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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The Annual Meeting and Business Luncheon for the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is scheduled for Thursday, June 15, 2017 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 2017 class of the Chamber’s Community Leadership Institute. Workers’ Credit Union is the premier sponsor of the 2017 Annual Business Meeting. Supporting sponsors include Apex Properties, Avidia Bank, Enterprise Bank, Fitchburg State University, Medical Arts Hearing Instruments, Mount Wachusett Community College and TD Bank.
This year’s keynote speaker is Governor Charlie Baker. Governor Charlie Baker was inaugurated as the 72nd Governor of Massachusetts on January 8, 2015. Since taking office, he has been making Massachusetts a great place to live, work and raise a family while delivering a customer-service oriented state government that is as hard working as the people of the Commonwealth. Governor Baker is now considered the most popular governor in the United States according to approval ratings.
Upon taking office, Governor Baker worked to close two budget gaps worth more than $2 billion without raising taxes, while bolstering local aid for our schools and communities, investing in a more reliable public transportation system and prioritizing funds to fight the opioid and heroin epidemic. Governor Baker has supported robust business sectors by reforming the Commonwealth’s regulatory environment, holding the line on taxes, and advancing efforts to rein in energy costs.
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 www.northcentralmass.com/calendar. The cost is just $40 per person for members and $60 per person for non-members. Supporting sponsorships and tables of ten are also available. Please RSVP by June 8th.
The Johnny Appleseed Trail Association, the tourism arm of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Fitchburg are pleased to announce that Fitchburg and North Central Massachusetts have been selected by the Drone Racing League (DRL) as the official New England site of one of its six 2017 Allianz World Championship races that culminate in a winner-take-all World Championship event.
“It’s very exciting that Fitchburg was selected by DRL to host their 2017 drone racing series”, said Mayor Stephen DiNatale. “This selection is testament to the strong partnerships that we have in place here in North Central Massachusetts and our region’s strengths in the robotics and video gaming industries.”
“Securing the DRL race is significant for North Central Massachusetts,” said Roy Nascimento, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association. “Not only will the region benefit from the direct economic impact of hosting the race, but this will also showcase North Central Massachusetts to national and global audiences as a great place to host or grow a business.”
DRL discovered the Fitchburg site after meeting with the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association at a national trade show for sporting events. North Central Massachusetts is an emerging sports tourism location, so strategic investments have been made to attract events and exhibitions in this region. DRL and the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association worked closely with the site selection team to find the right space for their New England race.
“We looked around aggressively for a community to host our New England race site,” said Ashley Ellefson, Director Operations for DRL. “Fitchburg was the ideal location and the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber and the City of Fitchburg were all amazing in support of our efforts.”
The Championship series will include six races to test piloting skill and the limits of FPV (First Person View) flight. The races will begin airing on premier broadcast channels, including ESPN, ESPN 2, Sky Sports Mix and 7Sports in more than 75 countries, in June 2017. Each DRL race features 16 of the world’s greatest drone pilots flying DRL’s custom designed racing drone at speeds above 90 MPH through one-of-a-kind, three-dimensional racecourses in venues around the world. The Championship races are an elimination style competition that culminates in a world championship and the crowning of the World’s Greatest Drone Pilot.
Given its rapidly growing worldwide audience, the biggest benefit of securing the DRL race will be the national and global exposure for Fitchburg and the region. DRL’s first season reached millions of fans around the world, including more than 30 million broadcast viewers and more than 43 million views of its digital content. The region will also benefit from the hotel rooms booked for staff and media, and the new direct spending in the region by the visitors associated with DRL. Since drone racing also incorporates robotics and gaming, there are also possible educational opportunities for local students involved at the gaming program at Fitchburg State University and at Mount Wachusett Community College.
The Drone Racing League (DRL) launched in January 2016 as the only global professional drone racing organization, hosting five professional races in its inaugural season. Founded in 2015 by Nicholas Horbaczewski, a former executive with the Tough Mudder race series, DRL has quickly gained the reputation as the new “sport of the future” with its rapidly growing worldwide audience. The technology company is financially backed by investors including RSE Ventures, Lux Capital, Sky, MGM, Hearst Ventures, and CAA Ventures. DRL has also secured sponsorships from major national brands including Bud Light and leading global insurance brand, Allianz.
DRL joins a growing list of companies that have recently selected North Central Massachusetts, including Great Wolf Lodge that selected Fitchburg for its New England location; AIS that recently moved its operation to Leominster; Nypro that chose Devens for the expansion of its medical device manufacturing operations; and most recently the developers of Game On Fitchburg that selected West Fitchburg as the site of their major indoor sports complex scheduled to open in 2018. North Central Massachusetts also recently received national recognition for its efforts by industry professionals who plan sporting events.
Businesses, Consumers Differ on Economic Outlook Under President Donald Trump
Annual Economic Outlook Survey Results Released
On April 12th, over 250 guests joined the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and Fidelity Bank at the DoubleTree in Leominster to get an idea of what the future holds for the economy under the current administration. This is the 6th year that the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and Fidelity Bank have partnered on this event. This year additional support came from the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. J.D. Foster, Vice President, Economic Policy Division and Chief Economist of the US Chamber of Commerce, provided keynote remarks with his presentation: What a Trump Economy Means for Us. Jeff Fuhrer, Executive Vice President and Senior Policy Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston also spoke at the Economic Forecast Breakfast, presenting on the state of the economy and its outlook specifically for Massachusetts.
The breakfast sponsor, Fidelity Bank, presented on two economic outlook surveys they conducted of local business leaders and consumers from across North Central Massachusetts. “Getting the insights of these top economists, as well as our local consumer and business population, provides real value to the decision makers in our region,” said Ed Manzi Jr., chairman and CEO of Fidelity Bank. “In support of our LifeDesign promise, we’ve sponsored this event for the past six years, and once again it’s very gratifying to have partnered with three local chambers to support the business community in Central Massachusetts.”
“The surveys and presentations by our speakers is really a great way for our region to get a better understanding about what direction our economy is heading,” said Roy Nascimento, President and CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “The presentations, combined with the surveys allow for a comprehensive view into conditions that could impact both consumers and businesses”
The economic outlook survey for both consumers and business leaders pointed to the political climate playing a significant role in the economy, but the two groups differed on President Donald Trump’s impact on the economy. On President Trump’s impact on the economy, 53% of consumers felt it would be negative, while 58% of business leaders feel that the president will have a positive impact on the economy.
Consumers overall did not have overwhelmingly positive feelings about a rising economy, with 76% of respondents indicating that the economy would be the same or only somewhat better a year from now.
Although the survey revealed that consumers believe that the high cost of living will be a threat to economic growth, only 22% of consumers believe that in 2017 they will be spending less money, while 44% believe they will not make any change to their spending habits.
The availability of skilled labor in the region was a major concern for business leaders. Workforce issues were the top challenge that businesses expect to face in the next two years, and was high among the greatest threats to economic growth for respondents.
“You can see from the survey that consumers have leveled off on Trump’s impact to the economy,” said Chris McCarthy, President and COO of Fidelity Bank. “In comparison business leaders have a more positive outlook on the upcoming year.”
Half of business leaders surveyed did indicate they would be increasing capital investments in their business in the next year. Investment priorities for business in 2017 include equipment, new hires, training, and expansion.
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
Connect North Central
December 11, 2026
Join us for our last Connect North Central of the year!
Friday, December 11, 2026
8am-9am 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
Trees for Soldiers is a month long project starting the Friday after Thanksgiving and runs right up to Christmas. We provide Christmas trees at no charge to military men and women. This year on December 8th the Boston Bruins Foundation will be here from 1-3 to show their support for our organization and to spread the word about this program.
Let us work closely with your organization to develop base, variable, and total rewards programs that align with and support the achievement of your key business strategies and goals!
It is our goal to design equitable and defensible pay systems that will help attract and retain high caliber employees and enhance employee engagement.
We will collaborate with your management team to help you to define and align your compensation philosophy with your mission, business objectives, fiscal capabilities, and retention efforts.
Our customized services include:
Developing base compensation, pay grades, and salary administration guidelines through the use of position evaluations, market analysis, and salary range development.
Determining whether a bonus or other variable pay plan is right for your organization.
An FLSA review, auditing your exemptions to ensure proper documentation to provide a safe harbor for your organization.
Designing a performance management system that will align performance measures to your organization’s culture, behavioral competencies and business objectives, linking individual pay increases with performance.
For more information about our Compensation Consulting Services, contact Patti D’Amaddio at or by phone at 877-662-6444.
studentjobs.fitchburgstate.edu connects Fitchburg State students with local businesses looking for part-time help. On the student jobs website, students can search/apply for jobs and businesses can submit their part-time job openings for review by the university. The service is free for both students and businesses.
Interested businesses should visit studentjobs.fitchburgstate.edu to create a profile and post their available jobs. For more information, they can contact the Director of Career & Advising Centers Erin Kelleher at or 978-665-3151.
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.
From Chamber events and ribbon cuttings to community celebrations and regional highlights, stay connected with what’s happening across North Central Massachusetts. Follow us on social media for the latest photos, updates, and stories.
Looking for your next opportunity? Explore current job openings from employers across North Central Massachusetts on our Jobs Board. Whether you’re starting a new career or making a change, you’ll find a variety of local positions available to help you take the next step.
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