WASHINGTON (AP) Mitt Romneys success in raising hundreds of millions of dollars in the costliest presidential race ever can be traced in part to a secretive data-mining project that sifts through Americans personal information including their purchasing history and church attendance to identify new and likely, wealthy donors, The Associated Press has learned.

For the data-mining project, the Republican candidate has quietly employed since at least June a little-known but successful analytics firm that previously performed marketing work for a colleague tied to Bain & Co., the management-consulting firm that Romney once led.

The head of Buxton Co. of Fort Worth, Texas, chief executive Tom Buxton, confirmed to the AP his companys efforts to help Romney identify rich and previously untapped Republican donors across the country. The Romney campaign declined to discuss on the record its work with Buxton or the projects overall success.

The project shows that the same strategies corporations use to influence the way we shop and think are now being used to influence presidential elections. The same personal information that we give away, often unwittingly when we swipe our credit cards or log into Facebook, is now being collected by the people who might one day occupy the White House.

There are no records of payments to Buxton from Romneys campaign, the Republican National Committee or a joint fundraising committee. Under federal law, companies cannot use corporate money or resources, such as proprietary data analysis, for in-kind contributions to campaigns.

The effort by Romney appears to be the first example of a political campaign using such extensive data analysis. President Barack Obamas re-election campaign has long been known as data-savvy, but Romneys project appears to take a page from the Fortune 500 business world and dig deeper into available consumer data.

Buxton said hes working for the Romney campaign because he wants to be on the winning team.

He once worked with a former Romney business partner to provide insights, for example, about where Petco should open a new pet-supply store to maximize profits. In addition to Buxton, the data-mining project was described to the AP by a Romney fundraiser who spoke on condition of anonymity because the fundraiser did not want to face repercussions for describing internal campaign processes.

Businesses use those kinds of analytics firms to answer key questions for clients, such as where to build a retail store or where to mail pamphlets touting a new product. The analysis doesnt directly bring in campaign contributions, but it generates the equivalent of sales leads for Romneys campaign.

The project relies upon a sophisticated analysis by powerful computers of thousands of commercially available, expensive databases that are lawfully bought and sold behind the scenes by corporations, including details about credit accounts, families and children, voter registrations, charitable contributions, property tax records and survey responses. It combines marketing data with what is known in this specialized industry as psychographic information about Americans.

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Romney mines personal data to target donors

Special greeting: Fields Memorial School in Bozrah will greet students on Wednesday with a special morning welcome by principal Karen Scopino on the schools playground.

Student success plans: Teachers in sixth through eighth grades will implement state-mandated student success plans this year. All students in the state in grades 6-12 now must have a student success plan to assist them in being career and college ready. The plans help students explore careers, set goals for academic and personal growth, create and compile samples of best work from the middle and high school years and provide opportunities for students to reflect on what they are doing well and on areas that need improvement. Middle school parents will receive additional information this fall.

School goals: The school will continue with a safety/school climate goal and an academic goal and is adding a technology goal, Scopino said. We now have smart board technology available in kindergarten and first grade as well as in the technology laboratory, she said. One of our priorities this year is to continue to develop and enrich our technology and our website for families and staff. The schools website, http://www.fmsbozrah.org, is updated frequently and contains much information for students and families.

Nutrition news: Nutrition guidelines have changed and the school will distribute a brochure with important nutritional information for parents. The school encourages parents to develop a list of nutritious snacks and lunches that their child will enjoy bringing to school.

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Back to school: Technology goals, student success plans coming in Bozrah

WASHINGTONMitt Romney's success in raising hundreds of millions of dollars in the costliest presidential race ever can be traced in part to a secretive data-mining project that sifts through Americans' personal information -- including their purchasing history and church attendance -- to identify new and likely, wealthy donors, The Associated Press has learned.

For the data-mining project, the Republican candidate has quietly employed since at least June a little-known but successful analytics firm that previously performed marketing work for a colleague tied to Bain & Co., the management-consulting firm that Romney once led.

The head of Buxton Co. of Fort Worth, Texas, chief executive Tom Buxton, confirmed to the AP his company's efforts to help Romney identify rich and previously untapped Republican donors across the country. The Romney campaign declined to discuss on the record its work with Buxton or the project's overall success.

The project shows that the same strategies corporations use to influence the way we shop and think are now being used to influence presidential elections. The same personal information that we give away, often unwittingly when we swipe our credit cards or log into Facebook, is now being collected by the people who might one day occupy the White House.

There are no records of payments to Buxton from Romney's campaign, the Republican National Committee or a joint fundraising committee. Under federal law, companies cannot use corporate money or resources, such as proprietary data analysis, for in-kind contributions to campaigns.

Buxton said he's working for the Romney campaign because he wants "to be on the winning team."

He once worked with a former Romney business partner to provide insights, for example, about where Petco should open a new pet-supply store to maximize profits. In addition to Buxton, the data-mining project was described to the AP by a Romney fundraiser who spoke on condition of anonymity because the fundraiser did not want to face repercussions for describing internal campaign processes.

Businesses use those kinds of analytics firms to answer key questions for clients, such as where to build a retail store or where to mail pamphlets touting a new product. The analysis doesn't directly bring in campaign contributions, but it generates the equivalent of sales leads for Romney's campaign.

The project relies upon a sophisticated analysis by powerful computers of thousands of commercially available, expensive databases that are lawfully bought and sold behind the scenes by corporations, including details about credit accounts, families and children, voter registrations, charitable contributions, property tax records and survey responses. It combines marketing data with what is known in this specialized industry as psychographic information about Americans.

The effort by Romney appears to be the first example of a political campaign using such extensive data analysis.

Read the original post:
AP Exclusive: Romney uses secretive data-mining

Assist-assassin Wayne Routledge has vowed to keep putting the success of the team before his own individual glory as the Swans prepare to face West Ham United at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday (12.45pm).

Routledge provided the assists for two of Swanseas five goals at QPR last Saturday, plus a major role in Michus opener, as the Swans recorded an impressive 5-0 victory on the opening day of the new Barclays Premier League campaign.

Despite limited starts last season, Routledge still finished the campaign with the highest number of assists throughout the squad with nine.

It would be nice to score a few goals this season, but Im happy to keep making them for others, explained Routledge. Thats part of my job.

I had to be patient last season, so it was nice to get a start at Loftus Road and for the team to win 5-0 on the opening day. That doesnt happen too often.

It was great to win the first game; put in a good performance and come away with the three points, which is the most important.

Now weve got to carry that on against West Ham on Saturday. The boys are up for it.

Routledge, like fellow wide-man Nathan Dyer, were employed in a new role by boss Michael Laudrup who prefers his wingers to work inside a lot more rather than hug the touchline like last season.

I have been used to playing wide on the touchline my whole career, added Routledge. Coming inside opens up a whole new game and its something Ive got to get used to.

Ive got to adapt my game to different things, but thats what happens when a new manager comes in. Its a bit like going into the unknown where you have to get to know the manager and new ways. You have to adapt and aim to become a better team.

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Team glory more important than personal success for Swans winger

BANGOR, Maine In the summer of 2009, scientists with the Maine Department of Marine Resources were eager to pin down how Maines lobster population might be affected by the number of traps being set to catch the tasty crustaceans. Given the importance of the lobster fishery to the states economy the 2011 catch was worth $345 million the research was driven by concerns about the industrys long-term sustainability.

Getting an accurate buoy count would give the scientists a benchmark for exploring a working hypothesis that an equal number of lobsters might be caught with fewer traps, which would decrease costs and add efficiencies to lobster-fishing operations.

But as researchers began their trap study in a 3.5 square nautical mile section off Tenants Harbor, they faced an obvious challenge: In a constantly moving ocean, how do you count thousands of pot buoys without losing track? Hand-counting from a boat would be prone to miscounting. Relying on lobster licensing records, on the other hand, also is unreliable, since the number of traps can vary widely in relation to the seasonal movement of lobsters. In other words, its not a simple multiplication problem.

DMR researchers turned to Kappa Mapping Inc., a woman-owned business in Bangor with eight employees, to solve the problem. Kappa had revenue of $754,000 in 2011, a 28 percent increase from the year before.

The 2009 project illustrates how advances in technology have revolutionized the mapping industry, providing useful information to researchers, engineers, municipal planners, architects and others that 15 years ago would have cost a small fortune to present visually if at all.

We used traditional technologies in an innovative way, says Claire Kiedrowski, president of the nine-year-old company located in the heart of Bangors downtown. In the 2009 Tenants Harbor study, Kappa contracted with James W. Sewall Co. to take aerial photographs of the harbor once a week for several consecutive weeks in July and August. The specs were exacting: The images were to be taken at low tide, calm seas, early morning and overcast skies to minimize sun glare on the water.

The traditional technology Kappa used in the DMR problem falls under the tongue-twisting tag of photogrammetry and involved stitching together multiple overlapping photos to create a high-definition composite image of the Tenants Harbor study zone. The innovative part, which earned Kappa a prestigious award in 2010 from MAPPS, a national association of photogrammetry, mapping, and geospatial firms, involved matching buoys in adjacent photos and using navigation-grade GPS photo positions to triangulate the imagery.

Kappas mapmaking team in Bangor then meticulously created an accurate map showing the location of each and every buoy in the waters off Tenants Harbor ranging from 9,000 to a high count of 10,450 early in the study period.

Kiedrowski describes that 2009 project as not that big for us, but it clearly opened the eyes of DMRs marine scientists to the value of using photogrammetry as a highly accurate tool for better understanding the lobster fishery. The next fall, DMR hired Kappa to manage a similar study of traps along the entire coast of Maine in this instance, using an advanced large-format digital camera to collect three separate spectrums of visual data true color, color infrared and black-and-white at the same time. That information is being used to evaluate the risk of endangered right whales becoming entangled in lobster trap lines.

Most recently, Woolpert Inc., a prominent aerial photography firm based in Dayton, Ohio, has signed up Kappa Mapping and Shyka, Sheppard & Garster Land Surveyors as subcontractors for a five-year orthoimagery mapping of the entire state. That project, which is being coordinated by the Maine GeoLibrary, eventually will make available high-resolution aerial photographs of Maine towns and cities that can be used for planning, assessing, code enforcement, emergency management, growth projections or management of natural resources and agriculture. The data also can be used as the base map for E-911, roads and other uses requiring high accuracy imaging.

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Bangor company finds success with high-tech mapmaking

Caspar Haydar and Elle Daftarian cant stop giggling. Or interrupting each other. Or gushing over everything.

Who could blame the best-friend, event-planning duo, who are not only celebrating one-and-a-half years in their quaint Summerhill store, but starring roles in an upcoming Food Network show SugarStars, a behind the scenes look at their event planning and catering business.

Located on a quiet leafy street in the affluent neighbourhood, Haydar and Daftarian said Petite & Sweet started as a haphazard sweets and events business operating out of Daftarians basement six years ago.

The pair met through mutual friends in the fashion industry. And after talking about getting into event planning together for some time, Daftarian finally convinced Haydar to jump in.

Since then, employing their fashion sensibilities for colour and style to food and fun has meant securing contracts for some of Torontos largest private and corporate events. Their work ranges from catering hot food, to cakes and sweets, and their job is to find the best of everything in town to meet clients needs and expectations. The two dont aim to do everything themselves, instead drawing on the professionals to assist them in making each event a success.

One, for example, is Yolanda Gampp, their expert cake-maker and co-star on SugarStars.

Working out of Daftarians basement for five years initially, the pair set their sights on retail space as clients were asking where they could pick up gifts and sweets last minute.

Two weeks after spotting an unused storefront around the corner from the house, they moved in.

Now, a year and a half later, the space is bright, the shelves are stocked with specialty items often picked up on their travels: vases filled with silk flowers; seashells and gumballs; Depression-era platters, and soaps and candles delicately packed and stocked from Paris and New York.

The pair handle everything under one roof planning every last detail of the lavish events that include catered food, floral arrangements and ornate sweets tables that range from the dramatic to whimsical.

Original post:
Food Network’s new SugarStars find friendship and success at Toronto shop

The newly formed North Bay Educational Foundation, which is trying to open a pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade charter school in Novato, is extending its deadline for intent to enroll to Aug. 31 after receiving an outpouring of community interest.

Robert Verhoeff and Mary-Jayne Lonson, parents of Novato schoolchildren and directors of the group, hope the Novato Unified School District approves their request to open a charter school by fall of next year.

The proposed charter school will offer a curriculum supplied by the Core Knowledge Foundation, which holds that an explicit, grade-by-grade core of common learning is necessary for a good education.

The Core Knowledge curriculum model is an innovative, research-based program that has a proven record of equipping all students with the academic skills and personal values they need to compete in the areas of communication, fine arts, technology, mathematics and scientific innovation, Lonson said.

The number of preliminary intent-to-enroll submissions gathered in such a short time reflects the excitement parents feel when they learn about the charter schools curriculum and methodology, Lonson said.

Ideally, with this data, NBEF will be able to accommodate all interested students on the first day of school, Verhoeff said.

The NBEF began accepting preliminary intent-to-enroll forms July 15 in order to provide data for budgeting and facilities planning when the charter petition is presented to the NUSD for review in September or October. Extending the deadline also reduces the potential for a lottery enrollment process, which according to California law, is implemented if too many people want to apply and the facility is too small.

If the NUSD denies us, we have to go to the county, Lonson said. If the county denies us, we have to go to the state. In order to open in August 2013, NBEF will submit its petition, including signatures, with intent to register with NUSD as early as September.

The official intent-to-enroll form will be available for signature as soon as the petition review process is complete.

Lonson and Verhoeff teamed up after years of active participation in their childrens educational upbringing.

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Proposed Novato charter school a success so far

MELBOURNE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Paxen Learning Corporation, a premier provider of outcome-based educational programs and print and digital materials that build academic and employability skills for at-risk learners, announces the launch of Career Pathways, its dynamic new series of work-readiness titles. Designed for youth and adults alike, Career Pathways helps learners seek, secure, and succeed in high-demand occupations and fields.

A total of seven print titles comprise the Career Pathways line:

In addition, the web-based course EmployMentor helps learners develop a spectrum of skills in a robust online environment.

We designed Career Pathways to equip todays job seekers with a contemporary set of knowledge and skills that will allow them to competeand succeedin our 21st-century workforce, said Steve Jacoby, Chief Publishing and Program Officer at Paxen. Already, were seeing a strong appetite for the series among our partners at K-12 schools, adult education centers, community colleges, correctional facilities, and workforce programs.

The series includes an engaging, accessible narrative with an average readability level of Grade 8. In all, the Career Pathways series fully correlates to a host of national workforce competencies, including: Secretary of Labors Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS), Equipped for the Future (EFF), National Career Development Guidelines, National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education, Pathways Essential Knowledge and Skills, 21st Century Skills, and Workforce Investment Act (WIA) 10 elements.

In addition to Career Pathways, Paxen offers a diverse library of nearly 40 print and electronic titles. These materials enable learners to develop and master essential academic, career, and life skills, helping them pave the way to future and lasting success. Paxen also features an emerging library of electronic content, led by its nationally renowned GED Prep Xcelerator series.

For more information on Career Pathways, contact either Deanna Crosson (251.233.5598, dcrosson@paxen.com) or Susan Stead (321.217.8179, sstead@paxen.com), or visit Paxens bookstore at http://www.paxen.com/bookstore.

About Paxen Learning

Paxen Learning Corporation (www.paxen.com) specializes in developing and delivering outcome-based educational programs that build academic and employability skills for at-risk youths and adults. Each year, thousands graduate from Paxen programs on their journey toward meaningful employment. The company currently operates more than 30 programs in 10 states. Its clients and partners include the National Guard Bureau, The Florida and Hawaii National Guards, state Departments of Labor, local Workforce Investment Boards, Department of Defense, Department of Juvenile Justice, American Hotel and Lodging Association and the Home Builders Institute. The 25-year-old privately-held company is headquartered in Melbourne, Florida.

Excerpt from:
Paxen’s New Work-Readiness Series Career Pathways® Aligns with National Standards to Better Prepare Learners for Success

MACON, Ga., Aug. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --MidCountry Financial Corp., a financial services holding company with organizations serving customers around the world, today celebrates its 10th anniversary of service and success. Founded August 20, 2002, MidCountry, headquartered in Macon, Ga., made its first acquisition that same month.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110310/AQ62349LOGO)

Each company in the MidCountry Financial family is focused on a unique, niche market opportunity. The banking subsidiary, MidCountry Bank, provides community banking services through branches in southern Illinois, central Minnesota, and Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, the Bank offers consumer loans in Minnesota through its MidCountry Finance division, investments through its MidCountry Investments subsidiary, mortgages through the MidCountry Mortgage division, and leases through MidCountry Equipment Finance, Inc. It also offers customers the benefit of insurance services through its wholly owned subsidiary Insurance Planners. Pioneer Services, the military banking division of MidCountry Bank, has been providing the military community with unsecured personal loans and award-winning financial education for more than 25 years. Heights Finance Corporation provides civilian consumers with consumer loans in small communities throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

"This 10th anniversary milestone speaks to the service, commitment, and dedication of today's 1,000-plus team members around the country," said Bob Hatcher, President and Chief Executive Officer of MidCountry Financial Corp., "and to the continued focus on our core values, doing what's best for customers, and giving back to the communities we serve."

MidCountry organizations have received numerous national and local awards over the last decade, including recognition for their commitment to corporate social responsibility, focus on financial education, commitment to the military community, as well as volunteerism and philanthropic leadership in their local communities and around the country. In 2011, the company was presented with the Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Central Georgia.

MidCountry Financial Corp. is a financial services holding company with subsidiaries that deliver diversified financial services to targeted markets. Since 2002, its team members have been dedicated to building a high quality financial services organization respected by its constituencies, and characterized by a commitment to the values of integrity, fairness, honesty, excellence, and compassion. For more information, visit http://www.MidCountryFinancial.com.

Contact: Scott Cahill, Public Relations 816-756-2020

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MidCountry Financial Corp. celebrates 10 years of service and success

Colt Ford (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

As of August 18th, Colt Fords new album Declaration of Independenceis the best selling Country Music album in the nation (Nielsen Soundscan). However,what a soundscan wont reveal, is how Colt Ford managed to get to the top without any radio airtime or support from Country music stations across the nation.

Posing this very question at Chuck Dauphin, editor at Music News Nashville during a #CMchat twitter discussion panel hosted by social blogger Jessica Northey from Finger Candy Media, I got the following response:

If youre new to Colt Ford and you happen to add Declaration of Independence to your digital music library youll quickly find out that he is independently signed with Average Joes Entertainment, his very own label. The genre assigned to this album is Country & Folk, while it probably should be Country & Rap due to the fact that Colt uses spoken word to express himself musically. In an interview held in April of 2010,Colt was asked about the cross-over genre Country-Rap. He was quite blunt about his answer and insisted that he doesnt really like the term country/rap. A lot of people think thats negative where I think theyre confused at, rap is not a genre. Hip-hop is a genre

Since then, rap has influenced many different country stars as well. In fact, Toby Keiths big hit Talk About Me, which includes a spoken word segment, was one of the audience favorites when Toby performed at the San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore, CA last week. Some of artists close to Colt have actually gone ahead and cut his tracks on their own albums. The most successful example is Dirt Road Anthem currently one of Jason Aldeans biggest hits.

Colt Fords success cannot be traced back to Jasons support alone. Other artist on his fresh new album include Jake Owen, Darius Rucker, LoCash Cowboys, Jerrod Niemann, Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley-all of which not only collaborated with him musically, but also supported Colts marketing strategies most avidly. In a way that is the second reason that makes Colt such a smart guy (borrowing Chuck Daughins tweet once again.) Colt has always been a master in the art of social media marketing and getting fans hyped up about his upcoming releases, shows and exclusive content. Seeing it from one of his die-hard twitter followers perspective, theres hardly anything more exciting than @ColtFord tweeting a thank you note celebrating his No. 1 success.

Colt was not the first artist to fuse a formulaic music genre with hip hop. Many artist had done it before him. Kid Rock, for instance was one of the first pioneers of cross-over rock. In fact he has become so popular that just recently hes managed to make his mark in classical music as well. (Read about how he helped the Detroit Symphony out of a massive slump.) Other artists like Everlast (Whitney Ford) actually crossed over from hip hop to start a career in acoustic blues-rock, using rap as their musical form of expression. While not literally crossing-over Colt found his influences in hip-hop as well. In the same 2010 interview he states I grew up listening to country, so I knew about that. And then, like a lot of kids, I Iiked a lot of the hip-hop stuff. I liked Run-DMC and a lot of different genres, and for me to make a recored, I had to be honest.

In an interview with Detroits 99.5 WYCD, Colt discusses the authenticity of his music. Its just so personal for me, he says of Back. Really, that song is my life right there in front of you. Everything in that story is real. The honest representation of reality he refers to is easily found in his lyrics and the content of his songs, which constitutes the third reason behind his success. The lyrical flow speaks to his young audience, who have artists like LMFAO and Chris Brown on their mp3 playlists along with Colt Ford and Blake Shelton. However, inviting artists to collaborate with him isnt always easy. When asked about this new track Black featuring Jake Owen, Colt mentions that it took quite a bit of convincing Jakes label, that this was indeed the right move.

In spite of the fact that he remains unsupported by radio stations and airplay, he found his way to the top harvesting the genuine friendships with artists like Jake Owen and Jason Aldean. He was carried by the support of his fans using guerilla marketing strategies and the power of social media. Perhaps the story of his success is spinning a larger tale about the future of radio and the art of marketing music in general. Putting it plainly: Its always nice to hear country artists on the radio, but their exposure on Facebook and Twitter directly effects the measure of their success.

Find out when Colt Ford is coming to your city!

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The 3 Reasons Behind Colt Ford’s Success As New Album Becomes #1 Best Seller