Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1479028
4 Worcester Business Journal | September 19, 2022 | wbjournal.com C E N T R A L M AS S I N B R I E F V E R BAT I M Pleasant Street "One of the most important things for me is planting the seeds to empower people from the community to use their talents and skills to create equitable economic growth in Worcester." Ivette Olmeda, the founder of the Main South Business Association, on being promoted to MassDevelopment Transformative District Initiative senior fellow and moving her efforts to Worcester's Pleasant Street, to help improve economic development Bravehearts' 30% spike "I don't think many people believed us at first when we launched all of our new ideas. Once people came and saw the Worcester Bravehearts experience, they wanted to come back." Dave Peterson, general manager of the Worcester Bravehearts baseball team, on its 30% increase in home attendance for the 2022 season from 2021, when it contended with the impacts of COVID and the first season for the Worcester Red Sox $50M investment "SK ecoplant ... understand the urgent need to produce sustainable, lithium-ion battery materials in the United States." Mike O'Kronley, CEO of Westborough electric vehicle battery recycling firm Ascend Elements, on a $50-million investment by Korean environmental firm SK ecoplant to help commercialize Ascend's technology F our Gannett-owned local newspapers, which were closed or announced to be closing, will be acquired by New Jersey firm CherryRoad Media Inc. and will return to or continue operation. e Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, e Graon News, e Landmark in Holden, and the Leominster Champion were all going to be closed as a result of August cutbacks by Virginia NJ firm buys four Central Mass. newspapers, preventing their closures BY TIMOTHY DOYLE WBJ Staff Writer Felter's Mill in Millbury, once home to The Millbury-Sutton Chronicle PHOTO | COURTESY OF GOOGLE publishing giant Gannett, the owner of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, following the announcement of a poor second quarter by the company. "We have reached an agreement with Gannett to acquire these publications. Specific details around the transition are still being worked out, but the priority will be on making sure e Landmark continues to publish aer its previously scheduled close date of next ursday. We are looking forward to getting to know these communities and continuing to provide high quality local news coverage," said CherryRoad CEO Jeremy Gulban in a Sept. 8 email to WBJ. e Millbury-Sutton Chronicle first reported the news on Sept. 8 Gulban hopes to retain current staff and add back additional staff as the process moves forward. Kristen Payson of e Landmark confirmed she will continue as the paper's editor aer the transition to new ownership, but does not know who will take over as editors of the other papers. Gulban plans on continuing to print the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, e Landmark, and the Graon News, and hopes to bring back the print edition of the Leominster Champion, but says it may take a few months to work out. "e printed product is very much a part of our strategy," said Gulban. Acquiring its first paper in 2020, CherryRoad Media owns 64 newspapers in 10 states, mostly in the Midwest and South, according to its website. e acquisition of the four Massachusetts papers would be the company's first move into New England. CherryRoad Media is a subsidiary of CherryRoad Technologies Inc., a New Jersey IT services company, offering cloud, networking, consulting, and managed IT services. W