Photo | Courtesy of Pagano Media
Pagano Media in Worcester
Updated: January 6, 2020
2020 WBJ Best of Business Awards
2020 Best of Business Awards: Multimedia experts
Worcester Interactive CEO Chris Dalton
Best Web Design Firm
- Worcester Interactive
- Location: Worcester
- Website: worcesterinteractive.com
- Top executive: CEO Chris Dalton
- Founded: 2017
- Employees: 4
- Notable runners-up: Applied Interactive, PENTA CommunicationsBest Video Production
Even as a teenager, Christopher Dalton knew he wanted to have a tech career.
“I’ve been dabbling with website design since high school. “My high school friends and I were computer nerds. It seemed inevitable.”
He and his schoolmates used their skills to modify video games and craft websites for fun, he said. After graduation from Worcester State University in 2005, Dalton held a series of IT jobs at help desks for a variety of companies.
In 2014, his breakthrough moment came when he was hired by Cinch IT to be its full-time web designer. The Worcester firm offers tech support for businesses, and Dalton’s job was to build websites for their clients.
While he won’t name the companies, Dalton said he created sites for businesses of all sizes, from a hair salon to a manufacturing plant with $50 million in annual revenues.
But when Cinch sold the web design portion of the business two years ago and laid him off, Dalton faced an uncertain future. For a time, he lived off savings as he tried to figure out his next move.
“I was lost and unsure of what to do,” he said. “I knew I was tired of the lack of job security and wanted to launch my own website design business. But I didn’t have a cent to get started.”
He got a business license, created a website for what would later become his new company, and spent a few bucks on business cards.
“It was terrifying,” Dalton said. “I was confident of my web design skills, but running a business was a foreign concept to me. I read everything I could get my hands on, like I was cramming for a final exam.”
In those early days, Dalton called people to say he had started a web design company.
“I let them know I was business for myself and if they needed help with web design, I was their man,” he said.
And it worked.
His first three clients included creating websites for JTB Wellness, the Uxbridge yoga studio, Sitec Environmental Inc., an engineering and land use planning group in Marshfield, and Live Action Escapes, the Worcester entertainment company locking customers in a room and giving them 45 minutes to solve puzzles and escape.
Today, most of his work comes from referrals, Dalton said. He employs a web designer, a marketing specialist, and a part-time accountant. He sold the firm to Cinch IT President Rick Porter in August, although Dalton remains its CEO.
“Within five years, I hope to expand and have an even larger staff,” he said.
Best Video Production
- Pagano Media*
- Location: Worcester
- Website: paganomedia.com
- Top executive: President Joe Pagano
- Founded: 1981
- Employees: 10
With more than 35 years of experience, Pagano Media enhances storytelling with the latest digital tools, to create engagement and measurably achieve results. Its team seeks to be at the forefront of artificial reality, virtual reality and digital application development to immerse viewers in product or service experiences.
- Notable runners-up: Applied Interactive, Davideo Co.
Best Commercial Printer
- Curry Printing*
Peter Gardner - Location: Westborough
- Website: CurryPrinting.com
- Top executive: President Peter Gardner
- Founded: 1978
- Employees: 35
In the evolving world of printing – where businesses need less materials printed but are looking for a higher quality – Curry keeps a strong focus on understanding clients’ needs, in order to help them achieve their objectives. This includes saving those clients time and being more efficient with their print communications.
- Notable runner-up: ISS On Demand
Best Awards & Promotional Products
- Engraveables, Inc.
- Location: Marlborough
- Website: www.engraveablesma.com
- Top executive: Manager Louis Papile, Jr.
- Founded: 1984
A third-generation business priding itself on customer satisfaction, Engraveables has invested in new technology and training for its small staff to enable the company to engrave virtually anything on almost any surface.
- Notable runner-up: Guertin Graphics
Best IT Services Provider
- Cinch I.T.*
- Location: Worcester
- Website: www.cinchIT.com
- Top executive: President Rick Porter
- Founded: 2004
- Employees: 32
Cinch I.T. differentiates itself in the tech world by providing fast and friendly computer support to businesses, in an industry plagued by slow response and a lack of customer service skills. Cinch’s newest product is cybersecurity training for businesses, including simulated phishing emails, security awareness training, and weekly micro-training to keep security top-of-mind.
- Notable runners-up: ClearCom IT Solutions, Inc., Machado Consulting
Best Internet Service Provider
- Spectrum Enterprise*
- Location: Worcester
- Website: enterprise.spectrum.com
- Top executive: President & CEO Tom Rutledge
- Founded: 1993
- Employees: 98,232
Spectrum Enterprise is a part of the national Charter Communications, Inc., which offers fiber technology for business and communications service providers. Its products include internet access, ethernet access and networks, voice and TV solutions.
- Notable runner-up: Verizon
Best Advertising Agency
- PENTA Communications, Inc.*
- Location: Westborough
- Website: www.pentamarketing.com
- Top executive: Founder & CEO Deborah Penta
- Founded: 1989
With a management team bringing more than a century of leadership expertise, PENTA offers a strategic and holistic approach to help clients achieve their desired advertising results through a wide spectrum of services, including events, marketing and public relations.
- Notable runners-up: Applied Interactive, Davis Advertising
Best Sign Company
- Sunshine Sign Co., Inc.*
Sunshine Sign's sign at The Edge at Union Station - Location: North Grafton
- Website: www.sunshinesign.com
- Top executive: President & CEO David Glispin
- Founded: 1986
Serving industries ranging from health care and real estate to corporate and architecture, Sunshine’s portfolio includes the Worcester Public Library, wayfinding for the Town of Lincoln, and Marlborough medical device manufacturer Hologic, Inc. The company focuses on hiring highly skilled workers, who use the best materials available.
- Notable runner-up: Serrato Sign
*Repeat winner
Check out the other 2020 Best of Business winners in the links below.
BEST OF BUSINESS: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
- Best Accounting Firm: Bollus Lynch, LLP Certified Public Accountants & Consultants*
- Best Credit Union: DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union*
- Best Forensic Accountant: McLaren & Associates CPAs, PC*
- Best Law Firm: Mirick O’Connell*
- Best Woman-owned Business: PENTA Communications, Inc.*
- Best Minority-owned Business: Resource Management, Inc.*
- Best Business Insurance Agency: Sullivan Insurance Group*
- Best Bank: UniBank*
- Best Chamber of Commerce: Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce*
BEST OF BUSINESS: EMPLOYEE SERVICES
- Best Health Insurance Provider: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts*
- Best Professional Training Company: MindsetGo
- Best College for Business Education: Nichols College*
- Best Financial Planning/Investment Services Firm: Provo Wealth Management Group*
- Best Employee Benefits Consultant: Sullivan Benefits*
- Best Staffing Agency: The DAVIS Cos.*
- Best Luxury Automobile Dealership: Mercedes-Benz of Shrewsbury*
- Best Exercise Facility/Fitness Center: Worcester Fitness*
- Best Young Professionals Network: YPWA (Young Professional Women’s Association) of Worcester*
BEST OF BUSINESS: FOOD & DRINK
- Best Locally Owned Place to Meet for Coffee: BirchTree Bread Co.*
- Best Restaurant for Business Dinner: One Eleven Chop House*
- Best Caterer for a Corporate Event: Peppers Artful Events*
- Best Blackstone Valley After-Work Bar: Reunion Tap & Table*, North Grafton
- Best North County After-Work Bar: Slattery's, Fitchburg
- Best Metrowest After-Work Bar: Tavern In The Square Northborough*
- Best Worcester After-Work Bar: The Beer Garden
- Best Central Mass. South After-Work Bar: The Cedar Street Grille*, Sturbridge
- Best Restaurant for Business Lunch: The Sole Proprietor*
- Best Local Brewery: Wormtown Brewery*
BEST OF BUSINESS: OFFICE SERVICES
- Best Commercial Landscaper: Cheaper Than The Kid Next Door Landscaping*
- Best Coworking Space: Clearly Coworking*
- Best Waste Removal: E.L. Harvey*
- Best Office Cleaning: Eagle Cleaning Corp.*
- Best Logistics Company: Euro-American Worldwide Logistics*
- Best Coffee Service: Good As Gold Coffee*
- Best Plumber/HVAC Contractor: J.J. Bafaro, Inc.*
- Best Commercial Real Estate Brokerage: Kelleher & Sadowsky
- Best Limousine Service: Knight’s Airport Limousine Service Inc.*
BEST OF BUSINESS: EVENTS & VENUES
- Best New Real Estate Development: 145 Front Street
- Best Venue for a Corporate Event: Apex Center of New England
- Best Venue for an Employee Outing: Apex Entertainment*
- Best Hotel for Business Clients: Beechwood Hotel*
- Best Venue for a Business Meeting: Beechwood Hotel*
- Best Public Golf Course: Green Hill Municipal Golf Course*
- Best Nonprofit Fundraiser Event: March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction*
- Best Golf Club for Corporate Outing: Worcester Country Club
- Best Private Golf Course: Worcester Country Club*
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