ProfNet Experts Available on Trucking Regulations, Employee Wellness, More

NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network – it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform.

EXPERT ALERTS

• Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles Facing Heavy-Duty Regulations
• How CFOs Can Stop Worrying and Love Their Company's Wellness/EAP
• Five Tips on Picking a Good Business Partner and Avoiding Future Problems
• Zika Spread Magnifies Questions of Employer Liability

MEDIA JOBS

• Media Reporter – WWD (NY)
• Weekend News Anchor/Reporter – KMBC/KCWE-TV (MO)
• Assistant Managing Editor – Law360 (NY)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• 6 Simple Tools for Creating GIFs to Enhance Your Storytelling
• Facebook Live: A Game Changer
• Know Before You Go: 4 Tips for Journalists Covering a Major Event

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EXPERT ALERTS:

Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles Facing Heavy-Duty Regulations
H. Peyton Inge IV
Attorney
Chamblee Ryan Kershaw & Anderson in Dallas
Tougher greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards are coming for new large and heavy-duty vehicles, such as buses and tractor-trailers. The package of regulations announced this week represent the latest effort by the Obama administration to produce cleaner and more efficient vehicles after 2018. In the final rule, the Environmental Protection Agency tightened carbon dioxide emission standards while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration imposed fuel consumption measures. Says Inge: "The goal of reduced carbon emissions is laudable, but fuel efficiency typically means less power from engines that are more expensive to purchase and operate. The long-term environmental effects of the regulations are likely to be positive, but they are also likely to hit truckers in the pocketbook when they purchase a new rig, with costs ultimately passed along to the consumer."  Inge represents trucking companies on operational and litigation matters.
Bio: http://www.chambleeryan.com/attorney-bios/h-peyton-inge-iv/
Website: http://www.chambleeryan.com
Contact: Barry Pound, [email protected]

How CFOs Can Stop Worrying and Love Their Company's Wellness/EAP
Dr. Dave Sharar
Research Scientist, Commercial Science Division
Chestnut Global Partners
A recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (see link below) reports that some employers are cutting back on wellness programs and related services, as management has remained skeptical as to their value in making their company healthier and productive, while reducing the cost of doing so. However, Sharar says companies are not measuring these programs properly: "Companies, government agencies, and other organizations in today's world need objective data to validate and justify all expenditures. Measuring the success of employee assistance in particular has historically focused on utilization rates, client satisfaction, and occasional surveys of symptom reduction or problem resolution. The most reliable measure, however, is how employee assistance programs (EAPs) affect specific workplace outcomes."
Chestnut Global Partners and the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) recently did a "before and after" assessment of 13,400 users of employee assistance services, based on their correlation to absenteeism, productivity, and other key workplace outcomes measures. Sharar is available to discuss their findings and how applying outcomes-based measures -- and analytics -- to wellness and employee assistance programs gives CFOs and senior management a systematic and objective way of determining their value to the organization.
Survey: http://tinyurl.com/jt2k9gc
Contact: Charles Epstein, [email protected]

Five Tips on Picking a Good Business Partner and Avoiding Future Problems
Walid J. Tamari
Founder
Tamari Law Group LLC
Picking the right partner can take your business to the next level. Picking the wrong one can tank it. Tamari offers these tips to keep in mind before entering into a business relationship: 1) "Make sure you need each other: You're missing something -- financial support, people skills, credibility, connections -- why else would you consider partnering?" 2) "Share a vision: Setting a clear, agreed-upon course for the company's direction is critical to the success of any partnership." 3) "Research: It's natural to let the potential rewards of a business partnership cloud your judgment." 4) "Test the partnership: Before you commit, consider testing the partnership by working together on a project or two." 5) "Pick someone you like: Judging a potential business partner on their capabilities is important, but so too is their personality."
Based in Chicago, Tamari is an established business and civil litigation attorney that represents businesses, business owners, and individuals in business and civil litigation matters. His broad experience includes representing clients in commercial breach of contract, trade secret misappropriation and business tort litigation. For several years, Thomson Reuters' Super Lawyers magazine named Tamari as one of the top young lawyers in Illinois, a recognition given to only 2.5% of Illinois attorneys. He has been featured in numerous media outlets.
Website: www.tamarilaw.com
Contact: Ryan McCormick, [email protected]

Zika Spread Magnifies Questions of Employer Liability
Justin Markel
Attorney
Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey PC in Houston
Health officials have reported the first spread of the Zika virus from state to state when a Texas man got the disease after visiting a section of Miami where mosquitoes have been spreading Zika. The virus can cause brain damage and other birth defects in infants if the mother is infected during pregnancy. While its dangers first appeared in Brazil, its spread to the U.S. has magnified questions about risk, including to workers whose employers want them to travel. Says Markel: "Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, employees may refuse to work in certain circumstances when working conditions are dangerous. Among other things, the employee must genuinely believe that an imminent danger exists, and there must be a real danger of death or serious injury. Because of the way Zika is transmitted and the availability of preventive measures, it is unlikely that an employee could refuse to travel on this ground – unless the employee is pregnant. However, employers should be cautious when an employee refuses such a work assignment. An employee could argue that she is protected by OSHA and is shielded from adverse employment actions."
News Contact: Kit Frieden, [email protected]

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

• Media Reporter – WWD (NY)
• Weekend News Anchor/Reporter – KMBC/KCWE-TV (MO)
• Assistant Managing Editor – Law360 (NY)

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.

• 6 SIMPLE TOOLS FOR CREATING GIFs TO ENHANCE YOUR STORYTELLING. GIFs never seem to get old or go out of style. These animated silent loops have dominated the world of online memes for some time now, going viral on blogs and social media more times than we can count. Here are six simple tools you can use to create GIFs to enhance your articles: http://bit.ly/2bpY9Ci
• FACEBOOK LIVE: A GAME CHANGER IN 2016 SUMMER OLYMPICS IN RIO. As athletes continue to compete against each other for medals, social media platforms are also still vying for a spot on the podium. With its live-streaming features and Instagram, Facebook seems poised to take home gold against the likes of Twitter and Snapchat -- hardly even a qualifier four-years ago during the last summer games. Read more: http://prn.to/2brgJv3
• KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: 4 TIPS FOR JOURNALISTS COVERING A MAJOR EVENT. If you're covering a major event like the Olympics, here are some pointers to keep in mind: http://bit.ly/2b4RCsC

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