Software maker Bullhorn gets $26m in financing

Boston start-up Bullhorn Inc., a maker of software that helps companies with staffing and recruiting, is set to disclose today that it received $26 million in financing from a consortium led by area venture capital firms Highland Capital Partners of Lexington and General Catalyst Partners of Cambridge. The investment will allow the company to expand its regional markets and accelerate development of products. Joining the board of Bullhorn will be Bob Davis, a general partner at Highland, and John Simon, a managing director at General Catalyst. (Robert Weisman)

American Superconductor Corp. has received a $450 million order to supply electrical components for wind turbines in China, sending the firm's stock up $7.03, or 19.5 percent, to $43.11, the highest in nearly eight years. The Devens-based firm said the order from Sinovel Wind Corp. calls for shipments to begin in January and run through 2011. American Superconductor supplies components that regulate wind turbine power flow, monitor performance, and control the pitch of turbine blades. (AP)

Two Massachusetts contractors face fines totaling more than $100,000 for allegedly endangering their workers at a New Hampshire construction site. The Labor Department said roofing contractor Shawnlee Construction, of Plainville, failed to adequately protect workers against falls at a McDonald's restaurant construction site. It is fining Shawnlee $96,500. The department also said James T. Lynch Contractors Inc., of Reading, had people working in a 7-foot-deep trench without protection from cave-ins. The excavation company has been fined $23,700. The companies have 15 business days to meet with department officials or contest the charges. Both companies have been cited for similar problems in the past. (AP)

Amag Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it will move from Cambridge to Lexington in the fall. The biotech company has leased 56,000 square feet at 100 Hayden Ave., according to Jones Lang LaSalle, the commercial real estate broker that represented the landlord, Boston Properties Inc. Amag, which is seeking federal approval to market a treatment for chronic kidney disease, previously said it was scouting for a location that would allow it to double the size of its headquarters. (Todd Wallack)

Netezza Corp., a provider of data warehouse appliances, said it recently relocated its headquarters from Framingham to Marlborough, prompted by a need to accommodate continuing growth. Netezza is now located in 59,000 square feet of space at 26 Forest St., where it has 200 employees. The new space can accommodate up to 350 employees. (Chris Reidy)

Plastic baby bottles and water bottles are safe, a federal health official said, seeking to ease public concerns about the health hazards of a chemical used in the products. The National Toxicology Program said in a recent draft report there is "some concern" that bisphenol A can cause changes in behavior and in the brain, and reduce survival and birthweight in fetuses. It drew its conclusions from animal studies. Canada has said it intends to ban the chemical in baby bottles, and US lawmakers have introduced legislation to ban it in children's products. Small amounts of bisphenol A can be released as plastics break down. Dr. Norris Alderson, the Food and Drug Administration's associate commissioner for science, said, however, that the level of exposure was safe. (AP)

Some Americans are finding the government-issued coupons used to help defray costs of digital television converter boxes are expiring before they can be redeemed, House lawmakers said. Consumers also are having a tough time finding the converter boxes, which are sold out in some stores, and should be given more time to purchase them even after the coupons expire, several lawmakers said during a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing. The government established a $1.5 billion coupon program to help millions of consumers buy the converter boxes before the nationwide transition to digital programming takes effect in February. Households are eligible for two $40 coupons, which are aimed primarily at up to 21 million owners of older-model sets that use antennas for reception. Cable and satellite TV subscribers do not need the boxes. (AP)