LOCAL BUSINESS
Trucking school plans job fair
Great Lakes Truck Driving School in Columbia Station will host a job fair from 3 to 6 p.m. Aug. 16 at the school at 27740 Royalton Road (state Route 82).
More than 40 companies are scheduled to participate. Immediate openings include truck drivers, equipment operators and oil and gas workers. Companies will be seeking experienced workers as well as people seeking a new career.
Job seekers are asked to bring resumes and be prepared to fill out applications. The job fair is free. No advance registration is needed.
Area vocational schools also will be at the job fair to announce new truck driver training opportunities.
Veteran scholarship awards will be presented. Representatives from the Wounded Warrior Project, Veterans Energy Force, Recruit Military and Amvets will announce the recipients of oil and gas training scholarships. Also, attendees can register to win a free Class A CDL Course valued at more than $5,000.
For more information, call 866-932-3436 or go online to www.greatlakestds.com.
Executive on Goodyear board
Goodyear’s newest member of its board of directors is Roderick A. Palmore, 60, executive vice president, general counsel, chief compliance and risk management officer, and secretary for General Mills Inc.
“His broad business knowledge and public board experience, as well as his strong leadership skills, will be valuable assets to the Goodyear board and the senior leadership team as we execute our strategic roadmap,” Richard Kramer, chairman and chief executive officer, said in a news release.
Palmore joined General Mills’ senior leadership team in 2008 and is responsible for the company’s worldwide legal activities, corporate ethics, compliance, and corporate security.
He previously worked at Sara Lee Corp. and before that for a series of law firms and the U.S. Department of Justice. Palmore has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University and a J.D. degree from the University of Chicago School of Law. With the addition of Palmore, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s board has 11 members.
FOOD
Spinoff boosts Dean’s stock
Dean Foods Co. shares jumped the most since it began trading 16 years ago after its WhiteWave unit, the maker of Silk almond milk, filed to raise $300 million in a U.S. initial public offering.
Dean rose 41 percent to $17.46 in New York. WhiteWave applied to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WWAV, it said in a regulatory filing Tuesday after the market closed. WhiteWave didn’t say how many shares it’s offering or at what price. The $300 million amount is a placeholder used to calculate registration fees and may change.
The proceeds will be used to pay down debt at Dallas-based Dean, according to the filing. Dean said it will own at least 80 percent of WhiteWave’s common stock following the IPO.
Selling 20 percent of WhiteWave allows Dean, the largest U.S. dairy processor, to raise money without taking on more risk at a time when the Standard & Poor’s 500 index is at a three-month high, Vicki Bryan, a New York-based analyst for Gimme Credit LLC, said Tuesday.
Dean is the parent of Reiter Dairy operations in Northeast Ohio.
ENTERTAINMENT
Gambling hot at Aqueduct
Gamblers wagered a record $1.13 billion at the “racino” at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York City in July, the latest evidence that the popular electronic gambling operation is putting a dent in neighboring states’ casino revenues. The Resorts World Casino New York City in Queens reported to state regulators that the amount gambled and the net revenue for July were at an all-time monthly high since its opening in October.
The casino — called a racino because it overlooks the Aqueduct thoroughbred horse track — has about 5,000 electronic slots and other games. The Aqueduct facility opened last year with an eye toward the massive New York City market.
AUTO INDUSTRY
Chrysler to end Jeep Liberty
Chrysler confirmed it will stop building the Jeep Liberty on Aug. 16 and begin removing old equipment from the plant as it continues to prepare for the launch of an all-new vehicle next year.
Chrysler officials made the announcement during an open house at the Toledo Assembly Complex to update reporters on the new construction and coming shutdown. Full-scale production of the new vehicle, which is yet unnamed, will begin in the second quarter of next year.
The automaker plans to add a second shift and hire more than 1,100 new workers to build the upcoming model.
Compiled from staff and wire reports