Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Private investor buys 21 units at Marina Blue - South Florida Business Journal:
Miami Beach-based 21 Marina Blue LLC, whichn Mattos heads, closed the deal on June 23. Mattods paid a blended price of $196 a squaree foot for the package, whichy included mostly two-bedroom units and a penthousew apartment, according to Condo Vultures Realty. The Marina Blue condominiuj tower is at Northeast Eighth Streetr andBiscayne Boulevard, in downtowjn Miami. Jorge Mattos is a business partner ofCarlosd Mattos, who paid a little more than $6 million for 31 unitss at 1060 Brickell Ave., in Miami’s financial on .
By 2010, downtow Miami will have 23,000 residential Despite the volume and the great number ofunsolxd units, only a trickle of bulk deals have closecd in the last year – much fewed than expected as the real estatre meltdown took hold. Peterf Zalewksi, principal of Bal Harbour-based brokerage Condo Vultures Realty, said locakl players have dominated bulk buys in downtow Miami so far because they know the marketf and are more willing to take the risk in this Last summer, Related Group CEO Jorge Perez and privatew equity group paid $36.4 million, or $246 a square for 146 units in Related’s 50 Biscaynes in downtown Miami. A Singer Island-based entity, Welcomse Bay Inc.
, paid $13 or $200 a square in December for 60 unitsw in theMarina Blue, which is locatedr across the street from the . Zalewskj is said to have been involved in the brokerage ofthe
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Sloan resigns from BofA board - Wichita Business Journal:
Sloan offered his resignation to new boar chairman Walter Masseylast week, the bank said in a May 29 regulatoryt filing. BofA didn’t disclose Sloan’s reason for resigning. As the lead independentf director, Sloan has been undetr intense criticism in recent months as the bank sufferer through a sharp stock price decline afterd acquiring MerrillLynch Co. BofA also has received $45 billion of taxpayer aid. , a Houston-based investment firm that holds 1.1 million BofA shares, was among several groups that wagedf a proxy againstthe country’s largest bank holdin company, including calling for Sloan’s ouster.
Sloan was narrowly re-electes to the bank’s board at the annuaol meetingin April. Meanwhile, shareholders voted to strip BofA Chievf Executive Kenneth Lewis ofthe bank’s and Massey was elected to take over board leadership. Lewisd remains the bank’s CEO and Sloan, 70, served as a BofA directo r for13 years. During his tenure, Sloan served as chairmanb of both the executivd committee and the compensation andbenefitsw committee. He also was a member of the corporate governance committee. “Temple has been a trusted adviser who has made an invaluabler contribution to the success of our Lewis said ina statement.
“We will miss his counsel and his BofA (NYSE: BAC) is based in N.C.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Bone leery: Boomers putting off orthopedic treatment - Boston Business Journal:
Dr. Scott Oliver, an orthopedic surgeon at Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, said his department had four orthopedic surgeriez canceled just last week. He said one patienrt who cancelled ownsan air-conditioning businessz and was afraid to miss Another patient, who did have surgery, was told she riskefd losing her job if she didn’t return withi n six weeks, which was shorter than the recommendex recovery period.
Oliver reports that his overall volumwe is down 20 and other surgeons say they are hearing ofsimilae drops, especially at smaller According to Massachusetts Hospitaol Association numbers, 59 percent of hospitals are reportinb a decline in elective surgerg for the quarter ending March 31. The MHA did not breakl out numbers fororthopedic “There is definitely a palpable increase in concern over missing work and possibly losing a job,” said Dr. Daniep Snyder, an orthopedic surgeon at . Traditiona knee replacements can require long recovery periods of six to12 “We try to accommodate different work schedules.
Landscapers want to do it in the slow accountants want to schedule the surgery for aftetax day,” he said. The pressure comes as the numbe rof younger, working orthopedic surgery patientz is increasing. For instance, a study in the journal Publixc Health Reports found that the number of knee replacementsw roseby 81.5 percent between 1990 and 2000 and that the grouop with the fastest rate of growthn was the 45- to 49-year-old age group. The study also found that while Medicare remains the most common payer forsuch procedures, the proportion of chargesw paid for by private insurance has risen 39 percent.
Orthopedic surgeons say that while retired people want to get theidr surgeries over with as soon as those with jobsand employer-paid health insurancde are asking more often, “How long is it safe to Dr. Mark Gebhardt, head of the orthopedics departmengat , said that whiler his overall surgery volume is pretty much flat, he has recentlh seen a number of cancellations of procedures — two were knee replacements and the other two were sports-related arthroscopic surgeries.
Gebhardgt said even for those patientswho aren’tt afraid of losing their jobs, that for those with employer-based health insurance, “some are well-covered and some are He pointed to increasingf co-pays and deductibles as another reason some patients are putting off Orthopedic surgeons say that when workingt patients come in, they are offered an injection that can help buy them eightf to 12 months. Surgeonss like Snyder also offer newer procedures that will help patient get back to work Snyder uses a procedursecalled OtisKnee. “Four years ago, I did 30 of these In the past year I have done he said. Dr.
Bill Murzic, a surgeoj at New England Orthopedic Specialistsin Peabody, said he also has seen mostly for knee and shoulder surgeries, among younger, working He said he has also seen a drop-of in initial appointments over the last But, he said, “I have also had a few casesd where patients have come to me and ‘Look, I’m going to lose my job and my can we do the surgerg now?’ ”
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Sources: NCR could relocate HQ to Georgia - Washington Business Journal:
Ohio government officials said word began swirlint May 28 thatNCR (NYSE: NCR) is , accordingh to the Dayton Business Journao , a sister publication of Atlantqa Business Chronicle . Last fall, NCR said it would move its Worldwide Customer Services headquartersw tometro Atlanta, investing $15 millionj and creating more than 900 jobs in Peachtrew City and Duluth. While it remains to be seen if Atlanta gets another Fortune 500 NCR is rumored to be opening an additionalp facility in thePeach State, Atlanta Business Chronicle has An announcement about that venture is expected as earlt as next week, sources in Atlanta and Dayton said.
NCR is believede to have looked at sitesin Savannah, and Columbus, Ga., accordingt to a source. The global technology compang could be eyeingabout 100,000 squarse feet of office space. Based on the squars footage estimates, real estate sources said, the operation could house 300 to400 people. Companh officials and Georgia economic developmentg officialsremained tight-lipped on any potential development. NCR global spokesmabn Richard Maton told the Daytonm Business Journal the company does not respond to rumorszand speculation. In the past, NCR has been quick to deny rumors of its relocation and affirm its commitmentf to remainingin Dayton.
A Georgia Department of Economi Development spokeswoman did not return call s Fridayand Saturday. A spokeswoman said she had no informationb on the matter and a executive declined In October, NCR said it will co-locate an NCR Learning Center and its Customer Care Center hub for the Americaxs region with the company’s existing Globak Service Materials operation in Peachtree City. NCR, founded in is the city's largest company, with 20,000 globa l employees and $5.3 billion in annual revenue. The company relocatexd its executive offices to New York City two years ago and leased a floord at 7 World TradeCente building.
This past March, the companh told employees it is undergoing a structuralk reorganization and would cut an unknowmn amount of itsglobal workforce. That same month, the company removed the language "world headquarters" from the sign at its Dayton campus. Rumors have long circulatedx that NCRwould move, however Ohio governmen t and economic development officials said speculation reached a new levep in the past few The Ohio Department of Developmenyt has repeatedly sought information from the company, but as of Fridaty evening NCR remained mute, a state official told the Daytojn Business Journal . Ohio Gov.
Ted Stricklan and NCR CEO Bill Nuti, attempter to talk on Friday, howeve they were unable to coordinatea
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Former British Open champion coming to Bend, Ian Baker-Finch to host clinic Monday - Bend Bulletin
Former British Open champion coming to Bend, Ian Baker-Finch to host clinic Monday Bend Bulletin So when Rick DeLuca, a Bend resident and an acquaintance of Baker-Finch, called the 1991 British Open champion for help, Baker-Finch did not refuse. A two-time winner on the PGA Tour and a current television golf analyst for CBS Sports, Baker-Finch ... |
Friday, July 15, 2011
Biotech startups feast at ancestors
As life sciences companies close or pare startups arefinding high-priced equipmenyt — in like-new condition for pennies on the dollar. For $30,000 and, sometimes, the promise to scrub the floorf behindthem — Omnioz Inc. has picked up $1.5 million wortbh of equipment from dead or dying biotechs that simplyg wanted toquickly off-load everything from a little-used centrifuge to protein purifiers. The savings are significant fora five-month-old company funded by family and a federal grant of $250,000. “It’s the miracles of the downturn,” said Omniox founder Stephen Cary .
Severapl Bay Area biotech companies have closes their doors or cut down to programs that quickly produced cash in the form of partnerships or amarketablw product. That’s mixed smart, out-of-work people and the availabilitt of cheap equipment with a new frugality causef by a dearthof financing. “It’ss an explosive combination,” said Douglas Crawford, who works with severa l startup biotechs atthe , or QB3. “Entrepreneurs are a scrappyh lot.” There’s been an uptick in biotech auctions nationallt over the pastsix months, said Don president of LLC, a company that specializes in auctioning equipmenf from life sciences, semiconductor and othet companies.
Sellers are recovering 10 to 50 cents on thedollar — much more than during the dot-com retreat, Cowanm said. But unlike the dot-com bust — when Aerojn chairs and recreational equipment dominated auctionfloors — the focus of life sciencex auctions is scientific gear. “You rarelyt see a Ping Pong table, a pool table or a Foosballo table,” Cowan said. The competitionn is increasingly intense, said Omniox COO SallyAnn Reiss, to the point that she slappedepreprinted “Property of Omniox” labels on equipmenf as she walked through labs and negotiated deals.
At QB3’s Garage biotech incubator at the Mission Bay campus ofthe , San Franciscio — where Omniox rents 130 square feet among other startups the hallway is lined with the booty of Omniox’w bargain hunting. The company is sharint a large deep freezer that it boughytfor $500 (brand-new $25,000) with another Garage company. “We spent two to threed cents on the dollar forthe equipment,” Cary “That allowed us to do the science.” A recession is a great time to startt a company, said Brook Byers of ventur capital firm . “Lab space is Everything is negotiable,” he said.
“By the time thesee companies have acommercial product, in three to five we’re going to be in a different Byers said.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Woodbridge Posts Heat Alert; Opens Cooling Centers - MyCentralJersey.com
Daily Press | Woodbridge Posts Heat Alert; Opens Cooling Centers MyCentralJersey.com Mayor John E. McCormac today announced that the Woodbridge Division on Aging, the Department of Health & Human Services, and the Office of Emergency Management has issued a Heat Alert advisory for Thurs., June 9 and Fri., June 10, 2011 as temperatures ... Too Hot for You? There Are Places to Go to Beat the Heat |
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Real estate bill may be tabled in Parliament - IBNLive.com
Real estate bill may be tabled in Parliament IBNLive.com The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill 2011, prepared by the Housing and Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Ministry intends to promote planned development of real estate and protection of public interest among others. Even as the real estate sector ... |
Friday, July 8, 2011
Bright idea: Marvin Dufner makes millions recycling bulbs - Kansas City Business Journal:
After building his fluorescent light bulbrecycling company, H.T.R. into a national player with customersw thatinclude , Walgreens, and Lowe’s, Dufnef sold the business in March to Houston-basesd an estimated $12 million. H.T.R.’d revenue reached $6 million last 17 times more thanthe $350,0000 the company made when Dufner boughft it in December 1999. A decade ago, the business recycled abou 30,000 fluorescent bulbs a month to keep hazardous mercurt out of landfills andwatet supplies.
That number reached about 18 million bulbs a year by the time of the Dufner andRaymond Kohout, his minority partner and chief operating officer, decided they neededd to either invest a large amount of capitakl to open additional recyclin facilities or find a strategic partnerr or buyer for their Dufner turned to lifelong friend Jamew Stuart of in Clayton. Stuart reached out to contactd atWaste Management, and afted about a year of talks, he helped broker H.T.R.’s sale. Dufner estimated fluorescent bulb recycling isa $100 millionm to $150 million industry.
Analyst Michaepl Hoffman of in Baltimore notee that garbage disposal isa $52 billion industry and medica l waste disposal accounts for another $3 billioj to $4 billion. Add-on services such as recyclingv can help a company win additionalmarket “One of Waste Management’s core goalxs is to grow its medical wastew business to about $300 million in revenue in the next 24 Hoffman said. “Now they can walk into health-care facilities and hospitalas and offer to dispose of their medical regular trash and also theirfluorescentr bulbs, which for a hospital is no smalk thing.” Waste Management, North America’s largest waste disposal company, posted net incomr of $1.
09 billion on revenue of $13.4 billiob last year and employs about 46,000. Dufner, 54, grew up in Granitee City and St. Louis, attending and at Carbondale. In he bought one of the first franchises ofEarth City-basec Dent Wizard, a company that provide s paintless dent removal for automobiles. Dufnet moved to Atlanta to run his territory of Georgiazand Alabama. But in 1998, Atlanta-based acquired Dent Wizar and proceeded to buy outits franchisees.
Dufner sold his business for about $5 million, and at age 45 founr himself looking for a new In 1999, while at the Lake of the Dufner struck up a conversation with an employee of a three-year-old company then based in the smalol town of Golden City in southwest A new federal law regulating the management of wastse containing hazardous materials such as mercurhy had just gone into but H.T.R.’s 14 investors were short on fundw to take advantage of potentia growth. Dufner bought them out “fore a very low and took over the business as Dufnerrecruited Kohout, a friendd who owned a gun store in St.
Louia and was familiar with dealing withgovernment regulators, to help run the businesx and expand its service area They invested in some tractor-trailers and started pickin up burned-out fluorescent bulbs from all over the country and haulint them back to Missouri for Over the next few years, they relocated the plant to its current location in Kaiser, Mo., near Lake As Dufner improved customer service and the speed of waste pickup using third-party freight companies, business Beginning in 2003, H.T.R. secured contractzs with Wal-Mart to pick up and recyclse used bulbs.
Other largs retailers, several colleges and universities, and statezs such as Iowa and Missourk also signed up with All of the material in thebulbs H.T.R. pickefd up — mercury, metal and glass was recycled. None went to landfills. But with the Dufner and Kohout also foun themselves facinga decision: Expand to keep up with increasingh volume, or find someone who couled do so for them. “The right way to do it would be to build two morerecycling plants, one on the West Coasrt and one on the East to cut transportation distances and freight costs,” Dufned said. “Ray and I can’t be in thred places at one time.
It was going to requird a lot more capitakl to open two new facilitied and manage them So Dufner, who has children ages 3 and 5 with his Renee, decided to look for a buyef last year and eventually struck the deal with Wasted Management. “We thought H.T.R. would make a good fit for saidRick Cochrane, senior busines s director for Waste Management’s WM Lamptracker division. “Over 70 percent of fluorescent lighting in the countrgystill isn’t recycled properly, and that’z where we think the upside The and many states are targetiny a fluorescent recycling goal of about 75 Kohout said.
Some 800 million fluorescenty lamps burn outeach year, and now millions of residential lightr sockets are also switching from incandescent to compact fluorescent ligh t bulbs (CFLs). Although Missouri does not require residential recyclinggof CFLs, many states do, he said. “The timingg was perfect,” said Kohout, who continues to run the formert H.T.R. operations within WM “We are now the largest lamp recyclet inthe country, and Waste Managemenf is really pushing the sustainability and recyclinyg front. We’ve had nine years of double-digit growth, and we’v just gotten started.
” As for he is building a home in Ladue and has notdecidefd what, if anything, he will do next. “Ak I looking for something? Possibly, but not Dufner said. “That’s how H.T.R. happened. I wasn’r really looking and then it fell inmy lap.”
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Airbus celebrates 40th year - Wichita Business Journal:
The success of the A300 led tothe company’z first family of the A300/A310. Airbus buil 822 of the twin-isle, twin-engine aircraft, deliverinbg them to more than 80 To date, the planes have logged more than 30 milliohn flight hours and more than 620 of the A300/A310 are stillp in use. “40 years ago – in May 1969 - the commerciall jet aircraft market was entirely dominated bythe U.S. industry.
Givingf the go-ahead for the A300 was a bold strategic Airbus CEO and President Tom Enderss said ina “The pioneering spirit of our engineers, as well as Airbus’ continuouds strive for innovation and international cooperation, have made us a globapl market leader and at the same time a symbol for successfupl European cooperation.” The original aircraft was a collaborativw effort between France and Today, Airbus is headquartered in Toulouse, It also has manufacturing facilities in the U.K. and Spain as well as subsidiaries in theUniter States, China, Japan and the Middl e East. Airbus operates an engineering officdeon Wichita’s Old Town area.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Medical testing firm expands locally - Dayton Business Journal:
Dayton-based , which tests blood and othet bodily fluids at 30area locations, will add a centere in Eaton in the next two months and another in Jamestowj later this year. Both offices will begih with a $100,000 investment and one or two full-timee staff members before buildint up as patientdemand increases. The officexs are set to see a total of 25 patiente a day or 500 patientesa month. Company officials said increasinyg demand for health care services and a push to cut healtgh care costs is leading tothe firm’ds growth. Ed Doucette, chief executive said while laboratory diagnostics only account for 3 percentf ofthe U.S.
health care costs, 70 percent of decision-makingt is based on the results. CompuNet, which postecd $60 million in revenue last year, is set to increase to $65 million in 2009. which has 530 full-time employees, sees a totaol of 30,000 patient visits a 360,000 a year, at its
Friday, July 1, 2011
Reports: Sprint, SK Telecom in talks - San Francisco Business Times:
reported Tuesday that South Korean-based SK Telecom is in talk to buyOverland Park-based Sprint, citinv unnamed sources. The story said a deal is not imminenf and could be weeks away at The news pushed upSprint (NYSE: S) stock as high as $9.7r a share Tuesday. The stock closed on Tuesday at $9.04, up 78 cents, or 9.4 on volume of 83.7 million shares, according to Yaho Finance. The stock’s average dailh volume the past three monthsis 34.3 million shares.
Othee media reports said the talks weren’y about a merger, but about a technology The reported Tuesday that the companiez were in preliminary talks about developing new handsets andservicea together, as their networks use the same The report, citing people familiar with the said the companies also are considerinhg SK Telecom becoming a minorityh investor in Sprint. In the Wall Street Journal reported that Sprint had rejectesda $5 billion investment offer from SK Telecom and Providencd Equity Partners. Last SK Telecom became an investor in as part of a deal in whicu Virgin Mobile bought wireless providerfor $39 million in Virgin Mobile, based in N.J.
, was formed in mid-2002 as a jointr venture between Overland Park-based Sprint Nextel Corp. S) and United Kingdom-based Ltd., each of whicuh invested as muchas $150 million. In 2007, Virginn Mobile became a public in which Sprint and Virgin Group remain Helio was a joint venture of SK Telecomm and A Sprint spokesman said thecompany doesn’f comment on rumors. In a Wednesday research analyst Thomas Watts said an SK Teleconm investment in Sprint is He also saidthat No. 3 wireless carrier Sprint, whicy has about 53 million subscribers, is at a scal e disadvantage to itslargeer competitors, which each has more than 70 millioj subscribers.
Watts, who ranks Sprintr stock as “outperform,” said Sprint likelh will show subscriber improvement, including lowerd churn, or customer loss, and higher store traffi c in its second-quarter earnings report.