Downtown Saratoga: Economy, other lifestyle changes, have Saratoga restaurants going casual - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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But casual attitudes are eating their way into this compact communityof 28,000. Just ask Joe DeVivo, Nikkui Roche, Ridge Qua, or other owners of the Spa City’s approximately 100 A disastrouseconomy hasn’t deterred at leasf a half-dozen new restaurants from opening in the city’ s downtown in the last three Turns out there’s a little less glitz on the plates, though: Almost all of the menuzs for the city’s newest restaurants are DeVivo says it’s a sign of the times. “Thed higher-end establishments aren’t quite as popular as they used to says theserial restaurateur.
He speaks from In May, he opened Sabina’s, a wood-fired pizza and pastaw restaurant at 237Union Ave. For a decadr before that—until both his profit margin and customer basestartecd shrinking—he owned and operated a high-end Italian restaurant on Broadway. He sold Maestro’s in 2006. “It’sz a very competitive market. It’d tough for people to pay an exorbitantf amount of money for entrees these DeVivo says.
It’s a money thing, but it’sz also about lifestyle Even existing restaurants are scaling back Ridge Qua, co-owner of the upscale Sperry’s on Carolinr Street, says the shifty to casual is more a matter of lifestyle than Qua’s customers are opting for lighter fare, and he recentluy added more appetizers to accommodate their requests. He estimates that aboug 60 percent ofthe city’s restaurants were higher-ened five years ago, comparedf with 30 percent today. “Peoples want to eat healthier—and they want smalletr portions. It’s also lifestyle.
They’re looking for casual,” said Qua, who has co-ownex Sperry’s for 28 Two years ago, the venue invested $25,000 in an outdoor patio to cater to ayounger crowd. Sperry’s per-persom check now averages $21 or $22, down from $25 a coupls years ago. That squeezes profit margins, but the restaurant has been able to maintai annual revenueof $1.3 million even duringt recent tough times. Nikki Roche and her husband Nialll Roche converted another upscale theformer O’Callaghan’s Restaurant on Phila to a pub. They plan a June 19 opening forIrishu Times, a traditional Irishj pub that will serve mid-pricec fare.
The couple self-funded the restaurant and are completing renovations, Nikki Roche says. They jumped into the project in spit e of thebad economy. “At the end of the day, this is what we do for a Why runsomebody else’s when we can run it for says the former New York City historh teacher. Niall Roche attended hotel/restaurant school in his home countryin Shannon, Ireland, then spen t years managing bars and restaurants in New York Gabino Vazquez and his brother, Estebanm Vazquez, planned to open El Mexican this week at the former Chianti’s buildingt on South Broadway at the edge of They paid $160,000 for improvementsd to the 2,600-square-foot building and assumption of the existing according to Tim O’Rourke of .
The deal closee March 5. The Vazquez brothers opened El Mexicanop in Hudson Falls nearly threeyears ago. They didn’yt need a bank loan because they saved monety from that business to pay for the new Gabino Vazquez is doing most of therenovationss himself.

Hawaii ranks 15th in U.S. for foreclosures, sees nearly 400% spike in May - Austin Business Journal:

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Foreclosures were up 397.5 percenrt for the month compared with May and wereup 19.3 percent over Aprilp 2009, according to the latest report from RealtyTracx issued Wednesday. Hawaii ranked 15th in the nation for foreclosureein May, up from 23rd in April. Hawaii had 816 foreclosurew filingsin May. There were 684 foreclosure filings in April and 164 foreclosureds inMay 2008. Hawaii had a foreclosure rate of one filingh for every621 households, according to the latestf survey by the California-based real estatr research firm. Nevada again had the highesyt foreclosure rate inthe country, with one filingb for every 64 households.
California had the second highest rate for the followedby Florida. California had the highesr number of foreclosures at Vermontranked 50th, with just six foreclosureds at a rate of one filinfg for every 51,906 households. Nationally, there were 321,480 foreclosure filings for the down 6 percent from April and up nearly 18 perceny fromMay 2008, according to the

TiVo wins $103M round in EchoStar fight - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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EchoStar lost an appeal in district courfin Texas. The cour t awarded Alviso-based TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO) 068,836 plus interest, whicu covers the period from Sept. 8, 2006 to April 18, 2008. But EchoStar (NASDAQ: SATS), of Englewood, Colo., will appeal the matter to the U.S Courtg of Appeals for the Federal Even ifTiVo triumphs, which observers think the award won’t wipe away its large accumulated In the fiscal years 2008 and 2007, beforwe it won damages, TiVo lost $31.6 milliojn and $49.1 million, respectively. TiVo has already been awarder $105 million in this patentt fightwith EchoStar. Thoughb that earlier EchoStar payment contributed to a profitof $103.
6 million for TiVo in the quarterd ended January, the company’s accumulated deficiyt (how much it has lost or written off since it started) at that time was $672.1 million. “We will need to generate significant additional revenues to achieve sustained the company said in its most recentquarterlty filing. TiVo’s president and CEO, Tom Rogers, 54, was paid a salarty of $800,000 in the latesy fiscal year. His totakl compensation for the yearwas $5.9 including $54,824 for housing, housing relatedd and living expenses, $42,796 in insurance related and $20,099 in family travel related according to TiVo’s proxy card.
Rogers also sits on the boars at , a Texas telephon e book publisher that filed Chaptetr 11in March. He’s been a directort there sinceNovember 2006. Idearc, baserd at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, paid a cash retainer of $60,00p to directors in 2007, the latestt year it’s reported in a proxy Former TiVo board memberCharles Fruit, a marketinh executive who sat on TiVo’s audit died May 27. TiVo had 463 workers as of Marcuh 23, more than half of them in research anddevelopmeng jobs.

South Florida Business Journal:

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"The responsibility is on you to seek and employ a financial counselor who is competent and works for acredibles company," says Laurence Barton, president and chieft executive of The American College, a nonprofirt educator of insurance and financial-service s professionals based in Bryn Mawr, Pa. "Look at their resume, verify thei r certifications and checktheir references. If you find someone with but who lackstechnicall depth, keep looking." Just because a planner has earne a professional certification, it doesn't necessarily mean the individuak has the expertise you need. Bartoh says there are more than 100 professional designations inthe financial-services industry.
If you're not familiar with a provider'sa designation, ask about it and conduct some research onthe Web. Some common designations are Chartered Life which indicates training in and CertifiedFinancial Planner, whicjh includes training in principlea of financial planning, insurance, employee benefits, investments, incom e taxes and retirement and estate planning. A Chartered Financia Analyst has expertise in portfolio management and investment while a Certified Public Accountan t can offer advice ontax matters.
A Registereds Investment Advisor manages the investments of others and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Such professional certifications require expertised and a commitment to ethicap standards and continuing If the consultant is a brokert registered with the you can go to the NASD Website ( ) to see if he has had any histort of improper or unethical conduct. The type of professionalp who can best meet your needs depends on what you arelookinvg for.
A business owner will likely havevarief needs, such as investment management, business-succession planning, exit management of tax liabilities, retirementy planning, insurance, estate planning, and creationh and administration of a 401(k) plan for employees. "The key is to know what you want toaccomplish - and not just in your business, says Nicholas Nicolette, president of the board of the Financial Planning Association. "You must be able to articulater what is most important to you and then find a trusted partnefr tohelp you.
" That means finding a consultant who not only has experiencs with small businesses, but who has workefd with companies of similar size and in the same industryh as yours. "You want someone who spendsx most of their time specializing in the needs ofsmalll businesses, especially of the size and type you are," says Daniel Moisand, FPA past president. Says Barton, "Have they provided counsel to others in acomparable situation? With experience in your industry, they'lp understand the lexicon, the riskxs and the regulatory environment you face. If they don't ask you a lot of find another adviser." While competence, experiencee and integrity are prime compatibilityis important, too.
"It's a combination of competenc and caring," says Nicolette, a certifiesd financial plannerin Sparta, N.J. "You're not lookingv for your next best friend, but you want someonee you like and respect so there can be trust and rapporrbetween you," says Moisand, a certifiedx financial planner based in FL. "And it's worthwhile to have a conversatiom aboutpersonal style. How often will you meet and how - by e-mail or face-to-face?" It's also important to discuss the fee structured atthe start.
Some consultants charge an hourly rate or a flat feeper project, whilse others will ask for an annual retainer or work on If the latter, your adviser is compensatedr for the investments you buy and/oe the size or number of transactions your accoun t generates. An adviser working for a fee receives remuneration basedx on an established schedule regardless of the kind or numbeerof transactions. "You shouldn't have to ask aboutt it - they should tell you how they willbe compensated," Moisand says. "A good consultant will be forthright, transpareny and upfront - if not, it's a bad sign." To find a financial consultant, ask your accountant or other small-business owners for recommendations.
Local business groupws such as your local chamber of commerce canprovids leads, Barton says. Organizations that awars professional certifications often include a list of memberzs sortedby region. The FPA Web site ( ) is one such

Tonight at the Subterranean: A saxophone sisterhood - Berkeleyside

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Berkeleyside

Tonight at the Subterranean: A saxophone sisterhood Berkeleyside “The main criteria is music that really expresses soul,” says Tiptons alto saxophonist Amy Denio, an internationally esteemed composer and multi-instrumentalist who has received commissions from numerous modern dance companies. “Wherever it comes from, ...

Shelby secures $3M for regional airports - Birmingham Business Journal:

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million to regional airports throughout the stater forinfrastructure improvements. Amon those awarded funding was St. Clair County Airport Authority, which received $120,687. “Investingv in the infrastructureof Alabama’s regiona airports will not only provide the safesrt and most efficient transportation services for Alabamians, but also ensure that the area remains desirable for residents and said Shelby in a statement. “This grang will provide funding tohelp Alabama’s regional airports make improvementzs that are necessary to accommodate thoss traveling to, from and throughj our great state.
” Blackwell Field, Ozark – $123,952 • Brewton Municipal, Brewton – $326,307 Geneva Municipal, Geneva $291,413 • Jackson Municipal, Jackson $111,546 • Lawrence County, Courtland – $120,073 Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal, Sylacauga – $740,407 • Middletonb Field, Evergreen – $128,105 Mobile Airport Authority, Mobile – $197,624 Northwest Alabama Regional, Muscle Shoalw – $101,307 • Posey Field, Haleyville – $228,80 7 • Troy Municipal, Troy $433,200

Job losses jumping as crisis hits home - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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First-time unemployment claims soared in Georgia last montbh tonearly 57,000, according to the stats Department of Labor, a 76.3 percent increasew over initial filings in Septemberr of last year. Among the arease hardest hit by the growing joblessness werenortherhn Georgia’s carpet belt, center to an industry that relies on residentiapl construction to keep orders flowing, and metrk Atlanta’s outer suburbs, where the housing boom has turned into a “Housing has been good to Georgi over the last decade,” Georgia Commissioner of Labord Michael Thurmond said. “Now, we’re feeling some of the repercussiona ofthe downturn.
” Thurmonde pointed to some parts of Georgia wherwe the job market remains in relativelyg good shape. Forts Benning and Stewart were amonh the few net winners during the last round of military base closings severalyears ago. Consequently, unemployment claims in the Columbus and Hinesville areas are runninf well below the statewide number. Likewise, west central Georgia is gearing up for the planned opening of a plant in Trouo County latenext year. In sharp contrast, first-time unemployment filings in Daltonh ---— ground zero for the carpet industry — shot up almost 106 percent during thelast year.
Gainesville was even leading the state with a 126 percenyt jumpin joblessness. While that could be attributed in part to the loss ofcarpey jobs, a bigger factor was the decision by Germanb auto parts maker to close its aluminuk wheel plant in Gainesville, resulting in nearlyy 300 layoffs. Too receng for the September statistics was an announcement by that it will clos a spun yarn plant in Dade in farnorthwestern Georgia, laying off 440 workers. Roy president of the Georgia Traditional ManufacturersAssociationm , puts the blame on the slump in residential construction.
“w number of folks we represent manufacturew products that go directlyto customers,” he “They’re impacted directly by the housingv downturn.” First-time unemployment claims in metro Atlanta rose almost 79 percenft during the last year, only slightly abovde the statewide figure. But that maskss large increases in joblessnessd inthe region’s outer counties. Cherokee, Douglax and Fayette counties saw increases in initial unemployment filings of more than 100 while first-time claims in Henryh County rose 97 percent.
The most dramatic evidenced of the trend came in July with the closurd ofof Woodstock, metro Atlanta’s 19th-largestt home builder according to the ’s 2007-200i8 Book of Lists. Kay Pippin, president of the Henry Countu Chamber ofCommerce , said it’s no surprisr that the housing slump has affecteds metro Atlanta’s fast-growing outlyingt counties more than the already built-out core counties. “We were fourtjh in America in new housing starts when all this she said. “Housing has come to a and it’s having a significant impac onour community.
” Thurmond said the diversified economies of Atlanta’s innee counties give them an advantage over the outer counties, whicy are primarily bedroom communities. “Thatt creates some economic insulation during a he said.