MARLBOROUGH, MA – Main Street Bank has announced that they will be upgrading their banking technology, performing branch renovations at select locations, and moving their back-office Operations center from downtown Marlborough to 26 Forest Street, Marlborough. These updates are in the interest of providing a better customer experience. Alongside these updates, Main Street Bank will be keeping all branch staff, including tellers, to provide exceptional in-person service combined with enhanced technology and updated buildings. All Main Street Bank locations will continue to offer personalized service, assistance from live bankers, and access to cash at the teller lines and ATMs.

The technology upgrade will give bank customers and employees access to an improved banking system, including updated online and mobile banking interfaces with enhanced services. Enhancements for customers will include: a simple and clean mobile and online banking look; a Personal Financial Management tool for budgeting; and a new rewards-based consumer checking account. Additionally, this upgrade will allow Main Street Bank the flexibility to build on new features and technology. Find more details about this technology upgrade by visiting www.BankMainStreet.com/technology-upgrade.

While unrelated to the technology updates, the changes in branch and office locations will allow Main Street Bank to better serve their customers and employees. The branch renovations in Pepperell, MA and Ayer, MA, will maximize the existing space while keeping all branch staff available to assist customers in person. Renovations are expected to be complete by early 2024. The move of the back-office Operations center in Marlborough is in response to the bank’s growth and expanding career opportunities for both current employees and new hires. As a result, additional space and flexibility is needed to accommodate our teams. This move will also allow the bank to keep certain departments working together in the same space to ensure a better overall customer experience.

The bank is committed to supporting downtown Marlborough through contributions to the Marlborough Public Library renovation project, the local food pantry, and the Mayor’s Charity Relief Fund. Additionally, Main Street Bank’s headquarters on 81 Granger Boulevard in Marlborough will continue to serve downtown Marlborough with the same access and hours, including Video Connect video banking that can be used from anywhere.

Main Street Bank continues to put the needs of their communities first: “By investing in the infrastructure of both our technology and our buildings, we are committing to being accessible to our customers and communities,” comments Walter Dwyer, CEO of Main Street Bank. “We are also keeping our most important resource – our people. You will continue to have direct access to our employees when you need them.”

For community banks, investing in technology and buildings is critical to continue meeting the evolving needs of consumers. In addition, improvements to infrastructure will benefit the surrounding communities, and provide a more efficient work environment for bank employees that will allow them to better serve their customers. Ellen Dorian, President and COO of Main Street Bank, elaborates on some of the reasons for the upgrade.

“Upgrading our technology allows for more efficiency for both our customers and employees. With gained efficiency, we can pass cost savings onto you and all our customers in the forms of faster service, improved products, and competitive interest rates. We pride ourselves on making every customer feel like our only customer, and we are committed to delivering that experience.”

Main Street Bank’s technology upgrade is scheduled for live release on May 8th, 2023. The back-office Operations center move is scheduled to occur between June and August 2023.

About Main Street Bank

Main Street Bank is a locally run, independent mutual savings institution serving the MetroWest and northern Middlesex communities of Massachusetts. They are united under a culture that strives every day to contribute to our communities by providing customer-focused, innovative products and services for individuals, families, local businesses, and community organizations since 1860, with particular attention to education and financial wellbeing. With branch offices in the MetroWest and North Middlesex region, Main Street Bank provides an extensive array of financial services and products for all personal and business life stages. To learn more, visit www.BankMainStreet.com

“CWE has given me an opportunity to be part of a community of like-minded individuals who are all pulling in the same direction as me and to also finally find the answers to questions I have been asking for a long time.” – Joeci Gilchrest

What inspired Joeci’s Business?
Joeci started her business, You Name It Creatives, the day after Gov. Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts due to the Covid-19 pandemic as a way to spend more time with family. She believes all families, no matter their socioeconomic situation, deserve to live in a home that makes them proud. She offers quality craftsmanship and education to families that need help keeping their homes safe and beautiful. Joeci feels that no matter the socioeconomic situation, all families deserve to live in a home that makes them proud.

Business Highlight
Joeci has gained an applicable understanding of what it takes to operate and scale a small business. By discovering her true value is family and community, she was able to transition from scaling her business toward major projects to focusing on lower-income households that other companies won’t consider. She offers home and office improvement through maintaining, repairing, or even replacing your home or office. Her services include carpentry, painting, gutter cleaning, and pressure washing. She specializes in basement finishing, deck building, and interior/exterior painting and also maintains relationships with her clients through her ongoing handyman services!

How Has CWE Helped Her in Her Journey?
Joeci’s connection with CWE helped her finally find the answers to questions she had been looking for and was not able to find anywhere else. Her coursework, student interaction and experiences with CWE have provided her with a better understanding of what it takes to operate a small-scale business and have also enabled her to discover a community of supportive and like-minded individuals who are pulling in the same direction as her. With CWE, Joeci has discovered that her true value is family and community and this knowledge has helped her transition from scaling her business towards major profits to focusing on lower-income households that other companies do not consider.

It’s the start of the busy spring building season — help us to kick it off at the Habitat NCM annual Spring Breakfast!

You’ll enjoy a scrumptious breakfast and hear news of our latest builds in Acton and Fitchburg, our Critical Home Repair program, meet our newest Acton homeowners, and celebrate long-term volunteers.

Our Keynote Speaker this year is RoxanaTrabulsi, author of Of Mud and Honey, a book about how strength, love and faith are pushed to their limits overnight as one family in Yemen embarks on the fight of their lives.

We really hope you can come to this fun and FREE event.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded Fitchburg State University $500,000 to support the development of a performing arts center on Main Street.

The grant, announced Tuesday, April 18, was awarded by the NEH Challenge Grant program, and will catalyze additional fundraising efforts by the university.

The NEH grant will support the construction of a 15,830-square-foot “black box” theater adjacent to the historic theater at 717 Main St. in the heart of downtown Fitchburg. The new space will support university students and the community, serving as an applied humanities learning laboratory for students as well as a mechanism to drive downtown revitalization through expanded arts and cultural experiences.

University President Richard S. Lapidus said the successful application for these competitive grant dollars was a validation of the institutional belief in the importance of the humanities in the future of higher education.

“We are grateful to the NEH for supporting this public-private partnership that will be transformative for our students while enhancing the quality of life in the city and region,” President Lapidus said. “This theater space will create singular learning opportunities for students, provide a state of the art resource for community groups, and drive the continuing revitalization of downtown Fitchburg.”

The 250-seat, black box theater represents the second phase of the project, which began with the university’s purchase of the historic theater in 2016. The building is already home to the university’s game studio for senior students in the game design major, as well as the interdisciplinary ideaLab that supports the development and growth of new and existing businesses in the community. Since its inception, the ideaLab has served 257 small businesses, including 150 low-moderate income owners, 115 women owners, 88 immigrant/ESL owners, and provided grants and loans totaling $3.37 million.

The black box will also include infrastructure that will serve the future renovation of the historic theater itself. When completed, the site will comprise the Fitchburg State University Performing Arts Center. The project complements major development efforts downtown including the restoration of City Hall, the upcoming renovation of the Fitchburg Public Library, and the conversion of the former B.F. Brown School into 60 units of artist live/work space.

Construction of the black box is expected to begin in 2024.