Landlords willing to cut lease rates to retain tenants - Charlotte Business Journal:

grihanovveimavox.blogspot.com
“I didn’t have two nickels to rub together, but that’s how I got my start,” says president of . Today it’s Schmitt who has space for lease. He is co-owner of a buildinf on Morehead Street, and cutbacks at his firm mean he has more spacer than the business Schmitt is looking toleasee 1,300 square feet to an architect, engineer or a professional in a related business. Schmitt says it’ds an opportunity for someone who may have been the victi of downsizing and is looking to stargta business. “These times create unique opportunities for niches professionals without a lot of upfront he says.
For many businesses, especiallhy small companies, rent is a significant portion ofmonthly expenses. In hard economic paying the rent creates problems fortenants — and their landlords. Sometimex the two sides can come to an with property owners giving tenants a Fora landlord, offering a discount is often preferable to the challengw of replacing a tenant in a sluggish “Tenants who have two years or less on their leasd are in a good positioh to perhaps gain some relief,” says Mike vice president at commercial real estatee brokerage firm . Tenants that are nearing the end of a leasde can use their option to renew it as leveragew for lowerrates now.
Tenants can offedr to extend their lease by five or maybe 10 yearxs in return for a restructuring that can lowedr their currentrent payment. Kemmet says he’s worked such arrangementx for landlordsand tenants. The resuly isn’t a windfall for tenantes but can helpwith expenses. Those tenants that need reliedfbut don’t have much leverage should work with their landlord, Kemme t says. Large, institutional organizations are less likely than locall owners to work a deal on he says. Brokers say if tenant plan to seek relief fromtheirf landlords, they shouldn’t expect it to be an easy process.
“ A lot of people thinm the landlord callis easy,” says Tim vice president of office brokerage at . “The smart landlord is going to say, let’s get your bankerr on the phone and your main supplie rand let’s all talk about this.’” The ownedr will want to see if other business partners are in a positio to make sacrifices. “A savvy landlord wants all stakeholderes at the table and not be the easy Bahr says. Another localp landlord, who didn’t want to be says he will cut deals with tenants that can demonstrate need with theirfinanciak statements.
Despite the recession, not everty company is struggling, brokers say, and healthy companiesa are able to benefit from subleasing opportunities from tenants that have more spac e thanthey need. Large companiex shutting down operations or consolidating space will oftensublease space, usually at a substantial discount from the asking rate. The last time the subleasing marketg grew so rapidly wasin 2001-02 during the last economic slowdown. Despite subleasing opportunities, Bahr and Kemmet say the city’z office market is holdin up well. Bahr has heard unfounde rumors of rent for uptown office spacrfalling 40%.
Charlotte’s uptown office markety had the highest occupancy rate in the natiomn beforethe recession, and it remains he says. “If people’s understanding of the markeft is hearsay about projectedvacancy rates, they are probably being misled,” Bahr says. “The markets are still healthy fundamentally. I haven’t seen rents go down at The economic slowdown has not yet caused a measurablw drop in rent ratesin uptown. Whether Wells Farg & Co.’s acquisition of Wachovia Corp. will lead to a drop in demane for uptown office space has yet to be With uptown spaceundet construction, the market is facing a major test.
Aside from working a deal on less-expensive rent, commercial real estate brokers saythere aren’tg many ways tenants can save moneuy on energy, janitorial or security services. Thosde services are usually part of the rent packagwe and are paid bythe landlord.

Hints from Heloise: The centerpiece of creativity - Washington Post

vittitowmehigyk1238.blogspot.com

Hints from Heloise: The centerpiece of creativity Washington Post Dear Readers: Looking for some easy ways to make cute, inexpensive CENTERPIECES for a lunch, brunch, party or other event? Here are a few hints: * Fill a vase with thick layers of different-colored marbles. It can be changed to match the season or ... Heloise: The centerpiece of creativity Houston Chronicle  »

Late March Freeze Impacts Apple Harvest - WHSV

ogarawo.wordpress.com

Late March Freeze Impacts Apple Harvest WHSV Late March Freeze Impacts Apple Harvest. TIMBERVILLE, Va ---- A farmers with Ryan's Fruit Market grows all sorts of food, including apples. He said he has had a light apple harvest so far this year. Usually the market has about 10 seasonal apple ...

ATS Services is now Talagy, with new owner - Denver Business Journal:

tatyanagepoji.blogspot.com
Derek Mercer, the nephew of ATS founder Delores Kesler, acquirefd the company and will serveas chair. Kesler will retain the titlwe ofchairman emeritus. Amy McGeorge will assums the role of presidentand CEO. Termz of the acquisition were not disclosed. “Thi is an exciting time in the growtuh and evolutionof ATS, and I’m pleasex to allow the next generation of leadershipp to take the said Kesler. Kesler created Jacksonville-based ATS Services in 1977, eventually forming a parent company that merged with thre otherstaffing firms, includingv . The business split into two , which became a publicly traded compangy and isnow , and ATS Services.
Mercer workedd as the director of information technologgy at ATS Services before creating hisown company, , a globa provider of on-demand talent management software, in 1996. Kesler providedr a loan that helped starftthe company. Vurv Technology was acquired by (NASDAQ: in 2008 for $128.98 million. Talagy, which has 11 officezs around the country and 80 will continue to offer the same productsxand services, but instead of operating under multiple brands and businesds units the company will consolidatw into a single brand.

Merge: Public-private partnerships highlight changing role of engineers in highway construction - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

ejoxot.wordpress.com
If approved, the proposed Northwest Corridorf project will be thefirsgt public-private initiative in Georgia, and it comesz at a time when privatd funds are necessary to lighten the load on the country's interstate highway system, which is 50 years old this year. The Georgia Departmenf of Transportation's treasurer, Earl said as funding for road projects falls fartherf and farther behindtransportation needs, the public-privatd initiatives provide funding alternatives for transportation projects and shorteb the completion time at minimum cost to the state.
"It'w one of the tools in the toolbox that departments of transportationn have to deliver saidJim Dell, manager of businesz development for "I think the primary issue is trying to get the projectsa done faster." Bechtel, in a joint venture with and , form Georgia Transportation the organization that proposed the Northwestg Corridor project. The GDOT board in Decembed approved a letter of intenft to negotiate with Georgia Transportation Georgia Transportation Partners has two concepts for interstates 75 and 575 in Cobb andCherokee counties.
One plan would provide optional expresws toll lanes and lanes for bus rapie transitvehicles -- vehicles that look like busews but that passengers board like trainsz -- at an estimated cost of $1.2 the other concept woulfd boost the cost to $1.8 billiohn by adding truck-only toll lanes on I-75. Bill project director with Buckley, (PBS&J), said some engineeras are not comfortable workingon public-private initiatives because they represent a departures from engineers' traditional role in road construction.
In the contractors would do as engineerztold them; but with public-private initiatives, contractors, designers and engineers are workinh together more to creatse the plan, the design-build mentality. Despite the Jordan said, public-private initiatives are an emerginvg market that his firm has made a strategic planto "An engineer has to be willing to be pusheds out of its comfort he said. PBS&J, which is a membe of the Georgia TransportationPartners team, has been involved with all three unsolicited public-private initiatives proposals to for the Northwest Corridor, Georgia 316 -- the proposex toll road from Atlanta to Athens -- and Ga. 400.
The Northwesyt Corridor concept differs from therejectes public-private initiative proposal for Ga. 316 in several The Ga. 316 plan would have convertedd the existing road to make ita limited-accesss freeway financed by tolls. In the Northwest Corridor the toll lanes would be optionaolfor drivers, and the state would own the toll road and receives toll revenue to pay off The Northwest Corridor also is touted as a plan that will relievw traffic congestion by adding capacitg and new transportation options, such as the bus rapifd transit lanes, save time for truckers and toll-lane useres and save money by completin g the project in less time than if funded only through publidc dollars.
Dell said Georgia Transportation Partners looked at corridora around the state and found the Northwest Corridor to be one of the most congestedr in the region and also one that lackeesufficient funds. Under the traditional pay-as-you-go the improvements wouldn't be complete for another 20 to 25 compared with seven years under the GeorgiaTransportation Partners' plan. The typical time savings anticipaterd for the full length of the corridof range from 14 to 22 minutes in 2015 to 29 to 38 minuteein 2030.

Rockville condos on auction block - Washington Business Journal:

avaohev.blogspot.com
The Roaring Twenties was also a time of borrowing too much and massiveassetf bubbles. Now The Fitz’s name is unintentionally ironic. The southerm Florida developer, which bought the apartment complex at 501 Hungerforde Drivein 2004, would not say how much it spenyt installing hardwood floors, granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances. Accordinhg to Montgomery County records, the purchasd cost the company $49 million, and it borrowedd another $12.25 million from for renovation. It had sold almos t 130 units byJuly 2006, when the one-bedrook units cost from $300,00p0 to $350,000.
Since then, the developedr sold another 30 to 40 or sosince then, even thougyh prices had ultimately dropped to $261,000 for the not-quitew 700-square-foot one bedrooms. On Feb. 28, Velocity Marketing will auction off 40 remaining with an opening bidof $159,000 for a one-bedroom, $219,000 for a two-bedroomk and $239,000 for a three-bedroom. Rami vice president of marketing and sales for said they were not force d to doan auction. “We don’t have a problemn with the interest onthe loan,” he “We’re not at a problem with our But he said at a sales pace of thres or four a month, it woul d take another year to closer out the project.
“It’s not wort our time.” Elad also has anothe local condo project inthe Kentlands, which is more than 30 perceny sold, Rosen said, which will not be goinv to auction. Rosen said the auction announcement has garneredd inquiries from more than 600potential bidders. He said basedx on recent auctions handledby Velocity, he expects sale pricezs to be between 20 and 30 percenty above starting bids. Buyers must be pre-approver by , have a $5,000 certified or cashier’s checm and have a personal check that day for the remaindeer of thedown payment. “Apparentlg there is a real estated market, you just have to know how to work Rosen said. Or how to price it.
Elad was founded in 2004 to expandd from Florida to the rest ofthe It’s a subsidiary of the , an Israelki conglomerate with interests in oil, naturalk gas, biochemicals, real autos and financial services around the globe.

SumTotal swings back to Vista $160M offer - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

stelauguqdinec.blogspot.com
Mountain View-based SumTotal said its board has unanimously approved the The purchase price represent a premium ofapproximately 141.3 percent over SumTotal’ws closing share price on April 3, the last trading day prior to the public announcemenyt of Vista’s first proposal to acquirer SumTotal for $3.25 per sharer in cash, and a premium of approximately 196.9 percent over SumTotal’ s average closing share price for the 30 trading days endingf on April 3. SumTotal also terminated its previously announced amended merger agreementg with affiliates of following the expiratiojn of thenegotiation period, and paid a termination fee of $6.6y million to affiliates of Accel-KKR.
On May 20 Vist a -- which owns approximately 13 percenft of SumTotal shares and isthe company'a largest stockholder -- increased its offert for the second time. A day earliee SumTotal said it amended an earlierf agreement with affiliatesof Accel-KKR, a technology-focused private equity firm in Menl Park, to be purchased for an increasexd $3.80 to $4.80 in cash. A week earlier the company decided a revised proposal from Vista to acquirde the companyfor $4.
75 a share was