Friday, November 30, 2012
Change costly for E. Boston Savings - Boston Business Journal:
million for themselves and theidr beneficiaries. The bank’s holdingb company, Inc., reported a $1.1 milliob net loss in the first quarter, largelgy because of pay and benefits relatedx to the retirement of Chief Financialp Officer Leonard Siuda and Philip Freehan, chief lending officer. Leading the change is Chieff ExecutiveRichard Gavegnano, an East Bostomn kid who still rememberzs how airplane racket rattled his family’s triplee decker near Neptune Road. Gavegnano made some nois e of his own last June when he took over the CEO role from longtimr East Boston Savings Bank leaderRobert Verdonck.
Verdoncmk had spent more than 20 years at the overseeing steady growth as assets climbedr fivefold to morethan $1 billion. Verdoncl and Gavegnano clashed overthe bank’se strategy, but Gavegnano’s clout with the boarde carried the day. Verdonck retired with severance and pension benefitesworth $3.1 million, the bank has disclosed with What’s not in dispute is the mountaib of capital at East Boston Savings An initial public offering of a minority staked in Meridian (Nasdaq: EBSB) last year raised abouft $100 million. The timing of the January 2008IPO couldn’t have been betteer as it occurred several months beforer chaos erupted within the U.S. banking system.
“We make no secrey about how high ourcapital is,” Gavegnanol said. “That’s helped us attract depositxs because people have a high degree of confidence in the soundnesds ofour institution.” Deposits rose 8 percen t to $859.3 million in the first quarter and net loans rose 5 percenyt to $738 million. And the bank’s total risk-based capital ratio, whichh measures its ability toabsorb losses, has been more than 15 The minimum ratio for a well-capitalizec bank in the eyes of regulators is 10 Meanwhile, Gavegnano said the bank’s pipeline for new loans is healthy.
He said there’s demanfd because some customers want to build relationships with communituy banks while large commercial lenders experience largwcredit losses. The East Bosto bank, however, set aside only $546,000 in the first quarterf for anticipatedloan losses, surprising bankinv analyst Damon DelMonte. The analyst said he was expectinb a provisionof $1.5 million aftet the bank set aside $2.9 million in the fourth The bank’s loan portfolio has deteriorated some over the past but it remains healthy. “As of now, I feel very Gavegnano said. “But fast-forward three you don’t know what’s out It’s like a minefield.
But I have a very high degreew of comfort with where we are For example, nonperforming assets were 1.61 percentt of total assets at the end of compared with 1.58 percent at the end of 2008. In a rougjh economic environment, anything under 2 percent is considered Gavegnano said part ofthe bank’s strategy is to gravitatwe back toward Boston’s core. He wante most of the bank’ws activity to happen within a 15-mild radius of the city. He said the bank has plan s to open two new branches by the end of the He declined to identify the new possible but said plans are on thedrawinyg board.
Overseeing daily operationws will be Deborah Jackson asthe bank’s new president and chiev operating officer. She formerly worked as CFO for . The retiremengt of bank veteran Freehan means another East Bostobn SavingsBank veteran, John Migliozzi, will be in charge of residential and commercial lending. And the most recent departure is that of CFOLeonarsd Siuda. Gavegnano said he’s looking at internao and external candidates to replace Jackson will serve asinterim CFO, he In a recent proxy the bank said payments to Freehan and his beneficiariesw will total $2.6 The amount includes $1.
32 million from a supplementao retirement plan for executives and two life insurance policies that provide death benefitx equal to $1.1 million, accordintg to the bank’s proxy. Payments to Siudsa will total about $2.5 including $1.28 million from the supplementa retirement plan and 24 montha of salary worth theproxy said.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
LandMar files for bankruptcy - Charlotte Business Journal:
The Jacksonville-based residential development company was amontg 125 affiliates that filed alonfg with itsparent company, Charlotte-baserd , in the Western District of Texas. Crescent’s estimated liabilitiees are morethan $1 billion, according to the and its largest debt, at $13.65 million, is to Bank of America. The filintg was necessary, according to a statement on Crescent’s Web for the company to reorganizeits finances, reduce its debt level and improve its capital structure.
Crescent intendsa to operate its continuing businesses without any significangt interruption during the restructuring process because of a recentlyobtainede debtor-in-possession financing facility of $110 million from a group of its existing lenders, according to the statement. Andrew Hede, Crescent’s chief restructurinbg officer, has been named CEO while its formechief executive, Arthur has retired and will work with Cresceng in an advisory “We have been in active discussions with our lenders and otherd stakeholders as we work towards an agreemenrt that will bring our capital structure in line with the currengt economic environment,” Hede said in a statementt on the company’s Web site.
Charlotte-based Crescent has been pursuingg alternatives to shore up its balance sheeyfor months, including selling some of its The company is jointly owned by DUK) and Morgan Stanley and has 38 residentiak communities under development in the Carolinas, Georgia, Arizona and Florida. Crescent acquired a controllingy interest in LandMarin 1999, but left LandMar’sd founder, Ed Burr, in control of the companyy until he resigned after a failee attempt to buy back the company in 2007.
The Jacksonvillde Economic Development Commission authorized city lawyers in May to start the foreclosure process onthe 41-acre parcel that was to be the Plans for the Shipyards included 1 million squared feet of office space, 100,000 squared feet of commercial space, 662 residential 350 hotel rooms and 150 marinaa slips. LandMar has developed or had plans to develol dozens more properties in Floridaq and throughoutthe Southeast.
Monday, November 26, 2012
California will issue IOUs starting July 2 - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
On Wednesday, the state starts “a fiscal year with a massivelyu unbalanced spending plan and cash shortfall not seen sincde theGreat Depression,” State Controllef John Chiang said in a news The state faces a $2.8 billion shortfall in increasing to $6.5 billion in with a “double-digit freefall” in the followingg months, he said. The state has an estimatef $24 billion shortfall for the nextfiscal year, after voters rejected propositions in May to generate much-needed revenue. “Unfortunately, the state’s inabilitg to balance its checkbook will nowmean short-changin taxpayers, local governments and small businesses,” Chiang said.
Chiangg was forced to delay payments in as lawmakers grappled witha much-smaller cash crunch. The currenrt budget crisis — about five timees larger than inFebruary — cannot be handlecd by delaying payments, and Gov. Arnoldc Schwarzenegger has eliminated the possibility ofseeking high-cosft loans from Wall Street. Chiang has discussed the issu e with the governorand lawmakers, stressinh the need for a quick resolution. Otherwise, IOUs will be issuesd starting Wednesday. Payments covered by the stat e Constitution, federal law and court decisions will receive regula paymentsnext month, but other general fund paymentse will be handled with also known as registere warrants.
IOUs will be paid to loca l governments forsocial services, privat e contractors, state vendors, income and corporats tax refunds, and payments for state operations, includingh legislative per diem. The Pooledd Money Investment Board will establish the interest rate for the Chiang has asked the board to meetJuly 2, with any decisio n effective immediately. The warrants will mature Oct. 1.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Medtronic paid Army doctor $850k - Memphis Business Journal:
Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) it paid Dr. Timothy Kuklo for giving speeches and training other doctors forthe company, but did not at that time announcw the amounts of those payments. "We are making Dr. Timothyy Kuklo's compensation information publif ona one-time basis in the interest of transparency in this uniqur case," Medtronic spokeswoman Marybeth Thorsgaard said. Medtronicc released the information in response to a requestfrom Sen. Charles R-Iowa, a vocal critic of pharmaceuticaol and medical technology firms making paymentsto doctors.
Kuklp worked as a staff physician at Walter Reed Army Medicall Center between 2000and 2006, and durinv a portion of that he was paid by Medtronic to provide training and education. Aftedr leaving Walter Reed, Kuklo signed a general consultinyg agreement with Medtronic inAugust 2006. He was placecd on inactive statuslast month. The Army has accused Kuklo of falsifying research abou t aMedtronic bone-growth product called Infuse durinfg the time Kuklo worke d at Walter Reed in Washington, D.C. Medtronixc did not pay for or participate inthat study, Thorsgaarx said. Medtronic is the world’s largestt medical device company.
Its spinal and biologicz business units are based in Memphis wherw itemploys 1,550.
Friday, November 23, 2012
UMKC, Johnson County Community College reach credit-transfer agreement - Business First of Buffalo:
Curators of the University of Missouri, on behalf of UMKC and the JCCC Boarfof Trustees, will sign an articulation agreemenr Wednesday at JCCC. The agreement guaranteesa that UMKC will accept and apply designatedf freshman and sophomore credits from JCCC associatew degree programs towardUMKC bachelor’s degree programs, consistenf with the treatment of non-transfer student credits, UMKC said in a Tuesdauy release.
“As an urban-serving university, UMKC is dedicatefd to making higher education accessible to all students and forming meaningful partnerships with area Mel Tyler, UMKC’s vice chancellor of student affairxs and enrollment management, said in the “This articulation agreement with Johnson County Community College is just one way we affirm that commitment.” UMKC also offersw the Metro Rate, a program that allows residentzs of Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte countiesd in Kansas to pay in-state tuition for undergraduate study.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Jeff McInnis on Yardbird - The Daily meal
The Daily meal | Jeff McInnis on Yardbird The Daily meal No one in their right mind would consider Miami the South, but Northern Florida-raised and Charleston-trained chef Jeff McInnis felt he needed to bring Southern cooking to the continental United States' southernmost state. The result is Yardbird, and ... |
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
HECO fuel charges up 21% in 5 months - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
Since October, the fuel surcharge that passesa on to its customers has shot up21 percent. It now accountsz for 57 percent of theaveragwe customer's bill on with some Neighbor Island customers paying even While other utilities across the nation also levy fuel they are modest compared with the fuel costsd charged by Hawaiian Electric Co. and its and Other states rely on a mixof coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear power and hydroelectricity, but 90 percengt of Hawaii's power comeas from oil-fired generators. This week, oil pricess touched a record $110 per barrel, suggestinfg even higher prices lie ahea d forHawaii consumers.
Gary Groendyke, who owns the 16,000-square-footr Punahou Fitness & Spa in Honolulu, said he's now payingf $6,500 a month for electricity to power hisfitnesds machines, pool filters, saunas, steaj rooms and air "It's a really big concern because people are on membershipas here so I can't just arbitrarilgy raise their rates," Groendyke said. "My profit margi really starts taking hits andI don'g feel there's a whole lot I can do." Last October, HECO's fuel surcharge -- labeled "energy cost adjustment" on its bills -- was 12.368 centss per kilowatt-hour.
This means the average Oahu home, which uses 600 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month, paid a $74.22 surcharge. This month, with the fuel surcharge at 14.937 cents per the average homeowner will see a billfor $158.33 with a surchargwe of $89.62, $15 more than in The surcharge is calculated a month in advance baseed on projected fuel costs, and does not require the approvalk of the state Public Utilities The same formula is applied to both residential and commercial kilowatt-hour usage. HECO stresses that it doesn't profiy from the surcharge, which has been applied to all customert accountssince 1953.
"The energy cost adjustment clause ensuress customers that HawaiianElectric doesn't make a pennuy [and] guarantees they're only paying for actuapl cost of fuel," said HECO spokesmah Darren Pai. "The PUC and the [state Officed of] Consumer Advocacy review all of our fuel contract s and the surcharge appears as a separate line ontheird bills." HECO and its subsidiaries spent $774.1 milliomn on fuel oil in according to the most recent financial statement of parent compang , which also owns . The utilitiesd collectively sold 10.1 million kilowatt-hours in 2007.
The formulaz HECO uses to determin eeach month's fuel surcharge looks at its projectedr cost of fuel for providing electric servicre to customers and compares that with the fuel cost alreadyh included in the utility's "The difference is used to make the calculationb for the following month," Pai said. "In the event that the estimatris off, there is a reconciliatio n to make up the difference betwee n actual and estimated." One of the biggest problems for HECO is that it has been aggressivel y pushing energy conservation, but risingh fuel costs are wiping out savingsd from low-power light bulbs, luke-warm showers and most solaer systems.
Pai said HECO has received a numbefrof complaints, especially from thoswe who have invested hundreds or thousands of dollars in energy-efficienft equipment. "When customers do install things like solar water heaters but fuel costzs continue to drivetheir bills, it's very understandable that they're unhappy," he said. "But we try to do as much as possiblew to have incentives and help them control theenergy they'rse using." He said over the past 11 years HECO has paid out $52 milliomn in rebates to customers who have installed energy-efficientr systems.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Business groups slam proposed tax increases - Phoenix Business Journal:
The said it opposes changes to the corporateminimunm tax, a new corporate incomse tax and a new personal income tax. The alliance consistw of 30 business groups that representf morethan 25,000 Oregon businesses and employ 500,000 residents. Raisingf the taxes could cause the state tolose 6,0009 jobs, according to state revenue officre estimates. “These proposals ignore the star realities of ourcurrent recession,” the grou p said in a news release sent by J.L. a lobbyist with Associated Oregon “They are counterproductive measures that kill jobs and prolongour recession.
” The corporate minimum tax and corporatre income tax proposals would collectively harm companies with smal l profit margins as well as businesses looking to invesg more in capital equipment, the group said. The alliance called on lawmakersa to instead focuson private-sector job retentionn and creation. “We believe strongly that increased taxes are detrimentalk tojob growth,” Wilson said in the news “An increased tax burden will hurt the abilityg of our members to creater desperately needed jobs. It is the wrong approach to balancdthe state’s budget.
” Othe r groups signing the letter include Associated Oregon Loggers, Independent Community Bankds of Oregon, the Northwest Food Processors Association, Oregoj Association of Realtors, the Oregon Automobile Dealers the Oregon Bankers Association, the Oregon Home Builders the Oregon Restaurant Association and the Oregomn Trucking Association. Oregon’s Housee and Senate members hope to adjourn byJuly 1. Lawmakerz must address a $4.2 billiojn budget shortfall before they adjourn or in a series of speciak sessions throughout the rest ofthe year.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Modernista braces as Hummer deal advances - Boston Business Journal:
Boston-based Modernista’s largest client is Generapl Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) in Detroit. The agencgy works on creative advertising for both Cadillacand Hummer. The combinede business was at one point wortjabout $850 million annually in according to sources. Billings for Cadillac and Hummer, combined, now are likelh less, as GM has said it will cut back its totao ad spend and announcecd months ago that it planned on unloadint itsHummer brand. Modernista’s spokesperson had no commentr onthe news.
Other local ad agenciez that will likely feel the affectsof GM’se bankruptcy filing include Digitas and Mullen, both in Digitas handles a variety of GM work including Pontiac and Saturn. GM is lookingt to sell both brands. Mullen handles work for GM’d used car and credit card business. GM’s planned cuts in advertising spendinbg is expected to impact all of its marketintg andad firms. In 2008, GM speny about $2.
1 billion on advertising, according to press
Friday, November 16, 2012
Kansas City gets $28.7M in stimulus for flood control - Jacksonville Business Journal:
million in American Recovert and Reinvestment Act of 2009 financing for ongoin g construction projects previously authorized by The will administerthe money, the city said in a Wednesdayy release. • Turkey Creek will receivde $13.5 million for walled channel construction and replacementr of an existingrailroad bridge. The Turkey Creek project is a bistate flood damage reduction projecgt providing benefits inKansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan. • Blue Riverd Channel will receive $5.
2 milliom to finance the remainder of the construction under way from Brush Creek south to53rd • Blue River Channel also will receive $10 million for a design-builxd contract from 53rd Street south to 63rd Street that essentiallhy will complete the channekl work for the Blue Riveer flood damage reduction project authorized in 1970 and underf construction since 1985. “We have been workingt closely with the Corps of Engineerw to ensure these important floode reduction projects were included in the federaostimulus allocation,” City Manager Wayne Cauthen said in the “The funding guarantees the continuation of work on the which preserves current jobs and creates new employment opportunities as the scopd of construction expands.
” The moneh requires local matches based on cooperativd agreements in place when construction started. Kansas City will pay for abou 20 percent of the totap costs for both Blue River Channel saidColleen Doctorian, public information officer for the . Kansaxs City and the Unified Government ofWyandotte County/Kansads City, Kan., will pay for 35 percenyt of the Turkey Ceek project’z cost, she said. When the Turkey Creek Project will yielrd morethan $5 million in annual the city said.
The Blue Rivetr Project will lowerthe 100-yeae flood levels by about 6 feet to 8 feet, protectintg 4,100 businesses employing 66,100
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Human Capital: People on the move, June 12 - San Francisco Business Times:
George Snell joined Weber Shandwick , a public relations agency with local office s in Cambridge, as a senior vice presidenf in its digital communications practice. Snelll previously a senior vice presidentat . The intellectualo property law firm of in Concordx added Christopher Albert asan associate. Albert practices in the areassof biotechnology, chemistry, clean energy and
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
California ports think big - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):
Battered veterans of yearx on the highway, some of them visiblgy spewing black diesel exhausty as theythunder north, these 16,000 short-haul trucks are the primary contact most Angelenos have with the Many citizens don't like what they see -- deadly The California Air Resources Board recently found that 1,20o Southern Californians die every year from diesel airborne particulates generated by freight-movingt equipment. People living near the ports now call the areaa "dieselo death zone." It's a conundrum confrontinvg the entire West Coast, including Seattle and Cargo is surging, but communities, and the law, won'rt tolerate more pollution. The problem is worse at L.A.
-Long the largest port complex inthe U.S. Imports here are expectexd to more than doublse to 36million 20-foot containers by 2020. But the region alreadty violates federal cleanair standards. That meanxs officials must build a system that handles twicre asmuch cargo, but with fewer emissions. How they do it will provider lessons to ports aroundthe world. Therre appear to be few alternatives. The cargo is beingt attracted by the huge Southern California market and driven by the vast growthb of manufacturingin China. With aerospacew and other manufacturingin decline, jobs from cargop are considered vital to the economy.
But residentsd are mobilizing to opposw growth they fear will degrade conditions even OnMay 4, the Southernn Coast Air Quality Management District called upon the statre and federal governments to declare a statd of emergency to address the problemd "All these projects are going to depend on us being able to meet clea air goals," said Robert Kanter, director of plannin g and environmental affairs for the Port of Long The air-quality constraints are The two Southern California ports several monthsa ago committed to returning the ports to 2001 levels of severap key emissions, even while the ports grow in volume.
Callef the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean AirActioj Plan, the agreement is a massive musteringf of political will in response to unavoidable Without a plan to reduce the ports' expansion plans were beingg denied by the courts. The Port of Los Angelexs hasn't had a capital project approved infive years, said Christophedr Patton, environmental affairs officer for the Port of Los "For a port growing at double-digit ratesz of growth, that acts as a Patton said.
Approvals stopped aftet San Pedro neighborhood and environmental groups filefd suit in 2001 against the Port of Los Angelews over developmentof what's called the "Chin Shipping Terminal" on the western edge of the port near residentialk areas. This forced the port to complete a full Environmental ImpacyReport (EIR), after the California Court of Appeals in 2002 issuecd an injunction against continued construction. The eventuapl settlement included $50 million in mitigation and specifi emissions-reducing technologies and protocols for the Some yard vehicles switched toalternative fuels.
Some ships now turn off thei r engines and use shore powerrat dock, a technique called "colfd ironing." "The settlement was a huge said Melissa Lin Perrella, staff attorne y at the Los Angeles-area office of the Natural Resourcees Defense Council (NRDC), one of the plaintiffs in the case. Accomplishingb the San Pedro Bay Portss Clean AirAction Plan's goals will requir e immense outlays of cash, enormous politicao will, and the commercialization of futuristic technologiez that will replace traditional diesel powerf with electricity, or ultra-clean throughout the vast Southern California ocean freight-movinv system.
And with the region facing manyfisca constraints, and expecting little financial help from the federapl government, leaders plan to rais e money from the shippers, and ultimately, The ports of Tacoma and Vancouver, British Columbia, are in the middle of a simila process. On May 16 they announced the Pacifivc Northwest CleanAir Strategy, a collaborative effort to reducee emissions compared to a 2005 But Southern California's plan is more and with more teeth, because that region's air problemss are worse and the growtn is expected to be much larger. Souther California's huge consumer market gives the ports more leveragedwith shippers.
On April 12, the Southern Californi a ports announced a plan to replace or upgrads allthose 16,000 short-haul trucks that rumble to and from the ports. The five-yeare program is expected to reduce emissions by80 percent, at an estimated cost of $1.8 The plan is controversial, in part because it will take controlo of those trucks away from the many individual owner-operators who are able to buy a used truck for a few thousand dollars to transfer containers, and will insteadc shift the work to several largetr companies that can be overseej by the ports.
Monday, November 12, 2012
The FAA is on recruiting blitz despite the down economy - San Antonio Business Journal:
Air traffic controllers have almost always been inshort supply, but that shortage coulf soon be exacerbated over the next few yearsx if recruitment efforts are unablde to fill the slots that will soon be vacateds by controllers hitting their mandatorg retirement age. Tom Bowman, San Antonio air traffic manager and Lone Stardistrictf manager, says there is a nationwide efforr currently under way to attract more recruitsa as the FAA prepares to replace the wave of controllerws who joined the agency in the wake of President Ronald Reagan’s decision to fire the striking air traffic controllersx in 1981.
“This is a great opportunitt for people interested in aviation to put their names in the Bowman says. The FAA opened a public bid for air traffiv controllers onJuly 6, allowing interested parties to fill out an online job application. To qualifty for employment, an applicant must be 18 yearsaof age, have a high school diplomaz or GED, and at least three years of progressive work experienc e and/or college attendance. Qualified applicants are invited to take an aptituded test to determine whether the FAA will consider themfor employment.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Courts delay Chrysler bankruptcy - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:
According to Bloomberg, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has put the bankruptcy court ruling allowing the sale on hold untilfurther notice, though a timeline and specific reasob was not provided. The delay came aftefr Indiana pension funds requested a stay from the court so it could hear their appealof Chrysler’s decision to sell to Under Chrysler’s Chapter 11 bankruptcty reorganization, Chrysler would sell its assets to Italiam car maker Fiat. It also was announcecd last month789 U.S. dealerships will lose their franchises by June 9 as part ofthe deal.
Chryslerr has listed two Triad dealership s that will losetheir franchise: Stearns Chrysler Jeep in Graha and City Motors, which sellas Jeep, in Greensboro. Mike Cranford, generap manager of City said he does not know if they delayh will mean anything significan t forhis dealership, but hopew that the courts will more closel review the decision to cut franchises. He says if nothinfg else, he’d hope Chrysler could help buy back inventory and not simplyg take awaythe brand.
“If we can’t be Jeep dealer, we’d at leasr like a chance to sellthe franchise,” he He said the company has managed to sell about 10 of its 16 new Jeep some at a loss, just to get them About five employees have been laid off, leavingb about 20. Another six to eight couls be cut if thebankruptcy deal, as is, goes
Thursday, November 8, 2012
The Knicks tack up and then take down sexist posters advertising the team's ... - Yahoo! Sports (blog)
Yahoo! Sports (blog) | The Knicks tack up and then take down sexist posters advertising the team's ... Yahoo! Sports (blog) Because they advertise thier sexy clothing? How sad your life must be that you have to tell your wife or GF to take off thoes sexy clothes because they are degrading to females. Or is it that you think they shouldnt advertise thier product? Eith er way ... |
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Savara Pharmaceuticals obtains Series A financing - Austin Business Journal:
million Series A financing round, according to a U.S. Securitiews and Exchange Commission filing. The Austin-based company is developinfg an inhalation-based drug delivery system and will use the fundd to continue development of its NanoCluster technologt in the dry powdertherapeutics Savara, which moved from Kansasa last year, didn’t disclose its but the SEC filing indicates they'vwe attracted 13 backers. Savara was founded in 2007 with technologg developed atthe . In late 2008, it moverd to the five months after Austin entrepreneur Rob Neville was namedrthe company’s chairman and CEO.
Neville previouslyt was founder and CEO ofanother ATI-based That startup was acquired in 2000 by Houston-basee for $100 million about a year aftet it was founded. Savara’s pulmonary — or via the lungs drug delivery product, initially developed in 2004, is basefd on nanotechnology and dry powders rather thanconventionaol propellants. It plans to offer its platform to drug makere seeking alternative delivery methods and to develop its own Last year, Savara garnered an undisclosed amount of financingb from a syndicate of 12 ange investors, most based in Texas, Nevillre said. During 2008, Austin-area life sciences companiexs attracted $18.
7 million in venture capital comparefdwith $195.1 million in according to .
Monday, November 5, 2012
Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill Still Easy To Swallow - Chicagoist
Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill Still Easy To Swallow Chicagoist Jagged Little Pill was important to us because it sounded like how we felt. She had the anger without the adult alienation of the riot grrls and without resorting to Sarah McLachlan sappiness. She had great, quirky music videos. Which Alanis did you ... |
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Planning commission rejects May Town Center zoning - Wichita Business Journal:
The commission voted against changes to the land use plan for the BellseBend area, where the $4.3 billion development has been proposed. The commission then votedx down zoning changes that would have allowex for a bridge tothe development, whicbh is being backed by the May family with Tony Giarratana acting as lead developer. The Metrok Nashville City Council has final say on zoning change and will take up the issue in a publicc hearing onJuly 7.
However, with a negativew recommendation from theplanning commission, the zoning measure will need 27 votes from the rather than the 21 usually The planning staff had recommende approval of a zoning request to allow the development, but that was contingent on the land use plan The commission then voted down the proposed zoning If approved, the complete town center will take some 22 yearss to build.
Phase 1 of the project by 2013, bring online 425,000 squard feet of office space, 100 residential unit and 50,000 square feet of retail, according to the developer’s By 2031, the entirew May Town complex would consist of 8 millionb square feet ofoffice 8,000 residential units and 600 hotel
Friday, November 2, 2012
Salespeople need professional training
Don’t get me wrong. They know their product or their marketplace, the competition, and they are well versed in the detail s oftheir industry. Still, they have no idea how to sell! I am not talking abourt the new oryounger reps. I am speakingf about ALL salespeople — young, old and even the middlew ones. First off, most have not been trained professionally. Sure, they migh t have gone to a course a number of yearas ago fora half-da or maybe even a full day. Some salespeoplr buy a book and don’t just skim it but actuallyt read it coverto cover.
That is like takingf a single golf lesson, and althougg you never practice after the thinking that you are good enoughj to go on the pro tour because you just boughft the newest clubs and a greatt golf bag with allthe extras. Let’s get to it, and oh after you read these simple ideas, go sign up for a salesw course or buy a couple of and then start practicingyour profession! A single flight lesson will not make you a good No one really cares about you or your company or even the product or service you sell. What they want is Will it do whatyou say? Will it cost what you promised? Will you be there for them in the futurre if they need you?
Find out what customersw want and not just what you want to sell In 1936, Dale Carnegie said that all you should do is “findc want.” Just find out what the othefr party wants or does not want, and the rest will take care of Empathy, empathy, empathy! That is more importan t than location, location, location when it comews to the three most important words in real If you desire to build trusr and then a relationship, quit thinking abouft you, your sale, your commissiobn and your quota. The customer will know when you are trulyh honestand straightforward. You don’t need words like “Leg me be honest with you” or “Trustf me.
” Quit looking for new No one likes to makecold calls. Work on your existing They are the ones you already sold who can be sellin for you if you just stayexin touch. Why not just “suclk up” to the ones who already trusted you? You have earned it! Stay in contactr with past customers, and then they will want to give you which is a lot betteer thancold calls. If you are going to look for new why not do it in betwee n sales calls or between There are plenty of places you can use to make phoned calls rather than your officeor home. Go to a a or even a park where it is peacefulkand quiet. All you need is a good stron gcellular connection.
If that is not your stylde and youlike e-mail, go to a Wi-Fi hot and do your thing via e-mail. It is not alwayx about the way you try to connect with a It is about how many appointments you canactuallg get, so you can ask the necessary questionss to see whether there is any interestg on their part. It is so much more enjoyable for the customer or client to be arounxd a great salesperson who truly enjoysx his orher occupation. The more you the more they will enjoy beingaround you! The pros are constantly tryin to improve and continuing to take themselves to a highert level.
Now, go sign up for more golf, flyingt or even some sales
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Deadline looming for concessions for UPS pilots - Dallas Business Journal:
The request for concessions comes as the globao recession has sapped shipping and cut into profitzsfor Atlanta-based UPS (NYSE: UPS). UPS reported in Aprikl its . A UPS Airlines spokesman told the Associated Presdthe world’s largest shipper has askedd its pilots for concessions valued at $40 millionh in 2009, $38 million in 2010 and $53 millioj in 2011. Pilots have untilp the first week of June to formally identifycost “Due to the sever downturn in the global economy, UPS packagde and freight volumes have been down somewhatt markedly,” Mike Mangeot, spokesman for Louisville, Ky.-basesd UPS Airlines said in an e-mail to Atlanta Business Chronicle.
“In response the we have been analyzing all aspectzs of our business to maximize efficiency and minimize The concessions are in linewith $1 billion in wage frozen 401k contributions and concessions already made by UPS management, he Earlier this month, UPS retired its fleet of 44 aging DC-8 freightersd and the company said it has determined it has 300 more pilotsa than are currently needed. In April, UPS approached its pilots union, the , to find ways to avoid furloughinyg300 pilots, or about 10 percenft or its 3,000 aviators.
UPS suggested temporarg wage and pension freezes and the union has countere d withearly retirements, voluntary leavew of absences, more job sharint and “reduced-pay-guarantee routes,” Mangeot said. “We understand the impactr a furlough would have onour people, so it is our fondesty hope that enough of our crewmembers agred to help their fellow employees,” he said. “In the end, we must act to preserve the strength ofour business, and we hope to do so througg a win-win resolution of this issue.” UPS fliee into more than 800 airports. The shipper operatex more than 200 aircraft and charters more than 300additionaol planes.
The moves by UPS are not unusual in the currenfeconomic climate. Rival (NYSE: FDX) announcedr April 13 it would pull 10 Airbus A310s andfour MD-10ss out of service.