Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal • July 20, 2015 www.wbjournal.com D uring his final year in office, former governor Deval Patrick urged lawmakers to require Massachusetts to get more of its electricity from hydropower. This month, his successor renewed the call. Gov. Charlie Baker filed a bill aimed at diversi- fying the state's energy picture and advancing its clean- energy agenda by bringing in more electricity from Quebec's hydropower plants. Here are the details. What's in the bill? Massachusetts' electric distribution companies, with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, would need to solicit cost-effective, long-term con- tracts for hydropower. Meanwhile, wind and solar would remain part of the state's clean energy mix. The legislation would also allow Massachusetts to partner with other New England states to import hydropower. Why hydro? Hydropower — electricity derived from harnessing the energy of rushing water — is considered an envi- ronmentally cleaner form of energy. One reason for the current push is that much of the infrastructure to gen- erate it is in place elsewhere. Canada has long been committed to large-scale hydropower projects. The main purpose behind the bill is to help propel the state to a sounder energy future, officials and observers say. What about the clean-energy picture? To address global warming and other problems asso- ciated with fossil fuels, Massachusetts is aiming to increase its use of renewable energy sources. The efforts have not come without struggle. The Cape Wind Project off Nantucket, proposed in 2001, this year saw National Grid and Northeast Utilities terminate power purchase agreements with the project. Solar energy has had more success, thanks in part to state incentives. Officials announced in May that the state was more than halfway to its goal of installing 1,600 megawatts of solar electricity by 2020. What problems are foreseen? The Conservation Law Foundation sounded caution after the Baker team's July 9 announcement. Spokesman Greg Cunningham said the power source would need to be tracked, "or else we could end up buying Canadian coal-powered electricity during periods of high demand in the Eastern Canadian provinces." While "hydropower needs to be a piece of the puzzle," he said, it "must be added in a way that simultaneously protects our rivers and forests and incorporates alternate renew- able energy solutions." No one says hydropower is perfect. The equipment is expensive to build and maintain, and can harm forests and wildlife. Also, transporting the power from the generator requires hundreds of miles of power lines. That can lead to disagreements and power struggles. n HOPKINTON — Data storage giant EMC Corp. has completed its $1.2-bil- lion acquisition of Virtustream Group Holdings, which has been viewed as a "game changer" intended to enhance EMC's cloud-based services. EMC announced the all-cash deal in May for the Bethesda, Md.-based firm. Virtustream is a privately held com- pany with products that will be deliv- ered directly to customers through EMC's global partners, EMC said in May. Virtusteam will retain its name, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of EMC. WORCESTER — Polar Beverages has partnered with Nestle Waters in a deal that could add up to $50 million in net annual sales by 2020. Under the distribution agreement, Polar will can and distribute products from Nestle Waters for the Nestea and Poland Spring brands, the Stamford, Conn.-based company announced. The alliance, which will operate under the name Polar Strategic Ventures, will be headed by Jeff Weston of Nestle Waters, and cover the eastern U.S. The deal could expand annual sales for Polar by $30 to $50 million by 2020, Polar CEO Ralph Crowley Jr. said. LEOMINSTER — A new company, Allied Resin Technologies, has teamed up with Leominster's First Plastics Corp. to bring rotational manufacturing of large plastic goods and up to 50 new jobs to the city, pos- sibly by the end of the year. The com- pany began production in June with 12 employees, according to Ed Mazzaferro, the owner of First Plastics, an injection molding com- pany. Allied is using space owned by First Plastics. The partnership brings the potential for new product lines, including the manufacture of large plastic items such as kayaks, paddle boards and car bumpers. WORCESTER — Worcester Polytechnic Institute has joined a biomanufacturing industry trade group to help develop technology education and training curricula, the school announced. WPI is the first academic institution to join the trade group, the Bio-Process Systems Alliance (BPSA), the statement said. WPI's Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center (BETC), located in Gateway Park, helps develop work- ers in the industry and offers consult- ing services to biotech companies. WORCESTER - Dr. Aaron Lazare, the former head of the University of Massachusetts Medical School who helped guide and grow it for more than 15 years, died last week at the age of 79. He served as chan- cellor and dean from 1991 to 2007, leaving a lasting legacy, his successor, M i c h a e l F. Collins, said in a s t a t e m e n t . A m on g h i s accomplishments were the building of the Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, the 1998 merger with UMass Memorial Health Care, the integration of Commonwealth Medicine and MassBiologics, and the expansion and modernization of the campus, Collins said. "Dr. Lazare helped to transform the common- wealth's public medical school into a leading hub for medical education, biomedical research and patient care," Collins added. FRAMINGHAM — A Framingham- based biopharmaceutical company wants to expand its operations in Marlborough, with plans to add 50 jobs within the next decade, accord- ing to documents provided to the Worcester Business Journal. LFB USA, part of the European biophar- maceutical company LFB Group, is planning a 65,000-square-foot expan- sion on what is now vacant land on Crowley Drive, according to a letter to the Marlborough City Council from Mayor Arthur Vigeant. LFB is also seeking a tax break from the city. In documents filed with the state's Economic Assistance Coordinating Council, the company is pursuing full or partial tax credits over seven years beginning in 2016, a year before it expects to open the facility. FRAMINGHAM — Framingham- based commercial real estate and property management firm Parsons Commercial Group (PCG) has merged with Sperr y Van Ness International Corp. (SVNIC), a national commercial brokerage head- quartered in Boston. The newly named SVN/Parsons Commercial Group/Boston is owned and operated by John R. Parsons Jr., CEO and man- aging director. "We wanted to align ourselves with an entrepreneurial and recognizable firm," Parsons said in a statement. PCG said it expects to double its brokerage staff within the next 12 months and intends to open an additional office in Boston. Through the Sperry network, the firm hopes to add to its offerings and bring on more advisors. WORCESTER — A $488,500 grant to Worcester Polytechnic Institute REGIONAL BRIEFS >> Continued on next page Verbatim "I think his comments are inappropriate. And if he wanted to build a hotel here, he'd have to make some apologies to people in this country." Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump after his recent comments about Mexican immigrants. Source: BostonHerald.com >> "We have an opportunity to avert the unthinkable alternative of yet another war in the (Middle East) and advance the broader goal of containing nuclear weapons globally." U.S. Rep. James McGovern, on the agreement between the Obama administration and Iran designed to limit Iran's nuclear capability. Source: McGovern's office >> "It's a great day. It's nice to be able to get out here and swim in the Charles." Mass. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton, who showed his support for the Charles River Conservancy's "City Splash" event by taking a plunge into the river. Source: State House News Service >> CENTRALMASS In Review BRIEFING: HYDROPOWER PUSH Dr. Aaron Lazare

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