The latest business news stories of the day will tell you a lot about Central Massachusetts and the direction in which its industries are headed, but they won’t provide you with the names, faces or histories of the companies that make up those industries. That’s where this fifth annual issue of Business Profiles comes in.

As you flip through the following pages, you may discover several consistencies among the 25 businesses profiled.  For starters, in their development, many of the companies employed critical analysis of their industries — and of themselves — and constructed from that a business model and suite of services that distinguished them from their competitors. You’ll also notice that many of the business leaders behind these profiled companies put significant emphasis on amassing a workforce of highly skilled and certified employees — a trait that greatly improves productivity and success, especially in an unstable economy.

That so many companies have returned to occupy a page in this sponsored issue is a testament to the belief that the details matter. For many consumers, knowing the people behind a business is just as important as understanding the services that business provides. As Publisher Peter Stanton has said in past issues of this publication, “In Central Massachusetts, the mantra that relationships are the key to business has been a reality for a long, long time.”

In learning the stories of these profiled companies, we hope you’ll also discover new facts about the businesses that you only thought you knew before. A local community college with the ability to partner with area businesses for workforce training. A conveniently located golf club dedicated to hosting impeccable business and social functions. A longstanding city hotel with a fresh new restaurant and a new look. These are just a few of the details that make this year’s collection of businesses noteworthy.

It is my hope that you find this issue both entertaining and useful. But more importantly than that, I hope the issue provides you with a greater knowledge of the individuals behind the companies that help to define and develop the business landscape of Central Massachusetts.

Peter Stanton
Publisher

Shaun Tolson
Project Manager & Editor