Finance & Capital Management

MOLINE, Ill. — Deere & Company has elected Cargill CEO Gregory R. Page to its board of directors. Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. 

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the privately held company employs about 140,000 people in 65 countries and has annual sales of more than $130 billion.

The Kids In Need Foundation will hold its 15th annual Kids In Need Foundation Education Celebration Gala Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the Depot, in Minneapolis, Minn. 

A cocktail reception, sponsored by Target, will kick things off at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Gala Dinner, sponsored by 3M, at 7:30 p.m. 

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway has appointed Land O' Lakes executive Barry Libenson as the company’s SVP and CIO. He succeeds David Ching, who retired earlier this year after 19 years with the company. 

As CIO, Libenson will oversee Safeway's extensive information technology business functions, reporting directly to Safeway EVP Larree Renda. 

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer spending dropped 0.2% in April 2013, according to the Commerce Department.

It was the first monthly decline since May of last year and follows increases of 0.1% in March and 0.8% in February. Falling gas prices in April were part of the reason for the drop in spending, with purchases of gas, electricity and other energy goods and services down 4.4%.

In addition, increased Social Security deductions in consumer paychecks may have also contributed to the decline in spending.

BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. -- Bridgestone Retail Operations (BSRO) continues to grow its network of tire and automotive service centers across the United States, with a projected total of 45 new retail locations this year. The company currently owns and operates a total of 2,222 stores.

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Seventh Generation, a leading green brand which has championed sustainability for 25 years, has acquired New York-based Bobble, a leading brand in the reusable, self-filtering water bottle category. 

New York -- MPI has reported a significant increase in leasing volume within its core retail portfolio during the first four months of 2013 vs. the same period last year.

As of May 1, MPI has executed 23 new lease deals, many with new to the market tenants, representing a total of 113,900 sq. ft. throughout its national retail portfolio.  

On a year-over-year basis, the company has seen the number of new leases grow by 28%.
 

Washington, D.C. -- Douglas Development said it has teamed with CBRE on a new boutique office and retail project in Washington, D.C.’s Penn Quarter neighborhood.

The 11-story office building will occupy approximately 93,000 sq. ft., and include 7,000 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail space. The building will offer two floors of below grade parking, outdoor terraces, and a terracotta façade.