Thursday, July 28, 2011

Printing firms use new strategies to find, retain customers in recession - bizjournals:

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The average member of the , a Tenn.-based nonprofit trade organization, has droppedc between 20 percent and 30 percen in sales during thepast year, presidenrt Ed Chalifoux said in To cut expenses, printers across the South have laid employeesa off or gone to four-day work weeks, he said. Locall firms such as , and Inc. are seekinbg new ways to offset their dropsin business. At Publishersx in Shepherdsville, the Louisville area’s largest printer, salesx for the first quarter of 2009 were down abourt 20 percent from the first quarterof 2008, to abour $45 million from $55 million, president and CEO Nick Simonh said.
The company has not lost any customers, he but the magazines that it printx have about 20 percent fewer pages because of cutbacks fromhis advertisers. The recession has accelerater a long-term trend away from the printedd word in theprintinhg industry, Simon said. “Printing is shrinking just a littler bit,” he said. “The Internet and the computere have a lot to dowith Jeffersonville-based Voluforms has fared a little with a 7 percent to 8 percent drop in overall sales year-to-date, president and CEO C. Michael Stewart said. One reason for that is that the company began diversifying its products severalyeard ago.
Voluforms’ profit margin was down about 2 percent in the first quarter, compared with the first quarter of he said. The commercial side of the business, in whicjh the company prints labels and cover sheets for producta soldin stores, has fallen off about 40 percent over the past two years, he But that business makes up only about 10 percenf to 12 percent of the company’s total business, Stewarr said. About 45 percent of total revenue comes fromprinting scanner-friendlgy forms for financial institutions, such as countere checks and deposit slips.
That business is going well, Stewarrt said, because it enabless banks to do more document processingvia machines, therebyg reducing payroll costs. The rest of the business is from providingg printing and software for the health care About eightyears ago, the companyt created a series of electronic forms for hospitals that helpedx them reduce 80 percent of the paper forms they were using, he “We’ve done a lot of thingse to be more on the leadint edge” of the industry, Stewart said.
The companty even has taken advantage of the fact that othe r printers are laying off employees by hiring a few new So Voluforms now has 85 employee s between its Jeffersonville distribution center and its Sellersburgprintinyg facility. Revenue for the first quarter of 2009 at Standard Publishinyg in Shepherdsville came in atabout $3 which was about $50,00 below the first quarter of 2008, general manageer Robin Crump said. Standard Publishing, a division of Shelbyville-basesd Landmark Community Newspapers Inc., prints communituy newspapers owned by theLandmark chain, as well as nichd publications such as Business First.
Thoser publications have lost somead revenue, she but nothing compared with metro “We’re seeing some reduction in pages, but nothing causinf us to panic,” she said. Standard has not laid anyone off, but in Landmark mandated thatevery employee, includin corporate staff, take one eight-hour day off without pay per month, Crump said. Landmark’ss corporate culture always has embracedlean staffing, she but Standard Publishing has found smal ways to cut such as reducing janitorial service from five days a week to threwe days a week and reviewing the maintenance contracts on some

Monday, July 25, 2011

Wavy facade much more than skin deep - Sydney Morning Herald

http://dodgeofantioch.com/useful-information-on-suppliers-of-auto-parts-in-los-angeles.html


Sydney Morning Herald


Wavy facade much more than skin deep

Sydney Morning Herald


The building's most striking feature is a printed glass, ribbon-like balustrade that sweeps across the entire facade. "We tried to avoid having a typical square-box glass balustrade . . . the idea was a wave-like form that drew you around and created ...



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Saturday, July 23, 2011

Lenovo's profits skyrocket - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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Lenovo, which has headquarters in Morrisville but trade shares inHong Kong, said net income was $105 millionj in the quarter, or $1.132 per diluted share, in the quarted ended Sept. 30. That's up from $38 million, or 43 cents per in the same periodlast year. Revenue increasef 20 percent to $4.4 billion. The company increasee shipments of PCs more than 20 percent in thethired quarter, according to data compiled by researc firms and . That outpaced growtg in the PC industry as a Lenovo saidnotebook shipments, which provide abourt 55 percent of revenue, were up 42 percent year over year. Desktop shipments increased about12 percent.
Lenovo'e largest sales region, China, saw saleas increase 26.5 percent to $1.8 billion. where Lenovo was headquartered until itbought IBM'ss personal computer division in 2005, accountede for 41 percent of revenu in the quarter. Perhaps as importantly, year over year shipment s in the Americas, the company's No. 2 region, increasedc by 12 percent. Lenovo has struggled to convince U.S. customerws in particular to purchaseits computers, but that trend has reversexd in recent quarters. U.S. lossese had been largely causesd bythe company's strategy of sellingh more computers in retail outlets and over the Web.
The move falteres at first but has proven wise as saless to consumers outpace sales to businesses bylargr margins, according to IDC and Gartner. The news isn't all rosy for Lenovo. The company faces increased competitiobn with itsTaiwanese rival, . Acer recentlgy bought California's Gateway and blocked Lenovo's efforts to acquirr Dutch PC maker . Lenovo also will face pressurre on its margins as it continues its push into consumer a highlycompetitive business.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Survey: Manufacturers eye 2010 turnaround - Birmingham Business Journal:

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Forty-two percent of manufacturers said their businessedwere declining, compared to 12 percent a year ago. Only 9 percenty of companies said their businesswas “thriving and growing,” down from 38 percentg last year. The “2009 Manufacturing and Wholesaler DistributionNational Survey” founxd that about 52 percent of the 923 surveyu respondents plan to cut U.S. jobs in nearly double the percentage fromlast year’s But only 11 percent expect to cut jobs in 2010 and 44 percenrt plan to add While fewer than 10 percent of respondents said they expecte gross margins to increase in 30 percent anticipate improvements in 2010.
The onlins survey was conducted from March 11 toApril 13. Minn.-based RSM McGladrey is a professional services firm thatprovide accounting, tax and business consulting

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Deadline nears for Anthem, Norton to strike deal - Kansas City Business Journal:

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As a result, members of Anthem’s health planes will have to pay higher, out-of-network rates to accesss Norton facilitiesafter today. Jim Norton’s associate vice president of managed said patients likely will have to pay the difference betweejn the amount Anthem decides to pay and the amount Nortomn has asked the insurerto pay. In a statement issued Tuesday by Anthemj presidentDeb Moessner, she said the company will provide reimbursemen for services at Kosair Children’s Hospital at the rate requestefd by Norton.
“Anthem is going to take parents and children out of the middlwe of this dispute by paying the member at the rate Norton has requested in its previous proposal for services performed atKosair Children’d Hospital,” she said in the statement. But withouf a contract, patients have no safet y net in the evenf ofcertain issues, such as claims Meyers noted. With no contract in patients would be responsiblde for appealingclaims denials, he said. “I think it’s probably helpful, what Anthem is but there’s still a certain amount of risk that thepatient (or has to take into consideration.” Norton has been contactee about the matter by 2,50 Anthem members.
About 98 percent of thosse were inquiring about Norton facilitiezs and physiciansoutside Kosair, Meyerws added. The dispute stems from Norton’s decisiob in December 2008 to cancel its citing administrative service problems and reimbursement rates from Anthenm that were not in line withother insurers. The contract allowefd either party to terminate the agreement by givinhga 180-day notice. The initia contract was negotiated in 2007 and scheduled to endin 2010. Mike Lorch vice president of healthg servicesfor Anthem, said the clause was included in the contract so providers who wishedd to exit the network could do so but not to allowe them to negotiate higher reimbursements.
“If we allowedd that with Norton, every hospitakl would want to do he said. According to Lorch, Norton requested a 20 percenrt increase in itsFebruary proposal. Meyers denied the clai and said the requested increase was less than 20 but he declined to bemore specific. Both partiews said rates were set to increaseby 5.5 percent on Octobeer 1, 2009, under the contract that ended June 30. Meyers said officials for Norton and Anthe met last Thursday to discuss anew contract, but the meetinfg was “not very substantive.” Officials for both parties said Tuesday that no meetingsa were planned to take place priorr to the expiration of the contracy at midnight.
Meyers said Norton now will focus on informinbg patients how they can continue to accessNortoh facilities, echoing sentiments expressed by Norton presiden t and CEO Stephen A. Williama in a statement issued on A provision in the current and understate law, requires Anthem to continue to pay reimbursementws at in-network rates for patients who currentlty are receiving care, such as those who are pregnant or receivingv cancer treatments, Meyers said. Those Anthemm members must contact the insurer and obtainm a form that allows the reimbursements to be he added.
Lorch said reimbursements will continue for thes e patients at the rate under the contractt that endedJune 30, through the duratiob of their care. In addition, Meyers said, Norto n is working to inform employers and brokers ofthei options. He said Norton would be williny to consider waysfor self-insureed employers to continue to receive in-network services. Meyerd also said Norton wants to educate both fully insurerand self-insured employers abou other managed-care options, pointing to Web site which lists insurers that have contracts with Norton’s physician In Williams’ statement earlier this he said Norton now plans “to take some time to considet whether it is in the best interestz of our patients for us to continuew working with Anthem as a business partner.
” Lorch said it is “very doubtful” that the parties will come to terms on a new agreement without the use of a third-partyt mediator – a request Anthem has made on multiplre occasions. But Meyers said mediation has not been used during contract negotiations withother insurers. “There shouldn’r be a need,” he said. “It’s not protocol, and we should be able to sit down at a table and get anagreementf done.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Habitat for Humanity seeks to re-stock store - Mount Airy News

vasilisaxavymar.blogspot.com


Habitat for Humanity seeks to re-stock store

Mount Airy News


The Ć¢€œReStock the ReStoreĆ¢€ event is planned Saturday by the Greater Mount Airy Area Habitat for Humanity at Cross Creek Country Club on Greenhill Road. Its goal is a truckload of donations of various furnishings and other goods which can be resold in ...


COSHOCTON -- Sue Hardesty has been named the executive director of Coshocton ...

Coshocton Tribune



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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Bay Area CFOs of the year named - Houston Business Journal:

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More than 400 local business leaders attended a dinner and awards ceremonh at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco to honofr the winnersand finalists. The money raised at the evenf supports , which for 25 years has served homelesszand at-risk youth in San Francisco through its programes in outreach, housing, medical and social education and job “These awards honor the best of the These financial leaders exemplify the professionalism, integrity, resilience and masteryh of key skills that make a great said Mary Huss, publisher, San Francisco Businesse Times, and co-presenter of the Bay Area CFO of the Year Said Sherilyn Adams, executive director, Larkin Streef Youth Services: “Larkin Street Youthu Services is honored to be the beneficiarh of this event.
The moneyg raised by the CFO awards event will beinveste wisely, as 84 cents of everg dollar will directly benefit the over 3,500 youthg we serve each year.” Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter Darbee, PG&E Corp. and Pacific Gas and Electricx Co. Winner, Public Company with revenues aboved $500 million: Daniel Heinrich, the (NYSE: CLX). Paul Coghlan, Corp. (NASDAQ: Mark Garrett, (NASDAQ: ADBE). Winner, Publi Company with revenues upto $500 Martin Kropelnicki, . Finalists: Thomas (NASDAQ: PEET); Randy Gottfried, (NASDAQ: RVBD). Winner, Non-Publix Company: Nathan Brostrom, .
Finalist: Thomad Berquist, Winner, Venture-Backed Company: Jack Jenkins-Stark, Finalists: Donald ; Greg Walker, Winner, Community Paul Sussman, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Finalists: Steve Bach, ; Michaep Braude, . Winner, Transformation Agent: Byrojn Pollitt, Inc. (NYSE: V) Finalists: Jamew Beer, (NASDAQ: SYMC); Lewis Chew, Corp (NYSE: NSM). The 2009 Bay Area CFO of the Year Award is a partnership between the San Franciscop BusinessTimes — which included an advertising supplement profiling the winnera in its May 29 issue and Larkin Street Youth All proceeds from this evenft benefit Larkin Street Youth Services. Deloitts was the title sponsor.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Virgil Wayne Prophet - Dodge City Daily Globe

obofym.wordpress.com


Virgil Wayne Prophet

Dodge City Daily Globe


By Anonymous Virgil Wayne Prophet, 91, of Ulysses died Monday, July 4, 2011, at Oak Tree Villas in Jefferson City, Mo. He was born Aug. 22, 1919, in Harper County, Okla., to Samual Jones and Maud (Serviss) Prophet. On Nov. 1, 1936, he married his high ...



Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Wisconsin cancer cases, deaths decline - South Florida Business Journal:

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The estimated number of new cancetr cases, except for lung cancer and melanoma, are also predictesd to be down this yearin Wisconsin. The societuy projects there will be morethan 27,000 new cases of cancer in Wisconsin in 2009 and aboutf 11,000 deaths. The American Cancer Society’s newly released annuall cancerstatistics report, "Cancer Statistics finds that for the first time since theswe data have been tracked, overallp cancer incidence rates are now decreasing in the U.S. in both men and The report also states declinesin U.S. cancef death rates equate to about 650,000 deathe from cancer avoided or delayede between 1990and 2005.
The decreases are direct resultsa of improvements inpublic health, like reductions in earlier detection of cancers, and better treatments, according to the “Because the death rate continues to drop, it meansw that about 100,000 Americans each year who would have died from cancedr are living to celebrate another birthday,” John American Cancer Society chief executive officer, said in a The full Cancer Statistics report can be viewed at .

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Human Capital: People on the move, June 5 - San Francisco Business Times:

http://russianbridesclub.net/Sales/Summer/
, a Boston-based technology company servinb students, educators and added Ted Fischer as executivew vice presidentof sales, partnerships and strategixc initiatives. Fischer was previously a partnerat . Sun Life Financialp names Deschenes senior VP and GM of its annuities divisionThe U.S. division of , based in Wellesley, namex Stephen Deschenes senior vice president and general managedr of itsannuities division. Deschenesx joins Sun Life from , wherer he served as senior vice presidenr and chief marketing officer for the retiremenrincome group.
Furman Gregoryu LLC adds Deptula as partnetr Furman GregoryLLC , a Boston-based corporate law firm now knownn as Furman Gregory Deptula, addedd George Deptula as a partner. Deptula most recentluy practicedat Vena, Riley, Deptula LLP, and continues his practice in trial and appellate legal services, and mediatioh and ADR. William A. Berry & Son promotesw Corcoran as project designerWilliam A. Berry & Son Inc. , a Danvers-basefd construction management firm, promoted Josie Corcoranh to project director.
She has served as a projecyt manager at the firm for the past nine Nixon Peabody's Milder elected chairman of ; Braichb named to firm's IP team Forrest Milder , a partnere in the Boston office of Nixon Peabodgy LLP , was elected chairman of the Americabn Bar Association ’s Forum on Affordable Housinvg and Community Development for the 2009-2010 year. In other firm Nixon Peabody addedRavinderjit “Ravi” Braichy to its intellectual property department in the Boston offic as a patent