Kiger's Notebook

IBM to cover all primary health care for employees

Here's an interesting tidbit I spotted on www.Bloggingstocks.com of all places this morning. This piece by David Schepp says that IBM will pick up all primary care costs for employees starting in 2010.

That means no co-pays or deductibles, I guess. I'll do some checking on this myself.

Here's some from the bloggingstocks.com story:

In an era in which employers increasingly are having to shift more health-care costs onto employees, IBM is taking the unprecedented tack of opting to pick up all expenses related to primary care for U.S.-based employees, beginning next year. In doing so, IBM is is among the first U.S. companies to cover primary care at 100%, the Armonk, N.Y.-based computing giant said Thursday.

The move means employees will not be subject to co-pays or deductibles for in-network primary care with their internist, general or family practitioner, pediatrician or primary osteopath. IBM said it was able to boost coverage due to the company's success in implementing wellness programs, an effort begun five years ago.
"As a result of our focus on wellness and primary care, IBM employees have become healthier and our costs are rising more slowly," said Randy MacDonald, senior vice president of human resources in a statement. The new benefit will apply to all IBM-self insured medical plans, which include PPO, PPO Plus and EPO options and currently cover about 80% of all U.S.-based employees, Big Blue said.

A self-insured plan is one in which health costs are borne by the employer, with an insurance company acting as an administrator. IBM noted that other employees participate in HMO plans, which typically provide most, but not all, preventive and primary services at low or no cost.

Employees will still contribute a share of premium costs, IBM said.

IBM also said it's introducing a new wellness incentive "to encourage changes in lifestyle to build energy, better health and vitality" through the implementation of rebates of $150, one of five such incentives IBM offers U.S.-based workers. Employees who participate in initiatives, which promote mental, physical and emotional well-being, receive the rebates upon completion of select programs.

Employees can chose any two rebates to receive up to $300 in cash a year, IBM said.

Roch. Chamber bash 2009 - awards and pics

Here's a little bit from my story about about tonight's Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce Celebration and a few pics.

A crowd of 634 area business leaders heard a message of optimism tempered with the knowledge of the difficulties that lay ahead Thursday.

“ We must dream big and the time is now,” John Wade told the crowd gathered for the annual Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce celebration at the International Event Center.

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He concluded his time at the podium by saying, “ We are indeed the front door of free enterprise and we are indeed open for business in Rochester.”

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A special President’s Award, only the second ever presented in the Chamber’s 150 year history, was given to  A.M. ‘”Sandy” Keith for his long service to the community culminating in his role as executive director of the Rochester Downtown Alliance.

Keith, known for his gruff, but playful demeanor, stalked up to the podium and barked “Absolutely no standards” into the microphone as he accepted the award.

With a grin, Wade said he along with the staff at the chamber and the RDA will miss that gravely voice.

Other awards presented included:

• Business of the Year: John Hardy’s Bar-B-Q. The award was accepted by owner John Brockman.

• Jan Warfield Volunteer of the Year Award: This went to two Chamber volunteers this year. Kristine Ihrke of Best Western Soldiers Field and Eric Jenney of IBM.

• Lamp of Knowledge: Kathy Meyerle of Mayo Clinic.

• Ambassador of the year: Vinny Barry of Value Place hotel.

A Touching story

Here’s a touching Rochester story.

Healing Touch is moving its spa and massage business to two locations.

Owner Mary Jo Majerus explains that the 23-year-old business is moving completely out of its long-time home in the Kahler Hotel subway in downtown Rochester.

Chair massages in the subway under the downtown Rochester Marriott Hotel still will be offered.

The spa services are going to the second floor of the University Square Mall next week. The massage portion part will move in with the Massage & Spa Professional Academy at 17 13 1/2 St. N. on Monday.

While the University Square space will be long-term, Majerus says moving in with the school, which she also owns, is temporary.

Back in August, Majerus announced plans to move into the former Audibel Hearing Center on North Broadway between Taco Bell and Dairy Queen. That didn’t work out, because it could not accommodate her salon business.

To stay open in the short term, she is splitting things up and dropping the salon for now.
She hopes to find a location or a partner to house the spa, salon and her school in one place.

NeoChord's first human patient

Remember NeoChord?

That's the Minneapolis biotech company founded in 2007 that is working on bringing to market a Mayo Clinic-created non-invasive method for fixing a leaky heart valve AKA mitral-valve regurgitation.

Mayo Clinic does have an investment in an equity position in NeoChord. 

Well, it has installed its heart fix in a human patient in Europe now.

That sounds like a solid step toward getting a product to market, assuming the test goes well.

Here's some from a press release on the study:

NeoChord, Inc., a venture-backed, Minneapolis-based medical technology company, announced today that it has enrolled the first patient in its European clinical trial.

The trial is being conducted in Germany, Denmark, Czech Republic and Norway.

“We are very pleased with the early results of this first procedure,” said Per Wierup and Sten Lyager Nielsen, the cardiac surgeons who performed the surgery. “The patient is an otherwise healthy, very active 47-year-old male who preferred to not have a sternotomy or cardiopulmonary bypass to fix his severe mitral regurgitation. The NeoChord approach has successfully treated his mitral regurgitation and potentially offers him a quick return to his military career and favorite hobby, scuba diving.”

Intra-operative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) confirmed that the patient’s severe, eccentric mitral regurgitation was reduced to zero or trace mitral regurgitation. 

Giovanni Speziali, MD, the cardiac surgeon who is the primary inventor of the NeoChord device also attended the procedure.  “These results, although early, are equivalent to what we obtain in traditional open heart surgery for correction of mitral regurgitation,” said Dr. Speziali.

Mavo on the move

An accidental blaze in January ruined plans to expand its Rochester office, but Mavo Systems now has a new and much larger place to call home in Med City.

Mavo Systems, an environmental and mechanical systems contractor, closed on the purchase Friday of a 9,000-square-foot building at 3030 Prow Lane N.E., near Valleyhigh Drive Northwest.

Dana Krakowski, Mavo’s director of sales, says the firm based in White Bear Lake, Minn., has about 50 on staff in Rochester. It has been working out of the ex-Mill’s Fleet Farm store on U.S. 63 South since the fire at 6844 10th Ave. S.W.

Why have such a large presence in Rochester?

“We do a lot of work for Mayo Clinic and IBM and Rochester Public Schools,” she says.

The firm does environmental work like removing asbestos, lead and toxic flooring. It also does mechanical installation, flooring treatments like polishing concrete as well as other services.

Premier Bank to close Walmart South branch

Changing needs of customers is spurring Rochester’s Premier Bank to make a withdrawal.

Expect the Premier branch in Walmart South on U.S 63 South to close permanently on Jan. 4, 2010. The branch in the North Walmart will remain open, as will its four other Rochester branches.

“We will consolidate those customers to the Green Meadows branch in southwest Rochester,” says Premier President Cory Heimer. That branch’s schedule will be extended to match the Walmart one.

Why close the South Walmart branch?

“Convenience today is different than it was ten years ago when we opened that branch,” he says. “We’ve seen a dramatic increase of customers using online banking and online bill pay. Lobby traffic peaked out. It wasn’t efficient.”

Owners of Roch. McD's buy two in Austin, 1 in Albert Lea

During my chat with Rick Lommen, the president of Courtesy Corp., he said the Austin McDonald's is not the only one that will be leveled and re-built (like the North Broadway one).

"We'd like to re-build more in Rochester. we are working on that," he told me.

Enough of Rochester, here's some of the story about what was served up in Austin Wednesday.

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Austin’s 40-year-old McDonald’s restaurant on Oakland Avenue is slated to be rebuilt from the floor to the top of the Golden Arches this spring.

That comes from Courtesy Corp. of Onalaska, Wis., the company that bought both the two McDonald’s in Austin as well as one in Albert Lea on Wednesday.

They were sold by Dave Scherer and his family. Scherer’s father opened the Oakland Avenue McDonald’s in 1969.

Courtesy now owns 11 restaurants in Minnesota, five of which it acquired in Rochester in 2001. It owns 42 McDonald’s over in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Why buy three new locations, one of which will be demolished and re-built, in southeastern Minnesota now?

“It seemed a natural extension to look beyond Rochester to Austin. This was close by and it is an attractive business,” says Rick Lommen, president of Courtesy Corp.

As for buying during now, Lommen says McDonald’s sales have stayed solid with their economical offerings.

Hormel's new deal south of the border

Here's a deal that Austin-based Hormel Foods kicked out a release about Monday evening. Unfortunately, a bad bug of some kind knocked me out of commission Tuesday, so this is the first time I have been conscious enough to post this.

Anyway, Hormel has struck a deal with Herdez Del Fuerte, a Mexico City-based food company, to form a joint venture to market food to U.S. customers. The resulting company is called MegaMex Foods, LLC and it is based in Chino, Calif.

I've posted on this deal before. The reason Hormel is touting this now is that the deal, which was first announced publically in June, has now officially closed.

Here's some from the release on this deal:

Hormel Foods and Herdez Del Fuerte announced the closing of a 50/50 joint venture agreement to create MegaMex Foods, LLC, which will market Mexican foods in the United States.

The venture significantly expands the existing agreement between the two
companies and produces a portfolio with initial revenue of about $200 million.
MegaMex Foods has a comprehensive portfolio that includes brands such as
CHI-CHI`S, HERDEZ, LA VICTORIA, EMBASA and DOÑA MARÍA, among others, which
resonate with Mexican-American and mainstream consumers of Mexican foods.
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MegaMex Foods is a free-standing entity with an independent management team
based in Chino, Calif. MegaMex Foods will optimize efficiencies by leveraging
core competencies of the parent companies, such as manufacturing, research and
development and the supply chain.

Is FAO Schwarz coming to Toys R Us in Roch.?

Here's something I'll have to check on in the a.m.

The NYT is reporting that the famous FAO Schwarz toy store concept (Think Tom Hanks dancing on a piano mat in "Big") will appear as "boutiques" inside 585 Toys R Us store across the U.S. It has more than 800 stores in the U.S.

So will Rochester get a FAO? Not sure yet, but I'll check. If it is getting one, the NYT story says the boutique will be open and selling toys by Sunday.

Here's a bit from the Times article:

 Toys 'R' Us, which bought the FAO Schwarz brand in May, plans to announce on Tuesday that it will be opening FAO Schwarz boutiques inside nearly 600 Toys “R” Us stores, beginning on Sunday.

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While there are only two FAO Schwarz stores in the nation — in Manhattan and Las Vegas — the brand has long been known for its hands-on displays and its classic and unique toys, some of which can seriously dent a wallet, even in a good economy.

The FAO shops opening in 585 Toys “R” Us stores, however, will sell some of those classic toys — like the FAO Schwarz holiday ornament, collectible bear, Jack-in-the-Box and the brand’s mascots, Patrick the Pup and Penelope the Pup — at prices from $2.99 to $64.99.

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Indeed, the most expensive item is a replica of what Toys “R” Us executives refer to as the FAO Schwarz “Big piano.” In the 1988 film “Big,” the actor Tom Hanks uses his feet to play “Chopsticks” and “Heart and Soul” on a giant keyboard in FAO Schwarz. The 70-inch-long keyboard to be sold in stores this holiday shopping season costs $64.99.

Nailing it - a new salon opening in Roch.

As I made my way through Friday's giant slushy of a night, I saw something glowing through the darkness.

• Was it a high-speed commuter train?

• Was a UFO?

•Was it the light of the Earendil star?

Nah. It was none of the above.

It was a sign for a new nail salon - Passionate Nails - set to open in the Rochester's Northgate Shopping Center in the city's northwest quadrant.

I should have more on this (without silly asides) soon.