Accolo CEO Explains How to Turn Your Company into a Hiring Machine at Marin Business Forum Meeting March 22

Quarterly Event Gives Marin Business Professionals an Opportunity to Network and Share Insights on Best Business Practices.

LARKSPUR, Calif. (March 8, 2012) -- Need to find the best talent? Need help prioritizing your “hiring intelligence”? Or want to re-spark your employees’ work ethics? If so, join the Marin Business Forum (http://www.marinbusinessforum.com) on March 22nd for its quarterly networking event where the featured guest speaker will be John Younger, President and CEO of Accolo, the leading Cloud Recruiting company. At the next Forum gathering, Younger will explain how to “Turn Your Company into a Hiring Machine.” The networking event will take place at the Wood Island Office Complex, 80 East Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Larkspur at 5:00 p.m., and will give local Marin professionals an opportunity to meet one another and make business connections.

The highlight of the event will be Younger’s presentation on staffing strategies in a tight economy. For more than 23 years, John’s experience and passion has been to dramatically improve how companies find quality employees, and drawn from his deep understanding of technology, the recruitment process and a core belief that everyone deserves courtesy and respect. He will address effective strategies that work for small businesses with limited staffing and human resources capabilities, and how SMBs can identify and hire the perfect candidate to meet their needs.

“When there is an economic crunch, effective hiring becomes more of a challenge because the pool of qualified candidates suddenly becomes much larger,” Younger said. “It’s harder to sift through the applications to find the right candidate for your needs. I want to show attendees at the Marin Business Forum how to identify their real staffing needs and refine their search to uncover the right candidates without having to wade through a mountain of resumes.”

In addition to Younger’s presentation, there will be wine and appetizers, as well as time to mingle with other local Marin professionals and entrepreneurs to exchange ideas.

“Unique to Marin, Marin Business Forum provides informal networking opportunities with small local business owners and decision makers - a great way to expand your business network!” said John Thornton, Partner with Tregaron Capital after his experience from the last event.

Space is limited and an RSVP is required to attend. Interested parties can register at http://marinbusinessforum.com/event-registration or contact Franka Winchester at 415.461.2586, fwinchester@pcg-services.com.

About the Marin Business Forum
The Marin Business Forum was the brain child of Pacific Crest Group (http://www.pcg-services.com), Filice (http://www.filice.com), and Cypress Partners (http://www.cypresspart.com), who pooled their expertise to create a networking group to give local entrepreneurs and professionals a chance to meet one another and make new business connections. This event is to provide expert guidance, education and inspiration to take back to the office and concentrate on core business strategies for growth and expansion. For more information on the speaker and to keep abreast of future events, visit http://www.marinbusinessforum.com.

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Contact:
Franka Winchester
Pacific Crest Group
(415) 461-2586

Tom Woolf
Woolf Media & Marketing
(415) 259-5638
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CEO Armando Olivera Outlines FPL's Commitment to Economic Development and Clean, Affordable Energy

FPL's Chief Executive Officer Armando Olivera described how FPL is promoting business and job creation in the state by offering some of the most affordable and reliable energy in the nation and a new rate program to encourage economic development.

Juno Beach, FL (March 8, 2012) -- In a keynote speech to hundreds of business leaders at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Florida Power & Light Co. Chief Executive Officer Armando Olivera described how FPL is promoting business and job creation in the state by offering some of the most affordable and reliable energy in the nation and a new rate program to encourage economic development.

The average FPL residential customer has a bill that is the lowest among Florida’s 55 electric utilities, and about 25 percent lower than the national average, said Olivera. “In fact, over the course of an entire year, our typical customer saves an average of $357 compared to what they would pay in other parts of Florida. FPL’s business customers also have electric bills that are among the lowest in the state and well below the national average.”

The FPL chief executive told the audience at the Chamber’s Trustee Luncheon how his company is building on its commitment to help Florida businesses by offering an “Economic Development Rate.” With the approval of the state’s Public Service Commission, eligible commercial and industrial businesses can now receive reduced utility rates. The rate is available to new or expanding businesses that add at least 350 kilowatts of new demand on the grid and 10 new jobs per 350 kilowatts. According to Olivera, this economic growth initiative means an additional savings of up to $12,000 for the first year for a typical eligible customer

He told members FPL’s work on economic growth extends to the creation of its new Office of Economic Development, which offers a suite of professional services intended to assist businesses with planning, energy efficiency initiatives, and more. Information about the office is available at http://www.poweringflorida.com.

Olivera noted that the Chamber, like Miami itself, has evolved and grown dramatically over the course of its long history. “Forty years ago the population of Miami-Dade County was a little more than 1.2 million people; today, it has more than doubled to nearly 2.5 million,” Olivera told the Chamber members. “And just like the County and its economy, the Chamber has grown - and diversified.”

In the same 40 years, FPL has evolved as well, he said, and the audience was treated to highlights of the company’s pioneering role in the transformation of the energy industry. Vintage photography served as a backdrop to Olivera’s brief historical review. He explained that decades ago, Miami-Dade’s electrical power was generated primarily by burning fuel in a conventional boiler. Since that time, FPL has led the way in implementing new technologies for power generation that are designed to increase efficiency and save money for customers.

“We built Turkey Point, our state’s first nuclear power plant, in 1972, and we were one of the first utilities in the nation to build a power plant using a combustion turbine,” said Olivera. “We were also one of the first to build a combined-cycle power plant.” He told Chamber members that FPL’s focus on efficiency means lower bills for customers, and strides forward for the environment.

As further examples of the company’s focus on efficiency, the FPL chief executive discussed new power plant construction and new technology development. He pointed to Florida’s newest combined-cycle natural gas power plant - FPL’s West County Energy Center -which achieves a 50 percent increase in fuel efficiency compared to conventional boilers. Olivera also reviewed FPL’s Fleet Performance and Diagnostic Center, an industry-leading resource that continuously monitors more than one million data points in the company’s system, locating inefficiencies and potential operational problems.

FPL’s technology advances are paying big dividends for customers, according to Olivera. “The future of affordable and reliable energy in our service area is being built as we speak,” he said.

Before leaving, Olivera had one final message for the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce - a message of thanks: “When I am at a Chamber event, I am not only spending time with leaders of the community, but also with great customers - and friends.”

About Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading employer in the state with approximately 10,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while customer bills are below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla. - based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit http://www.FPL.com.

Media Contact:
FPL Media Line
Florida Power & Light Company
700 Universe Blvd.
Juno Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888
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Ruminations of a Catholic School Girl by Vicki Lindgren Rimasse Hits Amazon Best Seller List One Day After Release

First Edition Design Publishing launches breakout book in over 100 countries.

Sarasota, FL, USA - March 8, 2012 -- One day after its worldwide release by First Edition Design Publishing on March 5, Ruminations of a Catholic School Girl (Who Thinks in Latin but Lives Near Hackensack) by Vicki Lindgren Rimasse hit Amazon’s Best Seller List in the Humor Essays category.

“Writing a book has been a life-long dream which started in (public) grammar school,” author, Vicki Lindgren Rimasse said. “I was in an accelerated grammar school program where everyone else was a math whiz and I was challenged in that area. In fact, my first-grade teacher wrote that ‘Vicki needs to pay more attention to her arithmetic.’ I started writing little stories and passing notes to friends in class as early as third-grade. One time, the teacher confiscated the note and forced me to read it aloud, thinking it would embarrass me--but it actually made everyone laugh (even her).”

Ruminations of a Catholic School Girl is a compendium of random thoughts on food, love, s*x, shopping, marriage, divorce, death, rebirth, the existential vacuum and music through essays, notes passed in class, and diary entries. With vivid imagery and sardonic commentary, brings to life the story of a Boomer from Long Island, New York ,Gwen Patrick (the author's alter-ego), who loves shoes, Beaujolais, shopping, food and most of all--food, family and friends. Chronicling her life from her first experience with parochial school in the 60s through her son Zimmerman's high school years, it tells the story of a Long Island boomer’s experience and continuing journey. With references to Plutarch and Popeye, the Bible and S*x and the City, Jim Morrison, Joni Mitchell and Opera, Gwen's journey resonates with women of any age - and men who understand the importance of having the right mustard for their pastrami.

“I'm excited when success comes so quickly to one of our new authors. We are thrilled to have such a fine writer added to our list of accomplished authors,” said Deborah E. Gordon, CEO of First Edition Design Publishing. Ruminations of a Catholic School Girl is very well written and is a great, fun read. Vicki Lindgren Rimasse is the new Dorothy Parker and Irma Bombeck--all in one person.”

The author continued, “All during junior high, I passed notes to my best friend Lucy who actually wanted to become my friend so she could get twelve-page missives on a daily basis. In high school, it was Jaime who was the recipient of notes and short stories and poems, all of which she gathered for me in a folder and presented them to me at my 30th birthday party. And then there were the diaries...interestingly I still obsess about the same things that I did at fourteen...’Does he like me? Will I get a job? Am I pretty enough? Smart enough?’ Some things never change.”

Although I graduated from law school, practicing law was never my passion; it was always writing. In the 80s I was a legal editor and then decided to go underground in a series of day jobs, which helped me pay the bills and leave my mind unoccupied so that I could focus on the book.”

Ruminations of a Catholic School Girl (Who Thinks in Latin but Lives Near Hackensack) ISBN 9781937520670 is available in ebook form through the Amazon Kindle store, Barnes and Noble, Sony, and thousands of other on-line retailers around the world. A print version is due out later this year.

The author remarked about being ranked among Amazon’s Bestsellers “I am thrilled beyond measure.” She said about First Edition Design Publishing, “I chose First Edition Design Publishing because of their high standards and felt that it was the only publishing company of its kind that could offer me the benefits I needed– including International Distribution and excellence in customer service. The experience was so wonderful that I'm already planning two sequels.”

First Edition Design Publishing (http://www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com) based in Sarasota, Florida, USA leads the industry in eBook distribution. They convert, format and submit eBooks to Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Google, Kobo, Diesel, 3M, Android, EBSCO, Ingram, Baker and Taylor, Nielsen, scores of additional on-line retailers and libraries, schools, colleges and universities. Their reach is to over 100,000 distribution points in more than 100 countries. The company also has a POD (Print On Demand) division, which creates printed books and makes them available worldwide through their distribution network.

Media Contact:
Tom Gahan
First Edition Design Publishing
PO Box 20217, Sarasota FL 34276
631-369-0063
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NanoMarkets Announces Upcoming Report on OLED Lighting Markets Due in March of 2012

NanoMarkets today announced that it will release a new round of market forecasts for the emerging OLED lighting sector. The results will be available the week of March 20th.

Glen Allen, Virginia - March 8, 2012 -- Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets today announced that it will release a new round of market forecasts for the emerging OLED lighting sector. The results will be available the week of March 20th. The firm has recently issued related reports on OLED manufacturing capacity, OLED lighting materials markets and encapsulation and plans to release a new analysis of the product and market strategies of companies operating in the business during the month of April. Additional details about the report are available at: http://nanomarkets.net/market_reports/report/nanomarkets_oled_lighting_market_forecast_q2_2012

About the Report:

In the past year OLED lighting markets and production infrastructure have evolved. For example, office lighting has become a key market target for OLED lighting, while other applications no longer command the interest they once did. At the same time, while some likely future mass producers of OLED lighting seem to be committing more resources, others seem to be failing in their efforts.

With all this in mind, this report provides NanoMarkets’ latest market forecasts for OLED lighting. Our company has been actively tracking the OLED lighting market for more than five years and this report represents a more detailed forecast than any we have ever produced before.

In this report, we consider the revenue potential for the OLED lighting applications that currently interest the OLED market the most. We think these have changed since last year and now comprise luxury consumer lighting, decorative lighting for large buildings and showrooms, office lighting, residential lighting and automotive lighting. Another change in this year’s report is that we have provided a much more detailed analysis of pricing trends in OLED lighting than ever before In particular, in addition to looking at pricing expectations of leading manufacturers, we have also examined the likely roadmaps for pricing by unit, luminance and square meter and how these three measures are likely to correspond.

We consider other prominent forecasts for this market including a worse-case scenario in which OLED lighting never succeeds in growing beyond the luxury lighting sector, along with some ultra-optimistic scenarios that have emerged from other more dubious sources.

The forecasts in this report are in value and volume (square meter) terms and are broken out by applications. We also consider how the OLED lighting market is likely to be shared among various major countries and regions as it evolves. Finally, we examine how our forecasts tie in with the emergence of OLED lighting manufacturing capacity, around the world.

About NanoMarkets:

NanoMarkets tracks and analyzes emerging market opportunities in energy, electronics and other markets created by developments in advanced materials. The firm is a recognized leader in industry analysis and forecasts of OLED lighting and has been covering the markets for such technologies sector for more than six years.

Visit http://www.nanomarkets.net for a full listing of NanoMarkets' reports and other services.

Media Contact:
Robert Nolan
NanoMarkets, LC
PO BOX 3840
Glen Allen, VA 23058
804-270-1718
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Not Too Late: Baja's Famous Whale Watching Now at its Height

Thanks to La Niña, more "Friendlies" will remain in Baja until mid-April 2012.

San Ignacio Lagoon, Baja California Sur, Mexico (March 8, 2012 -- Ecotourism-Newswire.com)

Each year, gray whales migrate thousands of miles, from northern Alaska to Baja. It is the longest migration of mammals on earth. And this year, it is still going strong. The Sea of Cortez has also filled with blue, humpback, Bryde’s, and pilot whales - 2/3 of marine mammal species call this sea home in the spring.

In the shallow, protected waters of three Pacific lagoons, the gray whales congregate to mate, give birth, and -- in the case of "the friendlies" -- interact with curious travelers.

February is often thought as peak season for whale watching. However, the whales do not migrate all at once; there is a steady stream of whales heading south in December. This year La Niña has created cooler water temperatures, and more whales are going farther south and staying longer in the sub-tropical areas. Thanks to the favorable conditions, the San Ignacio Lagoon has seen a record breaking number of grays this season. The migration north typically begins in February with the single whales leaving first; the mothers and babies stay long into April.

About "The Friendlies": whales seeking the company of humans

San Ignacio Lagoon is the acknowledged "home of the friendlies." For 30 years now, the whales here have seemed to actively seek out human contact. Mother whales wintering here appear to teach their babies to approach human visitors. This is not a staged experience performed by captive whales. These are free, wild whales who play with humans by choice.

Baja is the only place in the world where whales are known to exhibit this behavior. It is because of the "friendlies" that Baja Expeditions' head naturalist Jose Sanchez calls San Ignacio Lagoon "the most magical place on the planet to see gray whales.” Sanchez says people love the intimate feeling of connection they experience when visiting the whales in this, the smallest and most conservatively-protected of the three lagoons.

A close encounter with a friendly whale can be a life-changing experience. “Whale Watching in Baja” is a featured journey in author Patricia Schultz's book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Schultz recommends Baja Expeditions as “the only operator to use,” praising the company’s naturalist guides, small groups, seasoned crews and local chefs.

For more information visit http://www.bajaex.com.

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Note to Editors: pre-cleared photos and interviews are available upon request. "Spyhopping" photo, © 2011 by Jose Sanchez

SIDE BAR: HOW TO TAKE THIS TRIP YOURSELF

Baja Expeditions organizes premier whale watching trips that start and end in San Diego’s Old Town. These multi-day trips include a charter flight direct to the lagoon, making transportation simple and convenient.

Guests are picked up by a luxury shuttle in San Diego, and flown in a 14 passenger Cessna Caravan from Tijuana (Click to see video of border crossing) to the lagoon. In San Ignacio, guests stay in sturdy waterfront cabanas or safari-style tents. Guests enjoy three full days of twice-daily excursions into the whale watching area, delicious meals, and happy hours beneath a star-studded night sky.

Dates available: March 10-14, 14-18 and 18-22nd. Prices have been discounted from $2395 to $2150/person. Call to ask about custom trips from now through mid-April.

San Ignacio Lagoon, a part of the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993. This designation protects not only the gray whales, but also seals, blue whales, sea turtles, and many species of birds and terrestrial animals and plants. There are 890 World Heritage sites worldwide, from Stonehenge to the Serengeti.

Click for a PDF of the San Ignacio itinerary: http://bajaex.com/Documents/WWSI-Itinerary-2012.aspx

Click here to see a short video of a whale watching excursion filmed in at San Ignacio Lagoon in February 2012: http://youtu.be/XKooWgNZUKQ

Click for a backgrounder on gray whales: http://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/05nekton/GWlagoons.htm

About Baja Expeditions

Baja Expeditions is the world's leader in eco-adventures to Baja, and the oldest and largest adventure travel expedition operator in Baja California, Mexico. Founded in 1974, we have been protecting wild Baja for over 37 years by sharing the natural wonders with interested travelers. Baja Expeditions has offices in San Diego, California and La Paz, Mexico.

Whale watching, sea kayaking, sailing, snorkeling, hiking, scuba diving and natural history expeditions are Baja Expeditions’ featured trips. Guests include vacationers, families, school groups, honeymooners, corporate outings, as well as devoted ecotourists. The level of physical activity is tailored to the group, from “extreme” athletes to laid-back retirees.

Trips focus on education and preservation, and emphasize small group size, flexible itineraries, and the best guides and crew in the region. On service trips, laypeople can volunteer alongside scientists to tag whale sharks or monitor sea turtles. Conservation partners include: The Audubon Society, REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation), Broadreach (summer adventures for teenagers), The Nature Conservancy, Ecology Project International, World Wildlife Fund, Ocean Revolution, and Grupo Tortuguero.

Media Contact:
Emily Evans
Baja Expeditions Inc.
409-877-4551
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