The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation cut spending
on top management for the second year in a row. In
2004 it spent $2.7 million on more than a dozen top
officers, a decrease of about $272,000. In 2003, the
total amount spent on officers dropped about $123.000.
A spokesman said the foundation was responding to conditions
in the travel industry. The CWF spent $44.9 million
in wages for non-officers in 2004, a drop of $3.1 million
from the previous year. (Daily Press)
Dan River Inc., a Danville-based textile manufacturer,
closed its plant in Morven, N.C. The company cited
pressures in the global textile market for the decision. (Danville
Register & Bee)
General Dynamics Inc., a Falls-Church-based
defense contractor, plans to lay off up to 2,400 workers
at submarine operations in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Pressures in trying to cut costs in the Virginia-class
sub program and failure to secure expected contracts
for sub repair work led to the move. Positions lost
through attrition and retirements will affect the number
of layoffs, but the company warned another 4,000 jobs
are still at risk, depending on the future climate
for its sub operations. (The Washington Post)
SmurfitStone Container, a Chicago-based manufacturer
of cardboard boxes for shipping, announced plans to
lay off 27 of 107 workers at its Roanoke plant as part
of national strategy to cut costs. (The Roanoke
Times)
Universal Corp., a global
tobacco merchant headquartered in Richmond, closed
its Danville plant
with the loss of 77 full-time and 325 seasonal jobs.
Some of the plant's 53 salaried employees will be offered
positions at other Universal plants. Higher-than expected
efficiency at the company's new processing facility
in Nash County, N.C., led to the decision to close
the Danville plant. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
The USS George Washington, a Nimitz-class aircraft
carrier home ported in Norfolk, will move to Japan
in 2008, replacing the USS Kitty Hawk. The George Washington
will become the first nuclear-powered carrier to be
based in Japan. The move will mean the loss of about
3,000 jobs in Hampton Roads. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
