Business | Journal Gazette

Drop in food prices eases inflation bump

Lorraine Woellert — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

The cost of living rose less than forecast in May, restrained by the first drop in food prices in almost four years and signaling inflation remains under control.

Reversing course on recall

TOM KRISHER and DEE-ANN DURBIN — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Chrysler abruptly agreed to recall 2.7 million older model Jeeps on Tuesday, reversing a defiant posture and avoiding a possible public relations nightmare over fuel tanks that can catch fire in a rear-end collision.

Starbucks soon to list calories on menus

CANDICE CHOI — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Starbucks has a new way to wake up its customers: showing the calories in its drinks.

Smithfield Food lays off 120 at Virginia plant

MICHAEL FELBERBAUM — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Smithfield Foods Inc. said Tuesday it is laying off 120 more workers as part of its previously announced closure of a Virginia plant that makes hot dogs and deli meat.

Decision delayed on wind farm

Staff, news services — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

A decision on a disputed wind farm development in northeast Indiana will have to wait until July 3. The Wells County Area Plan Commission tabled the matter during a well-attended public meeting earlier this week.

Bitter dreams in Bangladesh

CHRIS BLAKE — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Moushumi's family now has one of the largest homes in their village - two bedrooms plus a living area with walls made of sturdy brick. Her father and brother will soon have a small business out front, selling furniture her dad will make. There will be money to pay for her younger sister to get married when it's time.

Builders' confidence at 7-year high

ALEX VEIGA — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

For the first time in seven years, most U.S. homebuilders are optimistic about home sales, a sign that construction could help drive stronger economic growth in coming months.

Fed's newest agenda flops

Ylan Q. Mui — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

The Federal Reserve's new communication strategy was supposed to make it easier to decipher the intentions of the famously secretive institution. Markets, however, seem to have missed the memo.

Oil prices fall toward $97 before US Fed meeting

PAMELA SAMPSON — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:06:24 EST

BANGKOK (AP) The price of U.S. benchmark

Turning back helplessness

Sherry Slater — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Vickie Meyers knows what it's like to feel helpless. When the New Haven woman traveled south to help Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005 and 2006, she found herself wishing she could do more for those living amid widespread devastation.

TV falls short on mobile plan

RYAN NAKASHIMA — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

TV was supposed to be everywhere by now - watchable anytime, anywhere, on your smartphone or tablet. But four years into the industry's effort, network executives readily admit: TV isn't everywhere.

Lululemon CEO ad quirky, irreverent

MAE ANDERSON — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

If you can hold a headstand for at least 10 minutes, communicate in Sanskrit and enjoy downing wheatgrass and tequila shots on Fridays for work-life balance, Lululemon has a job for you.

Bottles of fine wine back ex-trader's loan

Miles Weiss — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Talk about liquid assets.

Back to school to test Penney

Matt Townsend — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Best Buy Co.'s sales force wears blue shirts. Apple Inc. "specialists" are garbed in branded T-shirts. J.C. Penney Co. associates can wear whatever they want.

NYC cracks down on fakes

VERENA DOBNIK and BETHAN McKERNAN — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Bargain hunters from around the world flock to Manhattan's Chinatown for bags, jewelry and other accessories bursting onto sidewalks from storefronts along Canal Street.

Manufacturing back in the US

JOYCE M. ROSENBERG — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

When Martin Rawls-Meehan started making adjustable beds in 2004, it was a foregone conclusion that key parts would be made overseas. It was cheaper to manufacture in Taiwan than in the U.S. And from Taiwan it was easier to ship to customers in Asia.

Best Buy to add Microsoft stores

MAE ANDERSON — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Microsoft has unveiled plans for store-within-a-store sections in Best Buy stores, becoming the latest major consumer electronics maker to acknowledge advantages of the brick-and-mortar format.

Oil rises above $98 ahead of Fed meeting

PAMELA SAMPSON — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:00:54 EST

BANGKOK (AP) Oil prices rose Monday ahead of a critical meeting of U.S. central bank policymakers later in the week.

Small-business exports rebound

News services — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Small-business exports are rising as the economy gradually gains strength and companies find trading partners in a new mix of countries, according to a survey released Wednesday.

GE CFO to move to finance division

Tim Catts — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

General Electric Co. has named Chief Financial Officer Keith Sherin to lead the company's finance unit, succeeding the retiring Mike Neal, as GE Capital sheds assets and comes under heightened regulatory oversight.

Genome project spurs boom for life science

Drew Armstrong — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

The $14.5 billion U.S. investment in the Human Genome Project, completed a decade ago, has paid off more than 60-fold in new jobs, drugs and a rapidly expanding genetics industry, an analysis has found.

Errors bedevil testing companies

Sherry Slater — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Indiana popped up on another exclusive list this spring. But state officials aren't bragging about it. Indiana was one of at least four states that reported malfunctions with online education assessment tests. CTB/McGraw-Hill, the state's contractor, was one of at least three providers involved in the failures.

Slow recovery has an upside

Rich Miller and Steve Matthews — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

The modest pace of the U.S. economic recovery has a silver lining, as the expansion shows signs of lasting almost twice as long as average.

Critics say Bass Pro built with tax breaks

Seth Lubove — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

The Bass Pro Shops store in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., is little more than an hour's drive from Santa Monica, a West Coast enclave known for its anti-gun rallies and vegetarian cafes.

Blended airline names new execs

DAVID KOENIG — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

The new American Airlines will have more executives from smaller US Airways than from the current American.

Business people

THE JOURNAL GAZETTE — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Sweetwater has hired Mike Begala as vice president of customer service and support; Jimmy Blankenship, director of technical services; Tyler Berggren, Kyle Miley, Adam Briggs, Austin Davis, Jake Longardner as sales engineers; Nathan Decker, sales assistant; Marissa McGinnis, receptionist; and Ashley Haegert on the kitchen staff.

Business at a glance

THE JOURNAL GAZETTE — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Nyloncraft Inc., an auto and heavy truck parts supplier, has acquired NYX Fort Wayne, 5727 Industrial Road, for an undisclosed sum. The local operation, which employs 95, is being renamed NCI Fort Wayne. No jobs will be lost.

Submissions

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Send items to Business News, The Journal Gazette, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802. Information may also be faxed to 461-8893 or emailed to lisagreen@jg.net. If you are emailing information for Business People and would like to include a photo, the photo must be sent as a JPEG image attached to the email.

17 jobs planned for Butler

Sherry Slater — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

A Toledo steel company plans to invest $7.5 million and add 17 new jobs at its Butler operation, a DeKalb County official confirmed late Friday. Heidtman Steel, which employs 158 at two Butler factories, has asked for state and local tax savings on the project.

Men still drive gaming market

DERRIK J. LANG — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

When it comes to video games, it still felt like a man's world at E3.

Microsoft unveils Office suite on iPhone

ANICK JESDANUN — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Microsoft's Office software package is coming to the iPhone for the first time, offering people the ability to read and edit their text documents, spreadsheets and slide presentations at the doctor's office or at a soccer game.

Wholesale prices up 0.5 percent

Staff, news services — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

A rise in food and gasoline costs drove a measure of wholesale prices up sharply in May. But outside those volatile categories, inflation was mild. The Labor Department said Friday that the producer price index rose 0.5 percent in May from April.

Column: Corn headed lower

Walt Breitinger — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:33:57 EST

Despite the poor weather conditions earlier this spring that delayed planting across much of the Midwest, U.S. farmers likely planted a record corn crop, according to USDA estimates.

Boat maker opens new plant

Paul Wyche — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

A high-end pontoon boat maker has cast off with an investment that could reach $8 million. Gov. Mike Pence on Thursday led a delegation of business and community leaders during a ribbon-cutting ceremony that lauded Brunswick Corp.'s planned relocation to 1111 N. Hadley Road, former site of Manitowoc Foodservice.

Retail sales increase 0.6%

MARTIN CRUTSINGER — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Americans stepped up purchases at retail businesses in May, spending more on cars, home improvements and sporting goods. The gain shows that consumers remain resilient despite higher taxes and could drive faster growth later this year.

Airlines cite furloughs for spike in tardiness

DAVID KOENIG — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

The nation's airlines struggled to stay on schedule in April, with nearly one in four flights arriving late, according to new government figures.

ESPN's call shows 3-D in trouble

News services — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

ESPN's decision to shut down its 3-D channel by the end of the year is the latest sign the format won't revolutionize entertainment as the industry hoped.

Pence to take part in Brunswick ceremony

Paul Wyche — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:35:52 EST

Gov. Mike Pence is expected to be among leaders Thursday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Brunswick Fort Wayne Operations’ new location on North Hadley Road.

GM cites cuts, cars in profit-rise forecast

TOM KRISHER — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Cost-cutting efforts and fresh new vehicles should help General Motors Co. boost its North American pretax profit margin to 10 percent by the middle of this decade, company officials said Wednesday.

Survey: Many Americans say 'Big Brother’ is here

BARBARA ORTUTAY | Associated Press — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

NEW YORK - There's little wonder why George Orwell's novel 1984 is seeing a resurgence in sales.

CEOs see more sales, hiring

CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Chief executives for the largest U.S. companies are more optimistic about sales over the next six months and plan to add more workers.

Facebook mimics Twitter hashtags

BARBARA ORTUTAY — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Facebook is introducing hashtags, the number signs used on Twitter, Instagram and other services to identify topics being discussed and allow users to search for them.

ESPN scrapping 3-D broadcasts by year-end

PETER SVENSSON — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

ESPN will stop broadcasting in 3-D by the end of the year, the network said Wednesday, dealing a major blow to a technology that was launched with great fanfare but has been limping along for years.

Companies' growth goal of program

Staff, news services — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Elevate Ventures is seeking 25 local companies to fill openings in its Economic Gardening business program.

Aluminum maker goes big

Paul Wyche — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

A zoning issue sparked a Fort Wayne company to scrap its original plans in favor of a larger project pegged at nearly $2 million.

Device saves TV shows online

RYAN NAKASHIMA — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Worried about filling up your DVR? The nation's largest cable TV provider, Comcast Corp., is rolling out a new TV platform that does away with the hard drive and saves your TV shows online.

Banks' overdraft fees draw flak, inquiry

MARCY GORDON — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

A U.S. agency says consumers who opt for overdraft coverage on their checking accounts pay higher fees and are more likely to have their accounts closed than those who decline it.

Economic confidence on upswing

Staff, news services — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

More Americans are quitting their jobs, suggesting many are growing more confident in the job market.

New Comcast platform saves TV shows online

Ryan Nakashima — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:08:44 EST

Comcast Corp., is unveiling a new, compact set-top box that does away with the hard drive.

Hoosier firms hiring more

Paul Wyche — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Hoosier job seekers better have their resumes ready during the third quarter, according to a Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released today.

New look for Apple with iOS 7

MICHAEL LIEDTKE and PETER SVENSSON — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Apple is throwing out most of the real-world graphical cues from its iPhone and iPad software, like the casino-green "felt" of its Game Center app, in what it calls the biggest update since the iPhone's launch in 2007.

S&P upgrades US debt rating to stable

CHRISTINA REXRODE — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

The Standard Poor's ratings agency said Monday it's getting more optimistic about the U.S. economy. But investors just yawned.