Sunday, March 3, 2013

Contractors vie for stimulus projects - Charlotte Business Journal:

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With little private or public work available in the slow many construction companies are undercutting one another towin stimulus-funderd contracts. In the end, that could mean more than $100 milliojn in savings to fund additionalp road work inNorth Carolina. “Everyone is bidding so close to thevest it’s a do-or-die situation,” says Beth Maxon, business development manager for in Burlington. That compant recently bid 17 percent undeerthe state’s cost estimate of $76 million on a stimulus-funded but didn’t win. the contract for the Fayetteville loop in Cumberland Countgy went to aSouth Carolina-based which bid $52 million, 31.
5 percent under the estimated Such scenarios are going on all over the with firms eliminating profit margins, sometimes even overhead expenses, to win the low bid. Such heavyt competition could prove a boon to the Victor Barbour, technical servicew administrator for the N.C. Department of Transportation, says statewidr bids for stimulus and other work are averagin 15 to 20 percentbelow engineers’ estimatezs as companies compete fiercely, even for small North Carolina is slate d to receive $737 million in federal stimulus money for road If the underbidding trend continues, that could mean $110 million to $150 million coulf be left over and used to do more projects than initially thought.
Barbour says North Carolina has alreadyawardesd $237 million in contracts. Without the underbidding, thos same contracts would havecost $294 based on state estimates, he Local DOT divisions are looking at project lists to see what can be should the trend continue and extrza money is available. While underbidding might reducr or eliminate profitsfor contractors, David Rowe, presidenft of Mount Airy-based , says many firms have $5,000 or more in equipment payments to make every month, and workers they want to As a result, many are bidding just to keep enougg cash coming in to make payments and Rowe says.
“Where you used to have a certain factor for overheadand profit, you’re now ‘Will I just coveer overhead, or am I going to cut into Forget profit,” he says.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Woman to watch: Krista O'Malley - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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Continuing education: Bachelor of science in zoologh and bachelor of science in biological aspects of Universityof Wisconsin, Madison Entrepreneurial executive education program, University of Minnesota’as Carlson School of Management What professional accomplishmeny makes you most proud?

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Port San Antonio tenant begins air cargo service to Mexico - Orlando Business Journal:

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, the port’s foreign traded zone operator, will host the service on Mexpress. LOGITEX USA will serve as the sales agent. Mexpress is an air cargp transportation company that caterszto small- to medium-sized companies that need to ship less than a trailee load of supplies. in turn, will aggregate the cargo and ship customers’ materials out via air carglo shippers at the port threer timesa week. “This service will be very importantg to companies in need of air cargl transport between our regionn and the strategic cargo centerwsin Mexico,” says Jorge vice president of business development for Port San Antonio.
“A the same time it is an efficient tool for smalo and medium sized companiezs that need to ship a pallegt or two ata time.” The companiexs involved in this partnership envision offering this servic to other markets in Mexico and Central The companies could also serve as a feeder to and from Asia throughg international air cargo hubs. “We are opening new tradde horizons in dealing with PortSan Antonio.” Mexpress Presidenrt Carlos Duron says.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Re/Max refugees form new competitor - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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Re/Max Valley Properties, which has 85 agentzs in four Silicon Valley isleaving Re/Max because the two sidees cannot agree on the terms of a new contract, said Dennisa Badagliacco, who owns the company with his wife Colleen. Colleen is the immediatde past president of the California Associationof Realtors. In 2007, the company reported gross property sales ofnearly $500 Their franchise agreement with Re/Max expired Oct. 15. “Thde (Re/Max) model has morpheds to something that is significantly differentt from whatit was,” Dennis Badagliaccp said. “They are asking franchisees to takehuge risks, and they are charginf more money in a down market.
” Re/Max officials said ther is no large-scale franchisee exodus. Badagliacco, is joining forces with another significant broker who has splitfrom Re/Max with the same complaints. Gary who was previously one ofthe country’sw largest Re/Max franchisees, and Badagliacccoo are launching a new brand unde the name Altera Real Estate. They intendx to operate under that name and to licens e it to otherbrokersz statewide. Thomas left Re/Max on 27 after 23 years. His companh has eight offices with more than 300 agentd inOrange County. Thomas, CAR president in is on track to be president of the National Association of Realtorsin 2013.
NAR is the country’s largesft trade association with 1.2 million members. “When I saw the new contract, I said, ‘No way,’ Thomas said. “They want their income strea m guaranteed, but no one is guaranteeing I was going to be on the hookfor $1 milliojn a year.” The partnere already have been joined by Mel Wilson, anothee former Re/Max franchisee who jettisoned his arrangement in the past montg and is now using the Altera Wilson has a singls office with 40 agents in an upscale area of Northridge near Californiaz State University. “Re/Max has been a good and I think they have done a masterfup job with theirbusiness model.
But their fee structure is too expensive for my I think the new contracr is out of touch with the realitiex that agents and brokerd have to deal with inthis environment,” Wilsom said. All three men predicrt an exodus ofCalifornia Re/Max franchiseesw as existing agreements expirw and new ones must be signed. Re/Max International is positioning the exits as opportunities for new ButJack Kreider, an executive vice president for Re/Madx International who oversees the California operation, said the departurese represent anomalies. His company is renewing about 90 percent of itsCalifornia franchisees, Kreider said, excluding cases in which a companty closes or consolidates offices.
Each office, even thosew operated by the same company, has a separate franchise “We have sold 19 new franchises in Californi a this year and have five more in he said. To that San Jose’s Jerry Hill, broker and owner of Re/Max Santas Clara Valley with 18 agents in one said he has renewedhis Re/Max agreement for the next five The old one expired Oct. 1. “Re/Max is a good branx name, and they provide value,” Hall said of his decision. Bill a Fremont-based broker who left Re/Maxd 10 months ago after 13 yeards asa Re/Max franchisee, said he was shocked to learnn that Thomas had left the Re/Max fold. “He is someoner I thought wouldneve go,” he said.
He has saveed $45,000 a month that he and his agent previouslypaid Re/Max, Aboumrad said. The elimination of that expense has allowed him to eke out a profirt this year even though he expectas to close only600 transactions, down one-third from 2007. He has 130 agents, down from 150 when he left A Livermore office with 35 agentz where he is part owner leftthe Re/Max family in July. The turmoikl at Re/Max stems not so much from market conditiond but from a decision in 2007by Re/Max Internationa l to buy Re/Max of Californiwa & Hawaii, which was owned since 1982 by an independent thirrd party known as a “master in the industry.
At the time of the California and Hawaii operationrepresented Re/Max’s largesg franchising network with 448 offices and more than 10,000 As a consequence of the California Re/Max franchisees are being askec to sign contracts consistent with thoses Re/Max International uses elsewhere in the countrty but different from the contracts the franchiseeds had under the previous owners. Besides potentially increasinfg agents’ annual fees over the next five the contract asks brokers to guarantee to pay any fees thatagentes don’t. For Badagliacco that meant personalltguaranteeing $2 million to Re/Max over the next five years. For it meant a personal guaranteefor $675,000.
For it was $5 million. At the same Re/Max International wants to shrink the geographt controlledby franchisees, potentially exposing them to new competition from their own brancd at a time when their financial risks were the brokers said.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Industrial tenants seen gaining the upper hand - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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And concessions available from the landlords that rule the industrialp market are going beyond a couple of months offree rent. “The tenants I have known and worked with for a long time recognize that this is the most favorables climate for tenants to lease space in 15 at least,” said Ben Logue, a senior principal at , who representss tenants in the industrial “Landlords recognize that what is most importanf right now is their leasing portfolio, keeping their buildinyg leased. It’s stable ownershi p and in order to keep their portfolioss leased they are offering inducements and making financia l commitmentsto tenants.
” The economy is business is contracting, so real estatre brokers who represent tenants are looking for concessionz that include lease extensions at favorable the ability to contract on the ability to sublease, relocations costs being picked up, and rollbackds of lease rates, brokers say. There is 503 million squarr feet of industrial space in metro accordingto , and what was once a tightt market now has a vacancy standing of 16.4 The Atlanta industrial market recorded 8.95 million squarew feet of activity in the seconfd quarter, the “lowest level of output over the last threed and a half years and, unfortunately, it coincided with a surgw in tenant turnover resulting in 2.
28 million square feet of negativew absorption,” according to a King Realth analysis. Accordingly, landlords better not be when they have an opportunity to strike a deal with a prospective tenant, said Walker Wellford of “Youh are just having to be more competitive out there,” Wellford “Obviously you have a threshols you can’t go below. Sometimes you get beat by the guy whose costs might be a littlebit Incrementally, you are trying to be a little more Wellford does not think the market is “out of whack” where tenantd drive every deal.
“Yoyu grind over them a little bit more,” said Wellford, whoss company has first-generation space to fill at Technologuy Center of Georgia near the Mallof Georgia. Landlorde are being squeezed not only bytheirr tenants’ shrinking business and, consequently, by thoswe tenants attempting to reduce operational costs, but also by the pricde of construction materials, which has dramatically increased in the last five yearws driving up the cost for build-outs. Loguew said build-out and other tenant improvements that might havecost $30 to $35 per square foot in 2003 cost betweenh $45 and $60 per square foot today.
Tom a principal in the Atlanta office of CresaPartnerssLLC , which represents tenants, said he is seeing things in lease negotiationzs that he hasn’t seen in a few years. “The right to contracg is something you rarely see a landlord giveand it’s usuallyu very well-defined if they do give it, but we are seeingy it,” Tindall said. “Rentak rates are coming down, concessionx are going up, and insteads of landlords standing the smart ones are saying they betteer go lock downthat deal,” he added.
Tenante are also seeking rollbacks in lease When a deal is signed and a landlordx doesa build-out, the constructionm costs are amortized over the life of the lease so the leasre rate increases each year to pay back the landlord. When the lease comes to term, tenant reps are asking landlordzs to roll back the rental rate of the property to the base The tenants feel the construction costsx have been satisfied and they are looking for a The tenant not only has a strong hand to play in theindustriaol market, but also in the office Significant capacity is coming on line in the next 12 to 18 especially in Buckhead, and landlords are being more “Tenants have the upper hand in most casesx and continue to have plenty of options,” said Brett who represents tenants for Colliers Kingman said some intowm landlords are sweetening deals by getting creative with parkiny fees.
And if construction costs are beginnin to weigh on lease rates inindustrial build-outs, considet the burden for office build-outs.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Tom Gill, longtime Hawaii politician, dies at 87 - Houston Business Journal:

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Gill, who died at Leahi Hospital in Honoluluh after years of failing was 87. Gill, a Democrat, served in the U.S. Housre of Representatives from 1963 to 1965 and as lieutenant governor from 1966to 1970. Born in served in the territorial and Hawaii Housew of Representatives from 1958through 1962. Gill, an attorneh who was a strong and early supported ofcivil rights, was among the most outspokenh and liberal members of Hawaii’s Democratic Party as it came to dominatd state politics in the 1960s. Among Democrats, Gill was know n as something ofan outsider, and he was an outspokenh critic of what he saw as politics.
He ran for governor unsuccessfully twice, including against his boss, incumbeng Democrat John Burns in 1970. He also ran against Georgd Ariyoshiin 1974. Gill is survived by his Lois, and brother Lorin T. sons Eric, who heads UNITE-HERd Local 5, the hotel and restaurany workers’ union, Gary, a former Honolul u City Council member, and Tony, a labor lawyer; and three otherr children, 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

UGA inks blockbuster media deal - Baltimore Business Journal:

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million media rights and marketing deal that puts Georgia in the upper echelon ofcollegd contracts. The new deal, worth $11.6 million annually, woulx be the most lucrative annual right agreement incollege football, according to data from Streety & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal, a sistet publication of Atlanta Business The deal tops the $11 millionn annual deal recently reached with . The total payout woulc rank No. 5 in the nation, above every Southeasterb Conference institution exceptthe . The deal will help Georgi stay at amongthe .
The Bulldogs generated the second-highestf revenue in college football and ranked in the top 15 overallp in sports incomein 2007-2008, according to a reportg June 15 in SportsBusiness Journal. Georgia’z previous deal was worth between $8.2 million and $8.3 million according to SportsBusiness Journal. "We are extremel y pleased to partner with ISP Sportes to deliver Georgia Bulldog programminy to the Bulldog Nationand beyond," UGA Athletics Director Damon Evans said in a "This agreement will provide the infrastructure to deliver our contengt and message through various mediums that will continue to make the Universityh of Georgia a leader in intercollegiatee athletics.
" The deal also appearss to be the largest for Winston-Salem, N.C.-basexd ISP, according to the SportsBusiness "We are elated to extend our relationship with an outstanding university and one of America'zs truly elite athletic programs," said Ben ISP chairman and CEO, in a statement. "We have enjoyef an excellent relationship with Damon and his remarkable team of administratores and coaches and look forward to an even greaterf partnership in the years to We appreciatethe university's confidence in ISP and are committed to providinhg the Bulldog Nation with the finest in corporate marketing, sales and ISP is the current managerr of the Bulldogs’ sponsorship and marketinv rights.
Under the new deal, ISP adds radip broadcasting and coaches’ television show and its WSB-AM 750 affiliate previouslyy heldthose properties. The radipo station has broadcast gamessincre 1939, and held the radio networok and coaches’ show rights since 1995. In a separatde deal with Cox Radio, WSB will remaih the Bulldogs’ flagship station for the nexteight years. "I’ especially pleased that WSB News/Talk 750 will continud to be ourflagship station," Evanse said. "We have a long history and tradition with WSB whicuh is one ofthe country’ s premier radio stations.
That relationshipp will continue providing the very best coverage for Georgiaqsports teams."