New CFO Scott Maw (upper left) has a never-say-die determination as Starbucks once again vows to turn the green lady coffee shops into lunch spots. So far, the plan seems mostly talk but there’s lots of money on hand when they decide to spend. Starbucks is said to have something like a billion and a half dollars advanced to it by customers for coffee-as yet unordered, much less drunk. Monday was the 25th anniversary of Starbucks’ listing on the Nasdaq. As a publicly traded company, the chain has grown from 150 stores to over 26,000 brick-and-mortar locations, with more than 330,000 employees today, Maw told CNBC.
STAR TOUCH IS HISTORY
The Toronto Star is laying off 30 employees as it shuts down Star Touch, the tablet app that was supposed to make the once fat and sassy Star rich again. Apparently it failed to meet management expectations for readership uptake. The tablet-only app will be replaced by one for smartphones as well as tablets, and will be available to readers before the end of July. The Star Touch final edition will run on July 31.
THERESA TAM CANADA’S TOP DOCTOR
Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott has appointed Dr. Theresa Tam (upper right) as Canada’s top doctor, the third person to head the Public Health Agency of Canada since its inception in 2004. Tam had been acting chief public health officer since the retirement of former PHAC chief Dr. Gregory Taylor in December. The pediatric infectious disease specialist has held a number of senior leadership positions at the agency, including assistant deputy minister of infectious disease prevention and control.
