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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 22, 2008

TAMPA BAY AREA

Apple To Open In Brandon

The Apple retail store at the Westfield Brandon mall opens at 10 a.m. Saturday. It is the second to open locally, complementing the one at International Plaza, and is the 14th in the state. The hands-on store will give customers a chance to test-drive Apple's product line, which includes the popular iPhone and iPod and the new MacBook Air, the world's thinnest notebook computer.

Troops Get 300,000th Cigar

Thompson Cigar has surpassed the 300,000 mark as it continues to send cigars to U.S. troops. Since 2002, the Tampa-based retailer has been sending smokes to troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, the Horn of Africa and three Navy aircraft carrier battle groups through a local effort known as Support Our Troops. Thompson has also been shipping coffee pots, linens and pillows through its affiliated catalog and online companies.

Arts Leader Receives Award

Tampa Bay & Co., Hillsborough County's tourism marketing agency, named Judy Lisi, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, as the "Gonzmart Family Ambassador of the Year" during the National Tourism Week annual luncheon Wednesday that drew about 500 people to the Hyatt Regency Tampa.

CAE USA Wins Contract

The Navy awarded Tampa-based CAE USA a $16 million contract to design and manufacture MH-60R helicopter avionics maintenance trainers. The first one will be delivered to the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit at Jacksonville in 2010.

NATION

Changes At Top Of Airlines

Southwest Airlines has named Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly as chairman of the board Wednesday, replacing founder Herb Kelleher. Kelleher and president Colleen Barrett, who will pass her role to Kelly on July 15, remain Southwest employees through July 2013.

AirTran Holdings announced Wednesday that its president and CEO will also be elevated to chairman of the board. Bob Fornaro would take further control on June 1. He will replace Joe Leonard, who is retiring from the board at the end of May.

ENERGY

Oil Prices Rise Above $130

Runaway oil prices blew past $130 a barrel for the first time Wednesday and kept going, while gasoline prices persisted in their own relentless climb, rising above $3.80 a gallon. Supply worries, rising demand and a slumping dollar are conspiring to make filling up the car - and paying for just about everything else - a growing burden for Americans.

With gas and oil prices setting records on a daily basis, many analysts are beginning to wonder whether anything can stop prices from rising. There are technical signals in the futures market, including price differences between near-term and longer-term contracts, that crude may soon fall. But with demand for oil growing in the developing world, few analysts are willing to call an end to crude's rally.

Light, sweet crude for delivery in July rose $4.19 to settle at $133.17 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, but prices rose as high as $133.82 in after-hours electronic trading.

A staff and wire report

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