Kaiser gives $160,000 in health grants

Four local community organizations have received grants totaling $160,000 from Kaiser Permanente Hawaii.

The funding will address health disparities and active-living and healthy-eating efforts, and healthier environments.

The state Department of Health has received $40,350 for its program that seeks to raise awareness about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of viral hepatitis and liver disease; Hawaii Education Matters has received $50,000 to support a project to raise physical activity among teenagers using technology called Zamzee; Kupu received a $50,000 grant to create healthier home environments; and Kokua Hawaii Foundation received $20,300 for a food safety-certified school garden project to increase access to fresh produce in schools.

Housing group gets $80,000 OHA grant

The nonprofit Nanakuli Housing Corp. has been awarded an $80,000 grant by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to assist Native Hawaiian families with home repair or replacement needs with a focus on rectifying unsafe or inadequate housing conditions.

The grant will make resources available to families needing major or minor home repairs that have been put off because of lack of funds, said Nanakuli Housing Corp. Executive Director Kapiolani Barber.

The group was established in 1989 to serve the Hawaiian community through various programs, including training toward financial literacy and homeownership; instruction in home repair, maintenance and replacement; and a building materials reuse center, among others.

FedEx expects 17M packages on busiest day

NEW YORK » FedEx Corp. said Monday it expects to ship more packages this holiday season than ever before. The volume increase will be driven by cheaper packages it moves through a partnership with the U.S. Postal Service.

The world’s second-largest package delivery company expects to handle 17 million packages on its busiest day, which this year is projected to be Dec. 12. That’s 10 percent more than its busiest day last year.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, FedEx Corp. expects more than 260 million shipments, a 12 percent increase from 2010.

Caterpillar lifts outlook after profit soars

NEW YORK » Strong demand for machinery drove up Caterpillar’s profit 44 percent in the third quarter, and the company expects even stronger sales next year.

The world’s largest maker of construction and mining equipment earned $1.14 billion, or $1.71 a share, in the third quarter, compared with $792 million, or $1.22 a share, a year earlier. Revenue surged 41 percent to $15.72 billion.

Excluding its $7.6 billion acquisition of surface mining equipment maker Bucyrus International Inc., Caterpillar earned $1.93 a share on revenue of $14.58 billion.

Analysts polled by FactSet Research were expecting a profit of $1.63 per share on $14.84 billion in sales.

Insurer Cigna to buy HealthSpring for $3.8B

INDIANAPOLIS » Cigna Corp. will buy fellow health insurer HealthSpring Inc. in a $3.8 billion deal as it becomes the latest managed-care company to snap up a bigger share of the fast-growing Medicare Advantage market.

Cigna, based in Bloomfield, Conn., also said Monday it raised its earnings expectations for 2011 and moved up its third-quarter earnings report to Friday from Nov. 3.

Cigna’s acquisition is the latest in a series of deals made by health insurers to expand their Medicare Advantage businesses, which are growing at a faster rate than commercial insurance as baby boomers become eligible for them. In addition, big insurers like Cigna have reported strong results in recent quarters, and analysts have speculated that companies would start exploring acquisitions.

Oracle to acquire RightNow for $1.5 billion

NEW YORK » Software company Oracle Corp. said Monday that it is buying RightNow Technologies Inc. for about $1.5 billion so it can offer a broader range of software and services that help businesses manage customer service.

Oracle is offering $43 per share for the tech service company from Bozeman, Mont. That is a 19.6 percent premium over RightNow’s closing price of $35.96 on Friday.

RightNow’s board has agreed to the deal, which is subject to shareholder approval. The company says it will stay in Bozeman.

Oracle, based in Redwood Shores, Calif., expects to complete the deal by late this year or in early 2012.

ON THE MOVE

Hawaiian Airlines has appointed Sunshine Topping as director of recruiting. She is responsible for developing the strategy required for Hawaiian’s recruitment of new employees to fulfill specific needs and specialties in conjunction with its future growth plans. Topping has more than 15 years of human resources management experience.

The Joyful Heart Foundation has hired Kata Issari as its first Hawaii regional director. She will strive to fulfill the organization’s mission to heal, educate and empower survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Issari was previously program director at Parents and Children Together’s Family Peace Center for 12 years.

City Mill Co. has appointed Ron De Leon as general merchandising manager. He will oversee all aspects of the merchandising department and be responsible for planning, implementing and directing all merchandising polices and programs within City Mill as well as for all merchandise sold at the eight-store home improvement chain.