BETHESDA, Maryland, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The Car Care Council today announced an agreement with the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA Canada) and the Asociación Nacional de Representantes, Importadores y Distribuidores de Refacciones y Accesorios para Automóviles, A.C. (ARIDRA) to create Car Care Council North America to direct the “Be Car Care Aware” consumer education campaign in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“Car Care Council North America builds on the positive reputation and image of the current Car Care Council, that has been funded and directed by the Auto Care Association for nearly 20 years as a credible source of information about the benefits of vehicle maintenance, care and repair,” said Rich White, Car Care Council executive director.

“As everyone working in the global auto care industry knows, proper vehicle maintenance is a universal issue and a challenge that has no borders. Expanding the Car Care Council initiatives in Canada and Mexico is a logical next step in educating consumers about the benefits of regular vehicle upkeep,” said Bill Hanvey, Auto Care Association president and CEO. “We are thrilled to reinforce our association’s ongoing partnerships with AIA Canada and ARIDRA.”

“The North American automotive aftermarket industry is more connected than ever before,” says Jean-François Champagne, president, AIA Canada. “Establishing the CCCNA as an organization that reaches across borders to provide extensive consumer education on vehicle care and maintenance in all three countries together is a clear reflection of that interconnectivity. AIA Canada is proud to be a part of this initiative.”

“The creation of the expanded council seeks the unification of services in the United States, Canada and Mexico, to ensure that vehicles have preventive and not corrective maintenance. We intend to create consumer awareness to keep the vehicles in optimal condition,” said Alejandro Calderón, ARIDRA president. “For ARIDRA, it is an honor to join Car Care Council North America, which will surely help reduce accidents and increase vehicle passenger safety.”

AIA Canada is the national trade association that brings together the entire automotive aftermarket supply and service chain. AIA’s mandate is to promote, educate and represent members in areas that impact the growth and prosperity of the industry.

ARIDRA is a civil association based in Mexico City, which includes manufacturers, representatives, importers and distributors of automobile spare parts and accessories. Founded in 1943, it represents the image of the aftermarket in Mexico. It has been acting on behalf of its members for 75 years on matters of common interest to help its strategic development and improving their business environment. ARIDRA currently has 151 members in Mexico.

The key goals of Car Care Council North America (CCCNA) include:

• Substantially increasing the number of consumers reached with information about proper vehicle care and maintenance on behalf of the three associations’ respective members and industries as a whole.
• Structuring CCCNA to ensure a level of autonomy to accommodate country-specific cultural, language and other unique needs for each of the U.S., Canada and Mexico organizations, while centralizing the organization under the umbrella of the current U.S. Car Care Council to leverage economies of scale.
• Creating an advisory group with representatives from each association to help guide CCCNA to ensure that the needs of their respective members, motoring public and industries are being met.
• Launching a central easy-to-navigate web portal where consumers, industry professionals and the media can locate and download car care content in English, Spanish and French from each of the U.S., Canada and Mexico websites.
• Increasing the number of service and repair businesses throughout North America participating in the “Be Car Care Aware” consumer education campaign by providing them access to communications materials, marketing tools and other helpful resources.

About the Car Care Council:
The Car Care Council is the source of information for the “Be Car Care Aware” consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers. For the latest car care news, visit the council’s online media room at http://media.carcare.org. To order a free copy of the popular Car Care Guide, visit the council’s consumer education website at www.carcare.org. 

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539428/Car_Care_Council_Be_Car_Care_Aware_Logo.jpg  

SOURCE Car Care Council

ABINGDON, Virginia, Jan. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — First Bank & Trust Company, a diversified financial services firm today announced that Mary Anne Hecht has been appointed as Commercial and Private Banker.

Hecht has 20 years of banking experience, most recently from Morgan Stanley where she served as Credit Officer and Portfolio Manager as well as Commercial and Private Banker. 

In her role at First Bank & Trust Company, Hecht will develop private banking and wealth management relationships in the New River Valley as well as services related to treasury management and commercial lending.   Her office is located in Blacksburg, Virginia at 2695 Prices Fork Road.   

“Mary Anne has a wealth of knowledge in banking,” stated Jim McAlister, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager for the New River Valley Region of First Bank & Trust Company.  “Her experience will prove to be an essential enhancement to the robust financing options we currently offer.”

Mary Anne Hecht is a former graduate of the University of Wisconsin- Madison where she received her Bachelor of Arts. She later received her MBA from American University in Dubai, and is fluent in Spanish and French.  Hecht is a community volunteer with various organizations.  She has two children, and her family resides in Blacksburg, Virginia.

About First Bank & Trust Company
First Bank & Trust Company, one of the top community banks in the United States, is a diversified financial services firm with office locations in southwest Virginia, northeast Tennessee, and New River and Shenandoah Valleys.  Financial objectives are addressed by offering free checking products for personal and business accounts, and assessing lending solutions managed by mortgage, agricultural and commercial lending divisions.  Comprehensive financial solutions are available through trust and brokerage service representatives. 

For more information, visit www.firstbank.com or contact Nicole Franks [email protected]

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/813783/First_Bank_and_Trust_Company_Mary_Anne_Hecht.jpg 
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/625204/First_Bank_and_Trust_Company_logo_Logo.jpg

SOURCE First Bank & Trust Company

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Optimus Properties, LLC, through an affiliate, has completed the sale of a two store front retail property on North Figueroa Blvd., in Highland Park, for $658 a foot.  North Figueroa is Highland Park’s main artery.

Optimus extensively renovated the property.  The property is currently leased to The Bearded Beagle, a clothing store specializing in recycled and vintage clothing (www.thebeardedbeagle.com) and Pantaleon, a trendy barber shop.  The property featured tenant parking in the rear. The property was purchased by a private real estate company. 

With compelling fundamentals in the Highland Park market and impressive appreciating property values, the property offers strong opportunity for the buyer interested in creating a footprint in a burgeoning and rapidly growing neighborhood market.  Retailers and restaurants including Afters Ice Cream, Blind Barber, Otono, Hippo, Triple Beam Pizza, Pop Physique, Homestate, Kitchen Mouse, and so many others are flocking to the area to be a part of Highland Park’s resurgence.

Optimus Properties, LLC, located in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Kamyar Shabani and K. Joseph Shabani and employs a disciplined investment approach focused on value creation in office, retail, and medical office properties throughout Los Angeles.

This is the first of several deals Optimus plans to sell this year.  Optimus is also working on the acquisition of two office buildings, both of which will close in February 2019.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/773862/Optimus_Properties_LLC_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Optimus Properties, LLC

OAKLAND, California, Jan. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The Labor Commissioner’s Office has posted guidance for agricultural employers and workers on an overtime pay schedule that went into effect January 1. The law’s overtime pay requirements will be phased in according to the table below. 

“We encourage large and small agricultural employers in the state to note the new farmworker overtime pay requirements that will phase in until a 40-hour standard workweek is reached,” said California Labor Secretary Julie A. Su.    

The daily and weekly thresholds at which agricultural workers receive overtime pay will phase-in according to the following schedule:

For the first year of the phase-in, agricultural workers at large businesses earn overtime pay for all hours worked over 9.5 hours in a day or over 55 hours in a workweek. Small employers have an additional three years before the changes to daily and weekly overtime pay take effect.

The Labor Commissioner’s Office has also posted answers to frequently asked questions regarding overtime for agricultural workers.

Agricultural workers are defined in Wage Order 14 and include employees who are engaged in the preparation and treatment of farmland as well as the care and harvesting of crops. Agricultural workers include employees engaged in sheepherding, irrigation and licensed crew members on commercial fishing vessels.

Workers who do not receive proper overtime and other pay can file a wage claim with the Labor Commissioner’s Office to begin the process to recover unpaid wages and penalties. Failure to pay proper overtime can result in a civil penalty of $50 per pay period for each underpaid employee.  

The Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, or the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, combats wage theft and conducts on-site inspections to investigate and enforce compliance with minimum wage and other California labor laws. Its wide-ranging responsibilities include public works enforcement, retaliation complaint investigations, licensing and registration, as well as multilingual labor law education and outreach for workers and employers.

In 2014, the Labor Commissioner’s Office under Julie A. Su’s leadership launched the Wage Theft is a Crime multilingual public awareness campaign. The campaign defines wage theft and informs workers of their rights and the resources available to them to recover unpaid wages or report other labor law violations.

Employees with work-related questions or complaints may contact DIR’s Call Center in English or Spanish at 844-LABOR-DIR (844-522-6734).

Members of the press may contact Erika Monterroza or Frank Polizzi at (510) 286-1161, and are encouraged to subscribe to get email alerts on DIR’s press releases or other departmental updates.

https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaDIR
https://twitter.com/CA_DIR
http://www.youtube.com/CaliforniaDIR
http://www.dir.ca.gov/email/listsub.asp?choice=1

The California Department of Industrial Relations, established in 1927, protects and improves the health, safety, and economic well-being of over 18 million wage earners, and helps their employers comply with state labor laws. DIR is housed within the Labor & Workforce Development Agency. For general inquiries, contact DIR’s Call Center at 844-LABOR-DIR (844-522-6734) for help in locating the appropriate division or program in our department.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/813365/chart.jpg

SOURCE California Department of Industrial Relations; California Labor Commissioner’s Office

MEXICO CITY, Jan. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — FIBRA Prologis (BMV:FIBRAPL 14), a leading owner and operator of Class-A industrial real estate in Mexico, today reported results for the fourth quarter and full year 2018.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE YEAR:

• Period-end occupancy was 97.4 percent.
• Net effective rents on rollover increased 13.1 percent.
• Weighted average customer retention was 79.3 percent.
• Same store cash NOI grew 2.2 percent.
• Completed asset acquisitions totaled US$80.4 million.

Net earnings per CBFI was Ps. 1.3768 (US$0.0686) for the fourth quarter compared with Ps. 1.2176 (US$0.0669) for the same period in 2017. For the full year 2018, net earnings per CBFI was Ps. 4.6280 (US$0.2392).

Funds from operations (FFO) per CBFI was Ps. 0.7782 (US$0.0385) for the fourth quarter compared with Ps. 0.7209 (US$0.0407) for the same period in 2017. For the full year 2018, FFO per CBFI was Ps. 2.9038 (US$0.1506).

STRONG OPERATING RESULTS CONTINUE

“2018 was a terrific year for FIBRA Prologis,” said Luis Gutierrez, CEO, Prologis Property Mexico. “We delivered excellent organic growth, driving rents over 13 percent higher at expiration while year-end occupancy beat the market by 160 basis points. We also acquired new Class-A buildings from our sponsor, Prologis, that expanded our portfolio and deepened our presence in key markets.”

Gutierrez added: “In this current atmosphere of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, our team remains focused on strengthening customer relationships and watching for any changes in demand. I am confident in our investment strategy, irreplaceable portfolio, experienced team and proven track record.”

SOLID FINANCIAL POSITION

At December 31, 2018, FIBRA Prologis’ leverage was 35.2 percent and liquidity was Ps. 4.7 billion (US$237.0 million), which included Ps. 4.3 billion (US$220.0 million) of available capacity on its unsecured credit facility and Ps. 339.0 million (US$17.0 million) of unrestricted cash.

GUIDANCE ESTABLISHED FOR 2019

“While the outlook for our business remains positive, we are favoring liquidity over capital deployment until there is more clarity in the capital markets and the macroeconomic environment,” said Jorge Girault, senior vice president, Finance, Prologis Property Mexico. “We are confident in our ability to deliver positive results given the embedded rent upside in our portfolio, our capital recycling program and our strong balance sheet.”

WEBCAST & CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

FIBRA Prologis will host a live webcast/conference call to discuss quarterly results, current market conditions and future outlook. Here are the event details:

• Friday, January 25, 2018, at 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET
• Live webcast at www.fibraprologis.com, in the Investor Relations section, by clicking Events
• Dial in: +1 877 256 7020 or +1 973 409 9692 and enter Passcode 93296074.

A telephonic replay will be available January 25– February 1 at +1 855 859 2056 from the U.S. and Canada or at +1 404 537 3406 from all other countries using conference code 93296074. The replay will be posted in the Investor Relations section of the FIBRA Prologis website.

ABOUT FIBRA PROLOGIS

FIBRA Prologis is a leading owner and operator of Class-A industrial real estate in Mexico. As of December 31, 2018, FIBRA Prologis was comprised of 200 logistics and manufacturing facilities in six industrial markets in Mexico totaling 36.0 million square feet (3.3 million square meters) of gross leasable area.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The statements in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the industry and markets in which FIBRA Prologis operates, management’s beliefs and assumptions made by management.  Such statements involve uncertainties that could significantly impact FIBRA Prologis financial results. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature.  All statements that address operating performance, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future — including statements relating to rent and occupancy growth, acquisition activity, development activity, disposition activity, general conditions in the geographic areas where we operate, our debt and financial position, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Although we believe the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained and therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that may affect outcomes and results include, but are not limited to: (i) national, international, regional and local economic climates, (ii) changes in financial markets, interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, (iii) increased or unanticipated competition for our properties, (iv) risks associated with acquisitions, dispositions and development of properties, (v) maintenance of real estate investment trust (“FIBRA”) status and tax structuring, (vi) availability of financing and capital, the levels of debt that we maintain and our credit ratings, (vii) risks related to our investments (viii) environmental uncertainties, including risks of natural disasters, and (ix) those additional factors discussed in reports filed with the “Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores” and  the Mexican Stock Exchange by FIBRA Prologis under the heading “Risk Factors.” FIBRA Prologis undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements appearing in this release.

Non-Solicitation – Any securities discussed herein or in the accompanying presentations, if any, have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or the securities laws of any state and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws. Any such announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities discussed herein or in the presentations, if and as applicable.

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SOURCE FIBRA Prologis