The Times-Tribune from Scranton, Pennsylvania • 35

B-7 -THE SUNDAY TIMES, APRIL 29, 1990-SCRANT0N, PA. PeopDs Dim ImloDioia 1C LLl 4 1Z GIACOMETTI DETTORE EVERLY TARLETSKY NAPOUTANO DIMATTIO ties throughout the United States and maintains offices In Marshalls Creek. Robert 8. Everly, owner of Robert S. Everly Realty recently Joined John Foley Real Estate, Scranton.

Everly, with 38 years experience in the realty business, has served as member, director and past president of the Greater Scranton Board of Realtors. John Foley Real Estate offices are located at 406 Jefferson Ave. The Lavelle-Miller Group, an advertising and public relations agency based In Scranton, has appointed Lisa DIMattlo as senior designer. During the past 10 years, she has traduced a nost of print materials or area financial Institutions, retailers and health care businesses. Phillip Dettore III, has been authorized by the International Board of Standards and Practices for Certified Financial Planners Inc.

to use the certification marks CFP and Certified Financial Planner. A graduate of Ablngton Heights High School and the University of Rochester is presently senior vice president and branch manager with Reliance Financial Group, Buffalo, N.Y. Nell Giacometti, Old Forge, has been promoted to project manager at Metropolitan Life Insurance Companys Information Systems Center, chairman and chief executive officer of Philadelphia Electric Company, has been elected to Meridian Ban-corps board of directors. He fills a vacancy created by Richard M. Palmar, 70, of R.M.

Palmer Company, who recently retired. Clarks Summit. He joined the com- Ein 1980 and will manage a system that generates more than 10 million pieces of policyholder mail each year. Joseph F. Paquette Gladwyne, Professional Travel Corporation.

Denver, recently named Scranton native Bruce TarieUky to the position of sales manager. The son of Scranton residents Costy and Betty Tarletsky, he formerly served as corporate sales manager for American Express Travel Related Services, as well as Ask Mr. Foster Travel Services. Frank Napolltano and Julia and Kavln Booraa of Sports Club Management Inc. have purchased the club management assets of Shawnee Management East Stroudsburg.

The firm presently manages faciu- Reebok's Pump Wins Round 1 Against Nike Boston Globe Arco Chemical Planning To Market Fat Substitute tr? a Two persons are recognized for their work by the Greater Scranton Board of Realtors. From left are Carlos Zukowski, realtor associate of the year; John J. Lavelle, president of the board; and Mary Vanston, realtor of the year. High-Definition TV Leads the Pack Of Electronics Gadgets for 1 990s Knight-Ridder Newspapers PHILADELPHIA Arco Chemical known primarily for chemicals with tongue-twisting names, is trying to conquer a problem that almost every American can understand. The bulge.

The Newtown Square company is plotting its strategy to enter the potentially lucrative, but competitive, market for fat substitutes. Fat substitutes are products that taste like the real thing, but arent. However, dont hurry to tighten your waistbands just yet. Arco Chemical isnt expecting its fat substitute to hit the market for at least five years well behind some rivals in the field. That prospect doesnt seem to faze Arco Chemical officials, who believe their substitute will possess advantages had by neither the one now on the market nor others wending their way there.

There is nothing we can do about being late, said Dick Linden, manager of business development and licensing. We know it is going to be tough, but that doesnt deter us. In fact, the firm hopes that the lead companies will smooth the way for firms such as Arco Chemical to gain more rapid approval when their substitutes are ready for review by the Food and Drug Administration. Moreover, by the time Arco Chemicals fat substitute is ready, Linden said, the public should be with fat replacements ana more likely to buy them. We are going to learn what (the lead companies) are going to do, and see how the market reacts, he said.

We will learn from their experience. Though one would assume that diet-conscious Americans would happily pay to feast on fat-free brownies, cookies and ice cream, it is difficult to put a dollar figure on what the new market might reap. Arco Chemical officials estimate that annual U.S. sales could reach more than $1 billion. Manfred Kroger, food-science professor at Pennsylvania State University, says that gauging the market is a big guess.

I am quite optimistic. In this society there is a fetish of taking fat out of diet, Kroger said. Yet, he said, the size of the market will hinge on a number of factors, including a products quality and effect on health. Despite uncertainties, he said the prospect of fat substitutes already had generated fierce competition. The NutraSweet a subsidiary of Monsanto Co.

of St. Louis, was first off the blocks in introducing a fat replacement in the United States. The FDA in March gave its blessing to use of the firms fat substitute, made from milk and egg-white proteins, in frozen desserts. NutraSweet touts its product, called Simplesse, as having the taste and texture of fat, but with fewer than half the calories. However, it cant be used in cooked foods such as french fries and pies.

Two other fat substitutes Procter Gambles Olestra and Krafts Trailblazer are awaiting the FDAs nod. Like Simplesse, Trailblazer cant be heated. Olestra, which is not absorbed by the body, can be used hot or cold than Simplesse and might be less expensive to make than Olestra is. We know it will take a long time and a lot of dollars, Linden said. Our analysis suggests that it will pay off." Though Arco Chemical has produced products that are preservatives in food and drugs, the com- 8 any is better known for chemicals lat wind up in gasoline, soap, furniture coatings and plastic spoons.

One of the firms workhorse chemicals, propylene oxide, contributed 39 percent of Arco Chemicals $2.66 billion in sales in 1989. It is a basic compound that has been used by the firms customers to make materials such as boat hulls, bowling balls, sink tops, moisturizers for tobacco and solvents for the cosmetics indus- Tln the early 1980s, the firm started to look for new ways to use the compound. The fat-substitute project was an outgrowth of that search. The company started to investigate the possibility of making a replacement for fat in 1985, two years before Arco Chemical went public. The firm had been a division of Atlantic Richfield Co.

since 1966. It is one of those products that one would not associate with a company like ours, Linden concedes. By last summer, Arco Chemical had received a patent for a compound that the firm says can be used cooked or cold and in foods ranging from cheese to salad oil and chocolate. The compound, called esterified propoxylated glycerol or EPG, for short mimics fats and oils, but is expected to be safe and should be relatively cheap for Arco Chemical to produce because of its ample supply of propylene oxide. EPG consists of propylene oxide and fatty molecules, but the combination creates substances that cannot be absorbed by the body.

Hence, they would pass through the digestive tract and exit without adding calories. We basically took natural fats and oils, split tnem into two pieces, inserted propylene oxide and put the pieces back together again, said Tom Beck, EPG project manager. Arco Chemical officials said they expected their fat substitute to be blended with natural fats in food products. It would be too expensive to make totally fat-free foods, and some fat in the diet is still necessary for good said. Company officials said they already were talking about EPG to a number of food companies that were prospective Arco Chemical customers.

However, before any Arco Chemical EPG product appears on grocery shelves, the company said, it must complete more animal tests to make sure the product is safe. So far, Beck said, the short-term tests in rats have been positive, but the company needs to study EPG over several animal generations to make sure it doesnt cause cancer, birth defects or other health problems. I think the prospects are very good, Beck said. We have seen nothing in any of the testing done so far that is cause for concern. I think we are pretty much on track.

We have done a lot of soul-searching, looking at the market and trying to understand what is going on in the food industry and standing the health industry, he said. We think it is worth the risk. camera that transmits live pictures between callers. Here is a list of products and prices Wayman sees as potential blockbuster items for this decade: CD Laserdisc Player: These units will play 3-inch and 5-inch audio CDs and 5-, 8- and 12-inch laser discs on the same machine. Cost: $500.

Auto CD Cartridge and Home CD Carousel Changers: They will play up to 12 hours of continuous music. Cost: from $300. High Performance Mini-Loudspeakers: Now these tiny speakers have an extended bass for even greater sound. Cost: $200 to $400. Voice Activated Speaker Telephones: The telephone learns your voice and automatically dials up to 50 people at your verbal command.

Cost: $150. Portable FaxPhotocopier: Enables you to send and receive fax messages from a car or phone booth. Cost: $1,000. Talking Radar Detectors: Fits on dash or sun visor and says, Slow down, police ahead. Also, super sensitive unit that detects the new sophisticated police traps.

Cost: About $175. remote control. We have not seen anything yet in theform of consumer technology, said Wayman. Other products expected to be on the cutting edge of the industry include laser video discs, products to help children learn basic skills, tiny audio speakers that give the same sound as larger speakers, video telephones and portable fax machines. The technology is in place, said Wayman.

For children, the industry will introduce new technology, touch and discovery. This will allow children to learn by touching a device, which in turn will talk. For example, a child will be able to push a button and the machine will give verbal instruction in such subjects as math and spelling. One new product a picture telephone will become more sophisticated. Now, the $700 phone allows consumers to see a still picture of the person theyre talking to.

A camera spaps a picture of the person answering the phone and transmits it to the caller. Within a few years, the system will offer moving pictures with a By EARL DANIELS Fort Lauderdale News Sun-Sentinel FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -Japan is king in the consumer electronics market, but U.S. consumers by and large finance the kingdoms treasury. i'.

The United States has one-fifth of the worlds population, but consumes one-third of consumer electronics produced each year. We are gadget freaks, said Jack Wayman, spokesman for the Electronics Industries Association, which is based in Washington, D.C. Electronics products are more for the masses instead of just for the rich, he said. High definition television, flat screen television and home automation are expected to be blockbuster consumer electronics items of the 90s, said Wayman, who recently was in South Florida promoting the electronics industry. In the 80s, VCR and compact disc players were the hot products.

In the 90s, the hot products will include a home automation system, which will allow consumers to turn their electronics and appliances off and on by BOSTON Nikes Air Jordan shoes weigh about 15 ounces each. Reeboks Pump weighs 22. But the important ingredient in these two hoi basketball shoes is virtually weightless. IPs Reeboks air and Nikes gas. First it was sneaker wars, now air wars.

The battle of the voids. The two giants in the athletic shoe business enter the 1990s with dueling technologies, including inflatable bladders and compressed-gas pockets tucked inside their basketball shoes. All this, when not so long ago tii. cneaker was just a few slabs of rubber attached to canvas. After being overtaken in sales by Nike last year, Reebok is sprinting back with its inflatable Pump basketball shoe, a technological leap ahead of the Nikes Air Jordan, which is filled with compressed gas but not inflatable.

Although they may be marketers dreams, both these relatively shoes widespread use on the sional basketball courts of indicate that they that. They are creeping into college and high school, too. One player on the English High team in Boston wore the Reebok Pump shoe last season. It didnt do anything, said basketball coach Kenneth H. Still.

The sneaker isnt going to change anybodys game. Tell that to Americas youth. Reebok International based in Stoughton, will sell an estimated $200 million of its Pump shoes alone this year, according to Kidder Peabody analyst Gary M. Jacobson. Nike Inc.s Air Pressure, slaughtered by Reeboks Pump in the stores, will probably not reach $10 million in sales this year, Jacobson said.

The Air Jordan, however, is Nikes star. It is not inflatable but contains a pocket of compressed gas built in to cushion the foot. A good part of the $414 million sales in Nike basketball shoes last year were Air Jordans, and figures are running ahead of that for 1990. With both shoes selling at well over $100 a pair, Nike and Reebok have been criticized for their thrill-Jng and celebrity-laden advertising, which naturally appeals to boys and younger men. Right now its kids, Id say between 16, maybe 15, and 20 years old, is the way Kenneth F.

Crystal, owner of Crystals shoe stores, described the Pump customers in his stores. At Footlocker stores, the average customer may be slightly older, from 17 to 22, said James J. Hartmann, a vice president. From what we hear were getting a little more of a performance player in. But both Reebok ana Nike say their most expensive shoes Reeboks Pump and Nikes Air Pressure were aimed initially at an elite market.

We really have a very different view of our shoe than our competitors, said Nike public relations director Elizabeth G. Dolan. Nike did not even advertise its inflatable Air Pressure, assuming it would be popular only with players with ankle problems. We made 35,000 pairs of Air Pressures, Dolan said in a tele- phone interview from Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. For us a good shoe sells millions of shoes.

Of the more popular, $170-a-pair Pump, Reebok spokesman Bernadette Mansur said: At that price, it targets to male 18 and over. We did loot go young on this shoe. Despite what retailers said about the youthful purchasers of these pricey items, Mansure said that Reebok research showed 80 percent of sales were to the intended, 18-plus group. 'rtieres an aspirational element to this shoe, she said. The air shoes of the two big companies Nike and Reebok together account for about half of the $5 billion U.S.

athletic shoe market are only slice of the story, but in a marketing sense they are a highly visible part. Nike led in overall athletic-shoe business last year, with $1.2 billion. Reebok sales were $1.15 billion. Nikes inflatable Air Pressure shoe bombed for a couple of reasons, 'according to retailers: Unlike the Reebok, which has a pump mechanism built into the tongue, it had a detachable pump device, which users promptly lost. And, compared to the sleek Reebok Pump, it was ugly.

Reebok has knocked $40 off its new, top-of-the-line Pump shoe, which is coming out May 15. A new phase in the sneaker wars begins then, as back-to-school models are rolled out. Power Plant Will Produce Gypsum As Byproductfrom Making Electricity Chicago Tribune Arco Chemical officials say their product should be more versatile Top Grain Leather Attache! SALE 99.99 high-sulfur coal mined in southern Illinois and Indiana. That should save jobs in an area already on the edge. Electric customers should also save.

The scrubbers operator and the Energy Department, which adopted the project to demonstrate clean-coal technology, are paying almost all of the $110 million the facility will cost to build. Then, of course, theres the environment. Checked by only minimal pollution controls today, the Bailly station spews 169 tons of sulfur dioxide into the air every day. The scrubber will cut emissions of that cid-rain ingredient by at least 90 percent. The Bailly scrubber, however, wont be installed everywhere.

For one thing, gypsum, used mostly in wallboard, is an abundant mineral in most parts of the United States. That fact is reflected in the dirt-cheap price of gypsum, which runs as little as $2 a ton. Gypsum also is heavy. So unless a power plant is near a big city, where large quantities of wallboard are consumed, it wouldnt pay to transport the material. Transportation is the limiting factor, says Matt Gonring, a spokesman for USG the nations biggest wallboard maker.

It is the major component of the cost in the gypsum wallboard industry. Indeed, only three of the handful of electric generators making gypsum today Dallas-based Texas Utilities the Grand Haven, municipal power board and the Tennessee Valley Authority are selling their output to wallboard manufacturers. The others, which include Tampa Electric Co. and the Jacksonville Electric Authority in Florida, either cant produce gypsum of high enough quality or cant find a buyer. If a guys running a scrubbing system and landfill is not a big problem, hes just going to landfill it, complains Russ Forsythe, utility sales manager at Dravo which has been struggling to sell a gypsum-yielding scrubber for years.

Still, the synthetic product is intriguing more and more wallboard makers, including Chicago-based USG, which is negotiating to buy the material from Nipsco. USG, which produces about 8 million tons of gypsum a year, or about 35 percent of the U.S. market, currently supplies Chicago-area homebuilders from wallboard plants in East Chicago and Iowa. The East Chicago facility consumes about 150,000 tons of raw gypsum annually, shipped up the Great Lakes from a USG mine on Michigans Saginaw Bav. Should the Bailly plants gypsum be high grade and priced right, USG foresees getting its mineral from a power plant 20 miles down the highway in Chesterton, instead of a mine hundreds of miles away.

And the technology is likely to win even more converts in the coming decade, when tough new clean-air standards are likely to become effective. The Environmental Protection Agency has identified some 115 power plants that would fail to comply with the federal acid-rain measure passed recently by the Senate and scheduled for debate in the House in early May. Some utilities will probably switch to low-sulfur coal, lessening sulfur dioxide emissions. Others may simply shut down the offending facilities, especially if theyre old or small i CHICAGO The high-sulfur coal that powers much of the Midwest economy soon could find an additional use in living rooms and bedrooms of new homes. Prompted by impending federal acid-rain legislation, an innovative venture of Northern Indiana Public Service Co.

could also become a prototype for other urban-area electric generators in the 1990s. The Hammond-based utility began groundwork this month to add -a scrubber to its Bailly power plant, a 1960s-vintage facility just down the Lake Michigan beach from Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. But unlike typical scrubbers, which yield of sludge from cleaning the exhaust of coalburning plants, the flue gas desulfurization system going into the Bailly unit will create a salable byproduct: gypsum. Once the scrubber is operating in mid-1992, Nipsco will be turning out enough gypsum to make 150 million square feet of wallboard a year, enough for 18,750 single-family homes. Thus, Nipsco yill be getting paid for something it otherwise would have to pay to have dumped into a landfill.

We think it makes good sense not only environmentally, but economically, says William Elliott, a Nipsco vice president and general manager of electric supply. Adds James Monk, chairman of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission: IPs beneficial on several counts." By chemically washing the Bailly Jants emissions, for instance, Nipsco will be able to continue burning REGULAR 200 Elegant perimeter stitched design, plus lots of room for calculator, business cards and files inside. Comes with combination locks and two gusseled pockets. Available in Burgundy, Black Walnut. LUGGAGE ON ONE.