Business Generation

WARWICK – Biomedical Structures, manufacturer of biomedical textiles for medical devices and other clinical applications, said in a news release it had record-setting capital growth the most recent quarter.

The company, however, did not disclose its investors or its quarterly results.

“2011 has been an exciting year for BMS,” said Biomedical Structures CEO and President John Gray. “Our acquisition of Concordia Medical has enabled us to deliver at improved speed, volume and scope for our medical device customers, and this second quarter is a direct reflection of that added ability.”

BMS said it has experienced a steady increase in demand for its textile development expertise. It has al

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Chris Zane, founder and president of Zane Cycles, offers a brilliant look at customer service and business growth through the tactics at a scrappy and innovative bicycle retailer.  Reinventing the Wheel: The Science of Creating Lifetime Customers sounds a little more technically researched than it actually is.  Yet Zane provides the right clues to the puzzle of building a retail organization and selecting the perfect elements to satisfy customers.  The book caught my eye while browsing a Barnes & Noble shop, so I asked the publisher for a review copy.

Great Service Begins the Moment a Person Enters Your Store

To get into Reinventing The Wheel you have to understand the author. Chris Zane loved bikes and business at a young age. He

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BOSTON – Verizon is axing its unlimited data plan as of Thursday, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

The new 2 gigabyte cap will only affect new customers so there is one more day to sign up for the carrier’s $30 per month unlimited data plan.

Verizon follows AT&T Inc., which did away with its unlimited data plan last year. T-Mobile still offers an unlimited service but slows down data transfers on heavy users. Sprint Nextel Corp. is the only top wireless company that still offers unlimited data plans, the newspaper said.

Cox Communications, which offers a $30 per month unlimited data plan for smartphone users, left the door open to a possible data cap in the future when asked by Providence Business News.

“We continuously evaluate our service and pricing options to ensure we’re meeting the needs of our customers,” Amy Quinn, spokeswoman for Cox, said in an emailed statement.

Verizon will offer new plans for data-hungry users – a 5 gigabyte data plan for $50 or 10 gigabytes for $80. Beyond

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When it comes to credit card new account promotions, Discover has never been one to open up the wallet and shower new customers with buckets of money. Thats always been the domain of Citi, Chase, with their several hundred dollar promotions (Citi ThankYou Preferred Rewards Card $250 in gift cards after $1,000 in purchases within 3 months!), and every airline loyalty credit card on the planet.

Discover, however, may be changing its strategy a little with the latest relaunch of a promotion I saw a few months ago. I didnt cover it then because I didnt think the promotion was going to be tremendously popular (I imagine it worked, since its come back) but its for a free $150 Restaurant.com gift certificate after your first purchase. Restaurant.com, if you recall, is a site that sells gift certificates to local restaurants for pennies on the dollar.

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PROVIDENCE – Although the R.I. General Assembly’s total number of violations of the Open Meetings Act has declined over the years, the last two weeks of the session are still a violations sore spot.

In 2010, 28 of the 31 violations of the Open Meetings Act, or 94 percent, occurred in the last eight days of the legislative session, said Common Cause Rhode Island, the local branch of the national, nonpartisan advocacy group that says its aim is to hold elected leaders accountable to the public interest.

The Open Meetings Act, adopted in 1976, promotes government openness. Violations range from insufficient to no notice of committee meetings, incomplete or vague agendas, lack of public access to the meeting space, or not publicly closing the meeting in accordance to rules for executive sessions.

In a report released Tuesday, Common Cause examined the compliance of the General Assembly with the Open Meetings Act during the last decade. The

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How do you handle public relations for your small business these days? Things have changed a lot, what with business increasingly being done online and with the explosion of blogging and social media for business communications and marketing. We’ve prepared this roundup of small business PR news and hope that you’ll add some thoughts of your own in the comment section. What’s new with PR at your company?

Tips & Advice

Picking the brain of a social media genius. Torrey McGraw talks with PR expert and entrepreneur Sarah Evans to learn how small business people can create a media empire of their own around their product, service or personal brand. Have you ever wondered how the best known social media “celebrities” built their following? Welcome to PR in the online world.

The Studio 54 effect helps market Google Plus. What can we lea

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