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MAKING HEADLINES
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The St.
Louis region and its companies often make national news. This column
highlights some of the most recent headline grabbers.
Talx Gets Noticed in Major Publications
Offering a unique service has placed Talx Corp. as a leader in its
market and pushed its stock performance to new heights in the past
year. By the end of 2000, Talx was getting noticed in major publications.
The November 26, 2000, issue of Investor’s Business Daily
ranked Talx among The Best Stocks of 2000. The company’s
stock price tripled during the year thanks to its core business,
The Work Number. This is an employment and income verification service
with a database of more than 40 million employee records.
Companies that outsource employment and income verifications to
The Work Number provide their employee payroll records directly
to the service’s national database every pay period. After obtaining
security clearances and employee authorization, lenders and other
organizations may access the database via the Internet or telephone
to instantly verify employment and income information.
In a company profile, Investor’s Business Daily praised Talx
for this ingenious, cost-efficient approach. It saves large employers
from hiring additional staff to handle requests for employment verification
every time an employee buys a car or a house and assists lenders
in obtaining the information more quickly.
According to the report, Talx is going strong with 80 percent of
the automated employment and income verification market and at least
one-fifth of Fortune 500 companies use the service. High-profile
Talx clients include Boeing Co., Microsoft Corp., PacifiCare Health
Systems Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and Worldcom Inc.
Another publication touting The Work Number was Mortgage Technology
in its November/December 2000 issue. In the article on Sites
to Watch, Mortgage Technology explained how the service
helps mortgage lenders and reported The Work Number has more than
30,000 users.
Argosy Gaming Company Wins Trio of Major Industry Awards
Argosy Gaming Company received top honors at the Gaming Industry
Annual Awards ceremony held in Las Vegas on October 18, winning
recognition for outstanding operations, excellence in shareholder/investor
communications, and CEO performance. It was the first time since
the awards ceremony began in 1995 that a company swept the three
top awards, which were judged independently using different criteria
for each award.
The editorial board of Casino Executive Magazine selected
Argosy as Company of the Year, and featured the company in a cover
story in the December issue. “Argosy regularly wins plaudits from
Wall Street for its consistently solid financial performance, capable
management team and ability to boost foot traffic. The company is
well run and well positioned and this honor is well deserved,” the
editors say. The editorial staff chose Argosy based on their interviews
with numerous gaming industry sources.
The council of judges for the “Aces of Gaming” Gaming Industry Annual
Awards, also honored Jim Perry as the Top Performing CEO at the
ceremony. The top executive is chosen using performance models developed
by hospitality industry consulting company HVS International, one
of the sponsors of the awards. The HVS model includes factors such
as stock appreciation and performance-based pay structures to determine
the winning executive
In addition, Argosy received the Diamond Chip Award for its 1999
Annual Report, recognized as the Best Overall in the gaming business.
The award represents the third consecutive year that Argosy has
taken top honors at the ceremony for its annual report, produced
all three years by Falk Harrison Creative of St. Louis. The competition
is open to all public gaming companies, and is judged by a distinguished
panel including some of the top Wall Street analysts who follow
the gaming industry. Winners in the annual report awards are selected
based on clarity of message and the most effective presentation.
Argosy owns and operates the Alton Belle Casino serving the St.
Louis metropolitan market; the Argosy Casino in Riverside, Mo.,
serving the greater Kansas City metropolitan market; the Argosy
Casino-Baton Rouge in Louisiana; and the Belle of Sioux City in
Iowa. Argosy is also the majority partner and operator of the Argosy
Casino & Hotel in Lawrenceburg, Ind., serving the Cincinnati and
Dayton metropolitan markets.
President of Argent Capital Management Tops in Wall Street Journal
Stock-Picking Contest
St. Louis money manager John F. Meara, CFA, beat all comers in a
Wall Street Journal (WSJ) national stock-picking contest.
Meara, president of Argent Capital Management LLC, rode Kansas City
Southern Industries to victory in the six-month competition that
ended in mid-November. Meara bested a lineup of money managers,
WSJ staff and readers in the newspaper’s “Investment Dartboard”
feature.
John
F. Meara, CFA, with Argent Capital
Management LLC, topped a lineup of money
managers in a Wall Street Journal
"Investment Dartboard" feature. |
“Making money in the stock market during the past six months has
been almost as hard as counting presidential-election votes in Florida,”
notes WSJ reporter Georgette Jasen in a November 16 story detailing
contest results.
Kansas City Southern, a Kansas City-based railroad and financial
services company, spun off Stillwell Financial in a two-for-one
stock split in July, fueling its 73 percent increase over the contest
period. As a result of his win, Meara is participating in a new
“Investment Dartboard” event. His selection for the coming six months
is Ingersoll-Rand Co., a machinery and equipment maker.
Meara co-founded Argent with principals from Moneta Group Inc. Argent
has $260 million in assets under management and offers customized
stock portfolio management services to affluent individuals, endowments,
and institution retirement plan sponsors.
Technology Fast 500 List Includes St. Louis Companies
Deloitte & Touche saluted North American companies that rally behind
technology in their 2000 rankings of the annual Technology Fast
500 List.
Rankings are based on five-year percentage revenue growth from 1995
to 1999. Deloitte & Touche’s team reviewed financial records for
more than 5,000 public and privately held companies. Qualifying
companies:
- Had
1995 revenues of at least $50,000
- Are
headquartered in the U.S. or Canada
- Are
“technology companies,” meaning the company either develops
proprietary technology that contributes to a significant
portion of the company’s operating revenues, manufactures
a technology product, or devotes a high percentage of
effort to the research and development of technology.
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St. Louis area
companies making the 2000 Technology Fast 500 List include:
Fifteen St. Louis Businesses Ranked on the Forbes Private 500
Fifteen companies in the St. Louis region were listed in the 15th
Annual Forbes Private 500, a listing of America’s largest private
companies. Some of the companies have been private since inception
and some have become private through corporate restructuring. Many
Forbes readers use the list to seek new clients and vendors. The
diverse listing covers industries such as construction, financial
services, energy, food services and business services. Maritz, ranked
157, also received the added distinction of being featured in a
full-page profile.
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