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Wed. Jun. 27, 2012 Len Fishman to retire as Hebrew SeniorLife chief executive after a dozen years on the job Len Fishman will retire next spring after a dozen years as chief executive of Hebrew SeniorLife, a Harvard-affiliated provider of senior health care and housing.	Advertisement
Furniture chain Room & Board plans to open a Newbury Street store next year Room & Board, a Minnesota-based chain of about a dozen US stores, plans to open a multilevel store in Boston in late 2013. The new 39,000-square-foot store, Room & Board’s first in New England, will be located at 407 Newbury St. at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue. Room & Board said it will occupy the entire building, which was commissioned for construction by the estate of Henry Lee in 1908. The building’s neighbors include the Harvard Club and the Eliot Hotel.
World Bank’s Robert Zoellick will be a senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center Robert B. Zoellick, whose five-year term as president of the World Bank ends June 30, will become a senior fellow at a research center at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Zoellick is set to join the school’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in July. “I hope to work on the intersection of economics and security, applying history to policy questions of today,” he said in a statement.
A123 Systems will provide lithium-ion battery technology for aviation applications Mid-Continent Instrument Co. said Wednesday that it has signed a distribution and supply agreement with Waltham battery maker A123 Systems Inc. under which Mid-Continent will offer A123’s advanced Nanophosphate lithium-ion battery technology for aviation applications. With operations in Kansas, Mid-Continent manufactures and repairs aircraft instruments, avionics, and power solutions for the general aviation industry.
TJX, General Dynamics receive state tax breaks A state economic development board on Tuesday awarded more than $31 million in state and local tax breaks to companies for 17 projects. The Economic Assistance Coordinating Council approved $10 million in state tax credits for 10 firms, including $3.3 million to defense contractor General Dynamics Corp., $3 million to retailing giant TJX Cos. and $1.7 million to Saint Gobain SA, a French building materials company.
Zipcar mounts social media contest on Facebook Zipcar Inc., the Cambridge-based car-sharing service, recently turned to a social media contest on Facebook to engage its customer base. The brand’s 80,000 or so fans on Facebook were asked to write a brief essay on the ultimate road trip, and nearly 5,000 complied. The winners, Jason and Elizabeth the Hart of Cambridge, are getting an all-expenses paid trip to San Francisco. As a result of the contest, a special Zipcar tab on Facebook was viewed more than 53,000 times.
More residents are taking out Mass Save zero-percent heat loans The recent heat wave did not slow down applications for the Mass Save zero-percent heat loan program that helps defray costs for local home owners looking to shrink their carbon footprints, said Conservation Services Group, a national energy services company headquartered in Westborough. In May, Massachusetts residents took out about $3.6 million worth of Mass Save loans, up from $1.24 million for the same month a year ago. Among the reasons for the increase: Word of mouth has increased awareness of the program.
Home sales in Massachusetts keep increasing, while price declines are moderating The number of home sales in Massachusetts accelerated last month as more buyers took advantage of low interest rates and discounted prices. Single-family home sales increased by nearly 35 percent in May compared with the same period last year, marking the highest number of transactions in one month since June 2010, according to the Warren Group, a Boston company that tracks local real estate. Condominium sales fared even better, increasing by more than 50 percent in May.
Island Creek Oyster Bar ranks high in TripAdvisor survey of US restaurants TripAdvisor, a Newton-based travel review website, said it has bestowed one of its inaugural Travelers’ Choice Restaurants awards on the Island Creek Oyster Bar in Boston. The awards are based on the millions of traveler reviews and opinions on TripAdvisor, and winners range from casual chains to fine dining restaurants, TripAdvisor said. All told, 576 restaurants from around the world were honored. The Island Creek Oyster Bar was ranked eighth on a top 10 list of US restaurants, the only local bistro to crack the US top 10.
State Street: Investor confidence is up in June An index for investor confidence posted a 93.5 reading in June, its highest level so far this year and 7 points higher than the reading in May, State Street Global Markets said Tuesday. According to a State Street Global Markets press release, investors “have tempered their bearishness a little,” and that accounted for the increase. State Street Global Markets, which maintains the index, is the investment research and trading arm of State Street Corp., a financial services company headquartered in Boston.
Liberty Mutual joint venture gets OK to sell insurance in India Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance Group said Tuesday said that a company joint venture has gotten a license to sell insurance products in India. The company said that Liberty Videocon General Insurance Co. Ltd., a joint venture between Liberty Mutual and Videocon Industries Ltd., has received the necessary license from India’s insurance regulatory authority to commence operations. The parties entered into the joint venture agreement in December 2010.
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