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Kia will debut a new concept called as “Elegant Energy” during the next month’s Geneva Motor Show. This is going to be the newly Kia’s design way for sedans, and the next model ready to use this design cues will be Optima’s big brother, the 2016 Kia K7.
Today, we want to share with you the first spy pictures confirming that the South Korean carmaker is now testing on public roads the next-gen 2016 Kia K7, after complete secret internal tests and Namyang R&D Center.
As I told you few weeks ago, Kia will premiere a new design way for sedans on the next generation Kia Optima later this year. Speaking with Kia’s design team, sedans and SUVs will not have the same look, because these cars have a different target than sedans.
So is expected that the 2016 Kia K7 will drink from latest Kia concept for the next generation model, at the same time than Optima, with a wider design, a new Tiger Nose front grille with a Active Cruise Control Radar, and looking at the spy pictures. Kia could include the ice-cubed LED as fog lights like in the US-spec Kia Sorento or the current Kia Optima as we saw in the pics.
About engine line-up, 7-speed dual clutch transmission will be available at launch besides a choice of gasoline direct injection and diesel engines (initiating its landing into the European market), plus small turbo engines. In the diesel side, improved 2.2 CRDi R-Engine with 200 hp could be a start. Petrol line-up could be available with 3.0, 3.3 and 3.8 GDi engines, and could be surprised with and entry level 2.0 Turbo delivering 250 hp. A 3.3 Turbo-GDi engine could be reserved for the Kia GT production version.


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McDonald’s Testing Beyond Meat in Canada
McDonald’s on Thursday announced it is going to test a new plant-based burger in nearly 30 restaurants in Ontario, Canada beginning September 30. They are calling it a P.L.T., which stands for plant, lettuce and tomato. The “plant” part of the sandwich is a patty developed by Beyond Meat.
According to Forbes, McDonald’s has paid attention to consumers’ growing interest in plant-based burgers. Meanwhile on Thursday, Beyond Meat shares jumped $17.43 Thursday to $155.75.
“Consumers continue to want and seek options when it comes to the food they enjoy, either in their home or in a restaurant,” says Barb O’Brien, president of Dairy Management Inc. “And in today’s marketplace, we recognize that our partners must evolve to meet changing consumer needs.”
The “P.L.T.” is not vegan. The sandwich includes a slice of processed cheese, and McDonald’s notes that it is cooked on the same grills as meat products, eggs and other burgers.
The dairy checkoff spends a significant amount of money in research and product development with McDonald’s. In fact, 80% of the items on McDonald’s menu include dairy. While McDonald’s Canada is not a checkoff partner, American dairy farmers are concerned about this new product. DMI says it’s too soon to panic.
“We have a strong, mutually beneficial partnership with McDonald’s, and we have not been advised of any intention to bring this item to the United States at this time,” O’Brien says. “We will continue to work with our partners to help them respond to their customers’ desire for expanded choice and variety while ensuring that dairy remains a relevant, great-tasting and high-priority item on their menus.”

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Rate increases are aimed at offsetting high production costs, but relatively sluggish consumer demand is still forcing most companies to keep the increases small, says an analyst at Initiative Media, the media specialist arm of Interpublic Group of Cos.' Lowe Lintas & Partners Worldwide.
Last month, public TV Channels 3 and 7 raised their rates to $8,370 per minute for commercials on prime-time evening slots. Previously, Channel 7 had charged $6,980 and Channel 3 invoiced $7,670 per minute.
"Since consumer spending has yet to return to pre-crisis levels, selling commercial airtime to cautious advertisers remains a challenge," says Pramote Chokesirikulchai, exec-VP of BEC World, operator of Channel 3.
Among the print media, the country's biggest-selling Thai-language daily newspaper, "Thai Rath", has planned a modest increase in its display rates of 7 percent or $2.30 per column inch.
"Radio airtime rates will remain flat at between $35 to $45 per 30-second spot. There are currently no plans for increase that I would be aware of," says Chokesirikulchai of BEC World, who is also managing director of U&I Corp., which operates five radio stations.
Copyright December 2000, Crain Communications Inc.


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Ogilvy & Mather promotes Jaimes Leggett to managing director
By Matt Williams, campaignlive.co.uk, Tuesday, 14 December 2010 11:31AM
Ogilvy & Mather has promoted Jaimes Leggett, it's director of digital acceleration, to the position of managing director.
Leggett will take on the new role in January and will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the agency.
He will report to O&M’s chief executive Hugh Baillie, who will now concentrate on broader strategic matters and look after some of the agency’s key accounts.
Leggett has been at O&M since April, having previously been the managing director of digital agency Grand Union.
H e has also spent time at DMD New Zealand and at LBi, and has worked on clients including Sky, BT, Unilever and the COI.
Leggett’s promotion follows news earlier this month that O&M has hired Paul Donohue as its new digital delivery director.
Donohue joined the agency from M&C Saatchi, where he held an equivalent role.
Baillie said: "Since we appointed him earlier in the year, Jaimes has made a big impact on the agency. He’s really speeded up our processes and he’s helped boost our digital credentials."
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk
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- Group M wins Vodafone's £600m media account
- Google becomes major UK advertiser after boosting spend by 50% in 2013
- Campaign Viral Chart: Evian's Spider-Man tops chart in week of movie premiere
- Unilever pilots multi-brand advertising with YouTube beauty channel
- MEC boss Courtier hails £600m Vodafone media win as 'life changing'
- 'We will always love M&S' says Walker Media in goodbye statement


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The managing partner of hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, Bill Ackman, said Tuesday he plans to keep the pressure on McDonald's Corp to spin off the less profitable part of the company and boost the profit from its vast real estate holdings.
Late last month, McDonald's Corp. said it has no plans to undertake a large-scale restructuring, either through a spinoff or a real estate investment trust. See full story.
On Tuesday, Ackman made his case in a presentation at The Value Investing Congress at New York City's Time Warner Center, and in a post-talk press conference where he said he's planning to return with a revised plan.
"We'll do something as quickly as we can," Ackman said about re-engaging in talks with McDonald's and submitting a new plan to restructure the firm. "It's not a matter of months; it's a matter of weeks I would say."
He said his plan would lift McDonald's shares to about a 37% to 52% premium over current levels, or as high as $45 to $50 a share.
While speaking fondly of McDonald's management, he questioned the advice the firm is getting from bankers, saying he wished the company would reveal the formula they used to determine that Pershing's valuation of a restructured company is off base.
"We need to deliver a revised proposal that meets their objections," Ackman said.
McDonald's issued a statement Tuesday afternoon countering Ackman's presentation.
"In our view, the concept outlined at today's Value Investing Congress would not create significant value for McDonald's shareholders. McDonald's and two separate outside advisors have carefully evaluated the ideas presented and concluded that they would pose serious strategic and financial risks to McDonald's and our overall system," CFO Matthew Paull said in the statement.
Ackman said Pershing holds its stake in McDonalds via long-term, in the money call options, which do not give the fund voting power, and he expressed the hope that other shareholders would rally to his plan.
"It would help enormously to get a bigger shareholder on board," Ackman said in the press conference following the talk.
Among other high profile shareholders is Vornado Realty Trust
McDonald's shares rose earlier this month after the Vornado investment was made, and that revelation, combined with the Pershing stake led some investors to suspect the firms were working together to try to get McDonald's to restructure as a REIT.
Ackman dampened that speculation Tuesday, saying "We are not working with Vornado on any REIT plans for McDonald's," adding, "We're happy to have them as shareholders."
Ackman's plan for restructuring McDonald's is, on the surface, straightforward.
According to his firm's analysis, the company does not function as a traditional restaurant firm, but rather generates almost all of its profits from being a landlord and licensing its brand in return for franchise fees.
McDonald's Paull again disagreed, and wrote in the statement the company released Tuesday that, "The proposal is an exercise in financial engineering and does not take into account McDonald's unique business model. While we remain open to ideas, we simply will not jeopardize the long-term health of our company, nor our relationships with customers, franchisees and suppliers for such a financial engineering exercise."
The drag on the firm, in Ackman's analysis, is the roughly 9,000 company-owned restaurant locations that operate at slim 7% to 10% profit margins before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), compared to margins of 70% to 90% from its business as a landlord for franchisees, and 30% to 50% margins from the franchisee business itself.
Ackman reiterated that the company could create much better shareholder value by buying back shares or boosting its dividend with extra cash, rather than investing in its own stores.
"McDonald's has generated so much free cash flow they didn't know what to do with it."
Under his plan, McDonald's would spin off in an IPO about 65% of the part of the company that operates company-owned restaurants, called internally "McOpCo," while retaining a 35% stake that would own, among other things, stores operated in countries like China without real franchise laws.
According to Pershing's evaluation, the IPO would generate proceeds of about $3.3 billion.
As a second phase, McDonald's would issue almost $15 billion of debt secured by its $46 billion of real estate holdings, putting the loan to value ratio at about 33%.
"The debt financing and IPO proceeds would be used to refinance all of the existing $5 billion of net debt at Pro Forma McDonald's, to repurchase 316 million shares at $40 per share and to pay $300 million in fees and transaction costs," according to the detailed analysis available at the hedge fund's website. See Pershing Square's "A Value Menu for McDonald's"
Ackman reiterated that Pershing remains on good terms with McDonald's management, and he does not expect the issue to get down to a proxy contest.
"So far we just haven't gotten the right idea, but we're getting close," Ackman said about convincing McDonald's to restructure, but admonishing reporters and investors after the presentation that, "I'm the most persistent person you will ever meet."


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NEW DELHI: Nokia T20 tablet is expected to launch in India soon. HMD Global, the company which holds the license to manufacture Nokia branded products, is said to launch the Nokia branded Android tablet in the country soon. The company launched the tablet in the US earlier this month and now a Flipkart listing suggests that the company will soon launch it in India.
The teaser posted on Flipkart suggests that the Android tablet from Nokia will be made available during the Flipkart Big Diwali sale, which is scheduled to go on till November 3.
Nokia T20 tablet comes with a 2K display and features stereo speakers. It comes with dedicated Google Kids Space and promises to offer all-day battery life in a single charge.
Nokia T20 expected price
Nokia T20 Android tablet comes in Ocean Blue colour options and is expected to be priced under Rs 20,000.
Nokia T20 Specifications
Nokia T20 comes with a 10.36-inch LCD display with 2000×1200 pixel resolution. The display is protected with a coating of toughened glass. The Android tablet is powered by an octa-core Unisoc T610 processor paired with 3GB/4GB of RAM.
Nokia T20 comes in two storage variants — 32GB and 64GB. Users can further expand the storage up to 256GB by adding a microSD card. The device runs Android 11 operating system and comes with an IP62 rating which makes it dust and splash resistant.
The Android tablet comes with stereo speakers, dual microphones and OZO Audio. The device sports an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front camera for video calling.
Nokia T20 is backed by an 8200mAh battery with 15W fast charging support.


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YOU MULTI-TASK all day - text and drive, talk and type, drink water infused with vitamins. So why shouldn't your makeup do double-duty too?
A new generation of foundations aims to do just that, promising more than an even skin tone and a dewy finish. Fortified with ingredients usually reserved for skin care products, these foundations say they can diminish fine lines and wrinkles, treat acne, firm the skin - even help reverse aging.
Others, such as Estee Lauder's Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra Firming makeup, tout their collagen-boosting capabilities via peptides and the moisturizing properties of hyaluronic acid -- two substances touted to have skin rejuvenating properties.
Naturally, the trend is driven by the growing anti-aging skin care market. According to the market research company Mintel, from 2004 to 2006, makeup brands with anti-aging benefits sparked a $39-million growth in the $6-billion cosmetics category - and that's just for brands sold in drug and food outlets.
"There is sort of this race to be the one product that is all things to all women," says Kat Fay, a senior health and beauty analyst at Mintel. "It's anti-aging, it gives you a tan, firms your skin, evens out your skin tone and does your taxes too!"
But the products are also selling to younger women, who are looking for prophylactic beauty strategies. "New science, technology and ingredients are at the core of this," Fay says. "The idea is we can build a better you."
But some dermatologists question using makeup as an approach to anti-aging or skin treatment. "When you put these cosmeceutical ingredients in makeup, theoretically they should have some effect, but if someone has a skin condition they want to treat, something like acne or rosacea or even fine lines or wrinkles, they'll probably see better results from a physician-prescribed therapy," says Jenny Kim, associate professor of medicine and dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Since these aren't approved by the FDA, which requires a certain amount of testing, it's hard to judge the efficacy."
It's also impossible to know exactly how much of these ingredients are in the product. "Ingredient lists are tough," says cosmetic chemist Joe DiNardo, vice president of Pharma Cosmetix Research. Ingredients are listed in order of quantity, the most being at the top of the list and the least at the bottom. "But when you get to ingredients that are 1% or less of the formulation - where some of those actives may be - they can be placed in any order," he says. "That's usually where you get all those buzz ingredients that may not even be at a functional level."
Still, many of these ingredients do have legitimate research backing up their claims, says Suzanne Bruce, a Houston dermatologist who has written in medical journals about the effectiveness of cosmeceuticals. So, she says, using a so-called functional foundation can't hurt, and "it might even help."
But how much? And when will it not make a difference at all? Here's a look at the major ingredients on the expanding list of makeup with benefits. Now, if only there were a lipstick that lowers cholesterol.
What are they: Vitamin A compounds or derivatives that increase skin turnover, thereby exfoliating and helping to rebuild collagen. They are often called retinyl palmitate in ingredient lists, and they have been shown to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, even out skin tone and improve skin texture.
Where to find them: Retinols are extremely common, but L'Oreal is emphasizing them in its new Visible Lift Line Minimizing & Tone Enhancing Makeup ($14), which also has SPF 17 to prevent skin damage and a film-forming ingredient that tightens the skin similar to the way a clay mask does - think Spanx for the face.
Will they work: "Retinols, especially retinoic acid found in prescriptions like Tazarac and Retin-A, are where you get the most bang for your buck," says Kim, the UCLA dermatologist. "They have been shown to help reverse photo damage and help with fine lines and wrinkles."
Research suggests they may be the best over-the-counter option to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. "Vitamin A-derived ingredients are the only ones that have truly been tested to show they reduce wrinkles," says Nick Morante, a cosmetic chemist.
What are they: Found in ingredients such as vitamins A, C, E, B complex, green tea, selenium and coenzyme Q10, they help stimulate healthy cell growth and protect skin against UV exposure and free radicals.
Where to find them: Prescriptives' new All Skins Mineral makeup foundation ($32.50, plus a $30 brush) combines vitamins C and E with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide for broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection. Clinique's Repairwear Anti-Aging Makeup ($28.50) boasts the antioxidants mimosa bark extract and vitamin C.


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Could Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT ) and SONY (NYSE: SNE) be getting ready to steal away DIRECTV’s (NASDAQ: DTV) biggest asset? Let’s face it the only two reasons to have DirecTV are you live in an area that is so remote there is no alternative or you are a displaced football fan. Being the latter, I have flirted many times myself with adding the service.
DirecTV first introduced the NFL Sunday Ticket package as a $149.00 per year premium add-on. Now that the NFL and DirecTV are in their last year of the contract, DirecTV is flooding the airwaves with ads about their now free service. DirecTV needs to get as many subscribers signed up to their two year contracts as possible before the NFL season is over.
Google has been rumored to have met with the NFL already and is in talks to add NFL Sunday Ticket to its YouTube service. Pundits of Google getting this service include a recent Forbes.com article by Mark Rogowsky. Rogowsky claims Google will not get approval from the NFL because “Google doesn’t have the living room infrastructure yet anyway. ” YouTube, Google’s flagship video service is a standard feature on SONY and Microsoft gaming platforms, it is also bundled software on most smart TVs and blu-ray players these days. Google has more than enough nodes in the marketplace to deliver the service over a high speed connection.
SONY and Microsoft could also be players in this war offering the service via their respective gaming platforms. However, the scenario no one is talking about is, what if the NFL is not willing to give one service exclusive rights to NFL Sunday Ticket again?
DirecTV has a mere 20% of the digital TV market. Wouldn’t it be prudent for the NFL to open up this service to Fios, Xfinity, Microsoft, SONY and anyone else who wants it? If this model works for HBO, Showtime and the other premium channels, why not the NFL? Making this transition even easier, the NFL already has contracts in place with all of the major cable companies to carry the NFL Network.
I am not sure how this will exactly playout but my guess is NFL Sunday ticket will be widely available in 2014. Even this year non-DirecTV subscribers can access the service. Included with Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 is FREE access to the full 2013 regular season (17 weeks) of NFL Sunday Ticket on computer, tablet, and mobile devices. Plug your laptop or tablet into your TV and you are ready to roll.
No, it’s not necessary to have a DirecTV subscription. Each Anniversary Edition includes a code that can be redeemed to access the full 2013 regular season (17 weeks) of NFL Sunday Ticket on computer, tablet, and mobile devices. For $42 (on Amazon.com) you have the entire NFL season, savvy football fans can resell the game sans access code to recoup some money if they do not have a game console. The games without the Sunday Ticket codes are currently selling for $40 on Ebay.


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Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat’s native camera features were first introduced with the Galaxy S22 series of smartphones. This clever integration allowed Galaxy S22 users to use their phones’ potent native cameras without ever leaving the social media apps. Currently, Snapchat is working to retroactively make those features—or at the very least, Night Mode—available to owners of Galaxy S21 series smartphones, according to Samsung.
The native low-light camera capabilities of the Galaxy S21 are coming to the Snapchat app via a future update, according to the camera-related moderator for the Samsung Community. The moderator made it clear that Snapchat developers, not the camera team from Samsung, are responsible for deciding when to release this feature.
Upon contacting Snapchat, the Samsung moderator confirmed with the Snapchat devs that the native night mode camera feature is coming to the Galaxy S21 series “soon,” however, they couldn’t share a precise release date, and it’s not up to Release of this function by Samsung.
Read More: Blackberry Z10 Camera Review


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The coffee shop chain’s first new Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 truck is already on the road in southwestern Ontario and another will soon go into service in the Greater Vancouver Area
Tim Hortons is taking steps to transition its heavy-duty fleet vehicles to electric with the purchase of two Volvo VNR Class 8 delivery trucks.
The iconic Canadian coffee and restaurant chain is deploying one vehicle out of its Guelph, Ont., distribution centre and the other out of its Langley, B.C., distribution centre.
“We’re really excited to now have one of the first electric transport trucks of its kind on the road here in Canada and another coming very soon,” says Axel Schwan, president of Tim Hortons.
“As part of our Tims For Good sustainability platform we’re always working on developing better solutions for how we serve our millions of guests each and every day.”
The first electric truck is already in service in southwestern Ontario, while the one to deploy in B.C. will be on the road “soon,” according to the Tim Hortons press release.
Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International (RBI) owns the Tim Hortons brand, along with Burger King, Popeye Chicken and Firehouse Subs. Of the four, Tim Hortons accounted for 11.6 per cent of RBI’s emissions, according to RBI’s 2022 sustainability report.
There are over 4,000 Tim Hortons retail locations in Canada and the brand has nine distribution centres, five of which are company-owned.
The company expects its electric trucks will travel up to 100,000 kilometres per year servicing their respective regions. With an all-combustion fleet, Tim Hortons estimates its delivery vehicles use 25,000 litres of fuel each per year.
The RBI sustainability report reveals that RBI purchased the Volvo VNR trucks in “Spring 2022” and that “These trucks will further our learnings on truck electrification and how to effectively operationalize and scale this action to meet our 2030 goal.”
RBI’s 2030 goal includes:
- Transitioning at least 72 per cent of its corporate Tim Hortons truck fleet to electric models;
- Transitioning 100 per cent of the Burger King corporate car fleet to electric models; and
- Procuring 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources for its corporate-owned and directly controlled facilities globally.
Overall, RBI claims to be on track to achieve it sustainability goals.
In 2022, 38 per cent of the Burger King corporate fleet in the United States transitioned to electric. However the Volvo VNR Tim Hortons electric trucks are believed to be RBI’s first heavy-duty electric vehicle purchase and will be used to provide insight into the viability of an expanded electric medium- and heavy-duty fleet.


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Slowing global growth and the 35-day partial federal government shutdown weighed on the U.S. economy in the first weeks of 2019, but it continued growing amid still-tight labor markets, the Federal Reserve reported on Wednesday.
"Economic activity continued to expand in late January and February," even as concerns took root at the U.S. central bank about a possible slowdown, the Fed said in its regular "Beige Book" compendium of anecdotes compiled from industry and business contacts around the country.
The pace of growth was "slight-to-moderate" in 10 of the Fed's 12 districts, with those in Philadelphia and St. Louis reporting "flat economic conditions."
Still, the overall tenor of the Beige Book may relieve some of the concerns about growth in the real economy that prompted the Fed to pause its cycle of interest rate hikes in January after a sharp correction in financial markets and other risks began increasing late last year.
Tighter credit conditions were cited as damping consumer spending; concerns about tariffs continued to weigh on the minds of executives and crimp profits as input costs rose more than could be passed along to consumers; and the government shutdown "led to slower economic activity in some sectors" including manufacturing, retail and real estate, across roughly half of the Fed's districts.
Job and wage gains, however, continued, with the St. Louis district reporting that opportunities for work were so plentiful that college enrollment was dropping "as potential students were increasingly choosing to enter the labor market."
In the Philadelphia district, business contacts "continued to note that the labor market was very tight ... Firms are responding by raising wages, increasing job flexibility, training new hires who have fewer skills than desired, and making greater use of trial periods of temp agency placements."
The Fed's policy-setting committee is scheduled to meet in two weeks to make its latest interest rate decision, and is widely expected to leave borrowing costs unchanged, consistent with the "patient" strategy it outlined in January.
Inflation will be a key element of any decision about when or if to raise rates again, and the Beige Book reported that prices increased at only a "modest-to-moderate pace" in the period.
But it also hinted at price pressures building in parts of the economy. The Fed's Cleveland district, for example, outlined an economy where price hikes were being passed among firms, with some feeling they were able to pass them along to consumers, and others not.
"Construction companies passed on strong input cost increases. By contrast, manufacturers' prices remained more stable ... Transportation companies raised prices, but retailers did not raise prices to cover transportation cost increases," the Fed reported.
Although much about the U.S. economic outlook remained positive, businesses cited continued concern about trade and tariffs and the health of the global economy in general.
Manufacturers in particular "conveyed concerns about weakening global demand, higher costs due to tariffs, and ongoing trade policy uncertainty." In some areas, including the Philadelphia district, that caused regional growth to grind to a halt.
The economy in that area was reported slowing from "modest growth in the prior period to little or no change in the current period," the Fed said.
While the impact of the government shutdown is expected to be small on a nationwide basis, it was noticeable in some parts of the country.
The Richmond Fed, whose area includes Washington, said "a sharp decline in tourism was reported by several firms in and around the District of Columbia."
© 2023 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.


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March 15, 2023 (Newark, NJ) – The NJSBDC network, also known as New Jersey’s Small Business Development Centers, joined SBDCs nationwide to celebrate SBDC on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Nearly 1,000 offices nationally join in promoting #SBDC Day, which is marked by sharing small business success stories and network impact that the program has had on the lives of entrepreneurs and small business operations in generating new businesses and additional economic development in communities throughout the country.
In New Jersey, the NJSBDC’s impact speaks for itself. Since 2020, the NJSBDC has helped generate over $7.25 Billion in sales revenues for the state of NJ, helped facilitate over $275 million in capital formation, helped open 857 new businesses, and supported over 3,200 jobs.
“#SBDC Day is for us to share with everyone what we do, why we do it, and to make sure that every current and prospective business owner knows we’re here to help and guide them as we have helped other NJ businesses over the past 45+ years”, says Kelly Brozyna, CEO and State Director of the NJSBDC network.
Additional impact of the NJSBDC network, detailed in the NJSBDC’s 2022 Annual Report, includes sponsoring 2,349 training events, training more than 41,000 prospective and current small business owners, and providing over 42,000 hours in expert business counseling.
Ms. Brozyna continues, “We are so proud of the work that we do. We have the best job in the world: Helping businesses succeed and thrive!”
Apparently, the message of how the NJSBDC can help businesses has gotten out. Recent NJSBDC Success Awardee Marcela Tapiero, owner of Your Dreamwall® (Prospect Park, NJ), shares, “The NJSBDC has changed our company in many ways for the better. We have been able to gain new partnerships and open opportunities for employment and internship positions. We are excited for what the future holds and the impact we will be able to make on youth through the DOE services, college students, women empowerment workshops, and corporations to build positive team-building activities.”
Reflecting on her work with the NJSBDC, Lauren Borawski, Co-Owner of Child’s Play Challenge Courses (Scotch Plains, NJ) says, “When my husband, Matt, and I started Child’s Play Challenge Courses, we knew that it had the potential to be very successful, but we lacked the business experience to know our next steps. Matt and I invested every penny we had in our start-up, and we couldn’t afford the professional counsel we very much needed. We are so fortunate to have found the NJSBDC. We can say with great confidence that had it not been for the advice we received from their expert team; we would have potentially wasted time and money going in the wrong direction to grow our business. The NJSBDC has and continues to be an important part of our growth.”
Nationally commemorating #SBDC Day, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabel Guzman posted a message via YouTube encouraging small business owners to access SBDCs for comprehensive assistance and guidance.
America’s SBDC designated this year’s #SBDC Day theme as “Reimagining Main Street”, focusing on how through dynamic engagement at the local level, SBDCs are helping their clients rethink how their business should operate.
According to the most recent Chrisman Survey, which collected data from national SBDC clients in 2020-2021, America’s SBDCs provide measurable economic results. Nationwide SBDCs helped generate 85,094 jobs, $10.1 billion in sales growth, $7.7 billion in capital investments, and helped start 14,487 new businesses – proving that SBDCs are leaders in job creation and economic growth.
More details are provided in the 2023 America’s SBDC Annual Report.
America’s SBDCs help make the dreams of small business ownership and growth a reality for more Americans — creating jobs and opportunities that reimagine main streets throughout the nation. See America’s SBDC Annual Report online at www.sbdcimpact.org. To view NJ’s section of America’s SBDC Annual Report, go to https://www.sbdcimpact.org/nj.
# # #
About America’s SBDC New Jersey (NJSBDC)
The New Jersey Small Business Development Centers network, one of the first national pilot projects, has provided comprehensive services and programs for small businesses in New Jersey for over 45 years. SBDC business staff, business consultants, and experts help businesses expand their operations, manage their growth, or start new ventures. The network is equipped to help small business owners and entrepreneurs develop business plans, find financing, accounting, and financial analysis, identify new markets, initiate marketing strategies, find procurement and international trade opportunities, learn green sustainability practices, commercialize technology, and develop an e-commerce presence. This non-profit network is a federal-state educational partnership, leveraging funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the NJ Business Action Center, the 11 educational host institutions, private sponsorships, and additional private/public grants, and has approximately 1,000 centers and satellite offices serving small businesses and generating economic development across the country. The NJSBDC Headquarters, located at the Rutgers Business School in Newark, NJ, oversees the network, an accredited member of America’s SBDC. Visit www.njsbdc.com.


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The report reveals that 62 per cent of consumers worldwide are convinced that it’s more likely that their credit card information will be stolen online as compared to 38 per cent who believe that they can lose their financial information from their wallets. What is more terrifying is the revelation that 47 per cent of respondents reported that they have been victims of cybercrime.
The report went on to state that in Canada more than seven million people have been victims of cybercrime in the past year. This works out to be more than 19 per cent of Canadians who have fallen prey to cyber-criminals – an astonishing figure to say the least. The survey also pointed out that 70 per cent of Canadians believe that identity theft is more likely to occur than before.
“Consumer confidence was rocked in 2014 by an unprecedented number of mega breaches that exposed the identities of millions of people who were simply making routine purchases from well-known retailers,” said Fran Rosch, executive vice president of Norton by Symantec. “Our findings demonstrate the headlines rattled people’s trust in mobile and online activity, but the threat of cybercrime hasn’t led to widespread adoption of simple protection measures people should take to safeguard their devices and information online.”
That simple protection measure boils down to one method to safeguard our cyber life – its password. What is appalling to note is that more than one in four Canadians do not have a password on any device according to this report. And of those that are using passwords, a quarter has shared them with others. It gets more bewildering, of those that shared their passwords, 25 per cent have done so for their banking account while more than half shared their email password.
What is ironic about the sharing of passwords is that 70 per cent of those surveyed believe that it riskier to share their email password with a friend than to lend them their car, yet 50 per cent of those sharing passwords do just that.
On the flip side, the group that is most stringent about safeguarding their passwords is the Baby Boomers. This many come as a surprise to many as this user group has been perceived as being less tech-savvy while millennials, who were born during the digital era, are more prone to share passwords and be involved in risky online behavior.
Globally those that were surveyed lost an average of 21 hours over the past year dealing with the consequences of cybercrime. This is estimated to cost approximately $358.00 per person, totaling over $150 billion. In addition to the financial loss, there is the emotional toll on victims, with over 40 per cent in Canada reported feeling furious about being affected by cybercrime.
As cybercrime escalates it is imperative that we take one simple step to ensure that we are protected against criminals who have no other intention but to steal from innocent and vulnerable people. That one simple step is strong passwords that must remain confidential to us only.
To learn more about the impact of cybercrime and how consumers can protect their online information, go here.
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Christmas City Comes to Coliseum This Weekend
The event is held every year before Christmas. This year, there are more than 300 booths, offering everything from handmade furniture to monogrammed makeup bags. Doors open Saturday at 9 a.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m., but the Coliseum is already filled with excitement for this annual event.
Randi Page, Assistant Event Coordinator for Christmas City, says, “All of your Christmas shopping can be done in one stop. We have things for kids, women, men, anything that you could imagine. You can have a really great time with your family during this holiday season and accomplish crossing off all those things on the Christmas list.”
Tickets are $8 per day. Kids 15 and younger get in free. Be sure to look for our WXXV News 25 booth, where you and your loved ones can star in holiday commercials that will air throughout the holiday season.


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This is The Morning Shift, our one-stop daily roundup of all the auto news that's actually important — all in one place at 9:00 AM. Or, you could spend all day waiting for other sites to parse it out to you one story at a time. Isn't your time more important?
1st Gear: Trailer Hitches!
From an engineering standpoint, moving the gas tanks on 2.7 million Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokee models was a potentially expensive and awful task. Chrysler fronted like they'd ignore it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) pushed forward. Everyone wondered if the cost of bad PR would overcome the cost of fixing it.
Now we know the agreement that Chrysler and NHTSA appear to have come to: Trailer hitches to fix the problem. This updated story from BusinessWeek gives the details:
The repair involves installing or repairing trailer hitches to enhance crash protection. For 1.56 million Liberty and older Grand Cherokee vehicles, a hitch assembly will be installed if one isn't there now, the company said in an e-mailed statement. If a vehicle has an aftermarket hitch not made by Chrysler, it may be replaced.
On Grand Cherokees from model years 1999 through 2004, no action will be taken on vehicles that don't have a hitch. Vehicles with hitches will be inspected, and the units will be replaced if necessary, Chrysler said.
If NHTSA accepts this then it'll be a nice dodge for Jeep, who still insists their vehicles are not pintos that'll leave everyone at risk for… fiery death. No word on whether or not Truck Nutz provide any crash protection.
2nd Gear: Porsche Hedge-Fund Suit Now In Cartel Court
The failed bid by a surging Porsche to takeover Volkswagen Group in 2008 resulted in just the opposite happening and the hedge funds involved, as well as a handful of other people, have all tried to untangle the mess and place blame where they think it belongs.
On ongoing suit is a $2.6 billion action by seven of the hedge funds involved in the botched action who say Porsche manipulated shares to get what they want.
The case that was hearing it just agreed to move the case to a special "Cartel" court, which Automotive News speculates means the plaintiffs may have a better shot at getting a judge who understand the complexities of what occurred.
3rd Gear: Japan Hoping To Fix Very Obvious Market Issues Ahead Of Talks
From Bloomberg comes this update on Japan's ongoing attempts to not make its car market entirely protectionist in the face of American/Pacific trade talks that could benefit Japanese companies.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership will be negotiated next month and, understandably, The Big three aren't happy that Japan gets a place at the table given that, in their words, Japan is manipulating its currency so that exports are cheaper and foreign companies can't compete.
There's also been talk, lately, about making it less impossible for foreign companies to compete in the Japanese domestic market. We'll see.
4th Gear: And Speaking Of Benefiting From Currency Fluctuations…
Nissan's price-cutting is suddenly freaking out its competitors reports the Detroit News.
As you may remember, Nissan looked at what they could do with the new money they'd get in the discrepancy between what it cost to produce goods and the cost they were selling them for and thought they'd do better to just cut the cost of their vehicles and boost incentives to gain market share.
It worked. The entire brand jumped 25% in May, outpacing the industry by a ton. This was all led by the Altima which, with a $580 price cut, saw a 41% leap in sales and beat the Fusion while nearly beating the Accord.
How to respond? Detroit tries not to lean on incentives on everything as there's a perception it was one cause of the Carpocalypse and yet, faced with the big move by Nissan, they've got to do something. GM seems to be taking the lead with free maintenance and a few big discounts on vehicles like the Volt.
5th Gear: But Nothing Is Working In Europe
Per the AP, the European car market had its worst May in 20 years as the region struggles to come out of a recession.
Demand for passenger cars dropped 5.9% compared to last May, and last May wasn't great either.
As with the recession in the U.S., no one wants to buy a car if their economic prospects look bleak, even if they have the money. Car sales even dropped 9.9% in Germany which is, generally, the most robust European market. Just Britain saw a market increase of 11%.
Reverse: McLaren Time
2013 marks the 50th anniversary since Bruce McLaren established the team which still bears his name, and has become arguably the most successful team in motorsport history. This announcement is 13 years to the day since the number 59 McLaren F1 GTR, piloted by Yannick Dalmas, J.J. Lehto and Masanori Sekiya crossed the finish line at Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans to claim victory. With the result, McLaren became the only racing team ever to have won the Formula 1™, Indy 500, Can-Am and Le Mans championships.
Neutral: How much cheaper would a Nissan have to be to make you consider it? Most Nissans aren't the best car in their respective classes, but none of them are the worst. At what price point would you take an Altima over a Fusion or a Sentra over a Mazda3?
Photo Credit: Getty Images


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(thanks to Aaron Auzins for the tip)
Konami’s return to the Mocap arena is finally here, with the release of Mocap Sports in Japan. We’ve discussed this particular game a number of times already and we all know how it’s supposed to be Konami’s answer to Wii Sports for arcades. How far we will see Konami push this game into other territories remains to be seen but I would surprised if it didn’t test well in territories where most people who bought a Wii bought it for Wii Sports and little else.
In the mean time Konami has released a video of how to use the controllers in each game, giving us a better idea of how it’s supposed to work. The graphics don’t look like anything special from the video although they are a step up from WS. I still would like to try it out myself and see if there’s more to it than waggling the controller and it’s interesting to see that they include wristbands on these, just like the Wiimote. You can watch the promo video here.


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Nissan has announced a $170 million investment in its Smyrna, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi assembly plants to support the production of the 2019 Altima.
“Nissan’s continued investment in our manufacturing facilities underpins our commitment to building top-quality vehicles in the U.S., as well as our valued workforce and the communities where we do business,” said Heath Holtz, senior vice president, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management and Purchasing, Nissan North America, Inc.
Nissan’s investment was used to upgrade the Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant and Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant with the latest manufacturing technology. Upgrades to each of the plants include state-of-the-art laser brazing system in the body shop that gives the flexibility to weld the vehicles’ sleek trunk lid, an updated paint shop with a new polyurethane stone guard coat paint system that provides a more durable, best-in-class exterior appearance, and calibration equipment that helps ensure the reliability and functionality of ProPILOT Assist technology.
“The new Altima sets a new standard for the sedan market, and we are ready to bring it to the road for customers,” said Holtz.
New features on the 2019 Altima include:
- Advanced Nissan Intelligent Mobility safety and driving aid technologies, including ProPILOT Assist and introducing Safety Shield 360 with Rear Automatic Braking.
- Enhanced driving performance, including available Intelligent All-Wheel Drive.
- Two new engines, including the company’s world’s first production-ready Variable Compression Turbo.
- Expressive design with lower, wider and more athletic proportions.
- New open, airy premium uplifting interior design.
The all-new Altima will be available in five grade levels, along with a limited-production “Edition ONE” launch model. It also will be available in an expanded number of global markets in the coming years.
The all-new Altima arrives on dealer lots in the U.S. this fall and will be produced at Nissan Smyrna and Nissan Canton assembly plants. Nissan has now invested nearly $12 billion across their U.S. manufacturing facilities.


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Tough on the outside and tenderly designed on the inside, meet the Range Rover Velar
The new Range Rover Velar is the fourth model in the Range Rover line-up, intended to slot between the Range Rover Sport and the Evoque. It’s a sizeable machine, deliberately pitched at new buyers who want a sleeker, sportier SUV that combines both designer style and off-road chops. ‘This car is “white space” for us,’ says Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s caustically ebullient chief design officer, as he explains how the Velar taps into the desires of design-savvy customers who still crave a bit of the company’s legendary capability.
McGovern brings a bracing blend of old school off-the-cuff remarks and decidedly new-school thinking in terms of form, materials, technology and luxury. Over the past decade he has transformed the company’s design studio into a crack team of specialists, broadened Land Rover’s model portfolio from four cars to seven, with more to come, and, most remarkably of all, delivered relentless year-on-year sales increases thanks to smart product planning that mines every conceivable niche.
These rocketing sales can be attributed to the SUV’s ongoing popularity; by 2020, analysts expect around over 20 million SUVlike vehicles will be sold around the world each year. The Velar fills a rare gap – not a 4x4 limousine like the flagship Range Rover, nor the dapper family car with a twist represented by the Evoque. Instead, it’s a design pitched straight at the heart, not the head. ‘Let’s face it,’ McGovern admits, ‘people don’t need these luxury vehicles. They desire them.’ It’s McGovern’s job to stoke this desire, hence his pointed comparisons with things like Hermès bags and other emotionally driven brands.
It’s a desirable slice of the market, and Range Rover has got there first. The Velar was developed in strict secrecy over the past four years before breaking cover at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. Even more remarkable, the company expects the first customers to take delivery in mid-summer, doing away with the industry’s tedious habit of teasing with a design and then expecting buyers to wait a year before they can acquire it.
Jaguar Land Rover hopes to lead the way with autonomous and electric driving, using its cars’ off-road abilities as a place to debut concepts like the ‘transparent bonnet’, an argumented view that helps negotiate tricky terrain
McGovern talks of the great coherence between Land Rover’s design and engineering departments. ‘They’re hellbent on delivering our designs,’ he says. ‘We create the concept and engineering delivers that with as little dilution as possible.’ Although the Velar is debuting as a fully realised production vehicle, it still has the slick improbability of a concept car. This is the lowest Range Rover ever made, as well as the most aerodynamic, with flush door handles and smooth, seamless surfacing. The front three-quarters view offers up a curvaceous profile that would have been simply unthinkable to the engineers that dreamt up the first Range Rover back in 1970. Even McGovern admits, ‘We wouldn’t have thought of doing this car ten years ago.’ Those 1970s prototypes, by the way, were badged ‘Velar’, derived from the Latin for ‘covered’. It’s also a fitting name for a modern car that is effectively a rolling sanctuary.
The detailing is impressive, from the massive 22in wheels, smooth flanks and ‘floating’ roof to the strong, continuous beltline, above which sits a cabin-like glasshouse. Every crease and crinkle is ironed out, shut lines evaporated, windows, lights and door handles sunk flush with the bodywork. The shrink-wrapped approach adds a sheen of futurist minimalism, helped by the choice of colours and materials. Burnished copper detailing adds to the premium feel of the bodywork, while the interior is slick and beautifully realised, pairing two generous touchscreens with a digital dashboard, head-up display and a welcome selection of physical knobs – a digital/analogue future is the way forwards. Naturally, the onboard tech includes the full panoply of cameras and off-roading aids, and far-reaching laser headlights.
McGovern says that modernity is emerging in other ways. ‘Some customers want luxury materials but not necessarily leather,’ he says. ‘Wood and leather is quite an old-fashioned approach and we want to change that.’ Amy Frascella, chief designer colour and materials, explains how the design team went further, initiating a collaboration with Kvadrat – an auto industry first – to develop a premium wool material for seat inserts and doors. ‘The customer landscape is shifting – and this is a “curated choice”,’ she says. The specially developed ‘melange weave’ adds to the Velar’s interior options, joining a custom carbon fibre, specially grained, uncoated light wood and a cut-diamond pattern on the dash trim.
Jaguar Land Rover is now Britain’s biggest car-maker, and the Velar shows why. As a direct descendant of the car that transformed SUVs into conveyances for contemporary lifestyles, it does its job admirably. Big cars needn’t be brutish, and the Velar ushers in a new era for Land Rover design.
As originally featured in the April 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*217)


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QUEENSLAND Trade Minister Stephen Robertson went to Seoul last month to pitch for joint partnerships with business leaders in LNG and clean coal technology, as part of the Korean Government’s $1.1 billion sustainable energy fund.
Robertson’s meetings included Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), the largest energy provider in Korea, sourcing 34 per cent of its coal use from Australia.
“KEPCO understands global concerns relating to climate change and is currently advancing into renewable energy. There is strong potential for joint projects in Queensland in this area,” says Robertson.
Korea is the state’s third largest export market, trading in industries including clean technology, education and functional foods.
“Korea is a major trading partner for Queensland, with new provisional export figures showing that Queensland’s merchandise goods exports to Korea were valued at $6.37 billion in 2008-09,” says Robertson.
“This equates to 11.3 per cent of Queensland’s total merchandise goods exports, making Korea Queensland’s third largest export market.”
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Founders of GoodWork Labs Vishwas Mudagal and Sonia Sharma today announced the launch of GoodWorks Angel Fund – an early-stage venture capital (VC) fund and investing venture.
The duo aims to invest in at least 8-10 high-potential startups across the globe every year. Depending upon the nature, requirement and future prospects of the respective startups, the investment ticket size per company will vary from $20,000 to $200,000.
While investment and funding are the core aspects of GoodWorks Angel Fund, the entrepreneur-duo will additionally provide startups and young entrepreneurs with a wide range of professional service offerings. They aspire to create a plug-and-play work ecosystem for startups, by taking care of their office space, technology, operations, marketing, and other support services that are critical to scaling up businesses.


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Digital TV News: MTNL
MTNL launches 3G mobile TV in India with Alcatel-Lucent and Aksh Optifibre
Apr 22, 2010 – Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU), in collaboration with Aksh Optifibre, has announced that it has enabled the commercial launch of MTNL's 3G-driven mobile TV services in the metro cities of Delhi and Mumbai.
News categories: Alcatel-Lucent, Aksh Optifibre, MTNL, 5G, Content Distribution, India, Mobile
UTStarcom a Leader in China, India IPTV Markets
Jun 30, 2009 – UTStarcom (Nasdaq: UTSI) was named the leading Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) provider in Asia in Multimedia Research Group's (MRG, Inc.) latest Global IPTV Market Leaders Report.
News categories: UTStarcom, Multimedia Research Group, Asia, China, Content Distribution, Content Protection, India, IPTV, Market Research, Middleware, Set Top Box, Subscribers
SeaChange Rolls Out Products and Services for Smart Digivision's MYWay IPTV
Mar 30, 2009 – India's Smart Digivision MyWay IPTV service is taking advantage of products and services from SeaChange International (Nasdaq: SEAC). Customers of BSNL and MTNL are among the first to enjoy MyWay's on-demand, broadcast and convergence offerings.
News categories: SeaChange, MyWay, Content Distribution, Digital TV, India, IPTV, Middleware
UTStarcom and Aksh to Power BSNL's New iControl IPTV Service in 20 Cities Across India
Sep 2, 2008 – UTStarcom (Nasdaq: UTSI) has announced a contract with Aksh Optifibre (BOM: 532351) to deploy UTStarcom's end-to-end RollingStream® Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) solution in 20 cities on Bharat Sanchar Nigam, Ltd. (BSNL)'s ADSL 2+ network.
News categories: UTStarcom, BSNL, Aksh Optifibre, Broadband, Conditional Access, Content Distribution, Digital TV, India, IPTV, Middleware, Set Top Box
UTStarcom Continues IPTV Momentum in India With Aksh Optifibre Contract
Jul 14, 2008 – UTStarcom (Nasdaq: UTSI) has announced that it has signed a new contract with Aksh Optifibre (BOM: 532351) that expands the operator's deployment of the industry-leading RollingStream® Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) solution.
News categories: UTStarcom, Aksh Optifibre, Content Distribution, Digital TV, India, IPTV, Set Top Box
Aksh Optifibre, MTNL Launch 'icontrol' internet TV
Jun 16, 2008 – Aksh Optifibre, in association with MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited), has launched the icontrol service in Delhi and Mumbai.
News categories: Aksh Optifibre, MTNL, icontrol, Digital TV, India, Set Top Box, Streaming
UTStarcom Teams with Bharti Airtel to Launch IPTV In India
Sep 17, 2007 – UTStarcom (Nasdaq: UTSI) has announced a contract to supply its industry-leading RollingStream™ end-to-end IPTV solution to Bharti Airtel, one of India's leading integrated telecommunications service providers with more than 46 million customers.
News categories: UTStarcom, Bharti Airtel, Content Distribution, Digital TV, India, IPTV, Set Top Box
UTStarcom Partners With AKSH Optifibre to Deliver First IPTV Service in India With MTNL
Feb 2, 2007 – UTStarcom (Nasdaq: UTSI) has announced a three-year contract through its partnership with AKSH Optifibre Ltd. to deploy its RollingStream™ end-to-end IPTV solution with Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. (MTNL) in India.
News categories: UTStarcom, AKSH Optifibre, MTNL, Content Distribution, Digital TV, India, IPTV
IOL Broadband ties up with BSNL for IPTV
Jan 3, 2007 – IOL Broadband Ltd has announced that the Company ties up with BSNL for IPTV. The Company has started trials of its IPTV Service launch on the BSNL Broadband network in Bangalore.
News categories: BSNL, IOL Broadband, Broadband, Digital TV, India, IPTV
- AMC Networks launches ad-supported version of AMC+
- Xumo launches Pioneer Xumo TVs at Best Buy
- VTV selects ENENSYS for distribution to DVB-T2 transmitters over DTH
- DIAGNAL and Lounges.tv extend technology partnership
- Global FAST revenues to hit $17 billion in 2029
- Videotex India's largest licensee manufacturer of webOS Hub TVs
- Tubi beta tests ChatGPT-powered content discovery
- Amagi partners with TAG Video Systems for FAST channel monitoring
- ViewNexa survey reveals dissatisfaction among streaming subscribers
- Cignal TV taps Quickplay for Pilipinas Live global sports app
- TiVo releases Q2 2023 video trends report
- Ateme powers Viacom18's Indian Premier League UHD experience
- Streaming now most popular TV source in Canada
- Pixalate releases H1 2023 EMEA CTV ad supply chain report
- Mirada to power MNC's Vision+ streaming service in Indonesia
- Munich court rules Netflix infringing Broadcom video patent
- India Smart TV market grew 8% YoY in 1H23
- TV Monaco starts operations supported by Qvest
- Caretta Research: MVPDs must evolve into 'super aggregators'
- Barb upgrades API with BVOD, SVOD, video-sharing and non-TV device data


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Boston Beer Co. (SAM) Trading Up 1.1%
Shares of Boston Beer Co. (NYSE:SAM) were up 1.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $169.77 and last traded at $168.40, with a volume of 112,145 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.64.
Several analysts have commented on SAM shares. Jefferies Group dropped their target price on shares of Boston Beer from $182.00 to $174.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 30th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Boston Beer from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 15th. Susquehanna restated a “hold” rating on shares of Boston Beer in a report on Saturday, April 23rd. Cowen and Company restated a “hold” rating on shares of Boston Beer in a report on Saturday, April 23rd. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. restated a “hold” rating on shares of Boston Beer in a report on Saturday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have given a hold rating to the stock. Boston Beer presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $177.40.
The firm’s 50-day moving average is $159.17 and its 200-day moving average is $173.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75.
Boston Beer (NYSE:SAM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 21st. The company reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.43. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. The company earned $188.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $198.42 million. Boston Beer’s revenue was down 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Boston Beer Co. will post $6.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.
In other Boston Beer news, insider John C. Geist sold 950 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $147,250.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,387 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $214,985. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David A. Burwick sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.21, for a total value of $766,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,094 shares in the company, valued at $933,661.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.
A number of institutional investors have modified their holdings of SAM. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Boston Beer by 29.1% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 98,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,869,000 after buying an additional 22,207 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Boston Beer by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 19,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,849,000 after buying an additional 951 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of Boston Beer by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 16,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,392,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Old Mutual Global Investors UK Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Boston Beer during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,626,000. Finally, Russell Frank Co acquired a new position in shares of Boston Beer during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,858,000.
The Boston Beer Company, Inc (Boston Beer) is a craft brewer in the United States. The Company is engaged in the business of producing and selling alcohol beverages primarily in the domestic market and in international markets. As of December 31, 2014, Boston Beer sold approximately 4.1 million barrels of its products.
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Maruti Q1 preview: Sales may fall 25-30% QoQ, margin can contract
Analysts pegged Maruti's profit in a wide Rs 500-1,300 crore range for the quarter. This would be against a loss of Rs 249.40 crore that the auto-maker reported for the year-ago quarter.
Margin performance in line with expectations: Jonathan Hunt, Syngene
"Given the second wave of the pandemic that we had in India, we have see...
Do quarterly numbers reflect true financial health of a company?
The main methods used in financial analysis are trend analysis, vertical ana...
Q1 takeaways: HUL to focus on keeping margins high; rural markets key growth driver
The company said the industry growth was largely led by rural markets, which have been one of the silver lining during the pandemic.
High commodity prices pinch Ceat's Q1 margins, company expects pressure to continue in Q2
Consolidated revenue for the quarter came in at Rs 1,906 crore, a growth of 70% year-on-year, but on a low base. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) improved by 62% on-year to Rs 165 crore. EBITDA margin, however, narrowed by 45 basis points to 8.7%.
Bajaj Auto Q1 results: PAT more than doubles to Rs 1,061 crore; Ebitda margin expands 130 bps to 15.6%
Profit, however, fell 20 per cent sequentially, as the recovery over the three-month period was undone by partial lockdowns due to second Covid wave, the two-wheeler maker said in a BSE filing.
HUL Q1 preview: Company may see firm sales growth, but input cost inflation likely to dent margins
Hindustan Unilever is expected to report a near 15 per cent year-on-year growth in its net sales to Rs 12,105 crore, according to an average of estimates from 11 brokerages polled by ETMarkets.com.
Surging commodity costs put Unilever margins in spotlight
Analysts expect the Dove soap and Hellmann's mayonnaise maker to report a 1.2 percentage point drop in underlying operating margins from a year ago, according to a company supplied consensus.
ADB cuts India's FY22 economic growth forecast to 10%; inflation seen rising marginally to 5.5%
India's GDP growth recovered to 1.6 per cent in the last quarter of fiscal year ended March 2021, narrowing contraction in the whole fiscal year from 8 per cent estimated in April to a revised 7.3 per cent, the multilateral funding agency said in the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) Supplement.
HCL Tech Q1 Takeaways: Second wave dents India performance, margins shrink
While the company's consolidated net profit met Street estimates, the topline fell little short.
Wipro Q1 takeaways: Acquisition boosts growth, margins outlook firm
Wipro’s higher-than-expected sales growth despite lack of major deal wins during the quarter suggested that the company is being able to convert large deal wins in the previous quarter more efficiently.
Wipro projected to report strong Q1 sales growth but margins may suffer
Wipro will report its earnings for the three-month period ended June on Thursday.
Mindtree's margin story remains intact: Debashis Chatterjee, CEO
"In terms of profits, our PAT has been fairly stable although the EBITDA has gone down slightly. We have been able to manage the PAT because of efficient use of the treasury function. There has been some treasury gains and that is why the absolute PAT has gone up and the overall PAT has been steady at 15%. This is fairly good from our perspective."
Anmi urges Sebi to reduce peak margin to 50% from current 75%
Reduction in the peak margin will be in the interest of individual investor, trading members and help in the growth of the capital market, Anmi said in a statement.
Market pricing in spread of Delta variant, slowing marginal growth: Jim O’Neill
“More and more people have become more optimistic about the recovery and markets have priced it in. But if now it is the case that the marginal rate of economic recovery is going to weaken, then the market will readjust,” O’Neil said.
TCS Q1 preview: Expect strong deal wins, sales growth & margin pressure
Analysts expect the country’s largest IT services firm to report nearly 5 per cent sequential growth in consolidated net sales at Rs 45,850 crore for the quarter ended June. The company’s consolidated net profit growth is likely to be muted at a little over 1 per cent at Rs 9,370 crore.
IT stocks may outperform Nifty by a wide margin
"I would suggest investors to be overweight on the IT sector."
Credit score access trailing personal loan growth by wide margin, report
As against a 23-times growth in personal loans under Rs 25,000 in 2020, as against 2017, the number of consumers checking their credit scores has grown only three times in 2020 when compared to 2018, Transunion Cibil said in a report.
Margin of safety less in chemical stocks
"We are getting a bit worried about stocks where the valuations have become too rich and the returns have been front-ended."


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Recently, SMOC.AI was chosen as their partner in conversational marketing and onboarding. This partnership aims to increase conversion rates and provide Evolve with high-quality sales qualified leads from their digital channels. SMOC.AI is proud to be working with a forward-thinking company like Evolve.
"We plan to open five new locations before the summer of 2022," says Aziz Chear, Head of Sales and Marketing. "Our focus is on improving the quality of our locations while also enhancing the customer experience."
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the commercial real estate market has shifted towards greater flexibility for customers with options to scale or descale quickly. Moreover, customer buying behavior has changed as people and businesses now expect more digitized and personalized experiences while searching for the perfect office space. To meet these changing demands, Evolve has included exploring marketing software in their strategy to enhance scalability and growth.
"As our team expands, we have implemented new software that facilitates scaling," states Aziz Chear.
Evolve's partnership with SMOC.AI has provided them with access to conversational marketing as a new way of interacting with customers. With conversational marketing, Evolve expects to get more engaged customers, reduce churn at their locations, and increase conversions.
"Our customers have shown interest in our offerings, but grabbing their attention and starting conversations on our website has been a challenge. With SMOC.AI implemented on our website, it takes only 60 seconds to communicate everything our customers need to know," explains Aziz Chear. "By using conversational marketing to match specific products and price points to our customers' varying needs and preferences, we expect to see an increase in engagement and conversions.
SMOC.AI's conversational marketing platform allows Evolve to create personalized customer journeys, increasing conversions, engagement, and reducing churn in their existing marketing channels. Conversational-based landing pages have shown to be 3-4 times more effective at converting than traditional static landing pages. Evolve is excited to leverage this landing page format to generate better sales qualified leads with SMOC.AI.
Image from one of Evolve's many locations. Photo by Evolve.


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The mobile payment app of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is susceptible to cyber attack. According to a security researcher, hackers could easily access the password information and geological data of customers using the mobile payment app of the world’s largest coffee chain.
The vulnerability of the mobile payment app of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) was discovered by security researcher Daniel Wood.
Customer login information accessible
In his research note, Wood emphasized that hackers can easily access the login information of customers, and could make unauthorized purchases. According to him, “There are multiple instances of the storage of clear-text credentials that can be recovered and leveraged for unauthorized usage of a user’s account on the malicious user’s own device or online at https://www.starbucks.com/account/signin.”
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In an interview with CNNMoney, Wood said, “The application is storing the users’ information — everything from your full name to your address to your username and password as well as your email address.”
He recommended that Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) should conduct an output sanitation to prevent hackers from recovering sensitive use data and avoid it from being stored in the crashlytics log files in clear-text. He also suggested not to store customer’s credentials on the phone file system, and to consider using a standard iOS encryption library.
Wood published his observation regarding the vulnerability after informing the technical team of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) regarding the issue in December, and did not receive response from them. The company reached out to Wood after the issue became public.
Starbucks steps up security efforts
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) acknowledged that Wood’s report was technically accurate, however the company pointed out that it is safeguarding unauthorized access to such information.
Linda Mills, spokesperson of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) said, “Our customers’ security is of the utmost importance to us, and we actively monitor for risks and vulnerabilities. While we are aware of this report, there is no known impact to our customers.”
“To further mitigate our customers’ potential risk from these theoretical vulnerabilities, Starbucks has taken additional steps to safeguard any sensitive information that might have been transmitted in this way,” added Mills.


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You don’t usually hear much about Saskatchewan. It’s a prairie province with a population of about 1.17 million people and it isn’t in the news much, but it is one of the top five contributors to Canada’s GDP. Its wide-open spaces give ample room for growing the majority of Canada’s grain as well as other seeds and beans, and beef cattle. Agriculture, along with mining, and oil and gas has solidified Saskatchewan as the province where everyone works hard and keeps their heads down.
Now, provincial regulators all over the country seem to be looking to Saskatchewan for another reason: their cannabis retail model.
The province offers an almost entirely private model for its cannabis market. The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Association (SLGA) provides licences for retailers and wholesalers as well as some rules for them to follow, but other than that they tend to stay out of it. Unlike other provinces that have a public body that plays middle man between distributors and retailers, Saskatchewan’s model allows retailers to have their own relationships with distributors.
According to Daniel Safayeni, Co-Chair of the Ontario Cannabis Policy Council, this is essential to a healthy market. “One of the main advantages is that it allows a model in which LPs can directly negotiate with retailers,” says Safayeni. “This is extremely important to help with bringing prices down and coming up with more competitive and innovative products, but more broadly it provides a structure that would lead to a more competitive and innovative marketplace as a whole.”
He says that in Saskatchewan, companies are able to not only successfully supply their own stores with a wholesale deal negotiated to work for them, but also supply other retailers with warehouses built from private capital—not taxpayer dollars. This makes the market more efficient and competitive and could potentially save consumers money at the same time.
George Smitherman, President and CEO of the Cannabis Council of Canada, seems to agree that cutting out the middle man could have a positive outcome on the industry. “Directly shipping to retailers eliminates the handling of products. Considering that products have limited shelf lives and that handling costs money, we may find over time that the Saskatchewan model is more cost-effective,” Smitherman said. “Cost is, of course, a very big aspect of our ability to move more cannabis consumers across the line from the legacy market.”
On top of keeping their hands out of distributor-retailer relationships, Saskatchewan also allows e-commerce and delivery of cannabis products.
Ontario retailers got a taste of this earlier this year, however, that policy was rescinded in July. According to Safayeni, small retailers who invested a lot of time and money into getting their e-commerce and delivery systems in place are now having trouble staying afloat due to the pandemic. Calling it a relatively basic service that every retailer is entitled to, he estimates that around $180 million per year in sales are lost without e-commerce in Ontario, and when you account for the stores that are waiting to open, that number goes up to approximately $1 billion per year.
The SLGA has issued approximately 44 retail licenses to small businesses and large cannabis conglomerates alike. The retail stores seem to be spread evenly across the southern half of the province and to encourage integrated stores in smaller communities, applications from communities under 2500 people were accepted between April and September only. Statistics Canada reported that it earned $11.1 million in sales in June, making it one of the highest earners based on population.
Will provincial regulators eventually take the hint and loosen their control on cannabis distribution? Safayeni sure hopes so. “Saskatchewan works for the little guy,” he says. “There needs to be a regulatory backdrop where small independent businesses can see a path forward.”


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Jet2.com has taken off from Bristol Airport for the first time.
The full flight departed from Bristol Airport to Majorca with holidaymakers jetting off on a much-needed holiday.
The inaugural flight was followed by another to Menorca.
The start of operations from Bristol Airport comes as the Balearic Islands (Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza) and Madeira were all added to the green travel list for customers travelling from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Customers across the south-west of England and south Wales have plenty of choice and flexibility when it comes to enjoying a holiday to these destinations.
The arrival at Bristol Airport has resulted in significant investment for the region.
More than 200 new jobs have been created with roles including flight deck and cabin crew, engineers, and ground operations colleagues.
Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com, said: “We have been ready to get going for some time now, and the announcement from the government means that customers can finally enjoy real package holidays and our award-winning customer service from Bristol Airport.
“We are looking forward to enjoying enormous success at our newest base, and the response to the launch from customers and independent travel agents has been outstanding.
“That said, we know customers want to travel to more destinations and the UK government still has a long way to go to reopen international travel properly and satisfy customer demand both from Bristol Airport and across the UK.
“We continue to urge the government to reopen international travel properly, rather than adding just a few destinations and hoping everyone will be happy with that.”


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The Island’s COVID-19 testing centre is increasing its opening hours as the number of cases rises on the Isle of Wight, despite the effect it is having on people decreasing.
The test centre at Newclose County Cricket Ground, Blackwater Road on the outskirts of Newport is now open Sundays so that testing is available 7 days a week for Islanders.
People can book a test by phone on 119, online at https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or via the NHS COVID-19 app.
The Newclose test centre is open from 08:30 until 14:00, Monday to Sunday. Residents are asked not to attend the centre without an appointment.
For more local information on COVID-19, visit www.keeptheislandsafe.org.


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Unilever expands portfolio of healthy snacks with Graze acquisition
FMCG giant Unilever is broadening its presence in the fast-growing healthy snacking and out of home markets, with the acquisition of UK healthy snack brand Graze.
Graze began as a snack box delivery service and now has expanded its range of nuts, seeds, trail mixes and snack bars to retail stores, e-commerce and direct to consumer.
“Graze is the leading healthy snacking brand in the UK – delivering consumers fabulously tasty snacking options, delivered in beautiful packaging. A truly multi-channel brand, graze offers personalisation, convenience and great nutrition, brilliantly meeting the needs of millennial consumers,” Nitin Paranjpe, president of Unilever’s Food & Refreshment business said.
“Accelerating our presence in healthy foods and out of home this is an excellent strategic fit for the Unilever Food & Refreshment business, and a wonderful addition to our stable of purpose driven brands. We look forward to working with the graze team to grow the business, leveraging their tech and e-commerce expertise for our wider portfolio, and offering more consumers the opportunity to snack in a healthier way.”
“This deal marks a transformational moment in graze’s growth journey. graze believes that learning from Unilever’s sustainable living plan will become a key driver for the business. Graze has an incredibly exciting future ahead as part of Unilever and we look forward to working closely with the team to keep on inventing new healthy snacks, as well as continuing to work to understand the role technology can play in improving the food industry,” Anthony Fletcher, Graze CEO said.


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- Over four million households will have speeds doubled
- Next-generation speeds to catapult UK up international rankings
- 120Mb to become fastest broadband speed in the country
- Government welcomes broadband boost
Virgin Media (NASDAQ: VMED; LSE: VMED) has today announced it is doubling the speeds of over four million of its broadband customers and will be boosting its top speed to 120Mb, strengthening the company’s position as the fastest broadband provider in the UK1. This ambitious initiative will help meet the growing demand for next generation broadband and marks a step change in the UK’s digital development.
With the mass roll-out starting in February 2012, the upgrade programme will continue over 18 months and is expected to be complete by mid 2013. Subscribers to Virgin Media’s current 10Mb, 20Mb, 30Mb and 50Mb services will see their speeds at least doubled, with 100Mb customers seeing a significant increase to 120Mb. These speeds will ensure customers get high quality access to the huge growth in new online services.
The widespread availability of superfast broadband supports the Government’s ambitions of ensuring that consumers have access to the best broadband services in Europe by 2015. Virgin Media’s upgrade programme forms part of its on-going commitment to delivering the fastest broadband speeds in the UK and will catapult Britain into the world’s broadband premier league.
Virgin Media chief executive officer, Neil Berkett, said: “The burgeoning market for better connectivity has given us an opportunity to transform the digital experience of millions of our customers and to bring about a massive step change in the number of UK consumers who have access to exciting, next generation services. Virgin Media has a track record of leading Britain’s digital development and this major initiative will meet the growing demand for faster broadband as well as provide significantly more value to our customers.
"The internet has become an integral part of our social, work and family lives, so we think our customers are going to love this. As people are increasingly doing more online, and getting connected to the internet with lots of different devices, having a fast, reliable broadband service should not be a luxury. We want to make sure that consumers have access to the best value broadband service and that means a superfast connection.”
Prime Minister David Cameron said: "I welcome this announcement from Virgin Media; it will provide a great boost for the economy and change the way many households, consumers and businesses use the internet. Rolling out superfast broadband across the country is a critical part of our plan to upgrade the UK’s infrastructure and build a new and smarter economy."
Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt, said: “Faster broadband speeds are great for customers and great for business, which is why our policy is to deliver superfast broadband to 90% of the country by 2015. Virgin Media’s plans to double broadband speeds are really exciting and we applaud their ambition.”
120Mb broadband will allow users to download an entire music album in as little as 4.4 seconds and a High Definition movie in around 5 minutes; but the service will truly come into its own when several people are connected to the internet at home at the same time. Faster broadband gives users greater bandwidth to cope with the demands of increasing numbers of internet connected devices.
Notes to Editors
Virgin Media’s 100Mb service is, and its 120Mb service is soon to be, the UK’s fastest widely available broadband.
The speed upgrades will mean the following changes:
- 10Mb increased to 20Mb
- 20Mb and 30Mb increased to 60Mb
- 50Mb increased to 100Mb
- 100Mb increased to 120Mb
- Upstream speeds and traffic management fair usage amounts will be increased in proportion to the increase in downstream speed.
The modems provided as part of the upgrade programme are enhanced and capable of receiving speeds of up to 400Mb.
Virgin Media leads the market in delivering the speeds that customers expect and publishes its performance monthly at http://shop.virginmedia.com/broadband/about-virgin-broadband/speed-matters.html. In November 2011, Virgin Media 10Mb customers received an average of 9.55Mb. In the same period, Virgin Media’s 30Mb customers received an average of 30.1Mb. By contrast, the average speed of ‘up to 20Mb’ and ‘up to 24Mb’ speeds from BT, Sky and TalkTalk is between 7Mb and 9Mb and is typically between 7Mb and 8Mb (source: Ofcom, 2011).
For journalist enquiries contact
About Virgin Media
Virgin Media is the first provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services in the UK.
The company’s cable network – the result of multi-billion pound private investment – delivers ultrafast broadband to over half of all UK homes, with speeds of up to 120Mb, as well as market leading connectivity to thousands of public and private sector organisations across the country.
Virgin Media has developed the most advanced interactive television service, bringing together broadcast TV, thousands of hours of on demand programming and the best of the web in a single set-top box powered by TiVo. The company was the first to offer HD TV and 3D on demand to millions of British households.
The world’s first virtual mobile network was launched by Virgin Media and it is also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the country.
Virgin Media is a part of Liberty Global plc, the world’s largest broadband communications group. Together Virgin Media and Liberty Global serve 25 million customers across 14 countries, helping connect people to the digital world and enabling them to discover and experience its endless possibilities.
For more information, go to www.virginmedia.com


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Skyword has launched a new tool called Accelerator360 that uses advanced AI to change how brands approach SEO content creation. The tool streamlines the entire SEO content creation process in one tool with data-driven precision and AI-powered automation.
It identifies high-impact keywords, auto-generates content briefs, matches them to top-tier writers, and delivers plagiarism-free content. With Accelerator360, brands can secure top search positions, quickly dominate search results, attract more qualified search traffic, and reduce wasted time and budget.
For more such updates follow us on Google News TalkCMO News.


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Portion of the attractiveness of Fortnite is that the video game is continually introducing new crossovers that permit enthusiasts to represent their favourite artists in the match. When there is a whiff of a new collab, content material creators begin scouring the world wide web for responses. And now, according to a pending announcement from KAWS, players of Fortnite are expecting a new collaboration with the artist.
Well-known Fortnite facts miner ShiinaBR declared earlier right now that they read from a supply that a character in Fortnite would be finding a new collab with a nicely-known artist. KAWS then posted an impression on his formal Instagram that exhibits a napkin with the creating “Dear Fortnite.. See you quickly! KAWS.. 22,” and a banana sitting down next to it.
The pores and skin, in accordance to ShiinaBR’s submit, is intended to alter an currently famous character in the type of


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Older women who want to keep off weight after menopause -- may want to consider four specific eating behaviors. A new study, looked at both short-term and long-term changes made by nearly 500 overweight or obese women, all in their late 50's. According to Health Day News, the study found specific eating habits linked with weight loss. Those who decreased desserts, sugary beverages,cheeses and meats and increased fruits and vegetables did best.
Some older women blame weight gain on a slower metabolism, but the process is more complicated than that. As people age, their amount of muscle declines and their amount of body fat rises, so they burn fewer calories. It is ultimately not your metabolism speed that determines if you are too heavy, experts say, but the amount you eat and how much activity you get.
The study is published in the September issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
SPECIAL REPORT | Thousands of child care center inspections reports are NOW AVAILABLE. Find out what inspectors founds inside day care centers across the state.
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It appears more and more young people may be sleepy at the wheel. A new study ties a lack of sleep to a significantly higher risk for crashes among young drivers.
Sunbathers this summer will find new sunscreen labels that are designed to make the products more effective and easier to use.
If you're hoping to get a jump start on your tan this summer, the Food and Drug Administration has a warning for you.


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American State Bank of Iowa’s mobile coupon app is a win for customers, local businesses and the bank itself.
By Andrea Lahouze
In the northwest corner of Iowa, American State Bank of Iowa has found a creative way to maintain its competitive edge with customers. In November 2016, the $850 million-asset bank in Sioux Center released its own branded mobile coupon app, called American Edge, which offers users discounts at businesses in town and across the country. While many other businesses might choose to offer a coupon app at a cost, the community bank opted to make it available to its 9,000-plus rewards checking accounts for free.
“We wanted to do something to jump ahead again,” explains T.J. Speer, American State Bank of Iowa’s vice president of corporate affairs. “Instead of fighting over interest rates, we decided that we can provide services, products and access to people that would be harder to compete with. We also were looking at our millennial markets. We wanted to have another place on their cellphone where they access and use us for information. From the relationship-building perspective, we want to be more than an industry. We want to be our customers’ partner for information.”
To make it happen, the community bank partnered with a company called StrategyCorps to brand and customize an existing app, including offers from local businesses that wanted to participate. The result is a robust and rotating collection of coupons for products and services in town and across the country, from restaurants and coffee shops to gas stations, hotels, hair salons and more.
“We’re part of the StrategyCorps network, so our customers who travel can still find these deals. It’s like an ATM but for coupons,” Speer says.
How it works
The app tracks savings from each coupon and adds them together so users can see their total savings. One-third of the rewards customers have the app downloaded and about 66 percent of those customers use it on a regular basis. Marketing director Erin Reichle says many have saved upwards of $90.
In addition to coupons, the app offers users several free insurance services, including identity theft aid. Should a customer fall victim to personal identity theft, the app would provide $2,500 and a personal fraud specialist to help her recover losses and restore her identity security. Customers who pay their cellphone bill using their checking account get free cellphone insurance, which replaces their cellphone free of charge if it breaks or is stolen. All users also have access to free roadside assistance up to $80 should they have car trouble.
Local businesses, too, are reaping benefits. Because the bank does not charge merchants to participate, there is no cost to them apart from the deal they present, making it an effective and free form of advertisement. “Our business customers really like it because we’re giving them access to our highest-balance customers,” Speer says. “It’s important for small-town businesses to do business with others in their small towns. This is another way for us to advocate for that for them, which also encourages them to continue to do business with their bank. ”
And for American State Bank of Iowa, serving as the connection point between local residents and local businesses is another way it walks the walk when it comes to supporting an economically vibrant community.
“It adds more value than just bumping our interest rate five or 10 basis points,” Speer says. “The cost is less than if we would bump it 10 basis points, to be honest with you, but the value to the customer is significantly higher.”
Next on American State Bank of Iowa’s stay-one-jump-ahead agenda: instant issuance, a service Speer says the bank will roll out in January. “We want people to be able to walk out of the bank with their own debit card that’s a full debit card,” he says. “We have Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Android Pay, so they’ll be able to instantly put it on their phone. We want the customer to have access to their money the minute they leave.”
Andrea Lahouze is deputy editor of Independent Banker.


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KMart Nearly Kaput in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS -- There are five KMart stores still open in Indiana. By the end of the year, there will be none.
The KMart locations in Elwood, Kokomo, Richmond, and Valparaiso will close by mid-December, according to KMart and Sears parent company Transformco.
Liquidation sales will begin later this month.
The KMart in Warsaw is set to close in late October or early November.
As of Aug. 7, there were about 380 Sears and KMart stores still open nationwide.
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)


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Meg McCall's dad, Jim Van Gompel, has always been an outdoorsman. He does however have diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and an amputated leg. But at 87 years old, that hasn't stopped him from enjoying his love of nature. Several years ago, Gompel took up kayaking, but McCall said her father was finding it difficult to paddle. He would become easily winded due to his asthma and heart condition.
- Photo Courtesy Of Angle Oar
- NEW IDEAS With the Gamut Paddle Holder, people with limited strength, back issues, or shoulder injuries can enjoy kayaking.
"My father had a career in mechanical engineering and he never saw a product he couldn't improve on," she said.
McCall was visiting Gompel around that time and he showed her a new kind of supportive paddle that he made for himself—he called it angle oar. It was his way of figuring out a more efficient way of paddling for himself.
With her father's background and McCall's experience in marketing, the two teamed up in 2012 to bring that special paddle to the public. Together the team fine-tuned the design, patented it, tested it, and began to manufacture. McCall now heads the company, Angle Oar, that specializes in making oars not only for those who experience back or shoulder issues but also for the aging community that may not have the strength to kayak.
"You don't really think about it until you're in the ocean, but paddling puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders, joints, and torso," McCall said.
About 28 percent of the U.S. population is between the ages of 50 and 74.
"This is a group that increasingly wants to stay active and independent as long as possible, but sometimes an injury and arthritis prompts them to give up a sport they've loved all their lives," she said.
Angle Oar fills the gap for those who want to continue kayaking. It offers the versatile kayak paddle, or Versa for short. It's a paddle that sits on mounts supporting the weight of the paddle, reducing joint stress and creating a smaller range of motions.
The company now offers its newest product: the Gamut, a mounted paddle holder that has all the same benefits as the Versa but you can use your own paddle. What makes this paddle holder unique is that if you wanted to let go of your paddle to fish or take a break and enjoy the view, your paddle won't fall into the water. It eliminates the purchase of a paddle leash or pedal kayaks.
The Gamut is also an affordable alternative for people who don't want to shell out the big bucks for an expensive specialty kayak. The Gamut is $170 online or at participating kayak retailers and rental shops.
McCall said that she's excited to see a growing interest in adaptive paddling because it's really for everyone. She noted that the company's customer base isn't limited to the Central Coast or the state.
"Our customer market is the entire U.S. We're an online retailer so we have distributors across the country," she said.
Most of their sales come from Texas, Florida, and the East Coast. McCall said she recently spoke to a man from Florida who runs a statewide outdoors program. She said he is a quadriplegic who suffered from brain trauma 29 years ago. He used to be an avid paddler but for years couldn't find a way to go back to his favorite outdoor activity, until he found the Versa.
"You just had to hear how happy he was, and it's stories like that that have me grinning from ear to ear," she said.
As for her father, she said Gompel still gets really excited to learn about the people who are like him who want to get out there and continue to exercise independently.
To learn more about Angle Oar and all the products offered, visit angleoar.com.
• Last month, Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County received a $1,500 grant from The Albertsons Companies Foundation, bringing their total donations to almost $36,000. The grant funds will go toward the agency's programs, providing quality one-to-one mentoring relationships in San Luis Obispo County. To learn more about the agency, its service, and how to give back, visit slobigs.org.
Staff Writer Karen Garcia wrote this week's Strokes and Plugs. Send tidbits to.