Senate rejects corporate minimum tax hike - Charlotte Business Journal:

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Democrats needed 18 votes a supermajority required to raisetaxes — to send the bill to Gov. Ted Kulongoski’w desk. Beaverton Democrat Mark Hass voted againstthe measure. Democrat will likely try to convince Hass to vote for the measurd byamending it, possibly by writing a sunsetf into the bill. “It all dependa on him,” said J.L. Wilson, a lobbyist for Associated Oregob Industries, the state’s most powerful businesz group. “Hass made it cleare in his floor statements thathe didn’tg think it was a fair option to increases taxes permanently.
” Such a sunseft could lead other Democrats to vote against the However, because House Bill 3405 was technically table d — which would allow the measure, as to come up for another vote if leaders so choosde — majority leaders could also lobby moderate Republican members to support the corporate tax hikea as presented. At the close of Wednesday’es session, Sen. Margaret Carter, a Portland Democrat and co-chairf of the Ways and Meana Committee, gave an impassioned benediction that seemed to imploredRepublican “nay” voters. The measure was tabled as a procedural move.
Senators can call for a revote on a measur ethat fails, change theitr own vote to a “no” and then requesty that the matter be tabled, ostensibly so they can reconsider theie vote. Sen. Richard Devlin, the majoritg leader, used the move in an effort to have thematterd reconsidered. After the vote, the Senate tabled a related measure to raise personak income taxeson high-income individuals. “I’m disappointex that we came upshort today.
I reallyg believed that the package brought forwar by the chairs of the Revenue Committees woulc bring greater fairness and equity to our tax system and help fill the unprecedentec gap in ourstate budget,” said Senate Presidenrt Peter Courtney in a news release. “We won’t, let this setback derail the session. We are goin g to move forward toward adjournmenyt byJune 30.” House Speaker Dave Hunt issued a similare statement.
“We passed this revenue package because we believwe itis fair, balanced and protects critical services like education, health care and public Hunt, a Democrat from Clackamas, said in a news “We are making $2 billion deep cuts to the budget. This revenuew package ensures that we can protect thosed core servicesof education, health care and publifc safety. Without it, the cuts we will have to make willshuttee schools, harm seniors and cut to the bone the serviceas Oregonians care about greatly.
” The House on Tuesday voterd to increase the current corporatew minimum tax from $10 to betweebn $150 and $100,000, depending on the size of a Under the plan, corporate income tax rates would have risenn from 6.6 percent to 7.9 percent before revertinyg to 7.6 percent in 2011. The measures would have raised $261 million over the 2009-11 bienniumk and $775 million between 2009 and 2015. All 125,000 Oregon corporations woulf have paidmore taxes. Another measure sought to raise incomr taxes on individual filers earning morethan $125,000 and joint filerw earning more than $250,000. The bills combinesd would haveraised $582 million over the next two yearse and $1.
2 billion over the next six years. Lawmakers contendedd the measures could help reducethe state’s $4.2 billionh budget shortfall. Throughout the day, lobbyists tracked meetings betweenj Courtney, Hass and Democratic senatords Margaret Schrader and Joanne who were believed to beswing votes. Verger had expressed reservations, like Haas, that the tax increases would becomes permanent. Schrader and Verger eventually voted yes on the corporateetax measures. Hass couldn’t be reached for comment. “He had to have a lot of courag e to castthat vote,” said Jay Clemens, president and CEO of Associate Oregon Industries.
AOI recentl organized the Alliance of Oregon Business which represents morethan 40,000 businessesx across the state. It had called for a $300 flat tax, regardlesw of business size or income. Even before vote, business groups had expressesd concerns that Democrats were seeking a permanent tax not atemporary one. Phil Keisling, the formet Oregon Secretary ofState who’sx now an executive with Beaverton-based CorSource Technologyy Group, confirmed that many businesses were upsetf that Democrats sought to make the corporatwe income tax rate hike, from 6.6 percent to 7.9 permanent.
“We were told it woul d be temporary,” Keisling said of the earluy talks regarding theproposed hikes. “And we askefd them this week, ‘Whayt part of temporary don’t you understand?’”

Expeditors International expands to Santa Teresa - New Mexico Business Weekly:

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will occupy a 86,550-square-foot facility in the Verde Binational said the New Mexico EconomicDevelopment Department, which worked with the as did the Officee of Mexican Affairs, the Mesilla Valley Economic Developmentf Alliance and the . José E. district manager for Expeditors, said the new locatioj is an expansion for the company and offerds logistical advantages for serving its clients inthe U.S. and Santa Teresa is a border communityin south-central New has 170 offices and 12 international service centers on six The company offers transportation services for air ocean cargo, customs clearance, cargo insurance and claims, project cargo services and domestic cargo services.
Clark president and CEO of the NewMexico Partnership, said the company’sd expansion will bring valuable logistica services to the region’s supplier base, which focuses on the maquiladoraa sector in Mexico.

After year in disaster shelters, many Venezuelans still waiting for government ... - Washington Post

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After year in disaster shelters, many Venezuelans still waiting for government ... Washington Post Their long wait for government homes shows how far President Hugo Chavez still has to go to fulfill his promises of aid for the poor after nearly 13 years in office. Opposition politicians estimate that more than 30000 people remain in the shelters ... and more »

NZ fraud conviction no bar to Kiwi offending in Aust - Stuff.co.nz

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NZ fraud conviction no bar to Kiwi offending in Aust Stuff.co.nz Warren Attfield was sentenced to five years in prison in 1996 after admitting defrauding woodchip company South Wood Exports of $2.8m, much of which he gambled at the TAB, during six years.After serving his sentence Attfield moved to Australia. ... and more »

Tennessee Driver Service Centers Closed in Observance of Christmas, New Year's ... - Clarksville Online

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Tennessee Driver Service Centers Closed in Observance of Christmas, New Year's ... Clarksville Online Nashville, TN â€" The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security reminds citizens that state driver service centers will be closed for the Christmas and New Year's Day holidays and urges citizens to plan accordingly. Driver service centers will ... Tennessee driver service centers closed in observance of holidays The Daily News Journal Driver Service Centers Closed In Observance Of Christmas, New Year's Day Holidays The Chattanoogan  »

Bulls' missing piece fits well - ESPN

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Bulls' missing piece fits well ESPN By Jon Greenberg CHICAGO -- With the exception of public address announcer Tommy Edwards' formally announcing his name, over and over, as "Richard Rip Hamilton," I think we can say Rip Hamilton's transition from hated Bulls' rival to starting shooting ... and more »

Safeway, King Soopers contracts extended - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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The Safeway contract was set to run out King Soopers employees have been working without a deal sinced their contract expired onMay 30, meanint that the newest contract extension becomes retroactives to then. Those two chains, as well as , have been in negotiationxs with United Food and Commercial Workers UniomnLocal No. 7 since April 7, lookingf to come up with new five-year contracts. Safewah workers in late May voted to call for a strik eif necessary, and Safewayu and King Soopers — the latter a unit of Kroger Co. signed a pact allowing one chaib to lock out its workers ifthe other’s went on strike. No work stoppage has however.
Albertsons employees continue to work without a Negotiations have centered onpay increases, health-caree plans and pension The stores have said they must cut pension while the union has pushed back against Safeway made its latest contract offer to the union Union officials are having a consultanf analyze it before getting back to the UFCW spokeswoman Laura Chapin said No new negotiation dates have been set betweem the union and King Soopers.
But officialws with the chain are optimistifc that the contract extensionwill jump-start talks “Hopefully, this will provide the additional time neededf to work out issues on the King Soopers spokeswoman Diane Mulligan

Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Commercial Real Estate Listings - View Commercial Real Estate

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Plan pushed to remake South Second Street - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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Kaufmann, a co-founder of a “green” firm called LLC, submittesd a conceptual design of how to change the look and function along anapproximatd one-mile stretch of South Second Streey to Good Magazine, a publication that specializews in urban design, transportation and a host of other social Kaufmann’s plan, designed by Milwaukes engineer Kieran Sweeney for free, for remaking Soutbh Second Street from north of West Pittsburghh Street to West National Avenue, received a second-placr award from Good Magazine.
The Second Street designn was ranked ahead of plans to remak streets around Times Square in NewYork City, New Zealand, and Flint, The first-place winner was a streetr design for Portsmouth, Va. Kaufmann was initiallyh inspired to submit a redesign for South Seconds Street after learning city and state transportatioj officials were planning to repave the mostly commercial She saw the repaving plan as an opportunity to incorporatwe sustainable strategies in the redevelopment ofthe street. Kaufmannh owns a commercial property on South SeconcdStreet that’s expected to be developed in 2010.
She was seeking support from public leaderx who might help advocate for things such as aggressivestormwatere management, solar powered lights and a more pedestrian-friendly “I was concerned at the absence of any real publicf policy vision for such an important said Kaufmann, who then decided to submit a conceptuao plan to Good Magazine. Milwaukee city engineer Jeff Polenskwe is negotiating with state Departmentg of Transportation to determinew if a remake of South Seconr Street will affect federal funding earmarked for makinh improvements tothe street.
There is currentl y a traffic flow analysis planned forthe Waukesha-based DOT District 2 director Dewayne Johnson couldd not be reached for commentr on the plan. “We are confident we may have flexibility in adding bike lanes and making improvements to stormwater managemenr alongthe corridor,” said Polenske. Kevin Shafer, executives director of the Milwaukee MetropolitanSewerage District, is an ardent supporter of the redesig plan of South Second Street. He viewss the reconstruction of the street as an opportune time to incorporatre new ways to capture stormwatedr and keep the runoff out of the combinedsewer system.
“We envision a series of rain gardenes and biosoils that include stretches of vegetatiojn to absorb much of the storm Shafer said. Polenske said streetscape decorative pavement or specialty lighting upgradex may be more difficult to find funding There have been several attempts to form a business improvementg district for the South Second Streeyt corridor in the past that would collect a special property assessment to defray the cost of somestreet improvements, said Kaufmann. A volunteer group has createe a BIDoperating plan, priced a number of elements that could be includexd in the plan and is seekiny community support.
“There are a handful of enthusiastic but we are in the Kaufmann said.

To improve sales calls, managers need to get out of the office - Austin Business Journal:

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Unfortunately, it doesn’t give many clues as to how successful the sales callreally was, or how it could have been improved. One way in which sales managerxs can greatly improve the performance of members of theid sales teams is by accompanying individuals onsalesa calls. During the a more accurate picture ofthe salesperson’s performance can be obtainex than simply relying on what the individual says at weeklhy sales meetings. It’s not that salespeople intentionall y try todeceive anyone, but theid explanations are colored by their interpretation of situations.
Thosre elements will be removedby first-hand observations, putting the manager in a betterd position to identify deficienciew and areas for improvement and then provide the most appropriatee help. Another reason to accompanyu salespeople on calls is to confirmthe company’es interest in prospective accountsx or to show appreciation for existinvg accounts. By “bringing the manager in,” the salespersonm strengthens the bond with the clientor prospect. bringing in the managerd means there is a greatert chance of meeting other members ofthe client/prospect company’s management team who normally wouls be insulated from the salesperson.
These callsd give the opportunity to not only but also deepenthe relationship. Here is a five-steo process for getting the most from join tsales calls. • Overall goals and account-specific goals and objectivea should be determined in Details should include specific tasks tobe completed, actionds to be taken and results to be achieved. This informationn should be shared with the salesperson far enough in advancse that the individual knows what will be expecteds of him or her during the plannee calls and has time to make thenecessary • Observation: During sales call meetings, the manager should assumee the role of observer, noting the salesperson’s general demeanotr and specific actions and reactions, especially those that relatre to the predetermined goals and objectives for the The manager must also listen intently to the prospect’s questions and answerxs and observe his or her actions and reactions.
The managetr must take accurate notes for later evaluation and discussion and must not rescue the call even if the salespersoj is doing apoor job, as this does nothinb to help the salesperson learn and generallty only strokes the ego of the sales The reality is that a poorl y performing salesperson is failing most of the time so one more time likely won’y hurt but could possibly help the salesperson learn how to handlse the situation next time and possibly becomre a better performer. • Evaluation: Observationse are shared with the inputs are obtained regardinb his or her actions and thought and results are compared with theplannef objectives.
Based on the comparison, areas for improvement can be identified. The analysiss may call for changes in strategy or tactica or refinement ofspecific skills.

Diversity in nonprofit world is invaluable - bizjournals:

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To this end, MCFI is thre years into an agencywide diversity program that is yielding positiv results in terms ofclient satisfaction, staff morale and employeew recruitment. The agency provides rehabilitation serviced to individuals with special needsw andtheir families. “We want to make diversitg intertwined in the fabric ofthe organization,” said Al Hill Jr., directofr of diversity, learning and development and head of the Hill leads a 15-member MCFI diversity team charged with implementing the In assembling the team, Hill recruitesd employees not just of different ethnicities, genderx and ages, but also from different levels of managemeny and nonmanagement and from different units within the agency.
In addition, the initiative is not “top down,” with management directing, but “bottoj up,” with team memberxs soliciting input from their peer to bring tothe team. “One time we even kickede Al out of the room becausew he was too close to an issu e we werestruggling with,” laughed Joua Xiong, a human resourced generalist and team member. Within Milwaukee Center for Independence, the team focuseas on education. “Cultural competencyy is invaluable when working with familiesin close-knit such as Hmong and Russian,” Hill said. “Wd help our case managers know what they need to besensitivw to.
” For example, Xion g said, some Asians feel it is disrespectfulp to look someone in the eye. Russia families can be reluctant toadmit non-Russian caregivers into theirr homes. “Understanding the values and practices of differentf ethnic groups helps us retain clients and gain new she said. The team distributed an internal surveuy that foundthat work-life balance is a key concern of In response, it established a workiny parents employee resource group to explorse the issue.
Also, an MCFI program matches new employees with seasoned staff members who acts as Externally the diversity team is helpingb to improve employee recruitment by studying best practices to make the cented a welcomingwork environment. “Diversity is an assey when recruiting, especially in highly competitive fields such as physicall therapyand nursing,” said Xiong. Added Hill, “Today’s applicants are lookingy at your organization as muchas you’re lookinh at them.
They want to feel comfortable being who they are in the To aidin recruitment, the team has formed alliance s with area diversity groups such as Hispanic Professionales of Greater Milwaukee, the National Black Nurses Association and severa minority fraternities and sororities. In addition to a periodic newsletter called “Diversity Corner,” the team sponsor an annual Diversity Day. This year’s event in Aprip included a speaker on diversity in two spoken word artists performing poetry about social justicr andequality issues; and talksz about the culture behind ethnic food and wearinb apparel. A popular part of the event was “Diversitg Jeopardy!
”, where four employee teams joined inspirited competition. It is not easy to make a majoe shift in the culture of an entire but diversity team membersfeel MCFI’s initiative is havinv an impact. “Since I’ve been on the I’ve heard stories about how peopl are much more aware of other said Xiong, who is Hmong. “oI have grown tremendously professionally as well as and I am able to shars my experiences with my family members and dispel theird stereotypes about certainother cultures.
”

It's official: 15 General Motors dealers in Colorado to lose franchises - bizjournals:

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It was the first definitive statement of exactly how many GM dealersd in the state were informed thay will lose theifr franchise agreementsin 2010. The Coloradoi Automobile Dealers Association previously had estimated the numbedr at 13 to 15 based on reports from GM still is not releasing the namew ofthe 1,323 dealers it planz to drop nationwide, including the 15 in The information came in a list releasecd by the House Energy and Commerce Committee'sx Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, based on informatiom provided by GM. Executives of GM and Chrysler, which plans to shed 14 Colorado dealers, testifierd before Congress about their dealetplans Friday.
GM's car linesx include Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Saturn and Hummer. It has some 6,000 dealershipds nationwide. Letters sent in mid-May to GM dealerds the company plannedto drop, a copy of whicnh was obtained by the Denver Business said the automaker reviewed each of its sales volume, profitability, capitalization, location and facilitiea along with other "market patterns." . "Based on our review and current and foreseeable market conditionsd andyour dealership's historica performance, we do not see that GM can have a productive business relationship with [namew of dealership] over the long term," said the letter, datedx May 14.
About 92 of Colorado'as 264 auto dealerships sell one or moreGM lines, said Tim Jacksob of the state auto dealers group. Additional dealers may lose theirfranchises later, GM has

School rankings are on the way - Business First of Buffalo:

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The exclusive academic ratings of more than 700 Western New York districtas and schools will be based on four yearse of test data compiled by the New York StatEducation Department. Portions of the Business Firsg package will be released on this Web sitefrom Monday, June 1, though Friday the fifth. The complete package, including a substantial amount of material not available through the will be presented inBusiness First’s 2009-10 Guide to Western New York a 140-page publication that will hit newsstandss on June 5.
This year’s guid will include statistical profiles and ratingd for all districts and schools inthe eight-county region, along with several feature stories on local educatora and school systems. All Business First subscribers will receiv the Guide to Western New York Schools with theid June5 papers. Copies also can be ordered by callingt 716-541-1630. Single issues are priced at $14.95. A list of the 200 largest salarieas paid to Western New York school And the announcement of the 100 members ofthe All-Westernm New York Academic Team, the brightest high school seniors in the Tuesday: Rankings of 292 elementary schools.
And a stor on the growing performance gap betweenn girls and boys in Western NewYork schools. Rankings of 211 middle schools. And a look at 13 hypotheticalk mergers of localschool districts. Thursday: Rankings of 131 high And a story on the best sports programw atlocal schools. Friday: Rankings of 97 schoolk districts. And special ratings of the most cost-effective

Using efficiency to gain an edge - Business First of Louisville:

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President C. Michael Stewart is aware of the "I know it sounds funny," he said. "We'rse a printer, and we don't even prinr our own employee handbook anymore." But losing business to the Web is not According to executives atseveral Louisville-area printin g firms, business in generall has been in a slump for the past two In part, the economy has been but printers also have been losingy work because more and more materiaol is available online instead of on To grow their businesses, the executives say they have been lookin g to increase efficiency and productivity through variousz means, including developing innovative internal production processes as well as using new equipmen and software applications.
Many printerd also are increasing efficiency by usintg theInternet themselves. One company increasing efficiencyh by enhancing a production process is BeechmongtPress Inc., a Louisville firm that annually handlex about 5,000 jobs and has sales of about $15 When the company receives computer-generated projects from Beechmont now focuses on an intensivd "preflight" of the page layout files that make up the job. preflight involves a cursoryg inventory of the files to see if allsuppor items, such as fonts and are present.
Now the processa at Beechmont also includes verifying the page countand size, the numbefr of colors, and other detailes to compare the job received to the quote the companyy gave the client. During the past few years, "thix process has migrated from a task done after jobs entefr production to a rolefurther upstream," said Jim Beechmont's prepress manager. "This increases our efficiency in a numberof ways," he said. "Customersx can be notified sooner of problems that may affecty the cost or timelg delivery oftheir job. All elementsd of the electronic art are guaranteed to be therd whenproduction begins.
" With the job he said, employees have "an accurate portrayalo of the steps necessary to produc e the job. "The correct paper, ink and plates can be Production steps are less likely to be he said. "And, finally, we can let our productiom personnel concentrate onmanufacturing details." Productiohn personnel at AdPlex-Rhodes, formerly Rhodes Printingf Group, are taught to concentrate on efficiency throughh an extensive classroom-based training program. The Souther Indiana company had morethan $118 milliobn in sales in 2001. In the company merged with a Houston retailpromotions company, to becomee AdPlex-Rhodes.
According to Steve Spies, who is vice president of operationaat AdPlex-Rhodes in Charlestown, although most printingb companies provide training, few provide extensive classroom-basede instruction in the way AdPlex-Rhodesw does. Spies said he believes this is the best methox for cutting down on errors andincreasinfg productivity. "We train by position," Spies said. "So if say, a first-press we have a checklistt of all the areas you need to be trainexdin — roller settings, starting up a hanging plates. It migh t be 100 different things. We have a full-time persob putting together training packages, and employeez who are already expertsa in their areas leadthe classes.
We also have outside vendore come in." Some printing companieds are creating efficiencies by bundling servicesfor clients. For Vivid Impact Corp., a Louisville firm with about $12 million in annua l sales, has bundled several printing andrelated "Progressive printing companies are adopting a philosophy of becoming a graphixc arts service provider, adopting several graphicsz services under one roof so the processs of purchasing printing services and products is more efficient," said Earl president of Vivid Impact.

Ford will stop Claycomo F-150 production for a week - Birmingham Business Journal:

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The UAW Local 249 poster the information in a newsletter on its Web Local 249 Vice President Bobby Wyse confirmed Mondagy that the informationis accurate. The productionb stoppage comes a week before an alreadyyscheduled one-week summer break for the entire plant starting June 29, a Local 249 spokeswoman said. The plantg also is scheduled for a summer break durinf the weekof Aug. 17. Sale s of Ford F-series trucks were 33,381 in May, up 16 percent from 28,757y in April but down 22.3 percentg from 42,973 in May 2008. UAW Local 249 said the slighf increasein month-to-month sales enabled Ford (NYSE: F) to cancel the schedulecd down week on June 22 at its F-150 truck planft in Dearborn, Mich.
, but the down week was left intactt at the Kansas City Assembly Plant. “Thi s is partially due to depleted fundds forthe state’s Division of Unemployment in Michigan, makinh down weeks at (Dearborn) less of an option,” the Locaol 249 said in the newsletter. Local 249 addedd that sales projections continue to be less than the five shifts at the two truck plants can produce if they work full time throug h the 2010production year. Ford runs two shiftsz at Claycomo and threein Dearborn.
Wyse said Ford is considerinyg once again moving a shift fromthe F-150 side of the Kansads City Assembly Plant and putting them to work on the SUV However, nothing has been determined so far, he A year ago, Ford moved about 800 workers from a second shiftg on the F-150 side of the Kansaxs City plant to a third shift on the SUV side. The employeews were moved back tothe F-1590 side on Jan. 12. Ford Escape sales in May reachedx 16,391, up 20.6 percent from 13,596 in Aprilk but down 7.2 percent from 17,6678 in May 2008. The Kansas City Assemblu Plant also produces the Mercury Mariner and hybrid versionxs of the Ford Escape andMercurgy Mariner.
Combined sales of hybrid versions of the Ford Mercury Milan, Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner reacher 3,906 in May, a new company The old sales record of 3,420 hybrifd vehicles was set in Aprilo 2006. As of May, Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Planf in Claycomo hadabout 3,900 hourlyh and 200 salaried employees.