News Briefs

Harr lands TIF deal

WORCESTER – The City Council Commerce and Development Committee has unanimously endorsed a tax increment financing deal for a planned $7.7 million expansion project at Harr Motor Company Inc. and Harr Toyota Inc. on Gold Star Boulevard. Under the terms, Harr will receive a 10 percent exemption on the increase in property value, for an estimated tax savings of $103,607 during the life of the TIF. The companies have properties at 33 Millbrook St. and 100, 110 and 112 Gold Star Boulevard. The city will still receive about $133,209 annually in new property tax revenues. Harr’s expansion project will create 28 full-time jobs and will take three years.

Wyman-Gordon site may need cleanup

WORCESTER – Wyman-Gordon Co., which owns a largely vacant 17-acre parcel near Worcester’s Green Island district, is now looking for cost estimates to demolish a building on the property and clean up any asbestos contamination found at the site. The company had been accepting bids from developers interested in buying the property for commercial redevelopment, but the bidders have reportedly told the company they couldn’t go through with an acquisition because of the environmental liability. The city has received three bids for the parcel all of which involved commercial development

Devens recycling facility breaks ground

DEVENS – Devens Recycling Center LLC has started construction on a new 91,000-square-foot recycling complex in Devens. The center will recycle construction and demolition debris for alternative uses. When fully operational, the facility will be able to process 1,500 tons of brick, concrete, steel, wood, asphalt, carpet and gypsum daily. Devens Recycling Center anticipates a July opening and plans to hire 70 new employees over the next three years. A $12 million tax-exempt bond from MassDevelopment will support construction of the plant, which will accept recyclable material from a 25- to 50-mile radius.

Kilby Street Project wins $700K

WORCESTER – The Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development has awarded $700,000 to the Main South Community Development Corp. for the Kilby Street Project, part of the ongoing revitalization effort in Worcester’s Main South district. The grant came from the state’s Housing Stabilization Fund, a division of the DHCD. An additional $500,000 in down payment assistance was also granted by the American Dream Down Payment Initiative, a federal program designed to help homebuyers. All 14 units of housing in the Kilby Street initiative, built by the Main South CDC, will be sold as affordable housing.

OSV receives $1 million challenge gift

STURBRIDGE – Old Sturbridge Village has received a $1 million donation from a member of its Board of Trustees, which will go towards funding a new challenge grant program. The Village Challenge will match increases in previous gifts as well as the full amount of new gifts on a two-to-one basis through December 31, generating two additional dollars for every new dollar raised. The Village Challenge will continue into next year with a one-to-one match for increased and new gifts received between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007 up to a total of $1 million in matching support.

Stratus to consolidate

MAYNARD - A subsidiary of Stratus Technologies Group SA, called X Stratus Technologies, will consolidate its leased space at the former Digital Corp. campus, vacating 109 Powdermill Rd., where it leased 106,000 square feet, and extending the lease at its headquarters address of 111 Powdermill Road to occupy 287,000 square feet. The company’s landlord, DEK Portfolio LLC, will put 111 Powdermill Road up for sale. Stratus Technologies Group SA has made the Powdermill Road complex its headquarters for the last seven years.

Infotech

Egenera, China firms in pact

MARLBORO – Egenera Inc. has entered an agreement with Beijing-based Digital China, an IT company specializing in digital technology. Digital China is the country’s largest IT services provider, with 13 regional centers and 11 representative offices. The collaboration will involve technology development and product distribution, and Digital China will resell Egenera’s BladeFrame system across several markets, including financial services, government, telecom, and other industries. An additional partnership between Egenera and Digital China Financial Software Ltd., the largest financial solutions provider in the China market, will make Egenera’s software available to DCFS as the platform of choice on which to run its banking solutions software.

Consumer Research Solutions launches VIN decoder software

WESTMINSTER – Consumer Research Solutions Inc. has released a new software product, VIN Fact, a vehicle identification number decoder for motorcycles. CRS, a web-based research-tool company, serves the powersports market, which encompasses motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, personal watercraft, utility vehicles and snowmobiles. Its creates competitive analysis tools for manufacturers, industry professionals, dealers and consumers. VIN Fact is designed for insurance agencies, auction houses and other organizations which seek detailed information on all motorcycles manufactured from 2004 to the current year, such as engine size, transmission type, and market segment. The data will also include information on standard features and optional accessories with pricing, as well as build logic.

LANCOR product goes live on Amazon

NATICK – Hardware and software developer LANCOR has received notice that its flagship product, a keyboard capable of typing in several languages, will be posted for sales on Amazon.com. The KONYIN keyboards feature four shift keys, allowing for switching between a variety of languages. The keyboard uses Unicode for handling fonts and works with Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/2003 or later. The device also requires no formal training. The price for the keyboard will range from $37.99 to $98.99.

SEPATON chosen to protect Baystate Health data

MARLBORO – SEPATON Inc. will provide data storage services for Springfield-based Baystate Health’s network of hospitals, physician offices, clinical centers, and home-based ambulatory services. SEPATON’s S2100-ES2 virtual tape library will be used to store and backup patient data. The data contains sensitive information on patients, such as allergy alerts, medicine plans, test results, patient history, and additional data. Since beginning use of the system, Baystate Health now performs nightly backups of its data in under two hours. Cambridge Health Alliance, Sepracor, and Health Dialog Services Corp. also use VTL from SEPATON.

ViryaNet tapped by insurance software provider

SOUTHBORO – Software developer ViryaNet Limited has been chosen by Mitchell International of San Diego to integrate with its insurance industry-focused product, Mitchell Dispatch. Mitchell International, a supplier of information products, software, and e-business solutions for the insurance, property and casualty, medical claims, automotive collision repair, and glass replacement industries, will use ViryaNet’s software in tandem with its own program, Mitchell Dispatch. ViryaNet will integrate specifically with the collision estimation segment of Mitchell Dispatch. Mitchell’s product is a web-based resource planning and optimization system for the insurance claims industry, which gives carriers the flexibility to dispatch assignments via the web, email, text message, or PDA. ViryaNet specializes in software applications that improve the quality and efficiency of an organization’s service operations.

Scali raises $3.5 million

MARLBORO – Scali, a developer of clustering solutions allowing companies to save space and simply their datacenters, has secured $3.5 million in funding from investors Atlas Venture and Four Seasons Venture. Scali raised the funds to continue its growth and market share expansion. The company also announced new additions to its management team, naming Jack Kay president and CEO. Kay previously served as president and CEO of Phoenix Technologies, where he was responsible for increasing the company’s BIOS market share and bringing about market capitalization increases of more than 600 percent. The company has offices in Oslo, Norway and Nagpur, India.

Biomedical

Intact Medical Corp. launches new device

NATICK – Intact Medical Corp. has debuted its Intact Advance, a cutting tool used for minimally-invasive diagnosis of breast cancer. The wand, available in 12mm, 15mm, and 20mm diameter sizes, allows pinpoint access to the lesion of interest. The device has received FDA 510(k) clearance for the complete or partial removal of an imaged abnormality. It helps reduce the number of steps required for specimen capture, and is vacuum-assisted to allow the wand to advance towards the legion after entry. The incision can be closed with a bandage, without stitches, and can be completed in outpatient setting with local anesthesia, in fewer than 10 seconds.

Abbott receives expanded FDA approval for HUMIRA

WORCESTER – Abbott Laboratories has received an expanded indication designation from the FDA for its anti-arthritic biotherapeutic HUMIRA treatment to include inhibiting progression of structural joint damage and improving physical function in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Abbott, which has operations in Worcester, conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled biologic trial in PsA, with patients receiving either HUMIRA 40mg every other week or placebo. More than three times as many patients on placebo experienced joint damage compared to those using HUMIRA at week 24. HUMIRA patients could also perform physical functions more ably than those on placebo.

Caliper Life Sciences forms partnership

HOPKINTON – Caliper Life Sciences Inc. will partner with Molecular Probes, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Invitrogen Corp., a California-based life sciences company. Caliper will develop and distribute custom fluorescence labeling kits from Molecular Probes, used to identify and tag specific molecular targets such as antibodies, proteins and peptides in living animals. The kits will be optimized for use with Caliper’s IVIS in vivo optical imaging systems, and help researchers monitor biological processes such as the spread and growth of diseases in critical animal models. The agreement calls for Molecular Probes to handle the development of the kits, while Caliper will help market the product.

Finance

Patterson & Gerry launches payroll service

FRAMINGHAM – Patterson and Gerry CPAs LLC is now offering payroll services for businesses. While the accounting firm has offered the service to its regular accounting clients for the last year, it recently launched P&G Payroll Services with a dedicated staff. P&G Payroll will offer a flat fee and will set up payroll systems, prepare tax filings and year-end processing. While the payroll processing sector is dominated by large payroll processors such as Automatic Data Processing and Paychex Inc., P&G partners say they see the need for a local firm offering personalized customer service.

ARS Services opens Worcester office

WORCESTER – Disaster recovery firm ARS Services has opened a branch office in Worcester at 8 New Street, directly off Lincoln Street. The company is equipped to handle disaster restoration, from small residential losses to large commercial losses. Its experience includes flood, fire, smoke, soot, mold and wind damage. The company, which has experience working with the construction trades and the insurance industry, can respond to any emergency in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire.

Health care

BJ’s goes up against Wal-Mart with discount drug programs

NATICK – BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. is offering a discount prescription program to compete against Bentonville, AR-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Wal-Mart launched its discount pricing program in 27 states in September, and this month added 12 states, including Massachusetts. Wal-Mart sells 30-day prescriptions for generic treatments at $4 per prescription, covering 331 drugs or drug versions. BJ’s includes 292 drugs in its program, which will be offered at stores in 10 states. Other major retailers offering such plans are Kmart and Target. Consumer advocates and healthcare economists reportedly see some consumer savings, but say the plans won’t have a major impact on the retail drug industry because they exclude brand-name treatments and many generics.

Boston Scientific, GE Healthcare get FDA OK

NATICK – Boston Scientific Corp. has gotten FDA approval for its LATITUDE 2.0 remote patient monitoring software, which provides clinicians with direct device integration capabilities into GE’s Centricity Electronic Medical Record. The monitoring tool keeps physicians informed on the status of patients with heart failure and at risk of sudden cardiac death. The integration of Boston Scientific’s technology into GE’s will generate a more complete patient record, which will allow doctors to collect both current and historical patient data in one record.

Fallon Community Health Plan adds W. Mass providers

WORCESTER – Fallon Community Health has entered an agreement with independent medical group in Western Mass., adding Valley Medical Group to its portfolio of providers. Serving the Pioneer Valley, Valley Medical Group creates access for FCHP members to 40 providers and 21 primary care physicians. Valley Medical is affiliated with Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Hampshire County, and Franklin Medical Center in Franklin County. The provider operates medical centers in Amherst, Florence and Greenfield, and offers a full range of services that include family medicine, pediatric care and behavioral health and psychiatry, among other procedures. FCHP is currently working with Valley Medical Group to credential providers.

Labor

Ex-cons given chance for career path

WORCESTER – The Workforce Central Career Center and Ex-prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement, a nonprofit ex-prisoner advocacy group, have launched the New Leaf Program, designed to help former offenders find employment. Applicants in the voluntary program will work with Workforce Central counselors to build skills and knowledge in areas including rÈsumÈ development, problem solving and employer expectations. New Leaf seeks to stem recidivism by opening employment opportunities. EPOCA, founded two and a half years ago, has about 138 members. Employers are encouraged to assist ex-offenders through government incentives, such as federal income tax credits for up to $2,400 per qualified new worker, fidelity bonding programs and hiring incentive grants.

Manufacturing

Cranston to cut workforce

WEBSTER – Cranston Print Works Co. will cut 60 jobs in its manufacturing operation, or about 30 percent of its Webster workforce, over the next four months because of diminished demand and increased competition from the Asian textile market. The job cuts are part of a restructuring of the company’s textile group, which includes locations in New York City and in Cranston, RI. The restructuring began in summer 2005 and is expected to be complete in April 2007. Laid-off employees will receive severance-benefits packages.

Utilities

National Grid to reorganize

WESTBORO – National Grid Plc, parent company of National Grid, is selling off its Australian unit and spinning off its wireless unit. The move will allow the company to focus on gas and electricity, as it reorganizes into four units in those fields. The impact this move will have on the Boxboro-based U.S. operations of National Grid Wireless remains unknown. It owns or operates more than 450 towers, and has 160 employees. National Grid plans to spin off the wireless division into a separate publicly traded company, and eventually to exit the wireless business, according to a company spokeswoman.

NORESCO wins Old Dominion contract

WESTBORO – Energy services company NORESCO has won a contract from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA under which it will create $3.2 million in energy savings over 15 years. The contract, worth $2.7 million, will go towards making energy infrastructure improvements at the school. Upgrades include efficient lighting systems, HVAC improvements, chiller upgrades, and boiler upgrades. These, and other conservation measures, should save the school more than $162,000 annually, allowing Old Dominion to fund other improvements, such as maintaining campus services and improving facilities.

American Superconductor sees growth potential in protecting grids

WESTBORO – American Superconductor reports that a majority of its high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire is being used in the development of fault current limiters, acting as high-voltage surge protectors for power grid systems. AMSC’s HTS wire is constructed of "smart" materials, possessing physical properties that allow them to conduct electricity with no resistance under normal operating conditions. However, when large surges of electricity do occur, the wire can switch to a resistive state to surpress power spikes. By limiting the effects of a surge, valuable electrical equipment becomes less susceptible to damage.

Some of the material in the News Briefs and Small Business sections was originally reported by Banker & Tradesman, The Boston Business Journal, The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, The Clinton Courier and Lancaster Times, The Griffin Report of Food Marketing, IndUS Business Journal, Mass High Tech, The MetroWest Daily News, New England Real Estate Journal, Sentinel & Enterprise, Southbridge Evening News, Telegram & Gazette, and/or Worcester Magazine. If you have a news tip, please call 508-755-8004 ext. 256, fax it to 508-755-4734, or e-mail it to coneill@wbjournal.com.

Corrections

In our Fact Book, published Nov. 6, the chart on state Representatives omitted state Rep. Anne Gobi (D), who represents the towns of Barre, Brookfield, Hardwick, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Petersham, Phillipston, Spencer (precincts 2 and 3), Templeton, Ware, and West Brookfield. Part of her district was erroneously attributed to Cory Atkins (D). Additionally, the chart did not credit certain towns to the correct representatives. They are: Jennifer Callahan, (D), Uxbridge, (precincts 1 and 2); Stephen Leduc, (D), Berlin; Harold Naughton, (D), Northboro, Clinton, Sterling (precinct 2) and Lancaster (precinct 2); Robert Rice Jr., (D), Ashby, Ashburnham, Royalston and Winchendon; Richard Ross, (R), Medfield; Tom Sannicandro, (D) Framingham.