In addition to its direct financial impact, the funding marks a significant step in NCMDC’s ongoing efforts to strengthen economic development and expand lending capacity to support the region’s unique industry mix.
Founded in 2017 by Brianna Drohen and Alec MacLeod, LaunchSpace is a makerspace providing a creative and collaborative ecosystem for makers, artists, the unemployed, small businesses, entrepreneurs, remote workers, and other independent professionals. Drohen worked closely with Ray Belanger of NewVue Communities to develop LaunchSpace’s business plan.
As a non-profit, LaunchSpace supports innovative economic development in post-industrial, semi-rural communities with the opportunity to explore and cultivate hands-on skills.
“We believe in benefitting people and enterprises through collaboration,” said Drohen. “With LaunchSpace, entrepreneurs can access workshop space, a training center, and now a commercial grade kitchen to produce their work and fuel the economy.”
In addition to the kitchen, LaunchSpace will offer a prep kitchen and two storage spaces as well as meeting rooms and offices, with a second phase of the project aimed toward business incubator studios and childcare spaces.
“The demand for locally grown and manufactured food products has increased with the growth of farmers markets, food pantries, and restaurants and retail outlets selling the products,” added MacLeod. “This project is focused on providing resources to serve the needs of food security and offer opportunities for workforce development as we are looking to hire three full-time employees and the potential of 20 to 30 part-time staff.”
LaunchSpace, which opened this summer, is currently accepting new kitchen members and continues to build its membership.
As a microloan lender, NCMDC can provide loans to small businesses up to $250,000 for working capital, real estate, equipment, inventory, expansion, and, working with our banking partners, to provide gap financing for the final piece of a project.
For more information about the NCMDC loan programs, please call 978.353.7607 or visit NorthCentralMass.com or ChooseNorthCentral.com
Join presenter Adam Ware on November 16, for a practical workshop designed to help small business owners strengthen their negotiation skills, protect profit margins, and secure better deals with customers and suppliers. Through real-world scenarios and interactive exercises, participants will learn strategies to communicate value, defend pricing, manage concessions, and improve purchasing terms. Adam brings over 16 years of experience in strategic marketing, global account management, and commercial negotiations, with a background at companies including Dow, EMD Electronics, and SUEZ Water Technologies.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and its Future Leaders of North Central (FLNC) committee hosted the inaugural North Central Golf Tour Championship: Fore the Future FLNC Scholarship Golf Classic on Monday, October 5, at Oak Hill Country Club in Fitchburg.
A field of 72 golfers signed up for an afternoon shotgun start, on-course challenges, raffles and a silent auction, followed by an evening reception. Together, players, sponsors and donors raised $10,347.58 for the FLNC Non-Traditional Scholarship Fund, enough to fund five $2,000 scholarships for students across North Central Massachusetts.
Congratulations to our 2026 Champions
The team from Main Street Bank took first place and became the first foursome to bring home the Fore the Future FLNC Scholarship Golf Classic trophy.
Thank you to our sponsors
Presenting Sponsors: DMH Electric and Diverdi Property Solutions
Silver Sponsor: Fidelity Bank
Community Sponsors: Main Street Bank, GAMMHA, Rockland Trust, JCW Wealth Management, Kindled Planning, E.L. Harvey & Sons and Pleasant Street Wealth Advisors
Cart Fleet Sponsor: Bin There Dump That
Signage Sponsor: Level Up Promotions
Hole Sponsors: Quinn O’Connell REALTOR®, MOD Creative Studio, Rollstone Bank & Trust, Workers Credit Union, Franklin Professional Associates, Sitka Creations LLC, Aspire Living and Learning, Mount Wachusett Community College, Level Up Promotions, Custom Cleaning Service of Peabody, Inc. and 104.5 XLO
We’re also grateful to Oak Hill Country Club for hosting, Gallery at 759 Main for hosting our silent auction and making a generous donation to the scholarship fund, and Eagle Eye for capturing the day. Our appreciation also goes to every business that donated raffle and auction prizes, and to the volunteers, Chamber staff and FLNC committee members who made the tournament possible.
Every dollar raised supports students pursuing nontraditional educational paths and helps us invest in the next generation of leaders in our region. We hope to see you on the course next year as we continue to tee up the future, one scholarship at a time.
A multi-pronged approach to solving the region’s talent puzzle
Ask any business owner in North Central Massachusetts about their workforce needs, and you’ll likely hear a complicated picture. Manufacturing and healthcare continue to report real difficulty finding and retaining workers, while other industries navigate a shifting landscape as hiring patterns evolve and technology changes the nature of entry-level roles. But even as short-term conditions fluctuate, the region’s long-term workforce challenges remain, driven by an aging population, persistent skills gaps, and barriers like transportation and childcare that keep otherwise capable workers out of the labor pool.
The Chamber’s own research, including a comprehensive regional workforce study conducted with the UMass Donahue Institute, has long identified these barriers as significant obstacles to full workforce participation in North Central Massachusetts, findings consistent with what we hear directly from members and with other state and national research. Regardless of where any individual business stands today, these structural issues require sustained, long-term investment rather than a response to any single moment in the hiring cycle.
Your Chamber has taken this challenge seriously, building a comprehensive toolbox of programs and partnerships designed to address workforce development from every angle: building pathways into careers, removing barriers to employment, advocating for systemic change, and keeping talent here for the long term.
“Workforce isn’t a single problem with a single solution,” says Melissa Glenny, President of Franklin Professional Associates, Inc. and Vice Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. “It’s transportation, it’s childcare, it’s education, it’s skills training. Every day in my own work, I see employers dealing with all of these challenges at once, and that’s exactly why the Chamber has to stay engaged on so many fronts.”
Building Pathways Early
For many students, the path to a career starts long before graduation, and the Chamber’s scholarship programs are designed to invest in that pipeline early. Through both traditional scholarships for graduating high school seniors and industry pathway scholarships for adult learners, career-changers, and those pursuing vocational or technical training, the Chamber Foundation helps remove the financial barriers that keep talented individuals from pursuing further education or credentialing.
“A scholarship like this is workforce development, not philanthropy. When the Chamber removes the cost barrier for someone pursuing technical training, that person often ends up building things for a company like ours a few miles away,” said Mark Dyment, President & CEO of YMC America. “We’ve expanded our Devens facility because demand is growing, and we need the talent pipeline to grow with it.”
Removing Barriers to Employment
Beyond scholarships, the Chamber has invested in removing systemic barriers that prevent qualified individuals from entering the workforce. Through a partnership with the Spanish American Center y Mount Wachusett Community College, the Chamber supports an equitable pathways and micro-credentialing initiative designed to help underrepresented job seekers access short-term, industry-recognized credentials that lead directly to employment.
[Photo caption: Job seekers gain industry-recognized credentials through the Chamber’s partnership with Mount Wachusett Community College and the Spanish American Center.]
“So many people in our region have the skills and the work ethic, but they hit roadblocks navigating traditional education and training systems,” says Jim Vander Hooven, President of Mount Wachusett Community College. “Our partnership with the Chamber and the Spanish American Center meets people where they are and gets them into good jobs faster, and it’s just one of the many ways our college and the Chamber are working together to strengthen the region’s workforce.”
Job seekers with disabilities are an often-overlooked part of the regional talent pool. To help close that gap, the Chamber has helped connect employers with MassAbility and the region’s network of supported employment agencies.
The Chamber also recently convened a Talent Compact roundtable, bringing together representatives from higher education, workforce boards, municipalities, and community organizations to listen, identify shared challenges, and align efforts around real employer needs.
“Workforce challenges don’t belong to any one organization, they’re shared across employers, educators, and workforce partners,” says LeeAnn Johnson, Executive Director of the MassHire North Central Workforce Board. “When the Chamber steps into that convening role, whether it’s through the Talent Compact, hosting manufacturing tours, or bringing employers and job seekers together, it helps all of us move in the same direction instead of working in isolation.”
Practical Tools for Members
The Chamber also provides members with practical, everyday tools to find and hire talent. The Work North Central Jobs Board connects member businesses directly with job seekers across the region, and is free for members. Over the past year alone, the board has hosted more than 1,000 job postings and attracted nearly 30,000 page views.
[Photo caption: Employers and job seekers connect at a past Chamber hiring event, one of the many tools helping members find and hire local talent.]
These tools aren’t just for large employers. Whether you’re hiring one person or fifty, the jobs board, manufacturing tours, workforce convenings, and the Career & Hiring Event are designed to work for businesses of every size, and opportunities like sponsoring a scholarship in your company’s name remain accessible and affordable regardless of size.
This coming spring, the Chamber will also debut a redesigned Career & Hiring Event, merged with the popular Small Business Showcase and moved from its traditional October date to March, giving job seekers and entrepreneurs a single, high-energy venue to connect with employers and explore career pathways.
Advocating for Systemic Change
Beyond direct programs and partnerships, the Chamber has been an active voice at the state and federal levels for policies that better prepare students for the workforce our employers actually need, including expanded industry pathways within our school systems and greater access to vocational and technical training, work-based learning, and career exposure well before graduation. At the state level, the Chamber has pushed for increased investment in vocational-technical education and policy changes that align funding and curriculum requirements with real employer needs, while in Washington, the Chamber has advocated for federal workforce development funding and policies that support employer-driven training models.
“We can build all the partnerships and programs in the world, but if state and federal policy isn’t aligned with what employers actually need, we’re fighting an uphill battle,” says Travis Condon, the Chamber’s Director of Public Affairs. “Advocacy is how we make sure the systems producing our future workforce are actually built around real jobs in our region.”
Solving the “Whole Person” Barriers
Finding a job is only part of the equation, keeping it often depends on factors that have nothing to do with skills or qualifications. The North Central Massachusetts Rides Transportation Management Association (TMA) was created to address the “last mile” problem, connecting workers to jobs in communities where public transit options are limited or nonexistent. For many employers, workforce transportation is the difference between a fully staffed shift and a chronic vacancy.
The Chamber is also a member of the Employers & Childcare Coalition of North Central Massachusetts, an initiative launched by the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, with infrastructure support from the United Way of North Central Massachusetts, to develop sustainable models for accessible, employer-supported childcare. As a coalition member, the Chamber supports this broader regional effort to address a barrier that keeps parents, particularly mothers, out of the workforce or limits the hours they’re able to work.
“Transportation and childcare aren’t side issues, they’re workforce issues,” says Rozanna Penney, President & CEO of Heywood Healthcare. “As a founding member of the TMA and a participant in the new Childcare Coalition’s employer-supported childcare pilot, we’re seeing firsthand how removing these barriers helps us recruit and retain the people we need to care for our community.”
Each October, the Chamber also hosts a manufacturing bus tour for regional superintendents, media, and public policy leaders, building awareness and support among decision-makers for the modern manufacturing careers available right here in North Central Massachusetts.
“The outdated image of the dusty assembly line is holding our workforce back,” says Kevin Kassekart, President & CEO of VulcanForms. “When local leaders walk our smart factory floors and see data-driven production in action, it instantly changes the narrative. They see that modern manufacturing demands advanced technological proficiency, highlighting exactly what our educational pipelines need to be teaching right now.”
Keeping Talent Here
Solving the workforce challenge isn’t just about getting people into jobs, it’s about building a region where people want to stay and grow their careers long-term. Through programs like the Chamber’s Community Leadership Institute (CLI) y Future Leaders of North Central group (FLNC), the Chamber invests in developing the next generation of regional leadership, ensuring that talented individuals see a future for themselves in North Central Massachusetts rather than looking elsewhere.
Connecting the Dots
None of these programs work in isolation. Scholarships build the pipeline. Credentialing partnerships remove barriers to entry. Convening employers, educators, and workforce partners helps align efforts with real needs on the ground. The jobs board and hiring event connect employers with candidates. The TMA and childcare coalition address the barriers that keep people out of the workforce even after they’re hired. Advocacy at the state and federal level works to align policy and funding with what employers actually need. And CLI and Future Leaders keep talent invested in our region for the long haul.
“Workforce development isn’t a problem any one organization solves alone,” says Roy Nascimento, President & CEO. “It takes partnership, schools and colleges, employers, municipalities, along with workforce and community organizations all pulling in the same direction. Our role is to help connect those dots and ensure North Central Massachusetts has the talent pipeline it needs to compete and grow.”
This is workforce development in action. This is what your membership supports.
Put These Tools to Work
Post job openings on the Chamber’s Jobs Board
Sponsor a Traditional or Industry Pathways Scholarship through the Chamber Foundation
Connect with the Chamber’s workforce and education partners
Join a workforce convening or roundtable discussion
Participate in the Career & Hiring Event to connect with students and job seekers
Host a tour for students, educators, or policy leaders
Partner with the Chamber to advocate for education and training policy reforms
Host interns or co-op students
Work with MassAbility or agencies that help place workers with disabilities
Sponsor a CLI participant or get a rising team member involved with Future Leaders
Have a workforce challenge affecting your business? Interested in getting involved with any of the opportunities above? Contact Cory Wells, Community Economic Development & Loan Operations Administrator, at or call (978) 353-7600 ext. 228.
This update originally appeared in the Fall 2026 edition of The Chamber Report, mailed in September.
As we head into the fall, the Chamber has stayed active on behalf of our members at the federal, state, and local levels. We testified to protect regional funding, advocated on major energy legislation, and deepened our work with municipalities across North Central Massachusetts. We also have two signature events this season that connect our members directly with the officials and candidates who shape the policies affecting their bottom line: our Legislative & Candidates Reception on September 24 and our 11th Annual Congressional Luncheon on October 15. Details on both are below.
Federal Affairs
Congressional Luncheon. We are pleased to host our 11th Annual Congressional Luncheon on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton. This popular event gives members the opportunity to hear directly from Congressman Jim McGovern and Congresswoman Lori Trahan about the issues being worked on in Washington and what they mean for our region’s business community. We are grateful to our Premier Sponsor, Fitchburg State University, and our Supporting Sponsor, GAAMHA, for making this event possible, and we thank Matthew Bruun for serving as emcee.
Races we are watching. Our region spans both the 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts, so we are following this fall’s federal races closely. At the top of the ticket, U.S. Senator Ed Markey faces a challenge from John Deaton. In the 2nd Congressional District, Congressman McGovern advanced without a primary opponent and currently faces no Republican challenger in November. In the 3rd Congressional District, Congresswoman Trahan was unopposed in her primary and faces Republican Gary Grossi of Acton, who also had no primary opponent. We will keep monitoring these races given how much the delegation matters to our region’s businesses.
State Affairs
Energy legislation. Energy affordability remains a top concern for our member businesses. This session, the Chamber supported the House’s energy affordability bill (H.5151), which aimed to address rising costs. We opposed the Senate’s competing measure, S.3166. Our concerns centered on the costs to ratepayers and businesses, the loss of consumer choice, open-ended new government spending, and new risks to grid reliability and Massachusetts jobs. We continue to push for energy policy that puts affordability and reliability first for the employers and families of our region.
State budget. Governor Healey signed the $63.4 billion Fiscal Year 2027 state budget into law on July 9, a roughly 4 percent increase over the prior year that raises no new taxes or fees. The budget makes targeted investments in economic development, workforce, education, and housing, and delivers increased support for cities and towns, including a $40 million increase in Unrestricted General Government Aid, and $30 million in new funding distributed by population to better support small and rural communities. We were especially glad to see funding for the Regional Economic Development Organization (REDO) program included in the final version, and we appreciate our regional delegation’s support for this vital program that supports regional partnerships and technical assistance that helps our businesses grow.
Tourism funding. We continue to advocate for strong, predictable tourism funding for our region. The FY2027 budget moves the share of state gaming revenue dedicated to tourism from 1 percent to 2 percent, a change expected to represent roughly a $2.5 million increase for tourism efforts statewide. On a separate track, we are also working to secure language in legislation that will ensure the state tourism grant marketing dollars are distributed in full by a date certain, giving regions like ours the timing and certainty needed to run effective marketing campaigns.
State races we are watching. In addition to the race for Governor between Governor Maura Healey and challenger Mike Minogue, a number of state representative and state senate districts across our region feature contested races this fall, including two open state representative seats. We are following these closely, as the outcomes will shape the legislative delegation that represents North Central Massachusetts on Beacon Hill and advocates for our business community.
Local Affairs
Municipal engagement. Our staff continued to meet with local officials throughout the region this summer and fall. We provided testimony in Fitchburg that successfully fended off a proposed 50 percent reduction to our tourism funding during the city’s budget process. In Leominster, after the $15,000 supplemental appropriation restored to our funding earlier this year, we again saw a $15,000 reduction for the FY27 budget. We are actively engaging the Mayor to restore that funding and hope to see it solidified in the budgeted amount going forward. We also met with the Town Administrator in Templeton to share the Chamber’s economic development and tourism resources, and we are exploring ways to further partner on economic development with Ayer. Our staff continued to attend city council meetings in both Fitchburg and Leominster, which keeps us in the room when decisions that affect our members are being made.
A regional milestone in Lancaster. In August, we joined local officials in Lancaster to recognize the new “Welcome to Lancaster” sign installed by the Chamber, the 10th welcome sign sponsored across the region as part of our One North Central economic development plan. See page 26 for the full story.
Legislative & Candidates Reception. Our signature Legislative & Candidates Reception returns on Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Chocksett Inn in Sterling. This event puts our members in the room with local officials, mayors, our legislative and congressional delegation, statewide constitutional officers, and those running for office for an evening of networking and conversation. We thank our Premier Sponsor, Mount Wachusett Community College, and our Supporting Sponsor, Open Sky Community Services. This is an open invitation to candidates. Any candidate who has not yet signed up is welcome to contact Travis Condon to take part.
For more information about any of these government affairs updates or to discuss specific policy concerns, please contact Travis Condon, Director of Public Affairs, at 978.353.7600, ext. 224, or via email at .
The following is an update from Visit North Central Massachusetts, the Chamber’s tourism promotion arm, on the region’s tourism marketing, visitor data, and related initiatives. This update originally appeared in the Fall 2026 edition of The Chamber Report, mailed in September.
Wrapping Up FY26, Looking Ahead to FY27
Visita el centro-norte de Massachusetts closed out Fiscal Year 2026 in June, a year that brought mixed results for the region’s tourism industry, and has since finalized its annual marketing plan for the year ahead. In July, we presented our FY27 funding request to the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT), which provides annual grant funding to regional tourism councils like ours, funding Visit North Central Massachusetts matches dollar for dollar to maximize our promotional reach, prioritizing the advertising and media outlets that delivered the strongest results for the region last year.
Fitchburg TDMD: Building the Foundation
This past year also brought the region’s first Tourism Destination Marketing District (TDMD) outside of Boston, following unanimous approval from the Fitchburg City Council and officially launching January 1, 2026. A TDMD works by adding a small assessment to a guest’s stay at a participating hotel, funds paid by visitors themselves, not businesses or local taxpayers, and reinvested directly into marketing and promoting that destination. It’s a self-sustaining model already used successfully in tourism destinations across the country: the more visitors a property attracts, the more resources are available to market the community and its destinations and attract even more visitors. Great Wolf Lodge is the District’s first participating property, and for our region, that means a new, sustainable tool to drive visitation and strengthen the broader visitor economy that benefits restaurants, retailers, and attractions well beyond the property itself.
Over the summer, the Chamber worked closely with Great Wolf Lodge to establish a budget framework and develop a preliminary marketing plan for the District. While we had initially expected to launch our first marketing campaign under the District this past July, that timeline shifted slightly as planning continued, and we’re now finalizing the plan and rolling out our first campaign this fall, starting with a video and content campaign produced with WCVB Hearst (see below). This work is separate from, and in addition to, our broader regional tourism marketing efforts, the TDMD is specifically focused on driving visibility and visitation tied to Fitchburg and Great Wolf Lodge, while our other tourism marketing continues to promote North Central Massachusetts as a whole.
Advertising & Marketing Update
This fall, we are producing two video content campaigns with WCVB Hearst, building on our WCVB advertising campaign from last year, which significantly exceeded its goals with 1.3 million impressions and more than 21,000 engagements.
One of this year’s campaigns, funded through the Fitchburg TDMD, will promote Great Wolf Lodge, while the other promotes the region as a whole, meaning every member business benefits from this campaign’s reach, regardless of industry.
We’re also continuing to work with the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) throughout the year to reach new audiences, from a summer social media collaboration spotlighting the region’s farms and orchards to an October content creator visit and a fall presence at the Big E, where we’ll distribute our regional guides to the millions of visitors who attend from across New England.
And speaking of guides: our newly released Fall/Winter edition of the Guide to North Central Massachusetts is now in circulation, distributed locally and throughout New England as one of the region’s primary tools for reaching prospective visitors.
Digital & Social Media: FY26 Recap and a New Fiscal Year Underway
VisitNorthCentral.com attracted more than 63,000 users and generated over 107,000 page views in FY26, with 2.9 million impressions.
On social media, our Facebook and Instagram following grew to more than 49,000 followers generating 2.62 million impressions and 2.2 million views over the course of the year, with a 3.35% engagement rate.
The new fiscal year is off to a start as well: this summer, our social media content generated more than 310,000 views and over 10,000 engagements, a 3.18% engagement rate, while our website drew more than 10,000 active users, up 2.2% year-over-year, and logged more than 47,000 visits. Organic search traffic declined notably year-over-year, consistent with a broader industry trend toward “zero-click” searches, where users get the information they need directly from search results without visiting a website.
Desempeño de hospedaje
Fiscal Year 2026 (July 2025 – June 2026) closed with regional lodging occupancy at 63.2%, down 8.4% from the prior year, and total lodging revenue of $61.4 million, down 4.9% year-over-year. The most recent quarter (April–June 2026) showed a similar pattern, with occupancy at 62.7% (down 11.4%) but average daily rates up slightly (+1.1%), suggesting properties are holding pricing even as occupancy softens.
The new fiscal year opened with July 2026 occupancy at 70.1%, still down 6.2% from July 2025, consistent with the softer trend seen throughout FY26. For our hospitality members, this data helps inform where we focus advertising dollars and outreach in the months ahead, and it’s part of why our marketing plan continues to prioritize driving overnight stays, not just day visits, to the region.
Recaudación de impuestos de opción local
Local option meals tax collections across the region totaled $3.99 million in FY26, up significantly from $2.13 million in FY25, though much of that increase reflects several larger communities implementing a local option meals tax for the first time this year rather than organic growth in spending. While meals tax reflects both resident and visitor dining, we track it as a key indicator of visitor spending and overall restaurant industry health. With a full fiscal year of data now in hand, FY26 will serve as a more accurate baseline for tracking meals tax trends going forward.
Local option room tax collections totaled $2.91 million in FY26, compared to $3.07 million in FY25, a modest decline consistent with the softer lodging occupancy numbers reported above.
Visitor Center Update
El Centro de Visitantes Johnny Appleseed welcomed more visitors this past fiscal year than the year before, with total traffic for FY26 (July 2025–June 2026) reaching 124,568 visitors (up approximately 3,000, or about 2.5%, compared to FY25). June was a particularly strong month, and July carried that momentum into the new fiscal year with another year-over-year increase of about 6.7%. August saw a dip of about 6.6% compared to last year, but the overall trend for the year remains positive.
[Photo caption: In The Meadow Alpacas at the Johnny Appleseed Visitor Center.]
After a long-awaited process, the EV charging station project at the state-owned Visitor Center property, which the Chamber operates, is finally moving forward. The state’s Request for Response (RFR) officially closed in late August, and a contractor is expected to be selected by mid-September. We’ll continue to share updates as this project progresses.
Looking ahead this fall, the Chamber is continuing two of the Visitor Center’s favorite seasonal traditions. As part of our annual celebration of the region’s apple heritage, we’re once again handing out fresh apples to everyone who stops by the Visitor Center, generously donated by member orchards Red Apple Farm in Phillipston, Sholan Farms in Leominster, and Hollis Hills Farm in Fitchburg. Thank you to all three for helping us share a taste of North Central Massachusetts with our visitors.
We’re also kicking off our popular Showcase Events series, running Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from September 12 through October 12. Each Saturday brings a different lineup of local musicians, crafters, farms, and authors to the Visitor Center, including a return visit from Plain View Farm’s alpacas. Thank you to the Ashby, Clinton, Fitchburg, Lancaster, y Royalston Cultural Councils, whose support helps make this programming possible each fall.
[Photo caption: Musician Jae Mannion performs (left) and Plain View Farm’s alpacas greet visitors (right) at past Showcase Events at the Johnny Appleseed Visitor Center.]
Data in this update reflects the most current figures available at time of publication; lodging data in particular typically lags by one to two months, so more recent figures may be available by contacting us directly.
Por qué el turismo es importante para el centro-norte de Massachusetts
Tourism is far more than a single industry, it’s a catalyst for community vitality. When you build a place where people want to visit, you’ve built a place where people want to live, work, and invest. Every visitor we attract becomes a potential business lead, future resident, or investor who experiences our region’s unique assets and becomes an ambassador for North Central Massachusetts.
This is why our strategic marketing efforts don’t just drive immediate economic impact, they build long-term awareness and prosperity for our communities and members.
Want to get involved? Whether it’s being featured in the Guide to North Central Massachusetts, participating in a Visitor Center Showcase Event, or learning more about our marketing initiatives, we’d love to hear from you. For more information on the Chamber’s tourism and marketing initiatives, contact Jon Ashley, Marketing Manager, at or 978.353.7600, ext. 240.
When employers and policymakers talk face to face, good things follow. That is the idea behind the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce’s annual Legislative and Candidates Reception, which returned to the Chocksett Inn in Sterling on September 24.
Chamber members spent the evening with candidates in federal and statewide races, members of our state legislative delegation, county officials, and city and town leaders from across the Chamber’s 27 communities.
The reception’s relaxed, social atmosphere gave business owners and executives the chance to connect one-on-one with the people who represent them, or hope to, and to share what’s on their minds as employers in North Central Massachusetts.
“Government affairs and public policy advocacy are central to how the Chamber supports a strong, competitive business climate across the region,” said Roy Nascimento, president and CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “This reception gives our members direct access to the officials and candidates who shape our communities and offers an opportunity to advocate for the issues that matter to employers in our communities.”
Connections like these are at the heart of the Chamber’s advocacy work. When policymakers hear directly from those who invest in our communities and keep our economy moving, the entire region benefits. Thank you to every member, official, and candidate who took part. Your participation helps keep the business community and our policymakers connected.
Special thanks to our Premier Sponsor, Mount Wachusett Community College, and our Supporting Sponsor, Open Sky Community Services.
The Chamber’s advocacy doesn’t end when the reception does. To learn more about our legislative priorities, see where the Chamber stands on key issues, or find out who represents you, visit our Government Affairs page.
(North Central, MA) – In a partnership with the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD), MassDevelopment, and MassHire, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce (NCMCC) and North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) will be hosting state economic development officials for one-on-one appointments with local developers, manufacturers, and business owners. The meetings are an opportunity to discuss any specific matters related to their business or the expansion of their business, as well as to review state resources available to support business growth and expansion.
Kevin Kuros, Central Massachusetts Director for MOBD; Anne Szender McCarthy, Vice President, Business Development of MassDevelopment; and Scott Percifull, Program Specialist for MassHire, will be available at the Chamber office, located at 860 South St., Fitchburg, MA 01420, by appointment on Wednesday, October 7, between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. The appointments are in thirty-minute increments and are first-come, first-served. Meetings are free and confidential, available on a non-discriminatory basis, and are accessible to people with disabilities.
MOBD is the state’s economic development office and manages the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP), which provides tax credits for qualifying business expansion projects. In addition, MOBD directors are navigators in the state’s new Business Front Door portal, through which businesses can manage their interactions with state agencies and related quasi-public agencies. MOBD is also the home of the Massachusetts Center for Employee Ownership (MassCEO), which provides resources and information for businesses exploring employee ownership models, often as a succession planning strategy.
MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2026, MassDevelopment financed or managed 526 projects generating investment of more than $6.29 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 42,026 jobs and build or preserve 4,355 housing units. MassDevelopment has a variety of financing programs to address the needs of small businesses, from equipment to real estate to working capital.
MassHire provides workforce development services to employers throughout the business cycle, including employee training, recruitment, large multi-industry job fairs, and access to job seekers through its JobQuest database. MassHire can also help businesses access grants and other resources to support employee training and workforce needs.
To schedule an appointment, contact Sandie Cataldo, Senior Economic Development Manager at the NCMCC and NCMDC at 978.353.7600 ext. 232 or via email at .
FITCHBURG, Mass.—Sept. 15, 2026—The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce today announced the 2026 Legislative and Candidates Reception will be held on Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Chocksett Inn, 59 Laurelwood Road in Sterling. Mount Wachusett Community College is the premier sponsor for the event while Open Sky Community Services will serve as our supporting sponsor.
Held every fall, the Legislative and Candidates Reception connects some of most engaged and community-focused business leaders with the region’s state, county, and local lawmakers and candidates. As one of the Chamber’s signature events, it draws strong attendance and creates opportunities for dialogue on the policies and priorities shaping the regional economy.
“Government affairs and public policy advocacy are central to how the Chamber supports a strong, competitive business climate across the region,” said Roy Nascimento, president and CEO, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “This reception gives our members direct access to the officials and candidates who shape our communities and offers an opportunity to advocate for the issues that matter to employers in our communities.”
“Some of the college’s best work starts with a conversation, and this reception puts us in the room with the business leaders and lawmakers to exchange ideas and build stronger relationships with our city and town halls and Beacon Hill,” said James Vander Hooven, president, Mount Wachusett Community College. “Through receptions like this, we are able to learn how to best prepare students for careers being offered by employers in the region.”
All current elected officials and candidates running for office in the Chamber’s 27 communities are invited and encouraged to attend.
Legislative & Candidates Reception 2025
As of September 14ta, the following officials and candidates have confirmed their attendance*:
Officials:
State Senator John Cronin, Worcester and Middlesex District
State Senator Jamie Eldridge, Middlesex and Worcester District
State Senator Robyn Kennedy, First Worcester District
State Representative Natalie Higgins, Fourth Worcester District
State Representative Meg Kilcoyne, 12ta Worcester District
State Representative Mike Kushmerek, Third Worcester District
State Representative Margaret Scarsdale, First Middlesex District
Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis
Governors Councilor, Paul DePalo, District 7
Mayor Sam Squailia, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Paul Beauchemin, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Derrick Cruz, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Marisa Fleming, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Andy Van Hazinga, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Beth Walsh, City of Fitchburg
Councilor Mark Bodanza, City of Leominster
Councilor David Cormier, City of Leominster
Councilor Brandon Robbins, City of Leominster
Councilor Eladia Romero, City of Leominster
Councilor Sue Chalifoux Zephir, City of Leominster
Select Board Member Glenn McCleod, Town of Lunenburg
Select Board Member Maureen Cranson, Town of Sterling
Select Board Member Ron Furmaniuk, Town of Sterling
Select Board Member Kristen Newman, Town of Sterling
Select Board Member David Smith, Town of Sterling
Select Board Member Patricia Ward, Town of Sterling
Select Board Member Mike Cooley, Town of Westminster
Select Board Member Andrew Beauvais, Town of Winchendon
Clinton Town Administrator Karyn Clark
Sterling Town Administrator Bill Caldwell
Candidates:
John Deaton for U.S. Senate
Gary Grossi for Congress, Third Congressional District
Anne Brensley for Secretary of State
Elizabeth Dionne for State Treasurer
Margaret Abboud for Governors Council District 7
Krista Ferrante for State Representative, First Worcester District
The event will feature an open bar and gourmet appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. Cost for Chamber members is $60 and non-members is $80. Registration is available online at www.northcentralmass.com. Please contact Valerie Bruno at 978.353.7600 ext. 235 or for more details.
North Central Mass— Allie Catlin, co-owner of Smith’s Country Cheese, a family-owned working dairy farm, creamery, and retail destination in Winchendon, Massachusetts, has been elected Chair of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce board of directors for 2026-2027. The announcement was made at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting on June 11, 2026. As Chair of the Chamber’s board of directors, she will work with fellow board members, Chamber staff, and the membership to champion the Chamber in its mission to serve the region’s business community.
Catlin brings deep roots in the region’s agricultural economy to her new role. Founded in 1985, Smith’s Country Cheese has grown into one of the region’s most beloved agricultural enterprises. In 2016, Catlin and her family purchased the farm from its founder and built on its legacy, growing the operation into a thriving business that draws visitors from across the region to its farm store and working dairy farm, where guests can shop for handcrafted cheeses, milk, and butter and watch the cheesemaking process firsthand.
Under her co-ownership, Smith’s Country Cheese employs 14 people and produces approximately 180,000 pounds of raw milk Gouda, Havarti, and cheddar cheese annually, distributed nationally through the farm store, local farmers markets, and online. In 2024, Catlin was named to the Worcester Business Journal’s Power 100 list of the most influential professionals in Central Massachusetts.
Catlin holds degrees from Franklin Pierce University and Suffolk University and has served on the Chamber’s Board of Directors for several years, holding leadership positions on the board, including Vice Chair.
She succeeds Tony Fields, president and owner of Cleartech Group, who now moves to the position of Immediate Past Chair of the board of directors.
“The Chamber has been such an important partner to our farm and to so many small businesses across this region,” said Catlin. “I’m honored to take on this role and to continue the work of connecting our business community, supporting our members, and championing the people and places that make North Central Massachusetts such a special place to live and work.”
“As a farmer and small business owner, Allie brings a perspective to the board that’s vital to understanding the full picture of our regional economy,” said Roy Nascimento, president and CEO, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “Her leadership will help ensure the Chamber continues to serve businesses of every size and sector, and I look forward to working with her in the year ahead as we continue advancing the economic vitality of North Central Massachusetts.”
In the same election, Melissa Glenny, founder and CEO, Franklin Professional Associates, located in Leominster, was elected Vice Chair. Chris Hendry, president and CEO, IC Credit Union, located in Fitchburg, was elected to the position of Treasurer. Rounding out the Executive Committee, Mark Hettinger, president and CEO of GFA Federal Credit Union, and Patrick McCarty, president of the McCarty Companies, were elected to fill the two non-officer seats on the committee as outlined in the Chamber’s bylaws.
Board members elected for new terms were
Tony Fields, president and owner, Cleartech Group, Leominster
Dr. Donna Hodge, president, Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg
Johnny Ahern, managing partner, Aroma Joe’s, Leominster
David Moura, president, Moura’s Cleaning Service, Fitchburg
Nicole Moorshead, general manager, Chocksett Inn, Sterling and the Colonial Hotel, Gardner
Rozanna Penney, president & CEO, Heywood Healthcare, Gardner
Kenneth Hodges, plant director, Georgia-Pacific/Dixie, Leominster, appointed to fill a one-year board vacancy
Continuing current terms on the board of directors are
Patrick McCarty, president & CEO, McCarty Companies, Leominster
Mark Hettinger, president and CEO, GFA Federal Credit Union, Gardner
Barbara Mahoney, president & CEO, All-One Credit Union, Leominster
Joshua Page, president, JP Electric and Son, Fitchburg
Alex Matthews, general manager, Great Wolf Lodge New England, Fitchburg
Kayla Nault, broker/owner, Central Mass Real Estate, North Central Massachusetts
The Chamber congratulates its newly elected and appointed board members and thanks all those who continue their service to the region’s business community. For more information, visit northcentralmass.com.
