Batteries
The S.C. Research Authority has joined Delphi Corporation, Saft Batteries, Lithium Technology, and Quallion to lead a coalition (the Defense Advanced Battery Manufacturing Coalition) that provides the U.S. military with new battery systems.

Doctors
Columbia- based UCI Medical Affiliates, parent company of 40 Doctors Care physician practices, fired its chief financial officer in mid- December. Due to accounting irregularities, the former CFO allegedly overstated the company's six- year pretax income by as much as $1 million. Joseph A. Boyle, head of Affinity Technology Group until its bankruptcy, has been appointed UCI's new CFO. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, publicly traded UCI (listed on the OTC Bulletin Board as UCIAE.OB) expects to report revenues of $77.3 million, mistakenly termed "income" elsewhere in the Midlands business press. The market capitalization value of UCI Tuesday morning, February 10, was $21.12 million.

Bankers
The South Financial Group, parent company of Carolina First Bank and others, saw its stock price fall to $1.84 by mid- morning, Tuesday, February 10. The price was above $30 about this time five years ago in 2004. The banking company recently reported a year- end loss of $568.6 million. A beneficiary of the U.S. Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program, the company recently sold $347 million in preferred shares to the U.S. Treasury while it also followed through with departing CEO Mack Whittle, who took a severance payment of about $18 million with him.

Midtown
Formerly Richland Mall, Midtown at Forest Acres is listed for sale at $28.5 million by Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation's largest real estate investment services firm. Currently about 60 percent occupied, the mall was scheduled for a complete renovation/ addition a few years ago by a development company out of Spruce Pine, N.C. The Spruce Pine people came to Columbia highly touted by their architects, but the development company's plans never materialized.

Florida connections: Spirit out, Allegiant in
Spirit Airlines will last serve Columbia on March 6 when it shuts down service here. Meanwhile, Allegiant Airlines expects to commence service to Columbia on February 25. Spirit's service was to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Allegiant will connect with Orlando, Fla.

Design distinction
Charleston- based architecture firm LS3P Associates Ltd with its interiors section, Image Studio, recently was ranked 56th out of Interior Design magazine's "Top 100 Interior Design Giants in the United States." LS3P has a Columbia office with 14 people.

Get ready
The 2009 National Hydrogen Association Conference and its Hydrogen Expo will be at the Columbia Convention Center, March 30 - April 3, 2009. This will be the largest hydrogen conference in the country with more than 1,500 attendees, 150 speakers, and 100 exhibitors. For more information or to register, contact Shannon Baxter- Clemmons at baxterclemmons@schydrogen.org.

Home Depot
Home Depot has a major presence in the Midlands with four Columbia- area locations. Over the next two months, Home Depot Inc. will close 34 EXPO Design Center stores, five YardBIRDS stores, two Design Center stores, and seven Home Depot locations. The company is laying off 7,000 employees altogether. It is also freezing its officers' salaries.

SCANA's SCE&G scores well above average
In the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Survey, South Carolina Electric & Gas scored a 651, while the average score for the 22 electric utilities in the South Region area of the U.S. was 536. Bottom was 532, Memphis Light, Gas & Water. And top for the South Region was Raleigh- based Progress Energy Carolinas at 678.

McClatchy freezes pensions and suspends 401(k) match
With a $21.7 million loss for the fourth quarter in 2008, Sacramento, Calif.- based McClatchy Company owns The State, The Sun News at Myrtle Beach, The Charlotte Observer, and Raleigh's The News & Observer among a total of 30 daily newspapers. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange as MNI, McClatchy has seen its share price hover below $1 for the past month. Five years ago, it was about $70. Beginning March 31, the company will suspend the match to its 401(k) plans, and it will freeze its pension plans. Over the next year, McClatchy plans to cut costs by another $100 million.