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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Featuring Deborah Weymouth of UMassMemorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is proud to partner with the Town of Clinton; Clinton Public Schools; and UMassMemorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital to host the Second Annual Clinton Business Forum on Wednesday, June 20, 2018 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. The forum will take place this year at the Clinton Campus of UMassMemorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital located at 201 Highland Street in Clinton. The forum is a great opportunity for local business owners, public officials and community leaders to connect as well as learn more about future happenings in the Town of Clinton, upcoming events, available resources, and how businesses can be more actively involved. A light breakfast will be provided.
Brief welcoming remarks will be delivered by Senate President Harriette L. Chandler; Senator Dean Tran and Representative Harold Naughton. The formal program will feature presentations from guest speakers; Dr. Steven Meyer, Superintendent of Clinton Public Schools; Phil Duffy, Director of the Community and Economic Development Office for the Town of Clinton; Roy Nascimento, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce; and Deborah Weymouth, President & CEO of UMassMemorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital.
The event is free for any local business owners and professionals, but pre-registration is required. For more information or to register for the Clinton Business Forum visit NorthCentralMass.com/calendar or contact the Chamber at 978.353.7600 ext. 235 or email .
The Annual Meeting and Business Luncheon for the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is scheduled for Thursday, June 14, 2018 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Great Wolf Lodge, 150 Great Wolf Drive, Fitchburg. Join other business and community leaders and attend the annual meeting to celebrate business people working together for the future of North Central Massachusetts. The program will include recognition awards and the commencement for the 2018 class of the Chamber’s Community Leadership Institute. This year’s premier sponsor is UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital and supporting sponsors include Apex Properties, Avidia Bank, Elite Construction & Design, Enterprise Bank, Fidelity Bank, Fitchburg State University, Geronimo Properties, Great Wolf Lodge, Leominster Credit Union, Medical Arts Hearing Instruments, Mercadante & Mercadante CPA’s, Mount Wachusett Community College, Rocheleau Tool & Die, Rollstone Bank & Trust, Steel-Fab, Inc, TD Bank, USA Sanlaser, Workers Credit Union, WPKZ and WXLO.
This year’s keynote speaker is Maria Milagros. Maria Milagros is a speaker, an author, storyteller and empowerment life coach. Whether sharing her life experiences and knowledge through impactful talks, workshops, leadership training, life coaching or videos, Maria uses stories to bring encouragement, education and love to empower others to get out of their way and break free from any hindering thoughts or beliefs, so that they can live amazing lives and leave their unique and positive mark on the world. She knows that no matter where you come from, what you’ve been through, or what you have done, love, connection and personal responsibility can change every area of your life. She knows because it has worked for her and she likes to remind others that she is not an exception to the rule.
To register for the Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon, please contact the Chamber at 978.353.7600 ext. 222 or ext. 235 or email or register online at northcentralmass.com/calendar. The cost is just $42 per person for members and $65 per person for non-members. Supporting sponsorships and tables of ten are also available. Please RSVP by June 8th.
Over the last decade, a seemingly mundane topic has come to dominate the political debate. At the state and the federal levels, healthcare and the method by which it is funded have grown into contentious issues capable of eliciting heated discussion. This is especially true in Massachusetts, a state which struggles with ever rising medical costs despite serving as home to some of the nation’s leading hospitals. Just this past April, the state’s House of Representatives included a $16 billion allocation to MassHealth in their state budget proposal. Compared to the budget as a whole, that amounts to forty one percent of all proposed spending by the Commonwealth.
Recognizing this challenge, Governor Baker attempted to encourage enrollment in private insurance programs. Last year, he proposed a two pronged approach. The Administration would address a growing deficit in the state insurance system by temporarily increasing the employer medical assistance contribution (EMAC) businesses pay on a quarterly basis. At the same time, it would have instituted reforms removing any individual with access to private insurance from MassHealth’s rolls, slowing the program’s growth. While businesses agreed to this compromise with the understanding that steps were being taken to address the underlying problem, the Legislature eliminated the proposed changes to MassHealth and left employers with no such assurances.
As though this were not bad enough, many business owners were shocked in April when they received their first quarterly “contribution”. The new EMAC appraisal established two tiers of assessment. The first increased the existing annual EMAC charge from $51 per employee to $77, an additional cost of fifty one percent! However, if an employee is identified as a MassHealth member, the second tier is applied. This sets the charge for such employees at five percent of their wage up to $15,000, setting annual charges as high as $750 an employee! Moreover, these taxes apply to businesses with as few as six employees, and include both seasonal and part time workers when calculating the charge.
Employers have been frustrated further by the fact that they were never made aware of which employees, if any, were enrolled with MassHealth. This prevented them from offering those individuals insurance or at least setting aside funds for a charge they could have otherwise anticipated. At this Chamber, one member reported receiving a bill for $6,000 the first quarter. As a restauranteur with tight margins and limited ability to provide his employees healthcare, this individual estimates his assessment to amount to $20,000 by the year’s end.
The Governor initiated this program with the intention of bridging a $260 million gap in MassHealth’s budget over two years. As of this month, the Commonwealth appears likely to achieve this goal early. If this occurs, we hope he will follow through on his promise to end this costly experiment and return the EMAC to its original levels. In the meantime, steps should be taken to mitigate the program’s impact on small businesses. For a small retailer or eatery dependent upon part time labor, an unexpected expense of $750 can have a devastating impact. If nothing else, the Administration can take a more active approach in notifying businesses of what their contribution is likely to be and informing them of which employees are in need of health insurance.
Any businesses impacted by this assessment should consider reaching out to their local legislators. A directory of the region’s state senators and representatives can be found at the Chamber’s website by clicking here. We ask that you share your experience and any questions you may have with us as well. Please call Christopher McDermott, the Chamber’s Public Affairs Manager, at 978.353.7600 ext. 224 or email him at to do so. We are keenly aware of this program’s impact on local business and want to be sure that your voice is heard.
The North Central Golf Tour: Friday on the Fairway at Templewood Golf Course
July 31, 2026
Friday on the Fairway at Templewood Golf Course
July 31, 2026
Templewood Golf Course
Event Start at 1:00pm View
Event
Fore Then Pore: Golf Clinic, 9 Hole Play & End of Summer Bash
August 21, 2026
Golf Clinic, 9 Hole Play & End of Summer Bash
August 21, 2026
The Woods of Westminster
Event Start at 1:00pm View
Event
Sponsors Reception: Old Mill
August 26, 2026
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
God has a purpose for us on this earth. That calling is to be on mission for God where He has placed us. And since many people spend the majority of their waking hours on the job, we have to stop compartmentalizing life into “spiritual activities” and “work activities.” How are we living examples of the gospel while we work?
You’re invited to the 2018 Work as Worship Retreat, where eleven influential business leaders and pastors will discuss what it looks like to connect faith and work. Taking place as a 1–Day Local Church Retreat on February 23, 2018, the live event in Dallas will be web-streamed to over 2,000 churches around the world. Leominster United Methodist Church is one of the local churches hosting this event.
Join Patrick Lencioni (Author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), Joel Manby (CEO, SeaWorld), Phil Vischer (Creator, VeggieTales and Jellyfish Labs), Wendy Davidson (President, US Specialty Channels Kellogg Company), Matt Chandler (Lead Pastor, The Village Church), and others in a day filled with real-life stories, biblical teaching, and practical wisdom that will equip believers in the marketplace to see their work as an opportunity to care for their families, fulfill their calling, and bring glory to God.
JOIN OTHER CHRISTIAN BUSINESS OWNERS, CEOs & LEADERS WHO WANT THEIR FAITH TO IMPACT THEIR WORK
February 2: Electrical Safety Roundtable – Dean Vanasse from Boston Safety Training will be presenting on how electricity can cause harm, OSHA and NFPA requirements, and how to build an electrical safety program. Join the Devens Eco-Efficiency Center for this valuable educational opportunity from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at 33 Andrews Parkway, Devens. RSVP
Class is taught in 2 Saturday sessions from 9:30am – 12:00pm
Are you nervous that your child always wants to spend too much money and has no concept of budgeting?
Do you feel that there is little or no personal financial education in the school system?
Do you want your child to be successful financially when they become an adult?
lf your child will have student loans, do you want to make sure they know how to pay them off without your help?
Wouldn’t it be great if your child could develop lifelong healthy eating habits to avoid becoming one of the 1 17 million adults with one or more diet-related preventable, chronic diseases like Type 2 Diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease?
Do you want your child to learn how to take personal responsible for making healthier choices and understand the positive effects healthy eating can have on their day to day life?
If you answered YES to any of those questions then this class is right for your family! lt is geared toward children ages 12-19 and teaches them the fundamentals of finance and nutrition. lncreasing their financial education and awareness of healthy eating habits at an early age is
extremely important for a lifetime of wealth and health!
In this class you can expect your
child to learn about:
Banking
Credit vs Debit
Basic investing in a Roth IRA
Loans . Real-Life Economics
Budgeting
Consumer spending
Daily nutrition
Reading food labels
Myplate
Physical activity and exercise
and much, much more!
The cost of the 2 morning session is $699 with $100 going back to the child participant
upon completion of the class.
Children will be given $SO in cash and a $50 gift card to a whole food store to use what
they have learned in class in the real world!
Since class size is limited, a non-refundable deposit of $200 is required to hold a seat
in class for your child.
Lora Fickett, CPA, MBA is a Certified Financial Stress Reduction@ Coach and
mother of 4 children. For years she has worked with Corporations, Executives,
Business owners and Individuals to increase their financial IQ and reduce their
financial stress. Working with young adults to increase their frnancral awareness
started with her own children. Her oldest started a Roth IRA with income from
her first job, and even her toddler understands the concept of budgeting. She has
appeared on local radio, television and is a speaker, writer, private coach and
workshop coach. For more information go to www.LoraFickett.com
Scherrie Keating RN, BSN, CDE, Founder Diabetes Kare Consulting,LLC; over
30 years as a registered nurse; clinical expertise in acute and chronic disease
management, health education, promotion and prevention;
Certified Diabetes E,ducator; National Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle
Coach; AHA BLS Instructor; Pure Haven Essentials Independent Consultant;
Producer and host, Talk Me Healthy, Sterling-Lancaster Community Television
For more information go to www.diabeteskareconsulting.com
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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