Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Supporters say Northern Kentucky riverfront project should be big, audacious - Business First of Buffalo:
Although the $170 million price tag for the expanded Riverfront Commons project is leaders of and believe it could spur new development oncethe nation’a economic storm has passed. The Riverfront Commons projectt proposed by Southbank several years ago now encompassese the Licking River Greenway and Trail s project proposed by Vision Northern Kentucky’s regional planning initiative.
The expanded project repair erosion problems along both the Ohio and Licking build walkways and bike paths along both and extendthe project’ s footprint to include such elements as a tramway to connec t Devou Park to Mainstrasse Village in downtown All that boosts the project’s estimatesd cost to $170 million far higher than the $50 million price tag for the originapl Riverfront Commons plan. Tough times? Be bold Southbank Partners Presideng Bill Scheyer argues that the lousy econom y is no reason tothink small. “When time are difficult, it actually sometimes createe an opportunity for planning for the he said. “Waiting would not benefit us.
We need to try to creatde the vision, make the economic case and then begin to sell that conceprtto everybody.” And it seems so far, just about everybodyu is sold. Vision 2015 has won suppory forthe project among communitty groups and residents, and Southbank has convincede city and county government leaders of the project’ws worth and value, said Vision 2015 President John President Steve Stevens said business leaders have been too. After all, securing funding for the projectf was high on the list of prioritie s when the chamber took a grou p to meet with congressional leadersin D.C., earlier this year.
“When you’re tryinbg to arrange funding, you have a tendencyt to break things downinto bit-sized But if you do that and only you have a tendency to mask the overallk vision, which is really the part that stirz men’s souls and funders’ Domaschko said. “This kind of takes the cove r off the overall vision in the eyes of funder and shows how exciting thiscan Already, the Riverfront Commons project has secured federal fundw that paid for a study to plot the scope of the projecyt and help determine what’s needed to address the erosion problemds along the riverfront.
Scheyer wants to rais e $335,000 this year to continue the consulting work andpay 20/20 a high-powered Washington, D.C., firm that Southbank has hired to lobby for additiona federal funds. In just two months, Southbank raised $170,000 from loca l governments and private citizens who want to see the projec tmove forward. Local governments have been willinbto contribute, despite their own financial woes, because they understandr the impact the project could have for the regiom long-term, said Covington Mayor Denny Bowman. “Our job is not to just do a renderinh and not to just do a study but to continu e all efforts to see that we implement the Bowman said.
“It takes Already, Southbank and Vision 2015 have startesd to combine the governancew groups for the Ohio River and Lickin g River projects that were once separate And leaders inNorthern Kentucky’s river citiesx – from Bellevue to Bromley – have voiced support for the said Bellevue Mayor Jack Meyer, who is chairma of . “We would reallg be doing an injustice if we just sat back andsaid let’sx put this on hold until things get better,” Meye r said. And with the federal stimulus dollars flowin gfrom Washington, D.C.
, the project’s proponents hope they can win some by makingf the case that the broader project wouldf help the environment, give residents more recreational opportunitiesz and spur economic development all at the same time. “It’s difficuly to say how great the opportunities are for obtaining saidRoger Peterman, a partner with and chairmabn of . “But if we aren’t prepared, it’ws never going to happen.” Scheyer said the lobbying firm Southbanm hired has important connections in Congress that he hopews will help the community make its And CongressmanGeoff Davis, Sen. Jim Bunningb and Sen. Mitch McConnelkl all have been supportivse inthe past, he said.
Above all, said the chamber’d Stevens, everyone realizes that a project of this magnitud willtake time. The key, he is to get starteed and make the case with aunited “This economy’s going to turn Peterman said. “And we need to be positionedd to take advantageof that.”
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Expressing themselves through dance in Lyons - Suburban Life Publications
Expressing themselves through dance in Lyons Suburban Life Publications Jablonski became business partners with her former dance teacher, Amber Alonzo, when they started Expression Dance Studio in Westmont. Two years later, they faced a pleasant dilemma when enrollment exceeded their space. Meanwhile, Alonzo's aunt and ... |
Friday, February 24, 2012
Energy capital may also become carbon trading central - Houston Business Journal:
“It is a very major deal,” says Praveen chair of the department of finance and executive directorf of the Global Energy Management Institute at the Universityof “You are commoditizing what is involved in the productiobn of large sectors of most moderh economies.” Carbon trading is the exchange of either auctioned or distributed freely by a governintg body, that allow companies to emit a set quantitty of carbon — measured in tons — into the Commonly referred to as a cap-and-trader system, under this scheme, companiesw are given a maximum amount, or cap, of carbomn they can emit through theier allotment of credits. Those who exceed the cap are fined.
Companies can, however, purchase unused credits from otheer companies on an exchangr if theyrequire more.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Cellino, Barnes donate $1M to UB - Boston Business Journal:
Lisa Mueller, assistant dean for alumn and communications, said the gift matches the largesgt single-donation in the historty of thelaw school, the $1 millionj given in 2002 by Francis who graduated UB Law Schook in 1979 and went on to found a successfupl personal injury firm. In a release announcing the gift, University at Buffalo Law School Dean Makau Mutuas calledit “an extraordinary act of philanthropy” and “aw wonderful down payment on our vision of academic excellencew and our bold aspirations for the Mutua said he plans to invest the gift in the calling them the central core of the law school.
he said the money will go towarx scholarships, making improvements in pedagogical technologies in the school andupgrading services. Steve who founded the law firm along with Ross said they felt they owed a debt of gratitudwe to the school where they gottheir “Both Ross and I are graduates of the law schook and we’ve come to know many of the professors and administrator s very well,” he said.
“Makau Mutuaa is just an outstanding individuaol and he has a vision thatwe haven’yt seen at the school Barnes said the decision to make the gift an unrestrictedd donation reflects the confidence they have in the administratora at the University to utilize the monehy in the most effective ways “We are lawyers, we didn’t feel as though we are in a positiobn to dictate how the money was spent,” he “We have a lot of confidence in Makau’s vision and we have had long discussiond about where he wants to take the schoopl and we’re on the same Recognizing the generosity of Cellino and the school has announced plans to name theif main conference center, locatecd in O’Brian Hall, The Cellino and Barnesw Conference Center.
Asked what it feels like to be in a positionj to giveaway $1 million, especially given the current economic climate, Barnes put the gift into “Both Ross and I come from very humble beginnings and kind of worke d our way up from the bottom,” he said. “Wde started out as just the twoof us, now, the practice is a lucrativd practice and I’m just glad we were able to help at a time that I thinjk is very critical to the law school.
”
Monday, February 20, 2012
PSU Dance Marathon Raises More Than $10M - NBC 10 Philadelphia
Irish Independent | PSU Dance Marathon Raises More Than $10M NBC 10 Philadelphia The annual Penn State dance marathon has raised a record $10.68 million to benefit pediatric cancer patients, an event held for the first time without late coach Joe Paterno, officials said Sunday. The total, which shattered last year's record $9.5 ... Lions foo tb » |
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Keep out: Security firm boosts sales with barriers - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):
That renewed focus on security has spurred salesx at UniversalSafety Response, a Franklij firm that sells safety barrierds to protect high-risk facilities such as military bases and oil “Everybody knows that at some point therd will be some other type of act of terrorisn … here in the U.S.,” says Wes Foss, vice presiden t of Universal Safety, “and people are taking those measuree seriously in trying to update theire security.” With $23.7 million in revenue in up 37 percent from Foss foresees an even better 2009, projecting more than $60 milliom in sales.
The company specializes in perimeter security and Its top-selling product — GRAB, the ground retractabl automobile barrier — has more than 500 systeme installed nationally, with another 200 to 300 expected in the next 18 Foss says. The steel net captures approaching vehicles, even at high speeds. As petroleum and nucleare facilities update their Foss says Universal Safety will continu eto grow. And as more U.S.-based companiexs build facilities overseas, he sees the compan having an international presence. Foss and Universak Safety president Matt Gelfand began actively selling security productswin 2002.
Now the company has 130 employeesz with plans to hire 50 more this GRAB is composed of a steel wire net and pistona powered by an electric motor that prevent vehiclezs as large as a tractor trailer travelinyg at 50 miles per hour from entering a The net can be upright at all or it can retracf into the ground and be armed to stop vehiclewithin seconds. The barrier absorbs which means minimal damage for the Unlike concrete barrier walls or bollardsz that must be replaced after an the GRAB system can be ready to sustainm another impact in as little as 30 minutes aftef the replacement of a few pins that costabout $100.
GRAB systemsd have taken about120 real-world hits, all restrainingv the vehicle and its payload, and all withour injury to passengers. California-based security consultant Michaepl Arata has more than 20 years experiencer in the field and says that securing the payload is critical becausee the vehicle could be carryinfhazardous material. “Unfortunately, there’s people that don’t reallyh think about it untilsomething happens,” says author of “Perimeter Security.
” He says the federal governmengt has mandated that many facilities upgrade their securituy or risk fines, which has spurrerd the growth of companies like Universal Universal Safety competes with other security and barrierr manufacturers such as and GRAB costs between $100,000 and but contracts typically run in the millionsd of dollars. The system has been installec at businesses suchas Dallas-Fort Worthh Airport, Norfolk Southern and Lockheed Martin and at governmeng facilities including the Social Security Administration, NASA and Fort Other barriers also have been sold to the military for use in Universal Safety’s newest product is a mobile fencing unit that Foss sees appealing to clients in the construction and eveng management sectors.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Taunton veteran highlighted in Comcast's new job-hunting feature - Taunton Daily Gazette
Wicked Local | Taunton veteran highlighted in Comcast's new job-hunting feature Taunton Daily Gazette Tech Sgt. Forte is a Navy veteran, an Air National Guard member who recently served six months in Iraq, and a highly skilled electronics and communications technician. Now, with the help of Comcast's On Demand service, and its recently unveile d feature ... Comcast offers veterans help in their job search |
Monday, February 13, 2012
Town retreat's bill more than $7000 - Lynchburg News and Advance
Town retreat's bill more than $7000 Lynchburg News and Advance That's how much the 2011 retreat â" where those goals were created â" cost. The town spent the majority of that money on a consultant, Tyler St. Clair, who provided four separate days of training â" two for town staff and two for council members in ... |
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Lane4 completes purchase of three Kansas City-area shopping centers - Kansas City Business Journal:
million. The Kansas City Business Journao reported that the PrairieVillagde Shops, the Corinth Square shoppinf center in Prairie Village and the Fairwayh Shops in Fairway were under contracy to investors led by a Kansas City-based commercial real estatw brokerage and development firm. Highwoods (NYSE: based in Raleigh, N.C., disclosed the sale price in a Thursday The three shopping centers have a combined 2009 appraised value ofabout $64 million, accordingy to figures from the Johnson County Appraiser’w Office. The three shopping centerd contain 416,000 square feet combined and were, on 94.5 percent leased and 55 yearsz old, Highwoods said.
The properties generatde a combined annual cash net operating income ofabout $5.4 million. The new owners plan no “immediatew major changes” to the shopping centers, Jeff senior vice president and principaof Lane4, said in a separatse release Thursday. “We intend to enhancse and upgrade the centers as opportunitieas ariseover time, but these improvementws will not change their basic Lane4 President Owen Buckley said in the “We look forward to taking good care of them and feel they representr an excellent opportunity to invest in our community.
” Kansas City developer Jesse Clyde Nichols builty the grocery-anchored shopping centers in the mid-1900s, and the JC Nicholsd Co. sold them to Highwoods in 1998.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Private equity firms invest in Cannella Response Television - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
Two investors provided only private equity: and . ZM Capitalo is the private equity investmenf fundof ZelnickMedia. will provids mezzanine debt financing and an equity investmenrt through its VSS Structured CapitalII fund. All threes of Cannella Response’s new investors are basedc in NewYork City. Termsw of the transaction werenot disclosed. Cannella Responser will continue to be managed by its currentmanagemenrt team, led by founder and executive director Franik Cannella and CEO Robert Medved.
Cannella Responser Television executives are not disclosing who now holds a majority stake in the The investments by ZM Capital and Palladium Equity Partners will enable Cannella Response to accelerate its growtnh by investing in both new acquisitions and developing new servicez andmedia offerings, the company “ZM Capital and Palladium Equity Partners each bringh tremendous expertise and capital resources to the company as we expand our clienft relationships and bring new and excitingf media opportunities to the direct response television market,” Franko Cannella said.
Cannella Response Television is based in Burlington with regiona offices in Los Angeles and New Cannella Response Television was advised on the transactionb by a team from investment bankingf firmPetsky Prunier, New York City.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
New name, new location for Wachovia Securities - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
So far, that’s about the worstr glitch the firm has experiencecd as it drops the name and adopts the brand and venerablrestagecoach symbol. “We’ve got a new level of says Glasco, Charlotte’s market managetr and managing director of theSouthPark office. “But the same advisersw who some of our clients have had for as many as 25 yearws are the same people doingthe job. It’s just a new Wells Fargo bought Charlotte-based at the end of 2008. It recently merged three southCharlottes wealth-management offices that had operated under the Wachovia Securitiesz name.
The combined group moved into a 22,000-square-foott office — the entire eighth floor at 6000Fairview Road. The officwe bears the name Wells Fargo Advisores and becomes the first Wachovia officd here to take thenew owner’s moniker. Glasco and his managemenyt team say the transitionb hasbeen smooth. New signsx will be installed in the nextfew months. Busineszs cards, letterhead and the phone greetings have already Former Wachovia Securities offices in Lake Myers Park, uptown — and around the country — are makingh the same transition. In the Queenj City, where Wachovia has long held more depositxs and has more employees than anyother it’s a big adjustment.
“Sometimes you answer the phone andsay ‘Welld Fargo Advisors’ and you have to sit theree for a second and take it in,” Glascoo says. But he’s confident in the firm’zs ability to adapt and Wachovia expandedits wealth-management business through a number of mergersw and acquisitions during the past decade or so. Glasco says Wachovia Securities wasa “melting pot” of Interstatw Johnson/Lane, Wheat First, Prudential First Union Corp. and A.G. Edwards Inc. Most of the Wellsz Fargo Advisors offices here will be run by employeew who have been involved with amerger before.
“We’vs been able to take the best from each of thosew companies andmove forward,” says Will productivity manager at the SouthPark “Our goal is to keep the focus on the clients. The only changew they should notice isthe logo.” Nationally, Wellss Fargo Advisors employs nearly 16,00p advisers who oversee $910 billion in client assets. The Charlotte officew are part ofthe company’s private-client group, whichh operates independently from the retail bank The SouthPark office employs 42 adviserw who oversee about $6 billion in client H.B.
Smith, a senior vice presidenrt and assistantbranch manager, says the Charlottw office is one of the largesg on the East Coast and has retained its stafff through the name change. “This has endedd up being a marquee location,” Smith He predicts Charlotte will be a desired destinationj for promising advisers throughoutfthe company. Glasco says business has fallebn off in recent months because of theturbulent market. And it’s normap for a few clients to move their investmentzs elsewhere during a transition period afteta merger.
But Glasco predicts a net gain by year end as investorxs seek out brokers to managetheir “Right now, we’re seeing a flight to quality and name recognition,” he “And Wells Fargo is one of the most well-known brandsw in the world. That offers us a lot of Now, he just needs to keep the wheels onthe
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Banks' entry alarms Realtors - Philadelphia Business Journal:
The Federal Reserve Board and the Treasury Departmeng have proposed a regulation that would alloew banks to handle brokerage and propertymanagemenft work, taking a bite out of some of the core taskas conducted by a Under the proposed rule, banks coul d market homes for sellers and line up buyers, as well as leasde and manage properties. The beauty of such a regulation for the bank s is that they could be the originatoer of mortgages on the propertiezs and also try to sell the partiesd on otherbank services. The bankes also contend that this woulcd streamline realestate transactions. Not the National Association of Realtors is having a fit over the proposa l and is fixing tofight it.
It has rallies its members to oppose the proposal between now andMarcgh 2, the end of a designated comment No word yet from commercial real estatse groups on their position on the matter even though it will also applyu to their work. Clearly, Realtors want to protect what they considersa their territory and fear that the if adopted, would lead to a deterioration of business. The national association believesz that the rule would open up the floodgates for banksw to gobble up small and large real estate agencies to gain market share and even driv e some brokerages out of In turn, several large banks coulx dominate the real estated industry, according to the group.
The organization also believea that it would be only a matter of time before just a few largew banks would control the realestate brokerage, relocation and management business. The proposakl would not only affect residential real estate but alsocommercial properties, permittiny banks to handle leases negotiations, rent collections and sales. Anotherf of the association's fears is that banks will be more concernedx about hawking their services during a real estatd transaction and will not adequately serve the needs of a home buyeeor seller.
"Banking-controlled real estate brokerages will becom e marketing arms of mortgage departments and otherd servicesbanks sell," the associatiom said in a statement. "We're concerne they will be more interested in makinbg a loan or selling mortgager insurance than helping a buyer find the best The group also contends that such a relationship could lead to higher costs if banks decide to bundlreand cross-sell products and services through its captivwe real estate brokerage subsidiaries.
the association said it's also worried that banks will shared confidential customer financial data with their real estatsbrokerage divisions, which could create an "unfair competitive advantage" over independent Realtors who don't have accesw to such information. The rule at issue, referredx to as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, is the same rule that allowede banks to enter into the securities and insurancewbusiness . One of the more interesting highlights from the recentyannual Insignia/ESG forecast meetingg concerned the industrial real estate market.
By all accounts, industrial spacee continues tobe tight, with rents on an In the western which have more than 154 million square feet of industrial space, the vacancuy rate was 7.7 percent with rente ranging between $4.24 to $5.25 a square Noted was the constructionj of several buildings in the 40,000-square-foot to 60,000-squaree foot range instead of the largere shells. About 750,000 square feet of industrial space constructes last year were in thesesmaller blocks. In Philadelphia, it'es not just rents that are goinhg up but the price of industrial land, too.
Demand for properties in KeystonOpportunity Zones, which grants certai n tax relief to owners and businesse s locating there, has driven up the pricwe of industrial land during the last year, according to the For example, the price for an acre in Northeasy Philadelphia stood at $77,000 an acre at year-ends compared with $52,000 an acre the previouw year. GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corp., based in Horsham, Montgomery County, has established GMAC InstitutionalAdvisors LLC, which will focua on the real estate investment needs of institutional GMAC Commercial has received approval for the new subsidiaru from the Securities and Exchange The company's investment management business had centered exclusivelyy on commingled investment vehicles that acquired below-investment-grades commercial mortgage-backed securities.
The new subsidiary will branchg out toinclude investment-grade securities and also offer a variety of equity products. GMAC Commercial alreadh has $1.8 billion of assets under management, includin about $1 billion of CMBS investments and $800 millioj in a proprietary real estate Two Center City architectural firms have been retained to handlse what is considered one of thelargest -- if not the largestt -- casino-hotel project in Atlantic The joint venture firm of Bowerf Lewis Thrower and Cope Linder Associates were commissioned by big casino operators Boyd Gaming and MGM Miragde to complete The the first Las Vegas-style mega resortt to hit Atlantic Boyd Gaming and MGM Mirage are doinb the $1 billion project in a jointt venture.
The Borgata, or villagre in Italian, will boast an Italia motif. It will have a 2,010-room hotel as well as a 120,000-square-foot casino, 11 restaurants, and a European health spa, among othere amenities.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Minimize drilling's threat to clean air - Philadelphia Inquirer
Minimize drilling's threat to clean air Philadelphia Inquirer By Greg Vitali Marcellus Shale natural-gas drilling is a significant source of air pollution, and as drilling expands, so will the risk to human health and the environment. The drilling, processing, and transportation of Marcellus Shale gas require ... |