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Business News Briefs
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Ex-justice on Koppers board

Former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Baldwin has been named to the board of directors of Koppers Holdings Inc. Ms. Baldwin was appointed to the state Supreme Court and served for a 2-year period beginning in 2006. Prior to serving on the high court, Ms. Baldwin was a judge in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas for 16 years. She is a trustee emerita of Duquesne University, where she attended law school. With Ms. Baldwin's appointment, the Koppers board was increased to eight members from seven.

Investment in iron ore

U.S. Steel said it would invest more than $300 million at its iron ore operations in Keewatin, Minn. The three-year program will increase production by 60 percent and improve the plant's environmental performance, the steelmaker said.

Proposal for nuclear plants
Westinghouse Electric Co. has submitted a proposal to build three nuclear power plants in South Africa beginning in 2016. Westinghouse's partners on the proposal are US Shaw Group and Murray & Roberts Limited of South Africa.

Earnings

McKesson Corp. said its fiscal third-quarter profits dropped more than 17 percent despite a double-digit increase in sales. At 68 cents per share, McKesson's profit fell well short of the average estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial of 80 cents per share. Net income was $201 million vs. $243 million, or 80 cents, a year ago. Revenue rose nearly 15 percent to $26.49 billion.

Marathon Oil Corp. said fourth-quarter net income fell 38 percent as record crude prices squeezed profit margins on gasoline and diesel. Profit fell to $668 million, or 94 cents a share, from $1.08 billion, or $1.53, a year ago. Excluding such items as a tax gain, profit was 70 cents a share, 13 cents lower than analysts' consensus estimate. Revenue rose 31 percent to $18.4 billion.

Also in business ...

Jeffrey P. Berger, executive vice president and chairman-global foodservice for the H.J. Heinz Co., will retire in May and then serve as a consultant to the Pittsburgh food company for two years, according to a regulatory filing. He will receive an annual consulting fee of $500,000 ... PNC Bank Regional President Sy Holzer will succeed retired PNC financial services group chief executive officer Thomas O'Brien as chairman of the Strategic Investment Fund, which provides financing for local real estate projects. Mr. O'Brien has been chairman of the fund since its creation in 1996 ... Mylan Inc. said it received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to market the generic version of Roche's Kytril tablets. The drug controls the side-effects of chemotherapy.

First published on February 2, 2008 at 12:00 am