Arizona Daily Star from Tucson, Arizona • Page 41

v. Editor: Jill Jorden Spitz Telephone 520-573-4177 Fax 573-4144 E-mai7 businessazstarnet.com BEST AVAILABLE COPY Friday March 15, 2002 SECTION ARIZONA DAILY STAR SERVING TUCSON SINCE 1877 MARKETS March 14, 2002 STOCKS OF LOCAL DJTJtiKEST (quotes may reflect after-hours trading) Name Dlv Last Chg Name Dlv Last Chg DOW INDUSTRIALS NASDAQ INDEX AOLTimeWarnerNA 25.74 America West NA 5.86 Apollo Group NA 48.61 2.83 Convergys NA 31.11 001 Home Depot 020 4835 Honeywell 0.75 40.37 0.53 IBM 0.56 106.60 Intel 0.08 3097 Intuit NA 38.13 Phelps Dodge 0.50 40.43 0.48 Pinnacle West 1 60 42.78 Raytheon 0.80 39.65 0.75 Texas Instr. 0.08 32.89 0.49 UniSource 050 19.27 -003 VentanaMed. NA 20.20 1.35 Wells Fargo 1 04 49.40 DOW 30 10,500 1.825 WlA I March 1 March 14 March 1 March 14 NASDAQ RUSSELL 2000 CONSTRUCTION I Tucson roadway firm Johnson-Brittaln Associates has been acquired by HDR Inc. of Omaha, Neb.

Financial terms of the buyout were not disclosed. Combined, the new firm HDRJohnson-Brittain employs about 50 in Tucson. Michael Johnson, a founder of Johnson-Brittain, said the consolidation gives his for--mer company more resources in other areas of expertise. Both Johnson and Robert Brfttaln remain vice presidents in the new business. Johnson-Brittain was founded in 1980 and is involved primarily in highway design, drainage and surveying.

HDR is one of the largest employee-owned Gain of 1,800 forecast for '02; Phoenix to lose 24,000 Tucson set to add some jobs On StarNet: Detailed looks at Tucson's six hightech clusters. www.azstamet. comneweconomy firms in the country, providing architecture, engineering, consulting and project development services. In Tucson, HDR provides architectural services. It will continue to operate at 5210 E.

Williams Circle, Suite 530. Hiring outlook I The job picture will be looking up across the board in 2003. but rebound in 2003 to add 55,400. Meanwhile, Tucson's economy will grow at half a percent this year, adding 1,800 jobs, and at a 2.6 percent clip in 2003, resulting in 9,000 more jobs. "We felt very much the reverberating effects of Sept.

11," said Don Wehbey, a senior economist at DES, who released the report in Tucson. "The metro areas are showing the greatest downward pressure because they grew so By Jonathan J. Higuera ARIZONA DAILY STAR Tucson to Phoenix: We feel your pain, but that doesn't mean we share your pain. The state, led by Phoenix, will lose jobs this year for the first time since 1982. But Tucson should add about 1,800 jobs to its economy, the state Department of Economic Security predicted Thursday.

The annual forecast calls for the state to lose 17,100 jobs this year much." Statewide, the industries hit the hardest are manufacturing, expected to lose 9,700 jobs this year, construction, expected to lose 6,700 jobs; and transportation, communications and public utilities, which will shed 5,700 jobs, the forecast predicted. The loss in manufacturing may mask greater losses given that temporary jobs in manufacturing are listed in the busi- SEE FORECAST D5 2002 2003 Tucson 1.800 9,000 Arizona 55,400 Phoenix 35,300 Rest of state 5,200 11,000 Outside Phoenix and Tucson areas SOURCE: Arizona Department of Economic Security HDRJohnson-Brittain will stay at 378 N. Main Ave. MEDIA Belo has completed the purchase of KTTU-TV, the UPN affiliate here, for $18 million in cash. Belo previously operated KTTU under a local marketing agreement with Clear Channel Communications Inc.

and announced plans to purchase KTTU in January 2001. Belo owns the Tucson Fox affiliate KMSB-TV, along with Phoenix stations KTVK-TV, an independent; and KASW-TV, a WB affiliate. It also owns MasI Arizona and Arizona NewsChannel, two cable news channel joint ventures with Cox Communications. Belo owns 19 television stations, owns or operates six cable news channels, and manages one television station through a local marketing agreement. It also publishes four daily newspapers.

Belo Interactive, a subsidiary of Belo, owns 34 Web sites. I Send notices for Tucson Industry News Notes to Business, the Arizona Daily Star, P.O. Box 26807, Tucson, AZ 85726; or by fax to 573-4144; or to businessazstarnet.com by e-mail ICT WORST JOB National BRIEFING '4 1 Outlook for Sierra Vista is bright By Paola Banchero ARIZONA DAILY STAR SIERRA VISTA Sierra Vista weathered the mild recession in 2001 and should expect moderate growth this year, according to the Cochise College Center for Economic Research's 2002 forecast. "Sierra Vista doesn't rely heavily on manufacturing, and that was the hardest-hit sector," said Ken Jones, director of the Center for Economic Research, which held its annual Sierra Vista Economic Forum at the Windemere Hotel and Conference Center Thursday. "We were shielded by the fact that our economy relies heavily on the defense industry." The presence of Fort Huachu-ca turns the peaks and valleys that other communities experience during economic downturns into rolling hills, said City Manager Chuck Potucek.

Po-tucek recently returned from Washington, D.C., where he and other Sierra Vista leaders met with members of the Arizona congressional delegation and Pentagon officials about the next round of base closings, which should begin next year. Though Fort Huachuca will SEE SIERRA VISTA D5 vac Caution dominated stock trading Thursday as investors made modest purchases of blue chips but also collected profits. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 15.29 at 10,517.14. The Nasdaq composite index fell 7.89 to 1,854.14. The Commerce Department said businesses rebuilt inventories by 0.2 percent in January, the first such increase in a year and another optimistic sign that the recession will soon be over.

9 The average Interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages jumped to 7.08 percent this week from 6.87 percent last week, Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, reported. Fifteen-year mortgages rose to 6.59 percent from 6.37 percent. On one-year adjustable-rate mortgages, lenders were asking an average initial rate of 5.08 percent, up from 5.07 percent last week. Delta Air Lines said it will stop paying travel agent commissions in an effort to shave airline ticket-distribution costs, the decision affects agents in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Delta said it will continue to pay incentive commissions it has negotiated with select agents.

The move was widely antici-. pated and dread Max Becherer staff As a teen-ager, Judy Myers earned spending money by making cheese logs and cheese balls for Hickory Farms. A cheesy way to make money ed by agents, who still sell the majority of airline tickets bought each year in the United States. Judy Myers Age 46 Employer community volunteer. She is co-chair of The Envelope Please, a fund-raiser for Child and Family Resources Inc.

that takes place on March 24. i Deficit narrows The broadest measure of U.S. trade improved for the first time in six years with a deficit of $417.4 billion last year. Annual current account trade deficit in billions of dollars n1992 '94 '96 '98 2000 ft 1 I lif asfis il 1 1 -50 -100 -150 -200 My worst job is an occasional series featuring the more trying job experiences of today 's leaders. By Paola Banchero ARIZONA DAILY STAR What was your worst Job? Cutting cheese logs and cheese balls for Hickory Farms.

What were your responsibilities? We would take out 40-pound blocks of cheese and let it warm up overnight Then we'd come in the next day and shape the cheese into logs or balls, roll them in nuts and put them in plastic wrap for display. In those days, they did that all in the store. How did you hear about the Job? Through my friend Linda Putnam. Her mom knew the manager of the Hickory Farms at the local mall in Huntsville, Ala. What made you want to do It? Oh, we wanted to have some money to be able to buy things and not have to ask our parents.

It was the desire to be somewhat in- looked at us and said, "What is that smell?" We laughed our heads off about that And we still laugh about it I never did find anything to cut through the smell ofRoquefort What was good about It? Getting to spend time with my friend Linda, someone I respected. We are still friends. Did it help you decide what to do with your life? It showed me the importance of going to college. After that I was determined, yes, I am going to go to college. I see that at Child and Family Resources, where we help the child and family further their education.

It also snowed me that no matter what you do, do your best Even if it is making cheese balls. I Do you or someone you know have an interesting story about first or worst encounters in the world of work? Contact Star Business reporter Jonathan Higuera at 573-4104 or mail higueraazstarnet.com. The deficit in the nation's broadest measure of trade narrowed slightly to $417.4 billion last year, the first improvement since 1995. The Commerce Department reported that the deficit in the current account, which covers trade in goods and services as well as investment earnings, shrank by 6.1 percent last year. The deficit was a record $444.7 billion in 2000.

Change from previous year 2001 6.1 2000 37.1 1999 49.2 -250 -300 -350 -400 -450 dependent, as much as one can be at 15. What did your friends think? Well, I got to work with my friend Linda. We would split the money we made, 6 cents per cheese ball or log. Was it as bad as it sounds? No. It could be fun.

On a typical Saturday, we could make maybe 160 cheese logs, enough for spending money. What was bad about it? WelL the smell of cheese could linger on you. One time we had $5 or $10, so went shopping. I'll never forget we were in a store and the clerk, a woman about my age now, she sniffed the air and Forecast in brief I The Cochise College Center for Economic Research expects the following growth rates in Sierra Vista for 2002 Population: 1 to 1.4 percent Jobs 125 to 1.75 percent Taxable sales 3 to 6 percent New-home construction: 0 to minus 10 percent Home sales: 0 to 1.5 percent Rental rates: 2 to 4 percent The center predicts an unemployment rate of 3.5 to 4 percent 'Measures flow of goods, services and investments across the U.S. border.

SOURCE: Department of Commerce AP Simstome director Cancer retreat gets nonprofit veteran The seven-day average yield on money market mutual funds fell in the week that en Jed Tuesday to 1.35 percent from 1.38 percent the prey ious week, said iMoneyNet Money Fund Report The 30-day average yield fell to 1.39 percent from 1.40 percent The seven-day compounded yield fell to 1.36 percent from 1.39 percent and the 30-day compounded yield fell to 1.4ff percent from 1.41 percent The average maturity of the portfolios held by money funds was 56 days, up from 55 days, Money Fund Report said. Oracle Corp. reported another disappointing quarter, amplifying concerns that the stumbling software giant might not regain its footing as quickly as the rest of the industry. The results were in line with analysts' reduced expectations. The Redwood Shores, company earned $507.9 million, or 9 cents a share, in its fiscal quarter ending Feb.

28, a 13 percent drop from net income of $582.7 million, or 10 cents per share, a year ago. The results matched the lowered expectations Oracle set March 1 when the company warned it would miss its previous earnings target of 10 cents a share. Compiled from wire reports By Jane Erikson ARIZONA DAILY STAR Patricia Harmon, an experienced nonprofit director from St Paul, is the new executive director of Sun-stone Cancer Support Foundatioa The agency operates Sunstone Healing Center, a new retreat for cancer patients. Harmon started her new job on Monday, after moving from St Paul, where she was president and CEO of Growing Home, a program for emotionally disturbed and physically disabled children and teens and their families. Sunstone originally was a guest ranch built in the late 1800s.

It was purchased last year and renovated into a retreat with 10 casitas and other buildings on 12 acres southeast of Tanque Verde Road and the Catalina Highway. The natural desert surroundings have SEE HARMON D6 Aaron J. Latham Staff Patricia Harmon leaves a CEO post in St Paul, Minn..