All posts by Amelia Jacobs

About Amelia Jacobs

Amelia Jacobs began her career in business following a surprisingly successful trip to China. Having visited the region as a tourist, she returned to America as an import-exporter. Today, Jacobs runs a thriving import-export company, splitting her time between Chicago and Shanghai. Contact Amelia at amelia[at]businessdistrict.com

Colliers Hires New President for US Operations

Companies, , ,

Collier International is expanding its executive team by creating a new position for Craig M. Robinson. Robinson will take over as president of Colliers’ US operations. He will have the job of managing all the daily business of the company’s commercial real estate services, including business development and operations. Robinson will be directly supervised by Colliers’ Americas’ CEO Dylan Taylor.

Before joining Colliers Robinson was the president of corporate services at Cassidy Turley, overseeing the firm’s corporate services business. He was also responsible for the operations of accounts and strategic planning. Robinson also took part on the executive committee of the board of directors.

Taylor discussed the crucial role Robinson will be playing in the organization and success of Colliers:

“His strong experience in corporate services, equity investments, and government and public-sector occupier services–as well as his banking and consulting experience–gives him the breadth and depth of knowledge necessary to lead our U.S. business.”

Mexico Moving Into First Place as Top Exporter of Cars

Automobile Industry, Trade, , , ,
Hondas on the assembly line in Mexico
Hondas on the assembly line in Mexico

Over the past twenty years, and especially the last ten, Mexico has been making major progress as a major exporter of cars and trucks to the United States. Although Japan and Canada still control the market share, Mexico has been making inroads that point to them surpassing and overtaking these wealthy first world countries as a major automobile supplier.

A new Honda plant is due to open later this week in Celaya, Mexico, in the central state of Guanajuato. At a cost of about $800 million, the factory will produce about 200,000 Fit hatchbacks per year. That will bring the total number of cars exported to the US from Mexico up to 1.7 million in 2014. That is about 200,000 more cars than the US will buy from Japan in 2014. And when another new plant begins production a week later, Mexico will take over Canada’s number spot as the largest seller of cars to the US in the world by 2015.

“It’s a safe bet,” said Eduardo Solis, president of the Mexican Automotive Industry Association. “Mexico is now one of the major global players in car manufacturing.”

The progress Mexico has been making can be traced back to the passage of the North American Trade Agreement, (NAFTA) which went into force on January 1, 1994.  Back then Mexico made only 6 percent of all the cars manufactured in all of North America. Today they produce 19 percent. Since 2007 total Mexican car production rose 39 percent, to almost 3 million cars a year. The value of those exports to the US has soared from $40 billion per year in 2007 to $70.6 billion today.

The Mexican car industry is now the country’s major source of foreign currency, passing oil exports and cash Mexican migrants to the US send back home.

Target Says 70 Million More Customers Compromised in Cyber ID Theft

News, , ,

Just one week before the Christmas holiday the giant retail chain store Target announced that their computer data bases had been compromised and at least 40 million credit cards numbers with their accompanying personal information had been stolen. As a result of that incident and the subsequent announcement sales at Target, during the busiest time of year, fell between two to six percent.

Neiman Marcus experienced a similar breach, but refrained from stating the number of customers affected. It is thought that other large retail chains also had their security compromised, but they refrained from going public with the information in fear of the negative affect such a revelation will have on business.

Last week Target confessed that an additional 70 million credit cards were included in the theft. CEO of Target, Greg Steinhafel said that, “We are accountable and we are responsible.”

Original reports announcing the theft only included basic consumer information such as credit card number, name, address, and telephone number. However, Target confirmed more recently that the hackers were able to also retrieve debit PIN numbers. Having PIN numbers could set bank accounts at risk if the ID thieves can break the encryption code of the debit card PIN numbers.

Consumers should realize that they are not subject to any liability for fraudulent transactions, especially if they are reported in a timely fashion to the credit card companies of debit card issuer. However the theft and subsequent fraud certainly causes stress and inconvenience for consumers.  It is important for consumers to do whatever they can to prevent ID theft. Some victims of ID theft have been known to experience the symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Long Lines Expected at Colorado Marijuana Shops

News, , , ,
As of January 1st marijuana is legal in Colorado
As of January 1st marijuana is legal in Colorado

The day of legalized marijuana is finally arriving in Colorado this January 1st to the extreme delight of those on both sides of the business transaction.

Happy prospective purchasers of pot are expected to line up, and even camp out, outside shops which will be open for business as early as 8am selling their marijuana wares. Some shop owners, like Toni Fox, owner of 3D Cannibis Center in Denver, will be putting up canopy tents, heaters and a food truck with donuts and cakes to keep the waiting patrons warm and fed.

Fox has been selling medical marijuana since 2010, bringing in about $30,000 a month as a dispensary. Under the liberalized law she expects sales to explode to a minimum of $250,000 per month, giving her a natural high which smoking dope would be hard-pressed to match.

“We’ll have people out the door,” Fox, 42, a Salida resident, said. “It’s going to be a very festive atmosphere. We all feel like we’re walking on sunshine right now.”

Colorado is the first state in the nation to sell marijuana with no strings attached other than having the money to pay for the dope and being at least 21 years old. Washington will be joining Colorado as the second state to legalize marijuana use and sales, starting around June.

Analysts predict that Colorado will realize close to $580 million in combined wholesale and retail pot sales, yielding $67 million in tax revenues. Wholesale deals will be taxed at 15 percent, financing new school construction, and retail sales will tax at a 10 percent rate funding the marijuana industry’s bureaucratic needs.

Get It On Sunday to Your Mailbox

Companies, ,

amazonprimeAmazon Prime customers, those special patrons who pay a yearly fee to get free, two-day delivery, will now be able to include in the two-day count Sundays, beginning in the Los Angeles and New York City regions.

Amazon is working together with the US Postal Service to roll out this new service, with an eye to expansion into the Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix areas during the coming year.

“If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can order a backpack for your child on Friday and be packing it for them Sunday night,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’s vice president of worldwide operations and customer service. “We’re excited that now every day is an Amazon delivery day and we know our Prime members, who voraciously shop on Amazon, will love the additional convenience they will experience as part of this new service.”

Amazon Prime customers need not do anything additional to get delivery on Sunday. When they add their purchases to their cart the Sunday delivery day option will pop open at checkout as soon as its available in the region they are shopping from.