Press Releases

Seattle’s Best Coffee to Offer Free Hot or Iced Brewed Coffee of Any Size at All 10 Drive-Thrus During Free Coffee Week, May 20-26

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dallas/Fort Worth area coffee drinkers, synchronize your alarm clocks: Seattle’s Best Coffee, a featured brand within Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX), announces the simultaneous opening of 10 drive-thrus throughout Dallas/Fort Worth at 4:30 a.m. on Mon., May 20. Seattle’s Best Coffee invites customers to start a new morning routine by heading to their nearest drive-thru for a free hot or iced brewed coffee of any size during Free Coffee Week, May 20-26.

“We believe everyone deserves a great cup of coffee and Seattle’s Best Coffee is now here to provide that cup,� said Frank Sica, vice president and general manager for Seattle’s Best Coffee. “With the opening of 10 new drive-thrus in one day, we’re welcoming coffee drinkers from across Dallas/Fort Worth to experience a piece of Seattle in their hometown—it’s what we call ‘visiting Seattle, TX’—where the coffee flows fast, friendly and delicious.�

Seattle’s Best Coffee® Menu and Value “Combos�

“In addition to our 40 years of experience roasting high-quality arabica coffee, we are bringing a delicious breakfast to Dallas,� said Jennifer Dimaris, vice president, brand management, for Seattle’s Best Coffee. “We invite customers to value their mornings with a great cup of coffee and a menu of breakfast sandwiches, all at a price that you’ll come back for every day.�

Drivers pulling up to Seattle’s Best Coffee beginning May 20 will find a menu that includes high-quality arabica coffee beverages and dashboard-friendly foods with 12 different “combos� priced under $5. The combos offer quick picks: a medium cup of coffee or soft drink paired with a hearty egg sandwich on a biscuit or muffin, stuffed pretzel melt or handheld sweet or savory “Tasty Pies.� In addition to mochas and lattes, those looking for a treat can choose from many dessert-inspired specialty coffee drinks such as Birthday Cake Lattes and S’mores Mochas, available hot, iced or frozen.

Fans can get a 12 oz. specialty drink FREE by going to the Seattle’s Best Facebook Page and emailing three friends to “visit Seattle, TX� during Free Coffee Week.

Now Open: Find a Seattle’s Best Coffee in Dallas/Fort Worth

Commuters can easily find the 10 new Seattle’s Best Coffee drive-thrus roadside at busy intersections and outside of popular shopping centers throughout Dallas/Fort Worth, with bold red exteriors and prominent signage. The 10 locations are listed below and are open from 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the weekends. Visit SeattleTX.com for more information.

Seattle’s Best Coffee Enters Dallas/Fort Worth with Ground-Breaking Speed

Dallas/Fort Worth – one of the fastest growing and most populous markets in the country1 – was selected as the first market for the multi-store expansion of Seattle’s Best Coffee drive-thru following the exciting launch of the concept in Seattle last fall.

“Our new drive-thrus are designed to create a different kind of coffee culture – one that combines the quality and passion of a coffeehouse with speed, convenience and value,� said Sica. “This concept is for coffee drinkers who are purchasing coffee outside of cafes at places such as convenience stores, gas stations and fast food restaurants2. This is our opportunity to give time-pressed coffee drinkers a better cup of coffee and a better breakfast.�

The new locations opened in Dallas/Fort Worth with speed and efficiency, thanks to a new small footprint design and innovative real estate strategy. Using this model, the brand significantly cut its market entry time, reduced initial investment costs and developed locations that previously were not suitable for a traditional sized coffee shop. The 10 locations opening “overnight� on May 20 were built in DeSoto, Texas, before being transported on flatbed trucks to their current locations across Dallas/Fort Worth.

More Seattle’s Best Coffee Locations to Open Late Summer

Seattle’s Best will offer a better cup of coffee at even more convenient locations starting in late summer 2013. Four new drive-thrus will open in Dallas/Fort Worth at the following locations:

In total, the 10 new stores employ approximately 150 full- and part-time partners who underwent intensive training for more than 30 hours each to prepare to provide fast, friendly service worthy of Seattle’s Best for the synchronized opening.

About Seattle’s Best Coffee

Seattle’s Best Coffee LLC has been roasting premium coffee since 1970 and today roasts more than 20 million pounds of coffee every year and millions of cups of our coffee are served every day. A freshly-brewed cup of 100% arabica coffee from Latin America, Seattle’s Best Coffee is currently available in more than 50,000 locations, including cafes, college campuses, restaurants, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, grocery stores and movie theatres. Seattle’s Best Coffee is a featured brand within Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX). For more information, please visit Seattle’s Best Coffee online at www.seattlesbest.com, become a member of the coffee community at www.facebook.com/SeattlesBestCoffee or follow Seattle’s Best Coffee on Pinterest for unique coffee inspiration at www.pinterest.com/seattlesbest.

1 Census Bureau, 2010

2 According to Study Logic, 2012; includes coffee shops, QSR, C-stores; Includes brewed, espresso, iced and blended coffee drinks

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130519005019/en/

Seattle’s Best CoffeeSanja Gould, 206-318-7100press@seattlesbest.comorZeno GroupStephanie Chaney, 312-222-1758stephanie.chaney@zenogroup.com

Source: Seattle’s Best Coffee LLC

GENEVA--(Marketwired - May 19, 2013) - In-flight catering provider Air Culinaire Worldwide(R) announced it has opened a new satellite kitchen at Stansted Airport (EGSS). The satellite facility at Stansted will be based in the recently renovated FBO of Universal Aviation(sm) UK.

"The opening of our new satellite kitchen will give our clients operating to and from Stansted more flexibility when things change, as we will now be able to fulfill more last-minute in-flight catering requests," said Paul Schweitzer, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Air Culinaire Worldwide(R).

Additionally, to better serve clients with wide-body aircraft, Air Culinaire Worldwide(R) has added new equipment in London and Paris.

"With the addition of our new lift trucks, we can now better accommodate the growing number of clients we have operating large aircraft -- up to a Boeing 747-400 -- traveling to London and Paris," said Schweitzer.

For more information on Air Culinaire Worldwide(R), visit airculinaireworldwide.com or visit Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. exhibit #363 at EBACE 2013.

About Air Culinaire Worldwide Air Culinaire Worldwide, a Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. company, serves in-flight catering to hundreds of airport locations across the globe. Since 2000, business and private aviation operators have relied upon the organization. With 16 owned-and-operated kitchens and hundreds of associate catering partners on six continents, business aviation organizations receive the total in-flight catering experience from one resource: Air Culinaire Worldwide.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Media Contact:
Louis Smyth
On-site at EBACE: (713) 703-3269
lsmyth@univ-wea.com




Source: Air Culinaire Worldwide

Companies receive tax and deregulation benefits, financial assistance and consulting services

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has been selected by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) to recruit 10 or more foreign companies to establish their Asian regional headquarters or research and development (R&D) centers in Tokyo’s Special Zone for Asian Headquarters by March 2014. The TMG plans to recruit 500 foreign companies, with an initial target of establishing 50 regional headquarters, in the Special Zone by 2016.

Leveraging its management consulting skills and capabilities, Accenture will develop a list of promising foreign companies, targeting industries with the potential to enhance the region’s international competitiveness. The company also will promote the attractiveness of Tokyo as an ideal region for business expansion.

“Accenture will encourage exceptional companies, with superior technologies and services, to establish their regional headquarters in the Special Zone and take advantage of all that Tokyo has to offer as one of the best cities in Asia for doing business,� said Hiroshi Goto, who leads Accenture’s Health & Public Service business in Japan. “At the same time, we will advise the TMG on actions to consider to improve the business, government and living environments to help strengthen both Tokyo’s and Japan’s global competitive positioning.�

Foreign companies that locate their Asian regional headquarters in the Special Zone will benefit from preferential tax treatment, bold deregulation and a generous package of financial assistance from the TMG, as well as management consulting services from Accenture to help them through the decision-making process.

The following are some of the specific benefits for which companies in the Special Zone will be eligible:

• Preferential Tax Treatment: If newly established Japanese corporations locate their Asian headquarters or R&D centers in Tokyo, and satisfy certain requirements, they will be eligible to receive either a reduced effective corporate tax rate, competitive with other Asian cities, or special depreciation rates (e.g. 50 percent of machinery acquisition costs, 25 percent of building acquisition costs) or an investment tax credit (e.g.15 percent of machinery acquisition costs, 8 percent of building acquisition costs).
• Subsidy programs: Subsidies, through the TMG, will be provided for up to 50 percent of recruiting costs, the cost of establishing offices in Tokyo and various notification costs, etc., when locating an office in the Special Zone.
• Consulting services: Accenture will provide management consulting services to foreign companies in the process of examining entry or expansion into the Japanese market until their final decision to locate their Asian regional headquarters or R&D centers in Tokyo. Accenture’s services will include the formulation of growth strategies, market research and analysis and the identification of business partners.
• Use of business development center: Companies are able to make full use of the Business Development Center Tokyo, which provides one-stop services by full-time bilingual staff, mainly supporting sales channel development, including responding to overall business inquiries, such as incorporation of enterprise and helping expatriates adjust to life in Tokyo. The services are provided through Mitsubishi Estate, commissioned by the TMG.

Learn more about the Special Zone for Asian Headquarters and Accenture’s work in Operations & Management and its global program Delivering Public Service for the Future.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with 261,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US $27.9 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2012. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

Accenture Japan Ltd.Ken Kanda, +81-45-330-7377+81-80-3723-9580 (mobile)kentaro.kanda@accenture.com

Source: Accenture

GENEVA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/20/13 -- In-flight catering provider Air Culinaire Worldwide® announced a menu customization program based on client need at high-traffic locations and new menus, featuring local specialties at all of its 16 owned kitchens.

"Based on feedback from our Middle East-based clients who are frequently operating to London and Paris, we have developed a new 'Selections of the Middle East menu,'" said Paul Schweitzer, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Air Culinaire Worldwide®. "The new Middle East menu is made with certified halal products in accordance with Middle East customs. We will continue to use this model at our kitchens around the world to make sure we continue to meet our clients' unique culinary requirements."

In addition to the new Middle East menu, Air Culinaire Worldwide® has also recently updated its menus at all locations with new regional specialties, featuring fresh local ingredients.

"We continue to offer popular menu items that are most requested internationally. Our executive chefs and culinary teams, who have extensive local expertise, have been busy with research and development in our test kitchen at our Tampa headquarters and at our kitchens in London and Paris," said Schweitzer. "They have created new menu items that accent their particular region's culinary specialties and flavor like Duck Tournedos in Paris, the 'Soprano' Italian-style sandwich in New York, and our Cuban sandwich in Palm Beach. We encourage EBACE attendees to stop by Universal® exhibit (#363) to discuss with our chefs how we can create a customized in-flight catering strategy that further enhances their overall experience."

For more information on Air Culinaire Worldwide®, go to airculinaireworldwide.com or visit Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. exhibit #363.

About Air Culinaire Worldwide Air Culinaire Worldwide, a Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. company, serves in-flight catering to hundreds of airport locations across the globe. Since 2000, business and private aviation operators have relied upon the organization. With 16 owned-and-operated kitchens and hundreds of associate catering partners on six continents, business aviation organizations receive the total in-flight catering experience from one resource: Air Culinaire Worldwide.

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Media Contact:
Louis Smyth
On-site at EBACE: (713) 703-3269
Email Contact

Source: Air Culinaire Worldwide

GENEVA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/20/13 -- Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. (exhibit #363) announced at EBACE2013 that it is now working with TRACE, the global leader in innovative anti-bribery due diligence and compliance solutions. Working with TRACE is part of ongoing efforts by Universal® to help further reduce its clients' risk of a potential anti-bribery and compliance violation.

"With increasing enforcement of anti-bribery and corruption violations on a global basis and associated multi-million dollar fines being assessed, our clients want assurance that the companies and third-party suppliers they work with comply with all applicable compliance laws and regulations," said Bobby Butler, Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Universal®. "TRACE provides a best-in-class solution via its TRAC (TRACE Registered Access Code) platform. TRAC is already successfully used in other industries and we will use it to help reduce potential risk and exposure for our clients."

TRAC is TRACE's global online platform that captures, assesses and shares baseline due diligence information on organizations and individuals and issues universal ID numbers to approved applicants. Universal® and all of its Universal Aviation(sm) worldwide ground support locations have registered with TRAC. TRAC provides transparency and efficiency between companies and their intermediaries and continually runs suppliers' names against international watch lists.

Pete Lewis, Senior Vice President, Global Partnership Management said that his team is now working to have its thousands of global suppliers register with TRAC.

"TRAC further enhances the due diligence and vetting our Global Partnership Management department already does to ensure our suppliers meet critical standards for service, quality and compliance," said Lewis. "We're working to make it easier for our clients by reducing the risk associated with an increasing number of international business partners and business transactions across borders. An additional benefit to TRAC is that is serves as a single baseline of due diligence, which reduces the complexity associated with duplicative requests of compliance proof from multiple partners. We encourage the entire business aviation industry to adopt TRAC to provide greater transparency in the fight against bribery, corruption and other compliance violations."

For more information on TRAC, please visit Universal exhibit #363 or https://tracnumber.com.

About Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. At Universal®, our shared purpose is the success of your trip. Count on us to deliver what you need to keep your guarantees to your organization. With 50+ years of experience in supporting business aviation and more than 2.5 million trip legs facilitated, we have the knowledge and expertise to help you get the job done. Our comprehensive resources include customized trip support, convenience through the UVair® Fuel Program, worldwide ground support from Universal Aviation(sm), online flight planning, safety management, data link, scheduling software, and more.

Additional Ways to Connect

Business Aviation Blog: http://universalweather.com/blog Facebook: https://facebook.com/universalweathr Twitter: https://twitter.com/universalweathr LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/universal-weather-and-aviation

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Media Contact:
Louis Smyth
On-site at EBACE: (713) 306-3269
Email Contact

Source: Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc.