“Dogtopia Founder Is There For Dog Day Care Franchisees - WUSA” plus 4 more |
- Dogtopia Founder Is There For Dog Day Care Franchisees - WUSA
- Singapore economy surges for 2nd straight quarter - WCAX
- This Week in the AIFA Celebrates Second Anniversary - OurSports Central
- Saudi Arab Nat'l Bank Q3 profit inches up 0.8 pct - Forbes
- Daily Small Cap Market News and Stock Highlights from SmallCapVoice ... - Transworld News
| Dogtopia Founder Is There For Dog Day Care Franchisees - WUSA Posted: 12 Oct 2009 07:48 AM PDT TYSON'S CORNER, Va. (USA TODAY) -- When Amy Nichols worked as a sales representative for Verizon, she often found herself hanging around pet stores on weekends, gazing longingly at the puppies. PHOTOS: Meet Dogtopia's canine clientele So in 2001, she left her job and started looking for a place to launch her own center. A year later, she opened Happy Tails Dog Spa in an industrial park in Tyson's Corner, Va. The center, since renamed Dogtopia, is in a cavernous building that previously housed a telecommunications company. Dogs spend the day in one of four playrooms, ranging in size from 600 to 2,000 square feet. Older and laid-back dogs can spend the day in the lounge; active pups are accommodated in the largest room, known as the gym. Dog owners who suffer from separation anxiety can go to Dogtopia's website and watch their pups on a webcam. Nichols says she chose the location because it's a hub for thousands of Northern Virginia commuters. "I knew 50,000 people come to Tyson's Corner every day," she says. "I didn't want to be where the homes were. I wanted to be where the jobs were." To finance the facility, Nichols sold her house in Alexandria, Va., which generated about $80,000, and moved in with then-fianc, Mike Schlegel. Even though the couple had solid credit, she had a difficult time getting a business loan because most banks had never heard of dog day care. She finally succeeded in getting a $75,000 Small Business Administration-backed loan from Southern Financial Bank. With a limited marketing budget, Nichols launched a grass-roots marketing campaign. She attended pet expos and other dog-related events and talked up the business with former telecom colleagues who owned dogs. She wore her company's shirt when she went shopping. She paid a designer $5,000 to create her website, because she was convinced that's how Web-savvy residents of Northern Virginia would find her business. The Internet "is still the No. 1 source of our customers." By 2005, the Tyson's Corner center was so successful that Nichols decided to pursue her dream of a national chain of dog day care centers. She says she hadn't considered franchising until she attended a franchise event in Washington, D.C. "I got really excited at the idea," she says. "These people will own their business, they'll have the pride of ownership I have but be part of a system where we can help them and train them." Dogtopia's first franchise opened in Houston in 2006; since then, her company has sold 34 franchises, of which 20 are up and running. The franchises, along with centers Dogtopia owns directly in Tyson's Corner, Bethesda, Md., and Cary, N.C., generated $6 million in revenue last year. (The Cary facility was originally owned by a franchisee but closed in May. Dogtopia reopened it in August.) The cost to start a Dogtopia franchise ranges from $242,900 to $458,300, depending on location. That includes a franchise fee of $40,000. Franchisees also pay Dogtopia 7% of gross sales. Amber Sutton, who has owned a Dogtopia franchise in Woodbridge, Va., since August 2007, says the weekly check she sends is a regular reminder of the cost of buying a franchise. But Sutton, 36, a former project manager for NASA, says Dogtopia provides guidance on everything from Halloween costume parties to the types of rubber floors to install in the playrooms. "It's amazing how many things are thought out," she says. At the Tyson's Corner center, customers pay up to $35 a day for day care - more if the dog gets a bath or stays overnight. That may sound extravagant, but even during tough times, dog owners have deep pockets. In 2008, Americans spent more than $43 billion on their pets, nearly double from a decade ago, according to the American Pet Products Association. Despite the recession, the trade group projects that spending will increase 4.9% to $45.4 billion this year. Next to veterinary care, the association says, the fastest-growing sector of the industry is pet services, which includes day care. Rebecca Frankenberger, an administrative assistant from Laurel, Md., says friends sometimes give her a hard time because she sends Owen, her 1-year-old Sheltie mix, to the Downtown Dog Resort & Spa in Baltimore. But Frankenberger says she'd rather pay for day care than worry about what her dog is doing to her house while she's at work. "When Owen comes home, he's too pooped to rip up the couch or even think about tearing into any shoes," she said in an e-mail. For a well-socialized, emotionally stable dog with energy to burn, a well-run day care center "can be the best thing in the world," says Patricia McConnell, a certified animal behaviorist and author of The Other End of the Leash. But a crowded day care center can be a nightmare for a dog that isn't comfortable with a lot of unfamiliar dogs, she says. McConnell says her border collie, Willie, gets along with other dogs one-on-one, "but if he got to a gate, and 30 dogs tried to greet him at one time, he would be a wreck." "If you look at what we know about a dog's social system," McConnell adds, "they didn't come from a history of being with 30 dogs at the same time." Still, the popularity of day care centers is undeniable, McConnell says. The centers in Madison, Wis., where McConnell lives, "are turning dogs away," she says. "They're full all the time." Nichols believes there's enough demand to support at least 200 Dogtopias nationwide and envisions a day when many of her franchisees will own more than one center. But the credit crunch has slowed her expansion plans. After selling 22 franchises in 2007, Dogtopia sold 10 in 2008, and just two this year. In 2007, Nichols says, franchisees could get loans if they had good credit and 30% to 40% of collateral. Now, lenders are demanding 80% to 90%. "If someone can't get a loan, we won't sign them," Nichols says. "I'd rather not sell than sell and have people who can't open their business." The recession didn't stop customers from bringing their dogs to the Tyson's center, Dogtopia's most profitable facility, but it affected the business in other ways. Most of Dogtopia's customers buy multi-day passes, which are sold at a discount. During the depths of the downturn in January and February, customers were less willing to tie up their money. Instead of buying 20-day passes, customers bought them in 10- or five-day blocks, Nichols says. That reduced the company's cash flow, and forced Nichols to cut back. She avoided layoffs but reduced overtime. She also stepped up marketing and launched improvements to increase revenue. Recently, for example, the Tyson's center added a new room, known as the Toy Box, for small dogs. Nichols says the recession forced the company to evolve from an entrepreneurial venture into an established business. "When you're an entrepreneur, you fly by the seat of your pants," Nichols says. "You can get away with that for a time, but we have more responsibilities now. We've got 20 franchisees relying on us to give them good advice." This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Singapore economy surges for 2nd straight quarter - WCAX Posted: 12 Oct 2009 07:33 AM PDT
By ALEX KENNEDY Associated Press Writer SINGAPORE (AP) - Singapore's economy surged for a second straight quarter, and the government boosted its 2009 growth forecast, as manufacturing cemented the city-state's emergence from recession. Gross domestic product grew an annualized, seasonally adjusted 14.9 percent in the third quarter, following a jump of 22 percent the previous quarter, the Trade and Industry Ministry said Monday. The economy also expanded from a year earlier for the first time since the third quarter of 2008, the ministry said. GDP was up 0.8 percent from the July-September quarter of 2008. "A clear but modest recovery is under way globally, at least for the next three or four quarters," the ministry said. "However, economic activity will probably remain below pre-crisis levels because of the drag on demand in the developed economies." The government boosted its 2009 GDP forecast to a contraction of between 2 percent and 2.5 percent from a previous expectation of a fall between 4 percent and 6 percent. Singapore relies on trade, finance and tourism to sustain one of Asia's highest living standards. Manufacturing soared an annualized, seasonally adjusted 35 percent in the third quarter while services grew 9.5 percent. The growth in the second and third quarters is the most of any six-month period since the government began releasing quarterly GDP figures in 1975, said Robert Prior-Wandesforde, senior Asia economist at HSBC in Singapore. "A regional, if not world, trade recovery has begun and looks set to continue," said Prior-Wandesforde, who expects the Singapore economy to grow 6.5 percent next year. The central bank said Monday it left unchanged its exchange rate policy, favoring neither an appreciation nor depreciation of the Singapore dollar. The bank, known as the Monetary Authority of Singapore, said it expected inflation near zero percent this year and between 1 percent and 2 percent next year. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| This Week in the AIFA Celebrates Second Anniversary - OurSports Central Posted: 12 Oct 2009 07:48 AM PDT October 12, 2009 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
 BALTIMORE, Maryland (October 12, 2009) - The American Indoor Football Association has released the 68th edition of its Internet radio program, This Week In The AIFA.This edition of the program celebrates the second anniversary of the most listened to program in indoor football and minor league sports. Guests on the program include AIFA co-founder John Morris and new Ogden Knights team president Travis Vance. A number of additional voices can be heard on this special program, many in an annual segment of bloopers and silly moments from the second year of broadcasts. They include Anthony DeFalco of the New Jersey Revolution, kicker Eric Rockhold of the Reading Express, Sovereign Bank Arena (Trenton, New Jersey) General Manager Jeff Schumacher, Express coach and GM Bernie Nowotarski, Express offensive coordinator Chris Thomsen, Baltimore Mariners GM Greg Justice, New Mexico Wildcats coach Lance Brown, Wildcats running back Josh Schleisner and Wyoming Cavalry running back James "Spiderman" Jones. This Week In The AIFA is a downloadable Internet radio program, sometimes referred to as a "Podcast." The program is produced by Bill Hazen Productions, in conjunction with the AIFA and OurSports Central Radio. It is available for download direc tly through both the AIFA's web site (www.aifaprofootball.com) and OurSports Central's web site (www.oursportscentral.com). This Week In The AIFA is written, produced and hosted by veteran play-by-play broadcaster and AIFA Media/Public Relations Director, Bill Hazen. The program utilizes the latest in digital audio technology to increase the audio quality of interview segments from throughout the league. • Discuss this story on the American Indoor Football Association message board... The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Saudi Arab Nat'l Bank Q3 profit inches up 0.8 pct - Forbes Posted: 12 Oct 2009 07:40 AM PDT RIYADH, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Saudi-based Arab National Bank (ANB) posted a 0.8 percent rise in third-quarter net profit on Monday after both its lending income and income from non-lending services posted modest growth rates. ANB made 633 million riyals ($168.8 million) in the three months to Sept. 30 against 627.7 million riyals a year earlier, it said in a statement posted on the bourse's website. The bank, in which Arab Bank holds a 40-percent stake, posted a 1.6 percent rise in net lending income at 838 million riyals while net income from non-lending operations -- which includes brokerage fees and foreign exchange -- rose 5 percent to 229 million riyals. (Reporting by Souhail Karam, editing by Andrew Hammond) ($1=3.750 Saudi Arabian Riyal) Keywords: ANB EARNINGS (Riyadh newsroom +966 1 4632603; Fax +966 1 462 7113; souhail.karam@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Neither the Subscriber nor Thomson Reuters warrants the completeness or accuracy of the Service or the suitability of the Service as a trading aid and neither accepts any liability for losses howsoever incurred. The content on this site, including news, quotes, data and other information, is provided by Thomson Reuters and its third party content providers for your personal information only, and neither Thomson Reuters nor its third party content providers shall be liable for any errors, inaccuracies or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Daily Small Cap Market News and Stock Highlights from SmallCapVoice ... - Transworld News Posted: 12 Oct 2009 07:55 AM PDT Stocks move higher as earnings season gets underway this week Austin, TX 10/12/2009 03:00 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)
Major market indicators rose moderately early Monday, getting a boost from European stocks, which jumped after Royal Philips Electronics issued a better-than-expected profit report. A weaker dollar drove oil and other commodities higher, giving energy, material and industrial stocks a lift. Trading on Monday is expected to be fairly light as much of the country observes the Columbus Day holiday. No major economic reports are scheduled and government bond markets are closed. A flurry of earnings reports, including ones from the nation's largest banks, will occupy the market's attention the rest of this week. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reports on Wednesday, followed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. A number of major technology firms, including Intel Corp., Google Inc. and International Business Machines, will also report results this week. At banks, investors are hoping to see signs that consumer loan defaults, including mortgages, are starting to level off, and will be looking for any potential trouble with commercial real estate loans. Overall, the market wants to see evidence that an economic recovery is under way. Earnings season got off to a good start last week when aluminum maker Alcoa Inc. reported a surprise profit. That helped lift the Dow Jones industrial average to its highest level in a year, giving the index a 4 percent gain for the week, its best weekly performance since July. The Dow now stands less than 100 points away from the 10,000 mark, a level it has not seen since October 2008. In early trading, the Dow rose 47.38, or 0.5 percent, to 9,912.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 3.57, or 0.3 percent, to 1,075.06, while the Nasdaq composite index rose 11.35, or 0.5 percent, to 2,150.63. Yesterday's Top Performing Small Cap stock: EcoBlu Products, Inc. (OTC BB: ECOB) was a SmallCapVoice.com top performer yesterday closing up over 8% on trading volume of 79,500 shares. EcoBlu Products, Inc. is a manufacturer of proprietary wood products coated with an eco-friendly chemistry that protects against mold, rot, decay, termites and value added fire. EcoBlu products utilizing BLUWOOD(TM) technology is the ultimate in wood protection, preservation, and fire safety to building components constructed of wood; from I-joists, beams and paneling, to floors and ceilings. The Company is committed to the development, marketing and sales of environmentally-responsible building materials. EcoBlu products are ready to deliver the winning edge to builders and the environment with its sustainable green product line. Today's SmallCapVoice.com Hot Stock to Watch: TIE Technologies, Inc. (Pink Sheets: TTCS) TIE Technologies is a systems integration and telecommunications company focused on engineering and delivering innovative solutions for user's needs and challenges within the dynamic global voice, video and data communications markets. The company offers managed IT and telecommunication services to solve a myriad of complex client requirements. Services and solutions include applications hosting, managed hosting, complex event systems management services, content delivery networks, data broadcasting networks, and voice and video solutions. About SmallCapVoice.com SmallCapVoice.com is a recognized corporate investor relations firm, with clients nationwide. Known for its ability to help emerging growth companies build a following among retail and institutional investors, SmallCapVoice.com utilizes its stock newsletter to feature its daily stock picks, audio interviews, as well as its client's financial news releases. SmallCapVoice.com also offers individual investors with all the tools they need to make informed decisions about the stocks they are interested in. Tools like our stock charts, stock alerts, and our investor fact sheets can assist with investing in stocks that are traded on the OTC BB and Pink Sheets. Small Cap Voice SCV is an electronic publication, and is for informational purposes only. The stocks profiled by SCV are only company profiles and are not intended to be and should not be accepted by you as recommendations to buy or sell in these securities. These profiles are compiled from publicly available sources. Our sources include, but are not limited to, online research, company profiles, member suggestions, magazines, newspapers, analyst suggestions, broker recommendations, contact with the company, company rumors, press releases and other similar information sources. All profiles are based on information that is accessible by the public. Investing in stocks involves risk. SCV is not and does not hold itself out to be a registered broker or dealer or other licensed securities professional. You should consult a qualified, licensed financial advisor or stock broker before making any decisions to invest in the securities of any company that is described in these profiles. For compensation and complete disclaimer click here. Contact: Stuart T. Smith CEO 512-267-2430 ssmith@smallcapvoice.com
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