Raleigh, NC – North Carolina State University College of Management today announced the formation of a new Industry Advisory Board for its BioPharma Management Initiative. The announcement was made at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBC) during the third annual BioPharma Forum, co-sponsored by the BioPharma Management Initiative and NCBC.

Following are the industry members of the BioPharma Management Initiative Advisory Board:

• Lou Arp, vice president production operations, Eisai, Research Triangle Park, N.C.
• Jeff Clark, managing general partner, Aurora Funds, Inc., Durham, N.C.
• John Cox, senior vice president of global manufacturing and general manager, Biogen Idec, Durham N.C.
• Prabhavathi Fernandes, president and chief executive officer, Cempra Pharmaceuticals, Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Myla-Lai Goldman, executive vice president, medical director and chief scientific officer of Laboratory Corporation of America, Holdings, Burlington, N.C.
• Bruce Kaylos, managing director of Wyeth Biotech, Sanford, N.C.
• Judy O’Neal, senior vice president, public affairs and chief of staff, Office of the President, WakeMed Health & Hospitals, Raleigh, N.C.
• Mark Paige, vice president, technical operations, Novozymes North America, Inc., Franklinton, N.C.
• Dan Pelak, president and chief executive officer, InnerPulse, Research Triangle Park, N.C.
• Joe Schachle, executive vice president, chief of commercial and corporate operations, Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Durham, N.C.
• Paula Brown Stafford, executive vice president, global data management, Quintiles Transnational Corp., Research Triangle Park, N.C.
• Scott Uknes, vice president, business development, Athenix Corp., Research Triangle Park, N.C.
• Rick Williams, director, BATON, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Academic members of the BioPharma Management Initiative Industry Advisory Board are:

• Leslie Alexandre, director, corporate relations, health care and life sciences, NC State College of Management
• Steve Allen, associate dean, Jenkins Graduate School of Management, and associate dean for research, NC State College of Management
• Prema Arasu, interim assistant dean, student and international affairs, The Graduate School, and director, International Programs, NC State College of Veterinary Medicine
• Michael Flickinger, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and microbiology, and BTEC associate director, NC State College of Engineering
• Richard Kouri, executive director, BioPharma Management Initiative, and professor of practice, NC State College of Management
• Daniel Kuckel, MBA student and president, BioPharma Management Club, NC State College of Management
• Mitzi Montoya, Zelnak Professor of Marketing Innovation and executive director, Services & Product Innovation Management Initiative, NC State College of Management
• Paul Mugge, director, Center for Innovation Management Studies, and professor of innovation, NC State College of Management
• Troy Nagle, professor and founding chair, NC State University/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Joint Degree in Biomedical Engineering, NC State College of Engineering
• Stephen Schanz, teaching assistant professor, Department of Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, NC State College of Management
• Sam Straight, executive-in-residence, Supply Chain Management and Biopharma Management, NC State College of Management
• David Winwood, associate vice chancellor, Technology Development and Innovation, NC State University
• Read More:CarolinaNewsWire

Raleigh, NC – During its Annual Meeting on Tuesday, October 9th, State Employees’ Credit Union’s (SECU’s) Board of Directors honored E. Victor Maafo and Thomas C. Ellis, long-time Credit Union advocates and Durham Advisory Board members, for their dedication and commitment to the credit union movement. Mr. Maafo was on hand to accept his award. Tom Ellis, who was honored posthumously, was represented by many family members, including his daughter Phenie Bowen, who accepted the award on his behalf.

Award presenter and Immediate Past Chairman of SECU’s Board of Directors, David King commented, “Both of these recipients have served as true advocates for State Employees’ Credit Union, exemplifying credit union membership and ownership. On behalf of SECU, the Board of Directors expresses sincere gratitude and appreciation to Mr. Ellis and Mr. Maafo. Their work to educate others on the Credit Union movement has not only been a ‘calling’ but an inspiration!”

Read More:CarolinaNewsWire

Aquatics complex opens in Cary

CARY – Filling up a swimming pool can be a big task.

Filling three of them during an exceptional drought can be a big deal.

Officials with the Triangle Aquatic Center spent six months working with the town of Cary to prepare for the undertaking. They filled the pools — which took 1.2 million gallons of water — over eight days.

“That’s less than one half of 1 percent of one week’s water usage,” said Mike Curran, volunteer president of the center.

And well worth it, said those at the facility’s grand opening Sunday. The center will help remedy a problem in the Triangle, which doesn’t have enough swimming facilities to meet the demands of the region’s growing population.

About 1,000 people turned out Sunday for a ceremony at the indoor aquatics center, which is next to Cary Towne Center. Among them was Jeannine Carpenter, 31, who got chills and a became little weepy as she listened to local politicians and center founders speak.

“It’s huge,” said Carpenter, who has been a coach with the Raleigh Swimming Association since 1993. “This is an enormous opportunity for swimming in the Triangle. … We’ve always had to compete for space.”

Cary swimmers have been especially limited because the town lacks a public pool. Even the Triangle Aquatic Center isn’t technically a public facility. It was built with $22 million in private financing, not taxpayer money. But center officials say it will provide year-round public access with no membership fees.

The center, Curran said, is the largest aquatic facility of its kind in North Carolina and took more than five years to pull off. Its history is defined by political drama that pitted backers of the Triangle Aquatic Center against another faction that at one time pushed for a larger complex to be built by the town.

Curran championed the aquatics center for years and said he wants to leave the bickering in the past.

“It doesn’t matter what happened,” he said. “Now we’ve got kids jumping in the water.”

Dozens of children and adults took inaugural splashes in the pools, demonstrating their diving and swimming prowess.

Lori Towner stood nearby as her 9-year-old, Christopher, bobbed in the water. “He’s a fish,” she said

Read More:News & Observer

(ARA) – As we approach the autumn months naturally we begin to think about packing away our shorts and summer clothes in exchange for sweaters and parkas. We stop worrying about our air conditioning bill and begin to think about how to pay our heating bill. However, we may overlook the opportunity that these seasonal changes bring to assess other aspects of our lives — particularly the financial aspects.

According to many accountants, financial planning is especially pertinent now. Late summer and early fall are the best times to analyze your finances. The idea is to get everything in order today because you won’t be able to change the bottom line when December 31 rolls around. A good place to start is by taking a long, hard look at your net worth, or where you stand financially. Make a two-columned list that has your assets on one side and your liabilities on the other:

Assets:
* Total value of your home and/or other real estate
* Balances in savings and money market accounts
* Value of all your investments combined (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc.)
* Amounts of all 401(k) and IRA accounts not included above
* Value of an Ownership interest in a business

Liabilities:
* Your outstanding mortgage
* Total due on credit cards and loans
* Total amount due for property settlements or other judgments/debts
* Amount you owe in alimony or child support

Subtract your liabilities from your assets. What remains are the resources you have to begin building a strong financial foundation! Don’t stress if you aren’t satisfied with this number right off the bat. Most people aren’t. If you come up with a negative number, your first step is to implement a budget to pay off all non-mortgage debt: stop using your credit cards, begin saving monthly, and establish an emergency fund.

This brings you to the next step in the process: Come up with a plan to turn this foundation into a wealth building opportunity through a combination of savings, investment and insurance vehicles. Consider these saving options:

Savings options:
* Certificates of Deposit (CDs) — generally offer a higher rate of return, but may require you to tie up your money for months or years at a time.
* Money Market Accounts — deliver a rate of return that’s similar to, but usually less than a CD, combined with the ability to withdraw funds when needed.
* 529 Educational Savings Plans — flexible savings plan that allows you to save amounts (in excess of $250,000 per student) tax-deferred to cover educational expenses.

Also consider saving through retirement options:
* Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) — there are two types available. With Traditional IRAs you can contribute as much as $4,000 a year in 2007 ($5,000 if 50 or older) and deduct your contribution from your tax return. These amounts increase in 2008 to $5,000 for those under 50 and $6,000 if you are 50 and over.
* 401 (k) Retirement plans — offered by many employers as a way to encourage employees to save for retirement. Many companies match a certain percentage of employee contributions.

While investing in the future through savings and retirement plans is a given, a financial area many people forget to consider is life insurance. According to the Insurance Information Institute, millions of Americans don’t carry any life insurance at all; millions more don’t have enough to provide sufficient financial security for their families.

This is changing, however. The Insurance Institute reports that, on average, premiums for individual life insurance have been falling about five percent a year since 2000 and are expected to drop an additional four percent in 2007. Premiums have gone down because people are living longer. Interested consumers should take advantage of the downward trend and tendencies of competitive markets. According to Mike Akker, Chief Investment Officer of SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Company, “There’s never been a better time to purchase life insurance to protect your family than right now.”

Here are some of the options to consider:
* Whole life insurance — also called permanent life insurance. It features coverage that lasts an entire lifetime and typically offers cash value that may accumulate tax-deferred. This kind of insurance eliminates concern about qualifying for insurance later in life.
* Term life insurance — coverage that lasts a specific period of time. It provides affordable security and is an attractive option for families purchasing life insurance for the first time.
* Annuities — a contract with the insurance company to provide guaranteed payments at a specific time, drawn from funds you have entrusted to that company. Your funds may earn interest at a fixed or variable rate, depending on the option you choose.

With change in the air, now is the time to start thinking about your financial future. Do you want to know more about the products listed here as well as others? As you longingly stow away your swimsuits and start to think about curling up by the fire, you should also consider visiting www.sbliusa.com where you’ll benefit from free access to financial planning resources, including interactive calculators, real life stories, informative articles, product guides and more.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

ARA) – “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign.” Remember that song from the early 1970s? Les Emmerson of the Five Man Electric Band wrote it after driving to California along Route 66 and losing count of all the billboards he saw. Today, Les would only have to drive about two blocks to pass dozens of signs including everything from retail storefronts to garage sales; but how noticeable are they really?

“The purpose of any sign is to capture attention and communicate an advertisement or informational message, says Peter Beenen, vice president of business development for signsearch, Inc., ( www.signsearch.com ) a company that has been connecting sign buyers with local sign companies in North America since 1999. “If a sign doesn’t get noticed then it’s not very effective.”

However, capturing someone’s attention these days is not easy to do. To meet the ever increasing challenge of getting people to visit your store, buy your products or attend your event, traditional signs have become more like works of art, and business owners and every-day consumers are taking advantage of new and exciting signage.

The traditional sign industry continues to grow and change, Beenen says. For example, LED (light emitting diodes) and dynamic electronic displays are being used with traditional illuminated ‘store front’ signs and billboards. But the most dramatic change has been the growth of wide-format digital printing technology. “Digital printing is absolutely exploding in the sign industry and it has introduced all kinds of new, cost effective and creative sign applications. In some cases, it’s actually reshaping what people think of as a sign.” Here are some examples of signs that have become hugely popular:

* Vehicle Wraps

The hottest new sign is a form of mobile advertising called the vehicle wrap. Often mistaken for a custom paint job, it is a digitally printed graphic that is literally “shrink wrapped” around the entire body of a car, truck, boat, bus, train or even a jumbo jet — yes, a jumbo jet! Software templates exist that allow a sign company to create a vehicle wrap for pretty much any vehicle out there.

Basically a large flexible vinyl decal that is pre-printed and applied so precisely that the graphic looks like original paint, there is virtually no limit to what the graphic can be. If it can be digitally created and printed, it can be wrapped on a vehicle. And it can be as permanent or temporary as you need — the wrap stays on for years and is also easily removed at any time.

This type of sign is so popular that it was recently featured on NBC during an episode of The Apprentice with Donald Trump. All of the cars at a NASCAR race are wrapped, as are all of the boats at any professional B.A.S.S. fishing tournament seen on ESPN. TV shows like MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” and movies like the “Fast and Furious” trilogy all feature wrapped vehicles.

However, you just need to drive down any street in the city to see examples. Many service-based companies are using vehicle wraps to advertise their businesses; and every-day consumers are getting vehicle wraps instead of custom paint jobs as an easier, less expensive way to customize their vehicles (think hunting enthusiasts who wrap their trucks in camouflage).

Do they work? The answer is yes! Scott Needham, owner of a small window treatment business in Burnsville, Minn., called Window Fashion Expo, says wrapping his family van has greatly improved his business. “When my van is sitting in traffic, people have to look at it,” says Needham. “My van wrap has really helped with my branding and has definitely generated sales.”

In fact, wraps are so effective that a cottage industry has sprung up where business owners pay individuals to wrap their personal vehicles with their company ad and, well, simply drive around! And wraps are extending well beyond vehicles…entire buildings are being wrapped, so are musical instruments, and it is not uncommon to see hundreds of port-a-potties at a rock concert completely wrapped in an advertisement for your favorite beer.

* Custom Banners

Remember the old days of painting in large letters “SALE 20 Percent OFF” on a piece of cardboard and hanging it out of your store window? How about “GARAGE SALE TODAY” tacked onto a telephone pole near your home?

With new digital print technology, banners today have become ideal as both indoor and outdoor signs. In addition, they can be printed inexpensively on virtually any kind of material (vinyl, canvas, foam core) using graphics limited only by the imagination — this includes photorealistic images if the banner will be viewed up-close; such as in the case of indoor store signs. There really are no limits to how a banner can be designed — and the sign applications are endless.

They can be as large as the upper deck of an outdoor sports stadium or as small as an indoor store window. When stores want to direct customers to a specific product or sale, for example, a banner hanging above the aisle where the product is located, or sitting in the aisle next to a display will do the trick. “The positive impact that my outdoor signs have on my business is dramatic,” says Bonnie Alton, owner of a Great Harvest Bakery in St. Paul, Minn., who regularly hangs banners outside her store to attract customers. Banners are also becoming popular with consumers as a way spice up a holiday party or direct traffic to a garage sale.

The flexibility of wide-format digital printing allows for other unique applications. In some cases, things you’d never expect, like a life-sized image of an elephant calling attention to a sale on peanuts at a local store. Or it may surprise you to see standing in your neighbor’s living room a life-sized image of a loved one who is serving in the military overseas.

And speaking of your neighbor’s living room…

* Custom Wall and Floor Graphics

Signs have always appealed to teenagers who adorn bedrooms and dorm rooms with everything from a “Do Not Enter” sign to banners showing their favorite sports team. But now grown-ups are discovering custom wall and floor graphics — printed on a wide-format digital printer and installed in a home or business to create a very unique and custom environment. Want something to go with that new leopard print chair? How about a photorealistic floor to ceiling wall graphic of the African wilderness, complete with lions and zebras!

It’s not clear if Les Emmerson had any idea just how foretelling his famous song was back in 1970. However, chances are that anyone driving that same Route 66 to California today would only need to look at the passing cars and trucks to know that his song still resonates in 2007.

To find a sign company that can tell you more about vehicle wraps, banners, wall and floor graphics or any other sign type, the place to go is www.signsearch.com, a search engine with a network of over 30,000 sign companies in the U.S. and Canada. Search by city or zip code and select a sign type. The results page will produce plenty of local sign and graphics companies to choose from along with a complete profile for each — including company name, address and phone number, sign types they manufacture, a map showing where they are located and access to feedback ratings entered by previous customers. Users can also e-mail sign companies directly from the site to request more information or a quote.

“We’ve made the site very user friendly,” says Beenen, who adds that the goal of signsearch, Inc. is to help site users make the best decision possible when choosing a sign company.

Indeed. Les Emmerson would be proud.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) – An estimated 100,000 children will be diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition in the next four years, according to a study conducted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the largest wish-granting organization in the world.

This June, the Foundation will launch Destination Joy presented by LAY’S – a campaign to inspire and empower Americans to get on board and contribute their time, talents and resources to make the wishes of seriously ill children come true. A wish experience takes wish kids and their families on a magical and joyful journey away from doctor visits and medical treatments. And you can help.

“To go through a wish as a family is an incredible experience,” said Yvonne Pena, mother of two wish kids. “It brought us back together. It gave my sons the will to live again. When your child is sick you tend to stray, you tend to worry about what is going on at that particular time and forget to live. You forget how to speak, and you forget how to breathe sometimes. We all have the power to grant a wish and I hope everyone will consider getting on board Destination Joy.”

So what can you do? There are many ways to help grant a wish. A new “Ways to Help” volunteer and donor database, sponsored by The Walt Disney Company, can be found on the Foundation’s Web site, www.wish.org. This online database features wish-specific requests for time, talent and resources from each of the Foundation’s 69 chapters. So everyone’s unique talents can help grant a wish!

In addition to cash donations, here are a few other ways you can share the power of a wish:

Donate Non-Cash Items
* Non-cash donations may include airline miles, hotel loyalty points, travel packages, event tickets, gift cards, creative services, furniture, stocks, bonds, securities or the use of a substantial discount on items, products or services.

Shop to Help
* From late May through September 1, 2007, for every specially marked bag of LAY’S brand potato chips you purchase and redeem online at www.lays.com, LAY’S will donate 25 cents to the Make-A-Wish Foundation (minimum donation $300,000; maximum donation $345,000). Simply enter the 10-digit UPC code on the back of a specially marked LAY’S bag, and you’ll be helping LAY’S and the Make-A-Wish Foundation make magical wishes come true.

* Beginning June 1, 2007 you can show your support for the Make-A-Foundation by going to your local Cold Stone Creamery and donating $2 for a magnetic Destination Joy Wish Star to display on your vehicle.

Volunteer
* Nearly 25,000 volunteers contribute their time and unique skills working in special events coordination, fundraising, community outreach, Web design, office assistance and more. Volunteers can also help grant wishes — taking wish kids and their families on a magical journey away from doctor visits and medical treatments. Visit www.wish.org for more volunteer opportunities with your local Make-A-Wish chapter.

Fundraise
* From a penny drive to black-tie events, there are countless ways you can engage your community in fundraising to help grant kids’ heartfelt wishes.

For more information about Destination Joy presented by LAY’S and the ways you can help, visit the Make-A-Wish Foundation Web site at www.wish.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Todos tenemos el poder de conceder un deseo

(ARA) – En los próximos cuatro años, se espera que 100.000 niños sean diagnosticados con una condición médica con riesgo a su vida, según un estudio realizado por la fundación Make-A-Wish, la organización más grande del mundo para otorgar deseos.

El mes de junio del corriente año, la fundación lanzará la campaña Destination Joy presentada por LAY’S para inspirar y motivar a los estadounidenses a apoyarla y a ofrecer su tiempo, talentos y recursos para hacer realidad los deseos de niños con enfermedades graves. La experiencia de otorgar un deseo lleva a los niños y sus familias a un viaje mágico y alegre para que olviden las visitas a consultorios y tratamientos médicos. Y usted puede ayudar.

“Recibir un deseo es una experiencia increible para la familia”, dijo Yvonne Pena, la madre de dos niños, cuyos deseos fueron concedidos. “Nos unió aún más. Brindó a mis hijos una nueva voluntad de vivir. Cuando un hijo se enferma uno pierde la concentración, se preocupa por lo qué está pasando en ese momento en particular y se olvida casi de vivir. Uno se olvida de cómo hablar, y a veces de hasta cómo respirar. Todos nosotros tenemos el poder para conceder un deseo y yo espero que todos consideren “subirse a bordo” de Destination Joy”.

¿Qué es lo que puede hacer usted? Hay muchas maneras de ayudar a conceder un deseo. Las puede encontrar en la nueva base datos “Ways to Help” de voluntarios y de donantes, patrocinada por The Walt Disney Company, en el sitio Web www.wish.org. Esta base de datos “en línea” contiene pedidos de deseos específicos de tiempo, talento y recursos de cada una de las 69 filiales de la fundación. ¡Por lo tanto, las habilidades de todos ayudarán a hacer realidad un deseo!

Además de las donaciones de dinero en efectivo, he aquí otras maneras de compartir el poder de un deseo:

Done artículos no monetarios
* Las donaciones que no sean de dinero en efectivo incluyen crédito por millas de aerolíneas, puntos por frecuencia de hospedaje en un hotel, paquetes de viajes, boletos para espectáculos, tarjetas de regalo, servicios creativos, mobiliario, acciones, bonos, títulos o el uso de un descuento importante en artículos, productos o servicios.

Compre para ayudar
* Desde el fin de mayo hasta el 1º de septiembre de 2007, por cada bolsa de papitas LAY’S, marcadas especialmente, que compre y canjee “en línea” en www.lays.com, LAY’S donará 25 centavos a las fundación Make-A-Wish (la donación mínima es $300.000, la máxima es $345.000). Todo lo que tiene que hacer es ingresar las 10 cifras del código UPC, en la parte trasera de una bolsa LAY’S marcada especialmente, y usted ayudará a que LAY’S y a la fundación Make-A-Wish haga realidad deseos mágicos.
* A partir del 1º de junio de 2007 usted puede demostrar su apoyo a la fundación Make-A-Wish yendo a Cold StoneCreamery y donando $2 por un emblema tipo imán de Destination Joy Wish Star para lucirlo en su vehículo.

Ser voluntario
* Casi 25.000 voluntarios contribuyen su tiempo y destrezas singulares a la coordinación de eventos especiales, recaudación de fondos, y de extensión en la comunidad, diseño de una página Web, asistencia en las oficinas y mucho más. Además, los voluntarios pueden ayudar a conceder deseos –llevando a los niños y a sus familias a un viaje mágico para olvidarse de las visitas a consultorios y de los tratamientos médicos. Para informarse de más oportunidades de ser voluntario en la filial local de Make-A-Wish, visite www.wish.org.

Recaudación de fondos
* Desde un evento modesto de recaudación de fondos a uno de gala, existen muchas formas de involucrar a su familia para recaudar fondos que ayuden a conceder los deseos más sinceros de los niños.

Para más información sobre Destination Joy presentado por LAY’S y de cómo puede ayudar, visite el sitio Web de Make-A-Wish en a www.wish.org.

Cortesía de ARAcontent

The amount of user generated content from the California fires that has been uploaded to CNN’s i-Report has far surpassed citizen content surrounding the Minneapolis bridge collapse or the Virginia Tech shooting.

According to a spokesperson from CNN (via Andy Plesser and his Beet.tv blog), the content has set a record for CNN in terms of citizen journalism. As of midday yesterday, some 2,000 videos and photos had been uploaded.

SOURCE:Mediabuyerplanner

RALEIGH, N.C. – WakeMed Health & Hospitals and the Trauma Services Capital Regional Advisory Committee (CapRAC) are pleased to announce they have been awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct disaster preparedness training exercises throughout the four county CapRAC region.

About CapRAC
CapRAC comprises a four county (Wake, Franklin, Harnett and Lee counties) metropolitan and rural planning region located in central North Carolina established by the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services to promote the coordination of trauma care. The CapRAC also serves as a disaster medical response planning region, utilizing local, state and federal resources to improve disaster medical response in Raleigh and surrounding areas. The region includes 360 health care facilities with 8,700 state licensed acute care beds. The health care facilities include six hospitals, four county EMS agencies, four county health agencies, three mental health hospitals, 104 nursing homes and 243 mental health homes. WakeMed Health &Hospitals serves as the lead trauma center for the CapRAC.

Read More:News & Observer

Self-publishing home-made booklets and/or manuals is probably the easiest

For the third year in a row, Liaison Design Group has received an American Graphic Design Award from Graphic Design USA. The annual contest is in its 30th year, and recognizes excellence in graphic design.

“This was a fun project for a great group of people,“ said Seamus Duerr, Principal and Creative Director of Liaison Design Group. “We are pleased to receive this award, and are very fortunate to be able to work with quality organizations like the SMT Center.”

Read More:CarolinaNewsWire