The Business Journal Serving Metropolitan Kansas City articles from May 2000

The Business Journal Serving Metropolitan Kansas City archives from May 2000

The labors of the NLRB.(National Labor Relations Board.)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... High-profile KC cases thrust powers, duties of board to forefront Two high-profile labor-management disputes have put the National Labor Relations Board in the spotlight. The NLRB's regional office issued a letter early this week...

Business times have changed -- should the law, too?(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The business climate was changing rapidly in the early 1900s. Development of heavy industry and the transformation of small manufacturers into large corporations led to deterioration in working conditions for many Americans. This...

Bottoms site pops up on list for Butler HQ.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... A site in the West Bottoms is vying for the headquarters of Butler Manufacturing Co. This move would stoke efforts to enliven the long-struggling area around Kemper Arena. Bill Haw, CEO of National Farms Inc., said he expects to give...

KC singer-actress will enjoy fame dressed casually for good cause.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... A Kansas City-area woman is getting her shot at national fame and fortune. Geneva Price, a professional singer and actress, will be appearing in marketing material in October for Lee Co.'s National Denim Day. The day is a Lee...

The party's over ... or is it?(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... What do you do it you're 1999's Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year and you have only one more day left of your reign? Well, if you're Missouri Bank & Trust Co., throw some Tom Petty in the' CD player, pop...

The apocalypse must be near.
May 26, 2000... Verizon wireless, a national wireless company with offices in Overland Park, is helping educate young motorists about the dangers of driving while gabbing on a cell phone. Verizon distributed a 10-minute video to 300 high schools in...

This is who?(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... In coming days, customers or Aerial Communications Inc.'s wireless telephone service will be getting a voice-mail message from Jamie Lee Curtis. The actress and spokeswoman for VoiceStream Wireless Corp. will be welcoming Aerial's...

Hearing on Health Midwest labor activities begin.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... A hearing began May 23 on a consolidated unfair labor practice complaint filed against Health Midwest by a group of nurses attempting to organize a union. U.S. Administrative Law Judge George Aleman is presiding over the hearing, held at the...

'For me, it was an interest in politics'.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... David Adkins Kansas state legislator It all started in Salina, Kan,, when 9-year-old David Adkins' mother strapped a sandwich board on him and took him to a campaign rally. From then on, Adkins was on a path to run for office...

New Net portal will empower host of e-activity.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Eric Forsman, a computer programmer and partner in Commercial Open Systems Inc., sits beneath flickering fluorescent lights in his Westport offices, tapping his computer keyboard and clicking his mouse. His latest invention -- he calls it...

East Side family-housing plan announces master developer.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Long-awaited plans for a massive single family housing development on the East Side of Kansas City took on a local flavor this week with the appointment of a master developer that will draw on the expertise of three prominent real...

Federal Reserve Bank will deposit workers in One Kansas City Place.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City late this summer will move about 170 employees from its longtime headquarters in Downtown to leased space in the One Kansas City Place office building. The 42,100-square-foot lease boosts occupancy...

Red Cross campaign is seeking to cut United Way dependence.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Scores of business executives peered into the future of charitable giving when they gathered last week to attend a kickoff reception for a fund-raising drive by the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the American Red Cross. The "Save the...

Coin shop owners hope sales tax exemption helps them strike gold.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Kansas City coin shop owners are waiting for Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan to decide the fate of a bill that would eliminate state and local sales tax on bullion and investment coins. House Bill 1983, sponsored by Rep. Brent Evans, R-St....

New condos hit rising market for downtown lofts.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The developer of the first new condominiums to be built in downtown Kansas City in years began offering units for sale this week. Construction of Conover Place Lofts, in the River Market area, will start after half of the 32 units are...

Lawyers turn to marketing to make their case to potential clients.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Twenty-five years ago, if you flipped through the "A" section of the Yellow Pages, you might have jumped from asphalt to auction houses without a single full-page ad to slow you down. Back then, attorney phone numbers appeared without...

Mission Hills residents fight Sprint plans for telecom tower.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Sprint PCS' plans to build a telecommunications tower in a Mission Hills church steeple has caused an unholy row in the upscale city. A group of Mission Hills residents worry that extending the steeple of the First Evangelical Lutheran...

European safety standards bring costs, benefits to local companies.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Kansas City's Roller Equipment Manufacturing Co. Inc. received a half-millon-dollar order for its industrial equipment from a customer in Ireland in late 1998. But filling the order meant more than making there requested products. That's...

Marble supplier has set in stone intent to move.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... International Marble & Granite Inc. will more than double the size of its Lenexa distribution center this summer when the operation becomes the second tenant at Lackman Business Center. Doug Kemmers, the company's general manager in...

UMKC presses ahead to combine engineering and computer science.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... University of Missouri-Kansas City officials will proceed with a plan to combine the school's engineering and computer science telecommunications programs. UMKC Chancellor Martha Gilliland will appoint at ask force to develop a proposal...

Lathrop & Gage signs lease for office park's newest building.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Lathrop & Gage this week signed the first lease in a new office, building that will open next summer in the Corporate Woods office park in south Overland Park. The Kansas City-based law firm expects to occupy the building's top floor. ...

ADA bill would give businesses notice to comply before suit.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Becky Ogle is no Clint Eastwood fan. The disabled rights activist from Bethesda, Md., parked her wheelchair outside the House Judiciary Committee's hearing room to confront the movie star after he testified in favor of modifying the...

Aetna U.S. Healthcare launches Web site for physicians in KC.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Aetna U.S. Healthcare launched its physician Web site in the Kansas City area this week. Aetna officials say the password-protected Web site will make it easier for physicians in the Aetna provider network to access a wealth of...

HealthResource Partners starts Web site to help with staffing.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... HealthResource Partners, a Kansas City-based nonprofit health care organization, launched a Web site that has been created to help solve health care staffing issues in the metropolitan area. The Web site, started May 23, will help' link...

Lee's Summit building signs first tenant for new office park.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... A new office building in Lee's Summit has signed its first tenant. SomniTech Inc., which monitors sleep disorders, on June 1 will open an office in Lakewood Plaza Business Park at Missouri Highway 291 and Lakewood Boulevard. The...

Cohen-Esrey begins managing the Kansas City Art Institute.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Cohen-Esrey Real Estate Services Inc. this week began managing the facilities of the Kansas City Art Institute, which is based at 4415 Warwick Ave. in Kansas City. The 19-building complex north of the Country Club Plaza contains about 250,000...

Havens Steel gets big contract for Honda factory in Alabama.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Kansas City-based Havens Steel was awarded a $7.7 million contract to supply and erect structural steel for a new Honda factory in Alabama. Havens will supply steel for Honda Manufacturing of Alabama's paint shop in its new vehicle and...

California Net portal may add jobs to its Kansas City ties.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... A California-based Internet portal that recently formed an alliance with Commerce One, the quickly expanding business-to-business trading community, has connections to Kansas City. TurboStaff.com's co-founder, Lisa Whall, lives here. And...

idmarket forms partnership to test new software system.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... This week, idmarket.com, a Kansas City-based Internet marketplace for packaging and identification products, announced its partnership with Sonoco. Products Co. Sonoco, a $2.5 billion manufacturer of industrial and consumer packaging...

NLRB's busy schedule is no good for anyone.(National Labor Relations Board)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... If things at your business reach the point where the National Labor Relations Board is mediating disputes between you and your employees, you're in a lot of trouble. That's not because the NLRB is inherently evil, though many businesses...

Fed's effort has evened out economy's bumps, or has it?(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... The numbers tell the story: the lowest unemployment in a quarter-century, even lower inflation, unbridled consumer demand. The U.S. economy is basking in the longest-ever stretch of uninterrupted growth. So what gives? Are the...

Don't cram for test of school cost; planning, saving is best course.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Paying for a college education requires thought and preparation for parents as well as students. Without advanced planning, the prospect of paying for higher education can be daunting. However, by planning ahead, attending a son's or...

As KC celebrates its 150 years, business works to shape future.(Kansas City, Missouri)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... As Kansas City marks its 150th birthday, area business officials seem as interested in reshaping as remembering. Various business initiatives seek to build a reputation for the Kansas City area as a center for life sciences research, a...

Affluent Johnson County remains the golden goose for bankers.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The stampede of bankers to Johnson County shows no sign of abating as financial institutions continue jostling for a piece of the most affluent -- and competitive -- market in the metropolitan area. "Nothing's changing in Kansas," said...

Mutual fund companies see bottom line, office space grow.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Kansas City's mutual fund companies continue to keep a high profile locally and nationally. With big industry players, such as DST Systems Inc., State Street Corp., American Century Investments and Babson Funds, Kansa City often sneaks...

Forecast for office space: Wear a jacket, but no parka required.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... The torrid pace of real estate development that heated up the metropolitan area through the latter part of the 1990s shows signs of cooling, but local commercial property brokers aren't bundling up for an extended chill. "Things have...

As Richards-Gebaur closes down, KCI eagerly awaits new carrier.(Kansas City International Airport)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The hot news in transportation is coming from south Kansas City., The Kansas City Aviation Department received word from the Federal Aviation Administration in December that the department was clear to close Richards-Gebaur Memorial...

Johnson County accounts for 54.2 percent of Kansas City's MSA growth from 1990-1999.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The Census Bureau has released its estimates of the demographic components of the population changes in U.S. counties from April 1,1990, to July 1, 1999. The demographic components of population change include: 1. Net Natural Change: equal to...

Hospitals, recovering from BBA, brace for another hit on horizon.(health care information regulation looms)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Hospitals in the Kansas City area and throughout the country have taken a beating during the past year and a half because of the Balanced Budget Act's reduction in Medicare reimbursements. But the worst may have passed. Hospitals...

Life sciences hopes to boost area scientifically and economically.(Kansas City's Life Sciences Institute)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The Kansas City life sciences initiative is taking off. The initiative is geared toward making the metropolitan area a center for life sciences research. The effort began in February 1999 when the Kansas City Area Development Council, in...

GM, Ford will accelerate hearts at plants producing new vehicles.(in Missouri)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... There has been a lot to celebrate recently for those associated with the area's Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp plants. Wyandotte County received good news when General Motors announced that it would begin a pew line of unspecified...

Money rains on the heartland's formerly arid high-tech field.(Kansas City venture capital businesses)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Kansas City's high-tech entrepreneurs have been saying for years that there isn't enough money to go around. Venture capital dollars had been few and far between in the heartland, and traditional lenders had been reluctant to bet money on...

'Overbuilders' bring competition with each other, existing providers.(Digital Access, Everest Connections)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... A proliferation of new telecommunications companies moving into the Kansas City market has left many industry observers asking how many can survive. The first quarter of the year saw three "overbuilders" -- companies that build their own...

Retailers turn eyes, wallets east for new shopping development.(Lee's Summit, Missouri)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Residents and retailers alike have made 2000 the year to head east. Lee's Summit, for example, has became a hot spot for development. The city issued 200 single-family housing permits in the first quarter of the year. And, as the old...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(appointments and selection in Kansas City business)
May 26, 2000... ADVERTISING Callahan Creek announced the following staff changes: Randy Tosh joined the agency as a new business development director. Tosh previously worked as the president and CEO of Network Trade Associates, where he created a...

CORRECTION.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... A story in the May 19-25 edition of The Business Journalincorrectly identified the former occupant of the building at 9400 Ward Parkway in Kansas City. Burns & McDonnell's headquarters used to house Marion Merrell Dow Inc.

TOP 10 AREA RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE FIRMS.
May 26, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

TOP 10 AREA HOME BUILDERS.
May 26, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

TOP AREA MANAGED HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS: PPOs and POS plans ranked by current local enrollment.
May 26, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

TOP AREA MANAGED HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS: HMOs ranked by current local enrollment.
May 26, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

NetSales cuts loose small cyber store clients.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... NetSales Inc. sent letters to 400 customers last week, informing them that they no longer would be clients of the Overland Park-based e-commerce company. NetSales' "cyber store" customers and customers whose Web sites generated less than...

The good, the bad and the innocent savant.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... As Tuesdays go, it was better than most. Even 11-hour days seem less draining if you can hit the door while the sun is still shining. My principal job on Tuesdays is to begin editing stories for the week's issue. That is, I'm scouring...

BACK TO THE FUTURE.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Chevy Duty Pickup Parts turns nostalgia for bygone GM trucks into thriving business A miniature black pickup sits in the corner of Mark Jansen's office. The 1957 Chevrolet is doubly significant because it represents the start of his love...

House is expected to vote soon on repealing federal estate tax.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... The House is expected to vote the week of June 5 on legislation to phase out the federal estate tax. Congress passed similar legislation last year as part of a $792 billion tax cut, but President Clinton vetoed that package. A reduction...

OSHA's home workplace ruling brings limits on intepretation.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... In the wake of its about-face on home workplaces, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is changing its procedures to make sure agency officials do not assert new policies when they respond to employers' questions. A Nov. 15...

Homework keeps venture capital deals from being misadventures.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The process of locating, negotiating and closing a venture capital (VC) investment can be one of the most difficult and eye-opening experiences for an entrepreneur who is unprepared and unfamiliar with the process. By understanding the basics...

BRACING FOR THE BUST.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Rising interest rates may signal a slowdown -- and a change in saving habits Higher returns on investments. Higher salaries. Higher spending. Higher balance dues and debt on credits cards. Higher lifestyle expectations. And now,...

Advisers tell clients to ride out storm, if it even comes.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... The stock market jumping up and down and the latest increase in interest rates may have left few believing that the economy's incredible boom will continue forever. And although troubled images may have started creeping into some...

Analysts urge caution before betting the house on stock market.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... It sounds, on the surface, like a lead-pipe cinch. If the stock market is yielding returns that far exceed the interest rate on home equity loans, every homeowner should get a home equity loan, invest the money in the market and...

Lawyers file out to sites beyond Downtown core.(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Bob Pummill used to wear a suit to meetings. Not anymore. "Everybody would laugh at me," Pummill said of his casually dressed clients or colleagues when they assembled in their new Overland Park setting. It was quite a pace change for...

Jennings again flips KCP&L switch.(Drue Jennings, Kansas City Power and Light)(Brief Article)(Interview)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Even when talking about something as amorphous and complex as utility deregulation, Drue Jennings keeps his comments crisp and to the point. The chairman and CEO of Kansas City Power & Light Co. thinks the way to bulk up the company for...

Start-up works to get foothold in hand-held market.(Pencel Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... A new technology company that has the financial backing of some of Kansas City's biggest technology names is developing tools to link hand-held computing devices, such as 3Com Corp.'s Palm Pilot, to the office. Pencel Corp., based in...

China trade fight a picnic for Farmland employees.
May 19, 2000... Farmland Industries Inc. has been gearing up since last summer to persuade Congress to approve permanent normal trade relations with China. Now, all employees who have participated in the effort by writing letters or calling their...

Bagging it up for good.
May 19, 2000... The City Market lost a piece of history last month when Henry's Produce, the City Market's oldest operating establishment, closed up shop. HenryGargotta, who at 79 had operated his store for 56 years, decided to retire. Gargotta has...

A money-making idea.(Lawrence Trade Organization to issue 'local currency')(Brief Article)
May 19, 2000... And you were just getting used to new $1 coins. In a scenario that might make Alan Greenspan's skin crawl, the Lawrence Trade Organization Inc. (LTO) is developing a "local currency" and plans to crank it out by September of this year....

Jazz with a Parisian flair.
May 19, 2000... For those of you who think jazz begins and ends at 18th and Vine, the University of Missouri-Kansas City wants to introduce you to Paris' place in the music's development. The Miller Nichols Library on the UMKC campus will play host to...

Tax incentives part of landscape on K-10 corridor.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... The K-10 corridor stretching from Johnson County to Lawrence is being groomed as a high-tech highway - the Kansas City area's answer to Route 128 in Boston. But like many of its predecessors, this passageway into the future is paved with...

'I don't get bored'.(attorney Tom Stahl)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Tom Stahl Lawyer, Armstrong Teasdale Tom Stahl has a title. No one is sure why. As soon becomes apparent to those who know him, trying to pin an exact job description on Stahl is somewhat like trying to bottle wind. "Lawyers...

Children's Mercy, MRI join to study children's issues.(Midwest Research Institute)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics and Midwest Research Institute have announced a collaborative research initiative that will focus on children's health issues. The Research Alliance for Children's Health, or REACH, is a direct...

BY THE NUMBERS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... IN THE CELLAR -- April marked the second straight month that permits for single-family homes sunk below previous-year marks. The number of permits issued last month in the metro are a was the lowest for April since 1995. 1999...

Baird will leave City Center but Stay Downtown.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Baird Kurtz & Dobson will move its Kansas City office to 12 Wyandotte Plaza from City Center Square. The relocation in the fall, which will keep the office Downtown, comes when some other professional service providers are leaving the central...

American Century's consolidation takes interim leasing step.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... American Century Investments, one of the largest companies in Kansas City, is expanding into the former headquarters of the American Academy of Family Physicians at 8880 Ward Parkway in south Kansas City. As many as 300 of the mutual fund...

CORRECTIONS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... * An article in the May 12-18 edition of The Business Journal misspelled the name of Brad Dulny, co-founder and CEO of ShopperPoint.com. * An article in the May 12-18 edition of The Business Journal contained a phone number that has...

Neighborhood shops: small-town feel, big-box options.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Baymont Inn is moving to Lee's Summit and adding to the marketability of neighborhood shopping center Chapel Ridge. Bob McKay, director of planning and development for the city, said the hotel signed on earlier this week as the center's...

Cohen-Esrey, St. Louis company will cohabitate on e-commerce.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Cohen-Esrey Real Estate Services Inc. hopes a new connection will accelerate its entry into the world of electronic commerce. The arrangement with a St. Louis telecommunications company will provide technology for an Internet service...

Overbuilder Digital Access gains first franchise approval in Lenexa.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Digital Access Inc., one of two new cable companies moving into the area, this week moved a tiny step forward in the long approval process necessary to provide service. The Lenexa City Council approved a telephone franchise agreement for...

Governors' association looks at states' support of entrepreneurs.(Brief Article)
May 19, 2000... Programs in Kansas and Missouri were cited in a report released this week by the National Governors' Association documenting the best practices in supporting entrepreneurs, The 23-page report, "Nurturing Entrepreneurial Growth in State...

Reliable Automotive will truck distribution center to Northland.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Reliable Automotive Cos. will quadruple its local warehouse space in August when it moves a distribution. operation now in Lenexa to a new building in Northland Business Park in Kansas City, North. The new location will enhance the...

KC chamber's Centurions march on D.C. with allies' help.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... WASHINGTON -- The irony was so perfect that Michael Birger and Jonathan Cohn couldn't help but smile. A bus carrying the two and other members of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce's Centurions program had broken down on its way to...

Topeka bank turns to locals in pursuit of role in JoCo market.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... A Topeka-based bank has brought in two area banking executives to guide its expansion into the fiercely competitive Johnson County market. Capital City Bank plans to open an Overland Park branch this summer. Chairman Frank Sabatini, who...

Veteran banker Ovel will go to Commerce Bank.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Veteran banker Jack Ovel will join Kansas City-based Commerce Bank on June 1 as an executive vice president overseeing trust and money management operations. Ovel comes from Firstar Corp. in Kansas City, where he had been a regional...

Financial services firm plans to move to Kansas City, North.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Alarge national financial services company in June will move its Kansas City office from Downtown to a new 15,000-square-foot building in the Eastbrook Business Park on Vivion Road in Kansas City, North, just west of Interstate 29. ...

Two federal agencies expand offices at Space Center Summit.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... Two federal government agencies are expanding in Space Center Summit, said Charlie Martin, leasing agent for the underground business park in Lee's Summit. The Immigration and Naturalization Service in October will occupy a...

Constangy's KC office will move to Crown Center space in June.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 19, 2000... The Kansas City office of Constangy Brooks & Smith, an Atlanta-based employment law firm, in June will move to 5,000 square feet on the third floor of 2600 Grand Ave. in Crown Center. The nine-person office, which includes four attorneys, has...