From Alphonso O'Neil-White's eighth-floor downtown office on West Genesee Street, the view of the Buffalo outer harbor and the burgeoning downtown landscape is inspiring.

O'Neil-White, the president and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and a member of the Cultures of Giving Legacy Initiative Council, shared his view of the city and his success story with 20 students from Buffalo schools Monday.

O'Neil-White spoke at the council's second "Success Looks Like Me" event about his journey and what it takes to be successful, and he answered students' questions about his job and how he made it to the top of BlueCross BlueShield.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson, an actor and director and a Lackawanna native, spoke at the council's first event in May.

The council, made up of multicultural leaders from across the city, is a collaborative, philanthropic effort to make a difference in the lives of young people living in Buffalo's low-income communities.

"Students can read about success in newspapers or in books, but until they see it up close and personal - I think it has a much better impact on them," O'Neil-White said. "One of the things the council is trying to achieve is giving them access to a variety of experiences, people and situations. So they know that they have choices, and for them to get a fix on what choice they might make when the time comes."

The council works with the Boys and Girls Club of Buffalo, the Buffalo Urban League and the Belle Center to find students in a low-income and challenging environment who demonstrate leadership qualities. Recently the council established a partnership with the Buffalo Public Schools and hopes to broaden its reach in the community.

W. Charles Brady, director of social studies for Buffalo Public Schools, said the council is doing commendable work and is mak

ing a difference.

"It allows students to interact with people that had similar situations, and now those individuals are able to give back," Brady said. "They can show young people how to be successful."

Continued here:
A front-row seat to success

SPARTANBURG, SC (FOX Carolina) -

Tuesday was America's night out. It was achance for neighbors and law enforcement to come together and stop crime.

"It's an opportunity for us to re-connect with neighborhoods. We are already connected but we get to get a little more personal and get to listen to some of their problems or issues they have going on in the neighborhood," said Officer Randy Hardy, who is over crime prevention in Spartanburg.

He said Converse Heights is just one neighborhood where the crime stats have gone down. These days neighbors said all they worry about is the rareminor theft.

"WellI think we havehad our fair share of car break-ins and that sort of thing so it was a good opportunity to at least talk with our local police officers. The mayor was here so it was good to voice those concerns," said Josh Page, a neighborhood organizer for National Night Out.

Neighbors said the first step in dealing withcrime concerns is tomeet the person living next door and know who lives in the area.

"We have a lot of people in the neighborhood that walk around andjog... to come up and see them close up and meet them is great," said Leonard Nesbit who lives in the Converse Heights neighborhood.

Simply put, neighborhood crime and drug prevention boils down to neighbors being neighbors.

"If someone is out of town we try to keep an eye out on their house and not let the newspapers stack up and things like that," said Wesley Hammond who lives in Converse Heights.

Copyright 2012 FOX Carolina (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved

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National Night Out finds success in Spartanburg neighborhood

COSTA MESA, CA--(Marketwire -08/07/12)- MLC & Associates, Inc., a management-consulting firm focused on improving clients' people, processes, technology and facilities, is celebrating 25 years of positioning its clients for growth and success and has also announced the promotion of Prashant Kumar to president and CEO to lead the firm's aggressive plans for continued expansion. The company doubled sales between 2011 and 2012 and is aiming for similar annual growth for the next five years, including the addition of new offices in across the United States and India.

MLC & Associates helps large- and mid-size clients with business continuity, corporate performance management and organizational development, drawing from a team with a wealth of experience and expertise in finance, engineering and economics. The company's strengths have helped MLC beat the odds; just one in four new-employer firms survive beyond 15 years(1), and MLC has been thriving for 25.

"We've weathered three recessions because of our forward-thinking capabilities and honest, personal style," says Mary Carrido, Chairman and Founder of MLC & Associates. "Clients know they can trust us for the truly personalized service and honest assessments that guide them through major organizational change and transformational improvement. Prashant is part of our own corporate change, having brought a special expertise in corporate performance management as well as a keen understanding of our ambitious expansion projects. In a day and age where even major corporations often don't survive 25 years, we're confidently anticipating another quarter of a century of growth under Prashant's leadership."

The firm evolved since 1987, accommodating the service lines and expertise to best help clients' growth, including MLC's emphasis on business continuity and expansion of capabilities in corporate performance management and cloud technology. Leveraging cloud technology has broadened MLC's reach to offer smaller clients access to Fortune 500-level services by packaging its core services in a way that's affordable for smaller companies. While implementing changes in large organizations can take more time, opening MLC's services up to mid-size companies has allowed the management consultancy to make an impressive impact on clients' futures. Kumar's commitment to cloud technology has presented MLC's service lines to a previously underserved market.

MLC is uniquely able to bridge the gap between strategy, tactics and operations -- working with companies to see a plan through from start to finish. Clients benefit form MLC's strong focus on key performance indicators and metrics, which are integral to all of the firms' practices and offer clients the ability to track progress and ROI.

"We really practice what we preach, constantly examining and refining our own people, processes and technologies to better serve our clients," says Prashant Kumar, newly appointed president and CEO of MLC & Associates. "That's part of what puts us a decade ahead of any competitor, and it's what makes companies choose us time and again over larger firms that simply can't offer the same consistent ROI that we do. From implementing cloud technology throughout each of our practices, to expanding our service offerings and capabilities, and holding ourselves accountable with key performance indicators and metrics -- MLC works tirelessly to ensure programs are effective and efficient from ideation through execution. I'm proud to lead such a uniquely talented and dedicated team."

ABOUT MLC & ASSOCIATES, INC.: MLC & Associates, Inc. is a world-class management consulting firm that helps large- and mid-size companies in every industry with business continuity, corporate performance management and organizational development that draws from faith-based core values. Clients like AT&T, Sony Pictures, The Irvine Company, SAS and Mattel trust MLC's incredibly experienced team to position people, technology, processes and facilities to drive ROI and institute positive changes in company culture and efficiency, always with an emphasis on listening, integrity and exceeding expectations. MLC begins each relationship by understanding how to serve the client, the culture and the organization through organizational problem-solving, increasing efficiencies, reducing operational risk and achieving organizational goals. For more information, visit http://www.mlchq.com.

(1) U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics; U.S. Dept of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BED.

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MLC & Associates Celebrates 25 Years of Success and Appoints New President & CEO Prashant Kumar

By Michael Nolan - August 7, 2012 | Tickers: COST, LUV, TGT, WMT | 0 Comments

Michael is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.

Costco. Normally, I like to build suspense about the stock I'm sharing with you, but, today, I'm coming right out with it: Costco (NASDAQ: COST) is a perfect long-term stock. But you shouldn't trust just anyone who tells you what to invest in: you should have evidence; you should have proof.

So, what's the secret behind Costco? Well, you already know its keys to success: wholesale prices, seemingly unlimited amount of products, etc. But what is the key behind the scenes that differs Costco from its competitors?

Well, what fun would we have if I gave everything away immediately. I mean, come on, I already gave you the ticker. I can't just hand over everything.

So before I get to Costco's secret, why don't I start with the long-term case for Costco.

Costco: Profile of a Company

Several elements of the goliath make Costco into the successful company that it is: the wholesale factor I mentioned earlier, the low-cost/high-profit element, in addition to a few other parts of the discount store. Yet, many successful companies are publicly traded. Success isn't enough to make me click "buy" for the long run. So what makes Costco perfect for years to come?

Check out Costco's Return on Equity (ROE): according to theory, the company with the highest ROE (in comparison to its competitors) typically brings the best returns to its shareholders. Costco's ROE is 12.50 -- a very competitive ROE. Rival SuperValu's ROE is negative ... not very impressive.

Now, how about their dividend? Well, a 1.1% dividend isn't whopping, but it is something.

Continue reading here:
One Perfect Long-Term Stock...And the Secret Behind its Success

KHABAROVSK, Russia , Aug. 7, 2012 /CNW/ - Inesoft announced the launch its new product for financial management - Inesoft Cash Organizer Desktop. The program offers a handy and efficient approach to managing personal funds and financial planning on the user's home PC. Inesoft Cash Organizer has the following differential advantages: the option to be installed on several devices with automatic synchronization in the real time as well as data storage in the cloud.

Always running short on money? How about spendings accounting and controlling your expenses? Almost every person asks this or a similar range of questions and then purchases or downloads some program for personal finances management for free. Unfortunately, most of these programs are not designed for constant use since the interface is unusable, it is difficult to properly adjust reports, and in general, many users gave up on this hopeless endeavour having failed to manage their expenses.

Inesoft Cash Organizer was specially designed by Inesoft company as the maximally intuitive solution to manage personal finances. The program supports detailed classification of money transactions split into categories, sub-categories, projects, subprojects, budget planning, unlimited number of currencies with current exchange rates, credit calculators, customized reports and many other options. Moreover, the program can be downloaded for free. In addition, with the paid Premium-subscription, the Inesoft Cash Organizer user gets access to completely new options.

First, it is possible to operate the program with multiple users (for example, spouses or several business partners). Secondly, on subscription, the data of Inesoft Cash Organizer installed on PC and mobile devices are automatically synchronized in real time. Thirdly, the program can be installed on all the users' computers with no limits to the number of copies.

Premium-subscription to Inesoft Cash Organizer also provides safe data storage in the cloud (with 256-bit encryption). Third parties' unauthorized access to the data in the cloud is completely excluded, while partners can be provided with a partial access.

Prices and terms

For personal use - free; quarterly Premium-subscription costs USD $14.95 ; annual Premium-subscription costs to USD $29.95 .

References:

Product page: http://www.cashorganizer.com/rus/

Downloads: http://www.cashorganizer.com/rus/help.html

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Inesoft Cash Organizer Desktop: A New Approach to Personal Accounts Book-Keeping

EATONTOWN Women entrepreneurs and business professionals are invited to register for the kickoff of Act Like A Lady, Think Like The Boss, a 12-part personal development workshop series.

Led by experienced networkers and successful local netpreneurs Stacey Womble and Alonna Picket, Act Like a Lady, Think Like the Boss empowers entrepreneurialminded women to gain control of their careers and financial destiny by helping them learn and refine the skills necessary to thrive in business, according to a press release.

The kickoff will take place 7:30-10 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Sheraton in Eatontown.

Included in the cost of the workshop is access to an expansive online community that features guest interviews from accomplished women in business, a discussion forum, updates on live networking events, advice on business etiquette and tips for balancing career and personal life.

Monmouth County residents Pickett and Womble developed the workshop to help other local women avoid the struggles they encountered as college graduates following the traditional career path.

When I lost my job in 2010, it forced me to reassess my life. So, I went online and began researching, connecting, and building purposeful relationships with some of the most brilliant online entrepreneurs. It wasnt easy, but I learned so much about marketing my online business and becoming a well-rounded business woman, said Womble in the press release.

In 2008, Pickett accepted a full scholarship to Northwestern University to pursue a doctoral degree in African American history but instead discovered that the traditional route of going to school and getting a good job is failing miserably, she said in the press release. Today, both women own profitable web-based businesses.

According to the press release, a portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to 180 Turning Lives Around, a nonprofit that supports victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

The cost for the series is $97. For more information, call 732-984-3257 or email stacey@actlikealadythinkliketheboss.com.

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‘Act Like a Lady, Think Like the Boss’ begins Aug. 23

In the past, online courses and degree programs were viewed as low quality or financially unsustainable, but a variety of factors are now allowing online programs to flourish. Universities throughout the country are adopting School as a Service (SaaS) programs, which offer a way to build, market, and manage online degree programs. A number of technological advancementsas well as a new generation of tech-savvy studentshave made it easier for professors and students to work together online.

These programs are attractive because they allow students to access higher education in a more affordable, convenient way. Online learning makes it possible for professors and students to share information and work together via collaborative workspaces, chat features, social networking, and mobile devices.

In the last decade, the online education market has grown significantly and actually outpaced university enrollment. The Babson survey found 6.1 million studentsor 31 percent of total post-secondary enrollmentwere taking at least one online college course in Fall 2010. In addition,data from Eduventuressuggests that in 2010, nearly 14 percent of college students took more than 80 percent of their college courses online, and nearly 30 percent of graduate students are enrolled in online classes.

These numbers show the growing popularity of school-as-a-service programs. But which companies are leading the pack? While some have been offering online educational services for years, most have sprung up only recently. Check out a few of the top organizations making waves in SaaS:

1. 2tor

This startup is the first of its kind to offer full degree programs online at top-tier universities, and it comes highly funded. In April, 2tors total investments were just under$97 million. The service partners with universities to help them build, market, and manage their own online degree programs.

2tor creates programs only for top-tier universities and has partnered with just four universities to date the University of Southern California, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Washington University in St. Louis, and Georgetown University. So far, 2tor has built six online masters degree programs in business, nursing, social work, law, public administration, and education. 2tors exclusivity is allowing it to lead the way as a top-tier SaaS provider.

2. Academic Partnerships

Academic Partnerships works with post-secondary institutions to develop and market online programs, much like other SaaS startups. But this company is distinguished by the fact that it focuses exclusively on public institutions. In the past, public universities werent apt to adopt the online model, but in recent years, theyve been using SaaS to reach a higher number of learners.

Since 2008, Academic Partnerships has partnered with nearly 25 public universities across the country, including Arkansas State University and Ohio University. Its web-based, public model stands to play a significant role in increasing access to higher education for all in the coming years.

Excerpt from:
Online education has gotten better. Here are 4 companies that may make you smarter

Enlarge Photo

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

No words can convey what Andy Reid is feeling right now, after his oldest son Garrett was found dead Sunday in a dormitory room at the Philadelphia Eagles training camp. But lets talk about it for a bit, anyway, because, well, its a story for our times.

At some point, as youre probably aware, Garretts life went off the rails, and he was trying, as an unofficial assistant with the Eagles, to get it back on track. His younger brother Britt ran into trouble around the same time, five years ago. Both ended up going to prison Garrett, then 24, for drugs (he admitted being a dealer), Britt, then 22, primarily on weapons charges (though drugs also figured into it). The judge who sentenced them said the Reid household sounds more or less like a drug emporium with the drugs all over the house. There isnt any structure there that this court can depend on. This is a family in crisis.

It was bizarre to hear a football coach, whose professional life revolves around structure, accused of running a loose ship at home. And frankly, well never know what went on inside the walls of the Reid manse. But its certainly fair to say, without being judgmental, that being a Super Bowl coach and a super-duper father is, in this day and age, a trick worthy of David Blaine. The first job is just too demanding and worse, seems to ask more of you every season.

Joe Gibbs once called winning the third most important thing in my life. God is first, he said. Family and loved ones are second, and then my occupation is third. While that might be the pecking order, though, it isnt how the hours tend to be apportioned. During the season and even offseason wife and kids can get short shrift as dad attends to his various duties. Nowadays, after all, a head coach is rarely just a head coach. Hes usually also a club president (Gibbs) or an executive VP of football operations (Reid), his fingers in every pie.

It can be a closed-off existence, to say the least. At the beginning of each game week, Gibbs and his staff would disappear into a conference room they called The Submarine and wouldnt come up for air until they had a plan for beating the opponent. The close quarters, the mapping out of strategy, the feeling of being out of touch with the Real World, made it all feel very Red October-ish. About the only thing missing was the periscope.

Gibbs wife Pat used to send him audio tapes from home, recordings of his sons J.D. and Coy talking about their various activities, so he could keep abreast of what was going on in the family. Such are the lengths coaches have to go to retain some normalcy in their lives, a sense of connectedness beyond the boundaries of the football field.

And it can be a tenuous connection, indeed. Barely a year before the Reid boys were arrested, James Dungy, the 18-year-old son of Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, committed suicide in an apartment in Tampa. It makes you realize nepotistic as it might appear why coaches often hire their kids as assistants. Its probably more than just giving them a leg up in the profession. Its probably also an attempt to make up for lost years, years spent bouncing around the country, from one assistants position to another, so dad can climb the coaching ladder.

When Gibbs returned for a second stint as the Redskins coach, he brought Coy along as an offensive quality control assistant. A few years earlier, one of his predecessors, Marty Schottenheimer, named his son Brian the quarterbacks coach. And Mike Shanahans son Kyle, of course, is the current offensive coordinator. Thats right, three of the past five Redskins coaches have had their offspring on their staffs. Interesting, no?

More here:
DALY: Coaching and family: A tenuous connection

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4ICElNpuCw

06-08-2012 09:43 Introduction to some of the facilities and services available at BHB Health and Fitness. Whilst showing demonstrations on main pieces, with Helens private gym

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BHB Health and Fitness - Video

Well-being enhancement company Healthways (HWAY) recently revealed that it is providing its Prime Fitness Program to First Coast Service Options located in Jacksonville, Florida and to Novitas Solutions based in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The two companies will provide access to Prime Fitness to their staff as a benefit paid for by the employer.

Periodic exercise helps manage health problems and leads to improved productivity and reduced systemic costs. Research results indicate that physical exercise three or more times a week (instead of zero to once a week) leads to a significant curtailment of healthcare costs.

Participants in Healthways Prime Fitness Program can avail of over 8,000 fitness centers across the country. Other benefits include access to an online site capable of designing fitness regimens. In addition, the company also provides telephonic support.

The Healthways model encourages people to make favorable lifestyle changes that lead to enhanced well-being, reduced healthcare costs, improved performance and economic value for customers. The company has invested in technology platforms that provide scalable support with large populations. It has tie-ups with a large proportion of U.S. health plans and counts many millions of lives in its customer base.

Due to its unique scalable business model, Healthways shares may present a long-term investment opportunity, although it may face many challenges in the short term.

Healthways is the leader in a strategically critical and rapidly evolving part of the health care services market. Its fitness program (SilverSneakers) for seniors is available at 14,000 centers across the U.S. and caters to several million eligible enrollees.

We currently have a Neutral recommendation on Healthways. The stock retains a Zacks #3 Rank, which translates into a short-term Hold rating.

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Healthways Acquires Users for Prime