Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal articles from April 2001

Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal archives from April 2001

Fighting battle royale.
April 6, 2001... Tech titans plot new platform moves Mapping out dueling stratagems with new versions of their flagship operating systems, Apple Computer Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are vying in a meticulously choreographed game to win the allegiance of...

New budget process rewards performance.
April 6, 2001... The city of San Jose is taking a page from the private sector as it prepares its annual budget this year. Instead of counting up cops, cars and street lights -- the building blocks of municipal fiefdoms -- city budgeteers are disbursing the...

Med center: new CEO, same plan.
April 6, 2001... San Jose Medical Center is getting a new leader, but warns the change at the top isn't proof that owner HCA The Healthcare Co. has decided to keep the downtown hospital open. The Business Journal's Troy May reports that Steve Dixon, until...

Symphony playing new fund-raising tune.
April 6, 2001... At this time last year the San Jose Symphony was drawing up estimates for a new concert hall, and Executive Director Paul Chummers was settled in with almost a full year under his belt. Since then, the symphony has edged further into the...

Unions vie for support at Good Samaritan Hospital.
April 6, 2001... Good Samaritan Hospital has become the battleground for two huge unions seeking to win the support of its 800 employees. The Service Employee International Union has been trying to unionize employees at Good Samaritan Hospital, San Jose...

Senate and Assembly.
April 6, 2001... On April 4, the California Senate Appropriations Committee approved a $400 million electricity conservation bill. The measure includes $60 million for loans to small businesses and residents for insulation and other energy-saving projects, $50...

The mammoth US Datapoint Internet Server.
April 6, 2001... On April 3, the San Jose City Council approved the mammoth US. Datapoint Internet server farm that could use up to 180 megawatts, provided that the company generates most of the electricity it uses. The facility would be the largest server farm...

Pacific Northwest.
April 6, 2001... On April 3, Gov. Gray Davis said California's energy crisis could hit full force as early as May. Plans for increased power generation will not bear fruit until August and September, while power demand is expected to rise beginning in May....

California Public Utilities Commission.
April 6, 2001... On April 3, the California Public Utilities Commission exempted all California hospitals from rolling blackouts and required Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and other utilities to give a 30-minute warning before blackouts hit any particular area....

The Department of Water Resources.
April 6, 2001... On April 2, the state Department of Finance reported $3.7 billion in electricity purchases by the state Department of Water Resources has cut the state's budget reserve to $2.1 billion, with an additional $1 billion in energy buys already...

Valley tech community object of President Bush's desires.
April 6, 2001... The Bush administration, still smarting from its big loss in California last year, has begun to reach out to Silicon Valley executives in hopes of re-establishing itself in the state for 2004. Twice in recent weeks, Bush cabinet secretaries...

Trio of large funds close as overall VC environment tightens.
April 6, 2001... Despite the third consecutive quarterly decline in venture capital investment, three firms with Palo Alto offices have announced substantial new funds during the last three weeks. Walden International closed on its fifth fund at $1 billion;...

Corrections.
April 6, 2001... Transcend Advertising & Design The Business Journal's March 23 Marketing Silicon Valley supplement listed an incorrect Addy award winner. Transcend Advertising & Design won a gold award in the Sales Promotion/Countertop or Attached...

Apartment market still softening, but building continues.
April 6, 2001... A softening in Silicon Valley apartment rents and vacancy rates that began at the end of last year accelerated in the first quarter this year, say developers, apartment owners and housing-placement agencies. Units once rented before stoves...

Fewer CEOs headed out the door in March, survey shows.
April 6, 2001... Chief executive departures reached the lowest number in eight months with 88 announced in March, according to a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Inc., an international outplacement firm. The number of CEO departures in March...

Clouds destroying ozone layer.
April 6, 2001... Narrow rings of cold air over the North and South poles help form clouds that are destroying the ozone layer, according to a paper published in Science magazine. The paper's lead author is Azadeh Tabazadeh, a scientist at NASA Ames Research...

Grim water season foreseen.
April 6, 2001... Add "serious water shortage" to your list of California woes. Measurements of the high Sierra snowpack show depths and moisture contents that are unusually low for this time of year, indicating the state will have a summer and fall of low...

Santa Clara University gets its biggest gift ever.
April 6, 2001... The man who founded the press release distribution service Business Wire has given Santa Clara University the biggest donation in the school's history--$20 million. Lorry Lokey, a graduate of Stanford, is a member of the SCU board of...

Pink slip party dubbed success.
April 6, 2001... San Jose's "pink slip party" is being called a success by its organizer, the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce. Chamber officials say about 150 people -- high-tech layoff victims and recruiters -- attended the event at the Gordon...

Bay Area loses political clout as state's population shifts.
April 6, 2001... Since 1849, when gold was discovered in California, the Bay Area has maintained a tight grip on state politics, thanks in large part to its preponderance of population. For example, the state capital was once located in San Jose and in Benicia...

Red ink pours at Stanford Hospital.
April 6, 2001... Officials say stanford Hospital and Clinics are swimming in red ink and prospects of getting into the black any time soon are dim. The medical facilities at the north end of the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto could lose as much as...

Area women cited for achievement.
April 6, 2001... Fourteen Bay Area women have been cited for their achievements in business, education, the arts and government in the 28th annual Women's Fund of Silicon Valley awards. The 14 were picked from more than 70 nominees. The event was started...

Downtown developer Palladium facing grand expectations.
April 6, 2001... The principals of a New York-based developer spearheading a massive downtown San Jose redevelopment project will be greeted with great expectations at an April 9 community meeting. Businesspeople with downtown financial interests and...

Arena league's SaberCats fight for spring sports fan attention.
April 6, 2001... After seven years in existence, you'd think the San Jose SaberCats would get a little more respect. Although the Arena Football team is a year older than Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes, it's the Quakes that have banners lining...

Crunch may worsen if small generators can't pay own bills.
April 6, 2001... Cash-strapped small energy generators may not be able to produce electricity during the critical summer months because Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and other utilities say they can't afford to reimburse them for power already used. A...

Silicon Valley targeted for 'peaker' plants to help with summer electricity crunch.
April 6, 2001... San Jose, Gilroy and East Palo Alto will have temporary "peaker" plants by the end of summer as part of Gov. Gray Davis' plan to ward off electricity blackouts, California Energy Commission officials say, and a fourth temporary plant is slated...

San Jose disputing Census total; other figures show exodus.
April 6, 2001... San Jose may have lost its race against Detroit for distinction as the 10th largest city in the nation, but the race isn't entirely over. San Jose, which according to the Bureau of the Census grew 14.4 percent during the last decade to...

Repeat of 'vintage' 2000 not likely, but normalcy's not bad.
April 6, 2001... 2000 was the best "vintage" that Northern California residential real estate has seen in the last 100 years, says one local broker. But Avram Goldman, president and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker, Northern California, says...

Do you know the way to San Antonio?
April 6, 2001... Meanwhile, Runzheimer International, a Wisconsin-based consulting firm that specializes in transportation, travel and living costs, says a 2,200-square-foot home in a middle-class San Jose neighborhood now sells for an average of $860,100....

Bill seeks to can spam.
April 6, 2001... House committee passes proposal to curb junk e-mail A bill making its way through Congress to halt unsolicited e-mails from cramming America's e-mail inboxes has drawn criticism from a Silicon Valley consumer group. On March 28, the...

China license gives Clarent edge over Cisco.
April 6, 2001... Clarent Corp. has won key regulatory approval in China that may enable it to bolster its thin market-share lead over Cisco Systems Inc. in the burgeoning Asia-Pacific region. Clarent makes equipment that allows voice calls to be transmitted...

Computer security firms may be protected against downturn.
April 6, 2001... Bob Miller has no qualms about launching an Internet business amid the current economic slowdown. "Unstable times are not good for anybody, but I'm optimistic because people now are more concerned about costs," says Mr. Miller, CEO of Slam...

Rival software firms shouldn't sit back and smirk at demise of Ariba-Agile deal.
April 6, 2001... Ariba Inc.'s aborted buyout of Agile Software Corp. this week isn't necessarily good news for software rivals. The market forces that led the firms to call off their blockbuster merger -- a flurry of analyst downgrades, earnings shortfalls...

Real challenge ahead for Napster, other online music firms.
April 6, 2001... They were billed as Napster's big break on Capitol Hill, but congressional hearings on the controversial company this week were drowned out by a new music download service that could sideswipe it and other valley firms. RealNetworks Inc.,...

San Jose airport begins wireless service.
April 6, 2001... Passengers passing through San Jose International Airport now can pause a moment and connect their laptop computers at high speed to the Internet before boarding their flight or finding a taxi. The airport, which quietly tested wireless...

Lynx's three biotech pacts boost gene-based therapy.
April 6, 2001... Lynx just became a much bigger cat. In inking three key biotech deals with big players in as many weeks, the Hayward-based genomics company has boosted its role as a collaborator in the race to bring the promise of gene-based therapies...

Customers irked ISPs didn't warn of Northpoint demise.
April 6, 2001... Not all the valley customers left without high-speed Internet access because of Northpoint Communications' troubles blame the bankrupt DSL provider for their pain. Some are more critical of Internet service providers that had relied on...

Internet to expose hate.
April 6, 2001... The Cisco Foundation and Cisco Systems Inc. have joined with the Southern Poverty Law Center to harness the power of the Internet to expose hate and promote tolerance. The Southern Poverty Law Center has launched a new Web site,...

Toshiba spins off San Jose unit.
April 6, 2001... Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc., says it's spinning off its San Jose-based microprocessor engineering division as a wholly-owned subsidiary. ArTile Microsystems Inc. will develop "system-on-a-chip" designs. It will remain in San...

Broadband firm gets more funding.
April 6, 2001... San Jose-based Pacific Broadband Communications says it has secured $50 million in additional funding. The money will be used for product development and company growth, the firm says. Pacific Broadband develops broadband products for...

What the well-connected will wear.
April 6, 2001... Thanks to Palm Inc., a pocket is more than a place you put your hand. The Santa Clara-based maker of handheld computers called personal digital assistants is coming out with its own line of designer raincoats -- complete with a pocket for...

Metrika lands mezzanine financing.
April 6, 2001... A Sunnyvale company that develops medical monitoring devices has announced the completion of a $26 million mezzanine round of financing. Metrika Inc. says the new money will be used to scale up production and market and sell its A1cNOW...

Organic prunes to save money.
April 6, 2001... San Francisco-based Organic Inc., an Internet professional services company, says it's cutting 300 jobs, or 35 percent of its work force. Organic CEO Mark Kingdon says the cuts should save the company about $50 million, not counting an...

Tech companies get funding.
April 6, 2001... What economic downturn? The slowing economy has not turned off the money tap for high-tech companies, according to Facts Online. It says more than 370 technology-based firms received new funding in March. Companies in California got...

Computermaker trims staff.
April 6, 2001... EMachines, which makes lower-cost personal computers, says it will close its sales offices in Scotts Valley San Francisco and New York and cut 21 jobs because of declining revenue. Irvine-based eMachines says it is stopping further spending...

When can you start?
April 6, 2001... Demand for information technology workers is expected to decline 44 percent from 2000 -- and that's still good news, according to the Information Technology Association of America. Although demand is down from last year, some 425,000 IT...

Too much expansion too soon puts iLogistix behind eight ball.
April 6, 2001... An overly aggressive expansion effort has sent one of the East Bay's largest private employers into bankruptcy. ILogistix, a Fremont company that provides services designed to help businesses better manage their supply chains, has filed for...

FileMaker keeps up-to-date.
April 6, 2001... Anyone who thinks all databases are created equal hasn't been awake for the past six years, as a little thing called the Internet dramatically remade the way people think about information. FileMaker Inc. -- the Santa Clarabased Apple...

Soldiers get an online education, thanks to local tech firms.
April 6, 2001... From sand dunes in Somalia to biergartens in Germany, American soldiers are getting college degrees online and boosting Bay Area companies' sales in the process. The U.S. Army awarded a $453 million, five-year contract to...

Scientists launch project to build research network.
April 6, 2001... Intel Corp. and leaders of the scientific research community have announced a new philanthropic effort to help combat life-threatening diseases by linking millions of PCs to create the world's largest and most powerful computing resource. ...

Firm's service will come in handy even if law passes.
April 6, 2001... Burglary may be illegal, but that doesn't mean a home doesn't need a burglar alarm. That's the premise of a Santa Clara company aimed at protecting Internet users from spam. "There are laws right now about invasive telemarketing, but...

Selling Insurance, the Silicon Valley way.
April 6, 2001... Child at Chesapeake Bay finds Left Coast offers chance to take company high-tech Dan White is trying to push something developed in the 19th century into the 21st century, and in the process may be inventing a new arena for insurance...

Here's a contest where the worst can be judged the best.
April 6, 2001... You've read those foreboding words before: "It was a dark and stormy night...." They come from the introduction of the novel "Paul Clifford," written by Victorian novelist Edward George Bulwer-Lytton. And they're also the inspiration of...

'We have built a company that is efficient and lean'.
April 6, 2001... Building a company with a $100 million valuation in less than three years requires a long-term vision coupled with short-term execution. InterTrade was created in 1996 to bring efficiency to trading relationships, particularly in the food...

Venture capitalist puts portion of fund profits into foundation.
April 6, 2001... In this market, many venture capitalists avoid calls from the media. Dan Skath isn't one of them. But given the choice, he'd rather talk about the Sienna Foundation than his firm, Sienna Ventures. "I think it's really cool, but people...

BMW 525i offers peace of mind with its smaller price tag.
April 6, 2001... What did BMW know that seems to have escaped other luxury manufacturers? The German company appears to have anticipated the recent economic downturn and developed a significantly less expensive version of its highly regarded 5-Series sedan. ...

Globetrotter's venture sells software-defined networking box.
April 6, 2001... Other entrepreneurs claim they want to change the world, and while Junaid Islam has traveled much of it, he just wants to change the networking market. Mr. Islam is CEO of Network Robots in Pleasanton, which sells a single networking box...

People in the News.
April 6, 2001... Consulting Bernard Marketing Associates of Walnut Creek has promoted Susan Henrichs to project manager. Ms. Henrichs joined Bernard Marketing in 1994 as an administrative assistant, advancing to marketing assistant and marketing...

Ask the exec: Would improving relations with Mexico be important to you and your business?
April 6, 2001... Susan Darwin Vice president Channe/Wave Software Inc, Western region From a philosophical viewpoint, I say a strong 'yes.' Improved international relations are good for business. Our company has a mandate to expand...

Food, fun and art Readers share their favorites.
April 6, 2001... The weather is warm, the sun is out and, since the electricity probably isn't on, you might as well get outside. With the help of readers who responded to the Best of Silicon Valley poll, the Business Journal compiled a list of fun, local,...

Pet professionals use touch, patience in assisting animals.
April 6, 2001... Many people take their pets straight to a veterinarian when they have a medical or behavioral problem. But there are alternatives to pills and shots. Whether it's a cat that sprays, a dog that's too playful with house guests or a horse...

Where you and Fido can go.
April 6, 2001... More than most other pets, dogs live for the company of their human caretakers -- how many cats jump in the car as soon as you open the door? In the Bay Area, dog owners have become increasingly vocal about restrictions on their pets. The...

If you spend a lot of energy doing, there's no time to think.
April 6, 2001... Throughout history great thinkers have pondered three mysteries: If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how will we know? Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack? How did a fool and his money get together before...

Need to clear your head? Readers point you to tranquil spots.
April 6, 2001... It's all in a day's work: screening phone calls, resolving conflicts, completing paperwork. And then there are family responsibilities, volunteer work, movies to see, a gym you haven't visited in ages. Too much on your plate? You may...

What appreciation gesture has been the most memorable?
April 6, 2001... Q & A Last December, we all got a huge pat on the back from the partners. It was a surprise Christmas party. It started with breakfast being brought in. Then each of us had a half-hour shoulder-neck massage. Lunch was brought in....

Employee outings stay popular despite economic slowdown.
April 6, 2001... A falling stock market. Layoffs. Disappointing earnings. Not the sort of news to automatically inspire company loyalty and good cheer. And yet, Silicon Valley companies continue to encourage team spirit and employee satisfaction. In...

Valley would survive if Boeing-like staple pulled up stakes.
April 6, 2001... If The Boeing Co.'s decision to leave Seattle had been motivated by the rainy weather or the increasing traffic, it would reflect on the city. But the fact that Boeing's decision had more to do with corporate restructuring and expressing...

Boeing's departure raises volume of Seattle's debate over business climate.
April 6, 2001... The Boeing Co.'s decision to move its corporate headquarters out of Seattle is quickly altering state and local political agendas in substantive ways. Boeing's pending departure has started a broad discussion about the state's business...

S. F. Giants find increased attendance with online game-ticketing programs.
April 6, 2001... Internet-based ticketing, one of the least glamorous categories of online business, is starting to pay dividends, according to two major-sports entities at a recent conference on the subject. The San Francisco Giants and the Georgia...

Statistics show California still chugging along despite hurdles.
April 6, 2001... California's economy is remarkably strong, all things considered. The state's energy problems have been well-documented, marked by rolling blackouts and electricity rate increases as steep as 48 percent. The national economic slowdown has...

Hair today, gone tomorrow.
April 6, 2001... Did you wonder why thousands of women were swarming all over downtown last weekend? Turns out they were among 20,000 conventioneers who attended the West Coast Style Show at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. The show, which draws...

Meanwhile ...
April 6, 2001... NetLedger plans a big theatrical bash for the April 19 launch of its integrated small-business-management software. The company is so confident in its new product -- which it's calling "the birth of a new category" -- that it is going all out...

Sh-h-h-h.
April 6, 2001... When venture capitalists keep quiet about a big new investment, you know the economic scene is glum. And mum's the word at Oak Investment Partners, a venture capital firm with offices in Palo Alto, Minneapolis and West-port, Conn. Business...

Signs of the Times?
April 6, 2001... Have you seen your New York Times lately? It's been missing from the front steps of some homes for the past week or so. One complainant hasn't seen his copy since March 24. A Times-less subscriber who called customer service was told one of...

Yeah, right.
April 6, 2001... Here's an excuse we wish we'd thought of when we were in school. Business Journal Web and broadcast producer Douglas E. Caldwell reports that Southern California Edison says it couldn't file its annual report with the Securities and Exchange...

Wake-up call.
April 6, 2001... On Jim Cunneen's first day on the job as new president and CEO of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, the former assemblyman brought a cappuccino cart to work and someone to serve up the java all morning. "I had a double...

Dot-com shutdowns may be on decline, according to study.
April 6, 2001... The number of "substantial" Internet companies that shut down in March declined from the numbers posted in February and January, says Tim Miller, president of Webmergers.com, a San Francisco company that monitors the health of the Internet...

Al Davis' suit throwing NFL for loss.
April 6, 2001... Though it is too early to tell whether Al Davis will prevail in his latest court battle against the NFL, this much is sure: The case has been a drag on the league. Last week's NFL annual meetings, which began March 25 and wrapped up early...

Investing in arts is good business.
April 6, 2001... The San Jose Symphony has launched a campaign to raise $5 million, taking its cue from the artful world of for profit businesses. The organization's drive, dubbed Operation Flourish, represents a dramatic change in its approach to fund...

A prune by any other name.
April 6, 2001... We're almost 20 years past George Or-well's 1984, but California is keeping the spirit of Newspeak alive. If you want to make people's noses wrinkle by talking about something fruity (insert your Dennis Rodman joke here), mention prunes....

Letters to the Editor.
April 6, 2001... Siebel way below par Editor: I read the article in the (March 23) Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, "Siebel looks to next year after battling elements, attendance shortfall," and I wanted to let you know that it was the worst...

Shock therapy.
April 6, 2001... As the aftershocks of the Boeing earthquake roll over Puget Sound, area residents are sorting through the debris, contemplating a future without Boeing and trying to assess the reasons for the company's decision to leave. That future is...

No pain, no gain.
April 6, 2001... This is going to hurt a bit. But then, treating serious injuries often does. And it's hard to imagine a patient more critically injured than California's power system, which the California Public Utilities Commission took perhaps the most...

Bankruptcy hill a bailout.
April 6, 2001... Hats off to the credit-card industry for orchestrating an unprecedented $60 million lobbying campaign to finally assure approval of sweeping bankruptcy reform legislation that's all but certain to become law. It should rightly be called...