Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky articles from October 2000

Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky archives from October 2000

'Griffey factor' comes up short.
October 6, 2000... But Reds' star still adds $16M in new revenue Ken Griffey Jr. was a boon to the Cincinnati Reds' finances in 2000, but his effect on the bottom line wasn't quite as bountiful as expected. A source familiar with the team's finances said...

Peewees get little break from Bengals.
October 6, 2000... The peewees are back, sort of. Recall: The Cincinnati Bengals told local peewee football leagues last year they might not be able to use the team's new grass field in Paul Brown Stadium for their 2000 season playoffs because the little...

For CEO O'Gara Kroll marriage not bulletproof.
October 6, 2000... THE FAIRFIELD ARMORED CAR MAKER IS READY to end its failed relationship with a New York investigation and security firm and go it alone. In March 1999, Kroll O'Gara Co. reported 1998 operating income more than doubled the previous year's....

Great American taking passage to India.
October 6, 2000... Financial resources group dips into fresh labor pool Imagine placing a few classified ads in a local paper one week and getting 1,500 resumes for 40 positions. A personnel director's dream? It's Jeff Tate's India reality. Tate is...

Frost & Jacobs to merge with Louisville law firm.
October 6, 2000... Combined firm to be among largest in U.S. Frost & Jacobs LLP, Cincinnati's largest law firm, announced Oct. 5 that it is merging with the largest firm in Louisville, creating a Midwestern power that ranks among the 75 largest firms in the...

CORRECTIONS.
October 6, 2000... The Sept. 29 private file incorrectly stated the height of Rumpke Consolidated Cos. landfill in Colerain Township. The top of the landfill is 1,075 feet above sea level. An Aug. 4 story incorrectly stated the amount members pay in dues for...

Race St. condos sold fast.
October 6, 2000... Realtor has 53 names still on prospect list How hot is downtown's housing market? At least 98[degrees]. One of the members of the popular Cincinnati boy band has purchased a unit in a planned Race Street condominium development, a deal...

No munches in these vending machines.
October 6, 2000... VERTEX'S NEW SUPPLY BAY DISPENSES shop and safety supplies, tracks usage and automatically reorders low-stock items over the Internet. Springdale-based Vertex Technologies' latest addition to the work force keeps perfect records, monitors...

Importing workers a success for Kings Island.
October 6, 2000... Amusement park leased UC dorm, contracted with Metro Paramount's Kings Island dramatically increased staffing levels this summer by importing 400 European college students and increasing bus service to the Warren County park. "This was...

Corning expands in Clermont County.
October 6, 2000... For the second time in three months, U.S. Precision Lens in Clermont County is receiving a major expansion boost from its parent, Corning Inc., based in Corning, N.Y. The newest project is a $55 million expansion that includes the construction...

Tri-ED changing online strategy.
October 6, 2000... Northern Kentucky's Tri-County Economic Development Corp. will introduce a newly redesigned Web site in November under the name, www.NorthernKentuckyUSA.com, to reach businesses more effectively. "Our new Web site will provide all the...

Redox buys P&G's Biz bleach brand.
October 6, 2000... Procter & Gamble Co. has sold its Biz color-safe bleach to Redox Brands Inc., a group of private investors based in West Chester that includes Meriwether Capital Corp. and P&G as a minority equity partner. The deal marks the second purchase of...

P&G to get tough with slow-moving brands.
October 6, 2000... Products that don't reach goals could be sold If CEO A.G. Lafley wanted Procter & Gamble watchers to come away from his Sept. 28 conference with one piece of information, it was this: Please don't panic. "While we have moderated our...

Income gap more stabile between 'haves', 'have-nots'.
October 6, 2000... Top fifth hasn't gained since '93, bureau says America's "haves" are much better off than its "have-nots", but the gap between the two groups is no longer getting wider. Income inequality, a growing problem from the mid-1970s until the...

City may bend codes for 'Digital Rhine'.
October 6, 2000... Flexible rules would make renovation easier Cincinnati's New Economy Project Team wants to make it easier for developers to convert old Over-the-Rhine buildings into new quarters for up-and-coming dot-com companies. But that could...

Aquarium sees slight attendance drop-off.
October 6, 2000... Second year better than expected, officials say The Newport Aquarium saw a 7 percent drop in attendance this summer from the gallery-parking crowds who visited last summer, when the facility had just opened. For June, July and August...

Democrats try to resurrect defeated estate tax reform.
October 6, 2000... Bill introduced to slash rates, raise exemptions A group of House Democrats is trying to bring estate tax relief back from the dead. Republican leaders gave up on the issue after the House failed to override President Clinton's veto of...

High school students lag in math, science.
October 6, 2000... Gap to hurt economy, Greenspan testifies Alan Greenspan says be is glad he learned math the old-fashioned way: with a pencil and paper, not a calculator. Americans are glad Greenspan developed such an analytical mind, based on the...

Local copier firm acquires RAC in Dayton.
October 6, 2000... Blue Ash based Pro-Copy, which sells and services photocopiers, network printers, duplicators and facsimile equipment, had been looking for an acquisition opportunity in Dayton since it opened a sales office there in 1994. That opportunity...

Mariemont eatery will showcase Latin cuisine.
October 6, 2000... Restaurant maven Elliot Jablonsky is setting up shop in the former Bistro Gigi space on Mariemont Square. He is opening an evening eatery for all kinds of people, with all kinds of Latin food. The new Latin Quarter, set to open Nov. 7, will...

Mount Washington florist transplanted to larger site.
October 6, 2000... Davids' Mount Washington Florist Inc. is being transplanted. Owners Dave Immerman and David Presser are moving the Anderson Township flower shop from 1,200 square feet of space at 8455 Beechmont Ave. to a 6,000-square-foot facility just up...

Coffee maker heading to Venezuela; shop for sale.
October 6, 2000... Grant Tomlin is seeking a survivor to take over his island. Coffee Island, that is. The owner of the Mariemont coffee shop will either sell it or close it down by Jan. 1, so he can concentrate on his roasting business -- and a move to...

Good news at Hillenbrand sends stock price up.
October 6, 2000... September 27 was a good day for W August "Gus" Hillenbrand -- $13 million good. After the CEO of Hillenbrand Industries Inc. delivered his company's positive third-quarter earnings results, he watched the value of his personal investment...

Operation Smile raising funds for Nicaragua trip.
October 6, 2000... Local plastic surgeon Dr. Lawrence Kurtzman has made 17 trips to the far reaches of the globe in the last 14 years, each time helping correct cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities on dozens of children. This January,...

Most ex-Bethesda Oak staffers stay at TriHealth.
October 6, 2000... Nearly all the employees who worked at TriHealth Inc.'s Bethesda Oak Hospital found jobs at other TriHealth facilities after the hospital announced its plans to close the ailing facility last November. Vice President of Strategic Planning...

NFIB cites EPA 'betrayal' on Superfund bill.
October 6, 2000... The National Federation of Independent Business accuses the Environmental Protection Agency of "a total betrayal of small business" by opposing legislation to exempt companies with 100 or fewer employees from liability for garbage dumped at...

New 'Get Tech' campaign targets middle schoolers.
October 6, 2000... The U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers launched a new public service campaign to interest middle-school students in high-tech careers and encourage them to take the necessary math and science courses. ...

Doctors, employers read Census report differently.
October 6, 2000... The American Medical Association says the decline in the number of Americans without health insurance disproves the argument that HMO reform legislation would lead employers to drop health coverage. The Census Bureau announced that the...

Small businesses often get wrong answers at IRS site.
October 6, 2000... A recent study found the Internal Revenue Service's Electronic Tax Law Assistance system provides more accurate information than commercial Web sites. But the fact that small business taxpayers got correct answers 54 percent of the time...

Jeff Wyler.
October 6, 2000... Auto dealer Jeff Wyler says he either made a shrewd real estate deal or spent a bunch for a big used-car lot. He's hoping for the former. So are his kids, who own 90 percent of the real estate company that made the buy. The Mountain Agency...

Arn Bortz.
October 6, 2000... Another round of City Hall horse trading should remove one of the last remaining obstacles to a Nordstrom department store. Developers of Fountain Place say they're ready to relinquish their property rights at the site of the Parkade...

Kentucky Speedway to hold sponsorhip seminar Oct. 13.
October 6, 2000... The Kentucky Speedway is holding a daylong sponsorship seminar Oct. 13 for clients and prospective customers. The event includes lunch and guest laps in a racing-school car. While current clients get in free, a $300 charge applies to others...

P&G to be first client for new LPK alliance with Japanese firm.
October 6, 2000... Libby Perszyk Kathman Inc., a downtown design firm that specializes in brand identity consulting, is partnering with Unihop Co. LTD of Osaka, Japan, to serve clients in Asia The partnership's first project will serve Procter & Gamble Co.'s...

Firstar merges with U.S. Bancorp.
October 6, 2000... As first reported Oct. 4 by the Courier online at www.bizjournals.com/Cincinnati, the most widely anticipated family reunion in banking has finally come to pass. First Corp. and U.S. Bancorp, the banks run by brothers Jerry and John...

American Financial issues warning.
October 6, 2000... Insurance conglomerate American Financial Group inc. warned that its third-quarter earnings will come in between 20 and 25 cents per share vs. the analysts' estimate of 38 cents per share. The company, controlled by Cincinnati financier Carl...

Economy showing bounce in step.
October 6, 2000... According to the National Association of Purchasing Management-Cincinnati, the local economy showed renewed strength in September. New orders, order backlogs and production levels all showed strong improvements over August and July, and should...

Frisch's to buy back stock.
October 6, 2000... Frisch's Restaurants Inc. directors approved the repurchase of up to 500,000 shares of the company's common stock over the next two years. The new program replaces a similar effort that expired. Officials of the Cincinnati-based company said...

County must pay Firstar Center.
October 6, 2000... A Hamilton County judge has issued a ruling that could boost the Great American Ball Park's price tag. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman ordered the county to compensate owners of the Firstar Center for "property rights" that...

Federated under fire again.
October 6, 2000... A West Palm Beach, Fla., attorney has become the most recent in a line of lawyers to take action against Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores Inc. on behalf of company investors. The investors allege Federated violated securities laws...

Managing TO SUCCEED.
October 6, 2000... Two brothers founded their property management firm with a plan to save owners money. ACS LLC began as a simple real estate company but has now blossomed into a full-fledged corporate services firm, offering clients everything from...

'Gray collar' approach keeps Baker competitive.
October 6, 2000... Managers stay close to work in 'the trenches' Its "gray collar" work force has helped Baker Concrete Construction Inc. become one of the nation's largest specialty contractors. "I believe in the double degree - one from school and one...

If your work is overwhelming you -- step back.
October 6, 2000... There are times when you just can't do it all Sometimes there is just too much work to do. One of my clients is facing this issue right now. Carl is in the middle of a major expansion of his business, and he doesn't have the...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
October 6, 2000... ACCOUNTING Jim Hassett has been named Ernst & Young LLP's global vice chair of its $6 billion assurance and advisory services business unit. Price water house Coopers has named Stephanie Ferris manager of the technology and...

As election nears, experts still divided as to market's direction.
October 6, 2000... Heading into the fourth quarter, the market still hasn't shown us what it wants. There are the optimists: In his column this week, Courier contributor Declan O'Sullivan says the bad news about earnings -- with warnings coming from...

Bowling Portfolio Management looking to gain ground nationally.
October 6, 2000... Bowling Portfolio Management Inc. continues to pick up clients at a steady pace, helped by a break-even first half and a focused marketing campaign to take the firm's business beyond Cincinnati. The Hyde Park-based money manager added 29...

'Rolling' bear market just feels like disaster.
October 6, 2000... Investor sentiment this year certainly hasn't been what it was over the past five years. For this, we can blame a host of factors: rising interest rates, ballooning energy prices, election uncertainty, earnings disappointments, Federal...

Advanced Micro Devices.
October 6, 2000... This past week was filled with warnings that company earnings would fail to meet investor's expectations. The biggest warning came from Intel, which stated that demand in Europe had been particularly weak and would cause a revenue shortfall for...

S&P 500 Index.
October 6, 2000... With the game (or market) heading into the fourth quarter and the home team a touchdown or more behind, many fans might be heading for the exits. However, Ralph Acampora, head of technical analysis for Prudential Securities, is bullish. He...

LCNB growth slows in face of market challenges.
October 6, 2000... Insurance agency buy boosting fee income LCNB Corp., the parent company of Warren County's largest bank, is finding that success does, indeed, come with a price. Since the mid-1990s, CEO Stephen Wilson has invested in building the bank...

Tilt-up construction no longer just a trend.
October 6, 2000... Method popular in today's tight labor market Thirty years ago you could call tilt-up construction simply a fad. Ten years ago you could get away with calling the construction method -- where the concrete floor is poured first and then...

Dayton's industrial space in hot demand, report says.
October 6, 2000... Dayton vacancy rates had 4 percent drop since 1999 Industrial space is tight in the greater Dayton market. Start-up businesses are hatching from 2,000-square-foot incubators faster than usual, more out-of-town companies are combing the...

Buildings of the future make tenants' lives easier.
October 6, 2000... Web technology boosts property management The impact of the Internet on our society is really starting to be felt. In the real estate industry the impact is just on the horizon, and for some real estate firms it is already here. In...

Businesses lead pack in adopting online banking.
October 6, 2000... If there was a tool available today that would enable you to save time, use resources more wisely, run your business more efficiently and enhance profitability, would you be interested? The fact is, online banking can help you achieve all...

BANKS EMBRACE NEW PRODUCTS.
October 6, 2000... The recession of the early 1990s transformed an entire industry. The seeds for today's advanced commercial banking relationships were planted during the recession of the early 1990s. In the throes of a short, but sharp, downturn, U.S....

IT market still hot in Cincinnati post-Y2K.
October 6, 2000... Oracle, Java, C++, among hottest skills to have Even with a post-Y2K employment shakeout, local companies and recruiters are finding it difficult to keep and retain qualified information technology (IT) personnel. "Though Cincinnati is...

Five-state region frustrated with Ameritech's service.
October 6, 2000... Utility regulators set to discuss penalties, lawsuit There may be more trouble on the line for Ameritech. The telephone service provider, already facing a mountain of consumer complaints for poor service, must answer next week to a...

Dayton i-Zone gets boost from new sponsor.
October 6, 2000... Smartworks.com will offer time and money Dayton's i-Zone initiative is getting a boost from a corporate heavy hitter. Smartworks.com Inc., Standard Register Co.'s Web-based spinoff, is joining the i-Zone as a founding sponsor, pledging...

Appriss lands $21M venture, bank funding.
October 6, 2000... Louisville-based Appriss Inc., an applications services provider of messaging solutions, has secured $21 million in venture capital and bank funding, said Jeff Byal, chief financial officer of Appriss. While some terms of the deals were not...

Today's strategic plans rely on direction, vision.
October 6, 2000... Journey is more important than destination Not that long ago, as the calendar measures time, it was commonplace for most businesses and even governments to consume significant resources producing long-term plans. A five-year planning...

Car dealers predict dramatic changes.
October 6, 2000... Car and truck sales over Internet on the rise Is the icon of all salespeople, the car salesman, being threatened with extinction because of the growing popularity of online car sales? The future of the car salesman might be uncertain,...

DrugEmporium.com sells controversial Web drugstore.
October 6, 2000... Franchisors said online sales hurt their business Drug Emporium Inc. has sold its online drugstore to HealthCentral.com, and in the deal rid itself of a potential problem with its franchises. Drug Emporium completed the sale of its...

Your customers are talking: Are you listening?
October 6, 2000... Simply responding to e-mail shows you care Increasingly aware of the soaring costs acquiring new customers, today's companies -- dot-coms and not-coms alike -- are scrambling to implement relationship management initiatives to bolster...

Louisville firms form 'e-Business Alliance'.
October 6, 2000... Companies hoping to be 'one-stop shop' Four Louisville firms that specialize in different areas of Web-based business have joined in a marketing alliance known as the "eBusiness Alliance." Win.Net Business Internet, Infocon Systems,...

Biotech pest fighter raised $87M in IPO.
October 6, 2000... At a time when consumers are increasingly wary of pesticides and genetically modified crops, a Bothell-based company has developed a way for plants to fight pests and disease without using toxic chemicals or changing a planes genetic makeup....

Follow proven paths to create your e-business.
October 6, 2000... Lack of sound methodology can cause failure You have a business objective to own a 25 percent market share for a particular product. So, as part of your e-business strategy you define a super-whiz-bang initiative to create a Web site that...

Dayton's VCI finds its voice in technology.
October 6, 2000... Voice recognition software targeted to doctors Phil Parks had been the president of VCI, a Dayton-based company offering products and services to ophthalmologists, for six years and wanted to find a new way to grow its business. It was...

Ad kiosks coming to airport.
October 6, 2000... Travelers to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport will now have access to information on local businesses and attractions through several new interactive kiosks. Seven touch-screen kiosks are being deployed at the airport...

Thinkronize offers student software.
October 6, 2000... Thinkronize, a Blue Ash developer of Internet-based applications for junior high and high school students, has launched two products at www.thinkronize.com. Digitalbackpack offers students free services including e-mail, calendar and file...

Healthcare software hits market.
October 6, 2000... CEMBEX Care Solutions LLC, based in Cincinnati's Corryville neighborhood, developed and is now selling an electronic medical record system, SUPERchart. The product is designed to augment doctors' traditional paper charts, rather than replace...

Kforce moving to new office.
October 6, 2000... Staffing firm kforce.com is moving its Cincinnati office to the former CBLD building at 36 E. Seventh St. The firm, which has been active in Cincinnati since 1978, will take 5,500 square feet on the building's 25th floor.

River Cities invests in PerfectServe.
October 6, 2000... River Cities Capital Funds has invested $1 million in PerfectServe Inc., a Knoxville, Tenn.-based company that provides comprehensive communications and information exchange services to medical practices and hospitals. The $1 million infusion...

Milacron completes sale of division.
October 6, 2000... Cincinnati-based Milacron Inc. has completed the sale of its German-based industrial magnets business. Milacron sold Widia Magnet Engineering to Magnequench Inc. for an undisclosed price. Headquartered in Anderson, Ind., Magnequench is a global...

LCA-Vision posts procedure hike.
October 6, 2000... Cincinnati-based LCA-Vision Inc., a provider of laser vision correction services, reports an 86 percent increase in consolidated procedure volume for the third quarter of 2000. Third quarter procedures rose to a record 16,341, up from 8,769...

Telxon ups wireless product line.
October 6, 2000... Telxon Corp., a Cincinnati wireless computer systems designer and manufacturer, is now offering additional products from Lisle, Ill.-based Connect Inc. Together, the companies will be able to provide systems for mobile workers who use handheld...

ACNielsen expands at Madison: Fidelity up next?
October 6, 2000... The first tenant to sign at the new Madison Place office building, AGNielson Corp., has jacked up the size of its new Covington office by more than 50 percent, as one of the Tri-State's corporate titans considers its own expansion at the...

Coldwell/Shell hooks up 'First Connect' service.
October 6, 2000... The Tri-State's biggest residential broker, a former sister company to Grubb & Ellis/West Shell Commercial, recently expanded its portfolio with "First Connect," a full-service utilities hook-up program. Coldwell Banker West Shell Inc. has...

DEAL OF THE WEEK.
October 6, 2000... 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: West Shell's Schenk, GB's Gilligan sign OneNet to $2M lease at...

Kevin Duffy.
October 6, 2000... Kevin Duffy has been awarded the Certified Residential Specialist Designation by the Council of Residential Specialists, an affiliate of the National Association of Realtors.

Bunnie Cobb.
October 6, 2000... Bunnie Cobb of United Audit Systems Inc. has won the American Health Information Management Association's 2000 New Frontier Award and Minnette Terlep has won the 2000 Achievement Award.

Robin Kane.
October 6, 2000... GirlGeeks, a Web-based women's professional organization, has named Robin Kane of ViewSource Media, "GirlGeek of the Week."

Theresa Reekers.
October 6, 2000... Theresa Reekers of Coldwell Banker West Shell has earned the GRI designation. (graduate of the Ohio Realtor Institute).

Robert Kanter.
October 6, 2000... Robert Kanter, president of Rookwood Properties, will receive the 2000 Community Service Award from the American Jewish Committee at a reception on October 12.

Jim Gardner.
October 6, 2000... Jim Gardner, retired vice president of Cintas Corp., was awarded the 2000 Founders' Day Award from Xavier University.

Katie Baker.
October 6, 2000... Katie Baker, art director and designer at Sharkbytes, has been commissioned to design the official poster to commemorate Cincinnati's inaugural Big Pig Gig.