Providence Business News articles from June 1999

Providence Business News archives from June 1999

Vision 2020 aims at SE Mass future.(southeastern Massachusetts)
June 28, 1999... Plenty of statistics illustrate Southeastern Massachusetts' spectacular growth over the last three decades, but Mansfield Selectman Diane Royle can speak to it with firsthand knowledge. "Mistakes were made," Royle said. "We have...

Here come Gravity Games; look out below.
June 28, 1999... How big re the Gravity Games going to be? So big that Toyota will us the alternative sporting event as a major vehicle to tune a younger generation of drivers into a new car called an Echo and a Celica redesigned to appeal to Generation...

Citizens clings to image.
June 28, 1999... The challenge for Providence-based Citizens Bank, says its chairman Larry Fish, is for it to continue its growth, while keeping its commitment to providing "small bank" style service to its customers. That challenge is becoming more...

'Wireless communications is mainstream'.(Interview)
June 28, 1999... Name: Robert F. Stott Occupation: President of Bell Atlantic Mobile's Northeast region. (BAM has about 6.5 million customers and posted more than $900 million in revenues last year.) Background: Started with NYNEX's New England...

Urban Ventures seeks inner city entrepreneurs.
June 28, 1999... The possible development of a shipping port at Quonset Point. A decision on the part of Fidelity Investments to double the size of its facility in Smithfield. A new hotel is built in the capital city. All headline makers. John Swen,...

Clarification.
June 28, 1999... We neglected to identify the front cover photograph that appeared in the June 21 "Employer's Guide to Training." The photo, taken by Tom Croke, was of the New England Institute of Technology heating laboratory, and showed lab assistant Robert...

EXECUTIVE POLL.(Polling Data)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 1999... The Providence Business News executive poll is a weekly survey of 70 top business leaders throughout the state, representing small and large companies in a variety of industries and businesses. With the proliferation of e-commerce, we...

His photo business takes an elevated view.(photographer Jim Doogan)
June 28, 1999... Jim Doogan's business is really high tech stuff. Doogan, who owns Advantage Elevated Photos, shoots "elevated photos" using a specially equipped truck that lifts his Nikon 8008, or a video camera, 50 feet in the air. The resulting...

Bank RI management moving into Turks Head.(Bank Rhode Island)
June 28, 1999... Corporate Bank Rhode Island has arrived downtown. Having outgrown the East Providence facility it has occupied since its founding in 1996 - and with its president suggesting the company's dramatic growth should continue - nearly 70 Bank...

Massachusetts employment sets record.(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 1999... BOSTON -- While the jobless rate last month in Massachusetts rose above 3 percent to 3.1 from the 2.9 percent level of April, the number of people employed in the state set another record last month of 3.218 million, even though the pace of...

Pentucket Medical near link to Partners.
June 28, 1999... HAVERHILL -- Pentucket Medical Associates announced last week it was beginning "final discussions" about joining Partners Health Care System and expects to conclude the discussions by the end of the summer. Pentucket, the largest physicians...

Ocean Spray Cranberries chief to step down.
June 28, 1999... WELLFLEET- - Thomas E. Bullock, chief executive of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., for the last three years will step down next year, the third Ocean Spray executive to announce his departure this year. Bullock, 53, has been with Ocean Spray...

Raytheon reports agreement on Airbus plan.
June 28, 1999... LEXINGTON -- Raytheon Co.'s aviation unit reports it has reached agreement with Airbus Industrie, the European consortium, for exclusive cooperative development of a military tanker aircraft. Raytheon's Aircraft Integration Systems and...

Physiometrix dropped by NASDAQ, shifts to OTC.
June 28, 1999... BILLERICA -- Physiometrix, Inc., a manufacturer of noninvasive patient neuromonitoring devices for use during surgical procedures announced that its stock would now be included for quotation on the OTC, rather than the NASDAQ National Market....

TI to acquire Israeli chip maker.
June 28, 1999... DALLAS, Texas -- Texas Instruments, which employs several thousand workers in the Attleboros, announced it had agreed to acquire Libit Signal Processing Ltd., a maker of computer chips and parts for cable TV and set-top boxes in Israel for...

Lotus to add Lycos Net service.
June 28, 1999... ARMONK, N.Y -- In a maneuver considered an attempt to get an edge on Microsoft, Inc., IBM. Inc., announced that it was adding Lycos Inc.'s Internet service to its Lotus Notes software. Terms were not disclosed. Lycos, of Waltham, the third...

Firm boosting Internet performance.
June 28, 1999... CAMBRIDGE -- Akamai Technologies, Inc. has signed contacts to improve the Internet performance of 20 top World Wide Web sites. Among the signees are Time Warner Co.'s Cable News Network and Disney's Go Network. Akamai, using software...

Raytheon gets British radar contract.
June 28, 1999... LEXINGTON -- Raytheon Co. has a $1.3 billion order from the British Ministry of Defense to build and maintain its Airborne Standoff Radar for use by 2003 by the country's army and air force. A spokesperson for the company's London-based...

Brown grant prepares Southeast Asian teachers.(Brown University)
June 28, 1999... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Brown University has received a $238,535 grant from the U.S Department of Education for the Project IMPACT Program, a five-year program designed to help 15 prospective Southeast Asians receive certification to teach...

New chairman for Convention Center Authority.
June 28, 1999... PROVIDENCE -- James S. Bennett of Narragansett has been elected chairman of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority to succeed J. Timothy O'Reilly, who will remain a member of the board of directors. Bennett, who was appointed to the...

Sale of PierBank OK'd by stockholders.
June 28, 1999... NARRAGANSETT -- Stockholders of PierBank have approved the sale of that bank to The Washington Trust Co. The acquisition which will merge PierBank's assets into the Westerly-based Washington Trust is still subject to approval by state and...

Providence Place restaurant roster grows.
June 28, 1999... PROVIDENCE -- Providence Place mall has announced the addition of Joe's American Bar & Grill to its growing list of food and drink establishments. The other full-service restaurants lined up for mall customers are Cheesecake Factory, Dave &...

RI unemployment up to 3.7 percent.(Rhode Island)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 1999... PROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island's unemployment rate crept up to 3.7 percent in May, but still remained below the national average for the fourth consecutive month. The national average was 4.2 percent in May. The state Department of Labor and...

U.S. approves NEES purchase.(New England Electric System)
June 28, 1999... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the purchase of the New England Electric System by National Grid PLC of Coventry, England. NEES is the parent company of Narragansett Electric Co. National Grid,...

Pro Systems acquires Computers Plus.
June 28, 1999... CRANSTON -- Pro Systems, Inc., has announced its acquisition of Computers Plus, the computer hardware and network technology service division of Process Automation Corporation in East Providence. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed....

Almond signs $2.2 billion budget.
June 28, 1999... PROVIDENCE -- Gov. Lincoln Almond has signed the $2.2 billion budget bill for the 1999 Fiscal Year that includes 21 new employees for the Department of Environmental Management. The new budget increases spending by $175 million, 50 percent of...

Center for Women and Enterprise to open.
June 28, 1999... PROVIDENCE -- With the help of a $150,000 federal grant, the Small Business Administration will develop a center for Women and Enterprise in downtown Providence. The focus of the center will be to assist women to find financing through banks...

CVS building distribution center.
June 28, 1999... WOONSOCKET -- CVS Corp. announced that it is building a distribution center in Warren County, North Carolina. The company already has such a center seven miles away in Henderson, N.C. The governor's office said 200 employees at that center...

Foster Grant targets new market.(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 1999... Company: AAi Foster Grant Type of business: producer of sunglasses, reading glasses, and eye wear accessories. Foster Grant's owner, Accessories Associates Inc., also sells clocks, watches, small leather goods, and jewelry. Number of...

Moving? Here are some good tips.
June 28, 1999... EDWARDS, SARAH (Paul and Sarah Edwards are the authors of "Working from Home" and other titles on self-employment. They can be reached at their Web site: www.paulandsarah. com.) Well, we did it! We've moved our home office to the...

Software rising as economic leader.(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 1999... Production expected to surpass auto industry Software companies will soon replace Scar makers as the manufacturing industry's No. 1 economic engine according to a new report issued by the Business Software Alliance. The alliance, a...

Printers gather to talk about use of technology.
June 28, 1999... Every spring, Logic Associates Inc., a r White River Junction, Vt.-based soft ware company which serves the printing industry, moves its operations to Providence for a conference with about 625 of its customers. From the Rhode Island...

Cybex focuses on quality in all ways.
June 28, 1999... Cybex International, Inc. is a Medway, Massachusetts-based company that designs and manufactures premium quality cardiovascular and strength training equipment. It is a company that has embraced high technology, not only in its...

Escrow firm protects online auction.
June 28, 1999... TradeSafe competes for guardian role in growing market Each day thousands of consumers mail a check or money order to a complete stranger, hoping--some times praying - they're not about to get ripped off. Such is life doing business...

Health care conversation about Y2K slated by state.
June 28, 1999... State officials are scheduled to host a Health Care Community Conversation this Wednesday, which is designed to address some of the year 2000 computer programming issues the industry could face. The half-day forum, which is scheduled to...

HIGH TECHNOLOGY FIRMS JOIN FORCES.
June 28, 1999... CRANSTON - Pro Systems Inc. merged with Computers Plus, the computer hardware and network technology service division of Process Automation Corp. in East Providence, earlier this month, according to a June 14 company statement, The merged...

BUSINESS GROUP LAUNCHES WEBSITE.
June 28, 1999... BOSTON -- The 74-year-old regional business group known as The New England Council has launched its first Web site. In a June 22 press release, Council President James T. Brett said the group wanted to find new ways to present its message....

U.S. CHAMBER CRITICIZES VICE PRESIDENT GORE.(Albert Gore, Jr.)
June 28, 1999... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a statement earlier this month criticizing Vice President Al Gore's stand on a Y2K bill that addresses legal liabilities for technology companies. The so-called Y2K Act, Senate Bill...

As e-commerce grows so do legal issues.
June 28, 1999... Kevin McNeely is a lawyer at the Providence law firm of Partridge, Snow & Hahn, LLP, and can be reached for comment at kim@psh.com. Electronic commerce requires fast and efficient transactions, Business methods have evolved to accommodate...

There's still time to get your PC ready for Y2K.
June 28, 1999... Are you and your PC ready? If you're like most home computer users, you've put off tackling the millennium bug. But the task can be quick, painless and even free. Procrastination is one of the great pleasures of being human. Why do...

PRODUCT NOTES.
June 28, 1999... Product Notes is a forum for area companies to introduce their products and new technology to the region's business professionals. Information for this section is compiled from press releases (both electronic and print) and from staff...

Search on for oldest personal computer.
June 28, 1999... ROUND ROCK, Texas -- Dell Computer Corp. has launched a nationwide "Search for the Oldest PC," as part of its observance of National Small Business Week. The small business deemed to have the oldest personal computer still in use will receive...

Metro Global expansion continues.
June 28, 1999... CRANSTON -- Adult entertainment company Metro Global Media, Inc., announced last week it would begin distributing new interactive display units to help consumers shop for adult videos and DVDs. The first 100 versions of the Metro Media Center...

Pair sentenced in software scheme.
June 28, 1999... BOSTON -- Two men accused of selling more than $20 million in stolen Microsoft software were sentenced to serve jail time and pay restitution to the giant software corporation in federal court on June 14, according to a report by Reuters news...

Newspaper now accessible to the blind.
June 28, 1999... BOSTON -- Technology is helping bring the Boston Globe to blind and visually impaired people, according a officials from a Watertown, Mass., non-profit association. The Globe can now be accessed through the Newsline for the Blind, which is a...

Lycos garners award.
June 28, 1999... WALTHAM, Mass. -- Lycos, Inc., one of the Internet's most popular portals, was named company of the year by the Massachusetts Interactive Media Council, according to a Lycos press release. "The MIMC awards are designed to recognize the key...

Video centers to open in Ireland.
June 28, 1999... CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Talk Visual Corp. signed a letter of understanding with the TeleVisual Group of Ireland, which would involve them in the creation, build-out and operation of five, high tech, retail videocalling centers in the Ireland and...

Cytation acquisition will add 30 jobs in Middletown.
June 28, 1999... MIDDLETOWN -- The acquisition of an electronic college applications company by Cytation.com will add 30 jobs to the Middletown based company, nearly doubling the size of the workforce, a spokesperson said. And in time, the company, which...

Allaire buys Live Software, Inc.
June 28, 1999... CAMBRIDGE -- Allaire Corp., a software developer for the Web, has agreed to acquire Live Software, Inc., of Cupertino, Calif., for $24.2 million in stock. The acquisition will permit users of the software obtained from Live to have access to...

Teleglobe opens office in Burlington.
June 28, 1999... BURLINGTON -- Teleglobe Communications Corp., the third largest international cable network, is opening an office here that is expected to create up to 40 jobs this year. In the fall, a company spokesperson said, an Internet switch serving...

Internet group seeks preview of Y2K.
June 28, 1999... Many people are dreading New Year's Day and the Y2K computer problems that might accompany it. But the Los Angeles chapter of the Internet Society -- anxious to see what kind of chaos might result -- is lobbying the world to turn the clocks...

INTERTAINER TO ANNOUNCE INTERACTIVE TV DEALS.
June 28, 1999... Intertainer will announce a series of content agreements starting Tuesday (6/15) at the National Cable Television Assn.'s annual meeting in Chicago. The Culver City-based provider of interactive TV services has inked deals with the...

WOMEN'S TECHNOLOGY GROUP STARTS WEBSITE.
June 28, 1999... Women in Technology International unveiled a Web site targeting women at its annual conference last week in Santa Clara, Calif. The site, http://www.witi.com, will be operated by the for-profit arm of WITI that organizes the association's...

CIDCO TO OFFER E-MAIL SERVICE ONLY DEVICE.
June 28, 1999... Telephone device maker Cidco will announce this week an e-mail-only device that will allow users to send and retrieve e-mail without a PC. Known as the MailStation, the device is designed to appeal to older people who may be intimidated...

Ad campaign says math skills equal jobs.
June 28, 1999... NEW YORK -- As part of a campaign to get children more interested in math, the Foundation for Advancement in Science and Education has launched a new series of broadcast, Internet and CD-ROM programming exploring jobs a person with good math...

Warren firm offering hybrid bus to industry.
June 28, 1999... A new 30-foot, 26 passenger bus -- made entirely of lightweight "composite" materials and powered by a hybrid electric-natural gas drive system --created by a Warren company has been making the rounds of trade shows over the past few weeks....

Name change reflects ICSL's realignment.
June 28, 1999... PHYMATRIX CHANGES NAME TO INNOVATIVE CLINICAL SOLUTIONS, LTD. PROVIDENCE - PhyMatrix Corp. (Nasdaq: PHMX) has changed its name to Innovative Clinical Solutions, Ltd (Nasdaq: ICSL), effective today (June 28). The name change reflects...

Needham consultant wins Avon award.
June 28, 1999... NEEDHAM -- Mary Lou Andre, president of Needham-based Organization by Design, Inc., has been chosen as the 1999 winner of the Avon Spirit of Enterprise Award Honoree. Andre has held fashion consulting and professional image seminars Since...

International Integration buys London firm.
June 28, 1999... CAMBRIDGE -- International Integration, Inc., know as i-Cube announced it has acquired Conduit Communications Ltd. of London, England, for $48 million in stock. I-cube said it would issue 2.4 million shares of stock in exchange for all equity...

Publisher to offer degrees via cyberspace.
June 28, 1999... BOSTON (AP)--For several years now, colleges have been tapping into online courses and teaching at a distance by computers. Now a Newton publishing company is launching a for-profit and accredited online university to grant graduate and...

Gore, on campaign trail, cites IT impact on economy.
June 28, 1999... DENVER (AP) -- In seven years, nearly half the workers in America will be employed by industries that either are producers or intensive users of information technology, Vice President Al Gore said last week. During a campaign swing...

e-commerce site hosts.
June 28, 1999... e-commerce site hosts (listed alphabetically) e-mail # of web address e-commerce Company ...

BUSINESS NOTES.
June 28, 1999... WAVELIGHT DESIGN RELOCATES Wavelight Design, Inc., a marketing driven graphic design firm, has moved its offices to a larger site in Pawtucket. Owner Gregory Duchesne said the decision to purchase the building on Armistice Boulevard was...

Boston doctor wins prize for asthma treatments.
June 28, 1999... Warren Alpert, chairman of Providence-based Warren Equities, Inc., recently awarded the 11th annual Warren Alpert Foundation Prize to a doctor who has made advancements in the treatment of asthma. Dr. K. Frank Austen of Brigham and...

Quonset seen link in the new trade route.
June 28, 1999... Opponents of the proposed container port at Quonset Point cite numerous reasons to reject the idea, from environmental concerns to skepticism about the number of jobs the development would produce. But on the other side is Quonset Point...

Many area businesses rely on outcome of 22-mile-long Third Rail project.
June 28, 1999... The U.S. Senate's subcommittee on transportation recently approved $10 million to help finance the Third-Rail project, which is designed to improve the movement of freight to the former naval facility at Quonset Point. U.S. Senator Jack...

Federal funding for Quonset hangar on the way.
June 28, 1999... Congress recently adopted a military construction spending bill that contains $16.5 million for a new hangar to be built for the Rhode Island Air National Guard at Quonset. The hangar is being built to house a shipment of new c-130J...

USS Saratoga Museum getting support.
June 28, 1999... The Quonset/Davisville Management Corporation Board voted last week to recommend conditional approval for access to a portion of the carrier pier at Quonset for the Air, Land & Sea Heritage and Technology Park. As part of the project,...

Quonnset's Supfina wins GM contract.(General Motors Corp.)
June 28, 1999... Supfina Machine Co., Inc., located in Quonset Point, recently won its largest order of high tech superfinishing machines from General Motors. General Motors placed a $11.5 million order for the machines that will be integrated into...

Toray to form South Korean joint venture.(Toray Industries Inc.)
June 28, 1999... Toray Industries, Inc., parent of Toray Plastics, Inc. of Quonset Point, announced earlier this month a joint venture with South Korean synthetic fiber manufacturer Saehan Industries Inc. Toray, a publicly traded company on the European...

Rhode Island export markets.(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 1999... Rhode Island export markets (ranked by 1998 dollar value in thousands) Rank Market 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1 Canada 286,322 269,830...

RHODE ISLAND/stock watch.(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 1999... Dow Jones: 17021.63 UP 126.54 (+1.19%) NASDAQ: 2580.26 UP 165.59 (+6.86%) S&P 500: 1335.58 UP 34.72 (+2.67%) Russell 2000: 447.33 UP 13.32 (+3.07) Stockwatch Index June 22, 1999 1276.99 UP 9.42...

CORPORATE profile.
June 28, 1999... CVS, Rhode Island's largest company and 99th on the Fortune 500, recorded an 18 percent increase in first quarter net sales to $4.24 billion, and a 25 percent increase in net income to $161 million. CVS has come a long way since opening its...

BUSINESS notes.
June 28, 1999... AWARDS R. Anthony Cavanagh, general manager for the Burns International Security Services Division of the Borg-Warner Protective Services Corporation, recently received a master's of science degree from Slave Regina University, and was...

Starkweather & Shepley donates trophy to U.S. Sailing Association.
June 28, 1999... Insurance broker Starkweather & Shepley has donated a Tiffany Cup Trophy called the Starkweather & Shepley Training Service and Support Award, to the United States Sailing Association. The award, created in honor of the administrative support...

Changing of the guard at Delta Dental.
June 28, 1999... Effective this Wednesday (June 30), Joseph A. Nagle will replace Colin A. MacGillivray as the president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental Rhode Island. Nagle, who is currently the executive vice president and chief financial...

List of Used Computer Prices.(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 1999... List of Used Computer Prices June 21, 1999 Machine Buyers' Sellers' Close Change avg. bid avg. ask IBM ThinkPad 755CX...

Y2K liability.
June 28, 1999... The U.S. Senate last week approved the Y2K Reform Act, along with an amendment offered by Senators Judd Gregg, R-NH and Christopher (Kit) Bond, R-MO, which would cap the amount of liability businesses would incur in the event of Y2K lawsuits...

Manufacturing's future.
June 28, 1999... The results of a study by the Boyd Co. of Princeton, N.J. may surprise those who for years have considered Rhode Island's manufacturing sector to be mortally wounded. The study says that Providence is a wise place to open a metalworking...

Collaboration.
June 28, 1999... Every 200 or 300 hundred years, says Peter Drucker, the world goes through this global change, a transition that reshapes the way we do things. According to Drucker and Patrick J. Waide, president and chief executive officer of The Drucker...

There is no excuse for excuses; take responsibility for yourself.
June 28, 1999... Harvey Mackay is author of The New York Times bestseller "Pushing the Envelope" (Ballantine Books). He can be reached at: e-mail -- Harvey@Mackay.com; Website--http://www.mackay.com, or Mackay Envelope Corporation, 2100 Elm St., Minneapolis,...

Beware the middle ground; there lies mediocrity.
June 28, 1999... Dale Dauten is an entrepreneur, speaker and author. His new book, on how great bosses and great employees find each other, is "The Gifted Boss" (William Morrow). Please write to him in care of King Features Syndicate, 235 E. 45th St., New...

End of special cuts for health insurers urged.
June 28, 1999... Bruce Josten is executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Since the failed attempt of the Clinton Administration's health care plan five years ago, advocates of government intervention in the health...

PERSONAL INVESTING.
June 28, 1999... Andrew Leckey answers questions only through the column. Address inquiries to Andrew Leckey "Successful Investing," 98 Henrt St., Dept. 183, Brooklyn, N.Y 11201, or by e-mail at successinv@aol.com. Q. My aunt died a few months ago and I...