Tillinghast Licht law firm merges with Boston firm
Tillinghast Licht & Semonoff, among Rhode Island’s most prominent law firms, have merged with the Boston law firm of Perkins Smith & Cohen. The combined firm will have 84 lawyers, 28 in Providence, 52 in Boston, and four in Washington, D.C. In Providence, the firm will remain at its current location, 1 Park Row and will assume the name Tillinghast Licht Perkins Smith & Cohen. In Boston the Perkins firm will keep its name. The Providence office also has a new managing partner, former speaker of the state House of Representatives Joseph DeAngelis. He replaced Richard Licht, who was has stepped down to focus on his campaign for the U.S. Senate.
CytoTherapeutics sells cell technology
SUNNYVALE, Calif. – CytoTherapeutics, Inc. announced the sale of its Encapsulated Cell Technology to Neurotech S.A. of France for $3 million, royalties on future product sales, and other considerations. The Providence Business News reported several weeks ago that Dr. Moses Goddard, a former CytoTherapeutics officer and co-founder of the encapsulated cell technology, was in serious negotiations to buy the technology from CytoTherapeutics, with funding from an outside source. CytoTherapeutics abandoned Rhode Island, when trials for the use of the technology in the treatment of chronic pain failed. The company chose to reorganize operations and concentrate on stem cell research, which is being conducted in Sunnyvale. Goddard will head what will become Neurotech USA. He has said he expects to develop the research facility in Rhode Island, employing about 20, including a number of other former CytoTherapeutics employees. Dr. Goddard has said the company hopes to develop a treatment for Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare eye disease that strikes about 5,000 new victims each year and leads to total blindness, often striking its victims when they are teenagers.
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Lord & Taylor delays mall opening
PROVIDENCE – Lord & Taylor, which was scheduled to open in Providence Place in March has postponed its opening until the fall. Lord & Taylor is expected to be the third anchor of the downtown mall, joining Nordstrom, which opened in August, and Filene’s which opened in October. A Lord & Taylor spokesperson did not know the reason for the delay, and mall officials said the building is complete and was ready for a March opening.
Mall falls short of hiring goals
PROVIDENCE – Providence Place fell short on three of four goals for hiring and employing minority and female contractors, according to a report issued by the developer. The mall failed to reach its goals for hiring female construction workers and in awarding contractors to female and minority owned businesses. It did surpass its goal of hiring 10 percent minority workers. Minorities made up some 12 percent of the work force. Women made up 2 percent of the construction work force, well off the 10 percent goal.
JD American Workwear obtains financing
COVENTRY – JD American Workwear, Inc. has announced that it has received a commitment for $2.5 million in financing from Patina Corp. to allow the company to complete the restructuring it announced in December. Norman J. Birmingham has replaced David N. DeBaene as chief executive officer and president, with DaBeane remaining as board chairman and president of the newly formed Consumer Products Group. The company said it completed its restructuring of the board of directors with the resignation of five members, which the company said was required by Patina Corp.
Cranston first in building permits
Cranston led the state in single-family building permits for the first 11 months of 1999, according to the Rhode Island Builders Association. The city issued 194 permits, slightly ahead of Coventry, which issued 185. Cumberland was third with 162 permits.
Teachers challenge residency requirement
PROVIDENCE – The Providence Teachers Union has filed suit against the city contending that the residency rule, which requires teachers to move into the city within six months of their hire, is discriminatory. The suit challenges the hiring of two Massachusetts residents as special assistant to new Superintendent Diana Lam. The two employees, Owen Heleen, a grant writer, and Regis Shields, a special assistant, were ostensibly hired as employees of the Public Education Fund, a private agency. The union, while suing over the two positions has opposed the residency requirement. Phyillis E. Tennian, union president, said she hopes this brings the issue to the foreground, eventually eliminating the requirement, which she said is “stifling quality education by limiting the applicant pool.”
GTECH celebrated Y2K in 13 time zones
WEST GREENWICH — The global reach of GTECH, the world’s largest lottery supplier, came with a price this New Year: a chance to be bitten by the Year 2000 computer bug in 13 time zones. GTECH spent more than $20 million over two years to prevent Y2K computer failures in the 36 countries where it operates. The GTECH countdown began in New Zealand and ended 21 hours later when midnight struck on the U.S. West Coast. GTECH had a 700-member Y2K worldwide monitoring team in place in the event there were any mishaps.
