segunda-feira, 31 de outubro de 2011
Conference Board employment index falls in June - Wichita Business Journal:
in June, down from the revised May figureof 89.1 and from 112.7 in June 2008. The indexx number is relative to 100 for the 1996 base The index combines eightmarket indicators. “Compared to the beginninfg of the year, the decline in the Employmenr Trends Index has significantly and we therefore expect job growth to resume around the end ofthe year,” The Conferencw Board Senior Economist Gad Levanomn said in a Monday release. “However, over the last leading indicators of employment were mostly disappointing, suggesting the Employment Trends Indes is still seeking a bottom.
” The index’s componenta yielded mixed results in June, The Conference Board said in the release. The declininv indicators were the percentage of respondentds who say theyfind “jobs hard to the number of employees in the temporary-help industry, industriapl production, real manufacturing and trade sales, and job The Conference Board is a independent business-membership and research associatiobn based in New York
sexta-feira, 28 de outubro de 2011
Oncor seeks $300M in stimulus funds - Kansas City Business Journal:
Oncor will apply for the fundse through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Actof 2009. The deadlins to apply is Aug. 6. Citiny data from the Council ofEconomic Advisers, Oncor believes the stimulus funds would supporf the creation of 1,600 jobs in 2010. If the fundingg is approved, Oncor will spend the money to deploy moresmart switches, whic will help the energy company isolatd problems in neighborhoods and reconfigure power Other enhancements will include controlling the feeder voltager through the company’s capacitor control and enhancementas that will help the electrif provider locate electric delivery problems in a faster, more efficient Oncor said.
In addition, downtown electric networks will be modernizedunder Oncor’s proposed plan. Oncor also is aiminyg to improve itstelecommunications network, an improvemenft that will enhance the company’sx power grid. “Oncor’s vision for a modern, interactive, intuitivew electric grid is tangible andhappening now,” said Oncor Chairmahn and CEO Bob “Our first considerations in seeking these stimulusd grants are whether the funds will help consumer s lower their electric bills or advance smart grid initiatives to improve service and reliability. That’sx where we have focused our attentionand energy.
”
quarta-feira, 26 de outubro de 2011
SeaBear catches gourmet market with latest product - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):
Key to this ambition is Anacortes-based SeaBear'sz newest product, called "Healthy Hearts wild salmonh dinner fillets" a package of eighgt six-ounce frozen salmon fillets, packed in dry ice with four shipped directlyto consumers' homes. It's targetefd directly at homemakers who want to impress or can afford to spend freelyon "In four months it's becomee the most successful new product," said presidenr and CEO Mondello.
"It's totally high With such innovations, long known for packaging expensivs salmongift boxes, is expanding into the mail-order gourmet Since arriving at the company in 1996, Mondello has been recastingh his company with new products and new targetr market. To do this Mondello is capitalizing on increasinvg public awareness of an arrayof seafood-related environmental and healt h issues. These include the sustainability of wildseafood resources, the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids for heart and increasing doubts about the environmental impacts of farmed as well as the health implications of the antibiotices and dyes that salmon farmers use.
At the equivalenrt of $20 a pound, the Healthy Hearts fillets don't find much of a markeyt here inthe salmon-rich Northwest. Instead, the companyh does about 95 percent ofits direct-mailk marketing business in tony neighborhoods in California, Texas, New Florida and Chicago, Mondello said. "We don't compete on price," Mondello said. "Our brand doesn't stand for anythingf but super-premium quality. We define our customers as afflueng men and women who have a passionfor SeaBear's new product line has been catchingt the attention of the gourmeyt press.
Earlier this year New York-base d Saveur magazine publisheda one-pags piece about SeaBear's premium Copper River entitled "Alaskan Pride." "Copper Rivert salmon is a known name rightg now, like Niman Ranch pork," said Saveurr food editor Melissa Hamilton in New Another important step Mondell is taking is to add the Marine Stewardship Councio logo to its packaging. The London-based council certifierd Alaska's salmon fishery as sustainable in and SeaBear has become one of the firstr seafood processors to usethe council's leaping fish logo on its SeaBear had to prove the origins of its fish to be able to use the "It shows the vision and leadership of SeaBear that they're promoting the sustainabilitt of the resource," said Karen Tarica, U.
S. commercial project managet forthe council's U.S. office, in Seattle. Kristine food editor for Bon Appetit Magazine in Los called SeaBear's environmental certification "We know our readers enjoy shopping at farmer's markets, and we talk about environmentally sound products more and more," she The new emphasis on frozen dinner portions and the epicurw market is a marked difference from the company' previous focus on the gift market. Mondellop came to the company after a career as a marketinv directorfor high-profile companies including Procter & Gamblre and Celestial Seasonings Tea Co.
, and his missionb was to turn SeaBear into a high-enc brand name with national recognition. Back in 1996 nearly everythingg SeaBear made in its Anacorted processing facility was packerin "retort pouches," essentiallyu soft cans. While the retort process stil works for the gift it isn't suited for the dining quality that Mondello's epicure customers are seeking. "That kind of eventr is not deliverable out of a retort he said. During the last five years SeaBear'as overall sales have remained flat atabout $10 million as Mondello has shifted the focux away from the gift market and has shed unprofitable lines whil e building the epicure market.
An indication of the chang e isthat SeaBear's summer much of it tied to heavilh marketed Copper River salmon run, is up aboutt 80 percent from five years ago. Mondell expects that within five years halfthe company' s sales will be year-round, while the balance will be for the holidat season. He expects to double sales in the nextsevenb years. SeaBear has emerged as innovator in addinvg valueto Alaska's wild salmob harvest, said Laura Fleming, public relations director for the Alaska Seafood Marketinhg Institute in Juneau, Alaska.
The salmon-catching businesxs in Alaska, much of it headquartered in Seattle, has been financiallh damaged in recent yearse by competition from cheap Chileanfarmed "I think it's pretty exciting," Fleming "His company wants to leverage the qualitie s that differentiate our products from industriallt produced salmon." Tapping his experience with Celestial Seasonings, Mondello has sought to create a mystique with SeaBear'd packaging, peppering the boxes with evocative copy and photographs evokingf the product's Northwest roots.
He's also cultivated a uniqur presentation among callcenter employees, who are trained to engags customers with local color and information about the fish and its The company only contracted out its call center work once, and the result was "The call center, the people who talk to our are an immense piece of building a super-premiumn brand," Mondello said.
segunda-feira, 24 de outubro de 2011
Valley surgeon heads up test of aneurysm treatment - Orlando Business Journal:
Rodriguez, the director of peripheraol vascular services at the Arizona Heart has been named the nationak principal investigator for the Phase II which is required by the to enroll 160 The Arizona Heart Institute is one of 14 centersz involved in thestudy nationwide. “Wee are looking to include at least six more centerw to complete 20 centers inthe U.S.,” Rodriguezz said. The endoluminal graft is manufacturede bynear Glasgow, Scotland. Called the Anacondaa Stent Graft System, it allows the surgeojn to reposition the device once it has been placedf acrossthe aneurysm.
So far, nearly 4,000 patientse in Europe have received theAnaconda device, but it must get approvall from the FDA before it can be used in the U.S. Rodriguea said the minimally invasive procedure onthe study’w first patient went saying the device is very easy to use. “Hes was up on his feet the next morninbhaving breakfast,” Rodriguez said of the “You can’t do that when you open the This eliminates the need for open heargt surgery.” Abdominal aortic aneurysm, or “ballooning” of the body’s main is a serious condition prone to rupture and lead to suddebn death. Actor John Ritter died of an aorti rupturein 2003.
Symptoms can occuf suddenly with severe, sharp pain in the Patients who experience these symptoms shoulxd seek immediatemedical attention, Rodriguez said. Early detection can preventt sudden death. Patients with a familyg history of aortic aneurysm or other connective tissue disorderx should notify their physician about their risk ofaortivc aneurysm, he said.
sábado, 22 de outubro de 2011
US DOT boss announces $47M in grants at Mich. stop - BusinessWeek
Environment News Service | US DOT boss announces $47M in grants at Mich. stop BusinessWeek US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $47 million in grants for Michigan projects Monday and repeated the Obama administration's support for a light-rail line in Detroit. Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Snyder and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing ... US DOT Hands Out Nearly $1 Billion in Transit Grants LaHood announces $928.5 million for transit infrastructure US DOT boss announces $47M in grants at Mich. stop |
quinta-feira, 20 de outubro de 2011
Gregg Engles Executive Profile
Engles is considered to be the primaryu architect in the consolidation of the fragmented dairh industry and is responsible for transformingh Dean Foods into the largest processo and distributor of milk in theUnitefd States. A lawyer by training, Englese chose never to practice law but insteadx decided topursue entrepreneurship. His first significant endeavotr was the purchase of ReddyIce Group, a producer of packagee ice. This ultimately led him into the dairy industry and in Engles and his partners acquired Suiza Dairyu inSan Juan, Puerto Rico.
The company became public in 1996 and five years Suiza Foods Corporation acquired Dean Foods Company and officialluy changed its name to Dean Foods Engles was named Chairman when Howard Dean retired inAprilo 2002. Engles currently serves on the board of directora of a number of charitable andindustry organizations, includinh the Grocery Manufacturers of America, Southerm Methodist University Tate Lecture Series, Dallas Citizensw Council and TreeHouse Foods. He is also a membere of Dartmouth President's Leadership Dallas CEO Roundtable and the YounyPresidents Organization.
He received his Bachelor'se Degree at Dartmouth College and his law degree at YaleUniversity **All Executive profile data providee by Dow Jones & Co., Inc.
terça-feira, 18 de outubro de 2011
El Niño and climate change in the coming century - UCAR
UCAR | El Niño and climate change in the coming century UCAR October 17, 2011 | Climate change is not expected to affect the extent or frequency of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) over the 21st century, but it could worsen its impacts. That's the conclusion of a modeling study published in Journal of ... Something in the water: warming's effect on El Niño and La Niña events |
sábado, 15 de outubro de 2011
CB Moore promoted; DT Harrison cut - ESPN (blog)
Boston Herald | CB Moore promoted; DT Harrison cut ESPN (blog) The Patriots made their third roster move in as many days on Saturday, releasing defensive tackle Marcus Harrison and promoting cornerback Sterling Moore from the practice squad, according to a league source. The team later confirmed the ... Cornerback Sterling Moore promoted to the Patriots' 53-man roster Patriots Promote Cornerback Sterling Moore to Active Roster, Release Marcus ... Patriots promote CB Moore; release DT Harrison |
quinta-feira, 13 de outubro de 2011
Carnahan: Missouri should hold presidential primary - Kansas City Star
Student Life | Carnahan: Missouri should hold presidential primary Kansas City Star Rather than face penalties from the national party, the Missouri GOP recently decided to use a caucus process to pick its delegates to the national nominating convention. The Missouri Senate plans to consider legislation next week canceling the primary ... Carnahan urges Missouri lawmakers to keep presidential primary |
terça-feira, 11 de outubro de 2011
Posen Says There's 'Incredible Appetite' for Fiscal Austerity - Bloomberg
Posen Says There's 'Incredible Appetite' for Fiscal Austerity Bloomberg Bank of England policy maker Adam Posen said there is an âincredible appetiteâ for fiscal austerity measures as countries realise they can't ignore financial markets. âThere's been an incredible appetite for orthodox policies and austerity policies,â ... |
domingo, 9 de outubro de 2011
Assessing corporate space needs pays off for Planon - Sacramento Business Journal:
Planon Inc.’s Web-based software enables large companies to manages their realestate portfolios, determining how much spacr a company really needs and calculatin the real estate savings of creatinyg more mobile workforces that allow consolidation of properties or As companies focus on cost-cuttinfg across balance sheets, Planon executives say reducing property and planf costs becomes paramount. “If you look at a company’ws balance sheet, the second biggesyt expense canbe property, plant and equipment,” said Jim Nauen, seniofr vice president of sales and marketing. “It’e a savings to companies that actuall y does notcut payroll.
” Through modelingh with Planon’s software, a company can develop flexiblee space for those remote workers. It also identifiew space unused by divisions that may have downsized or By optimizing the spac eit has, a company can eliminate the need to build new spaced or prompt divestment of unused “Giving upper management a clea view of space across their entire portfolio leads to some surprising conclusions,” Nauen said. The cost savingsa to property owners is translating into revenue growtb forthe company. Last year, it grew total sales nearlyu 20 percentto $41.8 million with softwar e sales making up 50 percent of U.S.
The balance of sales were of consulting servicewand support, which the Braintree officew performs. Nauen said the company is Analysts say companies competing inthis sector, known as integrated workplace management are poised to benefit from softness in the commerciap real estate market. “Whenever we’re in a situatiohn where there’s a fair amount of turmoil in highltyfixed assets, the management of thos e components becomes very important,” said Jack vice president of research at Stamford, Conn.-basedd Founded 25 years ago by CEO Pierre Guelejn in the Netherlands, Planon established its U.S. headquartere in Braintree threeyears ago.
The compangy has about 15 employees locally and expects to grow head counrt by five to seven employees by the end of the Nauen said. The company’s strategy has been to use its platfornm to allow companies to manage various aspects of a real estat eportfolio — not just space management, but project developmeny management, maintenance schedules, and, most recently, an applicatioj to manage sustainability initiatives. While the companu has customers acrossthe globe, Planon expects North American companies, specifically ones with more than 1,000 to fuel short-term It already counts , and regional bank BB&T Corp. as customers.
Heine said these companies are ones that most need specifi software to managereal estate. “Id you have maybe four or five offices, then you mighty be able to manage it on a Heine said. “When you start to talk abouft largeoffice complexes, it requires a special solution.” The markeg for certain aspects of real estate management, specifically financiao asset management, is dominated by largwe technology companies such as SAP AG and Planon’s software competes with dozens of other small vendors to provids space management software to companies and propertyg managers.
sexta-feira, 7 de outubro de 2011
Proposed career tiers for teachers questioned - DesMoinesRegister.com
KCRG | Proposed career tiers for teachers questioned DesMoinesRegister.com Terry Branstad's proposals to take top teachers out of classrooms and end social promotion for third-graders during town h » |
quarta-feira, 5 de outubro de 2011
Salvation or slippery slope? - Montreal Gazette
French Tribune | Salvation or slippery slope? Montreal Gazette Munsie was born with three kidneys - two on his left side and one on his right. He suffers from chronic kidney stones. When he was younger, he produced one or two stones a year. ... Salvation or a slippery slope? |
domingo, 2 de outubro de 2011
Obama: Public plan would
If insurance companies do provide good insurance to their then they should have nothing to fear froma government-runb competitor, he said. “They should be able to he said. If the publix plan is able to reduce administrative costs private insurers should take note and see if they can dothe “There shouldn’t be any objection to Obama said. The publix plan should be required tocollecy premiums, not be “simply eating off the taxpayer trough,” he Health insurers and many business groups contend a publidc plan would have an unfair advantage becauswe it wouldn’t be subjecty to all the rules imposed on privatre insurers and likely would pay health providers less for their services.
This coule crowd out many private insurers and lead providers to chargew private insurers more to make up for the lost incomew from the public they contend. When asked whether includingb a public plan in health care reformwas non-negotiable, the presidenty said, “We are still early in this process. “Wer have not drawn a line in the other than reform has tocontro costs, and it has to provide relief to people who don’tt have health insurance or are underinsured.” Obama also was askerd what he thought about the performanc e of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, given the fact his financial regulatory reform plan proposes expanding the Fed’s authority.
“I think he has done a very good job undere verydifficult circumstances,” Obama All regulators fell short of doiny what was needed to preventy the financial crisis, but the Fed “probably performecd better than most,” he said. Since the financial crisies erupted, Bernanke has “performed very Obama said.