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Issue 10.39 | Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 |
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TODAY'S FOCUS NORCROSS, Ga., Aug. 13, 2010 – Compass Marketing Research debuts its new Culinary Research Center serving the national chain restaurant and food and beverage manufacturing industries. The new facilities include a state-of–the-art commercial R&D test kitchen, as well as a domestic-style kitchen with adjoining consumer research rooms.
Scott Taylor, president of Compass Marketing Research, says: “Our new culinary development facility design was guided by R&D chefs to support the various stages of product evolution from ideas to concepts, and through prototype development and refinement. Our firm has long provided consumer research services to many of the most well-known brands in the food and beverage industry, and now we operate our own top-notch culinary facilities for a comprehensive service package.” The Culinary Research Center, which spans over 5,000 square feet, was built to meet the ever- growing needs of product and menu developers. The kitchen areas, encompassing 1,200 square feet, have modern, trendy and highly functional spaces with elements that are important to culinary development projects. This includes the newest commercial equipment, abundant refrigeration, ample prep and working areas and a variety of small wares. A key element of the new Center is that all consumer evaluations of the test products are done on laptops, not paper questionnaires. The client, at the end of the day, immediately gets to see the results of the test kitchen consumer panel, adding efficiency and less cost to the test kitchen results. The number of new food/beverage product introductions in the market place has more than tripled over the past decade. Clearly innovation is a dominant trend in the US food industry. Most food and beverage R&D activities revolve around one of three initiatives; imitations, improvements or innovations. What may be surprising is that the majority of R&D work supports imitations, with improvements taking second place and innovations representing the least amount of development. A reason for this is cost and risk, as it simply costs more to innovate and it bears the highest amount of acceptance risk. Generally, development cycle time is also a factor, as it typically takes about six months R&D time for imitative projects, about 16 months for improvement projects, and 24 months or longer for new innovation projects. Only five percent of innovation R&D projects typically result actual market launch, while 22 percent of improvement and 27 percent of imitation projects actually launch. The Culinary Research Center at Compass Marketing Research is designed to support consumer-led R&D and around each of those initiatives; new product development and refinements. Taylor adds: “The key is having the resources. Our team is comprised of food scientists, chefs and experienced line cooks, as may be called upon by our clients for culinary support, in addition to experienced researchers in the design, execution and analysis of food and beverage research. Our new Culinary Research Center is fully equipped and provides a flexible platform to conduct simple to complex projects. Our consumer testing rooms are easily accessible to the kitchens and offer client one-way mirror viewing.” The Culinary
Research Center is a division of Compass Marketing Research, a wholly
owned subsidiary of The Marketing Workshop, Inc., established in 1972
to serve the marketing research needs across a variety of industries. EEB PERSPECTIVE AUG. 13, 2010 – Say what you want to about Georgia politics, but it’s important to have one credential in your background when you run for governor: having been a member at one time of the Georgia General Assembly. Yep, you guessed it: the good old boys of the Legislature, both Democrats and Republicans, ensured the nomination of their one-time fellow legislator, Nathan Deal, as the Republican candidate for governor.
These guys who think they run Georgia –- Sonny Perdue can tell you that they do – all got behind the Deal candidacy and made up an 11 point deficit from the first primary---just enough votes to put their man into the race for governor. Just look at the map of how individual counties voted. You see Deal’s strength in both north and central south Georgia in generally the smaller counties. Handel meanwhile, copped the major population centers except for Gwinnett County, which Deal won, 28,005 to 27,265, a 740 vote margin. Palin, er, that is, Handel, was particularly strong in counties that border water. She took every county along the Chattahoochee River from Forsyth to Decatur County, except for two small Deal victories in Quitman and Clay Counties. Handel won every county along the Savannah River from Lincoln north of Augusta to Savannah, and took every coastal county. (Interesting to note: Handel and Deal ended up in a dead tie in Charlton County, where each got 147 votes.)
Yet the Deal strength came by concentrating on rural counties in North Georgia, around the middle of the doughnut hole near Macon, and in south Central Georgia. (The only county Deal did not win in North Georgia was Chattooga, a Chattanooga suburb.) Deal took 108 counties, Handel had 50, and one was tied. Now, the good old boys of the Legislature face a problem. Both GOP and Dem candidates are legislative veterans. With the Legislature now in the control of Republicans, it makes the victory of Roy Barnes a little less of a shoo-in. But more people turn out in a gubernatorial race than in the runoff. It appears the November race is close right now. But no matter who wins, the Georgia Legislature will know they have helped elect one of their own again. * * * * * Voters get a two month break before the intensity of the election will be back with us in late October and November. So take a breath and relax a bit. * * * * * * Looking at Tuesday’s runoff, the two county commission races, and then the GOP governor’s runoff, were all very, very close. Closest was John Heard’s victory over Tim Sullivan by 263 vote, or 2 percent. That’s cutting it really close. Meanwhile, Lynette Howard only won by 4 percent, meaning 378 votes, over Keith Shewbert. Of course, all it takes is one vote to decide such races, so we can attach the name of “Landslide” (with tongue in cheek) to both of the commission winners. Howard took 16 precincts but Shewbert took 18. Yet Howard won five precincts by more than 100 votes, and the absentee ballots (293-229) while Shewbert took only two precincts by more than 100 votes. It was Howard’s strong margin in most of the Peachtree Corners area that put her in office, as she and Shewbert split the Berkshire (Lilburn) precincts, while Shewbert won the downtown Norcross areas. In the District 4 race between Heard and Sullivan, Heard won every one of the Lawrenceville precincts (13) save one, plus Sugar Hill A and B, and four other precincts, a total of 24. Sullivan had 17 precincts, throughout the district. In precincts won by more than 100 votes, Heard had five, and Sullivan two, but the vote count was close, 7,169 to 6,906. When the results were in, we bet John Heard was audibly heard saying, “Whew!” Congratulations to Lynette Howard and John Heard. ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is Graphic Communications Corporation of Lawrenceville, a WBENC and a NWBOC certified female-owned and managed company. Graphic Communications is a dynamic full-service print, large-format inkjet and photographic output, fulfillment, point-of-purchase and multi-media communications company. The firm has a digital media and graphic design department for both print and Internet use. Graphic Communications has been awarded the Chain of Custody certification by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC). Only a select group of printers in Georgia can provide eco-conscious customers with paper with the FSC, SFI or PEFC logos, which ensure that the paper is from a well-managed, certified, sustainable forest and that the chain of custody from forest to pulp and to paper manufacturer to merchant---has not been broken. Graphic Communications' biggest strength is its ability to meet tight deadlines along with the ever-present demands for high quality and attention to detail. This ability makes the printing process seamless for its clients. Three of its greatest competitive advantages are: 1) listening, 2) being organized for speed, and 3) being detail fanatics. All of its associates are committed to giving customers exactly what they want, when they want it. Simply, at Graphic Communications, the customer's needs are the driving forces behind everything it does, from investment in technology to the friendly voices that still answer the telephone. For more information, go to http://www.gccprint.com.
McLEMORE'S WORLD ARCHIVE
FEEDBACK We encourage readers to submit feedback or letters to the editor. Send your thoughts to editor at elliott@brack.net. We will edit for length and clarity. Make sure to include your name and city where you live. Submission of a comment grants permission to us to reprint. Please keep your comment to 200 words or less. However, if you write 500 words, we'll consider it for Today's Focus. UPCOMING This year's United Way Annual Legacy Awards Fashion Show on Saturday, August 28, will honor four women well-known for their philanthropy. The signature event of the Gwinnett Women’s Leadership Council honors time, talent, treasure and legacy leadership.
To be honored this year are Barbara King, Marsha Anderson Bomar, Renee Byrd-Lewis and Pam Kramer. The Legacy Awards Fashion Show will be held at the Gwinnett Place Marriott with clothing provided by White House/Black Market and Chico's. In addition to the awards ceremony, the event will also include Gwinnett magazine's annual Diva party, raffle and luncheon. Amy Greiner, this year's event co-chair, says: “Proceeds from this event help children and families in need by honoring women who give their time, talent, treasure and legacy leadership. In this dwindling economy, many families in Gwinnett lack the basic necessities. Lisa Allee, co-chair, says: “While none of us can give everything, it is important for each of us to give something back to the community, and that is what the Legacy Awards recognize.” The United Way Women’s Leadership Council, a local council of United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, educates women about philanthropic involvement and leadership and encourages them in investment of time, talent and treasure. The Council started the event seven years ago to honor Gwinnett women who have taken the lead in these efforts. For more information about United Way Women's Legacy Awards, please visit legacyfashionshow.unitedwayatlanta.org. Buford Main Street plans another lively night Aug. 19 After an exceptionally encouraging first event in July, the City of Buford Main Street merchants will again open their doors for fantastic opportunities including great fun with ice cream, music and gourmet foods at Live on Main August 19 from 6-8 p.m. Among the offerings:
Those who want to audition for a New Orleans style jazz band and singers should call 770-271-4394. For more information: Judy Isaak 678-428-4877. Sierra Club hosts talk on how I-285 plans affect Gwinnett Thursday, August 19, at 7 p.m. the Sierra Club will host Tim Preece with Arcadis to provide information regarding the status of plans for Interstate 285 and how those plans will affect Gwinnett County residents and what can Gwinnett County residents do to support transportation alternatives along the I-285 corridor. ARCADIS is an international company providing consultancy, engineering and management services in infrastructure, environment and buildings, to enhance mobility, sustainability and quality of life. Preece will review project history, the alternatives moving forward into the environmental document, the various strategies that are part of each alternative- managed lanes, operational improvements, transit preservation, express bus, transportation alternatives, etc, and next steps. The Sierra Club meets at Berkmar High School. The program starts at 7:30 p.m. For information, contact thmorrissey@bellsouth.net or call 404-513-4069. NOTABLE The University System of Georgia Board of Regents will recommend to the governor and the members of the Georgia General Assembly to include $7.1 million for infrastructure improvements on the campus of Georgia Gwinnett College. Also in the hopper is an additional $2 million for the design of the new Allied Health and Science Building in the Fiscal Year 2012 appropriation. This is part of the Regents’ $2.1 billion budget and capital request to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget for the budget year that begins in July of 2011.
GGC President Daniel J. Kaufman says: “This money is vital to the growth of Georgia Gwinnett College. Because of the state’s current budget problems we already are a year behind on the Allied Health and Science Building, but we believe we can catch up once the building gets started if we can secure the $28 million in general obligation bonds for the construction within the next year.” The $7.1 million in infrastructure money will be used for necessary road, sewer and electrical improvements. The campus has grown considerably with new student housing, a new Library and Learning Center and a new Student Center opening this year. A Fitness Center and two other buildings, as well as a parking deck have been added to the College’s campus over the past five years. No new infrastructure improvements have been made since the prelude to GGC, the Georgia University Center, was built more than 20 years ago. GGC expects to have in excess of 5,500 students on campus this fall – up from the 3,200 who were on campus last fall. More than 400 students will be living on campus this year for the first time since the College opened its doors in 2006. Earlier this summer, Georgia Gwinnett College opened its new Library and Learning Center and student housing, and the new student center will open within the next few weeks. Students are expected to move onto campus next week and classes start on August 23. * * * * * More than 130 new faculty members have been hired for the 2010 fall semester at Georgia Gwinnett College. The faculty are now undergoing an orientation program to familiarize themselves with the young institution before first day of classes, August 23. Kaufman noted that with the dramatic increase in enrollment and academic subjects being taught at the college, the number of academic disciplines necessarily had to expand. “Last fall, we had 3,000 students on campus,” he said. “This fall, we will surpass our goal of 5,000 students. We are delighted with the talent and diversity of the new faculty who have joined us to meet our teaching and mentoring requirements.” The new faculty members fill 75 full-time and more than 50 part-time positions after the dramatic jump in enrollment from 3,000 to more than 5,000 students this year. It will bring the college’s total academic staff to more than 300. RECOMMENDED
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
In the context of Southern politics, the term "Redemption" refers to the overthrow or defeat of Radical Republicans (white and black) by white Democrats, marking the end of the Reconstruction era in the South. In addition to its biblical allusions, the term also underscores the widely held belief among white southerners of that era that the Republican state regimes that ruled during Reconstruction had been inefficient and corrupt, and that the "Redeemers" who reestablished white Democratic control of the state also restored effective and honest government. In recent years historians have come to avoid the term because of both the bias it suggests and the very different way in which modern scholars interpret the overthrow of Reconstruction. In Georgia, Redemption became complete when Governor James M. Smith took office in January 1872. To an even greater extent than in other southern states, Redemption in Georgia ushered in a long period of Democratic dominance in state politics: for the next 131 years, every governor of Georgia would be a Democrat. Under the terms of the federal Reconstruction Acts passed by the U.S. Congress in 1867, Georgia adopted a new state constitution granting black suffrage in 1868 and held an election for state officers and congressmen. Republican Rufus Bullock defeated Democratic candidate John B. Gordon, and the Republicans won control of the state legislature. White Democrats wasted little time, however, in trying to undermine Republican power and black political activism in particular. The Ku Klux Klan waged a campaign of intimidation and violence against Republicans, especially African Americans, and the Freedmen's Bureau reported that thirty-one blacks were murdered in Georgia during the three months preceding the national elections of 1868. On September 19, 1868, in the small Mitchell County town of Camilla, a white mob attacked a predominantly black group of Republicans who were coming into town to hear a congressional candidate speak. The attack, which became known as the Camilla Massacre, left between nine and thirteen African Americans dead (sources differ on the exact number). Earlier in the month, the state legislature had expelled all 28 legislators who could be definitely established as being of at least "one-eighth Negro blood." Such acts of open defiance against both the spirit and the letter of the Reconstruction Acts led Congress to suspend Georgia's representation and reinstitute military rule in the state. Military commander General Alfred H. Terry removed 29 white Democrats from the state legislature, most of whom were replaced by the African American Republicans who had been expelled. In February 1870 Georgia ratified the 15th Amendment, and five months later Congress once again restored Georgia to the Union. CREDITS GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more. Send
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