August 11, 2017 at 7:56 p.m.

Ardagh Group opens Napa center

Business roundup

Ardagh Group Glass-North America has opened a center in Napa, California, to provide service to its Ardagh Direct customers. 

Ardagh is the parent company of glass container plants in Dunkirk and Winchester. 

Ardagh Direct, launched in January, provides glass wine bottles to wineries in the northwest U.S., allowing them to purchase the bottles directly at less than truckload quantities. 

“The decision to expand our presence in the Napa Valley was a logical step in Ardagh Direct’s business growth strategy,” Jeff Oberti, Vice President of Sales for Ardagh Direct, said in a press release. “The area is one of the world’s premier viticulture regions and our office, centrally located within the heart of the wine producing region in California, will provide wineries with access to Ardagh Direct’s sales and customer support teams, allowing them to meet face-to-face with us and visit our office to view product offerings.”



Breaking ground

POET Biorefining is breaking ground on its Marion, Ohio, plant expansion. 

POET is the parent company of POET Biorefining-Portland. 

The Toledo Blade reported that construction will begin Tuesday. The $120 million expansion will more than double the plant’s production from 70 million gallons of biofuels per year to 150 million gallons, according to an earlier POET press release. High-protein animal feed production will also increase to 360,000 tons annually, from 178,000 tons. 

The expansion, which is expected to create more than 225 construction-related jobs and between 18 and 21 permanent positions, is slated for completion in the second half of 2018.



Village featured

Swiss Village, a retirement and rehabilitation community in Berne, was featured in a case study presentation last week at the Pioneer Network Conference. 

Vice president of healthcare services Alma Ahmetovic represented Swiss Village at the July 31 conference for Pioneer Network, a national non-profit organization that focuses on culture change and person-directed care. The case study, titled “Person-Centered Care in the Short-Stay Environment,” focused on ways to improve short-term rehabilitation patients’ experiences and their transitions back home. 

“We are proud that Swiss Village was chosen to speak at a national level on the positive strides we have made as an organization towards culture change and personal-centered care, and no one could have represented us any better than Alma,” Rod Mason, Swiss Village CEO, said in a press release. 



Ranked No. 6

IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital has been ranked as the sixth-best hospital in Indiana.

Each year, U.S. News & World Report releases its “Best Hospitals” and “Best Hospitals for Common Care” rankings. 

Ball Memorial tied for the No. 6 place with three other hospitals. It ranked as “high performing,” the highest possible ranking, in procedures for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, hip replacement and knee replacement, according to U.S. News & World Report’s website. 

IU Health East Central Region, which oversees Ball Memorial Hospital, also recently appointed a new chief financial officer. 

Jon Vanator, vice president for systemwide Revenue Cycle services, will enter his new role on Aug. 21, according to a press release. He received his undergraduate degree from Bethel College and his master’s from the College of William and Mary. Vanator has worked for IU Health since 2013.



To increase 

The number of McDonald’s restaurants in China will increase 4,500 from 2,500 in the next five years, the company announced Tuesday.

McDonald’s recently completed a deal with investment firms CITIC and The Carlyle Group, selling them approximately 2,500 restaurants in Mainland China and 240 in Hong Kong. McDonald’s and its new business partners have several initiatives planned for the next five years, including increasing the number of restaurants, delivery at 75 percent of restaurants and digitizing and personalizing dining experiences. 

 

Service launching

Comcast and FX Networks are launching a streaming service that will allow subscribers access to commercial-free current seasons of FX shows. 

FX+ will launch Sept. 5 and will be available as an add-on for existing Xfinity TV customers for $5.99 a month, according to a Comcast press release.

The current seasons of the seventeen FX and FXX original series will be available commercial free, along with many former seasons and shows. This includes programs such as “American Horror Story,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Archer.”

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