Over the next several posts, we’ll be running a series of posts summarizing the various green building programs currently in use.
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Business leaders met recently to review the current business climate and the economic outlook for the future. The business people reside in California, Arizona, Oregon, Indiana, and Illinois. Looking to 2011, with regard to the national economy and their state economies, any acceleration in the rate of recovery has slipped out until at least the middle of 2011 and probably not until 2012. These leaders do not anticipate a double-dip recession but expect economic growth next year to be very slow (1.5 – 2% growth in GDP). The strongest California county economies are Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties, followed by Santa Clara County. 
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California’s construction industry continues to lose employment.  During June, 8,500 more people lost jobs bringing the total for the year to 74,400 (12% of the total construction workforce). In previous months, the construction sector lost the most jobs but in June the largest job losses were in the Government Sector.  The Counties with the lowest unemployment are: Marin, San Mateo, and San Francisco – all below 10%. The highest unemployment is 27.6% in Imperial County.  
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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently announced a settlement in an unlawful harassment case the Commission brought against a large operator of Interstate truck stops.  The complaint by the EEOC charged that female cashiers at a Love’s truck stop in Arizona were sexually harassed by customers stopping for fuel.  According to the complaint, the offending truck drivers made crude and suggestive comments to the cashiers, pressed for personal information, and engaged in other unwelcomed conduct.   
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The majority of U. S. economists believe that the economy continues on a very slow growth path and that the danger of a double-dip recession is not high.   In July, U. S. private companies added 71,000 jobs but total employment fell by 221,000 jobs as more Census workers were laid-off.  June’s private sector employment number was reduced to 31,000 people.  The number of new jobs being added cannot bring down the rate of unemployment because there are more new workers (high school and college graduates) than the number of new jobs added.  
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Currently, practically all construction projects need a storm water permit that is issued by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). Most projects are covered by what is called a General Permit (as opposed to an Individual Permit). On September 2, 2009 the SWRCB adopted a new General Permit for construction activities. This permit became effective July 1, 2010 and it overrides the old permit.
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How do businesses manage customer feedback? The feedback could arrive in a letter, a phone call, a face-to-face meeting, or a formal customer satisfaction survey. In most organizations, businesses focus nearly all of organization’s time and energy on what the feedback tells us didn’t go well or areas in which the business fell short of a competitor. Effort is needed to attack these problem areas and correct them. The goal is to be the best at earning a customer’s business every day. The thinking is that if we eliminate any “negatives” then customers will want to continue to do business with us.
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