ukatekexo.wordpress.com
Nickels proposed the $25-per-employee tax in 2006 as one of threer elements of a package to fund local stree repair andadd sidewalks, bicycle lanes and otheer features. Repealing it would reduce funding forthe “Bridging the program by about $4.7 million. “It’s Economics 101: when you tax you get less of it, and we want more jobs in said CouncilPresident Conlin. Reaction from the businesd communitywas swift. “This tax represents an ‘unwelcome mat’ for business, and it’z past time that the city rolled it saidKate Joncas, president of the , which opposef the tax from the beginning.
“Taxing new employees in Seattle sendsx the wrong message to businesses looking to grow and businessesa looking to relocate toour city,” she said. The also supportef the repeal. “It sends a cleafr message that elected officials are targeting specific actionds to retain and createa job-growing economy,” said Chamber Presideny & CEO Phil Bussey. “W applaud Mayor Nickels and Councilmemberz Burgess and Conlin for their leadership and will be workingf with council to see it The employee head tax has become a hot issur inthis year’s races. At a recent Downtown Seattle Associationcandidate forum, many candidates talked abouyt repealing the tax.
It’s also a relatively easy target. The employeew head tax, which applies only to employeesx who drive to work most ofthe time, has been bringint in less money than expected. the commercial parking tax, which will increase to 10 percent onJuly 1, has been bringinh in more money than expected. And a $365 million property tax levy remain sin place.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Industry recruiters should take a cue from auto meltdown - Memphis Business Journal:
ejoxot.wordpress.com
Marion, Ark. has chased the automobile industruy aggressively forseveral years. But now the city is shiftinbg gears to cast awider net. Auto assembly plants remaij a viable industryto pursue, unlike the apparel manufacturing industry, but the recession has brought a soberinhg reality to places like Marion and Blue Springs, When economic development efforts are too narrowly focusec on a specific industry, a community’s livelihoofd hinges on catching that one big fish.
And, once its fortunes remain tied to the relative health of that Blue Springs, located just outsidd of Tupelo, won the coveted Toyota sweepstakes in Februaryy 2007, getting word that its industrial megasite woul d become home for Toyota Motor Corp.’s $1.3 billiomn Highlander SUV assembly plant. Part s suppliers to Toyota made subsequent announcementssayintg they, too, would be locating parts facilitiez nearby to service the Toyota mother plant. As the priced of oil, and gasoline, skyrocketed to unprecedented levelsin 2008, Toyota decided to producd its hybrid vehicle brand Prius at the Blue Springs planf instead.
Then, the plant’s opening was delayed as new car salexs slowed and the auto giang saw profitsslide 27% in the fourtg quarter of 2008. And now with the you have to wonder if production will startin mid-2010 as Toyota has said, or if another announcement is coming. The bottom line is that Blue Springs, and the investmentr made by Pontotoc, Union and Lee counties to lure the have little control over what Marion was in the running for theHighlandee plant, and still has the Hino Motors Ltd. parts planrt that employs about 500, down from a peak of 750. But Mariomn is now looking to recruit a variety of differenf industries to its RailportIndustrial Park.
Both communitiess won, and we expect Toyota’s presence in Blue Springes will serve that economty very well for yearsto come. But puttingy your eggs in one basket comes with a If the focus istoo narrow, the price of lost opportunitiesz comes to mind. Those developing new and futures megasites inthe Mid-Souty should remember there are plent of different fish that those nets can
Marion, Ark. has chased the automobile industruy aggressively forseveral years. But now the city is shiftinbg gears to cast awider net. Auto assembly plants remaij a viable industryto pursue, unlike the apparel manufacturing industry, but the recession has brought a soberinhg reality to places like Marion and Blue Springs, When economic development efforts are too narrowly focusec on a specific industry, a community’s livelihoofd hinges on catching that one big fish.
And, once its fortunes remain tied to the relative health of that Blue Springs, located just outsidd of Tupelo, won the coveted Toyota sweepstakes in Februaryy 2007, getting word that its industrial megasite woul d become home for Toyota Motor Corp.’s $1.3 billiomn Highlander SUV assembly plant. Part s suppliers to Toyota made subsequent announcementssayintg they, too, would be locating parts facilitiez nearby to service the Toyota mother plant. As the priced of oil, and gasoline, skyrocketed to unprecedented levelsin 2008, Toyota decided to producd its hybrid vehicle brand Prius at the Blue Springs planf instead.
Then, the plant’s opening was delayed as new car salexs slowed and the auto giang saw profitsslide 27% in the fourtg quarter of 2008. And now with the you have to wonder if production will startin mid-2010 as Toyota has said, or if another announcement is coming. The bottom line is that Blue Springs, and the investmentr made by Pontotoc, Union and Lee counties to lure the have little control over what Marion was in the running for theHighlandee plant, and still has the Hino Motors Ltd. parts planrt that employs about 500, down from a peak of 750. But Mariomn is now looking to recruit a variety of differenf industries to its RailportIndustrial Park.
Both communitiess won, and we expect Toyota’s presence in Blue Springes will serve that economty very well for yearsto come. But puttingy your eggs in one basket comes with a If the focus istoo narrow, the price of lost opportunitiesz comes to mind. Those developing new and futures megasites inthe Mid-Souty should remember there are plent of different fish that those nets can
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
TROIS restaurant to be renovated, reborn as new Concentrics flagship - Business Courier of Cincinnati:
http://sharesleuth.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=2&id=36
is recasting its flagship restaurant in a move that is drivenb in part bythe economy, the company'zs founder and owner said The main second floor dining room for the restauranft has closed for renovations as Concentric s prepares to introduce a new concept for the three-storyt restaurant in 1180 Peachtree, Concentrics owner/founder Bob Amick said in an “It’s been our most critically-acclaimed restaurantt that we’ve opened…but in these higher end restaurants are the restaurantx that are being hit the most, and I don’t think the economy is going to change overnight,” Amicl said.
“It’s still going to be our flagshipl restaurant, but done in a different way.” The TROIS name will stay for now, as both Bar at TROIx and Event Space at TROISremain open. The TROIS bar will serve dinner Tuesdaythrougu Saturday, and all previously booked eventd at the event space will go on Amick said. The new restaurantt concept will open sometimein September. The downturn in the economy hashit high-endx restaurants particularly hard as even the wealthy chose more affordable options, and businessews cut back on travelk and corporate schmoozing. But the acclaimed Atlanta restaurateuf hardlysignaled defeat.
“If it’s doom and gloom we’de be walking away,” Amick said. The new concept will be announcefd later this summer and will encompass theentire 14,000-square-footg facility. Employees of the restaurant have been offerede positions in otherConcentrics eateries. In a news Amick said the company "conducted intense guest focus groups and surveys at TROIS which revealed the restaurant was not meetinyguest expectations. As a result, we feel it is necessary to adjustfthe décor and menu to better please our We are excited to providde more insight on the new concept when all elementes are solidified.
” Though the name and concept for TROIS is changing, Amickm said, his company’s commitmeng to Midtown and the 1180 Peachtree buildinf is unwavering. “We’re excited about Midtowm and the building andthe space,” he said. Concentrics owns 10 othed restaurantsin Atlanta, including ONE. Midtown TWO Urban Licks, TAP, STATS, 30 Tables and Max’ss Coal Oven Pizzeria (opening this The company also has restaurants in Chicagoand Florida.
is recasting its flagship restaurant in a move that is drivenb in part bythe economy, the company'zs founder and owner said The main second floor dining room for the restauranft has closed for renovations as Concentric s prepares to introduce a new concept for the three-storyt restaurant in 1180 Peachtree, Concentrics owner/founder Bob Amick said in an “It’s been our most critically-acclaimed restaurantt that we’ve opened…but in these higher end restaurants are the restaurantx that are being hit the most, and I don’t think the economy is going to change overnight,” Amicl said.
“It’s still going to be our flagshipl restaurant, but done in a different way.” The TROIS name will stay for now, as both Bar at TROIx and Event Space at TROISremain open. The TROIS bar will serve dinner Tuesdaythrougu Saturday, and all previously booked eventd at the event space will go on Amick said. The new restaurantt concept will open sometimein September. The downturn in the economy hashit high-endx restaurants particularly hard as even the wealthy chose more affordable options, and businessews cut back on travelk and corporate schmoozing. But the acclaimed Atlanta restaurateuf hardlysignaled defeat.
“If it’s doom and gloom we’de be walking away,” Amick said. The new concept will be announcefd later this summer and will encompass theentire 14,000-square-footg facility. Employees of the restaurant have been offerede positions in otherConcentrics eateries. In a news Amick said the company "conducted intense guest focus groups and surveys at TROIS which revealed the restaurant was not meetinyguest expectations. As a result, we feel it is necessary to adjustfthe décor and menu to better please our We are excited to providde more insight on the new concept when all elementes are solidified.
” Though the name and concept for TROIS is changing, Amickm said, his company’s commitmeng to Midtown and the 1180 Peachtree buildinf is unwavering. “We’re excited about Midtowm and the building andthe space,” he said. Concentrics owns 10 othed restaurantsin Atlanta, including ONE. Midtown TWO Urban Licks, TAP, STATS, 30 Tables and Max’ss Coal Oven Pizzeria (opening this The company also has restaurants in Chicagoand Florida.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Big Island home and condo prices fall - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):
framptongeqeaqu1461.blogspot.com
The median price of a single-familu home on the Big Island in May was a 27 percent drop fromMay 2008, when the pricee was $415,000, according to the . That figure was basedr on 100 sales, down 6.5 percent from the 107 salew in the same month the year The median price of a condominiumk on the Big Islandr last monthwas $309,000, a 31 percenf drop from the previous when it was $450,000. However, that was bases on just 31 sales, down from 39 sales in May 2008. The pricesz are in line with year-to-dats trends. The median price of a Big Islanx single-family home for the firsty five months of the year was down 26 percentfrom $385,00 0 during the same period in 2008.
That was basedx on 424 sales, down 18 percent from 2008. The mediah price of a Big Island condl from January through May was a 39 percent drop from the same period last when itwas $485,000. That was baseds on 107 sales, down 41 percent from the same periofin 2008.
The median price of a single-familu home on the Big Island in May was a 27 percent drop fromMay 2008, when the pricee was $415,000, according to the . That figure was basedr on 100 sales, down 6.5 percent from the 107 salew in the same month the year The median price of a condominiumk on the Big Islandr last monthwas $309,000, a 31 percenf drop from the previous when it was $450,000. However, that was bases on just 31 sales, down from 39 sales in May 2008. The pricesz are in line with year-to-dats trends. The median price of a Big Islanx single-family home for the firsty five months of the year was down 26 percentfrom $385,00 0 during the same period in 2008.
That was basedx on 424 sales, down 18 percent from 2008. The mediah price of a Big Island condl from January through May was a 39 percent drop from the same period last when itwas $485,000. That was baseds on 107 sales, down 41 percent from the same periofin 2008.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Delta inks $12B partnership with Air France/KLM - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:
http://work-ideas.livejournal.com/5854.html
The trans-Atlantic alliance between the world’s largest carrier DAL) and Europe’s largest airline group will offer moreflighft frequencies, better scheduling and more competitivw fares, the carriers said in a joint announcemenyt from Paris. The $12 billion revenue figure is basede on flights operatedby KLM, Air France to respective hubs, plus connectingb service. The deal bolsters the strength of the allianc against competing joint venturesand . Deltw signed a joint venture deal with Air Francrin 2007. , which Delta acquired last has been a partner with KLMsince 1997. The new partnershipp represents a quarter ofall trans-Atlantic air the carriers said.
Deltz and Air France/KLM will coordinate as a singl e carrieron trans-Atlantic service. The pact includesw routes between North Americaand Europe, Nortg America and Africa, Europe and Latin America (where Deltaa is particularly strong) and the Middlw East and India, the carriers Flights between the U.S. and the Europeahn Union will be “mutually code-shared” where permissible, the carrier s said.
"The structure of this joint in which we operat as a single business where we consensually developp our strategies and share revenueseand costs, provides the incentivesx for us to collaborate in a way that generatew benefits for customers, shareholders and employees of our threse airlines," Delta CEO Richard Anderson said in a "Customers will benefit from the unique scope and choices we will while shareholders and employees will benefift from the stronger competitive and financial position of our respective The carriers said the venture will increase the visibility througnh coordinated marketing of all three airlines across 400-plus airports worldwide, and the respectiv e brands will link at North American and European ports.
"This strategic partnershipl puts us in a good positiojn compared with othermajor alliances, whichy are extremely active on the world's leading long-haul market. By integratingb our trans-Atlantic operations, we will give our passenger whatthey desire: more choice, more more convenient flight schedules and superior customefr service," Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, president and CEO of Air France KLM, said in a news "By optimizing the use of our pooled resources, this joint venture will help us weather the current economic situation and protectr our product offering.
" All threwe carriers will govern the new alliances collectively, with work groups createxd to manage such aspectse as network, revenue, sales frequent flyer advertising, cargo and technology. The new deal does not have a set end but can be terminated witha three-year notice afterf the first ten years. The partnershil includes a network of more than 200dailyt flights. Flights are structured around six main hubsin Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York and as well as Delta’s Cincinnati, Memphis and Salt Lake City bases andAir France’a Lyon hub.
The trans-Atlantic alliance between the world’s largest carrier DAL) and Europe’s largest airline group will offer moreflighft frequencies, better scheduling and more competitivw fares, the carriers said in a joint announcemenyt from Paris. The $12 billion revenue figure is basede on flights operatedby KLM, Air France to respective hubs, plus connectingb service. The deal bolsters the strength of the allianc against competing joint venturesand . Deltw signed a joint venture deal with Air Francrin 2007. , which Delta acquired last has been a partner with KLMsince 1997. The new partnershipp represents a quarter ofall trans-Atlantic air the carriers said.
Deltz and Air France/KLM will coordinate as a singl e carrieron trans-Atlantic service. The pact includesw routes between North Americaand Europe, Nortg America and Africa, Europe and Latin America (where Deltaa is particularly strong) and the Middlw East and India, the carriers Flights between the U.S. and the Europeahn Union will be “mutually code-shared” where permissible, the carrier s said.
"The structure of this joint in which we operat as a single business where we consensually developp our strategies and share revenueseand costs, provides the incentivesx for us to collaborate in a way that generatew benefits for customers, shareholders and employees of our threse airlines," Delta CEO Richard Anderson said in a "Customers will benefit from the unique scope and choices we will while shareholders and employees will benefift from the stronger competitive and financial position of our respective The carriers said the venture will increase the visibility througnh coordinated marketing of all three airlines across 400-plus airports worldwide, and the respectiv e brands will link at North American and European ports.
"This strategic partnershipl puts us in a good positiojn compared with othermajor alliances, whichy are extremely active on the world's leading long-haul market. By integratingb our trans-Atlantic operations, we will give our passenger whatthey desire: more choice, more more convenient flight schedules and superior customefr service," Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, president and CEO of Air France KLM, said in a news "By optimizing the use of our pooled resources, this joint venture will help us weather the current economic situation and protectr our product offering.
" All threwe carriers will govern the new alliances collectively, with work groups createxd to manage such aspectse as network, revenue, sales frequent flyer advertising, cargo and technology. The new deal does not have a set end but can be terminated witha three-year notice afterf the first ten years. The partnershil includes a network of more than 200dailyt flights. Flights are structured around six main hubsin Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York and as well as Delta’s Cincinnati, Memphis and Salt Lake City bases andAir France’a Lyon hub.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Retail centers struggle - Dayton Business Journal:
http://globalsurgicalsolutions.com/medical-procedures/dental-procedures/dental-bridges/
Officials from almost every municipality in the Dayton area are contendinf with the problem of empty or high vacancyretail centers. In fact, there are 38 retaik centers locally with a vacancy rate above 30 Of those, 16 have a vacancy rate highef than 50 percent, according to the Gem Real Estat Group retail market survey. And many expertss predict the problem will onlyget Developers, property owners, commercial real estatre brokers and government officials know their individuap battles are part of a much larger, shared Strategic Resource Group, a New York-basedx consulting firm, expects between 2,000 and 3,000 shoppingh centers and malls across the nation to closwe by March and April of this The group also expects 200,000 retail stores to close this on top of the approximately 160,0090 that closed last year.
The cause of death for a stril or shoppingcenter varies. It can be the suddebn departure of ananchor tenant, because the company has gone It can be the painful death of a strip center that no longee has the traffic flow that feeda the retailers. It can be cause d by a new center, with more spacs and better tenantsacross town, pullinyg dollars away. If the community’s health is wavering, that decline is most evidenyt in its retail Lack of buying power is amajor problem, as well. Many nationalp retailers require an area to containj a certain average household income before they will locate astore there.
Today, all of these symptomss are exacerbated by the economic Emptystore fronts, cracked pavement and fadedf signs make it hard to attracty new tenants. Without new tenants, property owners aren’t willing to put moneyh into renovations. Without renovations, tenantsd aren’t interested in setting up Finley, planning and development director for the city of knows the struggle of keeping stripcenters alive. Her city has been facing the challenge for yearsd along itsretail corridor. The community of 24,000 peoples is home to two retail centersd with vacancy rates of more than 50 The 150,000-square-foot has more than 90,000o square feet of vacant spacw that formerly housed an store.
Finleyu said the space is finallyt being demolished after nearlyt 20 years ofsittint empty. The city is working with to buildf 30 senior housing units on the The hope is to turn the centert into a typeof mixed-usse development. But, she said, a tough fight has gotten toughere with thestruggling economy. “Retailk is something you cannot force,” Finley said. Otherd communities in the Dayton area know the same Kris McClintick, development director for Harrison said officials are trying to revitalize its main strio center. , located near Northh Main Street and ShoupMill Road, was in its primd during the 1960s and 1970s. But by the the bigger stores, such as , closed theifr doors.
McClintick said the 200,000-square-foort center is about 90 percent vacant. “The strilp center is pretty much dead,” McClintickj said.
Officials from almost every municipality in the Dayton area are contendinf with the problem of empty or high vacancyretail centers. In fact, there are 38 retaik centers locally with a vacancy rate above 30 Of those, 16 have a vacancy rate highef than 50 percent, according to the Gem Real Estat Group retail market survey. And many expertss predict the problem will onlyget Developers, property owners, commercial real estatre brokers and government officials know their individuap battles are part of a much larger, shared Strategic Resource Group, a New York-basedx consulting firm, expects between 2,000 and 3,000 shoppingh centers and malls across the nation to closwe by March and April of this The group also expects 200,000 retail stores to close this on top of the approximately 160,0090 that closed last year.
The cause of death for a stril or shoppingcenter varies. It can be the suddebn departure of ananchor tenant, because the company has gone It can be the painful death of a strip center that no longee has the traffic flow that feeda the retailers. It can be cause d by a new center, with more spacs and better tenantsacross town, pullinyg dollars away. If the community’s health is wavering, that decline is most evidenyt in its retail Lack of buying power is amajor problem, as well. Many nationalp retailers require an area to containj a certain average household income before they will locate astore there.
Today, all of these symptomss are exacerbated by the economic Emptystore fronts, cracked pavement and fadedf signs make it hard to attracty new tenants. Without new tenants, property owners aren’t willing to put moneyh into renovations. Without renovations, tenantsd aren’t interested in setting up Finley, planning and development director for the city of knows the struggle of keeping stripcenters alive. Her city has been facing the challenge for yearsd along itsretail corridor. The community of 24,000 peoples is home to two retail centersd with vacancy rates of more than 50 The 150,000-square-foot has more than 90,000o square feet of vacant spacw that formerly housed an store.
Finleyu said the space is finallyt being demolished after nearlyt 20 years ofsittint empty. The city is working with to buildf 30 senior housing units on the The hope is to turn the centert into a typeof mixed-usse development. But, she said, a tough fight has gotten toughere with thestruggling economy. “Retailk is something you cannot force,” Finley said. Otherd communities in the Dayton area know the same Kris McClintick, development director for Harrison said officials are trying to revitalize its main strio center. , located near Northh Main Street and ShoupMill Road, was in its primd during the 1960s and 1970s. But by the the bigger stores, such as , closed theifr doors.
McClintick said the 200,000-square-foort center is about 90 percent vacant. “The strilp center is pretty much dead,” McClintickj said.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Punters in Royal Wedding frenzy - Fox Sports
ucojaje.wordpress.com
Punters in Royal Wedding frenzy Fox Sports These are the questions millions of punt-drunk Poms are mulling over as they try to turn a quid out of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Sports betting in Great Britain is a multi-billion-pound business - and the nation's ... |
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