Ring my bell: Home Bancorp, Inc. the parent company for Home Bank, celebrated its 10th anniversary as a public company Wednesday by ringing the Nasdaq closing bell. Since going public in October 2008, Home Bancorp’s market capitalization has increased from $89 million to $409 million. Despite challenging economic conditions, the company has posted record earnings for the past four years and company-best quarterly earnings in the first and second quarters of 2018, Home Bancorp announced today. The Lafayette-based company was also among Business Report’s 2018 Best Places to Work.
Reindeer games: Santa’s sleigh cannot fly without its pilot. With the peak holiday shipping season fast-approaching, FedEx Corp is paying retirement-age pilots bonuses of $40,000, and potentially as much as $110,000, to keep them flying into next year, Reuters reports. The bonuses, outlined in the latest pilot contract and previously unreported, reveal that a wave of pilot retirements, global pilot shortages and rising cargo demand fueled by the growth of global e-commerce are straining the world’s largest air delivery company. Read the full story.
Total recall: An Arizona company has recalled more than 6.5 million pounds of beef that could be contaminated with salmonella. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the recall today. An investigation traced products including ground beef and beef patties to JBS Tolleson, Inc. Federal officials say the raw beef was packaged between July 26 and Sept. 7 and shipped to retailers nationwide, including Walmart. Officials say an epidemiological investigation has identified 57 people from 16 states who have become ill and are asking people to check for products with “EST.267” inside the USDA mark of inspection. Read the full story.
