Business Bulletin

Merrimack Valley Chamber Networking Breakfast at Stevens-Coolidge House

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Members of the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce have an opportunity next Tuesday morning to do business and tour the Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens in North Andover. The Networking Breakfast takes place Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 8-9:15 a.m., at Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens, 153 Chickering Road, North Andover. Admission is $10 each for members and $20 each for non-members and may be reserved online at MerrimackValleyChamber.com or by calling 978-686-0900.

Business Bulletin

Demoulas Questions Mediation Delay Until After Managers Fired

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Suspended Market Basket CEO Arthur T. Demoulas says that while he has agreed to mediation with the grocery store chain’s board of directors, a two-week delay in making arrangements served to “silence the associates” who want senior managers back to work. Demoulas spokesperson Justine Griffin confirmed in an email Tuesday that “the parties have agreed to put the issues between them to a mediator on Sept. 3 in hopes of avoiding litigation and reaching a quicker and amicable resolution that is in the best interest of Market Basket’s associates, customers and the communities it serves.” Griffin noted, however, discussions about possible mediation date back more than two weeks. “And that fact alone illustrates how irresponsible Directors Jay Hachigian, Steven Collins and Michael Keyes were early last week, when they fired Joe Schmidt and Tom Gordon and then promoted a series of employees to take their places. This was all done in a clear attempt to get out ahead of the mediation process in an effort to further silence the associates within the company who are demanding the return of the senior management team,” Griffin wrote.

Business Bulletin

Beth Israel Lahey Health Opens New Haverhill Urgent Care Center in Riverside

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There’s a new choice for urgent care in Haverhill with Beth Israel Lahey Health opening its new Urgent Care—Haverhill Monday at Rivers Edge Plaza in Riverside. The health care provider calls the new center, near the Registry of Motor Vehicles at 229-B Lincoln Ave., another option for non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses. “This urgent care center will expand access to high-quality care in the Merrimack Valley,” said Alex Barker, president of Beth Israel Lahey Health Medical Group. “We are proud of our commitment to growing care in the community, close to where our patients live.”

Officials noted Beth Israel Lahey Health’s strategic plan, called Blueprint 2030, set a goal to deliver 70% of the care it delivers in the community by 2030. They said BILH Urgent Care—Haverhill offers treatment for a wide range of non-emergency conditions, including cuts, sprains and minor broken bones; cold, flu and other respiratory infections; sinus infections and sore throats; skin rashes and poison ivy; urinary tract infections; and minor injuries from sports or work.

Business Bulletin

Proposed Haverhill Funplex Would Reproduce Skateland, Add Food Court, Party Space

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Growing up in Haverhill, Jossery Diaz has many fond memories of roller skating with friends at the now defunct and demolished Skateland in Bradford and, when it closed, she decided she had to do something to bring it back. That germ of an idea is closer to reality after Diaz won the $25,000 top prize in Team Haverhill’s first Fun Forward: Haverhill’s Family Entertainment Pitch Night contest in June. Diaz won with Haverhill Funplex, a roller-skating rink that would include a food court featuring local vendors and two party spaces. “I’m excited about this project. I am a Haverhill native born and raised in Haverhill.

Business Bulletin

Former Boston Globe Reporter Cole Joins 97.9 WHAV Local News Team

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Former Boston Globe reporter and North Andover Citizen newspaper co-founder Caroline Louise Cole recently joined WHAV as a staff reporter. An award-winning journalist, Cole has deep ties to the area, thanks to 40 years as a community journalist in and around northwest Boston. During her 16 years as a reporter for the Boston Globe’s Northwest Weekly edition, Cole became known for her ability to highlight the people, news and events that make the region unique. Prior to her work at Globe, she co-founded the weekly North Andover Citizen, whose subscriber base grew to include 80% of households in neighboring North Andover. In addition to her experience as a journalist, she served as volunteer coordinator and media liaison for the Massachusetts Senior Medicare Patrol program at Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley (now AgeSpan).

Protest sign
Business Bulletin

Methuen Mayor Blasts Market Basket Board, Calls for Return of CEO Artie Demoulas

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Methuen Mayor David P. “D.J.” Beauregard Jr. used tough language Thursday to take the board of Demoulas Super Markets to task for, what he calls, the “Same mess, same playbook and the same clear solution” as the company’s 2014 civil war. Beauregard called on the board behind the Market Basket chain to “do the right thing…and bring back Arthur T. Demoulas—before the damage becomes irreversible.” The mayor noted Methuen has two Market Basket stores and residents work there and rely on them to make ends meet during a time of high food prices and food insecurity. “On any given day, you’ll find our residents lined up with carts full of groceries,” Beauregard said in a letter to Market Basket’s corporate office in Tewksbury. The mayor took a stand at the start of the letter, writing, “Let me be clear. Whatever is happening behind closed doors at Market Basket needs to stop.

Business Bulletin

Podcast: Haverhill-Based BC Media Productions Help Netflix with Docu-Series About Shaquille O’Neil

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Shaq is back with help from Haverhill’s BC Media Productions in a new Netflix docu-series, “Power Moves With Shaquille O’Neal.”

The series, which focuses on Shaquille O’Neil’s recent appointment as president of the footwear and athletic brand, Reebok, was filmed partly in Boston, where Ben Consoli and his team of producers and videographers aided in shooting interviews and “b-roll,” an industry term for supplementary shots that enhance the main story. BC Media Productions got its start filming commercials and videos for academic institutions. The company was founded by Consoli, a lifelong Haverhill resident who attended Emerson College for videography. His firm made connections with industry members through their past work and were approached by a partner media production company with this opportunity. When asked if they wanted to participate, the answer was a resounding yes.