plus 3, Oshkosh Corp. $3B order secures 'a lot of jobs' - Green Bay Press-Gazette

Oshkosh Corp. $3B order secures 'a lot of jobs' - Green Bay Press-Gazette
Report: Media advertising in Jordan to bounce back over next 4 years - MENAFN
Delta Twp. business gives damaged rides a new life - Lansing State Journal
Travel New Hampshire - Intelligencer

Oshkosh Corp. $3B order secures 'a lot of jobs' - Green Bay Press-Gazette

Posted: 16 Feb 2010 01:39 AM PST

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OSHKOSH — The roar of applause at the news Friday that Oshkosh Corp. will produce the U.S. Army's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles for the next five years covered a sigh of relief on Oregon Street.

The cheer didn't come from the company's executive offices, but from the United Auto Workers Local 578 members gathered at their headquarters across from the factories where much of the Army's ground fleet is manufactured.

"We've been holding our breaths for two months now," 32-year maintenance journeyworker Fred Rothe said Saturday. "This is going to secure a lot of jobs. I don't know how many it will create, but it will secure a lot that are not secure now."

The $3 billion contract calls for Oshkosh Corp. to build 23,000 military trucks and trailers.

Confidence in the product they produce convinced Local 578 members, gathered at their monthly meeting Saturday, that the contract would stay with Oshkosh Corp. But a thread of doubt lingered from five years ago. The prevailing feeling was that the company should've gotten it then, but political forces kept the work and the jobs at BAE Systems' Sealy, Texas, plant.

"We feel we make the best trucks and made the best offer," said Michael Orth, who has worked for Oshkosh for three years. "Once the Army starts using ours, they'll feel confident about what they've purchased."

Orth served in the Army in Iraq before coming to work for Oshkosh at a time when sandbags were used to reinforce vehicles not armored like mine-resistant all-terrain M-ATVs and other vehicles in service now. It infuses the job he does now with a little more meaning.

"It's a good feeling when you hear the stories about IED attacks that everyone survived," Orth said.

Beneath the pride and confidence, though, Local 578 members couldn't help but worry during the 60-day re-evaluation period the U.S. Government Accountability Office mandated after it upheld narrow elements of protests filed by BAE Systems and Navistar.

Harrison Street worker Mike Galle had to reassure several linemates that work would still be available for union members even if the contract didn't stay with the company.

"This contract puts their fears to rest," said Galle, whose father-in-law Karl Kimple worked for Oshkosh for 21 years.

Galle waited the better part of 10 hours in line to apply for his job in 2007. Many members don't know how many more new jobs this contract will create, though.

But the prospect of retained jobs and the possibility of adding more have Local 578 members optimistic that Oshkosh's manufacturing and retail businesses will grow.

"There's a lot of people out there without jobs and I hope we'll be hiring some new ones," South Plant tubing bench worker Kim Sprotte said.

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Report: Media advertising in Jordan to bounce back over next 4 years - MENAFN

Posted: 16 Feb 2010 02:37 AM PST

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(MENAFN - Jordan Times) There is room for additional daily newspapers in the Kingdom, with advertising revenues forecast to rebound over the next four years, according to a recent report.

Local experts disputed the findings, however, stating that although the recent drop in advertising was temporary, revenues are unlikely to return to pre-2009 levels "anytime soon".

The Arab Media Outlook (AMO) report, recently released by the Dubai Press Club, projected growth in advertising in traditional and new media outlets in the Arab world this year, particularly in Jordan, after a turbulent 2009.

The report said the Kingdom would enjoy a rebound in overall advertising in 2010, with an average growth of 9.3 per cent over the next four years - 8 per cent for newspapers.

Daily newspapers

With As Sabeel's transformation from a weekly to a daily publication last year, there are eight daily newspapers in Jordan with a reported total circulation of 313,000 as of late 2009, according to the report.

There is room in the market for new daily publications in Jordan, the study claimed, describing the Kingdom's ratio of 1.7 daily titles per million adults as "low" considering the country's 90 per cent literacy rate.

According to the study, Jordan has one of the smallest selections of daily publications in the Arab world, ahead only of the Palestinian territories.

But Naim Hourani, director of advertising at Al Rai newspaper, downplayed the report's forecast.

"My own expectation is that advertising will stay close to 2009 levels. Maybe it will be the same, maybe we will see a little growth, but not much," Hourani, who also serves as vice president of the International Advertising Association - Jordan, told The Jordan Times.

The global financial crisis hurt the banking and real estate sectors in the Kingdom, two of the leading advertisers, he pointed out, adding that the slump affected advertising budgets for 2010, with the real estate sector left with "negligible" funds to spend on ads.

An expert, who has done extensive research in the sector and preferred to remain unnamed, said the next year-and-a-half will see an upswing in revenue, but doubted the market could support more newspapers.

"Definitely we assume 2010-2011 will be an increase. The year 2009 was very bad and we expect growth of at least 9 per cent," he said, predicting that a majority of the increase would be driven by television advertising.

The addition of another daily to the Kingdom's newsstands, however, would be "unfeasible" under current conditions.

The expert, whose company prepares market studies on advertising in the Kingdom, said an additional daily "would not survive" three years.

"I wouldn't advise it at all. Unless it has something that stands out, it will not survive. Print media is slowly on the decline; anyone who wants to start that project will have to rethink it," he added.

"We already have seven [Arabic] dailies and it is a crowded market - most people can only name three of them. Opening up another one, it just cannot happen," Hourani stressed, noting that 60-80 per cent of newspapers' budgets are directly dependent on advertising.

Rise of online ads?

With the success of Maktoob, whose Arabic-based web e-mail service was purchased by Yahoo! last year, the report predicted a stronger push in online advertising in Jordan, which recorded 130 per cent growth between 2008 and 2009.

With Internet penetration expected to increase from around 20 per cent to nearly 50 per cent within the next four years, the study expected Internet advertising to grow rapidly in Jordan, and eventually account for 8 per cent of all advertising revenue over the next four years.

Limited access to the Internet remains a major obstacle to relying on online revenues, Hourani stressed.

"Internet penetration is not high enough to make a significant contribution, not even for newspapers," Hourani said, noting that although Al Rai and other dailies have online advertising, it represents a small fraction of their advertising revenues.

The main obstacle to a rise in online advertising is the lack of a local website that can attract visitors across various segments and demographics, the anonymous expert said, noting that the readership of online news websites in Jordan ranges from "very low to insignificant".

"The future is definitely the Internet, and traditional media outlets stand the most to benefit from it. But it has to take a while to get there," the analyst added.

Meanwhile, the AMO study classified the Jordanian television market as "small", noting that the sector was most negatively affected by the economic downturn last year, posting a 29 per cent drop in advertising revenues.

The report predicted that the launch of ATV, scheduled for later this year, would drive competition in the market and generate around 9 per cent growth in TV revenues over the next four years.

The expert agreed that the addition of another network would boost television ad revenue.

"Growth in the TV sector will be very large if ATV broadcasts. We are supposed to have no more than 7-8 per cent growth in TV ads this year, and there is much more room for an increase," the expert added.

The report also pointed out that magazine advertising decreased by 11 per cent last year due to a downturn in the automotive, real estate and luxury item sectors, resulting in decreased advertising budgets.

The study expected a slight improvement in 2010, and 10 per cent overall growth to generate $8.2 million by 2013.

Noting that radio advertising expenditure grew last year, the report forecast the advertising revenues of the Kingdom's 28 radio stations to stay consistent with its overall growth forecast, at 8 per cent in the next four years.

By Taylor Luck

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Delta Twp. business gives damaged rides a new life - Lansing State Journal

Posted: 16 Feb 2010 12:56 AM PST

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DELTA TWP. - An Iowa company is bringing its crashed and damaged vehicle business model to the Lansing area.

Crashed Toys LLC gives dinged, dented and otherwise damaged motorcycles and other recreational vehicles a second chance.

The company is moving into the Michigan market, with its first location in the state at 7819 Lanac St. in Delta Township.

Crashed Toys sells motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, watercraft and recreational vehicles through online auctions on its Web site, www.crashedtoys.com.

Buyers can pick up the items at the Delta Township warehouse or arrange to have them shipped.

Buyers save money

The company gets its inventory by purchasing vehicles from insurance companies that have been declared total losses, damaged items from other dealers and repossessions from banks, marketing manager Joe Woit said.

An all-terrain vehicle, or ATV, can be deemed a total loss for something as simple as a dented gas tank, he said.

"It's perfect for the enthusiasts who want a little project for the winter or want to save a lot of money," Woit said.

"People are able to save a lot of money by buying these and fixing them themselves."

People also buy the vehicles for their parts.

Replacement parts from dealerships can be expensive, so some people buy damaged vehicles, strip off the pieces they need and sell the rest, ATV enthusiast Larry Reynolds said.

Reynolds is president of Delta Township-based Dirt Mafia, an ATV and motorcycle club.

Best year yet

Crashed Toys' local inventory includes about 40 motorcycles, a dozen snowmobiles and eight four-wheelers, manager Ken LaPeer said.

Recreational vehicles, boats and other watercraft should be available as spring approaches.

The facility has about 5,000 square feet of indoor storage and more than three and a half acres of outdoor storage space.

Crashed Toys, an affiliate of Eldridge, Iowa-based QCSA Auto Auctions, has locations in Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri.

Last year was the company's best year since it started in 1999, Woit said.

Crashed Toys sold more than 7,000 items in 2009, Woit said.

He wouldn't provide more detailed sales or profit figures for the privately-owned company.

Economy a factor

"When people have less expendable income, people obviously pay less for vehicles," he said, adding that the company has seen and influx of repossessed vehicles due to the economy.

Michigan's economy has been tough on some salvage companies, such as privately owned Slick's Great Lakes Salvage in Mason, co-owner John Deemer said. He didn't provide further details on the company's sales.

Slick's has been around since 1988 and sells distressed and damaged motorcycles, snowmobiles and ATVs.

Slick's offers on-site sales, while Crashed Toys sells vehicles through online auctions.

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Travel New Hampshire - Intelligencer

Posted: 15 Feb 2010 10:26 PM PST

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January 20, 2008

MOUNT WASHINGTON, N.H. — It's the mountain that experienced wind gusts up to 231 mph in April 1934, which remains a world record. It's had wind chills down to minus 120 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average annual temperature of only 26.5 degrees. The average annual snowfall is 256 inches (more than 21 feet) with a seasonal maximum of 566 inches (over 47 feet). Mount Washington, N.H., the highest peak in the Northeastern United States, truly has earned the title "Home of the World's Worst Weather."

Fortunately, I visited Mount Washington on a much calmer day in early October.

We had planned to just drive past Mount Washington so that I could get a picture of the mountain on our way through New Hampshire. Well, one thing led to another as it usually does on our "road trips," and my husband, John, suggested we drive to the top. I don't know who was more surprised when I agreed with his suggestion. We paid our $27 ($20 for car and driver plus $7 for each adult passenger), popped the audio tour CD (which is yours to keep) in the player, and up the privately owned Mount Washington Auto Road we went.

Listening to the CD as we drove, we heard reminders about mountain-driving etiquette and some historical information about the mountain and the auto road.

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