Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | January 22, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 3 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 Writer Eric Casey, ecasey@wbjournal.com (real estate, manufacturing) Contributors Giselle Rivera-Flores, Laura Finaldi, Monica Benevides, Alan Earls, Susan Shalhoub, Livia Gershon Photgraphers Matt Wright, Edd Cote, Christine Peterson 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 General Manager Kris Prosser, kprosser@wbjournal.com Senior Accounts Manager Christine Juetten, cjuetten@wbjournal.com Accounts Manager Timothy Doyle tdoyle@wbjournal.com Human Resources Manager, Tracy Rodwill, trodwill@nebusinessmedia.com Director of Finance, Sara Ward, sward@nebusinessmedia.com Accounting Assistant, Rae Rogers, rrogers@nebusinessmedia.com Account Receivable Specialist, Patty Harris, pharris@nebusinessmedia.com Director of Audience Development and Operations, Leah Allen, allen@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 So, I feel the pain of Second Chance Animal Services in Brookfield and Dog Orphans in Douglas in the story "Struggling to keep people and pets together" on page 10. More than just adoption services, these pet nonprofits offer discounted veterinary services and other ways to help people afford their pets. Demand for their services is spiking – Second Chance helped a record 49,000 animals in 2023 – while the donations remain stagnant. e problem is similar to ones human services nonprofits highlighted last year: People are struggling and need services like food assistance more, but the nonprofits aren't bringing in extra revenue to meet this need. ese are problems without easy solutions, even if a nonprofit can find new donors or convince existing donors to give more, which is tough because peo- ple are struggling. Being a pet owner leads to a life filled with love, and at least some financial hardship. Similarly, nonprofit officials are committed to the love of their missions, understanding financial hardships are part of the deal. It would be nice, though, if those monetary pressures were less pronounced. – Brad Kane, editor W E ver since my parents adopted a Yorkshire terrier named Pretzel when I was about 10, I've always had at least one dog in my life. While they've fulfilled my life in ways only furry friends can, car- ing for dogs over their lifetimes is an expensive endeavor. When my wife, Sarah, and I first moved in together, I owned two dogs, and she had one. Bella, Molly, and Vegas (a border collie and two mixed breeds) were the steady rocks of our early marriage, moving with us from Florida to Marlborough to Springfield and welcoming our first babies into our lives. Vegas, unfortunately, developed diabetes and required twice daily shots of insulin, which initially cost $120 a bottle plus needles. Sarah and I debated cutting our grocery budget for us and the kids to get Vegas her medicine, before we fortunately found a generic insulin for $25, which enabled us to keep her healthy until she died of old age. In the years since Bella, Molly, and Vegas passed away, three new young dogs have come into our lives: Lilo, Maximus, and Flynn Rider (a Texas heeler and two Australian shepherds). Flynn follows my oldest daughter Maggie everywhere, Lilo is my constant companion, and Max is the world's most patient dog, especially with our younger children. Unfortunately, they've needed four surgeries in the last year, so we'll be making the equivalent of a monthly car payment until 2025 to cover the vet bills. I love dogs Regional Real Estate? Our World of Knowledge Can Bridge the Gap Between a Great Idea and a Grand Opening. Knowing the ins and outs of commercial real estate requires not only know-how but also knowing who. Our knowledge of local and regional markets allows us to assist you with the how and the why, the when and where, always with an eye on the time, regardless of the size of your project. Because when you have all of the right information, you're assured of making an enlightened decision. FletcherTilton.com W O R C E S T E R | F R A M I N G H A M | B O S TO N | C A P E CO D | P R OV I D E N C E Mark Donahue Todd Brodeur 508.459.8029 508.459.8038 T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 4 Central Mass. In Brief 12 Focus on Real Estate 16 The List: Notable commercial sales 17 The List: Notable commercial leases 19 Know How 20 Movers & Shakers 21 Opinion 22 Shop Talk: Prime Power Rentals 8 Q&A: An insider's perspective on the WooSox sale Representing his family, Ralph Crowley Jr. will be one of three remaining minority owners of the team and the one with the deepest Central Mass. connections. 18 Sleep well to lead well Advice columnist Bob Martel urges business leaders to focus on self-care, particularly getting enough quality sleep, in order to effectively set their companies up for success in 2024. CORRECTION: A story appearing in the Dec. 25 special edition Economic Forecast entitled "The booms and busts of life sciences in 2024"; incorrectly said Waters Corp. is based in Marlborough. The company is headquartered in Milford. Two of the Kane family dogs: Maximus and Lilo

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