Ledger-Enquirer from Columbus, Georgia • 21

Business vt SOURCE: Variety LOCAL 4 million (88 million) 28 million 1 0 millinn 18 million I (52 million) (51 million) (4 million) I BRIELv Bizacts i TV in Scandinavia 't Number of homes with televisions in Scandinavian countries (total population in parenthesis): Sweden Denmark inland Norway 1 "nJ" 11 I WS3 4 JeQ1 5 JeSh A tamaitT ft i 1 KRT Wednesday ebruary 171999 Precision Components first park resident The company which makes blades for jet engines has bought 104 acres on Macon Road By Abby Brach Staff Writer The newest industrial park between Macon and Garrett roads has landed its first major tenant Precision Components International Inc a Delaware based company which makes blades for jet engines The company known as PCI purchased 104 acres just northeast of its operations in the Pratt Whitney plant on Macon Road according to a warranty deed filed in Muscogee County Superior Court Tuesday The land was sold riday for $15 million said David ox and David Erickson who represent the joint venture developers Willis Plantation LLC and Ray Wright Inc PCI which makes 3 to 4 inch blades for military and commercial jet engines is a joint venture between East Hartford Conn based Pratt Whitney and the Werthei mer Group in Nahariya Israel Company officials declined to comment on their plans for the site The company laid off about 90 local employees in January The Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce has been working with PCI for about two years on the current and future plans said Mike Gaymon chamber presi dent Gaymon and others from the chamber are scheduled to meet with PCI today are in the process of determ ing what their plans are and what their needs Gaymon said hopefully be able to help them pull it PCI is the first company in the new industrial park which will likely be named the Willis Industrial Office Park Erickson said The 424 acre development includes 15 acres along Garrett Road set aside for single family residences is the beginning of a longer phase said Erick son manager of Willis Plantation LLC Erickson and ox envision a development similar to its neighbor Corporate Ridge an industrial park of about 15 tenants including Total System Services Inc and Swift Spinning The park is on 750 acres bordering Schatulga and Woodruff arm roads near the 350 acre Columbus East Industrial Park Erickson said he would like to see Richard HodgesLedgcr Enquircr Precision Vi Components International Beaver Run Road Pnt WWnsy' TZn Road Chatsworth Koao T3 i 7 JLms cd tenants have a nice campus of at least 20 or 30 acres "Corporate Ridge is a well done' Erickson said we can match that in any way be doing New Publix market to open on Schomburg Road today A new Publix Supermarket will be opening at 7600 Schomburg Road today The store will offer customers in store Thanking with SunTrust Bank The new branch second Columbus Publix location will be open 10 am until 8 pm Monday through riday 10 am until 6 pm Saturdays and 1 pm until 6 pm on Sundays T'r Publix and local dignitaries will have a ribbon cutting ceremony 9 am Saturday Celebration festivities include free give aways and a drawing for $500 in free groceries NATION Judge OKs $238 million State arm suit settlement BLOOMINGTON ill A judge has approved a settlement in which State arm Insurance Cos expects to pay $238 million to customers who sued the company accusing it of fraudulent practices in selling life insurance 1 Some 3 million State arm customers were represented under the class action lawsuit A settlement was announced in August and McLean County Judge Ronald Dozier approved it Thursday The settlement involves current and former Termers of whole life and universal life policies 2 issued between January 1982 and December 1997 The lawsuit accused the company of several fraudulent practices including artificially inflating dividend projections and promising unrealistic returns But the settlement does not necessarily end the dispute A lawyer representing six people in the lawsuit announced plans Tuesday to appeal saying the process of making a claim beyond the award offered by State arm is too confusing and cumbersome believe that will have the effect of discriminating against policy holders who are poor disabled elderly unsophisticated in Mother words the easiest targets for said the lawyer Kenneth Nelson of Kansas City Mo Keep radio restrictions Wonder urges regulators WASHINGTON Singer Stevie Wonder twho owns an radio station urged federal regulators riday not to ease restrictions on media ownership saying it would hurt minority owned radio and TV stations i Minority station owners are endangered 7 species pursued by large corporate predators who consume the single and small Wonder told a ederal Communications 7 Commission hearing Wonder owns Los Angeles area station KJ LH The CC is considering easing existing rules that limit the number of local TV and radio stations that a single company can control Wonder and others fear that doing so will bring about more consolidation making it harder for minority owned stations and stations not part of a chain to compete against media conglomerates CC Chairman Bill Kennard called testimony very Microsoft restrictions annoy AOL Internet users say feds WASHINGTON The government played its own courtroom video demonstration Tuesday show that restrictions Microsoft Corp placed on the largest Internet provider make it annoyingly complicated for most consumers to use a software video shown to the judge last week glossed over the process save which it said took only 10 minutes The government said Tuesday the procedure could take more than an hour depending on how fast a user connects to the Internet not nearly as easy as their videoportrayed it to Justice Department lawyer David Boies said outside court clearly were trying to shorten the US District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson appeared perplpxed confessing to a problem" with parts of the procedure rom staff wire reports 1 i 1 11 i iaia IiH i wi MiiiiiOiiiiitt gjyTjiffigg An Atlantic Southeast Airlines plane right arrives at its gate Tuesday at Hartsfield International Airport as a Delta Air Lines jet departs the terminal Delta buys regional carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines Delta says ASA will retain a separate workforce and salary and benefits structure Associated Press 'iv ATLANTA Delta Air Lines announced Tues day it will acquire Atlantic South east Airlines a regional carrier already linked to Delta routes and run it as a subsidiary Delta said the $700 million acqui sition will increase efficiency and help growth plans for Delta and the regional carrier which flies Delta customers under a code sharing agreement in the southeastern Unit ed States and Texas Mindful of the recent pilots con flict that grew out of American acquisition of a smaller carrier Delta emphasized that ASA will retain a separate workforce and salary and benefits structure There will be no integration of workforces or seniority lists it said and agreements with the Air Line Pilots Association and the Association of light Attendants will remain in place Capt Andy Deane of pilots union said there appear to be any contractual with the regional carrier Disagreement over integration of Reno Air and the pay of its pilots led to the American sickout that resulted in thou sands of canceled flights in the last week Delta said Tuesday's deal with ASA is for growth not cost cutting we build on strengths we not only will improve overall route network but we also will be in position to increase traffic flows to our other connection part said Leo Mullin president and chief executive offi cer Atlantic Southeast is largest regional air carrier with service to 37 markets It also offers service to 21 airports from its second hub at Dallasort Worth ASA is the largest carrier serving Columbus with eight daily flights to Atlanta Local manager rank Pruett said no changes are expected in Colum bus and ASA will continue to operate as a separate entity impact for us will be a closer association with Delta by having a tighter schedule more in line with Delta flights and providing better service through better utilization of our Pruett said ASA has been recovering in re cent months from a reputation for cancellations and delays chairman and chief execu tive George Pickett said the agree ment will enhance long term growth potential by aligning ASA with Delta's global network opera tional and business skills and finan cial strength The carrier expects to create more opportunities to pro AP I Delta Air Lines Chief Operating Officer Maurice Worth left speaks at a Tuesday press conference in Atlanta as Atlantic Southeast Airlines Chairman George Pick ett looks on vide connecting traffic to main line he said ASA founded in 1979 has operated as a Delta Connection carrier since 1984 It has a fleet of 88 aircraft with 2673 employees based in 40 cities Under terms of the agreement a Delta subsidiary will make a tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of ASA Holdings for $34 per share in cash ASA Holdings has 285 million shares of common stock outstanding Delta already owns 7995000 of those shares The deal is subject to regulatory review Staff writer Abby Brach contributed to this report American to lure travelers with deals Airline may use frequent flyer miles as apology for messed up travel plans caused by recent pilots sickout Associated Press DALLAS With operations getting back to? normal at American Airlines the second largest airline is expected to offer bargains to win back passengers alienated by the sickout The sickout forced the cancella tion of more than 6000 flights over 10 days and messed up the travel plans of about 600000 passengers Experts said Tuesday that be cause of high demand for seats travelers expect big fare cuts Instead Randy Petersen pub lisher Of InsideJyer frequent magazine said he expects the airline to use frequent flier miles as an apology think we're going to see a lot of big fare slashes American is more conservative" John Hotard a spokesman for parent company AMR Corp would not comment oh" whether there would be a fare sale The bargains are aimed at people like Tamara Martin who returned home to Miami from Puerto Rico on Tuesday on a United Airlines flight" She was supposed to fly home on Monday via American really doubt I would ever fly American Martin said know it will be an inconvenience to myself and it probably make a difference to their business but I think I owe it to myself to stop flying American after what been Meanwhile the pilots obeyed a federal order and placed $10 million or one quarter of their assets with the court The money will go toward a fine that is expected to be levied against the union at a hearing today for defying a back to work order and not end ing the sickout To appease travel agents who have been overwhelmed by the turmoil American decided Monday to pay commissions for tickets that were later refunded because of the sickout While passengers saw flight schedules return to normal Tuesday the airline continued to negotiate with the Allied Pilots Association over the issue that started the sickout: The union wants American to immediately raise the salaries of pilots at newly acquired Reno Air" Credit union group derides US savings account habit Switching to a CD or a credit union is an opportunity for consumers to save an awful lot of money says Consumer ederation official Associated Press WASHINGTON 4 Americans are losing tens of billions of dollars in interest each year by keeping their money in traditional bank savings accounts instead of certificates of deposit and credit union accounts the Consumer ederation and a credit union group say Switching to certificates of deposit and credit unions really a no brainer People ought to be doing Stephen Brobeck executive di rector of the Consumer ederation of America told a news conference Tuesday Americans have abbut $15 trillion in traditional saving's accounts and money market deposit accounts which pay on average less than 2 percent annually Brobeck said Rates on certificates of deposit also federally insured usually exceed 4 percent Penalties for early withdrawal from CDs rarely reduce the yield to consumers below that of traditional savings accounts said Brobeck Nancy Ness Judy of the American Bankers Association responded to their statements by saying banks offer consumers a wider range of financial products such as broker age and trust services accounts are not the whole said Judy the consumer affairs manager or example she said banks generally offer lower rates than credit unions on home mortgage loans Rates on 30 year fixed rate home mortgages currently average 680 percent at banks and 686 percent at credit unions Bank Rate Monitor says At savings and loans the average is 674 percent Many credit unions lack the capital to make mortgage loans directly and must go throu brokers In addition Judy said about 4000 of the 11300 credit unions do not offer checking accounts 19 million 18 million i 2 "3 ij 1 i Maj.