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“Here in Renton, we take enormous pride in building the best gear parts that will go into the Air Force’s new aerial refueling tankers built by the Boeing team and its hundreds of U.S. suppliers,” said Vic Dalosto, owner.

RENTON, Wash., May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Valley Machine Shop is proud to announce its addition to The Boeing Company’s nationwide team to compete for the U.S. Air Force’s new fleet of aerial refueling tankers.  

As part of Boeing’s United States Tanker team, Valley Machine Shop will become eligible to increase orders if Boeing is awarded the U.S. Air Force tanker contract later this year. Based in Renton, Valley Machine Shop currently makes structural, wing and landing gear parts that are used on Boeing’s 737, 767, 747, 787 and C-17 planes.

“We take enormous pride in building the best gear parts that will go into the Air Force’s new aerial refueling tankers built by the Boeing team and its hundreds of U.S. suppliers,” said Vic Dalosto, owner. “Valley Machine Shop has had a strong partnership with Boeing that extends more than two decades, and we welcome this new opportunity that will support our 75 workers, their families and the entire Renton community.”

“Today’s announcement by Valley Machine Shop in Renton that they’ll be joining Boeing’s U.S. Tanker Team is a good reminder that not only does Boeing manufacture the finest planes, but also that Washington workers all along the supply chain are well qualified to equip our men and women in uniform,” said Rep. Dave Reichert (WA).

Boeing works with more than 3,200 companies in Washington State resulting in an estimated $2.6 billion in annual economic impact. If Boeing is awarded the contract, it would support approximately 50,000 total jobs and 800 suppliers across the United States.

Valley Machine Shop joins an impressive list of Washington-based suppliers that are proud to help Boeing deliver an American designed and built, combat-ready tanker featuring maximum capability at the lowest cost.  

About Valley Machine Shop

For more details on Valley Machine Shop, visit www.vmshop.com.

For information about Boeing’s aerial refueling tanker, go to www.unitedstatestanker.com.

For more information on how you can join our efforts, visit www.realamericantankers.com.

SOURCE Valley Machine Shop

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http://www.unitedstatestanker.com/
http://www.realamericantankers.com/

ELGIN, Ill., May 6 /PRNewswire/ — VillageProfile.com, Inc.®, the national leader in Chamber of Commerce publishing, announced today it will work with the Tribune Media Group (TMG) to provide Chicagoland area Chambers of Commerce with innovative, state-of-the-art marketing and communications opportunities via locally targeted Chamber of Commerce multi-media products.

“This collaboration allows TMG to combine the strength of our advertising sales force and newspaper demographics with Village Profile’s marketing, production and distribution services to better serve Chicagoland area Chambers of Commerce publishing needs,” said Bob Fleck, senior vice president of advertising.

Village Profile™ and TMG will leverage their respective resources and capabilities to deepen advertiser reach, and provide added promotional value via Tribune local newspapers and TribLocal community Websites to promote local Chambers in conjunction with their publication programs. In addition, Village Profile’s exclusive Convergence Publishing Program® multi-platform advertising bundle, encompassing traditional Chamber of Commerce publications along with Websites, eBooks and mobile business directories, offers Chambers and participating advertisers access to a global audience.

President and CEO of Village Profile™ Dan Nugara said, “What an opportunity TMG brings to Chambers of Commerce to promote their Chamber agenda and membership with multi-media newspaper and Internet support at the local community level, plus the dynamics of the Village Profile™ Convergence Publishing Program® provides a win-win for the local Chamber, as well as TMG and Village Profile™.”

About Tribune Media Group

Tribune Media Group represents Chicagoland’s leading media brands through publishing, broadcasting and online outlets, which together give advertisers one destination for cross-channel solutions. The focus is driving business with custom solutions. TMG is as Chicago as it gets, engaging Chicagoans throughout their day in their medium of choice. TMG includes: WGN TV, WGN Radio, CLTV, Chicago Tribune, RedEye, TribLocal, ChicagoTribune.com and ChicagoNow.com. For more details, go to http://tribunemediagroup.com.

About Village Profile™

Village Profile™ introduced its exclusive multi-platform Convergence Publishing Program® to the Chamber industry in 2002, launching traditional print into the digital world with online publication Websites in 1995, free New View eBook® downloads, CDs and mobile business directories. Since 1996, the company’s Website, http://www.villageprofile.com, has seen over 230,000,000 hits from Internet locales around the world. In 2009, it garnered over 13 million hits and more than 2 million page views — of which nearly 1.7 million were unique visitors. The Village Profile™ mobile business directory portal at http://www.vpmobile.us accumulated over 6.4 million hits in 2009.

Village Profile™ has invested this level of time and resources not only to foster growth in Chamber communications, but also to help set the pace for a thriving business environment and let Chambers offer exclusive benefits to their members that no other publisher can provide. Village Profile™ has presented Chambers of Commerce an economic stimulus package with more than $24 million in royalties paid — $14 million in the past eight years alone. Please take a look at a few of the company’s client testimonials at http://www.villageprofile.com/aboutus/testimonials.html.

Village Profile™, headquartered in Elgin, IL, with a regional office in Fresno, CA, is an exclusive Chairman’s Circle Platinum sponsor of the Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.), a proud member and Sponsor of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) association and a member of more than 600 local Chambers it currently partners with throughout the USA.

To learn more about the NO-COST, ROYALTY-GENERATING, exclusive publishing programs available through the Village Profile™ – Tribune Media Group partnership, contact Joe Nugara, executive vice president of Village Profile™, at 800-600-0134, ext 220, or Jim Rotche, Tribune Media Group’s manager of strategy and development, at 312-222-3185 for details.

For more information, contact Joe Nugara Sr., 800-600-0134, ext 220.

This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE VillageProfile.com, Inc.

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CHICAGO, May 6 /PRNewswire/ — Beacon Funding resolved to increase the level of client and partner confidence by becoming a Better Business Bureau (BBB) Accredited Business. The BBB is a nonprofit organization that exists so consumers and businesses have an unbiased resource to guide them on issues of trust in the marketplace. Businesses that meet the high standards set by the BBB are invited to apply for accreditation.

“Beacon Funding was founded with the goal of providing equipment financing programs to under-serviced small businesses. Being a BBB Accredited Business signifies a renewed pledge of trust and reliability to those businesses. It is another way we can show that treating our clients honestly and ethically is a primary goal of our company,” said founder and CEO Sam Oliva. “We pride ourselves in having the highest rating possible, A

WASHINGTON, May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Ciena Capital LLC, a private, non-depository lender located in New York City, has reached an agreement with the United States to settle fraud claims related to its small business lending for $26.3 million, the Justice Department announced today.  Ciena and a subsidiary, Business Loan Center (BLC), a small business lending company licensed to originate and service loans under Section 7(a) of the Small Business Act, are alleged to have submitted false claims for payment on loans made through the Small Business Administration (SBA). 

The SBA, through various lending programs, provides financial assistance to small businesses by guaranteeing up to 85% of the value of loans made by private lenders.  Today’s settlement resolves allegations that Ciena and BLC falsely certified that they complied with SBA regulations when they submitted claims for payment on loans they originated, underwrote, and serviced.  Some of these loans defaulted shortly after they were made as a result of Ciena’s and BLC’s disregard of SBA rules, regulations, and underwriting requirements.  Other loans were originated by former BLC Executive Vice President Patrick Harrington, or his office, during his tenure.  Harrington pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his prominent role in the fraudulent loan scheme, which included falsifying loan documents, inflating property appraisals, and using straw purchasers to engage in sham transactions.  This settlement also resolves allegations that the defendants’ parent company, Allied Capital Corporation, is liable for the acts of its subsidiaries.      

“The United States will not tolerate fraud in lending programs designed to assist small businesses, which are so vital to our nation’s economy,” said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice.  “We will pursue those who seek to take unfair advantage of programs designed to help people start a business and earn a living.”

The settlement for $26.3 million, which includes a credit for $18.1 million previously negotiated by and paid to the SBA, resolves a lawsuit filed by James R. Brickman and Greenlight Capital Inc., under the qui tam,or whistleblower provisions, of the False Claims Act.  Under the False Claims Act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. Mr. Brickman and Greenlight Capital will receive $4.3 million as their share of the government’s recovery. 

On Sept. 30, 2008, Ciena and several of its subsidiaries filed petitions for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.  The settlement announced today must be approved by the Bankruptcy Court.  

“As a result of strong collaboration between SBA’s attorneys, the SBA Office of Inspector General, the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Atlanta and New York, we have recovered a significant amount of the loan loss stemming from Ciena’s operations,” SBA General Counsel Sara Lipscomb said. 

“The size of these payments sends a strong message that the government will not tolerate fraud, waste or abuse of SBA programs, ” said SBA Inspector General Peggy E. Gustafson.

This law enforcement action is in part sponsored by the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.  The task force was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.  It includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, including the SBA, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources.  The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch and, with state and local partners, investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.  For more information on the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force please visit www.stopfraud.gov.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

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http://www.stopfraud.gov/

“We are privileged to be a member of the Boeing aerial refueling tanker team and join such an experienced and well-respected team of American suppliers from all over the country,” said Jim Dornbusch Sr.

WICHITA, Kan., May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Kulite Semiconductor Products, Inc. is proud to announce it is the newest member of the Boeing Company’s nationwide aerial refueling tanker team.  

Kulite joins a host of well-respected and experienced suppliers from the state of Kansas that will become eligible to increase orders if Boeing is awarded the U.S. Air Force tanker contract in 2010. Kulite Semiconductor Products is an industry-leader in the manufacturing of aircraft pressure transducer capsules for both military and commercial use.

“It is a privilege to be a member of the Boeing aerial refueling tanker team and join such an experienced and well-respected team of American suppliers from all over the country,” said Jim Dornbusch Sr., Director of Aerospace for Kulite. “We are proud that our state-of-the-art pressure transducer capsules will play an integral role in serving our men and women in the Armed Forces, while also generating much-needed economic activity to support the aerospace manufacturing community in Wichita.”  

Boeing works with more than 460 companies in the state of Kansas, paying more than $3 billion for services and products, resulting in an estimated $3 billion in annual economic impact and supporting an estimated 125,000 direct and indirect Kansas jobs.

Kulite joins a growing group of Kansas-based suppliers and workers that are proud to help Boeing deliver an American-designed and built, combat-ready tanker featuring max capability at the lowest cost.  If Boeing is awarded the contract, it would support at least 50,000 total jobs and 800 suppliers across the United States.

About Kulite

Kulite Semiconductor Products, Inc. is a leading name in the transducer industry on a worldwide level. Kulite is the first name in pressure transducers for scientists and engineers working at the cutting edge of research and design in their fields. Kulite transducers measure the Fuel Pressures, Hydraulic Pressures and Fuel Leak Detection within the Boeing Fuel Tanker Aircraft providing continuous monitoring and safety within the aircraft and its integrated systems.

For more details on Kulite Semiconductor Products, go to www.kulite.com.

For information about Boeing’s air refueling tanker, go to www.unitedstatestanker.com. For more information on how you can join our efforts visit www.realamericantankers.com.

SOURCE Kulite Semiconductor Products, Inc.

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http://www.kulite.com/
http://www.unitedstatestanker.com/
http://www.realamericantankers.com

SAN DIEGO, May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — First Business Bank (OTC Bulletin Board: FBBN) has announced that Katherine Willey has joined the bank as a Senior Vice President.  She is responsible for business development for the company, which operates offices in Del Mar, Carlsbad and Ramona and had $112 million in assets as of December 31, 2009.

Willey has over 25 years of experience as a business development and lending officer, with extensive experience as a credit administrator and work-out specialist. Her multi-year career in San Diego includes senior business development and lending positions with 1st Pacific Bank of California, San Diego National Bank, Bank of Coronado and U.S. Bank.

Nathan Rogge, President and Chief Executive Officer of First Business Bank, said, “Katherine Willey is an accomplished business development professional, having built thriving banking offices from the ground up and expanded into new geographic areas for a number of prominent institutions during her career.  Her experience is an excellent fit with First Business Bank’s efforts to accelerate its growth in the San Diego region.”

Willey received a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia and an M.B.A. degree in Finance from Marymount University in Arlington, Va.

She is a Board member and immediate past President of the Old Mission Rotary Club, Treasurer and Audit Committee Chair of Walden Family Services, past President of the Art Pratt Foundation, and a graduate of LEAD San Diego.

First Business Bank is exclusively focused on serving the special needs of professionals and small and medium-sized enterprises. Established in 2001, First Business Bank is dedicated to providing business professionals with simple, fast and effective solutions. Experienced bankers deliver highly tailored financial solutions while providing customers with educational and networking opportunities. For more information, contact First Business Bank at (858) 847-4780 or visit the company’s website at www.fbbank.com.

Media Inquiries:

Rica Lindsey, First Business Bank

858-847-4782

Dan Peoples, Peoples & Company

858-552-1456

SOURCE First Business Bank

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RALEIGH, N.C., May 5 /PRNewswire/ — Carolina Conceptions was honored with the First Citizens Bank Exceptional Customer Experience Award by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce in a ceremony held Tuesday, May 4, 2010. Over 500 community members gathered at the Raleigh Convention Center for the 26th anniversary celebration of the Pinnacle Business Awards to honor some of Raleigh’s most talented and innovative entrepreneurs and small businesses. Dr. Grace Couchman, Dr. Bill Meyer, Dr. John Park and many of Carolina Conceptions’ staff members were in attendance to accept the award. “This honor is especially meaningful to our team given the fact that extraordinary customer service is at the heart of our practice’s mission statement,” says Sheridan Robinson, practice manager at Carolina Conceptions.

The First Citizens Bank Exceptional Customer Experience Award highlights the efforts of small to medium-sized businesses that not only provide great customer service but who make efforts above and beyond to establish an exceptional customer experience at every point of contact, throughout the organization. “After years of working with Carolina Conceptions, I have witnessed firsthand their consistent dedication to exceptional customer service. Between their warm and friendly staff and rave reviews from patients, Carolina Conceptions was a deserving choice for this year’s First Citizens Bank Exceptional Customer Service Award,” says John Terry, vice president of Triangle Commercial Banking at First Citizens Bank in Raleigh.

The Pinnacle Business Awards, hosted by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, annually recognizes some of the Triangle’s most successful business executives from both emerging companies and companies that have exhibited a substantial history as an established business. This is the first Pinnacle award for Carolina Conceptions who opened in 2006.

About Us: Carolina Conceptions is the fastest growing infertility center in the southeast and is the only private practice of its kind in the Triangle area where all doctors are board certified in both OB/GYN and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. The physicians share more than 45 years experience in the infertility field and have achieved some of the highest success rates in both the region and country. The practice offers a fully comprehensive range of treatment options along with a highly trained staff who are dedicated to delivering friendly and compassionate care. To learn more about Carolina Conceptions, please visit www.carolinaconceptions.com. 2601 Lake Drive, Suite 301, Raleigh, NC 27607.

SOURCE Carolina Conceptions

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http://www.carolinaconceptions.com

TROY, Mich., May 5 /PRNewswire/ — John J. Latella, Partner/COO-General Counsel, Garden Fresh Gourmet, and Walsh College alumnus (Master of Science in Finance, ’99), will be the Michigan Business Success Story speaker for the fourth annual Walsh College conference focused on small and family business growth, Tuesday, May 11, 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., at the MSU Management Education Center in Troy. This year’s conference is combined with Crain’s Detroit Business Second Stage Workshops.

Ferndale, Michigan based Garden Fresh Gourmet was founded in 1997 and has become the largest producer of fresh, all-natural salsa in North America, and the No. 1 award-winning salsa company in the country. Started by husband and wife team Jack and Annette Aronson, the salsa was a side project out of the couple’s Woodward Avenue restaurant, Clubhouse Barbecue. Now with two production plants in Ferndale, and the recent acquisition of El Matador Chips in Grand Rapids adding a 60,000- square-foot manufacturing facility, the company’s sales topped $74 million in 2009. Its 300

On Deck Capital Founder & CEO Mitch Jacobs Selected as Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of… — NEW YORK, May 5 /PRNewswire/ — /

   BigCommerce SocialShop application allows online merchants to sell products from their e-retail sites on Facebook(R) Platform

AUSTIN, Texas, May 6 /PRNewswire/ — BigCommerce, the leading provider of ecommerce software for small business merchants, today announced that its new SocialShop application is driving significant traffic and sales for its merchants, with nearly 20% of its customers deploying SocialShop in the month since its launch.  SocialShop is among the first applications that allow online merchants to sell products from their e-retail sites using Facebook Platform.

SocialShop early adopters are lauding its effectiveness in boosting sales and attracting new customers.  For example, Richard Potvin reports that traffic for his online tire studs site Maxigrip Store has increased by about 7% since implementing SocialShop one month ago.

“Facebook is already an important traffic driver for Maxigrip – we get about 9% of our traffic from our Facebook Page,” says Potvin.  ”SocialShop couldn’t have come at a more perfect time – at no cost, we’ve been able to boost sales by 7% during a season that is traditionally slow for us.  SocialShop is a really great social window for our store and has allowed us to expand our audience. And all of this at zero added cost – love it!”

SocialShop is also proving effective for highly specialized retailers such as Jason Mellet of Cricket Store Online.  This online seller of cricket gear derives more than 10% of his traffic from Facebook, and reports that website sales have doubled since implementing BigCommerce SocialShop just one month ago.  Says Mellet, “I think SocialShop is a great way of getting your products out there; I sell to a very niche market, so it’s been very rewarding to see that this kind of social tool works for less mainstream products.”

BigCommerce SocialShop is easy to install, works with a just a few clicks and is available as a free application. Merchants simply add the BigCommerce SocialShop application to their Facebook Page, enter their store URL, and choose which products they want to display. A “Shop” tab appears on the company’s Facebook Page, showing new or popular products from their BigCommerce store.  Facebook users can then easily click on a product to learn more, buy the product through the merchant’s BigCommerce store, or share the product with their friends on Facebook.

“We’ve seen enormous uptake from our online merchants who understand the huge opportunity presented by Facebook to drive business and engage directly with customers,” said Mitchell Harper, co-Founder and co-CEO of BigCommerce. “We look forward to working with more merchants to expand their marketing and connect with their customers in a social context.”

BigCommerce is transforming the ecommerce landscape with its agile approach to product innovation, leapfrogging competitors such as Yahoo! Stores by actively soliciting customer feedback and delivering a steady stream of high-impact feature enhancements.  This approach has fueled the company’s more than 100% monthly growth rate since its launch in August 2009 and led more than 25% of the company’s customers to switch to BigCommerce after using solutions from Yahoo! and others.  BigCommerce was voted the #1 ecommerce platform by popular software review Website TopTenReviews.

To see a demo of BigCommerce SocialShop, please visit http://www.bigcommerce.com/tour-bigcommerce-socialshop.php.

ABOUT BIGCOMMERCE

BigCommerce is the leading provider of ecommerce software for small business merchants.  BigCommerce enables any small business to easily set up and operate a professional ecommerce site, combining advanced ecommerce functionality with simple, intuitive design and administration.  More than just an ecommerce platform, BigCommerce also helps small businesses attract more customers to their stores with just a few simple clicks, and offers more features than other ecommerce solutions.  BigCommerce is the latest offering from Interspire™, a leading provider of shopping cart software used by more than 40,000 organizations worldwide.  For more information, please visit www.bigcommerce.com.

Media Contact:

Leyl Black

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