Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 4, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 5 people of all backgrounds are given the opportunity to utilize their talents and skills to their highest ability. at future still feels a long way off, but each time we take a step toward greater equity and inclusion, the possibilities become a little brighter. – Brad Kane, editor S ince my children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, their futures have occupied an extraordinary amount of my headspace. ey are all young (the oldest is 15), and I know they have a lot of time to learn, develop, and become adults. Still, to some degree for each of them, my wife and I will be taking care of our five children for the rest of our lives. e question then occupies my mind: Who takes care of them aer we die? Ideally, of course, they would be almost entirely self-sufficient by the time my wife and I pass on, or at least somewhat self-sufficient with community supports. Massachusetts does have some great re- sources and organizations to help children and adults with intellectual and develop- mental disabilities thrive in the commu- nity, and we are grateful for that. Still, the main key to being self-sufficient in Amer- ica is a job, and people with disabilities have an incredibly high unemployment rate. I worry for my children's futures. When Staff Writer Timothy Doyle first pitched a story about the disabled work- force for this Diversity & Inclusion special edition, I loved the idea. Since WBJ made its commitment in the summer of 2020 to cover diversity, equity, and inclusion more thoroughly, we have focused primarily on the issues as they impact different racial and ethnic groups, as this remains the most pressing problem in American society and industry. Doyle's story idea, though, offered a fresh perspective on an oen overlooked segment of the popula- tion. Plus, the topic hit home for him as well, as his adult sister has a disability and is limited in how much she can work. Doyle's story "Untapped abilities" starts on page 26, as part of this edition's focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Else- where, you'll find stories on the evolving relationship between Clark University and the Main South neighborhood (page 12), the continual struggle of diversity, equity, and inclusion work (page 8), and efforts to help startup nonprofits achieve sustain- ability and inclusivity (page 24), as well as the Bonnie J. Walker's Outside the Box column (page 30), where she encourages white men to take a greater role in DEI efforts. We can't truly function as a society until is one hits home 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: Editor, Brad Kane, bkane@wbjournal.com Staff Writers Timothy Doyle tdoyle@wbjournal.com (Real estate, higher education) 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 N E W S & A N A LY S I S 6 Central Mass. In Brief 10 Focus on Diversity & Inclusion 17 Special Sponsored Section: Diversity & Inclusion 29 Largest minority-owned businesses 30 Column: Outside the Box 31 Know How 32 Movers & Shakers 33 Opinion 34 Shop Talk: The Blessing Barn Thrift Store 33 Viewpoint: The economics of inclusivity In this edition's Opinion column, the organizers behind Pride Worcester say how after 50 years, the annual festival has become a highly anticipated, economically beneficial, tourist attraction. 34 Q&A: A thrifty business pays it forward For the Shop Talk feature, Cheri McCutchen from The Blessing Barn Thrift Store in Mendon discusses how she and her team created a barn-chic home store to benefit those in need. OFFICE FURNITURE Diversity and Inclusion are in our DNA We are proud to have one of the most diverse workforces in the state making office furniture for companies across the country. If you're looking for employment, consider joining our team. If your company is moving, changing or growing, we can help! Schedule a tour of our Leominster showroom and factory, we'll gladly host you. Visit us online at ais-inc.com or call us at 1.800.434.7400.

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