Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Logan McGowan was working next door and says it took crews three minutes to arrive on the scene.

"We looked out and smoke was just billowing out of this building and we saw it above the top, I didn't see any flames but they started to crowd around and they started to pour water on it and its just getting worse and worse," said McGowan.

Smoke filled the street, with the sun peaking in and out of the brown clouds.

"They started just hacking off the front of it, breaking the windows to get water in the front of it as well," added McGowan.

Neighbors rushed over to find Signatures Custom Apparel shop fully engulfed.

"It was getting bad and they were keeping it contained until they moved over to Division 9 and that's when it got a little bit worse," said Michael James.

Two firefighters were injured during the recovery efforts, one treated for smoke inhalation and the other for a cut to the forehead.

The second alarm fire brought 39 pieces of equipment and 93 people, rotating crews every 15 minutes. Spencer Lucas with Second Light Productions came to the scene to capture drone footage.

"I saw this and I had to get a shot of it," said Lucas.

Memphis fire officials say the age of the building made it difficult to fight.

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Building damaged in Highland Strip blaze did not have sprinkler system

As Deb Shupe stepped out to buy a sprinkler controller that could handle multiple watering schedules, her husband asked her to look for one that could be managed from a computer.

She had no luck. And so three years ago, the software developer teamed up with three others to create the RainCommander, a Wi-Fi-enabled system that allows users to manage their sprinklers from a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Last week, her Highlands Ranch-based startup, ZBS Technology, successfully wrapped up a Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly $17,000 from backers who paid at least $159 for the RainCommander.

RainCommander is made by ZBS Technology of Highlands Ranch. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

ZBS joins a growing list of Denver-area companies, including Revolv, Rachio and Tendril, developing so-called smart home technologies.

Once relegated to the rich and famous, home automation systems are considered the next big thing in consumer technology, spotlighted by Google's recent $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest, the smart-thermostat startup.

In the past couple of years, companies such as Comcast and AT&T have launched smart home services where devices from lights to thermostats to door locks can be controlled via an Internet-connected device.

"It's really a rising tide," said Jonathan Collins, principal analyst for market research firm ABI Research. "There are more options available to a wider segment of the market that's become more aware of these systems and also has the ability to better use them."

Smart-home automation services and devices will grow to 74 million North American homes by 2019, up from just over 17 million at the end of 2013, according to ABI. Total revenue for smart-home systems will reach nearly $8 billion in 2019.

"There's a trend that's happened over the last 12 to 18 months that's kind of this resurgence or renaissance of hardware (startups)," said Revolv co-founder Mike Soucie.

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Denver tech startups are at the center of the smart home revolution

Renowned mediator Kenneth Feinberg could play a key role and determining how former athletes should be compensated if Ed O'Bannon wins his case against the NCAA or gains a favorable settlement.

AP

In an exclusive interview with SI.com, renowned mediator Kenneth Feinberg sheds light on the Former Athlete College Athletes Association (FCAA). The FCAA is an organization that awaits a world where former college athletes are entitled to compensation for the commercial use of their names, images and likenesses. Should Ed O'Bannon and Sam Keller's lawsuits against the NCAA prevail or lead to favorable settlements, former college athletes would be owed compensation when they appear on classic broadcasts, trading cards, video games, apparel and other products. The FCAA would be ready to assist in the transition and would have procedures in place for former college athletes to obtain their share.

Feinberg plays a crucial role at the FCAA as a board member. Other board members include two of the most prominent advocates for college players' rights, Sonny Vaccaro and Ramogi Huma. An announcement of additional board members is expected soon and there will likely be major names revealed.

Feinberg is a legendary figure in the world of fund distribution. He oversaw the allocation of victim funds for the September 11th terrorist attack, the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster and the Boston Marathon bombings. He is consistently entrusted with the difficult choice of deciding how much money goes to whom. Feinberg's involvement with the FCAA lends it instant credibility and expertise.

With the O'Bannon and Keller cases headed for trial next month, the FCAA might soon become active. Feinberg shares key insights with SI.com on what to expect.

While imaging a world where college athletes are entitled to compensation from the NCAA is a speculative exercise, the FCAA would play a central role in it. The FCAA would demand from the NCAA a share of revenue it generates from the commercial use of individuals who are no longer college students. The share would reflect some percentage of revenue, and there may be varying percentages depending on the type of revenue at stake. For instance, former athletes may be entitled to higher or lower percentages of revenue generated by television and Internet broadcasts of classic games in which they appear, television highlights of their play and computer and video games where avatars representing them are on game rosters. The precise arrangement of percentages would presumably be contained in an order by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken as a result of O'Bannon winning his lawsuit or in a negotiated settlement between O'Bannon and the NCAA. The funds would be deposited in a "trust fund" for former college athletes, and from there distributed by the FCAA.

The distribution of funds by the FCAA to former college athletes would require formulas, and Feinberg says those formulas, along with associated bylaws and regulations, are "still in development." In other distributions supervised by Feinberg, individuals and businesses have been awarded different amounts of money depending on such factors as type of injury suffered, proximity to the harm, loss of revenue pegged to prior years' averages and quality of supporting documentation. As an illustration, business geographically closer to oil spills have received more money because of proximity, but their type of harm and prior earnings matter, too.

Feinberg has generally received praise for developing formulas that balance equity and fairness, although some have complained his methodologies are too rigid. No matter what formulas are used, some do better than others. The same would be true of former college athletes should they be entitled to compensation. Some would do better than other former players and some would likely complain. Potential factors for formulas are numerous and may include type of sports played, playing time, team and individual exposure on television, statistical performance and public recognition.

Along those lines, it is possible that college athletes at big-time sports schools would receive more from the FCAA after college. This could provide a recruiting advantage for coaches at big time sports schools when recruiting star high school athletes. It is important to stress, however, that until formulas are finalized and revealed, it is difficult to know their possible impact on college sports. Feinberg emphasizes that the FCAA would be "fair" in distributing any money.

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Michael McCann: Feinberg sheds light on FCAA, how compensation could be handled

By Tina Morrison

May 8 (BusinessDesk) Warehouse Group, New Zealands largest publicly listed retailer, posted an 8.6 percent gain in third quarter sales and said profitability improved at its largest red shed unit.

Sales rose to $604.8 million in the three months ended April 27 from $557.1 million in the year earlier period, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. Sales at its main red shed unit increased 3.2 percent to $367 million, it said.

Warehouse chief executive Mark Powell, who notches up three years in the job this month, is two-thirds of the way through a store rejuvenation programme at the red sheds, its distinctive large store general goods format. In the latest period, the red sheds posted a 3 percent increase in same-store sales, its 13th consecutive quarter of growth, while gross margins at the unit were slightly higher than the year earlier period.

The red sheds continues to make progress with increased numbers of customers shopping in the stores and online, Powell said in the statement. This all supports our strategy of ongoing investment in our stores, our people and our products, to deliver improvements for our customers. The sales and transactions increases tell us that they are noticing the difference.

While a late start to winter had impacted apparel sales, the segment was ahead of the year earlier period and winter ranges are expected to trade well as cooler weather kicks in, Powell said.

To expand group earnings, Powell aims to grow the non-red side of his business to be as large as the red sheds, though he says this is a long-term aspirational target, given red sheds have about $1.6 billion in annual sales compared to non-red at about $650 million.

Powell, who succeeded in improving the performance of the companys blue shed stationery chain before taking the top job, is expanding the group through acquisition, buying 11 businesses in the past 18 months, adding technology and appliance retailer Noel Leeming, outdoor sports chain R&R Sports and online sporting goods retailer Torpedo7.

In the latest period, sales at its blue sheds rose 8.1 percent to $68.2 million, while Noel Leeming increased 10.4 percent to $146.9 million.

Sales at the Torpedo7 group rose to $22.7 million from $5.3 million the year earlier, although this reflected just one month of sales following its acquisition in April 2013. On a comparable basis, and including the subsequent acquisitions of Number 1 Fitness, Shotgun and R&R Sport, sales rose 12.6 percent, the company said.

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Warehouse boosts 3Q sales 8.6%, fattens red sheds margins

50 Sheds of Grey to take on pan-Europe Scumrun rally

10:21am Thursday 8th May 2014 in News

FIVE men and this drivable shed are about to embark on a 3000-mile rally across Europe in a bid to raise funds for children's charities.

The York team is taking part in Scumrun 2014 - a charity rally across Europe, with 100 cars covering the distance in four days, using a vehicle costing no more than 500, to raise much-needed funds for national children's charities.

Calling themselves 50 Sheds of Grey, the team turned the 1999 Renault Scenic, which they bought for 150 and nicknamed Renee, into a drivable shed.

Team member Thomas Belt, a 26-year-old chef, said: The idea for the shed came shortly after we decided to take part. We were sat in the pub where we do all our best thinking, trying to think of something that hadn't been done before.

At first we thought of just cladding the car in wood, then we thought why stop there? Why not add a pitched roof and turn it into a shed?

We rang up a local sawmill for a quote for the wood, and they very kindly donated the wood for free so the dream became a reality.

The target for fundraising is 500 but 50 Sheds of Grey has raised at least 1,250 from friends and family sponsoring them.

Thomas said: Our friends and family all think we're a bit mad.

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50 Sheds of Grey to take on pan-Europe Scumrun rally

Investigators believe a fire that destroyed two storage sheds at the Shell gas station on Hanover Street in Manchester was suspicious in nature.

Flames were seen shooting from the sheds on Monday around 11:30 p.m.

Firefighters said a chain link fence made it difficult to access the sheds. One shed was filled with cardboard, which was highly flammable.

Authorities said the flames caused some minor damage the roof of the gas station, and burned the electrical service.

Officials said the flames caused at least $25,000 in damage.

An employee who was there at the time said no one had been in the shed area for hours.

Investigators ask anyone who saw anything suspicious at the back of the gas station or the back parking lot between 11 and 11:30 p.m. to call 603-668-8711.

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Investigators believe Manchester gas station fire was suspicious

Warehouse Group [NZX: WHS], New Zealand's largest publicly listed retailer, posted an 8.6 percent gain in third quarter sales and said profitability improved at its largest 'red shed' unit.

Sales rose to $604.8 million in the three months ended April 27 from $557.1 million in the year earlier period, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. Sales at its main 'red shed' unit increased 3.2 percent to $367 million, it said.

Warehouse chief executive Mark Powell, who notches up three years in the job this month, is two-thirds of the way through a store rejuvenation programme at the 'red sheds', its distinctive large store general goods format. In the latest period, the 'red sheds' posted a 3 percent increase in same-store sales, its 13th consecutive quarter of growth, while gross margins at the unit were "slightly higher" than the year earlier period.

"The 'red sheds' continues to make progress" with increased numbers of customers shopping in the stores and online, Powell said in the statement. "This all supports our strategy of ongoing investment in our stores, our people and our products, to deliver improvements for our customers. The sales and transactions increases tell us that they are noticing the difference."

While a late start to winter had impacted apparel sales, the segment was ahead of the year earlier period and winter ranges are expected to trade well as cooler weather kicks in, Powell said.

To expand group earnings, Powell aims to grow the 'non-red' side of his business to be as large as the red sheds, though he says this is a long-term aspirational target, given red sheds have about $1.6 billion in annual sales compared to non-red at about $650 million.

Powell, who succeeded in improving the performance of the company's 'blue shed' stationery chain before taking the top job, is expanding the group through acquisition, buying 11 businesses in the past 18 months, adding technology and appliance retailer Noel Leeming, outdoor sports chain R&R Sports and online sporting goods retailer Torpedo7.

In the latest period, sales at its 'blue sheds' rose 8.1 percent to $68.2 million, while Noel Leeming increased 10.4 percent to $146.9 million.

Sales at the Torpedo7 group rose to $22.7 million from $5.3 million the year earlier, although this reflected just one month of sales following its acquisition in April 2013. On a comparable basis, and including the subsequent acquisitions of Number 1 Fitness, Shotgun and R&R Sport, sales rose 12.6 percent, the company said.

"The significant reshaping of the group has positioned us well for a period of consolidation, where the emphasis will be more on leveraging returns from the base we have built," chairman Ted van Arkel said in the statement.

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Warehouse boosts 3rd quarter sales 8.6%, says red sheds margins improve

Sewer Line Cleaning in St. Louis and St. Charles County, Missouri

If you have spent a large amount of money on purchasing a septic tank and having it installed, maintaining the tank properly is the best way to preserve this investment. But cleaning and maintaining the tank is time-consuming, and not for the squeamish. All Star Pumping is a sewer and septic tank maintenance company that is equipped and trained to handle all of these needs for you.

Our trained technicians can handle all the maintenance and repair of your septic tank, minimizing the number of dirty jobs you have to do.We provide regular service and maintenance of sewer lines and septic tanks for homeowners as well as businesses. Through regular upkeep, your septic tank or sewer line should operate perfectly for years to come. But if you have problems with your system, All Star Pumping can also clean your sewer line in St. Louis. If you are unsure about exactly where your sewer line runs, our team of professionals can locate a sewer line in St. Louis, and then perform sewer line jetting, using pressurized water to get it running again.

From installation to maintenance, we can take care of all your sewer line needs! Call us today from St. Louis, St. Charles County, Wentzville, St. Peters, St. Charles, O'Fallon, Florissant, and Metro East, Missouri.

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Sewer Line Cleaning | St . Louis and St . Charles County ...

By Larry Kiker

Fort Myers Beach

Chairman, Lee County Commission

Lee County Commissioners thank the Lee County legislative delegation for working on the critical water-related issues during the recently ended session in Tallahassee.

With approval of the budget last Friday, Lee County has had a stellar 2014 legislative session. We will continue to monitor the budget now that it has gone to Gov. Rick Scott for final approval.

Among the projects in the proposed budget are $18 million in infrastructure for the C-43 West Basin Storage Reservoir, which will help clean up the Caloosahatchee River and its estuary. Other projects include funding for Lee County initiatives related to storm water runoff, flood control and nutrient-load reductions.

For example, more than $750,000 is being allocated to help construct a much-needed sewer line along Alico Road. The project will protect public health and the environment by providing central sanitary sewer service to an area that would otherwise be served by onsite wastewater systems such as sanitary sewer package plants and septic tanks.

While accelerating the realization of thousands of permanent jobs created by planned developments in the corridor, the force main will also allow FGCUs proposed Emergent Technologies Institute (ETI) to further the universitys growing national reputation for green initiatives.

Other projects include:

Palmona Park water quality improvements: Retrofit a degraded 1960s storm water drainage system in North Fort Myers to include legacy pollutant removal and construction of a vegetative swale to improve water quality.

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Guest column: Legislators work the Lee way

Pierce County is teaming up with hundreds of organizations across Puget Sound to challenge residents to take at least one Sound-healthy action during Mays Puget Sound Starts Here Month.

The goal of Puget Sound Starts Here Month is to raise awareness that Puget Sound is in trouble due to a variety of pollution sources, and empower residents to make a difference through simple actions and local volunteer opportunities.

The waterways of the Puget Sound area are a critical part of our community, industry and quality of life, said Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy. Each of us taking a small, positive step adds up to a huge effect and helps maintain and protect Puget Sound for years to come.

Upcoming local events include:

Puget Sound Starts Here Family Fun Day: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday,May 10, at Foss Waterway Seaport, 705 Dock St. in Tacoma. Attendees can enjoy free family-friendly activities put on by local organizations that work to protect Puget Sound.

Puget Sound Starts Here Night with the Seattle Mariners: 6:10 p.m., Saturday, May 10, at Safeco Field in Seattle. Visit http://www.mariners.com/pugetsound and use the promotional code salmon for discount tickets.

Look for additional opportunities on the Puget Sound Starts Here events calendar at: http://www.pugetsoundstartshere.org/events-list/ Other simple Sound-healthy actions:

Volunteer to help with local habitat restoration projects.

Take your car to a commercial car wash instead of washing it in your driveway. Look for fundraising organizations that sell car wash coupons.

Fix auto leaks right away and take any used fluids to a recycling center.

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Celebrate Puget Sound Starts Here Month in May