If a conference room is dull and terribly designed it may become a problem for every employee. Even a client listening to a presentation in a meeting room that is messy and without setting might not get a very good impression. But a modern and fashionable conference room can be a base for the creativity and unique ideas of staff, which in turn can benefit the business over the long term. Even your customers will appreciate the comfortable office fit out conducive to creativity.

How to solve a problem with noise

The refurbishment of office design involves proper arrangement of office supplies, electronics, furniture and dividers to minimize the noise when necessary. In a call center, for instance, specialists will make a fit out that can provide enough privacy for each employee and ensure that the noise in an area does not irritate other personnel. Full story…

The new Greater Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC doesn’t have a permanent office, a single telephone number or a unified website.

But on Wednesday, the merger of the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp. becomes official — with the hiring of a full-time CEO about to take center stage.

A search committee for the Chamber and EDC expects to have four to six finalists in town Monday, with interviews taking place Feb. 7, said Doug Quimby, the group’s board chairman, search committee co-chair and interim CEO. By the end of February, and possibly sooner, a CEO is expected to hired, he said.

About 100 applications are being reduced to eight to 12 candidates; current Chamber of Commerce CEO Dave Csintyan is among those on that short list, Quimby said. Csintyan now will be considered for the list of four to six finalists, Quimby said.

“I can’t tell you how many of those four to six will be local and how many of those four to six will be out of town,” Quimby said. “I can tell you there are good local candidates, and I would expect there will be at least one local candidate within the finalists, and maybe more.”

Csintyan couldn’t be reached for comment.

How soon a CEO comes on board after the hiring will depend on whether the new executive is local or must relocate, Quimby added.

The CEO search is the highest-profile first step for the newly merged organization.

More than 20 years ago, the chamber and EDC operated as a single group, but split in 1991 over differences that stemmed in large part from the direction of job creation efforts. Since then, the EDC operated as the area’s primary jobs-generating organization, while the chamber represented the interests of local businesses.

Last year, area business people and community leaders began talking merger as a way to improve the local economy. Some of those civic leaders and business people liked what they saw while on a visit to Oklahoma City, Okla., where a single organization has been credited with helping to boost that city’s business climate.

The Chamber and EDC have completed or are working to finalize the coordination of employee policies and benefits, the combination of payrolls, the establishment of one accounting system and the creation of a membership roster, Quimby said.

No staffers have been laid off as a result of the merger; the new CEO will analyze the organization to determine whether changes might be warranted, Quimby said.

For now, the Chamber and EDC staffs will continue working in their separate offices until a new downtown headquarters is selected, he said. Depending on how much remodeling might be needed, the new group might move in as early as March or as late as June or early July, Quimby added.

The new group also is looking to create a single website, office phone number and an organization logo, he said.

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Memphis Mayor A C Wharton introduces his administration’s Memphis Office of Resources and Enterprise (MORE) initiative in remarks to local business leaders at the MBE Regional Power Breakfast at Bridges Wednesday.

The mayor of Memphis has a new plan to streamline city government and boost entrepreneurship.

Speaking to more than 100 minority and women business owners and executives Wednesday, A C Wharton introduced his administration’s Memphis Office of Resources and Enterprise (MORE) initiative, a new effort to make it easier for small businesses to bid on, and win, local government contracts.

Previously, Wharton said, the city had no centralized system to assist entrepreneurs with issues such as how to obtain business licenses or how to bid on city contracts, or even how to grow theirpanies.

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The lack of adequately skilled staff is slowing production at Whitehaven Coal, while also boosting costs as it has been forced to turn to external specialists to help close the gap.

The NSW coal producer is expanding production at its Narrabri mine, in the state’s north west, but work is being hampered by a lack of skilled staff, which is delaying progress.

The stage one development is for up to 2.5 million tonnes of coal, which will rise to 6 million tonnes a year when the present expansion is concluded.

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”Weekly development advance continues to be hampered by the lack of availability of skilled underground miners,” it said in its December production report to the ASX today.

”This is preventing full utilisation of the four continuous miner units which are available and has resulted in a shortfall of approximately 509 metres against first half year plan to December, 2011,” it said.

An additional external contractor, SDB-Delta, has brought in experienced staff to boost development work at the mine, while internal employees are being trained for longwall mining equipment operation.

”If performance continues at the current rate, longwall commissioning is expected in mid to late April,” it said.

December quarter saleable coal production rose 2 per cent year on year to 1.1 million tonnes, but with total coal sales declining 22 per cent to 1.4 million tonnes.

Earnings continue to be hampered as well by the need to purchase coal to meet contractual commitments, although at a lower rate than previously as output levels improve, it said, with a further 330,000 tonnes of legacy contracts due to be delivered in the March quarter.

March quarter coking coal prices are expected to run at $US184 a tonne, up from around $US179 in the December quarter.

Steaming coal delivered into the Japan market for the 12 months to March 2012 have been fixed at $US124 a tonne, it said, which is higher than the ex-Newcastle spot market price of $US117 a tonne.

The Associated Press Published Tuesday, January 24, 2012 Updated Tuesday, January 24, 2012   |    |    |     |   tool goes here

Treasury prices edged up from their lowest levels this year Tuesday as uncertainty about a deal to reduce Greece’s debt drew money into safer investments.

European leaders are locked in negotiations with owners of debt issued by Greece. They want the bondholders to write off half of Greece’s debt load. The two sides disagree about how much interest the new Greek bonds would carry.

Traders sold other European government bonds Tuesday, fearing that a messy default by Greece would spark financial panic. French and Italian bond yields rose.

Traders bought dollars and ultra-safe Treasurys. The yield on th

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Yahoo’s latest financial results show the Internet company is still losing ground in the battle for online advertising.

The fourth-quarter breakdown announced Tuesday is the latest in a succession of ho-hum performances.

The company earned $296 million, or 24 cents per share, in the October-to-December period. That is down 5 percent from $312 million, or 24 cents per share, a year earlier. The earnings matched analysts’ estimates.

Fourth-quarter revenue dropped 13 percent from the previous year to $1.32 billion.

After subtracting commissions, Yahoo’s revenue totaled $1.17 billion. That was $20 million below analyst projections.

It’s the 13th straight quarter that Yahoo’s net revenue has declined from the prior year.

Yahoo Inc. recently hired former PayPal executive Scott Thompson as CEO in its latest attempt at a turnaround.

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