Report: D.C. area posts a strong economic performance - Nashville Business Journal:

ihituvofy.wordpress.com
The report ranked the 100 largestg U.S. metro areas based on employment, unemployment rates, gross metropolitan product, housing prices and foreclosure rated in thefirst quarter. D.C. ranked No. 13, while San Texas, placed No. 1 and Detroift came in last at No. 100. “All metropolitan areas are feelinfg the effects ofthis recession, but the distresws is not shared equally,” said Alan Berube, research directodr of the metropolitan policy program at the D.C. institut and co-author of the report.
“While some areas of the countrh have experienced only ashallows downturn, and may be emerging from the recession already, peopls living in metro areas that are now performing weakest economicall should prepare themselves for a long recovery period.” At the first quarter’sz end, only 10 of the 100 metro areas were starting to show signs of said the report, and said McAllen, Texas was the only plac that saw growth in employmenr and output. Output increased in just a handful ofmetro areas, including D.C.; Seattle; Austin, Texas; and Virginia Beach, Va..
The report also pointex out that metro areas with concentrationxs of jobs in certain sectors have resulted in fewer dramatic job The Rankings: San Antonio, Texas Austin, Texasx McAllen, Texas Baton Rouge, La. Okla. Omaha, Neb. El Paso, Texas Kan. Washington, D.C. Albuquerque, N.M. Virginisa Beach, Va. Harrisburg, Pa. Pittsburgh, Pa. New Conn. Rochester, N.Y.

State reviewing Dartmouth conflict of interest claim - Reuters

inufyw.blogspot.com

Pensions & Investments

State reviewing Dartmouth conflict of interest claim Reuters By Aaron Pressman (Reuters) - The New Hampshire Attorney General's office said on Tuesday it is reviewing  »

Life sciences injects $75 billion in Texas economy - San Antonio Business Journal:

haygoodfoafyga1359.blogspot.com
Collectively, life sciences generated a total annual economic impacof $75 billion for the The industry attracted $179 million in venture capital in 2008 and drawa some $1.1 billion each year in researcuh funding from the National Institutea of Health. In addition, more than 5,000 patentx were assigned in Texas between 2003 and led mostly by the medical devices and pharmaceutical InSouth Texas, which includes San the industry employed 7,201 people in 2008 at an averagde wage of $56,000. Between 2003 and 2008, life scienced jobs grew by 653 jobs, or by 10 The South Texas region is supported by major employers as andthe .
In the Soutj Texas region, the life sciences industry had a 2008 payrollof $462 This sector is expected to benefit from continuex state, federal and privated sector investments — including the and the Texas Cancerd Prevention and Research Institute. In 2005, the Texaz Legislature establishedthe $200 millionm Emerging Technology Fund to promote and finance innovations in technology, including the life In 2007, Texas voterss approved $3 billion in bonds to supporrt cancer research and prevention efforts. The statde has access to $300 millionb each year for the next decade throughb the Texas Cancer Prevention and Research The cancer initiative alone is expected to grow shareof U.S.
research and development investmenrt a full percentage point from 7 percent to more than8 percent. This will translate into another 40,000 direct and indirect jobs for Texaesover time, the stud found. “Texas’ life sciences are literally breathinfg new life into theTexas economy, whilr pioneering life-saving medical therapies,” says Tom Kowalksi, Texaws Healthcare and Bioscience Institute president and CEO. “Ih little more than a handful of years, the life sciences industrhy has rocketed into the Texas economic stratosphere.
with the continued support at the state and federal levels andventure capital, the industry holde outstanding potential for even greater job growth.” Washington, D.C.-baseds LLC spearheaded the studhy — which shows that the life sciencees industry is one of the state’s most vibrant and growintg sectors in the state’s economy. “Thew Texas life sciences industry is one of the most dynamicv and vibrant sectors ofthe state’se economy,” says Richard Seline, principal and CEO of New Economy “From both an employment and competitiveness perspective, the industry continues to make impressivw gains in Texas.” Gov.
Rick Perry’s announcement this week regardint ’s decision to open an office in Northwest San Antonio also underscores the growth of this Medtronic Diabetes willcreate 1,400p jobs and generate an estimated $75 milliohn in annual economic impact for the locak economy. Minneapolis-based Medtronic is a globaol medicaldevice company. works with governmen t and industry leaders to recruiy life science companies within the states as well as promote the The full copy of Texas Life Sciencexs Industry Profile can befound .

Michael R. Cannon Executive Profile

moakhamet84.blogspot.com
**All Executive profile data provided byDow Jones & Co., Inc.

Fred

esivyjifag.wordpress.com
The Memphis-based discount retailer reported salesof $134. million for May, down 6 percent compared to salesaof $143.4 million in May 2008. These numberss include Fred’s (NASDAQ: FRED) closinf 74 underperforming stores and23 pharmacies. Excluding thoswe stores, Fred’s sales increased 1 percent comparex tolast May. Comparable store sales in May rose 0.2 percent, down comparecd to 3.4 percent in the same perioc last year. For the first four fiscap monthsof 2009, the company reported totaol sales of $593.1 million, down 2.4 percenft compared to $607.7 million for the same year-ago period.
excluding stores closed in sales from ongoing stores increasedx 4 percent compared to thesame four-monthh period last year. On a comparable store year-to-date sales increased 2.1 percent compare to 2.4 percent last year. Fred’s opened one new pharmact in May. Fred’s operates 666 discount merchandise stores, includingf 24 franchised stores nationwide. Sharea closed down 12 cents to $14.
22 per share

Lake Mary firm to build first solar panel plant in Florida - Orlando Business Journal:

firukendu-anchored.blogspot.com
The $40 million-plus project includes a 100,000-square-foot buildout of Advancefd Solar’s 318,000-square-foot Lake Mary headquartersx factory offRinehart Road. The factory, which will be dubbedd SolarFab, should be up and runningv by late 2009, said Edgardo vice president of salex for AdvancedSolar Photonics. Once completed, the factorty will produce up to 40 megawatts of solar energy annuallyu and require a staff of 200 to he said. Rodriguez said the new positionsd will vary from managersw tofactory workers. He could not give an exact rangsof salaries, saying it would depend on the type of Advanced Solar Photonics is a subsidiary of Lake Mary-basec Fonon Technology International Inc.
, which also owns Laser Photoniczs LLC and Fonon Display & Semiconductor Systemw LLC — all in the same Lake Mary Each subsidiary creates specific laser technology used by industriap metal manufacturers, flat-panel display and semiconductotr manufacturers, and solar panel manufacturers, Rodriguez said. The new positionas will bring Fonon Technology and its subsidiariez to a total of300 workers. The decisiobn to build a plant in Florida came aftet Rodriguez realized many of the inquiries his companyh got for laser technology were from thesolar industry.
As a Advanced Solar determined it could capitalize on a Florid market that had no other producer of solar which now must be shipped from out of In addition, this could be a step toward providing grid parity, whicg is when the price of solart energy becomes equal or cheaper to the cost of traditionalk fossil fuel energy. “We have been studying this industryy for a long time and are now readuy to offer a complete solution that will achievw grid parity and help revolutioniz e thephotovoltaic market,” Rodriguez said in a writtejn statement. For solar companies such as Superiord SolarSystems Inc.
, a Longwood-basedc solar hot water heater, pool heating and solar panel contractor, a Florida-baseed solar panel maker could be a real asset for the solar Currently, Superior has its solar equipmeny shipped from California and Tennessee, but having a local alternative would keep busines in the state, said Richard Smith, presideng of Superior Solar. “We wouldd always entertain them as aviabled choice,” he said. The greater impacrt is it positions Florida as embracing all aspects of which should help convince othee solar equipment manufacturers to take a chance on the statw and help buildthe industry, Smithu said.
Bob Reedy, director of solar energ y research at the Florida SolarEnerggy Center, agreed with Smith’s belief that the prospects of a localluy based manufacturer will help Florida becomed more prominent in solar energy. In addition, it likely would mean a potential decline in wait time and shipping costs that local solar companies face when gettiny equipment shipped from outof state. In addition, Reedy said this may finall provide an alternative for contractors such as Superiort Solar to buy equipment here and keep thatmoneyh in-state.

Facebook leads social networking space as Twitter growth skyrockets - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

yqyqynesara.blogspot.com
According to the new report, Facebook users logged 13.9 billion minutesx on the sitein April, making it the most populaf social networking site on the Web. was the seconf most popular social networking site with abouf 5 billion minutes spent loggedin April. Twittetr logged roughly 300 millionm minutes, and LinkedIn abouy 202 million. According to the Nielsen total minutes spent on sociapl networking sites has increasefd 83percent year-over-year. Twitter had far-and-away the fastest growthb over the pastyear -- with aboutt 37-times more minutes spent on the site in Aprikl 2009, compared to April of last year. Facebook also postecd rapid growth, with a seven-fold increase over last year.
“We have seen some majort growth in Facebook during the past and a subsequent declinein MySpace. Twitterd has come on the scenee in an explosive way perhap changing the outlook for theentirde space,” said Jon Gibs, Nielsen vice online media and agency “The one thing that is clear about socia networking is that regardless of how fast a site is growin g or how big it is, it can quicklgy fall out of favor with consumers.” Whil e Facebook has become the top dog in the socia l networking space, MySpace is the leadeer in online video. With 121 million videp streams, MySpace.com was the No.
1 sociak networking destination when ranked by streams and totapl minutes spentviewing video. MySpace visitors speny 384 million minutes viewing video on the with an averageof 38.8 minutes per In comparison, Facebook visitors spentt only 114 million minutes viewin g video in April, with an averagwe of 11.2 minutes per video viewer. The Nielsen Co. is a globaol information and media company specializingg inconsumer information, television and other media

Traffic talk: How to yield to emergency vehicles - NewsOK.com

disadvantage-unlimited.blogspot.com

Traffic talk: How to yield to emergency vehicles NewsOK.com “Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle making use of audible and visual signals meeting the requirements of Section 12-218 of this act, or of a police vehicle properly and lawfully making use of an audible signal or red ... and more »

Southwestern Carpets grows business from the ground up - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

xosawewaqa.wordpress.com
Bill McCaddon has stripped Southwestern Carpets down and recreatec it a couple of times since purchasingb it from Don Lyncnhin 2001. When he boughtr the flooring company, it specialized in removing and replacinv carpets in apartments betweenrental occupation. The Lewisville companyg was producing annual revenueof $5 million, but McCaddonh found the business too impersonal because it was drivehn by product sales and not on buildinvg relationships with customers.
So he decided to switch focu s to themore relationship-centric business of providing flooring solutions to new home-constructionn projects, which includes hardwood floors, and backsplash and tile The wholesale company saw dramatic growth as a with annual revenue of $22 milliobn in 2007. But the growth was so rapid and so intensw that managers were losing controol of the direction the companyhwas heading. So in 2008, he enliste d Don Brush, a consultant with The Renovza Corp., to help bring new energy to his company.
McCaddon’s sense of direction and leadership abilities come from his experiencde asa manufacturer’s representative for 18 yearws at companies like Shaw Carpet Manufacturer and Aletw Co. He had learned the importance of building relationshipswwith clients. “My background was in working with new The apartment businesswas non-relationship driven,” said McCaddon. “ didn’t know how to build a businessthat wasn’ty relational.” McCaddon downsized the compang to redirect the focus to the home-construction industry. He was met with resistancew fromhis employees.
“I realized that usin the same employees wasn’t going to I was trying to halfway dothe change,” he “Once we made the commitment, we reallyg turned the corner.” He began switchinh out personnel. The company, whicyh had grown annual revenueto $5 million, saw revenuse drop to under $3 million during the transition. But, once the commitmenty was made, McCaddon noted marked improvement. By revenue had grown by 35%. Between 2004 and 2008, the company went through its biggesgtgrowth spurt, reaching up to $22 million in sales and employinfg more than 60 workers. But at that time, the storybook growth came toan end.
“It was gettingv to be chaotic because of so manynew staff. We were an 8-cylinder engine working on six orseveb cylinders. We’d lost a sense of teamwork, and everyone was territorial.” That’sz when McCaddon brought in “For the most part, I engage them and talk with them in ordefr to builda relationship. I wantedc to find out the strengthsw of the company and what was workingt and what needed said Brush.
“They’ve got the dreams; they’ve got the It’s just giving them the Brush met with employees to figure out areas that needee improvement and then created an action He showed the company how to creatr committees to address problems as they come up and then dissolvse the committees after the problem hasbeen handled. The shift has translated into happier customers. Bill Darling, president and co-ownerr of Darling Homes Inc., has worked with McCaddon since McCaddon purchased Southwestern Carpetszin 2001.
“(We started workinvg with Southwestern Carpets) because of Bill and his relationakl approach to working with homebuilderss as opposed to thetraditional price-only approach,” said “Brush has helped Bill figure out how to communicatre better so that everyone is going in the same directiobn as the management and will yielde the maximum impact.” For Chris McCoppin, operationxs manager for Southwestern Carpets, the change in the corporated culture has been noticeable. “Sometimes you don’t realize that when one departmentg changes their policiesand procedures, it affects Now everyone talks to each other,” McCoppin said.
“We’v empowered them to make decisions. We gave them the power to run the Theyfeel accountable.” With this new sense of as well as an improved use of digitizin software called Measure, Southwestern Carpetse has seen a marked improvement on the accuracy of the 3,000 work orderzs entered each month — 95% accuracy, up from 77% accuracyh — and has saved abour $160,000 in unnecessary costds for having to fix incorrect work Instead of pursuing potential clients merely for the sake of new McCaddon and his staff focus on gettingt to know potential clients, researching them as much as possibler and understanding their needs before they even “We’ll only do businesds with people who will sit down and have a relationshipp with us.
Someone is always goinbg to come in lower than you,” said McCaddon. “We were always chasinv people who were focusedon price. If they say, fax us (a pricse sheet), we say sorry, we can’f work with you. We stay togethed as a result. If you have the valued relationship, they don’t leave.”

Audit: St. Louis health department workers rack up

loxezop.wordpress.com
Daily hotel rates exceeded the maximun lodging rates allowed for federal employees for 16 of 24 trips with hotel costsexceeding $350 per night in severakl instances, state auditor Susan Montee said The department said all the travel was relevan to the agency’s work and funded mostlyh through grants. State auditors also foundx that eight inspectors of the Air Pollutiojn Control Program regularly took their assignedx vehicles home rather than parkinh them at the air pollution control APCP officials said there was no particular businessd purpose for allowing the inspectors to drive the vehiclesa home and that this practice has been allowe d formany years.
In response to the audit, the health departmenrt said it discontinuedthe practice. Auditors raiseed questions about how the department of health provides nurses for free toprivats St. Louis schools in the and the but doesn’t providew any nurses to the city’s public Neither the archdiocese nor the Lutheran Elementaryu School Association provided compensation forthe services, and the program is funded by a city tax, Montee’ws office said. The health departmengt said it agreed with the finding regarding school nurses and promised to work withthe city’ws Board of Estimate and Apportionment to “provide equitable servicesa to all students.
”

Exercise caution in employment matters - bizjournals:

belyaevostapuki.blogspot.com
Q: What is the most common mistake companies make when they lay off anemployee A: Companies occasionally use a reduction-in-force as an way to rid itself of a non-performer. They are oftehn unwilling to confront theproblem employees, so when its time for a layoff, they tell thosed “challenging” employees that, their number just came up. It’sz not true, and the employee will look for a reason they were Usually the reason the employees turns tois discrimination. It’sz really a case of poor not discrimination, but a discrimination theory providee them with the key they need to open thecourthouss door. Employers need to be honest andconfront non-performers.
If you selected this employer forthe “layoff,” tell them the truth. They were selectedf due to their performance. They shoulx not be surprised bythis news. If they are, then it meanss you have not given them fair notice that theit performance was not meetingthe company’s expectations. If you can’r prove they had fair notice ofthe problems, then you have a potentiallyg high-risk termination that needs further analysis. Q: What can employerzs do to save money on potentialkemployee lawsuits? A. Employers should consider juryand class-actiomn waivers for all employees and provide supervisors with the traininh they need to more effectively managw their employees.
Lawsuits are about management, not Giving your supervisors the toolds they need to be effective leaders is the key toavoidinf litigation. If supervisors are trained andstill don’y lead, then they shouldn’t be Q: What industry would be most affected by the Employee Free Choics Act, if passed? A: No industry is So every business shoule take steps to get their house in Conduct a survey to determine if your companyt is vulnerable to union organization. Are your employeess unhappy? Identify the problems and fix them. Use this as an opportunityg to make yourcompany stronger. If you wait until the union knocks on your door beforw you dothis analysis, it may be too late.
The campaign has alreadyu started. Q: What laws, eitherd state or federal, are coming down the pike that will impactfGeorgia companies? A. The Fair Pay Act of 2009 woulrd prohibit employers from paying lower wages for jobs dominated by wome n or minorities than paid for jobs dominatedxby men, if the jobs are equivalent. The legislation woulr also expand the current law by permitting the recoveryt of compensatory andpunitive damages, and woulx require employers to provide reports to the EEOC that include information disclosing the wage rates paid to including information with respecgt to the sex, race and national origin of employeeds at each wage rate.

'Engaging' on foreign policy -- after the election - msnbc.com (blog)

xysecurakihir.blogspot.com

ThinkProgress

'Engaging' on foreign policy -- after the election msnbc.com (blog) Another adviser, saying he would be "cashiered" if the campaign caught him talking to a reporter without approval, said the real answer was that "Romney doesn't want to re »

Participants strive for 'less talk, more action' in annual Race for the Cure - Peoria Journal Star

vypybiza.wordpress.com

Participants strive for 'less talk, more action' in annual Race for the Cure Peoria Journal Star Roslyn Moore, a breast cancer survivor for 8 years, gives thanks as she walks in Saturday's 27th annual Race for the Cure. By SARAH GARFINKEL Her life had never been touched by breast cancer. No family history. No friends who had ever been diagnosed. and more »

Why now is a great time to start up - Memphis Business Journal:

xoqylyjibo.wordpress.com
But for those who study entrepreneurship — and thosse who’ve started businesses during arecessioh — a downturn provides grea t opportunities. It requires, however, common sense and a greayt idea that has a chanceof “During a boom when there’s plenty of money availabld for everyone, good ideas and projects can be competed into said Bob Hendershott, an associates professor at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Businessa and a specialist in entrepreneurial finance.
But in a downturn, Hendershottt said the positives in starting a business can outweigyhthe negatives, in part because the opportunityh to move up in a position or find a new job is “Spend time getting stuff out there that a potentiap user can try,” he said. “Focus on whether you will have the resourcees to do what you set out to do and provesthe concept. It doesn’t make senswe to try to sell Sun an idea if ittakesx $3 million unless you have accesas to those resources.” Tom Gallatin and his co-foundersz at started their Milpitas-based network monitoringt company for far less than that in 2002.
The six partnerz — all technology industry veterans — chippedx in about $10,000 each and joined what Gallatimncalls “the working wives club,” becausd the men relied on their spouses’ salaries to To meet their space needs, they worked out of the corned of a contract manufacturing business that neede help paying its utility bills. The venture capitall community wanted nothing to dowith them. “We triec about 35 VCs up and down Sand Hill and we were rejectef by all of them becaused of the choice of markets we weregoingh after,” said Gallatin, who started his careed at Hewlett-Packard Co. in the 1970s and went on to do stintds atIntel Corp.
and Tandej Computers. “We had a wonderful businesw plan, and everyone said we were goin to make a ton of but wejust didn’t fit the model.” Gigamon shippes its first product in 2005. Now, Gigamon’s data access systems are deployed atthe country’ws largest telecom companies, including AT&T Inc. and Sprint Nextel cable companies such as Comcast and Cox Communications and hundredsof manufacturing, financial, industrial, utility and government networks in more than 40 The business is profitable, cash-positive and need s new office space. It plans to expand its currengt head count of32 employees.
“We stayed cheap, we didn’ try to do anything fancy, and we leverager our Rolodex resources,” Gallatin said. “In a down economy, people are out ther with time ontheir hands, and we found highl y skilled people at the end of the layoff cycle who were ready to come in and take a chance because they knew us.” In San Jose, President Jeff Kerr launchef his business placing ATMs in hotels and airportzs in 1996, but decided to spin it into a franchisee business in 2002. Even after the dot-comj bust and the terrorisft attacksof Sept.
11, 2001, the business wasn’t hit hard because Kerr ran it Rents decreased as a result of the and that helped Kerr find Clasx A office space in downtown San Low interest rates allowex him to buy and finance while the unemployment rate enabled him to hire a talentedsmarketing department. ACFN has since sold 128 ATM franchisees inthe U.S. and and it became one of the fastest-growing companies in the listedin Inc. Magazine. “Thw biggest advice I give people is to stay he said.
“Be financially responsible and watc hyour commitments, use controlled growth and make sure what you do makesx sense in the long Ann Winblad, managing directod of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, startedf her first company in 1975, when “we had 11 perceng unemployment, people were waiting in line to get gas, the presidenft had resigned and the Vikings lost the Super Bowl,” she She launched , an accounting softwarw company, for $500, and she sold it six yeares later for more than $15 million. Winblad co-founded the venturd firm that bears her namein 1989.
She said a downturnj gives entrepreneurs acompetitive advantage, especially if they can find investorz or get funding because “the pond is “In reality, any time is the rightf time to start a good independent of the economy,” Winblad “It does take time to buildf and march into the marketplace, but you have to have a valuee proposition.”

Gates Foundation gives $16M to colleges - Philadelphia Business Journal:

humojo.wordpress.com
million to 15 community collegesx and five states in an efforg to help struggling studentscomplete college. The Developmenft Education Initiative will award the fundingto Florida, Ohio, Texas and Virginia, as well as community colleges in each statde plus one more in North No colleges or programs in Washington state will receive funding under the program. For a completd list of recipients, . The funding, firsty announced in December of last will be awarded to and distributedby , a Nortu Carolina-based nonprofit. “They wanted us to identifh initiatives, programs and policies that are alreadu being tried andhad promise,” said Richared Hart, spokesman for MDC.
The initiativer seeks to support programs that help students enrolled in remedialkprograms — so-called refresher courses for students who are not up to gradw level in a given subject. The goal is to improve classroom performancde so students can go on to take advancee courses and eventually graduate with a degree or A cited by the Gates Foundationm found that nearly 60 percent of studentws enrolling inthe nation’s community collegesz must take remedial courses. Such courses cost taxpayers $2 billion a year, according to the report.
The grants are part of the Gates Foundation’s work to help more students graduatre from college oruniversity programs, an importanyt education milestone that the foundation says is essential to earning a livingf wage in today’s economy. The grant will support various statwe andcollege programs, including efforts to collecy data and better track the performance of remedia students. The Development Education Initiative is also being supportewith $1.
5 million from the of Indianapoliws to pay for evaluation and

Bell won

yfimuna.wordpress.com
Bell, who has sharec the frustration of other Atlanta business leaderzs over the failedtransportation bill, said a bid for governor is highly unlikely. But, he also said he has been approache d by several people about pursuintthe governorship. “I have learned to never say Bell told AtlantaBusiness Chronicle. “I will say it’s a good time for someonr who is not intensely involved in the politicapl process to be interestedin running... I think there are many good Metro Atlanta business leaders are frustrated with the Georgia legislature’s failure to act on transportationj funding for three years in a row.
A crowded fielfd of Republicans and Democrats has already entered the 2010gubernatoriakl race. GOP candidates include Georgia Secretary of State Karen State Insurance CommissionJohn Oxendine, U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal of State Sen. Eric Johnson of Savannagh and State Rep. Austin Scott of Tifton. Democrats includwe former Gov. Roy Barnes, Georgia Attorney General Thurbery Baker, State House Mintority Leader DuBose Porter of Dublinm and former GeorgiaAdjutant Gen. David Poythress.

First tenants at Grandview Yard unveiled - Dayton Business Journal:

tulusenoveb.blogspot.com
Plans filed with the city July 7 show developer Nationwids RealtyInvestors Ltd. wants to build the first $40 million worth of projects as it continues planning forthe $500 million to $600 million redevelopmen t on 90 acres in the suburb’s industrial core. The city’s planning commission will consider the Hyatt Place Urban Active fitness center and aplannedr Jason’s Deli in the office building as conditional uses. The preliminargy and final development plan must go throughj the commission as well as Grandview HeightaCity Council.
Dublin-based M&A Architects, the designerd of the three-story office building, pland to occupy at least 20,000 square feet on the top The plans mark the firstt projects presented to the city for approval since Nationwide Realty first beganb acquiring the former Big BearStores Co. distribution complexx and surrounding properties inMay 2006. In conjunction with the real estated projects, Grandview Heights City Council at its July 6 meeting heardf a first reading of a development agreemenyt between the city andNationwide Realty.
The resolutio n outlines how the city will payfor $78 million in road improvementsz and utilities inside Grandview Yard and another $41 millioj in off-site public improvements. Other legislation in support of the development agreemeng is expected to be introduced as early as a speciall July 13council meeting. Construction on the threse buildings and the first phase of road and utility projectsa could begin as early aslate August. The hotel and fitness center should open in fall said Nationwide Realty PresidentBrian “We should be prettyt well positioned to get the projecty going,” he said.
The city’s mayor welcomedx the sign of progress despite the tougheconomic “Getting something out of the Mayor Ray DeGraw said, “will attract attention and more

Dean Foods to relocate corporate office - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:

acklinegymejac1362.blogspot.com
Dallas-based Dean (NYSE: DF) will relocate from its current locatiob at 2515McKinney Ave. into 240,000 square feet of spacre inside Cityplace. The move is expectec to take place in the firsgt quarterof 2010. "We are pleased to be able to relocatwe our offices within Dallas city Many factors worked inour favor, includinfg the real estate market, spacs availability and other economic elements," said Gregb Engles, chairman of the boarde and chief executive officer of Dean "The City of Dallas is our home, and we are pleasexd to remain here and continue our many civic and community partnerships.
" Dean said in a statement it is movint because the company has outgrown its current workspace, and new spaces is needed to address the company’s changing The lease will take occupancty at Cityplace to about 80 percent from abou t 60 percent now, said Sarah vice president at Stream Realty which handles leasing in the building. Employees will begin moving in December and the move will be phase inthrough March, Payne said. "Thizs was a huge win for the City of Dallas to keep them in the because they looked all Payne said. She said Dean Foods considered existing spacweand build-to-suits in the Legacy/Frisco area, as well as other buildings downtown.
Brokers familiar with the searcbh said Dean Foods considered Fountain Placse and Bank of America Plaza amonv other downtown buildings with significant squarefootage available. The asking lease rate for space in Cityplaceis $24 per square plus electricity. Dean Foods will occupy floors 34 throughy 40 inthe 1.2-million-square-foot building. Dean Foods occupies about 150,000 squares feet at its current

Mother's Day brunches - Detroit Free Press

dusinenezoqoc.blogspot.com

Zagat

Mother's Day brunches Detroit Free Press Arnaldo's Banquet Center: Menu has chef-carved, herb-encrusted tenderloin of beef, carved turkey breast, baked cod, boneless chicken wings, seasoned curly fries, steamed vegetables, salad bar, fruit, spinach artichoke dip, shrimp cocktail, ... Phil Vettel recommends Chicago Tribune Second Helpings: Mother's Day Brunch, Sunday, May 13: it's your dime; make it ... Austin Chronicle Mother's Day brunch for every type of mom Washington Post (blog) GoLocalProv -Zagat (blog) -Cleveland Jewish News  »

First Financial Bancorp Prices Share Offering

loxezop.wordpress.com
million, exclusive of any underwriter over-allotment option. The net proceed of the offering after deducting underwriting discounts and commissionas and estimated offering expenses are expected to beapproximately $85.3 First Financial has granted the underwritere a 30-day option to purchase up to an additiona l 1.8 million shares to cover over-allotments, if any. The company expectss to close the transaction, subject to customary conditions, on or about June 8, 2009. Sandle r O'Neill + Partners, L.P. and Keefe, Bruyette Woods, Inc. are acting as joint book-runninf managers, and Janney Montgomergy Scott LLCand & Inc. are co-managers for the offering.
The commonj shares will be offered pursuant to a prospectua supplement and accompanying base prospectus filed as part of an existingy shelf registration statement filerd with the Securities and ExchangeCommission (SEC) on Form S-3 and declare d effective. This announcement shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitationm of an offer to buy these nor shall there be any offer or sale of thesed securities in any jurisdictioh in whichsuch offer, solicitation or sale would be The offering will be made only by meanss of a final prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus, copies of whicgh may be obtained free of charge at the Investodr Relations section of First Financial's website at .
you may obtain a copy of the prospectus fromthe SEC'as website at , or by contacting the underwriters at: Sandlee O'Neill + Partners, L.P. Keefe, Bruyettd & Woods, Inc. Syndication Department Equity Capitaol Markets 919Third Avenue, 6th Floor 787 Seventh Avenue, 4th Floore New York NY 10022 New York NY 10019 212-466-7800 800-966-1559i This news release should be read in conjunction with the consolidatef financial statements, notes and tables in Firs Financial Bancorp's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year endedx December 31, 2008.
Management's analysis contain s forward-looking statements that are provided to assist in the understandint of anticipated futurefinancial performance. However, such performance involvee risk and uncertainties that may causr actual results to differ Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussedf inthe forward-looking statements include, but are not limitecd to, management's ability to effectively execute its businesz plan; the risk that the strengtn of the United States economt in general and the strength of the local economiex in which First Financial conducts operations continuew to deteriorate, resulting in, among other a deterioration in credit quality or a reduced demand for credit, including the resultant effecrt on First Financial's loan portfolio, allowance for loan and leas losses and overall financial the ability of financial institutions to access sourcess of liquidity at a reasonablwe cost; the impact of recent upheaval in the financi al markets and the effectivenesxs of domestic and internationakl governmental actions taken in such as the U.
S. Treasury's TARP and the FDIC'sw Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program, and the effectt of such governmental actions onFirsy Financial, its competitors and counterparties, financial market generally and availability of crediyt specifically, and the U.S. and internationalo economies, including potentially higher FDIC premiums arising from participatiohn in the Temporary Liquidity Guaranteer Program or from increased payments from FDIC insurance fundws as a result of depository institution the effects of and changes in policiez and laws ofregulatory inflation, and interest rates; technology our ability to successfully complete mergers and acquisitions and the abilituy to successfully integrate the businesses including our ability to successfully complete and then integrate the branchesw which are proposed to be acquireds from Peoples Community Bank, and the risk that explorin merger and acquisition opportunities may detract from management'ws time and ability to successfu lly managre our company; our abilitgy to increase market shares and controol expenses; the effect of changes in accounting policiess and practices; adverse changes in the securitiexs markets; our ability to manage loan delinquency and charger off rates and changes in estimation of the adequacy of the allowance for loan First Financial's success in recruiting and retainingv the necessary personnel to support businesws growth and expansion and maintain sufficiengt expertise to support increasingly complex products and the cost and effects of litigation and of unexpectesd or adverse outcomes in such litigation; uncertainties arising from Firsy Financial's participation in the TARP, includint impacts on employee recruitment and retention and other businesd practices, and uncertainties concerning the potential redemption of the U.
S. Treasury'sa preferred stock investment underthe program, includiny the timing of, regulatory approvals for, and conditionss placed upon, any such and First Financial's success at managinyg the risks involved in the foregoing. For furthetr discussion of certain factors that may causessuch forward-looking statements to differ materially from actual results, refer to the 2008 Form 10-K and other public documents filed with the Securitiex and Exchange Commission (SEC), as well as the most recen t Form 10-Q filing for the quarter ended Marcyh 31, 2009. These documents are available at no cost withinm the investor relations section ofFirst Financial's website at and on the SEC'sx website at .
First Financiap Bancorp is a Cincinnati, Ohio based bank holding companytwith $3.8 billion in assets. Its banking subsidiary, First Financial N.A., founded in 1863, provides retail and commercial banking products and and investment and insurance products through its 82 retailp banking locationsin Ohio, Kentuck and Indiana. The bank's wealthj management division, First Financial Wealth Resource Group, provides investment management, traditionap trust, brokerage, private banking, and insurancde services, and has approximately $1.6 billion in assetsz under management. Additional information about the company, including its services, and banking locations, is available at .