Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | January 8, 2018 | Worcester Business Journal 5 B R I E F S Rotman named CEO of Atlanta latex maker; to relocate HQ to Worcester Atlanta rubber latex product man- ufacturer Vystar Corp. announced longtime Worcester-area furniture executive Steven Rotman has been named CEO and the Georgia company will relo- cate its headquar- ters to Worcester. Rotman is the president and CEO of Rotmans Furniture, one of the largest furniture and carpet retailers in New England for 40 years. He is the founder and managing partner of NHS Holdings, a company in 2015 became the exclusive distributor of Vytex natu- ral rubber latex foam in the U.S. Rotman will continue to operate Rotman's Furniture as its CEO, Vystar spokeswoman Julie Shepherd said. Restaurant, salon to open in Worcester' Canal District Two friends working at Shrewsbury hair salon Scizzors will open a new salon called Page Boy Hair Studio by March 1 in the Canal District. Charlton resident Brianna Brooks and Worcester resident Carissa Clearwater will open in the same Perfect Game building that Milford's Adam Hicks will open the second loca- tion for his Depot Street Tavern. Hicks said the new Maddie's Cookery and Tap House -- named after his chil- dren Matthew and Addison -- will fea- ture the same basic comfort home food featured in the 60-seat Milford restau- rant, although the Canal District loca- tion will have nearly double the seating. Hicks has been looking for a second location, and several locations in Central Massachusetts never panned out. After Hicks took home the first- place prize for The People's Choice Awards in the Worcester's Best Chef competition, the city reached out to him about coming to Worcester. M E C H A N I C S H A L L W O R C E S T E R , M A 1 8 5 7 - 2 0 1 7 HOSTING Culture & Community FOR 160 YEARS Mechanics Hall is proud to serve our community as the "Best Venue for Corporate Events!" Mechanics Hall • 321 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608 Bookings: 508-752-5608 • events@mechanicshall.org Built in 1857 • National Register of Historic Places Thanks for the votes of confidence! Sexual harassment isn't widespread in Central Mass. In a poll released in November by The Wall Street Journal and NBC News, 48 percent of female workers said they had personally experienced an unwanted sexual advance or physical harassment of a sexual nature at work. In a Pew Research Center poll this month, 66 percent said they found such harassment to mainly reflect widespread problems in society. When polled online, although more than half of WBJ readers said sexual harassment wasn't an issue are their workplace, one third said they had seen or experienced such harassment. F L A S H P O L L Are you concerned about sexual harassment being a problem in your workplace? No. Incidents are isolated and dealt with quickly and decisively. 33% Yes. I have been personally harassed. 19% "There isn't a problem that I'm aware of in my current workplace, but in other workplaces there has been. As a woman of 60, I find it interesting to see younger women speaking up against something we were so used to sometimes it didn't even bear thinking about. It was just the way it was. Thank goodness the times, they are a'changin'!" COMMENTS: No. Harassment just doesn't happen at our company. 25% "When reported, incidents are handled quickly and decisively. There may be underreported incidents that HR never hears about in any workplace. In the most recent news, it has taken some people years before they come forward fearing for their job." "One more thing for a business owner to focus on instead of serving their customers." Seven Saws plans Holden brewpub Seven Saws Brewing, located on Main Street in Holden, is will open a brew- pub in early 2018, brewer and co- founder Tom Anderson told WBJ. So far, the team of five friends is only distributing the beer to local restaurant Specialty Sandwich Company on Main Street, but the plan is to nail down a space and build a brewery. "That's our ultimate goal - for the people to Holden to have a local pub and a place to hang out and relax," Anderson said. UMass, Tufts in therapy dog study Dogs, believe it or not, can cheer you right up with just a few licks of the face even in the worst of times. That's according to a study from American Humane, which included UMass Memorial Medical Center pedi- atric physicians and the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts in Worcester and Graton. The study, "Canines and Childhood Cancer Study," found regular visits from a therapy dog can provide significant psychological benefits to families of children being treated for cancer. UMass has had a therapy dog pro- gram for at least a decade, said UMass Memorial spokesman Tony Berry. Pups, including rottweilers Jaedyn and Liberty, are dispatched to cheer up young patients and their families. American Humane says the data shows regular contact with dogs can lead to improved communication with- in families and between parents and medical staff, which helps reduce stress and can lead to better medical care. UMass and Tufts were one of several other national groups participating in a full clinical trial between 2014 and 2016, part of a study of 106 pediatric patients who were recently diagnosed with cancer. Yes. I have witnessed harassment or know somebody who has been harassed. I'm not sure. It isn't something that has been addressed at my workplace. 13% 10% Steven Rotman Continued on next page UMass Memorial rottweilers Jaedyn and Liberty

• Cover