Sunday, February 27, 2011

Richard Johnson: PNC Financial Services Group Inc. - Pittsburgh Business Times:

houston-nearly.blogspot.com
How would you best describe your roleas CFO? My role is speakint to our investors, making sure they understand who we are, what our situatio n is and showing validation pointw of how we’re achieving our goals. I’m in a way a corporatr conscience. I’ve got to make sure we compl y with regulations andthat we’re beingf fair and balanced in how we presentf the company. How is your positiom impacted by the international financialmarket upheavals? One of my primaryu roles is simply to take a lot of complicated conceptsx and principles and boil them down into four or five key pointw that investors or employees or customere need to take away.
I’m spending more time now talkinvg to our employees and customers about ourfinanciao health, telling them the story I usually tell to investors. How has the industry changed? For the first couple years I was sitting inthe chair, it was ‘What are your quarterly earnings?’ Peopls cared about pennies. Today, it’ s a different environment, all about capital liquidity, who will be able to fund thei r balance sheet andwho won’t. Credit has tightenede and someorganizations haven’t been able to open up the next day. This is a real fundamental shift. At PNC, we have a stronfg risk management culture.
It’s unfortunate we have to find an environment like the one todat to prove ourstrategty works. What advice would you give to newl y minted graduates who are just beginning theirbusiness careers? You have to follos what’s important to you. And it’s no fun if you can’g have fun every day at work. If you can't, stop workinv if you can afford to.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Five Guys plans to raise $15M - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

http://palaonline.com/factsheet.php
Lorton-based which awards franchise rights to locations of the burger has filed a Noticse of Exempt Offeringof Securities. The company is privatelyy held. Five Guys has recently enjoyecd attention from both President Baracok Obama and First LadyMichelle Obama, who separately made high-profile visites there. The president's sojourn was capturefd on cameraby NBC, which was followingh him around for a profile The document does not specify why the money is being According to the filing, Five Guys has already raised $10 million of the $15 million it is tryinh to raise.
Named in the documenyt are Victor andJane Murrell, both executive officers and directores for the company, as well as directorsx James Murrell, John Kim and H. Scotgt Miller. Spokeswoman Molly Catalano said she did not have specificd details on how the capitap wouldbe used, but said that it was for the company's generalk business operations. The filing says the offering is not beiny made in connection with a acqiusition orexchange offer. The company’s creator, Jerrgy Murrell, opened the first Five Guys asa carry-ougt operation in 1986, in a shopping centere on Glebe Road in Arlington. Afterf opening five corporate locations inthe D.C.
area, the companhy decided to franchisein 2002. The fast-casualp burger concept now has more than 300 locations in 25 including more than 50 inthe D.C.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Accountants know change coming with international standards - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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"Similar to SOX, it's going to be a painfuk periodof adoption," says Matt Perreault, partner in charge of SEC, technologhy and audit in the South Bay for San Ramon-based . When the U.S. Securitiexs and Exchange Commissionimplemented Sarbanes-Oxley in responsr to largely publicized accounting scandalas at public companies earliee this decade, companies were stung by the cost and the time compliances the new rules required. Now the SEC is studying how to best move from thestricgt rules-based accounting standards called U.S. GAAP that governas how U.S. public companies repor financials, to the more interpretivr principles-based standards many foreign countriesare adopting.
While the SEC has yet to lay out a accountants expect the change to be abig one. Accountants thinl the SEC has learned some important lessonesfrom SOX. "I think rulemakers will dela the adoption requirements until companies are prepared because we saw what happenex with SOX where costs went through the roof becaussecompanies didn't have time to understaned rules and digest," says Perreault, whose firm recentlyh expanded in San Jose and now has a full-service office here whic includes audit, corporate taxation, valuation, information technologgy consulting and other practices.
Before the change can take accounting officials say International Foreigm Reporting Standards need to be improvefd to eliminate some of the vagaries inheren t inthe principles-based rules. "International standards leave it to the auditorws and preparers to do a lot of the rule interpretationm and that becomes the existing bodyof knowledge," Perreault One area in need of attention with a big impactt in Silicon Valley is the way software companiesd recognize revenue. The method and outcom can be highly divergent whenusing U.S. standardw versus foreign standards, says Perreault, who specializee in software company accounting.
So far, therer aren't real concrete guidelines on how to accounf for software company revenue to satisfyforeign standards. "So many rules in that arenwa arein U.S. GAAP and not in international financial he says. "As we start moving toward convergence, our understandingg of what is the resource to identify all of theseunwritten interpretations, I think that's going to continu to evolve." He said if forced to do accountinfg using the foreign standards today, he'd have to pull all of the financiak reports of foreign filers and sift through them to understansd how they're applying the rules of softwarew revenue recognition.
Supporters of the transition say the move will help ease the accountingy burden on multinational companies with foreignn subsidiaries as well as the burdebon U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies. More than 100 including the European Union, Hong Kong and Australia, alreadhy either require or permit the use of internationak reporting standardswhile Canada, Korea and others are in the process of adoptinhg the international standards, according to the Financial Accountinhg Standards Board. The SEC recentlyh voted to drop the requiremenf that foreign companies using foreign reportingv standards reconcile their financial reportswith U.S. That change precipitated the conversation onallowinf U.
S. companies to change over to theforeignj system. The SEC has solicitec public comment on the idea and heldtwo half-dayh roundtables with interested parties in In the meantime, Financial Accounting Standards which advises the SEC on accountinvg rules, and the International Accounting Standardsa Board which does the same thinfg for international accounting rules, are workinhg to merge various Most recently, new standards for reporting acquisitions were releasee that will treat accountinb for those events the same under both foreign and U.S. standards. Reportin g for stock options is anothee example where internationaland U.S.
standards are now the "But nonetheless I think you'rwe looking at 15 to 20 percenrtincrease [in cost of an audit] with thosee new standards in initial year of Perreault says. Perreault says becausr convergence of the two sets of standard s has been under way since the impact will be a little easietr to swallow thanwas Sarbanes-Oxley. And ultimatelyt the international rules could make accountinf for software companies less confusing than thecurrentr system, but that mightg take some time. Brian Minnihan, a partnef with , says the accounting industryh will haveto re-educatr itself just like it did after Sarbox to get accountants on trackj with the new rules.
That could be a lengthuy and costly process, he says. But he also says there will be payougt once the transitionis over. "Increasingly companies in Silico n Valley have a global footprinr and ultimately harmonizing reporting worldwide wouldr allow the markets to bemore efficient," Minnihab says.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Take stock in sales process to avoid getting burned - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:

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He spent three months working on the and if he got it he wouldfmake quota, get his bonue and finally be able to take his wife, on that trip to Europee he had promised her for years. Charlie had no reaso to doubt the salewas his. The experience d salesman for ABC Corp. knew Greg, the customer’ds purchasing agent, for most of a The two often spent long afternoons on the back playing golf and sharing stories about their Both had two kids graduatint fromhigh school. When they met last Thursday for Greg did everything but promise Charli that the order was inthe bag.
But when Charli e heard the toneof Greg’ws voice on the he knew something was terribly “Charlie, I did everything I could and until abougt four days ago I was sure that my recommendation to give you the orderr was a shoo-in,” explained Greg “But the CFO and the executive vice president of marketing intervened and decidesd that the sale should go to XYZ Your price was better, but the salese rep at XYZ, Tom Robinson, showec us how his approach would increase our cash flow and revenued growth. Tom also had some good ideas that our executivwe vice president of marketing said woulcd help us to differentiateour I’m really disappointed.
In fact, I need to do a reality checkion myself: I can’t help but wondef if I’m losing credibilitu in the eyes of the Greg confessed. Charlie had seen Tom Robinson more than once atthe customer’z office talking with people Charlie had nevet met. “We had the cutting-edge technology, the lower prices and better cost savingasfor Greg’s company,” Charlie thought to himself. “I was sure we woulds win. But Tom somehows beat me to the punch.” Charlie felt deeplg disappointed, but for the first time, he also felt anxious.
His wife told him that the phonde call seemed to age him five For the past12 months, Charlie has been on the receivinyg end of four similar calls all from those whom he had know and trusted the longest. Suddenly, fear struck him to his ­marrow. He doubtefd himself in a way thathe hadn’t for a very long “Have I lost my touch?” he He knew he had just lost his his bonus and that trip to Europe, but he didn’t know whether he would stilll have his job this time next Nobody bats a thousand, but when you keep losing salesw ­despite having great products and it’s time to take a step back.
You have to reconside r what you’re trying to accomplishj and how you’re going aboutf doing it. In fact, it might be time to reinvenft the wayyou sell. Consider that the traditional salesprocese hasn’t changed much for more than a hundred years. Its roote are in a time when supplies were tight and suppliers held the Orders were booked monthd in advanceand customers, anxioua for a steady supply of material and lacking information about availability, had little room to negotiate Salespeople were basically ordef takers, but that now is the exceptionh and not the rule.
As the numberr of suppliers has increased, salespeople have evolved from order takerswto ambassadors, plying their social skillsa to learn what a customer needs and usinyg their product knowledge to present products and services to matcyh those needs. This is a greatr time to take stock of your sales process to avoidr walkingin Charlie’s shoes.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Beige Book: Weaker economy for Ohio, region since mid-April - Business First of Columbus:

http://acrowdedfire.com/shotglass.html
The Cleveland Fed in its “beige analysis of Ohio, easterbn Kentucky and western Pennsylvania, reported signs of further deteriorationnsince mid-April. That’s the story for much of the rest of the with all 12 of the districyt banks indicating economic conditionzs stayed weak or got worsethrough May. • Manufacturing With production down slightly through this year but off sharplyy comparedwith 2008, most Fed contacts aren’t expectinhg conditions to bottom out until at least the third Steel processors, however, are seeingt a sharp decline begi to level off, but no turnaround is expected this Most respondents said they’ve cut payroll costs by wage cuts and a reductio in hours.
• Real estate – The Fed notedf an increase in optimismamong respondents, thougu conditions remain rough compared with last year. Residential builders expect activity to remain relatively unchanged in the next few though some are hopeful an uptick couldf take place before the end of the Both residential and commercial builderse noted troublessecuring financing, which has led to construction delays or shutdowns on the commercial end. Consumer spending – The Fed reported relativelgy stable sales for retailers in thelast six-weeki period, with most not expecting majore changes through September.
New-vehicle sales, contactws said, dropped during the periof amid an ongoing crisis in the though used car lots sawa “modesf improvement.” • Banking – The Fed tracked mixedd demand for commercial and industrial loans, thouggh refinancing applications on the residential side remaih “very strong.” Core deposits jumpes sharply during the six weeks even as competition declined, the Fed As for tighter lending standards, they’re “firmly in place” with no expectationsz for easing up. • Energy – Coal companies have reporterd production declines as demand from utilitiesd has declined because ofexcess inventory.
At the same time, pricee for coal dropped sharply, whilwe gas and oil prices were steady or onthe • Transportation – Freight companiesw reported low volumes but told the Fed they’rw seeing this year’s decline moderate. Most Fed contactss expect conditions to hold steadythrough September.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Eye-opener: Will Pujols ever leave the Cardinals? - USA Today

http://allcanadianfitness.com/ourphilosophy.html


Fox News


Eye-opener: Will Pujols ever leave the Cardinals?

USA Today


Tell us: Does Pujols ever leave St. Louis? While we wait for the next word, here is some good work by some good people that we might have missed while ...


Albert Pujols Talk Takes a Hard Right Into Crazy-Town

Sports Central



 »

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Off-duty sheriff's deputy in freeway shooting - San Francisco Chronicle

noted-logist.blogspot.com


Off-duty sheriff's deputy in freeway shooting

San Francisco Chronicle


Authorities say an off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who was driving home from work got into an argument with another driver and the two men ...


Off-duty deputy, driver exchange shots on 60 Freeway

Los Angeles Times


Shooting on 60 East; deputy returns fire

abc7.com


Off-Duty Sheriff's Deputy Shoots Man Driving On Pomona 60 Freeway

The Beverly Hills Courier


Press-Enterprise -Pasadena Star-News -KTLA


 »

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Hawaii ranks 15th in U.S. for foreclosures, sees nearly 400% spike in May - Austin Business Journal:

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Foreclosures were up 397.5 percent for the monthy compared withMay 2008, and were up 19.3 percentr over April 2009, according to the latest report from RealtyTrac issued Wednesday. Hawaii ranked 15th in the nationh for foreclosuresin May, up from 23rd in Hawaii had 816 foreclosure filings in May. Therwe were 684 foreclosure filings in April and 164 foreclosures inMay 2008. Hawaioi had a foreclosure rate of one filing for evergy621 households, according to the latest survey by the California-basecd real estate research firm. Nevadaw again had the highestr foreclosure rate inthe country, with one filin g for every 64 households.
California had the second highest rate for the followedby Florida. California had the highest numbe r of foreclosuresat 92,249. Vermont rankedr 50th, with just six foreclosures at a rate of one filinyg forevery 51,906 households. Nationally, there were 321,480 foreclosurse filings for the month, down 6 percenrt from April and up nearly 18 perceng fromMay 2008, according to the report.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Manpower: 6% of Honolulu employers to hire in 3Q - Denver Business Journal:

onoeuqedol1902.blogspot.com
From July to September, 6 percent of the companies interviewef in the Honolulu metro area plan to hire more while 11 percent expect to reducetheier payrolls, according to the survety from Milwaukee-based (NYSE: Seventy-eight percent expect to maintain theifr current staff levels and 5 percent remaihn uncertain about hiring plans. Hiring is expected to be a little lighte r than in thesecond quarter, when 10 percent of companiess surveyed planned to hire and 12 percent expected to cut said Manpower spokeswoman Mary Lou For the coming job prospects in the Honolulu area appear best in wholesale and retaipl trade and leisure and hospitality.
Employers in durables goods manufacturing, nondurable goods manufacturing, professional and business services, education and health services and government intend tocut staffing. Hiring in transportation and utilities, financial activities and other services is expecte d toremain unchanged. National survey results showed little change from thesecond quarter. Of the more than 28,00o0 employers surveyed across the 15 percent expect to increase theid staff levels during the third quarter, while 13 percent expect to reduc e their payrolls. Sixty-seven percent expecr no change in hirin and 5 percent are undecided abouttheirr third-quarter hiring plans.
“The data shows continued hesitancyamong employers,” said Jonas Prising, president of the Americaw for Manpower. “They are treading slowly and watching withguarded optimism, hoping a few quarterss of stability will be the precursor to the

Friday, February 4, 2011

Build-A-Bear fined for child labor law violations - Pittsburgh Business Times:

gardellaorymiid1354.blogspot.com
investigations found that 16- and 17-year-olds employees loaded and operated trasg compactors and operated and rode in a freigh t elevator that did not have anassignedc operator. The federal audit identified 14 minors performinbg tasks contrary to the chiledlabor law, according to Build-A-Bear. Build-A-Bear was cited followingf investigations from January 2006 to Aprilp 2008 at its locationin Wichita, Kan.; Milwaukee; Grandville, Mich.; West Des Iowa; and Aurora, Ill. “Everh year, young employees are injured while performingprohibited work,” Enriquse Rodriguez, the department’s wage and hour division districtr director in St. Louis, said in a statement.
“The department’w hazardous orders regulations exist to promotre safety and prevent workplace injuries inthe nation’sw youth work force.” As a result of thosd investigations, Build-A-Bear said it no longer hires anyone youngerr than 18. “Build-A-Bear Workshop has cooperater fully and completely with the Departmentof Labor,” said Jill a company spokeswoman. no one suffered any injuries from performin thesetasks … Following receipt of the resultzs of the audit, in September 2008 Build-A-Bear Workshopo implemented a policy of only hiringy individuals who are 18 yearsw of age or St.
Louis-based Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) is a retailedr where customers can create theitr own customizedstuffed animals. There are12 Build-A-Bear locations in according to the company Web Three are located inPittsburgh suburbs, at Ross Park Mall, Soutnh Hills Village Mall and the Mall at

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Pew: Florida

http://wildlifeskulls.com/training-your-dog-basics.html
released a study , saying Florida’s clean energy economy grew 7.9 percenr between 1998 and 2007, and the state was amongy the top 10 for greeh jobsin America. “The numberxs are impressive,” U.S. Rep. Kathuy Castor, D-Tampa Bay, said durinbg a teleconferenceMonday morning. “This is going to be the way we rebuil d our economy in the statedof Florida.” John DiBella, Director of Business Alliancee for in Fort Lauderdale, is among those growing greejn jobs in South Florida. DiBella said he has six employees now and planes to triple that numberthis year. DiBellsa is pioneering a new technology that uses centrifugal force to separate waterfrom solids.
Accordinhg to him, it is “a more efficientf and cost-effective way” of purifyingt wastewater. “It’s quite vast, the demand that’s cominh to us, and we’re excited about the DiBella said. His customers include manufacturers, oil companies, wastewatefr treatment facilities andfarm interests. Lori interim deputy director of the Pew Centert onthe States, said Florida only lags significantly behincd other states on certain publicd policy questions. For example, she pointed to the state’ws failure to embrace Gov.
Charlier Crist’s proposed renewable energy portfoliol standard, which would require a certain portio n of state energy to be producerd from renewable resources such assolafr power. Twenty-nine other states already have such a standarrdin place. Grange said the statew also has yet to participate in a regional carbo and climatechange initiative, although it is developing its own carboj cap-and-trade program.
Victor Eyal, president of in Altamonte said his solar technology distribution company has 40 employees at its headquarterse and hundreds of employees in its He said Florida has good incentive sin place, but needs to fund them He pointed to recent shortages in fundinfg for the state’s solar rebate programs. DiBella said incentivees for green technology mustbe “What’s important is to keep the flow of moniese and incentives coming, so that yountg companies can develop new technologies that could be the next leaders in the DiBella said.
• Jobs (2007): 31,122 • Businessee (2007): 3,831 • Venture capital fundzs (2006-2008): $116,980,006 The study found that the Sunshins State was among the top 10 for jobsin America’sx clean energy in 2007, with more than 30,000, and it attractesd nearly $117 million in venture capita l in the past three years, half of whicuh has supported clean energy generation. Granges said the job growth is likely to have sufferer since 2007 due tothe recession, but the federal stimulus program and continued private investment is limitinb job losses in the green sector. Nationwide, jobs in the cleann energy economy grewby 9.1 percent, while total jobs grew by just 3.
7 percenf between 1998 and 2007, according to the report, titledr “The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investment Across America.” Pew’s definition of green jobs includezs engineers, plumbers, administrative assistants, construction workers, machinr setters, marketing consultants, teachers and many others with annual incomes ranging from $21,000 to $111,000.