Sign provides recognition of civic pride for residents and visitors alike

The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce today announced it has sponsored the construction of a new welcome sign for the City of Fitchburg on South Street, a key gateway to the community.

The new sign replaces a welcome sign originally constructed by the Sons and Daughters of Italy in 2003 in memory of the late Mary and Joe Ramondelli of Fitchburg but was partially destroyed by a car accident in recent years. Mr. Ramondelli, a retired Fitchburg police officer, and his wife were very active in the community.

Patricia Vacca Martin, a Fitchburg resident who was involved with the design of the original sign, said it is nice to have the sign restored. “Mary and Joe were active members in our community and with the Sons and Daughters of Italy,” said Vacca Martin. “We are grateful the Chamber stepped up to help fund the restoration of the former sign so our community will always remember Mary and Joe and their commitments to making Fitchburg a better place for all of us.”

The new sign is part of a project to construct welcoming signs at key gateways in communities in the region in order to boost civic pride and serve as a positive first impression for visitors. The project was partially funded by a grant secured by the Chamber.

The new sign on South Street mirrors a sign located in West Fitchburg near Route 2, of which the Chamber sponsored a few years ago. The signs were designed and produced by Add-A-Sign in Leominster and represent the region’s traditional New England style. The Fitchburg welcome sign includes a carving of the City of Fitchburg seal and is painted in the proud city color of red with gold lettering. In addition to Fitchburg, similar welcome signs are also being installed at key gateways in Gardner, Leominster and Westminster in the coming months. Each sign is carved with the community’s seal and painted to match their official colors. Additional signs will be constructed for other communities in North Central Massachusetts as funding becomes available.

“One of the goals of our regional economic redevelopment plan, One North Central, was to capitalize on our region’s unique locations,” said Roy Nascimento, President and CEO, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “Each city brings a distinctive experience to the region and with this project, those entering Fitchburg will learn about the city while receiving a warm welcome as they arrive.”

“As Fitchburg continues to implement our Urban Redevelopment Plan, the signs are truly a welcome addition to our city,” said Mayor Stephen L. DiNatale. “We are grateful for the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce for providing these personalized signs to welcome visitors to our city and to also welcome our residents home.”

Renovations aimed to modernize the facility and showcase the region to the more than 165,000 visitors annually

Local officials and community leaders joined members of Visit North Central Massachusetts, the official destination marketing organization representing the 27 communities of North Central Massachusetts, yesterday to celebrate recent renovations and upgrades to the Johnny Appleseed Visitors’ Center.

The renovations and upgrades are designed to modernize the facility and showcase the region to the more than 165,000 annual visitors to the center. Exterior upgrades included adding handicapped accessible doors, a dog walking station, a shaded area for picnic tables, new security cameras, new seasonal banners on the lampposts, fresh landscaping and new interpretive displays that help tell the story of North Central Massachusetts. Additionally, the famous “Big Apple of New England” sculpture was repaired. Inside the center, the layout was reconfigured and new floors, rugs, office furniture, signage, a water bottle refilling station, and rustic wall paneling were added. Upgrades to the electronic screens inside the center are currently being completed.

The renovations and upgrades cost $162,455 and were partially funded through a matching Destination Development Grant from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. Matching funds came from a grant from the City of Leominster and from the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association (DBA Visit North Central Massachusetts). Donations of the office furniture were provided by AIS, Inc. in Leominster.

More than 100 local dignitaries and community leaders were on hand at yesterday’s event. State Senator John. J. Cronin; State Representative Meghan Kilcoyne; State Representative Natalie Higgins; State Representative Michael P. Kushmerek; Mayor Dean J. Mazzarella, City of Leominster; Mayor Stephen L. DiNatale, City of Fitchburg; Mayor Michael Nicholson, City of Gardner; Keiko Orrall, Executive Director, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism; Stephen Kerrigan, Chair of the Select Board in the Town of Lancaster; and Henry Tessman, General Manager of Great Wolf Lodge and Chair of the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association/Visit North Central Massachusetts provided remarks. Also in attendance were Worcester Country Sheriff Lew Evangelidis; Register of Deeds for Northern Worcester County Kathleen Reynolds Daigneault; representatives from Mass Highway; and numerous other municipal, community and business leaders.

“Today is a great day for the region as we recognize the many improvements to the Johnny Appleseed Visitors’ Center,” said Tessman, General Manager of Great Wolf Lodge and Chair of Visit North Central Massachusetts. “From the ‘Big Apple of New England’ to the many amenities these improvements now provide to visitors, North Central Massachusetts is now on display for all to see!”

The Johnny Appleseed Visitors’ Center, considered by many the gateway to North Central Massachusetts, officially opened on June 14, 1997, as a way to welcome people traveling through the region and providing a place to stop, stretch their legs, and learn more about the region’s communities. Named after American pioneer and folk hero, John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed) the 2,000 sq.ft. center is operated by the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association which does business under the name Visit North Central Massachusetts. In addition to the popular “Big Apple of New England” sculpture, the center also features a bronze sculpture of the young Johnny Appleseed that greets visitors outside the doors of the Johnny Appleseed Visitors’ Center. There are also 91 apple trees located on the premises, including three Rambo trees that are direct descendants of the last remaining tree known to be planted by Johnny Appleseed. The center also houses a collection of historical and cultural items that showcase the region’s heritage. Unique historical items in the center’s collection include a vintage Iver Johnson bicycle, pieces of equipment from the region’s agricultural past, vintage Wachusett Mountain Ski Area items, and a large collection of Johnny Appleseed memorabilia.

In 2021, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce announced a new regional economic development plan, One North Central, which recommended new ways to expand the existing center, and showcase the history and heritage of the region while adding amenities to modernize the facility.

“Through One North Central, we learned a lot about how to upgrade the center in an effort to provide a unique experience for visitors,” said Roy Nascimento, President and CEO, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and Visit North Central Massachusetts. “The upgrades and renovations to the visitor center will create an experience to link visitors to destinations in the region while providing a modern facility to rest and recharge before continuing on their journey through North Central and beyond.”

The center is open seven days a week, 361 days a year from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It only closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Independence Day and early on Christmas Eve.

MASS-TECH PROJECT: The Chamber’s economic development arm – The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation – has received a small grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to help strengthen the environment for start-ups in the region. This project builds off of the work of the One North Central Regional Economic Development Plan, which prioritizes efforts to grow the region from within through small business support programs and initiatives. The Chamber has formed a small advisory committee of members and hired economic development consulting firm RKG Associates to assist with the project. The project scope will entail reviewing the current entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region including inventorying existing practitioners, policies, programs and resources available to start-up and early stage companies, and looking at what gaps exist in the region.

GIFT CARD PROGRAM: The Chamber has revamped the Gift Local Gift Card program to make it easier for members to process the gift cards, and for the public to redeem them. We transitioned over the Summer to a new technology platform called Yiftee that is very user friendly and allows the new gift cards to be issued electronically and processed as a Mastercard. To accept the new e-Gift Cards a participating merchant just needs to accept Mastercard and process it via a key-entry. There will no longer be any need for a separate web terminal for processing, dual entries into the terminal and POS system, or any costly POS integration. Most importantly when consumers use the gift card, dollars stay local and benefit our shops and restaurants and our communities. We are planning an advertising campaign starting in the Fall running through the holidays to promote the new e-Gift Local Gift Cards. Because it is an opt-in program, members interested in being able to accept the gift cards need to contact the Chamber to receive an activation card to participate. Visit Giftlocal.net for more information or contact the Chamber.

CHAMBER FOUNDATION: The Chamber Board approved a contribution of $9,600 to the North Central Massachusetts Chamber Foundation. The contribution represents the proceeds from the Chamber’s Scholars Breakfast in the Spring and will help to strengthen the foundation’s scholarship and education efforts. The Foundation is the Chamber’s charitable affiliate. Thank you to all the members that supported the foundation!

NEW LOANS: The Chamber’s economic development arm – the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation – has closed 25 micro-loans for a total of $1,277,500 since October 1, 2021. The loans were made to a mix of existing and start-up businesses and ranged from $7,500 to $206,000. There are another three loans totaling $300,500 that have been approved but have not yet closed.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: During the last quarter, our team provided over 310 hours of direct technical assistance to small businesses. Our 2-day in-person Quickbooks seminar was a big success, with sold-out attendance. We also connected several of our borrowers and small business clients to professionals for technical assistance, such as bookkeeping, marketing, website design and legal services.

JOBS BOARD: The Chamber continues to offer the WorkNorthCentral.com online jobs board as a resource to connect employers and job seekers in North Central Massachusetts. The jobs board has had over 8,600 jobs posted and more than 80,000 views by job seekers since being launched. As a reminder, the jobs board is free for members to utilize. We encourage members to post any employment opportunities they offer or send them to us and we will post them for you.

EQUITABLE CREDENTIAL ATTAINMENT PROJECT: A North Central Massachusetts team comprised of the Chamber, Mount Wachusett Community College and the Spanish American Center have been meeting monthly as part of the Equitable Credential Attainment initiative offered through the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). North Central Massachusetts was one of seven regions selected in the Spring from throughout the country to participate in this 18-month competitive program. This initiative is focused on growing credential and degree program participation among minority workers with the goal of helping to place these workers in well-paying jobs with career advancement. Our team has already seen some early successes in building partnerships and engaging the Latinx community around micro-credentialing in the health care and manufacturing industries.

WORKFORCE STUDY: In related news, the UMass Donahue has completed the workforce study commissioned by the Chamber to assess and recommend ways to enhance the labor pool in the region. The results will be unveiled at the September edition of the Chamber’s Good Morning North Central Massachusetts breakfast program and shared online. We hope the study will be a useful resource to help develop new strategies and advocate for solutions to the workforce challenges faced by employers.

ENERGY PROGRAM: From its inception in August 2014 through July 2022 the solar field on Pleasant St. has produced 11,473,106 KwH of Net Metering Credits to the manufacturers participating in the program. Total value of these credits is $2,551,981.14 and the collective savings to participants totals $2,169,184.

DIGITAL MARKETING: Traffic to our websites averaged approximately 12,122 unique page views each month in FY2022 which ended in June. In FY22 we also garnered over 2.3 million google impressions. We continue to be very active on social media, populating our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter platforms with our content. Our social media platforms have a combined 23,139 total followers. In CY2021, our social media platforms garnered an average of 217,000 impressions monthly and a total of nearly 2.4 million impressions for the year.

While the legislative session has wound down, election season is in full swing, and the North Central Massachusetts Chamber continues to remain engaged on both fronts. Earlier this Summer, the Chamber partnered with a number of community partners and local media outlets as part of the Elect North Central Coalition for a series of forums with the state’s gubernatorial candidates. The forums with the candidates that chose to participate can be viewed online. The Chamber also continues to interview candidates running for statewide seats as part of the Inside North Central Massachusetts Podcast: Election Series which can be streamed on the Chamber’s website as well as Apple and Spotify.

The Chamber is in the process of reaching out to our elected officials as well as candidates that will appear on the ballot in our local and statewide races for our Annual Legislative and Candidates Reception. The Legislative and Candidates Reception is one of the most exciting events of the year, providing members of the business community the opportunity to engage the region’s elected officials and those looking to hold office. This year’s event, sponsored by Mount Wachusett Community College, will be held at the Chocksett Inn in Sterling on Thursday September 22 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.

At the end of July, Governor Charlie Baker signed his eighth and final budget as Governor to the tune of $52.7 billion, a 10.7 percent increase over the previous fiscal year. The State’s budget for the new fiscal year saw crucial funding to a number of priority areas including local aid, K-12 education, career pathway programs and other workforce development programs as well as economic development initiatives which will benefit the region.

Although formal sessions have wrapped up, the Chamber continues to monitor Beacon Hill as they continue their final push on a number of pieces of legislation. In the middle of August, Governor Charlie Baker signed off on a new climate bill that will boost offshore wind and solar despite his voiced concerns over a provision allowing a group of ten cities and towns to ban the use of fossil fuels in new construction and major renovations. The Chamber will continue to monitor this development and its potential impact on the North Central Massachusetts business community. Earlier in the same week, Governor Baker signed off on a bill legalizing sports betting, setting Massachusetts up to better compete with neighboring states who have already been capitalizing on the industry. We are also closely monitoring the proposed economic development bill which, as of this writing, has yet to make it across the finish line. We continued to advocate for the region as the House and Senate put together their priorities for that bill. At the end of July, state budget officials announced a preliminary surplus of $1.9 billion following the approximately $3 billion in tax refunds to Commonwealth taxpayers. Despite ongoing talks of tax relief for Commonwealth residents, nothing has been set in stone yet.

Down in Washington D.C. the House came together to approve what has been come to be known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, sending the bill to the President’s desk. Major components of the bill fit the President’s build back better pledges that he campaigned on during the 2020 election. The bill includes $370 billion in climate investment, proposes changes aimed at saving consumers money on prescription drugs, and according to the administrations, it also upholds President Biden’s commitment to ensure families earning less than $400,000 per year do not see any tax increase. The bill contains a major provision imposing a 15% Corporate Minimum Tax, additionally it would impose a 15% domestic tax on the approximately 200 largest corporations that currently pay less than that corporate tax rate.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Travis Condon, the Chamber’s public affairs manager, at 978.353.7600, ext. 224; or via email at .

Pictured is Senate Clerk Michael Hurley carrying the clean energy bill and its amendments during the final hours of the legislature’s formal 2022 session. Photo courtesy of the State House News Service.

The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the addition to its professional staff of Vicky Tippawong as Marketing Manager and Terry Young as Manager of Talent and Education Initiatives.

Tippawong will be responsible for the marketing and communications efforts of the Chamber and its affiliate organizations – Visit North Central Massachusetts and the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation. This includes managing its multiple websites, social media, media buys, PR and our other marketing channels. Tippawong has broad experience in graphic design and marketing. She comes to the Chamber from NEWW Packaging and Display in Gardner. Earlier in her career she also worked for Checkerboard, LTD; LCI Paper; and the Merrimack Repertory Theatre. She lives in Leominster and holds an Associate degree from Mount Wachusett Community College in Graphic Design. She is also the owner and designer of her own small business which offers custom party decorations.

In the newly created position of Manager of Talent & Education Initiatives, Young will be working with employers, regional partners and education leaders on developing strategies and programs to build and strengthen the region’s current and future workforce. She comes to the Chamber with 25 years of experience in non-profit management, program development and community organizing. She joins the Chamber from Maine General Hospital, where she served as the Program Director for their Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. Prior to Maine General, she worked at the Community Health Network of Connecticut Foundation, Inc. where she oversaw multiple grants, capacity building and in-kind programs as well as project development as Director of Programs. She holds a Bachelor degree in Natural Health Sciences/Nutrition and lives in Ayer.

“We are very excited to have Vicky and Terry join our growing team and help contribute to the Chamber’s work of improving the business climate and advancing the economy of North Central Massachusetts.” said Roy M. Nascimento, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce.

Vicky Tippawong can be reached at 978.353.7600 ext. 240 or via email at and Terry Young at 978.353.7600 ext. 244 or via email at .