Tuesday, August 30, 2011
SF Beige Book sees few signs of recovery - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
The report, released Wednesday, said there are signs of stabilization or improvement insome sectors. But the report was downbeat, with retail sales still demand for most services softening further and production of manufactureds productsextremely low. Overall, some of the 12 Fed districtsx reported seeing signs that the recession may be slightly easing, but none were expecting the economty to turn around by the end of this In the San Francisco commodity prices in general were stable, exceptg oil prices, which increased. Prices fell for professional services such as accounting andbusinessd consulting. Gas prices rose modestly but were stilpl belowlast year’s highs.
Upward wage pressured were nonexistent, with businessesx reporting pay freezes, wage reducing or eliminating bonuses and reduced Shoppers continued tofavor “inexpensive necessities,” the reportg said, resulting in sales gains for larged discount retailers in some areas. Grocers saw some strengthened sales. Sale s of used cars returned to “normal” levels in some The Fed said travel activityy continued to fall inmajor destinations. In Hawaii, visitor countxs and spending remained downby double-digit California and Nevada reported ongoing declines in hotelp occupancy, especially in the luxury segmenty of the market.
The district’s housingv markets remained weak but showed some signxsof improvement. Demand for commercial real estateeslid further. Banks reported that lending activity weakened and crediy conditionsremained tight. Demand for commercial and industriapl loansfell further. Banks attributed declinees in business and consumer loan volumes to the limites number ofqualified applicants, but noted that lendinhg standards have remained stringent.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Saint Louis Art Museum hires Tarlton, KAI, Pepper for expansion - St. Louis Business Journal:
St. Louis-based Tarlton Corp. is a general contractor and one of the larges t privately held firmsin St. Louis. KAI Design & Build is based in St. Louis, and Pepper Construction Group is basedin Chicago. The museum hopes to break grounde on the project by the end of the The museum had originally intended forlate 2008, in response to the turmoiol of the financial The expansion is beint underwritten by private philanthropy. In four years, the museumk received commitments of morethan $120 millionh towards its $125 million initia capital campaign goal and more than half of the campaignj pledges have been paid.
More than 25 percent of the campaignj goal will be added tothe museum’s endowment to supportg the incremental operating cost s of a larger museum. Designec by London-based architect , the expansiom will provide new galleries, publi space and infrastructure along witha 300-space below-grade parking garagr and a new, fully accessible entrance on Fine Arts Construction is anticipated to take two years.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Court nixes Delta cancellation of Mesa Air contract - Business Courier of Cincinnati:
The subsidiary, Freedom Airlines, operates 22 50-seat aircraft as Delta Connection. Overall Mesa (NASDAQ: MESA) operatese 150 aircraft under agreementswith Delta, US Airways Group and Unitefd Airlines as well as independently in the Hawaiian Islands as go! Aftef fuel prices shot up in 2008, Delta tried to buy out the contracty inked with Mesa in 2005, but negotiations fell according to the 11th Circuit ruling.
At that pointg Delta sent a letter to Mesa terminating the agreement saying the percentaged of flight cancellations exceeded the limit set in the The court, however, notes that the numbers failed to factoer in circumstances and assurances by Deltw officials surrounding the addition of flights at the busied and weather-dependent John F. Kennedy Internationap Airport. “We reaffirm our commitment to offerintg the very best service to Delta and our DeltqConnection passengers,” said Mesa CEO Jonathan Ornsteinn in a statement Thursday. “Wwe would also like to thank our dedicatedf employees who have continued to provide outstandingg service through thisunfortunate case.
” Prio r to the preliminary injunction, Mesa had said that the company might have to file for bankruptcy if it lost the regionall contract as Delta service accountec for as much as 20 percent of its annualk revenue. Atlanta-based Delta (NYSE: DAL) officials did not immediately respondx to a request for Delta operates a hub atthe Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Factbox: Republicans take varied paths to 2012 nomination - Reuters
Factbox: Republicans take varied paths to 2012 nomination Reuters (Reuters) - The Republican presidential contenders have a common goal -- to stand on stage at the 2012 convention in Tampa, Florida, as the party's nominee to challenge President Barack Obama for the White House. But their strategies for getting there ... |
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Cousins Chairman Tom Bell retiring - The Business Review (Albany):
Gellerstedt will remain president, the Atlanta-based real estate investmenty trust said. Bell, who turns 60 this became Cousins CEO in January 2002 and chairma inDecember 2006. Under his watch, the company sold nearly $3 billion in assets during the market’s peak for special dividendas totaling $12.62 a share. “Therew is never a perfect time to leavd a company as respected and admiredas Cousins, but I’j confident that after seven and a half years as chiefv executive, the company is readty for new leadership and renewed energy,” Bell said in a “My decision to step aside now allowsw our extremely talented management team under the guidancse of Larry to make important decisionsx that will prepare Cousins for the next phase of the real estatde cycle.
” Bell remains deeply involved in Atlanta’s civif life. He has been instrumentak in the effort to save from financial The movement began over dinner in early 2007 when the tabls conversationof A.D. “Pete” Correll, formet CEO of , and Bell turnee to Grady. Through their leadership and donationsefrom , ’s $5 million, and . " thought he had big shoes to fill when he took since he was replacingTom Cousins," said Hal Barry, foundetr of Barry Real Estate Cos. "Since then, he's done an absolutelg fantastic job forthat company. And what he's done for the city and metrop Atlanta have just been overthe top.
I hope he doesn'tt give up some of his efforts that have meanf so much to theAtlanta community. I just admir e the heck out of him." 53, came to Cousins CUZ) when the REIT bought his , in June 2005. Gellerstedt served as chairman and chieg executive officer of the from 1986to 1998. In after the sale of Beers to , he was electef chairman and CEOof , a packaging and printedx office products company. In 2000, Gellerstedr became president and chie f operating officerof , an urban mixed-usee development company. He went on to found The Gellerstedt Groupin 2003. In otherr company news, Cousins’ board of directors named S. Taylorf Glover non-executive chairman of the board.
Glover joined the Cousins boar d inFebruary 2005. He is currently the presidentf and chief executive officerof
Friday, August 19, 2011
Perry's big talk invites big scrutiny - Boston Globe
New York Times (blog) | Perry's big talk invites big scrutiny Boston Globe NASHUA NEITHER MAN would consider it a compliment, but watching Texas Governor Rick Perry on the stump c » |
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Supreme Court temporarily blocks Chrysler/Fiat merger - San Francisco Business Times:
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Badee Ginsberg granted a motion filed by Indianq state pension funds to delay the merget between the American and Italian automakers in whatthe U.S. Treasury Department said was an administrative extension designed to allow sufficient time for the Supreme Courft to explore whether or not a stay is according to several published reportslate Monday. The Supremer Court move extends a stay alread issued by a lower court that was set to expirer lateafternoon Monday. Fiat has given Chryslerd until June 15 to finishhthe merger. Attorneys for the pension fundxs argued that they woulfd receive just pennies on the dollar fora $42 millionj loan given to Chrysler. However, U.
S. Solicitor Generalo Elena Kagan said the imminent collapse of Chrysler said to be losing upwarxof $100 million daily — was of greate r concern to government officials than the loan dispute. When Chryslef filed for it announced it would reject 789 dealershipoagreements nationwide, including nine in the St. Louizs metro area. Chrysler’s restructurinb plan also calls for closing eight including Chrysler’s two plants in Mo.
Chrysler’s South plant in Fenton, which assembless minivans, was idled at the end of Chrysler’s North plant, which makes Dodge Ram was idled earlier this month for one to two monthes and The plants hademployed 1,200 workerd in Fenton, down from 5,000o several years ago.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
North Carolina's $2B hog industry belted as farms fail - Triangle Business Journal:
Two culprits – overl large herds and rising costs due to highedr grainprices – have been shrinkinb the bottom lines at many hog operations in Nort h Carolina, the nation’s second largesy hog-producing state, behind only To those factors can be addedr the recent swine flu, or H1N1 flu, scare, the effectw of which the industryg is only starting to tally up. “A lot of people have just not realizeed what’s been going on in the industry,” says Deborahj Johnson, CEO of the , an industruy trade group. Already, she says, “Wer are beginning to see some (hog leave the industry due tofinancial hardship.
” At threew eastern North Carolina operations, relief from the pressurs will come from Chapter 11 or Chaptet 12 reorganization. Chapter 12 is a provisionh written into the federa l bankruptcy code in 1986 dealing exclusively with family farms. Both Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 allow a compan breathing room to attempgta reorganization. In their reorganizationj filings, Bunting Swine Farms of Wilson listede assets of justunder $1 million and debts of $12.4 Perfect Pig of Newton Grovw in Sampson County listed assets of $9.3 million and debtd of $23 million; and of Enfield listed assetw and debts in the $1 million to $10 milliohn range.
All three are considered mid-level producing between 100,000 and 200,009 hogs a year. North Carolina farmers raise about 10 milliojn hogs a year for Some farmersare independent, taking thei r product directly to the Other farmers operate under contract with one of the majort pork producers, such as Virginia-based , which in the past has had contracte with more than 1,000 North Carolina Another prominent producer is , which has had deals with as many as 150 North Carolinza farms. Recent developments at publiclyy traded Smithfield Foodsillustrate what’sw ailing the industry. The meat-producing giant, in a recengt U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission filing, reported lossesw of $112 million for the nine monthsaending Feb.1, 2009, explaining that its costs per hundree weight of hog had risen from $49 to $62, largelyg due to higher grain The company attributes the rise in grain costx to “the United States’ ‘cornb to ethanol’ policy.” Meanwhile, as coste were climbing, the Smithfield managers say, the markeyt was glutted because a record numbers of hogs were slaughtere d in 2008 and into 2009. Demand for pork at the groceryu store has been flat inrecent months.
New retaiol numbers will begin to tell the effects of the H1N1 While a final determination has not been the blame for the flu outbreakl is being laid to hog farmaby some. In response to markety conditions, Smithfield has been closing someproductio plants, including one in Elon near and shaving 1,800 employeeds companywide. “The whole industry is feelinh pressure,” says Dr. Todd See of Looking down the road, graim prices have started to moderate in recen tweeks and, Johnson says, the latest Northu Carolina herd is expecterd to be 3 percent smallerd than last year’s.
Nationwide, the movement towarcd smaller herds might be even more pronounced thanNorth Carolina’d 3 percent, says Christine McCracken, an analyst with Clevelane Research Co. “A lot of these (hog producers) have been losingh money for 18 months,” she “And that’s a long
Friday, August 12, 2011
Seven Denver companies among fastest-growing in U.S. - Kansas City Business Journal:
Denver-based companies making the top 100 list Global TechnologyResources (No. 7), comCablesx (No. 21), DocuVault (No. 63), CAM Services (No. 77), Gunthe Douglas (No. 79) All Copy Products (No. 84) and Postmodernh Co. (No. 95). The ICIC survey showed that the 2009 winner grew at a compound annual growthb rate of 40 percent and an average combined rate of 324 percent between 2003and 2007. Collectively, the top 100 inner-cit businesses have employed nearly 17,000 peopler and created nearly 10,000 new jobs in the past five Accordingto ICIC, 53 percent of companies expect steadyy growth, 11 percent expect their revenues to double, 6 percentf expect their revenues to triple and only 4 percentf expect their revenues to declin in 2009.
Individually, the average Inner City 100 company’s revenues were $23 The 2009 Inner City 100 winners operate from 55 citiew in31 states. Fifteen companies on the list are basedr in California and eight arefrom Massachusetts. Colorado, Texas and New York each have sevem companies onthe list. RNL is the only firm in Colorado to be named among the topfive sustainable-designm firms based in the United States, according to a Top 10 list publisheds by Architect magazine in its May The rankings were based on several variables, such as percentagew of Leadership in Energy and Environmentalk Design (LEED) projects and LEED-accredited professionals on staffv in 2008 as well as green policies.
Founded in 1956, RNL is basex in Denver and has officesin Phoenix, Los Angelex and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The University of Coloradop Denver School of Medicine Alumni Association presented its topannuall prize, the Silver and Gold Award, to Denver Health’ws chief medical officer, Dr. Philip Mehlerf , who graduated from the schoo lin 1983. The association also recently honored Dr. Dan Bessesenj with its Distinguished Achievementr Awardand Dr. Nancy Nelson with its DistinguishefService Award. Bessesen, a professod of medicine in the divisionof endocrinology/metabolism/diabetes, is also basedx at Denver Health. He is a 1982 graduatwe of the UCD Schoolof Medicine.
Nelson, who graduatefd from what was then called the University of Colorado Schoopl of Medicinein 1959, is now professor emerita of pediatricx at the school. She served as the first femal e head of the ColoradoMedical Society. Dr. Mark Deutchman, a professor in the departmeny of family medicine at the Universituy of Colorado Denver Schoolof Medicine, has been namedc recipient of the 2009 Osage Orange Distinguished Physician Walkingf Stick Award for his work running the school’d Rural Track program. The program increases the numbetr of physicians practicing in underservede rural areas across Colorado and theUnitecd States.
HMH Architecture and Interiorsw of Boulder received two awarda from the American Society ofInterior Designers. The 2009 Colorado Annua l Interior Design Awards won by the firm werefor “Primaryg Residence over 5,000 square and for “Bed & Bath.” Boutiqur for the Soul , an organization designes to connect and support women in business, was named 2009 Businessx of the Year by the Denver Tech Centef Business and Professional Women’s Network. Denver-based Alpine Waste Recycling was recognized asthe state’s most outstanding business for its recycling/diversion prograjm by the Colorado Association for Recycling.
The Colorado chapter of the Societuy for Marketing Professional Servicespresented Denver-based Kieding Office Architectx with the 2009 Marketing Excellence Award for best advertising campaign. Kiedinyg specializes in the planning and design of commercial office The Boulder Valley SchoolDistrict ’s annual report, calledf “Thrive,” won the Award of Excellence from the Coloradko Schools Public Relations Association. It was designed by Laura Landwirth , executive director, Colorado Association of Homes and Services forthe Aging, received the Award for Excellence from the Assisted Livingf Federation of America.
Done deals: Mortenson Constructiobn has been selected to build six new Tactical Equipment MaintenanceFacilities (TEMF) at Fort Carson Army Base on behal of the Army Corps of The facilities will include four medium and two smalll building designs, totaling $63.9 million. The work follows Mortenson’s construction of eight previous TEMF facilities at Fort Dovetail Solutionsadded Kendall, Koenigy & Oelsner PC to its list of clients. KKO is a boutiquee business law firm with officezs in Denverand Boulder. Design Lines Inc. , an interio r design firm based inGreenwood Village, has been selectex to provide interior designas for The Alvea Spa in Queenas Creek, Ariz.
, and the Vineyarda Spa in Brentwood, Calif. Openings: DécorAsian , which sellas pan Asian art, collector’s items, furniture and opened its firstDenvere location, at 1787 S. Broadway. The company openedr its original store on Pearl Streety in Boulderin 2003. AfterOurs Urgent Care has opener its fourth Colorado this onein Westminster. The clinic, locatedr at 2761 W. 120th operates weeknights, from 5-9 and during weekends and holidaye from8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Chula Vista Veterinary Clinic Announces New Website for Educating Pet Owners - Marketwire (press release)
Chula Vista Veterinary Clinic Announces New Website for Educating Pet Owners Marketwire (press release) CHULA VISTA, CA--(Marketwire - Aug 9, 2011) - South Bay Veterinary Hospital in Chula Vista, CA, has announced the launch of a new website, http://MySouthBayVet.com/. The website was redesigned to make it easier for pet owners to learn about veterinary ... |
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Terms of American economy's full breakdown named - Azerbaijan Business Center
Azerbaijan Business Center | Terms of American economy's full breakdown named Azerbaijan Business Center The USA's debt problems avoiding default this week but losing high rating are a messenger of America's economy and financial system's collapse. Today preliminary terms of American economy's collapse have been made. The article is disseminated only on ... |
Friday, August 5, 2011
Duke, UNC grads flock to Teach for America - Triangle Business Journal:
In the Tar Heel State, 150 recent collegwe grads have signed up with Teachfor America, New York-based nonprofit that places teachers in inner-city and rurall public schools. Teach for America provexd to be a popular choice for locao university students trying to find employment after turningtheirf tassels. Eleven percent of ’s seniof class applied to Teachfor America, and the 7 percent of the graduatinhg class at the that applied with the nonprofiy made Teach for America the No. 1 choic of UNC’s graduating seniors.
Teach for America corps members commit to teach for at least two The nonprofit recruits on more than 450college campuses, seekingh seniors and recent graduates from all academic majorx and backgrounds. North Carolina corps memberss were selected from a recors national applicant pool of morethan 35,000.