Administrator named at Miller’s

Natalie McConnell has been named the new administrator of Miller’s Merry Manor in Dunkirk.

A resident of Muncie, she began her career in longterm care while in high school as a certified nurses’ aide at Adams Woodcrest in her hometown of Decatur.

A graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington with a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management and policy, she joined Miller’s Health Systems in 2015. She served as an administrator-in-training in Warsaw and as director of support services at Miller’s locations in Fort Wayne and the Castleton area of Indianapolis.

As administrator, she oversees all aspects of the Dunkirk facility. Her appointment was announced by Patrick Boyle, president and chief executive officer of Miller’s Health Systems Inc.



Dividend suspended

Allegheny Technologies Inc., parent company of Portland Forge, has suspended its quarterly dividend in order to provide the company with additional flexibility and liquidity going into the new year.

“We expect ATI’s financial performance to improve significantly in 2017 as a result of strong profitable growth in our High Performance Materials & Components segment, a return to modest profitability in our Flat Rolled Products segment, and the aggressive cost reduction actions we have taken since late last year,” Rich Harshman, chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement.

“As earnings improve in 2017 and beyond, the resulting annual free cash flow, after necessary capital expenditures, will be used primarily to reduce debt, improve the funded position of the Company’s defined benefit pension plan, and improve liquidity. We are focused on creating long-term shareholder value by returning ATI to sustainable profitability,” Harshman said.

He added that Allegheny Technologies plans to make a $135 million contribution to its defined benefit pension plan, repay a $100 million loan due in 2017, and make capital investments of about $120 million in the year ahead.



New president

Toby Thomas has been named the new president and chief operating officer of Indiana Michigan Power, effective Jan. 1.

A native of Waveland, he is a graduate of Rose Hulman Institute of Technology and has served as vice president of the American Electric Power’s competitive generation fleet in Ohio.

He succeeds Paul Chodak III, who has served in those roles since 2010. Chodak is moving to a new position as executive vice president of AEP Utilities at AEP’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.

I&M employs 2,450 and has 589,000 customers.



Tyson venture

Fortune reported this week that Tyson Foods Inc., parent company of Tyson Mexican Original of Portland, is launching a venture capital fund that will invest as much as $150 million into food start-ups.

In October, Tyson announced that it had acquired a 5 percent stake in Beyond Meat, a developer of plant-based foods.

“It isn’t entirely clear what food startups Tyson New Ventures will look to invest in next, though the company said it would focus on three areas: alternative proteins, the elimination of food waste, and bets on innovative trends in technology,” Fortune said.

The fund will be led by Mary Kay James and will be based in Chicago.

Other large food companies such as General Mills, Kellogg, and Campbell Soup have also set up venture capital funds.



Profits dip

Vera Bradley Inc., the Fort Wayne-based handbag and fashion company, reported this week that its third quarter earnings were down 14 percent from the same quarter a year ago.

The company reported third quarter earnings of $8.78 million, down from $10.3 million for the same period last year.

Revenue was $126.7 million.

The company, which is known for its women’s handbags, is trying to expand its product offerings. It will launch a line of swimsuits this spring.



Wait and see

Honda is taking a wait and see approach to President-elect Donald Trump’s trade policies.

"It is still unclear what Trump's policies will be. We can't suddenly make production changes and that is a problem not just for us but for all automakers in the U.S.," chief executive officer Takahiro Hachigo told Reuters.

Honda of America is a major customer of FCC (Indiana) in Portland and has extensive manufacturing facilities in both Ohio and Indiana.

The top Honda executive told Reuters the company will stick with its North American production plans for now and wait to see if Trump follows through with a campaign pledge to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement.



A new app

Progressive Grocer reported this week that Indianapolis-based Marsh Supermarkets will be the first retailer in the country to launch a mobile app that pays its customers for interacting with national brands.

The Fresh Lettuce app is available for free download in the iTunes and Google Play stores.

“Customers who download the Marsh Fresh Lettuce app will be asked to link their Marsh Fresh Idea card to the app; no personal information is exchanged,” Progressive Grocer said.

Aluminum bottle

Ardagh Group, parent company of glass container plants in Dunkirk and Winchester, will be making a new line of aluminum bottles for Coca-Cola in Europe as part of Coke’s Taste the Feeling marketing campaign.

The bottles feature a high-definition photographic image printed across the entire surface. There will be about one hundred different images, each with different emotional connections, on the bottles. The bottle is being produced at Ardagh’s plant in Beaurepaire, France.



Security sought

An organization called Making Change at Walmart is launching a TV campaign in an effort to pressure the company to improve security in its stores.

A report by Bloomberg Businessweek indicated that on average a Walmart store is the scene of at least one violent crime per day. Hundreds of thousands of petty crimes were reported annually at Walmart stores.

The security effort is being backed by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.



Public hotspots

WANE TV of Fort Wayne reported this week that Comcast is going to install more than 175 wi-fi outdoor hotspots in and around Fort Wayne.

The public hotspots will be free to Comcast Xfinity internet customers. Non-customers will be offered complimentary sessions.

Xfinity internet customers will be able to find the closes hotpot by seleting “xfinitywifi” from the list of available networks on their laptops and mobile devicies. They’ll then enter their Comcast email address and password.