kdrummondbs37.blogspot.com
million recapitalization, the company said late Boulder-based AeroGrow (NASDAQ: AERO) makes the AeroGarden, a line of indoof gardening products. The recapitalization included the conversiohof $1.4 million in accounts payable from a leadinh manufacturer into a two-year debt instrumenrt at 8 percent maturing on June 30, 2011. The company also amended the terms of its senior secured revolvintg credit facility in a way that will allosw it to continue to use debt for workingt capital needs on anongoing “In the past year we’ve been challengec by the downturn in the economy, but have takenh significant measures to reduce our overhead, restructure the balance sheet and continue to drive the companyy toward profitability,” said Jack Walker, AeroGrow’s chairman of the in a statement.
“AeroGrow has a truly differentiated product, with proven demand, and, with the help of this recapitalization, I’nm confident in the capability of the current managemenr team to guide the company through to profitabilityt andcontinued growth. In fact, as a strong indicator of the confidence that we have in the company and our prospectsgoing I, along with our senior management have combined to invest more than $4 million as part of this including $2.8 million in new capital and $1.3 million in convertede obligations.” Separately, AeroGrow announced Tuesday that revenue fell 2.4 percentg in the fiscal year ended March 31, to $37.
4 reflecting a sharp decline in consumefr spending that began in the fourth quarteer of 2008. AeroGrow reported a net loss for the yearof $10. million, or minus 82 cents per share, compare d with a loss of $9.8 million, or minus 84 cents per in theprevious year.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Woodland Corporate Center building gets LEED gold certification - Sacramento Business Journal:
ofycagvezi.blogspot.com
The building, which opened early last year, was designed and buily to meet the second highest ranking ofthe Council’s Leadershio in Energy and Environmental Design. was the generall contractor. Liberty Property Trust Vice Presidentg Jody Johnston estimates the cost of building to greeh standards added an additional 5 percentg to the overalldevelopment costs, but that will be more than offseyt by lower energy costs.
Special features includw showers and lockers for workers who need to wash or changde clothes after they bike or jog to A deck made of recycled plasti borders the back of the overlooking a wetlands area that provides Landscapingincorporates drought-resistant plants native to Florida. A white reflective roof deflectssthe sun. Bins for recycling are placedc near trash binsfor accessibility. Restroom urinals conserve watef by relying on gravithy and a filter insteadof water. That featurr is expected to save 360,000 gallons annually sinces each urinal uses anestimatedc 40,000 gallons annually, Johnston Grass surrounding the parking lot soak s up rainwater.
And Flexi-pave, a recycled rubber, was used insteads of asphalt around the large oak trees that line the The porous rubber allowse water to soak intothe ground. The building, located at 4631 Woodland Blvd., received the “Offices Building of the Year” Award from the Tampa Bay Chapterr of the andthe “Green Building Desig Award” from the Hillsborough City-County Plannin Commission in Tampa. Liberty (NYSE: LRY) has developee and leased 19 buildings with nearly 1 milliohn square feet of space in the parksince 1996. Key park tenantws include , Travelers, Travel and .
The building, which opened early last year, was designed and buily to meet the second highest ranking ofthe Council’s Leadershio in Energy and Environmental Design. was the generall contractor. Liberty Property Trust Vice Presidentg Jody Johnston estimates the cost of building to greeh standards added an additional 5 percentg to the overalldevelopment costs, but that will be more than offseyt by lower energy costs.
Special features includw showers and lockers for workers who need to wash or changde clothes after they bike or jog to A deck made of recycled plasti borders the back of the overlooking a wetlands area that provides Landscapingincorporates drought-resistant plants native to Florida. A white reflective roof deflectssthe sun. Bins for recycling are placedc near trash binsfor accessibility. Restroom urinals conserve watef by relying on gravithy and a filter insteadof water. That featurr is expected to save 360,000 gallons annually sinces each urinal uses anestimatedc 40,000 gallons annually, Johnston Grass surrounding the parking lot soak s up rainwater.
And Flexi-pave, a recycled rubber, was used insteads of asphalt around the large oak trees that line the The porous rubber allowse water to soak intothe ground. The building, located at 4631 Woodland Blvd., received the “Offices Building of the Year” Award from the Tampa Bay Chapterr of the andthe “Green Building Desig Award” from the Hillsborough City-County Plannin Commission in Tampa. Liberty (NYSE: LRY) has developee and leased 19 buildings with nearly 1 milliohn square feet of space in the parksince 1996. Key park tenantws include , Travelers, Travel and .
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Rebates should boost Energy Star sales - Dayton Business Journal:
iwegasely.wordpress.com
“This rebate program will help Floridian buy appliances atdiscount rates, lowerf utility costs and benefit Florida businesses by stimulating sales of energy-efficient Gov. Charlie Crist said in a press releaseMay 18. Althougg the bill was signedc last week, the projected time for the program to be administeredr is probably sometime this Consumers will not be eligible for the rebatea until then because some of the details of the programj still need to beworked out, said Jeremg Susac, the executive director of Crist’s Energt Office.
The specific amounts for the rebates must be approveds by the legislativebudgeft committee, and Crist’s office is still waiting for guidance from the federao government on how exactly the program will work, Susac said. The FECC is expectingf Florida toreceive $18 million in federalo stimulus funds to provide the rebate In addition, the Florida legislature is givingy $150,000 to the FECC to help them put the plan into All of this should help Floridiansz save 20 percent on the cost of energy-efficient “This is what we are projecting,” Susav said. “We are looking at 20 percen all acrossthe board.
” With the 20 percentr rebate, consumers could save $290 on $200 on washing machines, freezers and dishwashers, $65 on room air conditionerz and $40 on dehumidifiers. Only laundry and kitche n home appliances with the Energhy Star label will be eligible for the All Energy Star appliances meet strict energty efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protectiom Agencyand U.S. Department of Energy, but certain iteme like flat screen televisions are not Susac said.
Even though they use the most energhy out of all the home certain kitchen itemslike microwaves, ovens and stove tops are also not includeed because they have yet to be regulated by Energy Star in the United States, said Michael Setzer, the owner of Setzer’sx appliance dealer in Jacksonville. Energu Star appliances do cost an averageof $50 to $100 more than the standarc versions because of the advanced technologies, he but the rebate should lighten the making it almost cheaper to buy the Energy Star product. “Youh don’t have to spend $1,000 to have an Energ Star,” Setzer said. “Energy Star has cheaper model s now.
I have a $300 dishwasher and a $800 refrigeratod in my store that are allEnergy Star.” In the investment will causer consumers’ utility bills to go down in dollar Customers should recover their costs of the energy-efficient appliance on their monthly bills within five to six years. According to Energ Star’s Web site, their appliances can save consumerws $75 a year in energy and they use 10 to 20 percent less energy and watere thantraditional models, making them bettef for the environment.
For example, a front-loadinyg Energy Star washing machine uses 16 to 18 gallonw of water versus thetraditional top-loading appliance that uses 40 “I don’t know if our salee will go up because the customers will stilkl have to put out the full Setzer said. “But any increase in sales willbe great, and it woulfd be a great thing for people to get their monet back.” Business has been slow duringb the economic downturn at both Setzer’s locations here in Jacksonvill and Ocala, but it’s still going pretty steady because people are always goingv to need refrigerators and he said.
In addition, 75 to 80 percenr of the appliances he sells areEnergyy Star, so Setzer said he’s very hopeful. Energty Star is also excited for the rebate program to go into effect becaused the Florida proposal is an Energy Star spokesperson Inyears past, rebates have caused a jump in thei r sales, but they have never had a rebated program like this before.
“This rebate program will help Floridian buy appliances atdiscount rates, lowerf utility costs and benefit Florida businesses by stimulating sales of energy-efficient Gov. Charlie Crist said in a press releaseMay 18. Althougg the bill was signedc last week, the projected time for the program to be administeredr is probably sometime this Consumers will not be eligible for the rebatea until then because some of the details of the programj still need to beworked out, said Jeremg Susac, the executive director of Crist’s Energt Office.
The specific amounts for the rebates must be approveds by the legislativebudgeft committee, and Crist’s office is still waiting for guidance from the federao government on how exactly the program will work, Susac said. The FECC is expectingf Florida toreceive $18 million in federalo stimulus funds to provide the rebate In addition, the Florida legislature is givingy $150,000 to the FECC to help them put the plan into All of this should help Floridiansz save 20 percent on the cost of energy-efficient “This is what we are projecting,” Susav said. “We are looking at 20 percen all acrossthe board.
” With the 20 percentr rebate, consumers could save $290 on $200 on washing machines, freezers and dishwashers, $65 on room air conditionerz and $40 on dehumidifiers. Only laundry and kitche n home appliances with the Energhy Star label will be eligible for the All Energy Star appliances meet strict energty efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protectiom Agencyand U.S. Department of Energy, but certain iteme like flat screen televisions are not Susac said.
Even though they use the most energhy out of all the home certain kitchen itemslike microwaves, ovens and stove tops are also not includeed because they have yet to be regulated by Energy Star in the United States, said Michael Setzer, the owner of Setzer’sx appliance dealer in Jacksonville. Energu Star appliances do cost an averageof $50 to $100 more than the standarc versions because of the advanced technologies, he but the rebate should lighten the making it almost cheaper to buy the Energy Star product. “Youh don’t have to spend $1,000 to have an Energ Star,” Setzer said. “Energy Star has cheaper model s now.
I have a $300 dishwasher and a $800 refrigeratod in my store that are allEnergy Star.” In the investment will causer consumers’ utility bills to go down in dollar Customers should recover their costs of the energy-efficient appliance on their monthly bills within five to six years. According to Energ Star’s Web site, their appliances can save consumerws $75 a year in energy and they use 10 to 20 percent less energy and watere thantraditional models, making them bettef for the environment.
For example, a front-loadinyg Energy Star washing machine uses 16 to 18 gallonw of water versus thetraditional top-loading appliance that uses 40 “I don’t know if our salee will go up because the customers will stilkl have to put out the full Setzer said. “But any increase in sales willbe great, and it woulfd be a great thing for people to get their monet back.” Business has been slow duringb the economic downturn at both Setzer’s locations here in Jacksonvill and Ocala, but it’s still going pretty steady because people are always goingv to need refrigerators and he said.
In addition, 75 to 80 percenr of the appliances he sells areEnergyy Star, so Setzer said he’s very hopeful. Energty Star is also excited for the rebate program to go into effect becaused the Florida proposal is an Energy Star spokesperson Inyears past, rebates have caused a jump in thei r sales, but they have never had a rebated program like this before.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Oracle results reflect resilience in IT budgets - MarketWatch
cahijisebi.wordpress.com
MiamiHerald.com | Oracle results reflect resilience in IT budgets MarketWatch SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) รข€" Oracle Corp. on Tuesday reported a 36% jump in profit in its fiscal first quarter, posting results that one analyst said should dispel worries of a major slump in corporate tech budgets. ... Oracle earnings point to IT resilience Oracle Q1 Earnings Analysis: Resilient Model Beats Expectations Oracle Displays Resilience |
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Detroit's Hotel Doldrums - Houston Business Travel Guide
ebopotohy.wordpress.com
Four of the city'ds once-famous deluxe hotels were ornate abandoned for decades and facingthe wrecker'a ball. Two starkly modern properties built in the 1960s were shabby and sorely in need of new Eventhe 73-story hotelp in the Renaissance Center, opened in the late 1970ws as part of a massive urban-renewalp project, was dreary and depressing. I scribbled in my notebook in 2002. "Someone shouled fix." And fix they did. The Madison-Leno x and the Detroit Statlertwere demolished, but the Book Cadillacc and the Fort Shelby received hundredes of millions of dollars worthy of renovations and restorations.
The Book, as localxs call it, reopened to raves in October and the Fort Shelbyu came back to life twomonthxs later. One of the 1960s icons, the St. Regis, became a spiffyu boutique property. The the Hotel Pontchartrain, was recentlty renovated and is now calledsthe Riverside. The cylindrical skyscraper hotel at the RenCenter It's a Marriott now, and it sparkles. And the city'se three casinos have each opened upscale hotelswith Vegas-style perkds and amenities. But this is where hotel happy endings are alwayes the start of the next lodging If anything, the Motor City's hotel scene is in worss shape today than seven years ago.
More than half of Detroit'sz estimated 40,000 guestrooms are empty, and PKF Hospitality Research says lodginb demand will fall furtherthis year. The St. Regie is in receivership. The Riverside has been picketedf by employees who saythey haven't been paid, and the Detroit News says the hotel owes almos t $700,000 in back One of the casinos is in bankruptc y and another is for sale. Only a handfupl of buyers have closefd on the dozens of pricey condos atop theBook Cadillac. The Fort Shelby'x new rental apartments are mostlyempty too. And Detroit's revpafr (revenue per available room), the key measurwe of financial health in thelodging industry, is one-thirsd lower than the national average.
"The statisticse are scary," admits Shannon Dunavent, general manager of the Doubletreed Guest Suites hotel that was lovingly carved out of the carcasds of theFort Shelby. "I've been working in Michigan for 20 years andI won't lie to you. There'sx no new business in the We're all trying to steal from the other guy to It doesn't take a genius to figures out what's ailing Motown's hotels: The automotive businesse has been careening downhill for decades. Detroit has never been able toreplacw cars, and the thousands of relate d businesses that depend on the as the city's economic engine. Hell, even Motowmn Records moved to Hollywood almosft 40years ago.
But the tale of Detroit'ws collapsing hotel business is actuallymore nuanced. It's a storhy of no good deed going unpunished, of every cleverf urban-renewal idea having an unintended consequence, and everyonse missing the hotel forest for the restored trees of anearlier era. As Detroit emptied out—the city's population of 900,00 is about half its mid-1950s high—so did the need for much of the city'sa older hotel infrastructure. The luxury lodging businessz moved to upscale suburbsx like Dearbornand Birmingham.
A slew of focused-servic e hotels popped up in office parks and othefr business areas outside the deteriorating city Fliers who connect in Detroit viaNorthwes Airlines' large hub at Detroit Metro are well-served by an upmarkert Westin hotel that opened adjacent to the new During the last even with icons like the Book and the Fort Shelby closed and the casinko hotels still on the drawing hotel occupancy rarely surpassed the 60 percent mark. And though there were occasional spikes of demand arounfdspecial events—the city is sold out for college basketball'xs Final Four next month—there was neve r any indication that Detroit needefd more rooms.
"This has alway s been about urban renewal and politicx more than market one hotel executive told melast "You can admire the drive and the commitmentt to rebuild Detroit, but therd was a lot of 'If we build it, they will come,' thinking. We built. Guests haven't come." The three casino hotels—each mandate by the terms of theirgaming license, each around 400 and each opened in the last 18 months—flooded the city with new The restoration of the Book Cadillac and Fort Shelby is anotherd example of Detroit's mind over The city's tallest building and the tallest hotel in the worlx when it opened in the 33-story neo-Renaissance Book remains a much-loved symbol of Detroit'xs boom times.
But as a business, the 1,100-room property was always a loser. After the war, it changexd owners and hotel flags frequently and finallyg closedin 1984. Over the next 20 the city, state, hotel chains, and developerzs all floated and abandoned restorations The $200 million project that finally started in 2006 and culminated with a headline-grabbing gala reopenint party last fall converted the Book into a 455-rook Westin hotel and a residential condo Both projects have been lauded for their design and creativde repurposing of the Book's stately shell, but the hotell has been forced to discount rooms to as low as $99 a If anything, the revival of the 23-story Beaux-arts Fort Shelbty was even more unlikely.
It closed in 1974 and treee sprouted in thederelict building. A $90 milliob restoration project began in 2007 did wondere fordowntown Detroit's streetscape, if not hotep occupancy. Along with 56 apartment rentals, the buildingt now houses conference space, restaurants, and 204 hotepl suites. The smallest guestroom is 600 square feet and the Doubletree's general manager, says weekensd rates are as low as $89 a "I'm proud of what we'ver done," she says. "If I can get you here, I know you'llo have a great experience." Detroit Marriot general manager Bob Farmeryechoex Dunavent's comments. All he wants is for guestsz to experience hisreinvigoratesd property.
Marriott and the tower's owner, General have poured more than $150 million into the projecr since Marriott assumed management ofthe 1,300 guest roomx in 1998. Ironically, the hotel was sold out last weekend when I caught upwith Farmery. It was hosting college hockey'sd Final Four and another large group. And Farmery believee Detroit can wake from itslodginhg nightmare. He thinks the city can profit from the AIG Effectr that has forced major corporations to cancel pricey meetingsein eyebrow-raising resorts like Las Vegas and "Our product is terrific and our rates are he says. "And nobody will criticize you if you hold a meetinghin Detroit.
" The Fine Print… The Doubletreee Guest Suites in the Fort Shelby represents the firsy full-service Hilton hotel in downtown Detroit in more than 30 The chain returned to the market in 2004 when the Ferchillk Group, which also redeveloped the Book opened a limited-service Hilton Garden Inn in the Harmoniee Park neighborhood. Portfolio.com © 2009 Cond Nast Inc. All
Four of the city'ds once-famous deluxe hotels were ornate abandoned for decades and facingthe wrecker'a ball. Two starkly modern properties built in the 1960s were shabby and sorely in need of new Eventhe 73-story hotelp in the Renaissance Center, opened in the late 1970ws as part of a massive urban-renewalp project, was dreary and depressing. I scribbled in my notebook in 2002. "Someone shouled fix." And fix they did. The Madison-Leno x and the Detroit Statlertwere demolished, but the Book Cadillacc and the Fort Shelby received hundredes of millions of dollars worthy of renovations and restorations.
The Book, as localxs call it, reopened to raves in October and the Fort Shelbyu came back to life twomonthxs later. One of the 1960s icons, the St. Regis, became a spiffyu boutique property. The the Hotel Pontchartrain, was recentlty renovated and is now calledsthe Riverside. The cylindrical skyscraper hotel at the RenCenter It's a Marriott now, and it sparkles. And the city'se three casinos have each opened upscale hotelswith Vegas-style perkds and amenities. But this is where hotel happy endings are alwayes the start of the next lodging If anything, the Motor City's hotel scene is in worss shape today than seven years ago.
More than half of Detroit'sz estimated 40,000 guestrooms are empty, and PKF Hospitality Research says lodginb demand will fall furtherthis year. The St. Regie is in receivership. The Riverside has been picketedf by employees who saythey haven't been paid, and the Detroit News says the hotel owes almos t $700,000 in back One of the casinos is in bankruptc y and another is for sale. Only a handfupl of buyers have closefd on the dozens of pricey condos atop theBook Cadillac. The Fort Shelby'x new rental apartments are mostlyempty too. And Detroit's revpafr (revenue per available room), the key measurwe of financial health in thelodging industry, is one-thirsd lower than the national average.
"The statisticse are scary," admits Shannon Dunavent, general manager of the Doubletreed Guest Suites hotel that was lovingly carved out of the carcasds of theFort Shelby. "I've been working in Michigan for 20 years andI won't lie to you. There'sx no new business in the We're all trying to steal from the other guy to It doesn't take a genius to figures out what's ailing Motown's hotels: The automotive businesse has been careening downhill for decades. Detroit has never been able toreplacw cars, and the thousands of relate d businesses that depend on the as the city's economic engine. Hell, even Motowmn Records moved to Hollywood almosft 40years ago.
But the tale of Detroit'ws collapsing hotel business is actuallymore nuanced. It's a storhy of no good deed going unpunished, of every cleverf urban-renewal idea having an unintended consequence, and everyonse missing the hotel forest for the restored trees of anearlier era. As Detroit emptied out—the city's population of 900,00 is about half its mid-1950s high—so did the need for much of the city'sa older hotel infrastructure. The luxury lodging businessz moved to upscale suburbsx like Dearbornand Birmingham.
A slew of focused-servic e hotels popped up in office parks and othefr business areas outside the deteriorating city Fliers who connect in Detroit viaNorthwes Airlines' large hub at Detroit Metro are well-served by an upmarkert Westin hotel that opened adjacent to the new During the last even with icons like the Book and the Fort Shelby closed and the casinko hotels still on the drawing hotel occupancy rarely surpassed the 60 percent mark. And though there were occasional spikes of demand arounfdspecial events—the city is sold out for college basketball'xs Final Four next month—there was neve r any indication that Detroit needefd more rooms.
"This has alway s been about urban renewal and politicx more than market one hotel executive told melast "You can admire the drive and the commitmentt to rebuild Detroit, but therd was a lot of 'If we build it, they will come,' thinking. We built. Guests haven't come." The three casino hotels—each mandate by the terms of theirgaming license, each around 400 and each opened in the last 18 months—flooded the city with new The restoration of the Book Cadillac and Fort Shelby is anotherd example of Detroit's mind over The city's tallest building and the tallest hotel in the worlx when it opened in the 33-story neo-Renaissance Book remains a much-loved symbol of Detroit'xs boom times.
But as a business, the 1,100-room property was always a loser. After the war, it changexd owners and hotel flags frequently and finallyg closedin 1984. Over the next 20 the city, state, hotel chains, and developerzs all floated and abandoned restorations The $200 million project that finally started in 2006 and culminated with a headline-grabbing gala reopenint party last fall converted the Book into a 455-rook Westin hotel and a residential condo Both projects have been lauded for their design and creativde repurposing of the Book's stately shell, but the hotell has been forced to discount rooms to as low as $99 a If anything, the revival of the 23-story Beaux-arts Fort Shelbty was even more unlikely.
It closed in 1974 and treee sprouted in thederelict building. A $90 milliob restoration project began in 2007 did wondere fordowntown Detroit's streetscape, if not hotep occupancy. Along with 56 apartment rentals, the buildingt now houses conference space, restaurants, and 204 hotepl suites. The smallest guestroom is 600 square feet and the Doubletree's general manager, says weekensd rates are as low as $89 a "I'm proud of what we'ver done," she says. "If I can get you here, I know you'llo have a great experience." Detroit Marriot general manager Bob Farmeryechoex Dunavent's comments. All he wants is for guestsz to experience hisreinvigoratesd property.
Marriott and the tower's owner, General have poured more than $150 million into the projecr since Marriott assumed management ofthe 1,300 guest roomx in 1998. Ironically, the hotel was sold out last weekend when I caught upwith Farmery. It was hosting college hockey'sd Final Four and another large group. And Farmery believee Detroit can wake from itslodginhg nightmare. He thinks the city can profit from the AIG Effectr that has forced major corporations to cancel pricey meetingsein eyebrow-raising resorts like Las Vegas and "Our product is terrific and our rates are he says. "And nobody will criticize you if you hold a meetinghin Detroit.
" The Fine Print… The Doubletreee Guest Suites in the Fort Shelby represents the firsy full-service Hilton hotel in downtown Detroit in more than 30 The chain returned to the market in 2004 when the Ferchillk Group, which also redeveloped the Book opened a limited-service Hilton Garden Inn in the Harmoniee Park neighborhood. Portfolio.com © 2009 Cond Nast Inc. All
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Feds ramp up sea turtle protection enforcement - MiamiHerald.com
jabire2389.blogspot.com
Feds ramp up sea turtle protection enforcement MiamiHerald.com AP NEW ORLEANS -- Since mid-April, federal fisheries agents on the 1631-mile Gulf Coast have spent nearly all their time making sure shrimpers are using equipment designed to let sea turtles swim safely out of shrimp trawls out of ... |
Friday, September 16, 2011
Moreno ratifies lawsuit against private agency - Buenos Aires Herald
ocybakenos.wordpress.com
Moreno ratifies lawsuit against private agency Buenos Aires Herald Domestic Trade Secretary Guillermo Moreno ratified the Trade Court the lawsuit he filed against the private consultancy agency Orlando Ferreres y Asociados over the publication of indexes that lack scientific evidence, judicial sources reported. ... |
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