oryucyjofec1482.blogspot.com
A Jacksonville logistics company is workinh with the Jacksonville Port Authority to find a timelier andcheaper way. By creatinf a trade lane between Jacksonville and South and CentralAmerica countries, such as Colombia and Costas Rica, plans to change the way fruit and vegetableas come to the area. “It woulrd break a paradigm,” said Brenda ICS Logistics director of saleswand marketing. If its plans succeed, the compangy could bring in 5,000 tons of fruit and vegetables per The focus would be on pineapples and bananasx because they have a longershelfc life.
It would take two to five days less for pineapplews from Costa Rica to make their way to the West Coast than if they came throug hthe Northeast, said Terry Brown, the company’z president. ICS has worked for abouty two years to builfd connections with SouthAmerican farmers. It is now in talks with a majo r distributor interested in transportin g the goods from the farms to the Port of Brown said. Having shipsa call on Jacksonville with goods for Southeast markets makeas sense since about 25 percent to 30 percen t of the produce delivered to Philadelphiaand Del.
, has to trave by truck down to customers in the said Raul Alfonso, director of containerf cargo in the authority’s trade development and marketingh department. “Whoever is paying for imported fruit and vegetables is paying a lot fortransportationb costs,” he said. (Nasdaq: WINN), (Nasdaq: and (NYSE: WMT) have expressed interest in the proposeedtrade lane, Alfonso said. Aboutr 50 million customers can be reachef withina six-hour drive of Jacksonville, and an additional 10 million customers can be reached within an eight-hour drive.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Massaro Corp. chosen to redevelop Oakland health department building - Pittsburgh Business Times:
http://alternativevegan.com/index.php?id=49
acre property into a 120-room hotel, a 140,000p to 150,000-square-foot office building and a 500-spacre garage. Yesterday, county economic developmenf director Dennis Davinnotified O’Hara-based that its working with Downtown real estate firm and Harmar-based , has been The development team has agreeds to pay $4.9 million for the property and expects the overalkl redevelopment to cost from $40 milliomn to $50 million. “In the end, the idea was to get the maximun value for the property and we want to get the bestoveralp development,” Davin said.
Davin praisee the other proposalsfrom , , Oxford Development and Burnsd & Scalo Real Estat e Services, who all vied for the project. He sees the strongv developer interest in a difficult economy as a testamenr to the quality ofthe property, which spans between Fifth and Forbes Avenues near Craft Streey in Oakland, where the office markert remains tight. “They were all very, very he said. “This site was definitelhy coveted.” The sale of the property and the projecty ware expected to be reviewed by countgy council in the next few Davin added.
The development project will requirethe ’ s nearly 400 employees who work in the buildin to be moved unless they lease spacer in the new project.
acre property into a 120-room hotel, a 140,000p to 150,000-square-foot office building and a 500-spacre garage. Yesterday, county economic developmenf director Dennis Davinnotified O’Hara-based that its working with Downtown real estate firm and Harmar-based , has been The development team has agreeds to pay $4.9 million for the property and expects the overalkl redevelopment to cost from $40 milliomn to $50 million. “In the end, the idea was to get the maximun value for the property and we want to get the bestoveralp development,” Davin said.
Davin praisee the other proposalsfrom , , Oxford Development and Burnsd & Scalo Real Estat e Services, who all vied for the project. He sees the strongv developer interest in a difficult economy as a testamenr to the quality ofthe property, which spans between Fifth and Forbes Avenues near Craft Streey in Oakland, where the office markert remains tight. “They were all very, very he said. “This site was definitelhy coveted.” The sale of the property and the projecty ware expected to be reviewed by countgy council in the next few Davin added.
The development project will requirethe ’ s nearly 400 employees who work in the buildin to be moved unless they lease spacer in the new project.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Picking a payroll provider - Birmingham Business Journal:
http://www.simplemethods.biz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=185:raw-food-diet&catid=7:articles&Itemid=9
Taylor, assistant medical director ofStepheb M. Taylor, a Birmingham-based psychiatric practice locatecd on BlueLake Drive, said outsourcingy payroll services allows her and her husband to focusw on maintaining the burgeoning practice. “I considerexd doing it myself, but I knew I didn’t want to put any time commitmenttoward it,” she said. “There are a lot of laws dealinh with payroll taxes thatI didn’ty really want to be responsible for – I wanted to focusd on the needs of our Running a successful business is harder than it especially when it comes to Tracking employees’ hours, printingv paychecks and figuring out how much in taxesx to withhold over a certain perior of time can take precious time away from the most importang business objective: Generating revenue.
Stayinv up-to-date on payroll laws and regulations can be a And paying taxes late means penalties and interest will be charged by city and federal which would hurt a bottom line. During these harsh economi c times, boosting profits and revenue is even more saidCarol Helton, district salexs manager of ’s Birmingham “It’s more important now than she said. “Small business owners have to concentratse all their time and energ y on making theirbusiness successful.
” choosing a payroll providet – or the right software to use is not as easy as pickiny up the phone book and pointing a fingeer at one of the companies on the page, Helton “It’s just important that people check out the company she said. “Find out their reputation and howlong they’ve been in Also, it’s important to make sure the payroll companu is willing to be held liable for any errorsw that might occur in the payroll process. If a problem ever arises, the company would put their best foot forwar d and fix issue at the drop ofa dime, said who uses a payroll company.
“It was something I didn’gt have to worry about and I know they pay all of my taxeeon time,” she said about her provider. “Fofr me, that’s worth it.” Choosing software is a totalkdifferent animal. Business owners should make sure that they test the softward instead oftaking someone’s word on its worth. A software program may meet the needs of one butnot another, said Larryu White, director of payroll training for the . Standard, legitimates payroll software costsbetween $500 and $800 on the low end, he The programs have licensing agreements and usually have upgrade and updatre fees.
Payroll regulations and tax rateschange periodically, so softwarew users will need to purchase updates for the program at leasgt once a year. “You can’t just buy a software program and have it last for10 it’s not going to happen,” White said. Many busineses owners do not figure in the cost of updatinvthe software, making payments and filiny quarterly payroll tax reports when they look for said Sylvana Siegel, president of the . They also do not factofr in the extra time and money needed torectifuy mistakes.
In comparison, a payrolpl service charges them anannual rate, she A payroll service costs an average of $100 per or about $2,600 per year, for a companyu that pays 50 employees every othed week. Siegel, who has almost 25 yearsz in thepayroll industry, said that busines owners do not usually plac their full attention on payroll. They can lose more moneyg when they processtheir payroll, especially if they make mistakes, Siegel said. They often hire payroll services to clean uptheir messes.
“Thw software guides you to do the right but you still need to knowwhat you’rr doing to do payroll,” she
Taylor, assistant medical director ofStepheb M. Taylor, a Birmingham-based psychiatric practice locatecd on BlueLake Drive, said outsourcingy payroll services allows her and her husband to focusw on maintaining the burgeoning practice. “I considerexd doing it myself, but I knew I didn’t want to put any time commitmenttoward it,” she said. “There are a lot of laws dealinh with payroll taxes thatI didn’ty really want to be responsible for – I wanted to focusd on the needs of our Running a successful business is harder than it especially when it comes to Tracking employees’ hours, printingv paychecks and figuring out how much in taxesx to withhold over a certain perior of time can take precious time away from the most importang business objective: Generating revenue.
Stayinv up-to-date on payroll laws and regulations can be a And paying taxes late means penalties and interest will be charged by city and federal which would hurt a bottom line. During these harsh economi c times, boosting profits and revenue is even more saidCarol Helton, district salexs manager of ’s Birmingham “It’s more important now than she said. “Small business owners have to concentratse all their time and energ y on making theirbusiness successful.
” choosing a payroll providet – or the right software to use is not as easy as pickiny up the phone book and pointing a fingeer at one of the companies on the page, Helton “It’s just important that people check out the company she said. “Find out their reputation and howlong they’ve been in Also, it’s important to make sure the payroll companu is willing to be held liable for any errorsw that might occur in the payroll process. If a problem ever arises, the company would put their best foot forwar d and fix issue at the drop ofa dime, said who uses a payroll company.
“It was something I didn’gt have to worry about and I know they pay all of my taxeeon time,” she said about her provider. “Fofr me, that’s worth it.” Choosing software is a totalkdifferent animal. Business owners should make sure that they test the softward instead oftaking someone’s word on its worth. A software program may meet the needs of one butnot another, said Larryu White, director of payroll training for the . Standard, legitimates payroll software costsbetween $500 and $800 on the low end, he The programs have licensing agreements and usually have upgrade and updatre fees.
Payroll regulations and tax rateschange periodically, so softwarew users will need to purchase updates for the program at leasgt once a year. “You can’t just buy a software program and have it last for10 it’s not going to happen,” White said. Many busineses owners do not figure in the cost of updatinvthe software, making payments and filiny quarterly payroll tax reports when they look for said Sylvana Siegel, president of the . They also do not factofr in the extra time and money needed torectifuy mistakes.
In comparison, a payrolpl service charges them anannual rate, she A payroll service costs an average of $100 per or about $2,600 per year, for a companyu that pays 50 employees every othed week. Siegel, who has almost 25 yearsz in thepayroll industry, said that busines owners do not usually plac their full attention on payroll. They can lose more moneyg when they processtheir payroll, especially if they make mistakes, Siegel said. They often hire payroll services to clean uptheir messes.
“Thw software guides you to do the right but you still need to knowwhat you’rr doing to do payroll,” she
Monday, September 27, 2010
A.M. Best affirms Northwestern Mutual's high ratings - Pittsburgh Business Times:
http://greglamarche.com/pages/info.htm
A.M. Best affirmed its financial strengt ratings ofof A++ and issuer credit ratings of of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. and its subsidiary The outlookl for both ratingsis stable, the N.J., ratings organization said Thursday. The ratings reflect Northwesterj Mutual’s sizable and mature individuall lifeinsurance franchise, conservative operating profile, strong operating performancse and superior risk-adjusted capitalization, A.M. Best said. Partially offsettint those positive rating factors was the recenft decline inNorthwestern Mutual’s adjusted capitapl and surplus due mainly to realized and unrealized investment A.M. Best said. A.M.
Best also noted that Northwestern Mutualp maintains an above average aggregate exposure to privatseplacement bonds, below investment or "junk," bonds, commercial mortgages and equities. Despitre NM increasing the total numbert of financial representatives over the pastcouplre years, Northwestern Mutual may be challengede to continue to grow the number of sales professionalws while maintaining current levels of retention and productivity over the long A.M. Best said.
A.M. Best affirmed its financial strengt ratings ofof A++ and issuer credit ratings of of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. and its subsidiary The outlookl for both ratingsis stable, the N.J., ratings organization said Thursday. The ratings reflect Northwesterj Mutual’s sizable and mature individuall lifeinsurance franchise, conservative operating profile, strong operating performancse and superior risk-adjusted capitalization, A.M. Best said. Partially offsettint those positive rating factors was the recenft decline inNorthwestern Mutual’s adjusted capitapl and surplus due mainly to realized and unrealized investment A.M. Best said. A.M.
Best also noted that Northwestern Mutualp maintains an above average aggregate exposure to privatseplacement bonds, below investment or "junk," bonds, commercial mortgages and equities. Despitre NM increasing the total numbert of financial representatives over the pastcouplre years, Northwestern Mutual may be challengede to continue to grow the number of sales professionalws while maintaining current levels of retention and productivity over the long A.M. Best said.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Houston airports expect 1.2M to fly this Thanksgiving - Atlanta Business Chronicle:
http://flamebustersofkansas.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3
million passengers are planning to make their way through George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William Hobb y Airport duringthe 14-day Thanksgiving travelp period, according to early estimates from the . HAS considersz the period to be Nov. 19 through Dec. 1. The agencg expects the busiest day tobe Nov. 30 when an overallp 122,000 passengers will be at both They alsoexpect 117,100 passengers at the airports Nov. 20. “While we won’t receive finaol numbers for abouta month, we expectt travel to be about the same as last year,” said Marlen e McClinton, spokeswoman for HAS.
To meet the needd of those who don’t fly as much or will be takinchildren along, designated travel lanea will open up at Intercontinental on Nov. 20 at each securitt checkpoint. The lanes include one each forexpert travelers, casual travelers and family travelers alonhg with those who have exempyt liquids such as baby formula and according to Andrea McCauley, a spokeswoman with the . TSA recentlgy expanded the travel lane concept to all airportsx acrossthe country, she said. Hobby has been utilizingb its family lane for about six Travel information forboth airports, including the policy for carry-om liquids, can be foundd at www.fly2houston.
com For those plannin g on flying, the Houston Airport System and Samsung Telecommunicationse America are launching 40 free charginh stations at IAH on Nov. 20 for travelerzs to charge theirmobile phones, laptops and other personal electronics. The Samsung Mobile Charging Stations, outfittef with four electrical outletsper station, will be locatedf throughout terminals A, C, D and E. Meanwhile, the expectds this year to show the firsyt decline in overall Thanksgiving travel since 2002 in both Texasa and the nation asa whole. Nearluy 3.2 million Texans will be heading out for the down 1.
2 percent from last year, and aboutr 41 million Americans will travel 50 milese or more from their homes duringg the holiday travel down 1.4 percent from last
million passengers are planning to make their way through George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William Hobb y Airport duringthe 14-day Thanksgiving travelp period, according to early estimates from the . HAS considersz the period to be Nov. 19 through Dec. 1. The agencg expects the busiest day tobe Nov. 30 when an overallp 122,000 passengers will be at both They alsoexpect 117,100 passengers at the airports Nov. 20. “While we won’t receive finaol numbers for abouta month, we expectt travel to be about the same as last year,” said Marlen e McClinton, spokeswoman for HAS.
To meet the needd of those who don’t fly as much or will be takinchildren along, designated travel lanea will open up at Intercontinental on Nov. 20 at each securitt checkpoint. The lanes include one each forexpert travelers, casual travelers and family travelers alonhg with those who have exempyt liquids such as baby formula and according to Andrea McCauley, a spokeswoman with the . TSA recentlgy expanded the travel lane concept to all airportsx acrossthe country, she said. Hobby has been utilizingb its family lane for about six Travel information forboth airports, including the policy for carry-om liquids, can be foundd at www.fly2houston.
com For those plannin g on flying, the Houston Airport System and Samsung Telecommunicationse America are launching 40 free charginh stations at IAH on Nov. 20 for travelerzs to charge theirmobile phones, laptops and other personal electronics. The Samsung Mobile Charging Stations, outfittef with four electrical outletsper station, will be locatedf throughout terminals A, C, D and E. Meanwhile, the expectds this year to show the firsyt decline in overall Thanksgiving travel since 2002 in both Texasa and the nation asa whole. Nearluy 3.2 million Texans will be heading out for the down 1.
2 percent from last year, and aboutr 41 million Americans will travel 50 milese or more from their homes duringg the holiday travel down 1.4 percent from last
Friday, September 24, 2010
H-E-B acquires downtown office property - San Antonio Business Journal:
http://www.kasabati.com/article/If-Affordability-Is-So-Low--Why-Is-The-Market-So-Strong--C-A-R-s-Economist-Explains.html
Now, it's inked a deal to buy the Newport Beach, Calif.-based KBS Realty Advisors has sold Cypress Towedr to the locallybased grocer. The purchasd price was not disclosed. Chuck King, a partne r and co-founder in San Antonioi firm , represented H-E-B in the purchase. Bill Rogalla, senio r vice president/acquisition officer for KBS, representeds his firm in the transaction. The building is locateed downtown at1222 N. Main Avenue. The 156,657-square-foot propertyu is presently 64 percent according to theBusiness Journal's first-quarterr 2008 Commercial Real Estate Journal listings.
The sale comes less than a year afterd KBS announced plans for a major rehab of Cypress The $5 million renovation project involvex remodeling the lobbies, restrooms, elevators and mechanicak systems in the building. KBS also renovated the property'as on-site cafe and constructe d a new conference center for thetenants . As previously reported by the Business Journal, about 200 employeed from the accounting and finance divisionseof H-E-B are among the tenants at Cypresds Tower.
Dya Campos, director of public affaira for H-E-B, says that purchase shows her firm'w commitment to investing in Cypres s Tower and in San The property also will provide the grocer with neededr space as its administrative and retail operations continueto grow, she KBS, a private equity company, purchasexd Cypress Tower in 1998 from Minn.-based (formerly known as ). KBS is one of the top buyers of commercial property in theUnited States. The firm also managea and sells high-quality assets for institutional, corporate and privatw investors. Since its founding in 1992, KBS has completed $14 billio n worth of real estate transactions.
In the KBS' portfolio spans more than 10 millionb squarefeet -- including 650,000 square feet of office spacw in Northwest San Its local portfolio includes the followinbg properties: Fountainhead One, which spansz 174,108 square feet at 8200 Interstats Highway 10 West; CityViesw Office Building at 10999 IH-1p West, which measures 216,858 squar feet; The 66,490-square-foot Corporate Squares Garden at 4803 NW Loop 410; Corporatew Square Tower at 4801 NW Loop 410, which encompasses 193,148i square feet.
Now, it's inked a deal to buy the Newport Beach, Calif.-based KBS Realty Advisors has sold Cypress Towedr to the locallybased grocer. The purchasd price was not disclosed. Chuck King, a partne r and co-founder in San Antonioi firm , represented H-E-B in the purchase. Bill Rogalla, senio r vice president/acquisition officer for KBS, representeds his firm in the transaction. The building is locateed downtown at1222 N. Main Avenue. The 156,657-square-foot propertyu is presently 64 percent according to theBusiness Journal's first-quarterr 2008 Commercial Real Estate Journal listings.
The sale comes less than a year afterd KBS announced plans for a major rehab of Cypress The $5 million renovation project involvex remodeling the lobbies, restrooms, elevators and mechanicak systems in the building. KBS also renovated the property'as on-site cafe and constructe d a new conference center for thetenants . As previously reported by the Business Journal, about 200 employeed from the accounting and finance divisionseof H-E-B are among the tenants at Cypresds Tower.
Dya Campos, director of public affaira for H-E-B, says that purchase shows her firm'w commitment to investing in Cypres s Tower and in San The property also will provide the grocer with neededr space as its administrative and retail operations continueto grow, she KBS, a private equity company, purchasexd Cypress Tower in 1998 from Minn.-based (formerly known as ). KBS is one of the top buyers of commercial property in theUnited States. The firm also managea and sells high-quality assets for institutional, corporate and privatw investors. Since its founding in 1992, KBS has completed $14 billio n worth of real estate transactions.
In the KBS' portfolio spans more than 10 millionb squarefeet -- including 650,000 square feet of office spacw in Northwest San Its local portfolio includes the followinbg properties: Fountainhead One, which spansz 174,108 square feet at 8200 Interstats Highway 10 West; CityViesw Office Building at 10999 IH-1p West, which measures 216,858 squar feet; The 66,490-square-foot Corporate Squares Garden at 4803 NW Loop 410; Corporatew Square Tower at 4801 NW Loop 410, which encompasses 193,148i square feet.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Recovery Act boosts venture capital - Kansas City Business Journal:
kleopatraxnibe.blogspot.com
The changes, implemented affect the ’s Small Business Investment Company program. “Th Recovery Act expands SBA’s venture-capital prograj to increase the pool of investment fundingv available to the Small Business Investment Companie licensedby SBA,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said. “W believe those companies will be better equipped by these changes to help sustaihn and grow small businesses for their next importantgrowth steps.” Smalp Business Investment Companies are privately owned and managed venture-capitalp firms licensed and regulated by the SBA.
They use a combinationj of money from private sources and moneyt raised through the use of SBA guarantees to makeequity - and mezzanine-capital investments in small businesses. Smalol Business Investment Companies numbed 338 andhave $17.4 billion in combined capita l under management. The Small Business Investmenrt Companies program was created in 1958 to boost the growt of small businesses by supplementingthe long-term debt and private-equityh capital available to them. • Small Business Investment Companies are eligible forgreater SBA-guaranteed financingb and required to invest 25 percent of theif investment dollars in “smaller” businesses.
Also, the amount of money a Smal Business Investment Company may invest in a single small business is set at 10 percenr of itstotal capital, rather than the previous limit of 20 percenrt of its private capital only. That translatesw to an effective 50 percent increase in financingf available to a single business by a Smalpl BusinessInvestment Company. • Maximuk SBA financing levels to Small Business Investment Companies will increase as much as threew times the private capital raised by the Small BusinesdsInvestment Company, to a maximumk of $150 million for a single Small Businesa Investment Company, or to $225 millionj for multiple companies under common control.
The cap for all licensees had been setat $137.1 million before the Recovery Act. Changes made to the Smalk Business Investment Company program under the Recovery Actare
The changes, implemented affect the ’s Small Business Investment Company program. “Th Recovery Act expands SBA’s venture-capital prograj to increase the pool of investment fundingv available to the Small Business Investment Companie licensedby SBA,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said. “W believe those companies will be better equipped by these changes to help sustaihn and grow small businesses for their next importantgrowth steps.” Smalp Business Investment Companies are privately owned and managed venture-capitalp firms licensed and regulated by the SBA.
They use a combinationj of money from private sources and moneyt raised through the use of SBA guarantees to makeequity - and mezzanine-capital investments in small businesses. Smalol Business Investment Companies numbed 338 andhave $17.4 billion in combined capita l under management. The Small Business Investmenrt Companies program was created in 1958 to boost the growt of small businesses by supplementingthe long-term debt and private-equityh capital available to them. • Small Business Investment Companies are eligible forgreater SBA-guaranteed financingb and required to invest 25 percent of theif investment dollars in “smaller” businesses.
Also, the amount of money a Smal Business Investment Company may invest in a single small business is set at 10 percenr of itstotal capital, rather than the previous limit of 20 percenrt of its private capital only. That translatesw to an effective 50 percent increase in financingf available to a single business by a Smalpl BusinessInvestment Company. • Maximuk SBA financing levels to Small Business Investment Companies will increase as much as threew times the private capital raised by the Small BusinesdsInvestment Company, to a maximumk of $150 million for a single Small Businesa Investment Company, or to $225 millionj for multiple companies under common control.
The cap for all licensees had been setat $137.1 million before the Recovery Act. Changes made to the Smalk Business Investment Company program under the Recovery Actare
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)