Volvo Construction Equipment North America LLC will cut 220 jobs — averaging $82,500 a year — from its Asheville sales and rental operations by September 2012.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK — Victoria Haynes plans to retire as CEO of Research Triangle Institute, a nonprofit research center that operates as RTI International. Haynes, 63, will step down once a successor is found. She has led the institute for 12 years. Its workforce has nearly doubled under her leadership to 2,800, which includes 2,200 at RTP.

STONEVILLE — Gerbing’s Heated Clothing will bring production of its apparel and blankets from China to a factory it is opening here in a former furniture factory. The Tumwater, Wash.-based apparel maker began hiring in May and says it will employ at least 150 by 2015.

PEMBROKE — Steven Roberts Original Desserts says it will open a 100,000-square-foot bakery here in July. The Denver-based company plans to employ 100 initially and add 200 within three years. It and its Ticklebelly Desserts subsidiary make sweets sold in restaurants and hotels.

CHARLOTTE — Connextions, which operates call centers for the health-care industry, wants to hire 1,200 employees, 800 of whom would go to a center the Orlando, Fla.-based company planned to open here in May. The rest will go to an existing call center in Concord, which now employs about 600. The jobs will pay $35,000 to $45,000 a year.

At first glance, the proposed merger of FNB United Corp. and Bank of Granite Corp. looks like a bad match.

Back in January, leaders of the new Republican majority in the General Assembly spoke of working in partnership with the Democratic governor.

The night is hot, the beer cold, the neon bright. Rick’s Lounge, which anchors Hay Street — “Combat Alley” — in downtown Fayetteville, is packed.

Thirty minutes, they said. “Get your combat gear and be on the airplane at Pope” — the Air Force base next door to Fort Bragg.

Weststar Financial Services Corp. tried hard to put a happy face on Buddy Greenwood’s retirement as CEO of it and its lone subsidiary, Bank of Asheville.

I don’t know how much I’ll like having Duke Energy Corp. as my power company.