Every business starts with a solid business plan. It is the foundation and cornerstone of every company. A good business plan will help not only build your business it will also provide a good entry into the global market. A business plan is a tool that is necessary for a company to look ahead, move [...]
Abilene’s share of sales tax up about 25 percent
Abilene’s monthly sales tax allocation once again increased, up about 24.5 percent in November compared to the same month last year — the 13th consecutive month of year-over-year increases.
The city’s share of sales tax — a key revenue source for city government — topped $3.8 million, up about $760,000 from the approximately $3.1 million the city took in last year during the same month.
The allocation reflects sales in September, and includes tax collected on spending in construction, utilities and retail, among other industries.
In terms of an increase in dollars, November’s rebate is the second-largest year-over-year increase for the city in at least the last five years — possibly ever. The hig
Wit’s End Giftique completes major expansion in Clifton Park
The Wits End Giftique on Route 9 in Clifton Park has added 10,000 square feet of retail space, increasing the stores size to 25,000 square feet. The store, which carries gifts, china and jewelry, also has expanded into clothing for men and women, owner Susan Hoffman said.
The retailer also added 30 employees, boosting overall employment to 75 people.
Wits End opened in June 1975 with 5,400 square feet of retail space. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; to 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Park Avenue West Tower to be mothballed for two years; developer sets 2013 restart date
Doug Beghtel/The Oregonian/fileConstruction of the Park Avenue West Tower, show on the day construction halted in 2009, left a hole in a prominent downtown Portland block for more than two years. TMT Development will wait another two years to continue the project, targeting a wave of new tenants they expect starting in 2015. Construction on the unfinished Park Avenue West Tower, Portland’s most prominent bruise left by the economic downturn, won’t start up again for at least two more years. But its developers say the long-stalled tower will start to rise at the end of 2013.
A pit and an unfinished elevator shaft in the heart of downtown Portland are all that came of the plan for a 27-story, 556,000-square foot retail-and-office tower that was already underway when financing had dried up.
Investments: Rising gold prices will keep Randgold on track despite increasing costs
OUR VIEW: BUY
SHARE PRICE: 7,235P (+500P)
We decided to renew our positive stance on Randgold Resources in May. At the time, our investment in the gold miner was in the red – but the valuation remained attractive, and the gold price remained high.
Without sounding triumphant, our investment is back in the black, with the stock up by more than 45 per cent since early May. The question now is whether to bank profits and move out in light of the recent stock market turmoil.
To begin with, we did not detect any nasty surprises in company’s update last night. Randgold said it was confident of posting record gold production in the fourth quarter, although the news on costs wasn’t as good as some investors might have hoped for. The West Africa-focused miner said its cash costs in three months to the end of September had climbed to $747 per ounce, which is well above the $645 per ounce seen in the preceding quarter. <
Traditional IRA to Roth IRA- Penalty free
When the owner of a traditional IRA chooses to convert to a Roth IRA the conversion can be done using three methods. Refer to roth-ira.org for the methods. Once the method has been decided upon there are certain rules that are to be followed in converting the account to a Roth IRA. Following these rules ensure that the process of conversion is carried out in a smooth and penalty free manner.
In rolling over the property or funds from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA one must ensure that the entire amount is transferred into the Roth IRA.
The Facts and Realities of Bank Transfer Day – Money Matters
Saturday, November 5th is National Bank Transfer Day. Here’s the breakdown of the movement’s history and impact and some startling facts about bank fees 
Saturday, November 5th has been declared National Bank Transfer Day—a movement backed by Occupy Wall Street and civil disobedience group Anonymous, calling for disgruntled citizens across the country to cut ties with large financial institutions once and for all and switch to not-for-profit credit unions.
But, wait—not so fast. Don’t clear Saturdays calendar for a day of reckoning and dissent at your local Chase or mourning of the demise of your favorite Wells Fargo branch (whatever your cup of tea may be) just yet.
While November 5th is the official date of rebellion, the basic reality is that those who desire to break up with their banks should have already gotten the ball rolling. Bank Tr
Tor Minerals sails to best quarter yet on sales
Sales growth of Tor Minerals International’s newly introduced products, price increases and U.S. and European demand propelled the company to its highest quarterly net income in company history, company officials said Thursday.
Based in Corpus Christi, the more than two decades-old company makes and markets specialty mineral and pigment products at facilities in the U.S., the Netherlands and Malaysia.
Tor reported net sales of $11.4 million during its third quarter, up 51 percent compared with a year ago.
Included in that increase was a quarterly 82 percent jump in sales of synthetic titanium dioxide, a white pigment.
Price increases for the material introduced this year was a main driver of that growth, but overall sales were buoyed by a growing customer base in the U.S.
INDUSTRY: Toro sprinkler employees look back
Almost 10 years ago, Toro Co. came out with an announcement that dismayed the Inland business community. The company, which had made sprinkler components in Riverside for two generations, was closing its factory.
But today Toro is still a source of jobs, including many for highly skilled workers. And, many of the former production workers, who saw their jobs go away in 2001, still thought enough of the company to attend a reunion at the companys offices Friday.
More than 100 former employees, most of whom worked for Bloomington, Minn.-based Toro for more than 20 years, returned to get reacquainted with each other and hear what the company is doing. The Jasmine Street facility is still a busy place albeit a very different one.
Mark Zaleski / Staff Photographer Hidie White, left, and Mickey Corridan embrace one another after not seeing each other for many years during the Toro reunion for retired employees.