Briggs elected to chair bank board

Bank of Geneva’s president and chief executive officer Andrew Briggs has been elected chairman of the board of directors. 

Briggs is a fifth-generation banker with more than 40 years of experience in community banking. 

Bank of Geneva is in the process of being acquired by Ohio-based Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc.

Briggs, who has led Bank of Geneva for 24 years, will be appointed to the board of F&M and its subsidiary, Farmers & Merchants State Bank after the transaction has been completed and received regulatory approval.

Both companies’ boards of directors have approved the transaction, which is expected to close in late 2018 or early 2019, and is subject to shareholder approval.

Breakfast time

The Jay County Chamber of Commerce monthly networking breakfast will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Redkey Park Cabin.

Town council president Doug Stanley will provide the program, updating chamber members on Redkey’s planning process. Breakfast will be catered by Lil Bistro. The cost is $5 per person.

ServSafe class

The next ServSafe class for food service employees is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 30 at John Jay Center for Learning.

The program emphasizes safe food and beverage handling practices to minimize the risk of food borne illnesses.

Certifications are valid for five years upon successful completion of the course. For more information, contact John Jay Center for Learning at (260) 729-5525.

Growing?

Crown Equipment Corp. is weighing a $40-million expansion of its New Bremen, Ohio, operation, a move that would create 197 new jobs.

Local economic development officials told The Daily Standard that the project is “contingent on adequate state and local assistance.”

Crown’s plans include a new 500,000-square-foot building to be constructed north of its current Plant 4.

The expansion would increase the company’s capacity for assembly of lift trucks and provide additional storage and space for distribution.

Attained

IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie received Magnet recognition last week from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

The ANNC’s Magnet program recognizes facilities that “successfully align their nursing strategic goals to improve the organization’s patient outcomes.”

About 8 percent of U.S. hospitals earn Magnet recognition.

New bottle

Ardagh Group, parent company of glass container plants in Dunkirk and Winchester, this week announced the debut of a new 500-milliliter Celebration beer bottle.

The company said the new bottle has the versatility of using either a crown/pry-off or a cork closure and is made of high-quality, amber glass that is 100 percent recyclable.

Alex Robertson, chief commercial officer for Ardagh Group’s North American Glass division, said the rising popularity of sour beers and barrel-aged beers are driving the demand for the 500-milliliter Celebration bottle. 

“Breweries are packaging limited-edition, single serving craft beer styles in 500ml bottles because they deliver great shelf appeal and brand differentiation in a premium, sustainable package,” he said in a prepared statement.

Secures financing

Tyson Foods Inc., parent of Tyson Mexican Original of Portland, has secured $1 billion in senior unsecured notes offered to the investment community and rated investment grade — Baa2 by Moody’s or BBB by Standard & Poor’s.

The company said the proceeds from the bond sale will be used to repay a $750 million term loan due August 2020 as well as other borrowings. The $750 million loan was increased in June from $500 million, which was used to partially fund the acquisition of Tecumseh Poultry for $382 million.

Moody’s credit analyst Brian Weddington told TalkBusiness that the Baa2 rating reflects the company’s large scale and its “good and improving” segment diversity.