Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 48

SPECIAL TCPICS Monday PERSONAL COMPUTING Tuesday -PERSONAL FINANCE THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 11, 1998 Thursday MARKETPLACE Friday -DIGITAL DESERT Saturday -REAL ESTATE Sunday -INVESTING I WORKPLACE 1 Senior Editor, Les Polk 444-4813 les.polk(apni.com VVAsA Spot to mouse around REPUBLIC TICKER DOW JONES 8,853.93 NASDAQ ft 1,865.62 4.57 1,128.26 Owner Reggie Fowler (left), General Manager Marilyn Krug and Disney regional President Art Levitt are bringing Club Disney to Chandler. It will open next month, with the grand opening Jan. 9. A "Our strategy is to do as many locations as possible as we go into each marketplace," said Art Levitt, president of the Walt Disney regional entertainment division. He was in town to give a sneak peek of the Club Disney that will open next month at 56th Street and Ray Road in Chandler.

A second site in Glendale will open in February. "We want to make sure the first two are successful, but there will very likely be a third site here," he software takes off L. far- S. fa y--j, Club Disney to open soon By Lisa Gonderingor The Arizona Republic Disney is scouting for a third site in the Phoenix suburbs as the company puts finishing touches on two Club Disney play centers that will open here early next year. Travel Pair's program links agencies, cyber resources By Jane Larson The Arizona Republic Giinter and Sabine Sponsel saw the handwriting on the wall.

Even though their German countrymen are avid travelers, the sameness of the tour packages offered by most German travel agencies was driving clients into the arms of the Internet. And once there, people faced haphazard and not-often-successful hunts for unusual niche-product vacations such as the Sponsels' company offered in North America and Southeast Asia. The trend meant dissatisfied customers and a drastic loss of revenue for travel agencies and tour operators who were already reeling from cuts in airline commissions. So the Sponsels came up with a software program that could make the Internet a travel agent's best friend and change the way an entire industry works. The idea has enough promise that IBM eDGEJund has picked the couple's Fountain Hills company, AmerAsia Direct as one of 15 companies nationwide to receive grants to develop their solutions to small-business problems.

"In the travel industry, there is a kind of revolution going on right now, because everything will said. The Disney magic is seeping into the Chandler center as construction crews hammer away. Giant mouse ears make it difficult to miss from Ray Road, and inside, brightly colored walls, giant swaying trees and treasure maps are taking shape. It's an interactive world targeting Disney's young audience, from toddlers to teens, where grown-ups Please see DISNEY, Page E3 The number of U.S. travel agencies dropped 6 percent in just the first nine months of 1997, Gunter said.

He and an international team of engineers developed the program called TRIPS, for Travel Christine Michael ChowThe Anzona Republic their Fountain Hills headquarters. Reservation Information and Planning System. And it is more than an erratic collection of home pages, all of varying quality, for hotels in Bangkok and ranches in Please see TRAVEL, Page E2 11 ...4 Gunter and Sabine Sponsel run AmerAsia Direct, a small travel agency, from BLOOMBERG 0 209.63 AZ INDEX MOTLEY HEWS Thursday broadcast On Thursday, listen to Motley Fool founder Tom Gardner live on KTAR 620-AM with Bill Heywood from 7 to 9 a.m., and with Pat McMahon from 9 to noon. Gardner's brother and co-host, David, joins the broadcasts by satellite. The radio shows will be done from Borders Books Music at Biltmore Fashion Park.

Gardner will be promoting the Motley Fool Radio Show, which debuts on KTAR at 4 p.m. Sunday. INSIDE Honeywell Inc. says it plans to trim about 1,000 jobs, E-9. Smith's Food and Drug Centers has agreed to pay $650,000 in fines for violating federal child labor laws, E-3.

AZ IIIC Simula to market inflatable seat belt Phoenix-based Simula Inc. has signed a long-term agreement with TRW to develop and market Simula's inflatable seat belt, known as the inflatable tubular torso restraint system. The technology will become part of TRW occupant protection system for cars and light trucks. TRW and Simula announced a separate agreement in June to integrate SimulaTs technology into TRW's side-impact products. GM to consolidate offices General Motors Corp.

said it will spend about $1.5 billion to consolidate more than 40 offices in southeast Michigan into six regional campuses. The move is designed to cut costs and speed the development of new vehicles as GM strives to increase efficiency in light of stiff foreign and domestic competition. The $1.5 billion initiative will include an investment of $50 million at the GM Desert Proving Grounds in Mesa. The company wants to consolidate all development at the Mesa facility into one building to reduce testing time. Custom cycle on the way Phoenix-based Titan Motorcycle Co.

of America and muscle-car manufacturer Shelby American best known for production of the Cobra Roadster, will jointly develop a limited edition companion motorcycle to the new Series One Shelby car. The custom designed, Titan-produced motorcycle will sport high-performance parameters, with design aesthetics inspired by the new Shelby. Initial production of up to 500 units of the matching serialized motorcycles will be made available beginning in the first quarter of 1999 to the purchasers of the companion limited edition Shelby Series One Roadster. At a glance Petsmart Inc. hired Carol Cox as senior vice president of human resources.

She was director of human resources for RuralMetro Corp. in Scottsdale. In addition to supervising all human resources-related activities, Cox will direct new initiatives that rein force the company commitment to internal talent development and promotion. Compiled from reports by The Arizona Repubtc. To submit a news item to AZ Ire, call the Business desk at 444-8142, fax us at 444-4439 or send e-mail to KGet business news 24 hours a day on Anzona Central, the online service of The Arizona Republic.You'll find it at be different.

And this will happen very soon," Gunter said. "A lot of travel agencies don't even realize. They say, 'OK, the Internet, it's maybe five years from No, it's not. It's already happening." KeithThe Arizona Republic Get set for local 10-digit calling Panel weighs overlay area code for Valley By Rebecca Rolwing The Arizona Republic Soon, you may have to punch in 10 numbers to call your neighbor across the street. That's because the Phoenix area is running out of phone numbers.

On Nov. 18, the Arizona Corporation Commission will consider a plan by its staff to create a new area code and hand it out to everyone who requests new lines. That means your phone line in the kitchen could have a different area code than the one in your den. An explosion of service providers, wireless telephones, pagers and fax machines has created the demand for the yet-to-be assigned area code. The code would be introduced next summer, when all available 602 numbers are expected to be used up.

The commission staff rejected an idea that would have geographically split the Valley into two groups. It would have left most of Phoenix, a bit of Paradise Valley and Glendale with the 602 area code. All other areas of the Valley would have gotten the new area code. Under the favored plan, called an overlay, requests for new phone lines will get the new area code while 602 numbers will remain the same. With the overlay, callers must always punch in digits to call anywhere in the Valley.

However, if the change is approved the commission will ask the FCC to allow seven-digit dialing for calls within the same area code. Long-distance charges would not apply. Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and Miami are among cities that have recently switched to 10-digit dialing as the cities have needed additional numbers. Businesses oppose the geographic split since it would force them to change all their letterhead and give out the new number to clients. Also, it could have put Please see AREA CODE, Page E2 be home to Bank of America's Arizona and Nevada headquarters drew dozens of business and government leaders eager to see the project get off the ground.

A slew of new restaurants were announced, but the groundbreaking date for a high-rise Westin hotel has been moved back several months. Tom Roberts, president of Opus West, which is teaming with Barron Collier of Florida to develop the Please see COLLIER, Page Ei 5.12 lygJOr, mortgage Play by rules in corporate gift giving Give gifts to former clients. Cards are less likely to be seen as an attempt to win back business. Competing for cash US West Communications received twice as many entries this year as last year for its New Ventures Seed Money Competition, which will award $10,000 each to 10 promising small businesses. The competition drew 2,730 entries, compared with 1,300 entries last year, throughout the telecommunication Please see 9 IN ARIZONA, Page E2 Spend what is appropriate.

Less than $15 might look cheap, more than $150 like bribery. Inquire about a company's gift protocol. Some have strict guidelines. Think twice about gifts for people of the opposite sex. Make your gift memorable.

Show some creativity. DON'T: Overlook international etiquette. Buy corporate gifts on sale. It could prove embarrassing. Forget to personalize selections, when possible.

Give the same gift every year. shopping season will be here before we know it, and corporate gift giving probably skimpy, given the good times small businesses have been experiencing. you start making your list, look at what American Express, travel and entertainment card offers in the way of do's and company logos sparingly. Advertising to clients whose business you unnecessary at this time of SMALL BUSINESS tl i JANE LARSON The Arizona Republic Innovative WMH NiCKELL Republic Columnist V. Holiday won't be many Before take a the company, don'ts: DO: Use have is year.

Ihree economic by the Avondale, financial Greater which is Collier project starts funding aids rural towns Arizona communities will soon be developing the kind of infrastructure that's essential to lion for a regional park, public safety building and water and sewer system improvements. "It's very important to a community our size," said Ron Brown, financial services officer for Avondale. "The main reason we went with GADA was the savings on costs of the issuance of the loan. Also the interest rate (about 4.6 percent) was good." Goodyear will be able to invest in a fire station and road Work finally begins after wait of 7 years By Catherine Reagor The Arizona Republic Dirt finally was moved Tuesday morning on the Collier Center, a long-awaited office, hotel and restaurant project that spans 2.5 blocks in the heart of downtown Phoenix. An official groundbreaking for the $500 million development that will growth as the result of an innovative financing program being guided Arizona Department of Commerce.

Goodyear and Winslow recently were named recipients of the first assistance loans from the Arizona Development Authority, intended to assist rural and Indian communities. Avondale will have access to $6.3 mil TuGstlay's TmariiTjis "'summary UST-Y Please see NICKELL, Page E2 METALS AND COMMODITIES N.T. Merc 293.60 0.80 Handy -r Troy oz. Cottoa Harman A 69.15 Troy oz. 5.010 Pound i 1 1 A 1 INTEREST RATES Tuesday ago Tuesday ago Prime rate 8.00 8.50 6-month T-bills 4.42 5.12 Discount rate 4.75 5.00 1 0-year T-notes 4.82 5.85 Federal funds 4.94 5.53 30-year T-bonds 5.29 6.10 CLOSING QUOTES: NYSE: "A1BEX: 557.42 665.09 Composite ralumo: 837,038,600 Toronto: 6,258.27 Rassell 2000: 396.86 ONE DOLLAR EQUALS: -y Dollar Tea 1.5450 122 122.52 0.0095 ZN 0 95 Peso -O" Mai 0220 'N-J 1.6842 0.0420 LA ft sr io Crode oil 13.52 0.14 Barrel 3-month T-l 4.43 www.azcentral.cornbusiness likil.