Regional Business News

MPC is successful, Ely said, because it has positioned itself as a strong niche player, without trying to go head-to-head with the monster companies. "Dell spends more in advertising than our entire revenue for the year," said Ely. "We’re going to go after the places where we feel we have a beachhead of strength today."

"We’re proud to be part of the new commuter rail service in Albuquerque and confident our MPXpress locomotives will live up to the performance standards they’ve set in San Francisco," said Mark Warner, MotivePower’s vice president and general manager.

Highway 12 Ventures is a $27 million early-stage venture capital firm. The fund invests in high-growth companies of all kinds.

The report includes 32 tables comparing the cost of major business expenses, along with other indicators

For despite the fact that farm income has doubled in two years, federal subsidies have also gone up nearly 40 percent over the same period – projected at $15.7 billion this year, and $130 billion over the last nine years. And that bounty is drawing fire from people who say that at this moment of farm prosperity, the nation’s subsidy system has never made less sense.

Business transaction centers provide services like technical support, billing and processing and credit card services, Boyce said. "These are not outbound cold-calling centers," he said.

"It’s about waste reduction — anything that takes away from value," said Gary Thompson, TechHelp’s executive director.

"There are tremendous opportunities in agriculture," Peterson said. "But it may not be doing the same thing you always did."

The company is not closing. It will also refund its 2005 reservations and protect travel agent commissions, Pilgeram said.

"The addition of this facility provides expanded market opportunities for our growers and that translates into increased stability and income for northwestern North Dakota and eastern Montana farmers."