Albert P. Schatz Realtors, a real estate firm in Ossining, has joined Keller Williams Realty Partners of Yorktown Heights. The new name of the firm is Albert P. Schatz at Keller Williams. The Schatz family will continue to operate from their Croton Avenue office in Ossining where they have been since 1970.

Four companies based in Westchester County are among the “40 Best Companies for Diversity” compiled by Black Enterprise magazine. They are IBM Corp. of Armonk, Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. of Somers, PepsiCo Inc. of Purchase and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide of White Plains.

The fifth annual listing is featured in the magazine’s July issue. The selection was based on how the companies performed against their peers regarding board representation, employee base, senior management and supplier diversity.

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., the world’s largest bottler of Coca-Cola products, is turning to clean energy technolgoies to reduce the power use and environmental impact of its production plant in Elmsford.

The company plans to install two fuel cell systems at the plant to produce enough power and heat to meet 30 percent of the site’s needs. The fuel cells also will serve as a backup electricity source during power outages.

Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen in an electrochemical process to produce electricity, heat and water. Since they don’t produce the emissions of traditional power plants, some scientists maintain that the fuel cell technology has the potential the potential to reduce petroleum use and decrease greenhouse gas emissions suspected of contributing to global warming.

“The fuel cell systems at our Elmsford facility will help us further our environmental commitment to our local communities, reducing our carbon footprint and our use of the local power grid,” said Ron Lewis, vice president of supply chain for Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Coca-Cola Enterprises said the fuel-cell installation in Elmsford is one of several environmental initiatives that the company has undertaken in the New York metro area. Others have included the purchase of 20 hybrid electric delivery trucks and an investment in water-saving technology at its New York production plants.

The company added that it may eventually add fuel cell technology at other production plants within its network of 431 facilities in North America and Western Europe.

UTC Power, a unit of United Technologies Corp., will own and operate the fuel cells under a 10-year energy services agreement with Coca-Cola Enterprises.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority said that it is providing $2 million to support the project. The authority, established by the state in 1975, provides energy technical and financial assistance to businesses.

The Association of Professional Landscape Designers said that it has formed a new chapter in New York. The goal of the group is to advance landscape design as an independent profession. The president and co-founder of the New York chapter is Bill Einhorn, owner of Landscape Design Associates of Westchester Inc. in Carmel and an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden for 25 years. For more information, visit www.apld.com.

SmartPros Ltd., a Hawthorne-based provider of professional education and corporate training, said that it has purchased Executive Enterprise Institute, a provider of live conferences and seminars for corporate finance, tax and legal industry professionals. The newly acquired business will operate as SmartPros’ EEI Division in Hawthorne. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Acorda Therapeutics Inc., a Hawthorne-based biotech company, announced an agreement to develop, commercialize and gain regulatory clearances for its new multiple sclerosis drug in foreign markets with the assistance of another biotech company.

The agreement also calls for Biogen to make royalty payments to Acorda on foreign sales of Fampridine-SR.

Another drug company, Elan, will continue to manufacture Fampridine-SR, based on an existing agreement with Acorda.

Acorda is currently seeking approval for the medication in U.S. markets from the Food and Drug Administration. The drug is also eligible for a centralized regulatory review in Europe, potentially opening up huge new markets for the medication if it receives approval.

Acorda has been working on the development of the drug since the mid-1990s.

“Biogen Idec has outstanding capabilities in commercializing neurology and oncology products and is known globally for its reputation as an innovative leader in the field of multiple sclerosis,” Ron Cohen, president and chief executive officer of Acorda, said in a written statement. “We are delighted to be working with them to make Fampridine-SR, if approved, available to people living with MS in Europe, Canada, Australia and other areas of the world.”

IBM Corp. today said that it has signed a five-year agreement to provide technolgoy services to Applied Materials Inc., a maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Under the agreement, Armonk-based IBM will be responsible for software development, support and deployment. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Nutrition 21 Inc., a Purchase-based marketer of nutritional supplements, said that it is closer to selling a key product in Europe after a favorable ruling from regulators.

Car wash and auto lube operators in Westchester County and New York City have agreed to pay employees $3.4 million in back wages and damages to settle a U.S. Labor Department lawsuit.

The case was filed after federal investigators found that the businesses violated government rules covering minimum wage, overtime and employee recordkeeping, according to the labor department.

A total of 1,187 current and former employees of the car washes and auto lube businesses are eligible for payments under the settlement.

Two Westchester companies will make payments under the settlement, according to the labor department—- 613 Car Wash Corp. of New Rochelle and Lage Management Corp. of Pelham Manor. Representaives of neither business could be reached for comment.

The other comanies listed in the settlement are Atlantic Auto Care Center Inc. of Brooklyn; 109th & First Avenue Corp. of Manhattan; 3808 Boston Road Car Wash Inc., 2434 CW Corp. and Boulevard Car Wash of N.Y. Inc., all of the Bronx; and Michael’s Car Wash Inc. and Howard Beach Car Wash Corp., both of Queens.

The labor department said that earlier judgements in the case resulted in the recovery of more than $1.3 million in back wages, damages and interest for more than 200 employees.

The Labor Department said it is trying to locate several workers who are no longer employed by the businesses to pay them the back wages that they are owed. Workers who believe they are due back wages as part of the settlement should contact the New York district office at 212-264-8185.

General Patent Corp., a Suffern-based company that focuses on patent licensing and enforcement, said that Jack Granowitz has joined its advisory board of directors. Granowitz was one of the founders of the technology transfer office at Columbia University and its executive director from 1988 until 2000.

Vision-Sciences Inc., an Orangeburg company that makes medical devices, reported a net loss of $2.55 million, or 7 cents a share, for its fiscal fourth quarter ending March 31.

In a seperate announcement, Vision-Sciences said that John J. Rydzewski has been selected to serve as a board member. Rydzewski is a managing director of Christofferson, Robb & Company LLC, a private investment firm.

Eileen Fisher, the clothing designer based in Irvington, has been named one of the top 25 medium-sized companies to work for in the nation.

The rankings of top small and medium-sized businesses were developed by Society for Human Resource Management and the Great Place to Work Institute Inc., an international research and consulting firm.

“Top companies know how critically important it is to have a culture that empowers and motivates employees, particularly in this tough economy,” Laurence O’Neil, the society’s president, said in a written statement. “Knowing how to align and engage your employees is an essential part of keeping productivity high and your organization open for business.”

The winners range in size from 50 to 999 workers. This year, more than 550 companies participated in the selection process that included a 57-question survey sent to each company’s workforce and a separate questionnaire for management. Judges also reviewed annual reports, employee handbooks and other materials.

Fisher started her business in 1984 in New York and relocated to Westchester in 1992. The privately held company had 40 stores across the country, more than 700 employees and annual sales of $273 million last year.

Marsha Rand, the chief executive officer and founder of Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty, recently was named 2009 Woman of the Year by the Rockland Business Women’s Network.

Rand, a former nurse, earned her real estate license in 1977 and launched her own firm in 1984. The company first earned the No. 1 market share in Rockland County in 1989, a position it still holds. Rand has partnered with her sons Greg, Matt and Joe to build a real estate firm with 20 offices in the Lower Hudson Valley.

Global Financial Credit LLC, a company that provides litigation financing services to plaintiffs, recently relocated from Bedford Hills to White Plains. The company, which was looking for a more centralized location in Westchester County, leased 3,000 square feet at 14 Mamaroneck Ave. in White Plains.

Kuri’s Ballpark Deli recently opened at 204 New Main Street in Yonkers. Owner Georges Kuri named the business Ballpark Deli in anticipation of a neighboring minor league baseball stadium that is undergoing the approval process in Yonkers.

Three new stores selling Verizon Wireless gear recently opened in Westchester County. The stores are Paging Concepts at the Jefferson Valley Mall in Yorktown Heights, Paging Concepts at the Galleria mall in White Plains and United Telecom at 302 Fifth Ave. in Pelham.

Mercury Solar Systems, a New Rochelle-based company that installs solar electrical systems, has expanded its presence in the region with the acquisition of K-Star Solar, a major residential solar installer on Long Island.

Mercury’s expansion comes at a time when solar energy companies are expected to benefit from the incentives for renewable energy development in the $787 billion economic stimulus legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year.

Mercury, already a major player in the Northeast, has installed hundreds of solar systems in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

“With K-Star we have an instant footprint in this market and we believe together we can offer commercial and residential customers cutting edge, highly efficient solar solutions at affordable prices,” said Jared Haines, president of Mercury Solar Systems. “The federal and state incentives for solar systems have also never been better, but customers need a company with local knowledge to help them leverage the benefits of solar.”

Nationally, the solar energy industry has steadily grown during the past 10 years. The number of companies shipping solar thermal collectors climbed from 28 to 60 from 1998 to 2007, according to the Energy Information Administration. The number of units shipped rose from 7,756 to 15,153 over the same time period.

MBIA Inc., the Armonk-based bond insurer that suffered heavy losses stemming from the subprime mortgage crisis, had its credit rating lowered by Moody’s Investors Service.

MBIA’s rating was downgraded to Ba3 from Ba1, according to Moody’s. Both ratings are considered junk bond territory.

“These rating actions reflect further expected insured portfolio deterioration at MBIA Insurance Corp. and the uncertainty stemming from ongoing litigation challenging MBIAís recent restructuring,” Moodyís said in a written statement.

MBIA was hit hard last year, as the weakest housing market since the early 1970s resulted in large numbers of homebuyers defaulting or falling behind on their mortgage payments. As home foreclosures soared, MBIA took big write-downs on the mortgage bonds that it had insured.

Euro Group of Companies Inc., a Port Chester-based manufacturer of transportation products, announced an agreement to sell its Eurospeed gasoline scooters and motorcycles across much of Europe.