Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky articles from October 2001

Business Courier Serving Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky archives from October 2001

Over-the-Rhine's future is now.(Cincinnati's urban renewal)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Denhart sale, loan pool to boost market housing Epic changes are afoot in Cincinnati's most historic neighborhood: Veteran Over-the-Rhine activists say recent developments have launched the neighborhood's long-anticipated transformation....

Local activists pepper Procter over support.(Procter and Gamble Co.)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Posing questions stickier than a jar of Jif and slicker than a can of Crisco, African-American community activists Steve Reece and Nate Livingston Jr. momentarily seized center stage during Procter & Gamble's Oct. 9 annual meeting. During...

BAREFOOT GURU.(Doug Hall )
October 12, 2001... New-product wizard Doug Hall takes his eclectic show on the road to promote his latest book. It's just past 8 a.m., and Doug Hall hops on stage at the Cintas Center to start his two-hour seminar. He begins with the catch phrase he'll...

Delta should survive looming airline shakeout.
October 12, 2001... Other majors could become targets for acquisition Delta Air Lines could emerge as. one of a smaller pack of carriers in the troubled airline industry, analysts said. Atlanta-based Delta, which operates its second-largest hub at the...

House Bill 2950, or RIDE-21.(high speed rail service bill)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... There's a train preparing to leave Washington loaded with money for high-speed rail service. But Cincinnati probably isn't organized enough to have someone meet it at the station. We're speaking here of House Bill 2950, or RIDE-21, a $71...

CORRECTION.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... The Oct. 5 Dot Cincinnati story about the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce listed the wrong address for the chamber's Web site. The correct address for the site is www.nkychamber.com.

Job growth prospects dimmed.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Experts see flat 2002, then growth returning Local experts predict Tri-State job growth will all but grind to a halt in 2002. "I'm leaning on the side of barely positive, maybe 02 percent or 0.3 percent," said Richard Stevie, general...

Piercing 'old networks'.(Cincinnati's business environment)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Advertising agency seeks chances to compete Joan Carroll, president and co-founder of MYCOM Advertising, is tired of talking about getting a seat at the table where Cincinnati's big businesses hand out contracts. Most times, she said, she...

8(a) program helps select group.(Small Business Administration's )(Statistical Data Included)
October 12, 2001... Half of $6 billion in 2000 went to 4 percent of firms Dale White saw the Small Business Administration's 8(a) program as his "comfort zone." For eight years, White's D.A.G. Construction Co. competed for federal minority set-aside...

EDS cuts positions at former SDRC.(Electronic Data Systems Corp. and Structural Dynamics Research Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... A round of layoffs hit the former Structural Dynamics Research Corp. offices in Milford Oct. 11, confirmed a spokesman with Plano, Texas-based EDS Corp., which acquired SDRC in August. Sources within the company said up to one-third of the...

Oak Tree School gets new location.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... OakTree Montessori School moved to a new location in the Hale Justis Building on Central Parkway downtown and will hold an open house Oct. 14 from 1-4 p.m. Owned by Pauline Childs, OakTree is a charter school authorized by the state. For more...

United drops Clermont seniors.(UnitedHeathcare)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... UnitedHeathcare will drop 1,003 Medicare HMO enrollees in Clermont County at the end of the year. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, more than 500,000 elderly and disabled Americans will be dropped from their Medicare...

Ashland launches Spirit 3-D Foam.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Ashland Inc.'s Valvoline division is introducing its first product outside the traditional automotive category. The new product, called Spirit 3-D Foam, is a sprayon, peel-off foam that consumers can use to write slogans on vehicles, said Larry...

Lasita & Sons buying Queensgate facility.
October 12, 2001... Move will aid produce firm's regional growth A downtown produce wholesaler is set to move to a new facility in Queensgate in order to kick off a regional expansion. Joe Lasita & Sons, based on West Court Street, is owned by brothers...

Commerce Dept. to match exporters, overseas buyers.(BuyUSA.com)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Online service targeting small, midsized firms Tri-State's exporters can now gain access to almost 13,000 potential clients for $300 a year. On Oct. 9, the U.S. Department of Commerce and IBM officially rolled out BuyUSA.com, an online...

Community banks continue growth Spurt.(First National Bank of Southwestern Ohio)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... First Southwestern will open in Montgomery Economic uncertainty isn't stopping the region's community banks from looking to expand beyond their traditional turf. Most notable among the moves is one by First National Bank of...

P&G projects aimed at local racial divide.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Procter & Gamble executives, worried that Cincinnati's reputation as a city divided by race will hurt their employee recruitment and retention efforts, unveiled two civic programs designed to help. At the company's Oct. 9 annual meeting,...

Overhead Door leasing West Chester site.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... New center includes expanded showroom Overhead Door Co. of Greater Cincinnati plans to unveil a new West Chester logistics center next month. The 90,000-square-foot building on Princeton-Glendale Road will provide the garage door firm...

Manufacturing group lobbies for tax change.(Ohio Manufacturers' Association )(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... The Ohio Manufacturers' Association has begun lobbying for a change in the state's tax structure, a move the group thinks would boost manufacturing productivity. The proposed tax changes also would touch all Ohio businesses by eliminating...

Health quality issue tough for employers.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Experts: Insurers don't provide enough info Hospitals and physicians need to help employers and their workers "buy right" when it comes to health care services, the leaders of two large Tri-State medical organizations said. "We spend a...

UnitedHealthcare debuts online service for doctors.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Physicians can file claims, check patient eligibility A $32 million investment in an online service might help UnitedHealthcare patch its sometimes tattered relationship with doctors, hospitals and other medical providers. "We feel...

Patent first, publish later, scientists told.(research at Children's Hospital Medical Center)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Children's works to adopt business practices Joe Fondacaro is out to expand the academic research culture at Children's Hospital Medical Center. There's only one problem: Most faculty members don't want to be involved. "The...

Fifth Third's Nashville debut fuels speculation.
October 12, 2001... Fifth Third Bancorp is opening its first two full-service retail branches in Tennessee in the Nashville area, four years after the Tri-State's largest bank began a modest commercial banking operation in the state. According to the...

Third Federal Savings leads home loan volume.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 12, 2001... In early 1999, Mark Stefanski, CEO of Third Federal Savings & Loan, told the. Courier his company's entry into Cincinnati was anything but an opportunistic attempt to cash in the refinancing boom. "This is not a short-run 'proposal," he...

UC doctors open center to give chemotherapy.(UC Physicians )(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... UC Physicians has opened a new practice to provide chemotherapy outside a hospital environment. University Hematology Oncology Care is located in the Medical Arts Building on the University of Cincinnati campus. The practice is adjacent to...

Physical therapist on own with new Blue Ash clinic.(Andy Lair, Choice Physical Therapy clinic)
October 12, 2001... Physical therapist Andy Lair is giving patients new options at Choice Physical Therapy clinic in Blue Ash. A. former manager of four sites for Spectrum Rehabilitation of the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, Lair decided to start his...

Middletown Regional set to train new campus staff.
October 12, 2001... Douglas McNeill prides himself on running a successful independent hospital. But while the CEO of Middletown Regional Hospital has bucked the merger trend, he is partnering with 16 education agencies to begin grooming a crop of future workers....

SIGNS OF SUCCESS.
October 12, 2001... Steve Stine wanted some hands-on action and buying a sign-making shop filled the bill. Earlier this year, Steve Stine was looking for a franchise opportunity. A transplant from Oklahoma who's dabbled in multiple businesses, Stine...

Gateway Investment Advisers LP.
October 12, 2001... The managers and marketers of the Gateway Fund, the Tri-State's largest mutual fund, have spent a lot of lime explaining to investors the concept of risk-adjusted return -- the idea that higher returns aren't always better if you're taking more...

Sept. 11 brings memories of friendship and loss.
October 12, 2001... Horror was too close to small town in N.Y. Everyone has a story about Sept 11. I've been reluctant to tell mine because this is a service column, and for the past 13 years, I've been here to serve up inspiration, information and...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(multiple company appointments)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... ACCOUNTING The Cincinnati office of SS&G Financial Services has promoted Brian Berning to senior associate/accounting and auditing. ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING Charles Dickhut has joined BBC&M Engineering as project engineer. ...

Ask yourself six basic questions before unloading an investment.(Statistical Data Included)
October 12, 2001... Knowing when to hold on, rather than sell, is crucial skill Think back to when you first started setting money aside in a long-term investment plan. Depending on when you began investing, you might have already seen your investments ride...

3Q earnings reports expected to be weak.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... In the wake of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack and as the prospects of a world wide recession loomed larger, the stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 Index, traded off 15 percent when the NYSE reopened a week later. Since then the...

OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries).(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... We used to think of the OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) oil cartel as having adversarial relations with the industrial economies of Europe and North America. When it was founded 30 years ago the price of oil was $2 to $3 a...

MONEY MARKET.
October 12, 2001... MONEY MARKET Fund 7-day average yield Fifth Third Govt. Money Market Fund 2.37 Fifth Third Prime Money Market Fund 2.54 Fifth Third Tax Exempt ...

STOCK STATS.(Statistical Data Included)
October 12, 2001... STOCK STATS Exchange/ Year- Week- Ticker Close to-date ago net Name of security symbol 10/08/01 chg. chg. Airborne Freight N/ABF...

MORNINGSTAR MUTUAL FUNDS.(Statistical Data Included)
October 12, 2001... MORNINGSTAR MUTUAL FUNDS TOP 20 GREATER CINCINNATI FUNDS Fund Star Net asset Rank Fund name category rating value 1 Johnson Fixed Income CI 3 16.19 ...

AWARDS/ACHIEVEMENTS.(News Briefs)
October 12, 2001... Lisa Baer and Lisa Earl of V4 Consulting have earned the CPA designation. Steven Smith, manager of the information technology center at Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP has been selected for the 2001-2002 Leadership Northern Kentucky...

Cincinnati Chapter of Black Data Processing Associates.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... The Cincinnati Chapter of Black Data Processing Associates has formed a corporate alliance with General Electric Aircraft Engine to become a corporate sponsor of BDPA and part of both groups' outreach efforts to improve the employment and...

Workflow Dynamics Inc.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Workflow Dynamics Inc. has been awarded a study contract with Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to define the existing processes and identify initial process improvement opportunities related to the student experience from...

Studio Vertu.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Studio Vertu, an Over-the-Rhine company that manufactures decorative tumbled marble tiles and marble coasters for the gift industry has announced that it is the first U.S. company to sign a licensing agreement for images, with the Vatican...

ELECTIONS.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Scott Crooks, a partner at Thompson Hine LLP, has been elected as president of the Wyoming School Foundation. Kendle International Inc. has appointed Robert Simpson, a former pharmaceutical executive, to its board of directors. The...

Work Resource Center.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 12, 2001... The Work Resource Center has received a grant of $50,000 from the US. Department of Labor to develop a high school/high tech program in conjunction with the organization's Workforce Investment Act youth services. The program will model the...

Good things come to those who wait.
October 12, 2001... Executive recruiters say job seekers can still find great jobs, but now they have to be patient. Just how far down the U.S. and local economies have sagged has become a matter of debate. It's also a matter of perception, of course. Yet, in...

In good times or bad, stars always in demand.
October 12, 2001... Get creative to keep your firm's top performers Think there's no need to worry about employee retention anymore? Fewer positions being filled is what you're reading everywhere, demand is down and your star performers are safe - right? ...

Largest Tri-State Executive Search Firms.(Statistical Data Included)
October 12, 2001... Largest Tri-State Executive Search Firms (Ranked by number of 2000 permanent placements) Percent of Name 2000 business address ...

Support as important as skills in job search.
October 12, 2001... Focus group goes beyond resumes, networking After working almost 24 years for one professional firm, I never imagined that I might one day experience unemployment. I am a driven guy, and my work has defined who I am. I enjoyed going to...

Skill-based reviews keep focus on work.
October 12, 2001... Method prevents evaluation based on behavior To succeed, organizations need their employees to focus on their work. According to a recent Gallup survey of more than 80,000 workers, that's what employees want, too. Two of the top employee...

Largest Tri-State Temporary Employment Services.
October 12, 2001... Largest Tri-State Temporary Employment Services (Ranked by number of full-time staff) 2000 Total total Name ...

Largest Tri-State Suburban Office Centers.
October 12, 2001... Largest Tri-State Suburban Office Centers (Ranted by total rentable square feet) Total Name rentable Available address phone ...

Hale Justis nabs expansion of Oak Tree school.
October 12, 2001... The only charter school in downtown Cincinnati has moved and expanded a scant three years after first opening its first classrooms. Oak Tree Montessori is owned by Director Pauline Childs and caters to families from across Greater...

CORE TURNS ANOTHER CORNER.
October 12, 2001... Developer/builder doesn't lose a step after shedding entire division An Anderson Township developer is on track to post a record year for sales by carving out a unique niche for itself in the real estate industry. Though final 2001...

Building managers saved lives at WTC.
October 12, 2001... On Sept. 11, the unthinkable occurred as terrorists hijacked four airliners and crashed two into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and the fourth short of its unknown target in the Washington, D.C., area The images of these...

Rush of annexations precede new Ohio law.
October 12, 2001... Starting Oct. 27, counties assert more control Licking County Commissioner Marcia Phelps said prior to July 27, she was part of about a dozen annexation hearings in her four years on the job. Between hearings, months sometimes went by...

Auctions gain favor as way to sell homes.
October 12, 2001... Sale of U.S. properties since 1980 quadruple After having his Dayton home on the market for more than a year, the physician put his home on the auction block. "He didn't owe anything on it. He called me and said 'I want to move on with...

Landlords keep eye on shaky tenants.
October 12, 2001... Communication now beats bankruptcy later The decline of Internet companies and other high-tech businesses have hit the real estate industry all across the country hard. For tenants with the wherewithal to spend on space, much of the...

DEAL OF THE WEEK.(Xpedx leases 60,000 square feet)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... DEAL OF THE WEEK examines a recent noteworthy lease or sale of local commercial properly and/or a residential sale; the transaction must exceed a minimum of $1M THIS WEEK'S DEAL: Bandura/Momper from Staubach, Laumer sign Xpedx to $7M Park...

ASK THE CEO.
October 12, 2001... THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Are you planning for a long-term recession? Jim Rolfes Jackson Rolfes Spurgeon First of all, in my opinion I think we've been in a recession now for at least a quarter and it probably started in the beginning of...

Community Shares helps 'unsung heroes'.
October 12, 2001... Editor: Each year members of the business community are asked to support nonprofit organizations. Many are unaware of the giving options available to them only through Greater Cincinnati Community Shares. We are a federation of local...

We must keep Banks on track.(Cincinnati govt)
October 12, 2001... Say, maybe Cincinnati isn't so unlucky after all. Newport on the Levee, which was planned and executed in the zippy sort of way that the other side of the river can't fathom, is opening its many doors during what certainly looks like a...

Soccer tots take time to pick flowers.
October 12, 2001... I'm new to this soccer mom stuff, so I had no idea how hilarious the games can be. What my daughter's team of 4- and 5-year-old boys and girls lacks in experience, it makes up for in joie de vivre. They haven't forgotten that life is to be...

INSIDER TRADING RECAP.(Statistical Data Included)
October 12, 2001... INSIDER TRADING RECAP (Number of Insider transactions in past six months) Company Buy Sell AK Steel 0 14 American Financial 4 0 Ashland 4 2 Baldwin 1 0...

EARNINGS.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... EARNINGS (Dollars in millions except per share data; revenues for financial institutions are net interest income plus other income) Current Yr. % Yr. Yr. % Company Category quarter ago...

DIVIDENDS.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... DIVIDENDS Increase Company Amount Period (from) American Financial Group Inc. 25 cents quarterly No American Financial Group Inc. $1 ...

INSIDER TRADING.(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... INSIDER TRADING Company/Officer Transaction Amount Price Date Omnicare Inc. Kevin McNamara, Sold 400 $23.52 Aug. 8 director shares Pomeroy Computer...

Madison Avenue E-Zone.(gets $100K loan)(Brief Article)
October 12, 2001... Madison Avenue E-Zone has received a $100,000 loan from the city of Covington to help incubate high-tech business in the city.

Local car sales turbocharged.(no-interest financing leads to buying boom)(Brief Article)
October 19, 2001... No-interest financing leads to buying boom It might be the last gasp of our consumer-fueled economic boom, but local auto dealers are enjoying it just the same. Zero-percent financing deals are fueling record months for many Greater...

TEST PILOT.(Kendle International Inc. is doing well)(Company Profile)
October 19, 2001... After a difficult two years, Candace Kendle's firm is Soaring. When the stock of Kendle International Inc. plummeted two years ago to less than $7 per share, several analysts rated the company's stock a "buy." They argued Kendle was...

TriHealth raises pressure on levy funding.($264 million in indigent care levy funds)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 19, 2001... Hospital group wants indigent money shared TriHealth is taking the offensive with a plan to include its hospitals in a pool of $264 million in indigent care levy funds. Cincinnati's second-largest hospital system, which includes Good...

Herald exec faces felony indictment.(Brief Article)
October 19, 2001... Former Cincinnati Herald publisher Wilton Blake II has been indicted on four felony counts alleging he forged checks and stole $87,000 in office equipment from his former company. Blake could face up to four-and-a-half years in jail if...

CORRECTIONS.(Brief Article)
October 19, 2001... In the Oct. 12 issue, Harry Merriken's name was misspelled in the profile of Gateway Investment Advisers LP's Web site. In the Oct. 12 Personnel & Employment Resources supplement, Mike Hanrahan of Hanrahan Consulting was misidentified as...

Stadium expenses go offside.(Paul Brown Stadium)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 19, 2001... Auditor blasts budget's optimistic assumptions Higher utility costs will push Paul Brown Stadium operating expenses about $200,000 higher than its $5.4 million operating budget. By month's end, Hamilton County Commissioners will be...

Leaving a lasting mark.(architect Henry Wilson)(Brief Article)(Interview)
October 19, 2001... Architect frustrated by lack of signature project To some, the twin towers of Procter & Gamble Co. represent the marketing clout of Cincinnati's largest company or the bedrock of Cincinnati's business community. To architect Henry...

Cash flow crucial in tough times, expert says.(Kenneth Glass of Glass & Associates)(Brief Article)(Interview)
October 19, 2001... Companies should prepare 20 percent downside scenario Before Kenneth Glass was a nationally recognized expert in helping businesses survive crises, he was a student at the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a bachelor's degree in...

Federated slashes earnings forecast.(Federated Department Stores Inc. forecast for fiscal 2001)(Brief Article)
October 19, 2001... As expected, Federated Department Stores Inc. cut its earnings-per-share expectations for fiscal 2001 to between $2.85 and $3 before restructuring charges. Shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Federated warned that slower sales would...

Herbold advising local tech group.(Robert Herbold, Kentucky's Regional Technology Initiative)(Brief Article)
October 19, 2001... Semiretired Microsoft executive Bob Herbold, who helped lead the software giant through its period of biggest growth, is acting as an adviser to the Tri-State's Regional Technology Initiative. Herbold--who serves on the board of Cintas Corp....

State censures two AFG units.(American Financial Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 19, 2001... Two units of American Financial Group Inc. were among a group of 23 insurance firms censured by the Ohio Department of Insurance Oct. 15 regarding the settlement of automobile total loss claims. Atlanta Casualty Co. and Leader Preferred...

Office project slated for site in Silverton.(Overlook at Stewart Park)(Brief Article)
October 19, 2001... Ackermann Group to develop former city park A joint venture between two local companies has targeted a high-profile Silverton site for an $8 million, 60,000-square-foot office, development dubbed "The Overlook at Stewart Park." The...

Main Street Ventures head touts techs' staying power.(Barbara Aras of Main Street Ventures to help Digital Rhine)(Brief Article)
October 19, 2001... New exec wants to shine light on Digital Rhine Amid the darkest days of the New Economy, Barbara Aras is hoping to shine some light on the high-tech startups of the Digital Rhine. As the first full-time executive director of Main Street...

Upscale Gold's Gym to open in Erlanger.(Brief Article)
October 19, 2001... Franchisee plans six fitness centers in Tri-State A Lexington franchisee of Gold's Gym plans to open six new fitness centers in Greater Cincinnati. Royce Pulliam will open the first gym Jan. 1 inside the old IGA grocery on Dixie...

Slow economy could bring opening for entrepreneurs.(Larry Cox of Kauffman Center for Entrepreneuerial Leadership talks about forecst of entrepreneuers)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 19, 2001... N. Ky. chamber honors fast-growing businesses As director of research for the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Larry Cox has studied entrepreneurship all over the world. And one thing he's seen proved time and time again...

Fifth Third bullish; Provident retrenches.(Acquisitions, bad loans after the third quarter)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 19, 2001... Acquisitions help one; bad loans hurt the other With the third quarter behind them, Cincinnati's two biggest banks seem headed in markedly different directions. In their conference call Oct. 16, Fifth Third Bancorp CEO George Schaefer...

Insurer: No referral needed to visit physician specialist.(Humana/ChoiceCare)(Brief Article)
October 19, 2001... Humana/ChoiceCare tries to eliminate hassle Greater Cincinnatians covered by Humana/ChoiceCare no longer need a written referral from their primary care doctor to see a specialist. Members will, however, still be encouraged to work with...

It's showtime on West Coast for Salyers' faux furs.(Donna Salyers' Fabulous-Furs favorite of Hollywood)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)(Interview)
October 19, 2001... Donna Salyers' Fabulous-Furs in Covington has made headlines in recent years for its animal-friendly faux furs showing up in Broadway productions and being a big hit with actress Linda Blair of "Exorcist" fame. But that's nothing compared...