wbjournal.com | March 6, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 3
and wildlife habitat steward, Jo and Huck
took their passion for independent book
stores from their dining room to a new shop
on Chandler Street.
– Brad Kane, editor
T
his edition of WBJ covers the
entire lifecycle of business
professionals' career paths,
from internships to retire-
ments and beyond.
On page 8, Staff Writer Timothy Doyle
writes in his "Educating, inspiring, and
possibly employing" article about a mar-
keting class at Clark University in Worces-
ter frequently attended by high-profile
corporate guests. e students in the
class not only get lessons in pitching and
pressure situations, they have the opportu-
nity to start their professional careers with
internships offered by the guest speakers.
On page 6, Staff Writer Kevin Koczwara
writes in his "Year of the startup, part 2"
about the surge in new Central Massachu-
setts businesses over the past two years.
Koczwara interviews two entrepreneurs
in Millbury and Leominster who've taken
early turns in their careers to hang their
own shingles, possibly starting the next
great companies in Central Massachusetts.
On page 11, the Business Leader of the
Year awards honor those who've made
significant achievements in their profes-
sional lives – oen right at or just aer the
midpoint of their careers – aer doing the
work and building their organizations.
On page 19, WBJ welcomes three new
members into its Hall of Fame with the
Class of 2023. All three honorees – Peter Al-
den, Chizoma Nosike, and Terry Shepherd
– have had a lifetime of career achievement,
contributing to the success of their business-
es and the Central Massachusetts economy
and community as a whole. While the Hall
of Fame isn't meant to honor those who
are in retirement, it is a celebration of the
entirety of a professional's long career.
On page 4, Staff Writer Isabel Tehan
writes about Richard Burke's planned
retirement as the president and CEO of
Worcester insurer Fallon Health at the end
of the year. Since taking over as Fallon's
leader eight years ago, he has reshaped the
organization, helped form some of the first
accountable care organizations in Massa-
chusetts, and made the company a fixture in
community giving.
Finally, on page 30, Koczwara sits down
for a Q&A with Jo and Huck Truesdell
about their post-retirement retail venture
TidePool Bookshop in Worcester. Having
spent their careers as a kindergarten teacher
Running the gamut of career milestones
W
I N T H I S I S S U E
Editor, Brad Kane,
bkane@wbjournal.com
Staff Writers
Timothy Doyle
tdoyle@wbjournal.com (Real estate,
higher education)
Kevin Koczwara
kkoczwara@wbjournal.com
(Manufacturing, energy & environment)
Isabel Tehan, itehan@wbjournal.com
(Health care, diversity & inclusion)
Contributors
Giselle Rivera-Flores, Laura Finaldi,
Monica Benevides, Alan Earls, Susan
Shalhoub, Livia Gershon
Photgraphers
Matt Wright, Edd Cote
Research Director,
Stephanie Meagher,
smeagher@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
Senior Account Executive
Yasmin Nasrullah,
ynasrullah@wbjournal.com
Marketing & Events Manager
Kris Prosser, kprosser@wbjournal.com
Human Resources Manager,
Tracy Rodwill,
trodwill@nebusinessmedia.com
Accounting Manager, Sara Ward,
sward@nebusinessmedia.com
Accounting Assistant, Rae Rogers,
rrogers@nebusinessmedia.com
Account Receivable Specialist,
Patty Harris, pharris@
nebusinessmedia.com
Audience Development Manager,
Leah Allen, lallen@nebusinessmedia.com
Business Office Assistant,
Nicole Dunn,
ndunn@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 2023. 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 $84.00. For
more information, please email circulation@wbjournal.com or contact
our circulation department at 845-267-3008.
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:
#ICBusinessBanking | Insured by NCUA
CEO
of the
Year.
Christopher
Hendry
IC Credit Union
President
and
Christopher Hendry, was recently
named CEO of the Year by the
Cooperative Credit Union
Association (CCUA)
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
6 Year of the startup, part 2
Although growth slowed in 2022, the
number of new Central Massachusetts
businesses increased again last year after
2021's surge, defying state and national
negative trends.
8 Educating, inspiring, and
possibly employing
A Clark University professor's course offers
contemporary practical lessons and the
potential for internships from corporate
executive guests.
4 Central Mass. In Brief
11 Focus on Business Leaders of the Year
19 Focus on WBJ Hall of Fame, Class of 2023
24 The List: Advertising, marketing &
communications firms
26 Column: The Hustle is Real
27 Know How
28 Movers & Shakers
29 Opinion
30 Shop Talk: TidePool Bookshop
