Income statement assignment

Fifth Third Bancorp

All numbers in millions.

They divided income into two groups:

Revenue 3 years:

Interest 2010: 4,489

2009: 4,668

2008: 5,608

Non-Interest 2010: 2,729

2009: 4,782

2008: 2,946

Total 2010: 7,218

2009: 9,450

2008: 8,554

Earning 3 years:

2010: 753

2009: 737

2008: (2,113)

Profit margin 3 years:

2010: 10.4%

2009: 7.8%

2008: (24.7%)

500 word local business rewrite

            At the corner of St. Paul Street and Sewall Avenue sits a green and white Edwardian Tudor behind a well-manicured front garden. This is the site of the Bertram Inn, a Bed and Breakfast in a neighborhood, Brookline, and a city, Boston, where they are numerous. There are at least four such businesses within two blocks of Bertram, and according to BedandBreakfast.com, the city of Boston is 7^th in concentration of Bed and Breakfasts in the world.

            Stephen Bareford, the general manager of the Bertram Inn, did not see these other Bed and Breakfasts as his true competition. Just one block north, towers the Holiday Inn, which he considered the real competition. He noted that most Bed and Breakfasts fill up, and the refer excess guests to each other, saying that the Bertram was “fully booked for the next three weeks,” and he was referring new visitors to the Sewall Inn across the street. The two Inns are one business, with the same owner, but different managers.

            Bareford, who has worked at the hote for five years and became the general manager in the beginning of 2011, said the Bertram Inn has a comprehensive staff, many who are fluent in both Spanish and English, including one manager from Argentina, Astrid Poodts. He said the Inn receives thousands of diverse guests every year, and aims for a friendly atmosphere where fellow travelers can mingle. He noted recent guests from Argentina and Japan, and “People from South Africa talking to people from New Zealand” at the breakfast.

            The Inn maintains corporate accounts as well, not just aiming to please tourists, but those on business as well. Bareford said a recent guest was a National Geographic photographer who unrolled the skeleton of an Ardipithecus, an early hominid, on one of the tables in the Bertram’s lounge.

            The Bertram also has special packages for romantic events, and these can attract even some Bostonians and residents of Brookline to the Inn for a night, according to Bareford. These packages include things like chocolates, wines, cheeses, and even a masseuse.

            The Inn’s breakfasts are a source of pride for Bareford, who aims to be more than what he calls a “Bed and Bagel.” The Inn alternates sweet and savory morning meals, offering french toast, and pancakes one day, and eggs, salmon, and bacon the next, always served buffet style. These supplies are bought from a home delivery service, but Bareford likes to visit local markets to find seasonal fruits and vegetables as well. There are snacks such as cookies and dried fruits available all day. He said the Inn spends about $1500 a week on its food supplies, and recalled one breakfast where a large business group helped them go through 60 dozen eggs.

            The Inn has a history stretching back to 1907, built by Carl Kaffenburg for one of his daughters. The hotel hangs a black and white picture of the stern-looking Kaffenburg and his family in the lobby. It later became a boarding house in 1939, and the current owner, Bryan Austin, bought the building in a state of disrepair, with squatters living on the residence, according to Bareford.

500 word assignment

            Boston has dozens of Bed and Breakfast businesses, and is their seventh most popular destination in the world according to Bedandbreakfast.com. Competition is fierce, and as testament to this in one intersection in Brookline there are three neighboring Inns. The Bertram Inn is working and succeeding in offering more than a traditional Bed and Breakfast.

            The proprietors claim that the Inn offers unique packages to celebrate special events in addition to the traditional Bed and Breakfast fare. These packages cater to couples that want to splurge and celebrate a romantic event, such as an engagement or an anniversary. The packages include various amenities, ranging from the typical—cheese, wine, flowers, to the surprising and indulgent such as the services of the Inn’s full-time massage therapist. These events can cost $175 to $375 extra, and the rooms typically cost around $300 a night.

            The current manager, Astrid Poodts, first came to the United States in 2002 from Argentina. She took over management at the Bertram Inn in 2006, helping transform the Inn with a bilingual staff to cater to Spanish speaking visitors to the Boston area.

            The Bertram Inn offers other amenities, typical of the Bed and Breakfasts in the neighborhood such as working wood-burning fireplaces, wireless Internet, DVD player and library, breakfast buffets, and luxurious furnishings and bathroom amenities. 

            The Bertram seems to be succeeding. The management boasts that the Inn’s 16 rooms housed over a thousand guests the previous year. Online review sites such as Bedandbreakfast.com and Tripadvisor.com seem to agree. Reviews on the former site are unanimously positive, with specific praise for the staff and food. Not all visitors have had a positive experience, according to reviews at tripadvisor.com some individuals have complained about the staff having poor English, running out of food at breakfast, and poor climate control for the rooms.

            It is little wonder that the Bertram Inn’s neighborhood of Brookline would be home to such a competitive concentration of Bed and Breakfasts. The neighborhood has large historic homes—The Bertram dates to 1907—spacious, wooded properties, and a quiet atmosphere. The neighborhood’s location provides easy access to the business areas of Boston, and the Bertram is only one block from the Boston green line train service.

First Assignment

Five Prominent Businesses in my life:

Fifth Third Bank
Amazon.com
Microcenter
Barnes & Noble
Procter & Gamble

Five Local Businesses and Addresses:

Chestnut Hill Realty
1223 Beacon Street

Brookline Family Health Care
1223 Beacon Street

The Bertram Inn
92 Sewall Avenue

Taberna de Haro
999 Beacon Street

Superb Bicycle
842 Beacon Street