Groundbreaking on Ivanpah Solar – Fisher Capital Equipment Update

Fisher Capital Equipment Management Update- Bechtel joined BrightSource Energy today in a ceremony to mark the start of construction of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, a groundbreaking project that will usher in a new era of advanced solar power in the United States.The ceremony was held in California's Mojave Desert next to the Ivanpah site. Avoid online internet scams, get latest updates on Fisher Capital Equipment Management website.

Ian Copeland, president of Bechtel's Renewable Power business, described the significance of Ivanpah for Bechtel and the renewable power industry. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and other state and local dignitaries also recognized the importance of Ivanpah in the evolution of renewable energy. 
ABOUT IVANPAH. Bechtel is partnering with BrightSource Energy on one of the most important projects yet in renewable energy.
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, in the Mojave Desert northwest of Needles, will be the first large-scale solar thermal project built in California in nearly two decades, and the largest of its kind in the world. It will generate enough electricity to power more than 140,000 homes and will nearly double the amount of commercial solar thermal electricity produced in the United States today.
Bechtel will provide engineering, procurement and construction services for Ivanpah. The company also is an equity investor in the project, underscoring its commitment to fighting climate change through renewable energy.
The complex will consist of three separate plants using use BrightSource Energy’s Luz Power Tower (LPT) technology. It will displace 400,000 tons (363,000 metric tons) of carbon dioxide emissions per year— the equivalent of taking 70,000 cars off the road— while also reducing water use 90 percent by using a closed-loop dry-cooling technology.
The three plants will have a combined capacity of around 400 megawatts of electricity, which BrightSource will provide to PG&E and Southern California Edison. Commencement of construction on the first plant was in October 2010, following permitting review by the California Energy Commission and the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management. The first plant is scheduled to come online in mid-2012.
Bechtel (BEK tl) is the world's No. 1 choice for engineering, construction, and project management.
Our diverse portfolio encompasses energy, transportation, communications, mining, oil and gas, and government services. We currently have projects in dozens of locations worldwide, from Alaska to Australia. No matter how challenging a project or how remote its location, chances are Bechtel can handle it. That's because we bring an unmatched combination of knowledge, skill, experience, and customer commitment to every job.
We have had record revenues for the past five years, and Engineering News-Record (ENR) has named Bechtel the top U.S. construction contractor for 12 straight years.
While we work for governments and commercial customers, our projects have helped grow local economies and improve the quality of life for communities and people around the world. Time and again our work has demonstrated that the only limits on human achievement are those that we place on ourselves. 
Privately owned with headquarters in San Francisco, we have offices around the world and 49,000 employees. In 2009, we had revenues of $30.8 billion and booked new work valued at $20.3 billion.

Fisher Capital Equipment Management - Significant Progress on Dulles Metrorail

Avoid internet scams, get the latest news update from Fisher Capital Equipment Management. Construction of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Extension project, which is being built near Washington, D.C., is moving forward above and below ground. Crews have made significant progress on the elevated guideway structure that will carry the Metrorail over I-495, the region's primary highway, as well as Tysons Corner, one of the area's most congested business and retail districts. At the same time, a 2400-foot tunnel is being built under the intersection of Route 123 and International Drive as the traffic continues through Tysons Corner, and as the businesses and residents are going about their daily routines.
The progress of the project was highlighted on W-USA 9, a Washington, D.C. area TV station. The report featured interviews with Bechtel construction managers. Watch the video.
Construction of the project began in March 2009, with the signing of a $900 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The project is being constructed by Dulles Transit Partners, a team of Bechtel and URS, and will include five new Metro stations and 11.5 miles of new track. The project is owned and managed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
Fisher Capital Equipment Management - Significant Progress on Dulles Metrorail - Bechtel (BEK tl) is the world's No. 1 choice for engineering, construction, and project management.
Our diverse portfolio encompasses energy, transportation, communications, mining, oil and gas, and government services. We currently have projects in dozens of locations worldwide, from Alaska to Australia. No matter how challenging a project or how remote its location, chances are Bechtel can handle it. That's because we bring an unmatched combination of knowledge, skill, experience, and customer commitment to every job.
We have had record revenues for the past five years, and Engineering News-Record (ENR) has named Bechtel the top U.S. construction contractor for 12 straight years.
While we work for governments and commercial customers, our projects have helped grow local economies and improve the quality of life for communities and people around the world. Time and again our work has demonstrated that the only limits on human achievement are those that we place on ourselves. 
Privately owned with headquarters in San Francisco, we have offices around the world and 49,000 employees. In 2009, we had revenues of $30.8 billion and booked new work valued at $20.3 billion.

What We Do

• Airports and seaports
• Communications networks
• Defense and aerospace facilities
• Environmental cleanup projects
• Fossil and nuclear power plants
• Mines and smelters
• Oil and gas field development
• Pipelines
• Roads and rail systems
• Refineries and petrochemical facilities

Ethics 

Bechtel's culture is grounded in integrity and respect. This means adhering to the highest standards of ethics. Our reputation as an ethical company is one of our most valuable assets. We stand by everything we do.  

Quality

At Bechtel, quality means doing the job right the first time.  We've always delivered quality work, and we are continually striving to improve our performance through Six Sigma and other initiatives.

Safety 

Bechtel has a world-class safety program, and it pays off. Nearly 90 percent of our projects complete each year without a lost-time accident. Our philosophy is simple—every accident, and therefore every injury, is preventable. 

Fisher Capital Management South Korea, Brazil’s Economy: 1st Quarter

Fisher Capital Management Seoul Korea, Brazil’s Economy - The brief recession of 2009 has given way to a robust increase in consumer demand and recovery in investment in Brazil in 2010. The economy is likely to grow 5.5%

this year. GDP grew 2% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2009 and fell 0.2%

for the whole of 2009 compared with 2008.

Fisher Capital Management South Korea Investing: - The central bank did not raise its target overnight interest rate, the so-called Selic rate, unchanged leaving it at 8.75% a year. This was expected as the presidential

election is nearing. The rate fell from 13.75% to 8.75% between December 2008

and July 2009. By the year-end, the rate is expected to rise by 250 basis points to

curb inflation.

Even though the US and Brazil are not as open an economy as one would believe.

Trade accounts for approximately 14% for both the countries. US cotton subsidies had been a bone of contention for the two countries. The US was accused of excessive cotton subsidies by Brazil. After eight years of litigation at the World Trade Organization Brazil has won the case and Brazil’s move to raise tariffs on

a wide range of American goods has a potential of starting a new front in the trade

war with the US over cotton subsidies. Overall, the issue is still not blown out of

proportion as the two countries are engaged on other fronts.

Fisher Capital Management Korea, Brazil’s Economy: 1st Quarter Investment - Brazil’s government announced a R$958.9bn programme of investments in infrastructure for 2011 to 2014. The program is known as the PAC 2 … the

Portuguese acronym for accelerated growth programme, part two … to increase

Brazil’s investment rate and its potential for economic growth during the period

of the next government, which begins on January 1 2011.

Fisher Capital Management South Korea, Investment News: Henrique Meirelles who provided monetary stability to Brazil is all set to stand for election either as a Vice President or a senator. President Lula may choose him to

run for the Vice President office to send a message that macroeconomic stability

will be maintained under Ms Rousseff, presidential nominee of Mr. Lula’s party in the October election.

Fisher Capital is a leading global financial institution holding extensive relationships with financial institutions, institutional investors and corporations across the world.

As a full service company Fisher Capital provides a full range of investment banking services including advanced risk management, corporate strategy and structure, plus raising capital through debt and equity markets. With this as our backbone we continue to provide a client service second to none.

Let us keep you informed of all the latest news and developments with our free monthly newsletter of analysis and recommendations.

Join our mailing list to recieved our free monthly Fisher Capital newsletter, with analysis of the latest financial and investment news and developmetns, plus of course our current research findings and recommendations.

Government Bond Markets Global Outlook Fisher Capital Management Seoul

Government Bond Markets Global Outlook Fisher Capital Management Seoul - Conditions in the government bond markets have remained very difficult over the past month, and there have been further falls in some of the minor markets, especially in the euro-zone, because of continuing fears about sovereign debt defaults. The agreement reached by the member countries of the euro-zone to combine with the

IMF to provide any necessary support to enable Greece to refinance its maturing debts and avoid a default has had a poor response in the markets; but at least Greece has been able to make further bond issues; and the gilt edged market has coped fairly well so far with a disappointing Budget statement that has left any real attempt to resolve the serious UK debt problems until after the general election. But the sudden weakness in the world bond markets after a series of disappointing auctions has once again increased the tensions.

Our position remains unchanged; any existing exposure to bonds should be further reduced in favor of US & Euro equities.

Fisher Capital Management Seoul, South Korea - The global economic recovery is developing slowly, and so short-term interest rates

are likely to remain at low levels for a considerable period. It is also possible that

the “fudged” agreement amongst member countries of the euro-zone will provide

an opportunity for the introduction of the necessary austerity measures; and that

a new government will finally begin to address the debt problems in the UK. But

the risks in the situation are still increasing, sovereign debt defaults may still occur,

and the single currency system in the euro-zone may not be sustainable in its present

form. Higher bond yields therefore appear unavoidable; prospects for all the bond

markets are unattractive.

Developments in the bond market over the past month have clearly illustrated the

need for caution. The US economy continues to recover. The Fed has left shortterm

interest rates unchanged, and has indicated that they will remain “at exceptionally

low levels for an extended period”. This tended to enhance the “safe haven” status

of the US equity market for most of the past month, as conditions continued to

deteriorate in other bond markets.

Fisher Capital Management Seoul, South Korea - Most of the available evidence supports the view that the economic recovery is

continuing, but only at a slow pace. The unemployment rate remains close to 10%,

and the housing sector is still depressed, with both new housing starts and sales of

existing homes weakened still further by adverse weather conditions. However

retail sales are holding up fairly well, and manufacturers are beginning to increase

capital expenditures and inventories, and so there is a general expectation that

growth in the first quarter will be around a 2% annualized rate.

Fisher Capital Management Seoul, South Korea - The Fed has confirmed that its buying programmed for mortgage-backed securities

has ended, and that it may be moving slowly towards re-selling some of these

securities; but it seems to be in no hurry, and so both the economic background,

and the position of the central bank, remain broadly supportive.

The situation facing investors in the mainland European bond markets is more

serious. The economic background is improving, with the weaker euro providing

considerable support in export markets, and so the area continues to move out of

recession. But progress is slow, and so the European Central Bank is maintaining

very low short-term interest rates, and providing support. However the massive

fiscal deficits are threatening to overwhelm the bond markets and to lead to sovereign

debt defaults, and so investors have continued to switch from the bonds of the

weaker countries into those of the stronger countries, and have widened the yield

spreads across the markets. The latest Greek bond auctions have received only a

very moderate response, and there is considerable uncertainty whether even the

markets of the stronger countries are adequately discounting the risks in the situation.

Fisher Capital Management Seoul, South Korea - The available evidence on the performance of the euro-zone economy is mixed,

but slightly more encouraging. The weakness in domestic demand is continuing,

and retail sales volumes are disappointing in most member countries; but the

manufacturing sector, especially in Germany, is much more buoyant, with exports

providing most of the momentum. The latest Ifo index of business sentiment in

Germany is sharply higher, and other countries are also sharing in the improvement.

Analysts are therefore forecasting growth around the 0.5% level in the first quarter

of the year.

Fisher Capital Updates - Bechtel-Enka Completes Albanian Motorway

Fisher Capital Equipment Management News Updates - TIRANA, ALBANIA -  Bechtel and joint-venture partner Enka today completed construction on the Albanian Motorway, a 37-mile (61-km), four-lane highway that stretches from central Albania to the to Kosovo border. The motorway is now open to traffic. 

Construction Project Management and Civil Engineering Careers scams. Keep posted and don’t be a victim. 
The end of construction was marked by a ceremony to open a second tunnel bore, the final section of the motorway. Ministers of transport from Albania and Kosovo, and additional senior officials from both countries, attended the opening. Speaking on behalf of the Albanian government, Sokol Olldashi, the minister of transport and telecommunications, thanked Bechtel-Enka for its commitment and the quality of work performed during construction of the motorway.
The motorway is the central leg of a 106-mile (171-km) highway traversing the country from the Adriatic Sea to the northeastern village of Kalimash near Kosovo. The new roadway cuts travel time along the route from six to two hours, boosting coastal trade and northeast tourism. The motorway also provides a vital connection within Albania and across the region, linking markets to the Adriatic port of Durres and contributing to economic growth as Albania prepares for accession to the European Union.
The Albanian Motorway is one of the largest-ever infrastructure projects in the country and presented many engineering challenges due to complexities of the geology in the region and the fast-track construction schedule. The motorway includes a 3.4-mile (5.5-km) twin bore tunnel and 29 bridges built in a rocky, mountainous region.
During construction, the project was the largest employer in the area, with Albanians accounting for two thirds of the workforce.
Fisher Capital Equipment Management News Updates - Bechtel (BEK tl) is the world's No. 1 choice for engineering, construction, and project management. Construction Project Management and Civil Engineering Careers scams. Keep posted and don’t be a victim. 
Our diverse portfolio encompasses energy, transportation, communications, mining, oil and gas, and government services. We currently have projects in dozens of locations worldwide, from Alaska to Australia. No matter how challenging a project or how remote its location, chances are Bechtel can handle it. That's because we bring an unmatched combination of knowledge, skill, experience, and customer commitment to every job.
We have had record revenues for the past five years, and Engineering News-Record (ENR) has named Bechtel the top U.S. construction contractor for 12 straight years.
While we work for governments and commercial customers, our projects have helped grow local economies and improve the quality of life for communities and people around the world. Time and again our work has demonstrated that the only limits on human achievement are those that we place on ourselves. 
Privately owned with headquarters in San Francisco, we have offices around the world and 49,000 employees. In 2009, we had revenues of $30.8 billion and booked new work valued at $20.3 billion.

Ethics 

Bechtel's culture is grounded in integrity and respect. This means adhering to the highest standards of ethics. Our reputation as an ethical company is one of our most valuable assets. We stand by everything we do.  

Quality

At Bechtel, quality means doing the job right the first time.  We've always delivered quality work, and we are continually striving to improve our performance through Six Sigma and other initiatives.

Safety 

Bechtel has a world-class safety program, and it pays off. Nearly 90 percent of our projects complete each year without a lost-time accident. Our philosophy is simple—every accident, and therefore every injury, is preventable. 

How to avoid Engineering Scholarship Scams

Fisher Capital Equipment Tips - Construction Project Management and Civil Engineering Careers. Civil Engineer site - How to avoid Engineering Scholarship Scams

Student or parents needs to be able to recognize the scholarship fraud profile. Following are top 10 Scholarship Scams.

1. The free seminar scam. Overwhelmed by all the information out there? Want to make the best financial aid decisions for you or your child? Often a free financial aid seminar is no more than a “come-on” for insurance sales pitches, matching services or investment products.

Signs that should make the warning bells go off: Are they using the hard sell? Sign-up today or the price shoots up tomorrow? Can only answer certain questions after you pay their fee? Wants your credit card information to “hold” a scholarship for you? Your ears should be ringing by now.

Remember, if you receive help from a consultant, he or she must sign the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If the seminar sales rep refuses to do so, it is another alarm bell. And never let a company consultant suggest that you adjust your income on the FAFSA in order to receive more aid. It’s unethical (a crime even). And it can backfire, big time.

2. Scholarships for profit. Scholarships are designed for many purposes—recruit talented athletes, assist low income applicants, encourage study in an academic discipline, promote campus diversity, attract the best students—but profit should never be one of them. Scammers that award modest scholarships of $1,000 (or no scholarship at all) can collect many times over that amount in fees by attracting thousands of applicants. You may only be out the 15 bucks or so, but multiple that by 1,000 scholarship hopefuls just like you and you just made for a nice payday for the scholarship scam artist. Being denied such a scholarship does not make you undeserving—but just one more scammed applicant.

3. The advance-fee loan. A low-interest loan with an upfront fee? Don’t think so, and neither should you. Legitimate lenders deduct fees from at the time disbursement checks are issue; they do not charge fees before paying out the loan to a borrower. Be wary of any lender that asks for money upfront—that is a loan that will likely never materialize.

4. Your Financial Aid Office. Huh? Your college Financial Aid Office is a credible and free resource for education funding. But beware; the Education Department recently banned the practice of lenders offering financial incentives to universities that recommend their service as a preferred lender (the university often receiving a “cut” for the loan). The move was prompted by investigations showing that some university officials accepted gifts, payments or stock on favorable terms in exchange for such practices. In other instances, marketing representatives for lenders staffed phones at student aid offices. In an $85 billion student loan industry, you have to ask yourself if your university steered you to the lender with the best rate available, or simply the one lining their pockets. Ouch.

5. The guaranteed matching service. If Match.com can’t guarantee you Prince Charming and firmer abs, scholarship matching services cannot guarantee you money in the bank. Matching services that promise guaranteed matching sources for a processing fee of $49.95 (and much higher) will at best provide you with information available for free on the web. Take note that these services often inflate their database when an individual sponsor offers hundreds of scholarships.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) reports that many of the sources provided by scholarship matching services are inaccurate and “few, if any at all, receive the actual funds”. The BBB adds that information provided is often out of date, providing sources for deadlines that have long passed. And never mind that money-back guarantee—it comes with more hoops to jump through than any dog-and-pony show you could ever imagine.

6. Linked products. Don’t let any sales person ever convince you that a financial product, such as student life insurance, or an annuity, must be purchased to qualify for federal student financial aid. It just isn’t so. And it is a sure fire scam.

7. The telemarketer. Telemarketing was once the biggest bugaboos of scholarship fraud when the FTC first addressed scholarship scams in the 90s. Attention more recently has shifted to bogus financial aid and scholarship seminars, and deceptive practices among consultants. That does not mean that telemarketing scams still do not surface. The U.S. Department of Education warned consumers recently about telemarketing scammers posing as U.S. Department of Education (ED) officers offering grants to students for a $249 processing fee (by requesting a bank or credit card number). Contact the DOE’s Office of Inspector General at 1-800-MIS-USED begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            1-800-MIS-USED      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (1-800-647-8733 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            1-800-647-8733      end_of_the_skype_highlighting) or oig.hotline@ed.gov to learn more.

8. Guaranteed financial aid consultants. What can you expect for your fee from a financial aid consultant? Help completing the FAFSA, estimating your expected family contribution (EFC), and advising you or child on types of aid. Information and assistance that is readily available and free from a financial aid office at any university, your local library, on the web, or from a high school guidance counselor. So what is free, free, free information worth to you? Plenty, if you pay fees to a financial aid consultant to get it.

Some may want the handholding of a consultant regardless. Then be aware of deceptive claims that should send you looking for help from other sources. A financial aid consultant may guarantee a minimum $2,500 in aid or promise to refund your money. That’s nice, but misleading. Yes, you will no doubt receive that $2,500 student loan, but then so will every applicant who completes the FAFSA (free and on the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov). A federal entitlement available simply by completing the FAFSA should not be misrepresented or misconstrued as aid a consulting company can uniquely guarantee you as an enticement.

Likewise, if a consulting service guarantees you will receive every last penny to ship your child off to school (or your money back), you should not be fooled. You guessed it, another federal entitlement that is a byproduct of completing the FAFSA. That and a decent credit rating will earn you a PLUS loan for 100 percent of the total cost of attendance for you or your child. It is just good sense to steer clear of any company that entices clientele with benefits that are freely available to all students completing the FAFSA (whether they pay pricey consulting fees or not) as a federal entitlement.

Remember, if a consulting agency is completing a FAFSA (or any other form) on your behalf, review, sign it, and mail it yourself. You should maintain copies of the completed FAFSA and expect a refund if it is incorrect. And always agree to a flat fee for financial aid consulting services, never a percentage of aid received. Qualifications to consider when screening potential financial aid consultants include whether the consultant has experience at a financial aid office and is a Certified Public Accountant. Never be hesitant to ask for references.

9. The sweepstakes scholarship. Lucky you! You have just been selected as a finalist to win a scholarship in a sweepstakes that you never entered. (And you thought you never won anything.) The only obstacle standing between you and collecting your winnings is paying the redemption fee. Be wary of contests, websites and scholarships that collect personal data, payout a single dollar-amount (play the lottery today?) and repay the kindness with a barrage of advertisements. Which brings us to our next popular scam tactic.

10. The redemption fee. Common catchphrases by the scammer are disbursement fee, redemption fee, or processing fee. Notice the common denominator here? Legitimate scholarships do not ask a student to pay for an award. Be wary of any money awarded to you out of the blue that comes with strings, especially those with strings attached to your pocketbook.

Fisher Capital: Save with eLease Construction Equipment Leasing

Leasing construction equipment for your company is a superb choice. Recent industry statistics tell us that well over $3 billion worth of construction equipment is leased each year by companies in the United States alone. Business managers choose to lease construction equipment or get commercial truck leasing because of the inherent advantages offered by leasing, such as superb flexibility, custom payment structures, better asset management, stable cash flow, easy upgrades and flexible end of term options. Not to mention the short processing times, which are generally much faster than that of bank loans. At eLease Equipment Leasing, we have helped thousands of construction companies and contractors lease the necessary equipment for their businesses to succeed. We also offer various forms of business auto leasing as well. Contact us immediately to get experienced advice on financing. Avoid possible scams on equipment lease applications, learn from us. 

Construction Equipment Lease Types

We lease a variety of heavy and construction equipment to our clients. These items have included products as diverse as:

• Backhoes/Bulldozers
• Cranes
• Cement Trucks
• Compactors
• Excavators
• Jackhammers
• Lighting
• Surveying Equipment
• Trucks and Tractors

Construction Equipment Leasing Facts

Leasing enables you to customize a financing program to address your business' cash flow issues, including budgeting, transaction and cyclical fluctuations. Many of our construction company clients require seasonal leases, as an example, which help them to slot payments into their busiest months, and avoid payments during the off-season.

Equipment leasing is an excellent way to grow your business without significant out of pocket expenses. Leasing offers real advantages including better value, more convenience and greater control. In most cases, the full amount of the equipment, as well as the service, shipping, installation costs and maintenance can be included in the lease. This spreads the cost out evenly over the term of the lease freeing up your money to work harder for you. Currently, 35% of all equipment is leased. Learn more about equipment leasing and how it can help your business.

Founded in 1995, Paragon Capital began as a traditional leasing company focused on the high tech industry. Born of a desire to provide a faster, more comprehensive cost effective solution for businesses equipment leasing needs, eLease is a combination of the most powerful leasing brand, the best-of-breed leasing technology of LeaseExchange, and the industry experience of Paragon Capital. eLease's web interface empowers corporations of all sizes to increase the efficiency of their business with instant approvals, documentation and administration using a common Internet browser interface. eLease's application suite provides unprecedented sharing of information and services between leasing parties increasing the time to funding.

eLease's online application enables customers and vendors to dynamically enter an application, receive an instant approval and manage documents online completing the leasing process in minutes instead of weeks. Created on a commitment to speed and service, eLease's technology constantly innovates the leasing process using technology to evolve and improve the services available to businesses in need of equipment finance.