Thanks to a 14% growth in population over the last decade, Worcester has begun attracting a flurry of ambitious developers, mostly from the east, who are looking to be a part of the city’s evolution.
By Livia Gershon
This story appeared in the Special Section: Worcester Emerging, detailing the buzz building around the city. To see the entire section, click here
When Becker College in Worcester announced it will be closing its doors in August, the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute had a big question to answer. The statewide center for video game entrepreneurship, known as MassDiGi, had been based at the college since its start a decade ago. Where would it go now?
“We were flattered by the range of institutions that were interested in talking with us,” said CEO Timothy Loew. “We had opportunities across the commonwealth, and really great ones.”
By Devina Bhalla
This story appeared in the Special Section: Worcester Emerging, detailing the buzz building around the city. To see the entire section, click here
As Worcester grows, so does its appeal to investors and developers.
“For the most part, I can’t ask for any more than a location like Worcester,” said Mark Nedelman, CEO of Biomere, a biomedical company with 100 employees on Union Street.
This idea for why it is important for the city to capitalize on Worcester’s progress in bringing in outside developers came during the third installment in the Worcester Emerging webinar series this spring from Worcester Business Journal and the State House News Service, describing the changes taken place in the second largest city in New England over the past half decade.
By Susan Shalhoub
This story appeared in the Special Section: Worcester Emerging, detailing the buzz building around the city. To see the entire section, click here
State economic-development agency MassDevelopment – which provides financing solutions such as low-interest loans and tax credits to developers, businesses, nonprofits and communities – has been a major player in Worcester’s urban growth initiatives.
Part of the city’s multilayered, collaborative approach involving state, federal and local partners, MassDevelopment offers programs in areas of real estate, financing and more specialized sectors, such as manufacturing.
When it comes to these programs, Worcester Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn says the city has taken part in just about all of them.
By Devina Bhalla
This story appeared in the Special Section: Worcester Emerging, detailing the buzz building around the city. To see the entire section, click here
Even in the coronavirus pandemic, the heart of Worcester and its cultural and arts institutions are optimistic and committed to supporting and growing the community.
“The excitement is real, and that’s what allows us to be where we are now,” said Che Anderson, assistant vice chancellor for city and community relations at UMass Medical School in Worcester. “The resilience is real and that’s what afforded the arts an opportunity to still move and thrive and pivot in a way that other industries haven’t been able to during the pandemic.”