Tag Archives: VP

Will General Motors Make or Break Facebook's Mobile Ad Platform?

By Steve Symington, The Motley Fool

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On Tuesday, General Motors‘ marketing VP, Chris Perry, said his company will resume buying Facebook  advertisements for the first time since last May.

The new ads — which are part of a GM advertising “test program” — will feature the Chevrolet Sonic, an entry-level subcompact car with which GM is targeting younger buyers given its “youthful style and driving experience.”

2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS. Photo: GM.

Given the younger target audience for the vehicle, I suppose it should come as no surprise that GM is only taking advantage of Facebook’s mobile ad platform for now.

So why’s this a big deal?
Last time around, while GM was more than happy to keep its free Facebook page alive, the automaker made the high-profile decision to stop paying for ads on Facebook just days before the social network’s much-hyped initial public offering.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason many considered Facebook’s IPO an absolute disaster, but the ill-timed demonstration of a lack of confidence in the company by GM certainly didn’t do it any favors. As a result, Facebook undertook a concerted effort to prove the worth of its advertising platform and of late has placed increasing focus on further developing its mobile offerings.

Sure enough, Perry called out Facebook’s recent labor as one of the big reasons GM is dipping its huge toes back into the ad pool, saying the program “utlizes newly available targeting and measurement capabilities on Facebook” — probably a reference to Facebook’s new “Custom Audience” advertising tools that fellow Fool Chris Neiger highlighted last month.

The upside
On one hand, just as many of us were concerned about the wider risks of other companies following GM‘s lead out of Facebook ads last year, we shouldn’t underestimate the positive effects of this week’s news. However small its investment, the fact remains that GM consistently occupies a perennial spot in the list of the largest advertisers in the United States.

As a result, GM‘s vote of confidence is worth much more than the money it spends and greatly improves Facebook’s chances of convincing other companies that its platform is worth their dollars.

The risk
On the other hand, what if GM ultimately decides Facebook’s mobile ad platform isn’t as effective as both companies had hoped? After all, regardless of how useful Facebook says its new tools are, it’s the advertisers who have the final say.

If GM pulls the rug out from under Facebook, it’ll be back to the drawing board for the social-networking giant, which desperately needs to show the world it knows how to monetize the more than a billion monthly active users on its site.

In the end, Facebook shareholders should keep a close eye on what GM thinks of the platform; one way or another, its opinion could very well be a defining moment for Facebook’s future.

More expert advice from The Motley Fool
After the world’s most-hyped IPO turned out to be a dud, most

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/13/general-motors-likes-facebook-mobile-ads-should-yo/

Deluxe Announces Earnings Release and Conference Call Information

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Deluxe Announces Earnings Release and Conference Call Information

ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Deluxe Corporation (NYS: DLX) announces that it will report its 2013 first quarter financial results on Thursday, April 25, 2013 prior to market open. On the same day, the Company will hold an open-access conference call at 11:00 a.m. ET (10:00 a.m. CT). All interested persons may listen to the call by dialing 1-800-237-9752 (access code 77662157) approximately five minutes before the scheduled start time. The audio and accompanying slides will be available via a simultaneous webcast on our investor relations website at www.deluxe.com/investor. For those unable to attend live, a telephone replay will be available after 1:00 p.m. ET and through midnight on May 9th by dialing 1-888-286-8010 (access code 33314252), and the presentation will be archived on the Company’s web site.

About Deluxe Corporation

Deluxe is a growth engine for small businesses and financial institutions. Four million small business customers access Deluxe’s wide range of products and services including customized checks and forms as well as web-site development and hosting, search engine marketing, logo design and business networking. For financial institutions, Deluxe offers industry-leading programs in checks, customer acquisition, fraud prevention and profitability. Deluxe is also a leading printer of checks and accessories sold directly to consumers. For more information, visit us at www.deluxe.com, www.facebook.com/deluxecorp or www.twitter.com/deluxecorp.

Deluxe Corporation
Jeff L. Johnson, 651-787-1068
Treasurer and VP, Investor Relations

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Minnesota

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

The article Deluxe Announces Earnings Release and Conference Call Information originally appeared on Fool.com.

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From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/11/deluxe-announces-earnings-release-and-conference-c/

Report: Ex-GM VP LaNeve takes over Lincoln ad agency

By Jonathon Ramsey

Filed under: , ,

Those of you that caught yesterday’s op-ed about Lincoln will have heard already, but Mark LaNeve has taken the helm at Team Detroit. Once the North American vice president of sales, service and marketing for General Motors, LaNeve will now head up the agency that handles all of Ford advertising. LaNeve will also run the account for Lincoln. While at GM from 2001 to 2009, the exec oversaw ad campaigns like Cadillac’s Breakthrough and sales initiatives like “Employee Pricing for Everyone.”

He left in 2009 to join Allstate as chief marketing officer, oversaw the creation of the Mayhem ad spots and was moved into the role of VP of agency operations overseeing Allstate’s 10,000 agents. He resigned from the insurer in February 2012 for personal reasons and joined Team Detroit in August 2012 as chief operating officer, in charge of satellite offices in New York and internationally. He replaces ex-CEO Cameron McNaughton, and will continue to hold the title of COO.

Lincoln is trying to get its 2013 back to rights after putting big dollar commercials for the 2013 MKZ on television then having production glitches preventing cars from getting to dealerships. With rumors of a relaunch in the works, it’s no surprise LaNeve has been given the reins – and from here it looks like the brand is desperate for the kind of magic he’s proved he can marshal. Perhaps he can start by calling a mulligan on the renaming exercise that gave us the hoary “Lincoln Motor Company” and go back to oh, say, “Lincoln.” Then he can ask the product folks to get to work on the MKC concept

Ex-GM VP LaNeve takes over Lincoln ad agency originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Lumesis Names Vincent Aubrun CTO &amp; VP of Engineering

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Lumesis Names Vincent Aubrun CTO & VP of Engineering


Addition of Veteran Technology Professional to Executive Team and Expansion of Sales & Marketing Supports Accelerating Growth

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Lumesis, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), cloud-based financial services technology firm for the Municipal Fixed Income Marketplace, today announced the appointment of Vincent Aubrun as Chief Technology Officer and VP of Engineering. In this newly created position, Aubrun will lead all technology initiatives at Lumesis to deliver increasingly powerful and comprehensive software solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of its clients. In addition, Lumesis has significantly increased its Sales & Marketing team as the firm’s growth accelerates.

“The expansion of our Executive Team to include someone with Vincent’s knowledge and skills highlights the success of our DIVER platform and our vision for the future,” said Tim Stevens, co-founder and President at Lumesis. “Vincent’s rich experience will add to our ability to provide innovative solutions to the asset managers, insurance companies, banks, mutual funds, broker dealers and other buy and sell-side institutions that we serve. Vincent brings more than 25 years of expertise in leading application and infrastructure architecture, software development, and systems integration of open source and proprietary technologies. His experience is ideal to help drive our growth strategy and platform development efforts. As Lumesis continues to enhance and expand our product offerings and increase our client base, it is critical to have the right expertise and leadership in place to drive our technology forward.”

“I am excited to join Lumesis in this phase of the company’s growth and evolution,” said Aubrun. “Lumesis presents an incredible opportunity for the muni-bond marketplace, bringing together a vast amount of data and multiple tools to create a powerful and scalable platform. This set of solutions dramatically improves the analysis and communication of risks and opportunities for everyone in the market. I look forward to building on Lumesis’ success by leveraging leading-edge developments in software technology and seamlessly integrating our solutions with those of our clients.”

Prior to joining Lumesis, Aubrun was the CTO of Calypso Technology where he led the transformation of the core product technology and architecture leveraging Open Source solutions to deliver scalability, multi-tenancy and Web interface. He also created a SaaS offering based on the Calypso product. As CTO of Misys Treasury and Capital Markets, Aubrun set technology and architecture strategy for

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

How to Get Others to See Your Potential

By Dorie Clark, Contributor

Chris was starting to worry. For eight years, he’d been on the fast track at his large, multinational company. But suddenly, his career began to stall. “I ended up replacing a VP and didn’t get the promotion,” he told me. “Then I replaced another VP and didn’t get that promotion, either. I was going through performance reviews and everyone said ‘you exceed expectations,’ but then I was asked to report to another Senior Director. Alarm bells went off – what am I doing wrong? What am I missing?” …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

Pitney Bowes Reorganizing Operations; Shearer, Wright Named to Senior Roles

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Pitney Bowes Reorganizing Operations; Shearer, Wright Named to Senior Roles

New Leadership for Mailing, Software Businesses

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYS: PBI) today announced it is planning to reorganize its business operations and is making two leadership appointments in newly-constituted SMB Mailing and Software businesses. Mark Shearer is joining the company as Executive Vice President and President, Pitney Bowes SMB Mailing Solutions and Mark Wright is joining as Executive Vice President and President, Pitney Bowes Software Solutions. These appointments are a continuation of the reorganization of business operations that began with the previously-announced establishment of the Global Client Services organization and the appointment of Kevin Connolly last month.

Mark Shearer, newly-appointed EVP and President, Pitney Bowes SMB Mailing Solutions (Photo: Business Wire)

Shearer and Wright will join the company on April 15, and both will report directly to President and CEO Marc Lautenbach.

As president of Pitney Bowes SMB Mailing Solutions, Shearer takes on the leadership of an organization that will be focused on mailing products and technologies worldwide in the small and medium sized marketplace. Pitney Bowes has been a world leader in this business for 93 years. Shearer’s role is to drive an ever-improving client experience to this marketplace, to move best products and practices rapidly across national borders and markets, and to simplify the ways in which clients can interact with the company in the future.

Shearer had a 30-year career at IBM, where he held a broad range of general management, business and product strategy, and marketing senior leadership positions. He led both startup and mature businesses, with deep experience in the SMB space, and excelled at leading complex global organizations. Notable accomplishments at IBM included leading IBM‘s first pre-defined services package for small and medium size clients, leading worldwide sales relationships with large financial institutions and creating growth with telecom and media clients in Asia Pacific. He also held senior roles in marketing, which included the successful re-launch of the IBM mainframe, leading the $2B IBM System I business, and, in his last role at IBM, serving as VP of Marketing and Strategy for IBM‘s $20B hardware businesses.

As President of Pitney Bowes Software, Wright will take over an expanded portfolio that will bring into one organization a broader spectrum of the company’s software offerings. In addition to …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Stryker Poaches a CFO From Dentsply

By Rich Smith, The Motley Fool

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For six long months, orthopedics specialist Stryker has been without a permanent chief financial officer. No longer.

On Monday, the company announced that it has hired away Dentsply CFO William Jellison to become its new CFO. On April 22, therefore, current Stryker interim CFO Dean Bergy will give up his chair, and Jellison will take over responsibility for Stryker’s finance, corporate accounting, reporting, tax, treasury and internal audit functions. Bergy will help with the transition, and also retain his titles of company VP and corporate secretary.

Stryker has not yet disclosed Jellison’s compensation package.

Meanwhile, over at Dentsply, the company moved quickly to replace its exiting executive. Dentsply Chief Operating Officer Chris Clark will take over as CFO. In turn, company executive vice president Jim Mosch will be promoted to the COO post.

Dentsply shareholders have little cause to rue their loss. The company’s shares rose 1% in Monday trading after news of Jellison’s departure, closing at $41.13. Stryker shares, too, fared well, gaining 0.6% to close at $65.38.


 
 
 

The article Stryker Poaches a CFO From Dentsply originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned, and neither does The Motley Fool. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Academy Award Winning 'The Godfather' Returns to Screens for Cinemark's Classic Series on Wednesday,

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Academy Award Winning ‘The Godfather’ Returns to Screens for Cinemark’s Classic Series on Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Next Round of Cinemark’s Classic Series Films to Feature ‘RAGING BULL’ and ‘THE GRADUATE’

PLANO, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYS: CNK) , one of the world’s largest motion picture exhibitors, is pleased to announce the final film in the Best Picture Classic Series. The 1972 Academy Award Winner for Best Motion Picture, THE GODFATHER, will play in over 120 Cinemark theatres across the country, including on the Cinemark XD – Extreme Digital Cinema screens where available. Ranked #2 on the 2007 American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, the film is scheduled to play on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, at two separate show times, 2pm and 7pm.

“There is no greater iconic film than ‘The Godfather,’ states James Meredith, VP, Head of Marketing and Communications at Cinemark. “It has set the standard for story-telling, launched a generation of great actors, and provided movie-goers an unparalleled experience.”

“The Godfather,” Francis Ford Coppola‘s epic masterpiece features Marlon Brando in his Oscar©-winning role as the patriarch of the Corleone family. Director Coppola paints a chilling portrait of the Sicilian clan’s rise and near fall from power in America, masterfully balancing the story between the Corleone’s family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Based on Mario Puzo‘s best-selling novel and featuring career-making performances by Al Pacino, James Cann and Robert Duvall, this searing and brilliant film garnered eleven Academy Award® nominations, and won three including Best Picture in 1972. It is considered by many to be one of the greatest American films ever made. Cinemark will show the 40th Anniversary restoration version of the film, which is rated R by the MPAA.

Cinemark is also pleased to announce that the next set of Classic Series films will feature four diverse and groundbreaking films. All Classics will show at 2pm and 7pm on the following days:

<td class="bwpadl0 …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Why Did Crocs Shares Go for a Run Today?

By Anders Bylund, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

Shares of footwear designer Crocs put on their running shoes this morning, rising as much as 4.5% on fairly average trading volume.

The catalyst for Crocs’ big move is somewhat unusual. The company just elevated Andy Sackmann from VP of marketing to the C-suite title of chief marketing officer.

Why is this seemingly minor adjustment of Crocs’ marketing department such a big deal? The answer is twofold, I think.

First, Crocs’ business is very much driven by marketing and brand image. There’s no shortage of copycats and wannabes who offer similar products, often at a lower price. So hammering home the message that Crocs is different and better is a crucial part of the company’s sales strategy. We’ve seen this film a million times before, just not too often in the casual footwear market.

Second, Sackmann has been doing a heck of a job so far. In every earnings call since his VP appointment two years ago, upper management comes back to “effective marketing programs,” successful campaigns with an emotional message, and a rising focus on social and mobile promotion. These plaudits run right through Sackmann’s office, particularly the digital components where he personally held the reins.

Sackmann’s predecessor, fellow digital media expert Andrew Davison, didn’t exactly do anything to lose his job. He certainly played a large part in all these positive brand-boosting activities, being Sackmann’s immediate boss and all.

But the company is ready for a tighter focus on digital and emotional marketing, and it looks like Sackmann’s the better guy for that position. Expect a louder Crocs presence in social media from now on, as Sackmann’s style takes hold.

Investors sure seem to agree with that conclusion today.

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The article Why Did Crocs Shares Go for a Run Today? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Anders Bylund holds no position in any company mentioned. Check out Anders’ bio and holdings or follow him on Twitter and Google+.
The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy
We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.

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…read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Telltale No Longer Making King’s Quest

Telltale has confirmed that it will no longer be making a new King’s Quest, and that the rights are instead headed back to Activision.

Telltale senior VP of publishing Steve Allison provided the following statement to Digital Trends:

“While we deeply love King’s Quest here at Telltale, we can confirm that we are no longer working on the franchise. There was a time last year that we investigated partnering with third party developers to produce the game as a partnership but decided against outsourcing. We are not privy to what plans Activision has for the franchise, if any.”

Continue reading…

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Video Games

US prosecutor quits racketeering case, as DA murders spark security fears

The murders of two prosecutors in Kaufman County, Texas, apparently has prompted a federal prosecutor to withdraw from a major racketeering case in Houston, the latest sign that attacks on lawmen are having a chilling effect on the judicial system.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman sent defense attorneys an email Tuesday saying he was withdrawing from the case against the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas due to safety concerns.

“I understand why someone would want to step back, and it makes sense to me, especially people who have families,” defense attorney Richard Ely, who is representing one of the defendants in the case, said. “Jay is a friend of mine, and this was a personal decision.”

The Aryan Brotherhood case, which netted 34 indictments last November, was followed by a statewide warning that the white supremacist prison gang may be planning retaliation. Ely doesn’t know the origins of the threat, but he thinks it was probably someone just “spouting off.”

The Kaufman County District Attorney’s Office was named in the threat because it joined several other agencies on a task force aimed at cracking down on white supremacist groups. Since then, District Attorney Mike McLelland and Deputy DA Mark Hasse have been murdered in brazen attacks.

The murders in Kaufman County have prompted tighter security for a number of other prosecutors in the state of Texas, including Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson.

A high-profile attorney told MyFoxHouston.com that he started seeing a group of U.S. Marshals escorting Hileman around the city two months ago, which coincided with the Jan. 31 murder of Hasse.

The recent murders, including the killing of Colorado prisons chief Tom Clements, which investigators believe may be linked, have raised questions of security for prosecutors across the country.

“There are 40,000 prosecutors in the country, and anyone who has spent some time trying a case will probably tell you that they receive threats all the time,” Scott Burns, executive director for the National District Attorneys Association, told FoxNews.com. “What happened in Kaufman County is not only an assault on these attorneys but it is also an assault on the rule of law and the judicial system.”

He added: “This is unfortunately something we deal with all the time. The only good news is that to be murdered because of your position as a prosecutor is still very (unlikely).”

Others say that there has been a recent rise of attacks against attorneys at their homes, which has gone largely unnoticed until recently.

“There is some research that suggests these acts are increasing,” Steven Jansen, VP and CEO of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, told FoxNews.com. “It may be due to addresses of district attorneys now being available online.”

Incidents like these adversely affect the judicial system’s functioning when people are targeted simply to slow or stop a case from going forward.

Heath Harris, an assistant district attorney in Dallas, told the Los Angeles Times that the recent murders could have lasting effects.

“I’ve always reassured them (new attorneys) you really don’t have to fear retaliation,” he said. “I definitely think people …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

bebe stores, inc. Names Katrina Glusac Chief Merchandising Officer

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

Filed under:

bebe stores, inc. Names Katrina Glusac Chief Merchandising Officer


Seasoned Merchandising Executive to Elevate Brand’s Offering for Next Phase of Growth

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)– bebe stores, inc. (NAS: BEBE) today announced that it has named Katrina Glusac as Chief Merchandising Officer, effective immediately. In her new role, Ms. Glusac will lead the merchandising, visual merchandising and planning & allocations teams in defining and building the brand’s merchandising offerings across all categories. She reports to the Company’s CEO Steve Birkhold and will work closely with Brigitte Bogart, the recently appointed EVP of Design and Product Development, in leading the new direction of the brand.

bebe stores, inc. Names Katrina Glusac Chief Merchandising Officer (Photo: Business Wire)

A seasoned strategic merchandising executive, Ms. Glusac brings more than 20 years of expertise in product development and product management for contemporary and e-commerce brands. Most recently, Ms. Glusac served as Chief Merchant and VP of Merchandising at ShoeDazzle.com where she successfully built a new merchandising, design and planning team, improved sell through and inventory performance and leveraged emerging technology and data-driven marketing to significantly increase company sales. Previously, Ms. Glusac was Divisional VP and GMM of Guess?, Inc., where she conceptualized and helped launch Marciano, the company’s first fashion forward contemporary division, which became the number one performing division in many categories. Ms. Glusac has also held senior merchandising positions at Arden B. and Charlotte Russe, Inc.

“We are very pleased to welcome such a strong and proven merchant to the bebe team,” said Mr. Birkhold. “With an exceptional track record in elevating the performance of prominent contemporary brands, Katrina will be instrumental in helping us develop a merchandising strategy to reflect today’s fashion-focused and digitally savvy customer.”

“I have long admired the bebe brand and am thrilled to join the company as part of its next phase of growth,” said Ms. Glusac. “I look forward to working closely with Brigitte Bogart in creating a vision that will excite today’s customer, while building on the brand’s strong heritage.”

Ms. Glusac holds an Executive Master’s in Business Degree (EMBA) from Daniel’s College of Business at the University of Denver, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pepperdine University.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Designing the New Cadillac CTS, Camaro Z/28 and Buick LaCrosse/Regal: Video

By Malcolm Hogan

Our good friends at Automotive Rhythms took some time out at the New York Auto Show last week to interview the man that helps make all new General Motors vehicle designs happen, VP of Global Design, Ed Welburn.

In the video below Ed Welburn shares many details on how the design and inspiration for new automotive design at General Motors led to the emergence of the all-new Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Buick LaCrosse, Buick Regal, Buick Encore and even the new Corvette Stingray. Enjoy!

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts

Nielsen Online Campaign RatingsTM Expands to Four New Markets Around the Globe

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings TM Expands to Four New Markets Around the Globe


Australia, Canada, Germany and Italy to Join U.S. and U.K. in Offering Innovative Online Advertising Measurement Solution

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nielsen, a global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy, today announced it will expand the global footprint of its online advertising measurement solution, Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings. Currently available in the United States and United Kingdom, Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings is slated to launch in Australia, Canada, Germany and Italy in the coming weeks.

Quickly emerging as the standard for online campaign measurement, Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings measures the audience of online advertising, providing reach, frequency and gross rating point (GRP) metrics as well as demographics such as age and gender. The solution uses a patent-pending process combining traditional Nielsen TV and online panel data with aggregated, anonymous demographic information from participating online data providers, including Facebook.

“Bringing consistent, quality standard metrics to the industry will help advertisers prove the ROI for each dollar spent online and improve ROI for future campaigns,” said Brad Smallwood, VP, Measurement and Insights at Facebook. “Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings has helped drive marketers toward an audience-centric buying and selling approach in the U.S. and promises to similarly transform other markets by bringing that same standardization and accountability.”

“Having confidence that a brand is reaching the consumers it actually wants in paid digital media has greatly increased in the past couple years with the launch of Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings,” said Mark Kaline, Global Media Director, Kimberly-Clark Corporation. “Using Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings, we’re optimizing our brands’ reach based on the audiences that make sense for each commercial program—whether it’s a banner ad or a video commercial. Having that ability in more and more markets will go a long way in helping us drive higher paid digital ROIs around the globe.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Nielsen in piloting this important advancement in digital media measurement as it expands to new markets,” said Stacey Deziel, SVP, Director, Digital Strategy & Activation for Carat. “It is a very exciting time for us to be at the forefront of improving campaign delivery and effectiveness. We’re anxious to see how the Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings tool evolves and the impact using this data will have on our programs.”

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

North Carolina Launches Online Lien Agent System

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

Filed under:

North Carolina Launches Online Lien Agent System

LiensNC Protects Purchasers & Lenders on New Construction

RALEIGH, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Protecting innocent purchasers and lenders from “hidden” lien rights is about to improve. Changes to North Carolina‘s mechanics’ lien law take effect April 1st. A new online application, LiensNC.com, assists buyers, lenders, closing attorneys, owners, contractors and subcontractors by providing a transparent system for identifying who has lien rights for new construction projects commenced after March 31, 2013.

Owners will now appoint a mechanics’ lien agent, who will track contractors and subcontractors who choose to file a notice that they are “on the job” and want to preserve their lien rights in the property being improved.

“LiensNC, LLC, is excited to provide this web-based system to protect buyers and lenders on new construction and to give contractors, subcontractors and suppliers a user friendly, real-time way to protect their potential lien rights,” said Nancy Ferguson, Vice President of Chicago Title Insurance Company. “This effort was begun in response to significant lawsuits and losses statewide from hidden liens on new construction.”

LiensNC was developed to provide full disclosure to property owners, contractors, and other interested parties. It will list the people providing goods and services to a private property construction project who wish to preserve their lien rights. LiensNC will assist with preventing liens on properties by providing a centralized source for project participant information.

“We are pleased to provide this service and bring convenience to the North Carolina lien agent appointment process,” said LiensNC Director of Operations, Kim Tanner, employee of NIC Services, LLC. “We look forward to continuing to enhance the system to deliver even more efficiencies to the process,” said VP of NIC Services, LLC, Mukesh Patel.

For more information about LiensNC, visit http://www.liensnc.com. The online service is a product of a partnership between the LiensNC, LLC and NIC Services, LLC managed by the eGovernment firm, NIC Inc. (NAS: EGOV) .

About LiensNC, LLC

LiensNC, LLC is a joint venture of the nine title insurance underwriters who provide most of the title insurance coverage in North Carolina. The mission statement of …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Vascular Solutions, Inc. to Webcast First Quarter Conference Call on Tuesday, April 23rd at 3:30pm C

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Vascular Solutions, Inc. to Webcast First Quarter Conference Call on Tuesday, April 23rd at 3:30pm CDT

MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Vascular Solutions, Inc. (NAS: VASC) today announced that it will host a live Webcast of its first quarter conference call on Tuesday, April 23rd at 3:30pm CDT. Vascular Solutions‘ Chief Executive Officer, Howard Root, Chief Financial Officer, James Hennen, and VP of Corporate Development, Phil Nalbone, will discuss the company’s first quarter results. The company will issue an earnings news release after market close on Tuesday, April 23rd.

To access the Webcast, go to the investor relations portion of the company’s website, http://www.vasc.com, on the day of the conference call and click on the StreetEvents.com icon.

The Webcast is also being distributed over CCBN‘s Investor Distribution Network to both institutional and individual investors. Individual investors can listen to the call through CCBN‘s individual investor center at www.companyboardroom.com.

For further information about Vascular Solutions, connect to http://www.vasc.com

Vascular Solutions, Inc.
Molly Woods, Executive Assistant
763-656-4300

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Minnesota

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

The article Vascular Solutions, Inc. to Webcast First Quarter Conference Call on Tuesday, April 23rd at 3:30pm CDT originally appeared on Fool.com.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Report: Scion pondering move upmarket?

By Jonathon Ramsey

Filed under:

Scion is simultaneously celebrating its ten-year anniversary with the 10 Series models and trying to figure out what to do with itself over the next ten years. Once a go-to consideration for young, first-time buyers who wanted something cool and different, in 2013 it has a model everyone is still talking about in the FR-S, a model few are still talking about in the iQ, and three models in between in the tC, xB and xD that make everyone wonder, “What happened?”

Automotive News spoke to Toyota’s North American CEO, Jim Lentz – he was the VP in charge of Scion when it launched – about the options, and Lentz said one of them could be a move upmarket to challenge the established luxury brands that are moving downmarket. “There’s going to be a big need in the $25,000 range for a fun-to-drive, nice-looking, value-oriented product,” he said, and the FR-S, which starts at $25,255, could provide the platform for Scion to climb up a notch or two in price and perception. An idea like this could conceivably work in tandem with a proposal to move entry-level Scion products over to the Toyota brand – but remember, this is all just ideas on a whiteboard at the moment.

As opposed to an “entry-luxury fighter,” the brand could swing back to the other option that was considered when it was formed, directly challenging the Korean makes that have usurped its cachet with first-time buyers. Lentz said Scion could go either way, and the tone of the piece seems to indicate that the final direction is still a ways away from being resolved.

Scion pondering move upmarket? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Long Term: 2013 Nissan Pathfinder: March 2013

By Steven J. Ewing

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Over the past few months, we’ve talked a lot about how our long-term 2013 Nissan Pathfinder functions as a daily-driver, long-hauler and all-weather warrior. And so far, it’s earning high praise from most of us for being a well-rounded, pleasant vehicle in these regards. But the vast majority of people who actually go out and buy a Pathfinder will do so because of its people-and-stuff-carrying abilities. Nissan specifically engineered the new Pathfinder to be a softer, more widely appealing crossover than the sort of rugged SUV that it was before, and in doing so, the company is hoping its new CUV will find homes in the garages of many American families.

We needed to get some family impressions of the new Pathfinder, and fast.

Thing is, many of us Autobloggers live the kid-free life – at least that’s true of most of us in the Detroit area where the Pathfinder currently resides. We have no doubts that the Pathfinder will get a proper family road trip workout from west coast editor Michael Harley after it shuffles over to the left side of the country, and it might also do a jaunt to North Carolina this summer with executive editor Chris Paukert and his family before it leaves the area, but in the meantime, we needed to get some family impressions of the new Pathfinder, and fast.

For the past couple of weeks, we handed our long-termer over to Autoblog and AOL Autos general manager and VP, Chris Eschenburg, who promised us lots of wife-and-kid impressions about this family-friendly vehicle.

Continue reading 2013 Nissan Pathfinder: March 2013

2013 Nissan Pathfinder: March 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Aura Completes Repayment in Cash of the $3.6 Million Senior Convertible Secured Notes Issued in Sept

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Aura Completes Repayment in Cash of the $3.6 Million Senior Convertible Secured Notes Issued in September 2011

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Aura Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: AUSI) is pleased to announce today that it completed the repayment in cash of the entire $3.6 million secured notes that were issued in September 2011.

The notes were required to be paid in twelve equal payments. At the Company’s option, each payment could be paid in cash or stock. The Company elected to make all twelve payments in cash.

Mr. Melvin Gagerman, Aura’s CEO said, “We are very pleased to have completed the payment program and were able to repay the entire $3.6 million secured convertible notes in cash in a timely manner without causing any dilution to our shareholders. We would like to take this opportunity and publicly thank the lenders for their support, trust and fair dealing. We would also like to thank MDB Capital in Santa Monica, California, who helped arrange the convertible notes as well as participated in a portion of the notes directly.”

Mr. Gagerman added, “We are looking forward to our new fiscal year that started on March 1st. We have a new President Dr. Ramesh Misra, a new VP of Sales and Marketing Mr. Damon Haber and expect to add additional senior management shortly.”

For more information on Aura Systems, Inc. visit www.aurasystems.com.

Aura Systems, Inc.
Melvin Gagerman, Chairman and CEO
310-643-5300 x171
mgagerman@aurasystems.com
or
Cipora Lavut
404 539-2161
clavut@aurasystems.com

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  California

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

The article Aura Completes Repayment in Cash of the $3.6 Million Senior Convertible Secured Notes Issued in September 2011 originally appeared on Fool.com.

Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Heritage Global Partners Appoints Auction Industry Veterans Tom Laster and Nicholas Jimenez to Execu

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Heritage Global Partners Appoints Auction Industry Veterans Tom Laster and Nicholas Jimenez to Executive Vice President

SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Heritage Global Partners (“HGP“), a global leader in asset advisory and auction services and a wholly owned subsidiary of Counsel RB Capital (OTCQB:CRBN), announced today that Tom Laster and Nick Jimenez have been named Executive Vice President. Both appointments are effective immediately. Messrs. Laster and Jimenez will develop and manage Fortune 500 global accounts, providing client asset management and execution of HGP‘s wide array of revenue generation initiatives.

Mr. Laster has over two decades of relevant asset advisory and auction services experience with a specialized focus on OEM, Channel and Enterprise businesses. Prior to joining Heritage, he served for 10 years as VP of Sales at GoIndustry-DoveBid. During his tenure there, Mr. Laster was consistently a top sales performer, providing significant brand leverage in key vertical markets for his many clients.

Mr. Jimenez brings over 15 years of expertise assisting corporate clients in maximizing the value of their surplus capital equipment. He spent more than 12 years with GoIndustry-DoveBid, developing and implementing a variety of successful asset disposition programs on behalf of his clients. Mr. Jimenez had been employed by GE Capital in numerous leadership roles, the last being Key Accounts Manager.

Commenting on the new appointments, Kirk Dove, Managing Partner of Heritage Global Partners stated, “Tom and Nick are tremendous additions to the growing Heritage Global team given their extremely impressive industry backgrounds. They each generated in excess of $100 million in sales at their previous employer and they come to us with long-term, proven track records for delivering excellent customer service to large corporate organizations while producing consistent, revenue-generating financial results. We are confident that their depth of industry expertise, strong client-centered focus and innovative approaches to critical functions including contract negotiation will prove to be important attributes to their future success here at Heritage.”

Led by auction industry pioneers Ross and Kirk Dove, Heritage Global Partners is one of the leading worldwide asset advisory and auction services firms, assisting companies with buying and selling assets. HGP specializes in asset brokerage, inspection, and valuations, industrial equipment and real estate auctions, and much more.

Heritage Global Partners
Kirk Dove, 650-207-0627
kdove@hgpauction.com
or
JCIR
Robert Rinderman or Jennifer Neuman, 212-835-8500
CRBN@jcir.com

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  California

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

The article Heritage …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance