NEW YORK — This summer, high rollers are flying to lavish vacation hot spots for their vacations. The rest of us are headed to places like nearby campgrounds. The good news: At some U.S. campgrounds these days you get live bands, air guitar contests and chocolate pudding slip ‘n slides. Americans’ plans … Continue reading →

MIDLAND, Mich. — The Dow Chemical Co. said Friday that it plans to use part of its recent payment from Petrochemical Industries Co. of Kuwait to pay off up to $2 billion in debt this year. Earlier this month, Dow received $2.2 billion from that company to cover damages stemming from the Kuwait company’s 2008 … Continue reading →

Raising Cane’s has had to cope with hurricanes and their aftermath since the days it began growing from a single chicken finger restaurant near LSU to a regional fast-food chain. But the Baton Rouge-based company’s experience with disasters served it well in Moore, Okla., after the town was ravaged Monday by a powerful tornado. Raising Cane’s … Continue reading →

Baton Rouge and New Orleans both ranked among the top cities their size on Forbes’ magazine’s list of “Cities Winning the Battle for Information Jobs.” Baton Rouge ranked No. 7 on the list of medium-sized metros that are luring information jobs. Trenton, N.J., was first. New Orleans was ranked No. 3 on the list of 10 … Continue reading →

Lafayette ranked first in the country in terms of economic and workforce measures, according to Area Development Magazine, a site selection and facility planning publication. Baton Rouge was No. 88 and New Orleans ranked No. 155, according to Area Development. The magazine ranked 380 metro areas in 21 economic and workforce indicators in 2010-2011 and 2007-2012. … Continue reading →

MORGAN CITY — A 10-week Shipfitting Boot Camp and Training event is being sponsored by the state’s workforce training program, South Central Louisiana Technical College and the Gulf States Shipbuilding Consortium in partnership with Lockport-based Bollinger Shipyards. The course is free and participants who successfully complete the boot camp will be interviewed for a shipfitter … Continue reading →

First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana increased to 2,738 last week from the previous week’s total of 2,327, the state’s labor department reported Friday. Initial claims were below the comparable week a year earlier at 3,547. The four-week moving average, which is a less volatile measure of claims, increased to 2,518 from the previous week’s … Continue reading →

The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance will hold a “529 Day Call-In Night” 6-9 p.m. Wednesday to answer questions about the state’s Student Tuition Assistance and Revenue Trust savings program or to request more information, including enrollment packets. The “529 Day” refers to section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, which authorizes states to offer … Continue reading →

HOUSTON — Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. dropped by seven this week to 1,762. The Houston-based company said Friday in its weekly report that 1,402 rigs were exploring for oil and another 354 for gas. Six were listed as … Continue reading →

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber has a new form on its website for local companies who are interested in doing business with IBM’s software development center. BRAC said it is collecting a list of businesses that want to work with the downtown center. That list will be presented to IBM officials in the hopes of … Continue reading →

The number of nonfarm jobs in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette and the state continued to increase in April, but at a slower pace than in previous months, according to figures released Thursday by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Louisiana gained 19,500 jobs over the 12-month period that started in April 2012. The 1 percent increase put the … Continue reading →

By expanding its Medicaid program, Louisiana could provide health insurance to all of its uninsured children, the head of the Catholic Health Association of the United States said Thursday. “If that’s not a worthy goal, I don’t know what is,” Sister Carol Keehan, the association’s president and chief executive officer said. Keehan was the keynote … Continue reading →

Lafayette ranked first in the country in terms of economic and workforce measures, according to Area Development Magazine, a site selection and facility planning publication. The magazine ranked 380 metro areas in 21 economic and workforce indicators in 2010-2011 and 2007-2012. The top scores went to metro areas based on their economic strengths, year-over-year growth; … Continue reading →

Will Sullivan has been named general manager of the Wyndham Garden Baton Rouge Hotel, owned and operated by Baton Rouge-based Wampold Companies. Sullivan was director of the front office at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North in Atlanta. Beth Lee Terry has been installed as president of the New Orleans Women’s … Continue reading →

CEO pay has been going in one direction for the past three years: up. The head of a typical large public company made $9.7 million in 2012, a 6.5 percent increase from a year earlier that was aided by a rising stock market, according to an analysis by The Associated Press using data from Equilar, an executive … Continue reading →

It’s going to be another busy Memorial Day weekend on the nation’s highways. From Thursday through Monday, 31.2 million Americans will drive 50 miles or more to a beach, campground or other getaway, according to car lobbying group AAA. That’s a small increase from last year but still well short of the record 37.3 million people who … Continue reading →

Six television stations in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, including the local Fox and NBC affiliates, are slated to get new ownership later this year. Mission Broadcasting and Nexstar Broadcasting have reached a $270 million deal to buy 19 television stations from Communications Corporation of America and White Knight Broadcasting. The deal includes WVLA, the Baton Rouge NBC … Continue reading →

Louisiana’s worldwide exports jumped to a record $16.5 billion in the first quarter, up 15.6 percent over the same period in 2012, according to figures released by the World Trade Center in New Orleans. The increase in exports — those produced in the state and passing through the state — pushed Louisiana to the No. 5 … Continue reading →

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said Tuesday he will delay final decisions on about 20 applications, including ones in Louisiana, to export liquefied natural gas until he reviews studies by the Energy Department and others on what impact the exports would have on domestic natural gas supplies and prices. Chris John, president of Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and … Continue reading →

Danos & Curole Marine Contractors, which is based in Lafourche Parish, said it will build a new $10 million headquarters in Terrebonne Parish and is evaluating multiple Louisiana ports as potential sites for a $20 million manufacturing and fabrication facility. The company, now based in Larose, is a construction and services partner for major oil and gas … Continue reading →

Cohn Turner, the high-end clothing retailer that has been in Baton Rouge for more than five decades, officially changed on Tuesday to Perlis, the New Orleans-based company that bought it in November. Perlis, the apparel retailer known for its crawfish logo, has renovated the Jefferson Highway store and will carry many of the same Cohn Turner had, … Continue reading →

Sara Barnard has been named director of sales and marketing for The Advocate in New Orleans. Barnard joined The Advocate staff in September as sales manager for the New Orleans edition, working out of the Baronne Street office. In her new position, she will supervise the advertising sales staff while pursuing marketing partnerships with community and … Continue reading →

A loan review committee of the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority granted a favorable score Tuesday to Danny McGlynn’s planned renovation of the Darensbourg building and the northern side of the Government Street block just west of it. McGlynn is requesting $700,000 in gap financing for the project from the RDA, whose full board will consider the … Continue reading →

A vice president and general manager has been named for Avondale Industries Inc., responsible for developing parent company Huntington Ingalls Industries’ energy infrastructure business in Avondale. Rene Mathieu will work in Avondale and at Avondale’s business development office in Houston, HII said in a news release. HII opened the Houston office to pursue energy infrastructure projects … Continue reading →

Adams and Reese LLP is acquiring Ellis Lawhorne, a law firm in Columbia, S.C., effective June 1. With the addition of 23 attorneys in Columbia, New Orleans-based Adams and Reese said it will have more than 340 attorneys and advisers in 16 offices in seven states throughout the South and Washington, D.C. The announcement was made … Continue reading →

A national search company has been selected to find the first chief executive officer for Step One Ventures, a new fund aimed at helping fledging Baton Rouge companies. Brill Neumann, a Boston search company, is leading the search, said Stephen Loy, executive director of the Louisiana Technology Park. The tech park and JumpStart, a Cleveland nonprofit venture … Continue reading →

NEW YORK — Reassuring comments from a Federal Reserve official and better earnings from two big retailers helped push the stock market higher Tuesday. Home Depot surged 2.5 percent. The retailer reported an 18 percent increase in quarterly income as the housing market continued to recover. Home Depot rose $1.95 to $78.71. AutoZone jumped … Continue reading →

SAN FRANCISCO — Yahoo is buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion as CEO Marissa Mayer tries to rejuvenate an Internet pioneer that had fallen behind the times. Tumblr has emerged as a trendy online hangout by providing a service that makes it easy to share blog posts, photos, video and other content in … Continue reading →

NEW YORK — Rival online takeout services Seamless North America and GrubHub on Monday announced plans to combine and create a new company covering more than 20,000 restaurants in 500 cities across the U.S. Financial terms were not disclosed and it’s unclear what the combined company will be called. GrubHub CEO Matt Maloney will become … Continue reading →

The city-parish Planning Commission on Monday approved the rezoning for a haunted house and outdoor Halloween attraction just south of Central and shot down a subdivision near Pecue Lane and Perkins Road because the density of homes there would be out of step with the area. The commission voted 6-2, with commissioners Tara Wicker and Sarah Holliday-James voting against and W.T. … Continue reading →

LEEVAC Shipyards Jennings LLC has signed contracts with Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC, an affiliate of Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc. of Covington, for the construction of two marine supply vessels. “These will be the 23rd and 24th vessels to be built by LEEVAC for Hornbeck” said Christian Vaccari, president and CEO of LEEVAC Shipyards LLC, parent company of … Continue reading →

Globalstar, the Covington-based satellite phone company, has reached an agreement with creditors and lined up $85 million in financing to bolster its long-term liquidity. The agreement, announced Monday evening, clears up an issue Globalstar had with noteholders, who had the right to surrender their securities and claim nearly $70.7 million last month. The company didn’t have … Continue reading →

RoyOMartin will spend $20 million to modernize and expand its Martco plywood mill in Natchitoches Parish, a move that will create 24 new jobs. Along with the new jobs, which will have an average salary of $42,000 plus benefits, the Louisiana Economic Development department estimates the expansion of the Chopin facility will add 56 indirect jobs. RoyOMartin … Continue reading →

Baton Rouge Metro Airport will give a standard incentive package to Elite Airways when the company begins flying out of the market in July. Elite Airways will get a two-year waiver on landing fees and rent, said Jim Caldwell, an airport spokesman. Metro Airport will also help support advertising for the startup airline and could put up … Continue reading →

Danny McGlynn is seeking $700,000 in gap financing from the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority for his redevelopment of the Darensbourg building and a “model block” project on Government Street. An RDA loan review committee will look over the application at 9 a.m. Tuesday in its office at 801 North Blvd. The gap financing sought … Continue reading →

Less than two months remain before Piccadilly Restaurants LLC submits its bankruptcy reorganization plan. But the company’s new business model — a leaner organization with a continued emphasis on institutional customers, such as schools, and on emergency services — is growing clearer. When it filed for Chapter 11 in September, Piccadilly had 81 open restaurants, three closed … Continue reading →

• Mobile kitchen serves victims of disasters

Piccadilly, whose emergency feeding business began after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, is an area of focus for a new division formed by the restaurant chain, complete with a mobile kitchen. “We’ve been to the International Disaster Conference in New Orleans, the National Hurricane Conference, also in New Orleans, and we just got back from the Governor’s … Continue reading →

• A clearer future

NEW YORK — The surge in oil production in the U.S. and Canada and shrinking oil consumption in the developed world is transforming the global oil market. The threat of chronic oil shortages is all but gone, U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil will continue to dwindle, and oil will increasingly flow to the developing … Continue reading →

Richard O’Quinn, a physical therapist at Central Physical Therapy, has received the Herdman Certification for Vestibular Rehabilitation. The certification acknowledges the expertise to test and treat patients with vestibular issues like dizziness and loss of balance. GeoEngineers Inc.’s in-house laboratory in Baton Rouge has earned certification from … Continue reading →

Letti Lowe-Ardoin has been named chief operating officer at Hannis T. Bourgeois LLP, Certified Public Accountants. Lowe-Ardoin was with The Lowe Co., a firm she founded in 1996. She is a professor at LSU, teaching accounting and income taxation. Katherine “Kaki” Heiligenthal has been named … Continue reading →

BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU WHEN: Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. WHERE: Belle of Baton Rouge Atrium, 103 France St., Baton Rouge EVENT: Business to Business Trade Show and a 5-6 p.m. After-Hours Program COST: General admission to the trade show is complementary Continue reading →

The LSU AgCenter’s LaHouse Resource Center will host a “Lead Certified Renovator Training” 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thursday at 2858 Gourrier Ave., between Nicholson Drive and River Road, at the southwest edge of the LSU campus. The course is aimed at helping contractors meet EPA lead renovation, repair … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON — The Energy Department on Friday conditionally approved a Texas company’s proposal to export liquefied natural gas, only the second such project allowed to move forward amid a production boom that has led to glut of domestic natural gas. The action would allow Freeport LNG Expansion L.P. to export up to 1.4 billion cubic … Continue reading →

HOUSTON — Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. remains unchanged this week at 1,769. The Houston-based company said Friday in its weekly report that 1,408 rigs were exploring for oil and another 354 for gas. Seven were listed as miscellaneous. … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Leviton, a lighting and electrical products company that acquired New Orleans-based Home Automation Inc. last year, said it is negotiating for space in New Orleans’ Central Business District to house a training center and a Leviton product showroom that includes home automation products. The showroom also will be used to demonstrate … Continue reading →