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Mon. Jul. 16, 2012 Protesters block highway at Vt. wind project site LOWELL, Vt. — A spokeswoman for a Vermont utility says traffic is flowing again on Route 100 after dozens of anti-wind protesters agreed to move out of the road where components were being delivered to the Lowell Mountain wind project. Green Mountain Power spokeswoman Dorothy Schnure says that as of mid-day Monday more than 50 protesters prevented a truck carrying a piece of a wind tower from turning into the construction site, blocking the road. Opponents claim the project will mar the beauty of the area.	Advertisement
Polartec CEO Andrew J. Vecchione announces he is stepping down Andrew J. Vecchione, president and chief executive of Polartec LLC, announced Monday that he has decided to step aside, effective upon the appointment of his successor. Vecchione will remain with the company as a senior adviser, a board member, and an equity participant after completion of a search process now underway. Based in Lawrence, Polartec specializes in performance fabrics and traces its roots to Malden Mills Industries. Malden Mills was ravaged by a disastrous fire in 1995. Its then-CEO Aaron Feuerstein won renown for paying idled workers.
DRC will work on a contract to improve IT infrastructure for combat logistics Dynamics Research Corp., or DRC, said Monday that it will share in a multi-million-dollar contract for improving the information-technology infrastructure that supports combat logistics for US military services. Headquartered in Andover, DRC provides consulting services to government agencies. DRC said it is one of eight companies that will work on a five-year contract issued by the Defense Logistics Agency, which is part of the US Department of Defense. The maximum value of the program for all contractors is $206 million.
Mass. gas prices jump 9 cents a gallon The average price for gas in Massachusetts was $3.479 a gallon in the latest weekly survey from AAA, up 9 cents from the previous week’s average, AAA Southern New England said Monday. The cause is a recent surge in oil prices, AAA Southern New England said. Massachusetts prices rose for the second straight week after nearly three months of decreases. The current national average is $3.39 a gallon. A year ago at this time, the Massachusetts average price was $3.71.
Progress Software appoints Melissa Cruz chief financial officer Progress Software Corp., a Bedford software company, announced the appointment of Melissa Cruz as senior vice president of finance and administration and chief financial officer. Additionally, the company announced that its board of directors has elected Philip M. Pead as its new non-executive chairman, succeeding Michael L. Mark, who will remain on the board.
aPriori secures $5m in venture funding Concord software company aPriori said Monday that it has secured $5 million in additional venture funding from existing investor Sigma Partners. The funding will be used to expand the company’s sales and services teams in Europe and accelerate development of its sales channel in the Asia/Pacific region, aPriori said. The company’s software is designed to help manufacturers gain cost efficiencies.
Maine gas prices jump nearly 7 cents per gallon AUGUSTA, Maine — Gas prices in Maine are bucking the national trend and rising rapidly.
Sycamore extends offer to acquire Talbots to July 27 Sycamore Partners extended the expiration of its offer to acquire Talbots Inc. to July 27. The tender offer was previously scheduled to expire at midnight New York time on July 13, Sycamore said in a statement. About 80.9 percent of Talbots shares were tendered as of July 13, Sycamore said. Talbots, a women’s clothing retailer based in Hingham, agreed to be bought by the private equity firm in May for $2.75 a share.
Thermo Fisher Scientific agrees to buy One Lambda for $925m Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., a Waltham company that makes scientific instruments, said Monday that it has agreed to buy One Lambda for $925 million. Based in California, One Lambda focuses on transplant diagnostics. One Lambda’s diagnostic tests are used by transplant centers for tissue typing, primarily to determine the compatibility of donors and recipients pre-transplant, and to detect the presence of antibodies that can lead to transplant rejection. One Lambda has roughly 320 employees, and the company generated revenue of $182 million in 2011.
Green Mountain tumbles after Stifel Nicolaus analyst cites K-Cup rivals Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc., maker of Keurig single-cup coffee machines and pods, fell to its lowest price in more than two years after a Stifel Nicolaus analyst said competition for K-Cups is increasing. Green Mountain dropped 8.9 percent to $19.38 at 2:45 p.m. in New York and earlier reached $19.17, the lowest intraday price since September 2009. The shares had lost 53 percent this year through Thursday.
Andrew G. Arnott named president and chief executive of John Hancock Funds John Hancock Funds, the Boston-based mutual fund business of John Hancock Financial, has named Andrew G. Arnott as president and chief executive, succeeding Keith F. Hartstein, who is retiring from the company as previously announced. Most recently, Arnott served as executive vice president of John Hancock Investment Management Services. John Hancock Funds managed more than $74.5 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, college savings and retirement plans, and related party assets for individual and institutional investors as of March 31.
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