LEHRMAN

Mass. town may get movie studio

While debate continues about a proposed movie studio in Hopkinton, and a state tax credit to reimburse 20 percent of the construction costs, a competing proposal is planned for Plymouth, Mass.

A California company called Good News Holdings has its eyes on a 1,000-acre tract off Route 25 in Plymouth for what the company calls the first large-scale movie and production facility in New England. David Kirkpatrick, a cofounder of Good News Holdings and a former president of Paramount Pictures, said the studio would employ about 2,000 people and take 3½ years to build.

In Hopkinton, the Halden Acquisition Group said it has secured options on about 180 acres on both sides of Woodville Alton Road, east of Route 95, and would develop the property with Pacifica Ventures of Santa Monica, Calif. Halden is a Providence-based company whose partners include Ralph Palumbo and real estate developer Anthony DelVicario.

The proposal — which would include a hotel and office space in addition to the studio — would require a 20-percent state tax credit on “costs associated with construction,” or roughly $15 million, according to Hal Katersky, Pacifica Ventures’ chairman. The tax credit would have to be approved by the General Assembly and Governor Carcieri. House Speaker William J. Murphy has called the proposed studio “an economic engine for the state…”

Westerly dealing with layoffs

Westerly took another hit in job losses last week with the layoff of 29 people at a division of Agfa HealthCare Corp. and the closing of the unique Kidz ‘n the Kitchen Cooking School in Merchant Square, where 12 part-timers worked.

The Agfa division, once called Heartlab, was once one of Rhode Island’s hottest young companies before the owners of the software medical imaging firm sold out in 2005 to the Belgium-based company. The layoffs are part of companywide savings plan to cut expenses.

Johanna Lockhart, owner of Kidz ‘n the Kitchen, said “the curtain had to come down” on the unique cooking school for children and adults that opened in 2004 because it just couldn’t draw enough customers from Rhode Island and Connecticut. The school is planning a going-out-of-business sale on March 29. Lockhart, 55, who moved here from San Francisco, said she’s looking for her next career.

The cutbacks follow a rash of other, recent layoffs in Westerly that have affected old-line companies such as Darlington Fabrics, Bradford Dyeing Association and The Paragon, now know as Blue Sky Brands.

Town officials said they are alarmed by the cutbacks and are trying to respond with ideas to put the local residents back to work.

PC business school names 1st dean

Susan Lehrman has been named the founding dean of the School of Business at Providence College. Her primary focus will be guiding the business school through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International accreditation process. She also will reach out to the state business community, students and alumni to develop a new vision for the school.

Previously, Lehrman was the founding president and dean of the faculty at Union Graduate School in Schenectady, N.Y., an independent affiliate of Union College. She developed three new degree programs including a joint master of science in bioethics program with Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

A graduate of Oregon State University, Lehrman holds both doctorate and master of public health degrees from the University of California at Berkeley’s program in health services administration and policy analysis. Prior to her appointment at Union College, she held various management positions during 13 years with a San Francisco-based hospital system, Seton Health Systems. She has done extensive research, publishing and consulting in the areas of HIV/AIDS case management and assessing and managing organizational outcomes.

R.I. wage growth lags U.S. average

The U.S. Department of Labor has reported average weekly wage statistics for the second quarter of last year, the latest available, that showed Rhode Island’s weekly wages rose 2.5 percent to average $722, below the national increase of 4.6 percent, to $820. Rhode Island ranked 22nd among the states in wage growth.

The data showed the average weekly wage in Massachusetts was $1,008, up 5 percent and ranked fourth highest in the United States behind Washington, D.C., Connecticut and New York.

Here are the other New England states: Connecticut, up 6.4 percent to $1,033; New Hampshire, up 6.3 percent to $823; Vermont, 5 percent to $698; and Maine, 4.1 percent to $658.

After the bell:

•Leadership Rhode Island honored five people at its annual luncheon and fundraiser: The David E. Sweet Leadership Award to Jim Vincent, of Cranston, manager of Constituent Advocacy at Rhode Island Housing; the Rhode Island Community Service Award to Richard DeRienzo, of Barrington, a principal of the Providence financial firm Lefkowitz, Garfinkel, Champi & DeRienzo; LRI Volunteer Award to Anne Powers, of Exeter, president of American Tele-Connect Services; and Emerging Leader Award to Chace Baptista, a Rhode Island College student who co-founded Young Voices, an organization whose mission is to transform urban youth into powerful advocates who have a voice in every aspect of their lives.

•Merrill W. Sherman, president and chief executive officer of Bank Rhode Island, was named 2008 Bryant University New England Businesswoman of the Year at the 11th annual Women’s Summit, which attracted about 975 people last week to Bryant’s campus. Kati Machtley, director of the Women’s Summit, said, “Merrill exemplifies what the New England Businesswoman of the Year award is all about. She spearheaded the 1996 creation of Bank Rhode Island, demonstrating great ingenuity and determination, and has always balanced her career success with tremendous volunteer involvement in the community.”

John Kostrzewa is the Journal’s business editor. Share an anecdote from the world of business by sending it to pjbiz@projo.com.