Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 12, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 5 B R I E FS Top Worcester eateries name new president Aer more than four decades running three of Worcester's best known restau- rants — initially e Sole Proprietor, and later Via Italian Table and One Eleven Chop House — Robb and Madeleine Ahlquist are ready to pass management of the group to the next generation. eir daughter, Caitlyn Carolan, and her husband, Keith, are taking over the Worcester Restaurant Group. Caitlyn Carolan is the new president, leading a Worcester company whose restaurants have been longtime mainstays in the city's restaurant scene. Carolan is now responsible for direct- ing and overseeing operations, market- ing and finances of all three restaurants. She takes over for her parents at a time when the restaurant industry is work- ing to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, which even in the best of cases forced restaurants to quickly pivot to online ordering, take-out and outdoor dining. e Worcester Restaurant Group kept its restaurants open throughout just about the entire health crisis. Fallon overhauling business model Fallon Health will no longer provide commercial health insurance coverage, instead focusing on government pro- grams including Medicare and Medicaid. Fallon, which has 260,000 members, wants to be the region's leading provider of government healthcare programs, a decision it said is consistent with its mission of servicing high-needs individ- uals. It was the state's first plan to cover Medicaid in 1979, and the first with an inclusive program for the elderly in 1995. Fallon, a nonprofit, was already increasing its share of members on Medicare, Medicaid and other govern- ment health programs. Between 2017 and 2020, members of Fallon's govern- ment-sponsored programs grew from 31% to 57% of membership. ose pro- grams provide Fallon with a dispropor- tionate share of its revenue at 84%. Market Basket pays $3M for Shrewsbury store site e grocery store chain Market Basket has paid $3.1 million for a portion of the planned Route 20 development in Shrewsbury where it will build its latest Central Massachusetts store. e Tewksbury-based chain is unusual in retail for buying and owning many of its more than 80 store locations in Massa- chusetts, Maine and New Hampshire. In the case of its store to anchor a new devel- opment at the former Edgemere Drive-In, Market Basket will own about 18 acres of the Edgemere Crossing at Flint Pond site, enough to include its own store, a pro- posed bank and pharmacy, and another nearly 23,000-square-foot retail space. Construction started on the develop- ment last year. e opening date has yet to be announced. Santander leaving long- time Worcester home Santander Bank is moving its down- town Worcester bank branch to the Grid District from the Worcester Plaza tower. Santander is moving into a storefront at 507 Main St. that's part of the Grid District development on the south side of Worcester Common, where it'll take the place of a longtime 7-Eleven site. e building has a few other retail spots, as well as 90 apartments on its upper floors. e Spanish banker, whose American offices are in Boston, is departing its location at 446 Main St., the glass office tower known as Worcester Plaza that's slated for renovation under new owner Synergy Investments of Boston. Santander has been at that location since before it was acquired by the Spanish bank and was known as Sovereign Bank, and the company as the lead leasee of the property held significant sway over other tenants and renovations in the glass tower. Amtrak proposes new service through Worcester Amtrak is proposing an ambitious expansion of its rail network across the country as part of President Joe Biden's infrastructure goals, including increased service through Worcester. Amtrak didn't release additional details but highlighted in its national plan on March 31 new rail service along an exist- ing route running from Boston through Worcester to Springfield and Albany. Today, those cities form the easternmost part of Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited route whose western end is in Chicago. Amtrak's announcement accompanied Biden's $2-trillion infrastructure plan, including $80 billion for rail. 695 Main Street, Holden MA 01520 Phone: (508) 829-5566 holdenhearingaid.com/audiologist HAVE YOU EVER HAD A HEARING EVALUATION? Matthew Moreno, Au.D. Doctor of Audiology • Hearing Aids • Batteries & Accessories • Assisted Listening Devises • Amplified Phones • Hearing Evaluations • Wax Removal • Hearing Protection • Musician's Ear Plugs • Swim Plugs Many hearing issues go undetected and that can lead to hearing loss, tinnitus and balance disorders. We offer comprehensive hearing care services including complete hearing evaluations, hearing loss rehabilitation, education and counseling. Another Central Mass. college will close Do you think another Central Massachusetts college will close in the next five years? Just weeks after Becker College administration revealed that school's efforts to negotiate a new partnership in light of its dire financial straits had fallen through, its board announced on March 29 the Worcester school would permanently close at the end of the spring semester. Many of Becker's programs are being consumed by area colleges, with most putting out a welcome sign for Becker students looking for a new school this fall. There have been other college closures the last few years, including the former Atlantic Union College in Lancaster in 2018, as New England's higher education industry faces a steady drop in the number of high school graduates, on top of the disruptions wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. When polled online, more than three out of four WBJ readers said they expect more local colleges to close. F L AS H P O L L No 22% Other 1% Caitlyn Carolan, president of Worcester Restaurant Group Yes 77% W

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