All new vehicles will have some type of hybrid power system within 12 years, according to the IBM Automotive 2020 Study of automotive executives around the globe.

Lithia Motors Inc. declared a 9 cents lower dividend for the third quarter of 2008 than it did in the second quarter. (LAD)

The Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association announced Tuesday that projections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicate that Wisconsin will yield 3.85 million barrels of cranberries during the 2008 fall harvest, about a 4 percent increase over the state’s 2007 harvest.

Building supply company Nisbet Brower will expand its Dayton presence with the acquisition of Smokey Inc., the company said Tuesday. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate increased to 6.7 percent in July, compared with 5.5 percent a year earlier.

Procter & Gamble Co. has awarded its chief financial officer, Clayton Daley Jr., a special bonus of $1.5 million as reward for his work in the acquisition and integration of the Gillette Co. (PG)

Generac Power Systems Inc. announced Tuesday that company president Aaron Jagdfeld will become chief executive officer effective Sept. 30.

A Koch Industries Inc. subsidiary has filed its second lawsuit this year against DuPont.

Tower Automotive has laid off 55 people from its Smyrna facility, according to documents filed with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce.

Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate increased to 6.7 percent in July, compared with 5.5 percent a year earlier.

Schneider Logistics Inc. said Tuesday that it has been approved as a “Responsible Care Partner” by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), making it one of 70 companies that have achieved the distinction with only a small number in the transportation logistics category.

State tax revenues continue to deliver a contradictory, deceiving message, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said.

State tax revenues continue to deliver a contradictory, deceiving message, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said.

Goodrich Corp. has inked a deal to provide the landing-gear system for a new Cessna Citation intercontinental business jet. (TXT) (GR)

First Solar Inc. announced Monday it plans to expand its manufacturing plant in Perrysburg, Ohio, with help from local officials as demand for its solar power systems grows.

No major environmental roadblocks are known that could slow or stop redevelopment of General Motors Corp.’s Doraville plant near Atlanta.

Donald Kneir, president of Multi-Color Corp.’s North American Business Unit, has left the company, Multi-Color said Monday. (LABL)

Tuesday Morning Corp.’s stock price fell 11.4 percent after an analyst downgraded the home accessories retailer’s stock to “sell” on Monday.

An Illinois company is looking for immediate buyers of five manufacturing and distribution facilities across the country, two of which are in Alabama.

A unit of Genuine Parts Co. plans to buy the Midwest business assets of office products distributor ActionEmco. (GPC)

Netflix Inc., the DVD-rental-by-mail specialist that saw its shipping system all but paralyzed by an unspecified problem last week, said the movies and TV shows are flowing once again, and it will offer discounts to members who saw their shipments delayed.

Netflix Inc., the DVD-rental-by-mail specialist that saw its shipping system all but paralyzed by an unspecified problem this week, said the movies and TV shows are flowing once again, and will offer discounts to members who saw their shipments delayed.

With Procter & Gamble Co.’s acquisition of Gillette Co. now integrated and its CEO, A.G. Lafley, entering his 60s, speculation has resurfaced that the consumer products maker is preparing the succession of its top executive.

A leading developer of powerful lithium-ion batteries that has been funded in part by Procter & Gamble Co. has filed to go public, with a $175 million offering.

JACKSONVILLE -- One of the world's largest container shipping lines is adding another Brazilian port of call to tap into the country's booming economy. (CSX)

Southeast Toyota Distributors LLC President Ed Sheehy and Bob Moore, vice president and general manager of vehicle processing in Jacksonville, discuss what's new for their local operations and trends in the industry in an interview with Staff Writer Mark Szakonyi. Southeast Toyota Distributors LLC, which is the largest distributor of Toyotas and Scions, distributes vehicles, parts and accessories to 172 Toyota dealerships in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina. The following are edited excerpts of the interview:

JACKSONVILLE -- The effect on businesses of a state constitutional amendment cutting property owners' taxes by 25 percent isn't known, but business groups doubt it will be positive.

SCA Tissue North America is investing $20 million in its South Glens Falls mill to keep the 1860s-era plant competitive.

The pied piper who's led three biodiesel companies to locate in Groveland is Dwayne Dundore.

After a period of announced closures and economic troubles, the city of Moraine is getting some good news.

Despite a rough stretch for many auto dealers, Bill Marine is confident in his downtown Springfield dealership. So confident, he was willing to invest more than $4 million in a new Bill Marine Honda dealership in the heart of Springfield.

A Georgetown maker of interior components for aircraft is riding the jet stream that has been carrying the corporate and private aircraft industry to unprecedented heights.

When Irish food ingredient maker Kerry Group PLC bought a former Nestle candy plant in Affton in October 2006, company executives and St. Louis County officials touted the firm's plan to invest $10 million in the facility and create 40 new jobs.

Process flow distributor Centro, Inc., has signed two new distribution deals that company officials expect will add almost $2 million in revenue in the next few years.

Ralcorp Holdings, Inc., has announced the completion of its purchase of the Post cereals business from Kraft Foods , Inc., which will include the Kraft manufacturing facility in Jonesboro, Ark.

Glennon Sontag knew his century-old business, John Ramming Machine Co., was overly dependent on its largest customer, heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc.

A group has formed to start a new bank in San Jose, apparently ready to buck the economic headwinds that have slowed the industry lately.

Flextronics International Ltd. is expanding to Morgan Hill and will bring hundreds of jobs to the growing South County.

R.W. “Bob” Garcia is the founder of R.W. Garcia Co. Inc., which manufactures corn tortilla chip products for retail grocery and food service channels. It makes its own name-brand products such as organic blue corn tortilla chips and also creates private label products for other companies. In May, the San Jose-based manufacturer, having achieved 186 percent growth in the past five years, was named one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States on the Inner City 100 list, put out by Inc. Magazine and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City project. Garcia uses nongenetically modified corn and other ingredients in his products, and he aims for sustainability in his company’s manufacturing processes.

Sales of new boats in Washington have sunk more than 40 percent this season, thanks to a soft economy that has consumers thinking twice about committing tens of thousands of dollars for a recreational watercraft.

Sometimes inspiration comes at 30,000 feet in the air. That’s what happened to Greg Snell, chief executive officer for San Jose-based Provina Inc. A few years ago, Snell was employed at Cypress Semiconductor Corp. and was returning home from a client visit. While reading a book on winemaking and looking at a product spec sheet that listed pH levels and acid sensors, the light bulb clicked on.

WHAT IT DOES: Manufactures and distributes Indian-packaged foods. Biggest selling product is a batter that’s used to make Indian style crepes and rice cakes.

As the strike by machinists at Hawker Beechcraft Corp. enters its third week, aviation analysts say the length of the walkout could come down to the simple economic backbone of supply and demand.

A Davidson County candy company is planning an expansion potentially worth more than $5 million that will substantially increase production.

Textile firm Culp Inc. has acquired the knitted mattress fabrics division of a German company, including its High Point plant.

A company that produces specialized software for law enforcement is expanding its Greensboro location and will add 100 jobs during the next year.

Eric and Max Dermond, brothers who founded Derco Aerospace Inc. in Milwaukee, have purchased an ownership stake in a competing California aerospace business.

Business groups fear a new law designed to protect consumers from unsafe products will lead to more litigation and damages to a company’s reputation based on inaccurate information.

During Jeffrey Joerres’ nine-year tenure at the helm of Manpower Inc., the global staffing company has opened more than 1,000 offices, greatly expanded its international presence and relocated its corporate headquarters to a sparkling new building in downtown Milwaukee.

As plans for a handful of large intermodal projects in the Kansas City area chug forward, they carry with them prospects of more business for companies selling shelving units, conveyor systems and other equipment used in distribution facilities.

Interest in alternative vehicles is soaring, right along with gasoline prices.

Looking to combat increasing gas prices and environmental concerns, an area utilities manufacturer has introduced plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to turn the nation’s utility trucks a little more “green.”

Baby boomers expected to retire over the next decade will leave a giant void in the top ranks of Charlotte’s manufacturing industry.

With rising gas prices and a week consumer appetite for big vehicles, Nashville's domestic car dealerships are being weeded out and pared down.

A national construction materials supplier sees a window of opportunity in Davidson County.

Shepherdsville-based metal fabricator Integrity Manufacturing LLC has signed a $100 million contract with Boston-based BioDefense Corp. to produce security devices that will be used around the world.

Entrepreneur Paul Ridgeway Jr. has submitted plans to the city of Shakopee to transform a 530,0000-square-foot building into a one-of-a-kind business-to-business and business-to-consumer shopping center.

If you want to make Dominic Conicelli smile, tell him that one of the manufacturers that supplies his Conshohocken auto dealership has some compacts, subcompacts or hybrids ready for delivery.

Zero waste is the goal of and concept behind Malvern-based ReProduct.

After years of driving a Ford Extended Cab Aerostar, Marta L. Gomez was ready for a new car. A Northside Independent School District employee, Gomez shopped around for months and fell in love with the Honda Pilot.

Seventeen years ago, a group of engineers at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) got together and came up with a novel plan: Approach engine manufacturers and suppliers about joining a research consortium that would test ideas and theories all aimed at making better vehicles. Manufacturers would pay a higher amount than suppliers and about six projects would be tested annually. The name of the first consortium was Clean Diesel 1 — and as it suggests, tested diesel engines. After several years, the consortium would morph into another group, with some old and new members.

ST. PETERSBURG — A mini-SRI International sprouting in the St. Petersburg shadow of the Silicon Valley research firm has licensed technology from the University of South Florida, gathered private investors and has revenue of about $750,000 in less than a year.

While the Olympic Games showcase the great strides China has made in the global arena, a recent report underscores the impact China is having on the American business scene.

“How’s business?” one attendee asked another at a networking event.

It is becoming tougher to lease an auto, especially a large truck or sport-utility vehicle.

Hybrid cars are taking the automotive world by storm, but they aren’t making many guest appearances in the automotive repair program at Portland Community College’s Sylvania campus or other nearby community colleges.

BYD Auto Inc. is trying to become the first Chinese automaker to break into the North American marketplace, and it has Portland on its short list of potential destinations.

Chrysler LLC’s decision to stop financing vehicle leases might have taken an important tool away from dealerships stung by the economy, but Central Ohio sellers say they are dealing with the change.

A third-party logistics provider has leased 155,000 square feet in Duke Realty Corp.’s Freeport North Industrial Park as part of an expansion projected to create about 100 jobs in Coppell.

Business groups fear a new law designed to protect consumers from unsafe products will lead to more litigation and damages to a company’s reputation based on inaccurate information.

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. added nine heavy-duty hybrid electric delivery trucks to the Houston fleet this week, the first such vehicles in the city.

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks couldn’t have come at a worse or better time for Buckeye Shapeform and its president, Ken Tumblison.

Like Howard Beale in Network, small businesses are mad as hell, and they’re not going to take it anymore.

The direction of Limited Brands Inc. after the shedding of Express and Limited is evident, but the past year for the two now privately held chains has been quiet.

Central Ohio’s public companies seem to be disappearing faster than an order of Biggie fries in a room full of famished teenagers. The latest is Wendy’s International Inc., which is in the process of being swallowed by Arby’s owner Triarc Companies Inc. of Atlanta in a $2.3 billion deal.

Lefties like regulations. Righties trust ''the invisible hand.'' Which is best for improving fuel economy?

The company declared better than expected Q3 earnings and growth in each of its five divisions.

Growth, particularly in its ADT home security segment, helped lift the industrial conglomerate out of the red.

Huntman's Q2 results miss estimates, perhaps providing further incentive for Hexion to back out of its takeover deal.

The chemical maker's Q2 results lag analysts' estimates despite price hikes.