Best employers for mothers
For the 20th consecutive year, First Horizon National Corp. has earned a spot on Working Mother magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies for working mothers, the latest recognition of the company as one of the country's best employers.
"When we help employees achieve a balance between their personal and professional lives, our employees, our company and our customers all benefit," said John Daniel, head of human resources for First Horizon.
Working Mother recognized companies for their progressive workplace programs including child care, flexibility, advancement and paid family leave. Other companies with local operations included on the list were Allstate Insurance, Bank of America, Ernst & Young, General Electric and IBM.
Lincoln Logs coming home
Lincoln Logs, the popular toy created nearly a century ago by a son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is coming home to the U.S.A.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage announced Wednesday the toy logs, created by John Lloyd Wright and used to create miniature toy buildings, will be made at Pride Manufacturing, a wood products company in Burnham, Maine. The toy has been made in China but when production of the wooden pieces ramps up, possibly in November, 80 percent of the toy will be made at the plant in Maine, said Randy Dicker, senior director of manufacturing for Pride. Some plastic pieces will still be made in China.
Hatfield, Pa.-based K'NEX currently holds the product license. The company's senior vice president of operations, Larry Fanelle, said, "We couldn't be happier to bring these jobs back to the United States and specifically to Maine."
Pride Manufacturing employs about 130 people. The company anticipates adding up to 10 jobs with the Lincoln Logs contract.
GMO seeds get approval
The Agriculture Department has approved the use of genetically modified corn and soybean seeds that are resistant to a popular weed killer.
However, farmers won't be able to take full advantage of the seeds until the Environmental Protection Agency issues a second ruling allowing the use of Enlist, a new version of the 2,4-D weed killer that's been around since the 1940s. The EPA has said it will rule this fall on Dow AgroSciences' application to market the chemical.
The agriculture industry has been anxiously awaiting the approvals, as many weeds have become resistant to glyphosate, an herbicide commonly used on corn and soybeans now. Herbicide-resistant seeds introduced in the 1990s allowed farmers to spray fields after their plants emerged, killing the weeds but leaving crops unharmed.
Critics say they are concerned the increased use of 2,4-D could endanger public health and that more study on the chemical is needed. The USDA has said that if both the seeds and herbicide are approved, the use of 2,4-D could increase by an estimated 200 percent to 600 percent by the year 2020.
Darden warns about takeover
A takeover of Darden Restaurant's board would leave the company vulnerable to micromanaging and compromise the objectivity of directors, Darden said in a statement Wednesday.
Darden's critique is the latest salvo in a long war of words with hedge fund Starboard Value, which currently owns about 9 percent of Darden shares. The fund is proposing a complete replacement of Darden's 12-member board. Darden says other stockholders may want to take note of ties that Starboard's nominees have to each other.