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12 Worcester Business Journal • May 11, 2015 www.wbjournal.com 9 FOCUS The list is compiled by the Worcester Business Journal editorial team, led by our research director, Roger Magnus, and research assistant Heide Martin. Editorial intern Brittany Lopriore assisted with the data gathering. The 100 companies that qualified for this year's list come from a variety of industries. Here are four nota- ble highlights: n Health care continues to have a dominant presence in the region's employment base, in spite of pressures facing the industry and job losses by some organiza- tions. UMass Memorial Health Care again ranked first in our list, while Saint Vincent Hospital, MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham and Milford Regional Medical Center all landed in the top 25. n Two Worcester-based health care companies — Reliant Medical Group and VNA Care Network & Hospice — added to their payrolls substantially. Reliant was helped by its acquisition of Southboro Medical Group earlier this year. n There are several retail grocery store chains in Central Massachusetts, and Shaw's, Wegmans and BJ's Wholesale Club reported substantial growth in their employee bases. n Education continues to be a big part of the region's economic fabric, led by Quinsigamond Community College, which reported a jump of 36 employees over last year. In addition to this special print edition, you can visit WBJournal.com to download the list in PDF or Excel spreadsheet format. Just click the News tab on our home page, then Lists. Please let us know what you think of this year's list. Send your comments to editorial@wbjournal.com. The region's most complete picture of the companies and leaders that drive its economy M aking the annual Central Mass. 100 list is simple and straightforward: You must have a large concentra- tion of employees within the cities and towns of Central Massachusetts. The region, as we define it, includes all of Worcester County and extends east to Natick and Wayland, north to the New Hampshire border, south to the Connecticut border, and west to Hardwick. The companies are ranked based on number of local employees, although we include data on each firm, including statewide employee counts and reve- nue, if that information is available from the companies themselves or other sources. Big movers for 2015 Reliant upped its headcount after it merged with Southboro Medical Group in January, creating the largest independent medical group in Central Massachusetts and Me- troWest Massachusetts. Reliant has more than 25 locations, and its 500-plus providers care for over 320,000 patients. RELIANT MEDICAL GROUP Worcester Nypro's headquarters in Clinton One of Reliant Medical Group's Worcester locations EMPLOYEES — 2014: 2,170 EMPLOYEES — 2015: 2,604 LAST YEAR'S RANK: 15 RANK – 2015: 9 100 CENTRAL M A S S Florida-based Jabil Circuit bought Nypro in 2013 and gave it an infusion of capital that allowed this long-standing economic pillar in Clinton to expand into Devens last year. 44 NYPRO, A JABIL COMPANY Clinton EMPLOYEES — 2014: 900 EMPLOYEES — 2015: 1,000 LAST YEAR'S RANK: 46 RANK — 2015: 44 VNA, a nonprofit, is meeting a growing demand for home-based health care amid much industry change. It offers more than 70 programs and services, a flexible approach to care and an array of disease management and specialty services. 55 VNA CARE NETWORK & HOSPICE Worcester Mary Ann O'Connor, president and CEO at VNA Care Network & Hospice EMPLOYEES — 2014: 468 EMPLOYEES — 2015: 800 LAST YEAR'S RANK: 83 RANK — 2015: 55