Providence Business News articles from April 2001

Providence Business News archives from April 2001

Brown seeks share of bio-med money.(Brown University)
April 30, 2001... Last month, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson told a Brown University audience that the Bush Administration plans to double the National Institute of Health budget by 2003. Members of Brown's biomedical-research...

Business calendar aims at court crunch.(for the Superior Court in Providence and Bristol Counties.)
April 30, 2001... Rhode Island Superior Court Presiding Justice Joseph F. Rodgers, Jr. has issued an Administrative Order establishing a "Business Calendar" for the Superior Court in Providence and Bristol Counties. The new calendar will initially exist...

Woonsocket charter school plan facing intense review.
April 30, 2001... A new charter school proposed for Woonsocket is not without its supporters -- or opponents. At a recent (April 18) public hearing for the project, Jack Lawhead, a Woonsocket High School English teacher who is spearheading the project,...

Restoration slated for Ten Mile River fisheries.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... A public-private partnership of local, state and federal agencies working together with environment advocacy groups announced plans to restore the fisheries of the Ten Mile River, one of Narragansett Bay's largest historic fish runs. ...

CORRECTIONS.(Correction Notice)
April 30, 2001... In the list of the area's business and professional associations, the suite number and annual dues for the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce were incorrect. The suite number is 301 and the annual dues are $300. A recent article...

Business to business from Belarus to R.I. via Bryant.
April 30, 2001... While doing business in the former Soviet Union is not the same as doing business in Rhode Island,. there are surprising similarities. For the fourth time in two years the Rhode Island Export Assistance Center at Bryant College in...

Costello of PBN chosen by SBA as Small Business Journalist.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... Bethany Costello, a reporter at the Providence Business News since the fall of 1999, is this year's Small Business Journalist, an award given annually by the local Small Business Administration and this year, by its affiliate, the Small...

Beware of the Web site virus hysteria.(Interview)
April 30, 2001... Name: Rob Rosenberger Age: 38 Position: Editor of Vmyths.com Background: Worked as a computer-security analyst for the U.S. Air Force and a Fortune 1000 company. Family: Married Residence: Iowa City, Iowa PBN: Tell...

Plight of nursing homes' finances aired at Langevin meeting.
April 30, 2001... In 1993, nursing home owner Angelo Rotella paid $89 a day to care for the average patient at one of his homes. Today the cost is $100 per patient-day. That annual increase of barely 1 percent is well below the inflation rate, which is a...

Early stage technology investments will support enterprise efficiencies.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... BOSTON (BUSINESS WIRE) - In a report released last week, Aberdeen Group, a leading IT market analysis and positioning services firm, states that early stage investors are making a massive shift away from B-to-B and B-to-C investing in favor...

General Dynamics agrees to buy Newport News Shipbuilding.
April 30, 2001... Government's position on proposed purchase remains to be seen FALLS CHURCH, VA. (Bloomberg) -- General Dynamics Corp., the U.S. Navy's largest shipbuilder and parent of Electric Boat with facilities in Groton, Conn. and Quonset Point in...

Cianci's plan may solve Eagle Square dispute.
April 30, 2001... After six months of what has been at times heated debate over the development of Eagle Square in Providence, Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Jr. is ready to unveil plans for the seven semi-abandoned 19th and early 20th century mill buildings located...

Brown's new engineering building melds practical, aesthetic design.
April 30, 2001... Brown University has recently opened the doors of a new engineering complex -- built over an abandoned 100-year-old railroad tunnel. Students and faculty in the school's Division of Engineering and the Department of Physics are now...

500 to lose jobs at FleetBoston.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... BOSTON -- FleetBoston Financial Corp. plans to lay off about 500 employees, most of them from its capital markets divisions, which are located outside of Boston, the chief financial officer of the company, Eugene McQuade announced. The...

Uno restaurants going private.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... WEST ROXBURY -- Uno Restaurant Corp. has reached agreement with a newly formed corporation organized by its chairman and majority stockholder, Aaron Spencer and four company officers. The agreement calls for a merger between the Uno...

Massachusetts unemployment rising.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... BOSTON -- With the biggest surge of unemployed since the 1991 recession, unemployment in Massachusetts moved up to 3.1 percent in March as 14,300 people were added to the state's list of unemployed. That rate still compares favorably with the...

Raytheon to lay off 100 in Andover.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... LEXINGTON -- Raytheon Corp. announced that it would lay off about 100 workers in its two sites in Andover. The layoffs are in plants involved in the manufacture of Patriot and Hawk missiles and cell phone components. Raytheon attributed the...

Nstar overcharged customers, suit alleges.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... BOSTON (Bloomberg) -- Nstar, the largest investor- owned electric utility in Massachusetts, overcharged customers who moved to new addresses, consumers contend in a lawsuit. Nstar, the parent company of Boston Edison and other utilities in...

New England expected to have adequate electricity.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... BOSTON (Bloomberg) -- New England will have adequate supplies of electricity this summer, as new generating plants help utilities meet expected record demand, according to the operator of the region's power grid. New England's power...

Boston Properties profit up 45 percent.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... BOSTON (Bloomberg) -- Boston Properties Inc.'s first-quarter earnings rose 45 percent as the second-largest office real estate investment trust benefited from office property acquisitions and developments. Boston Properties' funds from...

Governor nominates Salem for Workers' Comp. Court.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... PROVIDENCE -- Gov. Lincoln Almond has nominated George T. Salem Jr. for the Workers' Compensation Court to replace the retired Judge Carmine Rao. Salem's appointment is subject to review by the Rhode Island Senate. In private practice since...

GTECH in partnership with Taiwan manufacturer.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... WEST GREENWICH -- GTECH, Inc. announced that it had formed a partnership with Acer, Inc., a Taiwanese computer manufacturer, to bid for the rights to supply Taiwan with lottery equipment and service. With an investment of a reported $15...

IceFire Winter Carnival to return next year.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... PROVIDENCE -- The IceFire Winter Carnival has been invited back after a successful debut this year, the city's Tourism Council announced. The three-day festival is scheduled for February 9 -11, 2002. The council estimated that the festival...

Sheehan supports quasi-public agency oversight bill.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... PROVIDENCE -- Sen. James C. Sheehan, D-North Kingstown, announced his support for a bill sponsored by Sen. J. Michael Lenihan, D-East Greenwich to create a legislative panel to oversee to the state's quasi public agencies. The bill would...

EDC gets OK to use $1 million for Brownfields.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... PROVIDENCE -- The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation has been authorized to use $1 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement its Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot Grant to establish a...

R.I. jobless rate going up.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... PROVIDENCE -- The jobless (unemployment) rate in Rhode Island rose to 4 percent in March, compared with 3.6 percent in February and 4.2 percent a year ago, the Department of Labor and Training reported. Nationally unemployment reached 4.3...

Legislator files mercury control bills.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... PROVIDENCE -- Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr., D-Smithfield and Glocester, has filed two bills designed to control the use and disposal of mercury, a recognized toxin used in industrial and medical, processes. One bill would regulate products...

Former Barclay executive pleads guilty of embezzlement.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... PROVIDENCE -- Robert John Eldredge, a former chief financial officer at Barclay Investments, pleaded guilty last week in U.S. District Court to embezzling $716,232 from the employee stock ownership plan at the investment firm. Eldridge also...

South County Hospital to sponsor Scholar-Athlete Games.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... KINGSTON -- South County Hospital will provide medical support for the 2001 World Scholar Athlete Games, the Institute for International Sport has announced. The games will run from June 22 through July 1 at the University of Rhode Island...

Rhode Island Stock Watch.(Statistical Data Included)
April 30, 2001... Rhode Island Stock Watch Stockwatch Index APRIL 25, 2001 1054.26 DOWN 7.06 (-0.67%) Dow Jones:...

Earth to Congress, are you awake? Dump distributions tax.
April 30, 2001... NEW YORK -- In the game of mutual fund "tax efficiency," investors are the losers. They lose on their stock fund investments no matter what kind of fund they chose, because tax complications increase costs all around and cloud the...

Hasbro.
April 30, 2001... Hasbro Employees: 8,900 Hasbro, last week, reported a larger than expected first quarter loss of some $25 million or 15 cents per share. For the same period a year ago, the company showed a profit of $15.1 million or 8 cents per...

They knew what they wanted and they did it.(Company Profile)
April 30, 2001... Company: Total Manufacturing President: Carl Reed Location: 35 Railroad Avenue, Slatersville Year founded: 1997 Type of business: Contract manufacturer Number of employees: 40 Annual revenues: Between $3 and $4...

Warwick Winnelson acquires Bilsin Plumbing & Heating Supply Co.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... Warwick Winnelson announced that it has acquired Bilsin Supply Co. Inc a plumbing supplier for Rhode Island since 1979. Warwick Winnelson, located on 1077 Tollgate Road, will offer customers a full line of American fixtures, faucets,...

Heartlab puts computer code in public domain.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... Heartlab Inc. co-founder Jon Elion, MD recently placed into the public domain computer code and databases to help manufacturers of cardiac date collection equipment implement DICOM Structured Reporting (SR). DICOM SR creates an international...

Astors' Beechwood Mansion participates in an international survey.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... The Astors' Beechwood Mansion -- Victorian Living History Museum recently participated in an international survey of costumed interpreters at historic hotels. The University of Surrey in England is conducting a study of visitors' responses to...

Keep your word and keep your business.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... The organizers of an event in Australia have just informed me that, although we have a signed deal, they've changed their mind about having me come out to address their convention. Never mind that we have a formal agreement or that I've...

Brown's students - business link surpasses internships.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... Greg Crawford, an electrical engineering professor at Brown University, and Eric Suuberg, a professor of chemical engineering at the Ivy League school, are using a grant from the National Science Foundation to connect students and companies...

Design Center conference scheduled for May 3.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... When CAS America's Joseph Cannon wanted to broaden his company's product line, he contacted the Center or Design & Business (CDB). "We were looking for new ways for developing new products," said Cannon, president of CAS America in East...

School-to-career programs help students focus on future.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... The days when college graduates meander from job to job may be a convention of the past. School-to-work programs now in place at most Rhode Island high schools are trying to alleviate occupational indecision by helping students understand...

Managers still need training in order to manage well.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... It's hard enough working up the management chain. Once you get the promotion to that next level, you probably feel like patting yourself on the back rather than asking, "Do I have the management skills I need?" Managers should do both,...

New IT Center at CCRI aimed at closing skills-jobs gap.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... It's estimated that existing Rhode Island companies create 2,000 Information Technology (IT) jobs annually. And while the numbers vary as to how many students are graduating from the state's schools of higher learning with degrees related...

Area's MBA Programs.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... Area's MBA Programs (ranked by enrollment) 2001 2000 rank rank Institution 1 10 Babson College F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business ...

Stock Market slump damps demand for expensive homes.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... WASHINGTON (Bloomberg) -- Judi Desiderio, a seller of real estate in New York's Hamptons for almost two decades, knows how a stock market slump can reduce spending by even the wealthiest U.S. consumers. Sales of homes costing between $1...

Business Notes.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... ADVERTISING Robin Gerardi Sarro has been named art director at Im-aj Communications & Design, Inc., a full-service marketing communications and graphic design firm based in Richmond. She will be responsible for art directing and managing...

Unclogging the courts.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... The battle to improve the state's business climate is continually fought on several fronts. We are pleased to see a small, but important victory emerging from the judiciary. Rhode Island Superior Court Presiding Justice Joseph F. Rodgers;...

We've come along way, but where are we going?(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... It's hard to imagine how far we've come in a dozen years or so. Back then we were flirting with a credit union crisis, in the midst of a severe recession when Rhode Island's job loss was at the worst rate of any state since the Great...

Go with your strength to succeed.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... I recently came across an old fable told in India that makes a valid point. It seems there was a water bearer who carried two large pots from the ends of a pole that he balanced across his neck. One of the pots was perfectly made and never...

Literacy volunteers face challenge of illiteracy in R.I.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... The Promise of America reflects a simple dream of freedom and hope - work hard and play by the rules, and you can achieve success. That dream is what brought my family here 20 years ago. When I was five, I left Cuba with my mother to come...

Brown's life sciences building.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... Brown University's plan to build a new $94 million state-of-the-art life sciences building should have an enormous and positive impact not only on the university, but on Rhode Island as well. It is another example of how valuable our...

EXECUTIVE POLL.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2001... The Providence Business News/Johnson & Wales executive poll is a weekly survey of 70 top business leaders throughout the state, representing small and large companies in a variety of industries and businesses. The National Federation of...

Taxes--a daunting test for business.
April 23, 2001... It can be tough going for businesses in the Ocean State, experts say, and while some think it's important to have a presence here, others say the taxes and other costs can be crippling. Stephen Xavier opened executive consulting firm Magi...

Our own 'Big Dig' is about to begin.(municipal construction)
April 23, 2001... Bearing a price tag of more than $550 million and a timetable that spans over two decades, the Narragansett Bay Commission's Combined Sewer Overflow Project has been labeled by some as the "big dig" of Rhode Island. And with construction...

'Crisis in academic medicine' spurs hospitals to form coalition.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... Leaders of Rhode Island's seven private teaching hospitals have joined with Brown Medical School in a call for increased funding of academic medicine. "There is a crisis in academic medicine," said Donald J. Marsh MD, Dean of Medicine at...

Financial services cluster created.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... A "Financial Services Industry Cluster" has been established to bring together financial services companies in the banking, insurance, and investment arena to form partnerships with Rhode Island's high schools and career and technical...

Bush praises Chamber members; technical problems prevent dialogue.(Pres. George W. Bush addresses the US Chamber of Commerce)(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... The novelty of President George W. Bush addressing members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on his tax cut last Monday (April 16) was that the speech was fed by satellite to sites around the country, including the conference center at the...

Sensory Technologies finds home, support.(Sensory Technologies Inc.)
April 23, 2001... Jason Harry, Ph.D., is president of Sensory Technologies, Inc., a medical device start-up company working on neurotherapy technologies designed to improve sensory function in people with diminished sensation resulting from disease, aging,...

R.I. Hall of Fame adds nine prominent contributors.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... The board of directors of the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame has selected nine prominent Rhode Islanders -- six-living and three deceased -- for inclusion into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, a facility now housed in the Rhode...

As Green Airport grows, new director peers into future.(T.F. Green Airport)(Interview)
April 23, 2001... Name: Michael Cheston Age: 47 Position: Executive Director, Rhode Island Airport Corporation Background: The former general manager of Portland International Airport in Oregon, Cheston is a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps...

Environmentalists on alert for legislative action.
April 23, 2001... Environmentalists are watching the state's General Assembly as issues from dredging to neighborhood development, and lead poisoning are debated on the Senate and House floors. And while groups like Save The Bay, the Audubon Society, the...

Groundwork is begun on renovation of Kennedy Plaza, Intermodal Center.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... Rick Benton is excited about the prospects of a new Kennedy Plaza for practical reasons. The general manager at the Providence Biltmore estimates that as many as 50 percent of the hotel's 140 full time employees take the bus to work each day....

Downtown merchants expanding their vision.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... With a clear goal in mind, Trinity Brewhouse owner Joshua Miller has taken the helm of the Downtown Providence Merchants Association (DPMA). "We want it (downtown) to be as attractive - or more attractive - as any other part of...

On ice and in ice--his art and business.(ice sculpture)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
April 23, 2001... Company: Art in Ice Inc. Owner: George A. O'Palenick Location: Post Road, WarWick Type of business: Ice sculpting Year founded: 1987 Employees: 5 Annual Revenues: WND With chisels hanging from the walls, and...

Walter Metrokin named CEO of Mother Earth Environmental.(additional item: small business survey)(News Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... Walter Metrokin has been named chief executive officer of the Norwood, Mass.-based environmental consulting firm, Mother Earth Environmental. The company audits waste management expenses and provides specific solutions for reducing these...

Shaping CCRI for future of diversity, urbanization.(Community College of Rhode Island)(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... Customized learning plans and service to an increasingly diverse, urban population are two of the largest considerations that face the Community College of Rhode Island as it enters the 21st Century. "Yogi Berra said that 'The future...

Preparation the key word in passing on businesses.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... A family business cannot continue to be a family business without a successor. And for that successor to be successful the founder or head of operations must train his or her kin carefully. John Hazen White Jr. has first-hand knowledge of...

Internet cited as rising influence.(real estate industry)(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... The Internet has influenced the real estate community's most influential members more than any other aspect of their industry. About 36 percent of the 25 experts we spoke with cited the increasing role of Internet technology as something that...

A Who's Who in real estate.(Directory)
April 23, 2001... Name: Joseph Accetta Company: Joseph W. Accetta & Associates, Cranston Position: President Professional Background: A real estate professional since 1966, Accetta established his company two years later in 1968. Education:...

London tops office market.(London, England)(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... NEW YORK (Bloomberg) -- London reclaimed the title of world's most expensive office market from Tokyo in 2000 as financial services firms expanded in the U.K. city, a Cushman & Wakefield study found. At an average of $135 a square foot,...

Super Stop & Shop, YMCA coming to Gorham site.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... Once home to the world's largest silver producer, the former Gorham Manufacturing site in Providence is now the focus of a development proposal that could bring retail shops, a supermarket, and even the Greater Providence YMCA to an area that...

Property owners get extension to reply to Bulfinch offers.(Bulfinch Companies Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... Needham, Mass.-based Bulfinch Companies Inc. has extended the deadline for landowners to respond to its multiple offers for properties in the Warwick Station Redevelopment area. The deadline for responses to the 23 offers -- totaling more...

Providence Plan Commission turns away Home Depot developers.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... PROVIDENCE -- Last Tuesday, April 17, at a public hearing regarding a new Home Depot in the Silver Springs area, the Providence City Plan Commission told developers to rethink their model. The proposal by Ventures on charles, Inc., a...

Fed interest rate cut seen boosting demand for U.S. real estate.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... NEW YORK (Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates is fuelling optimism among property developers, and investors that demand will rise among tenants for everything from offices to shopping mall space. "This is...

Area's Commercial Real Estate Leases.(Statistical Data Included)(Illustration)
April 23, 2001... Area's Commercial Real Estate Leases (ranked by square footage) 2001 2000 Rank Rank Lessee OFFICE LEASES 1 NL Citizens Bank 2 ...

A glance at some of life's little business ironies.(good, bad customer service examples)
April 23, 2001... There comes a time when "policies," "procedures," and "protocols" need to be reexamined, largely because we're at a loss to explain how they arose and became so ominous to begin with. Here are some of the ironies of the workplace -- with...

Business Notes.(recent appointments)(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... ACCOUNTING Lyn Demy has joined accounting firm Rooney, Plotkin & Willey, LLP of Newport and Providence as staff accountant in the Newport office. According to a press release from Rooney, Plotkin & Willey she was one of the six top...

United Way presents Legislators of the Year Awards.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... Rhode Island State Senator Elizabeth H. Roberts and State Representative Thomas C. Slater were recently recognized as the 2000-2001 Legislators of the Year by the United Way of Southeastern New England. The Awards are given annually to a...

New England Construction names two new hires.(David J. Erickson, Kevin M. Blanchette)(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... Kevin M. Blanchette has joined New England Construction of Rumford as chief estimator. He will establish and implement estimating and purchasing systems and procedures for the company's newly formed estimating division. He previously served...

March, Easter boost retail sales; caution advised.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... According to March reports, sales at some of the country's largest retailers are up, but caution is the watchword, experts say. "I think there are a number of factors contributing to that," said Elaine Notarantonia, Ph.D., professor of...

KVH Industries completes private placement.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... MIDDLETOWN -- KVH Industries has announced the completion of a private placement of 1,538,461 common shares priced at $6.50 per share, for a total of $10 million, to two institutional investors. These sales will bring the total additional...

Healthcare Automation completes HIPAA assessment.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... WARWICK -- Healthcare Automation (HAI) recently engaged health care consulting firm Beacon Partners to provide its first audit to review its software and business processes. The results of the audit provided HAI with feedback as it develops...

Edgewater Technology, Select Inc. in partnership.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... WAKEFIELD, Mass. -- Edgewater Technology, e-business consulting and systems integration arm of Edgewater Technology, Inc., has announced a strategic alliance with Select, Inc., a network computing provider, to supply clients with a "one-stop...

PerkinElmer acquisitions fuel revenue growth.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... BOSTON -- PerkinElmer, Inc. -- which recently partnered with CENiX to develop high-speed receiver technologies for advanced fiber optical networks -- is reporting revenue growth for the first quarter of 21 percent over the same period last...

Anoto names former A.T. Cross COO board member.(Brief Article)
April 23, 2001... BOSTON -- Anoto, a subsidiary of C Technologies, (CTEC), has announced that former A.T. Cross Company Chief Operating Officer and pioneer in pen computing, John Buckley has joined Anoto as an executive board member. Buckley was directly...