Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com June 8, 2015 • Worcester Business Journal 5 WORCESTER — Becker College has agreed to establish a center that will focus on how business can identify and solve social problems, working with the Seven Hills Foundation, the school announced. The center will be called the Yunus Social Business Centre, named for Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi economist and social entrepreneur who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Becker is one of a handful of higher education institutions around the world — and the first in the United States — to establish a Yunus site. Representatives of both institutions, joined by David Jordan, president and CEO of Seven Hills and a member of Becker's board of trustees, signed a memorandum of understanding last month in Bangladesh, according to a statement from the college. WORCESTER — Assumption College will introduce a new bachelor's degree program in actuarial science in the fall. The four-year program will prepare students for business-oriented careers by emphasizing probability, statistics, finance, and accounting through mathematics and economics, the school said. Assumption said the new offering will help it meet demand from companies in the insurance, finance, and consulting industries that are seeking individuals specifically trained in risk analysis. MCPHS University has branched into a new area of study after acquiring the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA) in Newton, the Boston-based school, which has a campus in downtown Worcester, announced. Under the deal, NESA will retain its name but fall under the MCPHS umbrella. NESA's Newton campus will also be maintained for the foreseeable future, the statement from MCPHS — formerly the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences — said. As a result of the acquisition, MCPHS will add two degree programs to its current list of 65, according to its president, Charles F. Monahan Jr. UXBRIDGE — An Uxbridge man has been charged in an alleged Ponzi scheme that took in $3.5 million, according to a statement from the office of Secretary of State William F. Galvin. Charles L. Erickson is suspected of conducting a fraudulent Ponzi scheme in which he allegedly sold unregistered investments in trading futures contracts to at least 25 investors, the statement said. About a third of those recruited were from Erickson's church in Ashland, where he was an elder, according to Galvin's office. The administrative complaint, according to the statement, said: "Erickson believed that the 'Holy Spirit' had given him a proprietary system for day trading a particularly volatile type of futures contract." According to a report in the Telegram & Gazette, the church, Connect Community Church, said REGIONAL BRIEFS >> Continued from previous page Agency: Davis Advertising Client: SpencerBANK W.S.# SPB26384 File Name: SPB26384_WBJ_CL_ad Program: indd Media: WBJ Size: 4.3" x 6" Color: BW Date: Monday 6/8/15 SPENCER • LEICESTER • RUTLAND WARREN • WORCESTER 800-547-2885 spencerbankonline.com Each depositor is insured by the FDIC to at least $250,000. All deposits above the FDIC insurance amount are insured by the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF). Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender Imagine… a bank that works for your business. SpencerBANK's Commercial Lending Team (l to r): Tom Moschos, VP/Commercial Lending; Kyle Bourque, VP/Commercial Lending; Steve Quink, VP/Commercial Lending; Randy Webber, EVP/Chief Lending Officer; Mike Quink, SVP/Commercial Division Manager; and Tim Gardell, Commercial Lending Officer. At SpencerBANK, we know the importance of supporting businesses in the community. It's why we have the money to lend and a team of experienced and dedicated professionals - right here in your community - to help your business succeed. Call us today at 800-547-2885 to speak with a local decision maker who can help your business grow, no matter your financial needs. Let us help you develop a cost- effective strategy by providing your company with innovative plans for medical, dental, disability, and life insurance. Federal Square 546 Main Street Worcester, MA 01608 Phone: 800-417-6353 Fax: 508-770-0298 www.corporatebenefitplans.com Benefit Management Pension Management Risk Management GREG LAVELLE, MBA President and CEO The Evergreen Solar plant in Devens, under construction in 2008. REAL DEALS Real Deals highlights recent commercial property transactions in Central Massachusetts. Commercial real estate firms that want to submit information on transactions can send it to editorial@wbjournal.com, or fax it to 508-755-8860. Sources: Worcester Register of Deeds, Hackman Capital Partners and CBRE New England ADDRESS: 112 Barnum Rd., Devens AREA: 391,591sq. ft. SALE PRICE: $36.05 million SELLER: Hackman Capital Partners LLC and Calare Properties BUYER: Barnum Owner LLC The facility, built several years ago by Evergreen Solar, was designed to han- dle large industrial orders with 35-foot high ceilings. It was purchased vacant in 2012 for $8.3 million. The building is fully leased to French manufacturer Saint-Gobain and Clinton-based plas- tics manufacturer Nypro. Erickson resigned as a member earlier this year and he has been removed as an elder. WORCESTER — A three-story office building at 25 Harvard St. in Worcester, known as the Otis E. Putnam House, has been sold. The buyer was 25 Harvard Street LLC, and the seller Phyllis Jaffee of Jaffee & Associates CPA, according to a statement from Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates of Worcester. The 5,400-square-foot building dates to 1887, and was headquarters for Jaffee & Associates for many years. Aisling Partners, an independent brokerage and consulting firm, will move its offices to 25 Harvard St. from 446 Main St., Worcester. FRAMINGHAM — Medical device maker Arch Therapeutics has launched a research collaboration with the CURAM Centre for Research in Medical Devices, based in Ireland, Arch announced. The company will work with this new research center, based in Galway, Ireland, on continued >> Continued on next page F I L E P H O T O — Compiled by Sam Bonacci, Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer

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