As the current largest insurance broker in Massachusetts, Chamber member HUB International isn’t your average insurance brokerage company that you meet or Google online.

With a strong sense of community for every town or city they have an office in, being able to give back to the community is a high standard for HUB International. In 2022, HUB New England donated over $500,000 to over 185 local charities in the area, including a $500 scholarship to a graduating high school senior in each town they have a physical office in.

Based off of the hub and spoke model, they continue to grow across the country, not just through acquisitions, but also through the local community.

“Growing organically through the community is something that is very important to us,” said Shawn McLaughlin, President and Chief Executive Officer of HUB International New England. “This is where organizations like the [North Central Massachusetts] Chamber of Commerce come in. We work with a lot of non-profits, and donate a lot of time to the communities we serve.”

Who is HUB International?

According to their website, HUB International’s company mission is “to protect and support the aspirations of individuals, families and businesses, to empower our employees to learn, grow and make a difference in their communities.”

Although HUB International has over 530 offices across North America and over 100,000 customers in New England alone, they provide the “small town feeling” when it comes to personalized, commercial, employee benefits or retirement and private wealth insurance, taking on the “one stop shop” mentality for insurance and risk management.

Because of the size, scope, and scale of HUB International, there isn’t a lot that they haven’t seen when it comes to protecting customers’ needs and assets.

“We focus on protecting the customer’s assets for themselves. A customer would have a local agent to contact, but also have a really strong resource network behind them. We’re able to take care of our client no matter the size or complexities that may be involved,” said McLaughlin. “The goal is to help people through difficult times, and protect them from risk.”

HUB International works with everyone, from the individual sole proprietor to the bigger, global companies, and all of the different divisions are designed to work with the customers that they service.

Truly being a part of the community

The mission of giving back is two-fold: to create awareness in communities and to give back to the local community.

Every year, HUB International supports and holds two annual golf charity outings, coordinated by Hub employee volunteers, where all of the proceeds go to charities as selected by HUB employees. HUB staff nominate and vote on at least three charities based on those nominations.

Additionally, HUB New England employees are serving on 43 boards in their community with local nonprofits, and 54 insurance boards supporting the industry. McLaughlin himself serves on the board of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF.org). This accounts for 121 HUB employees donating their time outside of work at an estimated 2,926 hours per year for local charities within their area.

Strengthening that bond between businesses, individuals, and the community, HUB International is honored to be a part of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce.

“The [North Central Massachusetts] Chamber of Commerce is one of the more robust organizations that we work with,” McLaughlin said. “We like the ability to work with other businesses as well as direct to consumer. The chamber hits both of those areas, and it’s an easy way for us to tap into the community.

We’ve found that the [North Central Massachusetts] Chamber is a good connector for the local community and a really good way for us to stay in touch with other local businesses. It’s been an honor to be a part of the organization.”

Looking forward to a bright future

The start of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the mindset and the way that HUB International does business. Currently, the insurance company has a hybrid environment, where employees will go into the office a few times a week, but are otherwise working from home.

With that being said, HUB has adopted the “first call resolution,” model in their personal lines department, meaning that the issue/situation should be resolved in one call, instead of the hassle of going back and forth with the customer.

“This first call resolution provides more laser focus to ensure our customers receive efficient and effective attention,” McLaughlin stated. “We are now looking at expanding that approach to some of our commercial divisions.”

HUB continues to see growth not only through acquisitions, but organically as well. HUB has a strong focus on niche specialties throughout the local areas, and most recently, the firm added retirement and private wealth management capabilities.

“Our world has gotten far more complicated, and our customers’ needs have shifted so they are much more specific to their business,” McLaughlin said. “As we evolve, instead of being a generalist, our firm developed industry specializations, while retaining our strong local presence.”

You can contact HUB International through their website at www.hubinternational.com to speak with an agent in your local area.

After close to two years of discussion and a lengthy negotiation process in the current session, H4104, the State’s first significant tax relief in well over a decade, was signed by Governor Maura Healey into law earlier this week. In its first year, the tax package will provide about $561 million in relief for the current fiscal year. Several other provisions will be phased in over time providing more than $1 billion in relief by fiscal year 2027 according to reports. The legislation contains a number of provisions aimed at providing relief to individuals as well as businesses including:

Child Tax Credits: The new law features an overhauled child and dependent tax credit. This will provide parents and caregivers with $310 per dependent this year and $440 per dependent next year and beyond. Additionally, the current credit’s limit of two qualifying dependents has been eliminated.

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): The law increases the EITC for low-income residents to 40% of the federal EITC, up from the previous 30% Senior Circuit Breaker: The maximum credit that lower-income residents aged 65 and older can claim is being doubled from $1,200 to $2,400.Rental Deductions: While Massachusetts allows renters to write off up to 50% of their rent from their taxes, the maximum deduction is being raised to $4,000, up from $3,000.

Short-Term Capital Gains: The new law slashes the short-term capital gains from 12% to 8.5%.

Single Sales Factor: Under the new law, the state is abandoning the three-factor test for determining sales tax for corporations which previously took into account (I) property (2) payroll and (3) sales. The transition to a single sales factor apportionment formula will begin on January 1, 2025.

The Estate Tax: The new law raises the Estate Tax floor from $1 million to $2 million, exempting all estates below $2 million from the tax. A $99,600 credit that can be used to reduce the overall tax burden will now be issued to all estates.

Joint Filing: All married couples who file taxes jointly at the federal level will now be required to file jointly at the state level. Previously couples could elect to file separately at the state level regardless of how they filed at the federal level. This move is aimed at preventing high-earning couples from avoiding the new surtax on $1 million by filing separate tax returns.

Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP): In an effort to spur much needed housing development across the Commonwealth, the legislation makes significant new investments in the state’s HDIP program, providing Gateway cities with a tool to develop market rate housing and providing tax credits to developers building housing projects. The new law allocates $57 million to clear the backlog on eligible projects awaiting the credit and raises the cap on HDIP spending to $30 million per year.

SMALL BUSINESS ENERGY RELIEF GRANT PROGRAM: The Chamber is offering one-time energy grants of $1,000 to small businesses to help to off-set high energy prices and financial obstacles. Thank you to National Grid for contributing $100,000 to the Chamber to help make this grant program possible. Since launching the grant in July, we have already awarded $49,000 in grants to 49 small businesses. There are still grants available, so we encourage members to reach out to us to see if they are eligible. We are prioritizing chamber members for the grants.

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STAFF DEVELOPMENT: In August, Travis Condon, the Chamber’s Public Affairs Manager, and Kat Deal, the Chamber’s Programs & Events Manager, completed their second year of the US Chamber’s Northeast Institute for Organization Management (IOM). IOM is a four-year national professional development program geared towards chamber of commerce and association professionals. Participants complete a week-long intensive session each year taught by university professors, industry experts, and leading practitioners in the chamber industry. Courses included advocacy, media training, membership, finance, legal issues, human resources to name just a few. They also had an opportunity to reconnect with other Chamber and Association professionals from all over the country.

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ACCE CONVENTION: Chamber President & CEO Roy Nascimento was invited to present at the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives National Convention in Salt Lake City in August. He spoke at two sessions titled “Data-Driven Workforce & Economic Growth Strategies” and “Overcoming Barriers to Upskilling Workers” where he shared our experiences and efforts with chamber and economic development leaders from throughout the country.

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NASCIMENTO ELECTED TO ACCE FOUNDATION: In related news, Chamber President & CEO Roy Nascimento was elected recently to serve on the board of directors for the ACCE Foundation, a 501(c)3 that supports the work of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. ACCE’s Foundation was established to fund programming, peer-to-peer learning, and leadership development for chamber professionals seeking to create positive change by addressing the issues that challenge the long-term economic health and quality of life in our country’s cities and towns. Directors bring their knowledge and expertise to help the ACCE Foundation understand industry trends and the needs of members working in the priority areas of the Foundation. Those include education and talent; diversity, equity and inclusion; and economic and community development.

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NEW LOANS: The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC), the Chamber’s economic development arm, has approved and closed on a total of twenty-three small business loans totaling $1,145,000 to date for FY23. The smallest loan was just $5,000 while the largest was $216,000. Our loans helped to leverage an additional $1,066,579 in capital from banks, public entities and from the borrowers. The majority of the loans helped fund start-up businesses as well as some existing small businesses that were expanding. Two of the loans were made under our new Regional Business Investment Fund and are helping with real estate development projects in two of our communities that have been prioritized for economic development. These loans resulted in the creation of 63 new jobs and the retention of 35 jobs.

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MINI-GRANTS: The NCMDC continues to offer mini-grants between $500 – $5,000 to our borrowers to assist with technical assistance. For FY2023, we have approved a total of ten mini-grants totaling $35,288.93 for bookkeeping, marketing, signage and other professional assistance. Prioritization is given to existing loan clients but we will consider other small businesses in North Central Massachusetts with a demonstrated need.

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TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: Our economic development team has provided a total of 2052 hours of direct technical assistance to existing and start-up businesses in the region. During the last quarter, our team also worked with the Massachusetts Export Center to help several businesses with questions around certificates of origin. In addition, the Small Business Development Center at Clark University has resumed holding office hours at the Chamber to help support start-ups and expanding small businesses in the region.

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NORTH CENTRAL COMPACT: In June, the members of the Compact met again to continue to explore collaborative strategies to the workforce challenges in the region. The North Central Talent Compact is a collective impact coalition convened by the Chamber and other major stakeholders to address the complex talent and workforce challenges facing the region. The group consists of a group of prominent business, education, workforce and community leaders who are committed to collective action and leadership. An outgrowth of the Compact meeting is an expanded Career and Hiring Event in October, with more schools participating and bringing students to connect with employers to learn about available careers.

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WEBSITE: The Chamber has started a project to redesign the Chamber website to make it a more dynamic and valuable resource for our members and communities. As part of the process, we plan to consolidate our Chamber website – northcentralmass.com – and our economic development website – choosenorthcentral.com – to make it easier to manage and avoid duplication. We also recently completed a homepage redesign of our tourism website – visitnorthcentral.com. We are excited about the project and look forward to launching the redesigned site in the coming months!

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ONLINE TRAINING: In conjunction with the Chamber website redesign project, we are also launching a new online training platform called Initiate. Initiate is a comprehensive online training resource that will be integrated with our redesigned website and offers several modules around starting a business, marketing, operations, bookkeeping and more that many small businesses need.

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LATINX OUTREACH: The Chamber and NCMDC continue to prioritize efforts to engage more with Latinx business owners/entrepreneurs and connect them with financial resources, programs and business networks. Latinos are the largest minority group in the region and increasingly playing a larger role in our economy. We are currently in the process of interviewing candidates for the bi-lingual Community Business Advisor role to help with these efforts.

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PODCAST: We continue to trend upwards with our Inside North Central podcast series. Over the last year we have had 2,549 plays on the major podcast services, which reflects a 300% increase over the previous year. Our podcasts are currently available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, and Google. Thank you to all the members who have participated in interviews and/or listened to the new Podcast series.

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SOLAR: From its inception in August 2014 through July 2023 the solar field on Pleasant St. has produced 12,843,986 kWh of Net Metering Credits to the manufacturers participating in the program. Total value of these credits is $3,015,926 and the collective savings to participants totals $2,563,537. As one of the participants, the Chamber has received $241,274 in energy savings to-date.

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CHAMBER GIFT CARDS: In preparation for the upcoming holiday season, we encourage member merchants interested in accepting the new revamped Gift Local E-Gift Cards to contact the Chamber. We are approaching the one-year anniversary since the transition to the new platform for processing the gift cards. Feedback from participating members and gift card recipients has been positive so far. There is no charge to participate and the new cards are easy to process via the Mastercard network, however participating merchants must run an activation card from the Chamber in order to be able to accept the cards.

Source: State House News Service
Author: Sam Doran, Alison Kuznitz, Colin A. Young

Guv Has Until Oct. 8 To Act on Compromise

After nearly two years of fits and starts, a long-awaited tax relief and reform package made it to the governor’s desk Thursday after senators overwhelmingly approved the legislative agreement.

The roughly $1 billion tax bill is among the most significant pieces of legislation to reach Gov. Maura Healey since she took office in January. The Arlington Democrat has been prodding lawmakers to finish their tax talks since she was a candidate last year.

In a statement Thursday, Healey called the Legislature’s product “comprehensive” and said she would be looking it over. She has until Sunday, Oct. 8 to act on the bill, which she could choose to amend and send back to lawmakers.

“As I’ve said on the campaign trail and from day one of this administration — tax cuts are essential for making Massachusetts more affordable, competitive and equitable. I thank Senate President Spilka, Speaker Mariano, Chairs Rodrigues and Michlewitz and the Legislature for taking this important step,” the governor wrote. “This is a comprehensive package that delivers relief to families and businesses, including through our proposed Child and Family Tax Credit, and I look forward to reviewing the details and delivering for Massachusetts.”

The child tax credit was one of Healey’s signature pledges on the campaign trail last fall. The governor sought a $600-per-dependent credit, though House and Senate leaders landed on an eventual credit of $440 in their compromise agreement.

Sen. Walter Timilty, a Milton Democrat, said he agreed with the governor’s initial $600 credit proposal and expressed hope the Legislature could work on that “in the future.”

“I’m very happy with what we did today. I would have liked to have gone with more, but today is a great day for all of us, I believe,” Timilty told the News Service.

Sen. Susan Moran, who co-chairs the Joint Committee on Revenue, also signaled a pathway for expanded tax relief when asked about the governor’s $600 child and family tax credit.

“I appreciate the governor always shooting for the heights and really giving some kind of wind beneath the wings of the Legislature to really do something important,” Moran told the News Service. “And I look forward to continuing to work with the administration on that as we see where this step takes us — and maybe after that, reach even higher heights.”

The Senate accepted the conference report 38-1, with Sen. Jamie Eldridge of Marlborough casting the lone vote of dissent. President Karen Spilka of Ashland voted “yes,” which can sometimes be an emphatic sign of support from the chamber’s leader, who generally does not vote in roll calls.

Democrats then rebuffed a Republican attempt to suspend a rule and introduce amendments to the House-Senate compromise, before taking a final enactment vote and sending the paper to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk at 1:30 p.m.

Other components of the package include raising the estate tax threshold from $1 million to $2 million while eliminating the so-called cliff effect by imposing a credit of $99,600; increasing the earned income tax credit from 30 percent to 40 percent of the federal credit; doubling the senior circuit breaker tax credit from $1,200 to $2,400; and increasing the rental deduction cap from $3,000 to $4,000. The package also slashes the short-term capital gains tax rate from 12 percent to 8.5 percent and overhauls how Massachusetts calculates taxes owed by multistate companies.

“With inflation the way it is, every dollar goes a long way, and this will help people meet their daily needs,” Timilty said after adjournment. “It’s very important for all of us.”

The House approved the package 155-1 on Wednesday and kept its informal session open Thursday so that it could take its final enactment vote, ensuring that the bill could reach the governor’s desk by the afternoon.

The compromise between the House and Senate was crafted since June by a six-member squad of reps and senators led by the chambers’ budget chairmen — Sen. Michael Rodrigues, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Sen. Susan Moran, Rep. Mark Cusack, Sen. Bruce Tarr, and Rep. Michael Soter.

Gov. Charlie Baker kicked off the tax relief discussion in January 2022 when he filed his own proposal. To Sen. Patrick O’Connor, the ranking minority member of the Ways and Means Committee, the 2022-2023 tax relief talks represented something “very uniquely Massachusetts.”

“And that’s the fact that in January of 2022 we had a Republican governor file a bill with his administration, and they looked at, how can we make Massachusetts competitive and how can we make Massachusetts a more affordable place to live? And then that governor decided not to run for reelection, and 14 months later, a Democratic governor, with her administration, took a hard look at how to make Massachusetts competitive and how to make Massachusetts a more affordable place to live. And they filed almost an identical bill,” the Weymouth Republican said.

On the chamber floor, Tarr, O’Connor, and Sen. Rebecca Rausch all expressed notes of discontent with some elements of the compromise. But when the roll was called, Eldridge, who did not speak during the session, was the lone dissenter.

Tarr, the branch’s Republican leader, labeled three sections as “poison pills” — a new requirement that taxpayers who file jointly at the federal level also file their state income taxes jointly; an alteration to the state’s tax cap law, known as Chapter 62F, that would spread excess tax revenues back to taxpayers in equal shares rather than proportional to the taxes they paid; and a change to the cap on money going into the state’s rainy day fund.

Rausch said she “wish[ed] we could have done more” with the proposal, such as by including teenagers in the child and dependent tax credit, but called it a “good compromise.”

The only Democrat during the brief debate to cast a negative light on some aspects of the bill, Rausch looked ahead to next budget season and wondered aloud what services may be cut as a result of a smaller tax haul.

“[W]ith this bill, we’re cutting $1 billion from our coffers, wiping out the new revenues of Fair Share almost to the penny,” the Needham Democrat said. “If we don’t increase our revenues, whether through ultra-high-earning corporate taxation or otherwise, then the only other option for us is to put services on the chopping block. So come budget time next year, what are we gonna cut?”

Referring to “revenue that we’re losing today,” Rausch called for a future “debate in this chamber, on this floor, about revenue.”

As Tarr and Rodrigues collegially sparred during multiple budget and tax debates this year, the bipartisan duo enlisted the use of a prop — a large paper “I.O.U.” they exchanged, representing the promise of future tax relief measures.

Rodrigues presented the note back to the Republican leader with a handshake Thursday, and Tarr “marked the I.O.U. paid.”

The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is partnering with other regional organizations to host the Work North Central Career and Hiring Event scheduled for Wednesday, October 4, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Mount Wachusett Community College, 444 Green Street, Gardner, Mass.

Adult job seekers, high school graduates, college students in the community, retired individuals interested in returning to the workforce, or anyone interested in learning about full and part-time employment opportunities or training resources in North Central Massachusetts, are invited to attend to connect with participating employers and training providers.

 The event is open to the public and free for job seekers and students interested in connecting with local employers of all sizes and industries to discuss employment and career opportunities available in the region. Those organization participating include Fitchburg State University, the MassHire North Central Massachusetts Career Center, MassHire North Central Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board, and Mount Wachusett Community College.

In addition to participating organizations, employers from diverse industries will be discussing career and employment opportunities for all levels of skill and backgrounds, including entry level, and professional and technical positions in such industries as construction, distribution, education, financial services, government, healthcare, hospitality, non-profit, manufacturing, restaurants, and others.

In addition, the event will also offer demonstrations and various career and training resources available to students and job seekers. Complimentary head shots, resume review, career coaching and various workshops and seminars will also be available. Mount Wachusett Community College will also be offering informational sessions about free training programs available for individuals interested in pursuing careers in healthcare and manufacturing. Other special sessions planned during the hiring event includes a panel presentation hosted by the Young Professionals of North Central Massachusetts. This panel of successful young professionals will discuss topics such as finding the balance of work and family, the best ways to search for a job, dressing for the right job, talking about employee benefits, why networking is important and more. 

 Students from local high schools will be attending, including Fitchburg High School, Gardner High School, Leominster School of Excellence, Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, Murdoch High School, Nashoba Tech High School, Sizer School, and the Winchendon School.

 “As a leader in helping North Central Massachusetts compete for talent and advance the region’s economic prosperity, we realize there is a critical need to help our local businesses find qualified and skilled talent in order to grow and succeed,” said Roy M. Nascimento, president & CEO, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “This event is aimed to create economic opportunity, and a strong and diversified workforce for our employers, while providing local students and job seekers the opportunity to meet with a number of employers in one location.”

The Work North Central Career and Hiring Event is an outgrowth of the North Central Massachusetts Talent Compact, a collective impact coalition convened by the Chamber and other major stakeholders to address the complex talent and workforce challenges facing the region. The group consists of prominent business, education, workforce, and community leaders who are committed to collective action and leadership. The event also complements the Chamber’s WorkNorthCentral.com Jobs Board, which serves as an online resource to connect job seekers and local employers while also improving the talent pipeline and better connecting employers to local schools.

Free parking for job seekers and attendees is available at Mount Wachusett Community College. Public transportation is also available via the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART) for anyone who may require it. Check MART’s website for more information at www.mrta.us.

Pre-registration is not required, and walk-ins are welcome.

For more information on the Work North Central Career and Hiring Event, please visit www.northcentralmass.com. Employers interested in participating and reserving a table at the Work North Central Hiring Event should contact Terry Young at 978.353.7600, ext. 244, or Kat Deal at 978.353.7600, ext. 235, to inquire about availability.