Laurie Busby grew up in advertising, starting out at a Worcester agency before working for larger companies, but she settled back into an agency job when the formerly named firm James & Matthew hired her a decade ago.
Not that long ago, Worcester felt like a development desert. Coming out of the Great Recession and into the early 2010s, proposals for new multi-family and commercial developments were few and far between, to the point when the 368-unit 145 Front at City Square opened downtown in 2018, it was seen as both a risky endeavor and cause for celebration.
Since joining Harvard-based Maugel DeStefano Architects eight years ago, Pelletier advanced to the top, first being tapped as a principal by founder Brent Maugel in a 2018 merger that created Maugel DeStefano Architects.
The City of Fitchburg and key community players like Fitchburg State University have been talking about revitalizing downtown for years. Fast forward to 2023, and it appears the pieces are coming together for Fitchburg’s downtown reinvention.