Framingham

A MetroWest community health initiative has secured a $75,000 grant in its efforts to encourage healthier eating and active living, according to the office of State Sen. Karen Spilka.

Larger salaries may be hard to come by in a tight job market th favors employers, but the MetroWest region continued to enjoy significant payroll growth that out performed Suffolk County and the nation, according to federal data included in the 495/MetroWest Partnership's new report, Strength in Numbers. The partnership reported total payroll increased by $2 billion, to $19 billion, between 2010 and 2012, a jump of more than 10 percent. The organization, a quasi-public regional development agency that covers 33 communities stretching from Littleton to Foxborough and from Shrewsbury to Natick, measured growth using data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the figures show that the partnership's geographic coverage area performed better than Suffolk County as well as the nation. According to BLS data, the Boston area's payroll grew 9.5 percent in the same time period, while U.S. payroll grew 8.4 percent.

Framingham-based Ameresco was awarded a $15.7 million contract Friday by New Mexico State University to improve energy efficiency in 46 of its buildings.

When the average person thinks of Staples Inc., retail stores come to mind. But a major revenue component for the Framingham-based office supply company is its business-to-business contract operations, which accounted for $7 billion in sales in 2012, while the company's retail and online businesses generated a combined $12 billion. A recent change in leadership underscores the importance the company places on developing new contract business in Australia and New Zealand, as well as new markets Staples has yet to crack, according to Scott Tilghman, a Boston-based analyst who follows the company.

Staples announced changes to its executive team Thursday.

Danforth Art will sign the final closing documents today for its move to Framingham's historic Jonathan Maynard Building.

Greater Boston Commercial Properties Inc. of Marlborough has announced three new commercial office lease deals in Westborough and Framingham, totaling more than 11,000 square feet. Hiperos LLC, a computer software company specializing in third-party management, signed a two-year lease on a 2,704 square-foot property at 176 East Main St. in Westborough. The office condominium building is located at the intersection of Route 9 and Route 30. A second Westborough deal brought Stellar Apparel to a 778-square-foot space at 57 East Main St., a three-year deal.

Postal worker union members are protesting the opening of Postal Service retail centers inside 82 Staples stores.

HeartWare International said Tuesday that its fourth-quarter revenue may fall short of market expectations.

Framingham-based uTest has raised $43 million in capital to inject more investment in its software testing services and to facilitate expansion.