SpringHill Suites in Midland earns honors from management company

Lodgco Management has named SpringHill Suites by Marriott, 800 Joe Mann, a Platinum Hotel for 2011. This award is given to the top 5 percent of SpringHill Suites in the brand, and is based upon overall guest satisfaction. Currently there are 288 SpringHill Suites in the chain. Also, Jody Cooley, the Midland hotel's general manager, was named Diamond General Manager for 2011. Only three Diamond General Managers are selected each year by the SpringHill Suites brand team.

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Dow to Share Laboratory Safety Expertise with University of Minnesota

The Dow Chemical Company and University of Minnesota are expanding their strategic partnership by launching a pilot program to improve safety awareness and practices in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science in the university's College of Science and Engineering. The pilot program will leverage key elements of Dow's best-in-class practices to help improve university laboratory safety. The safety partnership reinforces Dow's commitment to advancing research and development at leading U.S. universities. In support of the company's goal to support breakthrough technologies and ensure a strong pipeline of scientific talent for the nation's workforce, Dow announced in October 2011 it would invest $25 million per year for 10 years among 11 academic institutions, including the University of Minnesota.

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Family means everything at Pizza Sam's in Midland

Nick Stamas still makes his way into Pizza Sam’s, sitting at West Main and Ashman in downtown Midland. And when the restaurant gets busy, says his son-in-law, Gus Wojda, “he’ll slip into the kitchen and make his homemade Coney sauce when we don’t have time to see what he puts in it.” But Wojda and Stamas’ niece, Dawn Rugenstein, aren’t going to complain. Whatever he does with the popular hot dog topping and his homemade soups are part of what has kept the community mainstay in business for more than 50 years. “The rice pudding comes from a family recipe, too, and I tell people if I give them the recipe, I will have to kill them,” Rugenstein quipped. “It’s one of our secrets.” It’s no secret what most people come around to eat — a hand-tossed pizza featuring dough and sauce made fresh each day and toppings chopped on the premises. Young customers can watch through a glass partition as crew members toss and twirl the discs high in the air.

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Midland Center for the Arts hosts Chinese Cultural Festival on Saturday

Residents here can get a taste of Chinese culture during a free event Saturday at the Midland Center for the Arts. The Chinese Cultural Ongoing Program, a mid-Michigan-based nonprofit organization, is organizing the Chinese Cultural Festival. The event opens at 1:30 p.m. with a China-centric exhibit featuring ancient costumes and calligraphy. A 3 p.m. performance will include a Chinese classical orchestra and dance. The exhibit closes at 6 p.m. “People can get exposure to the Chinese culture,” said James Mentele, a spokesman for the Chinese Cultural Ongoing Program. “They can, in the demonstrations, see how certain things are done. There’s going to be a lot of colorful costumes.”

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Dow Chemical's 1Q profit drops 34 percent

The Dow Chemical Co. said Thursday that its first-quarter earnings fell 34 percent after it took a pre-tax charge of $357 million to close some plants. The largest U.S. chemical maker reported income of $412 million, or 35 cents per share, from January to March. That compared with $625 million, or 54 cents per share, for the same quarter in 2011. Net income in both quarters included $85 million in preferred stock dividends. Excluding restructuring costs related to the plant closures and other special items, Dow said it earned 61 cents per share. Revenue was flat at $14.7 billion.

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Jon McLaughlin concert, Great Lakes Loons Pennant Race puts Saturday spotlight on downtown Midland

The Loons Pennant Race, a free concert and the Great Lakes Loons baseball game will keep people moving and traffic stopped Saturday in downtown Midland. The 11 a.m. Loons Pennant Race begins at Dow Diamond with a 5-kilometer run, a 5-kilometer walk and a 1-mile run. Runners will also receive a ticket to Saturday's Great Lakes Loons-Kane County Cougars game. Main Street in Midland will be closed from State Street to Fitzhugh until the last runner is done. At 1 p.m., recording artist Jon McLaughlin will give a free concert as Midland's Music on the Main. McLaughlin's music has been featured on television shows Scrubs, Ghost Whisperer and A Little Thing Called Life and movies Bridget to Terabithia, Georgia Rule and Enchanted.

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Dow Chemical Co. to report first-quarter results

The Dow Chemical Co. could offer some insight into how the global economy is faring when it reports first-quarter results Thursday before the market opens. WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Dow Chemical's products are used in nearly every sector of the economy so the manufacturing giant is in a good position to feel the impact of shifts in economic growth. The Midland, Mich., company has benefited from growth in emerging economies in the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America, but its performance has been hurt by the slower economy across Europe, which is embroiled in a massive government debt crisis that is pushing the region back into a recession. During the fourth quarter, weak sales in Europe and the U.S. contributed to a $20 million loss for Dow Chemical.

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