Aug. 25, 2025: 40 Under FortyEdition

Three years ago, Joann Marsili stepped into her role at Fidelity Bank. Since then, she has led a marketing strategy designed to connect and support the 67,000 small businesses across Central Massachusetts.

With five lawsuits against him, Charles “Chip” Norton has filed for bankruptcy. The owner of prominent Worcester properties including the Mercantile Center disclosed $1.69 million in debt in filings with U.S. Bankruptcy Court, but creditors say he has nearly $70 million in debt stemming from personal guarantees he made.

After the fire and brimstone vitriol coming out of the Worcester City Council and Worcester Redevelopment Authority late last year, it’s encouraging to hear the City of Worcester is engaging in more constructive conversation with developer Madison Properties and its president, Denis Dowdle.

The high cost of land, energy, and other inputs make farming in Massachusetts much more expensive than in other states. So much so, in fact, that it costs more for farmers to produce crops in Massachusetts than they earn selling them.

Employees at financial institutions including Clinton Savings Bank, Charles River Bank, Main Street Bank, and bankHometown are taking steps forward in their careers.

Amid inflation, supply chain disruptions, and rising operating expenses, targeted cost-cutting measures can help companies weather the storm.

Whether you’ve had a website for years or just started, many business owners have the same blind spot when it comes to their website: not keeping up with regulations, protections, and trends.

Scott Cashman of Bowditch & Dewey tells business owners what they need to know about President Trump's megabill.

"In my work advising small and midsized business owners on business selling and due diligence, one truth stands out: Most owners wait too long to prepare for the sale of their business, and it costs them," writes Krishna Abburi at Citrin Cooperman Advisor.

This year's judges were Kola Akindele, Jenessa Burks, and Lauren Howe.

Throughout the Aug. 25 edition of WBJ, you’ll read about the best of what humanity can be, personified through WBJ’s 40 Under Forty, Class of 2025. The winners are executives, entrepreneurs, and advocates who are making their marks on our lives and doing so in kind, generous ways.

Since a tense November meeting between Worcester Redevelopment Authority and key ballpark district stakeholder Madison Properties, not much has changed in terms of groundbreakings or sales at Madison-owned parcels near the Polar Park baseball stadium.

This unprecedented intergenerational workforce comes with a wealth of different workforce norms and expectations that arguably make it the most ideologically and culturally heterogenous workforce to date.

Every year for the 40 Under Forty awards, I issue the same challenge to the winners: Take the best photo.

Norton’s use of personal guaranties for business dealings potentially throws the future of key Downtown Worcester properties into question.