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PA Cyber introduces hybrid of virtual and self-paced online courses

8 Aug

finally fastTechnology news from the Finally Fast team

“FLEX” courses, a hybrid model combining some of the best features of self-paced and virtual online instruction, are being offered this year at the high school level by the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School.

The new FLEX curriculum is a hybrid of the self-paced Lincoln Interactive and real-time Virtual Classroom (VC) courses, said Dr. Michael J. Conti, CEO of PA Cyber.

“FLEX is a great option for students who do not want to commit to a full-time VC class, but who can benefit from the structure and live teacher interaction of synchronous instruction,” said Dr. Conti.

FLEX courses available in grades 9-12 for the 2012-2013 school year are English 10, American History, World Cultures, Earth Science, Biology, Spanish 1, French 1 and German 1. More courses are to be offered in the FLEX model if it proves to be as effective and popular as the school’s curriculum developers anticipate.

In FLEX courses, students will meet with their teacher and classmates live online one day per week (Tuesday or Thursday) for 90 minutes in Blackboard Collaborate, the online meeting program used for VC classes.

On the remaining four days, students will be required to independently complete one lesson each day in Schoology. Schoology is a secure online learning management system used by PA Cyber to create and share academic content.

Jennifer Shoaf, PA Cyber director of curriculum and instruction, said the FLEX option provides students with more structure and real-time teacher interaction than self-paced Lincoln Interactive courses, while allowing the student to work and study independently on the course material. FLEX teachers will be available for individual tutoring on a regular weekly schedule.

Because they are so new, FLEX courses are not listed in the school’s 2012-2013 course catalog. Shoaf said instructional supervisors are sharing information about FLEX courses with students and their parents, so that they can then make the best decision about which model of instruction matches the student’s learning style and educational goals: self-paced Lincoln Interactive, Virtual Classroom or FLEX. FLEX courses are available to all PA Cyber high school students with the consent of their instructional supervisors.

Every independent day begins with the student viewing a short introductory video from the teacher explaining the day’s lesson. Lessons may include working on projects, doing research, participating in discussion groups, and other tasks. Each self-paced lesson is designed to take approximately 50 minutes.

Each day’s lesson will be available at 8 a.m. If the lesson contains an assignment, the assignment will have a due date that may be that same day or a different day. The student has until midnight of the due date to turn in the assignment.

“Courses offered in the FLEX model keep students on pace,” said Shoaf. “The schedule and calendar for FLEX will be the same as for our Virtual Classroom courses, in which students start school on a certain day and end on a certain day.”

“PA Cyber continues to lead the way in educational innovation,” said Dr. Conti. “Our teachers and curriculum staff deserve credit for introducing an exciting new option in online learning.”

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Emerging Electronic Health Information Exchange Systems Fail to meet Patient Needs

15 Mar

Finally FastTech News from the Finally Fast team

Health care organizations need to do more to help patients realize the full benefits of electronic data from emerging health information exchange systems, according to a new study commissioned by Consumers Union that appears in the March 2012 Health Affairs.  The study examines how well five major California health care organizations are meeting the needs of patients and communities in the use of their electronic data and offers important lessons for the rest of the country.

“Electronic health information exchange holds great promise for improving patient care and outcomes,” said Mark Savage, senior attorney for Consumers Union, the nonprofit advocacy arm of Consumer Reports.  “Health care organizations are making progress developing these systems but they must provide patients with greater access to their electronic medical data and the ability to monitor who is accessing this information to maximize benefits and limit potential privacy risks.  Patient and public health must be at the center of these efforts.”

 

The study was funded by the California HealthCare Foundation and assesses the extent to which these efforts are meeting the needs of patients and communities based on a set of principles developed by California organizations representing consumers and patients.  The independent study was carried out by Robert H. Miller, Ph.D., a health economist and faculty member at University of California, San Francisco.

In June 2010, Consumers Union joined fifteen other organizations representing California patients and consumers to develop nine principles for electronic health information exchange.  The principles aim to improve patient and population health care by increasing the availability and use of patient data while protecting patients’ privacy.

The consumer principles balance patients’ various needs—for example, coordinating health care and information among the patient and diverse providers in multiple organizations; ensuring the security and privacy of personal health information; designing systems that can be easily used by non-English speakers and person with disabilities; and accessing safety and quality data about providers and treatments.

The 2009 stimulus bill passed by Congress provided up to $27 billion in incentives for physicians and hospitals to adopt electronic health record systems.  The law also provided an additional $2 billion for activities that encourage meaningful use of electronic health information exchange.  It set a strategic goal of achieving electronic health records for every person in the United States by 2014.

In theory, electronic health information should enable a patient’s providers to share information about the patient’s health status and current medications and to remind themselves about services the patient needs.  The patient should be able to review health records via a web-based patient portal; possibly correct or add information; communicate with providers; view reminders of needed services; and access educational materials tailored to various health issues.  Despite its potential benefits, electronic information sharing can entail risks for patients, especially loss of privacy and misuse of data.

The study examined five different health care organizations that collectively serve a full range of California patient populations:  Kaiser Permanente, Nautilus Health Care Management Group, Santa Clara Valley Hospital and Health System, Inland Empire Health Plan, and the Santa Cruz Health Information Exchange.

Each organization is considered a health information technology leader for the patient population it serves.  The study found that the organizations relied on different approaches and were at different stages of developing their systems, which provided varying benefits to both providers and patients.

Overall, exchange of electronic data among a patient’s providers in different organizations was limited, which limited benefits to patients from the use of that data for their care.  Moreover, of the five health care systems evaluated, only Kaiser and Nautilus had patient portals that enable patients to review some of their health record data.  But neither organization had done much to inform patients — particularly in their own language — about patients’ personal health information rights, remedies, and responsibilities.  Patients of the five health care organizations examined had little ability to monitor who was accessing their data.

The study found that a lack of clear “rules of the road,” including behavioral norms for health information exchange participants, legal agreements, and technical standards, was preventing quicker implementation of health information exchange systems that could benefit providers and patients alike.  Little progress has been made when it comes to using electronic health information to improve the health of the public and communities at large.

The study recommends a number of policies to end the marginalization of patients and consumers in current health information exchange efforts.  For example, launching campaigns to increase health information technology literacy could increase patients’ demand for health information exchange, forcing organizations to respond better to their needs.

In addition, the study calls on state and federal governments to enact new policies that set timetables for organizations to offer patient-friendly web-based portals; create rules that enable consumers to easily understand who has accessed their information and correct data; and fund and publicize timely evaluations of health information exchange systems, including the benefits and risks for patients.

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Zipcar raises $13.7M in Series A Funding

24 Feb

FinallyFastBusiness news from the Finally Fast team

On Wednesday Zipcar, Inc. a leading car sharing network, and Wheelz, Inc., the first peer-to-peer car sharing company targeting college campus communities, announced that Zipcar is the lead investor in a $13.7 million Series A round of funding for Wheelz.

“Based on our analysis and primary research, we believe P2P could expand the total addressable market for car sharing,” said Zipcar Chairman and CEO Scott Griffith. “We chose to make this investment because we believe that Wheelz has the right leadership, technology and business model to succeed in the emerging P2P space.”

Also participating in the round is Detroit-based Fontinalis Partners, a leading transportation technology strategic investment firm.  Mark Schulz, 30-year automotive industry veteran, former President for International Operations at Ford Motor Company and Founding Partner at Fontinalis, will be joining Scott Griffith on the Wheelz board. Also joining the board is Jim Freer, former vice-chairman of Ernst & Young.

“We founded Fontinalis to help shape the future of mobility,” said Bill Ford, Founding Partner of Fontinalis Partners.  “We are committed to investing in entrepreneurs and accelerating the growth of breakthrough technologies and business models such as Wheelz to explore that future.”

Wheelz has designed its car sharing platform specifically to meet the needs of campus communities by connecting students who own cars with students who need them. The model empowers car owners to earn money from their car when they are not using it while providing convenient and affordable access for car borrowers to conveniently get the vehicle they need for any occasion including errands, shopping excursions, dates and weekend trips.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Zipcar and to welcome Scott to the Wheelz board.  Zipcar is the pre-eminent car sharing company in the world,” said Jeff Miller, founder and CEO of Wheelz.  “Zipcar knows and understands the business complexities of car sharing better than anyone on the planet; we will benefit tremendously from this expertise as we continue to grow.  Equally exciting, their knowledge related to operating within university communities and deep ties to the automotive ecosystem will be invaluable as we scale the business.”

“We now live in a world that we envisioned years ago. We see consumers everywhere changing their buying patterns in favor of self-service, access versus ownership. On the heels of our success, interesting new mobility models and transportation-related technologies are emerging,” said Griffith.  “This investment is our first step in the direction of potentially offering a broader array of mobility services. We believe our strong brand and first to scale advantage put us in a unique position to exploit the network effects and business synergies Zipcar can bring to the broader mobility space.”

As Zipcar does not have majority ownership in Wheelz, Zipcar will account for its investment under the equity method of accounting and expects to record its share of Wheelz’ net loss on this basis in the amount of approximately $1 million in 2012, which was factored into the guidance Zipcar provided in conjunction with the release of its 2011 fourth quarter results on February 14th.  There will be no impact to Zipcar with respect to revenue or Adjusted EBITDA.

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Verizon’s Multimedia Effort targets Young Professionals in Metropolitan Areas

21 Feb

Finally FastBusiness News from the Finally Fast team

Today’s apartment and condominium residents have a lot going for them when it comes to enjoying technologies’ riches.  To drive home the point, Verizon has introduced a new hyperlocal, multimedia marketing campaign aimed at trend-setting, young professionals in the New York, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles metropolitan areas who want cool residences, crazy-fast Internet speed and crystal-clear TV service.

“Some people think they have to live in a single family home to get the very best broadband and video entertainment services, but that’s not true,” said Pedro Correa, vice president of Verizon Enhanced Communities, a unit within Verizon focused on marketing the company’s FiOS voice, high-speed Internet and TV services to tenants and property managers of multidwelling unit properties.

“Most 25- to 39-year-olds, who make up a significant portion of multidwelling unit tenants, are major users of social media and the Internet, and spend as much as 14 hours online per week,” said Correa. “Given the importance that young professionals place on technology to get ahead at work while staying connected with friends, we want to help as many residents of multidwelling units as possible enjoy the borderless lifestyle FiOS offers.”

Currently, Verizon FiOS services are already available to more than 2 million multifamily units, and growing, in parts of 12 states, and the District of Columbia.  About half of all Verizon’s FiOS lines opened for sale this year will be in apartments and condos, reflecting the heightened importance of marketing the company’s flagship wireline services delivered over a highly reliable and robust all-fiber-optic network to MDUs.

Inside the apartments and condos located in Verizon-served areas, Verizon offers a wide range of ultra-fast FiOS Internet at speeds including 25/25 megabits per second (mbps), 35/35 mbps and 50/20 mbps, as well as crystal-clear FiOS TV, which offers more than 35,000 video-on-demand titles.

With the FiOS Internet 35/35 mbps tier, consumers can upload 200 photos in one minute and download a two-hour standard definition DVD in less than six minutes, boosting productivity and saving time for other things.

Late last year, Verizon launched a hyperlocal marketing campaign in the Washington metropolitan area that helped showcase the value of using FiOS to the Generation X and Y crowd who live in, or are seeking to move into, MDUs that represent more than 20 percent of all residences served by Verizon in the D.C. metro area.

These trendsetting, “techknowledgeables” between 25 and 39 years of age bear some unique attributes, according to Verizon research:

45 percent are more likely than the average adult to consider the Internet as their primary source of entertainment.

20 percent have taken some of public transportation in the past month.

78 percent have seen a movie in the past 6 months.

33 percent go the gym 3-4 times a week.

64 percent like to dine out and socialize at bars, half of them with their friends.

Many of the hyperlocal campaign elements used during the D.C. metro pilot — including immersive digital advertising combined with social media engagement, plus a concentrated presence of out-of-home advertising and local events with prospective customers — will be on display in metro New York, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles.  In these highly competitive markets, Verizon will seek to reach young professionals in places where they spend much of their time – gyms, restaurants, bars, movie theatres, malls and transit centers.

In metro New York, the campaign will encompass parts of Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx; parts of Long Island; the northern suburbs in Westchester and Rockland counties; and northern New Jersey communities.  The Philadelphia region campaign will focus on the northwestern suburbs chiefly located in Chester and Montgomery counties.

In North Texas, the emphasis will be on the northern suburbs of Dallas and Forth Worth, including more than a dozen communities such as Plano, Irving, Lewisville and Grapevine in parts of Tarrant, Denton, Dallas and Collin counties.  The Southern California focus will include beach communities stretching north of Malibu and south to Huntington Beach; parts of inland Ventura County, including Thousand Oaks; and parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties including Long Beach.  The Washington metro campaign will continue and includes a large swath of Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Northern Virginia, and Montgomery County in Maryland.

“We’re dealing with a group of very active people who are heavily reliant on their wireless devices, and so we’re offering compelling FiOS bundles of Internet and TV including some deals that waive activation fees and provide a free wireless router and premium video content,” said Chris Anderson, director of consumer marketing for Verizon. “To make it easy for young professionals to find MDUs with FiOS, we’ve created a region-specific microsite that shows the MDUs where FiOS is available in metro New York, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.”

Through a variety of pioneering innovations, Verizon FiOS customers can fully maximize their broadband and video services.  Verizon provides next-generation interactive services, including Flex View and FiOS TV Online, which extend FiOS TV beyond the single family or MDU home to the Internet and a range of mobile devices; an advanced video operating system and viewer guide; and free interactive applications like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

With FiOS, customers can also receive Media Manager, which allows them to access on their TVs personal photos, music and videos from their computers; and In-Home Agent, which helps customers to diagnose and resolve service issues.

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Top Cities to Find an IT Job in 2012

15 Feb

Finally Fast

Business news from the Finally Fast team

As the economy continues through its recovery and corporate earnings show signs of improvement, companies across North America are reinvesting in IT projects that had been put on hold during the recession. Modis, a leading provider of information technology staffing, has identified a list of the top 12 cities to find IT jobs today, with Houston taking the top spot on the list for the second year in a row.

The rankings are based on internal data from Modis’ branch network across the U.S. and Canada. The list shows the cities with highest potential for IT job growth in the coming year based on the volume of job openings over the past six months, as well as general assessment of the overall economic environment in each market.

Houston, TX topped the list due to the growing demand for IT support in healthcare as well as oil and gas, two of the city’s main industries. In addition, Houston is the fourth largest city in the U.S. and has an unemployment rate below the national average, helping to attract new talent from other parts of the country. The skills most in demand in the metro area include network engineers, project managers, business analysts, and Java and .NET developers.

Toronto, ON came in second on the list, in part due to its position as the fourth largest IT market in North America. Home to many Fortune 500 companies, it is also the third largest financial center in North America next to New York and Chicago.  Fittingly, the top industries hiring in this city are financial services, government, and systems integrators and consulting services.  Project management, Java development, and SAP or CRM experience are the skills most in demand.

Third place on the list is Orlando, FL, where a number of factors are at play, including the new “Medical City” initiative, which is driving demand for healthcare IT jobs. In addition, the increased networking needs of companies across industries are boosting demand for telecommunications professionals.  Orlando-area employers are most in search of IT helpdesk specialists, network administrators and software engineers today.

The full list of the “Top 12 Cities to Find an IT Job in 2012″ is:

  1.  Houston, TX
  2. Toronto, ON
  3. Orlando, FL
  4. San Francisco, CA
  5. Minneapolis, MN
  6. McLean, VA
  7. Walnut Creek, CA
  8. Detroit, MI
  9. Jacksonville, FL
  10. New York, NY
  11. Denver, CO
  12. Boston, MA

“A strong, up-to-date IT infrastructure is crucial to businesses, and so with increased confidence in the economy, many companies are reinvesting in IT initiatives, beginning with talent,” said Jack Cullen, president of Modis. “Given the geographical spread of cities on this list as well as the breadth of skills needed, there is opportunity across North America for IT professionals who are looking to get ahead and further their careers.”

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Pennsylvania partners with Foursquare to offer Groundhog Day badge

30 Jan

finally fastSocial Media news from the Finally Fast team

The Pennsylvania Tourism Office today announced an exclusive deal with Foursquare that allows users to obtain the official “PA Groundhog Day 2012″ badge on Feb. 2. The badge features a likeness of Punxsutawney Phil, the world-famous weather-forecasting groundhog that resides in the Pennsylvania Wilds region.

“We invite Foursquare users worldwide to earn this special badge from visitPA, which has been updated for 2012,” said Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary C. Alan Walker. “This is a one-day opportunity to earn a unique virtual badge as we all learn whether we may see an early spring.”

Celebrated each Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, Groundhog Day draws thousands of visitors and attracts global media coverage. According to folklore dating back to the 1800s, if Phil emerges in the early morning and sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

Foursquare is a location-based, mobile platform that makes cities easier and more interesting to explore. By checking-in via mobile device, users can post their current locations, meet up with friends and provide travel recommendations and tips.

To earn the exclusive “PA Groundhog Day 2012″ badge, users can follow visitPA on Foursquare at foursquare.com/visitPA, and “check in” to “shout” the word “groundhog” on Feb. 2. A shout is Foursquare lingo for a status update or a tweet.

“We’re thrilled that visitPA has been able to enhance the experiences of so many visitors through the use of our platform,” saidEric Friedman, Director of Business Development at Foursquare. “Pennsylvania’s continued enthusiasm and openness to new partnership opportunities and Foursquare’s ability to attract and reward people combine to make a powerful partnership.”

In 2010, Pennsylvania became the first state to partner with Foursquare by populating the network with more than 200 state tourism attractions and creating custom badges. Since the launch, visitPA has amassed nearly 93,000 followers and more than 67,800 users have unlocked a PA badge providing tips and recommendations for travel locations, allowing users to earn rewards and discounts using their mobile devices.

Due to the success and popularity of last year’s Groundhog Day badge, the Pennsylvania Tourism Office created a new one for 2012.

A Webcast of the Groundhog Day festivities will be available at visitPA.com/groundhog, including links to Punxsutawney Phil-related videos on YouTube.

The Pennsylvania Tourism Office, under the state Department of Community and Economic Development, is dedicated to inspiring travel to the State of Independence

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Publishers Clearing House acquires Liquid Wireless

16 Jan

finallyfast.comBusiness News from the Finally Fast team

Publishers Clearing House, America’s leading multi-channel direct marketer and the premier digital destination for consumers who want to play and win, today announced the acquisition of Liquid Wireless, a Portland, Maine-based company specializing in mobile lead generation, media buying and analytics. The company’s mobile platform and services offering is a 360 degree approach to lead generation and customer acquisition. Liquid Wireless not only creates and deploys mobile campaigns, the platform tracks activity from lead generation and click-through to post conversion sale and also auto-optimizes to ensure that campaigns are performing at the highest conversion rate. One of the Company’s core differentiators is that clients are only charged for leads, not the services it takes to build out a mobile campaign.

“The Liquid Wireless team has built technology and processes that are unmatched by most larger mobile technology companies,” said Andy Goldberg, CEO of Publishers Clearing House. “This enables Liquid Wireless to provide quality customer acquisition at a scale that has never been seen before on mobile. The business is a terrific complement to the multi-platform model that PCH has already created and continues to successfully execute on daily, delivering quality customer acquisition services to over 1000 marketers. We are excited to have them as part of the PCH family.

Publishers Clearing House continues to focus on providing entertaining new ways for consumers to engage in play and win opportunities across its multiple platforms and channels, including online, social and mobile handheld devices as well its traditional offline direct mail. PCH is unique amongst direct marketers in transitioning from offline to the digital channel. After building successful online ecommerce and advertising businesses, with industry leading engagement metrics on the web, on email and on Facebook, the Company is aggressively moving to expand onto all mobile devices. Liquid Wireless’ revolutionary and proprietary mobile customer acquisition engine will help tap into the mobile engaged audience and provides a new market for existing and new PCH advertising clients

“There are incredible cross-promotional opportunities between the two companies,” said Jason Cianchette, President and Founder of Liquid Wireless. “High response rates to PCH banner ads and landing pages will drive increased traffic to our existing offers, especially in the smart phone and tablet markets. We will also be able to execute on significantly more powerful media buys with the financial backing of PCH. The combined forces will make a great offering for our clients. Our entire team has worked diligently to get to this point and we are proud to be the newest members of the Publishers Clearing House team,” added Cianchette

One of Liquid Wireless’ key strengths is a central focus on analytics and its tie-in to performance. Liquid Wireless back-end technologies are extendable to Publishers Clearing House and third parties as a potential service provider, which include ad server and campaign monitoring. By placing more than 1.4 billion ads on mobile devices each month, Liquid Wireless manages more than 4 million consumer visits across 15 mobile optimized websites. The Company is an early adopter of OpenRTB (Real Time Bidding) and has a mobile optimized bidding engine.

The Liquid Wireless team will continue its growth in Portland, Maine while becoming an extension of the Publishers Clearing House digital advertising sales organization.

Headquartered in Port Washington, NY, Publishers Clearing House (PCH) is nationally famous for the sweepstakes it has used since 1967 to draw attention to its direct mail and online offers of merchandise and magazine subscriptions. The Company’s TV advertising features the iconic Prize Patrol van that annually delivers prizes worth millions of dollars to winners across the U. S. In recent years the Company has built on its sweepstakes heritage to establish numerous online properties that offer new entertaining games, “Search and Win” opportunities and other free-to-play, chance-to-win content of interest to millions of consumers. With 444 full-time employees, over 40% of the Company’s profits go to trusts for the benefit of charities.

PCH Digital is a web destination for Publishers Clearing House, a leading multi-channel direct marketer of value-based consumer products and magazines. The Company calls attention to its products and PlayandWin content by providing visitors with a chance to win valuable sweepstakes prizes including its current “$1 Million Every Year for Life” mega prize event. With more than 3.5 million new online registrants per year, over 8 million monthly unique visitors and a database of more than 14 million customers, PCH Digital is an attractive vehicle for advertisers seeking to reach a diverse group of consumers online. PCH’s digital properties include pch.com, PCHSaveandWin.com, PCHSearchandWin.com, PCHLotto.com, PCHGames.com, Candystand.com and PCHOnlineSurveys.com along with access to mobile lead generation through its latest acquisition, Liquid Wireless.

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Toyota Dealership named in Class Action Suit

10 Jan

FinallyFastBusiness news from the Finally Fast team

On Monday a case filed by Sanford Wittels & Heisler in Los Angeles’ Superior Court claims that John Elway’s Manhattan Beach Toyota knowingly permits a corporate culture of racial discrimination and harassment. The complaint alleges that John Elway and his business partners, Mitchell D. Pierce and Jerry L. Williams, have refused to take action, even though they have been made aware of the discrimination and the intolerable working conditions it creates for the dealership’s loyal and hardworking employees of color.

The former Sales Manager and long-time employee of John Elway’s Manhattan Beach Toyota, Timothy Sandquist, filed the class action lawsuit on behalf of himself and all other current and former employees of color. Mr. Sandquist, an African American, describes how he and other class members were driven out of the dealership, due to Elway and his partners refusing to curtail the constant racial discrimination and harassment that they were subjected to while working at the former Denver Bronco quarterback’s Toyota dealership. Mr. Sandquist is represented in the matter by Janette Wipper and Felicia Medina, from the San Francisco office of Sanford Wittels & Heisler LLP.

“It is beyond belief that anyone could ignore the pervasive racial discrimination and harassment that Mr. Sandquist and other employees experienced at John Elway’s Manhattan Beach Toyota,” said Ms. Wipper. “This workplace is the very epitome of a hostile work environment.”

The complaint identifies Darrell Sperber, the General Manager at John Elway’s Toyota, as a repeat harasser and the primary source of the rampant racial harassment. Sperber was allegedly the originator of frequent racial slurs, epithets and stereotypes, including referring to non-Caucasian employees as “dumb Mexicans,” “goddamn Mexicans,” “apes,” “Aunt Jemimas,” “camel people” and “slant eyes.” Sperber also encouraged personnel of the dealership to make demeaning and vicious racist comments about non-Caucasian customers who chose not to purchase a vehicle.

According to Mr. Sandquist, dealership personnel victimized by Sperber have no recourse in dealing with the regular harassment discrimination, because all methods of reporting on-the-job discrimination, harassment or abuse are funneled through Sperber himself. The complaint alleges that several employees who did complain about Sperber’s harassment and discriminatory behavior were retaliated against with further harassment and sometimes termination. It is also alleged that employees of color experienced significant and ongoing disparities in compensation, promotion and other employment opportunities in comparison to the dealership’s Caucasian employees.

As set forth in the complaint, as recently as June 2010, an anonymous employee survey provided overwhelming evidence that employees at John Elway’s Manhattan Beach Toyota were constantly harassed and discriminated against by Sperber. Despite the widespread complaints, the defendants, including Elway, took no disciplinary action against Sperber, nor did they implement any initiatives to remedy and end harassment and discrimination at the dealership.

Mr. Sandquist filed the class action to force the John Elway and his two business partners to abide by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the California Unfair Competition Law that make the discrimination and harassment practiced at the dealership illegal. The lawsuit seeks to end the systematic, unlawful harassment and discrimination at John Elway’s Manhattan Beach Toyota, through the implementation of policies and programs that restore equal employment rights at the dealership.

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Silicon Valley Bank Expands Operations to Arizona

9 Jan

finallyfastBusiness news from the Finally Fast team

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), financial partner to the innovation sector and the premium wine industry, is expanding its operations to Arizona, creating hundreds of well-paying, financial sector jobs in the state over the next few years. SVB will open a new IT and operations facility in Tempe in 2012 to support its continued growth. Arizonans will benefit from 220 jobs and millions of dollars invested into the state’s economy.

Silicon Valley Bank offers diversified and innovative financial services to companies in the innovation sector and their investors. These companies range from start-ups to multi-million dollar corporations looking to do business in the U.S. and internationally.

SVB’s mission aligns closely with the types of companies Arizona hopes to attract. SVB is focused on helping entrepreneurs and high-growth innovation companies carry their ideas to the next stage of development, and has been instrumental in providing financial services to technology and life science companies for nearly 30 years. This in turn helps create jobs and strengthens the economy. Seventy percent of Businessweek’s Top Entrepreneurs and 68 percent of the Wall Street Journal’s top venture capital- backed companies are SVB clients.

“We see first-hand how innovative companies and their investors are improving the status quo: making technological and medical advancements and creating jobs, which are all essential to the US economy,” said Greg Becker, president and CEO of Silicon Valley Bank. “We are constantly growing in support of our innovative clients. The Phoenix area is a great environment with talented financial candidates to fill our open positions, affordable living for our employees, proximity to our headquarters, and a growing number of technology and life science businesses in the region.”

“The mission of Silicon Valley Bank to provide financial services to the technology, clean-tech, life science and winery industries is in perfect harmony with Arizona’s vision for the future of economic development,” said Governor Jan Brewer. “This is exactly the kind of company that Arizona is courting as we build an economy that is diversified and stable.”

“I am thrilled that Silicon Valley Bank is coming to Arizona,” said Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-05). “Their decision to expand here is reflective of the high quality of our workforce and the fact that Arizona is a great place to live and do business. I look forward to their continued growth here in Arizona.”

“I cannot overstate the importance of Silicon Valley Bank’s expansion to Arizona,” said Don Cardon, president and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Although securing a quality employer with hundreds of new high-paying jobs is needed for our economic recovery, it is even more important that our state secured the most recognized lending institution in the country relating to venture capital. Our economic vitality rests equally on our ability to entice the emergence of new innovative enterprise. Today’s announcement significantly advances our ability to do that, and without question will be the envy of every state in the nation.”

“Silicon Valley Bank’s expansion will draw new capital sources to the region that will help fuel innovation and entrepreneurship in Arizona, while providing high- quality jobs in Tempe,” said Barry Broome, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.

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EverPower acquires Patton Wind Farm in Pennsylvania

22 Dec

finallyfast.comBusiness news from the Finally Fast team

EverPower Wind Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Terra Firma, a leading private equity firm, and OwnEnergy, the leader in Community Wind, announced today that they have closed a transaction where EverPower will acquire and construct Patton Wind Farm, LLC. This is a project that OwnEnergy has been developing from inception with its local landowner partner.

The project will be 30 MW and will be fully operational by the end of 2012. An interconnection agreement with PJM has been secured and power will be sold on the merchant market. The Patton project is located in Elder, West Carroll, and East Carroll Townships across approximately 2,700 acres of agriculture land. According to EverPower, the project will provide approximately 100 jobs during construction, and up to 10 full-time jobs required to operate and maintain the project over the next thirty years.

As a Community Wind project, with local ownership of the farm, it enjoys unprecedented local support and will provide incremental economic development for the region. Many of the workers will be drawn from the local labor pool and non-local workers will require lodging, food and other necessities that will be also purchased locally, which will benefit local businesses. In addition to construction jobs, locally purchased goods and services will be needed. These construction materials include gravel, concrete, wood, fencing, steel rebar, cabling and fuel.

The development companies worked together to obtain funding in the amount of $3.2m from the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) under the Renewable Energy program. The award will improve the project’s viability in a challenging market environment and help enable the Patton Wind Farm to provide clean, renewable energy to more than 9,000 households and move Pennsylvania closer it its renewable energy targets.

The Community Wind project was started by Saint Francis University’s Renewable Energy Center. The university installed a meteorological tower in Patton and Ebensburg and found that the area was suitable for a wind farm. The university requested proposals from Community Wind developers and in what was a highly competitive process OwnEnergy was ultimately chosen to develop the project. OwnEnergy then partnered with local entrepreneur Marty Yahner to secure land and begin development of the wind farm.

“We’re the Sixth generation of Yahners to farm and live in the Patton community,” said Marty Yahner. When I learned that a wind farm would be developed here, I was excited by the prospect, but wanted to make sure it would work for me and my neighbors. By taking this Community Wind development approach, OwnEnergy enabled us to get comfortable with the many aspects of the project, while getting involved in a more meaningful way and sharing in the profits.”

Jacob Susman, Founder and CEO of OwnEnergy, said, “This is an exciting opportunity for OwnEnergy, The Yahner Family and the local Cambria county community. EverPower will get this project built next year, which means the community will see the benefits of the wind farm immediately and for many years to come.”

The Patton Wind Project will be EverPower’s fourth Pennsylvania project and third in Cambria County. The 62.5 MW Highland Wind Farm, located in Adams Township became operational in 2009. The 75 MW Highland North Wind Farm is located in townships of Adams and Summerhill and will become operational by the end of the year. In 2012, EverPower hopes to be constructing the Twin Ridges Wind Farm, a 140 MW wind farm located in Somerset County. Combined, the three wind farms are expected to have an annual economic impact of over $4 million on the region’s economy.

“I am very excited to announce the acquisition of the Patton Wind Project,” said Jim Spencer, president and CEO of EverPower Wind Holdings. “This strategic acquisition solidifies our presence in Pennsylvania. It also helps us achieve a milestone of having over 300 MW of operating assets in Pennsylvania by the end of 2012 and to become the prominent wind energy provider in the Commonwealth.”

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