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14 Worcester Business Journal | Fact Book 2018 | wbjournal.com North County: At a glance Largest employer Heywood Healthcare, Gardner 1,763 local employees Largest chamber of commerce North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce 803 members Biggest bank Fidelity Bank, Fitchburg $768,831,000 in deposits Biggest college Fitchburg State University 4,592 full-time students, fall 2018 Largest meeting venue Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, Princeton 3,000 outdoor; 600 indoor guests in banquet style Average median age 43 Sources: Worcester Business Journal surveys of area businesses, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) as of June 30, 2018, Esri's Updated Demographics, 2018 estimates, Esri Tapestry Segmentation, www.esri.com North Central Massachusetts has seen an emergence of tourism and manufacturing The low-cost destination BY SARAH BETANCOURT Special to the Worcester Business Journal N orth Central Massachusetts encom- passes an area above Worcester, from Bolton in the southeast, to Fitchburg and Leominster, to Royalston in the northwest. Just over an hour from Boston, the area is home to a slew of businesses taking advantage of the inex- pensive real estate. The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, which shep- herds many of those businesses, has about 900 members. The chamber has growing significantly since its inception in 1984. "We've got everything from bio phar- maceuticals to medical devices, to heavy industry, steel fabrication, furniture, and plastics manufacturers," said Roy Nascimento, chamber president and CEO for four years who manages the 12-person staff. One of the largest chambers in Massachusetts, the group takes its role as the region's leading economic devel- opment and business advocacy organi- zation seriously. The area is considered much more affordable than communi- ties to the east near Boston for real estate prices. The cost of living is lower, and low cost education opportunities at community colleges in the area are attractive. Fort Devens' closure in the late 1990s led to a massive loss of more than 5,000 jobs to the area, catalyzing the organi- zation to lead a regional planning pro- cess continuing over 20 years later. MassDevelopment purchased the Roy Nascimento, CEO & president, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce Furniture maker AIS Inc. moved from New York to Leominster because of the access to labor. N o r t h C o u n t y R E G I O N S