THE TOP 100: Return to optimism
(Source: Design Week)This year the table reveals a marked improvement on last years
figures, with a renewed confidence across the disciplines and
healthy growth projections. Lynda Relph-Knight examines the results
to find out why optimism is back on the agenda. Research by Suzanne
Hinchliffe
It is now official. Design is over the hump of the economic
uncertainty and laying firm foundations on which to build a more
successful future, commercially at least. This is the message coming
across from this years Top 100 survey, with most UK consultancies
showing a return to good fortune last year after what, for some,
were dire financial results in 2009.
Even if the recession proves to be a double-dipper and there is
more grief to come, as some pundits maintain, anecdotal evidence
suggests that optimism has returned to the design sector - and for
once it is across all disciplines.
So what are the grounds for such optimism? The clues are in the
number of Top 100 groups seeing above-average increases in fee-
income in the 12 months to December 2010. Seven consultancies -
Start JG, Sheridan amp; Co, Foolproof and Flow Interactive, The One
Off, Green Room, Identica and Alloy - saw fees rise by 50 per cent
or more last year, in most instances on top of an already decent
income. But more than a fifth registered growth of 20 per cent or
more.
Indeed, fee-income dropped for less than a quarter of Top 100
consultancies last year and for some of those it was only a slight
fall. That is a remarkable result in a year characterised by
political, social and business uncertainty. The advent of the
coalition Government did little to renew confidence in the UK
economy in the short term, while the axe it has wielded across the
public sector has forced many in design to rethink their business
strategy.
Even if recovery proves to be slower than we would like, there is
a resilience in design that should see us through. With the entry
level for this years charts having more than doubled - from pound
347 000 last year to pound 738 000 this - the industry is back on
track.
Add to this the growth projections presented by Top 100
consultancies and the picture of a healthy future starts to emerge.
Forecasts of 20 per cent growth are not uncommon with almost a third
of Top 100 stalwarts pitching their hopes over that mark - packaging
and branding group Echo Brand Design goes so far as to raise the bar
to 50 per cent with WPA Pinfold not far behind on 45 per cent.
One pleasant surprise is that the feelgood factor is affecting
all areas.
Exciting News From The Norfolk Area Chamber Of Commerce
Norfolk: The Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce received word earlier today that they have been designated as one of two finalists for the 2011 United States Chamber of Commerce of the Year. The American Chamber of Commerce Executives announced the finalists for this years prestigiousChamber of the Year award earlier today in Washington, DC.
Each year up to four chambers of commerce are honored with ACCEs Chamber of the Year designation, recognizing excellence in operations, member services and community leadership. Applications are reviewed and scored by a committee of seasoned chamber executives and former Chamber of the Year winners. The other finalist in the Norfolk Chamber category is the Paducah (KY) Area Chamber of Commerce. The four categories are based on the size of the chambers and the communities. The winner will be announced in early August in Los Angeles, California.
There is much excitement throughout the offices of the Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce. Anytime your peers around the nation select you as one of the best Chambers in the country, it is very humbling. Our team has worked hard and we appreciate being recognized for our success says Dennis Houston, President and CEO of the Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce.
Houston says, This prestigious designation is much more than simply chamber recognition. It is an amazing honor for the entire Norfolk area. We are a proud organization made up of 600+ members that represent 15,000 employees and jobs in Northeast Nebraska. Our amazing board of directors, volunteers and staff are the backbone of the organization that is being recognized.
Houston went on to say, Our secret recipe for our success can be summed up in one word collaboration. When our community comes together to work as one, we all win.
For more details, please contact the Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce at 402-598-6200.
Larry Shyatt growing disgusted with major college athletics
Larry Shyatt, after seven years as Florida coach Billy Donovans top assistant, chose to return to head coaching this spring. He said hes returning to Wyoming because of his growing distaste in major college athletics. Shyatt coached Wyoming during the 1997-98 season before taking the job at Clemson.
Coaches are under a great deal of pressure to make a couple of key decisions, Shyatt told the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. One, do I go after the most amount of talent that the eyes tell me and maybe look the other way in terms of either academics or value system? Or do I try to get a better combination?
As much as I want to win and as much as I distaste losing, I can assure you Im not going to look the other way. Thats not a direction Im comfortable with. Early in my career I was confronted with some of those decisions. Its a lot easier now for me.
PicoTurbine International Introduces STEM+ Curriculum
PicoTurbine International Introduces STEM+ Curriculum
Posted on: Friday, 27 May 2011, 00:00 CDT
PicoTurbine International is proud to announce STEM+ Curriculum, the latest development in its suite of green energy education offerings. The program is designed to deepen K-12 students' understanding of green technology across a multitude of disciplines using both hands-on and theoretical teachings.
Jersey City, NJ (PRWEB) May 26, 2011
PicoTurbine International is proud to announce STEM+ Curriculum, the latest development in its suite of green energy education offerings. The program is designed to deepen K-12 students' understanding of green technology across a multitude of disciplines using both hands-on and theoretical teachings.
US murderer was given lethal injection using drugs meant for animals
A MAN who killed four people in a 1992 shooting spree has been executed in Alabama, using a lethal injection drug usually reserved for euthanising animals.
USA Network Kicks Off Sizzling Summer with Entertainment Weekly and the Haagen …
NEW YORK, May 27 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- USA Network announced today that is has teamed up with Entertainment Weekly and the Haagen-Dazs brand for the launch of its slate of summer originals with a multi-tiered program. This June, the number one cable network, will launch its biggest summer programming line-up to date with six original series -- four returning and two new franchises. To reinforce its position as the definitive home to originals and generate summer buzz for its premieres, USA is teaming up with Entertainment Weekly, Americas leading consumer magazine in the entertainment category, and superpremium ice cream brand Haagen-Dazs for a multi-faceted summer campaign. The program will launch with an elaborate three-day outdoor screening event in NYC, offering audiences an exclusive opportunity to view USAs six summer originals before they air on USA in a completely customized outdoor environment complete with a DJ, lounge, and artisan snacks. Additionally, USA and Entertainment Weekly will co-present a promotional guide to summer fun in 10 cities, which will be distributed at various outlets throughout the summer. Ads for USAs original series will also be featured prominently in Entertainment Weeklys annual Best of Summer issue, on stands May 27.
At USA we are always looking for ways to elevate our series above the competition and align ourselves with partners who bring expertise and value, said Alexandra Shapiro, senior vice president, brand marketing and digital, USA. In building excitement about our summer programming we couldnt have found a better partner than Entertainment Weekly, a brand that offers unparalleled access to the world of entertainment and a fun, celebratory summer spirit that perfectly complements our own.
USA Network delivers such terrific programming and has become very well known for its unique tune-in campaigns especially these last few seasons, said Jason Wagenheim, Publisher of Entertainment Weekly. We pride ourselves on creating well-rounded and relevant marketing extensions for our best partners, so it made perfect sense for us to collaborate with the Haagen-Dazs brand to help launch USA Networks highly-anticipated summer line-up. This program underscores everything EW and our Best of Summer issue is about -- celebrating the best in entertainment and helping our readers have more fun!
The summer screening series, presented by USA Network, will feature premiere episodes of four returning favorites and two new originals over the course of three nights: WHITE COLLAR amp; COVERT AFFAIRS (Tuesday, May 31), ROYAL PAINS amp; NECESSARY ROUGHNESS (Wednesday, June 1) and BURN NOTICE amp; SUITS (Thursday, June 2). The Summer on USA celebration will begin each night at 6:30pm at New Yorks Hudson River Parks Pier 46, located at Charles Street and the West Side highway, which will be transformed into a deluxe outdoor screening area complete with branded seating, a lounge, sleek cabanas, and complimentary food amp; beverage stations. Screenings on the special 35-foot screen will commence at 8:00pm and attendees will be able to sample additional show content on-site via pre-loaded iPads.
Throughout the course of the screenings, guests will be treated to complimentary treats including the new, first-of-its-kind Haagen-Dazs Sundae cone now available at grocery stores nationwide. Additional food and beverage offerings will include artisan franks from Brooklyns beloved Bark Hot Dogs, sophisticated, all-natural icy treats from Kelvin Natural Slushies, San Pellegrino sparkling beverages and fresh popcorn. Awesome Dudes Screen Printers will be on-site creating custom-printed T-shirts featuring iconic USA Summer designs.
The USA/Entertainment Weekly promotional summer guide, a 32-page special supplement, will be distributed at the screening events via street teams. The 2011 promotional summer guide, which is also available online at EW.com/ew/inside/promotions, was created to help consumers navigate summer fun in their own cities across the following categories: Outdoor Fun, Festivals amp; Concerts, Food amp; Drink, Arts amp; Culture, Fashion amp; Shopping, and Family-Friendly, as well as music, films and books. The guide features 10 cities (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC) and includes ads from USAs six summer launches.
In conjunction with Entertainment Weekly and Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream, USA will continue the summer fun by taking to the streets of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Boston to distribute Haagen-Dazs ice cream cones and the USA/Entertainment Weekly 2011 promotional summer guide. Branded ice cream carts, bikes and scooters will make their way through these five cities on June 22 and 23 to promote the series premiere of SUITS and on June 28 and 29 to promote the new series premiere of NECESSARY ROUGHNESS.
USA launches its biggest summer ever with its line-up of returning favorites and new originals. WHITE COLLAR returns for a third season on Tuesday, June 7, at 9/8c followed by the second season premiere of COVERT AFFAIRS at 10/9c. BURN NOTICE returns for season five on Thursday, June 23, at 9/8c followed by the series premiere of SUITS at 10/9c. ROYAL PAINS returns for season three on Wednesday, June 29, at 9/8c followed by the freshman debut of NECESSARY ROUGHNESS at 10/9c. For more information on USAs summer launches please visit: http://www.nbcumv.com/.
ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY AND EW.COM
Entertainment Weekly helps readers have fun. It is your all-access pass to Hollywoods most creative minds and most fascinating stars. The print weekly was introduced by Time Inc. in 1990 and is Americas leading consumer magazine in the entertainment category, with a guaranteed circulation rate base of nearly 1.8 million and a combined audience of over 17 million loyal, engaged fans. It is a winner of four National Magazine Awards (two for General Excellence, one for Design and one for Special Interest) and in 2010 was named one of MINs Most Engaged Media Brands. Entertainment Weekly is the first to know about the best (and worst) in entertainment, and with sharp insight and a trusted voice, EW keeps readers plugged into pop culture. This is where buzz begins.
Each day, EW.com publishes dozens of online-only articles, blog posts, videos, and photo galleries -- plus a complete archive of Entertainment Weekly magazine. Over the last year EW.com has received more than a half dozen industry awards including the 2010 Ad Age Media Vanguard award for Best Magazine App with a Purpose for the Must List App. In May 2010, the site set new records with 8.3 million uniques and 117mm pageviews and in 2009 eclipsed 1 billion page views in a calendar year for the first time ever.
ABOUT USA
USA Network is the No. 1 network in all of basic cable and is seen in over 102 million US homes. A division of NBCUniversal, USA is the cable-television leader in original series and home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, acquired television series, and entertainment events. The award-winning USA Web site is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.
USA Network is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the worlds leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.
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http://www.usanetwork.com
Legislative Delegation Recaps Session
State Sen. JD Alexander speaks during the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce 2011 Legislative Wrap-Up breakfast on Thursday.
CEC Entertainment Stock To Go Ex-dividend Tuesday (CEC)
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The ex-dividend date for CEC Entertainment (NYSE:CEC) is Tuesday, May 31, 2011. Owners of shares as of market close today will be eligible for a dividend of 20 cents per share. At a price of $40.76 as of 9:30 am ET, the dividend yield is 2%.
The average volume for CEC Entertainment has been 113,100 shares per day over the past 30 days. CEC Entertainment has a market cap of $793.6 million and is part of the services sector and leisure industry. Shares are up 4.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday.
CEC Entertainment, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, operates, and franchises family dining and entertainment centers under the name Chuck E. Cheeses in the United States and internationally. The company has a P/E ratio of 14.6, below the average leisure industry P/E ratio of 14.8 and below the Samp;P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7.
- Practice your dividend trading strategies and win cash in our stock game.
TheStreet Ratings rates CEC Entertainment as a buy. The companys strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, attractive valuation levels, growth in earnings per share, expanding profit margins and increase in stock price during the past year. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had generally poor debt management on most measures that we evaluated. You can view the full CEC Entertainment Ratings Report.
See our dividend calendar or top-yielding stocks list.
For more information on CEC Entertainment Inc. click any of the following:
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi At USC Upstate Inducts 75
Spartanburg, SC - Seventy-three students and two faculty members at the University of South Carolina Upstate were recently inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nations oldest, largest, and most selective honor society for all academic disciplines. (see full listing of inductees by hometown below).
"The purpose of Phi Kappa Phi is to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others," said Laura Bannan, instructor of biology and president of Chapter 289 Phi Kappa Phi at USC Upstate. "That we have inducted 73 students this year speaks highly of the quality of our students and their dedication to academic success."
In addition to Bannan, other board members for Chapter 289 include President-Elect Shannon Polchow, assistant professor of Spanish; Vice President David Coberly, assistant professor of Spanish; Treasurer Susan Hodge, senior director of community engagement; Secretary Karen Swetland, reference coordinator of the Library; Scholarships amp; Awards Coordinator Chris Bender, associate professor of chemistry; and Past-President and Publicity Carol Loar, associate professor of history. Student Vice-Presidents include Angelina Agnese Khoury and Daniel West Cooper.
Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 at the University of Maine and it is the nations oldest, largest, and most selective honor society for all academic disciplines. Its chapters are on more than 300 campuses in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Each year, approximately 30,000 members are initiated.
Since its founding, Phi Kappa Phi has initiated more than 1 million members into its ranks. It is a global network comprised of the best and brightest from all academic disciplines a community of scholars and professionals building an enduring legacy for future generations. Phi Kappa Phis mission is To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.
Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Potential members must be an outstanding student of sound character, enrolled at a college or university with a Phi Kappa Phi Chapter. Faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also may be eligible for membership.
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi New Inductees:
Anderson, SC
Kelsey LaDeirdre Rice
Arima, Trinidad amp; Tobago
Maurice Michael Beggs
Blacksburg, SC
Erin Melissa Helms
Boiling Springs, SC
Kellen Danielle Azzara and Jocelyn A. Kuh
Buffalo, SC
Tara Lee Putnam
Chesnee, SC
Veronika Pavlovna Belous and Brett Michaud
Cowpens, SC
David Lee Scruggs
Duncan, SC
Linda Alice Prince
Fort Mill, SC
Chalmers Rogers and Ashley Amanda Wilson
Fountain Inn, SC
Jonathan Edwin Collins and Travis Andrew Suttles
Gaffney, SC
Casey Morrow Fowler
Greenville, SC
Nadine Doris Carmack, Jennifer Marie Chapman, Gayle Ann Hardin, Brittany Parkhurst, Katie HC Poindexter, and Norma Angelica Valladares-Smith
Greer, SC
Brittany Letticia Evans, Ronald F. Geoghegan, Jessica Taylor Jones, Eric Eugene Jones, and Jatia Shaquala Smith
Hartsville, SC
Gabrielle Yaesmean Garner
Heath Springs, SC
Monica Bowers
Inman, SC
Amanda Jo Garland, Angela M. Gilbert, Noemi Guerrero, Jennifer Denise Landers and * Lynette Anne Hamlin (faculty)
Mauldin, SC
Douglas R. Glenn and James Kevin Lindsey II
Newland, NC
Kimberly Dawn Pitman
Oberkirch, Germany
Timo Foerster
Pacolet, SC
Lauren Blackwell and Zackery Dennis Cooper
Pauline, SC
Briana Lea Bennett
Pickens, SC
Erin Nicole Hunter
Shelby Township, MI
Alyssa R. Roegner
Simpsonville, SC
Keith M. Daye, Sr., Amir Modarres, and Deana L. Polly
Spartanburg, SC
Tiffany M. Brannon, Andreas Christou, Wayne A. Fairow, Jr., Amanda Lee Jett, January Latasha Jones, Harrison Jay Kaplan, Melissa Jean Lanier, William A. Lowder, Jr., Mohammad Ali Malik, Jeremy Scott Metz, Lindsay Berry Moore, Rashmad Armand Morgan, Rachel Elizabeth Owens, Kelsie Lauren Queen, Philipp Kolya Soppa, Bobbi Jo Wilson, Aaron Winters, Katherine Ann Workman, Chris Wucherer, *Lisa B. Caggiano (staff), and *Deryle F. Hope (faculty)
St. Louis, MO
Megan Healey
Taylors, SC
Katie Marie Gizzi and Jessica Lynn Taylor
Toronto, Canada
Jennifer Lamonica
Union, SC
Kristin Edwards, Lisa Marie Neal, and John T. Spiers
Wellford, SC
Angela Lynn Ayers and Samantha Burman
Who to trust in Athletics bullpen?
For a team that has excelled on the mound all year -- their team ERA is a major league-best 2.87 -- the Oakland Athletics bullpen has fallen on hard times.