Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Prices rise, profits beat goals and service levels decline. Photo: Louie Douvis

So who's having a lend of whom? Victoria's electricity distributors are earning much higher profits than anticipated, as customer service levels have, for the most part, declined.

Part of their gains was good management, with tight cost control.

But a large part came from higher-than-expected revenues which enabled them to post much higher-than-anticipated returns for the fifth straight year. That in turn, signals the way spending is approved - which impacts prices paid by households and businesses - is out of whack.

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In its annual review, the Australian Energy Regulator, an arm of the Australian Competition and Commission, found returns on regulated assets of the five distributors is as high as 10 per cent. In these present difficult economic times, that is the sort of return many businesses would love to achieve, especially in a regulated sector.

The review covered the performance of electricity distributors such as CitiPower and Powercor in 2010.

It also disclosed an improvement in power supply, which was largely thanks to less extreme weather than in the previous year.

Singaporean-owned Jemena was easily the most profitable of the five, earning a 10 per cent pre-tax return on its distribution sector assets, followed by Powercor with 9.9 per cent, CitiPower's 8.8 per cent and United Energy with 8.5 per cent.

The laggard was SP AusNet with 6.9 per cent.

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Power prices out of whack as profits beat targets

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions of Charlotte, NC (www.vrcharlotte.com) has just completed the business sale of Elite Maintenance Services (www.elitemaint.com), a facility maintenance company providing professional sweeping, cleaning, power washing and related outdoor maintenance services throughout the Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA services areas.

The seller, Rodger Blake-Ward, who VR represented in the transaction, stated, "VR Charlotte made the process seamless and worry-free. They had a handle on the entire process from the day we listed the business through screening buyers and finally through the offer and closing procedure."

Jay Offerdahl, Vice President at VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions in Charlotte, represented Blake-Ward throughout the transaction. VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte facilitated all phases of the transaction, from the initial analysis through closing. Details were not disclosed.

About VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions CharlotteVR Charlotte's only business is representing business owners in the sale of their business; confidentially, professionally and with proven results. Since 1996, VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions of Charlotte has sold more businesses for more dollars than any of the other 130 VR offices worldwide. Information about VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte can be found on their website at http://www.vrcharlotte.com and on their blog at http://www.howtosella.biz. VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte is located at 17250 Lancaster Hwy., Suite 601, Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information, please call 704-676-0940.

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VR Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte Facilitates Sale of Elite Maintenance Services

The Caso Hand Held Vacuum Sealer doesn't take up a lot of room and features cordless operation. The kitchen gadget can be used for food storage as well as for preserving wine.

Wine and dine with the Caso Hand Held Vacuum Sealer.

Cluttered kitchen countertops don't exactly scream out for new gadgetry. Even when the learning curve is small, space may simply be an issue. So when an interesting appliance comes along, sometimes it can fall upon deaf ears. Change it up and make it into a form factor that can be held in the hand and suddenly people might start to listen.

For many, the concept of a vacuum sealer is sound, but the space the large, blocky appliance normally requires makes it a no-go. The Caso Hand Held Vacuum Sealer features a rechargeable battery and cordless operation. Docking into a base station in order to recharge, the unit also features a slim design that allows it to stand by at the ready without taking up a lot of counter space.

Included with the unit are specialized, reusable zip bags that can be used in the microwave, the freezer or even for sous-vide cooking. Not only is food storage (and food preparation) improved with the countertop gadget, but the device also includes nozzles that allow it to be used to vacate air out of open wine bottles. With its ability to make food and wine last longer, the handy gadget might not take up a lot of space on the countertop, but refrigerator and freezer shelves are another matter entirely.

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With space, vacuum sealer makes some noise

Mike Davidson Enterprises delivered a truckload of furniture, doors, countertops and other potentially usable supplies to Habitat for Humanity-Restore in South Dover Thursday afternoon.

The recycling company hopes this is the beginning of a long relationship with the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, which constructs homes for the needy, said Davidson Enterprises Marketing Manager Janell Foster.

The goods delivered Thursday were a combination of new and used goods the company had come across as part of its work in the community, she said. The company sorts, reuses, and recycles construction materials and keeps them out of the landfill.

Waste wood is chipped for natural and color enhanced mulches, metal is sorted and recycled and cement is pulverized for crushed concrete reused in construction.

Habitat Restore Manager Shannon Sommeling welcomed the shipment from Davidson. The load came on the heels of recent donations from IHOP and Red Lobster in Dover, he said.

Receiving Associate Joyce Bernard lead a team of volunteers in unloading the Davidson truck. They included Walter Bollech, Howard Macleary, Caitlin and Emily Jaquish, Danielle Tilghman and Rich Bright.

More here:
Mike Davidson Enterprises forms new relationship with Habitat for Humanity-Restore

Jessica Simpson and fianc Eric Johnson are the most un-neurotic people, according to their nursery designer Rachel Ashwell.

The interior decorator was asked to help put together baby Maxwells room months before her arrival on May 1.

And Rachel tells People magazine that Jessica had a very clear vision about how she wanted the room to look.

Jessica is very pretty and feminine, but she didnt want this to be over-the-top frilly, Rachel told the publication. The words she used were gypsy and bohemian, so we brought in lavenders and mauves with a bit of pink and aqua.

The nursery is a mixture of luxury furniture from boutiques as well as items picked up from flea markets and vintage stores.

They were probably the most un-neurotic people Ive ever known, Rachel said. Jessica wanted [the nursery] to be cosy and cute, and she was very respectful of Eric, asking, Do you like this? And he was nicely opinionated.

I found being around them very inspiring to think, Wow, [this is] a real collaborative vision. I even wrote them a little note saying, Its been such a privilege to be part of making your home for you, because I know its going to be a house of substance.

Originally posted here:
Jessica Simpson is ‘not neurotic’

Actress Anna Kendrick has landed some star help to decorate her new home - comedienne and passionate interior designer Ellen Degeneres has offered to take charge of the project.

The Twilight star recently moved into a new property in Los Angeles, but she's struggled to find the time to focus on her decor needs and moaned to DeGeneres about the difficulties she has been experiencing when she appeared on the funnywoman's U.S. talk show on Wednesday (09May12).

She explained, "I just moved in a week ago... Right now I have a mattress on the floor and just suitcases, well, cardboard boxes along the wall...

"When you move into a new house it's like every day you discover, 'Oh, this faucet is leaky' or 'This light's out' and it's my responsibility now. It's terrifying."

Kendrick admits she has no idea where to start when it comes to decorating her home, but she hopes to model her place on DeGeneres' Beverly Hills property, which was featured in trade paper Architectural Digest last November (11).

She told the TV presenter, "I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm trying to learn. I'm sort of buying design magazines and stuff and I have your Architectural Digest on my vision board. Your house is on my vision board. Is this creepy, or flattering?"

DeGeneres was delighted to hear Kendrick is using her home as inspiration and when the actress jokingly asked if she'd like to do her house, the comedienne jumped at the chance, insisting, "I would love to. I really would... If that's your vision, I will do your house."

She added, "It's flattering, because it's my passion, I really love doing houses. I love decorating and I love buying houses."

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Anna Kendrick - Anna Kendrick Lands Ellen Degeneres As Her Interior Decorator

Actress Anna Kendrick has landed some star help to decorate her new home - comedienne and passionate interior designer Ellen Degeneres has offered to take charge of the project.

The Twilight star recently moved into a new property in Los Angeles, but she's struggled to find the time to focus on her decor needs and moaned to DeGeneres about the difficulties she has been experiencing when she appeared on the funnywoman's talk show on Wednesday.

She explained, "I just moved in a week ago... Right now I have a mattress on the floor and just suitcases, well, cardboard boxes along the wall...

"When you move into a new house it's like every day you discover, 'Oh, this faucet is leaky' or 'This light's out' and it's my responsibility now. It's terrifying."

Kendrick admits she has no idea where to start when it comes to decorating her home, but she hopes to model her place on DeGeneres' Beverly Hills property, which was featured in trade paper Architectural Digest last November.

She told the TV presenter, "I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm trying to learn. I'm sort of buying design magazines and stuff and I have your Architectural Digest on my vision board. Your house is on my vision board. Is this creepy, or flattering?"

DeGeneres was delighted to hear Kendrick is using her home as inspiration and when the actress jokingly asked if she'd like to do her house, the comedienne jumped at the chance, insisting, "I would love to. I really would... If that's your vision, I will do your house."

She added, "It's flattering, because it's my passion, I really love doing houses. I love decorating and I love buying houses."

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Anna Kendrick lands Ellen DeGeneres as her interior decorator

After a long wait, Starhawk releases this week. The game, a third person shooter and spiritual successor to the game Warhawk, features a rich single player campaign and a deep multiplayer experience. To find out more about the game, we talked to Dylan Jobe, president ofLightbox Interactive, who developed Starhawk for the Playstation 3. Read on to find out more about the games inspiration, why its the best shooter for younger players, and what Starhawk feature is the best addition to any shooter game in years.

Banks:Starhawk has an old-west-in-outer-space feel, reminiscent of Firefly and other great shows, movies, and books. What were your inspirations for the story in Starhawk?

Jobe: We had a lot of inspiration from classic westerns and classic sci-fi. We were privileged to work with a guy who worked on Star Wars characters with George Lucas, a conceptartistnamed Ian McCaig. He designed Darth Maul and a number of other characters. We brought him in and he helped us on the world and universe in the early stages.

When we got into more nitty gritty development of the actual screenwriting with dialogue and the actual story, we brought in a writer from Austin, who had a lot of experience with westerns, a guy named Koen Wooten. His family helped as wranglers for Last of the Mohicans. He did prop work for True Grit and Appaloosa. He was very familiar with the genre, but we were fortunate to work with him because he loves games very dearly.

We often referred to classic westerns when we wanted to tell a story about a man and his family, even though it takes place in the vastness of the frontier. In many respects, the classic western tale pertains to a white half, black half kind of structure, isolated small town in the vast expanding west in the United States. So there were a lot of classic American western influences in the conflict between Emmett and his brother Logan to the industrial expansion of mines and towns throughout the frontier. There were many, many parallels to American history.

Banks:The betas been out for a while now and one of the great things about games, video games especially, is seeing all of the organic things that happen. Was there anything that you saw in the beta or didnt anticipate people doing with the game?

Jobe: On the good side, we were pleasantly surprised to see people build and battle pretty quickly, so that was a good thing. One of the things that was tricky was that not all players were doing good building. A lot of players were excited to build, but they were kind of being dumb when they were building.When youre playing the team mode online, if you go off and build stuff for your personal enjoyment, but not building with a tactical mind or a smart mind for your team, then youre not doing well for the rifters or outcasts, depending on which team youre on.

So, we decided to help combat this by changing the single player campaign. We added the concept of specific beats throughout the story where Cutter, your gear man, might give you a hint as to things you might want to build. We put a faint wire frame in the world, to give you an idea as to where structures should be built. Things like If I want to build a choke-point, this is a good place to do it or I can build my auto-turrets on the ground, but I can see the wireframes up on the top of the bunker, I could put them out of harms way. So we decided to seed the single player with hints to help players build more appropriately for their teams.

The other thing was we saw in the beta was that some players didnt build at all. They like to play purely as shooters. We would see these players get Starhawkand play online, reaping all the benefits of Build & Battle, even though they didnt build a single structure. But their teammates like to build, so they get the benefit of it, which was a pretty cool thing to see. Truth be told, the fusing of RTS and shooter elements isnt standard first person shooter recipe. So, we were concerned it would be off-putting to pure shooter fans. But to see pure shooter players enjoying the game and being successful, even though they werent actively building. Its good to see those kind of players still have a home in this kind of game.

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GeekDad Interview: Starhawk Developer Dylan Jobe

For those who prefer the plush pile of carpet beneath their feet, new materials and innovative adhesive provide modern options.

A matter of material: Nylon is the most durable of all carpet fibers, according to Valerie Ottaviano, vice president of product design at Bentley Prince Street, Inc., a California-based carpet and rug company.

When it comes to purely natural materials like straw, sisal and wool, she urges consumers to think twice.

They look great but can be tough to clean, Ottaviano says. Sisal rugs dont react well to water or cleaners, for example. Something made with a solution dye may not be natural, but it can give you better performance, depending on your household.

Green is growing: Like all home industries, carpet makers are looking into sustainable options. Post-consumer nylon can be weaved back into new fibers.

We can actually strip previously used carpet, shave off the top and put that back into a new fiber while still creating premium-quality carpet, Ottaviano says.

Theres now carpet available that is made from yarn composed of used fishing nets. The production process is fed by different streams of post-consumer carpets, used fabrics and fishing nets together with industrial discards from all over the world. This is really innovative, eco-friendly fiber and it looks gorgeous, Ottaviano says.

Mix and match: Modular carpet tiles make it easier for those who dont want to make a big, permanent decision about a large area. FLOR, a leading carpet tile company based in Chicago, has gained a lot of momentum in the past few years for its ease of installation, maintenance and durability.

These carpet tiles can be arranged according to each persons preference for area rugs, runners or play areas.

This DIY solution may have a higher up-front cost, but the tiles are removable, washable and can be moved from home to home, which can make it a more cost-effective option.

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The case for carpet

Visitors to the Vernon County Courthouse will be greeted with new signs and sturdier stairs in the near future.

At the April 17 county board meeting, Vernon County Board supervisors approved a resolution, which included spending $60,000 repairing the stairs at the south and east entrances of the courthouse, as well as installing new signs at the courthouse and Banta Building.

The signs were budgeted by the county to cost no more than $10,000 for both buildings and will help direct visitors to county offices and the Vernon County Circuit Court, housed within both buildings.

The courthouse basement will also be painted, but first the basement has to be tested for asbestos and mold.

The countys buildings and facilities committee approved $1,481 for the cost of the tests at its May 3 meeting.

We want to make sure the white fuzzy stuff coming out of out of the cracks isnt mold, its just some calcification or something, Carter Arndt, of MSA Professional Services Inc., said.

The tests will cover the basement and where the stairs at the south entrance of the courthouse will be replaced.

Committee chairman Jerry Cade asked Arndt about testing for asbestos and mold in the countys other buildings.

We can do specific point assessments of areas of concern, Arndt said. Secondarily, if the county wanted to institute a countywide asbestos management plan we know other consultants school districts for an example do this, it is a requirement of state law so there are firms actually out there who will do a management plan and basically help you manage your asbestos.

But if we have to end up doing some remodeling over there [at the Erlandson Building], weve got to check this out ahead of time, so if you can come back with a price for that, Cade said.

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County makes plans to replace stairs at courthouse entrances