Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | January 10, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 21 P R O F E S S I O N A L S E R V I C E S B E S T O F B U S I N E S S BEST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce* Worcester worcesterchamber.org Top executive: President & CEO Timothy Murray Founded: 1875 Employees: 12 full time; 2 part time Notable runners-up: Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce, Black- stone Valley Chamber of Commerce Worcester's chamber helps lead business development BEST FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS Angel-Guard Products, Inc. & US Tool and Fastener Worcester www.angelguardproducts.com & www.ustoolandfastener.com Top executive: President Casey Cormier Founded: 1991 Employees: 12 full time, 4 part time and seasonal In, 2021, Angel-Guard marked its 30th year in business, and the company closed it out as a record-setting year. The firm placed several of its locally Mirick's employee appreciation outing Angel-Guard's Ryan Murphy and Casey Cormier BY MONICA BENEVIDES WBJ Senior Staff Writer T he Worcester Regional Cham- ber of Commerce is a storied business organization wearing many, many hats. As the largest chamber in Central Massachusetts, boasting more than 2,000 members, and approaching its 150th anniversary in 2025, perhaps this is to be expected. "We've been around a long time," said Karen Pelletier, the chamber's executive vice president. at history has included a series of notable milestones, including being home to the founding of what became the United Way of Central Massachu- setts more than a century ago, and later, the Worcester Business Development Corp. More recently, under the leadership of its president and CEO, Timothy Murray, the WRCC helped form the Economic Development Co- ordinating Council, a citywide collaborative body which includes the City of Worces- ter, WRCC, WBDC, and Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives. Together, council members work to prospect businesses looking to come to the area, and make sure any potential business location is set and ready to go. Separately, the chamber works with local colleges and universities to both shore up the Central Massachu- setts workforce and support nascent businesses coming out of those schools, including through StartUp Worcester, an incubator pro- gram aimed at helping entrepreneurs grow and develop their businesses. "When you are looking further back, the chamber has alway been thoughtful around starting and helping to incubate," Pelletier said. Suffice to say, Central Massachusetts is home to an involved, dedicated cham- ber of commerce that doesn't shy away from partnering with the region's power players. Members are drawn to join the chamber for a variety of reasons, said Pelletier. At any given time, 80% of its members are small businesses with 10 employees or less, which generally means the business owner is the point of contact working directly with WRCC. For these companies, the chamber serves as a resource to help support a variety of operational needs, from human resources to compliance issues, as well as through training. Larger businesses, Pelletier said, are frequently joining the chamber because they're interested in prospecting and doing business with other businesses and organizations. Still others join because of what she called the good neighbor rationale, i.e. a desire to contribute and support the WRCC's work on behalf of the larger business community. "I really think our secret has a lot to do with the people," Pelletier said. "Our members are amazing." And at the end of the day, those are the people the WRCC 12-person full- time staff supports. "We're in the service business," Pelletier said. invented products in Lowe's and Tractor Supply Co. Its retail division, US Tool and Fastener, became the fastest- growing Festool dealer in New England. At its core, the company believes success comes from treating people right, placing employees first. n BEST CREDIT UNION Digital Federal Credit Union* Marlborough www.dcu.org Top executive: President & CEO Jim Regan Founded: 1979 Employees: 1,612 DCU is the largest credit union in Central Massachusetts, with $10 billion in assets and nearly 1 million members spread across its 24 locations. Its membership is open to anyone living or working in Worcester, along with several communities in the region. During the COVID pandemic, DCU assisted local business owners to secure nearly 300 Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling $16.8 million. Notable runners-up: Webster First Credit Union, Leominster Credit Union n BEST FORENSIC ACCOUNTANT McLaren & Associates CPA's, PC* Shrewsbury www.dmclarencpa.com Top executive: David McLaren Founded: 2005 Employees: 16 McLaren & Associates specializes in providing expertise in financial situations requiring litigation, accurately and quickly picking up on clues others tend to miss. McLaren has never failed to produce proof of fraud for corporate situations, estates, bankruptcy filings, or divorce cases. In 2021, the firm grew to the largest in its history, with 16 employees, while recovering from a COVID outbreak. n DCU's Emma Sandjong BEST LAW FIRM Mirick O'Connell* Worcester www.mirickoconnell.com Additional locations: Westborough and Boston Top executive: David Surprenant, managing partner Continued on next page W The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce annual meeting

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