RSA sheds Mobile shipyard, new owner to add recycling
A Mobile shipyard has changed hands, and in the process the Retirement Systems of Alabama has shed a holding that exposed its investment strategy to criticism. The deal also represents a new chapter, and a foray into industrial recycling, for a yard that once changed hands in a bankruptcy sale after its prior owner was accused of human trafficking in an unrelated venture. Modern American Recycling Services announced last week that it had purchased World Marine’s facility. – AL.com
Alabama under state of emergency as storm approaches
The state of Alabama is under a state of emergency for approaching winter weather, Gov. Kay Ivey’s office announced Monday. The emergency declaration, which takes effect at 3 p.m., allows for activation of the Alabama Emergency Operations Center in Clanton and the Alabama National Guard to assist with emergency transportation needs. Ivey is also directing the appropriate state agencies to exercise their statutory authority to assist communities and entities affected by the storm. – AR
LifeWay business erodes, requiring a new digital strategy
LifeWay Christian Stores will be closing some locations due to “an accelerated rate of erosion” at its brick-and-mortar stores, the company president announced to employees last week. According to The Alabama Baptist, LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer in a Jan. 15 email that went out to all employees announced sales have declined since September and the company is contemplating a strategic shift to a “dynamic digital strategy.” – AL.com
Jones Valley Teaching Farm, Frank Stitt host Winter Twilight Supper at Bottega
The Winter Twilight Supper Series is coming full circle with its next event, back to the series’ creator, Frank Stitt. Jones Valley Teaching Farm and PNC Bank will be hosting the Winter Twilight Supper Series on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. at Bottega Restaurant. Stitt, the award-winning chef whose Highlands Bar & Grill was recently named America’s most outstanding restaurant in 2018 by the James Beard Foundation, founded the Twilight Supper Series in 2006. Each dinner features a renowned chef with a seasonally inspired menu in a distinctive location. – AL.com
Royal Cup Coffee wins prize for processing facility
Royal Cup Coffee & Tea has won the 2019 “Manufacturing Innovation of the Year” award from ProFood World for its Birmingham coffee processing facility. This came following a plant expansion designed and built by Florida-based Stellar, a design, engineering, construction and mechanical services firm. – AL.com
Kinnucan’s closes stores in several markets
Kinnucan’s Specialty Outfitters has closed several locations this month, including stores in Mountain Brook, Madison and Prattville. The outdoor chain, based in Auburn, now lists 10 locations across the southeast, including Tuscaloosa, Auburn, Opelika and Montgomery. The Mountain Brook location is listed on Google as “permanently closed” and the store has a non-working phone number. – AL.com
Judge orders mediation for Spencer Collier’s lawsuit against Bentley
Montgomery County Circuit Judge Greg Griffin today ordered mediation in Spencer Collier’s defamation lawsuit against former Gov. Robert Bentley, Rebekah Mason and others. Griffin appointed mediators and directed the parties in the lawsuit to contact the mediators within 14 days and to schedule the mediation within 45 days after that. The case is scheduled to go to trial in September. – AL.com
Honda Passport priced a tad higher than competition
When it goes on sale next month, the 2019 Honda Passport will cost $33,035 for the base Sport trim level. That lands it square in the middle of a growing five-seat crossover SUV market that includes rivals such as the $31,090 Ford Edge, $32,315 Nissan Murano, and $35,490 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Passport shares its underpinnings and engine with the Honda Pilot, but it’s six inches shorter and has five seats instead of eight. – The Car Connection
Ford’s Q4 results show the pain from China is real
Ford Motor Company prepared investors and analysts for weaker results when it released preliminary 2018 full-year earnings figures that didn’t live up to Wall Street estimates. When Ford’s conference call wrapped up, the company had reported fourth-quarter earnings of $0.30 per share, excluding one-time items, and $1.30 per share for the full-year 2018 — both down from 2017. – Motley Fool
