Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | May 27, 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: tal friendliness have become increasingly prioritized in economic development, although it has happened extremely slowly and still isn't as prioritized as concerns like profits, low costs, and immediacy. Hope- fully, that pace of change will accelerate very soon, as we can't wait much longer. – Brad Kane, editor C limate change is coming for us all in one way or another. Aer a string of mild New England winters, extra hot summers, rising sea levels, changing ocean currents, it's clear the world will be significantly changed over the course of the next decade. ese changes are the result of indi- vidual and collective choices we've made as a species for two centuries, in the way we live our lives and run our economy. Generally, these choices have prioritized lowering expenses, creating efficien- cies, and increasing power. While these priorities have built great economies and businesses and largely made our lives more comfortable, their cost has been the overall health of the planet. So, for this edition's Focus on Energy & Sustainability, WBJ's articles examine alternative ways of doing things, where the health of the planet is a top priority. In his cover story "e green outdoors" starting on page 12, Staff Writer Eric Casey studies outdoor cannabis farming, which makes up about 20% of the mar- ijuana grown in Central Mass. Outdoor cannabis uses significantly less energy than indoor cultivation. However, the quality of the product is harder to control, and weather is a bigger concern. is can drive up the cost of the product, which means consumers and regulators would have to prioritize sustainability over expense. Over on page 14, Staff Writer Mica Kanner-Mascolo in her "Selling sustain- ability" story sat down with the owners of second-hand stores, as they keep consumer products in circulation longer and help slow the rate of waste piling up in landfills. On page 10, Casey examines a different scale of reuse in his "Cubicles to commu- nities" story about the potential of using empty office buildings for housing. Turns out, converting an office tower into 200 apartments is a complex and expensive undertaking, and oen tearing down and building new is a cheaper and faster alter- native. Still, avoiding any level of demoli- tion in favor of recycling older buildings will have a significant environmental impact, and developers should be incentiv- ized to pursue such renovations. Over the course of my first 43 years on this planet, sustainability and environmen- Setting the right priorities GO GREEN THIS YEAR. stmaryscu.org (508) 490 8000 APPLY FOR A 0% APR MASS SAVE® HEAT LOAN Improve your home's energy efficiency Improve your home's energy efficiency while making every dollar count. while making every dollar count. Scan code to get started - Scan code to get started - THROUGH ST. MARY'S CREDIT UNION Editor, Brad Kane, bkane@wbjournal.com Staff Writers Eric Casey, ecasey@wbjournal.com (real estate, manufacturing) Mica Kanner-Mascolo, mkannermascolo@wbjournal.com (health care, diversity & inclusion) Editorial Intern Sara Bedigian, sbedigian@wbjournal.com Contributors Sloane M. Perron, Giselle Rivera- Flores, Emily Micucci, 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 W Corrections: An article in the May 13 edition entitled "The downsizing of the Telegram & Gazette" incorrectly referred to Spectrum News 1 as broadcast news. The station actually refers to itself as televised news, as Spectrum News 1 is not available via over-the-air broadcast. Additionally, the article incorrectly stated MassLive is the digital arm of The Republican in Springfield, when in fact it is owned by New York-based Advanced Publications, and the article misstated Noah Bombard's former title at MassLive. His title was the senior managing editor, not editor. A chart published alongside the article entitled "Becoming the Fourth Estate" in the May 13 edition incorrectly stated the Leominster Champion is published weekly in print. The Champion is an online-only publication. The chart also omitted Berlin, Sterling, and West Boylston from the list of municipalities covered by The Clinton Item. T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 4 Central Mass. In Brief 12 Focus on Energy & Sustainability 17 List: Clean energy companies 18 Know How 19 Movers & Shakers 21 Opinion 22 Shop Talk: Thrive Support & Advocacy 8 Of primary concern The crises in the healthcare industry are hitting primary care doctors hard, as policymakers work to bring multiple fixes to fruition. 21 Why women mentors should pick male mentees Viewpoint opinion columnist Connie Askin argues men should seek professional female mentors to guide them to career success.

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