Richmond

PITTSBURGH — Dr. John M. Richmond recently joined Tri Rivers Surgical Associates as an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist.

He sees patients at the Slippery Rock and North Hills locations of Tri Rivers.

Richmond received his medical degree from Temple University in Philadelphia. He also completed his internship in general surgery and residency in orthopedic surgery at Temple, where he served as team physician for football and men’s and women’s basketball.

He completed a fellowship in sports medicine at the San Diego Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine Center. While there, Richmond was assistant team physician for San Diego State University and the San Diego Padres.

A native of the North Hills, Richmond graduated from North Allegheny High School and got an undergraduate degree from Penn State.

Portersville, Ohio companies mergePORTERSVILLE — Portersville Valve and PRD Technologies of Tallmadge, Ohio, on Tuesday announced that they would merge and expand.Both companies work with pressure relief technologies and services.Todd Pozzuto, general manager of Portersville Valve, will direct service operations for the merged companies while Mike Whitton, the general manager of PRD Technologies, will lead the sales organization of the companies.The companies will continue all operations at their plants in Portersville, Tallmadge, Ohio, and South Point, Ohio.“This merger provides existing and new customers with an expanded suite of products, diagnostic testing capabilities and repair services while optimizing technician and equipment utilization during routine maintenance and major turnarounds,” Pozzuto said.

Diehl Automotive aids cancer patientsDiehl Automotive has partnered with an organization to give breast cancer patients “A Glimmer of Hope.”The organization by that name supports breast cancer research and provides support for premenopausal women who have been diagnosed with the disease.Diehl Automotive is making a donation to Glimmer of Hope for each vehicle it sells in October. Diehl hopes to raise more than $35,000 to support the foundation.To learn about Glimmer of Hope, you can stop by one of the Diehl dealerships on Pittsburgh Road in Butler or at its location on Steubenville Pike in Robinson Township or visit the Glimmer of Hope website at www.symbolofthecure.com.

Home sales, prices continue going upPITTSBURGH — In the first three quarters of 2013, the average price of a home in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties was at $173,868, up 4.3 percent compared to $166,727 through nine months in 2012.The average home price in Butler County was $233,626.Average home price is calculated by dividing the total dollars spent on homes by the number of home sales.Another metric, median home price is calculated by sorting home sales by price and selecting the price in the middle of that list. Across the five counties, half of the 21,547 homes sold for more than $137,000, and half sold for less.Butler County had the highest median home at $195,000.The average price of an existing home climbed to $161,838, up 3.8 percent from $155,847, last year.For Butler County that figure is $175,775.

SRU professor gets minority awardSLIPPERY ROCK — Dallas Jackson, assistant professor of physical and health education at Slippery Rock University, will be honored with a Minority Achiever Award at the 39th Annual Salute to Minority Achievers Reception.The event, sponsored by Minority Opinion/Talk Magazine, will be Oct. 25 at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh University Place.Jackson joined SRU in 2010. He is the faculty representative to the Student Government Association, a member of the President’s Commission for Disability Issues, and vice president of the African American Faculty and Staff Association along with numerous other activities.

Right at Home hires business developerZELIENOPLE — Jennifer Fabry of Sarver has joined Right At Home as director of new business development.Before her new position, Fabry was the community relations director at Elmcroft of Saxonburg.She volunteers with the Alzheimer’s Association and the Twilight Wish Foundation.Right at Home is an international franchise organization based in Omaha, Neb. The franchise units offer in-home care and assistance to senior citizens and disabled adults.

GE profits slip, but still top estimatesNEW YORK — General Electric said Friday that net income fell 9 percent in the third quarter as the company struggles to grow revenue and profits after shedding media and banking assets. But improving industrial performance helped the company beat Wall Street expectations.GE earned $3.19 billion on revenue of $35.7 billion in the third quarter. During last year’s third quarter the company earned $3.49 billion on revenue of $36.3 billion. GE’s earnings per share dropped to 31 cents, from 33 cents last year.Adjusted to remove the effects of restructuring and other charges, the company said it earned 40 cents per share. Analysts had expected GE to earn 35 cents per share, on average, according to FactSet.General Electric shares rose 2.4 percent to $25.26, in premarket trading after results were released. That’s the highest level since September of 2008.