Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | Fact Book 2017 | Worcester Business Journal 15 R E G I O N S N o r t h C o u n t y North County: At a glance Largest employer Mount Wachusett Community College, Gardner 1,079 local employees Largest chamber of commerce North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce 858 members Biggest bank Fidelity Co-operative Bank $535M in deposits Biggest college Fitchburg State University 4,464 full-time students, fall 2017 Largest meeting venue DoubleTree by Hilton Leominster Accommodates 550 guests, banquet style Average median age 43 Sources: Worcester Business Journal surveys of area businesses, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) as of June 30, 2017, Esri's Updated Demographics, 2017 estimates, Esri Tapestry Segmentation, www.esri.com Residential Commercial Community tax rate % tax rate % North County property tax rates Royalston 14.20% 14.20% Hubbardston 15.23 15.23 Pepperell 15.89 15.89 Templeton 16.12 16.12 Petersham 16.19 16.19 Shirley 16.52 16.52 Philipston 16.68 16.68 Princeton 17.78 17.78 Winchendon 17.97 17.97 Sterling 18.03 18.03 Harvard 18.10 18.10 Westminster 18.19 18.19 Groton 18.26 18.26 Barre 18.70 18.70 Townsend 19.67 19.67 Leominster 19.73 19.73 Lancaster 19.79 19.79 Lunenburg 19.98 19.98 Athol 20.40 20.40 Gardner 20.48 20.48 Ashby 20.83 20.83 Ashburnham 22.97 22.97 Fitchburg 21.49 26.16 Ayer 14.39 30.64 Clinton 17.67 31.95 Source: Mass. Department of Revenue tioning the industry's typically good wages, insurance and opportunities for advancement. "North Central Mass. is a region that makes things," he said. Manufacturing & beyond Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale is bullish on manufacturing jobs. "That's something that's rooted in our history. We've always been an area that makes things," DiNatale said. "We want to redouble those efforts [to expand manufacturing work], because those are the real jobs." Work can be found at schools and hospitals, as well as popular tourist draws like Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg and Wachusett Brewing Co. in Westminster. Mount Wachusett Community College is the area's largest employer at more than 1,000 workers, followed closely by Heywood Hospital in Gardner. "I think of it as a very dynamic area," Nascimento said. "There is a lot of opportunity and a lot of wonderful assets that can support businesses." The right place for the right companies Nascimento points to Great Wolf Lodge as one of the region's economic successes. The hotel and water park could have went anywhere in the region and settled on a location on the edge of Fitchburg just off Route 2. A similar draw, an indoor and outdoor sports complex called Game On Fitchburg is expected to open next year. Other successes have been found in Devens, a former military base that now employs about 5,000 people at places like Bristol-Myers Squibb and Quiet Logistics. "We're really poised as a region to grow," Nascimento said. As companies like General Electric, Converse, Reebok and others have moved from suburban locations into Boston, others have been priced out of the city and prefer a more affordable location elsewhere. North Central Stephen DiNatale, who was elected mayor of Fitchburg in 2015. Massachusetts is ready for them, Nasicimento said. "We have the room here," he said. "We'll take them." Challenge: developing urban communities A continued challenge is developing older downtowns in places like Fitchburg, Leominister and Gardner, which have older buildings with char- acter – but also a need for often- expensive upgrades to meet today's building standards and businesses' and residents' needs. DiNatale has been focusing spending on upgrading downtown Fitchburg infrastructure and demolishing blighted buildings, first in downtown and moving into residential neighborhoods. The mayor said he's worked with the state's Transformative Development Initiative, which helps Gateway Cities with neigh- borhood development planning and improvements such as facade upgrades. "We're a Gateway City, and that's one of the challenges that's one of the more difficult ones to overcome," he said. "We're constantly looking for more ideas." Great Wolf Lodge waterpark and resort in Fitchburg W

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