| Court orders ex-owner of Tougher Industries to pay business partners
ALBANY The former owner of Tougher Industries has lost the first of several federal court cases related to the near demise of the heating and air conditioning company. In Albany on Monday, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Lawrence Kahn ordered Steven Shaw to pay $100,000 plus interest to the three business partners from whom he bought Tougher in 2005. The judge also directed Shaw to deliver at least $1.65 million to a surety as collateral for certain bonding obligations. In November 2006 — about three weeks after Tougher filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Albany — Richard Abramo, Robert Brown and John Tomassetti sued Shaw over breach of contract allegations. Shaw and the trio of investors acquired the downtown Albany HVAC company — once one of the largest in the Northeast, with more than 200 employees — from PSEG Energy Technologies in 2003.
Montana files suit against former state accountant
The state of Montana filed a civil lawsuit against a former state accountant and her husband's maintenance business Wednesday, seeking to recover more than $739,000 the state alleged was paid to the company for work that was not performed.We are finally beginning the process of recovering every single dollar that's been stolen from Montana taxpayers,'' said Sheryl Olson, deputy director of the Department of Administration. We filed this case to help us turn over every stone to help us recover all that money, plus interest.''The state alleges Susan Campbell, a former accountant in the Facilities Management Bureau, occasionally issued or caused others to issue duplicate payments to Jack's Technical Assistance Inc., owned by Jack Campbell.JTA had yearly contracts to maintain heating, ventilation and air conditioning at the Capitol complex beginning in 2000 and ending in October 2006.
Trane Directors Declare Quarterly Dividend of 16 Cents Per Share of ...
PISCATAWAY, N.J., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The board of directors of Trane Inc. (NYSE: TT) today declared a quarterly dividend of 16 cents per share of common stock. The dividend is payable on March 20, 2008, to shareholders of record on March 3, 2008. On Dec. 17, 2007, Trane announced that it had entered into an agreement to be acquired by Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited (NYSE: IR) . The agreement is expected to be finalized in the second quarter of 2008. About Trane Trane Inc. provides heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and services that enhance the quality and comfort of the air in homes and buildings around the world. The company offers customers a broad range of energy-efficient HVAC systems; dehumidifying and air cleaning products; service and parts support; advanced building controls; and financing solutions.
Councilor objects to DIA contractor
A Denver councilman raised objections Monday about a contractor scheduled to get $13.4 million in work at Denver International Airport, saying the company has violated the city's prevailing wage laws and does shoddy work. Councilman Chris Nevitt ended up voting to grant initial approval of the contract for RK Mechanical Inc. of Denver, but he blasted the contractor as having a bad record on the wage rules for city projects. The contract is to repair cooling towers used in the air-conditioning system at the airport. Nevitt said he would vote to grant initial approval to the contract because the work is crucial for the airport. There isn't enough time to seek another round of bids, he said. "It just sticks in my craw," said Nevitt, stressing that in the future, he wants the city to get more contractors interested in projects.
Former Scottsdale apartment complex in limbo
A downtown Scottsdale apartment complex that was slated to be razed for a high-rise condo project continues to sit dark and vacant, leading to speculation that the owner is looking to unload the property. International Capital Partners of Scottsdale purchased the former Orchidtree Apartments in late 2006 and evicted the tenants last year because of costly air-conditioning repair issues. The company did not say the 10-acre site at the southeast corner of 68th Street and Camelback Road is on the market, but would not rule out that a sale could take place. Should the opportunity arise to sell rather than redevelop, well consider it, said James Petersen, ICPs marketing director. But at the present time, we continue to view Orchidtree as an incredibly important redevelopment piece to the future of downtown Scottsdale.
Call 4 Action: Veteran says power outage ruined appliances
Miguel Guillen is a disabled Vietnam Veteran who recently returned from San Antonio after undergoing a Triple Bypass Surgery. But his arrival home, wasn't very comforting, because a power surge ruined many of his electronics and appliances. "It could've burned my house, it could've done more damage with my family here," he said. The power surge not only cost him a lot of headaches it cost him and his family to lose a lot of their belongings. "We lost three air conditioning units, two DVD players, a microwave, several televisions, the refrigerator and a freezer" said Guillen's son Inocencio. "Ceiling fans went out, and light bulbs broke." The bigger problem, however, is getting the power company to help him pay about $3,000 worth of losses and repair costs.
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