Providence Business News articles from May 2000

Providence Business News archives from May 2000

Coats plant to close; condos next?(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... The whirlwind of mergers and acquisitions has claimed another Rhode Island manufacturing company. Coats North America, formerly the Premier Thread Company in Bristol, is expected to close its doors next month after being a fixture along...

Lead law is firm in Massachussetss.
May 29, 2000... As Rhode Island lawmakers seek tougher laws to control lead paint hazards in the state's housing supply, a neighboring state provides an illuminating look into how others have succeeded in "getting the lead out." The Massachusetts Lead...

Stiff resistance could doom tougher anti-lead law.
May 29, 2000... Some stakeholders in Rhode Island's fight to enact a tougher lead law claim the current law isn't broke, so why fix it, since a bill now being discussed in the General Assembly wouldn't truly target the property owners who are responsible for...

Details cited as key to Kenney's endurance.
May 29, 2000... NAME: Robert Batting POSITION: President and chief executive officer of Kenney Manufacturing Co. of Warwick, which produces home furnishing hardware. BACKGROUND: Started with the Singer Company, moving from New Jersey to Scotland to...

Corrections.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... In an article that ran in our May 15th issue, Providence Business News incorrectly identified Advanced Voice Communications, Inc. as Advanced Communications. To correct an article in last week's edition, the correct fares for the Block...

BRYANT COLLEGE.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... EXECUTIVE POLL 2000 The Providence Business News/Bryant College 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. ...

Job market still tight in Providence region.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... The Providence region's tight job market should present a major challenge to employers this summer as supply and demand continue to distances themselves from one another. Manpower's "Third Quarter Employment Outlook Survey" indicates...

Summertime in RI and few rentals remain.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... South County in the summer has a lot in common with Del's frozen lemonade. Both are refreshing and relaxing, but if you don't take your time, you'll get a headache, especially if you're involved in the summer rental market. Jeanne B....

Senate panel buries 3rd party lawsuit bill.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Legislation that would allow third parties in insurance-related lawsuits to sue the claimant's insurance company has essentially died before the Senate Corporations Committee. The House approved the bill, but on Tuesday, May 23, the...

Dental insurers follow path to profits.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... While the health insurance industry struggles to cope with devastating cuts in Medicaid reimbursement and the soaring premiums that have resulted, it appears that dental insurance has never been healthier. For example, Delta Dental of...

Interviews are critical for a sound staff; prepare for them.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... I've been consulting for 26 years and, when asked to choose my "top five management weaknesses," the fine art of interviewing is always among them. Even the ostensible "professionals" in areas such as human resources, in search firms, and in...

Toysmart Inc. goes out of business.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... WALTHAM -- Toysmart Inc., an Internet retailer that attracted interest and investment funds from the Disney Co., has gone out of business, unable to draw the additional investors it sought. The online company had sought a niche in educational...

Outerlink systems in National Grid trucks.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... CONCORD -- Outerlink Corp., which sells a specialized vehicle tracking system using the Global Positioning System linked by satellite, has won a contract from National Grid USA of Westboro, Mass., to install its messaging system in 120 of the...

Citizens forms partnership with ZEFER.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... BOSTON -- Citizens Bank and ZEFER, a srategic Internet consulting and services firm, last week announced a three-year minimum $12 million strategic alliance. ZEFER will work closely with Citizens' newlyh created eBusiness company to help the...

Furniture.com reconsiders initial stock sale.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... FRAMINGHAM (Bloomberg) -- Furniture.com Inc., which sells home furnishings on the Internet, said it's examining financing options other than its proposed initial public offering after a slump in Web retailers' stocks. The company said it...

Royal Ahold names Tobin chair of Ahold.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... ZANDAAM, Netherlands (Bloomberg) -- Royal Ahold NV, the world's fifth-largest supermarket owner, appointed Bob Tobin, currently president and chief executive of the company's U.S. operations, as chairman of Ahold USA. Tobin's appointment is...

CeNeS to buy Cambridge NeuroScience.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... LONDON (Bloomberg) -- CeNeS Pharmaceuticals Plc said it will buy U.S.-based Cambridge NeuroScience Inc. for $44 million in stock to widen its number of possible drugs for the treatment of central nervous system illnesses such as multiple...

Zero.net, Envision Development, seeks merger talks.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... WASHINGTON (Bloomberg) -- Zero.net Inc., currently the owner of a 41.5 percent stake in Envision Development Corp., said it plans to enter talks about acquiring the rest of the e-commerce company. The San Francisco-based investor said it "has...

EPA allots $1.25 million in Brownfields funds.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... PROVIDENCE - The state of Rhode Island and the city of Providence have been awarded $1.25 million in Brownfields assistance funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to finance site assessment and a statewide cleanup loan program....

House panel retains RI third track funds.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... WASHINGTON, D.C. - Facing cuts in next year's appropriations bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rhode Island's Third Track Project was restored to its full $17 million funding by the House Appropriations subcommittee on...

Defense bill favors Raytheon, Electric Boat.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... WASHINGTON, D.C.-A defense spending bill that has passed the U.S. House of Representatives includes authorization for a new Virginia class submarine to be built jointly in fiscal year 2001 by Electric Boat in Groton and Newport News...

R.I. Foundation gets $1.28 million in grants.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... PROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island Foundation has announced two grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation totaling $1.28 million. The grants, for leadership development, $780,000, and the model classroom, $500,000 are the first given by...

FISH EXPO 2000 moving to R.I.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... PORTLAND, Maine - The FISH EXPO is moving to Providence this year.. The EXPO, which draws commercial fishers, seafood processors, workboat operators and builders and related equipment will feature the introduction of the WorkBoat Atlantic....

Citizens ties in with Internet consultant.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... PROVIDENCE - Citizens Bank has brought in a consultant, Zefer Corp. of Boston, to help smooth its progress into the growing e-commerce market. Zefer will also help Citizens' Internet division, e-Business introduce a new venture capital scheme...

Navy to renovate housing units.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... NEWPORT - The U.S. Navy has awarded $24.5 million in construction contracts to renovate nearly 250 units of housing for the officers at the Naval Station in Newport. The Nutmeg Companies of Norwich, Conn. Won a $15,687,020 contract to...

Stock Quote.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... The bear is dead. Long live the electronic marketplace NEW YORK(Bloomberg) -- Delete "bear market" from the vocabulary, of the stock trade. The lightning speed at which share prices move has rendered it obsolete. No one ever really...

Nestor, Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... One Richmond Square Providence, RI 02906 (401 - 331-9640; Fax 401- 331-9875) Nestor, founded in 1983, is a provider of innovative neural network solutions for data-intensive, mission-critical decision applications. Its software...

Success-- family recipe plus hard work.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Company: Serafino Biscotti Company Inc. Owners: Paula and David Andreozzi Founded: 1998 Location: 577 Tiogue Avenue, Coventry Employees: 4 full-time, and 1 part-time Annual sales: WND Paula and David Andreozzi...

Dottie Rogers goes to Washington for small business summit.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Area business leader Dottie Rogers will travel to Washington D.C. next month as a delegate to the Congressional Small Business Summit. Rogers, president of the Good Neighbor Alliance Group in Warwick, will join hundreds of small-business...

China trade a 'win' for small business.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Establishing permanent normal trade relations with China would dramatically expand export and trade opportunities for American Small Companies, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Aida Alvarez told a Congressional...

Cliftex pays long in full, ahead of schedule.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Cliftex Corporation has repaid in full the short term loan issued by the New Bedford Economic Development Council, Inc. and ahead of schedule. The 501(c3) non- profit council authorized the precedent setting loan of $500,000 in response to a...

Hiring, retaining the best employees.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... On Thursday, May 11, Providence Business News held its "Finding, Hiring and Retaining Qualified Employees summit," at the Roger Williams Park Casino. The panel included University of Rhode Island Professor George deLodzia, an expert on...

Bryant's Bello Center seen as gateway to its future.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Bryant College's new George E. Bello Center for Information and Technology will be an "integral" part of the college's vision of the future, according to college president Ronald K. Machtley. "When people look back, they'll look to this...

GTECH executives anticipate Internet gaming with UWin!(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... TECH, the West Greenwich-based lottery giant is betting big on the Internet. So far, the company has created a wholly owned subsidiary called UWin! And signed deals with Denmark and Ireland to provide Internet lotteries. UWin! expects to...

Nationtax eases pain for taxpayers.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... So maybe filing state taxes will never be painless -- but now, especially if you embrace the speed and convenience of the Internet, the process can seem a whole lot simpler. Nationtax, the first and right now only Web-based business...

Not to worry, Atrion plans for its success.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Thirteen years ago, Atrion Networking's Chief Executive Officer Charlie Nault founded the company in a spare bedroom of his Coventry home. The reasoning, he explained, was simple: "I was working as director of technical services for...

High-tech hiring surges; New England lags.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... The high-tech workforce in the United States surged to five million in 1999, adding some 1.2 million workers since 1993, according to a report released by the American Electronics Association and the Nasdaq Stock Market. The report said...

RecruitDYNAMICS hires Duffy & Shanley.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... New York-based recruitDYNAMICS.com recently hired Duffy & Shanley of Providence to launch a five million dollar synchronized marketing campaign targeting information technology (IT) and client employers in the greater New York metropolitan...

Cox launches service in SK and Narragansett.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Cox Communications has announced the launch of Cox Digital Telephone service in South Kingstown and Narragansett, bringing to ten the number of Rhode Island communities with a competitive choice for local and long distance telephone service....

New product offerings leverage XML technology.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... tillage, a first-mover technology company and provider of telecom e-commerce solutions, has announced the launch of its corporate Webster, www.telegea.com, and a suite of new product offerings. tillage Digital Goods and tillage Digital...

RI firm brings high tech era to army schools.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Training United States Army cadets has gone high tech and one Rhode Island company is literally helping them get plugged in. Ambient Sound Inc. of Cranston is in its second year of a nine-year Contract working with the United States Army....

Microsoft: Antitrust Laws Apply to the Information Economy.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... The outcome of the Microsoft trial foretells a new approach to antitrust enforcement that may play a role in shaping the Information Economy. Not since "trustbusts" in the steel and oil industry has a more important antitrust case been...

REALTORS present thorough but busy site.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... COMPANY: Rhode Island Association of REALTORS WHERE TO FIND IT: www.riliving.com. CRITIQUE: This web site combines new technology and old school Web sense (if the medium of Internet can be old enough to have an old school) to...

Slater Center issues REP, ideas, technologies sought.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... The Slater Center for Interactive Technologies -- one of five technology commercialization centers funded by the General Assembly and administered by the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council -- has appointed its first executive director and...

Waugh steps down at CBSI, expects to stay in RI.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Brad waugh, among the leaders of Rhode Island's burgeoning high technology community, has resigned as a regional vice president of Complete Business Solutions, Inc. (CBSI) in Providence. Waugh said that he is in the process of fielding...

Information only a source; knowledge the key.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... All information systems, natural, or manufactured, move information from one point to another, storing it as needed, and delivering it to some user community. Although the form or complexity of the content may be changed en route, the output...

IKON prepares to anchor Cumberland industrial park.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... The development of Highland Corporate Park in Cumberland took another step forward earlier this month with groundbreaking for a new building to be owned and managed by a joint venture that includes David A. Sluter, president of New England...

Spreading the gospel of high tech jobs.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Information technology, telecommunications, knowledge workers -- "The Information Age" -- those individuals who represent and who define the characteristics of these labels will largely determine the future of our world. Those same types...

Davies Career & Tech. High School names top students.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... The William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School has announced the valedictorian and salutatorian for the class of 2000. Matthew Calderone, son of Susan and Paul Calderone of Lincoln is the valedictorian and Christine DaSilva,...

BUSINESS NOTES.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Steve Rando has been hired as vice president of SyNet, Inc., a Warwick-based LAN/WAN integration firm. He will oversee the development of SyNet's sales force and will assist in cultivating and managing the company's strategic partnerships and...

Women press for action to remove wage gap.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... In U.S., women earn 74 cents for every dollay by men, survey says "Close the wage gap, 'cause women deserve much more, much more, close the wag gap, 'cause women deserve much more." -- sung to the tune of "Hit the Road Jack" Some 25...

Job options plus growth potential inspire grads.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... What's more important to today's college graduates entering this fast-paced new economy -- high salaries now or retirement plans for later, stock options or the option to wear jeans on Fridays? According to local job placement...

Stock options an appealing benefit, but it's wise to know how they work.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... With the rise of the new economy, many new and established companies are offering their employees stock options as never before. By providing equity in the company to the employee, stock options are an effective means of attracting,...

BUSINESS notes.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... ACCOUNTING Syner, Cavallaro & Co. has been accepted as a member of CPA Associates International, Inc., an international association of accountbig firms. Founded in 1987, Syner, Cavallaro & Co. services clients ranging from the...

Ethics -- a violation of trust.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... It's disappointing that the state Ethics Commission -- on a 5 to 4 vote -- approved going from an ethics policy which allowed for no gifts, to one that allows legislators and public officials to accept gifts valued up to $450 from any single...

Hospital merger.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... A group representing insurers and businesses -- the newly formed Coalition for Responsible Health Care -- is opposing the merger of Lifespan and Care New England, concerned that the elimination of competition will result in higher health care...

Relationships of mutual trust reward managers and workers.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... It's hard not to notice the rapport -- or lack of it -- between CEO and worker, as you walk through the manufacturing plant with top management at virtually any of the remaining manufacturers in Rhode Island and the surrounding region. ...

Think about it. No, really, I mean it. Think. It could pay off.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Henry Ford once hired an efficiency expert to go through his plant. Ford directed him to find the nonproductive employees and, he said, "I will fire them!" When the expert finished his evaluation; he reported to Ford that he was...

A call for action on Narragansett Bay from Senator Reed.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... (Adaptedfrom his speech to the Bay Summit 2000 in April at the Rhode Island Convention Center.) ... Narragansett Bay has often been called the crown jewel of Rhode Island's natural environment and for centuries it has been the lifeblood...

RHODE ISLAND stock watch.
May 29, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Area's telephone equipment dealers.
May 29, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Area's highest paid executives.
May 29, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

RI companies receive venture funds.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... Rhode Island technology companies were among those sharing in $2.4 billion worth of venture capital deals conducted in New England during the first quarter of this year, according to the Boston Globe-Pricewaterhouse-Coopers Money Tree Survey....

Goosewing raises $500,000.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... PAWTUCKET -- Goosewing, an Internet based customizable course material firm said it has raised $500,000 from individual investors. The company, which was established in October, will use the funds for technology development.

ArQuele's first quarter revenues double.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... WOBURN, Mass. -- ArQuele, Inc. reported first quarter revenues of $10,388,000, more than double revenues for the first quarter a year ago. Net loss for the quarter was $1,042,000 compared to a net loss of $3,966,000 a year ago. ArQuele unites...

Log On America revenues increase.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... PROVIDENCE -- Log On America, a company that provides broadband communications and data services to businesses and home offices, reported first quarter income of $2.4 million, a 901 percent increase over the same period a year ago. Net loss...

Mt. Hope-Brown Program wins grant.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... PROVIDENCE -- The Mount Hope Technology History Program was among 20 winners of grants from WorldCom and Brown University. Grants were awarded nationwide that link public schools or community organizations with local colleges or universities...

Manpower expands global learning center.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... MILWAUKEE, WIS. -- With an array of new courses and the addition of chat rooms and interactive live seminars, Manpower Inc. has expanded the curriculum and services offered through its on-line university -- The Global Learning Center (GLC)....

Lycos TV to expand into Web broadcasting.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... WALTHAM, MASS. (Bloomberg) -- Lycos Inc., one of the world's top three Internet search services, unveiled its Lycos TV Web-broadcasting service that offers computer users free programming without commercial interruption. Lycos TV has five...

Craftshop.com filing for bankruptcy.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... COOPERSTOWN, N.Y, (Bloomberg) -- Craftshop.com, an arts and crafts retailing Web site backed by venture firm CMGI Inc., has laid off all 49 employees and plans to file for U.S. Bankruptcy Court protection, its chief executive said. Closely...

Kopin plans plant, expansion in Taunton.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... TAUNTON - Kopin Corp. announced that it would construct a $20 million plant in the Myles Standish Industrial Park to supply what it said was a growing demand for HET Transistors. Kopin said it expected double its work force to 500 by the end...

Alta Vista facing more cuts.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... ANDOVER--Alta Vista Co. will eliminate 50 more jobs, the company has announced. The job loss will affect both its Andover and Palo Alto, Calif., locations, the company said. Alta Vista, the Internet search unit of CMGI, eliminated 60 jobs...

Arthur Little to spin off technology divisions.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... CAMBRIDGE - Arthur D. Little, Inc. announced that it is spinning off its technology-based divisions into a publicly traded company called C-Quential, Inc. The new firm will consist of Arthur Little's telecommunications, information...

Microsoft investing in Seachange of Maynard.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... MAYNARD -- Microsoft Corp. announced that it would make a multimillion dollar investment in Seachange International, Inc. Seachange is working on perfecting video on demand systems to make large libraries of movies available for home viewing...

Patriots choose stadium designer-builder.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... FOXBORO - Beacon/Barlow Malow will be hired as design-builder for the new stadium to be built here by the New England Patriots football team. Beaton/Barton Malow is a joint venture with Beacon Skanska Construction Company of Boston and Barton...

Lycos agrees to takeover by Spanish telecom giant.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... WALTHAM - Rebuffed by its shareholders last year in its bid to merge with the USA Networks, Lycos, Inc., has agreed to be purchased by Terra Networks SA, a Spanish Internet company linked to Telefonica, Spain's largest telephone company....

Home sales slow in first quarter.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 22, 2000... WALTHAM - Apparently as the result of rising interest rates, sales of single family homes in Massachusetts slowed in the first quarter, according to information released by the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. Sales of detached single...

Skies clear over Galilee; DEM back.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... The turf war between the state Department of Environmental Management and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation over control of Galilee is ostensibly over. After months of often-contentious discussions last year, the debate...

Westerly Public Library -- 100 years of community service.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... The Memorial and Library Association of Westerly has been a lot of different things -- including a bowling alley and a gym--to a lot of different people. Had Westerly industrialist Stephen Wilcox lived to see the opening of the library...

The underinsured, lost below the iceberg of health care.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... If the "uninsured" - almost 44 million of them - constitute a health care iceberg, one that may in time catapult the American health care system, or derail it from its employment-based course, then the "underinsured" constitute the concealed...

Small Business: Making A Difference in Our Economy.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... Small business in America is thriving -- the economy in the United States is the strongest it has been in thirty years, and here in Rhode Island, we are creating job opportunities at a record pace. In the first half of this fiscal year,...

Small Business: A Great History...a Bright Future.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... This year's Rhode Island Salute to Small Business theme is very appropriate. It acknowledges, the success we've enjoyed in the past but gives us continued hope as we enter the new millennium. Small Business Week gives us the opportunity...

Message from John C. Gregory, President Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... The Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Small Business Administration have worked together for years in partnership to ensure Rhode Island's small businesses not only survive, but also thrive. That's why we're pleased this...

Small Business: Success with a Vision.(Brief Article)
May 22, 2000... It doesn't seem possible that a year has passed since last year's Salute to Small Business celebration. This year's theme, "A Century of Success... With a Vision for the Future," captures the enthusiasm, dedication and hard work of the small...