UrbanSitter Launches Today in San Francisco

UrbanSitter launches today in San Francisco, giving moms and dads throughout the Bay Area the ability to book a qualified babysitter with the click of a mouse. By leveraging members' trusted networks to match families with caregivers, UrbanSitter delivers on the Bay-area founders' mission to use technology to power a faster, more personal babysitting service.

Unlike with other national childcare websites, parents can view sitters they know--as well as sitters their friends know--and book them in real-time. Operating in beta since July, the site has already acquired more than 400 sitters. What's more, 60 percent of parents who have used the site have already booked a second sitter, proving it is a valuable tool to parents.

"With $10 billion spent on babysitters last year and 300 million sitter bookings occurring each year in the U.S., there is clearly an enormous business opportunity here," said Lynn Perkins, co-founder, UrbanSitter. "But more importantly, we are making parents' lives easier because until now, there hasn't been an easy way to find and book a trusted sitter. We think that UrbanSitter is to babysitting what OpenTable is to restaurant reservations."

For Parents

Parents sign up for UrbanSitter using Facebook Connect and can view sitters known through friends or affiliations--including schools, sports teams and parents groups--and can view each sitter's availability in order to select a sitter for a specific date and time, or plan an outing when they know their favorite sitter is available. Jobs or interviews can be booked in minutes and parents can contribute written reviews, ratings and Facebook "Likes" to sitter profiles.

"Reviews and recommendations from friends are a must when it comes to booking a sitter for my kids," said Matt Koidin, parent member. "UrbanSitter has not only expanded our network of babysitters, it has given us peace of mind. Knowing that a friend who shares my values has hired and liked a particular sitter speaks volumes. Plus, it no longer takes me days to identify and book a sitter I feel completely confident in, allowing my wife and me to enjoy more nights out without having to plan so far in advance."

For Sitters

UrbanSitter babysitters post their credentials, as well as availability, hourly rates and location preferences. The ability to see who parents are connected to fosters trust and familiarity and helps sitters decide which jobs to accept. To protect privacy, contact information is exchanged only after the booking is confirmed. Unlike other childcare agencies, which require a percentage of wages, sitters keep all the money they earn and positive reviews posted to the site help them gain more work.

"I have tried several services to find babysitting jobs in the Bay Area. I found the national childcare websites to be static and impersonal and nanny agencies claimed up to 15 percent of my wages," said Kate Jensen, sitter member. "With UrbanSitter, I can see what personal connections I have with prospective families and can update my availability and rates on the fly. And, I keep every dollar I make, which as a college student is particularly important to me."

Available now to parents and sitters in San Francisco and the Peninsula, UrbanSitter will extend to additional Bay regions including Marin and the East Bay in the coming weeks. The service will also expand to additional U.S. cities like Los Angeles and New York City over the next 12 months. While membership is currently free to both parents and sitters, as the company grows UrbanSitter will explore additional revenue opportunities, including parent subscriptions and transaction fees, sitter fees and promotions, as well as corporate and affiliate programs.

For more information, or to sign up, please visit: www.urbansitter.com

About UrbanSitter

UrbanSitter is a community match service for parents and babysitters who connect online through Facebook and their existing networks. The site enables parents to search, book and review trusted sitters within minutes.

Headquartered in San Francisco, UrbanSitter was founded by a group of Internet veterans who wanted to use technology to power a faster, more personal babysitting service. For more information or to sign up, visit www.urbansitter.com .

Home Sales in the San Francisco Bay Area Got a Minor Boost in June

Home sales in the San Francisco Bay area got a minor boost in June, but activity was still slower than it was a year earlier, a tracking firm reported Thursday.

A total of 7,998 homes were sold in the nine-county area last month, up 14.5 percent from 6,988 in May, San Diego-based DataQuick said.

"June likely benefited from a combination of factors, such as price reductions, low mortgage rates and perhaps a batch of short sale transactions from spring that took months to close," DataQuick president John Walsh said.

But Walsh cautioned that "last month was not a particularly strong June, historically speaking, and one month's increase in sales from the prior month doesn't constitute a trend."

Indeed, last month's sales were 4.5 percent lower than the 8,373 posted in June 2010.

DataQuick also said the median price for a home in the region was down 7.9 percent to $377,750 from $410,000 in June 2010, but up 1.5 percent from $372,000 in May.

Nearly half of the existing homes sold came from distressed property sales, maintaining the downward pressure on prices.

Foreclosures accounted for 26.2 percent of last month's sales, down slightly from 26.5 percent in May but up from 25.6 percent a year earlier.

Short-sale transactions, in which lenders allow distressed homes to be sold for less than what is owed, accounted for 18.3 percent of existing home sales. That was up a pinch from 18.2 percent in May but down from 18.9 percent a year earlier.

Calpine Corporation and GE Obtained an $844.5 Million Credit Facility for New Generation in San Francisco Bay Area

HAYWARD, Calif., Jun 27, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Calpine Corporation CPN -0.64% and GE GE +0.72% unit GE Energy Financial Services announced today that they have obtained an $844.5 million credit facility to finance construction of the 619-megawatt, combined-cycle Russell City Energy Center in Hayward, California. The power plant, now under construction, was the nation's first to receive a federal air permit that includes a voluntary limit on greenhouse gas emissions.
 

The project finance facility announced today includes a construction loan that will convert to a 10-year term loan when commercial operations begin, expected in mid-2013. The construction loan and term loan facility will initially be priced at LIBOR plus 2.25%. The loan facility -- jointly arranged by MUFG Power & Utilities Group; ING Capital LLC; Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets; BMO Capital Markets and CoBank, ACB -- is non-recourse to Calpine and GE Energy Financial Services.
 

"This financing marks an important milestone in our effort to bring much-needed electric power supply to California's Bay Area, allowing us to complete the construction of a modern, flexible, highly efficient, clean and low-carbon energy resource," said Jack Fusco, Calpine's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Building upon our 27-year history in the state, this project demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing reliable and sustainable electricity."
 

GE Energy Financial Services sees the project as an example of its strategic emphasis on partnering with energy project developers.
 

"This project shows how we complement the resources of respected developers such as Calpine by providing more than money, at a time when energy projects are becoming more complex, costly and time-consuming," said Alex Urquhart, president and CEO of GE Energy Financial Services. "We offer developers not only capital but our 30 years of energy investing experience, long-term view and commitment, technical and regulatory capabilities, and power and construction contracting expertise." Under development since 2001, the Russell City Energy Center will use the most advanced emissions control technology available today for a natural gas-fired power plant. Pacific Gas and Electric has agreed to purchase the full output of electricity from Russell City upon completion and will supply natural gas fuel to the plant under a 10-year power purchase agreement approved by the California Public Utilities Commission in September 2010. The facility is expected to play a critical role in meeting the Bay Area's power needs as older, emissions-intensive plants shut down and in supporting the integration of renewable energy projects into California's power grid.
 

A Calpine affiliate owns 75% of Russell City while a GE Energy Financial Services affiliate owns the balance.


About Calpine
 

Founded in 1984, Calpine Corporation is a major U.S. power company, currently capable of delivering approximately 28,000 megawatts of clean, cost-effective, reliable and fuel-efficient power from its 92 operating plants to customers and communities in 20 U.S. states and Canada. Calpine Corporation is committed to helping meet the needs of an economy that demands more and cleaner sources of electricity. Calpine owns, leases and operates primarily low-carbon, natural gas-fired and renewable geothermal power plants. Using advanced technologies, Calpine generates power in a reliable and environmentally responsible manner for the customers and communities it serves. Please visit our website at www.calpine.com for more information.
 

About GE Energy Financial Services
 

GE Energy Financial Services' experts invest globally across the capital spectrum in essential, long-lived, and capital-intensive energy assets that meet the world's energy needs. In addition to capital, GE Energy Financial Services offers the best of GE's technical know-how, technology innovation, financial strength, and rigorous risk management. Based in Stamford, Connecticut, the GE business unit helps its customers and GE grow through new investments, strong partnerships, and optimization of its $21 billion in assets. For more information, visit http://www.geenergyfinancialservices.com .
 

About GE
 

GE GE +0.72% is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world's toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com .
 

Forward-Looking Information

 
In addition to historical information, this release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Words such as "believe," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "may," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include, among others, those concerning expected financial performance and strategic and operational plans, as well as assumptions, expectations, predictions, intentions or beliefs about future events. You are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that a number of risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Please see the risks identified in this release or in Calpine's reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the risk factors identified in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2010, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2011. These filings are available by visiting the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov or Calpine's website at www.calpine.com . Actual results or developments may differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, and Calpine undertakes no obligation to update any such statements.

SuccessFactors, Inc. has been named one of the Top Workplaces in the San Francisco Bay Area

SuccessFactors, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFSF), the global leader in business execution software, has been named one of the Top Workplaces in the San Francisco Bay Area based on an employee-based survey project from the Bay Area News Group. The Bay Area News Group's Top Workplaces special section was published in the San Jose Mercury News on Sunday, June 19.

Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressive companies in the Bay Area based on employee opinions about company leadership, career opportunities, workplace flexibility, compensation and benefits. The analysis included responses from more than 16,000 employees at public, private and nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area.

The rankings in the Bay Area News Group top places to work are based on survey information collected by Workplace Dynamics, an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention.

"Helping our customers deliver extraordinary business results, increase the performance of their employees and create great workplaces is what we do at SuccessFactors every day. We believe every company can have employees that are as motivated and passionate about their job as our people are," said Jeff Diana, chief people officer, SuccessFactors. "At SuccessFactors we value our people and culture above all else and we believe this comes through in every aspect of our products and how we focus on the success of our customers. People are our competitive advantage and our most precious asset. We want to make every employee in our company, and every company, successful by providing the tools to enhance their professional skill set, advance their career goals and connect with their company and its mission. We truly believe it's time to love work again and that starts with creating a great work atmosphere that engages and delights the people who live in it each and everyday."

To qualify for the Bay Area News Group Top Workplaces, a company must have more than 50 employees in the Bay Area. More than 1,300 companies were invited to participate. Rankings were composite scores calculated purely on the basis of employee responses.

About SuccessFactors

SuccessFactors is the leading provider of cloud-based Business Execution (BizX) software solutions to organizations of all sizes, with more than 8 million users across multiple industries and geographies. We strive to delight our customers by delivering innovative solutions, a broad range of content, process expertise and best practices knowledge gained from serving our large and varied customer base. Today, we have more than 3,200 customers in more than 168 countries using our application suite in 34 languages.

Execution Is The Difference™Follow us: http://twitter.com/SuccessFactorsLike us: http://facebook.com/SuccessFactors

Join us for SuccessConnect in Sydney, Aug. 24-25: http://www.successfactors.com/successconnect/.

"Safe harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are SuccessFactors' current expectations and beliefs.

These forward-looking statements include statements about future growth prospects. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements include: our ability to retain customers and to experience high customer renewal rates; whether customers renew their agreements for additional modules or users; pricing pressures; the uncertain impact of the overall global economic conditions, including on customers, prospective customers and partners, renewal rates and length of sales cycles; the fact that the business execution market is at an early stage of development, and may not develop as rapidly as we anticipate; risks related to the integration of the acquisitions, including retaining customers and employees and managing geographically-dispersed operations; competitive factors; outages or security breaches; our ability to develop, and market acceptance of, new services; the impact of any discovered product defects or outages; our ability to continue to sell our services outside the HR area; our ability to manage our growth; our ability to successfully expand our sales force and its effectiveness; whether our resellers and other partners will be successful in marketing our products; our ability to continue to manage expenses; the impact of unforeseen expenses, including as a result of integrating acquisitions; and general economic conditions worldwide. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions proves incorrect, our results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements we make.

Further information on these and other factors that could affect these forward-looking statements is included in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our most recent report on Form 10-Q and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.