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 North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the next edition of the “CEO Unplugged” series will feature Lillian Burkart, president of Burkart-Phelan, Inc on March 30, 2016. HYPE! (Helping Young Professional Emerge) was introduced in 2012 to support the growing young professionals’ community by connecting members socially and through personal and professional development programs, with the CEO Unplugged introduced in 2015.
The CEO Unplugged series gives young professionals access to local leaders for a chance to connect and learn about their journey to success. Attendees will have a chance to meet with a local CEO in their workplace to discuss professional development such as leadership values, entrepreneurship, investment in community and career paths. The program will run from 7:30 am to 9 am bi-monthly. Attendance is open to any young professionals within the Chamber membership. But, seats will be limited to no more than 20 people. The program is free, but pre-registration is required.
Burkart-Phelan, Inc. is a world renowned flute and piccolo manufacturer with more than 30 years of experience. Each instrument is handcrafted and available in 35 countries and 6 continents. Lillian Burkart, president of the company, will discuss her niche brand as well as provide a tour of the workshop.
For more information or to register, please contact the Chamber at 978-353-7600 ext. 235 or visit www.northcentralmass.com.
Johnny Appleseed Trail Association to offer region’s first Tourism Update Breakfast
Forum to bring together tourism related businesses and organizations in the region
The Johnny Appleseed Trail Association (JATA) and the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce are pleased to announce the first Tourism Update Breakfast being held on Thursday, March 31, 2016 at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, 499 Mountain Road, Princeton, MA. This exciting and fast paced breakfast event features industry experts who will share their professional insights on marketing North Central Massachusetts.
Mark Preston, of TripAdvisor, will discuss reputation branding and utilizing resources afforded online. While serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in a small community in the Andes Mountains in Ecuador 15 years ago, Mark learned the true power and influence travel and tourism can have on a local economy. Since that time, Mark has leveraged those learnings across his career. As an 8-year veteran of TripAdvisor Media Group, Mark has helped strategically plan and customize online campaigns for partners worldwide; ranging from well-known airlines such as United, Continental and American Airlines to Online Travel Agencies like Hotwire, Booking.com, and Agoda.
North Central’s own Jeff Crowley, President of Wachusett Mountain Ski Area will provide an industry update and highlight the ski area’s marketing efforts. Wachusett Mountain Ski Area is a leader in winter sports in New England with more than 50 years in the ski industry. The Ski Area has grown exponentially since its inception in the 1970’s with the addition of trails, faster lifts and changes to the rental shop. As one of three second-generation owners, Jeff will also discuss the Mountain’s impact and partnerships which support tourism growth throughout North Central Massachusetts.
Tony D’Agostino, has been with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism for more than ten years as the Director of Research. In that time, Tony’s main projects have been related to studying the volume of tourists, visitors and the economic impact of tourism spending in Massachusetts. These reports support the marketing initiatives and activities of the sixteen regional tourism councils across the Commonwealth. Tony’s presentation will highlight visitor trends, top visitor markets and the impact of tourism for the state and region.
“Tourism is important to the future of North Central Massachusetts and plays an increasingly important role in our local economy” said Roy Nascimento, president of the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association. “We are hosting this Tourism Update Breakfast as a way to bring tourism related stakeholders in the region together to share best practices, learn new trends in the industry and to take advantage of new opportunities to better market local businesses and the region to visitors.”
The Tourism Update Breakfast is open to all community members and will run from 7:30 am to 9:30 am. The cost is just $20 for JATA and North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce members/$30 for non-members and includes a breakfast buffet. Registration can be done online at www.northcentralmass.com. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, please contact the Chamber at 978-353-7600 ext. 235 or visit www.northcentralmass.com
The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors recently adopted a policy position statement on high speed internet infrastructure. The position statement calls for greater investments in high speed internet and cooperation between service providers, the business community, and government in order to bring North Central Massachusetts’ broadband infrastructure to be on par with the rest of the state.
“In this information age, this is a vital and basic resource for businesses and schools,” said Doug Peterson, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “Anything less than the highest available speed is putting us at a serious disadvantage.”
“The current internet capacity in our part of the state would not be acceptable in Metro West and Greater Boston area,” said Roy Nascimento, president and CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “In order for our children and future generations to have a competitive edge, we need to take a serious approach at bridging this gap.”
Many parts of North Central Massachusetts including major urban areas and major industrial and commercial spaces are lacking cable infrastructure that provides access to high speed internet.
The position statement calls for cable and broadband infrastructure to be deemed a critical infrastructure, allowing upgrades to be subsidized by state infrastructure dollars and economic development grants. The statement also calls for loosening of roadblocks or other barriers to competition so that companies can more easily provide service to communities with sub-par internet capacity. Current market models for internet service providers limit customer choice; the Chamber’s statement hopes that greater competition in the market would drive better access to underserved areas.
Wireline availability in Massachusetts varies depending on internet service provider and available pole and underground infrastructure. Costs for improving infrastructure typically require investments from service providers and communities depending on cost of construction or improvements.
For more information on policy position statements visit the Chamber’s website, www.northcentralmass.com or contact Patrick Lawlor, public affairs manager at (978) 353-7600 ext. 224.
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
The NORTH CENTRAL CAREER CENTERS (a non-profit agency) and the North Central MA Chamber of Commerce have partnered for a July 19th job fair at the Doubletree Hotel in Leominster. All of the 70 companies who will participate are hiring – the Career Center estimates there will be well over 200 jobs posted for this event.
Job fairs provide a tremendous networking opportunity for job seekers and employers to discuss current openings and potential future prospects. Employers have the opportunity to encounter several hundred diverse candidates with a variety of skill sets.
To help job seekers prepare to meet employers, the Career Center offers a full calendar of workshops, including Preparing for a Job Fair in their Leominster and Gardner locations.
To pre-register or questions, please contact the North Central Career Center at 978-534-1481, X209 or 978-632-5050.
An updated list of employers is available at www.ccncm.com
Job Fair details:
WHEN: Wednesday, July 19, 2017 9:00AM to 12PM
WHERE: Doubletree Hotel, 99 Erdman Way, Leominster, MA
two finalists of the 2017 Cooperative Credit Union Association Student Essay Contest, Mia Houle and Alyssa LeBlanc, both of Clinton Middle School. Houle and LeBlanc were two of eight top essay finalists who received an award and $250.
The essay contest was open to all Massachusetts seventh and eighth grade students. The students were asked to submit an essay on “Save, Spend, Share and Learn. What could you teach an adult to form better savings and spending habits.”
John O’Brien, President and CEO of Leominster Credit Union stated, “LCU is proud to sponsor this essay contest. The students did a great job. We congratulate all who participated.”
How it Happened
Edward Baram (Adelphi) turned in a solid outing on the hill for the Dawgs tossing 6 innings and giving up three earned runs. Sam Steeves (Franklin Pierce) picked up the win in relief for the Dawgs tossing one inning and picking up three strikeouts. Kyle Cala (Wagner) came through with the big bat for the Dirt Dawgs and was 3/5 with 7 RBIs and two runs scored. Cala launched two three-run home runs, while also mixing in an RBI single. Kyle Pangallo (SNHU) also chipped in with the bat going 2/3 with an RBI single and three runs scored.
Pittsfield struck early in the game taking a 1-0 lead on a solo shot by Justin Cook (Oklahoma) in the third then chipping two more runs across in the fifth with a pair of RBI singles by Kevin Donati (SUNY Albany) and Sean Phelan (Pennsylvania).
The Dirt Dawgs wasted no time answering and tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on one of Cala’s three-run dingers. After a quiet sixth for both teams Cala struck again for a three-run homer and doubled the Dawgs lead to 6-3. Then once again the Dawgs struck in the seventh notching two runs on an RBI single by Pangallo and another by Cala.
The Suns would notch one more run in the ninth on an RBI single by Scott Holzwasser (Northeastern) but that would be all as Joe Simeone (UConn) would finish the game by way of the K striking out 3/5 batters he faced in the last inning.
Inside the Numbers
The Dirt Dawgs have fared well on their late Sunday games winning both games they have played. The Dawgs look to build up another win streak on the season and have another full week of games in which they play six games in the next seven days.
Up Next
The Dirt Dawgs return to action tomorrow night hosting the Seacoast Mavericks at 6:35. Pittsfield returns home to play the Brockton Rox on the 4th of July at 6:35.
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.
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