Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | March 21, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 3 Editor, Brad Kane, bkane@wbjournal.com Senior Staff Writer, Monica Benevides, mbenevides@wbjournal.com (Health care, diversity & inclusion) Staff Writers Katherine Hamilton khamilton@wbjournal.com (Real estate, higher education) Sloane M. Perron perron@wbjournal.com (Banking & finance, manufacturing) Editorial Intern Anthony Buscarino abuscarino@wbjournal.com Contributors Susan Shalhoub, Sarah Connell Sanders Photographers 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 2022. 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 $72.00. For more information, please email wbjournal@cambeywest.com or contact our circulation department at 845-267-3008. Fax: 845.267.3478 Advertising: For advertising information, please call Mark Murray at 508-755-8004 ext. 227. Fax: 508-755-8860. Worcester Business Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or materials and in general does not return them to the sender. Worcester Business Journal 172 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester, MA 01604 508-755-8004 tel. • 508-755-8860 fax www.wbjournal.com Worcester Business Journal WBJ A division of: I N T H I S I S S U E I n the late aernoon on Friday, March 4, I was scanning my email before signing off for the weekend, when I came across a press release from the City of Worcester, an- nouncing the impending departure of its chief diversity officer, Stephanie Williams. I thought, "Didn't she just start?" Rather than trying to quickly turn- around the news announcement into a web-first story right away, I shot a note to WBJ's reporters, telling them to check further into the situation when they got back to the office on Monday. Before the weekend was over, the NAACP's Worces- ter Unit already responded, berating the City in a fiery letter over Williams' de- parture, bemoaning the high turnover of three CDOs in six years. You can read that NAACP letter on Page 21. at letter led to a response from the community organi- zation Black Families Together, calling for an assessment of the position. e City's own Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Com- mittee suspended its operations in protest, and the City Council called for an outside review of the CDO powers and responsi- bilities before Williams is replaced. e topic of burnout among chief diversity officers has been touched upon lightly by WBJ's coverage in the past, and we started working on a more substantial story in the wake of Williams' resignation. Prior to March 4, though, WBJ's team of reporters started research on the articles for this edition, including correspon- dent Sarah Connell Sanders' "Infiltrating Worcester's inner circle" cover story. Connell Sanders' story was initially conceived as a look at the regular unoffi- cial meetings held between various groups of Worcester powerbrokers. She cleverly took this conceit and framed it into a narrative about how influence is held by people who regularly show up, suggesting the headline, "Infiltrating Worcester's in- ner circle might be easier than you think". I loved this headline, as well as Connell Sanders' suggestion to WBJ readers that they seek to join one of these meetings. Aer Williams' resignation, I realized the optimistic messaging in Connell Sanders' story could be read in a different way. e concerns of the NAACP include not being given true access to the halls of power; they are given a forum to voice their opinions and advice, but they aren't actually listened to. Connell Sanders still had written a compelling story I wanted to publish, but given this new context, I pulled back the messaging, with the shorter head- line "Infiltrating Worcester's inner circle". Connell Sanders is right: impact is made by people who show up. It isn't always easy, but the first step is making your voice heard. e NAACP certainly is. – Brad Kane, editor Make your voice heard N E W S & A N A LY S I S 4 Central Mass. In Brief 5 Worcester 300 trivia contest 12 Golf & Meetings Guide 14 Column: The secret weapon in golf 15 The List: Top charity golf tournaments 18 The List: Largest meeting facilities 19 Know How 20 Movers & Shakers 21 Opinion 22 Shop Talk: Thomas Rothwell Spa 12 Reviving golf in Gilbertville Saved by an outside investor and a boost in the industry, a family-run course renews its lease on life this summer. 16 Meeting 2022 with optimism Post-COVID corporate events and conferences are back on the calendar at Worcester venues. D E P A R T M E N T S Making Community Connections for Opportunities to See. Believe. Achieve. Putt with a Purpose! sevenhills.org/nbgolf Contact Bill Stock to get involved: bstock@sevenhills.org or 508.983.1305 Register Now at 34 th th Over 1,800 families who have loved ones with disabilities are thriving due to the vibrant Community Connections program at Seven Hills. Participants enjoy a variety of sports, arts, culinary, technology, and social opportunities that build essential skills and valued friendships. Keep the opportunities alive by supporting the New Beginnings Charity Golf Tournament that raises 100% of proceeds for our local families. Thursday, May 26, 2022 10:00 a.m. Shotgun Start Lunch, Prizes, Raffles Highfields Golf & Country Club Grafton, MA W

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