An Electronic Publication of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce
Inside this edition, you’ll discover the latest Chamber initiatives and success stories from across our region. From economic development projects and upcoming networking events to policy updates and workforce training opportunities, we’re keeping you connected to what matters most for your business and North Central Massachusetts.
June 2026
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(Regional) – The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) – the economic development arm of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce – recently approved a $50,000 loan to the 50-50 Diner in Fitchburg.
The 50/50 Diner, a restaurant in Fitchburg managed by David and Reesi Cordio and Michael Cataldo, received a $50,000 microloan to refinance high interest business debt, purchase some equipment and utilize working capital during the pandemic. As the restaurant was shut down at the height of the stay at home advisories, David and Michael decided to take advantage of the down time to make some improvements in their restaurant. They made some cosmetic upgrades to the dining room as well as to some kitchen equipment. The diner is located at 440 River Street in Fitchburg and can be found online at facebook.com/50greeneggs/.
As a microloan lender, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (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.
Founded in 1925, the Fitchburg Art Museum plays a vital role in the cultural life of North Central Massachusetts.
It has 20,000 square feet of exhibition space with a collection that ranges from Ancient Egypt artifacts to contemporary art of the 21st century, including American Art, African Art, and photography.
But the Fitchburg Art Museum is much more than a place where you can stroll through galleries or take painting classes – the museum sees itself as an integral part of the local community.
“Fitchburg Art Museum operates a little differently from most art museums,’’ said Nick Capasso, director of FAM. “We are dedicated to not only art and education but more broadly to community service. We feel strongly that we need to work directly with other partners in North Central Massachusetts to help revitalize the economy, to work on community and economic development and to contribute to the quality of life and community health for the people in our region.’’
Some examples of its community involvement: a local neighborhood association holds its regular meetings at the museum; the museum also launched a program with the Fitchburg schools, underwriting the admission fee so that every 4th and 7th grade student in the district makes an annual trip to the museum.
But Capasso said the primary example of FAM’s commitment to community and economic development is the work it’s doing with NewVue Communities to create housing for artists.
“We’re working together to transform three historic but abandoned municipal buildings directly across the street into a campus of 68 units of affordable artists units and studios,’’ he said. “This is a great collaboration and something neither the museum nor NewVue could do ourselves.’’
When the project is completed, there will be 100 artists living across the street from the museum, which will work with them to establish and nurture a creative community and economy.
The museum also works with the corporate community, offering a members program. Capasso said not only does the program help support the museum but is a way to provide cultural benefits to employees.
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit non-profit organizations particularly hard, Capasso said FAM is open for business and is in a strong position to weather the storm.
“This pandemic has been a complete disaster for non-profit sectors, especially cultural non –profits,’’ he said. “This will not be easy and fun but we are in no danger of closing or merging or some kind of hibernation. We will be here for our community when all this is over.’’
The museum is located at 185 Elm St., Fitchburg.
It is open Wednesday-Friday, 12 to 4 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. It is open until 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month.It is closed Monday and Tuesday.
Early Business Closures, Revised Gatherings, Mask Orders Announced to Disrupt Growth of COVID-19 Cases
BOSTON – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced a series of targeted measures to disrupt the increasing trend of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Governor Charlie Baker announced these changes at a time where public health data has indicated that cases are rising, with cases up by 278% and hospitalizations up by 145% since Labor Day. These measures are meant to disrupt rising trends now, so the Commonwealth can keep the economy and schools open for residents and to prevent the need to roll back to Phase I or Phase II of the reopening plan.
All orders and advisories will be effective Friday, November 6th at 12:01AM.
New Orders & Advisories:
Stay At Home Advisory: The Administration issued a revised Stay At Home Advisory to ensure residents avoid unnecessary activities that can lead to increased COVID-19 transmission. The revised Stay At Home Advisory instructs residents to stay home between 10PM and 5AM. The Advisory allows for activities such as going to work, running critical errands to get groceries and address health needs, and taking a walk.
Early Closure of Businesses and Activities: Governor Baker issued a new executive order that requires the early closure of certain businesses and activities each night at 9:30 PM. The 9:30PM closure requirement is aligned with the Stay At Home Advisory and together the two new initiatives are designed to further limit activities that could lead to COVID-19 transmission.
Effective November 6, the following businesses and activities must close to the public each day between the hours of 9:30 PM and 5:00 AM.
Restaurants (in-person dining must cease at 9:30PM, although takeout and delivery may continue for food and non-alcoholic beverages, but not alcohol)
Liquor stores and other retail establishments that sell alcohol must cease alcohol sales at 9:30PM (but may continue to sell other products)
Adult-use marijuana sales must cease at 9:30 PM (not including medical marijuana)
Indoor & outdoor events
Theaters/movie theaters (including drive-in movie theaters), and performance venues (indoor and outdoor)
Face Covering Order: Governor Baker also signed an updated order related to face-coverings. The revised order requires all persons to wear face-coverings in all public places, even where they are able to maintain 6 feet of distance from others. The revised order still allows for an exception for residents who cannot wear a face-covering due to a medical or disabling condition, but it allows employers to require employees to provide proof of such a condition. It also allows schools to require that students participating in in-person learning provide proof of such a medical or disabling condition.
Gatherings Order: Governor Baker also signed an updated order restricting gatherings. The new gatherings order reduces the gathering size limit for gatherings at private residences: indoor gatherings at private residences are limited to 10 people and outdoor gatherings at private residences are limited to 25 people. The limit on gatherings held in public spaces and at event venues (e.g. wedding venues) remains the same. The new order also requires that all gatherings (regardless of size or location) must end and disperse by 9:30PM.
The new gatherings order also requires that organizers of gatherings report known positive COVID-19 cases to the local health department in that community and requires organizers to cooperate with contact tracing. The gatherings order authorizes continued enforcement by local health and police departments and specifies that fines for violating the gathering order will be $500 for each person above the limit at a particular gathering.
Chamber members are provided with the opportunity to engage with the Mayors of Fitchburg, Gardner, and Leominster who provide updates on projects and other things happening in their Cities. These events are by invitation only, please contact Travis Condon for more details. View
Event
Future Leaders of North Central: Annual Holiday Party & Ugly Sweater Competition
December 8, 2026
Bull Run Restaurant
215 Great Rd. Shirly, MA View
Event
Connect North Central
December 11, 2026
Join us for our last Connect North Central of the year!
Friday, December 11, 2026
8am-9am View
Event
Chamber members are provided with the opportunity to engage with the Mayors of Fitchburg, Gardner, and Leominster who provide updates on projects and other things happening in their Cities. These events are by invitation only, please contact Travis Condon for more details. View
Event
Leominster, MA – Leominster Credit Union (LCU) is holding a free Mortgage Info Session on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at LCU headquarters, 18 Adams Street, Leominster from 6:00pm – 7:00pm.
This LCU Mortgage Info Session will address the specific needs of most homebuyers including first-time buyers, buyers moving after owning for several years, or buyers entering the market after having credit issues in the past. Attend the session and meet LCU Loan Officers, local realtors, attorneys, home inspectors and LCU Financing Specialists who will answer questions regarding the home buying process and what to expect. Topics will include: buying, refinancing, downsizing, second homes, investments, the application process, purchase and sales, inspections, and benefits of borrowing locally.
Matt Dufault, AVP Mortgage Origination stated, “This seminar will not only give you the basics of buying a home, but also the opportunity to establish a plan for home ownership based on your personal situation.”
LCU has programs available for not only for first-time homebuyers, but for any buyer who needs help getting mortgage-ready. Borrowers may be able to qualify for a mortgage much sooner than they expected.
Seating is limited and registration is required. For more information and to register online, please visit leominstercu.com/mortgage-info-session.
LCU Headquarters, 18 Adams Street, Leominster, MA 01453 Wednesday, November 13, 2019
6:00PM – 7:00PM
Founded in 1954, Leominster Credit Union (LCU) is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative with a full range of deposit, lending and other financial services. Headquartered in Leominster, Massachusetts, LCU is proud to claim nearly 50,000 members and more than $700 million in assets. LCU has seven branch locations in Leominster, Clinton, Holden, North Leominster, Sterling and Worcester with ATM services at all branch locations. LCU also provides 24 hour banking via Mobile and Online services. Visit leominstercu.com or call 800-649-4646.
NEADS Service Dog teams, their friends and families, as well as NEADS staff, volunteer puppy raisers, and supporters come together to recognize these life-changing partnerships
What: NEADS Fall 2019 Graduation
When: Sunday, November 3, 2019, 2pm-4pm
Where: Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School (“Monty Tech”),
1050 Westminster Street (Route 2A), Fitchburg, Mass
Admission: FREE; suggested donation is $5 per person upon entrance
PRINCETON, Mass., October 28, 2019 – NEADS World Class Service Dogs holds its 78th Graduation Ceremony on Sunday, November 3 at 2pm at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School (“Monty Tech”) in Fitchburg, Mass. The public is invited and welcome to join the celebration.
Graduating teams share their personal, moving stories of how having a Service Dog has affected their lives. This fall’s graduating class represents a wide range of NEADS Service Dogs, including Service Dogs for Veterans, Service Dogs for individuals with physical disabilities, Service Dogs for Hearing, Service Dogs for Children, and Assistance Dogs for professionals in classroom, courthouse, and hospital settings.
In recognition of our veteran clients and Veterans Day, the program also features a “fireside chat” with three organizations who are integral to the NEADS community: the Blue Star Mothers of Leominster and Worcester, and Quilts of Valor. The Blue Star Mothers have been providing meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – for veteran clients during their training on campus since 2006. The Quilts of Valor have presented beautiful, hand-made quilts to each of our veteran clients since 2010. Together, these organizations have provided more than 3,800 meals and more than 125 quilts for NEADS veteran clients. Ann Marie Slomcheck (Blue Star Mothers Leominster), Karen Belliveau (Blue Star Mothers Worcester), and Darlene Coit (Quilts of Valor) will share their experiences and address the critical role they play in providing veterans with a sense of belonging and community.
NEADS will also have a collection box available for anyone who has an American flag that is ready for retirement. NEADS is collecting these flags so they can be properly retired.
The graduating teams come from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, and Colorado.
About NEADS Inc.
NEADS Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Princeton, Massachusetts. Established in 1976, NEADS offers the widest array of Service Dog programs in the industry, including Service Dogs for adults and children with a physical disability, Service Dogs for veterans, Service Dogs for Hearing, and Service Dogs for children with autism or other developmental disabilities. NEADS dogs are also partnered with professionals in classroom, therapy, hospital, ministry, and courthouse settings. For more information, please visit neads.org.
Beacon of Hope Community Services will celebrate its 32nd anniversary at its Annual Harvest Dinner Dance on Friday, Nov. 1 at the DoubleTree Hotel, 99 Erdman Way, Leominster.
This fun-filled event starts at 6 p.m. and showcases local “celebrities” who will perform songs, dances, challenges and tell jokes at the command of those attending. This year’s “celebrities” include Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella, Fitchburg Mayor Steve DiNatale, Frank and Jen of WXLO-FM 104.5, Kathy DiRusso, Dave Ginisi, Leominster Superintendent of Schools Paula Deacon and many more. Mike Cooley, owner of The Monument Tap, will emcee the event, while DJ Ray Richard provides music and entertainment.
This year, Beacon of Hope will honor Cooley for his good deeds with the organization and local community.
Proceeds from the event directly benefit services provided to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
Tickets are $40 per person and must be reserved in advance. For more information, call (978) 840-2727 or e-mail .
Miembro Destacado
Custom Cleaning Service of Peabody
When the workday ends and the lights go down, Custom Cleaning Service of Peabody, Inc. gets to work. “We operate as our clients’ silent partner after business hours,” says Adam Paicos, of Templeton, who now serves as Director of Operations and oversees the company’s expansion into North Central MA. “We are not often seen, but we ensure facilities are clean, secure, and ready for business each day while serving as the eyes and ears for our clients when they are not on site.”
Discover local business stories through our Inside North Central Massachusetts Podcast series. Listen as Chamber members share their journeys, insights, and contributions to our thriving regional business community.
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