• CSX Corp. announced Monday that Oscar Munoz was appointed executive vice president and COO. Munoz had been CFO of the Jacksonville-based railroad company since 2003, and he succeeds David Brown as COO. CSX said Brown is no longer with the company but gave no details, other than saying the change is not related to the company’s financial condition, business performance or outlook. Fredrik Eliasson, a 16-year CSX executive, was named executive vice president and CFO to succeed Munoz. CSX also announced fourth-quarter earnings rose 6 percent to $457 million, or 43 cents a share. Revenue rose 5 percent to $2.95 billion.
• In the wake of City Council approval of incentives for the deal, The Bruss Co. of Chicago announced Monday it will open a steak-cutting plant in Northwest Jacksonville, creating 200 jobs and investing $11 million to buy and renovate a 47,000-square-foot meat processing facility. The company, a subsidiary of Tyson Foods Inc., said it completed the property purchase last week and will start renovations soon. The plant will age and portion cuts of beef and pork. Operations should start midyear.
• Bob McKenzie, president of McKenzie HR, will talk about “How to get hired in 2012” from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 4 at Nova Southeastern University. It’s free and lunch is included, but you need to RSVP to Cynthia Farmer at [email protected] or call 245-8921. The event is sponsored by the university’s Jacksonville Society for Human Resource Management Student Chapter.
• Single-family home sales in the Jacksonville area rose 6 percent to 1,168 in December from the year before, reports the Florida Realtors, while the median sales price dropped 6 percent to $123,200. The report did not include data from the St. Augustine-St. Johns County Board of Realtors.
• Meanwhile, the Florida Realtors said existing condominium sales in the Jacksonville area rose 9 percent to 2,375 in December from the year before while the median sales price fell 4 percent to $72,800. St. Augustine-St. Johns County information was not available.
• Florida State College Foundation will unveil its “Legacy Society Donor Wall of Recognition” at 6:30 p.m. today at Florida State College at Jacksonville at 501 W. State St. The donor wall pays tribute to the charter members of the Legacy Society, all of whom donated $1,500 to $10,000 or more to the foundation for a three-year commitment. About 150 names of donors or their loved ones are displayed on the wall, which is in the lobby of the administrative offices.
• University Christian School partnered with Apple through an Apple Learning Initiative for students in grades 8-12 to begin carrying an independently owned Apple iPad2 in place of textbooks in fall 2012. University Christian said it is the first school in Northeast Florida and the third school in Florida to implement this iPad program. “For parents, the upfront cost will be mitigated over the years through savings they would have otherwise spent on textbooks,” said Head of School Heath Nivens.
• Mayor Alvin Brown appears on “People and Politics,” the Comcast Cable Channel 99 program hosted by attorney Eric Smith, at 9:30 p.m. the next two Fridays. For more information, email Smith at [email protected].
• Speaking of the mayor, he will help with the official launch today for the United Way RealSense Prosperity Campaign. The program assists eligible taxpayers file for Earned Income Tax Credits. The event is 9:45-11 a.m. at City Hall Downtown.
• Bacardi Limited is celebrating the 150th birthday of the creation of its rum this year with birthday parties, special promotions featuring 100 years of advertising, a $2,000 limited-edition decanter of rare Bacardi rum, travel exclusives and commemorative gifts. Along with the celebration, Bacardi will be featured on the National Geographic Channel’s “Ultimate Factories,” which will include footage from the Jacksonville bottling plant, at 8 p.m. Feb. 11.