Moving up: The Baton Rouge Area Chamber has named Emilia “Emi” Gilbert as its senior vice president of investor development. Gilbert will oversee the organization’s fundraising efforts, cultivate relationships in support of BRAC’s five-year strategic plan, Think Bigger, according to a news release. Prior to joining BRAC, she served as the senior director of development for the LSU College of Science as an employee of the LSU Foundation. Gilbert was named a Business Report Forty Under 40 honoree in 2015.
Grounded: Smart suitcases may be able to charge mobile phones or be easily found if misplaced, but unless their battery can be removed they risk being sent packing by the world’s airlines, Reuters reports. Global airlines body IATA says it could soon issue industry-wide standards on the new luggage after some U.S. airlines placed restrictions on smart bags. The bags contain GPS tracking and can charge devices, weigh themselves or be locked remotely using mobile phones. They are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which the aviation industry regards as a fire risk, especially in the cargo hold. Read more.
Almost confirmed: The Senate Banking Committee has approved President Donald Trump’s selection of Jerome Powell as the next Federal Reserve chairman. Powell won the support of everyone on the committee except Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts. She cast the lone no vote, saying she could not support Powell because of her concerns that he would join in efforts by the Trump administration to unravel the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act passed to strengthen regulation of the nation’s banking sector. The nomination now goes to the full Senate, where it is expected to win easy approval. Read more.
