Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | May 15, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 3 Noah has it figured just right: ere's a lot to like about bread. – Brad Kane, editor M y 10-year-old son, Noah, loves bread. As with most young chil- dren, but especially as a child with special needs, convincing Noah to eat anything new and somewhat healthy is an uphill battle. Yet, the dude loves his bread. Eating a plate full of bread isn't the healthiest meal in the world, but Noah's craving has enabled my wife and I to in- troduce a few more nutrients into his diet. Plus, his desire for different types of bread has made him more tolerant to try other, less highly processed foods, particularly vegetables. From a parenting standpoint, this feels like a win. Noah's love of bread has spread to his other siblings as well. French baguettes, ciabatta, and challah are all regular parts of our grocery bud- get. At this point, my wife calls our three youngest children her carb babies. Neither I nor Noah have ever been to Bread Guy Breads in Graon, but aer reading Staff Writer Kevin Koczwara's cover story "Getting out of the kitchen" on page 10 about the bakery, my family and I may soon make the trek. ere's a lot to like in hobbyist-turned-entrepreneur Chuck Brown's quest to turn his home businesses into a sustainable retail shop, particularly because he provides a product that's seemingly everywhere but at the same time very difficult to find in high quality. e other key turning point in Brown's story hits home for me as well. In looking for a partner to help mitigate the costs of his endeavor, the former high school principal teamed up with Graon Pub- lic Schools and its Graon Achieving Independence Now program, which helps special needs students aged 18-22 transi- tion into the workforce. In the partnership, Brown has the students work in the bakery. As a special needs parent, I spend a dispro- portionate amount of time intensely wor- rying about how my children will support themselves, particularly aer I'm no longer able to work. Knowing about programs like GAIN and partners like Bread Guy Breads makes me feel better. And I love bread, too. I've always been a fan, but Noah's passion for it spread to me as well. Now, bread dipped in seasoned olive oil is one of the staples of my diet. Noah, the devourer of carbs W I N T H I S I S S U E 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: Small business, big dreams #ICBusinessBanking | Insured by NCUA Let us help you get there. TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S 6 Bouncing ideas Amid the latest round of retailer bankruptcies, brokers and property owners try to keep plazas full with innovative concepts, like trampoline parks or pickleball. 21 Tax code is stifling R&D Viewpoint opinion columnist James T. Brett calls for a change to the 2017 federal tax law, which made it more difficult for businesses to deduct the cost of innovation. 4 Central Mass. In Brief 10 Focus on Small business 18 The List: Top SBA lenders 19 Know How 20 Movers & Shakers 21 Opinion 22 Shop Talk: Cold Harbor Brewing 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 CORRECTIONS: A Power 50 profile on Dr. Eric Dickson from the May 1 edition incorrectly referred to the board leading the America's Essential Hospitals organization as the board of trustees. The correct name for the leadership is the board of directors. A Power 50 profile on Mike O'Kronley from the May 1 edition in- correctly transposed the investment amounts for Ascend Elements' two main facilities. The correct figures are the Kentucky plant will receive $1 billion in investment while the Georgia facility will have $43 million. A Power 50 profile on Udit Batra from the May 1 edition incorrectly said Waters Corp. acquired Wyatt Technology Corp. in February, when the acquisition was announced in February but has not been completed. A Power 50 profile on Jon Weaver from the May 1 edition misstated what year Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives was founded, how many companies and jobs it helped create, and that it bought another 50,000-square-foot building near its headquar- ters. The correct facts are MBI was founded in 1984, helped create 175 companies and 1,000+ jobs since 2000, and purchased the 50,000-square-foot building it had already been leasing and using.

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