Labor & Employment

San Francisco -- Grosvenor Americas said it has appointed Steve O’Connell to the position of development manager in the company’s San Francisco headquarters office.

O’Connell will oversee the development process from property identification and purchase through design, entitlement, construction, leasing, and stabilization. He was previously with Swinerton Builders in San Francisco as a construction project manager on large urban mixed-use projects.

Minneapolis -- Best Buy Co. said Tuesday that it has cut its 2011 seasonal hiring plans to about half of last year’s staff numbers, in a move to curtail costs. This year’s plans call for 15,000 holiday workers, compared with 29,000 hired last year.

Dallas -- SRS Real Estate Partners said Tuesday that it has hired three new team members in the Newport Beach, Calif., office.

Steve McClurkin, Garrett Colburn and Nichole Slykhous have joined the SRS Newport Beach office to focus on tenant representation, specializing in expanding national retail and restaurant concepts. They will also continue consulting with landlords on outdoor malls/lifestyle centers throughout the western United States.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples has promoted Christine Komola to CFO effective Feb. 1, 2012. She will report to John Mahoney, Staples’ vice chairman. The responsibilities of the CFO will transition to Komola the next year.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe's announced that for the 2011 to 2012 school year it will donate more than $4 million to support education. 

Through its Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, the company is providing funds for school systems across America through Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grants; Teach for America; Project L.I.F.T; Hispanic Scholarship Fund; Thurgood Marshall College Fund; Lowe’s Scholarships and Carl Buchan Scholarships.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples said Tuesday it is promoting Christine Komola to CFO, effective Feb. 1.

Komola, a 14-year veteran of the company, will report to the company's vice chairman, John Mahoney, who has been CFO since 1996.

She has served as VP planning and control, senior VP and corporate controller and CFO of the company's website.
 

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot said Monday that the president of its international division has been terminated effective immediately, for having what the retailer called an “improper relationship” with a co-worker.

“Charlie Brown was terminated for having an improper relationship with another associate,” said Neil Austrian, Office Depot’s chairman and CEO. “The company has a zero tolerance policy in this regard.”