Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | October 20, 2025 | wbjournal.com Moving on As the highest-profile commercial landlord in Central Mass. faces financial woes, his Worcester properties have largely moved on without him BY ERIC CASEY WBJ Managing Editor F our months aer Charles "Chip" Norton filed for per- sonal Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the prominent Worcester properties he was once the face of, as the managing director of Franklin Realty Advisors, have seemingly moved on without him. Norton was removed from the enti- ties managing Mercantile Center and Worcester Business Center in Worcester in May, amid a slew of lawsuits accusing him and his businesses of unpaid debts and ahead of his June 23 bankruptcy filing. A new property management firm, Eastport Real Estate Services of Wake- field, has been brought in to manage both sites. e properties are now being led by individuals who were already invested in the projects, said Mark Donahue, an attorney at Worcester law firm Fletcher Tilton, which is based in Mercantile Center. Donahue facilitated the changes to the entities managing the properties. With prominent Central Massachu- setts tenants, the properties appear to remain stable despite the interwoven nature of Norton's personal and busi- ness finances, which was revealed in his bankruptcy filings. e Worcester Business Center owes $530,976 in overdue real estate taxes, but the other Worcester proper- ties are current on their payments. Norton's bankruptcy filing revealed a list of more than 50 cred- itors he owed money to, including the region's power players and high-profile institutions, such as Cornerstone Bank, Country Bank, Middlesex Savings Bank, Rockland Trust, Savers Bank, Web- ster Five bank, Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District, and state agency MassDevelopment. Five claims from creditors totalling $75.63 million have been filed as part of the bankruptcy proceedings, ranging from a claim from Ware-based Country Bank for $67 million in money loaned for obligations relating to FRA's Front Street properties, to a claim of $89,100 in unpaid rent from a landlord of a Brook- line apartment Norton had rented. Nor- ton's bankruptcy case remains ongoing. Office towers still standing Despite Norton's legal troubles, the properties he was once fronted have continued to operate as if nothing had happened, said Donahue. Eastport was brought in by the investors, who had taken over control from Norton amid his exit in the spring from Franklin Realty Advisors, which is based in Wellesley. e names now listed on Front Street Associates, the entity behind Mercantile Center, are Paul Mucci, John Lauring, and Mark Wetzel. John Lauring is president of Worcester-based Lauring Construc- tion. e firm has been involved in more than 40 projects totaling $30 million for FRA, according to Lauring's website, but sued the firm in May over unpaid debt in Worcester County Superior Court. Paul Mucci is the retired executive of Devonshire Investors in Boston, a private investment firm affiliated with the parent IMAGE | WBJ PHOTO ILLUSTRATION John Lauring, president of Lauring Construction As his bankruptcy plays out, Chip Norton's Worcester properties have seemingly carried on without him. Mark Donahue, attor- ney and shareholder at Fletcher Tilton

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