When Rohan and his partners Damien Goudreau and Nate Lanier opened Tree House in Monson last year, they almost immediately thought about expansion. The brewers, known for their citra-hopped IPAs, will put South Worcester County on the map as the latest destination on the growing Central Massachusetts beer tour when they open their new Charlton location early next year.
The 70-acre location allows for more brewing capacity and better access to Tree House’s highly sought-after beers. Its flagship Julius is a hoppy IPA with notes of mango, passion fruit and citrus, and the rarer King Julius – an imperial IPA – has a rating of 100 on Beer Advocate.
Q&A
How are breweries changing economic landscape?Â
We bring flourishing business models and local pride. Most brewers employ 10 to 150 people and bring thousands of people weekly to the surrounding area businesses.
Why put Tree House in South Worcester County?
With its proximity to major travel routes, the expansion project is perfect for its hyperlocal destination.
Gathered below are the other Central Massachusetts’ 2016 Power Players:
Standard Bearers:Â Long-time forces in the business community
- Timothy P. Murray, President & CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Mike Angelini, Chairman of Bowditch & Dewey
- The Crowleys, Owners & Shareholders of Polar Beverages & Wachusett Mountain Ski Area
- Sandy L. Dunn, General manager at the SMG/DCU Center
- Don Irving, President of Black Point Realty & Nichols Square LLC
Trail Blazers:Â Pioneers setting the latest economic trends
- Karim El-Gamal, Co-owner of the Rail Trail Flatbread Co./New City Microcreamery/
- Ed Moore, President & CEO of Harrington HealthCare System
- Girish Navani, CEO of eClinicalWorks
- Kevin O’Sullivan, President & CEO of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, Worcester
- Alec Lopez & Sherri Sadowski, Owners of Armsby Abbey/Crust Bakeshop/The Dive Bar
Behind the Scenes:Â People in the background who keep the wheels turning
- Cheryl Lapriore, Chief of staff & chief marketing officer at UMass Memorial Health Care
- Gordon Lankton, Retired president of Nypro Inc.
- Ann T. Lisi, President & CEO of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation
- Kate McEvoy-Zdonczyk, Vice president of business development at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
- Jim McGovern & Karyn E. Polito, U.S. Congressman & Lieutenant Governor
Next Wave:Â Forward thinkers ushering in the new economy
- Travis McCready, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
- Che Anderson, Project manager at the Office of the Worcester City Manager
- Jeannie Hebert, President & CEO of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce
- Christine Thomas, Development partner at XSS Hotels and Colwen Management
Gear Shifters:Â Up-and-comers breathing new life into old ideas
- Meredith Harris, Executive director of the Marlborough Economic Development Corp.
- Tarek Elsawy, MD President & CEO of Reliant Medical Group
- Justin & Ashleigh Gelinas, Attorneys at Gelinas & Ward, LLP
- Cliff Rucker, Owner of the Worcester Railers Hockey Club and Worcester Sports Center
- Matthias Waschek, Director at the Worcester Art Museum
