Whether it’s on the front lawn or in the cozy indoor space, the Prairie Whale invites customers to sit, stay, and relax a while. Photo courtesy Prairie Whale. “Local foods, beer, stews, live music, ping pong. What’s not to love?” —Justin Soffer, CEO of Travel Zoo and frequent Prairie Whale visitor As anyone in the restaurant business can tell you, one of the most significant challenges is sustainability—keeping the food moving (nothing wasted), keeping business up, and still giving staff time off to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Few career choices have as many built-in occupational difficulties—grueling hours, intense demands, ramped-up weekends, and shifting staff and clientele, to name just a few. So when an owner/operator stays in business for more than two decades, as Mark Firth has—and two chefs with the creativity and credentials to go anywhere remain loyal for an equally impressive amount of time, as Steve Browning and Dan Studwell have—there’s got to be a reason. Schwartz and Firth with their children after moving to their Berkshire farm. Photo by Mark Mahaney. Leaving an empire for a country farm Mark Firth and Bettina Schwartz, co-owners of Prairie Whale in Great Barrington, clearly have the right stock […]

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A man rides a motorcycle near an ADNOC petrol station in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates July 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer DUBAI, Jan 30 (Reuters) – The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is eyeing a valuation of at least $50 billion for its gas business slated to float this quarter, two sources familiar with the matter said, setting the stage for one of the most highly anticipated stock market listings this year. The state oil giant announced in November it was combining its gas processing arm and its liquefied natural gas (LNG) subsidiary into a single listed entity. ADNOC is eyeing a valuation of at least $50 billion for ADNOC Gas, though deliberations over valuations have not finalised and the company is yet to determine the size of the offering, said the sources close to the matter, declining to be named as the matter is not public. They said an initial public offering of ADNOC Gas could launch as soon as February, ahead of a slowdown in market activity during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan which begins end of March. Latest Updates ADNOC declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. The company is sharpening its focus on the […]

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Ukrainian servicemen stand on their tanks near the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Vladyslav Smilianets/File Photo Jan 30 (Reuters) – A Russian company said it will offer five million roubles ($72,000) in cash to the first soldiers who destroy or capture western-made tanks in Ukraine, after the Kremlin vowed Russian forces would wipe out any Western tanks shipped to Ukraine. The United States, Germany and several other European countries are lining up to send Kyiv dozens of advanced combat tanks over the next few months to help boost Ukraine’s military capacity as the war approaches the 12-month mark. The decision has been criticised by the Kremlin as a dangerous escalation, and spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the tanks would " burn " on the frontlines. Now a Russian company – Fores, a Urals-based firm which makes proppants for the energy industry – is offering cash payments to Russian servicemen who "capture or destroy" German-made Leopard 2 or U.S.-made Abrams tanks. The company said it will pay five million roubles to the first Russian soldier to destroy one of the tanks, and 500,000 roubles ($7,200) for all subsequent attacks. Latest […]

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Without personal growth there is no business growth. Without you as a founder improving, upgrading, and shedding old versions of you, you’ll stay stuck in the same size business with the same day-to-day from inception to retirement. All your energy will be spent just keeping afloat. That’s not the plan. If your workload is growing in direct proportion to your revenue, your ego might be putting a ceiling on your future. 5 ways your ego is stopping your business success getty Here are 5 ways your ego might be stopping your business success. 1. Keeping hold of responsibilities In the early days you did everything. Every task was yours, every process had your name on it. You took pride in owning every detail and rushing around making sure everything you committed to was done. Things are different now, but you haven’t quite changed enough. There are tasks you’re in charge of that could be owned by someone else. Deep down, you know it, but you’re not letting them go. Perhaps you’re scared someone else might do them wrong, you’re afraid of losing control or you’re kidding yourself they simply must be done by you. Either way, repeatedly doing old […]

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Shell Plc ’s new chief moved to overhaul the energy major’s core business units just a month after taking the helm. Shell will combine its integrated gas and upstream divisions, and merge its downstream and renewables units, it said Monday. It’s the second significant announcement in a week after Chief Executive Officer Wael Sawan launched a strategic review of the company’s struggling European home-energy retail unit. Sawan is under pressure to boost shareholder returns that have lagged those of key competitors. There’d been speculation that a shakeup was on the cards after activist investor Dan Loeb called on the company to break off its liquefied natural gas, renewables and marketing divisions into a standalone business. Shell’s cumulative total return has lagged several of its peers. Shell is now choosing to fold clean energy into the refining segment. It will also discontinue its strategy, sustainability and corporate relations directorate. Strategy and sustainability units will report directly to Chief Financial Officer Sinead Gorman. “Fewer interfaces mean greater cooperation, discipline and speed, enabling us to focus on strengthening performance across the businesses and generating strong returns for our investors,” Sawan said in a statement. “We’re changing to ensure we become a great […]

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RELATIONS| www.acwapower.com |ir@acwapower.com ACWA Power Company INVESTOR Non-deal Investor Education Deck ACWAPOWER30 January 2023 ACWA POWER INVESTOR RELATIONS | www.acwapower.com | ir@acwapower.com Disclaimer This document and the information contained therein (the "Information") has been prepared by ACWA POWER Company (the "Company" or "ACWA Power") for background purposes only and does not purport to be full, accurate or complete. No reliance may be placed for any purpose on the Information or its accuracy, fairness or completeness. The Information and opinions contained herein are provided as at the date of the presentation and are subject to change without notice. The presentation is the sole responsibility of the Company and has not been reviewed or approved by any regulatory or supervisory authority. This presentation contains financial information regarding the businesses and assets of the Company. Such financial information may not have been audited, reviewed or verified by any independent accounting firm. The inclusion of such financial information in this presentation or any related presentation should not be regarded as a representation or warranty by the Company or its affiliates, advisors or representatives or any other person as to the accuracy or completeness of such information’s portrayal of the financial condition or results […]

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China is emerging from nearly three years of self-imposed isolation, which has been a drag on the world’s second-largest economy. Earlier this month, Chinese officials reported 3% economic growth in 2022 – the second-lowest in at least four decades. But now that stringent COVID lockdowns have been lifted, officials say the country is back in business. Analysts, however, say it won’t be easy. Here is why. "Trust but verify" China has been trying to woo back foreign investors and businesses after nearly three years of disrupted supply chains, delayed logistics, stringent regulation on sectors ranging from consumer technology to property , and onerous lockdowns that shuttered factories. "More focus will be placed on expanding domestic demand, keeping supply chains stable, supporting the private sector, reforming the state-owned enterprises, attracting foreign investment and preventing economic and financial risks," Liu He, the country’s vice premier and one of its top economic policymakers, reassured business elite gathered at Davos in Switzerland earlier this month. Understandably, some remain skeptical. "Trust but verify," advises Nargiza Salidjanova, a China director at the research firm Rhodium Group. She says China-watchers are still waiting to see more substantial pro-business policy changes, such as giving private and foreign […]

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courtneyk via Getty Images Learning and development (L&D) teams are critical in helping organizations achieve their goals. The business suffers when employees don’t have the training and skills they need to do their jobs well. But L&D leaders sometimes struggle to show how their education initiatives impact the organization’s bottom line, especially when training doesn’t align with company goals in a way that mutually benefits the employee and the business. In 2023, L&D professionals must examine their operations from the inside out. One way they can do this and drive performance is by finding ways to partner with business unit leaders. Harnessing the true power of L&D Learning is critical in helping employees acquire new skills to keep up with the fast-paced changes in today’s world of work. Additionally, employees want to work at companies that invest in their development. Employers recognize this. Last year, employers spent an average of $1,207 on training per employee , up from $1,071 in 2021. Overall, U.S. training expenditures exceeded $100 billion for the first time in 2021-22, according to Training magazine data. When companies make those kinds of investments, they expect it to pay off. However, new data from Emergn, a global […]

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A chemical plant in Port Arthur, Texas. Access to state contracts, pensions focus of anti-ESG bills Model legislation targets ‘boycotts’ of fossil fuels, firearms Republican lawmakers in several statehouses are pushing to limit access to state contracts and pension funds for businesses with ESG investments and policies, forcing many firms to navigate a changing regulatory landscape. Bills proposed in roughly a dozen states this year would penalize companies for considering environmental, social, and governance factors—such as climate change or diversity issues—over financial returns. The activity adds to growing backlash against companies with ESG investment policies from doing business in states such as Texas and Florida, where GOP officials have launched high-profile battles against BlackRock Inc. and other asset managers. There are also anti-ESG proposals by Republicans in the US House. “It’s definitely come to a crescendo lately,” said Lance Dial, a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, whose clients include asset managers, mutual fund managers, and pension fund managers. The state proposals are part of a larger political debate over ESG that includes disagreement over its overall definition and whether such factors align with a company’s fiduciary duties. Firms have been whipsawed between shareholders who have pressed them […]

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BENGALURU, Jan 30 – Indian chemicals and polymers maker SRF Ltd (SRFL.NS) reported a better-than-expected third-quarter profit on Monday, driven by strong demand in its chemical business. The company’s consolidated profit rose about 1% to 5.11 billion Indian rupees ($62.70 million) in the three months ended Dec. 31. Analysts, on average, had expected a profit of 4.92 billion rupees. Revenue for the Gurgaon-based conglomerate’s chemicals business grew 23% to 17.57 billion rupees on account of strong demand for certain key products such as fluorochemicals. The chemicals segment accounted for about 51% of the company’s overall revenue. SRF saw strong demand from overseas markets, higher capacity-utilisation of facilities and significant cost-savings across all product streams, the company said. Strength in the fluorochemicals business helped offset weakness in its packaging films business, which had to contend with a global demand slowdown and steep energy costs in Europe, it added. The company’s sale of products grew 1.7% to 33.69 billion rupees. SRF also approved three projects in the December quarter, including a capex project worth 5.95 billion rupees. Shares of the company closed up 2.9% at 2,194 rupees on Monday, ahead of the earnings. They fell 5.36% in 2022. ($1 = 81.5000 […]

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