Sunday, December 30, 2012

WSJ: Dell cellphone may not be far off - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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The Round Rock, Texas-basedc computer maker, which is the second largest producer of PCs in the has been designing prototypes for more than a as initially reported by the Wall Street Journal . However, Dell (NYSE: spokesman David Frink declined to comment saying the report is basecdon speculation. The Journal reports that Dell planzs to develop a smartphone to competewith ’se (Nasdaq: AAPL) hugely popular iPhone and Research in Motion’s (Nasdaq: RIMM) The phones will be baseed on ’s (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android operating systemj and ’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows Mobilw software, according to the reports.
Dell has recentlhy cut two Microsoft-related Earlier month, Dell revealed that it was switchingits pre-installexd default search tool from Googlw to Microsoft’s Live Search toolbar. It also acquired the Microsof t consulting and solutions portion of in a stocki dealworth $12 million. At leasg one model of Dell’s cell phone will featurwe a touchscreen, similar to the iPhone’s, according the Although the cell phone could be released as soon as a montnhfrom now, Dell has not finalize d its plans and may stilol abandon them, the newspaper reported.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

American to cut 1,600 jobs - Orlando Business Journal:

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American Airlines, a subsidiary of Fort Worth-basedx AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR), said 1,200 fligh t attendant positions will be impacted along with 300 airport services staff members and 50 cargoserviced positions. Flight attendant cuts will be made on a basiof seniority. As is customary in most layoffs, American said voluntaryu exit packages will be offered to employeesw who may want to retire Tim Smith, a spokesman for American, said the layoffs were made in conjunctionh with capacity reductions announced by America on Thursday. The positions lost in Orlandoi may not allbe "involuntary" jobs with some workers taking early Smith said.
The airline employs 245 in In a letter to American employeesreleasedf Thursday, the company’s senioer vice president of huma n resources Jeff Brundage said, “These reductione come as a result of our effortzs to 'right size' our operationh and respond to the weaker demand for traveol by reducing our schedule, including seasonal changes, and addressing lower-than-expectedf attrition.” Brundage in his letter added that the cuts coincids with CEO Gerard Arpey’s announcement that the airlin e will be cutting its capacit by 7.
5 percent due to lower consumer travel

Friday, December 28, 2012

Louisville has more than 12 million visitors - Seattle Post Intelligencer

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WFPL


Louisville has more than 12 million visitors

Seattle Post Intelligencer


(AP) รข€" The Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau says more than 12 million people visited Louisville this year, spending some $1.4 billion. The University of Louisville's Urban Studies Institute came up with the figures based on statistics from ...


Tourism is big business for Louisville area

Business First



 »

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Disney Preserve carbon study launched - Portland Business Journal:

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The study is viewed as a vital step towarrd determining how to calculate carbomn credits forany cap-and-trade The federal government would first set a limit on the volumr of emissions that can be produced across the U.S. in a givehn year and then grant tradablefederapl permits, called “allowances,” to covered entities for each ton of CO2 The intention is to encourag firms to discover cheap methods to cut emission whilde allowing those with no easy means to reduce pollution to buy The system could allow landowners to sell carbon creditsd to companies wishing to show they are makinf efforts to reduce their carbon This comes on the heel of a passage of a climater change bill by the U.
S House Energy and Commercw Committee requiring a 17 percent reductioh in greenhouse emission by 2020 and to set up a cap-and-tradw program. The bill is expected to come before the U.S. House by late summer. “When we’rw done setting everything up, we will be able to take data from the begin to understand whether this ecosystem isstoringh carbon, releasing carbon or doing both under various environmental said Ross Hinkle, UCF biologisf and professor on the project, in a prepares statement.
“Then we can develop a reliable, quantifiabl model for calculating carbon storage in natural Disney Wilderness, located in southwestern Osceola County, was originallyy created in 1993 to mitigate wetlands lost to development of . Wetland s cover about 2,550 acres and the site is home to 14 documenteds and 12 unconfirmed protected species of birdesand other.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

St. Louis Realtors donate $78,000 to fight homelessness - St. Louis Business Journal:

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The Realtor Housing Assistance Fund now has donated morethan $500,000 since 1989 to help defeat homelessness, accordiny to a release. The recipients of this year'sw distribution are: Adequate Housing for Missourians, Almost Beyond Housing, Catholic Charities, Doorways, Grace & Peacse Fellowship, Humanitri, Independence Center, Life Lydia's House, NBA The Olived Branch, Our Lady's Inn, Peter & Paul Community Servicew Inc., Rainbow Village, Rebuildinb Together, Room at the Inn, Sister of Love. St. Andrew'es Resources for Seniors, St. Louis Transitional Hope House, St. Patrick Center, Sts. Joachim and Ann Care The Haven of andThe Women's Safe House.
Grant recipientx were selected based on several criteria, including their efforts to help reduce and eliminatr homelessness in the St. Louis area. The moneh was raised through fundraisers and collected througnh direct contributions fromthe association's membership and local The association's more than 10,000p members include area Realtors, title companies, appraisers and home

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Atlanta Business Chronicle: Business Events Calendar

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Once approved, your event listing will appeae on the Calendar until the day aftee the date you enter as itsend date. For example, if you enter June 8th as your event'as end date, your listing will be removeds from the Calendarat 12:00 a.m. on June 9th. Once I list an how long does it take before it is posted to the BusinessEvents Calendar? To maintainn the professional integrity of our each listing must go through an approvao process prior to being posted to the Events In most cases, this occurs within a few with the maximum being 24 hours. Can I post my even t listing as far in advanceas I'd like? Yes, you can post event listings days, weeks or monthxs in advance.
They will appear on the Calenda r until the day afteryour event's end date. Will my evenrt listing also appear in the print edition of theBusiness Journal? No, the Businesz Events Calendar is an online-only any events posted through this systemk will only appear If I want to list a recurring event each do I have to enter each one separately? Yes, each month' event would be considered as a separate There may be discounts for multiples listings. Please contact us and a representative will work with you to creatwe a customized package to suit your Contact information is available from the Can I selecr more than one category for myevent listing?
No, each evenrt listing can only fall under one If more than one category applies to your evenrt listing, we recommend choosint the one that is most If I have a Business Events Calendar promotional/discountf code, can I use it in any of bizjournals 42 markets? No, each promotional/discountf code is market-specific and will only work in the markey for which it was originally created. What shouled I do if I need to make changesx to my event listing after it has beenposted online?? Please contact our locall office. Information is available from the Who should I contact if I woulcd like to purchase an event listingh over the phoneversus online? Pleasde contact our local office.
Information is available from the

Friday, December 21, 2012

Stratus Building Solutions signs Denver franchisee - Denver Business Journal:

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The St. Louis-based franchisor of building serviced and maintenance franchises said the Smiths will own and manages Stratus Building Solutions of Metro Denver at 7010 Broadwayin Denver. As a master the Smiths will exclusively offer Stratus Buildint Solutions franchise units for sale throughout Stratus has awarded franchises in 14 states sincee it was foundedin 2004. The companyu is headed by CEO Dennis Jarrett and PresidentrPete Frese. Jarrett said that he projectsw $25 million in revenue for the companythis René Smith is a middle school science Channen Smith is vice president of consumer solutions servicesx for RelayHealth in Westminster.
Kregg Woosley will join Stratuse Building Solutions of Metro Denver asregional director, accordingg to a release from the St. Louis-based Woosley has held similar posts at othert franchised commercial cleaning companies and previously owned and operatexd a janitorial company basedin Tennessee.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Warner Bros. president to speak at Union Saturday - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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Alan Horn, who graduated from the Schenectady collegeein 1964, will discuss his perspectivr on the movie business during his 3:30 p.m. talk. Horn’s studio is responsible for such movie hitsas “The Dark as well as the Harry Potte movies. Horn is speaking as part of the school’e ReUnion 2009 graduation event that is expected to draw morethan 1,5009 visitors. Also speaking Saturday are Chris Sheridan, a writeer and character voicefor “The Familu Guy,” who graduated from Union in 1989; and Scott Siegler, the creative director of show s such as “Growing Pains” and “Night He graduated from Union in 1969.
All the talks are free and open to the A ground breaking ceremony is also schedulecd for Saturday on a renovation of the sociallsciences building. The renovatio n work includes the installation ofsmartf classrooms. The work is being funded in part witha $3 milliom gift from alumnus Jim Lippman, who is chairmam and CEO of , a Los Angeles-based commercial real estatw firm he founded in 1992. The companuy has 1,500 employees and manages a portfolio valued at morethan $3.5 with more than $300 millionj in annual revenues.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Young: Even with gun control, some tragedies can't be stopped - Newsday

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Newsday


Young: Even with gun control, some tragedies can't be stopped

Newsday


After a shattering tragedy, it's human nature to try to make sense of what happened. And, when the tragedy involves guns, attempts to make sense of it inevitably turn to politics. So it is with the horrific elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn ...


Gun violence must be stopped now

Greenville News


Sandy Hook: Gun control wouldn't have stopped it

Washington Times


Adam Lanza Wouldn't Have Been Stopped by Stricter Gun Control Laws

PolicyMic


Examiner.com -WCVB Boston -W*USA 9


 »

Sunday, December 16, 2012

UTMB receives cardiology training endowment - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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Dr. John C. Price created the Melvi L. Price M.D. and Charles A. Price Endowment for Cardiology Fellowship Training to supportyouny doctors’ education as they learnj the nuances of treating heart disease, the leadingy cause of death in the United Price’s brothers both died of cardiovascular disease. Pricer said he wanted to establish the endowment to ensurs that UTMB can train more cardiologists who will be skilled at helpingb patients with heart problems make full The value of the endowment wasnot disclosed.
“The twin goalzs are to provide more effective therapy for thosse with heart disease and to encourage early identification of individualx at risk for subsequent intervention to modify and ultimatel y prevent the morbidity of cardiac andvascular disease,” said Price, a head and neck In addition to his recent endowment, Price has contributedr to cardiology research at the universitu to aid the development of new treatments and procedures that reduc functional impairment and death from cardiovascular disease.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Broadway renews Matrix, MultiPlan leases - Phoenix Business Journal:

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The private real estatew investment and management firm is renegotiatinhg leases with tenants at the same time it is trying to cleae up debt issues withits lender. which lost ownership of the Hancock Towef after it defaulted ona loan, has debt that maturesz this month. The financingv in question is secured byseveral properties, includin the 980,000-square-foot Bay Colony. Broadway is in discussionsd with lenders to renegotiate the terms ofthe loan. Broadway was given an extensiohn onthe loan, which was due earliet this month, according to a sourcs with knowledge of the situation. However, the landlord renewesd MultiPlan Inc.
, which leases 105,062 square and Matrix Partners, which leases 11,421 squared feet, at the office complex. CB Richarc Ellis represented MultiPlan. DTZ/FHO Partners represented Broadwayu Partners and Matrix in the lease Broadway acquired Bay Colony from Beacon Capita l Partners LLC in May 2007 as part of a larger portfoliloof assets. The four-building complexx office park sits ona 58-acre site overlookingf Route 128.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Jobs plentiful for new grads in Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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Career centers at locaol universities say corporate recruitment efforts are up and area businessesw are continuing tomake entry-levep hires, including companies that have been hard-hit by the economid downturn. Generally speaking, companies that have takenj a hit in profitability waylay theihiring plans, said Rick Brown, executive vice presidenr and COO at Downtown-based executive recruitment firm Ltd. But the currenr situation is different. Companies today realize it is crucial to hire younhgtalent now, Brown said, especially as the baby boom generatio prepares for retirement. "If they don't do it now, they will not have a cadrse of leadership 10 years from now," he said.
"It's essential. They have to hire, despitw a bad economy." Even Co., hard-hif by cutbacks in home building to the point of consolidatinh and closing some storexs and laying off 28 people atits headquarters, plans to make 500 entry-levek hires. That's down from 1,700 a year ago. "We may not hire as quickly as we did a fewyears ago, but we'rd continuing to go to campuses and bring qualifiee candidates into the company," spokesman Jeff Nobers "You never batten down the hatches and quit lookin for talent." Nationally, the prognosix from two job market surveyas is mixed.
Monster Worldwide's survey revealefd that employers who plan to hire 2008 colleg e graduates this spring or summer dropped 17 percentage pointsx from last year to59 percent. , however, said entry-levek hires are expected to increaseby 11.8 percent over last Locally, the anecdotal evidence supportsd the more positive outlook. University of , and , all said the job marketg remains strong forprospective graduates. "Despite the state of the economy over the pastseveral months, it has not affectee us," said Jim McClenahan, directod of Duquesne's Career Service "That doesn't mean it won't in the future, but we'r e holding our own." Inc.
, for example, is increasinfg hiring from 1,350 last year to 1,50 0 in 2008. It ranked 26th on the CollegeGrad.com highest among the locally baseccompanies listed. "I already know it's going up in said Davie Huddleston, PNC vice president of humam resources and director of strategictalentg acquisition. Huddleston personally centeras on about 10 percent of the totalentrg hires, an elite group from which PNC expecta to grow its management ranks who will mostlyu be based in Pittsburgh. "Over the next few I know I'll hire a future chairman," he said. Downtown-based provider of post-secondary education, also has increased its hiring plansfor 2008.
The companuy plans to hire 1,000 new graduatees this year, including 700 with master's Last year, the companty hired 625. Area schoolzs consistently cited the following corporate employeres as especially activeon campuses: PNC, Bank of New York Mello Corp., Electric Co., and the .

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Banks get creative catering to consumer demand for savings - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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The products include savings accountss and CDs that offer perks and upgrades designed to assist customers withtheir short- and long-ternm savings goals. There’s also a groundswelpl of new financial literacy classezs that take banking lessons into the workplaceor community-at-large. Classes covef everything from avoiding foreclosure to strategies for thesophisticated investor. They’re usually free and don’t involved hard-core selling. But they do allow banks to get theidr brand in front of thousandzsof people.
Response to ’s workplacre banking classes hasbeen “overwhelming,” says Melanir Blank, Regions’ consumer banking executive for Middle Tennessee. “Wr became an automated industrhy in the spirit of quiclk communicationand speed,” Blank says. “But now peopl e are getting back to the They are in a cash optimization Regions also has introduced its SecondChance CD, whicjh allows customers a 1 percent markegt rate increase if they meet their savingsw goals for a year. The bank also has a no-penalt option that lets participants take one withdrawap during the term ofthe CD.
The bank also recentlhy introduced a customer assistance prograk for familiesin distress. This program helps participante reduce or restructureproblematic loans. Blank says the program has helpedfabout 12,000 people nationwide avoid foreclosure. has had a workplacew banking program called Work Perks forfive However, the economic downturn has createe a flood of new interest in the program, says Paulwa Mansfield, vice president of workplace banking for the bank’a Middle Tennessee branches. “Many companies are havin to cut back on thingslike 401(k) Mansfield says. “They are looking for ways to show employee s they arestill valued.
” conducted a seriese of focus groups in Middle Tennessed earlier this year to determine customers’ needs. “They ‘Help me save better, budget better and save for college and People are worried that theifrchildren don’t know how to says Connie White, marketing director for the Middle Tennessee branches of Fifth Fifth Third also is rolling out Relationshi Savings, a product that’s meantr to encourage savings and draw business to the Customers who sign up for a Fifth Thirxd checking account automatically get double the interest rate on a savingw account at the bank.
Another the Goal Setter savings account, works with customer s to set savings goals and rewardsd them withinterest hikes. White says the bank is lookingy ata double-digit increase in deposits this Information from Fifth Third’s market researchy inspired local branches to plan a seriees of “Health and festivals. The grassroots events will be held at bank branchess and willfeature mini-seminars on saving and budgeting, credift repair and affordable home ownership. Along with the financiao classes will bediabetes screenings, a personal fitnesd trainer giving fitness tips, healthy food boothxs and activities for childrehn and massages.
“Our research showed us that focuses shoule be placed on programs that reach youth as wellas adults,” White says. “It showed that to gain banks should extend community outreach and White says Fifth Third also is seeing an increasee in requests for workplace particularlyfrom nonprofits. / reports a 10 percent increase in users ofits 5-year-old Way2Save savingzs account. It encourages customers to save bytransferring $1 from theit checking account into a special savings accounft each time they make a check card purchase or an electronixc payment.
Customers earn 5 percent interest and a 5 percent annual bonu s in thefirst year, and a 2 percentg annual yield and 2 percent annual bonus in the second and third years. Way2Save has had abou t 2 million participants, says Wendy Wachovia’s banking executive in charge ofthe “Consumers wanted to save, but didn’ty know how,” Lawrence says. “Nowq we are seeing a wide interest, even from high schookl students.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

NHL commissioner: Coyotes move could damage Westgate, arena construction - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

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He also said it could have a chilling impacty on other cities considering helpinh teams buildnew arenas. The Coyotese have 41 regular season home gameseach year. Bettman and the NHL opposse theproposed $213 million sale of the team to Canadiann businessman Jim Balsillie, who would move it to Ontario, saying the league should make the A June 9 hearing is set in U.S. Bankruptcgy Court to decide whether Coyotes owner Jerryt Moyes can sell to Balsilliew or if it must be sold to a buyer who woulf keep the NHL franchisein Arizona. The Coyotes are in Chapte r 11bankruptcy reorganization.
Balsillie argues in court filinge thathis $213 million will be the best deal and the court’as main charge is to get the most moneyy to pay off debt and position the team to be financiallgy viable going forward. The Coyotes have lost $316 millionn since moving to the Phoenix market from Winnipeg in according tocourt filings. Balsillie says NHL hocket is not financially viable in the Phoenisports market, but the league points to four potentia l bidders for the Coyotes that wouldc keep the team in Jobing.Com Arena was built by the city of which says it will pursue a $500 million to $750 millioj claim if the Coyotes break theie 30-year lease.
Balsillie’s court filing contends the bankruptcg court has the leeway to discharge sucha claim. The Nationaol Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball backthe NHL’s bid to keep the Coyotees in Arizona fearing the move couldf set a precedent.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Dogs Behind the Wheel? Bad News for Cats - New York Times (blog)

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NEWS.com.au


Dogs Behind the Wheel? Bad News for Cats

New York Times (blog)


A branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals there, as a stunt to show that dogs awaiting adoption are smart and have  »

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Passenger count slips at BNIA - Business First of Buffalo:

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According to statistics compiled bythe , operators the Buffalio airport, the outbound passenger count in May was off 6 with the airport handlinh 235,313 passengers compared with 250.554 one year ago. remainx the airport’s busiest air carrier of the nine thatservd BNIA. Southwest had 26 percenty of the airport’s outbound passenger count while Jet Blue captureed 18 percent and USAirways had 17 Buffalo was one of the few marketa Southwest serves that saw an upwaredspike -- albeit a minuscule one -- in passengefr traffic. Southwest handled 61,776 passengere in May, compared with the 61,68q it handled last May. Through May, the airport handled 2.
09 milliojn inbound and outbound passengers, compared with 2.21 millionn last year. While passenger counts in Buffall aredown 5.5 percent, the rest of the countru is seeing a 9.9 percent drop in passengers. “Th good news is that we are performingv better than the rest ofthe country,” said Willianm Vanecek, NFTA director of aviation. Vanecel said negotiations are underway withDirecr Air, which runs limited service from to Myrtl e Beach and Punta Gorda/Fort Myers, Fla., to add servicre to another city. Three locationzs are under consideration, and Vanecek said the NFTA and the airlineas hope to reach aconclusion soon.
Direct Air’s service is expected to increase the exposure of the new Niagaraa Falls International Airportpassenger terminal, whic opens in early September. Vanecek added that Airlinw Advantagefrom Rockford, Ill., will be running special servicwe to Niagara Falls this summer. Air Advantag e began the Niagara Fallsz runlast year. The firm may be addingb service to Niagara Fallsfrom Allentown, Pa. and Mass., this year. Also, the NFTA will be accepting bids to operats a restaurant in the new Niagaraa Falls terminal untilJuly 1. Three firms showedx an interest duringa pre-bid conference earlier this month.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Harford BRAC office park in jeopardy - Triangle Business Journal:

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Rockville’s Opus East LLC, the developer of a 2 million-square-foo business park at Aberdeen Proving Ground, has slashed its work force and stoppefd taking on new projects in response to itsfinanciakl problems. The company also has brought on an experf to help it work out its debtas and consider options includinbg filing for Chapter 11 saidWinston Hewett, spokeswoman for parenf company Opus Corp. of In response to those issues, the Army’s top brass at APG met with executivesx at Opus East to pull togetherr a new development team forits 400-acre Governmenft and Technology Enterprise business park.
The being built on government land inside AberdeenProving Ground, is the largesrt private development for defense contractors in Harford Aberdeen is preparing for an influx of 8,200 military jobs being transferred to the base by Septembefr 2011 under a federal Base Realignment and Closurew plan, known as BRAC. Several thousand suppory jobs from defense contractors also will be movin tothe area, creating an expected demand for some 2 millioj square feet of privately built space at developmentsa like Opus East’s GATE project.
Just one buildin g has been constructed at the Military base spokesman George Mercer said APG leaderz are determined not to let the projectg fail and will do whatevere they can to select a new developer to make sure the projectrmoves forward. As those discussions take place, Opus East’s Hewettg said executives are weighingt whether the company or some of its subsidiaries will need to file forbankruptcty protection.
Opus East has created subsidiaries to manages each ofits projects, including APG I and APG II for the Aberdeen project, and Hewett said it’s possible one or several of thosd entities might file for bankruptcy, leaving Opus East Harford County Economic Development Director Jamew C. Richardson said he is troubled by the situationn given the years ofplanning that’s gone into the base’es expansion and the economic benefits thosr projects could yield. Opus East, like many commercialo real estate developers across the faces mounting debts fromthe short-term constructionn loans it took out to start its Hewett said.
It has been unable to refinance many ofthoss debts, totaling at least $80 because of the sour credit market. As a resulgt of that slowdown, Opus East plans to lay off about 15 of its 31 employeedsJune 15. That number is down from a staffr of about 100 employeeslast year, Hewett said. “Wse haven’t finalized any plans; we are exploring our she added. This is the latest in a string of financiaol challenges forOpus Corp., a national developmenyt firm with projects across the country. Opus East is one of five independentlty operated companies ofOpus Corp., which has struggled to refinanc e its projects. Opus South filed for bankruptcy protectionbin April.
And in early May, a subsidiary of Opus West filed for bankruptcy protection to avoid a foreclosured auction ata mixed-use project near Austin, A second Opus West subsidiary went into As with Opus East, Opus West also has brought on help to explore optionsw including bankruptcy. As recentlty as May, however, Opus Corp. officials consideredr Opus East viable because defense contractors and governmengt agencies drive much of the demand for new commercial developmentw inGreater Baltimore. Despite that optimism, Opus East has not signed any new tenants at its Aberdeen projec t sincespring 2008, when it signed CACI to a full-buildinbg lease.
It broke ground on CACI’es 60,000-square-foot research and development building in May 2008 and completedx work on the structure inDecember 2008. Opus East also is involvec in legal battles over two other projectsa inGreater Baltimore. In Linthicum, Opus East is beingg sued in Anne Arundel County Circuig Court by StraitSteel Inc. over 3,00o tons of steel the Greencastle, Pa., firm providedd for Opus East’s West Quest C project. Opus East is buildin a 160,000-square-foot office on West Nursery Road for defenss contractor NorthropGrumman Corp.

Monday, December 3, 2012

David Gergen: Business leaders need to step up to regain trust - Denver Business Journal:

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The veteran journalist, television-news commentator and White Housse aide through four administrations brought that message Wednesdayto Denver, where he served as the moderator and keynote speaker at the first Denver Leadership Summit, at the Ritz-Carltojn Hotel. Faced with a tarnished reputation amid a bittereeconomic downturn, American businesws risks increasing levels of publicx distrust and government intervention if it fails to “stands tall,” Gergen said. At the same time, business leadership in the 21st centurhy is far more difficult than ever before because executives are bombardedwith information.
“Leadership in the businesse community has become muchmore complex,” Gerge n told an audience of top Denvetr business leaders, including Mayor John Hickenlooper and executivews of , , and other top companies. “Yo u have to have more bandwidthto function. It requirer people with more breadth.” Gergen was a top aide to presidentaRichard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Geralcd Ford and Bill Clinton. In his Gergen distills the successfukl leadership traits of the presidents he served intoseven “lessonsz of leadership,” and argues that many of thosee traits apply to businesss leadership as well. • Leadership starts from within. A central, compelling purpose.
• A capacity to • An ability to work within the • A sure, quick start. • prudent advisors. • Inspiring othersw to carry on the Inhis book, Gergen also citess flaws in the performance of his former bosses that serve as warningd to business leaders, from Nixon’s paranoia and secretivenesxs to Clinton’s inability to control his Gergen praised Denver for its “upbeat quality” and the calibere of its business and civi c leaders. “We’re at the edge of a very importantr period inAmerican history,” he “and you’re in an area where a lot of that historyy is going to be made.
” These Gergen is a professor of publicd service at Harvard’s John F. Kennedyy School of Government and director of its Center forPublic Leadership. He is also editor-at-large for U.S. News World Report and a senior political analysrfor CNN. Between panels at Wednesday’s summit, Gergen spoke with the Denver Business Journaol about business leadership in acrisixs economy. (The interview is edited for DenverBusiness Journal: Your argues that businessw needs to stand tall again, that corporate leaderxs should take charge of their fate or the government will assume an even larger role.
Clearlyy business faces a public-perception problem in light of the recession and thefinancial meltdown. How can business leadersw begin to repairtheir image?

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Degrees of green: Triad

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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by Presideng Barack Obama in Februaryallocated $34 billion for energy efficiency and buildingf modernization, and another $7.9 billion for the developmentg of renewable energy. While Triad officiales were starting to see growing interest in all thingsxgreen — from construction to solar panel installation — the stimulusd bill has created extra demand in such jobs and relatedx training. As such, local community colleges are developing new programs and expandingexistingb ones.
“We are not serving our students well ifwe aren’t preparing them for the job market,” says Shanns Chastain, division chair of industrial construction and engineering technologiees at GTCC. College officials say they are adding tingesd of green to as many parts of the curricula as is For example, students in auto mechanics programs are learniny how to work on hybrid and students in construction programs are learning abouyt LEED construction and being encouragefd to get certified. William M.
Marion, the program coordinator for architecturall technology at Forsyth TechnicalCommunity College, says his programk needed to go green to keep up with the as a growing number of architecturw firms, interior design companies and general contractorsx are requiring it. “It is increasingly expectee of people to have some basic knowledge of what sustainablee thinking isall about,” he says. Schoolse are also boosting their HVAC and electrical programs to better prepare students for the increasedr demand for building weatherization and energyt audits that is coming about because of stimulusa funding forenergy efficiency.
“We really need to get our studentas trained in this area because that may very well be the work that is out therewfor them,” Chastain says. In addition to addinb a green component to theidrexisting curricula, both Alamancer Community College and Guilford Technical Communit College are planning new programs with an emphasis on renewables energy. In the fall, GTCC will launcyh a certificate programin photovoltaic, or solar panel, installation and Chastain admits she isn’t sure what the demande for these workers is yet, but expects the demand to grow as more home ownerzs and businesses explore the option.
“Thw demand may not be there yet, but I can’tg imagine that it won’t be there in a year or two,” Chastainj says. On the eastern edge of the Triad, Alamance Community College is considering two programx that would prepare students for careers insustainable energy. The firsrt program would be an associate’s degree in sustainablre energy, with the expectation that students would transfer toa four-yearr school for further trainin g in how to develop and refine the technology involved in thingas like wind turbines and solar energy. Appalachian State University and N.C.
Stat e University both have sustainable energy Alamance Community College officials are talking with their peers at both schools to make sure the curricula would meet theidr requirements and to get articulation agreementszin place, says Barry the executive vice president at Alamance Communitg College. The second program woulcd be muchshorter — likely either three month s or six months — and wouldx train technicians to build and maintain solar cell and wind turbines. As part of that the school will take an area of flat land abour the size of a football field and install some solar panels and wind turbinesfor hands-on Weinberg says.
He does not know yet how much the equipmengtwill cost, but is hoping to get corporate donations of either the equipment itself or cash to help defra the expense. “It will also be a symbol to the communitty that the college is very interested inthis field,” Weinbertg says. The courses for both programs areunder development, but becausd they would need to be approved by the state communitu college system it will likel y be next spring before the first students can enroll, Weinbert says. Weinberg, who came to Alamance Communityt College about six month ago from upstate New sees it as a good fit for the with its vacant factories and highunemploymenty rate.
“Here in Alamance Countgy we would be perfect for this kind of he says. “We lost these jobs when the textile factories and we have these empty factories that could be turnef toward the manufacturing of products forsustainablwe energy.”