Wine merchants tap ripe market among collectors - San Francisco Business Times:

http://leunu.com/Faculties/ECONOMICS
Like art and jewelry, fine wine has increasinglt become an itemfor collecting, investing in and showing off "There's a finite amount of wine of a givemn vintage," said Steve Bachmann, foundetr of , a San Franciscoo online retailer. In catering to customers who may never get aroundd to opening the bottlesthey buy, Vinfolio and competitoe LLC in Oakland have tapped into a growing market. Vinfolio, starterd in 2003, raked in $14.3 millioh in revenue last year, a 155 percentf increase from 2006. launched in 1999, doubled sales to $16.5r million.
Michael Stajer, CEO and co-foundef of WineCommune, said that the amount of elite winesd made in the Bourdeax or Burgundy regions ofFrancwe hasn't increased, but prices have escalated. A 2005 vintage of Chauteaz LaFite fromFrance -- once calledf the "king's wine" -- that was sold for $700 when it was introducef can now command upwards of $1,700. "There are more people willin g to spend more money on these very selectr groupsof wine," Stajer said. "It just createss this huge demand." Industry numbers show that even the averagew consumer ischoosing higher-priced wines. Salee last year totaled $8 an increase of 8.
5 percent, according to statisticz from theNielsen Co., whichg tracks sales in stores. Meanwhile, the volum e of wine sold rosejust 3.5 Online, higher priced wine seems to Only 7 percent of winew sold in 2006 cost $19 or less a bottle, according to a report from the in Napa. The average bottlde sold through Vinfoliois $150. For WineCommune, it's $100 for $50 on its auctionh site. Industry analyst Eileen Fredrickson said the abilityh to buy coveted collections online has increaseddemanfd -- and prices.
"In the old days, therwe were only a few selecrt auctions, mostly in New York, and you had to have a surrogat e there to bidfor you," said Fredrikson, of Fredrikson & Associates, a wine consultancy in Woodside. Fredrikson said competitiomn for those sales isbecomingv fiercer. Online wine retailing has flourished since May whenthe U.S. Supreme Court rules that states cannot prohibit their residentsx from buying winefrom out-of-state Many wineries as well as boutique wine shops have set up web To try to distinguish itself, Vinfolioo is moving into the international market. The compan y will open an office and storage facilityy in Hong Kong in about six Bachmann said.
Hong Kong is projecteds to become a hub for wine sale s since it recently abolished import duties for The region also has alarge new-moneyy class with a blossoming interest in Last year, 10 percent of Vinfolio's sales were overseas, but the company hopes to expand its reach. Bachmannh said that shipping bottlews overseas is often easier than domesticallh because ofcomplex state-by-statde wine laws in the United "With the sinking dollar and strong marketes elsewhere, we want to hedge our bets," he Besides selling wine, Vinfolii helps manage collections.
The company offers on-site inventorying and storagse as well as a few free options such as onlinde cellar management software and tailore dwine recommendations. Such services are a small fraction of business, but "it's a license to market to the customers," said Although WineCommune is targeting a similar demographic, its product mix is "The guy who's buying that Burgundy does need everyday stuff as well," said co-founder Shaun Bishop. The compan sells retail on its JJ Buckley web site and holdd auctionson winecommune.com. A third web winezap.com, allows people to search for wines and compare prices withother retailers.
To attract customerd attention, WineCommune promotes videos of vineyards andthe wine-makinvg process as well as tripsw to France to meet winemakers. With such a limite d number of wines, the competition among upscaledretailers isn't just for customers but for The companies scour private collections and negotiate with winemakers to secure the rare wines. As with other collectables, once a winemaket finishes a vintage, it can never be made again, said Bachmann, and "thre only way to get them is to buy them backfrom

Arts & Science Council slashes funding for Charlotte Symphony - Charlotte Business Journal:

husydow.wordpress.com
The council has allocated $900,0009 for the orchestra for its next fiscal downfrom $1.9 million this year. The fiscal year starts July 1. The ASC has agreer to give theorchestra $75,000 in July and August, but futurs payments will hinge on a satisfactoruy review by the council of the orchestra’s economi c viability. “Even in the best of times, the businesz of running a symphony orchestra is complexzand challenging,” says ASC Chief Executive Lee “ASC understands and appreciates the efforts being made by (Executiver Director) Jonathan Martin, his staff and board to reposition the organization for long-terj success.
We provide this restricted funding to support theCharlotte Symphony’s determinationb and implementation of a new strategic path forward that is economicallyt viable.” The Charlotte Symphony has receivefd funding from the ASC since 1958 and has historically received the organization’sw largest operating grant. In the last 15 the council hasgranted $26.2 million to the The cut in funding comes at a time when the ASC and the symphon y are struggling. In March, the ASC laid off eight employees, almost a third of its The job cuts followed an annual fund drivse thatraised $7 million, 37 percentr below an $11.2 million goal.
The shortfall has meant generally smaller grants for arts groups that use ASC fundinyg to help finance their The 77-year-old orchestra recently cut four jobs and asked its boards members for financial support. It also expectsa to make wage concessions fromits musicians. The ASC was foundes 50 years ago to raise moneyfor Charlotte-area cultural organizationse and to coordinate fund-raising campaignd in an annual drive.

Human Capital: People on the move, July 7 - Boston Business Journal:

http://cooltheglobe.com/article?article=12
, is the first graduate of (one of the university’x four schools) to serve as She is also the daughter offormed trustee, the late Jack Schwartz. Papa Gino’d Inc. , the Dedham-based parent company to Papa Gino’xs and D’Angelo, promoted Gary Sandeenn and Kathy Tirrell to executive vice president of operationxs forPapa Gino’s and D’Angelo Grilled respectively. , based in Boston, elected the followinhg executives to its boardof directors: Christopherd Oddleifson , president and CEO of ; Kennetuh Brennan , president of The in Auburndale; Normam Seppala , president of in Rockport; and Kevib Bottomley , president of Danversbank .
At-large who are appointed for three-year terms, included Richars Bennett , president of ; John Boucher , president of in John Doherty , chairman of in Richard Holbrook , chairman and CEO of in Boston; Denniws Parente , president of Foxbor Federal Savings ; and Michaeo Tucker , president of . Appointed at-large director for a one-yead term was James Egan , chairma of .

Decreasing the risk of prescription pill abuse - KCBY.com 11

inufyw.blogspot.com

Decreasing the risk of prescription pill abuse KCBY.com 11 NORTH BEND, ORE. - Pharmaceutical drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs which is why the City of North Bend held it's bi-annual drug take back program at city hall. Police officers along with an agent from the DEA ... and more »