August 5, 2000
Most intriguing IPO built on body parts
Three Florida companies are scheduled to go public next week, but the one veteran IPO analyst Irv DeGraw is most excited about is one that's built on dead people.
Business today
UNIONS STUDY VERIZON PROPOSAL: Union negotiators were reviewing a proposal from Verizon Communications designed to head off a threatened strike. Unions representing 85,500 telephone workers from Maine to Virginia said they will walk off the job at midnight tonight if contract talks don't produce an agreement on wages, benefits, job security, working conditions and access to non-union workers. Verizon's Florida operations are not involved.
A colorful entry in the IPO market
Dynacs Inc. of Palm Harbor plans to take its shares public next week, but market conditions remain volatile.
Sears halts sale of tires possibly linked to deaths
A string of 21 fatalities possibly linked to certain models of Bridgestone/Firestone tires prompted Sears, Roebuck and Co. to stop selling the tires Friday.
Briefly
QWEST PLANS JOB CUTS: Qwest Communications Corp., the new owner of US West, said it will eliminate 2,000 to 4,000 jobs throughout its 14-state region by year's end. US West had about 65,000 employees before its merger with Qwest, which had about 71,000 employees. Qwest has said repeatedly that most of the coming cuts will come at the corporate level rather than in operations. Qwest shares closed at $49.38, up $2.81.
