Business Briefs

Colorado firm recalls 41,000 pounds of beef

GREELEY, Colo. — JBS Swift Beef Co. of Greeley has recalled about 41,000 pounds of its beef products because of possible E. coli contamination.

The recall is voluntary and no illnesses have been reported, JBS Swift spokesman Chandler Keys said Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the products were produced on April 21-22 and were shipped to distributors and retailers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.

All the recalled beef is in boxes bearing "EST. 969" and packaging date codes of 042109 or 042209. They have case codes of 21852, 21853, 31852, 31853, 33852, 33853, 41853, 41853, 79852, 79853 or 90853.

Consumers with questions about the recall should call JBS Swift's consumer hot line at (800) 555-7675.

Lennar home orders increase 63 percent

MIAMI — Shares of Lennar Corp. rose Thursday after the homebuilder said orders for new homes jumped 63 percent from the first fiscal quarter and revenues topped expectations.

That news eclipsed the company's slightly larger loss over the year-ago results. Lennar lost $125.2 million, or 76 cents a share, for the three months ended May 31. That compares with a loss of $120.9 million, or 76 cents a share in the second quarter last year.

The Miami-based builder sold 3,149 homes during the quarter, down 18 percent from the prior-year period, but up 47 percent from the first quarter.

Since the end of the first quarter, other builders have reported a pickup in traffic as well.

Kimberly-Clark plans to cut 1,600 jobs

CHICAGO — Household-products maker Kimberly-Clark Corp. said Thursday it plans to cut 1,600 jobs, or 3 percent of its global work force, as it slims down in the tough economy.

The maker of Kleenex tissues, Huggies diapers and scores of other household items employs 53,000 people around the world. It plans to make the cuts primarily among salaried and non-production workers, and executives said the company doesn't plan to close any plants.

Profits at Kimberly-Clark have fallen for the past 18 months, as shoppers cut back on spending because of the recession, high unemployment and the housing downturn. Meanwhile revenue, which had been steadily rising, began to fall late last year.

House panel backs S.C. port projects

Possible funding for channel maintenance and deepening studies of the ports of Charleston and Georgetown cleared a key congressional subcommittee this week.

The U.S. House Energy and Water Appropriations subcommittee approved more than $12 million for port work. The measure still needs full U.S. House and Senate approval as part of the Energy and Water spending plan for the next fiscal year, which begins Nov. 1.

While most of the money is for maintenance, about $100,000 will go toward a reconnaissance study for deepening the port of Charleston so it can handle larger ships. It's 47 feet deep at mean low water in the entrance channel and 45 feet deep inside the harbor.