Working with Toshiba, Exelon: The Shaw Group is teaming up with Toshiba and Exelon Nuclear Partners to pursue opportunities to build nuclear power plants in Saudi Arabia. Under the deal, which needs approval from Congress, Shaw and Toshiba would design and build nuclear plants, while Exelon would operate the reactors. Shaw is currently studying and recommending operational improvements in the 53 power plants currently operating in Saudi Arabia.
New boss: General Growth Properties, the parent company of the Mall of Louisiana, has transferred management of 18 malls to Jones Lang LaSalle. The Alexandria Mall is one of the properties included in the deal, along with shopping centers in California, Florida and Hawaii.
Tip-off: The NCAA unveiled its plans for the newly expanded 68-team men’s basketball tournament today: Beginning next March, eight teams will play early the opening week in a “First Four” round, with the winners advancing to games on Thursday or Friday. Two of the games will match the tournament’s lowest seeds, Nos. 65 through 68. The other two games will include the last four at-large qualifiers. The format appears to be a compromise. Including the lowest at-large teams will probably prevent mid-majors from being over-represented in the first round, but it could also mean that two teams from bigger conferences—those generally seeded between 11th and 13th—will be out before the tournament really gets going.
