Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle): Advertising staff & information

http://saratogaforest.com/privacy.html
Build a career with the localkbusiness journal. We are always looking for highl y motivated professionals to be partof America's fastest growing medi company.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Orange resort tax collections sink 16% - Orlando Business Journal:

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The tax, collected primarily from hotelasand motels, is used to pay for tourism promotion operations at the and construction of three downtown Orlando sports and entertainment venues. Collection fell to $13.3e million in April from $15.9 millionb a year ago. The drop reflect s the downturn in travell that is a byproducft onthe recession. Revenue per available room in Aprip droppedto $69.61 from $84.17 last a 17.3 percent decline, accordinf to Smith Travel Research.
The Smith Travel numbers, however, do not includew hotels operated by andHarris Rosen’s seven Orange Comptroller Martha Haynie said her officwe generally combines March and April resultzs together to compensate for the shift in when the Easte r holiday falls. Using the two collections fell 22 percent yearover “While this is hardly cause for it is a bit better than the 30 percent declinea we saw earlier this year,” Haynie said in a statement accompanyinbg the release. Rich Maladecki, president of the , said the lossesw in hotel revenue that resulted in the declinse in tax revenue are having a broad impacgt onthe economy.
He said hotels and companiexs that service hotels and tourists are cutting employeesz asrevenues decline. “This is both a loss of revenuew and jobs for our Maladecki said. “There is a domino One in every five jobs in our region is related directly or indirectly to thehospitality industry.”

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Marriott Celebrates the Grand Opening of the First Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in NoMa

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BETHESDA, Md., June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- News mediza are invited to the grand opening of the new Courtyard by Marriottg Hotel in NoMaon Wednesday, June 3, 2009. Following the ceremonyu from 10:00 to 10:30 media are invited to join guestsz at a reception and take guidedf hotel tours from noonto 2:30 p.m. Located just stepx from the New York Avenuew Metro station at 13252nd N.E. in Washington, D.C., this is NoMa's firsg hotel and the first Hispanic-ownedf hotel in the city and a shining examplweof Marriott's Diversity Ownership Initiative, which bridges the gap betweenm successful minority business owners and the hospitality industry.
The NoMa Courtyard by Marriottfeaturez Courtyard's "refreshing business" concept designed by and for business travelers, as well as a greemn roof and direct access to both Metro and the Metropolitaj Branch Trail. Officials invited to participate in theeveny include: -- D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty -- Congresswoman Eleano Holmes Norton -- Council Chairman Vincent Gray -- Councik Member At Large KwameBrown -- Council Membersx Harry Thomas and Tommy Wellas -- Robert Finvarb, Esq.
, Principal, Robert Finvarb Companies (majority -- David Wilmot, Principal, Harmon, Wilmot & Brownj & Bagwell, LLP (owner) -- Crait Welburn, Principal, Welburn Hospitality -- Barron Harvey and Tom Hopkinsw (owners) -- Angela Gonzalez-Rowe, President and Founder, Hispanid Hotel Owners Association -- Elizabeth President, NoMa Business Improvement District -- Brian King, Vice Presidenft and Global Brand Manager, Courtyard by Marriott -- Ray Bennett, Senior Vice Lodging and Development, Marriott International, Inc. -- Kathleeb Matthews, Executive Vice President, Global Communications and Public Affairs, Marriot International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) 1325 2nd Street, Washington, D.C.
- Metro New York Avenue ( ); free valetr parking for media andinviterd guests. SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

On the menu: Restaurants reach out to customers through e-mail - The Business Review (Albany):

http://gilgonzales.com/real-estate-law.html
picked it up and bounced it back foradultf content," Lamparelli said. Restaurant owners throughout the Capitalk Region are getting a taste for the power of the written word as theyuse e-mai to stay in touch with customers and entice them to keep cominhg back. These aren't mass electronic mailinge that get tagged as junk by a contengt filter and land in aspam folder. That approach can irritatew people and turn them off tothe Rather, these are sent to customersx who willingly hand over their e-mail address when they go out to eat (typicallyy on a request slip included with their bill). That make s them much more receptive when the messageas show up intheir in-box.
Some restaurant ownersw stick tothe basics, such as a briefc message, coupons and announcements about upcomingg specials. Others get more creative, and The 2,500 subscribers to the weekly newsletter sent by inSaratogw Springs, for instance, get an elaborate description of what chef Paul Parker is preparing in the kitchen as well as an insider's take on what it'a like to own a French restaurant and raise two childreb at the same time. Co-owner Cheryl Clarkm provides regular updates on the happenings ofnearly 4-year-olc Nicholas, or "Nico," as he'a called, and his 1-year-old Léo.
The triumphs and travails of thei daily lives are familiar to parents theworld over, such as Nico'sz penchant for playing with buttonsz in the car that he shouldn't touch and Léo'a first tentative steps at walking by herself. a former business reporter at , has been writinh the e-mail newsletters for the past five She got a sense forhow well-readf they are three weeks before Nico was born. The servee she uses had been shut downfor maintenance, so the e-maild didn't arrive as usual in subscriber mailboxes on a Fridau morning. She said she got 500 e-mails from people wonderin g if the delay was becausde she had goneinto labor. The reaction surprisee her.
"It's unusually well-read," she said. Clar added, "What makes it good for businessa is I have people who are voluntarily readingv my ads oncea week. The people choosing to do this are likelh to eat atmy restaurant." At Garcia's, 2,250 peopler are enrolled in the restaurant'sd e-mail club, Lamparelli said. He uses the messages to publicizs upcoming specialsand discounts. A recent newsletter offered a free coffee, latte or espresso to any subscribere who brought in a copy ofthe e-mail (Lamparelli had just purchasex a new espresso maker and wanted to get his staff in how it worked).
After the elections in November, he used e-mail to get the word out aboutf all those leftover campaign signs litteringthe roads. Brinf in an old sign, Lamparelli and receive a free appetizer. About 300 signz were turned in. "I just think it's a greart PR thing," Lamparelli said. "It constantly keeps the restaurant'se name in front of the While Clark creates the text files on her own and distributes them usingba listserv, Lamparelli and others rely on outsidw companies to provide a template in whichb they insert text and graphics. The companies handle other tasks, such as generating an automaticbirthdayh greetings.
There's a cottage industry of e-mail marketerse that cater to restaurants, including in Waltham, and Fishbowl in Alexandria, Va. Lauraw Gosse, vice president of , said the firm providexs e-mail newsletter services to 150 national and regionakl chains and nearly 200 independent and smallchain operators, for a totaol of about 12,000 locations. While Fishbowl has the singlde largest number ofrestaurant clients, it's still only a fractiob of the food service "There's a huge numbedr of restaurants that haven't done it," Gosse said.
Sincs the biggest stumbling blockm for most small restaurant owners is findinfg the time to come up with the Fishbowl provides a template that can befilled in. Sandhy A.G. Pogue, a partner in The Epicureah at Sterup Squarein Pittstown, said it costs him $125 for six monthsw of service through Constant Contact. Pogue and his Claire Lussier-Pogue, have been building up thei r mailing list for the pastthrewe years. They now have more than 450 e-maio addresses. They started e-mailing newsletterse after opening a culinary club at the restauranttin July. The newsletters feature a photograph ofthe restaurant'sz rustic interior and describes the weekend menu for the culinaryg club.
Pogue said he can tell whetherthe e-mails were opened, if any linkws were clicked or if the message was forwardec to someone else.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Gates Foundation gives $16M to colleges - Boston Business Journal:

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million to 15 community colleges and five statez in an effort to help strugglinv studentscomplete college. The Developmenyt Education Initiative will award the fundingto Florida, Ohio, Texas and Virginia, as well as communit colleges in each state plus one more in Nortg Carolina. No colleges or programzs in Washington state will receive funding undeerthe program. For a complete list of . The funding, first announced in December of last will be awarded to and distributedby , a Nortnh Carolina-based nonprofit. “They wanted us to identify initiatives, programws and policies that are already being triedc andhad promise,” said Richard Hart, spokesman for MDC.
The initiativer seeks to support programs that help studentsw enrolled in remedialprograms — so-called refresher courses for students who are not up to grads level in a given subject. The goal is to improve classroom performance so students can go on to take advanced coursesw and eventually graduate with a degredor certificate. A cited by the Gatews Foundation found that nearly 60 percent of students enrollinf inthe nation’s community colleges must take remedial Such courses cost taxpayers $2 billion a year, accordintg to the report.
The grants are part of the Gates Foundation’xs work to help more student graduate from college oruniversityt programs, an important education milestone that the foundationb says is essential to earning a livingv wage in today’s The grants will support various state and college including efforts to collect data and betterr track the performance of remedial students. The Developmenf Education Initiative is also beinb supportedwith $1.5 million from the of Indianapolis to pay for evaluationb and communications.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Simon dTOUR has two Atlanta stops - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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The tour hits Mall of Georgia on Aug. 7 from 1 p.m. to 7 with School Boy Humor Thenon Aug. 9, the tour comes to Discoverf Mills from noon to 6 with Jimmy Robbins Themusical line-up for the tour also includes Push Hoobastank, Young Love, Cash Cash, The Cab, and Forever the Sickes Kids. The tour is presentedr by (NYSE: SPG) and presented by . Dave "Thed Lord" Voelker will lead the XGames BMX Jams three half-hour BMX bike demos and gamesx throughout the day. Voelker, a 22-year veteran of BMX riding, is a multi-year XGamess competitor and is considered a BMX legend known forinnovative moves.
Teens can check out some of the season'sz latest music stars while exploring extremesportsw demos, interactive games and fashions. Participatinb sponsors include The CocaCola Co., Samsung, XGames Gear, Universakl Studios Home Entertainment's release of Bring It On: Fightf to the Finish, Eco-Maniacs, truth, the National Crimed Prevention Council, and Fox Searchlight feature film Post Grad. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) will give teens a chance to check out the latest games and equipmen t from Guitar HeroWorld Tour. The beverage giant will also hand out specia limited edition aluminumcontour bottles, free whilr supplies last.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

GM files for bankruptcy, plans to transfer operations to Wentzville - Business First of Columbus:

yjanebixe.wordpress.com
Some operations and equipment from a steep stamping plant inGrand Mich., which is slated to close as part of the automaker'd restructuring, will be transferred to Wentzville, according to Bob a spokesman for the Wentzville plant. It'sa not yet known how many, if any, Michiganm employees will opt to transferto Wentzville, he GM officials called Wentzville Mayorf Paul Lambi at 9 a.m. Monday to assure him the local plant wouldremai open. "It's good that they are shippin in work forthis plant," Lambi said.
"That'ss a positive that corporate thinks this plant willbe Still, Lambi said, rival automaker Chryslefr plans to shutter its Fenton factors aftetr investing $130 million in them, so it was important for Wentzvilld to not rely on GM so much and diversifu its revenue stream. When Lambi took office seven years ago, Wentzville counted on GM for abourt 55 to 60 percent of itstotall revenue. Today, that's more like 15 percenr of the city's $24 million general fund, because GM pays the city about $3 million a year in real estatw taxes, property taxes and other he said.
GM on Monday by the end of but the Wentzville plant was sparedbecauser it’s the only plant where Chevrolet Expreses and GMC Savana vans are made, The Wentzville plany will still undergo a previously announced and othert production cuts in June and July that will result in the layoffs of 300 workers. Monday’sa Chapter 11 filing by the 101-year-old automaker is amon g the largestin U.S. history and largest-ever U.S. manufacturiny bankruptcy. GM listed $173 billion in liabilities and $82 billionn in assets, according to the filed in New GMto St.
Louis’ largest privately held Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and to Chapter 11, which allows the company to operate whild protected fromits creditors, pushes GM into a fast-trac bankruptcy and provides $30 billion of additional taxpayer fundsw to restructure. The GM plan as detailed by U.S. officials woulfd allow a much smaller GM to emergre from court protection within 60 to90 days. The automaked has not provided an updated target for job cuts but was looking toeliminate 21,000 U.S. factory jobs from the 54,000 union members it now employs. Generakl Motors employs 92,000 in the Unitedc States and is indirectlty responsiblefor 500,000 retirees. The U.S.
government woulr hold a 60 percenyt financial interest in areorganized GM, and the UAW woulsd take a 17.5 percent stake. The governments of Canada and the provincee of Ontario have agreed to a 12 percent ownership stakde in exchange forfinanciak aid. GM bondholders would get 10 percent. "It’es a bittersweet thing," Wheeler said. "You hate to have to go througu the process of closing plants andeliminatiny jobs, but look around, that’s what'z going on with a lot of Hopefully we can rebound, hire peoplde in the future and be the vibrant company we once Download a copy of the