Shipping mavens go the extra mile
VIVIAN WEVER RUNS A CARGO BUSINESS THAT EMPHASIZES CUSTOMER CARE -- AND IS REWARDED.
Every couple of months Vivian E. Wever leaves Miami for Aruba to make the rounds in her hometown. She visits family and friends in Oranjestad; then she calls on the business associates she has met over a quarter of a century in the cargo business.
( BY D. E. LéGER, dleger@herald.com, 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

In a hurry? How about falafel and kebabs to go?
Pasha's, a new Mediterranean restaurant chain, opened its first two Miami-Dade locations last month.
There are Italian, Chinese and Mexican quick-service restaurant chains, so why not Mediterranean? That's the goal behind Pasha's, which in the last month opened its first two Miami-Dade locations with plans for another before the end of the year.
( BY ELAINE WALKER, ewalker@herald.com, 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Reality checks are needed in current tight job market
The intensity of your quest for work should increase when the economy is rocky.
I am often asked what job seekers should do in a tight job market. The truth is, the steps for a good job search are the same in any kind of market, but the intensity with which you apply the steps may differ.
( BY AMY LINDGREN, Knight Ridder News Service, 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

JOB SEARCH
Looking for a job is tough, even for stellar employees
You're a rock star at the office -- competent, organized, well-liked. Then the job disappears, and you flop like a beached bass when it comes to finding a new one.
( Associated Press, 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Multiple franchises are now growing in popularity
Once considered taboo, the acquisition of multiple types and numbers of businesses by franchisees is becoming the rule.
For many franchise owners, it's natural to go from operating one restaurant or real estate office to two, three, four or more. Others expand in a different direction, buying into a totally different type of business.
( BY JOYCE M. ROSENBERG, Associated Press, 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

POWER LUNCH
Acqua hits the mark on swank
Miami's new Four Seasons Hotel and Tower lives up to its five-star reputation, and its restaurant doesn't disappoint, either.
( BY DOUGLAS HANKS III, dhanks@herald.com, 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

CHATROOM
Ink cartridge refilling fuels growth
Everyone who owns a computer printer these days knows the real cost is in the ink cartridges. And so far, there are few cheaper alternatives to buying the pricey cartridges put out by the printer manufacturers.
( BEA GARCIA, bgarcia@herald.com, 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Authors offer a lesson in smarter innovation
The biggest credo of a book on creating winning products: Keep it broad and simple. But the book is dense and a lot to digest.
The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth. Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor. Harvard Business School Press. 288 pages. $29.95
( BY RICHARD PACHTER, rpachter@herald.com, 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Sharing the miracle of life
A mother-daughter midwife team in Miami Beach works 24/7 to help expectant mothers prepare for -- and make it through -- their big day.
Years ago, Miami Beach midwife Shari Daniels went into a hospital to have her first child. She left determined to offer women birthing options besides those provided in traditional hospitals.
( BY WENDY DOSCHER-SMITH, Special to The Herald, 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

MEDIA
National gay-centered media company buying local paper
Unite Media, one of the nation's largest gay-oriented media companies, is buying South Florida's Express Gay News. Express Publisher Norm Kent wouldn't divulge terms of the deal, which is scheduled to close today.
( BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@herald.com, 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Alan B. Levan
Current position: Chairman and Chief Executive of BankAtlantic; Chairman, BankAtlantic Bankcorp.; Chairman BlueGreen Corp.; Chairman, BFC Financial; Chairman, Levitt Corp.
( 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Terry W. Stiles
Current position: Chairman and Chief Executive, Stiles Corp. Power Base: Biggest developer in Broward County, having developed more than 20 million square feet of office, industrial, residential and retail space in the county. Has built 5 million square feet outside Broward.
( 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Linda L. Gill
Current position: President and Chief Executive, Gill Hotels. Power Base: A force in Broward County's and the state's tourism industry.
( 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

SUNSHINE BRIEF
BANKATLANTIC TO BE OPEN DAILY AS PART OF CAMPAIGN
Bankers' hours are a thing of the past at Fort Lauderdale-based BankAtlantic.
( 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Letters to the Editor
Lack of FTTA coverage is `rape of truth' I am a 53-year-old steelworker from Ohio, a Navy veteran, soon to be unemployed because corporate America chooses to abuse NAFTA through loopholes and send whole factories, instead of products, to Mexico.
( 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

ASK DOCTOR LAW
Lessons offered on auto claims and seat-belt laws
Q: I bought a new car and insured it with one of the major companies with minimum liability coverage of $20,000. Last year, I collided with another car while turning on a yellow light and was charged with failure to yield the right of way. I notified my carrier, and they took over. Each car had $1,000 property damage, and the other driver and I had some injuries that looked minor at the time. But later the other driver sued me, and was recently awarded...
( BY MARTIN E. SEGAL, askdoctorlaw@herald.com, 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

Movers
ACCOUNTING Eduardo L. Vega has joined Berkowitz Dick Pollack & Brant in Miami as a staff accountant in the tax department. He was a currency controller for the Federal Reserve Bank and a commercial teller for SunTrust Bank.
( 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

BANKRUPTCIES
Chapter 7: Debtor sells assets in return for discharge of debts. Chapter 11: Debtor company reorganizes under court supervision. Chapter 13: Debtor arranges plan to repay debt.
( 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

ANALYSTS' ACTIONS
The following is a list of Florida stocks, on which analysts changed their ratings or began coverage last week. The ticker symbols are listed in parentheses.
( 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)

TODAY'S AGRNDA
BROWARD Micro-Business, USA also Tuesday and Wednesday: How to jumpstart or expand your business without credit or collateral; 6:30 p.m.; Micro-Business, USA, 5460 N. State Road 7, Suite 212-213, Fort Lauderdale; Broward County Main Library, 100 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale; free. 1-877-722-4505.
( 12/01/2003 03:01 AM EST)