Business briefs
Highmark Health names execs
Cindy Donohoe has been named to the newly created position of executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Highmark Health, overseeing marketing for the entire organization including Highmark Health Plan and Allegheny Health Network. Ms. Donohoe, who joined the Highmark Health Plan in 2015, previously held executive positions with Illinois-based Physicians Immediate Care urgent care, Walgreens and United-Health Group.
Duolingo launches new course
The East Liberty-based startup Duolingo launched its first Japanese course Thursday, stating it was the most highly requested course in its 5-year history. Japanese is one of the most difficult languages for native English speakers to learn, according to a release.
Wabtec to develop safety system
Wabtec Corp. signed a $40 million contract to design and install positive train control for the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which operates more than 70 miles of commuter rail tracks in the Miami area. Wabtec has agreed to provide the crash prevention system — which in part takes control of a train if the human operator loses control — for 42 locomotives and cab cars by the end of 2018. “The scope of our work on this project demonstrates the wide-ranging roles that Wabtec can play in the implementation of PTC for our customers,” said Raymond Betler, Wabtec president and chief executive officer, in a written statement.
McDonald’s changes soft serve
McDonald’s says it removed artificial flavor from its vanilla soft-serve dessert. The chain says it started
switching to natural vanilla flavor last fall, and the rollout is nearly complete at its more than 14,000 U.S. locations. The soft-serve already had no artificial colors or preservatives. McDonald’s says a regular size soft-serve cone is 200 calories. The company has made tweaks before that have increased the calorie count, but did not detail them. The cone was listed at 170 calories as recently as 2015. The chain also noted that it switched from high-fructose corn syrup to sugar for its chocolate and strawberry syrups. Food companies have made many changes to their ingredients to address customer demands.
Chevrolet to leave India
General Motors Co. is pulling its Chevrolet brand out of India, South Africa and East Africa by the end of this year. The company will retain its assembly plant in India but will only make vehicles for export. It is selling a plant in South Africa to Isuzu Motors. GM says the changes will save the company $100 million per year. It will take a charge of $500 million in the second quarter to complete the actions. GM CEO Mary Barra said the company wants to focus on markets that will help its profitability and competitiveness. It also needs to spend more on future mobility projects.