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A look at the world of business

By Times Staff
Published June 7, 2005

TAMPA BAY

Manchester United chief executive David Gill is expected to travel to Tampa this week to meet with Joel and Avi Glazer, sons of new team owner Malcolm Glazer, the Manchester Evening News and the Observer newspapers reported Monday. Gill worried about Glazer's takeover of the English soccer team, but the papers said analysts believe he will remain with the team if the Glazers convince him they can improve the team's commercial fortunes.

The head of media operations for the Tampa Tribune, WFLA-Ch.8 and Web site TBO.com has been named publisher and CEO of the Press-Enterprise, a newspaper in Riverside, Calif. Ronald Redfern, 59, had been in his Tampa position since August 2003 as president of Florida Communications Group for Media General. On Monday, Belo Corp., owner of the Press-Enterprise, said Redfern will take the helm of the 185,000-circulation daily newspaper July 5.

Aerosonic Corp. of Clearwater said it has been awarded a contract to build standby instruments for two models of planes being developed by Adam Aircraft of Englewood, Colo. The value of the contract was not disclosed. Adam Aircraft has FAA certification for its twin-engine A500 and will begin deliveries this year. Its A700, a personal jet, is undergoing flight tests with deliveries scheduled next year. The company said it has a $200-million backlog of orders for the models.

Brown & Brown Inc., a general insurer with dual headquarters in Tampa and Daytona Beach, said Monday it has bought the governmental programs division of U.S. Risk LP of Dallas. Terms were not disclosed. U.S. Risk has been a large provider of public officials' liability, educators' legal liability and law enforcement liability insurance.

A Hillsborough County judge granted class-action status to a 2002 lawsuit alleging the owner of 14 Florida car dealers trained employees to use deception in selling window-etching to prevent car theft. The class could include more than 40,000 who bought cars between 1999 and 2002 from dealers owned by Sonic Automotive Inc. of North Carolina.

Quality Distribution Inc., a Tampa transportation company, on Monday named Gerald Detter chairman, president and CEO. Detter, who had been president and CEO of Con-Way Transportation Services Inc., succeeds Thomas Finkbiner, who resigned.

ELSEWHERE

Washington Mutual Inc., the nation's largest savings and loan, said Monday it is buying Providian Financial Corp. for $6.45-billion.

[Last modified June 7, 2005, 11:59:01]