Car Smart: Malibu’s a solid mid-size sedan

While the South Korean and German automakers continue to chip away at Honda and Toyota's mid-size sedan market share, the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu stays in the mix to provide a solid domestic alternative.

The Malibu, which is loaded with advanced safety technology, but lacks a diesel or hybrid engine choice, is no less worthy of a test drive.

Our $35,000 crystal red tester had a sporty appearance that is hard from afar to distinguish from the larger Chevrolet Impala. Chrome trim outlined the windows, grille and door handles, and 19-inch aluminum wheels completed the look.

The Malibu's $890 advanced safety package was full of technology usually reserved for the luxury segment. Included in the package was a blind-zone alert with a warning light that blinks in the side-view mirrors when a trailing vehicle enters the driver's blind spot.

The sedan also had a forward collision alert that uses a camera in the windshield to warn the driver if the Malibu is rapidly approaching another vehicle. Other features included were lane-departure warning and rear cross-traffic alert combined with a rear view camera, which made backing out onto a busy street less stressful.

Most of the features could be customized or shut off.

The downside is many of the systems' sensors are in the sedan's bumper and windshield, which means keeping the Malibu clean is a must especially during the winter.

A turbocharged 4-
cylinder, 2.0-liter engine had me guessing until I looked under the hood. I could have sworn the Malibu that churned out 259 horsepower was packing a 6-cylinder, especially considering how the Chevy hustled off the line with 295 lb.-ft of torque. A tapshift manual-matic shifter allowed me to wind out the six-speed automatic transmission. Our tester got 30 miles per gallon on the highway and 21 mpg in the city. Chevy also offers the Malibu with a 2.5L, 4-cylinder engine with direct injection and 196 horsepower. The larger, less powerful engine yields an additional six miles per gallon in fuel savings on the highway.

The sedan was smooth through the turns, holding its line through highway ramps and on twisty back roads. Road noise was hardly noticeable during long drives on the Mass Pike.

A jet black interior with leather seating featured an eight-way power adjustable driver's seat with two memory settings. The front seats were heated and had dual-zone climate controls. I found an abundance of storage cubbies, cup holders and a handy cellphone slot on the center console. Pairing my iPhone was trouble-free via Chevrolet's Mylink touchscreen. Music stored on my phone was easy to call up on the screen and sounded great through the nine-speaker Pioneer entertainment system with a 250-watt amplifier.

Other features that caught my eye were a push-button starter and a fuel-saving stop/start function that automatically shut the engine off when the car was stopped and seamlessly restarted when I took my foot off the brake. Backseat legroom was less than I would expect for a mid-sized sedan.

The 2014 Malibu falls behind the Accord, Camry, Passat and Sonata when considering the most fuel-efficient mid-sized sedan; however, the Malibu does provide a solidly built, fun-to-drive and easy-to-park alternative. The Ford Fusion deserves equal consideration when shopping for a mid-sized sedan.

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Cambridge co. seeks FDA OK for cancer drug

A Cambridge company plans to seek federal regulatory approval this year for a new drug to treat pancreatic cancer after positive late-stage trial results were announced this week.

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals said its MM-398 drug, used in combination with two chemotherapy drugs, improved the average survival rate of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The rate extended to 6.1 months — 1.9 months longer than when the other two drugs were used alone — for those who previously received gemcitabine-based therapy.

"Given that there have only been a handful of successful Phase 3 trials in pancreatic cancer in the past 25 years, it is gratifying to have the first positive Phase 3 trial in the post-gemcitabine setting," CEO Robert Mulroy said in a statement.

There are only three FDA-approved treatments for pancreatic cancer, which is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States with a 6 percent five-year survival rate, according to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Shares of Merrimack fell 8 percent yesterday to $6.43, after soaring to a 52-week high of $7.65 on Thursday, when the company also reported a $27.8 million quarterly loss and said it has enough cash to get it into 2015.

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Nike CEO: Converse steps up

There's no regret from Nike when it comes to its $305 million purchase of North Andover-based Converse in 2003.

"It's an important part of Nike," CEO Mark Parker said yesterday. "It's been one of the best acquisitions we've made."

Revenue for Converse Inc., the 106-year-old maker of the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers, climbed 16 percent to $420 million in the last quarter, Nike reported in March, after 9 percent growth to $1.44 billion in the past fiscal year.

Converse is moving its headquarters to Boston's Lovejoy Wharf early next year, and Parker said the subsidiary's 400-strong employee base can be expected to grow in step with its revenue.

Nike Inc. had $23.5 billion in total revenue last year and enjoys an industry-dominating 48 percent market share for its namesake brand. Parker — who joined Nike in 1979 as a shoe designer in Exeter, N.H., and has been CEO of the Oregon company since 2006 — spoke at Boston College Chief Executives' Club of Boston. Here's some of what he had to say:

• On one of China's biggest strikes ever this month at Nike footwear manufacturer Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings over Yue Yuen's contributions to employee benefits: Nike had been communicating with Yue Yuen and urging it to resolve the issues as soon as possible. "We want to invest in the partners that are really doing the right thing with the workforce. We didn't move product out in this case, but we stayed close to it. We have a factory base where we can move product around as we need to make sure that we don't have issues with production."

• On NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's league ban of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for racist remarks: "Adam Silver did a remarkable job. He did it decisively and quickly. There's no room for discrimination."

• On the possibility of U.S.-made Nike shoes: Nike is investing heavily in manufacturing innovation and, as technology advances, there's an opportunity for a U.S. manufacturing base.

• On Nike athletes: They're not simply "billboards" for the Nike "Swoosh." Nike works closely with them to gain insight that drives innovation. It "listens to the voice of the athlete." When working with athletes of golfer Tiger Woods' caliber, "You don't innovate just for the sake of change. You innovate to change the outcome."

• One of his most important roles as CEO: Being an editor. "By editing, we can actually amplify the power of what we do."

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TD Garden shows off $70M redo plan

TD Garden representatives yesterday unveiled new details of a planned two-year, $70 million renovation at the Hub sports venue, showing off plans for an overhaul of the Legends Club, as well as upgrades to the concourses and an expansion of the pro shop.

"From a fan experience, from a technology, from a food service standpoint, we have all these opportunities," Amy Latimer, president of TD Garden, said of the membership-only club. "We're really going to just gut the whole place."

Legends, which houses the Courtside Club, will be expanded by 35 percent, and feature new food choices, a more modern design and improved technology, including a 55-foot media wall and "Mediamesh," a metal fabric interwoven with LEDs.

The current buffet will be replaced with made-to-order food, including a brick oven and a raw bar.

The design will be a "sleeker, updated look," Latimer said. "We want to give (the fans) the offerings that they're looking for."

One thing that won't change — the original Boston Garden marquee sign will remain in the club. And the floor will feature former players' retired numbers.

Latimer said other upgrades, including Wi-Fi, will enhance the TD Garden experience for all fans. She declined to go into details, but said some of the things being considered include adding merchandise and food ordering from mobile devices once Wi-Fi installation is complete.

Funded by Delaware North Cos., owner of TD Garden, the renovation will update the nearly 20-year-old TD Garden's look to a more modern design. Construction will begin immediately after the Bruins' season ends.

Latimer said incentives have been put in place with the contractor to ensure projects finish on schedule.

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Economy is expected to improve as year progresses

WASHINGTON — The economy likely stumbled at the start of this year, but there's probably little reason to worry: Economists foresee a solid rebound with the end of a harsh winter.

The Commerce Department on Wednesday will issue the first of three estimates of how fast the economy grew in the January-March quarter. The expectation is that growth slowed to an annual rate of around 1.1 percent, a lackluster pace that would be sharply down from a 2.6 percent annual growth rate in the previous quarter.

Economists think the first-quarter slump, caused in large part by the severe winter, will give way to stronger growth that should endure through the rest of the year.

Most analysts say a bounce-back in consumer spending, business investment and job growth will lift growth in the second quarter.

In fact, many say 2014 will be the year the recovery from the Great Recession finally achieves the robust growth that's needed to accelerate hiring and reduce still-high unemployment.

Analysts think annual economic growth has rebounded to around 3 percent in the current April-June quarter and will remain roughly that strong through the second half of the year.

If that proves accurate, the economy will have produced the fastest annual expansion in the gross domestic product, the broadest gauge of the economy's health, in nine years. The last time growth was so strong was in 2005, when GDP grew 3.4 percent, two years before the nation fell into the worst recession since the 1930s.

A group of economists surveyed this month by The Associated Press said they expected unemployment to fall to 6.2 percent by the end of this year from 6.7 percent in March.

One reason for the optimism is that a drag on growth last year from higher taxes and deep federal spending cuts has been diminishing. A congressional budget truce has also lifted any imminent threat of another government shutdown. As a result, businesses may find it easier to commit to investments to modernize and expand production facilities and boost hiring.

State and local governments, which have benefited from a rebound in tax revenue, are hiring again as well.

A survey by the private Conference Board released Tuesday found that while U.S. consumer confidence dipped this month, many people foresee a strengthening economy in the months ahead.

Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors, said he expects job growth to average above 200,000 a month for the rest of the year — starting with the April jobs report, which will be released Friday.

"Those are the types of job gains which will generate incomes and consumer confidence going forward," Naroff said.

Naroff said solid job growth should lead consumers, who drive about 70 percent of the U.S. economy, to boost spending. He expects pent-up demand from purchases that were put off during the harsh winter to power a burst of growth in the April-June quarter. He thinks annual growth for the quarter will reach a vigorous 4.3 percent.

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Users bemoan e-cigarette laws in NYC, Chicago

NEW YORK — Laws in New York and Chicago making electronic cigarettes subject to the same regulations as tobacco are taking effect, and their sellers and users are steadfast in their opposition.

The New York law — along with the measure in Chicago, one that previously went into effect in Los Angeles and federal regulations proposed last week — are keeping debate smoldering among public health officials, the e-cigarette industry and users.

Proponents of the regulations, which began Tuesday, say they are aimed at preventing the re-acceptance of smoking as a societal norm, particularly among teenagers who could see the tobacco-free electronic cigarettes, with their candy-like flavorings and celebrity endorsers, as a gateway to cancer-causing tobacco products.

Dr. Thomas Farley, the New York City health commissioner under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, says allowing electronic cigarettes in bars and restaurants would undermine existing restrictions on tobacco-based products.

The law would prohibit the use of electronic cigarettes in restaurants, bars and other public places, just as regular cigarettes are not allowed.

"Imagine for a moment you're at a bar and there are 20 people who are puffing on something that looks like a cigarette and then somebody smells something that smells like tobacco smoke," Farley says. "How's the bartender going to know who to tap on the shoulder and say, 'Put that out'?"

Makers of the devices say marketing them as e-cigarettes has confused lawmakers into thinking they are the same as tobacco-based cigarettes. They say the new regulations ostracize people who want an alternative to tobacco products and will be especially hard on ex-smokers who are being lumped into the same smoking areas as tobacco users.

Their defenders also say they're a good way to quit tobacco, even though science is murky on the claim.

Peter Denholtz, the chief executive and co-founder of the Henley Vaporium in Manhattan, says electronic cigarettes "could be the greatest invention of our lifetime in terms of saving lives" by moving smokers away from traditional cigarettes.

"This law just discourages that," he says.

Chris Jehly, a 31-year-old Brooklyn resident, also defends the devices as a vehicle for quitting.

"The tougher they're going to make it on vapers, the tougher it is people are going to find an actual vehicle for quitting or as a supplement to cigarettes," Jehly says from his perch at the counter at Henley. "There's no need for it. This is working so much better than patches or gum or prescription drugs."

Robin Koval, chief executive of the anti-smoking Legacy Foundation, says that while ingredients in electronic cigarettes are not as harmful as those in tobacco products, they are still a concern because they contain highly addictive nicotine. The National Institutes of Health says users could expose themselves to toxic levels of nicotine while refilling the devices or even use them to smoke other substances.

Since little evidence exists on the effect of the devices on smoking — whether as an aid in quitting, a gateway for non-smokers or a bridge to keep smokers hooked longer — she says she favors a legislative approach that balances public health with the development of safer alternatives.

"The right way forward will be a way that promotes innovation that helps us do everything we possibly can to get combustible tobacco to be history," Koval says. "We want a generation of Americans where, for them, cigarettes are a thing of the past — an artifact like a roll of film or a rotary telephone."

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Wynn Resorts nails down deals with four nearby cities

Wynn Resorts, in heated competition with Mohegan Sun for the lone Boston-area casino license, has closed a gap with its competitor on a key measure — the number of mitigation deals with surrounding communities.

Wynn, which wants to build a casino in Everett, announced four new lucrative deals with Cambridge, Medford, Lynn and Melrose yesterday, adding to the one surrounding community pact the company had with Malden. Mohegan has deals in place with Cambridge, Malden, Medford, Melrose and Salem.

"A Wynn resort will have a positive impact on people and neighborhoods beyond Everett, and these agreements are a way to truly demonstrate our ongoing support and partnership," said Robert DeSalvio, Wynn's senior vice president of development. "It's not just about writing a check … it's about providing careers, bolstering the local economy, creating a public waterfront and making the region better for us all."

The deals include a range of different impact payments. In the Cambridge deal, for example, Wynn pledges to make a $25 million annual payment to the city, while Medford stands to score $325,000.

Deals like that, plus showing the casino bidder can work with surrounding cities and towns, are among the many factors the commission will consider in awarding the license.

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Boston Redevelopment Authority ‘zoning czar’ to boost business

Mayor Martin J. Walsh will unveil plans today to create a "zoning czar" within the Boston Redevelopment Authority as part of a larger effort to rezone the entire city to make development better fit the needs of neighborhoods and streamline regulations.

"The goal is greater transparency and greater accountability so we don't have over-development in the city. It really depends on what the communities are looking for," said Walsh, noting a recent Boston Herald article about calls from at-large City Councilor Michael Flaherty and Council President Bill Linehan to revamp zoning in South Boston to alleviate a parking shortage due to a surge of new housing with limited or no vehicle spaces. "We are looking at new zoning for the city."

Walsh, who will outline his plans in a speech today to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast meeting at the Westin Copley Place Hotel, said he will also announce the creation of a new chief digital officer to overhaul the city's website to make it more integrated with social media and video feeds.

The mayor said he also intends to develop a roughly 4,000-square-foot "incubator space" for budding entrepreneurs inside the former Ferdinand Building, which the city is converting into a municipal complex, to help seed about a dozen startups and "allow us to do something along the lines of MassChallange."

Walsh said the thrust of his speech, in line with his "Boston is Open For Business" theme, will be about his vision of how the city can better work with the business sector.

"It's really about setting the tone for the relationship we want to have with the business community, the old-school businesses and the high-tech community," Walsh told the Herald yesterday. "Rather than waiting for businesses to come to City Hall, we will go to the businesses."

The mayor said his new "senior adviser for regulatory reform," or "zoning czar" as he dubbed the position, will be "charged with making sure our regulations facilitate rather than hold up business growth."

Although on the campaign trail Walsh called for the dismantling of the BRA, his speech will highlight that under his watch the authority has approved $2 billion in new developments, more than during the same period last year.

Walsh told the Herald last week that part of his focus on rezoning the city will be to streamline permitting to meet his goal of having more projects permitted within 20 days, and to meet the demands of specific neighborhood districts

"There have been a lot of neighborhoods that have a lot of concerns about the way zoning has happened in the past," Walsh said.

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Conference touts industry changes

State officials and manufacturing execs hope to send the message that the industry's days of smoke-filled factories are being replaced by greater opportunities, higher salaries and cleaner technology.

"It not only pays well, but we're very competitive at it," Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki told the Herald. "We make things in Massachusetts that a lot of other people don't make, and we make a lot of things we sell to China, like medical devices … because we're better than everyone else at making them."

Hundreds of manufacturing leaders and others are expected to descend on Worcester tomorrow to network and talk about the industry's future during the second annual Advanced Manufacturing Summit at the DCU Center.

Bialecki said starting salaries are often around $40,000, don't require college degrees — and the associated student debt — and average around $60,000 to $70,000, which is more than the state's median salary.

"The primary purpose is just to convey the message there are a lot of people that believe in the future of manufacturing in Massachusetts," said Bialecki. "It's a great career."

"We'll be talking about … how to promote manufacturing as a career for young people and remind people that manufacturing is not dirty, grimy factories as we imagine they were," said Marty Jones, the president and CEO of MassDevelopment. "They're high-tech, interesting places where people can earn a good living."

The keynote speaker will be Harry Moser, the founder of the Reshoring Initiative, and Gov. Deval Patrick will speak during a luncheon.

Speakers earlier in the day include Jones, INCOM President and CEO Michael Detarando and Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tim Murray, the former lieutenant governor.

Three separate panels and workshops also will be held, with experts from companies such as DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson, EMC, General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon, Smith & Wesson, TE Connectivity and United Technologies.

Bialecki himself will moderate a morning session entitled "Our Workforce Future: What Do You Demand?"

The event is expected to draw about 150 manufacturers, and 500 people are already registered, said Jones.

"The purpose of this event is really to get together manufacturers and people who can provide resources to manufacturers to talk about really growing their business in Massachusetts," said Jones. "The sessions are how to supply to the life sciences industry, aeronautics, electronics, defense."

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Microsoft fan goes Pro

I was wrong.

In February, I wrote of the MacBook Air and Pro that "neither laptop has wowed me enough to stay away from the Microsoft Store just yet."

Fast-forward two months to yesterday, when I took the plunge and bought a MacBook Pro.

I think I'd be remiss if I didn't deliver a Mac mea culpa, or at the very least, an update letting you know that in fact I did go to the Microsoft Store. Several times. After looking far and wide for the perfect laptop for work and life, yesterday I ponied up and purchased a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display (refurbished). Thanks to a 12-month financing plan, I'll be paying it out over the next year with zero percent interest.

"Welcome to Mac. It's amazing here," texted my best friend, a professor of graphic design in Miami who epitomizes everything that's wrong with Mac-lovers with her frequent refrain, "If Apple made a toaster, I would buy it."

My husband is the other extreme — a Microsoft-loving software architect who winces if he should happen to touch my iPhone 5S.

And somewhere between those two is me: happy to try out the next new iDevice, but knowing full well that Apple's advantage stems as much from excellent self-promotion as it does from true innovation.

What pushed me over the edge was the ecosystem. Multimedia apps for photo- and video-editing have driven me to own an iPhone and iPad. So I've already partially invested in the world of iTunes and apps. After considering several touchscreen laptops, and even the Surface Pro 2 (biggest problem: it doesn't work on your lap), I couldn't find a Windows offering that wowed me enough to justify the inconvenience of straddling both worlds.

If I were what Microsoft terms a "power user" — someone who deals in the dense world of spreadsheets and databases — my considerations would have been different. In that case, there's little doubt I'd be rocking out with the Windows ecosystem and all its Microsoft Excel and Access glory. But if I don't need 30 years of legacy features, why buy 30 years of legacy features? Same goes for if I were a PC gamer — I'd be all Windows, all the time.

But I think I'm like most people in that my three main considerations were battery life, portability and price. Whether it was Toshiba or Lenova or Dell, Apple won in every head-to-head matchup on those three fronts.

The cost-benefit analysis also included the fact that we're an Xbox One household. But Microsoft made that one easy for me: I have the SmartGlass app and my iPhone becomes a remote. My choice of laptop doesn't make a difference in that equation.

And there's the fact that I love being able to peruse the headlines early in the morning, save articles to my "reading list" and go through them at my leisure on any device later in the day. A ton of these little conveniences come with choosing one ecosystem and sticking with it. It's no longer a question of "which laptop is for me," but which world do I live in?

And much like when a person decides which town to live in and house to buy, you're not saying that other places are bad.

Circumstances led you there, and I just joined a little town of Mac.

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The Ticker

Patrick, Murray to speakat manufacturing event

Gov. Deval Patrick and former Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray will be among the speakers at a summit being held on advanced manufacturing in Massachusetts.

The event hosted by the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative is scheduled for Tuesday at the DCU Center in Worcester. Hundreds of industry executives are expected to attend and discuss challenges faced by their firms.

Among the topics will be workforce development and efforts to align vocational school and community college training programs with the needs of advanced manufacturing companies.

Murray, now president of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, will help open the second annual event and Patrick is scheduled to speak later in the day.

TOMORROW

• National Association of Realtors releases pending home sales index for March.

TUESDAY

• Standard & Poor's releases S&P/Case-Shiller index of home prices for February.
• The Conference Board releases the Consumer Confidence Index for April.
• Federal Reserve policy makers start two-day meeting to set interest rates.

WEDNESDAY

• Commerce Department releases first-quarter gross domestic product.
• Labor Department releases the first-quarter employment cost index.
• Federal Reserve policy makers conclude two-day meeting to set interest rates.

THURSDAY

• Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims.
• Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for March.
• Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates.
• Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for April.
• Commerce Department releases construction spending.

FRIDAY

• Labor Department releases employment data for April.
• Commerce Department releases factory orders for March.

Boston's Forge Worldwide has named digital specialist Melissa Koehler, account director. Koehler will oversee the health care, financial services and higher education practices at Forge, leading client relationships with Massachusetts General Hospital and Rockland Trust, among others. Koehler joins the agency after spending two years with BEAM Interactive in Boston where, most recently, she was associate director, marketing.

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Workplace Diversity Job Fair Monday, April 28, 2014

Workplace Diversity Job Fair

Monday, April 28, 2014

10:00-4:00

Boston Marriott Copley Place

110 Huntington Ave., Boston

Job seekers, don't miss this exciting opportunity

The Boston Herald is hosting the 21st annual Workplace Diversity Job Fair on Monday, April 28. Companies from the Greater Boston area will be in attendance looking for candidates to fill positions in areas including sales, business, medical, technology and more!

Look for a special pull-out section on Thursday, April 24 for all the information you will need to make the job fair a success for you.

There is no cost or obligation for attending.

Proper attire is suggested.

The following companies are participating in the Monday, April 28 Workplace Diversity Job Fair:

• Arbour Health System
• Bay Cove Human Services
• Boston Marriott Copley Place
• BMC HealthNet Plan
• Commonwealth Worldwide
• Eliot Community Human Services
• G2 Secure Staff
• Harvard University
• Keolis Commuter Services
• Lincoln Technical Institute
• Massasoit Community College
• Mass Eye and Ear
• New England HERC
• New England Research Institute
• Northeastern University Bouve' College of Health Sciences School of Nursing
• Northeast Security
• Prudential
• Rockland Trust
• South Bay Mental Health
• U.S. Navy
• Verizon Wireless
• WGBH

The Workplace Diversity Job Fair is conducted in accordance with federal laws advocating employment for all individuals. The Workplace Diversity Job Fair is handicapped accessible. If special arrangements are required, please call 617-619-6168 no later than 2 days prior to the event.

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