Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal • June 22, 2015 www.wbjournal.com Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. FRAMINGHAM — The TJX Cos. will pay out a quarterly stock dividend of 21 cents per share, the parent company of off-price retailers T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls announced. The action comes less than a month after TJX said strong customer traffic in the first quarter of its new fiscal year led to an 8-percent jump in profits, to $475 million, or 69 cents per share, over the same quarter last year. TJX said net sales for the quarter, which ended May 2, rose 6 percent to $6.9 billion, and consolidated comparable store sales rose 5 percent. TJX also raised its expectations for the rest of the fiscal cycle, which will end Jan. 30, 2016. It now expects earnings per share in the range of $3.21 to $3.27; it had previously projected $3.17 to $3.25. SOUTHBOROUGH — Fortune 50 tech giant IBM has selected Globoforce as a partner for its Smarter Workforce ecosystem, Globoforce announced. Globoforce is co-headquartered in Southborough and Dublin, Ireland. It helps companies focus on employee recognition and engagement. The partnership includes sales and marketing efforts, solution integration, and future developments within IBM's Smarter Workforce partner ecosystem. IBM will promote Globoforce as a recommended social recognition partner to IBM Kenexa Survey Enterprise clients, the Globoforce statement said. The Massachusetts Lottery is preparing for challenges posed by the opening of the Plainridge Park slots parlor in Plainville and the coming of full-fledged casinos, according to Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. During a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce forum in Boston, Goldberg, who oversees the Lottery, said her agency "cannot be complacent" and must go beyond just advertising to increase profits in the face of casino gambling. Like her predecessors, Goldberg will face pressure during her four-year term to boost Lottery profits. Goldberg plans to install wireless technology to replace obsolete hardware and terminals and to meet with retailers as part of what she says will be an "innovative and savvy" approach. A panel of University of Massachusetts trustees signed off on hiking student costs for the 2015-2016 school year, saying the exact increase will depend on how much the university system gets in state aid. The UMass Board's Committee on Administration and Finance unanimously voted to approve hikes of up to 5 percent for in-state undergraduates after two consecutive years of freezing tuition and fee increases. If UMass officials go forward with the full 5 percent hike, students will be hit with increases ranging from $552 to $580, though the figure will depend on which campus they attend. Twenty percent of the fee increase will be focused on providing financial aid. A recent report ranked Massachusetts 34th in the nation when it comes to growth of women-owned businesses in the last 18 years. Massachusetts has lagged behind the nation somewhat in the rate of growth in women-owned businesses since 1997, according to the fifth annual State of Women-Owned Businesses Report. The state has an estimated 212,600 women-owned firms employing 180,300 workers. This represents a 49-percent increase in the number state since 1997, according to the report commissioned by American Express OPEN. Nationally, there are 9.4 million women-owned enterprises, a figure that has grown by 74 percent from 1997's 5.4 million. n >> Continued from previous page REGIONAL BRIEFS W o r c e s t e r | F r a m i n g h a m | c a p e c o d 508.459.8000 | www.fletchertilton.com Fletcher Tilton PC would like to congratulate Quabaug Corporation on the sale of its soling assets to Vibram® USA, Inc. We have had the privilege of representing Quabaug Corporation for over 50 years and were honored to have the opportunity to represent them in this transaction. Fletcher Tilton would like the opportunity to represent you or your company in your next important business transaction. Give us a call today to learn more. Quabaug-Vibram Ad.indd 1 6/9/2015 11:40:19 AM Health New England has earned the trust of more than 5,000 employers throughout our region by providing outstanding, personal service and quality health insurance options. We offer plans without tiered networks and no referral is needed for members to see an in-plan specialist. At HNE, we're committed to being a better choice in health insurance for everyone in Worcester County. Maura McCaffrey President & CEO, Health New England " " Ask your insurance broker or call us at 508.453.9170 · hne.com/worcester A better choice in health insurance. 0 2 4 6 $8B '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 IMPORTS (In billions of dollars) $8.3B $4.4B $3.6B Source: U.S. Commerce Dept. State's leading import source? Look north As it was in 2008, Canada was Massachusetts' leading source of imports in 2014, accounting for nearly 25 percent of all imports into the state. A look at the value of all imports from the state's top three origins from 2008 to 2014. Canada China Mexico

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