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To celebrate Ford's return to endurance racing, we drive continuation cars of the Shelby Cobra MKIII, Daytona Coupe, and the GT40 MKII from Superformance.
Originally developed with the sole purpose of being a Ferrari rival to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Ford GT40 became a prominent racing machine in the 1960s in both Europe and the US. Not wanting to leave such an important car out of the fun, the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance also took time out from its other celebrations to recognize the 50-year anniversary of the GT40.
The 18th-annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance took place this past weekend, and in one of the show's biggest years yet (bringing in more than 25,000 spectators and attracting more than 300 vehicles), two powerhouses ended up winning the judges' hearts. The top Concours d'Elegance award went to a 1936 Duesenberg SJN, while the Concours de Sport went to one of the celebrated marques, a 1968 Ford GT40.
RH Motorsports liked the look of the Matech GT1 so much, they bought all of the company's molds, engineering and complete bodywork for its GT3 race car. With that already-developed knowledge, RH plans to manufacture 20 turnkey, street legal GT1-S cars.
There are no certainties on the auction circuit, though any association with the late Steve McQueen can almost guarantee an upward nudge on the final bid. Throw in a provenance that includes multiple racing wins, work in one of the most beloved films in automotive history along with an iconic livery and you've got the 1968 Ford GT40 Gulf/Mirage Lightweight Racing car seen here. The car took the checkered flag at Spa in 1967 when it was still Mirage M.10003, becoming the first car to wear the pow
The list of classic cars slated to go up for auction during the Monterey car week in August continues to grow, with the latest being a pair of two Ford GT40 coupes that will be up for grabs at RM's sale.
Hey, it certainly looks cooler than a Mitsubishi i.
It was a big weekend for Sean Kennedy, Mark Heidaker and the team at Hennessey. The trio managed to walk straight past the previous world record for the standing mile with a top speed of 257.7 mph. Kennedy took the wheel of Heidaker's Hennessey-prepped Ford GT for the feat. The vehicle used to be both twin-turbocharged and supercharged before Heidaker decided he needed a little more thrust. Hennessey then ditched the supercharger for a more efficient twin-turbo setup. The work seems to have paid
Remember this chromed Buick Regal? At the time of publication, we said there were some cars that looked better in chrome than others, and this is what we had in mind.
Cobras, Tigers and... Ferrari's? Oh my! If you happened to miss our post on the '60s touring cars that took to the track at the 2011 Goodwood Revival, you may not realize just how amazing vintage racing can be. And it gets even more interesting as the value and historic significance of the cars increases.
Ford GT – Click above for high-res image gallery
Ferrari and Ford retro supercars on The Smoking Tire – Click above to watch the video after the jump
The Ford GT has always been badass. When it went into production in 2003, all of those kit cars from back in the day suddenly paled in comparison to a genuine GT40-inspired supercar. It was a relative bargain, too. Of course, when we say relative bargain, we mean expensive. Always willing to settle, we've found a way to claim with a straight face that we own a GT. It's still not cheap, but it's hundreds, not hundreds of thousands. Winding Road has pointed us to the 1:6 scale remote control Ford
Most kit cars we come across are near faithful representations of their muse. Unfortunately, there's always something a little off about the design that doesn't quite match up with the way we remember the original, and nearly always they're only skin deep, offering up merely the appearance of authenticity with the substance of something much lesser. Superformance, the producers of the best Cobra and Cobra Daytona Coupes replicas in the business, builds something a little more than a "kit car". A


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JLL wins Bromley instruction
Published: 09 January, 2017
JLL appointed to manage The Glades shopping centre in Bromley
JLL’s retail management team has been instructed by LaSalle Investment Management to manage The Glades shopping centre in Bromley which formerly traded as intu Bromley, after a competitive pitch.
This change of management follows LaSalle’s purchase of the centre on behalf of Alaska Permanent Fund in December 2016. Located in the centre of Bromley, the 500,000-sq ft shopping centre includes 150 retail units and has 1500 car parking spaces.
JLL’s dedicated retail management team manages in excess of 100 shopping centres in the UK and this new instruction rounds off a successful 2016 for the team.
Jordan Jeffery, head of JLL’s retail management team, said: “Managing a shopping centre such as The Glades, Bromley requires a deep understanding of the retail sector and the underlying shopping habits of consumers and how both are evolving in the current climate. We were successful in winning the instruction against stiff competition and now look forward to adding real value on this key regional shopping centre in the years to come."

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A lawsuit filed in New Jersey state court Monday accuses Canton-based Dunkin’ Brands of “systemic racial discrimination” against minority franchisees by steering them to poorer neighborhoods while awarding more lucrative locations to white franchise owners.
Former franchise owners Reggie and Amy Pretto filed the suit in Superior Court in Middlesex County, alleging Dunkin’ Brands “steered” them to open stores in poor neighborhoods by falsely claiming that no opportunities were available elsewhere. The Prettos, an African-American couple from Montclair, NJ, also said Dunkin’ lied to them about how much money their stores would make, when in fact their stores in Maryland struggled, leading Reggie Pretty to file for bankruptcy in 2007.
“The Prettos are looking to get damages for the wrongs that were done to them by Dunkin’,” said Jerry Marks, the couple’s attorney. “But more important, they’re seeking corrective damages, so that Dunkin’ not only doesn’t do this in the future, but ensures that there’s equality of opportunity for all Americans, especially African-Americans and women, so that everyone has an opportunity to sell Dunkin’ products as well as consume them.”
Dunkin said it was unable to comment because the matter is in litigation.
The story was first reported by the New York Post. Dunkin’ has been sued periodically over time by franchisees alleging racial discrimination and sexual harassment.


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With Spring, an attempt to make the brick-and-mortar retail experience mobile
Earlier this summer the venture capitalist David Tisch quietly revealed a pedigreed list of investors from the fashion and tech worlds that poured $7.5 million into a mysterious shopping app called Spring. Until today, not much was known about the app, which has launched for Apple’s iOS. Its premise: “Shopping as entertainment,” a lofty goal that many startups have gone after but nearly none have truly nailed.
Companies such as OpenSky, Fancy, Wanelo, WantWorthy, in addition to hundreds of others, have tried to extend the in-person experience of browsing a shopping mall to the online environment. Fab.com, the design-centric online furniture store, might have come closest, with its “shoppable,” Pinterest-like news feed. That company’s idea was to get people to scroll through images of products in a moment of boredom, with a simple single tap of the finger to buy. At one point, Fab’s news feed was driving twice as many purchases as its homepage. Then the wheels fell off at Fab. The company will likely sell for a pittance of its $1 billion valuation.
Spring aims to build on the lessons of Fab and its peers, which Tisch say lacked selection and a variety of price points, and did not let brands control the experience. Tisch, along with his younger brother Alan, have spent the last year building Spring with a team of 32 people in New York. The app itself is beautifully designed and dangerously simple to shop from. But the real key to Spring’s success, if it does become a success, will be Spring’s relationships with fashion brands.
The company hired April Uchitel, a fashion-industry veteran who was most recently at DVF, as its chief brand officer. Over the last year and a half, Uchitel and team Spring have painstakingly convinced 450 apparel brands to sell their wares on the app. Why Spring? Because it allows brands to have complete customization and control over the look and the shopping experience in the app. (The brands handle shipping, logistics and customer support.) Spring takes a “fraction” of the 10% cut on sales taken by affiliate marketplaces like Amazon, Tisch says. Spring also integrates with Shopify, Magento, Stripe and other e-commerce software providers, allowing brands five different ways to plug their inventory into the app. Further, everything on Spring is shoppable, as the site doesn’t include user-generated content. As a result, brands such as Opening Ceremony and Rebecca Minkoff have signed on. For at least 30 of them, including Marchesa and Thakoon, Spring is their first foray into direct-to-customer e-commerce.
It is somewhat of a surprise that luxury brands like Proenza Schouler would happily position themselves in a feed that includes more casual brands like Levi’s or Warby Parker. In a traditional setting, Dior would certainly refuse to be in the same hall as an H&M. But Spring has purposely embraced “high-low” because its customers shop from both luxury and down-market brands. “Brands want to be where their customers are, and they understand their customers are high-low customers,” Tisch says.


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Jewelers on Main Street. A place to replace your watch band. The store is now closed.
Ralph Seyfried originally opened the store on East Liberty Street in the 1910s before moving to 304 S. Main Street in the 1930s. Seyfried sold the store to brothers Jim and Bill Hart in 1978, who operated the store until 2013. The Harts cited an impending 60% increase in their rent by new landlords after a 2012 purchase of the building as pushing their decision to retire.
- Sign, 1971
- Ann Arbor News, 27 Oct 2013: Seyfried Jewelers to close downtown Ann Arbor store after 100 years
- Ann Arbor News, 10 Jan 2012: Metro Detroit doctor buys Main Street buildings that house Starbucks, Black Pearl for $1.8M
- Seyfried Jewelers, Old News collection.


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BY MEHMET NABI BATUK
Operating in the automotive, white goods, construction, insurance, air conditioning, energy and mining industries, Derya Group has released its variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air conditioner to the market with its DRC Tech brand, according to Huseyin Kis, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Derya Group.
“We’ve contributed to a sustainable approach by developing a product with a low energy consumption rate,” said Kis.
The company, which has some retail power in the air-conditioning sector, has regional dealerships offering global brands such as Samsung and Siemens and is the main distributor of the Midea brand in the Southeastern region.
Its goal is to become a solution partner of VRF air conditioner projects in the region with the DRC Tech brand.
“We’ve experienced serious export demand and may export our first products to the Middle East soon,” said Kis.
The company aims to grow by at least 30% at the end of the year on an annual basis.


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Governor Steve Bullock and the Agriculture Development Council recently announced over $600,000 in grants and loans to agricultural businesses and organizations across Montana via the Growth Through Agriculture program. Included in the grants are significant amounts directed toward the Montana beer industry.
The Growth Through Agriculture program grants and loans are awarded by the Agriculture Development Council, a seven-member committee appointed by the Governor.
“This funding will support growth and diversification throughout the agriculture industry by adding value to Montana’s high-quality agriculture products in new and innovative ways,” said Governor Bullock in a press release.
Seventeen businesses and organizations were awarded $509,701 in grants and $140,000 in loans through the program which was established by the legislature to strengthen and diversify Montana’s agricultural industry by boosting development of new agricultural products and processes. That includes a supplemental financial package from Sambla Finland.
Montana beer industry recipients for Fall 2016 grants are:
- Ravalli Hops received a grant for $25,000 to assist with the expansion of their hop farm near Stevensville.
- Cut Bank Creek Brewery received a $40,000 grant for brewing equipment to assist with the start-up of the new brewery in Cut Bank.
- Glasgow’s Busted Knuckle Brewery received a $39,250 grant for brewing equipment to assist with their brewer expansion.
Other craft alcoholic beverages received grants as well, including $50,000 to Western Cider Company for cider processing and canning equipment for a new cidery in Missoula, and $7,500 to Watchdog Winery to assist with vineyard costs including irrigation, plants and fencing materials for the new Bozeman area vineyard.


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BOSTON - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is investigating about two dozen cases of suspected cybersecurity flaws in medical devices and hospital equipment that officials fear could be exploited by hackers, a senior official at the agency told Reuters.
Recent Technology News
- Software maker VMware Inc forecast current-quarter revenue largely below Wall Street's estimates due to a delay in the closing of a large U.S. government deal and lower bookings in Germany, Russia and Japan in the third quarter.
- Strong global demand for Apple Inc's iPhone 6 will drive revenue growth through 2015, while updated models should help reverse three straight quarters of declining iPad sales, analysts said.
- Asian shares shine on U.S. tech results, ECB hopes
- Faulty airbags warning expanded to 6.1. million U.S. cars: NHTSA
- Broadcom third-quarter results beat views, stock jumps
- U.S. existing home sales at one-year high, prices up
- Heineken reports surprise decline in beer sales on damp Europe
- Michigan becomes fifth U.S. state to thwart direct Tesla car sales
- Airbus Helicopters expects China to become biggest market by 2020
- After huge jet orders, budget airlines eye rich seam of aircraft leasing
- New Total boss must overhaul exploration strategy, pursue cost cuts |


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DETROIT (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co. and CEO Mary Barra were sued by an investor over delays in addressing ignition-switch defects and other flaws that prompted recalls of more than 3 million vehicles.
“News of the company’s recalls through a series of disclosures, and later reports of government criminal and civil investigations into the company, triggered a sharp decline in the company’s share price, wiping out billions in shareholder value,” investor George Pio said in a complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
Pio called GM’s actions “illegal and immoral” and said its failures to disclose and remedy the defects amount to investor fraud. He’s suing the biggest U.S. automaker on behalf of anyone who bought its stock from Nov. 17, 2010, to March 10, 2014, seeking unspecified money damages.
Barra has said publicly that GM knew as early as 2001 that its ignition switches could slip out of position, cutting off a vehicle’s power while it was in motion. Those failures may have been responsible for 31 accidents and 12 fatalities, according to GM, and have prompted consumer lawsuits against the company in California, Texas and Michigan.
GM this week recalled 1.55 million vans, sedans and sport-utility vehicles, citing concerns over brakes, seat belts and air bags, adding to 1.6 million cars recalled this year because of faulty ignition switches.
On Feb. 13, the automaker said it was recalling 778,562 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 sedans after six deaths were linked to ignition switches that might have caused engines and airbags to turn off.
GM spokesman Jim Cain said today the first any GM executive was told of the ignition switch issue was Jan. 31. He declined to comment further on Pio’s allegations.
“Our priority right now is to get these vehicles fixed as quickly as possible,” while minimizing inconvenience to the company’s customers, Cain said in a phone interview.
GM has hired former Chicago U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas, now chairman of Jenner & Block LLC, to lead an internal investigation. The probe is of “critical importance” and Valukas has been told there are “no sacred cows,” Cain said.
Also named as defendants in Pio’s complaint are former company CEO Daniel Akerson, President Daniel Ammann and vice presidents Alan Batey and James DeLuca.


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From our friends at UncommonGoods:
UncommonGoods, an online retailer that specializes in handmade, eco- friendly and uniquely designed gifts and accessories, is excited to launch their first design challenge of 2013 – the Garden Décor Design Challenge. The winner will receive $500, an UncommonGoods vendor contract, and will see their piece in the Mother’s Day catalog.
The open call is a search for garden sculptures, planters, bird houses and other accessories for an outdoor space.
After the call for entries, the semifinalist designs chosen by the UncommonGoods buyers will appear on UncommonGoods.com where the online community will vote on their favorite pieces to move on to the final round of judging. The top five voted designs will be judged by UncommonGoods home accessories buyer Katie Giannone and artist Chris Crooks. A winner will be chosen in late-February.
“Our customers love handmade, creatively designed garden décor,” says buyer Katie Giannone. “With spring and summer right around the corner, we are entering our strongest sales period for outdoor items. This design contest is an exciting opportunity to showcase your work, gain exposure and a potential partnership with our brand.”
Until January 31, 2013 at 11:59 EST, designers and artists are welcome to share their products at http://www.uncommongoods.com/designs/garden-contest.


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Keep up to date with the latest company news on what’s happening with NPE to support fitness industry growth worldwide.
InBody and NPE are uniting to equip fitness professionals, studios, and gyms with advanced tools and resources to create exceptional client experiences. Leveraging InBody’s detailed body composition analysis technology and NPE’s proven business systems, the brand ambassador partnership aims to enhance the ability of fitness businesses to attract and retain clients by delivering improved results and experiences.
TRX and NPE are coming together to provide fitness professionals, studios, and gyms with the resources needed to build thriving and enduring businesses. Through NPE’s proven business systems, tools and coaching, the TRX community will be empowered with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to sustainably grow their client base and scale their business.
National Academy of Sports Medicine® (NASM), the global leader in educational content and certifications for fitness and wellness professionals, has teamed up with NPE®, the #1 suite of business growth systems for fitness entrepreneurs, to launch Business Blueprint.
Two of the brightest minds in the fitness industry are bringing their expertise and enthusiasm to grow fitness businesses of all kinds to the brand new SUCCEED! Community Event – happening June 3-4, 2022.
The Fitness Business Association (FBA) today announced NPE has agreed to renew their positioning with the association and at SUCCEED! as an exclusive platinum partner focused on coaching fitness professionals, studios and gyms to grow six and seven figure fitness businesses.
NPE Partners with Everfit to Empower Studios and Gyms to Market and Deliver Greater Fitness Services
Fitness business education company NPE and client-training software provider Everfit today announced a partnership to empower studio and gym owners to more powerfully grow their businesses and serve their clients better.


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BharatGPT, supported by Reliance Industries Ltd. and several top engineering schools in India, is set to launch its first ChatGPT-style service soon. This initiative is significant for India’s ambitions in artificial intelligence (AI).
At a technology conference in Mumbai, BharatGPT showcased a preview of its large language model, named Hanooman. The demonstration featured interactions in various Indian languages and fields like Tamil for a mechanic, Hindi for a banker, and coding assistance for a developer in Hyderabad.
If successful, Hanooman could mark a milestone for India’s advancement in AI technology. It’s designed to operate in 11 local languages across four main sectors: healthcare, governance, financial services, and education. Collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) universities, backed by Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. and the government, facilitated the model’s development.
Additionally, several startups like Sarvam and Krutrim, supported by investors such as Lightspeed Venture Partners and Vinod Khosla’s fund, are creating AI models tailored for India’s needs. While global companies like OpenAI focus on large language models (LLMs), BharatGPT’s approach addresses local requirements with simpler, more accessible models.
Hanooman will offer speech-to-text capabilities, enhancing its usability for millions who cannot read or write in a country with a vast population. Reliance Jio plans to develop customized models for specific applications, leveraging its extensive subscriber network through initiatives like Jio Brain, which aims to integrate AI across its services.
Large language models like Hanooman utilize generative AI, learning from vast datasets to generate human-like responses. While OpenAI’s ChatGPT sets a precedent, BharatGPT’s approach stands out as a collaborative effort involving both private and public entities, a first of its kind in India.
Ganesh Ramakrishnan, from IIT Bombay, compares BharatGPT’s partnership to the traditional Indian joint family, highlighting the synergy and mutual benefit derived from collaboration across different sectors and stakeholders.
You might also be interested in – Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani hails PM Modi as Global Leader at Vibrant Gujarat Summit


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Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle is coming to a neighborhood near you...if you live in Southern California, that is. Taking that next step in the development of the fuel cell vehicle, Honda has announced that it will put its hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity into the hands of Southern California consumers who meet strict requirements for location, number of vehicles in their household and overall mindset. The four-passenger high-end
sedan will lease for $600 a month, including maintenance and
insurance. Honda is making this effort as it continues to move toward a commercially salable fuel cell vehicle.


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Digiturk Focuses On Aggressive PVR Approach
Digiturk plans to launch a high capacity personal video recorder (PVR) in Turkey in 2007 as the direct-to-home operator bids to bring leading edge technologies to the Turkish digital television market.
"Our subscribers will be able to choose how and when they want to watch TV," Hatice Memiguven, Digiturk’s COO, told Satellite News. "This box enables our customer to create their own TV schedule, pause live TV, watch different channels in different rooms and record other events simultaneously for their TV viewing. We decided to have all these features in one box, so to avoid customers having a different box in two years. This box will enable push video services, recording facilities, as well as be HD and MPEG-4 compatible. It will all be in one box. It is not just a PVR."
The operator, which has more than 1 million subscribers, plans to aggressively push its new PVR offering, as the company targets 1.5 million subscribers, in a market of 17 million households, by the end of 2006, Memiguven said.
But Digiturk still is unsure what business model it will use when PVR services are launched, Memiguven said. "It will be launched in 2007, but it is not clearly defined yet what kind of business model we will use," she said. "In the beginning we may subsidize the box a little. It will also be available in terms of a retail model as well. There will be all different models in the market. 2007 will be a huge year for us in terms of launching VOD (video-on-demand) and HD services in Turkey. Digiturk subscribers are waiting for this new box."
Services such as push video and high-definition (HD) offerings will play a key role in Digiturk’s PVR, Memiguven said. "You can download movies on the box and then people can watch them whenever they want," she said. "You will be able to push services on the hard disk. All the DRM (digital rights management) issues will be resolved. We aim to give our customers a video shop in their house which they can use any time. It will be mainly movies, new and archived movies, but there will be news also. We will also be able to transmit some events on there as well."
The growth of HD services, while key to the PVR, will take a bit longer to take hold, Memiguven said. "We are just beginning to see HD-compatible TV sets being sold in the market place, so at the moment, Digiturk Premium HD service will be ready in the first quarter of 2007, when there will be a penetration of these TV sets," she said.
Digiturk executives will use the PVR to beef up the company’s interactive service offerings to customers. "Around 75 percent of our boxes are capable of interactivity," she said. " Unfortunately, betting is not legal here yet in Turkey. There are other interactive services such as gaming, EPG, weather reports, financial data, news, mosaics, all what you have on every platform. These services are very attractive products, which distinguish our services from other TV services in Turkey, but it is not that much of a profitable business yet."
Busy Year Planned
With aggressive product launches slated throughout the next 12 months, it is set to be a busy time for the operator. As well as new initiatives in terms of its digital TV services, Digiturk also hopes to play a role in the mobile television market in Turkey, and even Internet Protocol TV (IPTV).
Digiturk is part of the Cukurova Group, which has telecom infrastructures and owns GSM operator, Turkcell. In terms of the opportunities within mobile TV, Memiguven said, "Delivering content on mobile will be a key area for us this year. While it won’t be this year, there will be the possibility to have content distributed via DVB-H at a later point also. This year, it will be on GSM. We would like to do a mobile video MVNO here in Turkey. On the video side, we want to drive the mobile TV market. We have some rights in this area already. We already have the rights for the Super League (soccer) in Turkey in terms of mobile."
Digiturk plans to offer a single mobile package to customers initially, but hopes to segment its offering into multiple packages, Memiguven said, "The business model will be one package for subscription and then downloadable content as well, so pay-per-usage type content also," she said. "The package will be free to begin with, so people get used to using it, and then around 9 Turkish liras ($6.70) a month afterwards. We have a GSM EDGE network here in Turkey but 3G services will hit the market next year. Ultimately, you will see DVB-H, and this will carry all video content and interactivity."
The operator also wants to be a key content provider to other platforms, as the digital movement gains momentum in Turkey. "Cable is still analog and covers 20 cities out of 80," Memiguven said. "We would like to use all this delivery methods for our content, so cable also. We want to be content provider across different platforms.. In terms of IPTV, there is nothing established yet. We don’t know what the business plan is going to be. But, from our perspective, we do find it a very attractive solution/opportunity. We would be able to offer a wide range of services to the customer, especially in terms of VOD."
But there are limits to Digiturk’s expansion plans. The operator has no intention of following the model being pursued by BSkyB in the United Kingdom, which has moved into acquiring telecoms infrastructure and become a more multi-faceted pay TV operator.
"Digiturk has no intention to own these infrastructures but we do have the intentions of using them," Memiguven said. "We would like to do broadband services as well. We already have some sports content available via broadband. We would like to make movie channels available. If they are already subscribers of ours, they could then get the movies whenever they would like to. This would prepare our subscribers for VOD services."
Content challenges for 2006 will focus on bringing more local content to subscribers. Memiguven said, "We are focusing more on the local content side than the international branded channels," she said. "We have all the niche branded channels on our platform. We have around eight transponders of channels. Now, we are getting more local lifestyle, documentary, teenage, and kids channels rather than the international channels. This is where we are investing right now. We have been focusing more on local content than ever."
Convincing Consumers To Pay For Service
While Digiturk is counting down to some aggressive product launches, the key to the company’s success will be persuading customers to pay for television services. This is a still a fundamental challenge in Turkey, where many people consuming digital services illegally.
"Our biggest competitor will be free digital satellite TV for a while," Memiguven said. "More than 2.5 million households have digital [set top boxes] in their house. All the adult channels can be watched illegally, so 2.5 million people are watching free digital satellite TV. These are channels, which are encrypted, but commercially hacked and people only need a software update on their basic zapper [set top boxes] or illegal smart cards to watch them. They pay nothing for the content and watch them illegally."
Digiturk hopes that its push in local content will help convince consumers to pay for TV services, Memiguven said. "We have a number of local, free channels, which are rich in content," she said. "We need to convince people that it is worth it to pay for our content. Whatever we are doing, whether it is PVR, interactivity, everything is part of this strategy. In 2007, we are going to be having more media coverage than the previous two years."
Contact, Berna Kurekci, Digiturk, e-mail, BERNA.KUREKCI@digiturk.com.tr


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Artificial intelligence computer maker Cerebras Systems, which has built chips and computers, and now makes supercomputers dedicated to accelerating deep learning, announced services on Tuesday to accelerate use. very large language models that are becoming increasingly popular not only for research but commercial use as well.
“We believe that great language models are underhyped, not overhyped,” Cerebras co-founder and CEO Andrew Feldman said in a press briefing. “We are only just beginning to see the impact of this; there will be winners and new entrants in each of the three layers of the ecosystem, in the hardware layer, the infrastructure layer and the application layer.”
Feldman predicted, “Next year you will see a huge increase in the impact of large language patterns in various sectors of the economy.”
In partnership with cloud service provider Cirrascale, Cerebras offers what it calls “paid-per-model” compute time, a flat rate to converge a large language model such as GPT-3 from OpenAI on clusters of its CS2 computers designed for learning.
Also: Technology in 2023: Here’s what really matters
The service is branded Cerebras AI Model Studio.
Prices, ranging from $2,500 to train a 1.3 billion parameter model of GPT-3 in 10 hours to $2.5 million to train the 70 billion parameter version in 85 days, average the half the cost users would pay to rent cloud capacity or rent machines for years to do the equivalent work. And CS2 clusters can be eight times faster to form than clusters of Nvidia A100 machines in the cloud.
Cirrascale uses a mix of CS2 clusters and Cerebras-owned machines, as well as the Andromeda supercomputer, which is located at Colovore’s colocation facilities, based in Santa Clara, Calif., where Cirrascale has also installed equipment.
The partnership for Studio follows a partnership between Cerebras and Cirrascale announced a year ago to offer CS2 machines in the cloud on a weekly basis.
The service will automatically scale cluster sizes based on the scale of the language model, Feldman said. The company points out that drive performance improves in linear proportion with the addition of additional machines.
Scaling to larger clusters would drive the price up to a premium, Feldman said. For example, Andromeda’s 16-machine cluster is four times larger than a four-way CS2 cluster, but would likely cost a customer five times as much to operate because it achieves a higher level of performance.
Also: AI challenger Cerebras assembles modular ‘Andromeda’ supercomputer to accelerate large language models
The most important immediate benefit of reducing the cost of training on large models could be providing access to large model development to parties that could not afford the huge rental costs typically required, Feldman said.
“We have seen time and time again that knowing prices in advance and how long it will take are real issues for a whole class of customers, and we hope to overcome these issues,” he said.
The alternative, Feldman said, is for companies to spend big on leasing equipment for years at a time.
“If you think about how the biggest models are trained today, and they’re all on dedicated clusters that are on multi-year leases,” Feldman said. “There are companies right now that have raised huge funds and have huge valuations that, in their wildest dreams, never owned any hardware.”
Also: AI chip startup Cerebras secures $250M Series F funding round at over $4B valuation
Also on Tuesday, Cerebras announced that its Andromeda supercomputer, which it unveiled earlier this month, a cluster of 16 CS2 machines, will be used by Jasper, a company-backed startup that runs large language models as as a service for commercial applications such as generating press releases and blog posts.
Jasper, which has nearly a hundred thousand paying customers for its generative text feature, serves businesses that need to train large language models with customer data, such as a particular knowledge base, product catalog, and corporate “voice”.
“They want custom models, and they really do,” Jasper CEO Dave Rogenmoser said at the same press briefing. The idea, he said, is to have the marketing department “all speak with the same voice” and that new hires “get up to speed and all speak with the same voice” as the rest of the team. the company. This includes things like a template generating Facebook ads using the client’s usual language.
The ability to reduce the cost of training and dramatically speed up the time to train large language models “is a huge draw for us” to work with Cerebras, Rogenmoser said.
Jasper recently closed a Series A round valuing the company at $1.5 billion, Rogenmoser said.
Using dedicated clusters can be not only faster and cheaper, but also more nuanced, Cerebras product manager Andy Hock said at the same press briefing.
“One of the things we’re seeing more broadly in the marketplace is that many companies would love to be able to quickly research and develop these models at scale, but the infrastructure that exists in the traditional cloud just doesn’t allow for this kind of large scale. – large-scale research and development easily,” Hock said.
“Being able to ask questions like, should I train from scratch [a large language model]or do I need to refine an open source public checkpoint, what is the best answer, what is the most efficient use of computation to reduce the cost of goods to provide the best service to my customers – be able to ask these issues are costly and impractical in many cases of traditional infrastructure.”
Cerebras clusters allow Jasper and others to ask these questions, he said.
Both announcements were made at the 36th annual conference on Neural Information Systems, or NeurIPS, the premier conference in the field of AI, taking place this week in New Orleans.
#challenger #Cerebras #unveils #paypermodel #cloud #service #Cirrascale #Jasper


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An ERP system often serves as the engine for a company’s operations. As such, selecting an ERP vendor or solution is one of the most important decisions an organization will need to make.
This is why many executives and CIOs turn to industry analysts, who have in-depth knowledge of the ERP market. Their ERP vendor assessments help companies initiate a short list of potential solutions, which can help set them down a path toward success and ROI.
That being said, Rootstock is thrilled to have been included in two key analyst reports dissecting the ERP solutions market – one by Nucleus Research and the other by IDC.
“Earning favorable standing in these reports is an honor and a testament to our ERP solution and to the close partnership we’ve forged with our customers,” said Tom Brennan, CMO at Rootstock Software. “In these evaluations, several of our customers stepped forward to share their success stories in using our Cloud ERP. The benefits they garnered were a key contributor to our ratings, and their experience showed that Rootstock continues to invest in our ERP, so customers can realize ongoing value and benefits.”
Nucleus Assessment: Rootstock Delivers Customer Value
The ability to deliver customer value was a key measurement in the assessment performed by Nucleus Research, a global provider of ROI-focused technology research.
In the Nucleus report, “ERP Technology Value Matrix 2020,” analyst Andrew MacMillen stated that “ERP software is the centerpiece to many enterprise application setups” with companies hoping to leverage an ERP to “improve operational efficiency and enable growth through modern technologies.”
It also reported that “the race to the cloud has been reignited as fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.” The outbreak and subsequent business shutdowns caused an “abrupt and permanent spike in the demand for the ability to work remotely.” The report went on to say that cloud-native solutions gained the most from this paradigm shift, but “vendors with large on-premises deployment bases will have a chance to make good on their own transition roadmaps.”
In addition to the value that customers realized from their ERP solution, Nucleus also considered product usability and functionality. With these criteria, Rootstock Cloud ERP was rated as a “Leader” on the Nucleus Value Matrix. The report stated that Rootstock’s ERP has “historically performed well among companies already familiar with Salesforce technology.” And in addition, “the company is experiencing increased success in transitioning new customers away from on-premises ERP deployments.”
In speaking to Rootstock customers, Nucleus summarized the benefits they experienced:
- Rootstock’s ability to fully leverage the Lightning platform. Its ease-of-use enables new users to quickly become experts.
- The solution’s low barriers for implementation allows companies to configure dashboards and analytic blends to quickly meet their needs and provide new levels of organizational visibility.
- Rootstock’s scalability can accommodate a customer’s growth and provide the flexibility necessary to implement industry 4.0 capabilities such as IoT-informed analytics and artificial intelligence enhancements.
The report also noted significant developments in Rootstock’s product roadmap:
- In the past year, Rootstock has made significant strides in expanding its ability to deliver value to customers through unique opportunities provided by the Salesforce platform.
- In November 2019, it launched a new ERP connector to the Salesforce Field Service Lightning solution, providing customers with greater operational visibility and more efficient workflows.
- Rootstock also launched new integrations between its 360° Sales and Operations Planning engine and the Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud, helping manufacturers generate production and supply chains.
- In addition, Rootstock released its Spring 2020 update, introducing Freight and Landed Cost and Inventory License Plating functionalities to its solution.
The report projected that “Rootstock’s combination of specialized expertise for manufacturing and distribution ERP and delivery through the Salesforce ecosystem will help maintain and improve its position on future editions of the Value Matrix.”
IDC Assessment: Rootstock Has Key Capabilities and Successful Go-to-Market Strategies
Rootstock also earned a spot on the IDC MarketScape, which analyzed worldwide Cloud ERP applications. IDC, the premier global provider of market intelligence, handles its ERP evaluation a little differently, focusing on key measures in two categories: capabilities and strategies.
Through its evaluation of Rootstock, IDC observed that “manufacturers, distributors, and supply chain organizations enjoy a very rich ERP feature set on a very modern cloud platform.”
As a result, it positioned Rootstock as a “Major Player” among providers of Cloud ERP solutions for all sizes of companies – small, midsize, and large enterprise.
“Rootstock has adjusted well to new business models and market changes while providing modern functionality, such as analytics, mobile capabilities, enabling a remote workforce, and facilitating online communities,” said Mickey North Rizza, Program VP, Enterprise Applications and Digital Commerce, IDC. “Rootstock customers said the top reason they chose Rootstock ERP was the fact that it’s built on the Salesforce Platform, and the other was the system’s functionality and capabilities. Both large enterprise and midsize companies looking for a Cloud ERP on the Salesforce Platform should consider Rootstock.”
In the MarketScape Report, IDC highlighted the key factors behind Rootstock being named a “Major Player” in the market:
- Rootstock customers liked the fact that CRM and ERP can be on one platform. This means the systems can share the same data model, system administration, and toolsets like analytics, chatter, integration tools, log-in, and user profiles. A shared data model also provides streamlined processes across CRM and ERP and a complete 360-degree view of customers.
- Rootstock’s customer references loved the way the company kept its roadmap front and center. One reference said Rootstock’s roadmap “comes true” and keeps it “focused on the future without taking away from the present.”
- All references considered the integration with Salesforce as one of the top two reasons they chose Rootstock. The second was the functionality and capabilities of the system.
- References noted that Rootstock’s APIs made it an easy-to-use system. Such ease-of-use features actually reduced demands on customers’ IT resources and enabled them to continue toward their future goals without being stalled.
TEC Assessment: Rootstock Cloud ERP Adapts to the COVID-19 Pandemic
In addition to these two analyst assessments, Rootstock executives are often sought out to provide their take on today’s most pressing issues. For example, CMO Tom Brennan recently spoke with Predrag (PJ) Jakovljevic, principal analyst with Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC), an impartial software analysis firm. The interview resulted in the TEC blog post, “Rootstock Cloud ERP Software Adapts to COVID-19 Pandemic.”
Jakovljevic wanted to know what Rootstock had been seeing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and learned that Vertical Aerospace, a British aerospace manufacturer, had successfully completed implementation of Rootstock’s Cloud ERP amid the shutdowns. An on-premise ERP software implementation would have stalled out. But with Rootstock’s Cloud ERP, the customer was able to complete the implementation in three and a half months during a global pandemic.
Other customers found it a godsend to have Rootstock on the cloud, as it allowed them to quickly adjust to remote work. Customers also mentioned that having the ERP available via mobile devices and being able to quickly change their workflow was helpful in a COVID-19 environment. “Some of our customers had their primary markets shut down, causing them to pivot into different markets,” explained Brennan. Other customers – such as Matouk and Unionwear – decided to assist in the fight against COVID-19.
For COVID-affected customers, Rootstock’s ability to run multiple modes, add, and change to handle new products quickly was a big advantage.
“The pandemic has driven home the need for a 360° view of data,” Brennan added. “In this environment, companies have needed to keep a constant eye on orders, receivables, cash, supply chains, and COVID-related level production / capacity limits.”
Using Rootstock ERP and Salesforce CRM on one platform, customers can get a real-time view of their entire business, literally from one dashboard.
Your Assessment: Take a Closer Look
Through the eyes of the analysts, Rootstock’s future looks bright. Don’t take our word for it. Perform your own assessment by downloading the Nucleus and IDC reports. You can also read our customers’ success stories. Their testimonials provide proof of our system’s flexibility to meet unique business needs, of their deep satisfaction with our solution and service, and of our continued investment in our product roadmap—even in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And, of course, stay tuned for future analyst assessments and interviews with our executives. At Rootstock, we’ve decided we like it here – in the “Leader” and “Major Player” categories – on the analyst charts.
- ERP Technology Value Matrix 2020, Nucleus Research, Andrew MacMillen (Document Number: U75 June 2020).
- Worldwide SaaS and Cloud-Enabled Large Enterprise ERP Applications 2020 Vendor Assessment (IDC #US45971820e, July 2020).
- “Rootstock Cloud ERP Software Adapts to the COVID-19 Pandemic, TEC Blog, PJ Jakovljevc, June 3, 2020.


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EA’s EVP of digital, Kristian Segerstrale, believes the transition to digital will change how games are developed and even managed, especially as companies eventually lose dependence on retail, much like the film and music industries.
Speaking during a keynote at the Gamasutra attended 2012 Game Marketing Summit, Segerstrale, who founded Playfish in 2007, said business models for music and film shifted heavily to digital, and the direct cause has been a “vastly superior” consumer experience compared with retail.
However, when it comes to the digital games market, the industry still has “a ways to go.”
“We’re clearly going from boxed products to digital services,” Segerstrale said. “We’re going from up-front business models to games where the up-front cost is smaller and smaller, where there are free to play games out there. With this shift, our relationship with our consumer sometimes becomes more important than our relationship with the [retail] channels.
“No longer is the event of picking up a game tied to monetization. We’re going to see a decoupling of those things. You need to think of it like a consumer internet business, where acquisition is just the beginning. And rather than having one side of the company making games and other getting them to consumers, now the whole company needs to take part in those processes.”
Segerstrale said online game developers need to create in-game channels so as to communicate better with players which, in the long run would increase monetization.
One way to do this, he said, was the implementation of in-game notifications and UI elements which point users to new content, updates, and purchasing opportunities – like how EA does with The Sims Social.
“The game is built for us to be able to add content all the time, so consumers know there’s something new there,” he said. More than anything, players like to learn about a game while they’re playing it, so adding clear channels for in-game communication is crucial for boosting player engagement and eventually, monetization.
“The [promotion] outside the game is important, but what really matters is the real-estate in the games themselves.”


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The East Village-opoly game will be available for purchase at the Handmade Holiday Marketplace, a fundraiser for the new San Diego Central Library, on Saturday, December 13, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop by and purchase this one-of-a-kind, 1st edition gift which is sure to become a collector’s item. The free and family friendly Handmade…
Sponsors & Exhibitor Opportunities are available now to reach more than 25,000 baseball fans! The East Village Association is stepping up to the plate again at the 5th Annual East Village Opening Day Block Party on Thursday, April 9, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on J Street between 6th and 10th Avenues.
East Village has joined the “Moustache Movement” in a charitable and fun fashion by throwing the BIGGEST moustache bash in downtown San Diego on Friday, November 21, 2014, 5 p.m. – 2 a.m. The MOfficial MOpening Party kicks off at Bootlegger where you’ll enjoy righteous plates and pours at blue collar prices with an old-school American vibe.
The First Edition of the East Village-opoly game will be available at the end of November. 1,000 games will be produced. Pre-order your game to ensure that you don’t miss out!
Landmark Sign »


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Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin has warned that customers may have to pay more for their pints and pub lunch. The company has announced that it is expected to break even this year.
The pub chain, known for its cheap drinks, faced a difficult time over the course of the coronavirus pandemic. Lockdown restrictions meant that Wetherspoons saw its heaviest loss on record in the 12 months up to July 2021.
Since the end of coronavirus restrictions last year, Wetherspoons' sales are picking up and the business has returned to profitability, DevonLive reports. However, Tim Martin has said that the business still faces great challenges.
He said: "As many hospitality companies have indicated, there is considerable pressure on costs, especially in respect of labour, food and energy. Repairs are also running at a higher rate than before the pandemic."
Now Wetherspoons regulars look likely to pay the price. In March, the company raised its prices - with 10p being added to the cost of a pint across most of the UK, and 20p in London.
It comes amid a rising cost of living crisis, which has left millions of UK households having to cut back their spending on luxuries and even some necessities. The ongoing war in Ukraine has added to the pressure on food prices, as wheat supplies come under strain.
The company has not shared an annual profit since the year to July 2019, with the pandemic having taken a heavy toll on the business. It has been forced to close 14 of its pubs since the start of the current financial year.
Last month, the chain announced that it was set to give its staff a mass pay rise, taking earnings above £10 per hour for many Wetherspoons workers. The announcement came after the minimum wage for over-23s rose to £9.50 per hour on April 1.
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Meta or Worse
"Zuck plans to rule Web;
Schumer must stop him"
Senate leader Chuck Schumer is blocking legislation to rein in tech monopolies. This should concern anyone who cares about competition in US. Meta aka Facebook (Zuckerberg, pic left), Apple, Google and Amazon use their huge market share to crush rivals and enter new businesses while taking advantage of people. Time contributor Roger McNamee explains how...
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Service Apps: the Automotive Retail App
Ask some dealers about mobile apps and they'll talk to you about ‘Angry Birds’ or ‘Words with Friends.’ Other dealers agree that there’s some shopping going on with mobile apps, mostly through e-tailers like Amazon.com or Groupon. But in actuality, it’s the traditional brick and mortar retailers who are changing the entire landscape of mobile app operation.
Traditional brick and mortar retailers (like automobile dealerships, Home Depot, and Macy’s) may not have been the first to seize mobile app adoption, but now they’re not only seizing it — they’re shaking it by the throat.
From December 2011 to December 2012, consumer time spent in retailer apps (versus e-tailer, daily deal, and other shopping apps) has exploded by 525 percent, according to Flurry Analytics. Retailers are joining the mobile app revolution in droves and have located a gold mine with the tectonic shift of online shopping meeting offline shopping, through mobile apps.
E-tailers like Amazon and eBay paved the road by offering the consumer an ‘always-on’ shopping experience, but retailers like Walmart and Staples have perfected it by combining the search and purchase process online with the instant gratification of same-day delivery or pickup offline at a nearby store location.
“The enormous growth in retailer app share has come largely at the expense of Daily Deals, down in share from 20 percent in 2011 to 13 percent in 2012, and Online Marketplace apps, which contracted from 25 percent in 2011 to 20 percent in 2012,” reports Flurry.
Retailers have done it; they’ve brought us even closer to the customer than the e-tailer, eliminating the factor of time. Talk about taking advantage of an always on, always connected audience! So how do retail apps relate to your dealership?
The future of automotive retail is found in the mobile app, because it is always with you, always on, always connected — the consumer is empowered to purchase automotive-related goods and services wherever they happen to be at the time, often on impulse. Service is a dealer’s profit lifeline, and a smart dealer app can become the best service appointment driving and retention weapon a dealer has ever used.
A dealership app can help people ‘manage’ their car(s) — which are likely the second-largest purchase of their life — whether it’s helping them keep track of (and book service for) their entire family fleet, or using a suite of useful tools that make their everyday car and driving life easier.
Forty-nine percent of a dealerships’ service customers now use mobile apps, and two in three of a dealership’s current service customers are turning to mobile apps daily, but only 13 percent have an app from a dealership or auto service provider, according to a DMEautomotive consumer survey.
With this roughly four to one consumer behavior disconnect, dealerships that embrace an app now will grab the early advantage. Dealers need to build now for the future. They need to get a great app. They need to start driving thousands of downloads. They need to focus on designing new, in-store processes for the mobile customer. So, in a year from now, they’ll have an app that creates incredible value for their customers and a receptive new database of always-connected owners to whom they can market.
Mike Martinez is chief marketing officer of DMEautomotive. To learn more about the benefits of running a mobile app in your store go to www.dmeautomotive.com and download a free copy of The Pocket Revolution: The Complete Guide to a Killer Mobile App, or purchase one online at Amazon.com. For more information, email [email protected].


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|Articles - April 2014|
|Thursday, March 27, 2014|
Page 4 of 4
In March the Oregon Senate approved giving local governments authority to keep out the dispensaries until May 2015. So far, 21 cities have moratoriums in place against pot dispensaries, including the city of Medford, Josephine County and Polk County. These political victories could cost communities like Roseburg, where the unemployment rate stands at 9.7% — nearly two points above the state average. Rural counties also miss out on local taxes and fees. Dispensary owners pay the state a $4,000 application fee, and $500 of that is nonrefundable, regardless of whether or not the application is approved.
Dispensaries, labs and businesses that produce medibles also produce jobs and pay taxes — even if industry experts expect the economic benefit will not be as dramatic as in states like California, where the dispensary business is also subject to the state’s 5.6% sales tax. Indeed, some experts believe legalization efforts around the country will be propelled by states’ need for tax revenue. In Colorado legalization is expected to generate $134 million in tax revenue for the upcoming fiscal year; already in January 2014, the first month retail sales of marijuana went into effect, Colorado netted $3.5 million.
Oregon’s legal pot industry will unfold along a traditional urban-rural divide, with much of the initial growth blossoming along the I-5 corridor cities, agrees Roy Kaufmann, president of the Kaufmann Group, a marketing and public affairs consultancy working to “rebrand” the cannabis industry. But Kaufmann also believes rural counties, already proud of their indigenous wine and brewery operations, will eventually warm to a regulated industry that helps fill depleted government coffers.
At this stage, exurban counties are the big unknown, Kaufmann says. “People are watching Washington County, Clackamas County,” he says. “Will they follow the lead of Multnomah County? Or are they going to follow the lead of the rural counties — Polk, Marion — that have voted against legalization?”
As Oregon cities alternately embrace and reject the economic potential of the burgeoning cannabis industry, mainstream investors are moving full-steam ahead. Last summer, Seattle’s Privateer Holdings became the cannabis industry’s first private equity firm when it announced the completion of its Series A funding round, which raised an initial $7 million from investors. Privateer CEO Brendan Kennedy previously served as COO of a Silicon Valley bank that funded tech startups, and he founded Privateer in 2010 with Yale classmate Michael Blue.
“Privateer is focused on elevating the conversation and building trusted, approachable brands in the cannabis space,” Kennedy said in a press statement. “We are moving the cannabis industry out of the shadows and into the light.”
They aren’t the only ones. Advanced Cannabis Solutions, whose stock rose 447% by late January, obtained access to $30 million in credit that it will use to acquire properties to lease to marijuana growers, according to Bloomberg.
National players are paying attention to the changes coming to Oregon’s medical marijuana market. In February Portland hosted the Northwest CannaBusiness Symposium, an industry event planned by the National Cannabis Industry Association. The event featured talks on cultivation and retail operations, marketing, and a government relations panel talk with Congressman Earl Blumenauer.
Respectable cannabis investors aren’t the only sign of changing times. In January Federal Drug Enforcement Agency Chief of Operations James L. Capra told members of Congress that he considers legalization of marijuana to be “reckless and irresponsible.” But at least one former Oregon-based DEA agent doesn’t seem to share those views. Just one week after his former boss blasted the legal pot industry, former agent Patrick Moen announced that he’d be taking a job with Seattle’s Privateer Holdings.
In 2014, there are plenty of uncertainties surrounding Oregon’s marijuana market — after all, the federal government still considers pot an illegal drug. In late March the Oregon Health Authority also proposed rules banning “medibles:” the concern is children will be attracted to hash brownies and other treats. Still, in California and Colorado, laws legitimizing the sale of marijuana have led to increased entrepreneurship and job creation, exploding profits and tax generation for these states.
As Oregon moves the cannabis industry off of the black market, the potential exists to shift the profits generated by this cash crop into the mainstream state economy. But questions remain about just how much rural Oregonians will reap from legalization. Says Kaufmann: “It’s incumbent now on the regulated medical cannabis industry to prove they can be the kinds of business community neighbors that any town in Oregon would want to have.”
Friday, August 14, 2015
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
17 airlines make stops at Portland International Airport, but not all are created equal when it comes to customer service.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
BY LINDA BAKER
In 2010 Vanessa Keitges and several investors purchased Portland-based Columbia Green Technologies, a green-roof company. The 13-person firm has a 200% annual growth rate, exports 30% of its product to Canada and received its first infusion of venture capital in 2014 from Yaletown Venture Partners. CEO Keitges, 40, a Southern Oregon native who serves on President Obama’s Export Council, talks about market innovation, scaling small business and why Oregon is falling behind in green-roof construction.
Friday, July 10, 2015
BY DAN COOK
The Affordable Care Act has triggered a rush on health care plan redesign, a process fraught with hidden costs and consequences.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Photographer Jason Kaplan takes a look at Murray's Pharmacy in Heppner. The family owned business is run by John and Ann Murray, who were featured in our July/August cover story: 10 Innovators in Rural Health Care.
Friday, July 10, 2015
BY GREGG MORRIS
Rita Hansen aims to scale natural gas vehicle innovation.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
BY JACOB PALMER
Ask any college student: Textbook prices have skyrocketed out of control. Online education startup Lumen Learning aims to bring them down to earth.
Monday, July 13, 2015
BY CAMILLE GRIGSBY-ROCCA
Can the brave new world of neurotechnology help an OHSU surgeon find a cure for obesity?
|Child care challenge|
|Is there life beyond Reed?|
|Back to School|
|Hackers access more than 225k Apple accounts|
|Companies offer wearables for your dog|
|Umatilla targets homeless camps|
|Obama has votes for Iran deal|
|A Bouquet of Beer in Bend|
|Obama aims to restore rights for workers|
|Apple's next new product event: Sept. 9|
Yesterday, a divided National Labor Relations Board dropped another hammer on the employer community. In a long-awaited and much debated move, the Board jettisoned the decades old standard for determining when two independent businesses should be considered joint employers of an individual worker for collective bargaining purposes.
Transforming the culture of Oregon’s educational leadership.
The Board dismissed a petition related to efforts to unionize the Northwestern University football team.
The Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) is pleased to announce 16 finalists — from over 60 nominees — for the 2015 OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards.
Oregon Sick Leave is here, and changes to the federal white-collar worker regulations are on the way. This workshop will prepare you for both. We invite you to participate in an interactive discussion on how to start planning now for the future impact on your operations and finances.
Presented by OEN + CENTRL + YESpdx.


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Keeping technology in its place can be a constant struggle in finance. At the BAI’s Retail Banking conference in Chicago a panel on innovation bounced between technology changes, business issues and yes, customers, as its participants peered into the future.
They agreed that mobile would be the biggest driver of change. Ed Labry, the president for North America at First Data, called it “everything mobile.” Mobile might start with payments but it would encompass social networking and commerce meeting the customer real-time.
Alan Trefler, founder and CEO of Pegasystems, called for a resurgence of customer centric thinking. Banks should look at mobile as a way to connect with customers, not as a separate channel for payments. Banks need to stop thinking of how they deliver technology, avoid building a silo for mobile payments, and think about their customers. Build the banking processes across channels and make them accessible from Facebook, mobile, Internet or call center.
When it comes to excellent customer service in banking, the list of firms that get it right is not a long one. Trefler cited American Express.
“They are brilliant at betting on customer care professionals who are empowered to deal with customers. They will be able to gain stickiness.” The risk in banking is that cost pressures will lead to short sighted business decisions, efficiency rather than service. Indeed, I wrote about Amex and their empowered social media reps a few weeks back. It takes courage and training to let your service people operate without scripts, but it certainly makes the customer experience better.
“Look at your organization from the point of view of the customer and ask where the customer centricity is," Trefler added. "Throwing in mobile applications doesn't build customer centricity any more than outsourcing does. Most banks lack a customer centricity hub where people are thinking about the customer experience. The next five years will be risky, or provide a good opportunity, for banks to take advanatge of things like mobile and higher expectations to encourage customers to switch.”
Don’t get too caught up in ROI when you're thinking about the future, urged Labry. It is hard to know what returns mobile will bring to banking but it is probably a $1 billion opportunity.
“You know if there is that billion dollar opportunity you have to invest without knowing when it will come or how it will be delivered.”
The way the conversation moved from customers to technology reflected the companies, and the tendency of vendors to promote what they have to sell. N. Ganapathy Subramaniam, president of TCS Financial Solutions, promoted outsourcing as a way to reduce costs. And he made a good point that banks should look at their IT in terms of what they need to run the bank and what they need to change the bank or offer differentiated service. The routine operational IT could be outsourced, if that saves money, providing a margin that then can be used to innovate.
Trefler dragged the conversation back to customers, saying that outsourcing can create a more diffused customer experience where the technology seams become visible to the customer.
“If you aren’t thinking from the customer down, you aren’t creating the right infrastructure.” Banks that return to silo-centric thinking, especially in areas like mobile service, risk losing their customers to nonbank competitors like Google.
Funny, Google just launched an Android wallet using Citi Mastercard which allows users to tap their phone to pay anywhere that uses MasterCard PayPass. Google also offers its own prepaid card that can be funded through any brand of credit card. The phone can also store loyalty programs, present offers, work as a boarding pass and eventually pay at electronic turnstyles, like the London underground, or as announced today, New Jersey Transit trains and buses.
So who owns the customer experience here? Looks like Google. Apple probably isn’t too far behind -- it already has millions of customer credit card details in its iTunes and Apple store. Technologists had expected near field communication (NFC) in the iPhone 4S, but perhaps the 5 will have it.


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Franchisee says new McDonald’s will create over 100 jobs
A PROPOSED McDonald's restaurant for Toormina could bring in more than 100 new jobs to the Coffs Coast region, one of the nation's unemployment hotspots.
McDonald's Australia has submitted a development application to construct a new restaurant at the Toormina Gardens Shopping Centre, which will be operated by The Munro Group.
The Munro Group operates six McDonald's restaurants spanning from Grafton to Nambucca Heads and currently employs approximately 750 people.
"Every McDonald's restaurant is committed to supporting the community within the area it operates," David Munro, local franchisee and Director of the Munro Group said.
"With current unemployment in our region the highest in the country at over 11 per cent, the opportunity to create 100 new jobs would be a massive boost to our local economy."
The Australian Bureau of Statistics recently reported that in a seven week period from mid-March to early May, 11.2 per cent of jobs were lost in the Coffs-Clarence region.
This was just behind the Mid North Coast region, which saw a massive 11.8 per cent of jobs lost.
According to McDonald's Australia the new restaurant proposal will provide an initial estimated economic investment in excess of $5m and would support construction jobs during the build.
The employment opportunities would also generate on average more than $1m in employee wages annually.
"We believe the Toormina site provides an excellent opportunity for McDonald's to generate new employment, training, local community engagement and support," Mr Munro said.
"We've been looking for an opportunity to better serve our customers on the Coffs Coast in the Sawtell/Toormina/Boambee region for some time. Our recent, successful launch of McDonald's delivery in partnership with Menulog has reaffirmed our view the customer demand is there in the Toormina area."
The Development Application lodged with Coffs Harbour City Council late last month proposes that the restaurant would be located in the southwest corner of the shopping centre complex facing Toormina Rd in an area currently being used as part of the parking lot.
The fast food premises would operate 24-hours and would also contain a McCafe, dual drive-through and 29 parking spaces.
"We look forward to working through the approval process with the Coffs Harbour City Council," Mr Munro said.


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The global smart thermostat market could be worth nearly $1.4 billion by 2020, up from about $100 million today, according to a new market study from Navigant Research.
Although that is a considerable climb in seven years, the report takes a conservative approach to some market barriers, particularly utility involvement in the U.S. residential market. If companies produce compelling offerings in the open market, which is already happening from retail stores to telecom bundles, the figures could potentially be higher.
“Unlike products and solutions that are directly integrated by government-sponsored utility smart grid programs, smart thermostats have remained largely in the commercial sphere where uptake relies on individual energy efficiency awareness and cost savings as purchasing incentives,” wrote the report authors. “As such, the market for smart thermostats has struggled to gain traction.”
It is true that smart thermostats are still a niche offering and utilities are just getting into the space. But other trends would suggest the market is gaining traction. According to GTM Research, there are now a handful of home energy management system companies in the U.S. that have procured more than 1 million customers -- many using smart thermostats as a part of the offering to connect with customers. These companies are providing services that utilities have been incapable of providing.
Nest Labs is reportedly shipping 40,000 smart thermostats per month, with its highest installation rates coming on Christmas of last year. Alarm.com says hundreds of thousands of more customers have smart thermostats as part of its connected home offering. Europe also has non-utility offerings, like Tado, that are looking to shake up the market.
Arguably, it is the lack of utility involvement that makes the potential for smart thermostat growth impressive. At the same time, the convergence of mobile phones and thermostats is making these products much more attractive for customers.
Though less reliable, anecdotal evidence would also suggest that the market is indeed gaining traction. When you overhear people on vacation comparing their thermostat iPhone apps, or you listen to someone gush about their Nest thermostat at a cocktail party, it implies something is different in the thermostat market. People are not buying these products just to save money or because they are laser-focused on energy efficiency. People buy these products because of the convenience of controlling their heating and cooling remotely from a smartphone. For most people, any savings on monthly utility bills are a bonus.
As for utilities, many of them are not that interested in managing devices in homes. But they love the idea of leveraging the products once they’re out there, and they're increasingly relying on outside providers that are now gaining traction in the home.
GTM Research sees single devices in the home, and especially the smart thermostat, as a relatively low-barrier entry item for vendor selling to utilities. Many utilities, including San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and Austin Energy, have revamped their residential demand response offerings to either leverage thermostats in their territory or to offer some of the more popular models for enrollment.
There are a lot of emerging factors driving the smart thermostat space -- almost all of them coming from outside of utilities.


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Soulcalibur VI – Yoshimitsu Reveal Trailer Streamed
Bandai Namco Entertainment America has updated with a new character trailer for Soulcalibur VI. The latest trailer for Yoshimitsu. For those who are unaware, Yoshimitsu first debuted first as a Tekken character in the original 1994 game. Since then the character has also appeared in various titles in the Soul game series. Soul Cailbur VI will be released for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One in 2018.
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A LOT of companies talk about having ambitions to tackle climate change, though they have varying degrees of actual commitment. ScottishPower is different: it can justifiably claim that it actually walks the walk.
The company has established itself as a pioneer in – and an evangelist for – 100 per cent green energy generation. It made a total shift away from carbon two years ago, selling off its remaining coal and gas generating facilities.
In doing so, it became the first major UK energy supplier to focus entirely on renewable sources such as onshore and offshore wind.
This much-applauded move is a source of pride both for the company and for its leadership team, including Andrew Ward, its CEO UK Retail. “Removing our carbon-intensive energy facilities was a big, big decision,” he says.
“It was something we did with very positive intent to show the marketplace we wanted to support the world in reducing its carbon output. We didn’t do it lightly. We have recognised as a company that it’s where we need to go. If you sign up for one of our fixed price tariffs now in the UK, you are getting 100 per cent pure green energy. We’re offering a totally sustainable solution.”
It’s also a widespread one: ScottishPower now has a customer base of more than five million and ambitious targets for future growth. As well as committing to fully green energy, it is also working to promote the enabling technologies that encourage its use and take-up.
One of these technologies is smart meters. Until his appointment as CEO last year, Andrew – who first joined the company in 1992 and has decades of experience in customer service – was the director of the rollout programme for these.
“We’ve invested heavily in smart meters, putting in our own capital as we believe it’s the right thing to do,” he explains. “Meters are an enabler to allow customers to add other technologies onto their house such as electric vehicles (EVs).
“They make the whole process easier, as they do for the installation of solar panels. Plus they mean people can understand their own consumption. The meters also help our integration with the national grid and mean customers can access cheaper tariffs.”
The devices are free for ScottishPower customers to install and use but Andrew recognises that they do not yet provide a universal solution, with only about 35 per cent user take-up.
“There are still certain premises where we can’t install them. It may be that the signal where they are doesn’t reach them – perhaps they’re in a basement or a high-rise block of flats, or they’re just too remote. Or it might be down to the type of metering or electrical configuration they currently have.”
However, a new generation of smart meters is currently in development and ScottishPower is helping with the testing process to allow these to be brought to market as quickly as possible.
“For the first time, meters allow customers to see the power they are using – and their spending – in real time. That’s a fantastic step forward. Until now, you weren’t really told anything until you received a bill from the electricity company.
“Having a smart meter makes electric vehicle and solar panel installations much easier. Bringing all this equipment together in your home also presents you with the opportunity to generate additional electricity you may want to transfer into your electric vehicle or sell back to the grid.”
It is a simple fact, he adds, that we cannot continue to consume energy at both a domestic and business level in the way we do today. “One possible solution – and I would argue it is the most viable one – is to completely change our view about how we use energy in the home.”
Andrew says ScottishPower wants to help the UK move forward in embracing this shift. “We have the right people to do that. We are building the windfarms we need, and our networks company is investing to ensure the country has sufficient capacity.
“Through our retail team, we believe we can offer the technical solutions that will help our customers consume energy efficiently in their homes by taking advantage of the most appropriate and flexible tariffs. We can help them obtain the best value for money going forward.”
The company is anticipating significant growth in electric vehicles – according to the House of Commons Library, there could be more than 10 million of these on UK roads by 2030 – and an associated demand for home charging points for these.
“Right now, we can provide our customers with this infrastructure along with tariffs offering a cheaper overnight price that can support EVs. Plus we have partnerships with some key car organisations to help them make the decision on using one of these vehicles.
“A lot of the mainstream manufacturers are now producing at least one or two electric vehicles in their ranges. That offers the consumer a lot of choice from small cars up to family SUVs. Many of them will now easily go 200 miles on a single charge.”
Another area of growth, Andrew says, will be workplace chargers. “Despite the changes in working practices we have seen in the current pandemic, when it is over there will still be a space for people to go to the office and a need to work together.
“So workplace charging will also be a key enabler for electric vehicles. People will want to top their cars up. That means we will have three distinct types of charging with domestic, public and workplace and we offer solutions in all these areas.”
One environmental concern sometimes raised in relation to pure EVs is that while the vehicles do not use polluting diesel or petrol, the generation source for the electricity they use may still be wholly or partly-based on fossil fuels – gas-fired power stations, for instance.
This is not the case with ScottishPower because its sourced mix of 100 per cent renewables means it is producing green energy at every stage.
“There are very few energy companies of any size in the UK that can offer that capability. If you want to be socially responsible in this day and age and care about the environment and where we are, then you want to be associated with a company that itself invests in the future of that environment.
“From a retail point of view, we are trying to take that one stage further. We are working to help you integrate your home – to take that green energy and to use it even more efficiently.”
Andrew points out that this change does not just apply to domestic supply: businesses too are now focused on using sustainable power and they also have access to ScottishPower’s 100 per cent green energy tariffs.
“More and more companies are interested in this. Their staff are engaged with it and it’s something they want to do too. They feel they have a social responsibility as a business so they’re coming to us.
“The key thing for companies today is sustainability. They are looking very closely at this, both for themselves and their employees. They want to show they are operating in a sustainable way. It’s an area where we can do a lot to help them.”
This article appeared in the recent Scottish Power “Countdown to Net Zero” publication which you can view online HERE


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The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday, Feb. 4, edition that the federal government says it has no plans to lower taxes on cannabis, even as other regions in North America embrace research that says lower levies may help eradicate the illegal pot trade.
The Globe's James Berkow writes that jurisdictions in the United States with legal cannabis markets are considering temporarily lowering pot taxes in hopes of encouraging consumers to migrate from the illicit market.
Recent research from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy argues that lower taxes in the early days of legalization gives the industry a chance to get on its feet. It also recommends phasing in cannabis taxes over time and allowing medicinal users to pay less than recreational users. The federal government, however, is not interested in following that advice.
Finance Department spokesman Anna Arneson says: "The taxation framework for cannabis products entails keeping duties low and working with the provinces and territories to maintain a co-ordinated approach to taxation. There are no planned changes to the existing duties at this time."
Ottawa also charges an extra $1-per-gram excise tax on all cannabis, recreational and medicinal.
© 2019 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.


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Apple decided to reveal what they were going to announce during the WWDC 2011 keynote address just two days ago. One of the subjects? iCloud, Apple’s incoming cloud solution. While the announcement confirmed that Apple was going to use the iCloud name, it didn’t confirm Apple’s purchase of iCloud.com from Xcerion. Well, until the iCloud.com domain name registration information surfaced.
Well now we all know that Apple has bought the domain name for its iCloud service — not to prevent any cyber squatters. All that’s left is for Apple to announce what iCloud will be about. Just an online storage locker identical to Amazon and Google, or something more? We’ll find out from Steve Jobs during the WWDC keynote in less than a week’s time.


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NEW DELHI: India will once again appeal against a World Trade Organization ruling, which declared that support provided by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission to domestic manufacturers was inconsistent with the Trade Related Investment Measures agreement signed by the country. “We will appeal to the WTO. Several options are still open to us. This does not affect the domestic content requirement (DCR) rules or the ‘Make in India’ programme,” said Tarun Kapoor, joint secretary in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
A three-member dispute settlement panel of the WTO, which was set up in 2013 after the US complained that India unduly favours local solar manufacturers, had ruled against India in August and the February 24 ruling is a reiteration by the panel after India went in appeal.
India’s Solar Mission offers a subsidy of up to Rs 1 crore per MW to solar developers sourcing components from local manufacturers. It also stipulates that a small percentage of the solar capacity target of 100,000 MW by 2022 should be built with domestically manufactured solar modules, which has led to a small part of the solar auctions being reserved for developers employing only domestic content.
India had suggested a compromise by which the domestic content requirement would not be imposed on private solar developers or made part of the auctions and would be restricted to public services such as the railways and defence. But even this failed to cut much ice with the US or the WTO. “We had been expecting this and had factored it into our plans,” said Dhruv Sharma, coordinator of the Indian Solar Manufacturers Association. “We know that the government will keep resolutely backing solar manufacturers.”
India’s solar manufacturers still largely assemble products with the basic material – such as polysilicon chips – purchased mostly from China. As a result, Indian solar cells and modules end up becoming 8-10% costlier than those from China, Malaysia or Taiwan – from where most solar developers in India source their modules.


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NEW YORK — Kaylani Lei is featured in an editorial shoot by Highlark Photography. According to Highlark, "The exotic, erotically-charged star is showcased in Australian lingerie designer Teale Coco's intimates in a smoldering photo set."
"When Teale Coco sent me an outfit from her collection, I thought of Kaylani immediately," Highlark said. "She looked great in the all-black Occult and fetish-inspired lingerie. It shows skin in all the right parts."
To view Lei in Highlark's "The Shoot: Episode VI," visit this link.


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It's common knowledge that over the past several years, Coachella has evolved from a fun music festival in the desert into a marketing opportunity for companies hoping to cash in on the massive convergence of musicians, celebrities, influencers and scenic backdrops (for #content!) that takes place over two weekends every April. Brands like Revolve, Adidas, Chloé and H&M hope that dressing influencers and creating Instagrammable moments throughout the Coachella Valley will inspire kids at home to shop their festival-season wares after seeing them worn in context. But for Levi's, activating at Coachella came more out of a desire to capitalize on the presence it already had at the festival, and in the music community in general — through no effort of its own.
"I always say that we didn't choose music, it chose us, because all of the artists who are original and authentic voices, they all choose to wear Levi's on stage and they have for decades," Jen Sey, Levi's Chief Marketing Officer, tells me over iced coffee at the new, Morroccan-inspired, rose-colored Sands Hotel and Spa in Desert Sands, where Levi's held its 2019 Coachella activation (and invited me to stay as a guest) over the weekend. "We didn't ask Bruce Springsteen to wear Levi's on the cover of 'Born in the USA,' he just wore them. That's true for generations of artists, from Kurt Cobain to Joan Jett to Beyoncé last year."
In terms of both marketing and product, Levi's has gotten more intentional over the past few years about addressing the desire for its denim — spurred by the growing popularity of its vintage styles — and keeping up with trends. When denim trends shifted from the premium-branded, skinny, stretchy styles of yore to today's more rigid, vintage "mom"/"dad" silhouettes, Levi's had a moment where it fell behind. While vintage stores and upcyclers were profiting from styles that Levi's invented decades prior, Levi's itself wasn't making a dime.
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Today, following a relaunch of its women's offering in 2015, it's up to date. Levi's regularly introduces new vintage-inspired styles, from versions of its classic 501, to the cult-beloved Wedgie fit, to the new (and my personal favorite) Ribcage, a less pinup-y, high-waisted style with a button fly that comes in a straight leg, a wide leg and a short that essentially debuted at Coachella this year. Still, it has to be careful not to chase trends so fervently that it loses its heritage-brand appeal.
"Brand, brand, brand, I put everything through the Levi's brand," Levi's Chief Product Officer Karyn Hillman tells me. "Just because someone said, 'this is trending,' it might not work for us. You get a lot of requests [from retailers], so you have to have that filter and you have to have that strong sense of who you are or you're going to go off in too many directions."
The way in which Levi's figured out how to capitalize on the popularity of its vintage styles is similar to the way in which it activates at Coachella. As trends have come and gone, Levi's cutoffs — to varying degrees of butt visibility — have been the unofficial Coachella uniform, with performers and attendees alike regularly choosing to wear the brand. While Hillman's job is to make sure there are plenty of relevant styles on offer, Sey's job has been to figure out how to get the brand involved in an authentic way.
"We've definitely aggressively leaned into music in the last five years," she says. "In the past, we've had a music association, but now that's sort of our exclusive way that we connect with culture." This year marks the fourth that Levi's has had a presence at the festival. Typically, it takes over a different trendy hotel each year, where it invites a group of Levi's employees, "friends of the brand" and press (like me) from around the world to stay all weekend, have a fitting with new Levi's product, customize said product with everything from embroidery to tie-dye to screen printing and attend a pool party on Saturday, boasting well-known DJs and celebrity/influencer guests. The company also provides VIP wristbands for and transportation to the actual festival. Compared to some other Coachella-activating brands, who (understandably) offer similar packages in exchange for a set list of deliverables, influencers and the Instagrammable moments they converge around seem slightly less of a priority for Levi's.
"We try to make it a relaxing, cool vibe for people who may want to take a break from the craziness," says Sey. "We offer a service that's uniquely tied to our brand, which is customizing product. Half the people are wearing Levi's anyway, so it's fun to get the chance to customize them." Getting people to share photos of their customized product is more of a priority — and then there are always plenty of celebrity photo moments at the pool party.
This year's paid guests included St. Vincent and Snoop Dogg, who both deejayed, as well as Emily Ratajkowski, Luka Sabbat, Joan Smalls, Candice Huffine, Amandla Stenberg, Jaden Smith, Aquaria, Victor Cruz and Hailey Bieber, whom Levi's recently nabbed as the first-ever face of the 501 jean. A requirement for celebrity partners, says Sey, is that they "authentically really like Levi's." The brand tends to invite people it already works with regularly, including Bieber. "You can find a lot of people who love Levi's; we don't have to find people who don't,” notes Sey.
The timing of Bieber's campaign announcement was no accident: "The featured item we talk about for Coachella is the 501 and the 501 short, and she's a huge fan of the 501, the shorts in particular," explains Sey. "We planned a few key moments this year that would make a ton of sense to work with her on." Coachella, in a way, is a precursor to an event that is just as big of an investment for the brand: 501 Day, which is May 20, and in which Bieber will surely be involved, though there are no details being shared yet for this year's plans. (Last year's included a huge concert at the Palladium in Los Angeles featuring the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, SZA and Lauryn Hill.)
Few other brands can claim to only work with celebrities who are already fans of their product, and that also goes for those who take the stage at Coachella — not just attendees. The brand's in-house stylists begin working with artists and their stylists usually a couple of months out by setting up appointments at Levi's Haus, an actual mid-century house off of Sunset Blvd. with a seemingly infinite supply of both new and vintage (thanks in part to one collector) styles.
Typically, it's stylists and artists reaching out to Levi's to set up appointments pre-Chella, as opposed to the other way around, either for general product or for a specific customized piece. This year, the brand made custom items for Khalid, Maggie Rogers, Lizzo, Jaden Smith and Anderson .Paak among others. "We do that for most of the festivals because we work with these musicians all year long," says Sey. Last year, the Levi's team didn't even know Beyoncé would make a pair of cutoffs a key part of her main Beychella look — the only non-Balmain piece she wore, in fact, and the only piece that any one of her fans could easily go into a store and pick up.
Levi's is also in the rare position of being a brand that's worn by celebrities and is still accessible to the masses. "We, for a long time, resisted using famous faces because it is such a democratic brand, and when you put a famous face on something, it becomes about that person and their personality ... you get a borrowed equity of that, and it makes it not for everyone," explains Sey. "But I think we choose wisely, and in this age of influencers, it is part of how you market the brand, but we try to really pick people that are relatable."
Levi's measures the success of its Coachella events through "PR impressions," meaning social media impressions and press placements. Photos of Bieber, Ratajkowski and others could be found all over the web soon after they were taken. "Festival" has also become an important sales period for the brand, which was taken public this past February. "Our business has really shifted over the last five-to-seven years," says Sey. Before, like most retailers, the bulk of revenue was made in the second half of the year during the back-to-school and holiday seasons. "With the rise of festival and denim shorts, the business is more balanced now, so we definitely see business pick up when people are out looking for their festival gear."
Even as critics tire of Coachella and all the branded activity that now surrounds it, Sey feels that it will remain relevant for years to come, and that Levi's will always have a place there, and at other festivals around the world as well.
"I think we're able to stand out because we do it all through the product, and it's a product that people are wearing naturally at the festival anyway, so there's a reason to be here," she explains. "It's the one festival that I would say is truly global in terms of its reach and scale, but we will be at festivals around the world all year. She names Glastonbury, Fuji Rock, Strawberry and Splendour in the Grass as other festivals where Levi's plans to activate on a smaller scale. It's also largely about reaching the youths.
"I think festivals are here for some time to come; I'm not going to predict the future but it's just such a significant part of the experience of young people," she says. "You never love music more than when you're young."
You can never look great in a pair of 501 cutoffs more than when you're young, either. When I asked Sey and a Levi's PR rep to estimate how many pairs of jorts the brand gifted ahead of and during Coachella this year, they both had trouble even beginning to calculate such a thing. "More than a thousand?" I offered. "Oh, definitely," confirmed Sey.