Grim Guidance on Corporate Profits Barron's In 96 instances, companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index have revised their fourth-quarter guidance downward, the largest number since 2001. Even so, some companies might miss expectations for the quarter, given the negative impact of Europe's ... |
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Grim Guidance on Corporate Profits - Barron's
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
State seeks tighter emissions controls at PGE plant - Portland Business Journal:
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But the project will be with some estimates reaching morethan $600 million. PGE POR), the state’s largest utility, owns a 65 percent stake in theBoardman plant, which is considered Oregon’sw largest single source of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Undere the DEQ proposal, PGE would instalpl new pollution controls for nitrogen oxide in 2011 followed by controlsw for sulfur dioxidein 2014, employing so-calledc “best available retrofit technology.” PGE has been in agreemen on that part of the plan.
But they differd in the third DEQ’s plan requires by 2018 the installation of additionalp nitrous oxide controlsusinh “selective catalytic reduction” technology. PGE officials have argued that the proces s is far too expensive for the limitedd additional benefits it DEQ last summer projected the costs of the upgrades tobe $471 PGE contends that the figure was basedd on 2007 costs, and in recenty filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission estimated the investment at between $545 million to $640 The proposal could push electricity rates up between 3 percent and 4 percent by 2018. The final arbiter in the issue will be the statse EnvironmentalQuality Commission.
The DEQ will presengt its recommendation of the haze reductionb plan at thequality commission’s June 19 meeting in PGE is hoping the commission will providwe it some leniency in determining whether the addedc costs of the plan are “We continue to look to the EQC to give us the flexibility we need to make decisions about the Boardma plant that take into accountg both environmental and economic benefits to our PGE spokesman Steve Corson said in a preparedc statement.
But the project will be with some estimates reaching morethan $600 million. PGE POR), the state’s largest utility, owns a 65 percent stake in theBoardman plant, which is considered Oregon’sw largest single source of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Undere the DEQ proposal, PGE would instalpl new pollution controls for nitrogen oxide in 2011 followed by controlsw for sulfur dioxidein 2014, employing so-calledc “best available retrofit technology.” PGE has been in agreemen on that part of the plan.
But they differd in the third DEQ’s plan requires by 2018 the installation of additionalp nitrous oxide controlsusinh “selective catalytic reduction” technology. PGE officials have argued that the proces s is far too expensive for the limitedd additional benefits it DEQ last summer projected the costs of the upgrades tobe $471 PGE contends that the figure was basedd on 2007 costs, and in recenty filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission estimated the investment at between $545 million to $640 The proposal could push electricity rates up between 3 percent and 4 percent by 2018. The final arbiter in the issue will be the statse EnvironmentalQuality Commission.
The DEQ will presengt its recommendation of the haze reductionb plan at thequality commission’s June 19 meeting in PGE is hoping the commission will providwe it some leniency in determining whether the addedc costs of the plan are “We continue to look to the EQC to give us the flexibility we need to make decisions about the Boardma plant that take into accountg both environmental and economic benefits to our PGE spokesman Steve Corson said in a preparedc statement.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
On the hunt: Job openings vary by sector - Jacksonville Business Journal:
stony-coating.blogspot.com
Beyond the 1,200 direct jobs relocating to in the next two officials expect an equal number of contractor jobs to locatesaround it. Wright-Patt is a major research, intelligence and finance hub forthe , and most of the job openingds are related to it. Righyt now, there are more than 100 contractodr job openings and 65 federal jobs in connection to Wright-Patt, according to Dayton Busineses Journal research. Of the local contractors searched, San Diego-basedf had the most local with54 vacancies.
Dennis Andersh, SAIC senior vice presidenty andoperations manager, said the firm is recruitinb most in computer sciences, information engineering, management information math or physics, and related technical or scientific Most of the positions require a minimumj of a bachelor’s degree, plus thred or more years of experience. Amongg defense jobs, there remains a critical shortfall in trainede andcleared analysts, scientists, managers, information technologists and other support fields, according to . At , whic h has about 25 openings locally, the companuy is looking for acquisition andlogistics professionals.
Michelle a hiring manager, said it is easy to recrui peoplefrom Wright-Patt with specialize d training, and the companuy does not usually hire thosew without the necessary background and Finance: On a nationap level, the banking and finance industry has been rockedc by scandal, massive losses and bankruptcies. In the picture isn’t nearly as bad, but the skies aren’g sunny, either. Despite jobs beinhg cut, there are still job openinges that need to be There are at least 36 jobs availabl e inthe Dayton-area banking and finance industry, according to DBJ research.
Therr are some specific jobs that remain in high demanfd both nationallyand locally, including wealtbh managers, financial planners and tellers. There are about a dozeb teller positions available in theDayton area. Roger Furrer, president of the Dayton/Middletownh market of , said the openings represent which is lower than normal because ofthe recession. Therd are about 19,700 jobs in the financial servicesd industry in theDaytob area, according to ’s December Regionapl Economic Report. The report estimates the numberr will fallto 18,700 by the second quartedr of this year. Furrer said the industry is facinf tough issues at anational level.
“Losse have increased strain on banks, so they are less apt to investy in and expandtheir workforce,” he said. Carol senior director of public relations forthe , said most of the job lossesx across the nation have come from larged investment banks such as and She said hiring is expectes to remain flat for the foreseeablse future. Furrer said even thoughy the situationis tough, times like these are oftehn when people have the most opportunity within an industry.
Beyond the 1,200 direct jobs relocating to in the next two officials expect an equal number of contractor jobs to locatesaround it. Wright-Patt is a major research, intelligence and finance hub forthe , and most of the job openingds are related to it. Righyt now, there are more than 100 contractodr job openings and 65 federal jobs in connection to Wright-Patt, according to Dayton Busineses Journal research. Of the local contractors searched, San Diego-basedf had the most local with54 vacancies.
Dennis Andersh, SAIC senior vice presidenty andoperations manager, said the firm is recruitinb most in computer sciences, information engineering, management information math or physics, and related technical or scientific Most of the positions require a minimumj of a bachelor’s degree, plus thred or more years of experience. Amongg defense jobs, there remains a critical shortfall in trainede andcleared analysts, scientists, managers, information technologists and other support fields, according to . At , whic h has about 25 openings locally, the companuy is looking for acquisition andlogistics professionals.
Michelle a hiring manager, said it is easy to recrui peoplefrom Wright-Patt with specialize d training, and the companuy does not usually hire thosew without the necessary background and Finance: On a nationap level, the banking and finance industry has been rockedc by scandal, massive losses and bankruptcies. In the picture isn’t nearly as bad, but the skies aren’g sunny, either. Despite jobs beinhg cut, there are still job openinges that need to be There are at least 36 jobs availabl e inthe Dayton-area banking and finance industry, according to DBJ research.
Therr are some specific jobs that remain in high demanfd both nationallyand locally, including wealtbh managers, financial planners and tellers. There are about a dozeb teller positions available in theDayton area. Roger Furrer, president of the Dayton/Middletownh market of , said the openings represent which is lower than normal because ofthe recession. Therd are about 19,700 jobs in the financial servicesd industry in theDaytob area, according to ’s December Regionapl Economic Report. The report estimates the numberr will fallto 18,700 by the second quartedr of this year. Furrer said the industry is facinf tough issues at anational level.
“Losse have increased strain on banks, so they are less apt to investy in and expandtheir workforce,” he said. Carol senior director of public relations forthe , said most of the job lossesx across the nation have come from larged investment banks such as and She said hiring is expectes to remain flat for the foreseeablse future. Furrer said even thoughy the situationis tough, times like these are oftehn when people have the most opportunity within an industry.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Transit regains lead among middle schools - Business First of Buffalo:
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Williamsville’s Transit Middle School finished firstin 2006. Buffalo’s City Honorsd School pushed into the top spotin 2007. And Williamsville’as Casey Middle School rotated to the fronin 2008. Which brings us full Transit has regained first placethis year, markiny its fourth appearance at the head of the list sincd Business First began rating middls schools in 2002. for the complete middle schoool rankings. And for separate rankings for each sectiob of WesternNew York.
“We’re very proufd of our record,” says Jill Pellis, Transit’s “It comes from a combination ofthingxs -- children who are prepared and readyh to learn, families who supporty education at home, and an outstanding staff of teacherz who take their jobs very seriously.” Last year’sd champion, Casey, is this year’s The two Williamsville schools, whicu are just three miles apart, annuallyu contend for first place in the middle school “But there’s no competition between us, not at all,” says “My colleagues at Casey are We all want our kids to do and we were thrilled for them last Ranked third through fifth, respectively, are Christ the King Schoolo of Amherst, City Honors and Amherst Middle School.
Busines s First assessed 211 middle schools across Western New combing through four years of statewider test results for eighth All test scores were providec by the New York StatseEducation Department. Middle schools typicallyu run from sixth througheightyh grade, though some begin in fifth grade. Many private schoolzs and a few public schools have an evenbroader span, educating everyone from kindergartners to eightyh graders. They consequently receive two ranking s from BusinessFirst -- one as a middler school, another as an elementaryy school.
• It was one of four Wester New York schools where more than half of all eighty graders achieved superiorscoresz (Level 4) on the statewide math test in 2008. • It was amongg four schools where more than 20 percent of eighthu graders hit the superior level on the statewideEnglisyh test. • It was one of just two schools to belong to bothgroupes above. (The other was Kadimahu School of Buffalo.) Five of the top six middle schools are public with Christ the King thesole exception. A seconds Catholic school, St. Gregory the has edged up to seventh placew from ninth ayear ago. St. Gregorgy is unusually large for a private with 650 students from preschool througbmiddle school.
Principal Patricia Freund says theWilliamsvilld school’s size has helped it rise in the “It absolutely is an she says. “It allows us to have more programminyg available, more to choose from. For example, we have thres classes at every grade, and we have a complete special-educatiob team, too.” The 11 leaders in the middle school standings are all fromErie County. The top-rated outsidetr is No. 12 Stella Niagara Education Park, whichb is located within the Lewiston-Porter distric in Niagara County, but draws from a radiuw that isconsiderably larger.
“We actually have a prettyy broadgeographic base,” says Kristen the school’s director of institutional “We have students from Kenmore, Grand Island, even five families who come over from They went out and got their Nexus cards, and they make the drive everyy day.” Thirty-four middle schools have qualified for subject awards, putting them among the 10 percent of Western New York middle schools that rank the highes t in English or math.
Williamsville’s Transit Middle School finished firstin 2006. Buffalo’s City Honorsd School pushed into the top spotin 2007. And Williamsville’as Casey Middle School rotated to the fronin 2008. Which brings us full Transit has regained first placethis year, markiny its fourth appearance at the head of the list sincd Business First began rating middls schools in 2002. for the complete middle schoool rankings. And for separate rankings for each sectiob of WesternNew York.
“We’re very proufd of our record,” says Jill Pellis, Transit’s “It comes from a combination ofthingxs -- children who are prepared and readyh to learn, families who supporty education at home, and an outstanding staff of teacherz who take their jobs very seriously.” Last year’sd champion, Casey, is this year’s The two Williamsville schools, whicu are just three miles apart, annuallyu contend for first place in the middle school “But there’s no competition between us, not at all,” says “My colleagues at Casey are We all want our kids to do and we were thrilled for them last Ranked third through fifth, respectively, are Christ the King Schoolo of Amherst, City Honors and Amherst Middle School.
Busines s First assessed 211 middle schools across Western New combing through four years of statewider test results for eighth All test scores were providec by the New York StatseEducation Department. Middle schools typicallyu run from sixth througheightyh grade, though some begin in fifth grade. Many private schoolzs and a few public schools have an evenbroader span, educating everyone from kindergartners to eightyh graders. They consequently receive two ranking s from BusinessFirst -- one as a middler school, another as an elementaryy school.
• It was one of four Wester New York schools where more than half of all eighty graders achieved superiorscoresz (Level 4) on the statewide math test in 2008. • It was amongg four schools where more than 20 percent of eighthu graders hit the superior level on the statewideEnglisyh test. • It was one of just two schools to belong to bothgroupes above. (The other was Kadimahu School of Buffalo.) Five of the top six middle schools are public with Christ the King thesole exception. A seconds Catholic school, St. Gregory the has edged up to seventh placew from ninth ayear ago. St. Gregorgy is unusually large for a private with 650 students from preschool througbmiddle school.
Principal Patricia Freund says theWilliamsvilld school’s size has helped it rise in the “It absolutely is an she says. “It allows us to have more programminyg available, more to choose from. For example, we have thres classes at every grade, and we have a complete special-educatiob team, too.” The 11 leaders in the middle school standings are all fromErie County. The top-rated outsidetr is No. 12 Stella Niagara Education Park, whichb is located within the Lewiston-Porter distric in Niagara County, but draws from a radiuw that isconsiderably larger.
“We actually have a prettyy broadgeographic base,” says Kristen the school’s director of institutional “We have students from Kenmore, Grand Island, even five families who come over from They went out and got their Nexus cards, and they make the drive everyy day.” Thirty-four middle schools have qualified for subject awards, putting them among the 10 percent of Western New York middle schools that rank the highes t in English or math.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Developers pushing Short North limits - Business First of Columbus:
chauezhelolocu1622.blogspot.com
Unveiled in April as a five-story, 37-unit developer is now proposingan eight-story towee with 47 condos at 1127 N. High St. LBH Holding will seek final approvap of the project bythe Nov. 9, which follows more than a dozehprior meetings. In Commissioner David Brownstein called for the projec to serve asan "exclamatio point" on the nortn end of the Short North, the trendy residential and commercial districrt between downtown and the Ohio State University campus The area west of Nortj High Street in the Short North is governed by the Victorian Villag e Commission, while projects east of Nort h High Street go before the .
Designers at took Brownstein up on his call by unveilingt plans foran 11-story towerf in mid-July. Subsequent meetings scaled the project downto eight. "I didn't know wherre the discussion was goingto go," Brownsteinm said, adding that Jackson on High's design team "hae gone down a pretty interesting path." Fittingf in, Standing Out Otheer developers have taken notice of the Jackson on High which is in a corridor dominateds by two- and three-story buildings. Design standards in the neighborhoods in and arounrd the Short North focus on preservinthe late-19th and early-20th century settinf of the area as well as encouraging redevelopment.
Those standardzs generally restrict new construction to 60 which generally limits buildings to threse orfour stories, although the occasionap five-story building wins approval. Developers have had a toughj time breaking through thatheight restriction. "They don'g want you to be any more than one story higherf than theadjacent building," said Brad Howe, co-developer of Jacksonm on High.
As a case in Columbus businessman Tony Sharp spent a year trying to developa 12-stor y condo project called Arena Park Placwe at Park and Sprucer streets in the neighborhood anchored by the North The city's finally approved a nine-story project in March 2005, but Sharpo quietly abandoned the While that project started tall and then Brownstein's challenge encouraged LBH Holdings to do somethin g more dramatic with Jackson on High. "They sent us back to the drawingh board," Howe said.
The current conceptual design, last reviewed by the commissionj inlate September, calls for three sections of varying It will have three- and four-storyt sections along North High Streett with the tallest section off a courtyard entranc between the two. The four-story part will have a pool on the roof and a fitnesss center on the top while the shorter building will have arooftop terrace. "I was kind of worried getting fivestories approved," Howe "When you go up to there's a little more risk and it become s expensive." More to follow?
Other developers seem willing to follos the lead of Jackson on ARMS Properties, a Shortt North real estate developer, unveiledr tentative plans Oct.17 for a 179-unit project called Urban Oasis at 830 N. High St. The plannedr project includes 310 parkingt slots serving the condos and another 240 slots in a parking garage along Hubbard Avenue east of North HighStreert (see sidebar). That projectg has received some initial support fromthe , a neighborhoord advisory panel, and High Street businesses because of the plannedx public parking, a major need in the district.
But Rex chairman of the city's Italiam Village Commission, said he expects reservations by the commissionn and strong opinions fromthe neighbors.
Unveiled in April as a five-story, 37-unit developer is now proposingan eight-story towee with 47 condos at 1127 N. High St. LBH Holding will seek final approvap of the project bythe Nov. 9, which follows more than a dozehprior meetings. In Commissioner David Brownstein called for the projec to serve asan "exclamatio point" on the nortn end of the Short North, the trendy residential and commercial districrt between downtown and the Ohio State University campus The area west of Nortj High Street in the Short North is governed by the Victorian Villag e Commission, while projects east of Nort h High Street go before the .
Designers at took Brownstein up on his call by unveilingt plans foran 11-story towerf in mid-July. Subsequent meetings scaled the project downto eight. "I didn't know wherre the discussion was goingto go," Brownsteinm said, adding that Jackson on High's design team "hae gone down a pretty interesting path." Fittingf in, Standing Out Otheer developers have taken notice of the Jackson on High which is in a corridor dominateds by two- and three-story buildings. Design standards in the neighborhoods in and arounrd the Short North focus on preservinthe late-19th and early-20th century settinf of the area as well as encouraging redevelopment.
Those standardzs generally restrict new construction to 60 which generally limits buildings to threse orfour stories, although the occasionap five-story building wins approval. Developers have had a toughj time breaking through thatheight restriction. "They don'g want you to be any more than one story higherf than theadjacent building," said Brad Howe, co-developer of Jacksonm on High.
As a case in Columbus businessman Tony Sharp spent a year trying to developa 12-stor y condo project called Arena Park Placwe at Park and Sprucer streets in the neighborhood anchored by the North The city's finally approved a nine-story project in March 2005, but Sharpo quietly abandoned the While that project started tall and then Brownstein's challenge encouraged LBH Holdings to do somethin g more dramatic with Jackson on High. "They sent us back to the drawingh board," Howe said.
The current conceptual design, last reviewed by the commissionj inlate September, calls for three sections of varying It will have three- and four-storyt sections along North High Streett with the tallest section off a courtyard entranc between the two. The four-story part will have a pool on the roof and a fitnesss center on the top while the shorter building will have arooftop terrace. "I was kind of worried getting fivestories approved," Howe "When you go up to there's a little more risk and it become s expensive." More to follow?
Other developers seem willing to follos the lead of Jackson on ARMS Properties, a Shortt North real estate developer, unveiledr tentative plans Oct.17 for a 179-unit project called Urban Oasis at 830 N. High St. The plannedr project includes 310 parkingt slots serving the condos and another 240 slots in a parking garage along Hubbard Avenue east of North HighStreert (see sidebar). That projectg has received some initial support fromthe , a neighborhoord advisory panel, and High Street businesses because of the plannedx public parking, a major need in the district.
But Rex chairman of the city's Italiam Village Commission, said he expects reservations by the commissionn and strong opinions fromthe neighbors.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
S&P: Denver existing-home prices outperform other cities - Philadelphia Business Journal:
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Also, prices in Denver declineed 5.5 percent in March from the same month ayear ago, the smallestg decrease of any of the 20 cities in the latest monthly S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices The 20-city average year-to-yeard decline was 19.1 percent. Denver’s 0.1 percentf price increase in March from the previousd month followeda 1.7 percent decline in February, a 2.7 percentg drop in January, a 1.5 percenyt decline in December 2008 and a 1.1 percengt decrease in November 2008, S&P said. The only city with a bettedr recordsin S&P’s March month-to-monthg comparison was Charlotte, N.C., up 0.3 percent.
March’s greatest rate of month-to-month price declins was in Minneapolis, down 6.1 percent from S&P said. In the year-to-year comparison, only Denver, Boston, Cleveland and Charlotte saw price declines of less than 10 At the other extreme werePhoenix (dowbn 36 percent year to year), Las Vegas (dowhn 31.2 percent) and San Francisco (down 30.1 Analysts have said that the real-estate pric “bubble” did not blow up as large in Denveer as in other parts of the so that the contraction of recent monthxs has not been as Nationwide, “declines in residential real estatw continued at a steady pace into David Blitzer, chairman of S&P’sz index committee, said in a statement Tuesday.
“Basedf on the March data, ... we see no evidencr that that a recovery in home pricewhas begun.” The survey tracks changess in the value of the residential real estatd market by comparing sale prices of specific samplwe homes in a city at two different times. Calculation are by using methodology developed by Karl Case andRobertf Shiller. The survey assigns an index numbert to each city and does not report actualohome prices. The index is a measure of how much home pricex have gone up or down in each markegt sinceJanuary 2000, which has been assigned a pricw index of 100 in that The report said Denvefr had a home-price index of 120.
35 in meaning home prices as of that montuh were 20.35 percent highef than in March 2000. Home prices in Denver peakesd inAugust 2006. .
Also, prices in Denver declineed 5.5 percent in March from the same month ayear ago, the smallestg decrease of any of the 20 cities in the latest monthly S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices The 20-city average year-to-yeard decline was 19.1 percent. Denver’s 0.1 percentf price increase in March from the previousd month followeda 1.7 percent decline in February, a 2.7 percentg drop in January, a 1.5 percenyt decline in December 2008 and a 1.1 percengt decrease in November 2008, S&P said. The only city with a bettedr recordsin S&P’s March month-to-monthg comparison was Charlotte, N.C., up 0.3 percent.
March’s greatest rate of month-to-month price declins was in Minneapolis, down 6.1 percent from S&P said. In the year-to-year comparison, only Denver, Boston, Cleveland and Charlotte saw price declines of less than 10 At the other extreme werePhoenix (dowbn 36 percent year to year), Las Vegas (dowhn 31.2 percent) and San Francisco (down 30.1 Analysts have said that the real-estate pric “bubble” did not blow up as large in Denveer as in other parts of the so that the contraction of recent monthxs has not been as Nationwide, “declines in residential real estatw continued at a steady pace into David Blitzer, chairman of S&P’sz index committee, said in a statement Tuesday.
“Basedf on the March data, ... we see no evidencr that that a recovery in home pricewhas begun.” The survey tracks changess in the value of the residential real estatd market by comparing sale prices of specific samplwe homes in a city at two different times. Calculation are by using methodology developed by Karl Case andRobertf Shiller. The survey assigns an index numbert to each city and does not report actualohome prices. The index is a measure of how much home pricex have gone up or down in each markegt sinceJanuary 2000, which has been assigned a pricw index of 100 in that The report said Denvefr had a home-price index of 120.
35 in meaning home prices as of that montuh were 20.35 percent highef than in March 2000. Home prices in Denver peakesd inAugust 2006. .
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Clopay consolidating operations to Troy - Business Courier of Cincinnati:
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The move, announced Wednesday, will add 300 The company would not disclose itstotal employment, but said the Troy planyt will have less than 500 workers aftert the consolidation. The project will be completed inearly 2011. Mason-based Clopay currently operates four manufacturint facilitiesin Troy; Russiza — northwest of Dayton in Shelby County — ; Wis. and Auburn, Wash. All of the operationss conducted in the Baldwin plangt and substantially all of the operations conductedr in the Russia facility will be relocated to Troy and the Baldwinm facility willbe closed.
All active employees at the Russiza facility are being offered employment at theTroy , the parent company of Clopay, said it will take a chargr of about $12 million for pre-tax exit and and make a capital investment of about $11 Jericho, N.Y.-based Griffon (NYSE: GFF) is a diversified holdinhg company.
The move, announced Wednesday, will add 300 The company would not disclose itstotal employment, but said the Troy planyt will have less than 500 workers aftert the consolidation. The project will be completed inearly 2011. Mason-based Clopay currently operates four manufacturint facilitiesin Troy; Russiza — northwest of Dayton in Shelby County — ; Wis. and Auburn, Wash. All of the operationss conducted in the Baldwin plangt and substantially all of the operations conductedr in the Russia facility will be relocated to Troy and the Baldwinm facility willbe closed.
All active employees at the Russiza facility are being offered employment at theTroy , the parent company of Clopay, said it will take a chargr of about $12 million for pre-tax exit and and make a capital investment of about $11 Jericho, N.Y.-based Griffon (NYSE: GFF) is a diversified holdinhg company.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Coke alters executive pay formula - Atlanta Business Chronicle:
gavrilovaefivu.blogspot.com
Ironically, the call for more disclosure by the SEC maymake Coke’s 2008 payouts more opaque for shareholders. The discussion centersd around howthe world’s biggest beverage bottler disclosezs and computes its annual pay bonuses for its highes t ranking executives, leading to a Feb. 23 change of its 2008 pay Coke’s annual bonus pay plan is typically the largestt cash payout Coke makes to its mostseniofr executives. In 2007, the company paid $15 million collectivelty to its fiveseniort executives, according to its 2008 proxy Corporate governance experts are questioningg if the SEC is pushing too far.
“Too much specificity is incredibly common right saidPaul Lapides, director of ’s Center for Corporatre Governance. “The ultimate question becomes: How much do shareholderws need to know before it startsa to hurtthe business?” Instead of using established formulas to compute this year’sz payout, Coke’s compensation committee will determine the payouts at its own “In utilizing its the Compensation Committee considered a numberd of quantitative and qualitative including, but not limited to, volume growth, earningzs per share growth, global volume and value sharr gains and overall company operating performance in the current economic climatee in order to make its decision,” said Crystao Warwell Walker, a Coke Previously, Coke computed the annual payouts by measurint the performance of the compang against several internal performance goals and projections, establishes at the beginning of each year.
Coca-Cola used internal targets fornet pre-tax profits and specific volume sales, in part, to definse what the company senior executivezs earn. But the SEC took issue with Coke’ds disclosure of the pay plan, beginning in summer 2007. That Coke’s top five executives collectivelyreceived $11.5 millionn in annual incentive payouts. “Yourf disclosure regarding the annual incentive is lengthy and somewhat difficult to understand without attaching valur to the factors you an Aug.
21 letter from the SEC to Coke regardingthe company’s March 2007 proxy The company disagreed, noting that disclosingt the specific targets could provided its competitors unfair insight into Coke’s business plan, placing it at a competitived disadvantage. “Disclosure of the specific targets would not materially increasean investor’w understanding of the annual incentivr program and would resulg in competitive harm,” Coke replied in an Oct. 26, 2007, The discussions continued throughout the endof 2007. A Dec.
19, 2007 lettedr to the SEC from Coke reiteratethe company’s position, noting changees would be made if additional disclosure woulxd be required and the company believed the benefits of sharing the information was outweighed by competitivde concerns. “If disclosure of this type of highl confidential informationis required, the Compensation Committee woulrd consider changing the annuak incentive plan for 2008 so that only information that would not cause competitivs harm if disclosed would be used,” it The SEC responded on Feb.
15, “Without more detail, we cannot agrees or disagree with your conclusion that you have an appropriatre basis to omit the identified performanced targets for the completedfiscal year. Since you are in possessionj of all of the facts related to your we have decided that we have no basid to disagree with your decision to omit this informatio n fromyour filing.” However, discussions betweehn Coke and the SEC continue. Warwell Walker said Coke was contacte d again in May 2008 by the SEC about the same leading to the change in pay practices this year. Coke will issue its 2009 proxt statement inearly March.
Ironically, the call for more disclosure by the SEC maymake Coke’s 2008 payouts more opaque for shareholders. The discussion centersd around howthe world’s biggest beverage bottler disclosezs and computes its annual pay bonuses for its highes t ranking executives, leading to a Feb. 23 change of its 2008 pay Coke’s annual bonus pay plan is typically the largestt cash payout Coke makes to its mostseniofr executives. In 2007, the company paid $15 million collectivelty to its fiveseniort executives, according to its 2008 proxy Corporate governance experts are questioningg if the SEC is pushing too far.
“Too much specificity is incredibly common right saidPaul Lapides, director of ’s Center for Corporatre Governance. “The ultimate question becomes: How much do shareholderws need to know before it startsa to hurtthe business?” Instead of using established formulas to compute this year’sz payout, Coke’s compensation committee will determine the payouts at its own “In utilizing its the Compensation Committee considered a numberd of quantitative and qualitative including, but not limited to, volume growth, earningzs per share growth, global volume and value sharr gains and overall company operating performance in the current economic climatee in order to make its decision,” said Crystao Warwell Walker, a Coke Previously, Coke computed the annual payouts by measurint the performance of the compang against several internal performance goals and projections, establishes at the beginning of each year.
Coca-Cola used internal targets fornet pre-tax profits and specific volume sales, in part, to definse what the company senior executivezs earn. But the SEC took issue with Coke’ds disclosure of the pay plan, beginning in summer 2007. That Coke’s top five executives collectivelyreceived $11.5 millionn in annual incentive payouts. “Yourf disclosure regarding the annual incentive is lengthy and somewhat difficult to understand without attaching valur to the factors you an Aug.
21 letter from the SEC to Coke regardingthe company’s March 2007 proxy The company disagreed, noting that disclosingt the specific targets could provided its competitors unfair insight into Coke’s business plan, placing it at a competitived disadvantage. “Disclosure of the specific targets would not materially increasean investor’w understanding of the annual incentivr program and would resulg in competitive harm,” Coke replied in an Oct. 26, 2007, The discussions continued throughout the endof 2007. A Dec.
19, 2007 lettedr to the SEC from Coke reiteratethe company’s position, noting changees would be made if additional disclosure woulxd be required and the company believed the benefits of sharing the information was outweighed by competitivde concerns. “If disclosure of this type of highl confidential informationis required, the Compensation Committee woulrd consider changing the annuak incentive plan for 2008 so that only information that would not cause competitivs harm if disclosed would be used,” it The SEC responded on Feb.
15, “Without more detail, we cannot agrees or disagree with your conclusion that you have an appropriatre basis to omit the identified performanced targets for the completedfiscal year. Since you are in possessionj of all of the facts related to your we have decided that we have no basid to disagree with your decision to omit this informatio n fromyour filing.” However, discussions betweehn Coke and the SEC continue. Warwell Walker said Coke was contacte d again in May 2008 by the SEC about the same leading to the change in pay practices this year. Coke will issue its 2009 proxt statement inearly March.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Serious Materials means business with greener drywall - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:
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But manufacturer , which earned an honorablee mention inthe Green/Cleamn Technology category, instead plans to celebrate a greenefr Earth with the environmentally-sensitive drywallk it calls EcoRock. The founded in 2002 and based in focuseson re-engineering construction materials to make the world’z buildings more eco-friendly for the long Its initial product, a soundproofing and insulating materiakl called Quiet Rock, has been “a runaway success.” Since the company has begun producing ThermaProof which are four times more efficieny than dual-pane windows at keeping heat inside a structure.
Everything Serioua Materials does is motivated by itsunderlying mission: to keep one billiob tons of carbon dioxide — three percent of the world’xs CO2 production — out of the atmosphere every year. President and CEO Kevin Suracebelievezs it’s an entirely achievable goal within a “On a worldwide basis, 52 percent of the world’zs CO2 emissions is tied to the builyt environment — 12 percent goes into making new buildint materials and 40 percent goes to heating and cooliny the buildings we’ve built with those Surace says. Cars, on the other generate only about 9 percent ofthe world’sx carbon dioxide emissions.
So by tackling buildinhg materials, Surace says, Seriou s Materials is taking on half ofthe world’s carbo n dioxide dilemma. The reason for focusing much of that efforty on drywallis simple: The process used to make it is incrediblg wasteful. Invented in 1917, drywall’s manufacturing proceduree requires thatgypsum — its main ingredient be super-heated, or and then rapidly cooled. But makingb EcoRock, which replaces the gypsum with proprietaru materials that thecompany won’t doesn’t require using any external energy source for heating or Instead, the materials inside EcoRock create their own chemical reactions to develop the heat that’ s needed.
So while making a typicalk sheet of drywall produces abou 16 pounds ofgreenhousre gases, making a sheet of EcoRock produces just over three pounds some 80 percent less. The resulting productg looks, feels and performs the same as current gypsum drywall, Surace says, but doesn’t require miningv new materials from the earth, as gypsum-based drywalll does. It took about three yearss and six different formulations forthe company’s researchersz to get EcoRock to the poin t of mass production. “We had to keep drivinh the cost down and driving the feature set up to drivd theperformance up,” he says.
Serious Materiald has raised morethan $65 millionb in venture capital to
But manufacturer , which earned an honorablee mention inthe Green/Cleamn Technology category, instead plans to celebrate a greenefr Earth with the environmentally-sensitive drywallk it calls EcoRock. The founded in 2002 and based in focuseson re-engineering construction materials to make the world’z buildings more eco-friendly for the long Its initial product, a soundproofing and insulating materiakl called Quiet Rock, has been “a runaway success.” Since the company has begun producing ThermaProof which are four times more efficieny than dual-pane windows at keeping heat inside a structure.
Everything Serioua Materials does is motivated by itsunderlying mission: to keep one billiob tons of carbon dioxide — three percent of the world’xs CO2 production — out of the atmosphere every year. President and CEO Kevin Suracebelievezs it’s an entirely achievable goal within a “On a worldwide basis, 52 percent of the world’zs CO2 emissions is tied to the builyt environment — 12 percent goes into making new buildint materials and 40 percent goes to heating and cooliny the buildings we’ve built with those Surace says. Cars, on the other generate only about 9 percent ofthe world’sx carbon dioxide emissions.
So by tackling buildinhg materials, Surace says, Seriou s Materials is taking on half ofthe world’s carbo n dioxide dilemma. The reason for focusing much of that efforty on drywallis simple: The process used to make it is incrediblg wasteful. Invented in 1917, drywall’s manufacturing proceduree requires thatgypsum — its main ingredient be super-heated, or and then rapidly cooled. But makingb EcoRock, which replaces the gypsum with proprietaru materials that thecompany won’t doesn’t require using any external energy source for heating or Instead, the materials inside EcoRock create their own chemical reactions to develop the heat that’ s needed.
So while making a typicalk sheet of drywall produces abou 16 pounds ofgreenhousre gases, making a sheet of EcoRock produces just over three pounds some 80 percent less. The resulting productg looks, feels and performs the same as current gypsum drywall, Surace says, but doesn’t require miningv new materials from the earth, as gypsum-based drywalll does. It took about three yearss and six different formulations forthe company’s researchersz to get EcoRock to the poin t of mass production. “We had to keep drivinh the cost down and driving the feature set up to drivd theperformance up,” he says.
Serious Materiald has raised morethan $65 millionb in venture capital to
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Palo Alto-based PrognosDX Health may help refine cancer therapies - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:
vishnevskiipavuh.blogspot.com
HOW IT WILL MAKE MONEY: PrognosDx planes to make money through development and commercialization of its tests and servicez and through strategic corporate partnershipss and technology licensing agreements with pharmaceutical and lifescience companies. BUSINESS OR TECHNOLOGY IT COULrD DISRUPT: Existing commercial diagnostic products and drug discoveryu anddevelopment tools. MANAGEMENT TEAM: Founder and CEO Kamraj Tahamtanzadeh has more than 16 yearz of experience in the biotechnology including as director of business developmeny in the translational diagnosticf business unit at Ventanz MedicalSystems Inc., proteome lab specialist at Beckmanh Coulter Inc.
and business development manager atMetriGenix Inc. Acting Chietf Scientific OfficerCarl T. Yamashirk has more than 14 yearsof R&D experiencer in developing molecular diagnostic tests and is now associatee director of technology development at the Biodesign Institutes at Arizona State Michael Becker, president and CEO of MD Becker Partners LLC, is the company’s acting chief operating officer. Beckere has more than 15 yearsof experience, includingh as CEO at VioQuest Pharmaceuticals Inc. and at AxCell Biosciences, a subsidiaryt of Cytogen Corp. BOARD OF Dr. Siavash K.
Kurdistani, an assistangt professor in biological chemistry at UCLA who is the inventotr ofthe company’s technology; Dr. David B. Seligson, assistantr professor and director of biomarker innovations and the tissue microarray core facilituyat UCLA; Dr. Mehdi Kamarei, chief of the departmentg of urology at Kaiser Permanentw inSanta Clara. PARTNERSHIPS, COLLABORATIONS: PrognosDd has an exclusive worldwide license to the patent rights for its productfthrough UCLA. MARKET SIZE BEING PURSUED: The market opportunit for cancer diagnostics exceedsseveral billion. LIKELtY COMPETITORS: Genomic Health Inc., Myriad Genetics Inc.
and othedr providers of predictive although the company said these may also represent strategix partnersgoing forward.
HOW IT WILL MAKE MONEY: PrognosDx planes to make money through development and commercialization of its tests and servicez and through strategic corporate partnershipss and technology licensing agreements with pharmaceutical and lifescience companies. BUSINESS OR TECHNOLOGY IT COULrD DISRUPT: Existing commercial diagnostic products and drug discoveryu anddevelopment tools. MANAGEMENT TEAM: Founder and CEO Kamraj Tahamtanzadeh has more than 16 yearz of experience in the biotechnology including as director of business developmeny in the translational diagnosticf business unit at Ventanz MedicalSystems Inc., proteome lab specialist at Beckmanh Coulter Inc.
and business development manager atMetriGenix Inc. Acting Chietf Scientific OfficerCarl T. Yamashirk has more than 14 yearsof R&D experiencer in developing molecular diagnostic tests and is now associatee director of technology development at the Biodesign Institutes at Arizona State Michael Becker, president and CEO of MD Becker Partners LLC, is the company’s acting chief operating officer. Beckere has more than 15 yearsof experience, includingh as CEO at VioQuest Pharmaceuticals Inc. and at AxCell Biosciences, a subsidiaryt of Cytogen Corp. BOARD OF Dr. Siavash K.
Kurdistani, an assistangt professor in biological chemistry at UCLA who is the inventotr ofthe company’s technology; Dr. David B. Seligson, assistantr professor and director of biomarker innovations and the tissue microarray core facilituyat UCLA; Dr. Mehdi Kamarei, chief of the departmentg of urology at Kaiser Permanentw inSanta Clara. PARTNERSHIPS, COLLABORATIONS: PrognosDd has an exclusive worldwide license to the patent rights for its productfthrough UCLA. MARKET SIZE BEING PURSUED: The market opportunit for cancer diagnostics exceedsseveral billion. LIKELtY COMPETITORS: Genomic Health Inc., Myriad Genetics Inc.
and othedr providers of predictive although the company said these may also represent strategix partnersgoing forward.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Miami Beach Convention Center looks to add high-end events - bizjournals Business Travel Guide
glafirarynyxu.blogspot.com
To capture the markets that normally don’t do businesw with the center, MBCC operator Globap Spectrum has formed a partnership for premiumm and specialty events with the upscaleTouch Catering. Miami-based Touch, whicy is co-owned by David I. Torne k and chef Sean Brasel, also has a glatyt kosher division. The duo also operates the Meat Marketr steakhouse onLincoln Road. Touch has a desirable clienyt following, but no venue at which to hold events, while MBCC hopex to tap Touch’s clientele, said Eric Bayne, GM of MBCC’s caterer for the past 20 Centerplate, which will continue as the convention center’s main caterer, also serves as the host kitchem for the annual Art Baseo Miami Beach and South BeachWine & Food MBCC offers many positives as a venue, Tornek said, includingf four ballrooms, flexible space to accommodate the needzs of the smallest to largest and a complete lighting system.
“Everything is already there,” he noting that Touch had worked with MBCC to holdthe ’as annual event there – and that the client was very During the recession, business has been soft for MBCC and officials for both said, but the aim of the partnershiop is to diversify both companies’ growth opportunitiesd in general, said Jeffrey R. marketing manager for the convention Currently, MBCC has 100 full-time Centerplate has 12 and Toucbhas eight.
All of the companies have hundredsof part-timed workers they can call on to work at eventws that can range from a 10-guesrt gathering to a sit-down meal for There is no minimum guest requiremenft to hold an event at officials said. To introduce the weddingt industryto MBCC’s capabilities and venues, it hosted an even in January – completed with a mock wedding – for abouft 100 wedding planners, vendors and MBCC has partnered with the Perfect Weddinh Guide to do a similar show in July, at whicgh it is expecting 300 to 500 brides, said Isabelle V. Global Spectrum’s associate director of sales for MBCC. So far, no weddinges have been booked.
“Wed are also very active in networkinhg withlocal organizations, which is anothef way we hope to get the word she said. But, selling the idea of weddingsx at a convention center is going to be according toLinda Bernstein, a wedding planned for 35 years and founder of A Storyh Book Wedding, which employsa 50 in Miami. “Most bridesd want scenic locations with beach and ocean she said. “You would need to bring in a lotof décot to make [MBCC’s] spacer scenic. That could be very expensive. Besides, most peoplr prefer a natural setting.
” The wedding industryt itself also has experienced tough times along withthe economy, she “People have been holding off having weddings, and the ones happenin g have been shrinking in size and Bernstein said. “It’s starting to pick up this though. It was worse last Now, we’re starting to see a little rayof sunshine.” THE Letting prospects know that a huge spac e can be made to any size that suits an event. Attracting new types of eventxs to a venue known for veryspecifidc ones. Attracting more events at a time when individualds and organizations are having fewer of them and spendingt lesson them.
LESSONS LEARNED: Create partnerships basef on the ability of the groups involved to providde to each other what each is lackinhg onits own. Diversift to get more business. Be flexible in what you can offetpotential clients. Operator: Associate director of sales: Isabeller V. Blainey Web site: Address: 1901 Conventiojn Center Drive, Miami Beac 33139 Phone:
To capture the markets that normally don’t do businesw with the center, MBCC operator Globap Spectrum has formed a partnership for premiumm and specialty events with the upscaleTouch Catering. Miami-based Touch, whicy is co-owned by David I. Torne k and chef Sean Brasel, also has a glatyt kosher division. The duo also operates the Meat Marketr steakhouse onLincoln Road. Touch has a desirable clienyt following, but no venue at which to hold events, while MBCC hopex to tap Touch’s clientele, said Eric Bayne, GM of MBCC’s caterer for the past 20 Centerplate, which will continue as the convention center’s main caterer, also serves as the host kitchem for the annual Art Baseo Miami Beach and South BeachWine & Food MBCC offers many positives as a venue, Tornek said, includingf four ballrooms, flexible space to accommodate the needzs of the smallest to largest and a complete lighting system.
“Everything is already there,” he noting that Touch had worked with MBCC to holdthe ’as annual event there – and that the client was very During the recession, business has been soft for MBCC and officials for both said, but the aim of the partnershiop is to diversify both companies’ growth opportunitiesd in general, said Jeffrey R. marketing manager for the convention Currently, MBCC has 100 full-time Centerplate has 12 and Toucbhas eight.
All of the companies have hundredsof part-timed workers they can call on to work at eventws that can range from a 10-guesrt gathering to a sit-down meal for There is no minimum guest requiremenft to hold an event at officials said. To introduce the weddingt industryto MBCC’s capabilities and venues, it hosted an even in January – completed with a mock wedding – for abouft 100 wedding planners, vendors and MBCC has partnered with the Perfect Weddinh Guide to do a similar show in July, at whicgh it is expecting 300 to 500 brides, said Isabelle V. Global Spectrum’s associate director of sales for MBCC. So far, no weddinges have been booked.
“Wed are also very active in networkinhg withlocal organizations, which is anothef way we hope to get the word she said. But, selling the idea of weddingsx at a convention center is going to be according toLinda Bernstein, a wedding planned for 35 years and founder of A Storyh Book Wedding, which employsa 50 in Miami. “Most bridesd want scenic locations with beach and ocean she said. “You would need to bring in a lotof décot to make [MBCC’s] spacer scenic. That could be very expensive. Besides, most peoplr prefer a natural setting.
” The wedding industryt itself also has experienced tough times along withthe economy, she “People have been holding off having weddings, and the ones happenin g have been shrinking in size and Bernstein said. “It’s starting to pick up this though. It was worse last Now, we’re starting to see a little rayof sunshine.” THE Letting prospects know that a huge spac e can be made to any size that suits an event. Attracting new types of eventxs to a venue known for veryspecifidc ones. Attracting more events at a time when individualds and organizations are having fewer of them and spendingt lesson them.
LESSONS LEARNED: Create partnerships basef on the ability of the groups involved to providde to each other what each is lackinhg onits own. Diversift to get more business. Be flexible in what you can offetpotential clients. Operator: Associate director of sales: Isabeller V. Blainey Web site: Address: 1901 Conventiojn Center Drive, Miami Beac 33139 Phone:
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Michele Bachmann Reacts To Encounter With Elijah, 8-Year-Old With Gay Mother - Huffington Post
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New York Daily News | Michele Bachmann Reacts To Encounter With Elijah, 8-Year-Old With Gay Mother Huffington Post Republican presidential candidate and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) reacted on Glenn Beck's radio show Tuesday to an incident last week where an 8-year-old approached her at a book signing for her new memoir in South Carolina and told her that h is ... Michele Bachmann's 8-year-old LGBT activist encounter Bachmann speechless after encounter with 8-year-old activist at SC event AWKWARD: Michele Bachmann Gets Stumped By An 8-Year-Old Activist |
Monday, December 5, 2011
Community of Christ, Clayco plan Independence industrial park - Houston Business Journal:
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Several sources have confirmed thatthe Independence-based formerly known as the Reorganized Churcu of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and plan a roughlyt 600-acre park on church-owned land at the northwestr corner of Missouri Highways 7 and 78. “We’re working with the landowne to finalize our control of that saidJohan Henriksen, development manager for . “oI hope we will be done by the middlweof June. But right now, we’ree not ready to discuss what we’r e doing.” Independence City Managerf Robert Heacock also was reluctant todiscuse details.
However, when asked about $674,000 that recentl y was added tothe city’s capital improvements plan to “install water mainss for the development of a new industriaol park in eastern Independence,” Heacock acknowledged that the plannerd expenditure stemmed from a conversation with church officialas about plans for the site at Highways 7 and 78. The water-main expenditure has been schedulesd for year one ofthe 2009-2015 capital improvements plan recentlgy presented to the City Council.
Tom president of the (ICED), said the groupp has been talking about identifyin a new industrial park location for the past two years becausee the city is missing out on activityy in what has remained a hot commercial real estatr sector throughthe recession. “We haven’t done an industrial park sincsethe 1970s, when the (two) 100-acrre industrial parks opened along Trumanb Road,” Lesnak said. “Now, they’re completely full, and we don’t have anythintg outside of underground (parks) to market if we really want to go aftef industrial andmanufacturing again.
” Jack Figg, director of commercial developmenty for the and a member of the ICED board, took exception to that Lake City Business Center, a 4,000-acre development owne d by the and just east of the Communityg of Christ industrial park includes an ammunition plant operated by on 3,000 acres, Figg said. The remaining 1,000 acreds include plenty of room for new privatde industrialpark tenants, he said. “Butr the challenge with Lake City is that a lot of companiea cannot deal with thesecurituy issues,” Figg said.
“It’s very locked which works well for companies who needthat behind-the-gate type of But for companies that have a lot of truck traffif coming in and out, it just doesn’f work at all. The security is too onerouz for them.” Lesnak said ICED stilp was reviewing severalpotential sites, including the church-owned for a new industrial After economic development officials identify the best he said, the city probably will discusxs incentives.
Figg said he suspects that the churcuh site will include some officse and retail along its highway frontage to help generate moneh through a tax increment financing which would divert sale and property taxes generated by the project to aid in its But Figg said his understanding wasthat light-industriall and manufacturing uses would dominate the potential Clayco which is on the same rail line that served the Lake City Business Clayco, which has developed 2,700 acre and built more than 90 million squarer feet of structures since its 1984 has worked locally on projects such as a distributiom center in Shawnee and the at the .
Larru Norris, Community of Christ’ws representative on the ICED board, declinexd to discuss Clayco or the Independence industrial park deferring tothe church’s presiding bishop, Steve Jones, who was unavailable. Accordingv to Jackson County realestate records, Community of Chrisrt owns 353 parcels in Jackson County, including land throughour the Little Blue River Valley in eastern That acreage includes the 2,300-acre Harmony mixed-use project that the church selectexd Cleveland-based to develop, Lesnak said.
Several sources have confirmed thatthe Independence-based formerly known as the Reorganized Churcu of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and plan a roughlyt 600-acre park on church-owned land at the northwestr corner of Missouri Highways 7 and 78. “We’re working with the landowne to finalize our control of that saidJohan Henriksen, development manager for . “oI hope we will be done by the middlweof June. But right now, we’ree not ready to discuss what we’r e doing.” Independence City Managerf Robert Heacock also was reluctant todiscuse details.
However, when asked about $674,000 that recentl y was added tothe city’s capital improvements plan to “install water mainss for the development of a new industriaol park in eastern Independence,” Heacock acknowledged that the plannerd expenditure stemmed from a conversation with church officialas about plans for the site at Highways 7 and 78. The water-main expenditure has been schedulesd for year one ofthe 2009-2015 capital improvements plan recentlgy presented to the City Council.
Tom president of the (ICED), said the groupp has been talking about identifyin a new industrial park location for the past two years becausee the city is missing out on activityy in what has remained a hot commercial real estatr sector throughthe recession. “We haven’t done an industrial park sincsethe 1970s, when the (two) 100-acrre industrial parks opened along Trumanb Road,” Lesnak said. “Now, they’re completely full, and we don’t have anythintg outside of underground (parks) to market if we really want to go aftef industrial andmanufacturing again.
” Jack Figg, director of commercial developmenty for the and a member of the ICED board, took exception to that Lake City Business Center, a 4,000-acre development owne d by the and just east of the Communityg of Christ industrial park includes an ammunition plant operated by on 3,000 acres, Figg said. The remaining 1,000 acreds include plenty of room for new privatde industrialpark tenants, he said. “Butr the challenge with Lake City is that a lot of companiea cannot deal with thesecurituy issues,” Figg said.
“It’s very locked which works well for companies who needthat behind-the-gate type of But for companies that have a lot of truck traffif coming in and out, it just doesn’f work at all. The security is too onerouz for them.” Lesnak said ICED stilp was reviewing severalpotential sites, including the church-owned for a new industrial After economic development officials identify the best he said, the city probably will discusxs incentives.
Figg said he suspects that the churcuh site will include some officse and retail along its highway frontage to help generate moneh through a tax increment financing which would divert sale and property taxes generated by the project to aid in its But Figg said his understanding wasthat light-industriall and manufacturing uses would dominate the potential Clayco which is on the same rail line that served the Lake City Business Clayco, which has developed 2,700 acre and built more than 90 million squarer feet of structures since its 1984 has worked locally on projects such as a distributiom center in Shawnee and the at the .
Larru Norris, Community of Christ’ws representative on the ICED board, declinexd to discuss Clayco or the Independence industrial park deferring tothe church’s presiding bishop, Steve Jones, who was unavailable. Accordingv to Jackson County realestate records, Community of Chrisrt owns 353 parcels in Jackson County, including land throughour the Little Blue River Valley in eastern That acreage includes the 2,300-acre Harmony mixed-use project that the church selectexd Cleveland-based to develop, Lesnak said.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
TriServ will lease at Concourse if it wins deal - Atlanta Business Chronicle:
kleopatraxnibe.blogspot.com
The deal hinges on TriServ winning a massivsgovernment contract, though. TriServv would end up taking abouf 92,000 square feet that has on the market for subleasde in Concourse CorporateCenter VI, the 33-storu landmark office tower that rises, along with its twin, Concourss Corporate Center V, over Georgia 400 and Interstate 285. The two towerxs are commonly called The King andQueejn buildings, referring to their resemblance to chess pieces. TriSerg is a Jacksonville, Fla.-based groul of health plans fromeightf states. It formed last April to pursuesa six-year, $24 billion contract with the Departmen t of Defense to manage the government’s TRICARw program for the souther U.S. region.
TRICARE is the government’s health-care plan for military personnel, retirees, and their familie s and dependents. TriServ is potentiallyh competing against several other including , a division of , whicbh has the contract through its expiration at the end of May. The Departmeng of Defense has until June 1 to name the winning bid to managew theTRICARE program. It can also ask Congress to extendxthe deadline. An announcement from the government could come as earlhy asMay 8, said John TriServ’s senior vice president for externall affairs. “We are waiting anxiously for that moment,” he CB .
’s Sam Holmes and Anne Lofyer are representing CompuCredit in the potentialo transaction that would bring TriServ to is also helping to broker the TriServ had scouted locations acroszthe market, which includes buildings around Perimeter Mall and the city of Sandyu Springs. TriServ would mark an important transactionin Atlanta’ds Central Perimeter submarket. Atlanta recorded almost 525,000 square feet of negativse overall absorption during the firsf quarterof 2009, with buildings in Central Perimetere suffering the greatest exodus of tenantd and highest rise in vacancy, according to Cushman & Wakefield. Concourse Corporate Center is ownedby .
manages and leasesz the property. George Lipscomb, former head of property management for CousinsPropertiesd Inc., is the new chief operating officet for . Lipscomb will oversee day-to-day operations of Fiftuh Street’s more than 5 million squard feet of managed includingPerimeter Summit, the well-known mixed-use developmenyt near Perimeter Mall that containsa three office towers, the Villa Christina restaurant and a 330-unit condominium. Priort to joining Fifth Street, Lipscomb was Cousins’ directod of property management, overseeing a portfolio that included officew buildings suchas Buckhead’s 21-story , home to Central Perimeter’sx King and Queen buildings.
Lipscomb was also previouslyy employedat Carter, OneSourcwe and served as vice president of L.P. untio 2006. National Electronic Attachment Inc. and its sister company, , recently agreede to lease nearly 17,000 square feet at 3577 Parkwayy Lanein Norcross. National Electronic Attachment was slated to move into its new home by the end of National Electronic Attachment and Medical Electronic Attachment recentlh forged an equity partnership within Boston. Their technologyt can digitize health-care attachments for health-care providers and helping to speed up theclaimsa process.
National Electronic Attachmenr wants to position itself at the forefront of the nationalo shift toward electronicmedical records. Julie Hoffman and Aprill Hawkinson with The handlede lease negotiationsfor NEA. VIF II/Royal Peachtree Corners LLC, ownerf of 3577 Parkway Lane, was represented by Bryan Heller of TPARealtyu Services. of Atlanta — one of the largest industry networkint organizations in the Southeast was scheduled to hold its annual awardsMay 7. Sallt Elliott, senior vice presidenf and director of operations with PM Realty Group was to receive the career advancement for women recognizing her commitment to helpinfg women advance in commercialkreal estate.
Elliott joined the organization in 2000 and now servesw on the board of directors as treasurer and The economic improvement award was to go toTahmida Shamsuddin, vice presideng of economic development for Central Atlantw Progress, and Cheryl Thomas Strickland, managing director of tax allocation districtz with the . Central Atlanta Progress spearheaded the creation of a statewide campaign committeecalled . It was successful in convincin g voters last year to amend the state constitution and alloa school systems to once agaihn choose to participate in locakl taxallocation districts. Shamsuddij helped create and managethe committee.
Stricklandf and her team closed ona $64 millio n Westside tax allocation district bond issue last The proceeds provide critical funding for $429 millioh in redevelopment projects in downtownj Atlanta, including the Center for Civil and Human Rights, Technology Enterprise Park, 45 Allen Plaza, the and Condominiums, Castleberry Point, Northside Plaza and Historicv Westside Village. The humanitarian award was to go toLaurire Ford, director of projectt management for . Ford began volunteerintg at the , a nonprofit that provides shelte r and servicesto at-risk and homeless children.
Ford successfullyg solicited corporate and private donors for contributions and helpeed develop a new Covenant House center that will focus on education for at-risk youth and their Heather Rich, director of corporate accounts for LLC, was to receive the Shinint Light Award. Rich, a membed of CREW since 1998, served on numerouas committees until 2004 when she becamd a director fortwo years. Rich servedc as president in 2008 and was instrumental in carrying outthe organization’s new strategic Rich also oversaw the larges fundraising drive to date and the biggest surg e in membership since CREW was Tonya Creekmore, vice president of leasing for , was to receivre the distinguished achievement award.
Since Creekmore held several key posts, including secretary, vice presidenty of membership and Atlanta chapter She serves on the national CREW network boarsdof directors. The connector of the year award was to go to Lori a partner with lawfirm LLP. Kilberyg was recognized for her commitment to working with felloe CREW members and referring business tothe network. The companyu of the year award was to go to Chicagok TitleInsurance Co., which has supportedx CREW since 1994. Melissa Hall, vice presidenft at Chicago Title, is CREW Atlanta’ president-elect.
The new member of the year award was to go toAriela Paschal, who works in clienft services and manages publix relations for and Katherine Brooks, genera manager of Hines Interests L.P. Owners of Atlanta’ s distressed apartment properties will soon begihn to unload them atsteep discounts, according to a new reporg issued by real estate investment services firm . “Investmen t activity in the Atlanta apartment market is constrained and will be dominated by distressed saleas in the coming saidJohn Leonard, regional manager of the Atlantas office.
A distressed property facee high vacancy rates and may involve an owne r who is unable to make loan payments on putting the property in risk of Owners of apartments inStone Mountain, Clarkston and West Atlanta, wherw properties were bought near the peak of the will be most vulnerable, Leonard Several factors are combining to make it a difficulty year for apartment investment sales, accordinh to the report. Atlanta is expected to lose 51,000 jobs this as payrolls decline and consumerspending falls. Developers will completw about 3,300 units this year in Atlanta, or about 1,2000 fewer than last year, a 27 percent the report said.
This year will also mark the smallesrt number of units added to the markeft in more thana decade. Apartment vacancy is expectex to exceed 11 percent and asking rents are forecastr to fall 4 percent toabout $828 a This column in the April 24-30 issue reportef the wrong location of the on Ponces de Leon Boulevard. It is in the Poncey-Highland Another item in the same column omittedd the credit for the photographof NAIOP’s checi presentation to students.
It should have credited HarrisHatcher
The deal hinges on TriServ winning a massivsgovernment contract, though. TriServv would end up taking abouf 92,000 square feet that has on the market for subleasde in Concourse CorporateCenter VI, the 33-storu landmark office tower that rises, along with its twin, Concourss Corporate Center V, over Georgia 400 and Interstate 285. The two towerxs are commonly called The King andQueejn buildings, referring to their resemblance to chess pieces. TriSerg is a Jacksonville, Fla.-based groul of health plans fromeightf states. It formed last April to pursuesa six-year, $24 billion contract with the Departmen t of Defense to manage the government’s TRICARw program for the souther U.S. region.
TRICARE is the government’s health-care plan for military personnel, retirees, and their familie s and dependents. TriServ is potentiallyh competing against several other including , a division of , whicbh has the contract through its expiration at the end of May. The Departmeng of Defense has until June 1 to name the winning bid to managew theTRICARE program. It can also ask Congress to extendxthe deadline. An announcement from the government could come as earlhy asMay 8, said John TriServ’s senior vice president for externall affairs. “We are waiting anxiously for that moment,” he CB .
’s Sam Holmes and Anne Lofyer are representing CompuCredit in the potentialo transaction that would bring TriServ to is also helping to broker the TriServ had scouted locations acroszthe market, which includes buildings around Perimeter Mall and the city of Sandyu Springs. TriServ would mark an important transactionin Atlanta’ds Central Perimeter submarket. Atlanta recorded almost 525,000 square feet of negativse overall absorption during the firsf quarterof 2009, with buildings in Central Perimetere suffering the greatest exodus of tenantd and highest rise in vacancy, according to Cushman & Wakefield. Concourse Corporate Center is ownedby .
manages and leasesz the property. George Lipscomb, former head of property management for CousinsPropertiesd Inc., is the new chief operating officet for . Lipscomb will oversee day-to-day operations of Fiftuh Street’s more than 5 million squard feet of managed includingPerimeter Summit, the well-known mixed-use developmenyt near Perimeter Mall that containsa three office towers, the Villa Christina restaurant and a 330-unit condominium. Priort to joining Fifth Street, Lipscomb was Cousins’ directod of property management, overseeing a portfolio that included officew buildings suchas Buckhead’s 21-story , home to Central Perimeter’sx King and Queen buildings.
Lipscomb was also previouslyy employedat Carter, OneSourcwe and served as vice president of L.P. untio 2006. National Electronic Attachment Inc. and its sister company, , recently agreede to lease nearly 17,000 square feet at 3577 Parkwayy Lanein Norcross. National Electronic Attachment was slated to move into its new home by the end of National Electronic Attachment and Medical Electronic Attachment recentlh forged an equity partnership within Boston. Their technologyt can digitize health-care attachments for health-care providers and helping to speed up theclaimsa process.
National Electronic Attachmenr wants to position itself at the forefront of the nationalo shift toward electronicmedical records. Julie Hoffman and Aprill Hawkinson with The handlede lease negotiationsfor NEA. VIF II/Royal Peachtree Corners LLC, ownerf of 3577 Parkway Lane, was represented by Bryan Heller of TPARealtyu Services. of Atlanta — one of the largest industry networkint organizations in the Southeast was scheduled to hold its annual awardsMay 7. Sallt Elliott, senior vice presidenf and director of operations with PM Realty Group was to receive the career advancement for women recognizing her commitment to helpinfg women advance in commercialkreal estate.
Elliott joined the organization in 2000 and now servesw on the board of directors as treasurer and The economic improvement award was to go toTahmida Shamsuddin, vice presideng of economic development for Central Atlantw Progress, and Cheryl Thomas Strickland, managing director of tax allocation districtz with the . Central Atlanta Progress spearheaded the creation of a statewide campaign committeecalled . It was successful in convincin g voters last year to amend the state constitution and alloa school systems to once agaihn choose to participate in locakl taxallocation districts. Shamsuddij helped create and managethe committee.
Stricklandf and her team closed ona $64 millio n Westside tax allocation district bond issue last The proceeds provide critical funding for $429 millioh in redevelopment projects in downtownj Atlanta, including the Center for Civil and Human Rights, Technology Enterprise Park, 45 Allen Plaza, the and Condominiums, Castleberry Point, Northside Plaza and Historicv Westside Village. The humanitarian award was to go toLaurire Ford, director of projectt management for . Ford began volunteerintg at the , a nonprofit that provides shelte r and servicesto at-risk and homeless children.
Ford successfullyg solicited corporate and private donors for contributions and helpeed develop a new Covenant House center that will focus on education for at-risk youth and their Heather Rich, director of corporate accounts for LLC, was to receive the Shinint Light Award. Rich, a membed of CREW since 1998, served on numerouas committees until 2004 when she becamd a director fortwo years. Rich servedc as president in 2008 and was instrumental in carrying outthe organization’s new strategic Rich also oversaw the larges fundraising drive to date and the biggest surg e in membership since CREW was Tonya Creekmore, vice president of leasing for , was to receivre the distinguished achievement award.
Since Creekmore held several key posts, including secretary, vice presidenty of membership and Atlanta chapter She serves on the national CREW network boarsdof directors. The connector of the year award was to go to Lori a partner with lawfirm LLP. Kilberyg was recognized for her commitment to working with felloe CREW members and referring business tothe network. The companyu of the year award was to go to Chicagok TitleInsurance Co., which has supportedx CREW since 1994. Melissa Hall, vice presidenft at Chicago Title, is CREW Atlanta’ president-elect.
The new member of the year award was to go toAriela Paschal, who works in clienft services and manages publix relations for and Katherine Brooks, genera manager of Hines Interests L.P. Owners of Atlanta’ s distressed apartment properties will soon begihn to unload them atsteep discounts, according to a new reporg issued by real estate investment services firm . “Investmen t activity in the Atlanta apartment market is constrained and will be dominated by distressed saleas in the coming saidJohn Leonard, regional manager of the Atlantas office.
A distressed property facee high vacancy rates and may involve an owne r who is unable to make loan payments on putting the property in risk of Owners of apartments inStone Mountain, Clarkston and West Atlanta, wherw properties were bought near the peak of the will be most vulnerable, Leonard Several factors are combining to make it a difficulty year for apartment investment sales, accordinh to the report. Atlanta is expected to lose 51,000 jobs this as payrolls decline and consumerspending falls. Developers will completw about 3,300 units this year in Atlanta, or about 1,2000 fewer than last year, a 27 percent the report said.
This year will also mark the smallesrt number of units added to the markeft in more thana decade. Apartment vacancy is expectex to exceed 11 percent and asking rents are forecastr to fall 4 percent toabout $828 a This column in the April 24-30 issue reportef the wrong location of the on Ponces de Leon Boulevard. It is in the Poncey-Highland Another item in the same column omittedd the credit for the photographof NAIOP’s checi presentation to students.
It should have credited HarrisHatcher
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Edison wins approval for solar panel installation - Sacramento Business Journal:
xagawu.wordpress.com
During the next five years Edison will own and operate 150 solar panelx that will generate 250 megawattsof power. Edison was also grantex the ability to solicitother solar-power companies to install similae panel arrays and sell the power back to up to an additional 250 megawatts. Edison says the 500 tota megawatts makes theproject "the largest photovoltaic program ever undertaken." “The programn will create hundreds of neighborhood solar power plants, strengthen local grid reliabilit y and produce hundreds of new green jobs to bolstee Southern California’s economic recovery,” Chairmanj and CEO Theodore F. Craver Jr.
, said in a The first Edison site has already been completed on the roof of a distributionh warehousein Fontana. According to Edison, it is the largest singlde rooftop solar photovoltaic array in the Both Southern California Edison and its parent EdisonInternationak (NYSE: EIX) are based in
During the next five years Edison will own and operate 150 solar panelx that will generate 250 megawattsof power. Edison was also grantex the ability to solicitother solar-power companies to install similae panel arrays and sell the power back to up to an additional 250 megawatts. Edison says the 500 tota megawatts makes theproject "the largest photovoltaic program ever undertaken." “The programn will create hundreds of neighborhood solar power plants, strengthen local grid reliabilit y and produce hundreds of new green jobs to bolstee Southern California’s economic recovery,” Chairmanj and CEO Theodore F. Craver Jr.
, said in a The first Edison site has already been completed on the roof of a distributionh warehousein Fontana. According to Edison, it is the largest singlde rooftop solar photovoltaic array in the Both Southern California Edison and its parent EdisonInternationak (NYSE: EIX) are based in
Monday, November 28, 2011
Pens-Rangers to be shown on VERSUS, TSN2 - NHL.com
budimirukaovyril.blogspot.com
Pens-Rangers to be shown on VERSUS, TSN2 NHL.com Sidney Crosby is taking his act to Broadway in front of national television audience Tuesday night. Crosby, who had 2 goals and 2 assists in his return to action last Monday, will lead the Pittsburgh Penguins into Madison Square Garden to face the ... |
Saturday, November 26, 2011
N.C. law extends COBRA enrollment - Business First of Columbus:
yvejodo.wordpress.com
The law extends the enrollment period to 120 days from 60 The coverage, often called will ultimately allow employees to receive the federal stimulud package’s 65 percent COBRA premiumk subsidy. Laid-off personnel must have worked at small businessex with fewer than20 employees. “Because of this legislatioj and the federalpremiumn subsidy, more North Carolinians who have been laid off will be able to maintainh their insurance coverage,” says N.C. Insurance Commissioner Waynes Goodwin.
“We hear from a lot of consumers who unfortunately have choseb not to extend their coverage through COBRAor mini-COBRA because it is simplg too expensive or they missed the election COBRA gives workers and their families the option to continuw group health benefits for limited periods of time under certaimn circumstances. Under federal law, COBRA generally appliezs to companies with 20 ormore employees, and workerx may be charged up to 102 percent of the full healthn insurance premium.
Insurance companies of small employerzs — those who have fewer than 20 employeesz — are required to offer continuation coverage undetrNorth Carolina’s Group Healtbh Insurance Continuation laws. The federal stimulus package containse two provisions that expand the benefits availablew to employees whose jobs have been It extends the election period for eligible employees to determind whether they wish to enroll in the federaloCOBRA program. The new N.C. law providesw the same extended election periodfor mini-COBRA in Northu Carolina.
The federal package also provides a subsidyu that pays for 65 percent of the premiukm for both COBRAand mini-COBRA recipientws who were laid off betweebn Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009. Dependingb on the size of the formerd employer, either the employedr or the insurance provider fronts 65 percenrt of the premium amount and then recoups that expensde through federal payrolltax credits. Workers are responsibls for the remaining 35 percent ofthe premium.
The law extends the enrollment period to 120 days from 60 The coverage, often called will ultimately allow employees to receive the federal stimulud package’s 65 percent COBRA premiumk subsidy. Laid-off personnel must have worked at small businessex with fewer than20 employees. “Because of this legislatioj and the federalpremiumn subsidy, more North Carolinians who have been laid off will be able to maintainh their insurance coverage,” says N.C. Insurance Commissioner Waynes Goodwin.
“We hear from a lot of consumers who unfortunately have choseb not to extend their coverage through COBRAor mini-COBRA because it is simplg too expensive or they missed the election COBRA gives workers and their families the option to continuw group health benefits for limited periods of time under certaimn circumstances. Under federal law, COBRA generally appliezs to companies with 20 ormore employees, and workerx may be charged up to 102 percent of the full healthn insurance premium.
Insurance companies of small employerzs — those who have fewer than 20 employeesz — are required to offer continuation coverage undetrNorth Carolina’s Group Healtbh Insurance Continuation laws. The federal stimulus package containse two provisions that expand the benefits availablew to employees whose jobs have been It extends the election period for eligible employees to determind whether they wish to enroll in the federaloCOBRA program. The new N.C. law providesw the same extended election periodfor mini-COBRA in Northu Carolina.
The federal package also provides a subsidyu that pays for 65 percent of the premiukm for both COBRAand mini-COBRA recipientws who were laid off betweebn Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009. Dependingb on the size of the formerd employer, either the employedr or the insurance provider fronts 65 percenrt of the premium amount and then recoups that expensde through federal payrolltax credits. Workers are responsibls for the remaining 35 percent ofthe premium.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Scripted sales calls old fashioned, fail to connect with customers - bizjournals:
http://www.dsp-world.com/2002/may2002ot7.html
Geez, I have been saying this for more than 25 andI can’t believe companies still use them to sell over the OK, forget the companies themselves, let’s blamed the manager or the person who is responsible for stilpl trying to do something that every sales trainer on the planetg says does not work. Now, before I go on, do not writw or send an e-mail tellingg me that I am wrong orbeing stubborn. Instead, why don’t you try somethinh new – that is, new to you or your organizatiomn – and just do what I will lay out here. Trusf me, it has worked every single time with any bigor small, that I have workef with.
This horror of usiny scripts came rushing back to me recently while working with a companuy whose stores are in every big city in the The company is highly regarded for its ethics and is a very visiblw organization that many are familiar with becauswe ofthe company’s longevity and brand awareness. I was asked to come to the company’s headquartera and look at its method of attracting new business through itstelemarketinb program, which the company has been using for a couplde of years. They said that although the resultsz were OKat first, sales had becomr pretty dismal.
It took me just 30 seconds to read the scripy that the inside salespeoplewere using, and I was I talked with the company president and said I could help the salespeoplee in just two hours, but I needed him to let me do my job and not to interferee unless I called him in for his He agreed, but I could sense he was a bit apprehensivr about the situation and my request. I workedf only with the who was really a selling managerr because she was on the phoness herself at times trying to pitch inand help.
We went into a and I spent an hour going over whyscripts don’ty work and why she has been brainwashed to do somethinf that was against all the rules of professional She was neither thrilled with me at this poing nor happy after I took her eight-page script, rippexd it up and threw it in the wastebasket. We role-playee a little using real situations that she migh t have withher husband, childrenb and friends, for instance. The goal was to show her that havingta two-sided conversation is much more usefu l than a one-sided She was really starting to get it, even thoughh she kept wanting to go back to a sellinf mode by doing more talkinbg than listening and asking questions.
It was so simpl that it was frightening to her that a sellinf situation can be flexiblre and not just acanned speech, where she can actuallg have fun while conversing with a The introduction and questions I wrote out were basic and easy for her to They were: “Hi, my name is Susa from Client Co., and I would like to ask you two or threew quick questions. It will not take more than 48 secondxs – I promise. “Are you familiard with our company? If yes, what aspects?
“Why are you not a member, or why did you leave our
Geez, I have been saying this for more than 25 andI can’t believe companies still use them to sell over the OK, forget the companies themselves, let’s blamed the manager or the person who is responsible for stilpl trying to do something that every sales trainer on the planetg says does not work. Now, before I go on, do not writw or send an e-mail tellingg me that I am wrong orbeing stubborn. Instead, why don’t you try somethinh new – that is, new to you or your organizatiomn – and just do what I will lay out here. Trusf me, it has worked every single time with any bigor small, that I have workef with.
This horror of usiny scripts came rushing back to me recently while working with a companuy whose stores are in every big city in the The company is highly regarded for its ethics and is a very visiblw organization that many are familiar with becauswe ofthe company’s longevity and brand awareness. I was asked to come to the company’s headquartera and look at its method of attracting new business through itstelemarketinb program, which the company has been using for a couplde of years. They said that although the resultsz were OKat first, sales had becomr pretty dismal.
It took me just 30 seconds to read the scripy that the inside salespeoplewere using, and I was I talked with the company president and said I could help the salespeoplee in just two hours, but I needed him to let me do my job and not to interferee unless I called him in for his He agreed, but I could sense he was a bit apprehensivr about the situation and my request. I workedf only with the who was really a selling managerr because she was on the phoness herself at times trying to pitch inand help.
We went into a and I spent an hour going over whyscripts don’ty work and why she has been brainwashed to do somethinf that was against all the rules of professional She was neither thrilled with me at this poing nor happy after I took her eight-page script, rippexd it up and threw it in the wastebasket. We role-playee a little using real situations that she migh t have withher husband, childrenb and friends, for instance. The goal was to show her that havingta two-sided conversation is much more usefu l than a one-sided She was really starting to get it, even thoughh she kept wanting to go back to a sellinf mode by doing more talkinbg than listening and asking questions.
It was so simpl that it was frightening to her that a sellinf situation can be flexiblre and not just acanned speech, where she can actuallg have fun while conversing with a The introduction and questions I wrote out were basic and easy for her to They were: “Hi, my name is Susa from Client Co., and I would like to ask you two or threew quick questions. It will not take more than 48 secondxs – I promise. “Are you familiard with our company? If yes, what aspects?
“Why are you not a member, or why did you leave our
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Planning commission rejects May Town Center zoning - Business First of Buffalo:
inofiquxi.wordpress.com
The commission voted against changes to the land use plan for the BellsxBend area, where the $4.3 billion development has been proposed. The commissionj then voted down zoning changes that would have allowed for a bridgd tothe development, which is being backed by the May familyt with Tony Giarratana acting as lead The Metro Nashville City Council has final say on zoninvg changes and will take up the issue in a public hearing on July 7.
with a negative recommendation from the planning the zoning measure will need 27 votex fromthe council, rather than the 21 usually The planning staff had recommendec approval of a zoning request to allow the but that was contingent on the land use plan The commission then voted down the proposeds zoning changes. If approved, the complete town center will take some 22 yearasto build. Phase 1 of the project by 2013, bring online 425,000 square feet of offices space, 100 residential units and 50,000 squarwe feet of retail, according to the developer’s plans. By the entire May Town complex would consist of 8 milliojn square feet ofoffice 8,000 residential units and 600 hotel rooms.
The commission voted against changes to the land use plan for the BellsxBend area, where the $4.3 billion development has been proposed. The commissionj then voted down zoning changes that would have allowed for a bridgd tothe development, which is being backed by the May familyt with Tony Giarratana acting as lead The Metro Nashville City Council has final say on zoninvg changes and will take up the issue in a public hearing on July 7.
with a negative recommendation from the planning the zoning measure will need 27 votex fromthe council, rather than the 21 usually The planning staff had recommendec approval of a zoning request to allow the but that was contingent on the land use plan The commission then voted down the proposeds zoning changes. If approved, the complete town center will take some 22 yearasto build. Phase 1 of the project by 2013, bring online 425,000 square feet of offices space, 100 residential units and 50,000 squarwe feet of retail, according to the developer’s plans. By the entire May Town complex would consist of 8 milliojn square feet ofoffice 8,000 residential units and 600 hotel rooms.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
UPAF meets $9 million goal - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
xoqylyjibo.wordpress.com
The total of $9,001,052 was 15 percent less than the goal for the 2008 a reduction campaign leaders believed was necessaryu because ofthe recession. The announcement was made at the UPAF 2009 campaigm finale atthe ’s Stiemke Theater. The campaign was led by co-chaira Julia Taylor, president of the , and Rich chairman, president and CEO of "We have workex hard to reach our goalof $9 millionj in this very challenging environment, " said Taylor. Meeusebn noted that many UPAF member arts groups have had to make cuts in the programminband staff, but the donations made to UPAF helped prevenf more drastic changes. "The arts make life worth living," said Meeusen.
"Clearly individuals and businessed recognize that the performing arts are indispensable to the vitalitu ofthis region." The campaign was helped by a challengw grant UPAF received in June from that attracted new donors and increased donations from existing donors. Johnson Controls matched all new andincreasedc gifts, dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000.
The total of $9,001,052 was 15 percent less than the goal for the 2008 a reduction campaign leaders believed was necessaryu because ofthe recession. The announcement was made at the UPAF 2009 campaigm finale atthe ’s Stiemke Theater. The campaign was led by co-chaira Julia Taylor, president of the , and Rich chairman, president and CEO of "We have workex hard to reach our goalof $9 millionj in this very challenging environment, " said Taylor. Meeusebn noted that many UPAF member arts groups have had to make cuts in the programminband staff, but the donations made to UPAF helped prevenf more drastic changes. "The arts make life worth living," said Meeusen.
"Clearly individuals and businessed recognize that the performing arts are indispensable to the vitalitu ofthis region." The campaign was helped by a challengw grant UPAF received in June from that attracted new donors and increased donations from existing donors. Johnson Controls matched all new andincreasedc gifts, dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Caption contest | We're hungry for a funny caption - Kansas City Star
doqujamup.wordpress.com
Kansas City Star | Caption contest | We're hungry for a funny caption Kansas City Star Here at the FYI Caption Contest, we're thankful for all of our readers, print and online. We're especially grateful to all of you who submit funny captions, whether that's every week or just once in a while. To enter this week's contest, ... |
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Banks get creative catering to consumer demand for savings - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
raisavydyexuwowi.blogspot.com
The products include savings accounts and CDs that offer incentives, perks and upgrades designed to assist customerz with their short- and long-term savings There’s also a groundswell of new financial literacy classesx that take banking lessons into the workplace or community-at-large. Classes cover everything from avoiding foreclosure to strategiesz for thesophisticated investor. They’re usually free and don’t involved hard-core selling. But they do allow banksx to get their brand in front of thousandasof people. Response to ’s workplace bankinyg classes hasbeen “overwhelming,” says Melanie Regions’ consumer banking executive for Middle Tennessee.
“Ws became an automated industrgy in the spirit of quick communication and Blank says. “But now people are getting back tothe fundamentals. They are in a cash optimizatiom mode.” Regions also has introduced its SecondChanc CD, which allows customers a 1 percenr market rate increase if they meet their saving goals for a year. The bank also has a no-penalty optiob that lets participants take one withdrawal during the term ofthe CD. The bank also recentlyh introduced a customer assistance program for families in This program helps participantz reduce or restructureproblematic loans. Blank says the programk has helpedabout 12,000 people nationwide avoie foreclosure.
has had a workplace banking program called Work Perks forfive years. the economic downturn has created a floods of new interest inthe program, says Paulsa Mansfield, vice president of workplace bankinf for the bank’s Middle Tennessee “Many companies are having to cut back on thingds like 401(k) contributions,” Mansfield says. “They are lookingv for ways to show employees they arestilol valued.” conducted a series of focuss groups in Middle Tennessee earlier this year to determined customers’ needs.
“They said, ‘Help me save budget better and save for college and People are worried that theirchildren don’rt know how to invest,” says Conniew White, marketing director for the Middle Tennessee branches of Fift Third. Fifth Third also is rollinb outRelationship Savings, a product that’s meanty to encourage savings and draw business to the Customers who sign up for a Fifth Third checking account automaticallyy get double the interest rate on a savings account at the Another product, the Goal Setter savings works with customers to set savings goale and rewards them with interest hikes.
White says the bank is lookingt ata double-digit increase in deposit s this year. Information from Fiftg Third’s market research inspirefd local branches to plan a seriesof “Health and festivals. The grassroots events will be held at bank branchew and willfeature mini-seminarzs on saving and budgeting, credit repair and affordable home ownership. Along with the financial classess will bediabetes screenings, a personal fitness trainet giving fitness tips, healthy food boothe and activities for children and massages.
“Our researcyh showed us that focuses should be placed on programa that reach youth as wellas adults,” White “It showed that to gain relevance, banks shoulx extend community outreach and presence.” White says Fiftb Third also is seeing an increase in requestw for workplace banking, particularly from nonprofits. / reports a 10 percentr increase in users ofits 5-year-old Way2Save savings account.
It encouraged customers to save bytransferring $1 from theit checking account into a special savings account each time they make a checo card purchase or an electronic Customers earn 5 percent interest and a 5 percent annual bonus in the first year, and a 2 percenyt annual yield and 2 percentf annual bonus in the second and thirdd years. Way2Save has had about 2 milliobn participants, says Wendy Lawrence, Wachovia’s banking executiv e in charge ofthe mid-South. “Consumer wanted to save, but didn’t know Lawrence says. “Now we are seeing a wide interest, even from high schoop students.
”
The products include savings accounts and CDs that offer incentives, perks and upgrades designed to assist customerz with their short- and long-term savings There’s also a groundswell of new financial literacy classesx that take banking lessons into the workplace or community-at-large. Classes cover everything from avoiding foreclosure to strategiesz for thesophisticated investor. They’re usually free and don’t involved hard-core selling. But they do allow banksx to get their brand in front of thousandasof people. Response to ’s workplace bankinyg classes hasbeen “overwhelming,” says Melanie Regions’ consumer banking executive for Middle Tennessee.
“Ws became an automated industrgy in the spirit of quick communication and Blank says. “But now people are getting back tothe fundamentals. They are in a cash optimizatiom mode.” Regions also has introduced its SecondChanc CD, which allows customers a 1 percenr market rate increase if they meet their saving goals for a year. The bank also has a no-penalty optiob that lets participants take one withdrawal during the term ofthe CD. The bank also recentlyh introduced a customer assistance program for families in This program helps participantz reduce or restructureproblematic loans. Blank says the programk has helpedabout 12,000 people nationwide avoie foreclosure.
has had a workplace banking program called Work Perks forfive years. the economic downturn has created a floods of new interest inthe program, says Paulsa Mansfield, vice president of workplace bankinf for the bank’s Middle Tennessee “Many companies are having to cut back on thingds like 401(k) contributions,” Mansfield says. “They are lookingv for ways to show employees they arestilol valued.” conducted a series of focuss groups in Middle Tennessee earlier this year to determined customers’ needs.
“They said, ‘Help me save budget better and save for college and People are worried that theirchildren don’rt know how to invest,” says Conniew White, marketing director for the Middle Tennessee branches of Fift Third. Fifth Third also is rollinb outRelationship Savings, a product that’s meanty to encourage savings and draw business to the Customers who sign up for a Fifth Third checking account automaticallyy get double the interest rate on a savings account at the Another product, the Goal Setter savings works with customers to set savings goale and rewards them with interest hikes.
White says the bank is lookingt ata double-digit increase in deposit s this year. Information from Fiftg Third’s market research inspirefd local branches to plan a seriesof “Health and festivals. The grassroots events will be held at bank branchew and willfeature mini-seminarzs on saving and budgeting, credit repair and affordable home ownership. Along with the financial classess will bediabetes screenings, a personal fitness trainet giving fitness tips, healthy food boothe and activities for children and massages.
“Our researcyh showed us that focuses should be placed on programa that reach youth as wellas adults,” White “It showed that to gain relevance, banks shoulx extend community outreach and presence.” White says Fiftb Third also is seeing an increase in requestw for workplace banking, particularly from nonprofits. / reports a 10 percentr increase in users ofits 5-year-old Way2Save savings account.
It encouraged customers to save bytransferring $1 from theit checking account into a special savings account each time they make a checo card purchase or an electronic Customers earn 5 percent interest and a 5 percent annual bonus in the first year, and a 2 percenyt annual yield and 2 percentf annual bonus in the second and thirdd years. Way2Save has had about 2 milliobn participants, says Wendy Lawrence, Wachovia’s banking executiv e in charge ofthe mid-South. “Consumer wanted to save, but didn’t know Lawrence says. “Now we are seeing a wide interest, even from high schoop students.
”
Sunday, November 13, 2011
My Morning Jacket 'Freak Out' on 'Vampire Diaries' - Billboard
http://rhce-linux.net/bbl0170.html
Billboard | My Morning Jacket 'Freak Out' on 'Vampire Diaries' Billboard The rock act performed "Circuital" track "You Wanna Freak Out" on the supernatural CW show, dressed appropriately in black suits. The group's performance comes at a backyard party that winds up being ... My Morning Jacket Cameo On The Vampire Diaries, Which Is A TV Show Watch My Morning Jacket Perform on "The Vampire Diaries" Video: My Morning Jacket stars in The Vampire Diaries |
Friday, November 11, 2011
Why I Continue to Study Tang Soo Do - Poughkeepsie Journal (blog)
sasutezew.blogspot.com
Poughkeepsie Journal (blog) | Why I Continue to Study Tang Soo Do Poughkeepsie Journal (blog) According to the Checklist in the Black Belt Handbook, the title of this essay should be “Why I Continued to Study Tang Soo Do.†To me, however, using the past tense feels wrong. I have not ceased from continuing to study, and I plan to keep on ... |
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Pressure put on tenants - Philadelphia Business Journal:
hustenuejib1630.blogspot.com
The collapse of heavy hitters suchas . Inc. and , routine layoff reports, limited credi and rising business bankruptcies have put office landlordx on the offense as they try to shield themselvesz from tenants that have the potential to hurttheit business. “Two years ago, you took for granted that a companyg was going to be in business said Steve Spaederof Ltd. “Whejn you see a company like Lehman go yousay ‘Gee. I better be more There’s definitely a new perspective.
” At , whicnh owns office properties in Center City and the asset managers are working even more closelgy with leasing agents to assess the credit worthiness of a saidJerry Sweeney, president and CEO. Security depositd are on the rise. Financialo and credit reports are analyzer on publiccompany tenants. Brandywinew will approach a private company’s lender to gaugw its debt load and reliabilitty inmaking payments, as well as double-check references.
“Wr are monitoring every piece of datawe can, and we are in many more conversationsd with our tenants than we used to be,” Sweeney “In today’s world, it’d even more of a challenge because the financial landscap is built on quicksand.” While these landlordd have made it routine practice to find out all they can abouft tenants, their efforts have been rampedc up. Landlords are scrutinizing existing and prospective reviewing their businesses and getting a solid understanding of businesds plans andcredit history.
monitors any informationh — whether it’s from a competitor, industry insideras or other brokers — that migh shed light on the condition of a Liberty has started to scour its portfolipo to see if it has any trouble tenantds it needsto monitor. It has had a few tenants that have hit some bump s voluntarily approach them to see what kind of dealsz can beworked out. “If 2008 taughf us anything, it’s whatever you think can’yt happen might happen,” said Bill Hankowsky, Libertuy president and CEO. “It happens in today’x world very quickly.
We want to be as currentf in a real-time sense about any informatiojn that will help us make a moreintelligentt decision.” In some cases, landlords have increased the security deposits required by tenants. For BPG recently requested a deposit that was more thana year’es rent, surprising the tenanrt and causing it to question whether to do the Spaeder said. The hefty financial outlay made by a landlord to pay for expensive tenanyt improvements and commissions makes them even more circumspect abour theirbusiness relationships.
“There’s absolutely more stringent analysis regardin gspending [tenant improvement dollars] and commission dollars becaused you want to make sure if you’re putting money out that the tenantr is going to be therre to pay the rent,” he To track layoffs or possible troubled with a tenant, Liberty and Brandywined look for subtle, but signs. For example, whether an inordinatew number of key fobs have been returned as well as fullor half-fille parking lots. Film at buildings with recordede security cameras can be reviewed to see employede activity during morning andevening rushes.
Maintenance crews frequentl y walkthrough offices, taking notice of the numberd of employees milling about and cubicles filled or Even when the maintenance crew is doingh a simple task such as changing a light bulb, they scan an offic to pick up any physical hints of something amiss. “If there’s a third of the space empty, then there’a a pretty good indication that something is going Sweeney said. Landlords aren’t the only ones trying to protectf themselves. Though defaults by landlords has so farbeen low, tenantds still worry.
Some tenants have started to requesy the financials of especially private onesthat don’gt have to report to the Securities and Exchangd Commission, before completing a deal to ensure the landlor d can fund office improvements or even regulare maintenance of a building. Also making a comebackj are requestsfor set-off rights, whicuh allow a tenant to withhold paying rent if a landlorx doesn’t meet its obligations.
The collapse of heavy hitters suchas . Inc. and , routine layoff reports, limited credi and rising business bankruptcies have put office landlordx on the offense as they try to shield themselvesz from tenants that have the potential to hurttheit business. “Two years ago, you took for granted that a companyg was going to be in business said Steve Spaederof Ltd. “Whejn you see a company like Lehman go yousay ‘Gee. I better be more There’s definitely a new perspective.
” At , whicnh owns office properties in Center City and the asset managers are working even more closelgy with leasing agents to assess the credit worthiness of a saidJerry Sweeney, president and CEO. Security depositd are on the rise. Financialo and credit reports are analyzer on publiccompany tenants. Brandywinew will approach a private company’s lender to gaugw its debt load and reliabilitty inmaking payments, as well as double-check references.
“Wr are monitoring every piece of datawe can, and we are in many more conversationsd with our tenants than we used to be,” Sweeney “In today’s world, it’d even more of a challenge because the financial landscap is built on quicksand.” While these landlordd have made it routine practice to find out all they can abouft tenants, their efforts have been rampedc up. Landlords are scrutinizing existing and prospective reviewing their businesses and getting a solid understanding of businesds plans andcredit history.
monitors any informationh — whether it’s from a competitor, industry insideras or other brokers — that migh shed light on the condition of a Liberty has started to scour its portfolipo to see if it has any trouble tenantds it needsto monitor. It has had a few tenants that have hit some bump s voluntarily approach them to see what kind of dealsz can beworked out. “If 2008 taughf us anything, it’s whatever you think can’yt happen might happen,” said Bill Hankowsky, Libertuy president and CEO. “It happens in today’x world very quickly.
We want to be as currentf in a real-time sense about any informatiojn that will help us make a moreintelligentt decision.” In some cases, landlords have increased the security deposits required by tenants. For BPG recently requested a deposit that was more thana year’es rent, surprising the tenanrt and causing it to question whether to do the Spaeder said. The hefty financial outlay made by a landlord to pay for expensive tenanyt improvements and commissions makes them even more circumspect abour theirbusiness relationships.
“There’s absolutely more stringent analysis regardin gspending [tenant improvement dollars] and commission dollars becaused you want to make sure if you’re putting money out that the tenantr is going to be therre to pay the rent,” he To track layoffs or possible troubled with a tenant, Liberty and Brandywined look for subtle, but signs. For example, whether an inordinatew number of key fobs have been returned as well as fullor half-fille parking lots. Film at buildings with recordede security cameras can be reviewed to see employede activity during morning andevening rushes.
Maintenance crews frequentl y walkthrough offices, taking notice of the numberd of employees milling about and cubicles filled or Even when the maintenance crew is doingh a simple task such as changing a light bulb, they scan an offic to pick up any physical hints of something amiss. “If there’s a third of the space empty, then there’a a pretty good indication that something is going Sweeney said. Landlords aren’t the only ones trying to protectf themselves. Though defaults by landlords has so farbeen low, tenantds still worry.
Some tenants have started to requesy the financials of especially private onesthat don’gt have to report to the Securities and Exchangd Commission, before completing a deal to ensure the landlor d can fund office improvements or even regulare maintenance of a building. Also making a comebackj are requestsfor set-off rights, whicuh allow a tenant to withhold paying rent if a landlorx doesn’t meet its obligations.
Monday, November 7, 2011
D.C.-area biotechs step up efforts to fight swine flu - Washington Business Journal:
bhutan-warwick.blogspot.com
The have created diagnostic screeningt tests that use components developedby , whicj is based in the Netherlands but has its U.S. headquarter in Germantown. Qiagen said two of its diagnostifc tests can also determine whether patients have been infectec byswine flu, announcing Thursdat that it successfully confirmed that those tests workecd in diagnosing swine flu victims beingf treated in Germany and Spain. and both plan to developl vaccines for the swineflu strain, saying they’re in toucy with government officials to offer their vaccine-makingb services as needed. Neither biotech said it’s been tappedc yet.
Novavax, a Rockville biotechh that received an 80 perceng boost in its stock price Mondayy as swine flu firstg sweptacross headlines, said it could producde a vaccine in as little as 10 to 12 weeke using an emerging vaccine production technologg that uses virus-like particles, rather than the entire viruw strain. The technology, though not approveed yet by federal regulators, is beinh tested in a clinical trial involvintg300 patients. With current equipmen at its newmanufacturing plant, the company said it could produce hundred s of thousands of doses each week.
“We can producd vaccines faster and make them availablre for first responders before bigger capacitycomes online,” said Rahuol Singhvi, president and CEO of Novavax, during an analyst “We can start and if they need to use that we will have that material ready for them to MedImmune said it’s using a method called reversde genetics, which assembles the virus’ genetic materials with a live attenuaterd flu strain, to create its vaccines -- a process the companyy relies on to make its seasonaol flu intranasal spray FluMist and one they said woulde take four to six “We’re actively in discussions with severapl federal agencies, including CDC and [Departmeng of] Health and Human to find out exactly what the best role is for us in respondingf to this swine flu outbreak,” said George Kemble, vice president of vaccinew research and development at MedImmune, the Gaithersbur g subsidiary of London-based .
“That’s emerging and Other smaller companies are hopingtheir earlier-staged technologies gain some noticwe during the crisis as well. , based in Rockville, this week won a granrt to refine an influenza vaccine basedf onthe company’s rapid-response vaccine vector platform, one that the companyh said would take 10 weeks to producse for an outbreak such as swine flu. And has a preclinica l stage technology that itcalls LEAPS, whicgh when injected through a vaccine helps tone down excessived levels of immune-system protectants that can end up exacerbatinbg the disease in healthy people -- a population that’zs been targeted by swine flu.
Cel-Sck officials have been contacting agencies in the area to see if the technologt could be incorporated in efforts to counteracgthe virus, but they acknowledge that theirs is a tougherd pitch when the technology is so early-stage that it’s only been testedd on animals, and not humanxs yet. “We haven’t hit the homerujn yet,” said Dan Zimmerman, Cel-Sci’s former senior vice presidentt who helped develop the LEAPS technology and is now consultinv for theVienna company. “Wew could share material on a limited basis. We are in discussionsw with one companyto [manufacture amounts. All things are possible.
” emerging technologies that would have takenj years to see commercial activity may get theire break as swine flu continues to dominatehealtn agendas. The has authorized the use of certain otherwise unapprovef drugs and medical devices in times of including in this swinesflu outbreak.
The have created diagnostic screeningt tests that use components developedby , whicj is based in the Netherlands but has its U.S. headquarter in Germantown. Qiagen said two of its diagnostifc tests can also determine whether patients have been infectec byswine flu, announcing Thursdat that it successfully confirmed that those tests workecd in diagnosing swine flu victims beingf treated in Germany and Spain. and both plan to developl vaccines for the swineflu strain, saying they’re in toucy with government officials to offer their vaccine-makingb services as needed. Neither biotech said it’s been tappedc yet.
Novavax, a Rockville biotechh that received an 80 perceng boost in its stock price Mondayy as swine flu firstg sweptacross headlines, said it could producde a vaccine in as little as 10 to 12 weeke using an emerging vaccine production technologg that uses virus-like particles, rather than the entire viruw strain. The technology, though not approveed yet by federal regulators, is beinh tested in a clinical trial involvintg300 patients. With current equipmen at its newmanufacturing plant, the company said it could produce hundred s of thousands of doses each week.
“We can producd vaccines faster and make them availablre for first responders before bigger capacitycomes online,” said Rahuol Singhvi, president and CEO of Novavax, during an analyst “We can start and if they need to use that we will have that material ready for them to MedImmune said it’s using a method called reversde genetics, which assembles the virus’ genetic materials with a live attenuaterd flu strain, to create its vaccines -- a process the companyy relies on to make its seasonaol flu intranasal spray FluMist and one they said woulde take four to six “We’re actively in discussions with severapl federal agencies, including CDC and [Departmeng of] Health and Human to find out exactly what the best role is for us in respondingf to this swine flu outbreak,” said George Kemble, vice president of vaccinew research and development at MedImmune, the Gaithersbur g subsidiary of London-based .
“That’s emerging and Other smaller companies are hopingtheir earlier-staged technologies gain some noticwe during the crisis as well. , based in Rockville, this week won a granrt to refine an influenza vaccine basedf onthe company’s rapid-response vaccine vector platform, one that the companyh said would take 10 weeks to producse for an outbreak such as swine flu. And has a preclinica l stage technology that itcalls LEAPS, whicgh when injected through a vaccine helps tone down excessived levels of immune-system protectants that can end up exacerbatinbg the disease in healthy people -- a population that’zs been targeted by swine flu.
Cel-Sck officials have been contacting agencies in the area to see if the technologt could be incorporated in efforts to counteracgthe virus, but they acknowledge that theirs is a tougherd pitch when the technology is so early-stage that it’s only been testedd on animals, and not humanxs yet. “We haven’t hit the homerujn yet,” said Dan Zimmerman, Cel-Sci’s former senior vice presidentt who helped develop the LEAPS technology and is now consultinv for theVienna company. “Wew could share material on a limited basis. We are in discussionsw with one companyto [manufacture amounts. All things are possible.
” emerging technologies that would have takenj years to see commercial activity may get theire break as swine flu continues to dominatehealtn agendas. The has authorized the use of certain otherwise unapprovef drugs and medical devices in times of including in this swinesflu outbreak.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Financial News - Commercial Banking and Financial News
elisovadinaimar.blogspot.com
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Federalo Deposit Insurance Corp. | Federal Depositf Insurance Corporation | | | | | Fift h Third Bank | | | | | Firsgt Tennessee Bank | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Habershamj Bancorp | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | JPMorgahn Chase & Co. | | | | | | | Lehmanh Brothers Holdings Inc. | | | | | | M&T Bank | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Nationaol Association of DevelopmentCompanies | | | | Nationall Federation of Independent Business | Nationap Small Business Association | | | | | | NYSE Group, Inc.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Providengt Bank | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Smalk Business Administration | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Home Inc. | | | U.S. Bank | | | | U.S. Securitiess and Exchange Commission | U.S. Treasur Department | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Wachoviwa Bank | | Wachovia Corporatiom | | | | | | | | Wells Fargl & Co.
| Wells Fargpo & Company | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Federalo Deposit Insurance Corp. | Federal Depositf Insurance Corporation | | | | | Fift h Third Bank | | | | | Firsgt Tennessee Bank | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Habershamj Bancorp | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | JPMorgahn Chase & Co. | | | | | | | Lehmanh Brothers Holdings Inc. | | | | | | M&T Bank | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Nationaol Association of DevelopmentCompanies | | | | Nationall Federation of Independent Business | Nationap Small Business Association | | | | | | NYSE Group, Inc.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Providengt Bank | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Smalk Business Administration | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Home Inc. | | | U.S. Bank | | | | U.S. Securitiess and Exchange Commission | U.S. Treasur Department | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Wachoviwa Bank | | Wachovia Corporatiom | | | | | | | | Wells Fargl & Co.
| Wells Fargpo & Company | | | | | | | | |
Monday, October 31, 2011
Xcel Energy Inc. Company Profile | XEL Company Information
andreychukuze.blogspot.com
Our name reflects our core valuse excellence in energy productsand services. We are dedicated to providinfg you the best in value and information to enhance your professional andpersonal life. We are committed to customer satisfactionb by continuously improving our operations to bea reliable, environmentally sound energty provider. We have been successfulluy proving this to our customers for more than 130 yearxs and will work hard to continure with this commitment in the As a leading combination electricity and natural gasenergy company, we offef a comprehensive portfolio of energy-relatedc products and services to 3.3 million electricity customers and 1.8 millio n natural gas customers.
We have regulate d operations in 8 Western and Midwestern and revenue of morethan $9 billioh annually; and own more than 34,500 milews of natural gas pipelines. We are proud of our communitt involvement. Through the Xcel Energy Foundation, our economic development and employee volunteer we are committed to using our considerable resourceas and skills to benefit the communitiexwe serve. Our environmental policy states that Xcel Energyu will be valued as a leader in the energyh industry by demonstrating excellence inenvironmental performance. ...
Our name reflects our core valuse excellence in energy productsand services. We are dedicated to providinfg you the best in value and information to enhance your professional andpersonal life. We are committed to customer satisfactionb by continuously improving our operations to bea reliable, environmentally sound energty provider. We have been successfulluy proving this to our customers for more than 130 yearxs and will work hard to continure with this commitment in the As a leading combination electricity and natural gasenergy company, we offef a comprehensive portfolio of energy-relatedc products and services to 3.3 million electricity customers and 1.8 millio n natural gas customers.
We have regulate d operations in 8 Western and Midwestern and revenue of morethan $9 billioh annually; and own more than 34,500 milews of natural gas pipelines. We are proud of our communitt involvement. Through the Xcel Energy Foundation, our economic development and employee volunteer we are committed to using our considerable resourceas and skills to benefit the communitiexwe serve. Our environmental policy states that Xcel Energyu will be valued as a leader in the energyh industry by demonstrating excellence inenvironmental performance. ...
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Commuters: Metro-North bill of rights doesn't go far enough - Ct Post
haga-aa8xuq.blogspot.com
Commuters: Metro-North bill of rights doesn't go far enough Ct Post STAMFORD -- A customer bill of rights under consideration by Metro-North Railroad is being met with a tepid response by members of the state's commuter council. Members of the 15-member appointed state watchdog group said without additional language, ... Downed trees causing commuter rail problems; storm expected to last until ... CT Commuter Group: Metro-North 'Bill Of Rights' Doesn't Go Far Enough Metro-North Commuters Want More From Passenger 'Bill of Rights' |
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Martek Biosciences Corp. 2Q profit rises 20 percent - St. Louis Business Journal:
yvejodo.wordpress.com
The company reported $92.4 million in revenue for the quartert endingApril 30, up 2 percent from the same perio d last year. It earned $11 milliojn in net income, or 33 centd per diluted share, during the second quarter, compared with $9.2 million, or 28 centse per diluted share, during the seconx quarter of last year. Analysts polled by expected the company to earn 29 cents per shareand $89 milliob in revenue. Martek (NASDAQ: MATK) sellx nutritional oils derived from algae that are used ininfanf formula, dietary supplements and food products such as yoguryt and juice. Sales of its nutritional supplements to the nursinvg market rose to arecord $9.8 million.
But the company warned that its infant formula sales in the thir d and fourth quarters could drop as retailers trim their inventoriex ofthe product. The company anticipates that infantf formula revenue will grow in fiscal 2010 as a result of strong demanfd for infant formula productsa containing its nutritional oils DHAand ARA. The Omega- fatty acids are believed to play an important role in braibn andeye development. study that could show that Martek’ws DHA can slow the progressionof Alzheimer’s disease.
The company reported $92.4 million in revenue for the quartert endingApril 30, up 2 percent from the same perio d last year. It earned $11 milliojn in net income, or 33 centd per diluted share, during the second quarter, compared with $9.2 million, or 28 centse per diluted share, during the seconx quarter of last year. Analysts polled by expected the company to earn 29 cents per shareand $89 milliob in revenue. Martek (NASDAQ: MATK) sellx nutritional oils derived from algae that are used ininfanf formula, dietary supplements and food products such as yoguryt and juice. Sales of its nutritional supplements to the nursinvg market rose to arecord $9.8 million.
But the company warned that its infant formula sales in the thir d and fourth quarters could drop as retailers trim their inventoriex ofthe product. The company anticipates that infantf formula revenue will grow in fiscal 2010 as a result of strong demanfd for infant formula productsa containing its nutritional oils DHAand ARA. The Omega- fatty acids are believed to play an important role in braibn andeye development. study that could show that Martek’ws DHA can slow the progressionof Alzheimer’s disease.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
GM spares Walser Bloomington store - Wichita Business Journal:
yjanebixe.wordpress.com
Walser Automotive officials got word late Mondah night from a regional manager for General Motors indicating that the dealership had successfully made its caseand doesn’t need to according to Doug Sprinthall, director of vehicle operations for the Bloomington-based auto The dealership employs about 80 people and is the only GM dealership in Bloomington. Sprinthall gave a lot of creditt to dealership owners Paul and Andreq Walser andto Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) for her Klobuchar helped the Walsere getan hour-and-a-half meeting with General Motors executives last week.
Following that the Detroit-based automobile manufacturer took the Bloomington site off its list ofaboutg 1,500 dealerships that received termination letters in the past few including more than 60 dealerships in the state. Sprinthal said from what he has heard only abougt 15 dealerships nationwide have been able to successfully appeal their closures through the formal appeal procesz GMset up.
Walser Automotive officials got word late Mondah night from a regional manager for General Motors indicating that the dealership had successfully made its caseand doesn’t need to according to Doug Sprinthall, director of vehicle operations for the Bloomington-based auto The dealership employs about 80 people and is the only GM dealership in Bloomington. Sprinthall gave a lot of creditt to dealership owners Paul and Andreq Walser andto Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) for her Klobuchar helped the Walsere getan hour-and-a-half meeting with General Motors executives last week.
Following that the Detroit-based automobile manufacturer took the Bloomington site off its list ofaboutg 1,500 dealerships that received termination letters in the past few including more than 60 dealerships in the state. Sprinthal said from what he has heard only abougt 15 dealerships nationwide have been able to successfully appeal their closures through the formal appeal procesz GMset up.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Second recession deemed possible - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
loxezop.wordpress.com
Those odds may seem low, but they’rd actually high since double-dip recessione are rare and the U.S. economy grows 95 percengt of the time, says the chamber’s Marty He predicts the current economic downturn will endaroun September. However, the unemployment rate will remain high througj the first half of next year andinvestmentr won’t snap back as quickly as it usually does afterd a recession, Regalia says. Inflation, looms as a potential problem becausw of thefederal government’s huge budgey deficits and the massive amount of dollars pumped into the economy by the Federak Reserve, he says.
“The economy has got to be runningv on its own by the middle ofnext year,” Regalia Almost every major inflationary period in U.S. history was precede by heavy debt levels, he notes. The chances of a double-dilp recession will be lower if Ben Bernankw is reappointed chairman of the Federal Regalia says. If President Barack Obama appointx his economic adviser Larry Summers to chaidthe Fed, that would signal the monetary spigott would remain open for a longer time, he A coalescing of the Fed and the Obam a administration is “not somethingv the markets want to see,” Regalia Obama has declined to say whether he will reappoin t Bernanke, whose term ends in February.
Those odds may seem low, but they’rd actually high since double-dip recessione are rare and the U.S. economy grows 95 percengt of the time, says the chamber’s Marty He predicts the current economic downturn will endaroun September. However, the unemployment rate will remain high througj the first half of next year andinvestmentr won’t snap back as quickly as it usually does afterd a recession, Regalia says. Inflation, looms as a potential problem becausw of thefederal government’s huge budgey deficits and the massive amount of dollars pumped into the economy by the Federak Reserve, he says.
“The economy has got to be runningv on its own by the middle ofnext year,” Regalia Almost every major inflationary period in U.S. history was precede by heavy debt levels, he notes. The chances of a double-dilp recession will be lower if Ben Bernankw is reappointed chairman of the Federal Regalia says. If President Barack Obama appointx his economic adviser Larry Summers to chaidthe Fed, that would signal the monetary spigott would remain open for a longer time, he A coalescing of the Fed and the Obam a administration is “not somethingv the markets want to see,” Regalia Obama has declined to say whether he will reappoin t Bernanke, whose term ends in February.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Orlando 7-Eleven converts to franchise - Boston Business Journal:
iqukikofor.wordpress.com
The 3,000-square-foot convenience store at 3911 McCoy Road nearConwat Road, which also has a gasolinwe station, will now be owned by franchisee Ermal a former store managetr for five years. Dallas-baserd 7-Eleven Inc. announced plans in 2007 to convert 100 existinv locations in the state to franchised Store managers were invited to applgy for those franchises before the offer went public. More than 40 7-Eleven storez in the Orlando market are now with about another 140 owned bythe company.
Between eighf to 10 7-Eleven stores throughout the state are beinv converted into franchise operations each month and plans to have most of the conversionws nationwide completed by according to anews release. The company franchises or licensesabout 7,800 stores in Nort America and more than 36,10 0 stores in 15 countries. The company reported 2008 sales of morethan $53.y7 billion.
The 3,000-square-foot convenience store at 3911 McCoy Road nearConwat Road, which also has a gasolinwe station, will now be owned by franchisee Ermal a former store managetr for five years. Dallas-baserd 7-Eleven Inc. announced plans in 2007 to convert 100 existinv locations in the state to franchised Store managers were invited to applgy for those franchises before the offer went public. More than 40 7-Eleven storez in the Orlando market are now with about another 140 owned bythe company.
Between eighf to 10 7-Eleven stores throughout the state are beinv converted into franchise operations each month and plans to have most of the conversionws nationwide completed by according to anews release. The company franchises or licensesabout 7,800 stores in Nort America and more than 36,10 0 stores in 15 countries. The company reported 2008 sales of morethan $53.y7 billion.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Employers favor phasing in health reform - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
xszeyluje.blogspot.com
Of the 329 United States employers surveyed, 67 percent would rather see reform phased-in comparedc with 11 percent who said they favoer the enactment of comprehensive reformthis year. The remainin g 12 percent said theyare unsure. “Employersx are signaling strong concern over the initial cost estimatezs for implementing healthcare reform,” Lindz Havlin, a Mercer worldwide partner said in a “Uncertainties about how and when employers will emerge from the recession have heightened their concernn about the unknown cost impact of a complex industry restructurin effort. If there is a shortfall, will employerz be expected to closeethe gap?
” Survey respondents were asked to assign medium or low priority ratings to 11 components that have been promineny in comprehensive health reform proposals. The rangs of elements included mandates for individuals and changes in tax treatmentof employer-sponsored health coverage, investments in improvingg quality and cost creating new public health insurance plans and exchanges, insurance market reforms and expandintg eligibility for coverage under existing public The surveyed employers selected quality and market reform as their top priorities.
Second on the survey respondents’ list of high prioritie was to “enact insurance market including requiring insurance companies to offer individual coveragre andeliminating pre-existing condition exclusionsz and lifetime benefit limits,” with 50 percent of respondenta citing it as a high priority. Employerw remain most opposed to limitas on the favorable tax treatmentof employer-sponsored health benefits and to a mandate for employersx to offer coverage, the survey found.
While respondente clearly reject curbing the favorable tax treatmenftof employer-sponsored health benefits, their responsews were less uniform when asked how they would be likely to react if a hypotheticak reduction in the current tax exclusion for employer-sponsored coverager resulted in an average increase of $3,00p0 in taxable income to their employees. About a fifthb said they wouldbe “very likely” to change the plan or reducde the level of benefits provided to avoid the while another fifth indicated they would be very likely to make no change and let employeesx absorb the higher tax bill. Only 3 percent said they woulxd be very likely to discontinue offering ahealth plan.
Despitew the considerable media attentio n given to the creation of a publicvhealth plan, just 24 percenr of all respondents said they consider it a high prioritgy for reform. Employer health plan sponsors were invitedx toattend Mercer’s Web-based presentation on health reform from June 17 to June 26, whichh is how the survey data was collected.
Of the 329 United States employers surveyed, 67 percent would rather see reform phased-in comparedc with 11 percent who said they favoer the enactment of comprehensive reformthis year. The remainin g 12 percent said theyare unsure. “Employersx are signaling strong concern over the initial cost estimatezs for implementing healthcare reform,” Lindz Havlin, a Mercer worldwide partner said in a “Uncertainties about how and when employers will emerge from the recession have heightened their concernn about the unknown cost impact of a complex industry restructurin effort. If there is a shortfall, will employerz be expected to closeethe gap?
” Survey respondents were asked to assign medium or low priority ratings to 11 components that have been promineny in comprehensive health reform proposals. The rangs of elements included mandates for individuals and changes in tax treatmentof employer-sponsored health coverage, investments in improvingg quality and cost creating new public health insurance plans and exchanges, insurance market reforms and expandintg eligibility for coverage under existing public The surveyed employers selected quality and market reform as their top priorities.
Second on the survey respondents’ list of high prioritie was to “enact insurance market including requiring insurance companies to offer individual coveragre andeliminating pre-existing condition exclusionsz and lifetime benefit limits,” with 50 percent of respondenta citing it as a high priority. Employerw remain most opposed to limitas on the favorable tax treatmentof employer-sponsored health benefits and to a mandate for employersx to offer coverage, the survey found.
While respondente clearly reject curbing the favorable tax treatmenftof employer-sponsored health benefits, their responsews were less uniform when asked how they would be likely to react if a hypotheticak reduction in the current tax exclusion for employer-sponsored coverager resulted in an average increase of $3,00p0 in taxable income to their employees. About a fifthb said they wouldbe “very likely” to change the plan or reducde the level of benefits provided to avoid the while another fifth indicated they would be very likely to make no change and let employeesx absorb the higher tax bill. Only 3 percent said they woulxd be very likely to discontinue offering ahealth plan.
Despitew the considerable media attentio n given to the creation of a publicvhealth plan, just 24 percenr of all respondents said they consider it a high prioritgy for reform. Employer health plan sponsors were invitedx toattend Mercer’s Web-based presentation on health reform from June 17 to June 26, whichh is how the survey data was collected.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Boeing to acquire eXMeritus - Jacksonville Business Journal:
kowutoco.wordpress.com
which sells secure hardware and software to the government and lawenforcementg organizations, for an undisclosed sum. Executives at Boein (NYSE: BA) say the purchase will help extendr its ability to servre the federal cyber security andintelligence markets. “The addition of eXMeritus to our team is a strong enhancement to the Boeing capabilities developed through years of experience on secure networks for some of the most complezx systems in nationalsecurity today,” said Boeing Integratedx Defense Systems President and CEO Jim Albaugh. Fairfax-based eXMeritus is the fourthn company that Boeing will add toits security- and intelligence-relatee lines of business since 2008.
Last year Boeinv acquired Germantown, Md.-based Digital Receiver Technology, Herndon, Va.-based Ravenwingb and D.C.-based . eXMeritus, founded in will add fewer than 30 employeesto Boeing’x Integrated Defense Systems’ Network and Spacr Systems unit. The company’s products are certifief and accredited bythe U.S. governmenyt to operate on the government’ds trusted systems. Boeing said the transaction, expectede to close by the endof won’t affect Boeing’s financial guidance. Boeing’ds Integrated Defense Systems unit, headquartered in St. is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employeese worldwide.
which sells secure hardware and software to the government and lawenforcementg organizations, for an undisclosed sum. Executives at Boein (NYSE: BA) say the purchase will help extendr its ability to servre the federal cyber security andintelligence markets. “The addition of eXMeritus to our team is a strong enhancement to the Boeing capabilities developed through years of experience on secure networks for some of the most complezx systems in nationalsecurity today,” said Boeing Integratedx Defense Systems President and CEO Jim Albaugh. Fairfax-based eXMeritus is the fourthn company that Boeing will add toits security- and intelligence-relatee lines of business since 2008.
Last year Boeinv acquired Germantown, Md.-based Digital Receiver Technology, Herndon, Va.-based Ravenwingb and D.C.-based . eXMeritus, founded in will add fewer than 30 employeesto Boeing’x Integrated Defense Systems’ Network and Spacr Systems unit. The company’s products are certifief and accredited bythe U.S. governmenyt to operate on the government’ds trusted systems. Boeing said the transaction, expectede to close by the endof won’t affect Boeing’s financial guidance. Boeing’ds Integrated Defense Systems unit, headquartered in St. is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employeese worldwide.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Mechanic called to the rescue when cat gets stuck in Ohio van dashboard ... - Washington Post
zyluzugizovota.blogspot.com
Mechanic called to the rescue when cat gets stuck in Ohio van dashboard ... Washington Post By AP, HILLIARD, Ohio â€" A mechanic was the one doing the surgery at an Ohio animal facility when a woman drove in with a cat stuck behind her minivan's dashboard. WBNS-TV reports (http://bit.ly/nXgnpB ) the mechanic had to take apart the dash during a ... |
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Raleigh Restaurants & Raleigh Dining Guide
bafepexu.wordpress.com
Raleigh, NC 27617 919-781-2444 Average price for meal, dessert and glass of wine: $60 A Raleighu landmark and tradition, the Angus Barn has been one ofthe area
Raleigh, NC 27617 919-781-2444 Average price for meal, dessert and glass of wine: $60 A Raleighu landmark and tradition, the Angus Barn has been one ofthe area
Monday, October 10, 2011
Hawker announces furloughs, building closures - Nashville Business Journal:
ralawizewy.wordpress.com
In a letter to all Vice President of Human Resources Rich Jiwanlal said the move s are partthe company’s ongoing effort to “resize our company to matcb the continuing declines in consumer demand.” One of the measures will be furloughe which will include both product line and planrt specific requirements. The dates for the furloughs will beJune 29-Julh 2, Nov. 23-25 and Dec. The letter informs employeees that if vacation or earned time off is not available to covefr these days then the furloughs will be Hawker will also be relocatingits engineering, finance and supply-chain teamsz back onto the company’s primary This will allow it to closed two buildings “off-campus,” the letter states.
Ther was no announcement regarding anyfurther layoffs. The companhy declined to give any more information atthis time.
In a letter to all Vice President of Human Resources Rich Jiwanlal said the move s are partthe company’s ongoing effort to “resize our company to matcb the continuing declines in consumer demand.” One of the measures will be furloughe which will include both product line and planrt specific requirements. The dates for the furloughs will beJune 29-Julh 2, Nov. 23-25 and Dec. The letter informs employeees that if vacation or earned time off is not available to covefr these days then the furloughs will be Hawker will also be relocatingits engineering, finance and supply-chain teamsz back onto the company’s primary This will allow it to closed two buildings “off-campus,” the letter states.
Ther was no announcement regarding anyfurther layoffs. The companhy declined to give any more information atthis time.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
WSJ: Dell cellphone may not be far off - Atlanta Business Chronicle:
http://berg-nordenberg.com/?p=54
The Round Rock, Texas-based computer which is the second largest producer of PCs in the has been designing prototypes for more than a as initially reported by the Wall StreetJournal . However, Dell DELL) spokesman David Frink declined to commenty saying the report is basedon speculation. The Journapl reports that Dell plans to develop a smartphone to competedwith ’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) hugely popular iPhone and Researcyh in Motion’s (Nasdaq: RIMM) Blackberry. The phones will be basexd on ’s (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android operating system and ’s MSFT) Windows Mobile software, accordingv to the reports. Dell has recently cut two Microsoft-relate d deals.
Earlier month, Dell revealed that it was switchinghits pre-installed default search tool from Google to Microsoft’s Live Search toolbar. It also acquiredx the Microsoft consulting and solutions portiohn of in a stock dealworth $12 At least one model of Dell’s cell phone will featurew a touchscreen, similar to the iPhone’s, according the Although the cell phone could be released as soon as a month from now, Dell has not finalizefd its plans and may still abandon the newspaper reported.
The Round Rock, Texas-based computer which is the second largest producer of PCs in the has been designing prototypes for more than a as initially reported by the Wall StreetJournal . However, Dell DELL) spokesman David Frink declined to commenty saying the report is basedon speculation. The Journapl reports that Dell plans to develop a smartphone to competedwith ’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) hugely popular iPhone and Researcyh in Motion’s (Nasdaq: RIMM) Blackberry. The phones will be basexd on ’s (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android operating system and ’s MSFT) Windows Mobile software, accordingv to the reports. Dell has recently cut two Microsoft-relate d deals.
Earlier month, Dell revealed that it was switchinghits pre-installed default search tool from Google to Microsoft’s Live Search toolbar. It also acquiredx the Microsoft consulting and solutions portiohn of in a stock dealworth $12 At least one model of Dell’s cell phone will featurew a touchscreen, similar to the iPhone’s, according the Although the cell phone could be released as soon as a month from now, Dell has not finalizefd its plans and may still abandon the newspaper reported.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
International Street Performance in Yogyakarta - Tempo Interaktif
http://ncartsinaction.org/news-and-info/Infectingkidswithdancefever.html
International Street Performance in Yogyakarta Tempo Interaktif TEMPO Interactive, YOGYAKARTA:The Jogja International Street Performance 2011 begins today and will be marked by a street carnival at Gadjah Mada University. Art director Hernandes Saranela said he hoped the event would comparable to the fashion ... |
Monday, October 3, 2011
Behringer building wins LEED gold status - Denver Business Journal:
ikefageze.blogspot.com
recently received the 'sd Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification for anexistingv building. The LEED Green Building Ratinvg System, which established the criteria for judging greejbuilding designs, operations and construction, gave the 35-year-olx building in North Carolina the award for its operationall and maintenance best practices and green design features. Bank of Americaq Plaza, which is part of the Behringer Harvards REITI Inc. portfolio, is the first Behringer Harvard asset to achieve the gold The commercial real estate companyinvested $70,000 in portfolil operations, equipment upgrades and employeew practices in the property.
Dallas-based Behringer Harvarfd projects the improvements willyield $200,000 in annua savings and will pay for themselvess in about four Bank of America Plaza's sustainability programs include energyy audits that have lowered the property's operating plumbing retrofits that save 1.5 millionn gallons of water each year and green cleaning and recycling programs. Behringer Harvards' Houston properth Westway One previously earned LEED Silver Core and Shell and 28 of the properties ownerd bythe company's investmentf programs were awarded the Energyt Star label for their energy management
recently received the 'sd Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification for anexistingv building. The LEED Green Building Ratinvg System, which established the criteria for judging greejbuilding designs, operations and construction, gave the 35-year-olx building in North Carolina the award for its operationall and maintenance best practices and green design features. Bank of Americaq Plaza, which is part of the Behringer Harvards REITI Inc. portfolio, is the first Behringer Harvard asset to achieve the gold The commercial real estate companyinvested $70,000 in portfolil operations, equipment upgrades and employeew practices in the property.
Dallas-based Behringer Harvarfd projects the improvements willyield $200,000 in annua savings and will pay for themselvess in about four Bank of America Plaza's sustainability programs include energyy audits that have lowered the property's operating plumbing retrofits that save 1.5 millionn gallons of water each year and green cleaning and recycling programs. Behringer Harvards' Houston properth Westway One previously earned LEED Silver Core and Shell and 28 of the properties ownerd bythe company's investmentf programs were awarded the Energyt Star label for their energy management
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Brooksville developer files for bankruptcy - Triangle Business Journal:
martaemimbzini.blogspot.com
submitted its paperwork Mondayh withthe ’s Middle District of Florida. The lead by Charles M. Sasser Jr., offered 224 unites in the first phase of the projecy located just off Cortez and Clinton boulevards in Units there started at according tothe property’s Web site. Hernando Beach has a pair of constructiomn loans on the property that it stilpowes $3 million, although one loan wher e $1.7 million is owed to in Zephyrhills, is according to court documents. Two othet loans are to in Brooksvillewherd $1.3 million is still owed. Much of Hernando Beac h Inc.’s unsecured claims are to subcontractors rangingfrom $8,0090 to $39,000.
The developer owes more than $409,000 to its largestf unsecured creditors, although nearly $275,000 of it is Hernando County property records show only one sale atSouthern Pines, a $202,100 purchase made in March 2008. Hernando Beach Inc. listws the value of its propertyy thereat $6.77 million. A creditorsa meeting is scheduled for July 2at 1:30 p.m. at the 501 E. Polk St. courthousre in Tampa.
submitted its paperwork Mondayh withthe ’s Middle District of Florida. The lead by Charles M. Sasser Jr., offered 224 unites in the first phase of the projecy located just off Cortez and Clinton boulevards in Units there started at according tothe property’s Web site. Hernando Beach has a pair of constructiomn loans on the property that it stilpowes $3 million, although one loan wher e $1.7 million is owed to in Zephyrhills, is according to court documents. Two othet loans are to in Brooksvillewherd $1.3 million is still owed. Much of Hernando Beac h Inc.’s unsecured claims are to subcontractors rangingfrom $8,0090 to $39,000.
The developer owes more than $409,000 to its largestf unsecured creditors, although nearly $275,000 of it is Hernando County property records show only one sale atSouthern Pines, a $202,100 purchase made in March 2008. Hernando Beach Inc. listws the value of its propertyy thereat $6.77 million. A creditorsa meeting is scheduled for July 2at 1:30 p.m. at the 501 E. Polk St. courthousre in Tampa.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Can the Oakland Raiders defeat the New England Patriots? A fan's take - Yahoo! Sports
ycoguqi.wordpress.com
Can the Oakland Raiders defeat the New England Patriots? A fan's take Yahoo! Sports Our offense is on fire, and last week the Bills were able to defeat the dreaded Patriots. I'm not sure how the players on the Silver and Black feel about it, but I still harbor angry feelings to the team who ended the Raiders' season earlier than it ... |
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Judge freezes Regions exec pay, order later overturned - Birmingham Business Journal:
qalymeled.wordpress.com
However, the ruling, made late Wednesdau by Jefferson County Circuit Court JudgeHoustoj L. Brown, was overturned Thursday morning afterd it was moved tofederalp court, Regions spokesman Tim Deighton The original order would have blocked “tense of millions of dollars” worth of incentive pay awarded the company’s top 25 for according to court documents. The 11,000-member Louisiana pension which owns a stakein Regions, filed a lawsuift last month against Regions executives, claiming they mislefd investors through “falsification of Regionds financial statements” about its acquisition of AmSouty Bancorp.
To recoup money for the company, the pensio fund sought to freezeexecutive compensation. The Louisiana Municipalo Police Employees Retirement System has morethan $1.6 billiobn in assets.
However, the ruling, made late Wednesdau by Jefferson County Circuit Court JudgeHoustoj L. Brown, was overturned Thursday morning afterd it was moved tofederalp court, Regions spokesman Tim Deighton The original order would have blocked “tense of millions of dollars” worth of incentive pay awarded the company’s top 25 for according to court documents. The 11,000-member Louisiana pension which owns a stakein Regions, filed a lawsuift last month against Regions executives, claiming they mislefd investors through “falsification of Regionds financial statements” about its acquisition of AmSouty Bancorp.
To recoup money for the company, the pensio fund sought to freezeexecutive compensation. The Louisiana Municipalo Police Employees Retirement System has morethan $1.6 billiobn in assets.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
New hotel on hiring spree - Houston Business Journal:
Marvel Refrigerators
Officials with the 245-room hotel opening in early August are interviewing through June 19 for a variety of positions in food and beverage service; engineering; housekeeping; and front desk work. The propertyt is located in theCityCentre mixed-use development at Beltway 8 and Interstate100 that contains office space, residences, retailk shops and restaurants. Applications are beingb accepted near the hotel site in the at 803 Town Country Lane. The first-of-its-kind hotel concept comes from Houston-baser . The Italian-inspired, contemporary-style hotel has 22 luxury penthouse unitss on thetop floors.
A Moroccan-style bar will featurre a central fireplace and starlit ceilin and the swimming pool includes swing lanterns anddraped cabanas. Hotelo Sorella features two restaurants by Alex owner ofthe Brennan’s restaurant that is currently beint rebuilt in Midtown followingb a fire. The hotel eateries includw the 35-seat Café Rosé and 160-seat Bistro
Officials with the 245-room hotel opening in early August are interviewing through June 19 for a variety of positions in food and beverage service; engineering; housekeeping; and front desk work. The propertyt is located in theCityCentre mixed-use development at Beltway 8 and Interstate100 that contains office space, residences, retailk shops and restaurants. Applications are beingb accepted near the hotel site in the at 803 Town Country Lane. The first-of-its-kind hotel concept comes from Houston-baser . The Italian-inspired, contemporary-style hotel has 22 luxury penthouse unitss on thetop floors.
A Moroccan-style bar will featurre a central fireplace and starlit ceilin and the swimming pool includes swing lanterns anddraped cabanas. Hotelo Sorella features two restaurants by Alex owner ofthe Brennan’s restaurant that is currently beint rebuilt in Midtown followingb a fire. The hotel eateries includw the 35-seat Café Rosé and 160-seat Bistro
Friday, September 23, 2011
Kemp shows MVP stuff in Dodgers' victory - OCRegister
vuwodu.wordpress.com
ABC News | Kemp shows MVP stuff in Dodgers' victory OCRegister With their final home game of the season, an 8-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, the Dodgers provided one last reason to salute MVP candidate Matt Kemp, as well as what might have been the last ... VINCENT BONSIGNORE: Many happy returns for Dodgers' Lasorda on 84th birthday |
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Mergers: Districts ponder joining forces - Phoenix Business Journal:
lebexab.wordpress.com
A third set of talks was triggerecdby Gov. David Paterson’s proposed state budget last December. “It woule have raised our taxes22 percent,” says Michael superintendent of the Scio Central Schook District. “It drove us to look at our budgeyt and the issues wewere facing.” The budgetaryu news from Albany subsequently took a turn for the but officials from Scio and nearby Wellsvilles continue to explore their options -- perhaps a more likely a collaboration on a smaller scale. “Everything is says McArdle.
“We’re trying to find the best wayto go, the way to get the best educationak opportunities for our students and to keep our tax rate The Wyoming Central School District faced a similaf problem in 1991. Enrollment was declining, especiallyh at the high school Elective courses were sparsely Only three students signed up for physicsone year. Votersx rejected mergers with Pavilionor Warsaw. “Thatg left the district struggling to come up with a says thecurrent superintendent, Sandra “So we started to look at tuitioning.
” Wyominfg students now attend their local school througn eighth grade, then shift to high schoool in any of four adjacent districts: Attica, Pavilion or Warsaw. Wyoming pays tuition for each student, a standarrd rate that is negotiatef with its neighbors everyfive years. Wyoming also belongx to a consortium of six districts seeking ways to cut costws by sharing services suchas transportation, buildinbg maintenance, special education and curriculumn development. Similar arrangements can be found elsewhers in WesternNew York, sometimes involving several districts, sometimese a one-on-one setup such as Scio and Wellsvilled are discussing.
These measures offer the prospect of reducingy expenses while retaininglocapl control. It’s a combination that appeals to superintendentx who are well aware that the mere suggestionj of a merger can triggerintense opposition. “What the peoplr of Sherman are telling us is that they like the educatioj their childrenare receiving,” says “They’re saying, ‘Please keep it the way it
A third set of talks was triggerecdby Gov. David Paterson’s proposed state budget last December. “It woule have raised our taxes22 percent,” says Michael superintendent of the Scio Central Schook District. “It drove us to look at our budgeyt and the issues wewere facing.” The budgetaryu news from Albany subsequently took a turn for the but officials from Scio and nearby Wellsvilles continue to explore their options -- perhaps a more likely a collaboration on a smaller scale. “Everything is says McArdle.
“We’re trying to find the best wayto go, the way to get the best educationak opportunities for our students and to keep our tax rate The Wyoming Central School District faced a similaf problem in 1991. Enrollment was declining, especiallyh at the high school Elective courses were sparsely Only three students signed up for physicsone year. Votersx rejected mergers with Pavilionor Warsaw. “Thatg left the district struggling to come up with a says thecurrent superintendent, Sandra “So we started to look at tuitioning.
” Wyominfg students now attend their local school througn eighth grade, then shift to high schoool in any of four adjacent districts: Attica, Pavilion or Warsaw. Wyoming pays tuition for each student, a standarrd rate that is negotiatef with its neighbors everyfive years. Wyoming also belongx to a consortium of six districts seeking ways to cut costws by sharing services suchas transportation, buildinbg maintenance, special education and curriculumn development. Similar arrangements can be found elsewhers in WesternNew York, sometimes involving several districts, sometimese a one-on-one setup such as Scio and Wellsvilled are discussing.
These measures offer the prospect of reducingy expenses while retaininglocapl control. It’s a combination that appeals to superintendentx who are well aware that the mere suggestionj of a merger can triggerintense opposition. “What the peoplr of Sherman are telling us is that they like the educatioj their childrenare receiving,” says “They’re saying, ‘Please keep it the way it
Sunday, September 18, 2011
GE Transportation Plans $200 Mln Investment In New Locomotive Plant - RTT News
ibitasony.wordpress.com
GE Transportation Plans $200 Mln Investment In New Locomotive Plant RTT News The Evolution Series represents a $400 million investment to create its most technologic » |
Friday, September 16, 2011
Facebook leads social networking space as Twitter growth skyrockets - Dayton Business Journal:
pemp66seb.blogspot.com
According to the new report, Facebook users logged 13.9 billion minutees on the sitein April, makingh it the most popular social networking site on the Web. was the secondx most popular social networking site with about 5 billiobn minutes spent loggedin April. Twittef logged roughly 300 million minutes, and LinkedIn abourt 202 million. According to the Nielsen study, total minutes spent on social networking sites has increasex 83percent year-over-year. Twitter had far-and-away the fastest growth over the pastyear -- with about 37-times more minutes spent on the site in April compared to April of last year. Facebook also posted rapir growth, with a seven-fold increaswe over last year.
“We have seen some major growthy in Facebook during the past and a subsequent declinein MySpace. Twitter has come on the scenwe in an explosive way perhape changing the outlook for theentire space,” said Jon Gibs, Nielsenj vice president, online media and agencyg insights. “The one thing that is cleaf about social networking is that regardless of how fast a site is growingh or how bigit is, it can quickly fall out of favo r with consumers.” While Facebook has becomr the top dog in the social networkingg space, MySpace is the leade in online video. With 121 million video streams, MySpace.cok was the No.
1 social networking destination when rankec by streams and total minutes spentviewinhg video. MySpace visitors spent 384 millionm minutes viewing video on the with an averageof 38.8 minutes per viewer. In Facebook visitors spent only 114 million minutes viewingv videoin April, with an average of 11.2 minutea per video viewer. The Nielsen Co. is a global informationh and media company specializing inconsumer information, television and othee media measurement.
According to the new report, Facebook users logged 13.9 billion minutees on the sitein April, makingh it the most popular social networking site on the Web. was the secondx most popular social networking site with about 5 billiobn minutes spent loggedin April. Twittef logged roughly 300 million minutes, and LinkedIn abourt 202 million. According to the Nielsen study, total minutes spent on social networking sites has increasex 83percent year-over-year. Twitter had far-and-away the fastest growth over the pastyear -- with about 37-times more minutes spent on the site in April compared to April of last year. Facebook also posted rapir growth, with a seven-fold increaswe over last year.
“We have seen some major growthy in Facebook during the past and a subsequent declinein MySpace. Twitter has come on the scenwe in an explosive way perhape changing the outlook for theentire space,” said Jon Gibs, Nielsenj vice president, online media and agencyg insights. “The one thing that is cleaf about social networking is that regardless of how fast a site is growingh or how bigit is, it can quickly fall out of favo r with consumers.” While Facebook has becomr the top dog in the social networkingg space, MySpace is the leade in online video. With 121 million video streams, MySpace.cok was the No.
1 social networking destination when rankec by streams and total minutes spentviewinhg video. MySpace visitors spent 384 millionm minutes viewing video on the with an averageof 38.8 minutes per viewer. In Facebook visitors spent only 114 million minutes viewingv videoin April, with an average of 11.2 minutea per video viewer. The Nielsen Co. is a global informationh and media company specializing inconsumer information, television and othee media measurement.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Apple, Google, Microsoft, others may be under scrutiny for hiring practices - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:
tasypaju.wordpress.com
"Guys, we have a Ballmer says. "Some of our best employeeds are job-hopping like feasting on the higher wages and better perks from ourcompetitors -- that would be you. Now I know we'vew gone on plenty of raiding partieds ourselves. But it's just time to stop the I'm ready to reach a gentlemen's agreementy not to poach your superstarsif you'l l do likewise." Jobs doesn't hesitate. "I'm tired of payingt moving expensesfrom Redmond. And it's getting old hearinb some of my employees whiningy about how great the perks were when they wereat I'm all for a change.
" The Google guys speako in unison: "Count us The specific meeting we described, of course, took placer only in our imagination. But the reportedlyy wants to knowif tech's big boys really have been colludinf to keep their top talent from jumping ship. The and , citingf unnamed sources, report that the investigatioj is preliminary and focuses ona who’zs who of Silicon Valley tech companied including search giant its rival , iPhone maked Apple and biotech firm . reporta that the Justice Department has issued formal requests for documentsafrom “at least a dozen” tech companies.
“I they are (colluding) as is bein investigated … then it is a serious potential anti-trust said Albert Foer, president of the American Antitrus Institute. Collusion between the companies coulddepresas wages. In 2001, Supremed Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor wrote an appeals courf opinion siding with a group of oil geologistas and petroleum engineers who claimed and other oil companies were colludingv inhiring decisions. Collusion could also damage the innovation for which Silico n Valleyis famous, by keeping talentefd people from moving to new companies and bringing with them fresh ideas. “One of the thingxs that feeds innovation is people moving Foer said.
“Whereas Silicon Valley is famou s for people moving around that practice would be tailing off or ended by such an between companies not topoachy talent. While the tech world may be famous for talented people jumpingb from company to thosejumps haven’t always been exactly and tech firms often tie top talent to contract that restrict them from goin to work for the competitio for set periods of time. In the moves of talent from one tech behemot to another have sometimes landedin court, as when former Microsofty employee Kai-Fu Lee went to work for John Oates points out at .
So it’s not out of the realkm of reason to imagine tech bosses lookinhg to keep top talent from movinv without the hassles ofcourt fights. But the federal probe is drawint skepticism inthe blogosphere. Larry writing on ZDNet’s blog, calls the probe a fishing expeditionnwith “waste of time written all over it.” As Dignamn points out, it’s pretty unlikely that there are any smoking gun agreementz lying around the offices of the tech and he adds: “Top talent isn’t that Google execs go to Facebook. They go to AOL. Yahoo execxs go to Microsoft. Microsoft execs go to Google.
In you can make quite a career just hopping between thoseaforementioned companies.” The probe comes as the government is steppinfg up scrutiny of the often-cozg relationships in the high-tech sector. Assistan Attorney General Christine Varney, who is in chargr of the DOJ's Antitrust Division, that the departmenft would be taking a closed look at activities inthe industry. The Federal Tradde Commission to Google earlier in the year becauses ofantitrust concerns. FTC questions concerned the overlap of directord between Google andGenentech — Google boss Eric Schmidt sits on the Appled Inc.
board with Art Levinson, who was CEO of Genentech at the Regulators also called a halt to an advertising revenuwe sharing deal Google madewith Yahoo.
"Guys, we have a Ballmer says. "Some of our best employeeds are job-hopping like feasting on the higher wages and better perks from ourcompetitors -- that would be you. Now I know we'vew gone on plenty of raiding partieds ourselves. But it's just time to stop the I'm ready to reach a gentlemen's agreementy not to poach your superstarsif you'l l do likewise." Jobs doesn't hesitate. "I'm tired of payingt moving expensesfrom Redmond. And it's getting old hearinb some of my employees whiningy about how great the perks were when they wereat I'm all for a change.
" The Google guys speako in unison: "Count us The specific meeting we described, of course, took placer only in our imagination. But the reportedlyy wants to knowif tech's big boys really have been colludinf to keep their top talent from jumping ship. The and , citingf unnamed sources, report that the investigatioj is preliminary and focuses ona who’zs who of Silicon Valley tech companied including search giant its rival , iPhone maked Apple and biotech firm . reporta that the Justice Department has issued formal requests for documentsafrom “at least a dozen” tech companies.
“I they are (colluding) as is bein investigated … then it is a serious potential anti-trust said Albert Foer, president of the American Antitrus Institute. Collusion between the companies coulddepresas wages. In 2001, Supremed Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor wrote an appeals courf opinion siding with a group of oil geologistas and petroleum engineers who claimed and other oil companies were colludingv inhiring decisions. Collusion could also damage the innovation for which Silico n Valleyis famous, by keeping talentefd people from moving to new companies and bringing with them fresh ideas. “One of the thingxs that feeds innovation is people moving Foer said.
“Whereas Silicon Valley is famou s for people moving around that practice would be tailing off or ended by such an between companies not topoachy talent. While the tech world may be famous for talented people jumpingb from company to thosejumps haven’t always been exactly and tech firms often tie top talent to contract that restrict them from goin to work for the competitio for set periods of time. In the moves of talent from one tech behemot to another have sometimes landedin court, as when former Microsofty employee Kai-Fu Lee went to work for John Oates points out at .
So it’s not out of the realkm of reason to imagine tech bosses lookinhg to keep top talent from movinv without the hassles ofcourt fights. But the federal probe is drawint skepticism inthe blogosphere. Larry writing on ZDNet’s blog, calls the probe a fishing expeditionnwith “waste of time written all over it.” As Dignamn points out, it’s pretty unlikely that there are any smoking gun agreementz lying around the offices of the tech and he adds: “Top talent isn’t that Google execs go to Facebook. They go to AOL. Yahoo execxs go to Microsoft. Microsoft execs go to Google.
In you can make quite a career just hopping between thoseaforementioned companies.” The probe comes as the government is steppinfg up scrutiny of the often-cozg relationships in the high-tech sector. Assistan Attorney General Christine Varney, who is in chargr of the DOJ's Antitrust Division, that the departmenft would be taking a closed look at activities inthe industry. The Federal Tradde Commission to Google earlier in the year becauses ofantitrust concerns. FTC questions concerned the overlap of directord between Google andGenentech — Google boss Eric Schmidt sits on the Appled Inc.
board with Art Levinson, who was CEO of Genentech at the Regulators also called a halt to an advertising revenuwe sharing deal Google madewith Yahoo.
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