Editor's note: "This Week in Alaska Business History" revisits events that shaped our past.
10 years ago this week
Aug. 9, 1993
Landlord disputes federal office deal
By Eric Fry
Alaska Journal of Commerce
| [an error occurred while processing this directive] |
A downtown Anchorage landlord is asking the federal government to reverse its decision to lease midtown space for the U.S. Forest Service -- a decision he believes was based on the availability of free parking.
John Blomfield, president of Blomfield Properties, said his bid to renovate the current Forest Service office at Ninth Avenue and Barrow Street exceeded the requirements of the solicitation and was priced less than the winning bid, that of the Calais II building at 3301 C St., owned by Calais Properties Ltd. II.
"If I give them a good offer that meets all the requirements in a nice, suitable building and it's the low bid, I should win," Blomfield said in an interview.
Over the 10-year term of the lease, his rent would have cost $1 million less than that of the winning bid, he said. "I bid low by a million dollars. That's a lot to leave on the table."
In an administrative protest to the U.S. general Accounting Office, Blomfield is asking that the April bid award be set aside and that the Forest Service remain in his 9th Avenue building, or that monetary damages be paid.
Blomfield said the bid solicitations of the General Services Administration, which acquires space for civilian federal agencies, do not spell out all the factors on which the bid will be judged. Counsel for GSA said the agency could not comment on a pending appeal.
Aug. 9, 1993
Autogenesis seals contract with pediatric clinic
By Nancy Nyback
Alaska Journal of Commerce
An Anchorage orthopedic medical device company has signed an agreement with a children's hospital for research and limb regeneration technology.
Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis has formed an alliance with Autogenesis Inc., a four-year-old Alaska firm, worth $300,000 to Autogenesis for a year and a half, said Jim Kean, chief executive officer.
Negotiations continue regarding the amounts for research and technology, but Kean expects the alliance to be ongoing, he said.
Cardinal Glennon will pay a marketing fee to set up an educational toll-free telephone number, Kean said. "The significance is this is one of the first of what we hope to be many programs," he said.
"We're selling our expertise as far as educating people (about the system) should it be medically recommended."
The partnership will also place advertising in publications within a 150-mile radius of St. Louis, he said. However, the disastrous flooding in Missouri has delayed the ad campaign.
This agreement also is important as a connection with a leading pediatric hospital, Kean said.
Autogenesis is working on a similar agreement with the Emory clinic in Georgia, Kean said. He hopes to finalize the program, which probably won't include the research or toll-free line, in six months.
Six Alaskans from Autogenesis conducted training in May for 13 Cardinal Glennon staff members, Kean said. "It was pretty much a hit," he added.
-- Compiled by Ed Bennett
