Business News

Two committees are working to gain support from the City Council so that MBTA-owned land near the train station can be developed for mixed-use. A meeting has been set for next week.

Read more: 'Smart growth' district on the table again

The trustees of the Port Plaza Realty Trust are continuing the fight to keep a proposed Panera Bread restaurant and retail store from opening on Storey Avenue, saying it would cause traffic problems.

Read more: Port Plaza owner continues to fight Panera

The Provident Community Foundation this month awarded $41,500 in grants to six nonprofit groups, including five in the Newburyport area.

Read more: Provident Foundation grants $41,500 to local agencies

Newburyport's new marketing channel, LocalGinger, has been named a finalist in the 2010 North of Boston Business Plan Competition.  The newly-launched business provides an avenue for retailers and service providers to offer special deals to local residents via the Internet.  Deals are posted on LocalGinger.com and promoted on Facebook and through email. The deals require a certain number of purchases to kick in.  Once enough customers have committed to an offer, the offer goes live.

A $5,000 Grand Prize will be awarded for the best business plan, as well as a second place prize of $3,000, and third place prize of $2,000 after the finalists present their plans at the competition finale on April 12.

The North of Boston Business Plan Competition is put on by the Enterprise Center at Salem State College. The competition is designed to find companies that are less than three years old and plan to grow to at least five employees in the next two years. In order to be eligible the business must commit to locate in Essex County or the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts. The majority of judges in the competition are early stage investors and bankers.

Arik Keller, the president and co-founder of LocalGinger, was pleased to be named a finalist in the competition:  ““Just being named to the top six clearly means we have a viable business model that will be financially successful, beneficial to local businesses and create jobs in Newburyport.”

The business plan was submitted at the end of February, just weeks after LocalGinger began operations.  In the weeks since, the company has had a successful launch.  Said Keller: “Even in the short time since we entered the contest, we have proven our model – we have engaged with 20 businesses and hundreds customers to generate over 700 transactions in only five weeks.  We look forward to presenting to the judges next week in the finalists round to share our results.”

Greater Newburyport is home to a vibrant and growing agricultural economy, as reflected by two events in two weeks.

Read more: Agriculture takes center stage

Mayor Donna Holaday said that she supports a multi-generational facility in Newburyport called Center at Cushing Park, but with a lower price tag than the proposed senior citizens center.

Read more: Holaday says yes to Cushing Park center

The Institution for Savings charitable foundation is donating $1.5 million to Anna Jaques Hospital, offering a major boost to the hospital's fund-raising campaign to build a new single-room inpatient unit.

Read more: Institution for Savings donates $1.5m to Anna Jaques

The Department of Energy Resources (DOER) is providing $150,000 to install solar panels on the roof of the Amesbury High School cafeteria.

Talmage Solar Engineering, Inc. was awarded the contract and will begin working with the city this spring to plan the installation and connection of the array. The project is expected to create at least a 35 kilowatt array to help power the high school.

An educational component is built into the proposal and will result in educational programming around energy efficiency, renewable energy and the reduction in carbon dioxide.

Amesbury Mayor Thatcher Kezer said: “This is a worthwhile project that will reduce our carbon footprint, provide educational opportunities and supple or create jobs. We are very pleased to have been awarded this grant. I've made it my goal to see solar power incorporated into the school's energy program.

Brad Ford, Amesbury Public Schools facility director, said: “Using the high school as our pilot site takes advantage of the newer, flat roof. It is a fitting addition to this wonderful building. This also affords us the opportunity to educate students about alternate energy options and conservation.”

DOER gave the funds to Amesbury as an Energy Efficiency and Block Grant. The EEBG program is funded through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

State Representative Michael A. Costello said: “With the installation of these solar panels, Amesbury will be able to reduce its energy costs while also helping to protect the environment. The smart investment of stimulus dollars like this will help provide sustainable jobs for the long term.”

The State Senate is scheduled Thursday to debate a proposed amendment to independent contractor law. The amendment, number 4, seeks to correct legislation that puts severe restrictions on independent contractors. It would be added to an economic development bill. Supporters are urging independent contractors to call their state senator and Senate President Therese Murray at 617-722-1500 to voice their support for the proposed amendment to the economic development bill. It is amendment No. 4. To find your State Senator visit http://www.mass.gov/legis/memmenus.htm.

The amendment alters the definition of an independent contractor to:
(a) For the purpose of this chapter and chapter 151, an individual performing any service, except as authorized under this chapter, shall be considered to be an employee under those chapters unless:-
(1) the individual is free from control and direction in connection with the performance of the service, both under his contract for the performance of service and in fact; and
(2) the service is performed outside the usual course of the business of the employer; or,
(3) the individual is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, profession or business of the same nature as that involved in the service performed.”

To read the bill, visit:
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/senate/186/st02pdf/st02345.pdf
The link for the amendments that will also be debated during the Senate’s consideration of the primary bill S.2345 is: http://www.mass.gov/legis/senate/s2345_amendments.htm. These amendments include the change to the Independent Contractor law (Amendment #4).

In addition, House Bill 1844, which includes the same language, is still alive in another committee and may be another way to get the change enacted.

Newburyport Mayor Donna Holaday will on April 1 issue the “Carbon Challenge” to city employees. The challenge to employees to save energy at home will launch at 12:30 p.m. in the children’s activity room at the Newburyport Public Library.

An online tool, the Carbon Challenge is a simple way for people to measure energy use in their homes and to get ideas to save money and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. Said Newburyport’s Recycling Coordinator Molly Ettenborough: “It’s for people to be aware of energy usage and give them some ideas.”

The residential component of the carbon challenge will be launched on Earth Day, April 22. All of the information is collated by the New England Carbon Challenge.

People entering the local carbon challenge will need to collect the household’s energy bills and vehicle mileage – or estimate one or both – and go online to http://necarbonchallenge.org/calculator.jsp. The site will calculate the household’s carbon footprint, which is the sum of all emissions of carbon dioxide that were created by human activities in a given time frame, usually a year.

The carbon challenge is just part of a huge picture that involves Newburyport getting a state designation of being a green community, although it is not a required component of that effort. If the city gets the designation, grants will become available for green initiatives.

The carbon challenge is a partnership between the national organization Clean Air - Cool Planet and the University of New Hampshire (UNH).  For more information, contact Linda Guthrie at 978-764-5200 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .