Debt sinks Obus Forme

Nearly 10 years later, Roberts' company, Integral Orthopedics Inc., has been pushed into receivership after piling up roughly $11 million in debt.

A court-appointed receiver, RSM Richter Inc., has put the business up for sale and hopes to line up a buyer by the end of next month.

After Roberts died, his son Brian took over the company.

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US Airways CEO: We'll get through the turmoil

A big proponent of consolidation, Parker said he's still interested in merging with another airline, but thinks mergers and acquisitions are dead in the current economic climate and until after the election.

"I'm still interested. The industry would be better served if it was less fragmented. But we are fine on a stand-alone basis," he added. "US Airways does not need a merge to be a viable airline."

Parker sought a merger with Delta, and later United. In April, Delta said it would merge with Northwest, and in June United said it would form an alliance with Continental. Parker says, for now, US Airways will go it alone.

Parker said he's encouraged that the industry as a whole has cut 10 percent more flights, and next year will likely cut another 10 percent.



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Hundreds crowd hearing on proposed tax hike in Wildwood

Some suggested consolidation was the answer. We all have Wildwood in our name," one man said of the town's neighboring communities.Others asked what can be cut to make up the difference. Troiano said the city is working with the staff it needs as a resort town and further cuts would hamper the services residents and visitors require.Some questioned previous budgetary decisions, such as the construction of a new recreation center at Maxwell Field.But all said 25 cents was simply too much to take."The bottom line is this tax increase is abominable," said Kathleen Taintor, a longtime city taxpayer.Troiano reiterated his desire to bring more ratables to town in the form of high-rise hotels, which he said would lessen the tax burden in the long term."The more ratables you have, the better your tax rate's going to be," Troiano said.Resident John Bruno asked about the short-term."What has been done?" Bruno asked of the mayor's plan to lessen the burden in 2008.Troiano said he was negotiating and working with multiple buyers to close a land sale that would result in a much lower tax increase for the year."You don't make a sale until you make a sale," Troiano said of his desire to hold off releasing details until a deal is done.Bruno questioned the decision, however, again to use a land sale, what he called a Band-Aid, to hold off what appears to be an inevitable tax increase."I'll offer the Band-Aid until I get these high-rises up," Troiano said.Troiano said that with a sale, the tax increase would more likely be less than 10 cents.Other residents asked about what is being done to increase revenues, such as charging fees for many of the events that make use of city beaches.Troiano said "the free ride is over," and the city will pursue revenue from those events.



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The Seeds of Success

"I found myself $7 million in debt, without realizing that it really was a colossally stupid deal," McCann says.

"But the good news was that Chris [his younger brother] had joined the company, and we paid down the debt over the next five years, and while it was a stupid deal, it was also the best thing we ever could have done."

It goes to show that taking a risk is a part of growing a business, but it needs to be a calculated one.

"You can be creative in your business without having a creative bone in your body," McCann says. He offers an example how years ago, he created a program called Fresh Rewards, where if you bought nine bouquets, that 10th one was free.

"People get a kick out of getting a free bouquet, and I remember people said that'll never work; nobody's going to use the card," McCann says.




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Neuberger sale wouldn't crunch Lehman debt ratings

N: Quote, Profile, Research) were to sell its asset management business, any impact on its debt ratings would likely be minimal, analysts at Fitch Ratings and Moody's Investors Service said on Friday.

Media reports in recent weeks have said that Lehman may look to sell its asset management business, most recently a CNBC report on Friday.

Asset management businesses generate relatively steady earnings for investment banks. Those steady earnings are a positive for credit ratings that are based in part on how likely a company is to generate the cash flow to pay its debt.

In the case of Lehman, its asset management business is relatively small.

"They've done very well with the business, but it's not of sufficient size or scale to offset volatility for the rest of the business," said Eileen Fahey, analyst at Fitch.



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