Business Bits

By Zoe Francis, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

7-Eleven Introduces Natural Fruit and Nut Bars

7-Eleven is catering to health-conscious customers with its new GO!Smart fruit and nut bars.

The private-label snack bars are touted as being a healthful snack, weighing in at fewer than 200 calories per bar. The fruit and nut bars, drizzled with yogurt, are available in two varieties - cranberry cashew and pistachio and mixed berries. The bars are available exclusively at 7-Eleven for the suggested price of $1.79.

"We started from scratch and developed bars that offer health benefits and taste great, too," Sean Thompson, 7-Eleven senior director for private brand, said. "GO!Smart bars are made in small batches from recipes created especially for 7-Eleven."

Ingredients include whole grain, crisp brown rice, flax seed, raisins, roasted peanuts, sunflower oil, sea salt, a yogurt-flavored coating and natural flavors. The bars are gluten-free and low sodium.

GO!Smart is part of 7-Eleven's growing 7-Select family of high-quality, private brand offerings and the first designed for its better-for-you category. New packaging features a transparent window so shoppers can see the natural ingredients.

Dallas-based 7-Eleven has an office in Hacienda and several local stores. Learn more about the company at 7-eleven.com.
IronPlanet Expands with Merger

IronPlanet just got bigger with the acquisition of Associated Auction Services LLC.

Associated Auction Services was as an alliance of Caterpillar and several of its independent Cat dealers and operated under the name Cat Auction Services.

Hacienda-based IronPlanet is the leading online marketplace for buying and selling used heavy equipment and trucks. Once combined, the two companies will provide buyers and sellers of used heavy construction equipment a unique auction experience backed by technology, services and equipment expertise unmatched in the industry.

"I am very excited about the combination of IronPlanet and Cat Auction Services, two trusted partners in helping buyers and sellers with their used heavy equipment acquisition and disposition needs," Gregory J. Owens, IronPlanet chairman and CEO, said. "The power of IronPlanet's technology, multiple marketplace formats and global buyer base coupled with Cat Auction Services' live, onsite auction format and deep equipment expertise will provide the most powerful and complete suite of auction remarketing tools in the industry."

The transaction was completed in early April.

Learn more about IronPlanet at ironplanet.org.
JadooTV Expands Offerings with AAJ News from Pakistan

JadooTV now offers AAJ News, the Urdu language 24-hour news channel known for its innovative news reporting, to viewers in the United States.

The channel was already available to international viewers of JadooTV outside the U.S. The recent content agreement expands access to AAJ News to all international viewers of JadooTV. Viewers can enjoy live streaming of popular programs like Bolta Pakistan, Bottom Line and Live with Talat, plus 24-hour live news coverage directly from Pakistan.

JadooTV is a consumer technology and services company based in Hacienda. The company delivers live and on-demand content to viewers through its proprietary Internet-based set-top box.

JadooTV is the leading distributor of Internet-based South Asian television content, bringing television, movies and music from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal and the Middle East.

Learn more about the company at jadootv.com.
NeoTract's Innovative Device Approved for Coverage

NeoTract's innovative UroLift System for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has been approved for coverage under Medicare and Medicaid.

BPH, also known as enlarged prostate, is a medical condition in which the prostate gland that surrounds the male urethra becomes enlarged with advancing age and begins to obstruct the urinary system.

The UroLift System is the only transprostatic implant system for BPH. Medication is often the first-line therapy for enlarged prostate, but relief can be inadequate and temporary. It also comes with a host of side effects that lead many patients to quit taking medications.

The UroLift System is implanted in an outpatient procedure with no cutting, heating or removal of prostate tissue. There are now two codes under which physicians who use the system can apply for reimbursement through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

"The establishment of CMS reimbursement for UroLift is a major milestone for NeoTract and the clinical community and comes on the heels of positive coverage decisions from Aetna and Coventry earlier this year," Dave Amerson, president and CEO of NeoTract, said. "We are excited about the opportunity this presents for millions of men in the U.S. who are suffering from the symptoms of enlarged prostate, which often greatly impacts quality of life."

Learn more about NeoTract and UroLift at neotract.com.

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April Business Bits

Business Bits