tosece.blogspot.com
"It has been a good 'oo boys network," said Paula Johnson, U.S. huma resources manager for Seattle-based . However slight, there is a breezs of change, and firms are beginning to embracethe D-wored -- diversity -- as so many industries have done beforwe them. Colliers developed a proactive approachnto promoting, retaining, recruiting and training women titled, "Women to the But that the brokeragd had to develop a special program showd that commercial real estate remains a male-dominatedr profession. There is awareness of the Tenyears ago, the industry launched the Real Estatd Associate Program in Washington, D.C., and has expanded it to Atlantz and New York.
This year, the program will be availablw in Chicagoand Miami, with Dallas and Los Angele s planned for 2008. Called REAP, it trainss minorities for careers in real estate with curriculum patterned after guides published by the International Councilo ofShopping Centers, the Urban Land Institute, the Societyg of Industrial and Office Realtorss and the Appraisal Institute. In business terms, diversity can be defined as tacticx to help retain employees and improve customet confidence by creating a work force that mirrorzthe marketplace. Although human resources departments routinelyt become the gatekeeper of the diversity many agree it needs to be promotedby top-levek management.
"This isn't an HR initiative, it's driven by our Presidenf and Chief Executive Doug Johnson said. "We recognize the value of having a diverse work and we're willing to invest time, money and Abhay Padgaonkar, president of Valley firm , said many timezs diversity is too narrowl y defined as relating to just race and "We are so differenft in so many different ways," he "Consumers are changing, and if you don't have employeeas who represent them, it's not going to "You can talk diversith all you want, but if the board of directore are all men, they're not practicing what they'r e preaching.
At the end of the day, top leaderas should take accountability," Padgaonkar said. At Associate Vice President Ruth Darby broadens the diversityu variable as asingle mother. She previously worke d for other large commercial real estat e firms in the Valley and saidit isn't enough for her company to lead the "It needs to be an industry she said. , a national group known as CREW, found in a 2005 surveyu that the number of women in the industry is but men earn more at comparable levelx of experienceand age. From 2000 to the number of women professionals in the sector rose to 36 perceng from32 percent.
At , the company's philosophuy is to "work methodically" to recruit new talent withour worrying about ethnicityor gender. Executive Vice President and Managintg Principal Bryon Carney saidthe firm's Phoenixc office has about 135 employees, and more than 30 perceny are women. Padgaonkar said many companies get hung up on the word and construe it to mean a loweringof
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Charlotte Business Journal: Most emailed Stories
efiosyt.blogspot.com
Duke Energy Corp. and French nuclear groupp Areva SA propose to builea 1,650-megawatt nuclear plant in southerbn Ohio. A new N.C. law gives laid-off employeee of small businesses more time to enroll inNortg Carolina
Duke Energy Corp. and French nuclear groupp Areva SA propose to builea 1,650-megawatt nuclear plant in southerbn Ohio. A new N.C. law gives laid-off employeee of small businesses more time to enroll inNortg Carolina
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Mattel, Fisher-Price pay $2.3M fine - bizjournals:
oryzacody.wordpress.com
million civil penalty for violationws of the federal lead paint banin children’s toys. The civil fine comesz after the completed an investigation into the importing and selling of toys with lead painr levels that exceededthe .06 percent lead by weight limigt that is federally mandated. According to the which recently crafted the Consumer Producg SafetyImprovement Act, aimed at toughening requirements for lead and phthalatea in children’s products, Mattel imported up to 900,009 non-compliant toys between July 2006 and September 2007. Fisher-Price imported over 1 million non-compliant toys betweehn July 2006 andSeptember 2007.
Amongh the toys in question were the populatr Sargetoy car, various Barbie productas and some Go Diego Go toys. Most of the toys that had excessive levels of lead were shipped to retail stores for sale tothe public. In a massive toy recall took place where about 95 Mattelland Fisher-Price toy models were determined to have exceedefd the lead limit. Lead can be toxic if ingested by young children and can cause seriouxshealth problems. The topic of lead painf in children’s products has been a hot button issu asof late, with the rollouy of the controversial CPSIsA of 2008.
Toy manufacturers and retailers have said the new regulationszare vague, costly and arbitrary, oftebn requiring the duplicate testing of products. Some smaller manufacturerx say the laws threaten to put them outof business. On the political Rep. Louise Slaughter, said protecting children has to be thetop “When the toy recall happened (in 2007) I calledd the head of Fisher-Price and I told him they needex to start making their toys here Slaughter said.
“We didn’t have these kind of problems befor they imported the Thiscivil penalty, which is the highest for violations involving importation or distributiohn of a regulated product, is the third highestg of any kind in CPSC history. “Thesse highly publicized toy recalls helped spur Congressionaol action last year to strengthehn CPSC and make even stricter the ban on lead paint on said CPSC Acting ChairmanThomas Moore.
“This penalty should serve notice to toy makers that CPSC is committee to the safetyof children, to reducing their exposurw to lead, and to the implementation of the Consumere Product Safety Improvement As part of a story featured in our siste r publication, The Buffalo Law Journal , lookinv at the Consumer Product Safetyt Improvement Act, which ran prior to the announcemeny of these fines, Fisher-Price declineed to provide a representative to discusz the lead paint regulations. Instead, they issued a writtejn statementwhich read, in part: “Mattel is well positionede as it generally designs its products to meet globa l standards.
Mattel has also been a leader in the efforts of industru to establish voluntary industry standards.” The statement also said that Mattel woul continue to comply with the applicablde regulations of the CPSIA. Mattel was unable to be reachede for commentMonday morning, though a representative said they woule have a response later in the day. Despitew agreeing to pay $2.3 million in penalties, Matteol and Fisher-Price deny that they knowingly violatefdfederal law, as allege by CPSC staff.
million civil penalty for violationws of the federal lead paint banin children’s toys. The civil fine comesz after the completed an investigation into the importing and selling of toys with lead painr levels that exceededthe .06 percent lead by weight limigt that is federally mandated. According to the which recently crafted the Consumer Producg SafetyImprovement Act, aimed at toughening requirements for lead and phthalatea in children’s products, Mattel imported up to 900,009 non-compliant toys between July 2006 and September 2007. Fisher-Price imported over 1 million non-compliant toys betweehn July 2006 andSeptember 2007.
Amongh the toys in question were the populatr Sargetoy car, various Barbie productas and some Go Diego Go toys. Most of the toys that had excessive levels of lead were shipped to retail stores for sale tothe public. In a massive toy recall took place where about 95 Mattelland Fisher-Price toy models were determined to have exceedefd the lead limit. Lead can be toxic if ingested by young children and can cause seriouxshealth problems. The topic of lead painf in children’s products has been a hot button issu asof late, with the rollouy of the controversial CPSIsA of 2008.
Toy manufacturers and retailers have said the new regulationszare vague, costly and arbitrary, oftebn requiring the duplicate testing of products. Some smaller manufacturerx say the laws threaten to put them outof business. On the political Rep. Louise Slaughter, said protecting children has to be thetop “When the toy recall happened (in 2007) I calledd the head of Fisher-Price and I told him they needex to start making their toys here Slaughter said.
“We didn’t have these kind of problems befor they imported the Thiscivil penalty, which is the highest for violations involving importation or distributiohn of a regulated product, is the third highestg of any kind in CPSC history. “Thesse highly publicized toy recalls helped spur Congressionaol action last year to strengthehn CPSC and make even stricter the ban on lead paint on said CPSC Acting ChairmanThomas Moore.
“This penalty should serve notice to toy makers that CPSC is committee to the safetyof children, to reducing their exposurw to lead, and to the implementation of the Consumere Product Safety Improvement As part of a story featured in our siste r publication, The Buffalo Law Journal , lookinv at the Consumer Product Safetyt Improvement Act, which ran prior to the announcemeny of these fines, Fisher-Price declineed to provide a representative to discusz the lead paint regulations. Instead, they issued a writtejn statementwhich read, in part: “Mattel is well positionede as it generally designs its products to meet globa l standards.
Mattel has also been a leader in the efforts of industru to establish voluntary industry standards.” The statement also said that Mattel woul continue to comply with the applicablde regulations of the CPSIA. Mattel was unable to be reachede for commentMonday morning, though a representative said they woule have a response later in the day. Despitew agreeing to pay $2.3 million in penalties, Matteol and Fisher-Price deny that they knowingly violatefdfederal law, as allege by CPSC staff.
Friday, December 23, 2011
5 Who Thrive: Four key changes enabled SuperGeeks to prosper - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):
hydiuco.blogspot.com
“We’re seeing if they can fly in this and they should be able to matcuh the level of skill andquality immediately,” Ledoux said. “Even if we’rr desperate for workers, we’ll still take the time to get it Beyond implementing stricterhiring standards, Kerr and Ledoux are creating a workinb environment that supports “A” employeea without micro-managing. The fourth step, Kerr said, was to begin soliciting feedbackfrom SuperGeeks’ base of approximatelyh 10,000 customers through online surveys and commengt cards.
“We started asking customers on a regular basiz whatthey want, how they feel, how we can do things differently or better, which is something we hadn’t done he said, adding that he encourages participatiojn through giveaways for such items as iPodx and certificates for a professional massage. “Sometimes the commentxs are painful, many times it’s insightful, and almost always it’ws worth gold,” Kerr said.
“We’re seeing if they can fly in this and they should be able to matcuh the level of skill andquality immediately,” Ledoux said. “Even if we’rr desperate for workers, we’ll still take the time to get it Beyond implementing stricterhiring standards, Kerr and Ledoux are creating a workinb environment that supports “A” employeea without micro-managing. The fourth step, Kerr said, was to begin soliciting feedbackfrom SuperGeeks’ base of approximatelyh 10,000 customers through online surveys and commengt cards.
“We started asking customers on a regular basiz whatthey want, how they feel, how we can do things differently or better, which is something we hadn’t done he said, adding that he encourages participatiojn through giveaways for such items as iPodx and certificates for a professional massage. “Sometimes the commentxs are painful, many times it’s insightful, and almost always it’ws worth gold,” Kerr said.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Idea Integration to offer Microsoft stimulus package - The Business Review (Albany):
doqujamup.wordpress.com
Idea Integration is one of six companies inthe U.S. chosen by to offer Microsofg Stimulus360. “They’ve cobbled together a lot of Microsofr technology as a solution that can drop into a system and immediatelgy track stimulus dollars and apply forstimulus dollars,” said Sandu Bateh, a senior vice president at Idea Integration and the company’w Microsoft alliance manager. The package is aimef at state and local governments trying to get their share of the stimulus money and to trackits use. Idea Integrationn and the other five companiees offering the package were chosen becauses of their familiarity with all of the applicationsx inthe package.
“You have to understand the five underlyingt pieces ofthe technology,” Bateh said. Idea Integratio will be competing with the othedr five companies forgovernment clients. Bateh said the most promisingh sector islocal governments, since most of the stimulus moneg ultimately gets spent at that Bateh said the alliance with Microsoft givez Idea Integration a chance to land new clients. “It’d a great opportunity for companies like us because it givesanother entry, it’s a he said.
Idea Integration is one of six companies inthe U.S. chosen by to offer Microsofg Stimulus360. “They’ve cobbled together a lot of Microsofr technology as a solution that can drop into a system and immediatelgy track stimulus dollars and apply forstimulus dollars,” said Sandu Bateh, a senior vice president at Idea Integration and the company’w Microsoft alliance manager. The package is aimef at state and local governments trying to get their share of the stimulus money and to trackits use. Idea Integrationn and the other five companiees offering the package were chosen becauses of their familiarity with all of the applicationsx inthe package.
“You have to understand the five underlyingt pieces ofthe technology,” Bateh said. Idea Integratio will be competing with the othedr five companies forgovernment clients. Bateh said the most promisingh sector islocal governments, since most of the stimulus moneg ultimately gets spent at that Bateh said the alliance with Microsoft givez Idea Integration a chance to land new clients. “It’d a great opportunity for companies like us because it givesanother entry, it’s a he said.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Amedore Homes shows off new Albany townhouse development - The Business Review (Albany):
yzirapogyg.wordpress.com
Located at the corner of Van Rensselaetr andNorthern boulevards, across from , the four-acree site can accommodate 52 two-story townhouses. Five of the unitsd have sold so far, said Peter director of marketingand design. Starting prices range from $344,900 to $369,900 for the 1,800-square-foo t to 2,300-square-foot units. The townhouses feature maple kitchen cabinets, oak flooring, granited counter tops, full basements, attachedd garages, nine-foot ceilings, gas fireplaces and other Somehave first-floor mastere bedroom suites. The units will be buil t as theyare sold.
"We're aware of a soft marketf but it's a buyer's market," Amedore The town homes are designer to appeal to people whowant maintenance-free living in a secluder area that is easily accessiblwe from Interstate 90. Mayor Jerry Jenningw and other invited guests are scheduled to attendr the grand openingfrom 5-7 p.m. on May 20
Located at the corner of Van Rensselaetr andNorthern boulevards, across from , the four-acree site can accommodate 52 two-story townhouses. Five of the unitsd have sold so far, said Peter director of marketingand design. Starting prices range from $344,900 to $369,900 for the 1,800-square-foo t to 2,300-square-foot units. The townhouses feature maple kitchen cabinets, oak flooring, granited counter tops, full basements, attachedd garages, nine-foot ceilings, gas fireplaces and other Somehave first-floor mastere bedroom suites. The units will be buil t as theyare sold.
"We're aware of a soft marketf but it's a buyer's market," Amedore The town homes are designer to appeal to people whowant maintenance-free living in a secluder area that is easily accessiblwe from Interstate 90. Mayor Jerry Jenningw and other invited guests are scheduled to attendr the grand openingfrom 5-7 p.m. on May 20
Friday, December 16, 2011
Community health centers hope to get stimulus funds - Washington Business Journal:
ejoxot.wordpress.com
, which operates seven centers in Louisville, has applied for more than $1.7 millionm in grants. has applied for nearlgy $926,000 in stimulus funding. Applications for the grante were submitted earlier this month to the Health Resources andServices Administration, or The grants are noncompetitive and will be distributed basedd on formula allocations. The stimulus moneg is limited to “federally qualified health centers,” or that already receive funding under a provisiomn of the Public HealthService Act. The centersx provide care to indigent and medically underserved populations in both rural andurban areas.
Familhy Health Centers and Park DuVall e are the only operators of such centers in Louisville. William B. Wagner, executive directot of Family Health Centers, said awards are expectedd to begin reaching local recipients early next But HRSA first must reviewgrantf applications, which require applicants to outline specific uses for the funding. For Family Health Centers, the stimulus money would expedite a number of projectsw inthe organization’s long-term plans, “rather than doing them yearas down the road,” Wagner said. About $1.3 million would pay for a renovatiomn of the second floor ofthe agency’as main center, at 2215 Portlanxd Ave.
, said Wagner, who also is co-chairman of the city’s Healthb and Wellness team for stimulus funding. The projecgt would convert an occupational-health unit into a primary-carer clinic. The renovation woulds double the number of exam rooms in the unitto six, Wagnert said. In addition, the organization planas to repair the windows onits 66,000-square-foog Portland facility, which was builrt in the 1930s. The balance of the fundinv would payfor information-technology upgrades. Family Health Centers officials planto “virtualize” the servers in its data meaning it will consolidate data onto fewert servers to save energy and costs.
Other technologty changes include anew practice-management which facilitates appointment scheduling, registration and as well as a new lab informatiomn system and a system that computerizesa the archiving process of radiological Park DuValle Community Health Centeer also would use stimulus funding to enhance its technolog systems, said Dr. John Howard, health services directotr forthe center. Upgrades would include digitizingthe organization’s lab, dentaol lab and X-ray departments, he said. Park DuVallr operates three facilities in Louisville and one inSpencedr County. Craig Kennedy, associatr vice president for federal and stat affairs forthe , a Md.
-based advocacy and support group for the centers, called the stimulus funds a “huge step forward” for community health centers acrosa the country. For more than 12 years, communityh health centers have been preventee from using federal grants for construction or renovation of he said. Association officials believe the stimulus monehy is partly intended to compensate for that lack of he added. Contractors and vendors for the Familty Health Centers projects will be hired through a bid Wagner said.
They will be notified of work opportunitiew in a number of Family Health Centers will develop a list of contractora and vendors and sendthem notifications, Wagner The agency also will advertisde through local media, and it will seek additional guidancw from Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government’s purchasint department, Wagner said. “We want to invite as many peopl to bidas possible.
”
, which operates seven centers in Louisville, has applied for more than $1.7 millionm in grants. has applied for nearlgy $926,000 in stimulus funding. Applications for the grante were submitted earlier this month to the Health Resources andServices Administration, or The grants are noncompetitive and will be distributed basedd on formula allocations. The stimulus moneg is limited to “federally qualified health centers,” or that already receive funding under a provisiomn of the Public HealthService Act. The centersx provide care to indigent and medically underserved populations in both rural andurban areas.
Familhy Health Centers and Park DuVall e are the only operators of such centers in Louisville. William B. Wagner, executive directot of Family Health Centers, said awards are expectedd to begin reaching local recipients early next But HRSA first must reviewgrantf applications, which require applicants to outline specific uses for the funding. For Family Health Centers, the stimulus money would expedite a number of projectsw inthe organization’s long-term plans, “rather than doing them yearas down the road,” Wagner said. About $1.3 million would pay for a renovatiomn of the second floor ofthe agency’as main center, at 2215 Portlanxd Ave.
, said Wagner, who also is co-chairman of the city’s Healthb and Wellness team for stimulus funding. The projecgt would convert an occupational-health unit into a primary-carer clinic. The renovation woulds double the number of exam rooms in the unitto six, Wagnert said. In addition, the organization planas to repair the windows onits 66,000-square-foog Portland facility, which was builrt in the 1930s. The balance of the fundinv would payfor information-technology upgrades. Family Health Centers officials planto “virtualize” the servers in its data meaning it will consolidate data onto fewert servers to save energy and costs.
Other technologty changes include anew practice-management which facilitates appointment scheduling, registration and as well as a new lab informatiomn system and a system that computerizesa the archiving process of radiological Park DuValle Community Health Centeer also would use stimulus funding to enhance its technolog systems, said Dr. John Howard, health services directotr forthe center. Upgrades would include digitizingthe organization’s lab, dentaol lab and X-ray departments, he said. Park DuVallr operates three facilities in Louisville and one inSpencedr County. Craig Kennedy, associatr vice president for federal and stat affairs forthe , a Md.
-based advocacy and support group for the centers, called the stimulus funds a “huge step forward” for community health centers acrosa the country. For more than 12 years, communityh health centers have been preventee from using federal grants for construction or renovation of he said. Association officials believe the stimulus monehy is partly intended to compensate for that lack of he added. Contractors and vendors for the Familty Health Centers projects will be hired through a bid Wagner said.
They will be notified of work opportunitiew in a number of Family Health Centers will develop a list of contractora and vendors and sendthem notifications, Wagner The agency also will advertisde through local media, and it will seek additional guidancw from Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government’s purchasint department, Wagner said. “We want to invite as many peopl to bidas possible.
”
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