Tourism officials are launching an initiative to promote areas Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts as a single region, which they have given the name ‘‘SoNew.’’ They hope the campaign will help raise the profile of Southern New England to attract travelers from all over the country and the world. A series of more than a dozen bus tours on Saturday is the first event and will take people to destinations as varied as the Worcester canal district to the Rhode Island Statehouse to ‘‘paranormal’’ locations in Connecticut. Peter Glankoff, of Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, says connecting the area’s attractions makes it more accessible to tourists and will help give them a better sense of how close to each other they are. If you’re a cheapskate drinking man who enjoys the odd drop in restaurants and saloons, mid-market venues might well qualify as the budget-conscious choice. Over much of early 2013, drink prices at those places have mostly held steady, according to a sales analysis by Restaurant Sciences LLC, a Newton firm that tracks the restaurant and bar industry. The top and bottom segments of America’s eating and drinking establishments, in contrast, “have seen a significant increase in average spirit and cocktail prices over the past six months,” the firm said. “We believe that the increasing price of spirits is the result of a mix of moderate price-taking by operators in the upper and lower tiers, combined with some upward product migration or experimentation by consumers,” firm president Chuck Ellis said. Beacon Roofing Supply Inc., a building materials distributor based in Peabody, reported a small fiscal second-quarter loss, as harsh weather conditions in many of its markets reduced sales. Beacon said the recent quarter was a tough one as a result of rough winter and spring weather conditions and comparisons to a prior-year period when sales to existing markets jumped 28 percent. For the quarter ended March 31, the company lost $161,000, or breakeven on a per share basis, compared with net income of $3.1 million, or 7 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Excluding one-time items, the company said it posted an adjusted loss of 2 cents per share. Revenue rose 5 percent to $416.3 million from $395.2 million. Sales to existing markets fell 5.1 percent. Royal Bank of Scotland said that Bruce Van Saun will take charge of its Providence-based Citizens Financial Group as RBS prepares for a sale of shares in Citizens, Reuters is reporting. At Citizens, Van Saun will succeed Ellen Alemany, who will retire after five years running the bank, Reuters said. RBS said in February it would sell 20-25 percent of Citizens in the next two years through an initial public offer in New York. The British government bailed out RBS during the financial crisis and still has a big ownership stake in it. Citizens is one of the country’s largest regional banks in the US. As of last fall, it had 1,400 branches in 12 states, including 254 in Massachusetts. It employs nearly 19,000 people, including about 3,400 here. PTC Inc., a Needham company specializing in product lifecycle management and computer-aided design software, has given a gift of $18.8 million of its software to Boston University. The plan is for the university to use the software in its new Engineering Product Innovation Center, or EPIC. In a statement, Kenneth Lutchen, BU’s dean of the College of Engineering, said: “The EPIC facility is meant to expose students to how you go from an idea to a manufacturing-ready and deployable product. We want to create engineers that are excited about innovation. PTC is a leader in how product design and development insures leadership in product innovation. PTC recognizes that, through EPIC, PTC can support a realistic design environment that prepares tomorrow’s engineers for advanced product design and management.” TD Bank, said it has promoted Kevin F. Malone to market president for the bank’s Boston Metro South and Rhode Island regions. Malone is succeeding Dave Glidden, who is now TD Bank’s regional president for Northern New England and Upstate New York. Malone, who joined TD Bank in 2002, most recently served as senior vice president and director, middle market for Boston Metro South and Rhode Island. In his new role, Malone will be focused on continuing to build upon the core strengths of TD Bank as a financially strong, reliable business partner to its growing client base in Massachusetts’ Greater Boston, South Shore, Metro West, Southeastern, and Cape Cod markets, as well as Rhode Island. He also will continue to direct TD Bank’s Middle Market lending activities. Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc. chairman Jon Luther is retiring and will be succeeded in the post by CEO Nigel Travis. The Canton-based parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins said in a Friday press release that Luther’s retirement is effective on Wednesday. Travis will continue as CEO. Luther, 69, started at Dunkin’ Brands in January 2003 as its CEO. He became chairman in 2006. Travis took over as CEO in January 2009. Dunkin’ Brands also named Raul Alvarez, former president and chief operating officer of McDonald’s Corp., as lead independent director. The 57-year-old Alvarez has served as a Dunkin’ Brands board member since May 2012. | | |
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