Executives in accounting, advertising, finance, high tech & new media, law and real estate have all found new digs. Check out the new faces in key places.

RM Hospitality Group Inc.: Howard Greenstone, 49, was promoted to president and chief executive. He was most recently chief operating officer.

Seyfarth Shaw: Marjorie R. Culver, 41, joined the law firm as a partner in the labor and employment department. She had previously served as of counsel at Paul Hastings.

MSG Entertainment: Don Simpson, 53, was promoted to executive vice president of productions. He previously served as senior vice president of business development, venues and festivals.

Kaboodle: Anne Zehren, 48, was named chief executive at the social shopping site. She was most recently president and chief operating officer at Common Sense Media.

Swig Equities: Norman Zeller, 61, was promoted to senior vice president and will continue in his role as director of property management at the real estate development firm. He previously served as vice president.

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art: Ronni Denes, 59, was promoted to senior vice president of external affairs and strategic planning from vice president for external affairs.

Derek Wittner, 66, joined as vice president for development. He was most recently dean of Columbia College alumni affairs and development and deputy vice president of university development and alumni affairs.

JWT: Bill Oberlander, 50, was named executive creative director at the ad agency. He was formerly chief creative officer and executive vice president at Cossette New York.

Grant Thornton: Claudine Cohen, 41, was promoted to principal at the accounting and advisory firm. She was formerly a senior manager.

Doremus: Jason Luis, 35, joined the business communications firm as director of analytics. He had been director of analytics at Black Bag Advertising.

Madison Williams and Co.: Matthew Harris, 36, joined the investment banking firm as director of institutional equity trading. He was previously at Tuohy Brothers Investment Research Inc., where he served as head of trading.

Goodwin Procter: Peter W. LaVigne, 57, was named partner at the law firm. He was most recently special counsel at Sullivan & Cromwell.

Radius Global Market Research: Jamie Myers, 36, was promoted to director of the business development team from senior vice president at the market research firm.

Lesley Brooks, 41, was promoted to senior vice president. She was previously a vice president.

The Halo Group: Garrick M. Gelinas, 38, was appointed senior vice president and director of client services at the marketing communications firm. He was most recently at Ogilvy New York, where he served as senior vice president and global business director.

Nickelodeon: Keith Dawkins, 41, was named senior vice president and general manager of Nicktoons and TeenNick. He was formerly general manager of Nicktoons and senior vice president of Nickelodeon programming partnerships.

Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp: Joel M. Schoenfeld, 59, joined the law firm as a partner. He was previously chief legal officer and general counsel at eMusic.com Inc.

Brooklyn Law School: Bethany Blankley, 35, joined as director of communica-tions. She was director of media relations at Hudson Institute.

Cairn India Ltd is looking at an incremental output of 300 million barrels from its oil fields in Barmer, Rajasthan. Cairn completed one year of production on August 28.

It plans to get this incremental output from the enhanced oil recovery (EoR) project, a generic term for techniques used for increasing the amount of crude oil that can be extracted from the fields.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Rick Bott, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, said, “The first pilot trial for EoR project has been initiated.” The company expects results from EoR project within next two years.

Production

Current production from the fields is 1,25,000 bopd. Peak production from the fields based on the current approved plan by the Government is 1,75,000 bopd, which the company expects to reach shortly. This incremental 300 million barrels is over and above the proposed 2,40,000 bopd production target, which Cairn recently announced.

At the production level of 1,75,000 bopd, the Barmer fields will account for more than 20 per cent of India's current total crude production. India's total crude import is approximately 2,000,000 bopd. In the first year of its production, Rajasthan fields has contributed 12.3 million barrels to crude oil output. Domestic crude oil production in the last one year has risen to 775,000 barrels a day from 660,000 barrels a day.

At the rate of $75 a barrel in the coming year at the current level (1,25,000 bopd) of production, the Rajasthan field will reduce India's import bill by about $3.4 billion. According to estimates, the revenue to the Government and resultant foreign exchange savings accruing on account of profit petroleum (50 per cent to Government of India as per the Production Sharing Contract), royalties and corporate taxes, would be over $30 billion assuming $75 a barrel oil price (across the life of field).

Cess

Since the production has started, Cairn has paid a cess of Rs 450 crore to the Government and its partner ONGC — a 30 per cent stakeholder and licensee of the block — has paid a cumulative royalty of Rs 302 crore up to June 2010.

Cairn already has sales arrangements for 1,43,000 bopd with public and private sector refiners such as MRPL, Indian Oil Corporation, Reliance Industries Ltd, and Essar Oil. With the production expected to touch 1,75,000 bopd shortly, “request has been made to the Government to allow access to more refining capacity by allowing sales to Special Economic Zones and to overseas refineries,” Mr Rahul Dhir Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Cairn India said.

Mr Rick Bott

Sami Inkinen is nothing if not persistent.

Whether it's bicycling 4 miles to and from school every day in his native Finland, even in subfreezing temperatures, or tracking his days on an Excel spreadsheet for the past decade, Inkinen sticks with what he starts.

"When I decided something, I usually just kind of went for it," Inkinen, 34, recalled of his formative years, spent on a small farm in Ruokolahti, a municipality of about 6,000 residents near the Russian border.

There, he grew up the middle child between two sisters and developed a love of the outdoors, along with a strict work ethic.

That work ethic led him to co-found Trulia, a popular real estate search site based in San Francisco, where he is the chief operating officer.

"I was born in a farmhouse and learned the value of hard work early," said Inkinen, who spent many a day harvesting potatoes when he wanted to be working on one of his favorite pastimes, teaching himself how to program computers.

"I've always been into computers," said Inkinen, whose parents - like a number of other Finns - made their living working in pulp and paper factories.

When he was about 15, Inkinen started one of the first computerized bulletin board systems (BBS) - the precursors to chat rooms - in Finland.

Later, at Helsinki University, he studied physics ("I chose that because it was the most difficult department to get into.") and made money doing software programming and providing computer support.

He worked in a nuclear power plant and helped launch an online stock-trading service before enrolling in Stanford University's MBA program in 2003.

"The analogy I use is it's like the hockey players in Europe: If you have the ability to come to the NHL, they'll always take the opportunity," he said. "For entrepreneurs, Silicon Valley is a little bit like the NHL. It was always the dream to come here."

It was at Stanford that Inkinen met fellow MBA student Pete Flint, who also was looking for housing and getting as discouraged as he was about the lack of interactive tools to find it.

And so it was that the pair created Trulia - a name and service derived from a desire to provide "trustworthy and truthful information" that helps consumers make smart real estate decisions, whether they be purchases or rentals.

The search service, introduced five years ago next month, has received $33 million in venture funding and grown to about 150 employees. The company will soon move from Potrero Hill into a larger, two-floor space at New Montgomery and Mission streets in San Francisco.

Inkinen said that he and Flint, now CEO, have no immediate plans to go public or to sell.

Meanwhile, the founders strive to maintain a balanced work culture for their employees, who collectively speak 72 native languages.

Once a quarter, they are treated to a "mind and body day" that features events such as biking expeditions to the Marin Headlands, there's on-site yoga every Wednesday, and programmers get two days a month to "build the coolest thing" they can for the site, which releases new code every week. Inkinen, a big believer in tracking data, regularly takes the temperature of their mood using a "happiness index" that asks employees to rate such statements as, "I enjoy going to work."

"You can actually measure happiness, is my opinion," he said.

Indeed, the company has a lot to smile about these days.

While Trulia feeds off the Bay Area's - and the rest of the country's - love affair with real estate, it appears to be immune to the industry's downturn. In July, when U.S. home sales dropped the most in 15 years, the website tracked 1 million new visitors.

"Uncertainty creates a lot of questions," Inkinen said. "We provide the tools to answer them."

Sami Inkinen

Work: Co-founder, COO, Trulia (privately held)

Age: 34

Family: Newlywed; married Meredith Loring Aug. 20

Residences: Rentals in San Francisco, New York City

Hobbies: Triathlons, reading and figuring things out

Quote: "I believe if you can track something, you can improve it."

Can't live without: "My diary: an Excel spreadsheet that has notes for every single day for the last nine years."

E-mail Suzanne Herel at sherel@sfchronicle.com.

Sami Inkinen co-founded Trulia, 
a real estate website.

We’re delighted to announce that Yelp Chief Operating Officer Geoff Donaker will be in the spotlight for SMX East’s second day keynote on Tuesday, October 5th. Combining local search with customer reviews, special offers and a healthy dose of social interaction, Yelp is an indispensable resource for local businesses and those who enjoy “getting out and about” alike. In this keynote conversation with Search Engine Land executive editor Chris Sherman, Donaker will discuss the incredible exposure Yelp can offer to local businesses via its 30 million monthly visitors, handling online reputation management issues, the future of location based services and social media and much more.

Want to know more? Read on for more details about the conference. Ready to go? Register now and get our Early Bird rate – $300 off an All Access pass. But don’t delay—the early bird rate expires on Sept. 10.

Save $300 by registering now for Search Marketing Expo - SMX East, New York City, October 4-6. Time is running out! Rates increase September 11.

Go Classy Tours, Inc. Chief Operating Officer attends the 13th annual Sandy Beach Hedonism II Reunion in Sea Bright New Jersey.

I thought I would share this with you.  This was a email I recived from Barnett Bailey, Go Classy Tours COO.

"What Great turn out of friends and clients of Go Classy Tours, Inc. Many who have been to Hedonism II over 50 times and a few who have been close to 100 times. Folks came from Chicago, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Nova Scotia, Toronto, London, Scotland, Texas, and Maine, all for fun in the sun with Hedo friends. The weather was perfect and sunny just like in Negril. I guess that is why so many call Negril their second home… Friday began the festivities and Saturday was the main event with Winston, the activities Coordinator for Hedonism II coming all the way from Jamaica just for this event. Winston was right in form with his games and give away prizes for “Dirty Minds”, “Dirty Bananas”, “How to Drink Beer Laying Down”, and “Hedo Trivia”.

 Sandy Hook, ..... imagine Hedonism II’s beach full but 12 to 13 times the crowd. I was very proud when folks came up to me to thank me for the service and even more thankful seeing our clients telling people who have not been, about Hedonism II and that they should book through Go Classy.  As they say at Hedo “Welcome Home”.
Having a GREAT time!"

The event ends today, but if you are in the area, look Bart up on the beach, he is giving out some special discout coupons.

This event happens every year the last weekend in August.  If you cannot make it then, you can meet your friends in Negril at Hedonism II through out the year. Just give us a call.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend as well!

Andrea

Ales Damm, COO of CEZ Bulgaria, in an interview for FOCUS News Agency

FOCUS: Days ago CEZ released information to the media, which reported that the company plans to introduce an electronic invoicing for its customers. When and under what conditions would this happen?
Ales Damm: We plan to launch a pilot project in October to canvass what is the attitude of our clients to this service. Customers who wish will be able to quit their paper invoice in favor of electronic one. We have also put a poll on the official website of the company. Here we must note that the first results of the consultation are fully in favor of the electronic invoicing.

FOCUS: What part of your customers do you expect to forfeit paper invoices?
Ales Damm: In fact our website has 400,000 visits per month, most of which are to verify the account payable. With the introduction of the e-invoicing we will facilitate this part of our customers, giving them the opportunity to directly receive their bills via email. Thus, our subscribers will become fully independent of temporary disturbance associated with traffic on our site. Here, at the moment for example, we make improvements to the site due to which it is possible to detect delays in the work of the website, as well as verification of the monthly bill. Furthermore, clients who choose electronic invoicing will receive a valid tax document, which they can easily store in their personal computers or if they want to print. Otherwise, our expectations are that after launching the pilot project at least 30% of our subscribers will benefit from the service in the long term, their number will grow.

FOCUS: In that case would electronic invoice be a valid accounting document as the paper one?
Ales Damm: Electronic invoice is an electronic document in PDF format - fully identical to that customers currently receive on paper. Each electronic invoice will be signed with a special certificate, which is approved by the state-owned company Information Services. It is authorized by the State Commission for Communications Regulation to issue certificates for electronic signature.

FOCUS: There were some criticism to you that the invoices issued are incomprehensible to subscribers. How would you comment on these allegations?

Ales Damm: The content of invoices issued by CEZ is in compliance with the European Union requirements and the decisions of the Bulgarian Regulator. Components they contain and their type are approved by the Regulator. You know that to make the invoice more understandable, we recently changed its structure and were sending our clients a short glossary of the invoice, three consecutive months for further clarification of the components.

Hi Etsians,

It’s great to meet you. I'm excited to be with the amazing community of people who have made Etsy what it is today.

I’m joining Etsy as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at a time when all the teams at Etsy are working incredibly hard to improve shopping, selling and exploring. As the COO, it's my job to support our internal teams, from customer support to engineering and community, as they work to make the Etsy experience better. At the end of the day, my job is to make everyone here more successful.

While working at Etsy is new to me, fast-growing organizations aren’t. Before coming here, I led teams responsible for much of Google’s growth outside the United States. I worked in Product Management, and in what we called Online Sales and Operations.

I spent years travelling the globe from Bangalore to Belo Horizonte, Brazil and beyond, trying to understand the people who use Google, making sure that Google responded to them. I hope to bring all I learned in those travels to Etsy, and I am excited to continue to learn from everyone here.

Oh, and who am I? Work aside, I’m a polyglot who speaks 10 languages and has lived in five countries. I’m the son of a spinner-weaver-knitter-painter-musician mom and a musician-photographer-dentist dad. I’m a recent New York transplant, moving here from San Franciso. And with my amazing partner, I’m the co-guardian of a rescued dog named Hank. (Anyone want to guess on his provenance? Best guess I’ve heard so far is: half-standard poodle, half Muppet.)

I’m eager to hear from and meet many of you in the coming months and years. It’s good to be here!

SUNNYVALE, CALIF., July 29, 2010 – Bridgelux Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of LED lighting technologies and solutions today announced the addition of Karl Chicca as the company’s chief operating officer. To his role as COO, Mr. Chicca brings extensive experience in building and scaling multinational Manufacturing and Supply Chain operations in the semiconductor and storage industries. Mr. Chicca will be responsible for Bridgelux’s global Manufacturing, Materials, Supply Chain, Logistics, Product and Process Engineering, and Supplier and Customer Quality operations.

“Karl brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Bridgelux at a time of significant growth,” said Bill Watkins, Bridgelux CEO. As we continue to scale our operations to meet the growing demands of the rapidly transforming lighting industry, Karl’s successful track record of building and leading world-class operations and teams will be instrumental to our success.”

Mr. Chicca comes to Bridgelux with more than 25 years of extensive experience and a successful track record in global Operations. As a former senior vice president of Global Materials for Seagate Technology, the world’s leading manufacturer of hard disk drives and storage solutions, he was responsible for building Seagate’s strategic supplier partnership program and leading the company’s world-class supply chain efforts. As Seagate’s senior vice president and general manager for the Personal Computing Business Unit, he was responsible for 75% of the company’s unit shipments. Prior to joining Seagate, Mr. Chicca served as senior vice president of Operations at 3dfx Interactive where he helped to grow the company from initial corporate revenue shipments to revenues exceeding $125 Million per quarter. He also served as vice president of global Materials at Maxtor Corporation.

About Bridgelux
Bridgelux is a leading developer and manufacturer of technologies and solutions helping to transform the $40 billion global lighting industry into a $100 billion market opportunity. Based in Livermore, California, Bridgelux is a pioneer in solid-state lighting (SSL), expanding the market for light-emitting diode (LED) technologies by driving down the cost of LED lighting systems. Bridgelux’s patented light source technology replaces traditional technologies (such as incandescent, halogen, fluorescent and high intensity discharge lighting) with integrated, solid-state lighting solutions that enable lamp and luminaire manufacturers to provide high performance and energy-efficient white light for the rapidly growing interior and exterior lighting markets, including street lights, commercial lighting and consumer applications. With more than 275 patent applications filed or granted worldwide, Bridgelux is the only vertically integrated LED manufacturer and developer of solid-state light sources that designs its solutions specifically for the lighting industry. For more information about the company, please visit www.bridgelux.com

The chief executive of D1 Oils has stepped down, 10 days after takeover talks collapsed because activist investor Brian Myerson did not support the deal.

Mr Myerson, who is renowned for forcing boardroom shake-ups, including at Blacks Leisure and Photo-Me, was voted off the D1 board in March, losing his position as chairman.

His Principle Capital investment vehicle owns 27.5pc of the company.

Principle Capital said it welcomed the departure of Ben Good as chief executive and finance director, and called for the entire board to be replaced.

Mr Good has "presided over a comprehensive strategic and operational disaster at D1," Principle Capital said.

Martin Jarvis, D1's chief operating officer, has replaced Mr Good as chief executive. The company also said it would carry on discussions with other potential bidders.

"The board plans further discussions with major shareholders over the next few weeks with a view to concluding the strategic review," the company said.

D1 is a biofuels maker, which is working on producing energy from South African jatropha plants. Ten days ago, Australia's Mission NewEnergy pulled out of talks to buy D1 after failing to win the support of Mr Myerson.

Sydney-listed Mission said at the time D1's board was "inclined to recommend Mission's proposed offer" and it had support from 41pc of shareholders. However it could not go ahead without the agreement of Mr Myerson.

Mr Myerson, a South African, has made repeated calls for D1 to be sold or dissolved after BP pulled out of a biofuels joint venture.

He was voted off the board of D1 after an attempted merger with Principle Energy, a sugar cane bio-fuel producer also controlled by Principle Capital.

In June, the Takeover Panel banned Mr Myerson from getting involved in takeovers for three years. In its ruling, the Panel found that Mr Myerson, and others, acted in concert when buying 6.7m shares in Principle Capital Investment Trust in 2009.

Mr Myerson said the ruling was "wholly wrong and misguided".

D1's shares have declined 23pc in the last month, falling sharply after the deal with Mission failed. The shares rose 0.13 to close at 4.38p on Friday. The shares were trading at 517½p in March 2005.

Avera has promoted Fred Slunecka to chief operations officer, a new position for the health system.

Slunecka, who has been president and CEO of Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center for 21 years, will oversee daily operations of patient care at Avera's 29 hospitals, long-term care units and 400 doctors in the medical group. John T. Porter, president and CEO, announced the promotion.

The change is effective Sept. 1. By the first of the year, Slunecka will relocate to the corporate offices at 69th Street and Louise Avenue.

"As Avera continues to grow, it is key that we have someone with extensive operational experience, and Slunecka certainly brings that experience," Porter said. "During this time of heath care reform, it is essential we concentrate even more on providing patient care in a consistent and efficient manner."

During Slunecka's years at the hospital, he oversaw growth of the medical group, joint ownership of the Avera Heart Hospital and opening of a behavioral health hospital and new cancer institute.

Slunecka, 54, said he will work on developing care delivery modules to make the health system successful under health care reforms. Avera will need to develop new payment methods, called bundled payments, for example, because of the reform changes. That system will coordinate all aspects of a patient's health care bill.

"That's not something as an industry we've done much of," Slunecka said. "This will be very, very complex."

Slunecka said Avera has a year or two to get ready for the changes.

"There's time, but we need to get started."

In other executive changes, Avera announced the following:

# Dr. David Kapaska becomes interim regional president at Avera McKennan, where he has been chief medical officer. Kapaska replaces Slunecka in this job.

# David Flicek, senior vice president of the Avera Medical Group, now is the group's chief administrative officer.

Avera also will take over ownership of the Flandreau hospital instead of leasing it. The Flandreau City Council has agreed to give the municipal hospital to Avera if Avera renovates it. Avera has leased the hospital for 11 years. The lease expires at the end of this year.

While details remain to be worked out, Avera plans to spend about $6.6 million on a new clinic, emergency department and operating room, Slunecka said. Avera will use $2.6 million it has set aside in profits in Flandreau through the years to help pay for the renovations.

Slunecka plans to sit down with Flandreau city officials next month to finalize details.

Jon Walker contributed to this report. Reach Brenda Wade Schmidt at 331-2321.

California sues ‘Tax Lady’ Roni Deutch, seeks return οf $34 million

SACRAMENTO, Calif. Yουhve seen hеr TV commercials day аnd night: Roni Lynn Deutch, “thе Tax Lady,” promising tο gеt thе IRS οff уουr back. Now Deutch іѕ being labeled a fraud bу California Attorney General Jerry Brown. Thе 46-year-οld lawyer аnd hеr firm wеrе sued Monday bу Brown’s office. Thе suit alleges thаt Deutch, whose іn-уουr-face advertising hаѕ mаdе hеr a minor celebrity, swindled …

Read more οח Lansing State Journal

Extremists іn UK urge racist thugs tο hurl pork аt Muslims
Thе detailed guide οn nοw tο taunt Muslims hаѕ bееn posted οn websites including those οf thе English Defence League (EDL) аnd thе English Nationalist Alliance (ENA).

Read more οn Nеw Kerala

HANFORD: MSA names first chief operations officer
David Ruscitto hаѕ bееn named thе chief operations officer fοr Mission Support Alliance, thе Hanford

The chief executive of D1 Oils has stepped down, 10 days after takeover talks collapsed because activist investor Brian Myerson did not support the deal.

Mr Myerson, who is renowned for forcing boardroom shake-ups, including at Blacks Leisure and Photo-Me, was voted off the D1 board in March, losing his position as chairman.

His Principle Capital investment vehicle owns 27.5pc of the company.

Principle Capital said it welcomed the departure of Ben Good as chief executive and finance director, and called for the entire board to be replaced.

Mr Good has "presided over a comprehensive strategic and operational disaster at D1," Principle Capital said.

Martin Jarvis, D1's chief operating officer, has replaced Mr Good as chief executive. The company also said it would carry on discussions with other potential bidders.

"The board plans further discussions with major shareholders over the next few weeks with a view to concluding the strategic review," the company said.

D1 is a biofuels maker, which is working on producing energy from South African jatropha plants. Ten days ago, Australia's Mission NewEnergy pulled out of talks to buy D1 after failing to win the support of Mr Myerson.

Sydney-listed Mission said at the time D1's board was "inclined to recommend Mission's proposed offer" and it had support from 41pc of shareholders. However it could not go ahead without the agreement of Mr Myerson.

Mr Myerson, a South African, has made repeated calls for D1 to be sold or dissolved after BP pulled out of a biofuels joint venture.

He was voted off the board of D1 after an attempted merger with Principle Energy, a sugar cane bio-fuel producer also controlled by Principle Capital.

In June, the Takeover Panel banned Mr Myerson from getting involved in takeovers for three years. In its ruling, the Panel found that Mr Myerson, and others, acted in concert when buying 6.7m shares in Principle Capital Investment Trust in 2009.

Mr Myerson said the ruling was "wholly wrong and misguided".

D1's shares have declined 23pc in the last month, falling sharply after the deal with Mission failed. The shares rose 0.13 to close at 4.38p on Friday. The shares were trading at 517½p in March 2005.

D1 is a biofuels maker, which is working on producing 
energy from South African jatropha plants.

Mortgage Concepts has announced the promotion of Leonard J. Ramirez to the position of chief operating officer and has added Scott A. Milner as its vice president. Milner has more than 10 years of extensive equity derivatives and structured products sales experience, Scott Milnerhaving worked at some of the largest investments banks in the world, including ABN AMRO, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Currently, he is leveraging his financial, analytical, and business acumen to embark on a new career in mortgage banking and recently joined US Mortgage Corporation d/b/a Mortgage Concepts in 2010 as their vice president. Milner will be a tremendous asset to the future of Mortgage Concepts and to the growth of the company.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to build on and leverage the strong foundation Mortgage Concepts has created, and look forward to helping grow the organization,” said Milner.

Lenny RamirezLeonard J. Ramirez has more than 27 years of experience as an executive in the mortgage banking industry. Ramirez’s effectiveness as a leader in the mortgage banking industry is due in large part to his extensive skill set. In 2007, Ramirez was recognized for his success and was promoted to vice president. In July of 2010, Ramirez was further recognized for his expertise and quickly promoted to chief operating officer. In his new role, Ramirez will be responsible for overseeing all departments in the company, as well as continuing to develop the multi-dimensional business model instituted at Mortgage Concepts.

“I am honored to accept the position as Mortgage Concepts’ COO and I look forward to the challenge of this new role as Mortgage Concepts ventures into the prolific future we have planned for it,” said Ramirez.

Riding high off a tough economy and consumers' broadening tastes, online crafts marketplace Etsy has raised an additional $20 million in venture capital. Index Ventures participated in this latest round, along with existing investor Accel Partners.

Also on Friday, the crunchy e-commerce site named former Google international exec Adam Freed as its new chief operating officer. Freed left the search giant about two years ago.

Since its debut back in 2005, the Brooklyn-based company has raised roughly $52 million. The company now has a valuation of more than $300 million and presently has about 125 employees.

Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, who sits on Etsy's board of directors, said in a blog post Friday that the funds would help provide liquidity for some of the early angel investors, rather than providing a way for Etsy's founders or larger venture funds to take money out of the company.

"It was not founder liquidity driven," Wilson said of the deal. "The founders did not sell in the transaction. It was not VC liquidity driven. Some of the existing VC firms actually bought in the transaction. It was angel liquidity driven."

Eyeing global expansion plans, Etsy -- which serves as a hub for buyers and sellers of handmade goods, vintage goods and art supplies -- recently began supporting 23 separate currencies through PayPal for shoppers to use.

Union Square Partners and Hubert Burda Media are also investors in Etsy, as well as Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake.

In early 2008, Etsy secured a major round of financing worth $27 million in funding.

Last year, Etsy did more than $130 million in yearly gross merchandise sales. That number was up from $88 million in 2008 and $26 million in 2007.

Etsy keeps 3.5% of those sales for its revenues, while other revenue streams include listing fees -- $0.20/item -- and fees for listings that appear on category searches and links from the home page.

The company's culture can be summed up in two words: T-shirt press -- which they keep in the break room in the back.

Atlanta COO Peter Aman Answers Tough Questions About Billing Problems

ATLANTA -- Atlanta resident Kevin Wade met with the city's water department on Thursday about his soaring water bills.

"It's going to be four times higher this month. It was three times higher the previous month and the previous month it was over five times higher," said Wade.

Wade said his bill is typically $100 a month. In July, it jumped to more than $600 and in August he received a bill for more than $300. So CBS Atlanta News asked the city's chief operating officer about the billing concerns.

"Are you going to conduct an official audit?" asked CBS Atlanta reporter Adam Murphy.

"We have a official examination. I'd hesitate to say we have an official audit. We may determine we need that. We may determine an outside entity to do an audit. I don't have the evidence on the table that says we need a formal outside paid audit," said Atlanta Chief Operating Officer Peter Aman.

The city said it is going to conduct its own investigation of the billing issues. They also want to improve customer communication and response times.

"Right now we're trying to get the facts on the table to determine how big of a problem this is and what's causing the problem," said Aman.

Meanwhile, the city has told residents like Wade to dispute the charges and only pay his usual monthly bill amount.

"Clearly there's something going on given the fact that the water department just told me I have no leaks," said Wade.

CBS Atlanta News also asked Aman if he has plans to remove Commissioner Rob Hunter from office due to the ongoing issues. Aman said he would not discuss personnel matters. The city does plan to take a closer look at the new electronic meters and eventually find a way for customers to read the meters.

BRENTWOOD, N.Y.

Medical Action Industries Inc., medical and surgical products supplier, said Friday it completed the buyout of Avid Medical Inc. for $62.5 million in cash, plus transaction costs.

Avid makes custom procedure trays serving the health care industry. Medical Action said the buyout will increase its ability to serve health care providers in acute care facilities and surgery centers.

Avid had about $136 million in revenue during its most recent fiscal year, ended March 31.

Michael Sahady, founder and CEO of Avid, will join Medical Action's board of directors, and Avid President and Chief Operating Officer Richard Setian will become vice president of sales and marketing.

Shares of Medical Action jumped 47 cents, or 6 percent, to $8.30 in afternoon trading. The stock has traded between $7.61 and $17.74 over the last 52 weeks.

Denny’s Corporation today announced that Robert Rodriguez has been appointed to the position of Chief Operating Officer, effective no later than September 13, 2010. Mr. Rodriguez brings deep leadership and restaurant operations experience. Since 2008 he served as President and Chief Operating Officer at Pick Up Stix, a multi-divisional franchise company in the Asian quick casual segment owned by Carlson Restaurants Worldwide. Prior to 2008 he was President at Dunkin’ Donuts. In his new role, Mr. Rodriguez will be responsible for the leadership of Denny’s operations for all franchise and company units.

Debra Smithart-Oglesby, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair of Denny’s Corporation, stated, “We are confident the Denny’s team will truly benefit from Robert’s vast industry experience, from both an operations and executive leadership perspective. His expertise in working with franchise concepts complements Denny’s long-term franchise driven growth strategy. Robert’s operational expertise will also contribute to our effort to enhance the Denny’s experience for all of our guests at our more than 1,500 locations.”

At Pick Up Stix, Mr. Rodriguez led the successful execution of a turnaround strategy that delivered improvements in the company’s operational efficiencies and transaction counts. From 2004 to 2008 Mr. Rodriguez held positions at Dunkin’ Brands, including serving as President of Dunkin’ Donuts, where he was responsible for 5,700 units across the U.S. and over 1,500 franchisees. In that role, he grew the new unit pipeline by over 2,000 stores, increased revenue, and led the creation efforts for a national advertising campaign as part of a new branding effort that focused on the ever-changing needs of the consumer. During his time at Dunkin’ Brands, Mr. Rodriguez also served as Brand Officer for Togo’s. Mr. Rodriguez previously held executive positions with Mrs. Field’s Famous Brands, Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, McDonald’s and PepsiCo. He began his career at Taco Bell, owned by PepsiCo, Incorporated, where he held numerous operations positions. Mr. Rodriguez received his MBA from Northwestern University and his B.S. at University of Redlands.

The Compensation and Incentives Committee of Denny’s Board of Directors approved the following incentive awards to Robert Rodriguez: (i) 250,000 performance-based restricted stock units, to be granted on or about September 13, 2010, and (ii) a non-qualified stock option to purchase up to 100,000 shares of common stock, to be granted on October 1, 2010 (the first trading day of the calendar quarter following Mr. Rodriguez’s start date).

The performance-based restricted stock units represent the right to earn up to 250,000 shares of Denny’s common stock, based on the closing price of the common stock exceeding specific price hurdles for 20 consecutive trading days, and subject to Mr. Rodriguez’s continued employment with Denny’s.

The stock options will have an exercise price per share equal to the fair market value of the underlying shares as of the grant date. The options will vest in equal annual installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date, subject to Mr. Rodriguez’s continued employment with Denny’s. The stock options have a maximum term of ten (10) years.

The awards were negotiated and approved as an incentive to Mr. Rodriguez’s entering into employment with Denny’s in accordance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

Caturano And Company Announces Christopher Mackenzie as Chief Operating Officer

Caturano and Company recently announced Christopher (Chris) MacKenzie as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the largest regional New England CPA, consulting, and wealth management firm. As COO, MacKenzie leverages his 24+ years of practical experience at Caturano and Company to oversee the Boston Wealth Management and consulting practice areas as well as lead several of the firm's practice management functions including internal technology, finance, treasury and operations.

A member of Caturano and Company's Executive Committee, MacKenzie has served in firm leadership roles including division leader of the owner-managed business practice as well as a key member of the Management and Technology Steering Committees.

MacKenzie has extensive client service experience including: tax advisory and compliance services in addition to audit and other attest services for owner-managed companies in various industries including health care, financial services, and manufacturing / distribution. As a general business advisor to his clients, he has worked closely with upper-level management to establish performance measurement systems, consult on transaction structuring, and assist with business succession strategies.

'I am honored to be appointed to COO of Caturano and Company. During the course of my career here, I have experienced first-hand how success can be achieved through commitment to client service, working together as a team and pushing the envelope ' all values by which our firm is run. During these challenging economic times, our firm is committed to expecting more from ourselves and continuing to provide the best service to our clients. As COO, I welcome this opportunity to help lead our firm to continued success,' said MacKenzie.

MacKenzie is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts - Lowell with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy, and holds two Master of Science degrees in Taxation and Financial Planning from Bentley University. MacKenzie is also a recent participant in the Harvard Business School Executive Program, Leading Professional Service Firms.

About Caturano and Company:

Caturano and Company is New England's largest regional full service CPA, consulting, and wealth management firm, serving emerging and mid-market companies for 30 years. Clients with complex requirements in a wide array of industries turn to us for our expertise, innovative thinking and client-first service approach. We offer a comprehensive array of services'including Boston Technology Consulting and personal wealth management'that are tailored to unique industry requirements. In addition, our public company audit practice serves more than 30 companies with an aggregate market capitalization of over $2.6B.

CLEVELAND–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation (NYSE:ETN) recently announced that Lennart Jonsson has been named executive vice president and chief technology officer for the enterprise, reporting to Alexander M. Cutler, chairman and chief executive officer. “In this critical role, Lennart will lead our businesses in the development of robust technology roadmaps…

Former Google international exec Adam Freed (pictured here) has taken a job as COO of Etsy, the crafts e-commerce site, which just raised another $20 million in venture funding.

Index Ventures is part of the new round, which also includes previous investor Accel Partners.

Union Square Partners and Hubert Burda Media are also investors, as well as Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake.

Etsy has raised almost $52 million overall since its 2005 founding, which gives it a valuation of more than $300 million.

Etsy’s CEO is founder Rob Kalin, who took over again as CEO at the start-up last year.

But Freed brings more solid management with a global flavor to Etsy, having been a director of international product management at Google (GOOG). He left the company two years ago.

In that job, he focused on the localization and development of the search giant’s international products and had also worked in international online sales and operations, including setting up Google’s online advertising operations in London, Paris, Hamburg, Tokyo and Sydney.

He also established Google’s multilingual online operations center in Dublin.

Oh, yes, Freed speaks nine languages, which will come in handy at Etsy, since it helps craftspeople globally sell handmade items online.

Freight Handlers, a provider of professional unloading and product handling services, has promoted Ryan Wall to the position of president and COO.

Mr Ryan, who previously served as chief leadership officer, reports to Chuck Wall, co-chairman, CEO and founder of Freight Handlers. He succeeds JB Wall, who now holds the positions of principal and co-chairwoman.

Mr Wall has held nearly every operational and administrative job at the company during the last 12 years. He is active in EQUIP organization and has been the youngest speaker at the international leadership development program.

Mr Chuck said: “Jayne Beth has in large part helped make this company what it is today. She will continue to guide Freight Handlers future growth by providing direction on corporate stewardship, organizational effectiveness and outreach strategies.

“Ryan’s promotion marks a new chapter in the history of Freight Handlers, one that is sure to be exciting and full of opportunities. Jayne Beth and I have full faith and confidence that he will achieve great things for the company, its associates and our business partners.”

Mr Ryan said: “I am accepting my new responsibilities with the understanding I have a strong legacy to support and build upon. It is with confidence I know my family will continue to provide the wisdom that helped create this opportunity.

“My passion for the company includes continually improving the excellence of our team and serving customers in a way that helps them multiply value throughout ever more efficient supply chains and sustains the Freight Handlers Purpose.”

Will Mr Ryan's experience benefit the company?

Have your say and discuss with your peers on the InfoGrok community.

Participate by posting your comments now.

With its five-player co-operative multiplayer, Neverwinter marks a pretty serious change of pace for MMORPG developer Cryptic Studios. But just because the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons game supports far fewer players than Cryptic`s previous works doesn`t mean you`re entirely safe from subscription fees.

Speaking with Gamasutra, Cryptic COO Jack Emmert wouldn`t rule out any potential business model for the PC RPG. “I can guarantee you that we envision this as an online product that will continue to grow over time, that we continue to add content to,” he explained. “So whether it`s subscription fee, whether it`s free-to-play, whether it`s microtransactions, whether it`s pay-by-the-minute [laughs], whether it`s some sort of Ponzi scheme that I haven`t figured out, I don`t know. None of that has been announced.”

Neverwinter won`t be in stores until sometime in Q4 2011, so there`s no need to get too worked up about pricing just yet. It sounds like the studio`s simply weighing its options at this point; for all we know this thing might have any recurring fees whatsoever.

South Dakota-based Avera Health has named Fred Slunecka COO, according to an Argus Leader report. Mr. Slunecka currently serves as president and CEO of ..

“FDI has established itself as an innovative thought leader and a driving force in the Title Administration & Collateral Management segment of the industry”

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FDI Collateral Management, Inc., the largest vehicle collateral management company in the United States today announced the appointment of Daniel L. Wollenberg to the position of President, and Chief Operating Officer.

 Wollenberg, 45, joins FDI with over 22 years of experience, most recently with WNS Global Services where he built a global transformation practice inclusive of sales, global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) operations, and IT for this Global BPO provider. Prior to joining WNS, Mr. Wollenberg held several leadership roles with global service firms, responsible for executing business growth strategies driven largely by Business Process/IT outsourcing. His previous roles included:

    * SVP of Business Transformation with Huntington Bank
    * Managing Director of the Global Business Transformation practice with Unisys
    * Regional Vice President with Covansys

TriVIN CEO Mark Furcolo said, “After considerable due diligence, Dan was the obvious choice for the growth objectives we have established for FDI. With Dan’s background in the financial services industry along with his proven success leading BPO organizations, FDI is positioned very well to capitalize on the growth opportunities that are emerging as the economic pressures of the last few years begin to subside.”

“FDI has established itself as an innovative thought leader and a driving force in the Title Administration & Collateral Management segment of the industry,” said Wollenberg. “Building upon this solid foundation, we will continue to introduce expanded products and service offerings designed to help our clients capitalize on the dramatic ROI shifts occurring in the market. I am very excited for the opportunity to lead FDI at such a critical juncture in this industry, with our clients looking for growth oriented, transformational partners as the economic environment begins to recover.”

Mr. Wollenberg is relocating from Columbus, Ohio and will make his residence in Sacramento, California where FDI’s corporate office and primary operational facilities are located.

FDI, a wholly owned subsidiary of triVIN, Inc., is the nation’s leading provider of integrated paper and electronic vehicle collateral solutions for automotive lenders. These capabilities have helped over 2,800 lienholders reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction. For further information, call 800.594.1470, email sales@fdielt.com, please visit www.fdielt.com.

TriVIN provides manual and electronic solutions that streamline motor vehicle credentialing for all sectors of the automobile industry throughout the nation. To learn more about triVIN’s cutting-edge solutions, call 800.876.2312, email maudette@trivininc.com, or visit www.trivin.com.

American Capital, Ltd., the primary equity holder of triVIN, is a publicly traded private equity firm and global asset manager. Founded in 1986, American Capital has $15 billion in capital resources under management and eight offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia. For further information, please refer to www.americancapital.com.

Contacts

FDI Collateral Management
Cliff Thompson, EVP Business Development
248-762-6690
or
Julie Winter, Senior Marketing
916-854-5369

At A Glance
FDI Collateral Management
Source: via Business Wire
Updated   03/31/2009   by company
Headquarters:  Sacramento, California
Website:  http://www.fdielt.com
CEO:  Chris Hodge
Employees:  325
Organization:  Private

BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug 26, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The GEO Group (GEO  21.83, +0.10, +0.46%)  ("GEO") announced today that Wayne H. Calabrese, GEO's Vice Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer will retire effective December 31, 2010 after more than 21 years of service with GEO. Mr. Calabrese, who will turn 60 years old in November 2010, joined GEO as Vice President of Business Development in 1989 and has served in a range of increasingly senior operating and business development positions since that time. Prior to joining GEO, Mr. Calabrese was a partner in the Akron, Ohio law firm of Calabrese, Dobbins and Kepple.

Mr. Calabrese's business development and oversight responsibilities will be reassigned throughout GEO's senior management team and existing corporate structure, and Mr. Calabrese will continue to provide assistance to GEO pursuant to the terms of a consulting agreement beginning January 3, 2011.

In announcing his retirement, Mr. Calabrese said, "Our merger with Cornell Companies has now closed, and we have a new generation of talented and focused leaders who are eager to meet the challenges of assimilating our newly acquired facilities and growing our business in the coming months and years. Working for GEO has been the honor of a lifetime. Under the leadership of our Chairman and CEO, George Zoley, we have built a company and a corporate culture that I am confident will stand the test of time."

George C. Zoley, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of GEO said, "We have been very fortunate to have counted Wayne Calabrese as a member of our senior management team for over 21 years. His contributions to our company and his professionalism, dedication, and knowledge have been unmatched. Mr. Calabrese has decided to retire at the end of this year but will continue to provide assistance to GEO on a consulting basis. His day-to-day responsibilities will be reassigned throughout our senior management team and existing corporate structure, which is comprised of our three business units of U.S. Corrections, GEO Care and International Services."

The GEO Group is a world leader in the delivery of correctional, detention, and residential treatment services to federal, state, and local government agencies around the globe. GEO offers a turnkey approach that includes design, construction, financing, and operations. GEO represents government clients in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO's worldwide operations include the management and/or ownership of approximately 81,000 beds at 119 correctional, detention and residential treatment facilities, including projects under development.

The GEO Group, Boca Raton
Pablo E. Paez, Director, Corporate Relations, 1-866-301-4436

COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug 26, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Emulex Corporation (ELX 9.63, +0.19, +2.01%) today announced that Jeff Benck has been promoted to the company's president and chief operating officer (COO). In this position, Benck will focus on delivering growth and diversification of products and technologies that drive the adoption of Emulex products in the data center. Benck will continue to report directly to Emulex chief executive officer (CEO), Jim McCluney. This promotion brought forth by McCluney, has been unanimously approved by the board of directors.

"Jeff Benck has been promoted to president and COO based on his successful execution on key original equipment manufacturer (OEM) design wins and his leadership as the company transformed itself in order to compete in the emerging 10Gb Ethernet network convergence market," said Jim McCluney, CEO, Emulex. "Based on Jeff's effectiveness at Emulex and his previous leadership roles across the industry, I am confident that he will help us fully realize the tremendous growth opportunities in front of us."

"I would like to thank Jim and the Board of Directors for their confidence in our ability to execute and lead in the rapidly growing 10Gb/s Ethernet network convergence market," said Jeff Benck, president and COO, Emulex. "I look forward to continuing my work with Jim and the rest of the executive team as we expand our data center footprint and strengthen our position as a key technology provider to server and storage OEMs."

Benck Biography

Jeff Benck joined Emulex in May 2008 as executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO) and was subsequently appointed to the position of president and COO in August 2010. Benck oversees the company's engineering, marketing, business development, operations and sales organizations. Benck also plays a key role in contributing to the corporate strategy and is focused on diversifying the Emulex product portfolio and delivering growth through the deployment of converged networking.

Previously, Benck served as president and chief operating officer at QLogic. Prior to joining QLogic, he spent 18 years at IBM, most recently serving as vice president of xSeries, BladeCenter and Retail Store Solutions development. While at IBM, Benck's focus included growth initiatives, product development, marketing and strategy, portfolio management and customer relationships. Benck is widely known for his role in establishing IBM's blade server product line. His BladeCenter team received IBM's highest honor with the IBM Chairman's Award for Client Excellence. Benck holds a Master of Science degree in management of technology from University of Miami and a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology. Benck is also a distinguished inventor in the computer systems field and holds 6 US patents.

Jeff Benck resides in Southern California with his wife Nina and two daughters, Gabrielle and Gracyn. He continues to enjoy sports after playing NCAA Div III Varsity Basketball for Rochester Institute of Technology, including basketball and golf.

To learn more about Emulex, please visit: http://www.emulex.com

Follow Emulex on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/emulex

About Emulex

Emulex is the leader in converged networking solutions for the data center. Our Connectivity Continuum architecture provides intelligent networking services that transition today's infrastructure into tomorrow's unified network ecosystem. Emulex provides a single framework that intelligently connects every server, network and storage device within the data center. Through strategic collaboration and integrated partner solutions, Emulex provides its customers with industry leading business value, operational flexibility and strategic advantage. Emulex is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ELX 9.63, +0.19, +2.01%) and has corporate headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. News releases and other information about Emulex Corporation are available at http://www.emulex.com.

Emulex Corporation
Investor Contact:
Frank Yoshino
714-885-3697
frank.yoshino@emulex.com
or
Press Contact:
Katherine Lane
Vice President, Finance Director, Corporate Communications
714-885-3828
katherine.lane@emulex.com

 * Pam Kilday to replace Tim Mueller as unit COO

* Part of investment bank unit's reorganization (Corrects paragraph 2 to show that Mueller's job is with SunTrust Banks, not SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. In paragraph 3, corrects Kilday's title to CIO of Robinson Humphrey from CIO of SunTrust Capital Markets)

NEW YORK Aug 25 (Reuters) - SunTrust Robinson Humphrey made more management changes as Pam Kilday replaced Tim Mueller as chief operations officer and its head of services, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters on Wednesday.

Mueller will lead a new group that provides consulting and operational support to SunTrust Banks' various commercial banking activities. Both moves will be effective Sept. 1.

Kilday currently is chief information officer of SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and a managing director of SunTrust Capital Markets, both units of Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks Inc (STI.N). She previously worked for Continental Bank, Bank of America and Wachovia.

The move is the latest in a reorganization of SunTrust's capital markets and investment banking businesses.

Mueller will report to Amy Medendorp, who in March was put in charge of SunTrust's commercial lines of business. She was previously co-head of corporate and investment banking with Cummins before he took sole leadership. (Reporting by Liana B.Baker. Editing by Robert MacMillan) (liana.baker@thomsonreuters.com, +1 696 223 6179)

Long Island Power Authority trustees appointed Michael Hervey chief operating officer Thursday morning, after amending LIPA's rules to allow the post to temporarily take over the chief executive role as Kevin Law prepares to leave at month's end.

Hervey, formerly senior vice president of operations, has been with LIPA 10 years.

Hervey said his aim is to maintain continuity and stability...

Cephalon Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Frank Baldino is temporarily stepping down from the drug company that he founded in order to take a medical leave of absence for unknown reasons.

A spokeswoman for the Frazer, Pa., company declined to provide more information out of respect for Baldino and his family. The company said Chief Operating Officer J. Kevin Buchi will assume Baldino's responsibilities until his expected return ...

Jennerex, a clinical-stage cancer biotherapeutics company, has named Lara Longpre as a new chief operating officer.

Longpre is expected to take up the responsibility of the development of JX-594, Jennerex's lead product, including several other products of the company which are under development.

She will also be responsible for leading the clinical operations and research, manufacturing, regulatory and quality functions of the products.

Before joining Jennerex, Longpre was the senior vice president of clinical and corporate affairs at MedGenesis Therapeutix.

Jennerex president and CEO David Kirn said that Lara's extensive experience in developing therapeutics will make her a key member of our executive management team.

"Her systematic and meticulous approach to operations, combined with her demonstrated leadership ability, make Lara the ideal person to direct the development of JX-594 as we move toward late stage clinical trials in advanced liver cancer," Kirn said.

Dean Foods Chief Operating Officer Scalzo Gets Additional Title Of Company President

(AP)  DALLAS (AP) - Dean Foods Co., the nation's largest producer of milk, said Monday it has promoted its chief operating officer to president of the company.

Joseph Scalzo, 52, was named COO late last year. He will oversee Dean Foods' operational turnaround and near-term strategic initiatives, the company said.

Dean Foods will pay Scalzo a base salary of $900,000 effective immediately, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, and to increase his target annual incentive payment to 125 percent of his base salary from 100 percent.

The company will also give him the option to purchase 108,544 shares of common stock and 37,166 restricted stock units, which will vest in three installments over three years, starting a year from the Aug. 20 grant date.

Costa Mesa’s Emulex Corp., a maker of electronics that speed up the flow of data on corporate storage networks, promoted its operations chief to the No. 2 spot.

Emulex said on Thursday it bumped up Jeff Benck to the president and chief operating officer post. He was hired on in 2008 as senior vice president and operations chief.

Benck oversees the company’s engineering, marketing, business development, operations and sales organization.

He also helps with corporate strategy and is focused on diversifying the Emulex product portfolio.

Although the promotion is a subtle one, it puts Benck clearly in line as the next in line to Emulex’s Chief Executive John McCluney.

McCluney had served as chief operating officer under chairman and former chief executive Paul Folino.

Until Benck was hired, there wasn’t a chief operating officer at Emulex for a few years.

Before landing at Emulex, Benck was recruited from IBM Corp. to take a similar post at Aliso Viejo’s QLogic Corp., a top Emulex rival.

He left after less than a year over the timing of what was then a planned succession to take over as chief executive.

QLogic Chief Executive H.K. Desai is still heading the company that he started and has run for some 15 years.

Benck spent 18 years at Big Blue, most recently heading its blade server division.

He has a master’s in technology management from the University of Miami.

Benck has a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he played NCAA Division III varsity basketball.

He also holds six U.S. patents.

Benck lives in Orange County with his wife Nina and two daughters, Gabrielle and Gracyn.

In a separate announcement on Wednesday, Emulex completed its acquisition of Sunnyvale’s ServerEngines Corp. for about $159 million in cash, debt and stock.

The two companies have close ties.

Emulex worked with ServerEngines a few years ago to break into a market known as converged networking.

Emulex’s converged network adapters—circuit boards with chips that bring the speed of specialized data networks to everyday networks of servers and desktop computers—contain ServerEngines’ Ethernet chips.

Converged networking is seen as the biggest development in corporate networks in years.

ServerEngines was founded in 2004 by former Broadcom Corp. engineers who came to the chipmaker when it bought Silicon Valley’s ServerWorks for $1.8 billion in 2001.

In 2004, Vegesna and the other founders of ServerWorks—Sujith Arramreddy, technology chief, and Sai Gadiraju, head of engineering—founded ServerEngines and funded the company themselves.

Emulex had a recent market value of about $718 million.

Denise Wypiszenski, COO of Baird Private Wealth Management, has left the firm, Reuters reports. She had joined Baird in November 2009 from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.

At MSSB, Wypiszenski served as COO for the brokerage’s western U.S. unit. She had worked at Smith Barney for 15 years in several management and recruiting roles, and left soon after Morgan Stanley bought control of the Citigroup unit in June 200.

Aug 26, 2010 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) --

UQM Technologies, Inc., a developer of alternative energy technologies, announced that it has appointed Eric Ridenour, former Chief Operating Officer of the Chrysler Group, to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer.

In a release, UQM said Ridenour will join the Company on Sept. 1, and will become Chief Executive Officer on Dec. 1. William G. Rankin will continue as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Ridenour, a 26-year veteran of the automobile industry, began his career as a powertrain engineer with General Motors Corp. During his 21 years with the Chrysler Group, Ridenour served in a series of progressively responsible positions including Director of Advanced Vehicle Engineering, Vice President of Product Planning, Vice President of the Premium Vehicle Product Team, Executive Vice President of Product Development and Quality, and from 2005 through 2007, as Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Board of Management at DaimlerChrysler AG.. In his role as Chief Operating Officer at Chrysler, Ridenour was responsible for a $10 billion operating budget and a workforce of 65,000 employees.

"We are excited to have Eric join the Company as we begin the next phase of our growth," said Rankin, UQM Technologies' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Eric's decades of experience in the automobile industry and extensive experience as a senior manager in a variety of important roles at Chrysler make him the ideal person to lead our company into the future."

Rankin will step down as Chief Executive Officer effective Nov. 30, after nearly 18 years of service with the Company. Rankin joined the Company as Executive Vice President - Operations in 1992, was appointed to the Board of Directors in 1994, assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer in 1999 and became Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2000.

"Bill's strategic vision and hard work during his tenure has transformed the company from a small technology development company to a qualified manufacturer of world-class electric propulsion systems and positioned the Company as a key player in the market for electrically powered vehicles," said Stephen J. Roy, the senior member of the Company's Board of Directors. "We look forward to Bill's continued involvement as Chairman of the Board and we wish him the best during his retirement years."

UQM Technologies is a developer and manufacturer of power dense, high efficiency electric motors, generators and power electronic controllers for the automotive, aerospace, military and industrial markets. The Company's headquarters, engineering and product development center, and manufacturing operation are located in Longmont, Colo.

More information:

www.uqm.com

Elizabeth Jones has been named chief operating officer and director of programs at Offender Aid and Restoration, where she has been a staff member for five years.

Most recently, Jones has served as director of development and special projects for the organization. Her duties have ranged from managing OAR’s database to managing Project Christmas Angel, which provides holiday gifts to children of those who are incarcerated.

“She has the experience, talent and academic training to manage an increasingly complex organization, making sure that OAR clients, staff, volunteers and constituents are served in the most effective way possible,” said OAR executive director Gail Arnall.

Jones graduated from Washington-Lee High School, earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia and a graduate degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. Before coming to OAR, she worked in the Arlington school system.

“There is a growing recognition that men and women returning from incarceration must have assistance in their transition back to becoming successful, productive citizens of our community,” Jones said. “OAR provides that assistance, thanks to the combined support of government, foundations, corporations and individuals.”

OAR staff and volunteers teach more than 40 courses at the Arlington County Detention Facility each year, as well as providing one-on-one tutoring for employment readiness and educational advancement.

Of the 206 individuals enrolled in OAR’s program last year, only 5.9 percent were re-incarcerated during the year, compared to a national average of 31 percent.

Fred Slunecka, president and chief executive of Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, has been named chief operations officer for Avera Health.

The leadership change, along with several others, will become effective Sept. 1.

As the first COO for the health system, Slunecka will have oversight responsibility for the daily operations of the patient care areas at the 29 Avera hospitals, Avera's long-term-care facilities and the more than 400 physicians in Avera Medical Group.

“As Avera continues to grow, it is key that we have someone with extensive operational experience and Slunecka certainly brings that experience,” said John Porter, president and CEO of Avera.

Dr. David Kapaska, who has served as chief medical officer at Avera McKennan, was named interim regional president of the hospital.

Porter also announced David Flicek as chief administrative officer of Avera Medical Group. Flicek has served as the senior vice president for the group since its inception.

    “Ryan’s promotion marks a new chapter in the history of Freight Handlers, one that is sure to be exciting and full of opportunities. Jayne Beth and I have full faith and confidence that he will achieve great things for the company, its associates and our business partners.”

FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Freight Handlers, Inc., one of the country’s leading providers of unloading and product handling services, today announced the promotion of Ryan Wall to President and Chief Operating Officer. Wall, who previously served as Chief Leadership Officer, reports to Chuck Wall, Co-Chairman, CEO and Founder of Freight Handlers. He succeeds J.B. Wall, who now holds the positions of Principal and Co-Chairwoman.

 “Jayne Beth has in large part helped make this company what it is today -- a strong organization with an excellent reputation in the industry. She will continue to guide Freight Handlers future growth by providing direction on corporate stewardship, organizational effectiveness and outreach strategies,” said Chuck Wall. “Ryan’s promotion marks a new chapter in the history of Freight Handlers, one that is sure to be exciting and full of opportunities. Jayne Beth and I have full faith and confidence that he will achieve great things for the company, its associates and our business partners.”

Ryan Wall said, “I am accepting my new responsibilities with the understanding I have a strong legacy to support and build upon. It is with confidence I know my family will continue to provide the wisdom that helped create this opportunity. My passion for the company includes continually improving the excellence of our team and serving customers in a way that helps them multiply value throughout ever more efficient supply chains and sustains the Freight Handlers Purpose – ‘Being entrusted to handle the essentials of everyday life’.”

Ryan Wall has worked for Freight Handlers since his graduation from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington’s Cameron School of Business with a degree in Business Management. He has held nearly every operational and administrative job at the company during the last 12 years. Ryan is active in Dr. John C. Maxwell’s EQUIP organization and has been the youngest speaker at the international leadership development program. Several industry executives and New York Times Best-Selling business authors actively mentor Ryan, and these relationships support his efforts at developing leaders and his passion for the establishment of effective organizations. He has spoken about leadership to some of the industry’s leading retailers as well as at FMI conferences and universities. Ryan participated as a final round judge for the 2009 and 2010 SIFE National Championships, and will do the same for the forthcoming 2010 SIFE World Cup. He is also an active advocate of Place of Hope, a faith based foster care program in south Florida. Ryan and his bride Sara Grace live in Raleigh, NC.

About Freight Handlers, Inc.

Freight Handlers, Inc., based in Fuquay-Varina, NC, provides professional unloading and product handling services and retail services to include DSD and Distributed Product replenishment/ merchandising, sets and planogram execution to the grocery, general merchandise and CPG industries. Established in 1991, Freight Handlers operates within 58 facilities, maintaining a service relationship with more than 300 vendors and carriers. Our vision to provide the best value in product handling services through innovation, information and execution has fueled consistent business growth. The company has been recognized as one of the “Top 50” leading privately held companies in North Carolina nine times since 1996. More information is available at www.freighthandlers.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6409350&lang=en

Contacts

Media:
Freight Handlers, Inc.
Chuck Wall, 919-552-3157
Chuck@freighthandlers.com
or
RAM Communications
Ronald Margulis, 908-272-3930
ron@rampr.com

(The Hosting News) – Emulex Corporation (NYSE:ELX) today announced that Jeff Benck has been promoted to the company’s president and chief operating officer (COO). In this position, Benck will focus on delivering growth and diversification of products and technologies that drive the adoption of Emulex products in the data center. Benck will continue to report directly to Emulex chief executive officer (CEO), Jim McCluney. This promotion brought forth by McCluney, has been unanimously approved by the board of directors.

“Jeff Benck has been promoted to president and COO based on his successful execution on key original equipment manufacturer (OEM) design wins and his leadership as the company transformed itself in order to compete in the emerging 10Gb Ethernet network convergence market,” said Jim McCluney, CEO, Emulex. “Based on Jeff’s effectiveness at Emulex and his previous leadership roles across the industry, I am confident that he will help us fully realize the tremendous growth opportunities in front of us.”

“I would like to thank Jim and the Board of Directors for their confidence in our ability to execute and lead in the rapidly growing 10Gb/s Ethernet network convergence market,” said Jeff Benck, president and COO, Emulex. “I look forward to continuing my work with Jim and the rest of the executive team as we expand our data center footprint and strengthen our position as a key technology provider to server and storage OEMs.”

Dick Costolo, COO of the micro-blogging site explains how Twitter hopes to one day turn tweets into profit.

http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2010/08/24/tt_twitter_not_profitable.cnnmoney/

(RTTNews) - NMT Medical, Inc. (NMTI:  News ) announced that it has named Richard Davis as chairman, president and chief executive officer or CEO with immediate effect. He replaces James Mahoney.

Davis previously served as NMT's chief operating officer, the company said.

James Mahoney resigned as chairman of the board and as a director, as well as Frank Martin, who, after nearly ten years of service to the company, is retiring from his role as president and chief executive officer, and as a director.

In addition, the company stated that it has reduced the size of its board to five seats.

Freight Handlers, which provides unloading and product handling services, has promoted Ryan Wall to president and chief operating officer. Wall, who previously served as chief leadership officer, reports to Chuck Wall, co-chairman, CEO and founder of Freight Handlers. He succeeds J.B. Wall, who now holds the positions of principal and co-chairwoman.

"[J.B. Wall] will continue to guide Freight Handlers future growth by providing direction on corporate stewardship, organizational effectiveness and outreach strategies," said Chuck Wall. "Ryan's promotion marks a new chapter in the history of Freight Handlers, one that is sure to be exciting and full of opportunities. Jayne Beth and I have full faith and confidence that he will achieve great things for the company, its associates and our business partners."

"My passion for the company includes continually improving the excellence of our team and serving customers in a way that helps them multiply value throughout ever more efficient supply chains and sustains the Freight Handlers Purpose - 'Being entrusted to handle the essentials of everyday life,'" said Ryan Wall.

Ryan Wall has worked for Freight Handlers since his graduation from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's Cameron School of Business with a degree in business management. He has held nearly every operational and administrative job at the company during the last 12 years. Ryan is active in Dr. John C. Maxwell's Equip organization and has been the youngest speaker at the international leadership development program.

President Benigno Simeon S. Aquino III has appointed Jose A. Nuñez, Jr. and Francisco F. Del Rosario, Jr. as the new Chairman and President and Chief Executive Officer, respectively, of state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

Nuñez has an extensive career in banking and management, while Del Rosario returns to the DBP having been its chairman, vice chairman, and chief operating officer from 1995 to 1998.

Nuñez is chairman of Asian Express Money Services Corporation, a company engaged in foreign exchange dealership, money changing, and global remittance services. He was also a former director of Philippine Veterans Bank, serving as chairman of its board credit committee and member of the executive and corporate governance committees.

He has also been vice chairman and chief executive officer of Federal Savings and Mortgage Bank from 1997-2000 until its merger with Security Bank Corporation; and executive vice president and chief operating officer of Premiere Development Bank from 1982-1986 and 1989-1991. He has also been affiliated with Allied Banking Corporation, and Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation.

Nuñez was also a director and assistant to the chairman of Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corporation; Asia-Pacific region representative to the Global Board and International Operations Policy Committee of Diners Club International Ltd.; and chairman, president & chief executive officer of SB Cards Corporation.

He also serves as director of Camp John Hay Development Corporation, Northwood Resources Corporation, Citystate Savings Bank, Tranzen Group, Inc., La Costa Development Corporation, Agus 3 Hydropower Corporation, Universal LRT Corporation Ltd., and Goldenville Holdings Corporation.

Nuñez has a Bachelor of Arts major in Economics degree (Honors Program) from Xavier University, and is a candidate for a Masters in Business Administration degree from the Ateneo de Manila University.

“I am happy to be back with the DBP – this is something I have always wanted to do,” said new DBP president & CEO Francisco Del Rosario, Jr. who was asked to handle another government institution but opted to go back to the state-owned bank. “I am confident that the bank will be able to help the Aquino administration in harnessing public-private partnerships towards the fast-tracking of infrastructure and countryside development.”

Del Rosario said he believes DBP will become a model of good corporate governance in the public sector, even as he called on DBP officers and staff to observe prudence in all bank operations. “We also need to resurrect the values of punctuality and promptness of service that define the concept of efficient and responsive public service,” he added.

During his first tenure with DBP, he was involved in the overall operations of the bank, its branches and subsidiaries. He also served in a concurrent capacity as undersecretary and executive director of the Coordinating Council of the Philippines Assistance Program (Office of the President) where he supervised the activities of the Overseas Development Assistance Group and Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) Center. He was involved in the raising of Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds from multilateral and bilateral funding institutions and was a member of the Investment Coordinating Committee which approved major infrastructure projects.

Del Rosario brings to his new post a checkered career in banking, finance, treasury, business management, and government service. Prior to his appointment, he was president & chief executive officer of Roxas & Company and Roxaco Land Corporation, as well as president of Habitat for Humanity Philippines.

He also served as undersecretary for finance of the Department of National Defense in 2005, and chairman of UCPB General Insurance Co., Inc. from 2003 to 2005. Del Rosario was also chairman & chief executive officer of Asia Pacific Network Holdings, Inc. from 1998 to 2005 where he was engaged in financial advisory, mergers and acquisitions, and asset management.

NAPERVILLE, Ill., Aug. 26, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Broadwind Energy, Inc.
(Nasdaq:BWEN) today announced that it has appointed Mark E. Simon as vice
president of drivetrain services. Simon has more than 20 years of hands-on
experience in implementing Lean and world-class techniques in manufacturing,
engineering and operations. He will lead Broadwind's megawatt (MW) and kilowatt
(KW) gearbox refurbishment, KW nacelle rebuilds, field inspections, uptower
repairs and turbine oil change service offerings. Simon will report to Paul
Seppanen, president of Broadwind's Energy Maintenance Service subsidiary.

"Mark's hiring is a key step in the roll out of our technically differentiated
drivetrain services approach, which integrates turbine monitoring, field
service, performance enhancing engineering and refurbishment," said Seppanen.
"With deep experience in leading both gearbox refurbishment programs and
nationwide services businesses, Mark can help us expand our Precision and Repair
Engineering (PRE) capabilities into MW gearboxes. His experience and focus on
customers and continuous improvement will be a tremendous asset. We are
delighted to have Mark on board."

Simon stated, "Once online, Broadwind's state-of-the-art wind turbine drivetrain
services center will offer customers robust precision repair and engineering
options in North America. Broadwind is a leader in the wind energy supply
chain--I am pleased to join the team."

Simon most recently served as chief operating officer of the wind energy service
provider and manufacturer Knight and Carver Wind Group. Prior to this, he held
positions of increasing responsibility in the aftermarket drivetrain and
components industry.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from the University
of Phoenix and an Associate degree in industrial arts from El Paso Community
College in El Paso, Texas.

Simon will be based at Broadwind's Abilene, Texas-based wind turbine drivetrain
services center, which is expected to come online at the end of 2010.

About Broadwind Energy, Inc.

Broadwind Energy, Inc., based in Naperville, Illinois, provides technologically
advanced high-value products and services to the U.S. wind energy industry.
Broadwind's product and service portfolio provides customers, including wind
turbine manufacturers, wind farm developers and wind farm operators, with access
to a broad array of wind component and service offerings. These product and
service offerings include wind turbine gearing systems, wind turbine structural
towers, industrial products, technical services, Precision Repair and
Engineering services, and logistics. For more information on Broadwind Energy,
please visit http://www.bwen.com

The Broadwind Energy, Inc. logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7803

CONTACT: Broadwind Energy, Inc.
         Media & Investor Contact
         John Segvich
         +1.630.637.0315
         john.segvich@bwen.com

- Verenium adds experienced leader to enhance manufacturing capabilities -

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Verenium Corporation (Nasdaq: VRNM), a pioneer in the development and commercialization of high-performance industrial enzyme solutions, today announced the appointment of Kevin Bracken to the position of Vice President of Manufacturing. Bracken will report to Janet Roemer, President and Chief Operating Officer of Verenium's Enzymes Business.

"Kevin brings over 30 years of valuable manufacturing experience from global biotechnology companies," said Roemer.  "His extensive background in manufacturing leadership and breadth of expertise in process engineering, facilities and equipment design, project management, contract manufacturing, and commercial scale-up of novel products will greatly benefit Verenium as we work to optimize and expand our manufacturing capabilities."

Prior to joining Verenium, Bracken was Vice President of Manufacturing at Vical Incorporated, a developer of biopharmaceutical products, where he was responsible for all manufacturing activities, served on numerous product development, validation and technical teams for new product candidates, and supervised all scale-up and optimization operations for the company.

Previously, Bracken was Vice President of Process Engineering and Manufacturing at Universal Preservation Technologies, Inc., and was Director of Engineering for Molecular Biosystems. Prior to that, he held positions of increasing responsibility in process engineering with Gilead Sciences and Baxter International.  He began his career as an engineer with DuPont.

Bracken received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware and a M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester.

About Verenium

Verenium Corporation is a pioneer in the development and commercialization of high-performance enzymes for use in industrial processes.  Verenium currently sells enzymes developed using its R&D capabilities to industrial customers globally for use in markets including biofuels, animal health and oil seed processing. Verenium has built a world-class R&D organization renowned for its capabilities in the rapid screening, identification, and bioengineering of novel enzymes that act as catalysts for biochemical reactions. The company harnesses the power of nature and uses its unique, patented technology to create products that transform industries by maximizing efficiency while improving environmental performance. For more information on Verenium, visit http://www.verenium.com.

Contacts:
 

Kelly Lindenboom
Vice President, Corporate Communications
617-674-5335
kelly.lindenboom@verenium.com
 

Sarah Carmody
Manager, Corporate Communications
617-674-5357
sarah.carmody@verenium.com

UQM Technologies (UQM), a developer of alternative energy technologies for the automotive, aerospace, military and industrial markets, has appointed Eric Ridenour, former COO of the Chrysler Group, as the new president and Chief Operating Officer effective 1 September 2010.

Ridenour began his career as a powertrain engineer with General Motors Corporation.

During his 21 years with the Chrysler Group, Ridenour served as director of Advanced Vehicle Engineering, VP of Product Planning, VP of the Premium Vehicle Product Team, EVP of Product Development and Quality, and from 2005 through 2007, as COO and member of the board of management at DaimlerChrysler.

UQM Technologies chairman and CEO William Rankin said that Eric's decades of experience in the automobile industry and as a senior manager in a variety of important roles at Chrysler make him the ideal person to lead the company into the future.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- Catcha Media, one of Southeast Asia's leading new media company, has appointed Ken Tsurumaru as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

In a statement Wednesday, Catcha Media said it has also appointed Alex Khan as the Chief Operating Officer (COO), with immediate effect.

Tsurumaru is a co-founder of Catcha Media's parent company, Catcha Group. He has however, been attached with the group's sister company, iProperty.com, as the CEO for the past three years.

Meanwhile, Alex came on board as CEO of Catcha Digital in 2009 from Aktiv Group, a company he helped launch two years earlier.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Jennerex, Inc., a clinical-stage cancer biotherapeutics company, today announced the appointment of Lara Longpre to the position of chief operating officer. Ms. Longpre will be responsible for the development of the company's lead product, JX-594, as well as Jennerex's other product candidates in development and will lead the clinical operations and research, manufacturing, regulatory and quality functions. Ms. Longpre has served as a consultant to Jennerex since 2009.

"Lara's extensive experience in developing therapeutics will make her a key member of our executive management team," said David H. Kirn, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Jennerex. "Her systematic and meticulous approach to operations, combined with her demonstrated leadership ability, make Lara the ideal person to direct the development of JX-594 as we move toward late stage clinical trials in advanced liver cancer."

Ms. Longpre brings to Jennerex over 17 years of broad clinical research, operations, and leadership expertise in all stages of clinical development.  Prior to Jennerex, Ms. Longpre held the position of  senior vice president, clinical and corporate affairs at MedGenesis Therapeutix and held senior positions at PRA International, a global CRO, including vice president of proposals and contracts, vice president of quality and process management, director of global regulatory affairs, and director of operations. She has directly managed several pivotal Phase 3 trials, and has specific expertise in project management, clinical operations, and quality management systems, including achieving ISO 9001:2000 registration and ensuring Sarbanes-Oxley compliance while at an international CRO. Ms. Longpre holds an M.Sc. in Medical Science from Harvard Medical School, an MBA from Queens University, and B.A. from Cornell University.

About Jennerex

Jennerex, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class, breakthrough targeted oncolytic products for cancer.  The Company's lead product JX-594 is currently in two mid-stage clinical trials in patients with primary liver cancer—an international, randomized, Phase 2 dose-response clinical trial, and a Phase 2 study in combination with sorafenib.  Prior, published studies designed to establish dose levels and the safety profile of JX-594 have shown its ability to selectively target a variety of common cancer tumor types.  JX-594 and other product candidates under development are designed to attack cancer tumors through three diverse mechanisms of action: the lysis of cancer cells through viral replication, the reduction of the blood supply to tumors through vascular targeting and destruction and the stimulation of the body's immune response against cancer cells.  Jennerex is headquartered in San Francisco and has research and development operations in Ottawa, Canada and Pusan, South Korea.  For more information about Jennerex, please visit www.jennerex.com.

MCLEAN, Va., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ATS Corporation ("ATSC" or the "Company") (NYSE Amex:  ATSC), a leading information technology company that delivers innovative technology solutions to government and commercial organizations, announced today that ATSC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Sidney E. Fuchs, has been commissioned by Commonwealth of Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell to the Global Strategies Council of the Southern Growth Policies Board ("Southern Growth").  Southern Growth's Global Strategies Council ("GSC") serves as the South's advocate for all aspects of state-level international economic development for 13 member states. The GSC guides Southern Growth's research and initiatives on issues ranging from trade, investment, immigration, transportation and education to relationship building between the states and overseas markets. The GSC's mission is to help the South's citizens, businesses, and communities become globally engaged and competitive.

"I am privileged to be commissioned by Governor McDonnell to serve as one of the representatives from the Commonwealth of Virginia on the Global Strategies Council," stated ATSC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sidney E. Fuchs.  "I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the development of global trade and commerce that expands economic prospects for citizens throughout the region."

"I commend Governor McDonnell's appointment of Sidney Fuchs to the Global Strategies Council," said ATSC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Edward H. Bersoff.  "Sid's exemplary executive leadership and experience in both corporate and government arenas uniquely qualifies him for this important economic development role."

About ATS Corporation

ATSC is a leading provider of software and systems development, systems integration, infrastructure management and outsourcing, information sharing, training and consulting to the Department of Defense, Federal civilian agencies, public safety and national security customers, as well as commercial enterprises.  Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, the Company has more than 600 employees at 10 locations across the country.

Additional information about ATSC may be found at www.atsc.com.

CHARLESTON, W.Va.

Patriot Coal Corp.'s president and chief operating officer is stepping down.

The St. Louis company announced Tuesday that Paul H. Vining agreed to continue on through the end of the year in a senior advisory role.

Patriot's chief executive, Richard M. Whiting, will take on the additional role of president under a management shuffle announced by Patriot Coal.

In July, Patriot Coal reported a money-losing second quarter as it struggled with lower production and sales.

Patriot operates mines in West Virginia and Kentucky.

BMW Constructors has named Brian K. Acton President and Chief Operating Officer of the company, reporting to Thomas E. O’Brien, who will continue as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

O’Brien noted that “Brian’s election is another step in the Company’s leadership succession plan. He has served our employees and customers across the company for over 25 years and is well prepared for this position of leadership.”

Acton joined the company in 1985 as a Project Engineer in its Munster, Indiana operations. He was promoted to Project Manager in 1990 and became responsible for supporting many of the company’s largest customers. In 1998, Acton and his family relocated to Seattle, Washington where he became President of the company’s sister company in the Pacific Northwest and launched the business’s entry into the semiconductor, biotechnology, and aerospace industries. In January 2009, he returned to Indianapolis as Executive Vice President, responsible for all construction operations across the company.

O’Brien continued, “Throughout Brian’s career he has demonstrated our corporate values and developed a full understanding of all aspects of our company. BMW Constructors has grown under his leadership, and I am confident that he will continue to strengthen our long tradition of excellence with our employees and customers as we continue the growth and success of our business model.”

Acton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Engineering Management from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Construction and Engineering Department at Purdue University, and is a member of Young President’s Organization (YPO). Mr. Acton and his family will continue to reside in Indianapolis.

BMW Constructors is a premier provider of general industrial construction services to America’s industries. BMW Constructors performs multimillion dollar capital projects, in-plant maintenance, turnaround and outage services for “Blue Chip” customers in the refining, petrochemical, power generation, pharmaceutical, healthcare, semiconductor, biotechnology and aerospace industries. Through people and processes, BMW Constructors earns its customers’ respect and repeat business every day. BMW Constructors has been based in Indianapolis, IN since 1955 and serves customers in the Midwest through its operations in Indianapolis and Munster, IN; and serves customers in the Pacific Northwest through a sister company in Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon.

Microsoft chief be in motion and do business government official Kevin Turner information having announced autumn establishes Microsoft exclusive agency on this year beside apple exclusive agency not only on 09 assemblies in WPC , the amusing thing having given an account of a few , series advertisement thing for instance , the apple lawyer requires that Microsoft stops the notebook hunter.

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(point to an apple) are acting as according to what I know? Liang of Zhou Qian that we have
received a telephone, is that the lawyer place takes taxi for during the past from the apple , this
is a true story , they say in telephone: `Hey, you do not announce again like that advertisement,
we already obj1 = ” ” ? exchange low price. As if they allocate 100 low U. S. dollar with some
product price,since this is that I get a job, to receive that significance is most significant one
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Are `you telling jokes? Whom are you? Have no way to understand that whats all this about,
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DENVER, CO -- ProBuild Holdings Inc., one of the nation's largest professional building materials suppliers, announced Bill Myrick has been appointed chief executive officer, succeeding Paul Hylbert, who is stepping aside from day-to-day responsibilities after having been ProBuild's CEO since January of 2007. Hylbert will continue to serve as a senior advisor and director of ProBuild's board.

ProBuild's chief operating officer for the past two years, Myrick has nearly 30 years experience in the home building industry. He joined ProBuild in 2007 as Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives.

"I feel very fortunate to have joined ProBuild at its inception and to have productively spent nearly five years in the development of the company," said Hylbert. "Bill's broad industry and leadership experience positions him well to lead ProBuild into its next phase of development."

As CEO, Hylbert spearheaded multiple acquisitions enabling ProBuild to achieve market-leading status, oversaw ProBuild's move to maximize the company's combination of local expertise with nationwide resources and established the company's headquarters in Colorado.

Like Hylbert, Myrick began his career in building products distribution in lumberyards. During his career, Myrick has held progressively more responsible positions in virtually every aspect of the industry, the past 15 years of which have been in senior management roles.

About ProBuild
ProBuild Holdings is one of the nation's largest suppliers of building materials to professional contractors. ProBuild currently operates more than 470 lumber and building product distribution, manufacturing and assembly centers serving 42 U.S. states. ProBuild sells a broad selection of building materials including lumber and plywood, engineered wood, gypsum wallboard and other drywall products, millwork, trusses, roofing, siding products, tools, insulation materials, and metal and hardware specialties. The company's manufacturing activities include trusses, wall panels, millwork, and pre-hung door and window fabrication. Construction services include framing and installation of other products. To learn more about ProBuild, visit its website at www.probuild.com

STX Europe AS has today appointed Mr. Su-Jou Kim as its new President and CEO. Su-Jou Kim will replace Mr Sang-Ho Shin, and will start in his new position with immediate effect.

Sang-Ho Shin joined STX Europe in September 2008, initially as COO, and since May 2009 as President & CEO. Mr Shin has been appointed COO of STX Offshore & Shipbuilding and head of STX's shipbuilding operations in Korea. Mr Shin will remain a Board member of STX Europe AS.

Su-Jou Kim (53) has held various management positions within the STX Business Group - most recently as Head of Business Development and Deputy President of STX Corporation. Mr Kim is well known with STX Europe since he spent significant amounts of time with the company in 2008, including holding the position of Chairman of STX Europe AS from September 2008 to March 2009.

Mr. In-Sung Lee, Chairman of STX Europe, says:

"I would like to thank Sang-Ho Shin for his major efforts and success in developing and improving the operations of STX Europe during his two years with the company. At the same time, we are very grateful that Su-Jou Kim will join STX Europe as its new President & CEO. Mr Kim has already significant experience and knowledge about STX Europe, having spent much time with the company in 2008, including being Chairman of STX Europe AS. I am therefore confident that STX Europe will continue its positive development under his leadership".

FORMER EXECUTIVE AT KERR MCGEE, APACHE CORPORATION AND REMORA ENERGY TO LEAD E&P FOR MAINLAND RESOURCES

HOUSTON, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Board of Mainland Resources, Inc. (the "Company" or "Mainland") (OTC Bulletin Board: MNLU, Frankfurt: 5MN) today announces the appointment of leading exploration and production executive, Nicholas W. Atencio, as Chief Executive and Director of the Company. 

Mr. Atencio (52), who held the positions of VP of Operations Gulf of Mexico and VP of International Exploration and Production for Kerr McGee Oil & Gas Corporation, is an experienced oil and gas company executive with a record of successful green-field and development projects. He is experienced in E&P operations with strong, proactive, leadership skills in addition to proven financial and P&L knowledge. Mr. Atencio has served with large independent oil and gas companies at the senior and executive level for over 20 years.

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Atencio served as the COO and Co-Founder of Remora Energy, a private company focused onshore in Colombia, where he was involved in growing the company from its inception in 2007 to its current lease holding of approximately 1 million gross acres in 11 blocks and an inaugural drilling program consisting of 11 wells with a 91% success rate resulting in the addition of 2,800 net barrels of daily production.

Mr. Atencio worked for over a decade at Houston's Apache Corporation where he held a variety of management roles in onshore and offshore US and international operations.

Mr. Atencio received his Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and began his career in 1981 at Tenneco Oil Company in Louisiana.

Mainland Chairman of the Board, Bill Thomas states, "Mr. Atencio has spent his career managing demanding onshore and offshore oil and gas operations. We are fortunate to have Nick as our new CEO. He is the kind of highly qualified individual with a proven leadership record to step into this position and direct Mainland. He is a strong leader with a great vision for our Company."

Mainland CEO, Nick Atencio adds, "It is a great privilege to join Mainland and to be involved with a company that has the potential to create such significant value for its shareholders. The Mainland team is comprised of highly motivated and professional people and it will be a pleasure to work closely with the Mainland Board as we grow the Company. I am excited about the opportunity to apply my expertise and skill sets towards focusing on execution and value creation as we build upon the historical foundations created by Mainland."

About Mainland Resources, Inc.

Mainland Resources is a company engaged in the exploration and development of oil and gas resources. The Company's current initiatives are focused on the acquisition and development of leases in emerging gas regions with the potential for discoveries including the Haynesville shale.

Contact: 

Investor Relations (USA) 

Toll-Free North America +1-877-662-3668 

Investor Relations (Europe) 

Tel. +49-69-7593-8408

DALLAS, Aug. 23 --  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dean Foods (NYSE: DF), a leading dairy company in the United States and a global leader in soy products, today announced that Joseph Scalzo, currently Chief Operating Officer (COO), has been promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately.  In this role, Scalzo, 52, will oversee Dean Foods operational turnaround and near-term strategic initiatives, as well as its business units and key functions, including Fresh Dairy Direct, Morningstar, WhiteWave, Alpro, worldwide Supply Chain, and Research & Development.

"Since I named Joe Chief Operating Officer late last year, I have been impressed by his quick and thorough analysis of the business and the depth and breadth of mission-critical initiatives that are underway," said Gregg Engles, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer.  "In this short time frame, we have benefitted greatly from his ability to build teams and establish a turnaround mindset."

Added Engles, "Joe has focused on getting us organized around the fewer, bigger initiatives that can extend our low cost position in a meaningful way.  With Joe's leadership, we are moving forward aggressively to advance our turnaround, and position Dean Foods for a strong future.  This promotion is in recognition of what he has accomplished."

Said Scalzo, "I am impressed by the professionalism and optimism of the Dean Foods organization.  The people of Dean Foods are willing to roll up their sleeves and commit whole-heartedly to the work at hand.  I continue to be honored to work with this group of talented people."

Scalzo continues to focus on operating Dean Foods businesses and turnaround.  He has primary responsibility for the profitability and growth of all Dean Foods operating units, for developing and driving the three-year strategic growth plans, and has oversight for all of the company's functional teams.

Scalzo's track record of successful turnarounds spans numerous companies including Gillette's Global Personal Care Division and Dean Foods WhiteWave Foods Company. At WhiteWave, he transformed three separate businesses into a single winning company that involved implementing SAP, moving from a brokered sales force to a stronger, in-house sales team, consolidating manufacturing from a host of co-packers to five state-of-the-art in-house facilities, and recruiting and developing world-class talent.

ABOUT DEAN FOODS

Dean Foods is one of the leading food and beverage companies in the United States and a European leader in branded soy foods and beverages. The Company's Fresh Dairy Direct-Morningstar segment is the largest U.S. processor and distributor of milk, creamer, and cultured dairy products. These offerings are marketed under more than 50 local and regional dairy brands, as well as through private labels. The WhiteWave-Alpro segment produces and sells an array of branded dairy, soy and plant-based beverages and foods. WhiteWave brands, including Silk® soy and almond milk, Horizon Organic® milk and dairy products, International Delight® coffee creamers, and LAND O'LAKES® creamers, are category leaders and consumer favorites. Alpro is the pan-European leader in branded soy food products.

CONTACT: Corporate Communications, Marguerite Copel, +1-214-721-1273; or Investor Relations, Barry Sievert, +1-214-303-3438

 Dean Foods Co. (DF) has promoted Joseph Scalzo to president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.

Scalzo, 52, was named operating chief of the largest U.S. dairy processor and distributor last fall. He ...

WARRINGTON, Pa., Aug 24, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Discovery Laboratories, Inc. (DSCO 0.22, -0.01, -2.48%) today announces a realignment of the Company's executive management by appointing Dr. Thomas F. Miller as Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Charles F. Katzer as Chief Technical Officer, and Mr. John G. Cooper as President and Chief Financial Officer. These positions will report directly to Mr. W. Thomas Amick, Chairman of the Board and Interim Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Labs.

Mr. Amick commented, "We are realigning the leadership and technical talents of our executive team to strengthen our Company and better position us to execute our business plans successfully. Additionally, we intend to recruit for the Chief Executive Officer role with the goal of filling this key leadership position in 2011."

Thomas F. Miller, PhD., MBA, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer and will have responsibility for product development (including preclinical and clinical operations), regulatory affairs, and corporate and commercial development for the Company. Dr. Miller's relevant biopharmaceutical experience includes product development and commercial operations with Pfizer, Novartis, BASF Pharmaceuticals, Pharmacia, and Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Miller has significant related experience in the development of new therapies for neonatal critical care and with commercial strategy development for new synthetic alternatives to animal-derived medications. Additionally, he has developed a long-standing and well established relationship base with key neonatology and pulmonology academic thought leaders, including many currently collaborating with the Company. Dr. Miller initially joined Discovery Labs in 2004 and has most recently served as Senior Vice President, Commercial and Corporate Development.

Charles F. Katzer has been appointed Chief Technical Officer and will have responsibility for manufacturing operations, aerosol device development, formulations development, quality control and assurance, and analytical services. Mr. Katzer has over 35 years of related experience in drug manufacturing and supply, device development, and quality operations within the biopharmaceutical industry including Biological Specialties, MedImmune, U.S. Bioscience, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and Baxter, and has successfully developed and manufactured small molecule and complex biotechnology drug products. Mr. Katzer has been with Discovery Labs since 2006, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Manufacturing Operations.

John G. Cooper has been appointed President and Chief Financial Officer and will be responsible for the strategic and organizational development of the Company while retaining overall responsibility for the Company's financial operations. Mr. Cooper has over 25 years of experience in the life sciences industry including C.R. Bard, ENI Diagnostics, DNX Corporation, and Chrysalis Corporation, and has significant experience in managing emerging growth companies, public and private equity financings, investor relations, strategic alliances, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Cooper most recently served as the Company's Executive Vice President and has been Chief Financial Officer since joining Discovery Labs in 2001.

About Discovery Labs

Discovery Laboratories, Inc. is a biotechnology company developing KL4 surfactant therapies for respiratory diseases. Surfactants are produced naturally in the lungs and are essential for breathing. Discovery Labs' novel proprietary KL4 surfactant technology produces a synthetic, peptide-containing surfactant that is structurally similar to pulmonary surfactant and is being developed in liquid, aerosol or lyophilized formulations. In addition, Discovery Labs' proprietary capillary aerosolization technology produces a dense aerosol, with a defined particle size that is capable of potentially delivering aerosolized KL4 surfactant to the deep lung without the complications currently associated with liquid surfactant administration. Discovery Labs believes that its proprietary technology platform makes it possible, for the first time, to develop a significant pipeline of surfactant products to address a variety of respiratory diseases for which there frequently are few or no approved therapies. For more information, please visit our website at www.Discoverylabs.com.

CONTACT:  Discovery Laboratories, Inc.
John G. Cooper, President and Chief Financial Officer
215-488-9490

Jeffrey D. Selberg will join the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) as executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective Sept. 1.

In these new roles, Selberg will have overall responsibility for IHI’s operations and work with the leadership team to develop strategic partnerships and new models of care, and spread new definitions of patient safety, the Cambridge, Mass.-based IHI stated.

Selberg’s experience spans 35 years in the healthcare field. He currently serves as chair for the McKesson Quest for Quality Committee of the American Hospital Association and chairs the Finance Committee of the Board for the Health Research and Education Trust.

On Friday, August 20, 2010, an email was sent to the presidents and financial aid administrators of all institutions that participate in the Title IV student aid programs. The email included, as an attachment, a letter from Federal Student Aid’s Chief Operating Officer, Bill Taggart. The letter reminds institutions of the important responsibility they have to ensure that they are in compliance with the laws and regulations related to the Federal Student Aid Programs. Bill’s letter is attached to this Electronic Announcement.

“Joe’s background presents a unique combination of structure and flexibility as well as a history of producing results for customers. His demonstrated ability as a leader and strategist will help us better deliver client-focused solutions through strengthened operations and business structures.”

ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Minnetronix, Inc., a St. Paul-based medical device design and manufacturing firm, recently announced the appointment of Joe Renzetti as Chief Operating Officer.

Renzetti, who joined Minnetronix in July, began his career in the U.S. Army, serving as a helicopter pilot and flight platoon leader. Following the Army, he worked in various leadership roles that included operations and engineering management, project management, and leading e-business and enterprise resource planning initiatives. Most recently, Joe served as president of Specialty Construction Brands and prior to that, was president of Adalis Corporation. In leading these businesses, he focused on team building, strategy development and execution, and brand management.

Joe has a proven track record in driving productivity gains through the development and implementation of new processes, and has successfully executed numerous acquisitions and divestments. In all, Joe brings over 20 years of diverse leadership experience to Minnetronix.

When asked about Joe’s new role, Rich Nazarian, Minnetronix president and CEO, stated, “Joe’s background presents a unique combination of structure and flexibility as well as a history of producing results for customers. His demonstrated ability as a leader and strategist will help us better deliver client-focused solutions through strengthened operations and business structures.”

Joe received a Master of Science in Management from Purdue University's Krannert Graduate School of Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History from the University of Virginia. Joe is also the co-inventor of two patents for radio frequency identification in packaging and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

About Minnetronix

As a recognized leader in the industry, Minnetronix successfully incorporates custom electronic, mechanical and software engineering solutions into finished FDA Class II and III medical devices.

The company has led over 140 design and manufacturing projects for nearly 100 different medical device and life science companies, ranging in size from small start-ups to large established firms. A partial list of clients includes 3M, Cleveland Clinic, Hospira, MEDRAD Interventional/Possis, Medtronic, Penn State University, and St. Jude Medical.

To learn more about Minnetronix, please visit our website at www.minnetronix.com, or contact us at (651) 917-4060 or toll free: (888) 301-1025.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6400273&lang=en

Contacts

Minnetronix, Inc.
Leah Davidson, 651-917-4060
Marketing Communications Coordinator
ldavidson@minnetronix.com

At A Glance
Minnetronix
Source: via Business Wire
Updated   02/19/2008   by company
Headquarters:  St. Paul, MN
Website:  http://www.minnetronix.com
CEO:  Rich Nazarian
Employees:  125
Organization:  Private

Metro news release: Aug. 10, 2010
Contact: Karen Kane, 503-797-1942, Karen.Kane@oregonmetro.gov

More effective investments in public structures crucial to maintaining quality of life

Responding to what he labeled an "imperative to act," Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan will release recommendations Tuesday that are designed to foster partnerships to invest in sustainable, prosperous and equitable communities. Jordan's strategy lays out both broad and specific actions that, if followed, will build the public structures needed to make the most of existing communities, provide for good jobs now and in the future and protect important natural areas and recreation opportunities.

The recommendations call for cities, counties, Metro and businesses throughout the region to tackle looming financing gaps and inefficiencies that slow progress and increase costs.  They also call for new state rules that would improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local investments.

According to the recommendations, when taxpayers invest in public structures and public systems it demonstrates a commitment that gives businesses the confidence to make long-term investments in their communities. The Community Investment Strategy seeks to leverage public and private investments to make the most of existing money.

Recently, the region missed opportunities to earn federal investments for important projects because local cities and counties could not guarantee matching funds and were not adequately prepared to begin projects quickly. To ensure similar opportunities are not missed in the future, the recommendations stress the importance of cooperation among cities, counties, service districts and the private sector   "We will do better competing for federal and state investments if we come up with a predictable source of match money within the region," Jordan said.

The recommendations highlight the region's constrained ability to serve the needs of a growing population including rising costs of public structures and declining federal support.  For example, the recommendations cite a recent study that found congestion on area roadways during evening commutes will more than double if the region fails to make needed investments in existing roads and bridges. With that increased congestion will be a 49 percent increase in greenhouse gas pollution from the cars and trucks.

The Community Investment Strategy will build on Metro's success in fostering cooperation among cities, counties and service agencies allowing for a faster, more efficient and cost-effective provision of service. Metro's leadership on the urban and rural reserves process, one of the most monumental land use decisions in Oregon history, cemented the agency's role as a regional moderator well-suited for addressing challenging cross-jurisdictional problems.

To increase efficiency, Jordan's report specifically calls for reforming the state Transportation Planning Rule; better coordination of state, local and federal investments in public structures; and creating a strategic investment plan to better leverage public resources to maximize private investments.

Along with efficiency measures, the report also responds to Metro's legal obligation to analyze the region's employment and population growth capacity within the existing urban growth boundary.  The recommendations lay out multiple options for regional policy makers to consider, ranging from no expansion to a very limited expansion primarily for large  site industrial development.

A 45-day public comment period will allow anyone interested to submit comments on the recommendation.  All comments received during the comment period will be summarized in a report and shared with policy makers prior to any decisions. Following a final recommendation on the capacity ordinance and proposed UGB expansion areas, a second public comment period and series of hearings will be held in November.

Open houses:

    * Lents Boys and Girls Club, Monday, Sept. 13, 5 to 7 p.m
    * Wilsonville City Hall, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 5 to 7 p.m.
    * Sherwood City Hall, Thursday, Sept. 16, 5 to 7 p.m.
    * Oregon City - Clackamas County Development Services Building, Monday Sept. 20, 5 to 7 p.m.
    * Hillsboro Civic Center, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 5 to 7 p.m.

Public hearings - to meet state and Metro requirements and provide an opportunity for the public to address decision-makers, three public hearings will be held in November -one each in Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties - prior to final Metro Council land use decisions in December.

Metro, the regional government that serves 1.5 million people who live in the 25 cities and three counties of the Portland metropolitan area, provides planning and other services that protect the nature and livability of our region.

President Ma Ying-jeou met with Dr. Chi-Foon Chan, President and Chief Operating Officer of Synopsys, Inc., at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of ...

Position: president and chief operating officer
Company: Ochsner Health System
Years in New Orleans: 12

The Friday before Hurricane Katrina hit, Warner Thomas and leadership at Ochsner notified employees that the Jefferson Highway campus would remain open through the storm. Thomas came to work with an air mattress, food supplies and the family cat on Sunday after evacuating his wife and daughter.

“I didn’t expect to sleep on an air mattress for 11 weeks,” said Thomas, who also didn’t expect nearly 20-hour workdays punctuated by worried calls from his family, thousands of new patients or breaking into the Harahan Wal-Mart for needed supplies.

Katrina changed health care in New Orleans and left an open market for Ochsner, which now encompasses eight medical centers and more than 11,000 workers.

“You’ve got to have a plan but sometimes plans don’t work,” Thomas said. “We’ve been very effective at adapting to the market.”

What was it like to tell employees they had to stay for the storm?
We never had to talk anybody into it. They knew they had to take care of patients and that’s what they did.

Tell me about the Wal-Mart break-in.
We had a Jefferson Parish (deputy) with us so we did it legally. To Wal-Mart’s credit, workers showed up while we were taking supplies and they helped us and never sent us a bill for it.

So supplies were obviously limited. What did a good post-Katrina meal look like?
We ended up having a barbecue outside in the campus backyard. We cooked hamburgers and hot dogs and we served everyone that. It was like a luxury dinner.

It seems like keeping employees happy was key.
We tried to be very flexible with our employees after the storm because we knew a lot of people had to come in late or leave early to meet with contractors or painters. We also housed about 1,000 people in hotels throughout the city and provided that housing to them for nothing. … We weren’t paid for it for our FEMA claim, but we needed our workers.

How did that play out as Ochsner faced $70 million in operating losses?
We did not lay people off. We gave raises throughout the process and said, “We’re not going to take this out on our employees.”

When did it look like things were getting back to normal?
It was when I was back to wearing a shirt and tie and pants and getting out of the shorts-and-golf shirt routine.

What was the mindset when Ochsner purchased the Tenet Healthcare Corp. hospitals in October 2006?
We were in a very strong position going into Katrina and even though we took some hits, we realized we had opportunities. We knew there would be financial risk but we knew the opportunity would not be there again.

How did Katrina change the way Ochsner recruited?
There were a lot of physicians that wanted to come to Ochsner and to New Orleans and be part of the whole rebuilding process and be a part of what Ochsner has done over the past couple of years. We’ve been able to recruit physicians from all over the country.

NEW YORK, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Crunch Fitness, the health club chain renowned for fusing fitness and entertainment, today announced the appointment of Keith Worts as its new president. Former chief operating officer of the company, Worts has been an industry leader with over 20 years experience in all aspects of operations including brand development and strategy. Worts will oversee the management of Crunch's unique fitness brand with 21 locations in the U.S.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090909/NY72689LOGO )

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090909/NY72689LOGO )

"I couldn't be happier to continue working alongside the knowledgeable and innovative team here at Crunch," said Worts of his new position. "I intend to take Crunch to the next level by 2012.

Tapping his experience in fitness management including sales, operations, and branding strategies, Worts will manage all aspects of Crunch with a focus on developing new locations, both corporate and franchise clubs, and continuing to grow the profitability of its existing businesses.

"Keith's extensive background with the brand makes him the perfect fit, as he brings an understanding of what sets Crunch apart from other health club chains," said Jim Rowley, chief executive officer, Crunch.  "Keith is a dynamic leader and I am confident he is the perfect person to lead Crunch in this exciting new period of growth and success." 

Before joining Crunch, Worts started his career at The Fitness Company as a general manager and quickly moved up the ladder as northeast regional vice president overseeing 14 fitness centers in 5 states with revenues of over $19 million. Worts then moved to Spa Capital in 2002 serving as vice president of operations, managing retail, service and training departments for 21 day spas in 13 states. Worts then joined Crunch in 2006 directing all aspects of operations including sales, personal training and brand development. 

Crunch is a health club chain that leads the industry in fusing fitness and entertainment. Since opening our doors in 1989, our mission has been to make working out a good time. Today, we are renowned for creating one-of-a-kind group fitness classes and unique programming for our wildly diverse members. With this much going on, Crunch is more than a gym.  It's a fitness community for all types of people, with all types of goals, exercising all different ways; working it out at the same place together. Go to www.crunch.com or www.crunchfranchise.com for more information.

Based in Northern California, New Evolution Ventures (NEV) has a two decade plus record of success delivering superior returns on investment in the acquisition, development, management and operation within the fitness industry, both domestically and internationally.  Founded in 2008 by Mark Mastrov and Jim Rowley, the current team of NEV professionals represent over a century of experience working in a broad sector of health, wellness, sports, entertainment and fitness and have operations and investments in over 20 countries around the world.

By Maureen McKinney Jeffrey Selberg will succeed Maureen Bisognano as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Institute for Healthcare.

Mr. Ridenour to Assume Chief Executive Officer Duties on December 1, 2010 upon Retirement of William G. Rankin Who Will Continue as Chairman of the Board of Directors

LONGMONT, Colo., Aug 23, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- UQM Technologies, Inc. (UQM 2.13, -0.18, -7.79%) , a developer of alternative energy technologies, announced today that it has appointed Eric Ridenour, former Chief Operating Officer of the Chrysler Group, to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Ridenour will join the Company on September 1, 2010 and will become Chief Executive Officer on December 1, 2010. William G. Rankin will continue as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Ridenour, a 26-year veteran of the automobile industry, began his career as a powertrain engineer with General Motors Corporation. During his 21 years with the Chrysler Group, Mr. Ridenour served in a series of progressively responsible positions including Director of Advanced Vehicle Engineering, Vice President of Product Planning, Vice President of the Premium Vehicle Product Team, Executive Vice President of Product Development and Quality, and from 2005 through 2007, as Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Board of Management at DaimlerChrysler AG. Mr. Ridenour holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's of Business Administration, both from the University of Michigan. In his role as Chief Operating Officer at Chrysler, Mr. Ridenour was responsible for a $10 billion operating budget and a workforce of 65,000 employees.

"We are excited to have Eric join the Company as we begin the next phase of our growth," said William G. Rankin, UQM Technologies' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Eric's decades of experience in the automobile industry and extensive experience as a senior manager in a variety of important roles at Chrysler make him the ideal person to lead our company into the future."

Mr. Rankin will step down as Chief Executive Officer effective November 30, 2010 after nearly 18 years of service with the Company. Mr. Rankin joined the Company as Executive Vice President -- Operations in 1992, was appointed to the Board of Directors in 1994, assumed the position of President and Chief Executive Officer in 1999 and became Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2000.

"Bill's strategic vision and hard work during his tenure has transformed the company from a small technology development company to a qualified manufacturer of world-class electric propulsion systems and positioned the Company as a key player in the market for electrically powered vehicles," said Stephen J. Roy, the senior member of the Company's Board of Directors. "We look forward to Bill's continued involvement as Chairman of the Board and we wish him the best during his retirement years."

UQM Technologies, Inc. is a developer and manufacturer of power dense, high efficiency electric motors, generators and power electronic controllers for the automotive, aerospace, military and industrial markets. A major emphasis of the Company is developing products for the alternative energy technologies sector including propulsion systems for electric, hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric vehicles, under-the-hood power accessories and other vehicle auxiliaries. The Company's headquarters, engineering and product development center, and manufacturing operation are located in Longmont, Colorado. For more information on the Company, please visit its worldwide website at www.uqm.com.

BPC Financial Marketing
John Baldiserra, 800-368-1217
or
UQM Technologies, Inc.
Donald A. French, 303-682-4900

Aug 23, 2010 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) --

QualityStocks would like to highlight Dolphin Digital Media Inc. (OTCBB: DPDM | PowerRating). The company is dedicated to the cause of online safety for children. By creating and managing child-friendly social networking websites utilizing state-of-the-art fingerprint identification technology, Dolphin Digital Media has taken an industry-leading position with respect to internet safety
, as well as digital entertainment.

In the company's news yesterday,

Dolphin Digital Media, named industry veteran Nelson E. Famadas Chief Operating Officer.

Joining the DPDM team, and tasked with overseeing day to day operations - with particular emphasis on streamlining product management, business development workflows and overall tactical strategy for the Company - Famadas represents the ideal, Harvard-educated entrepreneur.

President and CEO of DPDM, Bill O'Dowd, noted how rare it was to have this opportunity to work with a man whom he has admired for a decade and a half, and cited a lifetime spent watching Famadas' career develop and his reputation as a genius financial planner grow.

O'Dowd pointed to Famadas' ability to manage a successful startup, and cited his vast expertise as creating an ideal fit for the COO job, adding that he looked forward to a bright future with Famadas, who:

* Graduated - Harvard University, Economics

* MBA - Vanderbilt University (Owen Graduate School of Management)

* Former President and COO - Gables Holding Corporation, oversaw daily operations of this real-estate company success story in Puerto Rico, which was fully diversified into commercial, residential and low-income tax credit subsidized housing

* Co-Founded - Astracanada Productions (1995-2001), Miami-based Hispanic TV Production Company (over 1300 hours of content), where he was an Executive Producer and won a Suncoast Regional Emmy Award in 1997, also handling all managerial functions from operations and finance to HR and syndication sales

* Also worked at both MTV Networks and Procter & Gamble

Mr. Famadas seemed elated to be joining the dynamic DPDM team, and pointed toward ongoing and future projects as key opportunities to create even greater success for the Company and its shareholders.

About QualityStocks

QualityStocks, based in Scottsdale, Arizona is a free service that collects data from hundreds Small-Cap and Micro-Cap online Investment Newsletters into one Free Daily Newsletter Report. QualityStocks is dedicated to assisting emerging public companies with their advertising efforts and now has over 750,000+ subscribers that receive The Daily Stock Newsletters.

To sign up for "The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter" please visit www.QualityStocks.net

Please see disclaimer on QualityStocks website: http://Disclaimer.QualityStocks.net

Forward-Looking Statement: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. Risks and uncertainties applicable to the company and its business could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in any forward-looking statements.

CONTACT: Michael McCarthy, Managing Director, QualityStocks.net Tel: +1 480 308 0703 Fax: +1 480 467 0312 e-mail: editor@QualityStocks.net WWW: http://www.QualityStocks.net

Alternative energy producer, UQM Technologies (UQM: 2.13 ,-0.17 ,-7.39%), has appointed former Chrysler Group Chief Operating Officer Eric Ridenour as its new president and chief operating officer, starting Sept. 1.

Upon the Dec. 1 retirement of UQM's CEO William G. Rankin, who will remain on board as chairman, Ridenour will assume the duties of CEO.

Ridenour served a majority of his 26-year carrer in the automobile industry in a number of executive positions at Chrysler, including director of advanced vehicle engineering, vice president of the premium vehicle product team, executive vice president of product development and quality, and chief operating officer from 2005 through 2007, in which he was responsible for a $10 billion operating budget and 65,000 employees.

“We are excited to have Eric join the company as we begin the next phase of our growth,” Rankin said, noting his “decades of experience” as a senior manager in a variety of roles makes him the “ideal person” to lead the company.

Rankin will step down from CEO on Nov. 30 after nearly 18 years with the company. He joined UQM in 1992 as executive vice president of operations, was appointed to the board of directors in 1994, and has served as CEO since 1999. He became the board’s chairman in 2000.

“Bill's strategic vision and hard work during his tenure has transformed the company from a small technology development company to a qualified manufacturer of world-class electric propulsion systems and positioned the company as a key player in the market for electrically powered vehicles," said Stephen J. Roy, the senior member of the company’s board of directors.

Former HSH Nordbank AG Chief Operating Officer Frank Roth said he will ask his lawyers to review media reports that he may have been set up by other people within the bank.

The German magazine Der Spiegel reported that officials at the bank asked a security company to investigate Roth. Prosecutors later found that an e-mail used to support claims Roth leaked corporate information to the media wasn’t written or sent by him, Der Spiegel said.

“These events are deeply distressing and shed a new light on my being forced out of the bank,” Roth said in an e-mailed statement. “I will ask my lawyers to review the issue and I’m also expecting an apology from the bank.”

HSH Nordbank, which is state-controlled, asked prosecutors in April 2009 to investigate Roth and fired him, saying the case made it “unacceptable” for the manager to continue in his job. Kiel prosecutors dropped the probe in June, saying the claims against Roth were unfounded.

HSH Nordbank’s management board learned two weeks ago about the document cited by Der Spiegel, Frank Laurich, the bank’s spokesman, said in an interview. The document didn’t claim that any management board member knew about the incident and none of the lender’s executives would have approved it, he said.

The lender has appealed the Kiel prosecutors’ decision to end the probe against Roth, Laurich said.

HSH Nordbank Bailout

Hamburg prosecutors, who were already investigating managers at the bank over violations tied to investments that led to the lender’s bailout, are looking into claims that Roth was the target of an illegal act, according to Der Spiegel. The Hamburg prosecutors’ press office didn’t answer calls.

The magazine’s main source is a document citing an unidentified former security adviser’s report about a meeting last year with HSH Nordbank general counsel Wolfgang Goessmann and Michaela Fischer-Zernin, the former head of communications. It was during that meeting that the security adviser said he was asked to watch Roth, according to Der Spiegel.

Gernot Lehr, Goessmann’s attorney, said his client didn’t attend such a meeting. Goessmann also didn’t know about any illegal information gathering regarding Roth, Lehr said. Fischer-Zernin declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg News.

The document reports a later meeting in which the security adviser talked about the events to other bank managers and a labor representative, according to Der Spiegel.

To contact the reporter on this story: Karin Matussek in Berlin at kmatussek@bloomberg.net

A member of the original team that started the MotorCity Casino-Hotel has retired.

Rhonda Cohen, long-time general manager and COO, had been with the casino since it was first created, starting as director of player development in 1999.

In 2000 she was made general manager, and later took on the additional role of COO. She retired earlier this month.

During her tenure, the casino has undergone significant changes in ownership and operation.

Marian Ilitch went from 25-percent owner of the casino to full owner in 2005 after she bought Mandalay Resort Group Inc.'s 53.5 percent share for $525 million. She also bought the 11.5-percent share from Atwater Associates LLC for $100 million and the 10-percent share from Thomas Celani for an undisclosed sum.

At the end of 2007, MotorCity began unveiling components of its $300 million investment in the casino. The upgrade brought a 400-room hotel and an expanded gaming floor. Last year, the hotel was awarded the prestigious Four Diamond award from Heathrow, Fla.-based AAA.

Revenue during Cohen's time with the casino has increased from an average monthly revenue of $26.3 million in 2000 — the first year of operation — to an average monthly revenue of $37.7 million during the first half of 2010.

Cohen has been considering a retirement recently and finally decided to do it, said Jacci Woods, director of public relations and community affairs for MotorCity.

Woods said CEO Gregg Solomon — who also has been with the casino since it opened — will spread Cohen's responsibilities among other executives at the casino.

Vail Resorts Inc. has promoted Alex Iskenderian to COO and senior VP of its real estate arm, Vail Resorts Development Co., placing him in day-to-day charge of its initiatives and projects.

The move comes following steep year-over-year declines in real estate revenue for Broomfield-based Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) in recent quarters. Keith Fernandez, who had been president of Vail Resorts Development for nearly four years, left the company in February.

Iskenderian previously was the real estate unit's VP of development, overseeing development activities at the Breckenridge and Keystone resorts. He has been with Vail Resorts Development since 1997.

Iskenderian will report to Jeff Jones, senior executive VP and CFO of Vail Resorts Inc.

"Alex has been an integral force in our recent Vail Resorts Development Co. successes," Jones said in a statement.

The unit on June 1 opened One Ski Hill Place in Breckenridge, and in 2008 opened Crystal Peak Lodge, a ski-in, ski-out property at the base of Breckenridge's Peak 7. It is close to launching The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Vail.

In addition to its real estate interests, Vail Resorts operates the Breckenridge, Vail, Beaver Creek and Keystone ski mountains in Colorado and Heavenly in California-Nevada. It also operates hotels through its RockResorts and Grand Teton Lodge Co. units and runs retail outlets through Specialty Sports Ventures.

Wally Lage, vice president and COO of Rust Communications, died last week following an accident in Maine. He was 66.

Mr. Lage began his newspaper career more than 40 years ago in Canton, Ill. By age 25, he was publisher of three Missouri newspapers.

He joined Rust after serving as president of newspaper operations at Paxton Media Group and general manager of the Paducah (Ky.) Sun.

In addition to his responsibilities at Rust, Mr. Lage was active in the Page Cooperative, serving the organization for more than 20 years.

Survivors include his wife, four children and eight grandchildren.

The Southeast Missourian in Cape Girardeau said funeral arrangements are still being made.

Arnotts has appointed Ray Hernan as its new chief operating officer.

Mr Hernan joins Arnotts from Selfridges where he was director of finance. He had responsibility for the Selfridges department store chain in the UK and Brown Thomas in Ireland.

Previously, he was chief financial officer at Brown Thomas, and prior to that he was director of finance at Ryanair.

Earlier this month, leading retail specialist and CEO of private equity firm Palladin Capital Group, Mark Schwartz, was confirmed as chairman of the board at Arnotts.

The appointment came after the EU approved a move by Anglo Irish Bank and Ulster Bank to take control of the company. The department store is struggling with debts of €300m.

Richard Nesbitt, who has been chairman since 2002, will stay on the board as a non-executive director, but two other non-executive directors, Keith Edelman and Michael Nesbitt, have resigned.

Another Palladin executive, Tobias Nanda, also joins the board, along with banking and financial law specialist Stephen Haughey. Mr Haughey is a former chairman of A&L Goodbody Solicitors.

ProBuild Holdings Inc., a fast-growing Denver supplier of building materials to contractors, said Monday that its COO, Bill Myrick, has been promoted to CEO to succeed Paul Hylbert.

Hylbert, who has been CEO since January 2007, “is stepping aside from day-to-day responsibilities,” the company said in an announcement. He will continue as a board director and as a senior advisor.

Myrick has been ProBuild’s COO for two years, and joined the company in 2007 as senior VP of strategic initiatives.

“I feel very fortunate to have joined ProBuild at its inception and to have productively spent nearly five years in the development of the company,” Hylbert said in the announcement. “Bill’s broad industry and leadership experience positions him well to lead ProBuild into its next phase of development.”

ProBuild operates 470 lumber and building-product distribution, manufacturing and assembly centers in 42 states. In recent years it has acquired several companies in other states, including the assets of CTX Builders Supply as well as Khempco Building Supply Co. of Ohio; Hope Lumber of Oklahoma; and Granger Lumber-Hardware and Rosen Building Supplies, both of Florida.

ProBuild relocated to Denver in 2007 after the company was formed in 2006 from the merger of The Strober Organization Inc. of South Plainfield, N.J., and Lanoga Corp. of Redmond, Wash.

Liberty Central COO Sarah Field appears ABC’s Rick Klein and Jonathan Karl at noon. Tune in to watch here.

Globe Specialty Metals Inc. said that current chief executive officer Jeff Bradley has also assumed the role of chief operating officer. Bradley takes over the role after outgoing coo Arden Sims was given a new role that will see him ...

LONGMONT, COLO. — Former Chrysler Group Chief Operating Officer Eric Ridenour will join generator and electric motor manufacturer UQM Technologies Inc. on Sept. 1 and will take over as CEO on Dec. 1, UQM announced Monday.

Ridenour will begin work as president and chief operating officer and take over as CEO when William G. Rankin retires. Rankin will stay on as board chairman, the company said in a statement.

From 2005 to 2007, Ridenour was as Chrysler Group's chief operating officer and a member of the DaimlerChrysler AG management board when Chrysler was run by German automaker Daimler-Benz.

Ridenour began his 26-year career in the auto industry as a powertrain engineer with General Motors. He spent 21 years at Chrysler Group, leading advanced vehicle engineering, product planning and quality.

"Eric's decades of experience in the automobile industry and extensive experience as a senior manager in a variety of important roles at Chrysler make him the ideal person to lead our company into the future," Rankin said in a statement.

Rankin will step down as CEO after nearly 18 years with the company.

UQM's statement said it has grown from a small technology development company to a maker of electric propulsion systems. The company is positioned to be a key player in electric vehicles, the statement said.

UQM is based in Longmont, Colo., north of Denver.

NEW YORK, Aug 23, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Alcoa (AA  10.25, -0.07, -0.68%)  announced today that its Board of Directors has elected Chris L. Ayers an Executive Vice President of the Company. Additionally, Ayers has been named Chief Operating Officer for Alcoa's Global Primary Products business, effective immediately.

"Chris has a proven track record for translating operational performance into sustainable financial outcomes," said Alcoa Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld. "Since joining Alcoa earlier this year, he has quickly made his mark as a results-oriented leader."

Ayers had been Chief Operating Officer, Cast, Forged and Extruded Products within Alcoa's Engineered Products and Solutions business. In this role, he was responsible for the Alcoa Forging and Extrusions, Alcoa Power and Propulsion and the Alcoa Oil and Gas businesses.

In his new role, Ayers will work to leverage Alcoa Global Primary Products strategic advantages across the regions in which it operates, uniting the strengths of the Company's technical and operating teams to set new standards in world class performance. He will report to John Thuestad, Executive Vice President of Alcoa and Group President of Alcoa Global Primary Products.

"Chris will play an important role in integrating our solid presence in five strategic regions with our technological leadership in the four drivers of the Primary business -- mining, refining, smelting and energy," Thuestad said.

Alcoa operates 23 aluminum smelters around the globe, nine alumina refineries and has bauxite assets in Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, Suriname and Guinea. Alcoa's global aluminum smelting capacity totals 4.5 million metric tons, and its global alumina capacity totals more than 18 million metric tons.

Ayers joined Alcoa in February 2010 as Chief Operating Officer, Alcoa Cast, Forged and Extruded Products, a new position. He was elected a vice president of Alcoa in April 2010, and executive vice president of the company in August 2010.

Prior to joining Alcoa, he was President of the Forgings Division of Precision Castparts Corporation. This unit is composed of two separate companies: Wyman Gordon Forgings and Special Metals Corporation. When Ayers led PCC Forgings, this business had $3.5 billion in revenues and 5,500 employees in facilities located in North America, Europe, United Kingdom, and Australia. He was president of Wyman Gordon Forgings from 2004--2006.

Ayers began his career with United Technologies Corporation, working in a number of assignments in its Pratt & Whitney business. Later, he joined PCC Airfoils, Inc., a manufacturer of airfoil castings for the aerospace and industrial gas turbine industry, where he was Vice President/General Manager of facilities in Cleveland, Ohio. He was also the Managing Director of facilities located in both Leeds and Leicester, England. Ayers joined Precision Castparts in 1999.

He is a member of the board of directors of Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of a range of semi-finished and finished specialty steels, including stainless steel, tool steel and other alloyed steels

Ayers is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he received a bachelor's and master's degree in aerospace engineering. He obtained an MBA degree from the University of Connecticut.

About Alcoa Alcoa is the world's leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry, Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the past 120 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa(R) wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral part of Alcoa's operating practices and the product design and engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for eight consecutive years and approximately 75 percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 59,000 people in 31 countries across the world. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6405235&lang=en

Alcoa
Investor Contact
Matthew E. Garth, 212-836-2674
or
Media Contact
Michael E. Belwood, 812-604-0530

Healthcare Technology Innovator Continues Expansion with Industry-Leading Talent

AMESBURY, Mass., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Fluidnet Corporation (www.fluidnet.net), an innovator of advanced intravenous (IV) infusion systems, announced today that its Board of Directors has unanimously appointed Benjamin E. Bulkley as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. He succeeds the company's Founder, Jeffrey Carlisle, who will serve as Fluidnet's Chief Innovation Officer.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Chuck Hadley, Chairman, said, "Fluidnet is fortunate to have Ben to lead the company through FDA clearance of its innovative infusion delivery system and drive the growth of the business. His operating successes in the healthcare IT, life sciences, medical device, and transportation industries represent a perfect mix for Fluidnet. His track record growing global businesses and delivering highly reliable, interconnected systems will pay great dividends for the doctors, nurses, and patients that rely on these systems every day."

According to the FDA, more than 56,000 adverse events and over 700 patient deaths over the past five years have been attributed to faulty infusion system design. The Fluidnet system, once cleared, will offer a transformational change in performance. Based on a decade of user-driven innovation, its architecture is the marriage of advanced fluidics, consumer electronics, and state-of-the-art software development methods.

"The opportunity to substantially improve the safety, usability, and reliability of infusion therapy is striking," said Mr. Bulkley. "Providers and regulators are clearly demanding an easier-to-use and more trustworthy solution. I am very excited to be joining such a strong team dedicated to this mission."

Fluidnet closed a Series B financing round of $9.1 million in March of this year to fund ongoing product development, regulatory, and market preparation efforts. The worldwide market for advanced IV delivery systems and accessories is estimated at $3 billion.

Mr. Bulkley was most recently the Chief Operating Officer of Allscripts, a leader in software, services, and connectivity solutions for healthcare providers. He previously led the global commercial operations of Invitrogen, an innovator of biological tools for life science research. He joined Invitrogen after 16 years with the General Electric Company in a variety of leadership roles in the healthcare, energy and transportation fields, ultimately leading the global service business for GE's healthcare IT division.  Mr. Bulkley began his career in systems engineering and program management roles innovating high reliability, low cost solutions in the transportation industry.

Mr. Bulkley holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and a Masters degree in Systems Engineering from Gannon University in Pennsylvania.

About Fluidnet

Fluidnet is a developer of advanced IV infusion system solutions that address the growing workflow, connectivity, safety, and regulatory demands across most clinical areas of care. The company currently is finishing the product development, validation, and verification effort, and preparing to submit its 510(k) pre-market notification to the FDA for a multi-use product platform. The system will fully comply with the guidance requirements issued under the agency's new "Infusion Pump Improvement Initiative". For more information see: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/GeneralHospitalDevicesandSupplies/InfusionPumps/ucm205424.htm

Boston-Based Health System Chooses Integration and Proven Results

ATLANTA, Aug 23, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- MedAssets, Inc. (MDAS  20.25, -0.51, -2.46%)  announced today that the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) of the metropolitan Boston area will expand its use of MedAssets' revenue cycle management solutions to further improve its financial performance and streamline its revenue cycle operations.

A customer since 2004, CHA experienced positive financial results using MedAssets' contract management solution, Contract Manager. The health system recently selected additional MedAssets' revenue cycle solutions for reimbursement and revenue integrity. The integrated solutions for claims management and charge capture audit include XClaim, CCA(R) and KnowledgeSource(R), and help detect and resolve missing charges before a claim is billed. The integrated, customized workflow will help CHA accelerate payments and automate processes, improve billing compliance and decrease downstream denials. MedAssets' billing and coding research tools and reports management solution will also improve CHA's visibility and overall accounts receivable management and cash flow.

"MedAssets has been a vital part of our strategy to improve our financial performance," said Gordon H. Boudrow, Jr., Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at CHA. "The breadth of MedAssets' solutions and the expertise the company provides has helped us to accelerate our revenue cycle cash performance, improve our productivity and ensure that our revenue cycle operations are compliant. We look forward to the benefits these additional solutions will bring to our organization."

Rand Ballard, MedAssets' Chief Operating Officer and Chief Customer Officer, stated, "CHA is a long-time customer that uses our revenue cycle management platform as a way to reach its financial improvement goals through increased efficiency and better workflow. As providers prepare for healthcare reform implications, health systems like CHA see the value of an integrated and evidence-based approach to revenue cycle operations so they are well-positioned to improve their performance in an environment where margins and reimbursement are under extreme pressure."

About MedAssets

MedAssets (MDAS 20.25, -0.51, -2.46%) partners with healthcare providers to improve financial strength by implementing spend management and revenue cycle solutions that help control cost, improve margins and cash flow, increase regulatory compliance and optimize operational efficiency. MedAssets serves more than 125 health systems, 3,300 hospitals and 40,000 non-acute healthcare providers. For more information, visit www.medassets.com.

About Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA)

Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) is a regional, academic healthcare system that is helping people live better lives. With 3 hospital campuses and a network of primary care and specialty locations, CHA serves more than 400,000 residents of Boston's metro-north region. In doing so, it places special emphasis on preventive care and in serving the area's most vulnerable and diverse populations.

MedAssets, Inc.
Media Contact:
Regina Haas, 678-624-7420
pr@medassets.com
or
Investor Contact:
Robert Borchert, 678-248-8194
rborchert@medassets.com

CIARA O'BRIEN

Arnotts has appointed a new chief operating officer, with former chief finance officer of Brown Thomas Ray Hernan stepping into the role.

Prior to his appointment, Mr Hernan was director of finance overseeing both Selfridges and Brown Thomas department store chains in the UK and Ireland, respectively. Originally from Galway, he has also held the role of director of finance at Ryanair.

Arnotts chairman Mark Schwartz welcomed Mr Hernan's appointment.

"Ray has extensive experience of the retail sector and an in-depth knowledge of the Irish retail market," he said. "We look forward to having Ray Hernan on board for the journey ahead as we work together with employees and our vendor and concession partners to grow and develop Arnotts.”

Earlier this month, Anglo Irish Bank and Ulster Bank were cleared by the European Commission to take joint ownership of Arnotts as part of a major debt restructuring deal.

The banks appointed three new directors to the department store's board, including chief executive of US asset management company Palladin Capital Group Mark Schwartz, who replaced barrister Richard Nesbitt, Tobias Nanda, also of Palladin, and Stephen Haughey, a former chairman of AL Goodbody Solicitors.

Shortly after taking over his new role, Mr Schwartz promised a full review of senior executive management at Arnotts.

Arnotts on Henry Street in Dublin

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, Aug 23, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- ENSERVCO Corporation (ASPN  0.56, 0.00, 0.00%) , a provider of well-site services to the domestic onshore oil and gas industry, today announced Bob Maughmer has been appointed president and chief operating officer. Maughmer joins ENSERVCO with nearly two decades of diverse management, engineering and business development experience in the oilfield services industry.

Maughmer was previously with Superior Well Services where he was sales and technology manager. He joined Superior in connection with its 2008 acquisition of Diamondback Energy Services, where Maughmer had been vice president of technology and business development. At Diamondback, Maughmer created and managed a fracture stimulation division that in less than three years grew from 12 to more than 450 employees, broadly expanded its service territory and was responsible for approximately 80 percent of Diamondback's total revenue when Superior acquired the company for approximately $285 million. Superior recently announced it will be acquired by Nabors Industries in a transaction valued at approximately $900 million.

Mike Herman, chairman and CEO of ENSERVCO, said, "Bob joins us with a deep knowledge of our industry and strong relationships throughout our roster of current and prospective customers. Importantly, he also has a proven ability to grow companies in the oilfield services business. A key component of our growth plan is to expand within regions outside our core service territory, and Bob's experience and professional connections in many of the country's most active oil and gas basins will provide us with important leverage as we execute our expansion strategy."

Maughmer said, "ENSERVCO has been built on a solid foundation and has established a valuable combination of services, advanced equipment and talented operating personnel. I believe the company is well positioned for long-term growth, and look forward to working with the entire ENSERVCO team to capitalize on a broad range of opportunities to advance our expansion objectives and enhance shareholder value."

Maughmer also held the positions of technology manager and senior district engineer with international divisions of BJ Services Company. He started his career in the oilfield services industry with Halliburton Energy Services, where he held positions as account manager, technical advisor and operations engineer.

About ENSERVCO Through its two operating subsidiaries, Heat Waves Hot Oil Service and Dillco Fluid Service, ENSERVCO has emerged as one of the energy service industry's leading providers of hot oiling, acidizing and frac heating services. The Company owns and operates a fleet of more than 200 specialized trucks, trailers, frac tanks and related well-site equipment. ENSERVCO operates facilities in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. ENSERVCO became a public company in July 2010 when it merged with Aspen Exploration Corporation, which is now doing business under the trade name ENSERVCO Corporation. Additional information about the Company is available at www.enservco.com.

CONTACT:
Geoff High
Pfeiffer High Investor Relations, Inc.
303-393-7044

LEXINGTON, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BigTrends.com, the premier provider of options trading information and education, announced today that Skip Shean has been named its Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Shean was previously the Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at tradeMONSTER.

Price Headley, founder and CEO of BigTrends, commented, “We are very happy to have Skip join our executive team. He has the rare ability to both understand what traders want and communicate with our customers in easy-to-understand and actionable formats. His experiences with top retail brokers such as E*TRADE Financial, optionsXpress and tradeMONSTER will be valuable in our ongoing mission to deliver high-quality stock and options trading content with personal attention.”

At tradeMONSTER, Mr. Shean was responsible for all marketing, sales, PR, and business development for the rapidly growing online brokerage. Before his work at tradeMONSTER, Mr. Shean was the Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at optionsXpress.

“I’m leaving a very dynamic and fast growing company with tradeMONSTER and I appreciated the chance to be there at its inception. But the opportunity to join Price and the BigTrends team was too good to pass up. He’s a highly respected market analyst, educator, and pundit and has a very strong group of professionals on his team.”

Mr. Shean has a B.A. from Baylor University (1991) and an MBA from the University of Chicago in Finance, Strategic Management, and Entrepreneurship (2001).

About Price Headley

Price Headley was inducted into the Traders' Hall of Fame in 2007 and founded BigTrends.com in 1999.

Mr. Headley appears regularly on CNBC, Fox News and Bloomberg Television, and in a variety of print and online financial news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron's Magazine, Forbes, Investor's Business Daily and USA Today. Price also speaks regularly to investment audiences nationwide.

He is a graduate of Duke University and a member of the Market Technicians Association. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder (CFA) and a Chartered Market Technician charterholder (CMT).

Timer Digest recognized the success of BigTrends.com's investment strategies by ranking Price among the Top 10 Market Timers for stock market timing.

He is also the author of the Amazon.com bestseller in the Investing category, Big Trends in Trading.

About BigTrends

In 1999 Price Headley recognized the need for a simple options trading website offering easy and affordable options trading education. From the beginning, BigTrends has been dedicated to provide investors with real-time stock and options strategies and investment education to profit from significant market trends.

Since the opening of the company in 1999 BigTrends has grown and now offers a variety of different educational products and investment recommendation services for all levels of active investors.

After more than 10 years of serving active investors, Price Headley’s approach is still simple. Offer the highest quality market commentary and educational products and give active investors the best customer service anywhere.

Follow BigTrends on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bigtrend

Like BigTrends on Facebook at http://facebook.com/BigTrends

Contacts

Drew Mauck, 3PTs Communications, +1.773.203.5456
Drew@3PTsComm.com

Aug 23, 2010 (Datamonitor via COMTEX) -- PMA Capital has announced the promotion of John Cochrane as the new senior vice president and COO. Mr Cochrane is assuming this position after holding the interim CFO title since December 2009.

Mr Cochrane has 25 years of experience in finance and operations in the insurance industry, joined PMA in 2003. He initially served as the PMA Insurance Group's vice president and controller and in November 2007, he was promoted to senior vice president of finance. Prior to joining PMA, he held positions of increasing responsibility within the insurance industry.

Vincent Donnelly, president and CEO of PMA Capital, said: "I am extremely pleased that John will continue to lead PMA Capital's financial operations. During 2010, he served in this capacity on an interim basis. He has demonstrated strong leadership as the top financial executive in our organization and is a valued member of the executive leadership team."

CONTACT:
Bill Shepard
Chief Operating Officer Business Forum, Inc.
(408) 292-1593 phone
(408) 521-2180 fax
bshepard@COOForum.org
http://www.COOForum.org

Saratoga, California, March 3, 2008 -- Last month at the COO Forum, six Northern California meetings were held in San Jose, San Francisco, San Ramon, San Carlos, Monterey, and Marin. During these meetings, Members explored the challenges of leadership and decision-making in a recession. The meetings were attended by 46 COOs and Second-in-Command Executives across a spectrum of company sizes and industries. This article documents consensus thinking of the Members and guests at the COO Forum during these February 2008 meetings.

The Members drew no conclusion on whether the economy is or is not in a recession, knowing that the usual definition of two quarters of negative growth can only be determined after a recession has been in effect for six months. The Members also acknowledge that in a recession, not all regions, industries, and companies will experience the same brunt. While the overall opinion of the COOs is that if a company is being run 100% effectively, there are few, if any, changes necessary. Recognizing the truth that many companies will not hold up to the 100% standard, the Members identified best practices for being a COO of a company heading into recessionary times.

Scenario Contingency Planning
The initial best practice for COOs and their companies is to create a ‘no surprises’ approach to short-term scenario and contingency planning. The belief of COO Forum Members is that a divergent spectrum of ‘what if’ approaches must be explored in conjunction with multiple options and outcomes. As one COO indicated “We have created several different plans that only the Board and C-level knows about. We don’t want to scare our employees or stockholders, but we must be able to move with agility and efficiency if a recession begins to impact our operations.”

Maintain a Tight, Balanced Financial and Operational Approach While this is a seen as a best practice everyday, the COOs felt that higher emphasis on tight and balanced operational and financial decision-making was crucial in recessionary times. The discussions focused on the axiom ‘cash is king,’ recognizing that in recessionary times prudent use of cash may avoid liquidity challenges. As one COO indicated, “If we don’t have enough cash, we won’t make the best decisions.” The Members felt that revenue and margin pressures would occur and were concerned with demands to sacrifice margin, which was viewed as a slippery slope to watch closely. Other discussion emphasized tight expense control; thoughtful deployment of capital and longer term outlays; strong inventory level management; forceful collections; scrutinizing customer credit limits; and negotiation of better terms from suppliers, service providers, and contractors.

Look to Shedding Unprofitable Assets and Activities
The COOs felt that companies often hang on to unprofitable efforts due to the robust nature of their entire business. In a time of projected slowdown, extricating marginal and losing efforts may prove to be most sound. Area of suggestion from the COO Forum meeting included the following: plants, offices, equipment, product lines, suppliers, customers, divisions, businesses, and business processes.

Deal with Unnecessary Headcount
“Now is the time start the process of shedding low performing and unneeded employees and contractors before it’s too late,” indicated one COO. When those around the table reflected on lessons learned from prior recessions, getting the head count number right early on would have had a huge positive impact on a company’s success in riding out the recession.

Dial-up Communications
With all the media noise, COO Forum Members see employees becoming nervous. Employees sense the job losses and companies in trouble all around them and worry about their company. The prevailing COO message from the meetings was that increasing communication is the best practice. Employees want to know that leadership understands the economic realities and has plans to succeed in the potentially more challenging time. Employees want to hear from leadership more frequently. “If we don’t answer the employee communications need, the water cooler talk will answer it for us” said one COO. “What we say to our people is far more helpful to us and our company’s morale than leaving it to the grapevine.”

Hold Back Some of the CEOs Exuberance
COOs have the highest regard for their CEOs and appreciate the CEOs important responsibility to inspire, create a bold vision, and lead the company into the future. However, there is a belief that recessionary times call for the CEO to adopt a less optimistic and more down-to-earth charter for the company. The role of the Second-in-Command is one of appropriate tactics to deliver results. Bringing their CEO closer to the factual realities of the economic times becomes a COO mandate.

Exploit the Upside Opportunities
As with all downturns, there is an increase in turmoil and change which always presents opportunities for strong companies to become even stronger. The COOs indicated many ideas including: new acquisitions; attracting new customers from weak competitors; availability of great new employees; opportunities to open new markets; a great time to launch new products; and improving relationships and effectiveness within the supply chain. “We are a very solid company and I know that we’ll benefit from the shake-out of our weaker competitors,” said one COO.

About the COO Forum: The COO Forum was founded in 2004 in the Greater San Francisco Bay/Silicon Valley Area by Bill Shepard, Executive Director. The association has become the professional development home for Chief Operating Officers and Second-in-Command Executives. The association recognizes the significant role the COO plays as the senior leader responsible for taking their company’s vision and delivering results. As a result of the COO Forum’s continued success and growth in Northern California since its inception in 2004, the COO Forum 2008 initiative is to include COOs and Second-in-Command Executives globally. COO Forum and Chief Operating Officer Business Forum are registered trademarks of the Chief Operating Officer Business Forum, Inc.