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St. Louis Business & Technology News
www.slfp.com/SLFPBIZp.htm "When you think Saint Louis, think Saint Louis Front Page," a weekly publication covering the news and events in the greater St. Louis area. |
Arnold Worldwide - St. Louis Wins Big at Local ADDY Awards ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com) February 23, 2003 - Arnold Worldwide-St. Louis, a full-service advertising and marketing agency, won 23 Addy Awards at the 2002-2003 Addy Awards gala hosted Thursday night by the Advertising Club of Greater St. Louis. The agency also won 60 Addy Certificates of Merit. Arnold Worldwide-St. Louis is the Midwest office of Arnold Worldwide, a full-service advertising agency network owned by Havas of Paris, France. The agency won Addy Awards and certificates for advertising created for clients Elleard B. Heffern Jewelers, Sears Portrait Studio, St. Louis Film Festival, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel's Original Hard Cola, Southern Comfort, Woodford Reserve and The Judy Ride Foundation in different award categories. Categories included Consumer Magazine Full Page and Regional/National TV for Consumer Products, as well as Cinematographer/Videographer, Still Photography and Individual Achievements, among others. Les Diveley, president of Arnold St. Louis, said, "When our agency's work wins exposure for our clients' products and services, the creative team at Arnold Worldwide-St. Louis is especially gratified." The Advertising Club of Greater St. Louis administers the ADDY Awards as an affiliate of the American Advertising Federation (AAF). British Airways Passengers Connect to Internet Onboard Via Laptops ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com) February 20, 2003 - When the Connexion by Boeing broadband system went live today, British Airway passengers simply plugged their laptops into the Internet connections at their seats and logged on as they normally would in the office or at home. They were able to access their personal and work emails, corporate intranets and the web. For the duration of the three month trial passengers in First, Club World and World Traveller Plus will be able to keep in contact with work colleagues, family and friends through real time broadband email and internet access. In an announcement, Martin George, British Airways' director of marketing stated "The research that we undertook before starting the trial showed that there was a strong interest from our passengers. This is a huge step forward in innovation and we're pleased to be involved with Connexion from such an early stage." The trial is taking place onboard one British Airways 747-400 aircraft, which operates services between London's Heathrow and New York's JFK airports. Connexion by Boeing President Scott Carson stated, "We are extremely pleased that British Airways has embraced the added value that high-speed connectivity can bring to their passengers, as well as to their operations. Working together, we've given the Internet wings on a significant travel route connecting Europe and the U.S. and empowered British Airways' passengers with the ability to choose how they entertain themselves and stay informed during flight." Following the trial, customer reaction will be considered before a decision is made as to whether Connexion by Boeing will be installed across the British Airways long-haul fleet. Passengers on the first flight paid £20 to connect to the internet for their entire flight, however pricing will change during the trial. All-Digital Hospital of the Future Opens in Indiana INDIANAPOLIS, (Newstream), February 18, 2003 - The Indiana Heart Hospital, the world's first all-digital heart hospital, opened recently and hospitals nationwide are expected to follow its lead. According to an announcement, it features the latest cardiac technology and patient information systems from GE Medical Systems. The hospital has no files, no traditional nurses' stations and no medical records department. Instead, all the information about a patient is available at a keystroke on computers located at each bedside. Critical information like diagnostic images, medication and allergy Information is now available in seconds instead of hours or even days. That means less time tracking and documenting patient information, and more time for doctors and nurses to give thoughtful patient care. The system is also expected to reduce medical errors by up to 80 percent. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) says medical errors cause up to 98,000 deaths in hospitals each year. But with computers, medication orders are entered at the point of care. Thus, there is less opportunity for error and misinterpretation. Experts say the all-digital hospital is a model for future healthcare facilities to provide better service. Today, only about five percent of hospitals use digital records. However, more than 60 percent say they plan to invest in such systems in the next three to five years. Cequel III Builds Its Cable Business With Acquisition of Classic Communications ST. LOUIS, (BUSINESS WIRE) February 12, 2003 - Officials at Classic Communications, Inc., and Cequel III, LLC, today announced that Cequel III will make an investment in Classic and assume management, and relocate Classic's executive headquarters from Tyler, Texas, to St. Louis, Missouri. "This move is a major step for us," stated Jerald L. Kent, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cequel III, in a press release. "We're back in the cable business, building for the future. Classic is a platform company we expect to grow into a major U.S. cable operator." Mr. Kent will serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of Classic. Prior to founding Cequel III in January 2002, Kent was president and CEO, Charter Communications. Dale R. Bennett - who guided Classic out of bankruptcy - will remain an integral part of the management team of Classic and Cequel III. Selected members of Mr. Bennett's management team will also continue to play active roles. "We are very excited to be partnering with Cequel III and their investment reinforces our belief in Classic's growth prospects. Their significant experience in the industry and their vision for connecting rural communities to the broadband future are precisely the elements that will help take Classic through the next chapter in its evolution," said Stephen A. Kaplan, Principal of Oaktree Capital Management, LLC, and the current Chairman of the Board of Classic. Funds managed by Oaktree represent Classic's largest shareholder, and last month, Oaktree provided $45 million in equity capital to finance Classic's emergence from bankruptcy. Founded in 1992, Classic Communications is the nation's twelfth-largest multiple system operator (MSO), counting more than 325,000 subscribers in 10 states: Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Colorado, and Ohio. Classic's business model - including 20 acquisitions of cable systems since 1992 - has focused on building a network that serves subscribers living and working in non-metropolitan or rural communities. After overextending itself in the debt markets, Classic filed for bankruptcy in 2001. It emerged from bankruptcy proceedings in January of this year with a healthy balance sheet and significant capital to pursue its growth strategy. "Our management team has a strong track record of navigating successful transitions for investments that run counter to conventional wisdom," said Howard L. Wood, Chairman of Cequel III. "The rural cable market is, without question, the biggest management challenge in the industry, and we are excited about the opportunity to have our team tackle this challenge. In fact, Classic's focus on rural cable was precisely what made it an attractive prospect. We believe the rural market has been under-served, and, as a result, holds significant upside potential." Return to St. Louis Front Page |
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