AUSTIN-A call center retreat in Austin doesn't mean the state capital has lost its appeal as a hub for the industry. Fact is, says the chamber's Mark Hazelwood, the call center trade is now part of the economic base and there's still great opportunities to be had.

AUSTIN-RuffCoffin, a new advertising agency, is building out 2,884 sf at Hannig Row, a historic CBD property along the bustling Sixth Street. The agency has inked a three-year lease in a Colliers Oxford Commercial-negotiated pact.

AUSTIN-Ken Wheeler is taking over as president of CIP Property Management Services, an affiliate of NAI/Commercial Industrial Properties Co. in Austin. Wheeler is a 20-year veteran. Also on board is a new property manager.

AUSTIN-Data Tomato Inc. has ended a yearlong search for more CBD space that's within budget. The high-tech company has shaved between $3 per sf to $4 per sf by waiting for prices to drop. Data Tomato is taking sublease space from Tech Partners.

AUSTIN-Aperian's takeover and subsequent downsizing has a one-time controversial property back on the market. Aperian heads to 8,000 sf along Steck Avenue, bumping its former headquarters to the "for lease" market.

AUSTIN-A CB Richard Ellis senior associate is thinking out of the box for Northcross' closed ice skating rink. He wants to convert the rink, which has a high-capacity power source, to high-tech office space. It just takes "a bit more creativity," he says.

AUSTIN-Trammell Crow has a new development manager for its Austin office's industrial division. The new hire, Donna Matocha, had been employed with ProLogis Trust's Austin office, where she worked with 37 properties totaling more than two million sf.

AUSTIN-DPT US Inc., the American branch of a Scotland-based high-tech firm, is beefing up its Austin operation, taking 7,500 sf at Cameron Creek Business Park in northeastern submarket. It also occupies 10,800 sf in a Wall Street building.