Business News

Amesbury’s Fluidnet Corporation (www.fluidnet.net) announced the appointment of Benjamin E. Bulkley as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. He succeeds the company's Founder, Jeffrey Carlisle, who will serve as Chief Innovation Officer.

Read more: Amesbury's Fluidnet appoints new President/CEO

The Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM) is now offering an online payroll processing service at what it says is a more affordable price. In just three steps, a small business can complete payroll processing—including filing and paying all federal, state, and local payroll taxes—in a few minutes.

Business Online Payroll is available for $49.99 per month for up to 10 employees. It's only an additional $1.50 per additional employee. Direct deposit and free W2s are included in the price.

After enrolling, retailers log in to RAM’s secure website and enter payroll data. The service automatically pays employees by direct deposit or self-printed checks, sends everyone email confirmations and takes care of all the payroll tax work.

 Service includes: 

*   24/7 online payroll that's finished in three simple steps.
*   Free direct deposit or the ability to self-print checks.
*   Unlimited access to U.S.-based payroll experts available by phone — even on Saturdays.
*   Online W2s and 1099s that retailers and their employees can print at their leisure.

For more information, click here or give RAM a call at 866-311-1416.

iMarc LLC, a web, strategy, design and branding company, announced Aug. 8 that the company was named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list, a compendium of the most entrepreneurial and fastest growing companies in America. This is the company's second year appearing on the list.

This year, iMarc ranked #2660 overall, ranked #94 in Boston, and #334 within the IT Services industry nation-wide.

iMarc previously was recognized in 2008.

iMarc President and co-founder Nils Menten commented on the award: “We are thrilled to have been named by Inc. Magazine as one of the country's top entrepreneurial companies. iMarc strives to serve our clients as a strategic partner to grow their businesses, investing in their success.”

“Our employees are key to our success,” iMarc Vice President and Director of Operations Nick Grant added. “Our smart, passionate, and creative team of developers, designers, producers and strategists drive the company's growth and earn our clients' loyalty.”

“We enjoy working with a wide variety of clients,” commented Vice President and Director of Technology Dave Tufts. “Our experience crosses industry lines, from not-for-profits and cultural institutions to globally recognized brands to membership associations.”

iMarc has won over 25 awards for its projects over the past four years. Clients include Motorola, Starwood Hotels, IBM, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Strem Chemicals, NEPC, Quaero, Aston-Martin of New England, Wildlife Trust and the Massachusetts Society of CPAs.

The Boston Herald reported Aug. 18 that Newburyport developer Charles Lagasse has invested more than $1 million to renovate the Boston Yacht Haven since he acquired it at a foreclosure auction last year. Lagasse was the high bidder at $8 million.

The property, which is at the end of Commercial Wharf in Boston, encompasses 78 slips and a 15,000-square-foot boathouse.The former owner defaulted on the mortgage and the sale was ordered by the judge.

Lagasse, who closed on the marina in May, has repainted the property, renovated the 10 guest suites with new furniture, carpeting and TVs, repaired or replaced the docks, installed new float systems and upgraded electrical power for the yachts.

The main entrance area has been transformed into a Captain’s Lounge with big-screen TV and a pool table where patrons can bring their own alcohol.

Lagasse with his wife Ann runs Newburyport Development, the Newburyport arm of Stephen Karp's New England Development. The company is a primary commercial property owner in the city and according to the report, owns five marinas on the North Shore.

The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program is an initiative of the federal government that offers funding for small businesses with the goal of fostering scientific and technological innovation that the businesses might otherwise be unable to fund.

STTR is a highly competitive program that reserves a specific percentage of federal research and development funding for small business and nonprofit research institution partners.

Read more: Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program

Economic development legislation designating Saturday, August 14, and Sunday, August 15, as a Sales Tax Holiday weekend was passed by the Massachusetts Legislature and is now awaiting the signature of Gov. Deval Patrick. The Governor has made public statements in support of the holiday.

Shoppers will find no sales tax on personal (non-business) items costing less than $2,500 each during the tax-free weekend. The Massachusetts tax rate is 6.25 percent.

Massachusetts had no sales tax holiday in 2009. A 2008 report by the state Department of Revenue estimated that a sales tax holiday causes a net loss of $14.2 million in tax revenues. The state lost $15.9 million in revenue during the 'holiday' in 2007 but raised $1.7 million from increased economic activity, the report said.

Before they voted on a sales tax holiday, key state legislators said the U.S. Congress needed to approve a bill that includes an additional $608 million in federal stimulus dollars for the state’s Medicaid program.

Massachusetts is among 30 states that have already factored the additional stimulus money into their state budgets for the next fiscal year.

TD Bank named Amesbury resident Deborah B. Yameen as the store manager in its Newburyport location at 51 State St. As an Assistant Vice President, Yameen is responsible for new business development, consumer and business lending, and managing personnel and day-to-day operations at the store.

Yameen has 25 years of retail and commercial banking experience. Prior to joining TD Bank, she served as a Branch Manager at Sovereign Bank in Newburyport. Yameen is a committee member of the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

A former member of the Greater Newburyport YWCA board of Directors, Yameen holds a Certificate in Bank Management from the American Institute of Banking. Yameen grew up in Lawrence, Mass., and graduated from Lawrence High School in 1984.

TD Bank is one of the 15 largest commercial banks in the United States with $160 billion in assets, and provides customers with a full range of financial products and services at more than 1,100 locations from Maine to Florida. Effective April 16, 2010, TD Bank acquired certain assets of Riverside National Bank of Florida, First Federal Bank of North Florida and AmericanFirst Bank, and currently operates under those trade names. TD Bank, N.A., is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Portland, Maine.

A report in the Washington Post has listed a Newburyport company as being part of an intelligence network of private contractors put together by the U.S. government in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001.

AgilePath Corporation has its headquarters at 32 Merrimac St. in Newburyport.

"Top Secret America" is a project nearly two years in the making that describes the huge national security buildup in the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. - The Washington Post

Established in 2003, AgilePath according to its website is "an innovative Information Technology (IT) professional services firm focused on enabling enterprise agility and operational excellence through the adoption of emerging technologies such as Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), Business Process Management (BPM) and Cloud Computing. In addition, AgilePath is recognized for its best-in-class Enterprise Governance solutions, including its Enterprise Governance Playbook™ and several packaged governance solutions focused on IT portfolio management, systems engineering processes, enterprise architecture, acquisition governance, technology on boarding and experimentation, and more. AgilePath seeks to solve the many challenges that emerge at the intersection of emerging technologies, corporate culture, enterprise architecture and systems engineering processes. AgilePath also provides innovative DoD acquisition lifecycle innovation solutions and a range of CIO, CTO, PEO and Program Management support services.

"The Top Secret America database was put together by compiling hundreds of thousands of public records of government organizations and private-sector companies," the Washington Post report said.

AgilePath was one of more than 50 Massachusetts companies that were part of the intelligence network, according to the report.

Chamber of Commerce President Ann Ormond said that the Chamber has been working with the Newburyport Waterfront Trust to maintain or add vendors during special Chamber events while keeping access to the waterfront open.

Read more: Chamber and Trust working on space for festival vendors

As the new President of the Rotary Club of Newburyport, Chamber of Commerce President Ann Ormond said Market Square and the downtown area will be priorities under her leadership.

"[For example], the benches on Market Square could use some TLC," Ormond said. She may engage the junior Rotarians in the Interact Club at Newburyport High School in this goal.

Ormond, who has been a Rotarian since the late 1980s, said she does not know what she would do if she were not in a Rotary club. "It's larger than the self," she said.

Although Rotary and the Chamber are not connected in any way, Ormond said that as membership organizations, they have a similar mission - engaging people to work on behalf of the community as a whole.

Ormond is most interested in getting the membership out, adding that all of the money raised in Rotary goes back to the community.

The Rotary gives back about $20,000 to the community each year, including scholarships to local students and donations to area non-profits and the school system. The parent organization, Rotary International, has four avenues of service: club service, community service, vocational service and international service.

"Rotary has come this close to eradicating polio in Third World countries," she said. "If anyone is going to do it, it will be Rotary."

Ormond said that membership in the Newburyport club has stayed steady while membership in Rotary International in the aggregate has gone down somewhat. She added that the club has always been strong in community service.

The Rotary Club of Newburyport meets for lunch at 12:15 p.m. every Tuesday at Glenn's restaurant on Merrimac Street.