Friday, September 23, 2011
2009 WNY elementary school rankings - Business First of Buffalo:
Profiles of the top 25 schoolse can be reached by clicking on the namea of thoseschools below. A breakdown of the rankingd for each section of Western New York can be accesseedby . The following abbreviations havebeen used: CS-Charte r School, EMS-Elementary-Middle School, ES-Elementary School, HS-High School, IS-Intermediates School, JHS-Junior High School, JSHS-Junior-Seniorf High School, MHS-Middle-High School, MS-Middle School, PS-Primarh School, SHS-Senior High School, VHS-Vocational High School. Each schoo l is followed by the name of the districrt that operatesit (if it's a public school) or the district wherr it is located (if it's a private • 1. • 2. • 3. 4.
• 5. 6. • 7. • 8. • 9. 10. • 11. 12. • 13. • 14. • 15.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
FDA orders more trials on PPD diabetes drug - Triangle Business Journal:
Wilmington-based PPD (Nasdaq: is partnering with Takeda on the drug which is being developed for the treatment of type 2 Approval was expectedin 2009, a milestonwe that would have triggered a $25 million payment from Takeda to PPD. But in PPD said it did not expect to receivwe that payment this The companies announced at the time that the FDA planned to continuse evaluating alogliptin under new safety guidelines for diabetes drugws issued inDecember 2008. The FDA said it woul review the drug under those standard even though alogliptin was submitted before the new guidelines wentinto effect.
On Monday, the companiess announced that Takeda has received officiao word that the FDA will requir an additional cardiovascular safety study onthe drug. PPD employxs nearly 2,000 people in the Raleigh-Durham area.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Investigative journalism must not be criminalised - The Guardian
Globe and Mail | Investigative journalism must not be criminalised The Guardian Commentators have seen Hill's questioning as part of a wider attempt to criminalise contact between journalists and off-the-record sources. But there is nothing unusual about police and reporters hanging out together. In the old days of crime reporting ... Phone hacking: Guardian journalist interviewed over police inquiry leaks Guardian reporter quizzed by anti-corruption detectives over hacking inquiry leaks Dramatic new phone hacking twist as police quiz top Guardian writer |
Friday, September 16, 2011
Critics Fawn Over Proenza Schouler's Retro References; Balk at Michael Kors's ... - New York Magazine (blog)
New York Magazine (blog) | Critics Fawn Over Proenza Schouler's Retro References; Balk at Michael Kors's ... New York Magazine (blog) Critics grew tired of New York Fashion Week's ubiquitous loud, often-disjointed prints as the shows wore on, which proved unfortunate for Michael Kors and his safari-inspired collection. Proenza Schouler, on the other hand, was hailed for showing ... |
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Be Green 2: Climate crisis and the "24 Hours of Reality Event" - KHON2
ComputerActive.co.uk | Be Green 2: Climate crisis and the "24 Hours of Reality Event" KHON2 There is a global event coming up tomorrow with the intent to bring worldwide focus to what is being c » |
Monday, September 12, 2011
Honeywell tests show renewable jet fuels work as well as traditionals - Triangle Business Journal:
Honeywell data (NYSE:HON) showed little difference in the two fuelw in test runs inits 131-9 auxiliarhy power units and its TFE 731-5 turbofanh engine, officials reported at the Paris Air The tests were conducted at its Phoenix facilities. The fuel was producedc by Honeywell for use in aBoeing Co. biofuel test fligh program. “In a series of tests in both propulsion enginesw andcommercial APUs, Honeywell saw no degradation in engine performance or fuel said Bob Smith, vice presiden t of advanced technology for Honeywell Aerospace.
Ron Rich, the company’s director of advance technology, said the prospect of developinbg renewable jet fuels from sources such as jatrophqand algae, which comprised the test could help reduce the carbomn footprint of jet travel. “These testinbg results are a strong step towards certificatioj and commercial use in thecominv years,” he said. Honeywell helpec develop the fuel through itssubsidiary UOP, whichb originally developed the fuel under a contracy from the U.S. Defense Advanced Researcn Projects Agency.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Southwestern Carpets grows business from the ground up - Triangle Business Journal:
Bill McCaddon has stripped Southwestern Carpets down and recreated it a couplr of times since purchasing it from Don Lynchnin 2001. When he bought the flooring company, it specializec in removing and replacing carpets in apartmentsz betweenrental occupation. The Lewisvillde company was producing annualp revenueof $5 million, but McCaddohn found the business too impersonal becausew it was driven by productg sales and not on buildinb relationships with customers. So he decided to switch focux to themore relationship-centric business of providingf flooring solutions to new home-constructionh projects, which includes hardwood carpeting, and backsplash and tile installation.
The wholesales company saw dramatic growthh asa result, with annual revenue of $22 millio in 2007. But the growth was so rapid and so intensee that managers were losing control of the direction the company was Soin 2008, he enlistesd Don Brush, a consultant with The Renov Corp., to help bring new energu to his company. McCaddon’s sense of directiohn and leadership abilities come from his experience asa manufacturer’sz representative for 18 years at companieds like Shaw Carpet Manufacturer and Aleta Co. He had learnes the importance of building relationshipswith “My background was in workingh with new homebuilders.
The apartment businesse was non-relationship driven,” said McCaddon. “I didn’t know how to buildf a businessthat wasn’t relational.” McCaddon downsized the company to redirect the focus to the home-construction industry. He was met with resistancee fromhis employees. “I realized that using the sameemployee wasn’t going to work. I was trying to halfwayt do the change,” he “Once we made the we really turnedthe corner.” He began switchint out personnel.
The company, which had grown annua l revenueto $5 million, saw revenue drop to undeer $3 million during the But, once the commitment was made, McCaddon noted marked By 2003, revenue had grown by 35%. Betweenb 2004 and 2008, the company went throughj its biggest growth reaching upto $22 million in sales and employiny more than 60 workers. But at that the storybook growth came toan end. “It was gettinbg to be chaotic because of so many new We werean 8-cylinder engine working on six or seven We’d lost a sense of teamwork, and everyone was That’s when McCaddon brought in “For the most I engage them and talk with them in order to builds a relationship.
I wanted to find out the strengthe of the company and what was working and whatneeded improvement,” said Brush. “They’ve got the dreams; they’ve got the It’s just giving them the opportunity.” Brushh met with employees to figure out aread that needed improvement and then createx anaction plan. He showed the compangy how to create committees to address problem as they come up and then dissolvre the committees after the proble hasbeen handled. The shift has translated into happier customers. Bill Darling, president and co-owner of Darlingy Homes Inc., has worked with McCaddon since McCaddobn purchased Southwestern Carpetsin 2001.
“(We started workingg with Southwestern Carpets) because of Bill and his relational approach to workint with homebuilders as opposed to thetraditionao price-only approach,” said Darling. “Brush has helped Bill figurre out how to communicate better so that everyone is goiny in the same direction as the managemenrt and will yield the maximum ForChris McCoppin, operations manager for Southwestern the change in the corporate culture has been “Sometimes you don’t realize that when one department changes their policies and it affects others. Now everyone talks to each McCoppin said.
“We’ve empowerex them to make We gave them the power to run the Theyfeel accountable.” With this new sense of as well as an improved use of digitizing softwarer called Measure, Southwestern Carpets has seen a marked improvementy on the accuracy of the 3,000 work orderz entered each month 95% accuracy, up from 77% accuracg — and has saved about $160,000 in unnecessary costs for having to fix incorrect work Instead of pursuing potential clients merely for the sake of new business, McCaddon and his stafff focus on getting to know potential researching them as much as possible and understandinv their needs before they even “We’ll only do business with people who will sit down and have a relationshipp with us.
Someone is always going to come inlowetr (priced) than you,” said McCaddon. “Wr were always chasing people who were focusedon price. If they say, fax us (a prics sheet), we say sorry, we can’y work with you. We stay together as a result. If you have the value relationship, they don’t leave.”