Office Space available for Lease! Fitchburg. Second floor office space available for lease. 1,498.00/month. This includes heat/electric, lot maintenance. Bright, window lit offices, glass walls separating office areas, high ceiling, private bathroom, kitchenette area, onsite parking. Main entrance as well as private staircase entrance. Conveniently located 1-mile off of Rte. 2. Recently renovated in 2019. Please contact Kim for more details or a walk through to see the unit! 978-833-1887. . See link for more details. https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/619-South-St-Fitchburg-MA/21235415/
In an effort to gain an accurate assessment of COVID-19’s ongoing impact to businesses in North Central Massachusetts, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce has created this new survey. This is a follow-up to a survey conducted in March at the onset of the pandemic. The first survey was very helpful to our initial response to the pandemic. This new survey is intended to capture fresh data and dive deeper into the impact to local businesses. The Chamber is partnering with the MassHire North Central Massachusetts Workforce Board, Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, NewVue Communities and many of the cities and towns in the region on the distribution of this survey. Please take a moment to complete the survey. The survey is estimated to take between five to ten minutes to complete. All information will be reported in general terms and individual business information will remain confidential.
Please feel free to contact the Chamber at 978.353.7600 or via email with any questions or concerns.
Thank you in advance for your participation. Click here for information and resources for businesses dealing with the Coronavirus Outbreak.
Survey Partners
Thank you to the following communities and organizations for helping to distribute the survey to businesses and organizations:
Like many of us around the globe, you’re probably used to working from home, including using Zoom, an engaging, user-friendly meeting application. However, an unexpected outage from Zoom caused thousands of workers immense frustration, as they were unable to access Zoom webinars and attended Zoom meetings.
It’s always smart to have a back-up solution, and we’ve collected four popular alternatives just in case Zoom goes down again. We looked at different tools, and evaluated the reliability, features and ease of use, the value and affordability (especially important for small businesses), and the security of each, helping reduce chances of sensitive company data being leaked.
Ring Central Video
Ring Central works well with video and phone support and has a high level of security. It’s included with RingCentral Office®, a comprehensive program that integrates cloud phone service with business numbers in over 100 countries, unlimited audio conferencing, video meetings, team messaging, and business SMS. For specialized industries, such as healthcare and insurance, or others that still rely on faxing documents, there’s also a secure, unlimited online fax feature.
With seven layers of security, it’s also excellent at protecting company files. The program integrates with dozens of apps and works seamlessly with both Microsoft and Google software, which makes it easy for users to send and receive documents in different formats.
Also included with the cost for Ring Office is employee training and 24-hour customer support – essential for employees that may be working at odd hours or who have a flexible schedule.
Microsoft Office 365 E3
This is hands-down the best tool for internal collaboration. It’s an excellent alternative to Skype for Business. This program is part of Office 365 (the premium version) and includes Microsoft Teams, which allows employees to chat online, meet via video, share files, and track the progression and timelines of certain projects. Outlook and cloud storage are also included.
However, other features like phone and audio conferencing outside of the Teams application are extra, and this software doesn’t offer business SMS or online fax capabilities, so it may not be useful for some industries. Other drawbacks include a lack of cloud service for customer engagement, although it works quite well for internal teams.
Group FaceTime
FaceTime is an easy-to-use application that many of your employees are probably already familiar with. It’s perfect if your team all use Apple products, and as far as video quality and communication it can’t be beat. It’s clean, crisp, and has excellent end-to-end encryption.
However, as a business application, it lacks the integration of other applications, such as Ring Central and Microfot Office/ Teams. Group FaceTime also lacks an office suite that make sharing files and projects easier.
Google Meet
Google Meet is ideal for file storage and sharing, and in a pinch, coupling this with Group FaceTime (even though they run on two different operating systems) can help you through times when Zoom goes down.
Google Meet integrates any number of Google-based apps, including the popular Hangouts, which works like a chat meeting in real-time. However, this program also lacks audio conferencing, business SMS, or secure online fax options. But, at just $10 per month and with the capability to support user-designed apps, Google Meet does have a lot of other advantages.
Bottom Line
Having Zoom go down can be frustrating and may even cost your business. Before (if) it happens again, it’s important to have a back-up in place, and to train your team on how to use your back-up remote office suite. This ensures that you’re prepared for the challenges that remote working can throw at you.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce would like to remind members to always be on the lookout for possible scams and frauds. Online fraud is on the rise and businesses continue to be a target of thieves and scammers looking to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic for their gain.Often fraudsters try to impersonate trusted institutions, like your bank/credit union, government agencies, or trusted non-profits in the community like the chamber of commerce.
While we haven’t received any specific reports, we wanted to be proactive and alert you to the following chamber practices so that you can stay diligent and protect yourself and your business.
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber will never ask you for any personal data through unsolicited emails, texts messages, pop-up windows or website banners. If you were to receive something electronically that looks suspicious and claiming it’s from the Chamber then reach out to us immediately;
If you ever receive a suspicious call from someone claiming to be from the Chamber or one of our affiliate organizations* (listed below) and asking for personal or financial details, then reach out to us immediately. We may occasionally call to collect or confirm information, but you should not provide any sensitive information unless you are absolutely certain that it is a legitimate call from the Chamber;
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce does not utilize telemarketing firms. If you ever receive a suspicious call from a telemarketer claiming they are soliciting donations for the Chamber or saying they are updating their records, then you should contact us immediately. Do not provide any sensitive personal information;
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce does not endorse any particular products, services, candidates, companies or charities other than its own affiliate organizations. Any solicitations you receive claiming that they are affiliated with the Chamber, endorsed by the Chamber, claiming their product is distributed by the Chamber or using similar language should be viewed with some level of caution. You should contact the Chamber immediately to confirm validity;
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is an independent organization that is not affiliated with any national, state or local chamber of commerce. Anyone approaching you claiming that they are another “chapter” of the chamber or a business group that is associated with our Chamber or one of our affiliate organizations should be viewed with caution. You should contact the Chamber to confirm validity.
In general, we encourage you to always scrutinize unknown or suspicious emails that you receive with attachments or with requests for sensitive details or money transfers. Scammers will mask their email domains to impersonate legitimate sources. If you are suspicious about an email you receive, then you can scroll over the email address to reveal the domain. An email from the Chamber should have the domain of @northcentralmass.com. When in doubt, call to confirm the legitimacy of the email you received.
We encourage you to continue to be alert and don’t fall for any scams that may compromise your business or personal information. For useful information regarding Coronavirus related scams, please visit the Federal Trade Commission, https://www.ftc.gov/.
*Affiliated organizations of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce include the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation; Johnny Appleseed Trail Association DBA Visit North Central Massachusetts; the North Central Chamber Foundation; and Chamber Insurance, Inc.
Join us online on October 21, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. for a presentation and conversation to help strengthen your business’s financial foundation. Topics will include budget creation and review; how to monitor and forecast cashflow; and the internal and external financial review process.
Bryan Acuto, Senior Manager at Cunningham & Associates will be the presenter. Bryan earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Elmira College. He completed his Master’s Degree in Finance from Harvard University earning the Dean’s List for Academic Achievement award. Bryan’s career includes several years of general management, extensive business and financial analysis and founding a real estate investment company. Bryan’s strengths are focusing on continuous process improvement, identifying key results needed for success, and concentrating on what matters most to an organization.
The cost is just $10 for members. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, please visit www.NorthCentralMass.com.
The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) – the economic development arm of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce – recently provided an Economic Recovery Fund (ERF) loan of $50,000 to Rick Walton, owner of Moon Hill Brewing in Gardner.The ERF program, funded through contributions received by local community banks and credit unions, was launched by NCMDC to assist small businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moon Hill Brewing Co. began in 2006 at the brewpub, Gardner Ale House, a long-time staple in the community.Both are located at 74 Parker Street in Gardner and together serve as the only full-menu brewpub in North Central Massachusetts and Worcester County.Moon Hill offers 14 craftbeers that can be found on tap at the Gardner Ale House as well as in many local pubs and restaurants.This loan helped to retain 25 full time jobs and 70 part time jobs.Moon Hill Brewing, following COVID guidelines, is open for business.For more information visit www.moonhillbrewing.com/.
As a microloan lender, NCMDC can provide loans to small businesses up to $150,000 for working capital, equipment, inventory, expansion and working with our banking partners to provide gap financing for the final piece of a project.
Recognizing that COVID-19 remains a disruptive force in the daily lives of many business owners and their employees, the Chamber’s staff has continuously worked with public officials at the local, state, and federal levels in an effort to identify and implement solutions.
As of this printing, Congressional Leaders on Capitol Hill remain deadlocked regarding another stimulus package to address the impacts of the pandemic. Though the Chamber continues to monitor this issue – which impacts not only businesses but state and local government as well – action appears unlikely until after the November election. In an effort to keep members informed and engage the region’s federal delegation, the Chamber will host a live, digital Congressional Update on Thursday, October 8, at 12:00. Congressman McGovern and Congresswoman Trahan will join us live to provide an update on developments in Washington, DC, before taking questions from the audience. If interested in participating, please visit the Chamber’s events page to register.
As with many organizations, COVID-19 has had a signification impact on the State House’s daily operation. Facing a legislative backlog due to the pandemic and unable to complete their work before the traditional July 31deadline, state lawmakers voted to extend the session through to the end of the calendar year. This has prolonged negotiations on several important items which the Chamber continues to monitor.
Principal among these proposals is the state’s annual budget. Congress’s inability to find agreement on a new recovery package, coupled with delayed tax collections, created uncertainty regarding revenues as legislators worked to draft a final balanced budget for the fiscal year which began on July 1.To address this, Beacon Hill passed a three-month, level funded budget, with plans to reconsider the matter once tax collections and federal aid figures come into greater focus.
A number of major bills have also cleared the House and Senate, with compromise language under negotiation before submission to the Governor for final passage. Among these is an economic development bill that would fund a range of projects across the Commonwealth. The Chamber has advocated in favor of a raft of priorities within this bill that would expand support for small businesses and aide recovery. These include funding for new loans and grants to support small businesses and support for the Regional Tourism Councils. Other bills being considered by the legislature would enable bonding for transportation and infrastructure projects, expand access to telehealth services, reform police departments and map a course to statewide net-neutral carbon emissions by 2050.
In response to an effort to place a three-year moratorium on the MCAS testing system, the Chamber recently submitted testimony opposing it and reiterating the Chamber’s conviction that every student be provided access to a high-quality education.While sensitive to the challenges and uncertainties which educators and students face in the year ahead, the Chamber believes that a three-year halt to these evaluations represents a drastic and unnecessary step.
Finally, the Board of Directors approved the Chamber’s FY21 Public Policy Agenda at their September meeting. This year’s agenda includes new priorities that focus on supporting businesses as they navigate the impact of COVID-19 and reopening. The Chamber advocates for an approach that balances public safety with the needs of small businesses and their employees across the region. The agenda will guide the Chamber’s advocacy efforts through the next year as we work to ensure a smooth economic recovery for North Central Massachusetts.
Gardner, MA – Heywood Hospital was named to Newsweek’s 2020 list of Best Maternity Care Hospitals. This distinction recognizes facilities that have excelled in providing care to mothers, newborns and their families, as verified by the 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Survey. Best Maternity Care Hospitals is part of Newsweek’s Best Health Care series, powered by data from The Leapfrog Group.
“We are honored to receive this recognition, which is the product of the hard work and dedication shown by our physicians and nurses at the LaChance Maternity Center. We are very fortunate to have such a compassionate, talented and driven team of providers within our community.” said Win Brown, President & CEO of Heywood Healthcare.
“Best Maternity Care Hospitals showcases an elite group of hospitals from across the country” said Nancy Cooper, Global Editor in Chief of Newsweek. “These facilities stand out for the care they provide to women and families, and for giving babies a strong start to life. Particularly in these uncertain times, we are honored to share this list of top-ranked facilities with Newsweek’s readership.”
Hospitals named as a Best Maternity Care Hospital have fully met The Leapfrog Group’s standards for maternity care on evidence-based, nationally standardized metrics. This includes lower rates of early elective delivery, NTSV C-section, and episiotomy, as well as compliance with process measures including newborn bilirubin screening prior to discharge and blood clot prevention techniques for mothers delivering via C-section.
Heywood Hospital was one of fewer than 250 to receive the prestigious accolade. The full list of recipients appears in the July 24 edition of Newsweek, available online and at newsstands nationwide.
About Heywood Healthcare
Heywood Healthcare is an independent, community-owned healthcare system serving north central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. It is comprised of Heywood Hospital; Athol Hospital, a 25-bed not-for-profit, Critical Access Hospital in Athol, MA; Heywood Medical Group, with primary care physicians and specialists located throughout the region; and the Quabbin Retreat, our premier destination for treatment of mental health and substance misuse.
The organization includes six satellite facilities in MA: Heywood Rehabilitation Center & Heywood Urgent Care in Gardner, Winchendon Health Center & Murdock School-based Health Center in Winchendon, Tully Family Medicine and Walk-In in Athol; and West River Health Center in Orange. The organization also includes the Heywood Healthcare Charitable Foundation. For more information, visit www.heywood.org.
About Heywood Hospital
A member of the Heywood Healthcare system, Heywood Hospital is a 134-bed acute care community-owned non-profit hospital in Gardner, MA, providing a broad range of high quality medical, orthopedic, bariatric, surgical, obstetrical, pediatric and behavioral health services on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The hospital’s Centers of Excellence include the Watkins Center for Emergency and Acute Care; the LaChance Maternity Center; the Diabetes Center and the Heywood Heart and Vascular Center.
For Dr. John Walker of Walker Orthodontics, advancing technology in the orthodontic sector is nothing out of the ordinary.
Walker and his teams settled in Central Massachusetts in 1978 with two offices in Harvard and Lunenburg after seeing a need for his orthodontic specialty.
“My clinical and research experience developing the protocol and new treatment protocols in specific regard to young children’s development of proper breathing and the relationship with facial development provided a new unfilled service to our community,” said Walker, “[which] also led into successful treatment for sleep apnea, snoring and promoting those relationships to our medical community which in turn develops the bridging the gap between medical and dentistry for health and wellbeing. My ability to accomplish this required the vison and support of our local business and bank, especially the team at Enterprise Bank and Trust.”
According to their website, Dr. Walker is a pioneer in Sleep Disordered Breathing and loves to travel overseas and speak about the importance of Airway Orthodontics, as well as new discoveries in orthodontics.
For adults, Airway Orthodontics means a life-changing solution for patients with sleep apnea. Dr. Walker is putting on an international Airway symposium in March 2021 in Boston, which will likely be virtual due to the ongoing pandemic. He mentioned that patient services are available here and now, and that’s not all Dr. Walker has planned for his offices.
“We are the epicenter for new patient protocols and services not available elsewhere,” states Walker.“We are developing a team of the best doctors leading the forefront of prevention and treatments previously unavailable here and globally!”
In the near future, Walker Orthodontics plans to integrate into their offices 3D CAT scan diagnostics for breathing and airway dysfunction, discovering origins of early facial growth discrepancies, and more.
“[Treatments such as] misdiagnosed ADD being sleep deprived behaviors, diverting children’s developing permanent cognitive deficiencies by identifying breathing obstructions and oxygen deficiencies,“ he said.
Walker also has plans for solving snoring (“a family gift,” he calls it) and apnea problems without CPAP machines, heading off type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes, as well as enhancing a person’s immune system to kill all viruses, including COVID-19 and other inhaled microbes. They plan on offering expansive education for parents to recognize issues that are often unnoticed and unrecognized, as well as presenting alternative cures for adults with snoring and sleep apnea.
“We’ve also developed a “Best Doctors” referral team for predictable excellent care and results,” Walker said. “We have and are interested in interaction with medical and dental practitioners for the early recognition of developing health, physical, and cognitive health problems.”
As for the “new normal,” Walker Orthodontics prepared through leadership in personal and team recovery, providing a safe environment for their team, their patients, and the community through education for prevention.
Walker Orthodontics is located at 119 Massachusetts Avenue and offering virtual appointments online. To find out more information, go to their website www.drwalkerortho.com or call 978-755-0884.
North Central Chamber of Commerce’s new Marketing Manager, Ryan Murphy.
(North Central, MA) – The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the addition of Ryan Murphy to its professional staff in the position of Marketing Manager.
In this position, Mr. Murphy will be responsible for the marketing and communications efforts of the Chamber and its affiliate organizations – Visit North Central Massachusetts and the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation. This would include managing our multiple websites, social media platforms, media buys, public relations and other marketing channels.
“We are excited to welcome Ryan to our team,” said Roy M. Nascimento, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “Ryan will be a great resource to the business community as we look to promote our members and region.”
Ryan comes to the Chamber with experience in marketing and graphic design, which includes work he has done for the U.S. Consumer Healthcare Advocacy Group, Blue Wave Solar, the Sprinkler Factory and Expose Yourself Public Relations. He is a graduate of Roger Williams University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing and Minor in Graphic Design. In his free time, he likes to head to Mount Wachusett for hiking and skiing and also enjoys fishing in North Central Massachusetts.
“North Central Massachusetts is truly a special place that offers so much for residents, visitors and businesses,” said Ryan Murphy. “I’m very excited to work with the Chamber team and our members to help tell the unique stories of this vibrant and dynamic region.”
Existing members or businesses interested in learning more about the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce can reach Ryan at 978.353.7600 ext. 240 or via email at .
Fall 2020’s Back-To-School hasn’t been the “jump for joy” moment that many parents typically feel. Across the nation, school districts are pushing back the start of the year, embracing distance learning, and finding workable options to keep students and teachers safe as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Each school district is doing something different, and many parents aren’t given a choice of how students are getting their education.
In response, many companies are continuing work-from-home initiatives and allowing a more flexible schedule for their employees. Gone is the 9-to-5, Monday-through-Friday workweek, and instead, many parents are given more flexible options to complete their tasks while balancing helping children with lessons, acting as caregivers for smaller children or an elderly relative, and still giving their best for their employer.
Working from home, especially for those who aren’t used to it or for businesses that rely on collaboration and teams, can be challenging without adding in extra responsibilities. Many parents were challenged in the spring to finish out the year by fitting remote learning around meetings and other company requirements, and these challenges are back for the fall.
With dozens of childcare centers, especially early learning ones, throughout the area closing, there’s an increasing challenge for parents to find childcare as their offices gradually reopen.
Companies throughout the area have been responsive, allowing more flexible schedules, adding extra personal and sick days, and even offering remote “day camps” to help children stay engaged and entertained as parents work.
Each business is different, and there are some instances where participation in certain meetings or other collaborative events is mandatory. The flexibility and understanding of the company of the different “hats” their staff must wear throughout the day makes a difference in helping employees manage the added stress and responsibilities.
There are a few key things that remote workers should embrace in order to make remote learning and their professional responsibilities both be successful. First, be organized. Create a daily schedule, starting with times that each family member must be available to participate in a classroom virtual lesson or meeting. Then, block out times where children study, and parents work on projects that require their full concentration.
Here’s a tip: schedule your “don’t interrupt” work time at the same time that you’re able to book childcare to occupy younger kids or the time that you schedule for older kids to read a book or go play outside. Don’t schedule your “concentration-time” during the same time that kids are working on assignments that they require supervision or assistance. You’ll be interrupted and you both will get frustrated.
Many companies are adding childcare allowances or stipends to create at-home offices for remote workers. These childcare stipends may allow workers to pay for a part-time nanny or hire a friend or family member for in-home childcare, limiting the exposure to COVID. Whether it’s extra personal time to be used to help care for children and supplement remote learning from the local school district or setting up virtual childcare, many businesses are looking into different ways to support their staff.
This, plus initiatives such as job-sharing and allowing part-time work without penalizing an employee on their career trajectory, can help businesses retain their top talent amid the pandemic and help remote workers reduce their stress and still be a valuable contributing member of their team.
David Ginisi, Lauren Goulet, Chris McDermott (left to right).
The Chamber announces the recent departure of Marketing and Communications Manager David Ginisi and Public Affairs Manager Chris McDermott. Longtime Office Manager Lauren Goulet also departed the Chamber in early April.
David Ginisi, who began as an intern and worked for over five years at the Chamber recently accepted the position of Chief Marketing Officer at Montachusett Home Care Corporation in Leominster. Chris McDermott worked at the Chamber for over three years and left to become the Economic Development Manager for the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, a quasi-public agency.Lauren Goulet worked for the Chamber for nearly ten years and left in April to pursue a new career opportunity with a company based in New Hampshire.
“We are saddened to lose Lauren, David and Chris, but also excited for them as they take on new leadership positions and further their careers,” said Roy M. Nascimento, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “They have been important and dedicated members of our team and contributors to our success. I want to thank them for their hard work and commitment to the Chamber and wish them well in their new positions.”
