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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Figure skating adds three sponsors

Compiled from staff and wire reports The Spokesman-Review

Organizers of the 2007 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships announced on Wednesday three more corporate sponsors of the event.

Qwest Communications will be the official communications sponsor; Safeway will be the official grocery store; and TQ3Navigant will be the official travel management company for the event scheduled for January 21-28, 2007. As major sponsors, each company will contribute between $50,000 and $150,000 in cash and in-kind services, said event organizer Barb Beddor of Star USA.

The figure skating championships are expected to draw more than 120,000 spectators and fans, and will take place at both the Spokane Arena and Spokane Convention Center.

Key Tronic net income up 166 percent

Spokane-based contract manufacturer Key Tronic Corp. reported net income of $702,000 or 7 cents a share, for the first quarter of the company’s fiscal 2006. That was up 166 percent from income of $266,000, or 3 cents a share, in the first quarter 2005, the company reported.

Total first-quarter revenue was $44.3 million, compared with revenue of $48.8 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2005.

Key Tronic Chief Executive Jack Oehlke said the first-quarter drop in sales came from declines in orders from current customers and delays in landing new contracts.

“At the same time, our improved production efficiencies have resulted in solid margins and increased year-over-year operating income and earnings,” he said in an earnings conference call.

T-Lifeline raises capital

T-Lifeline, a Liberty Lake company that provides data backup and security services, said it just finished raising money to expand its sales force on the west side of the state.

Privately held IT-Lifeline will use the investment to expand in the Puget Sound area and in Portland, said company Vice President of Sales Chris Turnley.

IT-Lifeline will not disclose the amount of the investment, said company President Steve Tabacek. The primary investor is WIN Partners, a Spokane investment group. Bighorn Ventures, a Post Falls venture firm, also took part.

IT-Lifeline provides data storage, data recovery and continuity services. Its obvious market, said Turnley, are the large number of businesses along the Interstate 5 corridor that need secure backup services.

“We are strategically located to make sure these businesses and the regional economy can recover quickly with little impact on customers,” Turnley said in a press release.

Nokia launches multimedia handsets

Helsinki, Finland Nokia Corp., the world’s top mobile phone maker, launched three new multimedia handsets Wednesday that let users watch TV, play music and swap content between electronic devices at home.

The new phones, including Nokia’s first consumer-oriented handset with Wi-Fi wireless Internet connectivity, are the latest products in Nokia’s push to make advanced handsets that converge mobile phone, broadcasting and Internet technologies.

“We expect the market for convergence devices to double to 100 million units in 2006,” Chief Executive Jorma Ollila said.

The new handsets were unveiled at a conference in Barcelona, Spain. They are expected to be available in stores in the first half of next year with prices ranging from $480 to $720.

The N80 features Wi-Fi connectivity for fast Internet browsing, as well as new technology that allows it to be used as a remote control for wireless swapping of content between compatible computers, audio equipment and TVs.

The phone also is built to let calls be routed over Wi-Fi as an inexpensive alternative to traditional cellular networks. But that feature won’t be available until next year, when Nokia expects to partner with a provider of software for Internet calls, Nokia spokesman Kari Tuutti said.