Office Depot to Close Boca Raton Center

Office Depot (ODP) will eliminate about 250 jobs at a call center in Boca Raton, as it tries to reduce operating costs and boost earnings.

The workers account for less than 1 percent of Office Depot's 50,000 employees. They make marketing calls to corporate customers, spokesman Brian Levine said. The office supply retailer is holding internal job fairs to find the workers new positions within the company, he added.

About 200 jobs are open at Office Depot headquarters in Delray Beach, 150 in Florida stores and 25 locally in a unit that sells paper and office furniture to companies, Levine said. Office Depot will offer job-placement services, work with local employers and give paid time off for interviews for workers who decide not to stay, he added.

More here.

Raytheon Louisville Gets Big Contract

Raytheon Missile Systems has received its biggest order yet for its Louisville-made Phalanx Close-In Weapon System, a rapid-fire naval weapon designed to shoot down incoming missiles and planes.

The $369 million Defense Department contract includes orders for 14 land-based Phalanx systems for the Army, which has deployed several of the high-tech Gatling guns in Iraq. They are used to intercept rockets, artillery shells and mortar rounds.

The land systems are basically the same as the naval guns, said Raytheon spokesman John Eagles, but their computer programming allows them to interact with other Army radars and sensors.

More here.

Living Regionally, Thinking Locally

It would sound pretty silly at this point to talk of the District economy, or the Fairfax economy or the Prince William economy. The way most people and businesses experience it, this is a regional economy -- one that is becoming more so every day.

The markets from which employers draw their workers, from which companies draw their suppliers, from which retailers draw their customers -- surely all of these are regional.

There's a regional housing market, in which the supply and prices in one area affect the supply and prices in another.

And in the competition for top talent from around the world, the "creative class," it is the region's offerings of airports, universities, sporting and cultural venues, restaurants and recreational possibilities that are considered, not those of any one location.

To the degree the economy is regional, so are its problems -- transportation gridlock, the lack of affordable housing, the skills mismatch between what companies need and what workers can offer. And yet, with the exception of Metro and the airport authority, most of the regional mechanisms and institutions we have for addressing them are either weak and ineffective, or are yet to be developed.

Read more here.

Cuba Readies for Investment

The Cuban-American business leaders of the Cuba Study Group are putting their money where their hopes lie. The group has pledged $10 million as seed capital for a microloan program aimed at entrepreneurs inside of Cuba. That's not all. The nonprofit group proposes other ideas for jump-starting the moribund Cuban economy - for whenever the Cuban government chooses to change direction.

The ideas are compelling, as difficult as the obstacles to realizing them will be. Carlos A. Saladrigas, the group's co-chairman, argues that the process of change involves many little steps; the more options offered to the Cuban people, the easier and faster a transition may take place. The goal is to foster an economic-development model that creates and spreads wealth.

Such a constructive approach is refreshing. Criticizing Cuba's dictatorship for bankrupting its economy and human-rights abuses, legitimate as those issues are, doesn't change the facts on the ground. Fundamental change should be initiated by Cubans on the island. Offering ideas and incentives helps encourage Cubans to take the needed plunge.

The Cuba Study Group has partnered with Banco Compartamos, a Mexico bank with microlending experience. Compartamos would set up the loan program in Cuba, whenever permitted by Cuban and U.S. law. True, the current Cuban regime is unlikely to embrace the project. And the U.S. embargo would likely restrict U.S. residents from investing in such a project. But at some point Cuba will change, hopefully soon and peacefully rather than later and chaotically. Meanwhile, the $10 million fund will grow and remain available until Cubans on the island can shape their own futures.

More here.

What We See

"People only see what they are prepared to see."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Entrepreneurs Working Together Birth Firms

Well-known on the local life sciences scene, Mary Del Brady, Peter DeComo and Raymond Vennare figure they have seen and been through just about everything while trying to get their tech companies -- 10 collectively -- off the ground.

Now they have linked up to launch another -- ThermalTherapeutics, a medical device firm developing a specialized pump for delivering chemotherapy more effectively.

Since Ms. Brady and Mr. DeComo also are busy leading their own firms -- Ms. Brady with RedPath Integrated Pathology and Mr. DeComo with Renal Solutions Inc. -- Mr. Vennare, formerly the chief executive officer of ImmunoSite, has taken the lead at ThermalTherapeutics.

As co-founders and "passive partners," Mr. DeComo and Ms. Brady have put their own money into the 6-month-old firm and used their connections and expertise in the life sciences industry to get ThermalTherapeutics up and running. Mr. Vennare has been actively raising money from outside investors.

Mr. DeComo said he and Ms. Brady will provide guidance and counseling. "I'll just be a sort of a co-founder that goes away as some do [eventually]."

The trio decided to join forces after a fourth co-founder, seasoned medical device engineer Michael Fausett, presented them with the opportunity more than six months ago. Currently based in Indiana, Dr. Fausett is serving as ThermalTherapeutics' chief technology officer -- and is busy perfecting a prototype for the company's maiden product.

Read more here. (Ohio Public Library Network)

A View on Why Education Reform Isn't Working

This is from a recent Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article. I would ask you what is your view on this matter? Do you agree with the author?

"I have been a teacher for more than 25 years and have seen the surge of moral decay manifested in my students over these years. I knew we were morally in trouble in the '80s when certain sitcoms and cartoon shows, which promoted disrespect, became the most popular television programs that our children watched weekly. Being insulting and disrespectful became the norm, and the media picked up on this.

Little by little, this gnawing away of respect has filtered down into our schools. Respect is a thing of the past. In days gone by, students used to listen to teachers, even boring teachers, when they were being taught. Now, as a teacher, you have to be an entertainer to keep students' attention. Classroom management is an art form, but if the students lack respect, all the skills as a classroom manager go out the window.

In this day and age, a true educator not only teaches the various required skills and concepts within the curriculum but will also incorporate a moral environment during his or her daily classroom routine.

As an educator, I am limited to how I can impart these important qualities. Shouldn't the teaching of values and morality first begin in the home? Truly, development of character should begin within the family."

Read more here. (Through Ohio Public Library Network)

ED Futures Update

Dear Readers:

Welcome to the latest update to ED Futures.

Please take a few minutes to browse the articles in this week's issue. There are several industry snapshots for those who asked for more.

Best wishes,

Don Iannone
Publisher
Email: dtia@don-iannone.com
Tel: 440.449.0753