Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | January 20, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 5 B R I E FS Clark University names alumnus as new president Clark University named as its next president a 1987 graduate and an ex- ecutive vice president at the University of Chicago. David Fithian will succeed David Angel, who will step down at the end of the academic year aer a decade leading the school. Fithian, who will be Clark's 10th president, was unanimously chosen by Clark's board of trustees, returning to the campus where the New York native said he first learned to grow to his full potential. "I saw this as a really singular op- portunity because it's not that com- mon that someone can come back and lead their alma mater," Fithian said in an interview. Mall at Whitney Field in Leominster sells for $16M A division of Georgia shopping mall management company Hull Property Group purchased e Mall at Whitney Field in Leominster for $16 million on Christmas Eve. e 744,107-square-foot center is anchored by Sears, Macy's, JCPenney, and Market Basket. e seller, Colony Capital in Los Angeles, paid $36 million for the mall in 2013. HMEA names new president and CEO Franklin disability services provider HMEA has named Chief Operating Officer Jule Gomes Noack as its next president and CEO. Noack joined the charity in 1987 as clinical coordinator and has worked in or managed nearly every program within the organization. She succeeds Michael Moloney, who has served as CEO since 2000. Under Moloney's leadership, the agency said it has grown to provide services to more than 5,000 people, up from 500. Boston firm buys Franklin warehouse for $20M Boston investment firm AEW has purchased a 242,000-square-foot ware- house in Franklin for $20.05 million, two months aer Chicago firm Shop- Core Properties bought the property at 12 Forge Parkway for $20 million. e sale is the latest transaction for Franklin industrial space. Boston invest- ment firm Marcus Partners has bought two industrial facilities on Grove Street for $13.3 million and $18.3 million. WPI marks opening of new $17M PracticePoint facility Healthcare technology researchers have a new place to fail, in the words of Worcester Polytechnic Institute President Laurie Leshin. Researchers don't want to fail, of course, but it's unavoidable in the research world, when it can take an uncountable number of tries to have a breakthrough. WPI's new facility, Prac- ticePoint, offers a place for researchers to fail and start over when they need to. Researchers and students at WPI have access to the facility, as do corporate members, which include GE Life Scienc- es, Boston Scientific Corp. and MITRE Corp, among others. Ron Lancaster, a director of corporate research for Marlborough-based Boston Scientific, called the Worcester site far easier for Boston Scientific researchers to access than, say, one in Boston. "Tell me I have a 9 a.m. appointment in the Seaport, and it ruins my week," he said. Natick firm raises $34M for international expansion Allurion Technologies, a Natick firm making a weight-loss balloon not requir- ing surgery, has raised $34 million in funding. Allurion plans to use the money to grow internationally and, if it receives Food and Drug Administration approval, launch in the United States. Worcester YWCA begins $24M renovation YWCA Central Massachusetts began construction Jan. 9 on a $24-million ren- ovation of its Worcester facility. e construction project has already hit a milestone: what the nonprofit says is the city's first community benefits agreement, which ensures an all-women led construction management team led by Milford's Consigli Construction. e project will remake the YWCA's Salem Square location with a relocated playground, a new shared play area with the Worcester Public Library, and four new rooms for transitional residents. Knowledge + Experience + Trusted Advice. It all adds up. Large enough to serve the needs of most businesses and individuals; small enough to offer the personal attention you expect and deserve. Greenberg, Rosenblatt, Kull & Bitsoli, PC Certified Public Accountants 306 Main Street, Suite 400 • Worcester, MA 01608 508.791.0901 • www.grkb.com The YWCA renovation will be led by an all- woman construction leadership team. W T H E T I C K E R $1 million What Pawtucket Red Sox Co-owner James Skeffington paid for a vacant parcel near the intersection of I-290 and Route 146 in Worcester, the site of the former John J. Nissen Baking Co. Source: Worcester County Registry of Deeds. The year Fitchburg Art Museum opened. The museum in January received $690,000 in grants over three years to expand its reach. 1925 Source: Fitchburg Art Museum 9% Source: Boston Scientific Corp. Increase in Marlborough medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific Corp.'s sales in 2019. Rank of the online bachelor's degree program at Nichols College in Dudley on the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. The program was 233rd last year. 230th Source: U.S. News & World Report David Fithian, incoming Clark president

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