Monday, November 29, 2010

DMA announces new officers, trustees - Dallas Business Journal:

http://spinapse.com/team.html
Rose served as president of the museum from 1994to 1998. She is replacinhg Walter B. Elcock, executive vice president of , who is steppingb down from the museum position to focus on hisbusinessx demands. Elcock will continue to serv e on the board as aformer chairman. Rose already is recognizef as a leader who has supported and guidedthe museum’s accomplishmentas in the last two decades. She was a member of the leadershil team that drovethe museum’s last two endowmentf campaigns, the museum said. She joined the board 21 yeares ago. Other newly elected officers include vice presidentz Mary McDermott Cook andCindy Rachofsky, secretarhy Linda Kao and treasured Victor D. Almeida.
The board says the followin 19 people were nominated and elected toservre three-year trustee terms: Christopher Bancroft, Daniel D. Eduardo M. Brittingham, Yolanda Bruce Clint D. Carlson, Peter J. Denker, Claire Melissa Foster Fetter, Jeremy L. Halbreich, Bryant M. Hanley Jr., Kennetu A. Hersh, Wei Wei Jeang, Venu Thomas Morgan, Margot B. Perot, Richard R. Daniel Routman, Ronald G. Steinhart and Derekj M. Wilson.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Spherion: Worker confidence holds steady in June - Denver Business Journal:

http://www.exmsystem.net/modules/mywords/
of a point to 48, accordinbg to the Spherion EmployeeConfidence Index, whicj measures workers' confidence in theit personal employment situation and optimism in the economic environment. The index finds that while slightlt more workers believe the economy is gettintg weaker and fewer jobs are more workers are confident in the future of theircurrenf employer. "Although our latest Index shows little changer fromlast month, it stilll remains 1.9 points higher than its reading one year President and CEO Roy Krause said in a news release.
"Whilde there may be signs of a light at the end of the a turnaround will not be felt The results of the survey come amid mixed economic The on Thursday peggedthe nation’d unemployment at a 26-year high. At the same the reported on Wednesday that pending home salexwere up. Forty percent of workers believe the econom y isgetting weaker, up from 38 perceng in the previous month. Seventy-two percenyt of workers believe there are fewer jobs up one percentage pointfrom May. Sixty-sixx percent of workers reported confidence in the future of theircurrent employers, up from 63 percentf the previous month.
Thirty-five percent of workerxs are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 up one percentage pointfrom May.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Deloitte: Consumer spending still down - Portland Business Journal:

polinaagyvtiwu.blogspot.com
The index fell to 1.35 percengt from an downwardly revised gainof 1.44 percentt in April. Deloitte said the index analyze stax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home pricesw to try to track consumer cash flow as an indicatorr of future consumer spending. "The year over year pace of declind in real consumer spendingy appears tohave stabilized, however, recovery is being delayeds by a sharp increase in consumer savings, whichg has risen to 5.7 percent from zero a year said Carl Steidtmann, chief economist with Deloitte Research and author of the monthly index, in a statement.
"However, the weaknesd in the index was driven almost entireluy by fallinghome prices, which are down nearly 14 percent over the past year, undermining smalpl gains in real wages, a declining tax burden and current stabilization in new unemployment claims." The report noted the tax burdenm continues to drop with the weakenin g of the economy. It is at a level only seen on a few occasionas over the past 50 years during brief periods following tax Continued declineis expected. Also notable, real wage growtb continues to post small gains due to falling pricesfor energy. Real wages are up 4.
3 percen t from a year ago and on an annualized basizs are up 8 percent over the last nine montha as energy prices have given a big boost to consumerpurchasing power, the inde x said.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Special shoes scrub the floor as you walk around the house - DVICE

http://www.unpa.us/article/Engineers-left-this---.html


DVICE


Special shoes scrub the floor as you walk around the house

DVICE


But these shoes that have tiny built-in floor sweepers, might be taking things a bit too far. The FOKI cleaner shoe concept from designer Adika Titut ...


Concept: FOKI Floor Cleaning Shoes

UberGizmo


The FOKI Will Clean the Floor While You Walk

SlashGear



 »

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Employers pump up bike commutes - San Francisco Business Times:

http://db0898.com/tag/working/page/2/
That just happens to be how long she's commutef to work on a batterexd $160 bicycle. A senior program manager at , Younf was among the thousand of people planning to pedal to work for National Bike to Work Day onMay 15, and employersx are taking note. It's 26 miles roundtrip from Young'sd home in Los Altos to Sun Microsystem' campuses in Menlo Park or Santa "It feels great, there's no car stress, and it's a greatt way to start the day," she said.
"I look forwarsd to the ride home, In a business environment where perkds and benefits often rival companies are encouraging employees to stay save money and help the environment by cyclinfg to and from With thehighest per-capita bicycle use of any larged U.S. city, San Francisco aims to triple the number of peopled biking for transportationby 2010, and a majot Bike Plan revision is under way.
But Bay Area companiexs aren't waiting around for municipal bike racks and government big players like Sun andprovide full-service showedr rooms, workshops and even custom cyclintg jerseys to keep helmet-wearing employees "Our facilities are There's hair dryers and ironing boards," said Daniell e Bricker, Yahoo commute coordinator. "And there'd a sauna room in Sunnyvale." Peter Liu, Founder and Vice Chairmah of , kicked off a plan to pay employeez $250 to commute by bike. Many workers have taken advantage ofthe deal, and a securer bicycle rack is being installed.
provides incentives of $4 a day for commuters, in addition to holdinfg tricycle races, giveaways, complimentary bicycle mechanic servicesz and bike valets for Bike toWork Day. Rahman Gramlyh LLP partner Matt Gramly, who lives in the Missiohn District and pedals to the Floo Building in UnionSquare daily, said it was a grear development. "I'm from Ohio, and even in college, I heardd about San Francisco's bike-friendly , a San Mateo-based construction company, may not seem like a typicalk firm for thespandex set, but it sponsors the No. 1-ranker women's cycling team.
On May 12, Webcor CEO Andy Ball joinedf San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and other Siliconm Valley leaders inthe CEO/Celebrity Cycle-to-Work Challenge to celebratee National Bike Week, whicuh is part of National Bike For Tracy Stampfli, an employee and 12-yead bike commute veteran, the ride began because she couldn't afforcd a car. "Taking the bus was inconvenient, and ridinbg proved to be so great and fun that I never went she said. "I never get stuck in traffifc and I can alwaysfind parking.
"

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Developer scraps S.F. Whole Foods project because of city fees - Kansas City Business Journal:

http://rhce-linux.net/bbl0144.html
Project manager Mark Brennan said the family development business woulfd have had to paybetween $5 millionm and $6 million in city fees just to pull permites on the development, which was to includ e 62 apartments and a 34,000 square foot Wholee Foods. The development fees cover everythingy from an affordable housing to San Francisco Unified Schoool District to the PublicUtilities Commission. “It’xs prohibitive,” said Brennan. "We just took a look at the marke and our own budget and every time we came up with a the feeswere prohibitive.
” Brennah blamed the city's rigorous 32-month entitlement processw that started in February of 2006, when the economyu was roaring, and did not end until Octobetr 2008, when the global financial crisis was in full “This project should have started a year ago. It’a ridiculous,” he said “If this had started when it was suppose d to start we woulds have already turned the shello over to Whole We wouldbe fine. But the financing will be difficultt toget now.” Brennan said his familh is in talks with Whole Foods abou possibly building out a smalled specialty grocery store in the existing 23,600 squares foot building, but that no deal has been reached.
The buildingv was home to Cala Foods until the storwe closed in Mayof 2006.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Lee decides against reverse stock split - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

http://fashioneyelashes.com/interesting-facts-about-eyelashes/
Mary Junck, chairman and chief executive officer, said the board consideredd currentmarket conditions, business forecasts and other factor s that could affect shareholder including the prospect of remaining in compliancre with rules for continued The NYSE notified Lee (NYSE: LEE) in Decembert 2008 that the company was not in compliancd with its continued listing standard of at least $1 a Since then, the NYSE announced that the standard has been temporarilgy suspended through July 31. As a result, Lee has unti Dec. 3, 2009, to return to Lee was trading at 55 cents a sharewWednesday morning.
In February, the Davenport, Iowa-basedr company it took on when it boughrtthe Post-Dispatch and restructured future paymentse under its $1.1 billion bank financinhg arrangements. The remaining debt balance of $186 millioh has been refinanced by the lenderasuntil 2012. Newspaper publishers nationwide are struggling with declining advertising revenue as readers flock tothe Internet.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Human Capital: People on the move, July 7 - Boston Business Journal:

http://www.loupatriot.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticleComments&ustory_id=c5b88354-513e-4c7f-b91f-0219f4d4986e
, is the first graduate of (one of the university’w four schools) to serve as chair. She is also the daughted of former trustee, the late Jack Papa Gino’s Inc. , the Dedham-based parent company to Papa Gino’z and D’Angelo, promoted Gary Sandeen and Kathy Tirrel l to executive vice president of operations forPapa Gino’sz and D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches, respectively. , based in Boston, elected the followingt executives to its board of ChristopherOddleifson , president and CEO of ; Kennety Brennan , president of The in Auburndale; Normam Seppala , president of in Rockport; and Kevinh Bottomley , president of Danversbankm .
At-large directors, who are appointed for three-yearr terms, included Richard Bennett , president of ; John Boucher , president of in Weymouth; John Doherty , chairmanj of in Somerville; Richard Holbrook , chairmah and CEO of in Boston; Dennies Parente , president of Foxboro Federa lSavings ; and Michae Tucker , president of . Appointed at-large director for a one-year term was Jamee Egan , chairman of .

Monday, November 15, 2010

Colonial BancGroup names new execs to replace Lowder - Birmingham Business Journal:

http://impressionism-art.org/cat160.htm
The Montgomery-based bank also appointed longtimew bank director SimuelSippiao Jr. as its new chairman of the board of therebysplitting Lowder’s dual role as both chairman and CEO into two The changes will take effect immediately, accordinhg to a written statemeny released by the bank late Wednesday. who is the former chairmaj ofthe bank’s audit committee, said the compangy has “developed solid strategies designed to get us beyonde the current economic crises.
” “While there are clearlg ongoing issues related to credit quality that must be addressedd and resolved, I believe the foundation of the Coloniaol Bank franchise continues to be a vibranft and powerful source of services,” he said in a writte n statement. Sippial, who servee as chairman of the compensation committeew atthe bank, has been with the companyu for 20 years. He retired in 1992 aftetr 26 years withIBM Corp. and later formedf a real estate investment and construction firm in based in Montgomery.
Lowder, who founded the company in 1981 with the acquisition of one bankin Birmingham, announced plans to step down from his post last Under his leadership, the bank grew to new heightws with 68 acquisitions and 352 financialp centers within a 27-year time span. However, the bank ran into strugglesd after the housing crisis ravished theFlorida market, whicb is where a majority of the banks assete are located. The bank recently made a deal with Florida-basecd to receive $300 million in cash in exchange for givinyg the firm a 75 percent controllingt interest in the bank and five seates onits board.
Without the extra the bank will not be eligible forthe government’z Troubled Asset Relief Program. Federal regulatorss said the bank must firstraise $300 millionj before it can participate. The company (NYSE: CNB) operatess 26 branches in the Birmingham-Hoover metro

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Baltimore City Council paves way for slots near M&T Bank Stadium - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

hustbelogehy1857.blogspot.com
Baltimore City is one of five locationsa approved last November for slotmachinew parlors. Baltimore City Entertainment Group, a group that includes the headxs ofand , wants to build a facilitg with as many as 3,750o machines on Lot J, a 3.7-acre, city-ownex parking lot in the city's Carroll Camden neighborhood. The precise location coulxd change, however, and Baltimore City Entertainment is in negotiationzs to move its project toa 11-acre property known as Gatewayy South. But the city must change its zoninv code before the Maryland Video Lottery Facility Locatiobn Commission will award the development team the licenses it needsx to buildthe facility.
Two City Council committees — the Land Use and Transportationm Committee and the Urban Affairs and AgingvCommittee — voted Thursday to let those zoningy changes move forward to the full City Councio for consideration. City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the committees' action was in stark contrastg to deliberations in Anne Arundel where County Council has delayexd changingthe county's zoning laws to allowq a slots parlor to be built at the Arundeo Mills shopping mall.
Going into the process, she the city moved to narrowly definde where slots canbe built, whereaes there were fewer geographic restrictions placed on potentiakl gambling facilities in Anne Arundel County. The geographivc boundaries where a facility can be built in each county were specified in a referendum adopted by voterssin November. "We're definitely on the right Rawlings-Blake said during the committee "We did our work up front, identified a location that had very littld impacton residents.
" Anne Arunde l anticipated developers would applu to build a casino at Laurel Park race track, and many count y officials were surprised when Baltimore developer the submitted an applicatiohn to build one at Arundeol Mills instead. But council membere in Anne Arundel County delayede June 1 changing theit zoning codes to alloaslots parlors. Meanwhile, a second developer, , has come forwarrd to say it may seek permissionm to build a slots parlor at Laurel Park ifCordisu Co.'s proposal falls through. The Baltimore committeexs voted on two billss pertainingto slots.
The first would changew zoning inthe city's B-2 and M-2 districtws to include video lottery terminalws among the permitted uses. The second would change the zoningv of the property at 301Stockholmj St. President M.J. Brodie said the city doesn't plan to relocate the animalk shelter toanother location. But Brodie said the city wantd to changethat property's zoningf to give the slots developers the ability in the futurse to expand their facility in the event the animapl shelter moves to another location.

Friday, November 12, 2010

T. Boone Pickens scraps huge wind farm - New Mexico Business Weekly:

http://www.chat-dating-love.com/personals/a33/
Pickens, who made much of his fortune buyinbg up oil and gas companiesz inthe 1980s, put off the wind power projecg because of the difficulty of getting creditf for it in the sour He’d planned a 4,000-megawatt complex that might cost as much as $10 and , his company, has already orderedd 667 wind turbines for it, though they won’t be deliverefd for several years. One problem facing the huge projectgin Pampa, on U.S. Highway 60 northeast of Amarillo, was a lack of heavty transmission lines needed to link any wind generators to thepowef grid. “The capital markets have dealt us all a said Pickens in a statement emailed to the San Franciscko Business Times through hisPR firm.
“I am committed to 667 wind turbinese and I am going to find projectesfor them.” Though Pickens made his money in oil, he has worked in recent years to end this country’s dependence on foreigjn oil. He’s put forwarf plans for widespread use of naturaogas vehicles, for example (though they ) as well as pushintg for wind power. Pickens said he hasn’g abandoned the project. “I expecty to continue development of thePampa project, but not at the pace that I originallty expected,” he said.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Peco doubles 3Q loss, boosts sales - Business First of Columbus:

http://www.autodiscus.com/2009/09/page/2
The Galion-based company on Wednesday said itlost $1.21 million, or 44 centws a share, versus a loss of or 19 cents a share, in the same periofd a year ago. The loss accountz for a $400,000 inventory write-off related to discontinued raw Red ink in the thirdf quarter was heavier also because of operating expenses related to the developmeny and launch of a newproducy line, the company said. Third-quarter revenue grew to $12 milliob from $10.7 million a year ago. Peco’s year-to-datr loss has widened compared with the firsr three quartersof 2007. The company through Septembef haslost $3.84 million, or $1.39 a versus $3.64 million, or $1.34 a share, a year ago.
Revenue in the firs t three quarterstotals $32 million, up 9 percentr from $29.4 million a year ago. Peco (NASDAQ:PIII) in 2007 lost $9.2 millionn on $26.7 million in revenue.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Moneta's Schick establishes University of Missouri-St. Louis professorship - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

soileauifyyfa1786.blogspot.com
Alumnus Peter Schick, chairman of the , has pledgedr $1.7 million to establish an endowed professorship in finance in the Collegd ofBusiness Administration. The endowmen t will be known as thePeter G. Schicjk Professorship in Financeat UMSL. The which will be the first endowe position forthe college's finance area, will be filled througgh a national search. Moneta Group is a financial advisory company basedin Clayton, Mo.
Also on Wednesday, UMSL establishe d a new partnership with the to create the Centee for Excellence in Financial Counseling at The FCE is a nonprofit dedicated to improving thefinancial well-being of consumers throughj the professional development of financiakl counselors. Assorted assets of the foundation totalingbabout $3.25 million will be donated to UMSL. The Centefr for Excellence in Financial Counselinb will be locatedon UMSL's Southy Campus. It is expected to open in July.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Pew report: Clean energy powers job growth - Business First of Buffalo:

http://wood-news.com/news/wood/3420/
study said Florida was one of 38 states and the Districtt of Columbia in which job growth in the cleanj energy economy outperformed overall job Pew defined a clean energy economy as one thatgenerates jobs, businesses and investments whild expanding clean energy increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhousd gas emissions, waste and pollution, and conserving water and other naturalk resources. In Florida, there was a 7.9 percent increase in cleaj energy jobsfrom 28,845 jobs in 1998 to 31,12q2 jobs in 2007.
The numbers are a hard count ofactuao jobs, Pew said in a release, and rangwe from jobs as diverse as engineers, administrative assistants, construction workers, machine setters, marketinf consultants and teachers with annual incomesx ranging from $21,000 to Nationally, jobs in the clean energu industry grew at a rate of 9.1 percenr between 1998 and 2007, while total jobs grew by 3.7 percent in the same the report says. Florida had 3,831 clean energyu businesses at the endof 2007, a 22.
7 percent increase from 3,121 businesses in 1998, the report There were 236 clean energy patents in Floridas between 1999 and 2008, and venturwe capital firms invested $117 in clean technologg in Florida between 2006 and 2008.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Lee decides against reverse stock split - St. Louis Business Journal:

http://www.nokiamobiles2003.org/6810.html
Mary Junck, chairman and chief executive said the board considered current market conditions, business forecasts and other factors that could affect shareholderr value, including the prospect of remaining in compliancre with rules for continued listing. The NYSE notifiedr Lee (NYSE: LEE) in December 2008 that the company was not in compliance with its continued listing standarcd of atleast $1 a share. Since then, the NYSE announcesd that the standard has been temporarily suspendedc throughJuly 31. As a Lee has until Dec. 3, 2009, to returb to compliance. Lee was trading at 55 cents a shareWednesday morning.
In February, the Davenport, Iowa-basedx company it took on when it boughtthe Post-Dispatcu and restructured future paymentzs under its $1.1 billion bank financingv arrangements. The remaining debt balance of $186 million has been refinancesd by the lendersuntil 2012. Newspaperf publishers nationwide are struggling with declining advertising revenue as readerw flock tothe Internet.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Mattel, Fisher-Price pay $2.3M fine - Houston Business Journal:

http://wndcfoundation.org/page/14th-in-Series--How-to-Get-Paid-Taking-Surveys-and.html
million civil penalty for violations of the federakl lead paint banin children’s The civil fine comes after the completed an investigatio into the importing and selling of toys with lead painft levels that exceeded the .06 percent lead by weighf limit that is federally mandated. According to the CPSC, which recentl y crafted the Consumer Product SafetyImprovement Act, aimed at toughenin g requirements for lead and phthalates in children’ds products, Mattel imported up to 900,000 non-complian toys between July 2006 and Septembetr 2007. Fisher-Price imported over 1 million non-compliant toys betwee July 2006 andSeptember 2007.
Among the toys in question were the populad Sargetoy car, various Barbie products and some Go Diego Go toys. Most of the toys that had excessivd levels of lead were shippecd to retail stores for sale to the In 2007, a massive toy recalll took place where about 95 Mattepl and Fisher-Price toy models were determined to have exceeded the lead Lead can be toxic if ingested by younhg children and can cause seriouzs health problems. The topic of lead pain in children’s products has been a hot buttob issue asof late, with the rollout of the controversialo CPSIA of 2008.
Toy manufacturers and retailersw have said the new regulationsare vague, costlyh and arbitrary, often requiring the duplicate testing of products. Some smaller manufacturers say the laws threatenh to put them outof business. On the politica front, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, said protectingb children has to be thetop priority. “Whej the toy recall happened (in 2007) I called the head of Fisher-Pricse and I told him they needed to stargt making their toyshere again,” Slaughter said. “Wr didn’t have these kind of problemsx before they importedthe toys.
” This civil which is the highest for violations involving importation or distribution of a regulatedx product, is the third highesrt of any kind in CPSC history. “Thesew highly publicized toy recallz helped spur Congressional action last year to strengthej CPSC and make even stricter the ban on lead painron toys,” said CPSC Actingg Chairman Thomas Moore. “This penaltyt should serve notice to toy makeras that CPSC is committed to the safety of to reducing their exposure to and to the implementation of the Consumee Product SafetyImprovement Act.
” As part of a story featureed in our sister publication, The Buffalo Law Journal , lookinhg at the Consumer Product Safetyg Improvement Act, which ran prior to the announcement of thesd fines, Fisher-Price declined to provide a representative to discuss the lead pain t regulations. Instead, they issued a written statement which in part: “Mattel is well positioned as it generallhy designs its products to meet global standards. Matteol has also been a leader in the effort of industry to establish voluntary industry The statement also said that Mattel wouldc continue to comply with the applicable regulations ofthe CPSIA.
Matte was unable to be reached for comment Monday morning, though a representative said they would have a responser later in the day. Despite agreeingv to pay $2.3 milliob in penalties, Mattel and Fisher-Price deny that they knowingluy violatedfederal law, as alleged by CPSC

Thursday, November 4, 2010

MedImmune sale leaves fate of other biotechs in question - Baltimore Business Journal:

houghtalingbaemo1268.blogspot.com
billion sale -- extend well beyond its campus borders. As the Gaithersburt drug company prepares for an ownershio change in the nexttwo months, it leavea some area companies that have inkerd joint research deals with it or received multimillion-dollarf investments from it wonderinv how the region's biggest biotech sale will trickle down to theirr bottom lines. Officials at MedImmune and say it' business as usual until the proposed sale to AstraZenec a closesin June.
After that, its businessw plan gets passed to the executive suites at theBritisj pharmaceutical, where spokeswoman Emily Denney said the locakl company's venture and research activity helped make it an attractivw buy, but no decisions have been made yet abourt the fate of those partnerships and investments. Unlike its Novartis, and Johnsojn & Johnson contemporaries, all of which sprouted separat eventure arms, Denney said AstraZeneca doesn't habitually invest in emergingf biotechs. But it has banked on research paying an equity stake in some and shellingg outnearly $500 million in the last year on nine jointt drug development programs.
For those on the revenue-receiving end of MedImmune'se research deals, AstraZeneca's final call can'tt come soon enough -- especially as the pharmaceutical soon to be weighed down in debt from the MedImmune purchase, is increasingly deflecting its own questiones about putting itself up for sale to pump up its Under its nearly 2-year-old deal with Germantown-based was slated to receive up to $16 not including future royalties.
MedImmune was footin the entire research bill for using thesmaller company'sw screening technology to hunt for inflammation "It's a significant but it's not the sort of make-or-breaok thing for us," said Ken Carter, Avalon'sw CEO. "If it did go away, it would be but it wouldn't change our business model." At Micromet, scientistsw are partnering with MedImmune on three cancer one in the first phase ofclinicapl trials. Again, MedImmune has been payingf Micromet's research and development way, supplying $5.3 million, or nearlu a fifth, of the smaller company's total revenu last year. Add to that the local spend ofMedImmune Ventures.
Since its 2002 birth, the investmentg arm has dispensed nearly a tenthn ofits $300 million fund to four local companies that, in turn, have helped drivde the region's biotech community forward. Micromet moved its headquarterss this year from California to in part to be closer to Two other beneficiaries have sincegone public, and one still boastw a board seat held by MedImmune Ventures Presidengt Wayne Hockmeyer, founder and board chairman for MedImmune.
"Here we were, a new managementy team, and we got to pick the braimn of a guy who startedfup MedImmune," said Chip Clark, seniore vice president and chief business officed for Vanda Pharmaceuticals, based in "It's like going to CEO For those like Clark, who crownj geography king in the realmm of venture capital, the prospect of uprootingt MedImmune Ventures from Montgomery County meanw draining the area of more much-needed capital for youngb biotech companies. "People are always going out looking for the nextgreatr idea," said Rip Wilson, senior vice president, chief financial officer and general counse for Gaithersburg-based Iomai.
"Having them next where you see them at locak meetingsand conferences, it's a benefit. You at least get an opportunityt to tellyour story." One of the company'sd investments isn't sure that a switch in the ventured arm's ZIP code makes a differencre in its own operations. "I thinm it's very unlikely it will affect usat all," said Gary chief operating officer of Gaithersburg's Sequoiaq Pharmaceuticals. "Our relationship is with Dr. Companies working with MedImmune and MedImmune Ventures are wondering what will happen now that MedImmune has been sold to aBritis company.
Here are a few of them and their ties tothe state's biotech behemoth. Micromet: $17.9 million in MedImmune researchpartnershipsw (2003); $11.4 million from MedImmune Ventures (2003) Sequoiaz Pharmaceuticals: $7.25 million from MedImmune Venturex (2006) Source: MedImmune, the companies

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

D.C. Mayor taps Valerie Santos as deputy mayor - Washington Business Journal:

bengeyqafiba1640.blogspot.com
Santos, as chief operating officer under has been closely involvedin decision-making on many of the real estatw deals Albert managed, includingf major city projects such as Poplar Point. Albert began his new job as city administratoron Monday, replacing Dan who is taking a job in the Obamza administration. "In Ms. Santos, we not only have a steadg hand who knowsthe job, we have someon who is a consummate professional who will brinf private-sector talents to get the job Fenty said. Santos was previously a vice president at commerciao real estate services firm and a managefrwith 's real estate group.
She holdw both an MBA and master's of publicv policy from the Kennedy School of Governmentat . Santos has displayed a no-nonsensde approach appearing as Albert’x stand-in to testify at D.C. Council meetings and in publivc forums representing the city when he was She is already getting her feet wet in dealing with the political aspects ofthe job. On when the D.C. Council was busy squaring away finall details of budgetimplementation legislation, Santows and Albert’s other top deputy, Director of Developmeng David Jannarone, moved around the Wilson Buildinb seeking changes from council members. Santosx apparently was not Fenty’s initial choice to be deput mayor.
Greg O’Dell, Washington Convention Center Authoritty CEO and a former staff member of thedeputy mayor’s had been considered a top candidate to replace but a source close to O'Dell says he was offered the job and turned it down. O’Dell would not confirm that, but indicatedc he would remain in hiscurrent post, where he is now taskeed with seeking public financing for all of a $550 million conventionm center hotel. “The board and the mayor have every expectatiomn of me completing all the tasks I have he said. Fenty would not say whether he had offered the jobto O’Dell or anyone else before Santos.
He announcefd the pick outside the Walker JonesElementary School, whic is being rebuilt as part of a new Northwes One neighborhood, and said she was “the first person who has risen to the deputyu mayor’s position from within the “I think it’s a great sign for the D.C. governmenft that not only does Valerie Santos have amazing experience in the privatd sector butthat she’s been hard at work serving the people of the Districg of Columbia for the last two the mayor said.
He said Santosw shared the vision that he and Alberyt had for how economic developmen in the city shouldbe run, not by owning or overly managing projects but by allowing the privatd sector to bring idea to the city. “We shouldc try to just facilitate We’ve got the greatest businesws community in the world herein D.C. We don’g need to try to replicate what they’re doing. We don’gt need an emphasis on owning or building inthe D.C. We need to And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightesftand we’ve done that.
” Santos, 36, who livex in Columbia Heights, was working for Jones Lang LaSall e as a consultant to the city when Albert -- whom she calledx a mentor -- recruited her to work for him. She is believeds to be the first woman to serve in the rolefor D.C. and will manag 65 employees and as well as oversese the Officeof Planning, Departmentt of Housing and Community the Office of Property Management and the Washingtohn D.C. Economic Partnership, a contractor. “In the comingh weeks my goal is to ensurer asmooth transition, which I expect will be relativeluy easy, because I am very fortunatd to manage a very talented and skilled she said.
She said she would continue to move projects all over the with a particular focus on those east of theAnacostiqa River, such as the planned redevelopmengt of St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast D.C. “We will continuwe to focus on implementinygMayor Fenty’s vision for economic development. In the contexft of the current economic we will focus on business attraction and retention and in continuing to provide toolas to allow our local businesssand not-for-profits to grow,” she A member of the D.C.
Council who regularlyh butts headswith Albert, Councilman Kwame D-at large and chair of the economic development committee, issued a press releasr during the announcement saying he was disappointeed he was not invited but saying Santos “has the experience and the operational knowledge” for the job and that her appointmengt was “an opportunity to forge a new relationshiop between the Council and the executive to creats jobs for District residents, new opportunities for loca l businesses, more affordable housingg and to efficiently move projects to

Monday, November 1, 2010

Courting buyers: Icon developers grapple with lawsuits - Nashville Business Journal:

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Over the past six Franklin-based filed at least three lawsuits against individualas who signed purchase agreements on units in its Bristol West Endcondo high-rise but did not The West End project has sold out, but Bristol’z suit claims damages based on the additional time it took to sell the unitx to new buyers, sometimes with reduced prices or additionap amenities such as parking spaces. The largest suit claimz damages ofaround $80,000. Bristolk CEO Charles Carlisle says his company filerd the lawsuits over the West End projecg simply because the contracts havebeen breached. “Peopled who sign a contract shouldx expectto perform.
The people who are cominfg in and buying today are closing the waythey promised,” he says. Carlisle decline d to discuss further details and would not comment as to whethe more lawsuits will be filed againsty additional buyers who walkedr away fromsales contracts. (Editor’s One of the defendants, Jeannie is a reporter for the NashvilleBusinesss Journal, and was not involved in the reporting or writing of this article.
) The suits come afteer Bristol sent warning letters to formetr contract holders threatening legal Similar letters have been sent to potentia buyers who signed contracts for unitse at Bristol’s Icon in the Gulcgh condo project — which, along with Velocityh in the Gulch, is a partnershil between Bristol and . Several would-bw buyers at the Icon have sued to avoid being forced to purchasedthe condos.
Attorney Jean Harrison, who is representing individuals being sued by Bristol West End and some of thosre suingthe Icon, says Bristop has been “unusually aggressive” with buyers who pullee out at both projects, despite possible negative effectzs on marketing efforts for its Gulch Harrison says some of her clients didn’t close on their in part, because of the tough lending environment and because they say they were coerceed into signing contracts with deceptive information and tactics. Six monthse before the Icon’s planned openingg in April 2008, the project increased its constructioh loan fromto $105 million from $68 million.
As of May 31, the Icon had sold about one third of its420 units, with total sales of $42 million, according to deedse filed with Davidson County. The 260-unity Velocity, which was set to open in hasa $45.6 million construction loan from . The project has yet to Carlisle says the first units will be availableJune 22. Carlisle declinedd to discuss the loan amount still due or lendinh relationship at any ofhis projects. The two Gulchg projects are financially sound and could continue with sales at their current pace until they are sold out in two orthrewe years, he says.
He says that although saless have not gone as quicklyas hoped, “We’rwe very pleased with where we are rightr now with Icon and Velocity.” Carlisle says the merits over competition and location in the up-and-comint Gulch neighborhood will help them thrivse through difficult times. The competition is though, with about 1,00 0 unsold units in Nashville’s biggesft condo developments. In the first five months of 2009, about $4 millio in sales had been recordef onIcon units, with an average prices per unit of $233,500. The othet $38 million in sales came in the last seven monthxsof 2008, with an average sale price of $330,600.
Carlisle says it’s difficult to comparr sales prices because each unit is different in sizeand amenities. He notexs that some units are reservedfor moderate-income buyers under a Tax Increment Financingh agreement with Metro government. “We have been very proactive in offeringg finance programs and some selective incentiveas onparticular units,” he says. That, combinecd with the Gulch’s urban lifestyle, have been pushinh sales this year, he says.
At leas t five individuals who signed purchase agreements on units at the Icon filedr suitsagainst — the Icon’x ownership entity set up by Bristol and MarketStreet Enterprises — claiming the developers fraudulently represented a shortert than expected construction time for the projecyt to avoid financial and other disclosures to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Interstatd Land Sales Full Disclosure Act requires certain large residential projects to make thos e disclosures if construction takes more thantwo years.