Worcester Business Journal

30 Worcester Business Journal | December 29, 2025 | wbjournal.com Start the New Year off with BOB! Join the Worcester Business Journal and presenting sponsor Fidelity Bank as we toast the WBJ Best of Business Award winners at our Networking and Awards celebration! January 28, 2026 Beechwood Hotel, Worcester 5:00-7:00PM Cost: $50 Pre-registration required. www.wbjournal.com/ BOBawards Presenting Sponsor Winners will be announced in our January 12, 2026 edition! A W A R D S B E S T O F B U S I N E S S SAVE THE DATE! Corporate Sponsor CRAFT BEER & CANNABIS Sinclair and O'Brien had to do with a commission investigation into whether O'Brien had properly removed her- self from the ownership of Greenfield Greenery before the CCC awarded the cannabis cultivation company a license. Jones had been engaged by Morgan, Brown and Joy, a Boston-based law firm the CCC frequently leans on, to conduct an internal investigation on behalf of CCC. e report was pub- lished by CommonWealth Beacon in September 2024 and was included in more than 3,000 pages released by the courts in connection to the legal battle between O'Brien and State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg over O'Brien's firing. O'Brien succeeded in her lawsuit on Sep. 2, when a judge ordered her to be reinstated as CCC chair, which O'Brien intends to do. e investigation found O'Brien repeatedly made inappropriate remarks regarding the professional work rela- tionship between then-commissioner Nurys Camargo and Sinclair. It found insufficient evidence O'Brien bullied Sinclair over his race and insufficient evidence Sinclair bullied O'Brien re- garding her gender. "e allegations that I bullied or mis- treated women staff are patently false, and they reflect the retaliatory envi- ronment that I described in my MCAD complaint," Sinclair wrote in a statement to WBJ. He called the settlement a pub- lic vindication. Sinclair took issue with both WBUR's and the Globe's news reports and denied the allegations of bullying or mistreat- ment levied against him, saying they were "part of a broader pattern where certain staff, aligned with leadership, manufactured meritless complaints that were then weaponized by human resources as tools of retaliation. ese attacks were further amplified without corroboration, creating a distorted public narrative." Complaints, cross-complaints, and frustrations about human resources investigations have been common oc- currences at CCC, according to a WBJ investigation published in October. Sinclair called on the state legislature and the commission's three appointing powers — Gov. Maura Healey, Trea- surer Goldberg, and Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell — to act with urgency in addressing the systematic issues at the agency. "I oen see articles, and there's a quote that goes something to the effect of 'Another scandal at the Cannabis Control Commission.'" Sinclair told WBJ. "What the public should under- stand is that it's not another scandal. It's the same ongoing scandal that's been happening over several years, and it's a through line through all of the challenges that the agency has had early on… e two key pieces for this agency to move forward is closing the gap that exists be- tween commissioners and staff, as far as accountability and reporting structure to human resources and actually addressing people who have caused harm." e settlement was in the works for months. O'Brien has denied the accusations against her. Parent company of Jack's Abby, Wormtown led Central Mass. beer production in 2024 Hendler Family Brewing Co. in Framingham led Central Massachu- setts breweries in production volumes in 2024, the year the entity was created to facilitate the expanding beer brand portfolio of the founders of Jack's Abby. e firm, which purchased Worm- town Brewery in Worcester in April 2024 and followed that up with the purchase of Everett-based Night Shi Brewery in October, produced 86,000 barrels of beer last year, according to e Brewers Association. With 31 gallons to a barrel, that's enough beer to fill just over four Olympic-sized swimming pools. at production volume is about a 27.1% increase over the 67,652 barrels Jack's Abby produced in 2023, before the creation of its new parent company. Tree House Brewing Co., the Charl- ton-based, self-distributing brewer, produced 40,262 barrels in 2024, a slight increase from the 39,172 barrels it produced in 2023. Known for a cult-like following which draws long lines to its locations, Tree House has expanded its footprint from Boston to Saratoga Springs, New York since 2023. While data from Wachusett Brew- ing Co., which was acquired by New Hampshire-based Smuttynose Brewing in January 2024, was not included in e Brewing Association's Massa- chusetts data, the firm told the WBJ Research Department it brewed 15,010 barrels in 2024, putting it third in Central Mass. Prior to being acquired, Wachusett produced 15,000 barrels in 2023. Worcester-based Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. produced the fourth-most beer of any Central Mas- sachusetts brewer in 2024, at 10,600 barrels. at's down slightly from the 11,000 barrels it reported in 2023. Continued from previous page W

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