New site for ACE park sought by CAMT.

The Denver Post reports that "The Colorado Association of Manufacturing and Technology is looking for a new site for a high-tech manufacturing business campus that has NASA as a partner."
(Read the story here.)
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20132619/new-site-sought-nasa-backed-park

In "an e-mail sent (03/08/2012) by CAM chief executive Elaine Thorndike said the Loveland property is no longer the future ACE Park site, adding, "We are currently identifying other potential locations in the Denver/Boulder area."  -- according the The Denver Post.

The question becomes where will the new site be? When will the reported 10,000 new jobs arrive in Colorado to support the ACE (Aerospace and Clean Energy) park?

The Tax Man Cometh: Where's My Refund?

 The number one question taxpayers ask is Where's My Refund? I know, because I work at a tax service and I get this question all the time. So I have compiled a list of websites that answer this question. Generally, electronically filed returns (efile) can take up to 21 days, according to the IRS ( but most likely 10 to 14 days). Paper filed returns can take 6 to 8 weeks.

To get your Federal Return status, go to the Federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website : www.irs.gov.

Navigate to the right column and press the Where's My Refund? button. It will open another page which explains the process.

1. You must wait at least 72 hours after e-filing a return.
2. You will need to provide a Social Security Number, Filing Status, and the Exact amount of your refund found on your tax return.
3. Next click the link to Get your refund Status or the“Where's My Refund? button and enter the information listed above.

To find the refund status at the State level, search (Google, Yahoo or Bing) with the following key words:

Search: +

Example: Colorado Where's My Refund.

Result: www:colorado.gov/revenueonline/_/#1

1. Click the Individual button.
2. Click the Where's My Refund. button
3. To check your refund status:
   Account Type:= Individual Income
   ID Type =Social Security Number
   ID =
   or PIN/Letter ID from the state letter sent to you.

------ Comment: The above example is for the State of Colorado. Your state's query maybe different but the basic idea is to enter your tax id and the refund amount to get your refund status.

Tips: The status message is only as current as your last query. The IRS may update the information with new information. Your projected refund date will be not be effected, unless there are processing delays or you owe federal or state back taxes, child support, or past due government student loans, etc.

Remember- If the Tax Man Cometh - you can run – but you can't hide. 
 

ACE real estate deal to close in mid-Dec. in Loveland

According to Timescall.com

 http://www.timescall.com/business/local-business/ci_19386496

"LOVELAND -- Prospective buyers of the Agilent Technologies Inc. campus in Loveland said Monday  (11-21-2011) they hope to close on the deal in mid-December, weeks ahead of a date specified in a contract with the city."

"Cumberland & Western Resources LLC of Bowling Green, Ky., intends to develop the ACE technology manufacturing park at the Agilent site, in conjunction with sponsoring agencies NASA and the Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology."

"An early closing on the real estate deal means that the developer and the Aerospace Clean Energy Manufacturing and Innovation Park can buckle down to the job of lining up tenants that will be matched with patents controlled by NASA and other federal laboratories."

"ACE plans call for as many as 80 companies to populate the site at the northeast quadrant of Taft Avenue and Southwest 14th Street, creating up to 7,000 jobs as they work to commercialize the government-held technology patents."

For more details see this link: http://www.timescall.com/business/local-business/ci_19386496

Denver Tech Professionals' Holiday Networking Gala

You are invited to the Denver Technical Professionals' Holiday Gala Networking Event, sponsored by LeaderQuest Education Services.  Discuss new job leads, business, and educational opportunities.  We will provide free refreshments, tours, and music.

 Bring a White Elephant Gift Exchange ( less than $15.00).

RSVP registration@denvertechnicalprofessionals.com

Bring your business cards.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012 - 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Where:6825 S. Galena Street,

 Centennial, CO 80112

View a detailed map:

http://goo.gl/maps/zDMxG

SEE OUR PRIOR EVENT PHOTOS:

http://thejobwatch.blogspot.com/2010/12/denver-technical-professionals-holiday_17.html

Women in the Workforce Then and Now.

Retro Government Work Poster 

Labor Facts: 

"In 2009, women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median weekly earning of  $657, or about 80% of the $819 median for their male counterparts. In 1979, the first year comparable earning data were available, women earned about 62% as much as men. After a gradual rise in the  1980's and early 1990s, the women's-to-men's earnings ratio peaked at 81% in 2005 and 2006", according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

The ratio of female-to-male earning varied by place of residence

Ratio %  vs.  Location

96.5 District of Colombia

88.7 California 

88.4 North Carolina

88.2 Arkansas

87.2 Maryland

87.2 Oklahoma

84.7 Delaware

84.2 Georgia

83.9 New York 

83.6 Minnesota

82.8 Colorado

81.5 Hawaii

81.9 Vermont

81.4 Texas

81.2 South Dakota

81.1 Florida

80.7 Nebraska

80.7 Nevada

80.4 Iowa

80.4 Virginia

80.2 U.S.

80.2 South Carolina

80.1 West Virginia

79.8 Idaho

79.5 Mississippi

79.5 Ohio

79.4 Wisconsin

79.3 Pennsylvania

78.9 Tennessee

77.9 Kentucky

77.9 New Mexico

77.8 Rhode Island

77.3 Montana

77.1 Missouri

76.8 Oregon

76.3 Massachusetts

76.0 Arizona

75.7 Washington

75.3 North Dakota

75.2 Kansas

75.2 Utah

75.0 Connecticut

74.7 Illinois

74.5 Alabama

74.1 New Hampshire

73.5 Michigan

72.2 Alaska

67.2 Wyoming

65.0 Louisiana

Source: http://www.dol.gov/wb/equal-pay/equal-pay-toolkit-20110412.htm

Related Post: Equal Pay Day = ( Equal Pay for Equal Work)

 http://thejobwatch.blogspot.com/2011/04/equal-pay-day-equal-pay-for-equal-work.html

HP is back with a new tablet called the Slate 2

Hewlett Packard announced a new tablet product called the "Slate 2 Tablet PC".

" The HP Slate 2 Tablet PC is ideal for people with jobs that frequently take them away from a traditional desk, yet need to remain productive in a familiar Windows® environment," according to the HP website.

In other words, the HP Slate 2 is still a PC that runs Windows 7 Profession 32-bit operation system, x86 software, the Intel Atom 1.5 GHz processor (Z670), all in the form of a touch screen tablet.

It is priced at $699.00 for a system with 2 GB DDR2 on-board memory,  and up to 64 GB mSATA SSM Storage.

 This move will create an entry point into the mobile device market for HP, Intel and Microsoft.

See the specifications here:

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/pscmisc/vac/us/product_pdfs/Slate2.pdf

The product is only as good as the applications that run Windows 7, which is a limitation. Its competitors are Apple's iPad using the iOS, and other tablets using Android. Its selling price is higher than its competition.  Developers need to re-write software to fully take advantage of smaller touch screen mobile devices, otherwise this is a redesigned netbook PC that uses a touch screen keyboard.

The advantage of this product is it brings Windows to the mobile device market place. It's another chance for HP to recover from its uncertainty, when it killed the HP TouchPad, running the WebOS system. After a dismal product launch, it dropped the TouchPad price from $599.00 to a fire sale price of $99.00 and cancelled the product.
P.S. (11-7-11) I saw the HP TouchPad selling on Amazon.com from $234.00. See: http://www.amazon.com/HP-TouchPad-9-7-Inch-Tablet-Computer/dp/B0055D67HW.

HP has quickly regrouped and released an update of the former Slate 500 PC and hopes the new "Slate 2" will revise its chances in the mobile device market place.

Colorado State Labor Dept. Receives $5 million Technical Skills Training Grant

Department of Labor and Workforce Centers to address labor shortages that prompt employers to recruit H1-B workers

(DENVER) – The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment announced (14-Oct-11) that it has been awarded a $5 Million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to launch a training initiative that will prepare workers for careers in Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, and the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services industries (with a focus on Aerospace).

Many Coloradans are lacking the skills to compete in these industries and the problem will only get worse in the years ahead if action isn’t taken now says Department of Labor and Employment Executive Director Ellen Golombek. “Our economic recovery must focus on skills, not just jobs,” she says. “This grant – called Strategies to Advance Colorado’s Highly Skilled Workforce -- is designed to help close Colorado’s growing skills gap.”
Even in an economy with an unemployment rate over 8 percent, employers in high-demand, high-wage occupations are still not able to find workers with the right skills and training to fill their job openings. How bad is the problem? Between January of 2010 and the present, Colorado employers spent more than $19 million in H1-B visa fees to bring in 5,761 foreign workers to fill job openings they couldn’t fill with Colorado workers. These workers have taken jobs as computer programmers, computer software engineers, IT analysts and other occupations requiring technical skills.

Importing workers is no long-term solution to Colorado’s skilled worker shortage. Through this initiative, businesses stand to save nearly $3 million in visa costs and approximately $2.3 million in training costs they would have paid to keep their workforce competitive. The grant’s return-on-investment for business and for Colorado exceeds $6 million for the 4 year grant period of performance.

Strategies to Advance Colorado’s Highly Skilled Workforce will target 797 workers statewide, upgrading their skills in information technology, advanced manufacturing and STEM (Scientific, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) capabilities. Of the individuals selected, 558 will be incumbent workers whose skills need upgrading to ensure they stay employed. The grant will also speed the rehire of 239 long-term unemployed workers. A priority of service will be offered to veterans, minorities and women.

The Department of Labor and Employment and local Workforce Centers aren’t tackling this initiative on their own. Innovative partnerships will make the initiative successful and Workforce Centers will be partnering with educators and trainers, businesses and non-profit industry-based organizations in targeting workers for training that will build a stronger economy and get Coloradans back to work.

Partners in the initiative include:

• Colorado’s Workforce Development Council;
• Other state agencies (the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Department of Higher Education and the Department of Human Services);
• Educators (the Colorado Community College System and the University of Denver
• Women’s College);
• Business Associations (the Metro Denver Economic Development Council, the Longmont Area Economic Council, the Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology, Colorado Photonics Industry Association, the South East Business Partnership, Coolest Women We Know, Colorado Coalition for Gender in InformationTechnology, Colorado CleanTech Industry Association and the Boulder Economic Council) and
• Employers (Allon Hill, Atlasta Solar Center, Evraz, GPS Source, IBM, Imprimis, Inc.,
• JGMS, Inc., Leitner Poma, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, RK Mechanical, Trane, Wall Street On Demand and Wren Industries); 

“This is very much a collaborative approach,” Golombek says, “and it is a catalyst for creating a solid foundation for the future of technical skill occupations and for workforce development in Colorado.”

Source: Colorado Dept of Labor.
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1251745929879&ssbinary=true