DURHAM -- After nearly a year operating as a subsidiary of RTI International, MasiMax Resources Inc. became a new division within RTI on Jan. 1.
RTI had acquired MasiMax, a health communication and marketing firm based in Rockville, Md., in March. Since then, MasiMax and RTI had begun collaborating on research projects and working on the integration of the company into RTI.
The addition of MasiMax could strengthen RTI's project communication and marketing capabilities, according to RTI.
Staff members from MasiMax research and analyze health information and prepare them for dissemination to target audiences, including health professionals, researchers, policymakers and the general public, using various communication strategies and approaches.
Their core communication expertise includes media outreach and public relations, marketing, partnership development, science and promotional writing, publications and materials development, Web design and maintenance, conference and exhibit management, and clearinghouse support.
In addition to Rockville, MasiMax staff members are also located in Washington, D.C.
'09 bankruptcies total 1.4M in U.S.
RALEIGH -- U.S. consumers and businesses are filing for bankruptcy at a pace that made 2009 the seventh-worst year on record, with more than 1.4 million petitions submitted, an Associated Press tally showed Monday.
The AP gathered data from the nation's 90 bankruptcy districts and found 1.43 million filings, an increase of 32 percent from 2008. There were 116,000 recorded bankruptcies in December, up 22 percent from the same month a year before.
Year kicks off with high energy
NEW YORK -- Oil started the new year Monday trading above $81 a barrel, almost double what it fetched at the beginning of 2009 even though the U.S. is using much less.
Prices, which have been propped up by a weak dollar, will get even more support as winter weather chills the country.
The U.S. may be using less crude, but China and other developing nations are using more to fuel their burgeoning manufacturing industries, and that can push prices higher in the U.S. as well.
Google readies mobile phone
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Google is expected to kick off the new year by unveiling its vision for how a mobile phone should be made and sold. It's the latest step in the Internet search leader's quest for more control over how people surf the Web while they're on the go.
The company's catalyst for change apparently will be the Nexus One, the first phone designed by Google's own engineers.
Google has said little about the Nexus One since giving the device to its employees last month for final testing.
The first details about Google's plans for the phone are expected to emerge today during a press conference at the company's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters.
-- From staff and wire reports
