This robust software platform includes the necessary online management tools to help a contract service business run successfully, including accounting/invoicing functions, customer relationship management software, business development resources and more. In addition, the platform is compatible with the Apple iPad and will enable Fireman’s field representatives to generate project estimates and obtain customer sign-off digitally at the customer’s location.

Renee Gilmore, CEO of Fireman’s Contractors, stated, “We are very excited with the steps we have taken over the last several months to launch this very important part of our business. The Firebase online platform will be a valuable asset to all our franchisees and possibly other commercial contractors in the future.”

The Firebase platform is included along with other business tools and training for new franchisees of Fireman’s Contractors. A member of the International Franchise Association (IFA), Fireman’s recently announced the launch of its franchise development program, aimed to assist the company in expanding its market share. The program is being led by a team of highly successful, experienced franchise development professionals who have previously facilitated the sales of more than 7,000 franchises. Fireman’s Contractors is also a partner in the IFA’s VetFran initiative, which offers financial incentives to veterans returning home in honor of their service to our country. For more information about Fireman’s Contractors franchise program, please visit: Fireman’s Contractors Franchise Opportunities.

As previously announced, the company was recently recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as a 2012 Free Enterprise Honoree. Beth Solomon, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Industry Relations for the IFA, stated, “We are pleased to welcome Fireman’s Contractors into the VetFran program and look forward to working with the company to offer our returning veterans options for affordable small business ownership. We believe Fireman’s Contractors’ service platform and strong value proposition are an outstanding match for our VetFran program.”

About VetFran:

The Veteran Transition Franchise Initiative (VetFran) is an International Franchise Association (IFA) program. VetFran was founded in 1991 in an effort to support veterans returning from war and help them transition into civilian economy. It includes more than 400 IFA franchisor member companies offering financial incentives, training and mentoring to veterans interested in small business ownership and/or a career path in franchising. Since the program’s inception, more than 2,100 veterans have become franchise business owners through VetFran.

About Fireman’s Contractors:

Fireman’s Contractors, Inc. is a full-service contractor commercial contractor offering business-to-business commercial franchises and services in the pavement maintenance and parking lot maintenance industry as well as providing professional services for commercial and government clients. Its services include Road Improvements, Pavement Maintenance, Seal Coating, Parking Lot Striping, Pavement Marking, Asphalt Maintenance and Repair, and ADA Compliance. Fireman’s Contractors has completed its FDD requirements with the Federal Trade Commission and has developed franchise territories across the U.S.  Fireman’s Contractors brings a professional value system delivering outstanding results through honorable customer relationships and repeat business. Local firefighters are supported by a portion of profits which are donated to local Firefighter Associations. For more information about Fireman’s Contractors, visit: www.FiremansContractors.com

For more information, contact:

Investor Relations Contact:

Geralyn Maher DeBusk

Halliburton Investor Relations

Phone: 972-458-8000

Keynote speakers at the Summit will include senior officers from Sam’s Club, Federal Express, McDonald’s, Best Buy and other successful corporations, as well as political analyst James Carville, author and radio talk show host Mary Matalin, and senior officials from the U.S. Chamber.

Commenting on Fireman’s participation in the Small Business Summit, CEO Renee Gilmore said, “We are honored to be recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at the 2012 Small Business Summit, and we look forward to networking with other successful small business leaders and respected political figures at the event.”

About Fireman’s Contractors:

Fireman’s Contractors, Inc. is a full-service contractor providing professional services for commercial and government clients. Services include Road Improvements, Pavement Maintenance, Seal Coating, Parking Lot Striping, Pavement Marking, Asphalt Maintenance and Repair, and ADA Compliance. Fireman’s Contractors has completed its FDD requirements with the Federal Trade Commission and has developed franchise territories across the U.S. The company’s goal is to develop a number of new franchise locations in the next 24 to 48 months. Fireman’s Contractors brings a professional value system delivering outstanding results through honorable customer relationships and repeat business. Local firefighters are supported by a portion of profits which are donated to local Firefighter Associations. For additional information about Fireman’s Contractors, visit: www.FiremansContractors.com

Founded by a Firefighter, Fireman’s Contractors — Contractors You Can Trust ®

For more information, contact:

Fireman’s Contractors, Inc.
2406 Gravel Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76118
Phone: 800-475-1479

Investor Relations Contact:
Geralyn Maher DeBusk
Halliburton Investor Relations
972-458-8000

“Residential remodeling construction this winter is really as strong as it’s been in past  5 years. Some analyst predicts residential remodeling will keep growing throughout 2012,” states Joe Emison of Texas-based BuildFax, a division of BUILDERRadius and creator from the BuildFax remodeling index. Residential remodeling, as measured because they build permits in the month of January, were in an annual rate of, up 13 percent from December and 11 percent from last year, based on BuildFax. The index shows particular strength within the Area and also the West. Sales of foreclosed properties might be enhancing the amounts, as traders have swarmed the marketplace, purchasing up distressed qualities and turning them into rental fees. A lot of individuals qualities happen to be either abandoned or vandalized and want at the minimum fundamental renovating and at most full makeovers.
Great news for U.S. companies that serve the construction market, and of course their stocks. Sherwin Williams (NYSE: SHW), which gets 77 percent of its revenue from the U.S. market, is trading at an all time high, going back to its IPO in 1964. Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is seeing the best levels since April of 2002, and shares of Lowes (NYSE: LOW) are at a high not seen since 2007. Both get all of their revenue from U.S. customers.
Others poised to profit: Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY), which takes about 65 percent of its revenue from U.S. sales and of course U.S. Gypsum (NYSE: USG), whose shares are up 103 percent in the last three months, United Rentals (NYSE: URI), which rents construction equipment, shares up 44 percent this year, and MASCO (NYSE: MAS), which makes all kinds of building products.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE: JEC) announced today it was awarded a contract to provide Project Management Consulting (PMC) services for a new pipe rolling mill near Corpus Christi, Texas for Tianjin Pipe (Group) Corporation (TPCO), a global leader in the manufacture of seamless pipe.

Officials did not disclose the contract value; however estimated the total program value at around $1 billion.

Jacobs’s Houston and Shanghai operations are responsible for the Project Management Consulting services. Jacobs is expected to assist TPCO with the coordination and management of engineering, procurement, and construction for the mill thereby enhancing TPCO’s own internal capabilities and resources as well as those of its Chinese associate engineering company, Capital Engineering & Research Incorporation Limited (CERI). Engineering, procurement and construction of the new facility is expected to be a multinational endeavor, including professional services, materials and/or labor from, the United States, Europe and China.

The new manufacturing facility, located in Gregory, Texas near the Port of Corpus Christi, is scheduled to be delivered with phased completions between December 2012 and end of 2014. This project is TPCO’s first major mill in the United States.

In making the announcement, Jacobs Group Vice President Tom McDuffie stated, “We are very proud that TPCO has chosen Jacobs to provide project management consulting services for its first project in the U.S. This is a major investment in Texas and reflects the confidence in our reputation for successfully delivering large facilities anywhere in the world.”

Headquartered in Tianjin, China, TPCO has major manufacturing facilities in China and Indonesia and according to TPCO, has captured over 40 percent of China’s OCTG domestic market and exports to over 100 countries in Europe, Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

Jacobs is one of the world’s largest and most diverse providers of technical, professional, and construction services.

Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management’s current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. For a description of some of the factors which may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements please refer to our 2011 Form 10-K, and in particular the discussions contained under Items 1 – Business, 1A – Risk Factors, 3 – Legal Proceedings, and 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements made herein.

Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) and IKEA is going to be offering a charging station in its parking areas to charge your vehicle very soon? It appears both of these retail procedures are planning for the future. Walgreens intends to install as much as 800 electric vehicle charging stations at locations over the U.S. this year, which may allow it to be the country’s greatest retail supporter from the concept. Meanwhile, home decorating store IKEA intends to test the acceptance of battery chargers at 10 stores within the Western Untied States.

The Walgreens installations, which began last summer time, uses EVGO Freedom Stations from NRG Energy. We’ve got the technology will include whether Electricity charger, which could give a “top off” that stretches an electrical vehicle’s range up to 30 miles in under ten minutes or with an amount 2 charger that stretches the number by 25 miles during a period of an hour or so. You will find trade-offs, obviously, since charging more rapidly could shorten the lifespan from the vehicle’s battery.

The websites specific for that charging stations includes Boston, Colorado, La, New You are able to City, Bay Area and Washington, D.C. Other states which get the battery chargers include Florida, New Jersey, Or, Tennessee and Washington. You will find already installations happening across Chicago, Dallas and Houston.

Could all parking lots become the perfect fueling stations in the future? Its appears to be happening right before our eyes as more plug-in electric vehicles come available and lots of charging stations are installed, it’s a great idea as gasoline prices continue to increase.

A significant road construction project in Tarrant County is approaching the 2-year mark. Designers broke ground around the North Tarrant Express in mid-2010. Once it’s complete, the NTE will run from Interstate-35W in Fort Worth to Industrial Boulevard in Euless. The $2.5 billion project will rebuild the present lanes of Interstate-820, Highway 121 and Highway 183, and add handled toll lanes.

“Probably over the following two months, this whole corridor is going to be being built,” stated Robert Hinkle, representative for that NTE. “So, which means there’s happening within the entire 13 . 5 miles.” By focusing on the whole project all at one time, rather than gradually, designers can complete the development much faster.

The NTE is anticipated to become open by June 2015. The job has already been in front of schedule, however the orange barrels and concrete obstacles will not be disappearing in the near future. “When you pull individuals concrete obstacles in, which you need to do to produce the development, the lanes remain. They’re just likely to look a great deal more compact,” Hinkle described. “So, for individuals workers’ safety but for the drivers’ safety, we would like folks to decelerate and give consideration.”

Across the stretch, cars, construction and congestion are commonplace. So, a minimum of for the following 3 years, controlling with the traffic trouble place is going to be tricky. “On a day, we have about 150,000 cars moving through this corridor, as well as we have about 1,000 employees on a day,” Hinkle stated. “So, put lower your Rim, put lower your sandwich, put lower your makeup, put lower anything you have with you – grip the wheel and drive.”

LOS ANGELES, March 26, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Empire Post Media, Inc. (OTCQB:EMPM.PK – News) announced that the company’s senior production executive Brian Trenchard Smith has commenced screenplay and pre-production work on a feature film version of “In Search of Yamashita’s Gold,” a true story about the exploits of modern day treasure hunters seeking to recover millions of ounces of gold buried by the Japanese as they retreated from the Philippines at the end of World War II.

Empire previously announced that, after a feasibility study, the company had entered into an agreement to option all rights to the underlying story, with the intention of developing the material across a number of platforms, including interactive e-book, feature film, documentary, television series and videogame.

Trenchard Smith, director of 42 feature films and over 40 television programs, plans to center the production in Australia, with locations in Fiji and the Philippines. He is currently writing the script and will direct the film.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which the company desires to take advantage of, provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include future plans, events, objectives, goals, strategies, underlying assumptions, and other statements, other than statements of historical facts.

The Company is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “potential,” “will,” “may,” “should,” “expect,” “pending” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, our management’s examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. THIS IS NOT AN OFFER OR SOLICITATION TO BUY/SELL SECURITIES. The material presented on this website is made for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer, or solicitation of an offer, to purchase or sell securities either generally or in any state or any other jurisdiction in which the offer or sale isn’t permitted. Posting on this blog do not constitute solicitations or recommendations to buy, sell or hold securities and don’t provide an analysis of the financial position of the company. We recommend you use the information found on our site as an initial starting place for conducting your own personal research around the postings and/or listed company to be able to determine your own opinion on the company before investing. WE ARE NOT BROKERS and WE DO NOT HAVE FINANCE/MARKET-RELATED LICENSES. Firemans Contractors Inc. is not a licensed brokers, broker dealers, market makers, investment bankers, investment advisors, analysts or underwriters.
Further information about Empire can be obtained from the company’s website, www.empirepostmedia.com.

Construction Industry News:  Tutor Perini Corp (NYSE: TPC)

Tutor Perini Corporation (NYSE: TPC – News), a leading civil and building construction company, recently announced that its subsidiary, Perini Management Services, Inc. (PMSI), has been awarded a task order valued at $55 million by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Middle East District. The task order was competitively bid under the multi-year USACE MATOC program for work in the 20 country region of the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.

The project involves the design and construction of overhead ballistic covers to protect U.S. government personnel at three locations in Iraq. PMSI has built 127 similar structures at military and diplomatic installations in Iraq over the past seven years. The covers are built over existing temporary structures such as dining facilities and housing units to deflect and prevent damage from indirect fire of rockets and mortars.

PMSI’s work on overhead coverage systems has been recognized nationally by the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). The program also earned the 2007 USACE Project Delivery Team Merit Award and a commendation letter from General David H. Petraeus.

The PMSI team includes Tetra Tech of Pasadena, CA for architect/engineering services.

About Tutor Perini Corporation

Tutor Perini Corporation is a leading civil and building construction company offering diversified general contracting and design/build services to private clients and public agencies throughout the world. We have provided construction services since 1894 and have established a strong reputation within our markets by executing large complex projects on time and within budget while adhering to strict quality control measures.

We offer general contracting, pre-construction planning and comprehensive project management services, including the planning and scheduling of the manpower, equipment, materials and subcontractors required for a project. We also offer self-performed construction services including excavation, concrete forming and placement, steel erection, electrical and mechanical services, plumbing and HVAC. We are known for our major complex building project commitments as well as our capacity to perform large and complex transportation and heavy civil construction for government agencies and private clients throughout the world.

Tutor Perini Corporation website: http://www.tutorperini.com

Recently, Chairman & CEO, Ronald Tutor trimmed his holdings to 10,537,575 shares (22.3%) by selling 734,583 from Dec. 6 through March 7 at $12.25 to $15.57 per share.

To see the SEC filings of the 13D: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/77543/000114036112017059/formsc13da.htm

YAHOO FINANCE: TOP (Tutor Perini Corp., NYSE: TPC) Institutional and Mutual Fund Holders

Holder

Holder

Bloomberg Reports: Road-Work to Stop as Congress Disputes Funding Bill

By Jeff Plungis – Mar 26, 2012

Congress’s rhetoric ahead of the March 31 expiration of a law funding U.S. highway and transit projects resembles the dueling that led to last July’s impasse shutting down the Federal Aviation Administration for two weeks.

About 4,000 government workers were furloughed. The agency lost $468 million, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, when airlines for 16 days pocketed a ticket tax that would have been used for airport construction.

The consequences of a highway-program shutdown would start with construction workers being laid off after states stop getting U.S. reimbursements to pay them, said Pete Rahn, leader of HNTB Holdings Ltd.’s transportation practice in Kansas City, Missouri. As many as 1.87 million jobs may be at risk, according to a Senate fact sheet citing Transportation Department job- calculation models. The U.S. government couldn’t collect as much as $93 million a day in gasoline taxes, he said.

“This is by an order of magnitude bigger than the FAA bill,” said Joshua Schank, president and chief executive officer of the Eno Center for Transportation in Washington. “If it lasts any more than a few weeks, there would be serious damage.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, last week urged the House to take up the bill his chamber passed March 14. He wouldn’t discuss what would be the ninth extension of highway legislation that expired in 2009.

Representative Bill Shuster, a Pennsylvania Republican rounding up votes on the other side of the Capitol, said that stance may change by March 30.

Vote Scheduled

The House will vote on a 90-day extension today after 6:30 p.m. in Washington, according to the chamber’s daily schedule. The bill will be taken up under rules requiring a two-thirds majority to pass, meaning the 242 Republicans will need about 48 Democrats to advance the legislation.

Representative Nick Rahall, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s senior Democrat, urged a “no” vote in an e-mailed statement. House leaders should schedule a vote on the Senate bill, he said.

“Allowing Republicans another 12 weeks would do nothing but feed their dangerous addiction to serial extensions and damaging delays, which are causing uncertainty and chaos at the start of the construction season,” said Rahall, of West Virginia.

Insolvency Potential

Congress’s struggles to agree on a long-term bill have drawn out so long that the Highway Trust Fund, which pays for road and mass transit construction, is almost insolvent. Its highway account may be unable to meet its obligations as soon as October, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials said Jan. 31 in a report analyzing Congressional Budget Office data.

The fund’s finances have declined as cars have become more efficient and Americans drive less because of higher gasoline prices, according to the U.S. Transportation Department.

If a shutdown forces gas-tax collections to stop, “these funds would be gone forever,” Rahn said. “There would be no way to make it up.”

The Senate’s two-year, $109 billion transportation plan passed March 14 includes about $14 billion from other accounts and general taxpayer money to shore up the trust fund. The trust fund collected $36.9 billion from all sources in 2011, according to the CBO.

When House leaders tried to bring a different bill to the floor last month, majority Republicans were so divided over how to pay for projects and whether mass transit should keep getting gasoline-tax money that it didn’t progress to a vote.

Jobs at Stake

House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica, a Florida Republican, introduced a bill March 22 to extend current programs through June 30.

As with the FAA bill, a lapse in the government’s authority to collect gasoline taxes won’t necessarily lead to lower fuel prices for consumers, Schank said.

Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, held several news conferences last week calling for a vote on the approved bill she sponsored. Among the jobs at stake if highway funding lapses are 177,500 highway and transit positions in California, 120,300 in Texas and 113,300 in New York, according to fact sheet prepared by Senate Democrats.

The Senate bill may create another 1 million jobs by expanding private-sector financing for projects, according to the fact sheet.

House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, backed off a pledge to act on the Senate bill if House members wouldn’t back Mica’s five-year, $260 billion plan. House Republicans want to bolster the Highway Trust Fund with revenue from opening up more federal land to oil and gas production, Boehner told reporters March 22.

‘Path to Bankruptcy’

“The problem with the Senate bill is it doesn’t address the issue of rising gas prices and energy,” Boehner said. “We believe if we are going to reauthorize the highway bill, American energy production ought to be a critical part of this.”

Boxer, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works, called a 90-day extension “a path to bankruptcy.” She wouldn’t say whether senators would support that plan.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, indicated that Democrats were ready for a fight.

“We want all members of the House to go on record — do they want to create jobs or do they want to destroy jobs?” Pelosi told reporters. “Republicans in the House have painted themselves into an extreme position.”

Union Pressure

The House plan would consolidate 130 U.S. highway programs into six, Mica said March 22 in remarks to the Ripon Society, a Republican policy group in Washington. It will speed up the process of approving construction projects and improve transportation options that will take traffic off the highways, he said.

“I don’t want to pass just a highway bill,” Mica said. The Senate, he said, “passed just a highway bill and that’s the wrong thing to do.”

Labor unions seeking to protect their members are trying to pressure House Republicans. After running radio ads in Boehner’s suburban Cincinnati district earlier in the month, the Laborers’ International Union of North America drove a 15-foot flatbed truck with a giant roll of duct tape to the city’s Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River.

Obsolete Bridges

The prop symbolized Congress’s short-term approach to fixing Ohio’s 6,400 structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges, the union, which represents 500,000 construction workers, said in a March 21 statement.

Short-term extensions don’t allow the kind of planning required for cities to plan construction projects, and Fresno, California, already has a backlog of projects that can’t be put out for bid because of the uncertainty, said Mayor Ashley Swearengin, a Republican.

“Any short-term extension would doom our chances of getting a long-term bill this year,” Swearengin told reporters March 23 on a U.S. Conference of Mayors conference call.

The Senate bill is S. 1813 and the House bills are H.R. 7 and H.R. 4239.

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