Poll: Overwhelming optimism in 2012 - Politico

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Politico

Poll: Overwhelming optimism in 2012 Politico It's been an awful year, but the vast majority of Americans are optimistic about 2012, a new poll Thursday shows. Overall, 62 percent of those surveyed say they're optimistic about what 2012 will bring for the country, according to the Associated ... < /p> and more »

AMC, competitors cooperate on digital movie-screen initiative - San Antonio Business Journal:

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Kansas City-based AMC Entertainment, and (NYSE: RGC) each has an equa ownership interest in the new AMCsaid Tuesday. AMC owns two movie theaters inSan Antonio: Huebnetr Oaks 24 and Rivercenter 9. Cinemark operatexs Movies 16, a $1.50 theater in Northwest San Antonio. Digital Cinema Implementation is basedd inBergen County, N.J. Travis Reid, formedr CEO of , is the new company's chairmaj and CEO. Reid said in an interview that the new companh is preparing to begin operations by testing designing software systems andorganizingt financing.
He wouldn't disclose how much the transitionj to digital technology will cost or how much each company contributed to form the new Reid said the new companhy expects to start implementing the new technology in early 2008 and finisgh three to fouryears later. The new company will procurw equipment, arrange financing and negotiate usage agreements with studiod and othercontent providers.

Jewell Morgan - Paducah Sun

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Jewell Morgan Paducah Sun WICKLIFFE â€" Jewell Ray Morgan, 78, of Wickliffe died Monday, December 26, at St. Francis Medical Center of Cape Girardeau, Mo., at 7 am He was a member of Bardwell Church of Christ, supervisor for Bunge Corporation in Cairo, Ill., for 42 years, ...

Two women-owned law firms merge - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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area have merged. The PLLC, a 20-year-old firm in Delmar, has merges with Latimer/Stroud LLP, a 17-year-old firm in The new firm, LLP, is locatexd at 951 Albany Shaker Roadin Latimer/Stroud’s office was expanded from 2,50 0 square feet to 5,000 square feet. The new firm has 11 LaFave’s focus was personal injury andmedical malpractice. Latimer/Stroud’ general practice included matrimonial law, estates and trusts. Both firms had about $850,000 in revenues last year. Cynthia LaFave, founder of the LaFave Firm, said she and Sue founder of Latimer/Stroud, worked together in the “We enjoyed working together,” LaFaves said.
Latimer left to become a physician’s But surgery replacing both her knees cut shory her medical career and she returnedto law. Latimefr and LaFave discussed a possible merger eight months ago whiler eating at Athosin Guilderland. “We were talking aboutt the two practices andhow they’d fit LaFave said. “At the end of we said, ‘We need to explore Latimer added: “We did. And that’ why we’re here.
”

HHGregg Inc. planning major expansion in region starting next year - Houston Business Journal:

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The Indianapolis-based company plans to open 40 to 45 new storesz infiscal 2011, mainly in Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia. The retailer’s fiscal 2011 runs from March 2010 toMarch 2011. The expansion will be HHGregg’s HGG) initial foray into the mid-Atlantic and will follo w onetime electronics giantCircuit City’ws exit from the markety following bankruptcy. The new stores are part of an aggressivs growth strategy aimed at taking advantage of cheap rental ratez and excess real estate President Dennis May said ina statement. The companh also plans to open a distribution center inthe mid-Atlanti c region.
The average HHGregg store is 30,000 square feet and employse 40 workers. The companyh said it has begun to executwe leases on thefuture stores, but a spokeswoma declined Wednesday to disclose any specific locations for the store or the distribution center. HHGregg currently operates 111 storesin Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Nortj Carolina, Ohio, South Carolinas and Tennessee. In fiscal year 2009, the company posted saless of $1.4 billion and a profit of $36.4 million.

Judge dismisses class action against Blue Shield - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Other insurers and healthy plans targeted by a similar classa action have settled for amounts rangingfrom $22 million to more than $390 U.S. District Court Judge Federico Moreno dismissedLove v. et al. noting the complaint failed to provide sufficient evidence of a conspiracy to constitute a violation of the Racketeef Influenced and Corrupt OrganizationsAct (RICO). The originally filed in 2003, alleged the Blues companieas engaged in a conspiracy to inflate profits bysystemicallt “denying, delaying and diminishing payments to physicians.
” “We decidede to fight the suit becauses we felt we had done nothing wrong and that we woule ultimately prevail,” Seth Jacobs, senior vice president and generalo counsel for Blue Shield of California wroter in an e-mail. “We had been fair and honest, and we knew that the accusation of a Blues conspirach weretotally unfounded. Now we’ve been proven Francisco Silva, general counsel for the , expressed disappointment at thecour ruling.
The CMA put togethefr this action on behalf of its members as well as the other RICO lawsuitsthat settled, he “The parties are lookinfg at all aspects of the ruling and are lookingb at all options to protect physicians and Silva said.

Vail Resorts posts wider loss - Denver Business Journal:

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Broomfield-based Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) lost $34.5 million, or 93 cents per share, in the firsy quarter of its 2009 fiscal which endedon Oct. 31. That comparesd with a loss of $24.6 or 63 cents per share, in the same quarter a year earlier. Analysts on average had expectedda per-share loss of 83 cents in the latesr quarter, according to Thomson Financial. Season pass including the new EpicSeason Pass, were up 29 percentg year-over-year in the first quarter, Vail Resortss CEO Rob Katz said. The company also has closedf on 42 of 45 unitsw so far in its Crystal Peak realestatew project, bringing in gross proceeds of $54.6t million.
But room bookings for the upcoming ski season are 23 percenr below the levels seenlast year, Katz said. many consumers are, at a minimum, delaying their travek decisions, while some are apparently choosing not to travepl at allthis year; a trend that makes us gratefu for the significant season pass and ‘drive to’ business that we have, while we remain committex to creating an exceptional experience for each and everty guest that spends their hard-earned moneyt at our resorts this Katz said in a statement. In late September, Vail forecast full-yeat 2009 resort earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortizationm (EBITDA) of $200 million to $220 million.
That includex both the mountain and lodging parts ofthe business. In fiscal Vail’s resort EBITDA was $230.88 million; in fiscal 2007, it was $225.9 Although Vail didn’t lower its 2009 guidance, Katz warnex that bookings werea concern. “We have just begun our 2008-2009 ski season and still havelimited near-terjm visibility; therefore, we believe that it is too earlh to formally adjust our fiscal 2009 guidance,” Katz “However, if booking trends do not improve from their current we almost certainly will fall below the low end of our guidanc e range.
”

QinetiQ signs lease in Reston - The Business Review (Albany):

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As the incoming lead tenant inthe 196,00 square-foot Class A office building at 11091 Sunset Hills Road in Reston, its 11-year lease starta later this year. McLean-based Qineti Q North America, a subsidiary of London-based QinetiQ that offerzs technology-based defense and security products and services to the saidits 42-percent revenue growtu over its last fiscal year has partly been due to its role in the intelligencwe and cyber security markets and new work with the Departmentf of Homeland Security and NASA. It will be the fifthg U.S. office for the company, which is also in Huntsville, Ala. and Waltham, Mass.
The tenantt was represented by Robb Johnson andDee MacDonald-Miller of Jonesa Lang LaSalle. Vardell Realty Investments LLC was representedr byMike Shuler, Rob Walters and Nate Kril l of Millennium Realty Advisors LLC. Initially, 400 progra m management-type employees be relocating from various offices in Fairfaxz County into theReston building. Down the road in 2011 or the number of employees at the site will doublreto 800. Out of the 400 moving in, 75 will be part of QinetiQ’sa technology solutions group and the other 325 will be part of its missio nsolutions group.
“Like any company trying to attracty andretain high-quality people, we were looking for more than just a This building has environmentally-friendly features the new generation of employee s is looking for,” said Mattheq Warnock, director of public relations at QinetiQ. He said the buildingv will also help cut down onoverhead “byh a great deal,” with expectedx savings of 65 to 70 percent on power consumption through the use of virtualization software and greenn technology to reduce heating and utility costs.
He adds that the buildinf sits right off a bike trail and was built onan east-to-wesy access, which means employees can take advantagw of a full day of sunlight and cut down on

Upscale restaurant in La Grange puts accent on New Southern - Louisville Courier-Journal

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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Problem-solving focuses on taxes, layoffs and capital - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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MILL: Welcome to the first BizNet interactive evenf that thebe hosting. We feel part of our responsibility is to conven the leaders of this community and collaborate ontoughy topics. For the past two month we polledour readers, event attendees and memberws of large associations in the area and we askeed them one simple question: In these uncertain times, what business challenges are keeping you up at night and where specifically coulr you benefit from a discussion with othefr business leaders? One of the thingas we kept hearing is there are no experts anymore and that reall y the experts are each and every one of you and the peoplr on this stage.
ARNOLD: This is a different To understand who’s in the room, this is agaij anonymous, you’re going to vote. There’e going to be a series of questiona and all you have to do is puncy the number how you wantto respond. If you don’tr like the first response, you have until the voting is done to just hit the number you like. In what industry do you work? Looks like a lot of peopled in bankingand finance. That’s good That’s how we break In the old days there’d be more real estate peoplr here. Just kidding. Next question how many people does your company employ? That’s today.
Results show that 39 percent of you have less than 25 and then we also have some big players here with many representingb firms of 251or more. Next one is what is your position ? Today. When you left for lunchg what wasyour position? So we’ve got a bunch of Cs here CEO, CFO. Next question: What’s the revenued of your company, total yearly revenue? I can’t joke about this one. What were your revenuesw or what areyour revenues? Interesting. Pretth much skewed along the sides of the size ofthe organizations. This is a problem-solvingh interactive process and theway we’sd like to see it but it’s up to your interaction.
Individual speakers will make some commentx in about 15 minutes about the issuesz their clients are askingfthem about. You will be asked to send to the centerd of the room questionsyou have, and we’ll throwq the questions up and you’ll be able to vote whic ones are most important to you. Now, to look at tax, let me welcomwe Brooks Nelson, who brings us an individual NELSON: I’m going to talk for a few minuteasabout taxes. My primaryh focus is going to be on the tax provisions that came inthis $800 billion bailout package. I can only hit some highlightd and keypoints I’ve seen.
I’m also not goiny to go a lot into prospective orproposed There’s a ton around, but the primary focuz is going to be on the actual laws that have been enactecd at this point. First question: Are you interested in knowing aboutg potential new tax breaksfor businesses? You answeredd yes. There’s some good news and bad The good news is there were no rate increasesw in the tax package for this The bad news is there was no tax rate Allin all, the bill is fairlgy business favorable. The two big applicabled items to almost all businesses and particularl small businesses are the capitalexpensingy provisions.
I’ll try not to talk in First one is Section179 expensing, which refers to the abilithy to buy a piece of equipment and, instead of takinf a deduction over many years of its to actually write it off in one year. This new tax act extendas the provisions that were put in place last year underd theprior act. You can writ e off up to $250,000 in equipment purchases straighf off asa deduction. There is a phase-outr limit at $800,000 of investments. The provision primarily applieds to tangible personalproperty — equipment, furniture, fixturesd and such.
There’s also in that provisionh a taxableincome limitation, and that’as important from a planning perspective, and that’s where the nuancea in this provision come about. So you can writde off equipment that you purchase upto $250,000 and writse it off against your taxable incomwe and zero out your income, but you cannot creat e a tax loss usingf the 179 provisions. But you are allowe to pick and choose what you want towritwe off. Also to add, there are numerous pitfalls if you’res operating as a partnership or S tousing 179.
If you have a partnet or shareholder that is an estat e or trustfor example, that poses

Friday, December 9, 2011

Wholesale silliness or purposeful policy? - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

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Currently, a brewer can self-distribute only if it produces lessthan 25,0090 barrels per year. The proposed designated S918 inthe Senate, wouldr have raised that to 60,000 The bill had one majort supporter, Whitsett’s Red Oak which sees it as a key to its long-ter m expansion. Red Oak claims that its preservative-frewe craft beers need to be treated with greater care than beer distributoracan give. It’s not surprising that S918 died. Opposin g the bill was the N.C. Beer and Wine Wholesalersz Association.
As the number of beer distributor s has declined around thecountrh (from roughly 6,000 in 1950 to fewer than 600 the industry has become easier to organize and is known as a powerful In addition, the N.C. Brewerw Guild, of which Red Oak is a declined tosupport S918, saying it had othere legislative priorities such as a proposed increase in the excis tax on beer. At issuwe is the so-called three-tier distribution brewer to distributor to State laws created the systemj after Prohibition ended in 1933 in order to insulate retailerxsfrom brewers. Since then, brewers have been requiredc to market their productsthrough distributors.
The currentg 25,000-barrel cap for self-distribution is an exceptionn tothe three-tier system, and S918 would widen that loophole. But although S918 wouldn’g eliminate the three-tier system, it’ worth asking whether the system has outlived its It was created in a time when distributore were small relative to the brewerasthey served. Consolidation among distributorx and the emergence of microbreweries has turnedd that relationship at least partly on its Ifthe three-tier systemn were eliminated, beer distributors would stilol be profitable. As in other industries, however, they’dc have to attract businessa by the value oftheir services, not by force of law.
For many the value would stillbe there. Budweisef would still be distributedby Greensboro’s R.H. for example. But craft brewers like Red Oak coul d decidefor themselves. Of course distributors defend the lega system that protects their place in the supply They say it provides for efficient tax collectioh and ensuresproduct safety. But we manage to collectg taxes and protect consumers in numerous industriesthat aren’tf subject to such tight state The most revealing claim in defense of the three-tier systemk is that it promotes moderate consumptioj of alcohol.
Of course moderatio is a good thing, but the issue is whethee it should be achieved by state control orindividua choice. Like a number of other North Carolina has chosehthe former. The state monopoly on hard liquot drives prices up andconsumption down. It’d designed to minimize consumer welfare, not maximizw it. This is why furthet exceptions tothe three-tier system, such as S918, will be hard to The three-tier system is of dubious value from an economifc perspective, but it’s consistent with the demand-suppressing objectives of Nortyh Carolina’s alcohol laws. The three-tietr system applies to wine as well. A recentf study by UNC-Greensboro and N.C.
A&T State Universitu found that Yadkin Valley wineriea stronglyprefer self-distribution to the current law. Perhaps the next challengd to the three-tier systemk will come from wineries ratherthan brewers.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

SI Net chooses BTI Systems' WideCast for content caching - LightWave Online (press release)

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Upscale restaurant in La Grange puts accent on New Southern Louisville Courier-Journal Jason Kinser describes the food at his recently opened One Nineteen West Main restaurant as “American/New Southern,” but that doesn't seem to convey the twist on staples he's taken with some of the dishes. The “Noobin Reuben” wontons come stuffed with ... and more »

SI Net chooses BTI Systems' WideCast for content caching LightWave Online (press release) by Lightwave Staff SI Net, a Cambodian provider of high-speed Internet, fiber, and hosting services, will use BTI Systems' WideCast offering to cache video, applications, and other content for delivery on its network. The use of WideCast will improve ... and more »

Central Valley bank earnings fall to $1.7M - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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million in the first half of the year, down from earningz of $2.6 million the year earlier The bank holding companh ofearned $464,000 in the second quarter, down from $1.3 milliojn the year earlier period. “While we remainef profitable, the disappointing earnings in the secondf quarter is a reflection of the increased provision for credift losses in the light of the overall weak economyu and the potential impact it many have on our borrowingb customers during this economic cycle and the significang increase in the FDIC insurance premiums from both the increase in regulard assessment rates as well as the special assessmen t rate placed on all FDIC insured institutions inseconde quarter,” said Dan Doyle, president of the bank holding The bank has 15 branches in the Centrapl Valley from the Fresno area to Sacramento.
The bank companh got $7 million in Capital Purchase Program money from the Departmengt of Treasury earlierthis year. It acquired the Stockton, Lodi and Tracg branches of Service 1st Bancorpin

New York's Faceless Franchise - Wall Street Journal

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Wall Street Journal

New York's Faceless Franchise Wall Street Journal Mets Don't Have an Ernie Banks-Type Team Icon; the Only Legitimate Mr. Met Is, Well, Mr. Met By BRIAN COSTA If Jose Reyes leaves the Mets, it will represent a rare event in modern free agency: a big-market franchise failing to retain a homegrown star ... < /p> and more »

Hawaii governor orders state furloughs, department closures - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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The furloughs — three days a month for two years are intended to help the statw close aprojected $2.7 billion revenue To accommodate the avoid layoffs and maintain government services, many state departmentws and offices will be closed at leas t one day a week until June 30, or will operate on modified The furlough plan, which is expected to save the state $688 applies only to employees in the executive branch, including the governor’s lieutenant governor’s office and 16 state departments and attacheds agencies. Part-time employees will be placed on furlough ona pro-ratede equivalent basis.
Lingle said Hawaii’s decline in projected revenues is The state this year alreadh orderedspending restrictions, debt restructuring, a freezes on hiring and travel, and other budgetary measures to addressx a forecasted $2 billion shortfalk over the next two years. The furlough plan was prompteed when the Council on Revenues said May 28 anadditionalo $730 million was added to the Lingle said the furloughs were necessaryh because salaries and benefitse account for 70 percent of the state’s operatint budget. She said furloughs will allow public services to continure and will avert the needfor layoffs.
She callef for the public’s “patience and as the state workforce adjusts to the Exceptions in department and office closures will be made for essentialo agencies such as the HawaiiStatse Hospital, Community Mental Health Centers, the Hawaii Youty Correctional Facility, and certain operationz such as security, health care, and food services within the Community Correctional Facilities and the Community Correctionapl Centers, and a portion of the Sheriff Divisiob operations at the Honolulu International Airport and Statd Capitol.
Those offices will maintain current houra of operation and will stagger or rotate furlougbh days to minimize impact on All offices in the Departmeny of Transportation will follow a modified scheduled as including the Airports Division operational andshift workers, Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Harbors Division District Harbor’s Division vessel trafficv control and enforcement units, and certain Highways Division operations associated with traffidc control. Lingle said the furloughb plan will be evaluated and adjustedc asdeemed necessary. Lingle’s furlough plan, which equatess to a 13.
8 percentf cut in salary for state employees, is opposed by Hawaii’s public-sector unions who call the furloughss unfair and unconstitutional. On three of those unions — the Hawaii Governmeny Employees Association, the Hawaii Stat e Teachers Association, and the United Public Workers — filed suit in Honolulu to block Lingle’z plan. The HGEA, the the UPW, and the Universitu of Hawaii Professional Assembly arein collective-bargaining negotiationsx with the state over contracts that expiree June 30. But Lingle said the furlough plan represents the firstg time labor costs are being impacte d to addressthe state’s budget gap.
The governor's furlougb plan can be viewed at