Ea Engineering

Consumer confidence sagsThe sputtering economy is on the verge of stalling again and consumer confidence is fading, according to reports released yesterday, suggesting problems that will last well beyond the Nov. 3 election. The Index of Leading Indicators, designed to forecast economic activity three to six months ahead, fell 0.2 percent in August, the Commerce Department said. Thatfollowed a slim 0.1 percent rise in July and a 0.3 percent fall in June.Separately, the private Conference Board said its consumer confidence index sank in September for the third month in a row, to 56.4, compared with 59 in August.

Waverly to buy 'Medi-Sim'Waverly Inc., the Baltimore-based publisher and printer, has signed a letter of intent to buy the publishing rights to 175 computer-assisted instruction programs for nurses and the trade name "Medi-Sim" from Medi-Sim Inc., an educational software developer in Edwardsville, Kan. The terms of the agreement, which is scheduled to be completed in November, were not disclosed. The new programs will be added to the company's expanding Electronic Media Division, which publishes computer programs.

EA Engineering, Science and Technology Inc. announced yesterday that it has been awarded a three-year contract to do up to $25 million worth of environmental cleanup work for the U.S. Air Force.Under the contract, the Air Force will use the Hunt Valley company for various environmental needs, including the installation of chemical systems for treating ground water at hazardous waste sites in the United States and its territories. The contract does not designate the size or dates of such work.

EA Engineering, Science and Technology Inc., reporting a loss of $1.38 million in the second quarter, also announced a major reorganization yesterday that will change the way the company presents itself to the marketplace.The Hunt Valley-based company said the restructuring accounted for about 40 percent of the loss it posted in the quarter, which ended Feb. 28. The company's main problem has been the recession, which has reduced demand for its environmental consulting and cleanup services.

Engineering:Edward V. Lower, a 24-year veteran of Union Carbide Corp., has been named president and chief operating officer of EA Engineering, Science & Technology Inc.Lower was most recently general manager of Union Carbide's global metal business and was in charge of the corporation's strategic planning efforts.Loren D. Jensen is to remain as chairman and chief executive office of the Hunt Valley-based EA Engineering but has relinquished the additional duties of president.Daniel P. Day has been appointed district group manager of the Canada Life group and pension office in Columbia.

EA Engineering, Science and Technology Inc. will have a new president starting next week.Loren Jensen, who founded the Hunt Valley-based environmental cleanup firm, will hand over operating duties to Edward V. Lower. Mr. Lower has worked for Union Carbide for 24 years and most recently was vice president and general manager of Union Carbide's multimillion-dollar global metals business, UMETCO, which is based in Connecticut.Mr. Jensen will continue serving as chairman and chief executive officer.

Hunt Valley-based EA Engineering, Science and Technology Inc. reported a rebound in operating results for its second fiscal quarter, which ended Feb. 28.Income from operations rose 27 percent, to $339,700, up from $267,100 a year earlier, while net income was up 35.6 percent, to $127,200, compared with $93,800 a year ago.Net revenue increased 13.8 percent, to $11.1 million. It was $9.8 million in the year-earlier period.Dr. Loren D. Jensen, chairman and president of the environmental services and remediation company, attributed the increase in net revenue to greater contract volume, particularly in EA's toxic and hazardous materials management business, which includes underground storage tank assessments and Department of Defense investigations.

EA Engineering, Science and Technology Inc., a Hunt Valley-based consulting firm, expects a sharp drop in its fourth-quarter earnings. But its chairman told analysts that revenues should continue to grow by 35 to 40 percent a year.Dr. Loren D. Jensen said that income is expected to fall for the second quarter in a row due to a delay in samples being sent to the company's laboratories from environmental cleanup operations. Those samples, coming mainly from cleanups on military bases, have been delayed because workers have been unable to get the permits necessary to do the work, he said.