St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 112

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1994 FRED FAUST MINDING BUSINESS Investors Title Sues Its Former Insurance Underwriter 6BP poker machines. Fifty of the devices are being installed on the third deck. Although the Players riverboat casino at Metropolis, 111., has always offered nickel slots, most of the other Illinois boats and the other three Missouri casinos consider them a waste Station said business was strong for the first week of operation at Boulder Station in Las Vegas. That casino features a 160-foot-high sign that the company said has the world's largest color message center. Words and graphics are spread over 8,000 square feet of sign face in 256 colors.

of space. Nationally, casino operators have differing views of nickel slots. Most high-end places eschew them. But Caesars Palace, perhaps the epitome of high-end casinos, offers them. They are very popular on the Gulf Coast.

It takes a tremendous amount of play for the casino to make much money off a five-cent player. But proponents say those players some In North Kansas City, Harrah's Casinos is anxious to get started. General manager Jay Sevigny said the Missouri Gaming Commission hear Harrah's license application Sept. 20, with a "shakedown" cruise set for the 21st. If all goes well, Harrah's will open Sept.

22. CRESTWOOD WINS: Kristen Schalk, marketing manager of Crestwood Plaza, said her center Dnvestors Title Co. has sued the company that used to underwrite the title insurance policies that Investors sold. Chicago Title Insurance a national underwriter based in Kansas City, improperly terminated its agency agreement with Investors, according to the suit. Chicago Title also violated the 1986 agreement, the suit alleges, by acquiring another agency that sells title insurance within Investors' "home counties" St.

Louis City and County and St. Charles County. Efforts to get a response from Chicago Title were unsuccessful. James Fenberg, chairman of Investors, said Chicago Title gave no reason for ending the relationship this summer. But he said it had nothing to do with the collapse last spring of Lenders Mortgage Services Inc.

Investors was one of the title companies that got stuck with bounced checks from Lenders Mortgage. Fenberg declined to name the other agency mentioned in the suit. But the complaint apparently refers to Ticor Title Insurance Co. Chicago Title bought Ticor in March 1991, when Chicago Title already was the country's largest title insurance underwriter. It underwrites policies sold by the local Ticor office.

Investors says in the suit that Chicago Title has deprived Investors of $768,000 in business. The suit, filed by James S. Cole of Riezman Blitz, also seeks $100,000 in damages for termination of the agency agreement. Fenberg said Investors is now using the locally based Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co. for its underwriting.

BOAT NOTES: The Admiral is introducing a first for the St. Louis market: nickel video multimillion-dollar renovation. Although Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue have always had exterior signs at their ends of the long building, this is the first time in the mall's 20-year history that the city has permitted one for the mall itself. Pam Bliss of Kiku Obata Co. said she designed the sign to look as if it had always been there.

It's made of cast resin with 23-karat gold leaf. Now newcomers to the area won't mistake the building for a funeral home or museum. CLOSING SHOP: After 83 years, Woer-mann Construction Co. is going out of business. Last week the company faxed a letter to suppliers saying it would settle accounts after current projects are closed out.

Woermann, 7120 Manchester Avenue, has eight employees. At its peak five or six years ago, it had a staff of 22. Ironically, construction activity in the St. Louis area has finally emerged from a long recession. But Woermann's president, Ray Exler, said the primary beneficiaries are the real big companies and the subcontractors.

The small general contractors, he said, "are still cutting each other's throats" with unrealis-tically low bids. The decision to pull the plug came after Woermann's backed out of a $780,000 job for Shrewsbury. The city had selected Woermann to renovate its public safety building, but the contractor said it couldn't get a performance bond. Exler said sales last year were $12 million to $13 million. He said he's confident Woermann can pay everyone and avoid the expense of bankruptcy.

times move up to the quarter machines. And when you've got plenty of space, like the Admiral does, why not offer additional options? For the player, this is a chance to learn video poker without risking a lot of money. But the Admiral undoubtedly will hold a higher percentage on the nickel games. A safe rule of thumb is: The higher the denomination of the game, the more generous the payout percentage. Speaking of high denominations, the Admiral is offering a $50,000 jackpot on two of its $5 video poker machines.

To win, the player has to bet all five coins. That means $25 a pop. Meanwhile, Station Casinos said it will move the Casino St. Charles and the entertainment barge to its permanent site by the middle of this month. The 52-acre site is close to the Interstate 70 bridge over the Missouri River.

ranked first in a local survey done by International Demographics Inc. In May, the company asked 1,200 shoppers at least 18 years old to name the two shopping centers they most frequently visit. Nearly 20 percent named Crestwood. Northwest Plaza was second at 16 percent. Nearly 16 percent said St.

Clair Square, 15.4 percent said the Saint Louis Galleria and 14.2 percent said South County Center. SIGN OF THE TIMES: The new sign on the east exterior wall of Plaza Frontenac won't break any records for size. But in the rarified air of Frontenac, almost any sign can be big news. We're talking about the 14.5-inch letters that spell out Plaza Frontenac above the main entrance. The 28-foot-long sign went up last week, as the center prepares to celebrate its 40 35 30 Costliest Worker Injuries Percentage Of Total Claim Dollars 1993n 1992 25 20 15 10 5 Hi -) I ga 1 i Other Sprains I Slips I Moving, I Machinery-1 Motor I Repetitive i Eye Injuries and Strains and Falls Fating, or Related Vehicle Motion Stationary Accidents Objects In Thousands 50 Common Worker Injuries 1093 Total 144,709 1992 Total 165,220 40 Work Injuries Down In '93 By William Flannery Of the Post-Dispatch Staff One of America's largest insurance companies said that its reports of workplace injuries declined by 12.7 percent in 1993 compared to a year earlier.

In addition, ITT Hartford Insurance Group Inc. reports the severity of these injuries declined by 17.6 percent. But the total worker compensation costs for ITT Hartford increased by about 2 percent in 1993 from 1992. James Royles, assistant vice president for ITT Hartford's worker compensation division, said this decrease in on-the-job injuries was due to better safety procedures, state worker compensation reforms and lower medical inflation costs. Royles added, "This trend means that our policyholder's employees not only suffered fewer injuries, but less debilitating ones as well." The insurance company, based in Hartford, analyzed 144,709 worker injury claims from 1993 and compared them to 165.220 claims the firm received in 1992.

As in the year earlier, sprains and strains accounted for the costliest types of injuries, about a third of the total Slips and falls were the second-costliest injuries, about 26 percent. Moving and falling injuries were the third most costly category, about 15 percent. In terms of the most common type of injury overall, moving and falling were the worst with 39 percent in 1993. This category, however, is down from 44 percent in 1992. Strains and sprains were the second-most COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Turley Martin Co.

represented parties in these leases: 212,000 square feet of industrial-manufacturing-warehouse space at mark Twain Drive in West Frankfort, 111., to Chariot Marine Fabricators Industrial Corp. from American Diversified Industries. 13,679 square feet of office space at 111 West Port Plaza, Suites 327, 329 and 321, to PRC Inc. from Aetna Life Insurance Co. 7,614 square feet of office space at 10777 Sunset Office Parkway to Busch Entertainment Corp.

from Sunset TM Associates. 6,149 square feet of retail shopping center space at 778 North new Ballas Road to Renex Dialysis Clinic of Creve Coeur Inc. from Creve Coeur Plaza Associates. CB Commercial represented the lessee. 3,500 square feet of retail space at 8205-09 Clayton Road to Sound Fitness Systems Inc.

from Clayton TM Associates. William Bou-doures Co. represented the lessee. Hilliker Corp. represented Sid and Hollie Furst in the purchase of a office building at 2029 Woodlands Parkway for Horizon Graphics, dba Long Term Computer Systems, from Woodlands Partnership, represented by Nooney Krombach Co.

Midland Group negotiated these leases: 13,600 square feet of space at 5731 Manchester Road to Autumn Industrial Products from Golterman Sabo. 5,000 square feet at South County Mall to Dobbs Tire Auto Center from May Co. 5,000 square feet at 15 Florissant Oaks Shopping Center to Hooters of America Inc. from Hardees Food Systems. 2,747 square feet at Ronnie's Plaza to Shoe Stop from Ronnie's Enterprises Inc.

30 20 10 ELLD i i i SSps and FaSs Eye I Repetitive I Motor I Other Injuries Motion Vehicle Machinery-1 Related Accidents Movrg, i Sprains I Faffing, or and Strains Stationary Objects Poat-Dspald) Chart 1993 injuries, down from 11 percent in 1992. Repetitive stress or motion injuries totaled 2.8 percent of all injuries, up slightly from 2.7 percent in 1992. Motor vehicle accidents amounted to 2.5 percent of all injuries in 1993, up only slightly from 1992. Source iTT Hartford Insunmcm GfXKp common type of injury in 1993, with Dearly 38 percent. Among the other types of injuries: Machinery-related accidents accounted for 9.2 percent of all injuries in 1993, down from 11.1 percent in 1992.

Eye injuries accounted for 8.8 percent of.