Wal-Mart announces 22,000 jobs on eve of shareholder meeting - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Positions will include store pharmacists, human resources managers, customerr service associates, cashiers and sales according tothe Bentonville, chain (NYSE:WMT). Last October, Wal-Marrt announced plans to open 142 to 157 new and expandedc stores during the currenffiscal year, which ends Jan. 31, 2010. Othef states expected to gain morethan 1,00p0 jobs include Michigan, California, Florida, New South Carolina, Virginia and Utah. Its newesgt Arizona store opened in May in Walmart operates morethan 7,900 retail outletse and employs 2.1 million people in 15 countries.
Unlike many Wal-Mart has fared well amid the recessiohn as consumers keep a rein on purchase Last month the chainreported first-quartefr earnings of $3 billion, or 77 cents a a penny more than the same period a year ago. Revenue slippee a smidge to $93.5 billiobn from $94.9 billion. “During this difficult economic we’re proud to be able to creatd quality jobs for thousands of Americansthis year," said Eduardo vice chairman of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
The jobs announcement comezs a day before the retail giant holdds its annual stockholders meetingy in Bud Walton Arena at the University of In addition to election of directors and otheerroutine business, six shareholder proposals are on the table: Creation of a gender identity nondiscriminatiohn policy. Adoption of a pay for superiorperformancew principle. Giving shareholders the right to an advisory vote on executive compensation. Requiring a semi-annualo report disclosing Wal-Mart’s political contributions. Giving majod shareholders the power to callspeciapl meetings.
Requiring incentive pay to come in the form of stock The Wal-Mart board is opposing all the shareholder Lee Scott Jr., who servedr as CEO of the company until his retirement at the end of Januarhy received a total compensation packagr of $30.2 million last year.

AvalonBay gets OK for $65M Balboa project in S.F. - Boston Business Journal:

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The development, which will includwe a 28,000-square-foot grocery store, will replace the Krage auto parts store and parkinf lot at 1150Ocean Ave. The 1.8-acrw site just south of Phelan Avenue and abuttinbg the citycollege campus, is the first project approvefd under the Balboa Park rezoning the Boardf of Supervisors adopted in April. AvalonBay Senioe Development Director Meg Spriggs said the companhy hopes to start construction onthe two-building complex at the end of 2010 or the firsty quarter of 2011. Constructionh would likely take about18 months, meaninh that the project would open in 2012 at the earliest.
AvalonBay has been one of San Francisco’z most active developers over thepast decade, completing 823 rental unitzs in Mission Bay a $400 million investment. With that neighborhoofd mostlybuilt out, AvalonBay has been activelyy looking at other neighborhoods, including the city-owned Block 8 on Folsom Street. At the Ocean Avenud site, the developer was drawn to the rich public transit — downtown is a 13-minutr ride from the Balboa Park BART statiobn — and proximity of schools includingf City College, Balboa High School and the privatwe school Lick Wilmerding, according to Given the college campus and rich publix transportation options, “there is little to no supply of higher-density rental housing in this part of San said Spriggs.
“It’s a grea urban infill location and the beauty of it is the bonez arealready there. The infrastructure is already there. Ther are tons of little neighborhoods and a nice littled business district alongOcean Avenue,” said Spriggs. AvalonBat has yet to sign on a grocerhy store to occupy the ground floor ofthe project. Matt Holmes of the brokerage Retail West has been retaineds to to leasethe space. Petet Waller of Pyatok is the architect. “We have been pleasantly surprised by the levell of initial interest in the spacw and we have had several meaningfull conversationswith retailers,” said Spriggs.
AvalonBay started workin with the Planning Department in 2005 when the Balbowa Park master plan was in its early Because they were involvedso AvalonBay’s project specific environmental impact report was included in the master environmental impact report for the “Our goal was to get behind the design our project collaboratively with the city and the communitt and be in a position to get our projecft approvals as soon as the Balboa Park plan was said Spriggs. Matt Holmes said the site has attractive densities and attractiv demographics with over 35 percentcollege “The demographics are there already, they really are. The design of the spacee is outstanding.
They have reall y built a great mousetrap he said.

Geoeye, Inc. Company Profile | GEOY Company Information

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GeoEye, Inc. (GeoEye or the Company), together with its consolidatec subsidiaries, provides geospatial information, imagery and solutions for the nationaklsecurity community, strategic partners, resellers and commerciao customers to help them better map, measurs and monitor the world. Geospatial informatioh is geographic information that can be used to identifyt a particular locations spatial relationship toother locations.
We operate a constellation of Earth imaging satelliteds and mapping aircraftwhichh collect, process, and distribute digitap imagery of the Earths surface, atmosphere and weather conditions and have an international network of grounsd stations, a robust imageruy archive, and advanced location-based imagery processingh capabilities. We maintain image processing and productionn centers at our headquartersin Dulles, Virginia and our facilities in Thornton, Colorado and Mission, Kansas. Our advancerd image processingand location-based information technology developmentf and production center in St. Louis, Missouri is a world-renownede center for innovation inthe industry.
Our satellite syste m also includesa U.S. ground including four ground stations owned or leasef bythe Company, to operate the satellites and to process, and distribute imagery from the satellites. ...

Ping, Universal Avionics named top state manufacturers - Portland Business Journal:

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The awards, given out Friday, dubbed Phoenix-based Ping as manufacturetr of the yearand Tucson-based Universakl Avionics as the small manufacturer of the year. “This year’ss winners exemplify dedication to product innovationm and a commitment to the stateof Arizona,” said Mark chairman of the AMC and vice chai of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Ping, which has become a leader in golf club manufacturing, is celebratingh 50 years of The company has been innovating in golf desigjn since Karsten Solheim developed the first Ping putter in his Redwoocd City, Calif., garage, taking the name from the soun d the club made when it strucjk a ball.
Ping now employs 800 people and is able to develola custom-fit set of clubs within 48-hours of the time an ordetr is placed. Universal Avionics has been in busineswsince 1981. Founded by business jet pilo Hubert Naimer, the company started out developing flight management systems for business andtransport airplanes. The company now manufactures a rangw of avionics systems for various aircrafty from helicopters tocommercial jets. It works through a network of 224authorizede dealers, and its products are offererd as factory-installed options on 21 aircraft.

Chief information officers eye 2010 for IT budget comeback - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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The May IT Spendingg Report by The Goldman SachsGroup Inc. predictws a decrease of only 1 percentt in IT spendingin 2010. Goldman surveyed 100 IT executivee from Fortune100 companies, and 50 percenf of the respondents were chief information officers. “Anyonre selling to an enterprise has to havea 12-month return on investment,” said Anil Patel, a principal at Clearstonew Venture Partners in Menlo Park. “Yoju either have to find a way to increasd the top line orcut costs, and you have to measurew it in 12 Bipin Badani, senior vice president and chief informatiob officer at Fujitsu America Inc.
in believes budgets have become so tighttthat they’ll have to loosen next year. like many companies, has reduced its spendiny by about 10 percent and stopped all noncriticakIT projects. “What I’m seeing is that people have stoppedspendint completely. They don’t have the budget, and they’rer not spending on new capitao investment and capital networksat all,” Badani said. “So I think they are becominyg overdue fora recycle, and I woulxd say mid-2010 would be the time for an increase in Fujitsu is also focusing on doing as many tasks as possibls remotely, an area Badan i called “critical” for reducing infrastructure management.
“It’ s a no-brainer and the one area that reducezour budget,” he said. “Wheb budgets are cut, you’re forced to use infrastructure optimizations.” So where do the numbers leave those selling IT services and products Not completely out inthe cold, but vendora need to have a focus that’s tighter now than Patel, who also speaks on behalf of TiECon, the annua conference for entrepreneurs and venture said CIOs from a panel at the May TiECon in Santaa Clara advise that if you’re trying to sell to don’t bother calling. Most CIOs now are fielding 60 calls a day fromvendorsd alone.
Instead, find the problem, or “rede flag” in an organization, find the owner of that proble and convince that persojn that you are the indispensable way to turn that redflag “You want to find a champion lowefr in the organization that understands how you fit in to what they Patel said. “Also, the chances of organizationsa increasing their vendor accounts this yearis low, so find a big brother or sister and see if you can find a way in on someon e else’s price list.
” Roger Burkhardt, CEO of Ingres a Redwood City maker of open source database products and champion of what the companyg calls “The New Economics of IT,” notexd the Goldman Sachs survey also touched on where to save money, and software licensing and maintenancse were very high focus areas for potential Consulting and third-party services such as the India IT subsector remain at the top of the list for potential futuree cost reductions, while computer hardware is close to the top of the according to the survey.
“The challenge for the CIO now is that theree are projects that they need to but much of the budget is being chewexd up by keepingthings running,” Burkhardtg said. “It’s a very tough thing for a CIO to because they’re looking for ways to innovatw while spending less

Food for thought: Recession prompts restaurants to cut prices - Denver Business Journal:

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People came up to peruse the $32.95r holiday brunch menu at Panzano Restaurant, wherse Mayo is the general manager, and a numbed asked if they could getsomethinfg cheaper. In the past, most lookers would shruyg and come in ifthey didn’t like the This time, when several were told that was it for the day, they walkedf away. Like a toy-store managere the day after Christmas, Mayo knew he had to stargt slashing prices. And he wasn’t alone. You can now get a $4 stea appetizer at Panzano. Morton’s The Steakhousee has added a hamburger to its has introduceda low-price menu.
And if you’rd eating at Vesta Dippiny Grill before heading toa concert, consider your parting rounf of shots on It’s a buyer’s market in the restaurang world these days, with establishmente from the chi-chi to the quick-and-casuakl slashing prices, adding cheaper items to menus and offeringt new service perks just to retain It’s one reason Peter Meersman, president of the (CRA), believes nationalk forecasts that say eateries in the state will fare better duringv the economic downturn than those in 95 percent of the country.
But the price-cuttingy also raises the specter that consumerx who are willing to spend theid tightened budgets eating out may have changed expectations after thisbargain spree. And restaurantt officials, while reveling in the steadier streamsx of people coming intheirt doors, are realizing that prices may nevetr be as high as they were beforee last fall’s market collapse. “There’s a lot of feelingb out there that they will goback up, but they will nevet be back up to where they were before,” Mayo “Admittedly, we can’t keep the same profit marginds we did before with this prics drop.
But we also can’t keep the business if we don’rt make this adjustment.” Business has plummetee at restaurants of all types in recent monthss as more families are staying home and The responseby Denver-area restaurants has been to enticd the customer even more, and they’re doing so in many One is the happy-hour in which eateries try to get peopled in with the possibilitty of cheaper alcohol or lower-priced small plates in hopesx they will stay for Some popular downtown waterinb holes, such as Marlowe’s and Paramountf Cafe, are offering half-priced drinks.
Panzano has takemn dinner items such as its steaki orseafood bouillabaisse, cut the portionss in half and begun offering them for $4. Happy-hour business has doublex since January, Mayo said. Other places have takenn to adding cheaper menu At the end of for example, Morton’s added a hamburge that, while still $15, represents the lowest-priced item on the upper-enrd steakhouse’s menu, general manager Joe Mirrelson said. Some restaurant s are putting money into advertising theirprice drops. Coral located in the Highlandds neighborhood, sent out mailers to area residentx recently notingthe reductions.
Many quick-servse restaurants have taken after McDonald’s and, while not going all the way down to adolladr menu, are giving customers lower-priced Chipotle rolled out its Low Rolled Menu on April 1, with $2.9o soup and $2.25 single tacos, after getting emaila from customers seeking smallerr portions, said Chris Arnold, spokesman for the Denver-based “The expanded menu we’re testing in Denverr represents the most significant changee in our [15-year] history,” said who acknowledged he’d been hearing more anecdotees of patrons splitting meals with a friend or takinf half of them home.
Some restaurantxs blanch at the notiomn of knocking down prices and instead are lookingt to make customers feel more at At Vesta, any patron askingf for change to plug the meter will get a pre-paid parkin key to use, and groups headinvg to downtown shows can expect a free round of shots, ownerr Josh Wolkon said. “We’re all in trouble,” Wolkojn said. “If [customers] make a decision in tough time to choose to spend their money onour restaurants, you have to make sure they got theidr dollar’s worth.” One trend severalk people said they expect to see is the returm of the $52.
80 menu for two, following the continuecd success of the annual two-week winter promotion in whicbh 208 restaurants participated this year with great Cool River Cafe is offerinf a three-course meal for $29.95 per person — closd to the 5280 week pricwe point – and plans to do so for severak more months. When asked if customers will stop comingt when the deal eventuallygoes away, proprietor Joseph Madrikl thought about it before admitting he isn’yt worried. “I don’t believe there’s a risk,” Madrilk said. “I think people will be appreciative, and it builda loyalty.
”

St. Louis Park's Cichoski Finishes 15th At State - Patch.com

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St. Louis Park's Cichoski Finishes 15th At State Patch.com Matt Cichoski of St. Louis Park watches his putt during a round earlier this year. Cichoski finished 15th in the Class AAA state meet. St. Louis Park junior Matt Cichoski finished the Class AAA state boys golf ... and more »

DC attorney general sees 'major flaws' in ethics bill - Washington Post

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DC attorney general sees 'major flaws' in ethics bill Washington Post A week after he unveiled dramatic allegations of corruption against a council member, city Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan on Monday criticized “major flaws” in an ethics overhaul under consideration by the DC Council. ... and more »

S&P lowers outlook for HEI, HECO - San Antonio Business Journal:

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Standard & Poor’s said Hawaii is “exhibitintg decidedly recessionary trends,” and that its dependence on tourisjm to drive the local economy could mean the state will be more severelyu affected bythe “The negative outlook assigned to HEI reflect s the potential for consolidated credit metrics to fall belowe our benchmarks over our outlook horizon due to Hawaii’sz weakening economy, which is expected to lower electric sales by 4 percent or more and put upwars pressure on borrowing requirements,” S&P , a subsidiary of HEI, is rated on a standalone basis and is not affected by the lowered outlook. Shares of Hawaiian Electrivc stock weredown 1.
6 percent to

To boost sales, check your optimism level - bizjournals:

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Here’s a thought: Take a look at a soft emotionao intelligence skill that yields hardsales results, optimism. Therse is evidence that supports the theory that saled teams possessing high levelds of optimism make companiesmore money. One of the best case studied comes from the work that psychologist Martin Seligman did with Metropolitan Life in New He convinced Met Life to give him access to their new employeesz and administer theusuakl testing, as well as a new test he developexd that measured optimism. He followed the progresxs of new salespeople for one year and found that salespeoplwe who scored high in optimism sold 33 percenrt more insurance than those whoscored low.
After two the optimistic group of salespeople were thrivinv intheir positions, which increaser retention and decreased the costs associateds with turnover and increased sales. How optimistifc is your organization? There is a lot of press on theswine flu, and people are worried about catching it. There is anothe epidemic to watch out forin today’s pessimism. It can be deadly when it hits an organizatiojn because emotionsare contagious. The clinical term is emotiona l contagion and is definedas “the transmission of When people are in a certaijn mood — happy or depressed — that mood is oftenb communicated to others. What is the mood at your company?
A sales manager shares the story of a rep who startefd every conversation in the lastdownturn with, “Yohu probably don’t have any money so you don’g want to buy …” The self-fulfilliny prophecy was set by the salesperson, and the prospecf followed the salesperson’s No deal. So what can you do to stop the epidemifcof pessimism? Study and duplicate optimistic salespeople. When faced with optimistic salespeopleask themselves: • What’s good about this? They know that adversity is wherw true character is formed and great lessonsx are taught.
Optimists take advantage of this schooling becausr they know that lessons learned todauy make money inthe future. What can I do about this situation Optimists know that controlequals action, action yieldes results and results increase • What is funny abougt this? Humor is a great way to relieve stress, which frees up the mind for creativityt and innovation. Optimistic salespeople take control. They know sales is the greatesty profession to be in during a They can meet with mentors who can help them look at anothetr way of doing business intouggh times. They can outwork theidr competitors. They can invest in learning and outsmart their competitor.
Optimistic salespeople manage results, not excuses.

General Motors files Chapter 11; government to own majority stake - South Florida Business Journal:

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Monday’s Chapter 11 filing by the 101-year-olcd automaker — once the world’s biggest companyy — is among the largest in U.S. history and largest-ever U.S. manufacturing bankruptcy. Chapter 11, which allows the companu to operate while protected from its pushes GM intoa fast-track bankruptcyh and provides $30 billion of additional taxpayer funds to restructurse itself. GM’s filing came after weekes of wrangling with its unions and bondholders and as part of a game plan coordinatedc with thefederal government. That plan call s for the establishment ofa new, more nimble GM that has the federapl government as its 60 percenft equity holder.
Speaking about the GM moves President Barack Obama said that despite thefederal government' majority stake in the its executives, and not federa l officials, "will call the shotss and make the decisions about turning this company around." Obamz said the goal is a achievable plan that will give this iconic compan y a chance to rise again." The Detroit-based automaker (NYSE: GM) said it expects the new, smaller GM to launc in about 60 to 90 days as a separate and independent company from the current GM. The new companu will focus on four core brands in theUnite States: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.
As part of its cost-cuttingb efforts, GM will further reduce 2009 salaried employment in Nort h America toabout 27,200 from about 35,100 at the end of 2008, a roughlh 23 percent cut. The automaker said it would sever ties with morethan 2,000 of its either through end their contracts or througgh attrition. GM also plans to close 11 U.S. facilitie s and idle another three plantxs by the endof 2010.
"Todayh marks a defining moment in the reinvention of GM as a more customer-focused and more cost-competitive company that, above all, can quickl generate winning bottom-line results," GM CEO Fritz Henderson said in a statement "The economic crisis has caused enormous disruption in the auto industry, but with it has come the opportunitty for us to reinvent our We are going to do it once and do it Besides the U.S. government's 60 percent financial the union would takea 17.5 percentf stake. The governments of Canada and the provinces of Ontario have agreed to a 12 percent ownership stak e in exchange forfinancial aid. GM bondholderss would get 10 percent.
In its Chapter 11 GM citing debtsof $172.8 billion and asseta of $82.3 billion. Filed in New it lists unsecured claims by theUAW ($20.6 and the International Union of Electronic, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers/Communication Workerd ($2.7 billion). Other unsecured debt listed in the filingincludes $22.8 billion serviced by Wilmington Trust Co. and $4.5 billio by Deutsche Bank AG. The UAW last week approvesd a package of concessions that will give GM more flexibility in staffint and help the companhy reduceits expenses. As part of that package, the company restructured payments due to a trust for health care. The trust will receive a $2.5 billionj note and $6.
5 billion in 9 percen t perpetualpreferred stock, along with a 17.5 percentg equity stake in the new GM and warrants to push that ownershipp to 20 percent. Another key player in the reorganization will be GM The administration announced that a steering committe e representing owners of at least 54 percent ofthe company’s unsecuredf bonds had agreed to a deal in which bondholderse would receive 10 percent of the equity of the new GM and warrantzs for an additional 15 percent. The bankruptcy proceszs will allow the company to confirkm the deal forall bondholders. Chrysler is expectede to emerge from its Chapter 11 process soon afte shuttering789 dealerships.
GM also announced plans to closwe 1,100 dealerships, including several in Colorado. GM’s lead bankruptcy law firm is WeilGotshaa & Manges, with attorney Stephehn Karotkin signing the filing. GM Presidenf and CEO Frederick Henderson signed forthe company. .

A deep analytical review of X-Men First Class. FAIL OR PREVAIL? - Comic Book Movie

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A deep analytical review of X-Men First Class. FAIL OR PREVAIL? Comic Book Movie By the end of this film, you'll want to join Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants!!! Being a big X-Men fan I was highly skeptical regarding how successful this film would be at conveying the essence of the X-Men comics. The arrogance of the film makers ... and more »

Kingpin investors raise energy stakes - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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A bevy of high-profile asset managers and hedgd fund gurus returned to buying mode after takinv financial lumps in the seconsd half of 2008 when the valu of energy company shares tankeds along with the price of oil andnaturap gas. Prominent investors such as all-star asse manager Paul Tudor Jones, energyg maverick T. Boone Pickens and hedgew fund investor George Soros dipped theirt toes in the energy pool once agaij and grabbed multiple stakes inHouston companies, accordint to regulatory statements filed this month. Jones, who overseexs Tudor Investment Corp.
, foun bargains in 10 Houston-based energy companies or major playersa with a significant presence inthe region, and also took a new positionj in Waste Management Inc., still a big favorited of Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates. Pickens, who has spent the past 12 monthas lobbying for his plan to help the countruy kick the importedoil habit, stillo knows a fossil-fuel bargain when he sees one. The Texax oil maven took new positions in a wide range of energu companieswith beaten-down stock prices at the end of 2008, a year that the bellwethedr Philadelphia Oil Service Index dipped nearly 60 percent. Pickene dabbled in services players such asSchlumberger Ltd. and Halliburton Co.
, naturakl gas shale producer ChesapeakeEnerghy Corp. and high-profile exploration and production company AnadarkoPetroleum Corp. Soros took even bigger bites inthe process, gaininbg new positions in services players Nabors Industriezs Ltd. and Weatherford International Inc. after selling off his Schlumbergestake — while adding to his position in . Besidese his substantial switchinto Weatherford, Soros made another big move in late Aprip involving a Houston-based company by adding 3 million more shares of Plainsz Exploration and Production Co., boosting his stakee to nearly 6.5 milliobn shares.
Energy analysts and asset investment managerzs who follow these movers and shakers say that after energy stocm prices kept climbing in 2007 towared lofty highsin it’s been a while sinced the notion of value investing could be appliefd to the sector. “Timing is everything,” says Eddies Allen, senior partner with Eagle GlobaloAdvisors LLC. “There may have been an over-reactiohn in the fall with the sell-ofr of oil stocks. There’s still a lot of volatilit to deal with, but these investorsx did well in anticipating therise (in oil that we’ve seen so far this from the mid-$30s to Allen says that value investor s are still playing a bit of a waiting game.
He notess that stock prices are down, natural gas has not followed oil’s recovery in 2009, and there are concernw that prices could stay depressed as inventories build. There is also more speculation, he about possible consolidationas mid-cap exploration and productiob companies eye the pickings amontg smaller competitors. Dan Pickering, co-president and head of researchat Pickering, Holt & Co. Securities says Pickens, Soros and Tudor mighyt have even added more shares duringf the quarter if energy stocks had not ralliedx and moved a bit higherthan expected.
“Thse market took off so strongly in the firsrt quarter that investors took a pauss waiting for a pullback thatnevet came. They might have wanted more but the stocks got away a littld bit onthe upside,” Pickering All things considered, energy was the hottesr investment game in town. Says Pickering: “The overalol theme here is that investorsd became reengagedin energy, whic h dramatically out-performed the rest of the market in the firstf quarter, as people were just less terrified about the statee of the world (economy).” The energy resurgenced party had some notable no-shows.
While Pickene and Soros were pickingnew favorites, otherr big-name investors were still cleaning house. Warren Buffett sold 13.7 million ConocoPhillips shares in the quarter to reduce his stak to a stillsizable 71.2 million Buffet conceded to shareholders of his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. asset management firm that his huge investment in ConocoPhillipxs last year when oil pricese peakedat $147 a barrel was a