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
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce will host Getting to Know Your Chamber on Tuesday, December 1st from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Chamber’s headquarters located at 860 South Street, Fitchburg, MA. This meeting is open to new members, existing members, and those interested in learning if chamber membership is right for them.
Chamber staff will explain the many benefits and programs of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce including networking events, government affairs, educational workshops and seminars, advertising opportunities and health insurance, to name just a few. There is no cost to attend, but pre-registration is required. Register online at www.NorthCentralMass.com/news/calendar-of-events/.
Business owners unable to attend but interested in learning more about Chamber membership may contact Yasmin Loft, Sales and Member Services Manager at 978-353-7600 ext. 234 or by sending an email to to schedule a one-to-one meeting.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce announced its participation in the sixth annual Small Business Saturday on November 28ta to support small businesses across North Central Massachusetts. Founded by American Express® in 2010, Small Business Saturday® is a day to celebrate the small businesses that help support their neighborhoods and is held every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Now in its sixth year, Small Business Saturday has been embraced as part of the holiday shopping tradition as each year shoppers, businesses and public officials come together to Shop Small® and show their neighborhood pride.
Understanding the important contributions small businesses make to their communities, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is pleased to once again participate in Small Business Saturday and the Neighborhood Champion program. On November 28ta, the North Central Massachusetts community is encouraged to take part in the Small Business Saturday and take advantage of the specials that our local business are running. Shoppers can stop by to support local businesses and receive Shop Small® giveaways like tote bags, buttons and balloons.
American Express created the Neighborhood Champion program to help rally communities around Small Business Saturday and is working alongside numerous business organizations to support local Small Business Saturday celebrations throughout the country. Participating organizations include the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), the International Downtown Association, The Latino Coalition, the National Main Street Center, the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Small business owners can learn more about taking part in Small Business Saturday and download free marketing materials on www.shopsmall.com. Consumers can also visit the site to find small businesses to shop at on Small Business Saturday.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that the organization has recruited 114 new members as a result of its 2015 New Member Campaign.
The two-week campaign ended on Wednesday, October 15th and included a mailed invitation to over 3,000 businesses in North Central Massachusetts and personal phone-calls from sixty-five business leaders encouraging them to join. The campaign was one of the most successful campaigns that the Chamber has held in years. Volunteers competed for bragging rights as the top recruiter and some great prizes including overnight trips, gift certificates to restaurants and stores, and much more.
“The success of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce’s membership campaign is evidence of the strength of our local business community,” said Doug Petersen, President & CEO of Workers Credit Union and Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. “Chamber membership has never been more valuable to local businesses and it is particularly heartening to see so many new businesses take advantage of the many benefits offered by the Chamber.”
The top producing team for the campaign was Enterprise Bank. Ken Ansin, Vice President of Community Relations and Jim Adams, Vice President and Business Advisor at Enterprise Bank served as the Co-Captains of the Team. The Enterprise Bank team recruited 25 new members and will be recognized with a special award at the Chamber’s next Good Morning North Central Breakfast on Friday, November 13th at the Doubletree in Leominster. In addition, the four members of the Enterprise Team will also be honored in a special luncheon hosted by Paul DiGeronimo, Chair of this year’s Campaign.
The campaign’s top individual recruiter was Jim Adams of Enterprise Bank who personally brought in 11 new businesses to the Chamber. Ray LaFond of Enterprise Bank placed second with 9 new members and Will Aubuchon of W.E. Aubuchon came in third with 8 new members. Other top recruiters included Julie Paradise of Bin There Dump That who recruited 7 new members; Scott Aubuchon of W.E. Aubuchon who recruited 5 new members; Andrea Tourigny of Franklin Professional Associates who recruited 4 new members; and Tony Mercadante of Mercadante and Mercadante P.C., CPAs who recruited 3 new members.
The second place team was the “Independents”, captained by Steve Rocheleau of Rocheleau Tool & Die, Inc.; the third place team was W.E. Aubuchon, captained by Will Aubuchon; and the fourth place team was the North Middlesex Saving Bank team, captained by Ruth Cavanagh.
“I want to congratulate our top recruiter Jim Adams and thank the many volunteers and businesses who participated in this campaign,” said Paul DiGeronimo, President of Geronimo Properties and Chair of the 2015 New Member Campaign. “Gaining 114 new members is a tremendous achievement and would not have been possible without the time and effort from our many campaign volunteers.”
The Chamber appreciates the efforts of Paul DiGeronimo for serving as Chair of the 2015 New Member Campaign. The Chamber would also like to thank all of the team captains, volunteer recruiters, and the many members who helped support our successful campaign.
In addition, the Chamber would like to recognize the corporate and prize sponsors who contributed to the success of the campaign. The Chamber’s New Member Campaign was sponsored by Comcast Business and Heat Trace Products. Supporting sponsors included S.J. Mullaney Engineering, Inc. and Burkart-Phelan Inc. In addition, media sponsors for the Campaign included the Sentinel & Enterprise, Leominster Champion, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Worcester Business Journal, WPKZ 105.3 FM, LATV, FATV, and AdviCoach.
Prize contributors included Aunty Ellen’s Creative Confections, Inc., Avidia Bank, Baker Cadillac, Inc., Brian’s Auto Repair, Buffalo Wild Wings, Clinton Savings Bank, Commit Fitness, Curves for Women, Davis’ Farmland, Devens Grill/Independent Restaurant Group, Digital Federal Credit Union, DoubleTree by Hilton, Dunkin Donuts, ECi Stores, ECO Bubbles Laundry, Enterprise Bank and Trust Company, Fitchburg Art Museum, Five Guys, Gariepy Furniture, Gatsby Grounds Company, Inc., Great Wolf Lodge, Hannaford’s, Happy Jack’s Restaurant, Hometown Bank, Il Camino Restaurant, Johnny Appleseed Visitor Center, Leominster Credit Union, Lilacs of Sterling, Maki Building Centers, McDonald’s, New Bedford Chamber of Commerce, Niche Hospitality, Northeast Promotion Apparel, Old Timer Restaurant, The Planet Fitness – Leominster, Putnam Street Bowling Lanes, Ron Bouchard Auto Stores, Roots Natural Foods, Sean Patrick’s, Shattuck Photography, South Side Grille, Subway, Super Cuts, Super Fans Deli & Pizzeria, The Bootlegger Restaurant, The Lexvest Group/Phoenix Park, UNO Pizzeria & Grill, Wachusett Brewing Company, Inc., Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, Webster First Federal Credit Union, Wyman’s Liquor Mart. For a complete list of corporate sponsors and prize contributors please visit www.nothcentralmass.com.
2017 Kidsfest Vendor Application
2017 KidsFest Sponsor Application
This year marks our 27th Annual KidsFest – one of the longest running festivals in Central MA celebrating children (age 12 & under) and families and attracting 8-10,000 people during the 2-day event. We have two exciting vendor booth opportunities available:
STANDARD Vendor (No Charge) – You may promote your business or service ONLY and you MUST provide a complimentary activity or giveaway for all Festival attendees. Sales ARE NOT permitted.
PREMIUM Vendor ($100 Fee – new this year) – You may promote AND sell merchandise from your booth. You MUST still provide a complimentary activity or giveaway for all Festival attendees however, Sales of appropriate goods and/or services ARE permitted (pending approval from Festival Management).
As always, we’re actively working on other ways to make this the best KidsFest ever and we need your help to be even more creative than ever in coming up with an appropriate activity for your booth. We encourage you to provide an interactive booth that appeals to both kids 8 & under; but also to the older 9-12 year olds. We’re happy to assist you with ideas to provide a fun, entertaining, engaging activity for all ages. We would also be glad to connect you with other resources that might be able to assist you. Below is a list of some suggested ideas and we also welcome you to bring your own ideas to the table! If you have any questions, or would like to run an idea by us before submitting your application, please don’t hesitate to contact me via phone or email.
This year, we are also rewarding the Best Booth/Vendor Activity with a $100 Wachusett Mountain Gift Card. We are trying to keep routine activites like coloring, stickers, enter to win contests or prize wheels to a minimum. They are acceptable as an added attraction to your booth but not as the primary activity. Here are a few interactive ideas for you to consider:
Thank you so much for your support of KidsFest and we look forward to seeing you in September!
The Annual Celebration of Fitchburg-made Bicycles Returns
The Fitchburg Historical Society is pleased to offer its popular summer exhibition of classic Iver Johnson Bicycles from June 17 to July 19, 2017. The display is timed to coincide with Fitchburg’s summer cycling events, including Fitchburg Rides and the Longsjo Classic, as well as the city’s annual Civic Days celebration. During Iver Johnson: Designed to Last, the Fitchburg Historical Society will be filled with the historic bikes that were made for decades in Fitchburg by the Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works. Many of the bicycles have been loaned by private collectors; others come from the Fitchburg Historical Society collection, which includes bicycles, tools and ephemera donated by Richard Hansen.
From 1891 to 1941, Iver Johnson’s Arms and Cycle Works in Fitchburg manufactured nearly 700,000 bikes. The bicycle models on exhibition are a favorite among bicycle historians for the quality of their construction and their capacity for high speed in long-distance bike races. These included racing bikes, standard and touring bikes, as well as children’s bikes and tricycles. They are known as some of the highest quality bikes ever made.
The skilled metal workers who created Iver Johnson bicycles were known for the quality and consistency of their work. Some worked for as many as 60 years at the factory, which also produced Iver Johnson guns until the 1970’s. This year’s exhibition will feature images and records documenting the workers and their innovations in bicycle design, gun design, and marketing.
The exhibition will also include photos and artifacts about American Olympian bicyclist Arthur Longsjo, a Finnish-American athlete from Fitchburg who was considered one of the greatest bicyclists of his generation. Longsjo died tragically young and his memory is honored with the Arthur Longsjo Classic Bike Race. The exhibition will be open extra hours, from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 25, when the Arthur Longsjo Classic Bike Race comes to Fitchburg.
The normal opening hours for the exhibition are Monday and Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturday, June 17, when the FITchburg Rides program will also take place in downtown Fitchburg, the exhibition will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be additional special hours during Fitchburg’s Civic Days celebration, when the Historical Society will be open Monday, July 3 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., as part of the Main Street Block Party celebration.
The exhibition is free and open to the public, though donations are accepted. For more information, call 978-345-1157, write or visit www.fitchburghistoricalsociety.org y https://www.facebook.com/FitchburgHistoricalSociety.
The Fitchburg Historical Society and Crocker Family Center for the History of Fitchburg is located at 781 Main Street, Fitchburg in the historic Phoenix building. There is abundant on-street parking near the Historical Society and free parking behind the building. The building is handicapped accessible.
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