McKee hiring at job fair today
HTI Employment Solutions is conducting a job fair today from 10 a.m to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express in Ooltewah to fill immediate openings for first and second shift jobs at McKee Foods Inc. in Collegedale.
The jobs start at $13.80 per hour and will fill both vacancies and new jobs for direct hire packaging technicians at McKee, the nation's biggest privately owned snack cake maker.
Lindsay Hunter, manager of operations for HTI, said applicants can find out about the jobs at www.htijobs.com where they may also apply online. The Holiday Inn Express-Ooltewah Springs is located at 6274 Artesian Circle, Ooltewah,
"When our customers put in special requests McKee Foods is committed to going above and beyond to make them happy," said McKee Foods Talent Acquisition Leader, Jeff Mays. "Filling these open positions will help us serve our customers to the highest standard of excellence."
Local gas prices up 7.9 cents per gallon
Gas prices in Chattanooga rose an average of 7.9 cents per gallon in the past week and could rise further with OPEC's decision last week to cut oil production.
Chattanooga gas prices averaged $1.93 per gallon at the the start of this week, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 170 gas outlets in Chattanooga. Local gas prices rose more than the national average last week but remained 25 cents per gallon below the U.S. average of $2.18 per gallon. Chattanooga gas prices are still 3.3 cents per gallon below where they were a month ago but are up 18.9 cents per gallon from the same time a year ago. However, gas prices are still nearly a dollar a gallon cheaper than where they were three and four years ago.
Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, said gas prices are likely to head higher heading into Christmas as retailers pass along higher prices for oil pushed higher by OPEC's decision last week to curb oil output. But DeHaan was skeptical that OPEC members will succeed in curbing production and pushing up prices over the long run.
"If I had a nickle for every time OPEC said it was going to cut oil production, I could probably buy everyone free gas on Christmas," DeHaan said.
Unclaimed Baggage founder dies in Alabama
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. - The Alabama businessman who started a one-of-a-kind store selling the contents of unclaimed airline baggage has died.
A spokeswoman for the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama, says founder Doyle Owens died Saturday night. He was 85. Store spokeswoman Brenda Cantrell says relatives haven't released details on Owens' death, but services are planned for Saturday.
Using a $300 loan and a borrowed pickup truck, Owens bought his first load of unclaimed baggage in 1970 and sold the contents atop card tables. The business caught on and the store became a landmark for people seeking unusual deals.
The store is now owned and operated by Owens' son Bryan. Cantrell says the founder last visited the store about a month ago.
VW firm to focus on mobility services
LONDON - Volkswagen is launching a new company dedicated to car sharing and other "mobility services" in which people may need a ride but don't necessarily want to own the car.
The German auto giant has set up a stand-alone enterprise, MOIA, which will be headquartered in Berlin and will "connect the car with the new mobility world." It intends to challenge traditional notions of how to get around, particularly in cities.
The company, which launched the company at a tech conference in London, has already invested in a ride-sharing app and is also focusing on the pooling business.
The company said Monday that the "objective is holistic transport solutions that make individual transport and public transport more effective, thus avoiding unnecessary journeys and optimizing use of the existing road infrastructure."
General Mills to cut as many as 600 jobs
General Mills, which has been struggling with weaker sales for its cereal and yogurt, plans to cut between 400 and 600 jobs around the world as it restructures its business.
Like other processed food companies, General Mills has been hurt by American's changing tastes. The Minneapolis-based company has been tinkering with its recipes, adding more cinnamon to Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, switching to antibiotic-free chicken in Progresso soups and increasing the protein in Yoplait yogurts.
As part of the restructuring, the company says President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Harmening will now also oversee global operations.
General Mills Inc. had about 39,000 employees as of May. Its other brands include Cheerios cereal and Haagen-Dazs ice cream.
Amazon Go store is checkout free
Amazon is testing a grocery store model in Seattle that works without checkout lines.
Called Amazon Go, shoppers scan their Amazon app when they enter the store, and then sensors register items that shoppers pick up and automatically charge them to the Amazon app. If a shopper puts the item back they aren't charged.
The store is open to Amazon employees on a trial run. It is expected to open to the public in early 2017.
Tyson starts fund for food innovations
SPRINGDALE, Ark. - Tyson Foods Inc. announced plans Monday to create a venture fund aimed at developing innovations in food production.
The meat company said it will make $150 million available for Tyson New Ventures LLC, which it said would complement Tyson's continued investment in fresh meat, poultry and prepared foods.
The venture fund's first investment is a 5 percent ownership stake in Beyond Meat, a California-based company that makes "plant-based protein." Tyson says the venture fund will concentrate on alternative proteins, as well as other startups aimed at eliminating food waste and finding other innovations.