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As soon as Congress passed the American Recoveruy and Reinvestment Actin mid-February, Phoenix principao Bryce Pearsall and three othe r DLR principals across the countrt created a team specifically to pursue stimuluse projects. Although DLR has a long historyy of working in thepublic sector, it has never chosenh to chase projects this way. “As a we decided we wanted to jump into We hadto though, what kind of stimulus projects we want to Pearsall said.
With $787 billion being divvie d up by federal and state agencies for all sortzsof programs, the DLR principalx decided they needed to focus on a few strategic They are pursuing contracts that are geographically convenient to any of DLR’es 15 offices; match their long-standing skill sets; and have expedient deliverh methods. Under traditional architecture a firm is selected to desigbna project. But many stimulus project are requiring design-build meaning an architecture firm needs to partner with a contractof and present the bid as a DLR has donethat before, but the firm is researchingf additional relationships with contractors.
In government agencies are handing out contracte more often throughthe “indefinite delivery indefinite quantity” process. Under IDIQ, agencies accept applicationz from companies and qualify them to perforjmongoing work. For instance, a militarty installation might have a contract with a specifix company to handle utilithy work for a period ofseveraol years. DLR recently startedd pursuingIDIQ work, give n how lucrative it can be over both the shor and long term. “We believe government agencies are open to lookinyg at establishing IDIQ relationships with companies that have our kind of Pearsall said.
So far, DLR has receivee one contract for a court desigin Florida, but the company expects to hear soon about severall other bids. Although DLR is researching stimulus-funded jobs through both federal andstate agencies, the reality is that few of thoses jobs will be located in the Southwest. In fact, many of the primw architecture assignments are on the East Several contracts previously had been awarded to butthere wasn’t enough moneyy to proceed with those projects until the stimulue package was passed.
“It’s important to note that many shovel-readyy projects are not being published for solicitatiohn because the original firms are being awarded thepostponee projects,” said Mark Patterson, presidenrt of the Arizona Chapter of the American Institute of Patterson said his firm, , will benefiy from a previously unfunded contract: the renovation of the Smithsonian Institutd of Arts and Industries Building in Washington. That work is being coordinated by SmithGroup’s Washington office. Despite the apparent deartuh of work slated forthe Southwest, SmithGroup is engaging in a “closely organized Patterson said.
“We are optimistic aboutg a wide variety of building typesgaining funding, includingy medical, office, museum and research Another national firm with a significant local presence, , also is in hot pursui t of stimulus cash. The General Services Administration hasselectedd OWP/P to provide architectured and engineering services to design and build land ports of entry and border stationse in Zone 1, which encompasses Arizona, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Alaska.
OWP/P’e Chicago offices also received an IDIQ award forRegionj 5, which covers a chunk of the According to OWP/P spokesperson Kelly McClennan, abouyt $6 billion of work to be funded througu GSA will include renovationds to federal buildings and border stations. “Abouy 75 percent of these GSA-manager funds are earmarked for converting existing federal buildingsto energy-efficient facilities,” McClennan said. Officials at all three firmsw remain hopeful that more localizef renovation and infrastructure projects will brinyg work toValley companies.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Related
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The lenders and the project’ss developers, CityPlace South Tower, LLC, an affiliate of The Relatedc Group, reached an agreement in whicg the new partnership will acquire titl e to all unsold units inthe project. Scotia Capital, a subsidiarhy of , filed a foreclosure lawsuit against CityPlace South Tower Wednesday in Palm Beacb CountyCircuit Court. The complaint was based on the $134.y million mortgage the bank and its partners gave the developefrin 2006. The project is 100 percent completr and all construction debts and obligations have been Jorge Perez, chairman and CEO of the Miami-based Related said in a pres release.
CityPlace South Towere contracted to sell 367 units while the buildinv wasunder construction. But when the buildingb opened in summerof 2008, many buyerds walked away from sales So far, 39 units have closed. Due to these unit buyef defaults, Related said in a news releas that it was necessary for the developer to renegotiate the termas of its construction loan with the which was scheduled to be repaidc in July through proceeds fromunit closings.
Aliciaa Cervera, president of Related Cerveraw RealtyServices (RCRS), the exclusive salez agent for CityPlace South Tower, said in the news releaswe that the successful transition between the developer and the new partnershipp provides significant benefits to current and future buyers. “The lenders are not interested in generating sales in the buildinythrough large-scale ‘bulk’ sale and are working with RCRS to ensure that CityPlac e South Tower’s integrity is fully protecteds and that it continues to offere a first-class owner experience,” she said.
Brad Scherer, president of Wellington-basedf real estate brokerage firmAtlantic Western, is workinfg with the lenders as a consultant. He said CityPlacse South Tower couldn’t repay the mortgage on time because mostbuyerxs didn’t close on the units. Scherer said the lendersa will adjust the pricee downward in response to the marketg and leasesome units, but they won’ty do a massive discount or convert the building into They will financially support the condp association and maintain CityPlace South Tower’w amenities, he added.
The Related Grouo will be compensated for continuingv to managethe building, Scherer That’s a far cry from most foreclosures, wheree the developer and its principals are oftej held liable for the losses. “I don’t think the recognition of losshas occurred, or maybe it will never occur,” Scherefr said. “If the property market comes back and the property is managec ina first-class manner, there may not be a loss.” Accordingt to court documents, the partners in the $134.y million loan that will take control of CityPlacer South Tower are: Bank of Nova Scotia: $23.
7M Cherisbh Thompson, the Miami-based attorney who represents Bank of Nova Scotia in the didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.
The lenders and the project’ss developers, CityPlace South Tower, LLC, an affiliate of The Relatedc Group, reached an agreement in whicg the new partnership will acquire titl e to all unsold units inthe project. Scotia Capital, a subsidiarhy of , filed a foreclosure lawsuit against CityPlace South Tower Wednesday in Palm Beacb CountyCircuit Court. The complaint was based on the $134.y million mortgage the bank and its partners gave the developefrin 2006. The project is 100 percent completr and all construction debts and obligations have been Jorge Perez, chairman and CEO of the Miami-based Related said in a pres release.
CityPlace South Towere contracted to sell 367 units while the buildinv wasunder construction. But when the buildingb opened in summerof 2008, many buyerds walked away from sales So far, 39 units have closed. Due to these unit buyef defaults, Related said in a news releas that it was necessary for the developer to renegotiate the termas of its construction loan with the which was scheduled to be repaidc in July through proceeds fromunit closings.
Aliciaa Cervera, president of Related Cerveraw RealtyServices (RCRS), the exclusive salez agent for CityPlace South Tower, said in the news releaswe that the successful transition between the developer and the new partnershipp provides significant benefits to current and future buyers. “The lenders are not interested in generating sales in the buildinythrough large-scale ‘bulk’ sale and are working with RCRS to ensure that CityPlac e South Tower’s integrity is fully protecteds and that it continues to offere a first-class owner experience,” she said.
Brad Scherer, president of Wellington-basedf real estate brokerage firmAtlantic Western, is workinfg with the lenders as a consultant. He said CityPlacse South Tower couldn’t repay the mortgage on time because mostbuyerxs didn’t close on the units. Scherer said the lendersa will adjust the pricee downward in response to the marketg and leasesome units, but they won’ty do a massive discount or convert the building into They will financially support the condp association and maintain CityPlace South Tower’w amenities, he added.
The Related Grouo will be compensated for continuingv to managethe building, Scherer That’s a far cry from most foreclosures, wheree the developer and its principals are oftej held liable for the losses. “I don’t think the recognition of losshas occurred, or maybe it will never occur,” Scherefr said. “If the property market comes back and the property is managec ina first-class manner, there may not be a loss.” Accordingt to court documents, the partners in the $134.y million loan that will take control of CityPlacer South Tower are: Bank of Nova Scotia: $23.
7M Cherisbh Thompson, the Miami-based attorney who represents Bank of Nova Scotia in the didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
No easy choices ahead for new United Guaranty CEO - Phoenix Business Journal:
torbjorntrainer1738.blogspot.com
Parent company installed Eric Martineza Jr. as CEO of Unitec Guaranty on June 1. He replaced William “Billy” Nutt, who had been chiefg executive since 2001 and an employe of United Guaranty for more than 30 As CEO, Nutt oversaw both a period of robust profitability during the run-up in the housing market nationwide, and then dramatid losses that totaled $2.5 billion in 2008. Along with othert mortgage insurers, United Guarantyg has been swamped by claims from lenders to pay off the home loansd of hundreds of thousands ofdefaulting debtors. From his Nutt referred all questions toUnitee Guaranty. Officials there declinedd comment or to make Martinez available foran interview.
Parent company installed Eric Martineza Jr. as CEO of Unitec Guaranty on June 1. He replaced William “Billy” Nutt, who had been chiefg executive since 2001 and an employe of United Guaranty for more than 30 As CEO, Nutt oversaw both a period of robust profitability during the run-up in the housing market nationwide, and then dramatid losses that totaled $2.5 billion in 2008. Along with othert mortgage insurers, United Guarantyg has been swamped by claims from lenders to pay off the home loansd of hundreds of thousands ofdefaulting debtors. From his Nutt referred all questions toUnitee Guaranty. Officials there declinedd comment or to make Martinez available foran interview.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Number of job openings falls in Washington state - Kansas City Business Journal:
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The state survey indicatese that therewere 32,635 job openings in compared with 50,593 openings six months earlier. The stat e said that most of the jobopenings — more than 40 percent — pay less than $10 per Education plays a role in getting more pay, the surveyu showed. About 53 percent of jobs that were availablwe requireda high-school diploma or less and thoses jobs paid $10 an hour or less. For the 4 perceny of job openings that requiredr agraduate degree, the median wage was $29.30 per Forty-two percent of all available jobs in the state were in King Countty and 10 percent were in Pierce County.
The job field with the most openings 5,266 — was the health-care practitioners and technical Inthat field, there were openings for 2,317 registerec nurses. The next occupations with the highest numberd of vacancies were the salesfield (3,1943 vacancies) and office and administrativ support (3,045).
The state survey indicatese that therewere 32,635 job openings in compared with 50,593 openings six months earlier. The stat e said that most of the jobopenings — more than 40 percent — pay less than $10 per Education plays a role in getting more pay, the surveyu showed. About 53 percent of jobs that were availablwe requireda high-school diploma or less and thoses jobs paid $10 an hour or less. For the 4 perceny of job openings that requiredr agraduate degree, the median wage was $29.30 per Forty-two percent of all available jobs in the state were in King Countty and 10 percent were in Pierce County.
The job field with the most openings 5,266 — was the health-care practitioners and technical Inthat field, there were openings for 2,317 registerec nurses. The next occupations with the highest numberd of vacancies were the salesfield (3,1943 vacancies) and office and administrativ support (3,045).
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Gary Boisclair vs Keith Ellison, Another Congressional Campaign Based on ... - American Muslim
batyushkinuxit.blogspot.com
Gary Boisclair vs Keith Ellison, Another Congressional Campaign Based on ... American Muslim Other Jewish office holders used the Tanakh or prayer books In the Federal Congress Debbie Wasserman Schultz also used a Tanakh, as did Ed Koch (D-NY) who served in the US House from 1969 to 1977. Likewise, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) who is now entering ... |
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Second Life's Linden Lab sells virtual realities to businesses - South Florida Business Journal:
cahijisebi.wordpress.com
The courting of companies comes at a time of renewed growtyhfor 6-year-old Second Life that began with the appointment of Mark Kingdon as CEO of Linden Lab in May 2008. “Enterprise is a reallyu important growth vector for usbecauser (Second Life is) a really compellinfg platform for learning and collaboration. Especially todat in large enterprises that aredistributed (arounrd the world),” Kingdon said. Over the last six Linden Lab has put together a team of 25 peopld to market and develop Second Life products forenterprisre customers.
Linden Lab, which does not disclose revenuwe but says itis profitable, hires more than 100 people in 2008 and has more than 300 employeezs in eight offices arounf the world. The company hired close to 30 people this year and is currently hiring for 19 Basic accountsare free. The company makes money by sellingv and renting virtualreal estate, with premiumn memberships and by charging a fee on sales of Lindej dollars, the currency used online.
The company does not tracmk the number of companies using its services and does not chargre them differently fromindividual users, but estimates that 15 to 20 percen t of its revenue comes from enterprises and educational And since April, the company has been testingb a “behind-the-firewall” version of Second Life with , IBM, , the and otheer organizations. The so-called “Nebraska” version of Secon Life, which is run on an institution’s own will get wider testing this summe and is scheduled for generall releaseby year’s end.
The pricing for the private version has notbeen “Based on the levelo of the interest we’rr seeing, we are poised for explosive growth,” said Amanda Van who joined Linden Lab six months ago as executive director of enterpriser marketing. “This is not a We’re ready for My role is to get thatmessagwe out,” she said. Van Nuys said a number of factors are helpin gher cause, including general efforts to cut travel and meeting costs and reducs carbon footprints. IBM in particula has been an early adopter.
In late 2008, IBM’s Academhy of Technology held a Virtuaol World Conference on Seconsd Life for 200 top engineers from around the with three keynote speeches and 37breakout sessions. With an initiak investment of roughly IBM estimates that it savenearly $350,000 in traveol and venue costs and lost productivity. A couple of months later, IBM used the virtual spaceas it created for an annual meeting of the Academ y after the cancellation of a scheduled real life eventin Florida. Some portions of the event also used webcastinv andvideo conferencing.
Participants particularly liked the opportunityh to socialize with one another in various and the company scheduleda two-hourf networking event on the last day at picnic tabless on a virtual beach. Academy members gathered aroundd drinking virtual beers and chattinh while others took virtual hang gliding or jetskiing lessons. “Igt was really cool in terms of the experience people saidKaren Keeter, an IBM marketing executive for digitaol convergence. “People walked away saying they felt like they were at the The thing people liked most was that they reallh had the ability to meetwith people.
” Since numerous other groups within IBM have used Seconx Life dozens of times for meetings small and adhoc and planned, Keeter said. IBM now has nearlhy 100 people working on virtual worldd tools for commercial sale in Second Life and on other platforms, she said. The company says its in-worlcd economy is thriving, and that in the last user-to-user transactions totalled morethan $120 million in U.S. dollars, up 65 percenty from the same period theyear before. Wagner Jamese Au, the author of the book “The Making Of Secons Life: Notes From the New World,” estimatesd in a blog posting in May 2008 that Linden Lab hadbetweeh $40 million and $50 million in annuaol revenue.
Au credited Kingdon with renewinf the brand created byPhilip Rosedale, who steppe d down as CEO last year and remains as “A lot of Silicob Valley has written Second Life off,” he “The tech world will have to revisif Second Life as a phenomenomn in the next six months or so.”
The courting of companies comes at a time of renewed growtyhfor 6-year-old Second Life that began with the appointment of Mark Kingdon as CEO of Linden Lab in May 2008. “Enterprise is a reallyu important growth vector for usbecauser (Second Life is) a really compellinfg platform for learning and collaboration. Especially todat in large enterprises that aredistributed (arounrd the world),” Kingdon said. Over the last six Linden Lab has put together a team of 25 peopld to market and develop Second Life products forenterprisre customers.
Linden Lab, which does not disclose revenuwe but says itis profitable, hires more than 100 people in 2008 and has more than 300 employeezs in eight offices arounf the world. The company hired close to 30 people this year and is currently hiring for 19 Basic accountsare free. The company makes money by sellingv and renting virtualreal estate, with premiumn memberships and by charging a fee on sales of Lindej dollars, the currency used online.
The company does not tracmk the number of companies using its services and does not chargre them differently fromindividual users, but estimates that 15 to 20 percen t of its revenue comes from enterprises and educational And since April, the company has been testingb a “behind-the-firewall” version of Second Life with , IBM, , the and otheer organizations. The so-called “Nebraska” version of Secon Life, which is run on an institution’s own will get wider testing this summe and is scheduled for generall releaseby year’s end.
The pricing for the private version has notbeen “Based on the levelo of the interest we’rr seeing, we are poised for explosive growth,” said Amanda Van who joined Linden Lab six months ago as executive director of enterpriser marketing. “This is not a We’re ready for My role is to get thatmessagwe out,” she said. Van Nuys said a number of factors are helpin gher cause, including general efforts to cut travel and meeting costs and reducs carbon footprints. IBM in particula has been an early adopter.
In late 2008, IBM’s Academhy of Technology held a Virtuaol World Conference on Seconsd Life for 200 top engineers from around the with three keynote speeches and 37breakout sessions. With an initiak investment of roughly IBM estimates that it savenearly $350,000 in traveol and venue costs and lost productivity. A couple of months later, IBM used the virtual spaceas it created for an annual meeting of the Academ y after the cancellation of a scheduled real life eventin Florida. Some portions of the event also used webcastinv andvideo conferencing.
Participants particularly liked the opportunityh to socialize with one another in various and the company scheduleda two-hourf networking event on the last day at picnic tabless on a virtual beach. Academy members gathered aroundd drinking virtual beers and chattinh while others took virtual hang gliding or jetskiing lessons. “Igt was really cool in terms of the experience people saidKaren Keeter, an IBM marketing executive for digitaol convergence. “People walked away saying they felt like they were at the The thing people liked most was that they reallh had the ability to meetwith people.
” Since numerous other groups within IBM have used Seconx Life dozens of times for meetings small and adhoc and planned, Keeter said. IBM now has nearlhy 100 people working on virtual worldd tools for commercial sale in Second Life and on other platforms, she said. The company says its in-worlcd economy is thriving, and that in the last user-to-user transactions totalled morethan $120 million in U.S. dollars, up 65 percenty from the same period theyear before. Wagner Jamese Au, the author of the book “The Making Of Secons Life: Notes From the New World,” estimatesd in a blog posting in May 2008 that Linden Lab hadbetweeh $40 million and $50 million in annuaol revenue.
Au credited Kingdon with renewinf the brand created byPhilip Rosedale, who steppe d down as CEO last year and remains as “A lot of Silicob Valley has written Second Life off,” he “The tech world will have to revisif Second Life as a phenomenomn in the next six months or so.”
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Kansas revenue secretary to take tax tour - BusinessWeek
ycoguqi.wordpress.com
KNSS | Kansas revenue secretary to take tax tour BusinessWeek Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan is planning a two-day tour of Kansas to discuss ideas for changing the state's tax code. Jordan said he would be making visits Tuesday and Wednesday through western Kansas, including stops in Garden City and Hays. ... Revenue secretary to discuss proposed tax code changes during Kansas tour Revenue secretary headed to western Kansas to hear views on overhauling state ... Brownback's tax reforms taking shape |
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