Business
August 6, 1995
Silicone City
From invention to litigation, the breast implant has done more for Houston’s economy—and its psyche—than anything since oil.
By
Mimi Swartz
![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Business
Reporting and commentary on Texas businesses and the trends and innovation happening in our state
Business
July 31, 1995
Bottleneck
Henderson County residents and Ozarka are locked in a nasty fight over some of the best water in Texas.
Business
May 31, 1995
Post Script
The only surprise about the closing of Houston’s oldest papers was that it took so long.
Business
April 30, 1995
Open Season
Are gun sellers responsible for gun deaths? Gun store owners and gun show promoters each say no, but that may be all they agree on.
Business
April 30, 1995
Are Texans Gun Crazy?
During the first week of April, as the Legislature considered the case for concealed weapons, Texas mourned the consequences of two gun-related tragedies in Corpus Christi: the murder of Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla Perez and the shooting of five workers at a refinery inspection company by a disgruntled
Health
April 1, 1995
Drug War!
How a small Houston biotech company and a giant California-based rival are battling over who developed what may be a revolutionary cure for asthma and allergies.
Business
February 1, 1995
Chipping Away
Cyriz is dueling industry-gian Intel in a showdown for the fastest computers in the West.
Business
January 1, 1995
Is MCC Obsolete?
Twelve years and hundreds of millions of dollars later, the vaunted Austin high-tech consortium is still struggling to find its purpose.
Business
January 1, 1995
Critter Bidders
High-tech meets down-home in Texas’ latest ranching trend: a video auction of emus, elk, and other exotic animals.
Business
December 1, 1994
Kings of Swing
Can a golfer change the bad habits of a lifetime? The academy at Golfsmith International made a believer out of me.
Business
September 1, 1994
Ross Perot, Jr.
It’s junior’s mint, and he’s making the most of it.
Business
September 1, 1994
Bo Pilgrim
He invented the boneless breast and made his chicken a household name. But now his critics are out to roast him.
Business
August 31, 1994
Charles Hurwitz
A true post-boom-and-burst CEO.
Business
July 1, 1994
A Piece of the Action
If casino gambling comes to Texas, it’s a safe bet that the Pratt family of Dallas will be in on the jackpot.
Business
May 31, 1994
What’s the Beef?
Two Dallas steakhouses are accusing each other of libel, slander, and phony advertising. It should be a juicy case.
Business
March 1, 1994
The Player
With native roots but global goals, investment guru Tom Hicks redefines Texas business for the nineties.
Sports
February 1, 1994
The Crying Game
When Houston’s pro sports teams collapse late in the season—as they may do this year—faithful fans like me are never surprised. We’ve almost come to expect it.
Business
January 1, 1994
Will This Be the Most Important City of the Twenty-First Century?
Forget what you’ve heard about Mexico City’s “urban hell.” From its well-organized workers to its highly evolved social system, it could be NAFTA’s greatest economic success story.
Business
December 1, 1993
Small Wonders
How two dallas inventors took products worth pennies and turned them into nationwide success stories.
Business
September 30, 1993
¡Viva la Diferencia!
Want to do deals in Mexico? Get ready for hugs, long lunches, and other mysteries of the country’s business culture.
Business
September 1, 1993
Texas 100: Home Improvement
As Corpus Christi oil magnate Robert Rowling has discovered, rebuilding his city is good for civic pride and better for business.
Business
September 1, 1993
Texas 100: Beat the Clock
For country club developer Robert Dedman, success is won by squeezing every minute out of every hour of every day.
Business
July 31, 1993
Bob Crandall Flies Off the Handle
The boss of American Airlines is mad as hell at cut-rate competitors, selfish unions, and ignorant government regulators—and he’s not going to take it anymore.
Sports
July 1, 1993
Raise the Roof
The Alamodome is more than an outsized sports arena. It’s a marvel of urban planning that ensures San Antonio’s downtown vitality for years to come.
Politics & Policy
June 1, 1993
You Lose!
Scratch the surface of the Texas Lottery and you’ll find political opportunism, a cynical marketing campaign, and endless hype.
Business
April 30, 1993
Buyer, Beware
The Texas real estate market is healthier than it has been in years, but watch out: The patient could suffer a relaps anytime.
Politics & Policy
April 1, 1993
Beer Brawl
There’s trouble brewing at the Capitol this spring, and it has lobbyists and legislators foaming at the mouth. The issue? Your right to drink a glass of fresh, tasty beer.
Business
April 1, 1993
Homing Instinct
Did South-western Bell move its main office to San Antonio strictly for business or because its head honcho is a Texan.
Business
February 1, 1993
Some Things Never Change: Power Hungry
In Texas, lunch is for gossip and dinner is for dates. Breakfast, however, is for wheeling and dealing.
Business
February 1, 1993
Focus: Withdrawn
In the heady days of banking, Texans ran the state’s biggest, most profitable institutions. Not anymore.
Business
February 1, 1993
On Assignment: Prime Pickens
Up close and extremely personal with Boone Pickens, the takeover titan who changed Texas business.
Business
February 1, 1993
Scrapbook
Temple of doom, Spence for hire,, deals that won’t Hunt, Blount analysis, and the King of the ranch.
Business
February 1, 1993
Profile: Food Fight
Last summer, restaurateurs Shannon Wynne and Gene Street bragged about their new partnership, but now they’re eating their words.
Business
February 1, 1993
Essay: A Wild Ride
Once, you needed the price of oil to predict our ever-changing economic future. Now you need the want ads, the stock tables, and a whole lot more.
Business
January 1, 1993
Frozen Assets
Amy Miller built an Austin ice cream empire based on equal parts business savvy and zaniness. But will her winning formula travel?
Business
December 1, 1992
Life of a Salesman
He’s no longer at the helm of Neiman’s, but 87-year-old Stanley Marcus still knows how to run a successful business. Just ask him.
Business
November 1, 1992
Java Jive
“WE CATER TO REAL COFFEE drinkers,” says seventy-year old Joseph Fertitta, the president of Beaumont’s Texas Coffee Company and son of the founder. Texas’ only family-owned Coffee-manufacturing company has been perking along with its Seaport brand since 1921, competing in the national market by virtue of its product’s prodigious strength.
Business
November 1, 1992
Grim Reaping
As bills mount, AIDS patients sell their life insurance policies—in Waco.
Business
August 31, 1992
Give Me an A!
I pulled more all-nighters writing other people’s papers than I did my own.
Business
July 31, 1992
Heavy Duty
Houston’s favorite bouncer keeps the peace with style and a smile.
Business
July 31, 1992
A Goode Idea
How the owner of Goode Company in Houston took the three basic Texas food groups—barbecue, Tex-Mex, and burgers—and built an empire.
Business
June 30, 1992
All’s Fair in Love and Catfish
Staring down a Mississippi monopoly, one Brazoria County company hopes to become a bigger fish in a big pond.
Business
May 31, 1992
Smart Money
When everything’s at sixes and sevens, give Turk’s tips a whirl.
Business
May 31, 1992
Beyond Luxury
God save the queen! A Dallas hotel company has won the right to manage London’s most exclusive property.
Business
May 31, 1992
Ross and Me
If Ross Perot is president, he’ll be judged by how well he plays hardball with Congress. Here’s how he played hardball with me.
Politics & Policy
April 1, 1992
Split Personalities
With the never-ending school finance crisis entering its umpteenth round, Governor Ann Richards and Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock appear to be on a collision course. Richards has decided that the educational problems of public schools should be considered along with their funding problems. Bullock has decided just the opposite. The
Business
April 1, 1992
Bingo Nation
The Choctaw Nation’s cavernous hall accommodates a weekly flood of fanatical game players.
Business
January 1, 1992
The Rise and Fall (and Rise and Fall) of Marcy Rogers
When her charitable foundation collapsed amid allegations of mismanagement, the Dallas socialite did the unthinkable: She started a new one.
Business
January 1, 1992
Doing the Hustle
Today, TGI Friday’s is sedate, but twenty years ago this month, the place started the singles era in Dallas.
Business
September 1, 1991
The Texas 100
A fresh look at the state’s rich reveals that their fortunes continue to climb.