Reading Eagle (Reading, PA) articles from August 2001

Reading Eagle (Reading, PA) archives from August 2001

First Union to Take On Yet Another Identity After Acquiring Wachovia.
August 30, 2001... Byline: Tony Lucia Aug. 30--Locally, there may be no better customer for sign companies than First Union National Bank and its predecessors. In 1983 American Bancorp and Central Penn National Corp. formed Meridian Bancorp, which 12...

Reading, Pa., Sign Company Dues Brisk Business Due to Mergers, Changes.
August 30, 2001... Byline: Tony Lucia Aug. 30--With their persuasive phrases, arresting images and intriguing logos, signs edge their way into your consciousness wherever you go. Sometimes, though, the information overload is such that you may drive...

Douglassville, Pa., Tech Firm to Go Private.
August 30, 2001... Aug. 30--The shareholders of STV Group Inc., Douglassville, have voted to approve the transaction needed to take the firm private at a special shareholders meeting in Philadelphia, the firm said Wednesday. All shares of STV common stock...

Reading, Pa.-Area Car Dealers Hit with Glut of Used Vehicles.
August 29, 2001... Byline: Patrick J. Burns Aug. 29--The used vehicle market's recent glut of two- and three-year-old models has provided a mixed bag for dealers, consumers, banks and car manufacturers. Jim J. Blickle, president Performance Toyota...

Virginia, Pennsylvania-Based Companies to Sell Wireless Network to VoiceStream.
August 29, 2001... Aug. 29--Ntelos Inc. and Conestoga Enterprises Inc. agreed to sell Conestoga's Wireless GSM network to VoiceStream Wireless Corp. for $60 million, companies announced Tuesday. Ntelos said the sale includes 18,000 Conestoga PCS customers...

Reading, Pa.-Area Banking Corporation Plans Stock Offering.
August 28, 2001... Aug. 28--First Leesport Bancorp Inc. said Monday it is planning an offering of 1 million shares of common stock. The shares, the proceeds of which are to be used to provide capital for growth, are to be offered to shareholders as of an as...

Reading Eagle, Pa., Business Briefs Column.
August 28, 2001... Aug. 28--ALLFIRST OPENS BRANCH IN BROACASTING SQUARE: Allfirst Bank opened a branch in Broadcasting Square Shopping Center, Spring Township, Monday, a few days after it closed its Berkshire Mall West branch. All employees from the mall...

Moderate Job Growth Predicted for Reading, Pa., Area.
August 28, 2001... Aug. 28--The Reading area should see moderate job growth this fall, says Manpower Inc.'s quarterly Employment Outlook Survey. The latest poll of Berks County employers found that 20 percent planned to hire more workers this fall, while...

Berks County, Pa., Jobless Rate Climbs Past 5 Percent.
August 28, 2001... Byline: Matt Bartel Aug. 28--Berks County's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate climbed to 5.1 percent in July as seasonal shutdowns combined with a slow economy and job cuts among some area manufacturers. The rate was up from 4.8...

College Graduate Takes On Big Philadelphia Accounting Firm for Her First Job.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 27--Finding a job is the most pressing concern for many recent college graduates and if speed is any measure of success, Dorothy Brandt had many of her peers beat. In the fall of her senior year at Villanova...

Wyomissing, Pa., Retailer Sells `Gently Used' Childrens Clothing.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Hannah Fiske Aug. 27--Once upon a time, the anticipation of crisp autumn days struck fear into the hearts of parents, who were forced to pay the high cost of children's back-to-school wardrobes. Together with the fact that...

Pennsylvania College Graduates Find It's Work Looking for A Job.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 27--Many recent college graduates weaned on career advice suggesting resumes are best when sent out by the dozens are going online to reach employers. Caroline Bubnis, who graduated this year with a degree...

Pennsylvania College Graduates Find No Shortage of Jobs.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Greg Williams Aug. 27--Michael V. Sharesky has pulled his last all-nighter. Taken his last exam. Sharesky, who graduated from Albright College in the spring with bachelor's degrees in marketing and political science, has...

Recent Penn State Engineering Graduate Still Looking For Work.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 27--John M. Wisniewski doesn't know when he'll be making the adjustment to the workplace. When he graduated Aug. 5 with a mechanical engineering degree from Penn State University, Wisniewski was equipped to...

Reading, Pa.-Area Employers Reform Their Leave Policies.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Patrick Burns Aug. 27--Like most teen-agers, Karen Howard wasn't thinking about vacation while in college in 1980. But the part-time Reading Hospital operating room nurse says she now banks on time off. Berks County...

Pennsylvania Technology Graduate Dreams of Starting Nonprofit Group.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 27--Jeffrey E. Bialis, a 1999 graduate of Berks Technical Institute, Wyomissing, is looking for some of the same things as are other graduates -- financial independence, a job in his chosen field -- but Bialis...

Exceeding One's Credit Limit Is Easy for College Students.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 27--To charge or not to charge? For many college students, limiting their credit card spending can be tough. But it is important to strike a balance between racking up too much credit card debt and...

Baltimore-Based Allfirst Names Executive to Northeast Pennsylvania Region.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Tony Lucia Aug. 24--Allfirst Financial Inc., Baltimore, on Thursday announced a realignment of its corporate structure into a more geographic focus, and named a Reading resident as president of one of its nine newly created...

Morristown, N.J.-Based GPU to Distribute Ballard Fuel Cell Generators.
August 24, 2001... Aug. 24--GPU Inc., Morristown, N.J., said Thursday it has been appointed a distributor of fuel cell power generators by Ballard Generation Systems, Vancouver. GPU, which holds a 12.6 percent interest in BGS, also said it was exchanging...

Kraft to Cut Jobs at Lehigh County, Pa., Plant.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Tony Lucia Aug. 24--Kraft Foods Inc. on Thursday said it plans to permanently cut 200 employees from the workforce at its plant in Upper Macungie Township, Lehigh County, by the end of the year. Another 50 will temporarily...

Lucent Spinoff Agere Systems to Revamp Company Structure.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Tony Lucia Aug. 24--Agere Systems Inc., Allentown, said Thursday it is reorganizing to focus its efforts more keenly on its markets. Under the reorganization -- to take effect Oct. 1, the beginning of Agere's fiscal year --...

Pending Energy Company Merger Could Cost 1,250 Pennsylvania Jobs.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Tony Lucia Aug. 24--The $4.5 billion acquisition of GPU Inc. by FirstEnergy Corp. would result in the loss of about 1,250 jobs, or about 9 percent of their combined workforce, over a four-year period, the firms said Friday in a...

Barnes and Noble to Open Long-Awaited Reading, Pa., Store in October.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Karen L. Miller Aug. 22--Barnes and Noble Inc., the nation's largest book retailer, says the long-awaited Spring Township bookstore is scheduled to open Oct. 17. Construction on the site in the Broadcasting Square Shopping...

Chili's to Open New Location in Reading, Pa., Area.
August 22, 2001... Aug. 22--Chili's Grill and Bar restaurant is scheduled to open Monday in Broadcasting Square Shopping Center, Spring Township. The $755,000 restaurant is at the northeast corner of Broadcasting and Paper Mill roads at the edge of the...

Akron, Ohio-Based Trucking Firm Buys Lebanon, Pa.-Based Company.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Matt Bartel Aug. 22--A New Penn Motor Express official said Wednesday that Roadway Corp.'s purchase of the trucking company and its parent firm, Arnold Industries Inc. of Lebanon, will have little short-term effect on New Penn's...

Muhlenberg, Pa., Man Opens Successful Hamburger Stand at Farmers Market.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Patrick T. Burns Aug. 21--The bands of Matthew T. Greth's muscles encircled his airways, effectively choking his lungs' air supply and oxygen flow to his brain for several minutes shortly after he returned home from sixth-grade...

Federal Officials Examine Use of Slotting Fees by Stores.
August 21, 2001... Aug. 21--Slotting fee, or the money manufacturers, producers and distributors pay to place their products, has been business as usual for a long time. Grocery stores have limited space and millions of products to sell. Last year, more...

Grocery Stores Charge Slotting Fees to Producers for Product Placement.
August 21, 2001... Aug. 21--The most common slotting allowances are geared toward helping grocers cover the cost of introducing new products, including the labor required to remove products that previously occupied the shelf, according to the Food Marketing...

Berks County, Pa., Pretzel Companies Add New Varieties of Snack.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Hannah Fiske Aug. 21--Once limited to twists or sticks, Berks County's favorite salty snack has evolved into dozens of varieties, creating a highly competitive market. "I think new varieties are added because companies are...

Reading, Pa.-Based Pretzel Company Strives for Greater Recognition.
August 21, 2001... Aug. 21--The increasing number of pretzel flavors and shapes presents a unique challenge to the Faller Pretzel Co. The Reading-based bakery makes only one type of pretzels -- sticks, yet contends for shelf space with manufacturers who...

Pennsylvania Pretzel Companies Fight for Space on Store Shelves.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Hannah Fiske Aug. 21--Most people know that the food they purchase at the supermarket is not priced at wholesale cost. That is, after all, how the stores make money and stay in business. What consumers may not know, however,...

Reading Eagle, Pa., Family Keeps Turning Rags to Riches.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Julia F. Nazimov Aug. 20--In a way, they're the original recyclers. Richard and Pam Daniels and their son, Jason, second and third-generation owners of Pennsylvania Wiping Materials and Reading Sanitary Wiper in Sinking Spring,...

Reading, Pa.-Area Caterer Victimized By Thieves Gets a Helping Hand.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Patrick Burns Aug. 18--Discussions of theft, conspiracy and a businessman's unusual act compassion swirled among 2,200 guests at the Berks County Chamber of Commerce annual picnic at Shearer's Barbecue Ranch, Spring Township. ...

Reading Eagle, Pa., Business Briefs Column.
August 17, 2001... Aug. 17-- BERKS ENTERPRISES RECEIVE STATE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS: Two Berks County businesses and a public group are among recipients of state community and economic development grants. The businesses include Lithotech Inc., $110,000 in Small...

Battery Maker's Departure from Reading, Pa., Continues As Signs Come Down.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 16--Exide Corp. took another step Wednesday in its exodus from Berks County when the exterior signs came down at the company's former world headquarters, 645 Penn St. The world's largest battery maker...

Reading Eagle, Pa., Business Briefs Column.
August 16, 2001... Aug. 16--THE BERKS COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION'S board of directors announced the election of Robert W. Cardy as its chairman. Cardy, Wyomissing, retired in June as chairman and chief executive officer of Carpenter Technology Corp. He has...

US Airways' Jet Service Unlikely at Reading, Pa., Regional Airport.
August 16, 2001... Aug. 16--US Airways' latest long-term strategic plan -- using more regional jets for its main routes -- is unlikely to affect Reading Regional Airport, at least not without runway improvements. "It might not be bad strategy," John...

Manager Says Tyco Job Cuts Won't Affect Exeter Township, Pa.
August 15, 2001... Aug. 15--Tyco International Ltd.'s announced cuts do not include its manufacturing plant in Exeter Township, said Russ Relkin, manufacturing manager at the facility. "We're holding steady," Relkin said. The Exeter Township Tyco...

Mascots Market Services for Reading, Pa.-Area Companies.
August 14, 2001... Byline: David A. Kostival Aug. 14--After seeing a huge blue elephant in a red vest and a seven-foot tall hot dog with size 22 shoes, you might think you saw a preview of a children's television show. Guess again; it's just business...

Few Reading, Pa.-Area Retailers See Sacagawea Dollar Coins in Circulation.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Patrick Burns Aug. 14--The U.S. Mint's $40 million ad campaign aimed at creating mass appeal of the 2000 Sacagawea dollar was solid gold: Distribute the $1 coins like bobbing-head dolls at GPU Stadium. The campaign's smashing...

Reading, Pa.-Based Plastics Manufacturer Helps Float New Kayak Idea.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Greg Williams Aug. 14--Peter J. Connors has discovered that sometimes launching a kayak can be the toughest part of a run. Especially if it's a run in an industry with typically rough waters. A few years ago, the...

Lancaster, Pa., Native Makes Career Out of Mascots.
August 14, 2001... Byline: David A. Kostival Aug. 14--When Kutztown University graduate Erin S. Blank caught her first glimpse of the Phillie Phanatic at age 6, she knew she was hooked. Her passion for mascots at sporting events eventually led her to...

Tip Jars Beckon at Reading, Pa.-Area Establishments.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Carole Simpson Aug. 14--To tip or not to tip? The ubiquitous tip jar -- whether glass bowls, clear plastic cubes, foam cups or small wicker baskets with bows -- adorns countertops, many strategically placed next to cash...

Reading, Pa., CareerLink Office Offers Help to Jobless.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Matt Bartel Aug. 11--Berks County residents seeking to apply for jobless benefits have been at the end of a telephone line since the end of November 1999. That's when the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry closed...

Group of Pennsylvania Magicians Profits from Making Things Disappear.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 11--Magician Wayne M. Hoffman doesn't escape from locked safes or make people disappear, but with silk scarves and magic canes he knows how to make a few dollar bills vanish from your pocket and reappear in his....

Reading Eagle, Pa., Your Money Column.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Linda Knepp Camella Aug. 11--Section 529 plan offers improved college savings When asked to list their most pressing savings concerns, Americans often cite paying their children's higher education as second only to saving for...

St. Lawrence, Pa., Advertising Firm's Shift to Web Cost Jobs.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 10--The owner of Arnold Advertising said Thursday that the firm has stopped the majority of its work and that most of its 12 employees were laid off. J. Douglas Arnold, 58, founded Arnold Advertising at 3608...

Reading, Pa., Auto Battery Maker Posts First Quarter Losses.
August 10, 2001... Aug. 10--Exide Technologies posted a net loss of $7.2 million or 28 cents a share for its first fiscal quarter ended June 30, compared to a net loss of $9.4 million or 44 cents a share for the same period a year ago. The latest results...

Comcast Calls Digital Cable a Big Success in Berks County, Pa.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Tony Lucia Aug. 10--A month after launching digital cable services in the Berks County area, Comcast Cable Communications Inc. said Thursday that it had great reception. Rick D. Germano, vice president of Comcast's...

Auto Dealership to Move from Reading, Pa., Location.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 9--Vision Auto Inc. will move to Bern Township from its 1211 Lancaster Ave. site, quadrupling its display and office space and adding up to 20 jobs to its Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen dealership. R. Craig...

Reading Eagle, Pa., Business Briefs Column.
August 9, 2001... Aug. 9--SAGEWORTH TRUST CO., formerly known as Sterlingworth Holdings, has been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking. The Sageworth organization, based in Lancaster, was founded earlier this year by a group of southcentral...

Tech Firm Idles Managers at Three Pennsylvania Plants.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Matt Bartel Aug. 8--The pink slips are going out at Agere Systems Inc., this time affecting non-union managers at its three Pennsylvania facilities and employees of a joint venture. Agere Systems Inc. and Furukawa Electric...

Labor Group to Target Mushroom Farms in Berks County, Pa.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Patrick Burns Aug. 7--A mushroom workers union official said he'll push to unionize Berks County mushroom farms following a state Supreme Court ruling last month that reaffirmed the right of mushroom workers to unionize under the...

Jefferson, Pa., Pet Spa Allows Furry Friends to Relax in Luxury.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Hannah Fiske Aug. 6--It may be a little known fact that Berks County is a vacation destination for pets, who often are left behind when their owners are out of town. The Bernville Pet Spa and Resort, on a hillside in...

Birdsboro, Pa., Chemicals Plant to Host Twelve Area Science Teachers.
August 6, 2001... Aug. 6--Twelve area science teachers will spend a week at Atofina Chemicals' Birdsboro plant to participate in the company's 6th Annual Science Teacher Program. The teachers will work with Atofina research scientists and conduct hands-on...

Days-Old Baked Goods Lure Loyal, Thrifty Customers in Reading, Pa., Area.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 4--So much for the labor of the midnight bakers -- some people prefer their bread and pastries a few days old. Customers at area bakery thrift stores say the savings outweigh the benefits of same-day...

Bank Officials: First Union Merger to Have Minimal Impact on Berks County, Pa.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Patrick Burns Aug. 4--First Union officials said Friday that their planned acquisition of Wachovia Corp. will not mean a whole lot to Berks County customers, nor have an effect on its area workforce. Robert L. Reid, regional...

Reading, Pa.-Based Automotive, Industrial Battery Company Names New CEO.
August 3, 2001... Aug. 3--Exide Technologies on Thursday named Craig H. Muhlhauser, president, as the successor to Chief Executive Robert A. Lutz, who is giving up the CEO job Sept. 1 to take a job as vice chairman at General Motors. Muhlhauser, 52, who...

Apparel Business Shuts Reading, Pa.-Area Plants.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Tony Lucia Aug. 2--Spring Ford Industries, a manufacturer of T-shirts and other knitwear based in Spring City, Chester County, on Wednesday said it has closed its plants in Leesport and Boyertown. The number of employees at...

Custom Knitwear Maker Shuts Reading, Pa.-Area Plants.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Tony Lucia Aug. 2--Spring Ford Industries, a manufacturer of T-shirts and other knitwear based in Spring City, Chester County, on Wednesday said it has closed its plants in Leesport and Boyertown. The number of employees at...

Reading Eagle, Pa., Earnings Column.
August 2, 2001... Aug. 2--CONESTOGA ENTERPRISES Inc., Birdsboro, posted net income for its second quarter of $563,000 or 5 cents a share, down from $1.36 million or 16 cents a share a year earlier. The second quarter 2000 net income included a one-time...

Roadside Produce Vendors in Reading, Pa., Area, Receive Marketing Tips.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 2--When Philip Preston inherited 25 acres of orchards and a farm stand more than a quarter-century ago, he didn't think much about making the stand pretty. But on Tuesday evening, Preston and his wife,...

Produce Plan Unites Grocers, Growers in Reading, Pa., Area.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Lily Henning Aug. 2--Local produce growers and state officials gathered on Wednesday amid bins overflowing with fruit and vegetables to announce Redner's Warehouse Markets' participation in a state program to boost sales of...

Reading, Pa., Vietnamese Restaurant to Relocate.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Karen L. Miller Aug. 1--The owners of a popular Vietnamese restaurant purchased the former Moyer's Book Mart building at Sixth and Court streets Tuesday and plan to move the family business there. Thanh Huynh, who manages the...

Kutztown, Pa.-Based Tourbus Company Gets New Owners.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Tony Lucia Aug. 1--Customers riding its motor coaches won't notice any difference, but there's a new driver behind the wheel at Carl R. Bieber Inc. Steven G. Haddad, formerly general manager of the Kutztown-based firm, said...