среда, 29 июня 2011 г.
Dunkin' Donuts Announces Results of 'Create Dunkin's Next Donut' Contest; 'Toffee for Your Coffee' Donut is Grand Prize Winner
June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- What better time for Dunkin Donuts to announce the winning donut inthe company's first-evere "Create Dunkin's Next Donut" contest than today, National Donuty Day. The grand prize winning donu is "Toffee for Your Coffee," a sour cream cake donut toppef withchopped Heath(R) Bar createde by donut devotee of Hoover, Jeff wins $12,000 and his winninfg donut will be sold in Dunkin' Donuts locations throughouty the country beginning this fall.
To commemorate Nationak Donut Day and the announcement of the gransd prizewinning donut, today participating Dunkin' Donute shops throughout the country will offefr every customer a free donut of theit choice, with the purchase of any limit one per customer. Nationa l Donut Day, held the first Fridah of Juneeach year, was started by the Chicago Salvationj Army more than 70 yearsx ago. , the inspiration for his donuy creationwas simple. "Glazesd sour cream donuts are myabsolutd favorite, Heath toffee is by far the best candyg treat, and Dunkin' Donutss sells the best coffee," he said. "Put that all togethe r and you've got 'Toffee For Your Coffee!
'" Jeff was selected as one of 12 contesg finalists fromnearly 130,000 donut contestg creations submitted online. As a he received $1,200 and traveled to Dunkin' Donuts headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts last week for a bake-off before Dunkin Donuts' culinary team and company leaders, along with , author of Glazed A History of the and , food director for Taste of Home, the #1 cooking magazine in the The winning donut was selected based on the vote of the bake-ofgf judging panel, as well as America's onlinr vote at . Dunkin ' Donuts has led the donut category for nearly 60 selling 2.5 million donuts every day.
Pleasde visit to download broadcast qualituy video fromthe "Create Dunkin's Next Donut" Bake-off and of the contest To see online videos of the "Create Dunkin's Next Donut" Bake-off and contest winner, go to . Foundef in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America'sa favorite every day, all-day stop for coffeee and baked goods. Dunkin'' Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decavf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored donut, bagel and muffin and the largest coffee and baked goodsd chain inthe world. Dunkin Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalth in the coffee category by for threeyearas running. The company has more than 8,800 restaurantws in 31 countries worldwide.
In Dunkin' Donuts' global system-wide sales were $5.5 billion. Based in Massachusetts, Dunkin' Donuts is a subsidiaryu of Dunkin' Brands, Inc. For more information, visit . Jessica Rosen RF Bindere 212-994-7522 jessica.rosen@rfbinder.com David Puner CommunicationsManager 781-737-5200 david.puner@dunkinbrands.com
понедельник, 27 июня 2011 г.
Burger chain inks first
The first two Smashburger restaurants are ontheidr way. The first, located in the Stone Ridge shoppinv center, is set to open on June 21. Stores No. 2 will open in early July, at the Park North shoppingy center. To celebrate the debut of this new takeon fast-casualk burgers, SB Alamo will have a grand opening celebration on June 27 at the Ston Ridge location. The center is located at U.S. Highwat 281 and Evans Road, on the far Northg Side. Park North is located along Loop 410, between Blanc Road and San Pedro in North CentralSan Antonio.
“We are excited to brin the Smashburger experience toSan Antonio,” says Mike director of marketing for SB “At Smashburger, the core of the branrd is to be every city’s favoritw burger place ... .” The owner and developefr of the Smashburger conceptis Denver-based private equity firm . The Smashburger hamburgerf starts with a choice of buns a butter-toasted egg bun, multi-grain or spicy The signature touch is the beef is smashex on the grill. It is a procesw that creates on the bottom of the patty a caramelizexd coating of juices that give the burgerits flavor.
суббота, 25 июня 2011 г.
IEA's Tanaka: Too Early To Say Whether Oil Prices Are At Right Level - Wall Street Journal
Telegraph.co.uk | IEA's Tanaka: Too Early To Say Whether Oil Prices Are At Right Level W » |
среда, 22 июня 2011 г.
Survey: Americans overestimate US solar leadership, use - ElectroIQ
Survey: Americans overestimate US solar leadership, use ElectroIQ $4/W in 2008, with 19 countries (plus California) poised to reach grid parity by year's end -- a survey of US residents finds a majority overestimate how much solar energy contributes domestically, and where the US sits in terms of solar "leadership. ... |
понедельник, 20 июня 2011 г.
Debt, downturn drag phone-book publisher R.H. Donnelley into Chapter 11 - Denver Business Journal:
The Cary, N.C.-based company said that it has reached an agreement in principledwith “key creditor key creditor constituencies” on a reorganizatiohn plan that would reduce the company’s debt by $6.4 billion, eliminatingg about $500 million in annual interest payments. The Chaptet 11 filing punctuates a dramatic fallfor R.H. which had a $5 billion market capitalization inMay 2007. The companyy was brought down by twomajor forces: (1) the flighrt of traditional Yellow Pages advertiser to the Internet and (2) a staggeringh debt load of $9 billion, most of which was accumulatedx through a series of acquisitions when the busines was riding high. R.H.
Donnelley publishesz the largest phone directory forthe 14-state territory of and employs hundreds of peopld locally. Its Dex Media division used to be ownedby Denver-basesd Qwest, but Qwest sold the unit for $7 billioj in 2003 to private equity firms that later sold it to R.H. The recession has only added tothe company’w woes, as evidenced by the first-quarter loss of $401.2 million reported last montj by R.H. Donnelley, which said advertising saless slumped17 percent, to $598 million. “Wer just could not have anticipateds the severity of theeconomivc downturn,” Swanson said in a telephone R.H.
Donnelley (Pink Sheets: RHDC) employed 3,800 peopld nationwide as of March 1, company spokesman Mike Truel said. In Colorado, R.H. Donnelley has 700 employees in Englewoo d and its offices across the Front down fromthe 1,100 it employed locally when it bought Dex. it has reduced its work force by at leastg 600 sincethe fall. Swanson said the compan has no plans forfurther layoffs. “It’s business as usual at R.H. Donnellet today and it will be (in the said Swanson, who says he expects his company to emerges from Chapter 11 inearly 2010. As CEO sincw 2002, Swanson was the driving force behinrd three acquisitions totaling morethan $13 billion.
The biggesft of those acquisitions came in 2006when R.H. Donnelley bought larger rival Dex Media at a totaol costof $9.5 billion in cash and debt. Befor that, Swanson orchestrated the purchases of SBC Communicationsfor $1.4q billion in 2004 and Sprint’s directory publishing business for $2.23 billion in 2002, his firsg year as CEO. Asked if his companty grew too bigtoo fast, Swanson defended the Of the Dex deal in he said that his company’s economic models projecterd a decline of 5 percent in print advertising over five If that had held true, he R.H.
Donnelley would have been Instead, the company has been hit with double-digitr drops in advertising revenue caused by Interner competition andthe recession. “I wish it would have turnedd out differently,” Swanson said. “No one couls have put this into their economic Noneof R.H. Donnelley’s bondholders have requestesd anymanagement changes, Swanson said. R.H. Donnelley has trieed to remake itself in recent monthsw into a provider of online localsearch – in other worda into a business like the ones that have siphoned off much of its advertisin g base. But the debt provee too much to overcome without creditor In its filing withthe U.S.
Bankruptcyy Court for the Districtgof Delaware, R.H. Donnelley lists assetds of $12.1 billion and liabilities of $12.9 The company plans to exchangeits $6 billion in unsecurecd bonds for 100 percent of the equity in the R.H. Donnelleyu that emerges from bankruptcy. All existinvg shares in the company will bewipes out. The company also will pay off morethan $400 million in debt beforse the company emerges from bankruptcy, Chief Financial Officerd Steve Blondy said. The new R.H. Donnelleyy will have $3 billion in debt, Swanson said. R.H.
Donnelley said that it does not anticipatee needing toget debtor-in-possession financing becausd the company’s $300 million cash on hand and projecteds positive cash flow from operationse should be sufficient to fund the busineses during the reorganization. Donnelley traces its roots to when the ChicagoDirectoryy Co. began publishing a phone directory thre e timesa year. In the company was merged withDun Bradstreet. After an expansion spurt, R. H. Donnelley was spun out of Dun Bradstreet in 1996 into an independenr publiclytraded entity. R.H. Donnelley moved its headquarters to Caryfrom N.Y., in early 2004. North Carolinq awarded the companya $4.
3 milliojn Job Development Investment Grant in 2003 to make the move to the The company considered locations in Wake and Durhamn counties before settling on Cary in a decisionn that won incentives from Wake Countty Economic Development and the town.
суббота, 18 июня 2011 г.
Md. colleges given $11M to combat nursing shortage - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:
The grants, being divvied amonbg 17 Marylandnursing schools, will be used to lure faculty and and improve technology at the universities. Maryland’ws nursing shortage is expected toreach 10,00p by 2016, according to the . The currentt vacancy rate of nurses at state hospitals is8 percent. The economi downturn has helped the industry because many retired nurseas have come backto work, but once the recession ends the shortag e will worsen, said Carmelsa Coyle, CEO of the Maryland Hospital The first round of grants will increase the numbetr of nurses graduating by 300 studentds and add 20 faculty positions at nursingh programs across the state.
“The number of nurses graduating from Maryland schools are simply not saidRonald B. president of and co-chair of the “Who Will Care?” campaigbn at a press conference Monday. “We cannogt take our eye off the nursing demand.” The campaign’s goal is to add 1,500 new nursinh students. The program has raised $15.5 million to date through the state’ws business community, including funds from the Baltimore constructionform , , the region'sz largest hospital system, and , the region's larges t health insurer.
Greater Baltimore Medical Center, for example, gave The goal is to raise $20 milliobn from the private sector by the end of the and then raise anaddition $40 millio in state, local and federaol funds. • • • • • ; and, • .
среда, 15 июня 2011 г.
Hurricane
What many can’t answer is how thei r businesses willrecover afterward. With currenf economic conditions, this is more crucia than ever. In the aftermath of Hurricanre Ike’s hammering of Houston and Galveston, last year, residents wanted to return to their damaged propertyt and were extremely frustrated when local officials denied them access forsafety reasons. Proteste and rumors ensued while local civid and economic life grounrd to astifling halt. Will your company survivs if Ike’s successor hits Tampa Bay thisyear ? Does it have a hurricane recovery plan? Here are some strategies for creatinb one.
To be effective in recovering from a communication methods need to beaddressedf first. Knowing how to reach your company associates, active clients and majort suppliers is critical to your business after a Even more critical is for them to know how to reach Most people plan to usetheir e-mail and cell phones to keep in To do so would be a serious error. First medical, law enforcement, and the may all be relyin g oncell towers, the Internet and mobilw radio systems that wouldf impede your use of thesed systems. So, the first part of your hurricaned recovery plan requires developing alternative methodswto communicate.
One strategy is to coordinate with a locao radio station to pass alonhg importantcontact information. This needs to be plannee early. Call several station managers to see if they wouldr be willing to help in this regard as apublicx service. Stations on which you or locally owned independents may be the most Be sure everyone in the current clients and essential supplgy chain links know both the primary and backup frequencies onwhich they’d be informed of compangy plans. They’ll appreciate knowing that you’re takingh steps to address their needs. The seconsd part of your hurricane recoveryy plan is evaluating the business site forfeasible use.
If your locationb is unusable due toroad closures, power outagesw or significant structural damage, you need to have an alternated location available, if possible. If specializefd equipment is involved, a fellow franchisee or trade association membed in an unaffected area nearbu may be able to sharequarters temporarily. Consider workingt out reciprocal arrangements in advance to protect both of your If special equipment is nota consideration, a library, convention center or office suite rental facilitu may be a good temporary First, you’ll need to establish roles, responsibilities and chain of commane in the event that managemen is unavailable after a hurricane.
Everyone shoulf be fully trained in their potentialrecovery component. Schedul e the time and make participatiom mandatory byall employees. Ask key suppliers if they’ d send your reps to as well. Roles and responsibilities can be divided into three The first areais safety. To mitigate your you don’t want your employees, clientx or vendors traveling to the workplac e if it is not As part of your drive the routes to your work site and look forpotentiall issues, such as flooding or downed trees.
After a two well-trained staff members or even local volunteers trainedc in damage assessment should be assigned to determin e the safety of both your workplace and travelp routes inand out. Use your communication plan to relayg this informationto employees, clienta and key suppliers alerted to tune in for it. The secons area is financial. While it is hoped that peoplw will keep some emergency cashon hand, appreciat e that not everyone will be preparee in this regard. Designate primary and backupl personnel who can be responsible for handlingfinancial hardships, alongg with petty cash for small water bottles and the like.
too, that employees know who they are, and what provisionz have been made. The final component of your hurricane recovergy planis post-incident management analysis — lessonsx learned. Keeping a paper trail of the good, the bad, the ugly and the completeluy overlooked elements of how your firm handled the crisis will allosw youto re-focus your planning for the next
понедельник, 13 июня 2011 г.
Sikhs to protest at Indian embassy in Berlin on June 20 - Hindustan Times
Sikhs to protest at Indian embassy in Berlin on June 20 Hindustan Times The activists of Sikh social, religious and political outfits from across the European Union (EU) are likely to participate in a protest planned outside Indian Embassy here on June 20 to demand condoning death sentence of Davinderpal Singh Bhullar into ... |
суббота, 11 июня 2011 г.
La grande stampa censura gli indignados⦠da Zapatero! - A Voce Alta
La grande stampa censura gli indignados⦠da Zapatero! A Voce Alta Bisognerebbe allora domandarsi perché tutto questo c'è sull'homepage di oggi del francese Le Monde (www.lemonde.fr) o del Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (www.faz.net) ma non v'è traccia su Corriere.it o Repubblica.it. Bisognerebbe quantomeno avere il ... |
четверг, 9 июня 2011 г.
Hensarling: GM TARP funds will be probed - Washington Business Journal:
Hensarling is the lone Republican on the Congressionapl Oversight Panel and a rankingh member of the House Financial Services Subcommittede on Financial Institutions andConsumer Credit. He says he is concernesd about the disparate treatment of different classes of bond holders as Troubled Asset Relief Progra fundsare distributed. Detroit-based GM (NYSE: GM) filed for Ch. 11 bankruptchy protection on Monday. has reached a deal with its bondholdersz that would have those firms own up to 25 percentr ofthe automaker, with the U.S.
Treasurt Department investing upto $50 billion in GM, accordin g to a regulatory filing made by the Detroit The automaker has received nearlu $20 billion in taxpayer funds to date. “I am pleased that the Congressional Oversight Panel will hold this important oversight hearintgin July. While I opposed giving TARP money to the taxpayers deserve transparency and need to know that their tax dollars are being spent fairly and to promotefinancial stability," Hensarling said. “Many believe that TARP is bein used instead to promote a social agenda and to reward the alliesa ofthe administration. This hearingt will be a venue for seeking answers to suchimportant questions.
” The White House coulde not immediately be reached for comment Tuesdah morning.
понедельник, 6 июня 2011 г.
Despite bumps, Lenovo says it
But take heed: For now, the compan – which has its biggest sales in Chinza and a Hong Kong stock listing but global headquarters inMorrisvilles – says it’s committed to the Triangle. Spokesman Ray Gorman says the focuson China, where Lenovo’s salea growth is slowing, actually will help the company grow By shoring up its biggest market, Gorma n says, the company can better prepare for globall expansion. “Lenovo’s as committed as ever to winning on theglobakl stage,” Gorman says.
He pointsd out that new CEO Yang Yuanqingf keeps a house inthe Triangle, wherr Lenovo will employ 1,550 after a round of layoffs this quarter is mixed with the relocation of a call centedr to Morrisville. Also with a house in the area isthe company’s new chief operating officer and Rory Read. Before the recentg economic meltdown, officials had hoped to embar on a fundraising campaign to boostthe school’a athletics endowment.
Alas, times have changed, and so have Duke’s Director of Athletic Development Tom Coffmanj tells Biz the school had looked into kicking off a campaig n in either 2010 or 2011 that woule have been designed to increase the athletic endowmengfrom $150 million to between $300 millio n and $350 million. Reaching that level would have allowee Duke to endow all of itsathletica scholarships. Now, due to the economic doldrums, “Al l that is on hold,” Coffman tells Biz. He says annualk gifts have been holding steady compared to ayear ago, but endowmenft and facilities gifts are a littl e behind.
Duke athletics officials raised $23 million last an amount that includes money forthe endowment, scholarshipz and facilities. Two Indian entrepreneurs have started a breweru inRaleigh that’s already pouring its hefeweizen and porter-styler beers at a few Triangle Biz hears has signed a deal with giant to distribute LoneRider’s beers in the Raleigh-Durham LoneRider is led by CEO Sumit Vohra and CFO Mihifr Patel. For both, this is their firstr venture. The company’s brewmaster is Stev e Kramling, who also owns part of the Vohra says he and Pate started the company withabout $600,000.
Currently, the company’as Shotgun Betty beer is available in eightr eateries inthe Triangle, including Brickhouse in Stonewood Grille in Cary and Brixs Pizza in Chapel Hill. fans should be rootinhg for Travis Kvapil and the GoldeCorral No. 28 car in the Daytonaz 500 on Feb. 15. If Kvapil places in the top 10, the Raleigh-basedx eatery will donate $5,000 to Disabled American Veterans and also give a free buffet to children under 12 with the purchase of an adult buffet atparticipatingh restaurants. To get the free buffet, familiese should bring in a Daytona 500 ticket stub or officiall race results from a newspaper orWeb site.
The Women’w Center of Wake County will hold is fiftg annual Bachelor Bid for Charityon Feb. 28 from 7 p.m. untilp 1 a.m. at the . The which features a bachelodr bid, silent auction, raffle, speex dating and dancing, will benefit the women’s center, whicuh helps women in need, particularly thosed who are homeless.
суббота, 4 июня 2011 г.
Catch the Wind secures $18.8M - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:
million in a private placement financinb to help push more sales of its new wind sensortfor turbines. Manassas-based Catch the which trades on the Toronto Venture soldroughly 16.7 million shares at a pricr of Canadian $1.30 apiece in what it hopee to be its last major equity financinfg before generating enough revenue from its laser wind-sensinbg product, Vindicator, to pay for Company officials also participated in the investment round, alonfg with institutional investors, bringing its total equity fundraising to date to nearly $35 million. , Researcu Capital Corp. and Canaccord Capitalo Corp.
served as placement agents for this latesg fundraising in return for 6 perceny of the gross proceeds and additionaostock options. Spun off last year from LLC, a fibe r optics laser company that still shares the sameheadquarterd space, Catch the Wind has been developin g similar technology that senses when wind is helping reorient a turbine to capture that wind before it Most wind turbines can realign its bladees only after it feels wind, so they’re often too late to actuallyh benefit from gusts, company officialz said.
“Before, it was the horse-and-buggy approacj to measuring wind,” said Phil Rogers, who founded Optical Air Data Systemws nearly 20 years ago with his wife before leavinbg recently to serve as CEO for Catchjthe Wind. “Think about increasingb the gas mileage ofyour car,” he “You’ve already bought your car. But if I can sell you somethingf that doubles the gas mileage ofyour car, you wouldd save more money.” He estimates the Vindicator can capture 10 percent to 30 percen t more wind for turbines, which in turn helps generate more clean electricity and ultimatelyu revenue for their operators.
Catch the Wind recentlt sold its first unitto , a Canadiabn environmental monitoring equipment maker, while starting its first two-month field test with the Nebraska Publi Power District on its largesft wind farm with 36 wind turbines. The local which said it’s also talkingy to federal agencies, hopes to use that trial’s resultsw later this summer to market to other wind turbins manufacturers and wind farm Withsix full-time employees, Catcgh the Wind expects to at least doublw that count by the end of this year. The which had $5.5 million in cash and equivalentd on hand as ofMarch 31, is also consideringg whether to list itself on an Americanj exchange later this year.
“We aspire to that,” Rogers said. “I just can’ say when.”
четверг, 2 июня 2011 г.
Hawaii ranks 15th in U.S. for foreclosures, sees nearly 400% spike in May - Kansas City Business Journal:
Foreclosures were up 397.5 perceng for the month compared with May and wereup 19.3 percent over April 2009, accordingv to the latest report from RealtyTrac issuee Wednesday. Hawaii ranked 15th in the nation for foreclosuresein May, up from 23rd in April. Hawaii had 816 foreclosure filingsin May. Ther e were 684 foreclosure filings in April and 164 foreclosures inMay 2008. Hawaioi had a foreclosure rate of one filing for every 621 households, according to the latest survegy by the California-based real estate research Nevada again had the highest foreclosurw rate in the country, with one filing for everyy 64 households. California had the secondr highest rate for the followedby Florida.
California had the highest numbefr of foreclosuresat 92,249. Vermont ranked 50th, with just six foreclosures at a rate of one filing forevery 51,906 Nationally, there were 321,480 foreclosure filings for the down 6 percent from April and up nearlyh 18 percent from May 2008, according to the report.