Massachusetts Named in Top 3 Lowest CO2 Emitters per Unit of Economic Output

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Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York were named the three lowest emitters of CO2 per unit of economic output this month by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The announcement was made in conjunction with the release by the Environmental Protection Agency of new rules designed to encourage states nationwide to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions related to energy production.

Two other eastern states, New Hampshire and Vermont, were also cited for their clean energy policies. The unusually low emissions by the Northeastern states were credited to a voluntary regional system of cap and trade that eight Northeast and mid-Atlantic states have been experimenting with for several years. Such voluntary compacts are being considered as a model for plans being formulated to lower emissions from power plants nationwide by one third between now and 2030.

President Obama to Speak at High School Graduation

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In an effort to draw attention to an educational success story as well as highlight the need for continuing development of a manufacturing and technical workforce, President Barack Obama will be speaking to this year’s Worcester Technical High School graduating class this afternoon.

“The school’s combination of rigorous academics and hands-on learning opportunities characterizes the President’s vision for an education that works for America’s students,” according to a White House official who was speaking on the condition of anonymity in advance of the president’s speech. “He will reiterate his commitment to reforming America’s education system, as well as his challenge to redesign America’s high schools and connect our nation’s learners to high-speed broadband.”

Bill DiBenedetto, President of Uxbridge, MA-based Lampin Corporation commented, “Lampin has been an active supporter of STEM education for quite some time now, and we’re excited to learn that the White House is now promoting technical education in this manner.” He added, “The future of manufacturing and technical operations in this country is the next generation of young people in our schools today. If they are not given a solid educational foundation along with an awareness of the career opportunities in the manufacturing industry, this vital domestic economic sector will ultimately die out as it is exported to other countries.”

Worcester Tech is led by Dr. Sheila Harrity, a National High School Principal of the Year who was recognized last month at the White House. When she took over in 2006, the school was one of the lowest performing schools in the state. However, the school is now ranked among the best in Massachusetts in terms of testing scores. In fact, during her time at Worcester Tech, Harrity has seen the graduation rate grow by 17 percentage points (from 79.3% in 2006 to 96.4% in 2012) and the dropout rate fall from 6.5% in 2006 to 1.5% in 2012.

It’s no wonder that the President of the United States feels that Worcester Technical High School is a great venue at which to speak about the future of education in this country!

Great Wolf Lodge Provides Jobs for Central Mass

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Great Wolf Resorts’ first New England Location will be one of the biggest providers of new jobs in the region, reported the Boston Business Journal. The Wisconsin-based operator of hotels with indoor water parks is targeted to open its Fitchburg location on June 1.

Great Wolf invested $66 million in the project, including the acquisition of a Holiday Inn with a Coco Key water resort. The new construction consisted of an additional 70,000 square feet to the former complex, which totaled 330,000 square feet. Great Wolf added 161 hotel rooms, doubled the water space, and created the company’s first play area with ropes and miniature golf.

While the Holiday Inn only employed 163 workers, Great Wolf plans to hire between 450 to 500 full and part-timers. The state Economic Assistance Coordinating Council approved a $17.2 million tax break package for the resort.

Read more in the Boston Business Journal.

A Snapshot of Mass. Manufacturing Translates Across State

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By Bill DiBenedetto, President, Lampin Corporation

In October the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation released a study on advanced manufacturing in the Berkshire region of the Commonwealth. Although Lampin is located in nearby Blackstone Valley, the birthplace of the industrial revolution, the environment of the Berkshires is similar to our own conditions in southeastern Massachusetts.

In an article by iBerkshires reporter Andy McKeever, the reporter writes that while the quantity of manufacturing employees have declined in the last 10 years, manufacturing companies and their employee wages remained “fairly consistent.” He concludes, “That paints a picture of manufacturing getting smaller and smarter with mass production being replaced by precision.”

As a small precision manufacturer, we believe in our business model to deliver quality manufacturing solutions to our clients. We’ve watched our customers weather the financial storms, some with success, some no longer in business. Throughout the good times and bad, we’ve been proud to remain a constant source for precision manufacturing.

The recommendations from the PERC Study reads like a history of Lampin. We invest in training our employees, partner with local schools to develop the next generation of precision machinists and unique to Lampin, converted to employee-ownership in the early 2000s to increase employee satisfaction and reward.

At Lampin, we see a strong manufacturing sector as critical to growth in Massachusetts after the tough economic times of the past few years. Our neighbors in the Berkshires are tapping in the brain trust and experiences of their educational, business and government leaders to chart a course. We agree that factors such as energy costs and infrastructure are best addressed from a 10,000-foot view. However, we believe if manufacturing is going to have resurgence in the Massachusetts, we, and our fellow manufacturing firms, need to continue to take action individually.

Ivy Corset Building in Worcester Increases Energy Efficiency

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With lighting costs being a significant percentage of energy costs, it’s important for buildings to update outdated and energy-wasting luminaires. Access Fixtures achieved energy savings for the historical Ivy Corset building in Worcester, Mass by retrofitting six wall packs on the front of the building.

 The renovated brick factory building once housed the Ivy Corset Company. The wall packs on the front of the building were part decorate, part functional—but produced an unattractive yellow light. Previously, the wall packs used 35 watt high pressure sodium lamps and ballasts that totaled 43 watts per pack. By replacing the lamps with energy-efficient A21 style LED lamps, the building was able to maintain the historical elements while reducing energy by 75% and improving visibility.

 According to the press release, the retrofit will save $14.08 per wall pack for a total savings of $84.48 per year. Payback for the initial cost of the LED retrofit is less than 1.5 years including labor. Because the LEDs won’t have to be replaced for 17 years, the LED wall pack retrofit will provide a total energy savings of $1,436 over the lifetime of the LED lamps. Additionally, the longevity of the LEDs reduce maintenance cost needed to frequently replace the lamps.

 It’s important for property managers to understand the value of updating lighting systems. Updated luminaires can cut energy use, save money, and ensure that all areas are safely illuminated. And, lastly, no more ghostly yellow or orange lights.

What are the latest internet scams to beware of and how can you avoid them?

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Guest Post From Sarah Hewitt

Be sure to follow Sarah on twitter @SarahHewitt52

Internet scams will exist as long as scammers continue to be inventive. Fraud prevention teams work extremely hard investigating internet fraud but once one scam has been brought under control a new, more inventive one will arise. For this reason it’s important to stay on your toes when it comes to online transactions or interactions.

One of the most famous scams of the internet age has become known as the ‘Nigerian prince’ due to the scammer’s method of extracting cash using an elaborate back story.

Email Link Virus

Links within the body of an email that urge you to click through to a website are known as phishing links and have been around for a number of years. The more sophisticated of these emails will appear to be from a well-known and trusted organization such as a bank or phone company. When you click the link the website may even look like the official website however if you’ve been requested to verify your card details or similar you should beware. Check the URL in your browser- if it’s irregular then leave and visit the correct web address instead.

Don’t click a link in your email where you cannot see where the link goes. If the text is hyperlinked you should mouse over it or right click it as if to edit it. You should then be able to find out if the link you thought was to a 20% off sale at ASOS really goes there at all. Shortened URL such as those created by but.ly can be converted back again using longurl.org.

Automatic Email Viruses

Emails can launch a virus upon opening. In days gone by the virus was usually contained in an attachment but this variety, known as the ‘drive-by email’ begins downloading malware when you open it.

Don’t open emails from addresses you don’t recognize, that don’t have a subject line or have a suspicious subject such as ‘Urgent-renew you insurance today’. If you already have security software on your computer I urge you to install some straight away. AVG has an excellent free anti-virus package.

Additionally you should make sure your email security settings are set to maximum and if you use browser based email clients such as Gmail and Yahoo! you should update your browser to the latest versions. The newest updates for browser also try to combat the latest scams and viruses.

Online Dating Scam

Yes, even the world of romance has been tainted by fraudsters. The methods of fraudsters on dating sites is rather low tech and sometimes so blatant that you wonder how people continue to be scammed but unfortunately it could happen to you too. After building a rapport online the person you think you’re chatting with (usually a pretty young lady) will tell you a tale of woe which either ends with a request for money or compels you to offer cash.

Don’t trust too easily. You should question how much about your new online friend can be verified. The fraudster will often concoct a scenario where by you can’t meet in person or speak over the phone.

ID Theft

ID theft can happen in a number of ways and occurs on and offline. Online vulnerabilities include your social media presence and shopping accounts. Details stored locally on your desktop are also at risk. If your laptop is stolen or your computer screen at work is left open it’s very easy to glean enough information to adopt your identity.

Don’t use the same password for everything. Make sure you lock and password-secure all your digital devices. Don’t allow automatic login to sites such as Facebook. Many shopping sites now require you to verify your password before you make a purchase or view your account details but some don’t so always log out.

You should also never give sensitive details over unsecured channels. Sending your complete credit card details over instant chat is not smart. Keep an eye on transactions in your bank account. You might notice small amounts of cash you can’t account for. Be vigilant, scams often start small in order to test the account and judge if you’re likely to investigate it but then a huge amount of cash could be debited.

Coghlin Companies Manufacturers Explosive Detector

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Implant Sciences Corporation contracted Coghlin Companies to manufacture a handheld explosive detector. The Quantum Sniffer QS-H150 was used at Queen Elizabeth II birthday party in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this June. Coghlin Companies was chosen because of their ability to scale production and test highly sensitive products. The product needed had tight specifications that Coghlin was able to meet.

Implant sciences is known for their explosive trace detection (ETD) and drugs trace detection solutions. Coghlin Companies is best known for contract manufacturing and  medical device manufacturing.

View the press release here.

220% Revenue Increase of Access Fixtures LED Products

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LED lighting is continuing to grow. Access Fixtures reports LED products sales are up 220% year over year compared to the first half of 2013.

While the price of LED lighting is decreasing, LEDs are simultaneously advancing in energy efficiency, light output, module life, and versatility. The rapid progression of LED lighting is known as Haitz’s Law. Every decade, the cost per lumen (lumens are the unit of useful light emitted) falls by a factor of ten while the amount of light generated per LED package increases by a factor of twenty. Therefore, LEDs are becoming a reasonable and cost-effective option when considering alternatives to incandescent, HID, and fluorescent light sources.

LED lighting provides a significant return on investment, but its biggest draw is arguably its energy efficiency. For example, today’s ten-watt LED bollard lights can outperform a seventy-watt, high-pressure sodium bollard light. LED wall packs can exceed the performance of 100-watt metal halide wall packs using less than half the energy.

Increased sales are found in products such as LED bollard lights, LED area lights, and LED wall packs. Future sales are expected to maintain the rapid growth in sales of Access Fixtures LED products.

New Balance Expands Footprint in Brighton

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New Balance has started construction to place a new headquarters in Brighton, MA. Adding to the widespread sport and health district along the Massachusetts Turnpike, the $500 million project will be called the Boston Landing.

Previously the land was to be used for a Lowe’s home improvement store but due to resident opposition the space eventually ended up in the hands of New Balance. Construction has already begun on the six story headquarters designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects. The project is expected to take up to two years to complete.

Speaking about economic development, New Balances’ chaiman Jim S. Davis said, “Washington could take a cue from what’s been accomplished here in Boston.”

To go along with the fitness theme of the area and the company there will be a sports complex including state of the art training facilities for baseball, track and hockey.

“This is going to be a transformative project for the entire region,” said State Representative Michael Moran, “The jobs and economic development here will spur growth in other industries as well.”

 

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Worcester Pride Parade and Festival September 7th

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Tim Murray, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce will be the first ever grand marshal at the annual Gay Pride Parade in Worcester. The parade in scheduled for Saturday, September 7, 2013. Worcester Pride is organizing the event which unifies the Central Massachusetts LGBTQ community.

Tim Murray states, “I am proud to participate in this great event and honored to have been chosen. In my previous positions, I have always represented everyone in our community and as head of the Chamber, look forward to embracing every business. I am also happy to call this community of rich diversity my home.

Pride = Equality is the theme of this years parade, which begins at 11:00 am and will march down Main Street. The parade will wrap up at noon in the Worcester Common.

Commitee member Peter Bacchiocchi stated “The overarching theme for Worcester Pride is unity and equality and we are pleased to see progress locally and nationally.”

View the press release from Peter Bacchiocci here.

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