John Collins has been named the new chief executive office of Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Freeland, a long-time manufacturer of a variety of vessels. Collins was described as a veteran in the metals industry with experience in improving operations in companies driven by projects. “The people at Nichols Brothers know how to build great boats and they have been doing it for 45 years,” Collins said. “We are making changes now that will help our skilled team continue their work with fewer hassles, less interference and fewer delays.” Officials said they have changed scheduling and yard control as well as reorganized staff to improve the flow of materials and work. Collins replaces Len York, who steered Nichols Brothers through its recent bankruptcy.
Port of Everett shipping schedule
Here’s a look at the ships expected to visit Everett during the next month: Wednesday, Westwood Olympia, operator, Westwood; Oct. 27, Santiago, Westwood; Oct. 30, Bright Stream, Fesco/ECL; Nov. 3, Westwood Rainier, Westwood; Nov. 10, Sevillia, Westwood; Nov. 17, Westwood Victoria, Westwood; Nov. 19, Pacific Friend, ECL.
Toy-maker Hasbro sees its profits rise
Sales of toys tied to the “G.I. Joe” and “Transformers” movies and cost-cutting drove a third-quarter profit increase for Hasbro. But perhaps more significant are early signs of a pickup in toy sales in recent weeks as the crucial holiday season approaches. Other strong sellers in the third quarter included Littlest Pet Shop, Play-Doh and Tonka. Overall sales fell 2 percent during the quarter, but rose 1 percent excluding the effect of the stronger dollar. Hasbro said North American sales reflect stronger sales of toys for boys, but revenue was weighed down by weakness in girls’ toys, preschool and games and puzzles. In part, weakness in the girls division is due to discontinuing some higher-priced items, like Kota the Triceratops, a robotic dinosaur, which retailed for about $249.
Verizon ‘Droid’ ads boost new software
An aggressive TV ad campaign from Verizon Wireless is adding to the support building for a software package from Google Inc. that is shaping up to be the most formidable challenge yet to Apple Inc.’s iPhone. The commercials for the “Droid” phone, being made by Motorola Inc., list features that the iPhone lacks, such as a physical keyboard and the ability to run applications simultaneously. It ends with the tag line “Everything iDon’t. Droid does.” It’s not the first ad from a wireless carrier to take aim at the iPhone’s weaknesses. Notably, Sprint Nextel Corp.’s ads for the Samsung Instinct and the Palm Pre have compared these devices to the iPhone. Verizon Wireless gets high marks for its network quality, but it has lacked a “smart” phone that can match the iPhone’s ease of use and breadth of third-party applications.
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