Archive for March 2011
GM still looks risky
Dear Mr. Berko:
I bought 150 shares of General Motors Co. on the offering at $33, and it’s now $39. You made a big mistake criticizing this great company just before it went public again, …
Read MoreTry ‘positive’ training
I’m in Las Vegas, where 10 of the 15 largest hotels in the world reside. Each hotel competes against the others for huge contracts. Business meetings. Conventions. Super Bowl parties. New Year’s Eve. High rollers. …
Start with stellar service
We all know that there are few things more valuable to a business than happy customers. They come back for more, they tell their family and friends and create new customer opportunities for us, and …
A Closer Look: Jesse Bunney
What were you doing before?
When I graduated from college, I got my real estate license and became a commercial real estate agent. For four years, I was a licensed agent in Phoenix. I made …
Read MoreMicrosoft data center steadily taking shape
A cloud is forming in West Des Moines, where city leaders hope others will form.
In this case, the cloud will exist in a cluster of modular servers at the Microsoft Corp. data center. That’s …
Read MoreNew Ankeny interchange gives city a direction
Construction has started on an interchange that Ankeny officials believe can ease traffic issues and spur development in the northern part of the city.
A new Interstate 35 interchange at Northeast 36th Street is expected …
Read MoreSoftware tool brings high precision to flooring estimation
About a year ago, Steve “Doc” Scheidecker began searching for a software tool his Indianola employer, Phillips’ Floors Inc., could use to efficiently estimate flooring jobs to generate competitive bids for contractors.
Unable to find …
Read MoreAll that money, all those woes
The federal stimulus act has contractors looking over their shoulders when it comes to hiring workers.
“A lot of these contractors jumped into the money feet first without looking before they leaped,” said Bryan May, …
Read MoreBridging a (river) gap to the future
Let’s face it. When your company owns a piece of the future, it’s easy to get excited about a bridge that will lead to it.
Gerry Neugent, president and chief operating officer of Knapp Properties …
Read MoreBroadlawns renovation builds hospital’s capacity
It’s midafternoon at Broadlawns Medical Center, and the hospital’s main lobby is humming with activity as visitors and patients pass by the information desk, some stopping for directions and others peering down the hallway at …