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
In a partnership with the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD), MassDevelopment, Mass Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC), and MassHire, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce will be hosting state economic development officials for one-on-one appointments with local developers, manufacturers, and business owners. The meetings are an opportunity to discuss any specific matters related to their business or the expansion of their business, as well as to review state resources available to support business growth and expansion.
Kevin Kuros, Central Massachusetts Director for MOBD; Rob Anderson, Vice President of MassDevelopment; Chuck Merrill, Senior Loan Officer for MGCC; and Scott Percifull, Program Coordinator for MassHire; will be available at the Chamber office by appointment on Monday, September 23 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. The appointments are in thirty-minute increments and are first come, first serve. The meetings are free and confidential, available on a non-discriminatory basis, and are handicapped accessible.
MOBD helps businesses relocating to Massachusetts and businesses wishing to expand their current operations here. MOBD is responsible for managing the state’s Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) which provides tax credits for qualifying business expansion projects. In addition, they provide information on other state economic development programs, including the state’s R&D tax credit, the Mass Life Science Center tax incentives, the Workforce Training Fund grant program, the STEP grant offered through the Mass Office of International Trade and Investment, and other state resources. MOBD also oversees the Massachusetts Center for Employee Ownership (MassCEO) which is focused on supporting businesses considering converting to an employee ownership structure.
MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency, and land bank, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2023, MassDevelopment financed or managed 545 projects generating investment of more than $2 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 10,522 jobs and build or preserve 1,583 housing units.
MGCC helps small businesses create and preserve jobs by providing access to working capital, loan guarantees, business resources, and targeted managerial assistance that solves specific financial and operational problems. MGCC works with traditional financial institutions to turn “un-bankable” businesses bankable, Community Development Centers and non-profits to provide financing for job-producing projects, and directly with businesses to find the growth capital they require.
MassHire Bizworks/Rapid Response coordinates state and federal resources for businesses, offering a single point of contact to multiple programs. The MassHire Rapid Response team provides layoff prevention, early intervention re-employment, layoff management, and outplacement services to companies and their employees. Additionally, we offer employment and training resources, including assistance with recruitment, hiring, and tax credit programs.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Sandie Cataldo, Senior Economic Development Manager at the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce at 978.353.7600 ext. 232 or via email at .
North Central Massachusetts | Chamber of Commerce | Chamber of Commerce near me | Economic Development | Business Development | Business Loans | Business Technical Assistance | Small Business Loans | Small Business Technical Assistance | Business Development Corporation | Business Resources | Microloan Lender | Massachusetts Business |Expand Business | Supporting Businesses

En mayo, la Cámara participó en el Día de la Pequeña Empresa en Beacon Hill, reuniéndose con varios miembros de la delegación de nuestra región sobre nuestras prioridades legislativas y las preocupaciones de las pequeñas empresas. En la foto, de izquierda a derecha: Representante Estatal Meg Kilcoyne; Representante Estatal Natalie Higgins; Presidente y CEO de la Cámara, Roy Nascimento; miembro de la Cámara y propietario de ECi Stores, Neil Abramson; y Representante Estatal Mike Kushmerek.
A medida que se acerca el otoño, la atención se centra en Washington D.C. ante las elecciones de noviembre. En la Cámara de Representantes de EE. UU., el congresista Jim McGovern y la congresista Lori Trahan se presentan sin oposición. Para el Senado, la senadora titular Elizabeth Warren se enfrentará a un retador republicano, que se determinará en las primarias republicanas a principios de septiembre. Monitorearemos de cerca las políticas de la administración presidencial ganadora para evaluar su posible impacto en la comunidad empresarial cuando asuman el cargo en enero.
Nos complace anunciar nuestro evento anual de Almuerzo del Congreso el jueves 17 de octubre a las 11:30 a.m. en el DoubleTree by Hilton en Leominster. Tanto el Congresista McGovern como la Congresista Trahan estarán presentes. Extendemos nuestra gratitud a nuestro patrocinador principal, Fitchburg State University, y al patrocinador de apoyo, Care Central VNA & Hospice, Inc., por su generoso apoyo.
Presupuesto: Siguiendo la tradición, Beacon Hill acordó un presupuesto de $57.8 mil millones tras el inicio del nuevo año fiscal, y la gobernadora Healey lo firmó a finales de julio. Las anulaciones del veto de la gobernadora, por un monto de $317 millones, se mantuvieron vigentes al concluir las sesiones formales.
Desarrollo Económico Al momento de redactar este artículo, se espera que los legisladores regresen a Beacon Hill para abordar el proyecto de ley sobre bonos para el desarrollo económico que no se aprobó durante la sesión formal. La Cámara de Representantes y el Senado han presentado versiones separadas del proyecto de ley, las cuales, dependiendo de que se llegue a un acuerdo, incluirían autorizaciones de bonos y créditos fiscales por miles de millones de dólares, junto con la renovación de la iniciativa estatal de ciencias de la vida, cientos de millones en subvenciones de infraestructura pública de MassWorks, $99 millones para la manufactura avanzada y una posible reintroducción del programa «Happy Hour».
Educación El presupuesto sigue destinando $6.86 mil millones a la Ley de Oportunidades para los Estudiantes, lo que representa un aumento de 4% con respecto al año fiscal 24. Los fondos de «Fair Share» se utilizarán para que la educación en los colegios comunitarios sea gratuita para todos. Se siguen realizando inversiones en programas que ayudan a los estudiantes de secundaria a obtener credenciales reconocidas por la industria, así como en itinerarios educativos e iniciativas de acceso temprano a la universidad.
Vivienda: Se aprobó un proyecto de ley de bonos para vivienda con el fin de abordar la crisis de vivienda del Estado. El secretario Ed Augustus estima que esta legislación dará lugar a la creación de más de 45 000 nuevas unidades y a la conservación de 27 000 unidades de vivienda. El proyecto de ley de bonos, por un monto de $5.15 mil millones, ofrece nuevos créditos fiscales para las empresas que reconviertan edificios comerciales en desuso, duplica el crédito fiscal para la rehabilitación de edificios históricos y permite las unidades de vivienda accesorias de pleno derecho.
Equidad salarial: Una nueva legislación (H. 4890) exige que los empleadores con 25 o más empleados divulguen los rangos salariales en las ofertas de empleo y proporcionen información sobre los rangos salariales para promociones, transferencias y a solicitud. La Oficina del Fiscal General llevará a cabo una campaña de concienciación pública y tiene autoridad de cumplimiento, incluida la capacidad de imponer multas por violaciones.
Temporada de elecciones: Además de la elección presidencial, los cargos de Representante Estatal y Senador Estatal estarán en la boleta de noviembre, con varios miembros de la delegación regional enfrentando elecciones disputadas.
Te invitamos a nuestra Recepción Legislativa y de Candidatos, uno de nuestros eventos anuales más emocionantes. Brinda a los miembros de la comunidad la oportunidad de interactuar con funcionarios electos actuales y candidatos. El evento, respaldado por el patrocinador principal Mount Wachusett Community College y el patrocinador de apoyo Open Sky Community Services, se llevará a cabo en el Chocksett Inn en Sterling el jueves 26 de septiembre de 5:00 PM a 7:00 PM.
Para preguntas o inquietudes sobre los esfuerzos de políticas públicas de la Cámara, comuníquese con Travis Condon, nuestro gerente de asuntos públicos, al 978.353.7600, ext. 224, o por correo electrónico a .
Massachusetts Central Norte | Cámara de Comercio | Cámara de Comercio cerca de mí | Asuntos Legislativos | Funcionarios Electos | Asuntos Gubernamentales | Apoyo a la Comunidad | Desarrollo Empresarial | Desarrollo de la Fuerza Laboral | Industria de Massachusetts
Al concluir el año fiscal que finaliza el 30 de junio de 2024, la Cámara se complace en compartir esta actualización de nuestro afiliado de turismo Visit North Central Massachusetts (VNCM). Este informe destaca nuestros esfuerzos de marketing, logros y planes futuros para promover nuestra región como un destino principal.
Nuestra estrategia publicitaria combinó medios impresos y digitales en mercados de destino, con mensajes como “Todo lo que amas de Nueva Inglaterra... mucho más cerca de casa” y “Conduce hacia, no a través de, el centro norte de Massachusetts” a través de varios canales, incluyendo:
Estos esfuerzos mostraron las diversas atracciones de nuestra región y aumentaron el tráfico web, con el objetivo de cautivar a posibles visitantes y fomentar la exploración del centro-norte de Massachusetts.
También publicamos la edición Otoño/Invierno de la Guía del Centro-Norte de Massachusetts, una popular revista brillante a todo color, dirigida a informar e inspirar a los lectores. Presenta la región como un destino único para vivir, trabajar y visitar. Impresimos 40,000 copias por edición y las distribuimos en 350 ubicaciones de alto tráfico en toda Nueva Inglaterra a través de AAA y CTM Media Group. Una versión digital también se comparte en nuestro sitio web, redes sociales, por correo electrónico y se distribuye a la Oficina de Viajes y Turismo de Massachusetts (MOTT) para maximizar su alcance y participación.
We actively participated in Familiarization Trips & Travel Shows. We also continued our “Super Region” collaboration with two other Central Massachusetts Regional Tourism Councils (Discover Central MA and MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau), implementing an off-season marketing campaign. We hosted two regional travel writer press trips in January and March to assist us with generating more interest in the region among the travel media and other travel influencers. We have several advertising campaigns underway and are working with CM Communications, a Boston-based PR Agency that specializes in destination marketing. Our participation in the Dream Destination Travel Show in October also further promoted our region as a desirable travel destination.
We maintained a strong presence on social media throughout the year. From January 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024, our Visit North Central Massachusetts Facebook page had a total reach of 500,291, a 21% decrease over the previous six months, but a 17% increase over the same timeframe the previous year. Our Facebook channel also attracted 4,068 new followers, an 11.66% increase over the previous six months. In addition, the page also had 7,400 content interactions and 12,600 link clicks during the same timeframe. Paid reach was 250,017 and 1,395,876 paid impressions. On Instagram, the page achieved a reach of 43,700, a 33.9% decrease over the previous six months, but a 250% increase over the same timeframe the previous year. We gained 419 new followers, had 2,300 content interactions and 1,200 link clicks during the same timeframe.
Our tourism website, Visitnorthcentral.com, has experienced growth in traffic for FY24. Google Analytics indicates that our website experienced a 44.5% increase in pageviews; a 51.1% increase in sessions; and a 48.1% increase in unique users from January 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024, when compared to the same timeframe in 2023. During the same time period, we also had over 1,587,649 Google impressions. Additionally, we are actively aligning the content of Visit North Central’s seasonal landing pages with our SEO strategy to maintain consistency with our SEM campaign efforts.
STR data through June indicates that YTD hotel occupancy was 73.6%, a 2.6% increase over the previous year; ADR was $187.81, which is a 1.8% decrease; RevPar was $138.21, a 0.8% increase over the previous year; total room revenue was down 3.8%; and rooms sold was down 2.1%. AirDNA data indicates that short-term rentals in the region have continued to trend upwards, growing from 4.4% of total lodging revenue in the region in FY23 to 5.7% in FY24. Research from Datafy indicates that the region had 4,428,731 trips in FY24 and 8,346,506 visitor days. Average length of stay in the region was 1.9 days and our top four origin markets were Boston; Hartford/New Haven; New York; and Providence-New Bedford.
We launched a quarterly Visit North Central Massachusetts (VNCM) subscription-based email newsletter to help promote the region to visitors. Our VNCM email list already has 3,117 subscribers and has an average open rate of 46% and click-through rate of 9%.
As we enter the Fall season, our focus remains on showcasing North Central Massachusetts as a premier destination for outdoor enthusiasts and those seeking authentic New England experiences. Our strategic approach includes:
We’re implementing a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, including paid search, social media advertising, targeted YouTube ads, and organic engagement. By combining these strategies, we aim to engage a broader audience and demonstrate the unique benefits of visiting North Central Massachusetts.
Te invitamos a unirte a nosotros en la promoción de las atracciones y experiencias únicas de nuestra región. ¡Mantente atento para más actualizaciones y oportunidades de participar!
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Fitchburg State University is preparing to host a series of
Spring Career Fairs to connect students with employers and opportunities in various fields. These career affairs offer a valuable chance to meet with hiring professionals, learn about job openings, and network with experts in various fields.
Health and Life Sciences Career Fair
Business and Technology Career Fair
Creative and Common Good Career Fair
The Town of Pepperell Massachusetts announces a new tourism website, Discoverpepperell.com. This site, over a year in the development highlights the historical, cultural and recreational treasures in this central Massachusetts community just a short distance from Boston and neighboring New Hampshire.
In partnership with surrounding communities, Discoverpepperell.com is designed to showcase the area and invite visitors to learn more about experiences such as rail trail biking, fishing, hiking, exploring the vast walking trails including many historical sites, and unique specialty shopping and dining options.
The new site also offers visitors and residents a calendar of events, including the Pepperell 250ta Anniversary taking place throughout 2025, beginning in January.
DiscoverPepperell.com was developed using a local web designer and volunteers from the community providing detailed information and data from the many town Committees. The site also includes regional photographs and historical drawings from Mark Lotterhand and Mark Fountain, two talented residents of the town.
For more information, please visit www.DiscoverPepperell.com.

Event Details
Sunday, February 9, 2025
8:30am – 12:00pm
Montachusett Regional High School
1050 Westminster Street, Fitchburg, MA 01420
Admission: Adults – $18.00, Seniors & Students – $15.00, Children under 12 – $9.00
All proceeds go to Scholarships and Community Projects.
UPDATE: This event has been postponed due to inclement weather conditions. More details to follow. Hang on to your tickets!
Más informaciónWhen 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