Hotel workers cited for service to visitors

May 15, 20122:45 p.m.

Six hotel workers have been recognized for outstanding work by the Wichita Hotel/Lodging Committee.

The Stars of the Industry Awards were made at a luncheon last week. Winners, who were cited for outstanding service to visitors, were:

• Front Desk Agent – Michael Wilson, Wichita Inn North

• Housekeeper – Heather Gaw, Hyatt Regency Wichita

• Engineer – Omar Aguilera, La Quinta Inn & Suites Wichita East

• Front of the House – Richard Gladney, SpringHill Suites by Marriott East at Plazzio

• Manager – Talia Firestone, Courtyard by Marriott-Wichita at Old Town

• Spirit of Hospitality – Wayne Wilson, Hyatt Regency Wichita.

By Julie Doll | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post

Farmland values continue to climb

May 15, 201210:15 a.m.

At least one part of the real estate market is booming.

The Associated Press reports that farmland in Midwest and Western states continues to demand increasing prices.

The Federal Reserve reported that the average value of farmland in several Midwest and Western states grew more than 25 percent in the first quarter, the AP said.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City., Mo., said Tuesday that higher crop prices and timely rains in the region helped farmers, so demand for cropland persisted.

The Federal Reserve reported that a new survey of 235 banks showed that irrigated land values grew more than 30 percent over last year’s first quarter. Non-irrigated land values grew 25 percent, and pasture values grew 16 percent.

The 10th Federal Reserve District covers Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado, northern New Mexico and western Missouri.

By Julie Doll | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post

Spirit AeroSystems employees win Salvation Army honor

May 14, 20123:07 p.m.

 The Salvation Army has named the employees of Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. the recipients of the 2012 Others Award.

 

“Through their efforts to support The Salvation Army, Spirit AeroSystems has demonstrated a true heart for the Wichita community,”Douglas Rowland, major and Wichita city commander of the group, said in a news statement.

 

“I’m proud to accept this award on behalf of Spirit AeroSystems’ nearly 11,000 employees here in Wichita and 16,000 employees around the world,” Mark Suchinski, vice president of Spirit’s financial planning and estimating organization, said in the prepared statement.  “Spirit employees are generous with their time, talents and financial resources to make the communities in which we work, live and play a better place.”

 

The award will be presented at The Salvation Army’s annual Civic Luncheon on Tuesday. Sponsors of this year’s luncheon include the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation, Spirit AeroSystems, Westar Energy, Intrust Bank and Speedy Cash.

By Julie Doll | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post

CCH joins forces with Habitat for Humanity

May 14, 201212:17 p.m.

CCH is joining Wichita Habitat for Humanity to build a home for one of CCH’s own employees.

CCH, a Wolters Kluwer Business, will help provide financial support as well as volunteer labor on the project.

Construction on the home will begin Tuesday, and when it’s completed, the house will become the home of Angelica Ramirez’s family.

The start of construction will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday with a wall-raising at Habitat’s Stewart Village, 4402 South Ellis.

By Julie Doll | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post

’7 Habits’ seminar planned for June

May 9, 20128:25 a.m.

A workshop that aims to improve personal and professional productivity is being sponsored by the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Based on the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” the seminar runs for 2 1/2 days, starting June 12 and ending June 14, at the Chamber office, 350 W. Douglas Ave. The cost is $550.

The registration deadline is May 25.

A Chamber release said the seminar will help participants become more productive, have greater influence in key relationships, learn to build stronger teams and achieve better life balance. To register, go to wichitachamber.org or call  316-268-1130.

 

 

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By Julie Doll | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post

SBA to close Wichita disaster loan outreach center

May 8, 201211:05 a.m.

Those who had homes or businesses damaged by the April 14 storms that tore through Wichita have until Thursday to visit the Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Wichita.

Wayne Bell, federal Small Business Administration Wichita district director, said today that the SBA will close the center Thursday afternoon.

“SBA opened the center to provide personalized assistance to Kansas residents and business owners who were affected by the tornadoes, hail and severe weather April 14 through April 15, 2012,” Bell said in a statement released today.

 

“Until the center closes, SBA customer service representatives will continue to be available to meet with residents and business owners to answer all of their questions, explain SBA’s disaster loan program, issue applications, help them complete their applications and close their approved disaster loans,” he said

 

Appointments aren’t necessary. The center is at Carlton School, 4900 South Clifton Ave., and is open  from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate.  Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

 

Businesses of any size and private, nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

 

Applicants may apply online using at  https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.


The filing deadline to return applications for property damage is June 22, 2012.  The deadline to return economic injury applications is January 23, 2013. 

By Julie Doll | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post

Early stages of a culture change in finance?

May 8, 20129:42 a.m.

WICHITA — Remember when Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street” came out in the 80s and everybody knew that Gordon Gecko was the villain. But as time went on, that judgment became fuzzier and fuzzier during the 80s, the 90s and the 00s as the market went up and up. The famous line “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good” was no longer ironic. Critics lamented that our best and brightest went off to Wall Street instead of inventing a cure for cancer or a breakthrough gadget. Well, that may be changing. It could be just a temporary reaction to the crappy job market on Wall Street — or it may be that the reputation of Wall Street has now become unsavory enough to overcome the allure of fabulous riches. Time will tell if the change will be sustained, but it would be a boon to the country if fewer of our smartest went into finance, which in the last 30 years has grown way beyond what is required for the economy.

By Dan Voorhis | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post

Uh-oh, did he really say that?

May 7, 20125:58 p.m.

CORRECTION:  I just got a call from the NMA’s spokesman Jeremy Russell who said that he had initially been misquoted in the Bloomberg story. It was quickly corrected, but not before the story got picked up and spread widely. Here’s the correct quote:

“Proper cooking is recommended for all raw beef products, but there’s not a contamination issue,” said Russell, with the National Meat Association.

—————

The latest kerfluffle in the meat industry, the use of something called “meat glue” to stick smaller pieces of meat together to mimic larger pieces, produced another round of shocked dismay from the beef industry. The industry can’t imagine why people are upset, just because they may feel they are being deceived by getting cheaper meat at a more expensive price (I saw a TV report using stew beef to mimic filet mignon and apparently it was undetectable).  But what really got me was the reaction from the National Meat Association representative to the concerns that cuts formed with meat glue had the potential to be less safe — the concern is that contamination on the surface of the glued pieces becomes part of the interior of the meat. That’s a real problem, say critics, when such glued meat is cooked rare or medium rare. Here’s the response of the National Meat Association spokesman:

“As long as it’s cooked properly, there’s not a contamination issue,” he said.

Did he just question the justification for the entire food safety regime in slaughter plants, with its chemical baths and ultraviolet radiation? I mean, really, if people would just take responsibility and cook their meat properly, the meat companies wouldn’t need to spend all that money killing off those pesky pathogens on the carcasses, now would they?

By Dan Voorhis | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post

More bad news for OKC energy firm

May 7, 20129:59 a.m.

Aubrey McClendon’s problems have gotten a little deeper at Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy, Reuters reports.

It’s never a good thing when the Securities and Exchange Commission thinks your financial dealings are a good subject for some investigation.

 

By Bill Wilson | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post

What’s really driving global warming

May 7, 20129:55 a.m.

Interesting piece on China’s increasing demand for coal. There’s just no way around it. China is rapidly urbanizing and building upward to house all those people. Only coal supplies that amount of energy. And that is why the Chinese have been so resistant to any caps on emissions to slow global warming.

By Dan Voorhis | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post

A show of gratitude for taxi drivers

May 4, 20129:18 a.m.

Local tourism officials want to recognize taxi drivers for the role they play in supporting Wichita’s convention and tourism business.

So on Tuesday, taxi drivers are invited to stop by the Go Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau in the WaterWalk and pick up a sack lunch.

The lunches are being prepared by local hotels and will be delivered by Go Wichita employees between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at 515 S. Main.

The event is part of the National Travel Rally Day organized by the U.S. Travel Association to recognize the importance and economic impact of the travel and tourism industry.

By Julie Doll | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post

Inventors ask: How do we get in the paper?

May 3, 20122:28 p.m.

WICHITA — I was chatting on the phone with my mother as I drove up to Office This earlier this week to speak to the Inventors’ Association of South Central Kansas.

“Oh, with all the inventing you’ve done, you’ll have plenty to talk about,” she said.

That was sarcasm, of course. The only idea I’ve had for an invention is a towel warmer, which I was quickly informed has already been invented. Just as well. I don’t think I would have gotten around to it.

Before the meeting started, I had to sign something saying I wouldn’t share any of the ideas I heard. There are some good ones. In fact, the room was filled with some impressive, interesting people.

The inventors wanted to learn how to get their news into the paper. It’s pretty easy, I explained.

Here’s how it works — for anyone:

Though you’re welcome to send one, there’s no need for a fancy press release.

If you have news you want to share, you can call, e-mail or use old-fashioned mail. I prefer a quick e-mail that briefly states the news and clearly shows me a working phone number I can call for more information.

It’s that simple. Send away!

 

 

 

By Carrie Rengers | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0) | Share this post