Aug 22 2014

VALERO – Corporation and Subsidiaries

Overview

Today, the 200-acre Valero campus includes a main building; two connected newer office buildings; a four-story, separate building; and two large parking facilities. The headquarters also features a beautiful cafeteria, state-of-the-art training facilities, a fitness center, a daycare facility and jogging trails. Valero employees also went to great lengths to protect the environment, saving and relocating hundreds of trees as well as installing a water recycling system to help reduce costs and conserve water.

The headquarter is located in SAn Antonio – Texas and have offices in other locations listed here.

Valero’s natural-gas transportation business diversified in the mid-1980s when the company purchased a 50 percent interest in a Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery owned by Saber Energy. The operation began as nothing more than a vacuum unit and crude unit on a humble plot of land near the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. But in the years that followed, Valero assembled its “Refinery of the Future,” and through its subsidiaries added more refineries starting in 1997, with 15 plants today. Through these acquisitions, the company also branched into retail and wholesale markets, and today supplies independently owned wholesale outlets carrying the Valero, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock and Beacon brands in the United States and the Caribbean; Ultramar in Canada; and Texaco in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Today, Valero proudly has a workforce of about 10,000 employees and a refining throughput capacity of approximately 2.9 million barrels per day, making it the world’s largest independent refiner — tops among refiners that don’t also drill for oil. The company ranks No. 13 on the current Fortune 500 list, and is still based in its hometown of San Antonio. Valero is also a leading ethanol producer with 11 ethanol plants in the Midwest and a combined production capacity of 1.3 billion gallons per year. Valero also operates a 33-turbine wind farm near its McKee Refinery in Sunray, Texas.

Oil Refineries

Valero maintains a strong commitment to safety and stands as one of the most recognized refiners within the federal OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). The company demonstrates its commitment to excellence in occupational safety and process safety through an intensive, detailed Commitment to Excellence Management System. And it continues to be recognized among the world’s top refining and marketing companies, and among the nation’s best employers.

In the community, Valero is proud of its legacy of support and positive outreach through an international network of Volunteer Councils. Valero Volunteers proudly dedicate more than 136,000 volunteer hours to community outreach annually. Special missions on behalf of the United Way, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Wounded Warriors and countless children’s charities are a source of pride and motivation for every Valero employee. Valero, its employees and its philanthropic organization – the Valero Energy Foundation – annually generate more than $38 million to support worthy charities or causes, through direct donations or fundraising, to improve the lives of those living in communities near Valero operations.

New construction endeavors plant timeline in Iowa:More info

January 2003 – Community leaders began working on plans for the plant
May 2004 – Announced purchase of land in Webster County near Fort Dodge
July 2004 – Construction began
September 2004 – Groundbreaking celebrated
September 2005 – Operations began
December 2005 – Grand opening celebrated
April 2009 – Valero Renewables closed on purchase of the plant from VeraSun Energy

Aug 18 2014

VALE S.A. is one of the largest Metalloids and Mining Company in the world.

OVERVIEW

VALE S. A. is one of the three largest metals and mining company and one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world. Vale has a market capitalization of around US$ 68 billion, with approximately 400,000 shareholders from all continents.
According to the Boston Consulting Group, one of the leading consultancy firms in the world, Vale was chosen as one of the top 25 sustainable value creators in the globe, due to its extraordinary performance over the last 10 years.

Vale is the world’s largest producer of iron ore and iron ore pellets, key raw materials for steelmaking, and the world’s second largest producer of nickel, which is used to produce stainless steel and metal alloys employed in the production of aircraft, autos, mining and energy equipment mobile phones, batteries, special batteries for hybrid electric vehicles and several other products.
We also produce manganese, ferroalloys, thermal and coking coal, copper, cobalt, platinum group metals, and fertilizer nutrients, important raw materials for the global industrial and food production industries.

Listings and ratings

Vale shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange – NYSE (VALE and VALE.P), the BM&F BOVESPA (Vale3 and Vale5), the Euronext Paris (Vale3 and Vale5) and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (codes 6210 and 6230). Average daily trading
value was approximately to US$ 44 million in the second quarter of 2014 (2Q14).
Vale is an investment grade company, rated A- by Standard & Poor’s, Baa2 by Moody, BBB+ by Fitch, and BBB (high) by Dominion Bond Rating Service.

Growth strategy

Our main goal is to maximize shareholder value. We are best positioned to benefit from the strong long-term fundamentals of minerals and metals, given our world-class, long-life and low cost assets, a wealthy of growth options in various segments of the metals and mining industry supplied by an exciting project pipeline and a global multi-commodity mineral exploration program, a long and successful track record in project development, discipline in capital allocation and financial strength.

The implementation over the near future of our investment plans, anchored on our values and extensive competitive advantages, is expected to create significant shareholder value across business cycles and multiple opportunities for economic and social mobility for the communities where we develop our operations.

Aug 16 2014

Colleges and Universities Orientations

Universities and colleges are having orientations across the nations keeping scholars, administration and faculty staffs focus ready for the academic 2014-2015 school year to start on a positive note.

This is usually the best time to get school supplies such as textbooks, laptops, notebooks, pencils compass sets and backpacks at overstock prices. With the ability to shop online, the probabilities are always high to bargain for a lesser price keeping Business-to-Business competitive with new markets bursting here and there.

At this time of the year, summer temperatures are at their peak.
Most states will start expecting cool temperatures as we approach September.

This is also the period where apple harvesting starts in the Midwest, piggy banking from other Western states such as Seattle, Washington etc., making sure we have apples, nectarine and peaches around the year in pour grocery stores. This period chocolate factories are full of caramel apples and apricots covered with caramel or chocolates flavor of your choice.

Aug 16 2014

MINNESOTA

Map of Minnesota, USA

Minnesota is located in the North Central (or Midwest Region) of the United States of America – a part of North America – Minnesota is bordered by the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin, the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, and by Lake Superior.

Capital City: Saint Paul
Location: 44º 57′ N, 93º 06′ W

Largest City: Minneapolis
Location: 44º 59′ N, 93º 16′ W

Minnesota geographical area and extent:
The total area of Minnesota is 84,402 sq mi (218,601 sq km), of which land accounts for 79,548 sq mi (206,029 sq km) and inland water 4,854 sq mi (12,572 sq km). Minnesota extends 406 mi (653 km) N-S; its extreme E-W extension is 358 mi (576 km).

Minnesota is bordered on the N by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario (with the line passing through the Lake of the Woods, Rainy River, Rainy Lake, a succession of smaller lakes, the Pigeon River, and Lake Superior); on the E by Michigan and Wisconsin (with the line passing through Lake Superior and the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers); on the S by Iowa; and on the W by South Dakota and North Dakota (with the line passing through Big Stone Lake, Lake Traverse, the Bois de Sioux River, and the Red River of the North).

The length of Minnesota’s boundaries totals 1,783 mi (2,870 km). The state’s geographic center is in Crow Wing County, 10 mi (16 km) SW of Brainerd.