plus 4, Elk Horn charged up for cars - Hawk Eye |
- Elk Horn charged up for cars - Hawk Eye
- 'Clunkers' keeps guzzlers on road - Argus Leader
- City may spend more on golf course - Odessa American Online
- Toys for Tots in need of donations - News-Herald
- NetJets still has plans to grow in Columbus, new CEO David Sokol says ... - Columbus Dispatch
| Elk Horn charged up for cars - Hawk Eye Posted: 22 Nov 2009 08:15 AM PST published online: 11/22/2009Businessman installs electric-car chargers with plan to install more along I-80.By MELANIE S. WELTE The Associated Press ELK HORN -- Hoping to see the USA in your Chevrolet Volt or Nissan Leaf? The tiny Iowa town of Elk Horn will have plenty of electric charging stations and no wait -- if you can get there. The town, more than 1,500 miles from the electric car mecca of California and hundreds of miles from the nearest charging station, has four of the devices ready to power up any electric vehicles that venture through western Iowa. Mike Howard, the businessman financing a project that reflects his lifetime fascination with the possibilities of alternative energy, compares the plan to the Pony Express. "They had to have stations to continue on to deliver the mail," Howard said. "This is a modern-day Pony Express." Howard envisions the farm town of 650 people, whose other main attraction is a historic windmill imported from Denmark, as the first host of charging stations he wants to install along the Interstate 80 corridor through Iowa and eventually from Denver to Chicago. Four more charging stations are planned for next year. Americans have been slow to transfer their loyalty from the internal-combustion engine, and plug-in hybrids and electric cars make up less than 1 percent of vehicles on U.S. roads. One of the biggest factors slowing growth is "charge anxiety" -- the fear of running out of juice and being stranded, said Phil Gott, director of automotive science and technology for the research company IHS Global Insight. But concerns about global warming and our dependence on foreign oil are expected to push electric-powered vehicles to 2 percent of those on the road by 2015 and 30 percent by 2030, Gott said. The Obama administration established a $3.4 billion grant program this year aimed at developing electric vehicles and upgrading the power grid, including money to help build a charging network. The focus was on Arizona, California, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington. No money went to Elk Horn. Establishing a national network of charging stations is a daunting task, but one that must be accomplished before electric cars can become commonplace, said Pat Davis, program manager for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Vehicle Technologies. He acknowledged Elk Horn is far from the nation's electric car epicenter along the West Coast. "He's definitely being progressive, but you know, somebody's got to be first," Davis said. When all eight chargers are installed, there will be more in Elk Horn than there are now in all of Illinois. In fact, Iowa would be ahead of nearly everywhere except the West Coast, where there are hundreds of chargers in California and Oregon with more planned in Washington. Iowa has more than 4 million registered vehicles but just 96 electric-powered ones, and many of those are akin to golf carts, the state Transportation Department said. Elk Horn itself has just one, a Chevrolet S-10 pickup converted by an auto restoration company Howard owns into an electric truck with 24 batteries and two solar panels. The units Howard is installing -- one solar powered and the others connected to the electrical grid -- can produce the standard 110 volt or 240 volt charges. Each costs about $6,000, and Howard said he's spent about $30,000 on the effort this year. He plans to spend $50,000 next year and expand farther in Iowa and into Nebraska. Howard declined to talk about his investment except to say it would take time to pay off. "It's going to be slow at first," he said. "You're not going to see a large influx of electric vehicles out there every day." But the 57-year-old Howard, who began dabbling with solar power as a youngster in the 1960s, said he wants Elk Horn to play a role in the nation's future in electric cars. "We have a dream about electric vehicles, and we're going to make that a reality," he said. Most major automakers are developing electric cars, and the Volt and Leaf are supposed to hit showrooms next year. The Volt, a plug-in hybrid, could go up to 40 miles on an electric motor before switching to a gas-powered engine. The Leaf is all-electric with a range of about 150 miles per charge. Still, Elk Horn is taking a leap of faith -- recharging would cost only $2 to $3, but it takes three to eight hours. Howard and others suggest people could take in the Danish attractions while they wait. Glen Mechtenberg of Yankton, S.D, who stopped in Elk Horn to visit those sites, said the idea is intriguing -- but he seemed doubtful. "I applaud the person for taking the initiative doing this," he said. "It's obviously cutting edge, but who's he going to sell to?" Troy Segebart, chief mechanic at Howard's Liberty Auto restoration business, said residents are impressed by Howard's ingenuity. "It's more of a novelty thing right now," he said. "It's kind of like the mad scientist-type thing -- what's he doing now?"
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| 'Clunkers' keeps guzzlers on road - Argus Leader Posted: 22 Nov 2009 06:13 AM PST (2 of 4) Nationally, the two most popular cars bought under clunkers were Corollas and Civics, which average 29 miles a gallon for the regular models. By contrast, the most popular versions of the Silverado and F150 trucks get 16 and 15 mpg. About 90 percent of the customers who bought those trucks improved the mileage from their trade-in by 3 mpg or less. Analysts say auto sales uptick might have been inevitable Under the clunkers program, customers received government-backed rebates of $3,500 or $4,500, depending on factors such as vehicle size and gas mileage. There were no income guidelines. The program was a good deal for buyers, but their good fortune came at a $3 billion cost to taxpayers, analysts say. Ernie Goss, a regional economist at Creighton University, and Jeremy Anwyl, CEO of Edmunds.com, an auto shopping Web site, said they don't think clunkers was worth the price. According to an Edmunds.com analysis, the majority of auto sales that were conducted under the program would have taken place anyway at some time in the last half of 2009. The company estimates that only 125,000 of the program's vehicle sales would not have happened without Cash for Clunkers. "Frankly if you are a taxpayer, I'm not sure what it really accomplished," Anwyl said. 'Our children and grandchildren will all be paying,' Thune says Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., voted against a supplemental $2 billion in funding for the program in August. He reiterated his opposition last week. "Cash for Clunkers did little to spur the economy and while those who participated in the program may have benefitted from it, our children and grandchildren will all be paying for it for generations to come," Thune said. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., also voted against supplemental funding for clunkers. Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson, meanwhile, voted for the added cash infusion and stands by Cash for Clunkers. "This program was an effective but temporary incentive to spur new vehicle sales and boost manufacturing and economic output," Johnson said in an e-mail statement. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| City may spend more on golf course - Odessa American Online Posted: 22 Nov 2009 05:45 AM PST Just weeks after raising rates there, the Odessa City Council will look at spending more tax money on Ratliff Ranch Golf Links. Council members will look at approving $100,000 in hotel-motel tax funds to go toward an advertising and marketing agreement for the course with Timo Creative. Burleson-based Timo beat out Hunt Advertising and CVA Advertising, two Odessa companies, for the contract. Council members will also vote on buying a total of 78 golf carts for the course at a total cost of $290,033. The money will come from the city's equipment services fund. According to the council's information packet, the city feels that buying carts is more beneficial and "provides some cost savings" over a three-year lease, which it currently has. The council will also consider updating the city's fleet of vehicles. Among the new vehicles the city is seeking are two street sweepers for a total of $360,837, five Pak-Mor refuse collection trucks for $353,100, 16 police package vehicles for $331,146 and 13 heavy haul trucks $849,319. The deal would come with annual supply contracts for parts for refuse trucks for $324,921, automotive and light trucks for $106,000 and freightliner parts for $75,000. The council also will vote on giving its blessing to two projects already approved by the Odessa Development Corp. ODC's board agreed at its Nov. 12 meeting to award $50,000 to provide training grants to local companies in manufacturing, fabrication and distribution fields. ODC will pay for up to $2,000, but no more than half, of the training per employee, which can be used on anything from computer software training to quality management. Employers would be responsible for paying the other half of the money. Council members also will vote on approving an extension of an agreement with Gemstar Inc. that will give it another year to add 10 more employees at its fabrication facility at 6501 Trunk St. ODC awarded the company $100,000 in March 2008, but the company says it has delayed hiring on the construction of a $1 million furnace for heat-treating because of setbacks in construction. In other action, council will consider: >> Appropriating funding for a $585,091 weatherization grant from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. >> A $63,295 bid for traffic signs. >> Renewing Mueller Inc., Odessa Country Club and ARCO industrial districts. >> Second and final approval for adding "health and sanitation" to the city code of ordinance "municipal setting designation." >> Releasing an easement over an 0.87-acre tract of land for the Chimney Rock development. >> Renewing long-term disability insurance for $91,000, stop loss insurance for $325,000, group life/AD&D and retiree life insurance for $160,000 and property insurance for $180,426. >> A public hearing for Leeco Properties to rezone 0.82 acres from single family-one-drill reservation-surface drainage to light commercial at East Loop 338 and Highway 191. >> A public hearing for W.F.D.R. for original zoning of retail one for 50.1 acres northeast of the intersection of Faudree Road and Dorado Drive. >> A request from Leeco to rezone 14.1 acres north of the intersection of Faudree Road and Fairway Drive from multifamily two to retail. >> Amending the city's "offenses and nuisances" rules to allow for provisions for paintball guns and supervised paintball courses.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING >> When: 6 p.m. Tuesday. >> Where: City Hall, fifth floor council chamber, 411 W. Eighth St. >> Call: 335-3276.
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| Toys for Tots in need of donations - News-Herald Posted: 22 Nov 2009 04:12 AM PST It's another tough year for Michigan charities and the people they serve. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| NetJets still has plans to grow in Columbus, new CEO David Sokol says ... - Columbus Dispatch Posted: 22 Nov 2009 03:07 AM PST David Sokol has had to make painful decisions in his first three months as chief executive of NetJets, the Columbus-based company owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. Sokol laid off more than 800 employees -- 495 pilots, who could be recalled as needed, and 350 others -- in the face of millions of dollars in losses associated with the recession. He also disappointed local officials, who had successfully lobbied the company to undertake plans for a $200 million expansion in Columbus, with news that any expansion would be more limited and take longer than anticipated. However, Sokol sees great value and potential in NetJets, which is the largest fractional-ownership private-jet company in the world. He expects the company to break even or see a profit next year. The challenge, he says, is to transition NetJets from an "entrepreneurial" company -- a reference to its style under his predecessor, Richard Santulli -- to one that's being "professionally managed." Considered a possible successor to Buffett at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway, Sokol sat down recently to discuss NetJets and where he sees it going. Q: Your background isn't in aviation. What experience do you bring to this position? A: I've had companies that have had our own planes (since 1984) and have had NetJets shares for years. So I come into this company with an owner's perspective. I don't know that I really thought when Warren (Buffett) asked me to do this that that would necessarily bring me much expertise. The interesting thing is that I'm probably the only person in the company who comes to it from that standpoint. In many ways, significant, operating businesses have major similarities. Whether it's the energy business, the consumer-products business or a very high-end service business like this, there are fundamentals to running a business that are the same. One of the things we needed to do was complete the transition of the business from an entrepreneurial one to a really professionally managed, long-term phase. Q: What things did you identify when you came in as needing to change at NetJets? A: Well, first, I'll speak to the strengths. We manage a total of 800 aircraft at the company -- most of them NetJets, and about 180 with our Executive Jet Management out of Cincinnati. There's no one even remotely our size. If you take the next five competitors, there's not even a sizable second place. That's a huge moat, a great businesses advantage. Secondly, the safety culture and the owner-services culture is the best I've ever seen. I come from a culture where safety is a priority in everything we do, and this company is even better. In this industry, they not only lead the industry, they set the benchmark. . . . Plus, I think we have a very high-quality product and a service owners want. Our customer service is unparalleled. Here's a great example I couldn't have been more proud of: Last Sunday, I was to get on a NetJets plane. . . . I was driving to the airport when my phone rang. It was the customer-service department. The man said, "Uh, Mr. Sokol, a customer just had a problem on their plane leaving Omaha and called and wanted to know. They have a time-sensitive meeting to get to. Can we get them to where they're going? Their plane had to return and has a mechanical (problem). We hope you're OK with this, but we just let them take your plane." What a perfect answer. Because they were able to get me where I needed to go with only about an hour-and-a-half delay. . . . I don't think there's many companies that would just bump their CEO without talking to him first, but I have to say, I couldn't have been more proud of them. The customer has to come first in every organization. There are very few companies where they really mean that. Here, they do. On the business side, though, what I think became exposed from the economic downturn was that transitional need to get from an entrepreneurial-management growth style to a professional-management growth style. Probably the element that shows (up) the most in that is long-term planning. When you're growing a business in a startup style and slightly beyond, in a business like this where no one had ever done it before, long-term planning is difficult to do because you're appropriately guessing to some extent about how broad the market will be. We're buying aircraft as much as 10 years in advance. We have to set up infrastructure to be able to accept those aircraft and crew them and things. That's probably the one area that we were the most deficient in. Our cost structure was not in line with what the economy could support. We ended up with excess aircraft in a significant number. But the good news about both of those is that they're not fundamental to the business model. They're just things that have to be corrected. We're just in the process of creating a five-year plan that will allow us to make sure that we are getting our fleet size where our owners want it to be. Q: You've said that the majority of NetJets' losses this year have been in aircraft write-downs. A: That's right. . . . This year, that will be 70 percent of the losses, just in impairment on the aircraft we own. We'll continue to have those impairment losses in the third and probably the fourth quarter. But that's a function of the market value of aircraft. That does not imply any future layoffs. We believe we've got the cost structure now where we need it to be on a long-term basis, and I don't anticipate further reductions. Q: How do you view the layoffs you've had to make since coming in: about 350 workers, or 5 percent, of the work force in September, then 495 pilots this month? A: In my view, it's management's job to run the company in such a way that such large reductions in force should not be necessary. To me, that's the worst thing that a manager has to do . . . a significant reduction in work force. It affects people's lives. We should spend our time making sure we don't allow that to happen. It's not a pleasant thing for anybody. Q: You're anticipating at least breaking even in 2010? A: Yes. I think barring one country bombing another country and setting off a set of economic catastrophes that I'm not anticipating, I believe based on the way the business has been reset cost-wise and the planning that we've done, we'll be able to be (at) break-even at least, and hopefully profitable in 2010. Q: Going forward, do you think there's any fundamental change in the way people are looking to use private aircraft? A: I'd say that the market has shifted. There was some government demonization that private aircraft are a luxury and shouldn't be used. The Big Three auto companies were the poster child for getting abused for that. I think that's unfortunate. As I said, I've used private aircraft for 25 years. I'm certain I've accomplished twice as much. About 80 percent of our owners are businesses, and on that side, I think the long-term demand is probably higher than it has been in the past. There also has been a focus on cost-effective utilization of aircraft. If you need less than a full aircraft, there's no question what we offer is far superior both economically and in terms of quality than keeping your own plane that you only use half the time. Many of our customers have a flight department with two or three aircraft, then they have three different one-quarter ownerships with us. That side of the business, I think, will come back and be even stronger. I think the area that the demonization has really affected is the luxury use of airplanes, which is only 20 percent or less of the business. . . . It used to be that we praised success, and we've gotten in a mode of criticizing it. The other effect that the economy has had is, quite honestly, there were probably people using a card program or something that was a bit of an extravagant expense for their economic standpoint. They're probably not likely to return very quickly. . . . For well-run businesses . . . private aviation is kind of the business manager's pickup truck. You wouldn't try to build a major construction project and not have pickup trucks. I mean, you could walk instead. You could argue that they're an extravagance. But the reality is they are an important tool. Private aviation allowed itself to get a bad name in terms of being a luxury. There's no question it is, don't get me wrong. . . . But properly used by corporations, it's 90 percent tool and 10 percent luxury at most. And I think our industry needs to be more proud of that, and not shy away from it. Q: How would you characterize the company's relationship with Columbus? A: The headquarters are here, and I can say, because Mr. Buffett has said it twice and he's the boss, it's here and it'll always be here. Berkshire also has another 3,000 employees in Ohio, including two other headquarters: Fechheimer (Fechheimer Brothers, a Cincinnati-based uniform maker) and Scott Fetzer (a holding company for industrial and commercial-product companies, based in the Cleveland area). Ohio's been a great state for us to do business. Q: Will you continue the kind of high-profile parties they were organizing out of the New Jersey office of NetJets before it was closed this month? (The company's headquarters had been in Woodbridge, N.J., although the operational headquarters has always been in Columbus. NetJets had become known for sponsoring lavish events for clients, including Las Vegas poker tournaments and an annual art show in Miami Beach.) A: We're going to reduce those. We've talked to the owners about whether that's valuable from their perspective. Some . . . say, "That's real nice, but I don't live in Miami or New York. I live in Tulsa. So I can't take advantage of it." The bigger problem is the follow-on question, which is: "But am I paying for that?" Most of our customers are those that use NetJets for business transportation, so their companies wouldn't let them go to these events, which is appropriate and understandable. I think some things we were doing were to the level where they assumed they were paying for it. The reality is, they weren't -- we were. About half of our customers concentrate around four or five major cities in the U.S. The other half are spread out everywhere. We certainly want to do appropriate things to thank our customers, but we need to make sure we're thanking all of our customers, not just those that live in certain areas. Q: In terms of any plans for expansion or the new campus that was announced previously, are you thinking that's at least three or four years down the road? A: In terms of expansion, yes. We will always be looking at whether we should own our own building or lease space. If we were to decide that economically it makes sense to have a building to house our folks, it would be over by the Bridgeway facility (next to Port Columbus). About one-third of our employees now are over there, with two-thirds here at the (leased) Easton offices. In general, having everyone in one place is better than having them in multiple places. We'll look at our options as our leases come up. But as far as the campus concept . . . from my perspective, I'm not even sure it makes sense. Our sister company, FlightSafety, really should be separate from us. They service us, but they also service other customers from around the globe. They're the largest training organization of their kind in the industry. They're different businesses. I want them to train our pilots independently. I think they need to be at arm's length. I think it's actually better to keep them there. There's no reason for them to be co-located. Q: Where do you see the company five years from now in terms of size or focus? A: I'll be very disappointed if we're not substantially larger in five years than we are today. I think certainly within that time frame, we'll see the economy rebound significantly. Our expectation is we probably have another 12 months of kind of a flat economy, then hopefully the housing excess and the commercial-real-estate excess will at least have become more neutralized. Then we should see the U.S. and the European economy pick up to a more traditional level. And we would certainly hope to see NetJets benefit from that. I think you'll probably also see us enter at least one more major market, which would be mainland China, in that time frame. That appears to be a natural market for us. The key to that will be finding the right partnership relationship to do that. At Berkshire, when we get into something, we plan to stay in it, so we want a partner who's planning to stay in it, too. Other than that, I think we just keep growing and doing what we do and just keep trying to do it better. D David L. SokolChairman and CEO, NetJets Age: 53 Education: Bachelor of science, University of Nebraska at Omaha Background: Has led several major energy companies, including Ogden Projects and CalEnergy. He remains chairman of Berkshire Hathaway-controlled MidAmerican Energy Holdings. The Des Moines, Iowa-based company has a joint venture with Columbus-based American Electric Power. Source: company reports NetJets timeline1964: Company founded by Brig. Gen. O.F. "Dick" Lassiter in Columbus as Executive Jet 1984: Company bought by Richard Santulli, a former principal with Goldman Sachs. Santulli moves the official headquarters to New Jersey, where he lives. 1986: NetJets announces the fractional-ownership model and rolls it out the following year. Fractional ownership of jets is much like a time-share arrangement for a vacation condo. 1998: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway buys Executive Jet. Buffett was already a customer. 2002: Company changes its name to NetJets 2008: In March, NetJets, in conjunction with sister company FlightSafety, announces plans for a $200 million expansion in Columbus, which is expected to add 800 jobs over several years 2009: In August, Richard Santulli abruptly resigns as chairman and CEO and is replaced by David Sokol. In September, the company announces layoffs of up to 350 employees -- about 5 percent of its work force -- the majority in Columbus. Source: Dispatch research; company reports This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
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