Retail and Business

New orders for U.S. manufactured goods posted their largest drop in six months in April after a steep fall in demand for transportation equipment, suggesting some cooling in factory activity, Reuters reported.

Durable goods orders …

General Motors Co. announced that it plans to invest $69 million and add about 2,500 jobs at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to build the next-generation Chevrolet Impala large sedan and other cars, Reuters reported. The …

Some well-known Greater Des Moines community leaders will team up for “The Game Show Gala” to raise money for House of Mercy during Mercy Foundation’s annual gala fund-raising event on June 3. The event, patterned …

The Salvation Army today joined Federal Emergency Management Agency officials in discouraging direct donations of food, clothing and other items to the victims of Sunday’s tornado in Joplin, Mo. Financial donations of cash are the …

Job cuts announced so far this year are down 24 percent from a year ago, according to statistics released today by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.

Through the first four months of 2011, employers announced …

The American Business Women’s Association Greater Des Moines Noon chapter will hold a meeting on June 2. Sara Krouch will speak on “How to Make Networking Work for You.”

The meeting will start at 11:30 …

Fewer than half of small business owners plan to take a vacation this summer, according to the American Express OPEN Small Business Vacation Monitor.

Only 46 percent surveyed plan to take a vacation, down from …

Iowa Realty agent Randy Knudtson will be the president of the 2011-2012 Des Moines Leadership Network board of directors, the network announced yesterday.

Jill Boyle, assistant branch manager at Freedom Financial Bank, will be the …

The Greater Des Moines Music Coalition continues its Music University series with Developing a Band Agreement, a seminar devoted to the important documents most bands don’t have. The free session will be at 6 p.m. …

When it comes to small business success, California is the not-so-golden state — at least that’s what a recent report from Dun & Bradstreet Corp. suggests, CNNMoney.com reported.

California’s small business failure rate was 69 …