Duro Bag wins military contract

Ludlow-based Duro Bag Manufacturing Co. has won a $5.9 million contract to supply paper grocery bags to military commissary stores across the United States. A spokesman for privately held Duro said a final agreement hasn't been worked out with the Pentagon.

The contract is a renewal of an old agreement with S&G Packaging, a bag maker Duro acquired this year from Gaylord Container Corp. S&G briefly lost the commissary contract but was successful when the contract was rebid.

U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., said the paper bags would be produced at several of Duro's 10 plants, but mainly at its Florence operation.

Chemical plant plans expansion

Manufacturing at a Bond Hill chemical plant will expand as a result of an acquisition announced Monday.

Cleveland-based Noveon Inc., which acquired the Hilton Davis pigments plant in 2001, said it will expand production at the Langdon Farm Road facility, including building renovations and adding specialized milling and grinding equipment.

A spokesman said the expansion, to be completed early next year, could eventually mean 20 additional jobs at the plant, which now employs 170. Noveon is acquiring technology from CDI Dispersions, a leading supplier of color dispersions in Newark, N.J. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

The Noveon Hilton Davis plant produces colors and dispersions used in food and beverage, coatings, personal care, home care, pharmaceuticals and industrial applications.

Dominion Retail extends offer

Dominion Retail Inc. is extending its electric power offer in Southwest Ohio through the end of the year. The unit of Dominion Resources Inc. is offering a one-year contract for power at 4.7 cents a kilowatt hour, about 10 percent less than Cincinnati Gas & Electric's rate.

The company's original offer expired Nov. 29, but the company said it was extending the offer through Dec. 31. "As long as wholesale power prices remain stable, we'll continue to sign people up,'' spokesman Dan Donovan said.

The company has more than 8,000 customers in Southwest Ohio as a result of acquiring power supply contracts from New Power Inc.