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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The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is here to help – with trusted resources, a strong business network, and a support system to keep your business and the region moving forward
Don’t get left out! The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation is getting ready to publish the 2018 edition of the Manufacturers Directory and Industrial Parks Guide for North Central Massachusetts. A limited number of advertising spots are still available.
This publication is the region’s most comprehensive collection of this specialized information, outlining available industrial sites and local manufacturing related businesses, describing products, contact information and more. The directory is designed to promote and connect manufacturers with suppliers as well as serve as a resource for companies looking to relocate or expand throughout the region. Ad rates start at just $350. Please contact David Ginisi at 978.353.7600 ext. 240 for more information or to reserve your advertisement.
Albert ‘Al’ Spaulding Rose II, owner and operator of Red Apple Farm has been elected Chairman of the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association (JATA) Board of Directors. The election was made at the association’s board meeting on December 5, 2017.
Mr. Rose is the fourth generation owner of Red Apple Farm located in Phillipston, Massachusetts. The 70 acre farm, established in 1912, focused primarily on growing apples commercially for the wholesale market under the care of Mr. Rose’s grandfather, A. Spaulding Rose. In 1981, Mr. Rose’s father, William (Bill) Rose transitioned the farm away from wholesale, diversifying the farm’s business to focus more on retail and the pick-your-own fruit experience.
Mr. Rose and his wife Nancy took over the family business in 2001. Under their leadership the farm has continued to grow and become a major agritourism destination and employer for North Central Massachusetts. Red Apple Farm now has three locations: the Phillipston farm, at Wachusett Mountain, and in the City of Boston when they opened one of the largest stalls at Boston Public Market two years ago. In addition to his involvement with the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association, Mr. Rose is also a member of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, the North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce, the advisory board of Massachusetts Family Business Association, and is a past president of the Massachusetts Fruit Growers Association. He earned a Masters of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University.
Mr. Rose has served on the JATA Board of Directors for several years and has held several leadership positions including Vice Chair and Marketing Committee Chair. He has been a strong champion of the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association’s economic development efforts to market the region to visitors and groups. As the Chair of the JATA Board of Directors, Mr. Rose will work with the Board, staff, membership and other stakeholders to champion JATA in its mission to market the region as a destination.
“I look forward to working with Al in his new position as Chairman of the Board,” said Roy Nascimento, president of JATA. “Al has proven himself to be a great leader and advocate for our cooperative marketing efforts to grow the tourism economy in North Central Massachusetts.”
He succeeds Suzanne Farias, former general manager of the Doubletree Hotel in Leominster.
“It is an honor and privilege to have been elected Chair of the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association, an organization that plays an important role in promoting North Central Massachusetts and has had an incredible impact in growing the economy locally,” expressed Mr. Rose, “I am excited to continue Suzanne Farias’s efforts and work to make sure that JATA remains a strong resource for local businesses and attractions.”
In the same election, Henry Tessman, general manager of Great Wolf Lodge New England was voted Vice-Chairman and Nikki Moorshead, owner of the Colonial Inn in Gardner and the Chocksett Inn in Sterling was elected to serve as a Director. Continuing current terms on the board are Rick Walton, president of the Gardner Ale House and Moon Hill Brewing and Tom Meyers, marketing director at Wachusett Ski Area.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce takes an active advocacy role with government on behalf of our member businesses, focused on issues that impact business, and the economy of North Central Massachusetts. As part of our government relations efforts, we actively work to engage with policy makers. Below is an update on some of the more recent government relations activities at the local, regional, state and federal level.
FEDERAL:
The Chamber has started to engage with the candidates for the 3rd Congressional District currently represented by Congresswoman Tsongas. To date, we have met with candidates Dan Koh and Rick Green to discuss North Central Massachusetts and the priorities of the business community in the region. We also have a meeting scheduled for later this month with State Senator Barbara L’Italian and will be reaching out to the other remaining candidates to schedule meetings over the next few months.
Back in the fall we hosted the economic development advisor and the district director for Congresswoman Tsongas for an economic development tour of the region and highlighted some of the projects the Chamber has supported. Chamber staff also participated in a travel and tourism tour of the 2nd Congressional District hosted by Congressman McGovern.
STATE:
Prior to the special election, the Chamber staff met with all of the candidates for the Worcester & Middlesex District Senate seat formerly held by Jen Flanagan.
In the fall, we organized a special manufacturing tour for legislative leaders to highlight the importance of manufacturing to North Central Massachusetts as well as legislative efforts to eliminate the inventory tax for manufacturers in order to boost the industry. Attendees on the tour included legislators, economic development officials, business leaders and members of the media.
Earlier this month, we hosted our annual Legislative Briefing to present our economic development priorities to our legislative delegation, and engage them on efforts to shepherd those priorities through the state budget. Over the last year, we have seen more engagement with our legislative delegation, due to concerted efforts to raise the Chamber’s government relations.
LOCAL:
In the fall, the Chamber staff met with many of the candidates for city council in Leominster and Fitchburg to engage them on priorities of the business community. Post-election, the Chamber continued its proactive outreach to newly elected public officials engaging them on the
Chamber’s regional priorities.
The Chamber also testified at the annual Fitchburg Property Tax Classification Hearing. The Fitchburg City Council voted in favor of reducing the burden on businesses, moving toward a single tax rate. The Leominster City Council voted to maintain their single tax rate.
In January, we testified at a Fitchburg hearing regarding the renovations to the old City Hall building and we also testified at the Finance Sub-Committee of the Gardner City Council on the issue of tourism funding.
This month, the Chamber also hosted a briefing for the four new city councilors in Fitchburg with several local developers and business leaders to discuss priorities such as tax classification, tourism funding and streamlined permitting.
For more information, please contact Christopher McDermott, Public Affairs Manager at 978.353.7600 ext. 224 or email .
¡Gracias a todos nuestros patrocinadores que ayudaron a patrocinar este pasado año del programa 2025-2026! ¡Nos sentimos verdaderamente honrados por su continuo apoyo y sus esfuerzos para que nuestra comunidad siga prosperando! View
Event
Join us for Connect North Central
Friday, November 20, 2026
8am-9am View
Event
Joint Mayor's Meeting
December 4, 2026
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
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
Today Simonds International and Burton Saw. announced the merger of the companies in a transaction that will create the leading producer and marketer of cutting tools and related equipment for the primary wood fiber industry. The combined entity, Wood Fiber Holdings, Inc., will continue to operate in the United States and Canada with 12 facilities located in the major wood fiber regions of North America. All products and customers segments currently served by Burton, Simonds and B.G.R. Saws will continue uninterrupted during the integration process and thereafter.
Ray Martino, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simonds said: “This merger will combine the two leading companies in our industry with a deep history of product innovation, quality products and customer focused organizations providing value added services to our customers. The cultures of the two companies are similar and will strengthen our service to the industry. The Burton, Simonds and B.G.R. brands are prominent in the industry and will remain a core part of the combined company in the future.”
Craig Tompkins, President and CEO of Burton Saw said: “The merger brings together the strengths of two great companies with a common goal, efficient and innovative solutions to the industry we serve. The products and services offered by the merger will enable both companies to go beyond current offerings and bring a complete solution through products, services and equipment that reflect the needs of the marketplace.”
About Simonds International
Simonds International, founded in 1832, is a leading supplier and marketer of cutting tools and related products to the wood, pulp, paper and tree care industries. B.G.R. Saws was established in 1968, through almost 50 years of history the company developed into a sawmill source for their saw needs as well as innovative line of filing room equipment. Simonds and B.G.R. merged in May of 2017. For more information, call (800) 343- 1616 or visit www.simondsint.com.
About Burton
Burton Saw and Supply, founded in Vancouver, BC in 1903, originally sold only saw manufacturer supplies to the mills of Western Canada. In 1927, The Burton Saw Company moved to Eugene, Oregon and transformed itself into the leading provider of products, equipment and technical solutions to the saw filing and knife grinding rooms, as the company expanded throughout North America. For more information visit our website at www.burtonsaw.com.
Today Simonds International announced the establishment of a new customer focused facility in Florence, South Carolina. The facility will consolidate some distribution and customer service activities for the Southeastern United States wood fiber markets. In addition, the facility will have a new industry training center and state-of-the-art filing room to assist customers with their education and hands-on training needs.
Ray Martino, President and CEO, of Simonds said, “The new facility will enable our company to transfer the deep knowledge of our technical employees to the industry and demonstrate the operation of our new filing room technology. The ultimate objective is to improve the productivity of our customer base.”
About Simonds International
Simonds International, founded in 1832, is a leading supplier and marketer of cutting tools and related products to the wood, pulp, paper and tree care industries. For more information, call (800) 426-6226 or visit www.simondsint.com
Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism collaborates with the Massachusetts Ski Areas Association for Advertising Campaign on TripAdvisor
The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) and the Massachusetts Ski Areas Association have collaborated to produce an online advertising campaign on TripAdvisor to promote learning to ski or snowboard at one of the Commonwealth’s 12 alpine ski areas.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Massachusetts Ski Areas Association and TripAdvisor to highlight our spectacular winter activities and experiences across the state,” said Francois L. Nivaud, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. “We invite visitors to take a fresh look at Massachusetts snow sports, with plenty to offer beginners and advanced skiers and snowboarders. Beginners can master the art of skiing or snowboarding on pristine slopes and manageable trails, and enjoy all the comforts of cozy and family friendly lodges.”
MOTT and the MA Ski Areas Association are partnering with Massachusetts-based travel website TripAdvisor for a two-month long digital advertising campaign to drive winter sports enthusiasts to http://www.massvacation.com/skima/. The campaign launched January 5ta and will continue through March 5ta, targeting travelers interested in exploring wintertime New England outdoor activities. Promoting Massachusetts as a great destination for learning to ski or snowboard, the campaign will also encourage active skiers and snowboarders to invite a friend to join them on the slopes. This local effort coincides with National Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month in January, and will target snow enthusiasts in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island, in addition to Massachusetts residents.
“MOTT has been a great partner in increasing the exposure of our ski areas with this effort,” said Paul Maloney, President of the Massachusetts Ski Areas Association and General Manager of Jiminy Peak Resort. “Skiing plays an important role in the state’s overall winter tourism, especially in the western part of Massachusetts.”
The Massachusetts ski areas will support January’s National Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month with special learn to ski or snowboard packages. Governor Baker and Lieutenant Governor Polito recently declared Friday, January 5ta as “Massachusetts Learn to Ski & Snowboard Day” to bring extra attention to the sport and encourage more people to give it a try.
For more information on the ski areas or direct links to their websites, visit www.massvacation.com.
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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