Star Packaging Equipment Ltd, a leading full service packaging equipment distributor, announced today the launch of a new website addition that better reflects its wide array of full service and support solutions. While these service offerings are well known by its many satisfied customers, the new website addition demonstrates to website visitors the breadth and depth of its service offerings. This is important news for buyers looking to source systems, as well as for packaging operations with systems lacking after sale support. Professional packaging equipment services give operations the expertise needed to maintain competitive performance levels, efficiency standards, safety and assurance against unexpected downtime.

Because service businesses are complex and difficult to manage due to their labor intensive nature, Ephor Group, has created a checklist entitled “Maximizing Shareholder Value Checklist” to assist managers of these firms.

This checklist will help owners, executives and investors to:

Increase near term earnings and the EBITDA generating capacity of the business within current economic conditions;

Develop long-term operating infrastructure to ensure performance is maximized, and scalable; plus

Position the company to attract an array of strategic alternatives for value realization.

This checklist includes a holistic view of an organization’s environment including:

Strategy and Positioning;

Tactical and Operational Execution;

Financial Engineering; and

Management Discipline.

Why read “Maximizing Shareholder Value Checklist for Service Based Businesses?” Because of their unique characteristics, precise execution in a service business is the key to sustainable profitability and attractive returns. Since flaws in strategy or execution are often caused by the other, the true barriers to maximizing value cannot be resolved without first identifying the underlying issues.

Winsper, an independent strategy and marketing firm, announced today it has been hired by Curbside, Inc., a leader in specialty concierge services within hospitals and the healthcare industry, for development of brand strategy and customer-acquisition programs. Winsper was chosen, in part, due to its focus on healthcare and deep insight into the healthcare consumer, as well as its' consultative approach to helping clients address their business issues. No formal review was conducted.

Curbside (www.curbside.com), headquartered in Beverly, MA, helps hospitals and other institutions create experience-based differentiation by providing guest services such as valet parking and shuttle transportation. The company has engaged Winsper to redefine and develop their brand allowing for continued growth in the competitive healthcare category, while offering flexibility to move into more diverse industries and additional services.

Innovative, New Sarasota Real Estate Firm promises to redefine the local real estate market.

The Florida real estate market has been booming and with property values more than doubling in recent years, home sellers increasingly feel that the traditional 6% real estate commission is too expensive and unreasonable.

Home sellers until now really only had two options: “Traditional” full service brokerage firms charging as much as 6 or 7% of the sales price, or “Discount” brokers who charge a lot less but who also provide very few if any services, leaving the home seller to perform the bulk of the work.

Long known for "good works, good eats," 3rd & Eats Restaurant and training center has re-branded its namesake restaurant and expanded its catering operation under New Course Restaurant & Catering.

"We wanted to be sure our mission was better explained to our customers and to the community," said Tom Knoll and Will Doscher, who lead the organization. "Our restaurant works hand-in-hand with our expanding catering operation. It made sense to consolidate under one banner that spoke to our continued desire to be a culinary training-ground in service to the community."

TalentDrive, the creator of the innovative SaaS recruitment technology, TalentFilterSM, announced the 25th Value Added Reseller (VAR) to join its growing network of global companies partnering to offer best practice solutions for the HCM industry. This network includes resellers, consultants, and companies that offer complimentary product offerings. The VAR network created by TalentDrive provides companies the competitive edge they need to surpass the competition. This continuously growing association of industry leading firms is effectively delivering recruitment technology tools to clients, offering cost effective solutions to issues facing organizations on a daily basis.

Founder Keith "Daniel" Schwartz said "our entire team is excited to be named to the INC.500 list. We have strived to make it into INC. Magazine. It is the ultimate reward for the entreprenour."

Keith Daniels Neckwear was founded in 1989 in the basement of entrepreneur Keith Daniel" Schwartz with $700. The first Keith Daniels neckties hit the market in a Drug Emporium store in Cincinnati, Ohio at a retail of $5. They sold out in two weeks." recalls Mr. Schwartz. Today, the company is known for selling department store quality, handmade, silk neckties in supermarkets and drug stores around the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico with a retail of $5. When asked why he sells his products in supermarkets instead of mass retailers or department stores, he replied In this economy consumers look for high quality value" merchandise in the locations that they are already shopping. Most Supermarket consumers shop within those stores 3 times per week as compared to a mass retailer who may see a consumer once or twice a month."

Research suggests that there are two main risks around Christmas time – burglary and accidental damage.

During the festive period, accidental damage to fixtures and fittings in the home increases significantly. This can probably be attributed to the number of parties and family gatherings, with resulting damage to items such as sofas, carpets and glass. Fire and smoke damage is also commonplace at Christmas with causes including faulty fairy lights, candles and cigarettes.

Similarly, the week before Christmas, when most homes are stocked full of valuable presents, is the busiest ‘shopping time’ for burglars. This accounts for 35% of the monthly burglary total.

Orinda, CA (PRWEB) April 25, 2006 –- Give your mother a unique gift this year, one that shows you’ve been thinking about her.

If you are short on ideas, Savvy-Mothers-Day-Gifts.com makes it easy to find just the right gift. This website contains more than fifty fantastic Mother’s Day gift ideas sure to appeal to all types of mothers; everything from classic floral arrangements, to stunning jewelry, to gourmet foods.

For inspiration, consider:

Terrific Mother’s Day Gifts for the Garden Loving Mom: http://www.savvy-mothers-day-gifts.com/mothers-day-gifts/gifts-for-gardeners/

Eric Brown the founder of the “African American Shopping Today” website located at, www.brownhorizonsshopping4u.com , which is widely considered one of the most popular African American shopping websites on the internet today, recently announced the addition of a credit card information section to its website which will provide access to Web sites where individuals can apply online for a credit card, review the best credit cards and review the best credit card rates available on the internet.

Mr. Brown provided these comments recently concerning his African American Shopping Portal - “African American Shopping Today”.

“I initially created the “African American Shopping Today” website in February 2005 because I did not see another shopping website for African Americans on the internet that was receiving national exposure, where African Americans could go to shop and find access to a variety of merchants located on one website, that sold African American related merchandise and/or items of interest to African Americans.

SitePoint Pty. Ltd. (sitepoint.com), provider of fun, practical, and easy-to-understand content for web professionals, today announced the release of "Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists" by Shirley Kaiser.

“Deliver First Class Web Sites: 101 Essential Checklists” is the only organized and easy-to-use compilation of guidelines, checklists, and tips for building modern, best-practice web sites.

"We're very pleased to introduce this, the first book of its kind in the web development field. It's a condensed summary of knowledge that can be easily applied by any web developer," said Mark Harbottle, CEO of SitePoint.

It's admissions time again and the National Massage Therapy Institute is holding an open house at its Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Falls Church, Virginia, locations.

Starting Saturday, January 13th at 10:30 a.m., the entire community can come and enjoy food and beverages, facility tours, information sessions on massage therapy and massage careers and complimentary chair massages. Admissions staff will be on hand to answer all questions and to assist interested visitors with the admissions process.

An ancient practice is enjoying a renaissance in Western culture. Feng Shui (pronounced "fung schway") has its roots in Chinese culture and has been used for centuries by people seeking to improve their lives through the use of color, materials and object placement in order to invite positive energy, or "Chi" into their homes and workplaces.

"In Feng Shui, the primary goal is to create an optimal flow of energy, which will improve all aspects of one's life - relationships, finances, health and career," says Linda Binns, internationally renowned Feng Shui practitioner, author and founder of the Feng Shui Success Institute based in Boise, Idaho. "More and more people are discovering how powerful these principles can be in bringing about real changes."

A franchise, like any other small business, can be very difficult to get off the ground. This is why My Franchise Center offers franchise information and assistance to entrepreneurs who are interested in this type of business opportunity. One important piece of information the team at My Franchise Center wants entrepreneurs to know about is a new online course that is available from the United States Small Business Administration, free of charge.

Before an individual starts looking for franchise opportunities through a network such as My Franchise Center, it is important for them to have a solid business plan. This course on the U.S. Small Business Administration Web site helps people to do just that. The introduction to franchising course, Franchising Basics, is a free online seminar that is broken up into three sections that examine more than ten essential areas relating to franchising. These franchise information sections include "Is Franchising Right for You" and "How to Choose the Right Franchise."

At Home Rewards (SM), a leading membership discount program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC®, knows that this can be a transitional time; the end of summer and the beginning of Fall often call for some changes around the house. But don't get the "end-of-summer blues." Instead, charge into Fall with a well-executed Fall home maintenance plan.

AP9 AtHomeRewards Says, "Fall Back into Home Maintenance"

Eighteenth-century Scottish poet Robert Burns once wrote, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Sure, there's some truth to that, but AtHomeRewards most definitely sees the glass half-full when it comes to seasonal change and overall home improvement. That's why At Home Rewards would like to suggest the following short list of Fall maintenance ideas -- a short list that's potentially long on results:

Mainstream Technologies Inc. (MTI) a Little Rock, AR based information technology services and consulting firm announced the hiring of Ms. Kellie Miller as its new Director of Business Development. Ms. Miller will be responsible for growing the newly created Information Technology Services Group. This role is responsible for developing new IT Services business for hardware and software platforms, IT consulting, network products and computing hardware management.

Mainstream Technologies President John Burgess notes, "We are very pleased and excited about the addition of Kellie to our IT Services team. Kellie's professionalism and expertise are perfectly aligned with MTI's mission to exceed our customer's expectations by focusing on delivering the right solution for each particular need."

Thanks to TV, movies and the media, most people know about physical abuse of women. However, not every woman in an abusive relationship is physically abused. There are many other types of abuse that aren't easily recognized. If a spouse controls all the finances, continually berates his partner, damages belongings or hurts a pet - that's abusive and it can be dangerous and extremely painful. Many women, who don't have bruises or broken bones, are experiencing abuse and are not even aware of it. The recently released second edition of When Love Hurts helps women understand abuse and what to do about it. It is now available at many bookstores around North America or buy it online at http://www.chapters.ca, http://www.atlasbooks.com or at http://www.whenlovehurts.ca.

ESS, the leading provider of Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) and Crisis Management software for enterprise sustainability, today announced that Jeffrey J. Ladner, ESS’ Solution Practice Director for Global Climate Change, will present best practices and innovative technology solutions for greenhouse gas management at the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday, June 25.

Established in 1907, A&WMA is one of the oldest U.S.-based organizations for environmental professionals. A&WMA members include scientists, engineers, policy makers, attorneys and consultants who serve government agencies, corporations and universities.

SMGlobal Inc. (http://www.smglobal.com) announces the availability of the e-booklet "Maintenance Management -- Tips For Success". This handy e-booklet contains information useful to maintenance personnel of all experience levels.

Maintenance Tips Booklet

The e-booklet contains tips and advice on how to set up and manage a successful maintenance management program. It covers items like identifying program goals, putting together solutions, planning, team management, reporting, controlling costs, etc. It is priced at $10 a copy and is available in Adobe's PDF (Portable Document Format). To purchase a copy or get more information please visit http://www.smglobal.com.

Leading Residential and Commercial Drapery Manufacturer and Retailer DrapeStyle www.drapestyle.com recently completed the Custom Drapery for The ASID Design House "Astoria" in the Central Park West Community of Irvine.

Astoria was selected as this years ASID Design House to showcase Orange County's top Design Talent in a "Urban Chic" residential tower. DrapeStyle contributed with it's contemporary custom drapes which were designed in conjunction with Newport Beach Interior Designer and Interior Design Institute Professor, Richard Thompson.