Worcester Business Journal

18 Worcester Business Journal | May 2, 2022 | wbjournal.com P O W E R 5 0 C O M M U N I T Y D E V E L O P M E N T TIMOTHY MURRAY PRESIDENT & CEO WORCESTER REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Residence: Worcester Colleges: Fordham University, Western New England University School of Law Murray not only serves as the face of the Greater Worcester business community, but he often is the power behind the scenes making deals happen. For almost any major business initiative in the city, particularly ones enticing outside companies and investors to Worcester, you can be sure Murray played a role, either by arranging meetings, promoting the region, working on financing, identifying attractive sites, or some combination of these. As a former Massachusetts lieutenant governor and Worcester mayor, he has a unique understanding of how government can help businesses, and Murray will work with city and regional leaders to advocate for state and federal funding. As the head of the largest chamber in Central Massachusetts at 2,000 members and 10 employees, Murray helps provide the necessary programming and connections for the region's businesses to succeed, which included identifying coronavirus pandemic assistance, and now looks at ways to strengthen the workforce amid the current labor shortage and the Great Resignation. One of his favorite pet projects is looking at an overhaul of the vocational-technical education system in the state, so more of its graduates enter the workforce immediately. He advocates for more early college programs in the state's public school districts, so students – particularly those from disadvantaged economic backgrounds – can enter higher education institutions with a leg up. n What sets the Central Mass. business community apart from the rest of the world? The Central Mass. business community is collaborative and innovative. n Cartophile: I like maps. BILL SHANER INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST WORCESTER SUCKS AND I LOVE IT Residence: Worcester College: Northeastern University The economic development strategy put forth by Worcester's leaders has focused on attracting outside investment from places like Boston, which has increased land values, rents, and the tax base, with new developments replacing older ones. Shaner provides a counterpoint to this strategy, by giving voice to negatively impacted groups, who are mostly low- income and/or long-time city residents, and decrying the loss of cultural resources, such as when the Bridge Academy & Community Center was shut down in favor of 21 new apartments. A former Worcester Magazine writer, Shaner quit in 2020 after WoMag was acquired by the Telegram & Gazette, which would no longer let him mix his opinions with his reporting. Through his Substack newsletter Worcester Sucks and I Love It, Shaner provides a voice of critical dissent using his unique brand of opinion journalism He was unabashedly in favor of the Massachusetts Nurses Association union during its 300-day strike with Saint Vincent Hospital, investigated when the city government destroyed a homeless encampment near Walmart, and provided the only voter guide for the 2021 city council election. n What sets the Central Mass. business community apart? Central Mass. has long been a place where people without access to massive sums of capital have been allowed to take risks on business ventures. When creative individuals are allowed to do interesting things, it enriches a city's culture. As housing and commercial space becomes less attainable due to an unchecked real estate boom and parasitic speculators, we risk losing that creative spirit. n We, at WBJ, are 82% certain Shaner is joking here: Cursed long ago by a vampire's kiss, I am doomed to walk this wretched plane for eternity. ROY NASCIMENTO PRESIDENT & CEO NORTH CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, IN FITCHBURG Colleges: UMass Dartmouth, Suffolk University, Villanova University, University of Oklahoma At 650 members, Nascimento leads the second-largest Central Massachusetts chamber of commerce, and the only one with its own microloan lending division approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration. His chamber has the most employees of any in the region, at 15. Since October, the chamber's lending division has closed 12 microloans for a total of $478,500 to local small businesses. The chamber granted a total of $2.7 million in emergency COVID-19 relief loans and hosted more than 100 programs to small businesses during the pandemic. Nascimento led the 18-month development of One North Central, a new regional economic development plan to guide the political and business leadership of North Central Massachusetts for the next 10 to 15 years. In early 2022, the chamber was one of seven organizations selected to be part of a national grant program aimed at breaking down barriers for students of color earning industry credentials. n What sets the Central Mass. business community apart from the rest of the world? The region offers a high-quality workforce, tremendous quality of life, affordability, great infrastructure, a collaborative spirit, and an engaged political leadership. n Family business: I come from a family of small business owners and learned at a young age the value of hard work and the impact small businesses can have on the success of the local economy and community. PHOTO | COURTESY OF WORCESTER SUCKS AND I LOVE IT

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