Business

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Ash Brokerage Corporation today announced that it is expanding its market presence with the opening of a sales and service office located in Houston, Texas. Ash Brokerage is one of the largest independently owned general agencies and financial service providers in the U.S.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- HotGigs Inc., an innovator in web-based contract workforce solutions, announced that it has appointed Gregg Bjork as its new vice president of sales. Bjork has 15 years of senior management experience and more than 23 years experience in software and technology businesses.

NANUET, N.Y. -- Children's birthday parties spell success for Michelle Violetto and Tanya Ehrlich, the co-founders of L.S. Franchise Corp., announcing today the opening of three more franchised units located in Rye Brook, NY, Aberdeen, NJ, and Happy Valley, OR. There are 8 Little Scoops party businesses open in the NY and NJ area, with the Happy Valley location representing their first west coast location.

RICHMOND, Texas -- CYNACON / OCuSOFT (OCuSOFT, Inc.), a company specializing in ophthalmic research, development and supply to ophthalmologists and optometrists, is pleased to announce the appointment of Edward J. Holland, M.D. to its Medical Scientific Advisory Board.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Write Away, Inc., a full-service editorial company, announces today that a 20-plus year chef and culinary professional joins their creative team to meet the growing demands of businesses pertaining to the food industry. The company specializes in writing about the food and beverage industry.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Understanding economic development at the municipal, county and state levels, and then turning development opportunities into realities is something Steve McKnight knows (and loves) to do. His passion for his work has led to millions of investment dollars and thousands of jobs for a rural Pennsylvania region. And, it's this success that has him poised to do the same for organizations and communities across the country as he becomes the latest member of GSP Consulting's Economic Architecture (EA) group.

RICHMOND, Texas -- CYNACON / OCuSOFT (OCuSOFT, Inc.), a company specializing in ophthalmic research, development and supply to ophthalmologists and optometrists, today announced the appointment of Lawrence A. Yannuzzi, M.D. to its Medical Scientific Advisory Board.

DENVER, Colo. -- Hammerberg & Associates, Inc. recently acquired the domain name, GayCalifornia.com, for a price tag of $250,000. According to the purchaser and "technoprenuer," Jeffery Hammerberg, it was a bargain. Hammerberg and Associates, a well-known Denver Brokerage, owns, and over the years, has developed dozens of domain names - many of which cater to the gay and lesbian communities.

SEATTLE, Wash. -- Protingent Staffing, a Pacific Northwest leader in technology staffing today announced plans to expand service in select markets through franchise ownership. This expansion model was chosen to leverage the franchisee owner's familiarity with their local labor market and business climate, giving them a competitive edge.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Heli-Support, a leading helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul facility, today announced they have been awarded full factory approval for overhaul and repair of one of the most popular helicopter engines in use today, the Turbomeca Arriel 1. The certification is without limitations, and covers the Arriel 1, 1B, 1D and 1D-1, and will soon be followed by all additional Arriel 1 variants.

GLENDALE, Calif. -- Cyrios, Inc., a U.S.-based, California corporation, is meeting with their Asian and European partners to discuss expansion of commodity trading, specifically...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- One of the leading hospitality strategists and consumer behavior experts has accepted a position at the nation's largest full-service restaurant consulting firm. After 18 years with Y partnership, previously YPB&R, Dennis Marzella has resigned his partnership post as executive vice president of strategic planning, branding and research to spearhead similar functions at Quantified Marketing Group.

ATLANTA, Ga. -- Interactive Data, LLC, a leading provider of contact-accuracy services, announces the acquisition of DirectoryNET, LLC, a leading provider of directory assistance and business-intelligence solutions. Interactive Data, LLC (ID) is the industry's leader in locating and identifying individuals who are typically difficult to find.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Darrin Taylor and Alan Espasandin are the owner operators of Statewide Compliance Training (SCT). After serving the State of Oregon for a combined 12 years as Inspectors in the regulatory department of the Commission they are venturing out on their own to offer training in liquor law, service permits and DPSST Security certifications.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Kathleen Greer, founder and president of KGA, Inc., announced the promotion of Sue Penchansky to Vice President. After serving as a Senior Human Resources Consultant and Advisory Board member for four years, Penchansky will now be responsible for account management while continuing to build the consulting side of the KGA business.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- Southern Staircase, a leading manufacturer of pre-assembled staircase systems, recently announced the purchase of Stair Parts, Incorporated, or SPI, of Adairsville, Ga. SPI manufactures wooden staircase components such as newels, balusters and stair treads. The sale was announced on May 10th.

SEATTLE, Wash. -- PlanHeaven.com announced today that it has launched an online marketplace showcasing video pitches from early stage companies to a nationwide audience of angel investors. The focus on online video combined with other communication tools differentiates PlanHeaven from similar services.

FRESNO, Calif. -- Cypress Systems, Inc, a Fresno CA based biotechnology company, announced that it has hired Mark Whitacre, Ph.D. Dr. Whitacre joined the executive management team effective January 1, 2007 as COO & President, Technology and Business Development, following the opening of a new office in Pensacola, Florida in December, 2006.

HOUSTON, Texas -- Infrastruct Security, Inc. announces that its latest round of financing has pushed the company over the $20 million mark and helped the company meet its initial business goals within its first year of operation.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Meckley and Associates announces that near-death survivor and company founder, Ilene Meckley forms new division of her company, Highway of Success. A business dedicated to providing the tools necessary to navigate through the bumps and roadblocks along the way and continue cruising down the highway of success.

TRIPOLI, Libya -- According to Phoenicia Group, the leading U.S.-Libyan diversified business and consultancy group, and a strategic partner to several multinational corporations in Libya, business confidence has reached an all time high among the Libyan private sector and foreign companies looking to invest in Libya, a result of astute government policies in streamlining the business and legal regulatory framework and government support of private sector and entrepreneurial growth.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- ROK Southwest, Inc. has just released a new, free white paper, "An Innovative, Low Cost Approach to Communicating Highly Effective Policies and Procedures," that explains how line-of-business managers can use existing simple tools and techniques to improve employee productivity and quality of work by more effectively communicating the organization's "process knowledge."

GLENDALE, Calif. -- Intellikey Labs announced today the launch of their podcast series "Intellikey Tests" now available on the Intellikey corporate website. The podcasts are designed for content providers who want to learn how to apply quality assurance testing to their products to avoid errors that may upset customers and clients.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Accents In Water, an Englewood based manufacturing company, invested in a study to see if any health benefits would result from having an indoor water feature. The study's conclusion is surprising. It shows water features cleaning air better than most air cleaners. In addition, the study indicates that Accents In Water's features not only remove dust they also neutralize bacteria and potential viruses from the air.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- CheapoAir.com, a top budget travel website dedicated to leveraging the latest technology to deliver cheap airline tickets, is proud to announce Werner Kunz as their new Chief Strategy Officer. CheapoAir.com is growing at an accelerated pace.