Hyper Local News Pages

Saturday, August 25, 2007

11/17/06 - Archive - Bottles of the 2006 Beaujolais Nouveau wine got their first uncorking in French establishments like Jean-Louis

HEADLINE:

Restaurants pop the cork on this year's Beaujolais

STORY:

The hushed tones at the start of lunch at Jean-Louis yesterday soon gave way to a boisterous buzz of conversations punctuated by laughter and the clinking of wine glasses. The bottles had been uncorked and the wine was flowing.

'People don't know what they're missing,' lunch patron and Stamford resident Cathy Cole said at the Greenwich restaurant's Beaujolais Nouveau party

Bottles of the 2006 Beaujolais Nouveau wine got their first uncorking in French establishments like Jean-Louis across the world yesterday, the third Thursday of November and the first day this season's Beaujolais can be enjoyed.......

11/17/06 - Archive - Lobbying for Change

HEADLINE:

Lobbying for Change

STORY:

When looking for the trendiest places to eat, travelers may not expect that they’ll find them in their hotels. But increasingly the restaurants they seek—from Wolfgang Puck’s steakhouse Cut or New York City’s L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon to Tom Colicchio’s Craft in Dallas and Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani’s San Francisco restaurant Ame—are in hotels as lodging companies and chefs rethink where and how diners eat.......

....... hotel dining experience can sway opinion of where to stay," says Jody Pennette, CEO of CB5 Restaurant Group, a Greenwich, Conn.-based restaurant design and concept company. In the end, the push for successful restaurants comes down to the bottom .......
Publication Date: October 1, 2006
Reporter: Kate Leahy, Associate Editor

11/17/06 - Archive - Ripplewood group to buy

HEADLINE:
STORY:
...... from some of the company's top investors, including Leon Cooperman's Omega Advisors and Blue Harbour Group of Greenwich, Connecticut. Though Reader's Digest's eponymous pocket-sized magazine attracts as many as 80m readers worldwide, it has not .......
Source: News.moneycentral.msn.com

11/16/07 - Archive - Strategic Distribution, Inc. Announces Receipt of `Going Private' Proposal at $8.30 Per Share

HEADLINE:
STORY:
Strategic Distribution, Inc. (Nasdaq:STRD) today announced that the special committee of its board of directors has received a letter from William R. Berkley, Chairman of the Board of the Company, that an entity he controls proposes to acquire all of the outstanding equity interests of the Company for $8.30 per share in cash. A copy of the text of the proposal letter to the special committee is set forth below in this release. Mr. Berkley presently beneficially owns approximately 22.5% of the Company's outstanding common stock.
The Company's board of directors previously formed a special committee of independent directors to consider strategic alternatives for the Company. The committee will continue to work with William Blair & Company as the financial advisor to the Company, and the committee has retained independent legal counsel to assist it in its work. The board of directors cautions the Company's shareholders and others considering trading in its securities that it has only received the proposal and that no decisions have been made by the board of directors with respect to the Company's response to the proposal. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made, that any agreement will be executed or that this or any other transaction will be approved or consummated.
Interlaken Capital, Inc.
475 Steamboat Road, 2rd Floor
Greenwich, CT 06830
November 16, 2006
Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Strategic Distribution, Inc.
c/o Strategic Distribution, Inc.
1414 Radcliffe Street, Suite 300
Bristol, Pennsylvania 19007
Re: Strategic Distribution, Inc. Dear Sir/Madam:
This letter is being sent to you in your capacity as members of the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Strategic Distribution Inc. (the "Company"). The Special Committee, comprised of disinterested directors of the Company, was formed to consider and evaluate strategic alternatives that may be available to the Company, including any proposal that I, individually or through any affiliate, may make.
As you know, the Board of Directors commenced a process at the beginning of 2005 to evaluate potential strategic alternatives for the Company. At that time the Board of Directors discussed whether continued independent operation of the Company was the best way to maximize shareholder value. In that regard, the Company retained William Blair & Company on January 31, 2005 to help evaluate such strategic alternatives. Although this process has been ongoing for the past 21 months, as of yet no definitive proposal relating to a potential strategic combination has been presented to the Board of Directors.
I believe that the rationale behind the Board of Directors' decision to initiate this process in early 2005 is as valid today as it was then. In particular, I believe that the current regulatory and financial reporting environment makes it financially unattractive for an entity the size of the Company to be publicly held. In light of this belief, and in light of the process that the Company has followed to date, I am submitting for your consideration the following proposal.
I propose, through an entity I control, to acquire all of the outstanding equity interests of the Company at a price of $8.30 per share, payable in cash. I contemplate that this transaction will be accomplished through a merger, to be approved by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company, including approval by a majority of the outstanding shares owned other than by me or my affiliates (the "Requisite Stockholder Approval"). The cash purchase price for the outstanding Company shares will be financed from currently available resources.
I believe that, with the Company's cooperation, we would be in a position to execute definitive documentation prior to the end of the year. I would not require the Company to agree to negotiate a transaction exclusively with me during this period. However, I would want the Company to agree to provide at least three business days notice to me prior to entering into any exclusivity arrangement with any third party.
I anticipate that the definitive documentation will contain customary representations and warranties, preclosing covenants and closing conditions for a transaction of this type, including obtaining the Requisite Stockholder Approval, receipt of any required regulatory consents or approvals, the absence of any material adverse change in the Company's business, and the holders of not more than 10% of the outstanding shares seeking appraisal rights.
The definitive documentation would permit the Company to respond to unsolicited proposals. The definitive documentation would also permit the Company to terminate our agreement in the event the Special Committee and Board of Directors determined that an unsolicited alternative transaction was superior to my acquisition, provided that simultaneous with such termination the Company paid to me a termination fee equal to all expenses incurred by my advisors and me (without limitation) in connection with my acquisition proposal (including all legal and accounting expenses).
I would seek to retain the existing management and employees of the Company. I currently contemplate retaining existing non-equity benefit plans of the Company.
This proposal will remain in effect until the close of business on Wednesday, November 22, 2006. If the Special Committee wishes to commence negotiations concerning my proposal, I will require that the Company enter into an agreement to reimburse me for all out of pocket expenses (not to exceed $250,000 in the aggregate) incurred by my advisors and me (including all legal and accounting expenses) in connection with my proposal and investigation in the event that the Company thereafter determines not to pursue my proposed transaction.
Of course, this proposal represents my current intent and is not a binding agreement. Such binding obligations will only arise upon the subsequent execution of definitive documentation. I look forward to your response. If you have any questions concerning our proposal, please feel free to contact me or William Mahone.
Very truly yours,
William R. Berkley

Strategic Distribution, Inc. helps customers optimize their business performance and meet strategic goals by providing technology and supply chain solutions to increase productivity and reduce total costs. Commercial and industrial customers, as well as educational institutions, benefit from reduced costs and increased efficiencies in the procurement and management of MRO materials. Additional information about Strategic Distribution, Inc. can be found on the Company's web site at www.sdi.com.
CONTACT: Strategic Distribution, Inc.
Donald C. Woodring, President and Chief Executive Officer
(800) 322-2644, x 1978

11/16/07 - Archive - Loco Promo

HEADLINE:
STORY:

The following authors (and an illustrator) will be appearing at an event called Literary Lights – A Holiday Book Festival on Friday, December 8, from 6:00-8:30 p.m., at the Arts Center at 299 Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich, Connecticut:Barry Blitt, who illustrated The 39 Apartments of Ludwig Van Beethoven, which came out in SeptemberNora Raleigh Baskin, a Connecticut author whose In the Company of Crazies was published in AugustPeter Brown whose book Chowder was published in SeptemberPromote locally! No, most of you will not make the trip to Greenwich from where you are to see these people, but now you've seen their names and book titles.
Source: Original Content link

Reporter: Gail

11/16/06 - Archive - Blue Harbour Group Comments on Reader's Digest Acquisition

HEADLINE:
STORY:
Blue Harbour Group, asignificant shareholder of The Reader's Digest Association (NYSE: RDA),today issued the following statement from its Chief Executive Officer,Clifton S. Robbins, commenting on Reader's Digest's agreement to beacquired for $17.00 per share in cash:
"Over the past year, Blue Harbour has been working with Reader'sDigest's Board and management, exploring ways to optimize value forshareholders. Blue Harbour believed that the Company's shares wereundervalued in the market and recommended that Readers Digest consider agoing-private transaction. We applaud Reader's Digest's Board on thetransaction announced today."
Blue Harbour Group, which has in excess of $1 billion in capital, wasformed in 2004 to pursue a private equity approach to public markets byacting as a lead minority investor, working cooperatively with managementsand boards to create and unlock shareholder value.......
Source: PR Newswire
Reporter: Victoria Weld (212) 521-4849

11/16/06 - Archive - Hertz IPO Debuts at $15 Per Share

HEADLINE:
STORY:
...... shares, worth about $3.9 billion. 'That's not a bad return,' said James DeStefano, a research analyst for Greenwich, Conn.-based Renaissance Capital. Such a quick and highly profitable flip is turning off some investors, analysts say. 'There ......

11/16/06 - Archive - North Castle Partners Invests in Caleel + Hayden, Leading Marketer of Mineral-Based Cosmetics and Premium Skin Care Brands

HEADLINE:
STORY:
North CastlePartners today announced that it has acquired a controlling interest inCaleel + Hayden, Inc. ("C+H"), a developer, marketer and distributor ofmineral-based cosmetics and high-end skincare products ("cosmeceuticals").North Castle is a leading private equity firm focused exclusively oninvestments in consumer-driven product and service businesses that benefitfrom "Healthy Living and Aging" trends. It will fund the new investment,the terms of which were not disclosed, from its North Castle Partners III,L.P. fund.
Denver, CO-based Caleel + Hayden serves more than 5,400 dermatologists,cosmetic surgeons, licensed aestheticians, spas and salons domestically andinternationally and select specialty retailers in the United States. Thecompany's brands include glominerals, glotherapeutics and glospa, whichwere developed by C+H, as well as Cellex-C and Lycon Wax, which are soldunder exclusive distribution agreements in the U.S. and selectinternational markets.
North Castle's investment in Caleel + Hayden builds on the firm'sexpertise in the Aesthetics and Personal Carearena, where it currentlyholds investments in Avalon Natural Products, Inc., a leading natural andorganic personal care company; Red Door Spa Holdings, the world's leadingowner and operator of full-service salons and day spas, and HDS CosmeticsLab, Inc., a leading clinical skin care company operating under the brandname Doctor's Dermatologic Formula (DDF)........
Source: North Casle Partners http://www.northcastlepartners.com/
Reporter: Todd Fogarty, Kekst and Company 212-521-4854 todd-fogarty@kekst.com
Publication Date: November 16, 2007
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11/16/06 - Archive - Hunters enter Hemlock Hill to cull population

HEADLINE:
STORY:
... there have been successful controlled hunts in many other areas in Fairfield County. The Devils Den Preserve, the Greenwich Audubon, the towns of Wilton and Darien all have hunts where there have been no reported injuries. Some of those hunts ...
Source: News: TimesLive.com

11/16/06- Archive - Swim Team Breaks 28-Year-Old Record

HEADLINE:
STORY:
... Lopez and Lauren Timmerman broke the 1978 school record time of 3:39.90. The women finished in second place behind Greenwich's 3:34.97. Norwalk/McMahon even took home a first place honor in the 200-yard freestyle relay. "It's really exciting," said ...
Source: Grenwich Citizen
Publication Date: November 16, 2007