Schweitzer fills COO job

Pullman’s Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories promoted Nancy Hindman to chief operating officer, the company announced last week. Hindman fills a new position created at the Pullman company, which designs and builds hardware and software products for electric power systems.

Hindman, 49, joined the company in 1989 as an accountant. She later became chief financial officer, a position she will also continue to hold.

Part of the plan behind creating a COO position is freeing company founder and President Ed Schweitzer to handle other duties.

Moses Lake

REC plans more facilities

Renewable Energy Corp., which is nearing completion of a $1.2 billion expansion of its Moses Lake plant, announced recently that four similar facilities will be built in Quebec, Canada.

Washington officials had hoped REC would locate another polysilicon manufacturing plant in the state, but the Norwegian company said Quebec was selected because of the availability of hydropower and industrial space there.

REC said it screened 140 potential locations for the new plants. The company also has a plant in Butte, Mont.

NEW YORK

Commodities’ fall debated

Investors are fleeing commodities in another massive exodus, reviving debate about whether the futures bubble has burst or is just going through a temporary contraction.

A steep drop in oil prices Tuesday started the latest selling wave, and gold, silver, copper and wheat also posted huge losses.

It’s a stark turnaround from only a few months ago when prices for oil, gold and grains were touching record highs, driven up by weakness in the dollar and seemingly relentless demand for raw materials.

Analysts are split over whether commodities are in the throes of a protracted decline or are simply hibernating before the next boom.