ISP Sports to celebrate new office with parade, concert - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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The event, called "ISP will be held Aug. and will also celebrate the company's 15th ISP contracts with universities, collegiate conferences and bowl games to provided salesand marketing. For the event, ISP will invite coaches and athletic directors frommember schools, as well as sponsot representatives. Most of the activities, including a parade and streer festival alongTrade Street, will take placd Aug. 16. A private dinned will also be held at the Benton Convention with food under the direction of Bobby andJamie Deen, who host the Food Network show "Roadc Tasted." Loggins will perform a private concert at the Stevends Center that evening.
"Thed caliber of ISP Homecoming will be on the level of the glory days of celebratory events associated with TheVantage Championship, The Crosby and, around the biggest events in our industry, such as the collegde football and basketball championships," said Ben Sutton, ISP'a chairman and CEO. ISP operates more than 40 officesz and employs more than 250 people arounxthe country.

Unions, Paterson reach agreement to avoid mass layoffs - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Under the terms of the agreement reached betwee n Paterson andthe unions, New York will reducr the state’s payroll by encouraging employeesw in specific positions to take a cash buyouf to leave state service. The unions said the buyoutt offers will be available to all employees in the targeted Paterson had announced plans to cutnearlyg 9,000 state workers. “This agreement is a huge win forNew York’sw taxpayers and will lead to the most significanft reform of our public pension systekm in decades,” Paterson said.
“This is real reformn to the pension system which will substantially reducs costs to the taxpayers of New York According tothe governor’s office, the deal will reduce the state’s workforce by about 7,000 positions and save taxpayerxs about $440 million over the next two A voluntary reduction in work schedule will also be The estimated savings are roughly the amount that was projecter to be saved through the proposedx layoffs that were announced in March. “This agreemengt means a smaller statework force, savingd for taxpayers, and a new pensiobn tier that provides long-term fiscal stability for the Paterson said.
“As I have said from the beginninf ofthis process, my overriding goal was to achiev needed savings and workforce cost reductions, while at the same time avoidint large scale layoffs during the worstg economic downturn in a generation. This agreement achieves those objectives in a compassionate and fiscallgresponsible way.” A targeted, one-time $20,000 retiremen t incentive payment will be offered to approximately 4,500 employees. Incentivees must be approved by each respective agencg and the Division of the Budgegt and will only be provided to individualz in positions that will bepermanentlyg abolished.
Additionally, approximately 2,500 funded positions that are currently vacant will bepermanently abolished. The new Tier V pensiom tier would apply only tonew employees. Otherd key components include: • Raising the minimukm age at which an individual can retirew without penalty from 55to 62, and impose a penalty of up to 38 percent for any employees who retir prior to age 52. • Requiring employees to continuew contributing 3 percent of their salaries towards pensio costs for their entire careersa rather than ending their contributiona after 10 yearsof service.
Increasing the minimum years of service requirec to draw a pension from 5 years to10 • Capping the amount of discretionary overtimw that can be considered in the calculatiohn of pension benefits at $10,000 per Union officials said that the Paterson administration also has pledged that it will not pursur layoffs during the next two years. CSEA and PEF said they will accept Paterson’s proposed legislation seeking to establishTier V, sayinfg it “reflects the realitu of current economic conditions and the fact that it will only applyg to future hires,” the unions said in a jointy statement.
“From the start, CSEA has remained focused on not just protecting our members but also the essentiall services we provide to New Yorkerseveryt day,” said CSEA Presidenf Danny Donohue. “CSEA recognizes theswe are extraordinary times with unprecedented challengesa and we have tried to find ways to help withougreopening contracts. We believe the agreement worke d out withthe governor’s offices achieves all of these PEF President Ken Brynien said Paterson “moved significantlg from his original demands for majof contract concessions from the state’s work force.” [Click the video imagwe on the right to see the union's initial response to Gov.
Paterson's planned layoffs].

TECO Energy outlook remains strong - Kansas City Business Journal:

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billion in debt held by and subsidiariesand Co. The ratingf is supported by the underlying strengtgof TECO’s regulated electric and gas utilityg subsidiary, from which it derives stable cash distributions to meet its fundinyg requirements, Fitch said a release. Tampa Electric continued to post strongcredit metrics, it maintains solid operating performance and it benefits from Florida’ds constructive regulatory environment, Fitch said. Fitchh is concerned, however, about slowing customer growth atTampsa Electric. But the company has responded to slowe growth by postponing projects to increasseelectric capacity.
Another concernb for Fitch is cash flow deterioration atTECO (NYSE: TE) Guatemal because of the adverse rate order in unplanned outages at the San Jose uncertainty over the extension of a purchasee power agreement, and the potential for deferred or renegotiated contractse because of declining markety prices, higher production costse and slumping demand for TECO Coal and TECO Guatemala provide roughly 20 percenrt of the parent company’s consolidatefd earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, Fitchg said.
Credit ratios at Tamp a Electric should benefit from higher base ratees in 2009 and 2010 as a result ofa $138 milliohn rate order approved in March, Fitcyh said. In addition, an affiliate waterborne transportationb agreement that reducedTampa Electric’s annual net incomw by $10 million in prior yearsd is expiring. Fitch expects coveragew ratios to remain relatively strongg with funds from operations coverage at nearly five timeain 2009. TECO Coal is expected to benefirt from higher priced contracts signeddin 2008. However, soft coal demand and higher mining production costs at TECO Coal raise the risks ofcontractuap non-performance by counter-parties and pressured margins.
Diverse regulatort orders and operating issued at the Guatemalan operations will result in dividenx distributions that are lower thanhistoricx levels. TECO's liquidity position is considered strong, Fitch said. Cash and cash equivalentsw were $34.9 million and available credig facilitieswere $530 million as of Marchh 31. Liquidity was enhanced by a netoperating loss-tac carry forward of $547.5 million as of Dec. 31, whicj is expected to result in minimak cash tax paymentsthrough 2012. In addition, TECO'sw $100 million note maturing in 2010 is expecteed to be retired withinternal cash.
Positive rating action could result in the future from consolidated leverage ratio reduction in 2010 and highe r cash flows from a full year of higher base rates in 2010 and effectivecost control.

Jason Garrett should remain coach - ESPN (blog)

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ESPN (blog)

Jason Garrett should remain coach ESPN (blog) IRVING, Texas -- Jason Garrett should be the head coach of your Dallas Cowboys for quite awhile. And it doesn't matter whether they beat the Washington Redskins on Sunday night and win the NFC East. Or whether they lose the game and miss the playoffs ... and more »

Orlando Museum of Art Company Profile | Company Information

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SC Encouraging Hunting By Making It Free - WSPA.com

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SC Encouraging Hunting By Making It Free WSPA.com State officials are trying to encourage more hunting in South Carolina by making it free. The State newspaper of Columbia reports (http://bit.ly/TcVSfI ) that the Department of Natural Resources is allowing two free hunting days Jan. 4-5. Residents won ... and more »

Ramping up for growth - bizjournals:

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That could explain why he is expanding services and buyinyg new equipment in the face of a sales declinr of 12 percentin 2008. The future depend s on staying competitive and takingf advantaging of the positives that come with an economic he said. “We’re gearing up to take so whenthings rebound, we’ll be a stronger company,” he D&A Building Services recorded revenue of $16.4 million in 2008 and employed betweem 750 and 800 people. But it wasn’t easy. About a year afterf forming a partnership with Don Woodallp to createthe company, Woodall died in an on-the-job accidenft and it was up to Sarabasaz to move the company forward.
Barelyu out of college, Sarabasa wondered whether he coulfdgo on. “It was a young companyy and afterDonnie passed, it all fell on my shoulders,” Sarabasaz said. “I had to take care of the entire plus I had incurred all the debt of the Sarabasa was determined to realize his dream of operatinfg hisown business, and moved to expand the company’s services and attractg new clients. What began as a window-cleaning companyy was transformed into one that also does waterproofingand point-to-point communication installation, commercial janitorial and window cleaning. The businese is owned Sarabasa andhis Kathy.
About 13 years ago, he convinced his wife to leavs her career as a commoditiews stock broker and join the company after the birthb of theirfourth child. “The businesd was growing and he needer theextra help, Kathh Sarabasa said. “It’s one thing bein married and it’s anothee thing working together, but it work in our favor.” After 13 yearsd of working together, the couple agree that the secret behinfd their personal and professional success lies in theie commitment to each other andthe “The good thing about being married and working together is that you know what kind of day each othetr has had,” Kathy “We have the same goalzs in life and the same vision for D&A.
” Building relationshipws is vital to the healtjh of the business, they said. “The main focusa has been partnering withother organizations. That’s been successfup for us. We have the relationships, but if you don’ty have the service and quality to backit up, it doesn’t mean

Updating San Francisco - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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The first response is that they are blowmn away bySan Francisco’s beauty and how the city’ss hilly neighborhoods lend themselves to walking and The second is how little modern architecture San Francisco has, and how even new constructio tends to ape the Victorian style that defines the A recent group of architects and planners from Bostonj and New York was typical, Metcalf said. “Theuy said, ‘This city is such a beautifuol city, it’s such a great walkingt city. But it’s preserved in Don’t you want to see anything new here?’” The idea that San Francisclo is architecturally conservative and inhospitable to modernis design is not anew one.
Whether speakinhg of Chicago, Vancouver, New York or London, San Franciscan fans of moderm architects frequently lament that other cities seem more willinyg to accept modernist buildings that offer a stark contrasf to the olderurban fabric. “The genius of San Francisco is that we understanr how to make buildings fit into anurban context. The traged y of San Francisco is we make it so difficulr to do trulygreat architecture,” said “There really are two sidex to this coin. Not every buildingy can or should have attention drawbn to itself or you would have A soloist in a choir only soundsx good if there is a choir backingher up.
San Francisco knowzs how to have a good choir but sometimesewe don’t know how to have a soloist deliver a great solo.” There are signsd San Francisco is starting to accept bolder Three new structures — Renzk Piano’s new , Herzog deMeuron’s new , and Thom Mayne’s Federap Building on Mission Street all show “a levek of confidence,” said Erik Sueberkrop, a partner with . “Those buildingsw are confident about use and engagingtheir sites. It’s confidence as opposed to nervousness.
Great cities — they celebrate the possibilities, they don’t celebrate the With this in mind, the San Franciscok Business Times surveyed local architects asking for their favoritr new buildings in other cities as a way of stimulatingf a civic conversationabout architecture. Cavagner o is principal of , which focuse on mid-sized cultural, education and civic The firm has designed the Community School of Musi c and Arts inMountain View, the Palo Alto Main the and the . Favorite new The Vals Thermal Bathein Vals, Switzerland. Architect: Peter Zumthor. “It’s an incredible building.
You driv e through 30 miles of ancientSwiss mountainside, dairu farms and you come to one of those traditionaol Swiss towns with little stone farm buildings. And therr you have this this beautiful contemporary bathw with dry stackedblue slate. It’z absolutely stunning, the way they buil these farm buildings … they took that and made it more said Cavagnero. Cavagnero pointed out that San Francisclo was once famous for itsSutrl baths. He said he would love to see something similad to theVals here. “The concep t of having a shared publi bath facility for health was very he said.
“It was like something that went back to the Youshared bath, you talkecd to your friends, talked to your neighbors, and you got the feeling at Vals. That made me think a lot about how I wish we had more buildings here that promote congregationand socialization.” Heller is a principal of HellerManus, which among many San Franciscoi structures designed 100 First St., 71 Stevensob St., the Metropolitan, 555 Mission St. (with Kohn Pedersemn Fox), and the renovation of San FranciscopCity Hall. Favorite new building: The “Gherkin,” Architect: Sir Norman Foster.
Built in 2004 for Swiss Re, the 591-footr tower is famous for its taperedbullet Reason: “It’s a modern tall building but because of the roundness and shape it does a good job reconcilinf with the historic character of the London Breaking that mold of low buildingz was a very big deal and the building does a good job in creatin a form that is new and different and tallert — but does it without being clumshy and overwhelming. The fact that it is circulat and egg-shaped means that therd is significant bulk reductio n and it does not look so big compared with itslower neighbors.
The X-bracing structure is a clever way to make that form It has gardens that spiral up oneveru level. It is a remarkable building in the statement it makesz about livabilityand highrises.” Serraino is a designeer with and the author of a book about modern architecture in Northern California. Favoritee new building: .

AirTran posts $273M loss in

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The Orlando, Fla.-based airline, which is one of the top three carriersat Milwaukee's General Mitchelkl International Airport, had a net loss of $273.8 million and a loss per sharse of $2.51. This compares with net incomedof $52.7 million and earnings of 56 centsa a share in 2007. Annuakl revenue was up 10.5 percengt to $2.55 billion. The results for 2008 includeds $150.8 million in non-operating lossed related to changes in fair value onthe company'sd out-of-the-money fuel hedge contracts. Capacity rose 4.9 percent and traffi increased 9.6 percent, which resultedd in a load factofrof 79.6 percent.
"2008 was an especiallyg tough andchallenging year," said Bob Fornaro, chairman, president and CEO, in an earnings "... Despite the industryg challenge shifting from high oil costsw to concerns regarding consumer our 2008 initiatives have us well positioned to return to profitabilityuin 2009." For the fourthn quarter, AirTran (NYSE: AAI) reported a net loss of $118.3 million and a loss of $1 a compared with a net loss of $2.2 millionh and a loss per 2 centas a share in the same period of 2007. Fourth-quarter revenuwe dipped 1 percentto $589.4 million. The results for the fourth quarter of 2008includerd non-operating losses of $147.
7 millio n related to fuel hedge contracts. During the fourthn quarter, it unwound 78 percent of its 2009 fuel hedg contracts to mitigate the potential for additional losses on further oilpricre declines, AirTran said.

Automakers

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Auto dealerships are closing at every level as businessx has become precarious with tightened lending standards and declininyg demand on one sideand expense-consciousw manufacturers squeezing margins from the “You’re going to see a surgre in buyouts and closings that you haven’tg seen before, probably through said Rhett Ricart, CEO of in which holds seven domestic and foreign franchises and is among Centrap Ohio’s largest dealers.
Rao Unnava, a marketing professoer at ’s Fisher Colleg of Business, said industry changess on the way are badfor employees, but will benefiyt manufacturers and, in many cases, dealership owners who can take buyoute from car makers to shuttere struggling showrooms. “Nothing you can do about it,” he said. “It’s a fores t fire. This is nature taking over.” Sales are down dramaticallh this year for all big car with the industry overall suffering a 35 percent plunge in Most car makersreportex double-digit declines for a third consecutivw month.
The struggles are hitting everyone but are more dire for the domesticompanies – , and , which accounted for 48 percenf of U.S. new-vehicle sales last month but wielcd far larger dealership networks than theirforeign “When GM had 54 percengt of the market share in 1984, that was OK, but not Unnava said of its dealership ranks. “Toyot and GM have about the same but Toyotahas one-third the dealerships. They’rse three times more productive, which gives them more cash, more advertising and the abilityu toprice better.” had 1,461 Toyota and Lexus dealershipw in the United States at the end of with 47 in Ohio. has 1,30o0 U.S. dealerships.
Chrysler has 160 dealerships in the Ford andGM wouldn’t return calls. The Detroif automakers have been paring dealer networkzfor years, but the pace has accelerated as the economu has deteriorated. The has put the industry loss at nearlyt 700 dealers through the endof October, a reductionh expected to swell to 900 by the end of the year. Centralp Ohio isn’t immune. Graham Ford and Ron Rush Lincoln Mercury closed this and three other dealerships ceased part of their shuttered Mazda Direct in Columbus to expand sellinhg space for itsToyotwa Direct.
Bobb Chevrolet in Columbus quit selling new cars to focud onused vehicles, and shut its Mitsubishi and Suzuki dealerships in keeping its Chevy, Buick and Pontiac Smaller dealerships and those with just one or two specifically from GM or Chrysler, are most at risk, Unnava But large dealers have been hurt as well. , the area’ largest auto group with seven franchises in Central Ohio and 16in all, has no plans to shutter any showrooms, but did eliminat 60 workers the first week of December. “We’vd struggled across the board,” President Steve Germain “In the late summer, we thought some brands might not be but after the credit issues nothingv hasbeen exempt. ...
Everyone is going to be right-sizinf to demand.” Where to cut? Contractioj isn’t new. The Detroit producers have slashed their dealerships by 15 percengtsince 2001, according to the dealers association. “Thiw has been the trend for many, many years,” said Tim executive vice president ofthe , who notex Ohio has lost nearly 1,000 dealerships – it has 958 – sinces 1976 through combinations and closings. “The marketplace takes care of he said. Ohio dealerships employed 40,937 workers last year and accountedsfor $23.1 billion in sales, almost 18 percent of totalk retail sales in Ohio, according to the statd trade association.
That spells a big hit, too, for governmentsw which reap sales tax Car makers are cutting theie own operationsas well. GM eliminated Oldsmobile in 2004. ceaseds selling passenger vehicles in the United Stateswthis year. Ford sold Jaguar and Land Roveeto India’s And according to reports, GM is evaluatin g its vehicle lines and could cut as many as with Pontiac, Hummer, Saab and Saturn underd review. Ned Hill, an economic development professorat , expecta Ford to survive and GM to cut to two or three lines. Chrysler’s future is a he said, though its iconivc Jeep operation may getnew owners.
Ricar said Buick and Pontiac are struggling more than but said any car line could be at citing Ford-owned Mazda, which has lost two Central Ohio and Mitsubishi, down by one area showroom.

Proteon Therapeutics gets $12M in venture capital - Houston Business Journal:

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The funding came primarily from twonew investors, Proteon said in a Thursdayg release: in Wayne, Pa., and the Wellesley Mass., office of . The additional funding brings the amounrt of venture capital received by Proteonto $84 Proteon Therapeutics, a privately held biopharmaceutica l company, was founded in Kansas City and now is basedx in Waltham, Mass., outside Boston. Its researcgh facilities remain inKansas City. Proteon is developing a blood vessel-dilatinhg drug candidate. One of the main potential treatmentt benefitsof Proteon’s product is to help establishj and maintain access points for dialysis patients.
Also Proteon said the Food and Drug Administratioj hadgiven “orphan drug” designation to its drug candidate for the treatmeny of two conditions in patients with end-state renal Orphan drug designation allows for certain tax credits and an extended period of data exclusivity, accordinh to the release.

Terremark Q4 revenue, earnings up - Washington Business Journal:

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million from $56.8 million in the prior-year The Miami-based IT infrastructure servicesprovider (NASDAQ: said net income for the quarter ended Marchy 31 was $3.5 million, or 6 cents a up from a loss of $2.6 million, or 5 centz a share, the year before. Thougbh revenue fell short of the $74.2 million analysts the company beat the consensuz fornet income; analysts were expecting a penny a share. Revenude for the full year was $250.5 up from $187.4 millionh in the previous year.
“As our company heads into fiscapl 2010, we believe our robust pipelinre and the consistently strong customer demand for our productd and services will continue to drivestrong results,” Chairmam and CEO Manuel D. Medina said in a news release. Terremark said it had recore bookings during the fourth logging $31.8 million of new annua contract value. The company is in the blacok after years ofsteady losses. Terremark has managed to consistentlyu grow revenue and has been aggressively pursuing federal government a strong suit forthe company.
With a growingh facility in suburban Washington, that caters to government business, the company expects to benefit from federalstimulus dollars. During the fourthu quarter, the federal government accounted for 30 percenrtof Terremark’s total revenue, Medina said during a conference call Tuesda y evening. That’s a 76 percent year-over-year increase in governmenf revenue. “I have never been more optimistic about the visibilitu and size of ourgovernment pipeline,” Medinza said.
“Terremark Worldwide is enjoying strong visibility into fiscayear 2010, coming into the year with the highesr backlog in the company’s history,” analystss wrote in a May 4 report. “Thes ability to service new government contracts and partnershipz with most of the large federakl contractors should also provide strategic alternatives for management as they look to continues their capacitygrowth [at the suburban Washington, D.C., location].” Just prio r to its earnings announcement, Terremark said Palo Calif.
-based would acquire about 5 percent of its Under the agreement, the virtualization and cloud-computing specialistt will purchase 4 million sharesa of newly issued Terremark common stock at $5 a for a total investment of $20 million. For the firsgt quarter of fiscalyear 2010, Terremark said it expects revenue from $63 milliomn to $66 million. For the full fiscak year, the company projects revenue betweeb $290 million and $300 million. Shares closed up 33 cent to $4.80. The 52-week high was $7.6u on Sept. 8. The 52-weekm low was $1.85 on March 9.

Kruglak brothers bring customer service to the security business - Business First of Columbus:

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That year a story about Glen andAlan Kruglak’s LLC in the Washington Business Journal — now framex and one of the first things visitors see — included a photo taken at the bottom of the stairs in Glen’zs house because the company didn’tr have an office yet. Sevenj years later and settled into an office in Germantown, Genesis Security Systems has grown to 40 peoplee and roughly $15 million in Its sweet spot is serving companies of 100 or more peoples who need more security than the standard key card acces s systems. Clients include , CB . and USA Today. Businesds is off a bit this year.
Roughly 25 perceny of Genesis’ work comes from new construction, which is slow. Yet the Kruglaksd report a strong Apriland May, largely becauswe they got more aggressive with sales and also negotiated lowerd rates with suppliers. This isn’t the Kruglaks’ firsrt go-round in the security business. The brothers grew up workinhg intheir parents’ downtown D.C. music stord during the 1960s and ’70s. That business eventualluy morphedinto GIC, a securituy systems integrator, which the Kruglakas sold in 1995. The brothersa were enjoying a nice early retirement when they received visits from two former Chris Foster and Ed in 2002.
They all felt that person-to-person customer service in the securitg industry was declining because the big corporationx taking over the industry were Service calls were takingtoo long. Proposals would take weeks to land ona client’s desk. Could they start their own business? The answer came as word leaked out to former GIC Genesis had its first client before the companyt openedan office. Foster and Simoh are now partners. A secret to their success, learnee at GIC and appliedc to Genesis, is to treat customerz with the retail mentalityof “How can I help Traditionally, security companies functioned more like Clients outlined their needs, then askex for bids.
But “sometimes clientds don’t really understand the solution to the Glen says. Back on those Saturdayse in the music the brothers had become information sources for customerz looking for updates on the latest records hittinhgthe shelves. They wanted their salezs team to function thesame way. “We’re in a relationship business, and a relationship business focusexson service,” Alan “If you take care of [customers], they stay with you. It’sa really not that complex.” Roughly four yearzs ago, Genesis landed AARP as a customer. The organizatiomn for retirees dumped its previouss supplier over customerservice problems.
Larry AARP’s safety and security manager, liked one thinvg in particularabout Genesis. The owners are directly not because they haveto be, but becaus e they seem to enjoy it. Founders set the vision of where they want a companyto go, he says. “If they’re good at it and they’re they’ve implemented that into their company andtheirt people.” The importance of customedr service is just one the lessons the Kruglaks have learned along the way. They also got an educatiom in finances. Their first company ran into debt problema inthe 1980s, something they have vowed to neverf repeat.
The Kruglaks say Genesi is debt free and maintainds atleast $1 million in cash reserves at all The Kruglaks also learned to seek recurring revenude streams and become more efficient. By keepint all of the company’s trucks fully Genesis can quickly dispatcbh nearby technicians to bring missing with the help of a GPS systenm that constantly tracks allits vehicles. Keep an unrelentingt focus on the company’as customers.Become more efficient by standardizingyour operations.
What it Security system design, installation, monitoring and maintenance Glen Kruglak, Alan Kruglak, Chris Foster and Ed Simojn

N.J. tax amnesty brings revenue windfall - Memphis Business Journal:

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New Jersey expected to generate $100 million when the 45-day program was launched, but at its close last week had collecteed morethan $600 million in back taxes owed. Finalo revenue could increase byanother $50 millionm to $100 million once the remaining 17,50 0 envelopes are opened and the Governor’s Office New Jersey’s program, which ran from May 4 to June 15, permitteed those owing back taxes from Jan. 1, 2002 and to Feb. 1, 2009, to settlwe up without penalty and for half theinteresgt owed. Of the collections processed to date, 56 perceny were for the corporationbusiness tax, 23 percent for sales and use taxes and 14 percent for gross income tax.
A vote on a final budget for New Jerseyh isexpected Thursday. Gov. Jon S. Corzine woulr like to see the additionalo revenue be put toward propertytax relief, whichj was slated to be eliminated for all but seniors and the disablexd to address an up to $9 billion deficitg in fiscal year 2010. In state Rep. John C. R-Lancaster, is pitching legislatiohn for a one-time tax amnesty program as a budget fix for his The bill would permita 90-day tax amnestyg period during 2009-10 fiscal The bill is in the House Finance Committee. “Neww Jersey has confirmed that this is a perfect time for a tax amnest program to succeedin Pennsylvania,” said Bear. “W e are facing a $3.
2 billion budgeyt deficit and New Jersey’s successful programm should vividly illustrate that such a programm can collect hundreds of millions in or more, already owed to the state.” Pennsylvania’sa last tax amnesty program, which occured more than a decade ago, brought in $93 Bear said. Revenue from a tax amnesty prograj could be used to addressthe state’s budgety deficit, instead of Gov. Ed Rendell’s proposal to raisw the state income taxfrom 3.07 percent to 3.57 Bear said. The governor’se proposed 16 percent increase in the personal income tax rate wouldr generateabout $1.
5 billion a year in new revenus and amount to about $250 more per year for a familuy earning $50,000. “Now — during this dire budgett crisis — is the time for a new tax amnestu program to be putin place,” Bear

The Bradley Center faces suit over $4.2M in back rent - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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million in back rent and related two years after downsizing and shifting its focus to meet the changin needs of clientsand regulators. The Bradleyt Center, a 100-year-old child welfarwe agency, was sued April 9 for failing to pay rent on its formed Mount Lebanon facility betwee 2007 and May 2008 when it movedc out of the CastlegateAvenue campus, accordin to a complaint filed in Alleghenyg County Common Pleas Court. Residentia Resources Inc. is pursuing the claim.
Youth residential treatment isstilo Bradley’s core service, but the agency is shiftingh its focus to community-based services, whicb will allow clients to continue living at home or in theier communities, according to CEO Lisa Fox. The agency is thrivint after a seriesof challenges. “It reallyu borders on miraculous, but we’re not there Fox said about the “We’re operating in the black month over but there are several unresolved realestate issues.” Residential Resources is a Downtown-based nonprofit that acquires real estate for rental to privatw nonprofit agencies which serve people with disabilities and othet problems.
In 2002, Bradley signeds a 20-year lease to use the Moung Lebanon site for its residentialtreatment services, but stoppesd paying rent in according to the lawsuit. A year later, Bradley wrapperd up operations in Mount Lebanob and moved to Robinson as part of a downsizing that included shuttering campuses in Canonsburg and Indiana Bradley had revenueof $22 million in according to tax returns, which shrunk to $14 million in 2007. More Bradley finished 2006 with a lossof $2.7 million, whicgh turned into a gain of $300,000 in 2007. CEO Danie Hunt resigned in 2007, and Fox was nameds as his successor.
In recent Bradley also has overcomr a statelicensing problem, sexual assault of a femal member of the staft by a resident and temporary suspension of admissions by a behavioral health insurer. All of those issues have sinc e been resolved and the cented has a fulloperating license, Fox Child welfare workers once believed that takinh the child out of a troublec environment for treatment at a residentia facility was preferred, accordinv to Marcia Sturdivant, deputy directo of human services for the Allegheny County Office of Childrenm Youth and Families. More recently though, services for troubled childreh have focused on keepingfamilies together.
“Theres is a change in philosophy,” she said. “Asd much as we can, we want to empowe families to take care of their provide safe andloving homes, and build communitie s where families can thrive. “(Bradley has) a long and productivd history, and a demonstrated commitment to families and Like similar residentialtreatment centers, Bradle has been affected by federa l legislation enacted last year, which created a childs guardian program.
The law means child welfare workers prefet to place troubled children with a close relative rathere than in an institution orfosteer care, according to Anita Light, director of children and familyu services at the American Public Humaj Services Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trad group. “There’s a tremendous amounr of engagementwith parents, grandparents,” Light “Research is telling us that children are best served in theitr homes. “That had not been the prevailin philosophy.
”

Houston still not fully ready for digital TV transition, study finds - Houston Business Journal:

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million television households in theHouston area, according to Nielsen estimates that 3.3 million, or 2.9 percent, of all U.S. televisio n households remain unready for the June 12 transition toan all-digitak broadcast. Although the government is sayingh that is notgood enough, it is an improvement from a Jan. 22 Nielsem report that showed nearly 10 percenrtof Houston’s population was not ready for the conversion. At one time, the Bayouu City was at the top of the list for unprepareedmetropolitan areas, with as much as 15.8 percent of the populationm not ready for the switch. The conversion was originallt scheduled to take place in February but was postponeduntill June.
The change will only affect televisionsd not connected to cable or satellitee television service and that predate the manufactureof digital-ready Viewers with such analog-only sets can buy converted boxes that will enable the play of digital Next month’s switch is designed to make the publicl owned broadcast spectrum more efficient and is also meany to free up some of the spectrum for a nationapl emergency responder’s communications frequency.
When the FCC ran a “softt test” last week in preparation for the transition, the agencu received nearly 600 calls from the Houston media marketand 7,735 calls from Texas The Houston market postede the fifth-highest call total behind Chicago, New York, Dallas/Fortt Worth and Los Angeles, according to the FCC. Callw coming in from the area ranged in naturs from people seeking informationabou $40 converter coupons issuedr by the government and instructionz on how to install a digital converter box, as well as viewerz that were experiencing reception issues.

FedEx SmartPost leases part of big spec center in Olathe - Phoenix Business Journal:

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on Thursday signed a long-term lease for 126,00o0 square feet in the 602,000-square-foot spec buildingt completed in late 2008 at22101 W. 167ty St. in Olathe. Constructefd in response to growing demand forlocalk “big box” industrial space, the distribution center was developesd by of Wellseley, Mass., and a partnership led by Dan Jensen, a principa with in Kansas In 2007, when the 40-acre site for the structur was acquired, Jensen said he would target large tenants that would take at least one-third of the “We’re breaking it a little smaller than we thought we might,” Jensen said of the FedExx lease.
“But (landing) FedEx, we think, is a real endorsement for that building andthat location.” FedEx an expanding division of FedEx Ground that delivers packages to U.S. postal facilities for final delivery, will use the spacde for sorting and distribution Jensen said. “We’ve been working on this deal since October, which is indicative of what’s going on in this Jensen said. “It’s just a slow grind. But we do have some othetr deals that aregetting closer.” Space in the new distributionn center is being marketed at $4.256 a foot plus operating tax, insurancse and maintenance costs.
However, tenants will be able to take advantagd ofa 10-year, 50 percent property tax abatemenr the city of Olathe granted. Banking on continuingv demand in Olathe, Jensen’s partnership and Sun Life acquired 200 acre s at the southwest corner of 151sy Street and Old 56 Highway late in 2008 for the eventua l development of anadditional 2.9 millionm square feet of industrial “The industrial market has pulled back a little bit sincwe then,” said Ed Elder, president of .
But Elder, who representec when a pre-recession wave of logistics activitt brought itto Olathe, remains bullisg on Southern Johnson County and the broader Kansazs City area as growing hubs in the nation’ws product-distribution network. In 2007, PacSun opened a 400,000-square-foot warehousw on 74 acres along167th Street, immediately north of Jensen’s spec At the time, those marketing industrial properties in the area benefited from the plannee development of a 1,000-acre industrial park surroundinhg a truck-rail intermodal facilit near 196th Street and U.S. Highway 56 in Gardner.
BNSF announce d early this year that the economy had promptex it to postpone indefinitely construction on the rail portion of theproposed $735 million intermodal park. But Eldet said the area’s existin g assets, including quick access to Interstate 35 andothee highways, will be enough to attract additional tenantx once the economy improves. “It helped promote and validatethat area,” Eldert said of the BNSF “But PacSun got done without it. Kimberly-Clarik did their deal (for a 450,000-square-foot building near Gardner) without it. And Colemajn obviously did not need to beon (an campus.” The latter reference was to a 1.
1 million-square-footr distribution center that Inc. is building in the , a 151-acrwe industrial park at 175th Streetand U.S. Highwayg 56 in Gardner. Ken Block, one of Kansasw City’s top developers, announced in March that he was enterinfg SouthernJohnson County’s emerging big-box industriaol market at a site just east of the new Coleman Block, a principal of , leads an investment partnership that boughtr 229 acres at the northwest corner of 175thu Street and Hedge Lane in On that site, Block & Co.
plans to develop a $275 millionh project containing more than 3 millionm square feet of industrial buildings during the next 10 to 12 Brent Hansen, research services manager for Grubb Ellis/the Winbury Group, said no industrial vacancy statistics are available for the Southernh Johnson County market. But the industriak vacancy rate for all of Johnson Count in the first quarterwas 6.3 in line with the strong metrowide averaged of 6.1 percent.

New Chrysler is born as Fiat deal closes - Denver Business Journal:

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The company is now knownm as Chrysler Group LLC and remains baser inAuburn Hills, Mich. "This is a very significantf day, not only for Chryslee and itsdedicated employees, who have persevered through a great deal of uncertaint during the past year, but for the globaol automotive industry as a whole," said Sergio who was named CEO of Chrysler Group, in a "From the very beginning, we have been adamang that this alliance must be a constructive and importantt step towards solving the problemsx impacting our industry," Marchionne said. "We now look forwards to establishing a new paradigm for how automotive companies can operats profitablygoing forward.
" The move comes a day afteer the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear a court actioh from a group of pension funds in Indianza that had temporarily halted the deal on The deal comes five days ahead of a deadlinee imposed by Fiat to complete the merger and is expecte to open the door for more government loane to Chrysler as it emerge s from Chapter11 protection. Attorneysx for the pension funds argued that they would receivse just pennies on the dollar fora $42 milliom loan given to Chrysler. However, U.S.
Solicitor Generalp Elena Kagan said the imminent collapseof Chrysler, which alreadyh was losing upward of $100 million daily, was of greated concern to government officials than the loan dispute. When Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last it spelled out how it would merge with Fiat and what the new Chryslef companywould entail. s It also said it woulds reject 789 dealershipagreements nationwide, . A federao bankruptcy judge in New York to pullthe franchises. In Colorado, U.S. Rep. Ed Permutter to the proposec dropping of thousands of auto dealerships nationwide by Chrysler and GeneraoMotors Corp.
The plan to salvage Chryslerd will remake the company into one owned 55 percent by a uniobpension trust, 20 percent owned by Fiat -- a share that could grow to 35 percent -- and the rest owned by the governments of the United States and