PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Business & Technology

1. Automotive: GM's Federal Bankruptcy Court Ruling
2. Art: The Business of Art Festivals
3. Aviation: Air France Crash Highlights Need for Data Recording Tech
4. Energy: Shifting Energy Resources in South America
5. Finance: Companies: Your Greatest Asset is Your Accounts Receivable
6. Finance: Alternative Investments Are Poised to Become More Mainstream
7. Finance: Finding a Good Financial Advisor: Ask Tough Questions
8. Finance: Widows Need Help with Estate and Financial Matters
9. Real Estate: Foreclosures Continue to Rise Throughout the U.S.
10. Technology: XML Web Services Combat Medical Identity Theft

1. AUTOMOTIVE: GM'S FEDERAL BANKRUPTCY COURT RULING. JOHN CHRISTIE, president
of GENERAL MOTORS RETIREES ASSOCIATION: "More than 122,000 salaried retirees
and their surviving spouses were not affiliated with the United Auto Workers,
and have not been represented in pension and health care negotiations with GM
leadership. We at GMRA are deeply disappointed by the failure of the
bankruptcy court to allow us to take reasonable steps under Section 1114 of
the Bankruptcy Code to protect the health and security of all GM retirees.
While the GMRA leadership will consider all the legal options available to us,
we now look squarely to the Obama administration and to the U.S. Congress to
make certain there is a fair process and outcome for all GM retirees."
Christie is available to comment immediately following the court decision on
how GMRA will cooperate with a re-organized GM to ensure all retirees have
proper and affordable health benefits. He is based in Essexville, Mich. News
Contact: April Williams, awilliams@peppercom.com Phone: +1-212-931-6184
(6/29/09)
2. ART: THE BUSINESS OF ART FESTIVALS. AMY AMDUR, president and founder of
AMDUR PRODUCTIONS, one of the nation's leading art festival production
companies, which produces 11 festivals annually, can discuss what it takes for
artists to excel in today's economic climate: "Current economic conditions
demand excellence from professionals in every field, and artists are no
exception. Many people are cutting back on such luxuries as artwork, so
artists need to go above and beyond to make the sales they need to survive.
With countless festivals taking place every day around the country, in
addition to galleries that are open year-round, artists need to ensure that
they are memorable and create their own following. They need to implement
practices that ensure sales are maximized and stand out in a crowd at art
shows and festivals. This includes everything from how to set up a booth, how
to ensure a prospective customer turns into a lifelong collector, and pricing
art accordingly." Amdur can discuss how artists can stand out among the crowd
and maximize sales during art shows; how to market yourself to prospective
clients before, during and after art festival season; the pros and cons of
exhibiting in galleries vs. festivals; and the state of the art industry. News
Contact: Leslie Schreiber, iaw@wingermarketing.com Phone: +1-312-494-0422
(6/29/09)
3. AVIATION: AIR FRANCE CRASH HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR NEW FLIGHT DATA RECORDING
TECHNOLOGY. MARTY ROSE, a pilot and attorney at Dallas' ROSE-WALKER:
"Investigators have said it will be nearly impossible to determine why Air
France 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month without the key
data stored on the 'black boxes.' But modern aircraft, such as the Airbus A330
involved in this crash, routinely record and transmit information like
maintenance requests during flight. So how is it that manufacturers and
airlines can collect that data, but not information from the black boxes? It's
simple. They're not required to do so. Neither the FAA, NTSB, nor their
equivalents in other countries, require the airlines to install real-time data
transmission devices, which would make the black boxes unnecessary and
antiquated." News Contact: Mark Annick, mark@androvett.com Phone: +1-800-559-
4534 (6/29/09)
4. ENERGY: SHIFTING ENERGY RESOURCES IN SOUTH AMERICA. JOSE VALERA, energy
attorney at the Houston office of THOMPSON & KNIGHT: "The first shipment of
liquefied natural gas from Trinidad to Chile's new LNG terminal signals the
nation's reduced dependence on pipeline gas from neighboring Argentina. The
LNG will principally be used to supply natural gas to industry and consumers
in the nation's central region, including the metropolitan area of Santiago.
The growing economies throughout much of South America are driving this need
for greater energy diversity. The entire region is a dynamic marketplace that
is fusing a wide range of public, private and foreign investments in energy
resources." Valera speaks English, Spanish and French. News Contact: Barry
Pound, barry@androvett.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534 (6/29/09)
5. FINANCE: COMPANIES: YOUR GREATEST ASSET IS YOUR ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE. BRETT
HALSEY is the CEO of ATRADIUS, a leading global credit insurer that helps U.S.
businesses grow by protecting companies against the risk of bad debt. Halsey
can offer timely strategies for reducing credit exposure without restricting
competitive terms, and preventing vendors from providing customers with cash
flow instead of products and services: "Your greatest asset is your accounts
receivable. There is no greater task for a financial executive than to protect
their accounts receivable. We recommend that companies: 1) always check their
customers' creditworthiness with a ratings agency or credit insurer; 2) spread
their risk among customers (if 80 percent of your transactions come from 20
percent of your customers, you're at risk); 3) agree on concrete delivery and
payment terms and conditions, which is crucial if you ever need to initiate a
collection process; 4) ensure your terms govern the customer contract; 5)
consider shortening the credit period before enacting terms that will make you
less competitive; 6) confirm customer satisfaction after delivery; and 7)
follow a consistent demand process if payment issues arise." Additional
insights, non-sales-oriented supporting data and research can be accessed at
the link listed below. Halsey is based in Baltimore. News Contact: Cheri
Winchester, cwinchester@commongroundpr.com Phone: +1-636-530-1235, ext. 223
Web site: http://www.atradius.us (6/29/09)
6. FINANCE: ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS ARE POISED TO BECOME MORE MAINSTREAM.
RYAN SCHWARTZBERG, vice president at GLOBAL WEALTH INVESTMENTS, based in
Washington, D.C.: "After the year most investors had in 2008, many are
searching for an alternative to the traditional asset classes. An investment
vehicle that offers low volatility and still has the potential for double-
digit returns is going to be a welcome addition to many portfolios."
Schwartzberg is available to discuss how the stock market decline in 2008 has
affected the market for life settlements and other alternative investments.
(6/29/09)
7. FINANCE: FINDING A GOOD FINANCIAL ADVISOR: ASK TOUGH QUESTIONS, DEMAND
ANSWERS. JERRY A. MICCOLIS, CFA, CFP, senior financial advisor with BRINTON
EATON WEALTH ADVISORS in Madison, N.J., and co-author of the new book, "Asset
Allocation for Dummies": "Ask any potential advisor these questions: Have you
ever been disciplined for unethical or improper conduct? Sued by a client?
What are all your sources of income? How easy is it to fire you? What are your
qualifications and training? Will you personally handle my account? How did
your clients do in the last down market? Are you sensitive to taxes when
investing? Can you describe your investing approach? What is your client-to-
employee ratio? The best advisors will welcome these questions because they'll
be proud to answer them." News Contact: Henry Stimpson,
Henry@StimpsonCommunications.com Phone: +1-508-647-0705 (6/29/09)
8. FINANCE: WIDOWS NEED HELP WITH ESTATE AND FINANCIAL MATTERS. LYN DIPPEL,
CFP, vice president at FINANCIAL ADVANTAGE, a financial planning firm in
Columbia, Md.: "A newly widowed woman has to deal with many complex estate and
financial matters. It can be overwhelming, particularly if the spouse was the
primary financial manager and decision maker. Settling the estate can be
anywhere from a six- to 18-month process. Widows usually need help to
understand the legal process and terminology, the complex paperwork involved,
and the steps needed to get accounts and assets re-titled and set up so
they're easy to manage. Accessing funds during this process can be tricky,
depending on how well the original estate plan was drafted." News Contact:
Henry Stimpson, Henry@StimpsonCommunications.com Phone: +1-508-647-0705
(6/29/09)
9. REAL ESTATE: HOMEOWNER ISSUES: FORECLOSURES CONTINUE TO RISE THROUGHOUT
THE U.S. OMAR KASSEM, managing director at EMODIFYMYLOAN.COM, a provider of
online services that offer struggling homeowners an affordable option for the
guidance and information needed to negotiate a loan modification themselves,
has extensive experience in consumer, real estate finance and the mortgage
business, and can share tips for homeowners to avoid a foreclosure: "With
unemployment on the rise, many homeowners continue to struggle to make their
mortgage payments. Often, they do not know that they are good candidates for a
loan modification because of lifestyle and income changes." Kassem and other
managing directors at eModifyMyLoan.com are available to provide commentary
about foreclosure activity, lender incentives, newly introduced government
programs, and new state laws requiring moratoriums and mediation prior to
foreclosure. Kassem is based in Phoenix. News Contact: Whitney Liem,
whitney@mindspace.net Phone: +1-480-941-8497 Web site:
https://emodifymyloan.com (6/29/09)
10. TECHNOLOGY: XML WEB SERVICES COMBAT MEDICAL IDENTITY THEFT. CHRISTOPHER
CHENOWETH, CIO of CDYNE CORPORATION, expert IT architect, can address the
needs of health care organizations in complying with the Red Flags Rule,
identity theft protection regulations from the FTC that go into effect Aug. 1:
"Fraud-prevention XML Web services can be easily implemented in hospitals and
other health care organizations' systems to comply with the FTC's Red Flags
Rule. XML Web services are the best way to root out medical identity theft
because they work instantaneously in any system, communicating securely
between an organization's database and the provider's database of information.
They are easy to add and require no learning curve, contracts or major
spending." Chenoweth can speak about Web services and their application in the
field of health care, and to the concerns of the field on ways to implement
protections without major overhauls and software installations. He is located
in Chesapeake, Va. News Contact: Elizabeth C. Rack, ecr@cdyne.com Phone: +1-
757-544-9510, ext. 3108 Web site: http://www.cdyne.com (6/26/09)
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