Worcester Business Journal

20 Worcester Business Journal | November 4, 2019 | wbjournal.com R E G I O N S C E N T R A L M A S S . S O U T H Central Mass. South: At a glance Largest employer IPG Photonics, Oxford 1,750 local employees Largest chamber of commerce Chamber of Central Mass South 260 members Biggest bank Cornerstone Bank, Southbridge $878,565,000 in deposits Biggest college Nichols College, Dudley 1,349 full-time students, fall 2018* Largest meeting venue Sturbridge Host Hotel & Conference Center Accommodates up to 900 banquet-style guests Median age 42.3 * 2019 figures unavailable. Sources: Worcester Business Journal surveys of area businesses, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) as of June 30, 2019, Mass. Department of Revenue, U.S. Census Bureau 2014-2017 American Community Survey Preserving old New England Old Sturbridge Village survived a rough patch to emerge as a premier Massachusetts destination BY DAN MARRA Special to the Worcester Business Journal F or more than 70 years, Old Sturbridge Village has been a pillar of tourism for Central Massachusetts, impacting the region culturally, financially and historically. But while many muse- ums and historic sites have struggled to maintain its success, Old Sturbridge Vil- lage has found a way to not just preserve, but expand its educational and historical impact. According to a 2016 report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Humanities Indicators project, visits to historic sites have been declining since 1982, but Old Sturbridge Village has been able to buck that trend. Aer a downturn more than a decade ago, attendance has again risen, as the village routinely brings in more than 250,000 visitors each year. e village's impact goes far beyond its role as a living history museum. e wedding venue brings couples from across the region to the area, hotels and restaurants are brimming with custom- ers, and the village even opened a char- ter school two years ago to eventually serve students in grades kindergarten through 8th grade. But Old Sturbridge Village wasn't always looking to expand. In the early 2000s the village struggled with dwindling attendance and limited the number of attractions for visitors – clos- ing the wedding venue and shuttering the hotel. "e park was probably a year away from closing down," said Jim Donahue, president and CEO of Old Sturbridge Village, who was hired 13 years ago to turn the village around. While the troubling financial land- scape worried Donahue, it was during a tour of the village he knew this was the job for him. "I took a tour of the museum before I accepted the job and one of the trustees said to me that if the village closes, it'll never come back again," Donahue said. "I just thought how horrible would that be? is institution that has served so many people for it to close and never come back again would be awful. If I could play any role in saving it, this was the moment to try and do that. e vil- Continued on Page 22 Old Sturbridge Village acts as a living museum where reenactors create a 1830s New England town. PHOTOS/OLD STURBRIDGE VILLAGE

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