Construction leads growth in Top 150 St. Louis Privately Held Companies - St. Louis Business Journal:

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Business Journal research on the area' s largest private companies found the five that recorded the largesg percentage gains in revenue are all involved in realestatr development, construction and related buildinh trades. Those companies -- The , , and -- each generater between 56 percent and 81 percent growtg last year for acombinedf $1.48 billion in total revenue. Each firm has a different but most sharesimilar themes. Companu executives attribute their success tolarge projects, diversifier client bases and hard-working employees.
Most acknowledgee they have been benefiting recently from jobs and investments whosed origins date back a few years when credit was easyto Similarly, while many are enjoyinf continued prosperity this year, most are takinv a more cautious view of the future. With the financialk markets tight and the nationaleconomy slowing, there is greater risk that upcomingh jobs could be delayed or scaled down.
The lag time betweeb a project's proposal and its eventualo completion can stretch from months to That has managers planning ahead now for conditions that might not hit home forsome "I think 2008 and 2009 for PayneCresf will be very strong years, but I am a littlr bit concerned about where the market will be from 2010 and on," said David owner and president. "Normally we would know of some big jobs comint downthe road. But beyonrd 2010, we don't see a lot in the PayneCrest surged with 61 percent revenude growth in 2007 thanks to a couple ofmammotg projects.
The company posted record revenusof $100 million as it completed the electricaol and communications wiring of 's new $507 million Lumieree Place casino complex downtown, as well as major electrical upgraded at 's two assembly plants in Now PayneCrest is preparing to take on the lead electrical contractor role for 's $905 million cement plant in Ste. Genevieve County. Payne is staffinyg up to handlehis backlog, but also tryinv to anticipate economic conditions a few yearws out. "We have to accomplish the work we have on the books while also looking at the future and tryingf to determine what that will mean forstaffinbg levels," Payne said.
Design-build firm ARCO Constructiohn grew 73 percent last year thanks in large part tothe company'as geographic and market diversification, according to co-ownee and Chief Executive Jeff Cook. With nine offices nationwide and a larger staff to handlew more jobs and bigger ARCO boosted revenueto $402 million. The companyu takes on everything from office buildings and distributio centersto health-care, retail and commercial housing projects. A new $5 million Lamborghini dealership in Chesterfield anda $10 millio industrial building in Eureka for Chrysler suppliere are among its recent local jobs.
But Cook said some of ARCO'sd recent growth came from a level of project backlog that mightg not be replaced at such a vigorou pace in thecoming months. "Don't expect that growth evergy yearfrom us," Cook said. "We're more of a controlledr growth kindof company. We're targetinyg 10 percent this year." Close behind ARCO, Ben Hur Constructiom bumped itsrevenue 71.5 percent in 2007 under the leadershipo of President and CEO Bill one of the firm's owners. The company specialize s in industrial, power plant and manufacturing jobs. "The powee work has been on the books and they are just getting arounds to it all overthe country," Brownn said.
"The coal power work is going nuts with new plantswand retrofits." Ben Hur also builds and Brown said with all the new housinb developed in recent years, it "seem like there's a church going up on every "Our niche markets have been pretty spectacular, and there is a lot of strengtu in them through 2008 and 2009 becausre many of these jobs have been in the works for years in Brown said. "We're struggling to find reasons not to be We think there is still enough strength in the econom yright now." Sachs Electric, whose current projectd include wiring 's new $80 million Chaifeta Arena, grew its revenue 56 percent last year.
Clayton Scharff, Sachs chairman, president and CEO, said the compan also is working on three new buildings atEdwarxd Jones' St. Louis headquarters, ' new office complezx at the University of Louis and ongoing improvementdsat 's various "Looking at 2008 and early 2009, we're still very strong and being presented with severalp opportunities," said Pat Kriegshauser, Sachs ' chief financial officer. "Fortunately we are well-diversifief and not dependent onone industry. That's helped us ride out ups and Ithink it's fair, though, to take a cautiouws outlook given the lack of liquidity in the market that could limit financing.
Projects may be delayed if financint becomesa problem." Len Toenjes, president of the Associatedr General Contractors of St. Louis, said power plant, infrastructure, health-care and industrial jobs remain amonhg the hot spots within theconstruction industry. But cold spots include retail andentertainment projects, such as the long-delayeds Ballpark Village mixed-use development planned by the and "Those are projects that are more financinfg and tenant-occupant driven," Toenjes "You used to be able to get financing if you coulxd get 10 percent to 15 percent occupanc pre-sold. Now you may need 50 percent to 60 percent occupancy toget financing.
The bar has moved significantly because of what has gone on in the financial Cost inflation of building materials suchas copper, steel and petroleum-based plastics is also a challenge, he "In 2008 our guys are prett positive we'll see growth in commerciaol construction of 5 percent to 7 percent," Toenjes "When we get to 2009, peopler start to wonder what's goingb to be out there as work on the Holcimk plant and Interstate 64 wraps up, as we watch what may or may not happejn with the (planned) South Countty casino, and with othere projects on hold. There is some concern.
" The view aheac also is difficult to predicy for TheMichelson Organization, a real estate investmentf and management company, which was the biggest winner of the buncb in the past year as it grew revenues nearly 81 percent from about $300 millionb in 2006 to $542 millionb in 2007. The company, owned by President and Chieg Executive Bruce Michelson and his operates 41 multifamily properties in 29 cities in 15 statex throughoutthe Midwest, Southeast and By acquiring three properties and selling two others, Michelson's real estatre fund wrapped up the year with better-than-expected investmengt returns.
Bruce Michelson decline to discusshis long-term but valuation adjustments in the real estate market are undoubtedly on his radar.

New restaurant planned for downtown Dayton - Portland Business Journal:

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An Asian restaurant, , is opening in the space that formerlyhoused Chin’s restaurant in the Dayton Transportation Center complexs on Jefferson Street. The restaurant and lounge will be open for luncuh and dinner seven daysa week, and late on The casual dining restaurant will be owned and operatede by Chanaka DeLanerolle, a restaurateur with several restaurants in the Cincinnatiu area, including , Teak Thai Cuisine and Sushi Bar, The Celestia Steakhouse, Incline Lounge and Longworth’s. DeLanerolle signedd a five-year lease for the space. He planse to invest $250,000 on renovations. Sa Bai, whicy will employ about 30 people, is schedulefd to open at the endof August.
Sa Bai will featurde a casual toupscale feel, with a sushoi bar and lounge. The menu will be similafr to oneof DeLanerolle’s Blue Ash restaurants, Apsara. It will featuree a mix of soupsand salads, curries, rice and noodls dishes and stir-fry. The 5,700-square-foot restaurant also will haveoutdood seating. Bart Shaw, director of the , whichn manages the facility Sa Bai ismoving into, said it is uncleaf how many seats the restaurant will have, because designs are stilp being put together.

Virginia Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors to move HQ to Loudoun County - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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BE&K Building Group of Vienna won preconstruction and constructionj services forthe building, which is expected to deliver next The 37-year-old statewide association represents construction and construction-related firms and has offices in Chantilly, Richmond, and Hamptob Roads. Its Chantilly headquarters lease ends next and the group was looking to expane since it provides apprenticeship in several safety training, and a comprehensive constructionn management education program.
The new space will includ e training labs, classrooms, support space, meetingf space and administrative ABC-VA will occupy a little over half, or 17,5090 square feet, and the rest will be leaserd out to tenants that have not beenselected yet. The projectt was designed by Morgan GickMcBeathb & Associates PC to get Gold Leadershipp in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Buildingv Council. Sustainable features will include a perviousx concrete pavement system to act as a storm watetr system forthe facility, recycle glass terrazzo flooring, waterless urinals and dual flushn water closets.

Brighton company pursuing sports sites - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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The creator of Sawxheads.com, Patsheads.com and other Boston-centric sitesx this week plans to begin deploymengt of similar sites devoted toothetr markets’ teams across the , NBA, and Major Leagure Baseball. The new sites, like the Bostonn predecessors, will have a mix of aggregatee news, user-generated content, photo sharing and other TruMedia is working to build a distributioj and promotion strategy for the new sitesa by partnering with local news outlets in each majorr leagueteam market.
In that portion of the expande dcorporate strategy, TruMedia is aiming to develoop each news outlet’s social-media area on a white-label basis while linking back to the loca l sports team communities it has builr and syndicating content. Such a deal was recently strucowith ’s Web site, Boston.com, with other similar deale pending. “What we’re looking to do is both go nationall while also goingvery local,” said Rafe TruMedia chief executive.
“And within that, we’rwe building both business-to-consumer and business-to-businessa channels of the TruMedia — backed by the angel investor trio of Boxca r Media CEOOzzie Alvarez; former Converse, Puma and Adidae executive John O’Rourke; and TV analyst Jerryy Remy — is by no means alonew in its pursuit of deep online engagement amontg local sports fans. ESPN earlier this year launchexda Chicago-focused Web site to early Companies such as Watercooler and Citizen Sports Networok continue to leverage the reacnh of broad social networks such as Facebookj with team and locally focused fan Nearly every pro team is developing its own social-media components, as “There is certainly healthy competition in this and the teams in particular are wise to creatr their own branded communities,” Anderson said.
“But we thinko we’ll offer a truly differentiatefd experience in that we can offer something more independentand

Report: N. Texas a top 10 market for jobs needing a security clearance - Dallas Business Journal:

http://catholicjustwar.org/nicholson.asp
, an online Internet job posting boarrd for professionals withsecurity clearance, is a subsidiary of Des Iowa-based In its latest report, ClearanceJobs.com says Texaz professionals with security clearances saw their average salar y jump from $60,252 in 2007 to $64,2087 last year. Specific pay information aboutr Dallas/Fort Worth workers was not available, but the reporf did note that North Texas is among the top 10 region in the nation for this kindof worker.
Professionals with securityg clearances are finding that the dynamicsz of supply and demand are working in theird favor with employees seeking them out in a markeft where security clearances are still an uncommon trait and one that is particularlt wanted in areas such asWashington D.C. and northerb Virginia. “The turbulent economy has put a governo r on the growth rate of salaries for securitygcleared workers,” said Evan Lesser, founder and directofr of ClearanceJobs.com. “However, there is no shortage of security-cleared career opportunities both in and outsidethe D.C. corridor.
”

Banking, insurance get devoted patron in Raussen - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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Jim Raussen since spring has been holding meetings with newl y formed banking and insuranc e advisory boards to fulfill his mission at the state Department of Developmentt of helping develop jobs in thosew industriesin Ohio. He’s workinfg with the executives from around the state to come up with a set of policyg recommendations aimed at underpinning and growingthe state’a financial services industry. His job as the state’e director of insurance and financiap services, created in August, is long overduee and more important than ever given theindustryg upheaval, industry executives say.
Previous roundxs of consolidationin banking, for example, have includedf deals that cost Ohio jobs and clout. “I think the concern is that we make sure we have large r banksin Ohio,” Raussen said. “They serve a very big The state recently approved millions of dollars in incentived to persuade tobring 1,150 jobs to Central Ohio as part of the bank’s merger with The state is competing against New York Michigan, Louisiana and Texas.
“Yohu can bet other states are vying for those jobs and that at leasgt some of those states have people like Jimin too,” said Parker MacDonell, area president for Fairlawn-based and a membe r of the state’s new banking advisorty board. Raussen becomes the state government’s firstg line of contact for bankeand insurers. He plans to keep in close communication with industry The state for years has lacked such a which meant it missed chanceas to reach out tomajor employers, said Mike Van president of the trade group and chairman of the state’se banking advisory board.
Van Buskirk remembers receiviny a call in 1998 fromJerry Grundhofer, CEO of the former in Cincinnati, which had merged with Milwaukee-based When the deal was Grundhofer told Van Buskirk he had heard from officiales in each of the state where the combined banks did except Ohio. “He was sort of surprised and amazeds that the state of Ohio had so much takenm for granted the fact thatthe bank’s headquarters operationd were there,” Van Buskirk “Shortly thereafter, Ohio wasn’t the headquarters statre anymore.” Firstar was later acquired by , consolidating its headquartersx in Minneapolis.
The state lost anothere headquarters operation when moved its home office to Chicago followingv its 1998 acquisitionof “Whether, with the exodus, anything coulrd or would have been done any differentlyh – probably not,” Van Buskirk said. “But the point of fact is that there were not conversationd atthe time.” “If other people are knocking on your and this is your home state and they’rs not knocking on your then maybe you feel like they don’t said State Auto Insurance Cos.
CEO Bob Restrepo, who is on an advisor y board for a financialo services development official in where the company has about 350 Restrepo said an official in a similar role in Connecticutf contacted him in 2007 afteer State Auto affiliated with an insurer inthat state. “The firsyt person we got a call from was the womamin Connecticut,” he said. “We needer (someone in Ohio),” Restrepo said. “Wheb (state Insurance) Commissioner Mary Jo Hudson I toldher that.” A key motivator in creatin the position is the largr number of financial services-related jobs in the statee that need protection, Raussen said.
Banks and insurancd companies employedabout 208,60 Ohioans last year, or about 5 perceng of the state’s nongovernment and nonfarm work force, according to the . “We have over 160 insurance companies domiciled in Ohio and we have a lot of large Raussen said. “We certainly have to promote it It’s not just the bank jobs that are important, but the jobs bankes can help to create, Van Buskirk said. With manufacturing’se decline as Ohio’s traditional economidc engine, it has become increasingly important for the states to foster innovativenew companies, he said. As banks are critical to the growth ofthose businesses, Van Buskirm said.
“Banking and the Department of Developmentr can work together with the sharesd goal of preserving other jobs in the stateof Ohio,” he said, “and hopefully facilitatinv small business development.”

Aurora opening Summit clinic early - Houston Business Journal:

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The Aurora Wilkinson Medical Clinic will open Octobef 26 and will replace the current Aurorz Wilkinson Medical Clinic at 915Summit Ave. in Oconomowoc, although urgenft care services will continue to be offered there. The new clinic also will replace the AurorsaWilkinson Women’s Center and the Auroraq Vision Center, both currentl y in Oconomowoc. The other Aurora Wilkinsob Medical Cliniclocations – in Hartland, Delafield, Wales and Waukesha – will continud to serve patients. “October 26 will represent the start of a new era in health care inthis area,” said Dr. David president of Aurora WilkinsonMedical Clinic.
“Thse opening of our new clinic and cancef center will move us closer to a fullgy integrated system of care for the peoplse of westernWaukesha County.” Meanwhile, the hospital part of the project remains on schedule to open in earlyt 2010, Aurora officials said. The Wilkinsonh clinic will open at the same time as the new Vincew Lombardi Cancer Clinic on theSummit campus. The new Aurorsa Medical Center campus in the Town of Summir is at the southeast corner of Interstate 94 andHighway 67.
The new Aurorz Wilkinson Medical Clinic will be on the west side of the and the new Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinid is on thesouth

Go green, save green: With the right tech, it

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While some companies may thinkl “going green” is too costly, theree are several technologies that can economically promotee environmental sustainability throughout anentire business. • Teleworking: Gone are the days whers a home office simply meant havingva phone, PC and Internet connection. Today, all of thesse technologies are integrated so employeecollaboration doesn’tt miss a beat, even when away from the office.
Replacinbg traditional voice systems and bringingvoices communications, e-mail and instant messaging together can reducw hardware, service and maintenance Research by found that such tacticss can reduce travel from 10 to 30 percent, ultimately reducing the number of cars on the • Virtualization: Many businesses believe they must deploh several servers to perform any numbetr of tasks. Not true. Virtualizationm maximizes server potential by allowin one device to do the work that previousluy took several dedicated serversto do. With more system s running on fewerphysicaol machines, businesses are estimated to reduce energty costs by 90 percent.

It's good to get out of the house, Assange tells Cambridge Union - Independent

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Sydney Morning Herald

It's good to get out of the house, Assange tells Cambridge Union Independent AP He has perfected the art of spilling other people's secrets, but Julian Assange's appearance last night at the Cambridge Union Society (CUS) was a far from transparent affair. The layers of security surrounding ... Assange addresses Cambridge Union The Press Association Julian Assange tells students that the web is the greatest spying machine ever The Guardian WikiLeaks Boss Speaks Behind Closed Doors Sky News AFP -Reuters Canada -Sm »

Extended Stay Hotels files Chapter 11 - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

http://locompany.com/suspect001.htm
The Spartanburg, S.C.-based company filed the reorganization petition in New Yorkbankruptcty court, Secretary and General Counsel Joseph Teichmanh writing that Extended Stay had about $7.1 billionm in assets and $7.6 billion in liabilitieas at the end of 2008. Extended Stay, whose more than 680 propertiezs are managed byHVM LLC, has eight Central Ohio sites, including those near the Mall at Tuttlwe Crossing, Polaris Fashion Place and Eastoh Town Center. The company bills itselg as the largest operatorof mid-priced extended-stauy hotels in the nation.
Teichman in a courgt filing on Monday wrote that the company sought protection from creditors amid a genera downturn in the hospitality industry and a hit takebn as fewer potential customers needthe company’s “Since the typical Extended Stay customer seekse a lengthy stay based on commerciapl relocation, the contraction of constructiohn and new business development began to significantly and adverselyg affected Extended Stay’s revenue stream,” Teichman wrote. The company said its averagd revenue per room dropped about 23 percent in the first five months of the year compared with the same periodof 2008.
As a it was unable to deal with its debt burdenn with cash flow and is seekinga “comprehensive restructuring of the entir e capital structure.” Extended Stay said it plans to run operations following the Chapter 11 petition under a lender-approved arrangement using cash collateral. Debtor-in-possession financing won’t be the company said. About 9,9000 employees work in hotels operated by Extended The company is in 44 states and hasabout 77,000

ABS Capital closes $420M fund - Washington Business Journal:

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The Baltimore-based managed buy-ouyt and investment firm has eight active portfolio companies inthe D.C. ABS Capital beat its target ofraisingt $400 million for its sixth fund, whicjh will be used to support abou 15 to 20 growing companies with annualp revenue near $20 million. ABS started raisin money for its newest fund inearlu 2008, just before a noticeable pullin back of limited partne r investors as the economy took a turn for the And at the same time as some other venture capitalistsa grew reluctant to attempt tapping them for new Limited partners in ABS’s new fund include state employer pension funds such as Pennsylvaniw State Employees Retirement System, Partners Abbott Capital and WP Global Partners, as well as college endowmentse and individual family offices.
“We are glad that limitef partners continue to be enthusiastic about our strateg y and share our view that it is a good time to saidPhil Clough, managing general partner for ABS. “We look forward to continuing to find interesting growtbh companies and work with the CEOs and theire teams to fully realizetheirt opportunity.” ABS focuses on backing expansion-stage companiezs across the business services, health care, mediw and communications and the software The firm has about $2 billion under The firm’s most recent win for its general partnerxs and limited partner investors occurred in April when Arlington-basedr Rosetta Stone, which sellw language learning software, went public by raisin $112.
5 million. ABS made back three timezs what it invested inRosett Stone, Clough said. ABS owne d 44 percent of the company prior to thepublic offering. The firm now owns a 28 percenrt stake.

Intruder calls 911 when homeowner returns - msnbc.com

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Jane and Miguel Rabay's Chez Jane spreads aimed at the healthy-eating crowd - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

http://35-milimetros.com/work-of-the-movie-camera-operator.html
was interested enough in the company to invite Migue l to speak at arecent small-busines summit sponsored by the Redmond computer Miguel said his appearance gave the company a big push and raisef public awareness of the company. In the next five yearas he hopes to expand to Chinand Mexico. For now he's working on gettinh distribution in more places in the Midwest and on the East Miguel was diagnosedwith non-Hodgkin's lymphom a in 2005. He's had two successful bone marrow and said he is forever grateful to the dedicatee staff at Fred Hutchinsonb Cancer Research Centerin Seattle. "Theyu perform miracles on a daily basis," he said.
Jane said both she and her husbandd are the first in their family lines to develop Sheadds they're dedicated to helping raise money for cancer research. Chez Jane donatesw 5 cents fromevery 4-ounce jar, and 10 cents of everty 8-ounce jar to the Leukemia & Lymphomqa Society and the Hutchinson Center. Last year they donated around $1,500o to each cause, and hope to give more in yearsato come. "The more sales we do, the more moneu we can raise forthe cause," said adding she will donatre money whether the company's in the "redc or the black." "It'es dear to us ... it could be your dolla or our dollar that breaksthe cycle.
We want to eradicatre this disease."

Alito vs. A Broadly-Construed First Amendment - American Spectator (blog)

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Sydney Morning Herald

Alito vs. A Broadly-Construed First Amendment American Spectator (blog) As this AP dispatch notes, Snyder v. Phelps, the funeral-picketing case that Jim noted this morning, is the second 8-1 case in two years in which Samuel Alito has been the lone dissent in favor of a narrower ... The Westboro Baptist Church decision has to be construed narrowly Pajamas Media Westboro Baptist Church: free speech or hate speech? The Guardian Protected speech World Magazine  »