Business Diary: A big thank you, Travelodge-style

At some companies, long-serving staff can expect a decent reward when they hit particularly significant milestones: a decent cash bonus, say, or at the very least a carriage clock. So spare a thought for Travelodge's two longest-serving staff – Judith Harper and Joan Cable – who respectively have 25 and 23 years of service. Their reward was to help chief executive Grant Hearn unveil a commemorative plaque at The A38 Burton Northbound Travelodge, the company's first outlet, which also happens to be 25 years old this week.

The wrong sort of business figure

There's no shame in wanting to be taken seriously. And with the backing of Dragon's Den judge Peter Jones and a decent business, Lauren Pope, a former model who is now the chiefexecutive of Hair Rehab, a hair extensions manufacturer, has a good chance of making a real success of her career. Still, she might want to have a quiet word with her public relations agency, which doesn't seem to want to portray Pope as a sober business professional. It's appeal for coverage of its client is in a press release headed "Meet the UK's sexiest entrepreneur", and featuring a picture of her in an alluring pose.

Standing in the way of progress?

Public enemy No 1? Which group of ostensibly well-meaning folk stand to cost Britain more than £1.3bn worth of investment and jobs, according to a hard-hitting report published yesterday? Step forward those who have the temerity to campaign against windfarms. The £1.3bn, says RenewableUK, the trade body that promotes wind energy, is the loss that is attributable to people "working to block wind farm developments". So now you know what to make of them.

Having some fun with Apple

We're currently enjoying the Sesame Street parody of the iPhone – check out "There's an app for that" on You Tube(sample lyric: "If you want to meet a boy called Mat, there's an app for that"). Still, let's just hope that Apple – which, to be fair, is not always known for its sense of humour – is prepared to laugh off the joke at their expense. One would hate to see Big Bird and the gang slapped with a writ.

businessdiary@independent.co.uk