antoninahubihe.blogspot.com
The store closings are part ofthe Ontario-basef retailer’s restructuring plan. Founded in 1972 as Miller's the retailer changed its name to Anchor Blue in the late The company sells casual apparel for teenes and young adults and has 117 stores in 12 The entire inventory at shuttering stores went on sale GordonBrothers Group, a global restructuring and investment firm specializingb in the retail, consumer real estate and industrial sectors, is running the store closingy sale on Anchor Blue’s behalf.
“These strategiv store closings will help us significantly improve operational performances as we proactively restructure our business to conformto today’s Thomas Sands, chief executive officere of Anchor Blue Retail Group, said in a news “Anyone who lives near a closing store is encouragedc to take advantage of the tremendou s values we’re offering on all merchandisde during the sale.” Anchor Blue Retail Group is the holding companyu for Anchor Blue and Levi’s & Dockers Outlet by MOST.
In the Sacramento area, Anchorf Blue will close stores at Sunrisew Mall inCitrus Heights, The Villagre at Sacramento Gateway in Natomas and County Fair Mall in Woodland.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
DLR Group focusing efforts on stimulus projects - bizjournals:
cheers-mushkenjutyu.blogspot.com
As soon as Congress passed the American Recoverg and Reinvestment Actin mid-February, Phoenix principal Bryced Pearsall and three other DLR principals acrosss the country created a team specificallyu to pursue stimulus projects. Although DLR has a long historuy of working in thepublic sector, it has nevetr chosen to chase projects this way. “As a we decided we wanted to jump into We hadto decide, though, what kind of stimulus projectw we want to do,” Pearsall With $787 billion being divvied up by federalk and state agencies for all sorts of programs, the DLR principalx decided they needed to focus on a few strategic They are pursuing contractw that are geographically convenient to any of DLR’es 15 offices; match their long-standing skill sets; and have expedienyt delivery methods.
Under traditiona architecture contracts, a firm is selected to designma project. But many stimuluxs projects arerequiring design-build capabilities, meaniny an architecture firm needs to partnert with a contractor and present the bid as a DLR has done that before, but the firm is researching additiona l relationships with contractors. In addition, government agenciesa are handing out contracts more often througjhthe “indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity” Under IDIQ, agencies accept applications from companies and qualify them to performk ongoing work.
For instance, a military installation might have a contract with a specificf company to handle utility work for a period ofseveralp years. DLR recently started pursuing IDIQ work, givehn how lucrative it can be over both the short andlong “We believe government agencies are open to lookinfg at establishing IDIQ relationships with companiesz that have our kind of experience,” Pearsall said. So far, DLR has received one contract for a courty designin Florida, but the company expects to hear soon abour several other bids. Although DLR is researching stimulus-funde jobs through both federal and state the reality is that few of those jobs will be locatedf inthe Southwest.
In fact, many of the primre architecture assignments are on theEast Coast. Several contracts previousl had been awardedto architects, but there wasn’t enough money to proceec with those projects until the stimulus package was “It’s important to note that many shovel-readyu projects are not being published for solicitation because the original firms are beint awarded the postponed projects,” said Mark president of the Arizona Chaptee of the American Institute of Patterson said his firm, , will benefit from a previously unfunded the renovation of the Smithsonian Institutee of Arts and Industries Buildin g in Washington.
That work is being coordinatedby SmithGroup’s Washingtob office. Despite the apparent dearth of work slated for the SmithGroup is engaging ina “closel organized approach,” Patterson said. “We are optimistic abourt a wide variety of buildinh typesgaining funding, including medical, office, museunm and research facilities.” Another national firm with a significanty local presence, , also is in hot pursuit of stimulu s cash.
The General Services Administration hasselectedc OWP/P to provide architecture and engineering services to design and build land ports of entry and borderd stations in Zone 1, whicbh encompasses Arizona, California, Montana, Idaho, Washingtom and Alaska. OWP/P’s Chicago offices also received an IDIQ awarfd forRegion 5, which covers a chunk of the According to OWP/P spokesperson Kelly McClennan, aboutg $6 billion of work to be funded through GSA will includse renovations to federal buildings and borde r stations.
“About 75 percenr of these GSA-managed funds are earmarkex for converting existing federal buildingsto high-performance, energy-efficieng facilities,” McClennan said. Officials at all threew firms remain hopeful that more localizee renovation and infrastructure projects will brinbg work toValley companies.
As soon as Congress passed the American Recoverg and Reinvestment Actin mid-February, Phoenix principal Bryced Pearsall and three other DLR principals acrosss the country created a team specificallyu to pursue stimulus projects. Although DLR has a long historuy of working in thepublic sector, it has nevetr chosen to chase projects this way. “As a we decided we wanted to jump into We hadto decide, though, what kind of stimulus projectw we want to do,” Pearsall With $787 billion being divvied up by federalk and state agencies for all sorts of programs, the DLR principalx decided they needed to focus on a few strategic They are pursuing contractw that are geographically convenient to any of DLR’es 15 offices; match their long-standing skill sets; and have expedienyt delivery methods.
Under traditiona architecture contracts, a firm is selected to designma project. But many stimuluxs projects arerequiring design-build capabilities, meaniny an architecture firm needs to partnert with a contractor and present the bid as a DLR has done that before, but the firm is researching additiona l relationships with contractors. In addition, government agenciesa are handing out contracts more often througjhthe “indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity” Under IDIQ, agencies accept applications from companies and qualify them to performk ongoing work.
For instance, a military installation might have a contract with a specificf company to handle utility work for a period ofseveralp years. DLR recently started pursuing IDIQ work, givehn how lucrative it can be over both the short andlong “We believe government agencies are open to lookinfg at establishing IDIQ relationships with companiesz that have our kind of experience,” Pearsall said. So far, DLR has received one contract for a courty designin Florida, but the company expects to hear soon abour several other bids. Although DLR is researching stimulus-funde jobs through both federal and state the reality is that few of those jobs will be locatedf inthe Southwest.
In fact, many of the primre architecture assignments are on theEast Coast. Several contracts previousl had been awardedto architects, but there wasn’t enough money to proceec with those projects until the stimulus package was “It’s important to note that many shovel-readyu projects are not being published for solicitation because the original firms are beint awarded the postponed projects,” said Mark president of the Arizona Chaptee of the American Institute of Patterson said his firm, , will benefit from a previously unfunded the renovation of the Smithsonian Institutee of Arts and Industries Buildin g in Washington.
That work is being coordinatedby SmithGroup’s Washingtob office. Despite the apparent dearth of work slated for the SmithGroup is engaging ina “closel organized approach,” Patterson said. “We are optimistic abourt a wide variety of buildinh typesgaining funding, including medical, office, museunm and research facilities.” Another national firm with a significanty local presence, , also is in hot pursuit of stimulu s cash.
The General Services Administration hasselectedc OWP/P to provide architecture and engineering services to design and build land ports of entry and borderd stations in Zone 1, whicbh encompasses Arizona, California, Montana, Idaho, Washingtom and Alaska. OWP/P’s Chicago offices also received an IDIQ awarfd forRegion 5, which covers a chunk of the According to OWP/P spokesperson Kelly McClennan, aboutg $6 billion of work to be funded through GSA will includse renovations to federal buildings and borde r stations.
“About 75 percenr of these GSA-managed funds are earmarkex for converting existing federal buildingsto high-performance, energy-efficieng facilities,” McClennan said. Officials at all threew firms remain hopeful that more localizee renovation and infrastructure projects will brinbg work toValley companies.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Romanian parliament protestor jumps from balcony - Newstalk 106-108 fm
http://www.liveinwz.com/category/banking/
The Hindu | Romanian parliament protestor jumps from balcony Newstalk 106-108 fm A man whose payments for his disabled child had been cut by the Romanian government has been injured after leaping from a balcony of the parliament there in ... Protestor shouts 'freedom' then jumps |
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
On the spot for carbon cuts - Charlotte Business Journal:
http://studiopapillon.com/philosophy.html
“This needs to happen from a business perspective,” he “We may not have a perfect bill, but it’s historic nonetheless. The business storyu is one of the most interesting angles of theclimate legislation.” The energhy bill worked out by U.S. Henry Waxman and Ed Markey cleared the House Energu and Commerce committeethis week. It wouled distribute some carbon-emission allowanceds to utilities forfree initially. Reductiobn targets for carbon emissions by 2025 have been cut to a levelp equalto 17% of that of instead of the 20% goal initially proposed.
The legislationj has support from the Environmental Defensse Fund and other important groups active in combating global Waxman predicts the House will adopt the billthis summer. But divisionds remain on our national respons e to achanging climate. Dr. James Hansen, a climatologisty and leading proponent ofcarbon controls, opposes it, as does . Congressmenn from both parties continue to Republicans plan hundredsof amendments, including some aimed at raisinhg taxes on companies that support the cap-and-trad system at the heart of the And some industries remain unconvinced. The opposes the So does the .
Hank Cox, a spokesman for the , says his group hasn’t taken a position on the Waxman-Markey bill. But NAM is concerneds “it could be a body blow to the economg if it leads to too rapid an increase in energy he says. NAM had extensive discussionds with Rogers and representatives of other companies that supportcarbon controls. But it remainx unconvinced. Duke withdrew from the group in part becauserit woudn’t back the Hendricks says opposition by the U.S.
Chamber and NAM, usually touchstones for the moodof business, showds the organizations are out of toucu with key industrial players on this “We don’t do any favors for American business by looking the other way on carbonj issues,” he says. China is spending almost twic e what the United States plans annually ongreehn energy. “We need to make sure the interestsa of businesses are aligne d with the future growth ofthe economy.” The U.S. Chambe and NAM have missed the Hendricks says. Business is moving on, and the bill is movinv forward. And the Rogers spot continues to run.
“This needs to happen from a business perspective,” he “We may not have a perfect bill, but it’s historic nonetheless. The business storyu is one of the most interesting angles of theclimate legislation.” The energhy bill worked out by U.S. Henry Waxman and Ed Markey cleared the House Energu and Commerce committeethis week. It wouled distribute some carbon-emission allowanceds to utilities forfree initially. Reductiobn targets for carbon emissions by 2025 have been cut to a levelp equalto 17% of that of instead of the 20% goal initially proposed.
The legislationj has support from the Environmental Defensse Fund and other important groups active in combating global Waxman predicts the House will adopt the billthis summer. But divisionds remain on our national respons e to achanging climate. Dr. James Hansen, a climatologisty and leading proponent ofcarbon controls, opposes it, as does . Congressmenn from both parties continue to Republicans plan hundredsof amendments, including some aimed at raisinhg taxes on companies that support the cap-and-trad system at the heart of the And some industries remain unconvinced. The opposes the So does the .
Hank Cox, a spokesman for the , says his group hasn’t taken a position on the Waxman-Markey bill. But NAM is concerneds “it could be a body blow to the economg if it leads to too rapid an increase in energy he says. NAM had extensive discussionds with Rogers and representatives of other companies that supportcarbon controls. But it remainx unconvinced. Duke withdrew from the group in part becauserit woudn’t back the Hendricks says opposition by the U.S.
Chamber and NAM, usually touchstones for the moodof business, showds the organizations are out of toucu with key industrial players on this “We don’t do any favors for American business by looking the other way on carbonj issues,” he says. China is spending almost twic e what the United States plans annually ongreehn energy. “We need to make sure the interestsa of businesses are aligne d with the future growth ofthe economy.” The U.S. Chambe and NAM have missed the Hendricks says. Business is moving on, and the bill is movinv forward. And the Rogers spot continues to run.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Workplace morale needs attention in down times - Birmingham Business Journal:
soileauifyyfa1786.blogspot.com
That’s an exaggeration, concedes Kenny Colbert, president. But it’zs not much of a stretch. Keepinb employees focused and positive as businesse falters and colleagues are laid off is a top challengee facingmost companies. Lately the human-resources and training-servicex provider has been askedabout morale-boosting suggestione every couple of days. “Everybody is kind of in the Colbert says. Employees rightfully worry about losing their jobsand benefits. They fret aboutt the well-being of former colleagues. They feel financially vulnerabl with their retirementsavings shrinking, their salaries frozeh and their benefits eroding.
The most important thingy companies can do is communicatrewith employees, Colbert says. Employees need to hear what is happeningfwith profitability, customers and clients. They need to hear the company’zs strategy for staying healthy. “Jusf keep them in the even if it’s bad news,” he says. “ think employees would rathedr hear bad news than nothingat all. I thinik one of the things that gets people depressed isthe unknown.” Colbert says he recently had to take his own advicw at a staff meeting. Business is off and he discussed the challenges and how the company is positionec to weatherany bumps.
Human-resources consultant Gloria Gibsojn says employees will respectthe honesty. “Businesd leaders should be as positive, proactivee and realistic as possible,” says the ownetr of . “Try to find that balance between sugar-coating and frightening.” Smallp companies can easily meet as a Larger companies may want to conveneindividuall departments, she says. The message and tone of all the meetings should be Leaders need to be aware of anxiety levelw and addressissues head-on when employese apprehension grows, she says. Pretendin g all is well when it isn’tt will almost certainly she says.
Employees will be less anxious if managers can show they have a plan fornavigating challenges. “Try to be as clear as possiblde about what the expectations are and theresults you’re trying to she says. “Communicate so employees know this iswhere they’r e headed.” The message shoulr include a clear explanation of what leadership needw from employees to reach those goals. Gibson recommends reframinfg challenges into opportunities and possibilities by encouragingfemployee suggestions. If there are layoffs, focus on the peoplwe remaining as well as those who losetheifr jobs, Colbert says.
“The worsgt thing you can do is have a layofvf and not speak tothe survivors,” he says. “In a lot of cases, that’s much easierf to do in a small company than in a Bank of Colbert also suggests takinhg the opportunity when businesas is slowto cross-train employees. Most workers enjoyg learning new things, and the cross-traininy can be a good career-development tool, he says. If the budgett can support it, consider sending employees to seminars or bringing in a trainee topresent career-enhancing classes, he says. “There are severao little things companies can do to keep their employeezs engagedand involved.
” One organization taking that to heartr is ’s SouthPark office. Team leader Amy Hawkwe talks abouta two-pronged strategy to weathet a weak market: arming agents with professionao tools, and planning teamwork-building activities. “Thr last thing you need to be cuttinh back on right now is educationand training,” Hawke That means offering training on generating sales leads, for or working with short sales and bank-ownef properties. She organizes sessions where agentssharew “ahas,” or moments of professional clarity, with “We support each other in attaining goals, and we all hold each otheer accountable.
”
That’s an exaggeration, concedes Kenny Colbert, president. But it’zs not much of a stretch. Keepinb employees focused and positive as businesse falters and colleagues are laid off is a top challengee facingmost companies. Lately the human-resources and training-servicex provider has been askedabout morale-boosting suggestione every couple of days. “Everybody is kind of in the Colbert says. Employees rightfully worry about losing their jobsand benefits. They fret aboutt the well-being of former colleagues. They feel financially vulnerabl with their retirementsavings shrinking, their salaries frozeh and their benefits eroding.
The most important thingy companies can do is communicatrewith employees, Colbert says. Employees need to hear what is happeningfwith profitability, customers and clients. They need to hear the company’zs strategy for staying healthy. “Jusf keep them in the even if it’s bad news,” he says. “ think employees would rathedr hear bad news than nothingat all. I thinik one of the things that gets people depressed isthe unknown.” Colbert says he recently had to take his own advicw at a staff meeting. Business is off and he discussed the challenges and how the company is positionec to weatherany bumps.
Human-resources consultant Gloria Gibsojn says employees will respectthe honesty. “Businesd leaders should be as positive, proactivee and realistic as possible,” says the ownetr of . “Try to find that balance between sugar-coating and frightening.” Smallp companies can easily meet as a Larger companies may want to conveneindividuall departments, she says. The message and tone of all the meetings should be Leaders need to be aware of anxiety levelw and addressissues head-on when employese apprehension grows, she says. Pretendin g all is well when it isn’tt will almost certainly she says.
Employees will be less anxious if managers can show they have a plan fornavigating challenges. “Try to be as clear as possiblde about what the expectations are and theresults you’re trying to she says. “Communicate so employees know this iswhere they’r e headed.” The message shoulr include a clear explanation of what leadership needw from employees to reach those goals. Gibson recommends reframinfg challenges into opportunities and possibilities by encouragingfemployee suggestions. If there are layoffs, focus on the peoplwe remaining as well as those who losetheifr jobs, Colbert says.
“The worsgt thing you can do is have a layofvf and not speak tothe survivors,” he says. “In a lot of cases, that’s much easierf to do in a small company than in a Bank of Colbert also suggests takinhg the opportunity when businesas is slowto cross-train employees. Most workers enjoyg learning new things, and the cross-traininy can be a good career-development tool, he says. If the budgett can support it, consider sending employees to seminars or bringing in a trainee topresent career-enhancing classes, he says. “There are severao little things companies can do to keep their employeezs engagedand involved.
” One organization taking that to heartr is ’s SouthPark office. Team leader Amy Hawkwe talks abouta two-pronged strategy to weathet a weak market: arming agents with professionao tools, and planning teamwork-building activities. “Thr last thing you need to be cuttinh back on right now is educationand training,” Hawke That means offering training on generating sales leads, for or working with short sales and bank-ownef properties. She organizes sessions where agentssharew “ahas,” or moments of professional clarity, with “We support each other in attaining goals, and we all hold each otheer accountable.
”
Friday, December 17, 2010
DiNome abandons quest to lead Reed Smith - Houston Business Journal:
steinberg-virus.blogspot.com
Reed Smith spokesman Dave Egan told the Pittsburghb Business Times that Jordan and DiNomed issued a joint announcementr tothe Pittsburgh-based firm Tuesday morninvg that DiNome has withdrawn his “They sat down and talked and discovered they had a lot of commoj ground,” Egan said. “Many of the things John was concernerd about, Greg was working on. They agreedr that the best thingf for the firm was to focus on businesx insteadof competing.
” reported last week that DiNomwe was challenging Jordan, who was seeking his fourtj three-year term as managinyg partner of the law DiNome sent out a 10-page statement of candidacgy to all Reed Smith partners in whichj he questioned the firm’s businesa model, the compensation and transparencu of senior management, and called for a more independenr executive committee. The memo was obtained by the Business Journal. DiNomw and Jordan had said they agreed to not spealk publicly about the contested race to leadthe 1,600-lawyer which has 150 lawyers in Philadelphia.
The firm partnershio will votein September; the winner, who will now certainlhy be Jordan, will start his new term in Jordan has not been opposed since he firs sought the job in 2000, when he beat Philadelphiqa litigator John Smith. Jordan’s tenurer has been viewed as extremelyh successful. He has grown the firm throughg a series of significany mergers from 500 lawyers in nine officesxto 1,600 lawyers in 23 offices, including new ones in Asia and California. Focusing on a core group of practiceas with highbilling rates, Jordam also drastically increased the firm’s But with the economy sagging, Reed Smith’s transactiona l practices have suffered.
The firm has laid off 215 people, includinvg 26 lawyers, since December. The firm also cut 50 legalk secretaries last summer and salaries forall U.S. associates by 10 percengt last month. DiNome, a labor lawyer, joined as part of a groulp from Montgomery McCrackenWalker & Rhoads led by Karl Frittonh in 1996. A graduate of West he spent seven years in active duty as a fieldf artillery officer before attending Rutgers University Schoopof Law-Camden.
Reed Smith spokesman Dave Egan told the Pittsburghb Business Times that Jordan and DiNomed issued a joint announcementr tothe Pittsburgh-based firm Tuesday morninvg that DiNome has withdrawn his “They sat down and talked and discovered they had a lot of commoj ground,” Egan said. “Many of the things John was concernerd about, Greg was working on. They agreedr that the best thingf for the firm was to focus on businesx insteadof competing.
” reported last week that DiNomwe was challenging Jordan, who was seeking his fourtj three-year term as managinyg partner of the law DiNome sent out a 10-page statement of candidacgy to all Reed Smith partners in whichj he questioned the firm’s businesa model, the compensation and transparencu of senior management, and called for a more independenr executive committee. The memo was obtained by the Business Journal. DiNomw and Jordan had said they agreed to not spealk publicly about the contested race to leadthe 1,600-lawyer which has 150 lawyers in Philadelphia.
The firm partnershio will votein September; the winner, who will now certainlhy be Jordan, will start his new term in Jordan has not been opposed since he firs sought the job in 2000, when he beat Philadelphiqa litigator John Smith. Jordan’s tenurer has been viewed as extremelyh successful. He has grown the firm throughg a series of significany mergers from 500 lawyers in nine officesxto 1,600 lawyers in 23 offices, including new ones in Asia and California. Focusing on a core group of practiceas with highbilling rates, Jordam also drastically increased the firm’s But with the economy sagging, Reed Smith’s transactiona l practices have suffered.
The firm has laid off 215 people, includinvg 26 lawyers, since December. The firm also cut 50 legalk secretaries last summer and salaries forall U.S. associates by 10 percengt last month. DiNome, a labor lawyer, joined as part of a groulp from Montgomery McCrackenWalker & Rhoads led by Karl Frittonh in 1996. A graduate of West he spent seven years in active duty as a fieldf artillery officer before attending Rutgers University Schoopof Law-Camden.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
bizjournals: Starting a Business : Business Advice
evittiebodum1296.blogspot.com
Companies that fail to plan for a down markeft get hit so quickly that they are forced to sell off valuablee assetsat fire-sale prices. We're not just talking abougt chairs here but valuableintellectual property, customert contracts and talented employees. The valuee of an asset is virtually nothing to a bankrupt company and the deal of a century to ahealthy one. Just ask any surviving banking institutionnright now. Take inventorhy of the assets your competition has and what you woulf be willing to do toacquire them. Like a bargainj shopper at a flea market, get aggressive and pillagre any and all assets you can get your hands on at therighg price.
The key to kicking butt in a down market is beinfg prepared andbeing patient. With the right this bear market could be the greatestopportunity you've ever had.
Companies that fail to plan for a down markeft get hit so quickly that they are forced to sell off valuablee assetsat fire-sale prices. We're not just talking abougt chairs here but valuableintellectual property, customert contracts and talented employees. The valuee of an asset is virtually nothing to a bankrupt company and the deal of a century to ahealthy one. Just ask any surviving banking institutionnright now. Take inventorhy of the assets your competition has and what you woulf be willing to do toacquire them. Like a bargainj shopper at a flea market, get aggressive and pillagre any and all assets you can get your hands on at therighg price.
The key to kicking butt in a down market is beinfg prepared andbeing patient. With the right this bear market could be the greatestopportunity you've ever had.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
CU economist Wobbekind: Colorado to lose up to 65,000 jobs in 2009 - Tampa Bay Business Journal:
awipekyhila.blogspot.com
“We think the Coloradio economy will likely parallel or slightly follow the recovery of thenational economy, which we see leveling off in the thired quarter and growing in the fourth Wobbekind said in a statement. “We think the rate of job lossess will slow throughout the rest of this and potentially turn positive by the end of the Wobbekind made his remarks as part of a midyeat update on his 2009economic outlook, originally forecastg in December 2008. Colorado likely will lose 55,000p to 65,000 jobs in 2009, Wobbekind said in his updatefd forecast. That’s far more than the 4,300-job loss he expecte d last December.
“In the first part of this we’ve more than lost the jobs created in the previous two he said. “It’s going to take at leastg the next two years to recover thosdlost jobs.” Hiring in the educational and healtbh care services sector has been slightly positivw in 2009, mostly because employers were stilp filling a backlog of neededr hires in areas such as Wobbekind said. The natural resources and mining sectodris flat, but could potentially see some positivee job growth if energy exploration in the statr increases, he said.
“There are some jobs bein created, but pretty much across the boardc the sectors are taking a veryhard hit,” he Among the most affected sectoras has been the professional and business services which includes many high-paying jobs such as lawyers, computer systems designers and scientifixc research and development groups. “The singld most surprising area and the one that has had the largesft job loss has been in professionap andbusiness services,” Wobbekind said.
“It’z been a very important categoru for jobs during the last several years as the econom has surgedand it’s been one that has been hit surprisinglyg hard in this downturn, at leastr by our assessment and by many others.” The leisure and hospitalityu sector saw very weak retail numbers for the first four months of the year, especially in mountain resort The rest of the year is expected to be weak, but shoulrd improve compared with the firsgt four months of the year, the statement said.
“This is not going to be a great year for tourisk byany means, but it probably will get a little bettedr going forward than it was in the beginningg of this year,” he The Leeds Business Confidence Index did show an uptickj recently, suggesting improvement in the thirrd quarter. After plunging to a record low in the firs quarterof 2009, the forward-looking LBCI surged upward, from 35.5 to 47.5 for the thircd quarter of 2009. All six index componentsx postedsteep gains, and two of the for the state economy and sales, passed the neutralo mark of 50.
However, overall, the LBCI remaind below 50 as leaders expressed continued concernssabout profits, hiring and capital
“We think the Coloradio economy will likely parallel or slightly follow the recovery of thenational economy, which we see leveling off in the thired quarter and growing in the fourth Wobbekind said in a statement. “We think the rate of job lossess will slow throughout the rest of this and potentially turn positive by the end of the Wobbekind made his remarks as part of a midyeat update on his 2009economic outlook, originally forecastg in December 2008. Colorado likely will lose 55,000p to 65,000 jobs in 2009, Wobbekind said in his updatefd forecast. That’s far more than the 4,300-job loss he expecte d last December.
“In the first part of this we’ve more than lost the jobs created in the previous two he said. “It’s going to take at leastg the next two years to recover thosdlost jobs.” Hiring in the educational and healtbh care services sector has been slightly positivw in 2009, mostly because employers were stilp filling a backlog of neededr hires in areas such as Wobbekind said. The natural resources and mining sectodris flat, but could potentially see some positivee job growth if energy exploration in the statr increases, he said.
“There are some jobs bein created, but pretty much across the boardc the sectors are taking a veryhard hit,” he Among the most affected sectoras has been the professional and business services which includes many high-paying jobs such as lawyers, computer systems designers and scientifixc research and development groups. “The singld most surprising area and the one that has had the largesft job loss has been in professionap andbusiness services,” Wobbekind said.
“It’z been a very important categoru for jobs during the last several years as the econom has surgedand it’s been one that has been hit surprisinglyg hard in this downturn, at leastr by our assessment and by many others.” The leisure and hospitalityu sector saw very weak retail numbers for the first four months of the year, especially in mountain resort The rest of the year is expected to be weak, but shoulrd improve compared with the firsgt four months of the year, the statement said.
“This is not going to be a great year for tourisk byany means, but it probably will get a little bettedr going forward than it was in the beginningg of this year,” he The Leeds Business Confidence Index did show an uptickj recently, suggesting improvement in the thirrd quarter. After plunging to a record low in the firs quarterof 2009, the forward-looking LBCI surged upward, from 35.5 to 47.5 for the thircd quarter of 2009. All six index componentsx postedsteep gains, and two of the for the state economy and sales, passed the neutralo mark of 50.
However, overall, the LBCI remaind below 50 as leaders expressed continued concernssabout profits, hiring and capital
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Ex-charity director Lindsey pleads guilty to mail fraud - Austin Business Journal:
http://aworkingshoppingcart.com/index.php?productID=122
Colin Lindsey, once the director of Lenexa-basesd , faces as much as 20 years in prisobn and a fineof $250,000. Lindsey’s Tuesday guilty plea settled two charges he facedc in relation to hisNew Hampshire-baserd , which had an address in Overlande Park. Federal prosecutors chargeds him with mail fraud onMarch 6, more than a year aftef New Hampshire banking authorities seized Noble Trust’ office there after discovering that $15 million was missingv during a routine audit of the nondepository trustg company’s books. Investigators linked the $15 million loss to a failedr investmentin Colorado, where Lindsey had placed a substantia amount of his clients’ money.
After that investmenf failed, Lindsey attempted to conceal the loss by takin g money from new clients to keep his promise of paying existing clientsa their 12 percentannual return. Federal prosecutors also accused Lindsey ofselling high-net-wortbh life insurance policies to low- and middle-income individuals to generatee commissions to hide the loss at Nobls Trust. Jerry Vito Marino, a Florida man, was chargecd with referring insurance clientzto Lindsey, at least one of whom was a hairdresser in bankruptcyg without the means to pay the premiums that Lindsey’s insurancse plans would command, according to court Marino is scheduled for a plea hearing on May 4.
Lisa a former COO for Noble Trust, faces sentencingt on July 1 after pleadinf guilty to knowingabout Lindsey’s crimeds and not reporting them to Lindsey, a graduate, ran Children’s Communit y Foundation, an under-the-radar charity in the Kansas City area that among other things, tax-free annuitiesd to customers in exchange for real estate His activities with the Children’s Community Foundatiojn roused the interest of Kansas authorities, who investigated whether Lindsey’s charity was actually a trust company.
The Children’s Communithy Foundation largely wound down its activities in the areaarounx 2001, and not long Lindsey established Noble Trust in New Hampshire. Lindsey is thoughtg to have more than 200 investors in failedNoble Trust, an unspecified numbe r of whom come from Kansass and Missouri, according to New Hampshire authorities.
Colin Lindsey, once the director of Lenexa-basesd , faces as much as 20 years in prisobn and a fineof $250,000. Lindsey’s Tuesday guilty plea settled two charges he facedc in relation to hisNew Hampshire-baserd , which had an address in Overlande Park. Federal prosecutors chargeds him with mail fraud onMarch 6, more than a year aftef New Hampshire banking authorities seized Noble Trust’ office there after discovering that $15 million was missingv during a routine audit of the nondepository trustg company’s books. Investigators linked the $15 million loss to a failedr investmentin Colorado, where Lindsey had placed a substantia amount of his clients’ money.
After that investmenf failed, Lindsey attempted to conceal the loss by takin g money from new clients to keep his promise of paying existing clientsa their 12 percentannual return. Federal prosecutors also accused Lindsey ofselling high-net-wortbh life insurance policies to low- and middle-income individuals to generatee commissions to hide the loss at Nobls Trust. Jerry Vito Marino, a Florida man, was chargecd with referring insurance clientzto Lindsey, at least one of whom was a hairdresser in bankruptcyg without the means to pay the premiums that Lindsey’s insurancse plans would command, according to court Marino is scheduled for a plea hearing on May 4.
Lisa a former COO for Noble Trust, faces sentencingt on July 1 after pleadinf guilty to knowingabout Lindsey’s crimeds and not reporting them to Lindsey, a graduate, ran Children’s Communit y Foundation, an under-the-radar charity in the Kansas City area that among other things, tax-free annuitiesd to customers in exchange for real estate His activities with the Children’s Community Foundatiojn roused the interest of Kansas authorities, who investigated whether Lindsey’s charity was actually a trust company.
The Children’s Communithy Foundation largely wound down its activities in the areaarounx 2001, and not long Lindsey established Noble Trust in New Hampshire. Lindsey is thoughtg to have more than 200 investors in failedNoble Trust, an unspecified numbe r of whom come from Kansass and Missouri, according to New Hampshire authorities.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
UGA licenses innovative new Bermudagrass - Atlanta Business Chronicle:
http://onlineloanmodification.org/SchoolLoans/loan-modification-checklist
The new Bermudagrass is called “TifGrand.” It is license d by the to and will soon be available to homeownerse forplanting lawns, to developera for recreational facilities, sports complexes and golf courses and to urbaj landscapers. New Concept Turf, a Georgia-basee company specializing in marketing new hascontracted Ft. Ga.-based to exclusively handle licensingv of TifGrand forsod production. TifGrand will be licenseed to a selected number of growerz beginning this summer 2009 and is expectec to be available in the generalp marketin 2010.
TifGrand was developex by Wayne Hanna, professor of plantt breeding and genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciencezat UGA’s College of Agriculturak and Environmental Sciences. “Although TifGrand produces a beautiful turf infull sun, its majot contribution will be the production of nice turf in areas with reducedx light -- up to 60 percent less light than is normallyg required for healthy Bermudagrass growth,” Hanna said in a news
The new Bermudagrass is called “TifGrand.” It is license d by the to and will soon be available to homeownerse forplanting lawns, to developera for recreational facilities, sports complexes and golf courses and to urbaj landscapers. New Concept Turf, a Georgia-basee company specializing in marketing new hascontracted Ft. Ga.-based to exclusively handle licensingv of TifGrand forsod production. TifGrand will be licenseed to a selected number of growerz beginning this summer 2009 and is expectec to be available in the generalp marketin 2010.
TifGrand was developex by Wayne Hanna, professor of plantt breeding and genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciencezat UGA’s College of Agriculturak and Environmental Sciences. “Although TifGrand produces a beautiful turf infull sun, its majot contribution will be the production of nice turf in areas with reducedx light -- up to 60 percent less light than is normallyg required for healthy Bermudagrass growth,” Hanna said in a news
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Texas teachers buy ProLogis portfolio - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:
madhu-westmeath.blogspot.com
Denver-based ProLogis, one of the world’e leading industrial landlords, has completed a sale of 33.2 milliomn square feet to the Teachers Retirement Syste m of Texas andits partner, Stockbridge Real Estate Funds, a San Franciscl investment period. The sale includes 1.1 million square feet of industria space in thePortland area, much of it centeredr in the Airport Way Steve Steppe, managing director of Stockbridge’sz San Francisco office, confirmed the sale close as expected during the second quarter, but providedf no additional details.
The ProLogis sale is the firs t mega-deal to close since credit markets frozed last year and has the potentia l to establishnew recession-eraw values for industrial real Properties such as the ones ProLogizs operates have sold for $60 to $80 a square foot in receny years. The ProLogis portfoli was publicly valuedat $1.43 billiobn or $43 per square foot.
Denver-based ProLogis, one of the world’e leading industrial landlords, has completed a sale of 33.2 milliomn square feet to the Teachers Retirement Syste m of Texas andits partner, Stockbridge Real Estate Funds, a San Franciscl investment period. The sale includes 1.1 million square feet of industria space in thePortland area, much of it centeredr in the Airport Way Steve Steppe, managing director of Stockbridge’sz San Francisco office, confirmed the sale close as expected during the second quarter, but providedf no additional details.
The ProLogis sale is the firs t mega-deal to close since credit markets frozed last year and has the potentia l to establishnew recession-eraw values for industrial real Properties such as the ones ProLogizs operates have sold for $60 to $80 a square foot in receny years. The ProLogis portfoli was publicly valuedat $1.43 billiobn or $43 per square foot.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Illinois Lawmakers Approve Civil Union Legislation - New York Times
http://www.theconservativewoman.org/?p=42
Baltimore Sun | Illinois Lawmakers Approve Civil Union Legislation New York Times CHICAGO รข€" Illinois lawmakers on Wednesday approved legislation » |
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