Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 29, 2019 | Worcester Business Journal 5 Closer Coverage SM means more value, delivered with a personal touch. Our priority is providing Closer Coverage SM for you. At Acadia Insurance, we believe that better coverage means having an in-depth knowledge of your business. This means understanding the risks and uncertainties from your perspective. At Acadia Insurance, this is how we are closer to your business — and to you. We insure businesses large and small: CONSTRUCTION • FARMERS FINANCE & REAL ESTATE • HOSPITALITY INSTITUTIONS • MANUFACTURING PROFESSIONAL OFFICE • RETAILERS SERVICE • TRANSPORTATION WHOLESALERS • WOOD PRODUCTS B R I E FS Cumberland Farms reportedly exploring sale Cumberland Farms may be exploring a sale that could end eight decades of the Westborough chain's ownership under the Haseotes family. e chain has retained Bank of America for a possible sale, according to the gas station industry publication Oil Price Information Service. Cumberland Farms could command a high price thanks to interest from other retailers or even private equity, the publication said. Cumberland Farms declined to com- ment directly to WBJ. Cumberland spent much of the last decade remaking most of its 600 loca- tions in the Northeast and Florida with larger footprints and brighter formats. Unemployment at 3% e Massachusetts Executive Officer of Labor & Workforce Development said the state's unemployment rate remained at 3.0% from February to March. e unemployment rate in March 2018 was 3.5%. Private businesses in Massachu- setts added 5,400 jobs as gains occurred in nearly every industry. Extra taxes are worth a better downtown The Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District has named Evelyn Darling as its executive director as the group plans its formal launch in May. The district's efforts will be funded through a tax surcharge on the properties in the 78-acre district, which is estimated to generate about $950,000 a year. With that money, the district anticipates putting on marketing campaigns and events, as well as funding so-called ambassadors who will roam the streets cleaning and offer directions and tips to people downtown. When polled online, the majority of WBJ readers felt these efforts justified the added property expense. F L AS H P O L L Will the efforts of the Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District be worth the extra tax charges? Worcester's first adult-use pot shop to open May 1 Worcester's first recreational mari- juana dispensary, Good Chemistry, will open for appointment-only recreational sales May 1 aer getting the final ap- proval to open from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. e Colorado company became the first medical marijuana dispensary in Worcester when it opened in August at 9 Harrison St. e company was founded by San Francisco native Matthew Huron aer his father and father's partner, both HIV patients, used medical marijuana. Good Chemistry on Harrison Street in Worcester Continued on Page 6 No. These initiatives are window dressing when downtown needs more substantive improvements. 18% Yes. These initiatives will elevate downtown to the next level. 57% Yes. The tax surcharge is so small it won't make a difference. No. Taxes are already too high in Worcester. 14% 11%

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