Leominster

Greater Worcester’s unemployment rate rose slightly from 3.4% to 3.5% from April to May, as most other metropolitan areas reported gains in overall employment. 

Three businesses in Central Massachusetts have been approved for economic incentive development programs by the state’s Economic Assistance Coordinating Council, and two additional Worcester County towns have been approved for the council’s vacant storefront program.

A multi-family apartment building at 267 Mill St. in Worcester has been sold to an entity registered to Michelle and Bechara Fren of Franklin for $5.8 million, according to the Worcester Registry of Deeds.

Central Massachusetts business organizations with recent hires and promotions include Oriol Health Care, GFA Federal Credit Union, and Bay State Savings Bank.

A Leominster company has launched two new product designs after soliciting feedback on social media from its user base.

EQT Exeter acquired two industrial buildings, with a combined 116,000 square feet, located at 100 & 110 Jytek Drive in Leominster for $14.7 million on Thursday, as the Radnor, Pa. real estate investment firm expands further into Massachusetts.

A 25,600-square-foot industrial building at 50 Jytek Road in Leominster sold for $1.58 million, according to the Worcester North District Registry of Deeds.

Worcester insurer Fallon Health announced on Tuesday it was expanding the areas of availability for its Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, which is now available to adults in over 270 zip codes 10 counties.

Among the organizations making recent hires and promotions are Fidelity Bank, Berkshire Bank, UMass Memorial Health, and AdCare Hospital.

Overall, more than 20,000 PPP loans for a total of $1.8 billion were given out to businesses across Worcester County, with more than 4,800 and $450 million of those loans going to businesses within the city of Worcester, according to data from the SBA.