Come on baby, eat better

Here's something to make Hub parents go gaga: an organic baby food delivery company that cuts out the hassle of cooking by bringing nutritional purees right to their doors.

Purely Pears, which launches tomorrow, is the brainchild of longtime friends Sarah Washburn and Bridget Tivnan. The duo said their self-funded startup is part of a growing health trend that includes similar companies such as Fresh Baby Bites of San Francisco, Whirled Peas Baby Food of Austin, Texas, and Petit Organics of New York City.

"We thought, 'This is something that Boston is missing.' It's obviously working in other metropolitan areas," said Tivnan, 30, a Roslindale mother of two. "I would have used that service if Boston had something, but there was obviously a need for this market in our area."

"Childhood goes by so quickly, in the blink of an eye," added Washburn, 32, of North Reading. "For those few months, you can spend it on the floor with your children or you can spend it in the kitchen mashing sweet potatoes."

Tivnan has devoted herself full time to Purely Pears after five years as an event planner. Washburn, mother of a 1-year-old and owner of a domestic placement agency in Boston, said their idea was arguably first born when Tivnan gave her a book on purees for her baby shower.

Purely Pears offers 12 organic purees, some for babies aged four to seven months and the others for babies aged eight months and older. Flavors in the former group include Perfectly Sweet Potatoes, Beginners Broccoli and Petit Peas.

Customers can buy three-day, seven-day or one-month puree supplies for $29, $58 and $209, respectively. Orders must be placed before 10 p.m. Fridays on the company's website. All food is produced and packaged in less than 24 hours, and has a refrigerator shelf life of four days.

For now, the duo will make their own purees, and personally deliver packages to homes, workplaces and daycares within 20 miles of Boston. But both said they weren't worried about missing out on quality time with their young tykes.

"The goal is to work up to being able to hire people to do more cooking for us so we get that time back," Washburn said.

"I hope the reaction from moms is just relief that they can rest assured while they're at work or doing other things they need to do, this item is checked off their list," Tivnan added.

Dr. Caroline Apovian, director of Boston Medical Center's Nutrition and Weight Management Center, said organic baby food "hasn't become a craze until now," as concerned mothers try to distance themselves from feeding their children processed and packaged foods.

But Apovian added organic baby food delivery companies target professional moms who can afford their services, when lower-income families would actually benefit from them more.

"It's a Catch-22 because it's the professional mothers who tend to have the wherewithal and understand it's important," she said. "It's the mothers who don't have the wherewithal that need it the most. The food that is treated with preservatives tends to be cheaper."

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If you have run-flat tires, you shouldn’t need a spare

I recently purchased a 2011 Toyota Sienna AWD van. It has run-flat tires and no spare. I tow a boat at times in places where it's not easy to get a flat fixed, so I want to purchase a spare to carry on trips. Because the car has all-wheel drive, should I purchase a "doughnut" spare or a full-size one? Some say that I need a full-size spare; others that a doughnut will work just fine. What is best?

Having experience with run-flat tires on two different vehicles — a 1959 military Ferret reconnaissance car and a 2007 Corvette — I don't think you should worry about carrying a spare tire. Run-flat tires are designed to do precisely that — operate safely with zero air pressure for a reasonable distance at modest speed. In the case of the Ferret, the idea was to be able to drive away from the battlefield after having one or more tires shot up. The Corvette is like your van — no room for a spare. I drove 70 miles home at night in the rain at 50 miles an hour with zero air pressure in the right rear tire with no additional damage to the tire. The next day I had the tire properly patched, and it's still on the vehicle over a year later.

Although my automotive version of Murphy's law says that if you have a spare you'll never need to use it, if you choose to buy a spare, it must be the same make, model and size tire with the same rolling circumference in order to prevent any damage to the AWD drivetrain should you need to use it.

I have a 1991 V6 Toyota pickup with 70,000 miles. After I drive it a long way and get back in, it does not start. Sometimes it will take a jump start, and other times it has to cool down. It will click sometimes and sometimes do nothing at all. The starter has been replaced three times with Toyota starters. I can tap the starter, and then it might start. Could this be a "fusible link"?

No. A fusible link, like a simple fuse, is a single-event electrical protective device. Once it fails, it can no longer conduct any electrical current. Focus on battery cables, connections and grounds as well as the starter relay under the dash and the starter solenoid, which is incorporated into the reduction starter housing.

The simple do-it-yourself procedure is to use jumper cables to bypass the entire electrical system for the starter. When the engine fails to crank, make sure the key is off and the transmission in Park, then connect the red or positive jumper cable clamps to the positive starter terminal on the starter motor and the positive terminal on the battery. Connect the black or negative jumper cable to the negative terminal on the battery and then, with all due caution, touch the other negative clamp to a solid electrical ground on the engine, such as the alternator mounting bracket. The solenoid should engage the starter and crank the engine. If it does, the problem is a poor electrical connection or ground between the battery, starter and chassis ground.

If the starter does not engage during this test, there's a problem with the starter motor or magnetic solenoid switch, which is a separate part of the starter motor assembly.

Recently on a road trip I was passed by a car on which one of its rear tires appeared to be bouncing up and down. A few miles up the road, it was stopped. That tire had blown out and had taken most of the back bumper with it. What causes a tire to be vibrating like that when cruising on the interstate at 75 miles an hour?

An ignorant motorist. I can't imagine the driver not feeling the vibration from that wobbling tire at that speed. Unfortunately, I've seen more than enough evidence of major problems that potentially affect vehicle safety being completely ignored by the motorist — primarily because nothing had happened yet.

In this case, I would suspect two possibilities. First, a tire that has suffered a structural failure or belt separation in the carcass or a progressive separation of the tread, which could explain the rear bumper damage. Secondly, a dead shock absorber/strut on that corner of the vehicle. The uncontrolled up-and-down movement of the wheel could lead to this type of tire failure eventually.

The moral of the story? If it doesn't look, feel, sound, smell or drive right, stop and investigate why. Not sure if anything's wrong? Have it checked out by a professional.

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The Ticker

Battery maker gets cute with name

Lithium ion battery maker A123 Systems is changing its corporate name to B456 Systems Inc. to satisfy one of the embattled company's obligations under an asset purchase agreement with Wanxiang America Corp.

Chinese auto parts manufacturer Wanxiang Group acquired all of the company's heavily government-subsidized assets for more than $256 million earlier this year, after the Waltham-based company filed for bankruptcy.

Lexington co. nets major funding

QD Vision, a nanomaterials product company that makes optical components for LCD applications, has closed a $20 million round of financing to expand production capacity and fund long-term company growth. The company said its Color IQ components significantly improve LCD color performance in televisions, monitors and mobile displays.

CVS CEO pay spikes 44 percent

CVS Caremark Corp.'s President and CEO Larry Merlo's pay spiked 44 percent to $20.4 million last year. In a regulatory filing, the company said Merlo's base salary rose slightly, while other benefits saw greater increases. Merlo joined the company in 1990.

Dynasil Corp. risks delisting

Watertown-based Dynasil Corp. of America is no longer in compliance with the NASDAQ stock market after the closing price for its common stock fell below $1 per share for 30 consecutive days.

The company has until Sept. 23 to regain compliance or face delisting.

Hub on Alaska's horizon

Seattle-based airline carrier Alaska Airlines has launched nonstop flights between San Diego and Boston, the sixth new city the carrier has begun serving from the California city in the past year. To celebrate, the airline is offering a $159 one-way fare available now through April 9 for travel from April 30 through June 12.

THE SHUFFLE

• Acentech Inc. of Cambridge has hired Sarah McGillicuddy, left, as director of marketing and business development. McGillicuddy previously served as director of marketing and was a business development manager at construction management firm Richard White Sons Inc.
• Cambridge-based Tokai Pharmaceuticals Inc. has promoted Jodie Morrison to the position of chief executive officer. Morrison most recently served as chief operating officer and vice president of clinical affairs for the company.
• Square 1 Bank of Boston has hired Michael Madden as senior vice president and managing director in the Boston office. Madden was previously a principal at Edison Ventures.

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Cape Cod lifestyle in Quincy

This free-standing single-family is part of a Nantucket-like condo development in Quincy's Marina Bay neighborhood.

The four-bedroom house at 12 Hutchinson Lane is in the 18-acre Chapman's Reach planned community, one of 152 single-families and townhouses built in 1999 and designed to resemble a Cape Cod village. Homes are set close to one another to create an urban feel that encourages walking. Transom windows ensure privacy from neighbors, with full windows facing front and back as well as into an enclosed patio. Parking garages are in alleys behind the houses.

This 3,928-square foot two-story home, one of 48 single families in the complex, has 2,400 square feet of living space on the first floor, including the master bedroom suite and is available for $1,180,000.

The well-designed two-story home, with an exterior of yellow clapboard and gray cedar shingles has a front brick walkway and covered farmer's porch. It opens into a double-height foyer with chair-rail wainscoting and maple floors.

On one side of the foyer through a marble column arch is a formal dining room with bay windows, maple floors and a wrought-iron chandelier. On the other side is a guest bedroom with a connecting marble bathroom.

But the showpiece space of the home lies straight ahead in a 25-foot-high maple-floored living room with five sets of double-tiered windows. The west-facing wall of windows looks out into a bluestone patio. In the center of the room is a gas fireplace with fluted columns and green marble surround.

The adjacent recessed-lit kitchen features ceramic tile floors, 32 maple cabinets with beige Giallo Veneziano granite counters and island with pendant lighting overhead. Stainless-steel General Electric Monogram appliances include a side-by-side refrigerator, a gas stove and a compactor. The owners recently added a Bosch dishwasher.

There's an adjacent breakfast nook with high transom windows on one side and glass doors on the other that open onto the nicely landscaped enclosed outdoor patio.

Behind the kitchen is a laundry room with a full-size washer and dryer and the hallway continues down to double doors that lead into the master bedroom suite.

The carpeted master bedroom has a vaulted ceiling with a clerestory window and glass doors out to the patio. There are two walk-in closets with built-in wardrobes. The en-suite bathroom has a white Botticino marble floor with black marble inlay. There are Corian-topped vanities on either side of the room, and a whirlpool tub and separate walk-in shower, both with white tile walls.

Off the bedroom is a hallway with direct access to a two-car garage and there are three deeded outdoor spaces.

Above the garage is a carpeted game/media room with a Tiffany-style lamp over a billiards table, which is negotiable.

A distinctive winding maple staircase from the foyer leads to two bedrooms and a study on the house's main second floor. The carpeted study overlooks the living room. The two carpeted bedrooms are on either side of a walkway that overlooks the living room and the foyer. There's a laundry closet here, as well as a full bathroom with a Fiberglas shower.

The house has an additional, uncounted 2,400-square-foot unfinished basement, with lots of storage and room for additional living space. It also houses two gas-fired forced hot air heating systems and a two-zone central air-conditioning system.

Broker: Fred Alibrandi of Otis & Ahearn at 617-851-8050

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City employees can benefit from tax laws

Tax season is upon us, and the Herald's TaxSmart experts are here every Friday to help.

Today, Joy Child of Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co. discusses potential tax benefits for city employees.

I am a teacher in the Boston Public Schools system. Are there any special tax benefits that teachers need to look for? Also, my husband is a fireman and pays into the city's retirement system. Is there anything he needs to look out for?

There are several benefits that teachers and other town, city or state employees may overlook. The contributions to the various Massachusetts retirement systems are deductible on the Massachusetts return, up to $2,000. Although teachers do not pay into Social Security, they are entitled to the same deduction as people who do pay into Social Security. In addition, teachers hired after 1986 pay into the Medicare system, so this is deductible as well.

However, if a teacher is full-time, usually the Massachusetts retirement contribution is more than the maximum $2,000 deduction, anyway. Because tax software may not always recognize that Massachusetts retirement contributions are similar to Social Security contributions, teachers need to make sure they get this deduction, which will usually max out at the $2,000 level.

In addition, federal wages are different from state wages for an employee who contributes to a Massachusetts retirement system. The federal government allows the wages to be reduced by the entire contribution to Massachusetts retirement, not just the $2,000 deduction that Massachusetts allows. So if your W-2 shows a difference between the federal wages and the state wages, be sure to use the appropriate amount on each return.

Teachers also may deduct as a direct adjustment to their income up to $250 of the money they spend for school supplies. In these difficult economic times for school systems, teachers often have to spend quite a bit on supplies for their classroom. They should be sure to keep the receipts.

Email your tax questions to bizsmart@bostonherald.com

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Tax credits vital to conversions

Affordable housing is crucial to society because it ensures that families with limited economic means have a place to live.

Either new structures can be built or older buildings can be renovated to increase the affordable housing stock.

"Preserving and restoring historic buildings has the potential to breathe life into local communities and their economies," said Larry Curtis, president and managing partner of WinnDevelopment, which is one of the nation's largest developers of large-scale, mixed-use and mixed-income projects, including the Oliver Lofts on Mission Hill and the The Apartments at Boott Mill in Lowell.

Historic tax credits, from both the state and federal governments, can be an integral part of the financing for real estate redevelopment and re-use projects. These subsidies have helped developers revitalize older downtown areas and urban neighborhoods. These projects have provided construction jobs and affordable rental housing for low-income families and seniors since 1976.

"The revitalization of historic buildings into housing typically has significant construction cost premiums and the historic tax credits directly address that and make it possible to create reasonably priced affordable housing," said Bart Mitchell, president and CEO of The Community Builders, the country's largest nonprofit developer of mixed-income housing. Its local projects include the Franklin School Apartments in Lexington and the Central Grammar School in Gloucester.

Making older buildings wheelchair-accessible can be particularly costly, he said.

"Especially buildings such as schools were built as a monumental structure on top of a huge staircase and are not accessible. (It's necessary to) add elevators and such," Mitchell added.

There may also be costly environmental cleanup issues, because renovating older buildings may require asbestos or lead paint removal.

Additionally, when laying out a building for a completely different use, the developer may want to preserve some of the historic features, but may face the costly challenge of coming up with spaces for bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms.

"Preserving the high ceilings and large windows is important and creates interesting interiors within the housing units," Curtis said.

Of course, there are benefits to rehabbing existing buildings.

"When re-using an old building, no one is wondering what the building is going to look like. Sometimes the approval process can be easier," Mitchell said.

The historic credits also can help contribute to a cleaner environment, according to developers.

"The 'greenest' thing you can do is re-use an existing building," Mitchell said. "If you don't re-use an existing building, think about all of the diesel exhaust and landfill that's used in the demolition of the old building, then all of the transportation, manufacturing and assembly for the new building."

Older buildings that were built with thick masonry walls can be extremely efficient to heat, especially once a modern roof and windows are added.

Oliver Lofts, located on Mission Hill, is the only midrise, multifamily building in the city to earn Platinum LEED certification for its environmental friendliness, and one of only two historic renovations in the nation to win that distinction after being converted to mixed-income housing. The 19th century building, recently renovated after being vacant for 30 years, is now a mixed-income housing community consisting of 62 apartments.

Jennifer Athas is a licensed real estate broker and can be reached by email at heraldhotproperty@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter,
@JenAthas.

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The Ticker

Airline merger approved

AMR Corp., the bankrupt parent of American Airlines, has received court approval to merge with US Airways Group Inc. and create the world's largest airline.

But one clause in the merger agreement, a nearly $20 million severance package for AMR's outgoing CEO Tom Horton, was not approved by a judge at a hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.

SF tower aims high

Boston Properties and Hines have broken ground on the Transbay Tower in San Francisco, which will be the nation's seventh largest tower at 1,070 feet tall. The building will consist of 60 levels of office space in a 1.4 million square foot complex.

Construction is expected to begin this summer and be completed in 2016.

Lexington co. secures investment

SynapDx Corp. has secured a significant yet undisclosed investment from The Kraft Group that will support the ongoing clinical development of the company's blood-based autism spectrum disorder diagnostic test. The test is designed to help clinicians identify children with autism earlier than they do today.

T-Mobile takes bite of Apple

T-Mobile will become the first major wireless company to sell Apple's popular iPhone 5 without a contract requirement on April 12. Preorders will be accepted starting April 5. T-Mobile will sell the device for $99, plus the monthly cost of using the phone.

TODAY

 The Commerce Department releases fourth-quarter gross domestic product.

TOMORROW

 U.S. stock markets closed for Good Friday.

 The Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for February.

L Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, left, is joining Boston-based CoachUp as a senior advisor on its advisory board. Boston Bruins President Cam Neely is joining the startup's board of directors.

L Atlantic Power has named Edward Hall as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Hall previously served as executive vice president and COO Global Generation at power company AES Corp.

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Groundbreaking set at former Herald site

The Boston Herald's former longtime South End headquarters will be feted next month before crews start demolition for its next life as the "Ink Block," a 471-unit apartment complex anchored by a Whole Foods supermarket.

Newton-based National Development's plans for the April 11 groundbreaking ceremony will include a strong Herald presence.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino will remove a symbolic brick from the building for preservation, and Herald columnist Joe Fitzgerald will share memories of the paper's home base of 54 years before it moved to a more modern newsroom and offices in the Seaport District last year.

Herald publisher and owner Patrick J. Purcell sold the former 6.6-acre Herald site to National Development in 2007 for undisclosed terms. He retained a minority stake in the $200 million redevelopment, which also will include stores and restaurants and link the South End with Chinatown and the rest of the city.

"We're going to start taking the building down," said Ted Tye, managing partner of National Development. "We've been in predemolition now for several months, taking things out of the building."

In 2011, the Herald signed a 10-year lease for its new headquarters on Fargo Street, where it occupies two floors in the rapidly growing South Boston waterfront area.

Purcell said he's excited about the new quarters and how the newspaper has been evolving with both its print and online editions, and through video.

"And I'm really excited about what the development of the former Herald building will mean for the South End community," 
he said.

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$un shining on Third Rock fund

Hub-based venture capital firm Third Rock Ventures, LLC, has closed its third fund and is ready to put the money toward its intended purpose — supporting innovative health-care companies.

Third Rock partner Kevin Starr said the $516 million fund will help start 15 to 16 new companies, with a bias toward those that will be based in the Boston area.

He said the new fund will target "big ideas" companies.

"It's more about making a major impact on severe diseases," Starr told the Herald. "It's not about me-too drugs. We're looking to make a truly meaningful impact on major diseases."

Starr said a recent example was Third Rock's decision to fund Lotus Tissue Repair, which creates innovative treatments for dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. The rare disease's victims, often referred to as "butterfly children" because their skin is as fragile as butterfly's wings, suffer from birth from a painful condition in which the top layer of their skin is so fragile that everyday activities such as eating or going to the bathroom can cause severe injuries to their skin and organs.

Lotus Tissue Repair created a unique drug that is injected monthly to help butterfly children lead more normal lives, Starr said.

"Our investors are happy, but what makes us happy is that we can help these kids with this horrible disorder," Starr said.

He added that Third Rock Ventures, which previously closed funds of $378 million and $428 million, is not yet thinking about a fourth fund, since it will be busy launching companies from the third fund for the next few years. He said most of the companies will be based in the Hub, since promoting innovative health care in Boston is a major goal of the fund.

"If you make a big difference for patients, the economic benefits follow," Starr said.

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Senate’s bank vote may be symbolic slap

After the Senate's symbolic crackdown on too-big-to-fail banks in the final hours before Congress adjourned over the weekend, experts were divided about how effective such legislation would be, with the industry threatening to pass any costs along to customers.

The Senate voted 99-0 for a non-binding measure to end implicit subsidies the largest banks receive from the credit markets due to the perception that the government would bail them out — an issue raised by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren during a recent hearing on Capitol Hill. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Warren that the Dodd-Frank financial reform law provided a way to "unwind" big banks that failed.

Banking analyst Louis Harvey told the Herald that any additional costs imposed by Congress on big banks would ultimately be transferred to customers in the form of fees and interest rates.

"These actions (by lawmakers) may correct an unlevel playing field (between large and small banks) but make it more expensive for everyone to do business," said Harvey, president of Boston-based Dalbar, Inc.

But Deirdre Cummings of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group called that a familiar — and exaggerated — refrain.

"It's the standard reply we hear every time there's a proposed change," Cummings said. "The reality is ... the impact on consumers is not as dire as predicted."

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