Posted by Benji Riggins on September 27, 2010 under Interesting Info | 
When hurricanes and tropical storms hit the North Carolina coast, it can give pause to residents and also to those considering moving close to the ocean.
But does it do the same thing to businesses?
Coastal geography “is always a consideration for any site,” said Mike Mullis, who owns the J.M. Mullis site selection business based in Memphis.
Verizon Wireless was no exception when it eyed bringing a call center to Wilmington.
“This was a point we took into consideration when making our selection of the Wilmington area, which led us to ensure we have back-ups and redundancies,” said Tony Garcia, associate director of business service center operations in Wilmington. “We do this for all our buildings whether in hurricane, earthquake, snowstorm and other areas.
“We reviewed historical data on occurrences, impact, cost, etc., that ultimately brought balance to the other factors for choosing this area,” he said.
Being on a storm-vulnerable coast is almost never the lone deciding factor when businesses consider locating an operation, Mullis said.
“At the same time, there are many reasons projects are on the coast, to be next to port access,” he said.
Wilmington has its share of business heavyweights _ GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, PPD Inc. and Verizon, for example _ that have not only located here but have expanded and plan further expansion.
Such firms have elaborate emergency plans to keep their businesses and facilities operating through a hurricane. GE has operated here for more than 40 years and shows that complicated business operations can rebound from a hurricane.
GEH “has a preparation procedure that evaluates storm conditions with respect to strength and direction, and we then implement accordingly,” said Lori Butler, general manager of environment, health and safety at GEH. “This procedure includes preparing personnel and the site based on storm conditions,” she said
When locating on the coast, Mullis said, “You simply design your facilities (for storm resistance) and put in precautionary measures.”
“We have projects going on in Miami,” he continued. “We take double protections one facility within another.”
That kind of built-in protection is needed, for instance, for a food service center, Mullis said. “You hope that the food will be clean and fresh.”
Extra protections also are needed for a customer support center, he said, citing Verizon’s call center at Independence and Shipyard boulevards.
Verizon’s Garcia said its building on Shipyard Boulevard is heavily fortified.
In addition, he said, “We have a stand-alone generator capable of supplying full power to our building. We have routing capabilities and redundancy built in, and our customers would be serviced by our network of call centers located throughout the country.”
Sometimes it’s not the reality of tropical storms but the perception of them that influences a company’s decision to locate in Southeastern North Carolina or other coastal areas.
“With companies moving here, it’s the fear and perception that it could completely cripple your business,” said Jonathan Rowe, director of the Entrepreneurship Center at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. “That perception is one of the top issues.
“The threat to data is a concern on the coast,” he said, “but many companies store their data at servers away from the coast.
“Nowadays, with the fact that you can keep a lot of data off site, hurricanes become less relevant, more of a perception thing than reality-based,” Rowe said.
Even though one negative of residing along the coast is the rising cost of homeowners insurance, the insurance cost to businesses “doesn’t come up as much as you’d think,” Rowe said.
Whether a company actually has inventory on site is a factor in coastal locations, Rowe said.
Companies with inventory on site feel the most insurance pain. If inventory is destroyed, especially for small businesses like shops, “it can ruin the business.
“In most cases the insurance is going to be higher. For those businesses, that can be a big consideration in coming here.”
By Wayne Faulkner
Read more: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2010/09/09/113122.htm#ixzz0z8g2XovR
Posted by Benji Riggins on February 14, 2010 under Safety |
North Carolina residents now have online access to information on malpractice lawsuits, convictions, suspensions, or other disciplinary actions taken against physicians and other medical professionals in the state.
The North Carolina Medical Board has expanded its Web site to include the data on the 35,000 licensed physicians and physician assistants it licenses and regulates.
The information includes malpractice suits that have been settled or lost since May 2008. The General Assembly established that cutoff date after medical providers, insurers and defense lawyers objected to posting older malpractice data.
The Web site www.ncmedboard.org allows consumers to search by a doctor’s name or by city.
The board has maintained a searchable database of information regarding its licensees’ education, training and professional background for several years. Those listings included board certifications and disciplinary history, if any, with the state medical board.
But a recent change in North Carolina law authorized the board to expand this information to include the malpractice liability payment information and additional details including final suspensions or revocations of hospital privileges; final disciplinary orders or actions of any regulatory board or agency; felony convictions; and misdemeanor convictions involving offenses against a person, offenses of moral turpitude, offenses involving the use of drugs or alcohol and violations of public health and safety codes.
Licensees are required to report this information to the board under state law.
Posted by Benji Riggins on January 4, 2010 under Interesting Info |
HANDBOOK 2010
Health :
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
Personality :
11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree….
Society :
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life :
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. Our Higher Power heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank your Higher Power for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
Last but not the least :
40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about, I just did..
Posted by Benji Riggins on June 26, 2009 under Safety |
Young motorboat drivers in North Carolina would be required to meet minimum boating safety education requirements in legislation approved by the House.
The bill approved this week would obligate people under age 26 to complete an approved boating safety course or pass a test to operate a boat with a motor of at least ten horsepower.
There are many exceptions, including those who operate in state waters for less than 90 days, commercial fishermen and someone who is renting a boat.
Violators would face no monetary penalty except for court costs.
Supporters say the requirement hopefully will prevent accidents on the state’s waterways.
The bill now returns to the Senate, which must decide whether to accept the House changes.
