Mass. General will cut nearly 200 positions

September 18, 2008

In an effort to contain rising costs, Massachusetts General Hospital plans to cut nearly 200 positions, or about 1 percent of its workforce, mostly through attrition. In a letter to employees, the hospital said it hopes to find alternate positions for most of those who will be affected by the cuts. The hospital said that over the next few months it expects to lay off fewer than 20 of its 21,000 workers. "We want all employees to know that no other layoffs are planned for fiscal year 2009," said Jeff Davis, senior vice president of human resources, in the letter. (Todd Wallack)

Massachusetts will receive $11.5 million in emergency funding from the federal government to help low-income residents heat their homes this winter, according to Governor Deval Patrick's office. The money is part of $120.7 million in funds released by the Department of Health and Human Services. Massachusetts officials still hope to receive more money. This summer, Patrick and several other New England governors called on the federal government to significantly increase funding for home heating assistance. Last year, $130 million in state and federal funding was used to help about 141,000 residents. (Erin Ailworth)

The Bay State attracted about 1.8 million international travelers in 2007, up 6 percent from 2006, the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism said. Visitors spent $1.8 billion while they were here, up 11 percent from the previous year. The tourism office said it hired public relations firms in eight countries to represent Massachusetts at international trade shows, host trade missions, and create trips showcasing the state to tour operators and travel writers. The state office also said 20 million US tourists came to Massachusetts last year, continuing the 1 percent growth rate that the state has seen in each of the past few years. US visitors spent $13.3 billion in Massachusetts last year, up 6 percent from the prior year. (Nicole C. Wong)

New Hampshire ski areas spent about $10 million over the summer spiffing up their alpine and cross-country operations, according to Ski New Hampshire, the statewide association of ski resorts and lodging properties. That's about half as much as the 38 resorts spent last summer on things like new trails, chairlifts, grooming, and snow-making equipment, but "it shows the continuing effort of the ski areas of New Hampshire to provide a high-caliber product," said spokesman Karl Stone. (Nicole C. Wong)

Genzyme Corp. is planning a ceremony Monday to mark the recent opening of its early-stage research center in Framingham. The $125 million Science Center, which will ultimately house 350 employees, is just the latest expansion for the Cambridge biotechnology company in Framingham. It now has about 2,000 employees in 14 buildings in the town - one-fifth of its total workforce. Construction is also underway on a $230 million manufacturing plant in Framingham, expected to be completed in 2011. (Todd Wallack)

Microsoft's Bill Gates remained the richest person in the United States in 2007 for the 15th straight year, followed by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. chairman Warren Buffett, according to Forbes magazine. Gates has a net worth of $57 billion; Buffett is worth $50 billion, said Forbes. Rounding out the top 10 are Larry Ellison, chief executive of Oracle Corp., $27 billion; Jim Walton of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., $23.4 billion; S. Robson Walton of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., $23.3 billion; Christy Walton and Alice Walton, both of Wal-Mart, $23.2 billion; New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, $20 billion; and Charles Koch and David Koch of Koch Industries Inc., $19 billion. (Bloomberg)

General Mills Inc., the maker of Cheerios cereal, said quarterly sales rose the most in almost six years as extra advertising increased demand for Progresso soups, Yoplait yogurt, and Betty Crocker baking mixes. First-quarter sales climbed 14 percent to $3.5 billion, the most since 2002. Net income declined 3.6 percent to $278.5 million, or 79 cents a share, because of commodity hedging costs, though profit excluding those costs rose to 96 cents a share, beating analysts' estimates by 8 cents. (Bloomberg)