The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, Reliant Foundation and RIZE Massachusetts, in partnership with the UMass Memorial Health Road to Care team and UMass Chan Medical School, will offer a free continuing medical education (CME) conference on April 29 for providers to fulfill new federal training requirements and improve access to opioid use disorder treatment in the region.
The daylong training session, “Transforming Care: Harm Reduction, Overdose Prevention and Management of Opioid Use Disorder,” gives providers from different health systems and private practices the opportunity to immerse themselves in a comprehensive learning experience led by experts in the field. The conference can be attended in person or remotely.
This is the second training conference sponsored by the foundations, which provided more than $150,000 in total grant funding to advance prescriber education and opioid use disorder treatment in primary care settings throughout Central Massachusetts. The project aims to reduce barriers to access to treatment in the region, especially in underserved rural communities.
“We are pleased to partner on this training opportunity that will increase the number of providers who are equipped with the latest tools to tackle the ongoing overdose epidemic and the number of residents who will benefit from expanded access to opioid use disorder treatment in the region,” said Dr. Amie Shei, President and CEO of The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts.
The first session held in December was attended by more than 100 doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners from primary care and medical specialties. “Providers across the region are eager for more information and tools; this training gives them the confidence, ability and support to deliver evidence-based care and effective treatment for individuals with substance use disorder,” said Dr. Kavita Babu, Chief Opioid Officer at UMass Memorial Health and professor of emergency medicine at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester.
These training opportunities follow passage of the federal Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act, which aims to standardize substance use disorder training to ensure that providers possess baseline knowledge in evidence-based treatments and to normalize substance use disorder treatment in the primary care setting. All DEA-registered providers are required to receive at least eight hours of training in pain management, prescribing practices and medications for addiction treatment for substance use disorders.
The conference will be held on April 29 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Wellsworth Hotel, 14 Mechanic St., Southbridge, with breakfast and lunch provided. The session will also be offered via Zoom. Register here.
Main Street Bank, a leading community bank in Massachusetts, announced today that David Felton has joined the Bank as Executive Vice President/Chief Deposit Officer, effective March 1st, 2024. In this role, Felton is responsible for the growth and development of the Bank’s deposit gathering capabilities with a focus on the Business Banking and Commercial Banking segments.
Felton has over 19 years of experience in financial services and has worked in the business and commercial banking space for the past 15 years. Having held various leadership positions at Rockland Trust, Customers Bank, and Cambridge Trust, Felton has a proven track record of building and managing high-performing teams, developing and executing strategic initiatives, and driving growth through delivering upon a model of collaboration, community engagement, and exceptional client experience. He holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from New England College of Business.
Felton is an active member of the community, particularly in the non-profit sector, serving as Board Member and Treasurer of Boston Arts Academy Foundation, the non-profit arm of Boston’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts, for 4 years. He is also an Advisory Board Member of Understanding Our Differences, a non-profit organization that provides disability awareness programs in Newton, MA, for 11 years. Felton has lived in Mansfield, MA and then the Boston area for most of his life, and now resides in Windham, NH with his wife, two daughters, and a baby boy on the way.
“I am thrilled to join Main Street Bank and be part of a dynamic and growing organization that is focused on serving the needs of its customers and communities,” says Felton. “I look forward to working with the talented team here and leveraging my experience and network to help realize our vision for the future.”
“We are delighted to welcome Dave to Main Street Bank and our executive leadership team,” says Walter Dwyer, CEO of Main Street Bank. “Dave brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and relationships, and he will play a key role in driving our deposit growth and expanding our market presence. He is also a great fit for our culture of excellence, innovation, and community involvement.
LUK, Inc. recently received funding from Brake the Silence Foundation to provide Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention trainings.
LUK will host these Mental Health and Suicide Prevention trainings to promote the health and well-being of Worcester County residents. Participants will learn how to identify potential mental health concerns, where they can receive support, and skills to interrupt harm.
The funding from Brake the Silence will allow LUK to offer a variety of trainings that vary in length, intensity, and scope. The overall goal of the project is to raise awareness of mental health challenges, prevent suicide, and connect people in need to supportive services. By raising awareness, LUK may strengthen mental/behavioral health services for Central Massachusetts residents, encourage individuals to strive for recovery, or support a loved one in their recovery journey.
LUK, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the safety, health, and well-being of youth, families, and adults in Central Massachusetts. As a community-based organization, LUK’s mission is to challenge and inspire youth, adults, and families to realize their unique potential through community-based prevention, intervention, education, and support services.
Hub International Massachusetts, global insurance brokerage, has released its outlook for insurance for 2024.
The report, complemented by 14 in-depth industry- and sector-specific assessments, is based on insights from HUB’s proprietary survey of 900 executives and 200 high net worth individuals and their advisors. Amid elevated risk factors — from geopolitical instability, natural disasters and labor disruptions to the rapid evolution of AI — many companies and high net worth individuals still rely on legacy risk mitigation, insurance and employee engagement strategies, resulting in a false sense of preparedness. Organizations with a forward-looking and comprehensive approach can seamlessly navigate risks. On the contrary, those lacking such actions and initiatives tend to overestimate their readiness or possess a false sense of preparedness and expose their businesses to risks.
3rd Consecutive Year on Newsweek’s Most Trustworthy Companies in America List
Berkshire Bank, a relationship-driven, community-focused bank in New England and New York, has been recognized as one of the top 10 most trusted banks in America by Newsweek magazine.
It’s the third consecutive year Berkshire Bank has been on the list of Newsweek’s Most Trustworthy Companies in America. It is the only bank recognized this year that is headquartered in Massachusetts.
Newsweek’s Most Trustworthy Companies in America 2024 includes 700 companies across 23 industries that were evaluated by U.S. customers, employees, and investors. Results were based on an independent survey from a sample of about 25,000 people who evaluated publicly and privately held companies based in the United States with revenues over $500 million. Respondents rated companies on customer, employee, and investor trust. Results also reflect a survey of what was said about a company in various media online.
Newsweek partnered with Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and provider of industry rankings, to issue its ranking of America’s most trustworthy companies.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced at the YMCA of Cape Cod that 16 school districts are receiving $3.4 million to support their efforts to expand access to affordable high-quality preschool through the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CPPI). Nine currently participating districts will be expanding their efforts, adding 32 preschool classrooms, representing an additional 488 seats across public schools, family child care, YMCAs, Head Start and other community-based preschool programs. Further, the administration is awarding a first round of new grants to: Fitchburg, Quincy, Pittsfield, Worcester, Barnstable, Wareham, and the Gateway Regional School District that includes seven rural communities in Western Massachusetts.
The $3.4 million, through revenue generated by the Fair Share Amendment, was included in Governor Healey’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposal to increase access to high-quality preschool and put the state on a path towards universal access to preschool. The proposal was supported by the Legislature and included in the final budget. Governor Healey’s proposed “Gateway to Pre-K” agenda will further expand these efforts, investing an additional $15 million in fiscal year 2025 to move Massachusetts closer to meeting the goal of universal, high-quality preschool access for four-year-olds in all Gateway Cities by the end of 2026.
“We know that the high cost of child care is holding back our families, providers and our economy. That’s why I am proud to be in Barnstable today to announce that we are expanding access to affordable, high-quality preschool in 16 school districts, creating hundreds of new seats for children in Gateway Cities and rural communities across the state,” said Governor Healey. “Our ‘Gateway to Pre-K’ agenda would build on this progress by expanding high-quality pre-k access to even more communities, lowering costs for more families, and ensuring our hardworking providers have the support they need to deliver high-quality care.”
“As a former Mayor, I know how important access to high-quality preschool is for families and for closing the learning gap before kids enter kindergarten. This funding is going to local school districts and community-based early education and care programs, highlighting our commitment to supporting cities and towns from Pittsfield to Cape Cod in meeting the needs of their residents and making Massachusetts a more affordable and equitable place to live, learn, work and play,” said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll.
“As the Director of Rural Affairs and a former school teacher, I know how extremely important it is that every child regardless of where they live in the commonwealth, have an opportunity to start out on the right pathway. I appreciate the investment the Healy Driscoll administration is making in our youngest students. I congratulate the Gateway school district, and all they do to educate students and prepare them for a life of success,” said Director of Rural Affairs Anne Gobi.
A main driver in the administration’s approach to expand preschool access and promote kindergarten readiness, CPPI establishes a district–wide preschool program across classes in public and community-based early education and care programs. By working across the state’s mixed early education system, districts are expanding access to a range of programs that meet different needs of working families. CPPI also promotes equitable access to special education to ensure full inclusion of children with disabilities across all settings. Through this program, the CPPI funding also provides scholarships to participating families to enroll at no or low cost and enables full day/full year services through the mix of public and community-based classrooms.
“The Healey-Driscoll Administration is committed to expanding access to affordable high-quality preschool. We delivered $13 million earlier this year, and with $3 million more now we’re making the necessary investments to reach more kids in more communities,” said Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler. “This is not just an investment in our children and families, early childhood educators, and local communities—it’s a downpayment on the future success of our state.”
“The Administration is focused on expanding access to low or no cost preschool to provide all children across the Commonwealth with the high-quality early education experiences we know give them the academic and social-emotional skills they need to enter kindergarten,” said Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw. “I am excited to see our current grantees expand to more classrooms and serve additional families, including through community-based centers and family child care programs. We look forward to working with our new grantees to support them in planning and implementing universal access to pre-k in their districts through our diverse mixed-delivery system.”
“The CPPI grant is a great example of educators working across sectors for the benefit of children,” said Elementary and Secondary Education Acting Commissioner Russell D. Johnston. “It’s a pleasure to see the collaboration taking place in each of these communities and to know that students will get a strong start to their education.”
“As a Gateway City the Town of Barnstable welcomes Governor Maura Healey’s announcement of her “Gateway to Pre-K” agenda that includes delivering universal, high-quality preschool access – at low or no cost – in communities like Barnstable by the end of 2026,” said Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells. “‘Gateway to Pre-K’ will fundamentally transform the early education system in Massachusetts by lowering costs for families to enroll their children in childcare and Pre-K. By achieving this agenda the Governor can make early education and child care more affordable and accessible for all families across Massachusetts.”
“Barnstable is proud to be one of the CPPI Planning and Implementation Grant recipients. A strong preschool learning experience is the foundation upon which young children build social-emotional, physical, and academic skills. Indeed, a strong preschool experience springboards students towards school readiness and improved outcomes in their future school years. We appreciate the support of Governor Healey and her administration in serving even more learners,” said Superintendent of Barnstable Public Schools Sara Ahern.
“We are thrilled Governor Healey has come to Barnstable to announce this continuation of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s dedication to our workforce. This program offers crucial support to working families in Cape Cod’s biggest town. Both our members and local economists agree that providing top-notch early education and childcare is the fastest way to strengthen our local workforce. With Barnstable Public Schools’ esteemed reputation and strong alumni network, we’re confident their administrators are eager to join this important partnership,” said Paul Niedzwiecki, Chief Executive Officer, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.
“The Massachusetts YMCAs, as the largest provider of early education programs across the Commonwealth, applauds the Healey Administration’s commitment to expanding access to our youngest learners. The YMCAs are honored to be a trusted partner with the Administration and our school districts as we look at the next phase of quality early education, ” said Kate-Marie Roycroft, Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs.
School districts not currently participating in CPPI could apply to support planning and early implementation of a universal access to affordable high-quality preschool plan. Districts in the early planning stage receive $50,000 to build partnerships with local community-based early education and care programs, develop a leadership team, conduct a needs assessment and draft a strategic plan. Districts who already have strong partnerships with community-based early education and care programs and have conducted a needs assessment can receive a higher amount of funding to develop or update a strategic plan and begin early implementation.
Current CPPI grantees could also apply to expand their efforts. First Round of FY24 CPPI Expansion Awardees:
School District
Community-Based Partners
Award
Brockton School District
Self Help Head Start, Brockton Day Nursery, Early Learning Center YMCA (new)
$216,812
Lawrence School District
Greater Lawrence Community Action Council/ Lawrence Early Achievement Partnership (LEAP), The Community Group
$690,000
Lowell School District
YMCA Greater Lowell YMCA Nursery School, Community Teamwork, Lowell Day Nursery, Small Steps (new)
$36,000
Lynn School District
Gregghouse, LEO Head Start, Lynn YMCA (new)
$404,602
Northampton Public Schools
Community Action Head Start, Gummybears Family Child Care, Meadowlark Childcare Center, Nonotuck Community School, Cloverdale Preschool, New Village/Farm Hands Family Child Care program, People’s Institute, Smith College Center – Fort Hill, Montessori School of Northampton, Gan Keshet Preschool (new)
$330,000
Salem Public Schools
Salem YMCA, Salem Community Child Care Center, Ashley Preschool and Daycare, Pathways for Children (new), Angela’s Preschool and Daycare (new)
$250,000
Sandwich Public Schools
Joyful Noise, Montessori Beginnings, Maureen Raymond Family Child Program (new), Bobbie Jo O’Brien Family Child Program (new), Melissa White Family Child Program (new), Julie Coughlan Family Child Program (new), Diane Hill Family Child Program (new) Sandwich Montessori (new), It’s a Special Day (new)
$250,000
Somerville Public Schools
Elizabeth Peabody House, Dandelion Montessori, CAAS Somerville Head Start, Open Center for Children, Bigelow Cooperative Day, Pooh and Friends Child Care, Tree House Academy, Kingdom Rock Children’s Village, Somerville Child Care Center, JHC Allen Street Head Start (new)
$103,000
Springfield Public Schools
Community Partners for Community Action, Square One, YMCA of Greater Springfield
Awards recognized clients of the NCMDC for service to community, growth.
Entrepreneur Success Award: Pictured (L to R) Megan Marszalek of MassTech; Alexis Kelleher owner of Crust Bake Shop and Birch Tree Bread Company; Karen Thorne of Main Street Bank and Chair of the NCMDC’s Award Selection Committee; and Roy Nascimento, president of the Chamber and NCMDC.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and its economic development arm, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC), recognized several small businesses and individuals at its inaugural Entrepreneur Awards Reception and Resource Showcase, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Leominster on March 28, 2024.
The awards celebrate entrepreneurship in the region and showcase successful NCMDC clients who are helping to advance our economy and communities. “We received numerous nominations for our inaugural Entrepreneur Awards, which speaks to the innovation, determination, and success of our business owners,” said Roy M. Nascimento, president and CEO, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and the NCMDC. “Our entrepreneurs represent the risk takers and innovators that are helping to advance our economy. It was truly an honor to recognize their work, both in their small businesses and in their communities.”
The Entrepreneur Success Award recognized Alexis Kelleher, owner of Crust Bakeshop and Birch Tree Bread Company, located in Worcester. Kelleher first opened Crust Bakeshop as a small bakery in 2007 and grew to a second location in the city in 2020, only to realize the business needed a better kitchen to keep up with production for the two locations.
“We found out that Birch Tree Bread Company was for sale and moved forward with the acquisition for this third business with the help of the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation,” said Kelleher. “I still can’t believe how much our little business and my little dreams have grown in the last seven years, and I am excited for what the future holds.” Today, the business provides 65 jobs and records annual revenues of more than $3 million.
“A lot of other restaurants in the Canal District in Worcester have had to close in the last two years, and I think the fact that we have survived so many hurdles is a testament to our community and perseverance,” she added.
Community Impact Award: Pictured (L to R) to right Megan Marszalek of MassTech; Joshua Halterman, owner of Joshua Allen Design and recipient of the Community Impact Award; Karen Thorne of Main Street Bank and Chair of the NCMDC’s Award Selection Committee; and Roy Nascimento, president of the Chamber and NCMDC.
The Community Impact Award recognized Joshua Halterman, owner of Joshua Allen Design (JAD), located in Sterling. Halterman, who has owned the full-scale interior design business, has deep connections in the community.
“As a small business owner, I have always been passionate about giving back to my local community to bring about positive and measurable change,” said Halterman. “Since founding the company, JAD has sponsored many local sports teams, preschool fundraisers, and provided goods and services for those in need while also offering internships to local high school and college students. This gives students the opportunity to obtain real world work experience in a myriad of ways.”
JAD is also heavily engaged with Rise Above/Start Above Foundation, which assists children in foster care to obtain items and activities that would not be afforded otherwise. Through JAD, program participants receive a surprise home makeover in addition to learning about interior design.
“I helped assist the launch of the Start Above Initiative to provide young adults who have aged out of foster care and are now living on their own with necessities for living independently, as well as furnishings and décor to make a space feel like home.”
The Dream Big Award recognized Kimatra Maxwell, owner of Connecting to Greatness, a small, mental health practice founded and led by an LGBTQ woman of color.
“Our journey reflects the resilience and determination of female entrepreneurs, like my mother and grandmother, who overcame significant barriers to pursue their dreams, making it possible for me,” said Maxwell. “This award validates our hard work and dedication but also is an opportunity for us to amplify our message of hope and healing as we provide a vital lifeline for the more than 400 individuals and their families we have served across Massachusetts.”
In addition to the recognition, these three small business clients of the NCMDC also took home cash awards of $500 each.
During the program, the Chamber also presented its Community Partner of the Year and Banker of the Year awards.
Community Partner of the Year Award: Pictured (L to R) Megan Marszalek of MassTech; Sarah Tavitian of NewVue Communities; Dolores Thibault-Muñoz of New Vue Communities; Karen Thorne of Main Street Bank and Chair of the NCMDC’s Award Selection Committee; and Roy Nascimento, president of the Chamber and NCMDC.
New Vue Communities was recognized with the NCMDC’s Community Partner of the Year in recognition of its active partnership with the NCMDC in supporting start-up businesses. The NCMDC consistently partners with NewVue Communities to support small businesses. Founded in 1979, NewVue is the only Community Development Corporation in the region and provides services in housing development, homeownership, financial coaching, and community organizing.
The agency has been supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs through its technical assistance program for the past 25 years, counseling over 1,000 under-20-employee businesses that have created or retained hundreds of jobs, and secured over $10 million in financing, including from the NCMDC, since 2010.
Christina DiRusso was recognized with the NCMDC’s Banker of the Year Award in recognition of her active involvement and support of the NCMDC. DiRusso serves as vice president of commercial lending at bankHometown. She is a resident of Leominster and is very active in the community, including serving as Treasurer of NewVue Communities and as a NCMDC board member. She also serves on the North Quabbin Loan Fund review committee and the NCMDC’s Loan Committee. She is a strong advocate for the work of the NCMDC, often referring clients or partnering directly with the development corporation on gap loans.
In addition, the event featured a Resource Showcase for entrepreneurs to connect with other business owners as well as with banks and other professional services to help them succeed in the pursuit of their dreams.
Special thanks to premier sponsor MassTech for its support of the awards program as well as corporate sponsor Fidelity Bank, supporting sponsors bankHometown, GFA Federal Credit Union, Main Street Bank, Rollstone Bank, and TD Bank, and media sponsor, the Worcester Business Journal.
The National Community Development Association (NCDA) has recognized April 1-5, 2024, as National Community Development Week. This week provides the opportunity for communities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. Member communities are also recognizing the work of the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program. The programs are critical to the development of local strategies and initiatives to provide affordable housing, critical services, community infrastructure, and economic development in low- and moderate-income areas.
Enacted by Congress in 1974 under the Housing and Community Development Act, the primary goal of the CDBG program is simple yet profound: to empower local communities, providing them with the resources and tools necessary to enhance the quality of life for all residents. Over 1,250 state and local governments receive CDBG allocations to support housing rehabilitation programs, public infrastructure projects, small business assistance, emergency housing assistance, and a broad range of public service programming.
From FY2005 to FY2023, CDBG facilitated the creation and retention of 563,236 economic development related jobs, contributed to infrastructure developments benefitting approximately 57 million persons, assisted over 189 million persons through public service activities, and met the housing needs of over 1.9 million households. Since 1992, the HOME program has produced more than 1.37 million affordable housing units and assisted more than 387,000 households through tenant-based rental assistance.
National Community Development Week provides the opportunity for Congressional members to see first- hand the results of these programs and to learn from grantees, program subrecipients and beneficiaries why more program funding is needed. We support National Community Development Week and value the impact the CDBG and HOME programs have made in our community.
The MA SBA will have two cohorts for the Emerging Leaders Thrive program – one in Greater Worcester/surrounding communities and also Greater Boston. They need 25 businesses for each for a total of 50 businesses. SBA underwrites 100% of the cost of this program and it is free to the entrepreneur. To be eligible, the business must be at least 2-3 years old, have one employee, and have revenues in excess of $250K. The program is not for start ups and is for businesses that are committed to the growth of their business.
Over the course of six months, there will be 8 in person sessions but the in person is augmented with virtual sessions and small group discussions. Modules during the curriculum cover all aspects of successfully running a small business and a number of SME’s will be introduced to the participants, both nationally and locally. Both cohorts will be covered by the same instructor from last year who is the reason why the MA office decided to up our commitment to two cohorts and bring the program back to central MA again this year. The end product the small business achieves as a result of their participation is a growth and action plan that they develop.
USA Luge announced a new partnership with Sitka® Creations, LLC, a graphic design studio providing clients with creative and effective graphic and web design, and visual communication services, making Sitka Creations the official marketing partner for the organization.
Founded by Tamar Russell Brown in 2002, Sitka Creations was first opened in Rockland, Maine with Russell Brown and a few freelance staff. Over the years, the business has expanded to locations in Martha’s Vineyard, New York City, and Leominster, Massachusetts. The business is currently based in Shirley, Massachusetts.
“While we were only recently introduced to USA Luge, our team at Sitka Creations was quickly embraced by the USA Luge family,” said Russell Brown. “We are proud to support the organization and its hardworking athletes with our expertise and knowledge in marketing and social media and look forward to sharing the journey toward the 2026 Games with the athletes, staff and fans.”
The partnership includes working to enhance USA Luge’s social media presence as well as offering the organization with a consistent look and voice as the 2026 Olympics approach.
“USA Luge is responsible for recruiting, developing, training, and supporting athletes to represent the United States at all levels of competition, including the Olympic Games. Most of our resources go to making the athletes and their sleds go as fast as possible and we operate very lean on the marketing side,” said Gordy Sheer, 1998 Olympic silver medalist and director, marketing and sponsorship, USA Luge. “Aside from creating visual templates for social media posts, creating posts, working with USA Luge on a monthly posting schedule, the Sitka Creations team also provided much-needed guidance. In short, they serve as an additional staff member and have fully (and easily) integrated themselves into our operations for which we are most grateful.”
The nine-circuit World Cup season will kick-off in Lillehammer, Norway on November 29-December 1, 2024, with the 53rd World Championships scheduled for February 6-8, 2025, on the 2010 Olympic track in Whistler, British Columbia.
Throughout the Winter, we continued to promote the region with a blend of print and digital advertising strategies across our target markets. The creative messaging for these ads focuses on “Everything You Love About New England… A Lot Closer to Home”. We also encouraged travelers to visit the region with the tag: “Drive to, not through, North Central MA.” To achieve this, we focused on developing fresh and engaging content for our website. This included creating captivating Blog Articles as well as compiling a comprehensive listing of upcoming events. To attract more visitors from the drive market, we implemented a range of strategies combining both print, social media, paid search and digital advertising.
We invested in paid social media campaigns to reach a wider audience through MassLive; employed targeted and geofenced digital advertising to maximize our outreach through Cumulus; and utilized paid Search Engine Marketing techniques to improve our online visibility through Local IQ. We also utilized print/digital campaigns through Boston Magazine and Boston Spirit; custom content listings and emails through Visit New England; and listings in Trip Advisor. All these efforts were carefully crafted to effectively showcase the diverse attractions and offerings of our region and to increase web traffic. By utilizing a combination of print and digital platforms, we aimed to captivate potential visitors and encourage them to explore the unique experiences available in North Central Massachusetts.
Visitor Guide
We published 40,000 copies of the Fall/Winter edition of the Guide to North Central Massachusetts, a popular glossy, full-color magazine aimed at informing and inspiring readers. It showcases the region as a unique destination for living, working, and visiting. The guide was distributed to over 300 high-traffic locations throughout New England and a digital version was also shared on our website, social media, via email, and shared with the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) to maximize its reach and engagement. We are currently working on finalizing the Spring/Summer edition.
Fam Trips & Travel Shows
We actively participated in FAM Trips & Travel Shows. We partnered with MOTT to host a familiarization tour for US Travel Media to our region. We also continued our collaboration with two other Regional Tourism Councils (Discover Central MA and MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau), implementing an off-season marketing campaign funded from a federal grant. We have several advertising campaigns underway and are working with CM Communications, a Boston-based PR Agency that specializes in destination marketing, to assist us with generating more interest in the region among the travel media and other travel influencers. We participated in the Dream Destinations Travel Show, American Bus Association Marketplace, and the North of Boston Tourism Summit to connect with tourism influencers and promote our region as a desirable travel destination.
Social Media & Website
From November 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024, Visit North Central Massachusetts’ Facebook page had a reach of 269,873, a 81.6% increase over the same time frame the previous year. Our Facebook channel also attracted 3,515 new followers, a 11.4% increase. Total followers are currently at 34,700. In addition, the page also had 5,300 content interactions and 5,100 link clicks. Paid reach was 150,439 and 430,803 paid impressions. On Instagram, the page achieved a reach of 12,502, a 177.5% increase over the previous year, and gained 83 new followers for a total of 2,800. Our Instagram page also had 665 content interactions and 353 link clicks during the same timeframe.
Google analytics indicates that our website experienced a 21.5% increase in pageviews; a 27% increase in sessions; and a 24% increase in unique users from November 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023 when compared to the same timeframe the previous year. During the same time period we also had over 485,417 google impressions.
Lodging & Visitor Data
Lodging data was also very strong. Data from Smith Travel Research indicates that YTD hotel occupancy through December was 73.4%, a 5% increase over the previous year; ADR was $181.65 which is a 5% increase; RevPar was $133.43, a 10.3% increase over the previous year; total room revenue was up 9.6%; and rooms sold was up 5%. Data from Datafy indicates that our top four origin markets were Boston; Hartford/New Haven; New York; and Providence-New Bedford.
What’s Next
As we move into the winter and spring seasons, our main objective is to raise awareness and attract visitors to North Central Massachusetts. We will continue implementing our successful strategies that highlight the region’s outdoor attractions and showcase traditional New England experiences. With people seeking outdoor activities, we aim to provide them with exciting itineraries for seasonal adventures in North Central Massachusetts. To achieve our goals, we are continuing to focus on a more digital marketing approach. This includes incorporating various tactics such as paid search, paid social media advertising, geofenced ads targeting the Route 2 corridor, digital display and sponsored content ads, print ads, targeted YouTube advertising, branded content, and organic social media engagement. In addition, we are continuing to work on refreshing our home page to ensure it aligns with our updated marketing efforts and provides a captivating user experience. By combining these strategies, we aim to engage a broader audience and encourage them to explore the benefits of visiting North Central Massachusetts compared to our neighboring states.