Boston Business Journal articles from December 2000

Boston Business Journal archives from December 2000

Privacy chiefs.(Chief Privacy Officers)
December 1, 2000... Companies tap officers to protect their own electronic reputations Tell A.G. Breitenstein of PrivaSource Inc. someone's ZIP code, birth date and gender, and she will have no trouble finding out that person's identity. Connect a laptop...

Sovereign reinstates partner benefits.(Sovereign Bancorp)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Sovereign Bancorp has done an about-face and restored a popular employee benefit that covered domestic partners it dropped two months ago to save about $200,000. Bank officials stressed the move was positive, saying Sovereign will extend...

Au Bon Pain acquisition may be near.(Granada Compass PLC)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... London company said to hunger for Boston chain The Boston-based Au Ban Pain chain may be changing hands. Sources say Granada Compass PLC, a $6.75 billion London-based hospitality and food-service company is in talks to buy the 281-unit...

Is Fast Company slowing down?(magazine planning for future)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Fast Company magazine, the Boston-based chronicler of New Economy work trends, now appears to be caught up in the dot-com downward spiral as it faces a sharp plunge in sales of December ad pages. Despite this, the publisher of the magazine...

Ever heard the one about the lion who bit the tire?(Brief Article)(Short Story)
December 1, 2000... Several Holland Mark Advertising executives were more thankful for life and limb last week than turkey drumsticks and pumpkin pie. On Nov. 20, the four-member Boston-based creative team returned from their walk on the wild side at Namibia's...

Bring author Ayn Rand home for the holidays.(Thanksgiving celebration)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Ayn Rand, author of "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged," has proven to be a role model for many people attracted to her tributes to the power of the individual. But what kind of Thanksgiving dinner guest would she have been? As you slouch...

On the road with Argeo.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... No, really--Gov. Paul Cellucci was doing Massachusetts business while on his latest overseas excursion--this one to Japan and Australia--and not practicing to be a U.S. ambassador, should his friend Texas Gov. George W. Bush become president....

CORRECTION.(Akibia Inc.'s article on employee training)(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2000... In the Nov. 17, 2000, edition of the Boston Business Journal, an article in the focus section ("Firms invest heavily in training, despite risk of turnover") incorrectly stated the number of employees at Akibia Inc. The company employs 450...

Skanska lands $386M order for Logan terminal.(Logan International Airport)(Delta Air Lines Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... BOSTON--Skanska AB, a Swedish company that has become the fifth-largest builder in the United States, said it won a contract worth about $386 million to build a terminal at Boston's Logan International Airport for Delta Air Lines Inc. The...

Clarendon Photonics raises $16M in funds.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... BOSTON-Clarendon Photonics, a developer of integrated services for next- generation high-bandwidth optical networks, completed a $16 million equity financing round. New Enterprise Associates led the financing. Other investors included...

Integrated Development receives $12M in funding.(Integrated Development Enterprise)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... CONCORD--Integrated Development Enterprise (IDe), a provider of development chain management software for integrated product development, received $12 million in mezzanine funding. The funding was led by Harbour Vest Partners. Other...

Bringing smiles to uninsured.(DentaQuest Access Plans Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... For small-business owners, free-lancers and the unemployed, dental insurance is a luxury they often cannot afford. Insurance plans can be too costly for small-business owners, and individuals cannot buy insurance in this state. So, it's no...

Banking on net software.(Financial Fusion Inc.)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Financial Fusion Inc.'s president made bold choices to head spinoff WATERTOWN--Michon Schenck's mother used to say her daughter made two mistakes in her career. "The first mistake was I stayed in Boston because I met, and was already...

$100M shopping development moves ahead.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... READING--More than two decades after it closed, the municipal landfill here appears to be headed toward development as a $100 million project featuring a Jordan's Furniture store with a 300-seat IMAX theater, a Home Depot, an office building...

Viatical settlement trade to face state regulations.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Massachusetts is about to become the latest state to regulate viatical settlements--cash payments to terminally ill people in exchange for their life insurance policies. Although well established, the practice has become controversial in...

Airports, franchises in Bertucci's expansion recipe.(Bertucci's Brick Oven Pizzeria)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... MAYNARD--Fortified by the pending $93 million sale of its Chili's and On the Border restaurants, NE Restaurant Co. Inc. is gearing up for its first expansion of the Bertucci's Brick Oven Pizzeria concept since it purchased the chain in 1998....

Demand for cord blood storage expected to grow.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Though stem cell therapies are still considered experimental and even controversial, two local companies are seeing business at their umbilical cord blood banks surge. It appears more and more people are willing to pay these companies to...

Investors learn to like WebCT's collegiate approach.(WebCT Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Online textbook venture takes in $70 million in latest round of funding LYNNFIELD--Moving ahead with its plan to build an online learning empire, WebCT has closed a $70 million round of funding. The investment is one of the largest...

Fincorp share buyback aims at boosting stock price.(Massachusetts Fincorp Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... QUINCY--Massachusetts Fincorp Inc., the holding company for Massachusetts Cooperative Bank, announced its second stock buyback in less than six months. The Quincy-based bank holding company said it would repurchase up to 5 percent of its...

Teradyne Inc. orders buyback for 10 million shares.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Even though its stock has been hovering around $33 per share, down from its 52-week high of $115.44, Teradyne Inc. officials expect employees will be exercising their stock options over the next two years. The company's board Nov. 17 authorized...

EMC opens 3 new offices in Indian market.(EMC Corp.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... HOPKINTON--EMC Corp. of Hopkinton last week opened its first three offices in India, a country of 1 billion people where less than 1 percent of homes have Internet access, but where growth in data storage needs is expected to be explosive as...

Charlesbank invests $20M in fiber optics for I-495.(Interstate 495)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Charlesbank Capital Partners LLC of Boston has made a $20 million equity investment in a regional telecommunications network that is currently building a fiber-optic network along Interstate 495. C2C Fiber of Massachusetts Inc., a network...

Telica Inc. sells its first broadband switching system to BTI Telecom.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... MARLBOROUGH--Broadband switch-maker Telica Inc. has its first customer: BTI Telecom Corp. of Raleigh, N.C. Telica said BTI has placed a multimillion-dollar order for its switching product, which will be installed on BTI's networks in at...

Arradial secures $3M for high-throughput product.(Arradial Inc., for testing molecular compounds for their potential as drugs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... A new competitor in the increasingly sophisticated high-throughput screening market has emerged, promising faster, cheaper results. Arradial Inc., based in Charlestown, got a $3 million venture boost to license ultra-high-throughput...

Christmas tree growers see green holiday season ahead.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... GREENFIELD--Local Christmas tree grower Peter Wood, (yes, that's his real name) senses that he's going to have a profitable season. Before Thanksgiving, Wood already had shipped two trees at the request of a truck driver in Montana, and he said...

Yogurt cups come back as handles for toothbrushes.(recycling project)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Most people would not be surprised to learn yogurt can be a health aid, its live active cultures touted as "beneficial bacteria" that help protect the body against a number of harmful conditions. But how many people know yogurt may also...

High-tech coalition to hit the road and spread word on North Shore.(the Dot.commonwealth coalition of companies)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Figuring the show must go on, the Dot.commonwealth Coalition will take its road show to the North Shore next week. The tour of Lynn and Beverly hot spots next Friday is the third effort by the Dot.commonwealth group to highlight emerging...

Competition for engineers called 'almost cannibalism'.(labor shortages in environmental industry)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Environmental engineering executive Paul Sutton was not surprised to learn the results of a new study highlighting severe labor shortages in his profession. In the past year, Sutton has lost employees to Big Dig contractors, the high-tech...

Lodging association fights labor woes with ESL ed.(English-as-a-second-language education)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... They work as housekeepers, laundry employees, bag handlers and maintenance people. Very often, they're Asian-American, Eastern European, Guatemalan, Haitian, Jamaican and Mexican. According to the Massachusetts Lodging Association,...

Hotel operators to open career educational institute.(the Massachusetts Lodging Association's new educational institute)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The Massachusetts Lodging Association next week will launch an educational institute that centralizes its efforts to promote careers in the hotel industry and educate its current work force. The new division of the MLA's educational...

Insurer program touted as model.(tax credit for insurance companies contributing towards community development)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... By swapping tax cuts for investment in affordable housing and small businesses, Massachusetts may have an answer to the contentious question of how to hold insurers to community reinvestment standards. At the Dec. 2-6 meeting of the...

Trial lawyers seek to change jury screening process.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Attorneys involved in the jury selection process in Massachusetts often feel like Forrest Gump faced, with a new box of chocolates--they never know what they're going to get. Doug Sheff, a principal at Sheff Law Offices PC in Boston and...

Cape towns back in publication's five-star ranks.(Demographics Daily economic survey)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Barnstable-Yarmouth and Portland, Maine, have bounced back into the ranks of the country's top local economies, according to ratings compiled by Demographics Daily, a sister publication of the Boston Business Journal. Demographics Daily...

LavaStorm joins other tech firms in Watertown Arsenal.(LavaStorm Inc., other technology companies, in Watertown building)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... WATERTOWN--LavaStorm Inc., a well-funded Internet firm, is moving its headquarters into 79,471 square feet of space in the Watertown Arsenal's largest building sometime in March. The Internet systems engineering company, which has raised...

Interliant wraps up search, will stay in Woburn.(Interliant Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... WOBURN--Interliant Inc., a Purchase, N.Y.-based application service provider, is consolidating its operations in two locations and moving into 74,000 square feet in a renovated building. The company, which has over 1,000 application hosting...

Hyannis's C & I Steel rolls into consolidation venture.(C and I Steel part of Fabrication Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Hyannis-based C&I Steel Inc. has joined with eight other steel fabrication companies in a consolidation venture that rolls together firms with an average operating history of 28 years into a steel-belted venture that expects to generate about...

Investors fund spin off of Panacos Pharmaceuticals.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Boston Biomedica finally finds deep pockets to keep its drug company alive WEST BRIDGEWATER--For Richard Schumacher, there just may be a Santa Claus. After months of searching, the chairman and chief executive officer of Boston...

Seattle auto-sharing firm seeks a share of market driven by Boston company.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Mobility Inc., the Seattle company that operates the Flexcar auto-sharing business, is seeking $2.5 million from angel and corporate investors to accelerate its growth. The company has its eye on a relatively new market niche. The only...

Ardais Corp. collaborates with Duke on genomics.(Duke University)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... N.C. research facility will bring together scientists, engineers and others Duke University in Durham, N.C., opened a $200 million research center on Nov. 20 that officials believe could revolutionize the way common ailments, such as heart...

National study considers Boston a 'balanced' city.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Boston, along with Washington, D.C., Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco, is considered a "balanced" city according to a new study examining the city-suburban trend in office space by the Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy at the...

Pyrosequencing makes it into Harvard cancer research.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... We all know our bodies function and develop according to a string of instructions encoded in our cells' DNA. And since the Human Genome Project became mainstream this summer, we now know that diseases and their cures can depend on the way the...

Admetric signs licensing deal.(Admetric BioChem Inc.)(SmithKline Beecham PLC)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Cambridge-based Admetric Biochem Inc. just signed its second deal with U.K.-owned SmithKline Beecham PLC. The pharmaceutical company will license Admetric's membrane affinity finger-printing (MAF) technology, a method of screening compounds for...

Matritech's colon cancer test sees positive results.(Matritech Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Imagine learning whether you are predisposed for one the deadliest forms of cancer with merely a blood test. Officials at Newton-based Matritech Inc. say they have seen favorable results from trials of the company's colon cancer test. ...

Hugging a bear market.(Elizabeth Durkee, founder of Bula Bear and Friends)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Former stockbroker embraces stuffed animal industry MARBLEHEAD--Three years ago, Elizabeth Durkee went looking for a change. Then a stockbroker, Durkee's quest was not motivated by money. The market was riding high, and she had all the...

For worker gift ideas, nothing is too small.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Small-business owners spend an average of $5 billion every year on holiday gifts for clients, employees and vendors; according to research by American Express Small Business Services. But, despite the high figure, experts say small...

Success in business world is much like success in cooking.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Let's be honest: If you're like most people, you believe your mother is a great cook. I know I do. Since the holidays are upon us once again, and we're making plans for family get-togethers, I couldn't help but think about all those great...

Health appeals rule a step forward, but will prove costly.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Business groups say the Clinton administration addressed some of its concerns in the final version of new regulations that require employer-based health plans to offer an internal appeals process for people who want to challenge coverage...

Study documents damage due to contract bundling.(U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... A new study released by the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy found that federal agencies are bundling federal contracts into increasingly large packages, at the expense of smaller contractors. The average bundled...

Law firm hired to review EPA's diversity practices.(Holland and Knight L.L.P.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has been accused of discriminating against minority employees, retained a law firm to review its "workplace fairness and diversity practices." The team from Holland and Knight LLP is led by...

Salem's museum expansion expected to boost tourism.(Peabody Essex Museum, Salem)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The $65 million, second phase expansion of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem's East India Square got under way this week with a groundbreaking on a new 100,000-square-foot museum. The project, which is believed to be one of the largest...

More 'net questions.(internet impact on real estate survey)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Just how much of an influence is the Internet having on the real estate industry? It's a question being asked quite a bit lately. Earlier this week, the MIT Center for Real Estate's alumni association held a one-day symposium that looked at...

Scholarship fund created.(Boston Properties Scholarship Program)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Boston Properties Inc., the Boston-based real estate investment trust, is celebrating its 30th anniversary by creating a $25,000 scholarship fund for the children of its employees. The Boston Properties Scholarship Program will be open to...

Logica leases in Lexington.(Logica North America Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Speaking of Boston Properties, the company has renewed its lease with Logica North America Inc. at 32 Hartwell Ave. in Lexington. The company, which provides systems integration, consulting and other business services, will continue...

Israel's Cyber-Ark prefers Bay State climate over Calif.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... An Israeli company that builds Internet security products is setting up shop in Massachusetts. Cyber-Ark Software Ltd. will soon open its headquarters in Dedham, establishing its U.S. presence at the same time it announces the release of its...

SalesDriver, BDirect gain VC.(Salesdriver.com)(B Direct Capital Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... SalesDriver.com Inc. raised $6.2 million in new financing. The company, which creates online incentive programs for sales forces, is based in Maynard and has its main technology office in Toronto. Founded in 1999, SalesDriver is backed by...

Networking boom predicted.(Infonetics Research Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Area companies selling networking gear to the big service providers should be interested to see a new report out from Infonetics Research Inc. The firm, based in San Jose, Calif., predicts the amount spent on networking equipment by top-tier...

A 'net gain for madame pres.(Mireya Moscoso, president of Panama, internet)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The Internet is changing the world, right? Well, with the help of Woburn's BYOBroadcast, the president of Panama is using the Internet to speak to the people of that nation. Visitors to the Panamanian government's web site can hear recorded...

CTC opens data center.(CTC Communications Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... CTC Communications Group Inc., a Waltham-based competitive local exchange carrier, has opened its first data center. CTC describes the Springfield facility as a smaller version of a 75,000 square-foot data center under construction in...

Seuss as sage: Who's the Grinch who stole the rally?(stock market forecast)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Trust me on this: I would be writing about the Grinch even if Jim Carey weren't out there with a new movie on the same subject. I don't even like Jim Carey. And, although there are those who regard me as a Grinch, I prefer to think of...

BJ's Wholesale Club Inc.(Brief Article)(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... THE BUSINESS BJ's Wholesale Club is a warehouse retailer with more than 5 million members and more than 100 stores in 14 states, mostly in the Northeast, but also in Florida, Virginia and Ohio. BJ's gets about 60 percent of its sales...

Steady climb.(Investors Bank and Trust Co.)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
December 1, 2000... With strong growth, Investors Bank & Trust impresses investors, secures a spot in asset administration Track the performance of Investors Bank & Trust's parent company, Investors Financial Services Corp., on the Nasdaq exchange this year...

State's credit unions get boost from bank consolidations.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... People typically keep their personal checking accounts where they do most of their banking. "A person's checking account is usually the best indicator of that relationship," said Rob Kimmett, vice president of marketing at the...

Web banking services see no slowdown in demand.(WingspanBank.com)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Wilmington, Del.-based Wingspan-Bank.com has seen business soar since it started on June 24, 1999. The number of customers at the online bank jumped to 206,000 in September of this year from 60,000 in September 1999. And bank...

Uncle Sam's bite: Year-end bonuses, gifts counted by IRS.(Internal Revenue Service)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Year-end employee bonuses and company gifts are not free from the grasp of Uncle Sam. The Internal Revenue Service provides specific guidelines that spell out what type of gifts can be written off as tax deductions for the employer and...

Going national: BBOC rebounds and sets its sights high.(Boston Bank of Commerce)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... New England's only African-American-owned bank has big plans for Boston and the rest of the country. Under the stewardship of chief executive officer Kevin Cohee, the Boston Bank of Commerce (BBOC) has done a financial flip-flop, brought...

Bankers must use the 'net to lock in their corporate customers.(electronic commerce)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The Internet has become as valuable to businesses as computers, copiers and fax machines. A growing number of small and large companies use the web to trade products and services and for e-commerce. Cambridge-based Forrester Research Inc....

Tax on capital gains drops, but impact is still five years away.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... The good news is that the federal tax rate for long-term capital gains will drop by 2 percent, effective Jan. 1, 2001. The bad news is that most taxpayers will have to wait at least five years to take advantage of the lower rate. The lower...

Follow the '10 Commandments' when dealing with the Street.(valid financial statements)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The pressure for public companies to make the numbers can be enormous. With today's incredible valuations, any revenue shortfall, or perceived weakness, can lead to a rapid and dramatic drop in stock prices. As a result, salespeople,...

Banks are failing at insurance sales--but they can get it right.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Despite bank executives' recent claims that insurance has become a core product, bank insurance sales, or "bancassurance," have fallen far short of expectations. Many banks have stumbled badly in the past three years. That's because to be...

'Bancassurance' can survive--and thrive--in the U.S.(banks selling insurance)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... There has been much discussion in the financial press recently about banks selling insurance, or "bancassurance," in Europe. The message is that the European model is one we should emulate in the United States. But is the European experience...

Investors should be aware of extent of shareholder liability.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... It has become more common for Massachusetts shareholders to be liable for obligations of their corporations. Many entrepreneurs incorporate their businesses to limit their liability. There are exceptions to this limited liability,...

PERSONNEL FILE.
December 1, 2000... ADVERTISING/COMMUNICATIONS Marjorie Arons-Barron, a veteran television journalist who previously served as editorial director at Boston's WCVB-TV, launched her own communications consulting practice, Barron Asociates Worldwide, also...

Pro Media.(new executives appointed)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Pro Media, a Natick-based independent media buying and marketing consulting firm, unveiled a new reorganization designed to fuse together its separate planning and account services divisions for the first time, while also offering interactive...

Trinity Communications Inc.(contract with Application Service Provider Industry Consortium)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Trinity Communications Inc. of Boston was selected by the Application Service Provider Industry Consortium to produce its premier ASPire Awards show, which was held Nov.14 at the ASP Summit during Comdex/Fall 2000 in Las Vegas.

Yeremian Associates.(contracts Fuld and Co.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Yeremian Associates of Newbury was retained by Fuld & Co. of Cambridge to redesign and enhance the firm's web site and create a new corporate image/collateral program.

Target Marketing & Promotions.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Boston-based Target Marketing & Promotions launched its sister company, On Premise Solutions (OPS), offering in-bar/on-site promotional services to package goods companies. The new company's first client is Guinness Bass Import Co., which has...

Brodeur Worldwide.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Brodeur Worldwide of Boston launched a new interactive research service, called "InfoTouch," designed to offer instant insights from industry leaders attending trade shows and conferences. The service is a CD-ROM-driven kiosk with a "touch...

Marketing Database Associates Inc.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Rockland-based Marketing Database Associates Inc. unveiled plans to invest more than $15 million in a new web-based customer service and data technology center in Derry, Northern Ireland.

Tishman Construction Corp.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Tishman Construction Corp. of Boston was selected by the Dover-Sherborn School District as the project manager for the campus-style school expansion program that includes a new middle school, high school renovation and new construction and...

Miller Dyer Spears Inc.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Miller Dyer Spears Inc. of Boston announced several new projects: the $15 million, 110,000-square-foot Rhode Island Island Job Corps Center for the U.S. Department of Labor in Exeter, R.I.; the transformation of Mount Holyoke College's...

Grand Circle Corp.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Grand Circle Corp. of Boston received the Massachusetts chapter of the National Society of Fund-Raising Executives' Hero of Philanthropy-Corporation Award for 2000, in recognition of its community outreach efforts and financial support of...

Universal Software Corp.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Universal Software Corp., a Chelmsford-based IT placement firm, was recognized by "India Abroad-Venture International Inc. 100" as a Top 100 Asian Indian-American business.

Abington Savings Bank.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The international Association for Volunteer Administration honored Abington Savings Bank with an Organizational Award, in recognition of its efforts to promote volunteerism, provide service through a unique model and make a substantial impact...

Carlin, Charron and Rosen LLP.(acquired Empyrean Group)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Carlin, Charron and Rosen LLP, a firm with 175 employees at offices in Worcester, Boston, Leominster, Milford and Providence, R.I., acquired Empyrean Group, which has offices in Worcester and Canada. Under terms of the acquisition, Empyrean...