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NBB awarded in the International Expansion and Network Support categories

The Merger & Acquisition specialist is the winning company at the Franchising Awards 2010.

NBB National Business Brokers was once again awarded the First Price in the “Best International Expansion” category at the Franchising Awards 2010, organised by IFE on May 7th, 2010 in Lisbon.

In addition NBB was honoured with the 8th Place amongst the Top 10 of almost 500 franchise networks operating in Portugal. This award was given for the organisation, quality and excellence that NBB represents in the market.

NBB was awarded these two prices in recognition of a successful internationalisation strategy that currently results in a network of 62 offices in 22 countries on 4 continents, making it the leading international network in the business brokerage and M&A sector.

This international presence became a decisive pillar in providing big added value to NBB’s local clients, and finding global solutions for client’s businesses are what NBB stands for.

Addressing the audience after having been presented the 2010 Awards, NBB’s Managing Director, Gundo Kahle thanked the Jurors “for their vision and acknowledgement of NBB’s success, which could have only been achieved with the great work our team can handle under continuous pressure. “You have made the best possible choice” he assured the Jurors, “and we will be back next year topping this year’s results”, he added.

The Jury, composed of highly credible and notorious market entities, recognised the success not only in NBB’s international Network expansion, but also for having built a solid M&A and Business Brokerage system where the team spirit and trustful cooperation is a key factor.

Photo (from left to right): Helder Beça – Manager; António Godinho – Partner & Administrator; Gundo Kahle – Partner & Managing Director; Patrícia Sousa – Manageress Portugal; Pedro Santos – Partner & Administrator.

Defintion of Clean Tech

Pernick and Wilder define "clean tech" as "any product, service, or process that delivers value using limited or zero non-renewable resources and/or creates significantly less waste than conventional offerings."They highlight eight major clean technology sectors:

solar power - wind power - bio fuels - green buildings - personal transportation –

the smart grid - mobile applications, and water filtration

The authors explain how investors, entrepreneurs, and individuals can profit from technological innovation in these areas. Pernick and Wilder identify some specific clean technologies, companies, and regions that are leading the way.

According to them nuclear power and clean coal are not clean technologies. Apart from the risks associated with nuclear power, "multibillion-dollar nuclear plants are simply not cost-effective when compared with other energy sources." The authors also believe that clean coal is an oxymoron for a myriad of reasons, including the sheer number of coal mine-related deaths and the fact that coal-fired plants, even some cleaner ones, are major contributors to serious illnesses such as asthma, heart disease, and mercury poisoning.

Emerging clean tech cities are seen to include Copenhagen, where wind power generates 20 percent of Denmark's electricity, and Chicago, a leader in "green" buildings saving energy, heating and cooling costs.

Six C's

Pernick and Wilder identify six major forces, which they call the six C’s, that are pushing clean technology into the mainstream and driving rapid growth and expansion: costs, capital, competition, China, consumers, and climate.

• Costs."Perhaps the most powerful force driving today’s clean-tech growth is simple economics. As a general trend, clean-energy costs are falling as the costs of fossil fuel energy are going up. The future of clean tech is going to be, in many ways, about scaling up manufacturing and driving down costs."
• Capital."An unprecedented influx of capital is changing the clean tech landscape, with billions of dollars, Euros, Yen, and Yuan pouring in from a myriad of public and private sector sources."
• Competition."Governments are competing aggressively in the highstakes race to dominate in the clean-tech sector and build the jobs of the future."
• China."Clean tech is being driven by the inexorable demands being placed on the earth not only by mature economies but also by the explosive demand for resources in China, India, and other developing nations. Their expanding energy needs are driving major growth in clean-energy, transportation, building, and water-delivery technologies."
• Consumers."Savvy consumers are demanding cleaner products and services that use resources efficiently, reduce costs, and embrace quality over quantity."
• Climate."The debate around climate change has gone from question mark to peer-reviewed certainty, and smart businesses are taking heed."

Quotes "The solar-power market offers perhaps one of the greatest opportunities among its clean-tech peers. Not only is the worldwide solar market growing by 30% to 50% per year, but the same technologies that enabled the semiconductor and computer revolution are now being leveraged in the solar market."

"Wind energy has been expanding rapidly since the mid-1990s -- right up there with solar. From 1995 to 2006, global cumulative installed wind-power capacity expanded fifteen fold, from less than 5,000 MW to more than 74,000 MW." (p. 21)

"Today, Brazil gets more than 30% of its automobile fuels from sugar cane-based ethanol. In the United States, ethanol is nearly a 5-billion-gallon-a-year industry, on target to reach 7.5 billion gallons (about 5% of total gasoline consumption) around 2010. One of the greatest opportunities will lie in distilling fuels and creating materials from cellulosic nonfood crops such as switch grass and jatropha."

"Today’s green buildings use some 30% less energy than their comparably sized non green counterparts (some save much more), and they’re generally brighter, healthier, and more aesthetically pleasing. Often built with little or no additional up-front cost, green offices, for instance, pay back not only in energy savings but also in greater employee retention, attendance, and productivity."

"Since 2003, hybrid cars have gone from a tiny speck on the automotive landscape to one of the U.S. vehicle market’s fastest growing segments. Toyota doubled its flagship hybrid car’s allocation in North America in 2005, to 100,000, and started building hybrids on U.S. assembly lines in 2006. By the end of 2006 there were some 15 hybrid models on showroom floors, including hybrid models for such popular vehicles as the Honda Civic and Accord and the Toyota Camry." 

Source: Wikipedia