Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1052339
22 Worcester Business Journal | Fact Book 2018 | wbjournal.com C e n t r a l M a s s . S o u t h R E G I O N S Central Mass. South: At a glance Largest employer IPG Photonics, Oxford 1,753 local employees Largest chamber of commerce Chamber of Central Mass South 257 members Biggest bank Cornerstone Bank $900,334,000 in deposits Biggest college Nichols College, Dudley 1,247 full-time students, fall 2018 Largest meeting venue Sturbridge Host Hotel & Conference Center Accommodates up to 900 banquet-style guests 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 Getting way better Central Mass. South governments have instituted new business-friendly approaches 308 Lakeside on Lake Lashaway in East Brookfield opened in 2014. BY SUSAN SHALHOUB Special to the Worcester Business Journal B rian Treitman – owner of B.T.'s Smokehouse in Sturbridge – may be the per- fect person to speak to about doing business in Central Massachusetts. He brings perspective, having lived all over the U.S.; he brings objectivity, speaking up when he felt the Central Mass. business climate should improve; and brings business acumen to the table – in the 12 years he's been open, he said, his lowest annual revenue increase was 17 percent. Nationally known, B.T.'s is No. 20 in Johnny Fugitt's "The 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in America." In the area of business development, Treitman wondered why board of health inspectors looked for violations, but never offered support to businesses in more positive ways. At launch and when he added an extension onto the restaurant five years ago, he found the process in Sturbridge cumbersome, out of sync and decentralized. He was required to go to multiple meetings; pay engineers to draw a line on a map as opposed to submitting a letter of intent; and wait a month on his project, only to walk into a required hearing to be immediately told that he was all set, he said. "I had to go to each individual board in town to say, 'What do you need from me, how can I make this work?'" he said. "It used to be like pulling teeth." Treitman got calls from other towns, seeing if he was interested in relocating. Then, gradually, with feedback, there was change. At renewal time, the town now sends business owners a packet with all relevant forms. No more racing around. A business liaison was hired to coordinate with local owners. B.T.'s Smokehouse – which on a recent day had vehicles in its parking lot from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Vermont and Florida as well as Massachusetts – is glad to see