201 St. Charles Place LLC, a limited liability company associated with the Haberman Group, has purchased Place St. Charles, an office tower in downtown New Orleans.

Opus West Corp. has received approval from Rocklin to develop an office project on 20 acres of the 3,500-acre Stanford Ranch master-planned community, the company announced Wednesday.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) billing index for the U.S. architectural industry dropped to an all-time low in October, with the area that includes Colorado having the lowest regional rating.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed below 8,000 Wednesday, the first time that’s happened since 2003.

Pinnacle Arbitrage Compliance LLC, a firm which handles arbitrage compliance for tax-exempt bond issuers and conduit borrowers, has signed a five-year lease for 4,184 square feet at White Station Tower.

Sallie Mae plans to open an operations center in Delaware and inject more than 1,000 jobs into the state, according to sources familiar with the deal. (SLM)

Elizabeth Liming, formerly director of property management at Grubb & Ellis New Mexico, has joined Maestas & Ward as a portfolio manager in its property management division.

McGraw-Hill Construction released a report on Wednesday that found the value of green building construction starts was up five-fold from 2005 to 2008. According to the Green Outlook 2009: Trends Driving Change report, starts were up from $10 billion in 2005 to $36 to $49 billion this year and could triple by 2013, reaching $96 to $140 billion. (MHP)

An FDA panel today moved a once-a-day injectable antibiotic from South San Francisco’s Theravance Inc. — aimed at so-called “superbugs” — closer to approval. (THRX)

Lane4 Property Group, developer of the Lansing Towne Center, said construction on the $45 million shopping center would begin by the end of the year.

Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney said the city of Cincinnati might have to eliminate positions for 55 police officers and 30 firefighters over the next two years if City Council rejects his proposal for a new fee for trash collection.

Otto Construction has sued the partnership behind the L Street Lofts project in midtown Sacramento claiming it’s still owed nearly $1.2 million on the $30 million construction job as general contractor.

Alternative Paths Training School has decided to purchase 5632 Mt. Vernon Memorial Highway in Alexandria for an undisclosed sum.

The American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Billings Index — an indicator of construction activity — fell in October to its lowest level since 1995.

Union County leaders have unveiled initial plans for a 5,000-acre business and industrial park that could eventually represent a $2.3 billion investment. (DUK)

Hewlett-Packard Co. on Wednesday rolled out its first notebook computer with multi-touch technology, something it had only offered before in desktop computers. (HPQ)

Pershing Square Capital Management has revised its proposal that Target Corp. spin off its real estate holdings into an investment trust, suggesting such a move could be completed through a partial public offering. (TGT)

Orbital Sciences Corp. will mark the ground breaking Thursday of an expansion in Chandler that will create space for another 1,000 employees. (ORB)

Sallie Mae plans to open an operations center in Delaware and inject more than 1,000 jobs into the state, according to sources familiar with the deal. (SLM)

Community Health Centers Inc.’s 10 clinics in Orange and Lake counties will impose a tobacco ban Nov. 20 — the date of the American Cancer Society's 33rd Great American Smokeout.

Prince George’s County Council will issue $35 million in bonds to pay for public facilities and improvements at National Harbor.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has shut down MARQ magazine, a niche publication that targeted high net-worth individuals.

Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. plans to expand its corporate support center in Atlanta, bringing at least 120 additional jobs from Ohio to Georgia. (WEN)

A two-day conference for private equity firms and lenders interested in investing in Florida private companies kicked off with tours of Jaxport, Cecil Field and Cecil Commerce Center.

Guardian Management LLC has entered an agreement to acquire the real estate assets of a bankrupt Orange County real estate investment firm.

The American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Billings Index — an indicator of construction activity — fell in October to its lowest level since 1995.

Prince George’s County Council will issue $35 million in bonds to pay for public facilities and improvements at National Harbor.

Building design and planning firm Broaddus & Associates has purchased FJW Group Inc., an Arlington-based construction management and general contracting firm.

Ross Stores Inc. reported an 18 percent increase in third-quarter income on reduced inventory and expenses. (ROST)

Wells Fargo Bank, NA has been ranked the leading small-business lender in both the United States and Texas, according to the latest Community Reinvestment Act and Small Business Administration data. (WFC)

A suit claiming Apple Inc. used anticompetitive practices to restrict sales of its OS X operating system to its own machines was thrown out by a federal judge on Tuesday. (AAPL)

AMB Property Corp. leased 264,000 square feet of warehouse space in Lyon, France, to Wincanton plc, a shipping company. (AMB)

Veteran retail broker Seth Nodelman has joined CB Richard Ellis as a vice president. Nodelman

Insituform Technologies Inc. announced late Tuesday that it plans to eliminate 35 of its management and support staff positions. Approximately half of the positions are located at the company’s headquarters in Chesterfield, with the remainder based throughout North America.

Condo building juggernaut the Related Group is offering itself out as a consultant and possibly a lender for troubled real estate assets.

Wells Fargo Bank, NA has been ranked the leading small-business lender in both the United States and Texas, according to the latest Community Reinvestment Act and Small Business Administration data. (WFC)

The Cincinnati USA Partnership’s October India business mission has encouraged the group to focus future recruitment efforts on the country, according to a e-mail to Partnership investors.

Eli Lilly & Co. sued generic drug maker Impax Laboratories Inc. for patent infringement. (LLY)

Businessman Edward P. Swyer, lawyer E. Stewart Jones and University at Albany professor Helen Desfosses have been named recipients of the University at Albany Foundation Citizen Laureate awards.

The Sierra Club’s Hawaii Chapter has named a new director.

Cousins Properties Inc. cut its dividend 32 percent, the Atlanta-based real estate investment trust said Tuesday. (CUZ)

Building design and planning firm Broaddus & Associates has purchased FJW Group Inc., an Arlington-based construction management and general contracting firm.

The unemployment rate in Washington jumped to 6.3 percent last month from September’s 5.7 percent level.

Belgian brewer InBev announced Tuesday that it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer. (WYE) (BUD)

Cincinnati City Council will vote Wednesday to award job creation tax credits to Dunnhumby USA and a 12-year, 75 percent tax exemption for $9.3 million worth of renovations at its new headquarters at 444 W. Third St.

Gift card purchases are predicted to suffer this holiday season as consumers continue to monitor the current economy and their wallets.

The local housing market continued to feel the effects of the troubled national economy in October.

Efforts to open a new supermarket to the Elmwood Village shopping district cleared a major milestone.

The Senate Republican Conference on Tuesday elected U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to serve as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

A topping off ceremony was held Tuesday at The Clarendon where the final bucket of concrete was hoisted atop the 33-story tower.

Dutch insurer Aegon N.V. has applied to acquire troubled Suburban Federal Savings Bank in Crofton in an effort to pursue some of the federal money available to banks. (AEG)

The unemployment rate in Washington jumped to 6.3 percent last month from September’s 5.7 percent level.

The Downtown Denver Partnership issued a request for proposals Tuesday, seeking engineering experts to help revitalize and preserve Denver’s 16th Street Mall.

Parametric Technology Corp. is expanding and relocating its Twin Cities office.

Janet McAfee, one of the largest residential real estate firms in St. Louis, is taking over the operations of competitor Edward L. Bakewell Inc.

STAG Capital Partners announced Tuesday it launched a new $400 million real estate investment fund to acquire industrial properties nationally.

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways are lowering their fuel surcharge on international flights.

Gift card purchases are predicted to suffer this holiday season as consumers continue to monitor the current economy and their wallets.

Lakeway, the fast-growing suburb west of Austin, is getting its first funeral home.

University Health Alliance posted a $586,595 profit in the third quarter of 2008, a dip from the $756,476 profit posted during the same period last year.

The UNC Charlotte Center for Real Estate brought in $4.4 million in its latest fund-raising campaign, surpassing its $4 million goal.

A Topeka developer who was part of the now-defunct bid by Harrah’s Entertainment to open a $500 million casino near Mulvane says her group remains interested in a casino there.

Belgian brewer InBev announced Tuesday that it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer. (WYE) (BUD)

The Korte Co. recently established the Ralph Korte Endowment Scholarship for students entering into the construction management program at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

Direct-marketing firm Red Ventures was among those honored in the N.C. Technology Association’s annual NCTA 21 Awards.

Microchip Technology Inc. will have to find a new partner in its bid to purchase Atmel Corp. as ON Semiconductor Inc. has decided to withdraw from further action.

Online investment company Scottrade is opening a new branch office in Fort Worth on Nov. 24.

The board of Comfort Systems USA Inc. has approved an increase in the company’s share repurchase program. (FIX)

MRP Realty signed two leases totalling 16,527 square feet for its campus in Loudoun County’s research and technology corridor.

Jerry Yang, Yahoo's CEO, told employees in a memo that he is stepping down. (YHOO) (MSFT)

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s two-year investigation of former Commerce Bancorp Inc. Chairman Vernon W. Hill III has ended in an order that could restrict Hill’s bank-related real estate dealings but includes no charges of illegality.

MeadWestvaco Corp. will close its packaging plant in Grover early next year, cutting 120 jobs. (MWV)

Brandywine Realty Trust has finalized a tax-credit transaction that gives it funding for the rehabilitation of the former U.S. Post Office facility at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. (BDN) (USB)

Layne Christensen Co. has bought Meadors Construction Co. for an undisclosed amount.

Nestle Prepared Food Co. has announced a recall on three of its Lean Cuisine entrees.

In response to a financing drought, DuPont Fabros Technology Inc. has temporarily halted development at its data center facilities. (DFT)

Corporate Office Properties Trust broke ground Monday on an office park in Aberdeen, Md., hoping to capture a portion of the 150 defense contractors expected to move into the area over the next three years. (OFC)

Jerry Yang, Yahoo's CEO, told employees in a memo on Monday that he is stepping down. (YHOO) (MSFT)

Johnson Capital’s Denver office arranged $120 million in financing for real estate transactions in the third quarter, according to the company.

A pair of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals Inc. subsidiaries, AutovaxID and Biovax, are asking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Tampa, Fla., to reject a lease for 24,000 square feet of office warehouse space in St. Louis’ Hill neighborhood.

Paper and janitorial products company Lagasse Sweet has signed the year’s second biggest industrial lease at Flagler Station for a 240,000-square-foot build-to-suit warehouse with room to grow.

Homicides accounted for 29 percent of workplace deaths in the Philadelphia area last year, the highest percentage of the country’s 12 largest metropolitan areas, according to government figures.

Novafora Inc. agreed to buy Transmeta Corp. for about $255.6 million in cash. (TMTA) (AMD)

The Orlando Magic’s construction partners plan to hold a pre-bid informational meeting Nov. 18 for minority- and women-owned firms interested in participating in the construction of the downtown events center.

Burns & McDonnell won a contract from Northeast Utilities to manage what the Kansas City-based engineering firm called one of the largest electric transmission line projects being developed in the United States.

The Kentucky Association for Economic Development has announced its new officers and board members.

The slowdown in the real estate market continued to hit electrical construction service provider Goldfield Corp.

The Grand Prix Family Thrill Park in Tampa is one of 11 family entertainment centers just acquired by PARC Management LLC.

The old Time and Temperature building across the street from Raleigh’s Crabtree Valley Mall, is getting a new lead tenant: TrustAtlantic Bank.

It’s unclear how the development of Cecil Field will be affected by a potential developer’s financial difficulties. (PLD)

Columbia developer Corporate Office Properties Trust broke ground Monday on an office park in Aberdeen, hoping to capture a portion of the 150 defense contractors expected to move into Greater Baltimore over the next three years. (OFC)

The area’s main distributor of food to the hungry, the Capital Area Food Bank, got an early Christmas gift this year: badly needed space to store food donations.

Birmingham’s Doster Construction Co. Inc. said it completed a $16.8 million expansion and renovation project at Tennessee State University’s Avon Williams campus in Nashville.

PetSmart Inc. leased space for two new locations in the Portland metro area.

Huff Realty will enter the southeastern Indiana market with the purchase of two real estate firms, the company said Monday.

Middleton Doll Co. posted a net loss of $697,000 for the third quarter as sales of its collectible dolls declined because of the slowing economy.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed zoning legislation on Sunday that would allow for a proposed Foxwoods Casino in Center City.

Sears Holdings Corp. has informed state officials that it plans to close the Sears store in Menomonee Falls early next year, resulting in the loss of 81 jobs. (SHLD) (TGT)

The co-owner of Colonie Center wants to sell three other malls to shore up its sinking finances.

Cardima Inc. has entered a $6 million loan agreement with an unnamed investor and shareholder.

Liberty Property Trust has cut its quarterly dividend to preserve cash as uncertainty in the credit and financial markets drags on. (BDN) (LRY)

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s latest overseas expansion is taking the retailer to one of the world’s most famous avenues. (ANF)

Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development continues to take applications for the expansion and extension of Keystone Opportunity Zones. (LRY)

The Boston Redevelopment Authority last week approved four projects totaling $75 million. The projects will create 330 construction jobs, according to the city.

First Potomac Realty Trust inked two leases in two of its properties, totaling 79,000 square feet. (FPO)

Construction supply firm Imperial Industries has seen its once-strong materials business continue to spiral into the red this year, mirroring the real estate downturn and the construction industry’s woes. (IPII)

As a student at Miami University, I valued the quaint and pleasant feel of red-brick, tree-lined streets with wide sidewalks and inviting storefronts.

Tom Haverkos is a man of tradition. His weekends are often spent volunteering for Habitat for Humanity with his father and sons. And pride radiates when he discusses Sharonville-based Danis Building Construction, where he is executive vice president. The $89 million contractor’s first project was the Wright Brothers mansion in Dayton in 1916. Over the years, Danis has grown to 400 employees in four offices. Under Haverkos’ leadership, health-care construction has grown to 60 percent of business.

Bill Geisler hears talk of a recession, but his business certainly isn’t feeling it.

Might as well call Bob Grace a conductor.

As part of The Business Journal’s 25th anniversary, in each issue this year we profiled the most influential Milwaukee-area business executives — or “newsmakers” — over the past 25 years. The 52 profiles highlighted the careers and contributions these people made to the growth of southeast Wisconsin. Here is a recap of the profiles with brief information about their noted accomplishments.

Since The Business Journal’s first issue in October 1983, the Top 25 lists remain one of the most popular features among our readers. From the largest Milwaukee-area banks, to manufacturers, employers, law firms and highest-paid executives, the lists provide a snapshot of various industries throughout southeast Wisconsin. While many of the industry players have changed over the past 25 years and our geographical coverage area has expanded, our mission always stays the same: to make each list as authoritative and complete as possible. As part of recognizing our 25th anniversary, we thought it would be interesting to compare some of those first-year lists with our most current.

Andrea Johnston, the new director of leasing and operations assistant with Capital District Properties LLC, has found what she calls the opportunity of a lifetime.

Over the summer, the University at Albany’s physics department had identified a new professor to hire after a year-long search.

PEQ Consulting Inc. will boost staff and looks to expand following the November acquisition of a Kentucky information technology firm.

Harry Loyle, president and chief executive officer of Moto Franchise Corp. doesn’t fully understand the macroeconomics of it, but he knows the government’s $700 financial rescue plan has had a positive effect on small businesses.

At a time when many churches are feeling the economic pinch of fewer discretionary dollars, Fletcher United Methodist Church is launching a construction project.

Despite the slow commercial real estate market, developer Bear Creek Capital will submit more than $450 million in mixed-use development plans to officials in South Lebanon, Liberty Township and the city of Montgomery during the next several months.

As it approaches one year in business, Atrium Medical Center is cutting as many as 40 jobs, though its chief executive officer said the Middletown hospital is exceeding patient volume expectations.

In Pittsburgh’s commercial real estate industry, next year may be more notable for what doesn’t get built than for what does.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is keeping a step ahead of tighter state regulations in its plans to build a hospital in Monroeville.

A New Jersey-based nonprofit appliance distributor has chosen a 16-acre parcel of land three miles from Pittsburgh International Airport to build a 150,000-square-foot regional warehouse facility.

Milton Baucom walked away from a steady machine shop job for an Anson County family farm like he’d left years before.

A $75 million office tower off Music Row is moving forward after a high-profile property rights battle with the owner of a private music studio.

To address downtown Milwaukee’s lack of retailers, a business group has retained a consultant to develop a retail marketing strategy and will hire a staffer to recruit stores.

More than 15 months ago, the Watergate Hotel shut its doors to prepare for major renovations that would rebrand one of the premier addresses in Washington.

An Idaho real estate investment firm that owns two Brookfield office buildings at 400 and 440 S. Executive Drive, and specializes in tenancy-in-common acquisitions, has filed for bankruptcy.

Wachovia Corp. customers can say goodbye to those high-rate certificates of deposit.

In America, the name Antoine Westermann doesn’t conjure up the same instant images of restaurant stardom as “Wolfgang Puck” or “Jose Andres.” But it’s a different story in France, where Westermann, with three Michelin stars to his name, has more than earned the title celebrity chef.

Barack Obama and the business community can expect to have a happy honeymoon as long as the president-elect’s focus is on economic recovery.

The Brick Yard, a 125-acre property between Beltsville and Laurel, has sold $13 million worth of new industrial and retail space, and the first owners will arrive in January.

How big is Chris Donatelli’s house?

The rapidly rising Department of Justice office in NoMa at Constitution Square Two is still on the hunt for construction financing, but the developer — a joint venture between StonebridgeCarras LLC and Walton Street Capital LLC — got a breath of fresh air last month.

A newly formed coalition is calling for a regional approach to mass transit to try and harness political and community support for the controversial project.

Bank of America Corp. is targeting a University-area site for an undefined development.

Where there were once dilapidated houses sit new rehabs filled with young people, their dogs and even kids. Patterson Park, the city’s so-called “backyard” hasn’t looked better in decades. And an upscale tapas restaurant now resides in what was once a vacant pharmacy on the northeast corner of the park.

My 17-year-old daughter and I were on the New Jersey Turnpike recently, heading north to visit some colleges, when our talk turned to the financial crisis.

Zurich American Insurance Co., two decades and 400 workers smaller than when it acquired Maryland Casualty Co., is selling its Baltimore City campus.

Erickson Retirement Communities has abandoned its $175 million plans for a 1,200-unit senior community near Cincinnati.

Cuts in federal spending aren’t the only thing government contractors should be worrying about. The incoming Obama administration also is expected to push for changes in the way government does business with vendors, potentially making it harder for federal contractors to win taxpayer dollars.

Tracy Durkin won’t be expanding Urbanite magazine to Philadelphia or Washington, D.C., anytime soon.

Defense contractor Mitre Corp. is planning to lease up to 50,000 square feet in the Aberdeen area over the next three years as it shifts operations from Fort Monmouth, N.J., to Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Former Sourcefire CEO Wayne Jackson III has joined the board of directors for Zenoss Inc., another software firm with aspirations for similar growth.

The insurance industry often acts as a follower, rather than a leader. Instead of creating a market for an insurance product, carriers sit back and create necessary products to cover new or expanding markets.

Intermodal shipping — the use of containers to move freight between trucks, trains, planes and ships — is nothing new for Kansas City.

DESCRIPTION: The CenterPoint-KCS Intermodal Center combines rail lines, distribution centers and highway access within a two-mile radius of the former Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport.

DESCRIPTION: KCI Intermodal BusinessCentre aims to help position Kansas City International Airport as a center of manufacturing, intermodal shipping and commercial development.

Sustainability, corporate responsibility and all things green are concepts making the rounds at most boardrooms, birthing task forces and committees designed to make businesses more environmentally aware. Some area companies are creating full-time positions to meet this burgeoning awareness of green technologies and issues.

Sprint Nextel Corp. needs to continue shedding costs as part of its efforts to stage a turnaround, and a planned deal to move its WiMAX unit to a new company will provide a boost.

The number of mechanic’s liens filed in Jackson County so far this year has dropped by 13 compared with the same period in 2007, but lawyers said that construction-related litigation probably will rise in the coming year.

As a power forward for the University of Kansas Jayhawks, Mike Maddox was known as a savvy, hard-working player.

Campus Crest was founded four years ago with a simple plan: to build garden-style apartments with tons of amenities for college students.

One of the region’s Freightliner facilities may be in line for a 450-job addition as the Portland, Ore.-based truckmaker closes a West Coast truck plant in 2010.

The sweeping change promised by the opening of the N.C. Research Campus is taking a turn toward downtown Kannapolis.

DHL U.S. Express’ move to discontinue shipping within the United States could jeopardize its cargo facility at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

The new uptown office tower anchored by NASCAR is on track to open March 1.

Inga Barnard, owner of Ideal Countertops, says her company’s green-friendly focus helped set it apart from competitors during the housing boom.

It’s a tough time to be a commercial real estate brokerage.

In a stark sign of the slowdown in Silicon Valley’s commercial real estate market, Sobrato Development Cos. announced that it stopped work on a speculative office project.

Mecklenburg County has offered rebates since December on building permits for projects that comply with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards. That’s local government’s carrot to encourage green construction. The stick may be coming one day soon, too.

Chatham Olive brings the passion of environmental commitment to his job at Argand Energy Solutions. The former head of the local Sierra Club office is now vice president of marketing and business development for the Charlotte-based installer of sun- and wind-powered systems.

For all but the most conservative investors, the performance of the stock market in recent weeks has been devastating. Employees who have dutifully invested in 401(k) plans have seen a dramatic drop in the value of their holdings.

The Small Business Administration hopes to encourage lenders to resume making 7(a) business loans by letting them charge higher interest rates to borrowers.

When David C. Cole steps down from running Maui Land & Pineapple next year, there will be plenty of financial challenges for a company that has seen its revenue cut by half so far this year. (MLP)

Folks at Watanabe Floral are not afraid to be sentimental.