Age is Just a Number for This 75-Year-Old University of Phoenix Graduate

Claudette Larsen, 75 year old University of Phoenix graduate, stands next to Darris Howe, VP/Director of the University’s Utah Campus following Graduation exercises May 1, 2010 in Salt Lake City.

St. George, UT, May 3, 2010 – Claudette Larsen, of Ivins, Utah at age 75, graduated from the University of Phoenix Utah campus during commencement ceremonies for 1,156 students on May 1, 2010 at The E Center.   She earned her Master of Arts degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Phoenix.

At the age of 65, she graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and then left Bountiful and moved to St. George, where she found employment at Red Mountain Elementary from 2002 to 2009, and is currently employed at Vista Elementary in Special Education.

It was while attending a women’s conference at the Dixie Center that Larsen discovered the University of Phoenix.  She stopped by their booth, picked up information on their graduate programs, talked to the enrollment advisors, spent the summer thinking about it, and then decided to go for it.

A fully-accredited, non-traditional institution of higher learning founded specifically to help working adults earn degrees, diplomas and certificates in many different career fields, the University of Phoenix makes use of the latest educational technology and flexible scheduling to allow students to pursue their goals with minimal disruption to their daily lives.  The program and approach seemed ideally suited to Larsen’s needs.

“The University of Phoenix staff has been wonderful,” she says.  “They are caring and helpful and incredibly sensitive to student needs.”   She enjoyed her University of Phoenix courses and instructors so much that she has begun to think about pursuing a Ph.D.  “I’d love for the kids to have to call me ‘Doctor Mom,’” she says.

Larsen hopes to use her degree to serve others and give back, something she has been doing for much of her adult life.  In addition to teaching Yoga and Tai Chi and helping out at the Ivins police station (where, she tells people, she polishes bullets to make them go faster) she is a member of the Committee for Ivins City Fire Plan and has served an LDS mission to Washington, D.C.  And as if all that weren’t enough, she enjoys spending time with her sixteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

“There’s so much to learn and so much to do,” Larsen says.  “The University of Phoenix has opened doors for me and can do the same for others.  No one needs to slow down just because they hit some number on a calendar.”

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix is constantly innovating to help students balance education and life in a rapidly changing world. Through flexible schedules, challenging courses and interactive learning, students achieve personal and career aspirations without putting their lives on hold. As of November 30, 2009, 455,600 students were enrolled at University of Phoenix, the largest private university in North America. University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. www.phoenix.edu


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Pool Table/Ping Pong Table / Conference Table for Sale

Description:
This 8+' Table is three tables in one.
Conference - Ping Pong - Billiards Table - $4,295

8' Contemporary Eclipse style billiard table.  Jet black laminate with wood trim, built in drop pockets and inlaid rounded sights.  3 piece 1" slate top with jet black felt.  8' Naugahyde fitted cover.  Comes with complete cue accessory kit including 2 two-piece 57" cues, 1 two-piece 48" cue, bridge unit, billiard balls, 9 ball wood rack, 15 ball wood rack, table brushes, repair kit, cue chalk, and 7 cue wall mount.  Additionally, 5/8" Green Ping Pong Conversion Top with paddles, net and ping pong balls.

Local moving cost $250 take down and delivery plus $250 set up.

 8' Naugahyde fitted cover. 

 Pool Table

Comes with complete cue accessory kit including 2 two-piece 57" cues, 

1 two-piece 48" cue, bridge unit, billiard balls, 9 ball wood rack, 

15 ball wood rack, table brushes, repair kit, cue chalk, and 7 cue wall mount.

Plus, 5/8" Green Ping Pong Conversion Top with paddles, netting and ping pong balls.  Tons of fun.

Tonaquint Data Center expands facility

St. George, UT, April 20, 2010 — Tonaquint Data Center (TDC), announced it has completed its primary data center colocation space.  Phase II expansion is now under way with contracts locking down an additional 2,700 square feet of data center space. Phase III construction will begin second quarter 2010 for an additional 9,500 square feet and will be available for occupancy third quarter 2010.  In addition, a secondary 2 Megawatt generator has been integrated in the facility's grid for additional backup and redundancy.  A third 2 Megawatt generator is slated for third quarter 2010 operations.
In addition to the physical expansion, Tonaquint has deployed its virtual environment and hosting solutions. Matt Hamlin, CEO of the Tonaquint Data Center stated, "From SAN replication to virtual hosting, offering these types of virtual solutions provides us the ability to meet the wide array of customer needs and demands. It meshes really well with our customer's disaster recovery and colocation environments."

When these expansions are completed this nearly 40,000 square foot facility will have full data solutions services including Collocation, Disaster Recovery, IT Infrastructure Outsourcing, Remote Management Services, Managed Services via 3rd party providers including Level 3, 360 Network, Qwest, South Central communications, and Utah Interlinx, and many other services.  Hamblin stated, “The data center will be the only tier 3 rated data facility between Salt Lake and Las Vegas.“ 

When the Tonaquint Business Park launched in 2002, the vision of the park was seen as the premier ‘hi-tech’ business park in the southern Utah region.  Included in these objectives was the ability to bring broadband technologies and top tier data storage to hi-tech companies and institutions throughout the region.  Companies needing large bandwidth, data storage, and high power density will now have a local alternative to the Salt Lake or Las Vegas markets for this type of facility.

Smaller businesses have also been able to take advantage of this facility.  It is an opportunity for companies to store their back up data in a more secure location, where they can feel confident that their important information will be safe from environmental, and accidental incidents.

The Tonaquint Data Center is also considered a collocation facility where businesses requiring a high level of system reliability and security can locate, network, and interconnect to a number of global fiber optic networks.  Collocation space is becoming popular because of the time and cost savings companies achieve as a result of using shared data center infrastructure.

For further information on the Tonaquint Data Center or what the Tonaquint Data Center can do for your business contact Matt at 435.673.4523 or www.tonaquintdc.com

InfoWest Announces Network Capacity Upgrades

InfoWest Announces Network Capacity Upgrades

Third Fiber Path Improves Redundancy and Speed.  New business VPN services available.


St. George, Utah – April 23, 2010 – InfoWest today announced the completion of a number of major upgrades to its network capacity.  The upgrades more than double InfoWest’s bandwidth to the internet and provide a third redundant fiber path out of the area.  Additionally, InfoWest core network upgrades will now allow InfoWest to offer carrier-class virtual private networking services to area businesses.

Another First in Southern Utah

Over five years ago, InfoWest became the first Internet provider in southern Utah to utilize dual, redundant fiber-optic paths to the Internet. The dual paths helped them avoid outages when fiber was cut twice in central Utah.  Today, a third fiber-optic connection more than doubles their capacity, and adds another layer of resiliency to their network.  The new fiber connects to a regional network hub in Salt Lake City from which InfoWest interconnects with top-tier Internet providers.  The connection also allows them to better serve businesses that have locations in both northern and southern Utah.

Today InfoWest has one fiber optic internet feed to Southern California and two feeds across diverse geographic paths to separate locations in Northern Utah.  Plans are in the works for additional capacity upgrades in the near future.

“We look forward to increased demand for Internet services in this area, and this expanded ‘pipe’ to the Internet will help us stay ahead of the game,” said InfoWest Vice President, Randy Cosby.  “We are looking past today’s slow economy so we can be ready to provide reliable, next-generation services tomorrow.”

Core Network Upgrades Expand Business Services

Upgrades to InfoWest’s core fiber-optic network in Washington and Iron counties, as well as their new northern Utah point of presence, allow them to offer full virtual private networks for clients between multiple locations.  Using the latest MPLS (Multi-Protocol Layer Switching) technology, InfoWest can inexpensively interconnect multiple office locations, as well as provide increased quality of service for voice, video and internet.  InfoWest uses MPLS internally to ensure performance and reliability on their local fiber network.  That network feeds wireless towers and fiber-optic internet connections that serve thousands of business and residential customers in the region.

More upgrades are on the way.  Plans are in the works to increase the speed of their local core fiber network by 1000%, and additional regional fiber paths are being studied.

About InfoWest

Based in St. George, Utah, InfoWest was founded in 1994 to provide high speed Internet services in areas across the state of Utah.  InfoWest offers internet services ranging from high speed T-1, DSL, wireless, fiber-optic access and telephone services for both business and residential clients.  The company's Web site is www.infowest.com.

Old, New, Gently Used And Obsolete Books donated

Saint George, UT, April 27, 2010 – You brought them.  University of Phoenix boxed them, and will now deliver them to the Washington County School District.  Your donated books will change lives.  From April 5-23, Donation Bins were set up at University of Phoenix – St. George Campus. Over that time, 45 boxes of gently used books were received and will now be delivered to benefit students and families in Washington County.

This donation project was in celebration of Earth Day.  The books will go to the Washington County School District and if any books can’t be used by the school district, they will be donated to the Washington County Library and in turn the books will be channeled to where they can do the best good.  All types of books, from children’s to adult’s, hardback and paperback, were donated. Greg Robinson, Operations Supervisor for University of Phoenix, St. George Campus stated, "This continues to prove that southern Utah residents care about their children and the environment to make this donation project such a success.   Those books that are too worn will be appropriately recycled while others may be sold to raise funds for new books.  Utah elementary schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, and other literacy programs that serve children in need will be the recipients."

“Currently, 61 percent of low income families have no children’s books in their homes and that is tragic,” said Darris Howe, VP/Director of the University’s Utah Campus.  “With help from the people in our surrounding communities lie we have recently seen, we can drive that number down.”

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix has five Utah locations: Murray, Taylorsville, North Davis, Pleasant Grove and St. George.  The University is constantly innovating to help students balance education and life in a rapidly changing world. Through flexible schedules, challenging courses and interactive learning, students achieve personal and career aspirations without putting their lives on hold. As of November 30, 2009, 455,600 students were enrolled at University of Phoenix, the largest private university in North America. University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. www.phoenix.edu

Me and the Gov

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and me at the Groundbreaking at Jackson Flat Reservoir - Kane County.

Senator Bob Bennett, Mike Noel, Gov. Gary Herbert and others 

turn dirt to get Jackson Flat Reservoir off to a great start.

HintonBurdick CPA Earns IS Auditor Certification

N E W S R E L E A S E

News Release: Immediate

For more information contact: Brian Tenney

Telephone: 435 674 2846

brian@tcscreative.com

HintonBurdick CPA Earns IS Auditor Certification

St. George, UT, March 26, 2010 – McKay Hall, a Certified Public Accountant with HintonBurdick CPAs and Advisors, assigned to the St. George office, recently became qualified as a Certified Information System Auditor (CISA), managing partner Morris Peacock announced today.

Certified Information Systems Auditors focus on the information systems used in accounting transactions, Peacock explained, including the logical or physical security of the system, its availability, the processes involved in system backups, and disaster recovery plans. “Having a CISA-certified individual on our staff significantly expands HintonBurdick’s auditing capabilities,” he stated, “enabling us to offer an even greater range of services to our clients.”

To earn the certification, Hall had to pass an exam demonstrating competency in a number of areas related to the use of information systems, including governance, infrastructure lifecycle management, and protection of information assets, and have five years of applicable work experience. To maintain the certification, he will have to obtain 120 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) hours every three years.

Prior to working with HintonBurdick, Hall spent ten years in the computer industry establishing and maintaining information software and networks, as well as other hardware and software solutions for business services. He has a B.A. in computer science from Southern Utah University, as well as a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in accounting from the same institution. He passed the CPA examination and became a licensed Certified Public Accountant in 2009.

Hall and his wife currently live in Enterprise.

HintonBurdick currently serves southern Utah with four offices, St. George, Cedar City, Hurricane, and Richfield. They service Southeastern Nevada with an office in Mesquite. They have been servicing the financial and tax needs of businesses for more than 30 years and handle clients in 47 states and several foreign countries.

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