www.wbjournal.com August 3, 2015 • Worcester Business Journal 3
For better or worse, public policy — be it at the federal, state or municipal level — makes up a significant
part of our coverage of all things business. That's just par for the course when you do business, especially in
Massachusetts. As journalists, gathering information in the public realm is relatively easy given its broader
availability, plus the fact that it's more widely exposed through other media.
It's a good time of the year to publish a Focus section on business and public policy with, for example, the
recent passage of a new state budget, the continuing political and regulatory wrangling over health care
reform, and the big news of last week: the refusal of Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh to officially stand behind
the bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, which marked the beginning of a quick end to that effort. (See our editorial on Page 21).
So, please enjoy our look at just a handful of public policy issues on Pages 12 and 13. And as always, we welcome your feedback.
~ Rick Saia (rsaia@wbjournal.com)
This Week In The WBJ
Worcester Business Journal (ISSN#1063-
6595) is published bi-weeky, 24x per year,
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September, November and December, by
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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.
Top Workplaces awards
For the fourth straight year, we'll be honoring
companies that take an extra step or two in their
workplace practices. Is your company one of
them? Fill out a brief questionnaire today at
www.wbjournal.com/topworkplaces2015 to
be considered for this year's Central Massachusetts Top Workplaces awards.
Submission deadline is Friday, Sept. 18.
NEWS & ANALYSIS
6 Banks on interest rates: Up we go!
The Federal Reserve will raise interest rates – likely by the end of the
year – for the first time in eight years. Banks and businesses in Central
Massachusetts say they're ready.
9 Deceptive numbers at Clinton Hospital?
Its recent performance numbers haven't reflected it, but Clinton Hospital,
the smallest of the four in the UMass Memorial Health Care system, is
turning things around, officials say.
Health care forum
Our Power Breakfast series will continue
Wednesday, Aug. 12 with a forum on health care,
at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester. The keynote
speaker, Delia Vetter of EMC Corp., will talk about
how a company should develop its health care
strategy. Register today at
www.wbjournal.com/healthcareforumattend.
Where business and government intersect
DEPARTMENTS
12
12 Five issues that bear watching
A look at a handful of legislative and
regulatory issues, and how they
impact your business.
13 Is hydropower a problem solver?
Critics of Gov. Charlie Baker's attempt
to encourage wider adoption of
hydropower say the legislation could
deregulate the state's energy market
at the expense of power suppliers and
consumers.
CORRECTIONS:
• The last name of the couple that owns FASTSIGNS, a visual communications firm in Worcester,
was misspelled on Page 9 (Fresh Beginnings) of the July 20 print edition. They are Tim and Denise
Carr.
• Our list of top biomedical companies, on Page 14 of the July 20 edition and Page 42 of our
annual Book of Lists, also published in July, contained an incorrect street address for Athena
Diagnostics Inc. The company is located at 200 Forest St., Marlborough 01752.
Business &
Public Policy
18 Accolades & Honors
4 Briefing
21 Editorial
20 Flash Poll
18 Fresh Beginnings
15 Incorporations
17 Knowhow
19 Movers & Shakers
18 Networking/Events
22 Photo Finish
5 Real Deals
8 Ticker
21 Viewpoint
ON PAGE ONE
Life sciences' growing pains
Bringing a medical device or life-saving cure to market takes a long time with all
the regulatory hurdles. How do Central Massachusetts startups in this space sur-
vive until they clear them?
Rediscovering the triple decker
After losing some of their allure during the recession, triple deckers are draw-
ing interest in the Worcester area, even from residential investors to the east.
COLUMN
16 As an entrepreneur, how do you research your potential market? Jeff
Schiebe offers you a three-step approach in Inspiration and Innovation.
Editor, Rick Saia, rsaia@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
Contributors
Susan Shalhoub, sshalhoub@wbjournal.com
Livia Gershon
Alanna Moriarty, amoriarty@wbjournal.com
Christina P. O'Neill
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
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WORKPLACES
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2015TOP
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SHOP TALK
8 Q&A with Paul Reilly, CEO of ActiveRx, in Westborough
THE LIST
14 Top law firms in Central Massachusetts
Biotech companies would welcome
a repeal of the 2.3-percent federal
tax on medical devices. They may
get their wish soon.
FOCUS
