Latest news with #SteveMatthews
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Demand for buying businesses grows steadily
ABC's Chris Small says business sales are counter-cyclical to unemployment. Photo: Sun Media High unemployment and a lack of available job opportunities are helping to drive buyer demand for businesses. Buyer demand for New Zealand businesses was steadily increasing, with large business brokerage firm LINK reporting record levels of buyer engagement. LINK national business development manager Steve Matthews said it recorded a 19 percent year-on-year increase in would-be buyers signing confidentiality agreements. "This is a clear signal of growing intent among buyers, even in sectors where economic conditions have traditionally made sales harder to achieve," he said. "We're seeing owners move from thinking to acting." ABC Business Sales said it completed a record 410 sales in the year ended March, with another record-breaking 42 sales last month. ABC managing director Chris Small said business sales were counter-cyclical to unemployment, with people looking to buy themselves a job, when employment opportunites dry up. "So that's that's really what the trend is at the moment. More deals than ever. Lot of people looking," he said. "But what we are missing is a lack of stock." He said listings were down 10 percent, while the number of buyers was up 30 percent.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Moore: 'I've been so inspired'
WESTERNPORT — When 9 feet of water rushed into the basement of their Church Street home, Mark Slider and his partner Steve Matthews lost items including a new $14,000 boiler, washer, dryer and refrigerator that floated up to the ceiling and knocked out plumbing. Despite devastation caused by Tuesday's flood, Slider talked of his gratitude for the close-knit community that welcomed the same-sex couple 20 years ago and has treated them like family ever since. 'When we moved here I didn't know what to expect,' he said. 'But we couldn't have picked a more accepting place.' That gentle spirit and love of community felt almost palpable across the tiny town, which was covered with mud, muck and mold as residents welcomed Gov. Wes Moore Thursday. 'I'm appreciative of (Moore's visit) because Western Maryland usually seems to get left out,' Slider said. 'We need help.' His plea was apparently answered. Moore, after seeing the town's destruction, declared a state of emergency to strengthen Maryland's response to the flood-damaged region. Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton led the governor, Congresswoman April McClain Delaney and others on a tour of spots hit hard by the flood, including Tri-Towns EMS, Boal Funeral Home and the local library. During the walk, Moore talked to area residents on mud-covered sidewalks and porches. Gov. Wes Moore in Westernport Gov. Wes Moore is in Westernport on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Some yards contained broken fences, crushed lawns and battered, scattered sandbags. Folks filled dumpsters with debris as the Maryland State Police Trooper 5 helicopter circled above to further assess the damage. Water poured from a drain pipe through the side of a wall at Westernport Elementary School, where cars were drowned and abandoned in the nearby parking lot. Despite the wreckage, as sunset approached bells rang at St. Peter's Catholic Church and raised a reminder that life goes on in the small, rural town. After the tour, the governor talked of what stood out most. 'It's the people,' he said. 'I've been so inspired,' Moore said. 'We're seeing the best of Maryland.' 'Within minutes' Allegany County Emergency Services Interim Director Roger Bennett said Moore made state help available 'within minutes' of the flood. Roger Bennett, April McClain Delaney, Wes Moore Allegany County Emergency Services Interim Director Roger Bennett, center, talks to Congresswoman April McClain Delaney and Gov. Wes Moore in Westernport on Thursday, May 15, 2025. 'Everyone at the state got us resources,' he said of aid, including water rescue teams. Maryland departments, including natural resources, police and environment responded, Bennett said. Helping hands Kristi Williams recently moved to Delaware, but is a lifetime member of Tri-Towns EMS. Kristi Williams Kristi Williams 'This is my hometown,' she said of Westernport, where she was a police and fire commissioner. Despite wearing medical boots on both feet due to injuries sustained in snow, Williams returned to the EMS station to help clean up after the flood. Folks rallied to help clean and set up fans and dehumidifiers, she said. 'It was a lot of hands so it made the work light,' Williams said. 'We were all working together so well. It became a feeling ... an emotion.' Mike Wilhelm and his granddaughter's boyfriend, Aden Cebotar, tossed items into a dumpster parked near Main Street. Mike Wilhelm and Aden Cebotar Mike Wilhelm, right, and Aden Cebotar toss items into a dumpster parked near Main Street in Westernport on Thursday, May 15, 2025. 'I lost everything out of my basement,' Wilhelm said, adding that water rose to just 18 inches below the cellar's ceiling. His items destroyed by the flood included a large freezer, tools, a washer, a dryer and a hot water tank. While the loss amounted to several thousand dollars, 'It isn't much compared to other people,' Wilhelm said of many of his neighbors. Mold started Allegany County Library System Executive Director John Taube said water rushed through side doors at the Westernport branch. He believes that caused furniture to float into a panic bar and open another door of the building. More than 30 chairs then floated downtown, Taube said. He described some of the building's damage. 'You can see the water marks on the wall,' Taube said. 'The mold has already started to grow.' He said a $21,000 flood insurance policy will cover roughly $500,000 for the building and $181,000 for contents. 'Luckily, our shelving is steel,' Taube said of being able to power wash the units. Due to flooding, the Westernport and George's Creek library branches are closed. The ACLS Board of Trustees, which for months has discussed solutions for a budget deficit, will meet at the LaVale branch from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Monday. 'Very grateful' Tri-Towns EMS Chief Justin White was 10 years old when the town flooded in 1996. Gov. Wes Moore, Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton and Tri-Towns EMS Chief Justin White Gov. Wes Moore, Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton and Tri-Towns EMS Chief Justin White 'This is worse now,' he said. 'Just the mud and wreckage and debris ... it's a lot.' White thanked area residents and nearby EMS stations from Keyser and southern Garrett County for helping Tri-Towns with the flood damage. 'We're very grateful,' he said. 'The community has stepped up.' His wife, Brittany, said the couple's two teenage sons and their family home remained safe during the flood, but the experience was surreal. 'It was almost like living in a movie,' she said. Brycen Garner, 20, said his mom is an EMT at Tri-Towns, where he also volunteers. Brycen Garner Brycen Garner 'It's been a shock,' he said of witnessing the flood and seeing it damage a friend's house. 'I was up on the hill and could just hear it.' Laundry, prisoners State Sen. Mike McKay said he's working on creative approaches to help folks in Westernport. State Sen. Mike McKay State Sen. Mike McKay As president of the Mid- Atlantic Association of Cleaners, he reached out to the leader of Procter & Gamble's Tide division to bring a tractor-trailer filled with running washing machines and dryers to Westernport for residents who, due to the flood, lost their ability to clean laundry. A local church agreed to facilitate the mobile laundry unit, McKay said. 'I'm working on getting that to happen,' he said. 'My goal is to have it here within three weeks.' McKay said he is also working with the state Department of Corrections to provide inmate labor to clean the town. The workers would be from low-crime backgrounds, vetted and properly supervised, he said. McKay said he wants to make sure areas damaged by the flood receive long-term help. He compared the needed aid for the recent weather event to immediate attention that surrounds a newborn but later fades when most needed. 'The flood to me ... is kind of like a young mother who just gave birth,' McKay said.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Moore: 'I've been so inspired'
WESTERNPORT — When 9 feet of water rushed into the basement of their Church Street home, Mark Slider and his partner Steve Matthews lost items including a new $14,000 boiler, washer, dryer and refrigerator that floated up to the ceiling and knocked out plumbing. Despite devastation caused by Tuesday's flood, Slider talked of his gratitude for the close-knit community that welcomed the same-sex couple 20 years ago and has treated them like family ever since. 'When we moved here I didn't know what to expect,' he said. 'But we couldn't have picked a more accepting place.' That gentle spirit and love of community felt almost palpable across the tiny town, which was covered with mud, muck and mold as residents welcomed Gov. Wes Moore Thursday. 'I'm appreciative of (Moore's visit) because Western Maryland usually seems to get left out,' Slider said. 'We need help.' His plea was apparently answered. Moore, after seeing the town's destruction, declared a state of emergency to strengthen Maryland's response to the flood-damaged region. Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton led the governor, Congresswoman April McClain Delaney and others on a tour of spots hit hard by the flood, including Tri-Towns EMS, Boal Funeral Home and the local library. During the walk, Moore talked to area residents on mud-covered sidewalks and porches. Gov. Wes Moore in Westernport Gov. Wes Moore is in Westernport on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Some yards contained broken fences, crushed lawns and battered, scattered sandbags. Folks filled dumpsters with debris as the Maryland State Police Trooper 5 helicopter circled above to further assess the damage. Water poured from a drain pipe through the side of a wall at Westernport Elementary School, where cars were drowned and abandoned in the nearby parking lot. Despite the wreckage, as sunset approached bells rang at St. Peter's Catholic Church and raised a reminder that life goes on in the small, rural town. After the tour, the governor talked of what stood out most. 'It's the people,' he said. 'I've been so inspired,' Moore said. 'We're seeing the best of Maryland.' 'Within minutes' Allegany County Emergency Services Interim Director Roger Bennett said Moore made state help available 'within minutes' of the flood. Roger Bennett, April McClain Delaney, Wes Moore Allegany County Emergency Services Interim Director Roger Bennett, center, talks to Congresswoman April McClain Delaney and Gov. Wes Moore in Westernport on Thursday, May 15, 2025. 'Everyone at the state got us resources,' he said of aid, including water rescue teams. Maryland departments, including natural resources, police and environment responded, Bennett said. Helping hands Kristi Williams recently moved to Delaware, but is a lifetime member of Tri-Towns EMS. Kristi Williams Kristi Williams 'This is my hometown,' she said of Westernport, where she was a police and fire commissioner. Despite wearing medical boots on both feet due to injuries sustained in snow, Williams returned to the EMS station to help clean up after the flood. Folks rallied to help clean and set up fans and dehumidifiers, she said. 'It was a lot of hands so it made the work light,' Williams said. 'We were all working together so well. It became a feeling ... an emotion.' Mike Wilhelm and his granddaughter's boyfriend, Aden Cebotar, tossed items into a dumpster parked near Main Street. Mike Wilhelm and Aden Cebotar Mike Wilhelm, right, and Aden Cebotar toss items into a dumpster parked near Main Street in Westernport on Thursday, May 15, 2025. 'I lost everything out of my basement,' Wilhelm said, adding that water rose to just 18 inches below the cellar's ceiling. His items destroyed by the flood included a large freezer, tools, a washer, a dryer and a hot water tank. While the loss amounted to several thousand dollars, 'It isn't much compared to other people,' Wilhelm said of many of his neighbors. Mold started Allegany County Library System Executive Director John Taube said water rushed through side doors at the Westernport branch. He believes that caused furniture to float into a panic bar and open another door of the building. More than 30 chairs then floated downtown, Taube said. He described some of the building's damage. 'You can see the water marks on the wall,' Taube said. 'The mold has already started to grow.' He said a $21,000 flood insurance policy will cover roughly $500,000 for the building and $181,000 for contents. 'Luckily, our shelving is steel,' Taube said of being able to power wash the units. Due to flooding, the Westernport and George's Creek library branches are closed. The ACLS Board of Trustees, which for months has discussed solutions for a budget deficit, will meet at the LaVale branch from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Monday. 'Very grateful' Tri-Towns EMS Chief Justin White was 10 years old when the town flooded in 1996. Gov. Wes Moore, Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton and Tri-Towns EMS Chief Justin White Gov. Wes Moore, Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton and Tri-Towns EMS Chief Justin White 'This is worse now,' he said. 'Just the mud and wreckage and debris ... it's a lot.' White thanked area residents and nearby EMS stations from Keyser and southern Garrett County for helping Tri-Towns with the flood damage. 'We're very grateful,' he said. 'The community has stepped up.' His wife, Brittany, said the couple's two teenage sons and their family home remained safe during the flood, but the experience was surreal. 'It was almost like living in a movie,' she said. Brycen Garner, 20, said his mom is an EMT at Tri-Towns, where he also volunteers. Brycen Garner Brycen Garner 'It's been a shock,' he said of witnessing the flood and seeing it damage a friend's house. 'I was up on the hill and could just hear it.' Laundry, prisoners State Sen. Mike McKay said he's working on creative approaches to help folks in Westernport. State Sen. Mike McKay State Sen. Mike McKay As president of the Mid- Atlantic Association of Cleaners, he reached out to the leader of Procter & Gamble's Tide division to bring a tractor-trailer filled with running washing machines and dryers to Westernport for residents who, due to the flood, lost their ability to clean laundry. A local church agreed to facilitate the mobile laundry unit, McKay said. 'I'm working on getting that to happen,' he said. 'My goal is to have it here within three weeks.' McKay said he is also working with the state Department of Corrections to provide inmate labor to clean the town. The workers would be from low-crime backgrounds, vetted and properly supervised, he said. McKay said he wants to make sure areas damaged by the flood receive long-term help. He compared the needed aid for the recent weather event to immediate attention that surrounds a newborn but later fades when most needed. 'The flood to me ... is kind of like a young mother who just gave birth,' McKay said.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Shaolin Heroes', Martial Arts Format From Denmark, Lands First International Adaptations
EXCLUSIVE: Banijay Entertainment's adventure reality format Shaolin Heroes has kung fu-kicked its way on to networks in Belgium and the Netherlands. Banijay Benelux has struck a deal with broadcaster VTM for a version of the Danish show in Belgium, and RTL Nederlands has handed SimpelZodiak, another Banijay production house, a greenlight in the Netherlands. More from Deadline Studiocanal Reveals First Images & Details For Gilles De Maistre's Sahara-Set 'The Desert Child' Ahead Of EFM Launch 'Bergerac': Euro Pubcasters Buy Detective Drama Reimagining Ahead Of London TV Screenings Banijay Entertainment Promotes Steve Matthews & Johannes Jensen In Global Scripted Rejig The deals mark the first international adaptations for the format, which was originally created by Banijay's Danish label Metronome for local broadcaster TV2 last year. The format sees celebrities embark on a transformational journey to master the ancient martial art of the Shaolin warrior monks. Under the guidance of two Shaolin masters, they face intense trials that test their mental and physical boundaries. In Denmark, where Season 1 surpassed its prime-time slot average by 31%, a second season is set to launch later this month. Banijay Belgium is behind local versions of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Hunted Fear Factor and travel format Starstruck, while SimpelZodiak has a slate including Good Luck Guys, Hunted, Survivor, SAS: Who Dares Wins, Temptation Island and fact-ent format Banged Up. 'Metronome's Shaolin Heroesis an adventure reality format unlike any other, taking the audience on an immersive and transformational journey,' said Isabelle Dams, Managing Director at Banijay Belgium. 'Bringing this unique format to Belgium with VTM is an exciting step, and we know viewers will be enticed by its intensity.' Justine Huffmeijer, Managing Director at SimpelZodiak, added: 'Shaolin Heroes is a bold and unique format which respectfully highlights the Shaolin tradition. Enjoying a solid performance in Denmark, we are eager to launch the Dutch version and watch these celebrities embark on this challenging, yet rewarding experience.' Shaolin Heroes was a Deadline Hot One for MIPCOM in October, with Banijay's Chief Creative Officer, Development, James Townley saying Townley it had 'all the makings of a traveling success' thanks to 'responsible story-making at its heart, relatable celebrities and authentic representation of the Shaolin community, paired with stunning visual effects and the production know-how of our teams.' Looks like we picked well. 'This premium adventure reality series is a testament to the creativity and ambition of the Metronome team, blending stunning scenery and human endurance,' said Tina Christensen, Managing Director at Metronome today 'Shaolin Heroes has all the key elements to captivate global audiences and it's exciting to see this original format expanding its international footprint, while returning here in Denmark for another thrilling season.' The deal comes ahead of Banijay's London TV Screenings event later this month. Best of Deadline 'Severance' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Land On Apple TV+? 'Captain America: Brave New World' Primer: What To Remember Ahead Of The First Marvel Film Of 2025 The 25 Highest-Grossing Animated Films Of All Time At The Box Office
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Banijay Unveils New Leadership Structure for Scripted, Promotes Steve Matthews and Johannes Jensen
European TV giant Banijay Entertainment — whose more-than 60 labels have produced recent shows such as 'Rogue Heroes,' 'Ripley' and 'The Rig' — has expanded the roles of two execs as it rejigs its global scripted division. As part of a new combined leadership structure, Steve Matthews has been named head of scripted, creative and Johannes Jensen head of scripted, business. The two will work in unison and report to chief business officer, Frédéric Balmary, who will continue to lead overall strategic direction. More from Variety U.K. 'MasterChef' Host Gregg Wallace to Step Down While Allegations of Historical Misconduct Investigated BBC, Banijay Execs Unpack International Series Adaptations in India at Film Bazaar: 'Transposing Is Where the Magic Happens' Adam McKay-Produced Documentary 'You Need This' From Banijay's Scenery Probes Hyper-Consumerism (EXCLUSIVE) HBO alumni Matthews joined Banijay as contents partnership executive in early 2023, reporting to Christian Wikander who served as global head of scripted until his departure in Feb. 2024. Since joining he has introduced various initiatives to encourage collaboration across the company's labels worldwide, alongside setting up the he Banijay Bootcamp to connecting in-house development executives with emerging writers. Jensen new role extends his current remit as head of scripted for Banijay Nordic, with him now taking the helm of the scripted division's financial and operational strategy. Jensen previous led banners Jarowskij and Yellow Bird, now merged as Jarowskij/ Yellow Bird. 'Our scripted offering continues to go from strength-to-strength with a combined slate of new hits and successful returners scooping high-profile awards and widespread critical acclaim,' said Balmary. 'We are incredibly proud of our producers' achievements in this space and as we continue to grow, the refreshed roles for Steve and Johannes will strengthen our creative and business acumen, ensuring we continue to innovate and lead on the global stage.' Also sitting within the newly arranged central scripted division is senior director Denis Leroy, who specialises in sourcing and developing international scripted formats and book IP. Leroy has led acclaimed adaptations like 'SKAM,' 'Fleabag' and 'La Caza. Monterpedido,' in France, and struck numerous deals for best-selling French IP like Franck Thilliez and Michael Bussi. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in February 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in January 2025
