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Mon. Jun. 04, 2012 Ads from Connelly Partners pitch al fresco All Natural chicken sausage Boston ad agency Connelly Partners said Monday that it recently launched TV ads for “al fresco All Natural” chicken sausage, a product made by the Chelsea-based meat processor Kayem Foods Inc. The chicken sausage campaign is titled “Everything Better,” and the TV ads aim to elevate al fresco All Natural’s “brand awareness” and “embody the personality of the brand,” Connelly Partners and al fresco said. The ads are airing in three markets: Sacramento, Calif.; Albany, N.Y.; and Portland, Ore.	Advertisement
Some 38 Studios employees to be hired by Epic Games Some of the employees laid off from Curt Schilling’s troubled 38 Studios LLC game company received welcome news on Sunday. Epic Games Inc. of North Carolina has agreed to hire many of the people who worked for its suburban Baltimore, Md., office, where Schilling had about 100 employees who joined 38 Studios after it acquired Big Huge Games in 2009. “Our heart goes out to the people affected by the unfortunate events surrounding 38 Studios, said Epic president Michael Capps.
Occupy protest seizes on 38 Studios ‘debacle’ PROVIDENCE — Occupy Providence is seizing on what it calls the debacle involving former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s now troubled video gaming company. The protest group says the state ‘‘recklessly gambled’’ on 38 Studios, which was lured to Rhode Island from Massachusetts in 2010 with a $75 million loan guarantee from the Economic Development Corp. Occupy Providence is planning a four-day ‘‘sidewalk occupation’’ to coincide with the Netroots Nation conference being staged in Rhode Island’s capital starting Thursday.
Konarka files for Chapter 7, ceases operations Konarka Technologies Inc., a Lowell company developing solar panels, said it has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. Under Chapter 7, a company’s operations cease, and a trustee is charged with liquidating the company’s assets for the benefit of creditors. In a statement issued Friday, Konarka chief executive Howard Berke said, “Konarka has been unable to obtain additional financing, and given its current financial condition, it is unable to continue operations.”
Mass. gas prices drop another 5 cents a gallon The average price for gas in Massachusetts is $3.569 a gallon in the latest weekly survey from AAA, down 5 cents from the previous week’s average, AAA Southern New England said Monday. It is the seventh straight week of price drops in the Bay State, AAA said. Prices locally are now 33 cents less than the peak gas prices seen in the April 16th survey.
Mass. AG gets complaints from unpaid workers at Curt Schilling’s video game company Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office has received complaints from unpaid workers at Curt Schilling’s video game company trying to recoup their backpay, a spokesman has confirmed. The attorney general’s office said it planned to forward any complaints from Massachusetts residents who were employees at Providence-based 38 Studios to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, which has already launched its own investigation into the situation. Rhode Island could try to obtain back pay for workers as well as seek additional penalties against the company.
Business travel convention will feature ‘Saturday Night Live’ star Seth Meyers The Global Business Travel Association said Monday that Seth Meyers, a star on the ‘‘Saturday Night Live’’ TV show, will be a featured speaker at its upcoming convention in Boston. Meyers is scheduled to speak during a convention luncheon event on July 23. The association expects its convention to draw more than 6,000 attendees to what it bills as the largest, most comprehensive annual gathering of business travel and meetings managers, meeting planners, procurement professionals, and suppliers.
Jewelry e-tailer Gemvara pockets $25m in new funding How much investor interest is there in Gemvara, the Boston-based seller of customizable jewelry? Chief executive Matt Lauzon says that the company just “raised twice as much as we thought we were going to raise” in its latest dance with the VCs. The new round, totaling $25 million, was led by Sergio Monsalve, a former eBay executive who is now a partner at Norwest Venture Partners in Palo Alto.
Carey Watermark Investors buys Hampton Inn Boston/Braintree Carey Watermark Investors Inc. said Monday that it has completed the acquisition of the Hampton Inn Boston/Braintree, a 103-room hotel in Braintree. Carey Watermark Investors, or CWI, said its investment in the property will be about $15.5 million inclusive of a $1.9 million renovation that will be completed in early 2013. The hotel will be managed by StepStone Hospitality. Among the hotel’s appealing features is its proximity to many corporate headquarters, including those of Stop & Shop, Reebok, Dunkin’ Donuts, Haemonetics, and One Beacon Insurance.
Larry Merlo of CVS will address Boston College’s Chief Executives’ Club of Boston Larry J. Merlo, the president and chief executive of CVS Caremark Corp., is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at Boston College’s Chief Executives’ Club of Boston luncheon on Tuesday. Headquartered in Woonsocket, the company may be best known for its pharmacy chain of more than 7,300 stores. With revenues of nearly $108 billion, CVS Caremark employs about 200,000 employees, including 12,800 in Massachusetts. Merlo is expected to speak about the major trends that will increase costs and put pressure on the health care system.
Mass. economy to grow slowly Massachusetts’ economy, which has weathered the recession and its aftermath better than the nation, will continue to grow, but at a slow to moderate pace through 2016, according to a new forecast by the New England Economic Partnership. Employment will expand moderately over the next few years, but slow in 2016 as retiring baby boomers leave the labor force, according to the forecast. Massachusetts is projected to add 30,000 to 40,000 jobs a year in 2012 and 2013.
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