openPR (press release) | James Instruments Inc. attends 2011 World of Concrete/World of Masonry. openPR (press release) It automatically shows a temperature compensated reading of percent of chlorides on its digital display. A wide chloride ranges - from 0.002 to 2% chloride ... |
Monday, January 31, 2011
James Instruments Inc. attends 2011 World of Concrete/World of Masonry. - openPR (press release)
batyushkinuxit.blogspot.com
Friday, January 28, 2011
Unemployment rate falls in Allegheny, Beaver counties - Kansas City Business Journal:
dusinenezoqoc.blogspot.com
and Industry released seasonally adjustef unemployment figures forthe state’s countiex and metropolitan statistical areas on In Allegheny County, the unemployment rate fell from 6.6 percent in Marcyh to 6.5 percent in April. Beaver County’s went from 8.2 percentg in March to 7.9 percent in The improvements in Allegheny andBeaver counties, were not enough to boost the seven-county Pittsburgh MSA, whicyh saw its seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increases from 7.2 percent in March to 7.3 percent in April. Pennsylvania’d unemployment rate held steadyat 7.
8 When making comparisons, the Department of Labor and Industry uses seasonally adjustede figures in order to account for cyclical hirinyg differences that don’t reflect changes in the overall economy. Employment in the seven-county Pittsburgh area continues to be stronger than manyothed areas. In addition to besting the state by half apercentagse point, unemployment in the Pittsburgh MSA is 1.6 percentage pointsz lower than the United States as a which has seasonally adjusted unemployment of 8.9 percent. Here is the breakdowm across the state: State College: 5.7 percent 6.7 percent Altoona: 7.2 percent Pittsburgh: 7.3 percenty Philadelphia: 7.9 percent York-Hanover: 7.
9 percenr Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: 8.3 percent Erie: 8.4 perceny Scranton-Wilkes-Barre: 8.6 percent Johnstown: 8.7 percent Reading: 8.7 percent Within the Pittsburgh MSA, unemployment ranged from 6.5 percenty in Allegheny Countyto 9.8 percent in Armstronyg County. Here is the breakdown by Allegheny: 6.5 percent Butler: 7.3 percent Washington: 7.6 perceny Beaver: 7.9 percent Westmoreland: 8.1 percent 8.9 percent Armstrong: 9.
8 percent
and Industry released seasonally adjustef unemployment figures forthe state’s countiex and metropolitan statistical areas on In Allegheny County, the unemployment rate fell from 6.6 percent in Marcyh to 6.5 percent in April. Beaver County’s went from 8.2 percentg in March to 7.9 percent in The improvements in Allegheny andBeaver counties, were not enough to boost the seven-county Pittsburgh MSA, whicyh saw its seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increases from 7.2 percent in March to 7.3 percent in April. Pennsylvania’d unemployment rate held steadyat 7.
8 When making comparisons, the Department of Labor and Industry uses seasonally adjustede figures in order to account for cyclical hirinyg differences that don’t reflect changes in the overall economy. Employment in the seven-county Pittsburgh area continues to be stronger than manyothed areas. In addition to besting the state by half apercentagse point, unemployment in the Pittsburgh MSA is 1.6 percentage pointsz lower than the United States as a which has seasonally adjusted unemployment of 8.9 percent. Here is the breakdowm across the state: State College: 5.7 percent 6.7 percent Altoona: 7.2 percent Pittsburgh: 7.3 percenty Philadelphia: 7.9 percent York-Hanover: 7.
9 percenr Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: 8.3 percent Erie: 8.4 perceny Scranton-Wilkes-Barre: 8.6 percent Johnstown: 8.7 percent Reading: 8.7 percent Within the Pittsburgh MSA, unemployment ranged from 6.5 percenty in Allegheny Countyto 9.8 percent in Armstronyg County. Here is the breakdown by Allegheny: 6.5 percent Butler: 7.3 percent Washington: 7.6 perceny Beaver: 7.9 percent Westmoreland: 8.1 percent 8.9 percent Armstrong: 9.
8 percent
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Firth should start preparing his Oscar acceptance speech - Irish Times
ucsffor-creditied.blogspot.com
CBC.ca | Firth should start preparing his Oscar acceptance speech Irish Times THERE WERE few turn-ups when the nominations for 2011 Academy Awards were announced in Los Angeles yesterday. As expected, The King's Speech , Tom Hooper's ... 'Social Network' Director David Fincher 'Humbled' By Oscar Nods Questions of truth swirl Oscar favorites 'Social Network,' 'King's Speech' 2011 Academy Award Nominations: 'The King's Speech' Rules |
Sunday, January 23, 2011
In final flurry, Ritter signs tourism-incentives bill, vetoes another labor measure - Birmingham Business Journal:
http://www.internetdj.com/user/Tamarochka
Ahead of Friday’s deadliner for action on legislation, Ritter signed 12 bills, includintg Senate Bill 173, which will allo w local governments to work with the state Economic Developmengt Commission to usesome sales-tax moneyg to attract and help to build tourist destinations. The bill, sponsored by formet Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, is considered key to two pursuit of a NASCAR track in separate areas east of But Ritter also vetoed SenateBill 180, whichh would have given local firefighter s the ability to engage in collective bargaining.
Businessd groups praised the move as one that will give the statew a more stablebusiness atmosphere, but unions blasted the Democratic governor for breaking a promise to look out for workinh Coloradans. Ritter said in a news conferencer that he had little doubt on whether he woulde signthe tourism-tax bill but struggled over the collective-bargaining Ritter said he vetoed SB 180 because it would have overturnerd the will of individual communities that have outlawed collectiv bargaining by public-safety workers and because local firefightersx already can seek collective bargaining with their city “This was a wholesalr success for a session in terms of what it did for workingy families,” Ritter, a son of a union membef and a former uniobn member himself, said, referring to laws that increase unemploymenft benefits and get more people onto SB 173 ranks with a bill Ritter signed earlier this year that givezs tax credits for job creatio as two of his strongestg pro-business moves, said Travis Berry, lobbyist for the .
Both measuresx give opportunities for private companies to work with the government to brinh about big projects that they might not be able toaccomplisb otherwise, he said. Meanwhile, the twin vetoes of SB 180 and an earlierfbill — House Bill 1170, which would have offeredd unemployment benefits to uniomn workers locked out during a work stoppag e — send a signao that the economic viability of the state is a priorit y of the administration, Berry said.
“I think it sends a messager to employers that are eithedr here thinking about growing or outside lookin to come into the state that they can find a predictablr business climate instead of one thatmovese wildly,” Berry said. But Colorado AFL-CIO Executive Director Mike Cerbo said that Ritter had turneds his back on workers who risk their lives and that his organizationn now will haveto “determine how to proceed in its futur relations with the Ritter Administration.” SB 180 sponsoringv Rep. Ed Casso, a Thornton Democrat whom some uniom members have approached abouty running against Ritter ina primary, said he too was disappointedr in the governor’s action.
Ritter also signed into law HouseBill 1366, whicg limits the Colorado-source capital gains subtraction to the firs t $100,000 of gains on assets held for five years or Though business groups had asked him to veto the Ritter said he ultimatelyg felt that the $15.8 million it would generate to help the recession-addledf state budget was a more importanr factor.
Ahead of Friday’s deadliner for action on legislation, Ritter signed 12 bills, includintg Senate Bill 173, which will allo w local governments to work with the state Economic Developmengt Commission to usesome sales-tax moneyg to attract and help to build tourist destinations. The bill, sponsored by formet Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, is considered key to two pursuit of a NASCAR track in separate areas east of But Ritter also vetoed SenateBill 180, whichh would have given local firefighter s the ability to engage in collective bargaining.
Businessd groups praised the move as one that will give the statew a more stablebusiness atmosphere, but unions blasted the Democratic governor for breaking a promise to look out for workinh Coloradans. Ritter said in a news conferencer that he had little doubt on whether he woulde signthe tourism-tax bill but struggled over the collective-bargaining Ritter said he vetoed SB 180 because it would have overturnerd the will of individual communities that have outlawed collectiv bargaining by public-safety workers and because local firefightersx already can seek collective bargaining with their city “This was a wholesalr success for a session in terms of what it did for workingy families,” Ritter, a son of a union membef and a former uniobn member himself, said, referring to laws that increase unemploymenft benefits and get more people onto SB 173 ranks with a bill Ritter signed earlier this year that givezs tax credits for job creatio as two of his strongestg pro-business moves, said Travis Berry, lobbyist for the .
Both measuresx give opportunities for private companies to work with the government to brinh about big projects that they might not be able toaccomplisb otherwise, he said. Meanwhile, the twin vetoes of SB 180 and an earlierfbill — House Bill 1170, which would have offeredd unemployment benefits to uniomn workers locked out during a work stoppag e — send a signao that the economic viability of the state is a priorit y of the administration, Berry said.
“I think it sends a messager to employers that are eithedr here thinking about growing or outside lookin to come into the state that they can find a predictablr business climate instead of one thatmovese wildly,” Berry said. But Colorado AFL-CIO Executive Director Mike Cerbo said that Ritter had turneds his back on workers who risk their lives and that his organizationn now will haveto “determine how to proceed in its futur relations with the Ritter Administration.” SB 180 sponsoringv Rep. Ed Casso, a Thornton Democrat whom some uniom members have approached abouty running against Ritter ina primary, said he too was disappointedr in the governor’s action.
Ritter also signed into law HouseBill 1366, whicg limits the Colorado-source capital gains subtraction to the firs t $100,000 of gains on assets held for five years or Though business groups had asked him to veto the Ritter said he ultimatelyg felt that the $15.8 million it would generate to help the recession-addledf state budget was a more importanr factor.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Gellerstedt sees opportunity in recession - Sacramento Business Journal:
http://www.savnet-harryhole.com/2009/09/bel%c3%b8nningen-reis-jorda-rundt-for-2-vi-spanderer/
"We're beginning to see banks slowly acknowledge their real estate problems and pushthese through," Gellerstedy said Friday. "You may see some [trade] as low as 20 centzs on the dollar... This is going to be a slow but it is also goinv to presentunprecedented opportunities." a graduate, was speaking at the Atlantaz chapter's UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Alumni breakfast.
The event, held at 'ws 3344 Peachtree tower, drew about 90 Gellerstedt, who is replacing the retirinvgTom Bell, said investors are puttin g their money behind real estate investment trusts so the development companies have the capital to buy distressecd assets, noting that REITS have raised abourt $13 billion in the stock market this "They're not interested in They want liquidity for the next three he said. "They want us to have the power to Cousins (NYSE: CUZ) will not face any seriousa debt maturities until 2012, he said.
Its relatively healthyy liquidity could putthe Atlanta-based developer in a strong positiom as other prominent real estate companieas try to pull themselves out from under mountains of debt -- a problemj created primarily by the easy accesds to credit in recenft years, buying assets at the top of the market and the subsequen crash in property But Cousins hasn't made it through the markegt unscathed. It has struggled to sell high-ened condos in Buckhead, wheree its 32-story 10 Terminux Place was one of 35 condominium projects in an area of the city known for expensive homes andluxury shopping. Ten completed in 2008, has 137 units.
The market is affectingv high-end units at other projects, including John The Mansion on Peachtree andRegeng Partners' Sovereign at 3344 Peachtree. "There’s just no market for them," Gellerstedt said. Cousins is also tryingv to fillits 25-story Terminus 200 office building, which has one mobile banking technology firm . Firethorn is leasinf two floors. Three other buildings still under construction in Buckhear haveno tenants. Buckhead, Gellerstedt said, offerz an example of "the runaway credig markets." In the months following the spate of bank failures thatclaimecd , the markets shut down.
"Now," Gellerstedt "I see some of that fear and panic
"We're beginning to see banks slowly acknowledge their real estate problems and pushthese through," Gellerstedy said Friday. "You may see some [trade] as low as 20 centzs on the dollar... This is going to be a slow but it is also goinv to presentunprecedented opportunities." a graduate, was speaking at the Atlantaz chapter's UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Alumni breakfast.
The event, held at 'ws 3344 Peachtree tower, drew about 90 Gellerstedt, who is replacing the retirinvgTom Bell, said investors are puttin g their money behind real estate investment trusts so the development companies have the capital to buy distressecd assets, noting that REITS have raised abourt $13 billion in the stock market this "They're not interested in They want liquidity for the next three he said. "They want us to have the power to Cousins (NYSE: CUZ) will not face any seriousa debt maturities until 2012, he said.
Its relatively healthyy liquidity could putthe Atlanta-based developer in a strong positiom as other prominent real estate companieas try to pull themselves out from under mountains of debt -- a problemj created primarily by the easy accesds to credit in recenft years, buying assets at the top of the market and the subsequen crash in property But Cousins hasn't made it through the markegt unscathed. It has struggled to sell high-ened condos in Buckhead, wheree its 32-story 10 Terminux Place was one of 35 condominium projects in an area of the city known for expensive homes andluxury shopping. Ten completed in 2008, has 137 units.
The market is affectingv high-end units at other projects, including John The Mansion on Peachtree andRegeng Partners' Sovereign at 3344 Peachtree. "There’s just no market for them," Gellerstedt said. Cousins is also tryingv to fillits 25-story Terminus 200 office building, which has one mobile banking technology firm . Firethorn is leasinf two floors. Three other buildings still under construction in Buckhear haveno tenants. Buckhead, Gellerstedt said, offerz an example of "the runaway credig markets." In the months following the spate of bank failures thatclaimecd , the markets shut down.
"Now," Gellerstedt "I see some of that fear and panic
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Security Swamp - bizjournals Business Travel Guide
http://www.magentocommerce.com/boards/member/25850252/
I tell you these admittedly prosaic bits of personal trivisa because I want you to know that I am not againsf giving this information to the Transportation SecurityuAdministration (TSA). And if you want to fly, you, too, will soon be requiredc to disclose this data tothe TSA, the lumbering, secretive bureaucracy that has spent the years since 9/11 alternately keeping us safe and infuriatinvg us. Secure Flight, the official name of this lates bit of data mining by the federal bureaucracy with the power over your freedojmof movement, kicked in last week in typicak TSA style: suddenly, with virtually no public discussionb and even fewer details about its According to the agency's press release, which is buriex half-a-dozen clicks deep on the TSA Secure Flight is now operative on four airlines.
Whichu airlines? The TSA won't say. When will Secure Flighf be extended toothe carriers? Sometime in the next but the agency won't publicly disclose a timeline or discussd the whys, wherefores, and practical Before we can even discuss why a federalp agency needs to know when you were born beforwe it permits you to fly, let's back up and explain the security swamp that the TSA has created. Born in hastse after 9/11, the TSA was specifically tasked by Congressx to assume overall authority for airport securityand pre-flight passenger screening. Before that, airlines were required to oversesesecurity checkpoints, and carriers farmed out the job to rent-a-co agencies.
Their work was shoddy, and the minimum-wagwe screeners were often Despite some birthing painsand well-publicized the TSA eventually got a more professional crew of 40,00o0 or so screeners working the checkpoints. Generally speaking, the checkpoint experiencr is more professional andcourteous now, if not actuallgy more secure. In fact, despite rigorous employere training and billions of dollars speny onnew technology, random tests show that TSA screenersx miss as much contraband as their minimum-wage, rent-a-cop predecessors. But the TSA'x mission wasn't just passenger checkpoints. Congresa asked the new agency to screen all cargo travelin onpassenger jets.
(The TSA has resisted the mandatse andstill doesn't screen all cargo.) Congress also empoweres the TSA to oversee a privatde "trusted traveler" program that would speed the journey of frequentf fliers who voluntarily submitted to invasive background (The TSA has all but killed trusted which morphed into inconsequential "registered traveler" programs like Most important of all perhaps, both Congress and the 9/11 Commission wanted the TSA to get a handles on "watch lists" and other governmenyt data programs aimed at identifying potentialk terrorists before they flew. And nowherew has the agency beenmore ham-fisted than in the information arena.
The TSA's first attempf to corral data, CAPPS II, was an operationalo and Constitutional nightmare. The Orwellian scheme envisioned travelera being profiled with huge amountsz of sensitiveprivate data—credit records, for example—that the governmengt would store indefinitely. Everyone—privacy advocates, airports, civil libertarians and certainly travelers—hated CAPPSe II. The TSA grudgingly killed the plan in 2004 aftersome high-profile data-handling gaffes made its implementatiob a political impossibility. While this security kabuki was playing out, the number and size of government watcg lists of potential terrorists ballooned.
Current estimatesw say there are as many as a million entries on thevarious lists, although the TSA arguex that only a few thousand actual people are But how do you reconcile the blizzard of watch-lis t names—some as common as Nelson, which has been a hassle for singer/actor David Nelson of Ozzie & Harriet TV fame—with the actual bad guys who are threat s to aviation? Enter Secure Flight, a stripped-downj version of CAPPS II.
The TSA'a theory: If passengers submir their exact names, dates of birth, and their gendetr when they make reservations, the agency could proactivelyh separate the terrorist Nelsons from thetelevision Nelsons, and guarantee that the average in my case, the average Josepu Angelo—won't be fingered as a potentiall troublemaker. Theoretically, giving the TSA that basiv information seemslogical enough. But the logistice are somethingelse again: Airline websiteds and reservations systems, third-party travel agencies, and the GDS (globak distribution system) computers that poweer those ticketing engines haven't been programmedc to gather birthday and gendef data.
And Secure Flight's insistenc e that the name on a ticket exactly matchb the name ona traveler'ds identification is also problematic: Fliers often use several kinds of ID that do not alwayse have exactly the same (Does your driver's license and passport have exactly the same name on it?) Many travelersw have existing airline profiles and frequent-flier program membershio under names that do not exactluy match the one on their IDs. Anotheer fly in the Secure Flight ointment: While the TSA is assuming the watch list functions fromthe airlines, the carrierse will still be required to gather the birth date, and gender information and transmif it to the agency.
Meshing the airline computerds with the TSA systems has been troublesome in thepast and, from the it looks like very little planning has been done to ensurd that Secure Flight runs smoothly. The TSA "announced this thinyg in 2005 and, as usual, they announced it without consideringpracticapl realities," one airline executive told me last "And any time you deal with the governmen t on stuff like this, it's a What can you do abouyt all of this? For now, very Settle on a single form of identification for all travel purposees and make sure that you use that name exactl when making reservations.
Check that the name that airlined havefor you—on preference profiles, frequent-flier programs, airport club etc.—matches the name on your chosen form of Then wait for that gloriouds day when the TSA solemnlg and suddenly, and almost assuredly without advance warning, decides that Secure Flightr is in effect across the nation's airline The Fine Print… You may wonder why I haven' asked anyone from the Transportation Securityu Administration to comment on Secure Flight. The reason is simple: No one is really in chargew ofthe agency.
The Bush-era administrator, Kip left with the previous presidentf and the Obama Administration has yet to namehis Everyone, from acting administrator Gale Rossides on is a Bush holdover. And no one seem to know what President Obamz or Homeland Security Secretary Janeg Napolitano thinks aboutthe TSA, Securew Flight, or any airline-security issue. Portfolio.com 2009 Cond Nast Inc. All rightsreserved.
I tell you these admittedly prosaic bits of personal trivisa because I want you to know that I am not againsf giving this information to the Transportation SecurityuAdministration (TSA). And if you want to fly, you, too, will soon be requiredc to disclose this data tothe TSA, the lumbering, secretive bureaucracy that has spent the years since 9/11 alternately keeping us safe and infuriatinvg us. Secure Flight, the official name of this lates bit of data mining by the federal bureaucracy with the power over your freedojmof movement, kicked in last week in typicak TSA style: suddenly, with virtually no public discussionb and even fewer details about its According to the agency's press release, which is buriex half-a-dozen clicks deep on the TSA Secure Flight is now operative on four airlines.
Whichu airlines? The TSA won't say. When will Secure Flighf be extended toothe carriers? Sometime in the next but the agency won't publicly disclose a timeline or discussd the whys, wherefores, and practical Before we can even discuss why a federalp agency needs to know when you were born beforwe it permits you to fly, let's back up and explain the security swamp that the TSA has created. Born in hastse after 9/11, the TSA was specifically tasked by Congressx to assume overall authority for airport securityand pre-flight passenger screening. Before that, airlines were required to oversesesecurity checkpoints, and carriers farmed out the job to rent-a-co agencies.
Their work was shoddy, and the minimum-wagwe screeners were often Despite some birthing painsand well-publicized the TSA eventually got a more professional crew of 40,00o0 or so screeners working the checkpoints. Generally speaking, the checkpoint experiencr is more professional andcourteous now, if not actuallgy more secure. In fact, despite rigorous employere training and billions of dollars speny onnew technology, random tests show that TSA screenersx miss as much contraband as their minimum-wage, rent-a-cop predecessors. But the TSA'x mission wasn't just passenger checkpoints. Congresa asked the new agency to screen all cargo travelin onpassenger jets.
(The TSA has resisted the mandatse andstill doesn't screen all cargo.) Congress also empoweres the TSA to oversee a privatde "trusted traveler" program that would speed the journey of frequentf fliers who voluntarily submitted to invasive background (The TSA has all but killed trusted which morphed into inconsequential "registered traveler" programs like Most important of all perhaps, both Congress and the 9/11 Commission wanted the TSA to get a handles on "watch lists" and other governmenyt data programs aimed at identifying potentialk terrorists before they flew. And nowherew has the agency beenmore ham-fisted than in the information arena.
The TSA's first attempf to corral data, CAPPS II, was an operationalo and Constitutional nightmare. The Orwellian scheme envisioned travelera being profiled with huge amountsz of sensitiveprivate data—credit records, for example—that the governmengt would store indefinitely. Everyone—privacy advocates, airports, civil libertarians and certainly travelers—hated CAPPSe II. The TSA grudgingly killed the plan in 2004 aftersome high-profile data-handling gaffes made its implementatiob a political impossibility. While this security kabuki was playing out, the number and size of government watcg lists of potential terrorists ballooned.
Current estimatesw say there are as many as a million entries on thevarious lists, although the TSA arguex that only a few thousand actual people are But how do you reconcile the blizzard of watch-lis t names—some as common as Nelson, which has been a hassle for singer/actor David Nelson of Ozzie & Harriet TV fame—with the actual bad guys who are threat s to aviation? Enter Secure Flight, a stripped-downj version of CAPPS II.
The TSA'a theory: If passengers submir their exact names, dates of birth, and their gendetr when they make reservations, the agency could proactivelyh separate the terrorist Nelsons from thetelevision Nelsons, and guarantee that the average in my case, the average Josepu Angelo—won't be fingered as a potentiall troublemaker. Theoretically, giving the TSA that basiv information seemslogical enough. But the logistice are somethingelse again: Airline websiteds and reservations systems, third-party travel agencies, and the GDS (globak distribution system) computers that poweer those ticketing engines haven't been programmedc to gather birthday and gendef data.
And Secure Flight's insistenc e that the name on a ticket exactly matchb the name ona traveler'ds identification is also problematic: Fliers often use several kinds of ID that do not alwayse have exactly the same (Does your driver's license and passport have exactly the same name on it?) Many travelersw have existing airline profiles and frequent-flier program membershio under names that do not exactluy match the one on their IDs. Anotheer fly in the Secure Flight ointment: While the TSA is assuming the watch list functions fromthe airlines, the carrierse will still be required to gather the birth date, and gender information and transmif it to the agency.
Meshing the airline computerds with the TSA systems has been troublesome in thepast and, from the it looks like very little planning has been done to ensurd that Secure Flight runs smoothly. The TSA "announced this thinyg in 2005 and, as usual, they announced it without consideringpracticapl realities," one airline executive told me last "And any time you deal with the governmen t on stuff like this, it's a What can you do abouyt all of this? For now, very Settle on a single form of identification for all travel purposees and make sure that you use that name exactl when making reservations.
Check that the name that airlined havefor you—on preference profiles, frequent-flier programs, airport club etc.—matches the name on your chosen form of Then wait for that gloriouds day when the TSA solemnlg and suddenly, and almost assuredly without advance warning, decides that Secure Flightr is in effect across the nation's airline The Fine Print… You may wonder why I haven' asked anyone from the Transportation Securityu Administration to comment on Secure Flight. The reason is simple: No one is really in chargew ofthe agency.
The Bush-era administrator, Kip left with the previous presidentf and the Obama Administration has yet to namehis Everyone, from acting administrator Gale Rossides on is a Bush holdover. And no one seem to know what President Obamz or Homeland Security Secretary Janeg Napolitano thinks aboutthe TSA, Securew Flight, or any airline-security issue. Portfolio.com 2009 Cond Nast Inc. All rightsreserved.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
D.C. Mayor taps Valerie Santos as deputy mayor - Washington Business Journal:
http://www.js-yx.com/2000/my_webs/daviestranscriptionservice.html
Santos, as chief operatingy officer under Albert, has been closely involved in decision-making on many of the real estate dealswAlbert managed, including majofr city projects such as Poplar Point. Albert began his new job as city administratorton Monday, replacing Dan Tangherlini, who is takinhg a job in the Obama administration. "Ibn Ms. Santos, we not only have a steady hand who knowsdthe job, we have someone who is a consummate professional who will bring private-sectoe talents to get the job Fenty said. Santos was previously a vice president at commercial real estatse services firm and a managerrwith 's real estate group.
She holds both an MBA and master'a of public policy from the Kennedyu School of Governmentat . Santos has displayed a no-nonsense approach appearing as Albert’s stand-in to testifhy at D.C. Council meetingws and in public forums representing the city when he was She is already getting her feet wet in dealint with the political aspects ofthe job. On when the D.C. Councilo was busy squaring away final detailzs of budgetimplementation legislation, Santos and Albert’s othert top deputy, Director of Developmen t David Jannarone, moved around the Wilson Buildintg seeking changes from council members. Santos apparentlyy was not Fenty’s initial choice to be deputy mayor.
Greg Washington Convention Center Authority CEO and a former staffr member of thedeputy mayor’s had been considered a top candidate to replace Albert, but a sourcw close to O'Dell says he was offered the job and turnef it down. O’Dell would not confirm that, but indicatef he would remain in his current where he is now tasked with seekiny public financing for all ofa $550 million convention center hotel. “The boarsd and the mayor have every expectatiojn of me completing all the tasks Ihave here,” he Fenty would not say whether he had offerefd the job to O’Delol or anyone else before Santos.
He announced the pick outsidde the Walker JonesElementary School, which is beint rebuilt as part of a new Northwesyt One neighborhood, and said she was “the firsyt person who has risen to the deputy mayor’s position from withi the ranks.” “I think it’ s a great sign for the D.C. government that not only does Valerir Santos have amazing experience in the privatde sector butthat she’s been hard at work serving the peopl of the District of Columbia for the last two the mayor said.
He said Santos shared the visioh that he and Albert had for how economiv development in the city shouldbe run, not by owninf or overly managing projectzs but by allowing the privatw sector to bring ideas to the “We should try to just facilitate We’ve got the greatest business community in the world here in D.C. We don’rt need to try to replicatr what they’re doing. We don’g need an emphasis on owninf or building inthe D.C. government. We need to And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightesyand we’ve done that.
” Santos, 36, who lives in Columbiaw Heights, was working for Jones Lang LaSalle as a consultanty to the city when Albert -- whom she called a mentor -- recruitee her to work for him. She is believed to be the firs t woman to serve in the rolefor D.C. and will manag 65 employees and as well as oversees the Officeof Planning, Department of Housinh and Community Development, the Office of Property Management and the Washington D.C. Economic Partnership, a contractor. “Inm the coming weeks my goal is to ensure asmootnh transition, which I expect will be relatively easy, because I am very fortunate to manag a very talented and skilled team,” she said.
She said she woulc continue to move projects all over the with a particular focus on those east of the Anacostia such as the planned redevelopmentof St. Elizabeths Hospitak in Southeast D.C. “We will continude to focus on implementinyMayor Fenty’s vision for economic In the context of the currentg economic climate, we will focus on businesds attraction and retention efforts, and in continuing to provid e tools to allow our local business and not-for-profits to grow,” she A member of the D.C.
Council who regularly buttse headswith Albert, Councilman Kwame Brown, D-at large and chaifr of the economic development issued a press release during the announcemen saying he was disappointed he was not invited but sayinvg Santos “has the experience and the operational knowledge” for the job and that her appointmenft was “an opportunity to forge a new relationship between the Council and the executive to create jobs for District new opportunities for local businesses, more affordable housinhg and to efficiently move projects to completion.
”
Santos, as chief operatingy officer under Albert, has been closely involved in decision-making on many of the real estate dealswAlbert managed, including majofr city projects such as Poplar Point. Albert began his new job as city administratorton Monday, replacing Dan Tangherlini, who is takinhg a job in the Obama administration. "Ibn Ms. Santos, we not only have a steady hand who knowsdthe job, we have someone who is a consummate professional who will bring private-sectoe talents to get the job Fenty said. Santos was previously a vice president at commercial real estatse services firm and a managerrwith 's real estate group.
She holds both an MBA and master'a of public policy from the Kennedyu School of Governmentat . Santos has displayed a no-nonsense approach appearing as Albert’s stand-in to testifhy at D.C. Council meetingws and in public forums representing the city when he was She is already getting her feet wet in dealint with the political aspects ofthe job. On when the D.C. Councilo was busy squaring away final detailzs of budgetimplementation legislation, Santos and Albert’s othert top deputy, Director of Developmen t David Jannarone, moved around the Wilson Buildintg seeking changes from council members. Santos apparentlyy was not Fenty’s initial choice to be deputy mayor.
Greg Washington Convention Center Authority CEO and a former staffr member of thedeputy mayor’s had been considered a top candidate to replace Albert, but a sourcw close to O'Dell says he was offered the job and turnef it down. O’Dell would not confirm that, but indicatef he would remain in his current where he is now tasked with seekiny public financing for all ofa $550 million convention center hotel. “The boarsd and the mayor have every expectatiojn of me completing all the tasks Ihave here,” he Fenty would not say whether he had offerefd the job to O’Delol or anyone else before Santos.
He announced the pick outsidde the Walker JonesElementary School, which is beint rebuilt as part of a new Northwesyt One neighborhood, and said she was “the firsyt person who has risen to the deputy mayor’s position from withi the ranks.” “I think it’ s a great sign for the D.C. government that not only does Valerir Santos have amazing experience in the privatde sector butthat she’s been hard at work serving the peopl of the District of Columbia for the last two the mayor said.
He said Santos shared the visioh that he and Albert had for how economiv development in the city shouldbe run, not by owninf or overly managing projectzs but by allowing the privatw sector to bring ideas to the “We should try to just facilitate We’ve got the greatest business community in the world here in D.C. We don’rt need to try to replicatr what they’re doing. We don’g need an emphasis on owninf or building inthe D.C. government. We need to And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightesyand we’ve done that.
” Santos, 36, who lives in Columbiaw Heights, was working for Jones Lang LaSalle as a consultanty to the city when Albert -- whom she called a mentor -- recruitee her to work for him. She is believed to be the firs t woman to serve in the rolefor D.C. and will manag 65 employees and as well as oversees the Officeof Planning, Department of Housinh and Community Development, the Office of Property Management and the Washington D.C. Economic Partnership, a contractor. “Inm the coming weeks my goal is to ensure asmootnh transition, which I expect will be relatively easy, because I am very fortunate to manag a very talented and skilled team,” she said.
She said she woulc continue to move projects all over the with a particular focus on those east of the Anacostia such as the planned redevelopmentof St. Elizabeths Hospitak in Southeast D.C. “We will continude to focus on implementinyMayor Fenty’s vision for economic In the context of the currentg economic climate, we will focus on businesds attraction and retention efforts, and in continuing to provid e tools to allow our local business and not-for-profits to grow,” she A member of the D.C.
Council who regularly buttse headswith Albert, Councilman Kwame Brown, D-at large and chaifr of the economic development issued a press release during the announcemen saying he was disappointed he was not invited but sayinvg Santos “has the experience and the operational knowledge” for the job and that her appointmenft was “an opportunity to forge a new relationship between the Council and the executive to create jobs for District new opportunities for local businesses, more affordable housinhg and to efficiently move projects to completion.
”
Thursday, January 13, 2011
TBBJ
http://www.getusout.org/artman/publish/cat_index_25.shtml
Name of the firms making the Tampwa Bay BusinessJournal ’s annua list are shown below in alphabetical order. As part of the event sponsor Tampa accounting firm Kirklands RussMurphy & Tapp PA coordinates the data submittedd by candidate firms to create a safe haven for potentially proprietary numbers. Among the criteria to make the list is a annualk revenue thresholdof $1 million or more since 2006 and consecutive annual growth since then. The ranking order, based on revenuse growth for the pastthree years, will be revealed at TBBJ’zs annual Fast 50 luncheonh at the A La Cart Event Pavilion in Tamp a July 23. • AgileThought Inc. Alltrust Insurance Inc.
• American Healthcarew Holdings Inc. • AnazaoHealth Corp. and Affiliates Celestar Corp. • Centraol Maintenance & Welding Inc. • Corporater Interiors Inc.
Name of the firms making the Tampwa Bay BusinessJournal ’s annua list are shown below in alphabetical order. As part of the event sponsor Tampa accounting firm Kirklands RussMurphy & Tapp PA coordinates the data submittedd by candidate firms to create a safe haven for potentially proprietary numbers. Among the criteria to make the list is a annualk revenue thresholdof $1 million or more since 2006 and consecutive annual growth since then. The ranking order, based on revenuse growth for the pastthree years, will be revealed at TBBJ’zs annual Fast 50 luncheonh at the A La Cart Event Pavilion in Tamp a July 23. • AgileThought Inc. Alltrust Insurance Inc.
• American Healthcarew Holdings Inc. • AnazaoHealth Corp. and Affiliates Celestar Corp. • Centraol Maintenance & Welding Inc. • Corporater Interiors Inc.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Residential real estate news- View Real estate news in the US
cork
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Generalp Motors Corporation | | | | | | | | | | Home Builderss Association of Greater KansasCity | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | J.E. Dunn Constructiob Group, Inc. | | | | | | | Kansaas City Council | | | | Kansas City Regionall Association ofRealtors | | | Kansas Speedway Corporation | | | | Las Vegaws Sands Corp. | | | | | | | | | | Missouru Housing Development Commission | | | | | | | | Nationak Association of Realtors | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RealtyTrac Inc.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Sprin Nextel Corporation | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Conferencer Board | The Conference Board Consumeer ResearchCenter | | | | | | | | | | | | | | U.S. Censusa Bureau | | | U.S. Department of Housinf and UrbanDevelopment | U.S. Departmenr of Labor
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Generalp Motors Corporation | | | | | | | | | | Home Builderss Association of Greater KansasCity | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | J.E. Dunn Constructiob Group, Inc. | | | | | | | Kansaas City Council | | | | Kansas City Regionall Association ofRealtors | | | Kansas Speedway Corporation | | | | Las Vegaws Sands Corp. | | | | | | | | | | Missouru Housing Development Commission | | | | | | | | Nationak Association of Realtors | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RealtyTrac Inc.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Sprin Nextel Corporation | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Conferencer Board | The Conference Board Consumeer ResearchCenter | | | | | | | | | | | | | | U.S. Censusa Bureau | | | U.S. Department of Housinf and UrbanDevelopment | U.S. Departmenr of Labor
Saturday, January 8, 2011
GM Tonawanda hosting recycling event - Business First of Buffalo:
http://cceequine.org/saratoga_horse_symposium_2010.html
The one-day event June 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Planr 5 on Vulcan Street, is co-sponsored by Erie County, Buffalo and the Northwesy Solid WasteManagement Board. Last year’s even received 56,325 pounds of electronic equipment, 247 bicyclez and a truck full of Electronics equipment is a source ofrecycled lead, plastic, copper and glass. Items being accepted this year TVs, computers, monitors, keyboards, printers, fluorescent bulbs, cell rechargeable batteries, VCRs, and DVD players, clothing, and bicycles.
Clothing and textiles will be reused at Goodwil retail locations or Bicycles will be usedfor repair, bike safety education or recycled by Blue Bicycle and Recycle-a-Bicycle New for this year, Buffalo ReUse will accept used or new hand, shop and garden tools, such as rakes, brooms, ladders, hammers and saws. “This is a natural extension of what we do at Plant Manager Steve Finch said ina statement. “Oufr plant has been landfill-free in manufacturing since 2006. We recycle or reuse all of our waste, so this eventf to help the communityu recycle is a natural fit for us atGeneral Motors,” he said.
The one-day event June 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Planr 5 on Vulcan Street, is co-sponsored by Erie County, Buffalo and the Northwesy Solid WasteManagement Board. Last year’s even received 56,325 pounds of electronic equipment, 247 bicyclez and a truck full of Electronics equipment is a source ofrecycled lead, plastic, copper and glass. Items being accepted this year TVs, computers, monitors, keyboards, printers, fluorescent bulbs, cell rechargeable batteries, VCRs, and DVD players, clothing, and bicycles.
Clothing and textiles will be reused at Goodwil retail locations or Bicycles will be usedfor repair, bike safety education or recycled by Blue Bicycle and Recycle-a-Bicycle New for this year, Buffalo ReUse will accept used or new hand, shop and garden tools, such as rakes, brooms, ladders, hammers and saws. “This is a natural extension of what we do at Plant Manager Steve Finch said ina statement. “Oufr plant has been landfill-free in manufacturing since 2006. We recycle or reuse all of our waste, so this eventf to help the communityu recycle is a natural fit for us atGeneral Motors,” he said.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Training programs to get boost from stimulus funds - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
bertayfybuqutyp.blogspot.com
“There will be a focusz on short-term job training,” said Bryan Albrecht, president of . “The intent is to get peopls backto work.” Albrecht said he “definitel y anticipates” that federal stimulus funds will be made availablr for job training programs at the school, whic has campuses in Burlington, Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie, Raciner and Elkhorn. A $787 billion federakl stimulus bill was quickly approved by Congress and Presidengt Barack Obama and signed into law in February in an efforft to tryand jump-start America’s economy.
Fundinhg for job-training programs at Gateway and othe area technical colleges is expected to be funneleds through local work forcedevelopment boards, Albrech said. Gateway has seen an increase in demansd for its existing job training in large part because of theeconomic downturn, Albrecht said. “We see a tremendous need for job training,” he Overall enrollment at Gateway is up about 10 percent this year aftetr holding steady for the previousthree years, he “You can draw a direct correlationh between our enrollment and the economy,” Albrechtt said. “We are definitely seeing more dislocates workers.
” If, as anticipated, federal funds become available, Gatewat expects to add job training programs as well as An expansion of jobsupport services, such as careeer counseling and assessments, also is expected. “It’s one thingt to trained, but another to find a said Albrecht, who also serves as president of the Associationb for Career andTechnical Education. is working on setting up short-termk training programs in anticipation of federalstimuluse funding, said Duane Schultz, director of the officr of economic development and community partnerships at the Milwaukeee college. “We need to make sure we are as responsiveras possible,” he said.
Federal stimulus funds for Wisconsihn technical colleges are likelyh to be funneled throughthe , formerlh the of Milwaukee County, which coordinates local employmenf and training policy and administers federal “Our success will depend on partnerships,” Schultz Donald Sykes, chief executive officer of the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, said about $8 millionh to $10 million in stimulus funds are expected to be allocatec for job training initiatives in Milwaukee.
The funds will be funnelex by the board to certifiedtraininyg institutions, including local technical colleges or, in the case of some healty care job training, directly to area hospitals, he The stimulus funds will allows training of individuals who have lost theirr jobs but also should be directed at those who have little or no skills, Sykee said, noting that the unemployment rate in some partds of the central city is 50 percent or more. “Ws can’t ignore that problem,” he said. Job-training programs must not only focuz on workers who have lost their but also those who have been on the job for many yearsebut haven’t upgraded theirr skills, he said.
“The most worrisome grou is older workers who have a numberd of years of experience but are finding themselves without the neededskill sets,” Schultz said.
“There will be a focusz on short-term job training,” said Bryan Albrecht, president of . “The intent is to get peopls backto work.” Albrecht said he “definitel y anticipates” that federal stimulus funds will be made availablr for job training programs at the school, whic has campuses in Burlington, Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie, Raciner and Elkhorn. A $787 billion federakl stimulus bill was quickly approved by Congress and Presidengt Barack Obama and signed into law in February in an efforft to tryand jump-start America’s economy.
Fundinhg for job-training programs at Gateway and othe area technical colleges is expected to be funneleds through local work forcedevelopment boards, Albrech said. Gateway has seen an increase in demansd for its existing job training in large part because of theeconomic downturn, Albrecht said. “We see a tremendous need for job training,” he Overall enrollment at Gateway is up about 10 percent this year aftetr holding steady for the previousthree years, he “You can draw a direct correlationh between our enrollment and the economy,” Albrechtt said. “We are definitely seeing more dislocates workers.
” If, as anticipated, federal funds become available, Gatewat expects to add job training programs as well as An expansion of jobsupport services, such as careeer counseling and assessments, also is expected. “It’s one thingt to trained, but another to find a said Albrecht, who also serves as president of the Associationb for Career andTechnical Education. is working on setting up short-termk training programs in anticipation of federalstimuluse funding, said Duane Schultz, director of the officr of economic development and community partnerships at the Milwaukeee college. “We need to make sure we are as responsiveras possible,” he said.
Federal stimulus funds for Wisconsihn technical colleges are likelyh to be funneled throughthe , formerlh the of Milwaukee County, which coordinates local employmenf and training policy and administers federal “Our success will depend on partnerships,” Schultz Donald Sykes, chief executive officer of the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, said about $8 millionh to $10 million in stimulus funds are expected to be allocatec for job training initiatives in Milwaukee.
The funds will be funnelex by the board to certifiedtraininyg institutions, including local technical colleges or, in the case of some healty care job training, directly to area hospitals, he The stimulus funds will allows training of individuals who have lost theirr jobs but also should be directed at those who have little or no skills, Sykee said, noting that the unemployment rate in some partds of the central city is 50 percent or more. “Ws can’t ignore that problem,” he said. Job-training programs must not only focuz on workers who have lost their but also those who have been on the job for many yearsebut haven’t upgraded theirr skills, he said.
“The most worrisome grou is older workers who have a numberd of years of experience but are finding themselves without the neededskill sets,” Schultz said.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Tough times? Phillips Edison goes full bore - Tampa Bay Business Journal:
buunamula-fastest.blogspot.com
This is the finding of The Sycamore Township-based propertyu owner, which redevelops grocery-anchored shoppinv centers, took an art-of-war approach to pre-emptint the recession. The firm paid down millions in debt, nicheed its leasing team to focus on specifiv growthareas – leasing parkingv lots for Christmas tree sales, for example – and applied its chief talent to the 40 properties with the most growtnh potential. The result is more than 1 milliobn square feet of lease space either signedr or in the pipeline this as emergingdiscounters – from Dollar Tree to off-price grocere – snap up vacant spaces.
Phillipsa Edison has reduced the time it takes to turn aroun d a lease by about 30 and it accelerated its retention rate by abouf18 percent. “Since the last part of 2008 andinto ‘09, we have the biggesr pipeline and we’ve done more leasingg than we’ve ever done,” said Mark chief operating officer at Phillips Edison. “A lot of these discoung merchants are really taking this Within the nexttwo years, Addy expectse Phillips Edison to purchase hundreds of millionw of dollars in new propertiesa nationally, especially out West. But in Cincinnatiu alone, there look to be good deals.
In 2008, 27 retaio structures sold in the GreaterCincinnati area, for an average price of $68.632 per square foot, accordinbg to the real estate research firm , in Md. That compared with 56 transactionsin 2007, at an averagee $99.37 per square foot. “Retail sales on an aggregate basie are 10 percent lower today than they were a year saidDavid Brennan, co-director of the Institutes for Retailing Excellence at the in Yet retail square footage from 1990 to 2008 expandedd to 21 square feet per person, from 14 square “It’s going to take time to recycle the existing real estats that’s out there,” Brennan said. “It’s really a buyer’ss market.
” Phillips Edison, which operatess 240 shopping centers in36 states, handled 735 leases transactions in 2008, and it signed abouyt 1.1 million square feet of new leaseds space. Still, its retailp square footage is down almost 4 percent fromearly 2008, thankss to retail bankruptcies, retention issues and fewer new Sixty percent to 70 percent of the tenantws whose leases are coming up for renewa are asking for some kind of rent relief, Addy These challenges, combined with increased bankruptcies, caused Phillips Ediso n to launch a series of efforts: Debt reduction: In the past 60 Phillips Edison paid down its debt obligations by $20 As a result, no significant loan maturitie will be due before July 2011.
The idea was to eliminatew the pressures of thedebt market, Addy “If you have financing cominy due, it’s really goin g to prohibit you from doingv what you want as a growingv company.” • Tailored leasing: Phillips Edison assigned its two most experienced leasinhg agents to handle nothing but lease renewalds for its roughly 3,200 tenantd (15 percent of whosse leases are up each year). The strategy: The agents stargt working with tenants a full yearin advance. Phillips also assigner two people to handle all of its 100 such as restaurantsand ATMs.
• Temporary users: Phillips chargede its property management group with focusing on tenant s that use parking lots for fireworks carnivals orcar shows, and as a resultg expects $1 million in added This does not factort in the benefits of the added traffic. (The property managemeng group, meanwhile, is operating at almost 30 percenrtunder budget.) • Mission Possibl 20/20: Phillips entrusted its most senior staft with leasing the 40 properties in its two portfoliox with the greatest upsidde (vacancy). The logic is that those properties coulxd generate 50 percent of the opportunitiesz for thetotal portfolios.
Stafrf are rewarded by the sound of a cowbell when they makea “jeans Fridays” and a chance to win up to $10,000 for a Rolex watch when the leasee year ends in November. With these efforts, Phillipsz has since October landed ninenew big-boxd centers, reduced its lease turnarounsd time to 3.6 days from five days and increased retention to 83 perceny from 65 percent. The firm expects to lease 2 millioh square feetthis year, with 620,000o square feet signed and an additionakl 500,000 in the 45- to 60-day And it expects to purchase $300 millioh in space the next 18 months to two years, seeking what Addy describes as centers with supermarket anchorse that are of a little higher quality.
In Addy does expect consumers to come backto spending, though as credit markets ease up incrementally. “Ik think the recession we’re in right now had an impact on the consume r that frankly none of us has ever he said. “But people do have a short memory, and they can fall back into that pattern. It’ds going to have to find a senssof equilibrium.”
This is the finding of The Sycamore Township-based propertyu owner, which redevelops grocery-anchored shoppinv centers, took an art-of-war approach to pre-emptint the recession. The firm paid down millions in debt, nicheed its leasing team to focus on specifiv growthareas – leasing parkingv lots for Christmas tree sales, for example – and applied its chief talent to the 40 properties with the most growtnh potential. The result is more than 1 milliobn square feet of lease space either signedr or in the pipeline this as emergingdiscounters – from Dollar Tree to off-price grocere – snap up vacant spaces.
Phillipsa Edison has reduced the time it takes to turn aroun d a lease by about 30 and it accelerated its retention rate by abouf18 percent. “Since the last part of 2008 andinto ‘09, we have the biggesr pipeline and we’ve done more leasingg than we’ve ever done,” said Mark chief operating officer at Phillips Edison. “A lot of these discoung merchants are really taking this Within the nexttwo years, Addy expectse Phillips Edison to purchase hundreds of millionw of dollars in new propertiesa nationally, especially out West. But in Cincinnatiu alone, there look to be good deals.
In 2008, 27 retaio structures sold in the GreaterCincinnati area, for an average price of $68.632 per square foot, accordinbg to the real estate research firm , in Md. That compared with 56 transactionsin 2007, at an averagee $99.37 per square foot. “Retail sales on an aggregate basie are 10 percent lower today than they were a year saidDavid Brennan, co-director of the Institutes for Retailing Excellence at the in Yet retail square footage from 1990 to 2008 expandedd to 21 square feet per person, from 14 square “It’s going to take time to recycle the existing real estats that’s out there,” Brennan said. “It’s really a buyer’ss market.
” Phillips Edison, which operatess 240 shopping centers in36 states, handled 735 leases transactions in 2008, and it signed abouyt 1.1 million square feet of new leaseds space. Still, its retailp square footage is down almost 4 percent fromearly 2008, thankss to retail bankruptcies, retention issues and fewer new Sixty percent to 70 percent of the tenantws whose leases are coming up for renewa are asking for some kind of rent relief, Addy These challenges, combined with increased bankruptcies, caused Phillips Ediso n to launch a series of efforts: Debt reduction: In the past 60 Phillips Edison paid down its debt obligations by $20 As a result, no significant loan maturitie will be due before July 2011.
The idea was to eliminatew the pressures of thedebt market, Addy “If you have financing cominy due, it’s really goin g to prohibit you from doingv what you want as a growingv company.” • Tailored leasing: Phillips Edison assigned its two most experienced leasinhg agents to handle nothing but lease renewalds for its roughly 3,200 tenantd (15 percent of whosse leases are up each year). The strategy: The agents stargt working with tenants a full yearin advance. Phillips also assigner two people to handle all of its 100 such as restaurantsand ATMs.
• Temporary users: Phillips chargede its property management group with focusing on tenant s that use parking lots for fireworks carnivals orcar shows, and as a resultg expects $1 million in added This does not factort in the benefits of the added traffic. (The property managemeng group, meanwhile, is operating at almost 30 percenrtunder budget.) • Mission Possibl 20/20: Phillips entrusted its most senior staft with leasing the 40 properties in its two portfoliox with the greatest upsidde (vacancy). The logic is that those properties coulxd generate 50 percent of the opportunitiesz for thetotal portfolios.
Stafrf are rewarded by the sound of a cowbell when they makea “jeans Fridays” and a chance to win up to $10,000 for a Rolex watch when the leasee year ends in November. With these efforts, Phillipsz has since October landed ninenew big-boxd centers, reduced its lease turnarounsd time to 3.6 days from five days and increased retention to 83 perceny from 65 percent. The firm expects to lease 2 millioh square feetthis year, with 620,000o square feet signed and an additionakl 500,000 in the 45- to 60-day And it expects to purchase $300 millioh in space the next 18 months to two years, seeking what Addy describes as centers with supermarket anchorse that are of a little higher quality.
In Addy does expect consumers to come backto spending, though as credit markets ease up incrementally. “Ik think the recession we’re in right now had an impact on the consume r that frankly none of us has ever he said. “But people do have a short memory, and they can fall back into that pattern. It’ds going to have to find a senssof equilibrium.”
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