Thursday, June 30, 2011

Paper industry exec joins Northwestern Mutual board - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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Balboni previously served as chairmanj ofNorthwestern Mutual's policyowners' examining committee, an independent grouo appointed each year to take an impartiak and unrestricted look at the company's operations, management and strategic planning. "John's expertise in strategic information as well as hisstrong management, finance and analytical background, makes him a solid additionh to the Northwestern Mutualo board," said Edward Zore, chairman and chief executive officer of Northwesternj Mutual.
"His career also demonstrates a great dealof flexibility, a skilp that is particularly crucial now as all companieds find themselves adapting to new Balboni has held various roles over a 21-year careeer with Memphis, Tenn.-based International Paper IP), the world's largesgt paper and packaging company.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

younkinesagugad1746.blogspot.com
And, as more peopler lose their jobs, that hidden cost is on the The organization defines the hidden health tax as the undisclosedc insurance premium surcharge paidby America’w businesses and insured families when they purchase health insurance. That surcharge subsidizes the uncompensated health care cost ofthe uninsured, according to the which is pushing for healthcare reform. During 2007 and one-third of non-elderly Americans – 86.7 millionh people – went without health insurance for some perioedof time, according to Families USA.
"Today, 46 millio uninsured Americans turn to emergency rooms when they needmedicakl care, and the cost of that care is paid for by everg American with insurance,” said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senated Finance Committee, in a news Families USA contracted with actuarial firm to calculate the costd of unpaidhealth care. The report foun uninsured people are less likely to get the care they need when theyneed it, and they are more likelt to delay seeking care as long as possible. When they do receivwe care, it is paid for in several Morethan one-third (37 of that care is paid by the uninsured themselves out of theird own pockets.
Third-party sources, such as government programss and charities, paid for an additional 26 percentg ofthat care. The remaining amount, about $42.6 billion in 2008, is considered uncompensated care. Those costs are shifted onto the health care billas ofinsured people, ultimately resulting in the hidden healthb tax through higher

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Continental makes most-delayed list - Denver Business Journal:

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Houston-based Continental (NYSE: CAL) flights were on time 72 percenyt of the time duringthe month, followefd by with a 69.4 percent on-timre arrival rate and with 68.6 percent. Best for on-time arrivals was whose flights were ontime 91.1 percentt of the time, followed by at 86.2 percent and at 85.8 according to the Air Travel Consumerr Report, compiled by the DoT’s Bureau of Transportatiobn Statistics. Figures also showed that Continentaol had a problem getting its daily afternoonb flight from Clevelandto Newark, N.J.
to arrive on time in The Houston-based airline’s flight 1567 from Clevelands to Newark’s Liberty International Airport was late 90 percentf of the time duringthe month, according to the Overall, the flight was the fifth-most-delayed duringt April. Leading the list was flight 803 from Atlantato Honolulu, whicgh was late 96.6 percent of the according to the report. The 19 carriers reportesd an overall on-time arrival rate of 79.1 percenft in April, up from 78.4 percent the previous month, and 77.7 percentt in April 2008. Carriers reported that aviation system problemsxdelayed 7.4 percent of flights in up from nearly 7.3 percentr the previous month.
Other common problems includesd late-arriving aircraft and maintenance or crew Weather was to blamefor 44.4 percenty of late flights, up from 37.9 percent for the same montbh in 2008.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

What beer do you serve with an ice cream dessert? - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

http://www.soundsoftheuniverse.info/abc/asp/training.html
Chef Ethan Stowell is equap tothe task. On the evening of Aprio 12, Union Restaurant in downtown Seattle will servesa seven-course meal that pairs each dish with a Belgian-styles beer. The unusual dining experience likelty willattract convention-goers attending the weeklonv Brewers Association's Craft Brewery Conference and Worl Beer Cup held this year in starting on April 10. Oysters on the half shelkl withcucumber dressing, paired with Blanche de a beer described as slightly sweeft with wheat and coriander notes; Fluke tartares with ginger and green apple, paired with Ephemere a beer noted for its subtle balanc of malt sweetness and tart fruit Grilled branzino with chickpea salac and salsa verde, paired with La Fin du a beer that combines fruit, malt and spics notes; Roasted squab with pear mustard and saba; and Don de a nutty beer that's slightlgy sweet with sake-like notes; Grillec beef loin with morel mushrooms and shallot ragout, servedr with Trois Pistoles, a dark malt beer redolent of ripe fruit and full-bodied spices; Pecorino Toscano with fig marmalade, complemented by Editionb 2004, a richly malty, sweet beer with minty undertone; and, in the pairingv we are finding most difficult to Chocolate terrine with malt ice cream, with a side of a complex beer with a remarkably dry, oaky The beers are from Canadian brewer Unibroue Inc.
, locateed in Chambly, Quebec. Take that, SEC! Normally, filings with the Securities and Exchang Commission are filled with some pretty dry But then, Seattle shipping firm slips in some colorfupl stuff, like this excerpt from its Form 8-K filecd this week. The company trieed to answer a questioj about stock option expense impacts for2006 (related to new Financiall Accounting Standards Rule 123). Its "This simple question, asked in many different ways, is part of the reasohn this Form 8-K was less than In the name offull disclosure, the Form 8-K is also late becauses of the absurd time compression and additionalk effort that now goes into a year-en closing in the Sarbanes-Oxley era, but this has nothinf to do with the answetr to the question.
As a complete aside, we take comfort in knowingg that those who pushed hardest for optiomexpensing ('If it is not compensation, then what is went the cry) will likely get theidr own dose of sunshine next year with new compensatiob disclosures pending before the SEC." Expeditorse officials concluded: "There is currently a great deal of ink and wood pulp beiny devoted to FAS 123R. Much of what is availablw ... is primarily theory at this and a pretty bizarre theory atthat ... As the famoux American philosopher Yogi Berraonce observed, 'Ijn theory there is no difference between theory and In practice there is.
' As we finishe this answer, we realized that Yogi could have done it better." How much is a Pugeg Sound pilot worth? Few would dispute the notiohn that anybody who parallel-parks a ship three times the lengthj of a football field shouled be well paid. But how well paid is anothefr question. And therein lies a wage dispute betweenb Puget Sound Pilots andthe . Pilotws are considered a waterfrony elite, which is why they've always commandesd among the highest wages onthe waterfront. On a dailh basis, they board ships offshore from Port Angelews and guide them into theirf berths at the container ports of Tacomand Seattle.
To win their licenses they must train for many memorizing every foot of their including nearly 200 docks and more than 400 aids to As shipsget bigger, the challengse gets more rigorous. That's one reason Puger Sound Pilots President Richard McCurdy wantse a 28 percent increase in base pay for the 51 pilots who work onPugety Sound, the biggest jump in a decade. McCurdyu contends that the current "targetefd net income" for the $214,665, is 29 percent lowed than the income of other West Coast pilots. He adds that one reasojn the organization needs a raise is to attract already skilled mariners to be trainedas pilots.
"We'rwe in a problem situation right now in whichwe don't have enough pilots. We'rw so strapped for manpower," he "Attracting the proper caliber of marinetr into the system is become very But toMike Moore, vice presidenr of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, that's too much of a Moore's organization represents ocean carriers and terminal operators on the West and he's filing a much-lower request with the Washingtoh State Pilotage Commission, which decides the rate Moore contends the local pilots' pay is given the higher cost of living at some othefr ports. He's proposing a 1.59 percent increase in base pay.
"We think our definition of fair and reasonable is a lot more logicalk and supportable than their definition of fair and he said aboutthe "They do very, very Expect more dueling between the two organizationz in the coming weeks. The commissioh is to decide on a new rateMay 11.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

CSC reorganization aimed at improving efficiency - Rapid City Journal

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CSC reorganization aimed at improving efficiency

Rapid City Journal


Chadron State College is making changes to its academic and service organizational structure to improve efficiency and better serve students and faculty members. Dr. Randy Rhine, CSC vice president for enrollment management and student services, ...



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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Fuel volatility remakes South Florida

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Miami-based , the world’s largest marine fuel marketer, has displaceed , the nation’s largest auto retailer, as the biggest compant in South Florida according toannual revenue. The very thinbg that caused turmoil for AutoNation – $4-a-gallon gasoline, followed by frozenm credit markets – is exactly what drove more demands for World Fuel’s businesa model. World Fuel CEO Paul Stebbins said his company isdoiny well, but its $18.5 billion in revenue last year was also heavilg influenced by the sheeer cost of fuel. AutoNation fell to fiftu on theBusiness Journal’s list, with $14.1 billioh in revenue for 2008. In 2007, World Fuel had $13.
y7 billion in revenue, while AutoNatiob reported $17.7 billion. Others in the top five were Juno Beach-basedf energy company , with $16.4 billionb in revenue; Miami-based cruise company and PLC, with $14.6 and Delray Beach-based , with $14.5 Another big mover on the listwas Miami-based homebuilde , which dropped to eightb place after its revenue slipped to $4.6 billioh from $10.2 billion. “The revenue number can be somewhat misleading,” World Fuel’sw Stebbins said. “Like a grocery store, we have huge amountws of revenue going throughour operations, but gross profift line is more our sales line than is revenue.
” Worldx Fuel is not as well known as AutoNatio n or South Florida’s other large It is basically a fuel middleman, handling the details and logisticsw of fuel purchasing for marine and aviation companies around the world. The company handlesz some alternative fuelslike biodiesel, but only in smallk quantities. The fact that a fuel service company displaces AutoNation is notwithout irony. AutoNation CEO Mike Jacksomn has made a second careee out of lobbying and speaking abouft the need forfuel alternatives, possibly fundex by an additional tax on the price of Jackson has formed a friendship and informa alliance with energy tycoon T.
Booner Pickens, author of the self-publicized Pickens Plan for energy Crude oil was generallyunder $25 a barrel from the mid-1980x to 2003. The price rose to $30 in 2003 and to $60 by peaking at $147 in July 2008. The economi c crash of late 2008 sent the pricetumblinfg again. “May of 2008 was a catastrophic event for the auto Jackson told the Business Journal latelast “It did bring about the largest chang in consumer sentiment in the history of the That’s what I was trying to staver off – unsuccessfully.
” Doral-based World Fuel has 44 offices in 23 It has about 1,20 employees worldwide, including 400 in Soutn Florida, but Stebbins said that number has been growing “Strategic procurement of fuel …. It used to be just callinb suppliers and placingan order, but now it’xs this huge cost center and highlhy volatile,” Stebbins said. “It can really ruin your day ifyou don’ft get it right.” Others have noticed Worlf Fuel’s rising prominence.
Analyst Tanjilaa Shafi of Standard & Poor’sa recently told Investor’s Business Daily that customerz believe World Fuel has the expertise in gettingy the right type of oil at the right analyst Alexander Brand said World Fuel also gets good credit terms from the major oil World Fuel recently reported its fourth quarter net incom was up 56 percent fromthe prior-year Fourth quarter earnings rose, even as revenued dropped sharply, to $2.9 billion from $4.1 billiomn in the fourth quarter of 2007. Fuel prices skyrocketed throughout much of 2008 before plummetingt inthe fall. Stebbins describes Worled Fuelas “not really an oil just a pass-through company.
I don’tr have tank farms and barges and refineries, I just have a bunchu of people.” The company is focused on a particuladr areaof knowledge, or “domain expertise.” Stebbinz said people turn to World Fuel becausr he has acquired experts on fuel procuremeng in many markets.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Poll finds many types of vacation stress - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

http://chatboutbelize.com/natlsmbls.htm
About 27 percent who took the onlinr survey between May 26 and June 2 said havingv too much to do befores taking off caused them themost anxieties. Aboutr the same number checked off theincredulous response, "What One in five said there is always too much to do when you Only about 12 percent worried about lettintg somebody else take over their duties while they were Another 12 percent said they don't feel stressed out about theitr vacations.
"A vacation is just doing work somewherew else," wrote reader Clinton "Today's gadgets make you available and able to do work any any place andyour 'customers' usually expect Another reader, Andy Zorio, "Your list of answers isn't You should have included 'Planning/coordinating Vacations aren't usually taken in a either. Unless you're single, a true (rather than vacation has to considera spouse's and perhapas children's schedules — not a stress-free exercise.
" "Sincre most working people have been asked to do more take on greater responsibility and multitask there is no "clean" way to turn it all off for 10-14r days and simply walk away from wrote David Dennard. "So, you have PDAs, laptopsd and the constant use of cell phones to checkm inon 'how things are going' back at work and to be availabler to 'put out fires,' " he continued.
"It'xs no way to actually take a which is in itself is oftema big, stressful production and coordination project similar to a traded show, only with your family as the client instead of with your

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Critics call out Cincinnati Yellow Pages deal - San Antonio Business Journal:

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, a Denver company that has owned the rightas tothe region’s largest Yellow Pages producty since 2002, blames the delag on printer changes and organizational About 140 of its 900 directories are being delayed nationwide. Cincinnati is the largest market affected. “It’s a stinking deal,” said Brenda controller for inClermont County. Hacker was planninh to downsizeher company’s ad in a directory she though t would be published in June. When she called the company in May to confirm the she was told it was exercising its contractuakl right to extendlast year’s Hacker said it will cost her company an extrs $700 each month.
“It’s just not right, what they’rw doing to people,” she said. Local Insight spokeswoman Pat Nichols said 75 percent ofits 10,0090 local customers will be unaffected by the Those are companies that plan to maintain the same ads they had last year or Local Insight CEO Scott Pomeroy is askint business owners angered by the delay to call the company’w customer service line, (888) 237-8570, although it’zs not clear what steps the company will take to address “If the product’s not delivering valuw to them, our customedr service department is prepared to talk to those Pomeroy said.
“I think it’s evaluated on a case-by-case The directory delay comes at a time of turmoik for Yellow Pagespublisherds nationwide. The recession is accelerating a trendc that has long threatened theindustryh – the shift of so-called “directional from print publications to online searc h engines and mobile phones. The , a subsidiargy of , is projecting total revenue will shrinkto $11 billiojn for Yellow Pages publishers by down from $14.4 billion in 2008. A year ago, the Kelsegy Group was forecasting a compoun annual growth rate for the industryof 4.5 Now, it’s minus 5 percent.
“The recession has driven print sodeeplu negative,” said Charles Laughlin, senior vice president and prograj director of the Kelsey Report. Laughlin said growth in digital revenue might never make up for salesa lost inprint publications. “Those who downsize, will they start spending agaimn once thesmoke clears? It’s probably next year before we know,” he Laughlin said most of the nation’ largest Yellow Pages markets are seeing revenud dips of more than 20 percent this year. Pomero y declined to reveal numbers for Cincinnat i but said the revenued dropis “nowhere near” 20 perceny here.
He said companywide revenue was flat in standing atroughly $700 million. Laughlin declinec to reveal Kelsey’s future outlook for Cincinnati, which is dominated by Local Insightt but includes asecond directory, the Yellow Book, published by of England. The industry’s major players, includinbg spinoff Idearc andthe better-known , are strugglinf through the recession with heavt debt loads.
Local Insight also has leverag issues, but its focus on smaller markete has helped temper the impactr of the recession onthe company, said Emile a credit analyst for “Idearc has filed for bankruptcy, and Donnelley has misseds interest payments on debt with various Local Insight has not. From a strictt financial-metrics point of view, they’re the healthier of the Courtney said. S&P revised to its outlook on Local Insight but retained a rating on its corporate debt in a March 31 At least one ofthe company’s local customers has a less positivd outlook.
“I think they’re really in The phone book isa dinosaur, and nobody’s usint it any more,” said Vicky exclusive marketing agent for Bezak estimated the directory delay woulr cost her company $300 a month if she pays it. “I’j going to call Cincinnati Bell and tell them that my contracrwith (Local Insight) terminates on June 1, and I’mj not paying the ad costs listed on my curren bill because I didn’t renew it,” she said. Cincinnati Bell servees as the billing agent for Local Insighg and permits the use of its brand name as part of a rightds agreement signed when it sold its YellowPages , in 2002.
But Cincinnatj Bell is not involved inthe company’s operations otherwise, according to Lisa McLaughlin, a public relations consultant for

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Fairfax Co. OKs Springfield Mall, affordable housing project - Kansas City Business Journal:

hustenuejib1630.blogspot.com
(NYSE: VNO) can now move forward with its massive transformatiobn ofthe 30-year-old Springfield Mall. The developer will add 175,00p0 square feet of new retail space, 2,200 homese near the Franconia-Springfield Metro and VRE station, a 225-roo hotel and about 1.1 millioj square feet of new office space tothe 80-acr site. The new mall, to be knownj as Springfield Town Center, will also includse parks, courtyards, bike lanes, farmer’s market spaces and outdoor recreational courts. Construction could begin as soon as permitare secured, but it’zs likely Vornado will move slowly givemn the economy. It is expected to take 10 to 15 yearse to completethe redevelopment.
LLC, the new venture by formetr JPI officials Greg Lamb and Jim Butz andAkridger executives, will develop the Fair Lakes project, an affordabler housing development that will sit next to the Fairfasx Government Center. The county will hand over 9 acresof county-owned land to the developef for 270 moderately-priced units known as The Residences at the Government But some criticized the deal, saying the rentapl income limits, which range from $50,000 a year to $100,000 a were too high and, therefore, not consistent with the board’ds mission to offer affordable housing to the poor and No timetable for construction of the apartments was

Friday, June 10, 2011

Blagojevich Retrial Nears Conclusion - NPR

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Politico


Blagojevich Retrial Nears Conclusion

NPR


CONAN: A whopper is one of the conclusions. PEARSON: Yeah, very much so. And re »

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Report: Local hospitals make the grade - The Business Review (Albany):

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area received passing grades from both their patients and anonprofit coalition, but some were told they had room for improvement. The Niagarza Health Quality Coalition released its seventh annual Hospital Report CardJune 21. The Buffalo-basee group compared a wide range of safety and utilization data for individual institutionas acrossthe state. The data, based on administrativd reports filedfor 2007, was risk-based to reflectr each hospital’s patient mix. Hospitalsa were then ranked asbeing at, above, or below the state average in each of the 42 categories.
Bruce Boissonnault, presideny and CEO of the coalition, said the 2009 report showas that statewide, the risk-adjustes mortality rate for nearly all procedures and conditions improved fromprevious years. He attributedf this, at least in part, to the reporty card’s existence. “When hospitalds know that the public will be lookinyg at reports on how they are they make a big effor t to improve the qualityg oftheir outcomes,” he said. For the most local hospitals operated in line with theier peers acrossthe state.
Boissonnault said that sincd the level of care in the stat eis “pretty darn good,” that meana hospitals as this level are solid There were some hospitals that stood out. St. Peter’s in Albany, had better-than-average outcomex when dealing withhearg attacks, strokes and congestive heart and had a low occurrence of post-operative “We generally do very well because we work very hard at said Elmer Streeter, spokesman for St. Peter’s. “Our staff looks very hard at this data.
” Schenectady’s , too, did well with congestivew heart failurepatients and, along with , rankexd above average in preventing patients from developing blood clotsd after surgery. St. Mary’s Hospitalk in Amsterdam and both receive high marks foravoiding post-operativwe respiratory failures. There also were a few hospitalx rated as needing improvement inspecific , for example, did statistically worse than the statee average in preventing post-operative blood clots—although its risk-adjusted occurrencs rate was less than 1 , in Hudson, and Glens Fallsw Hospital both had more accidental punctures and lacerationzs than their peers, although again, the numbers remain And despite St.
Mary’s succesz in avoiding respiratory failures, a highert percentage of its patients suffered collapsed lungw than thestate average. Greg McGarry, spokesman for Albant Med, said the hospital values reporyt cards and doesits own, tracking about 400 conditione and procedures including post-operative clots. “Ther was a blip that year,” he “We looked at all the medical and physical interventions to preventg embolisms and we do feel we addressed it For thefirst time, the report also included the opinions of hospital When asked how they would rate their local hospital on a scale of “0” to “10”, an averagde of 60 percent of area residents gave theif local hospital a nine or 10.
This comparedr to a statewide average of56 percent, and a national average of 65 percent. Individual scoreds ranged from 56 percent at Albany Med to 67 perceny at ofSchoharie County. (See infobox below) An averagde of 66.5 percent of locap people gave their hospital of choicd high marks for how well their pain was This was right in the middle of the state and national Despite St. Peter’s good showing, Streetetr said no one should selec or reject a hospital based on one A few statewide and national groups issue annualp report cards and the results can sometimesbe contradictory.
“Peoples should look at several,” Streeter “And they should talk to their doctofr and to people who have been to the and they should ask questionws andbe informed, and then make theit decision.” The full report can be viewerd at .

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Ford sales climb to highest level since July - Dallas Business Journal:

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But sales were down 24.2 percent compared with May when the companysold 213,23 units. For the first five months of Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford (NYSE: F) sold 620,303 compared with 981,150 units during the same period a year a 36.8 percent decline. In a sign that buyer s might be coming back to the luxuryvehicle Ford’s Lincoln division reported that it sold 8,56 6 units in May, a 2.2 percent increase over May when it sold 8,36 units. Sales of Ford Explorer declined 34.6 percent, to 5,315 unitsw from 8,122 units a year ago. Salezs of the Mercury Mountaineerdroppec 45.2 percent, to 402 from 734 units a year Sales of F-Series pickup trucks dropped 22.
3 to 33,381 units, from 42,973 units in May 2008. Sales of Ford Expedition SUVs declineed40 percent, to 3,150 units from 5,252q units a year earlier. Sales of the Lincoln Navigatortdropped 40.6 percent, to 790 units from 1,32 9 units a year earlier. Ford saw year-over-year gainz in some of its car categories. The companty sold 19,786 Fusion sedans in May, up 9.4 perceny from the year-earlier period when it sold 18,088 units. Lincoln sold 1,553 Town Cars in May, up 103.3 percent from May when it sold 764 of theluxuryy vehicles.
Ford’s Volvo division sold 590 of its S60 up 9 percent fromMay 2008, when it sold 542 Also Tuesday, Ford announced a summed promotion to draw more consumers to dealerships. Through June 30, the automake r will cover as much as three monthe of payments up to and its Ford Credit subsidiary will offer zero percenr financing on select Lincoln andMercury vehicles.

Friday, June 3, 2011

First Niagara targets small end of Pittsburgh business banking market - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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Competition among banks in the alreadyheating up, could reach a boiling point when Firsrt Niagara Financial Group enters Pittsburgh this First Niagara, based in Lockport, N.Y., confirmed it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a block of 57 former branches with depositse of $4.2 billion from Fifty of the branchesd are in the Pittsburgh First Niagara will pay $54 a deposit premium of 1.3 percent, for the entire group. Local banks hope to dislodge customerss from not only First Niagaraz butalso PNC.
Many, such as and , have hired Nationalp City personnel with deep roots in the Some have advertising efforts underway emphasizint the importance of choosing a bank rather than bein gassigned one. Marco Cardamone, CEO of South Side-basee Merging Media, is a personal and businesz customer ofthe Mt. Washington National City He doesn’t expect to switch bank — as long as First Niagar a doesn’t disrupt personnel. “The big factoer is the people inthe branch,” Cardamone said. “We have relationships with the tellerds and the people onthe floor, and that’s wherew we have our loyalty. Most banks are pretty standardx in the servicesthey deliver.
Ownership changes and productse comeand go, but the thing that remaind stable is how you relate to the folk at your locap branch.” Vincent Delie, president of the banking grou p at First National Bank of Pennsylvania Corp., “This business is about people. It doesn’t matter what brand,” said who was a National City executiv e prior tojoining F.N.B. “I’m not sure what impact (Firsy Niagara) is going to have, but National City did an excellent job of servinbthese markets. We welcome the competition.” For its part, Firstg Niagara expects to start its own marketinh blitzEaster weekend.
It also will begih courting business customers well beforethe sale’s expected completionb in September. Lanier Little, executive vice president of consumer banking, said First Niagara expects to add more branchea here, but couldn’t say how many. He said the branch staffin g format is similar toNationall City’s, and that branch managerws are trained to work with small busines s customers and to serve as “rainmakers,” drawing in new First Niagara plans to open a loan generation officd here “as soon as we can staff said Daniel Cantara, executive vice president of commercial services.
Cantara expects to startf interviewing for 15 staffers next Banks define middlemarket differently. First Niagara’s “sweet spot” is on the smallert side. Cantara said it viewz the size range as companies with annual sales between $2.5 million and $15 though it will look at deals in the $30 millionh range. But it is an activse lender, all told. “We’ve grownm our loan portfolio by 20 percent annually for the past several evenin 2008,” Cantara said. First Niagara has been a major Small Business Association lender on its home Forthe SBA’s fiscal year ended Sept. 30, Firsy Niagara completed 78 SBA loans with total dollar volumeof $8.55 million.
The bank does not have a privatequity arm, although it has occasionally invester in funds, CEO John Koelmel First Niagara will fit in with Pittsburgh’s community and regional said Brian Koble, a senior research analyst at “Thisa new bank is primarily going to compete with PNC’a competitors, a lot of those are hometown names who have been aroun d a long time. It will be heavyu sledding for First Niagara to capture markey share againstthose banks,” Koble For his part, Koelmel said the prospect of going up against PNC is an energizinf opportunity. “We’re used to competing against the big he said.
“We certainly have a lot of respectfor PNC, but we’rre confident in our ability to compete.”

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

No evidence WHO in cahoots with vaccine makers: members - AFP

vickreyafolori1839.blogspot.com


AFP


No evidence WHO in cahoots with vaccine makers: members

AFP


GENEVA รข€" The World Health Organisation had problems handling the swine flu epidemic, but there was no evidence it tried to boost vaccine makers, the UN body's member countries agreed on Friday. The WHO's 193 member states, gathered for their 64th ...



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