Worcester Business Journal

16 Worcester Business Journal | Janurary 10, 2022 | wbjournal.com B E S T O F B U S I N E S S O F F I C E S E R V I C E S BY KATHERINE HAMILTON WBJ Staff Writer S lowly but surely, Venture X Marlborough – Apex Center is bouncing back from the coronavirus pandemic, offering a business incubator and coworking space to a diverse range of entrepreneurs. At the height of the pandemic, Ven- ture X had 35% capacity as it provided space for several essential businesses, said Owner Ryan Gagne. Now, it's at an all-time high 86% occupancy with an ambitious goal of 92% by Feb. 1. e business is adding on an ex- pansion to meet its growing clientele, which will increase the floor space more than 10% with five new offices and 800 Demand at Venture X grows as hybrid models become norm square feet. Gagne described his business as a traditional office space catered toward financial, legal, and human capital management companies. "We take the property management problem out of the equation for them so they can focus on their business," he said. Venture X has served as a disaster recovery site for many businesses. When dealing with an Internet or pow- er outage, which plagued the Greater Worcester region over the summer, businesses were able to quickly get back up and running in the fully furnished offices in Marlborough, Gagne said. As remote work rises in populari- ty, this more flexible version of office BEST BUSINESS INCUBATOR Venture X Marlborough – Apex Center Marlborough www.venturex.com Top executive: CEO & Owner Ryan Gagne Founded: 2018 Employees: 3 Notable runners-up: WorcLab, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives space offers a good model for hybrid companies. A couple employees will come in each day interchangeably, with an occasional full-employee meeting. e coworking space is a good com- promise for businesses not looking to rent out an entire office building full time. Gagne is no stranger to this life, as he worked for nearly 20 years as a hybrid-remote global banker. "When I saw this business as an opportunity to buy into the Venture X franchise, I kind of embraced it because I've lived it for 15+ years," he said. Venture X is part of a national franchise mainly concentrated in eastern U.S. with locations in Holyoke, Rochester, N.Y., and Parsippany, N.J. Marlborough's location is nestled in the Apex Center, a massive entertainment and restaurant complex constructed in 2016. The center includes 42 acres with 12 restaurants, eight bars, three gyms, and two hotels. "You're not going to find a subur- ban location with a downtown vibe like the Apex Center anywhere else in the state," Gagne said. BEST PLUMBER/HVAC CONTRACTOR J.J. Bafaro, Inc.* Worcester jjbafaro.com Top executives: Joseph Bafaro, Joseph Bafaro Jr., Michael Bafaro Founded: 1965 Employees: 70 J.J. Bafaro has been in business for nearly 60 years and many of its employees have been with the company for a long time, providing plenty of expertise for customers. For the firm, 2021 was all about survival, having to deal with the coronavirus pandemic's many restrictions while still servicing customers throughout Central Massachusetts. n BEST HOTEL FOR BUSINESS CLIENTS Beechwood Hotel* Worcester www.beechwoodhotel.com Top executive: Sayed Saleh, asset manager and managing director Founded: 1989 Employees: 100 For more than 30 years, the Beechwood Hotel has exceeded the highest standards of hospitality excellence throughout Central Massachusetts. The Beechwood is the only AAA Four Diamond boutique hotel in the region and has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best hotels in Massachusetts. In 2021, on top of its multi-million-dollar renovations, the hotel adapted new standards of sanitization, going above standards set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Notable runner-up: AC Hotel by Marriott Worcester n BEST WASTE REMOVAL E. L. Harvey & Sons* Westborough www.elharvey.com Top executive: District Manager B.J. Harvey Founded: 1911 Employees: 400 E.L. Harvey is a full-service waste- hauling, transfer, and recycling operation, offering both commercial and residential pickup. The company, which prides itself on dedication to both employees and customers, is a family- owned business, originally founded by Emory Larkin Harvey. Notable runners-up: P. Pellegrino Trucking Company Inc., Tom Berkowitz Trucking, Inc. n BEST OFFICE CLEANER Eagle Cleaning Corp. Worcester www.eaglecleaning.com Top executive: President & CEO Jeff Johnson Founded: 2001 Employees: 250+ Eagle provides a consistent quality of service by retaining its employees – the majority of whom are full time – through higher wages and benefits than its com- petitors. In 2021, Eagle introduced a new software maintenance system to stream- line communication between clients and operations teams, improving scheduling, inspections, and special requests. Notable runner-up: Enterprise Cleaning & Restoration Corp. n BEST LOGISTICS COMPANY Euro-American Worldwide Logistics* W Ryan Gagne (left) and Rachel Adams of Venture X Beechwood Hotel E. L. Harvey & Sons

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