Latest news with #Massachusetts-based
Indian Express
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Step inside the home of Padmaja Kumari Parmar, the Princess of Mewar
There's something endlessly fascinating about royalty. Maybe it's the tradition, the mystery, or just the sheer elegance that feels worlds away from our everyday lives. So when a royal couple decides to make their home in Boston—a city known more for its Ivy League roots than its regal ones—of course, you want to take a peek inside. Padmaja Kumari Parmar, a princess from the House of Mewar, which is one of the world's oldest dynasties, and her husband, Dr Kush Singh Parmar, whose grandmother was a princess of Jaisalmer and who himself grew up in Mexico, brought centuries of heritage with them. Their children speak both Mewari and Spanish fluently, and their home needed to echo all these beautiful, lived-in stories. A post shared by Padmaja Kumari Parmar (@padmajakumariparmar) They called upon Massachusetts-based designer Vani Sayeed to reimagine their 100-year-old Georgian-style home. The brief was clear—'The couple wanted to honour their ancestral heritage,' Vani told Architectural Digest. To bring that cultural fusion to life, Vani looked to a special Pichwai painting already hanging in the living room—a piece filled with rich tones, cow motifs, and the image of Shrinathji. It didn't just ground the room; it guided the entire journey of the home's design. 'Padmaja and Kush preferred rich tones and gold metallics throughout the space, so we fashioned a narrative that is just as decadent in style,' she explains. The painting even inspired a trip to Udaipur and helped Vani find parallels between Indian and Mexican aesthetics. 'This painting guided a trip to Udaipur. It also helped me draw a vibrant parallel between Indian and Mexican cultures that are inherently complex and flamboyant.' The dining area showcases handcrafted Talavera pottery from Mexico, a nod to Kush's roots, while the living space tells its story through furniture and fabric. 'The Canasta Game chairs by Kravet Furniture upholstered in Cowtan and Tout depict a fable of a princess playing in an arbour, which reminded Vani of Padmaja and her daughters.' It all comes together with thoughtful layering—a rug designed by Vani herself, a dreamy chandelier, and bold hot-pink chairs that bring both Indian and Mexican vibrancy into focus. In the dining room, Kush's creative direction pushed the design into bolder territory. He asked for a gold ceiling, which now gleams against moody blue-green walls and a deep maroon wallpaper speckled with elephants. His artistic instinct paid off. 'He requested the ceiling to echo royalty in gold,' Vani recalls. She carried that richness into the primary bedroom too, with emerald-green velvet and a rani-pink lounge setup that manages to be both luxe and cosy. And the kids? They get a playful orange wonderland with fabrics straight from French design house Manuel Canovas. For Padmaja and Kush, the home reflects who they are and where they come from. For Vani, it was a lesson in emotion-led design. 'I want to design comfortable spaces for people. It has to be inviting, easy, and natural. Good design is invisible. One should feel it when they walk into a room,' she says.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Global Partners objects to Applegreen's Massachusetts project win
This story was originally published on C-Store Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily C-Store Dive newsletter. Last week, Applegreen received approval to rebuild and operate 18 travel plazas along major Massachusetts roads, including the state's main Turnpike, as part of the 35-year lease agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The MDT approved Applegreen's pitch to take over the plazas over the course of two meetings on June 11 and 18. In the first of those, Scott Bosworth, chief of transit with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said that the MDT chose Applegreen's proposal over those from several other notable convenience retailers, including Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, 7-Eleven, RaceTrac and Energy North Group, which operates the Haffner's c-store banner on the East Coast. That list also included Waltham, Massachusetts-based Global Partners, which has publicly expressed its frustration with the MDT's decision in the days since it came down. Global Partners emphasized that its proposal was more cost-effective than Applegreen's and is pushing the MDT to keep the state's infrastructure local instead of working with a foreign company. Global Partners said in a June 13 announcement opposing the MDT's decision that its pitch for the travel plazas included over $1.5 billion in guaranteed rent and $650 million in capital improvements. While Applegreen's accepted pitch included $750 million in capital improvements, it is expected to bring in between $623 million and $994 million over the lifetime of the deal, according to the MDT's June 18 meeting. 'In a decision that defies logic and long-term fiscal responsibility, MassDOT recently awarded the 35-year MA Pike rest-stop lease to a bidder offering nearly $900 million LESS in rent than Global Partners' local offer,' Global Partners said in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday that has since been deleted. 'That's $900 million that could have helped offset budget gaps, fix roads and bridges, and spare taxpayers from looming toll hikes and excise increases.' Bosworth said in the June 18 meeting that Applegreen's pitch included three types of plaza designs: coastal, metro and western, all of which will be deployed depending on which part of the state each store is in. While each location will be slightly different, they'll all focus on creating more dwell time for consumers. Meanwhile, Global Partners' pitch included strategic partnerships with local food companies and regional QSRs, as well as an increased focus on 'guest experience, sustainability, and equity,' according to its June 14 announcement. It did not mention anything regarding store designs. 'Our proposal wasn't just financially stronger; it was built on our 90-year history of local investment, partnerships with homegrown businesses, and a vision for infrastructure that reflects the Commonwealth's identity,' Mark Romaine, chief operating officer for Global Partners, said in the June 14 announcement. 'This isn't just about who operates a travel plaza — it's about who we are as a state.' Global Partners is urging residents to contact Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and state legislators 'to demand transparency, accountability, and a deal that puts Massachusetts first' in an attempt to reverse the MDT's decision. 'This fight for Massachusetts is not over,' the company said in a June 18 statement. 'As MassDOT enters the next phase of the bid process, we hope they will truly consider what they're giving up for the Commonwealth and weigh the risks before signing a lease.' Recommended Reading Applegreen to spend $750M remodeling 18 Massachusetts travel plazas
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is BXP Stock Underperforming the Dow?
Valued at a market cap of $10.6 billion, BXP, Inc. (BXP) is a fully integrated REIT that develops, owns, and manages premier office and mixed-use properties in the U.S. The Boston, Massachusetts-based company focuses on six major gateway markets, including Boston, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Companies worth $10 billion or more are typically classified as 'large-cap stocks,' and BXP fits the label perfectly, with its market cap exceeding this threshold, underscoring its size, influence, and dominance within the REIT - office industry. The company benefits from long lease terms with blue-chip tenants, ensuring stable cash flows and occupancy rates. It also stands out for its leadership in sustainability and innovation, targeting carbon-neutral operations by 2025 and consistently achieving high energy efficiency certifications across its portfolio. Tesla's Robotaxis Reportedly Sped and Veered Into the Wrong Lanes. Does This Crush the Bull Case for TSLA Stock? 1 Dividend Stock to Buy Yielding Over 7% Up 93% in 2025, Palantir Stock Is Too Hot to Handle Here Markets move fast. Keep up by reading our FREE midday Barchart Brief newsletter for exclusive charts, analysis, and headlines. This office REIT has slipped 26% from its 52-week high of $90.11, reached on Oct. 18, 2024. Shares of BXP have declined 2.3% over the past three months, lagging behind the Dow Jones Industrial Average's ($DOWI) marginal return during the same time frame. In the longer term, BXP has gained 10.3% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming DOWI's 9.9% rise over the same time frame. Moreover, on a YTD basis, shares of BXP are down 9.4%, compared to DOWI's 1% gain. To confirm its bearish trend, BXP has been trading below its 200-day moving average since mid-February, and has again recently started trading below its 50-day moving average. On Apr. 29, BXP released its mixed Q1 results, and its shares plunged 2.1% in the following trading session. On the upside, the company's revenue grew 3.1% year-over-year to $865.2 million and surpassed the consensus estimates by a notable 9.4%. However, its FFO per share of $1.64 declined 5.2% from the year-ago quarter and fell short of the analyst estimates by a penny. The earnings miss might have dampened investor confidence. Looking ahead to fiscal 2025, BXP expects FFO in the range of $6.80 to $6.92 per share. BXP has outpaced its rival, SL Green Realty Corp.'s (SLG) 5% gain over the past 52 weeks and 13.9% decline on a YTD basis. Despite BXP's recent underperformance, analysts remain moderately optimistic about its prospects. The stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy' from the 21 analysts covering it, and the mean price target of $75.78 suggests a 13.7% premium to its current price levels. On the date of publication, Neharika Jain did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Journals
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Journals
Healey: Nothing 'untoward' about MassDOT plaza contract award
The governor said said there was nothing "untoward about the process" state transportation officials used to choose an Irish company over a Massachusetts-based one to renovate 18 service plazas on the Mass Pike.
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
US judge blocks Trump plan to close Harvard's doors to int'l students
A federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from implementing his plan to bar foreign nationals from entering the United States to study at Harvard University. US District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued an injunction barring Trump's administration from carrying out its latest bid to curtail Harvard's ability to host international students amid an escalating fight pitting the Republican president against the prestigious Ivy League school. The preliminary injunction extends a temporary order the judge issued on June 5 that prevented the administration from enforcing a proclamation Trump signed a day earlier that cited national security concerns to justify why Harvard could no longer be trusted to host international students. She ruled after Trump's Friday announcement that his administration could announce a deal with Harvard "over the next week or so" to resolve the White House's campaign against the university, which has waged a legal battle against the administration's various actions against the school. Trump signed the proclamation after his administration had already frozen billions of dollars in funding to the oldest and wealthiest U.S. university, threatened Harvard's tax-exempt status and launched several investigations into the school. The proclamation prohibited foreign nationals from entering the US to study at Harvard or participate in exchange visitor programs for an initial period of six months, and directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider whether to revoke visas of international students already enrolled at Harvard. But Burroughs said Trump's administration was likely violating Harvard's free speech rights under the US Constitution's First Amendment by retaliating against it for refusing to meet its demands to cede control over the school's curriculum and admissions and by targeting it based on what officials viewed as the university's left-leaning orientation. The judge said that "at its root, this case is about core constitutional rights that must be safeguarded: freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech, each of which is a pillar of a functioning democracy and an essential hedge against authoritarianism." "Here, the government's misplaced efforts to control a reputable academic institution and squelch diverse viewpoints seemingly because they are, in some instances, opposed to this Administration's own views, threaten these rights," she wrote. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard said the ruling will allow it to continue hosting international students and scholars while this case moves forward. It added it will continue to defend the rights of the school, its students and scholars. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The university has filed two separate lawsuits before Burroughs, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, seeking to unfreeze around $2.5 billion in funding and to prevent the administration from blocking the ability of international students to attend the university. The latter lawsuit was filed after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on May 22 announced that her department was immediately revoking Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which allows it to enroll foreign students. Almost 6,800 international students attended Harvard in its most recent school year, making up about 27% of its student population. Noem, without providing evidence, accused the university of "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party." Her action was temporarily blocked by Burroughs almost immediately. While the Department of Homeland Security has since shifted to challenging Harvard's certification through a lengthier administrative process, Burroughs at a May 29 hearing said she planned to issue an injunction to maintain the status quo, which she did officially on Friday. A week after the hearing, Trump signed his proclamation, which cited concerns about Harvard's acceptance of foreign money including from China and what it said was an inadequate response by the school to his administration's demand for information on foreign students. His administration has accused Harvard of creating an unsafe environment for Jewish students and allowing antisemitism to fester on its campus. Protests over U.S. ally Israel's treatment of Palestinians during its war in Gaza have roiled numerous universities' campuses, including Harvard's. Rights advocates have noted rising antisemitism and Islamophobia in the U.S. due to the war. The Trump administration has thus far announced no action over anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate. Harvard's own antisemitism and Islamophobia task forces found widespread fear and bigotry at the university in reports released in late April.
