importance of banking

international finance

2009-09-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

Regulations must be followed for all exports. Use this section as a primer to familiarize yourself with the licenses, standards, and legal considerations that may apply to your product(s).
Export Licenses – Learn when you need an export license and from whom iBecome familiar with the various government programs designed to help your company finance its export transactions, and give it the capital to carry out its export operations.
We recommend that you review this information and then contact your local Commercial Service Trade Specialists to discuss how these programs can help you achieve your international sales goals.
Financing
Do you need working capital loans? Does your foreign buyer need financing to buy your products? Do they prefer lease financing? Check out the U.S. Government International Financing Programs.
Insurance
The U.S. Government offers U.S. companies Insurance and Risk Mitigation policies that cover export transactions and for overseas investments. Coverage includes losses for non-payment, currency inconvertibility, asset expropriation and political violence.
Grants
The U.S. Government provides grants to U.S. firms to conduct feasibility studies on infrastructure projects and to train the foreign business commun
Business enterprises looking for guidance on how to operate in accordance with modern standards of corporate accountability and ethics need look no further than this comprehensive guide to business ethics.
Designed as a training tool for enterprises operating in countries that have just recently transitioned to a market economy, Business Ethics will also be useful to decision-makers in any organization that is seeking to design and implement a business ethics program that conforms to global standards.
The 10 chapters of Business Ethics are organized into five sections that answer the questions:
What is a responsible business enterprise?
What constitutes a business ethics program?
How is a business ethics program structured?
How is a business ethics program put into practice?
How can responsible business conduct be achieved?
Numerous practical examples drawn from successful European and American companies are located throughout the text. Worksheets and checklists in each chapter provide guided exercises for students, ensuring that the book is equally appropriate as part of a training program or for self-study.
Fully indexed, Business Ethics also contains an extensive bibliography, a glossary that explains the basic terminology of business ethics, and—in its nine appendices—numerous examples of business ethics policies adopted by various countries and organizations.
According to Peter Eigen, chairman of Transparency International, Business Ethics "is an excellent, comprehensive, and easy-to-use manual on business ethics. Business people, governments, and civil society organizations ready to fight corruption will welcome this practical guide."
(May 2004; xxv, 347 pages; ISBN 0-16-051477-0)

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Online: PDF Format (2.8MB)
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Reprint: National Technical Information ServiceOrder Number: PB2004-104959Paper, CD, microfiche, or electronic download

Popular Titles
Trade Finance Guide, 2008 edition Electric Current Abroad Business Ethics: A Manual for Managing a Responsible Business Enterprise in Emerging Market Economies Protect Your Intellectual Property; Stop Trade in Fakes
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Periodicals and Newsletters
BISNIS Bulletin Energy and Environmental Export News Export America magazine archive 2000-2004 International Trade Update SABIT Exchange

ity and government officials on U.S. business practices, regulatory reform and other economic development activities.
n order to ship your products from the United States. Export licenses are issued for individual transactions determined by the product, the country, the end-use and the end-user.
Foreign Standards and Certification Information - Be aware of product standards, certification requirements, electricity regulations, packaging and recycling laws and quality expectations if you want to sell your product in foreign markets.
Legal Considerations – Learn of issues related to contract claus
designed to help U.S. companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, learn the basics of trade finance so that they can turn their export opportunities into actual sales and achieve the ultimate goal of getting paid—especially on time—for those sales. Concise, two-page chapters offer the basics of numerous financing techniques, from open accounts, to forfaiting, to government assisted foreign-buyer financing.
(April 2008, 32 pages)

Availability

Online: The Trade Finance Guide is available in PDF format as a complete document and as individual chapters.Complete Guide Introduction Chapter 1 Methods of Payment in International TradeChapter 2 Cash-in-AdvanceChapter 3 Letters of CreditChapter 4 Documentary CollectionsChapter 5 Open AccountChapter 6 Export Working Capital FinancingChapter 7 Government-Guaranteed Export Working Capital Loan ProgramsChapter 8 Export Credit InsuranceChapter 9 Export FactoringChapter 10 ForfaitingChapter 11 Government Assisted Foreign Buyer FinancingChapter 12 Foreign Exchange Risk Management
Reprint: National Technical Information ServiceOrder Number: To come Paper, CD, microfiche, or electronic downloades, intellectual property, legal disputes, anti-boycott laws, and more.
Economic Sanctions – Learn how the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the U.S. Department of Treasury enforces economic sanctions on specific countries based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals, which are set forth by Congress.
When exporting, it is essential to be aware of the various regulations that pertain to your product(s). Online training and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page are available to further assist you in preparing to export.

International finance news

2009-09-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

Lloyds TSB Online for Business allows you to manage your day-to-day banking via the Internet, for real control of your finances. The service is currently available between 4am and midnight, seven days a week, and is available to all Lloyds TSAs a business customer, you can now manage your business banking direct from any PC at times to suit you, 20 hours a day, 365 days a year. The service is quick, easy to use and free of charge. You just pay your normal business transaction charges – plus the usual cost of your Internet calls.
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Transfer money between your Lloyds TSB business accounts.
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Set up, amend and cancel most standing orders.
View and cancel most direct debits. The London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games represent a unique opportunity to create a lasting legacy for business in this country.
The Lloyds TSB Official Business Guide fo
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*Plus contact information and graphic Become familiar with the various government programs designed to help your company finance its export transactions, and give it the capital to carry out its export operations.
We recommend that you review this information and then contact your local Commercial Service Trade Specialists to discuss how these programs can help you achieve your international sales goals.
Financing
Do you need working capital loans? Does your foreign buyer need financing to buy your products? Do they prefer lease financing? Check out the U.S. Government International Financing Programs .
Insurance
The U.S. Government offers U.S. companies Insurance and Risk Mitigation policies that cover export transactions and for overseas investments. Coverage includes losses for non-payment, currency inconvertibility, asset expropriation and political violence.
Grants
The U.S. Government provides grants to U.S. firms to conduct feasibility studies on infrastructure projects and to train the foreign business community and government officials on U.S. business practices, regulatory reform and other economic development activities.

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PDF version of this page r London 2012 has been designed to help companies of all sizes, from across the country, seize the commercial opportunities being created by the London 2012 Games.
Starting with advice to help businesses get "fit to supply" - an essential step, not least because some of the major contracts and tendering opportunities are already in the public domain - it covers every aspect of the London 2012 supply chain.
Download the full business guide
"Whether your company is a construction firm bidding for a major infrastructure project or a small marketing agency hoping to sub-contract work for the Cultural Olympiad, we can walk you through the journey to 2012."
Sir Victor Blank, Chairman of Lloyds TSB
Useful links
www.lloydstsb.com/business Winning business will mean tightening processes and finances.
To work with the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), companies must comply with their sustainable procurement policies – which include health and safety, quality and diversity standards. You will need to demonstrate reliability, stability, efficiency and experience.
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Free Text alertsPlus once you're registered for Internet banking you can sign up to receive free Text alerts – updates on your balance and your last six transactions sent straight to your mobile.B Commercial customers.

united states has been reaffirmed u.s .admistrations officials

2009-09-10T04:03:00.000-07:00

The State Department spokesman says allegations of fraud in Afghanistan’s August 20 elections need “a rigorous vetting,” and he urges Afghan voters and political leaders to show patience as their country’s independent election institutions deal with the fraud complaints.
Envoy Gration Seeks Deal for Peace Accord in SudanU.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration is in Juba, Southern Sudan, to hold talks with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s National Congress Party on two sticking points to implementation of a broader 2005 peace accord, the State Department says.
United States, Russia Seek Cut in Excess Weapons-Grade PlutoniumCommitment to dispose of excess weapons-grade plutonium by Russia and the United States has been reaffirmed by U.S. administration officials. Disposition plans long in the making will lead to new fuel for nuclear power plants while destroying 68 tons of surplus plutonium.
Senegal to Receive $540 Million Development GrantThe board of directors of the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation approves a five-year, $540 million grant to the Republic of Senegal to reduce poverty throughWashington — U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration is in Juba, Southern Sudan, to hold talks with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s National Congress Party on two sticking points to implementation of a broader 2005 peace accord, the State Department announced September 8.
Gration is traveling to Sudan September 9–14 and is visiting Juba, Boma, Darfur and Khartoum. His travel comes as the United States is near announcing a new policy on Sudan, and the troubled Darfur region.
The talks in Juba center on resolving issues over a census, which is essential to holding elections, and on preparations for a self-determination referendum. National elections are scheduled for 2010 and a referendum on southern independence for 2011.
Gration told Congress recently that the goal is to conclude an agreement that will allow the Sudanese to return to their homes and resume their lives in safety and security. Previous peace efforts have faltered, Gration testified, and the United States has learned from those experiences.
“We will concentrate on finding a path forward on the two remaining unresolved sticking points for full … implementation,” Gration told Reuters news agency. These two issues were not included in a bilateral agreement that was agreed upon on August 19, the State Department said.
President Obama has made enhancing the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement a significant U.S. foreign policy objective and that is part of the reason he named a special envoy to negotiate agreements and further the peace process.
While in Darfur, Gration will visit two camps for displaced persons — at Abu Shouk and Zam Zam — to assess humanitarian conditions, meet with camp administrators, and meet with women leaders about gender-based violence and address programs aimed at ending the attacks. And in the Darfur region, he will meet in El Fasher with General Patrick Nyamvumba, the new commander of the UNAMID force (United Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur), and with section leaders of the displaced persons camp in the El Fasher area. And he will also visit Ain Siro in Northern Darfur to meet with civic leaders who are in support of the Darfur peace process.
Gration will travel to Khartoum, where he will meet with former African heads of state Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Abdulsalami Abubakar of Nigeria and Pierre Buyoya of Burundi. “The African Union’s High Panel on Darfur (AUPD), chaired by President Mbeki, and the Arab League [are] set to release a report to the public on [September 15] on issues of justice, accountability, stability and development in Darfur,” the State Department said.
In the region of Boma, where annual animal migration rivals that of the Serengeti, Gration will examine conservation efforts and view an example of untapped ecotourism and development potential in the South, the State Department said in a statement.
The United States is engaging with the fragmented movements in Darfur to bring them to the peace table with a single voice; is working with Libya and Egypt to end the proxy war between Chad and Sudan; and is supporting the full deployment of the U.N.–African Union Mission in Darfur to protect Darfuri civilians, Gration testified before Congress.
The second aspect of the emerging U.S. strategy involves sustaining peace between the North and the South. In January 2005, the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), ending a 22-year war. However, Gration said that four and a half years after the agreement, peace remains fragile.
Sudan will hold national elections in April 2010 and referenda in Southern Sudan and the Abyei region in January 2011. Gration said the U.S. strategy calls for a functioning and stable Sudanese government, and one that will either include a government of Southern Sudan or coexist peacefully with an independent Southern Sudan.
What foreign affairs decisions should President Obama consider? Comment on America.gov’s blog Obama Today economic growth. The compact will focus on road rehabilitation and food security initiatives in some of the poorest regions of Senegal.
G20 Ministers Say Stimulus Measures to Stay for NowFinance ministers and central bank governors from the world’s largest economies, at a meeting in London, agree that until there is a sustained economic recovery led by the private sector, multitrillion-dollar stimulus measures taken earlier this year will remain in place.
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Secretary of State Remarks

. business cuonseting

2009-09-10T03:28:00.000-07:00

Since the closure of the FCS office in fall of 2007, the Pol/Econ section has assumed the commercial outreach portfolio for the Mission. The Pol/Econ office works closely with the Foreign Commercial Service Office in Santo Domingo and the Foreign Agricultural Trade office in Miami as well as with the Commercial and Business Affairs Office in the Economic, Energy and Business Affairs Bureau in Washington on joint trade promotion activities, in addition to reporting, advocacy and other activities, and advising on significant developments affecting U.S. commercial interests. FCS Santo Domingo manages commercial diplomacy for the entire Caribbean.
In conjunction with the Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission, the Pol/Econ Section supports U.S. business interests in major projects and procurements, and traditionally works with FCS to provide U.S. businesses market intelligence (through publications such as International Market Insight, Industry Sector Analysis, and Country Commercial Guide reports), trade leads, business counseling, commercial advocacy, contact and trade event services such as Gold Key Service programs, trade missions and exhibitions. The section also helps U.S. exporters and investors resolve trade and investment disputes. All promotion activities are closely coordinated with the Commercial Service’s network of offices throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The section has also made a concerted effort to re-energize ties to the U.S. business communities on all the islands.
Key Issues
Help U.S. firms participate more fully in private and public sector projects, and look for opportunities to increase two-way trade and investment with the Eastern Caribbean
Coordinate trade missions that showcase U.S. products, services and technologies
Revitalize contacts with U.S.-affiliated companies throughout the region and, where appropriate, encourage the formation of American Chambers of Commerce (AmChams)
Key PersonnelAmerican Staff:Lead Commercial Liaison: Jake AllerCommercial Liaison (Antigua, Barbados): Rick SwitzerCommercial Liaison (St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines): Kevin TierneyCommercial Liaison (St. Lucia, Dominica): D.R. Seckinger
Locally Engaged Staff:Commercial Assistant: Jonelle Watson
FAS Staff:USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS): Sarah HansonReference website/link for the FAS CBATO (http://www.cbato.fas.usda.gov)

2009-09-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

PROJECT NEWS BRIEFS
Updates on Canadian construction projects from Reed Construction Data’s research team. More
Rounthwaite Dick & Hadley Architects begin work on arena plans for Flamborough, Ontario (Aug 17, 2009)
Orillia Market Square aims for LEED Silver certification (Jun 25, 2009)
Designs for new York Region District School Board building features energy efficiency (Jun 23, 2009)
Vancouver Convention Centre expansion sets new standards for environmental design (May 22, 2009)
IPC Energy considers Milford location for future wind farm (May 22, 2009)

2009-09-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

September 4, 2009
Jacobs Engineering Group must face bridge collapse claims: judge
MINNEAPOLIS
A judge has rejected a California design company’s attempt to shield itself from lawsuits over the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.
HenneProjects
Lakehead University campus seeks LEED Platinum rating
PATRICIA WILLIAMS
staff writer
EllisDon is putting its experience in constructing buildings designed to meet stringent environmental guidelines to good use at Lakehead University’s new campus in Orillia, reportedly the first campus in North America designed to meet LEED Platinum standards.
The company, which has numerous LEED projects under its belt, has started work on the substructure of the estimated $31 million academic building, the first on site. The 80,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in September of next year.
“It’s a very aggressive schedule,” said David Nesbitt, director, health care and post-secondary specialist at MHPM Project Managers Inc., which was retained by Lakehead in 2007 to provide overall project management services for the initial phase of the campus development.
The project is being undertaken by a team that includes architects Moriyama & Teshima, structural engineers Halcrow Yolles, mechanical and electrical engineers Crossey Engineering Ltd. and civil engineers CC Tatham and Associates Ltd. Enermodal Engineering is providing LEED consulting and other services.
Nesbitt, who has a degree in architecture and is a LEED-accredited professional, said Platinum status is being achieved “entirely” through good design.
“We’re not buying any points,” he said.
In order to qualify for Platinum status, a minimum of 52 points out of 70 must be scored on a checklist which offers credits in five broad categories: sustainable site development; water efficiency; energy efficiency; materials selection; and indoor environmental quality.

The building will house classrooms, labs and a library/learning commons. The entire campus will be built to LEED Platinum standards.
“In my mind, sustainability is focused on energy savings, waste reduction and occupant comfort,” Nesbitt said.
At least nine credits out of a possible 10 are expected to be achieved in the energy efficiency realm. As well, rainwater will be harvested while steps will be taken to minimize stormwater runoff.
Superior indoor air quality will be achieved through use of low volatile organic compound-emitting paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants, “green label” carpet and urea formaldehyde-free composite wood.
Occupants will have control of lighting and temperature in both perimeter and non-perimeter spaces.
“When you are trying to achieve a minimum of 52 points, you pretty much go for everything that you can,” Nesbitt said.
The campus is being constructed on an 85-acre site at the western limits of the city.
Ground was officially broken in mid-June.
The academic building will house classrooms, labs and a library/learning commons. It will accommodate 1,200 students.
Plans for construction of a 250-bed residence and a food services building are on hold until the fall.
Ultimately, the campus could accommodate as many as 7,000 students.
Every building will be constructed to LEED Platinum standards.
Local governments are pitching in as well. The city of Orillia is donating $10 million in land, infrastructure and funding. Simcoe County is making an initial contribution of $500,000 to Lakehead’s capital campaign. pin County District Judge Deborah Hedlund ruled that Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. will remain a co-defendant in a series of lawsuits.
The Aug. 1, 2007, disaster killed 13 people and injured 145.
Federal investigators blamed the failure on connector plates that were too thin, although they said excessive weight also contributed.
Attorneys for Jacobs, which acquired the company that designed the 1960s-era bridge, claimed that too much time passed for it to be held liable. They argued in June that a state law put a 10-year limit on liability even for structures meant to last a century.
Hedlund said Minnesota lawmakers revised the law in May 2007, removing a look-back window and making the changes retroactive. That justified Jacobs’ inclusion in the case, she said.
“Here,” Hedlund wrote, “it is not unreasonable, arbitrary or capricious to remove the 10-year repose period for claims for contribution and indemnity in construction defect cases because it prevents defendants from being liable for others’ negligence in certain situations.”
More than 100 lawsuits have been filed by victims, the state and the companies themselves. A state compensation fund paid US$37 million to those affected by the collapse, and the state is trying to recover that money.
Two other defendants — engineering firm URS Corp. and paving company Progressive Contractors Inc. — opposed Jacobs’ claim of immunity. URS was under a state contract to inspect the bridge, and PCI was resurfacing it at the time of the collapse.
Attorneys for those companies said the bridge wouldn’t have fallen if it had been properly designed.
Kyle Hart, attorney for St. Michael, Minn.-based PCI, said the ruling is “good news for everybody but Jacobs.”
“Jacobs is a very large company,” Hart said. “With them at the table, recognizing they’re going to have to answer for what happened, it just increases the amount of money in the potential settlements.”
URS, a company with headquarters in San FrancisSeptember 4, 2009
Highway expansion underway in Prince Edward Island
CHARLOTTETOWN
Construction is under way on Phase 1 of the Charlottetown perimeter highway expansion, the largest stimulus infrastructure project on Prince Edward Island and also the first to get underway.
The $7.5 million project is being funded jointly by the governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island.
To date, about $5 million in tenders have been awarded to Chapman Brothers Construction Ltd. of Souris.The project will increase the capacity of the highway by increasing the number of lanes, creating additional turning lanes and realigning on/off ramps as required. Current drainage issues will be addressed through the replacement of a large culvert structure under the highway.
A berm will be constructed to reduce traffic noise in adjacent residential subdivisions. This project is expected to be completed by the end of July 2010.
The Charlottetown Perimeter Highway project is an important component of the provincial government’s capital budget, which will see more than half a billion dollars invested in island infrastructure over the next five years.
-DCN News Services co, had no immediate comment but planned to make one, a spokeswoman said.
The cases have a late 2010 trial date.
-Associated Press

2009-09-07T05:43:00.000-07:00

Modular method cuts time for Alberta seniors’ complex
STEPHEN DAFOE
correspondent
A modular construction project currently under construction at North Ridge Lodge in St. Albert will provide 48 additional units for seniors, more than doubling its current capacity.
The $8 million project was put together by Integrated Management for the Sturgeon Foundation, which runs the seniors facility.
The company selected Cormode & Dickson as the general site contractors and Barr Cana Homes Inc. of Barrhead as the manufacturer of the modular units.
Pete Wallace, site manager with Cormode & Dickson, said that the 48,000-square-foot project consists of 40 individual units, each measuring 20 feet wide by 60 feet long and weighing in at 60,000 pounds apiece.
The individual units are being assembled into four floors of 12 units each to create the building’s 48 individual units.
Wallace said that a 265-tonne crane was brought in to lift the modular apartments into place, a process that allowed his crews to assemble the first two floors of the building in just three days.
CURRENT STORIES
How Canadian companies can tap into U.S. stimulus funding
Nova Scotia Community College gets green energy grant
Roads of tomorrow need new thinking
Redpath on the rise in Toronto
Modular method cuts time for Alberta seniors’ complex
Rankin Construction gets Ontario Highway 406 widening contract
Highway expansion underway in Prince Edward Island
U.S. manufacturing shows signs of revival
Apartment building costs drop in Edmonton, Calgary
Infrastructure Ontario issues request for qualifications for courthouse in Belleville, Ont.
Jacobs Engineering Group must face bridge collapse claims: judge
Decline in U.S. non-residential construction sparks call for quicker stimulus rollout
Training takes a hit in British Columbia budget update
'Dam' good work at Manitoba’s Wuskwatim Generating Station
Calgary highrises under the microscope after glass falls
British Columbia's Massey Tunnel was a cutting-edge endeavor
Kyoto has had an impact on CO2 output
Collaborative safety paying dividends in U.S.
Calgary worksites hit by suspected fire bug
Feds help fund Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Centre
Nova Scotia website spreads the news about roadbuilding
Manitoba builds massive new Wuskwatim generating station
Airport undergoes major renovations in Nanaimo, British Columbia
Municipalities look to the sun to reduce energy costs
After 5-year delay, construction starts on well system in Chemainus, British Columbia
George Massey was a man with tunnel vision
Public Works Association of British Columbia to host technical conference
Once assembled, there won’t be much for crews to do other than power the building up. Roads of tomorrow need new thinking
KORKY KOROLUK
The world, we are told in the latest CIA World Fact Book, has 16 million kilometres of paved roads of one sort or another, and the total is growing rapidly.
China’s latest five-year plan calls for construction or renovation of 1.2 million kilometres, as it tries to make good on a promise of “a road to every village.” Brazil, Russia and India are not far behind.
Each kilometre of these traditionally build roads needs aggregate, asphalt, concrete and steel, plus all the diesel fuel needed to drive the construction equipment.
One kilometre of two-lane asphalt road can require up to 15,500 tonnes of aggregate, almost all of which has to be extracted, crushed and transported.

Korky Koroluk
If you’re worried about greenhouse gas emissions, building a single lane of expressway just a kilometre long will emit enough pollution to equal up to 745 tonnes of carbon dioxide. That’s about the total annual emissions of 130 passenger cars.
These figures all come from a paper written by Omri Dahan and Alex Goykham, both with TerraFusion, an innovative materials science company based in California. I imagine some roadbuilders will find the numbers fair; others might dispute them.
The environmental effects of a road don’t stop when the project is finished. Roads affect local plant and animal life, water and soil.
There are studies showing increased heavy-metal deposits from burning gasoline and salt deposits from de-icing up to a kilometre on each side of a road. Even birds and snakes can be affected. Cool rainwater that lands on hot roadbeds on a sunny day is heated as it runs off, sometimes into nearby aquatic ecosystems, where rapid temperature changes can cause stress on life in and on the water.
The move to cleaner cars and urban light-rail systems is encouraging, but most of the industrial world still goes to work every day on a road designed and built with yesterday’s thinking.
That elementary truth, framed against a backdrop of environmental damage, is what led to the formation, a few years ago, of an organization called the Green Highways Partnership. It’s American in its emphasis, but international in its implications. It operates through a network of private and public partnerships to study and implement best practices for watershed management, reuse and recycling programs and ecosystem protection using tools like specially constructed wildlife crossings.
The industries associated with roadbuilding have, of course, been well aware of their carbon footprint for years. In Canada and the United States, the cement industry reduced energy consumption by 37.5 per cent between 1972 and 2006. The asphalt industry has enjoyed great and growing success with warm-mix asphalt that requires less heat, and therefore uses less energy and emits fewer greenhouse gases. ‘
Private-sector firms are developing innovative and eco-friendly products. Some of the most promising are soil stabilizers and asphalt binders that appear to provide strength equivalent to an aggregate base, but at a lower cost and with less environmental impact.
Most urbanites think of new roads simply as a quicker way to get to work. But in the developing world, new roads have been shown to have important social benefits, as well.
A study in Laos showed new roads helped reduce poverty. A study in India showed improved access to health care with an accompanying lessening of risks to pregnant women and children. Across the developing world, income and employment opportunities rise as new businesses are created along new roads. That leads to more (and better access to) financial services, which in turn leads to stimulation of entrepreneurial investment.
So it’s time to get ready for green roads. You can start by visiting the Green Highways Partnership.
Korky Koroluk is an Ottawa-based freelance writer. Send comments to editor@dailycommercialnews.com
“The idea is they’re totally complete,” Wallace said of the units.
“We just basically hook up the plumbing and plug in the electrical and they’re ready to go. The walls are painted, the carpets are in and they’re done, right down to the fridge and stove.”
Cormode & Dickson began work on the site – previously North Ridge Lodge parkland — in mid-May and has spent the time stripping the surface, digging and pouring the basement and installing services.
The lodge is anticipating moving tenants into the building in December and the modular approach has resulted in a 50 per cent savings of time over conventional construction.
Wallace explained that outside of normal construction issues, the process of modularly constructing the project has been a smooth one and that the major difference between his current project and a conventional project was the use of professional riggers and crane operators to move the units into place.
“The erection process is a little different,” he said.
“You’re dealing with units that weigh 60,000 pounds, so you have to know what you are doing, but other than that, it’s basically standard construction.”
Wallace said that as the units are craned into place, they are secured to one another using metal straps called Simpson ties.
“They just strap together,” he said.
The North Ride Lodge project is Cormode & Dickson’s first venture into modular construction, but Wallace is certain there will likely be similar projects on the horizon.
“There’s a lot of talk on it (modular construction) now and they’re hoping to build quite a few of these units, in particular,” he said, adding that he has heard plans to produce and build as many as 2,500 units over the next couple of years throughout Alberta.
One person who is hoping to see more modular projects in the future is Albert Van Leeuwen, president of Barr Cana Homes Inc. which provided the 40 units for the project.
He explained that the manufacturing process begins when the client brings his company a blueprint of what the project requires.
The building is then compartmentalized into cubes ranging in size between 22 and 24 feet in width and as large as 76 feet in length.
“We build them into those kinds of cubes so that we can stack them and bring it in, pieces at a time,” he said.
“That’s the whole idea, so that we can build it in a closed in environment, so that we’re not susceptible to rain and all kinds of weather. Every day is production.”
Van Leeuwen explained that the Barrhead, Alta. plant has 18 staging areas for the modules to pass through over a nine-day period from first nail to last detail, with about five hours spent at each of the areas.
“Every bay has his job,” he said.
“So the first bay, for example, is where we build the floor trusses and roof trusses, and then we go to the next bay where they actually build and frame the floor. It moves ahead and we do all the plumbing and we put the decking on.”
From there, the floor coverings are applied before the unit moves on to have the walls erected in place.
Van Leeuwen explained that the plumbing and electrical are brought into a chase or common area, which lines up between the cube modules to be brought down into the basement.

2009-09-06T02:44:00.000-07:00

Commercial News USA is celebrating its 30th year of helping international buyers like you find U.S. business partners.
We've already begun celebrating our 30th anniversary by introducing a new design and new features, such as the USA Product Showcase section that debuted in January. And the cover of this issue features some of the different cover designs that have marked the publication’s evolution over the years.
The magazine, which began as a resource for U.S. embassy libraries and distribution at trade events, now reaches an estimated 400,000 readers worldwide. Commercial News USA is mailed bi-monthly to qualified subscribers around the world, and is available at U.S. embassies and consulates in 176 countries, as well at American Chambers of Commerce, World Trade Centers, and major trade shows and expos.
Commercial News USA is a source of information about U.S. products and services in industry categories such as automotive, construction, health and beauty, medical equipment, and more.
Published by Think Global Inc. for the U.S. Commercial Service, Commercial News USA is no less committed today than it has been in the past to helping small- and medium-size U.S. companies reach international buyers partners, effectively and affordably. Over the past three decades, the magazine has helped thousands of international buyers find U.S. products and services, and has helped generate millions of dollars in new business.
In addition to the widely read print version, Commercial News USA is available in both PDF and HTML formats online at www.export.gov/cnusa. Thousands of prospective buyers visit the web site each month in search of new products and services from the United States.
Thanks for being part of the magazine’s first 30 years. Please let us know how we can help you. We can be reached via email, info@thinkglobal.us. You also can find your nearest Commercial Service office online at www.buyusa.gov.
All the Best,

multi-family construction and both private and public non-residential construction

2009-09-06T02:20:00.000-07:00

September 4, 2009
Decline in U.S. non-residential construction sparks call for quicker stimulus rollout
WASHINGTON
Downturns in multi-family construction and both private and public non-residential construction swamped a strong upswing in single-family homebuilding in July, according to an analysis of federal construction spending data provided by a leading construction economist.
That analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released Sept. 1 shows that total construction spending fell 0.2 per cent, seasonally adjusted, from a downwardly revised June total.
“We know from contractors’ reports that stimulus money is beginning to flow, but what should be a torrent by now is only a trickle in most categories,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America.
He noted, for example, that public non-residential spending slipped 0.8 per cent from June to July as cutbacks in stat
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Feds help fund Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Centre e and local government budgets offset federal stimulus dollars.
The only significant exception was in water supply projects, where spending increased 3.7 per cent, following a 6.8 per cent jump in June.
Private non-residential spending fell for the fifth month in a row, slumping 1.2 per cent in July, after tumbling 2.2 per cent the month before, Simonson added. Losses were most acute for developer-financed categories with lodging down 8.4 per cent for the month and 35 per cent compared to July 2008; office down 1.7 per cent and 26 per cent; and commercial (retail, wholesale and farm), down 1.7 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively. The only private categories that exceeded the July 2008 level were manufacturing construction, which rose 0.9 per cent for the month and 47 per cent over 12 months; and power construction, down 0.8 per cent in July but up 10 per cent from a year earlier.
“Given that private construction will continue shrinking for several more months, public agencies charged with spending stimulus funds on construction must do so as promptly as possible,” Simonson said.
One bright spot in the census report was new single-family construction spending, which surged 7.0 per cent in July, following a 3.1 per cent gain in June. Nevertheless, this category remained 45 below the year-ago level. Meanwhile, new multi-family construction plunged 3.3 per cent for the month and 37 per cent year-over-year.
“Contractors depending on bank-financed developments for work should expect further pain this year,” Simonson concluded. “As a recent Federal Reserve survey showed, banks are keeping a tight lid on real-estate lending.”
-DCN News Services

how do busyness

2009-09-01T03:39:00.000-07:00

Single Company Promotion
Many of our best success stories come from our Single Company Promotions, another popular service of the Commercial Service Belgium. Single
Invest in America
Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a major role in the U.S. economy, both as a key driver of the economy and an important source of innovation, exports and jobs. The United States has always provided foreign investors a stable and welcoming market. As a place to do business, the United States offers a predictable and transparent legal system, low taxes, outstanding infrastructure, and access to the world’s most lucrative consumer market.
Invest in America is the primary U.S. Government mechanism to manage foreign direct investment promotion. Efforts are focused on outreach to foreign governments and investors, support for state governments’ investment promotion efforts, and addressing business climate concerns by serving as ombudsman in Washington for the international investment community.
While our primary mission is to provide U.S. companies with information about foreign markets, the International Trade Administration (ITA) also provides assistance for companies who desire to invest in America. The "Invest in America" initiative, found at http://trade.gov/investamerica/1, contains resources for foreign companies looking to expand into America. While we do not provide direct research on the American market the way that we do for Belgian market, we can provide certain amounts of assistance.Please contact Pierre Thomas2 or at +32 2 508 2889 for questions about Invest in America.
Here are also some useful information:
- http://www.fastfacility.com/incentis/IncentisSearch.asp3
- http://www.businessfacilities.com/4
- Guide to State Incentives Programs5
Links to web sites outside the U.S. Government or the use of trade, firm, or corporation names within U.S. Commercial Service web sites are for the convenience of the user. Such links and use do not constitute an express or implied official endorsement or approval by the United States Department of Commerce of any private sector web site, or of the products or services of specifically identified companies or of any of the private entities that may have contributed to a U.S. Commercial Service web site.
Invest in America Fact Sheet (PDF, 83KB)
Invest in America Contact List (PDF, 30KB)
Links
http://trade.gov/investamerica/
mailto:Pierre.Thomas@mail.doc.gov
http://www.fastfacility.com/incentis/IncentisSearch.asp
http://www.businessfacilities.com/
http://www.siteselection.com/issues/2004/nov/p763/index.htm
Company Promotions are specifically tailored events designed to maximize your exposure in your target markets.
Promotional events usually consist of a presentation followed by a reception in the venue of your choice: at a hotel, exposition hall, or auditorium.
We can help with every phase of planning and organizing the event from printing invitations, creating targeted audience lists, catering arrangements, etc.
Regardless of the level of our involvement that you desire, our endorsement will ensure a larger than average audience of executive and managerial corporate representatives.
Cost: Will vary depending on specific requirements.Delivery: 6 weeks
To obtain more information on Single Company Promotion, please contact the Brussels

USA, produced in partnership with the U.S. Commercial

2009-09-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

You would like to learn more and quicker about business opportunities with U.S. companies? Than subscribe for free to the Commercial News USA magazine!
Commercial News USA1 is a publication of the U.S. Commercial Service listing U.S. companies who may be seeking Belgian distributors/agents for their products and services.
The free ONLINE publication is available in HTML or PDF format by clicking the above link.
We wish you good business opportunities through this magazine and we look forward to hearing from your successes!
Commercial News USA, produced in partnership with the U.S. Commercial Service, helps American companies find buyers and distributors for their products and services. The print version of the magazine reaches an estimated 400,000 readers in 176 countries. The online version of the magazine is available as a pdf and in html format.
Buyers: Click here to find U.S. exporters
September/October 2009Download as PDF.
To simplify your search for products and services, Commercial News USA organizes advertisers into 17 industry categories. Click here for the category list and to review the contents of the magazine online. You also can download a pdf from the link below. Commercial News USA is the official United States Department of Commerce showcase for American-made products and services.
The catalog-style magazine is designed to help American companies promote products and services to buyers in more than 176 countries--at a fraction of the cost of other advertising options. Each issue reaches an estimated 400,000 readers worldwide.
Advertising in Commercial News USA provides American companies with an unparalleled opportunity to market products and services around the world. Advertisers in Commercial News USA have the potential to increase export sales with a minimal investment.
Commercial News USA is distributed bi-monthly to readers outside the United States. The magazine, which is free, is mailed directly to qualified recipients and distributed by U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service personnel at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide.
Advertising in Commercial News USA is a unique tool for helping your company increase its exports.
Whether you seek representation, distribution, direct sales, licensing or joint-venture partners, Commercial News USA will deliver your message directly to potential customers in export markets worldwide. Just one listing can produce a substantial return on your investment.
Direct Response. New customers around the world will read about your product or service and will receive information to contact you directly. Address-coded trade leads make it easy to track results.
Broad Distribution. Worldwide circulation to an estimated 400,000 business readers in more than 176 countries.
Built-In Credibility. Distributed by U.S. Foreign and Commercial Service officials at embassies and consulates, Commercial News USA enjoys a unique credibility that no other publication can offer.
Follow-Up Support. The U.S. Department of Commerce offers free, individual export counseling at any of the more than 60 U.S. Export Assistance Centers across the country.

2009-09-01T02:17:00.000-07:00

2009-08-31T02:55:00.000-07:00

A series of lawsuits against some of the country's largest banks brings to the forefront yet another doubt about the reliability of automated valuation models and the thin line between home valuation accuracy and fraud.
Depending on who one asks, those taking advantage of the housing depreciation and various home valuation tools may not be just buyers looking for a good deal, but banks as well.
A growing number of banks are facing home-equity loan fraud lawsuits that allege they froze millions of dollars in home-equity loans by falsely claiming their customers' home property values had significantly declined.
A class-action lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Illinois against Wells Fargo alleges the bank "unlawfully failed to accurately assess the value of customers' homes before concluding that there had been a significant decline in property value." The suit claims that after reducing home-equity lines of credit Wells Fargo offered customers high-interest credit cards. (Bank executives could not be reached for comment by press time.)
In June Washington Mutual Bank and its new parent, JPMorgan Chase, were hit by a number of lawsuits that allege the banks have been arbitrarily reducing or suspending home-equity lines of credit granted to customers who were in good financial standing and undeserving of such action.
"Even putting aside the fact that what they are doing is illegal, there's no justification for denying people these secured credit lines in favor of unsecured high-interest credit cards," says attorney Jay Edelson of KamberEdelson LLC, the law firm that filed such lawsuits not only against Wells Fargo, but also JPMorgan Chase, WaMu and Citibank over their respective HELOC account suspension practices.
The Wells Fargo suit filed on behalf of Michael Hickman of Westmont, Ill., claims the credit limit on his HELOC account "was reduced due to a supposed substantial decline in the value of his home." The suit states that in reality "Mr. Hickman's home and the homes of thousands of other class members did not substantially decline in value; rather, Wells Fargo used a variety of unreliable computer models to produce artificially deflated values."
Furthermore, it alleges that Wells Fargo failed to provide customers with proper notice of the reductions and in addition, "improperly required customers to seek reinstatement by paying upfront for their own property appraisals." Following the reduction of his HELOC credit limit, Wells Fargo offered Mr. Hickman a higher limit on one of his higher-interest credit cards.
"In this economy, what Wells Fargo and other lenders are doing to everyday customers like Michael Hickman is simply unconscionable," says Mr. Edelson whose firm operates in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Florida.
The class-action federal lawsuit filed against Washington Mutual Bank and JPMorgan Chase claims the banks were engaged in substantial reductions of home-equity lines of credit limits and the suspension of various accounts based on false assertion that these borrowers' incomes had been reduced.
According to the lawsuit filed in Cupertino, Calif., on behalf of Jeffrey and Jennifer Schulken, the banks froze millions of dollars in home loans based on inconclusive evidence and by breaking their written responsibility to provide customers with a two-week notice to provide updated income information before suspending their HELOC account.
According to KamberEdelson, Mr. and Mrs. Schulken's account was suspended "due to a supposed inability to pay the loan" even though the couple - who run their own small business - "continued to earn the same amount of money and never missed a payment."
Mr. Edelson recognized that federal regulations permit account suspensions when a customer's financial circumstances change, but it also requires "both a material change in a borrower's financial situation and the creditor's reasonable belief that the borrower will not be able to repay the HELOC account as agreed."
The lawsuit alleges that was not the case with Mr. and Mrs. Schulken so Chase and WaMu did not have such basis.
Two similar lawsuits were filed in Henderson, Nev., and Garden Grove, Calif.
Michell Kimball v. Washington Mutual Bank in Henderson filed by KamberEdelson alleges that the bank used faulty automated valuation models to create a pretext for its credit limit reduction and account suspension actions. According to the lawsuit, Ms. Kimball, a local businesswoman, first learned her HELOC had been frozen when a check she had drawn on the line had been dishonored and, when she called customer service, they informed her that an AVM showed the property value had significantly declined. Using the bank's chosen appraiser, an onsite examination showed the property was worth 1.5 times the AVM's estimate.
The lawsuit filed by Sherman Oaks attorney David Parisi on behalf of Garden Grove resident Michael Walsh also alleges that Chase and WaMu reduced his credit limit after claiming his home had significantly declined in value. The lawsuit disputes the bank's practice of freezing HELOC accounts based on lower declines in value than those permitted under the federal Truth in Lending Act. Furthermore, as in Michell Kimball v. Washington Mutual Bank, it alleges the use of a faulty AVM.