Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | January 26, 2026 | Worcester Business Journal 5 W tion across all functions and sites. Rent- schler Biopharma is well positioned for a successful future, and I wish the entire team continued success on this journey," von Braunmühl said in the release. Succeeding von Braunmühl is interim CEO Uwe Buecheler, who has served as vice chairman of the Rentschler's su- pervisory board since 2024. Buecheler's appointment comes as the manufacturer plans to implement a new corporate strategy to support long-term growth and value creation. "Rentschler Biopharma is currently in a strong operational and economic position. Building on the scale-up of our production capacity, our outstanding development capabilities, and successful efficiency improvements across our sites, we are leading Rentschler Biopharma into the next phase of development, one that is even more strongly focused on client satisfaction, proximity to clients, and business expansion," Buecheler said in the release. Along with von Braunmühl's de- parture, Rentschler's COO Christiane Bardroff is set to leave the company for a new professional opportunity in the first quarter. As of Tuesday morning, Bardroff 's LinkedIn profile had not been updated to reflect a new position. Menkiti receives pushback over tax break request for 48-apartment project in Worcester e Worcester City Council debated on Jan. 12 giving a tax break to a devel- oper interested in adding to Downtown's housing stock, pushing a decision on the request to a later meeting. e Menkiti Group is seeking to con- struct 48 apartments on the upper floors of the historic Clark Block, located at 401- 409 Main St. e Washington D.C.-based firm re- quested the council authorize the project as a certified under the state's Housing Development Incentive Program, a move that would unlock state tax cred- its, and to approve a local tax increment exemption agreement. e TIE would be a 10-year agree- ment which would see Menkiti Group save $613,211 in taxes to be paid to the City of Worcester, according to docu- ments included in the council meeting agenda packet. e project would involve 11 studio apartments, 25 one-bedroom apartments, and seven two-bedroom apartments, with five of the units being affordable and the rest market rate. It would bring new life into a building first constructed in 1854, which has been largely underutilized since the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decline in use of the office space in the building's upper floors, according to a letter from Worcester Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn included in the meeting packet. Menkiti Group has invested $70 million in Downtown so far, according to a letter by the firm. e developer finished its Chatham Lo Projects at 6 Chatham St. in late 2021, bringing 24 luxury apartments to Downtown, and is working to complete a renovation of the Kane Building at 204 Main St., a project involving retail space and 20 apartments. Menkiti Group's work in Downtown has not been without controversy, as the firm was fined $5,000 aer being found to be in violation of Worcester's respon- sible development ordinance in relation to a subcontractor involved in the 204 Main St. project, which also involved a TIE agreement. Wareham-based Barber Drywall, one of the subcontractors on the project, was issued five civil citations from the Fair Labor Standards Division in September 2024 and June 2025 for work on another project, according to MassLive. Worces- ter's RDO requires developers to ensure that all subcontractors working on the project have not been found in violation of any law applicable to their contracting businesses within the prior three years. Dunn's letter said Menkiti Group has reaffirmed its commitment to the RDO and was not aware of the 2024 citations prior to the subcontractor's work on the project. Barber Drywall is appealing the citations from 2025 but did not appeal the citation from 2024. WBJ has reached out to Menkiti Group for any additional comments on the project and RDO violation. Worcester-based North Atlantic States Carpenters Union – Local 336 has been vocal in its opposition to Menkiti Group receiving additional tax breaks from the City, citing the company's violation of the RDO. e group held a protest in front of City Hall on Jan. 12, asking the city council to reject the TIE proposal. Uwe Buecheler, interim CEO of Rentschler Biopharma $14.5 billion Purchase price Boston Scientific, a Marlborough-based medical device manufacturer, will pay to acquire Penumbra, a healthcare company out of California Source: Boston Scientific 4.7% November unemployment rate in Massachusetts, a figure unchanged from September. October's unemployment report was canceled by the federal government due to the shutdown. Source: Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development 49.99% Portion of the company Lifeward that the Marlborough-based medical device manufacturer is selling for $47 million in exchange for a protein oral delivery technology developed by Oramed Pharmaceuticals Source: Lifeward Worcester location of Her Zen Studio, a new women's-only Pilates studio opened in January Source: Her Zen Studio 12 Portland St. $2.1 million Purchase price of a property TJX Cos. purchased near its headquarters in Framingham as the retail conglomerate continues to expand its presence in Central Massachusetts. Source: Middlesex South Registry of Deeds 46.8 Score the Massachusetts Business Confidence Index sat at in December, marking the 10th consecutive month the state's business confidence remained in pessimistic territory Source: Associated Industries of Massachusetts 26 Central St. Location of the First Congregational Church of West Boylston property that sold for the first time in more than two centuries for $1.2 million. Source: First Congregational Church of West Boylston Legal marijuana sales in Massachusetts in 2025, a record for the state Source: Cannabis Control Commission $1.65 billion

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