Union to host open house event

Sheet Metal Workers Local No. 124 and other state construction building trades in Oklahoma City will hold an educational open house Nov.

16 as part of National Apprenticeship Week. The event is designed to provide information about apprenticeship.

The open house will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sheet Metal Workers training center of Western Oklahoma at 3090 Willow Springs Ave.

More than 14,000 sheet metal apprentices are registered at more than 150 union sheet metal training facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Sheet metal apprentices often graduate debt-free with a career and living

wage generally well above that of their college or university counterparts, the groups said.

Additional information is available at www.sheetmetal-iti.org or by calling 703-739-7200.

Crane builder gets financial lift

TULSA — Crane manufacturer Ramsey Industries said Wednesday it has received a “significant capital investment” from Minneapolis-based Norwest Equity Partners. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“On behalf of the entire Ramsey team, we are thrilled to partner with NEP for the next phase of our growth,” Ramsey CEO John Celoni said. “NEP has a long-standing reputation for not only successful investments but continued advancement and implementation of strategic initiatives for its portfolio

companies.”

NEP and Ramsey complement each other well as they share established business roots and longevity of operations, the companies said. Ramsey operates production facilities at its Tulsa corporate headquarters and in Olathe, Kansas.

Consumer stress levels improve

ADA — Consumer financial stress levels have improved faster than other economic conditions, according to the LegalShield Law Index report released Wednesday.

The study found that consumer financial stress improved to 86.5 in October, its lowest point in 12 years. The number was down from 90.8 in September. Ada-based LegalShield pointed out, however, that confidence levels appear to have overshot broader

economic conditions as consumer confidence has gained more than 11 percent in 2017 while both consumer spending and retail sales have been growing at roughly the same pace as last year.

“The LegalShield Law Index shows that consumers are right to be confident right now, as consumer financial stress is at a 12-year low,” said James Rosseau, LegalShield’s chief commercial officer. “As in previous months, however, we believe confidence is a bit overstated, as demonstrated by the inconsistent consumer spending data we’ve seen this year. We’ll be monitoring the holiday shopping season closely, as many economists expect consumer spending to receive a temporary posthurricane boost due to federal recovery efforts.”