Top chief: Piccadilly Restaurants has named Tom J. Sandeman chief executive officer, effective today. Sandeman has served as chief financial officer for the Baton Rouge-based restaurant chain since October 2005 and has over 25 years experience in the family dining industry: specifically, with chains including Ponderosa Steakhouses, Sizzler Family Steakhouses, Cucos and Wall Street Deli. David Green, former Piccadilly CEO, will remain in the chairman role.
Join together: The six partners of Baton Rouge-based radiology imaging firm RadSouth Imaging have accepted an invitation to join Radiology Associates as members. The affiliation will benefit patients through shared expertise, staffing and procedural resources, RadSouth says. Both are long-term, hospital-based groups. Radiology Associates is a 14-member group serving the Baton Rouge metro area at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Lake Imaging Center and Mark Bird Perkins Cancer Center. RadSouth serves the area at Woman’s Hospital.
Inked: The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes rose in January to the highest level in nearly two years, supporting the view that the housing market is gradually reviving. The National Association of Realtors has reported today its index of sales agreements rose 2% last month to a reading of 97. That’s the highest reading since April 2010, the last month that buyers could qualify for a federal home-buying tax credit and the last time the reading was above 100. A reading of 100 is considered healthy. The Realtors group also released revised data for 2011, lowering November’s initial 19-month high of 100.1 to 96.9.
