State Auto Financial Corp. has declared a quarterly dividend of 15 cents per share, payable Dec. 31 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 15.

DHL U.S. Express announced today that it will cut 9,500 jobs and discontinue air and ground operations within the United States. DHL’s parent company, Deutsche Post World Net, said its American unit will continue to operate between the United States and other nations, CNNMoney.com reported. The company said it was dropping “domestic-only” air and ground services within the United States by Jan. 30. So far this year, DHL has announced 14,900 job cuts. Between 3,000 and 4,000 employees will remain at DHL’s U.S. operations after the cuts are completed, the company said.

The Waukee Chamber of Commerce will launch a new educational series, Quick Market Intelligence, on Wednesday with a panel of local business experts. Registration is at 7:15 a.m., followed by a panel discussion from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. The event will be at Waukee City Hall. Cost is $10 and the series is open to the public.

Mercy Clinics Inc. will receive the American Medical Association’s 2008 Acclaim Award during an award ceremony from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. today at Mercy Medical Center’s East Tower auditorium. The award results from a pilot program in which Mercy Clinics created a “medical home” to improve quality and access to care for people with chronic diseases.

Jack Bamberger, who led Meredith Corp.’s strategy to offer advertisers a broad array of advertising platforms, is no longer with the company, a Meredith spokesman confirmed today. According to an article last week on the Media Week Web site, Bamberger was replaced by Jeannine Shao Collins at Meredith 360. Spokesman Art Slusark said the company released about a dozen people last week, primarily at its New York offices. Slusark said fewer than five people were laid off in Des Moines. Bamberger was released as part of a combining of operations, Slusark said.