Tag Archive: program


Obama plans push for veterans jobs programs (AP)

Filed Under: Insurance News
Feb.03, 2012

WASHINGTON – In an effort to cut the unemployment rate among veterans, the Obama administration is calling for a new conservation program that would put veterans to work rebuilding trails, roads and levees on public lands.

The administration also will seek more grant money for programs that allow local communities to hire more police officers and firefighters.

The efforts are particularly geared to those veterans who served after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a group experiencing an unemployment rate of 13.1 percent versus 8.1 percent for non-veterans.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the Civilian Conservation Corps that operated during the 1930s could be viewed as a model for what the administration will try to accomplish through its “Veterans Jobs Corps.” He said that the administration will propose spending $1 billion that would be used to put an estimated 20,000 veterans to work restoring habitat and eradicating invasive species, among other activities.

“When one looks back at the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, we take great comfort that those who take on these kinds of activities will leave a lasting legacy for the United States,” Salazar said.

The backdrop of presidential politics is also playing a role in the Obama administration’s new efforts. Several states that will be heavily contested in November have a significant military presence. Veterans will be evaluating specific ways the next White House administration intends to help them.

Administration officials said the initiatives are focused on helping veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Communities that hire veterans to work as police and firefighters will be given preference in the grants competition. Obama will also seek to increase spending for the grants programs. He will propose an additional $4 billion for the Community Oriented Policing Services program, or COPS. He will propose an additional $1 billion for the firefighter grants.

The administration will also propose a training program designed to help veterans wanting to start their own small businesses.

With GOP lawmakers stressing the need to cut government spending, it remains to be seen how far the proposals will make it in a deeply divided Congress. Many conservatives have in the past voted to cut spending for the COPS program, while Obama is calling for a major expansion. Obama is expected to unveil his proposals Friday at an Arlington, Va., fire station that was one of the first to respond to the attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Administration officials outlined the proposals in advance of his speech.

Congress also has been focusing on the problem of unemployment among veterans. A House subcommittee on Thursday examined the unemployment rate for those who serve in the National Guard or Reserves. Witnesses estimated that about 1 out of every 5 returning guardsmen is unemployed.

Theodore Daywalt, CEO and president of a jobs board called VetJobs, told lawmakers that veterans who totally separate from the military are for the most part finding work, even in today’s economic environment.

“But if a veteran remains active in the National Guard, they are having a difficult time finding meaningful employment due to the constant call-ups and deployment schedules,” Daywalt said in his written testimony.

Daywalt said some employers have become wary of hiring someone who is called up for as many as 24 months at a time. And the difficulty in finding work has led some guardsmen to volunteer for second or third deployments. He also predicted that the unemployment problem for guardsmen and reservists could get worse as the military downsizes because it will result in more competition when openings do occur.

About 160,000 soldiers leave active duty annually, and some 95,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves join them. The Labor Department already operates some jobs programs to help soldiers with the transition to civilian life. For example, there are employee workshops that help vets with advice on job searches and labor market conditions. The department also provides grants to states that in turn hire workers to conduct job training workshops and reach out to employers on behalf of vets.

___

Online:

Veterans Jobs Bank: http://www.nrd.gov

Jobs Board: http://www.vetjobs.com

Bureau of Labor Statistics on veterans: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t05.htm

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VA must focus on homeless women vets, watchdog says

Filed Under: Insurance News
Jan.24, 2012

Federal agencies must step up their efforts to curb homelessness for female veterans, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report.

GAO found a dramatic rise in homelessness among women veterans. The number of homeless female vets more than doubled between fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2010, increasing from 1,380 to more than 3,000, the watchdog reported. Numbering 1.8 million, women currently account for 8 percent of all veterans.

The Housing and Urban Development and the Veterans Affairs departments run a joint supportive housing program, and VA has a Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program. Veterans Affairs also has several initiatives to end homelessness among veterans by 2015, including a pilot program by the President’s Council on Veterans Employment to provide jobs to formerly homeless veterans.

But neither VA nor HUD collects specific data on homeless women veterans, GAO said.

Women veterans also have special needs, the report noted. Often they are single mothers, and might have a psychological condition resulting from sexual trauma experienced during their military service.

One fourth of VA grant and per diem providers GAO surveyed reported they could not immediately provide women’s beds and the median wait time is 30 days. Many shelters also lack the ability to house children or do not allow children over a certain age.

In addition, homeless women veterans surveyed cited safety concerns about grant and per diem housing. During the past five years, nine of 142 GPD housing providers had reported incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault on women residents.

“[Women veterans] have often used all of their available resources from family, friends and community before they come to us, causing them to need immediate help, which is often hard to find,” one VA Medical Center homeless coordinator told GAO.

To combat the problem, Veterans Affairs and HUD must coordinate their efforts in collecting the appropriate data on homeless women veterans, including those with children and those with disabilities, the report recommended.

Additionally, VA must find ways to improve transitional housing for homeless women veterans with children and determine safety and security standards for programs and shelters that serve both male and female veterans.

Both departments generally agreed with recommendations. HUD is considering requiring specific gender data to be included in the 2013 count of homeless veterans, but VA has stated that it already gathers enough information on homeless women veterans. GAO officials disagreed, however, and felt VA’s current level of information was not detailed enough to help meet the specific needs of homeless women veterans. VA also has stated its plans to work with the Interagency Council on Homelessness and will possibly develop a legislative proposal to identity more transitional housing opportunities.

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Report: IMF says no conditions on $3.2B Egypt loan (AP)

Filed Under: Insurance News
Jan.19, 2012

CAIRO – Egyptian newspapers on Wednesday quoted the regional head of the International Monetary Fund as saying that the body will not impose conditions on Egypt as the country seeks a $3.2 billion support package to shore up a burgeoning budget deficit.

An IMF statement from Washington did not mention conditions.

IMF Mideast and Asia head Massoud Ahmed was quoted by the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper and the independent Al-Masry Al-Youm on Wednesday as saying that Egypt should draft its own economic program, and that the IMF should not impose conditions.

He said issues like energy subsidies and tax irregularities could not be resolved immediately.

An IMF delegation arrived on Monday to discuss the proposed loan.

The IMF statement called the meetings “productive.” It noted that Egypt’s economy, “despite its solid and sound fundamentals, is facing a number of difficult challenges,” requiring an economic recovery program that creates stability.

The statement gave no indication of the views of the IMF delegation about the desired content of the economic plan.

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Agencies try out new performance management system

Filed Under: Insurance News
Jan.18, 2012

More details emerged Wednesday about a pilot program that aims to improve the performance management system for all government employees, with some agencies pledging to start the first training sessions this spring.

The Office of Personnel Management will begin training managers on the new system by March or April, OPM Deputy Chief of Staff Justin Johnson said. OPM hopes to implement GEAR (goals, engagement, accountability and results) for the agency, collaborating with its local bargaining units, by the end of the year, he said.

John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, questioned the usefulness of GEAR. He said he did not plan to “put out a recommendation” to work with the pilot.

“I don’t see anything different here when it comes to performance management,” he said at the monthly meeting of the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations.

Gage spoke following presentations from some of the agencies involved in the pilot, including the Energy, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development departments, and OPM.

Gage said he “did not see any difference” between the pilot and existing performance management programs.

“Especially with some of these agencies — HUD, DOE — it’s going to be a big year for these agencies,” Gage said. “Laying on this type of human resources program . . . it just doesn’t excite me.”

Johnson said OPM had the cooperation of its local unions and was working through the pilot to make sure a new system would not “do more harm than good.” He described Gage as taking a “wait-and-see approach.”

“We’re trying to make sure it adds value. We’re confident it’s going to,” Johnson told Government Executive.

GEAR focuses in particular on aligning employee performance with agency performance. At HUD, Senior Executive Service members have floated the idea of withholding SES eligibility for receiving an “outstanding” ranking if the agency did not perform well by certain metrics, said HUD Chief Human Capital Officer Karen Newton Cole.

“This was kind of radical,” Cole said in a presentation to the labor management council Wednesday. “We know there are severe problems in terms of how we’re managing performance and linking that performance to agency goals. The SES corps [at HUD] took that to heart and said, OK, we need to lead this effort using ourselves, essentially as a guinea pig.”

Energy also plans to develop milestones with actions over the next several months and is working with eight local bargaining units covering 7,500 employees.

According to materials provided by Energy on Wednesday, the department’s plans for GEAR include online performance management training, ePerformance software to support reporting and accountability for both SES and non-SES employees and quarterly progress reviews.

Energy’s CHCO, Michael Kane previously told Government Executive that his agency already was doing many of the things GEAR working groups were looking at. Secretary Steven Chu has agreed to what is known as 360 employee performance surveys — where all SES employees, including department secretaries, must get input from colleagues at a variety of levels.

Other agencies involved in the pilot — Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard and Veterans Affairs were in earlier stages of developing their pilot programs.

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AIM Honored for Innovative Program That Helps Consumers Make Better Choices About Their Care

Filed Under: Insurance News
Dec.15, 2011

CHICAGO, Dec. 14, 2011 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) has recognized WellPoint, Inc. and its subsidiary AIM, a leading specialty benefit management company, for their development of a concierge-type program that delivers pricing and capability information directly to providers and health plan members, enabling more informed decision making and significant cost savings.   

WellPoint and AIM were jointly awarded the Best of Blue Clinical Distinction Award for the Imaging Cost and Quality Program, a consumer engagement tool that helps to address the wide variance in pricing across outpatient imaging sites. The Best of Blue Clinical Distinction Award program, created as a collaboration between BCBSA and the Harvard Medical School Department of Health Care Policy, recognizes Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies for programs demonstrating innovation, efficacy and a potential for replication.

“Advanced diagnostic imaging exams are very expensive and often patients and their physicNEWS.GNOM.ES are not aware that price can vary dramatically depending on where the exam is performed,” said Brandon Cady, president and chief executive officer of AIM. “Our program helps deliver cost and quality information directly into the hands of consumers at the point in which decisions about where to receive care are being made, enabling them to make better choices while also creating significant financial value.”

The Imaging Cost and Quality Program works as part of the clinical appropriateness review process. When a provider goes through the prior authorization process for an imaging exam, AIM provides price and capability information that can be used by the physician to select an imaging facility. After the review process is completed, AIM compares the price and capability scoring for the imaging facility selected during the review process with other facilities located in the same geographic area. If the program finds another facility that offers comparable or better capabilities at a lower price, an AIM representative proactively calls the consumer to provide information on site options. While wholly voluntary, if the consumer decides to switch to an alternative imaging facility for the exam, AIM provides assistance in scheduling the service.

The Imaging Cost and Quality Program was piloted with a WellPoint affiliated health plan’s members in the Indianapolis region where the cost variance for CT scans was more than $1,000 in many instances, while the variance for more expensive MRI procedures was almost $2,000. Since the initial launch in December 2010, the pilot has redirected more than 1,500 cases, producing an estimated savings of over $1.6 million or $0.25-0.50 per member per month. The program will roll out to additional markets throughout 2012.

“We are honored to be recognized by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association for our commitment to improving the quality and cost effectiveness of health care services,” said Cady. “As consumers become more engaged in their health care, having accurate, timely and relevant information that can be used to support decision making is critical. AIM’s program has demonstrated that it can play a positive role in empowering individuals to become more informed health care consumers.”

For more information on the AIM study visit: www.americanimaging.net

About WellPoint, Inc.

WellPoint works to simplify the connection between Health, Care and Value. We help to improve the health of our members and our communities, and provide greater value to our customers and shareholders. WellPoint is one of the nation’s largest health benefits companies, with 34 million members in its affiliated health plans, and a total of more than 66 million individuals served through its subsidiaries. As an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, WellPoint serves members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin. In a majority of these service areas, WellPoint’s plans do business as Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, or Empire Blue Cross (in the New York service areas). WellPoint also serves customers throughout the country as UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com/.

About American Imaging Management (AIM)

AIM is a leading specialty benefit management company with over 20 years of experience in the radiology benefit management industry. AIM’s mission is to make healthcare services more clinically appropriate, safer and more affordable. AIM promotes the most appropriate use of diagnostic imaging through the application of widely accepted clinical guidelines delivered through an innovative platform of technologies and services. AIM pioneered the use of web self-service technology in diagnostic imaging management and has continually integrated technology tools to create a more effective and efficient clinical review processes in support of the physician-patient relationship. AIM also manages a growing platform of healthcare services including cardiac services and specialty pharmaceuticals. Through a commitment to delivering excellence in clinical content, service, innovation and operational performance, AIM has developed a national client base of health plans, and currently provides its services to more than 35 million health plan members. AIM is an operating subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP; www.wellpoint.com). For more information on AIM, please visit http://www.americanimaging.net.

SOURCE American Imaging Management, Inc.

http://www.americanimaging.net

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GAO recommends OPM improve group life insurance disclosures

Filed Under: Insurance News
Dec.12, 2011

The Office of Personnel Management must improve the information it provides on the group life insurance program offered to federal employees and develop a more structured process for reviewing the program, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Monday.

GAO reviewed key policy documents of OPM’s Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance program, which provides more than 4 million federal employees and annuitants with insurance in the event of their death. The watchdog evaluated FEGLI’s structure and operations, OPM’s oversight of the program, and the use of retained asset accounts in the FEGLI claims payments. Auditors concluded that OPM provides insufficient material on FEGLI to federal employees, including information on retained asset account operations and protections.

“Because life insurance is an important purchase for those seeking to protect their dependents, prospective buyers need to fully understand the details of the policy they are considering,” GAO wrote. “Although OPM provides significant information on its life insurance program, some information that could influence federal employees’ decision to buy FEGLI coverage is lacking.”

GAO concluded that some key parts of the FEGLI plan were not properly disclosed or explained to federal employees. For example, OPM does not make clear that because FEGLI offers federal employees post-retirement coverage not commonly found in private sector group plans, its premiums might be higher. In addition, OPM does not disclose FEGLI’s level-premium and composite rate structure for basic coverage, GAO wrote. FEGLI’s level-premiums make insurance rates higher earlier in life and gradually decrease in later years, differing from many private sector plans; employees pay the same average rate under the composite average rate structure, regardless of age or health.

“Because these features can make FEGLI premiums look more expensive than private individual coverage without them, especially to younger and healthier individuals, some employees might conclude that FEGLI coverage is not a beneficial choice and pass up a potentially valuable benefit,” the report stated. “Conversely, someone planning to work for the federal government for a short period of time might purchase FEGLI coverage without realizing that the coverage includes a retirement benefit they may not receive and will likely cost more than a group policy without such a benefit.”

GAO also found that OPM has omitted important information from its disclosures about the retained asset account settlement option in the FEGLI plan. Beneficiaries can choose either a lump-sum check payment or a retained asset account. Although OPM recently revised some of its disclosures and added more information on the asset accounts, “the disclosures still do not contain some important information,” GAO noted.

“While [retained asset accounts] may offer benefits that some beneficiaries appreciate, such as certain flexibilities and a guaranteed interest rate, they also have certain characteristics that need to be fully disclosed,” the report stated.

Those characteristics include the new contract between beneficiaries and MetLife that is regulated by states rather than by the federal government and is subject to state-based protections. Beneficiaries might not be aware of the new contract, according to the GAO report.

“The disclosures do not provide the information that beneficiaries need to find the proper regulator should they have questions about their accounts — a problem that is complicated by the fact that regulators themselves may disagree over which one has jurisdiction,” GAO said.

GAO recommended that OPM include more “complete and accurate” information on key FEGLI benefits such as RAAs and post-retirement coverage “to ensure federal employees have all the information they need.” Additionally, OPM should “develop and implement a more structured process for comparing FEGLI with private sector group life insurance plans,” the report stated.

OPM Director John Berry concurred with all GAO’s recommendations. In an Oct. 28 letter, Berry wrote: “We strive for transparency of our program and will provide more information about the level-premium structure, including the composite rates and post retirement coverage, to ensure federal employees have what they need to make an informed decision.”

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Business Insurance Names the 2011 Women to Watch in Insurance

Filed Under: Insurance News
Dec.06, 2011

CHICAGO, Dec. 5, 2011 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — Business Insurance has named its 2011 Women to Watch. Profiles of the 25 honorees are featured in the Dec. 5 edition of Business Insurance and online at www.BusinessInsurance.com/women2011. All of the honorees will be recognized at a Dec. 6 Women to Watch Leadership Workshop and Awards Luncheon in New York.

Business Insurance’s Women to Watch feature is an annual salute to business leaders and influential executives who are doing outstanding work in commercial insurance, risk management, employee benefits and related fields. 2011 is the sixth year Business Insurance has run this awards program.

This year’s honorees were selected after an evaluation of nominations by Business Insurance editors. Nominees are selected based on recent professional achievements, influence on the marketplace, and contributions to the advancement of women in business. The list is open to women leaders worldwide. This year, Business Insurance received a record more than 350 nominations.

“The Business Insurance Women to Watch awards program is an integral part of Business Insurance‘s calendar of events,” said Gavin Souter, editor of Business Insurance. “We began the program in 2006 to recognize women doing outstanding work in what, at the executive levels at least, is still a male-dominated sector. Over the years we have profiled many women who have already achieved significant successes and are continuing to make a big impact. The 2011 honorees represent another group of leaders who are doing outstanding work.”

The 2011 Women to Watch will be honored at a luncheon held at the Hilton New York on Dec. 6. The annual event brings together the current class of honorees and past recipients who wish to celebrate the newest members of this exclusive group and to expand and strengthen their professional contacts.

In addition to the awards luncheon, the event includes the Women to Watch Leadership Workshop. Speakers include feminist activist Gloria Steinem and Lynn Cronin, co-author of Damned If She Does, Damned If She Doesn’t: Rethinking the Rules of the Game That Keep Women from Succeeding in Business. The event also will include panel discussions with senior insurance industry executives, risk management and benefit management leaders and former Women to Watch honorees.

For more information, please go to www.BusinessInsurance.com/womentowatch

The 2011 Women to Watch list is as follows:

Company

Name

Title

ACE USA

Pam Humphrey

Houston Regional Executive Senior Vp

Ahold USA Inc.

Libby Christman

Vp, Risk Management

American General Life Cos.

Mary Jane Fortin

President and CEO

Aon Benfield Analytics

Kelly Superczynski

Senior Managing Director and Head of Rating Agency Advisory and Market Analysis

Aon Hewitt Inc.

Kristi Savacool

CEO

BorgWarner Inc.

Michelle DuFour

Senior Manager, Global Benefits

Chartis Global Property

Karen O’Reilly

Staff Officer

Guy Carpenter & Co. L.L.C.

Kathleen R. McCann

Managing Director

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.

Lisa Morgan

Senior Vp, National Sales Executive

IMA Financial Group Inc.

Marcia Benshoof

President of Benefits

Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman L.L.P.

Robin L. Cohen

Partner and Head of the Insurance Recovery Litigation Group

Kraft Foods Inc.

Cindy Slubowski

Senior Manager of Risk Management and Insurance

Lockton Insurance Brokers L.L.C.

Sallie Giblin

Senior Vp

Marsh Inc.

Caroline Woolley

Property Practice Leader for Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Neace Lukens Inc.

Maureen Gallagher

Managing Partner

NextEra Energy Resources L.L.C.

Melissa Miller

Director, Employee Benefits and Services

PMSI Inc.

Lori Daugherty

President

RMI Consulting L.L.C.

MaryAnn Sackman

President

SECURA Insurance Cos.

Terrie Pohjola

Vp for Programs and Associations

Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc.

Kimberly George

Senior Vp, Managed Care Practice and Client Services

Steptoe & Johnson L.L.P.

Toni Ianniello

Partner

University of California

Grace Crickette

Chief Risk Officer

Wiley Rein L.L.P.

Laura A. Foggan

Partner

Willis North America

Sharon Edwards

Chief Financial Officer

Zurich American Insurance Co.

Tina Y. Mallie

Executive Vp and Head of Direct Markets

About Business Insurance: In print, online and in custom e-mail news alert products and videos, Business Insurance reports on risk management, risk financing, employee benefits management and workers compensation. Business Insurance is read by corporate risk and benefit executives as well as financial and administrative executives. Its audience also includes insurance brokers, agents, consultants, insurers, reinsurers, and others concerned with corporate insurance, risk management, alternative risk financing, employee benefits, workers compensation and reinsurance. It is published by Crain Communications Inc.

SOURCE Business Insurance


http://www.BusinessInsurance.com

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Deluxe to Digitize 36 Years of Austin City Limits for KLRU-TV

Filed Under: Insurance News
Nov.30, 2011

CHICAGO, Nov. 30, 2011 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — Deluxe Media Services and MediaRecall, subsidiaries of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc., have been engaged by Austin, Texas, PBS Station KLRU, to digitize and archive its legendary music program, Austin City Limits. Distinguished as the longest running music program in television history, Austin City Limits exists on more than 8,000 hours of tape featuring 450 finished programs and over 5,400 individual songs by many of the world’s best known artists.

For 36 years, Austin City Limits has showcased popular music legends and innovators from every genre. In addition to being honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Austin City Limits is the only television program ever to receive the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest award for artistic excellence.

“The Austin City Limits collection is one of the most significant music catalogs anywhere,” said Bill Stotesbery, General Manager of KLRU-TV. “Digitizing this incredible archive before time and other threats take it away from us is our highest priority. We are happy to be in good hands with Deluxe.”

In addition to digitizing the program’s performances, Deluxe is writing metadata for each song, including title, composer, musicNEWS.GNOM.ES, soloist names and instruments played, among other information. Once the project is completed, all of the Austin City Limits will be searchable on Deluxe’s powerful MediaRecall online asset management platform.

“Deluxe is honored to be working with the visionary staff at KLRU to archive Austin City Limits,” said Robin Rutledge, V.P. & General Manager, for MediaRecall. “Not only will we be preserving the media’s original quality, but detailed metadata for every song in every program will allow for unprecedented search and retrieval of virtually any performance in the archive,” Rutledge added.  

From Coldplay to Foo Fighters to Robert Plant to The Dirt Band, over 800 musical artists have performed on Austin City Limits since its first show in 1974. The program reaches approximately 1.8 million households and it is carried globally on the Armed Forces Network. Austin City Limits has helped Austin, TX, to become widely known as the “Live Music Capital of the World.”

Deluxe and its MediaRecall platform has provided digital services for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic, Martha Stewart, Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Company, and Getty Images, among others.

About Deluxe

Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc., is a leading provider of a broad range of entertainment industry services and technologies to the worldwide entertainment industry including the Hollywood studios, broadcast/cable/satellite providers, digital distribution, gaming as well as content owners and creators. MediaRecall, a Deluxe company, provides the highest quality ingest, transcoding, human metadata writing transcription, quality control, and other digital services using a unique distributed workforce of USA-based media professionals.  MediaRecall also provides custom media search and delivery platforms for a wide variety of premier media, sports and corporate clients.  MediaRecall’s asset management platforms are sophisticated solutions offering high-speed project turn-around at a fraction of standard industry costs.

Deluxe’s services for content creation in features, television and commercials are offered in production, post production, digital distribution, and asset management. They include motion picture film processing and printing; EFILM® and Company 3® digital intermediates; post production and subtitling services; titles design and digital VFX; DVD compression, encoding and authoring; advertising distribution and syndication services; digital cinema services, and 2D to 3D conversioning. For more information, please visit www.bydeluxe.com.

SOURCE Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.


http://www.bydeluxe.com

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MBA students from India eligible for new scholarship from Chicago Booth

Filed Under: Insurance News
Nov.15, 2011

A new scholarship for MBA students from India is now available at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business as a result of a $1 million gift from the Tobaccowala Foundation of India, the school announced Nov. 15.

Students who receive the scholarship will be designated Akhtarali H. Tobaccowala Fellows, in memory of the 1952 graduate of Chicago Booth. Tobaccowala was a director of Tata Group, chairman of Voltas Ltd. (a unit of Tata) and founder of Impact India.

“My sister Moeena Iyer and I are delighted to make this gift in memory of our father so more students from India can learn from the world class Chicago Booth faculty,” said Rishad Tobaccowala, who received his MBA from Booth in 1982. “Our father believed strongly in the power of education, and we feel the same way,” said Tobaccowala, chief innovation and strategy officer for VivaKi, the digital media unit of Publicis Groupe.

“Scholarship support is important in our efforts to continue attracting the best and brightest students,” said Sunil Kumar, dean of Chicago Booth. “For that reason, we have as one of our goals to increase such support for students. We are very grateful to the Tobaccowala Foundation for its generous gift.”

The scholarships are available to students in Booth’s full-time MBA program whose primary home is in India at the time the scholarship is received. Prospective students can apply at www.chicagobooth.edu.

During the 2011-12 school year, 82 students from India are enrolled in Booth’s full-time MBA program, according to the school. Since 2001, 527 students from India have attended the program.

“India sends the most students to Chicago Booth of any country other than the U.S.,” said Kumar, who also is the George Pratt Shultz Professor of Operations Management.

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Sciaky to Showcase Innovative Direct Manufacturing Technology and Expanded Welding Services at FABTECH

Filed Under: Homeowners Insurance
Nov.07, 2011

CHICAGO, Nov. 7, 2011 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ – Sciaky, Inc., a world-renowned provider of advanced welding systems and services, will showcase its innovative Direct Manufacturing (DM) technology and expanded contract welding services at FABTECH 2011, North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, finishing and welding event.

Sciaky’s DM technology, which is based on additive manufacturing (AM) principles, is the only commercially available, large-scale, fully programmable means of achieving near net-shape parts. It utilizes Sciaky’s state-of-the-art electron beam welding equipment to produce production parts and functional prototypes at a fraction of the cost of traditional manufacturing methods. Starting with a 3D model from a CAD program, Sciaky’s fully articulated, moving electron beam gun deposits metal, layer by layer, until the part is ready for finish machining. Depending on the part being manufactured, deposition rates can range from 15 to 40 pounds of metal per hour.

Sciaky’s DM, which is also referred to as Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM), was recently highlighted in an October 24 article from Defense News that explains how the Department of Defense (DoD) is embracing this groundbreaking technology.

In addition, Sciaky recently expanded its contract welding services to include a wider range of capabilities. Parts and assemblies ranging up to 24 feet in length and down to the size of a tiny dime can now be affordably welded by the assortment of electron beam welding chambers available at Sciaky’s Chicago facility. 

“No other welding systems manufacturer or service provider can offer Sciaky’s depth and breadth of products and services,” said Mike Riesen, General Manager of Sciaky, Inc. “We are proud to showcase these tremendous capabilities at a terrific forum like FABTECH.”

FABTECH takes place November 14-17 at the McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. Sciaky will be exhibiting in booth 7014. To learn more about FABTECH, visit http://www.fabtechexpo.com.

To learn more about Sciaky, visit http://www.sciaky.com/. You can also follow Sciaky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sciaky_inc, as well as on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sciakyinc. 

About Sciaky (http://www.sciaky.com)

Sciaky, Inc., a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries (PSI), is a world-renowned supplier of electron beam, advanced arc and resistance welding systems. Sciaky also provides a wide range of contract welding services to the aerospace, defense, automotive, medical and other manufacturing industries. Our state-of-the-art equipment meets rigid military specifications to manufacture items such as airframes, landing gear, jet engines, guided missiles and vehicle parts. Sciaky’s exclusive Direct Manufacturing (DM) technology, which is the only commercially available, large-scale, fully programmable means of achieving near net-shape parts, allows manufacturers to save money and boost productivity over traditional prototyping processes. 

About Phillips Service Industries (http://www.psi-online.com)

Always innovating. Everywhere. Phillips Service Industries, Inc. (PSI) is a privately held company headquartered in Livonia, Michigan. Established in 1967, PSI oversees a diverse collection of technology-based companies that serve a wide variety of industries, from automotive, aerospace and defense, to energy, medical and semiconductor. Our award-winning products and services help reduce costs and maximize efficiency for many Fortune 1000 companies, as well as the U.S. military. PSI pushes the bounds of technology on critical programs like Homeland Security, defense research and space exploration. Simply put: PSI is one of the most innovative manufacturing and service companies in the world.

CONTACT:     

Jay Hollingsworth
Public Relations Manager
Phillips Service Industries (PSI)
(734) 853-5000
jay.hollingsworth@psi-corp.com

This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Sciaky, Inc.


http://www.sciaky.com

Sciaky to Showcase Innovative Direct Manufacturing Technology and Expanded Welding Services at FABTECH | Chicago Press Release Services – Chicago’s leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.



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