wanuso.wordpress.com
Memphis-based AmeriSpec has 250 franchise ownersa throughoutthe U.S. and Canada who provide services to homebuyerxand sellers. The company has seen its busineses skyrocket in Canada as the Canadian governmengt has mandated homes be more energy efficient and reducscarbon footprints. Brent Armstrong, vice president and generap managerof AmeriSpec, says the company is the only nationalk provider of inspection services in It conducted 50,000 audits in 2008, compareed to 18,500 in 2007 and 14,0090 in 2006.
Part of AmeriSpec’s inspection procesz creates an artificial draft to find out where air seepx in or leaks out of An inspection also covers the energy efficiency of HVAC After an inspectionin Canada, homess are given a rating and ownerw are given 18 months to improve or retrofit the home. While the Canadiabn government doesn’t penalize homeowners who don’ty make changes, up to $5,000 in gran t money is available for improvements and homeownerds can get reimbursedfor energy-relatefd work they have done. Armstrong says the Obama administrationb is looking at implementinfg similar changes inthe U.S.
“There’ds a growing awareness in the United and to some all of us are asking thesame questions,” Armstronbg says. He says all 50 statezs have weatherization programs. The federal government has allotted $5 billionj in stimulus funding tohelp low-incomew families replace roofs on their homesw and change inefficient furnaces. As the attention to energyg efficiency grows, AmeriSpec is training its franchise owners to be certified in Home Energh RatingSystem inspection. Inspectors are required to take an exam for HERS but the national pass rateis 20%. At a training sessionb at AmeriSpec’s Memphis facilities last week, 11 of the 15 participantw passed.
Owners can train at other AmeriSpe c facilities acrossthe country, but the most comprehensivwe training is located in Memphis. Armstrongv says AmeriSpec offers three different courses that are open to itsfranchisr owners. Its facilities include a fullgyfunctional “flood house” that can be flooded to simulate a home disaster. The house offeras inspectors full field traininhg without them having to intrude on customeras inthe field. It also allows them learn from theirt mistakes withoutbeing liable. Gale director of technical training and development for says inspectors who pass the test will have the highest certificationb inenergy auditing.
Following that certification, they must perform thres field evaluations. “We loan out the equipmeng they need to getthat done,” Colvi n says. “We want to keep everythingh fresh for them out in the Steve Anderson, owner of two franchises in is one of the owners who passede last week’s exam. While the course isn’t a requirement for franchise owners, it givex them another level of servicefor customers. who is also a licensed can now offer complete home services from desigj to making sure existin homes areenergy efficient.
“The cost of energy for homeowners issteadilyt rising, so being able to assist people in how well theirt homes work and wher e improvements can be made is a service that will be neede in the future,” Anderson says. “We’re positioned to tap into the markeyt and help folks that are interested ingoinh green.”
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
RagingWire serves up data storage space with StrataScale - Sacramento Business Journal:
milicinodijoo1981.blogspot.com
The new business employs 40 people and represents an investmenyof $10 million. Its revenue is expectedr to equalRaging Wire’s within four StrataScale offers services called managed data hosting — ranging from a simplr backup location to an entire self-contained data centeer with a server farm. The company is only recently emerging from beta testin and a soft launchin December, and already has abouyt 40 clients. The benefiyt for customers is that they pay for the capacity they need at amonthly rate.
They don’t have to provided the secure facility, controlles environment, backup power or — most importantly the equipment, said Doug Adams, vice president of marketinv with RagingWire. And with the current economy, avoiding payingy for equipment isa draw, especially for startups. Even establishedc businesses are reiningin expenses, which makes renting computing power, systems and capacity a benefit to the quarterlyh profit and loss statement, Adams “In this environment, good luck getting a capitalk expenditure approved,” he said.
RagingWire spent $10 million over the past two yeards to developand custom-design the StrataScales application in-house to allow customers to automaticallu access its remote hardware. “Iy allows extreme control and flexibility to the end user in asimpler fashion,” said Denoid Tucker, vice president of technology with Other companies offer a similat service, but they use virtualization to run multiplw programs on single machines, often called “cloud StrataScale, instead, runs one operating systen per machine, which eliminates the potential for internak conflicts, called “contention,” and increases the level of security availabled to the client, Tucker said.
StrataScalwe also has excess capacity built in to the wired and readyto go. At any given StrataScale will have the capacityu to offer clients up to 300 additional servers and have them up and runningtin minutes. In many environments, just getting that many servers froma manufacturer, installing them in a centere and making all the connections coulds take days, weeks or months. Managed storaged is a popular andgrowing business, with an expectatiobn of more demand as the need for storage, retrieval and archivinhg of data increases, said Jim Paterson, vice presidentt of development for hosting applications and Last week, the company unveiled its Synapti c Storage as a Service, on-demandd access to “cloud computing” storage that can be scalesd up or down as needed by the The telecommunications giant expectes to unveil a service more similar to StrataScale’x later this year.
“There’s a tremendous value in beintg first,” Adams said. StrataScale’s product is caller IronScale, and it is housed in RagingWire’z center in north Sacramento. RagingWirre provides its customers a cooled and secure locatiomn with constant power and two forms of backup power for its clientes to house anything from a singlse server rack to an entirecomputee installation. With IronScale, the equipment is supplier and can be monitored and expanded or decreaseed over a secure Webbrowsef application. “You could literally be sitting on a beacgh in the Bahamas with a lapto p and doubleyour capacity,” Adamws said.
An e-mail or a phone call is required to authorize the but beginningthis summer, customers will be able to do that throughu a Web browser, too, Tucker Whether the client needs additionalo servers, network space, storage or firewalls or even needs to add different operating systems — that can be ordered online and installed withinm minutes, Tucker said, adding that StrataScale has two patentsz pending on its method of accesds to hardware, called provisioning. RagingWire Enterprise Solutions was founderd in 2000 to offetr servicesto businesses.
RagingWire provides multiple levelwof security, triple-redundant powed sources, and a cooled environment for other companies to house thei r computer equipment and server farms. RagingWire is a privatwe companyand doesn’t disclose current The company reported revenue of $38 millionn in 2007, the most recent informationb available. It has been profitabl e for 18 quarters, growingf at a pace of about 50 percenty a year until this when the growth has slowec to about25 percent. RagingWire’s 225,000-square-foo data center hosts servers for more than 100 companies in a controlledd environment withraised floors.
Most of the RagingWire’z companies don’t want to be identified, but many are well-knowhn names. The facility is in a neighborhood ofhuge generic-lookinb warehouses. The company prefers not to disclose the locatioh forsecurity purposes. The company in Decembe signed a lease ona 200,000-square-fooft building next door for expected expansion. RagingWire is locatedf between twopower substations, and it has its own substationn behind the building.
The new business employs 40 people and represents an investmenyof $10 million. Its revenue is expectedr to equalRaging Wire’s within four StrataScale offers services called managed data hosting — ranging from a simplr backup location to an entire self-contained data centeer with a server farm. The company is only recently emerging from beta testin and a soft launchin December, and already has abouyt 40 clients. The benefiyt for customers is that they pay for the capacity they need at amonthly rate.
They don’t have to provided the secure facility, controlles environment, backup power or — most importantly the equipment, said Doug Adams, vice president of marketinv with RagingWire. And with the current economy, avoiding payingy for equipment isa draw, especially for startups. Even establishedc businesses are reiningin expenses, which makes renting computing power, systems and capacity a benefit to the quarterlyh profit and loss statement, Adams “In this environment, good luck getting a capitalk expenditure approved,” he said.
RagingWire spent $10 million over the past two yeards to developand custom-design the StrataScales application in-house to allow customers to automaticallu access its remote hardware. “Iy allows extreme control and flexibility to the end user in asimpler fashion,” said Denoid Tucker, vice president of technology with Other companies offer a similat service, but they use virtualization to run multiplw programs on single machines, often called “cloud StrataScale, instead, runs one operating systen per machine, which eliminates the potential for internak conflicts, called “contention,” and increases the level of security availabled to the client, Tucker said.
StrataScalwe also has excess capacity built in to the wired and readyto go. At any given StrataScale will have the capacityu to offer clients up to 300 additional servers and have them up and runningtin minutes. In many environments, just getting that many servers froma manufacturer, installing them in a centere and making all the connections coulds take days, weeks or months. Managed storaged is a popular andgrowing business, with an expectatiobn of more demand as the need for storage, retrieval and archivinhg of data increases, said Jim Paterson, vice presidentt of development for hosting applications and Last week, the company unveiled its Synapti c Storage as a Service, on-demandd access to “cloud computing” storage that can be scalesd up or down as needed by the The telecommunications giant expectes to unveil a service more similar to StrataScale’x later this year.
“There’s a tremendous value in beintg first,” Adams said. StrataScale’s product is caller IronScale, and it is housed in RagingWire’z center in north Sacramento. RagingWirre provides its customers a cooled and secure locatiomn with constant power and two forms of backup power for its clientes to house anything from a singlse server rack to an entirecomputee installation. With IronScale, the equipment is supplier and can be monitored and expanded or decreaseed over a secure Webbrowsef application. “You could literally be sitting on a beacgh in the Bahamas with a lapto p and doubleyour capacity,” Adamws said.
An e-mail or a phone call is required to authorize the but beginningthis summer, customers will be able to do that throughu a Web browser, too, Tucker Whether the client needs additionalo servers, network space, storage or firewalls or even needs to add different operating systems — that can be ordered online and installed withinm minutes, Tucker said, adding that StrataScale has two patentsz pending on its method of accesds to hardware, called provisioning. RagingWire Enterprise Solutions was founderd in 2000 to offetr servicesto businesses.
RagingWire provides multiple levelwof security, triple-redundant powed sources, and a cooled environment for other companies to house thei r computer equipment and server farms. RagingWire is a privatwe companyand doesn’t disclose current The company reported revenue of $38 millionn in 2007, the most recent informationb available. It has been profitabl e for 18 quarters, growingf at a pace of about 50 percenty a year until this when the growth has slowec to about25 percent. RagingWire’s 225,000-square-foo data center hosts servers for more than 100 companies in a controlledd environment withraised floors.
Most of the RagingWire’z companies don’t want to be identified, but many are well-knowhn names. The facility is in a neighborhood ofhuge generic-lookinb warehouses. The company prefers not to disclose the locatioh forsecurity purposes. The company in Decembe signed a lease ona 200,000-square-fooft building next door for expected expansion. RagingWire is locatedf between twopower substations, and it has its own substationn behind the building.
Monday, April 25, 2011
U.S. Postal Service's Dueber station to close June 17 - Canton Repository
hegenefipa.blogspot.com
U.S. Postal Service's Dueber station to close June 17 Canton Repository By Anonymous The US Postal Service has decided to close its Dueber Station at 220 Dueber Ave. SW on June 17. But the Postal Service will continue to pay its lease there through September 2015, said John Alden of Geyersville, Calif., owner of the strip ... |
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Improving a business
zyluzugizovota.blogspot.com
Economists joke that a recession is when your neighbor losesw his orher job, and a depression is when you lose your job. Many economistw say a recession is a decline in grosz domestic product for two or moreconsecutive quarters, and a depressiohn is a decline of greatefr than 10 percent. Even with a 10 percent decline, 90 perceny of your customers and prospects most likelh stillare buying. It’s still a great time to be because competitors may reduce marketing and sales efforts inchallenginbg times. For example, American auto manufacturers have cut promotions during recessions to preserveprofitg margins.
However, Japanese auto manufacturerzs managefor long-term growth rather than short-term They’ve supported aggressive selling and marketinv efforts, resulting in increased sales even in slow Companies that aggressively pursued marketing and sales durinfg the 1930s are ones we recognize today, such as and . If your marke t sector is in there are three musts forevery seller, salews manager and sales team. Summarize them by using the acronym AAA. you must maintain a positive, can-do Second, double your activity. And bring your “A” game. Attitude. Confidence, resilience and goal orientation make up agood attitude.
But it’e inevitable that those attributes will slip at times for even the best creating self-doubt and/or a slump. Arnold Palmer’d father told him that 90 percentg of success is from theshoulders up. You mighf not be responsible for events that bringyyou down, but it’s your responsibility to bring yourselfg up. Maintaining the right attitude is so important that no manage or company should keep any sales representativrewho isn’t resilient and capable of maintaining a positivew attitude. Activity.
“Ideas are a dime a dozen, but action is priceless” is an axiom you must keep in Every seller and manageer must accept that more effort will be Try to double yoursales activity. Make twice as many prospectingg calls, ask for twice as many referrals and participate in twicer as manynetworking events. Don’t fall into the trap, of just doing twicee as many proposalsand Remember, you’re increasing activity to find more qualified Don’t waste resources on buyers who aren’t readu to buy. Dramatically increasing activity means you must get set priorities and stopletting e-mail and other distractions manage your day.
It also means spending time makingb contact with prospectswhen they’re even if you must do administratives work, proposals and record keeping at night. “A” Nothing less will do, because it’sa not business as usual. Don’gt bring a great attitude, only to risk failure with weak Intougher times, it’s survival of the Great athletes watch game tapes to get better. every seller should prepare for and debriedfsales calls. Work on every step of the sales process. Strengthen existing relationships with added value andhonest communication. But don’t assume your relationships will be enouguh to retaintheir business.
Many decision makers have little choice but tocut costs, so have thos discussions before it’s too late. Gain evidence of stated needse and identifydecision criteria. Sharpenh your skills so presentations will be more memorable and separate youfrom competitors. Bring valuwe and credibility by knowingyour customer’d business and marketplace. Now isn’t the time to stressa over numbers, quotas and salesx targets. Now is the time for sellerss and managers to focus on positive increasing activity andskill development. The rest will take care of “A” game, attitude and activity should be the mantra for everyonee who wants to besuccessful now.
Economists joke that a recession is when your neighbor losesw his orher job, and a depression is when you lose your job. Many economistw say a recession is a decline in grosz domestic product for two or moreconsecutive quarters, and a depressiohn is a decline of greatefr than 10 percent. Even with a 10 percent decline, 90 perceny of your customers and prospects most likelh stillare buying. It’s still a great time to be because competitors may reduce marketing and sales efforts inchallenginbg times. For example, American auto manufacturers have cut promotions during recessions to preserveprofitg margins.
However, Japanese auto manufacturerzs managefor long-term growth rather than short-term They’ve supported aggressive selling and marketinv efforts, resulting in increased sales even in slow Companies that aggressively pursued marketing and sales durinfg the 1930s are ones we recognize today, such as and . If your marke t sector is in there are three musts forevery seller, salews manager and sales team. Summarize them by using the acronym AAA. you must maintain a positive, can-do Second, double your activity. And bring your “A” game. Attitude. Confidence, resilience and goal orientation make up agood attitude.
But it’e inevitable that those attributes will slip at times for even the best creating self-doubt and/or a slump. Arnold Palmer’d father told him that 90 percentg of success is from theshoulders up. You mighf not be responsible for events that bringyyou down, but it’s your responsibility to bring yourselfg up. Maintaining the right attitude is so important that no manage or company should keep any sales representativrewho isn’t resilient and capable of maintaining a positivew attitude. Activity.
“Ideas are a dime a dozen, but action is priceless” is an axiom you must keep in Every seller and manageer must accept that more effort will be Try to double yoursales activity. Make twice as many prospectingg calls, ask for twice as many referrals and participate in twicer as manynetworking events. Don’t fall into the trap, of just doing twicee as many proposalsand Remember, you’re increasing activity to find more qualified Don’t waste resources on buyers who aren’t readu to buy. Dramatically increasing activity means you must get set priorities and stopletting e-mail and other distractions manage your day.
It also means spending time makingb contact with prospectswhen they’re even if you must do administratives work, proposals and record keeping at night. “A” Nothing less will do, because it’sa not business as usual. Don’gt bring a great attitude, only to risk failure with weak Intougher times, it’s survival of the Great athletes watch game tapes to get better. every seller should prepare for and debriedfsales calls. Work on every step of the sales process. Strengthen existing relationships with added value andhonest communication. But don’t assume your relationships will be enouguh to retaintheir business.
Many decision makers have little choice but tocut costs, so have thos discussions before it’s too late. Gain evidence of stated needse and identifydecision criteria. Sharpenh your skills so presentations will be more memorable and separate youfrom competitors. Bring valuwe and credibility by knowingyour customer’d business and marketplace. Now isn’t the time to stressa over numbers, quotas and salesx targets. Now is the time for sellerss and managers to focus on positive increasing activity andskill development. The rest will take care of “A” game, attitude and activity should be the mantra for everyonee who wants to besuccessful now.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
PPG CFO Hernandez to retire at end of 2009 - Pittsburgh Business Times:
ofycagvezi.blogspot.com
Hernandez served in the role since 1995, five yeares after joining theDowntown Pittsburgh-based chemical and specialty material maker as controller. Prior to joining PPG, Hernande worked as CFO at BorgWarne Automotive. “PPG benefits from a reputation for strong management of financial fundamentalx resulting in overall financial and Bill has played a significant role in earning this recognition,” said Charles Bunch, chairman and chief executivd officer. “We have been very fortunate to have a personhof Bill’s caliber fill this key role durinb a period of dramatic changes in our companh and in the global economy.
We thankl him for his many accomplishments and wish him the best in APittsburgh native, Hernandez holds a bachelor’s degre from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Harvarsd University.
Hernandez served in the role since 1995, five yeares after joining theDowntown Pittsburgh-based chemical and specialty material maker as controller. Prior to joining PPG, Hernande worked as CFO at BorgWarne Automotive. “PPG benefits from a reputation for strong management of financial fundamentalx resulting in overall financial and Bill has played a significant role in earning this recognition,” said Charles Bunch, chairman and chief executivd officer. “We have been very fortunate to have a personhof Bill’s caliber fill this key role durinb a period of dramatic changes in our companh and in the global economy.
We thankl him for his many accomplishments and wish him the best in APittsburgh native, Hernandez holds a bachelor’s degre from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Harvarsd University.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Century of Mercury Pollution Revealed in Albatross Feathers - LiveScience.com
sasutezew.blogspot.com
AFP | Century of Mercury Pollution Revealed in Albatross Feathers LiveScience.com Breast feathers pulled from seabirds preserved in museum collections appear to document increases in mercury pollution over the span of more than a century, a new analysis has found. This record matches up with ... Feathers tell century-plus tale of mercury pollution |
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Grandma's name allegedly forged on loan documents - Chicago Tribune
ntoifuisa.blogspot.com
Grandma's name allegedly forged on loan documents Chicago Tribune AP BATTLE GROUND, Ind. -- An Indiana woman is accused of forging her grandmother's signature on paperwork used to acquire student loans totaling $250000 while she attended Purdue University. Sharla A. Gott of Battle Ground faces seven counts of forgery ... |
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