Spokane steel company acquired

A Maryland company has acquired Spokane-based Tombari Structural Products, which will expand the reach of O’Donnell Metal Deck from Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix, Baltimore and now Spokane.

Tombari Structural Products, at 1501 N. Howard St. in Spokane, was founded in 1995 by Jerry and Cathy Tombari and grew into one of the largest distributors of metal decking and steel bar joists in the Northwest, according to a news release. O’Donnell operates in the same industry.

“We are thrilled to partner with the folks at O’Donnell Metal Deck. Our companies are an excellent cultural match, and as a result, we complement each other well,” company president Mike Tombari said in a news release. “I am excited to see what we can do together.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Matt Weiss, CEO of O’Donnell Metal Deck, said he was excited to join forces with Tombari.

“This acquisition makes us truly coast-to-coast, and we think we partnered with a special company in Tombari,” Weiss said in the release.

Apple AirPods lineup expanding

Apple Inc. is planning an end-to-end overhaul of its AirPods lineup, refreshing a product category that’s emerged as one of the company’s biggest sellers.

The changes will include a revamped version of Apple’s entry-level AirPods in 2024 and a new Pro model the following year, according to people familiar with the plan.

The company is updating the products’ earbud design, the look of the cases and audio quality.

A new version of the AirPods Max headphones are coming in 2024 as well, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.

A representative for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.

The AirPods wireless earbuds were first introduced in 2016, when Apple began removing the traditional headphone jack from its devices.

At the time, the product faced skepticism from consumers. Some were miffed about losing the cherished headphone jack.

Others worried they would look strange wearing cordless earbuds, which were still a novelty at the time.

But Apple quickly overcame the concerns.

From staff and wire reports