Whether you’re a charitable foundation looking to have a direct impact on community programs or a family eager to make investments that align with your personal priorities, you need to consider a few things. How will you define success? What impact will these investments have on the overall risk/return profile of your portfolio? How can you measure the non-financial accomplishments of these investments? Will there be additional resources or Committee time to address MRI-related issues?

Our MRI team of 25 professionals provides research and services that encompass a broad range of strategies, such as positive and negative portfolio screening, microfinance, clean energy and technology, community investments, real assets, bespoke and illiquid impact investments, and program-related investments. And our databases track more than 450 funds that meet various MRI criteria.

We’re spearheading MRI manager due diligence and analysis, creating an infrastructure for the inclusion of MRI managers in our proprietary databases, and publishing research on a variety of MRI topics. Whether you are debating the topic for the first time or you have already adopted a commitment to MRI, we can help you navigate the many policy questions and investment decisions you need to make.

How do we build a diversified portfolio with limited time and resources?

The rewards of intelligent portfolio diversification are considerable, but diversified portfolios simply cost more to manage effectively both in time and resources. We know your investment staff and committee is dedicated to your organization’s success. But often these ambitions are accompanied by unrealistic expectations about the ability to first implement and then to oversee a complex, multi-manager asset allocation structure.

You may need deeper resources and experience to govern effectively, establish and review your investment policies, successfully implement your plan and then evaluate your results in terms of both risk and return. That’s when it becomes attractive—and potentially cost effective—to outsource.

Outsourcing your investment office can be a source of complementary expertise and advice or a fully delegated solution for your organization. We serve as the outsourced investment office for 25 institutions representing approximately $8B in assets under management. Some of them have a CIO, some do not. Some have historically involved their finance team in the oversight and management of the endowment or pension. What should you expect of us? You should feel like you have a professional in-house investment office at your service.

There are a lot of things to consider when you're looking for a commercial property. Finding the perfect property for your business can be difficult, so Bacall Development advise you to keep reading to help you search for the right one.

Location can set a great difference to the kind of business you own. Not every business rely on location for the success of their business. If you depend on customer contact in a retail setting, then be in a place that is accessible to your customers because it could affect the success (or failure) of your business. You may choose a location that offers a peaceful environment if you don't see clients that much. Your staff will be more focused to do their tasks with serene surroundings. Creating a home office is also advisable to save on operating costs and provide potential tax savings if you're not expecting visits from your customers and don't have any employees in site.

Size is also an important factor to consider, based on reviews gathered by Bacall Development and its associates. See to it that the property fits perfectly to the kind of business you have. To avoid added expenses because of retrofitting, make sure that the place has been outfitted with wiring to complement your communication and electrical needs. You should know the zoning ordinances of the place as well.

Even though the location has high rent but is accessible to your potential customers and meets the needs of your business, then it is perfect for the growth of your enterprise. It's good for a retail business owner to place its business near similar businesses according to reviews. Ensure that the property offers comfort and safety to your customers.

You can find affordable properties through courthouses and get a list of business closings or property foreclosures. Consider different alternatives as well such as buying a lot and have control over the construction and design, leasing a build-to-suit, and renting an existing space.

Consulting a real estate broker can help you find a commercial property and lessen your options. If there are places that interest you, better visit them in person to assess some issues that may affect your business such as competition, traffic, and overall convenience.

But if you're not the type that likes to go in different places by foot, you can search available properties online through real estate websites. Bacall Development wants you to act quickly in case you already found the right one for you and your business because a good commercial property does not stay available for long.

M3 Midstream – Marcellus Shale: Applied Consultants has supplied Inspection for the Greenfield project for M3 Midstream in the Marcellus Shale. This project consisted of 120 miles of 24” Transmission Pipe with numerous lateral lines. The project also consisted of 2 Compressor Stations and 2 CDP’s as well as multiple HDD’s. This system is located in the remote areas of West Virginia and South West Pennsylvania. This is the first footprint for M3 in the Marcellus Shale. This project has transitioned into the Utica with Applied supplying Inspection personnel on several large Plants and pipeline projects. Applied currently has 94 Inspectors working for M3 Midstream and M3 Utica.

Pioneer Natural Resources – EFS Midstream/Eagle Ford Shale: Applied has provided inspection and engineering services to this green field project since July 2010. With Applied’s assistance, EFS Midstream was able to in quickly develop their position in the Eagle Ford trend almost 6-8 months ahead of any of their competitors. Applied currently has approximately 50 employees working in various roles on this project. To highlight this effort; six (6) large Central Gas Processing (CGPs) facilities were engineered, constructed and brought on line within 12 months. Each of these facilities consisted of 150 gpm amine plants, glycol dehydration units and 5000 bpd condensate stabilization units. Custody transfer services were also provided at these facilities for both gas and condensate. 300 miles of 8” and 12” pipelines have been laid with numerous bores, including bores under the San Antonio River and Interstate 37. This is an on-going project that continues to keep EFS Midstream as the major contender in this trend.

Hawk Field Services/Haynesville Shale Play: Applied has effectively delivered inspection and engineering services to Hawk in a grass-roots movement to develop their position in the Haynesville play since August 2008. To support the ensuing multitude of projects, Applied currently has 54 Inspectors working on these projects in the Haynesville for Hawk Field Services. Highlighted projects during this period are 59 miles and 43 miles - 16” pipelines including 2 Red River bores with an additional 65 miles of pipeline. Our inspectors also managed the installation of several meter facility interconnects to transmission lines with a collective takeaway capacity of some 685MMCFD. Applied’s engineering staff has worked or is working on the design, drafting and installation of 7 amine plants that will total approximately 1300GPM when all are complete.

Mark West/Oklahoma: The construction of a 50 mile - 24” gas pipeline began January of 2009 originating in Colgate Oklahoma and ties into Gulf South’s system near Bennington, Okla. Applied’s construction inspection services for this project and others have required a maximum level of some 40 inspectors and field staff. This project completed in June of 2009.

Energy Transfer/Barnett: Applied has worked throughout the Barnett for many years and for many companies. We have worked on several projects for ETC over this time period furnishing both inspection and engineering assistance. Some of the ETC projects Applied has furnished inspection services for are:

1) 21 miles of 36” Tolar to Cleburne including a power plant lake bore;

2) 54 mi of 24” Cleburne to Springtown; and

3) Numerous gathering interconnects in NW Barnett of some 100 miles.

Encana: Applied provides various inspection services for Encana throughout the US. Some of the inspection disciplines include:

1) Monitoring new construction for pipelines, plants, compressor stations and measurement facilities.

2) Inspection of DOT system upgrades for class location changes;

3) Injection facilities; and

4) A host of misc maintenance projects.

Our inspector staffing has routinely been between 10 to 70 Applied employees, depending on work load, for the last 3 years lending a definite level of consistency to desired goals achieved.

GMX Resources/Haynesville & Cotton Valley: Applied’s engineering department conducted detailed design for a 500MMSCFD, 18 unit single-stage Cat 3608 (2300HP) compressor station and will serve as project manager for the construction. The project also included six inlet pipelines, inlet separation, compression, SulfaTreat and four outlet pipelines. Applied also supplied design, engineering and pipeline inspection for six miles of 12” and 16” pipelines. Our contribution included project management, site plan, plot plan, foundations, P&ID, equipment specifications, piping design, and complete 3D compressor, vessel and piping drawings. The piping drawings included plan & elevation drawings, bill of materials and isometric drawings.

Tristate Midstream/Haynesville: Applied has provided plot plan & P&ID as-built drawings for six (6) compression, treating and dehydration facilities. We also provided the design and engineering of a 40 MMSCFD treating and dehydration facility. Engineering included project management, site plan, plot plan, foundations, P&ID, piping design, complete 3D vessel and piping drawings. The piping drawings included plan & elevation drawings, bill of materials and isometric drawings. We have also provided all the inspection services for these projects.

TGG Pipeline/Haynesville: Applied served as project manager providing engineering design and inspection services for a 12” HDD of the KCS Railroad along with 4.5 miles of 36” header pipeline. We also conducted the initial permitting process for a 36” dry bore of the same railway. Applied’s engineering department is presently providing the same services for a 23 mile extension of the pipeline and a 500MMSCFD, 4 unit Cat 3616 (4735hp) compressor station with treating and dehydration capability including 5 inlet pipelines and 3 sales connects. Engineering services include the complete basic design package (including those attributes noted in the GMX and Tri-State narratives above) as well as construction specifications to include a RFP for construction of the station.

TGG Pipeline/Haynesville: Included in the Basic Engineering Package are:

o Design Basis

o Block Flow Diagram & Plot Plan

o Specs for Eqpt, Piping, Elec, & Const.

o Project Schedule

o P&IDs

o Data for environmental permits

o Electrical One-Line Diagram & Plot

o Equipment List

o Instrument List

o Foundation Design

o Piping Drawings

o Bill of Materials

o Electrical Area Classification

o Power & Grounding

Petrologistics: Applied has served as project manager providing inspection services for 35 miles of 8” & 12” gas pipeline. Applied has also Project Managed and inspected over a Depropanizer plant that was built for around $46 million dollars. We have had as many as 35 inspectors and field staff with Petrologistics at one time to complete their projects.

Crosstex Energy: We have worked on several projects for Crosstex over the last 4 years furnishing both inspection and engineering assistance. Some of the Crosstex projects Applied has furnished inspection services for are:

1) 12 miles of 20” West Weatherford Loop Line

2) 10 miles of 8” & 10” Benbrook Line

3) Numerous ESB Systems and Compressor Stations

Chesapeake Energy – Barnett, Haynsville, Eagle Ford, Marcellus Shales: Applied has provided inspection and engineering services to Chesapeake in these main shale’s but also in several other remote locations. Applied Consultants has become a valued client of Chesapeake’s and has helped build gathering systems, Plants, Compressor Station, Meters, etc. Currently we have over 120 inspectors working throughout the United States for Chesapeake and still growing.

There’s an apocryphal story that has been bandied about for years, about an interview where the interviewer asked a candidate: “Do something to surprise me”. The interviewee got out his lighter and set fire to the interviewer’s newspaper. It’s not an action we would advise emulating, but very definitely comes under the heading of utterly incomprehensible interview questions.

Why do these questions get asked?

"Why do these questions get asked" is a tricky question to answer, but as it appears to have started in Silicon Valley during the tech boom its roots are likely to be found in the free-thinking, mould-breaking philosophy that many of the tech pioneers applied to their businesses.

Ultimately for some interviewer it’s about unearthing someone who offers more than just “can you do the job”. Wall Street soon followed suit and the practice has become more commonplace. The question for most of us is not why are they asked but how do I answer them?

First and foremost you should remember there isn’t a right answer, depending on the nature of the question, which these questions are about your thought processes, your coolness under pressure, your personality and your approach to problem solving. What you don’t do is say, “I don’t know”, or “that’s a good question” and stare off into space. Let’s take the question: “How many cricket bats are there in the world?” You could either pluck an answer out of thin air: “Three million?”, or go about figuring out how to work it out. “Well, if the population of the sporting public in the UK is X, and a tenth of them play cricket, then that’s XX for the UK, plus another X for the cricketing population in India…” etc. This is the sort of approach the employer would be looking for.

Five types of questions you might encounter

1. Lots of these questions fall along the lines of if you were a colour/an animal/a garden gnome/a car/a food/a computer application (yes, really) what one would you be and why? Try to think of the qualities of the object and how they might relate to your skills or character.

2. What are all the different uses you can think of for a lemon? Apparently asked during an interview for an airline pilot, this type of question is designed to find out how much of a creative thinker you are.

3. Who would you invite to a dinner party/what superhero/movie character would you be/who is your role model? In other words, what character traits do you most admire in other people and why? Think about what specific things they have achieved and what it is about those achievements that you admire so much.

4. How many people will be on Facebook in New York on a Friday afternoon? There are a raft of questions that are much more technical in nature and much more aligned to the role you are seeking. This question was aimed at a marketing executive, and was probing how well they understand the use of social media around the world.

5. Tell me a story. This is a firm favourite, and represents a golden opportunity for you to tell a work-related anecdote that is also relevant to the role in question and also illustrates how you see other people and the world around you.

Preparation, preparation, preparation

This is the key to a good interview. However, these questions are not something that you can easily prepare for. If your job is a technical one, brush up on your technical knowledge. If it’s a creative role, keep a clear head and try to analyse how you would approach some of these types of questions. Above all, expect the unexpected!

We currently live in a world where almost everyone else has their own smartphone, laptop or tablet. Communicating with the world has been made easier with those devices, and apparently, mobile solutions are one of the major catalysts of this great change in communication.

A recent study says that there are more searches now on mobile than on desktop, mainly because mobile solutions greatly benefit an individual or a business with its great accessibility. This also shows the massive importance of mobile solutions to the current generation.

It is no surprise that lots of organizations around the world, along with MWI Consultants, are creating mobile solutions these days to fulfill the needs of the society. The rise of media companies applying mobile strategies is like lightning during the past years and keeps on increasing at a scorching pace today.

Modern businesses and organizations already profit from mobile solutions, while other companies expect to generate revenue within two years from their apps. Social media also has an enormous presence worldwide with its users ranging from millions to billions, and a lot of companies are taking advantage of this by promoting their products and services through such sites.

MWI consultants views applying mobile solutions to your business as a smart choice. Consider putting your business online where your customers can purchase your products or services while they are using their mobile devices, then witness your business achieve an increase in sales after a certain period of time.

Mobile advertising sales can also multiply in the following years due to the trend in mobile solutions and because the mobile marketplace is progressively getting better over the years. Metropolitan Wireless International recommends creating social media accounts for your business since it is crucial these days to have a better communication with your customers. Looking at how things are going today, mobile solutions are indeed important to any individuals and businesses.

We currently live in a world where almost everyone else has their own smartphone, laptop or tablet. Communicating with the world has been made easier with those devices, and apparently, mobile solutions are one of the major catalysts of this great change in communication.

A recent study says that there are more searches now on mobile than on desktop, mainly because mobile solutions greatly benefit an individual or a business with its great accessibility. This also shows the massive importance of mobile solutions to the current generation.

It is no surprise that lots of organizations around the world, along with MWI Consultants, are creating mobile solutions these days to fulfill the needs of the society. The rise of media companies applying mobile strategies is like lightning during the past years and keeps on increasing at a scorching pace today.

Modern businesses and organizations already profit from mobile solutions, while other companies expect to generate revenue within two years from their apps. Social media also has an enormous presence worldwide with its users ranging from millions to billions, and a lot of companies are taking advantage of this by promoting their products and services through such sites.

MWI consultants views applying mobile solutions to your business as a smart choice. Consider putting your business online where your customers can purchase your products or services while they are using their mobile devices, then witness your business achieve an increase in sales after a certain period of time.

Mobile advertising sales can also multiply in the following years due to the trend in mobile solutions and because the mobile marketplace is progressively getting better over the years. Metropolitan Wireless International recommends creating social media accounts for your business since it is crucial these days to have a better communication with your customers. Looking at how things are going today, mobile solutions are indeed important to any individuals and businesses.

Central American residents pay nearly twice as much to keep their lights on as do their neighbors in South America. The high energy costs hurt the region’s businesses and its residents, hampering job creation and making it harder for people to improve their lives.

Soaring electricity rates have long burdened Central America, as the region is highly dependent on imported fossil fuel and at the mercy of fluctuating oil prices. At the same time, rising demand is putting pressure on the region to expand its capacity to generate electricity. It is crucial that the region develop alternate power sources to lower costs, ease the reliance on fuel imports, and reduce carbon emissions.

To tackle this challenge, IFC has supported private sector developers and financed a series of projects in the region—building on our decades of experience in supporting electricity generation, transmission, and distribution upgrades in developing countries.

The latest one is AES Colón—Central America’s first integrated plant that generates power from liquefied natural gas. In July, we completed a $150 million financing package for the construction and operation of the 380-megawatt plant, which will help mitigate the risk of electricity shortages while introducing a clean, cost-effective, and reliable energy source

CUTTING CARBON EMISSIONS

Natural gas—a cheaper and cleaner alternative to fossil fuels—holds great potential as a source of energy in Central America. The region currently relies on heavy fuel oil and diesel for over 40 percent of its installed generation capacity.

Over the past decade, Central America struggled to get natural gas projects off the ground. These plants demand large investment, and the energy markets in the region were not big enough to attract investors. As a whole, Central America has roughly the same capacity to generate electricity as Colombia, further south.

IFC is helping to change that. Located on Panama’s Atlantic coast, AES Colón includes an onshore terminal where liquefied natural gas is regasified to feed the power plant. The facility is sponsored by AES Corporation and Panama-based Motta Group.

By its third year of operation, AES Colón is expected to generate 2,100 gigawatt hours of power which would otherwise be produced using heavy fuel and diesel. This will represent a reduction of about 1 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year—the equivalent of taking more than 200,000 cars off the road. Once operational, the project is expected to reduce Panama’s carbon dioxide emissions by about 4 percent.

In addition to reducing carbon emissions, natural gas complements renewable energy by ensuring a steady supply of clean power that is able to balance the inherent variability of wind and solar energy.

POWER FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

Since 2010, IFC has supported the implementation of over 900 MW of new renewable energy capacity in Central America, including 215 MW of wind and 215 megawatt-peak of solar photovoltaic projects, helping offset a slowdown in the construction of hydropower projects in the region.

In Panama, we have provided a $300 million financing package for the Penonome wind power plant, the largest wind farm in Central America. The project is expected to generate the equivalent to 5 percent of the country’s total energy demand. In Honduras, we have recently supported three of the first large-scale grid-connected solar projects in the country.

In Costa Rica, the Reventazón 305-MW hydropower plant we are supporting will bring light to half a million homes. In recent years, we have also financed a 72-MW geothermal plant in Nicaragua and 123 MW of run-of-the-river hydroelectricity projects in Panama and Honduras—where little or no water storage is necessary.

From Panama to Costa Rica through Nicaragua and on to Honduras, new renewable and clean-energy projects are helping transform Central America’s energy landscape and demonstrate that the region can develop the power infrastructure it needs to grow sustainably.

We, customer satisfaction, a relationship of trust with our customers in the first we will offer the service. We aim to company forward to once again permanently development with customers. We will create a company with job satisfaction and cooperation among employees is each other.

CEO message

Core Systems Japan received access to the Corporation home page, thank you very much.

The aim of our opinion, the complexity of the ERP system that many of our customers have been with your global standard, to take advantage of the user-friendly and up-to-date of the application, there is to support the optimization of your business processes you.

Operating and maintenance personnel, in-house ERP system, via the cloud, at anytime, from anywhere, you can access to meet the need. In addition to the complex business processes, 75,000 user customers from medium-sized with a lot of branches and subsidiaries to large enterprises have been available in all the world. Watakushi us of the product is that you use the customers of the business processes to simple, it is because it is possible to improve the efficiency. Going forward, we will do our all employees our best to be able to provide you as promised to the customer, or bring more value-added services. We would like to ask more of your understanding, for your support in the future.

Core Systems Japan Co., Ltd.

President and CEO Yoshihiko Maeda

Corporate history

February 2013

Company formation

Consultation to identify asbestos-containing materials and to determine remedial measures necessary to remove, minimize or control the hazards associated with asbestos.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with long, thin fibrous crystals. The mineral was widely used in a large number of applications, particularly as a flame retardant or insulating material. Asbestos has also been found in many products around the home or office, including clapboard, roofing shingles, attic insulation (vermiculite), exterior siding, pipe and boiler covering, cement, caulking, roof patching material, furnace cement, driveway coatings, wallboard, textured and latex paints, acoustical ceiling tiles, wall plaster, vinyl floor tiles, appliance wiring, hair dryers, irons and ironing board pads.

MWI Consultants

In general, the use of asbestos has been discontinued due to the adverse health effects from inhalation of asbestos fibers. Asbestos is considered a designated material under the Controlled Products Regulations and is a known carcinogen. Chronic exposure to asbestos can lead to asbestosis and mesothelioma (a type of lung cancer), amongst others.

According to Part 36, section 36.5(1) (b) of the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Regulation 217/2006, the occupational exposure limit of a designated material must be as close to zero as is reasonably practicable, but shall not exceed the Threshold Limit Value (TLV) established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). The Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Division recognizes the level as close to zero as is reasonably practicable for all forms of asbestos as 0.1 fibres per cubic centimeter of air (f/cc or f/cm3), which matches the TLV established by ACGIH.

Creation of an inventory of asbestos-containing materials

If you are unsure which materials in a property contain asbestos, then one of the first tasks would be to prepare an asbestos inventory. According to law, employers are responsible for ensuring that asbestos-containing materials (ACM) are identified. Part 37.1 of the Workplace Safety and Health Regulation states that any material suspected of containing asbestos is considered to contain asbestos until it is proven to be asbestos-free. This involves a thorough inspection of the entire building (commercial/industrial) for any items which could potentially contain asbestos. Bulk samples of suspected materials are taken and analyzed for asbestos type and content.

Asbestos-Containing Materials are identified and their current condition is evaluated. If the materials are in good condition, a control program can be implemented. If materials are heavily damaged or in poor condition, or if asbestos fibers are detected in the air, then an abatement project may be necessary.

Bulk samples to identify asbestos-containing materials

Workplaces are required to know all asbestos-containing materials in the workplace. If it is suspected that asbestos-containing materials (ACM) may be present, then bulk sampling to determine asbestos content would be warranted, especially prior to any type of significant construction work or renovations that may disturb the material.

Asbestos Abatement Projects

The specific approach will vary with each project, and our services are always tailored to suit your specific needs, however where removal of asbestos-containing materials is necessary, our services can include any or all of the following:

Determination of the scope of work, including the appropriate requirements outlined by regulations.

Selecting contractors for the abatement. Removal of asbestos should only be done by trained professionals. Depending on the level of contamination, the amount of asbestos-containing material, the location, and the type of material, special precautions need to be taken.

Set-up and consultation for the project.

Oversight, inspections and monitoring based on Manitoba Department of Labour guidelines.

Set-up of a negative pressure enclosure monitor/logger (OmniGuard IV) to continuously monitor the negative pressure differential and to log alarm conditions, based on requirements in Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines for working with asbestos.

Perimeter monitoring and inspections to ensure the integrity of the enclosure has not been compromised and to ensure asbestos fibres are contained within the abatement enclosure and that background levels of asbestos are not affected.

Post-Abatement clearance sampling within the enclosure according to requirements in Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health guidelines. Analysis is performed using phase-contrast microscopy following NIOSH 7400 (A Rules) methodologies. All laboratory analyses are performed by accredited laboratories.

Full, comprehensive report providing interpretation of laboratory results and project overview

If you require an abatement to remove hazards associated with asbestos-containing materials, or are unsure whether or not materials contain asbestos, please fill out the "request a quote" form and we will contact you to determine an appropriate course of action or call 1 (204) 981-7690 to discuss your requirements.