| Tully's pouring it on for planet
Long in the red financially, Tully's is hoping to make some green by going green. The Seattle-based coffee company on Wednesday will implement a handful of environmentally friendly business practices in hopes of pulling customers away from Starbucks, the international specialty coffee giant. But the changes will cost customers more. Tully's said its 92 company-owned stores will use 100 percent certified Fair Trade and organic espresso for those drinks, fully compostable paper cups for hot beverages and low E fluorescent lighting. Tully's also will begin a recycling collection program, which includes coffee grounds, in its stores. The company, which is in five states, will roll out the programs in about one-third of the stores and transition the rest during the next six months, said Rob Martin, vice president of merchandise and production for Tully's.
Oracle general counsel replaces Apple's top lawyer
SAN JOSE In a shuffle between companies with legal challenges spanning the globe, Apple Inc. general counsel Donald Rosenberg is leaving for Qualcomm Inc. after just 10 months in the post. Oracle Corp. general counsel Daniel Cooperman, 56, will replace Rosenberg on Nov. 1, Apple said Friday. Rosenberg, 56, joined Apple last November, when the maker of iPod players and Macintosh computers was in the thick of a stock options scandal. His predecessor there, Nancy Heinen, is now fighting civil charges that she fraudulently backdated stock-options awards to the executive team and a grant to CEO Steve Jobs. Jobs has a reputation as a tough boss, and his Cupertino-based company maintains an overflowing plate of legal work. In addition to shareholder lawsuits, Apple stays busy building and defending a large portfolio of patents and faces copyright concerns and anticompetitive complaints from a string of European agencies over its iTunes-iPod franchise.
Teams near borders look to Canada, Mexico to expand fan base
UNDATED -- Buffalo Bills executives started looking east a decade ago, conscious that the small market couldn't sustain an NFL franchise unless they expanded the fan base to Rochester. That helped, but it wasn't enough. "We dried up that market," owner Ralph Wilson said. "We turned over every stone." So the Bills shifted their gaze north, crossing not just city lines but international borders. Wilson believes that the franchise's increased success at attracting Canadian fans is critical to its continued viability. For NFL teams near Canada and Mexico, the proximity to another country offers unique opportunities to augment not only game attendance, but merchandise sales, broadcasting revenues and corporate sponsorships. Bills ticket sales in Canada are up 18 percent this season, Wilson said, boosted by the greater parity between the American and Canadian dollars.
|
