New Tyson joining leadership

Tyson Foods Inc., parent of Tyson Mexican Original of Portland, this week announced the appointment of John R. Tyson as chief sustainability officer.

He will report to Noel White, president and chief executive officer of Tyson Foods. Justin Whitmore, who has been serving as the company’s chief sustainability officer since 2017, will now lead Tyson’s growing alternative protein business.

John R. Tyson is a fourth generation Tyson family member who recently joined Tyson Foods and, over the past five years, has been an observer at the company’s board of directors’ meetings.

He is also currently a lecturer at the Sam M. Walton School of Business at the University of Arkansas.

Tyson has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University and a master's of business administration degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

He previously worked in investment banking for J.P. Morgan and as a private equity and venture capital investor.

He will lead Tyson Foods’ efforts to support a more sustainable food system.

Unhappy city

Celina officials voted this week to take First Financial Bank to court to “address concerns about its management of the Bryson Trust Fund,” The Daily Standard reported.

The Bryson Trust was established by the estate of attorney Ed Bryson when he died in 1950. His will specified that the funds were to be used for Celina’s parks and public swimming pool.

“The fund has for decades financed millions of dollars in projects such as the Bryson Pool, shelter houses, park restrooms and other recreational improvements,” The Standard said.

The council’s action states that "First Financial Bank owes the city an unwavering duty of good faith, fair dealing, loyalty, and owes the city timely responses to inquiries, diligence, the duty to provide the city with material information it has requested to protect its interests, and the duty to properly invest and diversify the fund pursuant to the Ohio Prudent Investor Act and the duty to comply with the Ohio Trust Code and Ohio law.”

Concerns were raised in 2018 when management of the trust was moved from the local bank office to First Financial’s headquarters in Cincinnati.



Almost all 50

Dollar General announced this week it is currently building new stores in Washington and Wyoming. When completed, these stores will expand the retailer’s presence to 46 states throughout the country.

The new locations are scheduled to celebrate grand openings in early fiscal year 2020. Dollar General operated 15,836 stores in 44 states as of Aug. 2.



50th anniversary

Honda of America in Marysville, Ohio, marked its 50th anniversary this month.

The company, a major customer of FCC (Indiana), began producing Honda’s Elsinore CR 250 motorcycle in 1979.

It began producing automotive products in 1982.

Honda now has five U.S. auto plants and in 2018, nearly two-thirds of all Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the United States were made in America. With 12 major plants in this country, Honda also produces engines and transmissions, ATVs and side-by-side vehicles, a variety of power equipment products and the HondaJet in America, the company said in a press release.

Honda’s initial $35 million investment in the Marysville Motorcycle Plant has grown to more than $11 billion in Ohio, the Urbana Daily Citizen reported.



To your door

Walmart announced this week it will be expanding its new “unlimited” grocery delivery service to 1,400 stores this fall.

The service, which costs $98 a year, has been tested in Houston, Miami, Salt Lake City and Tampa. It will now roll out nationwide, mostly in urban areas. The company expects to reach more than 50 percent of the U.S. population by the end of the year.



AI acquisition

McDonald’s announced this week it has agreed to acquire Apprente, a 2-year-old Silicon Valley startup whose platform for “complex, multilingual, multi-accent and multi-item conversational ordering.”

The intent is to make drive-through ordering at McDonald’s “faster, simpler and more accurate.”

The fast food giant said it made the deal for Apprente, founded in 2017 in Mountain View, California, after “extensive exploration with several parties,” including trying Apprente's technology in its test restaurants. The company said Apprente’s technology may eventually also be integrated with its mobile ordering and kiosks.



Have some pie

Wick’s Pies of Winchester will celebrate its 75th anniversary Sept. 21.

A Pork and Pie Fest will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. that day at 636 Ludy Road in Winchester.

A dinner of barbecue pork and pie will be served beginning at 5:30 p.m, the cost of the meal will be a $5 donation.

In honor of occasion, Wick’s is donating one dollar from every pie sold in stores in the month of September to Riley Children’s Foundation. All proceeds from the anniversary celebration will also benefit the Riley Children’s Foundation.

Tickets are available, while supplies last, at Mrs. Wick’s in Winchester. The John Beatrice Band from Indianapolis will provide live music.

Sept. 21 was chosen for the celebration because it’s the birthday of founder Duane E. “Wick” Wickersham, who started his first restaurant in September of 1944.

Wick’s has a base of around 230 customers throughout 40 states.

Major retail customers include Kroger, Super Valu, Nash Finch, Meijer and Wal-Mart.



Girl next door

Bond, the new venture capital firm headed by Jay County native Mary Meeker, is making a major investment in Nextdoor Inc., a neighborhood-oriented social media platform.

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Meeker will be joining the board of Nextdoor. She also serves on the board of Square.

“Nextdoor has grown largely because its community is built on local trust and accountability that cannot be found elsewhere,” Meeker told the Journal in an email. Nextdoor is in 245,000 neighborhoods across 10 countries.

A graduate of Jay County High School, Meeker received her bachelor’s degree from DePauw University. She indicated to the Journal that she expects the company to go public,eventually.