Business Briefly
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, December 2, 2003
Intermec Technologies Corp. of Everett said its radio frequency identification technology and services meet new requirements set by the Department of Defense. On Tuesday, defense officials hosted an industry meeting to discuss their mandate that suppliers put unique identification markings on all products for the Defense Department. Those markings, required by 2005, could include RFID tags, bar codes or other identification methods that improve the department’s distribution of everything from food to weapons.
Bartell Drugs plans to offer a new service that will allow customers to quickly print out high-quality photos from digital cameras. The Seattle-based drugstore chain, which operates several Snohomish County stores, said a customer will be able to insert the memory card from a digital camera into the Digital Print Center device and choose the desired photos.
Several Invesco funds can be found in The Herald’s mutual fund listings under AIM/INVESCO because of a marketing deal earlier this year between the companies. Several readers have called because they no longer saw them under the Invesco heading. Also, expect Unova Inc., parent company of Everett-based Intermec Technologies Corp., to be added to The Herald’s Northwest stock listings soon. Unova recently moved its headquarters to Everett to join Intermec, so its now officially a Northwest company.
Regulators charged Invesco Funds Group Inc. and its chief executive with civil fraud on Tuesday, saying the company set up an intricate system to recruit big-money market investors despite complaints from its own employees that shareholders were being harmed. Later Tuesday, Strong Financial Corp. founder Richard Strong announced that he was stepping down from the company and its mutual funds following months of pressure about his questionable trading, which some regulators have indicated could lead to criminal charges.
Sweetened consumer incentives and the improving U.S. economy lifted new car and truck sales in November, automakers reported Tuesday. General Motors Corp., the world’s largest automaker, led the way with a 22 percent increase from 2002.
Herald staff and news services
