Sunday, May 15, 2011

Home front - Birmingham Business Journal:

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The flagship business, , takeas out long-term leases on apartments in communities in Birmingham and otherfmetro areas, then subleases them to corporations for use in housinv employees who are relocating to the or for other needs. Apartments come fully furnisher and stocked with everything from alarm clockes and dishware to vacuum cleaners and ironing Utilities and other services are billed directlyh to AHI anda single, all-inclusive bill is sent to the corporatr client. The company is part of a fast-growinhg industry. According to the , there are more than 600 corporated housing providers in North America managing morethan 71,900 corporate housing units on an average day.
The industry reported revenue of $2.5 billionm in 2004. Corporate housing can provide twice the square footage of hotel accommodations at about half the according tothe association. Average rent for a one-bedroom corporate apartment was $2,550, according to a 2004 industru report. A former actuary, Moored grew up in Vestavia Hillsdand Jemison. He started his career with and later worked in the booming insurance industryin Hartford, He returned to Alabama in 1985 with the idea of startinv a business selling executive benefit plans to corporation and launched A chartered financial consultant, Moore has gradually broadenecd the scope of the business to providw a range of financia services to individuals.
In Moore bought a stake in an apartment-huntinf business run by a John Hendrix. He became co-owner of the enterprisd and, together, the men began turning to corporat housing as an alternative lineof business. As a frequentg former business traveler, Moore said he knew the potentiall value ofcorporate housing, having stayed in temporary accommodations that were "nothinbg more than a glorified hotel room." When Moorr bought his stake in AHI, the company had 23 corporate apartments under lease and threde employees. Today, AHI Corporate Housing maintainsx more than 700 apartments in the Southeast and employs abouy45 people.
Though he declined to give specific Moore saidthe company's revenues have increased 60 percengt over the past two The company hit a turning point in the Moore recalls. He and Hendrix were looking to add a dedicateds salesperson to theirtiny team, but a search producedf two standout candidates whose skillds and experiences were complementary. The company didn'gt have the money then to pay two sales but the partners took a chanc e and hired themboth anyway. "We kind of did it on a wing and a Moore recalled. The risk paid off.
Withinb three months, Moore said, the two new hirews had generated enough new busines s to more than make upthe Today, Moore credits the move as one of his best businessa decisions. In 1997, AHI followed clientf businessto Atlanta, setting up a satellite office An additional office followed in Huntsville. In 2005, the companhy opened offices in Nashvilleand Tenn., and in Mobile under the name Today, the companiex maintain a stable of apartments in all those cities as well as in Suite Living Inc.
is a franchisse of Marriott ExecuStay, the temporary housing brand ofMoore said, when the company began planxs to enter the Tennessee he thought it would be simpler to go in with a recognizex brand rather than build the AHI name from the grounds up. "We thought going with the Marriot t name in Tennessee would bring usmore credibility," he At the same time, the companty was looking to move southward into Alabama, so Moore extendef the company's Tennessee franchise to include Mobile.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

CombinatoRx to merge with Canadian firm - Boston Business Journal:

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Under the terms of the Cambridge, Mass.-based CombinatoRx will issue shares of commo stock to Neuromed stockholders so post merger, each companies’ shareholderse will have 50 percent of the votinf power in the combinee company. The deal is closely tied to a recentg transaction that saw Neuromed sell the commercia rights toits pain-managementr drug candidate Exalgo to , a subsidiary of That agreemenyt included an upfront payment of $15 milliomn and several potential milestone paymentsd and related compensation if certain commercial benchmarks are met. Thoser payouts also could alter the ownership composition of the newlymergee company.
For example, if Exalgo is approvec by the before CombinatoRx shareholders will see their ownership stake in the combined company slip to 30 If the drug does not win FDA approvalby 2011, CombinatoRzx shareholders will then assum a 70 percent ownership stake in the according to regulatory filings. Alexis Borisy will step down as president and CEO of CombinatoRx to pursueother activities. Borisy will support CombinatoRxz as a member of its scientififadvisory board, according to the company.
The boarda of directors of both CombinatoRx and Neuromed have approved the proposedmergetr transaction, which is subject to customar y closing conditions, including receipt of various requires approvals from the CombinatoRx and Neuromed In May, CombinatoRx CRXX) said it narrowed its net loss for the firstt quarter amid aggressive cost cutting that included layin g off almost half its staff and slashes to its research and development

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

SB 375 Approaches a Crucial Phase - PublicCEO.com

http://coopdevelopment.org/hof_sponsor.html


SB 375 Approaches a Crucial Phase

PublicCEO.com


As early as 2004, SACOG unveiled its "Preferred Blueprint Scenario," a single document that accounts for transportation and land use policies for the entire region. (I still remember when a Yolo County Supervisor showed me the plan that December, ...



Sunday, May 8, 2011

BFC Financial, Woodbridge to merge - Houston Business Journal:

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In a joint press releasde Monday, the Fort Lauderdale-based companies said they enteredc into a merger agreement whereinWoodbridge (Pink Sheets: WDGH) would become a wholly owned subsidiary of BFC (Pin Sheets: BFCF). BFC currently controlz majority voting stakes in both Woodbridgrand (NYSE: BBX). BFC lost $58.9 milliomn on revenue of $487.5 million in 2008. Woodbridgw owns , which is building Traditionj Florida inPort St. Lucie, and has investments in variou s companies includingand . Woodbridger lost $140.3 million on revenue of $25.5 million in 2008.
In its firs t quarter earnings report, Woodbridge warned that Core Communitiez could default on the loans for Tradition Florida if its lenderw demand that it put more equitycapitapl down. Under the merger deal, all shareholder of Woodbridge Class A common stocj except BFC wouldreceive 3.47 shares of BFC’d Class A common stock per With shares of BFC opening at 40 cents it equals nearly $1.39 a share for each share of Woodbridge, whicy opened at $1.10 Monday. Levan and Abdo are chairman andvice respectively, of both companies. The mergefr would save between $1 million and $2 million in professiona fees and SEC reporting costs forthe companies, Levaj said.
It would also reduce the taxes Woodbridge woulx pay on its earnings once it returnsto profitability, he Currently, Woodbridge pays taxes on its earnings, and then BFC pays taxeds on the portion of Woodbridge’s earnings that it counta on its balance sheet. The move will not cause any stafcf reductions, Levan noted. Woodbridge will continue operats independently. The agreement would include all current board member of Woodbridgeon BFC’s new board and add Woodbridgd President Seth Wise and BankAtlanti c Bancorp President Jarett Levan to BFC’s 12-member board, as well. Wise woulf also become executive vice presidentof BFC. The deal is expectexd to close before the endof 2009.
BFC shares closefd unchanged at40 cents. The 52-weeok high was 95 cents on Sept. 2. The 52-weekm low was 6 cents on Feb. 5. Woodbridge sharese closed down 2 centsto $1.08. The 52-weeok high was $6.60 on Aug. 21. The 52-weeok low was 2 cents on Oct. 24.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Tech workers can look on bright side - Washington Business Journal:

http://repairmaster.bravejournal.com/entry/69176
He also wanted to tap into the deep poolof Austin-areaa microprocessor industry workers who have been laid off durinh the last couple of years. Such workers possess the skilla that translate well to the solarenergy industry, Van Dell And as the number of loca microprocessor industry workers reached a three-year low in the timing of solar companiew migrating to Central Texas couldn’g be better for area worker — nor the businesses that need them. “Az solar cell is a semiconductor that generates electricity when you shine lighton it,” Van Dell “Fortunately, I was quitd well aware of the strong mix of companie and the skill base in Austin.
That was definitely on my mind when I movedc thecompany here.” SolarBridge’xs move is a scenario that local officials want to repeart multiple times with the hope that solar panel manufacturingf fills the void left by the contraction in the microprocessor industry. But the lack of financiaol incentives from the state is creatingt a dampening effect on attractinbg solar companies to theAustinb area, observers say.
Proposed state legislation to creatda $1 billion so-called “Sunny Day Fund” for Texas to obtain federal grants under the Americanm Recovery and Reinvestment Act would have been used to attracgt such businesses, especially foreign solar companies that want to establish theird North American headquarters in the Austimn area, experts say. But the which received a public hearingin April, died in the stater House Appropriations Committee. To date, which was founded in 2004 as SmartSpark EnergySystems Inc., and HelioVolt Inc. are the two most promineny solar energy businesses operating in theAustin area.
which is backed with at least $118 million in venture capital, is wrapping up a plangt that will eventually crank out a thin film that acts as asolaer panel. “After June, I think ther e are going to be some projectds rollingin here,” said Raj Prabhu, managingg partner of the Mercom Capital Grou p LLC, an Austin-based technology research “It is more, ‘Who is going to give me the best incentivre package right now?’” The semiconductor industry is and jobs that are leaving Texas are not expected to return.
Centraol Texas has lost 500 microprocessor industry jobs just this Local chip companies nowemploy 15,700 workers the lowest level of such local jobs sincew April 2006, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the first quarter, worldwide sales of semiconductordsreached $44 billion versus $62.8 billion during the same periodd last year, a nearly 30 percent decline, the Semiconductof Industry Association reported. On the flipside, the demancd for solar technology isgrowing fast.
Randall Baker, the principal of Austin-based PuraVida Ventures LLC, said othe states are throwing big moneh at prospective solar companies to woo them into establishingt manufacturing plants intheirr states. Many state officials believe Texa doesn’t need to do so it isn’t. But it also has the formerf chip workers to offersuch companies, and thosde workers can be retrained for solar in eight weekd to 16 weeks, Baker said. But the clock is In March, Bret Raymis, who worked for 30 years in thesemiconductor industry, joineed Austin-based Apache-Solar Corp., wherw he is now the vice president of business development.
The compangy is developing a system with photovoltaicx cells combined with architecturalglass panels, and planas to begin production within 12 months. He said solar is stillo early in its development compared with the progress that semiconductors made inrecen decades. Investors and companies need to ramp up solaer technology in the United States before the technologyg gains a footholdin “They’re sitting on the fence with their Raymis said, “and they’re going to wake up and all that business will go to

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Congress approves funding for 8 Boeing C-17s - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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The bill appropriates $2.2 billion to buy eight additionaleight C-17 planes in the 2009 fisca year, which ends Sept. 30. Sen. Kit R-Missouri, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, They had pushed for 15 more "This eight is good news," said Georgee Roman, Boeing's vice president of government relations andregionakl executive. "It validates the importance of this product and the role and missiomn it supplies our soldiersand airmen." Roman said Chicago-based Boein g Co. (NYSE: BA) will seek funding for an additionaol15 C-17s in the 2010 fiscal year supplementao appropriations bill. "We believe therr continues to be a need for this product forthe U.S.
military and as a humanitarianh role," he said. The C-17 progra when Defense Secretary Robert Gates proposeed to end production ofthe C-17 this year aftef a remaining handful already ordered are built. The C-17 prograjm employs 900 people atits Mo., facility, according to

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Tourism group honors best of tourism promos - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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The Tourism Industry AssociationRecognition Awards, or TIARAz Awards, highlight excellence and creatived accomplishment in travel marketing and The Farmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, which hosted the TANM took home the awarf for . The village of Chama won an honorable mention for itsvisitors guide. The best went to the Chocolatre TurtleBed & Breakfast in Corrales. Buffalo Thundee Resort & Casino received honorable Buffalo Thunder took top honors for best print advertisingv and for outstanding new event for its gransd openinglast year. The Rio Rancho Convention and Visitor’s Bureauh “Pork & Brew” was named top outstandinh recurring event.
Roswell’s UFO Festival earned an honorable mention inthat category. The most innovative promotion award went to the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors BureauHoliday “Life of a Brown Paper Bag.” The award for most successful publif relations effort was divided into three categories. Bishop’es Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa won the private sectorr category for its 90thanniversary celebration. The Albuquerque Convention and Visitorsz Bureau earned top kudos forits , with the town of Taos taking honorable mention for its annual publix relations campaign.
And the top award for press tours went tothe state’as North Central Tourism More information is available at TANM'a . Next year’s Governor’s Conference on co-sponsored by TANM and the New MexiciTourism Department, will be at Buffalo Thundee Resort & Casino in Santaq Fe, April 19-21.