SAXONBURG — II-VI made a bid to buy Zygo, a Middlefield, Conn., supplier of optical metrology instruments, precision optics and related equipment.

II-VI offered to buy all of Zygo's stock for $10 per share in cash or II-VI stock.

Zygo had a loss of $5.8 million, or 34 cents per share, in the company's first quarter ending Sept. 30. In its fourth quarter 2009, ending June 30, the company lost $15 million or 89 cents per share.

The offer to buy Zygo comes a week after II-VI announced an agreement between the Saxonburg company and Photop Technologies in China.

II-VI offered $45.6 million in cash and about 1,150,000 shares of II-VI common stock to buy Photop Technologies.

That agreement was approved by the shareholders and board of directors of Photop and II-VI. The deal is scheduled to close this month.

EVANS CITY — Six educational organizations in Western Pennsylvania recently received $108,000 from NexTier Bank's involvement with the state's Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program.This is NexTier's third year of participation having donated a total of $508,000 to date.Organizations that received funds from NexTier are:• Economics Pennsylvania business and economic education and the Stock Market Game at the NexTier Center for Economic Education for students in grades fourth to 12th• Smart Futures e-mentoring program for high school students• Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week/Foundation for high school students• E-Youth• Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania for students in kindergarten to 12th grade• Western Pennsylvania Conservancy for Fallingwater in Fayette County.This program, which began in 2001, allows businesses to apply credits against their tax liability for the tax year in which they make a contribution to support education in Pennsylvania.

A former Butler sporting goods store long vacant will find new life as the law office of attorney Michael Zunder.The building at 130 E. Jefferson St. had been occupied by Paul Kirkpatrick Sporting Goods Luggage, which has been closed for several years.Zunder and Associates PC currently is at 115 E. Cunningham St.Zunder said although he bought the building three years ago, variance issues with the city delayed refurbishing the structure and moving his practice until now.Since those issues have been resolved, Zunder said the firm should move to its new location before the end of March.Zunder and Associates has two attorneys in addition to Zunder. He said the building's extra space will allow the firm to add more associates or possibly to rent space to other attorneys.