By , (Reuters) - As the coronavirus crisis gripped the U.S. economy and Congress approved hundreds of billions of dollars in emergency small business loans, Utah builder Clark Ivory knew what to tell his local colleagues.Take the money. Keep your employees. Be ready to invest when the pandemic passes.To those who said they had enough cash to wait out the crisis, “I said you are nuts,” Ivory, the chief executive officer of Ivory Homes, recounted in a recent webinar at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.“Use this money now, and the reason? You don’t have to deplete...…By , (Reuters) - As the coronavirus crisis gripped the U.S. economy and Congress approved hundreds of billions of dollars in emergency small business loans, Utah builder Clark Ivory knew what to tell his local colleagues.Take the money. Keep your employees. Be ready to invest when the pandemic passes.To those who said they had enough cash to wait out the crisis, “I said you are nuts,” Ivory, the chief executive officer of Ivory Homes, recounted in a recent webinar at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.“Use this money now, and the reason? You don’t have to deplete...WW…

By , NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. employers have cooled to the idea of testing workers for possible immunity to the coronavirus as they prepare to reopen factories and other workplaces.Blood tests that check for antibodies to the new coronavirus have been touted by governments and some disease experts as a way to identify people who are less likely to fall ill or infect others. Italian automaker Ferrari NV has made antibody testing central to its “Back on Track” project to restarting factories.But many U.S. companies are not planning to use them, relying on face masks, temperature checks,...…By , NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. employers have cooled to the idea of testing workers for possible immunity to the coronavirus as they prepare to reopen factories and other workplaces.Blood tests that check for antibodies to the new coronavirus have been touted by governments and some disease experts as a way to identify people who are less likely to fall ill or infect others. Italian automaker Ferrari NV has made antibody testing central to its “Back on Track” project to restarting factories.But many U.S. companies are not planning to use them, relying on face masks, temperature checks,...WW…

By (Reuters) - Matt Arnold just spent $5,000 to run help-wanted ads for his company’s five trailer factories scattered from Pennsylvania to Utah.“We hired two from the ads,” said Arnold, just a fraction of the 125 he needs to get back to full strength of 673 workers. Half the welding jobs at his Texas plant are open, for instance, creating a bottleneck in an operation that builds trailers on metal frames.U.S. manufacturers have long grumbled about labor shortages, but the past year has proven particularly frustrating.As the pandemic pushed millions out of work, most from service industries...…By (Reuters) - Matt Arnold just spent $5,000 to run help-wanted ads for his company’s five trailer factories scattered from Pennsylvania to Utah.“We hired two from the ads,” said Arnold, just a fraction of the 125 he needs to get back to full strength of 673 workers. Half the welding jobs at his Texas plant are open, for instance, creating a bottleneck in an operation that builds trailers on metal frames.U.S. manufacturers have long grumbled about labor shortages, but the past year has proven particularly frustrating.As the pandemic pushed millions out of work, most from service industries...WW…

By , LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A year of pandemic-driven shortages of vital safety goods and medicines - not to mention consumer items like bikes and electronics - has not made Americans more willing to pay extra for U.S.-made goods.Yet a large majority think the government should do so.A new Reuters-Ipsos poll found 63% of Americans want U.S. agencies to buy American-made products in general, even if they cost significantly more, and 62% think the government should strictly buy U.S.-made vaccines. That enthusiasm dims a bit when it comes to other types of safety equipment, such as...…By , LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A year of pandemic-driven shortages of vital safety goods and medicines - not to mention consumer items like bikes and electronics - has not made Americans more willing to pay extra for U.S.-made goods.Yet a large majority think the government should do so.A new Reuters-Ipsos poll found 63% of Americans want U.S. agencies to buy American-made products in general, even if they cost significantly more, and 62% think the government should strictly buy U.S.-made vaccines. That enthusiasm dims a bit when it comes to other types of safety equipment, such as...WW…

By , , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden vowed on Monday to leverage the purchasing power of the U.S. government, the world’s biggest single buyer of goods and services, to strengthen domestic manufacturing and create markets for new technologies.The Democratic president signed an executive order aimed at closing loopholes in existing “Buy American” provisions, which apply to about a third of the $600 billion in goods and services the federal government buys each year. The order will make any waivers more transparent and create a senior White House role to oversee the process.“I...…By , , WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden vowed on Monday to leverage the purchasing power of the U.S. government, the world’s biggest single buyer of goods and services, to strengthen domestic manufacturing and create markets for new technologies.The Democratic president signed an executive order aimed at closing loopholes in existing “Buy American” provisions, which apply to about a third of the $600 billion in goods and services the federal government buys each year. The order will make any waivers more transparent and create a senior White House role to oversee the process.“I...WW…

By , ABILENE, Kan. (Reuters) - Mark Martin’s family restaurant weathered two world wars, the Dust Bowl, and the Great Depression, serving up heaping plates of hand-battered fried chicken, mashed potatoes and creamed corn to a devoted clientele. But it could not survive the pandemic.The restaurant, nestled by the highway in Abilene, Kansas, closed permanently on Sept. 25, after struggling to break even amid shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.“We’re kind of in shock that this will be the end of it for us,” said Martin, the fourth generation to run the Brookville Hotel, a name that...…By , ABILENE, Kan. (Reuters) - Mark Martin’s family restaurant weathered two world wars, the Dust Bowl, and the Great Depression, serving up heaping plates of hand-battered fried chicken, mashed potatoes and creamed corn to a devoted clientele. But it could not survive the pandemic.The restaurant, nestled by the highway in Abilene, Kansas, closed permanently on Sept. 25, after struggling to break even amid shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.“We’re kind of in shock that this will be the end of it for us,” said Martin, the fourth generation to run the Brookville Hotel, a name that...WW…

By (Reuters) - Add fear to the list of reasons people ride bikes.“I’m 51 and healthy, but I don’t want to get on the subway,” said John Donohue, a Brooklyn-based artist who bought a bike two weeks ago. Donohue, who doesn’t own a car, says he’s not sure when he’ll be comfortable on mass transit again.The coronavirus pandemic has sparked a surge in bike sales across the United States, according to a major manufacturer and a half dozen retailers interviewed by Reuters.Many of the purchases are by people looking for a way to get outside at a time of sweeping shutdowns and stay-at-home orders...…By (Reuters) - Add fear to the list of reasons people ride bikes.“I’m 51 and healthy, but I don’t want to get on the subway,” said John Donohue, a Brooklyn-based artist who bought a bike two weeks ago. Donohue, who doesn’t own a car, says he’s not sure when he’ll be comfortable on mass transit again.The coronavirus pandemic has sparked a surge in bike sales across the United States, according to a major manufacturer and a half dozen retailers interviewed by Reuters.Many of the purchases are by people looking for a way to get outside at a time of sweeping shutdowns and stay-at-home orders...WW…