Maui Cultivates the Aloha Spirit - Maui Weekly

http://demid-off.ru/?q=node/24

Maui Cultivates the Aloha Spirit Maui Weekly The final installment of the Maui Weekly Spotlight on Agriculture Series examines ifâ€"and howâ€"community efforts can ensure a more prosperous future for ...

Think through your reasons before beginning a negotiation - bizjournals:

http://www.brandoncebenka.com/article/Wholesale-Chocolate-Business.html
Why ask these questions? You need to look in the mirror and think hard about just how importanrt this particularnegotiation is. Will the outcome affect your lifeIf so, how and where? Why? Let’s break this down into a few different areas and look at them and thei importance. Be alert for the situation where the process is more importanr thanthe outcome. For example, if you are negotiating for a car (for are you prepared to walk away if you feel you are beint takenadvantage of, even if it means never getting what you were negotiating for?
For example, if there’w only one dealership wheree you can buy a car you and you walk away from the negotiation, you don’f have another dealership to turn to. If you are not as successfukl as you desire inthe negotiation, will your company be hurt by your skills or lack thereof? How importantr is this meeting? Who else might sufferf if you get only part or none of what you are negotiatinv for? Let’s say you are negotiatinv to buy a new home, and the sellerds won’t budge from their price. As a you are going to walk How does this affect yourfamily ? Does walking away mean your kids won’tf start at a new school at the beginning of the school year?
Or is it only spring, giving you a few monthse to find the right home at the right price Are you here to win at all costs, no mattefr what, just so you feel good and feel that thrill of victory? What will be the outcome if you win, lose or draw? Are you really accomplishing something, or are you just feeding your ego? Thino about why you need to win. You must be able to walk away from the Pretend that you are in Las You have set a gambling limitof $200, and you have just lost it all. Do you go to the windoww and mortgageyour house, or do you just say: that was fun! No big deal. I guess it’s time to have a $2.9o steak.” • Are you preparee to lose?
Here you have to ask yourself: What did I if anything? If you did what will it affect? You can view this situatio n like bidding atan auction. You might reallyg want that Monet painting orJohn Lennon’s limousine, but if someone outbids you or the pric is just too high to beginm with, what have you really lost? Life could have been fun with that but it isn’t everything. We all buy what we want and sometimee forget thatwe don’t need it! • If you win, then what OK, your intense negotiation just landed you a brand-neaw car for the price that you wanted to pay. Or you got the job that was plus the extra salary youinsistex on. Now what?
This situation remindsd me of “The Heartbreak Kid,” a movie from the On his honeymoon, Charles Grodin meets and fallw inlove (so he thinks) with Cybill Shepherd. He spends the rest of the movie pursuingh her andher family’s blessing of the relationship. This moviee is all about wanting something, going after it at all attaining that goal and then askingy whether it was the goal that was so important or whetheer it was the challengw ofgetting it. As the movie ends, Charlese Grodin is at his (second) wedding and you can tell he is pondering, “Nowe what?” He has attained his goal, and he stil l isn’t fulfilled.
Don’t just look at the Ask yourself: What will the attainment of thegoal bring? • Long-term, short-term benefits This is relatedx to the previous point. Now that Charles Grodin achieveedhis goal, what are the long-ter benefits? Does he really want to be marriede to Cybill Shepherd? If he is she the right woman forever? Or was the short-term benefit the thrilkl of the chase, and now the long-terj benefit is a marriag from hell?

Paper industry exec joins Northwestern Mutual board - Houston Business Journal:

http://createyourscreenplay.com/articles2.htm
Balboni previously served as chairman ofNorthwestern Mutual's examining committee, an independent group appointes each year to take an impartial and unrestricted look at the company'sz operations, management and strategic "John's expertise in strategic informationh technology, as well as his stronh management, finance and analytical background, makes him a solid additionm to the Northwestern Mutuao board," said Edward Zore, chairmanb and chief executive officer of Northwestern "His career also demonstrates a great deal of a skill that is particularly crucial now as all companiesw find themselves adapting to new environments.
" Balbonji has held various roles over a 21-year careerd with Memphis, Tenn.-based Internationao Paper (NYSE: IP), the world'd largest paper and packaging company.

China, Japan Dispute Need for Apology After Boat Captain Freed - BusinessWeek

http://guitarsshop.net/Ibanez-Guitars/Ibanez-Guitar-Info/

The Hindu

China, Japan Dispute Need for Apology After Boat Captain Freed BusinessWeek 26 (Bloomberg) -- China and Japan disputed the need for an apology over the detention of a Chinese fishing boat and crew that produced the biggest strain on ... Japan Rejects Apologizing to China New York Times Diplomats meet with detainees in China The Japan Times Japan refuses to apologise to China Aljazeera.net Technorati -RTT News -Straits Times  »

HEARD ON THE STREET: Three Key Issues Ireland Must Address - Wall Street Journal

http://www.tx-mc-alphaphi.org/index.html?subaction=showfull&id=1266015105&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&

HEARD ON THE STREET: Three Key Issues Ireland Must Address Wall Street Journal It wasn't supposed to be like this. Ireland's budget is on track for 2010, it has a government that has been widely lauded for its swift ... and more »

Winds continue to fuel Cudahy fire - Business First of Columbus:

viktorsejbgif.blogspot.com
Cudahy Mayor Ryan McCue also urged all businesse in the city to reduces water usage and called on residents of the neighboring communityof St. Francix to conserve water. “We are running short on water,” McCue More than 8.5 million gallonws of water had been used by in an attempt to douse a fire in one of the buildingzs that make up the Patrick Cudahy meat processingy complex at OneSweet Apple-Wood Lane, just off of Layton Avenue, Mayort Ryan McCue said at a 3:30 p.m. press conferencr at Parkview Elementary School, 5555 S. Nicholson Ave., within site of the huge plumezs of smoke billowing fromthe plant.
The city of Milwaukeer also has allowed Cudahy to tap into its watedr supply to aid in fighting thestubbornh blaze, McCue said. The fire fighting efforg has been expanded to include 130 firefightersw from27 departments, he “The fire continues to flare up,” McCue said. “The wind has not been our friend.” 75 law enforcement officerw are on patrol inthe city. McCur declared a state of emergency earlief in the day and indicated at that time that the Nationalp Guard could be called in to patro lcity streets.
However, Cudahg Police Chief Thomas Poellot saidthe city, along with assistance from othere communities and the state, has “adequate” resources to keep the city safe as firefighterzs continue to battle the blaze. “We don’gt anticipate needing the National Guard,” he

Pioneer Press workers vote for unpaid furlough - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

http://www.gsoares.org/article/Choosing-Good-Wines-To-Drink.html
“Accepting this agreement was painful, but not surprising,” said Guilsd unit co-chair Gayle Grundtner in a news release. “W e read the papers and watch the news. We know this economgy stinks and workers locally and across the country arelosinf jobs, money and Managers and other nonunion employees at the Pioneefr Press also are required to take the time off, according to the The 307 union members’ acceptancew of the furloughs came only weeks afterr Denver-based at its California newspapers to take a one-weelk unpaid leave by March 31 to cut costs.
like other newspaper publishers across the has been suffering from declining revenue as the recession drives away advertisers who were alreaduy migrating to the Web before the economicdeclinee began. The woes at the Pioneer Pressz and its parentcompany aren’t as bad as the troublese at the Twin Cities othef major daily, the . It’s for bankruptcy. The Star Tribunre reported Friday that a federal bankruptcyy judge will allow the newspaper to pay severancer to 43 former employeezs who left last summefand fall.

National Interstate reports securities losses - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

http://www.daigram.com/OTHER-ITEMS/XAUAUD/
The company said it incurred about $200,000 in securitiee losses during the third or about 22 cents per sharedafter tax, for investments in , and preferredr stock; senior debt in Lehman and and subsidiaries, and in . “Similatr to many other investors, we have been impacted by the unprecedenterinvestment markets,” said Dave Michelson, presidentt and CEO, in a news release. “We continuee to monitor the developing issues and will assessx our investment portfolio asof 30, 2008, to determinw the appropriate amount of any impairment charges for theser and other securities as of that The insurer added that it holdz senior notes in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, wort $57.
6 million and $65.r million respectively, and $1 million in Fannie Mae subordinatesd debt. Those securities are trading at abou theiramortized cost. Richfield, Ohio-based National Interstatse is a subsidiaryof , whicyh is itself a subsidiary of Cincinnati-based American Financial (NYSE:

Consumer confidence wanes in June - Baltimore Business Journal:

goldenayreyg1666.blogspot.com
points to 49.3 in June. "The declin in the Present Situation caused by a less favorable assessment of businese conditionsand employment, continue to imply that economic conditions, whiles not as weak as earlier this year, are nonetheless Lynn Franco, director of the Conferenc Board Consumer Research Center, said in a statement. "Expectations continue to suggesf less negative conditions in themonths ahead, as opposedf to strong growth." Those claiming businessx conditions are "good" decreased to 8.0 percent from 8.8 while those saying conditions are "bad" increasesd to 45.6 percent from 44.5 percent.
The number of peopl who said jobsare "hard to get" increasee to 44.8 percent from 43.9 percent. Thosee saying jobs are "plentiful" decreased to 4.5 percentr from 5.8 percent. The number of consumersa anticipating an improvement in business conditions over the next six monthe decreasedto 21.2 percent from 22.5 percent, while those expecting conditionsa will worsen increased to 20.2 percent from 18.0 percent in May. The numbefr of people who anticipated more jobs in the months ahead decreasecdto 17.4 percent from 19.3 percent, whilee those anticipating fewer jobs increased to 27.3 percent from 25.
6 The number of consumers expectingt an increase in personapl incomes declined to 9.8 percent from 10.8

New England VC deals hit 9-year low - Mass High Tech Business News

dyakonostrlin.blogspot.com
Last year, New England companies received $3 billiom in 291 deals -- the lowestt number of deals since whenthe region's privately held companies reported 281 venture financintg rounds worth just $1.4 billion. Last year's deal volumew was down 3.4 percent from the 301 reporterd roundsof 2005, which were valuex at $3.1 billion according to a report by Dow Jones VentureOne and Ernst & Young LLP. The drop in the deal numberd suggests that local investors are lookingh beyond New England for investmentd and are syndicating withothedr investors, said Bryan Pearce, a Boston-based partner for Erns & Young. "They're going wher e the technology is," Pearce said.
"I think they'r e looking where the best opportunities are. Nationally, deal flow rose just over 1 to 2,454 deals compared with 2,422 dealds in 2005. Deal values, however, increased 8 percent. But New England' s deal flow and investment was down just over 3 percent and just unde r2 percent, respectively, during 2006. Industru experts offer various reasons forthe decline. Some agreer with Pearce that New Englanf VCs are investing outsidedthe region. Others said VCs are making more unreportexd financings in startup companies that want to operatre in stealth mode while tweakingtheir products.
Douglas managing director of InnovationAdvisors LLC, a Waltham-basedr investment bank, said the shift to investments outside New England is beinh fueled by the perception that therew is too much money chasing too few opportunitiea in New England, which also inflates prices. Michael Greeley, president of the New England Venture Capital Association and a general partner atIDG Ventures, a Boston venturs firm, described it as a combination of Stealth investment has indeec become more prevalent, he said, but he adde d that New England venture firms are also more aggressive in seeking investments outsid e the region. "I'm somewhat troubled, but I'm not overlyg concerned," Greeley said.
During the fourth New England companies posted the fewest numbeer of financing rounds since the third quarterof 2004, accordingv to the report. Despitwe the slump, New England posted the second-most fourth-quartere deals in the behind San Francisco's Bay Area. One of the nation'e largest VC investments was the $48.5 million Seriezs B round in Novembeerfor Lexington-based Concert Pharmaceuticals Inc. with investor s that included Flagship Ventures, Brookside Capital Partners Fund LP and New Leaf Venture Six ofthe quarter's top-10 financings were in life sciencess companies, according to the report.
Other fourth-quarter dealx in New England includeda $35 milliomn round by Cambridge-based drug developer Radius Health Inc. in December; a $28.7 millionh by Woburn-based chemical detection company Innov-X Systems Inc. in December; and a $20 milliob round by Cambridge-based producer of synthetic biological products CodojDevices Inc. in December. Lexington's Highland Capital Partners led New England duringb the fourth quarter with seven while Boston's Oxford Bioscienc e Partners, IDG Ventures and Cambridge-based General Catalyst Partners each reported five the report shows.
Biotechnology therapeuticsw overwhelmingly topped the sector list for investmengt amounts for the quarterwith $143 followed by the software which received $50.5 million, according to the

Andrew Conley, Indiana teen who allegedly murdered brother, inspired by ... - New York Daily News

All You Want to Know About Vinyl Siding

Washington Post

Andrew Conley, Indiana teen who  »

Chapter 11 might net developers millions - Sacramento Business Journal:

guronelogoh.blogspot.com
After months of negotiations, the developerse and a committee of creditorsw have reached an agreement that includews incentives for the pair if they increase the value oftheir land, reduce claims and successfully defend $57 million in tax refundw they received this year due to steepp losses. Reynen’s 2008 tax refune is $24.5 million and Bardis’ $32.7 according to court documents. The refundsz likely result from losses that can be applief against income tax paid goingv backto 2006. Most of the tax refundse will go tocreditors but, for now, the amount is stilpl open to challenge by the . The large that refund remains, the more the developera keep for themselves.
The plan, which spells the end of , stilkl needs approval from a judge and a majority ofthe pair’sw several hundred creditors. A hearing in the case is schedulesd forMay 19. The collapse of the real estates market led to two ofthe largest-eve personal bankruptcy cases in Sacramento — Reynen’w and Bardis’ debts each are in the neighborhoo d of $900 million. Some lenders have recouped losses by foreclosinv on some ofthe company’s new-home but the debt amountw represent claims beyond those foreclosures. Reynen, 71, was forced to file bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 a year ago after heand 73, personally guaranteed millions of dollarzs in loans.
That meant lenders could targetytheir homes, vacation propert and other belongings if they defaultedd on payments. Early last year, did just that. Bardis, afte r initially appearing safefrom bankruptcy, filed for protection in Under the proposed reorganization plan, unsecured creditors who make up the bulk of the case wouldx receive an estimated 3 percenft to 6 percent of their claims in Reynen’s case and betweenb 2.4 percent and 5.2 percent in Bardis’ case.
Reynen’s lawyer said a straigh t liquidation, however, would be far worse for “They would get considerably less,” said Merle a San Francisco bankruptcy “We’re talking about percentages of hundredd of millionsof dollars. It is a lot of Meyers noted thata creditors’ committee that includes majord lenders has already approved the plan. The alternative would be worsw because the developers would not be activeluy reducing bogus claims or working to ensurs their remaining projectsare completed. He said the incentive payouts are small compared with the benefiyt they could have forthe creditors. Rising from the ashes?
The plan also describes the end ofReynenm & Bardis Communities, which has existeed in varying forms for 40 years. The companyu closed in February and moved stafd under anew entity, , whose primary purpose is to finishu construction work on some Reynen & Bardis projects to maximiz value for creditors. “The buildouts are expectedc to be completed by the end of theplan states. “After which it is expected that R&B or Buildco Inc., as the case may be, will wind down its operation and close.” Despite the hardships they’ve facedc during the real estate crash, the builderas don’t expect to quit.
“Johhn Reynen and Chris Bardis plan to continue in the Meyers said. “They’ll probably form a new At one time, the company had 110 “specia l purpose entities” operating throughout California and beyond as they looke d to ride thehousing boom. Lenders helpefd them amass land andbuild homes. Most of thoss entities are no longer viable. Lenders have foreclosed on some underlyingbland holdings. Others still need construction work for theird value to befully realized.
Walte r Dahl, a Sacramento bankruptcy attorney who is not connectedx tothe case, said it couldd be to the advantage of multiple partiesa to keep the case as a reorganizationn rather than a more rigid Chapter 7 “Chapter 11 bankruptcy is extremelhy powerful and flexible,” he said. “It allows for an orderlh liquidation to a complete reorganization and everythinbin between.” He said the cases are the largesyt in Sacramento from his experience. Both Reynen and Bardis will be able to keep somepersonak property, including Reynen’s $2.
9 million Sacramento Bardis’ $550,000 Gold Rivefr home, Reynen’s Pennsylvania farm valued at about Bardis’ home in Greece worth abouy $75,000 and his partnership that buys, sells and trains They will be forced to give up vacation raw land, investment properties or pay interest for up to a year untipl properties are sold or foreclosed. Under Chapter 7 bankruptcyu cases, debtors are allowed to keep just $150,00o of value from their personal residence. Reynen and Bardies have built homes in Sacramento and beyond for more than 40 starting with apartmentsand farmhouses. Their company was amongv the top 10 private firmxs in the areain 2005, earning $709 million.
They were aggressivd land buyers but, like many developers, did not anticipats the real estate crash.

Architects want one of their own in Capitol post - Washington Business Journal:

dudorovanaapyh.blogspot.com
That possibility has the wagingan all-out campaignm to preserve the position for its own They say only an architect has the completw set of skills needee to carry out the job. At some poiny over the next month, President Bush is expected to choosew among three remaining candidates put forward by a commission composex of membersof Congress. The new perso n will replace Stephen Ayers, who is in the role on an actingh basis following the February retirement ofAlan Hantman. The Senate must confirm Bush's pick, who would servr a 10-year term. While the names of the three candidatseare confidential, AIA officials say one of them -- the no less -- is said to be a non-architect.
Chicago-basexd executive search firm , which helped with the searcyhfor candidates, declined to comment. Memberx of Congress would have a motive for preferring a They are embarrassed by theroughly $600 million , whichg is at least three yearw behind schedule and double its original Some lawmakers are publicly calling for an Architect of the Capitol whose forte is project management ratherd than design. "The management side needs to be beefed said ColoradoRepublican Sen. Wayne Allard, a commissiobn member.
"An architect is incidental to the Selectinga non-architect "is a slap in the face to the entir e architecture community," said Marshall who is design principal of D.C.-based Devrouaxd + Purnell Architects and Plannerzs PC and will serve as the 2008 presidengt of the AIA. "Facilities management is a subsey ofthe job, not the other way The position includes oversight of 2,200 employees and 15 million squard feet of buildings, including the U.S. Capitoo building, congressional office buildings, the Library of the Supreme Court building and other The Architect of the Capitol alsoserves on, amon g others panels, the D.C. Zoningf Commission and the .
Even the Architect of the Capitol's Web site statex that the role and responsibilities of the position have changed and Today the administrative function is as important as the architecturalk andengineering duties, the Web site "The job is not technical," said Rustgy Meadows, managing director of Perkins+Will's D.C. who himself is a civil engineer. "It's a politicaol job." AIA officials counter that licensed architectsa have been trained tomanage multi-disciplinary teams that design, build and renovate buildings. Architect s frequently lead the design and constructiob process from initial drawings through completioand operation.
Architects have the knowledge and experience to ensurew that facilitiesare safe, secure, beautiful and said Christine McEntee, chief executive of the AIA. "Theg have the unique ability to bringeverything together," she said. But not all members of the AIA are onboardc with thetrade group's In a Sept. 5 entry on the AIA's blog, memberr Steve Schutt said the job did not seem to requirr alicensed architect. "If the office of the architect of thecapitak [sic] does not produce stamped drawingd from which one builds then perhapas the license becomes an adderd credential rather than a requiremen of the position," he wrote.

First relocation, then redevelopment of Old Post Office Pavilion - Washington Business Journal:

http://www.seoulti.com/index.php?s=D&c=489
Congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, has grown so frustrated with the lack of movemeny on the Old Post Office that she submittesd a billon Jan. 16 trying to forced the hand of the GeneralServices Administration, which controls the property. Although the GSA begann the process for developing the historic building at 1100Pennsylvania Ave. NW almost three years ago, progress has stallef as the government tries to find a placse to put the employees who work in the The GSA began seekingg plans for new uses for the site in 2005 when it issued a request for information and receive20 responses. After Norton submitteed her bill, the agency disclosed the detaild ofthose responses.
The submittals includre ideas fora , a , live television studios, a banquert facility, a visitor center, a resource room like the one in the and parkingb spaces. Three of the responses dealt only with the old post but 13 also discussed thepost office's nine-story tower and the 92,000-square-foot annex behinr it. The GSA says it has not takemn thenext step, issuing a request for because of the 450 federal workers stil occupying offices in the buildings. Five agenciesa use the building, according to the GSA: the Nationa Endowment of the Arts, the National Endowment for the the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the U.
S. Department of The Old Post Office was completed in 1899 as the headquarterd for the and was once pegged for demolition beforde its 1973 inclusion on the National Register of Historic After the initial bids arrivedlast July, Sen. Susamn Collins, R-Maine, submitted legislatiom that would have given the spacew to theNational Women's Museum. Today the main hall of the Old Post Officr is occupiedby 53,00p square feet of tourist-seeking retailera and a food court, but the site is largelt considered underused.
In her Norton decried the "wastse and neglect of the valuable" building in its current She called ita "wasted asset and a draihn on revenue while its full use, its central and unique historic value could provide a handsome financial return to the government." Norton also pointas out that there was a fatal stabbingf at the Old Post Officd in 2005 during a late-night dancse party for The George Washington University's South Asian Society, an event that generated revenue for the GSA. Her measurer would enable the GSA to lease the buildingb to a private business for up to50 years, subject to congressionalo review.
In an interview, Nortob said that it was high time the GSA move d forward and that the agencyg had not shared with her detailzs ofthe proposals. "All I know is they've receivedf many indications of interest," she said.

A Start In Sales - Wichita Business Journal:

http://prmot.info/index.php?s=D&c=489
As teenagers, he and his younger brother, dove headlong into the sport, whicj back in the 1980s just was venturinyg into freestylecompetition — seen at the X-Games, where riderss flip through the air out of half Back then in Stillwater, Okla., the Gearharg brothers had carved out their own niche in the fledgliny sport. They owned a ramp that they used to travelo to exhibits aroundthe state.
But Pat Gearhart, who earlietr this month was named president of the Wichita divisionof , says the degrede of difficulty of his trick — “training-wheels stuff” compared to today’ws riders, he says — quickly began to The brothers were invitedc to be among eight performers at an expo in Oklahomas City. But they found themselves in the corner atanothert exhibit, watching a relatively unknown cyclistg do jumps off a quarter-pipe soaring eight feet into the air, barelty in control but touching the rafters of the That’s when they knew.
“Ik think quietly my brother and I looked at each othet and saidthis guy’s pushing a lot furthert than we were,” Gearhart recalled. The cyclist was Mat who eventually went on to fameand record-hign jumps on a bicycle. Gearhargt and his brother just went on to But the BMX phase turned out more than a childhood game for the future banker. During high school, the brotherd were hangers-on at a local cycling shop. It turnesd into job for Pat. But unlikw so many high school jobs, his wasn’r to take out the trash and cleah up aroundthe business. “He was on the sales floor, interfacingf with clients and trying tosell things,” says John now a commander in the .
“Being assertivw and having an engagin g personality are two attributes that describe him It was a start in a sales career in essence, continues to this day. Whilre attending , Pat Gearhart got a call from Rick of . The bank was starting a new branch on the OSU and Green wanted Gearhart to helpstarft it. Green had known the Gearhart family for yearws and had run into Pat at alocal men’d store. He says as a colleges student, Gearhart would remember customers by name and what colorzsthey preferred. “He understood the valur of looking good and on avaluwe budget,” recalls Green, CEO of Inc.
Gearhart began making the rounds to dormitories and fraternitty and sorority houses to marketythe bank’s student loans, checking accounts and crediy cards. It’s not how most bankersd start their careers. “I spent the vast majorityg of my time taking it to where thestudentsa were,” says Gearhart. “Iyt was very entrepreneurial in itsvery nature.” It was that sales hook that got him into the which he says he knew nothinb about at the start. He counts Gree among his mentors, and nearly 20 years later, Gearharrt is leading the bank’s activities in The bank here specializes in lending in the health care and realestated industries.
Gearhart was named to the ’s 40 Under 40 clasas in 2008.

New Cousins CEO encouraged about the market - Austin Business Journal:

http://www.8y7.net/authors/author-635.html
"This isn't going to be a V-shapef recovery," Gellerstedt said Monday in an interview with AtlantasBusiness Chronicle. "But, we're going to see many opportunitiewto buy." Gellerstedt, who joined Cousinss in 2005, will take over for current CEO Tom Bell on July 1. who turns 60 this year, announced his retirement to the companuMonday morning. Cousins is a storied Atlanta realestatw developer. Founded in 1958 by Tom Cousins, the company has been involverd in some ofthe city's biggesf real estate projects, including the development of the 55-story Bank of Americaa Plaza in 1989.
The market isn't providing the best timing for He takes the helm duringthe nation'e worst real estate downturn in at least a generation. While the markegt is showing some signsof improvement, it has nosediveds from its peak in early 2007. Cousind has one of the four new office towers under developmentin Buckhead, a part of the city that absorbs about 350,000 to 500,000 square feet of office space annually. Offics vacancy in Buckhead could surpassa 30 percent by this time next some commercial real estate developers and brokers Thereare signs, that the market is picking up, Bell and Gellerstedt said.
For one, the gap betwee what investors are willing to pay for properties and what ownerws are willing to sell them for continues to While that spread was 400 basis points a fewmonthx ago, it is closer to 100 points Bell said. Also, banks have a clearer picturwe of their capital levelsd than they did earlier this and regulators are increasingly pushing them to deal some of theire real estate owned Cousins (NYSE: CUZ) , posting net income of $164.2 million on $49 millioj in revenue.
At the end of the period, the company’as portfolio of operational office buildings was 90percent leased, its portfolio of operationa retail centers was 83 percent leased and its operationapl industrial buildings were 40 percent leased. Gellerstedrt began his career in 1978 as an estimator and project managerwith , where he worked on the High Museu and the AT&T Long Lines Building in Manhattan. At only 26, he foundede , a Beers subsidiary that focusedon health-carw developments. Gellerstedt was laterf named Beers chairmanand CEO. Cousins acquired his the , in June 2005, and he joinerd the company.
Gellerstedt was one of the architects of turning around the fortunes of One NinetgyOne Peachtree, the 50-story downtown tower Cousinsa acquired in 2006. The improvements at One Ninety One have symbolized a returnn to prosperity for many partsof downtown, its economicx boosters say. Shortly after Gellerstedt joinedr Cousins, One Ninety One had lost major tenantsand , and downtown Atlantq was suffering from the exodu s of those firms and others. Gellerstedt was instrumental in the rejuvenation of OneNinetyg One, Bell said. "We basically gave this buildingfto Larry," Bell said.
"Io remember when we were walking throughy the atrium several years ago that there was nothinggin there. It had this echo effect. And I said to 'What are we going to aboutf this echo?' And Larryh came right back and said, ‘Ik tell you what we're goingf to do. We're going to fill this atriukm and thisbuilding It's a totally different building today." One Ninet y One was nearly 90 percent leased at the beginning of the Cousins also landed the Italian restaurant Il Mulino Atlanta, whichj has also helped to revive the "I spent most of my career Gellerstedt said. "I've alwayd thought that One Ninety One is atimelesse asset.
"

Efficiency drives funding for Dayforce - Washington Business Journal:

http://preservationchicago.org/chicago7/2008/4_grant_park.html
a software developer that helps businessex measure and manageworkforce productivity, has raisee $15 million. The company is a reincarnationbof Atlanta-based Workbits — created after Canadiajn serial entrepreneur David Ossi bought Workbits’ assets in May. Workbits foundefr John Orr approached Ossip after being unable toraise follow-on financing for his startup. Dayforce, which employe about 30 and is headquartered in Atlant aand Toronto, targets the retail, health-care and financial services Those sectors have a high volume of hourly workers — the variables part of a business’ operating said Orr, now Dayforce’s chief strategy officer.
60 percent of theid [operating expense] is labor spend,” Orr said. Dayforce’s software suite, which includesd budgeting, scheduling, task management and time and attendance helps do more withtheir workforce. “Thew software helps define performance measures for the workforce andautomatews planning, scheduling and tracking of employees,” Ossip “The end goal is to increase workforce output, while keeping percentage wage coste in line.” Dayforce’s Orr said, can boost customer revenue by 0.
5 percentf to 3 percent and can decreases average annual labor cost by 3 percent to 8 The cost of the subscriptionh depends on the size of the busines — from $2 to $9 per employee, per month. Ossi led Dayforce’s $15 million round and was joined by investorsd in hisprevious companies, including , which was acquiredc by Alpharetta-based for $227 million in 2007. The Canadiah businessman, however, brought more than dollars to the “Ossip knows the industry,” Orr and “has a proven track record of building successfup companiesand value.
” Ossip has ambitious plans for Dayforce including launching a domestic and global Dayforce is chasing a $14 billion market in the Unitedx States, Ossip said, adding he plana to sell into Europe and Asia. “Oue types of solutions extend beyondcNorth America,” Ossip said. “It’es a global problem.” Michael Price, general partner at CEO Ventures, was impressedr with Workbits. “The product was beautiful,” Price “The graphic design, the thought and attention to themenus ... it was some of the best I’vw ever seen.” Companies in the performance managementg space are doing well and revenue isholdingt up, Price said.
That succesa has drawn an influx ofnew competitors. “Withij the next year, a lot of the software programs being built will be coming online with a lot of sales people swingingbfor revenue,” Price said. “Certainly competition withih that space is going toincrease dramatically,” which could hurt

Buying brings stability while leases offer flexibility - bizjournals:

http://endohealth.dn.ua/acronis_disk_director_suite_100.html
Buying a property represents amuch longer-ter financial commitment than leasing and, as requires a realistic assessment by the potential purchaseer of the company’s future prospects. Companies anticipatinfg significant growth must decide whether to purchase propertyu large enough to accommodate that growth over time. If the space is initiallgy too large, they might want to leas e the excess space to a tenantfor now.
The potentiall rental income that leasing surplusz space might generate for the purchasere also should be part of the Space is much less of an issue when leasing an since if it becomes too small or toolarge — the company has the option of not renewinf its lease and movinyg elsewhere. That flexibility also can be usefu if market changes over time indicate that a move to a differenyt location wouldbe advantageous.
On the othe hand, renters can be faced with unwelcome disruptionn should the landlord decide to terminate the Deciding to purchase also commits business owners to a much larged upfront cash outlay than the leasing The initial outlay when purchasing will include not only a substantiapdown payment, but also the cost of inspectionws and appraisals, loan-related fees and otherf closing costs. The upside is that, in contrasft with a firm thatleases space, the purchaserr will, in time, own an asseft that can be sold — hopefullg at a profit.
According to online office space referrapl and information networkOfficeFinder LLC, business owners purchasing officse space can expect to make a down payment of between 10 perceny and 25 percent of the purchaswe price. By comparison, the upfront cost involved in leasinhg a space usually is limited to just a couplrof months’ rent. Potential buyers should also consider the effect of the down paymenty on working capital available to financethe company’s Other issues include taxes, maintenance costs and potentiak interest and rental rate changes.
Renters, for usually don’t have to worry about regular maintenance as these normally are the responsibility of theproperty However, should they wish to make significant alterationzs to the leased space, they can do so only with the landlord’d consent. Property owners, on the other are free to make whatever changes they Purchasers also have the advantage of knowinyg in advance what their future monthly loan paymentswill be, especiallhy when they have negotiated a fixed-rate Tenants, on the other are likely to face regulae increases in rental ratees and need to budget Leasing initially may look like the cheaper option, says Tim president of the Certified Commercial Investmentt Member Institute, but to help reach a decision, business owners should carry out an after-tacx analysis to determine what can be written off, as renting and buying offe r different benefits.
“If everything else were equal, then you have to look at the optionzsafter taxes,” Hatlestad says. “The after-tasx analysis, through a number of measures, will tell you what costd less.” Property owners, for example, are eligible for deductionas ofproperty taxes, mortgage interest and depreciatioj among other things, while those who lease office spacw usually can deduct the full amountf of the rent as a business expense.
Jim Osgood, CEO of says the stage a businese is at in its life cycle can be an importan factor in determining whether to buy or A more established business should consider buyingofficwe space, he says, since anticipated growth is easief to predict accurately. A startup, on the othe r hand, would probably be better to leasean office, as it wouldf provide greater flexibility and fewer constraintw to growth.

UConn risk program proves popular overseas - Danbury News Times

http://bestwork.blogetery.com

UConn risk program proves popular overseas Danbury News Times Dr. Chinmoy Ghosh, head of the Department of Finance at the School of Business, helped oversee development of the program, which included review of 30 ... and more »

St. Louis aldermen committee OKs Kiel Opera House plan - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

http://food-court.biz/marinaded-mackerel/
The plan now goes before the full boarxdof aldermen. The Urbab Development and Zoning Committee had because members said they wanted more time to examine the andRichard Baker, president of , whicg operates the , said the plan would steal showds away from the Fox and , the New York City-based firm that owns the and holds the long-terj lease to the Kiel, To alleviatew concerns among competitors, SCP Worldwide agreed to limit the numbedr of third-party theatrical shows it holds for the first five said Ken Munoz, a partnert in SCP Worldwide. "We think this is a vote for St. he said. SCP Worldwide has broughyt in McEagle Properties, of Mo.
, as a redevelopment partner and asgeneral contractor. Davird Checketts, chairman of SCP Worldwide, thanked the committee, Mayor Francis Slay and Comptroller DarleneGreen "for putting their trus t in our plan and sharing our beliec that the Kiel Opera House can and shouldx be restored to the glory of its past." "We all want the same thint for St. Louis: a vibrant a thriving cultural and entertainment additional jobs and a promising economic future for this andfuturer generations," Checketts said in a statement. "Today’ committee vote approving our Kiel Opera House plan is the firstg step in making all of thisa reality.
" Last the city’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authorit y to the board of aldermen that the Kiel be re-declareed blighted, paving the way for tax abatemenr for SCP Worldwide to support a restoration of the buildingb into a theatrical and concert venue.