Denman workers brace for future, by Ron Selak, Jr., Warren Tribune-Chronicle, May 21, 2010
Leavittsburg, Ohio—Wednesday's approved sale of Denman Tire Corp. assets was the last of the nails in the proverbial coffin for many former employees, who said the likelihood of reopening the Braceville plant is slim to none now that its largest competitor owns the intellectual property.

• Denman’s assets sold, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, May 20, 2010
• Denman Tire's Assets Sold for $4.4M, by Dan O'Brien, Youngstown Business Journal, May 19, 2010
  

This week's earnings reports:

• Severstal reports $785M loss, by staff/wire report, Youngstown Vindicator, May 21, 2010
• N-Viro reports loss of $1.1M for first quarter, Toledo Blade, May 19, 2010
  

State chooses Findlay firm to expand its fuel solutions, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, May 20, 2010
Findlay, Ohio—Kirk Energy Group LLC has received more than $2.7 million in federal stimulus grants through Clean Fuels Ohio to build four compressed natural gas fueling stations in the state, starting in Findlay and ultimately including Toledo.

Ottawa celebrates Whirlpool Corp. freezer plant's rebirth, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, May 20, 2010
Ottawa, Ohio—"This is a great day in Putnam County as we watch the doors open once again on this facility," Governor Strickland said. "Whirlpool has recognized something we've known for a long time - that there's no place better than Ohio, no work force better than Ohio's, for making high-quality product."

• Gov. Strickland helps celebrate resurrection of Ottawa factory, by Lou Wilin, Findlay Courier, May 20, 2010
  

Salem company receives state award, by D.A. Wilkinson, Youngstown Vindicator, May 20, 2010
Salem, Ohio—Butech Bliss in Salem has received a state award from the Eastern Ohio Development Alliance for building machinery used in the steel industry in Germany.

For Panasonic, it's not easy being green, by Juro Osawa, Wall Street Journal, May 20, 2010
New York—The Japanese electronics giant is trying to shift more resources into environment-related businesses such as rechargeable batteries and solar panels.

Tesla, Toyota to open electric car plant in Northern California, by , AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 20, 2010
Los Angeles—The deal to build electric cars at the former New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. facility, known as Nummi, in Fremont came together in the last several days.

Mitsubishi files antitrust suit against GE, by , AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 20, 2010
Little Rock, Ark.—Mitsubishi filed an antitrust lawsuit Thursday against General Electric Co., accusing the company of monopolizing part of the wind-turbine market and making "baseless" patent-infringement claims against Mitsubishi to gain a competitive edge.

Obama pushing higher fuel efficiency standards, by , AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 20, 2010
Washington— President Barack Obama, seeking a gas-sipping fleet of the future, will order the government to begin working on fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks in the 2017 model year and beyond.

Court must review GM rehab plan, by Jack Torry and Tom Gnau, Dayton Daily News, May 20, 2010
Washington—A federal bankruptcy court in New York will have to approve an Obama administration plan to spend $52 million to clean up eight idled General Motors plants or abandoned land parcels in Ohio, including two old industrial facilities in Moraine.

• Closed GM sites to get $800M in cleanup funds, by Grace Wyler, Youngstown Vindicator, May 19, 2010
  
• Obama administration proposes environmental help for auto communities, by Stephen Koff, Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 18, 2010

Obama shines spotlight on steel's rebirth, by Dan O'Brien, Youngstown Business Journal, May 19, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—"Right here, in the heart of the old steel corridor, where some never thought we'd see an investment like this again, they're placing their bet on American manufacturing and this community," President Obama told his enthusiastic audience.

• Obama touts stimulus payoff, by David Skolnick, Youngstown Vindicator, May 19, 2010
  
• Obama’s speech energizes, inspires workers at V&M, by Elise Franco, Youngstown Vindicator, May 19, 2010
• Workers react to presidential visit, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, May 19, 2010
  
• Obama says GOP would have stood in way of aid to Youngstown plant, by Mackenzie Carpenter, Block News Alliance via Toledo Blade, May 19, 2010
• Read prepared text of President Obama's remarks, Youngstown Business Journal, May 18, 2010

Northeast Ohio firms Vita-Mix Corp., Rad-Con Inc. win presidential exporting awards, by Scott Suttell, Crain's Cleveland Business, May 19, 2010
Cleveland—Vita-Mix Corp. in Olmsted Falls and Rad-Con Inc. in Cleveland received the President's “E” Award for Exports in recognition of their achievements in supporting export growth. The award is the highest federal government acknowledgment any American firm or organization can be presented for export success.

Team NEO launches $1 million program to draw international business to Northeast Ohio, by Tom Breckenridge, Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 19, 2010
Cleveland—Team NEO, the region's business-attraction group, is launching a two-year, $1 million program to draw foreign businesses. Europe will be the initial target of the effort, to be funded by the Cleveland Foundation.

Toyota executive says electronics are not to blame, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 19, 2010
Washington—Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., will tell lawmakers that the company "remains confident" that electronics did not cause the problems that led to more than 8 million recalled vehicles.

Champion moving last work from city; firm helped to put Toledo on map, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, May 18, 2010
Toledo—The Michigan-based corporate owners of Champion Spark Plug have informed approximately 40 remaining Toledo employees that the research center and small production line on Upton Avenue will close this year. The work being done in Toledo will be transferred to Federal-Mogul Corp. facilities in Plymouth, Mich., and Burlington, Iowa.

President Obama to cheerlead in Youngstown for his economic policies, by Mark Naymik, Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 18, 2010
Youngstown, Ohio—President Barack Obama turns to Ohio's gritty Mahoning Valley today to help argue that his economic recovery plan – which includes the controversial $787 billion stimulus bill passed last year – is working.

• Obama to 'Connect the Dots' at V&M Star, by George Nelson, Youngstown Business Journal, May 18, 2010

Two Ohio legislators back bill to provide working capital to small businesses, by Jay Miller, Crain's Cleveland Business, May 18, 2010
Columbus—Democratic state Reps. Jay P. Goyal of Mansfield and Nancy Garland of New Albany said they would introduce a bill that would create a small business working capital loan program to be administered by the Ohio Department of Development. The program is aimed at helping struggling businesses.

Driver's Seat Blog: GM's Bob Lutz talks tough on last day, by Neal E. Boudette and Sharon Terlep, Wall Street Journal, May 18, 2010
Warren, Mich.—Bob Lutz, who is retiring after a 47-year career in the auto industry, was feted at a modest ceremony Tuesday at GM’s engineering center in Warren, Mich., a suburb north of Detroit, and in a short farewell speech still wasn’t pulling any punches. (Subscription)

Toyota has paid $16.4 million government fine, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 18, 2010
Washington—Toyota faced the maximum penalty allowed under law after it was accused of hiding earlier defects involving gas pedals, a contention that Toyota rejected even though it agreed to pay the fine.

Green energy legislation could lure projects to state, by William Hershey, Dayton Daily News, May 18, 2010
Columbus—The Ohio Senate went “green” in a bipartisan way on Tuesday, May 18, voting 28-4 for legislation aimed at attracting renewable energy projects such as wind farms and the jobs they create to the state.

Cleveland council committee embraces LED lighting deal, by Mark Gillispie, Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 17, 2010
Cleveland—City Council's Finance Committee Monday night approved a deal that would grant a Chinese company, Sunpu-Opto Semiconductor, exclusive rights to sell millions of dollars in LED lights to the city. The agreement calls for Sunpu-Opto to make Cleveland its North American headquarters and create 350 jobs in exchange for being the city's sole supplier of LED lights.

Timken Co. fights China on tariffs, woos it with windmill bearings, by Mark Drajem, Bloomberg News via Akron Beacon Journal, May 17, 2010
Canton—Timken will produce main-shaft bearings, some big enough to drive a car through, for windmills at a factory the company just opened in Xiangtan in east central China. The plant is Timken's eighth in Asia.

• Timken executives on trade trip to China, Canton Repository, May 17, 2010
  

Chrysler has made $1.9 billion repayment, Treasury says, AP via Toledo Blade, May 17, 2010
Washington—The department says that while the $1.9 billion repayment is less than the original loan, the amount is still more than Treasury had expected to recover.

Signature flame burns bright—and often—at ArcelorMittal, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, May 17, 2010
Cleveland—“After a challenging 2009, we are now seeing signs of improvement in the economy and steel market,” ArcelorMittal spokeswoman Katie Patterson told Crain's last week. “However, the recovery remains slow and progressive.” (Subscription)

Supply chains hum as sales optimism rises, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, May 17, 2010
Cleveland—Manufacturers finally are busy enough to keep companies in their own supply chains busy with steadier volumes than most have seen in more than a year and, in some cases, backlogs. (Subscription)

Area manufacturers break into fuel-efficient car market, by Chuck Soder, Crain's Cleveland Business, May 17, 2010
Cleveland—Crain's profiles several Northeast Ohio companies expecting to see increased demand as hybrid electric cars become more popular. (Subscription)

Preformed Line Products Co. acquires Electropar Ltd. of New Zealand, Crain's Cleveland Business, May 17, 2010
Cleveland—The company said the acquisition will strengthen its position in the power distribution, transmission and substation hardware markets and will expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Auction highlights a drop in U.S. manufacturing capacity, by Justin Lahart, Wall Street Journal, May 17, 2010
Mobile, Ala.—Even for a down economy, utilization now is unusually low. Some industries are cutting faster than others: Capacity in rubber and plastics companies has fallen 4.8% since the fall of 2008, while auto makers have slashed capacity 7.8% since then.

Food companies will remove 1.5 trillion calories from their products by 2015, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 17, 2010
Washington— They pledged to reduce the calories as part of an agreement with a group of nonprofit organizations concerned with childhood obesity, first lady Michelle Obama said Monday.

• Michelle Obama hails calorie reduction efforts by food and beverage makers, USA Today, May 17, 2010
• High-fructose corn syrup cut from Hunt's brand ketchup, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 17, 2010
  

GM reports first quarterly profit in 3 years from cost cuts, new models, by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP via Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 17, 2010
Detroit—General Motors Co. rode expense cuts from its bankruptcy and strong sales of redesigned models to its first quarterly net income in nearly three years.

Green innovations drive GM patents, Youngstown Business Journal, May 17, 2010
Warren, Mich.—More than half of the 1,300 patents filed by General Motors Co. last year involved green innovations, proof of the rapid development of groundbreaking technology by GM researchers and engineers, the automaker said.

China's Ansteel Group signs deal to build five U.S. plants, AFP via Industry Week, May 17, 2010
Beijing—The deal, which was signed May 14, was structured so as to meet U.S. government requirements that steel used in infrastructure projects funded by a massive American stimulus package come from local manufacturers.

Manufacturers line up to fight financial reform, by Peter Alpern, Industry Week, May 17, 2010
Washington—From Mars, the maker of M&M’s and Snickers, to eBay, to Caterpillar and General Electric, a surprising combination of companies have united against financial regulation because they claim it would inadvertently harm their businesses.

Obama to cite steel-plant expansion in Ohio visit, Columbus Dispatch, May 16, 2010
Washington—The plant, V&M Star, is expanding with the help of federal stimulus money. Obama will tour the facilities before delivering his speech, a White House official said.

• Obama to visit Valley; President to discuss economy Tuesday, by Ron Selak Jr. and Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, May 14, 2010
• Obama to speak Tuesday at V&M Star, Youngstown Business Journal, May 14, 2010
  
• President Obama's destination: A Youngstown-area steel plant expanding with stimulus help, by Stephen Koff, Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 14, 2010

Cleveland downtown businesses avoid landfill, send food waste to be composted into soil additives, by Michael Scott, Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 16, 2010
Cleveland—"This is the next wave," said Jill Ziegler, program manager for Sustainability Initiatives at Forest City Enterprises, who is coordinating composting efforts at Tower City and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Cleveland City Council weighs naming Chinese firm sole LED supplier, by Mark Gillispie, Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 16, 2010
Cleveland—Mayor Jackson wants the council to approve an exclusive 10-year deal with China-based Sunpu-Opto Semiconductor to supply Cleveland with LED lights in exchange for the firm building a North American headquarters here and creating 350 jobs.

UAW says it wants to share in profits, by Nick Bunkley, New York Times via Akron Beacon Journal, May 16, 2010
Detroit—As one automaker, Ford Motor Co., restores some perks for salaried workers, the incoming president of the UAW, Bob King, says he expects hourly workers to be given back some of the benefits they surrendered— at least to the extent that management and other stakeholders get rewarded.

Two Timken executives join trade trip to China, Columbus Dispatch, May 16, 2010
Washington—The two Timken officials on the trip are Roger Lindsay, a senior vice president; and Katherine Chen, manager of communications and government affairs. The delegation will visit Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing.

Ohio's green energy is already here, by Joe Hallett and Dan Gearino, Columbus Dispatch, May 16, 2010
Columbus—The Dispatch profiles several Ohio companies that are in the forefront of Ohio's clean-energy innovators.

Opinion: Refocus U.S. energy priorities to benefit the environment, manufacturers and consumers, by Richard J. Hipple, Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 16, 2010
Cleveland—In an opinion piece, the CEO of Brush Engineered Materials Inc. shares his views on where Congress should focus national energy policy.

Federal agency honors Tiffin potato chip maker, Toledo Blade, May 15, 2010
Tiffin, Ohio— Ballreich Potato Chip Co. has been awarded the 2010 Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year Award by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Cleveland office.

Fostoria plant to close, idling 30 employees, Toledo Blade, May 15, 2010
Fostoria, Ohio—Canadian-owned Uniboard Fostoria Inc. announced yesterday it will close its North Main Street plant Oct. 1.

Steelworkers to fight Severstal layoffs, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune-Chronicle, May 15, 2010
Warren, Ohio—Ed Machingo, president of 1,050-member United Steelworkers Local 1375, said outsourcing maintenance work is what's holding up a labor contract with the union at Severstal Warren, but he said it's only part of what the company wants to do in a new contract.