Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | January 13, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 5 United Way of South Central Mass. names executive director Almost three months to the day aer the United Way of South Central Mas- sachusetts' long-term executive director announced her retirement, the South- bridge-based human services nonprofit selected Kristin McCarthy as successor. "I am excited to join United Way of South Central MA," McCarthy said in the release. "I look forward to working alongside the board to further strength- en our impact and build upon the important work UWSCM has done for the communi- ties of Charlton, Dudley, South- bridge, Sturbridge, and Webster." McCarthy assumed her new role on Dec. 16, taking over for Mary O'Coin, who served as executive director for nine years and in September announced her plans to retire at the end of 2024. McCarthy joins UWSCM aer a 17- year tenure at Tri-Valley, Inc., a Dud- ley-based nonprofit agency providing human services to older adults and those with disabilities. She ended her time at Tri-Valley having most recently served as nutrition program director. Wachusett Brewing parent to merge with Harpoon's owner Wachusett Brewing in Westminster is set to be under its third different ownership group in three years, as the New Hampshire-based company that purchased it in January 2024 is set to merge with the company behind Har- poon Brewery. Together, they will form the largest cra beer company in New England. Fi- nancial details and the estimated closing date of the merger were not disclosed. Boston-based Mass. Bay Brewing and New Hampshire-based FinestKind Brewing will merge into a single entity known as Barrel One Collective, the two companies announced in a press release issued Dec. 31, bringing well-estab- lished cra beer brands like Harpoon, Wachusett, and Smuttynose under one roof. Dan Kenary, a Worcester native and Mass. Bay Brewing's co-founder and CEO, will lead the new entity as CEO. Barrel One Collective will be headquar- tered out of Harpoon's Boston office. FinestKind CEO Steve Kierstead will Kristin McCarthy, UWSCM executive director 176 Apartments in the luxury complex Matrix Hudson, which sold for $66.75 million in December to New York-based Zurich Alternative Asset Management, after being sold for $55.5 million in 2022 Source: Middlesex South Registry of Deeds 3.9% Unemployment rate in Massachusetts for November; unemployment throughout Central Massachusetts ranged from 3.5% in Greater Framingham to 4.3% in the Leominster-Gardner area Source: Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development Funding split between Worcester State, Framingham State, and Fitchburg State universities from Massachusetts' SUCCESS program to increase graduation rates within marginalized communities Source: Office of Gov. Maura Healey and the Executive Office of Education 83.2% Return readmission rate at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester in 2023, the highest return readmission rate of all hospitals in Central Massachusetts Source: Center for Health Information and Analysis $4.2 million GROW WITH US GROW WITH US As one of the region's leading independent CPA firms, we have continued to experience significant growth while maintaining our deep commitment to the Central Massachusetts community. We are deeply appreciative of our dedicated staff, and thank our valued clients for naming us the BEST CPA FIRM for 8 of the last 9 years. 89 Shrewsbury St. Suite 200 • Worcester, MA 01604 508-755-7107 • www.bolluslynch.com BOLLUS LYNCH CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS & CONSULTANTS An Independent Member of the BDO Alliance USA Committed to the success of your business 2 0 2 5 W I N N E R serve as the new entity's chief commer- cial officer, with Mass. Bay President Nathaniel Davis taking on the role of chief operating and strategy officer. Barrel One Collective will have an estimated combined production volume of nearly 165,000 barrels (5.12 million gallons), which it says will make it the largest cra producer in New England and the 14th largest in the country. For comparison, Tree House Brewing Co. in Charlton, another prominent New England cra brewer, produced 39,172 barrels in 2023, according to data provided to the WBJ Research De- partment. Hendler Family Brewing Co., the Framingham-based parent company of Jack's Abby, Wormtown Brewing, and Night Shi Brewery, is set to brew approximately 100,000 barrels in 2025. Both Harpoon and Smuttynose repre- sent some of the oldest cra brands in New England; Mass. Bay Brewing was the first cra brewery in Massachusetts when it opened its doors in 1986, while Smuttynose Brewing opened in 1994 before being bought at auction by Fin- estKind in 2018. Wachusett is the oldest active cra brewery brand in Central Massachu- setts, founded in 1994. W

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