Subscribe
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Apts
Classifieds
Shop
Fort Wayne-based WaterFurnace Renewable Energy Inc. has named a new president and chief executive officer. Tom Huntington took the reins of the maker of geothermal climate-control systems from Bruce Ritchey on Tuesday.
Ritchey is retiring after 14 years of running WaterFurnace. The company announced in May 2008 that he planned to retire this year.
Huntington worked most recently in the Building Efficiency Division of Johnson Controls Inc. He was president of York International Corp.’s Unitary Products Group when Johnson acquired York in 2005.
Tim Shields, chairman of WaterFurnace’s board, said in a statement that the board had “numerous highly qualified candidates.” Two board members knew Huntington and “highly recommended him for the position.”
Three Ohio counties in the region saw an increase in unemployment in April, according to data released Tuesday.
Van Wert County saw the biggest increase – to 15 percent in April from 14.6 percent in March and 6.6 percent in April 2008. Of 88 counties, Van Wert County had Ohio’s fourth-worst unemployment for April.
Williams County continued to have the state’s highest unemployment. It increased to 16.3 percent in April from 16 percent in March. It was 5.8 percent in April 2008.
Paulding County also saw April unemployment increase to 13.3 percent in April from 13.2 percent in March. Its unemployment was 5.3 percent in April 2008.
The region’s only decrease in unemployment was in Defiance County, where the jobless rate fell to 13.5 percent in April from 13.6 percent in March. It was 5.9 percent in April 2008.
Ohio’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 10.2 percent in April, up from 10.1 percent in March and 5.6 percent in April 2008.
First Bank of Berne plans to spend more than $1 million on a new branch. The Berne-based bank has received approval from the Berne Plan Commission to build on U.S. 27 and will break ground in the next few weeks.
The 4,835-square-foot building will replace a smaller, less-efficient branch, spokeswoman Teresa Flaugher said. She described the new branch’s exterior design as “very Swissy.” The Adams County city was settled by Swiss Mennonites more than 150 years ago.
The bank building will include six teller windows, four drive-through lanes, a drive-up ATM and two offices for loan officers. First Bank of Berne operates eight locations, including three in Berne.
The company will staff the new branch with 10 to 12 current employees, Flaugher said.
Bookseller Borders says its net loss widened in its fiscal first quarter because of continually weakening sales and more than $70 million in after-tax charges.
The company reported a loss of $86 million, or $1.44 a share, for the quarter, which ended May 2. That compares with a loss of $31.7 million, or 50 cents a share in the same period a year earlier.
