The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 35

Tin Send eomme mtf tips ftrtwjh ural to: b'jsinessfinance gtampatrib.com ROBERT JTEYER, Assart Bjsrws titer, (8131 259-7541 MICHAEL KERSMARJQ, Asstsial Bjaness fcta. (813) 278S3 JTEVOI LCTUM, Sena Edstx Bjsmess, (813) 259-7836 Wednesday. November 22, 2000 The Tampa Tribune iw.seT imam i II HI II I I XI VI i at. ytL 1 -LLX JL AIL VJiLJj ii Regal to close Lutz cinema-plex Veteran 1 Van DKeRd fHoUywood20j rx I I Wtnrtey Rd Laufa 1 i 1 1 I -r as they headed in Tuesday to see "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." "It's a nice theater," Alyson said. "It's a shame to see it close." Her mother remembered when the cinema-plex opened three years ago.

"The place was packed," Susan Fernandez said. "You couldnt find a place to park." Richard Westerling, Regal Cinema Inc's senior vice president for marketing, said the Regal Hollywood 20 was in "an un-derperforming location." It has been targeted for closing for some time, he said, as the corporation evaluates its properties for profitability. In June 1999, the company closed its Northdale TAMPA The theater has been targeted for closing for some time, a Regal executive said. By KATHV STEELE of The Tampa Tribune The curtain is closing on Regal Hollywood 20, one of the first mega-plexes to take root in a burgeoning area of Lutz. The glitzy cinema-plex, in the Northgate Squaie shopping plaza at Van Dyke Road and Dale Mabry Highway, will turn off the lights for good Dec 10.

Word of the theater's demise came in a sign posted on box office windows over the weekend. A mother and daughter, Susan and Alyson Fernandez, were surprised to learn of the closing t-i JAY NOLANTrtbune (lie photo (1997) The glitzy Regal Hollywood 20, in the Northgate Square shopping plaza at Van Dyke Road and Dale Mabry Highway, will turn off the lights for good Dec. 10, three years after It opened. 4 s- If" Jr Don Sauret, owner of the Happy Hobo he has set up In the front of his store. TAMPA Toy and model trains remain part of the holiday tradition and a key market for hobby shops.

By TED JACKOVICS of The Tampa Tribune If Santa Claus didn't have a magic sleigh, he would surely make his rounds on a model railroad locomotive. The tradition of building a toy train around the Christmas tree dates back more than a century. Model railroading, a year-round hobby that blossomed after World War II, has a corps of enthusiasts who can rely on family and friends for a train gift at Christmas. Toy and model railroading generate $850 million in annual revenue, according to estimates by editors at Kalmbach Publishing Co. The Waukesha, company publishes numerous railroad-related periodicals.

1 TAMPA BAY AREA Jabil names COO Jabil Circuit Inc. has promoted Ron Rapp to chief operating officer, a new position at the SL Petersburg circuit board manufacturer. Rapp, a 17-year Jabil veteran, has been treasurer, chief financial officer and executive vice president of operations. Hotel talks continue Tampa Port Authority commissioners agreed Tuesday to keep talking to developer Ocean Properties lid. about plans for a hotel on four acres near the Florida Aquarium.

The developer will take the next 45 to 60 days to firm up its proposal, then, if the authority agrees, five or six more months to finalize plans. The port authority also granted permits for Tampa Bay Water to build an intake structure to siphon drinking water from the Alafia River, and a pipeline that would cross the river between Interstate 75 and U.S. 301. The regional water supplier had permit approval from all the other agencies involved. Payment due, IMC says IMC Mortgage Co.

of Tampa says CinFinancial Mortgage Co. is behind on payments from a November deal in which IMF sold operating assets and loan servicing rights to the Citigroup subsidiary for $100 million. CitiFinan-cial paid $96 million at the time of the sale, but didn't make a required $2 million payment on Nov. 15, IMC's lawyers said. CitiFinancial hasn't responded.

DAESystems lands deal BAESystems' Flight Simulation and Training operation in Tampa has won a $1.3 million contract to provide training instruction for crews operating the Air Force RQ-1A Predator unmanned aerial vehicle. NATION Rivals want Gatorade The board of Coca-Cola Co. on Tuesday discussed buying Quaker Oats and analysts predicted that the Atlanta-based soft-drink giant or rival PepsiCo would likely acquire the food company coveted for its market-dominating sports beverage, Gatorade. Earlier this month, Quaker Oats rejected a $14.8 billion offer from Pepsi. Analysts now expect Pepsi to counter any offer made by Coke.

Air delays mount As the busy holiday travel season neared, two major U.S. airlines continued to grapple with flight delays they blame on disgruntled mechanics. But a strike appears nearly impossible before next year. Four days after a federal judge barred United Airlines mechanics from disrupting flight schedules, the Chicago-based airline said it was still plagued by delays Tuesday. Meanwhile, Minnesota-based Northwest Airlines obtained a temporary restraining order aimed at preventing flight delays that the airlines says have been caused by work slowdowns by its mechanics.

But delays remained higher than normal Tuesday. WORLD Trade deficit swells The U.S. trade deficit ballooned to a record $34.3 billion in September as America's already-huge foreign oil bill got bigger and helped push imports to an all-time high. The deficit with China climbed to $8.7 billion, the largest ever recorded with any country. CORRECTION Britton Plaza is at Dale Mabry Highway and Euclid Avenue.

A map in Tuesday's Business Finance section showed the wrong location. STOCK QUOTES AND UPDATES Get updated quotes and track your portfolio and the market around the clock at www.tbo.com CHANNEL 8 BUSINESS NEWS Watch "News Channel 8 Today" at 6 a.m. Tuesday-Friday for The Tampa Tribune Business Finance report A Tribune staff, wire report ESSEX JAMESTribuiM map Court 6 cinema on North Dale Mabry Highway. Regal isnt the only theater chain fallen on hard times. In August, Carmike Cinemas filed for bankruptcy and closed Main Street 6 on North Dale Mabry Highway in Carrollwood.

See REGAL, Page 6 Port director gets 2nd 10 pay increase TAMPA The port director's latest raise puts his salary ahead of directors of more lucrative Florida ports. By JANET FORGRIEVE of The Tampa Tribune Port Director George Williamson got his second 10 percent raise in as many years Tuesday, making his annual salary $176,000. The raise puts Williamson within about $13,000 of Miami's director and $8,000 ahead of Jacksonville's, according to figures pro vided by the Tampa Port Authority. If $31,000 more than the director makes at Port Everglades. Miami, Jacksonville and Port Everglades, at Fort Lauderdale, are Florida's three biggest container ports, each bringing in more than 700,000 of the 20-foot-long cargo Williamson boxes last year.

Tampa's port had fewer than 5,000. The three ports also beat Tampa in annual revenue. Everglades led in budget year 1999, with $74 million, compared with Tampa's $20 million. Tampa Port Authority commissioners unanimously approved the pay increase. Chairman Fassil Gabremariam said Williamson has raised the porf profile in the community and among potential trading partners See PORT, Page 4 Controversy marks Cuban business talks TAMPA A Cuban visit to the Tampa Bay area is one of many designed to unearth potential investments.

By ANDREW MEADOWS of The Tampa Tribune When Fernando Remirez de Estenoz addressed a group of about 60 business people at Tampa's Fowler White law firm earlier this week, die topic was money. Speaking for more than an hour Monday evening, de Estenoz, the communist nation's top representative in the United States, told the invitation-only crowd about potential markets for Florida goods if the embargo against Cuba ends. "It was a discussion about the Cuban economy," said David Shobe, a Fowler White partner, declining to give more details. "He gave our people some idea of the potential of the Cuban market and the potential for trade should the embargo be lifted." Meetings featuring de Estenoz are becoming more and more common across the United States as talk of softening relations with the island nation heat up, according to Cuba observers. U.S.

companies and the Cuban government want to have their business relationships already forged should free commerce emerge, observers say. "They're Cubans making a case to business to lift the embargo and they know they can go to different towns and make this See CUBA, Page 4 I I model train store In Tampa, adds smoke Sauret sells about 100 of these popular Holiday sales of toy and model railroads generally account for 25 percent to 40 percent of annual revenues of the largest Tampa Bay area hobby shops, a local sampling indicates. Sales in November and December account for 50 percent of the annual business at Trains Inc. in Pinellas Park. "We are ready for Christmas on Nov.

1," said co-owner Alice Morris. By then, has strung its Christmas lights, plays Christmas music in the background and has extended its store hours. Its showcase model train in an outdoor garden lay- agreement as early as today. HCA's health maintenance organization, preferred provider organization and indemnity contracts with Cigna were set to expire Dec. 28.

However, HCA and Blue Cross, which has 328,000 Bay area members and is Florida's largest insurer, appear to have moved further apart in their talks. HCA based in Nashville, filed a lawsuit Monday against Blue Cross. The lawsuit, filed in Hillsborough County Circuit Court, accused Blue Cross of "misleading" members and doctors about contract termination dates (0 Uy 0 Retail 20110 out as toy as -Jf -r .4 A BRUCE HOSKINQTribuno photo solution to the Lionel locomotive "starter kits" near Christmas. runs three hours a night "Presentation is everything," Morris said. "Making the sale is one thing.

Getting them to come back year after year is another." And return they do. Regulars from far as Miami and Jacksonville mingle with visitors from Japan and Germany, who make an annual holiday circuit of the largest of Tampa Bay's railroad hobby shops. Christmas railroad shopping is a tradition thaf endured revolutions in real-world railroading and the cyclical and model markets. All but a few U.S. passenger trains disappeared.

Freight operations evolved into long-distance networks, as trucks replaced local rail systems. Despite fewer trains chugging about, toy trains like the Lionel brand See TRAINS, Page 6 files suit a way to "steer patients" away from HCA hospitals. HCA alleged Blue Cross incorrectly told members its HCA contracts end Dec. 1, even though many agreements extend "through late 2001." Ernie Brodsky, a senior vice president of Blue Cross' North Florida division, declined to comment on the allegations. But he said in a statement Tuesday that the Jacksonville insurer wanted to "resolve contract discussions in a positive manner." Rafael Gerena-Morales covers health care business and can be reached at (813) 259-7624 or rgerenatampalrib.com i I Hospital group nears deal, TAMPA HCA hospitals gain ground with one insurer while moving further from another.

By RAFAEL GERENA-MORALES of The Tampa Tribune HCA-The Healthcare Co. has tentatively agreed to new insurance contracts with Cigna HealthCare even as the hospital chain's negotiations deteriorate with another insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida. HCA, which operates 10 Tampa Bay area hospitals including Brandon Regional, and Cigna, which has 180,000 Bay area members, may announce an.