North County

E-commerce shipping and logistics provider Quiet Logistics is leading job growth in Devens, according to a report by the UMass Donahue Institute, and the company's workforce is only expected to increase. Quiet Logistics, which arrived in Devens in 2011, expanded its footprint when it leased 184,000 square feet of warehouse and distribution space on Barnum Road in November. Brian Lemerise, vice president of third-party fulfillment at Quiet, said the company chose to grow beyond its existing 200,000-square-foot facility on Saratoga Boulevard because of high demand for fast delivery of apparel in the Northeast. Devens offers a prime location, Lemerise said, because it has good access to shipping by boat, freight and airplane. But the labor market is also strong.

More than 120 registered nurses at Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer have voted overwhelmingly to join the state's largest nurses' union, the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), the union said. The 123 RNs at the hospital, owned by Steward Healthcare, cast their ballots last week.

Hometown Bank of Oxford has received state and federal approvals to open a new branch in Leominster at the entrance to the Mall at Whitney Field, the bank announced.

After announcing two years ago it would expand to Devens, French multinational materials company Saint-Gobain has ceased operations there, according to a company official.

House and Senate negotiators on Wednesday evening broke through with a compromise on mercury thermostat recycling legislation that has been tied up in conference since last December.

A report by the UMass Donahue Institute shows that employment, wages, and the number of businesses in Devens all increased between 2013 and 2014, generating economic benefits for the broader Bay State economy.

Net income for Hampton, N.H.-based utility company Unitil Corp. increased by $1.2 million, or 9 cents per share, in the second quarter, compared with 2013.

Unemployment rates in Central Massachusetts worsened in June but are still down considerably from June of last year, the Patrick administration said Tuesday.

Galaxy Development of Auburn said it's looking to turn an abandoned industrial site along Fitchburg's Water Street into a 21,650-square-foot shopping center.

Ten Central Massachusetts communities will receive federal community development block grants that total about $6.6 million for a variety of uses, notably housing and infrastructure upgrades.