Downtown tailor relocates his shop
A downtown Spokane tailor who lost his lease after 15 years in the Peyton Building opened a new shop Monday on the skywalk level of the Washington Mutual Building.
Henryk Zowal said he was overwhelmed by the assistance he received from his clients and others when they learned of his plight. Many people made calls on his behalf, Zowal said, and attorney Michael Delay helped him close the deal – at no charge – on the lease of his new space.
Property manager Kiemle & Hagood informed Zowal at the beginning of July that he had 30 days to vacate the premises because the Peyton Building owner wanted the space for a new tenant. However, Kiemle & Hagood agents also helped Zowal find his new 600-square-foot shop, which costs about $30 more per month but has slightly more space.
Henryk’s Tailoring now can be found across Howard Street from Rite Aid on the skywalk level.
Gasoline prices rise slightly nationwide
Washington The retail price of regular-grade gasoline rose slightly last week to average $2.29 a gallon nationwide, the Energy Department said Monday.
The record high average was $2.33 per gallon, established the week ending July 8. But adjusting for inflation, retail gasoline prices peaked above $3 a gallon in 1981.
The latest weekly government survey said the average price nationwide of regular-grade gasoline rose by two-tenths of a cent to $2.291 per gallon – 40.3 cents a gallon higher than at the same time a year ago.
Pump prices were highest on the West Coast, averaging $2.511 a gallon, and cheapest on the Gulf Coast, where motorists paid on average $2.182 a gallon. In the Midwest, gas averaged $2.219 per gallon.
A major factor underpinning the price of gasoline is the high cost of oil – the result of strong demand, tight global supplies and geopolitical uncertainties. The onset of hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico also has pushed oil prices higher.
NCR names ‘turn-around’ chief executive
Dayton, Ohio An executive credited with turning around a scandal-ridden company has been chosen to lead NCR Corp., a move that analysts say could boost the fortunes of the Dayton-based manufacturer of automated teller machines.
William Nuti, former chief executive of Holtsville, N.Y.-based Symbol Technologies Inc., will become president and chief executive of NCR next Monday. He replaces Mark Hurd, who resigned in March to become chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard Co.
Interim NCR Chief Executive James Ringler will continue as chairman.
Nuti, 41, had been at Symbol since August 2002, returning the maker of bar-code scanners to profitability in 2003 for the first time in five years. Previously, he was a senior vice president at Cisco Systems Inc. and has served in management positions at International Business Machines Corp., Network Equipment Technologies Inc. and Netrix Corp.
Electronics chip sales increase 6.5 percent
San Francisco Worldwide sales of chips for computers, cell phones, consumer electronics and other applications rose 6.5 percent in the first six months of this year over the same period last year, the Semiconductor Industry Association said Monday.
Sales rose to $109 billion from the prior year’s $102.4 billion.
The first three months of the year were stronger than the April-to-June period. Second-quarter sales dipped 2.1 percent from the first quarter.
Still, the association is betting sales will accelerate in the traditionally strong second half of the year when consumers are expected to spend more on personal computers and consumer electronics during the back-to-school and holiday seasons.