GTECH wins contract to print Mass. tickets

Providence-based GTECH Printing Corp. has been awarded a three-year instant-ticket printing contract by the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission. The proposed contract is scheduled to commence in July, has two one-year extension options and is the result of a competitive procurement. The Massachusetts Lottery is one of the highest volume instant-ticket customers in the world, generating sales of more than $3.2 billion in calendar 2008. GTECH has been servicing the Massachusetts Lottery since 1997 with online lottery products and, most recently, with instant ticket vending machines. GTECH Printing will begin manufacturing instant tickets for the Massachusetts Lottery at the company’s new printing facility in Lakeland, Fla.

Brown to build Creative Arts Center

Brown University will hold a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new Creative Arts Center, 154 Angell St., Providence, on Friday at 3:15 p.m. Designed by the architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, which is known for its work on the Institute for Contemporary Art in Boston and Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, the Creative Arts Center will support cross-disciplinary collaboration among the arts, sciences and humanities. Construction on the $40-million building is scheduled to begin in June and the building is slated to open in the spring of 2011.

Mass. Senate approves increase in sales tax

The Massachusetts Senate voted Tuesday to approve a 25-percent increase in the state sales tax. By a 29-to-10 vote, enough to overturn a threatened veto by Governor Patrick, the Senate agreed to raise the sales tax rate from 5 percent to 6.25 percent, mirroring a vote taken last month by House lawmakers, also by a veto-proof majority. Supporters said the increase would raise about $633 million in the next fiscal year. The estimate is lower than a $900-million estimate by the House, in part because the Senate plan is based on 10 months of revenue to give the state time to switch over to the new system. Critics said it would hurt local businesses by driving consumers to the Internet or to New Hampshire, which has no sales tax.

Arpin Group earns industry certification

West Warwick-based Arpin Group Inc. has been certified as a ProMover by the industry’s trade group, the American Moving & Storage Association. AMSA provides certification only after a company has passed a background check of its operations and has agreed to abide by a set of honorable business practices and AMSA’s Code of Ethics. The certification authorizes Arpin to display a bold capital “M” logo in its advertising and marketing materials as well as on its Web site. “This achievement will give our customers the assurance that they are dealing with a legitimate and professional mover,” said David Arpin, company president and chief executive officer.

Warwick IT expert offers some advice

Information-technology expert Charles Nault, founder and chairman of Atrion Networking Corp., of Warwick, says in his new book, Risk-Free Technology: How Small to Medium Businesses Can Stem Huge Losses From Poorly Performing IT Systems, that hiring the right information-technology manager is crucial for business success. Unfortunately, in a typical company, the IT department “doesn’t understand your business, thinks it is doing a better job than everyone else in your company thinks it is doing, does not like to communicate with you and when it does it tends to talk in language you can’t understand — and then tends to make you feel inferior for not understanding,” he writes. Look for an IT manager who has a passionate desire and ability to understand your business, your strategy and your value to your customers; an understanding of the economic engine that drives the profitability of your business; humility; integrity; vision; and an ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, he advises.

Conn. requires ‘green cleaning’ in schools

Environmentally friendly maintenance products and “green cleaning” practices will soon be mandatory in all Connecticut public schools. The state Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday requiring school districts to adopt “green cleaning” methods similar to those already in place in Illinois and New York and individual districts in other states. Connecticut’s state House of Representatives approved the measure this month, and it now goes to Gov. M. Jodi Rell for her signature. The law takes effect July 1, 2011, and bars school districts from using cleaning products that contain various toxic substances. That deadline gives districts time to use the products already on hand rather than throwing them away. Supporters say the law will improve indoor air quality and help safeguard the health of students, teachers and custodians.

Maine reduces rate increase for insurer

Maine’s superintendent of insurance has reduced a set of rate increases proposed by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. In a decision released Monday night, Supt. Mila Kofman said the original increases sought by Anthem would be excessive and unfairly discriminatory. But Kofman said with some scaling back Anthem could win approval. As a result of changes proposed by the superintendent, the total average rate increase proposed by Anthem of 18.5 percent would be reduced to 10.9 percent, according to Kofman. The Anthem package was developed for about 12,000 policyholders.

UNH completes gas-to-energy project

The University of New Hampshire’s landfill gas-to-energy project that uses purified methane gas from a nearby landfill to power the campus is complete, university officials announced Tuesday. The 5-million-square-foot campus will receive up to 85 percent of its electricity and heat from purified natural gas, making UNH the first university in the nation to use landfill gas as its primary fuel source. The system is a partnership with Waste Management’s Turnkey Recycling and Environmental Enterprise (TREE) in Rochester, N.H., where the naturally occurring byproduct of landfill decomposition is collected via more than 300 extraction wells and miles of collection pipes. After the gas is purified and compressed, it travels through a 12.7-mile pipeline to UNH’s cogeneration plant, where it will replace commercial natural gas as the primary fuel source. Total cost of the project, which included construction of the pipeline and the processing plant at TREE, is $49 million. UNH will sell renewable energy certificates generated by using landfill gas to help finance the overall cost of the project and to invest in additional energy efficiency projects on campus. In addition, UNH will sell power in excess of campus needs back to the electricity grid.

Shaheen creates small-business panel

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., is turning to the state’s small-business owners for advice. She visited the WH Bagshaw Co. in Nashua on Monday to announce her new Small Business Advisory Council, which will keep her updated on challenges and opportunities businesses are facing. Shaheen serves on the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Bagshaw, which opened in 1870, makes pins, pin assemblies and wire products used in a variety of industries, including the automotive, electrical, medical and textile industries.