SOFTWARE
Bullhorn acquires Talent Rover and Jobscience
Boston staffing software firm Bullhorn is continuing its growth-through-acquisition trajectory under new primary owner Insight Venture Partners. Bullhorn announced Tuesday that it has acquired Chicago-based Talent Rover and San Francisco’s Jobscience, two providers of recruiting software that use the Salesforce platform. About 75 employees are joining Bullhorn from each firm, bringing the Boston company’s total workforce to about 800, up from 650 before the deals. The financial terms were not disclosed. — JON CHESTO
SEAFOOD
One of largest lobster plants in the nation is planned for Maine
A seafood dealer is planning to build one of the largest lobster-processing facilities in the country in Maine, potentially meeting a need the state’s lifeblood industry has long sought to address. Maine fishermen catch more lobsters than anyone else in the United States, but the state has a lack of facilities to process the meat for commercial use. Enter Ready Seafood Co., of Portland, which plans to change that with a new 40-acre campus in Saco, 18 miles south of Portland. The facility would include space for processing, as well as tanks to keep live lobsters for shipping. Both aspects would rival the largest existing facilities in the state, which has about a half-dozen lobster processors, said John and Brendan Ready, co-owners of the business. The project could help alter the landscape of the North American lobster business, in which Americans typically send millions of pounds per year to Canada, which has far greater processing capacity than the United States. The United States sent more than $200 million worth of lobsters to Canada last year alone. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
WORKPLACE
5 women accuse architect of sexual harassment
Richard Meier, the celebrated architect and Pritzker Prize winner, is accused by five women, four of whom worked for him, of sexual harassment. Two of the women have described incidents over the past 10 years in which they were sent to Meier’s New York apartment, where he exposed himself. A third woman said that Meier grabbed her underwear through her dress at a firm holiday party, and a fourth said he asked her to undress at his apartment so she could be photographed. A fifth woman, who did not work for the firm, described an incident with Meier in Los Angeles in the 1980s, when she said she had to flee his home after he forcefully pulled her onto a bed. Confronted with these allegations, Meier, 83, said he would take a six-month leave as founder and managing partner of his firm. He also issued this statement: “I am deeply troubled and embarrassed by the accounts of several women who were offended by my words and actions. While our recollections may differ, I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my behavior.’’ — NEW YORK TIMES
AGRICULTURE
$1.5 billion settlement in suit over corn seed
A $1.5 billion settlement was reached in a class-action lawsuit covering tens of thousands of farmers, grain-handling facilities, and ethanol plants that sued Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta over its introduction of a genetically engineered corn seed. Lawsuits in state and federal courts challenged Syngenta’s decision to introduce its modified Viptera and Duracade corn seed strains to the US market for the 2011 growing season before having approval for import by China in 2014. The plaintiffs said Syngenta’s decision cut off access to the large Chinese corn market and caused price drops for several years. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
TRADE
economic watchdog issues warning on US tariffs
As the United States prepares to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, a world economic watchdog warned Tuesday that such barriers will hurt economic growth globally. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, a policy adviser to developed economies, said that while the global economy is improving, “trade protectionism remains a key risk that would negatively affect confidence, investment and jobs. Governments should avoid escalation,’’ it said in an update to its forecasts. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
RETAIL
Dick’s Sporting Goods had an unhappy holiday on weak sales of Under Armour
Dick’s Sporting Goods reported disappointing holiday sales numbers in part due to weak demand for one-time hot brands like Under Armour. The company’s CEO also said recent changes to its firearm policies, ending the sale of guns to anyone under 21, will hurt future sales and may cause fewer shoppers to come to its stores. Last month, Dick’s stepped into the national spotlight when, in the aftermath of a school massacre in Parkland, Fla., it banned the sale of assault-style rifles and the sale of all guns to anyone under 21. Other retailers followed suit, including Walmart, which also raised its minimum age rules for firearms. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
ECONOMY
Inflation increased modestly in February
Consumer prices increased at a modest pace in February, underscoring that inflation pressures appear to be muted for now. The consumer price index increased 0.2 percent last month, after a sharp 0.5 percent gain in January, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Core prices — which exclude the volatile food and energy categories — also climbed 0.2 percent. Overall consumer prices rose 2.2 percent in February from a year earlier, while core prices rose 1.8 percent from a year ago for the third straight month. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUTOMOBILES
VW head vows to address concerns over diesel pollution
Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller says the automaker had “an excellent year’’ in 2017 and is committed to addressing concerns about diesel pollution. Mueller cited the company’s efforts to reduce diesel emissions and recover from its 2015 diesel emissions scandal. He said 160,000 older diesels had been taken off the road through trade-in incentives, and decided to update software on 4 million cars to reduce emissions. He said Tuesday the company would be “part of the solution’’ in finding a way to address controversy over the diesel issue. Environmentalists are pressing for bans on older diesels in German cities with high pollution levels. Mueller said conventional internal combustion engines would play a role in the company’s push to meet tougher European Union limits on carbon dioxide emissions by 2021. But he said the company would invest 34 billion euros by 2022 on autonomous and electric technology and on developing digital transportation services. In 2015, Volkswagen was caught rigging cars to cheat on US diesel emissions tests and paid more than 20 billion euros in fines and legal settlements. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
TAXES
Thailand to draft law to oversee cryptocurrency trading
Thailand’s cabinet agreed Tuesday to draft a law to oversee cryptocurrency trading, seeking to tax the largely unregulated market. Government spokesman Nathporn Chatusripitak said the Ministry of Finance also proposed the new regulations to help prevent use of digital currencies in money laundering and fraud. He said details of the proposed regulations would be announced later in the month. In February, Thailand’s central bank issued a circular asking financial institutions to not handle transactions involving cryptocurrencies. Across Asia, governments have been belatedly moving to exert control over bitcoin exchanges and other fast-growing cryptocurrency-related activities. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
ENERGY
Former Kodak Park to switch off its coal-fired burners
Rochester’s Eastman Business Park is marking the end of its coal-fired era. The large western New York industrial site is transitioning to cleaner natural gas-burning boilers. On Tuesday, the site formerly known as Kodak Park will mark the last cart of coal that will be used to power its on-site power plant. The new gas-fired plant will produce electricity, steam and chilled water more efficiently. Officials say the $75 million project also will cut carbon emissions in half, and is hoped to draw more tenants to the site. As Kodak Park, the site was where Kodak produced film. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
INTERNATIONAL
Britain to pay EU for nearly 50 years, post-Brexit
Britain could be paying into the European Union’s coffers for nearly another half century even though Brexit day is little more than a year away, according to independent forecasts compiled for the government. In documents released Tuesday, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated that Britain’s Brexit divorce bill would amount to a cool 37.1 billion pounds ($52 billion), bang in the middle of most projections. Most of that sum is due in the next couple of years as Britain honors short-term budget commitments it had already made to the EU. But payments will continue until 2064 to meet liabilities such as pensions that Britain has incurred through its 45-year membership of the bloc. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
