Report: Medical industry robust in Massachusetts

Massachusetts continues to lead the nation in R&D jobs and federal research funding per capita, though smaller biotech clusters in New York and Washington, D.C., are growing at faster rates, according to the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council's annual industry report.

In 2012, the state's biopharma industry added 365 jobs for a total of 56,462, including 27,883 in biotechnology research and development — more than in any other state.

From 2007-12, Massachusetts added 3,227 jobs in biotech research and development, second only to California's 4,304. But the Bay State's 13.1-percent growth over that period was outpaced by Washington's 53.8 percent, New York's 41.7 percent and California's 22.5 percent growth.

"It says we maintain a very strong position nationally and globally, but it does also raise questions about what's next," said Peter Abair, MassBio's director of economic and global affairs. "We need to consider what's going on in smaller clusters like D.C. and New York and see if we can learn from that."

In addition to the jobs the biopharma industry added, the medical device industry added 205 jobs last year for a total of 23,151, a figure that is closer to more than 70,000 if jobs at companies that manufacture components of medical devices are included, said Thomas Sommer, president of the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council.

"It's modest growth," Sommer said. "It reflects the fact that the industry is challenged by the 2.3 percent medical device excise tax that went into effect Jan. 1."

Only California and Minnesota employed more people in the medical device industry last year, with 74,377 people and 29,087 people, respectively, according to the MassBio report.

Massachusetts also trailed California in National Institutes of Health funding in 2012. California received $3.47 billion — more than any other state — while Massachusetts came in second with $2.56 billion.

On a per-capita basis, however, Massachusetts led all states by far, with $391 per person, compared to $93 in California. And half of the top 18 NIH-funded research hospitals are in the Bay State.

Venture investment in Massachusetts biotechs declined from an all-time high of $1.07 billion in 2011 to $838 million last year, or 21 percent of all U.S. venture capital. Nationally, venture investment in biotech declined 15 percent in 2012.

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Danvers grocery awaits OK on alcohol

A Stop & Shop in Danvers may soon be selling beer and wine, the latest grocery store to take advantage of a change in state law that allows more supermarkets to carry alcohol.

The Route 1 grocery store's application was cleared by the town's Board of Selectmen earlier this month and must still be approved by the state's Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

A spokeswoman for Stop & Shop said it hopes to know for sure by September.

It would be the fourth Stop & Shop location to sell alcohol in the Bay State — joining branches in Hingham, Quincy and Malden — and the first attempt by the Quincy-based company to add more alcohol licenses since a change in state law went into effect in 2012.

Under the new law, grocery stores can increase the number of locations selling booze from three to five. In 2016, that number will grow to seven.

By 2020, grocery stores will be able to stock alcohol at up to nine locations.

A spokesman for Shaw's and Star Market couldn't say whether the supermarket has any current plans filed to add liquor licenses beyond the three locations in Cambridge, Franklin and at the Prudential in Boston, where it already sells alcohol.

A spokesman for Market Basket did not return a call seeking comment.

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Framingham’s TJX surges, lifts outlook

TJX — the corporate owner of the T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods chains — continues to impress investors with high earnings, showing its off-price big-brand "treasure hunt" stores remain popular amid an uneven retail climate, while the company prepares to launch web sales.

The Framingham company beat Wall Street estimates with earnings that jumped 13.9 percent to $479.5 million for the quarter ended Aug. 3, on sales that rose 8 percent to $6.4 billion.

The TJX Companies, Inc., has a markedly different operating model than most retailers, according to Stifel Nicolaus analyst Richard Jaffe. "They're selling nationally recognized brands at discounted prices," he said. "(Consumers) have to apply some energy in looking through the assortments, but they know that they will find good things at low prices, and that is very different from ... any other department store or specialty store."

TJX saw increased customer traffic and higher checkout receipts, with strong results in clothing and home goods.

"It is great to see a strong performance continue over such strong year-over-year comparisons," CEO Carol Meyrowitz said.

TJX narrowed the window for its T.J. Maxx e-commerce website launch, saying it will begin controlled test sales by late fall.

Meyrowitz isn't concerned about translating the "treasure hunt" experience to online, where customers, as in stores, may not always find items in the right color or size. "I believe it can," she said. "T.J. Maxx is a very well-known brand."

TJX shares hit a 52-week high of $54.41 yesterday, closing at $54.24, up 6.88 percent. The better-than-expected results, combined with a "solid start" to the current quarter, prompted the company to raise its outlook for the entire year.

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‘University 
Pages’ aim to help with college hunt

LinkedIn, the social network for professionals, branched into academia and targeted a teen audience yesterday with University Pages, a first step in a plan to win members as young as 13 who are already thinking about college and careers.

The social network launched pages for its first 200 schools — including Boston University, Boston College, Harvard, MIT, Babson, Bentley, Brandeis, Tufts, Northeastern, Wellesley and Hult International School of Business — with an ultimate goal of 23,000 universities worldwide, said Crystal Braswell, a LinkedIn spokeswoman.

The pages let alumni connect with former classmates while current students can get regular updates about campus news and activities. But Braswell said University Pages is especially aimed at younger students deciding where to apply to college, and is designed to help them explore universities worldwide, check out notable alumni and get a head start on building a network to guide them in their choice of schools and majors.

"Students are the fastest-growing demographic on LinkedIn," she said in an email. "Today, we have more than 30 million students and recent graduates on LinkedIn. University Pages are designed to help students — both teenagers and university/college age — make smart, informed decisions about their educational and professional future."

To facilitate that, LinkedIn, beginning Sept. 12, will lower the minimum age for members from 18 to 14 in the U.S. and 13 internationally. High school students will be able to create profiles just as older members do, except instead of their alma mater and work history, they'll be able to tout courses they've taken, test scores, extracurricular activities and volunteer work, Braswell said.

Kristy N. Kime, BU's associate director of alumni online engagement, said, "LinkedIn's University pages will open a new door connecting not only alumni, but current students and prospective students who are considering attending Boston University. We are very excited about where this will go."

Lowering the sign-up age is a wise move for the social network, whose membership has been heavily male and older, said Todd Van Hoosear, owner of Fresh Ground, a Cambridge social-media consulting firm. "Linked­In's missing out on a lot of advertising dollars. It's got to appeal to a younger audience."

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Insurance innovator intrigues observers

A startup insurance company approved to offer health coverage to Massachusetts residents is promising a new approach to cut costs.

Minuteman Health, the first insurance company to be approved in years in Massachusetts, will be member-governed, something that should bring lower costs and better care to members, the company said. Approved by the Division of Insurance last week, this will allow Minuteman to offer insurance plans that are unlike any in the state, the company said.

"We're trying to deliver additional choice and competitive new product to the market," said Tom Policelli, CEO of Minuteman. "We're trying to deliver value to the consumer."

All members of the board will be Minuteman policyholders, and those members will be voted on by every policyholder.

"That's something we haven't seen in Massachusetts before," said DOI commissioner Joseph G. Murphy. "It's a unique facet of Minuteman's creation."

Amy Whitcomb Slemmer of Health Care for All, a consumer insurance advocacy group, said, "They have an opportunity to do it right out of the box. We certainly are interested in the innovation, we're excited about consumers being on the board of directors, and we're going to watch carefully."

"I personally welcome any additional new entrants to the marketplace because we have not had them for many years," said Joshua Archambault, director of Health Care Policy for the Pioneer Institute. But he and Slemmer added they are waiting to see how the company develops.

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Cigna’s counseling rule draws fire

With the genetic testing business booming, national health insurer Cigna Corp. is telling its customers to get insurer-approved counseling before it will pay for certain tests, a move that has critics questioning the insurer's motives.

"If the counseling is used as a tool to help consumers better direct their care, it will add tremendous value to empower patients," Joshua Archambault, the Pioneer Institute's Director of Health Care Policy, told the Herald about Cigna's new rule.

Starting Sept. 16, Cigna customers who want their insurer to pay for tests that will tell if they are at risk of breast, ovarian and colorectal cancers, or the heart condition Long QT, must first meet with a Cigna-
approved counselor.

"If the counseling is solely utilized as a cost-containment measure, patients are likely to be unhappy as the future of medicine will involve individualized care based on one's genetic makeup," Archambault warned.

Cigna says it adopted the policy because these tests, which can cost up to $4,000 each, are often requested and often misunderstood.

The tests "have a lot of implications for patients and their families, and they are hard to understand. It's a new field," said David Finley, Cigna's national medical officer for enterprise affordability and policy.

Dr. Aubrey Milunsky, founder of the Center for Human Genetics in Cambridge, said it's always smart to get counseling before a genetic test.

But Milunsky recommends people who may be at risk for devastating diseases sit down with a medical doctor who specializes in genetics because the evolving field is so complex.

"People are finally beginning to realize the power of DNA, and how precise a test it is," he said.

As a result, he's troubled that Cigna wants its customers to either meet with a pre-selected counselor or speak by telephone with someone from InformedDNA, a private Florida firm.

"In our business, telephone counseling is a no-no," Milunsky said.

Herald wire services contributed to this story.

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Mariwear counting on comfort to matter

Before her startup, Mariwear, was chosen as a finalist in May from a field of 1,200 companies in the accelerator and competition MassChallenge, Melanie Berger had to stand before a panel of judges and pitch her new line of sleepwear and lounge wear.

"The panel was all men, so I had four men staring at me," Berger, 51, remembers, "and I was wearing the garment, so there was that awkward moment when they all realized I was bra-less."

Not that she looked it. The genius of Mariwear is its "bra-less bra," as Berger calls it, a lining attached to the inside of the garment to offer shape and support without any of the wires or fasteners legions of women have come to loathe in traditional bras.

After 10 minutes of questions and answers, she knew she had a chance when one of the judges said, "I wonder why no one else has done this yet."

A former advertising executive who lives in Sudbury, Berger founded Mariwear in August 2011 after looking in vain for sleepwear and lounge wear that was as fashionable as it was comfortable.

"Women should be able to get out of their bras at the end of the day and feel comfortable and still feel confident about the way they look," she said.

To make her collection of tops, bottoms and nighties, she started with a fabric that's a combination of Siro Micro Modal and spandex, and had the cups of the tops' interiors designed by a bra expert.

Susan DeSantis, one of Berger's neighbors, attended the products' launch last September and went away with a small cache of clothes.

"I originally went to support a neighbor," said DeSantis, 53, "and I left as a customer."

Last spring, after she broke her foot, she wore the clothes all the time around the house, she said. And later, when her sister was burned in a car crash, she too became a convert because the fabric didn't irritate her skin.

Kim Nottonson, 45, of Natick had had four back surgeries in 21⁄2 years when her helper spotted some Mariwear at a shop in Wayland earlier this year.

"I started using them for yoga," Nottonson said. "I realized why don't I use them around the house for other things. They're so comfy and easy to wash. I even wore them in the hospital."

Berger didn't have women recovering from surgeries specifically in mind when she started Mariwear, she said, but she's thrilled women are discovering other uses for her clothes.

To date, more than 500 women have bought her clothes at select boutiques and spas, as well as on her website, Mariwear.com.

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Marketers grapple with roadblocking Gmail feature

A new Gmail inbox makes it harder for retailers and other email marketers to get out their messages.

Recognizing the volume of emails can be overwhelming, the Google-owned email service has been rolling out an inbox that lets users organize their messages in up to five folders, including "Promotions."

Now, instead of Sports Authority or Groupon emails with offers and other marketing messages landing in the regular inbox, they can be redirected to the "Promotions" folder. The "Primary" inbox is reserved for personal conversations and other emails that "you really, really want," according to Google.

Since the rollout began, email open rates — the percentage of emails that are opened by recipients — have been declining across the email marketing industry, according to Ginny Soskey of Cambridge's HubSpot, an inbound marketing 
software company.

"It does certainly up the ante for marketers," Soskey said. "We have to work a little harder to be seen by our email subscribers."

Some companies, afraid their messages will get lost in the shuffle, have been alerting Gmail-using customers about how they can redirect those emails into their "Primary" inboxes.

That's an option, according to Soskey, who suggests marketers take a step back instead of "freaking out."

"We can then really focus on creating content that people love, instead of just simply spamming out emails, because that's not going to get noticed in the 'Promotions' tab," she said. "There are many channels you can use to reach potential customers: social media, blogs, doing targeted (public relations) outreach."

Email marketers can take heart in the results of a recent Forrester Research survey. The survey found that 44 percent of consumers said they deleted most advertising email in 2012 — down from 59 percent in 2010.

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Recycled oil should be fine — just not for this driver

What is your take on 50 percent recycled oil? Stores are offering more of this oil. Is it just as good as new oil? Or should I stay with 100 percent new oil?

As an oil "consumer" — meaning I buy and change my own oil — here's my take on recycled oil. I'm absolutely sure it's as good as 100 percent new oil, meets all of the Society of Automotive Engineers and American Petroleum Institute service ratings and standards, and provides equal protection and performance. But — and here's where personal "baggage" comes into play — I'll stick with new oil. The vehicles and engines I own are mine, I'm responsible for their maintenance and longevity, so I'll continue to buy and use synthetic oil — the best oil available.

For the relatively small difference in price, I'm simply more comfortable sticking with what's worked for me for decades. At least until the price of recycled oil becomes so attractive that the Scrooge in me can't resist.

L L L

In August 2011 we purchased a 2012 Ford Fusion SEL to tow behind our motor home. We specifically asked the dealer what Ford products could be flat-towed as we did not want to deal with a tow dolly. We were told a Fusion would meet our needs. Six months later, an Owners Guide Supplement dated February 2012 came out saying that "Front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicles cannot be flat-towed (all wheels on the ground) as vehicle or transmission damage may occur. The front wheels must be placed on a two-wheel tow dolly."

After finding out about this, we were told by the Ford dealer that we could continue to flat tow the vehicle and our 36-month warranty would cover any issues. We have already experienced a major tow-related problem with the transmission, which was repaired under warranty in March.

Since we invested a substantial sum to outfit the car to be flat-towed, we feel that the change in Ford's position in the Owners Guide Supplement about this vehicle has substantially impaired the intended use of the vehicle. We also believe that the market value of the vehicle has been impacted if we decide we should sell it. Lastly, we feel that the safety of the vehicle has been severely compromised since we could have a major problem if the transmission should malfunction while we are towing it. Any advice?

Space limitations forced me to leave out your comments on the "impaired use and loss of value" issues, which are valid concerns. But to the heart of the matter: Depending on the build date of your Fusion, Ford Technical Service Bulletin 12-11-5, dated November 2012, identifies which Fusion models with the 6F35 automatic transmissions can be flat-towed with all four wheels on the pavement. The short version is these vehicles can be flat-towed for no more than six hours at speeds of 65 miles per hour or less, if the transmission fluid level is set correctly, and if the engine is run every six hours to cool the transmission fluid.

The issue is transmission fluid overheating and inadequate lubrication due to the fact that the transmission oil pump is not being driven by the running engine. This is always a concern when flat-towing a vehicle with an automatic transmission and is why I've always recommended a tow dolly or trailer. Besides, the difference in wheelbase between the tow vehicle and towed vehicle can make sharp maneuvers difficult.

In my opinion you have three choices: Use a tow dolly (my choice), buy or persuade Ford to extend the warranty long enough to cover your intended ownership, or trade the vehicle. The problem with trading is that you may well face the same situation unless the vehicle is fitted with a manual transmission or you can unlock the driven wheels from the drivetrain for towing.

Paul Brand is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. Because of the volume of mail, we cannot provide personal replies.

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The Ticker

Back Bay parking space sells for $125G

An off-street parking space behind 349 Marlborough St. in the Back Bay went for a cool $125,000 yesterday at auction.

That's a relative bargain compared to two tandem parking spaces just a couple of blocks away that sold for $560,000 in June.

One potential bidder, who declined to give his name, said the spot was "completely different" from the ones that sold in June.

The space behind the Marlborough Street building is the inside part of a tandem spot, and requires cooperation and coordination with the owner of the outside space, who was present at the auction.

"You're only going to control half the tandem spot here, and it was the inside half," said auctioneer Michael Saperstein. "I think it really makes a difference.

The identity of the buyer, an investor represented by auction company Paul E. Saperstein Co., was not disclosed, nor was the identity of the seller.

Piano maker Steinway sold for $499M

Steinway has been sold for about $499 million and will again become a private company.

The company struck a deal with Paulson & Co., the investment firm founded by John Paulson, for $40 per share. That topped an earlier $35 per-share offer from Kohlberg & Co.

Steinway will discard its sales agreement with Kohlberg and pay a termination penalty of about $6.7 million.

TODAY

 Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims and Consumer Price Index for July.

 Federal Reserve releases industrial production for July.

 Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates.

 National Association of Home Builders releases housing market index for August.

TOMORROW

 Commerce Department releases housing starts for July.

 Labor Department releases second-quarter productivity data.

 New Boston Fund, Inc., a private equity real estate investment, development and management firm, announced the promotion of David Walker to vice president of construction in the Northeast. Walker's primary responsibility will be as the owner's representative in managing the Suffolk Construction team for the construction of One Greenway.

 Skanska USA Building, a provider of construction management, preconstruction and design-build services, announced the hiring of Jim Maguire as vice president and project executive for its Boston office. Maguire brings 29 years of experience to Skanska.

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