Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Sept. 15, 2005, edition 1 / Page 24
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
http ://www.thechar1ottepost com 8C Cliarlotte BUSINESS THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 Sports 1C Long Town heanube mnim OsGoimts Long: Cut-rate plans often don t produce like regular insurance FROS / STAFF REPORTS North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Jim Long wants citizens to be aware of the dif ferences between legitimate health insurance and the increasin^y common “discount plan” - a product that often is marketed almost as if it is insurance, offering benefits at a low monthly rate. In addition to warning citi zens, Long is sending letters of caution to the 148 Chambers of Commerce and the seven Better Business Bureaus across the state, encourag ing them to notify their members of the differ ences between actual health insurance and the increasingly marketed discount plans. While some of these plans are legal, they are significantly different fi'om actual insurance and provide drastically different benefits. Many consumers, however, are fooled into thinking they are purchasing insurance at a low price, and are suiprised to learn the dis count plan may cost them more in the long run. ‘It is becoming apparent that promoters of health care scams often target small business owners and self-employed individuals,” Long said in his letter to the BBBs and Chambers. “Because of the recent proliferation of this very problem - the marketing of what is known as ‘discount health plans’, which look very much like health insurance at great rates -1 am con tacting you with information I hope you will use to better inform your constituents.” Please see BEWARE7C Kid entrepreneur has most fertile business outlook By Jack Shcrzer VIE HARRISBURG PATRIOT HARRISBURG, Pa. — At 9, Seth Mam^r started mowing his neighbor’s lawn for ®ctra money and at times helped with mulching and weeding. But this isn’t a story about some high school kid with a part-time job. Not by a long shot. By 12, the Susquehanna Township residait had bought an old riding mower for $40, rebuilt it and started getting more customers. A year later, his parents staked him to a $3,000 professional riding mower (ba^er, mulch kit, the works) and he repaid the loan fium his profits in six months. And he kept growing his business. In 2004 Maurer — then a junior at Susquehanna Twp. High School - had one commercial account, hired a couple of fiiends part-time, had bought equipment and made about $35,000. By the end of this season, the 18-year-old expects “Seth Maurer’s Landscaping” to gross $45,000 — and Maurer has already arranged for another landscaper to cover his clients for him while he’s at college. ‘It’s just a great accomplishment for anyone of any age to do what he has done,” said Don Lay, the neighbor Maurer first worked for. Lay a retired vice president with H.B. McClure Co., was so impressed that he backed hiring Maurer to do the company’s landscaping at its Harrisburg headquarters. “He’s been a go-getter since I first met the boy” Lay said, recalling that Maurer tau^t himself how to install a lawn sprinkler system for the firm. “He’s one of a kind,” said Kermit R. Leitner, principal of Susquehanna Twp. High School - and also a satisfied cnistomer. Leitner said Maurer also served as the yearbcol^s business manager, where his akilla helped raise money Maurer got area restaurants to approve a dis count card sold for $10 to raise money that allowed more color to be used in the book, Leitner said. “Tve been in teaching 38 years and Tve never run across anybody that seemed to be so See YOUNG/7C Gas spikes could fuel antigouging legislation By Martha Raffaele THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HARRISBURG, Pa. — The gas- pump sticker shock in Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath couldn’t have come at a worse time as Pennsjdvania motorists fueled up for tiieir Labor Day weekend travels. Tlie clamor of consumer complaints reached state Attorney General Tbm Corbett, who is participating in a multistate inquiry into the price increases. If anything positive emerges fix)m the firestorm, it may be that the Legislature will act this fall to impose tourer penalties against price goug ing. At least two measures, both in the Senate, are awaiting action. One bill would impose $10,000 fines and allow courts to issue injimctions against the practice, and another would prevent price gouging during state emergencies and natural disas ters. “The attorney general is obviously interested in a clear-cut definition of price gouging, and a threshold for when a retailer is leaving profit and jumping into profiteering,” said Baibara Petito, a spokeswoman for Coibett. See GAS/7C Rising petroleum prices has spurred many states to warn retailers not to gouge consumers. CENTRAL PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE CENTRAL PIEDMONT COMMUNFTY COLLEGE CPCC recently received regional recognition as the Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council Public Sector Organization of the Year for 2005. * Kudos for vendor outreach By Herbert L. White herb.whUe@thecharlottepost com When it comes to doing business with minorities, pubfic institutions could learn a lot at Central Piedmont Comm,unity College. The Charlotte school was named 2005 Public Sector Organization of the Year by the Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Coimdl. The award was presented at the 28th aimual Business Opportunity Conference last month in Greaisboro. CPCC was nominated by General Maintenance, the col lege’s janitorial services contractor. “The 2005 Public Sector Organization of the Year Award is a tremendous honor for the entire col lege,” said Marie Helms, CPCCs assistant director of procurement. “Numerous departments through out the college have been instru mental in ensuring that we increase our communication to MWBE busi nesses and strengthen our relation ships with these vendors.” Caitral Piedmont was picked as a result of the college’s efforts to develop partnerships with minority- and women-owned businesses. CPCC is implementing e- PrcKmrement, a state-mandated electronic purchasing system which will assist buyers in further promot ing bid opportunities and purchas ing with registered vendors. In the past year, CPCC increased MWBE purchases by 5 percent, The percentage of MWBE participation ovCT* the first three quarters was 23 percent, which exceeds the state’s goal of 10 percent. Activities and efforts which have contributed to the growth in MWBE partnerships include several com munication and outreach efforts in the past year. Last April, CPCC pro curement and facilities/construction was a sponsor in the “Access 2005 - Gateway to Government Procurement Opportunities” event held at E.E. Waddell High School. The community-wide effort was designed to provide MWBE and General Contracting firms direct access to the purchasers fiom local government, schools, colleges and agencies. CPCC procuremerft arranged for representatives firom the state HUB and E-procurement offices to participate. In addition, a computer lab was made available for registration of MWBE vendors in the state’s E-pro curement system. “Numerous departments ...have been instrumental in ensuring that we increase our communication to MWBE businesses.” Marie Helms, CPCC’s assistant director of procurement Career-tech centers gaining in popularity By Barbara S. Miller THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON, Pa. - Joe lanetti has seen aspiring musicians major in fine arts or performance, come out of college with a bachelor’s degree and be unable to find a job. Saddled with school loans, they enroll in a voca tional-technical program so they can learn something that will pay the bills. “We’re not anti-coUege,” said lanetti, director of Western ’Area Career and Tfechnical Center. “We do encourage reverse trans fers.” At the turn of the last cen tury, Dr. \\Tllard Daggett, nationally known education consultant fiom New Yoris state, spoke in the area and warned of outsourcing jobs to En^ish-speaking foreign countries. Anyone who has foimd himself or herself inquiring over the phone about a mortgage or tedmi- cal support fix)m someone in India is hearing, firsthand, what Daggett predicted just six years ago. In the U.S., wh^e Daggett said the most popular major in collie is psychology a bachelor’s degree is no longer a ticket to financial security But there are ways to learn a marketable skill in high school that leads to a living wage. Dan Noah, 33, of Burgettstown, and Matt Rogers, 19, of South Franklin Tbwnship, learned welding at the vo-tech sdiool and haven’t looked back since. Both work at the DBT plant in Meadow Leinds, welding components of a “line pan,” part of a longwall mining conveyor. Unraveled Web fraud reveals inner workings of internet theft By Ted Bridis THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - Tlie illicit haul arrived each day by e-mail, the personal details of computer users tricked by an Internet thief a victim’s name, credit card number, date of birtii. Social Security number, mother’s maiden name. One more Internet “phishing” scam was operating. But this time, private sleuths soon were hot on the electronic trail of a thief whose cmline alias indicated an affini ty with the daik side. The case moved ahead in part because of an undeiground tipster and the thieTs penchmit for repeat edly using the same two passwords - “syer- werz” and “r00tm3.” Unraveling a scheme that also had hacked Kenyon College in Ohio leapt across continents and ultimately pointed toward a See UNRAVELED/7C «)#OI
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 15, 2005, edition 1
24
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75