Worcester Business Journal Special Editions

wbjournal.com | June 22, 2026 | Worcester Business Journal 11 Dear Central Massachusetts Community, A s Executive Director of the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), I have had the privilege of working alongside organizations of all sizes, from startups to global industry leaders over the past 10 years and have had the pleasure of learning about their various histories and plans for future growth. While their industries may differ, they share a common trait: a willingness to innovate, adapt, and pursue opportunities that create a lasting impact. Over the past several decades, Marlborough has evolved into one of Massachusetts' leading destinations for business growth. is transformation did not happen by chance. It was made possible by entrepreneurs, business owners, and visionary leaders who recognized the city's potential and were willing to invest in its future. eir decisions have helped create a diverse economy that supports thousands of residents and attracts talent from throughout the region. e City of Marlborough has a proud history of being one of the leading shoe manufacturing cities of the 19th century. Samuel Boyd, widely known as the "e Father of the City," opened the first shoe manufacturing business in the city in 1836, which would later become one of the largest shoe factories in the United States. Marlborough grew to be one of the largest shoe producing cities in the world, with more than two dozen shops by the late 19th century. Famous brands such as Frye boots were not only made in Marlborough, but proudly worn by Civil War soldiers. Today, you can still see nods to the prominence of the shoe making history through entrepreneurial spirit and businesses like Lost Shoe Brewing and Roasting Company. During the 20th century both I495 and I90 were built leading to Marlborough's transition from heavy hands on manufacturing to more high tech and bio-tech focused. ese major highways created unparalleled access and turned the area into a corporate crossroads in the Commonwealth that is still envied today. In the early 2000's Marlborough was heavily dependent on companies such as Digital Equipment Corporation and Fidelity as they had a large corporate presence in the city, employing a significant number of people. When Fidelity left the city, seemingly overnight, the first people to notice were small and local business owners that no longer were seeing the trickle down effect of having employees come in and out of the city everyday to work. It was at this time that Marlborough 2010 was created, which would later become Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), tasked with creating a business friendly environment and driving job growth in the city. Since then, MEDC has had the pleasure of working with companies such as TJX, Boston Scientific, Quest Diagnostics, Cytiva (formerly GE Healthcare), Hologic, Moderna, Sartorius, Ken's Foods, Qnity and more, as they follow in the footsteps of people like Samual Boyd and continue to grow their operations in Marlborough. In today's economy, we are well known in the Commonwealth as a bio-tech and life sciences hub, proudly named amongst MassBio's Platinum Level BioReady Communities and home to dozens of biomanufacturing start-ups and large established businesses. In Marlborough, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, with MEDC offering small business grants to over 40 companies totalling $802,171 to help with start-up or expansion costs. We also offer temporary retail space in our downtown district to help makers and microbusinesses test out the market. As we continue to see growth in Marlborough with projects such as the State Crime Lab breaking ground on a new 200,000 square foot facility and UMass Memorial continuing to invest in the Marlborough location, we are not only excited about what's to come but feel confident in Marlborough's long lasting commitment to innovation and economic opportunity. S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N | America at 250 Meredith Harris Executive Director Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N | America at 250

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