Saturday, December 19, 2009

“Business briefs - Dubuque Telegraph Herald” plus 4 more

“Business briefs - Dubuque Telegraph Herald” plus 4 more

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Business briefs - Dubuque Telegraph Herald

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 07:57 AM PST

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

New Ken-Arnold School District board hires full-time business manager - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 07:57 AM PST

The district will start 2010 with a full-time business manager after going more than a year without one.

The New Kensington-Arnold School District board unanimously hired Lower Burrell accountant Jeffrey McVey on Thursday. Pending approval of the written agreement with the district, McVey will begin Jan. 6 at a prorated salary of $88,000.

Although McVey has not worked as a school business manager before, school board President Bob Pallone said McVey is familiar with school finances through his auditing work.

McVey, a certified public accountant, conducted the audit in 2008 that recognized multiple problems in New Kensington-Arnold's athletic department.

The district has not had a full-time business manager since Audrey Wood went on medical leave in October 2008. Through an undisclosed agreement with the district, Wood will act as a consultant through the 2009-10 school year and continue to be paid her full salary of about $89,000.

Kevin Palladino, a retired business manager from Kiski Area and Arnold's city controller, has served as interim business manager since Wood went on leave. He works about two days a week at a daily rate of $375.

Palladino assisted Rick Nealer, the district's full-time assistant business manager who was hired in June 2008 during a restructuring of the business office. Nealer remains on the job but the district is not expected to continue using Palladino's services.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

UPI NewsTrack Business - Investors Business Daily

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 07:57 AM PST

Dec 19, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The storm barreling up the East Coast Saturday will disrupt sales on what is usually the busiest day of the year for U.S. retailers, industry analysts say.

Forecasters were predicting 10 to 20 inches of snow in Washington and significant snowfall in New York and other major metropolitan areas. In Washington the first flakes fell Friday night, while Boston was expected to be spared until late Saturday.

Scott Bernhardt, chief operating officer of Planalytics, a Wayne, Pa., company that provides weather consulting for retailers and other businesses, told The Washington Post about 30 percent of Wal-Mart and Target stores would be hurt by the storm on the last Saturday before Christmas. Around Dec. 10, the company began warning retailers of a heavy storm before Christmas.

"People can handle flurries. They can handle rain, a little bit of icing," Bernhardt said. "But when it starts to accumulate, that's the tipping point."

Analysts said some shoppers went out Friday night to do Saturday's Christmas shopping. Major storms also drive up sales of items like snow shovels.

But that could be cold comfort for many retailers.

"Lost sales also equal lost opportunities," said Paul Walsh of Environmental and Analytic Research in Massachusetts. "I can guarantee you there are retail executives that will not be sleeping well tonight."

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Two Southern California banks stung by mortgage defaults have been closed by federal regulators and their assets assumed by others, officials said.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Friday that First Federal Bank of California and Imperial Capital Bank of La Jolla were closed, and both were sold immediately to other Southern California institutions, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The closures bring the number of U.S. banks closed this year to 140, the newspaper said.

Regulators announced that the 39 branches of the 80-year-old First Federal Bank of California would reopen Saturday as part of OneWest Bank, a Pasadena, Calif., a lender created early this year from the ashes of collapsed home lender IndyMac Bank, the Times said.

Imperial Capital Bank of La Jolla, meanwhile, was dealt by the FDIC to City National Bank of Los Angeles. The newspaper said the latter institution is emerging as one of the survivors of the banking industry's near-meltdown.

Figures indicate First Federal, originally based in Santa Monica, Calif., booked $547 million in losses over the last seven quarters because of "pay-option" adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, which allowed borrowers to pay so little each month that their loan balances could actually increase.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Business Browser - Free Lance-Star

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 08:19 AM PST

By Bill Freehling

Dec. 19, 2009 11:21 am

One Second AfterMy wife and I had the same thought while walking our dog around downtown Fredericksburg today -- This feels like "One Second After."

"One Second After" is a fictional book written this year by William R. Forstchen. I did a Business Browser column about the book in September. It tells of an electromagnetic pulse hitting the U.S. after a nuclear weapon is detonated over the middle of the country. The EMP destroys the country's electrical grid, which prevents most cars from working. Suddenly what used to be busy roads become pedestrian-only.

The sidewalks in Fredericksburg were way too snow-infested to walk Eddie, who stands about 1-foot off the ground. So we walked right down Washington Avenue and William Street. We never had to move for a single car.

Of course to a certain extent this is overly melodramatic. While the EMP permanently changed the world Forstchen writes about, this snowstorm will be over in a day and the roads will probably be cleared not long after. Still, it was a somewhat surreal experience today.

No business like mom's business - Central Penn Business Journal

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 07:07 AM PST

With two children, a husband and a house, Karen Zemitis of Hummelstown wanted to quit her full-time pharmacy technician job and be a stay-at-home mom. But she also wanted to bring in some income.

During a shopping trip in Lancaster, she noticed soy candles and purchased a kit for making them. After a year of research, formulating and testing to create her own product, Zemitis got a business license for her company, Countrytrail Soy Candles, which she now operates in her home.

"People started buying the candles, and my business grew just from family, friends and word-of-mouth," Zemitis said. "I'm surprised at how the business took off."

Women are finding ways to have it all -- taking care of children as well as working to supplement family incomes. But the ideal situation for some is the ability to have a home-based business and be available when family needs arise.

Zemitis said she had to make a choice of working outside the home or diving head first into the candle business.

"I knew I couldn't do both," she said. "My husband, Peter, supported my decision."

Countrytrail Soy Candles' revenue has grown 18 percent each year since the company started in 2005. From September to December 2009, Zemitis sold more than 2,700 candles at fundraisers, with a portion of the proceeds going to the charity. She also sells soy candles on her Web site.

"I ship all over the United States," she said. "This year I got my first order from Puerto Rico."

More important to Zemitis are the personal benefits. She's able to work around her children's school and sports activities, and the children, now ages 14 and 12, go with her to craft shows. A separate room in their home is dedicated to the candle business, where family members lend a hand. Her children and the neighborhood kids give her feedback when she creates a new scent.

"When Craig and Dylan were little, I had them putting on the warning labels," Zemitis said. "My husband picks up supplies and wicks hundreds of jars."

But a home-based business can present challenges.

"The challenge is balancing work and life as the business grows," Zemitis said.

Lizzie Jordan agrees. Jordan started her floral designing business, Lizzie Jordan Flowers, from her home in April. She just opened her bricks-and-mortar shop in Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County, this month.

Jordan rents the 850-square-foot shop from her husband and father-in-law, who own the building. There's a separate room inside where her children, ages 6 and 3, can play.

"Trying to balance two young children, two dogs, my husband and a house is a challenge," Jordan said. "I do a lot of volunteering, and that's been the biggest challenge. That's still very important to me. But you can't do everything really well."

Jordan was a teacher but knew she wanted to start her own business. Her husband persuaded her to try.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)