Posts for May 25, 2010

COMPANIES SEE HEALTH CARE REFORM RAISING COSTS

May 25, 2010 – Late Wire from Manufacturing.net
Big companies think health care reform will hike their costs, but most expect to continue offering subsidized benefits to workers, according to a new study ... continue

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE GROWS IN MAY

May 25, 2010 – Today in Manufacturing.net
Americans' confidence in the economy rose in May for the third straight month in a row, fueled by growing optimism about future job prospects... continue

EXCITING THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT UCAT

May 25, 2010 - UCAT

DATC
Kaysville, UT The Northfront Business Resource Center, at the Davis Applied TechnologyCollege will host the third annual Young Entrepreneurs Boot Camp inKaysville, Utah beginning Wednesday, June 9th through June 15, 2010 from8:00 am to 5:00 p.m. The program is specifically designed for studentsages 16-18, with the desire to become the next wave of successful Utahentrepreneurs.

This highly interactive event features real life tips and advice fromthe best entrepreneurs and investors in Utah, as well as renownedbusiness coaches, SEED Weber/Davis/Morgan, EarlyRun and Grow UtahVentures.

The boot camps goal is to teach students the art and science ofcreating and managing a high growth venture. Coaches will runparticipants through the paces of business positioning, refining theelevator pitch, finding capital and avoiding the most commonbusiness planning mistakes.

The program will conclude with an award ceremony where teams ofstudents will have the opportunity to win scholarships and incredibleprizes.

To register go to www.youngebootcamp.org. Registration before May 15this only $49.00.

NO STONERIDGE, NO LEEGIN

May 25, 2010 – FLAG Weekly Communications - NAM

The Senate passed its financial regulation legislation, S. 3217, without amendments to expand liability for manufacturers. Sen. Arlen Specter’s amendment to overturn Stoneridge v. Scientific Atlanta, making manufacturers and suppliers deep pocket targets in securities fraud lawsuits, never came to a vote. Specter’s subsequent defeat in the Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary diminishes the legislation’s prospects.

Neither did the Senate take up the amendment by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) to overturn the Leegin decision on resale price maintenance agreements; S.Amdt. 3788 was also known as the Discount Pricing Consumer Protection Act. The harmful (to business and stockholders) proxy access provisions did make it into the final bill. If they become law, trial lawyers will gain more leverage to damage a company’s PR as part of a litigation strategy. The provisions also federalize corporate governance. See the McClatchy story, “Senate financial overhaul could bring change to the boardroom.”


OGDEN-WEBER APPLIED TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE RECEIVES BEST OF STATE AWARD

May 25, 2010 – Ogden Standard Examiner

This article appeared in the Standard Examiner about our college sponsored robotics team going to the national competition in Atlanta. They did extremely well!

Results are in for winners of the annual Best of State Awards. The Ogden-Weber tech college has been named Best in State for Vocational Training in Education. Medals will be presented at the 2010 Best of State Awards Gala on Saturday, May 29th in the Grand Ballroom of the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. The black-tie, celebration will be hosted by Shauna Lake and Mark Koelbel of KUTV2.

The Best of State Awards were created to recognize outstanding individuals, organizations and businesses in Utah. Nominations are submitted each spring and reviewed by more than 100 judges. Each nomination is judged on its own merits and against specific criteria for each category.

Former Governor, Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. stated, Best of State recognizes those who are excelling and surpassing all else and who are the best of the best in their respective fields. Nearly two hundred categories in the arts and entertainment, community development, education, travel and tourism, manufacturing, business services, science & technology, and sports and recreation provide opportunities for businesses operating in Utah to participate.

http://www.standard.net/topics/owatc/2010/05/12/ogden-weber-applied-technology-college-named-top-vocational-training-facilit

OIL TAX COULD QUADRUPLE

May 25, 2010 – Today in Manufacturing.net
Congress is getting ready to quadruple a tax on oil used to help finance cleanups to 32 cents a barrel, which would raise nearly $11 billion over the next decade... continue

PROMOLD SHARP ANNOUNCEMENT

May 25, 2010 – UOSH

ProMold Custom Injection Molding, Inc. is a full-service, custom plastic injection molding company located in North Salt Lake. The company is part of the Pro-Mark Inc. family of companies and is a sister company to Orbit Irrigation Products. ProMold has been in business since 2001.

For those not familiar with SHARP, the program is a formal recognition of small companies that are able to establish and maintain outstanding safety and health programs as well as maintain employee injury/illness rates lower than the national average for their industry. Pro-
Mold Custom Injection Molding began its journey toward SHARP in March of 2009 and participated in several onsite visits conducted by Utah OSHA Consultation. These onsite activities allowed the Consultation program to evaluate and address safety and health issues within the company's facility, as well as perform a thorough evaluation of their safety and health management system. On March 11, 2010, ProMold Custom Injection Molding was formally approved as Utah's 7th SHARP company. The Labor Commission would like to congratulate this outstanding company for their achievement and continued efforts to maintain a safe and healthful working environment for their employees.

U.S., CHINA PLEDGE COOPERATION

May 25, 2010 – Late Wire from Manufacturing.net
China and the United States pledged closer cooperation on financial regulation and energy Tuesday but made no breakthroughs on currency exchange rates ... continue

WILL LEGAL CHALLENGES AGAINST EPA REGULATION SUCCEED?

May 25, 2010 – FLAG Weekly Communications - NAM

Writing in The Corner at National Review Online, Hans von Spakovsky and Robert Gordon of the Heritage Foundation say yes:

The reality is that the EPA is well aware that the tailoring regulation contradicts black-letter law; consequently, it knows legal challenges have high prospects for success. So why would an agency like the EPA that has no trouble flexing its regulatory muscles exempt tens of thousands of potential regulatory targets with such a rule? Quite simply, in addition to recognizing the regulation’s tenuous legal grounds, the EPA realizes that as the number of individuals aware of the pending regulatory burden grows, the stronger the backlash against its CO2 rules will be. Crafty bureaucrats also know that the biggest hurdle they now face is beginning the process of regulating CO2 — striking out against our national economy from the regulatory beachhead of the EPA’s very questionable endangerment finding.

Jonathan Adler of Case Western Reserve School of Law says, no, not likely.
Conservatives should not kid themselves. Contra Hans A. von Spakovsky and Robert Gordon, the various legal challenges to EPA's endangerment finding do not have "reasonable prospects of prevailing." The statutory threshold for the finding is exceedingly deferential. So long as the EPA can show that climate change can "reasonably be anticipated" to have some negative effects — not catastrophic effects, not substantial net negative effects, and not even negative effects confined to humans — then the EPA wins. The agency will only lose in Court if opponents prove it violated relevant procedural rules. In other words, the EPA could lose on process, but won't lose on the merits. This doesn't justify backing the Carper-Casey legislation, but it does counsel conservatives to stop thinking the courts will save us from the horrors of EPA greenhouse gas regulation. Legislative action is the only fix.