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 $10 million dollars, which has been leveraged by $24 million in bank capital and has resulted in over 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 $185 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 the Colonial Bank Loan Fund.

The Chamber plays a leadership role in bringing together business, community, education and media organizations in the region to form the Elect North Central Coalition. The non-partisan coalition’s mission is to make the democratic process accessible and assure that local and regional issues are examined and addressed by candidates running for major statewide and federal office. The coalition hosts its first debate for the Third Congressional District.

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 takes a leadership role in advocating for meaningful education reforms at the state level that align with the needs of employers and better prepare students for the workplace. The Chamber testifies before the legislature regarding the need to ensure every student is exposed to career exploration and workforce readiness programming while in school. The Chamber also joins with other business groups to advocate for greater funding for industry credentialing courses in the state’s high schools.

The Chamber releases a new report that provides an in-depth look at the twenty-seven communities that comprise North Central Massachusetts.  The Economic Profile was compiled by a research team at the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute and combines detailed economic, labor market and socioeconomic data, as well as analysis on the economic conditions within the region. The Chamber commissioned the research to support economic development efforts and serve as a resource for local businesses. You can read the full report here.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020 was an unprecedented crisis that impacted businesses and communities in an immediate and profound way. COVID-19 forced businesses to shut down, limited travel and gatherings, and had a ripple effect that crippled the economy.  The Chamber team immediately jumps into action, pivoting to provide leadership, resources, guidance and a strong support system to help businesses and communities adjust and respond.  Efforts during those early days of the crisis included establishing an emergency loan program, setting up a dedicated COVID-19 email hotline, launching special promotional efforts to support affected businesses, sharing the latest guidance from local, state and federal authorities, helping secure PPE for front line workers, providing information on available resources and much more. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for more capital to help support its lending efforts to businesses negatively impacted, the Chamber and the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation launch a new Economic Recovery Fund. The idea for this new fund came from several financial institutions in the region that approached the Chamber with this concept of a locally supported recovery fund. Berkshire Bank, Fidelity Bank and Digital Federal Credit Union were the founding sponsors of this fund and contributed $100,000 each to help capitalize the recovery effort. In addition, the NCMDC contributed $100,000 of its own money to the new fund. Workers’ Credit Union and Bank of America contributed $10,000 each and bankHometown contributed $5,000. The funds raised were disbursed almost immediately. In an eight-week period following the start of the crisis, the NCMDC loaned out almost $800,000 in emergency loans, with the smallest just $2,700 and the largest $54,000. The recipients were all vulnerable and underserved small businesses, including a bike shop, a gym, hair salons, coffee shops, local restaurants and more that were impacted by the economic disruption from COVID-19.

To help shore up its lending capacity, the NCMDC goes on to secure a $500,000 loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration.  A grant from Commonwealth of Massachusetts helped support the SBA’s requirement for matching funds for a Loan Loss Reserve.

The Chamber cancels all face to face events, meetings and programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. But recognizing the critical importance for businesses to stay informed and connected, the Chamber makes it a priority to continue delivering relevant programming to members – hosting over one hundred different online programs during the year to help inform, educate and connect members and communities. The programs range from free educational webinars on how to take advantage of relief efforts to monthly “Live Chats” with the Mayors of Fitchburg, Leominster and Gardner. Prominent speakers hosted on Chamber programs during the pandemic included the Secretary of Housing and Economic Development, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, the region’s legislative delegation, federal officials, economists, thought leaders and more. 

After an extensive 18-month planning process, the Chamber unveils One North Central, a regional economic development plan intended to help guide the region’s collective economic development efforts over the next 10 to 15 years, providing for sustainable growth.

As an outgrowth of the One North Central plan, the Chamber hosts this regional hiring event to connect job seekers with employers in the region. While the Chamber has hosted a variety of job fairs and related programs in the past, this new annual event expands the concept to include multiple resource partners, educational programing and direct onsite career counseling. 

The Chamber partners with several community groups and the Cities of Fitchburg and Leominster to launch a new effort to engage and support the Latinx community in North Central Massachusetts.   Latinos comprise the largest minority group in the region and are playing an important role in contributing to the economy, including starting businesses at three times the rate of the general population.  However, research found that Latinos and other minorities were less likely to take advantage of available resources within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, as well as established business networks like the Chamber that are so vital to achieving success in business.  As part of the initiative, which also had its roots in the One North Central Plan, the Chamber provides direct multi-lingual technical assistance, access to PPP loans through local banks, micro-loans and grants and hosts roundtables to engage and inform Latinx business owners. 

The Chamber, in partnership with New Vue Communities, launches a new mini-grant program to support small businesses in the region with their recovery from the pandemic. The program provides $60,000 in small grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 that are used for professional services that help small businesses in the region.

The Board of the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation votes to increase the maximum size of its loans to $250,000 and expand its loan program to include commercial real estate mortgages.  The real estate loans can be used for a first mortgage for purchase, rehab or expansion of an existing structure or a second mortgage with a participating financial institution.  

 A North Central Massachusetts team comprised of the Chamber, Mount Wachusett Community College and the Spanish American Center are selected to participate in the Equitable Credential Attainment Cohort program offered through the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).  The initiative supports communities in building partnerships that allow more workers, and particularly BIPOC workers, to gain the credentials or degrees they need to secure well-paid jobs with career advancement opportunities.  The Chamber led team was one of only seven teams selected from throughout the country to participate in this competitive program.