Stories for September 1998
Monday, September 28
SITE SELECTION MISTAKES
A nationwide survey of economic development professionals asking them to list the most
dealers
In recent months, Republic has accumulated more than 50 dealerships all over Southern California. Last month alone, it took over three local car dealership groups, including Buena Park-based House of Imports, the nation's largest dealer of Mercedes-Benzes
Weekly briefing
After he sold his two companies, Hain Pure Food Co. and Hollywood Foods, Herman Jacobs figured on a smooth and comfortable retirement. He didn't count on getting bored. At the request of his two sons, Jacobs re-entered the business world with gusto, and b
Bull
Roger Engemann views the market's summer plunge and subsequent gyrations as a buying opportunity.
MERGERS
The public mergers-and-acquisitions market involving publicly held companies, often financed by stock swaps has cooled for investment bankers in recent weeks, but there's plenty of action left in deals consummated behind the scenes.
LAStoryFS
Contrary to the considerable industry buzz last week, Don Ohlmeyer says he isn't quitting his job as West Coast president of NBC, TV's No. 1 network.
MOMENTS IN HISTORY
10 years ago this week: A Tokyo company agreed to buy the Hotel-Intercontinental chain, which included the Mark Hopkins in San Francisco ... the IRS subpoenaed the records of offshore banks as part of a money-laundering probe ... Northrop executives were
SCORECARD
"Titanic" has given Paramount Pictures the biggest slice of the box-office pie so far this year and most likely bragging rights as 1998's top studio.
Measuring Floor Area
The purpose of having a "Standard Method For Measuring Floor Area in Office Buildings" is to permit communication and computation on a clear and understandable basis. The Building Owners And Managers Association (BOMA) standard has been the generally acce
Personal
At times of stock market volatility as in the last few weeks what's an individual investor to do?
Safe
With a financial typhoon swamping Asia, Los Angeles has been a safe harbor for foreign investors looking to park capital and make relatively worry-free real estate investments.
Featured Newsmaker
While most people consider the Internet the "wave of the future," Lawrence P. Howorth, 47, the newly appointed chief operating and financial officer at CyberStudios Inc., looks at it as a business that has stronger ties to the past.
Trends CBD Office
Although it has lagged many of the other sub-markets in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, commercial real estate in the Central Business District (CBD) is increasingly attracting interest from both institutional investors and high profile tenants. Evide
ENVIRIONMENTAL OFFICE
? Look for products made from recycled materials, such as file folders, note and legal pads, business cards, clipboards and bulletin boards.
Bloomies
The New York-based buyers from Bloomingdale's have been spending a lot of time in California lately.
RECOL
Two new commercial developments are in the works for a relatively underserved section of the Westside the far Westside.
OSHA
OSHA PROVIDES NEW ADVISOR SOFTWARE FOR BUSINESSES
Lastories
It's something of an open secret that "Teletubbies," the PBS television series aimed at children too young to talk, has a cult following among teen-agers and young adults some of whom watch the show after considerable partying.
Business Centers
Nigel Crombie is an independent Commercial Real Estate Analyst based in San Francisco.
OSHA POST
JOB SAFETY AND HEALTH EXPERT NAMED TO OSHA POST
AQMD
Fourteen months after James Lents was forced out as executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the agency is nowhere near deciding his replacement.
GOVT
After a long absence, the government budget surplus returned in 1998 at least on the federal and state level. Local budget coffers also improved this year, enabling local governments to dig out of deep financial holes.
Forumadd
I'd have to say the Coliseum. It's more centrally located. You want it to be located in some kind of critical center. And downtown L.A. is a place where people can go. It will be the center for sports and entertainment, instead of sprawling things out eve
Smallbiz
Lois Sarkisian appears to have discovered something as elusive as the fountain of youth or the Holy Grail a fine-art market that is virtually recession-proof.
OVERVIEW
With Asia in financial meltdown, Wall Street in convulsions and Washington in disarray, the local economy is faced with more uncertainty than it has seen in several years.
LAX
In the wake of heated community opposition to a plan to double the size of Los Angeles International Airport, officials are considering sharply scaling back development plans for the north side of the LAX property.
A SAFE WORKPLACE
HAVE YOU SET UP A SAFE WORKPLACE?
COMMERCIAL LEASE PITFALLS
Today's soft commercial real estate market has created many opportunities for savvy companies, yet, with opportunity comes risk. And it's a situation that most managers will soon face. Because every year seven percent of the nation's commercial real estat
Office Quake-Ready
? Potential Earthquake hazards in the home and workplace should be removed or corrected
LEASE OFFICE EQUIPMENT
In this cash-poor era, more and more companies are considering leasing office equipment and/or furniture instead of buying it. But a lease deal, that sounds so attractive on the surface, often ends up
Titans
On one side is Michael Ovitz and his all-stars: box-office giants Tom Cruise and Kevin Costner, former L.A. Lakers greats Jerry West and Magic Johnson, Northwest Airlines Corp. Chairman Gary Wilson, supermarket magnate Ron Burkle, and Ted Forstmann, the l
Persfi
Is this an asteroid or what? Will it crash into the planet or burn out before impact? No, not President Clinton's Monica story but the other favorite focus of incendiary gossip: the Millennium Bug.
Pullout
Let's admit it, there is some method to the madness of those federal regulators. Thanks largely to government oversight, airplanes don't fall out of the sky, food is almost always safe, and drugs don't become available until they have been thoroughly test
Corporate
As local businesses head into their budget-planning season, the economic problems in Asia are impacting their spending plans for next year both positively and negatively.
WSW
Institutional investors clearly have the clout these days to green-light mergers for companies whose stocks are not performing in effect putting them out of business. Given such clout, it's little wonder that companies are doing more to serve their need
Forum
There are two competing plans for a new pro football stadium in the Los Angeles area: One would essentially rebuild the Coliseum, and one would be part of a sports/retail complex in Carson. Real estate mogul Ed Roski is behind the Coliseum remake, while f
EARNINGS
With third-quarter earnings set to be released over the next few weeks, Corporate America has this message for Wall Street: Don't hold your breath.
Landlord's Market
Even with the specter of the Asian economic crises, the commercial real estate market in Southern California continues to be robust with industry experts projecting ample room for continued growth in the region. Job growth is at an all-time high; technolo
Computercol
The Internet has just faced its biggest test ever and passed with flying colors.
Koch
David Koch has been chief administrative officer of the Los Angeles Unified School District for only about two and a half months. If he hangs in another three months, he will have outlasted both his predecessors.
margin
This week, Managing Editor John Corrigan is leaving the Business Journal, and try as I might, it's hard to imagine the place without him.
Techtalk
Good news, Los Angeles. There actually is money available here for tech entrepreneurs, even if Silicon Valley continues to suck in a disproportionate amount of venture capital in California.
Clauses
Two of L.A.'s longest-running business sagas have reached critical turning points and it's about time.
Investment
That's not just the mantra being pushed by personal finance experts it's the approach being taken by local venture capitalists, who are calmly staying the course.
Entnote
I often hear employers say they would like their workers to be more loyal and show greater commitment to the company. The answer is fairly simple: profit sharing.
OFFICE RECYCLING TIPS
15 OFFICE RECYCLING TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
Ideal Workplace
Imagine this: you work in an office where your colleagues remember your birthday every year and celebrate with a cake, (ablaze with the right number of candles), brought out at lunchtime.
OFFICE LEASING
When looking for office space, everyone knows that good economics are important. But in addition to a sound financial deal, there are many other items that must be considered.
Talk
The call was from an ad agency producing a commercial for a political candidate on the island. The agency was looking for a strong male voice, with the kind of timbre that commands authority. After all, the voice would be used to narrate a commercial abou
COMPANY HOME
outgrown your current space and it's starting to hurt your productivity. What should you be looking for? What are the pitfalls?
Correx
Due to incorrect information supplied to the Business Journal, a story in the Sept. 14 issue erroneously identified Global Icons as owner of the commercial rights to the likeness of James Dean.
ERGONOMIC IMPROVEMENTS
to certified professional ergonomist Davis Mellin, president of his own industrial
Littleguy
In the past two years, Mark Weinstein has quietly amassed a small real estate empire.
RELOCATION
Do Not: Empty vertical (the narrow type) file cabinets - these will be moved full.
Asklorraine
Question: I work for a small financial service company. My bosses are a husband and wife team. They have very unconventional ways of operating their business and most of the time I find it quite refreshing. However, sometimes I miss the regimen of working
Facility Performance
Performance monitoring is part of every facility management program. Operation and maintenance costs are tracked to predict future expenditures for repairs or replacement and to warn of deterioration before an equipment failure occurs. The condition of fu
CONSUMER
While gloom has settled over the stock market and much of the world seems headed into a deep recession, the American consumer remains a picture of positive thinking. If shoppers are worried about economic threats at home or abroad, they're not showing it.
Newsmakers
RTKL Associates Inc. has added five architectural designers to its Los Angeles office: Cheri Devlin, Armando Montilla, Raquel L. Marrero, Yoon S. Chang and Young M. Yi.
ENERGY CONSERVATION
Bobbi Trief is an independent Management Consultant specializing in environmental and conservational issues.
Interview
In a city awash with lawyers, Terry Christensen has a reputation for winning the really tough cases.
THOMAS
After spending more than 36 years at the helm of California's Thomas Bros. Maps, owner, Chairman and Chief Executive Warren Wilson says he plans to retire next year and either sell or take the 83-year-old company public.
ARENA
When NFL owners meet Oct. 27 to weigh rival plans for the next pro football franchise, they will hear from a Houston team that is suited and prepared to take the field.
Oped
Over the next month or so, business people can be expected to hear much about Gray Davis from the Republicans. The rap on Davis is that, as governor, he would be the cat's paw of organized labor, the teachers unions and the trial lawyers. In combination w
Oped2
Recent Republican health care proposals to expand medical savings accounts to every American and grant immediate, full tax deductibility of health insurance premiums to individuals are a step in the right direction.
Ice
When it comes to Internet commerce, software companies all seem intent on one thing: dominating the market with a foolproof program for online retailing.
CORPFOCUS
But with a sharp drop in profits, the Studio City-based company is showing signs of anemia.
Digest
A recent audit charging the Metrolink commuter rail service with mismanagement has apparently led to an upper-level shake-up at the agency, with its executive director replaced and two other top managers placed on paid leave of absence.
Monday, September 21
Imall
Like most Internet entrepreneurs, Richard Rosenblatt thought that his start-up company had a great idea.
MEETINGS 101
Anyone who has ever planned a meeting or conference knows that to execute a flawless event requires the skills of a juggler, a 20/20 eye for detail and the wisdom of Solomon.
CORPORATE GIFTS TIPS
CORPORATE GIFTS TIPS
INCREASE TRAFFIC
IF you're holding a meeting in L.A. this year, and looking for something new to recommend for your out-of-town guests, Beverly Hills has a number notable new attractions. In the last year, nearly three dozen new businesses-- from restaurants and clothing
WSW
When times are tough for investors, they tend to be tough all over. And so it was for holders of convertible bonds in August. One of the nation's leading convertible bond managers is Froley Revy Investment Co. Inc. in Westwood, with more than $2 billion u
edit
For about a year now, a small group of legislators in Washington has been pushing to bar a Chinese-owned government shipping line from setting up shop at the Port of Long Beach.
interview
Career Turning Point: When he asked Eli Broad five years after joining Kaufman & Broad to run a division, which led to his leading the French division.
Disney
In 1991, Jeff Shell received his MBA from Harvard. Then he really went to business school at Walt Disney Co.
GET MORE
HOW TO GET MORE OUT OF A SEMINARS
Small biz
Sound Source Interactive can vouch that "adapt or die" is the rallying cry for the software industry.
Premiums
That's the philosophy that has prompted the majority of companies large and small to offer wellness programs, which are intended to save money by keeping employees healthier.
Health
The head of the county's new HMO has been forced out as part of a massive reorganization after the agency had failed to meet its targets for signing up Medi-Cal recipients.
Athome
I recently recruited a staff member who did a lot of hiring in her last job. She has taught me a great deal about what to look for in a resume, and these lessons have saved me time and money in my hiring process. I now glean more from resumes than I ever
CORPFOCUS
The title of Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.'s 1997 annual report sums it up: "Growth Through Acquisition."
Oped
It's often left to human resources departments to explain the nuances of managed care plans, both to their own departments and then to the company's entire workforce.
Samesex
When Hollywood Supports was founded in 1991 as an advocacy group for gays and lesbians in the entertainment industry, not a single studio offered health benefits for same-sex domestic partners. Seven years later, every one of the major studios offers the
Wswadd
Wall Street may have turned skittish about small tech stocks in recent weeks, but that isn't stopping a Valencia manufacturer of CD-ROMs from going public.
Studio
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., after being roundly criticized over its upcoming movie about Middle Eastern terrorists, is undertaking several 11th-hour moves to placate Arab-American and Muslim groups.
Recolumn
It's not often that more than 700,000 square feet of downtown properties change hands in one fell swoop, especially when they've been in the same family for decades.
Convention Visitor's Bureau
One of the first things anyone should do that is planning to exhibit at a convention or show in a city away from home is check out the local Convention Visitor's Bureau (CVB). Most cities these days have them and they give you instant entree into virtual
l-sagner
Please relay to Joel Kotkin my agreement with his commentary of Aug. 17 ("Welcome to Hell"). Using my plain, old-fashioned observation I can see that L.A. business and culture are booming and things in general are improving through the coordinated efforts
Boosting Board Attendance
motivated, encouraged, and reminded of assigned responsibilities to keep them on track.
Party Catered
Despite the nail biting vagaries of the stock market, the economy in Southern California is robust, if not booming. Consequently, social entertaining, be it for clients or friends, has increased significantly in the past two years along with a societal
Maguire
The partnership that owns one of downtown's most prestigious skyscrapers, the Gas Co. Tower, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Entnote
The owner or manager of a small business necessarily wears many hats, with responsibilities ranging from sales and marketing to operations and finance. While having a diverse range of duties can make work interesting, it can also create real headaches, es
Learning Good Boothmanship
Trade Show studies have shown that 80% of show attendees remember MORE about the salespeople staffing the booth than the booths themselves! This statistic tells us one thing your success depends largely on the collective talent, product knowledge and en
margin
Much of Corporate America has been sounding rather sanctimonious in light of the Clinton scandal. It's been pointed out that such behavior having an affair with a young intern and then lying about it would never be tolerated in the workplace. Any CEO
Lastories
Lots of folks in L.A. are thrilled about President Clinton's recent troubles and not necessarily because they are members of the Republican Party.
ShowBizAd
Larry Wilcox, the former co-star of "Chips," has found a new career off camera. As a producer, he's executive produced and directed "The Ray Bradbury Theater," which ran five seasons on HBO and the USA cable networks. Lately he has been focusing on MediaC
TOURISM
It's a tale of two communities that tried to develop major tourist attractions to revitalize their cores: Long Beach with its Aquarium of the Pacific and Hollywood with its Hollywood Entertainment Museum.
Large
Like most large businesses with thousands of employees and like most companies whose workers are spread across the country Hughes Electronics Corp. does not use just one health maintenance organization. The El Segundo-based aerospace company has 45 di
MEETING LOCATION SPOTLIGHT
The Radisson Hotel Agoura Hills is conveniently located off the 101 freeway in Agoura Hills.
Corrections
In a Sept. 14 profile of Warner Bros. Records Inc. President Phil Quartararo, Led Zeppelin's record label was misidentified. The band is on Atlantic Records. Also, the person responsible for Quartararo's hiring was Warner Bros. Records Chairman Russ Thyre
Featured newsmaker
September has been an eventful month for Eric Swanson. The 33-year-old manager of production at King World Productions was promoted to director of programming development just a few days before the talk show he helped put together, "Roseanne," made its de
ShowBiz
The 72-year-old Beverly Hills mansion that Rupert Murdoch once shared with his estranged wife Anna is on the block for $19.5 million. But the big question circulating around town is whether the globe-trotting Murdoch will keep his official residence in Lo
Correx
Due to incorrect information supplied by the L.A. County Department of Health Services, the Aug. 31 list of restaurants misstated the health grade for The Ivy. The correct grade is "A" with a numerical rating of 91, graded on Aug. 25, 1998.
Hotel
A planned Wyndham Hotel with as many as 350 rooms is the first of several hotel projects slated for the Glendale-Burbank-Pasadena area.
Asia
A decade ago, many Angelenos complained loudly when Asian investors began spending huge sums to buy L.A.-area properties, form joint ventures and set up offices here.
l-stickney
In regard to your special report "How Much Do You Make?" (Sept. 7), I found it interesting that everybody compared the top 1 percent of the entertainment business with the total field of doctors and teachers. The fact is, 90 percent of all the people tryi
Q
After years of lowering premiums to gain market share, managed health care plans are once again raising rates. That has caused renewed friction over a variety of issues related to the cost and quality of health care.
wellness
More and more employers are offering "wellness programs" to help maintain productivity, reduce sick time and boost morale. Los Angeles companies offer everything from fitness programs to pre-natal classes. The Business Journal looked at eight different co
Negotiations
When a company decides to choose a new health maintenance organization for its employees, it's rarely just a matter of comparing the various offerings and picking one.
Weekly briefing
The ongoing debate over legislation of guns has had a major impact on the people who sell them. Darryl Roth, president and CEO of Western Firearms Inc. in Bell, spoke with Karen Teitelman about the fallout experienced by his company as a result of gun res
HISTORY
40 years ago this week: Merrill Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith announced plans to change from a partnership to a corporation ... the stock market hit a record high on Sept. 24 of 528.25 ... Warren H. Crowell of Crowell, Weedon & Co. was nominated as a vice
Consulting List Story
This year's list of management consulting firms features a new No. 1: Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group, which moved up from its No. 2 ranking last year. It accomplished that by more than doubling its full-time consulting staff in the L.A. area, now at 8
Clinton
President Clinton's affair with a young intern, his lies about the relationship, and the purported cover-up would likely get most executives fired in corporate America.
Public Speaking and Conference
U.S. real estate isn't the only thing Asian investors are unloading these days to cope with the financial crisis at home. Warhols and Lichtensteins are also proving a popular source of liquid cash.
LEGISLATION
With a huge stake in the battle over health care, business groups pushed hard and successfully to defeat state legislation that they feared would increase the cost of health-insurance premiums.
meetings
Can you comfortably say that the meetings you hold and/or attend are as effective as they could be? The following are ten characteristics of effective meetings.
Digest
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved a 600-bed replacement hospital for earthquake-damaged County-USC Medical Center, ending years of debate over the replacement hospital's size.
Small
Every year, public relations firm Rogers & Associates considers switching to a new health insurer for its 70 employees. And each year, it has made the same, unusual decision: not to sign up with a health maintenance organization.
Computercol
It was fitting that the Starr report on President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky was distributed to the members of the House, the public and the press via the Internet. And it was an unmistakable sign, if any were needed, of the impact the In
Hornblower Cruises & Events
Hornblower Cruises & Events
Arena
The developers of the new Staples Center arena downtown have tapped an architect and land-use specialist to sculpt plans for a major entertainment district on 23 acres nearby.
CASINO
In the latest example of the convergence of the entertainment and gambling industries, the William Morris Agency has become the exclusive corporate consultant to Rio Hotel & Casino Inc. in Las Vegas.
Pre-Show Promotion
Public speaking is more than merely speaking. A speech can include visuals or a demonstration. You can emphasize your words by using drama or humor. In fact, there are probably as many ways to enhance your talks or to underscore your message as there are
Newsmakers
Richard Halfon has been appointed chief engineer at AC Martin Partners. Halfon's projects at AC Martin have included the Lawrence Livermore National Library Nova Laser Facility and its National Ignition Facility.
Cooking
Now comes the next hot retail category to be peddled on the World Wide Web kitchenware. At least that's the hope of Pasadena start-up Cooking.com.
Dude Ranch
Providing a rustic backdrop for a wide range of corporate retreats and special group
Forum
Is there anybody left who hasn't read about President Clinton's tryst with Monica Lewinsky and his subsequent efforts to cover up the affair? Since the release of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's report over the Internet, it's been the subject of daily
Bank
Next week, the parent of Home Savings of America will officially be taken over by Seattle-based Washington Mutual Inc. and already the pink slips are flying in Irwindale, where Ahmanson is based.
Correct
Due to incorrect information provided to the Business Journal, the Sept. 14 real estate briefs listed an incorrect brokerage firm as representing the buyer of a two-story office building at 2525 Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica. The buyer was represented
Marketcol
At the tops of dozens of power and telephone poles throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties are boxes that look exactly like the transformers you'd expect to see at the top of a pole. But they aren't they're secret monitoring devices recording your be
Monday, September 14
Music
Not so easy, is it? While most Angelenos are familiar with the players on the highest rungs of the movie and television industries, the record business tends to be a much murkier arena.
Tech talk
Fox Sports Online kicked off its completely revamped Web site in time for the new football season, and already the redesign has paid off. Traffic to the site which now includes real-time game information, a sports ticker that streams game scores from ar
Graden
MTV may be based in New York, but its chief programming executive Brian Graden works in the network's Santa Monica office.
Greene
The president and chief executive of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Inc. was criticized several months ago for the small percentage of money NARAS' MusiCares Foundation actually gives to musicians with health and substance-abuse problem
Cavallo
When Walt Disney Co. decided to shore up its struggling music operations, it tapped Robert Cavallo, an industry veteran who has managed acts as diverse as Earth, Wind and Fire and Green Day.
BRANCA
He's been representing musicians like Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan since 1977.
Citywalk
First there was CityWalk. And coming soon will be Universal Studios' latest attraction: CityFood.
field-iovine
Interscope Records, the label founded by Ted Field and Jimmy Iovine, has been called both an affront to society and a success story for the '90s music scene.
LANDSCAPE
With home prices at their highest level since the early '90s and the economy still holding up, Angelenos are spending money on landscaping to the delight of everyone from sprinkler installers to landscape architects.
santaolla
Born in Buenos Aires, music producer Gustavo Santaolalla is at the forefront of the Latin alternative and "rock en Espa & #324;ol" movement.
Featured Newsmaker
Moving from Germany to Los Angeles to be closer to the headquarters of Computer Sciences Corp. meant more than just acquiring a new surfboard to Dirk Meyer zu Drewer.
Weatherly
Radio station KROQ FM-106.7 could be considered the E.F. Hutton of alternative music. Whatever it plays, radio professionals listen.
MOIR
Steve Moir, a 40-something longhaired ex-talent scout for MCA Records, has found a niche in the music business that makes him one of the industry's most powerful players.
HOROWITZ
As Universal Music Group's top man in L.A., Zach Horowitz, 45, helps oversee a music empire that includes eight different record labels (Interscope, Geffen Records and MCA among them) a vast library of recorded music, the marketing and development of Univ
ballard
Mississippi native Glen Ballard, 45, was already a major force in the music industry when he hooked up with Alanis Morissette in 1994. Among other accomplishments, Ballard had co-written Michael Jackson's hit "Man in the Mirror" and produced Wilson Philli
Vca
After being dogged by years of unimpressive earnings and a wildly fluctuating stock price, Veterinary Centers of America Inc. finally has something to bark about.
VIDEO
Amid piles of documents in his office, Kenneth Jacobsen has videocassette copies of "The Truman Show" and "Godzilla," complete with samples of the promotional ads and posters that accompanied their release this summer.
lott
In less than three months, Capitol has more than doubled its market share to 6.5 percent, gaining a significant foothold as the fifth-largest label. That's the beginning of what could be a turnaround under the stewardship of recently appointed President R
Kotkin
Few developments have been more unexpected in Southern California than the political resurgence of organized labor. Never a powerhouse on the level of its Eastern and Midwestern counterparts, L.A.'s labor movement now wields more influence over the politi
Cosco
With plans by the Port of Long Beach to build a terminal for the China Ocean Shipping Co. on the verge of being killed by a congressional committee, the neighboring Port of L.A. is stepping up its efforts to land the shipping giant.
rachtman
Karyn Rachtman's film credits include "Reality Bites," "Pulp Fiction," "Boogie Nights" and "Get Shorty." But her business isn't movies, it's music Rachtman's job is putting together the soundtracks.
Playa
Negotiations between DreamWorks SKG and the developer of Playa Vista, where DreamWorks wants to build a studio, are proceeding quite well or they're not proceeding at all, depending on who you talk to.
OSEARY
At the ripe age of 25, Guy Oseary is one of the busiest executives in the music industry.
Smallbiz
Seven years ago, Martin Mechsner seriously weighed shutting the doors of the Alhambra-based aerospace machine shop his family had owned and operated for three generations.
Pirates
Los Angeles has emerged as the leading domestic center of illegal software duplication, according to Microsoft Corp. officials, who are releasing a study this week pegging software piracy losses in California at $1.5 billion annually.
Quartararo-taub
After 11 years at Virgin Records America, Phil Quartararo was named president of Burbank-based Warner Bros. Records Inc. last November and given the task of turning the label around.
l-hanson
Dan Turner's column ("The New Generation Has Arrived, and It Can't Write," Aug. 17) is all too accurate despite what I would characterize as a major omission.
Boberg
When Jay Boberg was named president of MCA Records in 1996, he was given a single, monumental task reinvent the place.
Techboom
Global tensions may be sky high and foreign countries may be desperate to increase their military might, but local defense contractors continue to face one of the worst markets in years.
WSW
It's the choppiest market in memory, lurching forward or back in 5 percent chunks every few days, but evidently small investors are holding pat, if local stock clubs and advisers are any indication.
rosenblatt
With a career spanning more than three decades, Ed Rosenblatt figures he has seen it all.
HISTORY
35 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK: Remember the SST? Burbank-based Lockheed was among six aerospace companies bidding to become prime contractor on the proposed supersonic transport commercial airliner ... Federal officials approved the merger of San Francisco's Cro
Correx
In an Aug. 31 story on the restaurant industry, "Growing Appetite," the Business Journal misrepresented comments by Ed Bagdassarian of Barrington Associates concerning the hosting of dinners to celebrate the closing of a deal. Bagdassarian was referring t
Q
Title: Executive vice president, miniseries and motion pictures for television, NBC Entertainment; executive vice president, long-form programming, NBC Studios
Recolumn
Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc., a San Clemente-based real estate investment trust, has made its first purchase on the Westside, paying $22 million for the 168-room Pacific Shore Hotel in Santa Monica.
Forumadd
I'm following it because I think Fong ran a brilliant campaign against (Darrell) Issa in the primary, and I think it's going to be a close race against Boxer. From what I understand, Fong didn't spend as much money (as Issa did in the primary), but he wor
SciFi
Once relegated to B-movies, science fiction today is among Hollywood's costliest and most lucrative genres.
Digest
Boeing Co. landed nearly $5.2 billion worth of orders during last week's Farnsborough International '98 show in England, the top event of the year in the aerospace industry.
Computercol
We've made dramatic progress recently in our never-ending battle to turn our personal computer into a full-scale print and photo shop. And it's all been fairly inexpensive.
Bentley
Jason Bentley is the director of artists and repetoire at Maverick Records, but his real claim to fame is as the host of "Metropolis" on public radio station KCRW-FM 89.9.
jones
In an industry largely populated by twenty- and thirty-somethings, 65-year-old Quincy Jones continues spinning out albums, publications and enterprises without skipping a beat.
Lenny
When they write the history of the record industry, one of the highlights is bound to be Warner Bros. Records' heyday in the 1970s and '80s. Under the leadership of executives Lenny Waronker and Mo Ostin, the label was a creative hotbed where artists rang
Digestadd
Young Broadcasting Inc., whose flagship property is KCAL-TV Channel 9, has reversed its plans to seek a buyer.
hoppy
Dust those saddles and sharpen your spurs, Hopalong Cassidy is back for all his loyal "little neighbors."
Hardware
That's what some hardware stores are finding anyway. With the economy still on an upswing and home values rising notwithstanding Wall Street's recent volatility homeowners are buying plumbing, paint and fixtures like never before. At least not since t
GEFFEN
David Geffen doesn't run the day-to-day operations at DreamWorks Records, but his presence looms large. In effect, Geffen set the standard that Lenny Waronker, Mo Ostin and Michael Ostin are striving to achieve at the 2 & #733;-year-old label.
Forum
Plenty of ink has been generated by the race for California governor between Republican Dan Lungren and Democrat Gray Davis. But there's another high-stakes political battle that has received considerably less coverage: the Senate contest between Democrat
Geiger
Marc Geiger, 35, has been a behind-the-scenes presence for some of the most influential musicians, events and record labels in the world of alternative music.
lastories
Marcia Hanscom, an environmentalist cusader against the Playa Vista development, was grabbing a bite to eat at John's Garden in Malibu when who should walk in but DreamWorks SKG principals Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.
l-bagdassarian
Both the portrayal of Barrington Associates' practice of hosting $10,000 closing dinners and the reference to a specific such event at Spago that you described in your article "Growing Appetite" (Aug. 31) were inaccurate. My comments on the costs for such
Artists
Alex Mejia turns up the volume on his quintuple-decker stereo system, and a young woman's voice rolls out, rich, nuanced and bluesy.
Kates
Even without his long history of helping alternative bands make it big, 37-year-old Mark Kates would be an important figure in L.A.'s music industry, simply based on his current position: president of Grand Royal Records Inc.
Allen
Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Paul Allen is piecing together a cable television empire with an L.A. nucleus and a sharp focus on the future of telecommunications.
BRUNMAN
That's due in large part to the efforts of Glen Brunman the man behind the blockbuster soundtracks from "Titanic" (35 million copies) "Forrest Gump" (9 million) and "Sleepless in Seattle" (5 million).
View
The career scene keeps changing, especially for those who are re-entering the workforce. Organizations get flatter and leaner. Individuals are asked to do more with less. Your best way become and stay employed is by morphing yourself into a new or improve
Entnote
Need a couple of backhoes for your swimming pool construction company? A complete restaurant operation as a second location for your delicatessen? A warehouse building in which to store that mountain of supplies for your plumbing service?
margin
Here we were editing our Who's Who Entertainment package on the local music industry and only a handful of the 25 names on our list rang any bells. And when it came to the various groups on the various labels, forgetaboutit. I tried to camouflage my ignor
Newsmakers
Scott Farber has been appointed head of Grant Thornton LLP's Southern California assurance practice in Los Angeles and director of the Western region international business center. Farber previously was stationed in Hong Kong, overseeing services to inter
PASSMAN18
When Donald Passman entered Harvard Law School, he had planned on becoming a tax lawyer. The closest he had been to the music business had been as a guitarist in a college band. Never did he think he would one day be one of the top attorneys in the music
Weekly briefing
With 20 years photographic and production experience behind her, Deb Halberstadt was working as a still photographer when she discovered the power of video. In 1989 she formed HalfCity Productions, which creates corporate sales videos, public service anno
Lennyadd
Q: What's it like working with Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen?
travel
If there is anything positive to come out of the economic crisis in Asia, it's that traveling to the region has become a veritable bargain.
Marketcol
Advertisers are crazy about Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Inc., even if Wall Street isn't.
Stock
At least a dozen L.A.-based firms have joined the increasing number of public companies nationwide that are buying back their own shares on the open market.
Asklorraine
Question: My partners and I just left our marketing consulting firm and decided that we should buy an existing company rather than start from ground zero. What should be our acquisition criteria?
Persfi
Have you been borrowing to invest? Or borrowing against your brokerage account to pay your bills? Are you crazy or what?
Lexus
After more than nine years of selling its cars and sport utility vehicles in the United States, Lexus has become the nation's best-selling luxury brand, outselling Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Lincoln and BMW for the last two months.
Weiner
David Weiner is probably best known as president of a company that distributes the "Hooked On" cassette series. Not very hip but then again, K-tel's market hasn't exactly been the MTV crowd.
WATER
At two bits a gallon, the water sold out of those big blue vending machines outside supermarkets is the elixir of choice for thousands of Angelenos who can't afford to have bottled water delivered.
Berrys
In an industry increasingly oriented around the bottom line, Ken and Nancy Berry are a throwback to simpler and more rambunctious times.
Newhall
While other developers were hunkering down during the early '90s, Newhall Land & Farming Co. was spending millions pursuing the most ambitious residential development L.A. County has seen in 30 years.
Warner
During the '70s and '80s, Warner Bros.' music division turned out hit records by some of the biggest names in rock: Led Zeppelin, Prince, Van Halen, Madonna, R.E.M., Neil Young and Eric Clapton.
Jimmy
After two decades as a bastion of elegance and grand dining, Jimmy's has closed its doors.
Monday, September 7
CRA
After decades of economic hardship and a string of misfortunes, North Hollywood is once again capturing the interest of private developers.
Small
A bill designed to give small businesses more leverage to collect overdue debts has died in a Senate committee in the waning hours of the Legislative session.
PLAYALETTER
Here are excerpts from the Aug. 12 letter from DreamWorks principal Jeffrey Katzenberg to Owen Thomas of Morgan Stanley and Daniel M. Neidich of Goldman, Sachs, whose companies control Playa Capital.
Playa
With negotiations between DreamWorks SKG and Playa Capital Co. LLC on the verge of collapse, developer Robert Maguire is looking to deliver the final blow himself by buying the entire Playa Vista property.
Weekly Briefing
Four years ago, Wild Things was involved solely in making home crafts and accessories. While showing merchandise at gift shows, Wild Things owner Penni Haradon began experimenting with producing and selling gourmet food products. Today, the company has a
Correx
Due to incorrect information supplied by the L.A. County Department of Health Services, the Aug. 31 list of restaurants misstated the grade for the West Hollywood location of Jerry's Famous Deli. The correct grade is "A" with a numerical rating of 93.
CORPFOCUS
While most stocks were taking a roller-coaster whirl on Wall Street last week, shares of Syncor International Corp. chugged along like a gentle train ride no dips, dives, or sharp curves for this Woodland Hills maker and distributor of nuclear pharmaceu
Marketcol
There are all kinds of economic barometers the Dow averages, consumer spending, gross domestic product among them but one of the most under-utilized is ad spending.
Newsmakers
Richard "Les" Thompson has been named president of Burbank-based Janco Corp. He joined Janco in 1986; previously, he was vice president of administration and accounting at Arco Energy Corp.
Forum
Pay scales in Los Angeles range from the multimillion-dollar salaries of movie stars, investment bankers and CEOs to the minimum wage or less earned by immigrant garment workers and gardeners. As the Business Journal reports on L.A. salaries this week
Hourly-salaries
Robert Nisanian punches the timeclock before 6 each morning at Cygnet Stamping & Fabricating Inc. in Glendale, where he is a supervisor.
Digestadd
Former basketball great Jerry West, who had earlier suggested he would retire as executive vice president with the Los Angeles Lakers, signed a four-year contract extension reportedly worth $3.5 million a year.
Disney
Walt Disney Co. is in the midst of developing a slew of new theme parks and attractions, and guess who's designing them? Some of the same guys who were hired in the early 1950s by Walt Disney to design the world's very first theme park, Disneyland.
Tickets
CitySearch Inc. and Tickets.com Inc., both developed out of Gross' Idealab! incubator in Pasadena, will soon be in the business of selling tickets over the Internet to sports and entertainment events.
margin
By the time Wall Street started falling apart on Aug. 27, we were pretty much locked into our next issue. When the fallout continued the next day and then the following Monday we could only watch.
FeaturedNewsmaker
Laurie J. Lustig was a low-level broker at CB Richard Ellis (then CB Commercial) in 1993 when, determined to get noticed by her superiors, she wrote an internal business plan concluding that the multi-family housing market on the Westside was due for an e
Mike1st
As quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams, he led the team to its only Super Bowl appearance, only to break his hand near the end of the season. He sat on the sidelines as the team lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in front of a hometown crowd at the Rose Bowl
Diverse
The disparity in Angelenos' salary levels is wider than ever, raising the question: Why are some people paid truckloads of money while others barely make enough to live on?
Persfi
Everyone seems to be discussing the market, some with assurance, some in alarm. You're watching each day's developments pretty carefully. Increasing amounts of new money are going into bond funds and money markets, according to reports from the major mutu
BILLS
Business won some and lost some in the just-completed legislative session, but the final tally won't be seen until later this month as Gov. Pete Wilson considers whether to sign the measures into law or exercise his veto.
ShowBiz
After the death of Princess Diana a year ago, it was open season on the paparazzi whose excesses were blamed at least in part for the crash that killed the Princess of Wales. And the war between movie stars and their stalkers remains as explosive as eve
l-economics
Your Aug. 17 story ("The Economics of Bad Driving"), which featured comments by some irresponsible people who put their own wishes before the safety of others, is, we fear, indicative of a rising number of selfish individuals who don't wish to follow any
Wsw
One investor's misfortune is often another's gain, and that's been laid out on Wall Street in the last two weeks. Market shorts now have rosy cheeks.
Q
When doctors, lawyers and senior corporate executives are looking for a career change or looking to improve their lot within the same field they turn to Marty Nemko.
Computercol
If the gyrations of the stock market have you riveted, you can hardly find a better place for both free information and, if you need it, solace than the Internet. On the Web, you can keep continual track of how your investments are doing, and when you nee
salary
Some selected comments on last week's market turmoil from newspapers and magazines around the country:
Vromans
How does an independent bookseller compete with the likes of Barnes & Noble and Borders Books & Music?
HISTORY
15 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK: In a blow to Northrop, Turkey placed a $4 billion order for General Dynamic's F-16 fighter jets, instead of the cheaper F-20s made by Northrop ... Mattel blamed its home computer and video-game subsidiaries for losses of $156 milli
Athome
Working at home as a telecommuter lets you get more done in less time. Without endless meetings, constant interruptions and a draining commute, productivity rises. The challenge as a telecommuter is to make sure that you are not the only one who knows how
Oped
When currency traders attacked the little-known baht of Thailand more than a year ago, few firms or households in California perceived any possible impact on their businesses or lives. Many had heard of "globalization," but did not fully comprehend its im
LABJ100
The overall stock market had the rug pulled out from under it last week, but year to date, the stocks of L.A.-based companies have performed much worse.
Lastories
For years, stations KNX and KFWB battled over bragging rights to that title. A traffic report every 10 minutes, KFWB boasted; one every six minutes, KNX countered.
Digest
Boeing Co. has fired the embattled president of its commercial airplane unit and other executives with the troubled division, although the shakeup isn't expected to affect operations in Southern California.
edit
In a perverse way, it's too bad the stock market didn't just go straight down. If the Dow had kept plummeting to, say, 7000 or 6500 or even lower, then perhaps the ensuing panic would have prompted somebody in Washington to do something other than issue
Consumer
The bears may be ripping through Wall Street, but retailers and many consumers say confidence in the economy remains high in Los Angeles.
Recession
If the rest of the world is heading into recession, Los Angeles may not be a bad place to be.
cedars
Raising the ante in L.A.'s competitive world of heart transplants, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center plans to open a clinic this November that hospital officials hope will boost its share of the transplant business.
Shipping
Haunted by last year's near meltdown of the Union Pacific Railroad system, importers are turning to long-haul truckers to move their goods out of Los Angeles.
WESTWOOD
Developer Ira Smedra is vowing to pursue plans for his controversial Village Center Westwood development, despite growing doubts about the project's viability among community leaders.
Profiles
The world has been watching and wincing as one economy after another approaches meltdown. First came the Asian economic woes. Then the Russian ruble began its free fall and the country plunged into yet another power struggle. Last week, the long-shaky Lat
Entnote
A powerful marketing tool may be sitting unused right under your nose and you're already paying for it!
smog
After several years of significantly reduced smog, this summer's heat wave has brought back dirty air with a vengeance.