Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | November 7, 2016 | Worcester Business Journal 3 Editor, Brad Kane, bkane@wbjournal.com Digital Editor, Sam Bonacci, sbonacci@wbjournal.com (Real estate, construction, retail) Staff Writers Laura Finaldi, lfinaldi@wbjournal.com (Manufacturing, energy, technology, higher education, finance, nonprofits) Emily Micucci, emiccuci@wbjournal.com (Health care) Contributors Susan Shalhoub Livia Gershon Research Director, Stephanie Meagher, smeagher@nebusinessmedia.com Research Assistant, Heide Martin, hmartin@nebusinessmedia.com Production Director, Kira Beaudoin, kbeaudoin@wbjournal.com Associate Art Director, Mitchell Hayes, mhayes@wbjournal.com Senior Accounts Manager Matt Majikas, mmajikas@wbjournal.com Custom Publishing Project Manager Christine Juetten, cjuetten@wbjournal.com Marketing & Events Manager Kris Prosser, kprosser@wbjournal.com Events and Sales Assistant Clare Hyland, chyland@wbjournal.com COO, Mary Rogers, mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com Accounting Manager, Valerie Clark, vclark@nebusinessmedia.com Accounting Assistant, Rae Rogers, rrogers@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 President, Joseph Zwiebel jzwiebel@nebusinessmedia.com T he most innovative, collabora- tive newsroom I ever worked in was in Bonita Springs, Fla. Oddly enough, the least collab- orative newsroom I ever worked also was in Bonita Springs – for the same compa- ny, after it switched offices. When I first moved south to work for the Naples Daily News in 2005, the news- paper was riding the wave of the real estate boom. Because of the phenomenal growth in Southwest Florida, the paper decided to ramp up coverage out of its Bonita Springs bureau, increasing the reporter staff from three to 13. As it all happened so quickly, the company didn't have time to set up a polished office. The bureau was a double-wide trailer stuck onto the back of a rundown strip mall. The office furniture was such a hodge- podge of chairs, thrown-together desks and non-matching cubicle walls that I wouldn't have doubted they were raided from a garage sale (or Dumpster). Yet, it worked. All us reporters shout- ed ideas at each other across the news- room, had Nerf-ball throwing contests to break up writer's block, and used our collective brainpower to revamp two publications – the Bonita Daily News and the Bonita Banner – from the ground up. Fast forward two years and the Naples Daily News signed a new lease agreement to put us in a fancier bureau in a brand new office park. The new office had matching cubicles for all the reporters, corner offices for all the editors, flat- screen TVs to and a full kitchen. That office was miserable. Walled off in my new cubicle, I felt isolated from all my colleagues just a few feet away. The new executive in charge would glare at us if conversations got too loud. No one felt comfortable enough to turn on the TVs to any news channel. Eventually, all conversations between reporters were had in hushed voices or over email. I could go an entire week without having a verbal conversation longer than 30 sec- onds with anyone I worked with. For WBJ's "Innovative Workspaces" feature, we solicited ideas from compa- nies all around Central Massachusetts. Firms came back with stories and photos of newly designed offices with all sorts of playful amenities, bars and open work- spaces. While these features are certainly the new trend in office design, all the companies with these facilities said it would be impossible to have such an innovative workforce without a work- place culture placing an emphasis on those values. After all, what good is a rock wall if no one is willing to climb it? So, what comes first – the innovative culture or the collaborative office space? When we switched offices in Bonita Springs, the bureau staff was 90 percent The chicken and the innovation egg 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 available for $54.95. For more information, 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 ext. 227. Fax: 508-755-8860. Worcester Business Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts 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: NEWS & ANALYSIS DEPARTMENTS 4 Briefing 5 Ticker 12 Focus on Innovative workspaces 17 The List: Largest private schools 21 Know How 22 On the Move 23 Photo Finish 24 Business Leads 25 Opinion 26 Shop Talk: David Grenier 18 Big-time small financing A new clarification from the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission might finally mean a federal 2012 crowdfunding law might soon impact the finance market. 25 Devens a model for smart planning, regulation Viewpoint Columnist James B. Eldridge says the expansion of the Devens enterprise zone will yield economic development for Central Mass. I N T H I S I S S U E Worcester Business Journal WBJ RETIREMENT EXPERTISE TO OPTIMIZE YOUR FIRM'S PLAN PLAN WISELY. INVEST CONSERVATIVELY. LIVE WELL. 370 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1000, WORCESTER, MA 01608 | 508.753.8807 Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network ® , Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. For more than 20 years, Worcester-area businesses have turned to Bartholomew & Company for our proven approach as independent retirement plan specialists. With our industry knowledge and designations, we provide the depth of experience and guidance your firm needs to manage its fiduciary obligations and the investment options, services, and overall value your participants expect to help them retire with confidence. For a customized retirement program that encourages your employees to save more and plan smarter, contact the experts who are right in your community. Contact Peter McManus today for a complimentary consultation at peter@bartandco.com or 508.753.8807. Visit www.bartandco.com to learn more. the same, but the collaborative culture took a decided hit. As you can read in Laura Finaldi's feature on page 12, the answer lies somewhere in between. Companies that want innovative cultures hire people who fit into those molds. Eventually, they build an office to foster those attributes and give people the free- dom to use the space. It takes an innovative company to not only put in a rock wall but have the type of people who will climb it. - Brad Kane, editor W

• Cover