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Finance

Larkin Square to host venture capital forum

Dan Miner [1] Reporter- Business First Email[2] | Twitter[3] | LinkedIn[4] | Google+[5] Prominent New York City venture capitalist and blogger Fred Wilson[6] is coming to Buffalo for the “Z80 Labs Feeding Innovation Series.” Wilson will take part in a question-and-answer from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, at Larkin Square. Both parking and admission are free, though attendees are asked to RSVP at http://z80-fred-wilson.eventbrite.com. The session will be led by Eric Reich[7], co-founder of Campus Labs, and is presented by Z80 Labs Inc., the tech-based downtown incubator and 43North, the state-funded business plan in its inaugural year. Wilson began his career in venture capital in 1987 and has focused exclusively on tech for 16 years. He founded Flatiron Partners in 1996 and secured $150 million in initial capital commitments from Chase Capital Partners and Softbank[8]. His investment team grew to 10 people and managed the creation of a $570 million portfolio. He’s also maintains a popular blog at www.avc.com. Dan Miner is Business First's enterprise reporter. He also covers education and public companies. References^ Dan Miner (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ Email (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ Twitter (twitter.com)^ LinkedIn (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ Google+ (plus.google.com)^ Fred Wilson (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ Eric Reich (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ Softbank (www.bizjournals.com)...
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Hillsborough unveils transportation plan that's both massive and specific

Eric Snider[1] Reporter- Tampa Bay Business Journal Email[2] | Twitter[3] | LinkedIn[4] In a lead-up to asking voters to approve a penny tax for transportation in 2016, Hillsborough County on Tuesday unveiled an ambitious and finely detailed plan to radically transform transportation in the county over the next three decades. The additional sales tax is expected to generate $6.1 billion in extra revenue over 30 years. That money, along with myriad other funding sources, will cover a vast range of mobility options, from roadway widening to light rail to Bus Rapid Transit, all the way down to sidewalks and trails. During a 90-minute media session, county administrator Mike Merrill[5] and several other members of the task force who contributed to the 15-month endeavor showed two videos that will be part of an effort to win public approval. “We’re talking about nothing short of changing the culture about how we travel and move around the county,” Merrill said. The next step is to bring the plan to residents for vetting and suggestions. Merrill ventured what he regarded as a viable timetable: The referendum passes in spring 2016, and tax revenue starts flowing in the following month, at which point Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) — which will be made over into a super-agency controlling mobility issues — would quickly start identifying and beginning projects. Intelligent traffic management systems and increased bus routes could happen fairly quickly. Managed lanes on I-275 would not be far down the line. In three to four years, we could see Bus Rapid Transit or some sort of express bus system. "And I wouldn’t be surprised to see some rail in effect in seven years,” Merrill said, the first stick of which would run from Westshore to downtown. Luicia Garsys, the county’s chief administrator of development and…
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List Leaders: Meet the 5 biggest private companies in Oregon and S.W. Washington

Click through the gallery for a look at the top private companies in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Brandon Sawyer[1] Research Director- Portland Business Journal Email[2] Publicly traded companies get lots of attention because of their constant publicity effort to raise stock prices and financial disclosure requirements making it easy to get the goods on them. Private companies, on the other hand, often fly below the radar and are less-inclined to toot their own horns[3]. That's why it's so exciting (and so difficult) to find out who our local heavyweight private companies really are. In the top five, last year's No. 2 company climbs to No. 1 and the No. 5 company is new to the list. The gallery is your ticket to find out more. The List: Click on the picture above to see a gallery of the Oregon and S.W. Washington[4]'s 5 largest private companies. Paid subscribers can access the full list below. Here in Oregon and Southwest Washington, public companies are a dwindling herd, while private companies carry most of the weight in terms of jobs and revenues. Malia Spencer[5]'s story in this week's issue explains how many private-company CEOs think IPOs are overrated[6]. Most of the private companies we surveyed, 76 percent, expect to stay put and stay private in the next five years. And most are growing at a healthy clip. They only predict a 2.5 percent chance of going public. Therefore, we should devote a little less time to action on the stock exchanges and get better acquainted with these large private companies right in our own backyard. References^ Brandon Sawyer (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ Email (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ are less-inclined to toot their own horns (www.bizjournals.com)^ S.W. Washington (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ Malia Spencer (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ think IPOs are overrated (www.bizjournals.com)...
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List Leaders: Meet the 5 biggest private companies in Oregon and S.W. Washington

Click through the gallery for a look at the top private companies in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Brandon Sawyer[1] Research Director- Portland Business Journal Email[2] Publicly traded companies get lots of attention because of their constant publicity effort to raise stock prices and financial disclosure requirements making it easy to get the goods on them. Private companies, on the other hand, often fly below the radar and are less-inclined to toot their own horns[3]. That's why it's so exciting (and so difficult) to find out who our local heavyweight private companies really are. In the top five, last year's No. 2 company climbs to No. 1 and the No. 5 company is new to the list. The gallery is your ticket to find out more. The List: Click on the picture above to see a gallery of the Oregon and S.W. Washington[4]'s 5 largest private companies. Paid subscribers can access the full list below. Here in Oregon and Southwest Washington, public companies are a dwindling herd, while private companies carry most of the weight in terms of jobs and revenues. Malia Spencer[5]'s story in this week's issue explains how many private-company CEOs think IPOs are overrated[6]. Most of the private companies we surveyed, 76 percent, expect to stay put and stay private in the next five years. And most are growing at a healthy clip. They only predict a 2.5 percent chance of going public. Therefore, we should devote a little less time to action on the stock exchanges and get better acquainted with these large private companies right in our own backyard. References^ Brandon Sawyer (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ Email (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ are less-inclined to toot their own horns (www.bizjournals.com)^ S.W. Washington (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ Malia Spencer (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ think IPOs are overrated (www.bizjournals.com)...
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Bank of NC earnings rise

Lloyd Whittington/Triad Business Journal High Point-based Bank of North Carolina said its net earnings rose in the second quarter. Matt Evans[1] Reporter- Triad Business Journal Email[2] | Twitter[3] | Google+[4] | LinkedIn[5] BNC Bancorp, the High Point-based parent company of Bank of North Carolina[6], said its net earnings rose[7] in the second quarter by about 48 percent from a year ago to $6.1 million. Profits for BNC (NASDAQ: BNCN) were down by about 5 percent from the first quarter due to transaction-related expenses for the highly acquisitive bank, which absorbed banks in both Albemarle[8] and Chapel Hil[9] l during the second quarter. Operating income for the quarter, which excludes transaction-related expenses and other one-time and investment income, was at $8.4 million, up about 22.5 percent from the first quarter and about double the level of a year ago. CEO Rick Callicutt[10] said the recently completed mergers and another one pending[11] in the Charleston, S.C., market are part of an important strategy to expand Bank of NC’s footprint in high-growth areas. “We are just as focused and proud of the organic growth obtained during the quarter,” he added. “Excluding acquired or covered loans, the originated loan portfolio grew by $100 million, or 5.6% during the quarter, highlighted by significant growth in the HELOC portfolio, as well as commercial growth in both the Triangle and Charlotte markets." Callicutt noted that mortgage banking revenue did not meet the bank’s expectations during the second quarter, but he said there are positive signs of improvement in the third quarter. Matt Evans covers technology, entrepreneurship, higher education and financial services. Contact him at 336-370-2916. References^ Matt Evans (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ Email (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ Twitter (twitter.com)^ Google+ (plus.google.com)^ LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)^ Bank of North Carolina (www.bizjournals.com)^ net earnings rose (finance.yahoo.com)^ Albemarle (www.bizjournals.com)^ Chapel Hil (www.bizjournals.com)^ Rick Callicutt (feeds.bizjournals.com)^ pending (www.bizjournals.com)...
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Chipotle's record sales, 26 percent profit jump fuel after-hours stock surge

Ed Sealover[1] Reporter- Denver Business Journal Email[2] | Facebook[3] | Twitter[4] | Capitol Business blog[5] Chipotle Mexican Grill[6] Inc. Monday reported more than $1 billion in quarterly sales for the first time in the restaurant's history. The sales record and a 25.5 percent year-over-year leap in net income led to a flurry of after-hours trading that drove its stock price up 10 percent. Revenue for the Denver-based Mexican restaurant chain (NYSE: CMG) jumped 28.6 percent from the second quarter of 2013, reaching $1.05 billion. That increase was fueled by a 17.3 percent increase in same-store sales, as well as the addition of 45 new restaurants, bringing to 1,681 the total number of locations the chain operates. CFO Jack Hartung[7] said the successful quarter also pushed average sales -- at stores that have been open for at least one year -- to more than $2.3 million for the first time. He noted that the 17.3 percent same-store sales increase was the second-highest in Chipotle history, ranking only behind the 19.7 percent increase in the second quarter of 2006, when the company operated less than 500 restaurants and had been a publicly-traded company for less than a year. "We're pleased that we continued to drive excellent results in the second quarter, including one of our strongest sales comps as a public company," said Steve Ells[8], chairman and co-CEO. Company earnings also rose in the three months that ended June 30, with net income on the quarter coming in at $110.27 million, up 25.5 percent from the third quarter of 2013 total of $87.85 million. Earnings per diluted share in the third quarter were $3.50, up from $2.82 in the year-ago quarter. Analysts on average were expecting earnings of $3.08 a share on revenue of $990 million, Thomson Reuters[9] reported. Ed Sealover covers…
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