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Fri. May. 04, 2012 New office tower planned at Channel Center in Boston’s Seaport The developer of the massive Channel Center complex in Boston’s Seaport district is proceeding with plans for an 11-story office building, public parks and a parking garage, adding to the rapid redevelopment of the area in recent years.	Advertisement
Harvard Business Review: Mandating English is a must for global companies Forget about Esperanto, the invented lexicon that was devised to be widely adopted as an international language. English is emerging as the common tongue of the global economy, and companies that fail to adopt an English-only policy could face a competitive advantage. So argues Harvard Business School professor Tsedal Neeley in the May issue of the Harvard Business Review. “If you want to surpass your rivals, it’s no longer a matter of choice,” Neeley writes of adopting English as a company’s official language.
Dunkin’ is unveiling ‘Men In Black 3’ donuts, Baskin-Robbins to expand in the UK Dunkin’ Donuts is going Hollywood --- again. The Canton-based coffee-and-baked-goods chain is promoting new menu items with tie-ins to “Men In Black 3,” a Sony Pictures movie set to arrive in theaters later this month, and TV viewers can expect to see soon a Dunkin’ ad that incorporates some of the movie’s themes. This is the second time the chain has incorporated a Hollywood movie into its marketing efforts. Last year, Dunkin’ had a similar promotion using the “Captain America” movie.
Kronos facility in Chelmsford is getting $7m in renovations Kronos Inc., a company that provides software and services that businesses use to more efficiently manage their workforces, has completed a lease renewal for one of its Chelmsford facilities, said Cassidy Turley FHO, a broker involved in the transaction. The renewal for a 110,000 square feet of space at 300 Billerica Rd. paves the way for $7 million in renovations and upgrades at the site. Kronos is investing more than $2.5 million in the renovations. Boston Properties, which owns the building, is investing the rest.
Sneaker pioneer Converse opens its first mall-based store Converse Inc., a footwear brand based in North Andover, said Friday said it is opening its fourth US store and the first one to be located in a mall. The store is in Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J., and its design, according to the company, “evokes the sport and rock ‘n’ roll heritage of Converse.” In an earlier era, the brand was renowned for its Chuck Taylor All Star shoe. Converse is now a Nike subsidiary.
Bank of America picks Hill Holliday as key advertising agency Bank of America Corp., which has been reevaluating its advertising strategy over the past few months, said Thursday that Boston-based Hill Holliday will receive a larger slice of its future business. The Charlotte-based banking giant said Hill Holliday, one of several firms who already work for Bank of America, will “assume increased creative assignments and retain responsibility for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and U.S. Trust marketing.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield revises premium rate hike requests, lowering state’s base rate average Massachusetts regulators said Thursday that average base rate health insurance premium increases for small business and individual policies renewing in the third quarter have been revised to 0.7 percent -- even smaller than the 1.2 percent average they reported earlier this week. The downward revision came because Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state’s largest health insurance company, refiled its rate request in the so-called “small-group” market serving small companies along with self-employed and formerly uninsured individual policy holders.
Reebok sizes up big foot problem for tall man At 7 feet, 8 inches, Igor Vovkovinskiy is reputed to be the tallest living man in the US. His feet are so big that he cannot find shoes with a proper fit. On Thursday athletics company Reebok set on Vovkovinskiy to get measurements and imprints of his feet, from which they will custom-make shoes.
Microsoft to open store in Pru Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it will open a store in The Shops at Prudential Center in Boston, as it tries to catch up with rival Apple Inc. in establishing a closer retail presences with consumers. The Pru store will be its first in Massachusetts, and will feature personal computers running the company’s Windows 7 software, smartphones on its Windows Phone 7 software, and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 videogame console. The store will included a section devoted to small business users.
TJX gets another tax break to expand in Framingham Retail giant TJX Cos. secured its second major property tax break in two months Wednesday night after agreeing to keep its headquarters in Framingham, where it will spend $143 million on an expansion.
High Liner Foods plans to close Danvers plant that employs 160 people High Liner Foods Inc. plans to close a plant in Danvers that employs more than 160 people early next year. The plant coats and batters fish for the food-service industry. Nova Scotia-based High Liner Foods is also looking to close another plant in Canada. The company said it is “consolidating its North American supply chain as a result of overcapacity at several plants and the acquisition of a more modern plant in Newport News, Virginia.”
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