All posts by Peter Jefferson

About Peter Jefferson

Peter Jefferson is a full-time researcher for www.businessdistrict.com, a task he took on in 2011 when the site was launched. He brings to the position a wealth of practical experience in the field of fiscal policy, having consulted with various government bodies on revenue collection, expenditure and economic growth. Contact Peter at peter[at]businessdistrict.com

Lowe’s Companies Is Picking Up

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Lowe’s Companies Inc. is the second largest home improvement chain in the united States. It offers products to help with repair, maintenance, remodeling, property maintenance and home decorating. Lowe’s also supplies installation services for air conditioners etc. The company has approximately 1,744 stores in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The company also markets through its website, Lowes.com, and through electronic catalogs.

After tough times in the housing market, with a big dip in revenues and net income in 2009, Lowe’s 2010 profits have risen and it looks like the housing repair market is improving. Additionally, in 2007, Lowe’s decided to enter the Canadian market and it now has 20 stores there and will be opening more. Recently, Lowe’s also announced that it plans to enter the Australian market with 150 new stores.

Lowe’s stock price has gone up 4 out of the last 5 weeks. This, together with improved profits last year, is an encouraging sign that consumers are starting to spend more money to repair and improve their houses.

some of the executive managers at Lowe’s are: Joyce L. Vonada, Richard D. Maltsbarger, Robert Ihrie Jr.,  Michael K. Menser, Stephen J. Szilagyi, James M. Frasso, and Gary E. Wyatt.

Chiquita Moving to North Carolina

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Chiquita Brands International, the famous banana supplier, confirmed Tuesday that it will be moving its international headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina from its present location of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Motivation for the move comes from Tuesday’s vote by the North Carolina state Economic Investment Committee to bestow on Chiquita an incentives deal which is worth more than $22 million. The proposal includes over $20 million in state-based incentives and an additional $2 million from the local government, both designed to help bring a minimum of 375 well-paying jobs to North Carolina by the year 2014.

“We had to compete and compete hard for this company,” Governor Beverly Perdue said at a news conference in Charlotte to announce the decision.

Members of the committee said that Chiquita’s move, which includes not just the headquarters but also their research and development labs, will in the long run add about 417 jobs to the locale. The new jobs are expected to pay in the vicinity of $107,000.

North Carolina committee stated that the incentives were an important motivation for Chiquita to make their move, giving their state a large advantage over places such as Florida, Louisiana, and their present home state of Ohio. Chiquita CEO Fernando Aquirre added that another important factor in deciding in favor of the move to North Carolina is the excellent access to foreign flights at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, and the varied nature of those flights.

“Charlotte provided the most compelling economic opportunity for Chiquita by far,” Aquirre said at the news conference.

Chiquita’s headquarters has been in Cincinnati since 1987, but Aquirre explained that moving their home to Charlotte will save the company about $4 million annually in their operation costs.

“Times change, and the fact is, we needed to make decisions that would help our business not just for the short term, but also for the long term,” Aquirre said.

It is expected that the move will be completed by the end of 2012, but most employees will be in Charlotte by this coming summer.

Chevron Supplies You With A Safe Harbor

Companies, Energy News

Chevron Corporation (CVX) is quite an amazing company. It is famous for exploring and producing oil and natural gas. However, it also manufacturers and transports gasoline, fuel additives, and refined petrol products under the brands Texaco, Chevron and Caltex. In addition, Chevron makes lubricants for automobile, industry and marine customers. It also has a shipping fleet and pipelines to transport its products. These are the core businesses and there are other non-core businesses.

As far as fundamentals are concerned Chevron earned $19.024 billion for the year ending in December 2010 as compared with the year ending in Dec. 2009 where they earned only 10.483 billion. In and the year ending in 2008 Chevron earned $23.981 billion.

From July, 2010 until April 2011, the stock rose constantly progressing from $68 to $110. Since May 2011, the stock has risen and fallen three times, within a range of $90 to $110. The stock last closed at 92.77 so now might be a good time to buy. The company also issues quarterly stock dividends with a yield of 3.38%.  All in all, this seems to be a good solid investment for recessionary times.

Disclaimer: The information here is not complete enough to make investment decisions. All investment decisions should be based on a thorough analysis of the investment involved.

Some of the influential people at Chevron are: Wesley E. Lohec,   Matthew J. Foehr, Rhonda I. Zygocki,   Patricia E. Yarrington, Linnet F. Deily, and Joe W. Laymon.

Breaking the Glass Ceiling One Woman at a Time

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In today’s society, there is simply no reason for a glass ceiling to exist for women.  Women are capable of entering virtually any field, running any corporation and starting any business.  This is not to say, however, that they may not need guidance and encouragement along the way. To this end, there are many organizations today that are specifically geared towards helping women to succeed in the business world.

eWomenNetwork, Inc.

The eWomenNetwork, Inc. was founded by Sandra and Kym Yancey in 2000 and adds hundreds of new, interested members every month.  Today, they have over 2000 women’s business events each year through their 118 U.S. and Canadian chapters, helping members to build their businesses, market what they offer, and have access to important resources and influential business figures. Each year, they produce the largest 4-day International Women’s Business Conference & Expo that is found in North America. Members of the eWomenNetwork, Inc. have access to a dynamic team of skilled life coaches and professional coaches.  These coaches offer their skills and expertise to novice female businesswomen, helping them to develop the necessary skills to excel in the American business culture.

W.O.M.E.N in America

Another organization called Women in America started when 11 female leaders met at the 2008 FORTUNE Most Powerful Women Summit in San Diego, California.  With the desire to help women who are just starting out in their careers to excel and advance, W.O.M.E.N in America started.  Today, they provide an exclusive three-year mentoring program that builds leadership skills for women while creating a valuable support network.  The Women in America program aims to create exponential business growth and job opportunities for women by creating invaluable mentoring, network building and leadership skills.  The ultimate goal is for the landscape to change so that more women fill positions in C-suite positions, as Board Members and as prominent leaders in their chosen professions.

 National Association of Women Business Owners

Another example of a leading business organization for women is the NAWBO.  IN 1975, a dozen businesswomen in the D.C. area gathered to strengthen their entrepreneurial interests.  Today, they are the voice for more than 10 million women-owned businesses across the country with a chapter in almost every major metropolitan area.  Their goal is to propel women entrepreneurs into positions of strength in economic, social and political spheres by building strategic alliances, coalitions and affiliations and by influencing opinion makers.

All of these organizations, and so many others like them, serve the needs and goals of America’s businesswomen.  It is such organizations, like the eWomenNetwork, Inc., W.O.M.E.N in America, and NAWBO, that enable women to develop their own strengths and to succeed in the business world at large.

 

 

 

Macy’s Is Gearing Up For Thanksgiving Sales

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Macy’s Inc. (M), like most retail outlets, is gearing up for the thanksgiving holiday season. They are hiring extra help and planning to be open extra hours. In addition, there are 10-15% discounts to attract customers on this amazingly competitive shopping season. All of the retail stores, such as JCPenney, Target and Wal-Mart are all competing for this holiday business. They all know that consumers will spend less this year because of economic constraints and every store wants to get as much of the sales that they can.

Macys Inc. (M) operates department stores under the names Macy’s and Bloomingdales and also internet stores under those names. The Macy’s stores sell clothes, home furnishings, cosmetics and other consumer goods. Bloomingdales adds jewelry, handbags and intimate apparel into the product mix. Macy’s owns 850 department stores located in 45 states in the U. S. The original Macy’s was founded in 1820 so the chain has 190 years of experience.

The company seems to be managed fairly well with a return on assets of 6.53% and a return on equity of 21.93%.

Some of the directors and staff are: Janine Durborow, Wilberte Paul, Stephen F. Bollenbach, and Karen M. Hoguet.