History & Milestones

The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce was officially established through a merger of the several local chambers of commerce and business groups in the region.  The roots of the Chamber stretch back to the early 1900s with the formation of the Leominster and Fitchburg Chambers of Commerce. 

After a nationwide search, David McKeehan, former Vice President of the Detroit Chamber of Commerce is selected to serve as the first President of the newly formed organization. Local Attorney Elliott Zide served as the first Chair of the Board and the Chamber maintained offices in both Fitchburg and Leominster for the first two years. The merger has proven to be a testament to the concept of “a regional approach to problem-solving.” The resulting regional business organization has taken a prominent position in economic development, government affairs and the implementation of creative solutions for promoting the success of small businesses.

The Chamber establishes the North Central Chamber Foundation as a 501(c)3 non-profit affiliate focused on assisting in the betterment of the region through charitable activities. Funds raised by the Chamber Foundation are utilized primarily for education/workforce development initiatives. Since its founding the Chamber’s foundation has awarded over $1 million so far in scholarships. 

The Chamber publishes the first Guide to North Central Massachusetts as an annual tourism publication to promote the region to visitors. The first guide is black and white and has a limited distribution. Today, the guide is full color, printed seasonally and distributed widely throughout New England and as far away as Canada. 

The Chamber developed a workforce training program, coordinating efforts of Mount Wachusett Community College, Monty Tech, and the local machinists’ union, to prepare 100 machinists for the Fitchburg General Electric plant. 

In an effort to be more accessible to its growing membership from throughout the region, the Chamber moves to a new location on Erdman Way in Leominster, easily accessible to Route 2.

The North Central Massachusetts Chamber secured another $1 Million from area businesses for economic development programming and launched the “Blueprint for the 90s”– a community and business-based planning effort that served as a roadmap for driving economic development efforts over the last twenty five years and led to the creation of many of the economic assets that have helped to shape the regions’ economy. 

The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation establishes its first micro-loan program to assist start-up businesses, which is capitalized through a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and matching funds from the Chamber.  Since its inception, the NCMDC has gone on to lend out over $6.3 million dollars, which has been leveraged by $24 million in bank capital and has resulted in nearly 1,000 new jobs.  The average loan is just $25,000. 

The Chamber establishes the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association as its formal tourism affiliate.  JATA, doing business as Visit North Central Massachusetts today, developed and implemented a regional marketing plan to attract visitors and groups to the region. Since its humble beginnings, the organization has grown the economic impact of tourism from virtually nothing to over $144 million dollars in direct spending from visitors.  

Anita Raboin, Former President of Appleseed Personnel Services is elected as the first woman Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. 

The Chamber paves the way for the Route 12 Improvement Project. This transportation infrastructure project has been credited with improving the route 12 corridor in Fitchburg and Leominster. 

The Chamber breaks ground on its new 6,000 square foot building in Fitchburg, near the Leominster line, to serve as its headquarters and as a regional center to support the business community. 

The Chamber’s tourism arm, the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association, receives official designation from the state as the Regional Tourism Council for North Central Massachusetts.  This designation creates a formal partnership with the state’s tourism office and enables the region to receive its share of matching tourism grants. 

The Chamber supports efforts by the City of Leominster to recruit AIS to the region and advocates for tax incentives for the project. The project helps create hundreds of new jobs and millions in new tax revenue for the city and state.

Recognizing the importance of a locally focused community college system and concerned about the impact to local businesses and the region, the Chamber leads a statewide coalition of business groups to oppose efforts by the state to usurp control and centralize the state’s fifteen community colleges. 

The Chamber works with local and state officials to help attract Great Wolf Resorts to the region and advocates for tax incentives for the project. The project helps create over 500 jobs for the region and generates millions in new tax revenue for the city and state.

After a nationwide search, Roy Nascimento is selected to succeed David McKeehan as the President of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. 

The Chamber’s economic development affiliate, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation, is approved as a micro-loan intermediary by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and establishes its fourth micro-loan fund with an additional infusion of $500,000 in capital.

The Chamber’s economic development affiliate signs an innovative agreement with the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce to provide start-up businesses in the Worcester area with micro-lending resources. 

The Chamber secures $300,000 in pledges from local businesses to establish the Economic Advancement Fund with the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation.  The new fund provides resources to expand economic development efforts and continue to advance the North Central economy.

The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation is designated as a Community Advantage Lender by the U.S. Small Business Administration. 

The Chamber’s economic development arm partners with Fidelity Bank and the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce to establish its fifth micro-loan fund, called the Colonial Bank Loan Fund. This new loan fund is capitalized with a $300,000 contribution from Fidelity bank.

The Chamber and the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation publish a report entitled “Build North Central: Promoting the Industrial Heart of Massachusetts” with recommendations to support the region’s manufacturing industry and fuel economic advancement throughout the region.

In July 2019, local dignitaries and community leaders help the Chamber and its tourism affiliate, Visit North Central Massachusetts, officially unveil the “Big Apple of New England” outside the Johnny Appleseed Visitors’ Center on Route 2 in Lancaster.  This giant red apple structure, which stands at 10 feet tall, is the largest apple sculpture of its kind in all of New England.  The apple was installed outside the Johnny Appleseed Visitors’ Center to honor the region’s strong agricultural heritage and connection to apples and that icon of American folk history – Johnny Appleseed.

The Chamber convenes the North Central Massachusetts Education Compact as an outgrowth of the Chamber’s Build North Central: Promoting the Industrial Heart of Massachusetts report published in late 2019.  The compact, comprised of leaders in education, business and workforce development, is established to help facilitate partnerships around the shared goals of improving college and career pathways for students.

The Chamber and its economic development arm, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation, launch a new localized online jobs board called WorkNorthCentral.com to help connect job seekers to employers in North Central Massachusetts.  Visitors can search for employment opportunities located within the twenty-seven communities of North Central Massachusetts.  The jobs board starts modestly with just one hundred jobs, but by January 2021 has over 1,200 opportunities posted.

Recognizing that much has changed since the Blueprint for the Nineties was developed and the major impact it had in advancing the regional economy, the Chamber begins a major new economic development planning process. The Chamber issues a Request for Proposals (RFP) and conducts a nationwide search to select an economic development consulting firm to assist in developing a new multi-faceted and actionable blueprint to guide the region’s economic development efforts over the next 10 to 15 years, providing for sustainable growth.  The Chamber also forms a special taskforce of business and community leaders to oversee the development of this regional planning process. Throughout 2020, the Chamber and its consultants host numerous online focus groups, interviews and surveys with various stakeholders to gather input for the plan. The scope of the project also includes a deep dive into the regional economy, including analysis of the real estate market and workforce, a SWOT analysis, benchmarking and more. 

The Chamber’s tourism affiliate – Visit North Central Massachusetts – pivots its destination marketing efforts immediately towards supporting economic recovery in the region.  Within hours of the state issuing an executive order on March 15, 2020 limiting gatherings to 25 people and prohibiting on-premises consumption of food or drink at bars and restaurants, the Chamber and Visit North Central Massachusetts launch a “Take-Out Blitz” to support local restaurants and food businesses.  The promotional effort is soon replicated by other business organizations in the state and country in an effort to quickly support small businesses.  Always a strong advocate for buying local, the Chamber and its affiliates go on to develop and launch several marketing campaigns during the pandemic to support small businesses and encourage consumers to safely shop, eat and visit locally. The Chamber and VNCM invest in new locally focused content, new messaging, digital advertisements, PR and social media to promote, connect and engage with consumers. “When it Matters Most…Support Local” is used as the overarching theme for the campaigns.

Recognizing the level of fear and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Chamber introduces a special video for the public on its social media channels titled “A Message for North Central Massachusetts”. The video was intended to send a message of hope, community and resiliency that would help inspire and raise spirits during the economic shutdown and health pandemic.  With help from our members, the video premiered just ten days after the Governor announced a public health emergency and instituted restrictions. The video was very successful, being viewed by over 65,000 people in the region, and receiving many positive comments on the tremendous impact it had on the region’s morale. 

The Chamber’s economic development arm, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation, is awarded a grant of $946,000 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration under the CARES Act to establish a new revolving loan fund to assist with economic recovery in the region. The NCMDC structures this new loan program to provide loans of up to $150,000 with very flexible terms, low fees and interest rates as low as 1% for existing businesses impacted by COVID-19 and 5% for start-up businesses.  Monthly payments are also deferred for up to one year on the loans to assist with business recovery.