Wachusett Brewing Company has announced that Valerie Brock has been promoted to the position of Director of Fermentation and Cellaring and will be leading the 25-yr Massachusetts brewery’s brewing department moving forward. Valerie will be replacing longtime Brewmaster Dave Howard who is stepping down after 20+ years with the brewery.
“I could not be more proud to have someone of the caliber of Val to lead us into the future,” said Wachusett CEO/Founder Ned LaFortune. “She has consistently been a leader for us since the day she arrived here, and I am confident of all the incredible things she is going to do for our company moving forward,” LaFortune concluded.
Valerie has most recently held the position as the brewery’s Microbiologist. She comes with 10 years of experience in the areas of bacteriology, fermentation science, quality assurance, and sensory analysis.
“I look forward to the challenges of this role,” Brock shared. “We have an amazing team of brewers, cellarmen, and lab staff who care about producing great beers, ciders, and seltzers. We are excited to be working together to create new recipes and brew old favorites.”
For more information about Wachusett Brewing Company, visit www.wachusettbrew.com
About Wachusett Brewing Company
The company produces a diverse, award-winning line of beers ranging from their best-selling Blueberry Ale to their highly-rated Wally New England IPA series. WBC is the largest brewer in Central Massachusetts and was named the 43rd largest craft brewery in the US in 2018.
Recognizing the importance of fostering an environment that attracts, retains and develops young talent in our communities, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce has established a creative suite of programs and initiatives to help members meet their workforce goals while also helping to forge the next generation of business leaders.
Young Professionals Committee | From Left to Right: AJ Tourigny, City of Fitchburg; Kelli Rooney, Leominster Credit Union; David Ginisi, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce; Paulie Chlebecek, Edward Jones; Natalia Oliver, AIS, Inc.; Kelsea Benoit, The International; Courtney Brooks, Contemporary Design & Construction; Brendan Hannen, North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation
The Young Professionals of North Central Massachusetts is a talent initiative of the Chamber that helps engage, develop and empower professionals ages 21-40 in the region. This program offers a variety of events designed to give young professionals the opportunity to grow their business network, build relationships with their peers, establish valuable mentor experiences with business leaders and contribute to the future of the region. Events range from the CEO Unplugged series that provides mentoring opportunities with established CEOs, to behind the scenes company tours and unique networking experiences. Within these events, young professionals develop leadership, communication and organizational skills through practical experience. The group relies on young professionals within the membership for direction and guidance, and has recently formed a new leadership committee to help bring new energy and keep the programs relevant and impactful.
“I believe it is crucial for a developing professional to surround one’s self with a network that shares a similar passion and drive for success. Our highest aspirations can be reached by collectively motivating and supporting one another,” said Paulie Chlebecek, Financial Advisor from Edward Jones and Chair of the Young Professionals Leadership Committee. “The Young Professionals of North Central Massachusetts encourages like-minded individuals to do just that; to connect in a manner that will build strong and successful business relationships, while provoking an approach that resonates uniquely with our next generation of talent and leadership.”
“It is my job and passion to introduce customers to our most valuable asset, my fellow employees. Business is about relationships, and our costumers love learning about AIS, and who our people are,” said Natalia Oliver, Tour Specialist o fAIS,Inc. “That is why I am thrilled to be a young professional member of this committee and attend these events and see people connecting and learning how they can build relationships.”
CLI Graduate, Sweta Khajurivala of the Montachusett Opportunity Council, receiving recognition for graduating the Chamber’s Community Leadership Institute program.
Another important leadership development initiative of the Chamber is the Community Leadership Institute (CLI). CLI was developed in 1989 to support access to the region’s many organizations, industries and business leaders as part of the succession plan not only for individual businesses but for the communityatlarge. Participants in CLI learn how to cooperate and work as a team with a diverse group of people with differing backgrounds and experiences which helps to challenge and empower them, as well as how to think critically about the challenges and opportunities faced by the region.
“Our region is fortunate to have a program that invests in building that next generation of business leaders,” said Kelli Rooney, Vice President of Marketing at Leominster Credit Union and a 2014 graduate of the Community Leadership Institute. “CLI helps to strengthen leadership skills, enhance the knowledge of the resources available in our community and creates meaningful and lasting business relationships. I am extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to experience this program.”
High School Senior, Betame DeBono of Nashoba Regional High School, is presented an Enterprise Bank Scholarship by SVP, Michael Toomey, at the Chamber’s Annual Scholarship Breakfast.
The Chamber’s efforts around developing future talent in the region go well beyond just these leadership development programs. The Chamber believes that the very foundation of our region’s talent pipeline has its roots in a strong educational system and has been a longstanding champion of education, actively engaged in supporting our schools. Perhaps the best example of this commitment to our schools is the Chamber’s longstanding scholarship program. Each year, the Chamber’s Foundation distributes over $50,000 in scholarships to local high school students graduating from among the 15 school districts within North Central Massachusetts. Since establishing the program, the Chamber Foundation has awarded well over $1,000,000 in scholarships – all made possible through generous contributions from members. Beyond scholarships, the Chamber’s efforts have included hosting career exploration programs, encouraging work- based learning opportunities, partnering with Mount Wachusett Community College and Fitchburg State University, advocating on Beacon Hill for college and career pathways, publishing reports and convening education and business leaders together to work towards improving our schools. The Chamber has even received national attention, recently receiving two national education and talent development fellowships for its efforts to cover the entire talent development pipeline.
Young Professionals Chair, Paulie Chlebecek, poses for a photo with Kieshla Rosado, Raven Miranda, and Ann Dumezil of Work, Inc. at a Chamber event.
In today’s business world, the competition for talent is intense. The Chamber recognizes this as critically important to member businesses and to the health and prosperity of our region. We have tackled these challenges and opportunities head on with this multi-pronged strategy. The Chamber will continue its clear efforts in preparing the next generation of business and community leaders while maintaining the mission of Building businesses, Building communities. ◊
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber has revealed a new online data center on its website – NorthCentralMass.com – to provide extensive data on the 27 communities that comprise North Central Massachusetts. The online portal features data profilesof the communities as well as aggregate regional totals. The data is organized into sections around different characteristics of the region, including population, economy quality of life and business climate. It also includes comparative data for the state and other regions. In addition, the data center also includes an interactive online dashboard that provides convenient access to data measures and allows analysis of selected data sets. The Chamber commissioned the Economic and Public Policy Group at the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute to conduct the research and develop the new resource center.
“Our top priority is to continue to move the North Central Massachusetts economy forward.” said Roy Nascimento, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation. “We see this online data center as a new investment in our efforts. We can use this data to showcase North Central Massachusetts, answer queries about the region and support ongoing projects. Our members and other stakeholders can also utilize the data to better understand the region and support data- driven decisions.”
The online data center was funded by Chamber and its economic development arm, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation. Visit the data center here. For more information on the new Data Center, please contact the Chamber at 978.353.7600. ◊
Some examples of how the data can be utilized, include:
• Local businesses can access data to help them make evidence based decisions.
• Realtors can utilize the data to showcase the affordability and quality of life of communities within the region.
• Site selectors can utilize the data when researching North Central Massachusetts for business expansion opportunities.
• Local non-profits can use the data to write more compelling grant proposals.
• Students and job seekers can review data to discover what industries are available and growing in the region.
• Media can utilize the data for research on stories about the region.
• Municipalities and economic development partners can use the data as a resource to stay up-to-date on economic trends and opportunities in target industries.
Fall is notably North Central Massachusetts’ biggest season, and when you live, work and play in the region coined “Johnny Appleseed Country,” who can argue with that? Visit North Central Massachusetts was hard at work all autumn long, showcasing the region’s finest to visitors and groups near and far.
We promoted visitation to North Central Massachusetts through a diverse mix of digital and print advertising in target markets. Web traffic to VisitNorthCentral. com was up 18% over the previous year. New Fall themed blog content on the website included “Apples, Apples Everywhere!,” “Halloween Happenings,” and “Ribbons of Color”. Our Facebook following grew by 86% over the Fall season, primarily due to our strategy of utilizing a combination of Facebook ads, compelling content and video. Three new Taste of North Central videos premiered on our social media channels showcasing local attractions and businesses – The Kitchen Garden of Templeton; Sholan Farms of Leominster; and Slattery’s Restaurant of Fitchburg. Our Taste of North Central series can be viewed anytime by visiting our Facebook page. Hotel occupancy for October was down 3.7% in the region from the same time last year. It was down 5.7% for the state during the same time period. Year to date, occupancy is up about 1.8% compared to the previous year and down 2.4% for the state. Revenue per available room (RevPar) decreased by 6.8% to $96.96, while up 2.2% or $106.21 for the year to date. Our Fall edition of our popular Guide to North Central Massachusetts was well received and sold out shortly after hitting the newsstands. It is distributed locally at key locations, as well as in Boston and throughout New England and as far away as Canada.
From August to October, our Johnny Appleseed Visitor Center – located at Rt. 2 in Lancaster – served 51,108 walk in visitors and hosted 16 group tour buses. Information reported from visitors indicates that they came from throughout New England and as far away as Canada; the Netherlands; and the United Kingdom. Domestic travelers included visitors from as far away as Alaska; Utah; Oklahoma; Illinois; and Hawaii to name just a few states. An estimated 3,100 polished apples were given out to the traveling public and 1,835 Cider donuts were purchased there during the same period.
Our annual Appleseed Country Fair had a record year, hosting its best attendance since its start eight years ago. Families from throughout Massachusetts and New England travelled to North Central Massachusetts for the full experience of family-friendly fall fun. Visit North Central Massachusetts was also proud to partner with the Phillipston and Athol Firefighter Associations on the event and raised over $8,000 to support first responders.
Visit North Central Massachusetts also proudly showcased the region to thousands of attendees over the course of three fall festivals at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area – including Kidsfest, Applefest and Oktoberfest. Families were able to scoop up the latest edition of our Guide to North Central Massachusetts.
In partnership with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, Visit North Central Massachusetts also showcased the region to hundreds of thousands of out of state attendees that visited the “Big E” Fair in West Springfield.
With Fall behind us, we now shift gears to promoting awareness and visitation to North Central Massachusetts during the Winter season, We are currently seeking partners for upcoming co-op opportunities. Please contact David Ginisi, Marketing and Communications Manager if you
are interested and would like additional information. ◊
Fitchburg, MA, October 2019 – Research Results, Inc. – the industry leading market research operations partner – announces the appointment of Ellen Pieper as the company’s Chief Client Officer. The appointment reaffirms Research Results’ commitment to consistently providing a best-in-class infrastructure, high-touch customer service and a dedication to deliver the highest quality research data and deliverables to our clients.
In this new role, Pieper will be responsible for the leadership, vision, and financial performance of the team of subject matter experts and offerings. She will strategically drive business growth across the company. Pieper will implement strategies that will expand and build relationships. This transformative role will be market-focused, client-facing, commercially oriented, and a magnet for our internal and external stakeholders.
“Ellen is a force of nature within the industry and brings her experiences, energy and vision to an already amazing team. We’re thrilled to welcome her to the Research Results family,” said John Zarrella, President of Research Results.
Pieper was previously the Chief Revenue Officer for Symmetric, a sampling firm based in Arlington TX. Prior to this, Pieper spent almost 7 years at WPP-owned Lightspeed GMI, where she latterly served as Account Executive, as well as a Client Operations Coordinator in Bellevue, WA. She has a degree in Psychology with a concentration in statistics and research from Columbia University in New York City. She has also achieved the designation of Professional Researcher Certification from the PRC Board of the MRA.
Pieper is currently the President-Elect of the Southwest Chapter of the Insights Association, sits on the Board of Directors for the Master of Science in Marketing Research (MSMR) program at the University of Texas at Arlington and is a member of the Women in Research (WIRe) Association, where in 2018 she was named a “C-Track” up and comer.
About Research Results, Inc.
For over 30 years, Research Results has combined the latest technologies with a talented staff of customer-driven professionals to deliver innovative marketing research solutions with unparalleled client service. Research Results takes pride in our close-knit culture and our undying focus on relationship building. We don’t want to be your vendor, we want to be a partner for our clients. And we don’t want our staff to feel like employees, we want them to feel like part of a big family. We work hard, we play hard, and for 30 years, we’ve stayed true to our philosophy. We’re partners and family, and it shows.
Fitchburg, MA, October 2019 – Research Results, Inc. – the industry leading market research operations partner – announces the promotion of Stephen Oldfield as the company’s Chief Operations Officer. The appointment reaffirms Research Results’ commitment to consistently providing a best-in-class infrastructure, high-touch customer service and a dedication to deliver the highest quality research data and deliverables to our clients.
In this new role, Oldfield will have responsibility for day-to-day implementation of strategy and cultural initiatives within the business. He will help implement policies and strategies that will help to foster ongoing healthy client relationships. Oldfield will also continue his role as a team lead on selected major accounts.
“Stephen is one of our all-time success stories here at Research Results. He always sets a positive example in all aspects of the business, whether with the staff, in client management, or representing the company externally at conferences and the like,” said John Zarrella, President of Research Results.
Oldfield was previously the Director of Client Services at Research Results where, along with his colleagues, established the company’s “client first” strategies for successful client relationship management as well as improved operational efficiencies. He has his Master of Business Administration from Fitchburg State University and has been an active presenter at several industry events.
About Research Results, Inc.
For over 30 years, Research Results has combined the latest technologies with a talented staff of customer-driven professionals to deliver innovative marketing research solutions with unparalleled client service. Research Results takes pride in our close-knit culture and our undying focus on relationship building. We don’t want to be your vendor, we want to be a partner for our clients. And we don’t want our staff to feel like employees, we want them to feel like part of a big family. We work hard, we play hard, and for 30 years, we’ve stayed true to our philosophy. We’re partners and family, and it shows.
Friday, January 24, 2020 | 1:00 – 4:00 PM
AND
Saturday, January 25, 2020 | 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM
$200 Registration Fee
OSHA 10 Hour Construction Industry Outreach Training Program This course is ideal for all workers with safety and health responsibilities, and for employee safety and health awareness. Students will be introduced to OSHA policies, procedures and standards, as well as, general construction industry safety and health principles covered in OSHA Act Part 1926. Special emphasis will be placed on areas most hazardous using OSHA standards as a guide.
Training Objectives:
State the purpose of the OSHA Act and list the functions of OSHA
List the OSHA inspection priorities and describe the inspection process
Describe the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees under the OSH Act
Outline the general requirements for general safety standards in construction
Establish the guidelines and requirements for special purpose equipment
The Chamber’s advocacy efforts came to a head this past month, as Beacon Hill took up legislation addressing education and support for the Commonwealth’s growing tourism industry. As is often the case, both these proposals moved through the Legislature with incredible speed, requiring a quick reaction from the Chamber’s staff.
Regarding funding for public schools, the Joint Committee on Education released a proposal in October that would invest an additional $1.5 billion into the K through 12 system over seven years. These funds would be directed primarily towards schools with high concentrations of low income families, students struggling with learning disabilities, and English language learners. The last such review of the Commonwealth’s education system was conducted nearly thirty years ago, so the Chamber recognizes the need for additional funding. As such, we have worked hard with partners from across the state to ensure this money is invested responsibly, in a manner that addresses achievement gaps and produces high school graduates who are college and career ready. While proposals to expand career readiness programming met with some resistance, accountability measures that we supported were successfully inserted into the House’s draft of the proposal. The House and the Senate each passed drafts of this legislation over the last month, and a conference committee has since been elected to negotiate the differences.
Almost simultaneously, the House and Senate filed competing supplemental budget bills to close out the state’s 2019 fiscal year.In the event that the state’s revenues exceed what was projected for a given year, a supplemental budget is utilized to disperse those funds, address areas where state spending is insufficient, and invest in the Commonwealth’s stabilization- or “rainy day”- fund. Recognizing a need for increased support of the tourism industry, the Chamber worked with the regional delegation and advocated for language which would require that gaming revenues allocated to the Tourism Trust Fund be released by November. As of this writing, the funds are being withheld by the Administration, with no clear timeline for release.In addition, the annual budget passed in the summer did not include funding to support the state’s roadside visitor information centers, including the Johnny Appleseed Visitor Center which Visit North Central Massachusetts operates on Route 2 in Lancaster.The Chamber advocated for an amendment to the supplemental budget to set aside a modest $250,000 to support these eleven facilities across the state.
Now that both houses of the Legislature have passed their own drafts of these bills, the two branches will negotiate the differences between them before submitting final bills to the Governor, who may approve or veto them. Though this stage of the process is conducted mostly behind closed doors, the Chamber will continue to monitor developments and advocate on behalf of the business community.
Among the legislative priorities which will likely rise to the top following these items is an upcoming transportation and infrastructure debate. Governor Baker recently released an omnibus transportation bill, addressing issues from repairing outdated bridges to improving the Commonwealth’s high way system.As always, the Chamber has been active on this front, serving as one of the few regional chambers invited to join the Massachusetts Business Coalition for Transportation, advocating in favor of regional equity and against initiatives which would hamper the region’s economic growth. We have also followed proposals to improve rail service closely, drafting testimony on the matter to the MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board ahead of a potential vote on the matter. As this broad debate takes shape, the Chamber will remain abreast of the conversation and continue to advocate on behalf of North Central Massachusetts and its business community.
If you have any questions regarding this or any of the Chamber’s other policy efforts, please reach out to Christopher McDermott, public affairs manager, at or (978) 353-7600 ext. 224.
This Sunday, November 3rd, get more from your extra hour. More energy, more strength and more results with a free Orangetheory workout. Call the studio for more information: 978-616-7597
