Marketplace Roundup
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Nadal Wears Traditional
Tennis Gear Last Week |
The GLOBE & MAIL's Tom Tebbutt notes tennis player Rafael Nadal, playing in last week's Capitala World Tennis Championship exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, wore a "traditional white tennis shirt with short sleeves and gold and blue on the front" and "traditional white shorts." After "several years of distinctively exposing his bulging, sweaty muscularity," Nadal "looked as if he were in a straitjacket in conventional tennis garb" (GLOBE & MAIL, 1/5).
NICE ASSIST: In Minneapolis, Todd Nelson profiles St. Paul-based FILO Productions, which will "help produce" February's NBA All-Star Jam Session for a seventh consecutive year and "also helps produce fan activities at such events as ESPN the Weekend and the U.S. Open tennis tournament." NBA Dir of Events & Attractions Nora Risti said that the league has "doubled its work with FILO Productions over the past three years." FILO Productions Founder & President Joe Gallagher said that his company "expected to end 2008 with close to $3[M] in revenue." Nelson notes FILO, which has nine employees and "might add three this year, also moved into its new headquarters" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/5).
LOW ON ENERGY: In Pittsburgh, Amy McConnell Schaarsmith reports Consol Energy Inc., which in December reached a naming-rights agreement for the Penguins' new arena, could "lay off all 260 miners from its 84 Mine" in Washington County, Pennsylvania, due to the "sluggish economy." Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, council member Roy Larimer said that workers at the mine are "skeptical of the company's claims of financial distress, especially after it has committed to spending millions for the naming rights" of the arena. Larimer: "They spend money left and right on everything else" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 1/5).
LET'S GO BOWLING: In Utah, Brice Wallace reported Utah-based bag designer Ogio produced 2,000 bags for six college football bowl games this season, including 550 for Thursday's Florida-Oklahoma FedEx BCS National Championship Game. Ogio also provided its products to the Rose, Orange, St. Petersburg, PapaJohns.com and New Mexico Bowls. Ogio declined to say how much revenue the bowl sales provided for the company. The retail value of the title game bag is $35, while the Orange and Rose Bowl bags "would normally sell" for $69 and "layover travel bags sell for $150" (DESERET NEWS, 1/4).
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