Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 29, 2018 | Worcester Business Journal 5 B R I E FS Hanover, UMass Memorial among 16 companies that lured PawSox with sponsorship talks Hanover Insurance Group, UMass Memorial Health Care, the Telegram & Gazette and UniBank were among the more than a dozen business organi- zations that engaged in sponsorship discussions with the Pawtucket Red Sox prior to the team deciding to leave its Rhode Island home for Worcester before the 2021 baseball season, according to email records obtained by WBJ. To date, only Worcester insurer Fallon Health has publicly announced an offi- cial sponsorship deal with the team. However, as the team was making its final decision in July on whether to re- locate from Rhode Island in advance of the official Aug. 17 announcement it was doing so, the PawSox senior vice presi- dent for sales and marketing, Rob Crain, replied to an email from Jacob Sanders, who handled intergovernmental affairs for the city, confirming the 16 organiza- tion who had engaged the PawSox. - Atlas Distributors of Auburn - Berkshire Bank of Boston - Coghlin Cos. of Westborough - e Cooperative Credit Union Association - Country Bank of Ware - Fallon Health of Worcester - FLEXcon of Spencer - Fontaine Bros. Construction in Springfield - e Hanover Insurance Group of Worcester - MGM Springfield - Polar Beverages of Worcester - Stonegate Group of Natick - e Telegram & Gazette - UMass Memorial Health Care - UniBank of Whitinsville - Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and Worcester Business Development Corp. Menkiti Group to acquire pawn shop building e Menkiti family is making yet another move to purchase property downtown, as the Menkiti Group has agreed to a purchase and sale agreement to buy the former Pawn Shop building in Worcester acquired by MassDevelop- ment last year for $800,000. e sale, for an undisclosed price, is expected to close in spring 2019. e pending acquisition adds to the family's growing portfolio of projects in the eater District. e Menkiti Group -- founded by Bo Menkiti -- in July purchased Frank Carroll's Main Street building for $4.8 million, and Bo Menkiti's father, Ifeanyia Menkiti, purchased the 204 Main St. building in August for $860,000. Ifeanyia Menkiti also bought 405 Main St., which housed the former Shack's Clothes store, for $1.25 million. Sira Naturals to be acquired by Canadian firm Milford-based Sira Naturals and four other U.S. companies are being acquired by a Canadian cannabis acquisition firm. Sira Naturals and the other companies with operations in Nevada and Colo- rado will create an anchor portfoliofor Cannabis Strategies Acquisition Corp., a Toronto special purpose acquisition cor- poration that went public last December. Sira joins Nevada firms Washoe Well- ness, e Canopy NV, LivFree Wellness and CannaPunch of Nevada in joining the Canadian public weed market. In total, CSAC is paying $76 million in U.S. money to acquire the five firms. MetroWest Medical Center has new CEO MetroWest Medical Center has a new CEO in Andrew Harding. Harding replaces Jeffrey Liebman, who resigned in August aer about a year on the job. Harding was named the interim CEO before gaining the job permanently, which was announced Monday by the hospital's Texas-based owner, Tenet Healthcare. Harvard Bioscience names new CFO Harvard Bioscience has appointed biotech finance veteran Kam Unninayar to replace the departed Robert Gag- non. She will take over the Holliston company's finances beginning Nov. 26. Unninayar brings more than two decades of global finance leadership at public companies, including as CFO of Tetraphase, Inc. of Watertown. Make Union Station a drinking destination e Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, a brewery, an arcade restaurant and country music bar have all inquired about moving into vacant spaces in Worces- ter's Union Station, which would remake the tenant mix at the facility originally opened in 1911. When polled online, the plurality of WBJ readers said the Worcester Redevelopment Authority should seek to attract non-travelers to the station. F L AS H P O L L "It should not be used for office space. Should be retail and food services." What is the best way to use the vacant business space inside Union Station? "We should do all we can to bring the CCC to Worcester; it will bring more and permanent jobs to Worcester, and it is another feather in the cap of Worcester to have a state office headquartered here." "A brewery or bar would help bring in parking and bring in added foot traffic during off hours, adding an element of security to the building." Restaurants servicing weary travelers with a quick bite or drink. 31% COMMENTS: A brewery or bar attracting non- travelers from around Central Massachusetts to the building. 47% Office space like for the CCC bringing in businesses whose workers wouldn't use public transit otherwise. 23% Ifeanyi Menkiti purchased the 204 Main St. building W

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