According to information released August 10, 2009, by WeNeedaVacation.com, booking rates continue to make a strong comeback now that the summer vacation rental season has reached its peak on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. announced July 24, 2009 that Stephen R. Woods, Executive Vice President and Director of Mid-Corporate Banking, has been appointed President of Citizens Bank, Massachusetts. Woods, 48, replaces Robert E. Smyth, who is retiring after seven years as the bank's State President and a career in banking that spans nearly four decades.

Telecommunications network will support economic development and create a regional umbrella services network for governmental activities in Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the Islands.

Coming this summer: Plymouth Rock Studios.

Small business owners worried about surviving the current economic upheaval have a place to call for free advice: The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Massachusetts office at 617-565-5627 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported July 16, 2009, that the unemployment rate in Massachusetts rose to 8.6% with 2,300 jobs lost in June. Despite the recorded loss for June, Massachusetts showed a net job gain of 3,300 over the past two months.

Stimulus-funded projects will support people with disabilities who want to start or return to work.

Effective July 10, 2009, small businesses that would otherwise have difficulty securing private equity or venture capital may find funding easier to get as a result of changes made as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Investment Company program.

A slow but steady increase in real estate activity continues in Plymouth County, reported Register of Deeds John R. Buckley, Jr., as the number of sales and mortgages climbed again during the month of June.

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index edged off eight-tenths of a point in June to 38.2, ending a run of three consecutive monthly gains from its all-time low (33.3) in February.

Barnstable County Register of Deeds John F. Meade reports that the volume of real estate sales in June 2009 was down 20.3% from June 2008 volume and the total value of sales was down 29.9% from the previous year.

The Plymouth Rock Studios project is moving ahead with private money after being denied economic development funding from the state.

On June 26, 2009, the Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce held the grand opening of their new Visitor Center at 1 Meetinghouse Lane, Sagamore Beach at the base of the Sagamore Bridge.

On June 23, Eastern Bank announced plans to open a new, full-service office in Hyannis, as it continues to expand its presence throughout Cape Cod.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses shares the latest Beacon Hill news affecting your company.

Small businesses seeking to expand will be able to refinance existing loans used to purchase real estate and other fixed assets as a result of permanent changes to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 504 Certified Development Company loan program.

Vacation rental firm WeNeedaVacation.com has announced that vacation rental bookings on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are making a steady climb as the summer season moves into high gear.

The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported June 18 that Massachusetts added 4,900 jobs in May, the first monthly increase since May 2008 and the largest monthly increase since January 2008.

Three Massachusetts companies to receive national awards from SBA

To read the latest statistics on employment, unemployment and the labor force in Massachusetts, click here.

In a pleasant change, there is some good news on the real estate front. Lower interest rates and a spring market combined to increase the number of sales and mortgages recorded in Plymouth County last month, reported Plymouth County Register of Deeds John R. Buckley Jr.

How will the world - and your business - live with the new frugal American consumer? What are the four ingredients to successfully navigate the economic crisis? As a business owner, what do you need to know about your personal finances? Cape Business Communications invites you to our 2009 Economic Forecast breakfast on May 15 at the Holiday Inn in Falmouth. This event is at capacity - registration is closed.

While the issue appears tabled for now, largely due to negative public opinion, the issue of bridge tolls to the Cape is sure to come up again. Our online poll shows that the idea is largely viewed as dangerous to the region's economy.

Amid misgivings over his spending blueprint, President Barack Obama has decided to provide billions of dollars in federal lending aid aimed at struggling small business owners.

While Plymouth County has not experienced quite as dramatic an increase as Cape Cod, its unemployment rate has risen significantly since last year.

Cape Cod’s unemployment rate has soared by 4 percentage points in one year. The latest state numbers comparing January 2009 to January 2008 show more than 5,000 more people out of work in the Barnstable area labor market than a year ago.

Cape Business Communications provides advice and support across multiple marketing fronts

While credit unions have for the most part avoided much of the troubles affecting banks and other financial services firms in recent months, a move by the National Credit Union Administration has left many local credit unions reeling.

Sticking to the basics and emphasizing safety prove a winning combination for credit union’s new CEO

In this series, Cape Business shares the views of leading business leaders on Cape Cod. In this installment: Joel Crowell, CEO, Cape Cod Cooperative Bank.

Almost 439,000 Massachusetts residents have signed up with private or state-subsidized health coverage under a 2006 Massachusetts law requiring individuals to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty. Before the new law, there were as many as 650,000 uninsured people in Massachusetts.

Unemployment rates rose locally on Cape Cod and across the South Shore in December, reflecting the nationwide loss of jobs as the recession accelerates. There were 4,000 more people without jobs last month in the Barnstable labor market, according to the state.  In the Plymouth market, the number of jobless rose more than 3,000 from December to December

The sales of high-priced homes on the Cape -- those averaging nearly $2 million -- fell by 25 percent between 2007 and last year, yet average prices held virtually steady.

Courtesy of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, here are some facts about the tourists who visit Cape Cod and the Islands.

Amid the worst economy in memory, the Cape Cod tourism industry is approaching the 2009 season with anxiety tempered by optimism. “If you allow yourself to look at the future as half empty, it will become so. You will fulfill that attitude,” says Mark Novota, managing partner of the Wequassett Resort & Golf Club.

“If you want to talk to people – millions of people – you need to engage in social media.” Those are the words of Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes, Chancellor Professor of Marketing and director of the Center for Marketing Research at UMass Dartmouth, who spoke at the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce’s Travel Symposium on Wednesday.

Tedd Saunders watched the inauguration of Barack Obama with a sense that, finally, the entire country will take global climate change seriously. “For too long, we have been borrowing huge sums of money from China to purchase dirty fuels from unfriendly, if not dangerous, nations,” he said. “Now, the new president is telling us we must all be part of the solution.”

Fewer homes sales, mortgages and dropping residential equity has taken its toll on bank lending. In recent weeks, however, lower interest rates have created a boom in refinancing current home loans.

Consumers appear to be gravitating increasingly to local and community banks to deposit their savings, according to the latest numbers from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

To state that it has not been a terribly good year would be a tremendous understatement. As a result, businesses can not sustain themselves with a ‘business as usual’ mentality.

Plymouth and Barnstable counties were among only five across the state to experience an increase in unemployment in November, reports the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

Credit is available to small business throughout the region, but standards are tightening and many borrowers are reducing rather than increasing debt.

The latest Census Bureau data shows that Massachusetts population in the last year has grown by some 30,000, a 0.5 percent increase. Since 2000, population is up 2.3 percent.

In the midst of a challenging economy, Q&A will be interviewing local lenders in the magazine and at capebusiness.net to give you the best advice to weather the storm.

The Federal Reserve's 12 banks across the country just released its collective Beige Book, which reports on trends across regions. One of these is the Boston bank's region. Click the headline for excerpts of its findings for sectors ranging from real estate to retail to IT.

In tight economic times, consumers look for financial benefits to justify environmentally friendly spending

Permits have become part of the fishing business. But, government regulators have limited the number of commercial fishing businesses that can pursue fish such as cod, haddock and flounder. Can a new trust fund save the day?

Many of the Cape's young professionals are entrepreneurs who own their own businesses. About three of every 10 young professionals have annual household incomes – salary and investments– exceeding $100,000, with an average of $90,000.

Cape Cod is losing its greatest resource, its people, and to curb this devastating trend, a collection of concerned citizens, business individuals and community leaders have joined forces to create Cape Cod Focus, a study group committed to providing analysis, advocacy and support for issues that improve the quality of life for Cape Codders of all ages.

All the headlines are about rising unemployment as we head into what many expect be a severe recession. But this difficult situation is short term. What about our long-term employment picture – and what it means for your business?

Wareham-based SMH Electronics is also turning increasingly 'green'

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index fell to the lowest level in its 17-year history in October, losing 5.1 points to 41.4.

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to make "green" a key element of his economic stimulus, as well as long-range planning, envisioning millions of new jobs tied to the environment and battling global warming. 

On Cape Cod, "green jobs" are seen as a prime stimulus as well, as we learn from Daniel Dray, of the Barnstable County Economic Development Council in today's Green Jobs Forum. 

It's about choices, values and happiness in life

Four experts forecast the second half of 2008

An ambitious mixed-use development, a new Target store, the prospect of a hotel and conference center, the widening of Route 53, the completion of three new 55-plus housing communities and prospects for a new $60 million high school.

“When Hanover Mall opened, it changed what was a country road into a major thoroughfare,” recalled Realtor Dick Stevens, who moved to Hanover in 1976. “Consequent development has been both positive and negative, but overall, it has added to the quality of life – not only for Hanover, but for the entire region,” he says.

Hanover hits the big time with dual retail, infrastructure projects

A new strategic relationship helps Rogers & Gray diversify into financial services across the South Shore

In his early 30s, Matthew Carrick has come home to Dennis to build his financial future in the most traditional of Cape Cod industries – boating.

Separating planning and regulatory staff at the Cape Cod Commission may make permitting for new commercial projects quicker, less costly and more predictable.

Cape Cod Healthcare is not only getting a new president and CEO, but also a very unique emergency room physician.

Cape Cod and other resort areas of New England can find opportunities in record high oil prices, along with a weak dollar and slowing economy.

Economist panel sees shallow slowdown followed by gradual recovery

The headlines scream about the credit crunch. So, what if you need a home or business loan?

Health & Wealth editors sat with Michael Cole, owner of Cape Associates in Eastham and Barnstable, to gain his advice to homeowners on protecting your pocketbook and rights when working with contractors.

“Who wouldn’t want to buy a house on Cape Cod today? Most homes are reasonable priced to sell, the inventory is plentiful and mortgage interest rates are favorable.”

Cape Business spoke with new CEO of the Hyannis Area Chamber of Commerce, Deborah Converse.

Cape Cod’s largest town sees opportunity in arts, culture, mixed-use development and professional services focused around nearby water amenities

Once held back by restrictive town zoning and strict county regulation, Barnstable is beginning to attract smart growth downtown

Growing village-style destinations ignite intense competition as downtown Hyannis pushes to reinvent itself around its harbor

Centerville, Craigville Beach and other Barnstable neighborhoods move toward small-scale commercial and residential development

A new performing arts center could make Barnstable a cultural hub for the region

Originally planned to attract well-paying manufacturing jobs, Cape Cod’s largest industrial park evolves with the times.

The Cape Cod Five Cents Bank opened its 17th branch last month with its new Dennis building off Route 134. In the last four years alone, the Orleans-based institution has expanded to four new towns, focusing on the Mid- and Upper Cape while also purchasing Rockland Trust’s previous Eastham branch.

Sandy Blitz takes over the regional SBA office after helping launch a technology incubator

Plymouth County Business spoke with a number of town officials and businesspeople to gain their perspectives on Hanover’s strengths, weaknesses and economic development.

An overwhelming 88 percent of Plymouth voters expressed support on Saturday for Plymouth Rock Studios proposal to build a movie studio complex on 350 acres of town-owned land.

National Guard troops protect the entry and scrutinize visitor identification. Cement pylons snake around parking lots and line the main buildings’ entrances. Grenade nets and metal body barriers form strategic placements along hallways, while sharpshooters look out from barricaded towers to prevent anyone from scaling fences and walls.

She has taken Granite City Electric to more than $100 million in sales.

Comcast’s Adelphia acquisition, its new Plymouth call center and new voice and business services reflect its confidence in the region’s economic growth.

Plymouth, the largest town in Massachusetts, is on the verge of unprecedented development. The biggest question facing the town is: What kind of development?

The town of Plymouth is experiencing unprecedented economic development. Plymouth County Business sat with town Planning Director Lee Hartmann and Senior Planner Valerie Massard recently to gain their insight.

It’s called 40R; and it’s at the heart of North Plymouth’s renaissance.

Joe and Lou Jannetty’s latest endeavor seems to have all the elements for success – the 3-quarter-mile waterfront, the Old Colony train station, the surrounding infrastructure, Plymouth’s rapidly changing demographics and economy.

This town within a town reflects Plymouth’s rapid transformation – among residents and businesses.

Architect Len Cubellis’ firm is rapidly expanding, with more than 370 colleagues from Chicago to Florida – and beyond.

Saxon Partners built Colony Place with confidence the shoppers will come: It’s not quite a corn patch in Iowa transformed into a magical baseball diamond, but it’s the Plymouth version of a field of dreams.

On one side, a stalled CanalSide Commons; on the other, a fast-tracked Wareham Crossing: Location, location, location – that oft-repeated mantra was never truer than on the shores of the Cape Cod Canal.

Peter Francese, director of demographic forecasts for the New England Economic Partnership, recently spoke to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce Economic Summit on “Challenges and Opportunities” for the region. This Q&A is extracted from his remarks.

October 26, 2007 -- State to match private investment in this pilot project.

Business owners and managers across the region are grappling with the requirements of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform regulations. Plymouth County Business asked our legal expert, attorney Beth O’Neal of Masterman Culbert & Tully LLP, to provide this primer for our readers on the mandate. This information is accurate as of October 1, 2007.

Six seismic shifts in the economic landscape that could determine your business success in 2007 – and beyond.

Russell Cazeault faced a true challenge for a successful business. No matter how much he excelled, no matter how many more skilled employees he could hire, he always would face a gauntlet to growth beyond his control – the weather.

Building by building, block by block, Main Street in the village of Buzzards Bay in Bourne is starting to revive.

Cape Business spoke with Clyde Barrow, director of the Center for Policy Analysis at the UMass-Dartmouth, about the effect on the Cape's economy of a casino in Massachusetts.

It’s Monday at 5:30 p.m., and almost spontaneously, the downtown Plymouth classrooms of Curry College come alive with scores of students. They’ve rushed from jobs on Cape Cod and in New Bedford to study subjects ranging from managerial accounting to strategic global marketing in an e-commerce world.

Cape Business sat with Bob DuBois, executive director of the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce, to discuss the town’s economy in 2007 and beyond. These are excerpts of that interview.

The system’s opportunities reflect our fast-changing economy. Its challenges could affect every business and resident in the region.

As a young child growing up on Cape Cod in the summertime, my grandfather would take my brothers and me on an afternoon excursion. We would drive into Hyannis and visit the Ocean Street docks and watch the ferry coming from or going to Nantucket. From there, we would visit the train station and the arrival from New York. The excursion would continue up Main Street (which was two-way at the time) and stop at Martin’s Bakery, or perhaps Charlberts, Lorrainia’s or Storyland.

Do you want to go on a business trip or relax in the Sunbelt without the hassle of driving to Boston or Providence? Now you can, with new one-ticket itineraries from Hyannis to cities including Washington, West Palm Beach, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

KeySpan, the largest distributor of natural gas in the Northeast, has installed more than 220 miles of pipeline across Cape Cod over the last five years. It is now proposing to construct 13.1 miles of natural gas pipeline to reinforce its existing Sagamore line. The proposed line crosses sections of Sandwich, Barnstable, South Yarmouth, Dennis and Harwich.

March 23, 2007 -- While some rivals are expanding their operations on the Cape, TD Banknorth is contracting. It’s part of a companywide evaluation of its branch network across the entire Northeast and Mid-Atlantic after years of rapid-fire acquisitions that included Cape Cod Bank & Trust.

Cape Business spoke with Lynn E. Browne, Ph.D., executive vice president and economic adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

July 31, 2006 – The Division of Banks today issued a Certificate of Public Convenience to New England Savings Bank, paving the way for the new community bank to open on Cape Cod.

JULY 28, 2006 -- The Buzzards Bay Village Association, Inc. (BBVA) representing residents, business, and community organizations along Main Street and environs in Buzzards Bay, endorses Len Cubellis' plan to construct much needed retail facilities in the Town of Bourne. The residents of Bourne have long been denied convenient access to meet their modern retail needs and this investment will trigger an effort to restore contemporary retail amenities to all Bourne residents and visitors." said Tom Moccia, president of the BBVA.

In Cape Cod’s 15 towns, a revolution is slowly brewing on land use controls. Town leaders and voters are beginning to reorder the patterns of development that had been allowed for more than 30 years.

Could a chamber of commerce merge with town government? That’s what’s happened in Plymouth.

Bourne’s challenge is as stark as ever. How can it become a destination rather than a gateway to Cape Cod?

These two leaders must manage by coalition building among businesses, the community, and increasingly, second-home owners. They are young, confident women assuming the biggest jobs of their lives at a time of critical change for their organizations and the Cape. Together, they are responsible for more than 1,700 businesses – big and small. They take over from highly successful and trendsetting predecessors, but are expected to pursue new and expanded missions.

As A.D. Makepeace, the world’s largest cranberry grower, begins to turn thousands of acres into subdivisions, the regional impact is taking shape.

Put yourself in David Curtis’ shoes. He’s the CEO of The Community Bank, which owns a sliver of the Cape Cod market. He faces a growing cadre of competitors – from giants such as Bank of America to homegrown players like Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank and Cape Cod Cooperative Bank – whose Sandwich branches are located only blocks from his own headquarters on Cotuit Road.

BOSTON, APRIL 25, 2006 -- Recognizing a growing number of residents who are working while trying to care for young and old dependents, Senate President Robert Travaglini on Tuesday announced the Senate will push to more than double the income tax deduction for child and dependent care expenses.

April 20, 2006, BARNSTABLE, MA -- The Cape Cod Commission voted unanimously (12-0) today to approve the redevelopment proposal of the YMCA Cape Cod facility in West Barnstable.

Bank of Cape Cod has received initial approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for depositors to be covered by federal deposit insurance, it was announced today by Timothy Telman, President and CEO of the proposed bank.

How will summer 2006 compare with last year? Cape Business talked with Wendy Northcross, CEO and Executive Director of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, to gain insight into the upcoming summer season.

Hurricanes and global demand for natural gas

Dr. Michael Goodman, director of the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute and Dr. Clyde Barrow, director of the UMass-Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis provide their analysis of the 2006 economy for Massachusetts, the region and Cape Cod.

Gov. Mitt Romney's appearance at a clean energy promotion event on Nov. 7 set off a chain of criticism, with students, labor, environmentalists and Democrats saying his opposition to a proposed wind farm on Cape Cod is inconsistent with his stated support for renewable energy.

When Frank Osborn set his sights to acquire radio stations on Cape Cod

International Fund for Animal Welfare eyes new Cape headquarters as it ramps up global efforts.

What is at risk?

Begun to develop a much broader economic base.

State economy won't live up to its competitive potential

Ottaway Newspapers Inc., parent company of The Cape Cod Times

Insight into economic activity over the next three months..

Debated for centuries whether leaders are born or made

Newly incorporated in Barnstable County

No end to the local demand

Their views on the local economy and peer into the future