The Concord Road Widening Project begins at Edmondson Pike on the west and continues all the way to Nolensville Road on the east. The road will be widened to 3 lanes with a separated 10-foot wide bike/pedestrian path running along the south side of the improved road.   The project also includes realignment of the Crockett Road/Concord Road intersection and installation of traffic signal at this intersection. 

The City is funding engineering design and right-of-way acquisition. Project management and construction will be done by Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).

Current Status

At this time, only Phase 1 (Edmondson Pike to Sunset Road) is set for construction. The Phase 1 project has been awarded to CBM Enterprises. Initial work will be focused on the portion of the road between Sunset Road and Crockett Road.

Week of March 8:   Removal of the old road surface in front of the Governor's Club is underway.  Work on the creek crossing east of Liberty Church Road continues as does grading and utility work between Liberty Church Road and Sunset Road.

Grading work on the road segment between Crockett Road and Edmondson Pike is underway.  This work is designed to facilitate utility relocation along this segment prior to the planned road closure.  The contractor plans to complete as much off-road construction as possible in this segment before the road is closed in late May. 

Finally, work to relocate one of the traffic signal poles at the Sunset Road intersection will begin soon.  The pole on the southeast corner of this intersection must be moved back to accommodate the road widening and multi-use path.

Click here to download the latest project newsletter from TDOT's construction management firm.

Drivers can continue to expect periodic, short-term additional lane closures during non-peak travel times for equipment to access and exit the work areas.  Please be cautious when driving through the work zone and observe all posted construction zone speed limits. 

Planned Road Closure Schedule and Detour Information

The Phase 1 project will require that Concord Road be closed between Crockett Road and Edmondson Pike. This closure is not expected to occur until late Spring 2010 and is scheduled to last 4 months.  Edmondson Pike access to Concord Road will not be affected by this closure.

The road closure is necessary in order to allow for 1.) construction of a retaining wall along the south edge of the road, near the creek, as required by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in order to protect the habitat of the Nashville Crayfish; 2.) construction of a new culvert at the creek crossing just west of the entrance to Beech Grove Subdivision; and, 3.) cutting down of the hill near Edmondson Pike to reduce the steepness of the road in this area.

This road closure will cause significant traffic problems in the immediate area. The designated detour route is along Crockett Road and Green Hill Blvd (see map).  To allow detour traffic flow more smoothly, a temporary traffic signal will replace the 4-way stop sign at the Crockett Road/Green Hill Blvd./Raintree Parkway intersection.

Drivers from Davidson and Rutherford counties who normally use Concord Road to reach I-65, Cool Springs and Maryland Farms are strongly encouraged to avoid Concord Road and find alternative routes, including Old Hickory Blvd in Davidson County or Highway 96 in Rutherford and Williamson counties.

Questions regarding this project can be directed to Assistant City Manager Kirk Bednar at 371-0060 or Public Works Director Jeff Donegan at 371-0080.

Date	Entertainer
June 6	Little Texas
June 13	Nashville Symphony Orchestra
June 20	7 Bridges: The Ultimate Eagles Experience
June 27	The WannaBeatles
July 4	Fireworks Celebration Featuring The Kadillacs
July 11	Who's Bad:  Michael Jackson Tribute Band
July 18	The Tams

Taylor Swift thanked her key supporters in the music industry during a private party at Maggiano's restaurant in Nashville on Wednesday night (March 18), according to Nashville's daily newspaper, The Tennessean. The party also recognized four of her most recent No. 1 hits -- "Should've Said No," "Love Story," "White Horse" and "You Belong With Me." Swift told the audience, "I just hope you know how happy you've made me. I never expected I would get to stand up at awards shows as much as I have over the last year for this album. I'm so happy I was allowed to make the album I made. And I'm proud of the people this happened to along with me. This was not wasted on us. We all appreciate it so much."

Tiger Woods has confirmed he will return to competitive golf at the Masters.

“The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect. After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I’m ready to start my season at Augusta,” Woods said in a statement released Tuesday morning.

“The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it’s been a while since I last played.”

Woods, who has won the Masters four times, the last time in 2005, hasn’t played since November 15 in Australia. He became entangled in a sex scandal after crashing his SUV into a fire hydrant outside his Orlando home on the night of Thanksgiving. More than a dozen women came forward to allege affairs with the world’s No. 1 golfer.

He attended an inpatient clinic in Mississippi to rehabilitate for an addiction to sex and spent another week in rehab in Arizona.

“I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy and I am continuing my treatment. Although I’m returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life,” he said.

“When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that the Masters would be the earliest I could play.”

Woods had been rumored to be making his comeback at either the made-for-TV Tavistock Cup, which will be played next Monday and Tuesday, or the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, also in Orlando.

“I called both Joe Lewis and Arnold Palmer and expressed my regrets for not attending the Tavistock Cup and the Arnold Palmer Invitational,” he said.

“I again want to thank them both for their support and their understanding. Those are fantastic tournaments and I look forward to competing in them again.

“I would also like to thank the Augusta National members and staff for their support. I have deep appreciation for everything that they do to create a wonderful event for the benefit of the game.”

In the age of transparency, marketing is not about crafting artificial or half-true brand stories for consumer audiences. Marketing is about uncovering, fostering, sharing, and engaging with employees and consumers around the true stories that make your brand unique. Let’s take a look at how a few of the departments in your organization are the real marketing departments.

Product design and development is marketing

If your marketing department and the agencies it’s hiring are not taking a deep and genuine interest in your product development team and their methodologies, you’re headed down the wrong road. Your messaging around a product cannot be spun on some “me too” approach to a product. Marketing needs to be genuinely rooted in the problem that your product development team set out to solve.

For a ton of ideas and examples on this topic go read Bogusky and Windsor’s Baked In – Creating Products and Businesses that Market Themselves.

The post-purchase experience is marketing

How are you communicating with your customers post purchase? Whose job is this anyway – customer support, marketing, sales? Define ownership of this space and seize the opportunity to engage with the most important people on the planet – your existing customers.

Don’t just email them one-way marketing spam featuring the next product you want them to purchase. You know what product they bought, so provide them with valuable content that will help them use your product better and more frequently. Share tips on use and care. Invite them to submit photos, text, or videos in a contest. Invite them into an invitation-only community of consumers or power-users. Solicit their feedback and then make sure they know that you listened when the next generation of your product hits the shelves.

Customer support is marketing

Don’t miss huge opportunities in strengthening your relationship with your existing customers when they need your help. Remember that when a consumer experiences a problem with your product, good brand experience is not about what went wrong and why, but how quickly and painlessly you can solve that customer’s problem. Are your telephone and online support experiences robust, efficient, and helpful? Good customer service equals good word-of-mouth and good word-of-mouth is the best marketing out there.

There’s lots of hype around big brands (like Best Buy or Comcast) using Twitter as a customer support channel. Is it? Really? It may be a first step in connecting with a customer who has a support issue or even one that loves your product, but Twitter is not the best place to resolve a complicated support issue. You need to build an entire support ecosystem that allows you to channel conversations to the right place. Maybe you identify an issue on Twitter, direct users to GetSatisfaction where you’re working on solving the issue, and when it’s resolved maybe you send them to your revised documentation online.

Twitter is not a customer support tool alone anymore than it’s a customer acquisition tool alone.

Reviews are marketing (and product development )

Since we’re thinking about word-of-mouth, let’s turn our attention to reviews. No eCommerce site is complete without them. There are a number of popular review and problem-solving sites (see Epinions, Reviews.CNET.com, Yelp, GetSatisfaction, or Fixya). How is your customer support team (or anyone for that matter) engaging in these online ratings and review spaces? Are they seizing opportunities to set the record straight when an unfair review is posted? Do they have great text, photo, and video content to share that refutes an inaccurate review?

Every employee is marketing

Every employee within your organization is a brand ambassador. They have the power to influence a huge network both on- and offline. Do they believe in your brand and its products and services? If not, you have a staff or brand problem that marketing is not going to fix.

They are already engaged through any number of social networks – have you provided them with guidelines for participation? The worst thing to do is to ban them (sorry Man U) – you want to empower them to participate and let them know that you trust them. If you believe in your brand, your workplace, and your employees, then you have nothing to hide. If you do have something to hide, fix it, because no amount of marketing will. Intel and Cisco are two companies that have gotten a lot of praise for their social media policies for employees (you can find them both here). Both companies clearly believe in their culture, as both policies essentially boil down to “Don’t be an idiot.”

Every employee … particularly your CEO or visionaries

You know you’ve got them – they may be C-level execs or someone on your human resources or sales teams. They are visionaries; they’re always the smartest people in the room, and they drop gorgeous nuggets of wisdom without even realizing it. Elevate them! They should be blogging and Tweeting daily. They should be speaking at conferences. Your PR agency should be serving them up as experts for any media that might take them.

But don’t make them just shill for the brand. Let the head of human resources talk about human resources in general. Let each visionary use examples of best practices from other companies as well as from your own. In the long run, everyone will know where that individual came from, and you’ll have the type of marketing that money can’t buy.

Now what?

Take a good look in the mirror and engage internally. Invite your entire company to do the same.

Distribute surveys and ask everyone: Who are we? What do we do best? What’s our elevator pitch? What’s our best product? What’s our worst product? What opportunities are out there for us? The insight that your own employees can provide will put just about any high agency to shame. This does not mean that an agency can’t help – this soul-searching may reveal the need for a overhaul of your brand, or at least a more articulate definition.

Deploy a company social network, using a platform like Ning. Invite discussion and debate – you’ll need to practice internal transparency if you expect to let the outside world in. Share ideas, YouTube videos, and insightful articles. Give the most junior member of the customer support team a vehicle to share his ideas with the product development team.

Through your surveys and community, particular employees from any department will float to the top – they’ll be engaged, insightful, and excited. These are your new marketers. This is your new marketing.

Welcome to the era of Socialism in Communication. While social media is liberating brands and opening up new grass-roots level channels for connecting with the consumers, it is also posing new challenges for companies in terms of managing and controlling all that free flowing external communication. While wide social media participation offers innumerous advantages to companies and brands it also requires constant monitoring and the need to provide clear guidelines to all participants to protect both the employees and the company. Companies are struggling to achieve the balance between liberating the employees and avoiding all the risks and pitfalls of unmonitored conversations.

While I was researching for this blog post I came across four different attitudes that different companies seem to have toward social media participation by their employees or members. Here is how I categorize their approaches: 4 Corporate Approaches toward Social Media Participation

Companies that encourage/embrace employee and member participation and provide broad guidelines primarily to keep the employees and the company safe.

Companies that provide basic guidelines for liability control by clearly delineating the responsibilities of the organization and the individual.

Companies that discourage and forbid employees and members from using company resources or references in any kind of social media/external communication.

And then there are companies that don’t care (yet) and handle social media on case by case basis.

12 Tips for Corporate Social Media Policy Guidelines

Corporations should include social media policies in their general business conduct policy and guidelines.

Encourage employee/member participation that is transparent and prohibit covert solicitation.

Companies should set forth clear limits and a list of “don’ts”.

Companies should set forth a process for dealing with deviant behavior and mistakes.

Social Media Policies should be vetted by legal experts to control liability and risk.

Guidelines regarding Copyright, IP and Confidentiality, Privacy and Conflict of Interests should be included.

Companies should include a disclaimer about individual’s view points and that it does not represent the company.

Explain the rights of individuals and policy of the company to delete posts, preview content and moderate comments.

Set forth policy on disclosure by employees that they work for the company.

Be clear on the company values about racism, respect and offensive language.

Stated guidelines should include a requirement to seek permission before publishing internal communication.

Set forth guidelines on employee conduct/behavior during crisis situations.

Corporations are navigating the new marketing channels and getting acquainted with a new set of ground rules, culture and expectations. Some social media debutants quickly find their voice and style by understanding the paradigm shift from total control to open engagement, while others are still struggling on basic decisions.

Whatever the approach to social media,  companies need to deliberate and articulate their policies to avoid potential legal and public relations disasters.

(ARA) -  In a competitive job market, earning a degree can be the biggest single step one can take to enhance career value and earning potential. As many bask in the glow of making plans to increase their career potential, the prospect of paying for college is a sobering reality.

Few of us have funds set aside for this endeavor. In addition, the College Board's annual "Trends in College Pricing" reports a rise in tuition costs at public and private institutions for the 2009-2010 school year. According to the report, annual tuition and fees at private four-year colleges rose 4.4 percent to $26,273, and public university costs rose 6.5 percent to $7,020.

Prospective students often don't know where to start. But take heart; Darlene Violet, director of Financial Aid at Brown Mackie College - Akron, Ohio,  offers advice on funding your education. "The U.S. Department of Education distributes $96 billion a year in grants, work-study assistance, and low-interest loans," Violet says. "Every student begins the process of seeking financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, known as the 'FAFSA.'" Information submitted on the FAFSA form determines the amount a student may receive through a federal Pell Grant, which is based on financial need. The recent economic stimulus program increased Pell Grant funds by $500 per student. Financial aid is available for those who qualify.

Beyond completing the FAFSA, many turn next to student loans. "An education is always a good investment," says Violet, "but many people don't realize the loans must be paid back starting six months after leaving school. I advise students to seek out and apply for scholarships." Wide varieties of organizations offer scholarships, from fraternities and sororities to community groups, foundations, and corporations. Winning candidates receive funds based on a vast spectrum of criteria, including ethnicity and cultural heritage. "Students just don't take the time to find them," Violet continued. "It can be a lot of work."

The Scholarship Committee at Brown Mackie College - Akron hired a group of honor students to help others navigate through the many scholarships available, complete the application forms, and provide feedback on essays written for submission. "This allows students the security to delve deeper into the scholarship world. It's well worth it," Violet says.

Scholarship awards can be as important to the educational institution as they are to the student. Federal guidelines, known as the 90-10 rule, mandate that no more than 90 percent of the funds received by a college can come from Federal loans and grants. A minimum of 10 percent must come from outside sources, including scholarships, private loans, and the students' own financial contributions.

Violet recommends checking additional resources as well. "Many employers will pay or reimburse tuition expenses, sometimes even for immediate family members. And the Veteran's Administration offers benefits to those who have served our country," she says. The Workforce Investment Act offers grants to those who qualify, and many churches offer scholarship opportunities. In addition, the Orphan Foundation of America offers scholarships to students who are wards of the state.

Further savings can come in the form of a temporary tax credit. The American Opportunity Tax Credit, included in the economic stimulus bill signed by President Barack Obama, can be worth as much as $2,500. People who earn $80,000 or less a year (or $160,000 or less for joint filers) can claim this credit on money paid for tuition, certain fees and course materials for higher education in 2009 and 2010. For complete details, visit www.irs.gov.

Once a student enters college, Violet advises making other financial considerations:

Ride public transportation. In addition to saving on fuel and parking fees, public transportation provides time for students to get a head start on assigned reading and homework.

Avoid credit card offers. However tempting the offer seems, credit cards charge interest on purchases and impose fees for late payments.

Work while attending classes. Many students work full- or part-time while earning their degrees. The federal work-study program helps eligible students find employment on campus.

"Taking the time to apply for scholarship funds is a step that can help now while they're in school, and in the future when no bill comes due," Violet says.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) - Plumbing is among the top 50 occupations for job stability, median wage and anticipated demand, according to careervoyages.com, a Web site jointly maintained by the departments of Labor and Education.

Joe DeLange, trades department chair of plumbing at WyoTech in Fremont, Calif., isn't surprised.  "It's a flexible and stable trade, and plumbers will always be in demand," he says.

"If you like working with your hands, don't mind getting a little dirty, and want steady work in a skilled trade, it's time to take a look at the plumbing profession," DeLange adds.

While many of us are familiar with plumbers who conduct minor in-home repairs, the occupation can be very diverse. Plumbers and pipefitters can specialize in a variety of areas, including the installation and repair of potable water and gas piping systems, drain waste and vent systems, and hydronic (water) heating and cooling systems. Plumbers are also needed for remodeling and new construction projects in the residential and commercial industries.

The demand for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters is expected to increase 10 percent between 2006 and 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Much of this demand will stem from new housing construction and building renovation. The rise in popularity of green technologies like radiant floor heating, solar hydronics, condensing and modulating boilers, and tankless hot water systems is also expected to increase demand for plumbers.

In addition, many people currently working in these trades are expected to retire during the next 10 years, creating more openings for plumbers. The Career Voyages Web site also notes that from now until 2016, there will be a demand for more than 150,000 new plumbers.

"Job stability is an important aspect of any career. This is what makes plumbing so appealing as a profession," DeLange says. "There is constant work. There will always be a need for basic repair and maintenance of water and pipe systems."

In addition to job stability, plumbers and pipefitters enjoy some of the best median wages in the trade fields. In 2006, the median hourly earnings of waged and salaried plumbers and pipefitters were $20.56, and the middle 50 percent of all plumbers earned between $15.62 and $27.54 an hour. The top 10 percent of plumbers earned more than $34 an hour.

Christopher Draves, plumbing instructor at WyoTech in Fremont, Calif., explains that the freedom of working for yourself and seeing tangible results make a career as a plumber an excellent choice. "Many plumbers eventually go into business for themselves," he says.

One of the most satisfying aspects of the plumbing profession is that you see the results of your labor, Draves adds.  "At the end of the day, you solve problems, clean up messes and build new piping systems. It's a very satisfying career. You can look at the results and be proud of what you accomplished."

It takes a number of years to become a licensed professional plumber. Most plumbers learn skills through a combination of education and on-the-job training through apprenticeships. Most apprenticeships require 144 hours of classroom work and then a number of years of on-the-job training. At WyoTech, students receive 720 hours of combined classroom time and hands-on lab skills.

"While the need for plumbers is constant, technology and water management systems keep changing, so there is always more to learn," Draves says. "I definitely recommend a career in plumbing to those who are interested in a stable trade."

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) - From shopping to working to banking, Americans are doing it all online. Consumers need their private information to be safe, but at the same time, they want the speed and convenience of instant transactions, all without giving it a second thought.

Online safekeeping doesn't just happen. Information security specialists are in the shadows, ensuring consumer and business data security worldwide, and providing the skills needed to track down information in criminal investigations.

Because nearly everyone is at risk from a cyber security threat, professionals in information systems security are bucking unemployment trends. Students interested in information security careers can study at DeVry University, which offers a specialized track providing the skills to help design security system procedures, standards, protocols and policies.

"I have been in the IT industry for about eight years, working on information security-related projects for most of my career," says Najmus Qazi, a DeVry University alumnus from Chicago working in the telecommunications industry. "Most recently, companies have been paying more attention to their information security due to the simple fact that there are a lot of bad guys with ingenious ways of stealing data. The constant change and evolution of my role has made it incredibly exciting."

With new methods of "capturing" volumes of personal information online, it is no wonder that the security of personal and corporate information has become a hot button issue ... and a true career opportunity. There is a real and practical need for specialists who develop and deploy systems to make sure proprietary or private information is protected.

"Despite the recession, IT specialists holding certifications in information security have actually been in demand," says John Giancola, dean of Devry University's College of Engineering and Information Sciences. "Because we have become so mobile and unwired, our personal data is accessible in so many ways - from cell phones to laptop computers - so we need to make sure our personal information is not compromised. Information security behind the scenes keeps us safe."

The field of information security is the first line of defense in preventing unauthorized access, use, disclosure and destruction of data for both businesses and individuals. But for individuals, the extra prevention helps protect them against identity theft.

The importance of this field came into sharp focus earlier in 2009 when President Obama created a cyber security cabinet-level position. This "Cyber Czar" will be responsible for integrating and coordinating all government protections of cyberspace and will lead the U.S response to any hacker attack on U.S. networks.

Five careers under the information security umbrella are helping keep the virtual world safe from would-be hackers and viruses:

* Network systems and data communications analysts are projected to be the fastest growing occupation, with projections of more than 50 percent growth through 2016. They analyze, test and evaluate network systems.

* Information systems security specialists help organizations prepare for, react to and recover from security threats. These experts develop and implement security procedures, protocol and policies.

* Disaster recovery agents work to ensure a company's data systems and networks are recoverable. They often perform and analyze disaster simulations to ensure prompt restoration of services.

* IT managers play an important role in implementing technology in their organizations. They oversee network security and direct Internet operations.

* Computer forensics specialists perform the vital task of investigating suspected fraud and criminal cases. They recover deleted, encrypted or damaged digital files and often provide expert testimony in criminal court cases.

"After spending years as an automotive service advisor, I went back to school to find a new career that offered solid potential for the future," says Marc Brown, a computer information systems student with a specialization in  computer forensics at the North Brunswick, N.J. campus of DeVry University. "Studying computer forensics has exceeded all my expectations. Every day, I look forward to all my classes and instructors.  It's fun when friends recognize the value of what I do from the nightly news or crimes shows."

DeVry University offers associate, bachelor and graduate degree programs in the information security field at campuses across the nation as well as through online classes. By enrolling in an accelerated program and attending classes year round, undergraduate students are able to earn a bachelor's degree in as few as three years. Learn more at www.devry.edu.

Courtesy of ARAcontent