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Carnegie Mellon and Lehigh Lead in Launch Of New Program To Bolster Manufacturing Innovation

27 Jun

Finally FastBusiness news from the Finally Fast team

Carnegie Mellon University in collaboration with Lehigh University will manage a new $1 million manufacturing and innovation development program to help foster a renaissance in Pennsylvania manufacturing globally.

“Manufacturing adds more than $75 billion in value each year to our state’s economy, and it is paramount that we do all that we can to grow that sector of our economy,” said Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. “Through partnering with our world-class research institutions, we can provide the tools needed for Pennsylvania companies to create jobs and compete in the global economy.”

The Research for Advanced Manufacturing in Pennsylvania program (RAMP) is funded through the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Discovered in PA – Developed in PA (D2PA) program. The D2PA program, created by the Corbett administration, is designed to build capacity to better support Pennsylvania’s businesses and to spur creativity and innovation in the allocation of economic development services.

The RAMP program is designed to tap the research and innovation capabilities of both CMU and Lehigh and provide technical and economic benefits to the state’s small-, medium- and large-sized manufacturing companies by enabling knowledge transfer, the discovery of new technologies and retention of highly skilled students, according to Matthew A. Sanfilippo, executive director of CMU’s Institute for Complex Engineered Systems (ICES).

RAMP will operate as a competitive funding program that provides small incentive grants (one to one and one-half years in duration) to faculty-led teams at both CMU and Lehigh that engage in short-term innovation projects in cooperation with a Pennsylvania manufacturing company. Each successful RAMP proposal will be awarded between $25,000 and $75,000 to help support graduate students working with successful participating companies.

“This program is designed to help Pennsylvania companies invent and develop advanced manufacturing capabilities to compete in a global marketplace,” said Gary Fedder, ICES director and a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the Robotics Institute.

“Additionally, RAMP will build off the successful history at Lehigh and CMU of partnering with Pennsylvania’s companies and provide a gateway for these companies to tap into the unique technical capabilities that are available at these research universities,” added Richard Sause, director of Lehigh’s ATLSS Engineering Research Center.

The new program falls on the heels of the U.S. government’s tack to forge new ways to collaborate on discovery, commercialization and the building of workforce skills to ensure that advanced manufacturing creates jobs in the United States.

CMU research has shown that moving manufacturing overseas to developing countries can reduce the economic viability of emerging technologies.

“We find that in the case of early-stage industries with immature processes that when U.S. firms shift production from the U.S. to countries like China, the most advanced technologies that were developed in the U.S. no longer pay,” said Erica Fuchs, an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon. “With changes in the innovation ecosystem over the last few decades, policy and other funding mechanisms to support manufacturing, technology development and commercialization activities by these small- and medium-sized enterprises may be of growing importance to regional and national economic development.”

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AT&T Launches $250 Million Aspire Initiative to Boost Graduation Rates, Pennsylvania Groups Urged to Apply

27 Mar

finally fastBusiness News from the Finally Fast team

AT&T has announced the launch of a new $250 million, 5-year financial commitment aimed at helping more students graduate from high school with the skills they need to succeed in college and careers. The funding for AT&T Aspire – already among the most significant U.S. corporate educational initiatives, with more than $100 million invested since 2008 – will be available for organizations and institutions with a proven track record of success that are looking to use technology to connect with students in new and effective ways. Between now and April 18, 2012, AT&T is encouraging Pennsylvania organizations to apply for funding through the Local High School Impact Initiative Requests for Proposals (RFPs).

“AT&T Aspire works toward an America where every student graduates high school equipped with the knowledge and skills to strengthen the nation’s workforce,” AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said while announcing the extended commitment during a keynote address at the second annual Building a Grad Nation Summit.

The Washington, D.C., event convened by America’s Promise Alliance (http://www.americaspromise.org/), Civic Enterprises (http://www.civicenterprises.net/home.html), The Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University (www.every1graduates.org/), and the Alliance for Excellent Education (http://www.all4ed.org/) brings together nearly 1,200 U.S. leaders to discuss progress and challenges in ending the high school dropout crisis.

“This is a significant investment in preparing the next generation of Americans to succeed in the increasingly competitive global economy,” said J. Michael Schweder, president of AT&T Pennsylvania.  “We hope organizations across Pennsylvania with a passion for dealing with this problem and a proven track record of success in increasing graduation rates will apply for funding.”

AT&T is looking to fund local programs that have strong, evidence-based practices grounded in the What Works Clearinghouse Dropout Prevention: A Practice Guide and data-driven outcomes demonstrated to improve high school graduation rates.

Pennsylvania organizations interested in getting additional information or applying will find complete details on the RFP process at http://www.att.com/education-news by clicking on the “Aspire Local Impact RFP” option.  Applications will be accepted between now and April 27. AT&T Aspire is already among the most significant U.S. corporate educational initiatives with more than $100 million invested since 2008.  The initiative has impacted more than one million U.S. high school students, helping them prepare for success in the workplace and college.

Through Aspire, AT&T has invested $1,077,900 in Pennsylvania since 2008. Organizations that have benefited include the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania; Communities In Schools of Pittsburgh/Allegheny County; Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania; Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania; the Philadelphia’s Children First Fund; and the United Way of York County, among others.  In collaboration with Junior Achievement, students across Pennsylvania also have participated in job shadowing events at AT&T facilities in the state, giving students a chance to make the connection between school and the workplace.

Drop-out rates are a serious issue in the United States. According to a report issued today by Civic Enterprises, the Everyone Graduates Center, America’s Promise Alliance and the Alliance for Excellent Education, one in four students in the U.S. – more than 1 million each year – drops out. (AT&T is the lead sponsor of this report.)

Education experts believe that the lack of a high school degree significantly worsens job prospects, particularly in the challenging science, technology and math sectors. On average, a high school dropout earns 25 percent less during the course of his or her lifetime compared with a high school graduate and 57 percent less than a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

Although the problem is serious, there are signs of progress according to the report:

  • The high school graduation rate increased by 3.5 percentage points nationally from 2001 to 2009.
  •  In 2001, the rate was 72.0 percent; by 2009, it had risen to 75.5 percent. From 2002 to 2009, six states experienced large gains in their graduation rates; 14 states made moderate gains; and four states made modest gains

(Note: 2002 was the first year that state data became available.)

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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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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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Car Sharing Service launches in Portland

15 Dec

finallyfast.comOn Tuesday the City of Portland today announced that peer-to-peer car sharing company and 2011 TechCrunch Disrupt NYC winner, Getaround, was selected by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to participate in a joint initiative with the city to use $1,725,000 in federal funding to launch peer-to-peer car sharing in the greater Portland metropolitan area by February of 2012, following an initial launch at Portland State University. In anticipation of the launch, starting today, Portland commuters and car owners can begin signing up for Getaround.

“The City of Portland continues to partner with the private sector, providing new alternatives to expensive personal car ownership. Peer-to-peer car sharing will keep money in Portlanders’ pockets, so I hope you’ll check it out and see whether it works for you”

The FHWA grant in Portland is the first federal grant ever awarded for peer-to-peer car sharing. The selection of Getaround by the FHWA as the car sharing provider for the state’s pilot program was based on Getaround’s novel technology, insurance program and successful track record in enabling car owners to safely and easily share their cars in other metropolitan areas, including the San Francisco Bay Area.

“The City of Portland continues to partner with the private sector, providing new alternatives to expensive personal car ownership. Peer-to-peer car sharing will keep money in Portlanders’ pockets, so I hope you’ll check it out and see whether it works for you,” Portland Mayor Sam Adams said.

As part of the government initiative, Getaround will work closely with the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC) to research the dynamics and impacts of peer-to-peer car sharing, making Portland the test bed for peer-to-peer car sharing nationwide. The planned launch in the Portland metropolitan area will take place in February 2012, with a preliminary launch taking place at, and in partnership with, Portland State University on January 1, 2012 to coincide with the enactment of Oregon HB 3149, the landmark legislation enabling personal vehicle sharing in Oregon.

“Since our inception, Getaround has viewed the city of Portland, OR as a perfect place for our service. Residents here have a reputation for being early adopters of innovative ways to solve transportation problems in the U.S., including traffic and pollution,” said Getaround co-founder and CEO, Sam Zaid. “We look forward to bringing the Getaround experience to Oregon to reduce car overpopulation while empowering people to turn a costly asset—which on average sits idle 22 hours per day—into something that can generate sustained revenue.”

Getaround enables car owners to “un-idle” their cars and offset the cost of vehicle ownership by sharing with friends, co-workers and neighbors, while people seeking cars are provided easy, affordable access to vehicles everywhere. Getaround differs from other car sharing services by offering an open marketplace that gives owners total freedom over their vehicle’s pricing, availability and selection of renters. Additionally, the Getaround Carkit and iPhone app together make it easy for members to conduct entire transactions using only their smartphone. The service provides community and financial benefits to both owners and renters, backed by the peace of mind of A++ insurance carrier Berkshire Hathaway.

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High School Estimates $100,000.00 in Energy Savings

12 Dec

finallyfast.comBusiness news from the Finally Fast team

In 2007 Adlai E. Stevenson High School inLincolnshire, Ill. set a goal to achieve U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Certification. With the help of Siemens Building Technologies Division, Stevenson recently achieved this goal by becoming the first high school in America to be certified LEED Gold for Existing Buildings (EB).

“Earning LEED Gold status is a validation of our ‘Green Initiative’ to reduce the schools carbon footprint,” said Stevenson High School assistant superintendent for Business Mark Michelini, who coordinated the effort. “Part of its mandate directed staff to embrace best practices—in collaboration with Siemens and support from partners Cannon Design and Sodexo, our facilities team created a master plan to address campus energy and resource consumption. We’ve met and exceeded those targets and the result is our LEED certification—a national benchmark and an achievement we all share—faculty, staff and especially the students.”

Stevenson, one of the largest high schools in the U.S., educates more than 4,500 students each year and has received the President’s Award for Excellence in Education five times. The sprawling campus features all the amenities and encompasses more than 1 million square feet of classroom, athletic, performing arts and administrative facilities.  Through a comprehensive understanding of the technical and operational aspects of the campus’ building automation, HVAC systems, lighting and other elements, Siemens was able to help the Stevenson Green Initiative committee develop a broad operational plan to systematically reduce water consumption and help the school cut back on electricity and natural gas use after hours.

Among key deliverables, Siemens provided full transparency of CO2, energy consumption and pricing through the company’s cloud-based Energy Monitoring and Control platform. Highly skilled energy technicians using cloud-based tools from Siemens Services group also delivered a comprehensive existing building continuous commissioning program—an essential element of LEED EB certification.

As a result, Stevenson was able to achieve its first set of energy consumption reduction targets set forth in its sustainability mission statement: Seven percent lower electricity use and five percent less natural gas consumption. According to Stevenson officials, those measures have saved the school over $100,000 in electricity and natural gas costs over the 22-month certification process.

“With any collaboration, the key is knowledge sharing on the one hand, and then the practical application of that knowledge on the other,” said Courtney Shoemaker, Energy Services, Siemens Building Technologies Division. “At the center of it was a comprehensive understanding of the interplay and interdependence of the school’s legacy building systems and operational practices, supported by data delivered by Siemens technology.”

Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector, with approximately 87,000 employees worldwide, offers sustainable technologies for metropolitan areas and their infrastructures. Its offerings include complete traffic and transportation systems, intelligent logistics, efficient energy supply, environmentally compatible building technologies, modernization of the way power is transmitted and distributed, and smart consumption of electricity.  The sector is comprised of the Rail Systems, Mobility and Logistics, Low and Medium Voltage, Smart Grid and Building Technologies Divisions as well as Osram Sylvania.

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RESTORE Act Fines Could Provide Job Opportunities in Gulf Coast, 32 Other States

7 Dec

FinallyFast.comBusiness news from the Finally Fast team

The Clean Water Act penalties from last year’s BP oil disaster could kick start the launch of a long-term investment in ecosystem restoration and create jobs that would benefit at least 140 businesses with nearly 400 employee locations in 37 states, including more than 260 in the Gulf Coast and nearly 60 in Florida, according to a new Duke University study.  The report–”RESTORING THE GULF COAST: New Markets for Established Firms,” funded by Environmental Defense Fund –is based on a sample of 140 firms linked to coastal restoration projects already undertaken or completed.

“Long-term ecosystem restoration would be an economic grand slam because it both protects current jobs in key Floridaindustries – like fishing, tourism, and shipping– and creates new jobs,” said Jackie Prince Roberts, director of sustainable technologies for Environmental Defense Fund. “A study of Everglades restoration by Mather Economics – based on data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – estimates that every $1 million of public investment in restoring the Everglades would create about 20 jobs. Our study helps Florida residents understand where those jobs can be created, and the opportunity Florida has to be a leader in this new industry sector that provides ecosystem restoration services to the Gulf, and to meet emerging global demand.”

The study’s release is timely because the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday to examine bipartisan legislation, the RESTORE Act (H.R. 3096), that would dedicate 80 percent of the estimated $5-21 billion in Clean Water Act fines from the 4.9 million barrel spill to restoring the Gulf.  The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee already has approved the Senate version of the bill (S. 1400), cosponsored by nine of the 10 Gulf state senators, including Florida’s Bill Nelson (D) and Marco Rubio (R).

“Restoration projects activate a full supply chain linking materials providers, equipment manufacturers, shipbuilders, machinery repair firms, engineering and construction contractors, and environmental resource firms,” the report says.  “Many of the firms are based in the Gulf Coast region. Having long worked in the marine construction industry building oil and gas industry infrastructure, they can apply the same skills and equipment to coastal restoration, thus finding new markets and a more diverse client base.”

“Coastal habitat restoration typically creates at least 3-4 times as many jobs as road infrastructure or oil and gas projects for every $1 million invested,” said Keith Bowers, president of Biohabitats, Inc., a conservation planning, ecological restoration and regenerative design firm that does restoration work in the Everglades, Big Cypress and Tampa Bay, FL, Texas and Louisiana, and has offices in Baltimore, MD; Louisville, KY; Raleigh, NC; North Charleston, SC; Denver, CO; Cleveland, OH; Glen Ridge, NJ; and Santa Fe, NM. “This study proves ecological restoration can be a real catalyst for job creation, economic vitality and ecosystem resiliency.  Passing the RESTORE Act could help restore the fishing and tourism industries in Florida and the other Gulf Coast states.”

Two-thirds of the firms sampled have offices in the Gulf Coast and qualify as small businesses, according to Small Business Administration guidelines on number of employees.  One of the firms is Taylor Engineering, an employee-owned design firm that restored seven miles of critically eroded beaches battered by hurricanes in Walton County and the city of Destin inOkaloosa County and has full-service offices in Jacksonville and West Palm Beach, and local-service offices in Tampa andDestin, FL, Savannah, GA, Baltimore, MD, and Columbia, SC.  The firm has provided a life-cycle commitment to the art and science of delivering sustainable solutions in the water environment since 1983.

“If our customer base picks up in response to RESTORE funding, there would be a positive and sustainable long-term impact on our hiring,” said James Marino, P.E., President of Taylor Engineering, and a certified Diplomat in Coastal Engineering, who was an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 20 years.  “Restoration projects are very important to small and medium-sized firms like ours because they provide a valuable stream of work in a fragile economy.  The cost to benefit ratio is very high for restoration projects, especially for beach restoration, which brings considerable value for regional economies in a multitude of business sectors.  Not only do these projects serve as an immediate and prolonged benefit economically, but more importantly, the net positive effects provided to a sustainable environmental infrastructure are enduring.”

The BP oil disaster worsened the damage to the badly degraded Mississippi River Delta wetlands, a priceless resource that “sustains the Gulf region’s unique people and cultures and brings the U.S. economy billions of dollars each year in energy, fishing, shipping and tourism,” the report states.  ”At stake in the loss of coastal wetlands is not only the environmental health of the Gulf region, but also several of the nation’s vital industries.”

The Gulf region’s critical economic role, and the extent to which this role depends on the delta ecosystem, is evident in the following assets provided by the Gulf region:

  •  33% of the nation’s seafood harvest (National Marine Fisheries Service, 2011
  • $34 billion per year in tourism (Oxford Economics, 2010)
  •  90% of the nation’s total offshore crude oil and natural gas production (Energy Information Administration, 2011)
  •  4,000 offshore oil platforms and 33,000 miles of pipeline (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, 2011; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2010)
  • 10 of the nation’s 15 largest shipping ports, by cargo volume (American Association of Port Authorities, 2009)

The report notes that a robust coastal restoration sector has been developing in the marine construction industry, but recent budget cuts have stalled many authorized restoration projects.

“In Florida, the economy is the environment, but funding for environmental restoration projects has been reduced by the state and most local governments,” said Michael L. Davis, Vice President and Principal, Keith and Schnars, P.A., an environmental, planning and engineering consulting firm that currently is working on the South Miami-Dade Watershed Study and Plan and has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, and Doral, Florida. “The RESTORE Act is a win for Florida’s economy andFlorida’s environment because it will enable environmental consulting firms like mine to hire additional biologists and engineers, and restoration construction contractors to buy more equipment and hire more operators.”

The report concludes that coastal restoration is needed in Florida, California, the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes.  If U.S. markets expand, the firms that serve them will be well positioned to sell to international markets as they develop in the future.  For example, several countries in Asia are developing integrated coastal management programs, and recently India,Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam have undertaken hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of coastal restoration projects.  The RESTORE Act would continue to build this promising new sector.

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Google Analytics Version v5 Coming Soon

23 Nov

FinallyFast.comBusiness news from the Finally Fast team

As the sun sets on the old Analytics interface, version v5 is coming closer to reaching fruition. While the beta version has already been available for users to try out, Google says in a matter of weeks the new version will be activated in all user accounts. You will still be able to switch back to the old version while you get your feet wet with the new interface, but only until January 2012. After January, version v5 will be fully integrated and the old version will be gone. With all the cool new features on the v5 interface, however, we don’t see any need to switch back. New Features include:

Visitor Flow

Visitor flow provides a great visual for how visitors navigate your pages and where they drop off. In the drop down bar, you can choose what flow chart you want to see, whether it be direct traffic, referral traffic or even mobile traffic. This feature also lists the numbers of visitors to each pages, how many go on to another page and how many drop off.

Real Time Tracking

Real Time Tracking provides a visual breakdown of real time visitors to your website. You are able to see the number of visitors fluctuate as they enter and exit your website each second. You are also able to see where in the world these visitors are coming from on a map, how many pages they have visited and the amount of time they have spent on the website.

Mobile Tracking

With mobile search becoming more prominent, Analytics v5 has added the capability to track mobile devices, as well as iPods and iPads. The Analytics team was even nice enough to provide images for each mobile device, just in case you forget what an iPhone looks like.

Multi-Channel Funnels and Goals Funnels

The multi-channel funnels give you a visual breakdown of what traffic sources preceded a conversion. This is a useful tool which can reveal what is more influential in yielding conversions. Under the ‘Conversions’ tab, you can find funnel visualization and goal flow, which are also unique visual tools which can help track conversions.

Key Differences Between the New and Old Versions

Even with the addition of all these new features, many of the key features of the old Analytics version have been preserved. The overall layout and menu bar have changed slightly, since Google has done away with the ‘Dashboard’, ‘Intelligence’ and ‘Goals’ tabs from the old interface and added the ‘Advertising’ and ‘Conversions’ tabs on the new menu.

New tabs have been added along the top, where ‘Home’ will take you to your dashboard and ‘Standard Reporting’ will take you to the familiar reports. ‘Custom Reporting’ allows the option to create your own reports based on customized factors.

In addition to the new features, some of key features from the older version have been switched around. For instance, the ‘Keywords’ tab, which used to be under

‘Traffic Sources’ in the older version is no longer there. Instead, you can find keyword tracking by going to Traffic Sources > Overview and your keywords are there on the right hand side.

Even with the new features and alterations to the layout, the new Analytics platform is straight-forward and easily understood. The Analytics team did a great job of providing an enhanced version of the Analytics we love, creating a visual approach to the variables that matter most, like conversions and site navigability.

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