Categories
Co-location

MacLeod Ale Brewing Co. To Abruptly Cease Operations – TheFullPint.com

(Van Nuys, CA) The Los Angeles brewing scene has been dealt an unexpected blow as valley favorite MacLeod Ale Brewing alerted their fans on Facebook that their original location in Van Nuys, CA and their brand new location in Highland Park will be halting operations once they have sold through their current inventory of beer.

This shocked many of the loyal fans of MacLeod, and it was noted that only fourteen days ago, MacLeod was advertising job openings for their new pizza venture in Highland Park. Below is a memo MacLeod has sent out to members of the Los Angeles Brewers Guild. We wish the best for the entire staff at MacLeod on their next ventures.

Hi Everyone,

Some of you have seen our posts today on Instagram. Unfortunately, today we had to lay off our entire staff and close down both locations. We will be open for beer sales only [draft and cans] in the Van Nuys taproom.

Im a direct and open person, so I just want to let you know what is going on. Very simply:

1] Were over budget in several categories2] We have too much debt due to expansion3] Sudden crash of sales [down 15% in Oct, 21% in November! Bad timing!]4] Our 2nd location opened too late and is underperforming.

Over the years Ive been able to scrounge up money here and there to keep things going, but I finally came to the end of the road and we only have enough money for one final payroll, this Friday.

We are exploring all options at this time. Perhaps theres a buyer? Maybe declare bankruptcy? Reorganize with a new team? Who knows, but were open to any and all conversations.

We also have some cool equipment for sale, more on that shortly.

Love to you all,

Jennifer

MacLeod Ale Brewing Co.14741 Calvert StreetVan Nuys, CA 91411

Read the original:

MacLeod Ale Brewing Co. To Abruptly Cease Operations - TheFullPint.com

Categories
Co-location

Herschel Supply Co. opens first U.S. store with more on the way – Modern Retail

This week, the company is opening its first permanent U.S. store in New York Citys Flatiron District the first in a series of new locations. Herschel Supply plans to go from the current four stores all located in Canada to 12-plus stores in North America by the end of 2023. The majority of the new locations will focus on major U.S. cities, where Herschel already has a robust customer base. This phase marks the start of an ambitious physical retail expansion, as the company tries to grow its DTC business to account for a bigger portion of revenue.

Niko George, the newly-hired director of global retail at Herschel Supply, said that 80% of Herschels revenue comes from wholesale while 20% comes from its DTC website and stores. We want that to be more balanced over the next few years, George said. We already have a robust presence at major retailers across North America, but we want to create a halo effect in our biggest markets through our own stores.

George said Herschel decided to move forward with new store openings now after the companys digital direct-to-consumer sales grew in double digits over 2020 and 2021. Also overseeing this new phase of growth is CEO Jon Hoerauf, a former executive at outdoor brands The North Face and Arcteryx, who joined Herschel last year.

Previously, Herschel tested temporary pop-ups in major cities like New York and Los Angeles. According to the company, its new U.S. stores are designed to act act a destination for the brands biggest fans, offering exclusive events and programs shoppers cant find at Herschels retail partners.

Investing in brick-and-mortar will also help us share resources across our DTC channel, especially marketing and fulfillment, George added. The company plans to roll out buy online, pickup in-store in the coming year.

Some of the cities George said Herschel eventually hopes to open stores in includeChicago, Washington D.C., Boston and Seattle.

Because customers already have many other channels to buy from us, we want to differentiate these spaces through workshops, panels and other unique events, George said. He added that the retail teams strategy is to tap local artists and vendors to help make each store more localized. For instance, the new New York City store will feature an artist-in-residence program, with a dedicated gallery wall and lounge space to feature the work of these local artists.

The new Flatiron location, located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 19th Street, features 2,500 square feet of sales floor space. George said that bags are still the brands bread and butter and will be the main focus of all stores. However, growing Herschel categories like travel accessories, luggage and apparel will also take up floor space. We just launched a workwear line that we want to highlight through our own store displays, George said.

Retail consultant Rebekah Kondrat said that this is a tricky time for brands to open standalone stores, and many are trying to take advantage of any leftover pandemic-era real estate deals. Real estate has come back up, and in some cases like big cities, lease rates are even higher than 2019 levels, Kondrat said.

The key is in utilizing the square footage as more than just a marketing play, she added. Thats where unique features, like exclusive SKUs and educational product testing, can come in handy to entice customers to visit a brands standalone store. If youre building these community hubs for customers, its important to know who theyre for and what makes them worthwhile, Kondrat said.

For Herschel, the goal of the new retail footprint is to get more customers thinking about shopping from the companys owned channels, George said. Whether its through unique seasonal campaigns, or offering product demos and expertise that customers cant get anywhere else, he said.

More:

Herschel Supply Co. opens first U.S. store with more on the way - Modern Retail

Categories
Co-location

‘A few of us noticed the propeller has stopped’: Air NZ flight lands with one working engine in Auckland – Stuff

Scott Hammond/Stuff

Fire and Emergency NZ responded to reports of a plane engine fire at Auckland International Airport at 1.20pm on Friday. (File photo)/

Blenheim mum Sonal Shouler was on a flight to a family wedding in Auckland with her husband and their 5-year old daughter on Friday afternoon when she noticed something was wrong.

"A few of us noticed the propeller has stopped. It happened as we were about to decend. Aanya [her daughter] and I were sitting opposite the wing, near the propeller.

"The air host quickly came to do a visual check and spoke with pilot. They quickly explained to us what was happening and glided into Auckland airport.

"It was tense, people were worried but everyone kept calm. Aanya and a few of the kids were scared so everyone kept a brave face, and the air host did a fantastic job at keeping everyone calm," Shouler said.

READ MORE:* Loud bang as Air NZ plane loses engine during flight from Wellington to Tauranga* Airforce Orion plane lands at Whenuapai air base with one engine out* Calm crew averted disaster after propeller fell off plane

Air New Zealand said the captain of Flight NZ5200 from Blenheim to Auckland on Friday afternoon observed the flare from the right-hand engine on approach into Auckland.

As standard operating procedure emergency services were alerted to be on standby as a precaution, they said.

"The landing was very smooth despite only have one engine.

"The air host was amazing. He was very calm and collected, smiled the whole time and kept everyone calm and kept the kids from getting too scared.

"He said it was the first time in 12 years he has ever experienced it," said Shouler.

The aircraft had landed safely, and all customers were disembarking.

Police have been assisting Fire and Emergency NZ with the situation.

It came after the fire light turned on in an Air Force aircraft on Thursday, and emergency services were called to Whenuapai Airport.

There was no fire and an investigation has been launched into what may have occurred.

The rest is here:

'A few of us noticed the propeller has stopped': Air NZ flight lands with one working engine in Auckland - Stuff

Categories
Co-location

Forrest Co. Health Department to temporarily relocate to former HPD building on Klondyke Street – HubcitySPOKES.com

Now that the Hattiesburg Police Department has vacated its temporary spot at 300 Klondyke Street for its permanent home at the Hattiesburg Public Safety Complex, the Klondyke Street building will soon have a new temporary tenant: the Forrest County Health Department.

On November 8, Hattiesburg City Council members approved a lease agreement with Forrest County officials for the use of a portion of that property for a term beginning November 1 through June 30, 2025. The department will locate there while the current health department on Old Highway 42 undergoes renovations.

It will be at least for the next 12 to 18 months, possibly 24, depending on what their renovation schedule ends up being, said Ann Jones, who serves as chief administrative officer for the City of Hattiesburg. While (the departments) permanent facility is being renovated, theyll be temporarily be located there at 300 Klondyke.

Forrest County has to complete a few minor adjustments just to the floor plan for a few exam rooms, and they should move in fairly quickly after that. I dont have an exact date, but I do know they have started making those minor renovations.

Under the agreement, Forrest County will pay the City of Hattiesburg a rate of $2,550 per month, which includes the current pro-rata cost of property insurance and utilities, such as gas and electric.

Its a fantastic location, right there in the heart of the community, Jones said. Its a space that had recently been vacated, and so it was just a hand in a glove, the way that partnership worked out.

Back in May, members of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors announced they would be enhancing the services at the health department, with the help of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. That plan, which was instituted in 2021, is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill designed to speed up the nations recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The improvements include, but will not be limited to, a drive-through vaccination center, additional exam rooms, extra space and more advanced technology.

TheForrest County Health Departmentserves some of the most underserved people in our community, as far as when it comes to health care, said David Hogan, president of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors, in a previous story. So (the board) is partnering with the state to make renovations and enhancements to our health department.

Were renovating the existing facility, adding a new facility on the front of the building, and a vaccination center in the rear of the building. (There also will be) additional parking."

The department, which is located at 5008 Old Highway 42, offers services such as pregnancy testing, immunizations for children, STD testing, birth control and the treatment of certain ailments. The improvement project is expected to cost approximately $2 million: $1 million from the Mississippi Department of Health and $1 million from Forrest Countys ARPA funds.

I think itll be a great benefit to the community, Hogan said. As I said, the Forrest County Health Department serves some of the most underserved people of our community, and to have a new facility to better serve those people will be a great enhancement.

It will benefit the health of our entire community.

Once the health department moves back into its permanent location, the Klondyke Street building will be available for other use.

View original post here:

Forrest Co. Health Department to temporarily relocate to former HPD building on Klondyke Street - HubcitySPOKES.com

Categories
Co-location

Here’s why the same 6 universities always come out on top – World Economic Forum

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

The rest is here:

Here's why the same 6 universities always come out on top - World Economic Forum

Categories
Co-location

Impacts of the US southeast wood pellet industry on local forest carbon stocks | Scientific Reports – Nature.com

European Commission Directorate General for Research and Innovation. A sustainable Bioeconomy for Europe: Strengthening the Connection Between Economy, Society and the Environment: Updated Bioeconomy Strategy (Directorate General for Research and Innovation, 2018).

Google Scholar

Teitelbaum, L., Boldt, C. & Patermann, C. Global Bioeconomy Policy Report (IV): A Decade of Bioeconomy policy (International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy, 2020).

Google Scholar

European Parliament; European Council. Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (2018). (Online). http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2018/2001/oj.

European Parliament; European Council. Directive 2009/28/EC on the Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources (2009). (Online). http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/28/oj.

Glasenapp, S., & McCusker, A. Wood energy data: the joint wood, in Wood Energy in the ECE Region: Data, Trends and Outlook in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and North America, Geneva, United Nations' Economic Commission for Europe: ECE/TIM/SP/42, 1229 (2018).

Eurostat. Wood ProductsProduction and Trade (2021). (Online). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Wood_products_-_production_and_trade#Wood-based_industries. Accessed 10 9 2021.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. FAOSTAT: Forestry Production and Trade (2021). (Online). http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data. Accessed 13 September 2021.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (PCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, 2019).

Google Scholar

European Parliament; European Council. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/807 of 13 March 2019 Supplementing Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council as Regards the Determination of High Indirect Land-Use Change-Risk (2018) (Online). fttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2019/807/oj.

de Oliveira Garcia, W., Amann, T. & Hartmann, J. Increasing biomass demand enlarges negative forest nutrient budget areas in wood export regions. Sci. Rep. 8, 5280 (2018).

Article ADS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Searchinger, T. et al. Europes renewable energy directive poised to harm global forests. Nat. Commun. 9, 3741 (2018).

Article ADS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Galik, C. S. & Abt, R. C. Sustainability guidelines and forest market response: An assessment of European Union pellet demand in the southeastern United States. GCB Bioenergy 8, 658669 (2016).

Article Google Scholar

Favero, A. D. & Sohngen, B. Forests: Carbon sequestration, biomass energy, or both?. Sci. Adv. 6(13), eaay6792 (2020).

Article ADS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Cowie, A. et al. Applying a science-based systems perspective to dispel misconceptions about climate effects of forest bioenergy. GCB-Bioenergy 13, 12101231 (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Camia, A, Jonsson, G. J. R., Robert, N., Cazzaniga, N., Jasineviius, G., Avitabile, V., Grassi, G., Barredo, J., & Mubareka, S. The Use of Woody Biomass for Energy Production in the EU (European Commission, Joint Research Center, 2021).

Aguilar, F. X., Mirzaee, A., McGarvey, R., Shifley, S. & Burtraw, D. Expansion of US wood pellet industry points to positive trends but the need for continued monitoring. Sci. Rep. 10, 18607 (2020).

Article ADS CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Dale, V., Parish, E., Kline, K. & Tobin, E. How is wood-based pellet production affecting forest conditions in the southeastern United States?. For Ecol Manag 396, 14314 (2017).

Article Google Scholar

Ceccherini, G. et al. Abrupt increase in harvested forest area over Europe after 2015. Nature 583, 7277 (2020).

Article ADS CAS PubMed Google Scholar

FORISK Consulting. U.S. Wood Bioenergy Database (2020). (Online). https://forisk.com/. Accessed 2020.

Domke, G. et al. Toward inventory-based estimates of soil organic carbon in forests of the United States. Ecol. Appl. 27(4), 12231235 (2017).

Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar

Python Org. Python Programming Language (2022) (Online). https://www.python.org/. Accessed 1 January 2018.

STATA. Stata: statistical software for data science (2022) (Online). https://www.stata.com/. Accessed 1 January 2018.

QGIS. Free and Open Source Geographic Information System (2021). (Online). https://qgis.org/en/site/.

US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Forest Inventory and Analysis National Program (2020). (Online). https://www.fia.fs.fed.us/.

Burrill, E. A., Wilson, A. M., Turner, J. A., Pugh, S. A., Menlove, J., Christiansen, G., Conkling, B., & David, W. The Forest Inventory and Analysis Database: Database Description and User Guide Version 8.0 for Phase 2 (US Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service, 2018).

Ahmed, M. et al. Spatially-explicit modeling of multi-scale drivers of aboveground forest biomass and water yield in watersheds of the Southeastern United States. J. Environ. Manag. 199, 158171 (2017).

Article Google Scholar

Timilsina, N. et al. A framework for identifying carbon hotspots and forest management drivers. J. Environ. Manag. 114, 293302 (2012).

Article Google Scholar

Coulston, J., Ritters, K., McRoberts, R., Reams, G. & Smith, W. True versus perturbed forest inventory plot locations for modeling: A simulation study. Can. J. For. Res. 36, 801807 (2006).

Article Google Scholar

Anselin, L. Spatial effects in econometric practice in environmental and resource economics. Am. J. Agric. Econ. 83(3), 705710 (2001).

Article MathSciNet Google Scholar

Strange-Olesen, A., Bager, S., Kittler, B., Price, W., & Aguilar, F. Environmental Implications of Increased Reliance of the EU on Biomass from the South East US (European Commission Report ENV.B.1/ETU/2014/0043, 2015).

Spelter, H., & Toth, D. North Americas Wood Pellet Sector (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2009).

Goerndt, M., Aguilar, F. & Skog, K. Drivers of biomass co-firing in US coal-fired power plants. Biomass Bioenerg. 58, 158167 (2013).

Article Google Scholar

US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Forest Inventory and Analysis National Program: Timber Products Output Studies (2022). (Online). https://www.fia.fs.fed.us/program-features/tpo/. Accessed 2022.

Sonter, L. et al. Mining drives extensive deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Nat. Commun. 8(1013), 66. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00557-w (2017).

Article CAS Google Scholar

Mirzaee, A., McGarvey, R., Aguilar, F. & Schliep, E. Impact of biopower generation on eastern US forests. Environ. Dev. Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02235-4 (2022).

Article Google Scholar

Brandeis, C., Taylor, M., Abt, K., & Alderman, D. Status and Trends for the U.S. Forest Products Sector: A Technical Document Supporting the Forest Service 2020 RPA Assessment (US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Southern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis, 2021).

US Environmental Protection Agency. Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) (2021) (Online). https://www.epa.gov/egrid.

US Department of Transportation. Ports: ArcGIS Online (2021) (Online). https://data-usdot.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/usdot::ports/about.

US Census Bureau. TIGER/Line Shapefiles (2021) (Online). https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/time-series/geo/tiger-line-file.html.

US Census Bureau. Population and Housing Units Estimates Datasets (2021) (Online). https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/data-sets.html.

McCann, P. The Economics of Industrial Location: A Logistics-Costs Approach (Springer, 1998).

Singh, D., Cubbage, F., Gonzalez, R. & Abt, R. Locational determinants for wood pellet plants: A review and case study of North and South America. BioResources 11(3), 79287952 (2016).

Article Google Scholar

Boukherroub, T., LeBel, L. & Lemieux, S. An integrated wood pellet supply chain development: Selecting among feedstock sources and a range of operating scales. Appl. Energy 198, 385400 (2017).

Article Google Scholar

Heckman, J., Ichimura, H. & Todd, P. Matching as an econometric evaluation estimator: Evidence from evaluating a JobTraining Programme. Rev. Econ. Stud. 64(4), 605654 (1997).

Article MATH Google Scholar

Caliendo, M. & Kopeinig, S. Some practical guidance for the implementation of propensity score matching. J. Econ. Surv. 22(1), 3172 (2008).

Article Google Scholar

Woo, H., Eskelson, B. & Monleon, V. Matching methods to quantify wildfire effects on forest carbon mass in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Ecol. Appl. 31(3), e02283 (2021).

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Morreale, L., Thompson, J., Tang, X., Reinmann, A. & Hutyra, L. Elevated growth and biomass along temperate forest edges. Nat. Commun. 12(7181), 66 (2021).

Google Scholar

Isard, W. The general theory of location and space-economy. Q. J. Econ. 63(4), 476506 (1949).

Article Google Scholar

Aguilar, F. X. Spatial econometric analysis of location drivers in a renewable resource-based industry: The U.S. South Lumber Industry. For. Policy Econ. 11(3), 184193 (2009).

Article Google Scholar

Aguilar, F. X. Conjoint analysis of industry location preferences: evidence from the softwood lumber industry in the US. Appl. Econ. 66, 32653274 (2010).

Google Scholar

Aguilar, F. X., Goerndt, M., Song, N. & Shifley, S. Internal, external and location factors influencing cofiring of biomass with coal in the US northern region. Energy Econ. 34, 17901798 (2012).

Article Google Scholar

Ferraro, P. J. et al. Estimating the impacts of conservation on ecosystem services and poverty by integrating modeling and evaluation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 112(24), 74207425 (2015).

Article ADS CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Zhang, D. & Pearse, P. Forest Economics 412 (UBC Press, 2011).

Google Scholar

Villalobos, L., Coria, J. & Nordn, L. Has forest certification reduced forest degradation in Sweden?. Land Econ. 94, 220238 (2018).

Article Google Scholar

Wooldridge, J. Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data (MIT Press, 2010).

Blackman, A., Corral, L., Lima, E. & Asner, G. Titling indigenous communities protects forests in the Peruvian Amazon. PNAS 114(16), 41234128 (2016).

Article ADS Google Scholar

Abt, K. L., Abt, R. C., Galik, C. S., & Skog, K. E. Effect of Policies on Pellet Production and Forests in the U.S. South: A Technical Document Supporting the Forest Service Update of the 2010 RPA Assessment USDA (Forest Service GTR Srs-202, 2014).

Hardie, P. Parks, P. Gottleib and D. Wear, "Responsiveness of rural and urban land uses to land rent determinants in the U.S. South," Land Economics, vol. 76, no. 4, pp. 659673, 2000.

Parish, E., Herzberger, A., Phifer, C. & Dale, V. Transatlantic wood pellet trade demonstrates telecoupled benefits. Ecol. Soc. 23(1), 28 (2018).

Article Google Scholar

Titus, B. et al. Sustainable forest biomass: A review of current residue harvesting guidelines. Energy Sustain. Soc. 11, 66. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-021-00281-w (2021).

Article Google Scholar

Jandl, R. et al. How strongly can forest management influence soil carbon sequestration?. Geoderma 137(3), 253268 (2007).

Article ADS CAS Google Scholar

Nave, L., Vance, E., Swanston, C. & Cepas, P. S. Harvest impacts on soil carbon storage in temperate forests. For. Ecol. Manag. 259, 857866 (2010).

Article Google Scholar

Mayer, M. et al. Tamm review: Influence of forest management activities on soil organic carbon stocks: A knowledge synthesis. For. Ecol. Manag. 466, 118127 (2020).

Read more:

Impacts of the US southeast wood pellet industry on local forest carbon stocks | Scientific Reports - Nature.com

Categories
Co-location

$11M soap retailer plows ahead with post-Ian recovery – Business Observer

This is the first of an occasional series on lessons business leaders are learning during Hurricane Ian recovery.

The first six weeks post-Hurricane Ian have been a whirlwind of meetings, tasks, more meetings and more things to do for Naples Soap Co. founder and CEO Deanna Wallin. The one thing she hasnt had time for? To go home, she says and crawl into a ball and cry.

I dont have the luxury for negative emotions right now, says Wallin, speaking 44 days after Ian. The hurricane damaged four of the skin and hair care retailers 10 Florida locations, denting 40% of its brick-and-mortar sales for a time. Naples Soap Co. makes more than 300 bath, body and personal care products sold in its own stores and its own website, boutiques, Amazon and more. The publicly-traded company was founded in 2009.

All I can do is stay positive, Wallin adds. The people in this company are looking to me to set the tone.

Beyond buoyancy, that tone is one of steadfast resolve to have all four closed stores fully reopened by early 2023. The four damaged locations are: downtown Fort Myers; Tin City in Naples; Sanibel Island; and Fifth Avenue South in Naples. Fifth Avenue has already reopened, and Wallin hopes to reopen Tin City by Thanksgiving and Fort Myers within a few weeks. The Sanibel location was hit particularly hard, Wallin says, recalling a visit she took there, via a boat ride from a vendor, soon after Ian. At 2075 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel took on seven to nine feet of storm surge. Sludge, Wallin says, was everywhere. It took my breath away. I could hardly speak the rest of the afternoon, she says. Thats how traumatized I was.

The Sanibel location for Naples Soap Co. took on significant damage from Ian. (Courtesy photo)

The companys Fort Myers warehouse/office was also damaged, which prompted it to speed up a planned move into a new facility nearby and do it in 72 hours. The new space, on Jetport Loop just north of Southwest Florida International Airport, is 19,000-square-feet. Despite the uncertainty of closed stores, Wallin didnt let go of any staff from the 67-employee Naples Soap Co. payroll, instead shifting them to other jobs, including warehousing and inventory.

Wallin, meanwhile, has labored to make the road back more methodical than urgent three-day moves. Wallin describes it as an assess, triage and step-by-step process, down to the to-do list she created on a whiteboard. It included: mold remediation/repairs; landlord discussions; keeping sales staff engaged and employed as well as caring for their mental health/welfare; community outreach; crisis communication management; dealing with insurance adjusters; and replacing lost inventory.

Through early November, Wallin had spent between $200,000 and $300,000 on inventory and getting stores ready to open. And on those out-of-pocket costs, she says, were not done yet. She calls the process of getting insurance a hurry-up-and-wait chronic nightmare, though she has received some funds from FEMA.

One other challenge to compound the crisis is the timing, during October, which tends to be a slower month. That means Wallin has less cash on hand just as the holiday season comes into play. Thats a monster monster problem, she says. This is our biggest season.

The Naples Soap Co. location on Sanibel Island remains closed post-Ian. (Courtesy photo)

The companys third quarter earnings report, which doesnt include Octobers closed stores, showed a slight year-over-year increase: quarterly sales rose 2% over September 2021, according to the report, released Nov. 14. And sales for the first nine months of the year were $8.08 million, up 7% from $7.52 million in the first nine months of 2021. Sales from stores, excluding online, increased 12% over the same period, according to the report. The company posted $10.9 million in revenue in 2021.

Taken in total, the sales that fuel the company, Wallin realizes, will only come from being back to 100% full operations. The biggest business lesson shes learned in the process to get there, she says, is hands-down, communicate. You have to communicate with your landlord, your employees, your vendors. Even at times like this, people have to know whats going on.

Next? Be task-driven. Its all about being organized. You have to be able to delegate and hold people accountable to themselves and a deadline. Have quick meetings as often as possible, she adds, to make sure everyone is on the same page.

In the backdrop of the comeback, Count Wallin as one of the many Southwest Florida residents who say Ian was a never-have-I-ever kind of storm.

Im 53 years old and Ive never seen anything like this. I dont think my brain has fully absorbed everything, she says. Theres some days where Im just numb. But the only way out is through. There is no stopping. I love what I do, so Im just gonna keep going.

Go here to see the original:

$11M soap retailer plows ahead with post-Ian recovery - Business Observer

Categories
Dedicated Server

45 Of The Most Relatable Memes And Posts For Those Working As Servers, Waiters Or Waitresses – Bored Panda

Hello, dear Readers, welcome to Bored Panda. Well be your witty servers this evening. We have something tantalizing to share with you. The main dish consists of hilariously relatable server life memes with a side dish of, Oh, God, thats literally my life. And for dessert, we have a fabulous concoction that we like to call Laughing Through The Pain(). What can we get you to drink with that?

Working as a server or waiter can be utterly exhausting, thoroughly frustrating, and make you reevaluate what you think you know about humankind. Its a tough job that can leave you daydreaming about greener pastures. The r/Serverlife subreddit is an online community that is dedicated to servers to talk and vent about work. Some of their memes are absolutely hilarious and incredibly relatable to anyone whos ever waited tables.

Scroll down for their funniest and most accurate memes, Pandas. While youre upvoting the memes that hit waaay too close to home (or, well, work), have a think about what tips youd share with someone who just started waiting tables. Dont forget to tip your servers!

The r/Serverlife subreddit has been around for more than 8 years. It was founded all the way back in late May of 2014. At the time of writing, the community was 73.3k members strong.

The mod team invites redditors to take off their aprons, have a glass, and chat about work. Cause c'mon, as much as you act like you don't wanna talk about it, you do. I know! Aside from hilarious memes, these internet users also speak up about their job experiences. Rude customers are just the tip of the iceberg!

At the core of working as a server lies a singular mission: making your guests experience at the restaurant memorable. In a good way, of course! Nobody wants to have wine spilled all over their fancy clothes, after all.

A great waiter is bound to have high emotional intelligence. In other words, they know how to communicate well with others, can adapt to unexpected social situations, and will be able to make someone feel right at home.

Waiting on someone is all about balance. You have to be welcoming and helpful without groveling. You have to be genuinely pleasant without pretending to be over-the-top happy that your table is about to have the most amazing time everrrr! Professional, calm, and always present without disturbing anyone.

A great server enhances the entire dining experience and ensures repeat customers. Meanwhile, a bad server is someone who drives everyone away with rudeness, incompetence, and arrogance. In other words, any restaurant is more or less an accurate microcosm of human society!

Sooner or later, youll have to deal with a rude customer. Theres hardly a job in the world without run-ins with unpleasant peeps from time to time. But in the food service industry, its part and parcel of the job experience. Servers dont just take your orders, bring you food, and send you the check in paper airplane form. Theyre problem solvers! They are the face of the entire establishment and act as the bridge between the hungry-hungry customers and the kitchen.

So there you are, always on your feet, dealing with dissatisfaction, and juggling gastronomic vernacular as well as Gordon Ramsay. If you work at a fancy restaurant with a good reputation, and youve got a ton of experience to back up your awesome skills, you can rest assuredyoure financially stable. However, if youre employed at your regular, run-of-the-mill restaurant, whether youre compensated fairly depends a lot on your countrys laws.

For instance, tipping your server isnt a custom thats regularly practiced in European countries. There are laws in place which mean that the service charge is already included in the price you see on the menu. Things are pretty darn straightforward.

Meanwhile, in the US, it all depends on your particular state. If youre considered to be a tipped employee, the way your minimum wage is calculated can be very different from the actual minimum wage. Say youre living in California, right? The minimum wage there is $15/hour. Meanwhile, the tipped wage is also $15/hour. However, in Alabama, the minimum wage is $7.25. The tipped wage? $2.13. The rest of their wage comes from tips. This means that some American servers desperately need their customers to tip. And to tip well.

When your ability to put food on the table and keep a roof over your familys heads depends almost entirely on the goodwill of your customers, youre left with a ton of pressure in your daily life. If you happen to get a stingy or rude customer, you might not be able to make ends meet.

Of course, not everyone whos rude to their waiters is evil incarnate. Some folks simply had a bad day. However, there are people out there who use their rudeness as a weapon, trying to weasel out discounts and to generally make others have an awful day. The way to handle them is to stay professional throughout the interaction. Try not to take their comments personally. If youre harassed, however, speak to your manager. Ask them to step in.

A while back, Bored Panda spoke to a server at a fancy restaurant, who had once waited on the musician, Seal. He could not have been nicer. Tipped well, made friendly, genuine, conversation with the staff, just radiated kindness. It was really an encounter Ill remember for the rest of my life, she told us during an interview, earlier.

Unfortunately, not everyone was as pleasant to work with as him. The server explained to Bored Panda that before the Covid-19 pandemic, the biggest challenge was working for little pay. Since the start of the pandemic, some new problems appeared alongside the abysmal wages that are unable to catch up with inflation. Some customers physically threatened the members of staff over safety requirements. Others pick fights over insignificant details. More and more people have been on edge.

I spend more time now soothing tantruming adults than I do running food. Just last night a customer followed me out to the parking lot and tried to take down my license plate because I charged him for extra ketchup, (as per our business policy, written on the menu), the restaurant employee revealed to us.

So, the biggest problem with being a server right now is, in short, that many people treat us as sub-human trash. Say hello, look us in the eye when you order, leave a tip, and dont call us names or threaten us. Is it so much to ask? she said.

The essence of being a good server is making sure everyone leaves the meal having had a nice time. The essence of being a great server is making sure everyone leaves the meal having had a memorable time. Im always on the lookout for anything extra I can do to make the night special for our guests. If I overhear a birthday mentioned, we bring out a piece of cake. If someone comes in wearing a Dolphins jersey, well turn on that game if theyre playing. We take pride in our work.

If you happen to see someone raging at a server, think about stepping in. Even if they appear to be unbothered by all of the rudeness, it means a lot to the staff to have someone on their side.

The server may look unbothered, but thats because its their job. The customer is always right, is one of the only pieces of training many of us get. It is literally our job to be sure tables leave happy. We cannot argue with you. So, just because theyre smiling on the outside doesnt mean theyre not offended, or even feeling unsafe, on the inside, the server told Bored Panda.

If youre not comfortable saying something to the abusive customer directly, just find a manager and quietly inform them of whats going on, theyll take it from there. A lot of servers are students who are too nervous about losing the job or looking unprofessional to ask for help. And, as someone eating in the restaurant rather than working there, your words will carry far more weight with the harasser than ours would anyways.

More here:

45 Of The Most Relatable Memes And Posts For Those Working As Servers, Waiters Or Waitresses - Bored Panda

Categories
Dedicated Server

This tiny Eastern WA town could become a bitcoin mining hub – Crosscut

Skeptical of sustainability

Anything that takes so much electricity can represent an opportunity that is lost, said Glenn Blackmon, senior energy policy adviser with the state.

That power could be used to help build out electric vehicle-charging infrastructure or to convert buildings from natural gas to high-efficiency electricity, he said.

We need a lot of clean electricity to do the energy transformation of our economy, that is necessary for us to meet our climate goals, Blackmon said. And adding a novel load like blockchain processing, at best, is an additional requirement for clean electricity.

There is also a scenario, Blackmon said, where Merkle Standard could wind up in a situation where it negotiates to get power from somewhere else, possibly introducing fossil fuels to the mix, he said. He said the states Energy Office will be pitching the Legislature to close a loophole in the Clean Energy Transformation Act and prevent that from happening.

Otherwise, the state isnt getting in the way of the project. Just keeping an eye on it. It isnt really in the states purview to decide what is or isnt a good use of electricity, Blackmon said.

Theres lots of different things people might do with electricity that they havent done historically, he said.

The potential environmental threat of cryptocurrency has garnered a few local opponents in Pend Oreille County, who have caused a couple of hiccups.

Richards, the Army veteran who runs a website called Protect Pend Oreille, and retired biologist Ed Styskel protested the countys determination of non-significance for the project. Both argued that Merkle Standard was not forthright in how loud the full operation could be and how that noise might affect local wildlife, like the American white pelican that hangs out in the area part of the year.

In May, the county hearing examiner shot down the appeal and approved the conditional-use permit, with the requirement that the crypto operation follows state noise rules.

Stahl calls Richards a fiction fantasy writer. Stahl contends the old wood-chip processor was louder than the crypto equipment. But, Richards notes, the newsprint mill didnt run 24/7.

The crypto operation has also come under fire from Responsible Growth NE Washington, a local environmental group that got its start five years ago protesting and effectively chasing away a proposed smelter in nearby Newport.

When you want that much power, somewhere along that line ... youre going to find coal, said Phyllis Kardos, a retired teacher and a leader of Responsible Growth.

Kardos says she isnt opposed to reviving the mill and bringing back those jobs. But she worries about the impact of an industry that takes up so much electricity and, in her view, gives so little back.

Someone has to speak for the environment, she said. People want to come here, not because of a smelter, or not because of a cryptocurrency. They want to come here because of the rural lifestyle, the environment that we have now.

One question that remains is how long Merkle Standard will last in the current market conditions.

Maybe the market will swing up again, as it has done before, and Merkle will reap the profits.

Or perhaps the company will do as others have and take its miners to cheaper pastures. Merkle already shipped some computers to a server farm in South Carolina, where Stahl said the process was much smoother.

For now, Stahl says they have no plans of leaving Usk as long as it makes business sense to stay.

Maybe Im just a sucker for northeast [Washington] because I grew up in Colville, he said. But whenever I can, Im gonna try to build it here. If it becomes economically unfeasible, well go somewhere else."

InvestigateWestis an independent news nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism in the Pacific Northwest. Visitinvw.org/newslettersto sign up for weekly updates.

Visit link:

This tiny Eastern WA town could become a bitcoin mining hub - Crosscut

Categories
Dedicated Server

The Worldwide High-performance Computing Industry is Expected to Reach $49.9 Billion by 2027 – GlobeNewswire

Dublin, Nov. 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "High-performance Computing (HPC) Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis, by Component, Computation Type (Parallel Computing, Distributed computing and Exascale Computing), Industry, Deployment, Server Price Band, Verticals & Region - Global Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global high-performance computing (HPC) market is expected to grow from USD 36.0 Billion in 2022 to USD 49.9 Billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 6.7%.Large enterprises segment is expected to hold a higher market share during the forecast period

Organizations with an employee base of more than 1,000 people are considered large enterprises. As the adoption of new digital technologies increases, many large enterprises have replaced their traditional data center infrastructure technologies and other management processes with HPC systems and solutions. Large enterprises are usually characterized by high-server densities and high computational power requirements.

These organizations require highly reliable infrastructure. HPC solutions can facilitate data center providers with fast processing abilities and deliver quick results, increasing their profitability. Moreover, HPC solutions aid large enterprises in processing numerous applications simultaneously within a short time, enabling a significant reduction in downtime.

On-Premises deployment of HPC to hold the largest market share during the forecast period

The on-premises deployment consists of various dedicated computing nodes that are attached to their parent nodes and further connected to workstations. This deployment type supports specialized hardware, such as InfiniBand and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU).

However, the emergence of HPC in the cloud has affected the growth of the on-premises deployment type segment. Yet, organizations are deploying HPC solutions using the on-premises deployment type because of the security and confidentiality factors. Many vendors are making continued investments in the on-premises deployment type, as well as developing new cloud business models for HPC. Major vendors offering on-premise HPC solutions include HPE, IBM, and Dell.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction

2. Research Methodology

3. Executive Summary

4. Premium Insights4.1 Attractive Growth Opportunities in High-Performance Computing Market4.2 High-Performance Computing Market, by Component4.3 High-Performance Computing Market, by Component and Region4.4 High-Performance Computing Market, by Country

5. Market Overview5.1 Introduction5.2 Market Dynamics5.2.1 Drivers5.2.1.1 Growing Need for Efficient Computing, High Scalability, and Reliable Storage5.2.1.2 Increasing Demand for High-Speed Data Processing with Accuracy5.2.1.3 Increased Use of High-Performance Computing and Deep Learning Frameworks in Development of COVID-19 Vaccines5.2.1.4 Growing Demand for High-Performance Computing (HPC) Systems in Genomics Research5.2.2 Restraints5.2.2.1 Cyber Security Concerns5.2.2.2 High Deployment Costs Associated with Commercial High-Performance Computing (HPC) Clusters5.2.3 Opportunities5.2.3.1 Increasing Focus on Adoption of Hybrid High-Performance Computing (HPC) Systems5.2.3.2 Introduction of Exascale Computing5.2.3.3 Rising Investments in Data Centers Supporting HPC Capability5.2.4 Challenges5.2.4.1 Less Technical Expertise Related to High-Performance Computing (HPC)5.2.4.2 Limited Budgets of Smes5.2.4.3 Challenges in Cooling HPC Systems5.2.4.4 Requirement of Advanced Frameworks to Improve Fault Tolerance and Ensure Resiliency5.3 Value Chain Analysis5.4 Technology Analysis5.5 Ecosystem Analysis5.6 Trends/Disruptions Impacting Customers5.7 Case Studies5.7.1 Case Study 1: Education5.7.2 Case Study 2: Energy and Utilities5.7.3 Case Study 3: Education5.8 Porter's Five Forces Analysis5.9 Pricing Analysis5.10 Trade Analysis5.11 Key Conferences and Events Between 2022 and 20235.12 Key Stakeholders and Buying Criteria5.13 Regulations and Standards5.14 Regulatory Bodies, Government Agencies, and Other Organizations

6. High-Performance Computing Market, by Component6.1 Introduction6.1.1 Drivers: High-Performance Computing Market for Component6.1.2 COVID-19 Impact6.2 Solutions6.2.1 Server6.2.1.1 Supercomputer and Divisional Systems6.2.1.2 Departmental and Workgroup Systems6.2.2 Storage6.2.3 Networking Devices6.2.4 Software6.3 Services6.3.1 Design and Consulting6.3.2 Integration and Deployment

7. High-Performance Computing Market, by Computation Type7.1 Introduction7.2 Parallel Computing7.2.1 Parallel Computing Helps in Solving Complex Mathematical Problems7.2.2 Case Study: Aws and AstraZeneca7.2.3 Bit-Level Parallelism7.2.4 Instruction-Level Parallelism7.2.5 Task Parallelism7.3 Distributed Computing7.3.1 Distributed Computing Helps in Leveraging HPC Resources Using Low-Value Commodity Hardware7.3.2 Use Case: Dell and Walt Disney Animation Studio7.3.3 Grid Computing7.3.4 Cluster Computing7.3.5 Cloud Computing7.3.5.1 Use Case: Fraud Detection in Bfsi Sector7.4 Exascale Computing7.4.1 Exascale Computing Helps in Making New Scientific Discoveries by Processing Large Amounts of Data in Short Time7.4.2 Use Case: Vaccine Development

8. High-Performance Computing Market, by Deployment8.1 Introduction8.1.1 Drivers: High-Performance Computing Market for Deployment Type8.1.2 COVID-19 Impact8.2 Cloud8.3 On-Premises

9. High-Performance Computing Market, by Organization Size9.1 Introduction9.1.1 Drivers: High-Performance Computing Market for Organization Size9.1.2 COVID-19 Impact9.2 Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises9.3 Large Enterprises

10. High-Performance Computing Market, by Server Price Band10.1 Introduction10.2 USD 250,000-500,000 and Above10.2.1 USD 250,000-500,000 and Above Server Price Band Comprises Systems That Help in Solving Highly Complex Mathematical Problems10.3 USD 250,000-100,000 and Below10.3.1 USD 250,000-100,000 and Below Server Price Band Comprise Systems That Can Solve Moderately Complex Mathematical Problems

11. High-Performance Computing Market, by Vertical11.1 Introduction11.1.1 Drivers: High-Performance Computing Market for Vertical11.1.2 COVID-19 Impact11.2 Government & Defense11.3 Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (Bfsi)11.4 Education & Research11.4.1 Recent Developments11.5 Manufacturing11.6 Media & Entertainment11.7 Healthcare & Life Sciences11.8 Energy & Utilities11.9 Earth Sciences11.10 Others

12. High-Performance Computing Market, by Region

13. Competitive Landscape13.1 Key Player Strategies/Right to Win13.2 Overview13.3 Top 5 Company Analysis13.4 Market Share Analysis (2021)13.5 Company Evaluation Quadrant, 202113.5.1 Star13.5.2 Pervasive13.5.3 Emerging Leader13.5.4 Participant13.6 Sme Evaluation Quadrant, 202113.6.1 Progressive Company13.6.2 Responsive Company13.6.3 Dynamic Company13.6.4 Starting Block13.7 Competitive Scenario

14. Company Profiles14.1 Key Players14.1.1 Advanced Micro Devices14.1.2 Intel14.1.3 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (Hpe)14.1.4 IBM14.1.5 Dell14.1.6 Lenovo14.1.7 Fujitsu14.1.8 Atos14.1.9 Cisco14.1.10 Nvidia14.2 Other Players14.2.1 Nec Corporation14.2.2 Amazon Web Services14.2.3 Oracle14.2.4 Microsoft14.2.5 Inspur14.2.6 Netapp14.2.7 Iron Global14.2.8 Aspen System14.2.9 Advanced Clustering Technologies14.2.10 Dawning Information Industry Co. Ltd. (Sugon)14.2.11 Dassault Systems14.2.12 Arm Limited14.2.13 Montage Technology14.2.14 Adaptive Computing14.2.15 Advanced HPC14.2.16 Datadirect Networks14.2.17 Equus Computers14.2.18 Excelero14.2.19 Giga-Byte14.2.20 Penguin Computing

15. Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hyyt7v

Continue reading here:

The Worldwide High-performance Computing Industry is Expected to Reach $49.9 Billion by 2027 - GlobeNewswire