Governor Perdue, Johnson Controls Celebrate Grand Opening in West Point

Top-tier Kia supplier creating 300 jobs in Harris County

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue joined with executives from Johnson Controls and a host of local officials today to celebrate the official grand opening of Johnson Controls’ West Point plant. Johnson Controls is a global leader in automotive seating, door and instrument panels, and interior electronics. As a leading supplier for Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, the Johnson Controls West Point facility will manufacture seats and door panels for the Kia Sorento. This company location was initially announced in 2008, and currently employs approximately 300 workers.

“I am pleased to officially welcome Johnson Controls to Georgia,” said Governor Perdue. “The 300 jobs here at Johnson Controls are part of the more than 3,600 jobs Kia suppliers have created in West Georgia. Georgia continues to foster a competitive business environment that makes growth opportunities a reality for industry-leading manufacturers like Johnson Controls.”

The Milwaukee-based company occupies a 127,000-square-foot plant in West Point near the Kia Motors assembly plant, and ships products to the Kia facility on a just-in-time basis. The plant receives 50 percent of its energy from renewable sources including hydro, biomass, solar and wind. Compared to traditional energy, these renewable energy sources will save the emission of nearly 7,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next six years, which is the equivalent of planning nearly 200,000 trees.

“Johnson Controls is pleased to support our customer Kia in West Point and bring new jobs to the community,” said Jeff Williams, group vice president and general manager for the Automotive Experience business of Johnson Controls. “We appreciate all of the support we have received from the state of Georgia, the local community and the Valley Partnership in establishing this new plant.”

The Johnson Controls West Point plant is located in the Northwest Harris Business Park in Harris County.

“We are proud to welcome a strong automotive company like Johnson Controls to Harris County,” said Harry Lange, Harris County Commission Chairman. “I know they will provide terrific opportunities for our citizens, and I look forward to their continued success in our area.”

Mark Lytle and Yoonie Kim, project managers with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, assisted the company with its location.

About Johnson Controls Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in over 150 countries. Our 130,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings; lead-acid automotive batteries and advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles; and interior systems for automobiles. Our commitment to sustainability dates back to our roots in 1885, with the invention of the first electric room thermostat. Through our growth strategies and by increasing market share we are committed to delivering value to shareholders and making our customers successful.
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RUE21 to Open at Arbor Place

Arbor Place Mall announced today that Rue21, a leading specialty fashion retailer, will soon open inside Arbor Place mall. The 4,500 square foot store will be located on the upper level next to Regal Cinema. “We are looking forward to Rue21 joining our growing number of Arbor Place merchants,” said general manager of Arbor Place Mall, Bill Ball. “They are a welcome addition, as we strive to continually improve the shopping experience at Arbor Place.”

Rue21 strives to provide the best selections while offering a competitive pricing strategy, making a specific, unique statement by offering fashion, quality and value. As new goods arrive daily, the choices of style are always fun and affordable for that fashion-conscious customer.

Rue21 has more than 500 stores, a figure that could jump to more than 1,000 if its growth plans, which include doubling the number of stores over the next four to five years, come to fruition. Last year, the company opened 88 stores and plans to open 100 additional stores in 2010.

Additionally, Charming Charlie, a unique fashion accessory retailer which features thousands of fashion jewelry and accessory pieces as well as a wide assortment of handbags, shoes and apparel merchandised by color, not category, recently opened at Arbor Place. The new 7,900-square-foot store is located on the first floor between Bed, Bath & Beyond and RadioShack.

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Senate Extends Vital SBA Programs

/PRNewswire/ -- The United States Senate unanimously agreed to extend the Small Business Administration (SBA) and vital programs that fall under the Small Business Administration Act and the Small Business Investment Act, such as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The programs, which have been operating under a temporary extender and were set to expire on April 30, 2010, will continue with a three-month extension through July 31, 2010. The bill now heads to the House for approval. United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship made the following comment on the passage of the extension:

"The extension of these programs that fall under the Small Business Administration, such as the SBIR and STTR, will allow the nation's innovators and entrepreneurs to continue their work as we continue negotiations with the House for a longer, more comprehensive agreement. Over the next three months, I encourage the entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers looking for jobs, or waiting for a chance to explore a promising and innovative idea, to apply for research projects through these programs. SBIR and STTR entrepreneurs start businesses, create jobs and account for 25 percent of our nation's innovators, and we are ready to support them and their businesses."

Small firms employ 41 percent of the nation's high-tech workers and generate 13 to 14 times more patents per employee than large firms. The SBIR program alone has generated more than 84,000 patents and millions of jobs. Eleven federal agencies participate in the SBIR program -- including the Department of Defense and National Science Foundation -- allocating 2.5 percent of their extramural research and development dollars for the program.

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GE Center of Excellence will Make Atlanta Worldwide Hub for Smart Grid Breakthroughs

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The leading worldwide resource for clean, reliable, efficient energy delivery will be headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., with the opening of GE’s (NYSE: GE) Digital Energy business’ new Smart Grid Technology Center of Excellence (COE), the company announced today. The center is another demonstration of GE’s commitment to discovering and deploying clean, sustainable and economically viable energy solutions to satisfy ever-increasing worldwide energy demand.

“Research on smart grid technologies and their related systems is important at Georgia Tech, so there are limitless opportunities to collaborate with GE”

“Atlanta is an ideal location for us to continue to grow our smart grid business,” said Bob Gilligan, vice president—digital energy for GE Energy Services. “This new center of excellence will strengthen our green workforce and help GE continue to create solutions to better address our 21st century energy needs.”

The center is expected to add about 400 new jobs over three years. It will combine the world headquarters for GE’s Digital Energy business, a world-class smart grid engineering laboratory and a world-destination smart grid customer solutions showcase.

To help develop and deliver the leading-edge technologies and solutions planned for the COE, GE will need a highly trained “green” workforce. Funding from the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 is being used to train and build a solid, energy-savvy human resource that will benefit the Atlanta area for years to come.

In addition to federal government cooperation, the Georgia Economic Development Office and the Georgia governor’s office worked with GE to help secure the green jobs for Atlanta.

“GE Energy’s decision to expand its presence in Georgia through the opening of the Smart Grid Technology Center of Excellence supports our state’s strategic growth as a global leader in the energy sector,” said Governor Perdue. “The solutions that will be developed at the Smart Grid Technology Center of Excellence not only benefit GE’s customers, but also will serve as a model for smart and responsible energy production throughout this industry.”

The smart grid lab features collaboration between GE and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), one of the nation’s top research universities. The partnership will work to develop and test new smart grid technologies that can help improve the efficiency, reliability and environmental impact of energy transmission, distribution and consumption—from integrating more renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, to lowering the peak power demand that lowers the need for new power plants, to improving the ways consumers manage their power usage.

“Research on smart grid technologies and their related systems is important at Georgia Tech, so there are limitless opportunities to collaborate with GE,” said Greg King, Strategic Partners Office at Georgia Tech. “We look forward to working with GE in this latest area of technology and innovation.”

The smart grid customer solutions showcase will feature hands-on interactive displays that can help visitors from throughout the world understand the challenges and opportunities inherent in delivering electricity over the power grid. Visitors will see how changes in the ways power is generated, delivered and consumed can improve the ways they live—from plug-in car charging and home energy management to renewable generation and automated grid communications networks. The showcase also will feature in-depth demonstrations to help educate grid engineers about the proven energy-saving solutions available.

“Georgia and metro Atlanta’s relationship and experience with GE is solid. The Chamber is proud to have partnered with the state to help GE with this new headquarters project,” said Hans Gant, senior vice president of economic development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “GE has steadily grown its presence in Atlanta for a number of years and has had success in managing their worldwide energy and infrastructure organizations from Atlanta. The high-paying jobs this new facility will create are the kinds of jobs where the Chamber’s New Economy Task Force recommended we focus our efforts. Atlanta has everything GE needs to continue to succeed: talent, quality of life and access to market.”

GE will move into the new headquarters in July, and the customer showcase is scheduled to open in September.

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Delta Air Lines Accelerates Employee Pension Funding

/PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) today announced the addition of $558 million on an accelerated basis to four pension funds covering most of the airline's U.S.-based employees. With the accelerated contributions, Delta will complete its required contributions to these plans for 2010 approximately seven months ahead of schedule. Delta's pension funding is normally distributed throughout the year, with the majority of contributions added near the end of the year.

"Putting this money into our pension plans earlier means it will start working for employees sooner, by earning returns that add to the plan assets," said Mike Campbell, Delta's executive vice president - Human Resources. "Delta is committed to funding these plans, which provide an important part of the retirement benefit for many of our employees."

By the end of this month, Delta will have contributed $665 million to its traditional pension plans in the first four months of this year, in addition to $100 million that has been contributed to employees' defined contribution 401(k) plans. With another roughly $200 million scheduled to be contributed to 401(k) plans during the balance of the year, Delta is on track to contribute nearly $1 billion towards employees' retirement security in 2010.

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Equifax Signs Agreement to Sell APPRO

PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Equifax Enabling Technologies LLC unit, consisting primarily of the APPRO suite of loan origination software ("APPRO"), to CRIF Corporation, an affiliate of CRIF S.p.A., an Italian credit reporting firm. The sales price is $72.4 million, subject to adjustment. The transaction is expected to close in April, upon satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Equifax intends to use the net proceeds from the transaction for general corporate purposes. The divestiture is not expected to have a material impact on adjusted EPS for full-year 2010.

APPRO is a leading provider of comprehensive loan origination systems for financial institutions and is based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. CRIF Corp., with headquarters in Tampa, is a provider of decision support systems, business information solutions, credit management, direct marketing and credit collection services. CRIF S.p.A., is based in Bologna, Italy, and is a leading provider of banking credit information in Europe, including business and commercial information and credit and marketing management services.

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