The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 25

BEST AVAILABLE COPY la B-8 The Kansas City Star Wednesday April 9 1997 -r- Deal for PR firm may be in works A I ffl Cl 1 Three raises figure in part talk about the matter detail later in the Omnicom owns the fourth-biggest PR agency PortcrNovelli Get more information about Fleishman-Hillard when you visit The Star's site at httKAnwluMaclfcCMi and click on Business kansascitycom Continued from B-1 in St Louis in 1946 by Alfred Fleishman who had been deputy St Louis circuit clerk and Robert Hillard a former newspaper reporter The company brought together the chiefs of St biggest companies to form Civic Progress Civic Progress endures as an unusually potent corporate group and Fleishman-Hillard still docs the staff work for it Fleishman-Hillard has 27 offices including several in Europe and Asia The biggest clients in clude AnhctpciBusch Cos Inc Levi Straus Sc Co Wal-Mart Stores Inc and SBC Communications Inc the parent of Southwestern Bell Telephone Co Reports surfaced about three weeks ago that Omnicom was negotiating with Flcishman-Hillard Advertising Age reported Monday that a deal would be announced as early as this week for $85 million to $100 million The chairman of Fleishman-Killard John Graham said not in a position to comment on the stories that have However he said he may be able to Union will decide on some details of wage and benefit package By RANDOLPH HEASTER Staff Writer and the seventh-biggest Ketchum Public Relations Doth in New York said Advertising Age Flcishman-Hillard is the sixth-biggest Omnicom would become the biggest PR firm if it bought Fleish-man-Hillard Fleishman-Hillard is employee-owned with managers holding a controlling share of the stock There is no way to predict what effects if any may occur if Fleish-man-Hillard is purchased it clage anything or is it just a financial deal?" asked Swenson are Questions that be answered today but it will be interesting to The Associated Press contributed to this article 1 Washington company to buy KC Holiday Inn The contract achieved increases slightly higher than those obtained by other construction unions but less than what the union initially sought Hutton said The Association has reached contracts with 10 Other construction unions this year and in 1996 Other unions agreeing to new contracts this spring the Of Laborers and Teamsters Local 541 Hutton said annual raises for the other construction contracts did not exceed $1 35 an hour The contract also provides for contractors to fund the apprenticeship program which Hutton said is needed because of an aging work force needed more money for the apprenticeship program to try and hire a full-time Hutton said think the new contract will allow us to do The bricklayers' agreement completes negotiations for the Association until 1999 Hutton said industry harmony is particularly needed now because area construction activity is at a peak think a strike is harmful for all sides management labor and the people involved in the he said just happy over prices for the individual hotels CapStar manages the two Holiday Inns CapStar went public last August and since then has acquired 18 hotels Completion of the announced acquisitions would give the company 32 hotels with 8040 rooms throughout the country It also manages 29 hotels with 5154 rooms By JOE GOSE Staff Writer CapStar Hotel Co a hotel management and investment firm on Tuesday announced an agreement to buy the 161-room Holiday Inn Sports Complex hotel in Kansas City CapStar based in Washington is buying the hotel from Kansas City Partners a private investment group The sale is scheduled to be completed within 60 days CapStar intends to spend $625000 on the hotel to convert a floor to cater to business travelers to upgrade the facade and to replace and add amenities such as coffee makers to guest rooms The hotel at 401 1 Blue Ridge Cutoff features 3700 square feet of meeting space an indoor pool an exercise room a 140-seat restaurant and a 1 10-seat lounge The company also is buying a 171-room Holiday Inn hotel in Tinton Falls NJ CapStar intends to invest $325000 in that structure CapStar will pay $101 million for both properties A company spokesman declined to break down Union bricklayers will get a $435-an-hour increase in wages and benefits spread over the next three years under a contract reached Monday the head of the area group said About 550 members of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen Locals 4 and 18 will receive annual hourly raises of $140 $145 and $150 said Skip Hutton president of the builders group the Association of Missouri How the increase is split into wages and benefits is up to the union Hutton said John Eglich financial secretary-treasurer of Bricklayers Local 4 said Tuesday: has not been decided yet be having more meetings to determine that Eglich referred all other questions to Local 4 President LD Morris who was not available The bricklayers' union struck several area construction projects last week after failing to reach a new contract The two sides along with a federal mediator agreed on terms of a new deal on Monday Layne Christensen makes offer for drilling firm By RANDOLPH EASTER Staff Wrttr the outstanding stock of Stanley Mining Services Ltd a publicly traded company The offer for about 702 million of stock equates to 95 cents a share The buyout faces approval by stockholders holding 90 percent of shares and also by the Australian Foreign Investment Board Layne Christensen plans to use cash for the purchase and recently obtained a $125 million secured line of credit Layne buyout of the two companies that will make up Stanley Mining Services will expand Layne presence in Australia Asia and Africa Stanley's main drilling areas are Australia and western Africa Stanley is in the process of completing the purchase of another Australian drilling company by June 30 Stanley estimated that the combined revenues of the two entities for fiscal 1998 will be $644 million with an after-tax operating profit of $63 million The Layne Christensen Co on Tuesday announced a $52 million offer to buy an Australian drilling company Layne Christensen a water well drilling company based in Mission Woods made a tender offer for all Utilities performed well after storm agency says Continued from B-1 circumstances which has customers in both states said it was gratified that Kansas had also approved of the performance is pleased that the Kansas Corporation Commission has recognized the tremendous effort that employees put in restoring services to our said Pam Levetzow a utility spokeswoman About 175000 customers 79 000 Western Resources customers and 3000 Kaw Valley customers lost power in many cases for several days The storm was considered a once-in-100-years event The utilities were criticized in October because of busy telephone lines to the customer service departments and Kaw Valley have added telephone lines and Western Resources has the capability to add lines during emergencies The commission staff said that because this was a 100-year storm it economically prudent to require utilities to boost customer service or tree-ti miming programs However the staff recommended that and Western Resources file annual reports detailing tree-trimming programs and expenses The repairs cost $68 million Western Resources $32 million and Kaw Valley $52000 For A Home Equity Line Here Are Four Numbers You Should Know Task force to court track mation on the task force at the meeting Other members are Bill Hail of Hallmark Cards Inc Ray Wilkins of Southwestern Bell Telephone Co Peter Levi of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Charles Garney of the Gar-ney Cos and Bob Marcusse of the Kansas City Area Development Council Continued from B-1 intends to present an overview of the project and discuss the estimated $300 million economic impact a superspeedway could generate in the area In addition to McGufi Wynn Prcsson vice chairman of Health Midwest and Bill Nelson president of the Kansas City Region of NationsBank are to present infor OPTONS INDEXES 34 AMEX INDEX OPTIONS Clow Price CaNe-leet Put-Loot Optional Strike Apr May 37564 395 Ik J7564 4U0 375 64 406 9 ToidMVd 2262 Opan Id A 25 ToldPMVd 2676 Pm Open Int 23 23 7 mtrW ifc) 200 17V 70S 210 6 4 2 7 Vd Open Ml 267 21? 41 71? 41 21241 21241 fl tSpJvoI Apr May 6 A 6k Ilk Pul dpmW 650 Ay M57 15k mii fl 95 fft 67 fflO 6 W1 696 4k 6 57 700 ik tow bK'7 'V tlO 67 710 I 716 TotdMVd VI M0psnld3M ToldPMVd 14 Pul Open nn( C80E INDEX OPTIONS 0 Qosing costs Prime Special six-month introductory rate Prime 1 A great rate thereafter 1-800-600-5385 For more information or to apply by phone that simple to get a NationsBank HOMEquity Credit Line You get convenient access to money for home improvements college a new car or almost anything else Plus you pay no closing costs and get an incredible rate for the first six months and a great rate for the remaining life of the line And in most cases the interest is 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