Average retail gasoline prices in Savannah have risen 12.8 cents a gallon in the past week to $1.85 a gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 262 gas outlets in Savannah.

The national average increased 11.9 cents a gallon in the last week to $1.93, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Prices Sunday in the Savannah area were 46.2 cents a gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 16.8 cents a gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 23.9 cents a gallon during the last month and stands 50.2 cents a gallon lower than this day one year ago.

According to GasBuddy historical data, gasoline prices on March 14 in Savannah have ranged widely over the last five years:

• $2.31 a gallon in 2015,

• $3.34 a gallon in 2014,

• $3.63 a gallon in 2013,

• $3.73 a gallon in 2012 and

• $3.48 a gallon in 2011.

Gas prices in the region on Sunday:

• Jacksonville — $1.87 a gallon, up 8.5 cents from last week’s $1.78.

• Augusta — $1.78 a gallon, up 11.9 cents from last week’s $1.66.

• South Carolina — $1.68 a gallon, up 14.1 cents from last week’s $1.54.

“The cheapest gas prices of the year are now solidly behind us as the national average will soon again hit $2,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy. “The current upward trend is an unfortunate one that we witness every year, but the sudden jolt this time around has been enhanced by a 45 percent jump in the price of crude oil in the last month.

The increase comes despite record oil inventories because of the potential oil supply could be slashed from OPEC and non-OPEC countries, DeHaan said.

“And while oil inventories sound staggering at over 500 million barrels, that number represents 26 days of U.S. oil consumption, a rise of three days versus inventories a year ago,” DeHaan said. “At the end of the day, we expect this rally in gasoline prices to run for another month or two before stalling out. Perhaps the best news? Motorists still could see the cheapest average summer gasoline prices in over a decade.”

For live fuel price averages, visit http://media.gasbuddy.com.

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Monday released its air travel consumer report indicating the on-time arrival rates for commercial carriers improved to 81.3 percent in January, up from 76.8 percent in January 2015 and 77.8 percent in December of 2015.

There were more canceled flights, however — 2.6 percent in January, compared to 2.5 in the previous January and only 1.7 percent in December.

There were no extended tarmac delays of more than three hours for domestic flights.

Savannah passenger numbers up

Passenger statistics were up at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, both for February and year-to-date.

A total of 68,790 passengers arrived at the airport in February, up 14.4 percent from the previous February. Arrivals for the year-to-date were 131,303, up 9 percent over 2015.

The number of departing passengers was 67,088 in February, up 12.3 percent from the same month in the previous year. Departures for the year-to-date were 128,122, up 6.4 percent from the first two months of 2015.

“The magnitude of this increase clearly demonstrates that our momentum has carried over into 2016,” said Greg Kelly, airport executive director. “It’s especially good to get these numbers in what has traditionally been our slower months.

“This is a direct reflection on the great work that our air service staff and air service partners are doing,” he said.

“We’re in a growth mode and will not rest on our past successes. We’ll keep our foot on the gas.

There is more to accomplish.”

Delayed flights

At the end of January, nationally, DOT’s transportation statistics bureau reported seven flights that were chronically delayed — meaning they were more than 30 minutes late more than 50 percent of the time — for two consecutive months.

JetBlue held the top three spots with a flight between Westchester County Airport in New York to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport and two flights between LaGuardia Airport and Palm Beach International.

In January, the carriers filing on-time performance data reported that 18.71 percent of their flights were delayed – 4.87 by aviation system delays, 5.43 percent by late-arriving aircraft, 5.06 percent by factors within the airline’s control, such as maintenance or crew problems.

While extreme weather was cited in only a half-percent of delays, the bureau noted that weather was often an underlying factor in other causes, such as aviation systems delays and late-arriving aircraft.

In other issues:

• U.S. carriers posted a mishandled baggage rate of 3.32 reports per 1,000 passengers in January, down from both January 2015’s rate of 4.01 and December 2015’s rate of 4.04.

• Carriers reported one incident involving the death, injury, or loss of an animal, down from both the three reports filed in January 2015 and the four reports filed in December 2015.

• Consumers’ 1,697 complaints about airline service in January were up nearly 15 percent from the previous January and 8.4 percent from December.

BY THE NUMBERS

Airline on-time arrivals for January 2016.

1. Hawaiian — 91.7 percent

2. Alaska — 87 percent

3. Delta — 85.2 percent

4. Frontier — 85.1 percent

5. Southwest — 83.8 percent

6. United — 82.5 percent

7. ExpressJet — 81.2 percent

8. American — 79.9 percent

9. SkyWest — 77.6 percent

10. Virgin America — 74.5 percent

11. JetBlue — 69.4 percent

12. Spirit — 68.1 percent

Metro Savannah gas prices up 12.8 cents

Average retail gasoline prices in Savannah have risen 12.8 cents a gallon in the past week to $1.85 a gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 262 gas outlets in Savannah.

The national average increased 11.9 cents a gallon in the last week to $1.93, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Prices Sunday in the Savannah area were 46.2 cents a gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 16.8 cents a gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 23.9 cents a gallon during the last month and stands 50.2 cents a gallon lower than this day one year ago.

“The cheapest gas prices of the year are now solidly behind us as the national average will soon again hit $2,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy. “The current upward trend is an unfortunate one that we witness every year, but the sudden jolt this time around has been enhanced by a 45 percent jump in the price of crude oil in the last month.”

Savannah-area nonprofits sought for philanthropic program

Robyn Shirley, an independent trunk keeper with Matilda Jane Clothing, is looking for qualified nonprofit organizations to enroll in the company’s spring 2016 Janes Give Back Program.

The effort directs a portion of sales — with a maximum donation level of 20 percent — to qualifying charities during shows scheduled during the week of April 18-30.

“The program is a direct result of our independent trunk keepers asking for the company to support them in their efforts to help charitable organizations,” said Robyn Shirley, Savannah area team leader and trunk keeper.

For more information, call Robyn Shirley at 843-384-3842 or email robyns@matildajaneclothing.com.

Caring Bunny to
greet children with different abilities

Children with different abilities are invited to Savannah Mall, 14045 Abercorn St., on Saturday to meet the Caring Bunny in an atmosphere free from bright, flashing lights or high-energy music.

The event will take place in the lower level of the mall’s center court from 8:30-10 a.m.

“We wanted to offer a chance for children with different abilities to meet with an Easter icon,” said Phil McConnell, Savannah Mall’s general manager. “Savannah Mall’s Caring Bunny greets children in a calm environment, in an effort to make the Easter Bunny experience enjoyable for everyone.”

During their visit, families will be given a 5-by-7 photograph and a free ride on the children’s train. For more information, go to www.savannahmall.com.

Contact Gale Baldwin, Managing Editor/Business Editor at 912-652-0300 or gale.baldwin@savannahnow.com.

On Monday morning, I checked out the website Kayak to see how many hotels have rooms available for St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah.

I began with a pretty aggressive search, with arrival on March 16 and departure on March 20.

The following downtown hotels had rooms available for those dates: Best Western Plus, Andaz, DoubleTree, Quality Inn, Andaz, Hilton Garden Inn, Hotel Indigo, Cotton Sail, The Bohemian, Hyatt Regency, River Street Inn, Holiday Inn Express, East Bay Inn, Hampton Inn, The Westin, The Brice, Homewood Suites, Marriott, Planters Inn, The Marshall House, SpringHill Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, Embassy Suites, Courtyard by Marrriott, DeSoto Hilton and the Mansion on Forsyth Park.

Several bed and breakfasts also had rooms available for that hypothetical four-night stay during what many consider the busiest holiday in Savannah.

Of course, it’s possible that most of those hotels will eventually fill up for those nights, and they might be full as you read this.

But it’s not supposed to be like this, is it? Doesn’t everyone want to come to Savannah for St. Patrick’s Day? Won’t there be a million — literally, a million — people in town?

Don’t get me wrong, St. Patrick’s Day is a wonderful holiday in Savannah.

Like thousands of others, I’ll hit a couple of traditional parties before the day itself and will be in my usual spot for the parade. The weeks leading up to the holiday are filled with authentic celebrations of Savannah’s Irish Catholic heritage and Lowcountry culture more broadly.

Part of that celebration involves drinking, for sure, but we’ve taken conscious steps over many years to try to cash in on the downtown party. Those policy decisions have been problematic on many levels and have alienated many local residents.

Again this year, wristbands are being mandated for two days after the parade. I.e., after the traditional celebrations are completely finished.

I hardly know anyone who will buy a wristband to drink outside in the “control zone.” One downtown bar and restaurant has even been running ads touting that it’s just outside the wristband zone.

Sure, some of the bars will make bank this weekend, but many businesses will have lousy weekends, and thousands of local residents will enjoy the parade but then avoid downtown like the plague.

We can’t change the nature of our St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in one fell swoop, but we could make commonsense policy decisions that would emphasize the authentic and de-emphasize the inauthentic aspects of the holiday.

And there would still be plenty of green to go around.

City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.

NEW YORK — The Fresh Market, a grocery store chain, has agreed to be acquired by private equity firm Apollo for more than $1.3 billion.

The deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter, comes after Fresh Market said in October that it was seeking to possibly sell itself.

Apollo said Monday that it is paying $28.50 for each share of Fresh Market, a 24 percent premium of the stock’s closing price of $22.98 on Friday.

Fresh Market, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, has nearly 190 stores around the country. Apollo’s holdings include Twinkie maker Hostess and the Chuck E. Cheese restaurants. Apollo is based in New York.

Shares of The Fresh Market Inc. soared $5.47, or almost 24 percent, to $28.45 in midday trading Monday while Apollo Global Management LLC Class A shares edged up 6 cents to $16.97.

Savannah’s new French brasserie, 39 Rue de Jean, located beneath Embassy Suites on West Oglethorpe Avenue, opened last November by Charleston-based Holy City Hospitality but is run by locals, including executive chef Drue Longo, a 30-year-old transplant from Philadelphia.

“We use a classic French technique, but with a modern twist,” Longo said early one Thursday evening before the pre-theater Civic Center crowd bustled in. “Comfort French food is our theme. It’s a brasserie. There’s nothing too fussy about it. It’s simple ingredients done well.”

Longo said she sources locally as much as she can and her menu changes seasonally.

“I’m really excited about spring,” she said. “There is so much fresh produce in Savannah in the spring. I’ll visit the local market and get everything I can get my hands on.”

As to her winter menu, Longo said, “The lamb shank right now is great. The sauce is rich but it’s not too rich over the spaghetti squash and orange glazed carrots. That may be one of my favorites at the moment.”

Longo attended Le Cordon Blue College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta and worked with Hilton Hotels on their task force to launch new restaurants for the hotel group — she successfully opened five of them.

“That’s when I got the itch to open restaurants. Opening a restaurant is so much fun. It’s like a rush… and then you just want to do another and another,” said Longo.

In Savannah, she worked at The Landings as the banquet chef, then moved downtown to Alligator Soul on Barnard Street.

When Rue de Jean was getting ready to open, Longo became its executive chef, said restaurant manager J. G. Curry.

“Chef came on board, and we decided we wanted to start with the groundwork of the Rue de Jean in Charleston,” Curry said. “Rue de Jean has been very successful with Holy City Hospitality and is the cornerstone of our company, but we put our own spin on it.

“Chef turned it into her food menu.”

In terms of beverages, Currysaid, Rue de Jean put a spin on that list as well.

“Our cocktail list is something that Savannah hasn’t seen before,” he said.

The Gordonston Park “Barrel Aged,” for example, is Rue de Jean’s take on a Manhattan, with Copper Fox Rye, Luxardo Maraschino, and Bro Vo #5. Their Clean Cocktail features Corsair Quinoa Whiskey and Giffard Abricot Du Roussillion.

Curry was born and raised in Savannah and started his career in the restaurant business waiting tables at Ruby Tuesday’s in the Oglethorpe Mall. He climbed his way up and eventually became retail director at Bon Appetit, SCAD’s catering company, before his move to Rue de Jean.

In terms of location, Curry said Rue de Jean is “not on the main path,” so it’s important to attract and appeal to the local community.

“We need to make Savannah happy and have the support of the city,” he said.

“We’re super excited about all the locals that have come out, so far,” said Longo. “Sunday and Monday nights are good because of our clientele who live downtown and want to come in for dinner and drinks.”

Rue de Jean has parking located adjacent to the restaurant, which is near the Savannah College of Art and Design museum with two new hotels being built nearby.

IF YOU GO

The restaurant is open nightly for dinner at 5 p.p. For reservations, call 912-721-0595.

WASHINGTON — Employers stepped up hiring in 30 states in January, led by big gains in Florida, Texas and North Carolina, while 20 states shed jobs.

The numbers

The unemployment rate fell in 28 states, rose in 8 and was unchanged in 14. The unemployment rate doesn’t always decline even when more hiring occurs, because more Americans may start job hunting and push up the rate even as others are hired.

Florida added the most jobs of any state, gaining 32,200. That was followed by Texas with 31,400 and North Carolina with 23,200. Florida’s biggest employment gains occurred in restaurants, hotels and amusement parks.

Pennsylvania lost 16,100 jobs, the most of any state. New Jersey shed 14,100, and in South Carolina, total jobs fell 10,100.

The big picture

Fewer states gained jobs in January as hiring slowed a bit nationwide. Overall, employers added 172,000 jobs in January, below the average pace of hiring last year. Hiring nationally picked up in February, to 242,000, and the unemployment rate remained at an eight-year low of 4.9 percent.

The nation’s job market is generally improving, though many Americans are no longer working or looking for work, and wage growth remains tepid.

The takeaway

Slower growth overseas and the strong dollar may have lowered hiring in January. The financial markets also fell sharply that month as fears of a global recession intensified.

The U.S. economy, however, has remained healthy despite those challenges. Consumer spending rose at the fastest pace in eight months in January, as more Americans have paychecks to spend.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta forecasts the economy will expand at a modest 2.2 percent annual rate in the January-March quarter, up from a sluggish 1 percent increase in the final three months of last year.

Savannah-based The Salt Table, with stores on Broughton Street and in Pooler, has won first place for marinades, sauces and rubs at the University of Georgia’s Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest for their leek, chive and onion dip and seasoning blend.

Owners David and Carol Legasse opened their first store in July 2011 and now produce more than 200 flavors under the Salt Table brand. Their products are available in their shops, online and in specialty stores throughout the South.

As part of the Flavor of the South competition, Amanda Wilbanks, owner of Gainesville’s Southern Baked Pie Company, won the grand prize with her caramel pecan pie.

The annual contest, conducted by the University of Georgia Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development at the Georgia Freight Depot in Atlanta, is a chance for food businesses to showcase new products, which are evaluated by a team of food industry experts and grocery buyers.

They rated 33 finalists on qualities including innovation, use of Georgia theme, market potential and flavor.

“We had over 100 products submitted this year and some of the toughest competition we’ve seen in the contest’s 10-year history,” said contest coordinator Sharon P. Kane.

Some of the winners:

• Meat and Seafood: Hunter Cattle Co., Hot Georgia Night Sausage, Del Ferguson, Brooklet

• Snack Foods: Marsh Cabin Bakery, Kim’s Cheese Straws — Pecan Cheddar, Kim Kaiser, Statesboro

Showcase events such as the 2016 Flavor of Georgia competition help entrepreneurs spread the word about their products. Many have landed spots in regional and national grocery chains such as Whole Foods, Ingles, Fresh Market, Earth Fare, Kroger and Harvey’s.

All winners and finalists earn the right to have their products stamped with the 2016 Flavor of Georgia logo.

The Flavor of Georgia food product contest is sponsored by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development in partnership with the Georgia Center of Innovation for Agribusiness, the Office of the Governor, Walton EMC, the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Agribusiness Council.

An unexpected free meal at your favorite restaurant. A new piece of luggage sent to you by your favorite upstart airline. Free tickets delivered to your hotel room for a local sold-out event.

These are all real-life examples today. What do they all have in common? The element of surprise.

Providing a surprise to customer service these days is a way companies can enhance their customer experience and make it more memorable. And if you are like me, a surprise experience tends to stick with you over time — and it can give companies a competitive advantage in today’s crowded marketplace.

Think about it: What might you do to surprise your customers today?

Know what customers expect from you

In our opening statement above, for example, we offer the unexpected free meal at our favorite bistro. Skipping past the usual weekly special or familiar online coupon, the customer is presented with a situation they in no way expect. Thus, the big — and total — surprise.

Look at your business today and talk to your customers. What do they always remember about you and your services? How do they most always see and use your products? You might be surprised at what you hear, but you at least will have a baseline of what customers always expect.

Regularly give customers the unexpected

The key here is to make sure the customer does not expect what is coming. And the surprise is that difference between what they think they are going to get minus what they do not yet know.

A related term here is suspense. And if companies are regularly refreshing their brand with surprises, there is always that tension produced by suspense.

Another good example of the unexpected is the free luggage from your airline cited earlier and delivered by Amazon. With seat size shrinking and charges for every little thing, who would expect an airline to give you luggage to reward your continuing business with them?

I know I wouldn’t.

And free tickets to the National Invitational Tournament in my room from a hotel where I stay occasionally? No way would I expect it. Yet it happens.

To summarize, when you regularly look at providing better customer value every year, think about surprise.

And when you are considering a more memorable experience for your customers, examine a customer surprise.

Most importantly, find out first what customers usually expect from you and then transcend those expectations with a memorable surprise!

William Porter has published books on customer experience and employee engagement and speaks regularly at business schools. Contact him at bpwilliamaporter@gmail.com.

St. Patrick’s Day will soon be be here and gone, so it will soon be time to turn our attention to another significant date on the calendar — the filing deadline for our income tax returns.

Normally, that deadline falls on April 15, but this year it’s three days later on the 18th. Why? Because Washington, D.C., celebrates Emancipation Day as a legal holiday when government workers get the day off.

This year, the holiday falls on Friday, April 15.

That pushes the tax-filing deadline to the following Monday.

Regardless of whether you file earlier or push the deadline, readers have a chance today to get tax questions answered for free by a panel of experts from Savannah’s Hancock Askew accounting firm.

Here are the details on how and when you can call:

When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today

Call: (912) 629-7752. Calls will be answered in the order received.

Can’t call in today? Email your questions to sclifford@hancockaskew.com by 10 a.m. today. The advisers will answer as many of the emailed questions as space allows in the Sunday newspaper on March 20.

The U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday brought a little red, white and blue to the sea of St. Patrick’s Day green on River Street with the arrival of its tall ship, the Barque Eagle.

“We’re excited to be in Savannah. It’s an opportunity to come down and showcase this fabulous ship in a very maritime historic city that certainly appreciated the Coast Guard,” said Capt. Matt Meilstrup.

Meilstrup said the ship is in the midst of a four-year modernization program and had just come out of a six-month maintenance period that takes place each winter before setting sail with cadets in the summer, some of whom will be marching in today’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.

“We are excited to take part in the festivities for St. Patrick’s Day. We hear there are some good ones,” he said

The Eagle has 58 permanent crew members and 61 officer candidates, along with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration members and a few international crew members.

“They’re here to train and learn a little bit of their maritime craft and what it’s like to be a sailor at sea,” Meilstrup said of the 135-member crew, who have been at sea about four days.

Docked at the municipal pier in front of the Hyatt, the Eagle will be open for free public tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Friday before departing for Baltimore on Saturday.

ABOUT THE EAGLE

Built in Hamburg, Germany, in 1936, the ship was used by Nazi Germany to train cadets for the German Navy before the United States took the ship as a war prize after World War II. USCGC Eagle is the sixth U.S. Coast Guard cutter to bear the name in a line dating back to 1792.

St. Patrick’s Day and Irish folks in the U.S.

Congress proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1991, and the president issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year.

Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish.

The world’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade occurred on March 17, 1762, in New York City, featuring Irish soldiers serving in the English military.

Where they live

• 33.1 million, or 10.4 percent: Number and percentage of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2014. This number was more than seven times the population of Ireland itself (4.6 million). Irish was the nation’s second-most frequently reported European ancestry, trailing German.

• 21.5 percent: Percentage of Massachusetts residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2014. New Hampshire, at 20.9 percent, is the only other state in which more than 20 percent claimed Irish ancestry.

• 196,568: Number of Irish-Americans living in Chicago, the location of one of the nation’s most renowned St. Patrick’s Day traditions: dyeing the Chicago River green.

• 35.6 percent: Percentage of people of Irish ancestry, 25 or older, who have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

• $62,141: Median income for households headed by an Irish-American, higher than the median household income of $53,657 for all households.

• 42.6 percent: Percentage of employed civilian Irish-Americans 16 or older who worked in management, business, science and arts occupations.

• 68.3 percent: Percentage of householders of Irish ancestry who owned the home in which they live, with the remainder renting. For the nation as a whole, the home ownership rate was 63.1 percent.

• 243,135: Number of foreign-born U.S. residents with Irish ancestry in 2014. Of these, 143,256 had become naturalized citizens.

• 40.1 years old: Median age of those who claimed Irish ancestry, which is higher than U.S. residents as a whole at 37.7 years.

• 101,190: Population of South Bend, Ind., home to the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame.

Reminders of the Old Country

• 16: Number of places or county subdivisions in the United States that share the name of Ireland’s capital, Dublin. The most populous in 2014 was Dublin, Calif., at 54,695.

• 20,590: Estimated number of U.S. residents who speak Irish Gaelic.

• 125,022: Number of U.S. residents who were born in Ireland.

• $34.0 billion: Value of goods imported from Ireland in 2014. This compared with $7.8 billion exported there.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Savannah’s ancestral ties to Ireland run strong and deep — something Paul Kehoe knows well.

As a member of the Irish Parliament representing Wexford County, Kehoe is especially aware of the large numbers of people from his community who left Ireland well over a century ago in search of a new life here.

Indeed, the names are as familiar to Savannahians as they are in Ireland — Kehoe, Rossiter, Corish, Stafford, Ryan, Fitzgerald, O’Keefe and O’Neill, to name a few.

Kehoe began to recognize the depth of the Savannah-Wexford connection when he visited Savannah for the first time on St. Patrick’s Day last year and learned more about the work of Georgia Southern University professor Howard Keeley and the Wexford-Savannah Axis, an innovative research and heritage-outreach project that chronicles the historic links between the two regions.

The project joins GSU and the Savannah-based Georgia Historical Society with Waterford Institute of Technology, the foremost university in southeastern Ireland and the John F. Kennedy Trust, a heritage foundation that operates in the historic County Wexford port of New Ross.

Although the young project is less than three years old, it already has uncovered a number of surprises, not the least of which are the business connections that go back centuries.

For example, in the archives of the long-defunct Irish shipping company, William Graves and Sons, Keeley and his students discovered a letter addressed to the company owner, detailing “the advantages of sailing into Savannah” from none other than Savannah’s leading 19th-century cotton factor, Andrew Lowe.

“Andrew Lowe wrote Mr. Graves regularly, updating him on everything from the price of rice and cotton to Savannah’s mild climate,” Keeley said.

Kehoe is determined to refresh and grow those business connections.

He was so impressed with what he learned on his first visit that Kehoe has returned this year with a delegation from the Wexford County Council in tow.

“I wanted them to experience the energy, beauty and potential opportunities of Savannah for themselves,” he said,

Savannah, too, has demonstrated its commitment to intensifying cooperation with Ireland and County Wexford. The World Trade Center Savannah recently added Ireland to its list of target countries for economic cooperation — just the sixth such country so designated.

There are already at least 78 Irish facilities operating in Georgia, employing more than 6,600 Georgians, according to Shane Stephens, Consul General of Ireland in Atlanta.

“Ireland has recovered well from the recent global financial crisis,” he said, adding that his country’s economy is growing at an enviable rate of 7.8 percent. Kehoe listed his country’s operation in Savannah as including an APAC-Southeast facility, part of Oldcastle’s 40,000 strong operation in North America, and a Kerry Group operation.

“And I will be recommending more Irish firms to consider locating here,” he said.

Kehoe also wants to encourage Savannah corporations to consider doing business in Ireland.

“We have a strong pool of highly skilled, multilingual workers in the only English-speaking country within the Eurozone, providing barrier-free access to an EU market of over 500 million consumers,” he said.

In 2015, Ireland maintained its three-year position as the best country in the Eurozone for doing business, according to Forbes magazine’s rankings, coming in an overall fourth in the world.

“This ranking is testament to Ireland’s favorable regulatory climate and our competitive 12.5 percent corporate tax rate,” he said.

The strength of Ireland’s economy, which is now on track to become the fastest growing in Europe for a third year in a row, also provides opportunities, Kehoe said.

“For Savannah companies looking to expand overseas, Ireland is an option worth considering seriously.”

Ameris Bank has been named the 2016 title sponsor of Wine, Women & Shoes, an annual charity benefit hosted by the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Coastal Empire.

In its third year, the event raises funds and awareness for families served by the Ronald McDonald House.

All proceeds benefit the families of critically ill and hospitalized children in Savannah, allowing them to remain nearby when faced with a child’s medical crisis.

In 2015, the Ronald McDonald House provided 4,170 night stays and served more than 285 families.

Their family rooms located within The Children’s Hospital at Memorial and on the St. Joseph Candler Hospital campus served an additional 3,000 families.

Now in its third year, Wine, Women & Shoes has raised almost $200,000 to support programs initiated by Ronald McDonald House charities.

“Ameris Bank is honored to be aligned with such a worthy mission,” said Greater Savannah Market President Austen Carroll. “We have supported this event since its establishment and are continually impressed by this organization’s commitment to families within our region.”

Wine, Women & Shoes will be 6 to 10 p.m. April 21 at the Georgia State Railroad Museum, 655 Louisville Road.

Tickets are $75 for general admission and $150 for VIP admission.

For more information or to buy tickets, call 912-350-7641 or go to http://winewomenandshoes.com/savannah.

Add juicy red grapes to the bounty of perishable Peruvian imports coming into Savannah’s Garden City Terminal, which boasts a refrigerated cargo infrastructure unmatched at any other East Coast port.

“Savannah currently handles avocados, citrus and sweet onions from Peru,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz. “With the introduction of Peruvian red globe grapes, we are now receiving all of the category leaders from Peru.”

The GPA’s massive container terminal now has 104 refrigerated cargo racks plus another 738 plug-ins for containers on chassis. At 24 container slots per rack, it has the on-terminal ability to power a total of 3,234 chilled containers at a time, according to Chris Logan, GPA senior director of trade development for beneficial cargo owner sales.

With more than 830,000 square feet of private cold storage surrounding the port, the GPA and private industry have the infrastructure to support the growing cold cargo business moving through Georgia, Logan said.

That, too, is growing, as existing facilities see the need for expansion. Another 300,000 square feet of private cold storage space is currently under development.

Companies already growing their footprin — or planning to do so in the near future — include:

• Gulf States Cold Storage, currently 155,000 square feet

• Lineage Logistics I, currently 250,000 square feet

• Lineage Logistics II, currently 225,000 square feet

• Nordic Cold storage, currently 200,000 square feet.

The grapes, moved from Andean Sun Produce farms in Ica and Piura, Peru, are part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture program in which citrus fruits, grapes and blueberries are chilled for at least 17 days prior to entry into the U.S. The cold treatment removes potential pests, thus reducing the need for pesticides.

Bringing the fruit into Savannah is a win-win, Foltz said, resulting in a fresher product for end users as well as lower supply chain costs for shippers.

“By landing produce in Savannah, buyers can take advantage of much shorter and faster overland transportation to Atlanta and other major markets across the U.S. Southeast,” he said.

The grapes are grown along the coast of Peru with early varieties grown in the northern part of the country and later-ripening varieties in southern Peru.

“Weather conditions in Peru allow them to grow and harvest grapes throughout the year,” said Edward Villar of Andean Sun Produce. “But because of market needs our season goes from October to December in the north and from January to March in the south.”

Andean Sun Produce, based in Miami, is the U.S. marketing agent under the “Gold Cup” brand on behalf of La Calera and Talsa, two large Peruvian growers of citrus, blue berries, avocados, grapes and mangos. For their trial run on grapes, Atlanta-based produce wholesaler J.J. Jardina brought in the red globe variety, using the Port of Savannah to save time and freight costs.

“It is nice to have only a four-hour truck ride to Atlanta versus a day and half from the Philadelphia ports,” said company spokesman Matt Jardina. “It allows us to get the product into our warehouse more quickly and begin selling the grapes a few days earlier.”

Villar added that Andean Sun plans to move all their varieties of red and green seedless grapes through the port, adding that he is pleased to add Savannah as an entry point for southeastern markets.

“The GPA approached us a few months ago and explained the benefits of working with them,” he said. “They have been very proactive, coordinating with CBP, trucking companies and even customers. Logistics in our business is becoming crucial; the Port of Savannah is a good alternative for us to serve not only our Georgia customers, but other customers in surrounding states.

“We will continue to use the Port of Savannah for our summer citrus season, and we are close to starting with blue berries.”

Villar said the USDA program to allow cold-treated produce to enter through more U.S. ports will relieve congestion at older ports of entry, while shortening the supply chain between producers and final consumers.

“Our goal is to deliver our fruit to our clients faster, fresher and at competitive prices, cutting logistics costs,” he said.

In addition to its location near important Southeast markets, the Port of Savannah also offers efficient on-terminal services, according to Logan.

“We’ve worked with Customs and the USDA to ensure inspection capabilities are all in place so we can offload a vessel, inspect it and get it out in six hours,” he said.

“We’re optimistic that the strong success we’ve had in receiving perishables will only encourage more perishables in the future.”

Senior business reporter Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow. She can be reached at 912-652-0324 or at mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.

SHIPPING SCHEDULE

Following are the ships expected to call on Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City and Ocean terminals this week. Schedules are supplied by GPA and are subject to change.

GCT OAKLAND EXPRESS: Today

GCT MAERSK CHICAGO: Today

GCT MAERSK WEYMOUT : Today

GCT RHL AGILITAS : Today

GCT CPO MIAMI:Today

GCT EVER SUMMIT: Today

GCT MSC GENEVA : Today

OT OBERON: Today

GCT NYK DENEB :Saturday

GCT MSC KINGSTON:Saturday

GCT WASHINGTON EXPRESS:Saturday

GCT PHILADELPHIA EXPRESS:Saturday

GCT STOLT BOBCAT:Saturday

GCT OOCL KOBE:Saturday

GCT TOKYO EXPRESS :Sunday

GCT OOCL TAIPEI: Sunday

GCT COSCO TIANJIN Sunday

GCT HYUNDAI GOODWILL:Monday

GCT MAERSK ATLANTA:Monday

GCT SEA-LAND METEOR:Monday

GCT RIO BLACKWATER:Monday

GCT MED BALTIC:Monday

OT TAMERLANE:Monday

OT CRESTED EAGLE :Monday

CT NYK DELPHINUS: Tuesday

GCT CMA CGM FIGARO:Tuesday

GCT ZIM LUANDA : Tuesday

GCT OOCL SOUTHAMPTON: Tuesday

GCT AMALTHEA:Tuesday

GCT NEVZAT KALKAVAN:Wednesday

GCT HEINRICH SIBUM:Wednesday

GCT CMA CGM JAMAICA:Wednesday

GCT AL KHARJ:Wednesday

GCT HANJIN LOS ANGELES:Wednesday

OT TEIZAN: Wednesday

GCT MOL EXPERIENCE:Thursday

GCT MSC LUISA:Thursday

GCT ZIM SAVANNAH: Thursday

GCT MAERSK KOKURA:Thursday

GCT MSC KLEVEN:Thursday

GCT MSC LUCY:Thursday

OT TARAGO

Children are wonderful, life-altering blessings who also happen to be very costly. Whether you’re a newbie or a pro, we can all agree that parenthood is not cheap. Food, clothes, school — just paying for the basic necessities can be draining.

There is no shame in taking advantage of every coupon and family group rate that comes your way. That same frugal strategy should apply come tax time. There are multiple tax benefits available related to children.

Some are simple and require zero effort to take advantage of, while others involve a bit of planning.

The simplest benefit is the increased personal exemption.

For 2016, taxpayers need only claim the child as a dependent to receive an additional $4,050 exemption per child. This means that a married couple claiming two children reduce their taxable income by $16,200 (four people times $4,050).

There is a phase-out of the exemption that people need to be aware of. For married couples filing jointly, it begins when adjusted gross income exceeds $311,300 ($285,350 for head of household).

The personal exemption is not refundable but reduces the income used to calculate the tax liability. The additional exemption is available as long as the child is claimed as a dependent (which can potentially happen up to age 24). Please seek counsel from your tax adviser in cases of separation, divorce or custody. Special dependency rules will apply in those situations.

Another benefit that requires zero planning is the child tax credit.

Taxpayers receive a $1,000 credit per qualifying child. Phase-out begins when adjusted gross income exceeds $110,000 for married couples filing jointly ($75,000 for head of household).

The tax credit is more beneficial than a deduction because it is a dollar for dollar reduction of the tax liability, and a portion of the credit may be refundable. However, the child tax credit is only available for children under 17.

One benefit that does call for a bit of planning is the child and dependent care credit.

There are some restrictions to this credit, but it can be a good tax break for families who accumulate daycare, nursery school, and/or nanny or housekeeper expenses during the year. The limit is $3,000 for one qualifying dependent, or $6,000 for two or more.

There is no phase-out, but there is a schedule that determines the percent of qualified expenses you can claim based on your adjusted gross income. Dependents have to be under the age of 13 to qualify. In addition, you must have earned income for the entire year, be a full-time student or else pro-rate the credit amount accordingly.

If you are married, this applies to the spouse as well. The credit isn’t limited to custodial care. Expenses can include nursery school, pre-school or similar programs for children below the level of kindergarten.

Housekeeper or nanny expenses can apply, but if they qualify as household employees, you must pay the required payroll taxes.

What may be even better than the credit is if your employer provides dependent care benefits. The benefit can be paid with employee pre-tax earnings (under a salary reduction cafeteria plan), employer contributions or the value of an employer-sponsored daycare facility.

The benefit is excluded from taxable wages, but the amount you can exclude or deduct is limited to the smallest of: the total amount of dependent care benefits you received during the year; the total amount of qualified expenses you incurred during the year; your earned income; your spouse’s earned income; or $5,000 ($2,500 if married filing separately).

You cannot receive a double benefit between the dependent care exclusion and dependent care credit. The dependent care credit is reduced by the amount excluded under a dependent care plan. In addition, expenses paid with pre-tax dollars are not eligible for the credit.

Last, but not least, I wanted to reach out to those who have pondered the idea of adoption, but worry that it is too expensive.

Yes, it can be pricey, however you can receive a huge tax break if you choose to adopt. You may be eligible for tax-free employer benefits of up to $13,460 and also have the potential to receive up to a $13,460 tax credit per adopted child for qualifying expenses.

It is not a refundable credit, but any unused credit can be carried forward for up to five years. There is a phase-out threshold starting when your MAGI (modified adjusted gross income) exceeds $201,920. Eligible children include individuals under the age of 18 (but not the child of your spouse) or those physically or mentally incapable of caring for themselves.

Sam Racz is an intern with Hancock Askew & Co. He can be reached at 912-234-8243 or Sracz@HancockAskew.com.

Growing your business through movies in Savannah

SCORE Sav Savannah will have a workshop from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 23, detailing how businesses in the Savannah area can benefit from the film production industry.

The free workshop will be in the SCORE Conference Room, 111 E. Liberty St. Savannah. Resister by calling the SCORE office at 912-652-4335.

The speaker will be William Hammargren, who has worked in the film and television industry since 2002. He began his career in Salt Lake City as a production assistant, producing short documentaries and public service announcements for nonprofits such as the United Way.

He moved to Savannah in 2003 and completed his bachelor’s degree in film and television at SCAD. He has also worked as a freelance producer on many commercial campaigns. Seeing the untapped potential for growth of media production in Savannah, he completed his MBA in 2012 and now works to attract productions to the city,

Collegiate advertising awards go to Savannah Tech

Savannah Technical College earned two gold awards for photography and design, along with a silver for TV/video advertising at the 2015 Collegiate Advertising Awards.

The gold for photography/illustration was awarded to a fire science program photograph taken by Stephen B. Morton, who won a gold award in 2014 for a welding photo and a series of faculty environmental portraits.

The College’s Bistro Savoir Interactif passport, which was given to attendees of Savannah Tech’s 2015 Savannah Food and Wine Festival event, also won gold in the miscellaneous design category. The passport features student portraits by Morton, design by Eric Willis of Fluorescent Design Studio and recipes from the Culinary Institute of Savannah.

Blue Voyage Productions produced a series of “College that Works: commercials that won silver. The series features students in health sciences and precision manufacturing programs. To watch the commercials, go to http://bit.ly/1QKefmJ.

Company renews service contract with Parker’s

TEMPLE, Texas — McLane Company Inc., a supply chain services company that provides grocery and food service supply chain solutions, has renewed a multi-year agreement with Savannah-based Parker’s convenience stores.

“Relationships with our vendor partners are key to the success of our company. McLane continues to go above and beyond to make sure we are able to serve our customer’s needs,” said Brandon Hofmann, chief marketing officer at Parker’s.

McLane’s Premium Ordering Management Suite includes Customer Managed Inventory, which ensures retailers only order replacement products as they are sold, eliminating the need for store managers to manually place orders.

For 44 senior medical students at the Savannah campus of the Mercer University School of Medicine, a time of uncertainty ended at midday Friday during an annual rite of passage known as Match Day.

That’s when they gathered in the Mercer Auditorium, 1250 East 66th St., as part of a nationwide event that serves to tell them what residency programs they will enter after graduation.

As part of the ceremony, each new doctor was handed an envelope that tells them where they will spend their next few years. Students on Friday celebrated the event by dressing as their favorite movie characters.

Mercer University’s School of Medicine was established in 1982 to educate physicians and health professionals to meet the health care needs of rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia.

The school opened a full four-year campus in Savannah in 2008 at Memorial University Medical Center.

Tax season is upon us. It’s time to gather all of those receipts, check and make sure we have all of our documents and schedule an appointment with the accountant.

You may be familiar with filing your personal taxes, but is this your first tax season since initiating or inheriting a trust? If so, you may be unaware how different that can be.

First, there are two types of trusts: a simple trust and a complex trust. The type of trust you have determines whether you are subject to trust taxes.

Simple trusts are not subject to trust taxes. A living revocable trust is a common example of a simple trust that may be used to hold property. A simple trust is required to pay all of its income to the beneficiaries every year thereby eliminating its tax burden.

A complex trust is any trust that retains current income in the trust, distributes principal or makes distributions to charitable organizations. A charitable remainder trust is a common example.

Because complex trusts can accumulate income, they are subject to trust taxes. However, these trusts may deduct expenses, a standard deduction and any income that is distributed to beneficiaries from their taxable income.

The main difference between trust taxes and personal taxes is that the top tax rate of 39.6 percent kicks in at just $12,400 of trust income versus $415,050 for a single filer. And don’t forget the 3.8 percent surtax for that top rate.

In many cases beneficiaries will pay fewer taxes if the trust distributes income annually.

For example, if a single-beneficiary trust earned $15,000 in income and that income is not distributed, the trust would pay $6,510 in taxes. However, if that $15,000 was distributed to a beneficiary that is in the 25 percent tax bracket, the beneficiary would only owe $3,750 in taxes on that income.

How a distribution might affect a beneficiary’s tax bracket should be considered, but the tax liability would be lower for all but the highest bracket.

A trust cannot be taxed twice. So, if the decision is made to not make a distribution one year and the trust pays taxes on that income, it can distribute that income the next year tax free.

Also, although simple trusts must distribute all income annually, the money does not actually have to leave the trust. The beneficiaries must claim the distribution as income on their tax forms but may leave the money to accumulate in the trust.

The tax rates for estates and trusts are unchanged from last year, but the tax brackets for them have been adjusted for inflation so pay close attention when you start filling out your Form 1041.

The new brackets for 2016 are:

• 15 percent bracket: For taxable income of not more than $2,550.

• 25 percent bracket: For taxable income of more than $2,550, but not more than $5,950.

• 28 percent bracket: For taxable income of more than $5,950, but not more than $9,050.

• 33 percent bracket: For taxable income of more than $9,050, but not more than $12,400.

• 39.6 percent bracket: For taxable income of more than $12,400.

A trust, whether simple or complex, can be a great estate planning tool. To find out more, contact a trusted estate planning attorney.

Michael Smith and Richard Barid are co-founders of Savannah-based Smith Barid LLC, which focuses on estate planning, elder law and special needs planning. They can be reached at 912-352-3999 or richard@smithbarid.com or msmith@smithbarid.com.

By Michael Smith and Richard Barid

NAWIC announces March 22 chapter meeting

Coastal Georgia National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) will have its monthly chapter meeting at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday upstairs at Savannah Coffee Roasters, 215 W. Liberty St.

Chapter member and attorney Tawny Mack of McCorkle & Johnson, will discuss employment law issues, including covenants not to compete and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., and the meeting will begin at noon. The cost is $20 for members and $30 for guests and includes lunch. RSVP to Candace Forkner at cforkner@pioneersavannah.com.

For more information about NAWIC, go to www.nawiccoastalgeorgia.org or contact Tonya Reed at 912-352-9827.

Parker’s opens new store in Okatie, S.C.

Parker’s convenience stores recently opened a new drive-thru retail location in Okatie, S.C., near the entrance to Callawassie Island.

The location is the company’s 44th convenience store and the 10th in South Carolina.

The new store at Highway 170 and Snake Road features a hot deli serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Highlights include a full breakfast bar with eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese grits and biscuits, as well as Southern fried chicken fingers, homemade mac ‘n’ cheese, vegetables and daily specials.

Freshly prepared foods and non-alcoholic retail items are available at the drive-thru window.

The store offers 12 fueling positions.

“We’re thrilled to open our newest store near Callawassie Island, serving a fast-growing customer base in Beaufort County,” said Greg Parker, company president and CEO.

Fundraiser to benefit medicine center’sgarden project

Green Truck Pub, 2430 Habersham St., will host a fundraiser to benefit the Memorial Health University Physicians-Family Medicine Center garden project from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. The event is sponsored by Georgia’s Lowcountry Chapter of the American Herbalists Guild.

Dr. Justin Law is spearheading the raised-bed garden project. He plans to install raised garden beds on the grounds of the Family Medicine Center, located on 66th Street. Vegetables and herbs grown there will be distributed — free of charge — to patients to encourage them to make healthy food choices.

Green Truck Pub will donate $1 for every SweetWater product sold that night, and the restaurant will match up to $500 of the total raised.

CORRECTION: The telephone number to call to reserve a spot in a SCORE Savannah workshop on March 23 on how businesses in the Savannah area can benefit from the film production industry is 912-652-4335. A number published in BiS on Saturday was incorrect.