Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, May 22, 1993                   TAG: 9305220116
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN BUSINESS

May Department Stores Co., St. Louis-based parent of the Hecht's chain and Payless ShoeSource stores, told shareowners Friday it will invest $4.6 billion in the next five years to open 100 department stores and 1,200 Payless ShoeSource stores, and to expand and/or remodel more than 60 existing stores. Shareowners approved a 2-for-1 stock split, to be distributed June 15 to shareowners on June 1.

May president Thomas A. Hays said the new stores will add 22 million square feet of retail space, or 36 percent more than the current 61 million square feet. The 100 new department stores will add 17 million square feet and the 1,200 shoe stores will add 5 million square feet. May will open 13 new department stores in 1993, including Hecht's units in Richmond and Fredericksburg; Pineville, N.C.; and Frederick, Md. - Staff report

Photographer to talk to ad federation

Barry Blackman, photographer, author and lecturer, will speak Tuesday at a meeting of the Advertising Federation of the Roanoke Valley.

Blackman is a pioneer in special-effects photography and computer manipulation of the photographic image.

The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Holiday Inn-Tanglewood. The cost is $15, including dinner, or $5 for just the program at 7 p.m. Reservations may be made before 5 p.m. Monday by calling The Packett Group at 345-5403. - Staff report

Briefly . . .

\ Communications Technology Associates, a Lynchburg-based unit of Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern Inc. of Roanoke, has a contract to provide engineering services in the development of a regional radio system for Guilford County, N.C., law enforcement, fire and rescue services and government agencies. The system will expand a radio system the company designed for High Point, N.C., in 1989. It will be operated jointly by High Point, Greensboro and the county.

\ Hillenbrand Industries, Batesville, Ind., owner of Medeco Security Locks Inc. and an electronics division at Salem, said its SSI Medical Services Inc. unit has purchased assets of the Mediscus Group Inc. of Akron, Ohio. The sale was approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Akron. SSI provides rental therapy units to health-care facilities.

\ Precision Acura of Roanoke has been franchised as a dealer for sales and service by Audi of America Inc. The dealership, affiliated with Holiday Mutsubishi, is at 2032 Peters Creek Road.