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Whale Watching Is A Growth Industry

Last modified on 2008-06-14 18:53:52 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Whale watching is a growing worldwide activity that is enjoyed by millions of individuals each year. From an economic perspective, the ecotouring value of whales in dollars far surpasses the value garnered by the Japanese and the few other countries that still try to support commercial whaling.

A recent report released by an Australian Environmental official states that the whale watching industry has grown significantly in Australia over the past several years. It also states that in high-income countries, 100 million people a year go whale watching, a figure the report predicts will grow by around 10 million a year.

The report also argues that a moratorium on commercial whaling must be maintained to save the 14 known species of whales that are threatened.

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Come To A “Tasty”Open House For Newburyport Five Cents Bank’s New Amesbury Facility

Last modified on 2008-06-13 22:26:52 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

When: Saturday, June 14th, 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m
Where: Downtown Amesbury (Under the Big Tent)

The Newburyport Five Cents Bank is celebrating the opening of its new location at 43 Main Street in Amesbury by sponsoring the “The Taste of Amesbury” on Saturday, June 14th from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m in downtown Amesbury.

Now this is our kind of open house! The Taste of Amesbury will provide a sampling of fine foods, including sweets and ice cream, from Amesbury’s growing family of restaurants, pubs, bakeries, ice cream purveyors and more. We’re getting hungry writing this post.

This is a family event and will provide fun and food for all. In addition to the food, the open house will include face-painting, balloon sculpting, magicians, live music, family fun and lots of free giveaways and raffles.

Here is a list of participating restaurants and shops:

Andyman Dessert & Baking
Amesbury Sports Park
Capaccios
Hodgies Ice Cream
Flatbread Company
Mad River Tavern
Phat Cats Bistro
Powow River Grille
Ristorante Molise
The Ale House
The Barking Dog

Look for the Big Tent in downtown Amesbury.

Two Newburyport Law Firms Announce Merger

Last modified on 2008-06-03 18:51:22 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Two local Newburyport law firms have announced their merger.The Law Office of Mark L. Janos and the Law Offices of Griffin & Tucker, P.C. are pleased to announce a merger of the two firms to form Janos, Griffin & Tucker, P.C. The effective date of the merger was June 2, 2008.

Janos, Griffin & Tucker, P.C. will concentrate on transactional matters involving business, conveyance of real estate, and land use. They also provide civil and criminal litigation services, business and contact law, probate of estates and estate planning, and municipal law in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The office for the new firm is located at 6 Harris St., Newburyport.

New Office for Cognition Capital Management

Last modified on 2008-06-03 15:09:03 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Cognition Capital Management, a “fee-only” registered investment advisor specializing in the management of equity portfolios for individuals, pension and profit sharing plans, and hedge funds, announces its new office at 12 Pleasant St., Newburyport.Headquartered in Newburyport, MA, Cognition Capital, an independent registered investment adviser, specializes in providing individualized portfolio management services.

The company was founded to make “data-driven investing,” the investment approach explained by Bill Matson and Mitch Hardy in Data Driven Investing - Professional Edition, available to investors who lack the time, expertise, or personal interest necessary to manage their own stock portfolios.

Cognition provides discretionary investment advisory services for individually managed accounts, including pension, profit sharing, and retirement accounts, and for hedge funds. All client accounts are personally managed by Bill Matson, MBA-Harvard, CFA, CPA.

Company website: Cognition Capital Management

Pedicabs May Be Coming To Hampton Beach

Last modified on 2008-06-03 14:14:44 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

It looks like Pedicabs may be coming to Hampton Beach in the near future.

Seacoastonline.com reports that Hampton Selectmen gave Jon Wright, 24, the okay to move forward and develop his plan to operate a pedicab business at Hampton Beach.

A pedicab is a pedal-driven tricycle, with a two-passenger cab. Mr. Wright plans to offer passenger rides around the Hampton Beach area. According to the Seacoastonline.com report, Mr. Wright made a similar request to the City Council in Portsmouth.

If you don’t know what a Pedicab is, take a look at the Newburyport Pedicab website for more information. Newburyport Pedicab, a community-based charitable organization provides a fun and eco-friendly transport service to locals and visitors in Newburyport.

Free Information Session for New Hampshire Self-Employed and Small Business Owners

Last modified on 2008-05-28 16:02:39 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

When:Thursday, June 5, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where: Lane Memorial Library, 2 Academy Ave., Hampton, NH

If you are a New Hampshire seacoast small business owner or self-employed individual, you may want to check out the range of business development services offerered by MicroCredit-NH.

MicroCredit-NH, a nonprofit business development program of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund that delivers services statewide to help build stronger businesses, is offering a free program orientation for self-employed individuals and small business owners on Thursday, June 5 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Lane Memorial Library, 2 Academy Ave., Hampton, NH.

Orientation participants can access information about MicroCredit-NH’s business development resources. These include:

Business skills training
Loan capital up to $15,000
Individual Development Account matched savings program
Networking opportunities.

Membership options in the region will also be discussed. To register for the orientation, call Jennifer Murphy Aubin at (603) 496-0520.

For more information, visit the MicroCredit-NH website.

Maptech In Process of Being Sold

Last modified on 2008-05-04 17:09:18 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

An article by Adena Schutzberg in the April 30, 2008 online issue of Directions Magazine reports that Maptech, Inc., the Amesbury, MA maker of digital and paper based mapping and navigation products and tools, is in the process of being sold by its parent company, GCI (Gary Comer Inc.).

Maptech employs between 40 and 45 people, with the majority working in Amesbury. After the death of GCI founder Comer in 2006, the management of GCI felt it wasn’t in a position to steward Comer’s vision of Maptech and bring it to the next level.

According to the article, Craig Cushman, Maptech’s Director of Marketing, said that GCI has completed the first phase of the sale by selling some of its technologies to partners Maptech was already working with and now is looking to sell the remaining assets to a company that can lead the company for the long term and keep the employees intact.

For more information, click on the following links:

Home Made Brand Foods Acquired By Irish Company for $44 Million

Last modified on 2008-05-03 18:08:59 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Home Made Brand Foods Inc., the Newburyport-based company, located on Opportunity Way in Newburyport’s Industrial Park has been acquired by Greencore Group PLC, Dublin, Ireland for $44 million. The acquisition price could increase by a maximum of $10 million to $55 million, depending on HMBF’s performance in the current fiscal year ending December 31, 2008.

Greencore Group, an international manufacturer of convenience foods and ingredients, views the acquisition of Home Made Brand Foods as a strategic move for the company’s plans to expand into the growing chilled convenience food market in North America.

Home Made Brand Foods (HMBF), a regional leader in the fresh prepared food market, manufactures and supplies a range of fresh food products, including fresh prepared meals and salads, sandwiches and quiche to a customer base that includes leading regional retailers such as Stop & Shop, Hannaford and Publix.

HMBF produces over 250 different products, presently packages 25 private labels, and develops and manufactures numerous special recipe products for the retail, food service and institutional trades. HMBF is owned and operated by Mr. John Palmieri and Mr. Richard Walters, both New England residents.

HMBF’s experienced management team, led by Rick Walters, will remain in place post the acquisition. In the current year, HMBF expects to generate in excess of $40 million in revenues and has potential manufacturing capacity to increase this to $100 million within its existing facility.

According to a report in the Boston Business Journal, none of HMBF’s 195 workers are expected to be laid off after the purchase goes through. Greencore employs about 8,500 people globally.

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Nonprofit Organization Looking Into Museum/Aquarium at Hampton Beach State Park

Last modified on 2008-04-20 17:09:25 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Is a new $17 to $25 million state-of-the-art aquarium/museum on the horizon at Hampton Beach State Park? Well, according to an article by Patrick Cronin in the Portsmouth Herald, the Friends of the Earth, Sea and Space Museum, a nonprofit organization, is still looking into the feasibility of building a museum/aquarium at Hampton Beach State Park.

According to the article, the nonprofit organization has been at work actively fund raising for more than five years to construct a museum on the Seacoast. The Hampton Beach Commission and the Hampton Selectman are also supporting the effort as it would enable Hampton Beach to become a year round destination for visitors. The Friends of the Earth, Sea and Space Museum estimates that the aquarium/museum would potentially attract more than 500,000 visitors a year, and could bring additional revenue into the state.

A major obstacle to implementing the plan is that George Bald, the Commissioner of the Department of Resources and Economic Development Commissioner is against constructing the facility in the Hampton Beach State Park.

Related Website: Article by Patrick Cronin on Seacoast Online.

Solar Edison Named Distributor for SunPower Products

Last modified on 2008-04-10 14:28:57 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Solar Edison LLC, Salisbury, MA announced that it has reached an agreement to become a distributor for all SunPower products. Founded by Dr. Richard Swanson in 1985, SunPower acquired PowerLight Corp., a leading global provider of large-scale solar power systems, in January 2007.

In addition to the SunPower products, Solar Edison offers a full line of renewable energy solutions, including the ZAP electric vehicles. Solar Edison sells and provides renewable energy products and services.

Contact Information:

Solar Edison LLC,

141 Bridge Road,

Salisbury, MA

978-499-4299

Tudor Construction Awarded Newburyport Community Media Center Construction Contract

Last modified on 2008-04-09 19:22:47 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Tudor Construction Company Inc., Byfield, was recently awarded the contract for the construction of the new Newburyport Community Media Center on Graf Road. The Newburyport Community Media Center is a nonprofit organization that was formed in 2006. Comcast Channels 9 and 10 will broadcast from the center. It will provide programming for the Newburyport schools and the City of Newburyport.The commercial division of Tudor Construction was hired to demolish the existing commercial space and reconfigure it into a modern television studio.

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