News
Rochester:
New GM Still Tows Some Dead Weight
By Liam Denning Bankruptcy helped General Motors lighten its debt load. But having filed Wednesday for its upcoming initial public offering, GM still has plenty of stuff weighing it down. First there are the selling shareholders, with Uncle Sam, Canada and the United Auto Workers holding 92.4%. An overhang of unsold ...
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Some manufacturing heads back to USA
By Paul Davidson, USA TODAYFaced with rising costs, General Electric is moving production of its new energy-efficient water heater halfway around the world. The country it's leaving? China. The one it's bringing 400 jobs and a newly renovated factory? The United States.A small but growing band of U.S. manufacturers — i...
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Business Council Members Stress Need to Reduce the Cost-of-Doing-Business
Contact: Michael MoranDirector of CommunicationsThe Business CouncilT 518-465-7517 x208C 518-708-4962www.bcnys.orgALBANY— New York state employers responding to a Business Council survey have once again overwhelmingly identified employee health care as their top cost-of-doing-business concern. The new survey also show...
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New York City Sees Job Growth in July
By JOSEPH DE AVILA Employers in New York City hired several thousand workers in July, a surprising boost in a usually slow summer month that also marked the city's best job growth since January.A worker sews the middle section of a mop at the New York Industry Workers for the Blind on Thursday in Brooklyn.The city's u...
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Bashing Beijing Will Not Help Our Trade Deficit
Higher wages, not a stronger yuan, will help Chinese workers and reduce U.S. imports.By ROBERT C. POZEN Pressured by the U.S. and other countries, China announced in June that it would adopt a "flexible" exchange rate for the yuan. Yet to date there has been minimal appreciation against the dollar, so the pre...
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Small Firms Lagging, With Bulk of Job Losses
By SARA MURRAY Most of the job losses at the end of last year took place at the smallest firms, underscoring how small businesses are lagging in the recovery. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees accounted for 61.8% of all job cuts in the private sector in the fourth quarter, the Labor Department reported Wednesday...
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Economists React: Jobless Claims Cast Doubt on Recovery
By Sara MurrayEconomists and other weigh in on the jump in jobless claims.– Initial claims climbed to its highest level in the past 9 months. Although new claims are often very volatile during the summer due to seasonal adjustment difficulties, these data still suggest a softer labor market. Although new claims are sti...
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Ford Is Driven to Cut Debt
by Matthew DolanThe chairman of Ford Motor Co. vowed Friday that the auto maker will cut its heavy debt load and said a stock offering by rival General Motors Co. could divert demand for Ford shares.William C. Ford Jr. told reporters that the company is going to continue to pay off its debt "as fast as we can.&quo...
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GM Files for Long-Awaited IPO
By SHARON TERLEP and DAN FITZPATRICK (Please see Corrections & Amplifications item below)General Motors Co. filed registration papers Wednesday for an initial public stock offering, laying the groundwork for the car maker to begin cutting its ties to the U.S. government, its majority owner.The 734-page document is ...
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President's Message
John J. Murphy IV RTMA PresidentRTMA Delivers TrainingThe RTMA has secured for your employees up to six months unlimited access to ToolingU course content. Over the past two years the RTMA has delivered at no cost to its member companies courses at Tooling U: All classes are delivered online and are available 24 hou...
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Press Release: Automated Cells & Equipment Announces Open House and Technology Expo
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Contact:James MorrisAutomated Cells & Equipment, Inc.P: 607.936.1341F: 607.936.1531Email us: info.rtma@autocells.com Web: www.autocells.com ACE - Automated Cells & Equipment, Inc. Announces 2010 Open House and Technology ExpoAutomated Cells & Equipment is pleased to announce our Open...
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RTMA Fall Golf Outing and Clambake
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Upstate Jobs - Monthly Economic Snapshot of Upstate New York
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President's Message
RTMA Fall Event at Locust Hill John J. Murphy IV RTMA President Due to the tremendous success of last year’s Golf Outing and Clambake, the RTMA will once again be providing the opportunity to golf at Locust Hill Country Club on September 20th. The day of golf will b...
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KeyBank Economic Quick Takes
By Dr. Ken Mayland Here’s my quick take. 1. The numbers. The trade gap for May widened $2B versus April, to $42.3B. Exports expanded by $3.5B while imports grew $5.5B. 2. Speak to me. What these results say is that both the U.S. economy and economies beyond our borders are growing at pretty good clips. Our growth...
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Services Report Fuels US Recovery Fears
By James Politi in Washington Published: July 6 2010 15:55 | Last updated: July 6 2010 19:38 Concerns that the US economic recovery is in danger of stalling mounted on Tuesday when a monthly report on activity in the services sector showed a surprisingly steep drop in June. The Institute for Supply Management’s non-man...
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Press Release: Automated Cells & Equipment Launches YouTube Channel
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Contact:James MorrisAutomated Cells & Equipment, Inc.P: 607.936.1341F: 607.936.1531Email us: info.rtma@autocells.com Web: www.autocells.com ACE - Automated Cells & Equipment, Inc. Launches YouTube ChannelPainted Post, NY, July 1, 2010 – Automated Cells & Equipment, Inc. announced the...
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Consumer Confidence Tumbles
By MICHAEL CASEY and NATHAN BECKER U.S. consumer confidence dropped sharply in June, as concerns over the sustainability of economic recovery and the outlook for jobs brought one closely watched indicator's three-month streak of consecutive gains to an end. Separately, U.S. home prices rose in April from a month earli...
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2010 Annual Golf Outing
130 golfers enjoyed the 2010 RTMA annual golf tournament at Ridgemont Country Club. We would like to offer a big "Thank You" to all of our volunteers, and to the sponsors who made this event so successful:M&T Bank (Silver Sponsor)Point-N-Click Computer Solutions (Bronze Sponsor)Sentry Insurance (Bronze S...
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Do you know your risks? Foiling the crime within
It’s an unfortunate fact that many businesses fall prey to crime losses perpetrated by the company’s own employees. Many employee theft losses result from isolated incidents, but some employee theft takes place over several years, producing a significant total loss. And, while preventive practices like regular audits...
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Rochester Welcomes New Regular Member
WELCOME ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBER Global Precision Products, Inc. Mark LabellPresident...
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Do you know your risks? Owning up to non-owned auto exposures
Subtle liability hazards can expose you and your firm to great financial risk. For example, you may not have considered your non-owned auto liability exposure in planning your current insurance program. If that's the case, read on.Whenever your employees are driving on company business you may have liability exposure,...
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New Retirement Rules - What Small Businesses Need To Know
Compounding the blow to retirement savings, the decline in plan assets is spurring higher management fees and greater expenses at some mutual fund companies and 401(k) providers. And although such changes will likely affect employer-sponsored plans across the board, small plans, which often have fewer employees and few...
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Rochester Welcomes New Regular Members
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERSAdvantech IndustriesJames GizziPresidentDyna-Masters, Inc.Andy MastersVice PresidentJust In Time CNC MachineJim AlexanderVice PresidentAccuturn Precision Mfg.The' NguyenPresidentTorvec, Inc.Don GableEngineer...
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President's Address
- John J. Murphy IV RTMA President -Second Trade Show Selected Once again, the RTMA is promoting its membership at an event managed by Cannon Communications involving the following co-located trade shows: Atlantic Design and Manufacturing, Automation Technology Expo (ATX) East, EastPack, Medical Design & Manufact...
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May Monthly Meeting
On May 20 the RTMA held its monthly meeting at Rick's Prime Rib House. Approximately 65 people were in attendance. The guest speakers for the evening were Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy and Bob Lasch, Program Coordinator for MCC's Precision Machining Program.Mayor Bob Duffy spoke about the issue of Mayoral control of the R...
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Employment Rates, by State: Most Regions Register Improvement
May 21, 2010, 11:38 AM ETThe jobless rate in 34 states and Washington, D.C. fell in April compared to the prior month, even as the nation’s unemployment rate ticked up to 9.9%, the Labor Department said Friday. Meanwhile, six states saw unemployment rate increases, while the rate was unchanged in 10 other states. Michi...
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Major Provisions in Senate Financial Overhaul Bill
May 20, 2010, 9:03 PM ETThe Senate financial overhaul package, which passed the Senate in a 59-39 vote on Thursday evening, would constitute the biggest overhaul of U.S. financial regulations since the 1930s. The legislation, broadly, is designed to close the regulatory gaps and end the speculative trading practices th...
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The Bankrupting of America
MAY 21, 2010We have a ruinous collaboration of elected officials and unionized public workers.By MORTIMER ZUCKERMAN The American public feels it is drowning in red ink. It is dismayed and even outraged at the burgeoning national deficits, unbalanced state and local budgets, and accounting that often masks the extent of...
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China's Hu Pledges Exchange-Rate Reform
MAY 24, 2010, 11:31 P.M. ETU.S. Welcomes President's Reference to Currency Regime as Beijing and Washington Seek Common Ground in DiscussionsBy ANDREW BATSON BEIJING—Chinese President Hu Jintao opened two days of talks between U.S. and Chinese officials in Beijing by repeating a pledge to continue reform of his country...
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Euro-Zone Factory Orders Surge
MAY 25, 2010, 9:07 A.M. ETBy NICHOLAS WINNING LONDON—New factory orders in the 16 countries that share the euro posted the sharpest monthly gain in nearly three years in March, in a sign that the economic recovery is gathering pace, data from the European Union's Eurostat statistics agency showed Tuesday.Industrial new...
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Economists See Solid U.S. Growth
MAY 23, 2010By LUCA DI LEO The U.S. economy should expand at a solid pace this year and next as consumers increase spending, confident the recession is behind them, a panel of economists said in a survey released Monday.The 46 economists surveyed in the National Association for Business Economics report between April 2...
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Rochester Welcomes New Regular Members
NEW ROCHESTER REGULAR MEMBERS Advantech Industries, Inc. James Preble, VP Sales & MarketingPark HoldingsHarold Schlicker, Pres.Universal Precision Corp.Michael Schmitt, Pres.Qualicoat, Inc.Michael Pontarelli, Pres. Arnprior Rapid Manufacturing Solutions ...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Member
ROCHESTER ASSOCIATE MEMBERS The Bonadio GroupRob SpatolaManagerBansbach Zoghlin P.C.Gerald WahlPartner...
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Micro Instrument Corp Annouce Three Key Employee Additions
Micro Instrument Corp is pleased to announce the addition of the following key individuals to our company. These additions, coupled with our already strong engineering and fabrication groups, will help pave the way towards positioning Micro Instrument Corp at the leading edge of Assembly and Test Systems Integration C...
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Optimax Bursting Into 2010
March 26, 2010 - Optimax has more than survived the poor economy of 2009; it has come out of it thriving. Business opportunities continue to increase for the local optics manufacturing shop. As the market rebounds, major corporations are approaching Optimax to secure long term contracts to avoid inflationary price inc...
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ACE - Automated Cells & Equipment, Inc. Adds Staff Due to Increased Demand for Automation Services
Painted Post, NY, March 25, 2010 – Automated Cells & Equipment, Inc. recently added two new employees and promoted a current employee to their engineering department as a result of an increase in demand for factory automation and robotics services. As a leading provider of automation systems and robotics, Automated...
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President’s Message
- John J. Murphy IV RTMA President -RTMA Outreach To Public OfficialsWhile the RTMA has interacted with elected officials in the past, we believe it’s important to increase our efforts. The RTMA has worked hard to inform our community that manufacturing is an important ingredient in our economy and provides meaningfu...
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President’s Message - 2009 In Retrospect
During 2009 it has been my pleasure to serve as your president. I have been fortunate to have a dedicated and knowledgeable Board of Directors to work with. I also believe the RTMA is blessed with a talented staff. We have come through a challenging year for our members. The RTMA worked to assist members address th...
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Rochester Holiday Party
On December 14, 2009, the RTMA hosted a Holiday Social at Rick's Prime Rib. Approximately 130 people attended this event to enjoy the open bar, food, and holiday cheer. The evening was a success due to the support and generosity of our sponsors. Many Thanks to Our Sponsors!Platinum: Five Star BankGold: Electronic Fie...
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Rochester Welcomes New Regular Member
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERAries Precision ProductsJose SuroOwner...
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Presidents Message
Leadership in Uncertain Times On November 19, at Rick’s Prime Rib House, NTMA Chairman Ron Overton will be our guest speaker. Ron’s theme for the evening will be “Leadership in Uncertain Times”. His presentation will focus on how we can achieve excellence in leadership. The quality of leadership will determine the ...
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RTMA Annual Meeting
On October 15, 2009, the RTMA Annual Meeting was held at Rick's Prime Rib. Elections took place and we are pleased to welcome Joe Noto, Acro Industries, to our Board of Directors and welcome back Geoff Beull, AJL Manufacturing, for another term.In addition to the the Annual Report we all enjoyed hearing radio DJ Bob L...
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Employers expect 12% hike in health insurance, survey shows
Rochester Business JournalBy Will AstorArea employers responding to the Rochester Business Alliance Inc.’s benefits survey expect to see a 12.1 percent hike in health insurance premiums. The benefits poll is conducted annually by the RBA. Two hundred fourteen organizations representing 99,800 employees responded ...
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Rochester President's Message - Fall Event
Fall Event Major SuccessThis year the RTMA added a Golf Outing to the Annual Clambake and Member Appreciation Night. This is the first time that an RTMA Event has been hosted by Locust Hill Country Club. Reports from the members are that the golf was excellent, and the food and service were as well. We had 235 membe...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Member
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERThe PEN Group, LLCAl MustardoVP Sales...
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President's Address
FALL EVENTThis year’s Fall Event (Golf Outing, Clambake and Associate Member Exhibits) will be held at Locust Hill Country Club. Locust Hill’s facilities will accommodate our group and deliver outstanding food quality and exceptional service. We’re adding passed appetizers and expanded bar locations throughout the tr...
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Health Care Issues
Health Care Issues for 2010It’s hard to view a television program, listen to the radio, read a newspaper without something about Health Care being discussed. With regard to National Universal Health Care, the tide on reactions from the public put a halt on any action before the August congressional “vacation”, and we h...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Member
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERInnovative SolutionsDavid PotterAccount Executive...
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President’s Message- Training Money Available
Rochester Works is implementing a program to provide funds to train your workforce. These monies are available from the WIRED program. You can request up to $25,000. The request should be submitted immediately as these monies expire in October 2009. Training must lead to the development of management competencies ...
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Rochester 2009 Golf Tournament
It was a beautiful day for the RTMA Golf Tournament on June 15th. The golfers enjoyed another fun filled day at Ridgemont Country Club. We would like to thank the sponsors who made this event so successful:M&T Bank - Gold SponsorMike Hockenberger presents Matt Ray with sponsor appreciation baskets for M&T Bank...
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Insurance Update
Business Insurance News for the Metal Working Industry. The State of New York is now allowing insurance companies to determine their own rates for Workers Compensation. Now is the time to compare to find the best rates. With our current economy we are finding that some insurance carriers have had to increase renewal p...
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President's Message
RTMA Lobbies Hard in WashingtonBill Hockenberger, Chairman of PGM, the late Peter Collins, Manager of Operations at Trident Precision and Kevin Kelley, RTMA Executive Director participated in the NTMA/PMA First Annual Legislative Conference May 12th through the 13th. After being briefed on the key issues of importance...
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Rochester President's Address
RTMA Golf EventsThe RTMA wanted to kick off the change of seasons in a fun way for its members with some golf focused events. In May, the RTMA will be having Golf Pro, Craig Wood Harmon as the guest speaker at the Monthly Meeting. Craig was named 2004 PGA Professional of the year and is the golf pro at Oak Hill. Th...
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May Monthly Meeting
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RTMA President's Address
Membership Growth and RetentionAs the economy tightens, business owners are compelled to take a hard look at their expenditures. The value of membership in an association comes under scrutiny. The RTMA has worked very hard to create value for its members. As stated in the 2008 Annual Report 98% of the members have r...
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February 2009 Monthly Meeting
On February 19th the RTMA held its monthly meeting at Rick's Prime Rib House. Approximately 105 people were in attendance. The guest speaker for the evening was Roy Gelewski, partner at Harris Beach PLLC. Roy's firm focuses on labor and employment law. His speech that evening focused on the Employee Free Choice Ac...
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RTMA President's Address
Currently, there is major concern about the expense of New York State Government. The Governor has called attention to a multi-billion dollar budget gap. However, he does not point out that New York State is way ahead of the pack in spending. The table below compares the key, government related costs of living and d...
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Healthcare Costs Symposium -sponsored by Relph Benefit Advisors
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Member
ROCHESTER ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Britton MachineGordy BrittonPres.Bodycote Thermal ProcessingTom EliasRegional Sales ManagerQES Solutions, Inc.Tom MayberryPresident/CEO...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Members
ROCHESTER ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Britton Machinery SalesGordy BrittonPresidentBodycote Thermal ProcessingRobert D'PiazzaSales Manager...
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President's Address
This is my first message to the members as President of the RTMA. First of all I want to acknowledge the RTMA Vice President Geoff Buell, COO of AJL and RTMA Secretary/Treasurer Garland Beasley, Vice President of German Machine. You should know that the other officers and I are committed to working with the Board of ...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Members
ROCHESTER ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Mploy Inc.Todd ComfortVPAutomatic Data Processing, Inc.Jonathan MattDistrict ManagerPoint-N-Click Computer Solution, LLCScott ProvvidenzaPresident...
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President's Address - As I see it
As I See ItThis is my last message to the members as President of the RTMA. I have had the privilege of serving two terms. During these past two years the RTMA has made great progress in meeting the wants and needs of its members. It has developed and distributed significant benefits and services for the members. I...
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Associate Member Announcement
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RTMA Holiday Party
On December 15, 2008, the RTMA hosted a Holiday Cocktail Reception at Lento Restaurant in Village Gate. This new restaurant is owned by Arthur Rogers, son of Charlie Rogers, President of CAR Engineering. Approximately 140 people attended this event to enjoy the open bar, deliciously prepared organic hors d'oeuvres and...
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Thank you Murphy and Nolan
A big THANK YOU to Murphy and Nolan Inc. for donating alluminum to the Bootcamp for Jobs training program. ...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
At the annual meeting in October, I gave a report regarding the objectives and performance of the RTMA in 2008. Some of the highlights of that report are as follows:· The RTMA strategy is to provide a product that delivers the best return on the investment for the members.· The Center for Integrated Ma...
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Laughlin Rigging & Hauling, Inc. Safety Award
Safety Award to Laughlin Rigging & Hauling, Inc.The owner and employees of Laughlin Rigging & Hauling, Inc. of Rochester, NY have won the Trust's special award for achieving an accident-free workplace in the Trust's last fiscal year (2007/2008). The award is presented to Trust members recognizing the results o...
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GM's Shares Tumble
General Motors Corp. stock fell to its lowest level since 1946 as concern intensified that the auto maker could run out of cash and be forced to file for bankruptcy protection.The stock's decline came as several analysts issued dire reports about GM and the company acknowledged in a government filing it could be at ris...
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America's Two Auto Industries
Can you imagine life without General Motors Corp.? That's now an urgent question facing America's political leaders.GM survived for 100 years, steering through two world wars, the Great Depression, and all the booms and busts in between. But on Friday, GM said it faces a substantial risk of financial collapse by the mi...
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HTR Program Keeps the Focus on Growth
HTR program keeps the focus on growthWhat do you want (or need) your sales revenues to be three years from now? How do you plan to get there? Will your sales growth result from working harder than you already are, or will growth come from a more effective sales message, new products and services, or new customers and m...
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Rochester Welcomes New Regular Members
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERSGolf Products Wire EDM, Inc.Tim CristOwnerWeldrite Closures, Inc.Richard KnappGeneral Manager...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associates
ROCHESTER ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Robert G. Relph AgencyRoger HermanSenior Benefit AdvisorSiemens PLM Software, Inc.Laura MakowskiClient Sales ExecutiveProvidium a Div. of Gallagher Benefit ServicesRichard BannisterArea PresidentEconomy Paper CompanyBrian HanleyVice PresidentThe Landmark Group of Brighton, Inc.Matthew J. McD...
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RTMA President's Address - RTMA 2008 Annual Meeting
On October 16th our principal speaker for the evening will be Kent Gardner, Ph.D., President and Chief Economist of the Center for Governmental Research Inc. Dr. Gardner has extensive experience assessing the economic and fiscal impacts of major developments, institutions or policy changes on communities, regions and ...
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2008 Clambake and Associate Appreciation Night
The RTMA Clam Bake and Associate Member Appreciation Night was held on Thursday, September 25th at the Burgundy Basin Inn. Over 275 people attended this fun filled event.The evening was a huge success due to the generosity of our meeting sponsors. We would like to thank them for their support:Diamond Sponsor - NYMATG...
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RTMA President's Address - Skilled Labor Shortage
There is a limited amount of available talent for the tooling and machining industry. We are competing with the automotive, construction, optics and heating & ventilating sectors. We have been promoting jobs in our industry for the past year with the “Best Job You Never Heard Of” Campaign. The RTMA has received...
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Precision Technologies - Leadwwell Machine Tools
Precision Technologies is now the exclusive dealer for Leadwell Machine Tools in New York state. The new Leadwell products provide Japanese quality at Taiwanese prices. We offer complete service support, and look forward to assisting you in you machinery requirements. Give us a call, you’ll be pleased with the resul...
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RTMA and the Redwings
On July 17, 2008 the RTMA had a fun night out at Frontier Field to watch a Red Wings Game and enjoy some all you can eat BBQ, sponsored by Horizon Solutions. Approximately 60 people were in attendence. Many of our members brought their friends and family for an enjoyable night out. A BIG thanks to our sponsor Horizo...
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Self-Funding: Not Just For Big Companies
Submitted for RTMA by: William H. Combs, CLU 585.226.8881While some insurance carriers would like us to believe that self-funded health benefit plans should only be designed for firms with 100 or more employees, there continues to be a good deal of interest on the part of small companies – those with as few as 50 empl...
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Presidents Address - June 2008
RTMA Member Benefit “Super Savings” for IMTS ShowThe IMTS 2008 International Manufacturing Technology Show is being held September 8-13 at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL. IMTS 2008 is the 27th edition of the premier manufacturing technologies show in North America. There will be displays and information on 15,000 new m...
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With Oil's Rise, Floridians Shift on Drilling
With Oil's Rise, Floridians Shift on DrillingBy COREY DADE and STEPHEN POWERJune 23, 2008ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. -- Neighbors Jo Ellen Sharp and Kristin Jenkins stood beside each other after a day on the beach of this barrier island, divided by the thought that Florida's corner of the Gulf of Mexico could some day be dott...
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Rochester Welcomes New Regular Member
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERGolf Products Wire EDM, Inc.Tim CristPresident/Owner...
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Soaring Gas Prices Force New Production Cuts
Ford Reels as Truck Sales PlungeSoaring Gas Prices Force New Production Cuts; Big Three Facing a Cash DrainBy MATTHEW DOLAN, JOHN D. STOLL and KATE LINEBAUGHJune 21, 2008; Page A1Ford Motor Co. announced cuts in production for the second time in two months and gave up on ending its losses by next year, as the scramble ...
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East Meets West
East Meets WestHow a new Buick was made to appeal to a skeptical U.S. audience, as well as to the booming market in ChinaBy JOHN D. STOLLWhen General Motors Corp. in September asked Richard Duff to help create the exterior of a new Buick prototype sedan called Invicta, the 32-year-old designer jumped at the chance.Havi...
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Weather May Ping Natural Gas
Weather May Ping Natural GasPrices Could Climb If Summertime Heat Is Worse Than UsualBy BEN CASSELMANJune 23, 2008Natural-gas prices, up 74% since the year began, could be headed higher amid predictions of an unusually hot summer in parts of the nation. If those forecasts play out, air-conditioner use will rise -- and ...
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Panel Cites Surge in Speculative Oil Trades
Panel Cites Surge in Speculative Oil TradesCongress Gears Up To Devise Limits; Campaigns SparBy STEPHEN POWER and IAN TALLEYJune 23, 2008WASHINGTON -- Speculative traders' interest in crude oil has grown to the point that they now account for roughly 70% of all trading in West Texas Intermediate crude on the New York M...
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2008 RTMA Annual Golf Outing
Despite the thunderstorms and rain we were still able to have a enjoyable day of golf at the RTMA Annual Golf Outing on June 16th. We would like to thank the sponsors who made this event so successful:M&T Bank, M&T Commercial Finance, M&T Investment Group, AVIVA Life and Normal CommunicationsPeter Collins ...
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Iron-Ore Deal to Lift China's Steel Costs
Rio Tinto and BHP Push The Cost of Iron Ore HigherSteel Prices Fuel Inflation Worries; Taking a Hard LineBy ROBERT GUY MATTHEWSJune 24, 2008After months of negotiating with China's top steelmakers, mining giants Rio Tinto PLC and BHP Billiton Ltd. on Monday won an 85% increase in the benchmark price for iron ore, a key...
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Tooling U Newsletter
IMTSTooling U is currently preparing for the IMTS show in Chicago, IL September 8-13. We are proud to be one of six organizations presenting best practices to IMTS attendees. Tooling U will be presenting the following sessions: • Training the Shop Floor • TargetED Training: Empowering Your Workforce • The Grant Lands...
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Saudies Promise More Oil to Curb World-Wide Fears
Saudis Promise More Oil To Curb World-Wide FearsKingdom Raising Output This Year And Capacity LaterBy MARGARET COKER and NEIL KING JR.June 23, 2008JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia moved to calm anxiety in the oil market by promising the world a little more oil now and potentially a lot more later.But it is unclear ...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Members
ROCHESTER ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Kelly Services, Inc.Renee K. ShoneDirect Hire RecruiterKB Page Co.George GuerinotTerritory ManagerSentry InsuranceSteve CongerAccount Executive...
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Today's Markets
Today's MarketsBy Peter A. McKayFinancials, Energy, Autos Battle To a Standstill as Crude ClimbsJune 23, 2008 A rally in energy stocks and the continuing plunge of financial and automotive shares left markets spinning their wheels Monday as investors looked ahead to a pivotal decision on interest rates.The Dow Jones In...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
Facilitating a Skilled Labor Supply for the Tooling and Machining IndustryYou should be aware that the RTMA has been aggressively working to encourage interest in jobs leading to careers in the tooling and machining industry. The “I’ve got the best job you never heard of” campaign continues to be broadcast on Channe...
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RTMA May Meeting Highlights
On May 15, the RTMA monthly meeting was held at Rick’s Prime Rib. Our guest speaker for the evening was Mayor Bob Duffy. Several members had the opportunity to ask him questions which he graciously took the time to answer. Mayor Bob Duffy speaking to the RTMA membersPrevious to the regular meeting a Round Table Discuss...
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The Department of Defense
Why Sell to the Department of Defense? Simply, they have money. The Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Department budget that took effect on 1 October, was valued at $480 billion. The proposed Fiscal 2009 budget is $515 billion. A significant portion of these funds are used to buy a wide variety of products and services, from...
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RTMA April Meeting Sponsored by Brook-Anco Corp
On April 17, 2008, the RTMA monthly meeting was held at Rick’s Prime Rib with our guest speaker, Roy Sweatman, who is the NTMA CEO. Peter Collins, RTMA President and Ray Sweatman, CEO of NTMAThis meeting was also our annual Past Presidents Night. The seven who were able to attend were: Peter Collins, Darren Gillette...
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Saudis
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Saudis Promise More Oil to Curb World-Wide Fears
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
NTMA 2008 Legislative ConferenceThe NTMA is hosting its Annual Legislative Conference on June 10-11, 2008 at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel. It is an opportunity to tell lawmakers about our unique industry and the issues that matter most to its success.Conference attendees will have the opportunity to:• Hear from Washingt...
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RTMA March Meeting Highlights
On March 28th, the RTMA monthly meeting was held at the Blue Cross Arena. Apprentice Recognition and Family Night was the focus of the evening. Many members, family members and friends participated in this fun filled night and cheered on the Rochester Amerks to a victory over the Manitoba Moose. THANK YOU TO OUR SP...
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McCain Economic Plan to Show a Mixed Approach
PITTSBURGH -- Mixing austerity and tax cuts, Sen. John McCain is laying out an economic plan that includes increased Medicare premiums for wealthy seniors and a one-year freeze on spending along with a proposal to review a vast swath of federal programsIn a major economic speech Tuesday, the likely Republican president...
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Medical Device and Manufacturing East
MD&M is scheduled to be held from June 3-5, 2008 Exposition and June 2-5 Conference at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center New York, NY. This, the world’s largest event in medical manufacturing is now in its 26’th year. Since 1983, MD&M has provided an unparalleled array of resources for the design and manuf...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Members
ROCHESTER ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Rochester Educational Opportunity CenterDr. Melva BrownExecutive DirectorQualicoat, Inc.Michael PontarelliPresident...
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Rochester Welcomes New Regular Member
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERGSP Components, Inc.Ronald MotsayPresident...
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Retail Sales Edge Higher; Business Inventories Rise
WASHINGTON -- U.S. retail sales unexpectedly climbed in March, but the small increase was the work of gasoline station sales, driven by the higher oil prices that have otherwise subdued consumers and drained the economy.Retail sales increased 0.2%, after dropping 0.4% during February, the Commerce Department said Monda...
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Higher Food Prices May Be Here to Stay
For all the economists and consumers who hope high food prices are temporary, here's one reason why they probably won't be: Farm costs are skyrocketing, making permanently higher prices essential for farmers to keep expanding production.Inflation is biting farmers world-wide. In New Zealand, farm wages are up as much a...
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Defense Firms Press for Arms Investment
The next White House must find a way to overcome budget pressures and modernize the military so that it keeps its technological edge, according to a report from the aerospace and defense industry's Washington-based trade association.In the report, expected to be delivered Tuesday to Congress and the presidential campai...
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Food, Energy Boost Producer Prices But Core Inflation Retreats a Bit
Home Builder Index Remains LowWASHINGTON -- U.S. wholesale prices surged on higher food and energy prices during March, but core inflation retreated to a mild rate after two months of big increases.Meanwhile, U.S. home builders still have the blues. The National Association of Home Builders' index for sales of new, sin...
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Applicants Sought for The Entrepreneurs Network - TEN
Applicants Sought for The Entrepreneurs Network - TENFocus to help prospective high growth companies (Rochester, NY) – The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN) is now accepting applications for its next class, which begins in May. Based on best practices of leading entrepreneurial training, education and networking programs, TE...
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H&C Tool Supply Announces Organizational Changes
Peter Cowgill has been named CEO of H&C Tool Supply and Hewes Fastener Division. A Rochester native, Cowgill joined H&C in 1974 and became President in 1980, leading the company through its early years and establishing a foundation for strong growth. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business/Marketing from Mia...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
Recently, the RTMA has been briefed by staff from the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies {CIMS} regarding a program which they seek to implement which would assist our membership. It is their intention to develop a competitive intelligence study of the US defense procurement market to identify opportunities...
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Caveat Venditor! Seller Beware!
- Jessica Frank - Scrap is no longer just a byproduct. It can add significantly to your bottom line. In a world where we are all asked to do everything “faster, better, and cheaper” manufacturers are starting to figure scrap value into the price of their parts in order to remain competitive. Scrap is worth real mone...
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RTMA February Monthly Meeting Highlights
On February 28th the RTMA held its monthly meeting at Rick's Prime Rib House. Approximately 100 people were in attendance. The guest speaker for the evening was Arnie Rothschild, President of NORMAL Communications, who addressed his plan for the RTMA Phase II Promotional Campaign. Working with Arnie, the RTMA launch...
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Leading Indicators Decline Again
Jobless Claims Jump SharpleyAn index intended to show the economy's future direction fell 0.3% in February, the fifth consecutive monthly drop, according to preliminary estimates by the Conference Board.Meanwhile, the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment insurance increased sharply last week, match...
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Population Losses Continue Across WNY, According to Census Estimates
Erie County lost 5,001 residents last year, continuing a decade-long trend of annual population losses seen here and across upstate New York, according to new population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. However, at least one expert cautioned that the declines reported for Erie and Niagara counties shouldn’t be ta...
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RTMA Welcomes New Regular Members
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERSJ.K. FindingsJoni LucasCOOGSP Components, Inc.Ronald MotsayPresident...
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U.S. Puts Faith in Fannie, Freddie
Firms, Once Hemmed In, Are Freed for Bigger Role In Aiding Mortgage MarketFederal regulators, in an effort to contain financial turmoil, are handing government-sponsored companies an even bigger role in propping up the mortgage market.Officials affirmed yesterday that government-sponsored mortgage investors Fannie Mae ...
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Costly Fuel, Economic Woes Weigh Down U.S. Airlines
Carriers May Face New Restructuring; Key Merger in DoubtU.S. airlines, which seemed last year to have shaken off a half-decade slump, may face a new round of restructuring amid a stumbling economy and spiraling fuel prices.The turnabout reflects the headwinds that have buffeted the industry as oil prices have risen 75%...
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Commodities Continue Slide While Stocks Move Upward
Stocks took off Thursday following a better than expected reading of regional manufacturing activity from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve, but commodity prices continued to languish despite the report.The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which enjoyed a modest rally early in the session, accelerated after the Philadelphi...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
RTMA Pushes Community Awareness of Job/Career Opportunities You may have seen the most recent RTMA community awareness ad campaign on Channel 10. Tom Flynn, President of Monroe Community College tells the viewer “… for the best job – no, the best career you never heard of, contact MCC or the RTMA”. We are very pleas...
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Finger Lakes Wired Allocating Additional $1.6 Million for Scholarships to Region’s Businesses for Training
The Finger Lakes Wired is allocating an additional $1.6 million in funds - on top of $1.4 million already awarded - to make more scholarships available to businesses in the nine-county Finger Lakes region. Businesses in the following industries may apply for up to $25,000 in funding: advanced manufacturing, alternativ...
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SBIR – Big Product Development Grants for Small Businesses
SBIR/STTR GrantsThe Federal government offers SBIR and STTR (Small Business Innovative Research and Small Business Technology Transfer) grants that can provide small businesses developing truly innovative products and services over $1 Million of "free money". Grant winners can receive: • Phase I - Up $...
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E.T. Precision Optics Thrives - Rochester Top 100
The Rochester Top 100, which annually recognizes the fastest-growing privately-held companies in the nine-county region, is sponsored by the Rochester Business Alliance and KPMG. Here is an interview with Tom Eckler, CEO of E.T. Precision Optics Inc. How does it feel to make the top 100 list for the first time? We feel...
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RTMA January Monthly Meeting Highlights
The RTMA January General Membership Meeting was once again well attended by over 100 members. The topic of the evening was the economic forecast for the coming year as presented by experts Gary Keith, Vice President in the Comercial Banking Division for M&T Bank and Regional Economist, and Rich Bucenec, Second Vic...
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Report finds escalating property taxes and local spending continue to hurt economy, despite STAR
ALBANY— The program originally intended to reduce property taxes has had little impact in that area, instead helping to escalate state spending over the past decade, the Business Council's research affiliate has concluded in a new report.The report, What’s STAR Got To Do With It, was released this week as lawmakers met...
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Escalating Property Taxes and Local Spending
Report finds escalating property taxes and local spending continue to hurt economy, despite STARALBANY— The program originally intended to reduce property taxes has had little impact in that area, instead helping to escalate state spending over the past decade, the Business Council's research affiliate has concluded in...
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New Yorker's Still Heading South
New Yorkers still heading south; new Census Bureau data show states that gained New Yorkers in 2005-2006 ALBANY— More than 500,000 New Yorkers moved to other states between 2005 and 2006, according to recently released Census Bureau data.The data show that 513,625 New Yorkers moved out of state between 2005 and 2006. N...
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Bernanke Open to a Sizable Rate Cut
Job and Housing Markets May Worsen, Posing Risks To Growth, Fed Chief SaysWASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned that intensifying credit and financial-market pressures are likely to restrain economic growth and left the door open for a sizable interest-rate cut next month.Mr. Bernanke, testifying a...
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Slow Spending Helps Trade Deficit
Consumers' voracious appetite for imported goods has abated, helping narrow the trade deficit in December and all of last year.The Commerce Department said the trade gap narrowed 6.9% in December to $58.8 billion, its largest monthly decline since October 2006. Despite higher oil prices, the trade gap for the full year...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Member
ROCHESTER ASSOCIATE MEMBER Scale 2 Display & GraphicsRick CrowleyOwner...
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Rochester Welcomes New Regular Member
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERK&H Precision Products, Inc.Steven HogarthPresident...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
NTMA 2008 Annual Convention As you know, the RTMA is a Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association. Consequently, we believe it’s important for our members to participate in NTMA events. The NTMA will be holding its 2008 Annual Convention February 2nd through the 7th. It will take place at the Renaissa...
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More Delays Plague Boeings Dreamliner
Boeing Co., already six months behind schedule on its 787 Dreamliner jet program, is close to announcing more delays that might hurt its ability to deliver as many planes as promised in the initial year of production.The aircraft maker continues to experience problems on a variety of fronts, according to people familia...
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States to Tighten Belts as Weakness Of Economy Cuts Into Tax Receipts
Slower growth in tax revenues, the result of a weakening economy, are prompting governors from New Jersey to California to consider an array of belt-tightening measures to balance their budgets for this year and next.Facing a severe revenue shortfall, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has asked most state agencies to trim th...
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Citigroup Swings to a Loss, Plans to Raise More Capital, Results Hit by $17.4 Billion in Write-Downs
NEW YORK -- Citigroup Inc. said Tuesday it lost $9.83 billion in the fourth quarter, a result that points backward to the giant bank's risky and poorly managed foray into complicated debt markets but also heralds growing stress on U.S. consumers.Citigroup's results, the first under new Chief Executive Vikram Pandit, we...
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Rochester Welcomes New Regular Member
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERAuburn Ball Bearing/Fairport ProductsPeter SchrothOwner...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Member
ROCHESTER ASSOCIATE MEMBER Comtec Solutions of NY, LLC Rob Moyer President...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
I have been pleased to serve as RTMA President in 2007 and am honored that the Board has elected me to serve as President again in 2008. Recently, the Board of Directors has completed a Strategic Plan for the RTMA. Our mission is as follows: “RTMA unites, promotes and builds the image of the Upstate New York Tooling ...
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RTMA December Cocktail Reception
On December 10, 2007, the RTMA hosted a Holiday Cocktail Reception at Lento Restaurant in Village Gate. This new restaurant is owned by Arthur Rogers, son of Charlie Rogers, President of CAR Engineering. Approximately 170 people attended this event to enjoy the open bar, deliciously prepared organic hors d'oeuvres and...
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RTMA November Monthly Meeting
The November 15th RTMA monthly meeting began with presentations by NORMAL Communication President Arnie Rothschild and AllSource Consulting Owner Debra Ray. Two dynamic slide presentations informed the membership of the promotional campaigns that the RTMA, in conjunction with NORMAL Communications and Channel 10, has ...
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N.Y. Manufacturing Index Drops
NEW YORK – Manufacturing activity this month in New York state has fallen to the lowest level since May, the New York Federal Reserve said Monday.The Empire State index of overall manufacturing conditions slid to a reading of 10.31 from 27.37 in November. The median expectation of economists surveyed by Dow Jones News...
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Rochester Welcomes New Regular Members
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERSOptimaxMichael MandinaPresidentVanSkiver Manufacturing TechnologiesEric VanSkiverCEO/PresidentTurning Point Tool, LLCFrank PezzuloOperations Manager...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Member
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERAdmiral MetalsJack LongVice President...
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A Health-Insurance Solution
Why can't people living in New Jersey buy health insurance available to residents of, say, Pennsylvania?Rep. John Shadegg, an Arizona Republican, thinks they should -- and today will reintroduce legislation to make that possible.The Health Care Choice Act would allow residents in one state to buy health insurance that ...
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Delivering Value to Your Firm’s Bottom Line: Gaining Competitive Advantage and New Growth from Emerging Opportunities in Renewable Energy Technologies
By, Mark C. Coleman, Senior Program Manager, Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies and Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology Introduction On Thursday November 15th I gave a presentation to an audience of seventy RTMA members at Rick’s Prime Rib House titled “Delivering Value t...
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Last-Minute Tips for Trimming Your 2007 Taxes
There is Still Time To Take Advantage of Rules Set to Expire December 12, 2007Many taxpayers still have time to make last-minute moves that could trim their tax bills significantly for 2007.These include traditional tactics such as dumping investment losers, donating stock to charity, and timing deductions and income c...
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Updated Data in PPI'S Just the Facts Confirm State's High Business Costs and Show the State's Auto Insurance Premiums Among Nation's Highest - But the state's unemployment inusrance tax rate is slightly below average
ALBANY—A prominent national index ranks New York's overall cost of doing business among the highest in the country—but the state's unemployment insurance costs are now below average.Those are among the trends documented by updated new tables in the Public Policy Institute's Just the Facts series. A third new comparison...
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Trade Deficit Widens on Oil Costs
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. trade deficit widened during October, rising higher than expected as the average price for imported oil soared to a record.The U.S. deficit in international trade of goods and services grew by 1.2% to $57.82 billion from September's revised $57.12 billion, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. ...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
Congressional Contact Recently, Trident Precision Mfg. hosted Congressman Jim Walsh for a plant tour. I had visited Jim in Washington during the NTMA Legislative Conference in June and had invited him to get a better understanding of our company by visiting our facility here in Webster. Congressman Walsh agreed and t...
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Rochester Welcomes New Associate Members
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERSOdyssey Quality Management SolutionsLaura McFarlanePresidentManpowerLinda GrossmanBranch Manager...
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Chrysler Plans to Reassign Purchasing Executive
DETROIT -- Chrysler LLC is preparing to reassign a senior purchasing executive as soon as today as part of an effort to improve relations with its suppliers, people familiar with the matter said.Robert Schott, vice president of purchasing, will give up that job and take a new post related to engineering and quality, on...
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Narrower Trade Gap May Spur Inflation
NMay Spur InflationWASHINGTON -- For the U.S. economy, trade is providing both good and bad news: It is making a strong contribution to growth but is also fueling inflation.The trade deficit shrank 0.6% to $56.45 billion in September, compared with August's $56.8 billion gap, which was revised down from $57.59 billion,...
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RTMA Clam Bake & Associate Member Appreciation Night
The RTMA Annual Meeting, Clam Bake and Associate Member Appreciation Night was held on Thursday, October 18th at the Burgundy Basin Inn. Over 325 people attended this fun filled event.The evening was a huge success due to the generosity of our meeting sponsors. We would like to thank them for their support:Platinum S...
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In Memory of James Silloway
James E. Silloway, 72, owner of Monroe Fluid Technology, died suddenly on November 5th. He is survived by his devoted and loving wife Mary, children and grandchildren.James was a member of the Ridgemont CC, in Greece and Quail West CC in Naples, FL. He was a pilot, a graduate of Aquinas Institute and St. John Fisher ...
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RTMA Members Make Top 100 Companies List
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MEMBERS THAT MADE THE TOP 100 LIST FOR 2007 MWI CORP. - David McMahon, Owner, CEOMCALPIN INDUSTRIES, INC. - Kenneth McAlpin, CEOE-CHX, INC. –Richard Aab, CEOGENESEE REGIONAL BANK – Phillip Pecora, CEOE.T. PRECISION OPTICS, INC. – Thomas Eckler, PresidentKLEIN STEEL SERVICE, INC. – Joseph Klein, C...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
Manufacturing Is Alive – There is a Labor Shortage According to recent data developed by (W.I.R.E.D.) there are 8,000 vacant manufacturing jobs in the Greater Rochester - Finger Lakes Region. Why this information is not on the front page of the “Democrat & Chronicle” is baffling. Recently, the “Democrat & Chr...
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Trade Data Boost GDP
A surprise narrowing in the August trade deficit is leading economists to revise up estimates of third quarter growth as the rest of the world provides the U.S. economy with a valuable offset to the sinking housing market. The deficit in goods and services trade narrowed to $57.6 billion from $59 billion in July; econo...
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Job Market Still Tight in August
Job Market Still Tight in AugustDespite an uptick in unemployment and slowing in job growth, the labor market was still tight in August judging from number of unfilled job openings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the number of job openings remained steady at 2.9% of total jobs in August, where i...
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Federal Deficit Narrows; Spending Fight Continues
WASHINGTON -- The federal deficit narrowed in fiscal 2007, the third straight annual reduction, as the continued economic recovery helped the growth of tax receipts outpace the growth of government spending.For the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, the U.S. recorded a deficit of $162.8 billion, about 34% smaller than the $24...
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Live in a Great Lakes State? Keep your Eye on the Fed
People of the Great Lakes region may want to pay especially close attention to the Federal Reserve’s action on interest rates. A review of studies on the regional effects of changes in monetary policy found that Great Lakes states consistently felt the strongest effect. The weakest impact came in the Southwest and othe...
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State Spending To Increase More Than Revenue Over Next Four Years
New York State spending will outpace revenues significantly over the next four years, leading to an estimated $8.7 billion spending gap by fiscal year 2010-11, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s annual report on state finances.“Spending from State resources is forecast in the fiscal year 2007-08 Enacted B...
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RTMA Welcomes New Associate Member
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERBrite ComputersLinda YioulosSales Rep....
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RTMA Welcomes New Regular Member
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERDMD Machining TechnologyDonald HoferPresident...
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RTMA September Monthly Meeting
The RTMA monthly meeting was held on Wednesday, September 12th at Rick's Prime Rib House. The evening was informative and entertaining from the guest speaker to the Channel 10 presentation, Past President recognition, Service Award presentations and New Member achnowledgements. Our thanks to Aaron Weiner and Genesee ...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
RTMA Pushes Benefits for Members The RTMA continues to create and distribute new and meaningful benefits for members. The RTMA has given each member the opportunity to attend the NTMA Annual Contract Tooling and Manufacturing Purchasing Fair on October 9th. Thirty-eight members have chosen to participate in this init...
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The Best Industry I Never Heard Of
- Channel 10 Bill Bagley, Acct Executive & Joe Fazio, General Sales Manager -When Arnold Rothchild, President of Normal Communications called earlier this year and invited me to learn more about the Rochester Machining and Tooling industry, I told him I wasn’t sure what the Machining industry was, but would be ha...
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An August Slowdown?
Economic reports out today suggested the economy downshifted in August, raising the possibility that the financial-market problems which emerged last month are proving a drag on the real economy too.U.S. retail sales rose by a smaller-than-expected amount in August, in a gloomy sign of softness for an economy still str...
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Likelihood of a Recession Is Given Better Odds
Economists Debate If Job Outlook Is as Bad as Feared Economic forecasters are boosting the odds of a recession over the next 12 months as the housing slump deepens and the credit crisis continues. But there is sharp disagreement over the likelihood of a contraction, with some arguing it is all but inevitable and others...
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Detroit Auto Makers Try Some New Tricks
The Big Three Improve Cars But Then Find It Hard To Get Buyers to Notice (See Corrections & Amplifications item below.)Just about every month, CNW Market Research meets with a group of would-be car buyers and plays a trick on them.Sometimes the company, which specializes in auto sales trends, takes a Toyota Camry, ...
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Council's New ‘Economic Growth Index’ Shows New York Trails Most States In Growth In Jobs, Wages, Income, And Population
New York earns a grade of 'D' on the 50-state comparison; Upstate's grade is 'F' ALBANY—Fully half of the 62 counties in New York State trail the nation in all five core measures of long-term economic growth included in The Business Council's new Economic Growth Index. New York State as a whole trails the nation in fou...
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Rating board announces significant decrease in average workers' compensation premium, assessments
The state’s Insurance Department has formally approved revisions to workers’ compensation rates that will decrease the average employer's costs by 20.5 percent, the New York State Compensation Insurance Rating Board (CIRB) has announced.The decision formalizes the savings achieved under the landmark workers' compensati...
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Federal Budget Gap Widened In August
WASHINGTON -- The monthly federal budget deficit widened sharply to $116.97 billion in August, the Treasury said, though the gap for the fiscal year through August was narrower than at the same point in the previous fiscal year.Last month's shortfall was 81% wider than the August 2006 level, Treasury's monthly budget s...
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Opportunity at RIT-CIMS
For the past ten years, the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has addressed safety and ergonomics concerns in a variety of industries including tooling and machining manufacturers. These industries are challenged with the design of the machines dictating the p...
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RTMA Welcomes New Regular Members
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERSDixon Tool & Manufacturing, Inc.Robert HyderPresidentMillennium Machining & AssemblyAlan SamouelianGMAluminum Injection Mold Company, LLCDavid BankPresident...
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RTMA Welcomes New Associate Members
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERSTitan Insurance & Employee BenefitsMichael GurowskiPresidentJP Morgan ChaseMark Salina, VP...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
Staying Focused -The RTMA continues to focus on improving the value of its membership. As you may have read in the Keynote Address, there are more and better programs and services available. The Board of Directors is working to fulfill the unmet wants and needs of both existing and potential members. Recently, I hav...
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Jobless Data Show Solid Labor Market; Factory Orders Rebound
WASHINGTON -- Factory orders climbed during June on the strength of higher demand for airplanes, but the increase was smaller than expected as bookings weakened for cars, computers and electrical equipment.Orders for manufactured goods increased 0.6%, following an unrevised 0.5% drop in May, the Commerce Department sai...
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Growth in U.S. Payrolls Slows
Jobless Rate Inches Up To 4.6%, Another Sign Of Weakening EconomyWASHINGTON -- Weaker economic growth over the past year finally caught up with the job market in July as hiring slowed and the unemployment rate inched up.The softer demand for labor comes amid other signs of weakness: tepid reports on manufacturing, a sh...
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New Chrysler CEO Nardelli Plans To Focus on Exisiting Chrysler Plan
Chrysler's new Chief Executive and Chairman Robert Nardelli, who left Home Depot earlier this year under a cloud of controversy, said he has no plans to implement a new strategy at the ailing auto maker but will focus instead on executing a restructuring plan that is already in place.In his first day as head of Chrysle...
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The Myth of Deindustrialization
It's been a quarter-century since author John Naisbitt blithely described manufacturing as a "declining sport" that Americans could easily offshore to Asia. Since then obituaries for U.S. manufacturing, both mournful and enraged, have been written many times.The reports of death are premature. Many of the mos...
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China Exports Could Start to Slow
Change in Tax Policy Likely to Cause the Shift, Not Product Safety WoesBEIJING -- China's export juggernaut is likely to show signs of slowing, but the shift is likely to come from a change in tax policy rather than from mounting concerns about the safety of Chinese goods, economists say.The expected slowdown in export...
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Keep Business Alive With Succession Plan
Nancy Sharp, chief executive of Food for Thought Enterprises, found herself scrambling to make some tough decisions in 2001 after her husband, then president, was diagnosed with lung cancer and couldn't run the family business day to day."We started to be written off a bit," says Ms. Sharp. Potential customer...
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Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP)
When you think about requesting a consultation also think “SHARP”…and ask your consultant about it.Who is in SHARP?To see the current SHARP businesses, visit the On-Site Consultaiton-21 (d) web page at: www.labor.state.ny.us/.What is SHARP?The Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) recognizes employe...
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HM Cross and Sons OSHA SHARP Award Recipients
Paul Harrison, Owner, and Jim Northup, Shop Forman, agree that the safety and health of their employees is one of the main concerns of HM Cross and Sons. Their efforts were recognized by the NYS Department of Labor in December of 2006 when they were presented with the prestigious SHARP Award from the Occupational Safe...
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Food, Energy Boost Producer Prices, But Core Inflation Retreats a Bit
WASHINGTON -- U.S. wholesale prices surged on higher food and energy prices during March, but core inflation retreated to a mild rate after two months of big increases.Meanwhile, U.S. home builders still have the blues. The National Association of Home Builders' index for sales of new, single-family homes held steady a...
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RTMA Welcomes New Associate Member
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERDoritex Corp.Donald PickensSales Representative...
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RTMA Welcomes New Regular Member
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERRotaDyne Engineered Products Div.David BaldwinDivision President...
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The Differences Between Top Shops and Mediocre Shops
By Fred White In its second annual survey of machine shops, American Machinist has identified key indicators and best practices that lead to improved productivity and profitability for machine shops in the U.S. In addition to the 15 differentiators listed, this article addresses Kaizen event factors most critical to sh...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
On June 14th, Bill Hockenberger, Chairman of PGM and a member of the RTMA Board of Directors, and I participated in the NTMA Legislative Conference. We met with members of our Congressional Delegation and their respective staffs. Our purpose was to advance the NTMA position on some issues of significant importance to...
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Rochester Annual Golf Tournament 2007
It was a beautiful day for the RTMA Golf Tournament on June 18th. The golfers enjoyed another fun filled day at Ridgemont Country Club. We would like to thank the sponsors who made this event so successful:M&T Bank, M&T Securities and AVIVA LifePeter Collins presents Kevin Foy from M&T Bank with a sponsor ...
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Factory Orders Fell in May, Though Less Than Expected
WASHINGTON -- Factory orders decreased during May in a broad-based decline that included a drop in a barometer for capital spending by businesses, but the fall was much smaller than expected.Meanwhile, a forecasting tool for sales of previously owned homes again indicated weakness in May, the third straight monthly dec...
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Detroit's Big Three Post Sales Declines in the U.S.
Major Detroit auto makers reported weakness in June U.S. sales despite a flood of new sales incentives intended to overcome market pressures created by high gasoline prices and persistent weakness in the U.S. housing market.General Motors Corp.'s results were particularly weak, with June sales down 21% from a year ago ...
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Growth in Defense Work Drives Expansion at Lynx
Based in Bergen, Lynx Machine Tool Corpl is in expansion mode, spurred by growth in military orders. Last month it landed its largest contract, a helicopter parts deal that could amount to $2.8 million.Lynx Machine Tool Corp. expects to double its work force in the next year, driven by a growth in military orders that...
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Service Sector Notches Strong Growth
U.S. service sector firms turned in their strongest month of growth since April 2006 during June, as price pressures grew at a slightly less strong rate.A report Thursday from the Institute for Supply Management said its nonmanufacturing index, which is comprised mostly of service-related companies, moved to a reading ...
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RTMA Welcomes New Associate Member
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERSGenesee Regional BankPaul S. Kaiser SVP Commercial LendingAflac New YorkTimothy Henderson District Sales CoordinatorROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBER NAME CHANGERochester Recycling is now Genesee Scrap...
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RTMA President’s Message - Peter Collins
Ken Coykendall- In Memoriam -In May, Ken Coykendall President of TEKE Machine died in a motorcycle accident. His death was mourned by hundreds. The funeral mass had a standing room only attendance. It is obvious that Ken was well liked and respected. The Coykendall name has been linked to the RTMA for many years. ...
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RTMA May Monthly Meeting
The RTMA and County Executive Maggie Brooks "Keep on Truckin"... County Executive Maggie Brooks, who was the guest speaker at the May monthly meeting, was presented with a locally manufactured miniature truck. The truck was imbued with the RTMA logo and inscribed with Maggie's name and official title. This ...
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Economy Is Picking Up Speed
The latest data show employment and manufacturing growing at a vigorous rate, suggesting the U.S. economy is regaining momentum after a slow start to 2007. The renewed strength, however, could raise inflation concerns for the Federal Reserve.Nonfarm employers added 157,000 jobs to their payrolls in May, nearly double t...
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Stocks Rise on Strong Jobs Data; Dell, Wal-Mart Boost Sentiment
Stocks gained Friday, inspired by benign economic data and good news from Dell and Wal-Mart.The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended up 40.47 at 13668.11, its 26th record close of the year, putting it up 9.7% since the end of last year. The blue-chip index was lifted by a 3.9% jump in shares of Wal-Mart, which approved a...
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Chances of Fed Rate Cut Diminish
As Economy Gains Footing, Policy Makers Have Doubts That Inflation Will SlowWASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve officials at this month's monetary-policy meeting appeared to have gained confidence about economic expansion but harbored "considerable uncertainty" that inflation would slow as hoped.Though U.S. economi...
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New Yorkers' per-pupil school spending moves from third highest to highest, Census Bureau data show
New York spends more per pupil in schools than any other state, and its per-pupil spending is 62 percent above the national average, data released May 24 by the U.S. Census Bureau show.The data, for 2004-2005, show that New York's per-pupil spending was $14,119, compared to the national average of $8,701. New York's sp...
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School Districts Propose Plans to Raise Spending at Twice the Inflation Rate
ALBANY—Armed with a record increase in state aid, school districts across New York State plan to increase average per-pupil spending by twice the rate of inflation, a new "School Tax Watch" study by the Public Policy Institute finds.Statewide, proposed school budgets in the "School Tax Watch" sample...
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Senate plan would invest $3.7 billion in Upstate economy
Upstate’s economy would receive a $3.7 billion boost through tax relief and incentives under the Senate Majority’s Upstate economic revival plan.The plan, unveiled May 15 by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, seeks to revitalize the Upstate economy by reducing taxes, updating infrastructure and strengthening business...
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RTMA New Associate Member
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERJames P. Reagan Agency, Inc.Don EatonProducer...
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On the Rebound
Surging gasoline prices and a still-lousy housing market have prompted much hand-wringing about the economy, but after a hard slog in the first three months of the year, it may be poised to break out.The economy grew at a 0.6% annual rate in the first quarter, an anemic pace by any reckoning, but some new data suggest ...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
RTMA Membership - A Great Value The RTMA is comprised of two types of members. Regular members who actually engage in the metalworking industry, and Associate members, who supply goods and services to metalworking companies. We have seen trends in the membership numbers in the past few years. Regular membership has ...
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Manufacturing Sector Rebounds As Pending Home Sales Decline
NEW YORK -- U.S. manufacturers saw better growth than expected in April, although prices mounted an unwelcome advance. Private research group the Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday that its April index of manufacturing activity moved to 54.7, from 50.9 in March and 52.3 in February. Readings above 50 poin...
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U.S. Economic Growth Is Slowest In 4 Years Amid Housing Slump
GDP Rose at 1.3% Annual Rate in 1st QuarterApril 27, 2007 12:51 p.m.WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy slowed sharply in early 2007, retreating to its weakest pace in four years under the weight of the housing slump, while inflation accelerated.A separate report showed that consumer confidence softened in April from the en...
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Fed Official Cites 'Heightened Risks' On Growth and Inflation
The recent, puzzling disconnect between slowing economic growth and falling unemployment has "significantly increased" risks to both the economy and inflation, a Fed policy maker said.Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Janet Yellen's remarks were the most detailed analysis from a Fed official on ...
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Why Market Strength and Economic Growth Don't Always Line Up
The stock market has been a lousy barometer of the economy.From the beginning of 2004 through the first quarter of 2006, economic growth averaged an impressive 3.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose just 6%. Since then, economic growth has slowed to a little more than 2%, yet the blue-chip index has leapt 18%, end...
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John Batiste, Guest Speaker at RTMA April Meeting
John BatisteMajor General US Army (Retired)Klein Steel, PresidentOn Thursday evening, April 17, 2007, John Batiste was the guest speaker at the April monthly meeting held at Rick's Prime Rib House. The evening was very well attended. Members came to listen to John's philosophies and strategies on "leadership an...
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New Rochester Associate Members
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERSTownsend Oil CorporationGeorge GuerinotLubricant Sales Copper & Brass SalesJeremy TukeSales Manager...
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New Rochester Regular Member
NEW ROCHESTER REGULAR MEMBER Phoenix Tool & ManufacturingRenee Cassano, President...
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MCC Office of Workforce Development Spring and Summer Programs
MCC Office of Workforce Development will be hosting the following programs at MCC's Applied Technology Center throughout the late Spring and Summer of 2007. • Solidworks Fundamentals (24 hours)• Math Skills for Manufacturing (entry level - 18 hours)• Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T- 16 hours)• Statis...
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RTMA President's Message - Peter Collins
Upstate EconomicsOn March 29, 2007, I attended, along with Kevin Kelley, the Buffalo Chapter’s monthly meeting. Their featured speaker was Daniel Gundersen, Co-Chair for Upstate Empire State Development Corporation & Acting Commissioner, NY Department of Economic Development. The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle ...
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Detroit Begins Spring in a Fog
Housing, Gas Prices Crimp Big Three's March Sales; Toyota Reaches a Record Detroit's Big Three auto makers face worsening economic headwinds as they head into the crucial spring selling season, threatening their efforts to stem sales declines.General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group ...
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3-D Kiosk Unveiled
A new 10-foot, state-of-the-art 3-D kiosk was unveiled on March 15, 2007. The kiosk promotes the manufacturing industry, and advertises RTMA employment opportunities and Monroe Community College’s educational and training opportunities. The kiosk is a way to attract more people to the manufacturing industry.Brite Compu...
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RTMA March Apprentice Recognition & Family Night at the Amerks
On March 30, 2007, the RTMA hosted the March monthly meeting at the Rochester Americans vs. Toronto Marlies hockey game. The night was designated for the recognition of the apprentices who participated in the January 6th regional apprentice contest held at the MCC Applied Technologies Center.Our special thanks to Exce...
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Welcome New RTMA Regular Members
NEW ROCHESTER REGULAR MEMBERS Finger Lakes Conveyor, Inc. Jeffrey Swan, Vice PresidentBrandys Mold and Tool Franz Brandstetter, PresidentErdle Tool Works Thomas J. Pariso, Executive VP...
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RIT-CIMS Partners with Romold
RIT’s Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS) has developed a new partnership with Romold, a local manufacturer of plastic injection molds, to assist the company in accessing new technology and technical knowledge that will enhance competitive advantage. Given the growth of competition, particularly from ove...
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Available Resumes on UTMA Website
Through the SBA Grant, Debbie Ray of AllSource Consulting, has been contracted as the candidate employment program consultant. A list of positions, for which she has available resumes, is displayed on the UTMA website, www.nyutma.org under "For UTMA Members" then "Employment Support". This list wi...
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Pace of Manufacturing Expansion Slows
Rising Energy Costs AddTo Inflation Concerns;Factory Hiring WithersThe Institute for Supply Management, an Arizona-based group of corporate-purchasing managers, said its index of manufacturing activity shrank to 50.9 in March from 52.3 the month before. A number above 50 represents expansion, while a figure below 50 si...
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Fed Official Expects Economy To Weather Subprime Fallout
AUSTIN, Texas -- Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher said Wednesday the recent turmoil in the subprime mortgage market has been relatively limited, and said he expects the U.S. economy to navigate the troubles with little lasting impact."Thus far, the damage from the subprime market has been la...
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China Ties Ben Bernanke’s Hands
Stagflation is rearing its head. The economy is dancing along the precipice of recession, and inflation remains stubbornly high.The Federal Reserve cannot do much. Cutting interest rates to boost growth would accelerate inflation. Raising rates to slow inflation would be futile. Most pressure on prices stems from tig...
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U.S. Service-Sector Growth Cools While Factory Orders Rebound
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. service sector's growth cooled last month, while strong demand for airplanes carried factory orders aloft in February.The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday its nonmanufacturing index, made up mostly of service-related companies, moved to 52.4 in March from 54.3 in February and 59.0 i...
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President's Message from Peter Collins
Collaboration Makes it HappenThe RTMA was founded years ago by Rochester companies in the metalworking industry, many of whom were competitors, that were smart enough to band together in order to address common needs. This has been the benchmark of our Association over the years and continues to this day. A recent...
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Mid-Atlantic CNC, Inc. Open House
RSVP Dan Shortino 585-334-2420 x. 201 danny_shortino@yahoo.com Rea Main 1-800-642-GAGE rmain@primetechsales.com Mid-Atlantic CNC, Inc. 85 High Tech Drive, Unit 3 Rush, NY 14534 www.midatlanticcnc.com Directions: [...
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Monroe Manufacturing Rewards Program
County Executive Maggie Brooks announced a new program at the State of the County address which rewards manufacturers investing in equipment. The Monroe Manufacturing Rewards Programs will reward companies purchasing manufacturing equipment (between $25,000-$49,999) with a $1,000 check. The company must be located in...
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True North Receives Official Women Business Enterprise (WBE)
TrueNorth Marketing, Inc. has received official certification as a Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) through the New York State Department of Economic Development. The WBE designation qualifies TrueNorth to be considered for business opportunities with organizations and government agencies that wish to establish vend...
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RTMA February Monthly Meeting
In spite of the blowing wind and snow, icy road conditions and freezing cold temperatures, the RTMA February monthly meeting at the Burgundy Basin Inn had a good turnout. We would like to thank our sponsor: BRITE COMPUTERS John Smith, CEOGuest SpeakerThe guest speaker for the evening was Matt Hurlbutt, Executive Dire...
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RTMA Night at the Amerks
SAVE THE DATE FOR GIVEAWAYS, NETWORKING & FAMILY FUNFriday, March 30, 2007RTMA Apprentice Recognition & Family NightSponsored by:EXCELLUS BLUECROSS BLUESHIELDRochester Amerks vs. Toronto Marlies* FREE AMERKS PROGRAM TO EVERYONE PURCHASING A TICKET *Blue Cross ArenaOne War Memorial SquareRochester, NYThere are a...
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Message from RTMA President Peter Collins
- Peter Collins, RTMA President -National Manufacturing Activity Drops According to “The Wall Street Journal”, due to excess inventory the nation’s manufacturers cut production in January. The Institute for Supply Management stated that its index of manufacturing activity fell to 49.3 last month from 51.4 in December....
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Manufacturing Activity Contracted In January as Price Pressures Rose
Personal Spending Jumped in December Amid Mostly Steady Inflation Gauge By MICHAEL S. DERBY February 1, 2007 11:45 a.m.NEW YORK -- U.S. manufacturing activity stumbled in January, as price pressure ticked up and factory operators liquidated inventories.Meanwhile, accelerating income gave consumers the wherewithal to bo...
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'Economy Busted Out' In the Fourth Quarter
January 31, 2007 11:36 a.m. Wall Street Journal The U.S. economy rebounded at the end of the year as GDP grew at a faster-than-expected 3.5% annual rate in the fourth quarter, surpassing even economists' raised forecasts. Consumer spending picked up amid lower gasoline prices, and a price inflation gauge posted its sh...
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Staples Business Advantage - RTMA Value Added Service Provider
Staples Business Advantage is one of the many RTMA Value Added Membership Services provided by the RTMA. Please read below to find out more about what Staples Business Advantage has to offer. Special RTMA Contract Pricing – UNBELIEVABLY LOW PRICING on everyday office supplies. Customized pricing on...
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Chrysler Sales Edge Higher
Written by Mike Barris Chrysler Group on Thursday said its January U.S. sales rose 0.5%, amid strong sales of its Jeep Wrangler.The auto maker also said it will launch eight new vehicles this year. In 2006, Chrysler attempted to spruce up an aging portfolio by introducing 10 new models.The U.S. unit of DaimlerChrysler ...
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January Economic Outlook Meeting
The January 18th monthly meeting was held at Rick's Prime Rib House on Buffalo Road. Our guest speakers, Gary Keith from M&T Bank and John Adamczuk from Crossbridge Financial Group, discussed the "Economic Outlook for 2007". Guest Speakers:Gary Keith from M&T Bank and RTMA President Peter Collins.Joh...
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Peter Collins - President's Message - Promote the Industry
With the chronic negative news associated with the changes undertaken by Rochester’s major manufacturers (Kodak), a chilling effect has been cast over manufacturing as a career. Those of us in the tooling and machining sector are constantly in the hunt for capable employees and are often challenged to meet our employm...
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RTMA Announces Achievement Awards
Rochester Tooling & Machining Association Announces Achievement AwardsThe Rochester Tooling and Machining Association (RTMA) announced today awards for two outstanding members that devoted their personal time to the RTMA that generated excellent results for the association in 2006. The Executive Director’s Award f...
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Fed's Kohn Says It's Too Early To Relax Inflation Concerns
Despite a recent decline in underlying inflation, it's "too early to relax our concerns" about price pressures, a top Federal Reserve official said, suggesting interest-rate cuts still aren't on the table.Fed vice chairman Donald Kohn also warned long-term interest rates could jump if the Fed fails to cut sho...
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RTMA December Holiday Cocktail Reception
On December 11, 2006, the RTMA hosted a Holiday Cocktail Reception at the Mundo Grill on Monroe Avenue. There was over 130 people in attendance to enjoy the open bar and hors d'oeuvres. Happy New Year and Best Wishes from the RTMA. Many thanks to Our Sponsors:Gold SponsorNormal Communications Silver SponsorTom Wolfe...
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At GM, Curbing Inventories Calls For Juggling Act
Car maker's Dilemma Is How to Sustain Output Without DiscountingDETROIT -- After a tumultuous year, General Motors Corp. heads into the industry's big auto show here this week determined to prove it can regain its long-lost status as a technology and design leader, making vehicles consumers will be eager to buy without...
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Toyota Pressured to Boost North American Output
oyota Pressured to BoostNorth America OutputBy NORIHIKO SHIROUZU January 8, 2007; Page A3DETROIT -- Toyota Motor Corp. faces pressure to further ramp up North American production from its own internal targets as it looks for ways to counteract potential political backlash stemming from the U.S. Big Three's woes. Some c...
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RTMA President's Message - Todd Hockenberger
This is the last newsletter that I shall write as RTMA President. It has been a year of continuous growth and improvement for our association. We continue to acquire grant money to assist our members become more competitive. For example, as you will read in the newsletter, four members are being profiled each month...
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Brooks and RTMA Partner to Promote Local Manufacturers
Advertising Campaign Aims to Increase Business for Area Companies and Attract Skilled WorkersContinuing their partnership to promote local manufacturing companies, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks joined the Rochester Tooling and Machining Association to unveil the group’s first-ever advertisements at the Greater ...
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Fed Holds Interest Rates Steady, While Warning About Inflation
By CAMPION WALSH and BENTON IVES-HALPERINDecember 12, 2006 2:26 p.m.WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve on Tuesday held the federal funds rate steady at 5.25% for a fourth-straight time, while signaling it may yet raise interest rates again if inflation doesn't subside as it expects.MORE ON THE FED Bernanke • Read the te...
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Wider Trade Deficit With China Offers U.S. Path to Press Beijing
Overall Gap Declines 8.4% Amid Sharp Drop in Crude; Stronger Hand for PaulsonBy GREG HITTThe Wall Street Journal, December 13, 2006; Page A2WASHINGTON -- The latest snapshot of U.S. trade flows gives Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson plenty of ammunition to press Beijing to step up efforts to open China's economy.While ...
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To Retain Valued Women Employees, Companies Pitch Flextime as Macho
By JACLYNE BADALDecember 11, 2006; Page B1Here's a novel approach to keeping women in the work force: Focus on men.Some employers are trying to overcome a perceived stigma on flexible work schedules -- often viewed as a concession to women -- by redefining the issue as a quality-of-life concern for everyone. The appro...
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Boulter Industrial Contractors, Inc. Announces Sale of Crane Division
Rochester, New York, November 6, 2006 – Boulter Industrial Contractors, Inc. has sold its crane division to Clark Rigging & Rental Corp. of Lockport, New York for an undisclosed amount. The sale, which was completed on November 3, included the transfer of Boulter’s cranes, which range from a 22-ton capacity up to 2...
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PGM Corporation Awarded Lucrative US ARMY Contract
Rochester NY - PGM Corporation, a Rochester-based precision machining and manufacturing contracting company, was awarded its first US Army government contract for one year worth $748,000. With options for renewal for another 2 to 5 years, the contract could total maximum revenue of up to 6 million dollars. The componen...
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New RTMA Regular Members
NEW ROCHESTER REGULAR MEMBERSAll-American Precision Tool & Mold Michael Veltri, President Omega Consolidated Corporation Martin Hunte, PresidentFive Star Tool Company, Inc. Kenneth Lalonde, President...
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New Rochester Associate Member
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERSThe Flanders GroupMichael BeattieWorkers' Compensation Specialist...
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RTMA President's Message - Focus on Training
Todd Hockenberger, RTMA PresidentSince the 90’s the RTMA has worked with Monroe Community College to provide training for it’s workforce. Presently, there is an unmet demand for skilled workers in our industry. Peter Collins, Director of Operations at Trident Precision has worked with a committee to develop with MCC ...
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Annual Clam Bake & Associate Member Appreciation Night
October 24th was the Clam Bake / Associate Member Appreciation Night at the Burgundy Basin Inn. The well attended event began with fifty-four Associate Member table exhibits, hor devours, drinks, camaraderie and networking. After UTMA and RTMA voting, the members proceeded to the dining room for the annual clam bake....
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Needle Bar Sales Opportunity at RIT-CIMS
Members of the Rochester Tooling and Machining Association listen to a presentation on the redesign of the needle bar tool during a meeting at Rochester Institute of Technology. RIT created a new design for the equipment, used by utility workers to check for gas leaks, and then partnered with the RTMA to identify poss...
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RTMA Members Rank in the Rochester Top 100
Congratulations to the RTMA Members who have made the Rochester Top 100 List NYMAT Machine Tool CorporationMike Cregg, CEO/OwnerMWI, Inc.David McMahon, PresidentE-chex, Inc.Richard Aab, ChairmanCentury Mold Company, Inc.Ron Ricotta, PresidentKlein Steel Service, Inc.Joseph Klein, CEOAbrasive Tool CorporationMike Hanna,...
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In Memory of Jim Rague
On October 26th, Jim Rague of Blue Chip Mold, Inc. died suddenly at the age of 45. Jim is survived by his wife Bethany and three children, Dezirae, Bryan and Luke. Jim was an avid skier and a member of the National Ski Patrol. He volunteered in his sons' Boy Scout Troop and enjoyed his free time sailing.Donations ca...
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Rochester New Associate Member
ROCHESTERASSOCIATE MEMBERSNational Technical Institue for the Deaf(NTID)Ronald J. TillDepartment Chair / Associate Professor...
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Presidents Message – Todd Hockenberger
Todd Hockenberger, RTMA President The first edition of the electronic newsletter received positive feedback. We continue to improve the product and are encouraging our subscribers to read and use the newsletter on a regular basis. There are 32 members attending the NTMA Purchasing Fair in St. Louis o...
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New RTMA Regular Member
A NEW ROCHESTER REGULAR MEMBER Accu-dyne, Inc. Glenn Asaff, CEO ...
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New Rochester Associate Members
ROCHESTER ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Rochester Recycling & MVP Network Consulting ...
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September Monthly Meeting at RIT-CIMS
Bob German Congratulations to John Moffat for winning the$7,500 lean assessment & overview On Thursday evening, September 21, 2006, the Center for Integrating Manufacturing Studies (CIMS) at Rochester Institute of Technology hosted a dinner meeting for the Rochester Tooling and Mac...
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President's Message - Todd Hockenberger
Todd Hockenberger, RTMA President RTMA Goes Regional The Rochester Tooling and Machining Association has been working closely with the Buffalo and Syracuse Chapters of the NTMA. Our purpose is to create more value for our members through our regional organization known as the Upstate Tooling and Manuf...
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UTMA Hosts Congressman Tom Reynolds
Reynolds (R-NY) who spoke on the topic "The Republican Congress: Issues and Agenda," was elected U.S. Representative in New York's 27th Congressional district on November 3, 1998. Reynolds serves on the House Rules Committee and as a Deputy Whip in House leadership. He previously served as a member ...
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RTMA 2006 Golf Outing
The sun came out just in time for the RTMA golfers to enjoy another fun filled annual golf tournament at Ridgemont Country Club. We would like to thank the sponsors who made this event so successful:M&T Bank, M&T Securities and AVIVA LifePeter Collins presents Kevin Foy from M&T Bank with sponsor plaquePete...
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Davenport Machine Announces Completion of Building Renovation
“Our employees are so cool” Says Bob Brinkman with the new 1000 KVA transformer for the new air conditioning projectRochester, New York – Davenport Machine is pleased to announce that it has completed a major building renovation program. With assistance from New York State, Monroe County, the City of Rochester and RG&a...
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New Rochester Regular Members
The RTMA Welcomes Two New Regular Members! Micron Industries of Rochester, Inc. Eric Schmidt and McAlpin Industries, Inc. Ken McAlpin...
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RTMA Welcomes New Regular Member
ROCHESTERREGULAR MEMBERNicoform, Inc.Richard KraynikVP...
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Buffalo:
Buffalo Chapter September Meeting Notice
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Health Care Issues
Health Care Issues for 2010It’s hard to view a television program, listen to the radio, read a newspaper without something about Health Care being discussed. With regard to National Universal Health Care, the tide on reactions from the public put a halt on any action before the August congressional “vacation”, and we h...
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Buffalo Welcomes New Associate Member
BUFFALOASSOCIATE MEMBERSuperior Lubricants Co., Inc.Joe DunworthAccount Relationship Manager...
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Buffalo Chapter’s 12th Golf Outing
On June 29th eighteen teams came to enjoy a sunny day at The Links at Ivy Ridge. Registration and lunch began at 12:00 and a shotgun start at 1:00. After the round of golf we enjoyed a great steak dinner then following prizes were awarded:1st Place with 9 under par went to Great Lakes Machinery- Thomas McArdle, Dennis ...
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May Monthly Meeting
The Buffalo Chapter May Montholy meeting was held at the Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum. A fun time was had by all.Scholarship Winner Daniel McDonough showing an aluminum air intake he made in class at ECC. ...
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INCENTIVES-GRANTS-STIMULIS.
Many of you know my feelings about the lack there of government money such as grants for manufacturing. We all know about incentives for manufacturing such as 10-year abatements on new property taxes, waiving of sales tax on building materials, and that’s about it. Now let me see, the company that might be considering...
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$1,000.00 Scholarship awarded to ECC Student
On April 24th, Linda Seipel, Executive Director of the Buffalo Chapter NTMA, presented a $1,000.00 Scholarship to Daniel McDonough to continue the Machining Industrial Technology Program at Erie Community College. He has been working hard and was chosen by Paul Goodrich and Nathan Witkowski as one of the top students ...
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Meeting at Prime 490
On April 28th the Buffalo Chapter met at a new restaurant called Prime 490 and invited David Balaban and Guy Reichard from OPEX Canada to speak. They gave a great presentation on Engaging Cost Containment, which is much need during these difficult financial times. Opex owner David Balaban with President John Goller an...
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Benefits of Health and Safety for Employees and Employers
Addressing safety and health issues in the workplace saves you money and adds value to your business. Recent estimates from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) place the business costs associated with occupational injuries at close to $170 billion – expenditures that come straight out of company pr...
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Are We Going Forwards or Sideways?
It was encouraging to read an article in the March 09 Record highlighting or advertising a member machine tool manufacturer company named Weiler. Weiler was announcing a new lathe with large capacities but what really got my attention was the fact that it could be operated manually or automatically, with the same preci...
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Buffalo March Meeting Pictures
On March 31st the Buffalo Chapter met at the “new” 31 Club. Member Mark Moldenhauer from Bond, Schoeneck and King presented an overview of the proposed “Employee Free Choice Act”. He explained how it would change our current law and discussed strategies for changing current HR programs to avoid an organizing attempt ...
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Buffalo April Monthly Meeting
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Members’ First Campaign Launched
During the 2009 NTMA Annual Conference, Ron Overton, NTMA Chairman, announced a new campaign he named “Members’ First.” The purpose of the campaign is to remind members to consider using other members for outsourcing needs. Some members have more work than they can handle. Some members will get RFQ’s that they can’t...
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Buffalo March 3rd Chapter Mtg
On March 3rd the Buffalo chapter held their meeting at The Pearl Street Grill & Brewery. Our guest speakers were Joe Williams the program manager and Lenora Leasure the business counselor, from the Cattaraugus County Procurement Technical Assistance Center. They walked us through the process of doing business wit...
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Buffalo March 31st Monthly Meeting
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Buffalo's Year Begining
For many years we have been trying to have a joint function with the local Machine Shops Association. In December it was finally accomplished with a celebration of the holiday season. It was invigorating to look out over the crowd and see so many new faces from our industry gathering together. I was able...
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January Meeting
“Economic Outlook in Manufacturing for 2009” our topic for the January 27th meeting held at the Protocol restaurant with the V.P. in commerical banking and regional economist from M & T Bank, Gary Keith.Gary Keith, M&T Bank with John Goller, Chapter PresidentCocktail Sponsors from Diamond HurwitzDan McCarthy, ...
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Most Frequently Cited OSHA Violations in 2008
The annual Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) list of the most frequent violations has been published. The agency annually reports this list during its pastfiscal year (October 1 to September 30). This year, the 2008 “top ten” list did not change significantly from 2007. Some of these might not appl...
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March Meeting
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January Monthly Meeting
“Economic Outlook for Manufacturing in 2009” Gary Keith, a V.P. in the Commercial Banking Division, and regional economist at M&T Bank, will discuss the 2009 national, state and local economic outlook, with a focus on manufacturing trends and issues affecting Western New York.When : January 27, 2009Meeting: ...
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An Overview of Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between people, their work, and their workplace. The primary goal of ergonomics is to help the body move in natural ways and reduce stress that might cause injury. The most common pains that people have are in the neck, lower back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands along ...
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Buffalo Christmas Party
Joint Christmas Party with the MSA On December 10th the Buffalo Chapter NTMA and the Machine Shops Association had a joint Christmas Party at the Transit Valley Country Club. MSA Pres. Matthew Gehman and the NTMA Pres. John Goller welcomed over 100 people in attendance. We all enjoyed a delicious meal, liv...
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GM's Shares Tumble
General Motors Corp. stock fell to its lowest level since 1946 as concern intensified that the auto maker could run out of cash and be forced to file for bankruptcy protection.The stock's decline came as several analysts issued dire reports about GM and the company acknowledged in a government filing it could be at ris...
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America's Two Auto Industries
Can you imagine life without General Motors Corp.? That's now an urgent question facing America's political leaders.GM survived for 100 years, steering through two world wars, the Great Depression, and all the booms and busts in between. But on Friday, GM said it faces a substantial risk of financial collapse by the mi...
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A Return To Work Program
A well organized Return to Work Program helps to get employees back in the swing of things after an on the job injury. Workplace accidents are unfortunate events that can disrupt both the physical and financial well being of an employee. In the event of a work-related accident, a Return to Work Program can be designed...
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Past President Will Be Missed
Past President will be missed by many.Vincent Vella pasted away August 24, 2008 at age 88. Vince was a faithful member and past president of the Buffalo Chapter between 1977 and 1978. He was a veteran of WWII and owned Velson Tool Works for 36 years.Our deepest sympathy to his wife Frances of 64 years and his family....
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Miss Buffalo Cruise Sept. 16th
The Buffalo Chapter took an evening cruise on the Miss Buffalo. Leaving the Erie Basin Marina we enjoyed a scenic tour of the Niagara River and the Black Rock Canal. The weather was unseasonably mild as we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. As we returned we view a full moon moving between the Buffalo skyline.Keller GroupZip...
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John Goller
I think everyone agrees our associate night was one of the best meetings we’ve had in years. The turnout was close to 150 people and Linda did a great job with the evening’s format. I’ve never seen so much networking here locally amongst the people in our industry. The night was a display of how important the ass...
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Associate Members' Night
Great Networking at Associate’s Night!The Buffalo Chapter Associate’s Night held on October 28, 2008 at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens was a great success. With almost all of our Associate Members participating we had a good turn out. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time enjoying the open bar, incredible food selecti...
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Buffalo Chapter Associate's Night
COME & SEE what the Buffalo ChapterAssociate Memberscan do for you at theAssociate’s Night!Held at: Salvatore’s Italian GardensOn Transit Rd., Depew (Victorian Room) Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 Cocktail Party w/2 hrs. open bar & food stations(Includes: sliced tenderloin, assorted pasta, Caesar salad, Swedish m...
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Emergency Action Plans
Every manufacturer should have a written Emergency Action Plan. It should be designed to protect everyone during an emergency. The summary listed below concerns the appropriate actions necessary when emergency situations arise.ü Fire EmergencyAny employee who discovers a fire should immediately leave the area and sou...
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Self-Funding: Not Just For Big Companies
Submitted for RTMA by: William H. Combs, CLU 585.226.8881While some insurance carriers would like us to believe that self-funded health benefit plans should only be designed for firms with 100 or more employees, there continues to be a good deal of interest on the part of small companies – those with as few as 50 empl...
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Buffalo Chapter’s 11th Golf Outing
On June 30th twenty-one teams came to enjoy a great day at The Links at Ivy Ridge. We began with registration at 11:30; Lunch at 12:00 and a shotgun start at 1:00. After the round of golf we enjoyed a great steak dinner then following prizes were awarded: The American Stainless team consisting of: Paul Nowicki, Gary N...
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Computer Aided Drafting and Design A.A. S. Degree Program
CADDFall 2008 Course OfferingsSouth Campus – Room 2216DF 106 – Tech Graphics with Auto CADSection:Day:Time:Start Date:Course Duration:Credits:Tuition and Fees:DF 106-0B – daytimeMonday, Tuesday12:00pm – 2:30pmTuesday, Sept. 215 weeks4 credits$672DF 106-5B – eveningTuesday5:30pm – 10:30pmTuesday, Sept. 215 weeks4 credit...
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Saudies Promise More Oil to Curb World-Wide Fears
Saudis Promise More Oil To Curb World-Wide FearsKingdom Raising Output This Year And Capacity LaterBy MARGARET COKER and NEIL KING JR.June 23, 2008JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia moved to calm anxiety in the oil market by promising the world a little more oil now and potentially a lot more later.But it is unclear ...
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Suggestions To Slow Down WNY’S Economic Decline- written by Dennis Richards
On 3-7-08 I attended an economic development budget roundtable chaired by Assemblyman Robin Schimminger , I was representing The Buffalo Chapter of the NTMA. It was well attended by a variety of local business, IDA, ECC, State and other people. NYS is planning to allocate 1 billion dollars to a revitalize Upstate NY ...
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Associate's Open House
Associate’s Open HouseCome for an evening of prizes, entertainment, drinks, food, fun and great information.Held at: Salvatore’s Italian Gardens6461 Transit Rd., DepewOctober 28th, 2008Our members will be setting up to show you what products they supply and what they can do for you!2 hours...
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Buffalo Chapter Golf Outing
It’s not too late!Call for your reservation today 1-585-937-6313.Buffalo ChapterNational Tooling & Machining Association11th Annual Golf Outing Sponsored by: Boldt Machinery, IncMonday, June 30, 2008 The Links at Ivy Ridge12221 Main St., Akron NY 14001Tournament Highlights $110.00 per player include...
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April Monthly Meeting
Buffalo Chapters Tooling and Machining Association held its April Meeting at the Protocol Restaurant where Erie County Executive Chris Collins came to speak to the group. Some of the highlights from his speech are below: * He believes that to run a business successfully you need to have a vision. Chris’ vision is...
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May Meeting Highlights
On May 20th the Buffalo Chapter had a seminar at Shanghai Red's Restaurant with Past NTMA Chairman Dave Dudon who now heads up the CEO Advantage. Dave's seminar is called The CEO Tune-up which included the following topics: An Overview of Executive Duties Three Barriers to Profitable Growth Three...
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Tooling U Newsletter
IMTSTooling U is currently preparing for the IMTS show in Chicago, IL September 8-13. We are proud to be one of six organizations presenting best practices to IMTS attendees. Tooling U will be presenting the following sessions: • Training the Shop Floor • TargetED Training: Empowering Your Workforce • The Grant Lands...
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With Oil's Rise, Floridians Shift on Drilling
With Oil's Rise, Floridians Shift on DrillingBy COREY DADE and STEPHEN POWERJune 23, 2008ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. -- Neighbors Jo Ellen Sharp and Kristin Jenkins stood beside each other after a day on the beach of this barrier island, divided by the thought that Florida's corner of the Gulf of Mexico could some day be dott...
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Iron-Ore Deal to Lift China's Steel Costs
Rio Tinto and BHP Push The Cost of Iron Ore HigherSteel Prices Fuel Inflation Worries; Taking a Hard LineBy ROBERT GUY MATTHEWSJune 24, 2008After months of negotiating with China's top steelmakers, mining giants Rio Tinto PLC and BHP Billiton Ltd. on Monday won an 85% increase in the benchmark price for iron ore, a key...
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Soaring Gas Prices Force New Production Cuts
Saudis Promise More Oil To Curb World-Wide FearsKingdom Raising Output This Year And Capacity LaterBy MARGARET COKER and NEIL KING JR.June 23, 2008JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia moved to calm anxiety in the oil market by promising the world a little more oil now and potentially a lot more later.But it is unclear ...
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East Meets West
East Meets WestHow a new Buick was made to appeal to a skeptical U.S. audience, as well as to the booming market in ChinaBy JOHN D. STOLLWhen General Motors Corp. in September asked Richard Duff to help create the exterior of a new Buick prototype sedan called Invicta, the 32-year-old designer jumped at the chance.Havi...
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Weather May Ping Natural Gas
Weather May Ping Natural GasPrices Could Climb If Summertime Heat Is Worse Than UsualBy BEN CASSELMANJune 23, 2008Natural-gas prices, up 74% since the year began, could be headed higher amid predictions of an unusually hot summer in parts of the nation. If those forecasts play out, air-conditioner use will rise -- and ...
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Panel Cites Surge in Speculative Oil Trades
Panel Cites Surge in Speculative Oil TradesCongress Gears Up To Devise Limits; Campaigns SparBy STEPHEN POWER and IAN TALLEYJune 23, 2008WASHINGTON -- Speculative traders' interest in crude oil has grown to the point that they now account for roughly 70% of all trading in West Texas Intermediate crude on the New York M...
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Today's Markets
Today's MarketsBy Peter A. McKayFinancials, Energy, Autos Battle To a Standstill as Crude ClimbsJune 23, 2008 A rally in energy stocks and the continuing plunge of financial and automotive shares left markets spinning their wheels Monday as investors looked ahead to a pivotal decision on interest rates.The Dow Jones In...
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The Department of Defense
Why Sell to the Department of Defense? Simply, they have money. The Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Department budget that took effect on 1 October, was valued at $480 billion. The proposed Fiscal 2009 budget is $515 billion. A significant portion of these funds are used to buy a wide variety of products and services, from...
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Identity Theft Insurance
It is no longer big news that when a security breach occurs. Millions of consumers are exposed to identity theft. Federal Trade Commission statistics reveal that almost one in every ten U.S. residents has been exposed to identity theft over the past few years. We have read about retailers T.J. Maxx/Marshalls, BJ’s Who...
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Buffalo March Meeting Highlights
We had another great meeting at Salvatore's Italian Restaurant on March 31, 2008. As you’ve probably noticed they get better and better each month. This month we had our National CEO Roy Sweatman speak with us. His story of how he grew a 5 employee shop to 100 employees and $12.5 million in sales was inspiring. Alo...
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Retail Sales Edge Higher; Business Inventories Rise
WASHINGTON -- U.S. retail sales unexpectedly climbed in March, but the small increase was the work of gasoline station sales, driven by the higher oil prices that have otherwise subdued consumers and drained the economy.Retail sales increased 0.2%, after dropping 0.4% during February, the Commerce Department said Monda...
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Higher Food Prices May Be Here to Stay
For all the economists and consumers who hope high food prices are temporary, here's one reason why they probably won't be: Farm costs are skyrocketing, making permanently higher prices essential for farmers to keep expanding production.Inflation is biting farmers world-wide. In New Zealand, farm wages are up as much a...
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Food, Energy Boost Producer Prices But Core Inflation Retreats a Bit
Home Builder Index Remains LowWASHINGTON -- U.S. wholesale prices surged on higher food and energy prices during March, but core inflation retreated to a mild rate after two months of big increases.Meanwhile, U.S. home builders still have the blues. The National Association of Home Builders' index for sales of new, sin...
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Defense Firms Press for Arms Investment
The next White House must find a way to overcome budget pressures and modernize the military so that it keeps its technological edge, according to a report from the aerospace and defense industry's Washington-based trade association.In the report, expected to be delivered Tuesday to Congress and the presidential campai...
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McCain Economic Plan to Show a Mixed Approach
PITTSBURGH -- Mixing austerity and tax cuts, Sen. John McCain is laying out an economic plan that includes increased Medicare premiums for wealthy seniors and a one-year freeze on spending along with a proposal to review a vast swath of federal programsIn a major economic speech Tuesday, the likely Republican president...
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Buffalo Chapter February Meeting Highlights
The Buffalo Chapter held its February 27th monthly meeting at the Albright Knox Art Gallery. The museum was founded in 1862 and is one of the oldest public arts organizations in the U.S. Many members enjoyed the modern and contemporary collections of artwork. ...
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A Message from Steven Jacobs On Safety Meetings
An effective way to develop a safety-minded culture is to involve employees in ongoing safety meetings. These meetings provide the opportunity to alert workers about potential workplace hazards. Topics can include safe workplace practices, including machinery, tools, equipment, materials, and attitudes. Anything that ...
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U.S. Puts Faith in Fannie, Freddie
Firms, Once Hemmed In, Are Freed for Bigger Role In Aiding Mortgage MarketFederal regulators, in an effort to contain financial turmoil, are handing government-sponsored companies an even bigger role in propping up the mortgage market.Officials affirmed yesterday that government-sponsored mortgage investors Fannie Mae ...
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Costly Fuel, Economic Woes Weigh Down U.S. Airlines
Carriers May Face New Restructuring; Key Merger in DoubtU.S. airlines, which seemed last year to have shaken off a half-decade slump, may face a new round of restructuring amid a stumbling economy and spiraling fuel prices.The turnabout reflects the headwinds that have buffeted the industry as oil prices have risen 75%...
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Population Losses Continue Across WNY, According to Census Estimates
Erie County lost 5,001 residents last year, continuing a decade-long trend of annual population losses seen here and across upstate New York, according to new population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.However, at least one expert cautioned that the declines reported for Erie and Niagara counties shouldn’t be tak...
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ECC - CNC Machining & Programming Industrial Technology
15-Week Training Sequence, Starting May 27, 2008May 27th - August 29thSequence of CoursesIT 102 CNC Mill Programming (Lab.) 2 cr. hrs. Fridays 8 - 10:40 a.m.IT 121 Machine Tool Practice I (Lab.) 4 cr. hrs. ...
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Commodities Continue Slide While Stocks Move Upward
Stocks took off Thursday following a better than expected reading of regional manufacturing activity from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve, but commodity prices continued to languish despite the report.The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which enjoyed a modest rally early in the session, accelerated after the Philadelphi...
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Leading Indicators Decline Again
Jobless Claims Jump SharpleyAn index intended to show the economy's future direction fell 0.3% in February, the fifth consecutive monthly drop, according to preliminary estimates by the Conference Board.Meanwhile, the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment insurance increased sharply last week, match...
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Report finds escalating property taxes and local spending continue to hurt economy, despite STAR
ALBANY— The program originally intended to reduce property taxes has had little impact in that area, instead helping to escalate state spending over the past decade, the Business Council's research affiliate has concluded in a new report.The report, What’s STAR Got To Do With It, was released this week as lawmakers met...
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New Yorker’s Still Heading South
New Yorkers still heading south; new Census Bureau data show states that gained New Yorkers in 2005-2006 ALBANY— More than 500,000 New Yorkers moved to other states between 2005 and 2006, according to recently released Census Bureau data.The data show that 513,625 New Yorkers moved out of state between 2005 and 2006. N...
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Slow Spending Helps Trade Deficit
Consumers' voracious appetite for imported goods has abated, helping narrow the trade deficit in December and all of last year.The Commerce Department said the trade gap narrowed 6.9% in December to $58.8 billion, its largest monthly decline since October 2006. Despite higher oil prices, the trade gap for the full year...
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Bernanke Open to a Sizable Rate Cut
Job and Housing Markets May Worsen, Posing Risks To Growth, Fed Chief SaysWASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned that intensifying credit and financial-market pressures are likely to restrain economic growth and left the door open for a sizable interest-rate cut next month.Mr. Bernanke, testifying a...
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Health Savings Accounts are a New Option For Health Insurance
Health Savings Accounts (HSA) were created when President Bush signed new Medicare legislation on December 8, 2003. They are a special account owned by an individual and used to pay for current and future medical expenses. They are used in conjunction with a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). This is a health insur...
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Buffalo Chapter January Meeting Highlights
BUFFALO CHAPTER JANUARY 29TH MEETING HIGHLIGHTS Installation of 2008 Officers(left to right) Vice President Jayson Czerniak, Associate Rep. Steven Jacobs,President John Goller, Treasurer Robert Baker,Executive Director Linda Seipel, Secretary Chris SansoneGuest Speaker Professor Tony HotchkissPresident John Goller, Pro...
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Citigroup Swings to a Loss, Plans to Raise More Capital, Results Hit by $17.4 Billion in Write-Downs
NEW YORK -- Citigroup Inc. said Tuesday it lost $9.83 billion in the fourth quarter, a result that points backward to the giant bank's risky and poorly managed foray into complicated debt markets but also heralds growing stress on U.S. consumers.Citigroup's results, the first under new Chief Executive Vikram Pandit, we...
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More Delays Plague Boeings Dreamliner
Boeing Co., already six months behind schedule on its 787 Dreamliner jet program, is close to announcing more delays that might hurt its ability to deliver as many planes as promised in the initial year of production.The aircraft maker continues to experience problems on a variety of fronts, according to people familia...
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States to Tighten Belts as Weakness Of Economy Cuts Into Tax Receipts
Slower growth in tax revenues, the result of a weakening economy, are prompting governors from New Jersey to California to consider an array of belt-tightening measures to balance their budgets for this year and next.Facing a severe revenue shortfall, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has asked most state agencies to trim th...
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N.Y. Manufacturing Index Drops
NEW YORK – Manufacturing activity this month in New York state has fallen to the lowest level since May, the New York Federal Reserve said Monday.The Empire State index of overall manufacturing conditions slid to a reading of 10.31 from 27.37 in November. The median expectation of economists surveyed by Dow Jones News...
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Delivering Value to Your Firm’s Bottom Line: Gaining Competitive Advantage and New Growth from Emerging Opportunities in Renewable Energy Technologies
By, Mark C. Coleman, Senior Program Manager, Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies and Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology Introduction On Thursday November 15th I gave a presentation to an audience of seventy RTMA members at Rick’s Prime Rib House titled “Delivering Value t...
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Updated Data in PPI’S Just the Facts Confirm State’s High Business Costs and Show the State’s Auto Insurance Premiums Among Nation’s Highest - But the state’s unemployment inusrance tax rate is slightly below average
ALBANY—A prominent national index ranks New York's overall cost of doing business among the highest in the country—but the state's unemployment insurance costs are now below average.Those are among the trends documented by updated new tables in the Public Policy Institute's Just the Facts series. A third new comparison...
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A Health-Insurance Solution
Why can't people living in New Jersey buy health insurance available to residents of, say, Pennsylvania?Rep. John Shadegg, an Arizona Republican, thinks they should -- and today will reintroduce legislation to make that possible.The Health Care Choice Act would allow residents in one state to buy health insurance that ...
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Last-Minute Tips for Trimming Your 2007 Taxes
There is Still Time To Take Advantage of Rules Set to Expire December 12, 2007Many taxpayers still have time to make last-minute moves that could trim their tax bills significantly for 2007.These include traditional tactics such as dumping investment losers, donating stock to charity, and timing deductions and income c...
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Trade Deficit Widens on Oil Costs
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. trade deficit widened during October, rising higher than expected as the average price for imported oil soared to a record.The U.S. deficit in international trade of goods and services grew by 1.2% to $57.82 billion from September's revised $57.12 billion, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. ...
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Buffalo Chapter November Meeting
Buffalo Chapter November Meeting HighlightsCongressman Brian Higgins was the guest speaker at the Buffalo Chapter November Meeting held on November 12th at Salvatore's Italian Garden.Congressman Brian HigginsCongressman Higgins with Buffalo Chapter PresidentJohn Goller of Arrow Grinding Congratulation on 30 years of NT...
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Buffalo Chapter President Message - John Goller
John Goller, NTMA Buffalo Chapter PresidentThe end of the year is always a good time to reflect on the previous 52 weeks. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but if you look back on our Buffalo Chapter it seems to be growing and gaining strength. There are new faces at our meetings. In fact, our membership has grown abou...
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Ideas to Reduce Cost of Insurance
Most businesses are currently enjoying decreases in the cost of their property casualty insurance when policies renew. This rate reduction has been occurring because insurers have had record profits during the past few years. A business owner should not get complacent regarding their insurance costs during this soft ...
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Narrower Trade Gap May Spur Inflation
Narrower Trade GapMay Spur InflationWASHINGTON -- For the U.S. economy, trade is providing both good and bad news: It is making a strong contribution to growth but is also fueling inflation.The trade deficit shrank 0.6% to $56.45 billion in September, compared with August's $56.8 billion gap, which was revised down fro...
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Chrysler Plans to Reassign Purchasing Executive
DETROIT -- Chrysler LLC is preparing to reassign a senior purchasing executive as soon as today as part of an effort to improve relations with its suppliers, people familiar with the matter said.Robert Schott, vice president of purchasing, will give up that job and take a new post related to engineering and quality, on...
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Buffalo Welcomes New Regular Member
BUFFALOREGULAR MEMBEROliver Gear, Inc.Michael J. BarronV.P./General Manager...
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Batavia Enclosures Receives NTMA Membership Plaque
Leonard Roberto from Batavia Enclosures received his NTMA membership plaque from Buffalo Chapter President John Goller at the September monthly meeting held at Dock @ the Bay Restaurant.Buffalo Chapter President John Goller and Leonard Roberto from Batavia Enclosures...
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NEW WORKERS COMPENSATION RATES EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2007
Effective October 1, 2007 the New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board published new Workers Compensation rates. Outlined below is a six-year comparison:Classification Code 2007 2005/06 2003/04 2002 Precision Machine Shop 3629 $4.16 $4.29 ...
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State Spending To Increase More Than Revenue Over Next Four Years
New York State spending will outpace revenues significantly over the next four years, leading to an estimated $8.7 billion spending gap by fiscal year 2010-11, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s annual report on state finances.“Spending from State resources is forecast in the fiscal year 2007-08 Enacted B...
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Federal Deficit Narrows; Spending Fight Continues
WASHINGTON -- The federal deficit narrowed in fiscal 2007, the third straight annual reduction, as the continued economic recovery helped the growth of tax receipts outpace the growth of government spending.For the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, the U.S. recorded a deficit of $162.8 billion, about 34% smaller than the $24...
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Live in a Great Lakes State? Keep your Eye on the Fed
People of the Great Lakes region may want to pay especially close attention to the Federal Reserve’s action on interest rates. A review of studies on the regional effects of changes in monetary policy found that Great Lakes states consistently felt the strongest effect. The weakest impact came in the Southwest and othe...
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Trade Data Boost GDP
A surprise narrowing in the August trade deficit is leading economists to revise up estimates of third quarter growth as the rest of the world provides the U.S. economy with a valuable offset to the sinking housing market. The deficit in goods and services trade narrowed to $57.6 billion from $59 billion in July; econo...
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Job Market Still Tight in August
Job Market Still Tight in AugustDespite an uptick in unemployment and slowing in job growth, the labor market was still tight in August judging from number of unfilled job openings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the number of job openings remained steady at 2.9% of total jobs in August, where i...
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Buffalo Welcomes New Associate Member
BUFFALOASSOCIATE MEMBERBond, Schoeneck & King, PLLCMark MoldenhauerAttorney...
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Andrew Rudnick Visits Buffalo Chapter
The Buffalo Chapter held their September 25th monthly meeting at the Dock at the Bay Restaurant. The guest speaker for the evening was Andrew Rudnick, President and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership.Buffalo Chapter President John Goller and Andrew Rudnick...
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Likelihood of a Recession Is Given Better Odds
Economists Debate If Job Outlook Is as Bad as Feared Economic forecasters are boosting the odds of a recession over the next 12 months as the housing slump deepens and the credit crisis continues. But there is sharp disagreement over the likelihood of a contraction, with some arguing it is all but inevitable and others...
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Federal Budget Gap Widened In August
WASHINGTON -- The monthly federal budget deficit widened sharply to $116.97 billion in August, the Treasury said, though the gap for the fiscal year through August was narrower than at the same point in the previous fiscal year.Last month's shortfall was 81% wider than the August 2006 level, Treasury's monthly budget s...
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Detroit Auto Makers Try Some New Tricks
The Big Three Improve Cars But Then Find It Hard To Get Buyers to Notice (See Corrections & Amplifications item below.)Just about every month, CNW Market Research meets with a group of would-be car buyers and plays a trick on them.Sometimes the company, which specializes in auto sales trends, takes a Toyota Camry, ...
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An August Slowdown?
Economic reports out today suggested the economy downshifted in August, raising the possibility that the financial-market problems which emerged last month are proving a drag on the real economy too.U.S. retail sales rose by a smaller-than-expected amount in August, in a gloomy sign of softness for an economy still str...
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Rating board announces significant decrease in average workers' compensation premium, assessments
The state’s Insurance Department has formally approved revisions to workers’ compensation rates that will decrease the average employer's costs by 20.5 percent, the New York State Compensation Insurance Rating Board (CIRB) has announced.The decision formalizes the savings achieved under the landmark workers' compensati...
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Council's New ‘Economic Growth Index’ Shows New York Trails Most States In Growth In Jobs, Wages, Income, And Population
New York earns a grade of 'D' on the 50-state comparison; Upstate's grade is 'F' ALBANY—Fully half of the 62 counties in New York State trail the nation in all five core measures of long-term economic growth included in The Business Council's new Economic Growth Index. New York State as a whole trails the nation in fou...
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Opportunity at RIT-CIMS
For the past ten years, the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has addressed safety and ergonomics concerns in a variety of industries including tooling and machining manufacturers. These industries are challenged with the design of the machines dictating the p...
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Buffalo Welcomes New Regular Member
BUFFALOREGULAR MEMBERSOliver Gear, Inc.Michael J. BarronVice Precident & General Manager...
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ECC - Plastics Courses - Fall 2007
- Erie Community College Industrial Technology Department -The Industrial Technology (IT) Department has a diverse selection of courses intended to meet a variety of student needs in terms of course content and scheduling need. Courses are available in general manufacturing, the machine tool trade, quality and plastics...
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ECC - Manufacturing in the 21st Century
Manufacturingin the21st CenturyPrepare For What Is To ComeA Survey Course of ManufacturingProcesses and Operations fromTechnical and Business Perspectives Offered Fall 2007Course IT 235-01Monday, Wednesday 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Contact the Industrial Technology DepartmentPaul Pietraszewski 677-2028or716-851-1479716-27...
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Growth in U.S. Payrolls Slows
Jobless Rate Inches Up To 4.6%, Another Sign Of Weakening EconomyWASHINGTON -- Weaker economic growth over the past year finally caught up with the job market in July as hiring slowed and the unemployment rate inched up.The softer demand for labor comes amid other signs of weakness: tepid reports on manufacturing, a sh...
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New Chrysler CEO Nardelli Plans To Focus on Exisiting Chrysler Plan
Chrysler's new Chief Executive and Chairman Robert Nardelli, who left Home Depot earlier this year under a cloud of controversy, said he has no plans to implement a new strategy at the ailing auto maker but will focus instead on executing a restructuring plan that is already in place.In his first day as head of Chrysle...
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China Exports Could Start to Slow
Change in Tax Policy Likely to Cause the Shift, Not Product Safety WoesBEIJING -- China's export juggernaut is likely to show signs of slowing, but the shift is likely to come from a change in tax policy rather than from mounting concerns about the safety of Chinese goods, economists say.The expected slowdown in export...
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Keep Business Alive With Succession Plan
Nancy Sharp, chief executive of Food for Thought Enterprises, found herself scrambling to make some tough decisions in 2001 after her husband, then president, was diagnosed with lung cancer and couldn't run the family business day to day."We started to be written off a bit," says Ms. Sharp. Potential customer...
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The Myth of Deindustrialization
It's been a quarter-century since author John Naisbitt blithely described manufacturing as a "declining sport" that Americans could easily offshore to Asia. Since then obituaries for U.S. manufacturing, both mournful and enraged, have been written many times.The reports of death are premature. Many of the mos...
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Jobless Data Show Solid Labor Market; Factory Orders Rebound
WASHINGTON -- Factory orders climbed during June on the strength of higher demand for airplanes, but the increase was smaller than expected as bookings weakened for cars, computers and electrical equipment.Orders for manufactured goods increased 0.6%, following an unrevised 0.5% drop in May, the Commerce Department sai...
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Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP)
When you think about requesting a consultation also think “SHARP”…and ask your consultant about it.Who is in SHARP?To see the current SHARP businesses, visit the On-Site Consultaiton-21 (d) web page at: www.labor.state.ny.us/.What is SHARP?The Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) recognizes employe...
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HM Cross and Sons OSHA SHARP Award Recipients
Paul Harrison, Owner, and Jim Northup, Shop Forman, agree that the safety and health of their employees is one of the main concerns of HM Cross and Sons. Their efforts were recognized by the NYS Department of Labor in December of 2006 when they were presented with the prestigious SHARP Award from the Occupational Safe...
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The Differences Between Top Shops and Mediocre Shops
By Fred White In its second annual survey of machine shops, American Machinist has identified key indicators and best practices that lead to improved productivity and profitability for machine shops in the U.S. In addition to the 15 differentiators listed, this article addresses Kaizen event factors most critical to sh...
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ECC - CNC Machining Upcoming Courses
CNC MACHINING - UPCOMING COURSES CNC machining is used in 95% of machining today.Enroll in one or more of the following courses available through the Industrial Technology Department. All classes will be held at ECC North Capus, Bretschger Hall, 6205 Main Street, Williamsville. Many other courses are available.IT 10...
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Buffalo Chapter’s 10th Golf Outing
On June 25th twenty-five teams came to enjoy a gorgeous sunny day at The Links at Ivy Ridge. We began with registration at 11:00; Lunch at 12:00 and a shotgun start at 1:00. After the round of golf we enjoyed a great steak dinner then following prizes were awarded:The first place team was Greatbatch with a score of 59...
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Detroit’s Big Three Post Sales Declines in the U.S.
Major Detroit auto makers reported weakness in June U.S. sales despite a flood of new sales incentives intended to overcome market pressures created by high gasoline prices and persistent weakness in the U.S. housing market.General Motors Corp.'s results were particularly weak, with June sales down 21% from a year ago ...
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Factory Orders Fell in May, Though Less Than Expected
WASHINGTON -- Factory orders decreased during May in a broad-based decline that included a drop in a barometer for capital spending by businesses, but the fall was much smaller than expected.Meanwhile, a forecasting tool for sales of previously owned homes again indicated weakness in May, the third straight monthly dec...
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Service Sector Notches Strong Growth
U.S. service sector firms turned in their strongest month of growth since April 2006 during June, as price pressures grew at a slightly less strong rate.A report Thursday from the Institute for Supply Management said its nonmanufacturing index, which is comprised mostly of service-related companies, moved to a reading ...
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ECC - CNC Machining Upcoming Courses
CNC MACHINING - UPCOMING COURSES CNC machining is used in 95% of machining today.Enroll in one or more of the following courses available through the Industrial Technology Department. All classes will be held at ECC North Capus, Bretschger Hall, 6205 Main Street, Williamsville. Many other courses are available.IT 10...
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Growth in Defense Work Drives Expansion at Lynx
Based in Bergen, Lynx Machine Tool Corpl is in expansion mode, spurred by growth in military orders. Last month it landed its largest contract, a helicopter parts deal that could amount to $2.8 million.Lynx Machine Tool Corp. expects to double its work force in the next year, driven by a growth in military orders that...
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Buffalo President Message - John Goller
John Goller, NTMA Buffalo Chapter PresidentI was fortunate to take advantage of the UTMA’s offer to go to St. Louis last October for the NTMA Purchasing Fair. I had never been to one but had heard some success stories so I gave it a shot. What an easy way to make a dozen cold calls and have the undivided attention of...
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Safety Award Recipients
Congratulations Bill Tate and Tom Owczarzak from Palma Tool & Die and Randy Stuart from Stuart Tool & Die They will be receiving the National Tooling and Machining Association 2006 Safety Awards at our next meeting. This Award is given to their company for having a safety record that is among the best in th...
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Buffalo New Member
BUFFALONEW MEMBERBatavia EnclosuresLeonard RobertoEstablished in 1988, Batavia Enclosures is a manufacturer of precision sheet metal products specializing in the electrical and electronic industries. Batavia Enclosures offers an ever-expanding selection of Standard, Customizable and Custom Enclosures....
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Consider Insurance for Computer Fraud
Most businesses today insure for Employee Dishonesty. This means that if an employee steals from or defrauds his or her employer, there is insurance coverage to pay the monetary loss.With the growing use of business being done electronically over the internet, a company could be subject to substantial monetary loss du...
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Chances of Fed Rate Cut Diminish
As Economy Gains Footing, Policy Makers Have Doubts That Inflation Will SlowWASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve officials at this month's monetary-policy meeting appeared to have gained confidence about economic expansion but harbored "considerable uncertainty" that inflation would slow as hoped.Though U.S. economi...
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Economy Is Picking Up Speed
The latest data show employment and manufacturing growing at a vigorous rate, suggesting the U.S. economy is regaining momentum after a slow start to 2007. The renewed strength, however, could raise inflation concerns for the Federal Reserve.Nonfarm employers added 157,000 jobs to their payrolls in May, nearly double t...
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Stocks Rise on Strong Jobs Data; Dell, Wal-Mart Boost Sentiment
Stocks gained Friday, inspired by benign economic data and good news from Dell and Wal-Mart.The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended up 40.47 at 13668.11, its 26th record close of the year, putting it up 9.7% since the end of last year. The blue-chip index was lifted by a 3.9% jump in shares of Wal-Mart, which approved a...
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School Districts Propose Plans to Raise Spending at Twice the Inflation Rate
ALBANY—Armed with a record increase in state aid, school districts across New York State plan to increase average per-pupil spending by twice the rate of inflation, a new "School Tax Watch" study by the Public Policy Institute finds.Statewide, proposed school budgets in the "School Tax Watch" sample...
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On The Rebound
Surging gasoline prices and a still-lousy housing market have prompted much hand-wringing about the economy, but after a hard slog in the first three months of the year, it may be poised to break out.The economy grew at a 0.6% annual rate in the first quarter, an anemic pace by any reckoning, but some new data suggest ...
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New Yorkers' per-pupil school spending moves from third highest to highest, Census Bureau data show
New York spends more per pupil in schools than any other state, and its per-pupil spending is 62 percent above the national average, data released May 24 by the U.S. Census Bureau show.The data, for 2004-2005, show that New York's per-pupil spending was $14,119, compared to the national average of $8,701. New York's sp...
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Senate plan would invest $3.7 billion in Upstate economy
Upstate’s economy would receive a $3.7 billion boost through tax relief and incentives under the Senate Majority’s Upstate economic revival plan.The plan, unveiled May 15 by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, seeks to revitalize the Upstate economy by reducing taxes, updating infrastructure and strengthening business...
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Buffalo Chapter President Message - John Goller
John Goller, NTMA Buffalo Chapter PresidentWe had another great chapter meeting last week. NTMA Chairman Jeff Kelly was in town and gave an inspirational talk about the state of manufacturing in our country and some of the steps we can take to strengthen our industry. His topic mirrored what we are trying to achieve ...
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Passing on the Torch
After 19 years of faithful service, Jay Czerniak from Niagara Punch and Die is retiring the Treasurer’s position to Robert Baker from Johnson Precision. Jay has done a wonderful job keeping track of the Buffalo Chapter finances and being an active part of the board. We are grateful and appreciate all his hard work an...
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Long Time Member Will Be Missed
- Tom Cauley On April 3, 2007, Thomas P. Cauley passed away after a courageous battle with cancer at age 50. Tom was a Sales Manager at Osgood Machinery, now Morris TriState in Lancaster, which have been members of the Buffalo Chapter since 1988. He was a renowned and respected businessman winning many awards includ...
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National CEO Jeff Kelly Visited Buffalo in April
National CEO Jeff Kelly speaks about “Filling the Pipeline by Developing Our Future Workforce”. The meeting was held at the Buffalo Launch Club on April 24th. CEO Jeff Kelly with Buffalo Chapter President John Goller from Arrow Grinding CEO Jeff Kelly with NTMA Northeastern Sales Representative, Daryl Ott ...
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Manufacturing Sector Rebounds As Pending Home Sales Decline
NEW YORK -- U.S. manufacturers saw better growth than expected in April, although prices mounted an unwelcome advance. Private research group the Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday that its April index of manufacturing activity moved to 54.7, from 50.9 in March and 52.3 in February. Readings above 50 poin...
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Michael Thore Selected for National Tooling and Machining Scholarship
The Buffalo Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association has awarded the fall $500 scholarship to Michael Thore. President John Goller presenting Michael D. Thore a Scholarship for ECCMike is currently enrolled in the industrial technology program and has met all requirements for this scholarship. This sch...
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U.S. Economic Growth Is Slowest In 4 Years Amid Housing Slump
GDP Rose at 1.3% Annual Rate in 1st QuarterApril 27, 2007 12:51 p.m.WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy slowed sharply in early 2007, retreating to its weakest pace in four years under the weight of the housing slump, while inflation accelerated.A separate report showed that consumer confidence softened in April from the en...
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Fed Official Cites ‘Heightened Risks’ On Growth and Inflation
The recent, puzzling disconnect between slowing economic growth and falling unemployment has "significantly increased" risks to both the economy and inflation, a Fed policy maker said.Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Janet Yellen's remarks were the most detailed analysis from a Fed official on ...
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Why Market Strength and Economic Growth Don't Always Line Up
The stock market has been a lousy barometer of the economy.From the beginning of 2004 through the first quarter of 2006, economic growth averaged an impressive 3.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose just 6%. Since then, economic growth has slowed to a little more than 2%, yet the blue-chip index has leapt 18%, end...
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Detroit Begins Spring in a Fog
Housing, Gas Prices Crimp Big Three's March Sales; Toyota Reaches a Record Detroit's Big Three auto makers face worsening economic headwinds as they head into the crucial spring selling season, threatening their efforts to stem sales declines.General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group ...
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Buffalo Chapter President Message - John Goller
John Goller, NTMA Buffalo Chapter PresidentWe had a great meeting in March with Dan Gundersen talking about his approach to turning around the Upstate NY economy. For those who missed it – it was one of the better attended meetings we’ve had in years. It was great to see people from so many different companies and orga...
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Daniel Gundersen Visits Buffalo
On March 29th the Buffalo Chapter held a meeting at Shanghai Red's Restaurant with the Daniel Gundersen who was newly appointed by Governor Eliot Spitzer in February. He is responsible for implementing strategies to revitalize the upstate economy which include improving the business climate, developing strategic indust...
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The New Governor Looks Good
Most of us in the UTMA have known for a long time that NYS has the worst record in regards to it’s oppressive treatment of all businesses, especially manufacturing /precision businesses. That of course is why the UTMA coalition of Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse chapters of the NTMA was formed in upstate NY. This coalition ...
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China Ties Ben Bernanke’s Hands
Stagflation is rearing its head. The economy is dancing along the precipice of recession, and inflation remains stubbornly high.The Federal Reserve cannot do much. Cutting interest rates to boost growth would accelerate inflation. Raising rates to slow inflation would be futile. Most pressure on prices stems from tig...
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Fed Official Expects Economy To Weather Subprime Fallout
AUSTIN, Texas -- Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher said Wednesday the recent turmoil in the subprime mortgage market has been relatively limited, and said he expects the U.S. economy to navigate the troubles with little lasting impact."Thus far, the damage from the subprime market has been la...
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Pace of Manufacturing Expansion Slows
Rising Energy Costs AddTo Inflation Concerns;Factory Hiring Withers The manufacturing sector's growth slowed last month, but factories faced higher costs -- especially for energy -- adding to concerns that inflation pressure may continue despite a slowing economy. The Institute for Supply Management, an Arizona-based g...
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U.S. Service-Sector Growth Cools While Factory Orders Rebound
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. service sector's growth cooled last month, while strong demand for airplanes carried factory orders aloft in February.The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday its nonmanufacturing index, made up mostly of service-related companies, moved to 52.4 in March from 54.3 in February and 59.0 i...
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Long Time Member Passes
On February 3, 2007, Mitchell J. Banas Sr. pasted away. He was the Founder and President of Trinity Tools, Inc. in North Tonawanda, NY. He has been a member of the Buffalo Chapter NTMA since December 1978. He was the beloved husband of the late Frances (Worosz) Banas; loving father of Mitchell J. (Roberta) Banas, Jr...
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2007 Buffalo Chapter Officers
Buffalo Chapter Installation of Officers on January 30, 2007 at the Protocol Restaurant From left to right:Steve Jacobs - Associate Representative, Jack Kopczynski - Past President - Installed the Officers, Bob Baker - Treasurer, Linda Seipel - Executive Director, Jayson Czerniak - Vice President, John Goller - Preside...
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Taxes & Your Business - written by Dennis Richards
Way back on July 26, 1973, I was given a small going away party by my fellow workers at none other than Eastman Kodak Co., Yes Rochester people I was a Kodaker! I had just completed six years with the company and Kodak was very good to me and everyone else, nearly 46,000 employees at that time. We all lovingly referr...
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SUNY ECC - CNC Machining Upcoming Courses
CNC MACHINING CNC Machinery is used in 95% of machining today. UPCOMING COURSES Enroll in one or more of the following courses available through the Industrial Technology Department. All classes will be held at ECC North Campus, Bretschger Hall, 6205 Main Street, Williamsville. Many other cours...
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At GM, Curbing Inventories Calls for Juggling Act
Car maker's Dilemma Is How to Sustain Output Without DiscountingDETROIT -- After a tumultuous year, General Motors Corp. heads into the industry's big auto show here this week determined to prove it can regain its long-lost status as a technology and design leader, making vehicles consumers will be eager to buy without...
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Fed’s Kohn Says It’s Too Early to Relax Inflation Concerns
Despite a recent decline in underlying inflation, it's "too early to relax our concerns" about price pressures, a top Federal Reserve official said, suggesting interest-rate cuts still aren't on the table.Fed vice chairman Donald Kohn also warned long-term interest rates could jump if the Fed fails to cut sho...
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Toyota Pressured to Boost North American Output
oyota Pressured to BoostNorth America OutputBy NORIHIKO SHIROUZU January 8, 2007; Page A3DETROIT -- Toyota Motor Corp. faces pressure to further ramp up North American production from its own internal targets as it looks for ways to counteract potential political backlash stemming from the U.S. Big Three's woes. Some c...
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ECC Industrial Tech/Machine Tool Courses Available
The following courses for the spring semester, starting January 22nd, still have openings. If you are interested in taking any of these courses, please contact Paul Goodrich at 716- 851-1479.IT-102 01 CNC MILL PROGRAMMING Witkowsk N TH 08:00AM 11:00AMIT-102 51 CNC MILL PROGRAMMING Johnson, N ...
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Buffalo Welcomes PCB Piezontronics
At the November 28th Buffalo Chapter Monthly Meeting held at the Pearl Street Grill, President John Goller presented a membership plaque to Jack Myers of PCB Piezontronics.Buffalo Chapter President John Goller (left) withJack Myers, PCB Piezontronics...
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Feds Holds Interest Rates Steady, While Warning About Inflation
By CAMPION WALSH and BENTON IVES-HALPERINDecember 12, 2006 2:26 p.m.WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve on Tuesday held the federal funds rate steady at 5.25% for a fourth-straight time, while signaling it may yet raise interest rates again if inflation doesn't subside as it expects.MORE ON THE FED Bernanke • Read the te...
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Wider Trade Deficit with China Offers U.S. Path to Press Beijing
Overall Gap Declines 8.4% Amid Sharp Drop in Crude; Stronger Hand for PaulsonBy GREG HITTThe Wall Street Journal, December 13, 2006; Page A2WASHINGTON -- The latest snapshot of U.S. trade flows gives Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson plenty of ammunition to press Beijing to step up efforts to open China's economy.While ...
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To Retain Valued Woman Employees, Companies Pitch Flextime as Macho
By JACLYNE BADALDecember 11, 2006; Page B1Here's a novel approach to keeping women in the work force: Focus on men.Some employers are trying to overcome a perceived stigma on flexible work schedules -- often viewed as a concession to women -- by redefining the issue as a quality-of-life concern for everyone. The appro...
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Tom Reynolds Visits Arrow Grinding
Congressman Tom Reynolds26th DistrictElections are an important event that allows everyone to have an influence in their government. Having a voice in government and the policy they create is a strong concern among UTMA members. This was evident on the Friday before elections by the turnout at Arrow Grinding to liste...
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New Buffalo Regular Member
NEW BUFFALO REGULAR MEMBERPCB PiezonronicsJack Myer & Ken Gonyea ...
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Purchasing Workers Compensation Insurance
Should you obtain coverage through a self insured trust or an insurance company including The State Insurance Fund? Many machine shops will be renewing their Workers Compensation Insurance on January 1. Please read this before making a decision as to where you should place this insurance coverage. Here is an outline of...
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President's Letter - John Goller
"Imagine if your business burned down and you had to walk across the street and start again, what would you do differently?" – Brian Tracy John Goller, NTMA Buffalo Chapter President We had a very encouraging chapter meeting last month with everyone back into their business rhythm afte...
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President's Letter - John Goller
John Goller, NTMA Buffalo Chapter President Buffalo Chapter Moves Forward It’s been a busy summer for the UTMA. There has been a lot of progress made in the past couple months as the Buffalo Chapter continues to work with the Rochester and Syracuse Chapters of the NTMA to add more value to all our mem...
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ECC – Last Opportunity to Register for Classes
ECC has just added a new section of the following courses. If anyone has an interest in taking one or more of these courses you may contact Paul Goodrich at 851-1479 for assistance with registration. Course Title: Course ID: Credits: Day: Time: CNC Mill Operation ...
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Buffalo Chapter Golf Outing Results
On June 26th 23 teams of golfers came to enjoy The Links at Ivy Ridge. We began with registration at 11:00; Lunch at 11:30 and a shotgun start at 1:00. We had 2 first place teams with a score of 60 Great Lakes Team: (L to R) Doug Brown, Tom McArdle, Dennis Zak, Jim Jones NYMAT Team: (L to R) Tony Shortino, D...
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Syracuse:
Self-Funding: Not Just For Big Companies
Submitted for RTMA by: William H. Combs, CLU 585.226.8881While some insurance carriers would like us to believe that self-funded health benefit plans should only be designed for firms with 100 or more employees, there continues to be a good deal of interest on the part of small companies – those with as few as 50 empl...
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Iron-Ore Deal to Lift China's Steel Costs
Rio Tinto and BHP Push The Cost of Iron Ore HigherSteel Prices Fuel Inflation Worries; Taking a Hard LineBy ROBERT GUY MATTHEWSJune 24, 2008After months of negotiating with China's top steelmakers, mining giants Rio Tinto PLC and BHP Billiton Ltd. on Monday won an 85% increase in the benchmark price for iron ore, a key...
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Today's Markets
Today's MarketsBy Peter A. McKayJune 23, 2008 A rally in energy stocks and the continuing plunge of financial and automotive shares left markets spinning their wheels Monday as investors looked ahead to a pivotal decision on interest rates.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped by 0.33 point to 11842.36, nearly uncha...
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With Oil's Rise, Floridians Shift on Drilling
With Oil's Rise, Floridians Shift on DrillingBy COREY DADE and STEPHEN POWERJune 23, 2008ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. -- Neighbors Jo Ellen Sharp and Kristin Jenkins stood beside each other after a day on the beach of this barrier island, divided by the thought that Florida's corner of the Gulf of Mexico could some day be dott...
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Saudies Promise More Oil to Curb World-Wide Fears
Saudis Promise More Oil To Curb World-Wide FearsKingdom Raising Output This Year And Capacity LaterBy MARGARET COKER and NEIL KING JR.June 23, 2008JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia moved to calm anxiety in the oil market by promising the world a little more oil now and potentially a lot more later.But it is unclear ...
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Soaring Gas Prices Force New Production Cuts
Saudis Promise More Oil To Curb World-Wide FearsKingdom Raising Output This Year And Capacity LaterBy MARGARET COKER and NEIL KING JR.June 23, 2008JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia moved to calm anxiety in the oil market by promising the world a little more oil now and potentially a lot more later.But it is unclear ...
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East Meets West
East Meets WestHow a new Buick was made to appeal to a skeptical U.S. audience, as well as to the booming market in ChinaBy JOHN D. STOLLWhen General Motors Corp. in September asked Richard Duff to help create the exterior of a new Buick prototype sedan called Invicta, the 32-year-old designer jumped at the chance.Havi...
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Weather May Ping Natural Gas
Weather May Ping Natural GasPrices Could Climb If Summertime Heat Is Worse Than UsualBy BEN CASSELMANJune 23, 2008Natural-gas prices, up 74% since the year began, could be headed higher amid predictions of an unusually hot summer in parts of the nation. If those forecasts play out, air-conditioner use will rise -- and ...
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Panel Cites Surge in Speculative Oil Trades
Panel Cites Surge in Speculative Oil TradesCongress Gears Up To Devise Limits; Campaigns SparBy STEPHEN POWER and IAN TALLEYJune 23, 2008WASHINGTON -- Speculative traders' interest in crude oil has grown to the point that they now account for roughly 70% of all trading in West Texas Intermediate crude on the New York M...
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Tooling U Newsletter
IMTSTooling U is currently preparing for the IMTS show in Chicago, IL September 8-13. We are proud to be one of six organizations presenting best practices to IMTS attendees. Tooling U will be presenting the following sessions: • Training the Shop Floor • TargetED Training: Empowering Your Workforce • The Grant Lands...
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The Department of Defense
Why Sell to the Department of Defense? Simply, they have money. The Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Department budget that took effect on 1 October, was valued at $480 billion. The proposed Fiscal 2009 budget is $515 billion. A significant portion of these funds are used to buy a wide variety of products and services, from...
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Defense Firms Press for Arms Investment
The next White House must find a way to overcome budget pressures and modernize the military so that it keeps its technological edge, according to a report from the aerospace and defense industry's Washington-based trade association.In the report, expected to be delivered Tuesday to Congress and the presidential campai...
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McCain Economic Plan to Show a Mixed Approach
PITTSBURGH -- Mixing austerity and tax cuts, Sen. John McCain is laying out an economic plan that includes increased Medicare premiums for wealthy seniors and a one-year freeze on spending along with a proposal to review a vast swath of federal programsIn a major economic speech Tuesday, the likely Republican president...
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Food, Energy Boost Producer Prices But Core Inflation Retreats a Bit
Home Builder Index Remains LowWASHINGTON -- U.S. wholesale prices surged on higher food and energy prices during March, but core inflation retreated to a mild rate after two months of big increases.Meanwhile, U.S. home builders still have the blues. The National Association of Home Builders' index for sales of new, sin...
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Higher Food Prices May Be Here to Stay
For all the economists and consumers who hope high food prices are temporary, here's one reason why they probably won't be: Farm costs are skyrocketing, making permanently higher prices essential for farmers to keep expanding production.Inflation is biting farmers world-wide. In New Zealand, farm wages are up as much a...
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Retail Sales Edge Higher; Business Inventories Rise
WASHINGTON -- U.S. retail sales unexpectedly climbed in March, but the small increase was the work of gasoline station sales, driven by the higher oil prices that have otherwise subdued consumers and drained the economy.Retail sales increased 0.2%, after dropping 0.4% during February, the Commerce Department said Monda...
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Population Losses Continue Across WNY, According to Census Estimates
Erie County lost 5,001 residents last year, continuing a decade-long trend of annual population losses seen here and across upstate New York, according to new population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.However, at least one expert cautioned that the declines reported for Erie and Niagara counties shouldn’t be tak...
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Leading Indicators Decline Again
Jobless Claims Jump SharpleyAn index intended to show the economy's future direction fell 0.3% in February, the fifth consecutive monthly drop, according to preliminary estimates by the Conference Board.Meanwhile, the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment insurance increased sharply last week, match...
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U.S. Puts Faith in Fannie, Freddie
Firms, Once Hemmed In, Are Freed for Bigger Role In Aiding Mortgage MarketFederal regulators, in an effort to contain financial turmoil, are handing government-sponsored companies an even bigger role in propping up the mortgage market.Officials affirmed yesterday that government-sponsored mortgage investors Fannie Mae ...
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Commodities Continue Slide While Stocks Move Upward
Stocks took off Thursday following a better than expected reading of regional manufacturing activity from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve, but commodity prices continued to languish despite the report.The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which enjoyed a modest rally early in the session, accelerated after the Philadelphi...
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Costly Fuel, Economic Woes Weigh Down U.S. Airlines
Carriers May Face New Restructuring; Key Merger in DoubtU.S. airlines, which seemed last year to have shaken off a half-decade slump, may face a new round of restructuring amid a stumbling economy and spiraling fuel prices.The turnabout reflects the headwinds that have buffeted the industry as oil prices have risen 75%...
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Report finds escalating property taxes and local spending continue to hurt economy, despite STAR
ALBANY— The program originally intended to reduce property taxes has had little impact in that area, instead helping to escalate state spending over the past decade, the Business Council's research affiliate has concluded in a new report.The report, What’s STAR Got To Do With It, was released this week as lawmakers met...
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New Yorker’s Still Heading South
New Yorkers still heading south; new Census Bureau data show states that gained New Yorkers in 2005-2006 ALBANY— More than 500,000 New Yorkers moved to other states between 2005 and 2006, according to recently released Census Bureau data.The data show that 513,625 New Yorkers moved out of state between 2005 and 2006. N...
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Slow Spending Helps Trade Deficit
Consumers' voracious appetite for imported goods has abated, helping narrow the trade deficit in December and all of last year.The Commerce Department said the trade gap narrowed 6.9% in December to $58.8 billion, its largest monthly decline since October 2006. Despite higher oil prices, the trade gap for the full year...
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Bernanke Open to a Sizable Rate Cut
Job and Housing Markets May Worsen, Posing Risks To Growth, Fed Chief SaysWASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned that intensifying credit and financial-market pressures are likely to restrain economic growth and left the door open for a sizable interest-rate cut next month.Mr. Bernanke, testifying a...
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Citigroup Swings to a Loss, Plans to Raise More Capital, Results Hit by $17.4 Billion in Write-Downs
NEW YORK -- Citigroup Inc. said Tuesday it lost $9.83 billion in the fourth quarter, a result that points backward to the giant bank's risky and poorly managed foray into complicated debt markets but also heralds growing stress on U.S. consumers.Citigroup's results, the first under new Chief Executive Vikram Pandit, we...
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More Delays Plague Boeings Dreamliner
Boeing Co., already six months behind schedule on its 787 Dreamliner jet program, is close to announcing more delays that might hurt its ability to deliver as many planes as promised in the initial year of production.The aircraft maker continues to experience problems on a variety of fronts, according to people familia...
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States to Tighten Belts as Weakness Of Economy Cuts Into Tax Receipts
Slower growth in tax revenues, the result of a weakening economy, are prompting governors from New Jersey to California to consider an array of belt-tightening measures to balance their budgets for this year and next.Facing a severe revenue shortfall, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has asked most state agencies to trim th...
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N.Y. Manufacturing Index Drops
NEW YORK – Manufacturing activity this month in New York state has fallen to the lowest level since May, the New York Federal Reserve said Monday.The Empire State index of overall manufacturing conditions slid to a reading of 10.31 from 27.37 in November. The median expectation of economists surveyed by Dow Jones News...
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A Health-Insurance Solution
Why can't people living in New Jersey buy health insurance available to residents of, say, Pennsylvania?Rep. John Shadegg, an Arizona Republican, thinks they should -- and today will reintroduce legislation to make that possible.The Health Care Choice Act would allow residents in one state to buy health insurance that ...
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Last-Minute Tips for Trimming Your 2007 Taxes
There is Still Time To Take Advantage of Rules Set to Expire December 12, 2007Many taxpayers still have time to make last-minute moves that could trim their tax bills significantly for 2007.These include traditional tactics such as dumping investment losers, donating stock to charity, and timing deductions and income c...
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Trade Deficit Widens on Oil Costs
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. trade deficit widened during October, rising higher than expected as the average price for imported oil soared to a record.The U.S. deficit in international trade of goods and services grew by 1.2% to $57.82 billion from September's revised $57.12 billion, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. ...
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Delivering Value to Your Firm’s Bottom Line: Gaining Competitive Advantage and New Growth from Emerging Opportunities in Renewable Energy Technologies
By, Mark C. Coleman, Senior Program Manager, Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies and Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology Introduction On Thursday November 15th I gave a presentation to an audience of seventy RTMA members at Rick’s Prime Rib House titled “Delivering Value t...
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Updated Data in PPI’S Just the Facts Confirm State’s High Business Costs and Show the State’s Auto Insurance Premiums Among Nation’s Highest - But the state’s unemployment inusrance tax rate is slightly below average
ALBANY—A prominent national index ranks New York's overall cost of doing business among the highest in the country—but the state's unemployment insurance costs are now below average.Those are among the trends documented by updated new tables in the Public Policy Institute's Just the Facts series. A third new comparison...
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Chrysler Plans to Reassign Purchasing Executive
DETROIT -- Chrysler LLC is preparing to reassign a senior purchasing executive as soon as today as part of an effort to improve relations with its suppliers, people familiar with the matter said.Robert Schott, vice president of purchasing, will give up that job and take a new post related to engineering and quality, on...
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Narrower Trade Gap May Spur Inflation
Narrower Trade GapMay Spur InflationWASHINGTON -- For the U.S. economy, trade is providing both good and bad news: It is making a strong contribution to growth but is also fueling inflation.The trade deficit shrank 0.6% to $56.45 billion in September, compared with August's $56.8 billion gap, which was revised down fro...
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Trade Data Boost GDP
A surprise narrowing in the August trade deficit is leading economists to revise up estimates of third quarter growth as the rest of the world provides the U.S. economy with a valuable offset to the sinking housing market. The deficit in goods and services trade narrowed to $57.6 billion from $59 billion in July; econo...
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Job Market Still Tight in August
Job Market Still Tight in AugustDespite an uptick in unemployment and slowing in job growth, the labor market was still tight in August judging from number of unfilled job openings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the number of job openings remained steady at 2.9% of total jobs in August, where i...
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Federal Deficit Narrows; Spending Fight Continues
WASHINGTON -- The federal deficit narrowed in fiscal 2007, the third straight annual reduction, as the continued economic recovery helped the growth of tax receipts outpace the growth of government spending.For the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, the U.S. recorded a deficit of $162.8 billion, about 34% smaller than the $24...
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State Spending To Increase More Than Revenue Over Next Four Years
New York State spending will outpace revenues significantly over the next four years, leading to an estimated $8.7 billion spending gap by fiscal year 2010-11, according to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s annual report on state finances.“Spending from State resources is forecast in the fiscal year 2007-08 Enacted B...
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Live in a Great Lakes State? Keep your Eye on the Fed
People of the Great Lakes region may want to pay especially close attention to the Federal Reserve’s action on interest rates. A review of studies on the regional effects of changes in monetary policy found that Great Lakes states consistently felt the strongest effect. The weakest impact came in the Southwest and othe...
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Council's New ‘Economic Growth Index’ Shows New York Trails Most States In Growth In Jobs, Wages, Income, And Population
New York earns a grade of 'D' on the 50-state comparison; Upstate's grade is 'F' ALBANY—Fully half of the 62 counties in New York State trail the nation in all five core measures of long-term economic growth included in The Business Council's new Economic Growth Index. New York State as a whole trails the nation in fou...
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An August Slowdown?
Economic reports out today suggested the economy downshifted in August, raising the possibility that the financial-market problems which emerged last month are proving a drag on the real economy too.U.S. retail sales rose by a smaller-than-expected amount in August, in a gloomy sign of softness for an economy still str...
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Detroit Auto Makers Try Some New Tricks
The Big Three Improve Cars But Then Find It Hard To Get Buyers to Notice (See Corrections & Amplifications item below.)Just about every month, CNW Market Research meets with a group of would-be car buyers and plays a trick on them.Sometimes the company, which specializes in auto sales trends, takes a Toyota Camry, ...
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Federal Budget Gap Widened in August
WASHINGTON -- The monthly federal budget deficit widened sharply to $116.97 billion in August, the Treasury said, though the gap for the fiscal year through August was narrower than at the same point in the previous fiscal year.Last month's shortfall was 81% wider than the August 2006 level, Treasury's monthly budget s...
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Likelihood of a Recession Is Given Better Odds
Economists Debate If Job Outlook Is as Bad as Feared Economic forecasters are boosting the odds of a recession over the next 12 months as the housing slump deepens and the credit crisis continues. But there is sharp disagreement over the likelihood of a contraction, with some arguing it is all but inevitable and others...
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Rating board announces significant decrease in average workers' compensation premium, assessments
The state’s Insurance Department has formally approved revisions to workers’ compensation rates that will decrease the average employer's costs by 20.5 percent, the New York State Compensation Insurance Rating Board (CIRB) has announced.The decision formalizes the savings achieved under the landmark workers' compensati...
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Opportunity at RIT-CIMS
For the past ten years, the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has addressed safety and ergonomics concerns in a variety of industries including tooling and machining manufacturers. These industries are challenged with the design of the machines dictating the p...
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Keep Business Alive With Succession Plan
Nancy Sharp, chief executive of Food for Thought Enterprises, found herself scrambling to make some tough decisions in 2001 after her husband, then president, was diagnosed with lung cancer and couldn't run the family business day to day."We started to be written off a bit," says Ms. Sharp. Potential customer...
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New Chrysler CEO Nardelli Plans To Focus on Exisiting Chrysler Plan
Chrysler's new Chief Executive and Chairman Robert Nardelli, who left Home Depot earlier this year under a cloud of controversy, said he has no plans to implement a new strategy at the ailing auto maker but will focus instead on executing a restructuring plan that is already in place.In his first day as head of Chrysle...
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China Exports Could Start to Slow
Change in Tax Policy Likely to Cause the Shift, Not Product Safety WoesBEIJING -- China's export juggernaut is likely to show signs of slowing, but the shift is likely to come from a change in tax policy rather than from mounting concerns about the safety of Chinese goods, economists say.The expected slowdown in export...
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Jobless Data Show Solid Labor Market; Factory Orders Rebound
WASHINGTON -- Factory orders climbed during June on the strength of higher demand for airplanes, but the increase was smaller than expected as bookings weakened for cars, computers and electrical equipment.Orders for manufactured goods increased 0.6%, following an unrevised 0.5% drop in May, the Commerce Department sai...
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The Myth of Deindustrialization
It's been a quarter-century since author John Naisbitt blithely described manufacturing as a "declining sport" that Americans could easily offshore to Asia. Since then obituaries for U.S. manufacturing, both mournful and enraged, have been written many times.The reports of death are premature. Many of the mos...
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Growth in U.S. Payrolls Slows
Jobless Rate Inches Up To 4.6%, Another Sign Of Weakening EconomyWASHINGTON -- Weaker economic growth over the past year finally caught up with the job market in July as hiring slowed and the unemployment rate inched up.The softer demand for labor comes amid other signs of weakness: tepid reports on manufacturing, a sh...
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Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP)
When you think about requesting a consultation also think “SHARP”…and ask your consultant about it.Who is in SHARP?To see the current SHARP businesses, visit the On-Site Consultaiton-21 (d) web page at: www.labor.state.ny.us/.What is SHARP?The Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) recognizes employe...
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HM Cross and Sons OSHA SHARP Award Recipients
Paul Harrison, Owner, and Jim Northup, Shop Forman, agree that the safety and health of their employees is one of the main concerns of HM Cross and Sons. Their efforts were recognized by the NYS Department of Labor in December of 2006 when they were presented with the prestigious SHARP Award from the Occupational Safe...
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The Differences Between Top Shops and Mediocre Shops
By Fred White In its second annual survey of machine shops, American Machinist has identified key indicators and best practices that lead to improved productivity and profitability for machine shops in the U.S. In addition to the 15 differentiators listed, this article addresses Kaizen event factors most critical to sh...
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Service Sector Notches Strong Growth
U.S. service sector firms turned in their strongest month of growth since April 2006 during June, as price pressures grew at a slightly less strong rate.A report Thursday from the Institute for Supply Management said its nonmanufacturing index, which is comprised mostly of service-related companies, moved to a reading ...
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Factory Orders Fell in May, Though Less Than Expected
WASHINGTON -- Factory orders decreased during May in a broad-based decline that included a drop in a barometer for capital spending by businesses, but the fall was much smaller than expected.Meanwhile, a forecasting tool for sales of previously owned homes again indicated weakness in May, the third straight monthly dec...
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Detroit's Big Three Post Sales Declines in the U.S.
Major Detroit auto makers reported weakness in June U.S. sales despite a flood of new sales incentives intended to overcome market pressures created by high gasoline prices and persistent weakness in the U.S. housing market.General Motors Corp.'s results were particularly weak, with June sales down 21% from a year ago ...
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Growth in Defense Work Drives Expansion at Lynx
Based in Bergen, Lynx Machine Tool Corpl is in expansion mode, spurred by growth in military orders. Last month it landed its largest contract, a helicopter parts deal that could amount to $2.8 million.Lynx Machine Tool Corp. expects to double its work force in the next year, driven by a growth in military orders that...
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Stocks Rise on Strong Jobs Data; Dell, Wal-Mart Boost Sentiment
Stocks gained Friday, inspired by benign economic data and good news from Dell and Wal-Mart.The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended up 40.47 at 13668.11, its 26th record close of the year, putting it up 9.7% since the end of last year. The blue-chip index was lifted by a 3.9% jump in shares of Wal-Mart, which approved a...
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Chances of Fed Rate Cut Diminish
As Economy Gains Footing, Policy Makers Have Doubts That Inflation Will SlowWASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve officials at this month's monetary-policy meeting appeared to have gained confidence about economic expansion but harbored "considerable uncertainty" that inflation would slow as hoped.Though U.S. economi...
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Economy Is Picking Up Speed
The latest data show employment and manufacturing growing at a vigorous rate, suggesting the U.S. economy is regaining momentum after a slow start to 2007. The renewed strength, however, could raise inflation concerns for the Federal Reserve.Nonfarm employers added 157,000 jobs to their payrolls in May, nearly double t...
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On The Rebound
Surging gasoline prices and a still-lousy housing market have prompted much hand-wringing about the economy, but after a hard slog in the first three months of the year, it may be poised to break out.The economy grew at a 0.6% annual rate in the first quarter, an anemic pace by any reckoning, but some new data suggest ...
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School Districts Propose Plans to Raise Spending at Twice the Inflation Rate
ALBANY—Armed with a record increase in state aid, school districts across New York State plan to increase average per-pupil spending by twice the rate of inflation, a new "School Tax Watch" study by the Public Policy Institute finds.Statewide, proposed school budgets in the "School Tax Watch" sample...
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New Yorkers' per-pupil school spending moves from third highest to highest, Census Bureau data show
New York spends more per pupil in schools than any other state, and its per-pupil spending is 62 percent above the national average, data released May 24 by the U.S. Census Bureau show.The data, for 2004-2005, show that New York's per-pupil spending was $14,119, compared to the national average of $8,701. New York's sp...
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Senate plan would invest $3.7 billion in Upstate economy
Upstate’s economy would receive a $3.7 billion boost through tax relief and incentives under the Senate Majority’s Upstate economic revival plan.The plan, unveiled May 15 by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, seeks to revitalize the Upstate economy by reducing taxes, updating infrastructure and strengthening business...
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Manufacturing Sector Rebounds As Pending Home Sales Decline
NEW YORK -- U.S. manufacturers saw better growth than expected in April, although prices mounted an unwelcome advance. Private research group the Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday that its April index of manufacturing activity moved to 54.7, from 50.9 in March and 52.3 in February. Readings above 50 poin...
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U.S. Economic Growth Is Slowest In 4 Years Amid Housing Slump
GDP Rose at 1.3% Annual Rate in 1st QuarterApril 27, 2007 12:51 p.m.WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy slowed sharply in early 2007, retreating to its weakest pace in four years under the weight of the housing slump, while inflation accelerated.A separate report showed that consumer confidence softened in April from the en...
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Fed Official Cites ‘Heightened Risks’ On Growth and Inflation
The recent, puzzling disconnect between slowing economic growth and falling unemployment has "significantly increased" risks to both the economy and inflation, a Fed policy maker said.Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Janet Yellen's remarks were the most detailed analysis from a Fed official on ...
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Why Market Strength and Economic Growth Don't Always Line Up
The stock market has been a lousy barometer of the economy.From the beginning of 2004 through the first quarter of 2006, economic growth averaged an impressive 3.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose just 6%. Since then, economic growth has slowed to a little more than 2%, yet the blue-chip index has leapt 18%, end...
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Detroit Begins Spring in a Fog
Housing, Gas Prices Crimp Big Three's March Sales; Toyota Reaches a Record Detroit's Big Three auto makers face worsening economic headwinds as they head into the crucial spring selling season, threatening their efforts to stem sales declines.General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group ...
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U.S. Service-Sector Growth Cools While Factory Orders Rebound
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. service sector's growth cooled last month, while strong demand for airplanes carried factory orders aloft in February.The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday its nonmanufacturing index, made up mostly of service-related companies, moved to 52.4 in March from 54.3 in February and 59.0 i...
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China Ties Ben Bernanke’s Hands
Stagflation is rearing its head. The economy is dancing along the precipice of recession, and inflation remains stubbornly high.The Federal Reserve cannot do much. Cutting interest rates to boost growth would accelerate inflation. Raising rates to slow inflation would be futile. Most pressure on prices stems from tig...
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Pace of Manufacturing Expansion Slows
Rising Energy Costs AddTo Inflation Concerns;Factory Hiring Withers The manufacturing sector's growth slowed last month, but factories faced higher costs -- especially for energy -- adding to concerns that inflation pressure may continue despite a slowing economy. The Institute for Supply Management, an Arizona-based g...
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Fed Official Expects Economy To Weather Subprime Fallout
AUSTIN, Texas -- Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher said Wednesday the recent turmoil in the subprime mortgage market has been relatively limited, and said he expects the U.S. economy to navigate the troubles with little lasting impact."Thus far, the damage from the subprime market has been la...
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At GM, Curbing Inventories Calls For Juggling Act
Car maker's Dilemma Is How to Sustain Output Without DiscountingDETROIT -- After a tumultuous year, General Motors Corp. heads into the industry's big auto show here this week determined to prove it can regain its long-lost status as a technology and design leader, making vehicles consumers will be eager to buy without...
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Fed’s Kohn Says It’s Too Early To Relax Inflation Concerns
Despite a recent decline in underlying inflation, it's "too early to relax our concerns" about price pressures, a top Federal Reserve official said, suggesting interest-rate cuts still aren't on the table.Fed vice chairman Donald Kohn also warned long-term interest rates could jump if the Fed fails to cut sho...
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Toyota Pressured to Boost North American Output
By NORIHIKO SHIROUZU January 8, 2007; Page A3DETROIT -- Toyota Motor Corp. faces pressure to further ramp up North American production from its own internal targets as it looks for ways to counteract potential political backlash stemming from the U.S. Big Three's woes. Some company insiders say the Japanese auto maker,...
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Feds Holds Interest Rates Steady, While Wa5rning About Inflation
By CAMPION WALSH and BENTON IVES-HALPERINDecember 12, 2006 2:26 p.m.WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve on Tuesday held the federal funds rate steady at 5.25% for a fourth-straight time, while signaling it may yet raise interest rates again if inflation doesn't subside as it expects.MORE ON THE FED Bernanke • Read the te...
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Wider Trade Deficit With China Offers U.S. Path to Press Beijing
Overall Gap Declines 8.4% Amid Sharp Drop in Crude; Stronger Hand for PaulsonBy GREG HITTThe Wall Street Journal, December 13, 2006; Page A2WASHINGTON -- The latest snapshot of U.S. trade flows gives Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson plenty of ammunition to press Beijing to step up efforts to open China's economy.While ...
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To Retain Valued Woman Employees, Companies Pitch Flextime as Macho
By JACLYNE BADALDecember 11, 2006; Page B1Here's a novel approach to keeping women in the work force: Focus on men.Some employers are trying to overcome a perceived stigma on flexible work schedules -- often viewed as a concession to women -- by redefining the issue as a quality-of-life concern for everyone. The approa...
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Three New Syracuse Members
NEW SYRACUSE REGULAR MEMBERS Allen Tool Phoenix, Inc. Kenneth G. Maines, Controller Eagle Metalcraft, Inc. Jin Helmer, President Fulton Tool Company Peter Russell, President ...
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