To ensure you receive your Boston.com e-mails, please add newsletters@boston.com to your address book. If you have trouble reading this e-mail, go to http://www.boston.com/business/ticker_headlines
Daily Business Update Get up-to-the-minute Business Updates More Business News »
Thu. Nov. 15, 2012 Massachusetts unemployment rate rises to 6.6 percent in October, up from 6.5 percent in September The Massachusetts unemployment rate for October was 6.6 percent, the fourth straight month of increases, as the local economy added 7,900 jobs, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development said Thursday. The Massachusetts unemployment rate was 6.5 percent in September. The national unemployment rate, meanwhile, was 7.9 percent in October.	Advertisement
Stop & Shop parent appoints James MCann as chief operating officer of Ahold USA Ahold, the corporate parent of such supermarket chains as Stop & Shop as well as the Peapod online grocery ordering and delivery service, announced the appointment of James McCann as chief operating officer of Ahold USA, effective Feb. 1. McCann will succeed Carl Schlicker, who has announced his retirement.
Independently-operated Upper Crust shops say pizza chain’s owners cut voucher deal that cost them thousands of dollars Upper Crust franchisees are lashing out against the pizza chain’s owners for selling thousands of discount vouchers on Groupon without their knowledge, keeping the proceeds, and then filing for bankruptcy protection. Independently-operated Upper Crust restaurants in Newburyport, West Roxbury, and Portsmouth, N.H. said they will no longer honor the website deals because they never received money from the Boston-based pizza company to support the promotions.
ICE fines 17 Massachusetts companies for hiring unlawful employees US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency also known as ICE, said Wednesday that it has collectively fined 17 Massachusetts employers nearly $350,000 for hiring unlawful employees. Among the companies fined were Northern Pelagic Group LLC of New Bedford, which was fined $151,200; Samar Company Inc. of Stoughton, which was fined $33,786.22; and Quality Workforce Inc. of Brockton, which was fined $26,881.25; ICE said. Attempts to reach those companies for comment were not immediately successful.
Goodwin Procter has been named as a ‘Best Law Firm for Women’ Goodwin Procter, an international firm based in Boston, said Wednesday that it has as been named as a “Best Law Firm for Women” by Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers for the third consecutive survey year. Law firms with more than 50 attorneys may apply to be on Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers’ list. In drawing up their list, Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers examine such factors as family-friendly benefits and policies, compensation, and the firms’ records for advancing and retaining women.
Pret A Manger gives away free food at Boston stores British sandwich chain Pret A Manger is giving away free food at its first two Boston stores that are opening in the next few days. Staff is handing out free food Wednesday and Thursday at the financial district location at 185 Franklin Street. The Back Bay shop, at 507 Boylston Street, will be giving out free food on Thursday and Friday starting at noon. Pret A Manger, founded in London in 1986, focuses on fresh, natural food. The chain, which already has restaurants in New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C. is looking at dozens of locations around the Boston area, according to city officials.
Gary J. Nabel, new chief scientific officer for Sanofi, will be based in Cambridge French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi SA, which bought Genzyme Corp. in 2011, said Wednesday that its new chief scientific officer is Gary J. Nabel, a medical doctor with ties to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Nabel’s appointment takes effect Dec. 3, and he will be based in Cambridge. Since buying Genzyme for $20.1 billion, Sanofi has looked to make the Boston area its top US research hub.
AAA Southern New England: Thanksgiving holiday travel is projected to rise for 4th straight year Next week, 43.6 million Americans are projected to travel 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, an increase of 0.7 percent over the 43.3 million people who traveled last year, AAA Southern New England said. That increase marks the fourth consecutive year of growing holiday travelers since 2008 when Thanksgiving travel fell by 25 percent.
Mathworks software is used to develop on-board training system for Royal Navy destroyer Mathworks Inc., a Natick-based company that makes mathematical computing software for engineers and scientists, said Wednesday that its Model-Based Design product has been used by global defense contractor BAE Systems to develop a new on-board trainer for the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer. The on-board training system allows crew to control, reconfigure, and recover the ship’s propulsion, generation, and auxiliary systems across various scenarios in real-time.
New ads from Forge Worldwide promote Dragon NaturallySpeaking, voice recognition software from Nuance Communications Inc. Boston ad agency Forge Worldwide has begun a new ad campaign for Boston ad agency Forge Worldwide said it has begun a new ad campaign for Dragon NaturallySpeaking, voice recognition software from Nuance Communications Inc. of Burlington. The commercials are designed to reach such key Dragon audiences as students, seniors, professional writers, and people with disabilities.
Staples posts hefty loss on charges, but tops view FRAMINGHAM — Staples reported that it lost $596.3 million in its third quarter, pulled down by restructuring and impairment charges and a decline in revenue. But the office products company’s adjusted results beat analysts’ expectations. Staples has been working on a strategic plan that includes investing more in its online and mobile efforts and expanding the product assortment that it offers to its business customers. The efforts are aimed at serving customers’ better and accelerating growth. The chain said that its loss amounted to 89 cents per share for the period ended Oct. 27.
ADVERTISEMENT Looking to catch the next big game in town? Search from a wide range of Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics and Patriots seats in our exclusive ticket section powered by Ace Ticket. For the best seats to any sporting event in Boston, go to Boston.com Tickets.