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| Company preserves precious times Sun, 25 May 2008 21:55:00 EST Fame, they say, is fleeting. But News About You promises to help capture the moment for years to come. The 3-year-old Louisville company mounts laudatory business articles on hardwood plaques, marketing them as showpiece displays for the organizations recognized. |
| PGA Tour chief knows how to make call Sun, 25 May 2008 21:56:00 EST The Professional Golfers' Association Tour is a strange beast to manage. Unlike most sports organizations, it's an association of players, created by them in 1968 to generate financial and marketing benefits. |
| re: Sandy Nixon, food & drink developer Sun, 25 May 2008 21:43:00 EST Alexander "Sandy" Nixon, President and owner of FB3 Development LLC and Havana Beverage LLC. |
| Small businesses can use creativity to avoid layoffs Sun, 25 May 2008 21:48:00 EST Even though a small company's business may be down and its revenue stream uncertain, it may be possible for an owner to avoid laying off employees. |
| Keeping the best talent possible Sun, 25 May 2008 21:44:00 EST Executives of Pepsi Bottling Group rarely leave the company. The top nine have an average tenure of 18.4 years. Its next 17 average 21.7 years, and its 1,800 field executives average 14 years. |
| Business software fosters social networking Sun, 25 May 2008 21:45:00 EST As big companies parcel Information Age work to people in widely dispersed locations, it's getting harder for colleagues to develop the camaraderie that comes from being in the same place. |
| Small Business Briefs Sun, 25 May 2008 21:56:00 EST |
| On the job Sun, 25 May 2008 21:43:00 EST |
| Kentucky by the numbers Mon, 26 May 2008 08:05 EDT 21 In April 2008 in Kentucky, there were 21 mass layoff events that resulted in 4,651 workers making initial claims for unemployment insurance, according to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. A mass layoff event involves at least 50 people from a single employer. In Tennessee during this period, there were 8 mass layoffs with 570 making unemployment claims. In Ohio there were 67 events with 6,951 initial unemployment insurance claims. Source: U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Chasing returns not that appealing Mon, 26 May 2008 02:04 EDT John Bogle, founder of the nation's second-largest mutual fund company, dismisses many of the products hawked these days by financial companies as largely self-serving. His advice for investors seems to square with one popular marketing pitch: Set it and forget it. The phrase serves as a delightfully short to-do list for those who don't want to juggle many investment decisions. And the idea of making an investment decision and sticking with it has helped the retired chief executive of The Vanguard Group and creator of the index mutual fund accumulate a healthy savings account of his own and to look past many of Wall Street's gyrations. Bogle, in an interview with The Associated Press, said investors too often chase returns rather than adopt a long-term investment strategy that prizes broad diversity and low fees. His actions, or lack of them, reveal his devotion to long-term investing -- for example, how much of his portfolio has been in bonds. In the mid-1990s, Bogle said, he had about 20 percent of his holdings in bonds. While he said he was probably invested too conservatively for much of his career, he later shifted more into fixed-income after a heart transplant. Then, during the run of the dot-com boom a decade ago, he moved even more heavily into bonds and hasn't changed lanes since, unlike many investors who are continually buying, selling and adjusting. "In 1999, when the market was just idiotic -- it just made no sense -- I went to about 65 percent bonds and 35 percent stocks," he said. "I haven't made a single change in my asset allocation since 1999." |
| Business transitions Mon, 26 May 2008 08:05 EDT Cookie by Design has moved from 1080 South Broadway to Lexington Green on Nicholasville Road. Cookies by Design creates edible, floral-like arrangements of hand-decorated cookies in a variety of shapes. Hours: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Phone: (859) 252-9458. Web: www.cookiesbydesign.com . Dinsmore . fax to (859) 231-3326; or e-mail hlbusiness@herald-leader.com . |
| The week ahead Mon, 26 May 2008 08:05 EDT Tuesday: The Commerce Department releases its April data on new home sales, expected to show a decline from March sales, according to economists surveyed Friday by Thomson Financial/IFR. Conference Board's consumer confidence index for May is anticipated to edge lower, too. Wednesday: The Commerce Department reports on orders for durable goods, which are essentially big-ticket items such as cars, refrigerators and computers. April's durable goods orders are expected to have dipped by 1.1 percent after rising by 0.1 percent in March. Friday: The Commerce Department will report on personal spending. Economists predict spending rose 0.2 percent in April, compared with a 0.4 percent increase the previous month. That report will include the closely watched personal consumption expenditures deflator, which is a measure of inflation at the personal level. Economists, on average, expect that it was steady in April at an annual rate of 2.2 percent. |
| Personnel file Mon, 26 May 2008 10:09 EDT Education Transylvania University: Jason Whitaker has been named director of information technology. Stacy Pishko has been named an admissions counselor. Lora Hornberger has been named campus visits coordinator. Law Wallingford Law: Mark Wohlander has joined the firm and will practice in the areas of civil litigation and criminal defense. Organizations |
| Conventions Mon, 26 May 2008 08:05 EDT Events scheduled for Lexington, including headquarters and expected attendance: Southern States Energy Board, 2008 Committee Meeting: Tuesday-Friday, 70 people. Council of State Governments, 2008 Spring National Committee and Task Force Meeting: Tuesday-Saturday, Griffin Gate Marriott Resort, 500. Kentucky Society of Association Executives: June 1-4, Doubletree Guest Suites, 80. Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, 2008 Annual Summer Conference: June 2-6, 100. |
| Meetings Mon, 26 May 2008 02:04 EDT Professional Women's Forum will meet 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. June 4 at The Red Mile clubhouse. Program: E-Discovery with speakers from Fowler, Measle & Bell. Reservations to Prowomensforum@aol.com . The Bluegrass Kiwanis Club meets at 11:30 a.m. Thursdays at Ryan's Steak House, 701 Red Mile Road. Information: Paul Bimschleger, (859) 272-1467. The Lexington Kiwanis Club meets at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Ryan's Steakhouse, 701 Red Mile Road. Information: Mel Boyd, (859) 277-2058. The Lexington Lions Club meets at 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays at the Fayette County Extension Building, 1140 Red Mile Place. Information: Sue Alexander, (859) 266-6969. The Bluegrass Alliance for Women is sponsoring a Train-the-Trainer workshop for people interested in providing financial education to women and girls in the Bluegrass Area Development District. Trainers will use the Money Smart financial education program. The daylong workshop will be held from 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m. June 5 at the Fayette County Extension Service. There is no charge for the training and free FDIC training materials for adult and youth learners will be available in English and Spanish. Register by Thursday: (859) 257-5582. |
| Carpools fight the high cost of gas Mon, 26 May 2008 02:04 EDT Interested in fighting the high cost of gasoline by carpooling? Call 233-POOL and provide your address, place of work and work schedule, and you'll be matched up with others who live and work near you. A computer program is used to match people up for carpooling. Then, said Roger Daman, a senior planner with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, "We send out the information to people who live and work in the same area." "It's just a free service to match people up, and they can get together and carpool if they choose to. Typically, they split the cost of gas," he said. |
| Two-wheeling a joy for many commuters Mon, 26 May 2008 02:03 EDT Dan Dickinson lives a little over 3 miles from his job at Lexmark International. Since last fall, the 28-year-old electrical engineer has been riding his bicycle to work in good weather and bad. "I really got hooked," Dickinson said last week. "It's a ton of fun ... . It's great. You get to exercise and feel good." He is also saving money on gasoline and helping the environment, but those are just bonuses to Dickinson. "You look forward to your commute on a bike," he said. "It's great to be outside. You see so much more. You can say 'Hi' to people you pass. It's just a lot of fun." |
| IPOs planned Mon, 26 May 2008 08:05 EDT The following is a list of initial public offerings planned for this week. Sources include Renaissance Capital, Greenwich, Conn. (www. ipohome.com) and SEC filings. Safe Bulkers Inc., Athens, Greece: 10 million shares, priced $20 to $22, managed by Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse. Proposed NYSE symbol SB. Business: Operates a fleet of 11 drybulk vessels, transporting bulk cargoes, particularly grain, iron ore and coal. |
| Riding LexTran Mon, 26 May 2008 06:36 EDT Information: Call 253-4636, or go to www.lextranonthemove.org . Offices: Transit center, 220 East Vine Street; LexTran administrative offices at 109 West Loudon Avenue. Routes: Major routes are generally in operation from 5:30 a.m. to 11:20 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from 5:30 a.m. to 8:20 p.m. Sundays. Most buses leave from and return to the Vine Street transit center every 30 minutes during regular service hours. Ride Guides showing specific routes are free at the transit center, LexTran offices, and at various locations throughout the city, including public libraries. Also information on Web site. |
| New commuter route Mon, 26 May 2008 07:12 EDT |
| They're lining up to jump aboard LexVan Mon, 26 May 2008 02:04 EDT If you commute out of or into Fayette or Jessamine County for work, you might want to consider using the LexVan ride-sharing program to help keep high gasoline prices from putting a big hole in your wallet. But you're going to have to wait in line. LexVan leases passenger vans to groups of people who want to share a ride to and from work. The service now has vans running from Lexington to Frankfort and into Lexington from places such as Paris, Berea, Salvisa and Irvine each morning. Some of the vans make stops at several workplaces each day, while others are used by people who work at one particular business. But all of the service's available vans are leased out, and, as of last week, there were 11 groups of people on a waiting list for vans, said Roger Daman, a senior planner for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government who oversees the program. He said he hasn't seen demand so high in the six years he's been in his job. Most of the many inquiries he's been getting about the service are from people concerned about the rising cost of gasoline, he said. |
| Using LexVan Mon, 26 May 2008 06:37 EDT The Metropolitan Planning Organization's ride-sharing program: Cost: In general, $50 to $100 per month per person, depending largely on the number of miles a ride- sharing van is driven. The fee includes gasoline. User requirements: Each group using a van must designate a main driver, a backup driver and a coordinator who collects fees from fellow passengers and turns them in to the program and who passes along any program changes to fellow users. A driver may also serve as the coordinator. Information: Call (859) 233-POOL. |
| Kentucky Money Market Mon, 26 May 2008 10:07 EDT |
| Breaking down the cost of gas Sun, 25 May 2008 02:04 EDT Consider the game of chicken that plays out every day across Pennsylvania State Highway 441. In Marietta, where the road hugs the Susquehanna River, a Rutter's Farm Store gas station stands on one side, a Sheetz gas station on the other. Kelly Bosley, who manages Rutter's, doesn't even have to look across the highway to know when Sheetz changes its price for a gallon of gas. When Sheetz raises prices, her own pumps are busy. When Sheetz lowers prices, she has not a car in sight. She calls Rutter's headquarters to report the competition's new price and wait for instructions. "I call a lot of times and say, 'They went down, hurry up! Hurry up! Call me! Call me!' Or it could be where theirs goes up, and I'll say, 'Take your time! You know, I like being busy.' But I have no control over that." You think you feel helpless at the pump? Bosley makes a living selling gas -- and even she has little control over what it costs. |
| Sales of existing homes fall 1% in April Sat, 24 May 2008 02:04 EDT Sales of existing homes fell nationwide in April for the eighth time in the past nine months, with the backlog of unsold single-family homes rising to the highest level in more than two decades. The National Association of Realtors said sales of existing homes dropped 1 percent to 4.89 million units in April, matching the all-time low set in January. These records go back to 1999. The association also said sales of existing homes were down 15.7 percent, compared with April 2007. In Central Kentucky, sales of existing homes declined 15.3 percent for the same time period, the Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors said. The local drop was steeper in April than in some previous months this year when declines have been in low single digits. The National Association of Realtors also said the median sales price for existing homes dropped 8 percent, compared with a year earlier, to $202,300. |
| Retailers sell belt-tighteners on 'staycation' Sat, 24 May 2008 02:04 EDT Jenny Schwarz's shopping cart was loaded -- a plug-in cooler, new cushions for her outdoor furniture, toys for the backyard pool. All things good to have for a "staycation." That's what you call a vacation spent at or near home, and with gas prices climbing in a belt-tightening economy, the Schwarzes are among the many Americans expecting to be in their back yards a lot this summer. Schwarz said that with five children, her family expects to focus on activities in their southwest Ohio suburban community. She said they usually make a couple of trips to Lake Cumberland, but will cut their car travel this summer to one trip packed with a lot of sightseeing stops. "We're definitely condensing trips," she said. "We're also talking about getting Kings Island passes and making that our vacation." It's the normal time of year for stores to be pushing vacation-time cookouts, camping and games, but with shoppers cautious about spending, stores are promoting low-cost activities even more than usual. Retailers are also seeing more interest in small ways customers can make their houses nicer places to spend the season. |
| Make home changes to save on power bill Sat, 24 May 2008 06:58 EDT Electricity costs are expected to jump this summer. The skyrocketing price of oil and seasonally higher demand will probably drive your power bill to the moon. But with the right preventive measures you can control how much you end up having to shell out. Consider these four home improvement tips from Powerscorecard.org: Insulate your walls and ceilings. This can save 20 percent to 30 percent of home heating bills and reduce CO2 emissions by 140 to 2,100 pounds per year. Modernize your windows. Replacing all your ordinary windows with argon-filled, double-glazed windows saves 2.4 tons of CO2 per year for homes with gas heat, 3.9 tons for oil heat and 9.8 tons for electric heat. Weatherize your home or apartment. Use caulk and weather stripping to plug air leaks around doors and windows. Caulking costs less than $1 per window, and weather stripping is less than $10 per door. These steps can save up to 1,100 pounds of CO2 per year for a typical home. |
| W.Va. high court refuses Massey appeal Sat, 24 May 2008 02:04 EDT The West Virginia Supreme Court has rejected coal giant Massey Energy Co.'s challenge to a $260 million judgment, and the decision in the politically charged case may hurt profits, the company said Friday. The court announced late Thursday a unanimous decision not to hear the appeal of a verdict won by Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Co. against Massey, the nation's fourth-largest coal producer by revenue. Massey has set aside $16 million to cover liability in the case, but that figure might need to be increased and could affect second-quarter earnings, the company said. Massey operates mines in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky. The case was one of several that came under scrutiny because of ties between outgoing Chief Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard and Massey's top executive. Maynard stepped aside in several cases involving Massey after photos surfaced in January showing him vacationing with Chief Executive Don Blankenship on the French Riviera and in nearby Monaco in 2006. Massey had cases pending before the court at the time. Maynard paid a political price for the photos, losing his re-election bid in the Democratic primary this month. |
| European, Asian markets mixed amid inflation concerns Mon, 26 May 2008 18:10 EDT European stock markets edged higher Monday and key Asian markets fell amid worries about high oil prices and the U.S. economy on a day when the U.S. and British markets were closed for a holiday. Key stock market indicators edged up in Germany and France but the main market gauges fell more than 2 percent in Japan and Hong Kong after the Chinese government announced an overhaul of its telecommunications sector. Crude oil futures rose to a record above $135 a barrel last week and were trading above $133 a barrel in electronic trading on Monday after militants in Nigeria said they destroyed an oil pipeline and killed 11 soldiers. The government said none of its troops had died. In Germany, the DAX rose 0.14 percent to close at 6,953.84 with Merck KGaA, the producer of drugs and crystals used in liquid crystal displays, rising more than 2 percent and Hype Real Estate AG up nearly 2 percent. Automobile stocks like Daimler AG, BMW AG and Volkswagen AG posted declines after crude oil prices rose. The July contract for light sweet crude was up 94 cents to $133.13 a barrel in electronic trading by late afternoon in Europe. |
| Oil prices rise above $133 a barrel in electronic trade Mon, 26 May 2008 17:25 EDT Oil rose above $133 a barrel Monday on persistent worries about global petroleum supplies and the outlook for the U.S. economy and the dollar. Reports of an attack by militants on an oil pipeline in Nigeria, one of Africa's largest oil exporters, also helped boost prices. Light, sweet crude for July delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange was up 88 cents at $133.07 a barrel in electronic trading by late afternoon in Europe. The contract rose $1.38 to settle at $132.19 a barrel on Friday. Nymex floor trading was closed Monday for Memorial Day and it also was a holiday in Britain, resulting in lower trading volume than usual. The dollar has weakened over the last week after a modest recovery, and investors will be watching economic data out of the United States to be released over the next few days for further clues about the health of the world's biggest economy. |
| 'Indiana Jones' earns $311 million worldwide Mon, 26 May 2008 17:55 EDT The most recent Indiana Jones film more than recouped its big budget with an estimated $311 million in global box office sales through the long weekend, according to studio estimates Monday. Families went in droves to catch "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," a PG-13 adventure starring Harrison Ford as the whip-cracking archaeologist who took 19 years to return to the big screen. Paramount Pictures estimated the action sequel made $151.1 million in the U.S. and Canada from Thursday to the holiday Monday and $160 million overseas. It marked the second biggest Memorial Day weekend opening ever, behind only "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," which made $153 million domestically from Thursday to Monday last year. Nearly a third of the domestic audience was made up of parents with their children, said Rob Moore, president of Paramount Worldwide Distribution. |
| Ex-manager on trial in Siemens scandal Mon, 26 May 2008 17:25 EDT A former Siemens AG manager on trial over alleged corruption and bribery testified Monday that "commissions" were paid to secure orders. Reinhard Siekaczek, a former manager at the ICN fixed-line telephone network division, is the first to go on trial over the company's corruption scandal that came to light last year. Siekaczek, 57, is charged with 58 counts of breach of trust. Prosecutors allege that he set up a complex network of shell corporations that he used to siphon off company money over several years. The money allegedly was used as bribes to help secure contracts abroad by paying off would-be suppliers, government officials, potential customers. Testifying as the trial opened, Siekaczek acknowledged having set up slush funds. "The whole sectoral management was naturally informed that this function was carried out by me," he told the Munich state court. |
| Food banks face high costs but feeding more people Mon, 26 May 2008 17:25 EDT Jackie Hoffman sifted through a laundry bin filled with aging bread, choosing a loaf of white. Like nearly a third of the first 50 customers to arrive at the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton that morning, Hoffman was new to the pantry. But since she lost her sales job at a local newspaper in December, she has not found work in Stockton, which has the highest foreclosure rate in the country and a hurting job market. "I'm down on my luck," Hoffman said, squeezing and sniffing the bread. "And food is going through the roof. I need help." Hoffman, 55, is one of the growing number of "nontraditional" food pantry clients across the country. They include more formerly independent senior citizens, more people who own houses and more people who used to call themselves "middle-class" - those who are not used to fretting over the price of milk. "We're getting calls all the time from people who want to know how to get here," said Kristine Gibson, community outreach manager at the Stockton food pantry. "And when I ask where they live, they give an address of a nice neighborhood, one where you or I would want to live." |
| LexTran attracts more riders Mon, 26 May 2008 02:04 EDT Ridership on LexTran buses is up significantly these days, and changes designed to make the local mass transit system enticing to even more people are in the works.Starting June 2, LexTran will operate a commuter express along Nicholasville Road that will include rush hour pick-ups and drop-offs at a park-and-ride location near the Wal-Mart at 4051 Nicholasville Road. "Right now we're looking at all the main corridors in Lexington and trying to find locations for park-and-ride lots," said LexTran spokesman Dave Riggins, adding that bus system officials have been talking with representatives of businesses and churches that might have available parking space. "I think with the gas prices where they are a lot of folks are more interested in parking their car and jumping on a bus and going to work," Riggins said. LexTran also is expanding service along Southland Drive beginning June 2. The Southland/BCTC Route 42 will service the Regency Road, Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Southland Drive and Rosemont Garden areas. LexTran officials also are putting together a survey for employers in the Mercer Road-Leestown Road area to see if there is sufficient interest in a jobs bus for that area. Such a service would pick up workers at intersections nearest their homes, take them to work, then drop them off at the intersections after work. |
| Throw a hot Brown in with that Toyota Mon, 26 May 2008 02:04 EDT How about a new car and a vacation all in one deal? It's something for U.S. automakers to consider. Several European car makers allow buyers to go to the factory, pick up their car, drive it for a few days or weeks and return it so it can be shipped to the United States. Volvo , for example, provides round-trip airfare for two and one free night in the Radisson Hotel near the factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, says Renee Chesser , overseas delivery specialist for Quantrell Volvo in Lexington. "They also include a lunch of Swedish meatballs and a tour of the factory," Chesser says. "I've got a few customers who have done it a couple of times." Other European car companies, including Mercedes-Benz and BMW , have similar programs, but the details are different. |
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