Duke Energy asks for 12.6 percent rate increase - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

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percent. The Charlotte-based utility filed the request with the on If approved, the rate changes wouls go into effect Jan. 1, 2010 or Duke says the increase is needed to align ratesa withits expenses. The company says that from 2006 througySeptember 2009, it will have investesd roughly $4.8 billion for pollution control equipment on its largestf plants, new power lines and other equipment and constructionn of new plants. Duke’s last rate case was in 1991. Duke providezs service throughout thePiedmont Triad.
“Wse recognize that this is a challenging time to ask customersw to pay morefor electricity, so we didn’t make this decisio lightly,” Brett Carter, president of Duke Energy Carolinas said in a written statement. The actual increase will vary dependingg on the typeof customer. The average North Carolina residential customer whouses 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a mont h would see an increase of 13.5 percent, or $11 a General service rates, which serves non-residentia and non-industrial customers would increases by approximately 9.7 percent; industrial customers’ billd would go up approximately 15.
2 percent and outdoor lightingy rates would increase by approximately 16.7 The rate hike would boosf Duke’s North Carolina revenue by $496

Charlotte Business Journal: Charlotte Commercial Real Estate Listings - View Commercial Real Estate

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New Breed Logistics adds 500 employees, warehouse space in push for growth - Wichita Business Journal:

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million square feet and added more than 500 employees in thelast “Memphis has always been a strategic focuas for us and having that focus has certainl y contributed to our growth,” says Joe New Breed director of corporatre development. Since 2007, the company has grown its warehouse spacwfrom 650,000 square feet to more than 2 millionm square feet in five distribution centers. Throughourt the U.S., New Breed has about 7 million squarr feet ofwarehouse space.
New Breesd has drastically increased its local employee The company had about 470 employeezslast year, but has sincw grown to about 1,000 Memphis By the end of New Breed could potentially add up to 200 more employeews to its Memphis operations, Haucko says. Nationally, the company employx about 5,500. The High N.C.-based third-party logistics firm began its operationa in Memphis in 2001 after landing electronice manufacturing firm asa customer. New Breed, which specializes in the supplh chain management of electrical and medicao equipment as well as othercommercial items, beganm to swiftly expand its footprint in Memphis in 2003 with the addition of as a customer.
“We didn’ft go in to (Memphis) to get empty Hauck says. “We went in with a purposd in mind. We have been very fortunate over the last few yeares to build a reputation across various sectors on process New Breed would not disclossrevenue figures, but Hauck says the companu has averaged 20%-30% revenue growth over the last 10 Hauck says New Breed has made an investment in Memphids because companies throughout the U.S. want to be in “Clients who have a need to get producgt out quickly and still shipnext day, Memphids is the place to he says. “In a couplee of our operations, FedEx pulls a truck from our dock at midnightr which allows our customers to have5 p.m.
order cutoffs. There is no othetr place in the countryt you can do that with large Insome instances, Hauck says client s have been leaving large distribution cities like Atlanta in favoer of New Breed’s Memphis locatio because of the benefi t provides. The recent success and growth New Bree d has had in Memphis can be traced back to the fact that more clientsz throughoutthe U.S. are turnin to companies with a footholdf in Memphis for supplychaibn management, says Paul Stewart, CEO of 4-E “Companies are deciding on a hub-and-spoke supply chain method, and Memphisa is centrally located and has excellent facilities in terms of handling freight,” Stewart says.
“That has led to a self fulfillin g cycle of warehouse spaceand third-party services.” But location has not been the only factod in the growth of logistics operations in Memphis. Hauck says the Memphis labor force has been a big part ofthe company’as recent decisions to expand locally. “Amongst the work we’ve built a good reputation out there,” Haucl says. “(In) Memphis, as large as a distributiojn area thatit is, word gets around that a certain company is in town and peoplee like working for the company, and they do good Hauck also foresees the possibility of adding the company’s aerospace division to Memphis.
New Breed is currently broken up into threwedivisions — aerospace, technology and supply chain services. Both the technologg and supply chain services divisions have operations in but Hauck sees even more growth ahead for New Bree d in theMemphis market. “Having infrastructurs in (Memphis) is a tremendous advantage for he says. “We have been fortunate to be growing at arapicd pace. We are managing that pace and are beinbg selective in the opportunities thatwe pursue.
”

St Jude pays $16M to settle kickback claims relating to ICD, pacemaker use - TheHeart.Org

http://www.js-yx.com/fdaxtalkxpaper.html

St Jude pays $16M to settle kickback claims relating to ICD, pacemaker use TheHeart.Org Boston, MA - Device maker St Jude Medical is paying $16 million to settle a civil suit, resolving allegations that the company paid kickbacks to physicians ... and more »

The 'great man' theory of business - Financial Times

http://rom-ukr.biz/en/component/content/article/47-top-10-sporting-romances.html

Financial Times

The 'great man' theory of business Financial Times Historians have not documented whether Charles de Gaulle or Georges Clemenceau first pronounced that “graveyards are full of indispensable ...

AT&T reaches tentative contract with 18,500 wireline employees - Dayton Business Journal:

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The region includes Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigahn and Wisconsin. Negotiations continue for all remaininfg regions, Candice Johnson, a representative for the , said The tentative labor contract with the Midwest region includesa three-yeadr agreement with pay and pension increases, cost-of-living adjustmentds and health care benefits that include fully funded preventivs care and health reimbursement the union for employees and AT&T T) said Wednesday. The employees affected by the tentative agreement include callcenter staffers, customer service representativesa and technicians. The employees were representee bythe CWA.
Johnson said employee s in the union still have to ratifyhthe agreement. The vote takes placr Aug. 7. The agreement does not end AT&T’d negotiations with communications workers. Johnson said that AT&T stilk has 100,000 CWA employees in other divisions in the procesz of labor contract negotiations but that she remains optimisticc because key health care concerns were addressed in the latesgtentative contract. “What was difficult is we are in astrugglin economy,” she said. “The healt care crisis has affectedevery negotiation. It was very important for workerse to maintain quality healthcare benefits.
” She addedx that the company agreed to continue working with union members on health Despite telecommunications companies’ focus on wireless services, Johnsohn said the need for wireline services and workers is very much “I think that AT&T has shownb that you need a good wireline base,” she adding that wireless systems are oftemn built off the wireline networks. “If you look at the number of yes there isa decrease,” Johnson said, but she added that integratinv the wireless and wireline networks into efficient networks remainw a crucial part of the business.

Money available for deepening St. Johns - Jacksonville Business Journal:

http://www.indabamusic.com/people/886016776
million needed to complete the deepening ofthe St. Johnzs River to allow largetr ships to call on the Port of Jacksonville is availablr through the federalstimulua package. The money received by the will make it possible for it to deepe nthe river’s six-mile stretch from Dames Point to Talleyraned Terminal to about 40 feet, said Tim the Jacksonville Port Authority’s senior director of engineering and He said the authority originallu planned to borrow the money so the work couldd begin sooner, but can now use its borrowinyg potential for other capital projects.
“I seriouslty doubt the federal government would reimburse us for the bond Authority Executive Director Rick Ferrin Murphy said he expects the Army Corpas to award a contract for the deepening within about 30 He said the Corps also receivedaboug $1.2 million to continue researching the furthet deepening of the river so post-Panamax shipe can call on the port once the Panama Canal is widened in 2014. The authority hope to have the channel deepened to 50 The deepening couldcost $500 million to $1 billion dependingb on how deep the Corps permits. The authority hopesx that the funding will alloq the Corps to complete a draft of the study earlierr than the December2010 deadline.
The Corpsx also received about $150,000 to study altering the watere flow wherethe St. Johns River and Intracoastal Waterway meet. Ships are limited to crossing the waterway just twicd a day because the tidal pull causeschoppy waters. It will cost abou t $60 million to widen the Intracoastal’s inlet so that the forc e of thestream doesn’t disrupt ship routes. The Corpz is also looking at the potentiao environmental impacts of theproposede project. Ferrin said Ltd.’s planned $208 million terminal couldc also receive funding through a federal stimulue package if onecomes through.
He said the projecrt wouldn’t be shovel-ready, or ready to be builyt within 30 days, for at least 18 months, but fundingb might still be available for design andpermittintg work.

Peco doubles 3Q loss, boosts sales - Business First of Columbus:

http://allsportnews.eu/florida-athlete-only-needed-one-leg-to-have-a-hall-of-fame-career/
The Galion-based company on Wednesdag said itlost $1.21 million, or 44 centss a share, versus a loss of or 19 cents a share, in the same perio d a year ago. The loss accountds for a $400,000 inventoryt write-off related to discontinued raw Red ink in the third quarter was heavier also becauser of operating expenses relatedd to the development and launch of a new product thecompany said. Third-quarter revenue grew to $12 million from $10.67 million a year ago. Peco’s year-to-dat e loss has widened compared with the firsgt three quartersof 2007. The company through September haslost $3.8 million, or $1.39 a share, versusa $3.64 million, or $1.34 a a year ago.
Revenue in the firs t three quarterstotals $32 million, up 9 perceng from $29.4 million a year ago. Peco in 2007 lost $9.2 million on $26.7 millioj in revenue.

Australian Employers Add Fewer Workers Than Forecast Amid Slowing Economy - Bloomberg

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Australian Employers Add Fewer Workers Than Forecast Amid Slowing Economy Bloomberg Australian employers added fewer workers than economists forecast in December as a stronger currency and ... and more »

All American Semiconductor, Inc. Company Profile | Company Information

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All American is a leading distributofr ofelectronic components. We are recognized as one of the top companiexs inour industry. All American distributes a full rangr ofsemiconductors (active components), including transistors, diodes, memort devices, microprocessors, microcontrollers and othee integrated circuits, as well as passiver components, such as capacitors, resistors , inductors and electromechanica products, including cable, switches, connectors, filterz and sockets. We also offef extensive and complete solutions for flat paneldisplayh products.
Our products are sold primarily to original equipmengmanufacturers (OEMs) in a diverse and growinf range of industries, including manufacturersa of computers and computer-related products; computedr networking equipment, home office and portable networking, satellite, wireless and othef communications products; Internet infrastructure equipment and appliances; consumer goods; voting and gaminbg machines; point-of-sale equipment; robotics and industriakl equipment; defense and aerospace equipment; and medical instrumentation.
The Company also sellx products to contract electronics or electronics manufacturing or EMS, providers who manufacturde products for companies in all electronics industry

Hot-selling young banks now going in 3 years - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

http://orbitintl.com/newspops/news2.html
But at $28 a share, GB&T's offer was too good to Mountain's initial investors had paid $10 a share a littl more than two years In itsshort history, had beaten all internao budget forecasts and by its 27th month had hit cumulative profitability -- early by industryg standards. It operates in fast-growing Dawson and Forsytb counties. After agreeing in December to the the banks will closed the deal inApril -- Mountain's thirs anniversary, and the first monty Mountain is eligible under state law to In 2002, the statse changed a law governing the sale of banks, allowinf them to sell after three years instead of five.
Now, sales of three-year-ole banks are accelerating as large banks, willinv to pay top dollar to gain toeholds inattractives markets, are creating impressive returns for Phil Baldwin, president and CEO of , parent of Neighbors Bank, got a similar call from a business acquaintancde at Macon-based (Nasdaq: SBKC) in November -- the three-year anniversary of holding company. In a couple of weeks, his $105.5-million asser bank in white-hot Alpharetta had hashed out a deal that gave his initiapl investors a roughly 135percent return.
Mountain State and Neighbors are just two ofseveralp so-called "de novo" banks that agreed to sell recently, in a break with Other banks younger than four years old that sold or agreedc to be sold in the past year include Dallas-baseed to Memphis-based (NYSE: FHN); and Woodstock-basec SouthBank, which also sold to Security Bank "The idea of buying a bank at that earl a stage had not really caught on [until 2005]," said Walt head of the financial institutions practicr at . Driving the transactions are the convergencer of acquirers looking for market presencwein high-growth areas and successful de novo banks that know and like theifr prospective buyers.
The sale of de novos is expectedr to continue as long as the merger mani that has gripped the Georgia banking industry In 2005, 15 Georgia banks agreed to be acquired, up from 9 in according to data from Atlanta-based .

Rude request doesn't justify curt response - The Spokesman Review

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Rude request doesn't justify curt response The Spokesman Review DEAR MISS MANNERS: At the DMV for an extended wait to renew my license, I was reading my book and eating the sunflower seeds I brought to occupy my time. ... and more »

Southern accent: Reinvestment, additional revenue streams give Firefly

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The recipe was a hit. Firefly’s revenue went to $7.7 million last year from $6.8 millionh in 2007, and Uliss’ goal is to hit $8 milliom this year. But Firefly’s is definitely feeling the dimminy effects ofthe downturn. Uliss said the averagre check size at his restaurants is down byabout $3 to $4 per And while Uliss has taken some stepes to reduce operational costs and lure more dinerss through the door, one thiny that is helping Firefly’s weather the downturjn has been Uliss’ effortsd to expand his business model over the years. “In this economty right now, it is very difficult for restaurants to bejust restaurants.
Profit margins have shrunl so much, it helps to have other revenue streams,” the 46-year-olxd entrepreneur said. Five years ago, he added an in-house blues club and sports bar featuring live acts every Friday andSaturday night, to his original, 287-seat location in Marlborough. When he openedx his third location — a 7,500-square-foot, 243-seaf spot in Quincy — in 2007, he also included a Dante’sz club component.
Uliss says Dante’s has boosted his food and beveragw sales annually byabou $300,000 in Marlborough and $200,000 in Additional growth has come from Firefly’s catering division, whichu serves about 1,200 clients and represents about $1 milliob of Firefly’s total With competition coming from both traditional catering firms and other restaurants, Ulisas says he’s emphasizing customization with his orderes and providing both semi- and full-service catering, as well as drop-offf deliveries. “They’re all so professional and fun to work said catering clientShaileen Santoro, marketing managedr for JAM’N 94.5 at Clear Channel Radi Boston.
“You don’t have to worry about A key investmentfor Firefly’s was its food production which Uliss opened in Marlborough in Marcyh 2008 at a cost of about $150,00o — the financing for which he obtaines from Marlborough Savings Bank. The commissary, which operates unde r a separate corporation, Firefly’s Management Co. LLC, provide prepared foods for thethree Firefly’s restaurants. “Thde commissary has definitely improved the quality and consistency of our Uliss said.
Firefly’s is also sellinb its own line ofproductd (the manufacturing for which is done in Chicago) currently, three different sauces and one dry-rub in about 25 retail venues in including Shaw’s Supermarkets. Those products currently generatsabout $70,000 annually in sales, Uliss said. A veteran of the Bostoh restaurant scene, Uliss launched the first Firefly’s location in Marlborougu in 2001 forabout $800,000 (he has a businessd partner, Miles Gilbert, in all three A 6,000-square-foot, 168-seat location in Framingham followed in 2003, followeed by the Quincy location four years later, for which he took on two privats financial investors.
With a strong team behinc him, Uliss says he firmly believesd in staying in close contact withhis “You must be visibld within your business,” he He’s planning to open a fourth location a 20- to 50-seat tentatively titled Firefly’s on the Fly — at the end of this year or earlh next year. Uliss is currently researching location s inthe Worcester/Central Mass. area, as well as the 128 “Steve gets it: He understands you have to have agreaf product,” said industry colleague Jim Boland, owner of four Fuddruckerzs New England franchises in Massachusetts. “You have to have greatt service. And you have to have good value.
” In a sign of the economicf times, Uliss has made some cost-savint moves. Four managers were laid off from his currently at150 employees, late last The number of menu itemes has been reduced by aboutg 20 percent (items range in price from $3.9 to $21.99). And, he’s cut the cost to produce the menus themselves by replacinglargs spiral-bound books with a two-sided Firefly’s is also providing specials to help drivwe traffic to the restaurants: On kids eat free. On all platters are $10. On Wednesdays, dinerxs get two meals for $20. And on Thursdays, he’s offering three-meat combos for $14.99.
“We’r e all going at it the same way — we’red trying to deliver great value to the consumefr and get the bodies in the he said.