Sun-News from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina • 35

COA STAL BUSINESS Market stirredup Online venture allows trading of bonds Pa2D Unequal information? Big analysts given early warnings Rags 3D Personal wwwthesunnewscommoney THURSDAY AUGUST 10 2000 Finance Association president Jim Hatchell said that merchants reported that their sales doubled during the weekend for footwear and apparel and were up 80 percent on electronics Carolinians were able to save a substantial amount of money with this Tax holiday boosts sales $250 million SECTION 0 MARKET WATCH INDEXES BAR 900 By Jm Davenport Ihe Associated Press The first sales tax holiday boosted weekend sales by $250 million according to estimates thorn the South Carolina Merchants Association STRINGS ATTACHED development THF Realty starts dealing property TOF Really the St Louis- baaed developer that purchased the framer Gator Hole Golf Course has started clearing the property and should start grading within the next 10 days The company is in the final stages ofnegotiations with a major national tenant for the portion of the property that will be developed into a shopping center THF developer Jim Lewis said the name of the new store will be announced within 80 days Sixty-five of the 186 acres are being developed by THF Gator Hole Development LLC into a shopping area The rear portion of the property was sold to Powell Associates of North Myrtle Beach which plans 705 condominium units and 162 single-family homes on the site Lewis said THF will preserve the large lake on the property as well as several isolated wetland Tbe company will also create a buffer area to further help preserve the wetlands The developer said THF is also negotiating with a second mqor tenant but would not disclose the name Marda Ferguson a representative for The Home Depot said the company has been looking at property in North Myrtle Beach but has not finalized a contract on a particular site FORMER AIR FORCE BASE Landex makes offer on 550 more acres An NC-based company has made an offer to buy about 550 acres on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base which would make the company virtually the sole owner of the former air base Landex Inc already owns 910 acres of the former air base If it purchases the additional land from the Myrtle Beach Air Force Redevelopment Authority the company will own all of the former base except for Horry-Georgetown Technical College and a few isolated buildings dotting the area Neither Landex nor redevelopment authority officials will disclose the offer price but a decision come -for two weeks at the earliest authority executive director Buddy Styers said when the board of directors will first meet to discuss the offer Landex hopes to turn its land into a development called Centre Pointe REACHING US To comment and contribute story ideas contact Business Editor Colin Burch: PHONE 626-0280 or 1-800-568-1800 Ext 280 FAX (843) 626-0356 1 E-MAIL tations The initial forecast projected the state would lose about $46 million in sales tax revenue That would amount to about $90 million in tax-exempt sales See TAX HOLIDAY I Page 40 65 million frucli tires recalled BridgestoneFinestone bows to public pressure By H-Jobef Hebert The Associated Press WAMMWTON Thousands of motorists will be trading in their Firestone tires on sport utility vehicles and light trucks as the government pursues an investigation into whether the tires caused hundreds of accidents and at least 46 deaths BridgestoneFirestone Inc one of the biggest tire makers bowed to consumer and retailer pressure and announced Wednesday it ia recalling 65 million tires of the same types that have been involved in nearly 800 incidents in which the tires shredded sometimes at high speed Critics maintained the tires should have been taken off the highways sooner and that the manufacturer as well as automakers using the tires had indications of problems as far back as the early 1990s The company said it still considers tires safe if they are properly maintained The tire exchanges could take as long as 18 months "At BridgestoneFirestone nothing ie more important to us than the safety of our said Gary Crigger BridgestoneFirestone executive vice president Crigger said the recall would be conducted in three phases with the first replacements to be offered in Arizona California and Texas followed by a second phase in Alabama Georgia Louisiana Mississippi Oklahoma and Tennessee Recalls will fellow in the rest of the country alter that South Carolina will be one of the last states to receive a surplus of the replace- Please see TIRE DEATHS Page 20 $250 million increase in sales over the course of the Gov Jim Hodges said Wednesday Hatchell said he was not able to break down his estimate in terms of tax-exempt and taxed items but the numbers far exceeded some expec size of a remote control catching signals from nearby antenna Companies offer wireless service in other states across the country but use cards or modems to receive the signals Beach Access overcame the hurdle other companies See WIRELESS I Page 40 for change of Portland Maine recently decided to consider foture offers have been trying to buy this station for Huggins said groups want to get into this Please see WPDE Page 40 By Jennifer Rotbnizbr The Sun Sews Jay Knabb S3 started Beach Access a wMms Internet company In August 1999 The company uses the SWOMI system which stands for Seamless Wireless Omni-d fractional MoMIe Internet Company unplugs Web service it By Dawn Bryant The Sun News Grand Strand residents and tourists will soon be able to surf more than waves during beach outings They could surf the Web or send e-mail at T1 speeds while catching some rays Or lounging by the pooL Or even riding in their cars No extra-long extension cords needed Myrtle Beach-based Beach Access has developed technology that turns any laptop computer into a high-speed wireless mobile unit The company with 18 employees is negotiating to launch the technology across the country The computer operates like a cellular telephone with a box the someone does buy it I think you'll see any said WPDE-TV vice president and general manager Billy Huggins Huggins said offers for the station have been frequent and its owner Diversified Business Communications NYSE 1 4D AMEX 1 5D WPDE-TV for sale not if 1 1 I I i I NASDAQ 5-6D MUTUAL FUNDS 6-7D By Kathleen Dayton The Sun News WPDE-TV the ABC television affiliate based in Florence and Myrtle Beadi is for sale and officials say that means business as usuaL INSIDE YOUR MONEY 1 2D va Imagine having the Ocean River and Golf part of your lifestyle Doing everything ever loved at your whim Bang secluded embraced by nature yet only minutes experiencing everything a sophisticated fun-loving culture has to offer Discover Everything 7b Lev About Lift 1st lie Reserve Litchfield COMPANY (843) 2374000 or Tbll Free: 800-4762861 14240 Octas Hwji 17 IMfidd P0 Box 97 fcwkyi Idaad SC 295SS wwwthellkhfisldcompanyconi htmtanc I I jai.