www.wbjournal.com October 12, 2015 • Worcester Business Journal 3
Let's get down to brass tacks. We're all in
this to make money.
Businesses do many wonderful things:
provide jobs, make products, deliver ser-
vices, contribute to the economy and com-
munity; raise the region's profile. But it all
starts with money. Even for nonprofits,
providing their social services is contingent
on having enough revenue.
This has been and will be our underlying
mission here at Worcester Business Journal, delivering to our
business-to-business audience the necessary market intelligence
to realize those top-line revenue growth opportunities and show-
case best practices to maximize bottom-line profit.
In this, my first issue as editor of the Worcester Business
Journal, my promise is to always keep the business decision
maker in mind with everything we report and write. Special
acknowledgment not only goes to my predecessor, Rick Saia, but
to Christina P. O'Neill for heroically sailing this ship straight and
true as interim editor for the last month.
Not only will WBJ be your go-to publication for market intel-
ligence, we will deliver it in the way that best suits your lifestyle.
WBJournal.com will provide quick-hit business news, packaged
conveniently into email newsletters. Our biweekly print edition
will have business insights for you to fully understand market
conditions and how they impact your business. Please engage us
on LinkedIn, Twitter (@WBJournal) and Facebook, where we
will discuss the issues of upmost importance to our community.
Alright, everyone, now let's go make some money.
- Brad Kane (bkane@WBJournal.com)
This Week In The WBJ
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 2015. All rights reserved.
Postmaster: Please send address changes
to: Worcester Business Journal, PO Box
330, Congers, NY 10920-9894.
Subscriptions: Annual subscriptions are
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please email wbjournal@cambeywest.com
or contact our circulation department at
845-267-3008. Fax: 845.267.3478
Advertising: For advertising information,
please call Mark Murray at 508-755-8004
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Worcester Business Journal accepts no
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or materials and in general does not return
them to the sender.
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.
Energy Summit
Please join us for the 9th Annual Mass
Energy Summit on October 21, 2015 at
the DCU Center, Worcester where leaders
from the energy sector and business
executives share the latest market intelligence on controlling the energy line
item on your company's budget. Find out more at www.wbjournal.com/
massenergysummit.
NEWS & ANALYSIS
17 Bank mergers aren't only about the numbers
In combining two banks, company culture is a make-or-break element.
Women in Business
Please join the Worcester Business Journal
along with presenting sponsors Health New
England and WPI - Robert A. Foisie School of
Business for a special celebration luncheon
honoring the 2015 Outstanding Women In Business on November 13, 2015 at
Tuckerman Hall, Worcester. Honorees announced in our October 26 edition! Register
at www.wbjournal.com/womeninbusiness.
Business intelligence, delivered how you want it
12
12 Winter's energy prices going
up and down
ISO New England works to keep
electricity prices low as natural
gas volatility will once again be
an issue until spring.
14 Mass Save lessens impact of
rate increases on business
Money-saving programs yield
savings on everything from
furnaces to solar panels.
CORRECTION: In the September 28 issue's '10 Things I Know About…' column, the byline was incorrect. It should have read, By Tom Willett.
DEPARTMENTS
20 Accolades & Honors
4 Briefing
29 Editorial
28 Flash Poll
21 Fresh Beginnings
26 Incorporations
23 Knowhow
25 Movers & Shakers
27 Networking/Events
30 Photo Finish
5 Real Deals
8 Ticker
29 Viewpoint
ON PAGE ONE
NLRB ruling challenges employer-employee relationship
A federal ruling that is likely to encounter legal challenges increases the
responsibility of firms that hire employees through third parties.
The old college try
The region's colleges have banded together to form a group large enough
to make self-insuring a viable alternative.
Editor, Brad Kane,
bkane@wjournal.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
Christina P. O'Neill
Research Director, Stephanie Meagher
smeagher@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
SHOP TALK
8 Q&A with Jay Samit, president, SeaChange International in Acton
Energy
FOCUS
COLUMN
22 Pitching for success
A three-pronged approach to determining where your product fits in.
THE LIST
16 Top Clean Energy companies in Central Massachusetts
2008
Business
Women In
2009
Business
Women In
2009
Business
Women In
2009
Business
Women In
2009
Business
Women In
Outstanding