Through the midway point of 2011, Colorado Springs-based, Challenger Homes has a good reason to be confident. For the first time in the homebuilder?s 11-year history, the company has moved into first place in Colorado Springs market share. The year-to-date permit report, published this month, marks a milestone for Challenger and sales management partner, New Home Star.

Although many builders continue to struggle, Challenger has thrived in recent years. The company has also remained steadfast in its practice of remaining closed on Sundays, despite most builders opening for business. In a market where every new customer counts, this practice has forced Challenger Homes and New Home Star to be very customer-focused the other six days of the week. Given the builder?s recent success, the approach appears to be working.

?We feel very blessed to be in this position during a very difficult market. It is a testimony to all of the great people working for and with Challenger Homes that share our vision and values,” said Challenger Homes president, Todd Anderson. ?By focusing on some timeless basic principles, we have been able to not only survive this housing recession, but thrive to become one of the top builders in our market.?

Challenger has experienced year-over year sales growth in the high double-digits, since partnering with New Home Star in 2009. The national sales management and outsourcing company partners with builders across North America to drive bottom line results. In Colorado Springs, that partnership has assisted Challenger Homes for consecutive record years in one of the most difficult housing markets in history.

?Watching what has happened with Challenger Homes over the past two years has been amazing. It?s a special experience to go from 15th to 1st in market share; one that you don?t get to experience often. I?m proud of the extraordinary team effort and thankful for the results. There is no doubt we are blessed,? explained New Home Star president, David Rice.

About Challenger Homes:

Over the years, Challenger has sold a lot of homes, in a lot of different designs, to a lot of different people. However, the core principle hasn?t changed. More House to Call Home, designed around the customer, at an affordable price. For more information on Challenger Homes, visit http://www.mychallengerhomes.com.

About New Home Star:

New Home Star is a national sales and marketing company, providing builders and developers with comprehensive management and outsourcing services for today?s housing market. New Home Star currently partners with over 30 builders spanning 3,000 miles across the United States. For more information on New Home Star, visit http://www.newhomestar.com.

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Find More Work From Home Press Releases

LivHOME, Inc., one of the nation?s largest providers of professionally led at-home care for seniors, announced today that it has sold a new franchise in the Sacramento, CA, area.

The franchise, based in Folsom, will provide at-home care to seniors in El Dorado and Placer Counties as well as eastern Sacramento. More than 50,000 seniors ages 65 and older live in this large territory, which includes the municipalities of Fair Oaks, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Granite Bay, Rocklin, Roseville and Auburn. Scheduled to open this summer, the franchise will be operated by Mark and Susan Stephenson.

?We are thrilled to be opening the new LivHOME franchise serving the Sacramento area. This opportunity perfectly leverages our healthcare industry experience, allowing us to work with seniors who wish to age in their own homes. LivHOME?s professionally led model lets us deliver the highest quality care to each senior, offering them both the quality of life and the dignity they deserve,? said Susan Stephenson.

?We?re very pleased to welcome the Stephensons to LivHOME. With more than 40 years of combined professional experience, which includes 22 years of experience in case management and nursing, the Stephensons not only bring specialized expertise to the Sacramento franchise but proven leadership within the healthcare industry. We know they?ll be a great addition to the LivHOME franchise team,? said Mimi Zeller, senior vice president of franchising for LivHOME.

LivHOME franchises provide a high level of care for seniors who wish to remain in their own homes. All franchises are based on LivHOME?s professionally led model, in which each client?s care is overseen by a professional care manager trained in nursing, geriatrics or social work. This distinguishes LivHOME from others in the industry.

The Sacramento franchise is the second one sold as part of LivHOME?s newly launched franchise initiative. In June 2011, LivHOME sold its first franchise in the northwest Chicago suburbs.

For more information about LivHOME?s franchise program, contact Mickey Goldkorn at 323-932-1320 or visit the LivHOME franchise website at http://www.livhomefranchise.com.

About LivHOME

LivHOME is one of the nation’s largest providers of professionally led at-home care for seniors. The company is dedicated to finding solutions that enable older adults to remain in their homes as long as possible. Based in Los Angeles, LivHOME delivers high quality at-home care at company-owned locations throughout California as well as Arlington, Va., Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, and Silver Spring, Md. LivHOME franchise locations are available across the U.S.

This information does not constitute an offer or sale of a LivHOME

International home package provider Linwood Custom Homes has been recognized for having one of the ?Best Homes of the Year.? Linwood?s ?Windwood? custom home was honored as a top pick in the 2011 Special Edition of most inspiring custom homes, published by Chantilly, VA-based Timber Home Living magazine.

Says Tim Schreiner, Editor of Timber Home Living magazine, ?Separately and as a whole, these homes represent all of the exemplary traits of timber homes, from energy efficient to versatile to gorgeous.?

The Windwood, the same 4,660 sq. ft. Linwood-designed home package that recently received award recognition from regional and national home builder associations, was selected as one of ?The Best of the Best? for the placement of its focal-point kitchen, creation of incredible gathering spaces, as well as other smart design choices.

Linwood custom homes are different than prefabricated homes or modular homes. The components of a Linwood home package are shipped in premeasured quantities and constructed on site, anywhere in the world, by a quality builder. Linwood home packages use post and beam construction, meaning wall posts support the roof and floor beams allowing for impressive roof vaults across virtually any span of space. The posts and beams are joined on site during the building process. Though a wide variety of energy-efficient building materials are used, Linwood is noted for home packages featuring the best western red cedar in the world.

Says Bill Mascott, President of Linwood Custom Homes, ?Homeowners and builders alike tell us that our custom home packages are a better, smarter, faster and safer way to build. Outstanding design expertise and exceptional building materials are a key part of the Linwood difference on a global scale.?

The Windwood?s homeowners worked closely with the award-winning home package provider to create their dream home, stating they were most impressed by the degree of design flexibility Linwood provided. They added that Linwood ?ultimately designed an entirely custom home? specifically for their building lot, taking advantage of passive solar gain and capturing the very best vistas. Although custom home packages can be ordered as seen online, thousands of Linwood home packages designed and delivered since 1968 started as custom designs in order to meet specific homeowner requirements.

To view the Windwood custom home photos and unique floor plan, go to Linwood Custom Homes or call 1-888-546-9663.

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Related Work From Home Press Releases

Nikken, a world leader in wellness since 1975, maintains active relationships with organizations around the world that promote a healthy society. Today, Nikken is proud to announce it has become a Trusted Partner of Healthy Child Healthy World.

The nation?s leading environmental health nonprofit for 20 years, Healthy Child Healthy World strives to inspire change in the marketplace for safer products, while preventing childhood exposure to harmful toxins. To become a Trusted Partner of Healthy Child Healthy World, a company?s products must meet or exceed the organization?s stringent quality standards and demonstrate its commitment to the human and environmental health of generations to come.

The Nikken 5 Pillars of Health

Robert Nieman and April Sadler-Nieman of Philomath, Oregon have become the newest additions to the Sprout Healthy Vending community. The Nieman?s will be based out of Philomath, OR with their vending machines placed throughout Corvallis and the surrounding areas.

?We at Sprout Healthy Vending are not content to stand side by side with machines that provide junk food and sugar laden soft drinks. Our goal is to replace those machines one Sprout Vending machine at a time, ? said Company Spokesman David Page.

?Operator success is absolutely critical toward this element of our business philosophy. After all, the success of our operators and the quality of their machines are what drives our brand, increases awareness of the Sprout vending option for consumers, and in turn brings profitability to our operators.?

?Rather than offering a model which has limited support and ongoing fees, we make our operators the highest priority by building a relationship between each operator and their locations, and offering continued support and training as they grow in the marketplace. It?s the Sprout Healthy Vending circle of life: we like to say that it is not just our products that are natural and organic, but also our approach to operator growth through nurturing,? added Page.

The Sprout Healthy Vending model offers a ?turn-key business opportunity, through the marriage of superior vending technology, guaranteed high-quality high-traffic locations researched by our in-house locations experts, and access to over 1000 healthy and organic drinks, snacks and other items,? said Page. The brand has seen unprecedented growth in the blossoming healthy vending market, with record sales in April and May.

?Within the healthy vending industry, we differentiate ourselves by keeping start-up costs minimal. From our industry-low machine costs, and no hidden or additional fees beyond the essentials, we protect the return on investment which our operators see, especially in those first few years which can be so difficult when starting a new business.?

Page continued: ?We are offering a fresh approach to this industry by fully informing our customers, and working with them to suit their needs, rather than springing hidden details on them, misinformation, or promising what can?t be delivered. Sprout represents organic growth in the market.?

As for the Nieman?s, they are excited to be bringing Healthy Vending options to their Oregon community. ?As my husband and I mature, we feel that we want to pursue career paths that are more beneficial to society, which is why I have been working with children and why he went from general, electrical work to working with solar energy. We feel that vending machines should provide healthy foods and drinks, especially in our public schools. We are highly motivated to provide healthy vending to our community as an alternative and hopefully a replacement to the current trend of soda and junk food vending machines. Sprout Healthy Vending provides products that we support and believe in and could therefore feel good about distributing.? said April Sadler-Nieman.

The Taste of Chicago is getting a little healthier this year with participation from the nation’s leading grassroots education program for healthy eating and activity, the Healthy Kids Challenge. Healthy Kids Challenge, the award-winning national non-profit, is joining in the festivities of the 27th Annual Taste of Chicago on July 2.

Healthy Kids Challenge is displaying their Walk through the Pyramid,? an interactive journey through each of the food groups in the food pyramid. This is the first time Walk through the Pyramid? will be featured at the Taste of Chicago.

Executive Director, Vickie James, stated “We’re thrilled to be a part of ‘America’s City Picnic’ showcasing affordable, simple steps for Chicagoans to create healthy lifestyles. We encourage everyone to visit us in the Family Village to get a taste of how easy and fun healthy living habits can become for your family.”

James stated that Healthy Kids Challenge offers a unique blend of “edu-tainment,” a fun way of teaching kids and families by combining interactive education and entertainment. The organization provides educational materials, workshops and trainings for thousands of schools, community and civic groups in all 50 states.

James said families can enjoy the interactive sensory learning experience at the Family Village, located between Jackson and Congress Drive from 11 am to 7 pm on July 2.

Healthy Kids Challenge was founded in 1998 to raise awareness and encourage healthy changes in eating and physical activity habits for youth and their families. Healthy Kids Challenge focus of assistance is on positive self-esteem and healthy choices, rather than weight. Healthy Kids Challenge offers simple solutions for schools, communities, and industry by incorporating healthy eating and physical activity into daily life anywhere kids and families live, learn, work, and play. To learn more about Healthy Kids Challenge, visit http://www.healthykidschallenge.org .

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The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) announced today that it has launched ?A Closer Look at Stem Cell Treatments? (http://www.closerlookatstemcells.org), a Web site to arm patients, their families and doctors with information they need to make decisions about stem cell treatments. The Web site was developed in response to the growing number of aggressive marketing campaigns on the Internet and elsewhere offering stem cell treatments. The ISSCR urges individuals to be cautious and to learn the facts before making any decision.

?Stem cells do hold tremendous promise for the treatment of many serious diseases. Yet there are organizations out there that are preying on patients? hopes, offering stem cell treatments ? often for large sums of money ? for conditions where the current science simply does not support its benefit or safety,? said Irving Weissman, MD, President of the ISSCR. ?We want to stress through this initiative that there are internationally accepted medical criteria for getting new medicines into clinics. Patients have a right to know if the clinic or treatment they are considering adheres to these criteria. We feel it is an obligation of the ISSCR to both a) alert patients and caregivers about clinics and other entities that are selling unproven ?stem cell? therapies, and b) help shepherd real stem cell advances from discovery to successful patient treatments as rapidly as possible. ?

Currently there are only a small number of stem cell treatments that have been shown to be beneficial in rigorous studies. These mostly pertain to diseases or conditions of the blood as well as skin grafts and corneal repair. The ISSCR is concerned that stem cell treatments are being marketed to patients worldwide for a variety of medical conditions, without having the mechanisms in place to ensure safety or likely benefit. Without these safeguards, patients may be put at risk.

A Closer Look at Stem Cell Treatments offers several tools for patients to evaluate a prospective clinic or treatment including a list of questions to ask about the treatment and providers as well as resources that explain fundamental scientific principles of stem cell biology and the implications for stem cell treatments. Ultimately, the Web site will list stem cell clinics and whether they do or do not provide the ISSCR with information showing that appropriate oversight and other patient protections are in place.

Visitors to http://www.closerlookatstemcells.org can submit, for review, a clinic or treatment they have seen advertised. The treatment providers will be asked to present evidence that a) a medical ethics committee is involved to protect patients? rights; and b) there is supervision by an official regulatory body such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the trial or approved use of a treatment for specific diseases or conditions.

?We want patients to feel they have access to critical information they might otherwise not have, so they can make the best decision for their individual situation,? said Patrick Taylor, JD, Chair of the ISSCR Task Force on Unproven Stem Cell Treatments. “The key to ensuring that treatments are safe and effective is a well-established path from basic research to clinical care, through carefully constructed studies and independent review. The criteria selected by the task force are simple to apply, but of extraordinary power in promoting progress while protecting patients.”

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is an independent, nonprofit organization established to promote and foster the exchange and dissemination of information and ideas relating to stem cells, to encourage the general field of research involving stem cells and to promote professional and public education in all areas of stem cell research and application.

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More Stem Cell Food Press Releases

GeneCell International, a trusted provider in the processing and preservation of umbilical cord blood, announced today they are offering a new stem cell banking service, the banking of stem cells from dental pulp.

Dental pulp stem cells, found in the pulp chamber of teeth, are a relatively new discovery in the realm of adult stem cells, they have the ability to differentiate into numerous cell types including bone, muscle, nerve, cartilage and fat. ?Since these cells have the capability to differentiate into a variety of tissue types, they open up the door to potentially treat a variety of different diseases including heart attack, bone repair, neural degenerative disorders, like Parkinson?s disease,? said GeneCell International?s Director of Research and Laboratory Operations, Dr. Todd R. Flower.

Dental pulp stem cells hold the potential of possibly regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by stimulating organs to heal themselves. These cells may be one of the most promising cell-therapies in the future. In the past, extracted teeth and related tissue have been viewed as a medical waste and discarded, resulting in a loss of this potential life-saving resource. Now clients can save these cells so they are available to them in the future should they be necessary.

With more than a decade of knowledge and experience in the stem cell industry, GeneCell is uniquely poised to help parents in the US, Latin America and the Caribbean make informed decisions regarding the potential benefit on how dental pulp stem cells may help safeguard their families. ?Our new headquarters in Miami provides easily-accessible resources for parents looking to potentially protect their children, and patients looking for medical solutions to diseases that were once untreatable,? said GeneCell?s Operations Manager, Jose Cirino.

About Dental Pulp Stem Cell Preservation

Dental Pulp Stem Cell preservation is a process by which the pulp tissue is extracted from the tooth and is stored cryogenically in a specially-designated bank. Currently there are no clinical applications for these cells; however numerous research studies have indicated potential use in the enhancement of wound healing, bone regeneration, tooth regeneration, a potential cellular therapy option for Parkinson?s disease and Alzheimer?s disease, liver regeneration, and muscle regeneration. Dental pulp stem cell banking is regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

About GeneCell International, LLC.

GeneCell International, LLC is a trusted provider of collection, processing and storage of dental pulp stem cells and umbilical cord blood from which stem cells can be extracted to treat a variety of diseases and disorders. GeneCell operates state of the art laboratories and storage facilities for the cord blood of thousands of clients, headquartered in Miami, Florida and with local offices in Central Florida, Texas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Venezuela. For more information and to learn more about dental pulp stem cell banking benefits and services, visit http://www.GeneCell.com.

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The American Stem Cell Therapy Association (ASCTA) announced today the online publication of its mission statements and charter. The organization was formed in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent position that the adult stem cells found in everyone’s body are drugs, a position the ASCTA opposes. This physician organization is establishing laboratory guidelines that will allow doctors to bring adult stem cell therapy to their patients more quickly. These guidelines will be similar to those used by fertility specialists in In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) labs, where many of the same cell culture techniques are used.

“Many patients are dying or suffering daily with incurable diseases or problems that require major surgery. These patients should have access to basic adult stem cell therapy now.” stated Christopher J. Centeno, M.D, an ASCTA physician member. “ASCTA is establishing guidelines which will allow the safe use of the patient’s own adult stem cells under the supervision of doctors.” continued Centeno. Another ASCTA physician member, Frank Falco, M.D. stated, “The FDA’s position against someone using their own stem cells is taking it too far. We are talking about a person using their own tissue to treat a degenerative disorder or process safely without the use of medications or surgery. Although we agree that oversight and standards are necessary, this should be provided through a physician organization such as ASCTA rather than by a government agency.”

Adult stem cells are different than embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells are found in the patient’s body in various tissues. In order to obtain enough stem cells for treatment, they often need to be cultured, similar to today’s fertility treatments. Adult stem cells have undergone much more research than embryonic stem cells and therefore are closer to real world treatments. These adult stem cells are taken from the patient’s own body (autologous) and ACSTA believes that they are therefore the safest for use in treating patients. “While the Obama administration seems to have opened the embryonic stem cell door, their FDA seems to want to slam the adult stem cell door shut”, stated Dr. Centeno.

About the American Stem Cell Therapy Association

The ASCTA is a physician group comprised of various medical and surgical specialties whose goal is to bring safe stem cell therapy to patients by establishing laboratory and clinical guidelines. Christopher J. Centeno, M.D. is a board certified pain management specialist in Colorado who utilizes The Regenexx Procedure, an innovative adult stem cell therapy that helps patients avoid the need for more invasive orthopedic surgery. Dr. Centeno has published numerous medical research papers on the clinical application of adult mesenchymal stem cells. Frank Falco, M.D. is a board certified pain management physician and program director of the Temple University Hospital pain medicine fellowship located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who implements minimally invasive techniques for treatment of painful conditions including degenerative spine disorders. For more information, visit http://www.stemcelldocs.org.

Press contact:

Holly Hamann

720-290-0007

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Top-ranked Masters runners, Frank Condon and Nolan Shaheed, have something in common besides holding the top outdoor Masters rankings in their respective age groups: they have both incorporated Stemtech?s stem cell nutrition supplements into their daily regimens, apparently with excellent results.

Said Condon, “After I started supplementing with the StemSport? to support my adult stem cell function, I noticed dramatic improvements in my recovery time during training. I went on to shatter the 37 year-old U.S. Outdoor record in the M65 mile by ten seconds. I turned Nolan Shaheed onto Stemtech?s concept of stem cell nutrition and he has also experienced tremendous benefits with StemSport?. Salih Talib too.”

The 2010 USA Masters rankings at mastersrankings.com ranked Condon as number one in the M65 age group for the 800m, 1500m and mile. Shaheed is ranked number one for the same distances in the M60 age group. Talib, competing in the same age group as Condon, is ranked second for 800m, fourth for 1500m and third for the mile.

About Stemtech International, Inc.

Founded in 2005, Stemtech International (http://www.stemtech.com/) is the pioneer of a new category of nutritional supplements, called ?stem cell nutrition?. Its products are all clinically studied and patented or patent-pending, and harness the body?s own cellular self-renewal system by supporting the natural release, circulation and migration of adult stem cells. Stemtech?s wellness products are only available through its Independent Distributors and are not sold in stores.

About the products the runners are using

Stemtech?s StemSport? concept may either be implemented by supplementing with StemSport? chewable tablets (a combination of StemEnhance