Burlington consulting firm to open Maine office
Collaborative Consulting, a privately held consulting firm in Burlington, says it will soon open a "delivery center" in Waterville, Maine, where workers will develop specialized software for corporate and government clients. The new center will bring 200 information technology jobs to the area, said John Williams, chief strategy officer. Collaborative designs software for many types of businesses, but specializes in supporting financial services and life sciences firms, as well as state government agencies throughout the United States. The new delivery center, to be based in Waterville's Hathaway Creative Center, will open in January with 20 employees. — HIAWATHA BRAY
Berwick appointed to state’s Health Policy Commission
Dr. Donald M. Berwick, a longtime health care leader and former Democratic candidate for governor, will join the Health Policy Commission, a state agency that monitors health care costs. Attorney General Maura Healey appointed Berwick to the commission Wednesday. The 11-member Health Policy Commission was created in 2012 as a watchdog agency to monitor health care industry mergers and track costs. The commission's membership is made up of health care experts, state officials, and business and labor leaders, five appointed by the governor and three each appointed by the attorney general and the state auditor. Berwick is a senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a Cambridge nonprofit that works with health care organizations around the world on patient safety issues. He founded the organization and formerly ran it for nearly 20 years. Last year, as an unsuccessful candidate for Massachusetts governor, he pushed a liberal agenda that included a single-payer, or "Medicare for all" health system. — PRIYANKA DAYAL McCLUSKEY
Appeals court says Dunkin’ manager may be eligible for overtime pay
A former Dunkin' Donuts manager in Kingston who spent most of his days serving coffee and running the cash register may be eligible to receive overtime pay, according to a ruling handed down Wednesday by the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The ruling is significant because it will allow other managers who spend much of their time performing menial tasks to be properly compensated for their work, said lawyer Shannon Liss-Riordan, who is representing former Dunkin' Donuts manager Gassan Marzuq. The ruling is a departure from a 1982 decision by the same court that held that managers who oversee other workers are generally exempt from overtime. A lawyer for Cadete Enterprises, which operates the Dunkin' Donuts franchise where Marzuq worked, could not immediately be reached for comment. Currently, managers who make more than $23,660 a year are exempt from overtime, but a proposed regulation by the Obama administration would raise the cap to $50,440. — KATIE JOHNSTON
Pep Boys may renege on Bridgestone deal, accept Icahn’s offer
NEW YORK — Pep Boys said Wednesday that it told Bridgestone that it may ditch an already agreed upon $835 million buyout offer and go with a competing offer from Carl Icahn's investment firm that is worth $2 million more. Icahn Enterprises is offering $15.50 for each Pep Boys share, compared with Bridgestone's offer of $15 per share. The buyout from Icahn Enterprises is worth about $837.4 million. Icahn, an activist investor, has an 11.2 percent stake in Pep Boys, according to FactSet. Bridgestone, a Japan-based tires and auto service company, has until Friday to increase its offer or Pep Boys said it will take Icahn's deal. Pep Boys said it notified Bridgestone of its decision. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
Battery Ventures looking to bring in $950m
Battery Ventures of Boston is trying to raise a combined $950 million for two companion venture capital funds, according to a person familiar with the fund-raising. The firm has set a $650 million target for Battery Ventures XI LP and a $300 million goal for the related vehicle, Battery Ventures XI Side Fund LP, said the person, who asked not to be named because the plans are private. Investors in both of those funds include Employees' Retirement System of the State of Hawaii, San Francisco Employees' Retirement System, Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board, Alaska Retirement Management Board, and Alaska Permanent Fund, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Battery invests in technology companies specializing in software and services, Web infrastructure, e-commerce, digital media, and industrial technologies. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
United to reinstate free snacks for economy-class travelers
CHICAGO — United Airlines is bringing back free snacks for economy-class passengers in February. Those snacks were cut off in 2008 by United and Continental followed suit in 2011 after the airlines merged. Economy fliers can now look forward to treats ranging from stroopwafels, a Dutch treat of two thin waffles stuck together with caramel, to an Asian-inspired mix of rice crackers, sesame sticks, and wasabi peas. Meanwhile, American Airlines says it will start selling ''premium economy'' service on international flights, with leather seats, entertainment systems, and meals. The seats will cost more than coach but less than business class. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
Netflix to offer same parental leave policies to DVD division
SAN FRANCISCO — Netflix is upgrading the parental leave policies covering hundreds of hourly workers in its DVD-by-mail division after being skewered for giving more generous baby benefits to the better-paid engineers and other employees in its more popular Internet video service. The improvements confirmed Wednesday by Netflix call for its DVD workers to receive up to 12 weeks of full pay after the birth or adoption of a baby. Netflix previously didn't pay fathers after a baby's arrival, and new mothers received two-thirds of their regular paychecks. Adoptions weren't covered at all. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
Realtors association selects new president
Annie Blatz (left), a 30-year veteran of the real estate business, will take over as the new president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors on Jan. 1, the organization announced Wednesday. Blatz is an executive and broker at Kinlin Grover Real Estate, overseeing the company's offices in Brewster, South Yarmouth, and Yarmouth. She previously has held other leadership positions within the influential, 21,000-member association. Blatz will take over for Corinne Fitzgerald, another longtime leader in the group, and serve a one-year term. As president, Blatz will act as the group's spokeswoman, represent the state on the National Association of Realtors board of directors, and consult with state officials on housing policy. — DAN ADAMS
Sanofi’s dengue fever drug approved for use in Mexico
A dengue fever vaccine developed by the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi has been approved for use by Mexico, the first approval in the world for any vaccine for the disease, which afflicts tens of millions of people around the world and is becoming an increasing threat. Sanofi said in a news release Wednesday that the vaccine, which it is calling Dengvaxia, was approved by Mexico's Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk for prevention of dengue in people 9 to 45 years old living in endemic areas. But it is still uncertain how widely the vaccine will be deployed, both in Mexico and other countries, because of limits to its effectiveness and national budgets. — NEW YORK TIMES