EmpowHER, an award-winning social health company for women, was recognized this week with a 2011 eHealthcare Leadership Award in the Consumer General Health Site category.

The Silver Award for Best Overall Internet Site recognizes EmpowHER’s outstanding achievement in website design, content and community. Recent honors include the AZBio Fast Lane Award, a W3 2011 Silver Award, being ranked in Greatist’s 45 Most Innovative Health and Fitness Startups, and being named a Finalist in the Stevie Awards for Women in Business in two categories — Best Overall Company of the Year and Most Innovative Company of the Year.

The eHealthcare Leadership Awards program exclusively recognizes the industry’s BEST websites of healthcare organizations, online health companies, pharmaceutical/medical equipment firms, suppliers and business improvement initiatives. The awards highlight the Internet’s role in achieving an organization’s business objectives and recognize the work gone into creating outstanding health websites. This year’s competition was particularly competitive with well over 1,100 entries across 17 categories.

“It is an honor to be recognized in a category with peers that have each left their own indelible mark on the digital health landscape.” – Michelle King Robson EmpowHER Founder, Chairperson CEO .

“Three years ago when we launched EmpowHER.com, my vision was to create the resource for women’s health that I wish I’d had when I struggled with my own health issues. Now, we’re reaching millions of women each month, answering their questions and giving them the tools they need to advocate for their health and wellness. We are proud of the unique role we play in the emerging social health space, all while staying true to our core mission of improving women’s health and changing their lives.”

What truly makes EmpowHER distinctive is the site’s unparalleled social health community. With nearly 60,000 members and 260 community groups, women are making meaningful connections with one another about their health and wellness. The site’s community is made up of real women supporting one another by sharing first-hand experiences and offering advice, so that all women have a voice when it comes to their own health. In addition to this, EmpowHER’s unique ASK feature allows site members to ask health questions, with the promise of an expert answer in 24 hours or less.

Since its launch in 2008, EmpowHER has achieved a leading position in the women’s online health and wellness space. The company is now the fastest growing and most robust social health community for women — categorizing over 700 women’s health conditions and wellness topics, and has created nearly 110,000 pieces of original video, articles and user-generated content — representing both the largest taxonomy of women’s health conditions, and one of the largest libraries of women’s health content on the web.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Deca Technologies has launched a breakthrough approach to create advanced electronic interconnect solutions which is in line with charting a new course for the future of electronic systems.

Deca’s proprietary solutions uniquely position it to reshape the way the world designs and manufactures electronic devices.

Deca’s initial products include a series of WLCSP (Wafer Level Chip Scale Packaging) derivatives targeted at the current $ 1 billion-plus WLP (Wafer Level Packaging) market. Growth in WLPs continues to be driven primarily by the desire of handset OEMs to integrate more features and functionality into less space. Miniaturization, cost and performance benefits increasingly lead to a preference for WLP solutions.

However, as traditional strip-based package technologies give way to advanced wafer-based methods, significant capital strain and cycle time challenges have burdened the supply chain.

Investors include Cypress and SunPower. The new company is part of Cypress’s Emerging Technology Division. Cypress drives entrepreneurship and innovation by funding autonomous businesses in much the same way venture capital companies fund startups. This approach has delivered multiple successes for Cypress and its shareholders, including SunPower, which was spun out of Cypress in 2008 in a $ 2.6-billion tax-free shareholder distribution.

“We saw an incredible opportunity to apply SunPower’s solar wafer processing technology and methods to slash through the capital and cycle time constraints that have held back rapid acceptance of advanced interconnect solutions.” – Tim Olson Deca president

“Our unique approach enables breakthrough new product capabilities, improved cycle time and unrivaled flexibility, all at the price point the industry requires for mass adoption.”

“SunPower continues to set the world’s standard for high-efficiency silicon solar cells with our proprietary advanced wafer processing methods, which originally grew out of semiconductor manufacturing processes.” – Tom Werner SunPower president & CEO

Moore’s Law has improved the speed of Cypress’s memories 15-fold, from 25 ns in 1983 to 1.6 ns today. And during that same period, power per function has actually come down. Today, our revolutionary PSoC 3 chip — which contains a computer, its associated program and data memories, 24 programmable digital blocks, 20 fixed digital functions and 20 high-performance analog blocks — uses only 3.6 mW of power, four times less than the power of the sunlight that strikes an area the size of the chip.

Despite this breathtaking progress, there is an economic problem preventing the full integration promised by Moore’s Law: advanced semiconductor chips are becoming so specialized that they can’t be integrated into one chip.

“We want to use the dense, reliable silicon interconnect inherent in Moore’s Law to integrate the dissimilar chips used in today’s systems, but we face an economic barrier because the interconnect on silicon chips is 1,000 times more expensive than the interconnect on PC boards.”

With respect to Deca’s initial product offering, E. Jan Vardaman, president and founder of TechSearch International, stated that WLPs will maintain double-digit unit growth with a CAGR of 12.5 percent and annual volumes exceeding 20 billion units by 2014.

“We are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this expanding market,” Olson said. “We have met stringent reliability requirements and are now fully qualified for production with first revenue expected in early 2012. Given the high level of customer interest and engineering activity, we anticipate multiple additional customer qualifications in the next few quarters. With typical handset OEM PCN (Product Change Notice) acceptance windows averaging around one additional quarter, we are planning for our production ramp in late 2012.”

Popularity: 22% [?]

Bashas’ Family of Stores, operator of more than 120 grocery stores
throughout Arizona, has developed a new relationship with KSS Retail for
price modeling and optimization.

The grocer will work with KSS Retail to
model, measure and implement pricing strategies for its Bashas’ and Food
City banners. Bashas’ joins a growing list of retailers such as
7-Eleven, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Fred’s Inc. and Raley’s who use KSS
Retail for price optimization.

“Our goal is to provide our customers with a superior shopping
experience.”  - Robert Ortiz Bashas Vice President Sales and
Marketing

Many Bashas’ and Food City grocery stores are located in the metro
Phoenix area, a part of the country that industry experts regularly cite
as being one of the most competitive grocery markets in the country.

“We  are confident that we will help Bashas’ and Food City more consistently

deliver value to their customers.” -Yael Cosset CEO KSS Retail

“We look forward to helping with their continued growth.”

Popularity: 16% [?]

The Hungry Monk’s Hoptoberfest & Chili Cook Off celebration is considered a big huge success by proprietor Jim Lolli. The event drew hundreds of beer aficionados as the Hungry Monk tapped more than 40 India Pale Ales (IPAs) and raised $3,500 for breast cancer awareness.

The Hungry Monk in Chandler staged several fund-raising events including the “Bosom Buddies” competition, where male patrons wore colorful bras and walked around the event asking for cash donations to be stuffed into their bras. Festival goers also enjoyed the inaugural Chili Cook Off, dubbed the “Chili Wars.” The winning chili was prepared by Scott Swanbery, who took home the championship trophy. Swann’s Chili, which competed in the Texas Red category, was highlighted by ground round beef, tomatoes, chili powder, and a mix of habanero and serrano chiles.

“What I created was my personal interpretation of what I envision a traditional chili to be,” Swanbery said. “It is not a complicated dish. There were no secret ingredients. Just some fine tuning as the chili cooked to perfection.”

Second place went to Matt’s Chili, submitted into the “Anything But” category by Matthew Sullivan from Gilbert. Matt’s Chili was highlighted by chunky vegetables including tomatoes, onions and corn. Third place went to Pittsburgh Willy’s, submitted in the “Anything But” category by Randy Walters from Chandler. Pittsburgh Willy’s chili was a meaty chili with a sweet and spicy sauce.

The Hungry Monk is a sports-themed, family friendly pub in Chandler offering an expansive range of craft beers with 28 varieties on tap, a menu packed with pub-style sandwiches, burgers, salads and the house specialty wings. Patrons enjoy delicious food, drinks, charm and live sporting events broadcast on 18 HD flat panel televisions. The Hungry Monk is located at 1760 West Chandler Boulevard in Chandler and open daily from 10:30 a.m.-1 a.m. For more information, call 480-963-8000 and visit online atwww.hungrymonkaz.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thehungrymonk.

Popularity: 17% [?]

“Doing business in Mexico – NAFTA Regulations,” is the topic of the most current installment in The Offshore Group’s continuing series of podcasts on Mexico outsourcing topics.

The Offshore Group recently sat down with Steve Haywood, President of Focus Business Solutions, Inc., of Taylor, Michigan.

Haywood clarified Customs issues related to NAFTA documentation and regulations such as NAFTA Certificates of Origin, NAFTA Rules of Origin and Regional Value Content documentation. He also emphasizes the importance of companies’ understanding and passing NAFTA audits.

“If there is a failure during a Customs audit on a company’s NAFTA certificates, the company may be required to go back 5 years and pay underpaid duties. Getting NAFTA certificates right is of critical importance to manufacturers doing business in Mexico,” Haywood stated.

This audio session will be of particular listening interest to companies that are contemplating the initiation of manufacturing in Mexico operations, and can be accessed on The Offshore Group’s Mexico outsourcing website.

The Offshore Group has enabled companies to establish and maintain business operations in Mexico at low cost and risk since 1986. Some 61 businesses operate at The Offshore Group’s three Mexico manufacturing industrial parks in the State of Sonora, the city of Saltillo, Coahuila, and at the Group’s Vangtel subsidiary in Hermosillo. Vangtel offers Mexico shelter services to companies that occupy the call center, IT development and BPO markets, while the third member of The Offshore Group, International Logistic Solutions Company (ILS), is a leading provider of Mexico logistics services.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE: BPI), a provider of postsecondary education services, announced that executives from the company will participate at the following investor conferences:

    --  J.P. Morgan Ultimate Service Investor Conference on Wednesday, November
        9, 2011; presentation at 8:15 a.m. Eastern Time (5:15 a.m. Pacific Time)
        at the J.P. Morgan Conference Center in New York.
    --  Citi US Small / Mid Cap Conference on Tuesday, November 15, 2011;
        presentation at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (1:00 p.m. Pacific Time) at the
        Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.
    --  Wunderlich Securities and Signal Hill Education Conference on Thursday,
        November, 17, 2011; presentation at 10:40 a.m. Eastern Time (7:40 a.m.
        Pacific Time) at The Taj Hotel in Boston, MA.
    --  William Blair & Company, 2011 Global Services Growth Stock Conference on
        Wednesday, December 7, 2011; presentation at 12:40 p.m. Eastern Time
        (10:40 a.m. Arizona Time) at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon
        North in Scottsdale, AZ.

Presentations will be audio webcast live on the Investor Relations section of the Bridgepoint Education website www.bridgepointeducation.com and will be archived on the site for 90 days.

Bridgepoint Education’s postsecondary education services focus on offering associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in such disciplines as business, education, psychology, social sciences and health sciences. Bridgepoint Education’s regionally accredited academic institutions – Ashford University and University of the Rockies – deliver their programs online as well as at traditional campuses located in Clinton, Iowa, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Popularity: 18% [?]

For The Earth Corporation began talks with a highly successful sales and marketing consultancy based in Great Britain. They were initially attracted to Kat-Box King’s Litter To Go — a fully recyclable cat box and litter combination — which is part of For The Earth’s portfolio of businesses.

Pet Product News said retail sales for the pet industry totaled $ 61 billion in 2009 worldwide and are forecasted to continue to grow through 2014. For The Earth is poised to break into multiple markets at once with an established infrastructure capable of meeting the demands, challenges, and certain successes that come with such an intelligent business move.

“The potential that the European market represents is enormous, and we believe For The Earth’s portfolio of products fits the visions and goals of both the consultancy and distributor in that market,” – Nelson Grist CEO For The Earth Corporation.

“We are very excited to have begun a relationship with both of these companies. By both expanding into the European market and bringing more products from Europe to North America, not only do we anticipate huge potential for increased sales, but look forward to the invaluable opportunity to build world awareness for the company and its phenomenal products,” Grist adds.

For more information please visit www.ftec.co All investor inquiries should be directed to the investor relations team at (888)206-1358 or info@ftec.co.

Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this document are forward-looking statements about expected future events that involve risks and uncertainties. These uncertainties may cause For The Earth’s actual future results to be materially different from those discussed in the forward-looking statements.

For The Earth’s forward looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and are based upon the information available to For The Earth at this time. Such statements are subject to change, and For The Earth does not undertake to update such statements, except to the extent required under applicable law and regulation.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Game Truck Licensing, LLC has been awarded a patent by The United States
Patent and Trademark Office for its Method Of Entertaining Using
A Mobile Entertainment Environment.

The patent identifies GameTruck’s unique process of entertaining people in its
Mobile Video Game Theater , and illustrates in detail the features and
original concepts created by GameTruck.

Outfitted with big screen TVs, the latest video game consoles and newest
titles, GameTruck brings a plush 16-player video arcade direct to the
customer’s door.

Their state-of-the-art rigs are formatted as both
dual-axle trailers and all-in-one RVs, and are available for private
parties, educational and fundraising events, or corporate and public
events.

A successful video game developer, GameTruck’s CEO and founder Scott
Novis created GameTruck with the goal of bringing video gamers a place
to play together.

He sees this validation as part of a journey. “Since I
first had the idea in 2004 at my son’s birthday party, to the day we
built the first rig, we’ve all worked so hard to innovate every day,
execute new ideas, and bring people together. It’s an honor to be
recognized and protected by the US Patent & Trademark office for a
concept we truly believe has unlimited potential,” said Novis.

The company has grown steadily since inception, with franchisees
operating in over fifty major domestic markets. Recent international
expansion has introduced GameTruck to Lagos, Nigeria, and further plans
involve operators in Canada and Trinidad.

“With any great idea like this, eventually there are always copycats and
competitors that pop up here and there.” – Mike Watorski Game Truck SVP

GameTruck seamlessly combines its customer website and call center

with a one-of-a-kind franchisee backend operating system, maintaining a

simple, streamlined process for both customers and franchise owners.

GameTruck’s COO, Dave Wachtel, continues, “Through originality,
reliability, value, consistency and togetherness, we’ve created events
like no other. Laughs and smiles. Camaraderie and teamwork. Prices that
don’t break pocketbooks. Moms, families, kids, businesses and schools
all see the value in an innovative, positive video gaming environment.
We believe the US Patent now puts us on even firmer ground, so we may
not only defend our ideas, but also look to the future.”

Popularity: 14% [?]

The 4th Annual Downtown Chandler Oktoberfest invaded Dr. AJ Chandler Park on Saturday, September 24, 2011 with Bavarian style food, games, live entertainment and tons of beer.

The festivities kicked off at 2 p.m. when patrons looking to get an early start on the celebration enjoyed beer pong, bag toss, tricycle races and short lines at the vendor, beer and food booths.

Once the sun set and the temperature began to drop, attendees flocked to the Downtown Chandler area just in time to catch platinum-selling rock band Lit who took the stage at 8 p.m.

By the end of the night, thousands of patrons celebrated Oktoberfest with craft beer in one hand and a bratwurst in the other.

Now in its fourth year, the Downtown Chandler Oktoberfest has truly become a socially embedded event with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Downtown Chandler Community Foundation.

Due to the success of this year’s event, SanTan Brewing Company was able to raise $5,000 to benefit the DCCF. The funds raised at Oktoberfest will be used towards city beautification efforts and to build a permanent stage for live performances in Dr. AJ Chandler Park. The park improvements and stage will be used to host community concerts, high school productions and other outdoor performing arts programs.

SanTan Brewing Company, Phoenix New Times 2011 Best Brewery winner, strives to increase community togetherness by inviting residents to attend and participate in special events and festivals. SanTan Brewing Company has been a true leader in the Downtown Chandler area organizing successful events, benefiting local charities and building the community togetherness by serving as a superior example of a collaborative leader.

For more information about the 4th annual Downtown Chandler Oktoberfest visit www.santanoktoberfest.com and follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/santanoktoberfest.

Open since 2007, SanTan Brewing Company has made a name for itself as Arizona’s favorite craft beer destination, operating with a commitment to advance the culture of craft beer. SanTan Brewing Company accomplishes this goal through beer production using the highest quality ingredients and methods. In addition to great beer, SanTan has gained a loyal following of craft beer enthusiasts in the Arizona area by offering delicious food, happy hour specials, live music and participating in beer festivals.

Visit SanTan Brewing Company at 8 S. San Marcos Place, Chandler, AZ. They’re open Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight and Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. – 2 a.m. Also, check out SanTan Brewing Company online and become a fan on Facebook or follow on Twitter for more information on upcoming specials and promotions.

Popularity: 25% [?]

Living a healthy lifestyle starts with hydration, but where the water comes from is the billion dollar question in the US, literally. Twenty years ago, tap water was the only logical answer. But today, there are many other options on the market—most of which generate an alarming environmental impact. Navigating through the options can be confusing. So, to help ease the burden a new Water U education center is opening in Chandler this October. Water U will offer water education, demonstrations, seminars and tips for greener living.

Water is a necessity for survival and with the increasing desire for convenience and accessibility, bottled water has become one of the most favorable sources for busy consumers willing to turn a blind eye to the waste and cost factor. That demand has made the bottled water industry grow exponentially over the last decade. The amount of bottled water consumed in the US more than doubled from 1997-2007 ranging from 13.4-29.3 gallons per person[i]. Today, Americans spend more than $11 billion a year on bottled water with over 31 billion bottles sold each year. As bottled water production continues to grow so does an increasing concern for the environmental impact of production and waste. Considering only about 10% of plastic water bottles are recycled in the US and the other 90% ending up in landfills[ii], waste is a valid area for concern.

Regardless of the consequences, millions of people trust that bottled water is safer to consume than regular tap water. Often, that is not the case. More than 44% of all purified bottled water in the US market today comes directly from municipal ground water sources.[iii] Additionally, the policies used to regulate bottled water production by the Food and Drug Administration lack many of the same restrictions and close monitoring that the Environmental Protection Agency uses to monitor municipal ground water.

So, the debate continues across the US with advocates on both sides of the bottled water issue. Fortunately, this argument becomes a null point when taking into consideration that there is a safer, greener and more cost effective solution on the market. Water filtration systems are one alternative but there’s an even better option on the market—water ionization systems. A fairly new product in the US, water ionization technology has been around for more than 60 years offering the ability to control alkaline Ph levels and acidic levels in tap water. This technology eliminates the environmental impact of bottled water while ensuring water quality. Water ionization systems are an eco-friendly solution to the clean water debate by eliminating plastic waste and harsh chemical pollution.

Education is the key to understanding the impact of water sourcing as well as how water quality affects families, communities and the ecosystem. In an effort to provide additional resources to Arizona families, an educational center known as Water U is scheduled to open in Chandler this October. Water U was created to serve as a community hub for water education in the east valley offering water demonstrations, seminars and tips for greener living. Water U will be located at 2390 North Alma School Road #114, Chandler, AZ 85224. For more information about Water U visit www.water-u.com or call 480-359-6H2O (6426).

[i] U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2009, June). Bottled Water: FDA Safety and Consumer Protections are Often Less Stringent than Comparable EPA Protections for Tap Water. Retrieved August 2011 from http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09610.pdf

[ii] New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Too Many Bottles—It’s A Waste. Retrieved August, 2011 from http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials_minerals_pdf/waterbottles.pdf

[iii] Vestel, L. (2009, July 17). Bottled Water Makers in the Hot Seat. Retrieved August 2011 from http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/bottled-water-makers-in-the-hot-seat?

Popularity: 39% [?]