Today's number: 97

U.S. initial public offerings this year, raising $26.84 billion, compared with 107 IPOs raising $38.99 billion last year and 391 new offerings that raised $61.43 billion in 2000, according to data from Thomson Financial in New York.

Today's money tip

Before buying a mutual fund in a taxable account, check to see when it makes its capital gains distributions. If you buy a fund right before this, you will have to pay capital gains taxes on gains that didn't take part in. That's because all shareholders share the tax equally, regardless of when they joined the fund.

Today's career tip

The average person takes more than 7,000 steps each and every day, Darrin Zeer says in Office Spa: Stress Relief for the Working Week. "In an average lifetime, a person will walk more than 100,000 miles," he says. "The message is be good to your feet and they will be good to you. Keep a pair of running shoes at your desk for unexpected errands. Your feet will thank you."

Today's mover

Terry L. Franklin has been named area president - commercial lending division at Oak Hills Banks. Mr. Franklin will be responsible for commercial lending for all Oak Hill Banks in the western region. He will assist the branches with commercial lending opportunities and development of new commercial business. He has 20 years of experience in the financial industry. Most recently, he was with Fisher Mortgage Co. as a loan officer. He received his bachelor's degree in finance management from Eastern Kentucky University.

TODAY'S COMPANY: CARPETLAND CARPET ONE

FLOOR FINISHER: Kurt Weisbacher, a recent immigrant to the United States, started his carpet company in 1946 after serving in the U.S. armed forces. Mr. Weisbacher is still actively involved in his enterprise, along with his son Ken. The company located in Woodlawn in 1959, where it is still based. The headquarters building houses the company's commercial and carpet-cleaning divisions. Retail outlets are in Woodlawn, Erlanger and Milford.

NATIONAL NETWORK: In 1989 CarpetLand joined national floorcovering cooperative Carpet One. The 800-member organization shares costs for advertising and promotional programs, and enables members to benefit from volume purchasing.

NATIONAL RANKING: CarpetLand is ranked 36th in the country in terms of sales volume, according to two industry publications, "Floor Covering Weekly" and "Floor Covering News."

A NEW FACE: The company has just completed a major renovation of its Woodlawn store, signaling a longterm commitment to the community.