Boston Business Journal articles from April 2001, page 3

Boston Business Journal archives from April 2001

Wise Construction Corp.(awarded contract to build 10-story office building)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Wise Construction Corp. of Winchester was awarded a contract to construct a 10-story office building near North Station at 155 Portland Street in Boston. In separate news, Wise Construction was named construction manager for the Park Street...

Sasaki Associates Inc.(provides architectural design services for Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Watertown-based Sasaki Associates Inc., in association with Kevin Roche, John Dinkeloo & Associates, began providing architectural design services for the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center, a new 144,000-square-foot natatorium and recreation...

Structural Preservation Systems Inc.(opens Boston office)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Structural Preservation Systems Inc., a Maryland-based structural repair and strengthening contractor, opened a new Boston operating center, located at 1600 Boston-Providence Highway in Walpole.

Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency (MHFA).(presents)(Special Achievement Award for Minority Lending to Citizens Mortgage Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) presented Citizens Mortgage Corp. of Boston with a Special Achievement Award for Minority Lending, in recognition of Citizens' efforts in making the largest percentage and largest number of MHFA...

Grant Communications Consulting Group.(wins Communications Awards)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Grant Communications Consulting Group of Lynn won an award of distinction from the Communicator Awards, based in Arlington, Texas, in recognition of the firm's publication of "The Educator" for the Lynn Public Schools.

TeleKnowledge.(wins Product of the Year award from Communications ASP magazine)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Framingham-based TeleKnowledge received a Product of the Year acknowledgement from Communications ASP magazine, in recognition of the company's flagship Total-e product.

Bovis Lend Lease.(named worldwide number one construction management company)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Bovis Lend Lease of Boston was named the No. 1 construction management company worldwide in an annual "Quality Service" poll conducted by World Architecture magazine. More than 300 international architecture firms participated in the poll.

Diretech/eMerge.(wins seven awards at)(New England Direct Marketing Association Awards Show)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Lexington-based Diretech/eMerge won seven awards at the New England Direct Marketing Association Awards Show, including two first place finishes in the categories of "B-to-B interactive" and "Self-Promotion."

Continental Wingate Capital.(finances seven retail, office and seniors properties)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Continental Wingate Capital in Needham recently financed seven retail, office and seniors properties, totaling $58.8 million, through its Wingate Direct Conduit Program and FHA loan programs. Those properites are as follows: Union Square...

Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co. PC.(start new business, Tax Credit Advisors LLC)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Westborough-based CPA/consulting firm Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co. PC launched a new business entity, Tax Credit Advisors LLC, designed to demystify government programs by helping companies to understand what incentives are available and...

TA Associates Inc.(invests $59 million in San Mateo, California, company)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... TA Associates Inc. of Boston completed a $59 million investment in Asurion, a San Mateo-based provider of marketing services for wireless carriers.

Schepens Eye Research Institute.(creates $1 million endowed fund in honor of U.S. Rep. Joe Moekley)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston paid honor to the legacy of U.S. Rep. Joe Moakley with the creation of a $1 million endowed fund, the John Joseph Moakley Scholar in Aging Eye Research Fund. Annual income from the fund will support...

NEON Communications Inc.(receives $28 million in new financing)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... NEON Communications Inc. of Westborough received $28 million in new financing from two utility shareholders represented on its board of directors: Northeast Utilities and Exelon Enterprises Management Inc. Following a reduction in 2001...

U.S. Genomics.(concludes $17 million private placement)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Woburn-based U.S. Genomics concluded a $17 million private placement to support the company's development of new technologies for the direct linear analysis of DNA for the global life sciences industry. The financing, led by HealthCare...

Viisage Technology Inc.(awarded contract)(design, develop and implement new digital drivers' license system for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Department of Motor Vehicles)(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Viisage Technology Inc. of Littleton was awarded an $8 million contract to design, develop and implement a new digital drivers' license system for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Department of Motor Vehicles. Design and development of...

Dynamics Research Corp.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... The U.S. Air Force Electronic Systems Center exercised one-year renewal options on two information technology service prime contracts with Dynamics Research Corp. of Andover. Revenues from the two renewed contracts are expected to be $23...

yet2.com.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Cambridge-based yet2.com, an online marketplace for the exchange of intellectual property on the Internet, reached an agreement to be syndicated on web sites spanning a wide variety of industries. Among those who will be offering yet2.com's...

iBasis Inc.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Burlington-based iBasis Inc. was selected by Zimbabwe Posts & Telecommunications Corp., the national carrier of Zimbabwe, to provide Internet telephony services for the region via the iBasis Network.

On Technology Corp.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... On Technology Corp. of Waltham and Miramar Systems of Santa Barbara, Calif., entered into an alliance encompassing joint sales, marketing, professional services and product development. Simultaneously, On Technology launched a new product,...

Archibus Inc.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Archibus Inc. of Boston and Siemens Medical Solutions of Germany entered into a business partnership, whereby Archibus/FM products will be incorporated into Siemens' Integrated Service Management offering. Westborough-based Applix Inc....

Provant Inc.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Boston-based Provant Inc. was chosen by Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (VanCity) of Canada to help management apply a common sales process throughout the entire organization. Furthermore, VanCity committed to a licensing agreement to...

ANT Limited.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... ANT Limited, a United Kingdom-based provider of embedded browser and e-mail software for consumer electronics, Internet devices and e-commerce products, opened a new U.S. headquarters at the North Suburban Business Center, 23 Walkers Brook...

Stride Rite.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Stride Rite of Lexington retained the Beanstalk Group, a New York-based independent licensing agency, to develop and implement programs for licensing the Stride Rite brand in a broad range of categories.

Polaroid Corp.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Polaroid Corp. of Cambridge struck up deals with two national companies, involving the integration of products. The company teamed with Nike Inc. of Beaverton, Ore., to launch the Nike Runamok Pic, an athletic shoe marketed toward teens...

Pembroke Real Estate.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Pembroke Real Estate and The Drew Co., both of Boston, held a topping-off ceremony for the World Trade Center West in Boston. The event celebrated the placement of the last steel beam on the 17-story structure, marking he midpoint of the...

Advance Realty Group.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Advance Realty Group named Spaulding & Slye Colliers of Boston exclusive leasing agent and construction manager for Westboro Executive Park and Southboro Executive Place. The first property is a three-building, first class office complex...

The Wilder Companies.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... The Wilder Companies of Boston was named exclusive leasing agent for retail and food service amenities for International Place, the landmark 1.8 million-square-foot, twin-tower office complex in Boston. Additionally, the firm was retained by...

On-Site Insight.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... On-Site Insight, a Needham-based consulting firm specializing in physical needs assessment and inspection services to the multi-family industry, received two contract awards from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The...

The Collaborative.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... The Collaborative, a Boston-based business development strategy firm working exclusively with the financial services and investment industry, launched The Collaborative Institute, consisting of a lineup of 34 targeted business-building...

Breakaway to close Mass. headquarters; laying off 200.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Maynard-based Internet consultant Breakaway Solutions Inc. said it will let go of 200 employees and move its headquarters to Philadelphia, as well as close offices in Denver and London, in an effort to cut costs. A spokeswoman would not say...

Sitara Networks withdraws IPO amid a 'volatile market'.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Waltham-based Sitara Networks Inc., a company that develops and markets e-business technology, has withdrawn plans for an initial public offering. Citing the "current volatile market conditions," the 5-year-old company pulled its IPO in...

Sluggish Talbots sales pegged to bad weather.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Hingham-based clothing retailer Talbots Inc. said March same-store sales fell more than the retailer expected as bad weather forced more than 130 closings in the first week of the month. Sales at stores open at least a year fell about 8...

Allegiance buys Adgrafix, some HarvardNet assets.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Dallas-based Allegiance Telecom Inc., an integrated communications provider, has gone on a Massachusetts spending spree, acquiring the web hosting assets of Medford-based HarvardNet Inc. and purchasing Sudbury-based web hosting company...

Verizon wins FCC approval for Mass. long-distance bid.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Verizon Communications Inc., the largest U.S. local phone service provider, won federal approval to add long-distance service to its products sold to 3 million homes and businesses in Massachusetts. The Federal Communications Commission...

Shuttle America files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Shuttle America, the Windsor Locks, Conn.-based commuter air carrier that operates 24 daily flights at Bedford's Hanscom Field, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in federal bankruptcy court, citing the need to attract new capital...

Gillette first-quarter profit falls 30% as Duracell slumps.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Boston-based Gillette Co. said first-quarter earnings fell 30 percent, its biggest decline in at least 10 years, as the world's largest maker of razors sold fewer Duracell batteries and spent more on advertising. Net income fell to $182...

StorageNetworks reports best quarter in its history.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Waltham-based StorageNetworks Inc., a provider of data storage management services, reported a smaller-than-expected loss and an increase in revenue of almost 500 percent, while naming a new president and chief operating officer. In what...

Getting serious about seat belts.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Believing in the right not to wear a seat belt while driving at death-inducing speeds on public roads is a questionable grasp of personal liberty. At its worst, it entitles drivers to get hurdled through windshields or snap their necks in...

Can confused consumers keep their confidence?(Brief Article)(Column)
April 20, 2001... Please don't ask me how long the current economic downturn will continue. You'd do much better asking yourselves--and your customers. It might also make sense to watch what your neighbors are doing. That's because an overwhelming...

Today's economy demands new level of literacy.(Brief Article)
April 20, 2001... Our state's economy has changed dramatically over the last two decades and, as it has, the skills required of workers have grown more demanding. At one time, mastering a set of mechanical skills could ensure a lifetime of employment, but...

The serial entrepreneur.
April 13, 2001... Slowdown doesn't stop those who live to start businesses Entrepreneurs, by their nature, are optimists at heart. Even in times like these. Venture capitalists today are much tighter with their money than they were 18 months ago....

Starting firms is a way of life.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... As a senior in high school, Matt Rosenthal was the No. 2 guy behind chief executive John Katzman, running The Princeton Review Inc. The company was still a small startup with five employees. Rosenthal left the next year for his freshman year...

MDs not enough? Docs enroll in business school.(doctors learn managed care office systems)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Doctors have long believed that if they took care of the patient, the practice would take care of itself. But they are quickly realizing a practice does not grow on its own. As many doctors find themselves facing underpayment by Medicare,...

Verizon drops ad shop Arnold.
April 13, 2001... New York-based Verizon Communications Inc. is hanging up on the Boston-based advertising agency Arnold Worldwide Partners, cutting off a 47-year relationship that spanned several company transformations. Earlier this month, Verizon...

Save Fenway Park! bunch make the ultimate pitch.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... With the arrival of the new baseball season, the Save Fenway Park! folks have renewed their call for preserving the venerable ballpark as a historic landmark. But their optimism might be clouding their judgment. The group lists several...

You know it's bad when ...(Wall Street Journal drops regular wine feature)
April 13, 2001... OK, we can handle the Nasdaq at 1619. We can even handle the Dow at 9106. But no, not this. Mon Dieu! The bears have even found their way into the wine cellar. The Wall Street Journal has put the cork on its wine columnists' web...

Commitment to excellence.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... The MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Torture Authority?), in its valiant ongoing efforts to improve service (Trains won't be more than 30 minutes late! Twenty-nine minutes maybe, but not 30!) lists commuting information online. While being able...

Web consultants still feast.
April 13, 2001... Not all is tragedy coming out of the web consultant industry. While MarchFIRST Inc. of Chicago laid off thousands and sold assets two weeks ago and Viant Corp. of Boston lost one of its executives this past week, Zefer Corp. of Boston, dined...

CORRECTION.
April 13, 2001... The correct membership figure for the Boston-based Massachusetts Interactive Media Council ("High-tech associations grow as sector suffers," in the March 23-29 of the Boston Business Journal) is about 500 corporate members.

ATG to cut 150 jobs.(Art Technology Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... CAMBRIDGE-Art Technology Group Inc., a developer of online customer management and e-commerce software, said it will lay off about 150 employees--or 12 percent of its work force--mostly in Massachusetts, as part of a cost reduction plan. ...

Analog Devices 2nd-qtr profit to miss forecast.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... NORWOOD--Analog Devices Inc. said fiscal second-quarter earnings and revenue will be lower than expected as telecom companies canceled orders. Profit excluding items is expected to be 31 cents to 33 cents a share for the quarter ending...

Biogen Q1 profit rose 9.1% on Avonex sales.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... CAMBRIIDGE--Biogen Inc. said first-quarter profit rose 9.1. percent as the company increased sales of its top-selling multiple sclerosis treatment, Avonex, while royalty revenue dropped. Biogen said profit from operations rose to $70.6...

Gillette sued over scrubbed contract.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Florida-based plaintiff says toothbrush deal was canceled as part of belt-tightening Claiming that the Gillette Co. and its Oral-B Laboratories division abandoned a toothbrush contract to cut costs, a Florida-based plastic components...

A neighborhood guy.
April 13, 2001... BRA's Maloney handles the big issues, but thrives on the community work Twenty years ago, Mark Maloney took an after-school group of youths from Roxbury to a see a live theater performance downtown. Maloney figured the students would be...

City's business attracts bids from only seven banks.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Boston may be the Hub of the Universe, but it is not the most hotly sought-after bank customer. After putting its banking business out to bid for the first time in three years, only seven of the 25 banks invited to bid expressed interest,...

Courts move to take wind out of pirates' cyber-sails.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Companies with long-standing trademarks are still vulnerable on the web if so-called "cybersquatters" or "cyberpirates" grab desired domain names first. But increasingly, local firms are striking back with legal action. Designed as a...

New building regulations expected to tack on costs.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... New state building code regulations designed to save energy are expected to add 2 percent or 3 percent to project costs once they go into effect July 1. In the meantime, they're causing a fair amount of uncertainty. The new code was...

IntelliSpace sets sights on wiring.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... As the digital subscriber line, or DSL, market continues to shake up and out, a New York-based company is saying it plans to install Internet access in 150 Boston-area buildings by year's end. IntelliSpace has installed service in 42 area...

'America's food' Joe & Nemo's to be reborn in Boston.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... A hot dog chain that pioneered the fast food concept in Boston's Scollay Square back in 1909 will be resurrected next month. The new owners of the Joe & Nemo's name will open two downtown Boston locations in May--part of an expected...

Employee plan asks Fed for a higher share limit.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... BURLINGTON--Is it a case of the inmates running the asylum or just a sane business plan? Boston Federal Savings Bank's employee stock ownership plan has asked the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston for permission to buy as much as a 24.9...

CareGroup offers execs a 'road map' to health.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... WALTHAM--How long does the average executive spend with a doctor every year? Most healthy, on-the-go professionals would admit the visits can be measured in minutes, not hours. So, a new executive health management program offered by...

Some aspiring hospitals stung by cardiac surgery license awards.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... First there were six, then there were three. The state this week picked three community hospitals that would receive open heart surgery licenses, leaving three others to wait as long as several years for another shot. The wait will...

Report: Education drew $2.9B in VC funds last year.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... Education analysts forecast $1.75 billion in venture investments for education-related startups this year Last spring's battering of the Nasdaq slowed the tide of venture capital investment in for-profit education companies, but...

Rosie's Place to sell button goods in store and on web.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Rosie's Place is developing a secure web site and soon will open a retail boutique for online and off-line sales of the unique button products made by participants in its Women's Craft Cooperative. The new initiatives will boost the...

Cookbook author to take over cafe at landmark Cambridge folk club.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... A well-known local vegetarian cookbook author-chef this week signed a purchase and sales agreement to take over the Cafe at Club Passim, the small restaurant at the legendary Harvard Square folk music center in Cambridge. Didi Emmons...

Interleukin Genetics seeks drug-making 'holy grail'.(single nucleotide polymorphisms)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... WALTHAM--If his technology is as good as he says it is, Philip Reilly is going to make friends as well as enemies in the pharmaceutical world. His company, Interleukin Genetics Inc. of Waltham, which studies genetic variations for causes...

Digital Media On Demand changes Napster-like tune.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Company repositions its business to focus more on tecinology than music A local startup working on technology to facilitate a different sort of Napster has decided to turn down the music. Digital Media On Demand Inc., also known as...

Pelago Networks supplements VC with $12 million in debt financing.(venture capital)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... MARLBOROUGH--Looking to stretch its funding, Pelago Networks has taken on $12 million in debt financing. The networking startup, which raised $17 million in venture funding last year, plans to use the new financing to continue the...

Investors sink $38M into Quarry Technologies Inc.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Company to use funds to move through product development to selling BURLINGTON--As it prepares to go to market with its networking switching products, Quarry Technologies Inc. has gotten a big lift from its investors. The Burlington...

Investors think Thinq has the right idea in training.
April 13, 2001... BILLERICA--Thinq Learning Solutions Inc.'s merger with TrainingServer Inc. of Baltimore last fall put the finishing touches on a corporate training company that would offer both training software and content. That one-stop shopping...

Study rates Hub real estate as No. 2 in U.S.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... Boston's phenomenal growth in the real estate industry over the last several years has positioned it as one of the top markets across the nation and across the globe, an important distinction as the nation's economy continues its slide. ...

Charter school visionary no longer leads Advantage.(Steven Wilson)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... A top aide to former Gov. William Weld and the man who wrote the book that convinced the Bay State to experiment with charter schools is no longer running day-to-day operations at the for-profit charter school company he founded. Steven...

Census: Whites below 50-50.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... Whites have attained the same status as everyone else in urban America. They have become a minority. Just 47.1 percent of the people in the nation's 245 largest cities are non-Hispanic whites, according, to an analysis of newly released...

Senate rejects president's proposed SBA budget cuts.(George W. Bush)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Sen. John Kerry co-sponsors funding amendment The Senate added $264 million to President Bush's $539 million budget request for the Small Business Administration, restoring money that Bush proposed to cut from core programs such as the...

Bill aims to curb abuse of business method patents.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is giving greater scrutiny to business method patent applications in response to criticism that too many companies have received intellectual property rights for doing nothing more than bringing already...

OSHA to trim staff, but will add compliance assistance.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to eliminate 94 of its 2,386 full-time positions over the next year through attrition. Most of these job cuts will come from the ranks of management and the agency's...

NFIB to fight two-year delay on business checking interest.(National Federation of Independent Business)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... The National Federation of Independent Business hopes to persuade the U.S. Senate that one year gives banks enough time to begin offering interest on business checking accounts. The House passed a bill ending the Depression-era ban on...

Task force to set definition of women-owned business.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... The National Women's Business Council plans to convene a task force to establish criteria for what constitutes a woman-owned business. A new Census Bureau report found there were 5.4 million women-owned businesses in the United States in...

The cost of long-term care big concern for businesses.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... The high cost of long-term care is a major concern for two-thirds of the businesses recently surveyed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But only one in eight of the chamber members surveyed own long-term care insurance and three-fourths...

Jeff Graham left his mark on Boston's banking scene.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Boston's finance and civic community lost a respected member late last month when Jeffrey T. Graham, a 17-year veteran of the former BankBoston Corp., died of pancreatic cancer in his Jamaica Plain home at 53. The bank's director of...

Boston Stock Exchange has bullish quarter.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... It's been a pretty rough ride for equities since late last year, and the local stock exchange has been no exception. The Boston Stock Exchange had a mixed second quarter, which for the exchange ended March 31 (its fiscal year runs from...

Area's Largest Security Firms.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
April 13, 2001... Area's Largest Security Firms (ranked by security officers in Mass.) Security officers in Rank Company Mass....

'Storewidth' is the next hot new data buzzword.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Forget about data storage. It's over. Sure, the demand is there, but the price of disk storage has gone down faster than the Nasdaq. Storewidth is actually where you want to be, according to the insiders. And storage industry insiders,...

Bill would limit small-business tax bills.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... As small businesses' struggle to make ends meet while the economy slows, Bay State lawmakers are pushing a measure aimed at cutting costs for the smallest of Bay State companies by reducing their real estate property taxes. However, the...