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Fri. Jun. 29, 2012 A squirrel mascot named Zipper is out to pitch Necco candy lines to young consumers The New England Confectionary Co., known for such candies as Necco Wafers, the Clark Bar, and Mary Jane chews, is looking to woo some younger consumers. To that end, it hired Noonan Creative Group. One of the company’s brands is Squirrel Nut Zippers, a peanut-and-caramel chew. Noonan is using Squirrel Nut Zippers’ mascot, a squirrel named Zipper, to do a star turn in some of Necco’s latest marketing efforts.	Advertisement
N.J. company to acquire Salem power plant, build new gas-fired power station A New Jersey-based power company announced Friday that it has reached an agreement to buy the coal- and oil-fired Salem Harbor Power Station, and plans to build a state-of-the-art natural gas plant on the site. Footprint Power LLC will acquire the plant on Salem Harbor, from Dominion Energy Inc, pending regulatory approval. Footprint and NAES Corp. will operate the existing plant until its scheduled shutdown in June 2014, when Footprint will clean and prepare the site for conversion to the new gas plant.
G-Star RAW, the last word in luxury denim, is returning to Newbury Street G-Star RAW, a retailer that describes itself as a “luxury denim brand,” said it will open a store on Boston’s fashionable Newbury Street next month. The store, at 160 Newbury St., will occupy about 1,800 square feet square feet of space, and it is scheduled to open to the general public on July 20, the company said. The chain is no stranger to the Back Bay. From 2005 to 2010, it operated a store at 348 Newbury St.
Seven Mass. small businesses win US Energy Department investment grants The US Department of Energy is awarding investment grants to seven local companies as part of a larger program that looks to invest about $102 million in small businesses that are focused on clean-energy innovations. One company receiving grants is Aerodyne Research Inc. of Billerica, which specializes in developing scientific instruments and software for industrial, academic, and government customers.
Dynasil appoints chairman Peter Sulick as interim chief following CEO’s resignation Dynasil Corp. of America said Friday that Steven K. Ruggieri will resign as chief executive and president, effective July 6, and that company chairman Peter Sulick will serve as interim CEO until a replacement is found. A Dynasil press release gave no reason for Ruggieri’s departure. In a statement, Sulick said that Dynasil’s board is beginning the search process for a permanent chief executive.
Biogen Idec, Isis to collaborate on experimental drug for myotonic dystrophy Biogen Idec Inc., a global biotechnology company headquartered in Weston, said Friday it is entering another collaboration with Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc., with this collaboration focusing on an experimental drug for myotonic dystrophy, a debilitating neuromuscular disease. In January, the two companies announced plans to work together on a potential treatment for spinal muscular atrophy. Friday’s agreement calls for California-based Isis to receive an upfront payment of $12 million, up to another $200 million in contingency milestone payments, as well as potential royalties.
Fed’s Rosengren says banks’ money market funds should be tested Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Eric Rosengren said potential losses from money market funds should be included in tests of their sponsoring firms’ ability to weather severe instability. “There has been a pattern of support for money market mutual funds without an explicit recognition that such funds can be a capital drain during times of stress,” Rosengren said Friday in remarks prepared for a speech in Amsterdam. He didn’t discuss the outlook for monetary policy or the economy.
Akamai: News websites had ‘slight peak’ in traffic when Supreme Court upheld the health care law. News websites had a slight peak in traffic Thurday morning when the US Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of 2010 health care law, Akamai Technologies Inc. said. A Cambridge-based company that provides Internet content delivery services, Akamai counts close to 300 news websites among its customers. Traffic for Akamai’s news website customers peaked at about 3.15 million page views per minute mid to late morning Thursday, Akamai said. Previous events that have prompted high traffic have often been soccer games that draw fans from around the world.
Sumner Redstone’s foundation gives $650k to the Global Poverty Project The Sumner M. Redstone Charitable Foundation has donated $650,000 to the Global Poverty Project, a year after giving $1.5 million to the same cause, the project said Thursday. Redstone is the executive chairman of media giant Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp. A Boston native, he is also the majority owner of National Amusements Inc., a Dedham company that operates movie theaters around the world. Redstone’s original donation was used to support the Global Poverty Project’s End of Polio campaign.
For businesses, Supreme Court ruling provides a measure of clarity in health care calculations Many executives at Massachusetts companies were heartened that the Supreme Court ruling Thursday, largely upholding the national health care law, provided a measure of clarity in their health care calculations -- though aspects of the clearer picture weren’t entirely welcomed. Massachusetts employers and health care companies said their companies would not be dramatically changed by the federal Accountable Care Act because the state already mandates so-called universal coverage. Other parts of the law narrowly affecting certain industries drew mixed responses.
Vertex releases more data on cystic fibrosis drug, and stock falls 13 percent Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Thursday that final data from a midstage clinical study of an experimental combination of its cystic fibrosis drugs “showed statistically significant improvements” in lung function among some adults with cystic fibrosis. In early May, Cambridge-based Vertex issued an “interim analysis” of the study that sent its stock shares surging. In late May, Vertex revised the interim analysis, saying it overstated the clinical data. Vertex said Thursday that today’s final data confirm its revised report. Vertex shares were down about 13 percent in afternoon trading.
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