Quinsigamond Community College

Gov. Charlie Baker gave his first public comments on the Red Sox, saying his administration looks to invest state funds in infrastructure projects that can be leveraged by private development.

Five entities based in or connected to Central Massachusetts have received a share of nearly $2.9 million in state workforce training funds.

But no college has grown so exponentially in the nearly two decades MCPHS has been in Worcester, or contributed as much to a presence of higher education in the city's downtown.

The joint early college program between Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester State University and Worcester Public Schools is one of four such programs to receive official designation from the state.

Short of a deep-pocketed developer, few could make as much of an impact on a neighborhood as Chase has in Worcester's Canal District and Hudson's downtown.

Like Michael Angelini, Mailman is one of two people in the Worcester economy whose clout built up over a long career extends beyond her day job, allowing her to implement change throughout the economy.

Little goes on in the Blackstone Valley business community without Hebert's knowledge and – usually – involvement.

At a time when colleges are battling high costs and a shrinking pool of high school graduates, they are increasingly turning for growth to an area where they don't need to recruit students, house them in dorms or feed them in dining halls.

That lack of advance planning makes a difference to the bottom line.

Michael Gorman, who founded the Gorman Richardson Lewis Architects firm in Hopkinton 42 years ago and now serves as its president, will retire in October.