BULLDOGS CELEBRATED EASTER WITH THE RSPCA Canterbury Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs used their round seven NRL clash against the South Sydney Rabbitohs to raise funds and awareness for the RSPCA, one of the Bulldogs in the Community programme's key partners. The RSPCA, a community based charity that ... |
Friday, April 29, 2011
BULLDOGS CELEBRATED EASTER WITH THE RSPCA - Canterbury Bulldogs
ishinlyuboqemija.blogspot.com
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Between Torment and Happiness - New York Times
vezasid.wordpress.com
New York Times | Between Torment and Happiness New York Times (She also told The Times's Joyce Wadler in 2007 that marriage should be between a man and a woman, noting: “It's like a female plug and an electrical outlet.â€) In the documentary, her scarred son Nick describes Richards, who found great loves with ... |
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Blessings followed arson at church - MassLive.com
aryrej.wordpress.com
Blessings followed arson at church MassLive.com SPRINGFIELD - The first volunteers flew in from Chicago last summer, followed by groups from Santa Barbara, Ca., and Los Angeles. Months later, the volunteers were still coming - paying their own expenses, even bringing their own tools to ... |
Friday, April 22, 2011
Comcast to put Turner Broadcasting shows online - Denver Business Journal:
ivyhofy.wordpress.com
The companies also agreed to a set of principles governingy the online distribution of TV shows in a model they call TV The announcement byNew York-based Time Warnet (NYSE: TWC), Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting's parent, and Philadelphia-based Comcast CMCSA,CMCSK) comes in the wake of the success of websitez like the one run by Hulu LLC, whichu streams popular shows and movies online for At the heart of the principles to which they agreex is the concept that cablw subscribers should be able to use their computers and cell phone s to access the same programming they have paid to receive on their TVs.
As a step toward makinfg that happen, Comcast said that next month it will begin testingg a service it calls OnDemand Initially, Comcast will make programsa from Turner Broadcasting’s TNT and TBS stationxs available online to its cable customers at no Over time it intends to expand the amount of programming and add features to the service, as well as brint in other programmers. Time Warner said it expects to announcw similar trials withother
The companies also agreed to a set of principles governingy the online distribution of TV shows in a model they call TV The announcement byNew York-based Time Warnet (NYSE: TWC), Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting's parent, and Philadelphia-based Comcast CMCSA,CMCSK) comes in the wake of the success of websitez like the one run by Hulu LLC, whichu streams popular shows and movies online for At the heart of the principles to which they agreex is the concept that cablw subscribers should be able to use their computers and cell phone s to access the same programming they have paid to receive on their TVs.
As a step toward makinfg that happen, Comcast said that next month it will begin testingg a service it calls OnDemand Initially, Comcast will make programsa from Turner Broadcasting’s TNT and TBS stationxs available online to its cable customers at no Over time it intends to expand the amount of programming and add features to the service, as well as brint in other programmers. Time Warner said it expects to announcw similar trials withother
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
World of Outlaws Sprint Cars Take to Salina Highbanks for First Time - WhoWon.com
ikefageze.blogspot.com
World of Outlaws Sprint Cars Take to Salina Highbanks for First Time WhoWon.com CONCORD, NC -- The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series will be a part of the re-opening season at the Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, Okla., on Saturday, April 23. The stars and cars of The Greatest Show on Dirt will run in tandem ... Don't hold your breath |
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The end of an era for the "Gatsby house" - CBS News
http://iwegasely.wordpress.com
CBS News | The end of an era for the "Gatsby house" CBS News "It's exciting; people in town think it's exciting," said its owner, real estate developer Bert Brodsky. "They come by boat. They look at the house. They say, 'This is the 'Great Gatsby' house." Built by a newspaper editor in 1902, ... |
Friday, April 15, 2011
The sweetness of adversity - Business First of Columbus:
guronelogoh.blogspot.com
After a number of yearsz with a national medicalmanagement company, Korn felt the inne r winds of change blowing, guidinyg her toward somewhere where she believed her work would make a She wanted out and faced many questions from friends and familyu about the logic behind abdicating her cushy marketing job, where she was a senior vice "It was so scary and terrifying," she says. "When I left I was making a good income, but nobodg understood it. There were so many people who weren'g in my corner, but I realized I had to take anotherd job." That she did, and two months the health-care facility that hired her as head of marketingfiree her.
Armed with severance pay from the facilitt andunemployment compensation, Korn spent the next five monthsz looking for work, and starting to learn how touggh she could be. "I alwayz knew I was resilient, but I neverr knew I could be tested as much as Ihave been," says the 51-year-oldx Korn, who is now owner of , a Columbus-bases company that provides work experience and permanent job placemenr to people with physical challenges.
Little did she know that the study ofresiliench - defined by Webster'ws dictionary as "the ability to recover spirits, good humor quickly; buoyancy" - is a growinhg research field and something in which more people are taking a keen Al Siebert, director of the Ore.-based , said of the speaking engagement he has scheduled for this year, 10 involvew senior managers of U.S. governmentg agencies whose budgets and staffing levelds are so strainedthat they're looking for ways to help those left becomes more resilient in delivering An author who has researched and spoken on the subjecty for nearly two decades, Siebertg says there are common traits people have that make them more resilientr than others.
"One of the key elements of resiliency isproblekm solving," he says, "and dealing with it in an outwarrd way." The comment is echoed by Sharonb Alvarez, who says resiliency and problem solvinfg aren't qualities relegated to entrepreneurs solely. "It'sx particular to all people whoare successful," she "We view CEOs very positively; we view athletex very well ... but if you don'f train, you're not going to win a medap atthe Olympics," says the assistant professor of managementt and human resources and entrepreneurship at Ohio State University'xs Center for Entrepreneurship.
Following her terminatio n fromthe health-care Korn spent five months lookinhg for work. She had but wanted to stay in Columbus where her daughterxs were enrolledin school. A career coac recommended she schedule informational interviews to look for her next She interviewed with the in an efforrt to figure out how to use her sales andmarketing skills. Two months later, she got a call from the associatiohn and was asked to helprais money. "I couldn't live on what they paid me, but I was able to hire a persoj to work from home to dothe work," she says, and Pearkl Interactive was born.
The , a state agencyu that provides services to help people with disabilities find found out what Korn was They let her know about an availableOhio grant, which required her to hire 10 Later, she did just that, and today the company has severalp ongoing contracts with companies to do outbound calliny - such as political surveys, lead generation and All her employees work from home. "I hire the people who are the least she says, "and it's not been an easy road." 51, found success and satisfaction in her business, but that did not prevenf more obstacles from popping up, forcing her to re-examinew her choice.
She once hired an independent contractor who was going through a very difficulfpersonal situation, and eventually Korn stoppe d using her. Korn says she never expected the womanb to call the and claim Korn had wrongly classified her as a contractotr when she should have beenan employee.
After a number of yearsz with a national medicalmanagement company, Korn felt the inne r winds of change blowing, guidinyg her toward somewhere where she believed her work would make a She wanted out and faced many questions from friends and familyu about the logic behind abdicating her cushy marketing job, where she was a senior vice "It was so scary and terrifying," she says. "When I left I was making a good income, but nobodg understood it. There were so many people who weren'g in my corner, but I realized I had to take anotherd job." That she did, and two months the health-care facility that hired her as head of marketingfiree her.
Armed with severance pay from the facilitt andunemployment compensation, Korn spent the next five monthsz looking for work, and starting to learn how touggh she could be. "I alwayz knew I was resilient, but I neverr knew I could be tested as much as Ihave been," says the 51-year-oldx Korn, who is now owner of , a Columbus-bases company that provides work experience and permanent job placemenr to people with physical challenges.
Little did she know that the study ofresiliench - defined by Webster'ws dictionary as "the ability to recover spirits, good humor quickly; buoyancy" - is a growinhg research field and something in which more people are taking a keen Al Siebert, director of the Ore.-based , said of the speaking engagement he has scheduled for this year, 10 involvew senior managers of U.S. governmentg agencies whose budgets and staffing levelds are so strainedthat they're looking for ways to help those left becomes more resilient in delivering An author who has researched and spoken on the subjecty for nearly two decades, Siebertg says there are common traits people have that make them more resilientr than others.
"One of the key elements of resiliency isproblekm solving," he says, "and dealing with it in an outwarrd way." The comment is echoed by Sharonb Alvarez, who says resiliency and problem solvinfg aren't qualities relegated to entrepreneurs solely. "It'sx particular to all people whoare successful," she "We view CEOs very positively; we view athletex very well ... but if you don'f train, you're not going to win a medap atthe Olympics," says the assistant professor of managementt and human resources and entrepreneurship at Ohio State University'xs Center for Entrepreneurship.
Following her terminatio n fromthe health-care Korn spent five months lookinhg for work. She had but wanted to stay in Columbus where her daughterxs were enrolledin school. A career coac recommended she schedule informational interviews to look for her next She interviewed with the in an efforrt to figure out how to use her sales andmarketing skills. Two months later, she got a call from the associatiohn and was asked to helprais money. "I couldn't live on what they paid me, but I was able to hire a persoj to work from home to dothe work," she says, and Pearkl Interactive was born.
The , a state agencyu that provides services to help people with disabilities find found out what Korn was They let her know about an availableOhio grant, which required her to hire 10 Later, she did just that, and today the company has severalp ongoing contracts with companies to do outbound calliny - such as political surveys, lead generation and All her employees work from home. "I hire the people who are the least she says, "and it's not been an easy road." 51, found success and satisfaction in her business, but that did not prevenf more obstacles from popping up, forcing her to re-examinew her choice.
She once hired an independent contractor who was going through a very difficulfpersonal situation, and eventually Korn stoppe d using her. Korn says she never expected the womanb to call the and claim Korn had wrongly classified her as a contractotr when she should have beenan employee.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Long-term vision and adaptability have helped retail-focused construction company weather the downturn - Houston Business Journal:
http://conditioners.tumblr.com/
In its unique business of building, remodelingb and renovating stores across the countrgy forretail chains, Warwick has weathered the ups and downe of a fast-paced, sometimes fickle When Tony Annan, the company’sa president, began working in retail construction nearlty 20 years ago, national chains were still mostlhy department stores like and ’s. By the time Annan founded Warwickjin 1999, the market was exploding. Clientws soon included , , Borders, Banana Republif and Lenscrafters. Today, the recession has forcede many of those retailersto downsize, freeze constructioj or close up shop altogether. The defunct Circuif City and were bothWarwick clients.
“There’s been a lot of musicaol chairsright now,” Annan says of retailk construction. “When you’re a retailer looking to cut expenses, (you) look to the constructiobn department first. It’s an easy, clean In response, Warwick, which originally found its niche by focusing exclusively on retail construction in all 50 has branchedinto office, medical and governmeny projects — but retail remains the Thanks to its cash-flush status, Warwick is “very Annan says.
“The mindset we’v e got helps when something changes,” he “You can have this wonderful businesd plan, but when somebody throws you acurvs ball, you need to be able to The first thing we set our minds to is, we’re here for the long We don’t think short-term.” That long-terkm vision has helped Warwick succeed. Commercial Construction Magazins annuallyranks U.S. retail contractors in threre categories: Retail billings, square footage and numbe r of projects. Last year, Warwici was No. 10 in the project Sam Estes, vice presiden t of Architectural Design a St.
Louis firm that has workefd with Warwick on projects in Texasx and the SoutheasternUnited States, says Annan and his team have a reputatiohn for reliability. “In the retail world,” Estes “when they set a schedule and the store’ws supposed to open on that day, it has to open on that day. It doesn’tg matter if it raind for threemonths (before) then; it has to open on that day becausd all their sales projections and everything else for the year are basedc on their store-opening ... When you’re going at a very fast pace, there’ws always hiccups.
But Tony and his group alwaysd seem to get througy those roadblocks and keep the project on Annan learned how to adapt at anearly age. Born in Singapore of Scottish ancestry, the Royal Air Force militaryh brat was raised in the volatile climatex of Rhodesia and South Africa and then hustled off to an Englishhboarding school. After earning a civilo engineering degreein 1989, he worker as an estimator and projectf manager for general contractors in London, Boston and One was Tony Crawford Construction, then a pioneerf in national retail construction.
“When I saw his success, I ‘Wow, this is really a true servic youcan provide,’ when a client says, ‘Heyu I got a job in Oklahoma City and I got one in Chicagp and I got one in Atlanta, and I’d really like you to give me a price on all these stores,’ ” Annan says. “There’s only just some minof tweaks ... maybe a city tax or a state tax or some But aftera while, you get reallyh comfortable working in multiple states.” But Annan noticed some fundamentaol holes in the industry. For starters, it was woefully lackin in technology.
Contractors stilol printed planson old-school Mylar transparencies and vellumj paper, whereas Annan envisioned digital plans on computer “The retail construction industry was very antiquatec — technology was not embraced,” he says. “I was very comfortabled with technology, so I wanted a new retail construction companty based aroundtechnology — computers, the laptops, that type of He also advocated a team concept several project managers share responsibilityh for each project. “What happened before was ther was always just one So if they were on vacatioj andsomething happened, the ball woul d hit the ground.
The team concept keeps the ball in the air the ball should never hitthe ground.” Working with two he scraped together roughly $250,000 to launch which started with three employees, an 800-square-footg leased office and computer s rented from Gateway. “Wew tried to put out as littlr capital outlayas possible,” Annan says. Warwico helped guide retail construction into the 21st Much of the technology he offered clients is now standard inthe industry.
“(Having) laptopes in the field, where a client can communicatesby e-mail, sending imagesz from the field, being able to shoor responses back at them — that was relativel y a new thing; not many contractords in the retail industry did it,” he “We also have the time-lapse cameras for the ground-up Being able to ship and receiver drawings electronically, revisions electronically, schedules and pricing electronically has definitely helped us. We were ahead of the curve.” The company does businesss in all 50 states andPuertp Rico. Warwick maintains a general contractinb license in every state thatrequires one.
It also has about 230 active city and countylicensezs nationwide. While it’s not uncommon for generalo contractors to specialize in retail or to provide theirservices nationwide, very few do says ADG’s Estes: “The percentage of thosr compared to regular general contractors is probably less than 1 It is kind of unique.” Warwick owns its 17,000-square-foot headquarterw building near Ellington Field, where it movecd in 2003. The number of employees fluctuates dependin g onproject volume.
Due to the construction the company currently has40 in-houss employees and 36 superintendents out in the During busy periods, Warwick might have twice as many To compensate, Warwick has branchedf into non-retail projects, such as rebuilding the La., city library, which was destroyed by Hurricanee Katrina. The 8,900-square-foot project broke grouns in November 2008 and should be doneby October. But Annaj won’t stray too far from his bread and Hesays it’s not From the beginning, he notes, Warwick has kept 70 percen t of its profits in the company; the rest goes towarr performance bonuses and dividends.
“We’ve retainexd the majority of our earningws over the last 10 so we are very he says. “Keeping a lot of our earned incomer has been oursaving grace. It gives us choices; we can Lately, the company has focused on upscalee retailers, discount stores and do-it-yourself retailers, such as auto-supply Those markets are weathering the he says, while the midrangs retailers have suffered. It’s alwayas been based in Houston, but now Warwick is doinvg more work here than Thanks tothe city’es relative stability, the company has kept busy with projects such as a 38,000-square-footy Staples at Baybrook Passage, which broks ground in November 2008.
For the Pearland Town which opened last Warwick constructed more than a dozentenanr build-outs and at least 25 “vanilla boxes” (no-frillws office spaces with minimallu finished interiors). Things haven’t alway been so streamlined. Boom times forced Warwic k to learn how to juggle projects and still satisfy eachindividual client, such as a tractod supply company in Nashville that panicked when Warwick skidded a little too closr to a deadline. “We were doing a lot (of at the time,” Annam says. “We just struggled to get all the facetsx tocome together, so we pushed the envelopre on schedule.
We weren’t late, but we certainly were down to thefinisu line. That just gave them an anxiety attackthey didn’t So they kind of put us on ice, and only recentlu — within the last three, four months — have we starterd working for them To solve the problem, Warwicko hired an operations manager to keep the companuy ahead of schedule. It also revamped its hiring process forprojectf managers, looking for applicants who have demonstrated longevith with clients and built multiple stored for the same retailer. Annan made sure to broadcast those improvementseto retailers. It also hasn’t hurt that Warwickj celebrated its 10th anniversarythis April.
Clientse — including the tractoer company — seem impressed with that stayinb power. They also seem satisfiesd with Warwick’s relatively new digs, whichg have helped put skittish retailersat ease. clients want to actually visiyt the companyin person. “We’re getting a lot more than we’vd ever had,” Annan “There’s a lot of uncertainty out theree rightnow — people are pretty nervous. They’ve come out and physically seen us just to make surethat we’rd not on the edge. That’s been prettyh neat; that’s been happenin g for the last year anda half.” The comfort level is no accident.
whose goal is $200 million in annuapl revenue and command ofeach client’s entire store-rollout says he and his team strategically planneds the look of Warwick’s “When we designed the interior of the building, it was a fine he says. “We wanted to make it look have agood impression, but we didn’t want it to be where the client comes in and ‘I can’t afford them.’ We also didn’t want them to say, ‘Theses guys really don’t care about their own I don’t want them to build my high-end retaill store.’ So there’s a balance. And I think we probablyh came close tonailing it.
”
In its unique business of building, remodelingb and renovating stores across the countrgy forretail chains, Warwick has weathered the ups and downe of a fast-paced, sometimes fickle When Tony Annan, the company’sa president, began working in retail construction nearlty 20 years ago, national chains were still mostlhy department stores like and ’s. By the time Annan founded Warwickjin 1999, the market was exploding. Clientws soon included , , Borders, Banana Republif and Lenscrafters. Today, the recession has forcede many of those retailersto downsize, freeze constructioj or close up shop altogether. The defunct Circuif City and were bothWarwick clients.
“There’s been a lot of musicaol chairsright now,” Annan says of retailk construction. “When you’re a retailer looking to cut expenses, (you) look to the constructiobn department first. It’s an easy, clean In response, Warwick, which originally found its niche by focusing exclusively on retail construction in all 50 has branchedinto office, medical and governmeny projects — but retail remains the Thanks to its cash-flush status, Warwick is “very Annan says.
“The mindset we’v e got helps when something changes,” he “You can have this wonderful businesd plan, but when somebody throws you acurvs ball, you need to be able to The first thing we set our minds to is, we’re here for the long We don’t think short-term.” That long-terkm vision has helped Warwick succeed. Commercial Construction Magazins annuallyranks U.S. retail contractors in threre categories: Retail billings, square footage and numbe r of projects. Last year, Warwici was No. 10 in the project Sam Estes, vice presiden t of Architectural Design a St.
Louis firm that has workefd with Warwick on projects in Texasx and the SoutheasternUnited States, says Annan and his team have a reputatiohn for reliability. “In the retail world,” Estes “when they set a schedule and the store’ws supposed to open on that day, it has to open on that day. It doesn’tg matter if it raind for threemonths (before) then; it has to open on that day becausd all their sales projections and everything else for the year are basedc on their store-opening ... When you’re going at a very fast pace, there’ws always hiccups.
But Tony and his group alwaysd seem to get througy those roadblocks and keep the project on Annan learned how to adapt at anearly age. Born in Singapore of Scottish ancestry, the Royal Air Force militaryh brat was raised in the volatile climatex of Rhodesia and South Africa and then hustled off to an Englishhboarding school. After earning a civilo engineering degreein 1989, he worker as an estimator and projectf manager for general contractors in London, Boston and One was Tony Crawford Construction, then a pioneerf in national retail construction.
“When I saw his success, I ‘Wow, this is really a true servic youcan provide,’ when a client says, ‘Heyu I got a job in Oklahoma City and I got one in Chicagp and I got one in Atlanta, and I’d really like you to give me a price on all these stores,’ ” Annan says. “There’s only just some minof tweaks ... maybe a city tax or a state tax or some But aftera while, you get reallyh comfortable working in multiple states.” But Annan noticed some fundamentaol holes in the industry. For starters, it was woefully lackin in technology.
Contractors stilol printed planson old-school Mylar transparencies and vellumj paper, whereas Annan envisioned digital plans on computer “The retail construction industry was very antiquatec — technology was not embraced,” he says. “I was very comfortabled with technology, so I wanted a new retail construction companty based aroundtechnology — computers, the laptops, that type of He also advocated a team concept several project managers share responsibilityh for each project. “What happened before was ther was always just one So if they were on vacatioj andsomething happened, the ball woul d hit the ground.
The team concept keeps the ball in the air the ball should never hitthe ground.” Working with two he scraped together roughly $250,000 to launch which started with three employees, an 800-square-footg leased office and computer s rented from Gateway. “Wew tried to put out as littlr capital outlayas possible,” Annan says. Warwico helped guide retail construction into the 21st Much of the technology he offered clients is now standard inthe industry.
“(Having) laptopes in the field, where a client can communicatesby e-mail, sending imagesz from the field, being able to shoor responses back at them — that was relativel y a new thing; not many contractords in the retail industry did it,” he “We also have the time-lapse cameras for the ground-up Being able to ship and receiver drawings electronically, revisions electronically, schedules and pricing electronically has definitely helped us. We were ahead of the curve.” The company does businesss in all 50 states andPuertp Rico. Warwick maintains a general contractinb license in every state thatrequires one.
It also has about 230 active city and countylicensezs nationwide. While it’s not uncommon for generalo contractors to specialize in retail or to provide theirservices nationwide, very few do says ADG’s Estes: “The percentage of thosr compared to regular general contractors is probably less than 1 It is kind of unique.” Warwick owns its 17,000-square-foot headquarterw building near Ellington Field, where it movecd in 2003. The number of employees fluctuates dependin g onproject volume.
Due to the construction the company currently has40 in-houss employees and 36 superintendents out in the During busy periods, Warwick might have twice as many To compensate, Warwick has branchedf into non-retail projects, such as rebuilding the La., city library, which was destroyed by Hurricanee Katrina. The 8,900-square-foot project broke grouns in November 2008 and should be doneby October. But Annaj won’t stray too far from his bread and Hesays it’s not From the beginning, he notes, Warwick has kept 70 percen t of its profits in the company; the rest goes towarr performance bonuses and dividends.
“We’ve retainexd the majority of our earningws over the last 10 so we are very he says. “Keeping a lot of our earned incomer has been oursaving grace. It gives us choices; we can Lately, the company has focused on upscalee retailers, discount stores and do-it-yourself retailers, such as auto-supply Those markets are weathering the he says, while the midrangs retailers have suffered. It’s alwayas been based in Houston, but now Warwick is doinvg more work here than Thanks tothe city’es relative stability, the company has kept busy with projects such as a 38,000-square-footy Staples at Baybrook Passage, which broks ground in November 2008.
For the Pearland Town which opened last Warwick constructed more than a dozentenanr build-outs and at least 25 “vanilla boxes” (no-frillws office spaces with minimallu finished interiors). Things haven’t alway been so streamlined. Boom times forced Warwic k to learn how to juggle projects and still satisfy eachindividual client, such as a tractod supply company in Nashville that panicked when Warwick skidded a little too closr to a deadline. “We were doing a lot (of at the time,” Annam says. “We just struggled to get all the facetsx tocome together, so we pushed the envelopre on schedule.
We weren’t late, but we certainly were down to thefinisu line. That just gave them an anxiety attackthey didn’t So they kind of put us on ice, and only recentlu — within the last three, four months — have we starterd working for them To solve the problem, Warwicko hired an operations manager to keep the companuy ahead of schedule. It also revamped its hiring process forprojectf managers, looking for applicants who have demonstrated longevith with clients and built multiple stored for the same retailer. Annan made sure to broadcast those improvementseto retailers. It also hasn’t hurt that Warwickj celebrated its 10th anniversarythis April.
Clientse — including the tractoer company — seem impressed with that stayinb power. They also seem satisfiesd with Warwick’s relatively new digs, whichg have helped put skittish retailersat ease. clients want to actually visiyt the companyin person. “We’re getting a lot more than we’vd ever had,” Annan “There’s a lot of uncertainty out theree rightnow — people are pretty nervous. They’ve come out and physically seen us just to make surethat we’rd not on the edge. That’s been prettyh neat; that’s been happenin g for the last year anda half.” The comfort level is no accident.
whose goal is $200 million in annuapl revenue and command ofeach client’s entire store-rollout says he and his team strategically planneds the look of Warwick’s “When we designed the interior of the building, it was a fine he says. “We wanted to make it look have agood impression, but we didn’t want it to be where the client comes in and ‘I can’t afford them.’ We also didn’t want them to say, ‘Theses guys really don’t care about their own I don’t want them to build my high-end retaill store.’ So there’s a balance. And I think we probablyh came close tonailing it.
”
Monday, April 11, 2011
Southwestern Carpets grows business from the ground up - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):
http://sharesleuth.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=2&id=34
Bill McCaddon has stripped Southwestern Carpets down and recreated it a coupled of times since purchasing it from Don Lynchyin 2001. When he bought the flooring company, it specializer in removing and replacinb carpets in apartments between rental occupation. The Lewisville compan was producing annual revenueof $5 million, but McCaddoj found the business too impersonakl because it was driven by product sales and not on building relationships with customers.
So he decidefd to switch focus to themore relationship-centric businesds of providing flooring solutions to new home-construction projects, which includes hardwood floors, carpeting, and backsplash and tile The wholesale company saw dramatix growth as a result, with annual revenue of $22 milliobn in 2007. But the growth was so rapidc and so intense that managers were losing control of the direction the companuywas heading.
So in 2008, he enlisted Don a consultant with The Renova to help bring new energy tohis McCaddon’s sense of direction and leadership abilitie come from his experience as a manufacturer’ representative for 18 years at companiez like Shaw Carpet Manufacturer and Alets Co. He had learned the importance of building relationshipdwith clients. “My background was in working withnew homebuilders. The apartment business was non-relationship driven,” said McCaddon. “k didn’t know how to build a businessthat wasn’rt relational.” McCaddon downsized the company to redirect the focud to the home-construction industry.
He was met with resistances fromhis employees. “I realized that using the sameemployees wasn’t going to work. I was tryingv to halfway do the he said. “Once we made the we really turned the He began switchingout personnel. The which had grown annual revenueto $5 million, saw revenuer drop to under $3 million duringv the transition. But, once the commitmentf was made, McCaddon noted markee improvement. By 2003, revenuee had grown by 35%. Between 2004 and 2008, the company went througbh its biggestgrowth spurt, reachinh up to $22 million in salez and employing more than 60 workers. But at that the storybook growth came toan end.
“It was getting to be chaotic because of so manynew staff. We were an 8-cylindedr engine working on six orseven cylinders. We’d lost a sense of teamwork, and everyone was That’s when McCaddon broughty in Brush. “For the most part, I engage them and talk with them in order to builda relationship. I wanterd to find out the strengths of the companuy and what was working and what needed said Brush. “They’ve got the they’ve got the vision. It’s just giving them the opportunity.
” Brush met with employees to figure out areas that needed improvement and then created an action He showed the company how to created committees to address problems as they come up and then dissolvde the committees after the problem has been The shift has translated intohappier customers. Bill Darling, presidentt and co-owner of Darlinfg Homes Inc., has worked with McCaddonb since McCaddon purchased Southwestern Carpetsin 2001. “(We started working with Southwestern Carpets) because of Bill and his relationalk approach to working with homebuilders as opposed to thetraditionall price-only approach,” said Darling.
“Brush has helperd Bill figure out how to communicate betterd so that everyone is going in the same directionb as the management and will yield the maximum ForChris McCoppin, operations manager for Southwestern Carpets, the change in the corporate culturer has been noticeable. “Sometime you don’t realize that when one department changese their policiesand procedures, it affects others. Now everyone talkas to each other,” McCoppin “We’ve empowered them to make We gave them the powet to runthe business.
They feel With this new senseof empowerment, as well as an improveed use of digitizing software callexd Measure, Southwestern Carpets has seen a marked improvemenf on the accuracy of the 3,000 work orders entere each month — 95% accuracy, up from 77% accuracy and has saved about $160,000 in unnecessaryy costs for having to fix incorrect work orders. Instead of pursuin potential clients merely for the sake ofnew business, McCaddomn and his staff focus on getting to know potential clients, researching them as much as possible and understanding their needs befores they even meet. “We’ll only do business with people who will sit down and have a relationshippwith us.
Someone is always going to come inlowert (priced) than you,” said McCaddon. “We were alwayxs chasing people who were focused on Ifthey say, fax us (a prices sheet), we say sorry, we can’t work with you. We stay togetherd as a result. If you have the valu e relationship, they don’t leave.”
Bill McCaddon has stripped Southwestern Carpets down and recreated it a coupled of times since purchasing it from Don Lynchyin 2001. When he bought the flooring company, it specializer in removing and replacinb carpets in apartments between rental occupation. The Lewisville compan was producing annual revenueof $5 million, but McCaddoj found the business too impersonakl because it was driven by product sales and not on building relationships with customers.
So he decidefd to switch focus to themore relationship-centric businesds of providing flooring solutions to new home-construction projects, which includes hardwood floors, carpeting, and backsplash and tile The wholesale company saw dramatix growth as a result, with annual revenue of $22 milliobn in 2007. But the growth was so rapidc and so intense that managers were losing control of the direction the companuywas heading.
So in 2008, he enlisted Don a consultant with The Renova to help bring new energy tohis McCaddon’s sense of direction and leadership abilitie come from his experience as a manufacturer’ representative for 18 years at companiez like Shaw Carpet Manufacturer and Alets Co. He had learned the importance of building relationshipdwith clients. “My background was in working withnew homebuilders. The apartment business was non-relationship driven,” said McCaddon. “k didn’t know how to build a businessthat wasn’rt relational.” McCaddon downsized the company to redirect the focud to the home-construction industry.
He was met with resistances fromhis employees. “I realized that using the sameemployees wasn’t going to work. I was tryingv to halfway do the he said. “Once we made the we really turned the He began switchingout personnel. The which had grown annual revenueto $5 million, saw revenuer drop to under $3 million duringv the transition. But, once the commitmentf was made, McCaddon noted markee improvement. By 2003, revenuee had grown by 35%. Between 2004 and 2008, the company went througbh its biggestgrowth spurt, reachinh up to $22 million in salez and employing more than 60 workers. But at that the storybook growth came toan end.
“It was getting to be chaotic because of so manynew staff. We were an 8-cylindedr engine working on six orseven cylinders. We’d lost a sense of teamwork, and everyone was That’s when McCaddon broughty in Brush. “For the most part, I engage them and talk with them in order to builda relationship. I wanterd to find out the strengths of the companuy and what was working and what needed said Brush. “They’ve got the they’ve got the vision. It’s just giving them the opportunity.
” Brush met with employees to figure out areas that needed improvement and then created an action He showed the company how to created committees to address problems as they come up and then dissolvde the committees after the problem has been The shift has translated intohappier customers. Bill Darling, presidentt and co-owner of Darlinfg Homes Inc., has worked with McCaddonb since McCaddon purchased Southwestern Carpetsin 2001. “(We started working with Southwestern Carpets) because of Bill and his relationalk approach to working with homebuilders as opposed to thetraditionall price-only approach,” said Darling.
“Brush has helperd Bill figure out how to communicate betterd so that everyone is going in the same directionb as the management and will yield the maximum ForChris McCoppin, operations manager for Southwestern Carpets, the change in the corporate culturer has been noticeable. “Sometime you don’t realize that when one department changese their policiesand procedures, it affects others. Now everyone talkas to each other,” McCoppin “We’ve empowered them to make We gave them the powet to runthe business.
They feel With this new senseof empowerment, as well as an improveed use of digitizing software callexd Measure, Southwestern Carpets has seen a marked improvemenf on the accuracy of the 3,000 work orders entere each month — 95% accuracy, up from 77% accuracy and has saved about $160,000 in unnecessaryy costs for having to fix incorrect work orders. Instead of pursuin potential clients merely for the sake ofnew business, McCaddomn and his staff focus on getting to know potential clients, researching them as much as possible and understanding their needs befores they even meet. “We’ll only do business with people who will sit down and have a relationshippwith us.
Someone is always going to come inlowert (priced) than you,” said McCaddon. “We were alwayxs chasing people who were focused on Ifthey say, fax us (a prices sheet), we say sorry, we can’t work with you. We stay togetherd as a result. If you have the valu e relationship, they don’t leave.”
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Putt-ing on airs - Washington Business Journal:
artemchuksykitas.blogspot.com
“Jen,” she once said to her eager “In this business, you need to know one of two tennisor golf.” I come from a family of but the game has alwayw intimidated me. Talking with other readers, I realizwe I’m not the only one intimidated by the prospectg of playing golf withbusinesxs colleagues. To get over that I played golf with Hilary a D.C. business development consultant, who considers herself an experft on networking on thegolf Fordwich, president of LLC, found a Friday morningy tee time for us and two othet golfers at her club, the , the new corporate-focuses course near Dulles.
Rounding out the foursome were Rebecca general managerof , who claimed to be a novice, and Bill Replogle, managin director of LLC, a golfaholic in his own right (He started a golf gear businesws with the same name). Our round with Fordwich helped me root out lots of the question that cause me golf agita and gave me a placed to getsome answers. Aim to arrive one half to a full hour befors yourtee time.
Early arrivers have a chance to head to the hit afew balls, tap in some putts and, they shake the jitters that tend to come with the Also, clean out your golf bag the night My golf troubles often begi n immediately upon pulling up to the I recently played in a golf tournament with threre putters, roughly a bucket of a ball retriever and a giant golf umbrells on a day with the most perfect weathetr we’ve had all summer.
I looked like a golf Often, courses will restrict driversto cart-path-only rules, and you don’rt want to be the person gettinb scolded by an angry No matter the course conditions, you probablyh will be requested to keep the cart at leasft 30 feet from the greens at all Ask what the cart rules for the day are. Fordwich suggestsz looking for clues in the cart path and parking your cart in a forwardposition (except on the tee which allows you to keep up the speed of During one of our holes, she showed me a notch in the cart path towarf the back of the greebn that was almost asking to have the cart parke there.
Consider bringing along some company gifts, such as hats or It’s a small gesture that makes abiggef statement: You are prepared and know the valu of marketing. If you are other golfers will remember the hat with the cool logo more thanyour three-digitg score. Declare your intentions, your skill levels and your game of choicee Since members of our foursome had afternoon commitments and sincde it was about 8 billion degreesplus humidity, Fordwicnh suggested an easy-going, six-hole scramble which worked well for everyone.
“Jen,” she once said to her eager “In this business, you need to know one of two tennisor golf.” I come from a family of but the game has alwayw intimidated me. Talking with other readers, I realizwe I’m not the only one intimidated by the prospectg of playing golf withbusinesxs colleagues. To get over that I played golf with Hilary a D.C. business development consultant, who considers herself an experft on networking on thegolf Fordwich, president of LLC, found a Friday morningy tee time for us and two othet golfers at her club, the , the new corporate-focuses course near Dulles.
Rounding out the foursome were Rebecca general managerof , who claimed to be a novice, and Bill Replogle, managin director of LLC, a golfaholic in his own right (He started a golf gear businesws with the same name). Our round with Fordwich helped me root out lots of the question that cause me golf agita and gave me a placed to getsome answers. Aim to arrive one half to a full hour befors yourtee time.
Early arrivers have a chance to head to the hit afew balls, tap in some putts and, they shake the jitters that tend to come with the Also, clean out your golf bag the night My golf troubles often begi n immediately upon pulling up to the I recently played in a golf tournament with threre putters, roughly a bucket of a ball retriever and a giant golf umbrells on a day with the most perfect weathetr we’ve had all summer.
I looked like a golf Often, courses will restrict driversto cart-path-only rules, and you don’rt want to be the person gettinb scolded by an angry No matter the course conditions, you probablyh will be requested to keep the cart at leasft 30 feet from the greens at all Ask what the cart rules for the day are. Fordwich suggestsz looking for clues in the cart path and parking your cart in a forwardposition (except on the tee which allows you to keep up the speed of During one of our holes, she showed me a notch in the cart path towarf the back of the greebn that was almost asking to have the cart parke there.
Consider bringing along some company gifts, such as hats or It’s a small gesture that makes abiggef statement: You are prepared and know the valu of marketing. If you are other golfers will remember the hat with the cool logo more thanyour three-digitg score. Declare your intentions, your skill levels and your game of choicee Since members of our foursome had afternoon commitments and sincde it was about 8 billion degreesplus humidity, Fordwicnh suggested an easy-going, six-hole scramble which worked well for everyone.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Cut-It-Out Communications Contributes Public Relations and Marketing Column to ... - PR Newswire (press release)
http://www.worldrallychampionship.co.uk/user_detail.php?u=rearintampept
Cut-It-Out Communications Contributes Public Relations and Marketing Column to ... PR Newswire (press release) The Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals are probably the most respected publications in the region, and I am honored to share my knowledge of the online arena with colleagues in the industry." Last year, Mr. Gissen was certified in ... |
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
St. Louis men admit to mortgage fraud scheme - Kansas City Business Journal:
artemchuksykitas.blogspot.com
Russell Todd McBride, of Creve and Robert Wrolstad, of were charged in a 34-count indictment, Acting U.S. Attorney Michaep Reap said Tuesday. McBride was an operato of , which had offices located in Cape Girardeau, St. Louisx County and elsewhere. Wrolstaf worked with McBride and for Century Mortgages and helped close real estater transactions and work with title The scheme, which occurred from at leastg July 2005 and continued through Novembedr 2006, involved investors recruitee by McBride and Wrolstad purchasing real estate primarily located in Sikeston.
The ownerds of the real estate would sell the properties at or near fair marker value to investors recruited by and know n to McBride and Wrolstad but the investorss paid prices significantly greate than the actual selling price received by the sellerw forthe properties, according to the indictment. The investors would purchase the property at a fraudulent and overvaluex price by obtaining loans to purchasethe property. McBrides and Wrolstad obtained which significantly overvaluedthe properties, whicn enabled them to receive inflated loan proceeds despit having no interest in the conveyedf real estate, the indictment alleges.
In one case a purchasetr paid $66,000 for a property that the seller sold for andin another, the purchaser paid $54,00 0 for property that the seller sold for according to the indictment. McBride and Wrolstad pleaded guiltt to one count of conspiracy to commit wire frauc andmail fraud, 12 countzs of wire fraud and 12 counts of mail In addition, McBride pleaded guilty to six countds of money laundering, and Wrolstad pled guilty to threes counts of money laundering. Each count of wire fraue and mail fraud carries a maximum sentencd of 20 years imprisonment anda $250,000 fine; each count of money laundering carriesa a maximum sentence of 10 yeare imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The conspiracy coung carries a maximum punishment of 20 yearas imprisonment anda $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 17 for Wrolstard and Aug.18 for McBride.
Russell Todd McBride, of Creve and Robert Wrolstad, of were charged in a 34-count indictment, Acting U.S. Attorney Michaep Reap said Tuesday. McBride was an operato of , which had offices located in Cape Girardeau, St. Louisx County and elsewhere. Wrolstaf worked with McBride and for Century Mortgages and helped close real estater transactions and work with title The scheme, which occurred from at leastg July 2005 and continued through Novembedr 2006, involved investors recruitee by McBride and Wrolstad purchasing real estate primarily located in Sikeston.
The ownerds of the real estate would sell the properties at or near fair marker value to investors recruited by and know n to McBride and Wrolstad but the investorss paid prices significantly greate than the actual selling price received by the sellerw forthe properties, according to the indictment. The investors would purchase the property at a fraudulent and overvaluex price by obtaining loans to purchasethe property. McBrides and Wrolstad obtained which significantly overvaluedthe properties, whicn enabled them to receive inflated loan proceeds despit having no interest in the conveyedf real estate, the indictment alleges.
In one case a purchasetr paid $66,000 for a property that the seller sold for andin another, the purchaser paid $54,00 0 for property that the seller sold for according to the indictment. McBride and Wrolstad pleaded guiltt to one count of conspiracy to commit wire frauc andmail fraud, 12 countzs of wire fraud and 12 counts of mail In addition, McBride pleaded guilty to six countds of money laundering, and Wrolstad pled guilty to threes counts of money laundering. Each count of wire fraue and mail fraud carries a maximum sentencd of 20 years imprisonment anda $250,000 fine; each count of money laundering carriesa a maximum sentence of 10 yeare imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The conspiracy coung carries a maximum punishment of 20 yearas imprisonment anda $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 17 for Wrolstard and Aug.18 for McBride.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Aimless protein plays crucial role in pathogen-based disease - DailyIndia.com
http://www.gorillabaseball.com/user_detail.php?u=indessben
Aimless protein plays crucial role in pathogen-based disease DailyIndia.com Washington, Apr 3: Scientists have discovered that a supposedly inactive protein actually plays a crucial role in the ability of one the world's most prolific pathogens to cause disease, findings that suggest the possible role of similarly errant ... |
Friday, April 1, 2011
Job crunch: With unemployment rising, reinvention is a necessity in today
http://www.pujckymix.cz/user_detail.php?u=invosowvemo
There was a banker, a grant a computer programmer, a humamn resources specialist. “Now go back a few years and thinik about what you wanted to be as a thesocial worker, Liz said. The replies were far more adventurous, yet generic: veterinarian, architect, nurse. “Yout attachment to your job attaches a lot to yourpersonalo worth,” Maniscalco said. Most of the people in the room had recentlg been detached from theirjobs few, if any, by choice.
The message from both the stafc and jobless clients at ValleyWorks is that the thousands ofworkerw laid-off due to the deeply troubled economy have a chanc e to craft new identities, to starty over — whether they wanted to or not. Economistss and other experts are pronouncing what many of the unemployed are justnow learning: Many of the jobs aren’t comingb back. With that in job-seekers are desperately trying to adapt and explore new career paths while at the same time readjusting their lifestyles to reflect harsh economic The sudden displacement of workers is especiallgy acute in theMerrimack Valley, where many had manufacturing a sector that continues to shrinkm in Massachusetts.
The unemployment rate in Lawrenceis 16.5 more than double the state’s rate. And nearbyg cities, including Methuen and Haverhill, have rates in the doubls digits. Many face reinvention after long Robert Dube, 60, was a licensed mental healtuh counselor and worked for 27 years in a facility for teenages boys until his position was eliminatedx this past December due to budget Dube, of Methuen, is doing some course teaching on the side at and has looked at a varietyh of possible jobs such as a being a park ranget or a tour guide in Lowell.
“What I need to do rightt now is kind of revieaw what I have done and whoI am,” Dube While he’d like to stay in his field, or perhaps work more intensel y as a teacher, he conceded that at some poinf preferences become just that, preferences. Some are planninfg on starting theirown businesses. Tamar a LaPosta, 35, is taking courses in businessz at Northern Essex Community College with the hope of eventuallyh opening a breakfast dinerin Stoneham. For 11 yearws she worked in the sales officreof Wakefield-based LLC, which makes plastic flower But both LaPosta, and her were laid off by the compangy this past June. I was a little bit sad because I lovedcmy job.
I was a little panicked because I knew the markett was starting to go down and people everywherd were losingtheir jobs,” she The loss of her job provided LaPostas with what she called a “bootg in the butt” to startg a restaurant, which she had considerede a “pipe dream” before. It may stillk be. LaPosta said her familyg will be losing their housein Lawrence. She and her husbands recently filed forbankruptcy protection. They are lookinyg for an apartment to move into withtheir 5-year-olrd son. “We haven’t been able to keep she said. Unemployment insurance is “a drastic reductiomn in our salaries.
” The loss of a job is normallua shock, even if the workert sees it coming, said Cindy Key, who coordinatess workshops and education programs at which provides workforce training programs to the area’ s unemployed. “Most people spend more time planningg their vacation than they do planningf what they will do next intheir career.” several out-of-work professionals in the Merrimack Valley region said they are tryingf to track down potential careers in what are perceived to be safere industries, such as clean James Coleman, 60, is trying to find a way to parlag his experience as an accountantr into a “green” job.
“I’m extremely interestefd in renewable energy andalternatives energy,” the Lawrence resident said. Coleman, who lost his job in the comptrollef office of Northern Essex Community Collegein June, has been searchingt through online job sites, looking at clean technology presentations and networkingb with people in the field. Therew are immediate anxieties todeal with, however. Coleman didn’t open his statement right away because he had an premonitiohn of what wouldbe inside. When he finally did open it he discoverex his portfolio had declined by40 percent. His neighbor, moved to Lawrence when she tookher job. Then she got bought a house and starteda family.
Not long ago the town seemecd to be showing some signs of she said. “You drive arouned now and it’s really like a ghost There’s just a whole lot of
There was a banker, a grant a computer programmer, a humamn resources specialist. “Now go back a few years and thinik about what you wanted to be as a thesocial worker, Liz said. The replies were far more adventurous, yet generic: veterinarian, architect, nurse. “Yout attachment to your job attaches a lot to yourpersonalo worth,” Maniscalco said. Most of the people in the room had recentlg been detached from theirjobs few, if any, by choice.
The message from both the stafc and jobless clients at ValleyWorks is that the thousands ofworkerw laid-off due to the deeply troubled economy have a chanc e to craft new identities, to starty over — whether they wanted to or not. Economistss and other experts are pronouncing what many of the unemployed are justnow learning: Many of the jobs aren’t comingb back. With that in job-seekers are desperately trying to adapt and explore new career paths while at the same time readjusting their lifestyles to reflect harsh economic The sudden displacement of workers is especiallgy acute in theMerrimack Valley, where many had manufacturing a sector that continues to shrinkm in Massachusetts.
The unemployment rate in Lawrenceis 16.5 more than double the state’s rate. And nearbyg cities, including Methuen and Haverhill, have rates in the doubls digits. Many face reinvention after long Robert Dube, 60, was a licensed mental healtuh counselor and worked for 27 years in a facility for teenages boys until his position was eliminatedx this past December due to budget Dube, of Methuen, is doing some course teaching on the side at and has looked at a varietyh of possible jobs such as a being a park ranget or a tour guide in Lowell.
“What I need to do rightt now is kind of revieaw what I have done and whoI am,” Dube While he’d like to stay in his field, or perhaps work more intensel y as a teacher, he conceded that at some poinf preferences become just that, preferences. Some are planninfg on starting theirown businesses. Tamar a LaPosta, 35, is taking courses in businessz at Northern Essex Community College with the hope of eventuallyh opening a breakfast dinerin Stoneham. For 11 yearws she worked in the sales officreof Wakefield-based LLC, which makes plastic flower But both LaPosta, and her were laid off by the compangy this past June. I was a little bit sad because I lovedcmy job.
I was a little panicked because I knew the markett was starting to go down and people everywherd were losingtheir jobs,” she The loss of her job provided LaPostas with what she called a “bootg in the butt” to startg a restaurant, which she had considerede a “pipe dream” before. It may stillk be. LaPosta said her familyg will be losing their housein Lawrence. She and her husbands recently filed forbankruptcy protection. They are lookinyg for an apartment to move into withtheir 5-year-olrd son. “We haven’t been able to keep she said. Unemployment insurance is “a drastic reductiomn in our salaries.
” The loss of a job is normallua shock, even if the workert sees it coming, said Cindy Key, who coordinatess workshops and education programs at which provides workforce training programs to the area’ s unemployed. “Most people spend more time planningg their vacation than they do planningf what they will do next intheir career.” several out-of-work professionals in the Merrimack Valley region said they are tryingf to track down potential careers in what are perceived to be safere industries, such as clean James Coleman, 60, is trying to find a way to parlag his experience as an accountantr into a “green” job.
“I’m extremely interestefd in renewable energy andalternatives energy,” the Lawrence resident said. Coleman, who lost his job in the comptrollef office of Northern Essex Community Collegein June, has been searchingt through online job sites, looking at clean technology presentations and networkingb with people in the field. Therew are immediate anxieties todeal with, however. Coleman didn’t open his statement right away because he had an premonitiohn of what wouldbe inside. When he finally did open it he discoverex his portfolio had declined by40 percent. His neighbor, moved to Lawrence when she tookher job. Then she got bought a house and starteda family.
Not long ago the town seemecd to be showing some signs of she said. “You drive arouned now and it’s really like a ghost There’s just a whole lot of
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