The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) granted a $25,000 micro-loan to Derek Johnson, owner of Half Axe located in Marlborough. Half Axe is the premier axe throwing facility and the first of its kind in New England. Once a fun outdoor camping activity, axe-throwing has grown into the newest competitive sport making its way to the US. Located at the new Apex Entertainment Center in Marlborough, Derek offers 2 hour and 45 minute booked sessions for private events, parties, league play, as well as drop-ins. Half Axe is open Tuesday-Sunday. For hours and more info visit www.halfaxe.com. This micro loan was a referral from Community Teamwork and created 4 new jobs.
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Clark University assisted Derek with a business plan and financial package. For more information on the SBDC visit www.clarku.edu/offices/sbdc.
As a microloan lender, NCMDC can provide loans to small businesses up to $150,000 for working capital, equipment, inventory, expansion and working with our banking partners to provide gap financing for the final piece of a project.
Season Tickets for one of our most popular programs, Good Morning North Central, are now on sale! New this year, we have expanded the season tickets to also include three of our other popular breakfast events. We have added the Economic Forecast Breakfast, Tourism Update Breakfast and the Real Estate Summit to the season tickets.
Season Ticket holders enjoy a 20% discount as well as the convenience of being automatically registered for each of these popular events. Season Tickets can be transferred to another colleague within a business as well. Season tickets are on sale at www.northcentralmass.com/news/calendar-of-events at $160 for members and $260 for non members.
Premier networking event connects elected officials with community leaders
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce will host its Legislative and Candidates Reception on September 20, 2018 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the Chocksett Inn on 59 Laurelwood Road in Sterling, MA. The event is intended to offer the region with an upscale networking event that connects business and community leaders with the region’s elected officials, as well as those seeking public office.
“This is a great opportunity for our business and community leaders, as well as our public officials to gather for an evening of networking and collegial discussion,” said Roy Nascimento, President and CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “We look forward to joining our legislators at a unique venue like the Chocksett Inn.”
The Legislative and Candidates Reception is one of the Chamber’s premier events of the season, with over 125 federal, state, and local elected officials invited. Mount Wachusett Community College is the premier sponsor for the event. “At Mount Wachusett Community College, we understand the importance of engaging with the region’s business and legislative communities. These connections and insights help guide the college in various areas such as programming and outreach,” said MWCC President James Vander Hooven. “It is vital for our region’s business leaders, legislators, and policy-makers to meet and network so that they can engage and learn from each other. I am happy to support this important event.”
“Gaining access to legislators and those who seek public office is just as important for small business owners as it is for CEOs in the region,” said Ken Gurge, Esq., Chamber Board Member and Chair of the Government Affairs Committee. “This will be a tremendous opportunity for anyone with passion for North Central Massachusetts.”
Government affairs and public policy advocacy is a key component to the Chamber’s efforts to promote a healthy and active business climate throughout the region. Recognizing that the business community and legislators are partners in economic vitality and growth, events like these align well with the Chamber’s mission.
The event will feature an open bar and gourmet appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. Cost for members is $20 and non-members is $30. Registration is available online at www.northcentralmass.com. Please contact the Chamber at 978.353.7600 or chamber@northcentralmass.com for more details.
As of September 5th, the following legislators and candidates have confirmed their attendance:
Confirmed legislators:
Congressman McGovern, 2nd Massachusetts Congressional District
Auditor Suzanne Bump
Senator Jamie Eldridge, Middlesex and Worcester District
Senator Dean Tran, Worcester and Middlesex District
Representative Donald Berthiaume, 5th Worcester District
Representative Kim Ferguson, 1st Worcester District
Representative Sheila Harrington, 1st Middlesex District
Representative Stephan Hay, 3rd Worcester District
Representative Natalie Higgins, 4th Worcester District
Representative Harold Naughton, 12th Worcester District
Representative Susannah Whipps, 2nd Franklin District
District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Worcester County
Sheriff Lewis Evangelidis, Worcester County
Mayor DiNatale, City of Fitchburg
Mayor Dean Mazzarella, City of Leominster
Councilor Marcus DiNatale, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Thomas E. Donnelly, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Marisa Fleming, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Michael Kushmerek, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Samantha Squalia, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Elizabeth Walsh, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Anthony Zarella, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Thomas Ardinger, City of Leominster
Councilor Susan Chalifoux-Zephir, City of Leominster – Candidate for Senate, Worcester/Middlesex District
Councilor Pauline Cormier, City of Leominster
Councilor Claire Freda, City of Leominster
Selectwoman Rosemarie Meissner, Town of Ashburnham
Selectman Walter Sandrowski, Town of Lancaster
Selectman Jamie Toale, Town of Lunenburg
Town Manager Heather Lemieux, Town of Lunenburg
Selectman Richard Bisk, Town of Princeton
Town Administrator Nina Nazarian, Town of Princeton
Selectman John Kilcoyne, Town of Sterling
Selectman Wayne Walker, Town of Westminster
Selectman James DesLisle, Town of Westminster
Confirmed Candidates:
Tracy Lavvorn, Candidate for Congress, 2nd Massachusetts District
Blake Rubin, Candidate for District Attorney, Worcester County
Margaret Busse, Candidate for State Senator, Middlesex/Worcester District
Elmer Eubanks-Archbold, Candidate for State Representative, 3rd Worcester District
Richard Palmieri, Candidate for State Representative, 4th Worcester District
Stay tuned! The Chamber’s tourism affiliate, Visit North Central Massachusetts will be launching a dynamic new tourism website this fall. The new website will have a fresh new look and feature a number of enhancements to help better promote members and North Central Massachusetts. This is part of our efforts around continuous improvements to strengthen our communications, member services and operations.
The last few months have been some of the most active any on Beacon or Capitol Hill can remember, and the Chamber’s staff has worked hard to keep pace. Well before the supposed “Grand Bargain” made headlines, the Chamber had reviewed the list of initiatives likely to move forward at that time and developed a concise voter’s guide explaining how passage of each would impact the business community. As events took shape in the days and weeks that followed, the staff ensured that this community remained informed. The Chamber hosted Senate President Chandler at a breakfast forum the morning after the Bargain was announced and issued a statement urging both parties to withdraw their petitions shortly after. Now, with only one of the original five key issues remaining, the Chamber continues to advocate on behalf of local healthcare providers and against arbitrary, government imposed staffing requirements in our hospitals.
As important as voicing our members’ concerns in Boston may be, the Chamber has kept a close watch on events in Washington as well. Recognizing the region’s dire need for skilled labor, the Chamber’s President and CEO, Roy Nascimento, joined business leaders from across the nation in signing a letter urging the US Senate to pass the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. This Act represents the largest block of funding for high school education in the federal budget and would reinstate a Reagan era program that supported skills related training until it lapsed in 2016.
Like many industry groups, the Chamber is also deeply concerned by the current rhetoric surrounding trade and tariffs. With the Trump Administration levying taxes on imports from the Commonwealth’s three largest trading partners- Canada, Mexico, and China- and those nations responding in kind, the need to identify a coherent policy with which to move ahead is clear. The Staff has begun conducting research into this topic and plans to bring a platform forward with the new Public Affairs Agenda in September. In the meantime, the Chamber will continue to monitor developments at the local, state, and federal levels, ensuring that the needs and concerns of North Central Massachusetts’ businesses are accounted for in the discourse.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Annual North Central Massachusetts Congressional Luncheon on Friday, October 5, 2018 featuring the Honorable Jim McGovern, United States Representative for the Second Congressional District and the Honorable Niki Tsongas, United States Representative for the Third Congressional District of Massachusetts. The program, sponsored by Fitchburg State University, runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Great Wolf Lodge, 150 Great Wolf Drive, Fitchburg, MA.
This event will provide Chamber members the opportunity to hear directly from members of the U.S. House of Representatives regarding business issues and critical matters facing the nation. Attendees will also be afforded the unique opportunity for networking and questions with members of North Central’s federal delegation.
Currently serving his eleventh term in Congress, Congressman Jim McGovern serves as the second ranking Democrat on the powerful House Rules Committee, which sets the terms for debate and amendments on most legislation; and a member of the House Agriculture Committee. In 2014, McGovern was named Democratic Ranking Member on the House Committee on Agriculture’s Subcommittee on Nutrition. The Subcommittee’s jurisdiction includes policies and statutes relating to nutrition, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and domestic commodity distribution and consumer initiatives.
Before his election to Congress, McGovern spent 14 years working as a senior aide for the late U.S. Representative John Joseph Moakley (D-South Boston), former dean of the Massachusetts delegation and Chairman of the House Rules Committee. He was born in Worcester, the son of two successful small business owners. His two sisters are elementary school teachers in Worcester’s public school system.
McGovern earned his Bachelor of Arts (‘81) and Masters of Public Administration (‘84) degrees from The American University, working his way through college by serving as an aide in the office of U.S. Senator George McGovern (D-SD).
Congresswoman Niki Tsongas was elected to the United State House of Representatives in a 2007 special election, becoming the first woman in 25 years to serve in Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She represents the Massachusetts Third District (which had previously been known as the Fifth District until 2012). Tsongas holds the same seat that was held three decades earlier by her late husband, former Congressman, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Paul Tsongas. Her Congressional district spans across portions of Essex, Middlesex and Worcester counties.
Tsongas serves as a senior member on the prestigious House Armed Services Committee, and having previously served in a leadership position as the top Democrat on the subcommittee for Oversight and Investigations. Tsongas also serves on the Natural Resources Committee, which formulates federal policy related to domestic energy production, National Parks, and the environment. In 2015, she was named to a leadership role as the top Democrat on the Federal Lands Subcommittee. She also serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee. Recently Tsongas was elected by her peers to serve as the highest ranking Democrat on the largest HASC subcommittee, the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee.
Prior to being elected to the House of Representatives, Tsongas served as a Dean at Middlesex Community College, practiced law, and raised her three daughters all in the region she now represents.
Tsongas is not seeking re-election this year.
Make sure that you reserve your spot early to hear from our congressional delegation on the many critical issues facing the business community in Washington D.C.
Pre-registration is required and easy. Simply call the Chamber at 978.353.7600 ext. 235, email mmccaffrey@northcentralmass.com or register online at www.northcentralmass.com. The cost is $35 for members and $55 for non-members.
The next edition of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber’s popular Good Morning North Central breakfast series is scheduled for Friday, September 14, 2018 from 6:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the Doubletree by Hilton, 99 Erdman Way, Leominster, MA. The September edition is sponsored by Unitil.
The Good Morning North Central series is a high-profile, fast-paced and educational breakfast program geared towards executives, senior managers, professionals and business owners. Each of the programs has a business-oriented focus and features popular speakers to present on topics of interest to local businesses.
The featured speakers for the September edition are Secretary Matthew Beaton of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Deborah Weymouth, President and CEO of UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital.
Secretary Matthew A. Beaton oversees the Commonwealth’s six environmental, natural resource and energy regulatory agencies, which include the Departments of Environmental Protection, Public Utilities, Energy Resources, Conservation & Recreation, Agricultural Resources, and Fish & Game. Secretary Beaton also serves as Chairman of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the Energy Facilities Siting Board, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
Before being appointed to the cabinet post at Energy and Environmental Affairs, Secretary Beaton served as a State Representative. First electe
d in 2011, he was a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, the House Committee on Ethics, and the Joint Committee on Environ
ment, Natural Resources and Agriculture. In the private sector, Secretary Beaton has worked as an environmental engineer and energy efficiency consultant.
Deborah Weymouth serves as President and CEO of HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital. The hospital is a member of UMass Memorial Health Care creating a super-regional community hospital providing a full continuum of high quality healthcare services to the residents of North Central Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Her presentation will focus on the upcoming ballot question regarding patient to nurse ratios and the impact on community hospitals.
The cost is just $25 for Chamber members/$40 non-members and includes a breakfast buffet. Season Tickets are also available for purchase. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, please contact the Chamber at 978.353.7600 ext. 235 or visit www.northcentralmass.com.
You asked, we answered! We have revamped our Sales Leads program to be more responsive to the needs of program participants. Based on the feedback we have received, we have made the following changes:
In an effort to respect your time, we will be limiting the program now to only once per month and just one hour in length;
The networking will be quick and impactful. We will maintain a structured format, but also incorporate an open networking element;
We have moved the program from Wednesdays to Fridays. We are also exploring moving the location from the Chamber office to another location;
We have a new name and logo to reflect the changes. Sales Leads is now “Connect North Central”!
Connect North Central will continue to be free for members and open seat – meaning more than one person from each industry can participate – to help you make the valuable connections that you want and need. For more information or to register for the next meeting, please visit www.northcentralmass.com.
Be visible, participate in Chamber programs and watch your business grow.
The Chamber offers members the opportunity to showcase their products and services by sponsoring programs and events throughout the year. From the smallest to largest business, we provide multiple sponsorships and various programs to meet our member’s marketing needs. Regardless of your budget, there is a sponsorship opportunity available for you at the North Central Massachusetts Chamber!
For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Chamber at 978.353.7600 or via email at Chamber@northcentralmass.com.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce has been named an “Award of Excellence” winner in the Communications Excellence awards program presented by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). ACCE, an Alexandria, Va.-based association, represents more than 8,000 chamber of commerce professionals, and 1,300 chambers of commerce, around the world.
ACCE’s annual Awards for Communications Excellence is designed to showcase top communications and marketing work of chambers of commerce and similar organizations. Several thousand award entries have been submitted since the launch of the organization’s Awards for Communications Excellence, which is now in its thirty-fourth year.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce received an Award of Excellence for a special digital campaign that showcased video testimonials from businesses. In 2018, the Chamber set out to interview some of its members and hear what they had to say about the work of the Chamber and its affiliates, as well as how they have best taken advantage of their membership. The results were astounding, as members from all industries were interested in sharing their story. Twenty-one different videos were shot entirely using an iPhone and shared through NorthCentralMass.com and social channels allowing people to hear about the benefits and work of the Chamber directly from members enjoying the benefits. The videos culminated in a four minute highlight video that premiered at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting in June.
“Hearing directly from our membership about why they continue to partner with us and having them help us share that story has been a great exercise for our organization” said Roy Nascimento, president & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “Every member has the ability to be a representation of our Chamber and the amazing work we can do when we work together towards the betterment of the region. Hearing about their positive experiences fills us with great pride and continues to motivate and inspire us to work even harder for our members and communities.”
A panel of communications and marketing professionals from five U.S.-based chambers of commerce evaluated the more than 150 entries that were received. The entries were organized by category — based on the chamber’s annual budget — and entry type: advertising and marketing, campaigns, digital and publications.
