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John Brackenbury notified Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. on Aug. 23 that he will retire from his board and committee posts with the company and its U.K. subsidiaries, the company said Friday in a regulatory filing.

He will leave the board effective Oct. 5, when the company will hold its 2010 annual stockholders meeting at its Creve Coeur, Mo., headquarters, and won’t stand for re-election. Brackenbury’s retirement from the board isn’t the result of any disagreement with the company, according to the filing.

Brackenbury, 72, had been a director since January 2004 and was on Isle of Capri’s stock option and compensation committee. He has more than 40 years’ experience in the leisure industry in the U.K., and has served as chairman of trade group Business in Sport & Leisure since 1985 free business cards.

Isle of Capri began exiting its international operations with the sale last April of its casino in Coventry in the U.K.

Isle of Capri (Nasdaq: ISLE), led by Chairman and Chief Executive James Perry, reported $999.8 million in net revenue in fiscal 2010, which ended April 25. The company owns and operates riverboat, dockside and land-based casinos at 15 locations in Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Colorado, Iowa and Florida.

The company plans to build a $125 million casino north of downtown Cape Girardeau, Mo., if it’s successful in winning Missouri’s 13th and final gaming license.

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San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed on Friday asked county leaders to delay picking an ambulance service provider, saying the county has offered few details on how the two companies vying for the five-year, $375 million contract can afford to deliver their promised services.

Reed issued the warning in a letter to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, whose members appear ready to pick Rural Rural/Metro Corp. as its new provider on Tuesday and drop its longtime ambulance company, American Medical Response Inc.

In his letter, Reed asked the supervisors to delay any decisions until a more “detailed analysis” of the two companies’ bids can take place.

Among other things, Rural/Metro (NASDAQ:RURL) has offered to pay the paramedic training costs for 15 members of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety within the first two years of its ambulance contract, according to a recent county government staff report. Sunnyvale, the report noted, is the only city in the county without first response paramedic services.

Meanwhile, AMR or its predecessors have contracted with the county since 1979. According to its website, AMR employs 480 paramedics and emergency medical technicians in the county and responds to an average of 115,000 calls annually.

“I urge you to take more time to ensure that the proposals are fiscally viable,” Reed wrote, adding there is too much “at stake” to do otherwise.

According to the recent county staff report, Rural/Metro and AMR were the only two companies to respond to the county’s request for ambulance service proposals. The RFP was issued in mid-April.

An evaluation committee scored their proposals. The staff report said Rural/Metro won in six of nine categories, including clinical care, ambulance deployment plan and price. For instance, Rural/Metro proposed charging $35 per mile for each transport, far less than AMR’s $90 per mileproposal saving account payday loan.

AMR, however, scored 90 out of 90 possible points in the “finance” category. Rural/Metro scored 67.5.

Rural/Metro is a nationwide ambulance contractor based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

In January, for instance, its longtime CEO abruptly resigned, and in April, the Arizona Republic reported the company “ousted” two high-ranking executives. One of those executives was fired over alleged expense-reimbursement violations, according to the news report.

Metro reportedly took on a heavy debt load in the 1990s during a nationwide, acquisition-fueled expansion but appears to have since righted itself. In 2006, the company’s credit rating with Moody’s Investors Service stood at B2, a “junk” quality that is five levels below investment-grade. Moody’s later upgraded the rating after the company improved financially.

In its most recent earnings report, Rural/Metro recorded a $4.4 million profit for the three months ending March 31, nearly three times higher than the $1.6 million profit during the same period a year earlier.

Liz Merritt, a company spokeswoman, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday night.

Santa Clara County Executive Jeff Smith is seeking approval from the Board of Supervisors next week to negotiate a first response and paramedic ambulance transportation contract with Rural/Metro. The board is slated in December to vote on approving a contract.

The county’s existing contract with AMR expires on June 30 of next year. AMR, which operates in 37 states and Washington, D.C, is owned by Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Emergency Medical Services Corporation (NYSE:EMS).

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Let’s be honest, academic types are known for many things. Efficiency is not the first that comes to mind.

That is unless they work at Southern Methodist University, which University Business magazine is recognizing as a “Model of Efficiency” in streamlining its business operations.

To be exact, the magazine is recognizing the university’s efforts to do away with hard copy postings for jobs internships. Instead, the university is replacing the process with an online program called SaddleUp that allows students and alumni to connect with employers online.

University Business magazine chooses stellar programs using its Higher One’s ‘Models of Efficiency’ program that identifies schools that find innovative and cost-effective ways to manage business operations No teletrak payday loan.

SMU caught the magazine's eye since the university’s Hegi Career Center used to have to post jobs and internships manually on its Web site. Employees there also had to make photocopies of each job for distribution. When the school purchased new software, they were then able to allow students to self-register online and search for jobs without the extra paperwork. Because of this change, the wait time for job postings has been reduced from six weeks to six hours.

No other Texas universities ranked on the “Model of Efficiency” list.

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The drugmaking arm of Johnson & Johnson said late Thursday that it is laying off hundreds of workers at the manufacturing plant at the center of a recall of millions of units of children’s Tylenol, Motrin and other over-the-counter drugs.

Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ, Fortune 500) McNeil Consumer Healthcare division said 300 of more than 400 positions at the Fort Washington, PA facility will be eliminated as the company conducts a complete quality overhaul at the facility.

McNeil halted all production at the Fort Washington plant in early May this year after it recalled about 135 million bottles of children’s and infant’s Motrin, Tylenol, Benadryl and Zyrtec drugs made at the plant, due to quality concerns. The facility is the company’s only plant that makes its liquid pediatric non-prescription drugs.

McNeil is also currently under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration and lawmakers over a string of recalls of its products over the past year, including the latest recall of children’s drugs.

McNeil, which submitted what it called its "comprehensive action plan on quality improvement" for the Fort Washington plant to the FDA on Thursday, also said it will make a "significant investment in re-fitting its Fort Washington manufacturing facility with new equipment, and will reorganize the plant’s operations." As a result, the company anticipates that the plant will be out of service for a "protracted period of time."

The company said it is taking steps to expedite production of many of the products that were previously produced at Fort Washington by utilizing other Johnson & Johnson plants.

However, McNeil had previously announced that most of the products made at the Fort Washington plant will not be available in stores before the end of the year. 

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Sales at major retailers rose for a 10th straight month in June, but mixed results reported Thursday signaled that consumers are still cautious.

According to sales tracker Thomson Reuters, which looks at monthly sales for 28 leading chains such as Macy’s (M, Fortune 500), Target (TGT, Fortune 500), Costco (COST, Fortune 500) and J.C. Penney (JCP, Fortune 500), June same-store sales rose 3.1%. That was slightly below the firm’s initial estimate for an increase of 3.2%.

Same-store sales, a key gauge of a retailer’s performance, measure sales at stores open at least a year.

While consumers may still be hesitant to open up their wallets, June’s gain was stronger than May’s 2.5% increase and a significant jump from the 4.9% drop in same-store sales reported in June of last year.

"The bottom line is that consumer spending is continuing to grow, but only modestly and not at the fast pace we saw at the beginning of the year," said Scott Hoyt, a retail economist at Moody’s Economy.com.

"Unemployment is still high, wealth is probably falling again with the declines in the stock market, and overall confidence is very low, so there are just a number of constraints on the consumer right now," he added.

Out of the 28 stores, 44% beat analysts’ expectations, while 56% missed.

Sluggish sales: Sales at discount and apparel stores were the most disappointing in June. Discount store sales rose an average of 2.9% last month, compared with an expected 3 pay day loans.6% jump, while sales at apparel stores increased 2.9%, much lower than the 3.5% rise that had been forecast.

Discounter BJ’s Wholesale (BJ, Fortune 500) said sales rose 3.8% in June, missing estimates of a 5.3% increase, while sales at Target increased only 1.7%, lower than the 2.7% jump that had been expected.

In the apparel arena, sales at Gap Inc.’s Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic stores dragged the overall apparel sector down in June. Same-store sales at Gap Inc. (GPS, Fortune 500) stores remained flat on average in June, while analysts had expected a 3.4% gain.

Excluding Gap Inc.-owned stores, apparel retailers gained 3.8% on average, slightly beating expectations of a 3.5% rise.

Biggest gainers: Department stores, boosted by promotions and steep discounts, posted the largest increase last month, gaining an average 5.8%.

JC Penney (JCP, Fortune 500), Nordstrom (JWN, Fortune 500) and Macys were among the best performers, all beating expectations in June.

Teen retailers also fared well last month, posting an overall gain of 3.7%, compared to the forecast 2.4% rise.

Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), Hollister, Aeropostale and Zumiez (ZUMZ) posted some of the biggest gains, while other teen retailers like the Buckle (BKE) and Wet Seal struggled to lure in back-to-school shoppers.  

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State Treasurer Dean Martin has pulled out of the race for governor of Arizona and will support Gov. Jan Brewer in her re-election bid.

Martin said in a release that he didn’t want the primary race for governor to be a “distraction,” in a time when “serious debate about the fiscal condition of our state is needed.”

Martin’s term will end in December, and he said at that time he will take some “much-needed time off.”

The full text of Martin’s letter is below:

It has been an honor to serve the people of Arizona. Public service takes dedication and many long hours to accomplish the business of the people who elected us. I am humbled to have had the support of the people for these past 10 years.

Elected office was never my intended career path; I am a small business owner who was drafted to run for the Arizona State Senate and then later Arizona State Treasurer. I am proud of my service and I am forever grateful for the support you have given me over the years. I especially want to thank my friends and colleagues who stood by my side last year during the tragic death of my wife Kerry and my son Austin. I will never forget your support.

Today, I am announcing that I am suspending my campaign for Governor of Arizona. During a time when the Obama Administration has filed a frivolous lawsuit against our great state, a budget deficit is looming, and our economy is still shaky, I feel a contested primary would be a distraction. While a serious debate about the fiscal condition of our state is needed, the heavy hand of the Obama Administration will not allow this debate to continue. I fully intend to support the Governor in her battle with the Obama Administration and its relentless attack on the people of Arizona.

In that regard, I urge the Governor to file suit against the Federal Government for the costs of not securing our border no checking account payday advance. Earlier this year I sent former Arizona Governor and now Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano a bill for one billion dollars of uncompensated costs due to incarceration of illegal immigrants who have committed felonies in Arizona. This is a good start and trust the Governor will follow through. As a state we need to stand together to fight the overreaching federal government that has failed to secure our border with Mexico.

I want to thank the countless volunteers who have been part of this campaign since January. Their dedication to the campaign and Arizona is second to none. But our state and the residents of Arizona are more important than playing politics. The Obama Administration’s lawsuit is a blatant attempt to divide us and I will not be part of the problem; rather I intend to be part of the solution. Attorney General Terry Goddard, is not willing to enforce our laws and is instead playing the role as Obama-defender-in-chief. I got into this race because I did not want to see Goddard become Governor. This is still my goal, and is the reason I have made this decision to suspend my campaign.

Governor Brewer is going to need all our help to shoulder the burden of defending Arizona from the federal government. It is our duty to stand together as Arizona residents against an intrusive federal bureaucracy.

While my service to this state as an elected official will come to an end in December, I will continue to serve in other ways. After taking some much needed time off, I will be focusing my efforts on the charitable foundation we established, MartinCharities.org to continue my late wife Kerry’s spirit of service to the community in water safety and financial literacy.

Thank-you and God Bless the great State of Arizona.

Dean Martin

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LONDON — Emerson offered to buy Chloride Group Plc for $1.5 billion (997 million pounds) in an effort to derail ABB Ltd.’s planned takeover of Britain’s biggest maker of gear to protect against power outages.

Chloride shareholders would receive $5.59 (375 pence) a share, Ferguson-based Emerson said in a statement early Tuesday morning. That’s 15 percent higher than ABB’s bid, announced June 8 and accepted by London-based Chloride.

Emerson took its offer directly to shareholders after Chloride’s management spurned its approaches.

"The issue that makes them pay up is the fact that there was a threat of losing market share globally from ABB buying Chloride," Ian Robertson, an analyst with Seymour Pierce Ltd., said in a telephone interview. "ABB suddenly joins, from having not been a player in secure power."
Chloride, Britain’s largest maker of backup power equipment, said in a regulatory filing that Emerson’s proposal is "superior" to ABB’s offer. A range of options must be considered before there’s another announcement, Zurich-based ABB said in a statement.

"The people who will pay the most are Emerson," Robertson said. "For Emerson, it’s not just what they gain from Chloride, it’s what do they also make sure of by closing the door on ABB."

Should Emerson win Chloride, it will become the largest supplier of critical power systems in Europe, Robertson said. He added that it’s now the fourth-largest.

Emerson Chairman David Farr said in April that acquiring Chloride would help the company compete with Schneider Electric SA and Eaton Corp cash advance now. in the market for uninterruptible power-supply gear. Emerson bought Avocent Corp., a maker of information-technology management products for data centers, for $1.2 billion last year.

Chloride, which provides power equipment to clients including the London Underground, Ikea and Barclays Plc according to its website, rebuffed Emerson’s initial offer in 2008, as well as a bid in April.

"Emerson is already strong in this area," Vontobel analyst Panagiotis Spiliopoulos said in a telephone interview. "They would clearly strengthen their position. For ABB it’s probably more important to get it than for Emerson."

ABB won’t be constrained by ability to pay for Chloride, Spiliopoulos said. The question is whether the Swiss company can justify the strategic move into a new area, he said.

Nigel Coe, an analyst with Deutsche Bank AG in New York, said he was "surprised" by the amount of Emerson’s offer. The company is counting on cost savings of $40 million (33 million pounds), or 10 percent of Chloride’s sales, compared with typical savings of 6 percent to 8 percent of sales for an acquisition, Coe said in a report Tuesday.

"It is clear that Chloride is viewed as a critical acquisition by Emerson, but shareholders may not like the price," he said.

Emerson fell $1.56, or 3.5 percent, to $43.29 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has increased 1.6 percent this year.

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The former Jean LaFitte Hotel in Galveston has been acquired for redevelopment into a mixed-income apartment complex.

Itex Partners, the real estate investment arm of Port Arthur-based Itex Group LLC, has acquired the historic building at 2101 Church St. that has stood vacant for a long time in downtown Galveston.

State and federal disaster recovery funds will be used to renovate the 1927 building, with half of the units earmarked for low and moderate income housing no teletrack payday loans.

Cathay Bank sold the property to Itex for an undisclosed amount.

Derek Hargrove and Christopher Dray of Moody Rambin Investment Services represented the seller.

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NewPage Corp.’s top two executives have resigned, along with a third executive.

The Miami Township-based paper manufacturer announced Tuesday that President and Chief Executive Officer E. Thomas Curley and Chairman Mark Suwyn have left NewPage. Michael Edicola, vice president human resources, also resigned.

Robert Nardelli, CEO of Cerberus Operating and Advisory Co., an affiliate of the controlling stockholder of NewPage, will fill the role of non-executive chairman of NewPage and its affiliates, according to a statement.

NewPage’s board has formed an executive search committee to find a new CEO. The committee will consider both internal and external candidates for the position. The company will broadcast an investor and analyst conference to discuss the leadership changes Tuesday at 11 a.m.

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, NewPage said it will give Curley $1 low fee payday loans.1 million in severance pay - equal to twice his base pay, as part of his contract - as well as a $165,000 prorated performance bonus.

Suwyn will receive a $2 million severance payout. Edicola will get $650,000 for severance and a $243,000 prorated performance bonus.

The resignations were effective June 11.

The company reported its profit dropped 62 percent in the first quarter of 2010, despite an increase in sales. The company had planned an IPO, but withdrew that in May.

NewPage is the largest coated paper manufacturer in North America. It owns paper mills in Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nova Scotia, Canada with annual capacity to produce 4.4 million tons of paper. The company has about 7,500 employees, including 400 in the Dayton area.

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The Federal Communications Commission is expected to unveil a new proposal Thursday to require Internet service providers to give customers equal access to all available data, according to a published report.

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski is expected to outline his proposal to adopt Net neutrality rules for regulation of broadband lines, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The FCC has been trying to impose new regulations since 2005 that would force cable and phone companies such as Comcast (CMCSA, Fortune 500), AT&T (ATT) and Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) to treat all Internet data equally. Last October, the FCC voted to move forward on crafting so-called "Net neutrality" rules.

But the rule-making was held up by a federal appeals court decision last month stating that the FCC does not have the authority to stop Internet provider Comcast from bottlenecking its customers’ file sharing quick pay day loan.

The case originated in 2007, when Comcast subscribers realized that the company was interfering with their ability to use peer-to-peer applications such as BitTorrent to swap files that consume large amounts of bandwidth. The court ruling said that Comcast defended the practice of interfering with the applications in order to manage scarce network capacity.

A Comcast spokeswoman downplayed the issue and denied that her company was blocking access.

The office of the FCC chairman did not immediately return a request for comment on the Journal report. 

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