Career Builder Survey Results on 2009 Employment market

CareerBuilder.com released the results of its latest survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, tracking projected hiring trends for 2009. The survey, titled "2009 Job Forecast," was conducted from Nov. 12 through Dec. 1, 2008, among 3,259 hiring managers and human resource professionals in private sector companies.

"The job market of 2008 suffered as the U.S. economy weakened and entered into a recession," said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder.com. "Looking ahead, recruitment levels are expected to be lower in the new year, but employers are not out of the mix completely; instead they're taking 'a wait and see' approach to hiring. Fourteen percent of employers, surveyed by CareerBuilder.com, state they plan to increase full-time, permanent employees, and 16 percent plan to decrease in 2009. The remainder of employers say they are unsure or don't plan to make any changes to their headcount in the new year."

• Full-time: Fourteen percent of employers plan to increase their number of full-time, permanent employees in 2009, compared to 32 percent who anticipated increasing headcount in 2008. Sixteen percent plan to decrease staff levels in 2009 while 56 percent expect no change. Thirteen percent are unsure.
• Part-time: Eight percent of employers plan to increase their number of part-time employees in 2009, down from 21 percent who expected to do so in 2008. Fourteen percent plan to decrease headcount in 2009; 62 percent expect no change and 15 percent are unsure.
• Hiring By region: Staff expansions are expected to be strongest in the South and West in 2009. Eighteen percent of employers in the South and 14 percent of employers in the West plan to add full-time, permanent employees, compared to 13 percent in the Midwest and 11 percent in the Northeast. Employers in the Northeast are projecting one of the largest amounts of staff decreases at 19 percent, followed by 17 percent in the Midwest, 16 percent in the West and 14 percent in the South.
• Hiring by industry: Comparing select industries, job creation in professional and business services and information technology is expected to carry into the new year. Twenty-eight percent of IT and 23 percent of professional and business services employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in 2009, followed by 20 percent of employers in transportation and utilities, 16 percent in sales, 14 percent in health care and 13 percent in financial services.

Seven Major Hiring Trends for 2009

• Increased salaries: Even as companies explore ways to cut costs, employers still plan to increase salaries in the coming year.
• Flexible work arrangements: Close to one third (31 percent) of employers say they plan to provide more flexible work arrangements in 2009.
• Green jobs: Employers plan to become more environmentally-aware in the new year. Thirteen percent of employers say they plan to add "green jobs" in 2009, compared to one-in-ten who say they added them in 2008.
• Recruitment tools: As recruitment budgets tighten, more employers are leveraging the Internet as a vehicle for finding potential employees.
• Retaining retirees: A quarter of employers surveyed report concern over the loss of intellectual capital at their organizations as a large number of baby boomers approach retirement age.
• Diversity recruitment: When asked if there is a particular segment of diverse workers they plan to target more aggressively in 2009, employers pointed to Hispanic workers, women, African-American workers and mature workers.
• Freelance or contract hiring: As the nation waits for the economy to bounce back, employers are turning to freelance or contract workers to help support their businesses.

Relocation Announcement

W&O moving operation s from Jacksonville, FL to Houston, TX

Woman's Relocation Assistance; Relocation Announcements

Let me begin by wishing all the readers, a wonderful and happy holiday season to each of you and your families. May 2009 be better for all of us.

Women's Relocation Assistance

Women’s Business Growth & Relocation Center

The Women’s Business Growth & Relocation Center is a referral network developed by WomenPartner International to connect self-employed women with the specialized resources they need to relocate their business (or career) and family to a new metro area in the US, Canada, and UK. It will also provide expert content on how women can strategically grow their client base throughout their state or province. As they add more international companies to WPI, we will include more countries in our Center.

It will offer information about:

• Business licenses
• Sales tax permits
• Local business and job market
• Commercial & residential funding
• Sources of new clients
• Office space
• Networking opportunities
• Job market & starting a new career

The Women’s Business Growth & Relocation Center will also feature the Self Employed Woman’s Guide to Buying Real Estate and Reinvention 2.0: The Sophisticated e-Woman’s Guide to Reinventing Her Business Or Career to Thrive in a Slow Economy.

Relocation Announcement

Neopost USA - Moving from California to Milford Connecticut. About 150 families affected

Relocation Announcements

Sentry Pumping Unit International - moving from Wichita, Kansas to Kilgore, Texas

Gulfstream Services - Moving from Houma, Louisiana to Kilgore, Texas

Tips from Kristen Fife on Her Blog

Kristen is the moderator of HRPN on Yahoo groups and in her recent blog she posted the following information. I pass it on for your use if appropriate in this economy we are in at the moment:

Dealing With A Layoff

Have you been recently laid off? It's becoming more and more common in the US, with over 10 million unemployed professionals and growing.

Here are some tricks to weather the situation.

1) File for Unemployment Insurance as soon as you find out you are being RIF'd. Your local unemployment office has classes on resume writing, worker retraining programs, and free computer usage in addition to providing you with financial support.

2) Start hitting up your professional network. Clients, former and current coworkers, professional associations, and a trick is to contact recruiters. Then it's time to call upon your second tier network, your social contacts. Think of the people in your network that actually deal with people for a living. Brokers/financial planners, barber/hairdresser, landscaper. Don't underestimate the power of networking. It's the key to finding a job.

3) Harness the power of the internet. LinkedIn, Plaxo, Grouply, Facebook are all "Social Networking" sites that can be invaluable for networking online.

4) Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Pursue multiple lines of inquiry, think "outside the box" for opportunities. For example, if you have been in auto sales, think of related industries that might have a use for your talents. Auto parts, public transportation, travel industries may all be moves to consider.

5) Be prepared to make changes. You may need to remember that times are lean, companies are paying less for top skills than they did two years ago. Also seriously consider relocation as an option. Some cities are better off than others.

6) Stay busy. Believe it or not, networking and job hunting take a lot of time, but it's also important that you take care of yourself. One of the best ways, which you can also put on your resume, is to volunteer in your field. For example, a naturalized citizen that is a recruiter friend of mine is volunteering at the local Refugee Center helping recruit volunteers to help transitioning refugees to life in the US.

7) Most importantly, take care of your mental health. Try not to get overwhelmed or depresssed. Seek professional help if you need it. Most communities have free or sliding fee scale payment plans.

Realignment and Pets Part 2

Prudential Realigns Operations

Prudential Financial, in order to function with the current economic climate, is merging it's real estate and relocation businesses to primarily be based in Arizona.

Moving Pets Part 2
Part Two
Important Questions for Important Members of the Family

The general transportation procedure may be understood by the transferee but there are often concerns questions regarding the care and safety of their beloved pets, rather than the “nuts and bolts” of the logistics. "Most important is how our clients feel about [their pet's move]," said Rick Olson, Regional Operations Manager of Crown Relocations in Los Angeles. "It is a foreign process to them loaded with emotion and concern." This sentiments and anxieties can lead to a multitude of questions that a relocation professional might be faced with.

Many myths surround pet safety and air travel, which perpetuates anxieties that a transferee inevitably has when they first start contemplating a pet move. Most of the horror stories that circulate about pets flying are a direct result from pet owners attempting to fly their pets on their own. Anyone who has ever tried to highlight their hair using an at-home kit, or build a deck after picking up some two-by-fours at the local hardware store, knows that some processes, while not impossible to do on one's own, are better left to professionals. It helps to remind the transferee that they will be in experienced hands—for professional pet relocation companies, their duty is to ensure that every pet arrives safely and without incident.

The risk of extreme temperatures affecting the pet’s safety is one of the other common concerns among pet owners—many airlines will even embargo pets during the winter and summer months. However, most reputable pet relocation companies work with airlines that have programs in place to keep pets in climate control the entire duration of the flight. The pet is never exposed to inclement weather and this allows companies to relocate pets all over the world year-round. Dogs escaping from or getting hurt while in their crates is an example of why pet relocation companies emphasize to clients that they crate train their pet before the day of the flight. Some relocation companies can even arrange professional crate training classes for them. It is important to contact the pet relocation company as soon as a potential transferee mentions they might be relocating their pet as the more time he can spend getting used to his new crate, the more relaxed he will be on the day of his flight.

There are three different ways a pet can travel on an airplane: with the owner in the passenger cabin or as accompanied (or excess) luggage in the cargo hold, or as manifest cargo (typically without the owner). Most owners initially want to take their pets in the cabin but unfortunately due to airline restrictions on weight and size limits as well as various government restrictions for international imports, rarely does a pet qualify to fly in the cabin. However, as long as care is taken in choosing the correct airline, the cargo hold where the pet will travel is always pressurized and climate-controlled. This means a transferee’s pet will travel in comfort even when apart from his owner. While direct flights are ideal, direct routing is not the only factor when choosing which airline a pet should fly on. Some airlines are not adequately set up to take care of pets in the event that there is a delay or emergency. “Pet friendly” airlines such as Continental Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have created dedicated pet programs to care for their four-legged travelers that keep pets in climate control not only while in the plane, but also while waiting to board. These airlines also have kennel facilities at their main hubs, where during layovers, all of the pets pet are checked on, watered and if necessary, fed.

Despite all of this careful attention, there are still some pets that most pet relocation companies consider to be “at risk” when traveling. Older, infirm dogs and cats can travel as there is no age limit, but it is always best for the transferee to seriously consider the amount of stress an elderly pet can endure. High-anxiety pets also pose a risk for hyperventilation and injury to themselves if they are not properly crate trained and conditioned ahead of time. Snub-nosed dogs such as pugs and English bulldogs are at an elevated risk for traveling due to their delicate respiratory systems which can become impaired under high stress situations. The length of travel and the pet’s individual personality can contribute to the amount of risk. Ultimately, it’s left at the pet owner’s discretion to make an informed decision after consulting with their pet relocation specialist and veterinarian.

This is part two in a three-part series on pet relocations, written by Rachel Farris with PetRelocation.com, based out of Austin, Texas. This series originally appeared in MOBILITY magazine. PetRelocation.com offers on-site and webinar training for CRPs and companies interested in learning how to best answer their transferee's frequently asked questions surrounding domestic and international pet relocations. For more information or to schedule a free training seminar for you and your staff, please contact PetRelocation.com at +1-512-264-9800.

How Strong is Your Relocation Market?

As part of the Manpower Inc. Q1 2009 Survey mentioned yesterday, the survey results ranked the job market expectations for 200 Metro areas in the US. For your information here is a list of the best and worst markets:
Strongest Markets ( In order by rate of change largest to smallest)
Lafayette, LA
Beaumont, Tx
Houston, TX
Amarillo, TX
Burlington, VT
Des Moines, IA
New Orleans, LA
Tulsa, OK
McAllen, TX
Brownsville, TX
Oklahoma City, OK
Laredo, TX
Shreveport, LA
R0chester, NY
El Paso, TX
Wichita, KS
Washington DC/Northern, VA/Maryland
Anchorage, AK
Gulfport, MS

Weakest Markets ( In order by rate of change largest to smallest)
Barnstable, MA
Port St Lucie, FL
Reno, NV
San Diego, CA
Flint, MI
Merced, CA
Toledo, OH
San Jose, CA
Wilmington, NC
Greensboro, NC
Detroit, MI
Trenton, NJ
Reading, PA
Fort Myers, FL
Oxnard, CA
Chicago, IL
Champaign, IL
Santa Cruz, CA
Holland, MI
San Luis Obispo, CA
Evansville, IN
Salem, OR
Modesto, CA
Portland, ME
Stockton, CA
Providence, RI
Orlando, FL
Cleveland, OH
Bremerton, WA
Spartanburg, SC
Lincoln, NE
Asheville, NC
Ogden, UT
Chico, CA
Myrtle Beach, SC
Norwich, CT
Fort Wayne, IN
Tucson, AZ
Nashville, TN
Portland, OR
Riverside, CA
Springfield, IL
Olympia, WA
South Bend, IN
Spokane, WA
Stamford, CT
Buffalo, NY
Sacremento, CA
Tampa, FL
Los Angeles, CA

Manpower Releases Survey Results

Manpower has released its Global Outlook Survey for the first Quarter of 2009. The results of the survey taken on a worldwide basis and covering 71,000 global employers revealed the following indices of the job market

• 25 out of 33 countries and territories still expect positive hiring activity in Q1 2009
• 30 countries say that the pace of hiring will slow
• 25 countries see year to year hiring activity weaker with 21 countries reporting the lowest hiring rate on record
• Most active were Peru, India, Costa Rica, Canada, Romania, Columbia, South Africa, Australia, Poland, The US and China
• The Weakest countries were Singapore, Ireland,, Spain and Italy
• 67% of American employers plan to hold their staff levels steady for Q1 2009
• 16% of American employers anticipate increased hiring
• 13% of American employers anticipate layoffs

Strongest US market industry sectors include Mining, Professional and Business Services, Wholesale and Retail trades, Financial Activities, Education and Health Services, Leisure and Hospitality, Other Services and Government.
Weakest markets are Construction, Durable and Nondurable manufacturing and transporationa nd utilities.

Worldwide ERC Posts Future Conference Locations

• 2010 Global Workforce Symposium - Seattle, Washington
  Seattle Convention Center
  Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Towers
  Grand Hyatt Seattle
  October 27-29, 2010
• 2011 National Relocation Conference - Las Vegas, Nevada
  Caesars Palace
  May 18-20, 2011
• 2011 Global Workforce Symposium - Denver, Colorado
  Colorado Convention Center Hyatt Regency
  Denver and Grand Hyatt
  October 12-14, 2011
• 2012 National Relocation Conference - San Antonio, Texas
  Convention Center Grand Hyatt
  San Antonio Marriot Riverwalk
  May 9-11, 2012
• 2012 Global Workforce Symposium - Washington, DC
  Marriot Wardman Park
  October 3-5, 2012
• 2013 National Relocation Conference - San Diego, California
  Manchester Grand Hyatt
  May 15-17, 2013

End of the Year, Expats, Pets and Car Costs

End of the Year

As we enter the last month of the year we see all kinds of signs that our financial crisis could have an affect on our livelihood as relocation professionals. I would suggest to you that we have been here before and the relocation industry has always made a comeback. Part of the reason is that every business enterprise needs to have the availability of qualified talent to run their organizations and that means they may need to go out of their market to find the right individual, so relocation becomes the ticket to accomplish their goals. So hang in there and we will return.

ExPat Employment Status
In the October-November 2008 issue of the SHRM Legal Report is an interesting cover story regarding the employment status of ExPat employees. Many of us work in states where the rule of law is that employees are hired in a mode where the employer can hire or fire any employee at will, with or without cause. The auhtor of the article suggests that the minute you send an employee overseas, the employee at will condition goes out the door and the expat becomes subject to the at will tenant and becomes subject to the host country's vested rights, severance pay and termination protection.

Runzheimer releases cost figures for operating a mid size 2009 vehicles
Runzheimer International has recently compiled the costs for operating a 2009 mid-size vehicle and determined the most costly areas in the country. This year the most expensive areas are Detroit, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Newark, NJ. The least expensive areas wereEau Claire, WI; Bismarck, ND and Sioux Falls, SD.

Strategic partnership created for providing Pet Relocation Services
(see related story below)
PetTravelCenter.com and Pet Relocation.com have entered into a partnership to provide the relocating transferees and the corporate world with information on moving pets both domestically and internationally.

PetRelocation.com provides Pet Relocation Advice
Rachel Farris of PetRelocation has provided this blog with a series of articles dealing with things that you need to be cognizant of when you decide to relocate your pets. Below is part one of Rachel's series:
This is part one in a three-part series on pet relocations, written by Rachel Farris with PetRelocation.com, based out of Austin, Texas. This series originally appeared in MOBILITY magazine. PetRelocation.com offers on-site and webinar training for CRPs and companies interested in learning how to best answer their transferee's frequently asked questions surrounding domestic and international pet relocations. For more information or to schedule a free training seminar for you and your staff, please contact PetRelocation.com at +1-512-264-9800.


Most pet owners treat Fido or Fluffy like another member of the family, with birthday parties and Christmas stockings full of rawhide hanging on the mantle. These pet owners come from the school of thought that a pet is not just a pet—he or she is a beloved member of the family, an integral part of the home and a loyal best friend. Relocation counselors at some point will likely be faced with the task of overseeing the move of this trusty companion. It is not always just a matter of handing off the transferee to a pet relocation company that specializes in the international door-to-door transfer of pets. Many times, the relocation counselor is the one responsible for having the initial conversation about the pet move with the transferee. Having a general knowledge of how the process works and answers to common questions the transferee might have will help ease concerns about the pet’s upcoming move, and can facilitate a smooth transition from the relocation counselor to the pet relocation company.
How does the pet relocation process work?

Pet relocation companies boast the ability to serve the entire world. The practice itself is fairly straightforward: pets are typically picked up at the transferee's residence, checked in at the departure airport, then cleared through customs upon arrival and delivered to their owner's new residence. Pet relocation specialists are also usually responsible for selecting appropriate flight arrangements, carefully reviewing the import and export documents, and counseling the transferee on the intricate details of their pet's move.

Some pet relocation services arrange door-to-door moves by opening offices at major hubs or franchising their businesses in various parts of the world. However, a pet is not always traveling to and from the main ports of entry—sometimes it is necessary to facilitate customs clearances or deliveries in more obscure cities and countries. Most reputable pet relocation companies are members of a group called the Independent Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA). The association regulates and monitors the pet transportation industry by setting ethics standards and overseeing the performance of their members. As part of their membership, companies are given access to a network of pet transportation professionals worldwide who have guaranteed reputations for the services they provide. "IPATA is crucial to upholding quality service for pet relocations," said current IPATA president, Gay O'Brien. "If a company wants to ensure their transferee's clients are receiving the highest level of care, with careful attention paid to the well-being of the pets, IPATA's listing of member companies is the best place to start." IPATA is compromised of a menagerie of pet transportation professionals—local pet taxis and veterinarians, major corporations and even freight forwarders and customs brokers. Due to IPATA's exacting standards for membership, affiliates are able to safely coordinate the door-to-door service for the most precious of cargo. As a way of bridging the gap often found in a global industry, IPATA also offers an annual conference where the members gather to meet and exchange ideas, attend classes on country import requirements and species-specific handling techniques, and attend forums where representatives from major airlines come to answer questions in a round-table format. International requirements vary from country to country, so working with a quality pet relocation company who is also up to date on the current import requirements is crucial.

These intricacies can often affect the overall cost and many people tend to underestimate the rates surrounding a complete door-to-door relocation for a pet. The cost of the pet move is made up by the ground transportation to and from the airports, the documentation and import fees, and then also the air freight charges for the pets. When pets travel as cargo, the airlines generally charge for the dimensional weight of the travel crate, which can sometimes mean that the cost of a one-way international flight for a pet traveling overseas costs the same amount as a first-class, round trip ticket for his owner.

IRS Announces 2009 Mileage Rate

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced the new national per-mile business driving rate of 55.0 cents for the U.S. taxpayer, effective January 1, 2009. This new rate compares to a rate of 50.5 cents-per-mile from January 1 through June 30, 2008, and a rate of 58.5 cents-per-mile from July 1 through December 31, 2008.

IRS Announces 2009 Mileage Rate

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced the new national per-mile business driving rate of 55.0 cents for the U.S. taxpayer, effective January 1, 2009. This new rate compares to a rate of 50.5 cents-per-mile from January 1 through June 30, 2008, and a rate of 58.5 cents-per-mile from July 1 through December 31, 2008.

CRP 2009

San Diego CRP Review

Daniel Bloom & Associates, Inc. will present it's 19th annual review seminar for the 2009 CRP examination May 10-11-12 in San Diego. Due to increased costs, the registration fees will increase this year to $595 if paid before March 31, $625 if paid by April 15 and $655 if paid before April 30. There will also be a $30 charge for second day delivery.

Update

It is hard to keep track of the fast year going by and truly hard to believe we have made it to Thanksgiving already. On behalf of our family to yours we wish you a happy thanksgiving holiday and hope the rest of the year goes well for each of you.

Relocation

USA Basketball moving from Colorado Springs to Glendale, AZ

HomeServices of America on the Road Again

HomeServices of America, through its Huff Realty member has purchased the assets of Century 21 Home Team and Red Apple Realtors in Indiana.

Yes We Can

It is Time For a Change

As a country yesterday we achieved a new page in our collective history. Not since the era of JFK has any politician been able to gather such a wide spread collection of groups to bring together their hopes, concerns and wishes for a single cause. Some of the media reported that some of the voters expressed the belief that for the first time they felt part of the process. Tom Brokaw stated that he had friends who for the first time in decades actually wanted to go to work in government. I am not suggesting that anyone was right or wrong based on their vote yesterday. That is your right and your choice. What I am suggesting is that as the country is primed for a change, maybe it is time for this industry to be primed for a change. Maybe it is time to return to the basics of this industry. We were never designed to be a commodity, instead the industry was created to provide a service to the employees being moved by our corporations. Just think what our workplace could be like if our employees were as engaged as the Obama volunteers were last night in Grant Park, on Time Square and in every corner of this country. We can do that if we return to our roots.We are about recognizing the employee as a human being not a number. We are about making the movement of a family as seamless as possible.

Just Get Me There Update

On October 16, 2003 we signed an agreement with GOM Publishing to produce the results of our efforts to produce a history of this industry we call home. The book was released just before ERC's national relocation conference in 2005. Among the conditions of the agreement was that GOM had publishing rights for a period of 5 years which expired on October 16, 2008. We have made the decision to take all rights to publish the book back. Going forward all orders for copies of the book should be directed to our website or email.

Critical Time in Our History

Despite your leanings, we are faced today with a historical event in history. Please be sure to be part of our commitment to be a citizen of this country and get to the polls and place your vote.
We have several items for your consideration today in this new blog post:

SHRM Reports the results of a new Mercer Survey

Mercer Consultants have released the results of their new survey on the Benefits for Expatriates and Globally Mobile Employees. One of the findings of the survey is that the majority of firms make no effort to measure by any form of matrices the success of their expat benefit package.

Primacy Relocation and Worldwide ERC release the 2008 List of Best Places for Single Employees

In the fifth and final survey, Primacy identified the best cities for relocating Singles. In this years survey the top cities were in order of preference:
1. Boston, MA
2. Nassau/Suffolk County, NY
3. New Haven, CT
4. New York Metro Area
5. Edison, NJ
6. Atlanta, GA
7. Raleigh, NC
8. San Francisco, CA
9. Santa Ana , CA
10. Newark, NJ
11. Tampa, FL
12. Los Angeles, Ca
13. Orlando, FL
14. Virginia Beach, VA
15. Camden, NJ
16. Charleston, SC
17. Providence, RI
18. Washington, DC
19.New Orleans, LA
20. Philadelphia, PA

October 18,2008 Update

Relocation Announcement

United Natural Foods has announced the relocation of their corporate headquarters from Killingly, CT to Providence, RI by May 2009.

Scient'x has announced the relocation of their headquarters from West Chester, PA to Mailtand, FL.

Mergers and Acquistions

Metro Brokers GMAC announced the purchase of the assets of Realty Connections of Jasper, GA. The acquisition adds 20 new associates to their growing staff.

Relocation Announcements Oct 10, 2008

Bercen - Moving headquarters from Cranston, RI to Livingston Parsih, LA by end of 2009

Brevani - Moving US headquarters from a Suburb of Chicago to Muncie , IN over the next two years

October 6, 2008 Update

ERC Names Replacement for Cris Collie

Lynn M. Bragg has been named the new chief executive officer of Worldwide ERC®, the workforce mobility association, effective November 21, 2008. Bragg will succeed H. Cris Collie, CAE, who will retire in December 2008 after a distinguished 36-year career.

2009 CRP Review Seminar

Planning to send staff members to our CRP 2009 Review in San Diego? We have negotiated a special rate for attendees who are going to the San Diego Site. The rate will be assigned upon the entering of a group code which will be provided when we receive payment. The rate will be $209 per night and is good for the Residence Inn San Diego Downtown. It is a 5 minute drive away from the Grand Hyatt where the ERC Conference will be held.

September 28, 2008

Relocation Announcements

Inorganic Ventures - Moving from Lakewood , NJ to Christianburg, West Virginia

September 24,2008

GMAC Sells Operations to Brookfield Asset Management

GMAC has announced that it has sold its GMAC Home Services to Brookfield Asset Management. The sale includes GMAC Global Relocation Services, GMAC Real Estate and GMAC Home Services Mortgage. Brookfield operates Royal LePage, La Capitale, Johnston and Daniel and Centract in Canada.

Interesting article about the talnet crunch in the Western Economies

In an article entitles "Not What, Not How, but Who? Western Companies Face a Worldwide Talent Crunch" the Wharton School has released an article regarding the results of a study by Wharton and the Boston Consulting Group. They point out there is a conflict between what corporations are trying to do at home and what they are trying to do in the rapidly developing economies.
The full article can be found at
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2056

As California Goes, So Does the Rest of the World May be

In recent action by the City of San Francisco the City commission amended the San Francisco Environment Code by adding Section 421 which requires local employers to offer commuting benefits to encourage employees to use public transit or van pools. Under the ordinance, based on Section 132 of the Tax Code employers and employees are able to reduce the cost of public transit by enabling employers to deduct as a business expense, qualified transportation benefits that the employer provides for employees' personal transportation costs for commuting to and from work, or by allowing employees to elect to purchase qualifying transit passes or reimbursements for vanpool rides with pre-tax dollars.
Acceptable options include Pre-Tax Elections, Employer Paid Benefits,or Employer Paid Transit . The ordinacne goes into affect 120 days following August 12, 2008.

September 18,2008

To begin with we send out our wishes for a quick recovery for those of our readership who are in the Houston area and their fellow Texans who are trying to cope with the mayhem imposed by a storm called Ike. Beginning with this posting, we will from time to time post information to the blog from other experts in the field for your use. Hope it will be added value to your business environment.

Human Resource Department Challenges - 2008

I recently joined the HRPN group on Yahoo and I posed the question to the group as to what are the challenges they are facing everyday. Their answers are interesting as to how it would affect our businesses. For your information here was the results of the survey.
The challenges can be divided into four separate groups.
The first challenge deals with diversity issues including working with the various generations in the workplace, religion in the workplace and questions regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act and how to entice the disabled to consider joining our workforce.
The second challenges covers the Human Resource operations function. Here the human resource department is concerned with workplace safety, performance improvement, Return on Investment on the human capital investment, aligning human resources with the business strategy and the protection of corporate and personal data.
The third challenges involves the legal compliance questions. It covers such areas as I-9 reporting, wage and salary issues, age discrimination issues, ADA again, Family Medical Leave Act, and EEO questions.
The fourth and most predominant challenge is how we get our employees engaged in the company. This area is concerned with Work/Life Balance issues, Family Medical Leave, Training and Education in the workplace, health care, recruitment and retention and the concern about the knowledge drain as seasoned workers exit the company.

Watch the Move- It may be detrimental to the family status

In a posting on the internet there was a reference to Powery v. Wells in which a mother moved her child 91 miles away from the estranged father. The court said that the mother could not move with out getting approval from the other parent. This leads us to an addition from the Legal Education Center (diydivorce.fl@gmail.com) regarding things to keep in mind when moving with children who have been in a divorce situation. Here is Pam Wynn's report on this issue:
"Child custody law has been evoloving over the last decade. Even the terms are changing - from custody to child access and timesharing. With a renewed emphasis on keeping both paretn's involved in their children's lives, many states have changed the rules about when a divorced parent is permitted to relocate a child. If you are a divorced parent considering an employment relocation, here are five legal trends you should be aware of:
One- If your custody order does not cover how future moves will be decided, your state may have a procedure in the law, there will be court opinions that outline the factors a court will examine when considering a custody relocation request.
Two- If your state has a mandatory procedure and you move without following it, you may be held in contempt of court and have other sanctions imposed. Sometimes your violation can be used against you in court and can even be a reason to change custody. It can also be a reason for the judge to order you to pay the other attorney's fees and costs. And you could be ordered to pay all the child's travel expenses for visitation while the case is pending. The judge can even order you to return the child to the area permanently in some states.
Three- If the other parent objects, you will have to ask the court for permission to move. The court will have a hearing to determine if it is in the child's best interest to move. You may not be permitted to move the child in the meanwhile. With typical delays, it could be months before a hearing is held.
Four- With the increasingly child-focused laws being passed, stability int he child's life will become a more important factor in court decisions. Recent cases in Florida have supported changing custody when the judge found that the relocation was not int he child's best interest.
Five-There is a national movement to pass legislation that permits courts to order computer-assisted or virtual parent-child contact. Currently there are four states with virtual visitation laws- Utha, Florida, Texas and Wisconsin. While it is not a substitute for in-person contact, virtual contact can help parents stay connected to their children in ways a telephone never could. If your state does not have a law on virtual visitation, each judge will determine whehter to permit such contact.
If you are working with a divorced transferee or are a divorced aprent considering a relocation, be aware of these legal trends and get information specific to your state. If you do not follow the procedures, the sanctions can be severe if you relocate a child."

Sign of the times

Cartus has announced that it has reduced its workforce by 70 jobs across the operations due to the nature of the housing market at the current time.

Relocations

CSC - Moving from Camp Hill. PA to Fairmont , W. Va
Church and Dwight -Moving from New Jeresy to York, PA
Flanders Corporation - Moving corporate offices from St Petersburg, FL to Washington, NC

Brokers Merger Operations

GMAC Metro Brokers and Oprandi Realty have merged their operations in North Georgia under the GMAC Metro Broker umbrella. The merger adds 40 real estate agents to the Metro Broker agent staff.

Links did not work, here they are again

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2041

http://www.management.wharton.upenn.edu/rothbard/documents/Upacking%20Prior%20 experience_org%20Science_11-15-07.pdf

September 4, 2008

Hope you all had a great labor day weekend. It is hard to believe we are into the final throws of the year. Where has time gone. They say it flies when you are having fun. This entry has several items for your information from promotions, to the release of some new research which has an impact on relocation efforts. While you are taking in the impact of the information we get to watch three storms off in the Atlantic. Maybe it is time to think about moving out of the tropics! Just kidding I think.

21st Annual Global Relocation Conference

Orion Mobility will be hosting it's Global Relocation Confernece in White Plains, NY September 22-24, 2008.

OneSource Relocation Promotion

OneSource Relocation has announced the promotion of Michael Nimer to the position of Chief Operating Officer

Fastest Growing Real Firms Merge Operations

Fort Collins Real Estate and Keller Williams of Northern Colorado merged their operations and will be named Keller Williams of Northern Colorado with 215 agents.

New Research has important Implications for Relocation of Executives

In a post dated September 3, 2008 Knowledge at Wharton from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania presented a summary of a study of the results of surveys of employees in two different insurance companies. Their findings presented the idea that hiring new employees from outside the company brings problems due to the difficulty in adapting to the new corporate culture. The full details of the research can be found at either http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?/articleid=2041 or at
http://www-management.wharton.upenn.edu/rothbard/document/Unpacking%20Prior%20Experience_ORG%20SCIENCE_11-15-07.pdf.

Friday August 22, 2008

Conferences

September 16-17 Equus Global Relocation Seminar Denver, CO
October 27-29 SHRM Diversity Conference Atlanta, GA

Promotions

Homeservices of Georgia has announced the promotion of Karen McRae to the position of Senior Vice President of Relocation for both Jenny Pruitt & Associates and Harry Norman Realtors. The two companies comprise the HomeServices presence in the Atlanta market.

Where are We Headed?

As part of my affiliation with LinkedIn I am a member of My VirtualPowerForum. Among the emails I received today from the group was a report of the release of a study on ethical behavior in the workplace. The summary was disturbing to say the least:

A report released last week shows trends that reflect today's values. The report was based on a study conducted across twelve Indian cities and the respondents were executives at the entry and middle levels.

* Nearly half of respondents said it was quite appropriate to use the
office telephone to make personal calls - even long-distance calls.
* About 55% said it was OK to fudge expense accounts.
* Almost half had no qualms about recording their entry times as being
within permissible limits, even when they arrived late. Similarly,
they did not hesitate to mark the exit time as required even when they
left early. (This finding was restricted to manual systems).
* 60% admitted to lying while applying for leave, a figure that
reached 75% in some cities.
* Another 60% found nothing wrong in carrying office stationery to
their homes, while 63% said it was okay to do personal work during
office hours.
* 62% considered offering someone a bribe "normal and ethical" behavior.

If this sample is representative of the rest of the workplace, what does that tell us about the transferee's we work with? Let me know your thoughts.

August 14,2008 Update

SIRVA signs Services Contract

SIRVA has signed a contract for the delivery of relocation management services to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau. The contract is valued at $10,000,000 and runs from July 2008 for a period of one year.

Starck Realtors Makes Strategic Decision about Their Future

Starck Realtors, one of the largest independent real estate brokers in the Chicago market, has made the decision to affiliate with the Prudential Real Estate Network. Its 13 offices and 500 employees will operate as Prudential Starck Realtors. In addition three area Prudential affiliates will join the Prudential Starck Family.

August 11,2008

Time Warner Cable Relocations

Associated Press has announced that Time Warner Cable is closing its Connecticut corporate offices and relocating 220 employees to New York City, Charlotte, NC and Herndon, VA. They will start in September and run through mid year 2009

August 6,2008

Government Announces that it has reached the H-2B Cap

According to the SHRM website, the following announcement has been made by the U.S. Immigration Service "

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reached its 33,000 cap on the number of petitions for H-2B workers for the first half of fiscal 2009.

The USCIS hit the congressionally mandated cap as of July 29, 2008, it announced July 30. The USCIS will reject any petitions for new H-2B workers seeking April 1, 2009, employment start dates that the USCIS receives after July 29, 2008.

Reader Question #2

There is a possibility we have found a way to put our three day review for the CRP exam on line. If we did that at a suggested cost of $700 per participant, how many of you would be inclined to do that over the live 3 day verson?

Reader Question

For those of you who have been around this industry for any length of time, you will remember when the relocation management firms and many in house programs had inventory specialists on staff. When the housing market skyrocketed many of the organizations let their inventory specialists go. Now we have a declining market and the government is reporting that 1 in 171 homes is in some stage of foreclosure. Is the relocation industry in a position to successfully handle the increased load of relocation caused homes on the market? Let me know your thoughts.

July 23,2008 Update

SIRVA Appoints New CEO

Sirva announced on July 17, 2008 that they have appointed Wes Lucas as CEO of SIRVA succeeding Robert Tieken.

Prudential Relocation Promotion

Prudential Relocation has appointed Joe Logudic as Managing Director for Asia Pacific Region

SAIC announces Relocation of Divisions

Science Applications International Corporation has announced that it is relocating the corporate headquarters for shared services from operations in San Diego and McLean, VA to an existing SAIC facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Move will create more than 150 new jobs.

July 20, 2008 Update

Army announces relocation

According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Army wil be moving 1300 soldiers to Hawaii over the next five years

Royal Philips Relocating Corporate Headquarters

Associated Press is reporting that Royal Philips NV is moving their corporate headquarters from New York City to Andover , MA

Clark & Reid Announces Personnel Changes

Clark & Reid Movers has announced that J. Chris MacKenzie has accepted an expanded position as Vice President for Sales and Marketing for the Executive Relocation Division of the company. Also Douglas Holmes has joined the firm as the Sales Manager for the Southeast Region.

July 15,2008 Update

I hope that you all had a great long 4th of July weekend. As each day goes by we hear more and more evidence that the world economy is being greatly affected by factors both of our own doing and by the actions of others. I have not seen a time in my lifetime where things have been so precarious and that could have a great affect on our livelihoods. Many of you know that to supplement my income due to only once a year holding the CRP classes, I took a position with the Borders Group and got caught in a RIF. So I truly feel for the professionals in the marketplace who find themselves out of work. We have two entries for today--one of movement forward to better times and one to insure that our problems do not get deeper.

New Mortgage Rules from Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve on July 14, released new rules governing the mortgage market, which should have a direct affect on the relocation market. The new rules are as follows:
a. Prohibit a lender from making a loan without regard to the borrower's ability to repay the loan from income and other than the home value.
b. Requires creditors to verify the income and assets they rely upon to determine repayment ability. This has a direct affect on relocation loan programs which in some cases do not require documentation of income.
c. Bans any prepayment penalty if the payment can change in the initial four years. For higher priced loans prepayment penalties cannot last more than two years.
d. Requires lenders to establish escrow accounts on all loans
e. Mortgage Lenders and Brokers are prohibited from coercing a real estate appraiser to misstate a home's value
f. Loan payments are are to be credited as of the date of receipt
g. No fees can be charged by the mortgage industry until the borrower has received the early disclosures except for the reasonable cost of a credit check.
h. Sets out new mortgage advertising regulations on what lenders must disclose

Launch of New Real Estate Brand

Better Homes and Gardens and Realogy will conduct as press conference and webcast on July 23 to announce the formal roll out of the Better Homes and Gardens new real estate brand.

Update July 8,2008

Where Oh Where Should I Move?

CollegeGrad.com has released it's July 2008 list of the top locations for fresh graduates to consider for their first positions. The top five cities were New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Boston and Philadelphia. Their survey also found that 85 percent of the entry level job seekers they talked with would be open to move across the country or internationally for the right position.

Kumon and Realogy Global Client Solutions form Alliance

Kumon, the number 1 tutoring franchise has signed an agreement with Realogy Global Client Solutions to serve as Kumon's business advisor to assit with the location and/or relocation of Kumon operations .

Interesting Reading

The latest issue of Site Selection Magazine (http://www.siteselection.com) has several articles of interest to relocation professionals. The cover article discusses the tech centers for tomorrow which looks at the role of universities, science parks and R&D Centers which are creating a new generation of industries. A second article talks about Building a Work Force and looks at the role of educational alliances in attracting new corporate relocations.

Holiday Edition

Holiday Note

We have reached the half point of the year and we get a 3-day weekend to celebrate the event. May everyone have a safe and happy fourth. Enjoy the food, the company and your families.

GMAC Confirms Manpower Study

GMAC announced the results of a recent survey by Manpower. Many of the financial services firms are still relocating human capital around the world with a dual concentration on reducing costs and selecting the right person. Part of this process is the use of standardized policies. Driving this is a perceived lack of local talent int he emerging markets.

Prudential California closes offices

According to the Marin Independent Journal, Prudential California has made the decision to close their offices in Marin California due to the slowdown int he real estate markets. The move will affect 24 agents who will be moved to other offices within the chain.

Colorado Withdraws Transfer Tax Proposal

The intention of the state government was to place on the November ballot an Initiative which would place a new tax on the transfer of real estate. The intent of the new tax was to fund affordable housing within the state. State officials on July 2nd made the decision to remove the initiative from the ballot.

June 27 Update

Relocation Announcements

Bercen Inc. - Moving from Rhode Island to Livingston Parish, LA

FAA Offering Hefty Relocation Packages

According to United Press International and ABC News,the FAA has confirmed that they are offering $100,000 incentive bonuses to Air Traffic Controllers to relocate to new duty stations such as Westbury, LI and Aspen, CO among other cities.

Major Merger Action In Oklahoma

In the past several days there has been a flurry of merger action in the real estate community within the state. It started with Coldwell Banker Rader Group and Terry Garside Realtors combining operations to create Coldwell Banker Select. Then two days later, Coldwell Banker Select purchased the operations of Marilyn Pryor Realtors. The total combination created a firm of 700 agents and the largest brokerage in the State of Oklahoma.

Latest News From Relo Land

IRS Raises Mileage Rate

IRS has raised the rate for mileage reimbursements from $.505 per mile to $.585 per mile effective June 24, 2008

Manpower Releases Relocation Survey

A recent Manpower study presents an interesting challenge for today's employment market. Manpower interviewed nearly 28,000 employers and 31,000 employees worldwide. The results of the interviews presented a picture in which 37 percent of the employees said they were willing to relocate anywhere in the world for a better career, but 31 percent of the employers were worried about the talent they need migrating abroad away from their markets. The Chairman of Manpower stated that about 3 percent of the world's population are living and working away from their home country representing the highest percentage in history. Employee's under age 30 were more receptive to moving then their older peers. Men were willing to undertake longer assignment durations then women. The survey also found that the most popular destinations were the US, UK and Spain.

KBA announces Relocation

KBA North America announced that after more than 20 years is moving it's operations from Williston, VT to Dallas, TX in the summer of 2009 according to American Printer.

News from the front lines

Orion Mobility

Orion Mobility, co-sponsor of the 2008 CRP Review Seminar, has announced that September 22-24th they will conduct their 21st Annual Relocation Tax and Legal Seminar . It will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains, N.Y.

Challenges Ahead

Every year Jim Cathcart, author of the book Relationship Selling, send out a list of the rsults of the briefing given to the faculty at Beloit College. The purpose of the briefing is to help them understand the incoming freshmen. I would suggest to you the college is alsotalking about the transferees of the future. In this year's breifing they are talking about individuals who were born in the year 1986. Here is their frame of reference. Consider how that might affect the way you work with them when they becoming your transferring clients:

• They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagon Era and do not know he had ever been shot
• They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged
• Black Monday 1987 is as significant to them as the Great Depression
• There has only been one pope and they can only really only remember one president
• They were 10 when the Soiet Union broke apart and they don't remember the cold war
• They have never feared a nuclear war
• They don't remember the Challenger explosion
• Tianamen Square means nothing to them
• Their lifetime has always included AIDS
• Bottle caps have always been screwed off and plastic
• Atari predates them, as do vinyl albums (one of our friends told us that they were looking at a turntable recently and their young son saw the reference to 33 1/3 RPM and asked them what that referred to)
• The expression "you sound like a broken record" means nothing to them beacuse they have never owned a record player
  
• They have never played Pac Man and have never heard of Pong
• They have never heard of an 8-track
• Stamps have always cost about 32 cents
• They have always had an answering machine
• Most of them have never seen a TV with only 13 channels
• They have never seen a black and white TV
• They have always had cable
• There has always been VCR's, but don not ask them what Beta is
• They can't fathom not having a remote control
• They were born the year the Walkman was introduced
• Roller skating has always meant in-line
• Jay Leno has always been on the tonight show
• They have no idea why Jordache Jeans were cool
• Popcorn has always been cooked in a microwave
• They have never seen Larry Bird Play
• They never took a swim and thought about Jaws
• Viet Nam War is as ancient history to them as WWI, WWII and the Civil War
• They have no idea that Americans were held hostage in Iran
• They can't imagine what hard contact lens are
• They don't know who Mork was or where he was from
• They never heard "Where's the Beef," "I'd Walk a mile for a camel." or "de plane, de plane."
• The Titanic was found? They thought we always knew where it was
• Michale Jackson has always been white
• Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America nd Alabama are places, not groups
• McDonald's never came in styrofoam containers
• There has always been MTV
• They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter
• They do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. is
  

They are currently 22 years of age, that means in another two to four years they will be our transferees. Are we prepared to deal with them?

Dan

California imposes new restrictions on Relo

Layers and Settlements.com recently reported that an employee was able to sue his employer because California statutes state that "NO person, or agent or officer thereof, directly or indirectly, shall influence,persuade, or engage any person to change from one place to another in this State or from any place outside to any place within the state, or from any place outside, for the purpose of working in any branch of labor, through or by means of knowingly false representations, whether spoken, written,advertised in printing form concerning either a) the kind, character, or existence of work or b) the length of time such work will last, or the compensation therefore. It further states that violation of this statute subjects the violator to civil action for double damages. Action can be brought by the injured employee, his assigns or successors without establishing criminal liability.
In the case discussed an employee was asked to move to another city. Once he arrived they cut his base pay. They also made no mention of covering his relocation costs.

CRP 2008 Seminar Results

The results are in and DBAI set a new record with this year's review. The seminar was attended by 18 individuals and each and every one passed the exam. In 18 years of conducting the seminar we have never had a perfect score from every one in the class. Congratulations to all.

June 1, 2008 Update

ThyssenKrupp to Relocate and Cut 160 positions

ThyssenKrupp plans to move its operations in Janesville to Auburn Hills, Michigan by the end of September. In the process it will eliminate 160 positions from its payroll.

Coldwell Banker United Continues to Grow

Coldwell Banker United REALTORS has expanded its market by acquiring Sandpiper Real Estate Group in Charleston, SC and Dean-Kelby Realtors in Summerville. The company now has 77 residential offices, 3 commercial offices, 2400 sales associates and 450 employees covering six states

May 27, 20087 Update

IMPACT Group's Founder Announces her Retirement

Laura Herring a pioneer in the career counseling field, has announced that she will retire in January of 2009 and turn the responsibility for the growing business over to her daughter. Over the past four years they have added 26 new locations to their operations. Lauren Herring has been the guiding force behind many of the changes in the organization so she was a natural to take the helm going forward.
As a vendor Partner of DBAI, we wish Laura the best going forward and look forward to working with Lauren where the IMPACT Group can benefit our clients.

Pennsylvania Charging Transfer Taxes on Deeds-In-Blank

Worldwide ERC has announced that they have learned that the State of Pennsylvania has begun to treat transfers of residences to relocation management companies as taxable transactions in these transactions. There is nothing in writing as of this time, but new regulations state that in situations where there are two transactions covered by a single document, transfer taxes are due to both transactions.

New Transformation

From the Desk of the Consultant

We have for the past seven years published a monthly newsletter which has gone out to over 200 individuals. It has been our goal to be a resource for information that maybe was not available elsewhere. We have tried several formats and each seems to have problems for certain of the subscribers. After much thought we have made the decision to move the newsletter to this blog for several reasons: a) we can update it as news happens rather than waiting several weeks; b) it allows the ability of subscribers to add their comments as they wish and post their job openings where appropriate. This issue is actual a combination of May and June 2008. Due to the scheduling of the CRP review class we were teaching when this newsletter was supposed ot go out to the subscriber list. Please let me know if there are other changes that you would like to see.

Changing of the Guard

According to the May issue of Mobility Magazine, the family of Arthur Lederman announced that Arthur had passed away in February. For those of us who knew Art from his days at RRI, Coldwell Banker and DeWolfe, he will be sorely missed.

We are Not Alone

The Canadian Employee Relocation Council announced that it will host cross Canadian meetings to bring together business and government representatives to discuss how each will deal with the pending skilled labor shortage that is brewing in Canada. The same issue is appearing in every major economy in the world.

Keeps on Growing

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce have announced that they are in negotiations with 39 businesses considering relocating operations to Nashville and surrounding areas. If they are all successful it will add 9440 new jobs to the marketplace worth $722,000,000. The businesses represent back-office, headquarters and manufacturing operations.

Mortgage Crisis bring About Further Changes

Alaska has joined a growing number of states requiring that mortgage professionals be licensed by the state to offer services within the state.

Manpower Releases Results from Talent Shortage Study

In the results of a recent study of the employment marketplace, Manpower revealed that thirty-one percent of employers worldwide were having difficulties filling open positions due to a lack of suitable talent. In an associated study, Manpower indicated that the hardest positions to fill in the United States were Engineers, Machine Operators, Skilled Trades, Technicians, Sales Representatives, Financial staffs, Mechanics, Laborers, It staff and Production Operators. These were similar to the 2007 hottest job list.

Fox Relocation Management Changes Name

Fox Relocation management based in Boston has decided to change its name to reflect its move into the project management arena. The new name for the organization will be Fox RPM Corporation. It is not affiliated with any relocation operation run by Fox Roach Real Estate in Philadelphia.

If it Smells Like a Rose, is it a Rose?

Re/Max International in proceedings surrounding a lawsuit against First American Title for pulling out of an exclusive right to market title insurance to Re/Max Agents, stated that it was not liable under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act clause prohibiting kickbacks of any sort. Their reasoning was that it was not a real estate company but a marketing company which maintains marketing agreements with 123 companies that want to pitch their services to the Re/Max agents across the country.

Relocations

• Wachovia - Phasing out A.G. Edwards brand and moving Wachovia Securities headquarters from Richmond, VA to St Louis, MO . Several hundred families involved. Move complete by February 2009.
• RainDance - Moving operations from Guilford, CT to Lexington, MA as of May 2008. Affects 30 families.
• Del Monte - Moving 100 marketing and related jobs from Pittsburgh to Headquarters in San Francisco.
• Inergy Automotive - Relocating from Ontario, Canada to Adrian, Michigan
• Spring Air - Relocating it's corporate headquarters from Chicago to Tampa, FL. In addition the company is moving it's St Louis manufacturing operation to Columbus, OH.
• RTI International - Moving its headquarters from Youngstown, OH to Pittsburgh creating at least 35 new jobs after the move.
• Brown Shoe - Transferring 300 employees from it's Madison Wisconsin Famous Footwear division to corporate headquarters in St Louis, MO.
• Freightliner - Moving selected positions from corporate headquarters in Portland, OR to South Carolina.
• James Hardie Industries - Moving its total operations from the Netherlands to the US. It's Australian and New Zealand operations would be separated from the US company and either sold off or incorporated as independent local companies.

Industry Position Openings

Flextronics - Seeking a Mobility Specialist who will spend 80 percent of their time in relocation and 20% devoted to international assignments. The individual will be the primary point of contact for the relocation program and will work closely with the Global Mobility Manager. Candidate needs strong computer skills and be able to work with minimal supervision.

Industry Events

2008

• September 16-17
• Equus Software
• 6th Annual Global Tax Seminar
• Denver, CO

• October 29-31
• Worldwide ERC
• Global Workforce Symposium
• Washington, DC

2009

• May 13-15
• Worldwide ERC
• National Relocation Conference
• San Diego, CA

• October 7-9
• Worldwide ERC
• Global Workforce Symposium
• Chicago, IL

2010

• May 19-21
• Worldwide ERC
• National Relocation Conference
• Orlando, FL

• October 27-29
• Worldwide ERC
• Global Workforce Symposium
• Seattle, WA

Inside DBAI

Too Much Material, Too Little Time

DBAI will again present its annual CRP review seminar in San Diego tentatively scheduled for May 10, 11 and 12 in San Diego. Now in it's 19th year, the seminar will provide an overview of the material for the examination. Over the prior 18 years, over one thousand relocation professionals from every segment of the industry have attended this successful seminar to prepare for the examination. Costs for the 19th Seminar will be announced in January pending an assessment fo the increased postage for mailing manuals to attendees. There will be a major rewrite of the material as some primary components are rewritten.

SEND US YOUR NEWS ITEMS

Currently over 200 subscribers from all segments of the industry receive this newsletter distributed by e-mail to each subscriber on the first of each month. If you have some news you would like to have included e-mail it to us by the 20th of month and we will try and include it in our next issue.