(PRLEAP.COM) WATERTOWN, March 20, 2012 – Small businesses should be imaginative and interactive in communicating to prospective customers, says advertising expert Alex Poulos in a commentary published by the MetroWest Daily News of Massachusetts. In his op-ed, "How small businesses should think big," Poulos said "coupons, contests, comedy" can be very effective in marketing. "In a recession, people look for bargains (sales, coupons), opportunities for risk-free reward (contests, sweepstakes) and escape from all the bad news (entertainment, like humorous videos or online games). Continue reading >>>

Print this Article Email this Article Being in a fire is not like it's portrayed in the movies. In the movies, you can actually see what's going on amid the roaring flames.In real life, you generally can't see a thing. You're enveloped in sweltering, suffocating smoke — thick, billowy darkness in every direction. Melissa Burns was sleeping in the Calvary Baptist Church basement with her fiance last Tuesday when a corroded extension cord in a room upstairs ignited bed linen. The bed linen belonged Continue reading >>>

Boston could score as much as $22 million in economic spending during this week’s NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, according to a top local tourism expert. Thousands of fans are flooding into town for a pair of Sweet 16 matchups — Syracuse vs. Wisconsin and Ohio State vs. Cincinnati — on Thursday night and the winners’ subsequent Elite 8 game on Saturday at the TD Garden. “We ended up with some really good teams,” said Patrick Moscaritolo, president of the Greater Boston Convention Visitors Bureau. “We have a New York team and we have a team like Ohio State that travels Continue reading >>>

Debra Bisacchi, 60, who had health problems and joined Koko to regain and maintain her fitness, said she likes the one-machine-for-all aspect. "“Being able to be very independent, only having one machine, and not having to run around to do a circuit” Continue reading >>>

Boston could score as much as $22 million in economic spending during this week’s NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, according to a top local tourism expert. Thousands of fans will flood into town for a pair of Sweet 16 matchups — Syracuse vs. Wisconsin and Ohio State vs. Cincinnati — on Thursday night and the winners’ subsequent Elite 8 game on Saturday at the TD Garden. “We ended up with some really good teams. They will draw people from around this region,” said Patrick Moscaritolo, president of the Greater Boston Convention Visitors Bureau. “We have a New York team and Continue reading >>>

State officials and Hub business leaders implored more than 200 representatives from local companies and colleges today to broaden their internship opportunities for students to promote their talents and retain them in the state’s workforce. “The way to win the future is to make use of our commitments towards the brain power here in the Commonwealth — our students. We have the best talent pool in the world,” said Gov. Deval Patrick at a forum titled “Internships: A Win-Win for Employers, Students and Academic Institutions” this morning at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. “We need Continue reading >>>

When and why did you start the Polus Center in Clinton? “The Polus Center was founded in 1979 in the Greater Boston area, and they established an office in Worcester in the early 1990s. We also have an office in Petersham, and small programs in Amesbury and Peterboro, N.H. The business and administrative office moved to Clinton in 2005 when I joined. It sounds like we're a big organization, but we're not. Our decentralized structure enables us to support a small number of people (about a dozen) in each community. We are an alternative to larger centralized agencies. For 11 years Continue reading >>>

PEABODY, MASS. (03/19/2012)(readMedia)-- After falling behind Mercedes-Benz in sales in January, BMW did not waste any time reclaiming its title of luxury-sales king. Boasted by the debut of the all-new 2012 BMW 3 Series in February, the brand posted a 29.2-percent sales increase compared to the same month last year, racing past its long-time Bavarian competitor Mercedes-Benz. With 8,103 units rolling off of BMW dealership lots in the United States, the BMW 3 Series saw a 66.3-percent sales jump in February year-over-year. Though the 2012 BMW 3 Series didn't go on sale Continue reading >>>

Angus Daniel MacLeod of Hartsville, S.C., formerly of Attleboro, died March 5 at his home after a period of declining health. He was 65. Born in Englishtown, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, he lived in Cape Breton until moving to the U.S. in 1963. He lived in the greater Boston area before moving to Attleboro. He settled in South Carolina during his retirement. Mr. MacLeod served in the Army from 1965 to 1968 and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Prior to his retirement, he was a skilled carpenter, mechanic and distance truck driver. Mr. MacLeod is survived by his wife, Lee Anne (Beckman); a son, Daniel Continue reading >>>

Related stories TWIB: Strengthening trade, Back Bay blackout, and the MBTA TWIB: Could Google move to Boston? TWIB: Innovation headlines TWIB: Jobless rate holds steady TWIB: The economy may be coming back (NECN) - In this edition of This Week in Business, the show covered numerous topics.First, Prof. KC Chan, Secretary of Financial Services and the Treasury of Hong Kong, joined the show to talk about strengthening trade between our two countries. He gave us his take on the overall global economy and, closer to home, the potential impact of the Dreamliner air service. Continue reading >>>