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18 Worcester Business Journal | October 30, 2023 | wbjournal.com www.wbjournal.com/ smallbiz Thank you to all of our speakers, sponsors and everyone who signed on to watch WBJ's annual Small Business Strategies webcast. View the recording to hear essential insights and strategies that can help small business owners overcome challenges and achieve sustainable growth and success. WEBCAST PANELISTS: Ronald Waddell Founder and CEO Legendary Legacies Lynn Cheney Owner and Chief Local Officer, Maker to Main Robert Totaro Vice President, Business Loan Officer Webster Five Aaron Birt CEO, Solvus Global MODERATOR: Bob Spellane Interim-Regional Director, Central Regional Office, Massachusetts SBDC, Clark University Presenting Sponsor F A C T B O O K W O R C E S T E R : J U S T T H E F A C T S ate-income households since 2020, including programs funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act. New tools include a down-payment assistance program for first-time homebuyers, an inclusionary zoning policy requiring a certain number of new apartment units be set aside as affordable, and devel- oping abandoned or foreclosed lots for new single- or two-family homes. "A lot of people pay attention to the multifamily buildings, but we are focused on the neighborhoods for in-fill development," said Peter Dunn, chief develop- ment officer for the City of Worcester. Avoiding college graduate brain drain With roughly 35,000 college students attending 10 colleges and universities in Worcester, the city has seen much progress in becoming a place new graduates might not want to leave. Over the past decade, restaurants, cultural attrac- tions and recreation options have blossomed, but affordable housing and jobs within city limits haven't kept pace. Expanding the employer base to create many local jobs across all levels of educational attainment must accompany the push for diverse housing options, Sulli- van said. "We need all of it and we need it now," he said. e Worcester Business Development Corp., the nonprofit charged with supporting economic develop- ment in the city, has set its sights on growing good jobs from larger employers. Continued from previous page Since it opened in 2008, the Hanover Theatre has brought stage shows to Worcester's Main Street. PHOTO | COURTESY OF THE HANOVER THEATRE