By Alex Bloom abloom@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune

NORTH ANDOVER — Gov. Deval Patrick visited North Andover yesterday to congratulate a local business on its expansion plans.
Jessica’s Brick Oven, Inc., which moved to 1600 Osgood St. from Woburn in January, intends to add 90 jobs by next year to help meet a growing demand for its locally-produced bread.
“We love that for the sake of the company, for the sake of the region, and for the whole Commonwealth,” Patrick said.
The governor toured the company’s 63,000-square-foot facility in a section of the former Lucent Technologies site. Patrick lauded the company as one of many Bay State businesses that are helping the economy out of the recession.
“They’ve got a great thing to sell and it’s catching on, and they’re finding, we hope, the skilled work force to keep it going,” said Patrick.
Jessica’s upgraded from an 11,000-square-foot facility in Woburn. The company distributes 250 varietes of bread around the Northeast to Trader Joe’s, Market Basket, and Stop & Shop.
Chip Tarbell, the company’s vice president of operations, said Jessica’s expects to double its volume over the next 12-18 months. The company currently has about 110 employees.
Jessica’s owner Nabil Boghos said the company’s North Andover location is a “perfect setting” for distribution, allowing the company to send bread all over the region. The company worked with Ozzy Properties, Inc., signing a lease last year.
Attendees at yesterday’s tour included State Sen. Barry Finegold, D-Andover, interim Town Manager James Purcell, Selectman Bill Gordon, and Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce president Joseph Bevilacqua.
“This shows what happens when people work together,” Bevilacqua said of the agreement to bring Jessica’s to North Andover. “This spreads the word out.”

Wed Jul 20, 2011, 01:23 AM EDT

 http://www.eagletribune.com/local/x967739056/Patrick-tours-North-Andover-bakery

Gov. Deval Patrick paid a visit to North Andover Tuesday to tour Jessica’s Brick Oven Bakery, a wholesale bakery that relocated to North Andover from Woburn a few months ago.

Watch the video here http://northandover.patch.com/articles/video-gov-patrick-visits-north-andover-bakery?ncid=M255#video-7072507

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Jessica’s expects to more than double workforce to nearly 200 within a year

 North Andover, Mass., July 19, 2011 - Ozzy Properties, Inc., a premier property manager in the Merrimack Valley, today announced that Jessica’s Brick Oven, Inc., a longtime wholesale bakery serving customers throughout New England, will welcome Governor Patrick to a ribbon-cutting and tour of the new North Andover facility at Osgood Landing.

 Jessica’s Brick Oven, which relocated located from an 11,000-square-foot facility in Woburn, now occupies 63,000-square feet of space for its expanding bakery operation.,

 Nabil Boghos, owner of Jessica’s Brick Oven, was drawn to Osgood Landing in part for its prime location. “The most appealing thing to us was the excellent location of the building,” he noted. “A lot of my distributors are located in the Merrimack Valley so it was critical for us to choose a location that met that criterion. Osgood Landing fit that need.”

 Jessica’s, which offers nearly an extensive line of hand-crafted artisan breads such as Tuscan breads, focaccia breads and other specialty breads, bakes the breads at the Osgood Landing facility. It currently distributes its breads throughout New England in specialty shops and supermarkets including Stop & Shop and DeMoulas/Market Basket.

 Boghos also noted that the new facility had made it possible for him to increase Jessica’s workforce from the former 75 employees to a goal of nearly 200 by next year. Jessica’s plans to hire a range of positions, including IT workers, accountants, sales support, bakers and custodians. Boghos attributes the success of his business on consumer demand for more healthy foods.

Without the expansion to Osgood Landing in North Andover, the current rate of sales growth could not have been sustained.  The Osgood Landing location gives JBO the opportunity to:

• Supply an additional 3,000 supermarkets that have already committed to adding the Jessica’s product line to their stores, and,
• Expand the product line to include desserts, a whole health bread line, and Kosher breads.

 ”It is very exciting to see this type of manufacturing growth here in the Merrimack Valley,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “I am so pleased that we could help Jessica’s Bakery and this community thrive.”

Ozzy officials are pleased to have Jessica’s Brick Oven as a new tenant.

 ”We’re thrilled to welcome Jessica’s Brick Oven to Osgood Landing,” said Orit Goldstein, president of Ozzy Properties. “This is a top-flight organization that has made tremendous strides in recent years. And we know that Osgood Landing has the necessary infrastructure and amenities that will allow Jessica’s Brick Oven to grow for years to come.”

 Boghos agrees. “Orit Goldstein and the entire Ozzy Properties team have been tremendous to work with,” said Boghos. “The terms were favorable to what I was looking for and I really like the fact that we have room to expand.”

 Osgood Landing was formerly occupied by Lucent Technologies. Ozzy Properties acquired the facility in 2003 and continues to redevelop the property for multi-tenant use.

About Ozzy Properties, Inc.
Ozzy Properties, Inc., formed in 1994 in Andover, Mass., is a premier property manager in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts. Ozzy currently has 2.5 million square feet of office space and 100 residential units under management in the Massachusetts communities of Andover, North Andover, Lawrence, Boston and Methuen. Ozzy’s strength lies in its ability to significantly improve underutilized, distressed or foreclosed properties, and then return them to the rental market at aggressive rates. For more information, visit www.ozzyproperties.com.

Five companies have signed leases totaling 20,000 square feet at Andover’s Dundee Park facility.

The new Dundee Park tenants include: Avecto Ltd., a privilege management Windows desktop security software firm; SMRT, a full-service architecture, engineering, planning and commissioning firm; Outward Insights, a corporate consultant; and Talent Retriever, a staffing recruiting company. JAZD Markets, an online business-to-business resource, converted a sublease at Dundee Park into a permanent lease.

Outward Insights leased 1,421 square feet. There was no broker involved in the lease transaction, according to a statement.

Avecto leased 3,079 square feet. Jerry Tirella, of Flagship Commercial Realty, represented the company in the lease transaction.

SMRT leased 3,642 square feet. Tom Carroll, of Remax Partners represented the company in the lease transaction.

Talent Retriever leased 1,436 square feet. There was no broker involved in the lease transaction.

Jazd Markets Inc. leased 8,941 square feet and also did not use a broker in the lease transaction.

“We’re very pleased with the amenities and lease terms at Dundee Park so it made perfect sense to continue at this location,” said Anthony D’Amore, vice president of finance, human resources director at JAZD.

“Companies are increasingly finding the value in locating their operations at Dundee Park,” said Orit Goldstein, president of Andover-based property manager Ozzy Properties Inc. “With each of the new leases, Ozzy Properties worked closely with the tenants to customize the space and offer lease terms that met their individual needs.”

“This high level of growth has driven our requirement for increased office space to ensure we provide our expanding numbers of employees with an efficient, effective and modern working environment,” said Joe L’Italien, senior vice president, director of the Americas for Avecto. “After evaluating many options, we chose Dundee Park because it best fits for our rapidly expanding needs.”

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All dressed up with a new place to go: That’s the theme for this year’s Essex Art Center New Paint fundraiser.

 tenants hail Dundee Park for its customized space, location and amenities

Andover, Mass., May 31, 2011 – Ozzy Properties, Inc., a premier property manager in the Merrimack Valley, today announced that five companies have signed leases totaling more than 20,000 square feet at its Dundee Park facility, an office park that is increasingly attracting tenants from throughout the region.

The new tenants at Dundee Park are Avecto Ltd., the world leader in privilege management Windows desktop security software; SMRT, a full-service architecture, engineering, planning and commissioning firm; Outward Insights, a corporate consultant; and Talent Retriever, a staffing recruiting company. JAZD Markets, an online business-to-business resource, has just converted a sublease at Dundee Park into a permanent lease.  Each of the leases starts by June 1.

Orit Goldstein, president of Ozzy Properties, noted that there has been a significant uptick in activity at the Andover office park during the last few months. “Companies are increasingly finding the value in locating their operations at Dundee Park,” said Goldstein. “With each of the new leases, Ozzy Properties worked closely with the tenants to customize the space and offer lease terms that met their individual needs.”

Dundee Park, which features custom oversized windows and classic post and beam architecture, provides easy access to I-495 and I-93. The complex is located 25 minutes outside of Boston and a short walk from the commuter rail.

Joe L’Italien, SVP/Director of the Americas for Avecto, Ltd., which has Americas headquarters in Andover and EMEA headquarters in Manchester, England, noted that the company’s software business has grown rapidly and was in need of a larger U.S. presence.

“This high level of growth has driven our requirement for increased office space to ensure we provide our expanding numbers of employees with an efficient, effective and modern working environment,” said L’Italien. “After evaluating many options, we chose Dundee Park because it best fits for our rapidly expanding needs.”

JAZD Markets, an online business-to-business vertical directory marketing company, is an existing Dundee tenant and extended their stay for another five years. “We’re very pleased with the amenities and lease terms at Dundee Park so it made perfect sense to continue at this location,” said Anthony D’Amore, vice president of finance/HR director at JAZD.

Leaders at SMRT, which offers architectural services to a range of clients in healthcare, science/technology/industry, government, corporate and education, also lauded the Dundee Park address. “The move to more spacious quarters accommodates increased business and staff, as well as planned future growth. We’ve recently added to both our architectural and engineering staffs here in Massachusetts,” said Brad Hodges, a principal at SMRT.

Outward Insights, a competitive intelligence and strategy firm, makes the move to Dundee Park from a separate Andover location. “Dundee Park is an ideal location that allows us the opportunity to expand operations and serve our growing client base,” said Ken Sawka, president of Outward Insights.

Cheryl Barbato, founder and COO of Talent Retriever, cited many factors in the move to Dundee Park. “The charm of being in downtown Andover combined with the convenient location, including being steps away from the commuter rail, attracted Talent Retriever to Dundee Park,” said Barbato. “Equally appealing was the character offered by this historic building.”

Dundee Park’s success mirrors that of other Ozzy Properties commercial facilities, including Osgood Landing in North Andover and Heritage Place in Lawrence. Osgood Landing has become home to a growing number of green technology companies, including Nexamp’s main logistics center; PanelClaw, Inc., which develops mounting solutions for photovoltaic modules; Baystate Biofuels, a renewable energy company; and Constellation Energy, a top energy management services company. 

About Ozzy Properties, Inc.
Ozzy Properties, Inc., formed in 1994 in Andover, Mass., is a premier property manager in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts. Ozzy currently has 2.5 million square feet of office space and 100 residential units under management in the Massachusetts communities of Andover, North Andover, Lawrence, Boston and Methuen. Ozzy’s strength lies in its ability to significantly improve underutilized, distressed or foreclosed properties, and then return them to the rental market at aggressive rates. For more information, visit www.ozzyproperties.com.

Click here to visit MYOB

 Lawrence, Mass.; October 8, 2010 — Lawrence-based WonderWorld Entertainment, producer of the multi award-winning public television series “Ribert & Robert’s WonderWorld,” will celebrate the national launch of its interactive 3D kids’ website, WonderWorldCity.com with a series of free family events.

 This groundbreaking site will “help kids see who they’re meant to be” through 3D educational pavilions, lessons from experts in their respective fields and interactive games, all set in a colorful, engaging virtual world.

 WonderWorld Entertainment will hold a series of events (two preview parties and a launch party) to celebrate the website.

 Launch Preview Parties

 Dates: Sunday, October 10 and Sunday, October 17^th

Time: 3:00 p.m.

 Place: Osgood Landing    1600 Osgood Street (Rte.125)   North Andover, Mass.

 Details:  A free, family-friendly event, featuring entertainment from popular local Beatles tribute band, “Beatlejuice.”

  ”The Who I Want To Be” Coloring Contest - where kids will win prizes, while imagining “who they’re meant to be.”

 Games, snacks and great WonderWorld Entertainment product giveaways, including free tickets to the WonderWorld City Launch on October 24th.

 Launch event:     Date: Sunday, October 24

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Place: Lowell Memorial Auditorium

 Live performances by:

Popular local Beatles tribute band “Beatlejuice”

2010 Golden Ribby Award Winners

These talented kids have been some of the top vote-getters in WonderWorld Entertainment ongoing kids’ online talent contest.  The finalists will perform live at the event and the audience will vote on the $10,000 grand prize winner.

Additional information:

 The event will include coloring contest for kids with three $500 prize winners.

 Each child in the audience will receive a WonderWorldCity.com Power Pack and a free membership to WonderWorldCity.com.

 Event to be taped for broadcast on WSBK TV 38.

 For more information, please call 978.682.6400 ext. 14.

By Bill Kirk bkirk@eagletribune.com http://www.eagletribune.com/ Wed Sep 22, 2010, 02:50 AM EDT

NORTH ANDOVER - With one new housing development being built on Route 114, another about to break ground, and a third finishing up its final phase of construction, it appears that for at least one Merrimack Valley community, the recession is over.

“A year ago, things slowed down for a couple of months because people were concerned about the economy,” said Curt Bellavance, community development director for North Andover. “But that was it. We’ve been pretty steady all of 2010, and it’s really increased over the last few months.”

It’s not just housing that is seeing a resurgence in growth. A new wholesale bakery - Jessica’s Brick Oven - is moving into Osgood Landing, bringing more than 100 new jobs as the company moves from Woburn and expands.

A clean-energy company in the East Mill - Nexamp - continues to expand, having hired 35 new employees so far this year with an additional 35 more to be hired next year, according to the company president.

Also, smaller companies are filling up commercial spaces all over town, Bellavance said, including dance studios and physical therapy offices, among others.

“Eighty percent of all jobs come from small businesses,” he noted.

North Andover isn’t the only community seeing an improvement in the jobs market. A report released by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development yesterday showed that unemployment rates are down in every Merrimack Valley community.

Lawrence remains the highest, at 16.7 percent as of August, but even there the number of jobless people appears to have dropped. In July, there were 5,344 people unemployed in Lawrence; that number dropped to 5,225 for August.

In most communities, the number of unemployed people has dropped year-over-year, as well. In Haverhill, the unemployment rate hit 9.6 percent in August 2009. It dropped to 9.1 percent last month. Other Merrimack Valley communities, and most communities throughout Massachusetts, saw similar decreases.

Methuen has fared among the best, as its rate dropped from 11 percent in July to 9.9 percent in August - more than a 1 percent decline.

Constructing jobs

Haverhill leaders said they are also encouraged by the continued redevelopment of old shoe factories downtown, specifically the 300-plus-unit Hamel Mill Lofts apartment complex being built by the Forest City company, as well as apartments in the Hayes building by the Archdiocese of Boston.

In addition, high-end single-family homes around the renovated Crystal Springs Golf Course signal an improvement to the economy, they said. Other projects like construction of the new Groveland Bridge and reconstruction of major roads also create work for construction firms, they said.

“We’ve been fortunate to have the continuing construction of the Forest City project, which is nearing completion, and work on the Hayes Building on Granite Street, which is another major project,” said William Pillsbury, Haverhill’s economic development director,

“I think these projects are indicative of a spark of life in the economy, and we are hoping that it is just the beginning,” Pillsbury said.

Some employment experts caution against too much exuberance regarding the improved numbers, since many people have dropped out of the job market and aren’t even looking for work. Meanwhile, scores of people are still unemployed and collecting benefits.

But statewide numbers released last week, and local numbers released yesterday, indicate the trend is at least going in the right direction.

One of the sectors that seems to be fueling the turnaround is the construction market, which has added thousands of jobs across the state in the last few months.

The Commerce Department released a report yesterday showing that housing starts rose 10.5 percent in August, the largest increase since November of last year.

Fueling that increase has been the condominium market. In Haverhill, for example, the condo and apartment market is booming as construction crews continue working on projects like the Hayes Building, a 57-unit housing project in an old shoe factory next to the downtown train station.

In North Andover, Orchard Village is a 32-unit project that began construction last month. On the border of Middleton, the Oak Ridge Village apartment project is moving into its final phase, with another 45 units under construction. Another Route 114 project, Merrimack Condominiums, will be breaking ground soon on a 48-unit condominium project near Berry Street.

“Building permit activity has definitely increased since last year,” Bellavance said.

Taking the plunge

Bellavance said business has also picked up at local office parks, including the East Mill and Osgood Landing.

Jessica’s Brick Oven, Inc. will move from its 11,000-square-foot facility in Woburn to a 63,000-square-foot space at Osgood Landing, the former Lucent site.

Specializing in all-natural, hand-crafted specialty breads, Jessica’s Brick Oven Inc. now employs about 75 people but will expand to more than 200 employees in the next year or so, after it relocates this fall, according to owner and Middleton resident Nabil Boghos.

Nexamp Inc., also in North Andover, has benefited from state and federal policies that push energy efficiency, said company president Dan Leary.

“Since January of 2009, we have added 50 jobs,” Leary said. “Thirty-five of them have been this year.”

He said the company would be even bigger were it not for the recession, but that the federal stimulus package has helped spur innovation and future jobs growth in the green economy.

“The sector in general is doing very well,” he said. “Companies like ours, we started in a garage. This year, we might be the largest clean-energy company in New England as far as our deployment.”

The result has been a hiring spree.

“The people we’ve added are technicians, engineers, project managers and tradespeople,” he said.

It’s not just Nexamp. Leary said companies large and small are creating green tech jobs, whether it’s a tradesman whose business has evolved to include energy efficiency or a manufacturing plant filling the demand for solar panels.

For Leary, the horizon continues to be bright, as the company expects to hire at least another 35 employees.

“By this time next year, we’ll have upwards of 100 employees,” he said.

http://www.eagletribune.com/local/x1327124745/Local-jobs-picture-slowly-improving

NORTH ANDOVER, MA - Ozzy Properties, Inc., a premier property manager in the Merrimack Valley, announced that it is the first area company to receive clean energy advisory services as a result of a partnership between the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce and Nexamp, Inc.

Under the program, Ozzy Properties, which currently has 2.5 million square feet of office space and 100 residential units under management in the Merrimack Valley, will receive a variety of clean energy services at Heritage Place, a commercial building it owns in Lawrence. The services are supported through funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 through the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources’ High Performance Buildings grant program. Ozzy is the first of nearly 30 area companies that will be selected for the program, officials said.

Based on Nexamp’s initial high-level walk through, analysis of utility bill data, and experience performing building level energy audits, Nexamp recommended that Heritage Place be the site selected for the Clean Energy Road Map engagement. Heritage Place is home to a number of tenants such as NxStage Medical, an area office of the Social Security Administration, ValleyWorks Career Center as well as several medical, law and other professional offices.

“We are thrilled and honored to be named as the first recipient of clean energy advisory services from the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce and Nexamp,” said Orit Goldstein, president of Ozzy Properties. “We are pleased that our ongoing efforts to make for a more energy efficient and sustainable work environment has enabled us to receive these comprehensive services.”

The announcement was made at a recent Green Jobs Roundtable session hosted by U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass., at Osgood Landing. As a result of Ozzy’s focus on green energy both for its own use and in locating tenants, the property manager has been selected in the past to host green energy summits featuring Ian A. Bowles, Massachusetts secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Nexamp, a leading clean energy company headquartered in North Andover, will provide Ozzy Properties with a customized clean energy roadmap, energy monitoring and other services. The customized clean energy roadmap provides an in-depth assessment of the energy savings and financial performance anticipated for potential clean energy investments at Ozzy’s Heritage Place facility.

Following the energy audit, Nexamp will provide Ozzy Properties with energy monitoring and building energy labeling to promote ongoing energy planning and identification of future energy savings opportunities. To ensure that immediate energy and maintenance savings benefits are realized, Nexamp will also provide Ozzy with retrocommissioning for suitable buildings. Retrocommissioning optimizes how individual equipment systems function, and how they function with each other for maximum energy efficiency. Finally, Ozzy may opt to work with Nexamp to implement additional solutions identified in the Clean Energy roadmap.

Joseph J. Bevilacqua, president and CEO of the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce, noted that the Chamber and Nexamp decided to make Ozzy its first recipient due to its ongoing track record of energy efficiency.

“Ozzy Properties is truly one of the pioneering companies in the Merrimack Valley when it comes to energy efficiency and has taken the lead in assisting other companies as host of the Chamber’s energy conferences these past years,” said Bevilacqua. “In recognition of this effort and of their ongoing interest to be energy efficient, we chose Ozzy Properties as the first program recipient.”

Daniel P. Leary, president and founder of Nexamp, lauded Ozzy Properties for its commitment to energy reduction. “Ozzy Properties has been a leader in clean energy initiatives and we’re excited to assist them in their ongoing sustainability efforts,” said Leary.

In June 2008, Ozzy Properties’ Osgood Landing facility in North Andover earned the distinction of having the most solar power of any privately-owned photovoltaic array in Massachusetts. At that time, Nexamp installed two solar arrays on Osgood Landing’s roof.

Osgood Landing is also home to a growing number of green technology companies, including Nexamp’s main logistics center; PanelClaw, Inc., which develops mounting solutions for photovoltaic modules; Baystate Biofuels, a renewable energy company; and CPower, Inc., a top energy management services company.

Osgood Landing was formerly occupied by Lucent Technologies. Ozzy Properties acquired the facility in 2003 and continues to redevelop the property for multi-tenant use.

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