Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | July 22, 2019 | Worcester Business Journal 5 B R I E FS Crowley to become part owner of PawSox Ralph Crowley Jr., president and CEO of Worcester manufacturer Polar Beverages, and his family will become a part owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox as the team plans for its 2021 move to the Canal District. PawSox Principal Owner and Chairman Larry Lucchino made the announcement of Crowley's ownership at the ceremonial groundbreaking of the $101-million Polar Park stadium in July in Worcester. Polar has the stadium naming rights and is a founding sponsor of the team. Railroad seeks eminent domain of 155 acres e Graon & Upton Railroad Co. is seeking approval from the Massachu- setts Department of Public Utilities to acquire by eminent domain a 155-acre property in Hopedale to build a rail yard and add track space. In filings, the railroad said it needs the space to build a rail yard and transloading facility, but the owner has been unwilling to sell the vacant, wooded land near Route 140. e property, owned by a trust set up by Charles Morneau of Lincoln, is the only space along the route that will work for the facility, the railroad said. Harvard Bioscience replaces CEO Holliston life science equipment manufacturer Harvard Bioscience has replaced President and CEO Jeffrey Duchemin with four-year director James Green. e reasons for Duchemin's departure were unclear, but the com- pany in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing said Duchemin resigned from all positions in the com- pany, including director, and agreed to a separation and release document. Duchemin's departure follows what has so far been a down year for the company. Despite a 5% revenue increase to $28.2 million in the first quarter, the company lost $2.4 million, according to the company's first quarter financials. Worcester needs a WoMag replacement Worcester Magazine will take the place of the Telegram & Gazette's GO! section, and the publications will begin sharing content. This comes more than a year after the alt weekly magazine was acquired by T&G parent Gatehouse Media and just weeks after a round of layoffs of eight staffers at the two publications. While WoMag has covered arts and entertainment in the past, previously it reported on a broader range of topics as an alternative to the Telegram. Now, the T&G envisions the magazine as the go- to publication for arts and entertainment. When polled online, WBJ readers say this consolidation has left an opening in Central Massachusetts media coverage F L AS H P O L L Natick FedEx warehouse sells for $52M A FedEx warehouse in Natick has sold for just under $52 million to Maryland real estate investment firm Bentall Kennedy. e 15-acre site at 30 Superior Drive sits across Speen Street from the Natick Mall, placing it in MetroWest's busiest retail commercial corridor just off Route 9 and a short drive from the Massachusetts Turnpike. e sellers were a limited liability company tied to Gramercy Property Trust of New York, which last year was sold to Blackstone Group, one of the world's largest private equity groups. e property was last assessed by the town at $34.6 million. Acacia to be acquired by Cisco for $2.6B Maynard telecommunications man- ufacturer Acacia Communications is being acquired by California telecom giant Cisco for $2.6 billion. at news sent Acacia's stock skyrock- eting up more than 36% before trading opened on the Nasdaq the day the announcement was made on July 9. French chef plans Worcester eatery A former Framingham restaurant spe- cializing in healthy recipes and interna- tional cuisine is planning to fill the space le vacant when Greek restaurant Meze Estiatorio moved a few doors down on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester. e eatery, C'mondz Restau- rant, was previ- ously located on Concord Street in Framingham but closed in May antici- pation of opening on Shrewsbury Street. C'mondz will be run by restaurant and husband-and-wife team Christ and Analyn Mondzali. Gapontsev, Treasury reach deal on oligarch lawsuit IPG Photonics CEO Valentin Ga- pontsev and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have reached an agreement on the Russian-born and American citizen's physicists complaint about being listed as a Russian oligarch. In a joint report, both parties said they have reached an agreement in princi- ple. Details of the settlement are not Yes. WoMag was an important alternative voice in reporting on the city. 34% yet disclosed, but both sides said they anticipate doing so. Boston firm purchases 9 Worcester properties Boston investment firm Burpee Del Simone LLC is proposing a full renova- tion of a blighted 149-year-old Pleasant Street apartment building in Worcester aer acquiring nine rental properties in the city. e Pleasant Street property is one of nine that the team at Burpee Del Sim- one LLC has purchased since October 2018. e four units at the 80 Pleasant St. building will be rented beginning next year. e property was gutted by a fire in 2012 and has been vacant since. e project is slated to go before the Worcester Historical Commission for approval, since the 1870 building is listed as a historic property. Burpee a purchased the property in October for $275,000 along with multifamily property 21 King St. for $270,000, the latter of which went through a full renovation and is fully occupied. Other properties acquired by the firm are 152 Dewey St., 1025 Main St., 104 Southgate St., 18 Upsala St., 29 Acton St., 52 Cedar St. and 8 West St. Health Center improving on past violations e Worcester Health Center is in- cluded in a list of once-troubled nursing homes that have improved patient safety, according to a new report by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. e nursing home was most recent- ly inspected in April, with the federal agency listing it among 88 such centers where quality issues were discovered in past inspections. An inspection last November found Worcester Health Center allegedly failed to protect each resident from physical, mental or sexual abuse, physical pun- ishment, and neglect. An inspection last September found 19 deficiencies, com- pared to a national average of less than eight, according to federal documents. e most recent inspection found just six deficiencies. In one issue soon corrected, inspectors determined the facility failed to ensure it was free from accident hazards and failed to pro- vide adequate supervision to prevent accidents. "T&G should allow the WoMag to keep its atti- tude and allow edgier/ fringe articles to remain, even if the editor or group office does not always agree. Otherwise that opens the door for a new independent mag to arise to keep the Worcester reporting balanced." Comments "Worcester needs a daily news platform – even if it's only an online one – owned and operated by a charitable nonprofit, funded by net profits from an online infotainment platform, and with a legal and operational firewall between them." "Stripping the publication down to an arts & entertainment supplement removes an important voice in the Worcester media landscape and a vital watchdog to Worcester politics and business dealings." W Yes. Too many Central Mass. publications are controlled by one company, GateHouse Media. 39% No. Other alternatives like This Week in Worcester have filled the void. 19% 11% No. I never saw a need for a publication like WoMag. Ralph Crowley Jr. at the ceremonial ground- breaking of Polar Park C'mondz executive chef and owner Christ Mondzali Does Worcester Magazine's consolidation into the Telegram leave a hole in Worcester's media landscape?

• Cover