Cooper builds wind turbines

Cooper Farms Cooked Meats recently installed two 1.5 megawatt wind turbines to provide half of its power needs at its Van Wert, Ohio, facility.
Construction began in September, with installation completed near the end of 2011. Testing has been conducted during the past month, with full output expected in about two weeks.
Each of the towers is 421 feet tall.
The company is headquartered in Oakwood, Ohio, east of Fort Wayne, and has facilities in and around Fort Recovery and St. Henry, Ohio.

Good year?
The president of Honda Motor Co. said this week that 2012 could be a strong year for the Japanese company.
Takanobu Ito said that sales could reach the highest level in five years, Ito said.
FCC (Indiana), Portland, is a major supplier of clutch components to Honda.
In related news, Honda said it plans to invest $98 million at its Russells Point engine plant in Ohio.
Marketing biofuels
A partnership including Tyson Foods is selling renewable and synthetic biofuels to commercial fleet operators.
Dynamic Fuels LLC, a 50-50 effort between Tyson and Syntroleum Corporation, has the capacity to produce 75 million gallons of renewable diesel fuel, naphtha and LPG from animal fats and greases.
Dynamic Fuels has reached a marketing agreement with Mansfield Oil Company to distribute its products.

Job fair today
Progress Rail, a locomotive manufacturer in Muncie, is hosting a job fair today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Horizon Convention Center.
The company will not confirm current employment figures at the plant, which could benefit if a union plant in London, Ontario, Canada is closed.
When the project was announced in 2010, local officials predicted that approximately 650 would be employed at the plant by 2012.

Strong year
Old National Bancorp, the parent company of Old National Bank, this week announced a strong fourth fiscal quarter performance that capped off a strong year for the company.
Old National had net income of $22.4 million, or 23 cents per share, during the final three months of 2011. The income figures were 290 percent higher than the same period in 2010.
An Old National branch is located in Portland.

Offering testing
Mercer Health Laboratory, Coldwater, Ohio, is offering certain lab tests without a physician referral.
The service will be available on the first and third Saturday of each month from 7-11 a.m. Those taking advantage of the service should use the outpatient entrance to the hospital.
Most health insurance requires a physician’s order, so payment is required for the self-directed service.
For more information, go to www.mercerhealth.org or call (419) 678-5122.

Daycare award
Feckles and Smiles Daycare, 953 S. Meridian St., Portland, has achieved a Level 4 rating in the Paths to Quality rating and improvement system for childcare programs. The standards help parents identify licensed childcare and unlicensed ministries that have met state requirements.
Freckles and Smiles, operated by Kim Clifton, is the first daycare in Jay County to achieve Level 4 status.[[In-content Ad]]