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Show THEPARKRECORD www.parkrecor<Lcom TUES/WED/THURS, DECEMBER 28-30, 2004 Briefe Business. By ANNA BLOOM Of the Record staff "• The U.S. restaurant industry is expected to post a record $476 billion in sales in 900,000 restaurant locations in 2005, according to the National Restaurant Association, the industry outlook for the Mountain region is bright, as sales are expected to reach nearly $25.3 billion next year. In addition, the region is expected to add 197,800 restaurant-industry jobs over the next 10 years. The 2005 Restaurant Industry Forecast pieces together the various segments of the diverse industry, which is comprised of different types of establishments, operators, employees, cultures and cuisines. Improvements in regional economic conditions, gains in disposable income and general population growth, says Hudson Riehie, senior vice president of the Association's research and Information Services Division, have paved the way for growth. In 2005, Arizona restaurants are expected to post sales of $6.8 billion (6.9 percent increase from 2004); Colorado, $7.0 billion (6.5 percent increase); Idaho, $1.3 billion (5:6 percent increase); Montana, $1.1 billion (4.6 percent increase); Nevada $4.1 billion (7.6 percent increase); New Mexico, $2.1 billion (5.6 percent increase); Utah, $2.3 billion (6.4 percent increase); and Wyoming, $0.6 billion (4.5 percent increase). New radio station just for women Active plans are now in the works at Broadcast House in downtown Salt Lake City for Utah's newest radio station, AM820. The radio station will be targeted at female listeners. Vice President/Operations & Programming for AM820 and KSL Newsradio 1160 says the station has conducted formal and informal research, focus groups and community discussions and feels that the station has a unique and viable format for the community. • , AM820 is part of Bonneville International Corporation. Bonneville International is headquartered in Salt Lake City and operations KSL 5 Television, KSL Newsradio' 1160, FM100, Star 102.7 FM and Arrow 103.5 FM Every night, as most of Park City sleeps or hot-tubs it, John Ncuhauscr begins his work overseeing 16 hours of grooming at The Canyons, half the lime in a snowcal himself, pushing snow up the slopes. However, while Ncuhauscr takes pride in carving corduroy, he worries about what all that diesel exhaust may be doing to the natural beauty of the landscape. Two weeks ago, Neuhauser began running one of his cats on what's known as B-20 Blend: 20 per.ccnt bio-diesel, and SO percent petroleum diesel - a combination that smells like a Chinese restaurant, and cuts the amount of produced to less than half of straight fossil fuel. Someday soon, if all goes well with this year's guinea pig, Neuhauser hopes to run an entire fleet of bio-cats at The Canyons. Last season. The Canyons was preparing to add biodiesel, a fuel made by removing glycerin from vegetable oil, in all of their grooming machines, Neuhauser says, but received several phone calls and e-mails from other resorts thai had encountered difficulties with B-20 at cold temperatures. "We wanted to take the side of caution." he says. "We want lo study the performance of the fuel in cold weather. We want to find out for ourselves if it works first. We need lo be able to start the machine in cold weather and if the fuel gels, you're out of business as far as grooming goes." According to Colorado's Summit Daily News, earlier this month. Aspen Ski Company, a company that runs all its diesel engines on 15-20-including their back-up auxiliary generators for chairlifts-had a glitch in a large batch of fuel. At Ureckenridge, a winter blend of biodiesel began gelling during a cold front, and as a result, the resort was forced to empty a 30,000 gallon tank and pulled its eco-friendly B-20 for the rest of the season.Bui in an interview with The Park Record, Auden Schendler, director of environmental affairs at Aspen Ski Company, said the issue had to do with Ihe blending, nol the use of bio-diesel fuel. "Any diesel blend-and that's what cats have always used, a blend-can gel in cold weather," explains Schendler. "You have to make sure the blend is correct which is usually a blend of No. 1 and No. 2 diesel and you have lo use additives. When we make Bio diesel part of the mix, those concerns [of gelling] don't get any worse, but I hey remain, Diesel always has a gelling problem in the cold. It's just that bio-diesel sort of adds a boogie-man factor people don't understand." According lo Schendlcr, the Aspen Ski Company was the first company in the U.S. to run their snow cats on a B-20 Blend. Testing began at Buttermilk Mountain. Then the company tested the fuel at the coldest place they could find-in aboveground storage tanks at 12.000 feet on Aspen Mountain. "I was the one who introduced bio-diesel to the company," he says. "In 2000 I heard about [the environmentally friendly fuel] and slarted getting the wheels turning. We began testing [B-20] extensively in cold weather application in 2001 and then switched Ihe whole company in 2002." A B-20 blend reduces pollution emissions more than 50 percent when com-' pared to fossil fuel. Not only does B-20 cut carbon dioxide emissions in half, but it also has virtually no sulfur emissions- a toxin that causes acid rain. The price to acquire diesel from the proper manufacturer, however, can be up to thirty cents more per gallon. Part of the testing at The Canyons will also be about fuel economy. "We're looking for any way we can to be environmentally friendly and costeffictive," reports Neuhauser. "And B20 is more expensive. It burns slightly fasler lhan [straight petroleum], maybe one percent. You notice a difference in fuel economy, but it's a nominal difference. The fuel is good for the engines. Tiicy will last longer because the natural oils in the biodiesel lubricates the parts better than regular diesel." Diesel engines do not need to be modified to run on B-20 fuel, because in the engine's original design. Dr. Rudolph Diesel ran his machine on peanut oil. Any diesel engine, therefore, should theoretically be able lo run on biodiesel or whal's known as SVO. without any modification. However, according to Neuhauser, who runs his own Mercedes on biodiesel, these alternative fuels do need extra heat to start the engine, lliose who use SVO. usually start their engines on petroleum first, and switch to SVO after the engine has started properly"Diesel must have had trouble starling his engine with just peanut oil," says Neuhauser. "He must have done something very special to the engine to start it at the 1900 Paris Exposition." Neuhauser says that the reason the engine didn't continue to run on peanut oil is because petroleum companies were By KRISTI ARELLANO MedlnNews Group Wire Afraid you'll be headed to the mall on Dec. 26 lo relum a fuchsia sweater that just doesn't fit? You might need more than the usual posJ-Christmas dose of time and patience. An increasing number of retailers are tightening their return policies by imposing time limits and restocking fees or making refunds only if the customer has a receipt. Other stores are requiring state-issued identification such as a driver's license, which is scanned lo identity a shopper. If the shopper has too many returns, the system may block the transaction. "I think it's going to catch some customers by surprise/ said Edgar Dworsky, founderofConsumerWorld.org. "As return policies become more strict, they're going to wind up turning off customers, who will then seek out the retailers that make il easiest and don't slice and dice it." Wal-Mart, for example, has different return periods depending on the item. General merchandise may be returned within 90 days, computer components and accessories within 45 days, camcorders and digital cameras within 30 days, and computer hard- ware within L*> days. Some electronics retailers keep a percent of the items' cost as a restocking fee. Circuit City, which eliminated restocking fees three years ago, has reinstated them for some types of opened items. Target stores will accept returns only with receipts, but the company provides a receipt lookup service for any item purchased by check, credit card, debit card or gift card. . Target automatically provides gift receipts for all items that cost more than $10, said Target spokeswoman Brie Heath. Customers who received items as gifts and don't have gift receipts also can exchange the item for something similar, she said. "We've done as much as we can to make the process as easy as possible," Heath said. Express, a clothing store owned by Limited Brands, is among the retailers that have recently adopted technology from 'Hie Return Exchange of Irvine, Calif. 'I"he system allows cashiers lo swipe the IDs of customers who are returning items. The Return Exchange maintains a database of customers and their return histories. If the tracking system indicates that a customer has returned too much merchandise, the DISCOVER the adventure of a lifetime Come visit our scenic campus and meet the faculty. burinnxgparkreoorddooni Canyon^' Grooming Manager, John Neuhauser and his first biodiesel snowcat. just beginning to discover new ways to use their product for energy and look over the market. Neuhauser became interested in biodiesel in 2000, but didn't experiment with the fuel until two film makers from Toxic Comedy Productions, a production company focused on exposing environmental issues, showed up in his office. "Since everyone was wearing teeshirts at Sundance that year, Cinamatographer Dan Gold and Director/Producer Judith Helfand wanted lo start their documentary called 'Melting Planet' early." says Neuhauser. "They wanted to talk lo groomers. and came lo our office Jat The Canyons). They were talking about global warming and I asked them about biodiesel. I had just begun reading about it. They didn't know what it was, and said I should do something about it. So I did." In the summer of 2003. Neuhauser and a friend tiatechroiU .-She fuel on ;i Mercedes and Toxic Productions followed along with cameras. The film. "Melting Planet," is slated for 2005s Please see The Canyons, A-20 Return fraud prompts retailers to tighten policies MAKING CUSTOMERS - Fun environment - No traffic jams - Friendly atmosphere - World-class recreation - Fully-accredited classes - Several degrees available BUSINESS EDITORS Anna Bloom 649-9014 ext 110 Local resort runs snowcat on biodiesel The Canyons reduces pollution on mountain with alternative fuel Region's restaurants to lead in sales growth A-19 SINCE store clerk is notified that the transaction has been denied. Anthony Hebron, a spokesman for Limited Brands, said the company implemented the system to make the process smoother and more efficient. The company does not use the system at its other stores, which include The Limited, Victoria's Secret. Bath & Body Works and While Barn Candle Co. The program collects the same data customers were originally required lo fill out on a return form, Hebron said. "We felt the old paper-and-pencil method slowed down the process, and some people told us they were uncomfortable standing in line writing that information down when somebody could look over their shoulder," he said. The system isn't going to reject returns simply because the customer has returned a few pairs of pants. Hebron said. There's no magic number for how many is too many returns. "You have to be doing multiple exchanges for multiple amounts at different stores. A typical Express customer is not going to be affected," he said. The systems are designed to weed out customers who are committing return fraud. which can include returning stolen goods, wearing clothes then reluming them, or paying for merchandise with bad checks and returning it for cash before the store finds out the check has bounced. U.S. retailers lose an estimated $16 billion a year to return fraud, according to the National Retail Federation. Customers who believe they were wrongly flagged in the system can contact The Return Exchange lo find out why (heir return was rejected, and Hebron said customers can always appeal their cases to a store manager. Other retailers that have adopted Ihe tracking technology include Sports Authority. Staples and KB Toys. Dworsky, a former Massachusetts assistant attorney general in consumer protection and a former consumer education consultant for the Federal Trade Commission, said that only Sports Authority notifies customers that their returns are being tracked. and that none of the retailers warn customers when they're approaching the lipping point. Dworsky said that "full-price department stores" tend to have more lenient Please see Stores, A-21 FOR L I F E 199O V PARK CITY TITLE Direct Importer of the World's Finest Rugs • Padding • Hand Cleaning • Repair • Appraisal • Buy/Trade TRUST YOUR REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION TO PEOPLE WHO CARE PARK RECORD 1 67O BUILDING BONANZA DRIVE # 1O5 NARI TROTTER. PRESIDENT 649-8322 At Adibs you will enjoy: " The Largest Selection of Most Unusual New and Antique Hand Woven Rugs, Kelims, Tapestries, and Pillows • An Education in a Stress Free Environment • The Most Reasonable Prices • Attention from Our Knowledgeable Staff 3142 So. Highland Dr. (1400 East), Salt Lake City (801) 484-6364 (888)-445-RUGS (7847) Mon.-Sat. 10:00 sun. to 6:00 p.m. |