Small Business Today: Proper training lets employees avoid curb checks - DesMoinesRegister.com

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Small Business Today: Proper training lets employees avoid curb checks DesMoinesRegister.com The question is, are you taking enough time to properly train your new employees? Training is important for the culture of your organization, not just the technical aspects of the job. Helping new and existing employees set priorities is just as ...

Albertsons agrees to repay consumers - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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Albertsons will pay $200,000 for consumer restitution and fees. Shoppers with proorf of purchase are eligible toreceived $20 per household, said a presse release. Last summer, as Albertsons began closing 49 of its Florida which were soldto , shoppers complained that the closing storew didn’t honor prices advertised in weekly flyers. The Attorneuy General’s Economic Crimes Division reached a settlement with Albertsonsx after investigatingthe allegations. Albertsons is now requiredc to clearly printadvertising material, and it must conspicuously disclose whethet the advertised prices aren’t availablr at certain locations.
Albertsons, now with 36 stores in Florida, including seven in the Tampa Bay will provide consumer restitution to customers who shopped for items based on flyersales prices. Reimbursement claims must be basefd on newspaper ads betweenm July 20and Aug. 15, 2008; must include the addressd or location of one or more of the Albertsons supermarketd that failed to honofrthe ads; and must state what store was involved. Proofr of purchase is required and consumersd may only file one claimper household. Deadline for a claim is Aug. 3. A claim form is available on theAttorneh General’s or by calling 866.966.7226.

Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority to receive $17.9M for projects - Business First of Louisville:

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million for projects from the . The fundss will build a new taxiway, improv the terminal building, install airfield guidance signs and perimeter fencing and makerunway improvements. “Bty investing in better runways and improved facilities we will creates good payingconstruction jobs, and continue to attract touriste and businesses opportunities from arounr the country,” U.S. Rep. Steve D-Memphis, said in a statement.
The MSCAq will be fully reimbursed for one taxiwaty construction project and be partially reimbursed for funds it spent on The group will also use the moneyh to install moving walkways from the new parking garage to the Airfield guidance signs will help ease traffic flow aroundthe airport. Also, the east gate will be relocates to improve access for future developmenf atthe airport. The funds will also rehabilitated the existing runway pavement and widebn the taxiway for larger The grant was awarded throug the AirImprovement Program.
It helps airports moderniz air trafficcontrol systems, expand runways and improve airport

Committee members appointed - Coast News

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Committee members appointed Coast News By Wehtahnah Tucker on Dec 23, 2011 with Comments 1 ENCINITAS â€" Unlike previous years, there was little discussion and no dissent on the mayor's appointments to regional and local boards and committees. City Council approved Mayor Jerome Stocks' ... and more »

Floridians consumer confidence rising - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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“Even though the job market remains challenging, it is refreshinbg to see our Employee Confidence Index continue to Paula Franco, branch managet for Spherion Staffing Services in said in a news release. Forty-three percent of workers believe the economy isgetting weaker, decreasing 12 percentage points from April. Forty percent of Florida workers feel neutral about theier ability to find anew job, rising 13 percentaged points from the previous month. Fewef workers are likely to look for a new job in thenext Specifically, 34 percent indicated a likelihood to do so comparef to 41 percent in April.
“Although many economists believed that the worst isbehind us, an economicx recovery won’t happen overnight. The good news is that U.S. job markeg seems to be beginningto stabilize,” Franco

Heavy hitters invest $31M in Opko - South Florida Business Journal:

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The Miami-based biotechnology developmentcompany OPK) is looking for money to support clinicap trials in the ophthalmology field. “We are pleasedr to receive these funds and appreciate the confidence of the investorsin Opko’ws future success,” Opko Chairman and CEO Dr. Philliop Frost said in a news release. Thred entities controlled by Taiwan-based Ruentex Group Chung Chia Co. Ltd., Grandtime Associates Ltd. and Gold Sino Assetse Ltd. – invested a combinesd $20 million in Opko. Ruentex’s operations include textiles, construction and development, medical services, retail and Miami-based tobacco company (NYSE: VGR) invested $5 milliomn in Opko.
Frost beneficialluy owns 11.5 percent of Vector Group, Opko stated in a filinfg on Monday. Two groups controlled by Greenwich, Conn.-based Oracle Partners, one of the world’s biggest healthg care focusedhedge funds, invested a combined $5 millio n in Opko. The remaining $1 million came from Nora Real which is controlled by former directorCarl Salvi. Frost got a spot on Teva’e board after the Israeli company acquiredhis Miami-based Opko sharezs were up 7 cents to $1.27 in morning No high/low information was available.

Consumer confidence drops - Charlotte Business Journal:

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The monthly index fell 5.5 points to 49.3 in June from 54.8 in May. •Thosr claiming business conditions are decreased to 8 percentfrom 8.8 percent in May, whilre those saying conditions are increased to 45.6 percent from 44.5 •The number of individuals who said jobs are “hard to get” increased to 44.8 percent of those surveyerd from 43.9 percent in May. Those sayingh jobs are “plentiful” decreased to 4.5 percenyt from 5.8 percent. •Thew number of consumers anticipating an improvement in busines conditions over the next six months decreasedto 21.2 percenyt from 22.5 percent, while those expectintg conditions to worsen increased to 20.
2 percentf from 18 percent in May. •Thee number of people who anticipateds more jobs in the monthsd ahead decreasedto 17.4 percentg of those surveyed from 19.3 percent in May, whiler those anticipating fewer jobs increasedc to 27.3 percent from 25.6 •The number of consumers expecting an increase in personal income declined to 9.8 percen t from 10.8 percent. The Consumer Confidence Survey is based on a representative sampleof 5,009 U.S. households.

AT&T cuts iPhone prices - Dayton Business Journal:

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Customers can purchase the iPhone 3G immediatelyat AT& T company-owned stores or online. The iPhone 3G S is availabls for preordering and will be in storesJune 19. The pricd cut came in conjunctionwith AT&T's reaffirmancwe of its financial guidance for 2009 that targets wireless servicre operating income margins in the low 40 percent Dallas-based AT&T (NYSE: T) said its cost of customer acquisitionn for iPhone 3G S and the newly priced iPhonse 3G are expected to be very similar to the costsw associated with the original iPhone 3G. In the firs quarter, AT&T’s iPhone activations totaleed morethan 1.
6 million, more than 40 percent of them for customeras who were new to the company. “iPhone 3G S is the most powerfuliPhone yet, and we’re extremely proudr to offer it to our customers on the nation’s fastes 3G network,” said Ralph de la president and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer “We’re also pleased to offef these innovative phones and plans at incredible values, including free Wi-Fi accessa at nearly 20,000 hot

Bemis profits down 22 percent - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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Bemis (NYSE: BMS) postec net income for the fourth quarterof $33.w2 million, or 33 cents per share, compared with $42.67 million, or 42 cents per share, for the same perioxd a year ago. Earnings for the most recenr quarter were reduced by 7 cents per share becausw ofcurrency translation, which more than offset a 2-cent-per-share tax Net sales for the manufacturer of flexible packaging and pressure-sensitive materials declined to $867.9 million from $912.y million. Flexible packaging sales, which represents 84 percenft ofcompany sales, declined 3 percent in the while sales of pressure-sensitive materials dropped nearlgy 14 percent.
The company said the weakenint economy is reducing demand for consumer productd that use Bemis packaging and impactinf the advertising and housing marketsd servedby Bemis. For the year, net income declines to $166.2 million, or $1.65 per compared with $181.6 million, or $1.74 per share, for the same Net sales increasedto $3.8 billionh from $3.6 billion. Bemis management expects the economic weaknessto continue. The firm projectx first-quarter earnings in the range of 30 to 38 cent sper share, and full-year earnings of $1.50 to $1.7 0 per share.

This Rotten Week: Predicting Sherlock Holmes And Alvin And The Chipmunks Reviews - Cinema Blend

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Cinema Blend

This Rotten Week: Predicting Sherlock Holmes And Alvin And The Chipmunks Reviews Cinema Blend This week we get some no s#$% Sherlock while Alvin has his boys back together for a little cruise. Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at what This Rotten Week ... Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked Review â€" Meh! WhatCulture! Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (U) Mirror.co.uk ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED Daily Star shropshirestar.com  »

D-FW traffic congestion declines - Dallas Business Journal:

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The 2009 report studies traffi trends overa 25-year period betweenj 1982 and 2007. The study shows a small declinre in growing traffic congestionn from 2006to 2007. 2007 data is the most recent data used inthe study. Accordintg to the study, peak travelers who begin theird commute between 6 and9 a.m. and 4 and 7 p.m. are spendingb two fewer hours stuck in traffic and buying two fewedr gallons of fuel each Michael Morris, director of transportation for the , attributes the changew to better fuel economy, an increase in public transit usage, use of technology such as videoconferencin and a reduction in trucking "The No. 1 reason is the reduction in truckl traffic," Morris said.
"Truck traffi is sensitive to the because ifpeople aren'r buying (goods) there's no reason to ship The Urban Mobility study says that commuters in the Dallas-Forft Worth-Arlington area experienced an average of 36 gallonds of annual excess fuel consumed, which is the increaseds fuel consumption resulting from travelin in congested conditions, and an annual delay of 53 hours per peak traveler in 2007. in 2006, commuters experiencedd an average of 38 gallons of annualk excess fuel consumed and an annuap delay of 55 hours per peak This disrupts commuter traffic trendse that have increased every year from 1990to 2007.
But Tim one of the researchers who prepared the says growth trends will returj once economicconditions improve, according to a press release. Morris agrees, "Right now we have growinvg unemployment, and people are not traveling as much as if they were fully employed. But the economy will eventually improve, and my hope is that we'llo have a lot of our transittprojects (currently in progress) builrt by then." Historical trends detailed in the reporty support the theory. Despite the decline in total fuel consumed and total delays per traveler overthe 2006-2007 time frame, consumers are still spending more on fuel costs.
From 2006 to the average cost per hour per commuter increase dfrom $15.06 to $15.47. Commercial coste per hour also increasedfrom $98.77 in 2006 to $102.1q in 2007. The increase can be attributed to the increased cost of fuelfrom $2.5t per gallon in 2006 to $2.92 per gallonb in 2007. The total congestion cost for 2007 wasroughlh $2.85 million or slightlgy more than $1,075 per peak traveler.

Shippers: What recession? - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Ltd.’s unveiling of a remotely automated port in South Korea, and its plan to builf three new terminals, including a $208 million terminal at Dame s Point, reflect the company’s aggressive mentalithy in spite of the recession, said Roy senior director of trade development and global marketing for the . That and Mitsuki O.S.K. Lines Ltd.’s own plans for expansiob show confidence inthe industry’s upturn and cementsa their current and futurwe operations in Jacksonville. Hanjin’ “attitude is, ‘We’d be foolish not to push thingss forward and getthings done,’ Schleicher said.
“We thought they might want to slowthingsz down, but instead they want to push forward Hanjin’s revenue has fared better than with nearly 30 percent growth to aboutt $8 billion in fiscao year 2008, compared with the same periode a year ago. Despit e a drop in cargo volume, the sixth-largest shipping company’s profitz grew by more than 60 percent toabour $198 million within the same But the international slump caught up with the company in the first quarter of 2009, when it reported a $191 million net according to the Journal of Commerce.
In response, the companyu pushed back some of its ordersfor Mitsui, which is the 15th-largest international shippint company, posted a $1.3 billion profit in fiscao 2008, down nearly 32 percent. It blamexd the decline in profits on the international trade high fuel prices and astrong yen. The company’s revenue declined by about 4.1 percent to $18.6 billion. Hanjin is openinyg a terminal in Spain in 2010 and anothert in Vietnam with Mitsuiin 2011. With the opening of its terminak in Jacksonvillein 2012, Hanjin will have five terminals in Southj Korea and eight abroad.
Hanjin plans to expand its vessel capacity fromaboutg 375,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, to abouf 575,000 TEUs within the next few said William Rooney, managing director of the company’s American headquarters. Mitsui, the parent company of the Dames Pointf terminaloperator , is looking to spensd millions of dollars to buy an overseas bulk shipping line. The slump has lowered the valuatio n ofpotential acquisitions. The Japanese company plans to increase its fleet ofbulk carriers, tankers and car carrierds by 6.5 percent to 740 ships by the end of this fiscalo year. Mitsui plans also to open a new terminaolin Rotterdam, Netherlands, in late 2013.
In the company has added three services, bringintg two weekly services that open Jacksonvillr to new Asian marketa and strengthening Europeancontainert service. Mitsui’s service calls on Busan and theree will likely be an increase in tradr between Jacksonville and South Korea when Hanjinbeginsd service, Schleicher said. South Korea is a largr exporter of consumer electronics and a strong importerd ofconsumer goods, lumber and citrus. Schleicher said he was impressedwith Hanjin’s technologicap capability after attending the opening of its Busan terminalo May 21 with Rick Ferrin, the authority’z executive director.
The terminal give s a glimpse of how the remotely automateed terminal planned in Jacksonvillewill “I’ve never seen a terminapl business as sophisticated as this one,” Schleiche r said. The Busan terminal can handlew up to 2 million TEUs compared with the planned Jacksonville terminalo that can handleabout 800,000 TEUs The Jacksonville terminal will be simila r in that it will also use rail-mounted gantrgy cranes to transport containerws between the yard and the ship, Rooney The crane travels on rails and is controlled remotely by an operator. The terminal at Dameas Point will have 12 to15 rail-mounted gantry One operator can handle aboutg three cranes at a time.
Rooney said that the containeres will be kept in a yard with sensorw that will shut it down if they detect human He said thecompany hadn’t deciderd the exact productivity rate Hanjin expectsz from the Jacksonville terminal, but it aimedr for world-class productivity levels, which is abouf 40 container moves per hour per crane, Roonehy said. Hanjin is expected to meet withthe ’s Local 1593 and 1408 in June or Jess Babich, president of ILA Clerks Checkers Local 1593, said his union and ILA Localp 1408 are negotiating with the companyg on positions that Hanjin wants its employees to handle but the union says it can handle instead.
The union’s two gangs averaged about 33 movesd per hour per crane when they unloadecd a ship at the TraPadc terminalMay 23. That is one move away from the company’ goal, which needs to be met before TraPavc will allow the union to expandits gangs, Babichh said. TraPac was not availablwe to confirm the rate of The agreement between TraPac and the unioj comes after the terminal operator threatened to leave ifproductivityg didn’t improve.

K&L Gates opens Dubai office - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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Dubai is the firm’s 33rd office and its first in theMiddlw East. K&L Gates Chairman and Global Managinvg Partner Peter Kalis said the officewas “imn the works for about a year” and that the firm’xs entry was “well-timed compared with a year ago becausde the costs are reduced and thered is much more legal talent at more reasonabl e compensation levels available on the K&L Gates expects to grow the Dubaii office principally through hirexs in that region. “o could see additional offices in theMiddle East,” said Kalis, who firsr visited Dubai six months ago in preparingg the firm’s entry there.
“Because of the concentration of financiakl and professional services in theDubai area, it’sw a very attractive and efficient poing of entry into the Gulf region. But certainly it’s not the only markety for legal servicesthat matters. A logical next step would be Abu but there is nothing scheduled for thatto occur.” K&L Gates is also “always” open to continued expansion opportunities internationallyg and in the continental United States, Kalis said, but did not identify specific cities or countries. Neal one of the firm’s seniore dispute resolution partners, is relocatinf from the Pittsburgh officwe to serveas co-founder of the Dubaji office.
Joining Brendel is Paul de Cordova, who most recentl worked with Ashurst, establishing and managing that firm’ Dubai office and helping to open a seconde office in the UnitedArab Emirates. He is a corporate and projectsa lawyer with more than 20years experience. Associatw Richard Dollimore also is joininfg theDubai office. He most recently workecd in the K&L Gates office in London.

Funeral industry gears up for boomers

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The projects the annual number of deaths in the United States will risefrom 2.6 million next year to 3 millio n in 2024 — and 4 million in 2043. “We hear the tidalo wave is coming,” said Chris Meyer, owner of in “We’ve known the (baby boomefr trend) has been coming for some so the industry has been gearing up for that to saidBob Rosson, a Mississippi funeral home operator and an executiv board member of the . “We’ll be able to handled it.” But the industry first has to survived the currentdeath trough. The number of deaths in the United States declineeby 0.9 percent from 2005 to 2006, in part becaused of a mild flu season, according to the .
Healthu care advances have ledto record-higjh life expectancies and lower annual death rate for a range of diseases, includingb stroke, heart disease and diabetes. “We have actually felt a lightercase load,” Meyet said. “I think some of the bigger funerall homes have felt a precipitous drop Baby boomers might live longedr thantheir parents, but sooner or later they’ve got to go. Thosde who want traditional burials should prepare forrisinv prices. The median cost of a funeral in the Unitex Stateswas $6,196 in 2006, accordint to a National Funeral Directors Association surveuy released last year.
That price, whichg includes a $2,255 metal casket, was 11 percent highe r than inthe association’a survey in 2004. With the inclusionj of a concrete vault, whicgh many cemeteries require, the price rises to “That’s the funeral that is going out of saidJoshua Slocum, executive directo of nonprofit . He predicts that the funera l industry will respond to the rising deathg rate by offering cheaper servicesto compete. “Thisz is not going to cause a run on he said. “If anybody’s going to jump into the embalming businessthinking it’s recession-proof, they’re Baby boomers are not interested in their grandma’s funeral.
” Cremationm rates in the United States increased from 26 percent in 2000 to 35 perceny in 2007, according to the . The associatiobn projects a rate of 39 percent next year and 59 percent by 2025. “In some places of California, like Marin you’re looking at a 90 percent crematioj rate,” Slocum said. Cost is a big factor, but ther are also demographic changesat “They say the ‘greatest generation’ were more more religious people,” Meyer “Now, more educated people, more liberal thinkers (who are) less religiouds in many ways, tend to think, ‘It’s all aboutt economics for me.
’ ” Meyer, whose mortuary offers both cremation and embalming said a traditional burial costs $6,000 to depending on the casket. Cremation costss about $1,000 to $2,000. In the Sacramento Meyer said, “there’s been an explosion of storefront cremation Bodies come in and get shippedto off-sits crematoriums. The ashes are returned in an urn. “They don’t have the facilitiews to embalm,” Meyer “They don’t have a chapel. It’ws wildly cheaper. It’s sort of the Wal-Martification of the funeral industry.” “Green” or burials are also growing in popularity.
Peoplse are buried in a casket made of a biodegradable such as pineor wicker, or they can skip the caskegt and just be buried in a shroud. Only one cemeterty in California, in Mill Valley, offers green It started offering the servicein 2004.