MANUFACTURING

Raytheon Missile adds new contracts for $155M

Raytheon Missile Systems won three Pentagon contracts in recent weeks, totalling more than $155 million.

The largest, for $85 million, was announced by the Department of Defense June 2 for missile-related projectiles using a combination of global positioning satellite guidance and inertial navigation to hit within 10 meters of targets at ranges of up to about 25 miles. Some of the work on the project will be done by Bofors Defence in Sweden. The project is to be completed by January 2010.

Another $61.2 million contract was awarded to provide supply ordnance and related hardware for Phalanx missile systems, an anti-missle gun system used on U.S. Navy ships. Work on that project will be done at several Raytheon sites and is to be completed by September 2010.

Finally, Raytheon received $8.9 million added on to an existing contract for the High-speed Anti Radiation Missile - or HARM - which has been around since 1983 and can track enemy surface-to-air missiles through their radar emissions. The HARM is used by the both the U.S. Air Force and Navy and by South Korea and Turkey.

Manufacturing index shows sector still not growing

Manufacturing activity across the country rose slightly in May, according to a monthly report from the Institute for Supply Management, which is headquartered in Tempe.

The index for the month was 49.6, up from 48.6 but the fact that it remained below 50 shows the manufacturing sector is still not growing.

ECONOMY

State offers foreclosure mitigation services

A foreclosure help line has been started in Arizona to help homeowners who are either delinquent on their mortgage payments or are facing foreclosure.

The program, made available through a $1.3 million federal grant, has a toll-free number: 1-877-448-1211.

Three mitigation partners are in the Tucson area: the Community Food Bank’s Administration of Resources and Choices, 3003 S. Country Club Road; Family Housing Resources, 1700 E. Fort Lowell Road, Suite 101; and Old Pueblo Community Foundation, 4501 E. Fifth St.

FINANCIAL

Meriwest Credit Union membership is expanded

Meriwest Credit Union has received regulatory approval for a community charter, allowing it to offer its financial services to anyone who lives, works, worships, or is a student in Pima County.

Previously, membership in the credit union was limited to employees of IBM, their families or members of the Tucson Zoological Society.

Meriwest started operations in Pima County in 1981 as Pacific IBM Employees Federal Credit Union. It changed its name to Meriwest in 1999.

Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Meriwest has 17 locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and two in Tucson, at 5801 E. Broadway and 9052 S. Rita Road.

Arizona quarter issued, 48 down, two to go

The U.S. Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program got to No. 48, Arizona, this month with the official public issue June 2.

Arizona’s coin features the Grand Canyon and a saguaro cactus, with a banner reading "Grand Canyon State." The year the state was admitted into the union, 1912, is also on the coin.

The 50 State Quarters Program began in 1999 and will end later this year, after the release of coins for Alaska and Hawaii.

LEGAL

Arizona to get $1.1M in Walgreens settlement

The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), the state’s Medicaid program, will receive nearly $1.1 million as its share of a settlement in a federal whistleblower lawsuit with retailer Walgreens.

The lawsuit claimed Walgreens switched dosage forms of certain medications in an effort to receive higher reimbursements from Medicaid. Walgreens admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement.

Arizona was among 42 states and Puerto Rico to receive a portion of $32 million, according to State Attorney General Terry Goddard. Walgreens has 230 stores in the state.

Former candidate Downing arrested over campaign fund

Former legislative candidate Yuri Downing was arrested May 29 at a car wash in Tucson three years after being charged with misspending Clean Elections campaign funding.

The state Attorney General’s office confirmed the arrest, according to Arizona Capitol Times.

Downing was indicted in July 2004 on four counts of perjury and individual counts of theft and fraud. As part of an agreement, Downing pleaded guilty in December 2004 to one count of perjury, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

The issue stems from 2002 when Downing, Trevor Clevenger and Paul DeDonati filed for office as Libertarians and qualified for public campaign funding to run for House and Senate seats from what was then Legislative District 17.

The trio spent large amounts of campaign funds at Scottsdale nightclubs and converted much of the funds into cash. Clevenger and DeDonati settled with the Citizens Clean Elections Commission for $15,000 but Downing failed to appear at a subsequent hearing after pleading guilty to perjury for filing false sworn statements on his Clean Elections application, said Andrea Esquer, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Terry Goddard.

Downing failed to appear at another hearing on the matter after being arrested in March 2005 by Salt River Police while driving with a loaded handgun. At that time a Maricopa County Superior Court judge issued a warrant for Downing’s arrest. Downing is the son of former Tucson Democratic representative Ted Downing.

GOVERNMENT

Pima County offers quicker procurement access online

Vendors wanting to do business with Pima County government can now get information even faster with the county Procurement Department’s new Web-based Vendor Registration and Messaging Portal, or VRAMP.

Businesses who register with VRAMP have 24/7 access to maintaining their county registration information, receiving e-mail notificiations of county solicitations and vendor business fairs and networking opportunities.

VRAMP is part of the procurement department’s efforts to improve efficiencies, reduce waste and improve vendor outreach.

Businesses are encouraged to register for VRAMP online at www.pima.gov/procure/ or call (520) 740-3807 or (520) 740-8161.

SERVICES

Desert Waste bought out by Waste Management

Desert Waste and Recycling Management Co., a 14-year-old waste collection firm serving commercial and industrial customers, has been acquired by Waste Management.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Officials of Waste Management, which has 980 employees and 500,000 customers in Arizona, said it will take several months to combine the two operations but for the most part, Desert Waste customers should see few changes.

Don Cassano, government and community affairs director for Waste Management, said his company will continue to honor all Desert Waste contracts.

Desert Waste provided service in both the Tucson and Phoenix areas.

KUDOS

Gadabout owners win global salon award

Gadabout SalonSpa partners Frank and Jana Westerbeke won a 2008 Global Salon Business Award for their achievements in business, management and entrepreneurial skills necessary to enjoy true business success.

They were among 75 winners selected from more than 3,000 submitted from 22 countries.

The salons and owners were evaluated on their entrepreneurial structure, culture, uniqueness, level of risk taken, team philosophy, compensation, training, retention, reward and recognition programs, client services, initiatives, loyalty programs, community services, promotional materials, financial stability and profitability of business.

The award is to be handed out today (June 9) at the 2008 Global Salon Business Forum and Awards Ceremony in Hollywood, Calif.

TEP wins Gov. Napolitano’s Volunteer Service award

Tucson Electric Power won Gov. Janet Napolitano’s Volunteer Service Award in the large company division. The awards program was established in 2002 to recognize Arizonans who have have given their time and talents to help solve social problems.

More than 120 nominations were received and were then judged by a statewide panel.