Maybe those managers could find new jobs flippin' burgers? Geez, I'm surprised they weren't offered that as a transfer option!!  :finger:

From the 7/12/06 Newark Advocate:

 

 

Longaberger adding 150 jobs

Another 50 seasonal workers will be hired as basket maker turns around

Advocate staff report

 

NEWARK -- With sales increasing and registration for its annual Bee sales convention approaching record levels, the Longaberger Co. made an announcement Tuesday reminiscent of its 1990s boom era.

 

Instead of layoffs, the region's largest employer will add 150 jobs to its Frazeysburg handmade-basket weaving facility and hire another 50 workers, mostly basket makers, into seasonal positions for the upcoming busy holiday season.  The new full-time positions will include about 100 weavers, 35 manufacturing support staff and 15 employees in WoodCraft operations to bolster the direct-selling company's production of handmade baskets.

 

The announcement marks the first major hiring initiative for Longaberger since its rapid growth peaked in 2000 with a seasonal high of more than 8,000 employees. After two rounds of layoffs last year, Longaberger had about 3,000 people on its payroll.

 

MORE: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060712/NEWS01/607120304/1002/rss01

 

Glad to hear an Ohio company turning things around.  Thanks for the update.

From the 7/18/06 Dispatch:

 

ANNOUNCED JOB CUTS

Layoffs ripple through Wendy’s

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Barnet D . Wolf

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Employees at Wendy’s International Inc.’s corporate offices began receiving pink slips yesterday, as the company followed through on plans to lay off workers to cut costs.  Hundreds of positions will be eliminated at the company’s Dublin headquarters and 15 divisional operations nationwide. 

 

The company has declined to pinpoint how many jobs are being cut at the Dublin office, where more than 600 people work.  In all, however, Wendy’s is slashing 350 to 375 positions by year’s end as part of a plan to cut $100 million in costs.

 

Nearly 175 full-time employees, at Wendy’s central office and in the company’s field locations nationwide, received voluntary early-retirement offers.  About 115 workers accepted.  That meant that 235 to 260 positions will be eliminated, either by laying off workers or not filling vacancies.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/18/20060718-E1-05.html

 

From the 7/20/06 Dispatch:

 

Changes at Wendy’s lead execs to depart

Reorganization was sparked by two years of poor sales

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Barnet D . Wolf

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

At least five Wendy’s executives have taken early retirement or left the company recently after changes in the leadership of the restaurant chain’s operations.  The reorganization, spurred by nearly two years of sluggish sales at the nation’s No. 3 burger chain, has accelerated since May, when Dave Near was appointed chief operations officer.

 

The Dublin-based company said yesterday that Steve Farrar, senior vice president of the western division, and Joyce Eufemi, senior vice president of the upper U.S. division, took early retirement.  The same route was taken by a couple of division vice presidents, Eric Colah in Denver and Bill Radebaugh in Cincinnati.

 

In addition, Dennis Farrow, who had been senior vice president of Wendy’s Midwest Region, was named last week as the chief operating officer of IHOP Corp., a family-dining chain.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/20/20060720-E1-03.html

 

From the 7/21/06 Dispatch:

 

 

NEW HEADQUARTERS

DSW seeks breaks from city, state to expand

Friday, July 21, 2006

Jeffrey Sheban

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Shoe retailer DSW Inc. has outgrown its home office near Port Columbus and is seeking financial help to build an $8.5 million campus-style headquarters 100 yards away.

 

The company, formerly a division of Retail Ventures but under separate management since an initial stock offering in 2005, is asking the city of Columbus and the state for financial incentives valued at more than $1 million.

 

The expansion and move to 4030 E. 5 th Ave. would retain 195 full-time positions and lead to the hiring of 75 full-time workers, the company said in a filing.

 

...

 

http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/21/20060721-G1-02.html

 

Hey everyone, I work for DSW!!! I think it would be sweet if they moved to Downtown Columbus.

I think they should move to cincy or cleveland.

I think they should move to cincy or cleveland.

 

As long as Columbus gets Proctor & Gamble + National City, it'll be a trade.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 25, 2004

 

CONTACT: Mike Brown, 614-645-6428

Finance Dir. Joel Taylor, 614-645-7036

Auditor Hugh Dorrian, 614-645-7616

 

Fiscal Discipline Paying Off for Columbus :clap:

 

Only Major City in Nation to Earn Top AAA Bond Rating from Three Major Rating Agencies

 

(Columbus, OH) The Auditor, Council and Mayor were notified yesterday that the City’s fiscally conservative spending and responsible Capital budgeting once again made Columbus the highest credit ranked big city in the nation. Columbus again earned AAA ratings from Moody’s Investor’s Service and Standards and Poor’s, as well as Fitch, the only one of the nation’s largest 25 cities to hold such a high rank.

 

“I’m proud of our team, City Council and our Auditor Hugh Dorrian for being able to continue neighborhood Capital projects like fire stations, parks, streets and sidewalks, through a tough recession while still protecting our credit rating,” said Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “This high rating recognizes our commitment to fiscal discipline, and one more reason that we believe residents should be proud that they have supported our Voted Bond Packages at the polls.”

 

The rating agencies analyzed Columbus’ fiscal controls and history of responsible accounting and budgeting in determining the ratings. The analysis is done before the City is allowed to sell Public Bonds to fund Capital Projects. Auditor Dorrian requested the Bond Ratings in preparation for an $80 million Sanitary Sewer Bond Sale this summer. The AAA rating means that Columbus can continue to borrow at lower interest rates as the City moves forward planned neighborhood investments in 2006.

 

“Of America’s top 25 cities, Columbus is the only one to maintain a AAA rating for all of our General Obligation debt from the three major rating agencies, and that only happens after the agencies do a detailed analysis of our financing, debt and accountability,” said City Auditor Hugh Dorrian. “The Voters of Columbus can be confident that we will continue doing the best possible job with every dollar, and that we will use the lower interest rates to save Columbus potentially millions of dollars.”

 

The City of Columbus Capital Budget is separate from the General Fund “Operating” Budget, and can only be invested in major purchases, construction or renovations, or land purchases. While the separate budgets are often confused,

the City cannot use borrowed Capital Funding to pay for operating salaries, employees or other operational costs.

 

On Monday, June 19th, Columbus City Council passed $410.2 million in neighborhood priorities and infrastructure improvements with Ordinance #1108-2006, the 2006 Capital Improvements Budget (CIB), a spending plan for major purchases and projects such as new Fire Trucks and Equipment, the Lincoln Theater, sidewalks and pedestrian safety, road improvements in the 315 Tech Corridor, and the City’s efforts to fix up or demolish abandoned housing.

 

The ordinance will also advance $230.1 million in projects carried over from prior years. It includes all funding sources, whether from the City’s 25% income tax set-aside, Utilities revenues, or from partners at the federal government, the state, or other sources (MORPC, Ohio State, Information Services or Fleet funds, etc.).

 

“We are moving forward on our promises, in every quadrant of the City, with new investment to maintain our quality of life, improve safety and help us continue to attract businesses to Columbus,” said Mayor Coleman.

 

Many of the new neighborhood projects are funded through the Special Income Tax (SIT) fund, in the amount of $133.5 million. Separate legislation will authorize spending for each individual project.

 

Columbus SIT-funded Neighborhood Priorities include:

 

1. A new West Side Health Center, total investment to $8.4 million

 

2. $5 million for roadway improvements to spur development in the SciTech Corridor over three years

 

3. $2.5 million for new Fire Trucks and apparatus for the Division of Fire

 

4. $3.775 for new Fire Station #10 in Franklinton

 

5. $8 million for a proposed new heliport for the Division of Police, to allow economic development to continue as new jobs come to Gowdy Field

 

6. $1.92 to build a new Neighborhood Policing Center in partnership with The Ohio State University. The same contribution is anticipate from OSU

 

7. $3.5 million for the HOME AGAIN Program

 

8. $4 million to bring new life and renovation to the historic Lincoln Theater, the cornerstone development in the new King Lincoln District

 

9. $12 million to re-locate the impound lot off the Whittier Peninsula and allow that property to be re-developed as a new neighborhood and parks area

 

10. Pedestrian Safety, $6.8 million through 2007 (including new sidewalks)

 

11. $8 million is added for street resurfacing. We are also spending this year the money from a $15.8 million bond sale last fall

 

12. $8.32 million for road improvements (widening, lane additions, etc.). In addition, $3.9 million is being added to improve Hayden Run and East

Broad Street through TIF's to allow for future economic and residential development

 

13. $2.7 million for efforts to bring new economic development to South Parsons Avenue

Woohoo! Let's buy us some light rail with that bond rating!

 

Wait. There's no light rail on that list.

 

Huh. There's money there for road-widening.

 

Dammit!

From the 7/28/06 Dispatch:

 

Wendy’s job cuts to hit Dublin hardest

Friday, July 28, 2006

Barnet D . Wolf

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The vast majority of jobs that are being slashed at Wendy’s International Inc. will be at the company’s headquarters, company officials said yesterday.  Of the 355 managerial and administrative positions affected, three-quarters of them, or about 260, are in Dublin.

 

Although more than 115 workers took early retirement in June and a number of other positions were cut through attrition, most of the reductions are being accomplished through layoffs.  The majority of layoffs will go into effect in September.

 

The job cuts are a major part of Wendy’s previously announced effort to reduce annual costs by $100 million.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/28/20060728-G1-04.html

 

From the 8/16/06 Dispatch:

 

 

Nationwide prevails in hurricane litigation

Homeowners policy doesn’t cover storm-surge flooding; ruling could set a precedent

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Denise Trowbridge

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

A federal judge ruled yesterday that Nationwide doesn’t have to pay for flood damage caused by Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge.

 

U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter said the insurer isn’t liable for water damage to the home of Julie and Paul Leonard of Pascagoula, Miss.

 

"Almost all the damage to the Leonard residence is attributable to the incursion of water," Senter said in a 13-page ruling.

 

...

 

http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/08/16/20060816-D1-01.html

 

Wow don't let this bad news get too far out or Nationwide would not get any new customers and get lots of cancellations.

 

I for sure will never goto Nationwide.

*gasp*

im a lowely intern at nationwide HQ and i enjoy... :| working for them....... :|  They are kinda progressive in the field of GIS for insurance.

 

From Business First of Columbus, 8/25/06:

 

 

State money for business startup programs in TechColumbus' sights

Region chasing $15 million from Third Frontier program as it digs up cash from area investors

Business First of Columbus - August 25, 2006

by Dan Eaton

Business First

 

TechColumbus is chasing a state program that could inject up to $22.5 million into its coffers over the next three years, which it would redirect into funding sources and programs for emerging technology companies.

 

"Our role is that we're the only organization that can go after these funds in this region," said TechColumbus CEO Ted Ford. "We want to be the conduit, the facilitators. This is not about TechColumbus getting money. This is about the region getting money. We're just the process for that to happen." ...

 

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/08/28/story8.html?b=1156737600^1336509

 

From Business First of Columbus, 9/5/06:

 

Central Ohio industrial vacancy flat in 2Q

Business First of Columbus - 10:24 AM EDT Tuesday

 

The vacancy rate for industrial space in Central Ohio was unchanged in the second quarter from a year ago, according to a survey from a real estate service group.  Grubb & Ellis Adena Realty Advisors said 22 million square feet, or 11 percent, of approximately 200 million square feet of Central Ohio's industrial, warehouse and distribution space was vacant as of June 30.  The vacancy rate was up slightly from 10.7 percent in the first quarter.

 

Read more at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/09/04/daily2.html?from_rss=1

 

From Business First of Columbus, 9/1/06:

 

Retail Trends

Changing communities attract mixed-bag of retail development

Business First of Columbus - September 1, 2006

by Kevin James For Business First

 

Just a few years ago, the land near Stringtown Road and Interstate 71 on Grove City's northern edge was a diamond in the rough just awaiting discovery.  Now, burgeoning population and commercial development are transforming open fields with cityscape views into a bustling center of economic growth and development.  And retailers are clamoring to be part of what was once a relatively slow market.  Quite simply, changing demographics and population growth are trends that business owners cannot ignore.  As a result, many communities are experiencing somewhat of a renaissance, and in some cases developers can hardly keep up with demand for space.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/09/04/focus7.html

 

From ThisWeek Upper Arlington, 9/7/06:

 

 

TechColumbus investment considered

Thursday, September 7, 2006

By CHRIS BOURNEA

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Upper Arlington City Council is expected to pass emergency legislation at its Sept. 11 meeting committing $150,000 over three years to TechColumbus to promote economic development.

 

TechColumbus, a technology business incubator located at 1275 Kinnear Road near Upper Arlington's border, is seeking the money as part of an application to the state of Ohio's Third Frontier program, TechColumbus president and CEO Ted Ford said at council's conference session Tuesday night...

 

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/index.php?sec=upperarlington&story=sites/thisweeknews/090706/UpperArlington/News/090706-News-219454.html

 

From Business First of Columbus, 9/12/06:

 

 

DSW going forward with Columbus HQ expansion

Business First of Columbus - 11:11 AM EDT Tuesday

 

DSW Inc. is moving forward with plans to expand its corporate headquarters near Port Columbus International Airport, with three city tax credits helping it along the way.

 

The Columbus-based shoe retailer said late Monday it will renovate a 150,000-square-foot warehouse at 4030 E. Fifth Ave., now used by Value City Furniture. The warehouse is about 100 yards from DSW's 700,000-square-foot head office at 4150 E. Fifth Ave.

 

DSW told the city in July it plans to spend $6.5 million to renovate the warehouse and to add about 75 jobs by 2009. It already employs about 500.

 

...

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/09/11/daily7.html

 

SAFETY VIOLATIONS

Columbus Steel hit with fines by OSHA

Investigators find dozens of problems

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Paul Wilson

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Columbus Steel Castings Co. was fined $257,500 yesterday for dozens of safety violations, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

 

Formerly known as Buckeye Steel, the company was cited for two violations first noted in 2003 and for 59 serious violations discovered during a March inspection, according to the labor department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

 

The company failed to correct inadequate standard guardrails and inadequate guarding of vertical belts that OSHA found in October 2003.

 

http://dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/09/13/20060913-D1-02.html

Man OSHA has been dishing out the fines lately.

From Business First of Columbus, 9/6/06:

 

Study: Office space vacancies largely unchanged in 2Q

Business First of Columbus - September 6, 2006

 

The vacancy rate for office space in Central Ohio edged up slightly in the second quarter from a year ago, according to a survey from Grubb & Ellis Adena Realty Advisors.  The real estate service group said 7.2 million square feet, or 17.8 percent of the approximately 40.5 million square feet of available office space in the area, was vacant as of June 30.  The rate was up slightly from 17.2 percent for the same period a year earlier.  Class A office space, which is generally in buildings less than five years old with higher-than-average rental rates, leased for an average of $18.80 per square foot during the quarter.  Class B space, typically a bit older and cheaper, leased for about $15.93 per square foot.

 

Read more at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/09/04/daily20.html?from_rss=1

 

From the 9/18/06 Dispatch:

 

GRAPHIC: Comparing Downtown office buildings

 

Downtown ups and downs

Owners of tower seek tax relief to reflect changing office landscape

Monday, September 18, 2006

Bill Bush, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Vacancy rates are high, rents are down and new tenants are scarce, prompting the Franklin County Board of Revision to cut the tax value of one of Downtown’s premier office towers by 20 percent.  But the owners of the 37-story Huntington Center think the building is worth 36 percent less than its current appraised value.  In their 107-page appraisal, they point to other Downtown office towers whose resale values have plunged since the late 1990s, the victims of a glut of commercial space.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/09/18/20060918-A1-01.html

 

From the 9/21/06 Dispatch:

 

Industrial building sector is improving

Warehouse work in area is evidence of recovery, experts say

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Mike Pramik

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Central Ohio is steadily shaking off the effects of a depressed market for industrial space, with new warehouses being built, and new tenants snapping them up.  After the heyday of the 1990s, when vacancies were low, the industrial market was derailed by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.  But activity is picking up and the market is coming back, said Michael Linder, a vice president with real-estate firm Grubb & Ellis.  "The key word is recovering," Linder said.  "There are cycles within the real-estate market, and we’re certainly in the recovery phase.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/09/21/20060921-G1-01.html

 

From the 9/29/06 Newark Advocate:

 

 

Longaberger adding more jobs

Basket maker to hire 100 full-time, 40 part-time workers

By KENT MALLETT

Advocate Reporter

 

NEWARK -- The Longaberger Co. announced Thursday its second major hiring of the year, adding 100 full-time employees and 40 part-time seasonal workers.  The region's largest employer, which dropped from a seasonal peak of more than 8,272 employees in 2000 to about 3,000 employees last year, will add the employees to its manufacturing campus in Frazeysburg.

 

The hiring is not just for the company's busy end-of-year sales but also for 2007, company officials said. The announcement comes after a July decision that 150 full-time and 50 part-time workers would be hired at the basket-making facility.

 

MORE: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060929/NEWS01/609290303/1002/rss01

 

Changed Longaberger ready for rebound

Business First of Columbus - October 6, 2006

by Jeff Bell

Business First

 

The late Dave Longaberger still casts a big shadow over his family's basket company, just like the Longaberger Co.'s basket-shaped corporate office building does on Newark's east side.  Ask those close to the company about what has gone wrong at Longaberger in recent years, and the conversation invariably comes back to Longaberger, its iconic founder who died from cancer at 64 in March 1999.

 

Some say not even Longaberger's considerable business savvy and personal verve could have steered the company around the economic storm triggered by a recession at the turn of the century and aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.  But others, including Longaberger's daughter and CEO successor, Tami Longaberger, said his death and economic downturn combined to rock the company.

 

MORE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/10/09/story1.html

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/10/16/story5.html 

 

Flying metal detector aids hunt for buried ordnance

Business First of Columbus - October 13, 2006by Dan EatonBusiness First

 

Not unlike the beachcomber who, armed with a metal detector, searches the sand for bits of treasure, Battelle Memorial Institute sees a lucrative opportunity in uncovering buried scraps.

 

But it is not valuables Battelle is looking for - it is unexploded bombs and artillery shells...

 

 

From the 11/21/06 Dispatch:

 

 

TECHCOLUMBUS

State provides $6.8 million in seed money

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Monique Curet

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

A Columbus organization that works to develop and expand the region’s technology industry will receive $6.8 million over three years from the state to help create tech businesses.

 

It was a sizeable award for TechColumbus, with an annual budget of $3 million, about $500,000 of which is provided by the state, said Ted Ford, president and chief executive of the nonprofit organization...

 

"[email protected]

 

http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/11/21/20061121-C1-03.html

 

From the 11/30/06 AP:

 

 

Scotts sued by smoker it fired

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Melinda Trujillo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

BOSTON — A 30-year-old man who has smoked for more than a decade filed a lawsuit yesterday against Scotts Co., alleging the lawn-and-garden company violated his privacy and civil rights when it fired him because he smokes.

 

Scott Rodrigues, of Bourne, Mass., says he was fired from the lawn-care job he had for several weeks after a drug test came up positive for nicotine. But he said he wasn’t told he would be tested for the substance and was told Scotts would help him quit.

 

Rodrigues’ lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, says the company violated his rights under the Massachusetts Privacy Statute, which bars the unreasonable, substantial or serious interference of privacy. The lawsuit asks for unspecified damages and legal fees.

 

Read More...

 

From Business First of Columbus, 1/2/06:

 

 

Columbus commercial realty market seen flat for '07

Business First of Columbus - January 2, 2007

 

A major commercial real estate brokerage sees a tepid office market for Central Ohio in 2007, even as commercial leasing markets around the nation mount an improvement.  Researchers at Grubb & Ellis Co. said Tuesday that Columbus' office market this year likely will be marked by flat vacancy and rental rates with moderate speculative construction.  The firm projected asking rates for Class A space in the city's central business district will hover at $20.15 a square foot by the end of the year, down marginally from the last quarter of 2006.  The hottest markets for speculative office construction will remain Easton and Polaris, the firm said.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/01/01/daily5.html?surround=lfn

 

EPA is watching foundry closely

State inspections conducted last year show Columbus Steel still polluting the South Side

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Spencer Hunt

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

More than a year after Columbus Steel Castings was linked to air pollution and foul odors on the South Side, the problems haven’t gone away, the state says.

 

Records show that Ohio Environmental Protection Agency inspectors returned to the foundry several times last year to build their case.

 

Inspections dating back to June found excessive smoke, dust and particles leaving the plant grounds at 2211 Parsons Ave. A separate investigation also faults the company for water pollution.

 

http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/11/20070211-C1-02.html

 

$200,000 FOR COLUMBUS STEEL UPGRADE

County withholds grant from plant cited for pollution

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Barbara Carmen

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The leaky water system at a South Side steel plant, cited by the state for polluting air and water, is so archaic that it still uses hollowed logs as pipes.

 

But a $1.86 million upgrade planned for more than a year will wait a little longer to be settled. Franklin County commissioners voted yesterday to hold onto a $200,000 grant for the project.

 

The commissioners want assurances that Columbus Steel Castings is fixing its pollution problem and that any taxpayer dollars they pass along won’t perpetuate a problem for neighbors.

 

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/14/20070214-B4-01.html

WINDING HOLLOW, DORNOCH

2 golf clubs in financial trouble

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Barnet D . Wolf

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Two long-time central Ohio golf clubs are facing their demise as a result of financial problems and court action.

 

A Franklin County Common Pleas judge yesterday placed Winding Hollow Golf Club of New Albany into receivership, a court procedure that generally leads to liquidating the business...

 

Meanwhile, a federal bankruptcy hearing that could force Dornoch Golf Club to liquidate, rather than reorganize, that was scheduled for today has been delayed until mid-March...

 

 

[email protected]

http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/22/20070222-D1-03.html

From SNP newspapers, 1/10/07:

 

 

Columbus faces weak '07 job market growth projections

Jobs in education, health and social services will see the greatest growth, forecasters predict.

By JENNIFER WRAY

 

First the good news: The Columbus region will see an increase in job growth this year, according to the Columbus Chamber's Blue Chip Economic Forecast.

 

The bad news: The growth is predicted to be modest and slower than that of 2006 -- only 0.5 percent, or about 4,800 jobs in the eight county region of Central Ohio, said Bill LaFayette, vice president of economic analysis for the chamber.

 

Employment growth in greater Columbus was "pretty lame in 2005 and pretty lame in 2006," he said.  The 0.7 percent local employment growth seen both years was half the national average, LaFayette said.  The forecast, released by the chamber at a Columbus Metropolitan Club luncheon last Wednesday, projected the strongest labor growth in education, health and social services.

 

Full story: http://www.snponline.com/NEWS1-10/1-10_allforecast.html

 

From Business First of Columbus, 3/5/07:

 

Brokers, developers team up to satisfy demand for bigger, newer sites

Business First of Columbus - March 2, 2007

by Brent Wilder For Business First

 

A lively industrial market in Greater Columbus has developers and investors jockeying for position to tap the potential of a cycle of growth that is only just beginning.  Plenty of available local land, an existing trend toward industrial growth in Central Ohio's southeastern quadrant and the intermodal transportation system under way at Rickenbacker International Airport are converging to create a national distribution channel and associated industrial development of a type Columbus has never seen, say members of Columbus' real estate community.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/03/05/focus6.html

 

Court gives Global Home Products an extension

Anchor Hocking parent company has four months to make Chapter 11 plan

By TAMARIA L. KULEMEKA

The Eagle-Gazette Staff

[email protected]

 

LANCASTER — Anchor Hocking employees may know within four months whether the company will be sold.

 

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge recently granted Global Home Products a four-month extension to craft its Chapter 11 plan.

 

Global Home Products — Anchor Hocking’s parent company — asked the judge if it could have more time to come up with a Chapter 11 plan because it was devoting a significant amount of time toward assessing whether it should sell the glassware maker, its remaining business division, or reorganize it.

 

More at:

 

http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070118/NEWS01/70118001/1002/rss01

 

Bouncing back?  The only thing getting bounced around here seem to be the employees.  The latest:

 

Longaberger announces 700 layoffs

Tuesday,  March 20, 2007 - 2:58 PM

By Paul Wilson, The Columbus Dispatch

 

Longaberger Co. will temporarily lay off more than 700 employees as the company tries to regroup after a disappointing fourth quarter.

 

The company now wants to lower inventory, said Tom Matthews, company spokesman.  “We are in a situation where our  fourth quarter didn't meet our ambitious growth plan and growth rate for the quarter -- not unlike what other retailers experienced,” Matthews said.

 

“While it is a difficult and painful decision, we are temporarily reducing our workforce as we undertake a broader plan to lower our cost structure and accelerate investments in an aggressive growth agenda,” Jim Klein, Longaberger's president, said in a statement.

 

:wtf:

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/03/20/long.html

Wendy's board votes to explore sale, merger options

Wednesday,  April 25, 2007 7:48 PM

By Barnet D. Wolf

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Wendy's is looking at range of options for the fast-food chain's future, including the possibly of selling the business or merging it with another company.

 

Dublin-based Wendy's International Inc. announced late today that its directors unanimously voted to form a committee to investigate the company's strategic options.

 

The committee, which consists of non-employee directors, will be led by Wendy's chairman, James V. Pickett.

 

Full story at:

 

http://dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/04/25/wendy25.html

 

oh god... Nelson Peltz... he ends up destroying every company he's involved with

The next sound you hear will be Dave Thomas spinning in his grave.

Sell Wendy's? Some hope not

Friday,  April 27, 2007 6:37 AM

By Barnet D. Wolf

 

The Columbus Dispatch

 

The clouds that covered central Ohio yesterday seemed to be a bit darker over Wendy’s Dublin headquarters.

 

One day after the company said it may put itself up for sale, investors and employees attending Wendy’s International Inc.’s annual shareholders meeting there were still digesting the news.

 

Wall Street certainly seemed excited by the prospect that the company may go on the block. Shares yesterday jumped 16.3 percent over Wednesday’s close to finish the day at $37.99.

 

But some investors weren’t quite as thrilled.

 

More at:

http://dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/04/26/wendys27.html

Great Southern gets new majority owner

Renovations continue at historic hotel

Saturday,  April 28, 2007 6:29 AM

By Mike Pramik

 

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/04/28/Westin.ART_ART_04-28-07_C1_TN6H7A1.html

 

The owner of the Westin Great Southern Hotel said it plans to proceed with a $7.5 million renovation of the historic Downtown property despite selling a majority share to a Chicago investor.

 

Marcus Hotels and Resorts of Milwaukee said it has sold an 85 percent stake in the Great Southern to Waterton Commercial, a company that invests in commercial properties. Marcus bought the 186-room hotel a year ago.

 

Marcus will continue to manage the Great Southern, which was built in 1896. Marcus spokesman Bill Otto said the joint venture intends to complete the planned renovation by the end of the year.

 

"Part of our strategy when we purchased the hotel was to find a strategic partner to co-invest," Otto said. "We'd retain a small piece as equity owner and manager."

 

The Great Southern markets to small groups and business travelers. It also catches overflow convention business from the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Marcus is banking on the renovation to increase the hotel's mid-60 percent occupancy rate, which is typically middle-of the-pack among Downtown hotels.

 

Among changes that guests will see are newly appointed rooms and an updated restaurant and bar. Hotel management already has expanded and relocated a fitness center to the basement.

 

When it bought the hotel in May 2006, Marcus said it planned to have the renovations completed by now. But this winter, it was still working on designs and then decided to bring in Waterton as a partner.

 

"They'd be foolish to drop the Westin brand," said hotel analyst Eric Belfrage of CB Richard Ellis. "It's been so successful for them.

Cardinal moving 700 jobs here

Chicago-area positions will come to Dublin

Tuesday,  May 1, 2007 3:33 AM

By Jeffrey Sheban

 

Cardinal Health is embarking on a major expansion of its Dublin headquarters to accommodate 700 positions being moved from the Chicago area.  The move, which will begin in the summer, will increase the company's central Ohio employment by 30 percent when completed next year.  The jobs are coming from Cardinal's Waukegan, Ill., operations, where 2,000 people work for the former Allegiance Corp., a medical-products manufacturer and distributor that was acquired by Cardinal in 1999.

 

Cardinal will break ground in the fall on a 250,000-square-foot addition to its 363,000-square-foot Emerald Parkway headquarters.  Construction is expected to take two years.  Mazzola said the cost of the building hasn't been determined, but the company expects to incur $45 million in costs to cover employee relocation, severance benefits and related expenses.

 

Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/05/01/CARD01.ART_ART_05-01-07_A1_2S6I6EM.html

Take THAT, Waukegananisha or wherever the hell that is!

 

(Yes folks, I've actually been to Waukegan; you don't have to tell me it's "near Chicago")

Great news!  Only thing better would be if Cardinal had a downtown skyscraper instead of a sprawling suburban campus.

Citigroup to buy, split up Bisys

Move expected to keep jobs in Columbus, possibly bring more

Thursday,  May 3, 2007 3:52 AM

By Denise Trowbridge

 

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/05/03/Bisyssale.ART_ART_05-03-07_C10_376IR22.html

 

Citigroup said yesterday that it plans to buy Bisys Group for $1.47 billion in cash, a move that could mean more jobs for Bisys' Columbus operations.

 

Bisys, a provider of accounting and record-keeping services to financial institutions and insurance companies, employs about 900 people at offices on Stelzer Road near Easton. It's based in Roseland, N.J...

 

MORE MORE MORE!!!

Dominion knuckles down amid home slump

Business First of Columbus - May 4, 2007

by Kevin Kemper

Business First

 

Executives at Dominion Homes Inc. are taking steps to turn around the struggling business with a new credit facility, continued cost-cutting and a new product line, CEO Douglas G. Borror assured investors at the company's annual shareholders meeting May 2.

 

But while the Dublin homebuilder is trying to move forward, it must do so in the slumping real estate market while battling a sliding stock price that some think is the result of short sellers. Borror made no bones about the year, telling shareholders "the outlook for 2007 remains tough."

 

MORE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/05/07/story6.html 

 

 

I like how their improvement strategy is the same thing as what ruined their reputation in the first place. My parents bought one of their crappy houses in a subdivision and they were attracting first time homebuyers that weren't qualified to buy houses. The whole thing is a disaster. The neighborhood sucks, the houses are square boxes with siding and I wouldn't be surprised if half of them are section 8 rentals in 10 years.