wbjournal.com | December 29, 2025 | 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
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Worcester Business Journal
172 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester, MA 01604
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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, professional services)
Editorial Interns
Jill McSorley, jmcsorley@wbjournal.
com; Charlotte Powers, cpowers@
wbjournal.com
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, Peter Stanton
pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com
Associate Publisher, Mark Murray
mmurray@wbjournal.com
President, CEO, Tom Curtin
tcurtin@hartfordbusinessjournal.com
Economic Forecast 2026: Contents
WBJ's 10 bold predictions for 2026
The journalists in the WBJ newsroom forecast 10 possible news events for the coming year, based on their expertise
and the trends in the Central Massachusetts business community. ....................................................................................................... 4
How did we do with 2025's bold predictions?
In December 2024, the WBJ Editorial staff made 10 bold predictions for news events to happen in Central Massachusetts
throughout the year. We ended up getting half of them correct. ............................................................................................................ 5
Guest column: Economic dynamics in Central Mass. are strong
Brian Westerlind, the new president and CEO of Auburn-based Webster Five bank, lays out his reasoning for why the local
economy will outperform in 2026, despite any national and global headwinds. .................................................................................... 7
List toppers
What firms and people topped WBJ's various lists in 2025? ................................................................................................................. 9
Economic Forecast survey 2026: Anticipating improvement
For the first time since 2020, WBJ readers said the local economy is in worse condition than it was a year ago,
but the plurality see improvements coming in 2026. .......................................................................................................................... 10
Page 26
Page 24
Page 21
Industry Forecasts
Real estate
Next year will present opportunities, as uncertainty
in the real estate market continues. .......................................................14
Health care
Fresh faces will lead some of the major businesses
in the region's largest employment industry. . ........................................18
Manufacturing
Next year will bring more unpredictability, less enthusiasm
in the region's largest industry by GDP. . .................................................21
Diversity & inclusion
After a very tumultuous 2025, companies will operate their DEI efforts
in a low-key manner next year. . ............................................................24
Higher education
Amid trends working against traditional four-year institutions,
community colleges will play a larger role in higher education. . ............26
Craft beer & cannabis
As markets constrain, businesses in the craft beer and cannabis
spaces will struggle to adapt. . ...............................................................28
