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wbjournal.com | October 30, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 19 MEDIA SPONSORS MARKETING SPONSOR LEAD SPONSORS SIGNATURE SPONSORS BEHIND EVERY EMPOWERED GIRL STANDS A SUPPORTER LIKE YOU! THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS, DONORS, VOLUNTEERS AND ATTENDEES FOR STEPPING UP TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. TOGETHER, WE RAISED CRITICAL FUNDS TO STRENGTHEN GIRLS AND EMPOWER WOMEN. CORPORATE SPONSORS Cornerstone Bank Seven Hills Foundation UMass Memorial Health Webster Five Worcester Polytechnic Institute SUPPORT SPONSORS Bank of America Commonwealth Financial Group - Kerri A. Melley Fletcher Tilton Imperial Distributors Main Street Bank Pathways for Change UMass Chan Medical School UniBank FOOD AND WINE SPONSOR The Hanover Insurance Group SIGNATURE DRINK SPONSOR Dream Big Wealth Strategies Join like-minded women focused on cultivating a leadership network, community engagement, and addressing girls needs in Central Massachusetts. Become a member today at: unitedwaycm.org/become-a-member WomInitiativeCM WomensInitiativeCM W O R C E S T E R : J U S T T H E F A C T S F A C T B O O K WBDC President and CEO Craig Blais said the property known as e Reactory bioman- ufacturing complex is an exam- ple of a bid to attract large em- ployers on the former Worcester State Hospital grounds. WuXi Biologics of China and Galaxy Life Sciences of Webster have plans for facilities to house sever- al hundred jobs. Now, WBDC wants to replicate those efforts as it works to clean up and ready a parcel in the Greendale neighborhood for reuse by a large industrial employer. e site is adjacent to a power plant from French manufacturer Saint-Gobain. "We want to find big employers, and we want to hold out," said Blais. Worcester's growing affluence Such efforts will create avenues for people in lower income brackets in a city that appears to be growing more affluent. Household income in Worces- ter is on the rise, which may signal a rebound to levels seen in 2010. In 2021, 26.6% of Worces- ter households earned at least $100,000, compared with 24.1% the previous year. e biggest gains were in the $150,000 and higher Craig Blais, WBDC president and CEO Peter Dunn, Worcester chief development officer bracket, which accounted for 11.8% of households, an increase of almost 2 percentage points from 2020. Meanwhile, those households earning under $50,000 decreased from 49% to 45.8%. Worcester, and Central Massachusetts more broad- ly, are new options for those who have been priced out of the Greater Boston real estate market, which may contribute to growing household income, said Dunn. People who are working remotely or on hybrid schedules can easily afford a home in the city, leading to an anecdotal westward migration. "e good news: [Worcester is] a desirable place to live," Dunn said. Worcester native Paul Matthews, who became executive director of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau in 2019, agreed people are thinking more expansively about where to live. e fact that there's new downtown housing in walking distance to the Union Station transportation hub – a long-time vision of city leaders – plus attrac- tions like the Worcester Red Sox, Worcester Railers Hockey Club, and e Hanover eatre, explain why Matthews sees a lot more people younger than 40 with dogs walking around the city, he said. "Life's ever changing and so is the city," Matthews said. W The Boston Red Sox minor league affiliate moved from Pawtucket to Worcester in 2021. PHOTO | WBJ FILE