E-Newsletter
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.
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

Through a partnership with TD Bank and NDMDC, Alexis Kelleher purchased Crust Artisan Bakeshop located at 118 Main St. in Worcester MA. Alexis has been an employee of Crust for three years and has been the manager for the past year. She has always had a passion for baking and was excited when the opportunity to purchase the business was presented. As the owner, she will continue her role as the manager in addition to head baker. Crust has carved out a distinct niche in the community offering high quality products with a focus on breads and pastry using primarily local ingredients. Crust also offers a small breakfast and lunch menu. Crust is open 7 days a week from 7 am – 3 pm. This loan will retain seven jobs and create one job. For more information visit www.crustbakeshop.com
“Helping strengthen small businesses and entrepreneurs stimulates job creation and is critical to economic growth,” said Raymond J. Martino, President of Simonds International and Chairman of the Board of the NCMDC. “The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation is providing much needed capital and technical assistance to help local businesses grow and prosper.”
This micro loan is the first loan made by the NCMDC since it announced in January its expansion to Worcester and South Worcester County.
As a microloan lender, 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.
The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) is a non-profit corporation with the mission of creating jobs and improving the economy of North Central Massachusetts. NCMDC is certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Program. The NCMDC works in partnership with local banks, credit unions, chambers of commerce and area nonprofits to support emerging microenterprises, small businesses, and community projects with loans and business assistance. Since 1996, the NCMDC has granted over $4,200,000 in loans to small businesses to help grow jobs and the economy in 26 communities in the North Central Massachusetts region.
For more information about the NCMDC and its loan programs, call 978.353.7607 or visit www.choosenorthcentral.com.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber Foundation is pleased to announce that applications for its 2017 Scholarship program are now being accepted. Each year, the Chamber Foundation distributes approximately 25 scholarships to local high-achieving high school students in North Central Massachusetts. Since the establishment of its scholarship program, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber Foundation has awarded over a million dollars in scholarships.
Students interested in applying for a 2017 scholarship through the North Central Massachusetts Chamber Foundation should contact their high school guidance department to submit an application. Deadline for applications is Friday, February 24, 2017. A limited number of scholarship applicants are submitted by each school in the Chamber’s service area each year and then reviewed by a committee of Chamber members.
Many of these awards are made possible through contributions from members of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and proceeds from the Chamber’s Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament. Scholarships endowed through the Chamber Foundation are often named in honor of prominent members of the North Central Massachusetts business community whose philanthropy and commitment to the community have helped shape North Central Massachusetts.
The Chamber’s Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization focused on assisting in the betterment of the region through charitable activities. Funds raised by the Foundation are utilized primarily for education/workforce development initiatives and charitable activities in North Central Massachusetts, including scholarships to eligible applicants pursuing education and grants to support economic and community development projects.
For more information on the North Central Massachusetts Chamber Foundation’s scholarship program or a list of the named scholarships, please visit northcentralmass.com or call 978.353.7600 ext. 222.
Photo caption: Pictured are the recipients of the 2016 Chamber Foundation scholarships. From left to right (Jennifer Mueller, Silvio Angustia, Hannah Bagley, Taylor Sadowski, Jasmine McGillicuddy, Lillian Moore-Eissenberg, Deidre Kennedy, Dylan Nadeau, Thu Nguyen, Juan Bermudez, Bethany Sefakis, Patrick Casey, Shale Carey, Jacob DeCarolis, Elizabeth Moison, David Fitzpatrick, Elena Arciprette, Chloe Adler-Mandile, Kelley Connors, Lauren Basque, Natalie Proctor, Stephanie Palis, Hannah Burns)
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome Kevin Tomasetti as an intern at the Chamber’s headquarters this semester. Kevin is currently a senior at the Fitchburg State University majoring in Business with a concentration in Management and a minor in Honors. His interest in entrepreneurship drew him to the Chamber for his internship.
Kevin decided to go back to school back in 2013 to better position himself to take over his family business, ACT Fastening Solutions, and is currently scheduled to graduate in May. At Fitchburg State Kevin is also the Treasurer of Sigma Beta Delta, International Business Honor Society, Fitchburg State Chapter. Kevin is married and the father of two kids; Joey, who is 4 ½ years old, and Arianna, who will be 2 years old on Feb 13ta. During his internship Kevin will be working on a Pitch Contest through a partnership with the Chamber and Fitchburg State. He will also be working with the Development Corporation on a variety of projects surrounding the lending process. Through his internship Kevin will gain more knowledge, develop relationships with the local business community, and create a partnership that will grow and benefit everyone as he continues on his career path towards being a leader in the North Central Massachusetts community.
“We are excited to welcome Kevin as part of our team this semester,” said Roy M. Nascimento, President & CEO of the Chamber. “He is a bright and ambitious student who will benefit from his time working with our members and supporting the advancement of North Central Massachusetts. I have no doubt that he will make a positive contribution to our organization.”

Girl Scouts Announce Local Girl Leadership Champions
RECIPIENTS TO BE HONORED AT NOVEMBER 3RD LUNCHEON
Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts (GSCWM) is
pleased to announce the recipients of the inaugural ToGetHerThere Awards. The five
ToGetHerThere Award recipients have a shared vision of creating a culture of creativity
and caring, where young women feel confident in their ability to work hard, dream big,
and face with courage any obstacle that stands in the way of making their dreams come
true. The winners have affected hundreds of lives and serve as role models for other
organizations grappling with how to support under served members in their
communities.
“The ToGetHerThere Award winners embody western Massachusetts’ spirit of courage
and determination”, says Pattie Hallberg, GSCWM CEO. “We are humbled and inspired
by their efforts. These individuals remind us that we all hold the power to inspire hope
and build up communities. We all can be a force for good.”
The 2017 ToGetHerThere Awardees were selected from five categories by a panel of
business, community and civic leaders.
The awardees are:
Entrepreneur – Cassandra Abramson
President & Founder, ECi Stores
Financial Literacy – Amy Roberts
Vice President of Human Resources, Balise Auto Group
Health & Wellness – Katie Gauvin
Regional Safety Director, SODEXO/ Major, Logistics Readiness Squadron 104th Fighter
Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base
Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout – Timothy Murphy, Esq.
Partner, Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C.
STEM – Martha Baker
Associate Dean, College of Natural Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts will honor the winners at the
ToGetHerThere Awards Luncheon on Friday, November 3, at the Tower Square Hotel
(formerly the Springfield Marriott). Tickets are $50 each or tables of 10 for $500.
To order tickets and for more info on each awardee visit the Girl Scout website,
http://www.gscwm.org/en/events/special-events/TGHTA.html or contact Melanie Bonsu,
413-584-2602 ext. 3623 or .
About Girl Scouts of Central & Western Massachusetts
Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts serves over 8,000 girls in grades K through 12 with
the strong support of 3,800 adult volunteers in 186 towns and cities in central and western
Massachusetts. Girl Scouts’ mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the
world a better place. Since 1912, girls have explored new fields of knowledge, learned valuable skills, and
developed strong core values through Girl Scouts. Today, Girl Scouts is, as it always has been, the
organization best positioned to help girls develop important leadership skills they need to become
successful adults.
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“I am pleased to announce that Janet Belsky has been promoted to the position of Senior Vice President of Marketing. This appointment is in recognition of her exceptional work and dedication,” stated John J. O’Brien, LCU President & CEO. “Janet is a true marketing professional. She has done an outstanding job of transitioning the LCU marketing department into an innovative, effective, data-driven enterprise. In addition to her marketing expertise, Janet consistently displays excellent leadership and teamwork skills.”
According to O’Brien, “In addition to her management of the Marketing and Financial Literacy departments, she will be undertaking a new initiative which will build on the LCU brand promise and make it a vital part of what LCU does across the organization on a daily basis. As Leominster Credit Union continues to position itself to be the financial institution of choice in the communities it serves, Janet and her team will play a vital role in communicating the LCU message to both existing, and new members.”
Belsky has worked in marketing and public relations for more than three decades. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Public relations from Salem State University and is a graduate of The Institute for Financial Studies. She resides with her family in Beverly, MA.
Fundada en 1954, Leominster Credit Union (LCU) es una cooperativa financiera sin fines de lucro, de propiedad de sus socios, que ofrece una gama completa de servicios de depósito, crédito y otros servicios financieros. Con sede en Leominster, Massachusetts, LCU se enorgullece de contar con casi 50,000 socios y más de $600 millones en activos. LCU cuenta con siete sucursales en Leominster, Worcester, Clinton, Holden, Sterling y North Leominster, todas ellas con servicios de cajero automático. LCU también ofrece servicios bancarios las 24 horas a través de sus servicios móviles y en línea. Visite leominstercu.com o llame al 800-649-4646.
The Fitchburg Public Library, 610 Main Street, is hosting a discussion of this year’s Community Read book: The Girls of Atomic City: the Untold Story of the Women who Helped Win World War Two by Denise Kiernan on Tuesday, October 17, at 6:30 p.m.
This book discussion will be led by Fitchburg State University professor Robert Carr (Communications Media) and his students. Copies of the book are available at the library, but the topic is so intriguing that you will enjoy the discussion even if you haven’t read the book.
There will be other Community Read events throughout the fall and spring, and the author Denise Kiernan will be speaking at the University on Thursday, March 29, 2018.
For more information about this and other Library events, call the Library at 978-829-1783.
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.
Looking for your next opportunity? Explore current job openings from employers across North Central Massachusetts on our Jobs Board. Whether you’re starting a new career or making a change, you’ll find a variety of local positions available to help you take the next step.
CapEx Facility Services & Construction · Leominster, MA
TaraVista Behavioral Health Center · Harvard, MA
DRS Power Technology, Inc. · Fitchburg, MA
AIS · Leominster, MA