls "measured steps" into-new markets analysis believe could lead to...

Northlich lands $8 million Star-Kist account. (Northlich Stolley laWarre's win of Star-Kist Tuna's agency-of-record account)
May 15, 1998... Ad agency scores another national brand account Northlich Stolley LaWarre has landed another national brand assignment in the food industry, this time hooking the $8 million to $10 million agency-of-record account for Star-Kist Tuna away from a...

Radio towers big business. (Lattice Partners ltd)
May 15, 1998... Local company looks to consolidate industry The principals of a Tri-State investment banking firm that focuses on the radio industry have formed a communication tower company that is looking to consolidate that burgeoning industry. Dean...

New savings bank to open in Boone Cty. (Commonwealth Bancshares Inc's opening of an office in Boone County, Ohio)
May 15, 1998... Commonwealth Bancshares files with OTS Booming Boone County will soon be home to the Tri-State's first new thrift institution in more than 75 years. Louisville-based Commonwealth Bancshares Inc. on May 5 filed an application with the Office...

Cadillac man chases dream. (Jeff Bach, owner of CRT Auto Electronics)
May 15, 1998... Bach takes electronic fuel pump probe to book deal possible millions Jeff Bach is a Cadillac man with a million-dollar dream. The owner of CRT Auto Electronics in Batavia hopes to parlay his knowledge of newcar circuitry into a multi-million...

Former drivers steering Ray Hamilton's growth. (Russ Durstock, Jack Spratt, Tony Schenke, Randall Jackson)
May 15, 1998... Diversification is key to strong sales climb The four partners who own Ray Hamilton Co. share a unique perspective of the 106-year-old commercial mover, tucked behind the Eighth Street Viaduct in a nondescript Queensgate industrial zone....

'Hometown boy' rises to top. (West Shell Commercial/Oncor International Inc;s executive vice president Shenan Murphy)
May 15, 1998... West Shell Commercial hires native Cincinnatian to run the show The new boss at one of the Tri-State's largest commercial brokers is a familiar face to many in Greater Cincinnati. When Cincinnati native Shenan Murphy took over the reins at...

Anatomy of a deal. (construction of the Paul Brown Stadium for the Cincinnati Bengals sports team)
May 22, 1998... How Mike Brown & Co. beat the odds and engineered the biggest public works project in Cincinnati history. They changed the course of Cincinnati history with a five-minute meeting on the turf at Spinney Field. It was there, on a hot June...

Expert: stadium lease 'exploitative.' (includes related article on stadium lease contracts)
May 22, 1998... When the Cincinnati Bengals signed a preliminary lease agreement for a new stadium in September 1996, team owner Mike Brown joked that his team had finally found a squad it could beat: Hamilton County. The remark generated mild laughter from...

Biotech company chases clinical breakthrough.
May 22, 1998... Allergenics close to securing $7.5 million in venture capital A Blue Ash company working to convert the often-painful tetanus booster shot into pill form will begin a clinical trial sponsored by a division of the National Institutes of Health....

Star, Fifth Third aim for more trust gains. (Star Banc Corp; Fifth Third Bancorp)
May 22, 1998... Acquisitions key to boosting mutual funds The trust departments at Cincinnati's two biggest banks, flush with newfound cash from the booming stock market, are preparing for more sturdy growth as they digest recent acquisitions. Both Star...

Sharonville picks up two firms, 85 jobs.
May 22, 1998... Truck dealership, furniture importer move in Two companies say they'll set up shop in Sharonville this year, adding 85 jobs to the city's work force. Freightliner Trucks of Cincinnati Inc. says it will relocate 45 jobs from Fort Wright to a...

Bell plans out-of-area local phone service. (Cincinnati Bell Long Distance Inc)
May 22, 1998... CBLD wants to add Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana Cincinnati Bell Long Distance Inc. plans to begin offering local telephone exchange services outside Greater Cincinnati, in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, later this year. A subsidiary of Cincinnati...

Moving back to future profits. (Desul Inc)
May 22, 1998... Desul refocuses on consulting as retail computer margins hit skids In business, moving forward sometimes involves stepping back. Ask Nick Dektas. After successfully setting up a separate retail operation five years ago to complement his...

Security National starts used-car dealer chain. (Security National Automotive Acceptance Corp)
May 22, 1998... Loan buyer also sells off parts of portfolio Security National Automotive Acceptance Corp. has emerged from an early 1990's price war with plans to carve a new niche in the fast-consolidating auto industry. The founders of the Mason-based...

Local computer firm potential anchor tenant. (XLConnect Solutions Inc's plans to combine two offices)
May 22, 1998... XLConnect to combine two offices, sources say A Springdale computer company looking to consolidate two Tri-State offices could make many a local developer's day, particularly those seeking an anchor tenant to jumpstart a new office building....