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BLUES JUNCTION Productions
7343 El Camino Real
Suite 327
Atascadero, CA 93422-4697
Way back in 2018 Van Morrison released the 39th and 40th studio albums of his career. They are entitled You're Driving Me Crazy and The Prophet Speaks. He was backed by Hammond B3 giant Joey DeFranscesco and his great band on both of these releases. Morrison has been so successful for so long that he is sometimes easy to take for granted. I resist this notion and embrace the music of Van the Man. I let it wash over me and seep into my soul.
I could have very easily and without reservation or apology put either one or both of these two recordings in my Top 40 Albums of 2018 which appears in our annual "Best of…" edition of BLUES JUNCTION. However, I didn't want to squeeze out an underpublicized musician for a world-wide musical icon like Van Morrison. Hell, the cat has even been knighted and that's a big deal in some parts of the world. The one, two punch from this fighting Irishman seems like just the right time to bring Van the Man into the JUNCTION.
Morrison treats the blues and jazz like that comfortable domicile to which you return time and time again. Regardless of his widely varied musical journeys, Morrison always finds his way back home. When he does, I'm there to greet him at the door. Both 2018 releases are steeped in blues, jazz and for lack of a better description, Van Morrison music. Everything the Belfast Cowboy touches receives his unique brand. These two new albums are no exception.
The first of these two albums to be released You're Driving me Crazy has DeFranscesco receiving co-billing. It may be the more jazz tinged of the two releases with more of a nod given to the blues dialect in his second 2018 offering which came out on December 7th of last year. However, I don't make a big distinction between blues and jazz as it applies to Morrison's music any more than I do while visiting the recordings of Jimmie Witherspoon in my library, just to site one example. The place where jazz and blues cavort is one of my favorite types of music. When Morrison and his musical sensibilities join this party…well then things get even more crazy mixed up and I love it. On these two albums he blends his original music with interpretations and adaptations from the blues canon.
I suppose by now most folks have heard the music of Van Morrison. For huge segments of our population that means they are at least familiar with the half a dozen or so Morrison tunes that have remained on classic-rack radio formats for decades now, but there is more…so much more to Van Morrison than meets these ears.
While listening to You're Driving Me Crazy and The Prophet Speaks, it occurred to me how little Morrison's approach to the quintessential American music has changed. It's all here, including Morrison's jazz vocalese which often sounds like trying to start a 64' Ford Fairlane that has run out of gas or Mel Torme with the hiccups, trying to sneeze. All of this might be an acquired taste, but with Morrison it just comes with the territory.
On these 2018 releases, Morrison returns to his comfort zone by surrounding himself with the best, or his favorite, musicians which are often one and the same. He gives them all the space they need to do their thing and in the spirit of the greatest blues and jazz ensembles, they work as a team striving to attain a mutual vision.
These new recordings sent me back into my Van Morrison catalogue in an effort to connect the dots and see how this 74-year-old has remained, fresh, relevant, full of verve and deliver not one, but two exemplary albums well into his sixth decade in the music business
I went into the library and began my journey through the music of Van Morrison. I started in the mid 1960's with the band Them out of Northern Ireland. It is a compilation CD that came out in 1987 entitled Them featuring Van Morrison. This particular platter consists of thirteen songs from this band.
Listening to this material for the first time in literally decades it reminded me how bad blues can be in the wrong hands…in this case very young Irish lads. Them was foisted onto the American public as part of the so called British Invasion. Like many of these acts, it was the blues that inspired this band. Earnest young men in love with the real thing felt so moved by this African-American art form that they wanted to play it as best they could. Most, not surprisingly, weren't very good at it. They…Them was no exception.
Their interpretation of the Big Joe Williams tune Baby Please Don't Go was a minor radio hit. It is a fun romp through some young men's blues. From a blues perspective it goes mostly downhill from there. Bobby Bland's Turn On Your Love Light is laughable and a really bad choice. T-Bone's Stormy Monday and Screamin' Jay Hawkins' I Got a Spell On You are only slightly better. The latter did receive some welcome nuanced sensitivity that is almost always absent in the interpretations of this material by Caucasians during this period.
However, there were a few hints that Van Morrison would become the most intriguing and certainly the most prolific figure to emerge from this British rock and blues scene of the 1960's.
Starting with the song, Gloria…it is the standout track on the album, a Morrison original and one of the greatest rock&roll tunes of that or any other era. Gloria is a two minute and forty-one second, sexually charged mini opera. It has a pulse pounding riff that explodes into an orgasmic spelling bee before settling back down into a tension laden groove. The song has become a garage band anthem for the ages.
The recording of a Bert Burns tune Here Comes The Night was also a hit and more importantly showed Burns, a key music impresario, songwriter, producer and visionary that Morrison was worthy of more. The two would collaborate in 1967 on Morrison's huge hit Brown Eyed Girl, which Burns would produce. The single came out on Burns' Bang label. However, Burns association with mobsters would serve as an inspiration for some of Morrison's bitterness through the years and become fodder for a song off his 1993 album Too Long In Exile entitled Big Time Operators.
Looking back there was another clue. It was the song Don't Look Back written by John Lee Hooker. Hooker and Morrison, two musicians separated by a generation and an ocean, had met a year earlier and became fast friends. Their careers would cross paths several times through the years. Hooker is Morrison's single biggest vocal influence.
After the pop tune, Brown Eyed Girl became a huge international hit, Morrison used the capital bestowed upon him in the music business to launch an adventurous career where his first stop would be his highly acclaimed 1968 album, Astral Weeks. It has been hailed as one of the greatest albums of the rock era. Astral Weeks is a lot of things; "rock" is not one of them. The album has been written about to death. Most of the fawning over this work quite frankly falls above my pay grade. Yet, I think it is safe to say that it was Morrison's first trip into the mystic.
His follow up work has Morrison returning to earth and a work that would come to define him as much as Astral Weeks. His 1970 album Moondance has the newly anointed poetic, shaman of the slipstream, finding his groove and applying his deft touch to rhythm & blues, as well as jazz, soul and country music. It was a wildly popular affair that bought Morrison permanent rock icon status.
Yet, he used his lofty position in this industry to reject the commercial trappings of the music business for most of the next 58 years and counting. He didn't look like a rock star and made no concessions to show business on or off the stage. To his great credit, Morrison never wallowed in the nostalgic excesses which is the downfall of rock stars of this era. While that would be a no brainer and easy money, this particular Irish rover never went that route. Morrison was only interested in what's happening now and what's happening next. That old John Lee Hooker song Don't Look Back became his mantra. He followed his muse wherever it took him and that often-led right back to rhythm & blues.
In 1972 he joined his old friend John Lee Hooker and sang on his album Never Get Out of The Blues Alive. Hooker even sang the Van Morrison tune T.B. Sheets on the record. Morrison would continue to record album after album of original material which yielded an occasional hit song in the 70's.
His live performances revealed another side of his musical persona…the blues. His first live album Too Late to Stop Now is a fine example of this. Backed by an ensemble called The Caledonia Soul Orchestra, Morrison and the band take on songs by Ray Charles, Bobby Bland and Willie Dixon as well as two numbers penned by Mack Rice, aka Sonny Boy Williamson 2, which appear on this very well received 1975 double live album.
Morrison would often have world class blues men open and perform with him while on tour. This trend continued throughout his career. Junior Wells, Jimmy Witherspoon, Bobby Bland and John Lee Hooker of course, as well as a host of others didn't help sell tickets, but Morrison could expose his large audiences to names of which they were likely not familiar and help put some money in the pockets of these deserving artists. Many of these musicians' careers got derailed mid-stream by the British Invasion in which Morrison found himself years earlier. It was his way of returning the favor and making amends for the upside-down music business that found himself on the top and his heroes on the bottom.
Blues and soul men from his side of the pond also got swept away by Morrison and his muse. Off and on, he would employ Georgie Fame from England. Fame, twelve-years Morrison's senior, had already established himself as a star in the burgeoning British rhythm & blues scene long before America needed invading. The vocalist, pianist and organist would become an integral part of his live performances through the years.
In the 1990's Morrison would employ a young English musician, James Hunter. The uber-talented soul-blues vocalist and guitarist performs on Morrison's wonderful live album, 1994's A Night In San Francisco. This double live album is an absolute tour de force and shows that twenty years after Too Late to Stop Now, Van Morrison and his ensemble can still turn in absolutely ground-breaking live recordings that are thrilling. Like his previous double live album, huge swaths of the performance are turned over to rhythm & blues.
There was a time when Morrison didn't find what he was grasping for nearly often enough although one has to applaud his effort for trying so desperately. After nearly a decade of floundering around searching for some kind of spiritual redemption, inspiration or both, he would bounce back in the 90's.
It was a period of prolific output by Morrison who just wouldn't take his foot off the gas. One wildly eclectic album after another came flooding out focusing on his blues and jazz output highlights, starting with the 1990 "Best of…" put together and arranged by Morrison. The album demonstrates how, even in the first 25 years of this massive career, rhythm & blues was central to the vision of Van Morrison. His big hits stand shoulder to shoulder with lesser known tunes, bringing new energy to his back catalog.
1993's Too Long in Exile reunites Morrison with John Lee Hooker and George Fame. Exile is a personal favorite. 1995's How Long Has This Been Going On: With Georgie Fame & Friends was recorded live at Ronnie Scotts. The album has Morrison fronting a big band who take on jazz material live at the famous London nighclub sans an audience.
From there Morrison collaborates with Fame and another long-time side man, horn arranger and former member of the 1960's James Brown Band, Pee Wee Ellis. They join forces with Mose Allison on the 1996 album called Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison. Allison spent a lifetime being called a jazz musician by blues people and a blues musician by jazz buffs. It is that spot that Morrison occupies in his spare time. The Irishman had spent his entire adult life admiring the music of Allison, a Mississippi native and the man, who much like Morrison, is an entire genre unto himself.
Van Morrison lends some vocals and gravitas by returning the favor and singing on James Hunter's 1996 release…Believe What I Say. Hunter and his great band offer Morrison another crack at Bland's Lovelight. They nail it.
In 1997, John Lee Hooker released the album Don't Look Back. It might be my favorite album from Hooker's incredible 90's late career renaissance. The album, which was co-produced by Morrison, has him singing four duets with Hooker. The octogenarian even sang a Morrison original entitled The Healing Game.
Morrison had hired the great West Coast blues legend Charles Brown and his band to back up Hooker and himself on many of the tracks heard on Don't Look Back. Brown's band leader, guitarist Danny Carron channels the guitar stylings of Johnny Moore to great effect. Very few people, Morrison being among them, could imagine blues men as disparate as Brown and Hooker working together and fewer still could imagine such spectacular results. It had to be one of the last times, if not the very last time, Charles Brown was ever in a recording studio. He died a year and half later of congestive heart failure. Brown's 1946 hit Drifting Blues has been a concert staple for Morrison for decades by now.
John Lee Hooker, with whom Morrison identified with as much as any blues man, passed away on June 21, 2001.
Morrison greeted the new millennium as if nothing had changed. His 2002 album, Down the Road, was a huge success and featured mostly original material. He continued to make genre hopping albums and started to do some maintenance of his legacy and back catalogue.
A handful of "Best of…" and live albums would follow. There was a release of familiar tunes on a 2007 album entitled Van Morrison At the Movies – Soundtrack Hits. In 2015 he released Duets: A Reworking of the Catalogue.
In 2017, he offered up a blues-oriented album called Roll with the Punches which isn't marred by the guitar playing of Jeff Beck, who shows that he doesn't always have to sound like a ridiculous, over indulgent wanker all the time. This was followed up by the Morrison jazz album entitled Versatile, which came out in December of 2017. These albums, as good as they were, only hinted at the at the greatness that would be brought forth in 2018.
On You're Driving Me Crazy and The Prophet Speaks it is the small jazz combo of Joey DeFrancesco which makes these albums so special. "Joey D" is third generation jazz man from Philadelphia. He is 47 years old and has been playing organ since he was four. He is also an accomplished trumpet player. By the time he was a teenager he was a staple on the east coast jazz scene.
He is the undisputed heir apparent of the "Big Boss Man" of the B3, Jimmie Smith with whom he has performed and recorded. DeFrancesco has also recorded with jazz giants Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Cobb, Elvin Jones, Arturo Sandoval, Houston Person, Coni Candoli, Ricky Woodard, George Benson, George Coleman, Bobby Hutcherson, James Moody and others. He naturally has performed with his father, Papa John DeFrancesco, a highly respected B3 player in his own right. Joey D also recorded with a couple of cats named Miles Davis and Ray Charles. He has on occasion backed up a lesser known jazz vocalist named Joe Dogs, who is in fact better known as an actor named Joe Pesci. So, by the time Van Morrison came calling it is likely that Joey D was up to the task and not the least bit intimidated by the reputation and stature of this musical icon.
The two get on like they have been at each other's side for their entire lives. Even though these kindred spirits come from entirely different backgrounds, they are coming from the same place. Joey D is 25 years the junior of Morrison and kind of reminds me of the latter's relationship with John Lee Hooker in this respect.
Some of my favorite moments in these two new albums comes from the interplay between DeFrancesco's B3 and Morrison's sax playing. While listening to Van the Man play anything, especially the tenor or alto sax, you realize he plays just like he sings. You can hear the same often gravelly Irish soul spill out from his horn. It has been said that the human voice is the ultimate instrument. Morrison imbues every instrument he picks up and sings through it. It the ultimate in human emotive expression.
It is why we love the blues played at its very best and why we love the music of Van Morrison. These two most recent albums by Van Morrison rank among the very best in this long and fruitful career. I realize how selfish it would be to ask any more of Van Morrison, but here is a toast that he continues to make more compelling music before his soul and spirit fly into the mystic.
- David Mac
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BLUES JUNCTION Productions
7343 El Camino Real
Suite 327
Atascadero, CA 93422-4697


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The 1990s have been a great time to be in business—unless, that is, you happen to be a manufacturer. Despite the long economic expansion—and despite their own rigorous focus on improving productivity and quality—most large manufacturers have struggled during the past decade. Titans with household names like Whirlpool, Texas Instruments, Polaroid, and Bausch & Lomb have achieved little, if any, profit growth. And they have plenty of company. Stock valuations throughout the manufacturing sector have been dormant, while the markets in general have soared. Only one in eight of the 1,000 largest manufacturers has outperformed the S&P 500 since 1988, and fully one-third have seen the value of their stocks decline.
But if most manufacturers have floundered, a few have prospered, posting healthy growth in revenues, profits, and shareholder value. The thriving companies are a diverse lot, ranging from Honeywell and General Electric to Nokia and Coca-Cola, but they've all taken a similar route to success: they've gone downstream, toward the customer. While they've built on their core manufacturing capabilities, they've moved beyond the factory gate to tap into the valuable economic activity that occurs throughout the entire product life cycle.
Smart manufacturers are moving downstream for a very simple reason: that's where the money is. Manufacturers' traditional value-chain role—producing and selling goods—has become less and less attractive as demand for products has stagnated throughout the economy. U.S. economic growth has slowed dramatically over the past 30 years, from an average annual rate of 4.1% in the 1960s to 2.6% in the first nine years of the 1990s. The drop has been even steeper in many manufacturing sectors. The annual growth in sales of industrial machinery, for example, declined from 5.2% to 2.0% over this period.
At the same time, the installed base of products has been expanding steadily in many industries, thanks to the accumulation of past purchases and to longer product life spans. In many industries, the number of units in the installed base is an order of magnitude greater than the number sold annually. The number of U.S. automobiles in service, for example, has grown from 60 million in 1950 to 200 million today, while recent sales have been essentially flat at 15 million vehicles a year. That has created an installed-base-to-new-unit ratio of 13 to 1. This pattern is repeated across many other sectors, including locomotives (a ratio of 22 to 1), civil aircraft (150 to 1), and tractors (30 to 1).
The combination of stagnant product demand and an expanding installed base has pushed economic value downstream, away from manufacturing and toward providing services required to operate and maintain products. We're all familiar with the big picture: since 1960, services' share of the U.S. gross domestic product has grown by 16 percentage points, to 40%, while manufacturing's share has declined by ten percentage points, to just 17%. Less publicized are the similar shifts that are transforming individual product markets. In many manufacturing sectors, revenues from downstream activities now represent ten to 30 times the annual dollar volume of the underlying product sales.
Weak product demand and the growing installed base have pushed value downstream from manufacturing.
In corporate computing, for example, the average company spends only about one-fifth of its annual personal-computer budget on purchasing the boxes themselves; the rest goes to technical support, administration, and other maintenance activities. In the rail industry, the major railroads now spend $28 billion a year maintaining and operating their locomotives and related infrastructure, but they purchase less than $1.4 billion worth of new locomotives. The average household spends more than $6,000 per year on auto-related expenses, but only about 20% goes to the purchase of a new car; the rest covers ancillary expenses such as gas, insurance, repairs, and financing. (See the exhibit "Where the Money Is.")
Where the Money Is
Downstream markets offer important benefits besides large new sources of revenue. They tend to have higher margins and to require fewer assets than product manufacturing. And because they tend to provide steady service-revenue streams, they're often countercyclical. Clearly, in manufacturing today, the real money lies downstream, not in the production function.
Rethinking Manufacturing Strategy
Because manufacturers have an intimate knowledge of their products and markets, they are well positioned to carry out many downstream activities, from providing financing and maintenance to supplying spare parts and consumables. Exploiting the downstream opportunities, though, requires a new way of thinking about strategy.
Ever since the birth of the modern industrial corporation in the 1920s, manufacturing strategy has been built on three foundations: the vertical integration of supply and production activities to control the cost and maintain the predictability of raw materials and other inputs; disciplined research to create superior products; and a dominant market position to provide economies of scale. With these in place, manufacturers could be assured of a durable cost advantage, steady revenue growth, and substantial scale barriers to competition. The usual reward was double-digit margins and returns on capital.
But those foundations aren't much help to organizations seeking downstream, service-based advantages. To capture value downstream, manufacturers need to expand their definition of the value chain, shift their focus from operational excellence to customer allegiance, and rethink the meaning of vertical integration.
Redefining the Value Chain.
Manufacturers tend to view downstream services as a necessary evil—something to give customers in order to clinch a sale. Automakers, for example, offer free maintenance and subsidized leases to sell cars. But to pursue downstream opportunities, manufacturers need to shift their perspective a full 180 degrees, viewing the product sale as a way to open the door for the provision of future services.
The manufacturer has to look at the value chain through the customer's eyes, examining all the activities the customer performs in using and maintaining a product throughout its life cycle, from sale to disposal. While some manufacturers already provide financing and replacement parts, the downstream opportunities are usually much broader. Consider the aircraft market. The traditional manufacturer's view of the value chain is relatively compact: assembling the plane, selling and delivering it, supplying spare parts and upgrades. From the customer's perspective, however, the downstream chain is much more complex. It includes financing and leasing, maintenance, scheduling and capacity planning, catering and servicing, parts-depot operations, and refurbishment and resale, not to mention flying the plane.
Boeing has broadened its view of the value chain and now offers financing, local parts supply, ground maintenance, logistics management, and pilot training. Even as it struggles with slack demand and production glitches in its commercial-aircraft business, it is building a thriving services business that exploits its dominant share of the airplane installed base.
Redefining the value chain also means redefining the way profit is measured. Product margin can no longer be the primary yardstick. After all, a product's profitability does not determine the profitability of the services associated with maintaining and operating it. Hewlett-Packard's printer business, for example, faces intense price competition and as a result has slender margins. From a traditional product perspective, it is not very lucrative. Yet each printer that HP sells provides the company with the opportunity to supply a stream of ink cartridges at very healthy margins. HP could probably give its printers away to build its installed base and still come out ahead in profitability.
Giving printers away may sound far-fetched, but it's the logical extension of a business model based on an installed-base annuity stream. It's how the cellular-phone and cable-television markets are already structured in the United States, and it's how the home personal-computer market may soon operate. With PC prices falling and Internet use booming, manufacturers are realizing that they can make more from Internet-access fees than from computer sales alone. Gateway 2000 and other major vendors have begun offering consumers a personal computer, financing, technical support, and Internet access for a single monthly fee, turning a low-margin product sale into a lucrative annuity stream. Other companies are experimenting with giving away computers in return for long-term Internet-service contracts.
Building Customer Allegiance.
In the old world of manufacturing, superior products and superior scale provided barriers to competition. Today they rarely do. In many industries, including chemicals, vehicles, computer workstations, and commercial aircraft, the technical and performance differences among the products of major manufacturers are often small and easily bridged. It's hard, if not impossible, to maintain a price-performance lead. Scale, meanwhile, has become easy to replicate or circumvent. The explosion of venture funding now provides start-ups with access to large amounts of capital. And the emergence of outsourcing and virtual businesses means that capital-intensive assets can be acquired through alliances or contracts. Rather than functioning as sources of competitive advantage, large asset bases increasingly tie a manufacturer to obsolete strategies, allowing innovative competitors to swarm in.
In the new world of manufacturing, the sturdiest barrier to competition is customer allegiance. The goal is not necessarily to gain the largest share of customers but to gain the strongest relationships with the most profitable customers. By earning their loyalty, a manufacturer can become their preferred supplier of services throughout the product life span.
Delivering a great product is not enough to gain a customer's allegiance. You have to deliver a combination of services that minimizes the overall costs associated with owning and using the product. Xerox has come to understand this. The company is succeeding in selling large copier systems by emphasizing how the copier and associated Xerox services will reduce expenses for labor, archiving, and retrieval, thereby lowering customers' document-management costs. In the process, Xerox is building stronger, more proprietary relationships with its customers.
Rethinking Vertical Integration.
As value has shifted toward the customer, distribution—once the backwater of strategy—has become the mainstream. It is where much of the profit in many industries can now be found. But distribution lies outside manufacturers' traditional concept of vertical integration as a move upstream into the sources of supply.
Moving downstream into distribution channels therefore brings a whole new set of challenges. In many industries, the battle for control over distribution is intense. Powerful channel consolidators with national scale, sophisticated operating systems, and a strong desire to control the customer are replacing local mom-and-pop operators. The most visible manifestation of this trend has been the ascendance of retail superstore chains like Home Depot, Circuit City, and Wal-Mart. Their vast scale and purchasing leverage have allowed them to offer broader product selections, lower prices, and better customer service than traditional stores while generating higher margins.
Although generally good for consumers, these large chains have siphoned profits from manufacturers. They've drawn consumer loyalty away from the manufacturer and toward the store and its house brands, they've levied premiums for shelf space, they've exerted pressure to reduce prices, and they've replaced manufacturers' financing and service businesses with their own.
Look at what's happened to Whirlpool. Once a dominant player in the appliance value chain, the company today sells one-quarter of its U.S. appliance volume through Sears, most often under Sears's Kenmore brand. Sears has placed intense pressure on Whirlpool to reduce costs and prices and has threatened to switch its purchases to other manufacturers. While Whirlpool once earned considerable profits by offering consumer credit and maintenance contracts for its appliances, these profit-rich activities are now provided by Sears and other retail chains. In fact, they account for a large share of the chains' operating income.
This power shift is not confined to retailing. The consolidation of wholesalers and the development of "super channels" are under way in pharmaceuticals, office supplies, food, and auto parts. In the computer business, a few large resellers, including Ingram Micro and Tech Data, now control the distribution of 90% of the personal computers sold by IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Compaq. With that channel control comes enormous power over the customer and the entire value chain. These resellers are now competing head-on with the manufacturers by offering their own cheap clones and establishing their own PC brand names. If the manufacturers attempt to bypass them and sell directly to consumers, the resellers can respond by cutting off the manufacturers' access to a large proportion of buyers.
New channels, from value-added reselling to telemarketing, have also emerged to threaten manufacturers. The biggest is the Internet, where dozens of new companies like Amazon.com, Autobytel.com, and eBay are becoming electronic intermediaries with powerful advantages: low start-up costs, an ability to provide ample information tailored to individual customers, and the means to allow buyers to customize the shopping experience. By altering the economics of distribution, making comparison shopping easier, and shifting customer allegiance to the intermediary, the Internet puts new pressure on manufacturers and their traditional channels.
Because manufacturers know their products and markets intimately, they are well positioned to exploit many downstream opportunities.
The upshot is clear: successful manufacturers will increasingly be characterized by a hands-on involvement with distribution, a focus on identifying and exploiting new channels, and a willingness to risk channel conflict in the pursuit of competitive advantage. Ford, for example, has recently shaken up the traditional automobile-distribution model by acquiring control of its dealerships in several regional markets. It has also revamped and rebranded retail operations, acquired a leading European auto-parts and service chain, and experimented with superstores and other formats. Ford aims to improve the profitability of dealerships and build stronger ties with car buyers across the vehicle life span. Manufacturers that ignore the opportunities for forward integration will see their profits continue to wither, as more and more value flows downstream into distribution channels.
Four Downstream Business Models
So what's the best way to go downstream? We've found that successful downstream business models tend to take one of four basic forms. (See the exhibit "The Spectrum of Downstream Moves.")
The Spectrum of Downstream Moves
Embedded Services.
New digital technologies often allow traditional downstream services to be, in effect, built into a product. By freeing the customer of the need to perform those services, the newly configured "smart" product can save considerable labor costs, which the customer is usually willing to share with the manufacturer.
Honeywell had traditionally sold discrete navigation, air-data, and collision-avoidance systems for commercial aircraft. As this market became increasingly competitive, the company looked downstream for new opportunities to increase its revenues and profits. Recognizing that the purchase cost of an airplane represents just a fraction of the overall expense associated with operating it, Honeywell developed a new product, the Airplane Information Management System (AIMS), which ties airplane systems together with microprocessors and software. AIMS performs a variety of tasks that used to be done manually, enabling airlines to reduce labor costs, speed aircraft turnaround time, and improve overall efficiency. By automating the in-flight monitoring of engine and systems performance, for example, AIMS reduces the need for expensive flight engineers. By performing sophisticated diagnostic tests throughout the airplane, the system decreases the number of false alarms and speeds up troubleshooting, minimizing airplane downtime and maintenance costs.
The successful manufacturer will have a hands-on involvement with distribution and a willingness to risk channel conflict in the pursuit of advantage.
Because of the value AIMS adds to airline operations, Honeywell has been able to charge a premium for it, and the company has become a preferred supplier for many related components. In addition, because Honeywell was the first to offer an integrated system, the company established the de facto standard for flight-management architecture. That has given Honeywell all the benefits of the network effect. While AIMS was originally deployed in Boeing aircraft, other airplane manufacturers, such as Airbus and Lockheed, are now adopting the system. By controlling the standard for flight management, Honeywell has gained an important link with airlines and has wrested valuable customer allegiance from Boeing and the other plane builders.
Comprehensive Services.
There are many downstream services, of course, that can't be built into products. But that doesn't mean they're out of the reach of product manufacturers. Several companies have used their positions as product suppliers to launch suites of services for customers.
GE's resurgence under Jack Welch is often explained as the result of the company's manufacturing skills. Just as important, however, is the comprehensive-services business model pursued by the conglomerate's financing arm, GE Capital, often in tandem with GE's product businesses. In the locomotive market, for instance, GE Locomotive and GE Capital handle many aspects of locomotive ownership and operation besides the provision of parts and financing. They finance a range of other rail assets, including boxcars, intermodal containers, and maintenance vehicles. They manage a variety of outsourced operations, such as running locomotive-maintenance facilities, providing boxcar-scheduling and routing services, and managing maintenance-vehicle fleets. They also refurbish and resell boxcars and locomotives. GE Locomotive has even teamed with Harris Corporation to improve railroads' track utilization by pinpointing trains with advanced tracking systems.
Through its relentless focus on the customer's activities, GE has captured a rich source of sales and profits. At the same time, it has gained insight into the customer's needs, which enables it to further refine products and services. And by ensconcing itself in many aspects of the customer's business, it creates strong bonds that promote future product sales. Over the past 15 years, GE Capital has grown from a small financing operation supporting the product businesses to become the profit engine at the heart of the company, generating 41% of earnings.
Integrated Solutions.
A third effective business model is to combine products and services into a seamless offering that addresses a pressing customer need. The Finnish company Nokia has used this model to great effect. For many years, Nokia was a second-tier player in cellular equipment, a market that suffers, like many technology-driven markets, from short product cycles, weak product differentiation, and rapid price erosion. Recently, though, Nokia has emerged as the leading player, displacing the once-dominant Motorola, and has been able to generate healthy profits.
Nokia has succeeded by looking beyond its traditional products and addressing all the equipment and service needs of the cellular carriers that are its customers. It saw, back in the mid-1990s, that carriers were facing three new challenges. First, cellular's analog technology was being replaced by digital technology, which the carriers had little expertise in. Second, the carriers were struggling to expand their networks quickly enough to meet the rapid growth in demand. Third, the numerous smaller carriers born in the wake of the U.S. government's 1995 spectrum auctions needed much more support than the phone companies that had long dominated the cellular business.
Nokia responded by creating a comprehensive array of products, including handsets, transmission equipment, and switches, that could be easily deployed by carriers. Along with the products, it provided a range of services. It helped the carriers plan and manage their networks, meet zoning requirements for the construction of new transmission towers, and provide maintenance and technical support to customers. By purchasing this single set of products and services, the carriers could save considerable time and expense.
Nokia's integrated-solution business model has enabled it to create tremendous customer allegiance, capture a large share of customers' high-margin network-infrastructure spending, and earn recurring service and upgrade revenues. While mobile-phone handsets represent Nokia's largest share of sales, its highest margins and profits come from the associated network-development services. The company now has a net margin roughly four times that of Motorola (12% versus 3% for the years 1996–1998), and its market value has grown from $1 billion in 1990 to $65 billion today, far surpassing the performance of other cellular-equipment providers.
Distribution Control.
Whereas the first three business models focus on providing new services or products to customers, the fourth is very different. It entails entering the customers' business—moving forward in the value chain to gain control over lucrative distribution activities.
That's the course Coca-Cola has taken. Although Coke has been a brand icon for much of this century, the company's sharpest increase in shareholder value occurred during the past decade, after it moved downstream to consolidate its independent bottlers into the largest, most tightly integrated distribution network in the beverage industry. Today, Coke controls 70% of its U.S. bottling and distribution, and it is aggressively expanding its control overseas.
Coke set up its independent-bottler network shortly after the turn of the century, determining the borders of each territory by the distance a horse-drawn wagon could travel in a day. For decades, the network provided Coke with an efficient way to expand its presence. But by the 1970s, technological changes were rendering the network obsolete. New plastic and aluminum packaging offered the promise of much more efficient manufacturing and distribution, but individual bottlers lacked the production volume and capital required to switch over their production lines. Aggressive regional bottlers had begun acquiring and consolidating their neighbors, threatening to upset the influence that Coke enjoyed over its distribution channel. When in 1986 two of the largest Coke bottlers announced their intention to merge, creating a company that would control one-third of Coke's U.S. distribution, Coke sprang into action.
It bought controlling positions in the majority of its independent bottlers and amalgamated many of them into a separate, Coke-controlled entity called Coca-Cola Enterprises. It then moved quickly to rationalize bottling plants and distribution networks and invest in plant upgrades. Channel control enabled Coke to grab shelf space and halt price erosion in the high-volume, low-profit supermarket segment through regional coordination of deliveries and services, consistent pricing, and nationwide account management.
At the same time, Coke was able to extend its dominance of the profitable but fragmented vending-machine market, where prices are often two to four times higher than in supermarkets. Through Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coke provided the capital required to buy and stock vending machines and convenience-store coolers and to build a highly efficient, coordinated distribution system to attack this market. Because Coca-Cola Enterprises could now operate much more efficiently, Coke was able to raise its syrup prices, gaining higher profits on its core product.
Coke's channel initiative helped the company increase shareholder value during a time of slowing growth in soft-drink consumption. While Coke faces many challenges, its success in gaining control over distribution remains a bright spot for the company.
Should You Go Downstream?
A downstream move makes sense in many cases today, but not in every case. To assess the attractiveness of such a move, you first need to assess the attractiveness of the downstream market itself. (See the exhibit "How to Scope Out a Downstream Opportunity.") In particular, you should look at such indicators as the ratio of installed units to annual new-unit sales, the customer's usage costs over the product life cycle relative to the product's price, and the profitability of downstream activities relative to product margins. Taken together, these measures will provide a sense of the size of the downstream profit opportunity. As we've seen, the numbers in many sectors, from locomotives to PCs, are enticing. But if you look at, say, the video-cassette recorder business, you get a very different picture. The VCR market has a low installed-base-to-new-unit ratio, and the costs associated with VCR ownership and usage are paltry; a VCR manufacturer probably wouldn't want to make a big investment in supplying services to customers.
How to Scope Out a Downstream Opportunity
You also need to examine your own competitive position. If your ability to differentiate your products is declining, or if your customers are gaining power through consolidation, a downstream move may be a necessity, providing the only way to escape a profit squeeze in your core manufacturing business.
If the market seems attractive, the question then becomes: how much real influence can you exert over customers and their transactions? The answer hinges largely on the structure of the distribution channels in your industry. Companies such as Dell that already sell directly to end users are obviously in the best position to branch into downstream services. They have relationships with their customers and they don't have to worry about conflicts with other channels. Companies that sell exclusively through a captive set of distributors—distributors that sell only one product line—will, on the other hand, likely face conflicts if they move downstream. An approach worth considering in these cases is to "buy the channel," as Coke and Ford did when they acquired controlling stakes in their distribution channels.
Companies that sell their products through a fragmented network of third-party distributors, such as IBM's value-added resellers and John Deere's dealers, also face difficult challenges, as do companies that use many different channels. But such companies can often work in partnership with their distributors to capitalize on downstream opportunities. If, finally, the industry's channel is controlled by big, consolidated distributors—the Wal-Marts of the world—a downstream move will be tough to pull off. Because any one manufacturer's products represent a small fraction of the distributor's mix of goods, the manufacturer has little influence over the customer's buying decisions. The only option may be to bypass the distributor via the Internet or some other new channel.
Even if the prospects are bright, actually making a move downstream will not be easy. In addition to shifting your strategic perspective, you may well have to acquire new skills and new people. Coke had to learn how to run a distribution business. Honeywell and Nokia had to get new skills in software development and customer analysis. GE had to learn how to manage relationships with customers' most senior executives. You'll also have to devise new ways to measure your performance. The old metrics—market share, cycle time, and quality levels—tend to focus solely on the product. Managing downstream businesses requires looking at new variables such as profit per installed unit, share of customer's total downstream-activity spending, and total customer return over the product life cycle.
However difficult the transition, manufacturers can't afford to ignore the opportunities that lie downstream. If they do, the next decade will be even bleaker than the last.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music will hold their first ever cello festival this month.
The festival will run over three days featuring panel discussions, master classes with national and international renowned cellists and concerts at midday and in the evenings.
Melbourne Cello Festival artistic director Alvin Wong said the festival aims to give cellists from around the world the opportunity to learn from one another and to celebrate music written for the cello.
"The community engagement aspect of the festival is key – inviting cellists of all ages to play in the 100 Cello Orchestra; as well as the educational component, the festival provides a platform for the guest artists to impart their experience and knowledge to student musicians," Dr Wong said.
One of the highlights is the 'CelloXtravanganza' which is an orchestra collective of 100 cellists from around the globe.
The Melbourne Cello Festival goes from September 27, 2015 to September 29. For more information go to http://mcm.unimelb.edu.au/community-engagement/melbourne-cello-festival/about


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Can We Expect A Whole New Kind Of Headliner For Glastonbury 2016?
22 June 2015, 12:27 | Updated: 8 May 2017, 17:09
The Glasto team have confirmed that next year's main acts are already booked, so we get speculative about who they could be.
Now that Glastonbury is finally just a few days away, and the headliners are safe and securely booked in (We've heard they're keeping Kanye in a padded box to prevent any injury), people all over are excited about the most obvious thing - next year's event.
Glastonbury 2016 sounds like a plan
— Megan Brown (@Brooooon_) June 19, 2015
But it may not just be fans of the event that are looking ahead. After the frantic last-minute finalising of acts this year, the Glasto team have decided to be a bit more prepared for 2016, and have confirmed that next year's headliners are already booked.
"We've got three headliners for next year, so that's completely sorted," event organiser Emily Eavis told Digital Spy. "We're in a really good position in that respect because it means we can now focus on the rest of the bill."
The event will be taking a year off in 2017, which means that with over 2 million people applying for tickets to this year's event, 2016 will be in even higher demand. And to have their three main acts already booked in begs the question: Who's playing?
But who are the headliners that have already been booked...? #Glastonbury2016
— Joseph Canty (@joe_gooner49) June 21, 2015
Replacing Foo Fighters with supporting band Florence + The Machine in their headlining Friday slot was an inspired move by the event. Following the criticism surrounding controversial Saturday booking Kanye West in between the Foos and "safe booking" The Who, Florence creates a new level of diversity in both music style and representation in the lineup; something that Eavis maintains they will be aiming for next year, continuing their deviation away from the event's more traditional "alt/rock" roots.
With that in mind, we came up with a handful of potential acts across a number of genres that, for various reasons, we want to see on the Pyramid stage of 2016's event:
The pop-rock sister trio have graced the Pyramid stage the past two years, and will be touring with pal Taylor Swift this summer. With a new album hopefully following up the massive Days Are Gone within the next year, HAIM could totally be qualified to take the top spot.
The Black Keys
While they supported headliners Kasabian on the Sunday of last year's Glasto, the rock duo have developed a cult following in their 15 years. As headliners, they could be an interesting change of pace from the bands that critics deem "safe bookings".
Kendrick Lamar
If Glastonbury is aiming to include more hip-hop, then by next year Kendrick will be the ideal headliner. Smashing Spotify records this year with the surprise launch of To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick is on a meteoric climb to fame in the hip-hop world, while still maintaining a cool, accessible vibe.
Grimes' music is hard to pinpoint to one particular genre, but one thing is true: it's accessible, it's fun, and the tiny elfen producer has an enormously infectuous stage presence. With her reworked album scheduled for an October release, a headlining festival slot could catapult Grimes into the well-deserved mainstream.
Taylor Swift
SURPRISE! WILD CARD. Taylor's basically taking over the frickin' world as it is, so for her to dominate the festival circuit after the 1989 Tour is over is actually a pretty reasonable prediction. We just can't wait to see how the petition against this one would go down...


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In 2007, Steve Ridge, approached Jerry Arnold with an idea: put on a show as a Christmas gift to the residents of a Terre Haute, Indiana nursing home where Steve did maintenance. He wanted something that the elderly residents would remember, and to which they could relate. A few ideas were considered, but Steve and Jerry decided on doing a live recreation of a 1941 Fibber McGee and Molly radio episode, complete with period-correct commercials, news, props and music. The show was an instant success! Word soon spread of the little troop that brought back so many memories for so many people in the area.
Jerry, a 45+ year veteran of radio and TV broadcasting drew his talented ensemble from the friendships he had developed in his tenure in the Terre Haute broadcasting market. Carefully selecting each member for the roles in each production, he has put together a group whose combined experience in broadcasting exceeds three HUNDRED years. The majority of the Players are life-long broadcasters, and each has a love of the rich history of the medium.
Each show is meticulously researched, precisely cast, well rehearsed and made to not only SOUND identical to the original, but also give those in attendance the feeling they are actually sitting in the studio audience on the date it was broadcast. No detail is considered too insignificant. Where possible, sound effects are done live, as they were in the past to further enhance the realism. Authentic period-correct RCA studio microphones are used, as are commercials from the era.
The Crosley Players have performed at restaurants for dinner theaters, World War 2 reenactments, historical society fund raisers, and historic Vaudeville theaters throughout Western Indiana and Eastern Illinois. Such well-known dramas as Inner Sanctum, Suspense, The Green Hornet, The Lone Ranger, Yours Truly - Johnny Dollar, The Shadow, The Whistler, Dragnet, Richard Diamond-Private Detective, Lux Theater, and Challenge of the Yukon have been performed along with favorite comedies Fibber McGee and Molly, The Bickersons, Our Miss Brooks, The Great Gildersleeve, and Duffy's Tavern. Musical shows like Your Hit Parade, Chesterfield Supper Club, and Command Performance round out every performance.
The name CROSLEY has a long and glorious history in radio. Founded in 1920 by Powell Crosley in Cincinnati, the company became a giant in the industry. Today, CROSLEY RADIO, now headquartered in Louisville, has graciously allowed us to use their name and logo. We are honored to uphold such a well-known and respected name.


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Being a beautiful person is the goal and dream of so many people. This article has some tried and true beauty tips, as well as a few new ones that will help you to look your very best. Read on and discover what you can be doing.
Keep your makeup light and simple. If you put on too much makeup you can stress your skin, and make yourself look older than you are. The best beauty is often the least complicated. Keep your routine to a quality moisturizer, followed with lip gloss and a good mascara.
If you suffer from chronic, dry skin, you may want to see a dermatologist and get a microdermabrasion facial peel. Microdermabrasions are able to improve skin's functioning and appearance in a very short amount of time. One treatment will help your skin to feel smoother and will improve your skin's elasticity. Although one treatment helps, for the best results you should schedule at least 6 treatments.
Watch video tutorials to get makeup tips. You no longer have to be a makeup artist to make your face look beautiful. All you simply need to do is to find any video sharing site and you'll find step-by-step tutorials on how to create any number of looks with makeup.
One of the most important things you can do to enhance your eyes and increase your beauty is to make use of mascara. Mascara not only increases the size of your eye by opening it up, it makes the white of your eye whiter creating an even better contrast to your skin.
To give yourself an instant facelift, just apply a streak of blush along the top of your cheeks. The color will draw the eye upward, giving your face a tighter, more youthful appearance. If you have pale skin, you'll get the best effect from a pale pink. Those with darker skin should select rosy shades.
Taking care of your eyebrows is a beauty must. Resist the urge to over-pluck your brows and let them grow back in before you go for a new shape or arch. If you are unsure of how to take care of your eyebrows, make an appointment to have them shaped and tweezed, get them threaded or have them waxed.
If you have a wide face, you can make it appear less wide by applying a rosy, creamy blush only on the apples of both your cheeks. However, you should be careful to not apply it too close to your nose or extend the color out past your ears as this will make your face appear even wider.
To tease your hair, use a firm bristled toothbrush. Digging in at the roots will give the effect of lightly teased hair. Use a baby toothbrush, and spray lightly with hairspray. Running the soft toothbrush by them easily tames the wispy pieces found at the hairline. These are great tips to use instead of backcombing your hair.
As you can see, there is a lot of great information here. These ideas should give you inspiration to make some changes and see the difference for yourself. If you put your mind to it, you can be the beautiful person that you know you are, you just need to get out and shine.
You may also like:


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A2 Jive would like to wish all our friends and classmates
a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Thank you all for your support thoughout the year.
Special thanks to everyone who has danced for us at events.
Hope to see you all next year for another fun packed season of Non Stop Dancing!!!
Friday Canvey Rock-ola
Rock N Roll with the Firebirds
Saturday Grand Donut Dance with 4 DJ's
Sunday Blythbourgh Tea Dance
Back to work for a rest!!
Sky Liner Big Band Featuring Kitty Collins
Hot Wartime Food, Simulated Air Raid,
Speech by Winston Churchill look a like.
Stalls,Traders, Live Bands,DJ's and Dancing.
Friday and Saturday Evening Dances.
Dance Demo By A2 Jive and the Gang
All the Nice Girls Love a Sailor!!
Last Classes of the year will be
as Follows:
Wednesday 5th December 2012 Rettendon
Thursday 6th December 2012 Witham
These evenings will be Freestyle nights with Nibbles
everyone welcome.
we return in 2013 with the first classes of the year on
Wednesday 9th January 2013 Rettendon
Thursday 10th January 2013 witham.


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Nasal obstructions are blockages of the nasal cavity that impede airflow in and out of the nose. Either one or both nostrils may be affected. Most nasal obstructions are temporary, caused by colds, allergies, sinus infections, or medications, while others require medical intervention.
Types of Nasal Obstruction
There are several different types of nasal obstruction. These include:
- Deviated nasal septum. The nasal septum is the wall-like structure that divides the left and right nostrils. A deviated septum refers to one that is crooked. This is hardly rare; it is estimated that 80 percent of people have septal deviations to some degree. Symptoms include difficulty breathing through the nose (especially one nostril) and a runny nose.
- Inferior turbinate hypertrophy. The nasal cavity contains bony structures called turbinates. These are susceptible to irritation from allergies and dust, which cause swelling and breathing difficulties.
- Choanal atresia. This is a congenital defect in which excess tissue in the nasal airway causes a partial or full blockage, resulting in difficulty breathing.
- Nasal polyps.
- Foreign objects in the nose.
- Oversized adenoids.
- Swelling of the nasal lining due to allergies.
Treating Nasal Obstructions
We will carefully examine your nose using a lighted scope and may use a CT scan or MRI in order to diagnose your nasal obstruction. The first step in treating nasal obstructions is getting the symptoms under control. Medications or nasal steroid sprays are often helpful in reducing inflammation of the nose and turbinates and providing immediate, short-term relief. An effective long-term solution may require surgery particularly if the issue involves a deviated septum, turbinates or nasal polyps. Newer surgical techniques include shrinking the turbinates by using radiofrequency energy or a small tissue-shaving device.
Call Topeka ENT at 785-233-0500 for more information or to schedule an appointment.


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I come back today to share a new pen I made. Again I used jade for the HTML and SCSS for the CSS. (still learning…)
This is an html-css-js tool I made to emulate a browser inside your browser. It can be used for website demonstration or to give a stylish way to show a website on yours… Do you still follow me ? no ? OK, I'll show you:
See the Pen browser inception by Benjamin CARADEUC (@benavern) on CodePen.
It is written with OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) style and is fully usable once you included the CSS and javascript files in your html. You don't need any other library like jQuery or others.
To add browsers on your webpage, you just have to add divs with the
z-browser class and that's all. If you put something inside, it will be overwritten.
You can specify the starting website url by adding it the attribute
data-url setted to the url you want (don't forget the
http:// or it won't work.)

Isn't it awesome ??? Let me know what you think in the comments bellow!


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Having children is expensive. The cost of raising a child, in the UK, is around £230,000. But, despite this, it is still very important to put aside some money and save for your child's future. There are several ways you can do this despite the fact that your finances are likely quite stretched.
Here are a few suggestions for you to look at and consider.
Open a Junior ISA
My first suggestion is opening a Wealthify junior ISA. You can read all about what they have to offer by clicking the link.
It is possible to open either a cash-based junior ISA or a stocks and shares one. Which you choose is entirely up to you. Either way for the tax year of 2019/20 you are allowed to put £4,368 into Junior ISAs for each child.
Grandparents, other relatives and friends can make a contribution too. But, the amount placed into junior ISAs, per year, must not exceed the limit set by the government, for that tax year.
From the moment the money goes into that account, it belongs to the named child. It really is locked away. Withdrawing funds from a junior ISA can only be done under exceptional circumstances. So, you need to be sure that the family is not going to need access to those funds. You should have some other cash set aside for emergencies before tying money up, in that way.
Only when your child reaches 18 can they gain access to the funds. This is good timing because that is when they will need cash to achieve some important milestones. Including, going to university, passing their test or moving out of the family home.
Teach them how to handle money
Putting aside cash for your children's future is important. But, that is only a small part of the story.
You need to teach your children how to be cash savvy. They need to understand how things work to be able to stay out of debt and make the most of their money.
Setting a good example and teaching them to handle money well is a gift in itself. There is no point in saving up a large sum of money and giving it to them if they just go out and blow it in just a few weeks.
Getting your child a bank account and helping them to manage it at first is a very important step. It enables them to learn how to save up for things in the short term as well as in the long term. Managing a bank account also enables them to learn how to keep track of their money and budget.
Show them how to maximise what they have
It is also a good idea to teach your children not to waste anything. Letting them sell their old toys and make things is a great way to show them how to make the most of what they already have. Let them repaint their old wardrobe if they want to. Doing things like this teaches them valuable skills that they can use in later life to either earn or save money. If you want to learn more about teaching your children how to live frugally, just click the link.


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Adam Larsson took a stick in a very uncomfortable place
Published October 10, 2011 12:51 PM
Devils rookie Adam Larsson is finding out the hard way that life in the NHL is a little different than playing in the Swedish Elite League. Case in point, during the second period of the Devils' 4-2 win over Carolina, Larsson was doubled over in pain after a run-in with Carolina captain Eric Staal.
The hit wasn't a bodycheck or a shoulder to the head or even an elbow in the teeth. Instead, Larsson was hit in a very uncomfortable place by Staal and, no, we're not talking about the back of a Volkswagen. NHL.com's Dave Lozo tweeted Larsson's report on why he looked injured in the second period:
""I got a stick in the balls...it hurt."
Yup, that'll do it all right. Hang on, there's got to be a bag of sympathy ice around here someplace.


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Filipino gets 6 months in jail for shipping fighting cocks to PH
VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia— A man accused of raising hundreds of roosters in Virginia to ship overseas for cockfighting was sentenced to six months in jail Tuesday.
Emmanuel Garcia, 55, received his sentence in Virginia Beach Circuit Court, where a judge also ordered him to pay more than $6,200 in overtime costs for services provided by the city's animal control office during the investigation, The Virginian-Pilot reported.
Garcia pleaded guilty in January to nearly a dozen felony counts of possessing animals for fighting and one count of conspiracy. He was also banned Tuesday from owning animals for any reason in the future.
Garcia's defense attorney argued that Garcia was used to cockfighting being legal in his home country of the Philippines. His roosters were shipped for $250 to California and then to the Philippines for the deadly fights, according to authorities. He was paid $450 for each rooster, officials said.
"It's a legal, legitimate sport that he grew up with and I think that tainted his judgment," attorney Richard Doummar said.
Virginia Beach Animal Control initially discovered the activity in 2018 when an officer went to check on a report of loose dogs and noticed a large number of chickens at the 4-acre (2-hectare) property, officials said.
Investigators said Garcia later admitted to officers that he was raising the chickens to sell for fighting, which he said he had been doing since 1989. Animal Control officers said they seized more than 200 roosters and hens and also discovered razor blades that are commonly attached to roosters' feet to cause injuries during the fights.
The roosters were euthanized after they were deemed to be too aggressive.


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Joanne Kelly is one of the most talented and sensational Canadian actress. She is best known for her dedication and hard work in the movies she appear. Similarly, her performance is highly appreciated in admired in Playing House, in the TV series Warehouse 13 as Secret Service agent Myka Bering and in Going the Distance. She was also nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a lead role at Gemini Awards/2006 Gemini Awards. Kelly was born on December 22, 1978 in Bay d'Espoir, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada with white ethnicity. Kelly attended Acadia University.
Kelly was born to very supportive and understanding parents. Since her early days, she dreamt of being an actress. Finally, she was able to establish herself as one of the successful actress in the film industry. With lots of struggle and hard work, Kelly entered in the industry gifting the viewers another beautiful actress. Her first film role was The Bay of Love and Sorrows. After appearing in the 2002 drama, she started to appear in many movies. In the mean time, she appeared in Slings and Arrows and Heyday. Similarly, she appeared on the series Jeremiah on Showtime from the year 2003 to 2004. In the same way, she appeared in Fox's Vanished with the role of Sara Collins and in SciFi's The Dresden Files as vampire Bianca.
Beautiful actress Joanne Kelly is not very open about her personal life. There is no any news provided to the media about her relationship and dating. This thirty six year old actress can't be married at this early age, but even if she is married, no information about her husband and kids are found. Neither there are any rumors about her boyfriend. Hence, without any proper information, we cannot pledge about her relationship status.
Joanne Kelly is the perfect example of lady with beauty and brain. She is well known for the enduring beauty that she has by birth. With the charm, she also has attractive physique with hot and sexy curves. Her body measurements read to be 34-26-32 inches and gains wonderful height of five feet six inches. She has numerous pictures posted in the media where she has posed in beautiful outfits and bikini. Many of her pictures flaunting her sexy legs and hot feet are covers of the magazine. There are also some pictures posted in the media with beautiful tattoos inked on her.
This developing successful actress has never allowed her sense of self-mount in her flourishing career. This is the main asset of her, which will uplift her in upcoming days. She is able to gain success in her career with her hard work and down to earth nature. Due to such success of her, she is able to enjoy a very healthy earning. She is estimated to earn an eye catching net worth more information about her can be abstracted from wiki. To know more about her, one can also follow her in twitter. Many people seem to be highly influenced after reading biography on her and her struggle to achieve success.


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The Langdale Chase Hotel
The Langdale Chase Hotel, two miles south east of Ambleside, is a large Elizabethan gabled house built as a private house in 1891 to a design by J.L. Ball, J.T. Lee and Pattinson of Manchester. There are carvings and artifacts in the building which date from as far back as 1664. There is a large frontage to Lake Windermere, and the house has its own boathouse and landing stage.
Originally the Langdale Chase, it was built for Mrs Edna Howarth, whose husband was a businessman from Manchester. The house was built of Brathay blue stone, taking 5 years to complete. Mrs Howarth lived in the house from 1894 to 1914, with a staff of 16, eight servants, and eight caring for the gardens, carriages and boats. When she died, the house was bought by Mr & Mrs Willows from Scarborough, who brought with them many treasures, including the fine oak, painting and china displayed in the Hall.
After both had died, the property was auctioned and was bought by Miss Dorothy Dalzell, her mother and aunt, who decided to run the Langdale Chase as a hotel, with the character of a country house. It opened as a hotel in 1930.
The oak fireplace in the Hall (below) was brought to the house by Mr Willows, and is dated 1664, and has the inscription 'Nicholas Tufton, Earl of Thanet and Elizabeth, Countess of Thanet'. Elizabeth was the daughter of Lady Anne Clifford, owner of several castles in Westmorland. The fireplace was carved during this period, and could have come from any of these properties.
Several other rooms have fine carvings, including the overmantel in the lounge, carved by the Grasmere Hermit, bearing the date 1892 and the crest of the Howarth family. The Hermit lived on the island in the middle of Grasmere and did his carving in nearby Easedale. The private sitting room has a magnificently carved Gothic fireplace from Beverly Minster, depicting the return of the Prodigal Son.
Thomas Mawson the internationally famous landscape architect designed the four and a half acres of gardens here, as well as the gardens at nearby Holehird and Brockhole. The stone balustrading which encircles the upper terraces is particularly attractive. All the trees and shrubs were planted by Mrs Howarth's three gardeners from Thomas Mawson, though many have subsequently been replaced. The gardens have colour throughout the year, with many varieties of azaleas, hydrangeas and rhododendrons. There is an example here of the Japanese Umbrella Pine, Sciadopitys verticillata.
In 1930 there were many squirrels in the garden, many so tame they came to the windows to be fed. The Red Squirrel has been adopted as an emblem for the Hotel.
The boat house is still considered to be one of the finest on the shores of Windermere. Mrs Howarth commissioned a 50 foot teak coal-fired launch, 'The Lily', later renamed 'Branksome', and now in the Windermere Jetty Museum of Boats, Steam and Stories.
In 1974, Miss Dalzell sold the hotel, and it is now owned by Rudolf and Barbara Schaefer, who carry on in the traditions of previous owners.
The house's outstanding interior and location made it a natural choice for the classic English country house in Alfred Hitchcock's production of 'The Paradine Case', starring Gregory Peck, and more recently in the BBC's portrayal of the life of Donald Campbell.
Lunches, afternoon tea and dinner are available to non-residents. The hotel is licensed for civil weddings.
Go to Menu :
Windermere, LA23 1LW.
Between Brockhole and Ambleside on the A591.


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Faceout Books is a blog we all ought to be following. Similar to the aforementioned Card Observer, but for books. How perfect! Jason Gabbert and Charles Brock, both of The Designworks Group (of course, book specialists!), take time out of their busy schedule to feature the art of the book jacket.
I sincerely believe it is the book jacket that can save the publishing industry. Design the jacket, and they will buy...
A couple they recently featured that, I agree, are spectacular:
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Daily Paper: Faceout Books
Posted by Maggie at 8:01 AM
Labels: Books, Daily Paper
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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St. John's dispatched the Humboldt State Lumberjacks, 106-39, in their last tune-up before non-conference play - before games that count. We'll have a bunch of posts before the Johnnies kick off the season in South Dakota in the intimately small (3200 seat) Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls against the Wisconsin Badgers, but we wanted to share the best of the photos taken by new contributor John Alber from Monday night's game.
Good shots of God`sgift Achiuwa's game, JaKarr, Phil Greene IV's dunk, and even Mike Rice and John Lucas, sitting behind the players who spent the game on the bench (and will most likely redshirt).
Preview content - including a Q and A with Wisconsin site Bucky's 5th Quarter - coming tomorrow. But for now, enjoy the photos... a "calm before the storm," if you will.
More from Rumble In The Garden:
- Player preview: God'sgift Achiuwa is back, looking ready to contribute for Johnnies
- St. John's vs Humboldt State stats: gaudy numbers all around
- Men's Soccer tops Butler & Georgetown, 1-0
- Women's Soccer faces Butler in Big East Tournament tonight; beats Seton Hall, DePaul at home
- Felix Balamou, David Lipscomb to redshirt; Christian Jones may as well


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Out of stock $23.50
Shop all Skratch Labs | Shop all Hydration
Hyper Hydration Drink Mix is an EXTREMELY high sodium mix designed for those times, and only those times, when you are unable to replace all the fluid you are losing through sweat any other way. How does it work? It has a ton of sodium in it, that's how. More than an entire bag of potato chips, in fact. Which is why it's not for everyone. This isn't for sipping on the couch, it's for when you're about to spend some serious time and energy in the pain cave.
The high sodium content in Hyper Hydration Drink Mix helps increase your body's reserve of water and sodium so you can perform at your best when conditions are at their worst. This is not suitable for a mellow one hour bike ride or run. It's for those all-day or all-out efforts that are so taxing, it's impossible to take in enough fluids to keep up with what you're sweating out.
This drink mix is non-GMO, gluten free, dairy free, vegan and Kosher.
Its OK to change your mind!
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selling only the best cycling gear since 1986


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1. Background
To encourage lower wage Singapore Citizens to upgrade their skills through training and improve their employability, the Government pays eligible trainees a training allowance. Trainees may apply for training allowance at Careers Connect, e2i, NTUC, Sinda and Mendaki. This circular informs Training Organisations about changes to the eligibility criteria and claim procedure from 1 January 2018.
2. Proof of assessment(s) attendance
Currently, trainees are required to show proof of taking of all assessments to be eligible to claim training allowance. From 1 January 2018, trainees can instead show proof of passing of the course. Training organisations will no longer need to provide "Certification slip of attendance for all assessments or equivalent" to trainees upon course completion. The requirement to retain proof of attainment of a minimum of 75% course attendance remains.
Changes to the Claim Procedure
One-stop claim submission and new merged form
3. To enhance customer experience, trainees will need to make one trip instead of two to submit their claims at Careers Connect, e2i, NTUC, Sinda or Mendaki. Currently, trainees need to first submit an application form followed by a claim form after they have finished a course. From 1 January 2018, trainees need only submit a claim using a new merged form upon the completion of training and attainment of outcome. The change will take effect for all courses with course start date from 1 January 2018. Please inform your trainees about the change.
New mandatory certification slip
4. With effect from 1 January 2018, Training Organisation will issue a revised training certification slip incorporating information that trainees satisfy all course completion criteria. These are (i) minimum 75% course attendance, (ii) passing of assessment, and (iii) attainment of qualification. The issuance of the certification slip is mandatory. In return, Training Organisations no longer need to provide trainees with separate documents to show course attendance, assessment(s) attendance and qualification attainment.
This mandatory certification slip is to be completed by Training Organisations and handed to trainees without delay upon the completion of training.
5. For Information
Please refer to the new mandatory certification slip enclosed.
Attachment – New mandatory Certification Slip Template
6. Please do not reply to this message as this email address is not monitored. If you require any clarifications or assistance on the above, please leave us a message at https://portal.ssg-wsg.gov.sg/feedback.
Yours faithfully,
(sent via email)
SkillsFuture Singapore / Workforce Singapore
This is a computer-generated letter. No signature is required.


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Deadline Date
Relevant Tax Obligations
|10th January 2018
|• Payment of Local Property Tax for 2018
|• Extended payment date to 21st March 2018 if payment made by SDA via ROS
|31st January 2018
|• Payment of Capital Gains Tax for assets disposed of between 1st December
|and 31st December 2017
|15th February 2018
|• Filing of 2017 P.35 and P.35L for Employers.
|• Provision of P.60s to Employees
|• Deadline date extended to 23rd February if filing via ROS
|31st March 2018
|• Deadline date for Husband / Wife / Spouse / Civil Partner to submit an election for
|change of assessment for 2018 using either Assessable Spouse or Nominated
|Civil Partner's Election Form
|31st October 2018
|• Filing 2017 Tax Return
|• Payment of balance of 2017 Income Tax
|• Payment of 2018 Preliminary Tax
|• Filing of IT38 (i.e. Gift/Inheritance Tax) Returns for benefits taken between 1st
|September 2017 and 31st August 2018
|• Payment of Pension Contributions for relief in the 2017 year of assessment
|15th December 2018
|• Payment of Capital Gains Tax liability on gains arising between 1st January 2018 to
|30th November 2018
|31st December 2018
|• Final Date for the submission of a Repayment Claim for 2014 year of assessment
Comments are closed.


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Thanks Alex Edelstein and Narender Singh for building exciting Invokable Apex Actions that extend the use of Flow for admins!
USE CASE: The Ugly Dog Adoption Agency wants to find the 30 dogs who have been at the shelter the longest (minimum 60 days). A Flow will change the picklist "Old Timer" to "Yes" and the staff will then run a promotion for these special doggies. (Don't worry, Jo Jo Pumpkins! You'll be on the local news!)
Why This is Awesome
- This is the first time that we can tell Flow to return a specific number of records without doing a ridiculous loop and counting thing.
- We can update fields on all the records in our collection without doing a loop! It's one simple action.
- These Invocable Apex Actions are delivered by a Salesforce staffer and a community member. They aren't fully baked solutions, but are great examples of how we can all work together to do awesome shit.
Step by Step
[Side note: That New Kids Song came out 30 years ago!]
- Install this unmanaged package from UnofficialSF.com (Alex E)
- Create an Apex Class with code from ForcePanda (Narender S)
- Create a new Flow.
- Drag an Action over from Elements. Find "Get N Records with WHERE Clause Filter." That's the class you just made.
- Here's how I filled this out for my custom object Animal__c and custom fields. I had to use my phone-a-friend to figure out the SOQL where clause for "the dog was found earlier than 60 days ago." (Thanks Andy Szymas!) I was glad to find the WHERE clause also takes "ORDER BY" which allowed me to order the records by oldest (date found, ascending). So this bit requires a little bit of SOQL skill. To learn, start here and find the SOQL trails on Trailhead.
- I drag the next Action onto the canvas which is MapCollection from UnofficialSF. You can read all about that on this blog post. Here's how I filled it out in this case. My input collection was created by the previous Action. In KeyValuePairs I'm saying select "Yes" in my field called "Old Timer Picklist" – this is how we indicate this dog has been around for a long time and deserves some extra support.
- The last bit is very important! Update the records in the collection created in the SECOND action. (Yeah I spent about 30 minutes trying to update the wrong collection).
//Here's the action "Get N Records with WHERE Clause Filter" written in SOQL. //This is not relevant to you, but I am learning how to write SOQL. SELECT Old_Timer_Picklist__c,Date_Found__c FROM Animal__c WHERE Animal_Type__c = 'Dog' AND Date_Found__c < Last_N_Days: 60 ORDER BY Date_Found__c ASC LIMIT 30


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Starbomb Delivers The Most Musically-Satisfying Video Game Comedy Album Yet
Warning: this post contains strong language, as does the album being discussed and reviewed.
For the better part of this decade, Game Grumps Arin Hanson and Dan Avidan have been jamming out together with Dan's Ninja Sex Party bandmate Brian Wecht to deliver The Lonely Island of video games.
Dick jokes about Kirby and spoofing how much Luigi sucks became normal in the gaming community after the release of the first, self-titled, album in 2013. A sequel in the form of 2014's "Player Select" swiftly followed the original release's popularity, and for five years since then, let's play viewers, comedy music fans and gamers have been wondering when the Triforce would be completed.(more…)
I've been playing Nintendo games since I was 3 years old, and my earliest memory is watching my dad play Super Mario 64.
Since then, I've become as big of a fan as you might imagine: YouTube video projects, fan fiction, owning just about every amiibo — you name it!
I'm also a stalwart defender of underappreciated games like Skyward Sword, Other M, Super Paper Mario, Star Fox Adventures, Star Fox Zero and more. I love to see passion in a gaming product, and my desire on this site is to share a similar passion in what I write.


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The Benefits of Planting Hostas
Hostas boast vibrant foliage, are drought tolerant and grow practically anywhere. But those aren't their only benefits.
20 Bad Spring Yard Work Habits You Need to Stop Doing
It's been a long winter and you're ready to start some yard work. But before you grab that rake or...


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7 ft Garage Door Torsion Spring Cables
Pair of torsion cables for 7 ft high garage doors. Aircraft grade 1/8 inch cable with end sleeves for attachment to torsion bar drums and loops that attach to the bottom corner brackets.
This 7 ft torsion spring cable is made for a standard lift door with a Torsion spring system. It works for all residential garage doors 7ft high that have torsion springs. Garage door cables are 1/8" thick made with Galvanized Aircraft Cable, and are 8' 4" long.
Every cable assembly comes with a crimped and a loose cable stop on one end. This is to help the cable sit evenly in the cable drum.
NOT COMPATIBLE WITH TORQUEMASTER OR EXTENSION SPRING SYSTEMS.Includes:
- 1 pair of 8' 4" long garage door cables with end sleeves and loops
- Galvanized Steel Aircraft Cable
- Highest Quality Garage Door Cables
- Loose cable stops - helps cable fit evenly on drum
- 7 strands 19 wires
- 1/8" thick
- 8' 4" long
Compatible with:
- Most residential steel and wood doors 7ft high up to 16 ft wide with standard lift Torsion Springs (using 1/8" diameter cables).


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Bikini Besties Giveaway!
How many bikini photos are you taking with your friends this summer trip?
Tell us all the fun you are having and we know you will love to share bikini group shoots and win customer-made ZAFUL bikinis!
1. Upload your bikini group shoot.
2. Tell us your summer trip
3. @zaful and #zafulbff in the caption so we can find your post
We will pick 8 best shots, the winner and the winner's friend can get the customer-made bikinis which are made by ZAFUL designers.
Just take your phone/camera and join us!
Activity Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BG4G3iGsSeQ/?lkid=13331
Zaful Football Promotion Link: http://www.zaful.com/promotion-football-special-162.html?lkid=13332
Zaful Football Promotion Coupon: COPA100 EURO2016 (-15%)
1 comments
Feel free to leave your comments! :)
Do not forget to include your blog url so I can visit yours as well.


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CV, Curriculum Vitae and Online Resumes Search
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Were you looking for Regional-Account-Manager job results?
Click Here to search for Regional-Account-Manager in our 2.4M jobs.
Online Resumes with "Regional Account Manager"
Let's Make Something Happen
I am an agresseive manager and marketer. I am craving a cutting edge product of service where I can be integral to it's growth and development.
Ideal Companies: Probably not out there yet, Google 6 years ago, Mckesson Automation 10 years ago,
Tags for this Online Resume: unique, startup, aggressive, cutting edge, vision, growth
Experienced Real Estate Accountant
Over thirty years of experience in Real Estate Accounting and Real Estate Management. Accounting Manager, Controller, Lease Administration and Property Manager and managed a staff of up to five people. Computer literate and very knowledgeable in several real estate software packages including Timberline Software, AMSI and Skyline. Experienced in Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Excel, Word and Access. Set up a 3-Com network a...
Ideal Companies: JPI, Staubach, Lincoln Property
Tags for this Online Resume: Accounting, Real Estate
• Project Management skills with focus on delivering quality products, within expected timelines and budget.
I'm looking for a challenging position where I can make a difference for the company; at the same time, I would like to continue gathering knowledge and growing professionally.
Tags for this Online Resume: Project Management, Network Management, Customer Services, Call Center, Technical Analysis, Desktop Support, VoIP, Vendor Alliance Manager, Account Manager, Deployment Manager
Regional Account Manager for National Landscape Maintenance Co
Ideally, I work best from home in a management capacity. and would love to build a large territory west of the Mississippi.
Regional Account Manager
Biotec, Pharma, International Marketing
Ideal Companies: Mid size or smaller with opportunity
Senior Regional Account Manager - 14 years in pharma and med device as NAM, SRAM & DM
I am particularly interested in positions that have a high earning potential as my current salary is $147,500 and total compensation exceeds $180K. I am flexible to compensation design favoring the following categories: Sales and Sales Management, entailing leveraging product access opportunities for the manufacturer and executing their brand and marketing strategies; National Account Manager for a early stage biotech, med...
Regional Account Manager
Motivated, passionate and loyal business executive with 15 year+ track record of remarkable and consistent success. Skilled manager with a stated history of training and promoting talented individuals and creating highly profitable sales teams. Proven record of maintaining efficiency of daily operations while providing visionary insight for future growth. In depth understanding of Medicare/Medicaid, JCAHO and ACHC guideline...
regional account manager
Regional Account Manager
Regional Account Manager - Sales - 5 years experience
Pursuing a career with established company where my obtained skills will lead to professional development while making significant contributions to company growth and profitability.
Regional Account Manager
Interested in a position that will utilize communication and organization skills in a competitive environment. Focusing on marketing.
Southeastern Regional Account manager
to obtain a mid-level to management sales position with a company who is looking for a dynanmic self starter who can have a positive impact on bottom line company profitiability.


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The Wayback MachineBy Rem / in Tea Time with Rem, The Wayback Machine / September 13, 2017
It's been said that it takes a more than six months to reintegrate back into a society that one once left. And I must tell you — that's true.Read more →
Spring Festival Razzle Dazzle (Part 1)By Rem / in Urban Studies / May 29, 2016
The Year of Monkey Eve was the first Spring Festival celebration in recent memory which did not have Firework displays to bring in the New Year (and to scare off evil spirits). …In any case, as part of a way to celebrate the New Year, my wife and I decided to walk from our apartment all the way down HuaiHai Middle Road to People's Square and see the sights.Read more →
Reflections on 5.75 Years in ChinaBy Rem / in Design Practice / May 22, 2016
A good more than five years ago, I wrote a post about my experiences after 4 and a half months to date in China. I find it fitting to reflect on what I've experienced since then, or, as I wrote the following, how you might consider five years of your own time, as after more than five and a half years in China is quite an achievement in its own right:Read more →
The BayonBy Rem / in Voyages beyond Time / January 17, 2016
The Bayon was the first Khmer Empire temple with which I felt both truly impressed and taken far back into time.Read more →
A New Year and Playing Catch UpBy Rem / in Tea Time with Rem / January 17, 2016
So the Year of the Monkey is almost upon us and I realized recently just how much I've traveled and have not shared such travels on here…Read more →
Angkor Thom South GateBy Rem / in Voyages beyond Time / December 7, 2015
Angkor Thom South Gate with the 54 asuras on the right followed by the 54 devas on the left, framed by the Gate itself at the end of the road. The road, of course, doesn't end there as it continues on to The Bayon…Read more →
Phnom BakhengBy Rem / in Voyages beyond Time / November 30, 2015
This temple complex is most visited for its sweeping views of the setting sun as it located on a small hill.Read more →
Angkor WatBy Rem / in Voyages beyond Time / November 29, 2015
Angkor Wat is the most famous temple complex in Cambodia, and, is also considered the largest religious temple in the world. It was also the temple I spent only one hour of time to visit.Read more →
The Ravages of TimeBy Rem / in Voyages beyond Time / November 29, 2015
In the first week of October 2015, after becoming wonderfully married (woohoo!), I finally journeyed to a part of the world that was an influencing factor on my masters' thesis six years ago: the ruined temples and cities of the Khmer Empire.Read more →
Convenient EngineeringBy Rem / in Design Practice / January 4, 2015
There is often a disconnect between convenient engineering and engineering for convenience. I was reminded of this on a trip to southwestern Florida recently, where missed opportunities decrease lands...Read more →


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The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens is a relatively light telephoto zoom offering a broad range of focal lengths from a single optic, with good optical quality and excellent autofocus performance from its USM motor. It has a circular aperture diaphragm to help create natural out-of-focus highlights, and its built-in image stabilizer allows you to handhold the lens at shutter speeds 3 steps slower than would otherwise be possible, making it very practical for capturing still subjects in quite low light. The stabilizer can be activated to only correct shake in the vertical axis for panning action when desired as well.
The lens' AF is very quick, and it features a zoom lock button that keeps the lens safe and secure when not in use or when being used at the shortest 70mm focal length setting. The EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 has Canon's "Super Spectra" lens coatings for ideal flare-resistance, and is ideal for travel, sports, and general photographic applications.
- An autofocus telephoto zoom lens for both film and digital cameras
- Appropriate for sports, travel, etc.
- Built-in image stabilizer action can be seen in the viewfinder
- Allows handheld images at shutter speeds 3 steps slower than without image stabilization
- Fast, silent autofocus
- Uses 1 UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) element to help control secondary spectrum aberration
- Circular aperture diaphragm for natural-looking out of focus highlights
- Canon Super Spectra lens coatings to suppress flare and ghosting
- Zoom ring lock to prevent lens 'creeping' during movement
- Uses 58mm filters


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Florida Property Inspection Services Inc.
991 Wildwood Dr
Melbourne, FL 32940
Cell: 321-431-0035
Office: 321-431-0035
(Hablamos español)
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.fpisinc.com
Find me in:
Call: (321) 431-0035 or use our contact form.
The commercial services portion of our company includes primarily Inspection and Environmental Assessment of a property to include environmental property surveying, mold assessment, radon testing and mitigation and air quality.
FPIS has been contracted by various clients in the past to include development companies, individuals, and investment organizations to represent them to inspect the potential property they are contemplating purchasing. We have been involved in all types of properties to include:
We provide a detailed Written Report to the Client, outlining a description of the property, all deficiencies found with detailed photos, and our recommendations. If warranted, depending on the property, we utilize selected licensed contractors to specifically inspect items such as the Roof, HVAC, Electrical and Structural. We have a Structural Engineer on staff that can address any structural issues that may arise.
Our most recent project is in the middle of completion which involves the radon mitigation of 238 apartments in two different complexes. FPIS was chosen as the Prime Contractor due to our vetting and past reputation as a professional company that can be relied on in all areas of Project accomplishment. This project is due for completion in December 2013.
The scope of our commercial inspections follows the guidelines of the International Standards of Practice for Inspecting Commercial Properties (InterNACHIcomsop-2012). This document is quite extensive and covers everything from the Walk-Through Survey to the Accessibility Inspection Report. A complete review of this document may be found at: www.nachi.org/comsop.htm
Radon testing for commercial buildings is an area we are heavily involved in. FPIS has been conducting radon measurement since 1998. We travel to all parts of Central and South Florida. We generally follow the guidelines of ANSI/AARST Consortium On National Radon Standards. www.radon.standards.us Nationally certified and a member of NRPP, National Radon Proficiency Program, as well as Florida State Certified as a Radon Measurement Specialist and Radon Business, we comply with all mandatory protocols as outlined by the Florida Statutes and Florida Administrative Code.
Another area we are heavily involved in is mold assessment and air quality in commercial structures. We have performed hundreds of mold assessments and post-remediation testing in the past. FPIS has been recognized as the Go-To company in Brevard and Indian River Counties to conduct this type of work. We always provide accurate and professional reports that can utilized in any arbitration or litigation hearing if necessary. We are also available as an Expert Witness for testimony if needed. (Attorney referrals available upon request)