Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky articles from October 1999

Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky archives from October 1999

Glitzy riverfront plan unveiled.(Cincinnati Riverfront Advisory Commission releases new development plan for the city's waterfront district)
October 1, 1999... But can 'The Banks' bank on county financial help? An ambitious new riverfront development plan could trigger $600 million in private investment, give Cincinnati its coveted 24-hour downtown and trigger a wave of office tower construction...

U.S. Financial leaving downtown for Blue Ash.(US Financial Life Insurance Co. to vacate its Cincinnati headquarters)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... Insurance firm expects to hire 100 new workers A fast-growing Cincinnati life insurance company is leaving the city for a new headquarters in Blue Ash, taking with it 100 workers and a growth plan that includes the creation of at least...

Galyan's eyes Butler site.(Galyan's Trading Co negotiates lease in a Butler County shopping center)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... Indy sporting goods firm plots megastore A unique sporting goods chain that started in Indianapolis is working toward opening its first Greater Cincinnati megastore at an upscale shopping center in Butler County. Galyan's Trading Co....

Maisonette strives to stay young at 50.(Cincinnati five-star restaurant)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... The important things have stayed the same, even as the Maisonette has gone through numerous changes over the past half-century. Some things never change at the Maisonette. An absolute demand for excellent food. A large serving crew...

SharkBytes snapped up by consolidator.(UCI Web Group)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... UCI Web Group hopes for national presence A Florida consolidator finn is rolling up several Web site developers, including downtown-based SharkBytes Inc., into one company that will seek a national presence and might make an initial public...

Web page working sales magic for Sibcy Cline.(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... Site appeals to buyers via virtual home tours You don't have to sell Rob Sibcy on technology. The president of Sibcy Cline Inc. chalked up one recent sale to his company's extensive Web site, which a California couple used to buy a...

Duke gains regional strength with Weeks merger.(Duke Realty Investments Inc.)(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... Merger increases southern clout Duke Realty Investments Inc., already the largest commercial real estate company in the Tri-State, got a lot bigger earlier this year when it merged with Weeks Corp. of Atlanta, a developer with extensive...

Thrifts look at business loans.(Focus on Commercial Lending)(Cincinnati, OH)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... Competition, good economy lead S&Ls into commercial lending Jerry Mueller recently signed off on a $1.5 million commercial loan that will buy a plot of land in Western Hills and build a video store and real estate brokerage office on top of...

Utilities ready for Jan. 1.(Cincinnati electric, telephone, gas and water utilities have attained Y2K-compliant status)
October 1, 1999... Electric, water, phone, bank service should have no Y2K problems The Y2K glitch isn't expected to be much of a problem for Cincinnati, according to representatives from the utilities and banks. If there is a glitch in the system, the...

Postal Service set to sell stamps on Web.(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 1999... Service starts with small firms, home offices The U.S. Postal Service has come a long way from the 19th century Pony Express days. In fact, on the verge of a new millennium, it is poised to come to a computer screen near you very soon. ...

Kroger to move execs here.(supermarket chain to transfer 130 executives to its headquarters in Cincinnati, OH)
October 8, 1999... Grocer will add 130 from Fred Meyer Inc. Kroger Co. will move 130 executives from Portland, Ore., to its downtown headquarters as it consolidates operations from the recently acquired Fred Meyer Inc. grocery chain. To make room for the...

Verdin's bell doesn't toll - yet - for city.(clock manufacturer to stay put in Cincinnati, OH)
October 8, 1999... Kellogg Avenue site will provide short-term fix The city of Cincinnati has avoided the loss of one of its oldest companies - at least for now. The Verdin Co., an Over-the-Rhine bell and clock manufacturer, will temporarily solve its...

Aronowitz, Chaiken bought.(accounting firm Aronowitz, Chaiken and Hardesty acquired by Olive LLP)
October 8, 1999... New parent Olive LLP expanding regionally Aronowitz, Chaiken & Hardesty LLP, the Tri-State's 11th-largest accounting firm, has been acquired by Olive LLP in a deal the buyer sees as the start to challenging the Big Five firms in...

Catanzaro leaving Over-the-Rhine home.(Frank J. Catanzaro Sons and Daughers Inc. opens new facility in Lockland, OH)
October 8, 1999... Food distributor building facility in Lockland One of the Tri-State's largest independent food distributors is leaving the dry of Cincinnati for a $6 million facility in Lockland, taking 80 jobs with it. Family-owned Frank J. Catanzaro...

Fidelity division launches online 401(k) plan.
October 8, 1999... Retirement plans focus on small businesses It's was basically a no-brainer for Bill Carey. As senior vice president for sales and marketing at Covington-based Emerging Corporate Markets, a division of Fidelity Investments, Carey never...

Kroll-O'Gara considers selling, finding new equity.(Company Profile)
October 8, 1999... Acquisitions put on hold for 3Q Fairfield-based Kroll-O'Gara is in an announced state of limbo, with officials considering either selling the company or seeking significant equity investors. While considering strategic alternatives, the...

Vencor failure hit Louisville investors hard.(Focus on Managed Care)
October 8, 1999... Long-term care company was source of local pride Vencor Inc.'s fall from grace made headlines across the country as the company's stock dropped from an all-time high of $47 in 1997 to pennies by the time Chapter 11 bankruptcy was sought on...

HMOs fare better in profits, enrollment.(Focus on Managed Care)(Ohio)
October 8, 1999... Ohio plans had $8.7M collective gain in 1998 HMOs in Ohio reversed two years of collective losses in 1998, while their combined enrollment continued to climb, according to an Ohio Hospital Association report released Oct. 1. According...

Christ to weigh solo move.(includes related article on hospital's expansion plans)(Christ Hospital mulls departure from Health Alliance)
October 15, 1999... Alliance hospitals will vote on group's future What was once mentioned in hushed tones is now being openly discussed by physicians and employees at Christ Hospital: Should Christ stay in the Health Alliance? Or would it be better off...

Bricks-and-mortar man.(James Zimmerman, CEO of Federated Department Stores)
October 15, 1999... Federated's James Zimmerman knows the Web holds promise, but not at the expense of today. Federated Department Stores Inc. CEO James Zimmerman calls e-commerce a "peanut business." It's not that he dismisses the buzz entirely. He...

Delta may flee downtown for UC location.(Delta Air Lines offered tax incentives to keep its office in Cincinnati, OH)
October 15, 1999... 1,000-job center might also be relocated to N. Ky. The city of Cincinnati has upped the ante to keep 1,000 Delta Air Lines jobs within the city limits. In an Oct. 5 letter to the Atlanta-based airline, City Manager John Shirey offered...

Pacific Coast feathers nest.(Pacific Coast Feather opens new facility in Boone County, OH)
October 15, 1999... Pillow maker expands at Boone County site A Seattle pillow company plans to create as many as 450 jobs at a new manufacturing and processing facility in Boone County, where the company has already expanded twice. Pacific Coast Feather...

Taft partners leave to open Squire office.(three attorneys leave law firm Taft, Stettinus and Hollister to open Squire, Sanders and Dempsey office in Cleveland, OH)
October 15, 1999... Cleveland law firm has international reach Three attorneys have left their positions as partners with Taft, Stettinius & Hollister to open a local office for a Cleveland law firm. Stephen Lerner, Stephen Mahon and Mark Ruehlmann joined...

New software firm focuses on compliance.(Indago Corp.)
October 15, 1999... Local, Dayton execs create Indago Corp. Michael Reardon, president of Pinnacle EnviroTech Systems in Western Hills, is working with a Dayton application development company to create a new software firm. Reardon has joined forces with...

Firstar merges Ohio, Wisconsin charters.
October 15, 1999... Transfer gives jurisdiction to Ohio regulators Firstar Corp. has further centralized some of its administrative operations in Cincinnati, continuing a process the former Star Banc Corp. started in 1997. In late September, the...

Empower MediaMarketing names McHale president.(Brian McHale)
October 15, 1999... Price remains chairman and CEO of media firm Brian McHale has been named president of Empower MediaMarketing, setting up a line of succession for Bill Price, who remains the private company's chairman and CEO. Columbia Tusculum-based...

Witt brings marketing, distribution back home.(Witt Industries Inc.)
October 15, 1999... Indiana plant boosts galvanizing capacity Witt Industries Inc. unveiled a new marketing campaign at the International Sanitary Supply Association's trade show in Chicago Oct. 13. The new theme, "Share the Witt Vision", will last...

Kendle striving to overcome major stock decline.(Kendle International Inc.)(Company Profile)
October 15, 1999... Analysts bullish on firm's future Over the past three years, Kendle International Inc. has made great strides in its quest to become a global player in the pharmaceutical contract research industry. Going public through an initial...

[2] Empower MediaMarketing names McHale president.
October 15, 1999... Price remains chairman and CEO of media firm Brian McHale has been named president of Empower MediaMarketing, setting up a line of succession for Bill Price, who remains the private company's chairman and CEO. Columbia Tusculum-based...

[2] Empower MediaMarketing names McHale president.(Brief Article)
October 15, 1999... Price remains chairman and CEO of media firm Brian McHale has been named president of Empower MediaMarketing, setting up a line of succession for Bill Price, who remains the private company's chairman and CEO. Columbia Tusculum-based...

Delta left Comair little choice.
October 22, 1999... Local airline faced end of connection agreement Less than two weeks from the expiration of its Delta Connection agreement, Comair may have had few options but to give in to Delta Air Lines' acquisition, experts said. The announcement...

Merger could raise pilot pay issues.
October 22, 1999... HUNDREDS OF CINCINNATI-BASED airline pilots will be affected by upcoming labor negotiations. Delta Air Lines' purchase of Comair could be a boon to hundreds of Cincinnati-based pilots, experts say. But as Delta tries to work through...

Solid track record isn't helping Kendle stock.
October 22, 1999... Stock has plummeted by 70 percent in past year Can the stock of Kendle International Inc. fall any further? That's the question analysts and investors are asking as the third-quarter earnings reporting season enters prime time. Kendle...

WLWT director quashes talk of Channel 9 raid.
October 22, 1999... Who's in the mood for a good old-fashioned TV war? That's what some say we'll get, now that WLWT-TV Channel 5 has hired Ken Jobe as its news director. Jobe, you see, is a former executive producer at WCPO-TV Channel 9. The buzz among...

Kroger divisions introducing discount cards.
October 22, 1999... Customers can save on selected products Dillons, a Midwest grocery chain owned by Kroger Co., is preparing to introduce a new customer discount program that is gaining in popularity in other markets. Called the "Dillons Plus Card," the...

CORRECTION.
October 22, 1999... A letter to the editor in the Oct 15 issue should have read that the Cincinnati Stuff professional basketball team was voted. "Best New Sports Team" by Cincinnati Magazine. The incorrect team was listed.

Real estate firm on scene.
October 22, 1999... Commercial real estate competition heightens One of the biggest commercial real estate companies in the United States plans to make its own mark in the Tri-State's highly competitive and active commercial real estate industry. Palo...

Bell getting wired into national arena.
October 22, 1999... CINCINNATI BELL IS ON THE VERGE of completing its acquisition of IXC communications, turning it into a national, high-tech firm. Fifteen months after spinning off Convergys Corp., Cincinnati Bell Inc. will take the next step in its...

Local online real estate venture to be launched.
October 22, 1999... Company licensed only in Ohio, but it plans to expand A group of local technology and real estate experts have teamed with venture capitalists to launch an online real estate company. HomesThatClick, headed by CEO Vince Broerman,...

Analyst touts Midland stock.
October 22, 1999... The strong third-quarter results reported by Midland Co. have prompted one analyst following the company to upgrade his already-positive outlook for the Amelia-based specialty insurer. Atlanta-based Robinson Humphrey analyst David Lewis on Oct....

Bell offering new high-speed system.
October 22, 1999... Cincinnati Bell Telephone has started selling a data transport product that enables small and medium-sized businesses with multiple sites to communicate securely over a high-speed network. The new product, LAN Advantage Lite, is similar to the...

United Mail triples space with move.
October 22, 1999... United Mail Inc. has almost tripled its space in Cincinnati by moving to a 60,000-square-foot facility on Harrison Avenue in Queensgate. The Louisville-based company now has 300 clients in Greater Cincinnati and employs 100. For the last three...

Anne Zaring offering line of evening wear.
October 22, 1999... Anne Zaring recently collaborated with Italian dress designer Gabriella Arango to offer custom-designed evening wear to women in Greater Cincinnati. The new company, dubbed Cincinnati Couture, was launched Oct. 26 at an event featuring dresses...

One-stop metal shop opens in Evendale.(Metal Mall)
October 22, 1999... Metal Mall consolidates three local companies The planned November opening of the Metal Mall in Evendale is aimed at providing convenient one-stop shopping for local metal manufacturers, suppliers and contractors. Greg Carver,...

Travel firms bought by Carlson Wagonlit.
October 22, 1999... Travel Exchange, school add to local presence With the recent acquisition of two Cincinnati travel businesses, Louisville based Carlson Wagonlit Travel/WTS Inc. hopes to strengthen its toehold in the Ohio tourism industry. The company...

Harley-Davidson dealership targets upscale 'hog' lovers.
October 22, 1999... Kings Mills facility to be 'spectacular', owner says Ray Phipps got hooked on Harley-Davidsons when his father gave him a 50cc motorbike at the tender age of 10. What the Deerfield Township businessman plans to peddle at a $4.2 million...

Covington copier firm adds tech services.
October 22, 1999... Waltz sees marriage of computers, copiers Joe Jehn is attempting to lead his family's company from a copier business driven by its sales force into a computer services company fueled by technically trained employees. As president of...

Dayton wants Jungle Jim's downtown.
October 22, 1999... A group of Dayton business owners are asking customers to put their names on the line to help get a specialty grocer -- possibly Jungle Jim's international market in Fairfield -- in downtown Dayton. Petitions sitting on retail store...

Bills to give small firms Superfund break.
October 22, 1999... White House opposes liability proposals The Feb. 10 letter from the Environmental Protection Agency was no valentine;. instead; it asked JK Creative Partners to pay $42,000 to help clean up the local landfill in Quincy, Ill. The EPA...

Fifth Third to benefit from park auction.
October 22, 1999... A subsidiary of Fifth Third Bancorp will receive the bulk of the proceeds from the auction of two Louisville amusement parks after the parks' bankruptcy case was thrown out of court. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy case involving Atlantis Water...

Togetherness works for Aero's father-son team.
October 22, 1999... When you call the Aero Fulfillment Services headquarters in Mason and ask for John or Jon Gimpel, the secretary will ask if you want Junior or Senior. Just don't tell John about the screening method. Four years ago when John joined the...

Women entrepreneurs focus of Bank One book.
October 22, 1999... Bank One Corp., which has made a special effort to draw female business owners, has put its ideas into a book, "Wise Women: Success Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs." The book is co-authored by two Cincinnatians: Vanessa Freytag, director of...

City draws two firms to Linwood.(Brief Article)
October 22, 1999... Stevenson Photo Color and H.C. Nutting Inc. Have signed separate enterprise zone agreements with the city of Cincinnati that will move the companies to adjacent sites on Wilmer Avenue in Linwood. The agreements cover a combined 122,000 square...

Union Centre technology site.
October 22, 1999... The Union Township Community Improvement Corp. announced the creation of the Union Centre Tech Corridor, an area that will run parallel to Union Centre Boulevard from Cincinnati-Dayton Road to State Route 747. The CIC said it has created the...

Blue Chip buys Dayton station.
October 22, 1999... Cincinnati-based Blue Chip Broadcasting announced it has closed on its deal to buy WKSW-FM, a Dayton-area country music radio station. The deal expands Blue Chip's Dayton stable to four stations and its total holdings to 15 stations in Ohio and...

Delta offers ticket bargain.
October 22, 1999... Delta Air Lines today began offering customers a $20.02 plane ticket, available only via its Web site at www.delta-air.com, for flights aboard the new Delta 757 Olympic aircraft, "The Soaring Spirit," as it makes an eight-city tour across the...

AK Steel ordered to pay.
October 22, 1999... A federal arbritrator ruled today that Middletown steel maker AK Steel Holding Corp. must pay back wages to workers it laid off between 1993 and 1997. The United Steelworkers of America has brought the claim against AK Steel, which might have...

City to build condo complex.
October 22, 1999... A 152-condominium community will be built on North Bend Road in Mount Airy, by a partnership that includes the Cincinnati Department of Neighborhood Services, the Drees Co. and Mount Airy Oaks Development LLC. The complex, to be called Mount...

KENTUCKY CITIES SEE GROWTH SPURT.(includes Ohio cities' population growth rate also)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 22, 1999... KENTUCKY CITIES SEE GROWTH SPURT More of Kentucky's largest cities have grown during the decades than Ohio's although Kentucky's cities are much smaller. 1998 1990 Columbus 15...

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO digital BANG.
October 22, 1999... The Over-the-Rhine tech firm takes the high road with 'information-rich' projects like kiosks and CD-ROMs. Drive into the gravel parking lot alongside the former Over-the-Rhine fire station on East 12th Street. As you enter the building,...

Ohio National opens new distribution channels.
October 22, 1999... Partnerships may add $150 million this year Under Chairman and CEO David O'Maley, Montgomery-based Ohio National Financial Services is trying to spur growth by making a push to get its products sold through new delivery channels. In...

Top spot can be lonely place for entrepreneur.
October 22, 1999... Build support system to keep you in touch I had breakfast this morning with five feisty woman. They are new friends of mine as I recently joined their Friday breakfast group. Our focus is to help each other build key business relationships,...

Find the right mix of debt for your company.
October 22, 1999... Sometimes, paying off early is the way to go Are there advantages to paying off your debts earlier than scheduled? There are, however, your reasons and timing for paying off these liabilities are important factors in whether this is a wise...

Kentuckians study Portland's urban successes.
October 22, 1999... Louisville checks out downtown, light rail Fall's first fog and heavy rain shrouded the city, but Portland's entrepreneurial community was too busy networking and making connections to mind the weather. In one week, local entrepreneurs...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
October 22, 1999... ACCOUNTING Arthur Andersen has promoted Alexander Torok to principal in its tax and business advisory practice, Joseph Sener to partner in its business consulting practice and Robert Bitter to principal in its assurance and business...

Ball new managing partner at KPMG.
October 22, 1999... Robert Ball has been named managing partner of the Cincinnati office of KPMG LLP, the international accounting and consulting firm. Ball comes to the TriState from Milwaukee, where he had managed KPMG's office since 1993. In his new...

Renaissance move away from stocks pays off in third quarter.
October 22, 1999... Renaissance Investment Management Inc.'s asset-allocation strategy made a huge move in late July that has so far paid off big time. Renaissance shifted money in its market-timing strategy, which it calls the three-way asset allocation...

COURIER RATE BAROMETER.
October 22, 1999... COURIER RATE BAROMETER Latest Year ago Two Three week week wks. ago wks. ago AVERAGE INTEREST RATES 30-yr. mortgage ...

STOCK STATS.
October 22, 1999... STOCK STATS Exchange/ Year- Week- 52- Ticker Close to-date ago net P/E week Name of security symbol 10/18/99 chg....

MORNINGSTAR MUTUAL FUNDS.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
October 22, 1999... MORNINGSTAR MUTUAL FUNDS TOP 20 GREATER CINCINNATI FUNDS Fund Star Net asset Yr.-to-date 3-Yr. Rank Fund name category rating value ...

Disaster striking stocks that miss expectations.(Brief Article)
October 22, 1999... Besides the usual worries about inflation and the dollar, the stock market seems besieged by daily corporate reports that upset Wall Street expectations. Because the market is going through a period in which it pays close attention to the bad...

INSIDER TRADING RECAP.
October 22, 1999... INSIDER TRADING RECAP (Number of insider transactions in past six months) Company Buy Option Sell Am. Annuity 1 4 4 Am. Financial 11 4 4 AK Steel 5 3 16...

New CEO eyes growth at label-maker Multi-Color.
October 22, 1999... Firm's fortunes starting to turn Within the next year, Multi-Color Corp. CEO Frank Gerace plans to see his company through extensive growth. The source of that growth: acquisitions and savings from the company's recent expansion and...

New Web site, marketing tactics bit Union Centre.
October 22, 1999... Seeking to capitalize on some incredible momentum already churning in the pipeline, officials at the burgeoning Union Centre region of Butler County recently unleashed a new Web site and marketing strategy to further promote and enhance...

DEAL OF THE WEEK.
October 22, 1999... THIS WEEK'S DEAL: Sibcy's Riley sells Amberley Village site for $3.9M to development firm DEAL OF THE WEEK examines a recent noteworthy lease or sale of local commercial properly and/or a residential sale; the transaction must exceed $1...

Foundation funds research at Children's.
October 22, 1999... Programs include head injury, cancer studies Funding research can sometimes be difficult in times of cutbacks and layoffs. However, the research done at Children's Hospital Medical Center is funded by a very special organization -- the...

DEAR READERS.
October 22, 1999... Dear Business Courier Reader: PNC Bank is proud to be a sponsor of this year's Progress Awards winners, along with Frost & Jacobs and the Business Courier. The Progress Awards were established to recognize the achievements of those...

Moving 'The Mount' higher.
October 22, 1999... Cycling sister has added enrollment and new programs Sr. Francis Marie Thraikill has found a unique way to relax, as long as Mother Nature is agreeable. The 12-year president of the College of Mount St. Joseph is a cycling enthusiast...

Fidelity unit posts record sales under Hassara's leadership.(Brief Article)
October 22, 1999... Fast-rising executive heads efforts to expand 'total benefit outsourcing' Despite an impressive trek up the corporate ladder, Teresa Hassara still puts work second to her growing family. Her office in Fidelity Investments' Covington...

Palmer Group founder keeps focus on near-term growth.(Brief Article)
October 22, 1999... With business changing so fast, calls five-year plans 'dreaming' After nine years in the temporary employment industry, Mary Jane Palmer set out on her own in 1986. "At the time, I didn't realize it was an opportune time," says the...

Haute Chocolate sweet success.
October 22, 1999... Confectioner plans to open new market channels--carefully Hiring mothers has played a key role in the success of Montgomery confectioner Haute Chocolate Inc., according to founder Lisa Cooper Holmes. "I love to hire women who have...

From beginning, women nave had integral role in art museum.
October 22, 1999... Women directors led museum to three straight budget surpluses Nearly half a century before women were even allowed to vote, the women involved with the Cincinnati Art Museum were making their voices heard. Twelve years prior to the...

'Up or out' got the boot in favor of a family-friendly workplace.
October 22, 1999... Employee-owned accounting firm now two-thirds women In the early '80s, partners at Saltz Shamis & Goldfarb wanted to rid their accounting firm of the "up or out" mentality. An attitude prevalent in the industry, "up or out" firms,...

Mentors abound, if you ask.
October 22, 1999... Mentoring less time consuming than expected, Gill says If Linda Tracy Gill could give one piece of advice to a professional at the onset of a career, it would be this: Never underestimate the willingness of the best and brightest in your...