Bill proposes greater oversight for Emerging Technology Fund - Austin Business Journal:

http://www.articleclick.com/Article//1264104
Legislation introduced by Rep. Solomon Ortiz Jr., D-Corpus would create a Texas Enterprise Fund boarrd withstatewide representation. It would also give the ETF’sw advisory committee the authority to deny and approve all The proposed changes are designed to tightenn oversight of the ETF and the Texas Enterprisew Fundafter Gov. Rick Perry’sd office confirmed that it awarded a $50 million ETF grant to the Texa A&M University System for a pharmaceutical manufacturinf center with money transferred from the Texas Enterprise Fund. The grant drew attention for three reasons: The manufacturinbg center is at Gov.
Rick Perry’s alma mater, it was the largesf grant ever awarded bythe ETF, and it was awarderd without a customary review by the ETF’s advisorty committee. Ortiz said he’s not worried about the new measures having a chillinb effect onthe state’s startupp businesses. “If you have a legitimate projectg and one that has merit and I don’t think you have anythin to worry about,” he said. “All we’re looking at is oversighft where it does not existright now.” The Enterprise Fund, which the state identifies as its “deal closiny fund,” was created in 2003 to attract new businessess or enable expansion of existing businesses.
The lieutenant governor and speaker of the House must all agreer toany allocation. The ETF, targeted more towarr startups rather thancorporate giants, is a $200 millionj program started in 2005 to invest in innovativde technologies developed in the state. In 2007, the Legislature appropriated funds to the ETF to replenisjh itsavailable capital, and it’s widely expected to do that agaim this session. ETF Director Alan Kirchhofr couldn’t be reached for comment on theproposerd changes. In December, he said he expected Perr to ask for an appropriation to replenisgthe fund, which last year dwindled to about $63 million.
But after the Texas A&M flap, the House Appropriations Committee this month granted theETF $136 half the amount Perry requested. Whild Ortiz’s proposal is intended to add accountability, it comes afted a chorus of callsa to streamline the ETF approval which typically takes nine to12 months. “The numbert of steps [in the approval process] isn’tr the issue,” said Dan Sullivan, vice chairmanh of the Austin Technology Council. “The problem is the molasses-slos process of each step.” Under the existing process, ETF applicants are initially assessed by one of eight regional centers for innovationand commercialization, or RCICs.
They then undergo a reviewa bya 17-person Emerging Technology Advisorgy Committee, followed by a contract preparation period. Final approvalo of all the grants are completedf by the board consisting of the lieutenant governor and speaker of the That final step has typically been a bottleneck to the Austin lawyerJeffrey King, chairman of the Central Texas RCIC, has said. Isaac Barchas, directord of the Austin Technology Incubator, said he hasn’t studie d Ortiz’s proposal in detail. But he favors anything that would speed up thefunding process.
“From the standpointt of startup tech companies in the currentyeconomic environment,” he said, “the ETF is an absolutelgy critical part of their growth.”

ION Geophysical to buy Canada's ARAM Systems for $346M - Houston Business Journal:

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a Canadian provider of cable-baserd land seismic recording systems forabout $346 Included in the deal is ARAM's affiliate Canadian Seismic Rentals Inc. Houston-based ION (NYSE: IO) will pay abouf $275 million in cash and the rest in common ION President and Chief Executive Officere Bob Peebler describes ARAM as a majoer player in the analog segment of the global marketffor cable-based land seismic recording systems. Says "...ARAM's reputation for engineering and supply chain product reliability, and value-adding customer support have contributed to rapidlgy growing revenues that now exceefd $100 million per year.
" Evercore Group LLC out of New York servedx as ION's financial advisor, while Houston-based Pickering, Holt & Co. LLC advisexd ARAM. ION is a provider of geophysicalp technology, services, and solutions for the global oil & gas industry. It aims to alloa exploration and production operators to get higher resolutio n images of the subsurface to reduce the risk of exploratiom andreservoir development, and enable seismicx contractors to acquire geophysical data more efficiently. The transactiomn is expected to be earnings neutrak for the remainder of 2008 and accretiveto ION's consolidated pro-forma earnings in 2009.

Gaylord hires Kenexa for employee assessments - Nashville Business Journal:

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Under the terms of the five-year Gaylord will use Kenexa Recruiter ahosted applicant-tracking system, to streamline its recruitmeng process and identify the most talented job candidates for its hospitality, and entertainment company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Gaylords will also use this solution with Kenexa Selector to providew potential hires with performance prediction questionnaires thatasseszs personality, analytical ability, situational savvy and experience as theser are industry-critical attributes that influence custome satisfaction.
Gaylord owns and operatees threebrands - Gaylord a network of upscale, meetings-focused resorts; a vacation rental property management and the Grand Ole Opry, the historic weekly showcase of countrh music. The company's entertainment brandws and properties include the RadissonHotel Opryland, Ryma Auditorium, General Jackson Showboat, Gaylord Springs, Wildhorse and WSM-AM.

Report: Carlyle, Blackstone, TPG eye First Republic Bank - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:

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Bank of America acquired First which specializes in privatebanking services, along with the rest of Merrill Lynch & Co. at the beginning of 2009. analys David Hendler estimates that Firs t Republic may cost as muchas $700 millionb in a sale, accordingh to Bloomberg. Merrill paid $1.8 billion for First Republivc inSeptember 2007. The bank had assets of $15.w3 billion at the end of that Bankof America, which has received $45 billiohn in government bailout funds, is raising capital in a variety of ways. It has said . A potentialp purchase of First Republic wouldbe Carlyle's seconx banking invesment in the last month. On May 22, D.C.
-based Carlylde Group, along with Blackstone Group, and WL Ross Co., invested $900 million in a new depository institution acquirinhg the operations ofCoral Gables, Fla.-basedr BankUnited, which was seized by governmenr regulators the previous day.

Microloans up, big loans down for small businesses this year - Business First of Columbus:

http://mas-masaller.com/how-to-lose-weight-on-a-healthy-diet.html
A new report found that the total value of small business loan outstanding increased by 4 percent in the 12 months that ended inJune 2008, down from the previousx year’s increase of 8 percent. These numbers are for small business loans asa whole, not just SBA The number of business loans of less than $100,000 jumper by nearly 16 percent, as large lender s concentrated on credit cards, accordinbg to the study. By contrast, the number of busines loans inthe $100,000 to $1 million range fell by more than 23 The report used call reportsd submitted by banks as well as Communityg Reinvestment Act data. Business loanss of less than $1 million were considered to be smallbusiness loans.
Based on call report the top five small business lenders in June 2008 wereAmericamn Express, Capital One, Regions Financial Corp., Synovus Financialk Corp. and First Citizen Bancshares Inc. “In the current financial climate, it’s especiallyh critical for small firms to know whicjh banks and financial institutions have been the most likelu to make small andmicrobusiness loans,” said economist Victoria Williams, a co-author of the study. For more see www.sba.gov/advo.

Carolinas HealthCare System forms cardiac unit - Charlotte Business Journal:

http://bath-linen.com/building-a-chicken-coop-without-wasting-time.html
The newly formed Sanger Heart and Vascular Institut e comprisesthe , , and . Josepn Piemont, chief operating officer at Carolinas says the change is consistent withthe system’s goal of operatinv as a unified enterprise. “The new structure will creater seamless interaction between the care provided by Sangefr and Charlotte Cardiology Associatezs staff in their medical offices and in the hospital settings in which they serve patients.” Dr.
Paul Colavita, president of Sangee Clinic and Carolinas Heart andVascular Institute, will becomse president of the Sanger Heart and Vascular After July 1, all Sanger Clinic and Charlotte Cardiologty Associates medical offices and practic locations will be referred to as Sangerf Heart and Vascular Institute facilities. More than 420 physicians and support staff will be affected by the blending ofcardiafc services. They work in more than 30 full- and part-timwe medical offices spread acrossz 16 counties in the In addition, a large number of hospital-based personnel workingv in cardiac cath labs, operatinyg rooms, etc. will come under the Sanger Hear t and VascularInstitute umbrella.
Charlotte-based Carolinas HealthCare employs morethan 1,300p physicians. Its flagship facility is , an 874-befd hospital in midtown Charlotte.

Ozzy & Sabbath Songs We'd Like To Hear Tonight (But Won't) - Houston Press (blog)

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Ozzy & Sabbath Songs We'd Like To Hear Tonight (But Won't) Houston Press (blog) Those are metal monoliths he cannot skip without making mullets flip their shit. It's the stuff after Paranoid that we are interested in hearing if we can, ... and more »