Worcester Business Journal
@wbjournal.bsky.social
Your business news source for Central Massachusetts. Available in print, online, and in person.
Avidia completed a $192-million subscription offering in July 2025 as part of its effort to go public, which was finalized in August of that year. buff.ly/WCrHR87
One year after going public, Avidia to buy back $30M in stock
About one year after its initial public offering, Hudson-based Avidia Bancorp is buying back a good chunk of its stock.
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2026 Power 100: Many of Central Massachusetts’ largest housing projects have Borenstein’s fingerprints on them. buff.ly/MBPpwQ5
2026 Power 100: Mark Borenstein
Many of Central Massachusetts' largest housing projects have Borenstein's fingerprints on them.
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3i Group-owned Regional Rail purchased the company from John J. Pondelli Jr. Family Trust in a stock purchase agreement for an undisclosed amount. buff.ly/ng0vuf6
British private equity firm buys Central Mass. rail line, Barre logistics site
The line is used to move waste, chemicals & plastics, and lumber products.
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Dubbed the Day of Good, the firm is accepting nominations for leaders who exhibit empathy and courage. Between two and four awards will be given out in either category. buff.ly/5uriqO6
Promoting Good accepting nominations for Day of Good leadership awards
Leadership and culture consulting firm Promoting Good will mark the beginning of its 10th year with an interactive, art-based leadership event and awards ceremony on Oct. 1.
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2026 Power 100: Dickson leads Central Massachusetts’ largest employer and healthcare provider through a period of financial and operational challenges facing hospitals nationwide. buff.ly/fv9n57a
2026 Power 100: Dr. Eric Dickson
Dickson leads Central Massachusetts' largest employer and healthcare provider through a period of financial and operational challenges facing hospitals nationwide.
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Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Timothy Murray writes that Massachusetts should opt into the newly enacted Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program. buff.ly/R81bylr
The Chamber Corner: Mass. must opt into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
The newly enacted Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, set to take effect on Jan. 1 presents an opportunity to build on this foundation by injecting new resources into our educational ecosystem.
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2026 Power 100: Barginere is helping transform UMass Memorial Health into a truly regional healthcare system. buff.ly/MZvYMpi
2026 Power 100: Cynthia Barginere
Barginere is helping transform UMass Memorial Health into a truly regional healthcare system.
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Luis Pedraja reflects on his time leading Quinsigamond Community College ahead of his retirement next year. buff.ly/H6uUWRD
Q&A: Luis Pedraja on the QCC legacy he leaves behind
As Pedraja prepares to retire next year, he reflects on the goals that shaped his presidency.
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2026 Power 100: Maloney is the longest-serving college president in Central Massachusetts and has spent 15 years expanding access to higher education and workforce opportunities. buff.ly/9ZrwQQk
2026 Power 100: Barry Maloney
Maloney is the longest-serving college president in Central Massachusetts and has spent 15 years expanding access to higher education and workforce opportunities.
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Dr. David McManus has made his first major senior leadership hire as chancellor of UMass Chan Medical School.
UMass Chan chancellor selects chief of staff
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Darcy was chief of staff at the Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center.
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The extreme conditions at the park increase maintenance demands on infrastructure.
Framingham firm lands $69.5M Death Valley contract
The water systems at Death Valley have required repairs about once a week in recent years.
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2026 Power 100: Isaacson leads one of the largest behavioral health and addiction treatment providers in Central Massachusetts at a time when demand for services continues to rise.
2026 Power 100: Kurt Isaacson
Isaacson leads one of the largest behavioral health and addiction treatment providers in Central Massachusetts at a time when demand for services continues to rise.
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House and Senate bills mapping out a primary care spending target were sent to conference committee talks Friday.
Premiums, drug prices targeted in health affordability push
Gov. Maura Healey unveiled long-promised healthcare affordability recommendations Monday.
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The $83.8-million academy reflects the rapidly expanding business of elite youth sports. buff.ly/anDmIS0
New academy taps into growing business of elite youth sports
Masters Academy International is set to welcome its first students in September, operating on an 82-acre campus in Stow formerly used by Framingham-based Bose.
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2026 Power 100: Johnson Smith is guiding one of Worcester’s most historic cultural institutions through a period of expansion and renewed visibility.
2026 Power 100: Noreen Johnson Smith
Johnson Smith is guiding one of Worcester’s most historic cultural institutions through a period of expansion and renewed visibility.
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The House envisions the state gradually spending 15% of all healthcare dollars on primary care by 2036, while the Senate wants to reach that percentage much sooner, by 2030.
House votes unanimously to direct more funds to primary care
Bay Staters scrambling to book an appointment with a primary care physician may eventually see relief under a sprawling bill the House passed Thursday night.
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2026 Power 100: Under Kerrigan's leadership, Kennedy Community Health has continued expanding access to primary care, behavioral health, and dental services.
2026 Power 100: Steve Kerrigan
Kerrigan leads one of Worcester's most important healthcare safety-net providers.
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The lab is designed to test Saint-Gobain’s construction material products for fire certification standards. buff.ly/eaIY3sy
Saint-Gobain expands Northborough presence with $30M fire lab
“This is a strategic investment,” Anne Hardy, group chief innovation officer at Saint-Gobain, said at the Thursday ribbon cutting for the $30-million lab.
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Financial institutions are increasingly creating chief risk officer positions, helping ensure distance between employees who make daily decisions in the pursuit of revenue from those responsible for mitigating risk. buff.ly/ZhwOMdR
Webster First promotes VP to chief risk officer
Carney was promoted to the newly created role from the position of vice president of risk and revenue.
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It’s hardly surprising that after more than three decades in office, Mazzarella seems recognized by virtually everyone he passes by on Main Street as he walks through the city he’s lived in all his life. buff.ly/eLLBj2D
The Dean of Massachusetts mayors
Dean Mazzarella‘s day starts at 3 a.m. when he hops out of bed and promptly posts a good morning message on Facebook to his fellow “3 o’clockers.” Despite the early hour, […]
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2026 Power 100: 2026 Power 100: After years of navigating bottlenecks in the meat-processing industry, Stillman invested nearly $3 million to build an 8,000-square-foot U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected smokehouse and value-added meat processing facility.
2026 Power 100: Kate Stillman
Rural economic development and food security intersect in Stillman’s work.
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"Employers must stay alert and informed to make sure these technologies support nondiscriminatory hiring, not undermine it," writes Laura M. Raisty, partner at Worcester law firm Bowditch & Dewey. buff.ly/BNfvbRo
Five things Mass. employers should know about using AI in hiring
These tools promise speed and convenience, and in some cases, they can reduce human bias. But they also come with significant risks, especially in fairness and discrimination.
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The move to the 131,000-square foot facility in Uxbridge will replace a leased space utilized by municipal vehicle upfitter McGovern MHQ in Oxford.
McGovern Auto buys historic Uxbridge mill for $3.3M to expand municipal vehicle division
The site dates back to 1814.
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CFS declined to name the investors participating in this round. buff.ly/VVmr2rJ
Commonwealth Fusion surpasses $4B raised with latest $1B funding round
Investors in this latest round included pension funds, corporate partners, and sovereign wealth funds.
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2026 Power 100: Fisher continues to champion stronger opportunities for local, diverse, and small businesses to participate in major institutional, healthcare, education, and commercial projects.
2026 Power 100: Charran Fisher
Construction projects shape the physical future of Central Massachusetts, and Fisher has become one of the region's most influential voices on how that growth should occur.
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Asked if there are any bills the House has passed that he's waiting on the Senate to pass, Mariano paused. "I don't - my head's mush. My head's mush. I don't, I can't remember," he told reporters. buff.ly/8oM4cER
Mariano predicts smoother end to legislative session than previous years
House Speaker Ron Mariano told reporters "there's less of a potential" for lawmakers to be in the building into the wee hours of the morning on Aug. 1.
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute has received $1.5 million in federal funding to build a continuous-flow reactor designed to destroy PFAS in contaminated soil.
WPI receives $1.5M from feds to build contamination-destruction reactor
Worcester Polytechnic Institute has received $1.5 million in federal funding to build a continuous-flow reactor designed to destroy PFAS in contaminated soil.
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Chris Duane, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of MetroWest, will retire after 30 years with the organization, it announced Tuesday.
President of Boys & Girls Clubs of MetroWest to retire after 30 years
Chris Duane, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of MetroWest, will retire after 30 years with the organization, it announced Tuesday.
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Café Reyes, which serves Cuban and Latin American food, provides paid work and training opportunities for graduates of LAHA’s Hector Reyes House, a bilingual and bicultural residential treatment program for Latino men in recovery.
Café Reyes granted $250K to upgrade kitchen, expand production
LAHA is among two Worcester nonprofits to receive grants during this funding round.
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2026 Power 100: Torkornoo’s influence extends well beyond commercial banking.
2026 Power 100: Eric Torkornoo
Torkornoo's influence extends well beyond commercial banking.
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