CenturyLink honored by group

CenturyLink Inc., which provides telephone services to much of Jay County, was named the 2014 Company of the Year by the Indiana Telecommunications Association.
CenturyLink is the state’s largest telecommunications company and employs about 360, with an annual payroll of $20 million. It provides service in more than 41 Indiana counties.

Deal is sealed
Tyson Foods Inc. and the Hillshire Brands Company this week announced that they have reached a definitive agreement by which Tyson will buy all the outstanding shares of Hillshire for $63 a share.
The all-cash transaction totals about $8.55 billion, including Hillshires’ outstanding net debt.
Tyson Foods is the parent company of Tyson Mexican Original, Portland.

Sale completed
Ardagh Group, parent company of the glass container plant in Dunkirk, said this week it has completed the sale of six former Anchor Glass plants to Glass Container Acquisition LLC, an affiliate of KPS Capital Partners.
Sale of the six plants was required to satisfy the Federal Trade Commission so Ardagh could acquire Verallia North America.
Ardagh has 94 production sites in 23 countries and employs about 19,500.

New manager WITH PHOTO
CrossRoads Financial Federal Credit Union has named Bill Davis as branch manager of its Winchester office.
Davis has 28 years of banking experience and a degree from Ball State University. He is a native of Randolph County, where he is actively involved with Farmland Friends Church.

Sells mines
Vectren, which provides natural gas service to a portion of Richland Township, this week announced it is selling its coal mining subsidiary in southern Indiana.
Vectren Fuels will be sold to Sunrie Coal, a subsidiary of Hollador Energy Co. for $296 million. It operates three coal mines with nearly 850 coal miners.

Swiss village new director
Swiss Village in Berne recently announced Rodney Mason will be its fourth executive director.
Mason will assume the role Sept. 1, succeeding Daryl Martin, who will be retiring.
A search committee voted unanimously to select Mason as the finalist for the position, and the Swiss Village Board of Directors voted to appoint him.
Mason most recently served as president and CEO of Menno Haven, Inc., a continuing care retire community serving 1,200 residents in Chambersburg, Penn. He also worked in healthcare at Peter Pecker Community as assistant executive director, later becoming executive director and president.
He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bridgewater College and is a certified aging service professional from University of North Texas and Leading Age. He is also a licensed nursing home administrator in Pennsylvania — which is expected to transfer to Indiana.
 
Tyson Foods donates
Tyson Foods, Inc., which has a plant in Portland, recently donated a 53-foot semitrailer to serve as Team Rubicon’s, a military veterans’ group, command center during disaster relief.
The trailer included sleeping quarters and office and storage space for staff and volunteers.
The donation is part of a partnership between Tyson Foods and Team Rubicon. The partnership will combine Team Rubicon’s knowledge of logistics planning in the field with Tyson Foods’ experience in providing food to victims and aid workers.
Tyson Foods will mobilize the unit alongside the company’s Meals that Matter disaster response unit, when appropriate, and will work collaboratively onsite to bring assistance to disaster victims and aid workers.

ISBDC to offer workshop
The East Central ISBDC will be offering a workshop for future business owners Friday.
The workshop, presented by the East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center, will be both at the Innovation Center in Muncie and the Richmond Ivy Tech campus.
There is a $25 fee that includes a step-by-step workbook and valuable business advice from the East Central ISBDC business advisers.
The workshop, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon, will give future business owners tools to create a solid business plan and help them manage expectations and increase opportunities for accessing capital.
Sign up online at www.isbdc.org under the “Workshops & Events” link by July 9.[[In-content Ad]]