BIG LOTS TO CELEBRATE NEW WEST JORDAN, UT STORE GRAND OPENING
WITH A DONATION TO SOUTH VALLEY SERVICES
New Store Format Provides Fun and Engaging Shopping Experience
Goody Bags for the First 50 Shoppers on November 30 and December 1
Columbus, OH—(November 15, 2018)—Big Lots announced today it is celebrating the grand opening of its newly remodeled store in West Jordan, Utah, on Friday, November 30, 2018. This store will reflect a new format, which is part of a broader initiative to reposition the brand as a community retailer offering trustworthy value and friendly service. As part of the celebration, Big Lots will host a grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony at 8:30 a.m. on November 30. The first 50 shoppers entering the store on November 30 and December 1 will receive a reusable shopping bag filled with tasty treats from Big Lots. In addition, the company will kick off donation program benefiting South Valley Services, a local charity organization that is dedicated to eradicating domestic violence by providing crisis shelter, resources, supportive services, and education; to men, women and children who have been victimized by domestic violence. Big Lots will donate five dollars to the local charitable organization each time a BIG Rewards loyalty member redeems a reward at the West Jordan store over a six-week period (November 30- January 12).
“We are excited to introduce our new store format to West Jordan,” stated Steve Haffer, senior vice president chief customer officer of Big Lots. “It brings to life our new brand traits and showcases our product assortments of affordable solutions in Furniture, Seasonal, Home, Food, and Consumables. We are also very proud to serve alongside the West Jordan community with our support of South Valley Services.”
The newly renovated store, located at 3931 West 9000 South, West Jordan, UT 84088, will be a showcase for the continued roll out of a new store layout and design across all Big Lots stores, both in new builds as well as in redesigns at existing locations. Big Lots will host local dignitaries, representatives from South Valley Services and other community guests at the ribbon cutting.
To learn more about Big Lots or set up an interview with a company representative, please contact Shannan Bunting, (312) 493-0479.
About Big Lots, Inc.
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is a community retailer operating more than 1,400 BIG LOTS stores in 47 states, dedicated to friendly service, trustworthy value, and affordable solutions in every season and category – furniture, food, décor, and more. We exist to serve everyone like family, providing a better shopping experience for our customers, valuing and developing our associates, and creating growth for our shareholders. Big Lots supports the communities it serves through the Big Lots Foundation, a charitable organization focused on four areas of need: hunger, housing, healthcare, and education. For more information about the Company, visit www.biglots.com.
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..MEMBERS OF COPELAND, THE DEAR HUNTER, GOOD OLD
WAR, ALL GET OUT, DANCE GAVIN DANCE AND MORE
CONTRIBUTE VOICES TO THE JON HILL PROJECT
REBIRTH OUT JANUARY 11
LISTEN AND WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR
"WOULD YOU SAVE ME NOW FT. AARON MARSH"
OF COPELAND WITH SUBSTREAM MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 15, 2018 - The Jon Hill Project comes from the mind of percussionist and songwriter Jon Hill. In 2016, Jon joined forces with Spencer Bradham, in-demand producer & lead songwriter, as well as Spencer Gill, songwriter & guitarist from Tides of Man, to develop the album Rebirth, which touches upon his struggle with addiction, the end of his nine-year marriage to make-up artist, Jaclyn Hill, and his hope for a new chance at life.
The trio of songwriters handpicked eleven highly esteemed front man legends who helped pave the way in post-rock, indie and alternative to lyrically and melodically communicate Jon's sentiments of both pain and hope: Aaron Marsh from Copeland, Brennan Taulbee from Polyenso, Nate Barcalow from Finch, Tilian Pearson from Dance Gavin Dance, Donovan Melero from Hail the Sun, Keith Day from Good Old War, Kerry Courtney from Goodnight Neverland, Casey Crescenzo from The Dear Hunter, Michael McGough from Being as an Ocean, Tanner Merritt from O'Brother and Nathan Hussey from All Get Out.
Substream Magazine is hosting the premiere of the first song and music video for "Would You Save Me Now feat. Aaron Marsh" of Copeland. The feature includes an in-depth interview with Jon on the project and the video, which details the dissolution of his marriage to Jaclyn. Fans can read more here: https://bit.ly/2qOJ1o7
Pulling from his deeply seated struggle during the two years of writing this record, each song paints a new picture into Jon's soul that resonates with anyone who has ever come full circle in love and loss. In some songs, you can hear true anguish in his thunderous drumming sprinkled with the haunting melodies and pain driven vocals of guest singers. Yet, in others, you feel his sense of hope in his rhythmic brilliance intensified by endearing vocals and verses. Needless to say, the entire record is a playground of emotions that is full of powerful instrumentation, compelling but familiar voices and a look inside the mystery of Jon Hill's notorious, highly publicized life.
Rebirth will be released on January 11, 2019.
Track Listing
1. Would You Save Me Now (Feat. Aaron Marsh of Copeland)
2. Grey's Gift (Feat. Brennan Taulbee of Polyenso)
3. Lesson Learned In Seconds (Feat. Donovan Melero of Hail the Sun)
4. Take The Next Step (Feat. Casey Crescenzo of The Dear Hunter)
5. Drifting Towards the Sun (Feat. Kerry Courtney of Goodnight Neverland)
6. Show You The Stars (Feat. Keith Day of Good Old War)
7. Hang Em High (Feat. Nate Barcalow of Finch)
8. Take Me Up (Feat. Michael McGough of Being As An Ocean)
9. Drinking And Cleaning (Feat. Nathan Hussey of All Get Out)
10. Flat Line (Feat. Tanner Merritt of O'Brother)
11. Same Old Song (Feat. Tilian Pearson of Dance Gavin Dance)
The album in its entirety was produced, cowritten and engineered by Spencer Bradham and mixed by Mike Watts at Clear Track Studios in Clearwater FL. The album was mastered by Joe LaPorta at Stirling Sound in NYC
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Look to the right for corruption
by Tom H. Hastings
602 words
When I was growing up a long time ago there was a presumption of prudential integrity for politicians. Yes, I suppose I was naïve, but as a boy from Minnesota I came to think of politics as a clean game in my formative years.
This may explain why I am nonplussed now with the acceptance of such low standards by so many, and frankly, at this time most of them with the lowest standards seem to be aligned with Trump out on the right. The voters rejected Trump for the most part in our midterms, but this is normal and he lost less than Obama did in 2010, so my question is really for the voters, not the buck naked corrupt Trump wing controlling the Republican party and the base.
Why do you accept, tolerate, and even identify with the dishonesty, the cheating, and the incivility of the leadership of your party? What is wrong with you? Can you help me understand why dirty tricks and robbing people of voting rights is fine by you?
Yes, I’d love to excuse them. Oh, they are working class and ignorant fools, how can they be expected to keep up? How can we hope that they will have decent values? They are all undereducated redneck fools.
Hogwash.
When I finally finished my single parenthood and was able to contemplate college, I knew I’d have to focus. I did. I graduated top of my class, summa cum laude, tied with no one. First. I got all A grades with a C brain plus pure obdurate working class discipline. And here is the thing I knew. My journeyman when I was an apprentice in the carpenter’s union (1544 in Minneapolis) was far smarter than I ever was. His memory outdid mine every single day.
Working people are exactly as smart, and often smarter, than scholars. I’m an academic with a doctorate, and they don’t give those things out on boxtops. It is tough. But most working people never get a shot at it. In my case, I was given a chance. Some get loans, some get scholarships, and in my case, my father took early retirement for a big bonus. He then paid for my bachelors degree. Yes, I still had to work, to pay for my cabin, my truck, gas, and my food and everything else, but I got tuition paid. Damn lucky. I never got my first college degree until I was 43 years old, but I got that sucker. Most poor kids and working class kids do not have that. Because I did, I figured out that workers and managers and owners and scholars are all equally smart, something I observed my long working career of more than half a century. I spent about 25 years doing physical labor and the last 25 doing intellectual work as an academic. I know in my bones that those who work with their hands and those who supposedly live the “life of the mind” are dead even in terms of raw intelligence.
So why vote for a sleaze? Why choose lies and corruption?
That is my challenge to laboring, hard working Americans and to anyone else who votes for these charlatans. Why allow yourselves to be tainted, to be seen as ignorant and selfish and without ethics? I know you are smart. Now be brave. You can see. You can figure out what is right and wrong. Denying votes is wrong. Cheating black people is wrong. Be fair, be honest, and sure, compete, fair and square. Stop taking the low road. It doesn’t look good on you.
—30—
Dr. Tom H. Hastings is PeaceVoiceDirector and on occasion an expert witness for the defense in court.
--
Yours for a nonviolent future,
Tom H. Hastings, Ed.D.
Director, PeaceVoice Program
Oregon Peace Institute
503 744 9787
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Hi on what is turning into a snowy Thursday here in the NYC area!
In case you missed it and so you could have the link handy, I'm writing to flag the release for the J.D. Power 2018 U.S. Primary Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study, which discusses how digitalization continues to shape the mortgage industry.
As I noted previously, in just the last few months, there have been articles on the e-note program from Wells Fargo, DocuSign implementing digital rooms for mortgages to provide a single digital destination for those involved in buying and selling, the use of digital means in reducing costs in the origination process, how digital means are enabling BAML to increase growth and customer satisfaction, and how digital/online tools could enable banks to reach Millennials who aren't home buyers, among many others.
That’s to say nothing of a firm like Prosper entering the HELOC space – and there's even been speculation that Amazon could soon dive into mortgage lending, much like it's entered prescription drugs.
The release goes into why this is happening.
It notes customer satisfaction with primary mortgage originators has increased by 10 points in 2018 to 836 as digital origination channels play a more significant role in the process. On average, customers use 3.1 different channels during the mortgage process, with phone (72%), website (69%) and email (58%) being the most commonly used channels.
So digital is incredibly useful, but really as a complement, not a full replacement. Humans still play a role in the process, as only 3% of mortgage customers exclusively rely on digital self-service channels in the origination process. In fact, overall satisfaction is highest among customers who spoke only with their lender in person or over the phone (871) when applying for a mortgage, followed by satisfaction among those who used a mix of personal and self-service tools (868). The most important parts of the process in which representatives add the greatest value are in the follow-up contact after an initial inquiry and when confirming loan terms and payment.
Should also be noted that speed counts for a lot, with satisfaction levels declining sharply for each day spent waiting after inquiry for contact from a lender - and that here, too, digital can play a valuable role. The inquiry channel with the fastest overall contact times is online via smartphone/tablet, followed by online via desktop. Though not all customers use digital channels, those who do value speed of contact.
Also note: Quicken Loans ranks highest in mortgage origination satisfaction for a ninth consecutive year, achieving a score of 876. Fairway Independent Mortgage ranks second with a score of 873 and Guild Mortgage Company ranks third with a score of 857. Mr. Cooper has the greatest year-over-year improvement among rank-eligible companies, increasing 41 points from 2017.
You can find the release here with the full rankings at the link above.
And here's the link to last year's release in case you'd like to compare:
