Best of Business: Servicing your business
The Good as Gold coffeemaking process relfects its purist sensibilities.
Best Coffee Service
Good As Gold Coffee*
Worcester, www.goodasgoldcoffeeservice.com
Top executive: President Patrice Goldman
Founded: 1969
Employees: 15
In some ways, Worcester’s Good As Gold isn’t so different than other office distributors like Staples or W.B. Mason. But that’s if you look only at how it can keep a company’s break room stocked with coffee.
Good As Gold is run by coffee aficionados, and it hardly takes any time during a visit to the Canal District offices to notice. Owner Dan Goldman and his son, Mike, could talk all day about the regions of the world where they get beans, how they make their own blends for their customers or about their new air roasting method brings more customization and consistency to roasting beans.
“We need to do things right, because we’re purists too,” Mike Goldman said.
Good As Gold supplies offices and restaurants with everything from espresso machines to its own single-serve pods like Keurig K-Cups but without having to throw away plastic at the end. It has recently added kegs of cold brew coffee to its offerings.
The company works with its customers to figure out which coffee maker will work best. Do employees tend to take breaks all at once? A slower brewer wouldn’t work in that case. Colombian, Ethiopian or French vanilla, among a far larger number of options, could work for whatever employees are looking to drink. Good As Gold serves a 50-mile radius from its office, delivering in its own trucks or shipping by mail.
Good As Gold has been in business since 1969, but the industry has changed, Dan Goldman said. An office worker or a patron in a restaurant is much more choosy about coffee these days, he said, which means employers and restaurants need to be, too. For Good As Gold, that means they have to start by knowing the best growers and the best beans.
“You can’t make bad coffee taste good because of the roaster,” he said. In other words, no amount of effort or the best machinery can help them if they don’t start the right way.
Good As Gold has moved into an area the company couldn’t have imagined in 1969. In the last few months, it has joined the online custom- and handmade goods marketplace Etsy. Among its products are bags of coffee to be given out as wedding favors, with a logo for the bride and groom.
Best Plumber/HVAC Contractor
J.J. Bafaro, Inc.*
Worcester, JJBafaro.com
Top executive: President Joseph J. Bafaro
Founded: 1964
Employees: 70
Relying on its service and expertise to outshine the competition, Bafaro can handle complex challenges and is equipped with the latest technologies. Its service department works to development long-term relationships using core values of integrity, respect and honesty.
Notable runner-up: Garabedian Plumbing & Heating Inc.
Best Commercial Landscaper
Cheaper Than The Kid Next Door Landscaping*
Worcester, cheaperthanthekidnextdoor.com
Top executive: Brandon Dziokonski
Founded: 2015
Employees: 6 full time
To stay true to its value of providing detailed landscaping at a reasonable price, last year Cheaper developed its Set It & Forget It program where clients can sign up for every service they need throughout the year – including spring and fall cleanup, aeration and weekly maintenance – for one consistent monthly price. This avoid expensive one-time projects.
Notable runners-up: Rutland Nurseries, Leone's Landscaping
Best Office Cleaning
Eagle Cleaning Corp.*
Worcester, www.eaglecleaning.com
Top executive: President & CEO Jeff Johnson
Founded: 2001
Employees: 200
To stay on top of a competitive market, Eagle focuses on its core customers of larger commercial, institutional and educational facilities within a 50-mile radius of Worcester, only taking on clients fitting into its business model. Eagle has invested in a new truck-mounted carpet cleaning system to make its carpet care program second to none.
Notable runners-up: Enterprise Cleaning, Modular Cleaning Company
Best Logistics Company
Euro-American Worldwide Logistics
Worcester, www.eaafinc.net
Top executive: President Eric Busenburg
Founded: 1966
Employees: 20
Importing and exporting for manufacturers in Central Massachusetts for more than 50 years, Euro-American is an asset-based organization more reliable than forwarders who outsource their service. To support biomanufacturing growth in the area, the company has expanded its Food & Drug Administration approved storing and shipping of biopharmaceutical products.
Best Commercial Real Estate Brokerage
NAI Glickman Kovago & Jacobs*
Worcester, www.glickmankovago.com
Top executives: Principals James Glickman, Peter Kovago and Michael Jacobs
Founded: 1999
Employees: 25
NAI Glickman Kovago & Jacobs is the only full-service commercial real estate company of its size in Central Massachusetts. Complemented by its property management and construction divisions, the company provides comprehensive services to create lasting partnerships with a proven track record of successful sales, leasing, construction and property management.
Notable runner-up: Kelleher & Sadowsky
Best Waste RemovaL
E.L. Harvey & Sons, Inc.*
Westborough, www.elharvey.com
Top executive: James Harvey
Founded: 1911
Employees: 350
Over the past year, the family-owned business has merged with and acquired several residential subscription companies. This expansion has allowed Harvey to grow this piece of the business, expand into new areas and offer additional services to existing and new customers.
Notable runners-up: Superior Waste Removal, Waste Management
Best Advertising Agency
PENTA Communications, Inc.
Westborough, www.pentamarketing.com
Top executive: Founder & CEO Deborah Penta
Founded: 1989
Employees: 17
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, PENTA prides itself on achieving success and results for clients by leveraging technology and a dedicated team of experts driven by its core values.
Notable runners-up: Davis Advertising, Pagano Media
*Repeat winner
Read about the rest of the 2019 Best of Business Award winners:
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