Mike,
There is a set of B/W conversion actions published in the May/June 2008 edition of Digital Photo Pro magazine. There is an article written by Dave Willis titled "Hardly Black & White", pages 94-99. Unfortunately, that article is not published in the online version of the magazine.
It is worth looking at, as it outlines a very detailed PS Action created by Greg Gorman and Mac Holbert, with the added discussion from John Paul Caponigro. These are among the present masters of B/W conversion techniques today. The entire Action is outlined step-by-step, and it a bit involved (32 steps), but once created, it pretty much automates a very high quality B/W conversion that also has the ability to make tweaks along the way to suit your individual tastes.
It is worth the look if you are near a bookstore that carries the mag.
LJ