Rueschhoff building Sixth Street location

Lawrence-based Rueschhoff Locksmiths and Security Systems is building a new retail center along West Sixth Street, owner Dave Rueschhoff said Friday.

The 8,400-square-foot building is currently being constructed on the southeast corner of Sixth Street and Comet Lane, just east of the Stone Canyon restaurant.

Rueschhoff, pictured above at the construction site, already has closed his locksmith store at 2300 W. 23rd Street and will close his retail location at 2441 W. Sixth Street by May when the new building is complete. The new building also will have space for three other retailers.

Rueschhoff also announced on Friday that his firm is no longer a dealer with ADT Security Services. He said ADT dropped Rueschhoff along with several hundred other smaller security companies in August as part of a downsizing plan.

He said the move had nothing to do with a national story this week about ADT dropping dealers because they were found to have criminal histories. One Overland Park firm, Crime & Fire Prevention Consultants Inc., was dropped for that reason, ADT said.

Manufacturing: Heinz sale clears hurdle

H.J. Heinz Co. announced Friday that a plan to spin off brands such as StarKist Tuna and 9-Lives cat food to Del Monte Foods will be tax-free to the companies and their shareholders.

The Internal Revenue Service’s decision capped a regulatory review that was the final hurdle for the companies to complete the estimated $2.5 billion deal, which includes transferring $1.1 billion in debt to Del Monte.

On Thursday, San Francisco-based Del Monte reaffirmed its 4-month-old commitment to Heinz following news that an unidentified suitor offered $575 million to take over Del Monte.

Heinz operates a dog food plant in northern Lawrence that would be sold to Del Monte under the announced deal.

Lawrence: Farewell celebration set for chamber president

A going away party for Bill Sepic, Lawrence Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Lawrence Visitor Information Center, 402 N. Second St. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Sepic is leaving Lawrence at the end of November to accept a position as president and CEO of the area chamber of commerce in Lansing, Mich. Former Lawrence bank executive Jean Milstead has been named interim president and CEO of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, while a search committee seeks a permanent replacement.

A St. Louis woman has seen her hobby of collecting vintage clothing from the 1960s, 70s and 80s grow into a national business that has caught the eye of Hollywood stars.