NBA Finals bring new business opportunities - Miami Herald

Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue, a downtown lunch favorite, is usually slow at the dinner hour. Now that the Miami Heat has advanced to the NBA Finals, though, it’s serving 50 on game nights.

As the team plows through the finals, its success is spilling over to other local businesses, from sports bars to hotels.

Jim Flanigan, owner of Flanigan’s Seafood Bar and Grill and a sports fan haven, said his Miami-Dade County locations have all seen substantial growth — between 5 percent and 10 percent on game days, representing revenues of between $5,000 and $10,000 a week. “I wish it was a best-of-21 series,” Flanigan said.

Sparky’s co-owner Kevin Kehoe said new customers are finding him through online review sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp, which recommended the restaurant based on its location mere blocks from AmericanAirlines Arena and its selection of barbecue. Subsequent word of mouth has brought Sparky’s new clients. “Someone will come in the next day and bring in more of their friends,” Kehoe said. “It’s really great.”

Other downtown restaurants are also enjoying a game-day boost. Located on the Miami River in the Epic Hotel, Zuma is close enough to lure diners but far away from the traffic jams around AmericanAirlines Arena, said Lizzy Maynes, the restaurant’s events and marketing manager. As one of the city’s hottest restaurants, the Japanese eatery is always busy, but during recent games the number of reservations has doubled, Maynes said. Most of the clients pouring in are regulars, but Heat stars — including LeBron James, Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh — frequently drop in post-game.

The Heat’s performance has also helped Best of the Rest Stars raise money for its youth workshops on leadership skills and money management.

This year, proceeds from a new collage by Coconut Grove artist Erika King portraying NBA basketball stars go to the nonprofit. Sixty NBA players have signed the commemorative piece, including James and Wade. The work, titled NBA Legends of Basketball — We Made This Game and valued at $25,000, is on display at City National Bank of Florida’s 1450 Brickell Ave. branch.

Tourism officials are expecting the team’s halo effect to keep filling hotels. The Finals — shown in more than 200 countries and in 47 languages — have racked up 47.4 million viewers in the United States alone, said William Talbert, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Aerial views of the city shown frequently during game broadcasts are “a virtual infomercial for Miami.”

“I can’t buy three top shows on network television,” Talbert said. “I don’t have enough money for this priceless coverage.”

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NBA Finals bring new business opportunities - Miami Herald

Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue, a downtown lunch favorite, is usually slow at the dinner hour. Now that the Miami Heat has advanced to the NBA Finals, though, it’s serving 50 on game nights.

As the team plows through the finals, its success is spilling over to other local businesses, from sports bars to hotels.

Jim Flanigan, owner of Flanigan’s Seafood Bar and Grill and a sports fan haven, said his Miami-Dade County locations have all seen substantial growth — between 5 percent and 10 percent on game days, representing revenues of between $5,000 and $10,000 a week. “I wish it was a best-of-21 series,” Flanigan said.

Sparky’s co-owner Kevin Kehoe said new customers are finding him through online review sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp, which recommended the restaurant based on its location mere blocks from AmericanAirlines Arena and its selection of barbecue. Subsequent word of mouth has brought Sparky’s new clients. “Someone will come in the next day and bring in more of their friends,” Kehoe said. “It’s really great.”

Other downtown restaurants are also enjoying a game-day boost. Located on the Miami River in the Epic Hotel, Zuma is close enough to lure diners but far away from the traffic jams around AmericanAirlines Arena, said Lizzy Maynes, the restaurant’s events and marketing manager. As one of the city’s hottest restaurants, the Japanese eatery is always busy, but during recent games the number of reservations has doubled, Maynes said. Most of the clients pouring in are regulars, but Heat stars — including LeBron James, Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh — frequently drop in post-game.

The Heat’s performance has also helped Best of the Rest Stars raise money for its youth workshops on leadership skills and money management.

This year, proceeds from a new collage by Coconut Grove artist Erika King portraying NBA basketball stars go to the nonprofit. Sixty NBA players have signed the commemorative piece, including James and Wade. The work, titled NBA Legends of Basketball — We Made This Game and valued at $25,000, is on display at City National Bank of Florida’s 1450 Brickell Ave. branch.

Tourism officials are expecting the team’s halo effect to keep filling hotels. The Finals — shown in more than 200 countries and in 47 languages — have racked up 47.4 million viewers in the United States alone, said William Talbert, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Aerial views of the city shown frequently during game broadcasts are “a virtual infomercial for Miami.”

“I can’t buy three top shows on network television,” Talbert said. “I don’t have enough money for this priceless coverage.”

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At Art Basel and other Europe sales, billionaire collectors hold out for the best works by top artists. 1340984258

Bimini Bay Resort & Marina will partner with the Malaysian company. Construction has already begun on the casino.

Poe’s hardware and rentals is closing its original Coral Gables location Friday in order to focus on its larger stores in Kendall and Hialeah.

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3D IC to bring business opportunities for Taiwan semiconductor equipment makers

3D IC to bring business opportunities for Taiwan semiconductor equipment makersPatty Wang, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 20 June 2012]3D IC is expected to afford business opportunities for Taiwan-based makers of semiconductor production equipment because processes and corresponding equipment for 3D ICs have not yet been standardized and therefore Taiwan-based makers can cooperate with foundry services providers in R&D for 3D IC equipment, according to chairman Hsu Chin-jung for Taiwan-based Hermes Microvision a maker of E(electronic)-beam inspection systems.

International vendors, including KLA, ASML, Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron, have dominated the supply of semiconductor equipment in Taiwan, with Taiwan-based makers occupying only 10% of the market, Hsu noted. For 3D IC however, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) are engaging in R&D to develop specifications for processes and equipment and are expected to seek cooperation with Taiwan-based equipment makers, Hsu said.

As demand for 3D IC is expected to take off in 3-5 years, Hermes Microvision has begun evaluating the feasibility of producing E-beam inspection systems for use in 3D IC, Hsu said. Hermes Microvision currently has a global market share of 85% for E-beam inspection systems, with clients including TSMC, UMC, Intel, Samsung Electronics and Toshiba, Hsu indicated.

View the original article here

NBA Finals bring new business opportunities - Miami Herald

Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue, a downtown lunch favorite, is usually slow at the dinner hour. Now that the Miami Heat has advanced to the NBA Finals, though, it’s serving 50 on game nights.

As the team plows through the finals, its success is spilling over to other local businesses, from sports bars to hotels.

Jim Flanigan, owner of Flanigan’s Seafood Bar and Grill and a sports fan haven, said his Miami-Dade County locations have all seen substantial growth — between 5 percent and 10 percent on game days, representing revenues of between $5,000 and $10,000 a week. “I wish it was a best-of-21 series,” Flanigan said.

Sparky’s co-owner Kevin Kehoe said new customers are finding him through online review sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp, which recommended the restaurant based on its location mere blocks from AmericanAirlines Arena and its selection of barbecue. Subsequent word of mouth has brought Sparky’s new clients. “Someone will come in the next day and bring in more of their friends,” Kehoe said. “It’s really great.”

Other downtown restaurants are also enjoying a game-day boost. Located on the Miami River in the Epic Hotel, Zuma is close enough to lure diners but far away from the traffic jams around AmericanAirlines Arena, said Lizzy Maynes, the restaurant’s events and marketing manager. As one of the city’s hottest restaurants, the Japanese eatery is always busy, but during recent games the number of reservations has doubled, Maynes said. Most of the clients pouring in are regulars, but Heat stars — including LeBron James, Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh — frequently drop in post-game.

The Heat’s performance has also helped Best of the Rest Stars raise money for its youth workshops on leadership skills and money management.

This year, proceeds from a new collage by Coconut Grove artist Erika King portraying NBA basketball stars go to the nonprofit. Sixty NBA players have signed the commemorative piece, including James and Wade. The work, titled NBA Legends of Basketball — We Made This Game and valued at $25,000, is on display at City National Bank of Florida’s 1450 Brickell Ave. branch.

Tourism officials are expecting the team’s halo effect to keep filling hotels. The Finals — shown in more than 200 countries and in 47 languages — have racked up 47.4 million viewers in the United States alone, said William Talbert, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Aerial views of the city shown frequently during game broadcasts are “a virtual infomercial for Miami.”

“I can’t buy three top shows on network television,” Talbert said. “I don’t have enough money for this priceless coverage.”

Interest in the NBA Finals isn’t just over the top in South Florida. From Paris to the Philippines, basketball fans are tuning in like never before. 1340257806

The NBA Finals mean cash for local businesses — and not just the Heat. 1340257806

The performance of Burger King’s stock on the public market will likely depend on management’s ability to sustain the turnaround of the brand and win back consumers.

View the original article here

NBA Finals bring new business opportunities

Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue, a downtown lunch favorite, is usually slow at the dinner hour. Now that the Miami Heat has advanced to the NBA Finals, though, it’s serving 50 on game nights.

As the team plows through the finals, its success is spilling over to other local businesses, from sports bars to hotels.

Jim Flanigan, owner of Flanigan’s Seafood Bar and Grill and a sports fan haven, said his Miami-Dade County locations have all seen substantial growth — between 5 percent and 10 percent on game days, representing revenues of between $5,000 and $10,000 a week. “I wish it was a best-of-21 series,” Flanigan said.

Sparky’s co-owner Kevin Kehoe said new customers are finding him through online review sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp, which recommended the restaurant based on its location mere blocks from AmericanAirlines Arena and its selection of barbecue. Subsequent word of mouth has brought Sparky’s new clients. “Someone will come in the next day and bring in more of their friends,” Kehoe said. “It’s really great.”

Other downtown restaurants are also enjoying a game-day boost. Located on the Miami River in the Epic Hotel, Zuma is close enough to lure diners but far away from the traffic jams around AmericanAirlines Arena, said Lizzy Maynes, the restaurant’s events and marketing manager. As one of the city’s hottest restaurants, the Japanese eatery is always busy, but during recent games the number of reservations has doubled, Maynes said. Most of the clients pouring in are regulars, but Heat stars — including LeBron James, Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh — frequently drop in post-game.

The Heat’s performance has also helped Best of the Rest Stars raise money for its youth workshops on leadership skills and money management.

This year, proceeds from a new collage by Coconut Grove artist Erika King portraying NBA basketball stars go to the nonprofit. Sixty NBA players have signed the commemorative piece, including James and Wade. The work, titled NBA Legends of Basketball — We Made This Game and valued at $25,000, is on display at City National Bank of Florida’s 1450 Brickell Ave. branch.

Tourism officials are expecting the team’s halo effect to keep filling hotels. The Finals — shown in more than 200 countries and in 47 languages — have racked up 47.4 million viewers in the United States alone, said William Talbert, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Aerial views of the city shown frequently during game broadcasts are “a virtual infomercial for Miami.”

“I can’t buy three top shows on network television,” Talbert said. “I don’t have enough money for this priceless coverage.”

Interest in the NBA Finals isn’t just over the top in South Florida. From Paris to the Philippines, basketball fans are tuning in like never before. 1340257806

The NBA Finals mean cash for local businesses — and not just the Heat. 1340257806

The performance of Burger King’s stock on the public market will likely depend on management’s ability to sustain the turnaround of the brand and win back consumers.

View the original article here

3D IC to bring business opportunities for Taiwan semiconductor equipment makers

3D IC to bring business opportunities for Taiwan semiconductor equipment makersPatty Wang, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 20 June 2012]3D IC is expected to afford business opportunities for Taiwan-based makers of semiconductor production equipment because processes and corresponding equipment for 3D ICs have not yet been standardized and therefore Taiwan-based makers can cooperate with foundry services providers in R&D for 3D IC equipment, according to chairman Hsu Chin-jung for Taiwan-based Hermes Microvision a maker of E(electronic)-beam inspection systems.

International vendors, including KLA, ASML, Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron, have dominated the supply of semiconductor equipment in Taiwan, with Taiwan-based makers occupying only 10% of the market, Hsu noted. For 3D IC however, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) are engaging in R&D to develop specifications for processes and equipment and are expected to seek cooperation with Taiwan-based equipment makers, Hsu said.

As demand for 3D IC is expected to take off in 3-5 years, Hermes Microvision has begun evaluating the feasibility of producing E-beam inspection systems for use in 3D IC, Hsu said. Hermes Microvision currently has a global market share of 85% for E-beam inspection systems, with clients including TSMC, UMC, Intel, Samsung Electronics and Toshiba, Hsu indicated.

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PTC AND DOD STARBASE BRING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES TO GEORGIA, MICHIGAN AND MINNESOTA STUDENTS - Zacks.com

NEEDHAM, Mass., Mar 06, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- PTC(R) (Nasdaq:PMTC) announced today it is continuing its support of the United States Department of Defense-sponsored STARBASE national youth program to deliver STEM learning opportunities to students in Georgia, Michigan and Minnesota. The program's goal is to motivate young people to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and careers.

Since its inception in 1989, the DoD STARBASE program has introduced 3-D engineering design and manufacturing using PTC software to over 610,000 students across 75 locations in the United States and expects an additional 70,000 students to participate in 2012. The program provides students with 20-25 hours of real world STEM experiences. The program is a hands-on, minds-on inquiry based curriculum that encourages teamwork through challenging activities.

STARBASE Robins Program, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The Houston County Board of Education believes a vibrant engineering and technical education is beneficial to civic, economic and intellectual activity for its county and its state. "In order for our students to succeed and address the challenges of the workforce, we have to better prepare them with curriculum and programs that encourage critical thinking," said Barbara Wall, director of career, technical and agricultural education, Houston County Board of Education. "PTC provides the software and technology to learn design and engineering skills and STARBASE gives us the program to apply the concepts in a real world scenario."

STARBASE One Program, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan. Students who attend the classes at STARBASE One experience a leading edge curriculum which incorporates physics, chemistry, technology, engineering, math and STEM careers. STARBASE One offers a first class facility that includes workstations equipped with PTC software for modeling, a space exploration lab module, a full scale space shuttle simulator and a Mars room which gives students the chance to manipulate robotic systems. The children recently had the opportunity to design and assemble a space shuttle flashlight using PTC software in a Design and Stratasys Dimension 3D Printers for Manufacturing class.

"This is a great example of how students can apply math and science skills to develop something that can be used by consumers," said Barbara Koscak, Co-founder of STARBASE. "Engineering is an important part of our country's hopeful future, and I'm glad to part of this incredible program."

"PTC is proud to be part of a technology movement that seeks to bridge the gap between school and industry in order to encourage more STEM-related careers," said Adam Haas, STARBASE program manager, PTC. "Together with our customers like Michigan-based General Dynamics, we will continue to develop a new generation of students that will have the technical knowledge and skills to work for companies like it across all industries around the globe." General Dynamics continues to support the Michigan programs by providing laptops for computer activities.

STARBASE Minnesota, Minnesota Air National Guard Base, St. Paul, Minnesota. "PTC has been a long time advocate of STEM programs through its support of initiatives like the FIRST robotics programs and now STARBASE," said Kevin Tanner, vice president North America technical sales, PTC. "We have a large, state-of-the-art research and development center in Blaine, Minnesota with hundreds of the brightest and most innovative software developers. We are proud to host students from all over Minnesota for training and mentoring, and the opportunity to build stronger STEM programs in the communities across our state."

About STARBASE

STARBASE is a Department of Defense program that serves young people in communities across the country by offering students an opportunity to participate in a variety of hands-on learning experiences designed to increase interest in and knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). You can visit their website at www.dodstarbase.org.

Additional Resources

-- PTC's Academic Program (web site)

-- PTC and Real World Design Challenge (web site)

-- PTC's Community Relations Programs (web site)

-- PTC and FIRST (web site)

About PTC

PTC (Nasdaq:PMTC) enables manufacturers to achieve maximum value from their product strategies with software and services that optimize key business processes throughout the entire product lifecycle -- from conception and design to sourcing and service. The company's integral solution portfolio unleashes product innovation, improves collaboration and ensures product data integrity within engineering and across the enterprise, supply chain and service partner networks. Founded in 1985, PTC employs nearly 6,000 professionals serving more than 27,000 customers worldwide. More information can be found at www.ptc.com.

Follow us on Twitter - Watch us on YouTube - Connect with us on Linked In -- Join our PlanetPTC Community

PTC and its logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Parametric Technology Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

SOURCE: PTC

PTC Corporate Communications Beth Ambaruch, 952-435-5058 bambaruch@ptc.com or For PTC Weber Shandwick Kristen Georgian, 617-520-7042 Kristen.Georgian@webershandwick.com

Copyright Business Wire 2012

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Daily Deal Sites Bring in New Business, According to ForeSee - Yahoo Finance

ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Customer experience analytics firm ForeSee released new research today that shows daily deal sites attract new customers and inspire loyalty.  Groupon leads the way with the largest share of the market.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120305/DE63789 )

While there has been some argument about the impact of daily deal offers on new business, according to the ForeSee report, daily deal offers do increase business awareness, purchases, and repeat purchases. Of daily deal purchasers, 55% were new or infrequent customers of the business. Twelve percent of subscribers had never heard of the business prior to buying the deal.  More than 90% of web shoppers reported they had already made another transaction with a merchant company since taking advantage of an offer or plan to do so in the future. 

"No one really knew what to expect when daily deal sites first came on the scene, but our research shows that these sites are no passing fad," said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee. "Businesses that use these sites effectively are growing their customer base and customers are getting a deal, which results in a win for everyone. The challenge is for businesses to use this tool in smart ways and to work with daily deal sites who can deliver a good experience to users and merchants alike." 

The clear front runner of all daily deal sites is Groupon. Groupon has more subscribers and more purchases than any other daily deal site including LivingSocial and Woot. According to the report, more than half of customers surveyed use Groupon (52%) and 30% use LivingSocial. Despite these large percentages, there is some overlap in the subscriber base, and 40% of survey respondents do not subscribe to any daily deal services. Groupon also has the largest share of subscribers to their service alone with 44% of Groupon customers reporting that they only subscribe to Groupon, while only 12% of LivingSocial users subscribe only to LivingSocial.

The research included in this report is based on surveys conducted in November and December 2011 as part of the ForeSee Holiday E-Retail Satisfaction Index, which included responses from almost 10,000 visitors to the top 40 retail websites as determined by Internet Retailer's 2011 Top 500 Guide. 

About ForeSee
As a pioneer in customer experience analytics, ForeSee continuously measures satisfaction across customer touch points and delivers critical insights on where to prioritize improvements for maximum impact. Because ForeSee's superior technology and proven methodology connect the customer experience to the bottom line, executives and managers are able to drive future success by confidently optimizing the efforts that will achieve business and brand objectives. The result is better business for companies and a better experience for consumers. Visit www.foresee.com for customer experience solutions and original research.

Media Contacts:
Chaat Butsunturn, cbutsunturn@kearnswest.com
415-391-7900 x114
Or Amanda Piasecki, apiasecki@kearnswest.com
202-535-7800 x114

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