Kristina Talkowski-portrait 1-22
Nationwide is tapping Kristina Talkowski to head up its Middle Market Commercial Lines business, the company announced on Thursday. An established and respected leader in the commercial property and casualty insurance industry, Kristina will be tasked with executing Nationwide’s long-term commercial lines insurance strategy for mid-sized businesses.
“Kristina exemplifies the kind of leader who will be a strong cultural fit for Nationwide while also having deep experience in delivering specialized solutions for customers in the Middle Market segment,” said Russ Johnston, Nationwide’s President of P&C Commercial Lines, Excess & Surplus, Specialty. “I am excited for her to join our team as we continue to build a world class underwriting organization.”
Kristina has 20 years of insurance expertise. She joins Nationwide after serving as Senior Vice President of Middle Market Segments at CNA, where she was responsible for growth strategy, underwriting guidelines, and execution of CNA’s Middle Market industry specialization.
Prior to her Middle Market leadership at CNA, Kristina served in similar roles at both Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and Liberty Mutual Insurance Group.
Kristina holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin and the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation. She is also a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin – Risk & Insurance Department. She was honored as one of Milwaukee Business News’ 2021 Notable Women in Insurance.
Kristina will assume her duties on Monday, October 16.
A bizarre job advertisement for a property inspector has been shared online, with many questioning its legitimacy.
The advertisement, for a rental property inspector position with National Rental Inspections (NRI) in Victoria, was posted on Seek last week and lists requirements such as owning “a car that works 96 per cent of the time” and being “able to pay to put fuel in it”.
A sense of humour was also listed as a requirement, alongside owning an iPad “that works” and having a “minor interest in real estate.
Watch the latest news and stream for free on 7plus >>
Applicants were also advised they must “be able to alphabet, sentance, punctuate and grammar way better than me, i dont need to, i have staff….(sic)”.
No experience is required for the job, with training provided.
While the advertisement said hours could be built around your family life, “this is not school hours”.
“We can work around your family, but you cannot have three months off over Christmas and two weeks off every other month for school holidays,” the listing said.
“We are actually very awesome to work with/for and have an amazing team but we are just growing and need more inspectors.”
Social media users were unsure about the advertisement’s legitimacy, with one user saying: “This has to be satire, surely?”
Others said they thought such a role would usually be filled by real estate agents.
“I note there is no requirement to know and understand tenancy laws,” one person said.
“This is like a ‘comedy’ sketch, but where nothing is funny,” another person said.
Amid a national housing crisis, many raised concerns about the outsourcing of this role to a third-party provider and about a contractor unknowingly entering their home.
While real estate agents must have a real estate licence, they are permitted to bring a third party onto the property for a purpose such as photography or valuation, according to a Consumer Affairs Victoria spokesperson.
No licence required
An agent’s representative can perform any of the legal functions of that estate agent in Victoria with written authority.
The representative does not need to apply for a licence, but their employer must verify they are eligible to be an agent’s representative.
The education requirements to work as an agent’s representative vary depending on the person’s experience in the industry, but can include up to 15 units of study towards a certificate in Real Estate Practice.
To be an agent’s representative, a police check is also required and being found guilty of fraud, dishonesty, drug trafficking or violent offences may impact eligibility.
An agent’s representative must be at least 18 years old and must not be insolvent under administration, not be the cause of a successful claim against the Victorian Property Fund or a corresponding fund and not be a represented person under the Guardianship and Administration Act 1986.
They also must not be subject to a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal declaration making them ineligible, and not the subject of an order by any regulatory body in or outside Victoria that would disqualify them.
NRI is an independent property inspection service, operating across the country.
A spokesperson for the NRI confirmed the job’s legitimacy, and also that it had previously been posted.
When asked how many agencies the organisation worked for and how many properties were inspected, the NRI spokesperson said that information was “privileged”.
The listing said NRI completed more than 50,000 inspections last year.
The kind of training provided to staff was also “privileged”.
CHATHAM COUNTY, N.C. – A controversial proposal for a landfill is officially off the table in Goldston, at least for the next year.
A landowner was looking to build a commercial waste landfill, just outside of town limits on about 162 acres, which is larger than the town itself.
What You Need To Know
- A controversial proposal for a landfill is officially off the table in Goldston, at least for the next year
- A landowner was looking to build a 162-acre commercial waste landfill just outside of Goldston’s town limits
- For months, residents have expressed concerns about possible negative impacts to the environment, traffic and property values
- Since the proposal was pulled, the landowner can’t go back to the town to apply for anything on that land for at least a year
- Goldston’s mayor says the landowner could apply for the land to be used in a different way or go to the county and ask them to approve it as a landfill
According to Mayor Jonathan Hensley, the future of that land is still uncertain. The total space is 600 acres, and the landfill was going to take up 162 of those acres.
For reference, the town of Goldston has a 1-mile radius, and Hensley says a house hasn’t been built in town limits in about two decades.
“We have a subdivision that we have just annexed in. It’s the first subdivision Goldston has ever seen or been proposed to. We just annexed that in, and it’s going to be 90 houses, and that will double our town population. Our census has not went up in 20 years, give or take,” Hensley said.
Hensley says the town is looking forward to growth, but believes that there is a sharp difference in residential and commercial growth.
The proposed landfill would have been just south of the center of Goldston.
For months, residents have expressed concerns about possible negative impacts to the environment, traffic and property values. According to the mayor, the application for the landfill was pulled late last week, partially because of concerns expressed by residents. However, that doesn’t guarantee it will stay undeveloped.
Spectrum News 1 reached out to the landowner’s representative for comment and haven’t heard back.
The mayor says the landowner could apply for the land to be used in a different way, or he could still go to the county and ask them to approve it as a landfill.
While the future of the land isn’t clear, the mayor says this is part of a larger discussion about how they want to approach development in a rural area that’s growing quickly.
“You have to play this very uneven balance game of where do you stop the commercial? Where do you start the residential? And where do you put all that money to make it more appealing and keep everybody that’s been here for 100 years and their family happy,” Hensley said.
The mayor also says because the proposal was pulled, the landowner can’t come back to the town to apply for anything on that land for at least a year.
Major facilities including Vinfast, Toyota and Wolfspeed are all about 20 minutes from Goldston, so the mayor believes the growth is only going to continue.
“So we have been, some say good and some say bad, hidden. Out of sight, out of mind. But now we are definitely in sight,” Hensley said.
Right now, Goldston’s annual town budget is $200,000, which doesn’t allow for many improvements to be made for the growing area.
“I was able to get a grant and we did our tennis courts and our basketball courts that were in dire need of revamping. That total was about $42,000 just to resurface a tennis court and basketball court. And we’re redoing our walking trail, which is another $58,000. So that’s half of our budget on two things,” Hensley said.
Goldston’s mayor pointing to a map of the town. (Spectrum News 1/Kyleigh Panetta)
The town also doesn’t have any full-time paid employees right now.
“For years the town has been pretty reliant on the county to handle most of the stuff like this. They prepare all the applications for annexation and land use and water and all our zoning. The county has handled 90% of that, but we are growing at a pace now that they can no longer do that because it kind of interferes with county projects. They’re growing three times faster than Goldston is,” Hensley said.
“So now we’re going to have to hire an engineer and somebody to handle all of our annexations, all of our paperwork, all our land uses, rezonings, all of that. And it is hard to find somebody to do that on a very small budget,” Hensley said.
Mitch Gaines, a sixth generation Goldston resident, believes there are better ways to increase revenue generated for the town’s budget than allowing a large landfill to be built in the area.
“Goldston could use many improvements. Everything costs. They want to make park improvements. We just got approval for a crosswalk here. There are lots of things that can be done here and it all costs money,” Gaines said. “But my question back to the town board is: what are other ways we can generate revenue for tax dollars here in Goldston to make that improvement?”
Gaines says he wants to make sure all risks and rewards are analyzed before any permits or proposals are approved in Goldston. He believes residents and the town need to fully understand what they’re signing up for when projects are presented.
“A lot of people don’t want progress, a lot people don’t want change. They want Goldston to stay exactly like it is. But I for one and many others would like to see Goldston grow. It has a lot of potential to be that little Hallmark town. But of course that requires money. But I personally don’t think growth is a bad thing. We just got to have the good growth. We don’t want the negative growth. We don’t want to be the little town known where the dump is,” Gaines said.
A vacant property at the crossroads of Monroe Highway and McElhannon Road in Bethlehem could undergo a dramatic transformation if a proposal by KL, LLC is approved by the Bethlehem Town Council Oct. 2. To accommodate a commercial retail center, a rezone of approximately 14.71 acres from agricultural (AG) to Community Commercial District (C2) and an amendment to the Future Land Use Map from Rural Neighborhood to Community Crossroads is needed.
The property, currently devoid of structures except for an aging chicken house, is located at 951 Monroe Hwy, with frontage on State Route 11 and McElhannon Road. Bethlehem Elementary School is nearby. Proponents of the proposed development believe converting the area into a community crossroads commercial space would cater to the needs of the growing community.
On September 26, 2023, at approximately 4:45 a.m., New Hampshire State Police Troop D troopers responded to a commercial motor vehicle crash on Interstate 93 south in the city of Concord. After an initial investigation, Trooper Brandon Rivard determined that the box truck was traveling in the right-hand lane in the area of exit 17E when the driver lost control of the truck and veered off the roadway to the left. The truck overturned on its side, damaging the guardrail and came to rest partially blocking the left lane. The driver,
Jesus Cepeda-Pizarro
Age: 35
Lawrence, MA
was evaluated at the scene by Penacook Rescue Squad for minor injuries and transported to a local hospital. The interstate was reduced to one lane for approximately 2 hours until the truck was safely removed from the roadway. The driver was cited for Operating after Suspension and Negligent Driving.
Troop D was assisted on scene by Sergeant Scott Atherton of the New Hampshire State Police Troop G Commercial Motor Carrier Unit, Penacook Rescue Squad, Canterbury Fire Department, New Hampshire Department of Transportation District 5 and Matt Brown’s Towing.
If anyone has information related to this incident, please contact Trooper Rivard at Brandon.J.Rivard@dos.nh.gov.
RIPON, Wis. — Walsworth, a Ripon-based commercial printer, prints products ranging from book blocks and high-end magazines to catalogs and the Farmers Almanac. Production includes everything from printing to binding to shipping.
Chasity Clark works there as a binder inspector. She sees a bit of everything pass through her hands and the machines.
Clark was recently working on a saddle stitching machine. With a few well-choreographed twists of the glossy paper, she loaded a handful of book pages into the machine.
“I feed the covers and loaders and I also inspect the books,” she said.
Clark sometimes sees the books she helped make after they’ve been delivered to customers.
“It’s kind of cool to see where a lot of these books go,” she said. “I just hope people enjoy them.”
Clark has been with Walsworth in Ripon for almost five years.
“I had started here as a temp, actually. I really liked it here, and I ended up getting a full-time job here,” she said. “What keeps me coming back is the people, and the work is different. I do something different pretty much every day.”
(Spectrum News 1/Nathan Phelps)
Walsworth is now seeking more of those people.
Human Resources manager Kelly Mundell said there are about 30 open positions. Mundell has been with Walsworth for nine years.
“We need people anywhere from entry level to highly skilled positions,” she said. “We need them in our bindery where they’re finishing up the products and in our press where they’re starting all of the printing process.”
Open jobs range from web press operators to bindery operators and inspectors and pre-press quality assurance.
“Our average tenure is 14 years. That’s both in the office and in the production area,” she said. “Usually when people stay and they like it, they stay a long time. That gives them nice opportunities to explore different departments if they’d like to, and people do that.”
(Spectrum News 1/Nathan Phelps)
Alex Kastenschmidt started at Walsworth six months ago as a web press operator. He said goal-oriented training has helped him grow into the job.
“Before this, I had no idea what I was doing — no idea about web press operating or anything that had anything to do with a press,” Kastenschmidt said. “I’m learning my way, but I’m getting there.”
(Spectrum News 1/Nathan Phelps)
More information about careers at Walsworth’s Ripon location can be found here.
- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issues Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project
- Final EIS analyzes potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures of CVOW
- CVOW remains on budget and on schedule; Dominion Energy expects to begin offshore construction in early 2024 and is expected to conclude in late 2026
RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project reached a major regulatory milestone today when the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced it has completed its environmental analysis of the 2.6-gigawatt project planned off the Virginia Beach coast.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) reflects feedback from Tribal Nations, ocean users, local communities, the offshore wind industry and other interested stakeholders, and analyzes potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures associated with CVOW’s construction. The Notice of Availability for the final EIS will publish in the Federal Register on Friday, September 29, 2023.
“The completion of CVOW’s environmental review is another significant milestone to keep the project on time and on budget. Regulated offshore wind has many benefits for our customers and local economies – it’s fuel free, emissions free and diversifies our fuel mix to maintain the reliability of the grid,” said Bob Blue, Dominion Energy’s chair, president and chief executive officer. “Today’s announcement reinforces the confidence that the company, our vendors and our suppliers have in our project’s completion, providing further motivation to maintain focus on delivering on time and on budget knowing we and our government partners continue to meet critical milestones.”
As the largest offshore wind project under development in the United States, CVOW will produce enough carbon-free electricity for 660,000 Virginia homes and generate expected fuel savings of more than $3 billion for customers during the project’s first 10 years of operation.
The EIS reflects public comments as well as extensive studies, evaluations and designs to maximize CVOW’s environmental benefits and minimize potential impacts. This includes actions taken offshore to minimize impacts to marine life, such as North Atlantic right whales, and actions taken onshore to design and build a transmission route that avoids impacts to natural and cultural resources and environmental justice communities to the maximum extent possible.
Dominion Energy is proposing to construct 176 14.7-megawatt wind turbines and three offshore substations in a 112,800-acre commercial lease area located 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coast.
Offshore wind’s economic development and jobs benefits are transformative for Hampton Roads and the Commonwealth, including diverse communities. CVOW is expected to create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs during construction and more than a thousand during operations, while attracting companies to make investments to make Virginia a hub for offshore wind development and support.
There are more than 750 Virginia-based workers – nearly 530 in the Hampton Roads region – currently engaged on the CVOW project or with other businesses supporting CVOW and future offshore wind development, including redevelopment work at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal, construction of the offshore wind Monitoring and Coordination Center, maritime provisioning, ship repairs, divers, heavy lift and rigging, cyber security, food service and hospitality.
About Dominion Energy
About 7 million customers in 15 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to safely providing reliable, affordable and sustainable energy and to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn more.
SOURCE Dominion Energy
For further information: Jeremy L. Slayton, 804-771-6115, Jeremy.l.slayton@dominionenergy.com
A typical question that arises with home buyers is: should I purchase a new construction, or opt for an existing one? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
On the one hand, it does feel wonderful driving up and walking into a brand new home. There is something about the scent of brand new flooring and fresh paint that seems to spark a unique sense of accomplishment within.
Yet for other buyers, an already existing home just fits the bill. Here are some top items to consider when deciding between the two.
New construction will be more energy efficient. Stringent building codes are being constantly introduced that require all new homes in California to be built with the highest of energy efficiency ratings. From windows, appliances, lighting, insulation, air conditioning and heating, stricter standards are now set in place that will over the years save home owners thousands of dollars in energy bills.
However, new construction will typically be more expensive. As the result of higher energy standards, builders must construct homes with specific materials or by codes that will inevitably drive up the cost of construction. For instance, starting in 2011 all single family residences are required to have a fire sprinkler system. And in 2020 solar was required for all new homes in California. These items do raise the price of homes.
Yet on the other hand, resale homes may allow for faster appreciation. Purchasing a resale home with the idea to remodel or to fix-it-up does have significant advantages if one has the vision, time, and funds to see the project through.
The number one motive for buying and fixing up a home is to maximize one’s investment. Buying low and renovating a house may bring in an immediate profit, or an even more significant payoff once the market turns around.
And did you know? Resale homes will be found in more developed neighborhoods. Homes 10 years or older will typically be in neighborhoods where large infill has taken place. The landscaping and trees will be more mature, and retail development will have already sprung up close by.
Clint Freeman is broker/owner of RidgecrestCaHomes. Honesty, Integrity, and Loyalty in each transaction. (760) 382-1082
CADILLAC — The Haring Township Planning Commission this month approved a request to expand the size of a commercial solar farm in the works between South 39 Road and South 41 Road.
Prism Power Partners applied for a special use permit to develop an additional 30 acres adjacent to 200 acres that previously had been approved by the township for the project.
Prism Power Partners Engineer Jeremy Jones, who has acted as representative for the company through the public hearing process, said they recently entered into a contract to purchase the 30-acre parcel.
Haring Township Zoning Administrator Mike Green reached out to the Wexford County Road Commission, the Haring Township Fire Department, the Wexford County Airport Authority and Wexford County Drain Commission to find out if they had any concerns about the project. Representatives from each organization replied that they didn’t.
Residents who live near the area were notified of the special use permit request and invited to attend a public hearing earlier this month. Several attended the hearing and asked Jones a few questions about the project. None said they were opposed to the permit being issued.
The plan is to install around 82,000 solar energy panels on the 230-acre site, which Jones said is enough infrastructure to generate 45 megawatts of direct current power.
Jones said before work can begin at the site, they have to iron out details of the utility interconnection arrangement with Consumers Energy — a process that takes about a year.
Construction could begin sometime in the second half of 2024, with project completion possible about 12 months later.
Jones said the panels will emit no noise during operation, and will track the sun from east to west throughout the course of the day.
The panels will sit about six feet above the ground, and a “pollinator-friendly mix” of grasses and flowers will be planted underneath them. Eventually, Jones said they plan to partner with local farmers to graze sheep and other livestock underneath the panels.
During the public hearing on the special use permit request, someone asked if commercial solar farms were prone to fires. Jones replied that Prism Power Partners has never had a fire at one of its developments, although there have been fires at other operations. Jones said fires at commercial facilities are rare and typically the result of defects in the panels. He said fires from solar panels are more common when they’re installed on a roof of a private residence.
In addition, Jones said technology has come a long way in recent years in preventing fires from occurring.
Haring Township Fire Chief Duane Alworden requested that the company provide training and other information to the assist them in dealing with any potential fire calls to the solar farm.
Another stipulation of the special use permit being granted is that the company provide a detailed decommissioning plan in the event the panels have to be disassembled at some point in the future.
ROCK HILL — A massive-scale development could bring nearly 650 housing units to the south side of Rock Hill, a traditionally underprivileged, majority-Black area that has faced the mounting pressures of gentrification.
The 127-acre development by York Capital LLC and Albright Corners LLC proposes to build up to 400 multi-family apartments, 214 townhomes, 35 single-family detached houses and 150,000-square-feet of commercial space. It will also feature a fitness facility, a pool and greenspace.
The project, Albright Commons, would be broken up across two plots of land — an eastern section along Albright Road and a western section along Mt. Holly Road.
City Council will consider the project at its Sept. 25 meeting, the first of two required votes, after the city’s Planning Commission recommended approval in a 5-1 decision.
It marks one of the largest developments in recent memory on the south side, an area that suffered decades of public and private disinvestment until the recent influx of new money.
“As we’ve seen all this growth and development down the Celanese corridor, Cherry Road, downtown, the only areas of town that we really haven’t seen a ton of development and growth is on the south side,” said Lisa Brown, Economic and Urban Development Director for Rock Hill.
The site of the future homes currently sits vacant.
At a Sept. 5 planning commission meeting, Taylor Seeloff, who represented York Capital LLC, said the company saw a chance to fill a need in the community.
“This area is a bit of a food desert, bit of a opportunity area for some homes, population growth, retail growth, commercial growth, things like that,” Seeloff said. “So we tried to lay out this plan to meet those needs.”
Specifically, Brown hopes the addition of more homes will attract a grocery store to the area.
The city’s Clinton ConNEXTion plan, a two-year-old initiative focused on investing in the south side, identified a grocery store as one of its eight core projects based off community input.