www.wbjournal.com April 27, 2015 • Worcester Business Journal 3
We live and work in a society that places a high value on education. Notice that I steered clear of the word
"price" in that last sentence. Yes, the price of education is also high, perhaps even stratospheric for those who face
the prospect of paying off daunting college loans after they graduate.
But education's price is a different topic for a different conversation. In this issue, we focus on the kind of
education that would offer more immediate payback: MBA and workforce development programs. On Page 12,
we have two stories that focus on the value Central Massachusetts businesses place on the sometimes-coveted
degree, as well as the perspective of the colleges in the region that offer programs, both general MBAs and those
with specific focus areas, such as health care and sports management.
And on Page 14, read our story on how some schools, helped by government grant money, are working closely with manufacturers
to boost their skill level for 21st-century specialties. Supplementing that is a Viewpoint column on Page 29 on how critical Central
Massachusetts remains in the much-changed manufacturing industry in New England.
While I'm at it, isn't spring a welcome sight?
~ Rick Saia (rsaia@wbjournal.com)
This Week In The WBJ
Editor, Rick Saia, rsaia@wbjournal.com
Web Editor/Columnist
Christina H. Davis, cdavis@wbjournal.com
Staff Writers
Sam Bonacci, sbonacci@wbjournal.com
(Banking & Finance, Real Estate,
Manufacturing, Technology)
Emily Micucci, emicucci@wbjournal.com
(Health Care)
Staff Writer/Copy Editor
Carol McDonald, cmcdonald@wbjournal.com
(Education)
Contributors
Susan Shalhoub, sshalhoub@wbjournal.com
Livia Gershon
Research Director, Roger Magnus
rmagnus@nebusinessmedia.com
Research Assistant, Heide Martin
hmartin@wbjournal.com
Production Director, Kira Beaudoin
kbeaudoin@wbjournal.com
Associate Art Director, Mitchell Hayes
mhayes@wbjournal.com
Manager of Video/Multimedia Services,
Matthew Volpini
mvolpini@nebusinessmedia.com
Director, Major Accounts
Bonnie Leroux, bleroux@wbjournal.com
Senior Accounts Manager
Matt Majikas, mmajikas@wbjournal.com
Accounts Manager
Rena Barbieri, rbarbieri@wbjournal.com
Custom Publishing Project Manager
Christine Juetten, cjuetten@wbjournal.com
Marketing & Events Manager
Kris Prosser, kprosser@wbjournal.com
Controller, Mary Rogers
mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com
Accounting Assistant, Valerie Clark
vclark@nebusinessmedia.com
Collections Manager, Raki Zwiebel
rzwiebel@nebusinessmedia.com
Human Resources, Kim Vautour
kvautour@nebusinessmedia.com
Publisher, CEO, Peter Stanton
pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com
Associate Publisher, Mark Murray
mmurray@wbjournal.com
Group Publisher, Joseph Zwiebel
jzwiebel@nebusinessmedia.com
Worcester Business Journal (ISSN#1063-
6595) is published bi-weeky, 24x per year,
including 5 special issues in April, July,
September, November and December, by
New Engand Business Media. 172
Shrewsbury St., Worcester, MA 01604.
Periodicals postage paid at Worcester, MA.
Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.
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Worcester Business Journal • 172 Shrewsbury Street • Worcester,
MA 01604 • 508-755-8004 tel. • 508-755-8860 fax
www.wbjournal.com
A division of:
WBJ on the Web
From news to information about events and awards, we have it all at WBJournal.com.
Call for nominations:
40 Under Forty
We're close to picking this year's 40
Under Forty class. Do you know an
up-and-coming business leader in
Central Massachusetts who's worthy
of being recognized? Fill out a nomination form today
at www.wbjournal.com/40underforty/nomination.
ON PAGE ONE
Urgent care market fills up
Health care providers in Central Massachusetts are expanding their store-
front urgent care operations. Players from outside the region are also staking
their claims.
Speaking up for jobs
A coalition of labor and community groups in Worcester gained a voice after
the recent delay over approval of a $1.2 million deal to sell the former
county courthouse. What effect will that have on similar deals in the city's
redevelopment quest?
Solar energy on menu
at WBJ Power Breakfast
What are the current and future states of solar
energy in Massachusetts? Find out Thursday
morning, May 7, when we discuss the issue
as part of our Power Breakfast series at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester.
The guest speaker is Matthew Beaton, former state representative from
Shrewsbury who is now state secretary for energy and environmental
affairs. Register today at www.wbjournal.com/solar.
Education with quicker payoffs
DEPARTMENTS
24 Accolades & Honors
4 Briefing
22 Digital Diva
29 Editorial
28 Flash Poll
26 Fresh Beginnings
26 Incorporations
23 Knowhow
27 Movers & Shakers
25 Networking/Events
30 -31 Photo Finish
5 Real Deals
8 Ticker
29 Viewpoint
12 So, thinking of pursuing your MBA?
When is the right time to pursue that
degree you've been thinking about? Work
experience may be your best guide, and
Central Massachusetts colleges have
several offerings that can suit your needs.
14 Classroom partnerships
Officials at two Central Massachusetts
colleges are seeing increased enrollment in
programs that help train workers for roles
in new-age manufacturing industries.
MBAs & Workforce Development
FOCUS
Worcester Business Journal's
WORCESTER2025
POWER BREAKFAST SERIES
POWER
BREAKFAST
SERIES
P O W E R
BREAKFAST
S E R I E S
Worcester Business Journal's
Worcester Business Journal's
POWER
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Worcester
POWER
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Worcester Business Journal's
MBA
12
SHOP TALK
8 Q&A with Michael Lussier, president and CEO, Webster First Federal
Credit Union, Worcester
THE LIST
16 Top accounting firms in Central Massachusetts
NEWS & ANALYSIS
9 Railroad vs. residents
A two-year-old dispute between a short-line freight rail carrier and
Grafton officials is headed before a federal appeals court, and has drawn
the attention of U.S. Rep. James McGovern.
10 Paving the way for young entrepreneurs
At a former mill building in Worcester, college students are striving to build
businesses of the future. Local officials would like them to grow here.
