WBJ Staff

The founder and longtime leader of Oxford laser manufacturer IPG Photonics, Valentin Gapontsev, has stepped into an executive chairman role, as the company named its chief operating officer as his replacement as CEO.

The steep economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic hit hard and fast. The recovery is proving to be a lot more herky jerky, but signs of progress abound.

People are on the move at Community Healthlink, Northern Bank & Trust, Cornerstone Bank and more.

After the coronavirus pandemic forced changes to work life – particularly an increase in remote work and a decrease in the need for office space – the results of this survey seem to suggest businesses are reverting to their traditional thinking.

This five-month investigation by Worcester Business Journal and Worcester Regional Research Bureau dives into how racial discrimination in mortgage lending and home ownership creates neighborhoods of have's and have-not's in Greater Worcester, where educational and economic success is harder to achieve.

All the attention this spring around the arrival of WooSox has been a win for Worcester. That victory, though, was set up by a long line of brave innovators who took a chance and reinvented the Canal District into one of the hottest development zones around.

Central Massachusetts professionals are taking new jobs and getting promoted at companies like Estate Preservation Law Offices, Avidia Bank, AdCare Hospital and Banjo Health.

Everyone who participates in this mid-year economic survey will be entered into a drawing for one of four $50 gift cards to a local restaurant.

Lucy Hale, the president and CEO of the Worcester science museum EcoTarium, will step down from her role on May 28, when her three-year contract ends.

Neck and back pain have become larger issues during the pandemic with the rise of working from home. Here are some tips on how to relieve pain and stay healthy.