HealthEdSolutions.com Launches New PALS Practice Tests, Pediatric Nursing Programs Special Section

Leading Provider of PALS Certification Offers Helpful Certification Preparation and Career Advancement Resources

Lincoln, NE, February 07, 2012 - Health Education Solutions, a leading provider of advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and pediatric advanced life support (PALS) online certification, today released new PALS certification practice tests and a Pediatric Nursing Programs special section to help individuals who provide emergency care to children prepare for certification success and career advancement.

“Proper certification is vital for individuals who provide emergency care to infants, adolescents and children,” said Melissa Marks, president of Health Education Solutions. “Health Education Solutions’ practice tests and online resources are designed to help busy healthcare professionals learn more about the certifications they need and refresh their skills prior to the certification exam.”

The Pediatric Nursing Programs special section offers helpful information, resources and data to help pediatric nurses and those interested in pursuing a career in pediatric nursing stay informed about healthcare trends and career opportunities. This series of articles is available in Health Education Solutions’ online research library at healthedsolutions.com.

The PALS certification practice tests, available now at healthedsolutions.com, each offer questions similar to those found on the actual certification exam. Free PALS certification and recertification practice quizzes each offer three five-question sample tests. A full PALS certification practice test and a PALS recertification practice test, both complete with 50 timed multiple-choice questions, are available for $35. A portion of this fee can be applied to the purchase price of the full certification course.

Practice test-takers are immediately provided with answers to the questions that were incorrectly answered following the test to help them identify the areas that may need more study time and attention prior to the full certification exam.

Health Education Solutions additionally offers online ACLS, stroke, basic life support (BLS), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED), bloodborne pathogens and first aid training for healthcare professionals and individuals seeking to be prepared for an emergency. Practice tests and quizzes are also available for the ACLS exam.

For more information about pediatric nursing programs, online ACLS certification, online PALS certification and practice exams, please visit healthedsolutions.com.

About Health Education Solutions

Health Education Solutions (HES) is a leading provider of continuing education solutions for healthcare professionals. HES, a subsidiary of Nelnet Inc. (NYSE: NNI), offers ACLS and PALS courses developed in partnership with medical faculty at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Contact:

Shannon Fern

CSG|PR

3225 East 2nd Avenue

Denver, CO 80206

303-433-7020

sfern@csg-pr.com

http://www.csg-pr.com

Olympus Controls Becomes a Dunkermotor Channel Partner

Full line of Dunkermotor linear and rotary motion control solutions now available from Olympus Controls' branches in Portland, San Francisco and Dallas areas.

Elgin, IL, February 07, 2012 - Machinery automation brushless DC and intelligent servo motor manufacturer, Dunkermotor, today announced that Olympus Controls, headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, has become an authorized distributor for its full line of linear and rotary motion products. With branches in the Portland, San Francisco Bay and Dallas areas, Olympus Controls maintains sales engineering presence in nine other strategic western U.S. locations with focus on every aspect of machine automation. This new channel partner relationship came about as a result of Dunkermotor’s parent firm’s acquisition of the Copley Motion Systems linear motor business in the U.K., whose products had previously been distributed by Olympus Controls.

"We have a growing customer base for what are now the Dunkermotor linear motor products and we are excited to add the unique line of Dunkermotor rotary motor and motion control systems to our product portfolio," said Scott Hendrickson, Olympus Controls’ CEO. "Our goal is to be the first solution partner our customers call when they are working on a new machine application and the Dunkermotor low voltage brushed and brushless DC and intelligent servo motor solutions are a welcome addition."

Established in 1998, Olympus Controls is a customer-driven, solutions focused company whose expertise covers every aspect of machine automation, including machine and motion control, mechatronics, robotics and conveyor systems, machine vision and barcode, sensors and safety. Collectively, the Olympus staff offers several hundreds of years experience in solving machine automati on applications.

"We are proud to add Olympus Controls to our growing, but select, group of channel partners," said Wilfrid Vinson, President of Dunkermotor. "Olympus knows that it takes more than good products to effectively solve an application; it takes good engineers. We understand that Olympus’ engineers have successfully implemented hundreds of projects in every major industry sector on the West Coast and the application engineers at our Dunkermotor TechCenter here in Elgin, Illinois look forward to working together with their team."

About Dunkermotor:

Headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, Dunkermotor is the North American sales, technical support and logistics subsidiary of Dunkermotoren GmbH, for 60 years the global quality and value leader in customized, configurable sole-source fractional horsepower motion control solutions composed of BLDC, PMDC and AC electric motors, gearmotors, controls, encoders and brakes, as well as linear motion solutions. With headquarters in the Black Forest in Bonndorf, Germany and production and/or logistics facilities in Europe, Asia and the U.S., Dunkermotoren employs 1,000 globally and produced over 3.4 million motors in 2011 for the specialty machinery, automation, medical, solar power, packaging, semiconductor, and mass transportation industries.

Contact:

John Morehead

Dunkermotor

2511 Technology Drive, Suite 105

Elgin, IL 60124

224-293-1300

john.morehead@dunkermotoren.com

http://www.dunkermotor.com

Pension Figures show alternatives competing with traditional investments: AAA

A new survey showing major interest in alternative investments among pension funds demonstrates how alternatives are now competing with traditional asset classes like never before, claims AAA.

Boston, MA, February 07, 2012 - A new survey showing major interest in alternative investments among pension funds demonstrates how alternatives are now competing with traditional asset classes like never before, claims Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).

The new survey by Pensions & Investments looks at the investments made by the largest 200 pension plans in the year to the end of September 2011. It was discovered that investment into alternative asset classes grew by double digits. “This is perhaps the most solid evidence we have so far that institutional investors are following the tide of movement towards alternatives, in order to diversity their portfolios against risk,” explained Anthony Johnson, an analysis partner at AAA, an alternative investment advocacy group.

The total investment in real estate, from the top pension funds increased by 26 per cent, to $212 billion, while some $34.8 billion was invested in venture capital, which was also a 26 per cent increase on the year before.

Investment in private equity grey by 16 per cent to $313 million, while commodities also proved popular with 13 per cent growth to $20.6 billion.

Fund managers have been reporting over the past couple of years that they are under increasing pressure to put their clients' money into alternative asset classes that are only very loosely correlated with the equities markets. This means that if someone has spread their investments over range of traditional and alternative investments, such as precious metals, real state and forestry, even if the equity markets should take a tumble, their alternative investments should remain strong.

AAA supports many kinds of alternative investments but is particularly keen to promote ethical options, such as sustainable forestry investment in developing countries through schemes like that run by Greenwood Management in Brazil. Investors can buy up section of sustainable managed plantation and receive returns based on sales of mature timber.

Contact:

Anthony Johnson

Alternative Asset Analysis

71 Commercial St

Boston, MA 02109-1320

617-939-9596

info@alternativeassetanalysis.com

http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

Kasasa Changes the Face of Local Banking in Walton New York

The National Bank of Delaware County Introduces Kasasa, a Striking Alternative to the Mega Bank Rollercoaster

Walton, NY, February 07, 2012 - The National Bank of Delaware County asks consumers, “Do you Kasasa?” as it becomes the first financial institution in the Delaware County area to launch the country’s most innovative financial products.

Kasasa® is a new brand of free checking and savings accounts that pays consumers to use their account with what interests them most—high interest, automatic savings or digital downloads from iTunes® or Amazon.com®. These accounts, combined with the personal service that only community financial institutions can deliver, are offering residents a better checking account option than the mega bank experience.

“Consumers deserve to wake up to happier days of banking and leave behind the nightmare of mega bank fees and mistreatment. We are pleased to offer these unique products,” said Laura Vail, Senior Vice President at The National Bank of Delaware County. “Kasasa delivers what research shows people really want but believe they can’t have—great financial products with the personal service of a community based financial institution.”

The National Bank of Delaware County is offering three Kasasa financial products, including Kasasa Cash®, Kasasa Saver® and Kasasa Tunes®. All Kasasa products are free, reward-based accounts, with no minimum balance to get the rewards, no monthly service fees, online banking and nationwide ATM fee refunds.

* Kasasa Cash - A free checking account that pays high interest for every month the account holder qualifies.

* Kasasa Saver - A free, high interest saver account linked to a Kasasa Cash checking account. The interest and ATM fee refunds earned in the Kasasa Cash account are automatically deposited into the Kasasa Saver account when the account holders qualify. The balance in the Kasasa Saver account also earns a high rate of interest.

* Kasasa Tunes - A checking account that rewards consumers with digital downloads from iTunes® or Amazon.com® when they qualify.

To receive the Kasasa account benefits, each monthly qualification cycle account holders are asked to do a few simple things like, receive an eStatement, access online banking, use a debit card a minimum number of times, and have an electronic transaction (such as direct deposit) post to their account. If an account holder does not meet the qualifications in a given month, The National Bank of Delaware County will alert the individual, who will be eligible the following month for the benefits.

“Extensive research has shown us that consumers would prefer to do business with community financial institutions, but feel they would lose access to products,” added Dawnette Hotaling, Senior Vice President at The National Bank of Delaware County. “Kasasa is opening people’s eyes to a new banking model where no sacrifices are necessary. It’s a win-win because account holders get innovative products and personalized service.”

In 2009, Kasasa was piloted in six other markets across the U.S. In just the first two months of offering Kasasa, participating community financial institutions reported growth rates upwards of 150% on new account openings and 372% in deposits at institutions focused on deposit growth.

Kasasa is being introduced with an aggressive, highly engaging marketing campaign. It comes to life through a fresh mix of eye-popping advertising, the likes of which exceed the typical mega bank’s high-budget programs. The ads feature America’s top slam poets www.kasasa.com/news-and-media/advertising riffing lyrical threads around the theme of “Do you Kasasa?”

Kasasa is distributed to The National Bank of Delaware County from BancVue, the leading provider of innovative products, dynamic marketing, and data-driven consulting solutions to community financial institutions nationwide to help them win the war against the megabanks.

For more information on Kasasa accounts, consumers can visit www.natbkdelco.com or www.kasasa/natbkdelco.

Do you Kasasa?

Kasasa® is the first national brand of the most innovative checking accounts available today. The accounts, offered exclusively by the finest community financial institutions, are designed to be the first and only accounts that actually take an interest in their account holders by paying them to use their account with what interests them most—high interest, cash back, automatic savings, money to donate to charity or iTunes® or Amazon.com downloads. Kasasa, developed and distributed by BancVue, marries innovative banking products with the personal touch of community financial institutions. For more information, visit www.kasasa.com.

Contact:

Katie Weathers

CSG PR

3225 East 2nd Avenue

Denver, CO 80206

(404) 791-8245

kweathers@csg-pr.com

http://www.csg-pr.com

Bill Ringle Interviews Melinda Blau on My Quest for the Best

Business growth strategist Bill Ringle talked with Melinda Blau, a journalist and author of Consequential Strangers, for the interview show My Quest for the Best.

Philadelphia, PA, February 07, 2012 - Business growth strategist Bill Ringle interviewed Melinda Blau, a prolific journalist and author, for My Quest for the Best. In this interview series, Ringle speaks with successful experts and outstanding business leaders about their strategies for reaching and influencing significant target audiences, innovative business leadership, breakthrough moments in their career, and the wisdom they've gained along the way. 

Melinda Blau is a journalist who has been researching and reporting about relationship and social trends since the seventies. Her most recent book is Consequential Strangers: The Power of People Who Don't Seem to Matter…But Really Do, which explores the vast and unsung array of everyday people, on and off the Internet, who have a profound impact on our business success, happiness, and health. She has written more than ninety magazine pieces and a dozen other books, including the best-selling Baby Whisperer series. She also blogs for Psychology Today and More magazines and writes a bi-monthly column for Shareable.

Blau shared her significant insights into the power and importance of consequential strangers with Bill Ringle and listeners during her My Quest for the Best interview, discussing the advantages of striking up conversations with strangers in business and how having consequential strangers in your life adds both variety to your perspective and dollars to your bottom line. For those who usually hesitate to reach out, Blau suggested ways to overcome shyness and other factors that may hold one back, as well as what to do to add consequential strangers to your life when relocating or visiting a new city.

"Melinda has a unique and important perspective on being open to the information, advice, and opportunities that consequential strangers provide," says Bill Ringle. "Don't spend another day out of the loop of this powerful network that exists outside your door. While online social media has its place, it's much more fun to convene a celebratory dinner with old friends and new acquaintances than to prop your Facebook-loaded laptop up on a tv dinner table and share the good news."

Bill Ringle works with high performing entrepreneurs and CEOs who want to overcome the five big challenges to business growth so that they can run profitable and rewarding business rather than become stuck and overwhelmed in unfulfilling and draining roles. He has worked on four continents, is the author of four business books, and inspires and educates thousands of business leaders each year through his speaking, coaching, interactive programs, and products.

To listen to Bill Ringle's interview with Melinda Blau, visit http://www.BillRingle.com/MQ4B-interview-Melinda-Blau. To learn more about Melinda Blau, visit her website, http://www.ConsequentialStrangers.com.

Contact:

Meredith Hegg

LearnWell.com

491 Baltimore Pike, Suite 209

Springfield, PA 19064

610-626-0175

pr@learnwell.com

http://www.MyQuestfortheBest.com

Waterman State Bank and Kasasa Changes the Face of Local Banking

Waterman State Bank Introduces Kasasa, a Striking Alternative to the Mega Bank Rollercoaster

Waterman, IL, February 06, 2012 - Waterman State Bank asks consumers, “Do you Kasasa?” as it becomes the first financial institution in Waterman to launch the country’s most innovative financial products.

Kasasa® is a new brand of free checking and savings accounts that pays consumers to use their account with what interests them most—high interest or automatic savings. These accounts, combined with the personal service that only community financial institutions can deliver, are offering residents a better checking account option than the mega bank experience.

“Consumers deserve to wake up to happier days of banking and leave behind the nightmare of mega bank fees and mistreatment. We are pleased to be the first in Waterman to offer these unique products” said Steven Feith, CEO at Waterman State Bank. “Kasasa delivers what research shows people really want but believe they can’t have—great financial products with the personal service of a community based financial institution.”

Waterman State Bank is offering two Kasasa financial products, including Kasasa Cash® and Kasasa Saver®. All Kasasa products are free, reward-based accounts, with no minimum balance to get the rewards, no monthly service fees, online banking and nationwide ATM fee refunds.

* Kasasa Cash - A free checking account that pays high interest for every month the account holder qualifies.

* Kasasa Saver - A free, high interest saver account linked to a Kasasa Cash checking account. The interest and ATM fee refunds earned in the Kasasa Cash account are automatically deposited into the Kasasa Saver account when the account holders qualify. The balance in the Kasasa Saver account also earns a high rate of interest.

To receive the Kasasa account benefits, each monthly qualification cycle account holders are asked to do a few simple things like receive an eStatement, use a debit card a minimum number of times, and have an electronic transaction (such as direct deposit) post to their account. If an account holder does not meet the qualifications in a given month, Waterman State Bank will alert the individual, who will be eligible the following month for the benefits.

“Extensive research has shown us that consumers would prefer to do business with community financial institutions, but feel they would lose access to products,” continued Feith. “Kasasa is opening people’s eyes to a new banking model where no sacrifices are necessary. It’s a win-win because account holders get innovative products and personalized service.”

In 2009, Kasasa was piloted in six other markets across the U.S. In just the first two months of offering Kasasa, participating community financial institutions reported growth rates upwards of 150% on new account openings and 372% in deposits at institutions focused on deposit growth.

Kasasa is being introduced with an aggressive, highly engaging marketing campaign. It comes to life through a fresh mix of eye-popping advertising, the likes of which exceed the typical mega bank’s high-budget programs. The ads feature America’s top slam poets www.kasasa.com/news-and-media/advertising riffing lyrical threads around the theme of “Do you Kasasa?”

Kasasa is distributed to Waterman State Bank from BancVue, the leading provider of innovative products, dynamic marketing, and data-driven consulting solutions to community financial institutions nationwide to help them win the war against the megabanks.

For more information on Kasasa accounts, consumers can visit www.watermanbank.com or www.kasasa.com/watermanstatebank.

Do you Kasasa?

Kasasa® is the first national brand of the most innovative checking accounts available today. The accounts, offered exclusively by the finest community financial institutions, are designed to be the first and only accounts that actually take an interest in their account holders by paying them to use their account with what interests them most—high interest, cash back, automatic savings, money to donate to charity or iTunes® or Amazon.com downloads. Kasasa, developed and distributed by BancVue, marries innovative banking products with the personal touch of community financial institutions. For more information, visit www.kasasa.com .

Contact:

Katie Weathers

CSG PR

3225 East 2nd Avenue

Denver, CO 80206

(404) 791-8245

kweathers@csg-pr.com

http://www.csg-pr.com