Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Wal-Mart CEO Bill Simon expects inflation - USA Today

http://hattiesburginn.com/banquet.php


USA Today


Wal-Mart CEO Bill Simon expects inflation

USA Today


By Spencer Platt, Getty Images The nation's largest retailer needs to get back to its roots as the lowest priced one-stop shop for consumers, Walmart CEO Bill SImon said. By Spencer Platt, Getty Images The nation's largest retailer needs to get back to ...



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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

N.C. foreclosure filings drop - Triangle Business Journal:

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North Carolina ranked 36th in the nation for foreclosure filingslast month. Foreclosure filings in the state fellnearly 16.1 percenty in May from Across the country, foreclosure filings rose 18 percent in May from a year ago. Therr were 321,480 foreclosure filings nationwide, which affected one in ever 398 U.S. households. Nevada, California and Floridaz posted the top foreclosure rates last Filings nationwide fell 6 percent in Mayfrom April. Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac track default notices, auction-sale notices and bank Its figures exceed those compiled bythe N.C. Commissioner of The company counts everyforeclosurew filing, including multiple filings for a singles household.
The commissioner counts each householdonly once, regardless of the numbetr of filings it receives.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

National Lending Associates, Inc. Launches the TuitionFlex Program

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The TuitionFlex Program is a highly flexible and customizabl e tuition payment program for schools and colleges which currentlu do or do not offer this low cost financingg option to their studentsand families. TuitionFlexx is designed to be compliang with all federal andstatee Truth-in-Lending disclosure requirements. This turn-key program features a brandedf on-line application process, electroniv signature, customizable reporting, automated payment processinf and flexible servicingrepayment terms. "NLA is excitesd to launch this additional financing option for schoolz and colleges while leveraging the experience and expertise of ourmanagemenrt team.
Our TuitionFlex Program was created as an alternative highedr educationfinancing option, which enables institutionsa throughout the country to provide effective financinyg solutions for their studentse during a time of economix uncertainly and limited private financing choices," states , Chief Executive Officer of NLA. The TuitionFle x Program offers payment products aimed at providing tuition financin solutionsfor K-12 schools, and universities.
With its (less than 12 months), TuitionExtend(TM) (contractx greater than 12 up to 120 and soon to belaunched TuitionExtendPlus(TM) (contract purchase products, the TuitionFlex Program provides alternatives to meet the currenty demands of all educational institutions. For more information on the TuitionFlex Program go toat 579-6555. About National Lendingg Associates, Inc. Based in San California, with offices in Ohio, Arizona, Georgia, and New York, National Lendinhg Associates, Inc., is a nationwide specialty service company focused on providinhfinancing solutions, loan and portfolio administration services, and technology options for the education financingy marketplace ( ).
SOURCE National Lending Associates, Inc.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Thrivent CEO to retire - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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A company spokesman on Wednesdayconfirmed 62-year-old Nicholson’s retirment plans. Thrivent’s board will now conduct a nationwide searchyfor Nicholson’s replacement, with the expectationn of having a successor in place by the time of Nicholson’x departure. Nicholson has been at the helm ofthe Minneapolis-based financia l services company for the past He presided over Thrivent's formation in when the Lutheran Brotherhood in Minnesota and the Aid Associationj for Lutherans in Wisconsin merged.
“Undetr Bruce’s leadership, Thrivent Financial has successfully completed its merger integrationh and built a strong and stablw financialservices organization,” Kurt vice chairman of Thrivent's Board of Directors, said in a news The Fortune 500 company enjoyed record asseg and profit levels before experiencing a loss last year as the country slipped into a recession. Thrivent Financial is a not-for-profit membership organization withnearly 2.6 millioj members, and more than $61 billion in assetd under management.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

World Telecom Exchange opens HQ in Tysons - Washington Business Journal:

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World Telecom opened a 2,000-square-foort office recently at 8201 Greensboro Drive, a 361,000-square-foot commercial buildinv in McLean ownedby D.C.-basec B.F. Saul and Co. The company, a wholly-owned subsidiaru of Worldwide Telecom Xchange CarrieeFZ LLC, a Dubai-based telecommunications investment company focused on aggregating wholesales telephony and data traffic in emerginh markets, is a network servicesx company that provides engineering, sales and marketing, billing and outsource d technical support services. To start, about six employeea will be based at the new headquarterzs with room forfurther expansion.
World Telecom’s services include call satellite services, Voice over Internet Protocol TDM network, code division multiple access (CDMA), WiMax and network management “WTXC’s success illustrates that our region remain s a great place to startt and grow a business,” said Mike Norris, a vice president at Rockville-basedr Scheer Partners Inc., who brokered the “And the commercial real estate market is yieldingf opportunities for business owners that haven’t existed since the earlhy part of the decade.” Scheer Partners broker Ben who also worked on the deal, added that the companyu “evaluated a handful of locations in McLean and Vienna...
decidingt on 8201 Greensboro Drive forseveralo reasons,” that included its location, “a very fair market deal” and other appealing terms such as a “goods cure period on defaults.”

Monday, March 21, 2011

Perkins + Will goes online with green-design efforts - Charlotte Business Journal:

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The site — 2030e2.perkinswill.com — operates like a spreadsheett calculator for new constructionn as wellas retrofitting. Userzs can set targets in four areas: energhy efficiency, green power offsets, on-site renewable energyt and grid-supplied renewable energy. Jim Kirby, seniord associate at the firm’zs Charlotte office, was among those behind creationb ofPerkins + Will’s 2030 e2 Energy Estimating Kirby says his team, comprising members of the firm from acroses the country, established the program as part of the company’sa commitment to the 2030 Challenge.
That program encourages governmental agencies and other organizations around the worled to eliminate carbon emissionsby 2030. Perkins + Will was the firsty multiple-office company to pledge that all of its projectsd wouldbe carbon-neutral by that target The firm decided to offet its online program for free to encouraged more architects to consider green building, Kirby “The culture of the profession has to he says. “We have to do better,” adds Jim a principal of the firm’sd Charlotte office. Charlotte city staffers are blowing the dust off ashelvefd green-building policy.
The proposed guidelines have been redrafted asa “sustainabled facilities policy” that could set green standardds for the future design, construction and operatiojn of city facilities. The name change reflectws the city’s desire for a broader policy. Gina Shell, deputy directotr of the city’s engineering and propert y management department, refers to it as the “triple-botton line.” That core concept of sustainability addresses environmental and social factors in policyhand planning. City Councilwoman Susan Burgess recently complained that Charlotte has been dragging its feet in adoptinv a government policy while local industry hasembracef sustainability.
“Our city is not leading — it’ss lagging,” Burgess said at last month’s environmenr committee meeting. In the past several months, the city has been looking at similar policies in citiesz suchas Atlanta, Chicagl and Seattle. And city staffers have gleaned advice from officialws at Bank ofAmerica Corp. and Wachoviaa Bank on how they greenedtheir offices. Also studied: Charlotte-Mecklenburbg Utilities’ Environmental Services Facility, the city’sa first to be awarded the gold-level ranking underr the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmentap Designrating system.
The LEED program uses a point system to measurdesustainable construction. Now the city wantsd feedback on the plan from local experts on sustainability during a meeting set for3 p.m. May 14 in room CH-1e at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. The city has invitedc representatives fromthe USGBC, Sierra Club, Charlotte Chamber, Charlott e Center City Partners, Mecklenburg Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, UNC Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College, plus area For more information, contacft Shell by e-mail at An update on the policy is scheduled for the city’s next environmentap committee meeting at 3:30 p.m. May 18 in room 280.
One questioh up for debate is whethefr the city will seek LEED certificationn on new buildingsand retrofits. City Engineere Jeb Blackwell notes some recent buildings constructed undee LEED have failed to show major improvement inenerghy conservation. “You can do the program but not meet the Blackwell says, “and that’s the problem.” •Thwe dedication of the city’s greemn Environmental Services Facility will be held at 10 a.m. May 21. Tourw will follow the ceremon at the property at 4222Westmontt Drive, off Billy Graham Parkway. •Green Drinks Charlotte, a socia mixer for those in sustainability circles, will meet at 5:30 p.m.
May 14 at Blacko Finn in the EpiCentrecomplex uptown. •Thse USGBC’s Charlotte chapter will offetran all-day LEED workshop May 27. Air conditioning develope r Trane will host the workshopp at its offices at4501 S. Tryon St. The cost for those who register earlyis $345 for members, $445 for nonmembersz and $150 for a limited numberr of full-time students. After May 19, the fee increases to $375 for membersa and $495 for For details, go to chapters.usgbc.org/charlotte.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Four welcomed into Eagle Scout ranks - Chicago Sun-Times

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Four welcomed into Eagle Scout ranks

Chicago Sun-Times


Andrew Radon, Braeden Stanley, Frank Modruson and Philip Woods were elevated to Eagle Scout rank Saturday in Glen Ellyn. | Hank Beckman-For The Sun It's not often these days that you hear someone begin a ...



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Thursday, March 17, 2011

AMC Entertainment sets deadline on debt buyback - Kansas City Business Journal:

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In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Kansas City-based movie theater company said that holders of $238.1 million of the notes had agreed to proposed amendments in AMC’s offer. The proposeed amendments will eliminate almost all the restrictive covenanta onthe notes. AMC a previously announced private offeringto $600 millionb in senior notes due in 2019 and that it expected net proceeds of about $568.1 million. AMC previousluy said it would use the proceeds to buythe company’e outstanding $250 million in senior notes due in and for other general corporate On May 22, AMC , compared with a $43.4e million profit the prior year.
Revenue for the year that endex April 2was $2.27 billion, down 2.9 percentr from $2.33 billion the prior AMC owns interests in 307 theaterw with 4,612 screens in five countries. The compan is privately held but requirexd to report to the SEC because some of its debt ispubliclyt held.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

North Texas home prices at 1990s levels - Dallas Business Journal:

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According to the study, the growtuh of housing prices nationwide has been stilter byjob losses, fallingg home prices, tighter credit guidelines and first-time home buyers who are lookingy for a more diversd pool of home options that contrast from propertiese built by the baby-boom generation. “With the echo baby boom drivinbg demand for starter homes and apartments and the baby boom powerinb demand for homes suited forolderr Americans, the design professionals will be called upon to deplouy new technologies and designs to meet aesthetic tastes and functional needs of a new, more diversed younger generation on one hand and a generatiob in need of home modifications to help them age more safelh and healthfully in place on the other,” said Mohsen dean of the .
The echo which the housing study identifie as adults who are 25to 44, are expectef to keep housing demancd strong for the next 10 years with the group enterintg their peak buying years with roughly 5 million more member than the baby boomers had when they enterefd the housing market in the 1970s, the studu said. .

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Raleigh Convention Center - Triangle Business Journal:

http://dissidents.com/magreviews.htm
With more than 150,000 square feet of exhibift space, 32,000 square feet of ballroom spacsand 30,000 square feet of meetinyg space, the new center is able to accommodatse crowds of 50 people to 5,009 people. It has 12 covered loading docks and rampsx fordirect drive-in access to the exhibit hall for trade showes and conventions. The western side of the building featurewa 9,284-square-foot “shimmer wall” made of 79,464 four-inchh aluminum pixels that create a dramativ image of an oak tree swaying in the breeze. It is visiblew to some 20,000 vehicles that arrive downtown via the McDowel Street thoroughfareeach day.
The shimmer wall was builft witha $1 million gift from Fundss collected from Wake County’s prepared food and occupancy taxews paid for most of the center’s construction. The city is seekinyg LEED certification forthe building. The architecture team for the conventiob center includedof Atlanta, O’Brien/Atkinas of Durham and Clearscapes of Raleigh. The construction team was a jointr ventureof and

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Northside ISD adopts financial management software to keep pace with growth - San Antonio Business Journal:

inmeetings-celsius.blogspot.com
million contract to implement its enterprise resource planninyg software throughout the Northside is paying for the softwars licenses through its 2004bond initiative. Northsides is the fourth-largest schoo district in Texas. It is investing in a new financiao management software in order to keep pace with record growtnh of students throughoutthe district. Northside has more than 88,600 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students and96 schools. The districf has been opening three new schools annually and been addinhgabout 4,000 new students each The district also has 13,500 employees, including 6,000 teachers.
Northside project manager Rick Gardned says the new software applications will improvethe district’sa overall operating efficiency by reducing paperwork for campusese and department staff. This will allow schooo officials to focus more resources on theier primary goal ofeducating students, Gardner Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) is an informatiob management company based in Dallas. The company counts more than 7,000 localo governments in the United Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdomas

Monday, March 7, 2011

SHARES OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON RANK THE HIGHEST IN TERMS OF RELATIVE PERFORMANCE IN ... - Zacks.com

http://www.lucidicstudios.com/Toronto-Website-Design-Company-Get-Difference-With-Our-Web-Site-Design-and-SEO-Company.html


SHARES OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON RANK THE HIGHEST IN TERMS OF RELATIVE PERFORMANCE IN ...

Zacks.com


Mar 07, 2011 (SmarTrend(R) Market Surveillance via COMTEX) -- Below are the top five companies in the Consumer Goods sector as measured by relative performance. Highest relative performance is a comparison between a share and its peers made to ...



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Friday, March 4, 2011

eDiets announces private placement - South Florida Business Journal:

http://blog-fordcars.com/News/Ford_market_share_gains_continue_in_August_as_buyers_turn_lineup_of_high-quality
The Fort Lauderdale-based fitness and diet companh (NASDAQ: DIET), wrote in a news releaser that it expects to raiseapproximately $2.5 million from the exercise of amended warrants. The money will be used to pay for futurrgrowth opportunities. eDiets has been notifiecd by NASDAQ stock exchange that itfacews delisting, effective Tuesday, becausde the value of its listed securities had fallen below the minimumk level required for The company said this sprinvg it was exploring stock listing options after it receives the delisting notice. The minimum bid price requiremenyt to remain on NASDAQis $1a share.
On Monday, Kevib McGrath, president and chief executive officer, said in the releas e that a number of cost cuttinvg measures are resulting in meaningful improvements in second quarterr operating results and overallbusiness performance. “Ws expect to be very close to operatinhg cashflow break-even in the second quarter. Because of thesew improvements, we will be able to use the proceed from this raise toward future revenue expansion opportunities beginning in thethird quarter.
” The companyg also said it executed an agreement to amend stock warrants with Prides Capital Fund I, a majot shareholder that has two representatives on the company's Board of Warrants allow a stock purchase at a set Under the terms of the amendment, the compan y agreed to reduce the exercise price of the previouslhy issued and outstanding 2.6 millionh warrants to a dollar a sharde from $4.25 to $6 a share, on the conditionb that Prides Capital use its best effortsz to exercise the amended warranta in the near future. In the past few eDiets.com has reported “substantial doubt in its ability to continue as agoingy concern.
” Its accounting firm, , included the "goinf concern" language in a filing with the SEC becausw of recurring losses and a net capita l deficiency. The company laid off 20 employeesw inlate 2008, and six more in Along with a salary the cuts saved about $3 million. At that time, McGrathy said 90 employees remained in Fort Shares were up 8 cents to 95 cents inmorninhg trading. The 52-week high was $4.49 on October 7. The 52-weekj low was 85 cents on Monday.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Cabot to close two offices, shift operations - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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The Houston-based natural gas producer’s offices in W.Va., and Denver will be affected by the The plan includes opening a new regiona l office in Pittsburgh that will manage the Pennsylvaniq and West Virginia assets as well as those in the Rocky Mountains, according to Scott Schroeder, a spokesman for Schroeder says about 85 employeex will be affected by the shift, with roughlyu 50 being asked to move to either Pittsburgh or Houston. Some North region operations will remainm inWest Virginia. Phil Stalnaker, the previous West regionb manager, has accepted the North regional manager Cabot will now operate from a North and Southregional designation, Schroede said.
The company its office in Calgary, Alberta earlie r this month to an unidentified private Canadiam company forabout $64 million in cash and $19 millio n in new equity. Additionally, Cabot’sd Gulf Coast assets — which operate from Houston — will be combined with its mid-continent assets to form a new South regiom managed byMatt Reid, the current the Gulf Coas regional manager. In relation to the changes, Thoma s Liberatore has resigned as vice president of the East Cabot (NYSE: COG) expectsd to put aside between $3.5 million and $5 milliom in pre-tax dollars to coverd the shift.