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.
June 2026
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Funding to support start-up costs for new Fitchburg business
The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC), the economic development arm of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, recently approved a $30,000 loan to Delicious Dips to provide funding toward start-up costs with establishing the business in Fitchburg. Funding created one full-time job in the community.
Delicious Dips, located in Parkhill Plaza on Franklin Road, is a bakery with walk-in retail service featuring smoothies with offers of custom orders of cakes and dipped fruits, among other items.
Owner Paige McNamara worked with the City of Fitchburg and the NCMDC to secure the loan funding and was also provided technical assistance from NewVue Communities Small Business Assistance Program to establish the business.
“The opening of my business is a testament to our community coming together to help someone achieve their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur,” said McNamara. “With this funding from the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation, I was able to build out the business of my dreams, and order supplies and inventory as I opened the business this past summer.”
The business held a grand opening ceremony in July with local dignitaries, community, civic and business leaders in attendance. For more info, visit https://deliciousdipsbypaige.com.
As a microloan lender, NCMDC can provide loans to small businesses up to $250,000 for working capital, real estate, equipment, inventory, expansion and working with our banking partners to provide gap financing for the final piece of a project.
For more information about the NCMDC loan programs, please call 978.353.7607 or visit NorthCentralMass.com or ChooseNorthCentral.com.
Chamber of Commerce | North Central Massachusetts | Worcester County | Local Business | Visit North Central Massachusetts | Delicious Dips
Source: State House News Service Author: Chris Lisinski
Massachusetts employers added 13,800 jobs in September, a significant increase after a revision cut down previously reported August gains, while the statewide unemployment rate ticked downward to 3.4 percent, labor officials announced Friday.
The job growth in September was driven by major gains in leisure and hospitality, which added 7,500 positions month-over-month, and education and health services, which added 5,100 positions.
The statewide unemployment rate also shed two-tenths of a percentage point as it fell from 3.6 percent in August to 3.4 percent in September, according to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. That’s slightly lower than the national rate of 3.5 percent for September.
Labor officials last month announced that the Bay State added 6,400 new jobs in August, but on Friday they said they had revised that figure down to an increase of just 800 jobs.
Job growth has been steady during the recovery from the early upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, but total Massachusetts employment in September 2022 still lagged February 2020 — the final full month before the pandemic hit — by about 48,400 jobs.
Legislation to supercharge the state’s economy with billions of dollars in spending remains in limbo on Beacon Hill after Democrats, flummoxed by the emergence of nearly $3 billion in mandatory tax refunds, hit pause at the end of July.
In recognition of National Manufacturing Month, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and its economic development arm, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation, recently partnered with regional organizations to host a unique manufacturing bus tour as part of the Chamber’s Education Compact Initiative. The initiative is aimed to further partnerships between the region’s K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and the region’s employers to collectively work to advance the region’s workforce.
The tour, which was held on Wednesday, October 19, provided education, civic and community leaders, economic development officials and the media, an opportunity to learn more about—and the importance of—manufacturing in the region as a way to promote careers in the industry. The regional organizations involved included the MassHire North Central Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board and Mount Wachusett Community College.
Participants visited several manufacturing companies where they obtained an insider’s look at how select manufacturers operate, and also learned about the growing job opportunities in manufacturing and the necessary skill-sets for employment.
Tour stops included Solvus Global, an advanced manufacturer located in Leominster that specializes in the areas of additive manufacturing, machine learning, and sustainable materials processing; Burkart Flutes and Piccolos, a company founded in 1982 that specializes in the precision manufacturing of high quality flutes and piccolos; Jabil, a worldwide contract manufacturer of various medical devices and medical equipment; and Mount Wachusett Community College’s Devens Manufacturing Center, which offers technical training in a number of different areas, including advanced manufacturing. The tour also included a lunch presentation and discussion with Branner Stewart, Project Manager for the UMass Donahue Institute. Mr. Stewart highlighted the findings of a recent workforce study commissioned by the Chamber.
North Central Massachusetts boasts the largest concentration of manufacturing in the state, with one-third of all private wages in the region paid from manufacturing jobs. Companies range from the world-class plastics industry cluster of more than 140 companies to pharmaceuticals, photonics and paper as well as biomedical devices
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“The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation remain committed to supporting and growing this critical sector of the region’s economy while also building successful partnerships between businesses and the region’s schools which are critical to the collective, ongoing efforts of keeping manufacturing alive and well in the region,” said Roy Nascimento, President and CEO, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “Manufacturers are some of the most well-paid, highly trained and in demand employees in the workforce, yet despite competitive wages and training, they are still challenged with recruiting the workers they need. We hope this tour provided our local educators, civic and community leaders, and the media, an opportunity to learn more about the jobs available in the region as the need for more young workers and a skills gap exists among the existing and transitioning workforce.”
“Manufacturing continues to be a priority industry in North Central Massachusetts,” said Jeffrey Roberge, Executive Director, MassHire North Central Workforce Board. “Many thanks to the North Central Chamber for hosting this important event as it brings together our legislators, educators and employers to learn more about this vital sector.”
“This tour proves how the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce commits itself to advanced manufacturing in the region,” said James L. Vander Hooven, Ed.D., President, Mount Wachusett Community College. “Mount Wachusett Community College remains dedicated to providing educational training opportunities to meet the growing needs of local business and industry.”
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce wishes to thank and acknowledge the support and assistance of the following partners who helped make the event possible: MassHire North Central Workforce Board; Solvus Global; Burkart Flutes and Piccolos; Jabil; and Mount Wachusett Community College.
For more information on the manufacturing bus tour or the North Central Massachusetts Education Compact Initiative, please contact the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce at 978.353.7600.
Thank you to all our sponsors who help sponsor this past 2025-2026 program year! We are truly honored by your continued support and efforts to continue to make our community thrive! View
Event
Join us for Connect North Central
Friday, November 20, 2026
8am-9am View
Event
Joint Mayor's Meeting
December 4, 2026
Chamber members are provided with the opportunity to engage with the Mayors of Fitchburg, Gardner, and Leominster who provide updates on projects and other things happening in their Cities. These events are by invitation only, please contact Travis Condon for more details. View
Event
Future Leaders of North Central: Annual Holiday Party & Ugly Sweater Competition
December 8, 2026
Bull Run Restaurant
215 Great Rd. Shirly, MA View
Event
Chamber members are provided with the opportunity to engage with the Mayors of Fitchburg, Gardner, and Leominster who provide updates on projects and other things happening in their Cities. These events are by invitation only, please contact Travis Condon for more details. View
Event
ColBro First Aid & Safety Training, LLC provides comprehensive CPR, First Aid, and Choke-Save training solutions tailored to meet the needs of your staff. Their highly qualified instructors are available to conduct on-site training sessions at your convenience.
Live Music, Food, Drinks, and more are coming to Gardner on June 29th!
The City of Gardner is excited to announce its First Annual Summer Kick-Off Concert. The free admission event will take place on Thursday, June 29th. Live Music will be available 6 to 9 pm on the front lawn of Gardner City Hall, located at 95 Pleasant St., with several food trucks beginning their service at 5:30.
The concert will feature a live performance by the band 7 Day Weekend, who have made a name for themselves throughout New England for their energetic stage presence and crowd-pleasing covers of popular tunes from the 80s to the present. The band says they intend to create a lively atmosphere that will have attendees dancing and singing along. They will be performing on the front steps of Gardner City Hall from 7pm to 9pm.
Prior to 7 Day Weekend taking the stage, Brandon Furtado, a new, upcoming musician will showcase his talents from 6pm to 7pm.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase at the concert through the participation of several local food trucks, Tavern 13 who will have a full bar, and Moon Hill Brewing, who will be offering beer and wine. City officials said they intend to make the event a fun way to kick off the summer in the city.
“I’m really looking forward to having the community get together to kick off the summer in this new and fun way,” said Mayor Mike Nicholson, “This is sure to be a fun time for everyone who can join.”
Organizers of the event have advised people bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets, or anything they’d like to enjoy a fun time on the City Hall front lawn.
For more information about this event or future events in Gardner, visit www.gardner-ma.gov or follow us on Instagram @cityofgardner and Facebook, Gardner City Hall.
Through a competitively awarded Massachusetts Downtown Initiative (MDI) grant from the Commonwealth, the city of Fitchburg is collaborating with an economic consultant to better understand the habits, preferences and buying patterns of local residents citywide.
The project aims to generate current data that reflects post-pandemic shopping and dining activities taking place in Fitchburg, with a particular focus on the downtown. Once a series of surveys are completed, consultant Peg Barringer of Fine Point Associates will generate a summary report that analyzes the data and presents findings. This information will be useful to existing Fitchburg businesses who seek to better capitalize on local consumers as customers. It also will be beneficial to incoming new businesses or prospective future ones.
In 2017, Fitchburg first became aware of spending leakage by local consumers to surrounding areas, particularly for dining purchases outside the home, during a yearlong process that led to the city’s Economic Development Strategic Plan. Addressing that leakage by cultivating a stronger dining sector has emerged as an ongoing goal. During the nearly five years since that plan’s approval, the [2020-2022] pandemic period of time proved to represent an unprecedented shift in consumer behaviors. As Fitchburg businesses begin to navigate a post-pandemic landscape, a thorough understanding of local preferences and needs will be quite valuable.
If you are a Fitchburg resident, your input regarding the downtown is an important aspect of this project. By taking just 5 minutes to complete a Fitchburg Resident Survey, your feedback will guide economic development efforts moving forward. The survey can be accessed here – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/downtownfitch.
The city strongly encourages all local residents to participate in this confidential, online survey.
Member Spotlight
Custom Cleaning Service of Peabody
When 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.
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