Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | June 22, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 3 Worcester Business Journal (ISSN#1063-6595) is published bi-weekly, 24x per year, including 4 special issues in May, September, October, and December by New England Business Media. 172 Shrewsbury St., Worcester, MA 01604. Periodicals postage paid at Worcester, MA. Copyright 2019. 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 Worcester Business Journal WBJ Editor, Brad Kane, bkane@wbjournal.com News Editor, Grant Welker, gwelker@wbjournal.com (Higher education, health care) Staff Writer, Monica Busch, mbusch@wbjournal.com (Manufacturing) Editorial Interns Micah Wingell, Riley Garand, Devina Bhalla Contributors Susan Shalhoub, Livia Gershon, Sarah Connell Lead Researcher, Timothy Doyle, tdoyle@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 Christine Juetten, cjuetten@wbjournal.com Senior Special Accounts Manager Mary Lynn Bosiak, mlbosiak@wbjournal.com Marketing & Events Manager Kris Prosser, kprosser@wbjournal.com Distribution and Database Coordinator A Guide to STUFF, a publication of New England Business Media Patty Harris, pharris@nebusinessmedia.com COO, Mary Rogers, mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com Accounting Manager, Sabrina Mondor, smondor@nebusinessmedia.com Accounting Assistant, Rae Rogers, rrogers@nebusinessmedia.com Collections Manager, Raki Zwiebel, rzwiebel@nebusinessmedia.com Human Resources, Jill Coran, jcoran@nebusinessmedia.com Director of Audience Development, Valerie Clark, vclark@nebusinessmedia.com Publisher, CEO, Peter Stanton pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com Associate Publisher, Mark Murray mmurray@wbjournal.com President, Joseph Zwiebel jzwiebel@nebusinessmedia.com T he killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis po- lice officer, filmed for us all to witness, was truly horrific. e nation, and for that matter the world, has borne witness to the senseless- ness of his death, and responded with a call to action unlike any time in the past. As members of our black community know all too well, Floyd's killing is far from a unique occurrence. People of color have been mistreated and murdered since slavery first took root in America more than 400 years ago - well before our nation was born. e video of Floyd's death, when added to those who came before, and aer him, provide indisputable evidence of injustice to those who have been giving the issue lip service, or looking the other way. e issue has forced those of us in a position of privilege, who would rather not think about or confront such uncom- fortable issues, to examine who we are as people and a society. While talent and potential are dispersed equally throughout our population, oppor- tunity is not. In order for our economy and our society to function at its highest level, we need to provide equal opportunity and just treatment to every one of our citizens. Only aer we maximize the talent in our community can we become greater than the sum of our parts. Clearly, this is not happening. What Floyd's killing and the ensuing global Black Lives Matter protests bring into stark reality is our black and other communities of color are suffering not only from a strong racial bias from our law enforcement, but from other institutions as old as the country itself. History makes it crystal clear these recent events are not iso- lated incidents, but are indicative of larger systemic issues needing to be addressed now, not sometime down the road. Now. As a media organization, we are commit- ted to remaining open to all opinions and unbiased in our coverage of the issues impacting our Central Massachusetts busi- ness community. We hold certain values to be true, which inform our decision-making processes in our news coverage. Some of them, simply, are: A growing economy is good, low unemployment also is good, and equal opportunity must be given to all, regardless of gender, race, or sexual orien- tation. Just look at our children: Racism and prejudice are learned, not innate to our society. It's not a short road to eliminate them, but it's a battle we must all undertake with renewed vigor. Much of our society has woken up to the spirit of the Black Lives Matter protests and now is demanding justice, while others may not be there yet. We encourage and value respectful discourse between thoughtful individuals. Yet, much of the discourse around Black Lives Matter is not thoughtful or respectful. Phrases like "All Lives Matter" or "Blue Lives Matter" ignore the principles at the heart of this discus- sion. It is possible to be opposed to police brutality and not be opposed to the police, just like you can support doctors without supporting medical malpractice. Police have a difficult job to do, but the blind acceptance of brutality as part of that job is counterintuitive to who we aspire to be as a community. We can no longer remain blind to the issue, and any system that has institutionalized the protection of bad actors needs to be reformed. We cover a diverse community, espe- cially in Worcester and the other larger communities in Central Massachusetts. We have been aware of the need for diversity of gender, race and ethnicity in WBJ's coverage, and will strive even more to include as many voices and diverse backgrounds in our stories as possible. Yet, in our reporting, we've rarely sought to address the issues specifically impact- ing one ethnic group or another. is will change. e heavy coverage in this June 22 edition of the problems in our black business community is not just a one-off, but the beginning of a new area of coverage for us. Our readers will get the same great coverage of health care, real estate, manu- facturing, higher education and other core Central Massachusetts industries – as well as the business community as a whole – but our coverage of diversity and inclusion issues will grow. – Peter Stanton & Brad Kane, publisher & editor I N T H I S I S S U E Picking up the fight against institutional racism A division of: 4 Central Mass. In Brief A summary of the breaking news in the region from the last two weeks FEATURES 6 Black businesses matter Black-owned companies – which are key to hiring minority employees, injecting wealth into disadvantaged communities, and advocating for social justice issues – make up less than 1% of Worcester County businesses, even as black people make up 6% of the population 10 Committed to the community Whether it's a pandemic or systematic injustice, David Connell keeps the YMCA devoted to Worcester County 12 Role of CEOs on societal issues has shifted As public attitudes shift and workers demand more for employers, more companies and CEO are taking stands on divisive issues FOCUS SECTION: 14 Still left behind Despite efforts to more closely align the recreational marijuana industry with its founding values, black canna- bis licensees and employees are few and far between 16 Startup survival In the age of COVID-19, entrepreneurs have to stay on their toes to keep enticing investors and keep their com- panies moving forward 18 The Lists Incubators in Central Mass. Co-working places and makerspaces 20 Column: Outside the Box with Bonnie J. Walker 21 Know How 22 Movers & Shakers 23 Photo Finish 25 Opinion 26 Shop Talk: Michael Agbortoko Jr., Soxcessful CORRECTION: The article entitled "The new normal" in the June 8 edition incorrectly said Worcester law firm Bowditch & Dewey has an office in Fitchburg. The office is in Framingham. Entrepreneurs & Innovation

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