The CR to publish a.m. on July 3

The Commercial Review will publish on a holiday schedule next week due to the Fourth of July.
On Friday, July 3, The CR will publish as a morning edition and be distributed as it is on Saturday mornings. There will be no edition published on Saturday, July 4.
Publication will resume as usual on Monday, July 6.

Berne boost
Up to 266 new jobs are expected to be created over the next six years as part of a major expansion by Smith Brothers of Berne.
The high-end furniture manufacturer announced this week that it will be investing $5 million to buil an 110,000-square-foot addition to its existing 215,000-square foot facility. Another $1.7 million will be invested in new equipment.
Company officials said the new jobs will have average annual wages of about $35,000. Those interested in applying should contact WorkOne.
Currently the plant employs 420. The company’s furniture is sold by retailers in more than 35 states.
Incentives for the expansion included a 10-year tax abatement by the city of Berne, up to $1.75 million in conditional tax credits from the Indiana Economic Development Corp., and up to $200,000 in state training grants.

Canning IPO
Ardagh Group, the parent of Dunkirk’s glass container plant and a similar plant in Winchester, is floating a new wholly-owned subsidiary for its metal can business and hopes to raise about 3 billion Euros through an initial public offering of stock.
The metal can subsidiary will be known as Oressa and will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Ardagh’s metal can packaging business has 54 plants in 20 countries and employs 7,300.

Off the 500
Allegheny Technologies, parent company of Portland Forge, will soon not be a part of the S&P 500, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported this week.
At the end of trading on July 1, the company will join the S&P MidCap 400 GICS Steel Sub-Industry Index.
The Business Times quoted S&P Dow Jones Indices as saying the change “does not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the companies” it is shifting in its various indices.

Hog internship
Morgan Link, daughter of Mike and Shelly Link, Portland, is working as a summer intern for AMVC Management Services at Newell Pig II, a 5,600-head, breed-to-wean sow farm near Brayton, Iowa.
She is a senior at the University of Findlay, majoring in animal science.

Exec resigns
Wes Kuntzman, executive director of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, has resigned effective July 10 to pursue other endeavors.

Safety speaker
Debbie Rauen of INSafe, Indiana’s worker safety initiative, will be the featured speaker at the Jay County Chamber of Commerce networking luncheon on Tuesday, June 30, at noon at Jay County Hospital.

Cohort forming
A new cohort of students is forming to pursue the associate’s degree in business from Indiana Wesleyan University through John Jay Center for Learning. For more information, contact John Jay at (260) 729-5525.

Pretzel abatement
Pretzels Inc., Bluffton, has been granted a 10-year tax abatement on $1.2 million in new equipment. The abatement was approved by the Bluffton City Council on Tuesday.
New ovens, new bulk handling equipment, and an upgraded mechanical palletizer are among the items that are part of the company’s latest investment. The company now employs 300, and that number is not expected to change as a result of the new equipment.