Ventura County Star from Ventura, California • 41

FU'fT1 Friday March 19 2004 FC The Star BUSINESS D3 Ventura County economic profile Tf Franchise Focus Aim Mail Center 90 Owners: Brad and Nicole Hawes and Dean and Jackie ZuhkofL Type of product or service: Packing and shipping as well as business services including: notary business forms printing black-and-white and color photos mailbox rentals voice mail and office supplies Where: 709 Channel Islands Blvd Port Hueneme Date established: December 2003 Honrs: 8:30 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday 10 am to 4 pm Saturday closed Sunday Telephone: 985-8600 E-mail: aim90aimmailcentersxom Estimated gross revenues: $500000 Question to Nicole Hawes: Why did you decide to open this particular franchise in the region? This specialized service is not available under one roof in Fort Hueneme What motivated yon? I wanted more personal and financial freedom But more importantly I wanted to deliver outstanding customer service which comes as second nature forme What was your educational and career From left Brad and Nicole Hawes and Jackie and Dean Zubkoff are owners of Aim Mail Center 90 in Port Hueneme which offers packing and shipping as well as business services local business for my needs whenever possible What were the biggest hurdles yon overcame? finding a great location in Part Hueneme was by far the biggest hurdle Who is yonr target cRentcuatooMr base? Local Port Hueneme and Oxnard residents as well as home-based and small businesses What is yonr strategy to increase market share? I offer great customer service and do a lot of local networking to get the word out that I am here What Mud of competition does your franchise face? opened your franchise? Did you work for another company or operate other businesses before? Collectively the owners have more than 20 years of experience in marketing sales accounting and retail management More Spanish programming What do you consider unique shoot yonr local franchise operation its products or services yon offer? I offer first-class business services with an emphasis in consistent and efficient customer service What business courses or advice have yon found to be most valuable in getting yonr local franchise off die ground and keeping it going? Getting my name out in the community has been the most valuable advice I have joined the local chamber of commerce and have been networking with the local small businesses I also use Bardfield said been told Spanish-language children's programs are likely to be added to the daytime lineup now broadcast Spanish-language music shows on the weekends and been very well said Bardfield whose station employs 20 people With the nation's 34th largest Hispanic population Ventura County is a growing market for Spanish-language media It was announced earlier this week that KMXO-AM is introducing a Spanish news-talk format giving the county six locally-based Spanish radio stations Since it beam operating in 1985 KADY has struggled to survive in large part because mountains obstruct transmis sions from its Santa Paula broadcast tower In FCC filings Biltmore Broadcasting noted that the station's signal now readies only 115 million people or 12 percent of the population in its broadcast area The booster station should enable KADY to reach an additional 217 million people increasing its coverage to 35 percent of the 964 million people in its signal region according to FCC documents KADYfc new owners should be able to leverage the additional coverage area to get the station on more Los Angeles-area cable systems further enhancing its desirability to advertisers said Cobb Switching to an all-Spanish format would be a smart move fere with its business strategy Hondo Gutierrez Mi-crosoft's chief lawyer in Europe refused to comment on what Microsoft had offered But he said the company resisted the commission attempt to define simple that would apply to "every conceivable instance of product integration or innovation in the "In assessing product improvement issues there needs to There are a couple of small independent mail centers Til locally rl Anyone owning a franchise pt the region cm be profiled in Franchise Focus Onlp one franchise pntfle per parent company a pear mil be pubtisKed Businesses less thm one pear fid can be profiled in WhobNewp Business Businesses more theft one pear old can be profiled Company Spotlight Only businesses that have never beenj profiled in thstontura County Star map participate Call Maria dela Tbm at 645-1049 for the questionnaire "i expected for KADY said Hector Prci chairman and CEO erf Los Ange-les-based La Agenda de Prci one of the nation largest independently owned Hispanic marketing agencies 4 stations need a coherent personality to appeal to advertisers" said Orci noting that the estimated purchasing power of the US Spanishspeaking market is $700 billion larger than any Spanish-speaking country In addition to stations affiliated with the mqjor Spanish-language networks Los Angeles has at least two independent stations with Spanish formats "This is a good time to be in the Hispanic media Old said is a lot of money out there" be consideration of the needs of consumers developers and he said in an interview Both sides took pains however to praise die Other'S "cooperative and in contrast to the rancor that often characterized the last high-profile trans-Atlantic antitrust case: foe EUS docking of GES merger with Honeywell in 2001 Ballmer said he still hoped for a settlement a 1 TO $li MILLION (805)389-4000 (805) 300-2468 you in a home tomorrow CO 4S1 ll I order costly software changes STATION HmH cast equipment and services company owned by France Telecom Calls to Behar about his plans for KADY were not returned by deadline The FCC does have an application pending from Bela to change the call sign toKBEH The programming mix at KADY a former UPN affiliate currently is a hodgepodge of syndicated reruns movies and rebroadcast local news from Santa Barbara's KEYT-TV It airs on various cable channels throughout the county While Bela's programming plans have not been announced acting station manager Lou EU could MICROSOFT Am D1 we were unable to agree on principles for new issues that could arise in the he said in a statement Microsoft lawyers said the company would appeal any negative decision to European courts An EU order could force Microsoft to make costly changes in its software potentially on a global scale in a matter rf months unless it wins a suspension from the court pending appeal which can take years On the Nasdaq Stock Market Thursday Microsoft shares closed down 24 cents or 096 percent to $2489 On Monday Monti will present the proposed fine to an advisory committee of national regulators before going to the full European Commission the EUfc executive branch on Wednesday for a final decision Ruling expected to pass After winning unanimous backing from the 15 EU governments last week the ruling is expected to pass easily Microsoft is accused of unfairly grabbing market share from rival companies by bundling its own Media Player with Windows the operating system in nearly every personal computer worldwide Microsoft contends that benefits consumers but rivals claim it is unfair competition that stifles innovation and aims to drive them out of business The charge was similar to the 1990s Internet browser war in the United States in which Microsoft was found guilty of using illegal means to protect its Windows monopoly But a 2001 settlement with the Bush administration allowed it to continue integrating its Internet Explorer Low activity levels and high variance make these not meaningful Sources UCSB Economic Forecast Project aULOINTS Real Deals with Windows Sources familiar with the case say the EUls draft ruling finds Microsoft guilty of monopolistic behavior setting a precedent in Europe and goes beyond the US remedies The EU is demanding that Microsoft offer computer makers in Europe a discounted version of Windows without Media Flayer so that rivals like RealNetworks Inc and Apple Computer Inc have a better shot at reaching consumers In addition the draft is expected to require foe company to release more underlying Windows code so rival server software companies including Sun Microsystems Inc can interoper-ate better with computers running Windows In exchange for a settlement Monti was seeking commitments that could have affected Microsoft's business not just in Europe but globally and helped to resolve other EU antitrust cases pending apinst foe company foe sources said on condition of anonymity The EU last year begpn inves-tilting new charges from Microsoft competitors that its latest desktop operating system Windows XP is designed to help extend Microsoft dominance into new markets such as instant messaging and mobile phones In settlement talks the EU was anticipating that the next edition of Windows which isn't expected until at least 2006 will include search engine capabilities and other features that could compete with rival products Sources said Microsoft had made a last-minute offer to include rival media programs with Windows along with its own in hopes of avoiding an order that could inter FOR LOANS UP NED WELSH Senior Loan Caauftant Jfiv WESTLAKE VILLAfiE Realtorcom listings available on MSN Homestore Inc (Nasdaq: HOMS) and the National Association of Realtors jointly announce that Realtorcom listings have been integrated into the MSN House Home channel All Realtorcom property listings now will be exposed exclusively to a comScorc Media Mclrix average of 52 million MSN House Home users each month This comes on the heels of a January release announcing that Realtorcom would be the exclusive provider of integrated resale home listings content for MSN House Home Homestore is a provider of S5MWBreal estate media and technology solutions It operates a network of home and real estate Web sites including flagship Bite Realtorcom the official Web site of the National Association of Realtors VENTURA Ventura Orthopedics leases office space Ventura Orthopedics has leased 2100 square feet of office space at 4080 Loma Vista Road Ventura from FELFAM Ltd The terms of the five-year lease were not disclosed Ventura Orthopedics will be relocating its administrative offices into ground floor space in the two-story medicalprofessional building in the general vicinity of Community Memorial Hospital and Ventura County Medical Center Eric Behlke and Max Gonzales of NAI Capital Commercial represented both parties Call me today and let me put tan ofeM ft dam 0MB wtodtom aNM fen mmm tontf iWa AM kn tMmoitaAMNaMUHnMMMniRHnlaHnlkfeNMnripMaHn mtftodttuadMwi Pimm mere lam GaauArttautoMfcMImnneiftHjpHto Impair RMmmuia TjbT to to im fen ata art Mnpi antenna LJ EiaaimmMNLrt-inntoaiitoanwitoAnfcnoDiONUTiWLtoiitototoniiisatoaanito-nanuT DMBf eo lUMUM i r-i nirmnrr GO.