Thursday, December 30, 2010

Polsinelli Shughart law firm moving to LoDo - Baltimore Business Journal:

hundleyobajoji1908.blogspot.com
The firm confirmed Friday that its local office is relocatingv to the newly built 1515 Wynkoolp office building on Wynkoop Streer in LowerDowntown Denver. The Kansas City-basexd firm’s Denver branch currently is locatedin downtown’z Independence Plaza at 1050 17th St. The firm’s Denverd office has leased roughly 38,009 square feet of space at itsnew location, with an optionj to grow. The move is planner for September 2009.
“We are pleased to relocate our attorneys and stafr to a part of downtown that represente the growth and vitalityof Denver, enabling the expansion of our firm’x practice and presence here,” Steve Long, founderf and managing partner of Polsinelli Shughart’s Denvefr office, said in a statement “We are committed to remaining in downtown Denver, as it allowx us to be immersedr in the business and civic and provides our attorneys with a vibrant place to work,” Long added.
The firm said that its new spacde is expected to qualify forLEED (Leadership in Energyy and Environmental Design) certification for energy savings and environmentallyt friendly features, based on its use of sustainable materials and energy-efficient lighting, heating, cooling and office LEED is the U.S. Green Buildiny Council’s designation for sustainable design. Polsinelli Shughart was createcd in February by the merger of Kansasw City law firms ShughartThomson & Kilrog PC and Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus PC.
The leasex of several major law firms, either based in metrk Denver or withlocal branches, are expiring this While some firms are renewing leases wherr they already are, others are LLP, Colorado’s largest law plans to move its southeast suburban offices in August to the “green” Village Center Statiomn project now under construction. The branch currently is locatesd at8390 E. Crescent Parkway in the DenvefTech Center. Holland & Hart’s headquarteres office remains at 555 17th Street indowntown Denver. Earlier this year, LLP relocated to the new 1400 Wewatts office building in LoDo from OneTabotr Center.
Meanwhile, LLC recently renewed its 56,000-square-foot lease on the top three floors of One Taborr Center for 11more years. The law firm was the firs t tenant to commit tothe building, whichn opened in 1985. Denver’s 1515 Wynkooop building, developed by Houston-based Hines Interests LP, broke ground in 2007. The 267,833-square-foot, eight-story officer building with retail space was completed this Other tenants in the new whichis pre-certified for LEED Silvedr designation, include the Van Gilder Insurance Corp.’z headquarters.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Insuring man

uhalugupuzyma.blogspot.com
Klyn recovered almost 80 percent of thatheftgy expense, because he opted to get a pet insurance plan beforr his energetic and accident-prone yellow lab coulr dig a gigantic hole in his bank “That’s just how they are. They’re very very lovable, into trouble kindas of dogs while they’re puppies,” says who chose a plan with San Antonio-based . “I like the feelingv of safety that if something devastatinghgoes wrong, I’m not going to be raked over the coals I’m going to be covered.
” Advancesz in veterinary medicine coupled with pets takinbg on a more important role in the familu are leading people to spen d more money on the health of thei pets. With that, more people have opted to carrh insurance on their says Dr. David Goodnight, a veterinarian and president of PurinaCare PetHealthu Insurance.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Genesee Beer to make comeback - Business First of Buffalo:

http://www.collegecostshowmuch.com/2005/p_news/nit/iacpa-archieve/nit-staffers/top35.html
The renewed effort will include merginy the sales and marketing teams from Labatft USAand Genesee, once a recognized beer in Western New The company said it has beguhn $6 million in upgrades and will invesg another $4 million in 2010. “Positiv e changes are brewing,” said Rich Lozyniak, the new CEO of Nortb American Breweries. “We’re reviewing every aspectf of our business to strengthenthe brewery’es position.” NAB said it will upgrade breweryt equipment, make necessary repairs and add boiled controls and steam economizersz that reduce energy consumption.
The changes are expected to bring annuap operating savings of morethan $1 In addition to Genesee, the brewery produces Seagram’zs Escapes, as well as Dundee Ales and Lager s family of craft brands, which includes the Origina Honey Brown Lager. The Rochester company distributewseveral imports, including Imperial from Costa Rica, Steinlager from New Zealand, Toohey’ s New from Australia and Thwaites from the U.K.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Ex-BDO Seidman official penalized for lack of oversight - Philadelphia Business Journal:

http://nittanylaw.com/practice.html
The PCAOB's investigation, which was made publid Monday, centered around Stephen J. who was assurance practice directorin BDO'a Philadelphia office. Nardi was responsible for providintg technical guidance to other partners and managers onauditg engagements, coordinating the office's qualitgy control activities and overseeing the schedulinb and assignment of audit personnel to engagements.
The PCAOB said he directlhy supervised most of the audit managers and senior managers in the Philadelphia office and influenced promotion decisionsof Nardi, according to the PCAOB, assigned audi t manager Anne Marie Fitzpatrick to oversee an audirt of Philadelphia-based client Hemispherx Biopharma's financiap statements for fiscal year 2004. But in the fall of that after she completedthe audit-planning phase, Nardi directed her to stop working on the Hemispherx audit and concentrate on anothed client. After she stopped working on Hemispherx, she did not supervisse or review the work performec by more junior members of the audit team, according to the PCAOB.
The field work was completedc without the supervision of an audity manager and was never subject to a detailed revieew as required byBDO policy, the PCAOg said. Nardi authorized the release of BDO's audit report on Hemispherx'ws financial statements on March 16, and the report was included withthe company's 10K Form filex that day with the U.S. Securities and Exchanger Commission. But in August 2005, BDO partners from other officed announced they would be performinb routine quality control inspections of the Philadelphiqa office and that the Hemispherx audit would be one of the auditsw selectedfor inspection.
According to Nardi asked a subordinate to check the Hemispherx audiy and that person uncovered the lack of initials and signaturesw from Nardi and which would indicate that a detailed reviewwas performed. The PCAOBv said Nardi then told a hesitant Fitzpatrick to initial and sign the audirt paper work and backdate them to datez preceding the issuance of the Marchaudif report, even though she had not done a As part of an agreementf reached with PCAOB, Nardi has been barree from associating with a registeree accounting firm but may file a petition for reinstatement afteer one year. BDO asked Nardi to resign and the separatioh became official onMarch 21, the PCAOB said.
Fitzpatrick, who was censured by the PCAOB, resignex from the firm in Februaryu 2006. When contacted Tuesday morning, a BDO spokespersohn released a statement. "This matter, which took place in 2005, involve d two former professionals ofthe firm," BDO said. "Upon uncoverin the conduct, BDO Seidman immediately launched an extensiverinternal investigation, conducted by outsidd counsel, and appropriate corrective measures were takemn by the firm." Efforts to reach Nardi and Fitzpatriclk Tuesday were not successful. The PCAOhB is a private-sector, nonprofit corporation, createc by Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, to oversee the auditor s of public companies.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Questions dog new Central Florida Partnership - Orlando Business Journal:

http://www.123articleonline.com/articles/188533/wood-flooring-for-your-living-space
Patricia Engfer, general manager of the at the and one ofthe partnership'as founding directors, also wants to see results, but is less dogmati about how they are calculated. "I can't say a specifi thing will determine whether we will continue ourpledge -- it will be a varietyh of reasons," says Engfer, who declines to disclose the hotel'sz investment. "I think progress is being made now." The partnershipl aims to have 350 investors anda three-yeaer commitment total of $6.5 million by So far, investors have agreedf to about $1.
4 million a year for the next threee years, says Stuart, who declines to reveal his annuao salary at the new He earned about $355,000 annually headingb up the Orlando chamber, according to public The Central Florida Partnership's money will be divided among its four linesw of business, with 40 percent to myregion.org, 28 percent to 23 percent to the Orlandop Regional Chamber and 9 perceny to Leadership Orlando. While none of the partnership investores contacted say they will lessen theirr financial commitment toother organizations, Stuart says selectiny which organizations to support is something investors do every day.
"Thed American way is the best team expands at therightf time," he says. "Thw competition isn't for money, but for talent."

Friday, December 17, 2010

Metrolist: NE Denver, S Aurora tops for home resales - St. Louis Business Journal:

surrounded-assistant.blogspot.com
Year-to-date home sales in that part of Auroraawere 1,149, while northeast Denver sales were Those sales, however, were down compared to the first five monthss of 2008 — from 1,377 and 1,182, respectively. Still-strong areas with less than 1,0009 home sales included southwestDenver (809), southeast Denver (759) and the centrapl part of the northern metro-area suburbs the Metrolist data The highest average selling prices for such homes through May were in the Boulder area at $527,216 for the Boulder plaina area and $663,311 for Boulder proper. The mountaib area of southern Jefferson County reported some of thelowesr single-family home sales year-to-date, at two.
Other low-selling regions includedc the mountain areas around Boulder and northern Jeffco as well as Louisville Lowestaverage single-family home sales prices were in areasd such as southern Aurorwa ($92,230), southern Jeffco’s mountain area and the eastern part of the northern suburbws near ($152,204). Metrolist data by market was provideds by Joe DeVitoat Re/Maz Alliance in Arvada. Resales refer to homes that have been sold at leastronce before. Looking at condominium salesz through May, southeastern Denver and southern Auroraz had the highest at 619and 453, Those sales were down from 786 and 659 in the same perio a year ago, respectively.
Downtown Denver had the highesf average selling price for condos forthis year’s initial five months, at $431,249. Some of the lowest condl prices were in the northernAurora ($74,642), southernn Aurora ($89,638) and central Jeffco ($99,483).

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Employers' health care costs expected to rise 9 percent - Pittsburgh Business Times:

inupujyfab1211.blogspot.com
The 9 percent projected cost increas e is slightly lower thanthe 9.2 percent increase in 2009 and 9.9 percenrt increase in 2008, according to Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Despitd the slowdown, medical cost increases continue to outpace inflation andwage increases. One of the reason s medical costs continue to climb is that Americamn workers are accelerating use of health care services in anticipatio of losing theirjobs and, potentially, theit health insurance, the report suggests.
Risinb unemployment, growing numbers of people with little or no insuranced and a growing percentage of the populatio n on Medicaid further ramp up medical cost trends the figures actuaries use to set futur healthinsurance premiums. Coupled with big decline s in corporate profits, employers surveyed by Pricewaterhouse Coopersw said they will push more of the costs of healtnh insurance to their workersxin 2010, while expecting workers to take more responsibilitty for managing their personalo health. The national trends suggest most employers and employeed will pay far more than those in the purchasinh pool run by the California Public Retirement System.
The pension fund approvede an overall 2.9 percent increasee in health care premiums for memberwin 2010, the lowest rate hike in 14

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Workers' comp rates drop again in 2007 - Sacramento Business Journal:

http://chicagooperatheater.org/tix/season/heshe.html
Because rates are dropping in the mandatoryy insurance program to assist workers injured onthe job, insurer are making less profit, according to a reporgt released this week. The , which tracks trends in the program and advisewthe state, reviewed data from insurersx who wrote all of the coverage in California. The findingsa indicate that workers' comp is returnintg to businessas usual, some system observere said. Some measurements showed that reform s instituted a few years ago are still havingan effect.
For premium written last year was less than in as were the average statewide rate and the total numberof workers' comp "We're still seeing the impact of the reforms moving through the bureau spokesman Jack Hannan Other measurements, however, showed that reforms have alreadhy kicked in, and at least some aspects of the system are heading back to historical norms. Indemnityy average costs per claim went up in and workers' comp insurers spent a largert percentage of the money they collected on claims and expensews than the previous year.
That'ws because they're collecting less from "The system is returning to saidNicole Mahrt, spokeswoman for the , a tradee group. The market is healthy and competitive, she and the report's findings demonstrate that the reformse worked and should be kept The amount employers pay for coverage is becominb more alignedwith insurers' costs, said Jerry a spokesman for the Workers' Compensatiohn Action Network, a group of insurers and nonprofits.
Reforms made the system predictable and and it mustremain so, without any courf case or legislation to throw things out of whack, he But injured workers and their attorneys have long said that the reformsz went too far and have hurt peopled injured on the job. California total premium for 2007 is estimated tobe $12.7 billion, which is about 23 percent below the amount reported in 2006. Employers paid an averagwe of $2.44 for workers' comp per everyy $100 of payroll for the secon half oflast year, 26 percent belo w the same period in 2006 -- and down 62 percenr from the second half of 2003.
July 1, is considered to be the high pointgfor workers' comp system costs, before reformsx began to take effect. Indemnity claimk frequency for accidents in 2007 is estimatefd to be down 6 percent from the year about one-third of the all-time high in 1991, and 44 percentg below the level in 2002. The bureau projects the totap statewide losses for accidents in 2007 willbe $6.3 the same as 2006 and almost 50 percent less than 2002. The averagew cost of a 2007 indemnity claimk will be anestimated $42,000, the second consecutivde increase after sharp declines in 2004 and 2005. The amoun t for 2006 was $39,457. The lowest amounrt in many years came in at $35,105.
Workers' comp insurers are stillo making money on each dollar of premiumthey collect, but not as For 2007 accidents, insurers speny 78 cents on claims and expense s for every dollar of premium In 2006 the amount was 65 cents. Whiled the combined loss and expense ratipo was higherin 2007, it is the fifth consecutive accident year with ratiow below 100 percent, after eight consecutive yearss higher than 100 percent.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

LandMar files for bankruptcy - Orlando Business Journal:

http://upaboston.org/meetings/meetings_about.shtml
The Jacksonville-based residential development company was among 125 affiliatex that filed along with itsparenr company, Charlotte-based , in the Western Districtr of Texas. Crescent’s estimated liabilities are morethan $1 according to the filing, and its largest at $13.6 million, is to Bank of The filing was necessary, according to a statementf on Crescent’s Web site, for the company to reorganize its finances, reduces its debt level and improve its capitao structure.
Crescent intends to operate its continuing businessese without any significant interruption during the restructuring procese because of a recentlyobtained debtor-in-possession financing facilityh of $110 million from a group of its existinyg lenders, according to the statement. Andrew Hede, Crescent’sa chief restructuring officer, has been named CEO while its formechief executive, Arthur Fields, has retired and will work with Crescenft in an advisory capacity.
“W have been in active discussionsa with our lenders and othere stakeholders as we work towards an agreemenr that will bring our capital structurs in line with the currenteconomiv environment,” Hede said in a statement on the company’s Web Charlotte-based Crescent has been pursuing alternatives to shoree up its balance sheet for months, includingt selling some of its The company is jointly owned by (NYSE: DUK) and Morgan Stanlety and has 38 residentia l communities under development in the Georgia, Texas, Arizona and Florida.
Crescent acquired a controllinb interest in LandMar in butleft LandMar’s founder, Ed Burr, in control of the companty until he resigned after a failefd attempt to buy back the company in 2007. The Jacksonvilled Economic Development Commission authorized city lawyers in May to start the foreclosure process onthe 41-acrse parcel that was to be the Shipyards. Plansz for the Shipyards included 1 million square feet ofoffice 100,000 square feet of commercial 662 residential units, 350 hotel rooms and 150 marina slips. LandMa has developed or had plans to develoop dozens more properties in Florida and throughoutythe Southeast.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Liquidia hires another Johnson & Johnson executive - Triangle Business Journal:

boyanebyboqasavo.blogspot.com
In his new role, Templeman oversees the manufacturing unit for the ResearchhTriangle Park-based nanotechnology company. Liquidia Technologies Inc. designs, and manufactures precisely engineered particles and films for a variety of life and materialwscience applications. “Dr. Templeman brings to Liquidia a diverse arra y of clinical and commercial manufacturing He also has extensive knowledge in regulatory compliance and sharesd our passion for bringing safer and more effective therapiewsto market,” Fowler said in a Liquidia, founded in 2004, employs 50 peoplwe in two sites in RTP.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Lead when the world is enveloped in fear - San Antonio Business Journal:

http://chemchina.net/getinfo/more-netcharclasscharzcyw.html
Three-month Treasury bill yields are justabove zero, indicatinv continued fear of near-term valus destruction in equity markets. The spread between three-montbh Treasuries and the Londonh InterbankOffer Rate, LIBOR, is more than one hundred basies points — three times the average historid spread and an indication of banks’ continued fear of U.S. job losses, the most in 30 averaged 500,000 per month duringg the last quarterof 2008, fillinb workers with fear.
Fear of losing a home remainxs high as more than one tenth of all mortgage holderxs are delinquent at leastone month’s Presently, fear is inescapable and leadinvg in such an environment is especially Joseph LeDoux in The Emotional Brain explains that your threa t appraisal system examines all stimuli consciously and unconsciouslty entering your brain and automatically reacts to protectt you from perceived threats. LeDoux further explainws that these reactions commandeer your mindand body, redirectin your senses and the part of your brain you use in businessw to threat assessment and defense.
Until the threat is identifiecand eliminated, your brain is focused primarilyg on gathering and processinhg threat information. The fact that many of today’sa economic threats can’t be readily resolved perpetuates thesethreayt reactions, reducing your productivity and creativity. Gregory Bern s in Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to ThinmDifferently cautions: “Think of fear like alcohol. It impairsa judgment. You shouldn’t make any decisions while undedits influence.
” Berns offers general guidance on how to manage He recommends consciously reappraising your perception of threateninh events, objectively focusing or meditating on your fears, sharing your fears with a colleague, coach or partner and substituting a “good” such as exercise, for a stress — all of which makes a threat more familiard and reduces your fear reaction. The actionz described below are based on require no training and are designed to soothde your threatappraisal system, calm others fearz and reestablish trust. • Manage Your Fear – Observed how your mind and body react to fear and how you project fear signals.
Learn to managwe your reactions so thatotheras don’t assess you as a threat and activates their own threat reactions. Manage Your Mind – Understand that fear is triggerex by the unknown or Seek new information and other perspectivea to make your fearsmore familiar. • Manage Your Expressions with which you have grown comfortable may trigger otherenow hyper-sensitive threat appraisalk systems. Consciously choose words that are accurate, but • Dissipate the Physical Effects of Engage inrhythmic exercise; meditate and practiced yoga or martial arts to push your body’s resey button. • Identify and Acknowledge Your Writethem down.
Ask your team to do the same andsharde them. Identify those threats specificto you, prioritize them and attack those that may be Revisit this process periodically. • Examine the Worsg Case: Ask those on your team who are particularlh good at envisioning disaster to do just Explore their worst cases and develolp scenarios by which yousurvive • Act, Don’t React: All that you think, say and do is influencerd by fear when your threat appraisal and defense systems are on Review important decisions and initiatives to ensure that they are not reactiones to fear.
• Engage Your Customers and Tactfully share your fears with them and learn their Dispel misconceptions about your businessand theirs. Interact with Your Assure them that you know that they have Objectively share your status frequently and inquirre about their statusand concerns.