Cloy, 59, goes back to basics, will build a program from scratch at Johns Creek.
By Michael Carvell
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Mike Cloy apparently has found his niche in high school football.
If there’s a new school opening in north Fulton County, then there’s a good chance that Cloy is helping to establish the sports programs.
Cloy, 59, is the athletics director and football coach at Johns Creek, which will open its doors in August. Cloy also was a key figure in building programs as athletics director and football coach at Centennial in 1997 and as athletics director and assistant football coach at Alpharetta in 2002.
“The opportunity continues to present itself, and I enjoy the challenge,” said Cloy, who also was coach at North Springs. His career record is 107-88-1.
“I guess I’m at an age and stage in life where I realize I’m not going to be a 250- or 300-game winner when I retire. I’m at the point in my career where I want to do what I can to help develop young people and be a positive influence.”
Johns Creek, which consists mainly of students who attended Chattahoochee and Northview high schools, is a member of Region 5-AAA and will play varsity in every sport except football.
“We’re a young football program because not many upperclassmen decided to transfer,” said junior Austin Biggs, a defensive end and tight end who transferred from Chattahoochee. “We’ve got a long ways to go, but it is neat being part of something new.”
Here are Cloy’s tips on building a program from scratch:
Hire the right people. Cloy said he interviewed about 50 people for 24 coaching positions. “It’s fun to be able to hire good people who know the sport, are able to teach the sport and, most importantly, care for the welfare of the kids. You want people to develop an overall athletic program rather than their own team.”
Dividing the ownership. Cloy and school officials involved parents, students and teachers from both Northview and Chattahoochee in picking the school nickname (Gladiators); stadium name (The Coliseum); and colors (gold and crimson). He also created co-presidents of booster clubs to have equal representation from Northview and Chattahoochee.
Ease into football. Cloy learned his lessons from the rough starts for football at Centennial and Alpharetta and is going with a junior-varsity schedule in Johns Creek’s debut. “When you have a program primarily made up of younger kids, it’s just very, very tough to throw them into varsity that first year. We thought we’d try to have some success at lower levels and go from there.”
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saia Amends Credit Agreements
JOHNS CREEK, Ga., June 29, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saia, Inc. (Nasdaq:SAIA), a leading multi-regional less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier (the "Company"), reported that it has amended its revolving credit and Senior Note facilities.
The amendment to the Company's revolving credit facility includes the following: * Provides relief of its leverage ratios and fixed charge coverage
covenants through December 31, 2010
* Increases LIBOR spreads and letter of credit fees on outstanding
obligations by approximately 200 basis points, depending on the
applicable leverage ratio
* Provides for a pledge of certain real estate, rolling stock and
other personal property to secure the facility
* Confirms its $160 million commitment, subject to a borrowing base,
and its January 2013 maturity.
In conjunction with the amendment to the revolving credit facility, the Company also amended its Senior Notes by modifying the financial covenants to match the relief provided in the revolving credit facility. Interest rates on the Senior Notes remain unchanged but are now subject to an increase if the noteholders are required by insurance regulations to increase reserves on the notes. The noteholders also share equally in the collateral provided under the revolving credit facility. The maturity of the notes remains unchanged.
"We are operating in an extremely difficult economic environment with weak tonnage demand and highly competitive pricing. We believe the amendments will add financial flexibility for Saia to prudently manage through this freight recession and take full advantage of the market when it recovers," said James A. Darby, vice president - finance and chief financial officer. "Saia appreciates the cooperation of our lending group and we thank them for their ongoing support."
Total debt was $116.3 million at March 31, 2009 with no borrowings under the revolving credit agreement and an aggregate $116.3 million outstanding on the term notes. The Company had $53.7 million in letters of credit outstanding. Net the Company's $12 million cash balance at quarter-end, net debt to total capital was 37.0 percent. This compares to total debt of $185.3 million at March 31, 2008.
The Company paid an aggregate of $1.4 million, or 50 basis points, in fees to the lenders and noteholders in connection with the amendments and incurred other customary expenses in the transaction.
The descriptions of the amendments to the revolving credit facility and term note facility are summaries only and are qualified by reference to the full text of the agreements, copies of which will be filed in an 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Saia, Inc. (Nasdaq:SAIA) is a less-than-truckload provider of regional, interregional and guaranteed services covering 34 states. With headquarters in Georgia and a network of 148 terminals, Saia employs 7,400 people. For more information, visit the Investor Relations section at www.saia.com.
The Securities and Exchange Commission encourages companies to disclose forward-looking information so that investors can better understand the future prospects of a company and make informed investment decisions. This news release contains these types of statements, which are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "believe," "should" and similar words or expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.
All forward-looking statements reflect the present expectation of future events of our management and are subject to a number of important factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking statements. These factors and risks include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions including downturns in the business cycle; the creditworthiness of our customers and their ability to pay for services; competitive initiatives and pricing pressures, including in connection with fuel surcharge; the Company's need for capital and uncertainty of the current credit markets; the possibility of defaults under the Company's debt agreements (including violation of financial covenants); integration risks; indemnification obligations associated with the 2006 sale of Jevic Transportation, Inc.; the effect of ongoing litigation including class action lawsuits; cost and availability of qualified drivers, fuel, purchased transportation, property, revenue equipment and other operating assets; governmental regulations, including but not limited to Hours of Service, engine emissions, compliance with legislation requiring companies to evaluate their internal control over financial reporting, changes in interpretation of accounting principles and Homeland Security; dependence on key employees; inclement weather; labor relations; effectiveness of company-specific performance improvement initiatives; terrorism risks; self-insurance claims, equity-based compensation and other expense volatility; and other financial, operational and legal risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC filings.
The amendment to the Company's revolving credit facility includes the following: * Provides relief of its leverage ratios and fixed charge coverage
covenants through December 31, 2010
* Increases LIBOR spreads and letter of credit fees on outstanding
obligations by approximately 200 basis points, depending on the
applicable leverage ratio
* Provides for a pledge of certain real estate, rolling stock and
other personal property to secure the facility
* Confirms its $160 million commitment, subject to a borrowing base,
and its January 2013 maturity.
In conjunction with the amendment to the revolving credit facility, the Company also amended its Senior Notes by modifying the financial covenants to match the relief provided in the revolving credit facility. Interest rates on the Senior Notes remain unchanged but are now subject to an increase if the noteholders are required by insurance regulations to increase reserves on the notes. The noteholders also share equally in the collateral provided under the revolving credit facility. The maturity of the notes remains unchanged.
"We are operating in an extremely difficult economic environment with weak tonnage demand and highly competitive pricing. We believe the amendments will add financial flexibility for Saia to prudently manage through this freight recession and take full advantage of the market when it recovers," said James A. Darby, vice president - finance and chief financial officer. "Saia appreciates the cooperation of our lending group and we thank them for their ongoing support."
Total debt was $116.3 million at March 31, 2009 with no borrowings under the revolving credit agreement and an aggregate $116.3 million outstanding on the term notes. The Company had $53.7 million in letters of credit outstanding. Net the Company's $12 million cash balance at quarter-end, net debt to total capital was 37.0 percent. This compares to total debt of $185.3 million at March 31, 2008.
The Company paid an aggregate of $1.4 million, or 50 basis points, in fees to the lenders and noteholders in connection with the amendments and incurred other customary expenses in the transaction.
The descriptions of the amendments to the revolving credit facility and term note facility are summaries only and are qualified by reference to the full text of the agreements, copies of which will be filed in an 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Saia, Inc. (Nasdaq:SAIA) is a less-than-truckload provider of regional, interregional and guaranteed services covering 34 states. With headquarters in Georgia and a network of 148 terminals, Saia employs 7,400 people. For more information, visit the Investor Relations section at www.saia.com.
The Securities and Exchange Commission encourages companies to disclose forward-looking information so that investors can better understand the future prospects of a company and make informed investment decisions. This news release contains these types of statements, which are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "believe," "should" and similar words or expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.
All forward-looking statements reflect the present expectation of future events of our management and are subject to a number of important factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking statements. These factors and risks include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions including downturns in the business cycle; the creditworthiness of our customers and their ability to pay for services; competitive initiatives and pricing pressures, including in connection with fuel surcharge; the Company's need for capital and uncertainty of the current credit markets; the possibility of defaults under the Company's debt agreements (including violation of financial covenants); integration risks; indemnification obligations associated with the 2006 sale of Jevic Transportation, Inc.; the effect of ongoing litigation including class action lawsuits; cost and availability of qualified drivers, fuel, purchased transportation, property, revenue equipment and other operating assets; governmental regulations, including but not limited to Hours of Service, engine emissions, compliance with legislation requiring companies to evaluate their internal control over financial reporting, changes in interpretation of accounting principles and Homeland Security; dependence on key employees; inclement weather; labor relations; effectiveness of company-specific performance improvement initiatives; terrorism risks; self-insurance claims, equity-based compensation and other expense volatility; and other financial, operational and legal risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC filings.
JCPD plans sobriety checkpoints for Fourth of July
Courtesy Appen Newspapers
June 29, 2009 Johns Creek –
This Fourth of July, Johns Creek Police will set up sobriety check points and use new breath-alcohol testing equipment to enforce Georgia's DUI laws during Operation Zero Tolerance, a state-wide crackdown on drunk driving.The check points will be at undisclosed, random locations and in effect before, during and after the holiday to discourage people from drinking and driving during one of the state's most heavily traveled periods. JCPD officers will use a new portable intoxilyzer trailer and non-invasive Intoxilyzer 5000 machine to test the breath alcohol level of drivers in the field, allowing more efficient sobriety road checks. "The trailer will allow us to run the checks longer and more often and put more impaired drivers in jail," said Sgt. Ronnie Young, head of the JCPD Traffic Unit. "We simply want to reduce the number of alcohol-related incidents and make our roads safer."
One out of five traffic accidents in Georgia are alcohol-related and nearly half of the traffic accidents during the Fourth of July holiday travel period (June 19-July 5) involve at least one drunk driver, according to the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety. Georgia follows an "Over the Limit, Under Arrest" DUI arrest policy, which means that drivers with blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of .08 or above will be arrested and taken to jail. No warning tickets. No exceptions. Persons under the age of 21 operating a motor vehicle with a .02 percent blood-alcohol level or above are subject to DUI penalties.
June 29, 2009 Johns Creek –
This Fourth of July, Johns Creek Police will set up sobriety check points and use new breath-alcohol testing equipment to enforce Georgia's DUI laws during Operation Zero Tolerance, a state-wide crackdown on drunk driving.The check points will be at undisclosed, random locations and in effect before, during and after the holiday to discourage people from drinking and driving during one of the state's most heavily traveled periods. JCPD officers will use a new portable intoxilyzer trailer and non-invasive Intoxilyzer 5000 machine to test the breath alcohol level of drivers in the field, allowing more efficient sobriety road checks. "The trailer will allow us to run the checks longer and more often and put more impaired drivers in jail," said Sgt. Ronnie Young, head of the JCPD Traffic Unit. "We simply want to reduce the number of alcohol-related incidents and make our roads safer."
One out of five traffic accidents in Georgia are alcohol-related and nearly half of the traffic accidents during the Fourth of July holiday travel period (June 19-July 5) involve at least one drunk driver, according to the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety. Georgia follows an "Over the Limit, Under Arrest" DUI arrest policy, which means that drivers with blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of .08 or above will be arrested and taken to jail. No warning tickets. No exceptions. Persons under the age of 21 operating a motor vehicle with a .02 percent blood-alcohol level or above are subject to DUI penalties.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Open Johns Creek Dermatology & Family Medicine
Dr. Shereen TimaniCourtesy Appen Newspapers
June 23, 2009 JOHNS CREEK – Dr. Zack Charkawi and Dr. Shereen Timani have joined the Emory Johns Creek Hospital medical staff.
The couple moved to Alpharetta from Ohio to open Johns Creek Dermatology and Family Medicine. Dr. Charkawi is a board certified Family Medicine physician, and has special interests in geriatrics, diabetes management and Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. Dr. Timani is board certified in dermatology and dermatopathology.
"Drs. Charkawi and Timani are welcome additions to the staff at Emory Johns Creek," said Alan Wang, MD, chief medical officer at the hospital. "Patients in the community now have access to specialized diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of conditions."
Dr. Charkawi was awarded the American Diabetes Association "Who's Who Award" for his work in diabetes treatment, education and therapeutics. "I enjoy the challenge of treating the patients in all stages of their lives, which is the hallmark of family medicine," said Dr. Charkawi. "I see patients of all ages, and diagnose and treat a comprehensive scope of conditions, from high cholesterol, diabetes, nutrition – anything you would see your primary physician about."
As assistant clinical professor of Family Medicine at Louisville University in Kentucky, Dr. Charkawi was responsible for training third and fourth year medical students, lecture series and clinical oversight of the University's Healthpoint Family Care and Oakley Urgent Care.
Dr. Timani specializes in medical dermatology, performing biopsies and surgeries for pediatric and adult patients. Her training and board certification in dermatopathology enables her to provide very quick turnaround times on biopsies. Her extensive background and training in medical and surgical dermatology and dermatopathology means that she is able to diagnose and treat a broad range of skin disorders.
The Johns Creek Dermatology and Family Medicine office is across the street from the hospital in the new Johns Creek Medical Pavilion. For information, visit www.johnscreekfamilypractice.comEmory Johns Creek Hospital services include emergency care, all digital imaging including a 64 slice CT, MRI, The Birth Place with Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 24-hour anesthesiologists, intensive care, advanced cardiac care, cardiac cath lab, vascular medicine and surgery, rehabilitation services and women's services.
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