Surprise: Gold analyst likes sale: Marshall & Ilsley Corp.'s proposed $715 million purchase of Gold Banc Corp. has picked up at least one fan. Dave Anderson, chief investment officer at Gold Banc's trust company, loves the deal.Construction inflation: Ken Simonson, the chief economist at the Associated General Contractors of America, is worried about the cost of building materials.Better not gloat: Is the Tampa Bay area benefiting at the expense of New Orleans when it comes to hurricane-phobic conventioneers?Small businesses unprepared: A study compiled by the International Profit Associates Small Business Research Board shows that nationwide, 79% of small businesses that responded to the survey did not have a disaster recovery plan.
