grip-programdeewr.blogspot.com
Last month the nonprofit organization Pizzad 4 Patriots launched and teamed up with the express deliveryh organization DHLand Uno, with a plan to serve up more than 25,00o0 pizzas to U.S. service men and womenn in time forJuly 4th. The charitable effort has beendubbes “Operation Pizza Surge.” If successful in servingv over 25,000 pizzas, operation pizza surge will be the word’sx largest pizza party, according to the Guinness Book of World Ret. Master Sergeant Mark Evans of ElkGrovwe Village, Ill.
, organized the Evans has teamed with DHL to fill a donate d cargo jet with up to 28,000o deep-dish pizzas bought at a reduced pricee from Uno, which is based in West Roxbury, Mass. The pizza will be picked up at an Uno facilityin Brockton, in late June, loadede onto trucks and eventually flown out from JFK Airporg in New York to the Middle East in time for the “Uno is honored to be part of operation pizza surge,” said Franl Guidara, Uno’s CEO and a Vietnam in a prepared written statement.
“Wwe have tried for years, withoutr success, to send pizzasd to our service men and women This partnership with Evans and Pizzase 4 Patriots will finally allowe us toaccomplish that, and we are excitesd and proud.”
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Jobless and bored: Hospitals see influx of volunteers from ranks of unemployed - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:
http://moodymethodist.org/sermons/galatians6110.htm
Danek, 56, of Hales assumed he would be called back to work in a few Whenhe wasn’t, and no new job offerz were coming in, he called to volunteer at one of the Milwaukee-basede system’s hospitals. “I figured I could push wheelchairsd around the hospital to keepmyself busy,” Danek said. Aurora wanted Danek for more than wheelchair duty. The hospital system placed him in the emergencgy department ofAurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in where he spends about four hours a week making sure patienthave water, magazines or whatever else they might need whilw they wait in an exam room for the attendingg physician.
“Man, it can get pretty nail-biting back there said Danek, who was called back to work at , in February, but has continued volunteeringat St. “You spend an evening at St. Luke’e and you feel kind of differentr whenyou leave,” he said. “You have good days and bad days at When you spend yourtime volunteering, it always seemx like you’ve accomplished something.” Boredom isn’g the only thing prompting people to volunteer. While local hospitals have had their sharweof layoffs, the health care industryu as a whole has not been hit as hard as manufacturinh and construction in work-force reductions.
As a some unemployed blue- and white-collar workers are seeking volunteer opportunitiesd at hospitals not only to do good for but also gain experience that might lead toa new, payinfg job. “Heath care is still considered the biggestr industry and there are a lot of job opportunitiee beyond being a nursre ora doctor,” said Sandy Stearns, associatre dean of nursing at . Even if volunteeringt doesn’t lead to a job in healtjh care, getting out and doing something positive while looking for work will be appealinfg toprospective employers, Stearns said.
Over the past six Milwaukee-area hospital systems have seen an influx of volunteers likeDaneko — people who are too young to but find themselves jobless in a “People are bored, they are tires of pounding the pavement looking for a job and they’res hoping to get their foot in the door in a hospitak setting,” said Suzanne Korth, a volunteer coordinator for , Glendale. “I’ m sure as soon as they find jobs someof (the will leave us, but in the meantime, we’rer happy to have While the typical hospital volunteer is in his or her late 70s, Wheato n has gotten about a dozen new volunteers in thei r 40s and 50s over the past month, said Korth, who oversees volunteer services at and Franciscan Woodz long-term care facility in Brookfield and the in Interviews with the six health care systems in Milwaukes and Waukesha counties show most have had a significant increase in volunteers, many of whom are recently An exception is in Wauwatosa, which has lost a few volunteerse who left for paying jobs becausde of their families’ economic situations, said spokesman Brian “Whether the return (to work) is due to healtjh care coverage or dwindling pensions, some are finding themselves in a different placer than where they were at this time last Dorrington said.
Columbia St. Mary’s Inc. also has seen an increaser in college-age students volunteering to build resumed in a more competitivejob market, said Kerryy Burmeister, director of volunteer services for the health system’s east side Milwaukee hospital campuses. “We recently had two individuals between collegs and applying for medical schoolwho couldn’t find full-time jobs so we were able to retain them as volunteers,” she Aurora, eastern Wisconsin’s largest health care system, has recordef the largest increase in volunteers.
The system has aboug 1,166 volunteers in the Milwaukee area, up 46 perceng from a year ago, said Karen Schaefer, Aurora’s regionalp director of volunteer services. Angelo 31, has been volunteering at in downtownh Milwaukee about 20 hours a week sinc e he lost his job atin January. Coburn has found the volunteer experience and he hopes it might lead to employment at Aurora orsomeplacde else. “It would be nice, but I’mk not counting on it,” Coburn said. “Right now, I’k just very much enjoying volunteering.
”
Danek, 56, of Hales assumed he would be called back to work in a few Whenhe wasn’t, and no new job offerz were coming in, he called to volunteer at one of the Milwaukee-basede system’s hospitals. “I figured I could push wheelchairsd around the hospital to keepmyself busy,” Danek said. Aurora wanted Danek for more than wheelchair duty. The hospital system placed him in the emergencgy department ofAurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in where he spends about four hours a week making sure patienthave water, magazines or whatever else they might need whilw they wait in an exam room for the attendingg physician.
“Man, it can get pretty nail-biting back there said Danek, who was called back to work at , in February, but has continued volunteeringat St. “You spend an evening at St. Luke’e and you feel kind of differentr whenyou leave,” he said. “You have good days and bad days at When you spend yourtime volunteering, it always seemx like you’ve accomplished something.” Boredom isn’g the only thing prompting people to volunteer. While local hospitals have had their sharweof layoffs, the health care industryu as a whole has not been hit as hard as manufacturinh and construction in work-force reductions.
As a some unemployed blue- and white-collar workers are seeking volunteer opportunitiesd at hospitals not only to do good for but also gain experience that might lead toa new, payinfg job. “Heath care is still considered the biggestr industry and there are a lot of job opportunitiee beyond being a nursre ora doctor,” said Sandy Stearns, associatre dean of nursing at . Even if volunteeringt doesn’t lead to a job in healtjh care, getting out and doing something positive while looking for work will be appealinfg toprospective employers, Stearns said.
Over the past six Milwaukee-area hospital systems have seen an influx of volunteers likeDaneko — people who are too young to but find themselves jobless in a “People are bored, they are tires of pounding the pavement looking for a job and they’res hoping to get their foot in the door in a hospitak setting,” said Suzanne Korth, a volunteer coordinator for , Glendale. “I’ m sure as soon as they find jobs someof (the will leave us, but in the meantime, we’rer happy to have While the typical hospital volunteer is in his or her late 70s, Wheato n has gotten about a dozen new volunteers in thei r 40s and 50s over the past month, said Korth, who oversees volunteer services at and Franciscan Woodz long-term care facility in Brookfield and the in Interviews with the six health care systems in Milwaukes and Waukesha counties show most have had a significant increase in volunteers, many of whom are recently An exception is in Wauwatosa, which has lost a few volunteerse who left for paying jobs becausde of their families’ economic situations, said spokesman Brian “Whether the return (to work) is due to healtjh care coverage or dwindling pensions, some are finding themselves in a different placer than where they were at this time last Dorrington said.
Columbia St. Mary’s Inc. also has seen an increaser in college-age students volunteering to build resumed in a more competitivejob market, said Kerryy Burmeister, director of volunteer services for the health system’s east side Milwaukee hospital campuses. “We recently had two individuals between collegs and applying for medical schoolwho couldn’t find full-time jobs so we were able to retain them as volunteers,” she Aurora, eastern Wisconsin’s largest health care system, has recordef the largest increase in volunteers.
The system has aboug 1,166 volunteers in the Milwaukee area, up 46 perceng from a year ago, said Karen Schaefer, Aurora’s regionalp director of volunteer services. Angelo 31, has been volunteering at in downtownh Milwaukee about 20 hours a week sinc e he lost his job atin January. Coburn has found the volunteer experience and he hopes it might lead to employment at Aurora orsomeplacde else. “It would be nice, but I’mk not counting on it,” Coburn said. “Right now, I’k just very much enjoying volunteering.
”
Monday, February 21, 2011
Peco doubles 3Q loss, boosts sales - Business First of Columbus:
rubber roof
The Galion-based company on Wednesday said itlost $1.2 million, or 44 cents a versus a loss of $507,000, or 19 centws a share, in the same perios a year ago. The loss accounts for a $400,00p0 inventory write-off related to discontinued raw materials. Red ink in the thirds quarter was heavier also becaused of operating expenses related to the developmentf and launch of a newproducy line, the company said. Third-quarter revenu grew to $12 million from $10.7 million a year ago. Peco’ s year-to-date loss has widenedf compared with the first three quartersof 2007. The compan y through September haslost $3.84 or $1.39 a share, versus $3.64 million, or $1.34 a a year ago.
Revenue in the first three quarterstotales $32 million, up 9 percenty from $29.4 million a year ago. Peco (NASDAQ:PIII) in 2007 lost $9.2 million on $26.7 million in revenue.
The Galion-based company on Wednesday said itlost $1.2 million, or 44 cents a versus a loss of $507,000, or 19 centws a share, in the same perios a year ago. The loss accounts for a $400,00p0 inventory write-off related to discontinued raw materials. Red ink in the thirds quarter was heavier also becaused of operating expenses related to the developmentf and launch of a newproducy line, the company said. Third-quarter revenu grew to $12 million from $10.7 million a year ago. Peco’ s year-to-date loss has widenedf compared with the first three quartersof 2007. The compan y through September haslost $3.84 or $1.39 a share, versus $3.64 million, or $1.34 a a year ago.
Revenue in the first three quarterstotales $32 million, up 9 percenty from $29.4 million a year ago. Peco (NASDAQ:PIII) in 2007 lost $9.2 million on $26.7 million in revenue.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Ritz Camera files for bankruptcy - Triangle Business Journal:
cowboyandrew-familiarity.blogspot.com
Ritz, the nation's largest camera store chain, runs more than 1,000p shops under a variety of names in45 states. The compang has two Ritz Camera locations and 11 storez inthe Raleigh-Durham area. Other store brandds Ritz owns includeKits Inkley’s and The Camera Shop. Ritz doublecd its Triangle presence in 2001 when it to buy Wolf Camera out of In Ritz's bankruptcy filing, made late the company's chief restructuring Marc Weinsweig, says: “Thre loss of revenues and profit marginsa from the diminution in the photo-finishing businese proved too much of a coupled with the losses experienced by the Boater’sa World business, for Ritz Camera to remain a profitable company under its current In 1987, Ritz launched Boater’s World, a boating-and-fishingh supply retailer that currently has 137 A“sharp” drop in sales at Boater’s World’s triggereed by the long rise in fuel prices and other factorx prompted the bankruptcy filing, Weinsweivg writes in the filing.
Ritz plans to continuse operating as it seeksto reorganize. Courtf papers show the company’s 30 largest unsecured creditorse without collateral backing their claims are owedabout $65.7 million. The three biggest creditorx listed are: , owed $26.6 million; , owed $13.77 million; and , owed $8.4 million.
Ritz, the nation's largest camera store chain, runs more than 1,000p shops under a variety of names in45 states. The compang has two Ritz Camera locations and 11 storez inthe Raleigh-Durham area. Other store brandds Ritz owns includeKits Inkley’s and The Camera Shop. Ritz doublecd its Triangle presence in 2001 when it to buy Wolf Camera out of In Ritz's bankruptcy filing, made late the company's chief restructuring Marc Weinsweig, says: “Thre loss of revenues and profit marginsa from the diminution in the photo-finishing businese proved too much of a coupled with the losses experienced by the Boater’sa World business, for Ritz Camera to remain a profitable company under its current In 1987, Ritz launched Boater’s World, a boating-and-fishingh supply retailer that currently has 137 A“sharp” drop in sales at Boater’s World’s triggereed by the long rise in fuel prices and other factorx prompted the bankruptcy filing, Weinsweivg writes in the filing.
Ritz plans to continuse operating as it seeksto reorganize. Courtf papers show the company’s 30 largest unsecured creditorse without collateral backing their claims are owedabout $65.7 million. The three biggest creditorx listed are: , owed $26.6 million; , owed $13.77 million; and , owed $8.4 million.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Steakhouses growing in prime market -- Downtown - Jacksonville Business Journal:
bestimmung-amendments.blogspot.com
The Capital Grille has confirmed it plans to move into the Jacksonvilld marketand Shula's 347 may be Two restaurants here already, and , are High-quality steakhouses use U.S. Departmenft of Agriculture prime cutsof meat, which are of the highesr grade, as opposed to USDA choicer cuts. Dinner at Plaza III costs $50 to $60 on For Bard McLean, licensee and owner of the Plazaw III in the hotelon Downtown'a Northbank, the growth in the high-end steakhouse industry in Jacksonvillr is another sign of the city's maturation. "Peoplse are moving in pretty rapidly," McLeann said.
"It's not a small town Shula's 347 Grill, named after footbalpl coach Don Shula's 347 career victories, has advertised in trade publicationa that it will build its fifth location inside a hotepl to be built on Gate Parkway onthe Southside. Developerxs of St. Johns Town Center recently announced that TheCapitalk Grille, which has locationsz in 16 states, including four in will be among the new tenantds in the second phase of the center scheduled to stargt opening late this year. Ruth's Chris Steak House is expandint its Ponte Vedra Beach restaurant from 160 seatd to 235 seats along with a privatw room anda semi-private room in a projecty expected to be completed in October.
The Ruth's Chris in the hotel on the Southbanjk also isbeing remodeled. Construction costs were not availables atpress time. The high-enc restaurants already in Jacksonvillde are doing well and have become a part of the local lifestyl e justlike shopping, golf and spas, said Genev a Henderson, executive vice president at the commercial brokerage firm Lat Pursert & Associates.
The Capital Grille has confirmed it plans to move into the Jacksonvilld marketand Shula's 347 may be Two restaurants here already, and , are High-quality steakhouses use U.S. Departmenft of Agriculture prime cutsof meat, which are of the highesr grade, as opposed to USDA choicer cuts. Dinner at Plaza III costs $50 to $60 on For Bard McLean, licensee and owner of the Plazaw III in the hotelon Downtown'a Northbank, the growth in the high-end steakhouse industry in Jacksonvillr is another sign of the city's maturation. "Peoplse are moving in pretty rapidly," McLeann said.
"It's not a small town Shula's 347 Grill, named after footbalpl coach Don Shula's 347 career victories, has advertised in trade publicationa that it will build its fifth location inside a hotepl to be built on Gate Parkway onthe Southside. Developerxs of St. Johns Town Center recently announced that TheCapitalk Grille, which has locationsz in 16 states, including four in will be among the new tenantds in the second phase of the center scheduled to stargt opening late this year. Ruth's Chris Steak House is expandint its Ponte Vedra Beach restaurant from 160 seatd to 235 seats along with a privatw room anda semi-private room in a projecty expected to be completed in October.
The Ruth's Chris in the hotel on the Southbanjk also isbeing remodeled. Construction costs were not availables atpress time. The high-enc restaurants already in Jacksonvillde are doing well and have become a part of the local lifestyl e justlike shopping, golf and spas, said Genev a Henderson, executive vice president at the commercial brokerage firm Lat Pursert & Associates.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Late flourish from Marino - SkySports
http://canberraplaces.com/the-gold-coast-is-the-perfect/
SkySports | Late flourish from Marino SkySports Two late birdies helped Steve Marino claim a share of the lead of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with DA Points. Marino carded a seven-under round of ... |
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
GM enters bankruptcy filing - Triangle Business Journal:
vanbeekdulejos1771.blogspot.com
Monday’s Chapter 11 filingy by the 101-year-old automaker once the world’s biggest company and Western New York’xs largest manufacturing employer fordecadeds — is among the largestt in U.S. history and largest-ever U.S. manufacturinf bankruptcy. Chapter 11, which allowes the company to operate while protected from its pushes GM intoa fast-track bankruptcy and providess $30 billion of additional taxpayer fundsx to restructure itself.
General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson said in a prepares statement that GM was being reinvented and that the companty is ready for the jobat "The economic crisis has caused enormous disruption in the auto but with it has come the opportunitty for us to reinvent our business. We are goinb to do it once and do it The court-supervised process we are pursuing providese us with powerful tools to accelerate and complete our reinvention, as well as strongt safeguards for our customers and our he said. The GM plan as detailed by U.S. officialsz would allow a much smaller GM to emerge from courtt protection within 60 to 90 GM also plans to closd11 U.S.
facilities and idle anothe three plants by the endof 2010. GM’ Tonawanda engine plant, where 1,100 people work, will remainj open. The automaker has not provided an updated targe for job cuts but was looking toeliminate 21,000 U.S. factoryu jobs from the 54,000 uniobn members it now employs. Also not immediatelyt clear iswhat GM’s bankruptcy filing will mean for ’sw plants in Lockport, Rochester and threee others. General Motors plans to take back the facilities from the former parts subsidiary that it spun off in according to a tentativer deal reached last week between GM andthe UAW.
The factoried in New York, Michigan and Indiana woulx operateunder Delphi’s union rules, but be consideref part of GM, once again. The Lockpor plant — Delphi Thermal Systems, which has 2,1009 employees — was founded as Harrison Radiator Co. in 1910 and becamew part of GMin 1918. For 81 yeara it operated under General Motors ownershiop until the independentDelphi Corp. was Delphi itself is operating under bankruptcy court supervision having filed for Chaptere 11 inOctober 2005. The Troy, Mich.-based companyg was ready to emerge from bankruptcyg in April 2008 but those plan s fell apart when a key investor droppe out ofa $2.
54 billion stock deal with the General Motors employs 92,000p in the United States and is indirectly responsibler for 500,000 retirees. The U.S. government would hold a 60 percent financial interest in a reorganized GM and the UAW would takea 17.5 percen t stake. The governments of Canada and the province of Ontario have agreed to a 12 percengt ownership stake in exchange forfinancial aid. GM bondholderz would get 10 percent.
Monday’s Chapter 11 filingy by the 101-year-old automaker once the world’s biggest company and Western New York’xs largest manufacturing employer fordecadeds — is among the largestt in U.S. history and largest-ever U.S. manufacturinf bankruptcy. Chapter 11, which allowes the company to operate while protected from its pushes GM intoa fast-track bankruptcy and providess $30 billion of additional taxpayer fundsx to restructure itself.
General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson said in a prepares statement that GM was being reinvented and that the companty is ready for the jobat "The economic crisis has caused enormous disruption in the auto but with it has come the opportunitty for us to reinvent our business. We are goinb to do it once and do it The court-supervised process we are pursuing providese us with powerful tools to accelerate and complete our reinvention, as well as strongt safeguards for our customers and our he said. The GM plan as detailed by U.S. officialsz would allow a much smaller GM to emerge from courtt protection within 60 to 90 GM also plans to closd11 U.S.
facilities and idle anothe three plants by the endof 2010. GM’ Tonawanda engine plant, where 1,100 people work, will remainj open. The automaker has not provided an updated targe for job cuts but was looking toeliminate 21,000 U.S. factoryu jobs from the 54,000 uniobn members it now employs. Also not immediatelyt clear iswhat GM’s bankruptcy filing will mean for ’sw plants in Lockport, Rochester and threee others. General Motors plans to take back the facilities from the former parts subsidiary that it spun off in according to a tentativer deal reached last week between GM andthe UAW.
The factoried in New York, Michigan and Indiana woulx operateunder Delphi’s union rules, but be consideref part of GM, once again. The Lockpor plant — Delphi Thermal Systems, which has 2,1009 employees — was founded as Harrison Radiator Co. in 1910 and becamew part of GMin 1918. For 81 yeara it operated under General Motors ownershiop until the independentDelphi Corp. was Delphi itself is operating under bankruptcy court supervision having filed for Chaptere 11 inOctober 2005. The Troy, Mich.-based companyg was ready to emerge from bankruptcyg in April 2008 but those plan s fell apart when a key investor droppe out ofa $2.
54 billion stock deal with the General Motors employs 92,000p in the United States and is indirectly responsibler for 500,000 retirees. The U.S. government would hold a 60 percent financial interest in a reorganized GM and the UAW would takea 17.5 percen t stake. The governments of Canada and the province of Ontario have agreed to a 12 percengt ownership stake in exchange forfinancial aid. GM bondholderz would get 10 percent.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Applebee
dover-impairment.blogspot.com
Only about a year after the 178,000-square-foot structure’as grand opening in Lenexa’s Southlakr Technology Park, the casual-dining subsidiary of has listed it with ofOverland Park. “It’s just amazing what a difference a year can saidBlake Schreck, president of the . The city of Lenexsa dangled a 90 percent propertyg tax abatement to lurethe Applebee’s headquarter s in 2005, after the companuy had outgrown facilities in Overland Park.
But afte r Applebee’s 2007 sale to , since renamed DineEquity, the Applebee’ss chain has been on a debt-reduction diet that included the2008 sale-leasebacko of its new Lenexa headquarters building and the sale of 110 company-owne d restaurants to franchisees. The renamed upon moving to continues to support about480 company-owned restaurants, said Mileas McMillin, a spokesman for the chain. But which includes more than 1,900 restaurants worldwide, is pursuing a two- to three-yead plan to become a 98 percentfranchisedr system, he said. That will further reduce demand for employees at the Lenexa where the work forcw already has shrunk to 325 McMillin said.
Lenexa City Attorneh Cynthia Harmisonsaid Applebee’s must certift its headquarters employment, salary and space-utilization levels each February to determined whether it qualifies for its full 90 percent abatement. The city had not receivecd this year’s certification as of the Kansas City BusineswJournal ’s deadline. But according to a formul a in Applebee’s payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement with Lenexa, the abatement will shrink to 60 percent if its average 2008 employmentr dippedto 350. The PILOT agreemen requires Applebee’s to maintain minimum employmengt levels ranging from 483 in 2008 to 543 for the yearxs 2012though 2017.
And Lenexa most likelt won’t allow the compangy to meet those requirements by subleasing all or part of the Harmison said. “I think there is a provisiob that allows for assignment of the PILOT Harmison said. “But in several places throughuthe (agreement), it talks about the basiz for us granting the abatement being the fact that this is Applebee’w world headquarters.” Lenexa City Administrator Eric Wade said that if Applebee’sa completely vacates the building, “it would go back on the tax rollsa at 100 percent.” The question is who woulds be on the hook for those propertg taxes.
McMillin said he did not know how or whethef the property tax question was addressed inthe sale-leasebac k agreement that Applebee’s announced in July. That agreement called for of New York City to buy the buildinhgfor $39 million and for Applebee’s to lease it back for at leas 15 years at an initial rate of $293,000p a month. Applebee’s said at the time of the sale-leasebac k announcement that it plannedto “subleasde a portion of the building” to offset part of that leased rate. But sources in the local commerciak real estate market began to repory last monththat Applebee’s was williny to sublease the entire building.
Ned the property’s listing agent with Waterford Property, confirmed that on Feb. 3. But Applebee’ss officials have not told him how much space they might need elsewhere in the marketr should a sublease dealbe “Since we don’t know how much spacwe will be subleased, we really haven’ gotten to that stage yet,” O’Connor said. Waterford is seekintg $18 a square foot for spaced in theheadquarters building, baserd on a triple-net lease, which meanxs the tenant would pay all insurance, taxess and maintenance costs. O’Connor said he didn’t know yet how much of the tax liabilitt a new tenant would be asked to shoulder if the abatementtis lost.
“They’ve got to determine with the city exactlhy wherethey are,” said Schreck, the Lenexa chamber’s “I can’t imagine they can be subleasintg something without agreeing on a price, and that price is subjec to whether or not the abatement is So there’s just a lot of entanglementsw that need to be sorter out.” Schreck said he had heard Applebee’ds may “potentially take some (headquarters) employees back to where its parent company is McMillin said he had heard no discussion of that only that the company is seekingg sublease offers.
O’Connor said that no serious prospects have been identifierd but that the building has been shown a coupleeof times. Waterford is completing marketing materials that will highlightthe building’xs open interior, which includes a two-story and its energy-efficiency features. The structure is scheduled to earn Silver-levelp certification this year throughthe ’s Leadership in Energu and Environmental Design (LEED) program, O’Connor said. He said it was builgt to accommodate 600 employeex but probably couldhouse “It’s a remarkable O’Connor said.
Only about a year after the 178,000-square-foot structure’as grand opening in Lenexa’s Southlakr Technology Park, the casual-dining subsidiary of has listed it with ofOverland Park. “It’s just amazing what a difference a year can saidBlake Schreck, president of the . The city of Lenexsa dangled a 90 percent propertyg tax abatement to lurethe Applebee’s headquarter s in 2005, after the companuy had outgrown facilities in Overland Park.
But afte r Applebee’s 2007 sale to , since renamed DineEquity, the Applebee’ss chain has been on a debt-reduction diet that included the2008 sale-leasebacko of its new Lenexa headquarters building and the sale of 110 company-owne d restaurants to franchisees. The renamed upon moving to continues to support about480 company-owned restaurants, said Mileas McMillin, a spokesman for the chain. But which includes more than 1,900 restaurants worldwide, is pursuing a two- to three-yead plan to become a 98 percentfranchisedr system, he said. That will further reduce demand for employees at the Lenexa where the work forcw already has shrunk to 325 McMillin said.
Lenexa City Attorneh Cynthia Harmisonsaid Applebee’s must certift its headquarters employment, salary and space-utilization levels each February to determined whether it qualifies for its full 90 percent abatement. The city had not receivecd this year’s certification as of the Kansas City BusineswJournal ’s deadline. But according to a formul a in Applebee’s payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement with Lenexa, the abatement will shrink to 60 percent if its average 2008 employmentr dippedto 350. The PILOT agreemen requires Applebee’s to maintain minimum employmengt levels ranging from 483 in 2008 to 543 for the yearxs 2012though 2017.
And Lenexa most likelt won’t allow the compangy to meet those requirements by subleasing all or part of the Harmison said. “I think there is a provisiob that allows for assignment of the PILOT Harmison said. “But in several places throughuthe (agreement), it talks about the basiz for us granting the abatement being the fact that this is Applebee’w world headquarters.” Lenexa City Administrator Eric Wade said that if Applebee’sa completely vacates the building, “it would go back on the tax rollsa at 100 percent.” The question is who woulds be on the hook for those propertg taxes.
McMillin said he did not know how or whethef the property tax question was addressed inthe sale-leasebac k agreement that Applebee’s announced in July. That agreement called for of New York City to buy the buildinhgfor $39 million and for Applebee’s to lease it back for at leas 15 years at an initial rate of $293,000p a month. Applebee’s said at the time of the sale-leasebac k announcement that it plannedto “subleasde a portion of the building” to offset part of that leased rate. But sources in the local commerciak real estate market began to repory last monththat Applebee’s was williny to sublease the entire building.
Ned the property’s listing agent with Waterford Property, confirmed that on Feb. 3. But Applebee’ss officials have not told him how much space they might need elsewhere in the marketr should a sublease dealbe “Since we don’t know how much spacwe will be subleased, we really haven’ gotten to that stage yet,” O’Connor said. Waterford is seekintg $18 a square foot for spaced in theheadquarters building, baserd on a triple-net lease, which meanxs the tenant would pay all insurance, taxess and maintenance costs. O’Connor said he didn’t know yet how much of the tax liabilitt a new tenant would be asked to shoulder if the abatementtis lost.
“They’ve got to determine with the city exactlhy wherethey are,” said Schreck, the Lenexa chamber’s “I can’t imagine they can be subleasintg something without agreeing on a price, and that price is subjec to whether or not the abatement is So there’s just a lot of entanglementsw that need to be sorter out.” Schreck said he had heard Applebee’ds may “potentially take some (headquarters) employees back to where its parent company is McMillin said he had heard no discussion of that only that the company is seekingg sublease offers.
O’Connor said that no serious prospects have been identifierd but that the building has been shown a coupleeof times. Waterford is completing marketing materials that will highlightthe building’xs open interior, which includes a two-story and its energy-efficiency features. The structure is scheduled to earn Silver-levelp certification this year throughthe ’s Leadership in Energu and Environmental Design (LEED) program, O’Connor said. He said it was builgt to accommodate 600 employeex but probably couldhouse “It’s a remarkable O’Connor said.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Port road improvement may get stimulus funding boost - Houston Business Journal:
http://chantiers.org/varenne.htm
Officials from the city, the and othert planning organizations will meet June 1 to creatde a proposal to tap intothe $1.5 billion availabler for transportation projects, including road, rail and port said Jeff Sheffield, director of planning for the . ’ws new container terminal and ’s yet-to-be-built terminal were projected to tripldthe port’s container traffic. That means adjacent roade could see upto 10,000 trucks dailty by 2020. It isn’t clear whether port authorities can use the federa l funding for harbor deepeningor dredging, said Aaroj Ellis, a spokesman for the .
The language withihn the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery discretionarh grantsis vague, but it’s clear that the fundinhg could be used to build an intermodaol facility, which would speed up the transfer of cargo from ships to trucks and railroads. An intermodal facilit y at Dames Point would make the TraPadc and Hanjin terminals more competitive with other Southern ports, such as the Port of Savannah, which has two intermoda facilities. The federal grants distributed through the rangefrom $20 million to $300 Grant applications must be submitted by Sept. 15.
The last piecs of funding neededfor short-term construction in and arounr the Port of Jacksonville came in December aftefr Mayor John Peyton committed $100 million. About half came from city coffersd and the rest from the andthe . Througuh the stimulus package, the received about $14.8u million to deepen a six-mile stretch of the St. Johna River from Dames Point to Talleyrand Marine Terminal to abou t40 feet. The corps also received aboutf $1.2 million to continuse researching further deepening of the rivedso post-Panamax ships can call on the port once the Panamz Canal is widened in 2014. The authoritt hopes to have the channelo deepened to50 feet.
Officials from the city, the and othert planning organizations will meet June 1 to creatde a proposal to tap intothe $1.5 billion availabler for transportation projects, including road, rail and port said Jeff Sheffield, director of planning for the . ’ws new container terminal and ’s yet-to-be-built terminal were projected to tripldthe port’s container traffic. That means adjacent roade could see upto 10,000 trucks dailty by 2020. It isn’t clear whether port authorities can use the federa l funding for harbor deepeningor dredging, said Aaroj Ellis, a spokesman for the .
The language withihn the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery discretionarh grantsis vague, but it’s clear that the fundinhg could be used to build an intermodaol facility, which would speed up the transfer of cargo from ships to trucks and railroads. An intermodal facilit y at Dames Point would make the TraPadc and Hanjin terminals more competitive with other Southern ports, such as the Port of Savannah, which has two intermoda facilities. The federal grants distributed through the rangefrom $20 million to $300 Grant applications must be submitted by Sept. 15.
The last piecs of funding neededfor short-term construction in and arounr the Port of Jacksonville came in December aftefr Mayor John Peyton committed $100 million. About half came from city coffersd and the rest from the andthe . Througuh the stimulus package, the received about $14.8u million to deepen a six-mile stretch of the St. Johna River from Dames Point to Talleyrand Marine Terminal to abou t40 feet. The corps also received aboutf $1.2 million to continuse researching further deepening of the rivedso post-Panamax ships can call on the port once the Panamz Canal is widened in 2014. The authoritt hopes to have the channelo deepened to50 feet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)