Napoleon’s Tailor featured in today’s Wall Street Journal

Napoleon’s Tailor, a Milwaukee-based clothier that serves men who are five-foot-eight and shorter, is featured in today’s issue of The Wall Street Journal.

To read Journal writer Doug Belkin’s entire story, “Niche Clothiers’ Ranks Shrink,” click here.

Napoleon’s Tailor is a client of The Concept Works.

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Dec. 23 is Final Day in Chicago for Napoleon’s Tailor, Iconic National Clothier for Short Men

CHICAGO – Napoleon’s Tailor, a Milwaukee-based clothier with a national reputation for catering exclusively to men who are five-foot-eight and shorter, will mark its final day in Chicago on Dec. 23, its owner said today.

Gary Anders, who will continue to operate his flagship store of the same name in Milwaukee, announced in mid-October that industry trends and the prolonged economic slump were forces behind the decision to close the Chicago store.

“Even though 30 percent of U.S. men are five-foot-eight or under, Napoleon’s Tailor is one of only four clothiers in the entire country to serve shorter men. There should be far more stores of like Napoleon’s Tailor but fashion habits and other factors have worked against us as time has passed,” Anders said. “Unfortunately, the men’s clothing industry has been shrinking ever since Levi’s introduced casual Fridays.”

The store, located at 7254 W. Foster Ave., has been featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, on the CBS national news and by Reuters news service over the years. It had significantly marked down prices on its merchandise to liquidate the inventory during the sale. Prices have been marked down an additional 50 percent on all remaining merchandise this week.

Anders also said that moving apparel production off-shore has had serious consequences for specialty stores like Napoleon’s Tailor.

“Fifteen years ago when I entered the business, there were many apparel makers in the United States and Canada. They were willing to make production runs to meet our needs because they had excess capacity and were geared to smaller production cycles,” Anders said. “Today, factories in China, Pakistan, India or other places are geared to very high volume. We simply don’t do that volume and so we can’t get items in the quality and variety that we require. So, we’re being squeezed from both the supply and demand sides.”

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Michael Farris, a Founder of Home School Legal Defense Association and Patrick Henry College, Announces Support for Vander Plaats

PURCELLVILLE, Virginia – Michael Farris, a national leader in home-school education and the founder of Patrick Henry College, today announced his support for Bob Vander Plaats in the 2010 Iowa gubernatorial contest.

“Bob is a leader who really understands the core principles of liberty that were purchased at such a great price by our Founding Fathers. Government is here to protect our liberty not to grant our every whimsical wish only to be paid for by the next generation through massive debts,” Farris said today in a prepared statement. “Bob is a man of conviction, candor and compassion. He will make a great governor.”
Farris, who earned his law degree at Gonzaga University School of Law, founded the Home School Legal Defense Association in 1983 and continues to serve as its chairman and general counsel. Through his efforts, the HSLDA has secured a number of court rulings and policy changes favoring home schooling.
His cases as lead counsel include over 40 reported decisions by the U.S. Supreme court, five U.S. circuit courts of Appeal, seven state Supreme Courts, and five state Courts of Appeal. Farris successfully argued for the petitioner in a religious freedom case, the Supreme Court case Witters v. Washington Department of Services for the Blind in 1985-86. Education Week named Farris one of the most significant 100 “Faces of the Century.”
In 2000, the ordained Baptist minister founded Patrick Henry College as “a Christian institution with the mission of training students through a classical liberal arts curriculum and apprenticeship methodology to impact the world for Christ and for liberty.” Farris also founded Generation Joshua, an organization to mobilize Christian youth to participate in politics and get out the vote; ParentalRights.org, a parental rights advocacy group; and the Madison Project, which is a political action committee.
“Michael Farris is a servant leader and I’ve always called him a ‘real difference maker.’ Through his knowledge, faith and fearlessness, he has made a real difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the country and helped shape a force of young political leaders dedicated not to doing well for themselves but doing good for their fellow citizens,” Vander Plaats said. “I saw firsthand the extraordinarily high regard in which Michael is held by so many people when he attended the Republican Party of Iowa’s 2007 Straw Poll event in Ames. Literally hundreds of people attended that event to see him and thank him for everything he’s done in defense of home school families throughout the nation. It is an honor to have the support of such an extraordinary man.”
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B-Calm’s Benefits for Children with Autism/ADHD Featured on KDSM, WHO-TV

DES MOINES – B-Calm, the Ankeny, Iowa, company that has developed a headset and MP3 downloads that help children with autism and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, was featured in a news story that aired on KDSM-TV and WHO-TV on Sunday.

Click here to see Emily Carlson’s story.

Miller-Meeks Launches 2010 Campaign Against Loebsack in Iowa’s Second Congressional District

MUSCATINE – Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the 2008 GOP nominee in the Second Congressional District, today formally launched her campaign for her party’s 2010 nomination by urging Iowans to make history by electing their first women to Congress and supporting economic, environmental health care, tax and budget policies that once again move the country forward.

“Just as they bravely did during the floods of 2008 when the federal response was too slow and they could not afford to wait any longer, ordinary citizens can again unite in a common cause and make history,” Miller-Meeks said. “America is not what is wrong with the world, and embracing weakness has never inspired confidence. It is our liberties that permit us to strive and achieve greatness and it is the duty of our elected officials to protect these liberties. I will defend those liberties.”

Accompanied by Barbara Grassley, state Sen. Jim Hahn of Muscatine and State Rep. Jeff Kaufmann of Wilton, the Ottumwa ophthalmologist made her announcement at the Quality Cobbler, a small business in the Muscatine Mall. She also scheduled appearances in Marion, Burlington and Ottumwa later in the day.

“As a physician, we take the Hippocratic Oath to ‘first do no harm.’ I believe this applies not only in medicine but to government as well. Government should play by the same rules it imposes on us – pay your bills and don’t overspend,” she said.

Noting that Quality Cobbler owner Larry Miller faces many of the same challenges other small business owners already face in keeping their doors open, Miller-Meeks that the prospect of “increased taxes, regulation and impending health care and cap and trade under the current administration and Congress dampen prospects of recovery.”

“Let’s make history with economic policies supporting small businesses like the Quality Cobbler. End the morass of regulatory and taxation uncertainty so Larry Miller and business owners just like him can plan ahead and expand and hire,” she said. “Our economic recovery depends on a level playing field. While big banks and businesses created this crisis, it is small banks and businesses who are asked to pay for it. Entrepreneurs and new businesses won’t take risks necessary to create jobs when they are placed in a straightjacket of regulation, taxes and fees.”

Miller-Meeks said voters in the 15-county district that includes Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Muscatine, Burlington and Ottumwa also can make history by electing her to support an environmental policy that “respects our planet but doesn’t not cripple the Midwest economy by killing union and non-union jobs alike.”

“Let’s make history with health care reform that first controls and reduces cost, is affordable, portable and has universal access. We can achieve that goal with individual health plans coupled with high deductible, catastrophic health insurance would be taking the road less traveled rather than the well-worn path of failure that will add a trillion dollars to the deficit and ultimately give us less quantity and quality of health care,” she said.

She noted that the district’s voters could also make history by “electing Iowa’s first woman to Congress and reclaiming Iowa’s and the Republican Party’s wonderful heritage on women’s and minority rights.”

“The conservative values of strengthening families, encouraging men to be true, active fathers to their children and empowering women to respect themselves can be advanced by a woman, even one with a hyphenated name,” Miller-Meeks said. “We can make history electing a conservative woman who understands that valuing life doesn’t devalue women.”

Miller-Meeks also alluded to Rep. David Loebsack’s support of the 2008 bailout of massive banks and financial institutions that continue to pay multimillion-dollar bonuses to executives and his vote in favor of the proposed government takeover of health care as indications he is out of touch with the district’s needs and priorities.

“If you can’t read the bill, at least understand what you are voting for. As a mother, I often waited 10 seconds or counted to three before disciplining my children. Can’t this same common sense be applied to a spending bill? Before enslaving generations of taxpayers for bailouts, economic stimulus, health care reform or cap and trade, can’t Congress wait even a mere 72 hours to ensure we’re are all treated fairly – not just big banks, big companies and big donors?” she asked. “Senators Grassley and Hahn and Representative Kaufmann live by these principles and have never forgotten that they are privileged to govern at the consent of the voter. They understand that just one or two ill-advised votes can enslave future generations and deny them their constitutional liberties by burdening them with the profound tax increases to service this massive debt. Protecting the unborn who have no vote today implies fiscal prudence, restoration of constitutional principles of representative democracy and electing politicians who recognize that they are to protect these liberties, not limit them.”

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Miller-Meeks to Launch 2010 Congressional Bid Monday During Four-City Tour with Barbara Grassley

OTTUMWA – Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the 2008 Republican nominee in Iowa’s Second Congressional District, will formally announce her candidacy Monday, Nov. 30, for her party’s 2010 nomination and a rematch against Rep. David Loebsack.

Miller-Meeks, an Ottumwa ophthalmologist, will make a series of stops in the 15-county district in eastern and southern Iowa. She will be accompanied by Barbara Grassley, spouse of U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. The schedule of her “Let’s Make History” tour is as follows:

11:30 a.m. – Quality Cobbler, Muscatine Mall, 1903 Park Ave., Suite 22, Muscatine;

2:00 p.m. – Hames Homes, 640 Marion Blvd., Marion;

4:45 p.m. – Big River Resources, 15210 103rd St., West Burlington;

7:15 p.m. – Al-Jon Manufacturing, Industrial Airport, 14599 Second Ave., Ottumwa.

Reporters or editors who have questions about one of these events should contact Eric Woolson at (515) 681-3967. For additional information about Miller-Meeks or to join her campaign, click here.

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B-Calm’s Brent Carmichael Appears on MyABC5/WOI-TV Mid-Day News to Discuss Dec. 5 Autism Workshop

WEST DES MOINES — Brent Carmichael, who heads an Ankeny company’s non-profit organization to assist the families of children with autism and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, appeared on WOI-TV mid-day newscast today to tell central Iowans about the upcoming conference, “Unlocking Autism: Peace Within the Noise.”

The Dec. 5 conference is being organized by b-Calm, an Ankeny firm that manufactures noise control systems, in cooperation with Easter Seals of Iowa. It will feature a variety of experts talking to parents about topics ranging from new therapies to defending their child’s civil rights. It will be at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines, Iowa from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The cost of the conference is $25. Lunch will be provided. For additional information about the conference, click here.

Carmichael heads up the Champions of Autism and ADHD and is the parent of a son with autism. He was interviewed by morning and mid-day news anchor Stephanie Angleson. He said the goal of the conference is to Our goal for the conference is to raise awareness in Iowa to families, school districts, service providers, and local agencies on the need for early detection, evaluation, diagnosis and intervention strategies for children with autism and/or ADHD.

The conference will feature a variety of experts talking to parents about topics ranging from new therapies to defending their child’s civil rights.

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Vander Plaats: Chuck Norris Event Shows Campaign’s Broader Appeal in Drive to Win 2010 Primary, General Elections

NAVASOTA, Texas – Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats said today that the support of actor Chuck Norris and his wife Gena provide his campaign with a potent weapon that will help propel him to the 2010 Iowa Republican gubernatorial nomination over former Gov. Terry Branstad.

More than 40 Iowans are among the people who joined the Norrises and Vander Plaats for a Texas-style barbeque at the Norris ranch about 20 miles southeast of College Station.

Noting that the latest Iowa Poll shows him leading Gov. Chet Culver by eight points, Vander Plaats said Iowans are ready to turn out the first-term Democratic governor because “his failure to lead has run our state budget into a $1 billion hole, provided little but empty words for the 100,000-plus Iowans who are unemployed and led to one fiasco after another, including the mismanagement of the Iowa Film Office.”

“Having the support of Chuck and Gena Norris is obviously helping us raise a significant amount of money today, but it does much more than that,” Vander Plaats said. “In his syndicated column earlier this year, Chuck endorsed three candidates across the country as his ‘three amigos.’ I was honored to be one of those candidates and the campaign has received a number of contributions from across the country as a result.”

He continued, “There’s a lot of media attention on Governor Branstad’s likely return to the politics and the fact he’s leading Chet Culver in the polls. Well, he’s not the only one and before the pundits and the party establishment declare him as the victor over Chet Culver, he’s going to have to go through us,” Vander Plaats said. “Today’s Republican Party isn’t the same as it was in 1982 when he first ran for governor. And with the help of great friends like Chuck and Gena Norris, our supporters who attended today’s event and, many, many others, this campaign will have the resources to get our message out to Iowans and win this primary on June 8.”

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Exemplar Genetics Team Participates in AALAS 60th Annual National Meeting in Denver Nov. 8-12

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – The Exemplar Genetics leadership team has returned from attending the 60th annual national meeting of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science in Denver, Colorado.

The AALAS conference is an outstanding source for regulatory training and provides workshops on a number of other critically important topics,” said Troy Arends, director of business development. “It’s also the perfect setting for us to meet with existing clients, potential clients and the scientists who work in the research field. Our goal is to establish and maintain long-term working relationships and our presence at the annual AALAS meetings is part of that ongoing process of staying connected.”

The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science is a nonprofit membership association that is the premier forum for the exchange of information and expertise in the care and use of laboratory animals. Since 1950, the organization has been dedicated to the humane care and treatment of laboratory animals and the quality research that leads to scientific gains that benefit people and animals.

Brian Dacken, Exemplar Genetics’ manager of clinical research, met with Food and Drug Administration officials and continued to stay abreast of ever-changing federal guidelines and industry best management practices through one of the meeting workshops, Keeping Current with Regulations and Requirements.

Arends noted that the management team focused its promotional activities at last year’s meeting on its Lonestar Swine operations, which produce Miniature Yucatan pigs for the research field.
“This year, we continued to share the Lonestar Laboratory Swine story but we also communicated the advances we’ve made at Exemplar Genetics. Specifically the licensing and availability of genetically engineered CFTR animals,” Arends said. “Working with the University of Iowa, we have achieved ground-breaking results that have put us at the top of our industry. We continue to get the message out that the technology we licensed can enable discovery and ultimately help researchers find therapies and cures that will change people’s lives.”
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Iowans Participate in Million Med March Saturday in Des Moines to Sound Alarm About Disastrous Health Care Legislation

DES MOINES – Iowa medical professionals who warn that pending legislation to change America’s health care system will send costs soaring out of control while diminishing patient care will rally in Des Moines on Saturday to call attention to the issue.

Opponents of the health care legislation will gather on the west terrace of the Iowa Statehouse from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, an Ottumwa ophthalmologist who is leading the Iowa chapter of the Million Med March, said Thursday that proposed legislation is “not the solution” to the rising medical costs that are pushing the nation’s health care system to the brink of bankruptcy.

“The first rule we learn as physicians is the Hippocratic oath to do no harm. What the House and Senate are proposing will not only harm our health care system, their actions will kill what has been the pillar of medical care in the world,” she said. “A cold Saturday afternoon in late November may not be the most convenient time for a march, but there’s too much at stake not to have our voices heard. We have to convince our elected representatives to stop this very dangerous plan that will bankrupt us by spending over $1 trillion of our taxes while actually reducing Americans’ access to care.”

Miller-Meeks added, “The fundamental objective of healthcare reform must be to lower costs without decreasing its value. We must find ways to lower the costs that are straining the system to the breaking point.”

Million Med March was founded on the following principles:

• Medical decisions need to be made by doctors and their patients. Empower the patient to take control of their own healthcare through free market solutions. By allowing the patient to engage directly with their primary care physician, a large portion of routine and preventative care can be accomplished without the interference of a middleman.
• No legislation should become law without serious tort reform because the medical profession currently spends $400 billion a year for coverage, representation and settlements.
• Eliminating state monopolies and allowing the portability of health insurance across state lines to make insurance more affordable. By uncoupling health insurance from employers patients will have the ability to control their own coverage. These methods create competition, which is the only true way to drive down healthcare costs.
• Transforming the reimbursement and billing systems that are strangling medical practices. “Right now, 35 percent of healthcare costs are spent for administrative purposes only and are raising the cost that are eventually being passed on to our patients. We need a simplified transparent reimbursement system,” Miller-Meeks said.

Des Moines rally speakers include Rudy Schellekens, a Holland native familiar with the pitfalls of a single-payer system, nurse Virginia Jones, physician recruiter Becky Helgerson, 9/12 Project of Des Moines activist Lynn Rodgers and Miller-Meeks.

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