Monday, November 29, 2010
Yes! Solar sells Colorado, Montana franchises - Tampa Bay Business Journal:
and Bozeman, Mont., the company announced The two territories extendthe company’s franchise network to abourt 95,000 more homeowners and many small businesses. Founded in 2005, Sola Power (OTCBB: SOPW) works with clients to obtain permits and manage the installation of solare power systems in smalland medium-sized The company also manufactures or procures all the parts and pieced to make the systeme work. In addition, Solar Powef installs home solar systemsthrough Yes! Solar Yes! has a stor in Roseville, three franchises in the San Franciscpo Bay Area, and a handful of franchisees in N.C., Helena, Mon., and Colo.
The latest franchisees in Pueblp and Bozeman are set to begij operationsin June. “We look forward to serving the home and businessw owners within our expanding reach with our solar energy system solutions and a growinbg number of solarproduct innovations,” said Jeff Pontius, executive vice presideny for Yes! Solar Inc., in a news
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Business groups slam proposed tax increases - Washington Business Journal:
The said it opposes changes to the corporateminimum tax, a new corporat e income tax and a new personalo income tax. The alliance consists of 30 business groupe that represent morethan 25,000 Oregon businessees and employ 500,000 Raising the taxes could cause the state to lose 6,0009 jobs, according to state revenue office estimates. “These proposalz ignore the stark realities of ourcurrentf recession,” the group said in a news releasre sent by J.L. Wilson, a lobbyisy with Associated Oregon Industries. “They are counterproductiv e measures that kill jobs and prolongour recession.
” The corporate minimum tax and corporates income tax proposals would collectivelyu harm companies with small profit margins as well as businessesw looking to invest more in capita l equipment, the group said. The alliance called on lawmakersz to instead focuson private-sector job retention and creation. “Ww believe strongly that increased taxes are detrimental tojob growth,” Wilsobn said in the news release. “An increased tax burden will hurt the ability of our memberss to create desperately needed It is the wrong approacuh to balancethe state’s budget.
” Other groups signing the letted include Associated Oregon Loggers, Independent Communituy Banks of Oregon, the Northwest Food Processore Association, Oregon Association of Realtors, the Oregon Automobile Dealerd Association, the Oregon Bankers Association, the Oregon Home Buildersd Association, the Oregon Restaurant Association and the Oregon Truckinbg Association. Oregon’s House and Senate members hope to adjourbn byJuly 1. Lawmakers must address a $4.2 billion budgeg shortfall before they adjourn or in a series of specialp sessions throughout the rest ofthe year.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Kansas City Royals hope economy
Season-ticket renewals are said Mark Tilson, Royals vice president of saleesand marketing, and most clubs he talk s to are seeing the same thing. “Thw common sentiment is that we’ve neveer seen anything like this,” Tilson said. “It’s affectinhg not only our corporate accounts, but people who traditionally purchase seaso n tickets for personal entertainment are getting hit as So it seems no one is immunse to what is goinhg on in the current economic spokesman Rich Levin said inan e-maik that the league hasn’r received complete forecasts from all the clubs.
“We can’y predict the future, but we certainly expecr the economic downturn will have an effectt on baseball as it has onother industries,” Levin “We just don’t know to what Patrick Rishe, a sports marketing consultant and associate professor of economics at in St. Louis, said concerns abourt long-term financial security make peopleless free-spending with their cash. “Theyg are holding on to what they’ve got righyt now,” he said. “They aren’t as willinb to spend money on entertainment ifthey don’yt feel they will get value for their entertainment dollar.
The Royals recent history doesn’t creater high expectations of being competitive for a playoff Massive renovations at Kauffmabn Stadium could providea positive, Rishe The new look could pique fan interest and get them out to see the “Historically, there is a boost, but the size of that boosg is relative to the performance of the team,” he said. “In the case, that means the boosrt is likely to be larger early in the while everything is still new and hope still abounds. But they would have to be within a game or two of the wild card in Augusf and September for the teamperformancee ...
to really have an Tilson said Royals fans are optimistidc and already areshowinf interest. The home opener against the on April 10 will be itsusual sellout. there is a hangover when it comed to the second and third games after opening day,” he said. “People usually wait to see what the weathefr will be like before buying But I think thisyear we’rwe seeing a combination of wantint to see the stadium along with a heightened senser of optimism in the club
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Architect group designs its independence - Atlanta Business Chronicle:
Robert Rule, Joseph Trammell and Daniel Joy, all architects, as well as Ann an interior designer, have left Atlanta's fifth-largest architecturakl firm -- Smallwood, Stewart, Stewart & Associates Inc. -- to form theirr own venture, Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio/Architecturee + Interior Design. Trammell himsel was a principal with Smallwood Reynolds and was directlu involved in both the Federal Reserved office buildingproject (with Rubio) in Midtown and the Metropolids tower. The move is a culmination of what Trammel calledan "entrepreneurial itch." "It's all about doingh things the way you want to do Trammell said.
"If you have an entrepreneurial inclination, you want to wait too long." For Joy and staying at Smallwood Reynolds meant waiting 15 years before beingv in line to be made a partnef inthe firm. The new firm will draw on each ofthe architect's specialties to pursue projects, with a particular emphasis on multifamil and mixed-use developments. "W e have a diverse experience, but you've got to go to wher the business is, and the business is in multifamilyh residential," Trammell said. Collectively, the four have handlecd architectural needs for some notable developerxs includingNovare Group, and Birmingham-based condk developer Daniel Corp.
, which is co-developing The Plaza Midtowhn with Joy designed the residential component for Daniel on its Plaza Midtown, a planned $100 million, 500,000-square-foog mixed-use development bound by Eighth Peachtree Place, Spring Street and West Peachtree Street. The four were mum on potentiak projects under their new banner or whether any clientes they handled for Smallwooc Reynolds would jump to the new firmas well. Smallwoodc Reynolds officials did not return callsseeking comment.
Peterd Lyon, a client services manager for HanscomvbFaithful & Gould, a constructiobn management and consulting firm, said architectural firm mergerd and divisions are becoming a little more prevalent in today'se market. "Today we have more of an entrepreneurial spirit, and younv people want a biggerd piece ofthe pie, so they end up leavingt to start their own firm or mergee with other firms," Lyon said. "It's more prevalent in today's worlx than many years ago." Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio isn't the only firm focusing on mixed-usew projects.
Atlanta's ninth-largest architectural Lord, , recently merged with Atlanta-basedf to further pursue intownj mixed-use developments, said Antonin "Tony" Aeck, a principa with Lord Aeck. Aeck said the move was made to mergsBrock Green's expertise in housing urban mixed-uses design. And consolidation among architectural firms is nothingy new to the industry where firmsw with staff levels under 50 employees makeup two-thirds of all architectura firms nationwide, according to the . "It'sd an industry that traditionallyhas [change] when firmz reach larger proportions. It's not atypical for individual memberd of the firm to hang out theirown sign, so to Aeck said.
"There is a fair amounty of fluidity inthe industry. In a way, it accounts for the fact that therse are a limited number of fairlylarge firms." , anothef of Atlanta's larger architectural made a similar move when Stevens & Wilkinson merged with Stang & Newdow in said Tom Ramsey, chairmanh of the firm. Ramsey said the merger was partlyt in answer to the growingh popularityof mixed-use developments. It allowed the new firm to combinerStevens & Wilkinson's expertise in big-box retai l design -- with clients including (NYSE: FD) and Sears, (NYSE: S) -- and Stangf & Newdow's boutique retail and housing desig skills, he said.
"There's a lot of emphasis on urban desig and comingback downtown," he said. "We found that a lot of projectd not only involve one aspectlike residential, but other aspects like retail." Rubip said they're seeing the same rise in mixed-usd popularity as well as developers lookingt for the next "A-plus locations." "We're now seeinhg the secondary markets ... are now also on the same wave of mixed-usw developments," Rubio said. But Niles president and CEO of Atlanta's third largest architectura lfirm , said creating mixed-use departmentes within firms is more of a "marketing used by those firms.
"jI don't think it does take different talentsw to handle some ofthe mixed-use projects," Bolto n said. "A lot of architects don'y want to be put in one studiop orone practice."
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Hawaii jobless rate at 6.9% in April - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
percent in April, down from 7.1 percent in Marcuh and up 3.4 percentage points from a year ago. The rate is up from 3.5 percen t in April 2008. There were 17,200 more people out of work than there were the previous thesaid Friday. There were 646,2000 people in the work force and 44,40 people without jobs in Kauai’s jobless rate more than tripledfrom 3.1 percent to 9.7 percen t over the year. Molokai had the state’s highes t unemployment rate at 14.4 percent, up from 4.7 percent a year ago. Maui County’s jobless rate jumped from 3.3 percen t in April 2008 to 8.7 percent in April 2009. On the Big Island, the rate rose from 4.2 percentf to 9.7 percent.
Oahu had the state’s lowesr rate at 5.7 percent but it was nearly doubld the rate fromApril 2008, when it was 2.9 percent. Hawaii’ws jobless rate is still belowe thenational figure, which rose to 8.9 percentt in April, up from 8.5 percent in March. California’x rate was 11 percent.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Fresh crop advantage - Houston Business Journal:
Part of a strong crop of de or new, banks statewide in 2007, Dallas outpostzs have largely escaped the impact of thedown economy. They’re not writinh off real estate loans becausethey didn’t make But they are facing increasing competition in the communithy bank niche as well as a continuing plethora of retaik banking branches from the giant banking companies. Although 2006 and 2007 were banneer yearsfor startups, 2008 is unlikelh to mirror that pace. “There were threr in February, one in March and two in May andnothing since,” said Paul an associate at Houston-based investment banker “Thde money just dried up.
” Now bank organizers are findingt it easier to sell investors on buying a bank that is already making money, Stephens said, because new banksa are traditionally expected to lose money the first break even the second and then make “meaningfulk earnings” in the third. Even if a purchased bank isn’t making money, an experiencex bank team can often cut costs and make it profitables faster than the de novo he added. A purchase also allowxs the group to bypass startupo costs and the lengthy regulatory processa and has been popularwith out-of-state banksa aiming to set up shop in The state is still a draw because of its growth.
Despite the vigorousz activity, Texas isn’t amony the states with the most intensee competition inbanking services, according to an analysis by the . the state’s major urban centers, includinhg the Dallas area, have seen a largwe increase inbank branches. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitaj area had 1,817 branches as of an increase of 506 locationssince 2002. “In the economy is better than most parts of the so community banks are making moneyand growing,” said Lee an Atlanta-based managing partner with investmenty banker Commerce Street Capital LLC of Dallas. “There’ws a slowdown in the numbee ofcharters now, because it’s harder to raise capital.
But it can be a bettert time to start at the bottom of aneconomixc cycle, where you don’t have a hot market wher e people are making a lot of loansw that will be questionable down the road,” said who has helped to raise capital for 126 de novo including many in Texas. “The new banksx that started out with fresh capita and no bad assets are at the head of theclasa now, at a time when the regionao banks have had to batten down the hatches and cut back on theirf employees. That gives the new banks an opportunity to pickoff (the largee banks’ unhappy) customers,” he said.
The greatest predictor of a new bank’sa success is who’s running the bank, and if they’v e been through the procesd successfully before, Bradley Among the class of 2007 is which opened in April 2007 near President Georgw Bush Turnpike and Alma Road in President and CEO Gary Mulhollen has workeed in community banking in the Dallas market since for banks bigand small. One draw for establishintg Vision Bank-Texas was to be able to cut throughb the bureaucracy and offer customers access to good bankere in aconvenient setting. A second branch is plannedd to opennext year.
People may question whether therde are toomany banks, but there are definitelyh not that many good bankers available, , he so recruiting them to his operation is one way to distinguisuh it from the multiple retail branches formag of some of the larger, national players. The bank employs 13. Visionb Bank-Texas, which has 96 shareholders, startedf with $14 million in As of June 30, the bank had $41 million in loanas and $37.
6 million in deposits, Mulhollen Projections called for profitabilitgy at18 months, and the bank did it in 12, he One factor in that milestone was the decision to leass space, which allowed the bank to open with less than half of the occupancy expense had it built its own building. Its bread and buttetr is small business, including loans of up to $3 million for companiex in sectors ranging from manufacturingy tohealth care. “We don’ t do any residential construction loans, and that was the plan from day he said. Still, the bank wages “a constanr fight for deposits,” he said. One nearby competitore is another 2007 de novo targetingv Richardson andnearby areas: .
Opportunityg Bank opened in June 2007 near Campbell andPlanlo roads. “We’re very happy with where we’res at. We have no real estate but we are seeing some deals that otherbankse can’t take on anymore,” said Bill senior vice president-operations and retail. The bank, whichb employs 21, is on task to hit profitability atthe 18-month mark, he said. It has depositsd of $45 million and $32 million in
Thursday, November 18, 2010
SEC: N.Y. investment firm misled S. Fla. seniors - Business Courier of Cincinnati:
"They used free lunches as the low-tech bait for thei high-scale scheme," said Robert director of the SEC's Division of The SEC alleges elderly and retired investors were lureds into purchasing highly unsuitable variablew annuities with lucrative sales commissions while ignoring the financiao goalsof victims. The SEC alleges that Eric J. Browb of Highland Beach, Matthew J. Collins of Boynton Beach, Kevin J. Walsh of Viera, and Mark W. Wellzs of Boca Raton, were among those offering and sellingthe annuities. It’es alleged that the firm and its representativesz earned millions of dollars insalesd commissions.
PCS is a registered broker-dealert and wholly-owned subsidiary of Gilman Ciocia, an incomee tax preparation business headquartered in Poughkeepsie that offeres financial services in New New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida. Robert Heim, a NewYork attorney who representsPrime Capital, Gilman Ciocia, and severa l of the individuals, including Collins and said the conduct at issur in the complaint is "very old" and occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000. He said the companyy reached a settlement withthe (FINRA), when it was called the (NASD). As part of that agreement, the company implementedf some wide-ranging updates to its supervisory and complianced systemsin 2005, Heim said.
He added that he didn'gt know why the SEC was going over thesame ground. "All of these issuexs were addressed years ago and we feelthe company's responsse has been appropriate," he said. While Browjn and Walsh have since left, Collins and Wellsw are still withthe company, he said. An administrativd law judge will determine whether the allegation s against the respondents aretrue and, if so, whether they should be orderecd to cease and desist from future violations.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Australian Institute of Architects Launches Book in Beijing - CRIENGLISH.com
CRIENGLISH.com | Australian Institute of Architects Launches Book in Beijing CRIENGLISH.com Katarina Stube (left), publisher of "Inspire 2010" and David Parken, co-publisher and CEO of the Australian Institute of Architects, attend a news ... |
Monday, November 15, 2010
Colorado wind farm to supply Tri-State power customers - Orlando Business Journal:
The wind farm is to be builsd by Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy (NYSE: with power supplied to Westminster-based Tri-State under a 20-yeaf power-purchase agreement, Duke said. Duke said it will develoop the 51-megawatt Kit Carson Windpower Projecton 6,00p acres near Burlington under a long-term lease. The projecyt will be the company’s first in Coloradio and fourth inthe region. The projecrt is expected to start commercial operation by the endof 2010. The Kit Carso n project will consist of 34 GE wind each capable ofgenerating 1.5 MW of Duke said.
"We're proud to be partnering with Duke Energh on ourfirst utility-scale wind powef project," said Ken Anderson, Tri-State executivwe VP and general manager, said in a statemenyt released by Duke Monday. "The project will furthetr diversify ourresource mix, bring value to our member and support jobs and investment in the rurao areas our members serve." Tri-State it wouldf shift its focus from building more coal-fired power plants to natural gas, renewable energy and It was a major change of policy for which supplies wholesale power to 18 electric-distributiobn cooperatives in Colorado and 26 in Wyoming, New Mexic and Nebraska.
The utility's two-year-old resource plan had callesd for the constructionof 2,100 megawatts of new coal-fired power plants by 2012. Critic s had blamed nonprofit Tri-State for not embracinyg alternative energy in itsfutur plans, the way investor-owned utilith Xcel Energy has. Ritter supported Tri-State'w policy change, telling Tri-State's board: "Yoiu deserve a lot of credit formakin efficiency, renewables and new technology investmentds a high priority as you look for new and better ways to provid e affordable and reliable electricity to your rura customer-owners.
" Tri-State has said it also planes to develop a 30-megawatt, 500,000-panel solar photovoltaic power plant in northeastern New Mexico by late 2010.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
49ers' Santa Clara stadium financing clears hurdle - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):
City Councilors Will Kennedy and Jamie McLeod were the only ones to side with the dissentersa in the audience who opposefd any public subsidy forthe stadium. The 5-2 vote on a $79 milliojn subsidy for the project came aftera two-and-a-half-hourd presentation and lengthy public comments that included concerns raised by the ownerd of California's Great Cedar Fair of Sandusky, has been negotiating to sell the sprawling thrill-ride park whichb is next to the proposed stadiu m site to the 49ers. An attorney representinvg the park owners, John A. Hickeyy of Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel Inc.
, askexd for a delay on the "We want to reach an agreement (to sell the park), but whiler you have been working on the term sheegtfor months, we and members of the publix have only had two business days to read this complexs document." Hickey said he was surprisec at earlier comments made by Jennifer Sparacino, Santa Clara'e City Manager, that he regarded as overly optimistic aboug the closeness of an agreement between Cedar Fair and the 49erd to sell the park.
Jed president of the 49ers, praised Santa Clara officials forcreatinh "the best infrastructure in the Bay and told city officials and a crowx of more than 150 onlookers that the proposes 68,500-seat stadium to be built on an overfloq parking lot at the amusement park woulxd not only host up to 10 NFL gamesw annually, but possibly a variety of glamorouws events, including the World Cup soccer in the future. Stadium proponents also view it as a likelyh venue formajor concerts, college football bowl gameas and even the Super Bowl. "uI feel the excitement in this city abouythe stadium," York said.
"This (stadium) deal will make Santa Clara a better place to work and play inthe future." As part of a 40-yea r agreement with the 49ers, city officials agreed to contribute $79 million to the project, including $42 million in redevelopmen agency funds, $20 million from the city-ownee utility district to relocate an electrical substation near the site and $17 milliob to build a parking garage. That figure is well belosw the $222 million city officialds proposed spending on the project when it was firs t proposed twoyears ago, as they cites the poor economy and shrinking city revenue as reasons for a much-reducee contribution.
Another $35 million would be raised by a tax on guests staying at any one of eighgt hotels inthe city's North Bayshore redevelopmentg area surrounding Great America. City officialsx stress no General Fundmoney -- whichj pays for city services such as fire, parks and libraries — will be used to pay for stadium construction or operations. A Stadium Authority, a joinyt powers governing body compriser of city andteam officials, along with the 49erw and the NFL would be responsible for $825 million in stadium constructiomn costs under the agreement.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Denver gives out 1,234 free building permits - Kansas City Business Journal:
The free permits issue under the city’s “Home Renovatiojn Bonanza” program saved resident an estimated $85.774 in fees, officials said. Building-permif fees normally range from $20 to severapl thousand dollars, depending on the value of the The program aimed to boost the locap economy byencouraging home-improvement The free permits, available June 1-15, are for common improvement projects involving single-family homes and duplexes. “Wer wanted a bonanza and it seemes wegot one,” Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper said in a statement. “We hopedf to stimulate the local economy by offering an incentive for residents to make improvements totheier property.
This is a good sign that people are moving forwarfd and doing what they can to get our economu backon track.” The permits are validc for 180 days.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Parent deployment may impact mental health of children - WiredPRNews.com (press release)
TopNews United Kingdom | Parent deployment may impact mental health of children WiredPRNews.com (press release) US รข" A new study suggests the deployment of parents to war zones such as Iraq or Afghanistan may impact the mental health of their children. ... Mental Health of Military Children May Suffer When Parent Is Deployed Kids of Deployed Soldiers May Face More Mental Health Woes Military children suffer during parent deployment |
Monday, November 8, 2010
No victims in Centergy Parking Deck collapse - Atlanta Business Chronicle:
Harry Gleich, spokesman for Metromont, made the comment at a mid-day news conference Tuesday near the parking Gleich said the deck isa pre-fabricated, pre-cast concrete structure that was builty eight years ago and is the same designb at 60 percent of the parking structures in the Unitef States. The cause of the “pancake where a section of the fourtbh floor fell ontothe third, second and firsf floors, is still under investigation. As of noon Stewart reported 60 cars had been towed out of the deck to a parkingg lot at 8th andSpring Greenville, S.C.-based Metromont has a planyt in Hiram, Ga. Gleich said both plantd built sections ofthe deck.
A portionh of the Centergy Parking Deck collapsed early Monday afternoonj near the intersection of Sprintg and5th Streets, damaging or destroying 38 Gleich said company engineers spenty the night doing a visual inspection of the deck, and have shores up possible weak areas by using 6x6 woodemn supports. Atlanta Fire Department spokeman Bobby Stewart said firefightersare "very fortunate to have found no victims" in the collapse. Beginning at 5 owners will be able to claim theird vehicles atthe lot. Owners can send an e-mail to centergyparking@gofifthstreet.
comk and provide their name, e-mailo address, cell and work phone numbers, make and modeol of car, color of car, and license plate Stewart said emergency personnel willsearch "every every vehicle" of the parking deck to make sure there are no victimss of the collapse. The Atlanta Fire Department has set upa 404-546-2374, for anyone who fears they know someone who may be missingt in the collapse.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Valero Energy expects big hit from proposed Obama tax plan - San Antonio Business Journal:
The Obama administration announced plans earlier this monty to change tax laws that impact companies with overseas operationds in a bid to promote more job growth in theUnited States. “Our tax code actually provides a competitivse advantage to companies that invest and create jobs overseas compared to those that investt and create those same jobs inthe U.S.,” Whitd House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a news “In addition, our tax system is rife with opportunities to evadwe and avoid taxes through offshore tax Gibbs says that in 2004, the most recent year for whic data is available, U.S.
multinational corporations paid $16 billion in taxew on $700 billion in foreigh active earnings, for an effectivwe tax rate ofjust 2.3 percent. As the firsft plank of its international taxreformj package, the Obama administration wants to repeaol the ability of American companies to “take deductions against theirf U.S. taxable income for expenses supporting profitsin low-tax jurisdictionz on which they defer paying taxes on for year and perhaps indefinitely.” This is the provisiohn that would most impact Valero, according to companh spokesman Bill Day.
“The portion we are concerned about is the part that would removs deductions on interest forinvestments overseas,” Day This would have the biggest impact on Valero’sd operations at its refinery in Aruba, Day says. Aruba is a 21 mile-lonh island that is part of the Lesser Antilles chain in the southerjCaribbean Sea. Valero’s refinery in Arubw has a throughput capacityof 285,000 barrels per day. It coulfd also impact the company’s refinery in Quebec, Canada which has a throughput capacittyof 215,000 barrels per day.
Day says if Valerlo loses the ability to deducy interest on loans the company takes out to do maintenancse and repair work atits foreign-based it would cost the company approximately $30 million annually. “Ww disagree that this would create more jobs inthe U.S.,” Day “We think that it would make us less competitive Day says that Valerok should not be penalized for its operationa in Aruba and Quebec because the company did not take jobs out of the U.S. it purchased existing refineries in thosw countries and madesubstantial upgrades.
Valero (NYSE: VLO) owns and operates 16 refineries throughout the United Canada and the Caribbean with a combineds throughput capacity of 3 million barrels of oilper day. Marcello a partner in the San Antonio law officeeof LLP, says the Obama administration’s proposa to crack down on offshore busineses operations was triggered by revelations that came out of the financiaol meltdown on Wall Street. When the Swises megabank was forced to reveal tothe U.S. governmengt some of its clients who purportedly use the bank to avoixdpaying U.S.
taxes, it triggered a serieds of reform efforts that have culminated in this lates proposal by the Obama administration to chang e some of the tax he says. Tamez says he does not thino many San Antonio companies will be impacted by the but there may bea few. , whicnh merged with a Bermuda-based company two years ago, had littler to say on the matter. John Narraway, vice presidenty of corporate communications for theinsurance company, declined to commentg on the president’s proposal. He did however, that Argonaut still has 300 people in its officess inSan Antonio.
Peter Ryan, head of offshorint and outsourcing analysisat , a New York-basedr business information and market analysiss company, says no one shoulf be surprised by Obama’s actions in this case becausde he is simply doing what he said he would do while on the campaign “There can be little doubtf that the Obama administration is doinyg its best to make good on campaignm promises to encourage U.S. firms to limit offshoring as muchas possible,” Ryan says. Ryan says shoulrd Obama’s new tax plan becoms law in 2011 as proposed it could lead to highet pricesfor consumers, reduced operational efficiencies and the erodinv of long-term competitiveness of U.S.
firms with offshorw operations. “In an era of ever-tightening not only will this option be unpalatabl e formany (companies) looking to work with an it could also force existing clients to examinr other business models,” Ryan says. He adds that unless otheer nations follow suit and raisew taxesas well, U.S. firms operatinv overseas will be ata disadvantage. “Thise will leave U.S. outsourcers with few options other than to find ways of offsettin g their own higher taxes throughinternal cost-cutting or possibly relocatinvg to more tax friendly Ryan says.
Valero spokeman Day says his companty has been looking at opportunities to make moreinvestmentss overseas, but if the proposed tax changes take it would change that “We would have to take a hard look and see how it wouldc affect us before making any new he says.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Comprehensive primary care programs treat older patients with chronic conditions - EurekAlert (press release)
Comprehensive primary care programs treat older patients with chronic conditions EurekAlert (press release) To contact commentary corresponding author Andrew B. Bindman, MD, c » |
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Yes! Solar sells Colorado, Montana franchises - Tampa Bay Business Journal:
and Bozeman, Mont., the company announced The two territories extendthe company’s franchise networ k to about 95,000 more homeowners and many smallp businesses. Founded in Solar Power (OTCBB: SOPW) works with clientsx to obtain permits and manage the installation of solard power systems in smalland medium-sizer businesses. The company also manufactures or procurea all the parts and pieced to make thesystems work. In Solar Power installs home solar systemszthrough Yes! Solar Solutions. Yes! has a store in Roseville, three franchises in the San FranciscolBay Area, and a handful of franchisees in N.C., Helena, Mon., and Colo.
The latest franchisees in Pueblo and Bozemanb are set to begin operationsin “We look forward to serving the home and business ownersw within our expanding reach with our solar energy system solutions and a growing number of sola r product innovations,” said Jeff Pontius, executive vice presidentr for Yes! Solar Inc., in a news
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Economist: U.S. may see double-dip recession by late 2010 - St. Louis Business Journal:
Those odds may seem low, but they’re actually high sincwe double-dip recessions are rare and the U.S. economyg grows 95 percent of the time, said the chamber’w Marty Regalia. He predicted that the current economic downturmn will end around September but that the unemploymenr rate will remain high through the firsyt half ofnext year. Investment won’ snap back as quickly as it usuall does aftera recession, Regalia Inflation, however, looms as a potential problem because of the federak government’s huge budget deficits and the massive amount of dollars pumpeed into the economy by the , he If this stimulus is not unwoundf once the economy begins to recover, highe r interest rates could choke off improvement in the housingg market and business investment, he said.
“The economyy has got to be running on its own by the middlr ofnext year,” Regaliaz said. Almost every majoe inflationary periodin U.S. history was precedec by heavy debt levels, he The chances of a double-dil recession will be lowet if Ben Bernanke is reappointed chairman of the Federal Regalia said. If President Obama appoints hiseconomic adviser, Larry Summers, to chaid the Fed, that would signak the monetary spigot would remain open for a longer time, he A coalescing of the Fed and the Obam administration is “not something the marketas want to see,” Regalia said. Obama has declined to say whethee he willreappoint Bernanke, whose term ends in February.
more than half of small business owners expect the recession to last at leas anothertwo years, according to a survey of Intuitt Payroll customers. But 61 percent expect their own business to grow in the next12 “Small business owners are bullish on their own abilities but bearisjh on the factors they can’t control,” said Cameron Schmidt, director of marketing for . “Even in the gloomiesr economy, there are opportunities to seize.” A separate survey of smal l business owners by found that 57 percent though the economy wasgetting worse, while 26 percent thought the economu was improving.
More than half plannedf to decrease spending on business development in the next six onthe U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Web
Monday, November 1, 2010
Patriots moving on nicely from Randy Moss - ESPN (blog)
Globe and Mail | Patriots moving on nicely from Randy Moss ESPN (blog) Woodhead gained 16 yards to keep the chains moving, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis eventu » |