text:
The dog days of summer drag on for the auto industry, unable to find respite from a withering supply chain crisis that has left assembly lines limping and dealership lots bare.
July was on track to be the ninth consecutive month that U.S. retail inventories closed below 900,000 vehicles, J.D. Power said.
And the industry’s doldrums could extend into fall and beyond amid softening demand in a slowing U.S. economy.
“Rising interest rates and low consumer sentiment are keeping many potential buyers out of the market,” Charlie Chesbrough, senior economist at Cox Automotive, said. “[Meanwhile,] higher prices for both gasoline and vehicles are making affordability an even greater challenge.”
But in the near term, tight supply “continues to be the biggest obstacle … and there is little evidence of supply returning to normal,” Chesbrough said.
The dearth of new inventory fueled double-digit sales declines for six of the seven automakers reporting for July.
Collectively, those automakers’ U.S. sales skidded 15 percent from a year earlier, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center. The group’s sales for the year were down 19 percent.
Overall, U.S. sales fell 12 percent last month, vehicle forecaster LMC Automotive said. July marked the 12th consecutive month that volume has dropped year over year.
Retail sales remained under 1 million for the third consecutive month in July, LMC said.
According to Motor Intelligence, the seasonally adjusted, annualized sales rate in July was 13.5 million, down from 14.81 million a year ago and higher than June’s 13.22 million rate. The SAAR has surpassed 15 million only once — 15.23 million in January — since June 2021.
LMC trimmed its 2022 U.S. light-vehicle outlook to 14 million, from 14.3 million last month, noting that “uncertainty is elevated” into 2023.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Honolulu’s condo market keeps getting hotter
Send this to a friend
Honolulu’s red-hot condominium market grew even hotter in March with a staggering 73 percent growth in sales and an 11 percent jump in the median sales price, according to statistics released Monday by the Honolulu Board of Realtors.
There were also positive numbers in the single-family home market in March, with a 4 percent increase in the number of sales and a 2.4 percent increase in the median sales price, compared to the same month last year.
There were 585 condo sales in March, compared to 338 in March 2012 and the median sales price last month was $346,700, compared to $311,750 the same time last year.
In March, there were 231 single-family home sales, compared to 222 sales in March 2012 and the median sales price last month was $640,000, compared to $625,000 during the same month last year.
In addition to the positive numbers in each segment, homeowners have been snatching up homes and condos at a faster pace, according to the Honolulu Board of Realtors, which said that single-family homes were on the market for 22 days and condos for just 15 days.
“Momentum is strong in the Honolulu market, with sales and median prices increasing for both single-family homes and condominiums,” Honolulu Board of Realtors President Kevin Miyama said in a statement. “The March resale figures for condominiums were impacted by the presale of 174 units at
Holomua — the majority of which listed between $299,000 and $400,000, indicating great demand for
But he also noted that even without those closed sales, the number of condo sales increased by an impressive 21.6 percent compared to last year.
Duane Shimogawa covers energy, real estate and economic development for Pacific Business News.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- Plans revealed for redevelopment of JW Marriott Ihilani Resort
- Hawaii real estate mogul Jay Shidler is richest person in Hawaii
- Owner of Hawaii's Liliha Bakery underestimated power of social media
- Shidler ups University of Hawaii business school gift to $100M
- Chinese investor buys 11 lots in Oahu North Shore subdivision for $6M
- Zara, Uniqlo actively looking at Hawaii retail market
- New owner of The Kahala Hotel & Resort drops management company
- Shidler's $100M gift to UH business school was years in the making
- West Oahu Catholic church buys 11 acres to build newly expanded campus
- New restaurants and stores coming to Ward Centre in Honolulu
Director of Operations Management Honolulu Museum of Art | Honolulu, HI
Controller The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center | Ewa Beach, HI
Auto Mechanic McCully Union Service, Inc. | Honolulu, HI
Mechancial Engineer / Project Manager Futures Consulting | Honolulu, HI
Kona Alamo - Part Time Greeter National/Alamo | Kailua Kona, HI

domain: news


text:
Nagaland facing a huge internal debate following the Nagaland government’s order to ban the trading of dogs and also the sale of both cooked and uncooked dog-meat at the local markets.
On July 3rd Nagaland’s Chief Secretary Temjen Toy declared that the State government has decided to ban the commercial import and trading of dogs and dog markets and also the sale of the meat, both cooked and uncooked.
The decision comes in the wake of the brutal pictures of dogs being sold at Dimapur markets which got viral on social media, causing an outcry.
While banning of commercial imports is acceptable, a netizen viewed that the ban on the sale of dog meat is an exploitation of the indigenous dietary habit.
While pet lovers welcomed the decision saying that the Nagas can survive without dog meat, others viewed it as nonsensical which would only drive the dog-meat trade underground like the failed Nagaland Liquor Prohibition Act.


text:
The Waikato District Health Board service lets patients talk to their hospital doctor over their smartphone from home rather than having to travel to an appointment.
Kogan Mobile is improving its service for all of its new and existing customers, with the company confirming that it will switch on 4G services for all customers by June, with no increase in prices.
Chip giant Intel has announced it will reduce its global workforce by “up to” 12,000 staff – or an approximately 11 percent of all workers at the company. Clearly it’s not all plain sailing for Intel as the business plans to realign its focus away fr...
Apple's focus on security means it will eventually offer Macs equipped with an ARM processor, Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bavarian said.
Intel's rise and fall in tablets are starting to resemble the company's misadventures in netbooks less than a decade ago.
A series of powerful earthquakes that shook southwest Japan has also disrupted the electronics supply chain. Sony, Mitsubishi Electric and chip-maker Renesas are among the companies with factories in the area.
BlackBerry has stopped producing phones with its in-house operating system as the company focuses on a more secure Android.
“Business leaders understand the need to invest in their security infrastructure, but that isn’t translating..."
Telstra opened pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge at 12.01am on Friday, February 26. Customers pre-ordering these phones will receive a free Samsung Gear VR, while stocks last.
Google said it will alert users in their search results page to corresponding webpages that have been optimized to run fast on smartphones and tablets.
The lifespan of consumer electronic and electrical devices is getting ever shorter, and it's at least partly our fault, not just the manufacturers', according to a new study published by Germany's Environment Agency (UBA).
Most of the excitement at Mobile World Congress this month will be about 5G, which won't officially exist until 2020. But vendors will also be showing off new ways to speed up the 3G and 4G networks most people are using today.
Top trends from the show floor at the Consumer Electronics Show 2016 in Las Vegas, according to analyst Ovum.
Samsung Electronics will be making Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 820 chips for smartphones and other devices, refueling speculation that the chips could find their way into the South Korean giant's premium smartphones, thus winning back lost busines...
HP is scrapping its low-end tablet lineup to focus on detachables, hybrids and business tablets.
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- 2 Portable power: Venom Blackbook 13 Zero review
- 3 Alcatel Idol 4S review: King of the mid-range?
- 4 Witness a 241% Australian price hike: Dell Latitude 7370 review
- 5 Is this the best value phone on the market? Moto G4 Plus review
Join the PC World newsletter!
Latest News Articles
- Apple patches iOS security flaws found in spyware targeting activist
- Informatica CEO: 'Data security is an unsolved problem'
- Here's how the Xbox One S stacks up to the original
- Intel spreads 3D NAND to inexpensive consumer and enterprise SSDs
- Facebook will use Whatsapp users' personal data to target ads
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
- CCPMO Project AdministratorNSW
- CCDesktop Support AnalystSA
- CCBusiness Intelligence Business AnalystSA
- FTOrchestration Engineer - DevOps - PuppetVIC
- FTProject ManagerNSW
- FTUnix Systems AdministratorNSW
- CCSystem Analyst - NetIQNSW
- FTChange Management Specialist - IT Service ManagementNSW
- CCProject Resource SpecialistVIC
- CCSenior Project Manager, Cyber Security TransformationNSW
- FTCyber Security Sales Executive / Account DirectorNSW
- CCContract Analyst Programmer (JAVA/SQL) 160826/AP/972Asia
- FTCapacity PlannerNSW
- FTSAP Ariba Consultant/ManagerVIC
- CCSharePoint DeveloperACT
- CCStorage / Server EngineerNSW
- CCSenior Project Manager - Contact CentresNSW
- CCActive Directory Consultant/ArchitectWA
- FTStorage EngineerSA
- CCSAP HCM / HR -Sr. Business AnalystNSW
- CCSystems Analyst (IT Security/Network & Systems) 160826/SA/652Asia
- FTBid Manager - Intelligent TechnologyVIC
- FTTM1 Solution DesignerNSW
- CCContract Programmer (IT Security/Website Admin.) 160824/P/567Asia
- CCJava / J2ee ProgrammersACT


text:
TGA breaks into top 500
EL SEGUNDO, CA — Entrepreneur Magazine has recognized TGA Premier Youth Tennis (TGA) in its Franchise 500. The fast-growing youth sports company debuted at No. 424.
Entrepreneur’s 35th Annual Franchise 500®, which appears in the January 2014 issue, recognizes the top 500 franchise companies in the industry.
“TGA is the first school-based activation model to grow the sport of tennis through a sustainable business model delivered by entrepreneurs,” Joshua Jacobs, founder and CEO of TGA, said. “We are very excited about the initial growth and to be recognized among the Franchise 500 is a testament to the success that our franchises are having across the country.”
TGA began offering its innovative Premier Youth Tennis franchises just 18-months ago, and already the company has grown to 24 across the country serving more than 400 schools and community based organizations.
TGA, which stands for Teach-Grow-Achieve, pioneered a school-based youth sports franchise model in partnership with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) that makes tennis available and accessible to youth and families through an instruction-based curriculum for elementary students, and a play-based curriculum for middle school students. The curriculums were developed in partnership with the USTA and focus on instilling a passion for tennis while promoting advancement, achievement, core academics, and the attainment of life skills on and off the court.
TGA’s youth sports franchise model is developing business ownership and job opportunities in the tennis industry. By bringing tennis directly on to school campuses alongside mainstream sports and increasing youth participation it is also having a direct impact on growing the sport.
Entrepreneur Magazine previously named TGA a “Top 10 Franchise Value” based on total startup costs. In addition, the publication has ranked TGA among the top children’s fitness, low-cost and home-based franchises the last few years.
For more information on TGA, visit playtga.com or follow @tgayouthtennis.
TIMag.com news search
Latest TIMag.com news
- Anderson receives Service Award
- HEAD Penn to partner with Cliff Drysdale
- USTA NE names official travel partner
- Ivanovic joins Playsight
- K•Swiss unveils the Knitshot
- USTA National Campus opens
- HEAD offers Watson racquet finder
- Lynch to officiate at Rose Bowl
- Future Team Tecnifibre champs get together
- Cap to PTR Hall of Fame


text:
A while back, we told you about Google Maps Timeline, a little-known feature that provides a minute-by-minute record of your physical movements available to you — and anyone else with access to your account.
Like many of these features, it’s easy enough to turn off — once you know about it.
Our problems with our digital privacy often seem much like the mythical Hydra, a monster that grew several new heads the moment one was chopped off.
We had yet another reminder of this on Monday when the Associated Press reported that Google was tracking users’ movements through a completely separate process, much less transparent than Google Timeline, that still works even if you turn Google Timeline off.
“Even with Location History paused, some Google apps automatically store time-stamped location data without asking,” AP technology reporter Ryan Nakaskima wrote. Users’ locations can be tracked to the square foot.
WATCH: Should the government intervene with Google’s privacy issues?
For its part, Google argues that everyone knows about this feature, or should.
“We provide clear descriptions of these tools, and robust controls so people can turn them on or off, and delete their histories at any time,” the company told the AP.
(Users’ locations are valuable to advertisers, who tailor ads precisely to their whereabouts and what is known about their interests.)
Hercules, who had to battle the Hydra, killed it with fire: as he cut off a head, someone else cauterized the stump with a flaming torch, which stopped it from regrowing.
Perhaps, unfortunately, we can’t safeguard our privacy in that satisfying a way — we’re forced to plod along, solving problems as they appear, suspecting that we’re not solving the bigger issue, and perhaps can’t.
To chop off this particular head, however, here’s what to do:
In Activity Controls (follow this link: Google may want you to sign in again), and move the slider to the left:
If you then turn it back on again, you’re told that your location may be tracked and saved:


text:
A unanimous vote of the NFLPA's Executive Committee confirms an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement.
The 189,528 minute-long lockout is officially over.
Behind The Steel Curtain will be going over the details of the new CBA, and reporting on how they will affect the Steelers in regards to this year as well as the future.
As for now, celebrate in whatever fashion you see fit. I'm eating a tuna sandwich.


text:
A 50-year-old Canadian pleaded guilty to five wire fraud charges on Monday for running a Ponzi scheme while pretending to be a successful businessman with ties to NBA stars like Stephen Curry and Shaquille O’Neal, federal prosecutors said. According to the Justice Department, Khemraj Dave Hardat posed as a successful entrepreneur in the “performance beverage and water-bottling industries” between 2014 and 2018 to lure in investors. Hardat allegedly claimed O’Neal was one of his business partners, and said Curry would be endorsing one of his company’s products. According to the DOJ, he also doctored images of his bank account statements to make him appear more wealthy than he really was, faked advanced education degrees, and pretended to have connections with the CEO of PepsiCo and computer entrepreneur Michael Dell.
Hardat allegedly took investors’ money and used it to pay for his rent in Los Angeles’ Ritz-Carlton Residences, pay for his children’s private school tuition, pay off debts, and buy luxury vehicles. He also allegedly used the money he collected, totaling $5 million, to pay some of his previous investors. Hardat is scheduled for a August 12 sentencing hearing and faces up to 100 years in prison.


text:
Retail cargo traffic declines
A report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates said that import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports has started to decline for the fall, and November is forecast at 1.9% below the same month last year.
The decrease is attributed to the fact that most retailers already have their holiday season merchandise either on their shelves or en route to their stores.
“As always, retailers are being very strategic with their supply chains,” said Jonathan Gold, VP supply chain and customs policy for the NRF. “Although sales are expected to be in line with the 10-year average, retailers are keeping inventory levels extremely lean and filling their stores wall-to-wall with discounts and promotions. Unlike in 2008, when the financial crisis caught everyone off-guard, retailers have a strong understanding of the consumer mind-set this Christmas.”
U.S. ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.33 million twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEU) in September, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was up 0.4% from August and made September the busiest month of the year as retailers rushed to stock stores for the holidays, but was down 0.6% from September 2010. One TEU is one 20-foot cargo container or its equivalent.
The total for 2011 is forecast at 14.76 million TEU, just slightly above the 2010 total of 14.75 million TEU.
Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by the consulting firm Hackett Associates, covers the U.S. ports of Long Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah on the East Coast; and Houston on the Gulf Coast.
Philadelphia looks ahead to 2013 green conference
An article on Philly.com reveals that Philadelphia will have plenty of environmentally friendly projects to show off for GreenBuild when it comes to town in 2013.
GreenBuild is the annual conference of the U.S. Green Building Council, and it will enter its 12th year in 2013. The event will take place Nov. 20 to 22.
In the Delaware Valley Green Building Council area — of which Philadelphia is a big part — 152 commercial projects adhere to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard, and an additional 347 are under LEED consideration, according to the article. Moreover, several hundred houses are certified green projects.
In 2011, GreenBuild was held in Toronto Oct. 4 to 7. In 2012, the event is slated for San Francisco Nov. 14 to 16.
SFI supports green certification for Habitat homes
The National Housing Endowment has announced 10 of the 25 Habitat for Humanity homes will be certified to the ANSI/ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard, thanks to a community grant from Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
“Several Habitat for Humanity affiliates and other builders of affordable homes across the country have already seen the inherent value of having their homes Green Certified by the NAHB Research Center, and the SFI grant will allow us to expand the benefits even further,” said Michael Luzier, president and CEO of the NAHB Research Center.
Luzier said green certification needs to be accessible for homes in all price ranges. “That’s why our certification is more affordable and not as time consuming as other national certifications, while delivering the same third-party credibility and rigor,” he said. “There is also an NAHB members’ discount for Habitat for Humanity affiliates.”
“At SFI, we care about our communities and the environment, and we are proud to support this important endeavour,” said Kathy Abusow, president and CEO of the independent SFI forest certification program. “The National Green Building Standard recognizes wood from all credible third-party forest certification standards, including SFI, making it easier for builders to build with North American wood.”


text:
Freedom 251: Everyone's favourite 'scam' is alive and kicking. Or is it?
Five months ago, the Ringing Bells Freedom 251 was alive and kicking. Fast forward to 8 July 2016 and that dream seems to be dead.
It all started when Ringing Bells Pvt Ltd's CEO Mohit Goel announced a smartphone at just Rs 251. The offer seemed too good to be true. However, Goel has now announced that the first batch of 5,000 Freedom 251 phones have been shipped. What's more, Goel has also announced that Ringing Bells plans to soon unveil the world's cheapest LED TV.
But before that
Before we talk about the new, let's talk about the old. Goel said that to manufacture the phone, he initially faced Rs 930 loss per handset. The parts, imported from Taiwan cost him Rs 1,180. "I recovered Rs. 700-800 from app developers and revenue generated through advertisements on Freedom 251 website. After selling the device for Rs. 251 (cash on delivery), the total loss per handset is expected to be in the range of Rs. 180-270," Goel told IANS.
The cost and loses aside, the smartphone was mired in other controversies. The re-branded united, the changed designs and the 'promise' of a shipment. The offices in Noida were raided and finally a date of shipment - 30 June - was announced.
Subsequently it has been pushed back by two days and then further on. The company promised they would ship 2,00,000 phones. That number became 10,000.
As of 8 July, they've promised 5,000 units via a lucky draw. The receiver will have to pay Rs 291 (Rs 40 as delivery charge). Remember, at least 30,000 people have paid for the Freedom 251 phone. Only time will tell if they get anything in return.
The makers are seeking Rs 50,000 crore (GDP of a small country) from the government as it faces masses losses. One can be pretty sure that the Indian government will not be giving away this large amount of money.
"We have brought 'Freedom 251' which we offer on 'Cash on Delivery' terms but we have a gap between the BOM (Bill of Materials) and the Selling Price. We, therefore, humble request government support to actualise the objective to cascade the availability and usage of smartphones all through the far reaches of our great nation," Ringing Bells said in a letter written to Prime Minister's Office dated 28 June asking for a meeting with Narendra Modi himself.
Just look at what happened to DataWind, the company behind the world's cheapest Android tablet. The Indian government had put their full weight behind it, but nothing came about it.
Simply put, Freedom 251 is dead on arrival.
On to the new
If you thought that this fiasco would discourage the company, think again. Ringing Bells, in a glitzy press conference in New Delhi on 7 July, announced six new smartphones - two Android smartphones, four feature phones - a few power banks and the world's cheapest LED TV.
The four feature phones are HIT (Rs 699), KING (Rs 899), BOSS (Rs 999), and RAJA (Rs 1,099).
The two smartphones, Elegant and Elegance, cost Rs 3,999 and Rs 4,999 respectively and look like they were re-branded LG G5's. As for the specs, they feature 5" IPS 720p displays and 1.3GHz quad-core processors. RAM is 1GB. Camera comes in at 8MP for rear and 3.2MP for front. Both come with 8GB of expandable storage and run on Android Marshmallow. The difference is in the connectivity. The Elegant tops at 3G network connectivity, while the Elegance has support for 4G VoLTE.
One can be certain, going by history, that the phones design will change with time. Prices may be more plausible everyone in the industry, but who trusts Ringing Bells anymore?
India's cheapest LED TV
Ringing Bells also announced a 31.5-inch LED TV for a mind-boggling Rs 9,990. It's simply called Freedom. The TV comes with two USB and two HDMI ports. The resolution stands at 1344 x 786. It also includes two 3 watt speakers. Booking are open and delivers will start from 15 August. Goel added that a total of 1 lakh units of the TV are ready to be shipped.
The kicker? Goel has announced that Ringing Bells will be giving away 95% of its profits to charity.
Here's how Pranav Dixit, journalist with FactorDaily summed it up:
But they are LOSING money on each phone according to his own admission?? What is the deal with #RingingBells?— ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (@PranavDixit) July 7, 2016
All in all, something fishy is definitely going on. The right thing to do? Keep your money, turn on the news and watch this company spiral into nonexistence.
Edited by Blassy Bobben


text:
Brian McMahon Joins Interpublic Corporate as a Senior Business Advisor
New York, Jan. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) announced Brian McMahon, a 23-year IPG veteran and founding CEO of Orion, is joining IPG corporate as a senior business advisor. In this new position, Brian will work across the IPG portfolio to foster innovative thinking, with a focus on delivering higher value services to our clients. Brian will also be an advisor to companies participating in our various accelerator and venture programs.
“Brian brings an entrepreneurial mindset to our business, which is a key reason he has been so successful over the years at building and strengthening multiple companies within the group,” commented Philippe Krakowsky, CEO of IPG. “We’re excited to have him join us at IPG headquarters to bring that expertise to bear, so as to uncover new ways for us to deliver innovative solutions for our clients. He’ll also advise start-ups in our accelerator programs and help them build the strong cultures and business results he’s known for.”
“I look forward to partnering with Philippe and the senior team at IPG as an advisor, and share my experiences in helping clients find pragmatic solutions for real world business problems,” commented Brian McMahon. “In addition, I look forward to working alongside the IPG brands to re-think and refine commercial models for our business, especially in sectors outside the traditional agency landscape,” Brian added.
Brian joined IPG in 1998 as CEO of Orion. Over the years, he and his team continued to evolve Orion to meet client needs, delivering unique business solutions to IPG clients around the world. During his tenure Brian also oversaw and reshaped various IPG business units, including Newspaper Services of America, Wahlstrom, Rapport, ID Media and BPN, unlocking growth and delivering value to clients domestically and internationally.
Named a Media Maven by Advertising Age, Brian has been celebrated for his commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Orion has consistently achieved the highest business ranking in IPG’s company-wide Climate for Inclusion survey every year the company has fielded the assessment.
# # #
Interpublic is values-based, data-fueled, and creatively-driven. Major global brands include Acxiom, Craft, FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding), FutureBrand, Golin, Huge, Initiative, Jack Morton, Kinesso, MAGNA, McCann, Mediahub, Momentum, MRM, MullenLowe Group, Octagon, R/GA, UM and Weber Shandwick. Other leading brands include Avrett Free Ginsberg, Campbell Ewald, Carmichael Lynch, Deutsch, Hill Holliday, ID Media and The Martin Agency. For more information, please visit www.interpublic.com.
# # #


text:
The world is slowly tapping into the post COVID-19 era, trying to reshape what has been drastically disrupted. The F&B industry is no different, and specifically the beverages sector.
Preferred Hotels and Resorts will launch Beyond Green initiative on a global level on April 14.
A Club Deal is a relatively straightforward investment approach where investors pool their money to acquire a controlling or large stake in a business.
As the industry started to get back into its business track, hospitality establishments were forced to pivot and adapt to the new market requirements.
During such challenging times, the most impractical route to take would be the rigid and static approach.
The group is poised to expand in the region by 20 hotels by the end of 2023 in key leisure destinations including Dubai, Muscat, and Jeddah.
No related posts.
Your go-to source for the latest news, forecasts and industry reports
© 2018 Hospitality News Magazine. All rights reserved. Designed and Developed by Born Interactive


text:
A pop up shop at 1252 Pendleton St. brings life to an unused space inside a photography studio. / MYKAL McELDOWNEY / Staff
Maybe it was how still the place felt, like trapped air, that made Claire Winkler look closer.
The lobby of the old Windstream office had not welcomed anyone in more than a year — Winkler had been trying to open a seasonal store for even longer.
“I had talked to, in the last two years, every Realtor in town and called every number on every storefront,” she said. “Then in August when I was walking down the street, I just looked at that Windstream building, and I thought, ‘That whole lobby is empty. That would be an awesome spot.’”
After a week of unpacking boxes, Ten Thousand Villages opened on the weekend of Fall for Greenville. People who had never heard of the free-trade retailer walked inside, curious to see the shop that seemed to have appeared, fully formed, in just a few days.
By the end of December, all traces of the store will be gone.
The idea of a temporary location isn’t new to Greenville, but it’s only recently that pop-up shops have migrated to more urban quarters, to North Main and the Village of West Greenville. As fleeting as they are, sellers say pop ups give them a place to hook new customers to their brand without a long-term commitment.
In return, building owners see dead space filled with commerce, lights on in windows and, if the experiment works, permanent tenants that can revitalize a whole neighborhood.
This is the story of how one pop up popped up in West Greenville.
When Mary Campbell first approached a photographer friend with the idea of opening one in his studio, the front room of 1252 Pendleton St. was mostly empty, its main purpose a floor to walk across.
Campbell, the proprietor of a rustic gift boutique called We Took to the Woods, already had a 2-year-old storefront on Stone Avenue, but with the holidays coming, it seemed like a good time for exposure in a different part of town.
Two weeks and coats of paint later, the pop up was ready for business.
It looked anything but temporary. Red plaid curtains separated a coffee bar from the photography studio. Deer antlers sprouted from every nook and wall. There was even a seating area with Adirondack chairs, warmed up by a rug over the floor and chandelier overhead.
“The part of town we’re in, everyone over there is just trying to make that area grow,” said Campbell, who liked Pendleton Street for its community of artists outside the realm of her usual customer base.
“With First Fridays and Open Studios next month, that will bring a lot of foot traffic whereas where we are now, we don’t get any foot traffic,” she said.
Up on North Main, Winkler shared similar reasons for opening a pop up for Ten Thousand Villages. Even with an established location at Lewis Plaza, she hoped to tap into the downtown market for the number of out-of-town visitors. Simpsonville folks, Winkler figured, don’t often go to Augusta Road to shop.
That first weekend was eye-opening.
“We do advertising, but apparently we don’t do enough, because we had a ton of people come into the store who live in Greenville and had never heard of us,” Winkler said.
Once the pop up closes, those customers will then find Lewis Plaza, “so it’s definitely served its marketing purposes,” she said.
Back on Pendleton Street, Lily Wikoff is about to launch her first pop-up shop, LP Vintage & Friends, inside Artisan Traders, a 3,000-square-foot event hall.
Wikoff often went to the pop-up shops in Cincinnati as a kid growing up and later in New York City, where they’re so popular that even Target and Dockers have used the scene to test new products.
“Pop up is a whole new term to Greenville, but it’s been around for a long time,” said Wikoff, owner of Lily Pottery on Pendleton Street.
Her pop up, a collaboration between family and friends, will be open Nov. 1-3 and Dec. 6-7 with a selection of vintage furniture, clothes, decor and jewelry, all carefully curated.
The work will be hard, Wikoff said, but there’s no better way to test out a tough market like vintage retail, which she’s always nursed a passion for.
“It’s a really great, brilliant way for a young person, for a young company, to cut their teeth on what it’s like to have a shop and to really run it,” she said.
And it’s a boon for collaboration. “By myself, I couldn’t do 3,000 square feet of vintage,” Wikoff said. “If it’s something that works, we go from there, and we find a brick and mortar permanently.”
Depending on the location, pop ups can be less expensive than traditional storefronts since they sometimes take up only a part of a building, which means less overhead, and rent is usually negotiable.
Or, in the case of LP Vintage, they can pop up inside rarely used event halls, an arrangement that works like renting a venue for a wedding.
A temporary occupancy permit may be required, depending on how the building is zoned, as well as a temporary business license, according to Jodie Dudash, the city’s revenue administrator.
Michael Watts, who owns real estate around West Greenville, offered a landlord’s perspective.
Watts had never heard of a pop-up shop until We Took to the Woods came into his building, but he was open to the idea since it brought something different to the neighborhood.
“This should and probably will provide more exposure for not only the real estate that I own but the whole area out there,” he said.
Earlier this week Watts got a call from a guy in Asheville who wanted to open a pop up with men’s clothing in one of his buildings. Watts had to decline — every space was full.
For downtown Fountain Inn, pop-up shops in the hands of one driven city official had long-lasting effects.
It started with a Christmas festival that, like with most anything, had lost its appeal after being run the same way for 20 years.
New ideas were sought, among them the thought that filling empty buildings with artists and temporary retailers would make downtown look more vibrant, which, in turn, might lure more festival goers to Main Street, said Van Broad, the city’s economic development director.
That was six years ago. Downtown Fountain Inn was 60 percent vacant. There was no foot traffic, business had dried up, and merchants were leaving in droves.
“Because we were — I won’t say desperate, but we were close — and we had just been empty for so long downtown, our building owners were ready to try anything,” Broad said.
He signed up two dozen art vendors for a co-op inside a former drugstore. The city offered to pay for utilities, sweep floors, make minor repairs, even paint facades.
All manner of artists, entrepreneurs and corporations were courted. Some declined. Krispy Kreme was among those who accepted. The doughnut shop supplied cabinets and signage, Broad said, and the city staffed it.
They sold out of doughnuts and coffee every night. A few years later, the grand experiment had netted five pop-up shops turned year-round storefronts.
“We’re 95 percent occupied in our downtown businesses today because of that,” Broad said.
In Greenville, City Councilwoman Amy Ryberg Doyle can see opportunities for pop ups of all variations at night when most retailers are closed but there are still plenty of pedestrians downtown.
Just recently Doyle was walking by I Love Natural Baby on College Street, which closed in August. From the window she saw art deco chandeliers and thought of how nice it would be if a Christmas shop went in there.
“I was sad to see them closed, but maybe there’s another opportunity for someone,” Doyle said.
But finding the right place with the right property owner can be a challenge, as Winkler knows.
The Shops at Greenridge, she said, “wouldn’t even talk about a three-month rental” for Ten Thousand Villages, and most places wanted a three-year contract.
Watts said landlords have to weigh whether a temporary lease would help or hinder them from securing a long-term tenant.
“If I felt like the shop wasn’t going to hurt it, and I don’t have any expenses involved as far as doing anything to the property, then I may do it,” Watts said.
It’s harder to do a pop up in high-visibility areas, Wikoff said, where space is coveted. On the fringe parts of town, like Pendleton Street, owners tend to be more open to the idea, she said.
Even then, there are roadblocks. It’s both easy and hard — easier since the space is smaller, but then having to work against time constraints.
“Don’t take all that time to mull things over,” said Campbell, thinking back on those whirlwind days with We Took to the Woods. “You’ve just got to do it fast.”


text:
Stop Squeezing The Cyber Melons!
Shopping for Groceries on Line
By GLENN RIFKIN
Published: June 14, 1997
SUDBURY, Mass.— If the suburban highway begat station wagons and supermarkets in the 1950's, might the information highway of the 90's portend the supermarket's demise?
On a Sunday afternoon, it is grocery shopping time for Kay Orsatti, a business consultant in this Boston suburb who has no time for such tasks on a weekday. But instead of heading out to the supermarket, she heads upstairs to her study.
There, she loads a CD-ROM into her personal computer and begins browsing the virtual shelves of Shop link Inc., one of a handful of companies intent on realizing the full technological -- and for the first time, profitable -- potential of the on-line grocery business. Within 15 minutes, Ms. Orsatti will have ordered $130 worth of grocery items, which Shop link will deliver under a system that requires neither she nor her husband Lou, a marketing and advertising executive, to be at home.
The convenience of ordering groceries by computer is nothing new, of course. In fact, the industry pioneer, Peapod, has been in the on-line grocery business since 1989 and now has 44,000 customers around the country, using a system in which a computerized order is hand-filled by someone who pushes a cart up and down the aisles of a Safeway or other Peapod-affiliated supermarket.
But even though it is making its initial public offering of stock, Peapod has never had a profitable quarter and lost $9 million last year on sales of $22 million.
That's why a new generation of companies like Shoplink contend that turning this consumer convenience into a money maker will require totally bypassing supermarkets -- and their high manual labor costs -- by automating the ordering, warehousing, distribution and delivery of food to American households.
Instead of the 14 times that a can of tuna changes hands between the food-packing factory and the customer's can opener in the typical supermarket distribution process, companies like Shoplink want to use software, networks and warehouse automation to reduce the tuna can's turnover to 11 pairs of hands or fewer -- saving time and money at each omitted step along the way.
''Consumer direct'' is what this on-line shopping-and-delivery concept is called. Last year an Andersen Consulting study sponsored by 18 companies including Coca Cola, Gillette, RJR Nabisco and Procter & Gamble concluded that consumer-direct distribution could grow into an $85 billion market within 10 years, siphoning off perhaps 10 percent of the market now served by supermarkets and similar retailers.
''Nineteen ninety-seven is a key year for this channel,'' said Fred Schneider, director of the Andersen study. ''It's a channel that's been in formation for a long time and people are beginning to crack the code -- not only on what consumers are demanding, but what it will take to be profitable.''
When Ms. Orsatti mouse-clicks her way through Shoplink's offerings, the produce, packaged goods, and health and beauty aids are all there (some with pictures), with sizes and prices clearly marked. As she reaches soups, a Campbell's video ad begins playing. Impatient, she clicks it off -- though she does select a can of Campbell's chicken noodle.
When her order is complete, she dials into Shoplink's on-line network and transmits it to Shoplink headquarters in the nearby suburb of Westwood. Shoplink could make the delivery within a few hours. But Ms. Orsatti, one of 100 customers testing Shoplink's service before it opens to the broader public late this year, wants to devote no more of her weekend to unpacking or even thinking about groceries.
So at her request, the order will be deposited in the Orsatti's locked garage sometime the following Tuesday -- the one day she knows that either she or her husband will be home early enough to bring in and unpack the groceries.
The Shoplink driver will let himself into the garage by entering a code into a keypad lock. The order will be left in plastic ''chill containers'' to keep perishables fresh for up to 36 hours. Though the Orsattis have not requested any additional services this time, in the past they have used their computer to instruct Shop link to pick up and return dry cleaning, drop off and retrieve rental videos and perform other suburban errands the couple can seldom find time for themselves.
Robert J. Crowell is the 45-year-old chairman and founder of Elcom International, a publicly traded company that sells $850 million worth of personal computers and PC paraphernalia on line each year and is the parent company of Shoplink. And he has big plans.
Mr. Crowell hopes eventually to expand beyond metropolitan Boston to pour $200 million into building a nationwide home shopping service, with eight regional distribution centers, a fleet of 6,000 vehicles, and an army of drivers clad in pressed Shoplink uniforms that he hopes will become as recognizable and trusted as Fedex or U.P.S. attire.
''People are always skeptical,'' Mr. Crowell said. ''When Fedex started, people said, 'What about the U.S. Postal Service?' Well, the Postal Service was not exactly a paradigm of efficiency and neither is the grocery store. The time is ripe for change.''
But so far, Mr. Crowell's dream outruns reality.


text:
Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Technology Group, better known as Foxconn, is set to make another push into electrification in the ASEAN region, this time in Indonesia. The company announced that it has inked a deal with the country’s investment ministry as well as several companies to jointly develop a battery manufacturing and electric vehicles ecosystem in the country.
Besides the ministry of investment, Apple’s main iPhone maker said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC), energy firm PT Indika Energy and Taiwanese electric scooter company Gogoro.
The company said that together with its partners, it aims to explore a wide scope of investment, ranging from electric battery manufacturing – including battery cell, battery module and battery pack development – to the formation of a four-wheeled and two-wheeled EV ecosystem, but did not divulge a timeline or investment costs for these.
Also in the pipeline is the development of EV supporting industries such as energy storage systems, battery exchange stations and recycling. In the initial phase, the company said it would prioritise its efforts into the development of a battery network and the production of lithium iron phospate or solid-state EV batteries.
As it is in Thailand, where it is working with energy group PTT to build EVs, the company said that it would make its MIH Open Platform available to companies in Indonesia. The platform, which provides both hardware and software solution, will feature an architecture that is fully modularised, scalable and easily customisable.
“Hon Hai is excited to embark on the journey to transform the new energy ecosystem in Indonesia in cooperation with the local government, Gogoro, IBC and Indika. I believe the implementation of the MIH platform, alongside our Build-Operate-Localize (BOL) strategy and manufacturing expertise, will allow us to meet the market demand and create a sustainable new EV ecosystem in Indonesia,” said Hon Hai chairman and CEO Young Liu.
Paul Tan’s Automotive News Read More


text:
New York Fashion Week is all about being cutting edge, right?
Zosia Mamet is taking that tidbit literally, trimming her bob into an asymmetrical shape and embracing a bright platinum hue ahead of NYFW's kickoff tomorrow. Designer Rebecca Minkoff posted the pic of the Girls star's new cut yesterday, captioning the Instagram snapshot, "Decisions, decisions. One of our favorite Girls @zosia_mamet picking out an outfit for our #nyfw show #RMSPRING."
The 26-year-old is just one of the Girls switching up her hairstyle; Co-star Lena Dunham is sporting a platinum bowl cut these days, and Allison Williams is styling a short wig for her latest gig as Peter Pan. And that's only the tip of the bob iceberg—Dianna Agron, Miranada Lambert and Hayden Panettiere are just a few of the latest celebs to rock shorter platinum cuts.
But back to the fashion, people—Mamet was shopping for a Fashion Week outfit from the hot designer, after all. Perhaps this platinum bob style is a sneak peek at a coming runway hair trend? We'll know soon enough!


text:
Google launched the Pixel 7 series in India. The new Pixel phones will officially go on sale starting October 13 in India. Google confirmed that the Pixel 7 series will also be available for purchase via Flipkart. The two phones, namely the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro, can be pre-ordered in India before they go on sale. Google had revealed that customers who pre-order its new flagship phones can get the Fitbit Inspire 2 for Rs 4,999 or the Pixel Buds A-series for Rs 5,999.
While the pre-order offers are not as tempting, the pricing certainly seemed to be spot-on for the Indian market. The Pixel 7’s India price is pretty competitive. With card offers combined, consumers can buy the Google flagship phone for under Rs 50,000. And all of this combined has led to the Pixel 7 going out of stock on Flipkart.
The e-commerce website has currently listed the Pixel 7 as “Out of Stock” and added a “Notify Me” button in the listing for those who want to pre-order or buy the Pixel 7 once it is available for purchase in India. Why is the Pixel 7 out of stock already? One of the reasons could be the pricing.
Google Pixel 7 Price in India
The Google Pixel 7 has been launched in India for Rs 59,999. It comes in a single storage option with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. With card offers combined, consumers get the Pixel 7 for as low as Rs 49,999.
With that price tag, the Pixel 7 certainly looks like a great flagship offering. The phone competes against a bunch of premium smartphones in India, such as the iPhone 13, iQOO 9T 5G, OnePlus 10T 5G, Vivo X80 5G, etc.
The Pixel Experience
Google’s Pixel phones have maintained their reputation of offering top-notch and perhaps the best camera performance year-on-year. The Pixel 7 comes with a dual-camera setup on the back. There is a 50MP main camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera sensor.
The phone also features a distinguishing design with a horizontal strip running across the top portion of the rear panel. Google has launched the Pixel 7 in three colours – Obsidian, Lemongrass, and Snow White.
In addition to this, there is a new Google Tensor G2 SoC, which is claimed to offer significant improvements over the original Tensor chip. The Pixel 7 runs Android 13 out of the box.
It is also one of the most compact flagship Android smartphones in 2022. There is a 6.3-inch Full HD+ OLED display with 90Hz refresh rate support. On paper, the competition has a lead with a 120Hz refresh rate display. Despite this, Google seems to be focusing on the overall software and hardware experience, which the consumers must be resonating with as the phone is currently out of stock.
Another stock could be a limited number of units allocated for the Indian market. Google might not have anticipated the Pixel 7 going out of stock in India minutes after its official pricing details were announced. The company did not confirm the number of units allocated for the Indian market. However, going by past records, it might not be as significant.
The Pixel 4a, which is a more affordable smartphone offering, was also out of stock and unavailable for purchase in India for several days. We hope that the same saga would not be repeated with the Pixel 7.


text:
BURBANK, California: The Walt Disney Co. has announced that Susan Arnold will become the new board chairman, replacing long-time chairman Bob Iger.
Disney said that Arnold, who has sat on the company's board for 14 years and served as its independent lead director since 2018, will take over when Iger, who has served as chairman of the board since 2012, departs at the end of the year.
Arnold, who came to Disney from private-equity company the Carlyle Group, where she worked as an operating executive from 2013 to 2021, served as President of Global Business Units at Procter and Gamble from 2007 to 2009.
"Susan is an incredibly esteemed executive whose wealth of experience, unwavering integrity, and expert judgment have been invaluable to the company since she first joined the Board in 2007," Iger said in a statement.
"Having most recently served as independent lead director, Susan is the perfect choice for chairman of the board, and I am confident the company is well-positioned for continued success under her guidance and leadership," he added.


text:
by Burke Speaker | February 26, 2014 10:19 am
Tesla Motors (TSLA) is seeing its TSLA stock boom following a high Model S rating in Consumer Reports’ annual survey and kudos from Morgan Stanley.
TSLA stock is up 6% in early morning trading and some 30% in the past several days.
Tesla was heaped with research recommendation praise by Morgan Stanley days ago and shares jumped upwards of $260 on Tuesday from the previous close of $218.
Then there was the Consumer Reports’ Model S rating — which gave another boost to TSLA stock.
… fourth-quarter results reignited Tesla’s momentum in the stock market, which faded a bit late last year. After falling below $130 last October, Tesla sharesblasted through $200 last week and rose to a high above $250 on Tuesday. Tesla debuted on the stock market in 2010 at less than $20 a share.
And more good TSLA stock news is expected to come this week.
Tesla is expected to officially announce plans to open a massive new lithium battery factory, dubbed the “Gigafactory,”which CEO Elon Musk says will have capacity equal to all factories making such batteries around the globe.
The factory is part of Tesla’s plan to produce an “affordable” electric car for mass production that would compete on the global market.
In the past, Tesla blamed it selling less cars than it wanted on the limited supply of batteries.
The electric carmaker is worth an estimated $30 billion — a little over half of what General Motors is valued at.
TSLA stock is up 661% from this time last year.
Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2014/02/tesla-tsla-stock-good-news/
Short URL: http://invstplc.com/1hoFEJf
Copyright ©2018 InvestorPlace Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 700 Indian Springs Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601.


text:
Last summer, realtime search engine OneRiot was one of the first engines to debut an API to allow developers to integrated OneRiot’s search results into their applications. Less than a year later, OneRiot is seeing 97 percent of its total searches coming through its API. Today, OneRiot is rolling out a new version of its search API, which includes support for for RiotWise, OneRiot’s ad network, enabling developers to make money off of search results. Additional new features include the ability to deliver vertical and domain-specific search experiences for their users.
OneRiot originally opened its free search API to web developers in June 2009. The startup says the API is now powering hundreds of millions of searches for a growing number of partners. Partners include social messaging apps (e.g. Digsby), browsers (e.g. IE8), mobile apps (e.g. ÜberTwitter), large consumer websites (e.g. Guardian.co.uk) and, other search engines (Yahoo and Microsoft). Currently OneRiot has 105 API partners in total.
The first major part of the new API is the integration of a href=”http://www.crunchbase.com/product/riotwise”>RiotWise. Last year, OneRiot ventured into the advertising world with RiotWise, an ad format which places content in an emphasized position in their realtime feed. The search engine also launched a pilot program of RiotWise Trending Ads, a stream of ads that correspond to trending topics as they emerge across the social web.
Now any developer using the OneRiot search API will now also receive RiotWise ads for the realtime web. Developers can choose to display them (and get paid) or not. RiotWise’s ads are comprised of content that similar to within Google, are served up via keywords being searched for. But unlike Google, advertisers aren’t bidding on keywords. Instead, content producers strike a deal with OneRiot to place their content in an emphasized (but clearly labeled) place in their realtime feed within the search engine. OneRiot claims that RiotWise ads have been performing at 3 to 4 times the average industry standard click through rates (CTR) for ads in realtime web apps. Developers who tap into the new API will share revenue with OneRiot but it’s unclear what the rev share will be.
The new API has also been tweaked to allows for specific searches. Developers can enable domain-based search, which allows for realtime search across a specific website or network. For example, the Guardian is the first partner to use this feature of the new API in its “Zeitgeist” tool that features realtime news content from the site.
OpenRiot’s API will include the ability to integrate vertical realtime search so developers can choose to receive realtime results for specific verticals such as news, videos and images. The same filter can be places for searches across niche verticals, including realtime search results for gadgets, politics, and music.
Lastly, OneRiot has rolled out a new “Tweet” format to search results allowing developers to receive search results and ads formatted like a Tweet, with only 140 characters, including a bit.ly shortened URL. This format is ideal for third-party Twitter applications working with limited real estate.
As we’ve written in the past, OneRiot runs the risk of surfacing irrelevant or spammy content with realtime ads. But as a realtime search engine, OneRiot has invested heavily in spam prevention and is constantly sorting through millions of pieces of content to determine what is relevant and what isn’t. Regardless, it seems like a viable monetization tool for developers.
The startup, which just raised $7 million in funding, has been steadily innovating its product and is gathering up partners quickly. The realtime stream ramped up this year with all the big players adding functionality to their search offerings and OneRiot was smart to get in the game early. As we’ve seen with the various partner deals struck with both tech giants and startups, OneRiot’s search results and API are in demand. And the improvement to its API to be able to refine results and possibly make money will only make its offering more appealing in the future.


text:
Merger mania: Frisch's, Omnicare – who's next?
With a potent one-two punch, Cincinnati is losing two public companies – Frisch's Restaurants, the owner of the beloved local Big Boy franchise, and Omnicare, a Downtown-based Fortune 500 company that supplies drugs to nursing homes nationwide.
While both companies will maintain local operations, ownership and the fate of thousands of local jobs shifts to outside corporations or private equity firms. The region also loses a little cachet as the companies are gobbled by outsiders.
Local analysts say there could be more as mergers and acquisitions here continue to heat up nationwide.
"It's not just Cincinnati – it's national, it's international," said Leon Loewenstine, managing director of Riverpoint Capital Management. "There's an acceleration of deals as the market gets closer to the top."
Highland Heights-based wire-maker General Cable and a host of local banks could emerge as new takeover targets – spelling paydays for top executives, but uncertainty for local workers.
Those that wind up as takeover targets are companies that haven't managed to grow sales or profits consistently. If stock prices falter in middling companies that can draw outside investor interest.
Omnicare had management problems after years of growing by acquisition itself. Now on its fourth CEO since 2010, sales have been stuck around $6 billion for five years.
Frisch's unsuccessfully tried other ventures beyond Big Boys to grow faster. The last attempt was a string of Golden Corral buffet eateries it sold off for $49.8 million after investing more than $100 million in the concept.
Stronger Cincinnati-based companies are not sitting on the sidelines. They are making acquisitions of their own. Kroger bought out most of consumer insights firm dunnhumbyUSA and Macy's bought beauty and spa retailer Bluemercury.
Soaring stocks power purchases and deal-making
Across the U.S., mergers and acquisitions are heating up. Almost 12,000 deals were done in the U.S. last year, up from 11,000 in 2013 and up from fewer than 10,000 in 2010.
More than 4,000 deals have closed so far in 2015 and another 1,000 are pending, according to Bloomberg.
Terry Kelly, a principal of Bartlett & Co. says the U.S. is poised for spate of even more heightened deal-making after years of slow growth and hoarding cash. "This is a point in the cycle where M&A (mergers and acquisitions) are going to heat up," he said.
While public companies have been using spare cash in a slow economy to repurchase shares, the market's recent record levels is making that a riskier bet, Kelly said.
Since the 2008 financial crisis, publicly-traded companies have propped up their own stock prices and made them more expensive with buybacks – so now more are thinking about buying other companies.
Loewenstine added that rock-bottom interest rates make borrowing a cheap way to finance deals and lofty stock prices also allow acquiring companies to use their shares as a form of currency.
There were loud hints of investor interest before Omnicare and Frisch's deals last week they were selling.
Omnicare's stock price shot up more than 20 percent this spring after Bloomberg reported Express Scripts Holding Co. and CVS Health Corp had expressed interest in the company and others are expected to make bids for the niche company that had otherwise struggled to grow.
Similarly, stock in Frisch's jumped to an all-time high of $30.90 last September after news spread that a Hollywood-based hedge fund had taken a noteworthy stake and signed a non-disclosure statement. Also similar to Omnicare, strong growth eluded Frisch's at the same time family members running the business conceded there wasn't a new generation interested in taking over.
Who could be next local target? General Cable
Other local companies have found themselves potentially in the cross-hairs of potential buyers.
Cable and wire maker General Cable is another troubled Fortune 500 company that has soared in 2015 on takeover speculation – fueled by reports in March than an Italian rival was mulling an offer. Milan-based Prysmian discussed with financial advisers making a bid, according to a report by Bloomberg.
General Cable's stock has rallied 25 percent this year. Disclosures made public in May show that hedge funds have increased their stake in the company by 1.2 million shares, controlling almost 15 percent.
The manufacturer was spun off into a stand-alone company in 1994 after being owned by a string of corporate parents. It grew through a flurry of 21 acquisitions into a $6 billion industry leader.
But since the Great Recession, the company has been hit with a series of setbacks. The company expanded overseas just as the worldwide economy slowed demand for its products.
It has also discovered accounting irregularities and corrupt practices in operations they acquired that brought shareholder suits and regulatory investigations.
General Cable has toughened accounting and security measures and is in the process of selling in plants in Asia and Africa.
Banks combining to make bigger financial players
Before last week, mergers and acquisitions of entire companies were making their biggest mark on the region's banking landscape.
Greater Cincinnati is set to lose its second community bank this summer as Bank of Kentucky prepares to close its acquisition by North Carolina-based BB&T.
Ironically, Bank of Kentucky was looking to grow via acquisition but couldn't find a suitable target. Saddled with growing regulatory costs and a tepid lending climate, officials decided shareholders would get a better return on their investment, if they gave the out-of-town regional bank a foothold in the Midwest's fourth-fastest growing economy.
The pending deal comes on the heals of Wilmington-based NBT Financial Corp., the parent company of National Bank & Trust, being bought by Peoples Bancorp of Marietta, Ohio.
Cheviot Savings Bank's longtime CEO resigned early this year after seeing noteworthy moves by institutional investors. Last fall, the bank's holding company disclosed an agreement with New Jersey activist investor to expand its board with two officials recommended by the investor. In return, the investor agreed not to "propose or seek to effect a merger or sale of the company or initiate litigation against the company."


text:
Clarence Dock was officially opened on October 11, 2008, with a glittering waterfront fashion show. Two years on and virtually all of the shops have shipped out.
Rod McPhee looks at the ups and downs of this cornerstone Leeds development.
* Click here to watch latest YEP news and sport video reports.
What's the big deal about Clarence Dock? The big deal is that this development was intended to stretch out the asset that was Leeds's waterfront by providing a real destination.
But the mixed use leisure, retail and residential development has enjoyed mixed fortunes. Although the 1,100 flats it encompasses are nearly all bought or let, the stores have all but disappeared.
The leisure offering rests somewhere in the middle with restaurants not to mention the casino and Royal Armouries museum suffering from fluctuating footfall.
So where does the project go from here? Owners Lend Lease appear to be keeping tight-lipped about their future.
Their asset manager Graeme Jones released this statement, but no
further comment came from the company: "We are continuing to look at opportunities to further establish Clarence Dock as a retail and leisure destination for the city.
"The scheme has always been an important catalyst for regeneration along with other developments such as Brewery Wharf and Granary Wharf, which have completely transformed the waterfront."
When the Yorkshire Evening Post first looked at the development six months after it opened, the man in charge was Phil Darcy, managing director of developers Lend Lease Yorkshire, who then ran the scheme.
He was working on Clarence Dock since plans were first drawn up in the early Noughties and the foundation stone was laid in 2002.
Last year he said: "We think it's gone reasonably well. How you judge it depends what people expect to be seeing. You've got to remember that we started with something like 40m sq ft of space for various uses and not much of that isn't being used now.
"If you want to establish yourself as a new area of a city it's going to take a three-year cycle – it isn't going to happen overnight."
But, with 12 months to go before the dock reaches that point, things aren't looking too good.
Numerous stores such as Rock Couture, Daniel Footwear, Aspecto, G-Star and Joy have all left and, tellingly, haven't been replaced. Meanwhile Starbucks and @LaRocca, The Anchorage have closed their doors for various reasons.
Other businesses, such as Mumtaz Indian restaurant, are angry because they feel they were misled by the initial hype surrounding the dock. Lend Lease Yorkshire said they were in advanced negotiations with the likes of Armani, but they never came to anything.
"We were led to understand that there would be lots of designer shops down here," says boss Mumtaz Khan. "Something close to Carnaby Street. But that just never happened, and most of those shops that did come here have now left.
"It has been very hard for us, but we're going to stick at it because we're building the business up thanks to loyal clientele and we feel we're a destination restaurant. But unless they do something radical and do something quickly then it really will just be a ghost town down here.
"I just don't buy the idea that they've merely been the victims of the recession. I could understand if the businesses they were talking about came here then left, but a lot of them never came in the first place and surely negotiations with them would have taken place before we went into a recession?"
Rumours are that the dock will now take a more leisure-led direction, a move which Mr Khan broadly supports. But he's also conscious of other more practical measures, such as the introduction of better parking.
Up until recently many of the streets surrounding the dock were coated with double yellow lines, forcing any customers to use the multi-storey car park, which isn't cheap.
"I paid almost 2,000 in fines for my customers because so many of them came to me complaining about getting tickets for parking close to the restaurant – that's a crazy situation," says Mr Khan.
"The council did remove the restrictions on some of the roads around
here but, understandably, a lot of the residents now park there. Now we subsidise the parking costs of our customers when they use the multi-storey, which costs us about 3 a customer."
Earlier this year Coun Andrew Carter, then leader of Leeds City Council, called an emergency summit with bosses of the dock and other relevant parties to discuss a way forward.
"Clarence Dock is terribly important," he says. "It's not just a retail development – it's about creating a whole new waterfront for the city, stretching from the dock past Brewers Wharf up to Granary Wharf.
"Which is why I called the summit in the first place. There's no use in us, as an authority, granting planning permission, taking the contribution which companies make to the authority's coffers and waving goodbye; we have a responsibility to help."
Coun Carter helped remove the severe parking restrictions around the site but is equally bemused by the decision of Clarence Dock to sell off the multi-storey to a private company, effectively losing any control over parking.
"It has to be a two-way street," he says. "We should be willing to help but they have to help themselves. Personally, I think they need to reconsider the retail offering because it should appeal to a far broader base of people.
"Perhaps more leisure facilities are the way forward because it really is a beautiful place to go to, particularly on a sunny day, so we need to dispel this myth that it is just a white elephant which can't be fixed. It can be fixed and I'm convinced it will be a success one day."
A council spokeswoman said: "Clarence Dock is a prime residential and retail development at a major gateway to Leeds and we have been talking to its owners to do what we can to help them develop its potential as a great asset to the city.
"We support events there like the waterfront festival and Leeds Loves Shopping week activities and we are giving further practical help by relaxing on-street parking restrictions. This is something we are working on and has to be done through a legal process which takes time.
However, once this is complete we intend to remove some double yellow lines in local streets to encourage more visitors by making it easier for people to travel there by car."
It isn't all bad news. Interestingly, more mid-market offerings such as the Pizza Express and Tesco frequently do a roaring trade and hope also comes in the form of Yorkshire Water who've taken 55,000 sq ft of office space in one of the biggest non-residential buildings on the dock. They have shipped hundreds of employees into the area and increased footfall.
The aforementioned residential aspect seems to have performed too. "I think we've finally exploded this myth that most of the flats aren't occupied," adds Coun Carter.
That's backed up by Mint Move Property, who only deal in letting apartments in Clarence Dock. Along with Annie Walker, Bev Linfoot runs the company.
"We have a portfolio of about 100 properties and if someone leaves an apartment we usually have someone there to move in straight away, the demand is that high," she says.
"I think the longest we've had to wait before finding another tenant is three to four weeks and even more telling is the fact that we have people approach us to find them an apartment when they already live in another city centre development, but want to come to the dock.
"The difference is that most people here aren't too bothered by the shops, the only shop they're really bothered about is a supermarket and we have a Tesco on site which does very well – not many other developments boast that.
"The location is also great for city living. It is just minutes from the middle of Leeds and lots of people aren't concerned about parking or even having a car because they just walk everywhere.
"Our rental levels have also stayed pretty constant too. For a one-bedroom apartment you're roughly looking at 550 a month and 750 or above for a two-bedroom flat."
Bev has also noticed that tenants are more likely to stay longer in apartments than in other developments, showing that it is a genuine draw with far less transience than first envisaged.


text:
P21M in used clothes seized in ‘ukay-ukay’ raid
SAN PEDRO, Laguna—Customs officials seized P21 million worth of used clothing, or “ukay-ukay,” that have been smuggled into the country.
Customs Deputy Commissioner Danilo Lim on Thursday said a large syndicate was believed to be behind the smuggled goods that authorities recovered from three private warehouses in Laguna and Parañaque City.
The Bureau of Customs raided a warehouse in Barangay Merville in Parañaque and in the villages of Landayan in San Pedro and San Vicente in Biñan City, both in Laguna province, in simultaneous operations on Tuesday morning.
Lim and Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon on Thursday visited the Biñan warehouse, from which 1,200 boxes of the smuggled clothes were recovered.
In San Pedro, customs agents seized 400 boxes, while 300 boxes were taken from the Parañaque warehouse.
“There were also three vans carrying about 200 more boxes for delivery to Baguio City intercepted during the raid. All in all, about 2,100 boxes,” Lim said in a phone interview.
Lim said they acted on tips from informants who also told them that the goods came from Hong Kong.
“The goods from the three warehouses were owned by a single operator. We think it’s a large syndicate,” said Lim, deputy commissioner for intelligence and former rebel soldier.
He refused to name the people involved because of the ongoing operation but he said there were pieces of information that foreigners were involved.
No one was arrested in the raid.
Lim said the recovered clothes were brought to the customs warehouse in Manila for possible turnover to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Get Inquirer updates while on the go, add us on these apps:
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
To subscribe to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper in the Philippines, call +63 2 896-6000 for Metro Manila and Metro Cebu or email your subscription request here.
Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer's day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer's Reader's Advocate. Or write The Readers' Advocate:
c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets, Makati City,Metro Manila, Philippines Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94


text:
2011 bitcoin fiyatÄ±
Please note that our privacy acquired by Bullish group, owner of Bullisha regulated, institutional digital assets exchange.
can you buy and sell crypto on metamaskEurope Banning Bitcoin??
Parliament endorsed the first EU rules to trace crypto-asset transfers, prevent money laundering, as well as common rules on supervision and. The EU is taking aim at privacy coins and self-custody wallets under new anti-money laundering regime. ï¿½ The changes, including a ban on crypto. North Macedonia is the only European country so far to have an official ban on cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others, in place.


text:
Palm Beach County residents are getting calls that seem to be from their own cell number. Received one of these? A reporter and his son did.
A recorded message that purports to be from AT&T says an account has been compromised and asks people to punch in the last four digits of their social security number.
It’s just confusing and disconcerting enough to throw some folks off balance. They may wonder if only a phone company could call them from their own number, so there might be something to it.
Don’t respond. Hang up. It’s a scam to gather information that could be used to plunder accounts or steal your identity.
“These calls are not from AT&T,” said company spokeswoman Kelly Starling. “If any company calls you and asks for your personal information, that is a red flag. One of our tips on our new Cyber Aware website is never give such information to someone who calls you. Call the company at the number found on your bill. You can read more helpful tips for all consumers at www.att.com/cyberaware.”
The call appears to be from your own phone number through a technological trick called “spoofing.” This is how scammers appear to be calling from the IRS or from across town in other ploys. That is why, unfortunately, you can’t take the caller ID at face value 100 percent of the time.
Your own number on the caller ID is a relatively new twist, though reports started popping up in other states in recent months. It’s also a sure sign of trouble. Real phone companies don’t do this.
Scammers asked victims to pay their FPL bill with a
Scammers claiming to work for Florida Power & Light have claimed at least two victims who paid their supposedly past due bills by purchasing $500 Green Dot MoneyPak cards at local drug stores, Port St. Lucie Police warn.
The money actually went to the scammers, as the victims learned later.
Victims received phone calls at businesses they own from someone claiming to represent FPL who stated the victims had not paid their FPL bills and the power would be shut off.
FPL spokesman Chris McGrath said Monday, “If you sense anything suspicious, if someone is demanding that you go to a store and put money on a prepaid card to pay your bill, it’s not FPL. You should call police. and call the number at the bottom of your bill.”
Victims were told by the scammers they could not make the payments online because the payments would not go through in time.
The first victim received a call on June 7, and purchased the card for $500 at a local store, then gave the card number to the caller. The victim was told to reload the card and pay the remaining amount.
At this point the victim became suspicious and called her husband, and then their accountant, who pays the bills. The accountant said the bills had been paid, and that the victim was scammed. The victim then called FPL who told her that the bill was paid.
The second victim received a call on June 8 and was informed he owed FPL $807, and if he didn’t paid within two hours, the electricity would be turned off. He was instructed to drive to a Walgreen’s and purchase a $500 Green Dot Moneypak card, which he did. He gave the card number to the caller.
The victim was told to drive to CVS and buy another card for the remainder. As he was driving to CVS, he became suspicious and called 911. While the victim was speaking with police, the suspect called and hung up after he learned the victim was speaking with law enforcement.
Fraudulent activity should also be reported to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 800-435-7352.
Yes, there really is a legitimate Publishers Clearing House that has awarded more than $225 million in cash and prizes so far, and that makes the company’s name a target for scammers.
A 92-year-old Boynton Beach woman received a letter in April claiming she won $5 million that she would share with two other people. She called the phone number on the letter claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House and was told to go to the bank and open a savings account, ostensibly so the winnings could be placed there.
That began her journey as a victim.
The con artist also instructed her that if anyone at the bank suspected there was a problem with her opening the new account, she was to lie and say everything was fine.
The rest of the story, told to the Palm Beach Post by the victim’s daughter, is easy enough to guess. More than $20,000 was siphoned out of her bank accounts.
In a bizarre twist, the elderly woman, who still drives, also purchased five computers at Best Buy and mailed them to Canada. Again, this was what the con artist told her to do and was somehow a “charitable donation.”
She kept all of this a secret from her children, the daughter said, because she wanted to surprise them with the winnings.
Publishers Clearing House offers these five ways to know if an offer is from the real PCH or is a scam:
If you’re required to wire or pay any amount of money in order to claim a prize, it’s a scam.
If you’re asked to load up a Green Dot MoneyPak or other money transfer card in exchange for claiming your prize, it’s a scam. PCH will never ask you to pay a cent to collect a prize. And it won’t ask you to open a new bank account either.
If someone tries to contact you in advance regarding a prize delivery, it’s a scam. PCH shows up at your door with that gigantic check. You may have seen such prize delivery events in PCH’s TV ads.
If someone calls you on the phone claiming to be from PCH, it’s a scam. Do not give them any personal information!
If someone claiming to be from PCH tries to send you a friend request on Facebook, it’s a scam.
What’s the moral of this story?
First of all, pay attention to the real Publishers Clearing House’s advice. Second, if you have elderly parents, warn them about such scams.
Take responsibility and consider taking over your parents’ financial affairs or at least becoming closely involved before they are victimized, whether it’s by a sweepstakes scam or an unscrupulous home repair company.
And if you’re elderly, learn the signs of scams. Don’t do what an unknown person tells you to do and don’t keep secrets from bank employees and your family. Never give out personal information to anyone.
Want to report a scam to let others know about it?
Whether it’s a fake check scam, the IRS robo call imposter scam, or something else, there’s a new online tool to let the world know about it. It’s called BBB Scam Tracker and it’s designed to monitor and track fraudulent activity, both locally and across the U.S. and Canada.
Go to bbb.org/scamtracker to report a suspect offer or to get more information about scams targeting the area. People have the option of filing a report or learning about scams or suspicious activity other people in the area have reported to Better Business Bureau. The BBB staffers review all submissions to the site in order to watch for patterns of a problem and ensure the submissions are authentic.
“We believe BBB Scam Tracker will be quite popular and prove to be extremely helpful to both consumers and business owners,” said Rod Davis president, Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida and the Caribbean, in a news release. “In addition, this greatly expands our window to the world as far as schemes targeting other regions and things we need to be monitoring closely.”
The BBB Scam Tracker also gives people the ability to see where scams are occurring nationally and allows them to search for fraudulent activity by keyword or within a certain timeframe.
Even if consumers or business owners don’t fall victim to schemes they’re confronted with, they’re encouraged to file a report through BBB Scam Tracker, which was launched in other markets on a trial basis earlier this year. Encouraged by the enthusiastic response it received, Better Business Bureau is now offering it across the US and Canada. In addition, the data collected through these reports will be shared with law enforcement who, with enough information on the scams and their origins, will be able to take action to shut them down.
“Schemes inevitably evolve, and the bogus pitch that falls flat at first can sometimes be tweaked into a spiel that deceives and defrauds many,” Davis said. “The quicker we’re made aware of a problem, the faster we can react to make others aware of it.”
According to a news release, two of the most recent scams involve vacation prizes and rentals.
Here are tips from Bondi’s office on how to avoid these scams:
When booking a vacation using a travel club or an entity offering a vacation prize package:
Be cautious of firms that ask for payment before confirming reservations.
Do business with an established company.
Request written information on the total cost of the vacation and all items included.
Inquire about cancellation rights and terms.
When booking a vacation rental:
Search for the best real estate rental website to use that offers protection in the event of fraud or offers payment transfer options. Also, look for websites that offer a payment portal, where money is held in escrow until the renter arrives at the rental property with keys in hand.
Do not rely solely on email to contact the owner and be wary of foreign telephone numbers.
Investigate the property and if possible, visit the property before signing a contract or sending payment.
Check to see if there are additional rental listings for the property under another owner’s name.
Ask for additional photos. A legitimate owner or property manager can produce these with little difficulty, while a scammer is unlikely to have access to additional photos.
Pay for a rental with a credit card, via PayPal or through a payment transfer option, which makes it easier to dispute a fraudulent charge.
The Internal Revenue Service imposter scam is making the rounds. Palm Beach County residents are among those all over the country receiving robocalls from someone claiming the IRS is about to file a lawsuit against them.
The caller asks for the victim to call back. The call-back numbers vary.
Don’t fall for this scam. Just hang up! The calls are from criminals wanting to put charges on victims’ credit cards and elicit personal information from them.
The IRS won’t call out of the blue to ask for payment, won’t demand a specific form of payment and won’t leave a message threatening to sue you if you don’t pay right away, the Federal Trade Commission advises.
(Can’t see the video with the imposter call audio? Click here.)


text:
Paying With Your Mobile Phone: What's That Going to Cost?
For people who think carrying around a wallet full of credit cards is archaic, or for those who don't want to keep large sums of cash in their pocket, the idea is tantalizing: Just wave your phone in the direction of a payment transmission machine and walk out of the store with your purchases.As with most things that promise to make our lives more convenient, though, there's likely to be a cost attached to this. Retailers are still in the midst of a big fight over the interchange fees they have to pay for the privilege of accepting plastic, and they're concerned that these new methods, if not properly policed, could lead to more of the same. That's why, even though this technology exists and is already in use in other countries, American shoppers are stuck behind the times.
Mobile payment processes would introduce a host of new players into the game. If you pay with plastic, participants (aside from you and the merchant) include their bank, the bank that issued your card and the network (like Visa, for instance). If you add a cell phone into the mix, that also means adding in the phone company and the company that makes the payment software.
Mallory Duncan, senior vice president and general counsel for the National Retail Federation, a group representing merchants that's been outspoken in its calls for lower interchange fees, says the organization doesn't want mobile payments to be a cash cow for banks at retailers' expense. The NRF's biggest argument, one which is generally supported by consumer advocates, is that high fees get passed along to all customers in the form of higher prices.
"What we're interested in is if the existence of these devices will empower payment systems that will be fairer to all parties involved," Duncan says. He adds that he's hopeful that injecting some competition into the mix in the form of smaller tech companies that could bypass the traditional payment methods could force the industry's existing heavyweights into lowering what they charge. And he says that lower fees could actually be in banks' best interests, if it leads to greater adoption of mobile payment technologies.


text:
Markets had expected the central bank to keep its benchmark interest rate steady while setting up a cut at the July meeting.The Fedread more
The stream is slated to start at 2:30 pm ETThe Fedread more
This is a comparison of Wednesday's FOMC statement with the one issued on May 1 after the Fed's previous policy-making meeting.The Fedread more
Powell said policymakers are concerned about some of the recent economic developments and see a growing case for easier policy.The Fedread more
The Fed chief said that despite reports that Trump was looking to demote or fire him, he doesn't plan on leaving anytime soon.The Fedread more
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the case for a rate cut at central bank's Wednesday meeting is not strong enough.The Fedread more
If you're concerned about what Wednesday's Fed decision means for your bank account, mortgage loan or credit card — as well as student debt, home equity loan and car payment —...Personal Financeread more
The Federal Open Market Committee's quarterly economic forecast includes the so-called dot plot of where members see interest rates heading.The Fedread more
Employees spoke out on issues such as forced arbitration, workplace equity and Project Dragonfly at Alphabet's annual shareholder meeting.Technologyread more
The Federal Reserve lowered its inflation forecast for 2019 while keeping the growth expectations unchanged.The Fedread more
With bold and targeted steps, economists say, government can increase opportunity and incomes for many more people in ways that strengthen, not weaken, American capitalism.Politicsread more
Tesla Motors launched late Thursday its Tesla Energy brand with a line of batteries designed for homes, businesses and utilities.
"The obvious problem with solar power is that the sun doesn't shine at night," the company founder and CEO Elon Musk said in a press conference in California. "We need to store the energy to use at night."
But he added "the issue with existing batteries is they suck."
Musk launched the Powerwall home battery, a rechargeable 7-10 kwh lithium-ion battery, priced at $3,000-$3,500 for installers, with deliveries slated in three to four months. It's available in a selection of colors.
The size is 130 cm (51.2 inches) high, 86 cm (34 inches) wide and 18 cm (7.1 inches) deep.
"You don't need a battery room …A normal household can mount this on their garage or the outside wall of their house and it doesn't take up any room. It's flat against the wall," Musk said. "It's designed to work with solar system out of the box."
Tesla will need to open more "Gigafactories," in addition to the one planned as well as offering open sourcing of the technology, Musk said. Tesla plans to build the battery packs at its $5 billion Gigafactory just outside of Reno, Nevada. The massive plant will employ 6,500 workers and has the potential to crank out a half-million lithium-ion batteries by 2020.
Read More Economical challenges for Tesla: Analyst
Musk estimated that transitioning all global transportation,electricity generation and heating to renewable energy, primarily solar, would requirearound 2 billion of his Powerpack batteries, the model designed forbusiness-level usage.
That compares with around 2 billion cars and trucks on the road globally, while another 100 million vehicles are made yearly, Musk noted.
"We have done things like this before. It's not impossible," Musk said.
For remote locations, Musk said he expected the type of tech disruption that followed the advance of mobile phones for people who lived in areas without land-line telecommunications coverage.
At one point, he noted the press conference was being powered by Tesla's batteries and solar power, without using grid power.
How realistic is Musk's vision?
"The goal is to change the world, starting with the automotive industry and closely followed by the power sector and then energy in general. Is that a realistic goal? Clearly it is not. But it is useful to remember that Elon Musk's other business involves flying to Mars," Bernstein analysts said in a report published before the Tesla press conference and subtitled "Mama Musk didn't raise no realist."
But it added, "Realistic goals are not really the point of the exercise. Transformational technologies and applications are. In short, either the Gigafactory is way too big, or not nearly big enough. We believe (as they do clearly) that it is the latter."
Bernstein, generally bullish on solar power, projects "massive, unprecedented growth in lithium-ion batteries," adding "the curious thing will be why Tesla ever bothered building cars when all the value was in the battery."
Others have been more skeptical of the potential for battery storage.
"I just don't see the value of that in stationary products," said the CEO of Vilas Capital, John Thompson, during "Closing Bell" before the announcement. "It just doesn't seem to be something that is consistent with its cost disadvantages versus more traditional battery technologies."
"Tesla, we think, is a classic example of people becoming too excited about a fast-growing company and overpricing the stock by a huge margin," said Thompson.
Colin Langan at UBS also said he was cautious on the outlook.
"Getting battery cost down is key, but on the stationary storage side there is a lot of questions about which chemistry will dominate long term. It might not be lithium," Langan said prior to the press conference.Tesla shares have soared more than 18 percent higher in the last month.
--Phil LeBeau and Nana Sidibe contributed to this article.


text:
New app wimZr’s main focus is people. The interface is straightforward. You view the profiles of people going to the same place. If you like them, click “Connect Me.” If you want to pass, click “Next Time.” If the person you like likes you back, you can start talking. For upcoming events, you can scan guest lists and either connect one-on-one or openly in a public forum.
It’s no secret Starbucks’ holiday cuptroversy has created a lot of extra buzz for them this season. By removing the ‘“symbols of the season,” the coffee giant is being accused of going overboard to be politically correct. This new, bold design ignited an overblown conspiracy theory that got the internet chattering. But instead of mourning the loss of kitschy graphics, we are applauding Starbucks on their brand’s success.
One year ago, the husband-and-wife team of Roshaun and Maritza Davis opened their Display: California pop-up retail store, selling holiday gifts from about 30 artists in the Sacramento area. They called it, “The HollaDays.” The “HollaDays” are back at the shop’s location on 34th Street and Broadway in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood. But Display isn’t simply a seasonal gift shop.
Last December we featured regional designers who create unique, user-friendly art (“Function with Flair,” Allison Joy, December 2014).
Here is a look at what they have been up to this past year.
Movie-going is about magic, and that’s what Barco is trying to create by reimagining the modern movie screen.
According to a recent article, millennials are not frugal when it comes to company cash. Recent research shows that millennials spend more money on business trips than either gen X or baby boomers — on costly expenses ranging from flight upgrades to hotel room service.
Give David Hardie credit. The owner of the building and restaurant that was named Enotria for two decades went “all in,” as he says, on trying to make that spot exciting and a draw to diners.
Sacramento may not be the TV and movie hotspot that places like Austin or Atlanta have become, but on the set of one locally-produced film being made in El Dorado Hills, optimism is high for the greater Sacramento area to develop a burgeoning filmmaking scene.
Wine tasting is often an experience shared only by the taster and pourer. A brewery tasting room, however, needs to facilitate the gregariously social aspects of craft beer, making space for interaction and mingling. Room to brew, room to chat and room to sample flights of beer make for highly dynamic spaces that bring to life the distinct personalities of brewers and their art.
Sacramento State has long been known as a campus rich in cultural diversity. According to the U.S. News & World Report, it is the 15th most diverse campus in the west, while Collegefactual.com ranks it 24th in the nation. Robert Nelsen, Sac State’s new president, says that diversity is precisely why he came to the university.
Where in your local supermarket do you find the curry leaves? How about dumplings filled with red bean paste, or maybe smoked duck. Does your local grocer have fresh menudo, warm tortillas right out of the oven, or miso broth prepared that morning on-site? Independent grocery stores focused on specific ethnic cuisines are thriving in Sacramento, enjoying a boom in customers from beyond their base cultural markets.
Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of being one of about 30 “thought leaders” invited to a private performance by the Sacramento Ballet as they proved that, indeed, ballet is back.
When Faiz Saif got his electrical engineering degree from Sacramento State in 2010, he never dreamt his business card would say “Owner, Clothes For Bros” just a few short years later. But thanks to a downturned economy and the presence of a unique store in south Sacramento, Saif isn’t looking for an electrical engineering job anymore. Instead, he’s looking to expand his growing business into a retail empire.
Let’s eschew the wonders of hops and malts for a minute to explore the fizzy but kid-friendly offerings of Sacramento beverage artisans.
Nearly 150 volunteers spent Saturday, September 19, sprucing up 10 homes in South Oak Park during the 26th annual Paint the Town event, sponsored by NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center Sacramento Region.
Our team of local bankers recognizes that many middle market businesses began as, or still are, family-run organizations. With more than 200 years of banking experience, we’re well-versed in addressing the unique needs of these companies. Nearly 75 percent of our clients are privately-owned businesses—a majority of which are owned and managed by families or entrepreneurs. It’s our pleasure to be an integral part of their lives.
Matthew and Arlette Woods were professionally unhappy and unfulfilled. One night, they both came home worn out from yet another long work day, and a seemingly innocuous comment sparked a decision that changed everything.
“We are lucky to work with a great team here, because this is not always easy,” says set designer and charge artist for B Street Theatre Samantha Reno. “You have to be flexible, you have to be quick and you have to make good, solid decisions. The schedule can be grueling, but the show must go on.”
For most people, William Glen was an enduring symbol of simpler times, a homegrown survivor of bad economies and big department chains. For Mark Snyder, the store was a family treasure. His father, Bill Snyder, co-founded the original store more than 50 years ago. But in 2010, the William Glen story became a tragedy, closing down after Bill passed away from lung cancer.


text:
Foodies and supporters of the Lake St. Clair Symphony Orchestra can enjoy unique selections from 19 restaurants from across St. Clair Shores and the region at Tuesday's Nautical Nibble at Blossom Heath.
"We are just a small group and this is our biggest fundraiser of the year," said Jack Lawrence, president of the Lake St. Clair Symphony Orchestra. "There will be a tremendous variety of foods we will have available."
The Nautical Nibble, which is sponsored by the Tax Increment Finance Authority, is an important fundraiser for the orchestra to offset the costs of their concerts. Each concert can cost between $6,000-$8,000, Lawrence said.
Tickets are $25, or two for $45, for adults, and $15 for seniors and students. Tickets will be available at the door, and there will be a cash bar.
A sampling of the dishes which will be available include:
- National Coney Island: Coney dogs.
- Nautical Deli: Assorted sandwiches and pasta salad.
- Pat O'Brien's Tavern: Shepherd's pie.
- Pegasus Taverna: Small spinach and cheese pies.
- Pepperoni Grille: Chicken marsala.
- Shores Inn: Crab cakes, frog legs and spinach artichoke dip.
- Steve's Backroom: Pita chips and hummus, spinach pie.
To view additional dishes served, view our story posted Monday on Patch.