Aculight Corp., a Bothell company developing laser technologies, has received a $750,000 contract from the U.S. Air Force to investigate new fiber-laser radar systems. These systems can be used for targeting in a new generation of “smart” weapons. The technology developed under the new contract could also lead to advances in nondefense-related laser applications, including optical medical imaging, according to Aculight. Founded in 1993, Aculight has 35 employees at its head office.
The Japanese subsidiary of Mukilteo’s CombiMatrix Corp. has entered into a technology collaboration and purchasing agreement with the Genome Science Laboratory at the University of Tokyo’s research center. Under the terms of the agreement, the research center has installed a CombiMatrix gene chip synthesizer and will purchase blank chips that will be used in genetic and drug development work. Any novel discovery or development from the research will then benefit both the center and CombiMatrix. This is the second such agreement in Japan that CombiMatrix has announced in recent weeks.
Costco Wholesale Corp. said Thursday fiscal third-quarter earnings shot up 24 percent as shoppers’ preference for discount-chain prices powered a 12 percent increase in sales. Net income came to $130.4 million, or 28 cents a share, for the period ended May 12, compared with $105.3 million, or 23 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue, including membership fees, climbed to $8.62 billion from $7.72 billion. Sales rose to $8.44 billion from $7.56 billion. Sales in warehouses open at least a year, a key indicator of performance in the retail sector known as same-store sales, rose 6 percent. Costco, based in Issaquah, operates 389 warehouses in North America, Britain and Asia.
Still facing hard times, computing giants Hewlett-Packard Co. and Sun Microsystems Inc. will close shop during the week of Independence Day and require employees to go without pay or use up vacation time. Shutting down from June 30 through July 6 in the United States will contribute to operational savings, HP spokeswoman Judy Radlinsky said Thursday, though she would not elaborate on the amount. Palo Alto-based HP has 74,000 U.S. employees and 150,000 overall. HP executives decided on the plan after getting “good feedback” from former employees of Compaq Computer Corp. about its closure during the holiday last year, Radlinsky said. HP acquired Compaq on May 3. Sun is instituting a similar plan during the week of the holiday, spokeswoman Diane Carlini said.
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