Former Navy base now has more than 1,200 employees
The agency that’s redeveloping the former Brunswick Naval Air Station in Maine says it has surpassed its five-year goal with more than double the number of projected jobs.
Steve Levesque of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority says more than 100 entities doing business at Brunswick Landing currently have more than 1,200 employees.
That’s an increase of 400 jobs from a year earlier.
Levesque said nearly 20 new businesses were added in 2016, including e-commerce giant Wayfair, which plans to hire 500 workers for a business-to-business facility in the former Navy Exchange. The former base also will soon be home to a brewery, Flight Line Brewing. AP
Trump’s nominee for Army secretary withdraws his name
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Army secretary, businessman Vincent Viola, has withdrawn his name from consideration for the post.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was disappointed but understood and respected Viola’s decision, a Pentagon statement said. Mattis will recommend to Trump another candidate soon, the statement said.
A Trump administration official confirmed Feb. 3 that Viola had withdrawn. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.
The Military Times reported that Viola said in a statement he was “deeply honored” to be nominated but cited his inability to successfully navigate the confirmation process and Defense Department rules concerning family businesses.
Viola was the founder of several businesses, including the electronic trading firm Virtu Financial. He also owns the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers and is a past chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
A 1977 West Point graduate, Viola trained as an Airborne Ranger infantry officer and served in the 101st Airborne Division. In 2003, he founded and helped fund the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. AP