Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | February 22, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 5 B R I E FS L.A. firm expands Worcester holdings A Los Angeles real estate firm that bought Worcester's Sky Mark Tower for $29 million in 2019 has now paid nearly $13 million in its third round of purchas- es downtown. e latest buys from Benedict Canyon Equities includes a 54,000-square-foot brick office building on Southbridge Street known as the Stephens Block, the 45-unit Colton Apartments building at 590 Main St., a three-story commercial building at 8 Austin St., and a parking garage at 27 Austin St. e seller was Federal Square Properties, a real estate firm based at the Stephens Block build- ing. e deals closed Jan. 20. Benedict Canyon Equities was found- ed by Worcester Polytechnic Institute graduate and trustee Bob Hart. 125-year-old Worcester Envelope Co., bought by national marketing firm Moore DM Group, a marketing firm in Washington, D.C. has acquired Worcester Envelope Co. of Auburn. Worcester Envelope, a 125-year-old company, specializes in manufacturing high-color direct-mail envelopes. Leadership at Worcester Envelope will remain the same. Derek Waterhouse will stay on as president and report to Moore's manufacturing chief officer. "rough the years other companies have approached us, but the fit wasn't there," Waterhouse said in a statement. "Every interaction with the people of Moore has reinforced that we share a common vision. It is clear that they are the right partner." Leominster gas station, Dunkin' sell for $3.5M A gas station property with a Dunkin' and a convenience store on Central St. in Leominster has sold for $3.5 million. e property, at 180 Central St. on the southern edge of downtown, has been bought by Niteshkumar Patel and Mukesh Patel, trustees of the JSDP Realty Trust. It was sold by a limited liability cor- poration registered to the Harvard address of South Coast Development, a builder of gas stations and other retail developments. e sale closed Jan. 14. Fitchburg State freezing tuition and fees Fitchburg State University will freeze undergraduate tuition and fees for the upcoming academic year e coronavirus pandemic has brought an economic toll on the university, but the school didn't want to pass that burden on to students and their families, President Richard Lapidus said. Framingham State University announced in December it, too, would freeze tuition and fees for the upcoming year. Boston Scientific, Hanover make LGBTQ equality list Marlborough's Boston Scientific and Worcester's Hanover Insurance Group are among 767 companies nationwide lauded for LGBTQ equality. Also making the list was AbbVie, which is based in the Chicago area but has a major presence in Worcester, and Unum Group, a Tennessee-based insurer that has several hundred office workers working remotely in the Worcester area. e Washington, D.C.,-based Human Rights Campaign's 2021 list of the most LGBTQ-friendly workplaces included a few other major Massachusetts corpo- rations: State Street Corp., MassMutual, Boston Consulting Group, Dunkin' Brands, Eastern Bank, Iron Mountain, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Texas firm buys golf club The International Texas company Escalante Golf, which fashions itself as a boutique owner and operator of golf assets, has purchased e International Golf Club in Bolton. e International was purchased out of bankruptcy. A $10-million sale to Escalante was proposed in November. Escalante is pursuing new members for an anticipated spring reopening. Mass. firms optimistic to start new year Confidence levels among Massa- chusetts employers rose for the fourth straight month and spilled into positive Intelligent BUSINESS Solutions Start at IC! Info: Call 978.353.1331 or email businessbanking@iccreditunion.com Federally Insured by NCUA Like, Friend or Follow Us OPERATIONS for equipment or other purchases From small to large, and anything in between… We've got you covered. FLEXIBILITY for a line of credit for cash flow EXPANSION for commercial real estate Bruce Mathieu SVP/Business Development 978.353.1331 Contact: Getting vaccinated ASAP F L AS H P O L L Once you are part of an eligible group, how quickly do you plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine? The coronavirus vaccine rollout has faced criticism on both the national and local levels, with most states – including Massachusetts – falling behind projected inoculation levels. After facing criticism over its difficult-to-navigate website, Massachusetts has set up mass vaccine centers at places like the Natick Mall and Gillette Stadium, as well as expanding eligibility to any adult who accompanies someone 75+ to a vaccine location. When polled online, more than two-thirds of WBJ readers said they plan to get their vaccine as soon as they are eligible. As soon as possible 69% After the first several months, to see what its effects are 5% COMMENTS "The vaccination rollout has been awful. I registered and was accepted to get the vaccination only to be told after I arrived that I was not eligible. I drove 30 miles and took the afternoon off to get this done. It was a joke." 5% 8% After the initial rush dies down 13% I have already received the vaccine. I do not plan on getting the vaccine. "At the current rate of 40,000 doses per day, it will take 10 months for 6 million Mass. residents to be fully vaccinated." Continued on Page 6 The Sky Mark Tower in Worcester has rebranded as The 6Hundred.

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