Utility-industry firm picks Sugg as chief
Southwest Power Pool announced Wednesday that Barbara Sugg will serve as the organization's new president and chief executive officer, effective later this year.
Sugg is currently the organization's senior vice president of information technology and chief security officer. She is replacing Nick Brown, who is retiring after serving as president and CEO since 2003.
Sugg, elected unanimously after a national search, has more than 30 years of information technology experience in the electric utility industry.
"The board believes Barbara is well-suited to continue to strengthen SPP's foundational attributes while recognizing the need and opportunity to improve our efficiency and effectiveness," said Larry Altenbaumer, chairman of the company's board. "She is equipped to develop, build and strengthen the relationships that are increasingly critical to the sustained success of our organization, and particularly those with our members and regulators."
As CEO, Sugg will lead 600 employees at the Little Rock company, which works with utilities across 17 states to ensure reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitive wholesale electricity prices.
-- Andrew Moreau
Amazon to lift ban on sellers' FedEx use
NEW YORK -- Amazon said it will allow its third-party sellers to start using FedEx's ground service again after banning its use for about a month during the busy Christmas shopping season because FedEx purportedly wasn't delivering on time.
Amazon said FedEx is now getting orders delivered on time, and sellers received a letter telling them that they can start using the carrier on Tuesday. FedEx said that reinstating ground service for Amazon sellers is "good news for our mutual customers."
The relationship between Amazon and FedEx has been strained recently as the online shopping giant builds its own rival delivery fleet, relying less on UPS, the U.S. Postal Service and other carriers. Last month, Amazon.com Inc. said it delivered most of its own packages in the U.S. itself.
FedEx severed ties with Amazon last year, saying it wouldn't make ground or air deliveries for the online shopping giant. But third-party sellers were still able to use FedEx.
-- The Associated Press
Index finishes day with a loss of 2.34
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Wednesday at 470.29, down 2.34.
"Stocks rose to record highs as the United States signed a partial tariff agreement with China, which boosted investor sentiment and offset mixed corporate earnings reports," said Leon Lants, managing director of Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 01/16/2020