Greater Twin Cities United Way fundraising up 4% in 2008 - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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The United Way today said it collected $94. 9 million last year, a 4 percengt increase from its $91.2 million total in 2007. Fund s rased included $88.9 million for its annual campaign, up or 0.56 percent, from the its campaign a year It raised anadditionalk $6 million in grants, endowments and sponsorshipsx in 2008. In 2007, United Way raised $88.e million for its campaign and 2.8 million in endowments and other income.
Duringy 2008 United Way had 200,000 local a 19 percent increase from its2007 “These results are a testament to our generousw community that is willing to rally arounsd the most urgent needs during challenging times,” said Chris CEO of Arden Hills-based and the 2008 Unitesd Way Campaign Chair. “The community stepped forward to volunteef and donate in record numbers becausd of its confidence inUniter Way’s plans and clear focud to help the most vulnerable citizens.” For the 10th consecutive the largest contributor was Golden Valley-basefd , which raised $7.75 million in 2008.
The money raisesd last year will be used to help peoplse get out of poverty byproviding food, shelters and referrals to communit y resources. It also will be used to bette r earlychildhood education, improve health care access and increaser income for those living in poverty. The Greaterd Twin Cities United Way is in the procesa of looking for a successor to president and CEOLauremn Segal, who announced in February that at the end of 2009.

The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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Securant Bank & Trust, Menomonee has appointed Sandy Winkler as a loan services suppor processor and Renee Mayeshiba as a customerservicw representative, both in the Milwaukee UMB Fund Services, Milwaukee, has added Bob Tuszynski as seniort vice president and director of distribution First Wisconsin Bank & Brookfield, has hired the Janice Cardinal, consumer loan administrator; Amy Lynch, commercial operationw specialist; Jessica Hernandez, private banking operationas specialist; Maggie Marich, private banking account Cheri Bradish, commercial loan Dan Bushnel, commercial client services; and Courtney commercial client services.
The Equitable Bank, Wauwatosa, has addeed Brian Stevens, commercial loan underwriter; Amy Germudsen, loan Jeffrey Justin, commercial lendint relationship manager; and Kevin Fritz, FHA/VA/conventional loan

Santa Fe production drops again, Sonata rises - Birmingham Business Journal:

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Alabama spokesman Robert Burns said the plant made 16 percentr fewer 2009 Santa Fes in August thanin “At this time, therew is a lesser demand because of fuel concernse of consumers,” said Burns. “We have seen a decreaser in sales throughoutthe year.” However, in August the Alabamaw plant made 31 percent more Sonatas, totalinv 15,014 cars compared to 11,466 in Sales increased 17 percent in August for the more fuel efficien Sonata sedan, he said. The total for Santas Fes was 7,336 in August versuds 8,744 in July. The Korean-basedc company made a total of 22,350o cars at its Alabamsa factoryin August, which is an increase from the 20,21 0 manufactured in July.
The planned ratio is 75 percentg of Sonatas made and 25 percent ofSanta Fes. The shiff follows an announcement in late July by the Korean company to reducd productionof U.S.-made vehicles by 40,000 units.

Former Clarksburg man gets 20 years for rape - Chillicothe Gazette

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Former Clarksburg man gets 20 years for rape Chillicothe Gazette Robert P. Kirkbride, 58, formerly of Pennyroyal Road, entered an Alford plea Wednesday on three first-degree felony counts of rape and three third-degree felony counts of gross sexual imposition. When a defendant enters an Alford plea, by definition, ... and more »

Survey: Americans lack knowledge about generics - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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And, while research has shown that generics have savecd the health care system anestimated $734 billiobn in the last 10 years, two-thirds of those surveyedd don’t know the true cost differencesx between generic and brand name drugs, accordinvg to the survey conducted by , a leadingv pharmacy benefit management organization. “Usinbg generics helps make health care more affordable without compromising Jacqueline Kosecoff, Prescription Solutions CEO said in a news “Many Americans erroneously believe that the most expensiv drug is always the most effective drug, so by helpingh to change perceptions, we can help people save monety and still get the best treatmentg available.
” Thirty-one percent of respondents indicateds they knew that a brand name drug cost 50-790 percent more on averags than its generic counterpart. Seventy-onew percent of consumers remain concerned abouf drug costs with more than one infour (27 having either delayed filling, not filled, or not takeh as directed a prescriptioh drug to save money. Twenty-onew percent of all respondents say they have talke to their doctor recently abouf switching to a lessexpensive drug. Fifty-seveb percent of those polled said they take prescriptiobndrugs weekly. Of those, 83 percentf (or 47 percent of the total take generics.
Of those who do not take generic drugs on aweekly basis, 58 percentf say it is because theres is no generic available for the drug they Sixty-four percent of those who take genericws say their doctor recommended them and 43 percent say their pharmacist recommended Of those who do not take generic druges on a weekly basis, 58 percent say they woulxd if their pharmacist brought a genericv to their attention as a less expensive, identical and 52 percent say their doctor would have to recommend it.

Billions of bugs wiped out on Dutch roads - scientists - Reuters

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Billions of bugs wiped out on Dutch roads - scientists Reuters Biologists at Wageningen University in the Netherlands enlisted the help of 250 drivers for a "splash teller" study. Each motorist had to wipe his or her car license plate clean then tot up the bug body count at the end of their drive. ... Splatter count: 2 trillion insect deaths bug biologists, drivers Sydney Morning Herald Two insects per number plate every 10 km DutchNews.nl 1600 billion insect deaths on Dutch roads each year Radio Netherlands Telegraph.co.uk -Wired.co.uk  »

YouTube becoming new advertising medium - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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He hired a California Web advertising firm to produce the video and ispayinb $200 per month for the firm’s including the video. Since the video was posted in Septembefr 2008, it received 270 views for LLC — but no indication of any sales leads. “I’m tryingh to increase my ‘Net presence,” said Thuilliez, who runs the window and door replacementf business from hisDelafield home.
YouTubre is one of the most rapidly emerging frontiere in advertising and marketing via the but advertisers are only in the early stages of figuring out how best to tap The selling points arethat it’s free and it’xs already one of the most-used online communities in the world. The challenge for an advertiserd is how to draw Interneyt surfers toits video. Seventy-five percent of Americans watched a videok onlinelast month, and YouTube is the leader in the categor with hundreds of millions of videos vieweds daily, according to which is owned by , Mountain View, The consensus among advertisingh executives is anything that smackws of conventional advertising won’t work on YouTuber because people prefer not to watc commercials.
Also, advertisers need to know their videosd will run among thousands of amateut videos rangingfrom well-done and creative to cheap and “It’s very crowded — there’s a lot of really bad stuf f on there,” said Steve Koeneke, owner of Milwaukee advertising agency . The biggest successesz on YouTube have either offered entertainment that coincidentall tied in to a product or surprised viewers at the end by identifyinfgthe advertiser. An example of the formedr is blender-maker Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?“ seriez where the host tries blending everythingb from an iPhone to a ChuckNorrisx toy.
The latter approach was demonstratex by and its video thatpromoted Penney’s jewelry departmenty in a humorous take on men “going to the for buying their wives bad presents. A growing number of southeast Wisconsin advertisers are posting their television commercials on YouTube and others are creating videos specifically to run on Videosof ’s TV commercials have generate fewer than 200 views each on YouTube, but ownedr Russ Darrow Jr. said it’es important to enter this relatively newadvertisintg medium. “It’s a he said.
Paulo’s Pizzeria and Banquet Hall on Milwaukee’s southwes side created its own low-budget one-minute, 15-secondd video and posted it on YouTubeafter Christmas. Paul Ohalekl said it’s one of the multipl avenues he’s using to promotr his restaurant online and possibly generate Google searchesd from Milwaukee residents looking toorder pizza. As of this the video had seven views.
An exampl of taking an entertainment and educational approachis Sub-Zerpo and Wolf, a Madisonh high-end appliance-maker that has attracted more than 70,000 viewsz for its video “How to Make Perfect Pizza” in one of its The company already was producing “mini-Foosd Network-type segments” for its Web site and an iTunes channe and jumped on YouTube when it launchef in 2005, said Christopher Parr, marketing and creativr director. The attraction to YouTube is that it‘s free and it offerzs the possibility that a video willbecomre “viral“ — that other Web sites or bloga will add or link to the videos, multiplyingg the number of Parr said.
“Being on YouTube is all abou tbeing social, linking and the viralo component,” he said. Riskx to advertisers abound on YouTubesas well. Viewers can commen negatively on a video and YouTubw users can post their own critical video s ona company’s products, braned or service. Menomonee Falls-base Kohl’s Department Stores has received positive spins for some ofits commercials, including those featurinyg designer Vera Wang and pop star Avril Lavigne, that were posted on YouTub by adoring fans and viewed thousandsd of times.
On the other a bleach-blonde calling herself posted a video on her experience shoppingy ata Kohl’s on Black Fridagy morning at 4 titled “Black Friday Part Two: Drunks in Kohls.” The videoi had 887 views as of this week. “I notices some of the people are drunk,” she says of other shopperzs while inthe “Like they think it’s a holidayh party.” A Kohl’s spokeswoman declined to To be sure, YouTube and other sociakl networking, user-generated sites such as Facebook and MySpace are far from replacinvg the traditional media.
But YouTube and the others are growinv too rapidlyto ignore, said Dan Trzinski, owner of , a Waukeshaw advertising agency. “It’s still a smal l piece of the puzzle,” Trzinski “It’s closer to ground level.” Platypus has posted videos on YouTuber for its clientsGeorge Webb, Noah’s Ark and sportsa radio station WAUK-AM (540) and is preparing to post one for Schlossmann’es Honda City. Advertisers also can pay for placement on YouTubwe with sponsored linksand pop-up ads purchased through YouTube’a ad sales staff. But paid advertising on YouTube is even more untestedx than the freebievideo placements.

How small biz owners with hundreds of job applications should sift through resumes - bizjournals:

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As vice president of saleds for , Smith said he’s spent the majorituy of his time recently poring over the flooxd ofresumes he’s received to fill a few choiced sales positions within the company. A year ago, he said, to receivw 20 resumes would’ve been But today, in a tight job market floodefwith candidates, he holds in his hand abouft 200 to fill one spot. And they’rr coming from all walks of life, too from industries such as real estate, finance and others, he said. “It’s just a ton of work and I do most of it Smith said of sifting through the stacks to findsuitabl candidates.
American Exhibition Services’ dilemma is one many Birmingham companiezs are facing as workers flood the jobmarket – and employers’ inboxes in search of work. And all that siftingt is taking time and resources awayfrom day-to-day operationzs of businesses. In fact, recruiterse say unemployment has gotten so bad that mostcompanies won’t advertise jobs in traditional ways anymore, instead relyingh on word-of-mouth, just to cut down on the large volumse of resumes.
That’s what Davidc Cox of did when he decidedx to hire a project manager for his construction And word-of-mouth got him about 20 percent more than normal, he said, but all very qualifies for the position. “There’s a big pool to pick which isa positive,” he said. “The way we seek out resumeds is we make phone calls in the industryy and it just feedsoff itself. We’rwe in construction and everybodyknowss everybody.” But despite the extra time it will take him to reviee resumes, all the candidates will be put throughu the same systems and procedures as said Cox.
American Exhibition Services’ Smith agreedc not much has changed withthe process, but said it took him the betteer part of three weeks to review resumes for four sales It currently is looking to fill one more accoung executive position, which Smith hopes to find in the stacok of 200 resumes. The company sells business-to-business advertisingv for trade shows all across the countrgy and top sellers have the potential to make six said Smith.
But some executives aren’yt as devoted to sifting through stacks of resumeas and are putting the hiring procesd into the wrong handswithin companies, especially with recruitinfg budgets slashed in the said Leigh Inskeep, president of recruiting firm LLC. “Youi get hiring managers or administrativ e staff going through the resumes andthey don’gt know how to go through them – that’sa not their bag,” she “Companies are making it up as they go They’re bringing it in-house as a cost-saviny measure and not always making the best hire. So it’s ultimatelty taking longer tofill positions.
” But, these more recruiters are willing to negotiatee their fees, she said, in an effory to get their large network and database of qualifieed candidates into positions. A clear-cug focus on what kind of experience and qualitiez a candidate should have is a necessityg when handling somany resumes, she Come up with a checik list of criteria that fits the position and create a way to weed people out, she Some online job posting sites allow employers to set up But don’t make it so narroe that many of the good candidated are tossed aside.
But if a company is looking for aspecificx candidate, it’s best to be specific on the fron end of the process, said healtn care recruiter Paul Johnson of “Companies that have specific job requirements have an easiert time of it, especially with saless people,” he said. “I can put a job out therw selling parts for missile defensre systems that require specififtechnical skills. The more narrow the the easier theview point.
” And employers should look for experiencd on resumes that’s quantifieed and shows how successful a candidate has been in the And if a candidate fits the said Johnson, “make the move and make them an because if they’re good they won’t be there for long.” For American Exhibition Services’ the broader the range in candidates the because there’s more willingness to learn from the job. Amonb his resume filters, Smith said he puts thosse people that have jumped from job to job over a span of a few yearw at the bottom ofthe stack. “Ifg no one can keep these people happy, I can’ty either,” he said.

Recall petition filed against Adams - Portland Business Journal:

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The Community to Recall Sam Adams filed a prospectiv petition July 7with Portland’s City Auditor if approved, would allow the group to starft collecting the thousands of signatures needed to sparo a vote. The group hopes to recall Adamse after the mayor admitted lyint about a relationship he had with Beau Breedlove when Breedlove wasan 18-year-old legislative intern. If the auditor’s office approves the prospective it will then allow chief petitione r Jasun Wurster to circulate canvassers tocollect Portlanders’ Wurster’s volunteers would have 90 days — or unti Oct. 5 — to collect the 32,183 signatures required to spark a vote.
The city wouldr then have 10 days to revieqw the signatures to ensurethat they’re valid. Durin the review, county elections officials woulfd scour approximately 10 percent of the signatures to make sure they meet residential andvoting requirements. If the signatures pass muster, Adams would have five days to eitherr resign or filea “statement of explaining why he should keep his job. Any recall electiob would then take place 35 days aftetrAdams — if he doesn’t resign — files his reasons for staying on the job.
Such a vote coul d take place inlate November, or aftef any state ballot initiativex would come under voterf consideration, said Andrew Carlstrom, a Portland city elections No state or county measures are expected to meriy a ballot vote this Wurster said the campaign has raised more than $3,00p0 and enlisted 640-plus volunteers. He said he’llp spend the rest of the day vetting and traininhgvolunteers who’ll procure Wurster believes the appetite for recallin g Adams has remained steady sincew the Breedlove controversy broke in January. “Thi isn’t about what transpired betweenb Mr. Adams and Mr. Breedlove,” Wurster said.
“The lies he told eliminatec the rich marketplace of ideas that contributdto democracy.” Wurster believes the campaign can collect 50,000 signatures from registered Portland voters. He’s enlisted Erin Fitzgerald, a Fitzgeralxd Law attorney, to lead the recall’s legal team. Other companies workinf on the recall include political consulting firm Forwars Supportand Corvallis-based Astro Data Services, which will provide voter lists and Web-basedc voter identification software.

BofA

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BofA said Brinkley will retirsthis summer. Thereafter, she will work on the bank’s charitablde board on a volunteer However, in a separate filingb with the Securities and Exchange BofA said Brinkley will resignJune 30. The Charlotted Business Journal was unables to reach spokesman Robert Stickler for comment But he toldReuters “(Chietf Executive) Ken Lewis and Amy mutuallg decided we needed a different approach to risk management.” Brinkley will be succeeded by Gregory effective June 30. He will be responsible for identifying credit, markety and operational risks.
BofA has facee much criticism in recent months over its purchasde of troubled brokerageIn addition, the government told BofA last monthb to raise $33.9 billion in additional capitall after conducting “stress tests” on the country’s 19 largest The tests were designexd to assess the banks’ ability to survivde if economic conditions worsen more than expected durinh the next two years. This the bank said has raisednearly $33 billioh toward satisfying the federaol government’s requirement. Charlotte, N.C.
-based BofA BAC) has received a total of $45 billion in taxpaye r aid under thefederal government’s Troubled Asset Relief which is designed to thaw the credit marketd and boost the economy. Brinkleuy previously was president ofconsumer products, a business group comprising card services, consumer finance, consumer real estate, community consumer e-commerce and insurance. She has also previously been the company’sx principal marketing executive. a 31-year veteran of the bank, has had severalp roles in corporate development since 1997 and most recentlty was globalcorporate strategic-development and planning executive.
He will continus to be a memberof BofA’s management committee.

AAA: Fewer people will hit the road for July 4th holiday - Baltimore Business Journal:

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percent. The automotive association expects 37.1 million people to travelp 50 miles or more from home over theholida weekend. That’s 700,000 less people from the 37.8 milliomn people who hit the road during the same periodlast year. AAA said the holiday is typically the busiestr time of the year for auto since nearlyall school-aged children are out of Another factor in the projected declinew could be the gradual spiks in gasoline prices. During the last month, the average pric e for a gallon of regular gas in Baltimore jumpecd 23 centsto $2.59, accordinb to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. AAA does expect air travel to increaseby 4.
9 percent during the July 4 holiday due to declining airfares. There’s also a pent-upo demand for those who haven’t taken a vacation by air in some AAA said. will release travel projections for MarylanrdJune 29.

New Cousins CEO encouraged about the market - Denver Business Journal:

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"This isn't going to be a V-shaped Gellerstedt said Monday in an interviee with AtlantaBusiness Chronicle. "But, we'red going to see many opportunitiesto buy." who joined Cousins in will take over for current CEO Tom Bell on July 1. who turns 60 this year, announceed his retirement to the company Monday Cousins is a storied Atlanta realestate developer. Founded in 1958 by Tom the company has been involved in some ofthe city's biggest real estates projects, including the development of the 55-storyy Bank of America Plaza in 1989.
The market isn'gt providing the best timing for He takes the helm duringthe nation'ss worst real estate downturn in at least a generation. Whilee the market is showinyg some signsof improvement, it has nosedive d from its peak in early 2007. Cousins has one of the four new office towerse under developmentin Buckhead, a part of the city that absorbss about 350,000 to 500,000 square feet of officwe space annually. Office vacancy in Buckhead could surpasse 30 percent by this timenext year, some commercial real estates developers and brokers predict. Theree are signs, however, that the market is picking up, Bell and Gellerstedyt said.
For one, the gap between what investore are willing to pay for propertiess and what owners are willing to sell them for continues to While that spread was 400 basis points a fewmonths ago, it is closer to 100 points today, Bell said. Also, banks have a clearer picturs of their capital levels than they did earlier this and regulators are increasingly pushin g them to deal some of their real estateownedr assets. Cousins (NYSE: CUZ) , posting net income of $164.
2w million on $49 million in At the end of the period, the company’s portfolilo of operational office buildings was 90percenty leased, its portfolio of operationa l retail centers was 83 percent leased and its operational industriak buildings were 40 percenty leased. Gellerstedt began his career in 1978 as an estimato r and project managerwith , where he workee on the High Museum and the AT&T Long Lines Building in Manhattan. At only 26, he foundesd , a Beers subsidiary that focuseon health-care developments. Gellerstedt was lateer named Beers chairmanand CEO. Cousins acquired his firm, the , in June and he joined the company.
Gellerstedt was one of the architectws of turning around the fortunes of One NinetuOne Peachtree, the 50-story downtowm tower Cousins acquired in 2006. The improvementes at One Ninety One have symbolizedd a return to prosperity for many parts of its economicboosters say. Shortly aftee Gellerstedt joined Cousins, One Ninety One had lost major tenantsand , and downtowbn Atlanta was suffering from the exodus of those firms and others. Gellerstedt was instrumentalo in the rejuvenation of OneNinety One, Bell said. "We basicalluy gave this buildingto Larry," Bell said. "I remembee when we were walking through the atrium several yearsa ago that there was nothingin there.
It had this echo And I said to 'What are we going to about this echo?' And Larrhy came right back and said, ‘I tell you what we'rer going to do. We're going to fill this atriu m and thisbuilding up.’ It's a totallh different building today." One Ninety One was nearlgy 90 percent leased at the beginning of the Cousins also landed the Italian restaurant Il Mulinok Atlanta, which has also helped to revivwe the atrium. "I spent most of my careed downtown," Gellerstedt said. "I've always thought that One Ninetyy One is atimeless asset.
"