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March 10, 2025
Focus On Banking & Finance

Competing for world-class capital: Worcester’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is attracting more investors

Eric Casey

It was once common business wisdom that you had to be in a major U.S. city to successfully attract venture capital for a startup. Not anymore, according to key figures in Worcester's entrepreneurial scene.

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    Trump Administration cancels leases for 37% of Central Mass. commercial space used by federal agencies

    Eric Casey

    “We’ve been DOGE-ed,” said Christopher Egan, president of Carruth Capital in Westborough, which owns one of the impacted properties.

  • Advice
    Advice

    The magic of mentorship

    Tyler Ojala

    In Worcester, mentorship fuels the startup ecosystem, guiding entrepreneurs through the challenges of building a business; but they often give back to the programs and organizations that helped them, whether it be through teaching a workshop or mentoring themselves.

  • Advice
    Advice

    7 Things I know about ... Redesigning your firm's website

    Erjon Metohu

    Your website is your firm’s digital front door. It’s the first impression you make on customers, clients, donors, and job seekers. If it’s slow, clunky, or outdated, people won’t stick around to see what you have to offer.

  • Advice
    Advice

    101: Leveraging social media in the workplace

    Sloane M. Perron

    Businesses use social media to create public engagement externally, but they often overlook the effectiveness of using social media internally.

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    Opinion

    Guest column: Reawaken your courage

    Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham

    Worcester, we must reawaken the traits of good leaders born during COVID. Employees and clients are feeling betrayed by organizations taking back commitments. Reawaken your courage, curiosity, commitment, conscientiousness, and empathy.

  • Editorial
    Editorial

    Editorial: Who will be our next EMC?

    Even though Dell EMC still has a substantial presence in the region, particularly in Hopkinton, the company is a far cry from when EMC was being run by its founders and was a more engaged partner in the community.

  • Opinion
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    Opinion

    Viewpoint: A love letter to my small business friends

    Julie Bowditch

    To our city leadership: We plead with you to support these spaces and the humans behind them.

  • Opinion
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    Opinion

    A Thousand Words: GOP healthcare cuts

    Ramón L. Sandoval

    Republicans in Congress, along with the Trump Administration, have suggested $880 billion in cuts over the next 10 years to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees Medicaid. Medicaid provides more than 70 million with healthcare nationwide. The Trump Administration also is attempting to cut National Institutes of Health grants for medical research.

  • Editorial
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    Editorial

    From the Editor: Speaking the language of business

    Brad Kane

    Banking tends not to be the most exciting industry in the world, but its influence is everywhere. From small startups to trillion-dollar public companies, access to capital and the banking system can literally make or break hopes and dreams.

  • Movers & Shakers
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    Movers & Shakers

    Movers & Shakers for March 10, 2025

    Employees at Vision Advertising, Thrive Support & Advocacy, and Main Street Bank are advancing in their careers.

WBJ Web Partners

Today's Poll

Should Massachusetts significantly reduce the environmental review time for new housing projects?
Poll Description

In an effort to increase the pace of new housing development in Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey has proposed streamlining the environmental review process for certain new housing projects, with the goal of reducing the time spent on the process from about one year to 30 days. Environmental reviews are a hallmark of community planning, to ensure new development doesn't negatively impact surrounding properties or natural resources, even though the process does add significant time and often cost to projects. Healey's proposal comes after Massachusetts fell behind the national average in new housing production, despite adding 90,000 new units since she became governor in 2023.

New England already averages the longest timeline in the nation to build a single-family home once the developer has been giving the authorization to move forward with construction, according to U.S. Census statistics compiled by the National Association of Home Builders. In 2023, single-family homes in New England averaged 13.9 months from permit to completion. The South Atlantic states have the lowest average of 8.9 months while the region that includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana is the second quickest at 9.4 months. The second-longest average after New England is the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania region, which takes 13.2 months.

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