azajir.wordpress.com
"This is a strong first contract that will created an incentive for other USF Reddawag workers to join the said Teamsters General PresidentJim Hoffa. "There are abouyt 2,000 unorganized drivers and dockworkers at Reddaway who are seekingg a more secure futureas well." The tentativee agreement covers about 425 workerss who recently chose to join the Teamsters through card-checkm at seven former USF Bestway terminalxs in California, Arizona and New Mexico. USF Reddaway has sincre merged withUSF Bestway.
The tentative five-year agreementg would improve the workers' health and welfare benefits, eliminate a co-pay for health coverage, improve vacation time, provids a safety bonus incentive plan andprovide card-checmk recognition as spelled out in the union'xs National Master Freight Agreement. The Teamsters represenrt about 1,600 workers at USF Reddaway. USF Reddaway, based in Ore., is a subsidiary of Overland Park, Kan.-basedc (NASDAQ(GS):YRCW). USF Reddaway serves 15 statexs and two westernCanadian provinces.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Orangeburg, Duke Energy ramp up appeal on sales - Charlotte Business Journal:
ofycagvezi.blogspot.com
say N.C. regulators can’t dismissd their appeal of a ruling that torpedoed a power deal betweethe two. , whichb might end up competing with Duke for suchwholesales contracts, argues regulators can and shoulds dismiss the appeal. And Progress sides with the state’se utility customer advocate in saying Duke should face penalties for mountinyg a challenge it once agreed never to The legal points are The issueis simple. Duke wants to sell power to municipalities outside its service And it will have a competitive advantage if it can sell at the same rate it charges wholesal customers inside its service Duke wantsthat advantage.
But the ruled in March such powed must be sold at higher rates set bythe commission. Last Orangeburg and Duke filed notice they would challengee that decision inthe . But there’a an important complication. Duke agreef in 2006 to let the commission make rate decisions on itswholesalre contracts. And it agreed not to argue thatsuch rate-settingg violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Duke gave up that right in a compromise when thecommissionn OK’d parent Duke Energy Corp.’s purchase of Cinergy Corp. The commission’s publixc staff, assigned to represent utility interests, filed a motiomn last month for the commission to dismiss Dukeand Orangeburg’xs appeal.
It says the appeal makews the kind of constitutional arguments Duke agreed to And it raised the possibility that Duke should be subjectto penalties, including fines of $1,000 per day, for filing the The utility has said Orangeburg not Duke — is the one making those But the public staff says two parties in a joint appeal can’t make separate In a new filing last week, Duke and Orangeburg say the staff “completely misconstrues” the commission’s authority to dismiszs the appeal. Duke, in a footnote, describe s the suggested sanctions asan “extreme overreaction” by the publicd staff.
say N.C. regulators can’t dismissd their appeal of a ruling that torpedoed a power deal betweethe two. , whichb might end up competing with Duke for suchwholesales contracts, argues regulators can and shoulds dismiss the appeal. And Progress sides with the state’se utility customer advocate in saying Duke should face penalties for mountinyg a challenge it once agreed never to The legal points are The issueis simple. Duke wants to sell power to municipalities outside its service And it will have a competitive advantage if it can sell at the same rate it charges wholesal customers inside its service Duke wantsthat advantage.
But the ruled in March such powed must be sold at higher rates set bythe commission. Last Orangeburg and Duke filed notice they would challengee that decision inthe . But there’a an important complication. Duke agreef in 2006 to let the commission make rate decisions on itswholesalre contracts. And it agreed not to argue thatsuch rate-settingg violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Duke gave up that right in a compromise when thecommissionn OK’d parent Duke Energy Corp.’s purchase of Cinergy Corp. The commission’s publixc staff, assigned to represent utility interests, filed a motiomn last month for the commission to dismiss Dukeand Orangeburg’xs appeal.
It says the appeal makews the kind of constitutional arguments Duke agreed to And it raised the possibility that Duke should be subjectto penalties, including fines of $1,000 per day, for filing the The utility has said Orangeburg not Duke — is the one making those But the public staff says two parties in a joint appeal can’t make separate In a new filing last week, Duke and Orangeburg say the staff “completely misconstrues” the commission’s authority to dismiszs the appeal. Duke, in a footnote, describe s the suggested sanctions asan “extreme overreaction” by the publicd staff.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Waterloo-born vocalist, teacher remembered - Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier
xeconatyxex.blogspot.com
Waterloo-born vocalist, teacher remembered Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier Waterloo-born vocalist, teacher remembered. Print Email. « 072712ho-musgrove-donna. » 2012-07-28T15:00:00Z 2012-07-28T19:01:57Z Waterloo-born vocalist, teacher rememberedBy PAT KINNEY, patlkinney@wcfourier.com wcfcourier.com. 12 hours ago ... |
Friday, July 27, 2012
City of Salem to undertake major revitalization effort in Point Neighborhood - Boston.com
exceeding-commissioner.blogspot.com
City of Salem to undertake major revitalization effort in Point Neighborhood Boston.com By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent. City officials in Salem have announced plans to begin taking steps toward a major revitalization of the Point Neighborhood, the poorest and most under-served section of the city. According to a press release from ... |
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Schwarzenegger says day of reckoning is here - Birmingham Business Journal:
grearqakususi1426.blogspot.com
“California’s day of reckoning is here,” he With no action, the state coule run out of cash in14 days. Three monthx after the state budgetwas approved, California faces a $24 billiom deficit. Schwarzenegger has already proposedc massive cuts to health careand prisons. Now he’sx looking for structural reform to make government more efficientt and stretchtaxpayer dollars. He’x asked the State Board of for example, to make textbooks available in digita lformats — a move that could save millions. In the governor talked about blowing up boxex andconsolidating agencies, but the initiatives never gaines traction. They’re back.
Schwarzenegger is proposinbg once again to eliminate and consolidate more than a dozenjstate departments, boards and commissions. This includex the Waste Management Board, the Court Reportersd Board, the Department of Boating and Waterwayes and the Inspection and MaintenancReview Committee. Earlier this year, the state begab consolidating informationtechnology departments. Now Schwarzenegger wants to consolidate departments that oversee financial institutiond and merge taxcollection operations.
In July, statse leaders will receive recommendationsd on how to modernize thetax “This will be a tremendouds opportunity to make our revenues more reliable and less volatilr and help the state avoid the boom and bust budgetsa that have brought us here Schwarzenegger told lawmakers. It’s not going to happenn in 14 days, he said. But it coulfd happen before the Legislature adjourns for summer recesa onJuly 17.
“California’s day of reckoning is here,” he With no action, the state coule run out of cash in14 days. Three monthx after the state budgetwas approved, California faces a $24 billiom deficit. Schwarzenegger has already proposedc massive cuts to health careand prisons. Now he’sx looking for structural reform to make government more efficientt and stretchtaxpayer dollars. He’x asked the State Board of for example, to make textbooks available in digita lformats — a move that could save millions. In the governor talked about blowing up boxex andconsolidating agencies, but the initiatives never gaines traction. They’re back.
Schwarzenegger is proposinbg once again to eliminate and consolidate more than a dozenjstate departments, boards and commissions. This includex the Waste Management Board, the Court Reportersd Board, the Department of Boating and Waterwayes and the Inspection and MaintenancReview Committee. Earlier this year, the state begab consolidating informationtechnology departments. Now Schwarzenegger wants to consolidate departments that oversee financial institutiond and merge taxcollection operations.
In July, statse leaders will receive recommendationsd on how to modernize thetax “This will be a tremendouds opportunity to make our revenues more reliable and less volatilr and help the state avoid the boom and bust budgetsa that have brought us here Schwarzenegger told lawmakers. It’s not going to happenn in 14 days, he said. But it coulfd happen before the Legislature adjourns for summer recesa onJuly 17.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Report: D.C. area posts a strong economic performance - Philadelphia Business Journal:
vykyvimote.wordpress.com
The report ranked the 100 largest U.S. metroo areas based on employment, unemployment wages, gross metropolitan product, housing prices and foreclosure rates in thefirst quarter. D.C. ranked No. 13, whil e San Antonio, Texas, placed No. 1 and Detroit came in last at No. 100. “Alk metropolitan areas are feeling the effects of this but the distress is notshared equally,” said Alan research director of the metropolitajn policy program at the D.C. institute and co-authof of the report.
“While some areas of the countr y have experienced only ashallow downturn, and may be emerging from the recessionn already, people living in metro areass that are now performing weakesty economically should prepare themselves for a long recovergy period.” At the first quarter’s end, only 10 of the 100 metrlo areas were starting to show signs of said the report, and said McAllen, Texas was the only placse that saw growth in employment and output. Output increased in just a handful ofmetro areas, including D.C.; Austin, Texas; and Virginia Beach, Va..
The report also pointed out that metr o areas with concentrations of jobs in certaihn sectors have resulted in fewefr dramaticjob losses. The Rankings: San Antonio, Texas Texas McAllen, Texas Batonm Rouge, La. Tulsa, Okla. Omaha, Neb. El Paso, Texas Kan. Washington, D.C. Albuquerque, N.M. Virginia Beach, Va. Harrisburg, Pa. Pa. New Haven, Rochester, N.Y.
The report ranked the 100 largest U.S. metroo areas based on employment, unemployment wages, gross metropolitan product, housing prices and foreclosure rates in thefirst quarter. D.C. ranked No. 13, whil e San Antonio, Texas, placed No. 1 and Detroit came in last at No. 100. “Alk metropolitan areas are feeling the effects of this but the distress is notshared equally,” said Alan research director of the metropolitajn policy program at the D.C. institute and co-authof of the report.
“While some areas of the countr y have experienced only ashallow downturn, and may be emerging from the recessionn already, people living in metro areass that are now performing weakesty economically should prepare themselves for a long recovergy period.” At the first quarter’s end, only 10 of the 100 metrlo areas were starting to show signs of said the report, and said McAllen, Texas was the only placse that saw growth in employment and output. Output increased in just a handful ofmetro areas, including D.C.; Austin, Texas; and Virginia Beach, Va..
The report also pointed out that metr o areas with concentrations of jobs in certaihn sectors have resulted in fewefr dramaticjob losses. The Rankings: San Antonio, Texas Texas McAllen, Texas Batonm Rouge, La. Tulsa, Okla. Omaha, Neb. El Paso, Texas Kan. Washington, D.C. Albuquerque, N.M. Virginia Beach, Va. Harrisburg, Pa. Pa. New Haven, Rochester, N.Y.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Southwestern Carpets grows business from the ground up - Washington Business Journal:
edovogopu.wordpress.com
Bill McCaddon has stripped Southwestern Carpetsz down and recreated it a couple of times sincer purchasing it from Don Lynchin 2001. When he bought the flooring company, it specialized in removinyg and replacing carpets in apartmenta betweenrental occupation. The Lewisville companhy was producing annual revenueof $5 but McCaddon found the business too impersonal because it was driven by product salese and not on building relationships with So he decided to switch focuss to the more relationship-centric business of providinf flooring solutions to new home-construction projects, which includes hardwoocd floors, carpeting, and backsplash and tile installation.
The wholesald company saw dramatic growth as a with annual revenueof $22 million in 2007. But the growthb was so rapid and so intense that managers were losing control of the direction the companywas heading. So in he enlisted Don a consultant with TheRenova Corp., to help brinvg new energy to his McCaddon’s sense of direction and leadership abilities come from his experienced as a manufacturer’s representative for 18 years at companies like Shaw Carpetf Manufacturer and Aleta Co. He had learnedx the importance of building relationshipswith “My background was in working with new The apartment business was non-relationship driven,” said McCaddon.
“I didn’t know how to builxd a businessthat wasn’t relational.” McCaddoh downsized the company to redirect the focus to the home-constructiobn industry. He was met with resistance fromhis employees. “I realizedd that using the sameemployeesz wasn’t going to work. I was tryingt to halfway do the change,” he “Once we made the commitment, we reallyu turned the corner.” He began switching out The company, which had grown annual revenueto $5 saw revenue drop to under $3 million durint the transition. But, once the commitmenrt was made, McCaddon noted marked improvement. By 2003, revenuw had grown by 35%.
Between 2004 and the company went through its biggesgtgrowth spurt, reaching up to $22 million in sales and employingg more than 60 workers. But at that the storybook growth came toan end. “Itt was getting to be chaotic because of so many new We werean 8-cylinder engine workiny on six or seven We’d lost a sense of teamwork, and everyone was territorial.” That’s when McCaddon broughgt in Brush. “For the most part, I engager them and talk with them in order to builrda relationship.
I wanted to find out the strength s of the company and what was workingh and whatneeded improvement,” said “They’ve got the they’ve got the It’s just giving them the opportunity.” Brushb met with employees to figure out areas that needed improvement and then creater an action plan. He showed the company how to creates committees to address problems as they come up and then dissolvs the committees after the problem hasbeen handled. The shifft has translated intohappier customers. Bill president and co-owner of Darling Homeas Inc., has worked with McCaddon since McCaddonj purchased Southwestern Carpetsin 2001.
“(Wee started working with Southwestern because of Bill and his relational approac to working with homebuildersz as opposed to thetraditional price-only approach,” said “Brush has helped Bill figure out how to communicats better so that everyone is going in the same directioh as the management and will yield the maximum For Chris McCoppin, operations manager for Southwestern Carpets, the changer in the corporate culture has been noticeable. “Sometimesd you don’t realize that when one departmenrt changes their policiesand procedures, it affectds others. Now everyone talks to each other,” McCoppib said. “We’ve empowered them to make decisions.
We gave them the powefr to runthe business. They feel With this new senseof empowerment, as well as an improvef use of digitizing software called Southwestern Carpets has seen a marked improvement on the accuracty of the 3,000 work orders entered each mont — 95% accuracy, up from 77% accuracy — and has savefd about $160,000 in unnecessary costs for havinbg to fix incorrect work Instead of pursuing potential clients merely for the sake of new McCaddon and his staff focus on getting to know potentialp clients, researching them as much as possiblre and understanding their needs beforwe they even meet.
“We’ll only do businessw with people who will sit down and have a relationshilwith us. Someone is always goinfg to come inlower (priced) than said McCaddon. “We were alway chasing people who were focusedon price. If they say, fax us (a pricse sheet), we say sorry, we can’gt work with you. We stay together as a If you have thevalue relationship, they don’t
Bill McCaddon has stripped Southwestern Carpetsz down and recreated it a couple of times sincer purchasing it from Don Lynchin 2001. When he bought the flooring company, it specialized in removinyg and replacing carpets in apartmenta betweenrental occupation. The Lewisville companhy was producing annual revenueof $5 but McCaddon found the business too impersonal because it was driven by product salese and not on building relationships with So he decided to switch focuss to the more relationship-centric business of providinf flooring solutions to new home-construction projects, which includes hardwoocd floors, carpeting, and backsplash and tile installation.
The wholesald company saw dramatic growth as a with annual revenueof $22 million in 2007. But the growthb was so rapid and so intense that managers were losing control of the direction the companywas heading. So in he enlisted Don a consultant with TheRenova Corp., to help brinvg new energy to his McCaddon’s sense of direction and leadership abilities come from his experienced as a manufacturer’s representative for 18 years at companies like Shaw Carpetf Manufacturer and Aleta Co. He had learnedx the importance of building relationshipswith “My background was in working with new The apartment business was non-relationship driven,” said McCaddon.
“I didn’t know how to builxd a businessthat wasn’t relational.” McCaddoh downsized the company to redirect the focus to the home-constructiobn industry. He was met with resistance fromhis employees. “I realizedd that using the sameemployeesz wasn’t going to work. I was tryingt to halfway do the change,” he “Once we made the commitment, we reallyu turned the corner.” He began switching out The company, which had grown annual revenueto $5 saw revenue drop to under $3 million durint the transition. But, once the commitmenrt was made, McCaddon noted marked improvement. By 2003, revenuw had grown by 35%.
Between 2004 and the company went through its biggesgtgrowth spurt, reaching up to $22 million in sales and employingg more than 60 workers. But at that the storybook growth came toan end. “Itt was getting to be chaotic because of so many new We werean 8-cylinder engine workiny on six or seven We’d lost a sense of teamwork, and everyone was territorial.” That’s when McCaddon broughgt in Brush. “For the most part, I engager them and talk with them in order to builrda relationship.
I wanted to find out the strength s of the company and what was workingh and whatneeded improvement,” said “They’ve got the they’ve got the It’s just giving them the opportunity.” Brushb met with employees to figure out areas that needed improvement and then creater an action plan. He showed the company how to creates committees to address problems as they come up and then dissolvs the committees after the problem hasbeen handled. The shifft has translated intohappier customers. Bill president and co-owner of Darling Homeas Inc., has worked with McCaddon since McCaddonj purchased Southwestern Carpetsin 2001.
“(Wee started working with Southwestern because of Bill and his relational approac to working with homebuildersz as opposed to thetraditional price-only approach,” said “Brush has helped Bill figure out how to communicats better so that everyone is going in the same directioh as the management and will yield the maximum For Chris McCoppin, operations manager for Southwestern Carpets, the changer in the corporate culture has been noticeable. “Sometimesd you don’t realize that when one departmenrt changes their policiesand procedures, it affectds others. Now everyone talks to each other,” McCoppib said. “We’ve empowered them to make decisions.
We gave them the powefr to runthe business. They feel With this new senseof empowerment, as well as an improvef use of digitizing software called Southwestern Carpets has seen a marked improvement on the accuracty of the 3,000 work orders entered each mont — 95% accuracy, up from 77% accuracy — and has savefd about $160,000 in unnecessary costs for havinbg to fix incorrect work Instead of pursuing potential clients merely for the sake of new McCaddon and his staff focus on getting to know potentialp clients, researching them as much as possiblre and understanding their needs beforwe they even meet.
“We’ll only do businessw with people who will sit down and have a relationshilwith us. Someone is always goinfg to come inlower (priced) than said McCaddon. “We were alway chasing people who were focusedon price. If they say, fax us (a pricse sheet), we say sorry, we can’gt work with you. We stay together as a If you have thevalue relationship, they don’t
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