Business Briefs: Passenger screening program expands

A new passenger screening program to make check-in more convenient for certain travelers is being expanded to 28 more major U.S. airports, including Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the government said Wednesday.

There will be no cost to eligible passengers, who would no longer have to remove their shoes and belts before they board flights.

Under the new program, eligible travelers have the option to volunteer more personal information about themselves so that the government can vet them for security purposes before they arrive at airport checkpoints.

Not everyone is eligible to participate in the program. For more information, see www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/escreening.shtm.

The Associated Press

State chamber studies unemployment system

The $2.7 billion debt that North Carolina has incurred to pay unemployment benefits in the wake of the recession has led the N.C. Chamber of Commerce to commission a comprehensive study of the state's unemployment system.

"The key point for us is, we're looking at everything," Gary Salamido, a lobbyist for the chamber, told The News & Observer of Raleigh. "We don't know what the solution is yet."

The chamber has hired a Columbus, Ohio, law firm to conduct the study, which will be led by attorney Anthonio Fiore. Fiore spent a decade as the lead lobbyist for labor and employment issues for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. The study was initiated last month and the target date for completion is April 18.

The firm's mandate is to analyze the state's current unemployment system, including its unemployment insurance laws; identify the best practices of other states; and make recommendations on how to return the state's unemployment insurance trust fund to solvency. The firm also will look at the benefits the state pays and ways to help the unemployed find jobs.

Beginning this year, the state's employers are paying more in federal unemployment taxes. Those taxes will escalate every year until the state pays off its debt.

McClatchy-Tribune

Global economy expert to speak at WFU

Wake Forest University Schools of Business said Wednesday that an expert on the global economy will speak at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Byrum Auditorium on its campus.

Stuart Hart is a professor of management and organizations at Cornell University. He is known for addressing the world's most pressing social and environmental problems through sustainable enterprise.

He has served as consultant, adviser or management educator for dozens of corporations and organizations including DuPont, S.C. Johnson, General Electric, Baxter Healthcare, Walmart, the World Economic Forum and the Clinton Global Initiative.

The event is free and open to the public. The university's Center for Enterprise Research and Education, BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism and the university's Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, are co-sponsoring the event.

Richard Craver

SBA chief to appear at UNC Greensboro

Karen Gordon Mills, appointed by President Barack Obama to lead the U.S. Small Business Administration, will speak at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at UNC Greensboro.

Mills will speak on the subject of "The Path to Entrepreneurial Success: Capitalizing on Opportunities and Resources," in the Elliott University Center Auditorium. She will take questions from local entrepreneurs after her presentation.

Mills' visit to UNCG is part of a tour of U.S. colleges and universities. The event will include a panel discussion with local entrepreneurs. The presentation is free and open to the public, but attendees should register online at thepathatuncg.eventbrite.com.

Mills is the 23rd administrator of the SBA. On Jan. 13, her position was elevated to serve in the president's Cabinet.

For more details, call Mike Tarrant at (336) 501-2673 or email mttarran@uncg.edu.

Richard Craver

Extended Stay Hotels looks to add staff

Extended Stay Hotels said Wednesday it wants to hire between 60 and 65 employees in its finance division as the company completes its headquarters move to Charlotte.

The Charlotte Observer reported that the majority of the positions are in accounting, accounts receivable and accounts payable. Randy Patterson, executive vice president for human resources, said all the jobs will be based at the company's headquarters in Ballantyne Corporate Park.

Extended Stay is managed by HVM LLC. It runs about 700 hotels in the U.S. and Canada, including seven in Charlotte.

Extended Stay said in March it was moving its headquarters from Spartanburg, S.C., to Charlotte, bringing with it about 170 jobs at an average wage of $83,580. The company also pledged to invest $3.6 million in its new building. It was made eligible for a Job Development Investment Grant of up to $4.7 million over 12 years.

McClatchy-Tribune

Alliance Bank under order to address loans

Alliance Bank and Trust Co. has been ordered to review its management and create a plan to resolve problem loans as part of an agreement it has entered into with the FDIC.

The Charlotte Observer reported the consent order went into effect Feb. 1, but was announced Tuesday in a securities filing.

Consent orders do not mean the bank is in imminent danger of failing, but significantly increase the role of regulators in the bank's operations.

Alliance Bank and Trust was chartered in 2004 and operates four branches.

In the third quarter, parent company AB&T Financial Corp. reported a loss of $1.4 million as charge-offs and provisions for bad loans increased.

The parent company has not yet reported fourth-quarter earnings. In a quarterly report to the FDIC, the bank reported a net loss of $2.4 million.

The bank still has $3.5 million on its books from the federal Troubled Asset Relief Program, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Treasury.

McClatchy-Tribune