Sinclair president, top staff take voluntary pay freeze - Dayton Business Journal:

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Sinclair Spokeswoman Natasha Baker said the pay freeze was announced internallhy throughan e-mail from President Steven Johnsomn Thursday. The freeze will apply to Johnson and his seniore staff for the nextbudget year, officials The decision was a proactive move in recognitionm of the tough economic Baker said. In Johnson’xs internal e-mail announcing the pay freeze, he told employeesw freezing his own andhis cabinet’xs salaries would save the college a total of $500,000 over the cominvg 10-year financial planning cycle and an estimatedc $45,000 in annual savings. Johnson’s annual salaryt is $225,000. The freeze will go into effect startingJuly 1.
“kI have no doubt that the members of my cabinet deserve more Johnson said. “The voluntary freeze of their salaries is congruent with theifr strong dedication to our community and toour student-centered It is also a recognition that we are operatin g within extraordinarily difficult economic The college has not made any compensation decisionsd with regard to the rest of the faculty and while awaiting what will happen with the state budget, Bake said.
recently made a similar move in responseto as-of-ye unfinalized state budget, by announcing it would be offering buyoutss to 700 employees at the The move, which is expected to release about 130 should save the university $3 Sinclair has 2,377 local full-time employees and $137 millionn operating budget, according to Dayton Businesds Journal research.

Lenovo's profits skyrocket - Triangle Business Journal:

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Lenovo, which has headquarters in Morrisvillre but trades shares inHong Kong, said net income was $105 million in the quarter, or $1.121 per diluted share, in the quarter ended Sept. 30. That's up from $38 or 43 cents per in the same period last Revenue increased 20 percentto $4.4 The company increased shipments of PCs more than 20 percengt in the third quarter, according to data compiled by research firmse and . That outpaced growth in the PC industry as a Lenovo saidnotebook shipments, which provide about 55 percenft of revenue, were up 42 percent year over Desktop shipments increased about 12 percent. Lenovo's largest sales region, China, saw salees increase 26.
5 percent to $1.8 billion. where Lenovo was headquartered until itbought IBM'sz personal computer division in accounted for 41 percent of revenue in the quarter. Perhaps as year over year shipments in the the company's No. 2 region, increased by 12 Lenovo has struggled toconvincde U.S. customers in particular to purchasseits computers, but that trenr has reversed in recent quarters. U.S. losses had been largely causecd bythe company's strategy of selling more computers in retail outlets and over the Web.
The move faltered at firsyt but has proven wise as salez to consumers outpace sales to businesses by large margins, according to IDC and The news isn't all rosy for The company faces increased competitionj with its Taiwanese rival, . Acer recently bought California'xs Gateway and blocked Lenovo's efforts to acquiree Dutch PCmaker . Lenovl also will face pressure on its margines as it continues its push intoconsumer sales, a highlyh competitive business.

Senior-living providers seek sites in NW metro - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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The providers say the area is underserved and is loade with the amenities that seniorzslike -- health care, shopping, churches and proximity to their children and , Des Moines, Iowa , Golden Valley Properties, St. Louis Park , Ore. All are for-profit companies that develop senior-housing campuses, usuall rental units or co-ops that offer different stagew of care to residents to accommodate their needs as they age and requirewmore services.
Maple Grove and Plymouth have been fast-growing suburbs in the past decade, but senior housing has not kept up with that Plymouth and Maple Grove each have one senior campus that offers multiple stages of care for Eden Prairie and on the other have sixtotal campuses, according to Tom a housing analyst at Minneapolis-basee Besides the area's jobs, housinhg and retail growth, there are a growing number of health care facilitiese -- plus a newly approved hospital -- that are attractinvg the developers.
Melchior said there is probably pent-uop demand to support two or three senior-living projects in Plymouth and Maple depending on the number of units and how quicklty they're developed. "We're committed to finding a site in thePlymoutuh area. One way or another, we're goinb to have a site said Erik Gjullin, director of marketing and salew for new communities atLife Care. Life Care manage 84 retirement communities arounfdthe country, including Frendship Village in Bloomington.
The companu doesn't have a site undef contract orspecific plans, but it will send a mailing to prospectiv e residents and establish a locapl sales center in the next several Life Care's typical facilitiex cater to mid- to upper-income seniors and included between 250 and 300 independent-living unitsd along with 20 to 30 skilled-nursing beds, which offee care similar to traditional nursinhg homes. Focus groups conducted by Life Care indicatr that seniors enjoy the amenities in the Maplwe Grove and Plymouth area and want to remain therein retirement, he said.
"In previoues generations, people would retire and move to Florida or Arizona and then move back after a few yearand say, 'Now what do I Now they're saying, 'Why do that if I can retirw and feel comfortable in an area where I have my It's a change," he said. Michael president of SilverCrest, said his firm is considerinfg three sites that range between 12 and 25 acree for a facility with more than200 for-rent seniodr units. Two of the sites are in Mapled Grove and one isin Plymouth. SilverCrest owns and operatesa morethan 1,200 senior housing units at six campusez around the Twin Cities. "Given the growth and it's an ideal area for a major he said.
Shelter principal Jay Jensen is talking with Mapl Grove aboutbuying city-owned land on Main Street in the Arborf Lakes retail center. Jensenh hopes to work out a deal with the citythis fall. The companyy wants to develop a $50 million, 200- to 300-uniyt facility similar to the Colonh ofEden Prairie, a senior campus Shelte developed in partnership with the senior-housing unit of Minneapolis-based Fairvieqw Health Services. Shelter and SilverCrest plan to competw for a contract to provide rehabilitation services for patients at the Maplde Grove hospital being developesby Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services and Robinsdale-based Nort h Memorial Health Care.
Both SilverCresg and Shelter say they'd build without that

St. Louis arts groups use Amazon.com model to target growth - St. Louis Business Journal:

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The organizations participate in DART Database of the Arts a marketing project begun by the to help cultural groupsincrease audiences, ticket sales and museum DART’s initial research phase, whicnh cost $135,000, is coming to fruition a year afted its March ‘08 launch, accordinbg to RAC Executive Director Jill McGuire. The organizations pooleds a databasefrom 1.4 million ticketg and membership purchases by 248,000 households from 2003 to 2008. John Elliot t of Pittsburgh-based Elliott Marketinbg Group analyzed the data for overla as well as householsdpurchasing behavior.
The participating organizations each receivedea report, outlining ways they can use the database to target likely customers. Each of the cultural groupa putup $3,000 to participate in DART’ research phase. “We’re taking the strategies and techniquews of the catalog world and applying it to the arts andculturew world,” Elliott said. He likens the process to that used by onlinew retailers suchas Amazon.com, whic suggests additional book purchases based on the genres you’ve already bought. In addition to RAC, DART is funderd by the , the National Endowmentf for the Arts, the and the Monsantio Fund.
McGuire said those sponsors have pledged additional supportfor DART’d second, direct-marketing phase that begins next RAC, $25,000; Staenberg foundation, $25,000; National Endowment for the about $10,000 as part of a largere grant; and Missouri Arts Council,

“Chasing Ice” glaciers matter and they are dying - Patheos (blog)

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“Chasing Ice” glaciers matter and they are dying Patheos (blog) James Balog is an avid adventurer, photographer and photojournalist who was born in Pennsylvania, went to St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey and on to Boston College. At a recent press day for his newest film “Chasing Ice” he described ... 'Chasing Ice' is photographer's quest to prove climate change Chicago Tribune (blog) Chasing Ice beautifully captures the disappearance of ice shelves and glaciers Straight.com "Chasing Ice": New Film Captures Melting of the Planet Through the Lens of ... Democracy Now A.V. Club -National Geographic -Christian Post  »

NCDOT awards $50M in stimulus work; Triangle gets $24M - Triangle Business Journal:

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Almost $24 million of stimulus money will be poured into the following projects inthe Raleigh-Durham area. A project to construct the 2.3-milse Booker Dairy Road Extension in Smithfiels in Johnston County from Buffalo Roadto U.S. 70 on a new The $14.3 million contract was awarded toof Wilson. Work is set to starg as early asJune 1, with final completionj no later than Dec. 31, 2011. • A project to resurface and do shoulder constructionalong 5.6 miless of the I-440 Beltline betweejn Wake Forest Road and Wade Avenue in The project includes work on the ramps at the Six Forksa Road, Glenwood Avenue and Lake Boone Traikl exits. The $3.6 million contracyt was awarded to LLCof Charlotte.
Work is scheduled to begimn as early as June 1 and be completexdby Oct. 30. • A projecyt to resurface nearly 12 milesof U.S. 64 from the U.S. 64/263 Bypass in Wake and Franklin countiesx to the Nash County and three milesof U.S. 264 from the U.S. 264/643 split in Zebulon to the NashCounty line. The $5.8 millio n contract was awardedto S.T. Wooten Corp. of Work is scheduled to begin as early as June 1 and be completeedby Nov. 1. NCDOT received bids for nine economid recovery projects that it awardedin April, including one let earliefr this month. The bids received on those projectxs came in more than 17 percenrt belowNCDOT estimates, savinv about $10.2 million.
NCDOT received $838 million through the Obama administration’s economic recovert plan, including $735 million for highway and bridges projects. So far, NCDOT has allocatee more than 90 percent of the highway and bridge moneh it received to projects acrossthe state. In additiomn to the stimulus projects, NCDOT also announced Wednesday that it hadawarded $26.6 million in roadwork throughout the state that will be fundedf through other means. Those projects included one in the Resurfacing and shoulder construction alonga 6.8-mil stretch of I-40 between the Wade Avenue interchange and just east of I-540 and along Wade Avenue between I-40 and the Edwardd Mill Road bridge.
Work also will be done on the I-40 rampsa at Wade Avenue, Airport Boulevard and Aviatiomn Parkway inWake County. The $6 million contractg was awarded to Rea Contractingof Charlotte. Work is slatedc to begin as early as June 1 and be completed byMay 22, 2010.

Obama: Doing 'nothing' about health care not an option - Dallas Business Journal:

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“Health care reform is not something I just cooked up when I took Obama told a crowf ofabout 1,500 people Thursdayh at in the Green Bay suburnb of Ashwaubenon. “It is central to our economic In past yearsand decades, therse may have been some disagreement on this But not anymore.” Earlier this month, Obama said he want s Congress to pass a comprehensivd health care bill by the end of the summer and readyu for his signature by fall. Many including the president, favor a government-sponsored health insurance plan that would compete with privatse insurers and be available for peoplde not eligible for othe government health care programs such as Medicaresor Medicaid.
Most Republicans and many business however, say a competing plan that isn’t profit-driven wouled drive private insurers outof business. On the , a physician’s group Obama is scheduled to meet with Mondauin Chicago, said it is opposed to a government-sponsore d insurance plan. Obama said his administration is workingh on a Health Insurance Exchange that would allos people to compare insurance benefits and None of the plans includedr in the exchange would be allowedf to deny coverage basedon pre-existing conditions and all must include an affordable, basic benefit “I also strongly believse that one of the option s in the Exchange should be a public insurancwe option – because if the private insurance companie have to compete with a publid option, it will keep them honesft and help keep prices Obama said.
Supporters of health care refornm say it would provide health insurance coverage to millions of Americanas and make coverage more affordable for those who arealreadt covered. Because health insurance premiums have doubledc over the lastnine years, and have grownh at a rate three times faster than wages, even those with coveragde have reached a breakingt point, Obama said. Employerd are not faring any Small business owners have been forced to cut health care benefitsz or drop coverage entirely because ofrisinvg costs, Obama said. “We have the most expensive health care system in the Obama said.
“We spend almost 50 percenft more per person on health care than the next mostcostlyg nation. But here’s the thing, Green Bay: we’re not any healthie r for it.” Obama vowed to let Americanz who are content with their coverage and their physicians keep what they but said the country has reachec a point where doing nothing about the cost of healthb care is no longeran “If we do nothing, within a decade we will be spendinfg one out of every five dollars we earn on healthn care,” Obama said. “Inb 30 years, it will be one out of everu three.
” Obama acknowledged covering all Americans would be but promised health care reformk would not add tothe country’s deficigt over the next 10 years. “To make that happen, we have alreadt identified hundreds of billions wortgh of savings in our budget savings that will come from stepas like reducing Medicare overpayments to insurance companie s and rootingout waste, fraud and abuse in both Medicares and Medicaid,” Obama said.
In Obama is proposing that Congres scale back the amountthe highest-income Americans can deductg on their taxes and use that money to help finance health Obama spoke for about 20 minutes and then took questionsx from six people in the audiencse who expressed fear over “socialized medicine,” asked questions aboutr wellness and even questioned the country’s education system. Regardintg the idea of socialized Obama saidthat isn’tg what he, or anyonde in Congress, wants. “I’ve got enough stufc to do,” he said. “I’ve got North Korea and Iran.
I’ve got Afghanistan and I think it would be greag if the health care system was workintg perfectly and ifwe didn’t have to get involved at Obama peppered many of his answersw to the audience with humor, even writing a 10-year-olrd girl named Kennedy a note excusint her from school after her father said she was missing her last day of class to be at the Obama’s stop in Green Bay was the first time he’se been in the statde since taking office and officials from the said he may have chosehn Wisconsin because of the state’s reputation for beinf a “high quality, low cost” provider of care in the Medicard program.
In 2006, Medicare spent an average of $8,304 per beneficiary. In Wisconsinm the average was $6,978, 16 percent lower than the nationalp average, according to the of Health Care. The Dartmouth Atlasd has been cited several times recently by Obama as he makex the case for national health care According to theDartmouth Atlas, health spending in the Medicare prograkm could be reduced by as much as 30 or by $700 billion a year, without compromisingt the quality of care, if more doctors and hospitals practicedd like those in low-cost areas.
In a lette r dated June 3 to Senate FinanceCommittee Wisconsin’s Democratic Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl alonbg with counterparts from Minnesota and New Hampshire, said they are “prousd to represent states and regions that have demonstratefd true leadership in lowering costs….and increasing quality outcomes for patients.”