The Times from Shreveport, Louisiana • Page 20

SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 1994 CONTACT: TOM HAYWOOD, 459-3530 1 Stocks in brief 4 ci megast COB ire ampo Dow Jones Industrial Average Close: 3772.22 1 13.23 in front of Sam's Wholesale Club, 6aid Don Galloway, Cam-po's senior vice president of sales and marketing. The announcement comes about two weeks before Campo opens a new store in Bossier City. It's located along Airline Drive in the shopping center formerly known as Plaza. Both new stores are labeled concept stores because they offer a large selection of electronics, appliances and computers that are hands-on and interactive. Once the new Shreveport store opens, Campo will close its exist SAP Index 440.13 2.48 NYSE comp.

254.34 1.28 AMEXIfKtei 441.84 1J1 NASDAQ Index 7428 NET STOCKS CLOSE CHG Atmos 18. 55 BellSouth 3 l. Caesars 39 Campo 13 i Cntu7 Tete 26 i CASo; 22'. CofiAra 23'. CrfraB) 2 71 Crfra(C) 2 61 .02 Cirttas 30 Crsial Cil 21 Deo Guar.

30 'i UNC DiiiafJ 31 Food Lion 5'. UNC Penny 46 -1 Gannett 52 GE 49', GM 2 1 Haverys 14', Hiberma 8 Home Depot 45 IP 70 UNC (VAX 18 Kmart 18 'i KCS 43 i. UNC Kroner 24 LDDS 18 Ubfcey 18 UNC Lowe's 32 Morton Int. 83 Nat. Set.

Ind. 25 NorAm 6' UNC Penzl 49 i Piccadilly 1 1 UNC Prm Bancorp 17 Promus 36 Rockwell 36 Seagull 25'', Sears 51 1 Sonat 28 Sports 4 Rec 41 Stein Mart 21 Thiokol Co. 24 Union Pacific 58 Wal-Mart 23 Welbilt 19 Willamette 46 1 Soure Stvpoit ofte Mwrtf tyncn BRIEFS i ing operation just across the street. The company is also closing its stores in Heart CBossier shopping center and along Shreve-port-Barksdale Highway once the Bossier City store opens this month. However, the outlet distribution center will remain open on 70th Street Galloway said construction should begin "pretty soon because we are going to open by late this fall." Costs of the land and construction typically run between $1.5 million to $2 million, he said.

Galloway said the company de i J- US Til ft? T2T Coast and said we could make a million dollars and retire early," Gallageher said. "We didn't, but it was so much fun I've kept doing it." Gallageher bought her partner's share of the business two years ago and has expanded Signs At Work to a seven-employee firm that has stores in Shreveport and Bossier City. If she goes to a place that isn't a client firm, Gallageher said she usually tries to turn it into one. Jim MIX Company is aiming to have new Jewella Avenue site open by fail. By BIU.

COOKSEY Ire Lmes Campo Electronics is expanding again in the local market. The New Orleans-based electronics retailer said Friday it will build a second concept store in the area. This time it's a store along Jewella Avenue Business points manufacturer in right direction By AUSON WATSON The Times Part of Joan Gallageher's job is telling people where to go. Her signs point people in the right direction, identify companies and fleets of vehicles, and offer congratulations and happy birthday wishes. Gallageher, a registered nurse-turned-6ign manufacturer, is 1994 winner of the.

Woman Businessperson Pacesetter Award for District 7, which includes 10 Northwest Louisiana parishes. The award is given annually by the Louisiana Department of Economic Development and is presented by the governor to eight women in the state. Gallageher, owner of Signs at Work in Shreveport and Bossier City, said she was surprised and flattered by the award. "I just thought I was having fun. Every day in this business is an educational experience." She loves the whirlwind pace of traveling to trade shows, meeting with clients, designing banners, climbing ladders to hang signs and keeping abreast of her industry, and of zoning regulations that affect the size and placement of her signs.

Gallageher runs home several times a day to make sure her 14-year-old son has a hot Area builder By AUSON WATSON The Times -mb ei a cided to build a new location because the one now on Jewella would be difficult to remodel to the concept store design. new Jocation also has high visibility and is easily accessible, something Campo seeks for its concept stores, said Webb McMa-hon of Sterling Properties. He represented Campo in the purchase. "Traditionally, as each of these type stores have opened, our sales have increased by 50 percent," Galloway said. The increase in sales will probably lead to the hiring of about 10 more employees, he said.

Times photoDARREL ELLIS BIOGRAPHY Joan Gallageher, 31 Occupation: Owner of Signs at Work Memberships: Shreveport and Bossier chambers of commerce, Louisiana Restaurant Association. 4.,. Joan Gallageher poses with some of the signs Tuesday. Coming soon Campo Electronics announced Friday it win build a new store along Jewella Avenue in front of Sam's Wholesale Club. S3 3 Meriwether Rd, EX I Inner Loopii Times graph Financier may strike plea bargain Steven Hoffenberg is charged with defrauding investors of over $450 million.

The Associated Press NEW YORK- A financier accused of defrauding investors of more than $450 million may be willing to strike a plea bargain that would include a more lenient sentence and protection against future prosecution, The New York Times reported. Steven Hoffenberg has been charged with using his flagship company, Towers Financial to conduct fl.scheme to defraud investors from 1988 until early 1993. He is also charged with conspiring to obstruct a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation that led to his arrest. Prosecutors say Hoffenberg overstated the assets and income of Towers, a bill-collection company, so he could sell $250 million worth of the company's notes and $210 million of its bonds. He was arrested in February and is free on $1 million bond.

In exchange for admitting guilt, Hoffenberg would expect a sentence of less than the possible maximum of 25 years in prison, the Times said in Friday's editions. His lawyer, Jeffrey Hoffman, said he expected Hoffenberg would be sentenced to no more than 10 months in jail, and perhaps to no jail time at all, under an acceptable plea bargain. LOCAL ANGLE Shreveport, three former executives of Biedenharn Investment Group which sold Tower security notes have pleaded not guilty to securities fraud. Their cases are pending in Caddo District Court. Charged are: James McCurry, 45, former president for Biedenharn; charged with 39 counts of securities fraud.

William Earl Powdrill, 41, former Biedenharn vice president; charged with 20 counts of securities fraud. Uwe Schmidt, 49, former Biedenharn broker; charged with 1 1 counts of securities fraud. then to be reported on the investor's tax return. That sounds simple enough until you realize how devastating this can really be. -f- And it gets even worse when you consider the total economic impact.

If you would like a chart showing the effects of compound taxes on compound interest, write me in care of The Times. Well be glad to send you a free copy. Byron Moore Is a certified financial planner. Your questions and requests may be sent care of The Times, P.O. 30222, Shreveport, La.

71130-0222. Mi meal or has done his homework or just to spend some time working with him on Boy Scout projects. "I like to think our signs provide a valuable public service," she said. "People take for granted how important signs are, in helping them find where to go and in making their business look good." Gallageher opened Signs At Work with a partner in 1988. "He'd seen how fast the industry was growing on the West wins 1 994 Minority Businessperson Award BIOGRAPHY -1 Rickey Ray Hall, 33 Occupation: Owner of Hall Builders, Inc.

Organization: President, North Louisiana chapter of the National Minority Contractors Association. From Staff And Wire Reports Bonds mount strong comeback Stocks rose Friday bonds mounted a strong comeback after a mixed labor report. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 13.23 points to 3,772.22, ending 15.08 higher for the week. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by about 12 to 7 on the New York Stock Exchange with 1,350 up, 794 down and 680 unchanged. Volume totaled 270.38 million shares.

The Labor Department reported that the nation's unemployment rate fell four-tenths of a percentage point in May, to 6 portent. Most analysts had expected the jobless rate to remain unchanged. Edwards makes new plant official In a packed Natchitoches Parish courtroom Friday, Gov. Edwin Edwards announced the new Partnership plywood plant he helped bring to 'the parish. The 300-worker $50 million plant will be located in Chopin in the southern tip of Natchitoches Parish.

It is expected to open in early 1996. Martco is a managing company of the Alexandria-based Roy O. Martin Lumber Company, which has holdings from Mfcnden to Plaquemines, jf More Louisiana banks merge For the second time this week, a major Louisiana Bank holding company has announced merger plans. This time it was First Commerce Corp, which announced Friday that it will merge with City Bancorp, The deal is valued at $14 million and will involve First National Bank of Lafayette and City Bank and Trust Company of New Iberia. Hibernia Cbrp.

and Pioneer Bancshares Corp. announced plans to merge on Wednesday. Pioneer is the largest locally owned financial institution in the Shreveport and Bossier City area. Shreveporter Rickey Ray Hall didn't expect to win any awards. He didn't even intend to go into construction business for himself.

But Hall was recently named 1994 Minority Businessperson Pacesetter Award winner for Louisiana's District 7. The award, given annually to eight Louisiana residents by the state Department of Economic Development, was presented to Hall Thursday by Gov. Edwin Edwards. "I feel very honored and very excited. All I can say is business has been good this year," said Hall, a Shreveport native who's quick to attribute his company's success to his 14 employees, his wife and four children, his mother, his accountant, his banker, his clients and God.

"I've had good advice. The business has had its ups and downs, but faith in God has continued to open doors for me," Hall said. Hall attended vocational school to learn to be a carpenter's apprentice. Local 764 of the Carpenters Union helped him find part-time work. Six years ago, when he realized he was working about 15 hours a day, Hall incorporated his commercialresidential construction and renovation firm.

He's completed a number of business and total quality management courses at LSU in Shreveport and Southern University in Shreveport since then. He figures they've helped. The company's sales are up 52 percent higher than the pre- Times pholoTIM LOEHRKE Rickey Hall: "I've had good advice." vious year. He's getting ready to hire three more people and move into larger quarters, but hell stay where he's always been: in the Freestate-Agurs section. interest can compound tax bills Edwards signs oil, gas plan Gov.

Edwin Edwards on Friday signed a major incentive package aimed at stimulating Louisiana's oil and gas industry. The plan was approved by the Legislature recently. It provides relief by: Exempting state severance taxes on wells that have been inactive for two or more years and re-entered. Relieving state severance taxes on stripper wells whenever the posted field price for oil averages less than $20 per month. Compound Question: I'm just recovering from paying my taxes last April.

I'd like to make sure I do what- ever I can to Byr0fl M00T6 lessen my tax bill for next year. Any advice? Answer: As we pick up the pieces from April 15, 1994, you might recall the usual flood of finan cial articles ap- personal Finance peanng in -newspapers and magazines during December concerning "year 'f F1 year for 30 years, he would have invested a total of $30,000. However, by allowing all of the interest (10 annually) to compound in the account (and, as a result, earn interest on interest), the investor in our example would not have $30,000 at the end of 30 years, but $180,943. Unfortunately, our world isn't quite that simple. Each year our investor's account earn interest from a financial institution, that institution must send Uncle Sam a notification of how much his money earned that year.

This investment income is end tax planning." If you waited until the end of 1993 to do much serious tax "planning" for 1994, you probably took some pretty good licks. I believe one of the most serious tax problems individual investors face is the miracle of compound interest. Compound interest occurs when you receive interest payments on money you have deposited in a financial institution and allow it to simply add on to the original amount you had invested. Perhaps this example will help: If a person saved $1,000 a.