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5 Big Stories

By JEFF HARRINGTON, Times Deputy Business Editor
Published February 18, 2007

1. Chrysler slashes jobs

About 13,000 Chrysler workers are let go in a long-awaited restructuring.

WHAT IT MEANS: A shift in consumer taste from SUVs and trucks to more fuel-efficient cars is hitting Chrysler hard. The company's German parent, DaimlerChrysler AG, hasn't ruled out a sale of the U.S. operation.

2. Port deal brewing

International Ship Repair has a contract to sell its shipyard holdings in Tampa.

WHAT IT MEANS: Who says the condo market is dead? Gibraltar Development of Clearwater is thought to be paying about $100-million for a residential and commercial project on the 22.5-acre site. Expect a 10-year buildout.

3. Two scoops at once

A New York investment firm is buying Marble Slab Creamery and Maggie Moo's International.

WHAT IT MEANS: The buyer, NexCen Brands, is uniting the nation's second- and third-largest high-end ice cream chains in a bid to overtake the king of the cream, Cold Stone Creamery.

4. Rays deliver new pitch

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays unveil their marketing campaign for the upcoming season.

WHAT IT MEANS: Despite posting the worst record in the majors last year, the Rays managed to grow attendance and TV ratings with a family friendly theme. The '07 campaign picks up on that off-field lure with the slogan: "More Than Just a Game."

5. Hershey jobs melt away

The candymaker is cutting 1,500 jobs over three years.

WHAT IT MEANS: The cuts are part of a strategy to scale back production lines and move some manufacturing to Mexico. When it's done, Hershey will make its chocolates and other candies at fewer plants.

[Last modified February 16, 2007, 22:13:32]