Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal • April 11, 2016 www.wbjournal.com W orcester's new hockey team recently unveiled its name as the Worcester Railers. The name draws from the city's heritage as a railroad hub. Nearly as soon as the new name was done settling across the Internet, the organization announced the hiring of Leah Motsis as the man- ager of sponsor memberships. What's in a name? With a logo that incorporates the seven hills of the city in the back- ground, in an image that might borrow a bit from the Coors Light train but is obviously original enough to make it past lawsuit-adverse lawyers, it does reflect the city better than previous Worcester teams with names like Sharks entirely unconnected to community. The Railers name and logo reflect the new team's commitment to both Worcester and Central Massachusetts and are extremely marketable, said Sandy Dunn, general manager of the DCU Center, where the Railers will play their home games. It lends itself to give- aways such as train whistles while also denoting power, which is important in a physical game like hockey. But what about sponsorships? This is a huge deal for any sports team, but to get the final approval from the ECHL, the Railers must bring in $350,000 in corporate sponsorships. In reality, said Motsis, the organization is aiming much higher than that. This is not only because of the obvious finan- cial implications but also because it reflects support from the community. "[Sponsorships] are all important in showing the business community wants to have the team here," she said. "Businesses are the ones that are the big players in the community, and they are able to help spread the word to the fans." The organization already has secured founding sponsors in Bay State Savings Bank, Digital Federal Credit Union, The Hanover Insurance Group, People's United Bank, Polar Seltzer and the Providence & Worcester Railroad Co. n Auburn Mall to get movie theater, restaurant in 2017 A 10-plus screen movie theater and restaurant have been approved at the Auburn Mall, in a move that city offi- cials see as a boon to the city. The mall owner's plans for a 51,439-square-foot, 1,270-seat theater with 10 to 12 screens was approved in March. The approval also encompassed a new restaurant. The plans had been in the works since 2015 but were only recently approved by the planning board. The plans include an 8,000-square-foot restaurant. The buildings would require the demolition of the Macy's Home Goods store. Worcester startup Skyscope acquired; to remain in the city Skyscope, a Worcester startup focused on video production, was acquired by a Newburyport public relations firm Tuesday and will remain operating in the city with all its employees. Skyscope, with offices in downtown Worcester and Cambridge, was found- ed in 2012 by three Clark University graduates who met in college. The company focuses on business-to-busi- ness videos promoting businesses. It was acquired for an undisclosed amount by Newburyport public rela- tions firm Matter Communications. Matter will retain all 10 Skyscope employees at the Worcester location, said Matter Founder and CEO Scott Signore, in an interview with Worcester Business Journal. Matter Communications was found- ed in 2003 and is headquartered north of Boston in Newburyport and has offices in Providence, R.I., Portland, Ore., Boulder, Colo. and Boston. UMass Memorial Health Care to undertake $169M in renovations The UMass Memorial Health Care system will invest $168.8 million at four hospitals after securing a tax-exempt MassDevelopment bond. In Worcester, a 24-bed observation and admission unit and a 10-station dialysis center will be added to the uni- versity campus. Planned projects at the memorial campus include building a corridor and atrium to connect two primary patient visitor entry points. The Leominster and Fitchburg cam- puses will receive an emergency power and combined heat power system. Lowell bank buys burnt Leominster hotel for $585K Enterprise Bank of Lowell has acquired the former site of the burned down Columbia Hotel for $585,000 to create a banking center in Leominster. The bank plans to expand and relo- cate from its current location at 4 Central St., moving to the former site of the hotel at 65 Main St. and 15 Columbia St. The hotel was destroyed in a fire in 2012. Shrewsbury company fined $31K for wage violations A Westborough man has agreed to pay a $31,000 fine toresolve violations of wage and hour laws, Attorney General Maura Healey announced. Green Paradise Landscaping in Shrewsbury and owner Bruno M. Amaral, of Westborough were investi- gated by the AG's office after a referral from the state's Joint Council on the Underground Economy alleging wage and hour violations. The investigation reportedly found that the company failed to pay the appropriate overtime rate to nine employees during multiple pay periods between 2012 and 2014. Worcester CleanTech Incubator launches The Worcester CleanTech Incubator formally launched on Thursday as part of an all-day energy conference hosted by the Northeast Clean Energy Council. The incubator space, which is in the Printer's Building at 44 Portland St., is the physical embodiment of the Institute for Energy and Sustainability, a project formerly housed at Clark University that was a joint venture of Clark, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and U.S. Congressman James P. McGovern. The institute officially moved into the Printer's Building in January and can accommodate 40 to 50 people in its 11,000 square feet. WCTI is affiliated with maker space Technocopia, which is located in the same building as the incubator. Startups at WCTI will have access to Technocopia's tools and materials. Currently, 12 people from six differ- ent startups are housed at WCTI. 100-room Worcester hotel opens The 100-room Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton will has officially opened, boosting Worcester's hotel room count while providing another re-use of land in the Gateway Park area. The new hotel was built by developer Colwen Management that is currently constructing a 4-star, 168-room Renaissance by Marriott at CitySquare in downtown Worcester. These two hotels will help boost Worcester's overall hotel numbers, which are low for a city of its size and have contributed to difficulties in the DCU Center booking some events. Along with other projects, these hotel room numbers will soon be to the level Worcester had before it lost the down- REGIONAL BRIEFS Verbatim "The industry is in dire need of advanced manufac- turing skills. To address this, we are willing and eager to establish a mutually beneficial relation- ship with QCC." Bob Hellinger, president of Emuge Corp. in West Boylston, after donating more than $100,000 in equipment to Quinsigamond Community College >> "Our economic development bill recognizes that the commonwealth's success flows from the ingenuity and productivity of our people, and that the greatest investment we can make is an investment in our own people." Gov. Charlie Baker, on his jobs bill that aims to bridge the skills gap >> "We need to rebuild the middle class in America and Massachusetts ... It's going to require us to ...change the tax sys- tem so that those who earn the most pay the most." Massachusetts Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, in favor of raising the taxes on the highest earners in the state >> In Review CENTRALMASS >> Continued on next page Worcester Railers have their eye on the corporate prize BY SAM BONACCI Worcester Business Journal Digital Editor Leah Motsis, former group sales coordinator for the DCU Center, was hired as the Worcester Railers manager of sponsor memberships as the team must secure $350,000 in corporate sponsorships.

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