Monica Benevides

A WBJ webcast scheduled for Tuesday will tackle an issue of growing concern for businesses of all sizes: ransomware.

Isabel Gonzalez-Webster will step down from her role as executive director of Worcester Interfaith in January to take a position as executive director with New York advocacy nonprofit Communities United for Police Reform, the Worcester multi-faith organization announced on Thursday.

Hospitality-related industries are projected to experience more growth than any other sector in Central Massachusetts between 2020 and 2022.

MJ’s Market, an adult-use cannabis shop in Grafton, officially opened its doors to the public on Oct. 19, and celebrated a grand opening on Friday.

Following the Oct. 22 death of Founder, Chairman, and former CEO Valentin Gapontsev, laser manufacturer IPG Photonics of Oxford has named longtime board member, and its lead independent director, John Peeler as the new chairman of the board.

Oxford laser manufacturer IPG Photonics reported a 112% increase in profits in the company’s third quarter, according to an earnings report released Tuesday. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, in conjunction with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, announced on Friday the launch of a new initiative intended to fight against redlining in communities of color.

Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester is partnering with Worcester incubator Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives and biopharmaceutical company AbbVie, which has an outpost in the city, to pilot an entry-level Biomanufacturing On-Ramp Workshop intended to help encourage participants to entry the biomanufacturing industry pipeline.

The Davis Cos., a staffing and talent advisory firm in Marlborough, announced on Friday the company expects at least a 50% revenue increase for fiscal year 2021, compared to fiscal year 2020.

Massachusetts-based, vertically integrated cannabis company Local Roots opened an adult-use dispensary in Marlborough last week, with plans for a ribbon cutting and grand opening this Friday and Saturday, the company announced on Wednesday.