Lawyers at $1,200 an hour booming as Apple confronts foes
Apple Inc. has spent at least $32 million in one patent-infringement dispute with Google Inc.’s Motorola Mobility unit — one among many legal fights on four continents.Add them up, and it’s clear Apple...
View ArticleJohn Patrick Najeway, co-owner of Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. in Akron
John Patrick NajewayCo-ownerThirsty Dog Brewing Co.The craft beer business has been a great place to be the last five years. Sales have been steady and we have completed two large expansions and start...
View ArticleECONOMIC COMMENTARY
Jared ChaneyExecutive vice president,chief marketing andcommunications officerMedical Mutual of OhioThe way we see it, the Akron area offers many reasons for economic optimism. Akron has quality...
View ArticleBaby boomers make a plum marketing target
If you want to see how important baby boomers are to companies, pay close attention next time you see Toyota’s commercials promoting its Venza crossover vehicle.The ads open with 20-somethings...
View ArticleBetty Lin-Fisher: Beware of bank card scammers; upcoming foreclosure clinics...
A colleague was at the store recently and had just swiped her debit card for a purchase when her phone rang.The recording, from a blocked number, said there was a problem with her MasterCard and she...
View ArticleChristmas in August as trucking shares offer bet on U.S. holiday
Holiday sales probably will grow at a slower rate this year than last. That might present an opportunity for investors prepared to guess they’ll be better.Most investors aren’t expecting a strong...
View ArticleTo maximize lifetime income, defer taking benefits
Q: I plan to retire soon. I’m 62 and hope to live well into my 90s. I need about $80,000 a year to live comfortably, plus inflation adjustments each year. I have $1.2 million saved in my 401(k). My...
View ArticleBusiness notes — Aug. 26
COMPANIESDRS LLCThe Akron-based technology consulting firm said it has invested more than $2 million to upgrade and expand its computer “cloud” service to current and new clients. The upgrade included...
View ArticleBusiness calendar — Aug. 26
TuesdayToastmasters Akron 151 — 6:30 to 8 p.m., Summa St. Thomas Hospital, 444 N. Main St., Akron. Information: 330-733-7683.Northeast Ohio Business Alliance — 7:30 to 9 a.m., Real Estate Capital...
View ArticleBusiness moves — Aug. 26
Ruhlin Co.Russell Lee joined the Civil Division as superintendent. His duties will include the I-90 bridge repair in Lorain County. James Sallo joined the Civil Division as a submittal engineer. His...
View ArticleDon’t forget insurance with college-bound kids
It’s inevitable that something will be forgotten in the excitement of sending a child off to college.Tuition bill paid? Done.Textbooks ordered? Check.Insurance taken care of? Oops.Insurance needs are...
View ArticleTransUnion: Late auto-loan payments fall in 2Q
More Americans are making their car payments on time, a trend that has sent the rate of overdue auto loans to the lowest level on records dating back more than a decade.The rate of U.S. auto loan...
View ArticleChick-fil-A’s Cathy lives his beliefs
ATLANTA: The business was doing OK, but at a price. Jack Hayes of Cuyahoga Falls was tired of operating his massage-therapy clinic seven days a week, juggling employees’ and clients’ schedules, missing...
View ArticleApple’s $1 billion patent verdict could corner market
SAN JOSE, CALIF.: It was the $1 billion question Saturday: What does Apple Inc.’s victory in an epic patent dispute over its fiercest rival mean for the U.S. smart-phone industry?Analysts from Wall...
View ArticleSumma leader predicts healthy future, with or without partner
Summa Health System trimmed about $20 million in expenses in 2011 and expects to cut another $56 million this year as it prepares for the future under federal health-care reform. But the results of the...
View ArticleSumma Health System facts and figures
Summa Health System owns:■ Akron City Hospital■ St. Thomas Hospital■ Barberton and Wadsworth-Rittman hospitals■ SummaCare insurance■ Summa Physicians Inc.■ And other businesses.Summa is part owner of:■...
View ArticleThe new wealth scoreboard
OK, alpha dogs, want to know where you stand in the wealth heap?Welcome to the Wealth Scoreboard, my effort to provide some notion of where we stand relative to everyone else.Since I started this more...
View ArticleTaking cell phones back to basics for seniors
I’ve seen two camps when it comes to older folks and cell phones — those who embrace the smart phone and those who want “just a phone” that they can use easily.Here are two phones aimed squarely at the...
View ArticleAcer laptop thin, light, quick — and noisy
Acer’s new Aspire S5 is one of the first of a new generation of ultrabooks to hit store shelves. Ultrabooks are the Windows world’s version of Apple’s MacBook Air: they’re lightweight, super-thin...
View ArticleBeef herd tumbles to 40-year low on feed cost surge
The worst U.S. drought in a half century and record feed prices are spurring farmers to shrink cattle herds to the smallest in two generations, driving beef prices higher.Beef output will slump to a...
View Article