Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal • February 1, 2016 www.wbjournal.com Knowledge + Experience + Trusted Advice. It all adds up. Large enough to serve the needs of most businesses and individuals; small enough to offer the personal attention you expect and deserve. Greenberg, Rosenblatt, Kull & Bitsoli, PC Certified Public Accountants 306 Main Street, Suite 400 • Worcester, MA 01608 508.791.0901 • www.grkb.com A t t o r n e y s & B u s i n e s s A d v i s o r s W W W . D A R R O W E V E R E T T . C O M R H O D E I S L A N D | M A S S A C H U S E T T S | N E W Y O R K deal·mak·ers ˈdēlˌmākər/ noun 1. (See DarrowEverett L L P) Prosecutors urging fingerprint requirement for Uber drivers Prosecutors have joined with chiefs of police to back a proposed requirement that drivers for ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft undergo fingerprinting to ensure the safety of the public. Fingerprinting drivers has emerged as one of the more contentious issues involved in the debate over how to regu- late the growing ride-hailing industry, which has threatened to supplant more traditional taxi companies Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless, presi- dent of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, wrote a letter pushing for the finger printing. Leominster HealthAlliance recog- nized by Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare The UMass Memorial HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster was named to the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Hospital Honor Roll, the only Central Massachusetts hospital to make the list. HealthAlliance was one of 55 hospi- tals in four states on the 2015 honor roll from Harvard Pilgrim, joining the ranks of Beth Israel Deaconess hospitals and Tufts Medical Center. The list, which is in its ninth year, recognizes adult, acute care hospitals whose performance was among the top 25 percent of those mea- sured nationally, using Hospital Compare and Leapfrog patient safety measures. $100K challenge to boost biotech and medical startups The University of Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) has kicked off its fifth annual $100,000 challenge to showcase innova- tive ideas of early-stage medical device, diagnostic and biotech companies. The program assists entrepreneurs in the medical device and biotech sectors with the entire process of moving new products from the conceptual phase to the marketplace. It is a joint venture of UMass Medical School in Worcester, which provides medical expertise and assistance with clinical trials, and UMass Lowell, which offers expertise in busi- ness and plastics engineering. Since it was founded in 2007, M2D2 has worked with more than 100 client companies, which in turn have secured $40 million in external funding for their ventures. Anna Maria College receives $400K for campus center Anna Maria College has received a $400,000 grant towards renovations of its campus center to benefit students and staff. The Paxton college received the grant from the Worcester-based George I. Alden Trust. Anna Maria has received Alden Trust grants in the past, but col- lege officials reported that this award is the largest to date. It will allow them to update the campus center, which is one of the busiest locations on campus, according to Anna Maria College President Mary Lou Retelle. Anna Maria is in the process of hiring a designer for the project and renova- tions will take place this summer. The renovations are expected to take up to four months, with work beginning in May 2016, and the renovated center is expected to be completed and unveiled by the fall 2016 semester. "The renovations to the existing cen- ter will bring about significant improve- ments to aesthetics, comfort and energy savings," said David K. Breen, vice presi- dent/chief operations officer at Anna Maria. The current grant follows other size- able awards to Anna Maria from the George I. Alden Trust over the last decade and before. In 2008, the Alden Trust awarded Anna Maria with $300,000 to update programs and facili- ties related to science studies, and in 2012 it granted $200,000 for a library upgrade, including the creation of the campus' Information Commons and its Student Success Center. n REGIONAL BRIEFS Through the first 11 months of 2015, Massachusetts had the fifth highest average electricity price for the year. Fifth worst for power prices >> Continued from previous page Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration Hawaii ......................................................................................................... 26.37 Alaska .......................................................................................................... 17.98 Connecticut .............................................................................................. 17.83 Rhode Island ............................................................................................ 17.03 MASSACHUSETTS ..................................................................16.88 New Hampshire ...................................................................................... 16.04 California ..................................................................................................... 15.6 New York .................................................................................................... 15.47 Vermont ..................................................................................................... 14.35 New Jersey ................................................................................................ 14.06 STATE CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR

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