Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | Fact Book 2018 | Worcester Business Journal 3 Editor, Brad Kane, bkane@wbjournal.com News Editor, Grant Welker, gwelker@wbjournal.com (Real estate, higher education) Staff Writers Zachary Comeau, zcomeau@wbjournal.com (Manufacturing) Contributors Susan Shalhoub Livia Gershon Research Director, Stephanie Meagher, smeagher@nebusinessmedia.com Research Assistant, Heide Martin, hmartin@nebusinessmedia.com Production Director, Kira Beaudoin, kbeaudoin@wbjournal.com Art Director, Mitchell Hayes, mhayes@wbjournal.com Senior Accounts Manager Matt Majikas, mmajikas@wbjournal.com Custom Publishing Project Manager Christine Juetten, cjuetten@wbjournal.com Senior Special Accounts Manager Mary Lynn Bosiak, mlbosiak@wbjournal.com Marketing & Events Manager Kris Prosser, kprosser@wbjournal.com Events & Marketing Intern Megan Irish, events@wbjournal.com COO, Mary Rogers, mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com Accounting Manager, Valerie Clark, vclark@nebusinessmedia.com Accounting Assistant, Rae Rogers, rrogers@nebusinessmedia.com Collections Manager, Raki Zwiebel, rzwiebel@nebusinessmedia.com Human Resources, Jill Coran, jcoran@nebusinessmedia.com Publisher, CEO, Peter Stanton pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com Associate Publisher, Mark Murray mmurray@wbjournal.com President, Joseph Zwiebel jzwiebel@nebusinessmedia.com Worcester Business Journal (ISSN#1063-6595) is published bi-weeky, 24x per year, including 5 special issues in April, July, September, November and December, by New Engand Business Media. 172 Shrewsbury St., Worcester, MA 01604. Periodicals postage paid at Worcester, MA. Copyright 2017. All rights reserved. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Worcester Business Journal, PO Box 330, Congers, NY 10920-9894. Subscriptions: Annual subscriptions are available for $54.95. For more information, please email wbjournal@ cambeywest.com or contact our circulation department at 845-267-3008. Fax: 845.267.3478 Advertising: For advertising information, please call Mark Murray at 508-755-8004 ext. 227. Fax: 508-755-8860. Worcester Business Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or materials and in general does not return them to the sender. Worcester Business Journal 172 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester, MA 01604 508-755-8004 tel. • 508-755-8860 fax www.wbjournal.com A division of: Worcester Business Journal WBJ T hree years ago, when I first encountered the property at the corner of Harding and Green streets in Worcester's Canal District, it was nothing more than a dirt lot largely used for park- ing at nearby Crompton Place. In fact, it had been snowing that January day, so it was more of a mud-puddle lot than a dirt one. Everyone who was attending the for- mal business event along with me dragged some degree of messiness into the pro- ceedings. That property had been a empty lot since 2011 when its building was demol- ished and remained vacant after business- man Allen Fletcher purchased the proper- ty in 2014. Fletcher had grand plans for a mixed-use development, but in the years that followed, the property's main use was as the Crompton parking lot and a site for the weekly Canal District Farmers Market. In 2017, though, as the turnaround in Worcester's economy was picking up steam, Fletcher broke ground on his vision: a $21-million, 70,000-square-foot development called Harding Green with apartments and a public market, similar to what is in Boston's Faneuil Hall. In the year since that groundbreaking, the property still has seen its fair share of mud and dirt, but it comes as the con- struction crews are turning Fletcher's dream into reality. Today, you'll see the steel structure outline of the project set to debut next summer. To prepare for that opening, Fletcher and his team have been recruiting local businesses to pedal their wares in the public market. In November, they launched a site outlining the market's vision and how businesses and people can be part of the effort now entitled, "Worcester Public Market in famous Kelley Square." While others might call Kelley Square infamous (or even a nightmare) for its intricate web of six connecting streets with no traffic signal, Fletcher's love for the Canal District and its historical importance to the region's economy shines through the new Worcester Public Market website. Since the emerging neighborhood will soon be home to the $240-million development anchored by a stadium for the Worcester Red Sox move from Pawtucket in 2021 – along with a remade Kelley Square – Fletcher's devel- opment soon will capitalize on real eco- nomic momentum. I can think of no better example of how Worcester Public Market in famous Kelley Square I N T H I S I S S U E the Central Massachusetts business com- munity has changed in just a short few years than the transformation of the Harding Green property. What was once the mud you scraped off your shoe once you got to your actual destination is turn- ing into a standout destination next to the region's most ambitious development. - Brad Kane, editor W What it is like to do business in the Central Mass. regions • Greater Worcester .........................................................4 • MetroWest .......................................................................8 • North County ................................................................14 • Blackstone Valley..........................................................18 • Central Mass. South .....................................................22 Assets Central Massachusetts has to offer • Workforce ......................................................................32 • Infrastructure ................................................................34 • Incubators .....................................................................36 The Core Industries of Central Massachusetts • Manufacturing ......................................................................38 • Health care ............................................................................41 • Higher education .................................................................43 Resources for Central Mass. businesses ..........................45 4 41 38 On the cover: The inflatable polar bear mascot, Orson, at Worcester manufacturer Polar Beverages. Photo | Matt Wright

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