Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal | February 6, 2017 | wbjournal.com B R I E F S Worcester County wages grew 3% in 2016 The average weekly wage in Worcester County grew 3.4 percent to $992 between 2015 and 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS said wage growth in Worcester County ranked 73 out of 344 large coun- ties nationwide and fifth out of the nine Massachusetts counties. The report looked at wages in the second quarter 2016 vs. the second quarter 2015. Shrewsbury Street tattoo parlor relocating Piercing Emporium & Tattoo in Worcester will move to a new 3,000-square-foot site at 205 Shrewsbury St., said Owner Marc Williams. Williams hopes to increase business through the new location's larger size and increased visibility. Williams employees 10 people and plans on hiring two additional employees at the current location at 400 Shrewsbury St. Williams purchased the new site for $400,000, which will open by July. T H E T I C K E R $5.2M Price paid by Leominster manufacturer F&M Tool & Plastics to purchase the 227,422-square-foot industrial building next to its headquarters. Source: Stubblebine Company/CORFAC International Employees at the McGrath Insurance Group in Sturbrdge, which was acquired in January by Providence, R.I.-based Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc. 22 Source: Starkweather & Shepley Date of first game for Worcester Railers Hockey Club, after being officially accepted into the ECHL in January, after the team met its season ticket and corporate sponsorship goals. Oct. 14 Source: Worcester Railers OUR MEMBERS JOIN THE CHAMBER FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. Many enjoy the benefits of networking to get referrals. Others like to be "in the know"on issues critical to their business, while some look to the Chamber as their voice in government or for assistance with permitting and regulatory issues. Learn how being a chamber member can benefit your business. Join this dynamic chamber today! The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce invites you to be a part of the largest chamber in New England representing 2,300 members from all industries and all sizes across 36 cities and towns in Central Mass. WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING CHAMBER "The Chamber has helped us increase our visibility in this wonderful growing city! They offer great networking events year round that have been beneficial to Lock 50. The Chamber has opened doors for us that would have not been opened if we did not tap into their valuable resources and connections. We are very grateful for the opportunities the chamber has provided to us as members." – Ed Russo, Owner, Lock 50 Join online at WorcesterChamber.org or contact Kristen Luna | 508.753.2924, ext. 241 | kluna@worcesterchamber.org Sherri Pitcher | 508.753.2924, ext. 226 | spitcher@worcesterchamber.org RECRUIT | RETAIN | INCUBATE Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce 446 Main St., Suite 200 | Worcester, MA 01608 10 ten Reason # 6 Networking, Connections, and Relationships Dozens of networking opportunities—from the popular Business After Hours to The Breakfast Club give members a chance to expand their business contacts and generate new leads. Visit WorcesterChamber.org for the top 10 reasons to join! Total market potential of products made by West Bolyston ball bearing equipment manufacturer Coventry Associates, which has $1.7 million in federal and state seed funding. $900M Source: Coventry Associates Continued from previous page Harvard co. designs $37M manufacturing plant Maugel Architects of Harvard designed a $37-million biomanufactur- ing Marlborough site for a French firm. At its new facility on Crowley Drive, LFB USA, a unit of France's LFB Group, will produce the drug ATryn, which is used to treat preeclampsia, a leading cause of maternal and infant death. The 70,000-square-foot facility will have 30,000 square feet of cleanroom manu- facturing space, 20,000 square feet of warehouse space, and 14,000 square feet of office space. Leominster-based Whitman & Bingham Associates, Worcester-based William F. Lynch Co., Inc., and Marlborough-based SNC-Lavalin Project Services worked on the project. A rendering of the LFB USA biomanufacturing facility in Marlborough

• Cover