Best of Business: Best Professional Services in 2018

UniBank won the award for Best Bank. Pictured are (back row, from left) Sean O'Connell, vice president and small business banking manager; Marina Taylor, vice president for commercial lending (front row, from left) Sam S. Pepper, Jr., president & CEO; and Bernard Gagnon, vice president and team leader for commercial banking.

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Best Architectural Firm

Lamoureux Pagano & Associates

Worcester, lamoureuxpagano.com

Top executive: President Katie Crockett

Founded: 1970

Employees: 18

Notable runner-up: Cutler Associates, Inc.

Best Bank

UniBank*

Whitinsville, www.unibank.com

Top executive: Sam S. Pepper, Jr., president & CEO

Founded: 1870

Employees: 280

UniBank – which focuses on fast and local decision making, convenient locations and a personalized approach – is on the cutting edge of new technology, with its interactive teller machine now available at its Shrewsbury branch. The bank offers its Invest Worcester program, which keeps deposited money in the city to advance small business development and home ownership.

Notable runners-up: Commerce Bank, Cornerstone Bank

Best Credit Union

DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union*

Marlborough, www.dcu.org

Top executive: Jim Regan, president & CEO

Founded: 1979

Employees: 1,245

DCU is researches and implements the latest banking technology to better serve its members to help them manage their finances DCU's financial products, services, and resources are designed to help them achieve their financial goals.

Notable runners-up: Leominster Credit Union, Central One Federal Credit Union

Best Business Insurance Agency

Sullivan Insurance Group*

Worcester, www.sullivangroup.com

Top executive: John T. Andreoli, president & CEO

Founded: 1957

Employees: 50

Sullivan strives to set itself apart from the competition with its technical capabilities, attention to detail, business model, and commitment to independence and by providing its services with honesty and respect.

Best Law Firm

Mirick O'Connell*

Worcester, www.mirickoconnell.com

Top executive: David E. Surprenant, managing partner

Founded: 1916

Employees: 136 employees and partners

Mirick O'Connell has never wavered from the core principle of professional excellence established by its founders, combining uncompromising standards of service with practical and cost-effective approaches to problem solving. The firm has the expertise to handle the most sophisticated and complex matters.

Notable runner-up: Bowditch & Dewey

Best Accounting Firm

Bollus Lynch, LLP Certified Public Accountants & Consultants*

Worcester, bolluslynch.com

Top executives: Partners Michael J. Bollus, Stephen A. Lynch, Jeffrey C. Swanberg & David G. Eaton

Founded: 1989

Employees: 37 (2017 figure)

While one of the largest accounting firms in Central Massachusetts, Bollus Lynch is only a medium-sized CPA firm by national standards. The company blends its years of national firm experience into that local firm setting, enabling it to serve a wide variety of specialized industry practices – including manufacturing, restaurants, and insurance.

Notable runners-up: McLaren & Associates, Shepherd & Goldstein

Best Advertising Agency

Davis Advertising

Worcester, davisad.com

Top executive: President Andrew Davis

Founded: 1948

Employees: 40

Davis is an all-under-one-roof advertising solutions provider, with in-house video and audio production facilities, web developers, digital and social-media capabilities, photography studios, graphic designers, copywriters, media buying services, public relations specialists, and branding and strategy experts.

Notable runners-up: PENTA Communications, Applied Interactive

Click below to see the other 2018 Best of Business winners:

Best Employee Services

Best College for Business Education - Nichols College*
Best Financial Planning/Investment Services - Provo Wealth Management Group*
Best Employee Benefits Consultant - Sullivan Benefits*
Best Luxury Automobile Dealership - Wagner Auto Group*
Best Limousine Services - Knight’s Airport Limousine Service*
Best Health Insurance Provider - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts*
Best Young Professionals Network - YPWA (Young Professional Women's Association) of Worcester