February 2015


www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com He retires after less than three years on the job


BY FREDERICK H. LOWE The


of Directors


Board of


McDonald’s Corp., the world’s largest restaurant announced


chain, that


Don Thompson, the company’s president and chief executive officer, will retire March 1.


T hom p so n, who was named CEO in July 2012, also announced that he also is retiring from McDonald’s board of directors. Oakbrook, IL-based McDonald’s elected Steve


Easterbrook


president and CEO, to replace Thompson. Easterbrook is


McDonald's CEO, Don Thompson


currently serving as the corporation’s chief brand officer.


“It’s tough to say goodbye to


the McFamily, but there is a time and season for everything. I am truly confident as I pass the reins over to Steve, that he will continue to move our business and brand forward,” Thompson said in a statement.


Thompson, 51, is one of the few African-American men to head a Fortune 500 company. The company ranked 106 on the Fortune 500 list, up from 111 in 2013.


He had been the company’s


president and chief operating officer when he was elected in 2012 to succeed Jim Skinner as CEO.


As president and chief operating


officer, Thompson directed global strategy and operations for more than 33,000 McDonald’s restaurants in 119 countries.


Thompson retired less than a week after the company reported a net income of $1.097 billion, down 21 percent compared to $1.397 billion for the same three-month period 2013. Net income for 2014 was $4.75 billion, down 9 percent compared to $5.58 billion in 2013.


Revenues for 2014 also dropped


to $5.72 billion, down 7 percent compared with $7.09 billion during the same three-month period in 2013. Revenues for the full year were $27.4 billion, down 2 percent compared to $26.10 billion in 2013.


share were $1.13, down 19 percent, compared


Fourth quarter to


$1.40


earnings for the


three-month period in 2013 same per Following the announcement of


Thompson’s retirement, the company stock price dropped 79 cents per share to $88.75. In after-hours trading, the stock price was $91.79, up 3.4 percent.


by problems concerning its menu offerings and individuals


their eating habits. Fewer customers are buying hamburger and cheese burgers.


Other problems were well beyond


Thompson’s control. In August, Russia closed


nine McDonald’s restaurants and placed 200 under investigation in retaliation for sanctions the U.S. and Europe imposed on Moscow over its role in the Ukraine crisis.


McDonald’s profits fell 30 percent after


supplier expired


And in the third-quarter, authorities accused a Chinese meat


with intentionally to other fast-food restaurants. selling


McDonald’s and The


supplier, Shanghai Husi, picked up meat, including McNuggets sold to McDonald’s, from the floor and threw them into processing machines until the company passed inspection.


Millions of people, however, still visit McDonald’s restaurants, and in 2014, it commanded the largest share of the fast-food industry market in the United States.


nearly 25 years ago as an electrical engineer.


Thompson joined McDonald’s He


held a variety of


leadership positions at the company before winning the two top jobs.


McDonald’s operates 36,000


locations in more than 100 countries. The company’s restaurants serve more than 69 million customers each day.


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The company had been beset changing


Solar Project FROM PAGE 2


to continue to expand renewable generation in Virginia and diversify the Commonwealth's fuel mix."


Dominion has extensive expertise


in constructing and operating a large, diversified generation portfolio, which includes


344 megawatts of solar


generating capacity in development, under construction or in operation across six states. A key benefit of the Remington Solar Facility is that Dominion can leverage this experience to successfully integrate utility scale solar generation to


serve Virginia's


energy needs. For more


information on


Dominion's solar projects, visit dom. com/solar.


In a separate application filed


with the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Dominion is seeking approval of a Community Solar pilot in Virginia. This pilot program, initiated by policy recommendations


from several Virginia legislators,


will allow customers to voluntarily purchase solar energy output from a Virginia-based 2-megawatt Dominion solar facility.


"I am pleased to have worked with


Dominion Virginia Power to make solar an option for residents who live in condominiums or homes that have excessive tree cover and are impractical for solar installations," said Del. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax.


"This


pilot will make emissions-free energy a reality for hundreds of customers who want that choice, but otherwise could not have it."


Del. David E. Yancey, R-Newport


News said, "Increasing solar power in Virginia is good for the environment and I applaud Dominion Virginia Power for its willingness to take this step in the Commonwealth."


Other


who have voiced bipartisan support for expanding


projects


Virginia lawmakers solar


in


Virginia include Dels. Joseph R. Yost, R-Pearisburg; Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax; and Rob K. Krupicka, Jr., D- Alexandria.


McDonald’s Arches Are No Longer Golden for Black CEO Thompson


Celebrate 100 FROM PAGE 1


emotional impact of her work. Proud of her African American heritage, Catlett produced compassionate, heroic images of ordinary people.


Catlett’s connection to Hampton


University dates back to 1943 when she taught sculpture classes at then Hampton Institute. That connection was strengthened in 1993 when the museum organized a retrospective exhibition of her works on paper. In 1997, Hampton was honored when the artist designated the Museum as the official repository for her works on paper. Elizabeth Catlett died in 2012.


The exhibition, Elizabeth


Catlett: A Celebration of 100 Years is a commemoration of Catlett’s one hundredth birthday. The exhibition is pulled from Catlett’s 125-plus works in the Hampton University Museum’s collection. This exhibition will feature approximately 49 works on paper with 24 prints never shown at Hampton.


The works represented in this


exhibition show the importance of Elizabeth Catlett as a major contemporary international artist


The Hampton Roads Messenger 3


in addition to her ability to show the humanistic side of her subjects: pain, joy, struggles and triumphs. It does not matter if you are looking at Catlett’s print of an African American Sharecropper or her Indian Woman, Catlett’s ability to capture the essence of her subject is demonstrated through her technical brilliancy. In addition, Elizabeth Catlett and the Hampton Art Tradition will be shown highlighting students who were at Hampton in 1943 when husband and wife team Charles White and Elizabeth Catlett came to Hampton. It was at this time White created The Contribution of the Negro to Democracy in America. Works by Charles White, John Biggers, Samella Sanders Lewis, Persis Jennings and Annabelle Baker will be on view.


The Hampton Roads Messenger,


which published its first edition in October 2006 and its 100th edition in January 2015, is a frequent supporter of the Hampton Roads arts community. In 2013, the Messenger sponsored the Flavor of Hampton Roads event, which featured more than 30 visual artist and musicians. The Messenger recently donated


$1,000 to the Hampton


University Museum. The publication will celebrate its 10th Anniversary in 2016.


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