Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal | June 12, 2017 | wbjournal.com B R I E F S posal is approved as is. The draft budget proposes cutting the $124 million set aside to fund MEP cen- ters, which provide consulting and edu- cational services to small and midsize manufacturers. However, MassMEP feels confident it will be able to continue operations, said Kathie Mahoney, MassMEP's marketing and administra- tion director. Eversource buying Aquarion for $1.7B New England's largest energy supplier and its dominant private water company will combine under a $1.67 billion agree- ment announced in June, a move that gives the water company a local owner. Eversource Energy, which delivers electricity and natural gas to customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, will acquire Aquarion Water Co. for $880 million in cash, plus assumed debt of $795 million. Eversource's service territory includes Greater Worcester and most of MetroWest, including Marlborough and Framingham. The bulk of Aquarion's customers are in Connecticut, but it pro- vides water service in Oxford Millbury, Hingham and Hull in Massachusetts and parts of southern New Hampshire. SEC holds TelexFree promoter liable for $1.8M A promoter of TelexFree, Inc. was found liable for more than $1.83 million in federal court in Boston, two months after the company's president was sen- tenced to six years in prison. TelexFree, based in Marlborough, marketed itself as an internet telecom company but was actually a pyramid scheme, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC on May 25 entered a final judgment by con- sent against defendant Sanderley Rodrigues de Vasconcelos, who admitted he promoted TelexFree by appearing at sponsored public events and gatherings at hotels and restaurants. James Merrill, TelexFree's former president, was sen- tenced to six years in prison in March. T H E T I C K E R 20,000 Rectrix Commercial Aviation Services flights as of June 5. The airline celebrated its milestone flight at Worcester Regional Airport with a special passenger on board -- hockey legend Bobby Orr. Source: Rectrix Commercial Aviation Services $2.2 million Source: Baker Administration Money Airbnb hosts in Worcester made over Worcester Polytechnic Institute/Worcester State University graduation weekend. $36,000 Source: Airbnb Days it will take a construction team to finish building Mount Wachusett Community College's new student center so it can be up and running by the fall. 100 Source: Mount Wachusett Community College Business confidence bumps back up in May After dropping in April from March's 16-year record, business confidence rebounded in May amid optimism for the next six months, Associated Industries of Massachusetts said. AIM's Business Confidence Index ticked up 0.6 points to 60.8 last month, resuming what had been a seven-month streak of improved confidence before April's decline. The index now stands 3.1 points higher than in May 2016. Hudson builder expands with $1.4M purchase Hudson industrial contractor New England Infrastructure purchased the 40,000-square-foot building next to its yard for $1.4 million so it can relocate and expand its business operations. The purchase will expand New England Infrastructure's total acreage to 9.85 acres, said Bret O'Brien of Greater Boston Commercial Properties, who represented NEI in the purchase. The seller and current occupant of 16 Brent Drive, Hypertronics Corp., is downsizing its Hudson operation to office personnel only and will lease back 8,779 square feet of office space at the front of the building. Wachusett, Jack's Abby named top brewers Two Central Massachusetts breweries that grew exponentially over a four-year period made a list of the top 100 region- al breweries in the U.S. Wachusett Brewing Co. of Westminster and Jack's Abby Craft Lagers of Framingham both made the annual list, a ranking of the country's top local breweries from the Brewer's Association, a nonprofit trade associa- tion. The list was unveiled in the May/ June 2017 issue of The New Brewer, the journal of the Brewer's Association. According to Brewer's Association data, Jack's Abby grew its barrel produc- tion from 2,500 barrels in 2012 to 34,500 in 2016. Wachusett produced 51,239 barrels in 2016, more than double the 26,351 it produced in 2012. Skills Capital Grants given out by the state on June 2. Marlborough Public Schools received $239,679, and Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School received $244,510. Continued from previous page Eversource will expand beyond its electric and natural gas utility holdings after the purchase of Aquarion is complete. Information is POWER! Did you know our lists are available for download? Our lists can be your lists! • Choose the format that best meets your needs – PDF or Excel • Download any individual list or a combination of lists • Get extended lists not available anywhere else Our Lists are the only comprehensive source for information on the region's companies, executives and industries that drive Central Massachusetts' economy and market. Worcester Business Journal WBJ Questions? Want to be included on a List? Contact Stephanie R. Meagher at smeagher@nebusinessmedia.com. ACCESS THE LISTS TODAY! Order now at wbjournal.com/datacenter Sam Hendler, co-founder of Jack's Abby, tests the beer at the company's Framingham brewery.

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