The Enterprise Center in Chattanooga welcomes new CEO

Deb Socia is president and CEO of The Enterprise Center, located in the Edney Building in downtown Chattanooga.
Deb Socia is president and CEO of The Enterprise Center, located in the Edney Building in downtown Chattanooga.

The new head of Chattanooga's entrepreneurial development group known as The Enterprise Center started work this week and will be welcomed at a reception at the agency's offices on the 5th floor of the Edney Innovation Center from 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Deb Socia, formerly executive director of Next Century Cities in Washington, D.C., and the Tech Goes Home program in Boston, succeeded Ken Hays as president and CEO of The Enterprise Center.

"I can't tell you the excitement that we all feel that Deb's background will take the Enterprise Center the next level," said David Belitz, the chairman of The Enterprise Center's board.

Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger has visited several of The Enterprise Center's Tech Goes Home classes in the community, and said he is "amazed watching Tech Goes Home provide opportunities for people they would not otherwise have. I know Deb is just the person to help grow the program's influence in Hamilton County," said Coppinger.

Coppinger and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, who said he hopes Socia will "continue to create a culture of innovation in Chattanooga and build digital equity" in Chattanooga, will host the Tuesday's public reception to welcome Socia.

Regions Bank profits ahead of forecasts

Regions Financial Corp., the parent company of Chattanooga's third biggest bank , reported Friday second-quarter earnings of $390 million, which was up 3% from a year ago.

The Birmingham, Alabama-based bank said it had earnings of 37 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 39 cents per share.

The results met Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 23 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was also for earnings of 39 cents per share.

The holding company for Regions Bank posted revenue of $1.68 billion in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $1.44 billion, falling short of Street forecasts. Twenty-five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.48 billion.

Carnival takes steps to cut ocean pollution

Carnival Corp. executives pledged anew Friday that steps are being taken to curb ocean pollution, which was the subject of a recent $20 million federal penalty imposed because of continued environmental violations.

Carnival outlined some of those steps at a hearing before a pair of skeptical Miami federal judges. CEO Arnold Donald says the world's largest cruise line is embracing a new culture of compliance with environmental laws from the top down.

"Our people have embraced this. They want to do the right thing," Arnold said.

Last month, Carnival admitted violating probation from a 2016 criminal pollution case - it paid a separate $40 million fine at the time - as its ships continued to cause environmental harm around the world since then. Similar promises were made years ago by Carnival that things would change but it appears little did, Senior U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz said.

Seitz urged the company, which remains on probation for three more years, not to revert to its past practices regarding environmental protection.

Delta adds Narcan for in-flight aid

Delta Air Lines plans to stock its on-board emergency medical kits with Narcan, which can reverse the effects of opioid overdose, starting this fall.

Spokesman Michael Thomas said the Atlanta-based airline made the decision earlier this year.

Narcan is a brand name of the medication naloxone. The Association of Flight Attendants has called for the Federal Aviation Administration to require airlines to stock naloxone on all commercial flights and to train flight attendants to administer it.

According to the Association of Flight Attendants, United, Frontier and Alaska have planes with enhanced emergency medical kits stocked with naloxone. But without it as a standard item in emergency medical kits, people will be "at a higher risk of death by overdose in the air than on the ground," the union told the FAA.

Delta discussed its plans to stock Narcan after a Delta Air Lines passenger tweeted about a medical incident involving a passenger on a flight.

Association of Flight Attendants international president Sara Nelson responded via Twitter that flight attendants "are aviation's first responders and we need the proper tools to respond and save lives."

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