wbjournal.com | August 16, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 3
Editor, Brad Kane,
bkane@wbjournal.com
Senior Staff Writer,
Monica Benevides,
mbenevides@wbjournal.com
(Manufacturing, higher education,
diversity & inclusion)
Staff Writers
Katherine Hamilton
khamilton@wbjournal.com (Real estate,
health care)
Sloane M. Perron
perron@wbjournal.com (Banking &
finance)
Contributors
Susan Shalhoub, Livia Gershon
Photgraphers
Matt Wright, Edd Cote
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
COO, Mary Rogers,
mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com
Accounting Assistant, Rae Rogers,
rrogers@nebusinessmedia.com
Account Receivable Specialist,
Patty Harris,
pharris@nebusinessmedia.com
Human Resources, Jill Coran,
jcoran@nebusinessmedia.com
Director of Audience Development,
Valerie Clark,
vclark@nebusinessmedia.com
Operations Assistant,
Leah Allen,
lallen@nebusinessmedia.com
Publisher, CEO, Peter Stanton
pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com
Associate Publisher, Mark Murray
mmurray@wbjournal.com
President, Tom Curtin
tcurtin@hartfordbusinessjournal.com
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@
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845-267-3008. Fax: 845.267.3478
Advertising: For advertising information, please call Mark
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Worcester Business Journal
WBJ
E
very year for WBJ's 40
Under Forty awards, I
break the winners into
about 10 groups, and we
go on photo shoots all
over Central Massachusetts, with
the locations tied together under
a loose theme. When this option
was denied to us last year in the
midst of the heavy (and neces-
sary) social distancing restrictions
surrounding the coronavirus, we
instead themed the issue around
the pandemic.
is year, when I was planning
out the photo shoots in the spring,
it seemed the region was on the
cusp of beating back COVID-19.
e vaccination rate was soaring,
the numbers of new cases and
deaths were falling, and the mask
and social distancing regulations
were liing. With a post-pandemic
economy in sight, I planned the 40
Under Forty theme around the reopening
of Central Massachusetts, arranging photo
shoots at gathering places and restric-
tion-free amenities like bars, a baseball
stadium, the airport, a gym, etc.
Aer confirming all the winners would
be comfortable gathering maskless in
small groups, I draed emails to the Class
of 2021 to tell them of the post-pandemic
I N T H I S I S S U E
theme. Right when I was about to send
out the emails, though, I hesitated and
modified the theme to say "post(ish)-pan-
demic world." I didn't want to jinx the
positive momentum the region seemed to
be riding. at didn't work.
Back in May, the idea of a 40 Under
Forty issue full of pictures of profession-
als gathering in fun settings felt like it
would be a celebration of life, following
everything we all endured in the last 18
months. Today, when I look at those same
pictures, I still sense a celebration of all
these 40 amazing people have accom-
plished in their short careers. Yet, as the
Delta variant surges and vaccine hesitancy
is leading to case spikes around the na-
tion, I also sense a regret over what could
have been. A post-pandemic world feels
far too elusive now.
e pandemic has been tough, and
it's far from over. Still, we have plenty to
celebrate. is 40 Under Forty edition
may not have been the celebration I ini-
tially envisioned, but it remains full of high
achievers who should give us all hope for
the future.
– Brad Kane, editor
e post(ish)-pandemic 40 Under Forty
N E W S & A N A LY S I S
5 Central Mass. In Brief
17 Focus on the 40 Under Forty
40 The List: Highest-paid CEOs
41 Column: Outside the Box
with Bonnie J. Walker
43 Know How
45 Opinion
46 Shop Talk: The O Shop
6 The human shortage
Low wages and stressful jobs are widening
the labor shortage at human services
nonprofits.
9 Almost fully banked
The legal cannabis industry has moved
beyond its cash-only beginnings, but social
stigma hampers its financing options.
13 Workforce prep
Vocational schools have become magnet
programs but aren't necessarily feeding
students straight into the workforce.
W
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