Weeks before a Chinese conglomerate agreed to buy Smithfield Foods Inc. in the largest such takeover of a U.S. business, Missouri lawmakers quietly approved legislation removing a ban on foreign ownership of agricultural land.
It was a safe bet that Cerner Corp. would once again lead the The Star’s rankings as the region’s top-performing public company. Cerner, the nation’s second-largest company that helps hospitals and doctors’ offices convert paper files into computerized medical records, is in a sweet spot. Other top-ranked companies here do business in areas that have an edge: energy, rail transit and online government services.
The already-hefty pay packages of many public-company executives bulged last year, thanks to higher values of their company stocks. Million-dollar base salaries – as paid to Cerner Corp. CEO Neal Patterson (pictured) and Waddell & Reed Financial CEO Hank Herrmann – are only the beginning. For most of the bigger-company CEOs, stock awards, options and “non-equity incentive” compensation dwarf their base pay.
The Pie Five Pizza Co. - which sells individual pizzas made to order and cooked in five minutes - has picked a place for its first area location. Pie Five plans to open later this summer at 13366 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park.
Ivan Marquez has built a strong following with two Overland Park restaurants, one full-service, the other fast-casual. Now he’s expanding with a third concept. But this one is on the other side of the metro, in Gladstone.
Dish Network Corp. fired back Tuesday in the legal battle that Sprint Nextel Corp. launched over their competing bids for Clearwire Corp. In a statement, the satellite television company called the lawsuit an attempt to divert attention away from Sprint’s unfair treatment of other Clearwire investors. Sprint had sued Monday to stop Dish’s effort to buy Clearwire shares directly form investors.
The lawsuit filed in Delaware says Dish Network Corp.’s bid violates Sprint Nextel Corp.’s rights as a Clearwire shareholder and its rights under business agreements with Clearwire, which is the Overland Park-based company’s wireless network partner.
Census data showing that downtown Kansas City lost 19.6 percent of its private employers over the past decade is not a good sign for the future.
The mantra behind the multibillion dollar makeover of downtown Kansas City the past decade was to make it a better place to work, live and play. With the addition of expensive amenities, more people have indeed come to live and play downtown. But when it comes to work, businesses remain unimpressed.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis will begin recognize spending on research and development. And, take another deep breath, it will begin counting investment in the creation of entertainment, literary and other artistic originals.
The bulls have been feeding on a host of good economic news and are licking their chops for more. Still, given the last five lousy years, many of us are watching the battered bears up in those trees, wondering whether they’re going to climb down soon and eat the market rally for lunch.
Chrysler abruptly agreed to recall 2.7 million older model Jeeps Tuesday, reversing a defiant stance and avoiding a possible public relations nightmare over fuel tanks that can rupture and cause fires in rear-end collisions.
Chrysler abruptly agreed to recall 2.7 million older model Jeeps Tuesday, reversing a defiant posture and avoiding a possible public relations nightmare over fuel tanks that can catch fire in a rear-end collision.
