Friday, July 04, 2008

Nokia To Distribute Original (OEM) Accessories with Cesium Telecom

Cesium Telecom, Inc. and Nokia Canada sign a Distribution Agreement on Original (OEM) Accessories in Canada

Cesium Telecom, Inc., a leading North American distributor of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) accessories, today signed an agreement with Nokia Canada authorizing Cesium Telecom to be an official authorized distributor of Nokia Original Accessories.

Montreal, Canada - July 4, 2008 -- Cesium Telecom, Inc., a leading North American distributor of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) accessories, today signed an agreement with Nokia Canada authorizing Cesium Telecom to be an official authorized distributor of Nokia Original Accessories.

"We are very pleased to be able to offer our customers the full range of Original Accessories from Nokia (
http://www.cesiumtelecom.com), the world's leading manufacturer of mobile phones" stated Vicken Kanadjian, Managing Director of Cesium Telecom, Inc. "This agreement further represents our added value and commitment to all of our customers. Cesium strives to offer the most innovative products from top manufacturers to enrich the Canadian wireless market."

"Nokia's lineup of innovative products, combined with Cesium's distribution channels, will ensure that Canadians have easy access to the latest mobile phone accessories," said Richard Lee, Sales Manager, Nokia Original Accessories, Nokia Canada. "We are pleased to be working with Cesium Telecom, Inc. as an official distributor of Nokia Original Accessories (
http://www.cesiumtelecom.com)."

About Nokia Canada Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks. www.nokia.ca

About Cesium Telecom, Inc. Cesium Telecom, Inc. is one of North America's leading distributors of OEM accessories and other select wireless products. Its mission is to help its clients increase their profitability. It does so by staying on the cutting edge of product and market developments around the world, and delivering the most complete and appropriate solutions possible. Cesium Telecom, Inc's clients also count on the company's logistics expertise, quality assurance and world class service to grow productively.

Cesium Media Contact: Etienne de Longchamp - (etienne @ cesiumtelecom.com)

Contact Information
Etienne de Longchamp
Cesium Telecom, INc.
http://www.cesiumtelecom.com
514-798-8686

Thursday, July 03, 2008

New American Security Bank Commercial Real Estate Administrative Banking Offices Opens

American Security Bank Opens Newport Beach Branch, Commercial Real Estate Division and Administrative Banking Offices at 1401 Dove Street

SANTA ANA, Calif.-- July 03, 2008 --David T. Blankenhorn, President/CEO of American Security Bank, announced that the Bank will relocate its full-service banking office and Administrative offices, currently housed at 1 MacArthur Place, Santa Ana, and its Commercial Real Estate Division, located at 1451 Quail Street, Newport Beach, to a new 10,000 square foot commercial office building located at 1401 Dove Street, Newport Beach, in the heart of the financial district. The move to the new location, under consideration since early 2007, will more effectively position the organization to conveniently serve business owners in the Newport Beach, Irvine, and Costa Mesa markets.

Shirley Wentzel, Senior Regional Vice President, and her Relationship Banking team, Lisa Gorelick, Sylvia Ucciferro and Robin Schmidt-Brown, will personally assist business clients from a state-of-the-art facility featuring ATM access, ample parking, and comfortable, sit-down teller stations. The Relationship Banking team, led by Ms. Wentzel, is strongly established in the Newport Beach market, having served the Newport Beach community for more than sixteen years before joining American Security Bank in June 2005.

"The Bank's search for the right location, one large enough to consolidate three of our largest divisions, with good visibility and portraying an image that represents the strength and character of our franchise, has had extremely productive results. Not only does Shirley Wentzel and her talented Relationship Banking team have a history in the financial corridor, but our Executive Vice President, Manager of Commercial Real Estate, Jim Roberson, and I have both worked in this particular geographic area in the past with very successful results," states David T. Blankenhorn, President and CEO.

American Security Bank provides a full complement of business and personal banking services, referring to themselves as the "Right-Sized" bank - large enough to handle even your most aggressive business plan, and personal enough to make the process simple.

The new location of American Security Bank will be open for business on July 7th. The first 50 business owners to establish relationships with the bank in the new office will receive a $100 Visa Gift Card to thank them for supporting the Bank in its new location, as well as becoming Charter Account Holders and enjoying deeply discounted checking and cash management services.

American Security Bank's headquarters office is now located in Newport Beach, CA. The Bank has assets totaling $464 million (as of June 30, 2008.) It operates full-service banking offices in Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel, Apple Valley (Spirit River and Jess Ranch), Lancaster, Victorville and Corona. Loan Production offices serve the cities of Covina, Newport Beach and Palmdale; giving the Bank a footprint in four counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino.

Member FDIC

Contacts

American Security Bank
Cynthia Schneider, SVP, Marketing
951-372-8930

Job Seekers Driven To Self-Employment By Worsening Economy

Worsening Economy is Driving Job Seekers to Self-employment

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.-- July 03, 2008 --Forced retirement, job cutbacks, and economic uncertainty all point to a safety net of a recession-proof franchise opportunity. Liberty Tax Service is experiencing a tremendous response to its franchise opportunity. "When job security goes away, many people decide to take the future into their own hands," according to John Hewitt CEO and Founder of Liberty Tax Service. (www.libertytaxfranchise.com). The company offers low start-up costs and the certainty of filing income tax returns to provide an enticing business opportunity that's a part of the American way of life.

In 2008, the gloomy forecast is that corporate layoffs could increase up to 37 percent. Contrast that with the tax industry that historically has delivered a growing market of taxpayers every year. Approximately 62% of all taxpayers paid someone to prepare their taxes in 2008, up from 51% in 1994.

Liberty Tax and CEO John Hewitt are garnering many accolades for a superlative franchise opportunity that welcomes a diverse America to join its ranks. Hewitt has 39 years of tax industry experience, the most of any CEO in the tax preparation business. He is the only founder of two franchises that Entrepreneur magazine has ranked in the top 25 of their Franchise 500: Liberty Tax Service and Jackson Hewitt Tax Service (NYSE:JTX).

"Our franchisees continue to be the cornerstone of our success. For the sixth year in a row, Liberty grew by more returns (raw numbers) than H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt combined," noted Hewitt. "We are focused on providing an affordable opportunity for new franchisees, and great support so that our existing franchisees can add additional offices. These key factors will allow us to open a projected 400 new offices for tax season 2009."

Liberty Tax franchising is a fit with various life scenarios: keeping a day job while starting a franchise, entry into the tax business with little or no experience, and the challenge of a busy seasonal business.

A tax background is not a requirement. Top performing Liberty Tax franchisee, Annie Fuller of Newberry, South Carolina lacked any previous tax experience. "I followed the Liberty Tax Service system, held tax schools for training, and hired the best people who were stars in the customer service arena," said Annie. "I'm obviously not a bean counter." By Tax Day, April 17th 2007, Annie's first-year Liberty Tax office in Newberry finished #1 in the entire Liberty Tax Service operating system for first-year stores with a company record of 1658 returns prepared. She was first in the system for second year offices in 2008.

About Liberty Tax Service:

Founded in 1997 by CEO John T. Hewitt, Liberty Tax Service (www.libertytax.com) has prepared over 6,000,000 individual income tax returns. The Liberty Tax franchise opportunity is ranked highly on Entrepreneur's "Franchise 500" for affordability, low cost and overall potential. The company is a member of the International Franchise Association and its MinorityFran and FranVet outreach programs. John Hewitt is available for interviews on franchising issues and entrepreneurial advice.
Contacts

Liberty Tax Service
Martha O'Gorman
Chief Marketing Officer
800-790-3863 ext. 8022
martha.ogorman@libtax.com

j2 Global Communications Patent Lawsuit Gets Protus Response

Protus Responds to Patent Lawsuit brought by j2 Global Communications

OTTAWA-- July 03, 2008 --Fast growing Canadian technology company Protus IP Solutions responded today to a competitor's patent infringement suit by noting that the asserted patents are not relevant to the company or any of its products.

The plaintiff (j2 Global Communications) has accused Protus' popular MyFax Internet fax services of infringing two patents. The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Texas.

Last year Protus defeated j2 Global Communications in another patent lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Judge Dean Pregerson issued an order on November 13, 2007 dismissing the case against Protus, with prejudice (meaning the patents cannot be reasserted against Protus). The case was closely followed by technology and communications companies because j2 Global Communications, prior to targeting Protus, licensed the patents to more than 30 companies. Protus was the first company to challenge these patents in the courts and was awarded a decisive victory.

"This is another meritless case by j2. In the last case the court held that the patents did not apply to Protus' services," said Andrea Girones, General Counsel at Protus. "We are confident that this case will be dismissed as well."

"I'm not surprised that j2 feels compelled to continue to clog the courts with these unfounded lawsuits," said Joseph Nour, Protus' Chief Executive Officer. "Protus' MyFax is the fastest growing Internet fax service in the market and is aggressively gaining market share against j2's eFax. We are confident that we will win this case on its merits and MyFax will continue to erode j2's market share."

About Protus

ProtusĀ® provides the highest quality software as a service (SaaS) communications tools for small-to-medium-businesses (SMB) and enterprise organizations, including award-winning MyFax, the fastest growing Internet fax service; my1voice, the cost-effective, feature-rich virtual PBX phone service that travels with the user from phone to web; and Campaigner and CampaignerPro, software-as-a-service email marketing solutions with advanced automation features. Protus' commitment to delivering a superior user experience has resulted in a continually growing and loyal customer base, allowing market leadership in industries including finance, insurance, real estate, healthcare, transportation and government. For more information about Protus and its family of communication tools, call 888-733-7007 or visit www.protus.com.

Contacts

Protus
Sue Rutherford
613-733-0000 x 519 or srutherford@protus.com
Tech Image
Tracy Shryer
847-279-0022 x230 or tracy.shryer@techimage.com

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Growing Interest In Search Engine Marketing Confused With SEO And PPC

SEMPO Institute To Present "Generating Leads with Practical Search Engine Marketing" Session at Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston, TX

Session will provide strategy and best practices in SEO and PPC

WAKEFIELD, Mass.-- July 02, 2008 --Thousands of Microsoft partners attend the annual Worldwide Partner Conference to network and tap into the latest business-growth opportunities each year. One area of growing interest is search engine marketing, also known as SEO and PPC. Microsoft has invited SEMPO Institute to present a session on search engine marketing at this year's conference, which is being held in Houston, TX from July 7-10. Cindy Turrietta, a contributing author for two of SEMPO Institute's online courses, and Katie Donovan, SEMPO Institute's Business Development Manager, will highlight the current marketing environment that benefits small, medium and large companies with search engine marketing strategies. The session will blend strategy with best practices to ensure attendees have the ability to act on what they learn. "Generating Leads with Practical Search Engine Marketing" will be presented on Thursday July 10th from 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Central Time in Grand Ballroom B at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Over the past few months, SEMPO Institute and Microsoft Worldwide Partners have been working on new instructional tools for partners. This session is the first to be rolled out. "Search Engine Marketing is a critical business tool for our partners," states Jennifer Siddall, Microsoft Senior Marketing Manager Worldwide Partner Marketing. "We anticipate great business benefits for our partners as they further incorporate SEO and PPC into their marketing efforts."

About SEMPO Institute

SEMPO Institute is a non-profit, online career development organization, whose purpose is to educate and train professionals in the growing field of search engine marketing. Suppo  rted by SEMPO, SEMPO Institute's courses are developed by experts in search marketing and then peer-reviewed for accuracy and best practices. Since its first course in January, 2007, SEMPO Institute has educated more than 800 individuals in search marketing. SEMPO Institute's courses are available to SEMPO members and the general public. For more information, please visit www.SEMPOInstitute.com or call +1 (781) 876-6214.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Contacts

SEMPO Institute
Katie Donovan, 781-876-6214
Business Development Manager
kdonovan@sempoinstitute.com