European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 3, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday. September 3, 1991 the stars and St filpes b Page 17 _ Money matters i a employees assemble electronic boards at Cable tron systems inc. In Rochester ., where Cost cutting has spelled Success. Computer founders make millions by pinching every Penny each Day today a tip Minneapolis is a stronghold of mos the prepaid medical plans that Many experts say Are Likely to have an essential role in the struggle to slow medical spending. With one of Tjie country a High it rates of membership in health maintenance organizations at 44 percent the City May provide a glimpse of the future in health care. But even Ashmos spread Many experts say they have not Liv a up to their potential at holding Down costs. A conversion rates London up a mondays rates for the . Dollar to other currencies. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other local currencies in dollars Gold was quoted at $348.25 an ounce Silver at $3.8�?z. Aug. 30 sept. 2 British Pound.1.6815 1.6855 German mark.1.7505 1.7465 French franc .5.9155 5.9280 dutch guilder.1.9610 1 9655 belgian franc.-. 35 82 35 92 italian lira.1.300.10 1.303 05 Swiss franc.1 5305 1 5345 greek drachma.192 50 192.88 turkish lira. 4,585.60 4,585.60 saudi arabian Riyal .3.7503 3 7503 Spanish peseta.108 35 108 64 portuguese escudo.148.84 149 48 Canadian dollar.1.1412 11414 austrian schilling.12.2470 12 2875 norwegian krone.6.8020 6.8260 danish krone.6.7190 6.7375 these Are unofficial rates As reported by wire service and banking sources and they Are listed to give some idea of daily currency fluctuations. The Only official rate concerns the Sale of German Marks to . Personnel for personal use and this will be 1.70 through tuesday based on mondays noontime  Apple Industry Ripe for picking Yakima Wash. A the Washington Apple Industry has recovered so fully from the alar scare that sales of the 1990 crop May top the $1 billion Mark for the first time analysts said. With the 1991 crop almost ready to be picked Industry leaders say this years sales May be just As Good. A we need it. There a a lot of red Ink to heal up a said de Pariseau general manager of Brewster Heights packing one of the states largest Apple growers. The average wholesale Price for a 42-Pound Box of apples hovered at about $14 this season said Leo sax of the growers Clearinghouse in Wenatchee which monitors prices. That compares with about $10 per Box for the 1989 crop when prices were depressed because of the alar scare. Multiplied by the 72 million boxes sold by Washington growers the Ross sales figure would be just Over 1 billion for the 1990 crop whose last boxes Are leaving warehouses this week. A it was indeed a Good year a Pariseau said with a laugh. Lighthearted moods were rare in Apple country in 1989, when a private consumer group produced a report saying use of the farm chemical alar on apples increased the risk of cancer in children. By David Tirrell Wysocki the associated press Rochester  When Craig Benson and Robert Levine started their computer business eight years ago they used a garage for their office bought secondhand furniture and avoided unnecessary expenses to help make ends meet. The Cost cutting seems to have paid off for Cable tron systems inc. The company a profits have risen steadily Ever since and today Cable tron is considered one of the hottest growth companies in the country. Earnings nearly tripled since 1989, when the company went Public from $12.1 million or 48 cents a share to $35.9 million or $1.35 a share in fiscal 1991. Revenue during that time climbed from $54.8 million to $180.5 million. And Wall Street has taken notice. In the past year alone Cable tron a Stock soared from $14.75 a share to a High of $52.87�?T/2 a share As recently As mid August on the new York Stock Exchange. So Are Benson and Levine finally ready for big expense accounts and fancy offices done to bet on it. Although they have Long moved out of the garage both men still sit behind used Metal desks in sparsely decorated offices with dented partitions. And the company a 1,500 employees from salespeople to top executives Are kept on a strict budget. A you need tools to run the business and White Collar Chicago apr the recession this year Hasni to stopped employers from raising White Collar employees salaries at a Pace with or above inflation according to a Survey of More than 1,700 employers. Salaries for executives and other nonunion workers Rose an average of 5 percent this year according to a study by Hewitt associates a consulting company that specializes in wage studies. A people Are being reasonably optimistic about the Economy a said Don Hay a Hewitt consultant. A rather than anything beyond that is a frill a said Benson who serves As chairman chief operating officer and  is president and chief executive officer. A i remember when i got this chair a Benson said pointing to a used Vinyl contraption. A the Guy brought it in and 1 said a you can to give me this chair. Its too  he said a Craig i got it used for 20 Bucks take  a a now i can see Why. Its falling apart a he said lifting the a stitched covering from an Arm support. Cable tron a Penny pinching philosophy was born in the scary Days of Selling computer Cable from Levine a garage. A Aback then every Dollar you took out of the business made a big difference so we try to really maximize what we Are doing and try not to waste anything a Benson said. Today Rochester .-based Cable tron produces computer network equipment and programs which allow computers to communicate with each other. Its customers include Many of the nations largest companies such As american Telephone amp Telegraph co. And Sun Micro systems inc., As Well As Federal and state agencies and colleges and universities. Last year Cable tron was named hottest growth company by business week Magazine and the no. 1 socially response make a significant adjustment they re kind of steering the  inflation this year is estimated at Between 4 percent and 5 percent said Robert j. Lalonde a professor at the University of Chicago business school. Lalonde said the salary increases Are about what he expected in the current Economy. A salaries themselves Are not extremely sensitive to recession a Lalonde said. Wages have been rising in the past 10 years for Well educated people he said. The salary increases for 1991 break ble Stock by Money Magazine. Benson and Levine also were chosen As entrepreneurs of the year by inc. Magazine. Both men pay themselves $52,000 a year each although they Are multimillionaire from owning More than half their company a Stock. Benson says the company a reputation of being frugal has caused some customers to raise their eyebrows. A then we walk them through the labs. To show them the important things Are being funded a such As the state of the Art manufacturing Plant he said. The company also plans to add about 100 new employees later this month. Quot i done to like to Cut Corners in places where it does no to make sense to Cut Corners a Benson said. He and Levine also done to like to waste time. Cable tron expects salespeople to make 15 sales visits a week and spend no More than $70 per night for hotels and $35 a Day for meals. Everyone flies coach. And conference rooms have no chairs leading to Shorter More productive meetings. A not Only does it save because we done to buy the chairs but it also Means people get Antsy after 20 minutes and they get on with the meeting a Benson said. He said employees done to seem to mind because they recognize that holding Down costs holds Down prices and Low prices mean More sales and bigger commissions. Down to an average of 5.3 percent for executives 5 percent for salaried employees exempt from Federal overtime Laws and 4.9 percent for those not exempt. The lowest pay increases were in government at 2.9 percent and in the textile and apparel industries 3.1 percent. Real estate companies topped the list at 6.2 percent though Only six companies responded. Pharmaceutical companies gave average raises of 6 percent while computer software workers received 5.9 percent hikes. Pay up 5%, Survey shows