wbjournal.com | April 7, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 3
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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
4 Central Mass. In Brief
12 Focus on Manufacturing
21 List: Largest Manufacturers
22 Column: Bob Martel
23 Know How
24 Movers & Shakers
25 Opinion
26 Shop Talk: Market on Brussels
22 Know and grow yourself, grow your
business
Advice columnist Bob Martel offers
executives ways to improve themselves, on
the way to improving their businesses.
25 Don't overlook nonprofit home
health care
Viewpoint opinion columnist Todd Rose,
the former CEO of VNA Care in Worcester,
advocates for the home health industry as
officials look to keep healthcare costs in line.
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 2025. 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
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contact our circulation department at 845-267-3008.
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at 508-755-8004 ext. 227. Fax: 508-755-8860.
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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
Managing Editor, Eric Casey,
ecasey@wbjournal.com (real estate,
manufacturing)
Staff Writer
Mica Kanner-Mascolo,
mkannermascolo@wbjournal.com
(health care, diversity & inclusion)
Contributors
Sloane M. Perron, Giselle Rivera-
Flores, Emily Micucci, Livia Gershon
Photographers
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 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
I
wasn't trying to make a joke, but ap-
parently what I said was hilarious.
Every summer, the main industry
association for independently
owned business journals holds an
annual meeting in a rotating host city.
is June, the Alliance of Area Business
Publishers will have its conference in Ot-
tawa, Canada. While planning the event,
the publisher of Ottawa Business Journal
reached out to the AABP board to see
what sort of down-time activities would
be of interest. He offered a list of cool ad-
ventures like touring Parliament, meeting
the U.S. ambassador, etc.
Aer responding positively to most of
those choices, I wrote a note at the bottom
of the survey, saying what I really wanted
to do while I Ottawa was to try the sport
of curling. Even though I grew up near a
curling facility and Central Massachusetts
is home to a handful of curling clubs, I
never actually tried the sport. So, I figured
while I was in Ottawa, what could be more
Canadian than eating poutine, drinking
Labatt Blue, and trying curling for the first
time?
OBJ's publisher emailed me almost
immediately, saying how hilarious my
survey response was. Canadians don't curl
in the middle of summer. He even put me
in touch with a member of his staff who is
an expert curler, who also told me curling
doesn't really happen in June in Canada.
With egg thoroughly on my face, I played
along, saying I was trying to be funny.
Haha.
I must be spoiled, having lived my entire
life within driving distance of a year-round
ice rink, even when I lived in Florida. Every
day, I drive by the New England Ice Center
in Marlborough, which is the largest ice
sports venue in North America. All these
facilities are primarily used for hockey,
particularly youth hockey.
Managing Editor Eric Casey explores
the significant economic impact of youth
hockey in his "Power play" story on page
10. Not only do youth clubs generate mil-
lions in fees alone, but their tournaments
are responsible for an entire subeconomy
fueling hotels, restaurants, equipment
vendors and gas stations. Casey's story is an
insightful read at a time when much of the
economy and business-as-usual appears to
be in turmoil.
Doesn't curling sound like fun?
I N T H I S I S S U E
And I will try curling one day. It may not
be this summer in Ottawa, but the sport
looks like too much fun to pass up.
– Brad Kane, editor
W
