GSA Technology Council

Exopack, an established leader in the development and manufacture of a variety of paper and plastic flexible packaging solutions, signed a joint venture agreement this week with Lebanon-based packaging manufacturer INDEVCO Group (INDEVCO) to manufacture co-extruded polyethylene film in the Middle East.

Initially, this joint venture will include the installation of film production equipment in INDEVCO’s Masterpak sal flexible packaging facility in Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon. This new extrusion capacity will be used for the manufacture of various coextruded film products for uses in flexible packaging. The film will be distributed by Exopack as part of the company’s family of film products.

Exopack and INDEVCO have shared a long-term relationship through Exopack’s Global Packaging Linx (GPL) group. These two companies share common competencies in film production and flexible packaging manufacture to support customers from a global sourcing and innovation perspective. This joint venture represents the strengthening of this relationship and brings the first cost-effective films from the Middle East to customers in North America.

This joint venture is the initial phase of a longer-term strategy to continue to build multiple film production sites in the Middle East. This will allow Exopack and INDEVCO to take advantage of the new polymer manufacturing capacity coming on stream in the Middle East in light of the increased economic advantage of ethylene production in this region of the world.

via: Exopack

Total Nutraceutical Solutions, Inc. has announced that the company signed an agreement with Hokto Kinoko Co. (“Hokto”) to acquire mushroom spent substrate from the Hokto facility in San Marcos, CA. The 250,000 square foot growing facility for fresh specialty mushrooms has the potential at full capacity to produce 20-25 tons of spent substrate per day. TNS plans to develop and market this material as an animal feed additive with nutritional value via collaborative research with the Department of Food Science at Pennsylvania State University.

“This agreement propels TNS into the forefront of nutritional supplementation in the human and veterinary markets,” stated Marvin S. Hausman MD, CEO, TNS. “Research collaborations between our own scientists and those of the Department of Food Science, Pennsylvania State University, will allow us to identify key bioactive substances within the spent substrate which has the potential to supplement the diets of humans and animals. These bioactive nutrients and enzymes may act as natural potent anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory agents to increase the nutritional value of animal food products. The nutrients may also prevent various diseases that afflict animals in the food chain as well as many humans.”

Mushroom substrate waste is defined as the spent substrate (growing media) and all mushroom residuals resulting from cleaning the growing bottles after the harvest of mushroom fruit bodies at the growing facility. The Hokto state-of-the-art facility, the largest of its kind in the United States, will produce the following mushrooms: Brown Beech (Buna Shimeji), White Beech (Bunapiâ„¢), King Trumpet (Pleurotus eryngii), and Maitake.

AT&T has announced plans for continued expansion of the companies 3G Network throughout South Carolina.  The plans include include expansion in of existing 3G network in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, and Spartenburg and the launch of 3G in Florence and Anderson.  All together, the cmpletion of the plan should end up with 195 active cell sites across the state.

A list of counties that will benefit from the 2009 activation include:

– Greenville County
– Spartanburg County
– Anderson County
– York County
– Pickens County
– Lancaster County
– Laurens County
– Richland County
– Lexington County
– Sumter County
– Florence County
– Horry County
– Charleston County
– Berkeley County
– Dorchester County

Via AT&T

At the end of their humorous Super Bowl ad that poked fun at their competitor’s “candy” breakfasts, Denny’s (NASDAQ: DENN) surprised millions of Americans by offering a FREE Grand Slam® breakfast to anyone who visits their restaurants across America between 6am and 2pm on Tuesday, February 3. Denny’s Super Bowl ad, broadcast in the third quarter of the game, was seen by millions of viewers in the US. The company anticipates that up to two million consumers will take advantage of the free Grand Slam® offer.

“The Grand Slam has always been a Denny’s favorite,” says Nelson Marchioli, CEO, Denny’s. “This free offer is our way of re-acquainting America with Denny’s real breakfast and with the Denny’s brand. You don’t know the real Denny’s unless you’ve been in our restaurants lately, experiencing the quality of our new menu items and our service first-hand.”

Denny’s free Grand Slam® offer kicks off the brand’s ‘Year of the Grand Slam.’ Introduced in 1977, the Grand Slam® breakfast is one of Denny’s best-known and best-selling products. (Inspired by one of America’s favorite pastimes, the breakfast features pancakes, eggs, bacon strips and sausage links – two of each. Denny’s sells over 12,500,000 Grand Slams a year.)

Consumers who take advantage of the Denny’s free offer will get another great surprise: A bounceback coupon booklet that will give guests great deals, including offers for additional free menu items with purchases. Also, in conjunction with the free Grand Slam® on Tuesday, Denny’s guests will be able to “Slam It Up” by adding any two additional items for 99 cents each.

via: Dennys

In recognition of the project’s unique and transformational nature for Spartanburg, The Duke Energy Foundation recently pledged $1.25 million to the George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics at the University of South Carolina Upstate. The $30 million facility, which bears the name of the chairman of Johnson Development Associates, is currently under construction on Saint John Street and is expected to be completed in May 2010. 

“The Duke Energy Foundation views this business school as a landmark event for Spartanburg and the surrounding community. The location of a major business school will be a tremendous enhancement to the downtown area,” said George Acker, government and community relations director for Duke Energy Carolinas. “We view this as a “once every generation kind of gift” and the project fits nicely with our focus on economic and business development ties within the community.”

USC Upstate Chancellor John Stockwell expressed his tremendous appreciation to the Duke Energy Foundation, which is funded by Duke Energy shareholders, for its very generous gift that was pledged in summer 2008.

“The implications of having a prestigious business school in our downtown will be far-reaching and we are thankful to Duke Energy Foundation for recognizing these implications,” said Stockwell. “Once the facility is completed and our business and economics programs are running out of the heart of downtown Spartanburg, it will assist in the economic development of the City, the region and the State; serve as a magnet for corporate investment; aid in pre-start-up and incubation support of small business; and introduce thousands of business majors over the years to the opportunities for investment in the City.”

Stockwell will present the Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Gold Dome Award to the Duke Energy Foundation for its sincere loyalty and commitment to USC Upstate and its future at the University’s annual Founders’ Day celebration on February 19.

“Duke Energy is committed to the success of the communities we serve. We see the new Johnson College of Business as a powerful enhancement to the economic and social infrastructure of Spartanburg, and the Upstate region as a whole. We also recognize the value that higher education institutions play in the growth of the new economy, and applaud USC Upstate for its leadership,” said Brett Carter, president of Duke Energy Carolinas, which covers North Carolina and South Carolina, serving approximately 2.4 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area.

The three-story, 60,000-square-foot building is located adjacent to the Chapman Cultural Center. David M. Schwarz Architects, Inc. is the design architect; McMillan Smith & Partners Architects is the production architect; Linbeck is the construction manager at-risk; and Clerestory Projects Group, Inc. is the project manager. 

Dr. Darrell Parker, dean of the George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics at USC Upstate, is energized when thinking of the new facility — what it means for current faculty and students and the ability to recruit future faculty and students.

“This new facility will relieve pressures on restricted space for teaching and learning through the creation of sufficient classrooms and offices for future growth,” said Parker. “In addition, it will permit the development of specialized instructional space including dedicated computer labs with business software, a stock market trading room for finance classes, and classrooms with computers to permit students to individually run educational software during class.”

Parker also predicts significant expansion of resources for the local business community. “The Johnson College of Business and Economics will support executive education and other academic outreach activities, enabling expanded services for small businesses and connecting business leaders with the University and its students. We have the amazing opportunity to provide modern facilities with current technology, shared space for executive and continuing education opportunities, and a “Class A” office environment that welcomes and serves the business community.”

Via USC Upstate and Duke Energy

FORTUNE announced Thursday that Milliken & Company has been ranked #64 on the 12th annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Once again, Milliken is the only South Carolina-based company to make the list. Milliken also ranked #17 on the Best MEDIUM-Sized Company list. The full list and related stories appear in the February 2 issue of FORTUNE, available on newsstands on Monday, January 26, and now at www.fortune.com/bestcompanies.

A driving factor for the companies on this year’s list is that they excel at creating jobs. Of the 100 companies on the 2009 list, 73 are currently hiring.

In his FORTUNE.com blog, Managing Editor Andy Serwer writes, “No matter what happens with the economy, the demand for talent will remain. Great companies know that super-motivated, happy, world-class employees are an incredible competitive advantage.”

To pick the “100 Best Companies to Work For,” FORTUNE works with Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz of the Great Place to Work(R) Institute — a global research and consulting firm with offices in 30 countries — to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America.

“Making FORTUNE’s ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ list for a fifth time is great recognition for all our associates,” stated Joe Salley, President & CEO. “Their constant engagement and dedication to building a strong culture of integrity, innovation, and excellence is truly what makes Milliken successful.”

More than 81,000 employees from 353 companies responded to the 57-question survey created by the Institute. Two-thirds of a company’s score is based on the survey, which is sent to a minimum of 400 randomly selected employees. The remaining third is based on a company’s responses to the Culture Audit questionnaire, which asks detailed questions about demographics, pay and benefits, and open-ended questions on philosophy, communication and more.

Any company that is at least seven years old with more the 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible to be included on the list. The deadline for applying for next year’s list is March 31, 2009. For an online nomination form, go to www.greatplacetowork-100best.com.

via Milliken & Company

Extended Stay Hotels has responded to the Wall Street Journal story which indicates that the Spartanburg based hotel chain may be transferring the chain to it’s lenders.

“Extended Stay Hotels had no discussions or interaction with the Wall Street Journal on today’s story. The company remains in compliance with all of its debt terms. It is profitable on an operating basis, is current with its vendors and intends to remain so. The business model remains a viable one, and we expect to continue to improve and grow the business.”

Total Nutraceutical Solutions, Inc. announced that the company has acquired from The Penn State Research Foundation (PSRF) an option to license an invention entitled “Rapid Generation of Vitamin D2 from Mushrooms and Fungi Using Pulsed UV-light. A U.S. Provisional Patent Application was filed on April 23, 2008 and names Professor Robert B. Beelman and Graduate Student Michael Kalaras as co-inventors, Department of Food Science, Pennsylvania State University (PSU).

The PSU scientists recently studied the effect of Pulsed UV light treatment on increasing Vitamin D2 levels in four commonly consumed U.S. mushroom varieties. Pulsed UV light is a technology that delivers energy from light at a high peak power in a short amount of time. A Steripulse®- XL 3000 (Xenon Corporation, Wilmington MA) was used for Pulsed UV light exposure. This study demonstrated that after a very short exposure time of about 1 sec (system generates 3 pulses per second) the Vitamin D2 content of these mushroom varieties increased from very little to upwards of 800% DV/serving. Previous studies using continuous UV light has been shown to take several minutes of exposure to obtain similar values.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that has many physiologic roles including maintaining blood levels of phosphorus and calcium, promotion of bone mineralization and calcium absorption, maintaining a healthy immune system, and regulating cell differentiation and growth. Recent studies have also shown a link between vitamin D deficiency and diseases such as cancer, chronic heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease and even mental illness.

“This breakthrough Vitamin D technology is a perfect fit for our company whose focus is the use of natural mushrooms and their contained bioactive components as a whole food approach to the prevention of disease,” stated Marvin S. Hausman MD, CEO, Total Nutraceutical Solutions, Inc. “The company’s dietary supplements containing increased amounts of Vitamin D2 can potentially be used to increase needed amounts of this vitamin in the pediatric population as well as nutritionally support the elderly in the prevention of osteoporosis and hopefully decrease the incidence of tragic bone fractures.” Dr. Hausman further stated: “The commercial opportunity for our company in the creation of natural organic vitamin D enhanced specialty mushroom products is underscored by the recent call to action by nutritional scientists from several U.S. universities that the daily intake of vitamin D should be raised to 2,000 International Units (IU).” Currently, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommend the following as adequate daily intake for adults; 200 IU for people 19-50 years old; 400 IU for people 51-70 years old; and 600 IU for people 71 years and older.

“This strategic scientific relationship with Total Nutraceutical Solutions will facilitate further research on the use of pulsed UV light in mushroom products and support clinical studies into the application of these nutritional products in the prevention of disease,” stated Professor Robert B. Beelman, Department of Food Science, Pennsylvania State University.

Join the Carolinas Chapter of the Product Development and Management Association at its first event in Spartanburg. Sponsored by VantagePoint and Milliken & Company, the evening will combine networking and education. Attendees will also have the opportunity to tour the Milliken Product Gallery prior to the panel discussion.

For most companies collaborative product development is no longer an optional business strategy, but rather a necessity to achieve growth targets and remain competitive. But what does it take to develop, implement, and profit from a co-development effort? And how does a company take its current collaborative innovation business strategy to the next level?

What are current best practices of leading organizations?
What tools are available to facilitate the process?
What pitfalls have others encountered? And how do you avoid them?

What DMA – Collaborative Product Development
When:November 20, 6PM
Where: Roger Milliken Center, 920 Milliken Road, Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Cost to attend: The PDMA meeting is $25 PDMA members, $30 non-members.

Learn More: PDMA Carolinas November Meeting

Milliken & Company today announced that Abrams™, its flame resistant (FR) fabric designed specifically for military applications, has been chosen as the only approved fabric for the United States Army’s improved Combat Vehicle Coverall (iCVC).

Due to its extreme durability and overall versatility, Abrams can withstand the daily rigors of the Army’s routine such as crawling in and out of combat vehicles and the constant rubbing against different metals. It delivers in all areas — improved flame resistance and increased durability from abrasion and tears — and is also approved for use in other combat uniforms.

The iCVC uniform updates the current one-piece flame-retardant CVC uniform. Utilizing Abrams, the new uniform will now provide improved flame protection and increased durability from abrasion and tears. Additionally, new design changes enhance fit and function and the iCVC now features the universal camouflage pattern. With these upgrades, the uniform meets the Mounted Soldier System program requirements.

Protection against flames and other heat-related hazards is a top priority for land and land-air defense. Through a unique combination of Milliken’s proprietary-blended fiber technologies, including DuPont™ Nomex®, Abrams delivers next generation protection and comfort in flame resistant garments and materials. It provides protection against flames and burns, is resistant to abrasions and tears, and also contains moisture wicking capabilities while still remaining soft and comfortable to wear. Abrams, and all of its components, are made entirely in the USA.

“The military was looking for a flame resistant fabric that is not only safe and provides a high level of protection, but is durable as well,” said Benjie Reynolds, general manager for Milliken Military. “We are proud to supply a family of fabrics that are adaptable for use in varying mission requirements and environmental conditions.”

Milliken currently serves as a materials subcontractor for all branches of the U.S. Military, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Post Office and the Department of Homeland Security. Many of Milliken’s military fabrics are currently being used in such products as Flame Resistant boots, perimeter veils, Nomex® flight suits, baselayers, and dress and protective combat uniforms.

via: Milliken Military