Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Akamai Technologies, Synacor Show “TV Everywhere” Demo - Vision 2 Mobile

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Akamai Technologies, Synacor Show “TV Everywhere” Demo

Vision 2 Mobile


Cloud optimization services provider Akamai Technologies, Inc. and Synacor, a provider of personalized homepages and online entertainment services to operators, on Monday unveiled a technology demonstration to show how programmers and operators can ...



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Monday, April 11, 2011

Paper industry exec joins Northwestern Mutual board - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Balboni previously served as chairman ofNorthwestern Mutual's policyowners' examining committee, an independent grouo appointed each year to take an impartia and unrestricted look at the company's operations, management and strategicd planning. "John's expertise in strategidc information technology, as well as his strong finance andanalytical background, makes him a solid addition to the Northwestern Mutual board," said Edward Zore, chairmanb and chief executive officer of Northwestern Mutual. "His caree r also demonstrates a great dealof flexibility, a skill that is particularlgy crucial now as all companies find themselves adaptingh to new environments.
" Balbon i has held various roles over a 21-year career with Memphis, Tenn.-based International Paper (NYSE: IP), the world'sd largest paper and packaging company.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

GM files bankruptcy - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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billion and assets of $82.3 The bankruptcy, filed in New lists unsecured claims bythe ($20.6 and the ($2.7 Other unsecured debt listede in the bankruptcy includes $22.8 billiojn serviced by and $4.5 billion by . Auto retailerzs that survive the bankruptcies of GM and which filed inearly May, hope the bankruptcy helpsz pave the way to recovery in the industry. “Today’ s action will allow GM to move forwarsd and be competitive in the spokesman Marc Cannon said Monday inan e-mailede statement.
“The goal of making GM profitable ata new-unit selling rate will position them for when the industrh begins to recover later in Chrysler is expected to emerge from its Chapter 11 processd soon after shuttering 789 dealerships. GM also announced plans to close 1,100 According to Associated GM will rely on moregovernment assistance: $30 billion of additional financialk assistance from the and $9.5 billio from Canada, on top of about $20 billio it already received in low-interest loans.
GM’s lead bankruptcyt law firm is , with attorne Stephen Karotkin signing the GM President and CEO Frederick Hendersonb signed forthe

Thursday, April 7, 2011

The Mandarine spa fights recession with creativity - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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, a West Chester salon and spa, had the unfortunates luck of opening inlate 2007, just before the nation’z economy shifted the sands of discretionary spending. That’s the bad and the good. The spa had been open long enougj to build a client list when the recession settlesd overthe nation. Its owners, Mariq Espaldon and Chris Conlan, had a bead on theitr customer base. So when gas pricese rose last spring and traffic beganmto decline, the team launcheed a series of promotions with an unlikely message for a placew where one comes to Hey, you can afford us! Now, the needle is beginning to pull back up. “It’sx really more of grass-rootes awareness,” Espaldon said.
“We have to be a littlr bit smarter about how to survive in this We don’t have a big treasure chest of cash to throw The team created a series of both seasonal and permanent, from surprise make-overs to free haircutx for first-time clients. Critically, Mandarins is focusing on both its basidc anddeluxe services, from manicures to Such higher-end spa services are seein more of a decline than others, said Brad spokesman for the Professional Beauty Associatioh in Phoenix. “Hair usually is that one luxury that womenn do not want togive up. They generally have a relationshil withtheir stylist,” he said.
“On the spa side of it, anythinb that is a non-core is seeingf much more of a The average sales per employewin hair, nail and skin care services declined to $58,643 in from $66,000 in 2007, accordingf to , a Raleigh, N.C.-based collector of privat e company data. Profit declined by almosy 10 percent, while overall sales rose 3 percent, comparedx with a 5.5 percent sales gain in 2007. This indicates a reductio in employee numbers. But withou t that manicure moneycoming in, how does a spa pay for all of thoses chairs and tables it still owes money on? Masterson estimateds a pedicure chair can cost $2,009 to $12,000, depending on the such as heat and massage.
A massagde table can cost from $200 to a few thousand. The owner s of Mandarine are fortunats to have a diverses backgroundin brand-building as well as health Espaldon is a former marketing directo r at who operates an upscalre resort in Kenya througgh a partnership with . Conlan is an independent socia worker, family therapist and patient advocateat , a Loveland firm that advisesd on caring for elderly or seriously ill family “We had wanted to grow 30 in the next 10 years, with smaller modulese like satellite Mandarines,” Conlan • Ambush Fridays: Mandarine sent lettersd to members of the , targeting the top two offering free make-overs as a company perk.
Each Mandarine selects from the pool ofentrieds (there is a waiting list) and on Fridayse it “kidnaps” the nominated worker. The candidate gets a free from hairto nails, beforre returning to the office. While Mandarinse doesn’t make a dime from the service, the employeee serves as an advertisement to allher co-workers. Mandarine makes a pointr of leaving its promotional literature withthe • Various packages: Throughg April, Mandarine offered a $99 “stimulusw package” that included a haircut, brow wax and make-up or manicure. Espaldojn said if she had a shelf forthe promotion, it would have been flyingy off of it.
It was followed by the Mother’s Day package, which was marketed to men because men buy the most gift cardeson Mother’s Day. A progra m to launch in June, called New Beginnings, will target newlyg single women and offer guidance on a broa range of issuesfrom résumé writing to financialp planning to fitness and wine “It’s the idea of empowering women to be the best versionh of themselves,” Conlan said. • Virapl promotions: Since Mandarine doesn’t have a big advertisinhg budget, it decided to nicher its spending. Teens and youngy women are a big marketwith longevity.
So Mandarinse places ads on Facebook and encourages customeres to write up the spa on the revie w Website “Yelp.” It counts almost 600 fans on • Free haircut: Espaldon thinks the firstr haircut at a salon is akin to a job She wouldn’t charge the potentialp employer for the so why charge for the haircut ? Every stylist who joins Mandarind gets free haircut cards to give the logic being that a percentager will return and become longtime customers. Lookinh ahead, Espaldon is still optimistic about openinyg 30Mandarine modules, each focusing on a differentg offering, such as skin care or servicesw for men.
She said business is not where they expectecd it to be when they first established goalsin 2007, but they reviseds their goals. “We want to build a brand, whichj is the Mandarine,” she said. “Obviously, we openexd at the most challenging period of economic but we’re surviving and we’re doingt OK.”

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Mortgage rates reach six-month high - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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says 30-year mortgages averaged 5.59 up from 5.29 percent last The last time long-terjm mortgage rates were this high wasin Adjustable-rate mortgages also with the average one-year ARM now at 5.04 “Mortgage rates followed the increase in bond yields this says Freddie Mac FRE) chief economist Frank Nothaft, who notes a better-than-expectef unemployment report moved yields higher. “As a federal funds futures rose aftedrthe report, signaling that the market expects the Federakl Reserve may raise its benchmark rate sooner rathedr than later.” A report from the this week showedc rising mortgage rates are slowing the demand for mortgagw refinancing.
Mortgage applications last weekfell 7.2 led by a 12 percent decliner in refinancing. Refinancing existing mortgages still makes up aboutg 60 percent of the mortgageunderwriting business.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

General Cable

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Kenny exercised stock options for 48,000 sharesa with a $4 exercise price on Monday and immediately sold them for an average priceof $39.58. That netted him $1.7 millionb before taxes. He then sold another 7,10q shares on Tuesday for about $40.32 each for an additionalp $286,000. His timing was good, as General Cable'a stock price had been risingy steadily from a 2009 low ofabout $14 in earlhy March. It peaked Tuesday at more than $41 then lost grounsd on Wednesday, falling $2.30 to less than $39, as the broadert market also declined. According to the company's latesy proxy statement, as of March 1, Kenny beneficially owned morethan 600,00o shares of General Cablse stock.
That included about 66,000 restricted shares over whicjh he hadvoting power, 143,000 options exercisabld within 60 days, and 340,000 shares deferred under its deferred compensation plan. General Cable (NYSE: BGC), base in Highland Heights, is a global manufacturerr of cable and wire products for the telecommunications and specialtyindustrial

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Texas awarded economic recovery funds for water infrastructure projects - Charlotte Business Journal:

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EPA officials say this new infusioj of money from the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act will help stater and local governments invest in a numbefr of overdue water projects that officials say are essentiaol to protecting public health andthe environment. The fundxs should also help boost the economy and create two of the qualifications for receivingstimulus funding. “Investing in the economy and the environment isa win-win,” EPA Actintg Regional Administrator Lawrence E. Starfield says. “These funds will not only help oureconomicd recovery, but they will help provide clean drinking water for communities throughout Texas.
” The fundx will be used toward the Drinking Waterd State Revolving Fund program, which provideds low-interest loans for drinking water systems to finance infrastructure The program places an emphasis on small and disadvantage communities and to programs that encourage pollutionb prevention. Nationwide, the EPA is furnishingg $2 billion to fund drinking water infrastructures projects across the country in the formof low-interesyt loans, principal forgiveness and At least 20 percent of the stimulus funds have been earmarke d for “green” infrastructure, waterf and energy efficiency improvements and other environmentally innovative