Worcester Business Journal

18 Worcester Business Journal • February 16, 2014 www.wbjournal.com B U S I N E S S L E A D E R S O F T H E Y E A R << Connecticut Business Connects on June 4th! Connecticut Convention Center • Hartford www.ctbexpo.com 1 5 t h A n n u A l Learn Connect Prosper J u n e 4 t h h a r t f o r d Looking for a qualified audience for your next seminar? Host your custom seminar at the 2015 CT Business Expo on June 4! For more info, contact Brittney Michaud at bmichaud@HartfordBusiness.com or 860-236-9998 x133 Space is Limited ~ Reserve Today! Produced By: Event Partners: Presented By: Gold Sponsors: Platinum Sponsors: SYSTEMS Event Technology Solutions www.prosystems.tv Added Value & Promotion: • Your Seminar will be featured and promoted in CTBEXPO Print and Online Marketing, the CTBEXPO Website, Offcicial Show Guide, Floor Plan and Signage the day of the show! CT Business Expo Attendee Profile: • Annually the expo attracts approximately 4,500 diverse and highly-targeted decision-makers. • Over 50% of attendees are CEO, CFO, COO, President, Vice President, Partner, Owner, Director or Senior Manager. • Attendees represented over 250 major industries in 2014. be energetic, relevant and excellent. The move downtown "Gail made it a priority to contribute substantially to what she calls the renais- sance of downtown Worcester," said Craig L. Blais, president and CEO of the Worcester Business Development Corp., which bought the T&G building in 2011. She's "very passionate about providing students access to an affordable educa- tion," he said, adding: "She often leads with her heart, which is not a bad quality." Practicalities such as bus routes and sandwich shops helped attract QCC to downtown. Because many in its service area don't have cars or a lot of money, the college needs to be where it's easy to reach. Meanwhile, the students in health care, continuing education, and other disciplines who attend classes downtown become part of a wider circle. "Enhancing economic vitality was a key part of the decision," Carberry said. The college has also dramatically increased its online enrollment, from about 300 in 2006, to well over 30,000 today. The important thing is connecting people with the educational opportunity that works for them. That gets the gears turning, and that's what QCC, and Gail Garberry, are very good at. Lifted by ex-students' successes Carberry cherishes the stories of stu- dents QCC has served in its 52 years. From high school students in danger of dropping out to college-educated profes- sionals looking to better themselves, QCC very likely has a course, a counsel- or, a program and a plan ready to meet the need. Thousands of local people have found themselves at the QCC crossroads at some point, and benefited. In Carberry's case, as it is for many, a sound start is the key. After she found her way at Springfield Technical, and began trusting in her abilities, "I became more aggressive and assertive with my own leadership," she said. "I came 'home' to Worcester when I felt I had the capac- ity to lead, and I never looked back — except with satisfaction that I had cho- sen the right profession." n Bay State Savings Bank Gail Carberry Watch a brief video clip of Gail Carberry, at www.wbjournal.com/carberry. On WBJournal.com >> Continued from Page 14 pay 32 low-income youths who are assisting the farmers markets and learn- ing to grow food, according to Steve Fischer, the council's executive director. "Bay State certainly has a reputation throughout the community (as an orga- nization that goes) above and beyond" with the support it provides, according to Fischer. "We couldn't do it without sponsors like Bay State Savings." Boosting community development The Worcester East Side Community Development Corp. also received $2,000 from the bank last year. It came at an important time, amid reports that a fed- eral audit found that some community development grant money had been used improperly, leading to tension between city officials and some neighborhood- based community development organiza- tions, including East Side. The money from Bay State was "important to us," said Donna Warshaw, East Side's executive director. "It's nice to have foundations that still believe in the" community development organizations. The bank takes a broader view as well. For instance, Alden sits on the board of directors for the Worcester Business Development Corp. (WBDC), as did his predecessor, Robert J. Lewis. And the bank was one of seven that loaned money to the WBDC to redevelop the bank's next-door neighbor in downtown Worcester, the former Telegram & Gazette building on Franklin Street, into the downtown campus for Quinsigamond Community College as well as work- space for start-up companies. That drives up the level of excitement about downtown's redevelopment for Alden, whose office overlooks City Hall and the downtown common. "We've been in this building since the mid-'50s, so as a company, we've seen a lot of change," he said. "We chose to stay downtown … Everything that's develop- ing around us and that we're helping to support is big. There's a lot of momen- tum (and even) the naysayers are start- ing to see a lot of progress." While the bank spreads its charity among several organizations — 15 received money in 2014 — it leans toward causes that help children, Alden says. In 2004, Bay State created its "Champions for Children" program to support organi- zations that help children. The program is supported entirely through fundraising and separate from its charitable founda- tion. Since its inception, the program has raised more than $110,000 for local orga- nizations and charities. "When there's a choice of two things, if it's related to helping kids, and specifically underprivileged kids, that's where we go," Alden notes. And then there are older kids at Auburn High School who have worked at the bank's branch at the school, which opened in 1989, making Bay State one of the early adopters of the practice in Central Massachusetts. Students develop their financial litera- cy. And as for Bay State, "we've gotten some great employees out of it too," Alden says. n Watch a brief video clip of Bay State Savings Bank, at www.wbjournal.com/baystate. On WBJournal.com >> Continued from Page 16

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