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MACK LOUDEN spits Copenhagen juice on the floor of the empty storage bay of his shuttered feed store in Trinidad, a small town in southeastern Colorado an hour's drive from [...]

DOWNTOWN - While most of the investment world was sweating out the roller-coaster ride of the 'Made in Hong Kong' market correction a few weeks ago, Southwest Securities investment executives [...]

Small towns are wooing retiree residents through advertisements. Retirees are well-liked since they do not constitute an economic drain on the city's finances because they are supported by a steady retirement income.

PLANO - Golf courses are popping up around the Metroplex like the gopher in the 'Caddyshack' movie. And as developers tee up, there are some big changes due this round [...]

Alliance Airport - A crisp Saturday night in December saw the gala Christmas event of the year,drawing a guest list that read like a Who's Who of Metroplex society and [...]

FAR NORTH DALLAS - DSC Communications Corp. is putting its offices on the block, becoming the latest in a string of pending North Dallas office vacancies totaling more than 1 [...]

JNC Enterprises Inc. is said to be working to developing 370 acres of land surrounding the proposed Stonebriar Mall at the Bridges, estimated to be worth $70 million. Source say that company chief John Lau is acquiring the raw property around the Frisco, TX, for around $4.35 a square foot, and has already flipped a most of it to a specific use developer. Meanwhile, the long-delayed Stonebriar Mall in Frisco, TX, is being developed by Iowa-based General Growth Properties Inc. Its major tenants include Macy's, Sears and Nordstrom.

Administaff Inc., the Houston, TX-based top professional employer organization, will move its Dallas, TX, operations hub to a larger 40,000-sq-ft service center in Irving, TX. The new location will house the human resource services of the company's clients, including payroll processing and benefits administration. The new site will also work on mutual backup systems together with the other Administaff operations center in Houston, TX. The effort aims to guarantee continuation of the business during emergency, such as extreme weather conditions.

Hall Financial Group of Dallas, TX, has completed the construction of Stonebriar One along Dallas North Tollway in Texas. The company has also nearly leased up all the space in the building, leaving only about 10,000 square feet vacant. The building has four stories and 101,000 square feet. The Stonebriar One building is the keystone in the Stonebriar Office Park project. The park is located just north of Highway 121 on the west side of the tollway extension in Frisco. The park has been designed to include several lakes, water features, green space, walking trails and outdoor art.

Renters Choice Inc. of Dallas, TX, plans to move its headquarters from North Dallas to Lincoln Place in Legacy Park in Plano, TX. The company will bringing more than 50 people from its existing headquarters in Montfort Place, plus as many as 150 from Rent-A-Center in Wichita, KS. Rent-A-Center was recently acquired by the company from Thorn Americas for $900 million. According to the company's chairman and CEO, Ernie Talley, some of the 550 employees in Wichita will be given jobs in Texas. The company is consolidating the Kansas operation in Texas due a number of factors, basically transportation issues.

HKS Inc., a Dallas, TX-based architecture firm, has recently moved to a new headquarters, also in Dallas, that was designed by the company itself. The new headquarters has a total of approximately 110,000 sqft of space and it features two adjacent buildings being connected by a stair and ramp arrangement. From a six-floor headquarters at the Plaza of the Americas, HKS moved its 400 employees to the new three-floor office building on McKinney Avenue in Dallas. Spending about $5.2 million, HKS redesigned the existing structures adopting an open office design to enhance productivity. The open design gives employees more flexibility and better communication. The new HKS office has an outdoor courtyard area, a multi-purpose room, eight conference centers and in-house printing press.

Cross Timbers Capital Inc. of Farmers Branch in Dallas, TX, will soon break ground on the Arbors of Brookhollow, the firm's first new spec office in Arlington, TX. The new spec office project will be a high-end project that will be built in two phases. The second building, the Hackberry View, is a two-story, 117,000-sq-ft office complex, whose construction started in early July 1998. Compass Bank is financing the construction of the Hackberry View building, while Bank One is financing the Arbors building. Both projects are expected to be completed by March 1999. Cross Timbers is a new real estate firm in the Metroplex.

Occidental Chemical Corp. (OxyChem) of Dallas, TX, has carried out a voluntary separation program meant to prevent layoffs. The program was already accepted by a fifth of OxyChem's 1,300 employees throughout the US. The company was prompted to implement the plan to reduce cost and in preparation for OxyChem's imminent strategic alliance with Equistar Chemicals and a joint venture with Geon of Avon Lake, OH. Employees who already signed up for the program will be discharged within four months, beginning September 1998, and will receive enhanced benefits. Charlie Dana, VP of public affairs for OxyChem, said the Dallas office expect its employees to be down to about 600 by the end of 1998, from 750 workers. OxyChem is one of the largest producers of chlorinated chemicals.

Wichita, KS-based investor and art collector George Ablah has invested over $15 million to a site in Waxahachie, TX. The site, only 30 minutes from downtown Dallas, TX, was the former location of the now defunct Superconducting Super Collider and is now intended to become the most advanced, high-tech office and industrial space in the US. Currently, the site is undergoing renovation, reconfiguring, landscaping and repositioning. The site has existing office space with direct fiber-optic lines and industrial space. Construction on the facility's reconfiguration is set to begin on Sept. 1, 1998. Ablah hired Manny Ybarra and Gary Lindsey of Grubb & Ellis Co. to market the property. Quoted lease rate for the office space is $7.50 per sqft, and $3.75 per sqft for the industrial space.

Beacon Capital Partners Inc., a Boston, MA-based private real estate investment trust, has acquired 14 properties in North Dallas, TX, for $91.5 million from Breunig Commercial Management Inc. The properties, which are 95% leased, include seven office properties and seven research and development properties comprising a total of 1.34 million sq ft. Over half of the leases will be renewed within three years. The purchase is the firm's first move outside Boston and its third acquisition since its formation in January 1998.

RTKL Associates Inc. has been selected to design a $13.5-million, 1,500-seat arts center in Richardson's Galatyn Park, TX, including full architectural design services and construction documents. Multiple venues within the same building will be incorporated in the turntable technology design of the auditorium, said RTKL's managing director for its Dallas, TX-based office, Lance Josal. The construction for the Richardson Auditorium/Performing Arts Center is scheduled to begin in January 2000 and completed by March 2001.

Transwestern Property Co. broke ground on a speculative office tower in the masterplanned Las Colinas business community of Irving, TX, despite projections of a declining commercial real estate market. The company is planning an eight-level, 208,000-sq-ft project at a hilltop along MacArthur Boulevard and Interstate 635, which will be called One Panorama Center. Transwestern Senior Vice President Tommy Van Zandt, said the spec building is being marketed for any size tenant, though a single user or a 50,000-sq-ft anchor plus smaller tenants is preferred.

Prentiss Properties Trust of Dallas, TX, is selling all its $50 million holdings of 21 industrial buildings in Milwaukee, WI. The move is part of a national trend focusing on internal growth rather than acquisitions. The company is selling several of its 230 office and industrial assets across the country to concentrate on internal growth. According to the company's president and COO, Tom August, once the assets are sold, the company will develop better properties and increase its portfolio. August said, that the company is reinvesting the proceeds from the sale to get higher yields.

Cigna Corp. plans to relocate to Las Colinas Corporate Center Phase V from its office in the Urban Center, TX. According to real estate sources, the company will lease 150,000 square feet of office space in the planned fifth leg of the Archon Group's Las Colinas Corporate Center project. The report was confirmed by an unnamed employee, who said that the company is negotiating for space at Las Colinas. The company currently occupies half the space in the 509,559-sq-ft, 22-story Cigna Tower at 600 E. Las Colinas Blvd.

American Realty Trust Inc. of Dallas, TX, has acquired a 132-acre property in Dallas, TX, for a huge, 20-year development. The company has been buying $400 million worth of raw law just west of the intersection of Interstates 635 and 35E since 1995. According to Cooper Stuart, executive vice president for Basic Capital Management of Dallas, an advisory firm to American Realty, the company's property consist of about 800 acres. The property will be converted into a masterplanned community, called Mercer Crossing.

i2 Technologies Inc. has leased a 73,000-sq-ft space at 5005 W. Royal Lane in Irving, TX, for five years. The 16-year-old facility, owned by Trammell Crow Co., which also represents i2 Technologies, will be used as the firm's expansion space and as a temporary space for the firm's programmers and program analysts. i2 Technologies, a developer of software products in aid of planning and managing production, said that it is vacating its head offices on LBJ at Park West in Las Colinas, TX, by the end of 1998 and is still looking for the final location its new corporate headquarters.

La Salle Partners Inc. of Dallas, TX, is conducting separate merger negotiations with Lend Lease Corp. of Australia and Jones Lang Wootton of London, UK. The merger deal with Lend Lease will result with its merger with Compass Management and Leasing Inc. of Atlanta, GA, Lend Lease's real estate management services subsidiary and the creation of the Metroplex's third-biggest commercial property manager. An agreement with Jones Lang will result in La Salle's acquisition of the firm's international operations.

Crescent Real Estate Equities Co., a Fort Worth, TX-based real estate investment trust is buying Las Vegas, NV-based Station Casinos Inc. for $1.75 billion, in an effort to take advantage on the market niche of non-tourist casino players. Crescent President and CEO Gerald Haddock commented the acquisition is anticipated to be completed in early October 1998, adding the company intends to spin off the gaming firm as a separate real estate investment trust upon completion of the acquisition. Las Vegas, which is America's fastest-growing cities, reported a 40.86% gain between 1990 and 1996.

Lazarus Property Corp. has acquired a 79,000-sq-ft office building in North Dallas, TX, from Raytheon E-Systems for some $7 million. Lazarus intends to refurbish and lease the facility, which is located at 6250 LBJ Freeway. The building has been vacant since E-Systems relocated its corporate executive operations in 1997, when it was bought by Raytheon Corp. According to Lazarus Property president Sam Ware, he plans to spend approximately $3 million in the renovation project. The building reportedly has a lease rate of $17 per sq ft.

Macfarlan Realty Partners is going to develop a 650,000-sq-ft office complex on 13 acres of land in Las Colinas, TX, that it recently purchased. The company intends to break ground on the speculative project in the third quarter of 1998. The complex, which will be called MacArthur Corporate Center, will be located at the southeast corner of MacArthur Boulevard at State Highway 114, near the new Sterling Software location. Dean Macfarlan, a managing partner at Macfarlan Realty, said a number of single-tenant users are already showing some interest in the site.

Mobil Corp. is planning to build a 440,000-sq-ft office facility in Farmers Branch to consolidate its technology-based operations in Dallas, TX, with an expected occupancy date of early 2000. Public affairs adviser for Mobil, Beth Ann Black, said the company is considering whether to include the operations at Renaissance Tower and Mobil Place in the relocation. Mobil has more than 2,300 employees in 20 affiliate divisions in the Dallas area spread among four locations. The site of the proposed office complex is on a Mobil property at Midway and Spring Valley roads adjacent to the company's research facility at 13777 Midway Road.

Ewing Property Co., a private real estate investment firm, is planning to construct a new 225,000-sq-ft office building, to be called Park Center, in Texas. Construction of the five-story project, which will sit on the 10 acres of underdeveloped property that the REIT purchased from Hillwood Development Co., is scheduled to begin in late summer 1998, with a 12-month completion goal. Ewing Property's Park Center is one of almost 35 projects planned or under construction in the area at the northeast corner of Park Boulevard and the Dallas North Tollway in Texas.

Texas Cobras Ltd.'s Terlingua edition of the CSX4000 Shelby component Cobra has a 427 V-8 engine and costs $95,000. The Terlingua racing Cobra is marketed by the company as the one of the fastest sports car available. The standard CSX4000 Cobra, which costs $80,000, is a lightweight two-seater that has a 500 horsepower Ford 427 engine. The Terlingua edition is one of the 12 CSX400 Shelby component Cobras that Texas Cobras of Denton, TX, is planning to build. Cobras are basically all-American sports cars that are equipped with American parts.

Jackson-Shaw Co. of Dallas, TX, has announced its intent to construct a 12,000-sq-ft Class B speculative office for $14 million in the Metroplex in Texas. The private developer is currently negotiating to acquire the 8.8-acre site for its spec office, called AlphaMetro, with property owner Van Waters & Rogers. Jean Farris fo LaSalle Partners, who is handling the leasing and marketing of the project, stated that Jackson-Shaw's move is targeted to pull people away from the LBJ Freeway/Dallas North Tollway area where rents are expensive.

Pioneer Natural Resources Co. is scouting for approximately 120,000 sq ft of office space in Las Colinas in Texas in a move to transfer and combine its operations. The company's manager of facilities, Danny Barker, stated that its lease at The Towers at Williams Square in Irving, TX, will soon expire in 2 years. Barker also stated that the company is particularly interested in Las Colinas due to the area's accessibility to the D/FW International airport. Pioneer Natural Resources has employed Staubach Co. to represent its search.

RAK Acquisitions Corp., a subsidiary of Manhattan, NY-based RAK Group, has acquired One Main Place in Dallas, TX's central business district for about $65 million. The company plans to upgrade the 963,210-sq-ft, 32-story office tower's common areas and retail amenities. Lehman Brothers provided funding for the acquisition of the Class B office building. According to the company's president, Randy Kohana, the property perfectly fits the company's investment criteria. The building at 1201 Main St. is the 20th largest multitenant office building in the Metroplex.

Prudential Insurance Co. of America will sell the 1.84-million-sq-ft, 72-story NationsBank Plaza at 901 Main St. in Dallas, TX. Real estate industry experts estimate the property to sell for at least $184 million or more than $276 million. The building, which was developed in 1985, has been home to NationsBank of Texas N.A. and the Dallas office of Arthur Andersen LLP. Other tenants in the building include law firm Haynes & Boone LLP and real estate company Jackson & Cooksey Inc. NationsBank Plaza is 90% leased.

Microsoft Corp. plans to expand its presence in Las Colinas, TX. The company plans a phased relocation into about 700,000 square feet in an office campus in Las Colinas. The company, which employs 1,000 people in two offices in Las Colinas, has outgrown its office space in its existing facilities. According to local real estate developers, the company initially wants to occupy 200,000 square feet in Las Colinas by January 1999. Meanwhile, the company is the target of an antitrust lawsuit by the US Department of Justice and 20 states.

Payroll Associates Inc. (PAI), founded by Kevin Winters and his father, Doyle Winters, offers services such as payroll to over 300 companies across the Metroplex, TX. The company employs 10 people including Kevin and Doyle, leaving each of its specialists to handle 70 or 80 clients. PAI recorded $350,000 in 1997 revenue and expects to earn $550,000 in 1998. The firm is a small player in the low-profile industry compared to giants such as ADP, which listed $4.11 billion in 1997 gross revenues. Despite this, Kevin boasts of PAI's growth since December 1997, which has been greater than its first three years.

Faison-Stone Inc. of New York closed the acquisition of Las Colinas Towers I and II in the Las Colinas Urban Center for almost $60 million on May 7, 1998. The pension fund adviser represented both the seller and the buyer of the oldest office project in the Urban Center. The firm named Taylor Simpson Group of New York as the buyer of the 19-year-old complex, but withheld the financial details of the acquisition, that observers estimate to be nearly $130 per square foot. A Faison-Stone spokesperson said the deal represents great returns after investors make the effort to understand the Dallas County Utility and Reclamation District issues.

F.T. Mortgage Cos. of Dallas, TX, inked a contract to construct a 250,00-sq-ft office building on a 14-acre parcel in Irving, TX, to serve as its new national headquarters. F.T. Mortgage, the 10th biggest mortgage firm in the US, will integrate its three Dallas, TX, area offices in the build-to-suit project located at the corner of LBJ Freeway and Belt Line Road, northwest of Las Colinas, TX. The firm will buy the land from Travelers Group Inc. of New York when the construction is nearly finished.

FAR NORTH DALLAS - PageNet Inc.'s relocation to Addison from Preston Road last month opened a spigot - there's going to be more than half it million square feet of [...]

Giant oil company reserves 150,000 square feet at Las Colinas spec building LAS COLINAS - Occidental Petroleum Corp. of Los Angeles is going east, real estate brokers say, with plans [...]

COPPELL Lucent Technologies Inc. is consolidating seven business units spread among six office buildings in the Metroplex to a single 'signature' location under construction in Coppell. More than 450 Lucent [...]

Wild Oats takes aim at Whole Foods in Dallas natural foods competition UNIVERSITY PARK - Grab your Birkenstocks and hemp shirts and get set to man, er, person, the ramparts [...]

Tenet Healthcare Corp. expected to occupy $110 million office complex FAR NORTH DALLAS - Houston-based developer Hines Interests L.P. is within weeks of announcing the single largest new office development [...]

Driver turns passion into unique business DUNCANVILLE - Imagine a vehicle one-third the weight of a Corvette with three times the horsepower. Imagine it rocketing down a loose dirt track [...]

Acquisitions and public offerings keep industry growth on rapid pace DOWNTOWN - The vast majority of commercial real estate in the Metroplex, like the rest of the nation, is owned [...]

Fast-growing software firm to hire global broker for rapid expansion plan LAS COLINAS - A $200 million high-tech firm considered one of the most dynamic in its industry is looking [...]

PLANO - A troubled telecommunications firm that once rode at the top of its industry and talked of ambitious plans for a $33 million corporate campus is downsizing both its [...]

PARK CENTRAL - Perot Systems Corp. is planning to build a 460,000-square-foot campus north of LBJ Freeway to-consolidate a number of its Dallas offices and data center functions - and [...]

LAS COLINAS - The Los Angeles-based Mexican food company Gruma Corp. is bringing its whole corporate enchilada to the Metroplex. Gruma Corp. is the parent company of Mission Foods and [...]

Tandy spinoff's move will bring 600 jobs STEMMONS CORRIDOR - A Fort Worth firm on the verge of spinning off from Tandy Corp. has leased a three-story office building on [...]