POET is sending a team to Kenya

POET Biorefining is sending a team to Kenya for the fourth consecutive year to help at an all-girls boarding school.
The mission trip by the parent company of POET Biorefining - Portland is being organized by Seeds of Change Foundation, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The school, Travellers’ Oasis Centre, is located in Sultan Hamud, Kenya, and provides faith-based education in a safe environment for 150 girls.
“I’ve worked at POET for nearly 20 years and can’t think of another time in which I’ve been so proud to work for this company,” said Rod Pierson, vice president of operations, in a prepared statement. “A 10-day trip isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things, but those 10 days changed my heart, changed the way I interact with my fellow team members and opened my eyes to the opportunities we have to serve others.”
“There is so much need in the world, and I’m proud that we have been able to take the unique skills of our POET team members and put them to use helping girls in Kenya gain access to a brighter future,” added POET chief executive officer Jeff Broin.

Joins May
Brian Brown will be joining May Financial Group Inc., specializing in the area of Medicare Advantage and Plan D prescription coverage.
Terry May, president of May Financial Group, announced the hiring this week.
Brown has several years of experience in the health insurance field in the Jay County area. He will be joining Jeffrey Hall, vice president of May Financial Group, in the Portland office, which is moving to 111 W. Main St., effective Aug. 1.

ATI sales up
Allegheny Technologies Inc., parent company of Portland Forge, reported second quarter sales of $811 million, up seven percent.
But the company reported a net loss of $19 million.
Commercial aerospace sales increased another three percent in the second quarter.
“Sales to the aerospace and defend market continued to drive ATI’s results, representing over 50 percent of total 2016 sales. Our commercial aerospace market growth is being driven in large part by the growth of ATI’s next-generation mill products, forgings, and castings,” said Rich Harsman, ATI’s chairman, president, and chief executive officer, in a prepared statement.

Earnings down
McDonald’s reported this week that second-quarter earnings were down nine percent due to costs related to re-franchising and relocating the company’s headquarters.
The burger chain earned $1.09 billion or $1.25 per share, compared with $1.2 billion or $1.26 per share in the same quarter last year. Revenue totaled $6.26 billion. The company took $235 million in pretax charges in the second quarter related to its move and re-franchising.

Income down
Park National Corporation, parent company of Second National Bank, reported second quarter net income of $20 million, down 4.9 percent from $21 million in the same period one year ago.
Net income per diluted common share for the quarter was $1.30, compared to $1.37 in the second quarter last year.
Headquartered in Newark, Ohio, Park National has $7.4 billion in total assets in its 11 community bank divisions and two specialty finance companies.

Retiring
The CEO of Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly announced that he will retire at the end of the year.
John C. Lechleiter, who has led the company since 2008, announced this week that he plans to retire in December. David A. Ricks, who currently serves as president of Lilly’s bio-medicines business, is slated to take over the position in January and become board chairman in June.