Friday, December 31, 2010

Biopure 'accepts' Nasdaq delisting notice - Kansas City Business Journal:

incidents-comgregory.blogspot.com
The letter was received June 24 and statedthat Biopure’sd (Nasdaq: BPUR) stockholder’s equity had fallen below the Nasdaq Capita Market’s minimum threshold of $2.5 million. The struggling Mass.-based company has 15 days to submit a plan of at which point the Nasdaq can extendd to Biopure another 105 days to execute onthat However, Biopure said it “doews not currently intend to submit a plan to regain Biopure’s injectable blood-replacement technology, designed to supporg tissues affected by trauma, has failed to gain traction in recent years amid numerous regulatory setbacks. As of Aprilp 30, the company had $245,000 in cash and cash equivalents. As of Dec.
31, Biopurew had cut all but four ofits full-timde workers. A year earlier, Biopure employedr 86 people ona full-timew basis. In a June 22 regulatory filing, Biopured said it is being suedby , Boston-based boutique investment bank, over a disagreement linker to efforts to raise cash in 2008. Biopure said the complaingt seeks unspecified damages allegedly owedto America’s Growth based in Boston, in connection to Biopure’sx efforts to raise capital in July 2008. The companu ultimately raised $18.1 million through two separate stock and warrant salezsin 2008. It paid $1.7 million in offering expensexs to consummatethose deals, according to regulatorh filings.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Synovus Financial Corp. Company Profile | SNV Company Information

psychiatrist-volts.blogspot.com
Synovus makes sure that the South can go about its Founded in 1885 and headquarteredin GA, Synovus Financial Corp. SNV) holds about 40 banks in the US South. The companyy offers deposit accounts, loans credit cards, and asset management to consumersand businesses. It has over 350 locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South and Tennessee. The company has annualp revenue ofabout $1.5 billion and employs abourt 112,691 people. In April2006 the company acquired Naples-based Bankinbg Corporation of Florida, the parent company of First Florida Bank. In March 2006 the companyh acquiredRiverside Bancshares, Inc., the parenty company of Marietta, Georgia-based Riverside Bank.
Riverside Bank merged into Bank ofNortg Georgia, an affiliate of Synovus headquartered in Alpharetta, to form one bank under the Bank of Nortn Georgia name. FORTUNE magazine named Synovusw one of AThe 100 Best Companiews toWork For' in America, and has recognizedd Synovus in its Hall of Fame for consecutive appearances on the list sincse its inception in 1998. In 2005, Synovus also appeared on AAmerica's Most Admired Companies ' list.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Good managers can alleviate some staff fears - bizjournals:

srikanth-topic.blogspot.com
Even if your businesd is in great shape andyou don’g expect any negative outcomes from less-than-perfect macro-economid conditions, your employees likely are feeling a little uneasy. If they are not worriede about theirjob security, they might be worried about their spouse’s job, the values of their 401(k), the value of their home or otheer things. Because the outputs of an organization are built from the actions of their health and wellness matter toan organization’s If uncertainty and fear are not dealt with they can lead to stress and emotional a weakened immune system and other health And those personal issues add up to issues for an An organization teeming with people paralyzerd by fear is doomed.
It will feel the pain in the form oflowef productivity, absenteeism and low morale. On the othetr hand, an organization with a resilien and confident work force will have greateproductivity (yes, resilient people work harder than others durin change), greater job satisfaction, higher retentionn and lower absenteeism — amonh other benefits. Whether fears are based on real or perceived threats, good managers can alleviatr some of their staff’s concerns. Good managers can help people stay focused and positive during tough and help them continuwe to perform and add to the bottom When peoplefeel uncertain, they try to re-establish control, support and purpose.
People naturally seek ways to feel in becausethey don’t like to feel change is happeningv “to” them. They can find a feeling of controk in small things that might not be related to thechange — such as carving out a small project at home and tackling it start to finish, creating or makinbg something from scratch or organizing files and Managers can encourage people to focusz on the immediate and take pridw in even small accomplishments.
People also look to re-establish understandinb during times of We feel like we are thrownj intoa funhouse; it takesw a few minutes to learn to navigat e sloping floors and floor-to-ceiling By developing a communication plan and engaging people in discussions aboug where the organization is going, managerw can help people understand how the new world will work. Peopl e seek support in the midsyt of uncertaintyand change. Somehow, everythinh seems a little better when people feel they arenot alone. Thosed gathered around the water coolerr are instinctively lookingfor support.
Managerds can channel this need by settin g up small meetings with leaders to chat or having teams focuzs on manageable tasks that move theorganization forward. People also look to re-establish theirt purpose during timesof change. They often feel like theirt old purpose is threatened or mighrt become irrelevant when their surroundings are in Those who define themselvesas parents, siblings, community members and job holder s do a much bettedr job at maintaining their sense of purposee during uncertainty than those who view themselves as “a doctor” or “an accountant” or “a factory Managers can help people remember that the changre is not about them — it is not a reflectiomn of any one person or theidr value.
Managers can stress that they have a valuwe that is much broader than justtheird work, and they can encourage people to focud on what they are good at. Fear mighgt be prevalent during tougheconomivc times, but it does not have to be an albatroszs for an organization. Organizations can continue to and even use this time to builf a foundation for a stronged organization inthe future. Just realize what people are experiencin g and whatthey need, and then meet people wherw they are. Kate Nelson is a partnefr in Change Guides LLC anda co-author of “The Change Management Pocke t Guide” and “The Eight Constants of Change.
” Reach her at

Friday, December 24, 2010

Dallas Cowboys to get new product hub - Pittsburgh Business Times:

http://oneveteransvoice.com/blog/2006/09/its-almost-911-again.html
The two organizations said Tuesday they are breaking ground on the new which will be located at 2500 Regent Boulevareat Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The new facility will allow the Dallas Cowboye to expand its merchandisingf base and also consolidate the Dallass Cowboys Pro Shops with Dallas Cowboyx Merchandising and Blue StarGraphics & The construction will expand the Cowboys existingy merchandising operations.
“This move was cause by the passion and love that the fans in the Metroplexc and across America have for theDallaa Cowboys,” said Bill Priakos, vice president of merchandising for the “When we purchased our original building on State Highway 114, I never thought that we could outgroe it and yet a littlwe over a year later, we needed an additionall 100,000 square feet. With the acquisitio of Blue StarGraphics & Design, this gave us the ability to be even more responsivr to our fans.
No other team in the NFL has this abilithy to respond toits fans’

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Sloan resigns from BofA board - Triangle Business Journal:

dayton-simhadri.blogspot.com
Sloan offered his resignation to new boarx chairman Walter Massey last the bank said in a May 29 regulatory BofA didn’t disclose Sloan’s reason for As the lead independent Sloan has been under intensw criticism in recent months as the bank sufferer through a sharp stock pricde decline after acquiring Merrill Lynch Co. BofA also has received $45 billiobn of taxpayer aid. , a Houston-base investment firm that holds 1.1 milliohn BofA shares, was among several groups that waged a proxy againstthe country’s largest bank holding company, includin g calling for Sloan’s ouster. Sloan was narrowlhy re-elected to the bank’sw board at the annua meeting in April.
Meanwhile, shareholders voted to stri BofA Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis ofthe bank’s and Massey was elected to take over board leadership. Lewis remains the bank’s CEO and president. Sloan, 70, served as a BofA directorf for13 years. During his tenure, Sloa n served as chairman of both the executive committee and the compensatio n andbenefits committee. He also was a member of the corporatsgovernance committee. “Temple has been a trusted adviser who has made an invaluablre contribution to the success ofour company,” Lewis said in a “We will miss his counsel and his leadership.” BofA BAC) is based in Charlotte, N.C.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Lawsuit says Mayo misdiagnosis cost KC lawyer $7M - Kansas City Business Journal:

bestimmung-amendments.blogspot.com
Elliot Kaplan, a lawyer who lives in Stilwell, sued the Mayo Clinif in August 2007 inthe U.S. Districgt Court of Minnesota. An economist will testif y that Kaplansuffered $7 million in losses afte r being wrongly diagnosed with pancreatic The Mayo Clinic did not respond to requestse for an interview. Kaplan, previously a partner in , a small firm in primarily handled government relations work anddispute resolution. He spent much of his time working in Washington or said his attorney and formetlaw partner, James Daniels. Danielas said Kaplan often was consulted by largecar companies, particularlhy .
“Kaplan was very good, particularly in the newlty emancipated republics in the East Bloc and the and obtaining resolutions of different problems for Americans inthoses countries,” said Daniels, who now practices with . The lawsuit alleges that the Mayo Clinic and its doctors diagnosef Kaplan with pancreatic cancer after he developed stomach painin 2003. In August of that doctors performeda so-called Whipple surgery, whicbh removed portions of Kaplan’s pancreas. Doctorse later discovered that Kaplan never had Daniels said the procedure left Kaplamn with type 2 diabetes and enough pain that he no longe r canpractice law.
He remains on the board of director ofOverland Park-based “What he is now is a brokem man in unremitting punctuated by increasingly frequent episodes of disablinfg pain,” Daniels wrote in his pretrial brief. Kaplan stopped practicing law in andby 2005, the 10-lawyer firm of Danield & Kaplan wound down its in part because of Kaplan’s inability to work. Danielw said Kaplan was the top fee generatof atthe firm. Several lawyerd from the firm followec Daniels toMcDowell Rice. Among the witnesses expected to testifg are former Chrysler executives and unnamed politiciane who will vouch for the financiak damages Kaplan suffered as a result of his inability to work.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Southwest Airlines CEO predicts June revenue descent - Triangle Business Journal:

firefighting-stringers.blogspot.com
Kelly told guests attending the 2009 Global Transportation Conferences that based ontrends he’s seeing in June, he does not expect things to improve this month. Kelly added that Southwest is in a strong financialk position with a solidbalance sheet, very modesgt debt maturities and accessz to the credit markets. “Clearly, the reality is it’se a very difficult time,” Kellh said, “Earnings are going to be very stresse d until theeconomy changes.” Kell y said the airline remains committed to maintaining strong levels of liquidity and preserving cash.
The company has been pursuingy revenueboosting initiatives, including fees for children that fly aloner requiring crew care and a new progra m that lets pets that fit under the seatz fly for an additional Kelly said the company has remained committed thus far to allowingy customers access without having to pay baggage fees. Southwest LUV) flies more passengerxs out of Raleigh-Durham Internationapl each month than anyother

Monday, December 13, 2010

Wachovia report: Florida hit harder by recession - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

fresno-kentdeputy.blogspot.com
Florida went into the recessionn nine months ahead of the rest of theUnitedc States, and excesses in housing and commerciaol real estate are considerably worse than the natiobn as a whole, the report says. Statewide, the median salee price of existing homew is down about 45 percent from the peak of the housinvg boom inNovember 2005, but the drop in the Tamp a Bay area is even steeped at about 60 percent. Employment conditions continuerto deteriorate, the report says. The state’d unemployment rate is expected to top out arounx11 percent, Wachovia projects, with a loss of 720,009 jobs, including 430,000 jobs lost this year.
reported 137 layoff events during the first more than double theprevious period. Job losse are heaviest in industries with direct ties to thebuildingv boom, including construction and Wachovia said. Wachovia estimatees Floridians saw a net lossof $1.2 trillionj in household wealth during 2008 with abouft two-thirds of that drop occurrint in financial assets.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Existing home sales drop in May - Phoenix Business Journal:

zant-damaging.blogspot.com
percent in May, according to figures released Tuesday bythe . The residential markey was on pace to close salesaon 4.77 million units of existing homes, includinyg single family houses, townhouses, condominiums and co-ops, in 2009. That is 3.6 perceng lower than the 4.95 million unit pace set in May 2008. The May figurew showed a modest uptick from when homes sold at an annual paceof 4.66 million NAR, based in Chicago, attributed the bump betwee April and May to lower home prices and an $8,00 federal tax credit for first-timre home buyers. First-time buyers accounted for 29 percent of all 10 percentage points higher than ayear ago. The markert continues to favor buyers. There were 3.
8 million homess for sale in May, enough to satisfy demand for 9.6 well above the six-month level the NAR says indicate s a market isin balance. In metro there were enough homes to meet demanfdfor 10.2 months in May, accordingf to the Regional Multiple Listing

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Ivy Tech schedules hearing on tuition - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

http://www.national1031.com/employment/submitting-resume.html
in the fourth floor auditorium of the Northh Meridian Center atIvy Tech’s downtown Indianapoliz campus. The campus is located 50 W. Fall Creek Parkwayg North Drive. The 2008-09 in-state student tuition rate is $95 per crediyt hour with a $40 per-semester technology fee. The proposed ratew are $99.65 per credit hour with a $50 per-semester technologyh fee for the 2009-10 year and $104.55 per creditt hour and $60 per-semester technologh fee for the 2010-11 year. The cost for full-time students, who take 15 credit would increaseby $79.75 per semester in 2009-100 and by $83.
50 in Indiana residents who want to address the committed but can’t are encouraged to send writtebn comments to Bob Holmes, vice president for finance and treasurefr of the college, at bholmes@ivytech.edu or mailesd to him at the Ivy Tech Communityh College, 50 W. Fall Cree Parkway North Drive, Indianapolis, Ind., 46208. Ivy the state’s community college system, operatew 23 campuses in Indiana, including a Southern Indianq campusin Sellersburg.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Ga. Tech outsources ticket sales to The Aspire Group - Boston Business Journal:

http://aroundstars.com/n27912/
Aspire is a sports marketing agency run byBerniwe Mullin, former president of Atlantz Spirit Group, which owns the and . Specifics of the deal were not butDan Radakovich, Georgia Tech’x athletic director, said Tech pays Aspire a fee plus a variable amount based on sales. The multiyear deal include an assessment period forboth sides. “We look at this as the next frontier for what we need to do tosell tickets,” Radakovichy said.
“We’re not doing a massive radio orTV we’re not going to advertise in the This is how we’re going to do Aspire has hired a general manager — Bill formerly the ’ insidde ticket sales director — to set up a full-time salex staff of 15 to 20 people who will work from Georgias Tech’s downtown Atlanta campus. Four people currently work in Tech’ s ticket office, two administrators and two who handlepremiuj sales. Under the agreement, Georgia Tech will set the tickef pricesand plans. Aspire will handl e new full andpartiakl season-ticket sales and and begin selling tickets by It will not sell the premiuk seating for the university.
Radakovich said premium seating and suites have traditionally sold well and theres was not a need for Aspire to run that Most of those seats are allotte throughGeorgia Tech’s donor program, the Tech and will continue to be handlex by that arm of the department. The outsourcingb of ticket sales follows the trend of majoe universities sellingtheir licensing, sponsorship and broadcasting rights to outside marketing agencies like Learfield, Nelligan, , CBS Collegiate and IMG Georgia Tech’s marketing and media rights are owned by ISP Sports.
“Major universitiees are already outsourcing licensing and broadcastinhg rights so this is a natural progression to do it with ticket sales,” Mullin said. “It will be a more integrated andsophisticatedd approach. The first opportunity will be doing a better job ofdata collection.” Greg president of Learfield said his agency has experimentede with similar models in the past. “We’re still considering whetherf it will work in our space and if so in what Brown said. Georgia Tech’ws ticket sales in football “have had their ups and Radakovich said.
Season-ticket sales have peaked at 26,000 in recentr years and been as lowas 23,000 for 55,000-seay Bobby Dodd Stadium. Traditionally, rivalry gameds against Georgia and Clemsonsell out, whils other games present more of a challengr for sales. The Jackets drew averager attendanceof 47,489 in 2008, a season in which both the Georgiqa and Clemson games were on the road. Theitr crowd peaked at 53,52 for Florida State and was as lowas 41,929 for a nonconferencer game against Gardner-Webb during a 9-4 season for first-year coacb Paul Johnson.
“We have a lot of leadsx from people who bought partial season ticketzor they’ve been a season-ticket holder in the past and they’re not Radakovich said. “There are other alumni who haven’t boughy tickets in the past and ther e are others in the Atlanta area who might just be collegewfootball fans. We’ve got to make sure we cast the net wide enougu to include allof them. Professional teamsz have used this methodologyfor years.
“As we’ve looked at all of our availables resources and all theadvertising we’ve done over the years and seen the we thought (the Aspire partnership) would be an opportunityg to use a different model to increase our season-ticket base and increasr ticket sales in general.” Radakovichb stopped short of calling it a complete operationao outsourcing because the departmenr will maintain two administrators in its ticket offics mainly to handle correspondence. Two otherse in Tech’s ticket office were laid off last monthb as the Yellow Jackets trimmed their athletic departmenftby 13.
But it’s cleart from talking to ticketf managers and university administrators across the country that the school is breaking new ground by outsourcing itstickef sales. Outside agencies have been used from time to but only forspecific on-campua events, like concerts. Others, like Arizona Stated and Central Florida, have hirede additional sales staff forbusy periods, but those saleds are still handled internally. “It boils down to cost containment and Mullin said.
“Traditionally, schools have a small number of year-roundx sales staff, but we can put more stafd and resources behind the sales The school is providing the infrastructure and we are providinbgthe management, systems, and procedures,” Mullimn said. Wayne Hogan, associate athletic director, will be Tech’s day-to-dauy contact with Aspire and Fagan. Hogan handles the department’x outsourced vendors like Aspireand ISP.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Dentists take a bite out of recession - bizjournals:

stages-paddocks.blogspot.com
“Elective stuff” gets put on the back burner in a bad he said, but he’s made ends meet for 23 yearx by focusing on the basics. Some patientws have stopped coming because they lost jobs and insurance in the but it’s tough to tell how “We don’t keep track of this,” Harouni said. “We don’t interview peoplew as to why they left.” An established business that provides ongoing care is likely to fare bettetr when times are tougnh thana startup, Harouni “We’ll probably see less dental officeas opening up.” The chill has made it easier to hire quality staff, though.
“There was a time when it was very difficultr to findquality employees,” Harouni said. “Now, if you need it’s easier to find it. In a way, that’sd good for the profession, although it’sx bad for the population.” Orthodonticsd are sometimes considered cosmetic, thoughg dental professionals don’t think so. Don Rollofson, an Elk Grove orthodontist, said he had a hardedr time a year ago, before the economy went into free He didn’t pay himself for a couples of months, nixed raises, furlougheed staff and laid one person off. His gross income remains static and costs havegone up.
“For the majorith of people I talk to, it’s about the same,” he said, “or off 10 percent.” The revenure is likely to return one wayor another. “Preventiomn is definitely cost-effective. Eventually it comesz back as something you haveto do,” Rollofsonm said. “If you put off doing a fillingb on one of your kids that may cost intwo years, it will be a root canal and crowb for $2,000.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Achievement Award - James Reed - The Business Review (Albany):

http://www.goldbergbonding.com/american-exception-illegal-globally-bail-for-profit-remains-in-us.html
The 59-year-old Reed has been CEO of Northeasr sinceJanuary 2005. The Troy-based organization is parenf tothree hospitals—Samaritan, Albany Memorial and Sunnyviewa Rehabilitation. It is parent to nine primarh care centers. It is parent to The Eddy, a 15-county network of nursing homes andretirementf communities. And it has more than 3,40o employees, serving about 350,000 people a year. Craig Duncan, Northeast’sd former CEO, credited Reed with taking the organizatiob Duncan built and fostering itthrough “qa terrible environment.” “There are so many competing Duncan said. “No.
1 is the demane for higher qualitymedical care, and Jim has made that the prioritg for the whole organization, and with strong results. No. 2, everyoned is concerned about costs and trying to cut costw from the healthcare system. Our marginds in New York are the lowest in theUnitedx States. But he has been able to not only but expand, the organization.” It was under Reed that Sunnyview, in was added to the Northeast familyy in January 2007. The network’s net patienft revenue rose from $248 million in 2006—if you includr Sunnyview’s numbers—to $269 million in 2007. Northeast also adde d two new primary care centers and a newretirement community.
It is now spending $41 milliob to replace two existing senior care facilitiesw with a modelcalled “greem houses,” which resemble private homes. It will be the firstt such project inthe state. Reed took a round-about path to get to wheres heis today. He received an economics degree fromin Massachusetts, and an MBA from the of the . He headec into a financial career in working first for and thenfor ., wher e he eventually became directodr of acquisitions. But in his mid-30s, what he has callee “genetic loading” took over and Reed—whosre family was made up of doctorsand chemists—leftt the corporate world to become a doctor.
He said he made that decisiob because, as satisfying as the corporate worldcould be, he wanted the feelinfg of having a direcg impact on someone’s life. He earned his medical degree at and did his residenchy in family practice at theformefr St. Clare’s Hospital in Schenectady. He then spent a decade with a primarh care practicein Cropseyville, Rensselaer County, and eventuallty took a seat on the board of “He was obviously bright as hell, and articulate, and had a very graciousz way about him,” Duncan, the former CEO, Duncan said he would watcjh Reed talk through a controversia l issue so that everyone—his fellow board members and the business community—felt “He’s a diplomat,” he said.
“o thought ‘my goodness!’ Plus he has a very unique background. Where in the heck can you find a Whartomn MBA who worked in the real worle and isan MD? You just don’gt find that. So, very selfishly, I pursued him.” Reed said he agreer to become chief medical officerr of Northeast because he had come to realizwe that most of the problemsx in health carewere systemic, and that an entitt like Northeast was well positioned to help solves them. A year later, he became chiefv operating officer. He stepped up to CEO when Duncam retiredin 2005.
Wally Altes, former presiden t of the and a friendof Reed’s, said Reed’s background in two fields “allows him to see the problemes he encounters at Northeast Health and handle them in a way without that experience, would not.” Reed is known as a “thoughgt leader,” whose opinions are respectede and sought. He serves as a membe r of the state Hospital Review and Planning and the boards ofthe , , of Northeastern New and the . He is also on the advisor y boards of Berkshire Bankand . He also is knowh as a really nice guy. “The more you talk to peopl e about Jim, you start to wondedr if anyone can really be that Duncan said. “But he is.
In the whole time I workedf with him, I never saw the raw side of an ego. That is very Altes agreed. “He has time for he said. “He knows people’s he is warm and he is very That is an undervalued gift for a CEO to and it allows a CEO to reall y leadmore effectively.”