Palm Beach Business.com The Bulletin Board

Labor Finders earns top honors

PALM BEACH GARDENS — Labor Finders International, the oldest and largest privately held industrial labor staffing company in the United States received top honors in Best of Staffing 2010, presented by Inavero Institute and CareerBuilder.

To qualify, a staffing firm was required to provide all their customers current email addresses to the Inavero Institute. Inavero asked the customers to respond to a simple survey based upon Net Promoter; and posed the basic question, “Would you recommend Labor Finders?” That response is calculated on a 1-10 scale. Ratings of 9 or 10 are promoters. A score of 6-8 are passive. Less than six is a detractor and the company loses points.

According to research done by Inavero, the staffing industry averages a Net Promoter score of 40 percent. Labor Finders earned a score of 63% and the company’s other division LF Staffing received a score of 67 percent. That amounts to more than 50% higher than the average score of Labor Finders competitors.

“I am so impressed with the efforts of the staff in the Labor Finders and LF Staffing offices across the country, as well as that of the workers we place at our client’s workplace every day, said Dan Shube, Director of Marketing for Labor Finders International.

Office Depot recognized for helping women-owned businesses

BOCA RATON — The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council named Office Depot to its annual listing of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises in recognition of the company’s efforts to help women-owned businesses compete for corporate contracts. This marks the ninth consecutive year that Office Depot has been included on the list.

“Office Depot’s commitment to women-owned businesses is a focus for our entire organization,” Office Depot’s president ofNorth American Business Solutions Division Steve Schmidt said. “We are proud of our achievements and for being recognized by WBENC for the ninth consecutive year. It is a true honor for Office Depot, our partners and our customers.”

Florida Power & Light recognized for energy efficiency

JUNO BEACH — Florida Power & Light Co. has been named a nationwide winner in the Edison Electric Institute’s 2009 National Key Accounts Customer Service Awards program for outstanding service in energy efficiency.

FPL was one of six utilities to receive the recognition from businesses that include national chain and multi-site brands such as Walgreens, Target, Staples, McDonald’s, HealthSouth and Wal-Mart.

Palm Beach County jobs center awarded for helping vets

WEST PALM BEACH — Florida’s Agency for Workforce Innovation has recognized the Workforce Alliance of Palm Beach County’s West Palm Beach career center for its work with veterans. The center, one of three statewide to be recognized, received a $29,416 incentive grant as a result.

“We are committed to serving our veterans and are indebted to them for their service to our nation,” said AWI Director Cynthia R. Lorenzo. “I applaud our Regional Workforce Boards for their efforts to eliminate barriers and link veterans to new employment opportunities.”

The other centers were in Jacksonville and Lake City. According to the AWI, the West Palm center helped 54,659 veterans. For more information on veteran employment and training programs, visit this website.

Liberty Power surges on Hispanic Business list

FORT LAUDERDALE — Liberty Power said Thursday that Hispanic Business has ranked that the electric utility 21 on its 2009 Hispanic Business 500 list. Every year, the magazine ranks the 500 largest Hispanic-owned businesses by revenue.

Liberty Power was named the fastest-growing Hispanic-owned business in 2007 by Hispanic Business. A year ago, the magazine ranked Liberty 32nd.Additionally, Liberty Power now ranks as the third largest Hispanic-owned company in the energy sector

Pugliese Public Relations signs new client

BOYNTON BEACH — Pugliese Public Relations, a Boynton Beach-based public relations firm, announced the signing of a new client, S+D Architecture.

S+D Architecture is based in Delray Beach, and projects include private residences, commercial interiors, office buildings, and mixed-use buildings. Pugliese Public Relations will be responsible for creating and implementing a marketing and public relations program for their client.

“We’re very excited about beginning this partnership with S+D Architecture,” said Tina Pugliese, principal of Pugliese Public Relations. “Their practice is organized around the idea that design is important and good design adds value to both their clients and the community.”

Magazine recognizes Burger King for diversity

MIAMI — Black Enterprise magazine has named Burger King Corp. one of the “40 Best Companies for Diversity” in the publication’s 5th Annual Diversity Report. BKC was included in the prestigious listing for the second consecutive year for demonstrating strength in the diversity of its employee and supplier base.

“We have ensured that inclusion and diversity are woven into our company’s business strategy as well as our culture,” Burger King CEO John Chidsey said. “We are proud of our supplier diversity program, as well as the culture we’ve created at Burger King Corp. that makes our company a great place to work. We are honored to be recognized for our efforts by such a respected publication as Black Enterprise.”

Ultimate Software named top company to work for

WESTON — Ultimate Software has been named the top medium company to work for in America for the second consecutive year by the Great Place to Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management. No other company has been recognized twice in the medium company rankings. This is the fourth consecutive year that Ultimate has been ranked in the top three.

BankAtlantic receives Florida Busines Award

FORT LAUDERDALE — BankAtlantic has been awarded the ‘Florida Business Award’ from the International Business Council of Florida. The International Business Council of Florida created the award to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of Florida organizations and businesses.

Integrative Acupuncture gets TLC designation

DELRAY BEACH — Integrative Acupuncture has been designated as a Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Center of Excellence by Metagenics Inc., a leading developer of TLC programs and science-based medical foods and nutraceuticals sold to health care practitioners worldwide.

Integrative Acupuncture is the Delray Beach-based practice of Harmony Brown, AP and Kimberly Marrone, AP. "We're honored to receive this designation from an industry leader like Metagenics," Marrone said. "It affirms what we've always believed-that wellness and prevention help people live full and vibrant lives and should play a key role in any health care practice."

Major health organizations now recommend TLC such as healthier diets and exercise as the first line of defense against many chronic diseases. However, most health care practitioners aren't well equipped to advise their patients on nutrition, physical activity, and other lifestyle factors, even though studies indicate an increasing demand among patients for this kind of information.

The Gym 111 goes to summer hours

DELRAY BEACH — The Gym 111 has announced summer hours of operation beginning June 1 and running through August 31.

Monday through Thursday, the gym will be open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; on Fridays, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Gym 111 also will be announcing new Yoga and Pilates class offerings that will be available on Sundays for both members and non-members.

Colony Hotel restaurant announces summer hours

PALM BEACH — The Colony Hotel, a Palm Beach landmark for more than 60 years, today announced new summer hours and weekday specials for its Polo steakhouse beginning May 11.

Polo will continue to be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday, and for breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Monday through Thursday, Polo is open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. with a special summer menu.

The Colony's Café 155 will continue to be open for breakfast, lunch and meals-on-the-go from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.