6 Worcester Business Journal | October 28, 2024 | wbjournal.com
35th Anniversary
WBJ
Contents:
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 2024. 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
A division of:
Editor,
Brad Kane,
bkane@wbjournal.com
Project Editor,
Fred Hurlbrink Jr.
Staff Writers
Eric Casey, ecasey@wbjournal.com (real
estate, manufacturing)
Mica Kanner-Mascolo, mkannermascolo@
wbjournal.com (health care, diversity &
inclusion)
Contributors
Laura Finaldi, T.J. Gaudet, Livia Gershon,
Barbara M. Houle, Sloane M. Perron, Susan
Shalhoub, Stephen Underwood
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 Clerk, Rae Rogers,
rrogers@nebusinessmedia.com
Event Coordinator, Patty Harris,
pattyh@wbjournal.com
Director of Audience Development
and Operations, 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
5 // Publisher's letter
Putting 35 years of Worcester business on
paper.
By Peter Stanton
12 // Photo trivia!!!
For the 35th anniversary, tease your brain
and identify 35 business leaders from years
past.
14 // Favorite covers
Check out some of our most impactful, most
memorable – and hopefully most enjoyable
– Worcester Business Journal covers over the
years.
16 // 35-year timeline
Remember the Norton Co.'s dramatic 1990?
Or when Digital Equipment went down for
the count? Take a year-by-year walk down
memory lane.
90 // at's what they said!
Quotes of note from regular features such as
Verbatim, Grapevine, and Overheard, and 35
years of top-notch reporting.
Worcester Business Journal
WBJ
Central Massachusetts' Source for Business News since 1989
Features
8 // e legacy of ambition
A periodic look at the ups and downs,
important figures and common threads of
six of the region's most enduring businesses.
By Fred Hurlbrink Jr.
22 // More diverse businesses
Examining the complex journey toward
diversifying Central Mass. business
leadership.
By Mica Kanner-Mascolo
26 // Feasting on nostalgia
Take a spin around the last three-plus
decades of the Worcester-area culinary
scene with one of its foremost observers.
By Barbara M. Houle
32 // Where are they now?
Gone, but not forgotten, these difference
makers made lasting impressions. Find out
what they've been up to.
By T.J. Gaudet
36 // Galleria To CitySquare
As CitySquare becomes the new normal,
look back at the rise, fall and resurgence of
Worcester's city center.
By Laura Finaldi
42 // Crowd pleasers
Despite economic downturns and
climate crises, some of the region's major
destinations continue to deliver.
By Susan Shalhoub
8 32
