Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | November 7, 2016 | wbjournal.com South Worcester Industrial Park groundbreak- ing latest move to cater to the modern needs of the legacy manufacturing industry Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender 866.959.BANK (2265) bankatunited.com Talk to one of our experienced bankers today, or visit bankatunited.com. *Subject to credit approval. Flexible banking solutions to help grow your business. At United Bank, our commitment to small business runs deep. So whether you're just starting out or looking to grow, we offer an entire suite of small business solutions, local decision-making and expert guidance designed to help keep your business running smoothly. SECURED LINE OF CREDIT* UP TO $ 300,000 UNSECURED LINE OF CREDIT* UP TO $ 50,000 TURNING POINT I n late October, symbolic dirt was turned over by shiny, show-ready shovels handled by politicians, developers and business owners, but the Table Talk Pie ground- breaking ceremony held at the South Worcester Industrial Park – and the comments made by the officials turning the dirt – represented much more than another construction project start. The shifting soil marked the culmi- nation of more than 22 years of hard work aimed at building up a communi- ty with the kind of industrial jobs that used to form the core of Worcester's employment but now seem like tales from a bygone era. The new construc- tion, coupled with a Worcester staple and new opportunities for local resi- dents represents a holistic approach to business and community development, according to city officials. A hometown staple "When you think of Worcester, you think of Table Talk. And when you think of Table Talk you think of Worcester." - District 1 City Councilor Tony Economou. Those words could have easily summed up scores of companies that have called Worcester home throughout the years, but now that number has dwindled to the point where Table Talk Pies is one of the few that still personi- fies the city's blue-collar, work-a-day- and-get-a-good-wage history. The Table Talk Pies factory at South Worcester Industrial Park (SWIP) will be a 50,000-square-foot industrial building. At the height of its 1-million- pies-a-week production, the company will employ 80 people at the site with plans for around 40 of those to be hired from within the local community through a city training program. Table Talk's President Harry Kokkinis is proud of his firm's ability to continue that tradition in Worcester. "It's great to get the building we need in the place where we want it to be, which is Worcester," Kokkinis on the third-generation family-owned business. But it isn't an entirely altruistic stance for the owner of Table Talk. The company looked outside of Worcester, said Kokkinis, and has a Shrewsbury location. However, the readily available work- force in Worcester simply couldn't be overlooked, and the opportunity for a new, ground-up build with easy access to those employees sold Kokkinis on the SWIP location. "Being here in Worcester, there is a great labor supply and great employees. We have just been blessed," he said. "We have a lot of people who walk to work, ride bikes or take public trans- portation." BY SAM BONACCI Worcester Business Journal Digital Editor Table Talk President Harry Kokkinis (left) stands with Chacharone Properties Founder James Chacharone at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Table Talk Pies new SWIP facility.

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