Shlachter, Perotin, Fuquay 
Shlachter, Perotin, Fuquay & Co.
Local Web site features luxury toys for rich boys
Star-Telegram Staff Writers
A virtual business can be based, well, virtually anywhere.
In the case of LuxuryBoyToys.com, a posh cyber-bazaar, its creators decided to plant its terrestrial headquarters on Davis Boulevard in North Richland Hills.
And although the Tarrant County suburb is not the sort of place one automatically associates with $47,000 Maserati Cambiocorsas or $15 million Bahamian villas, that's where Southlake entrepreneur Gary Hollingsworth wanted it, said the venture's 51-year-old president, Ernie Capobianco.
The Web site became active April 3 and already more than $1 billion worth of jewelry, real estate, fancy and/or hefty cars, and assorted pricy gewgaws are listed, publicist Lindsay Barrett said.
Aside from using a traditional auction approach, sellers might also entertain barter arrangements. And prospective buyers can circumvent the auction deadline by making a spot, "final" bid, which the seller can accept.
What sets it apart from eBay?
First off, says Capobianco, "People that trade in luxury goods want to distance themselves from trinkets and trash. EBay sells $50 car parts. Basically we have high-end goods, and only high-end goods."
Moreover, LuxuryBoyToys has a two-tiered verification process to prevent fraudulent bids, he said. And it offers a concierge service -- representatives in key cities across the country can help get items listed and shipped.
Hollingsworth put together a group of about 25 investors who raised "between $3 million and $5 million" for the Web site's launch, said Capobianco, who also heads Dallas-based 2100 Ross Communications, an advertising holding company that owns Square One, United Marketing Communications and Southwest Media Group.
Among the listings is a 350-acre ranch near Cranfills Gap in Bosque County. Aside from abundant wildlife, a waterfall and a 10-acre lake, there's also unique rock formations. The property is valued by the seller at $2.95 million.
So far 10 cars have been sold, including Mercedes Benz and Aston Martin models, said Barrett, the site's publicist.
American IronHorse
American IronHorse, the Fort Worth maker of custom motorcycles seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, will again honor service warranties on new bikes now being sold by its dealers, Chief Executive Buck Hendrickson said.
Hendrickson acknowledged that some dealers had not been reimbursed for warranty work.
"When we're out of bankruptcy, we'll honor the warranties; we'll do the right thing," he told us. "At worst, I think we'll be out [of bankruptcy] by the end of May and get everyone covered."
It might be very necessary.
Former employee David Osburn said models he rejected after he test-rode them were shipped to dealers "over my objections."
How many? "I lost count because I worked for them nearly seven years. Certainly hundreds."
Osburn, employed at IronHorse full time from 1999 until 2007 and part time before that, said superiors told him, in effect, "Ship it, and we'll warranty it later."
Hendrickson, who became CEO after Osburn had left but had served as a consultant earlier, disputed the man's allegations, insisting that the North Texas-made bikes had a lower warranty claim rate than rivals Big Dog and Big Bear. The latter, he said, recalled several hundred bikes with frame problems.
"Our biggest warranty problem is an electronic speedometer -- a design flaw," he said, adding: "There are still 1,000 bikes out there with this one issue."
Vought settlement
Workers at Vought Aircraft Industries were stunned last week when the federal Labor Department announced that some female and minority job applicants would get beginner-level jobs with salaries of $52,200. A common sentiment: "Wait a minute, that's more than I earn!"
The Dallas-based company had agreed to offer training and jobs to 35 female and minority applicants who'd been turned down during 2004 and 2005 to help settle discrimination allegations. It turns out the government's announcement was wrong.
The new Vought employees actually will receive $1,500 apiece "in lieu of retroactive seniority salary," a Labor Department spokeswoman said Wednesday. The agreement between the company and the agency doesn't call for a specific salary for those workers.
