Jack Albanese has been named a mortgage loan officer at Coastway Community Bank. more

Vivian F. Leary has been named to the real estate sales and leasing team at Coastal Commercial Real Estate. more

Mairead T. Hickey has been named an associate in the real estate law group at Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP. She will focus on all areas of commercial real estate law, including acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing and land use. Her work will involve a broad range of property types. more

When someone tells me to “Have a nice day,” I don’t think they mean it. I think they’re just saying it as a kind of mundane, almost impolite, form of politeness. Forced nicety. Said out of habit, not sincerity. To me, it’s not just thoughtless, it’s also meaningless. Heck, half the time people don’t even look at you when they say it. more

Kathy Galipeau has been hired as a mortgage specialist at Bank Rhode Island, where she will assess the financial needs of customers looking to obtain home loans. more

By all accounts, David Levesque is a successful entrepreneur. His company, Brewed Awakenings CoffeeHouse, was founded in 1996 and has since grown into a four-store, 102-employee business with about $4.5 million in annual sales. But by his own admission, he may not be where he is today without the input of two strong female voices – his mother, Kay, and his wife and Brewed Awakenings co-owner, Natalie. Their advice has ranged from menu suggestions to customer engagement, two things that have been the backbone of Brewed Awakenings’ success. “We really care about the customers. That’s what’s made us successful,” he said. more

More credit card holders are paying their bill on time, as shown by the lowest credit card delinquency rate in 18 years, according to the website lowcards.com. more

Bryant University freshman Ashley Cardona, front, blue T-shirt, joins students and other members of the university community for a one-mile run on campus April 16, in support of those affected by the Boston Marathon attack. Cardona, an international business major, suggested the run to university officials as a unified show of support against violence and for the families affected by the tragedy. Bryant also observed one minute of silence in memory of those lost or injured in the April 15 bombing near the race’s finish line. more

Junior Achievement of Rhode Island announced a $2,500 grant recently received from TD Bank’s TD Charitable Foundation. more

Chip Seely has been named clinic administrator at Massage Envy’s Cranston clinic. more