In brief: Red Lion Hotels converts property in Kelso to franchise

Red Lion Hotels Corp. has sold its hotel in Kelso, Washington, and signed a franchise agreement to continue the company brand in that city.

Without disclosing terms of the deal, the company sold the Red Lion Hotel & Conference Center Kelso/Longview, 510 Kelso Drive, to a franchisee that will retain the name, a news release said.

The new owner has agreed to invest in improvements to guest rooms and the hotel exterior.

The property has 161 guest rooms, 10,000 square feet of meeting space and an outdoor pool.

Struggling to increase profits, Red Lion managers have made converting buildings to franchises among the company’s main priorities. The change shifts the costs of building operation and maintenance to other companies.

Up to 16,000 more could lose jobs under H-P restructuring

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Hewlett-Packard says it is cutting another 11,000 to 16,000 jobs, above a target of 34,000 the company outlined in a multiyear restructuring plan in May 2012.

The company said in a news release that the increased cuts come “as HP continues to reengineer the workforce to be more competitive and meet its objectives.”

The company also reported that net income in the second quarter to April 30 rose 18 percent to $1.27 billion, or 66 cents per share.

Revenue fell 1 percent to $27.31 billion, below the $27.43 billion analysts expected.

NTSB faults FAA for failing to properly test 787 batteries

NEW YORK – A new report says the government failed to properly test the lithium-ion batteries on the Boeing 787 and relied too much on the company for technical expertise.

The National Transportation Safety Board Thursday criticized the process used by the Federal Aviation Administration to certify the new jet in 2007. It also recommends that the FAA look outside the aviation industry for independent technical expertise.

The 787 is the first commercial jet to rely on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to power key systems. Two incidents last year involving the batteries on separate planes led to a worldwide grounding of the 787 fleet.

Safety issues force Toyota to recall 430,500 vehicles

DETROIT – Toyota is recalling 430,500 vehicles for three separate safety problems.

The company said Thursday it’s recalling 370,000 Sienna minivans in cold weather states because road salt can corrode the spare tire carrier under the vehicle and the tire can fall off. The recall includes Siennas from the 2004 through 2011 model years.

Toyota also is recalling 50,000 Highlander and Highlander hybrid SUVs from the 2014 model year because the vehicle may not properly calculate the size of the front passenger when determining whether to fire the air bag. The automaker also is recalling 10,500 Lexus GS 350 sedans from the 2013 model year because the brakes could activate without warning.

Company paying $2.15 billion for Ragu, Bertolli brands

Consumer goods maker Unilever said Thursday it is selling its Ragu and Bertolli brands to Japanese sauce company Mizkan Group for $2.15 billion.

The deal includes two production facilities – a tomato processing plant in Stockton, Calif., and a sauce processing and packaging plant in Owensboro, Ky.

Unilever, which is headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and London, said the sale is its latest effort to reshape its business in North America. The company owns Dove, Ben & Jerry’s and Vaseline brands.

Ragu and Bertolli together generate annual revenue of more than $600 million, Unilever said.