November 23, 2015Edition

You are used to getting a federal charitable deduction, how about adding a 50-percent tax refund on top of that?

With its hybrid of open spaces and an educated workforce, Central Massachusetts is set to reap the rewards as the state's biomanufacturing initiative kicks into its second phase.

I am a fan of startups and entrepreneurism, having worked with them my entire professional career. I've written books for them, built businesses around them and through Inc. Magazine consulted with the best of them – the Inc. 500.

10) Develop a business plan. A business plan doesn't have to be long, but it should provide a road map for where the business is going. Is the business model viable? What is the unique selling proposition? How is cash generated and when?

These Central Massachusetts businesses filed Incorporation papers with the Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office from Aug. 17-31. Listed below are the corporate name, address, ZIP & president.

Behind every truly effective meeting is a planned and organized agenda. This crucial item — and the forethought that go into it — can be overlooked in the rush to plan and attend said meeting. Agendas should be more that a general list of things that need to be covered. Like a good map, a strong agenda should prevent the meeting from drifting off course. Here are three ways to set up effective meeting agendas:

An important new study by the Leapfrog Group shows that more than 60 percent of the reporting hospitals have excessive rates of Cesareans, or C-sections. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Cesarean birth has increased greatly since it was first measured in the '60s, and today, one in three women have C-sections.

As Worcester strives to grow its business base with new hotels, an expanding medical industry and courting startups, the city continues to rely upon long-time businesses, many of which started here and continue to make the region their home.

Westborough-based eClinicalWorks is a company near the top of its field. It's one of the top vendors of electronic health records systems for U.S. doctors' offices and a big player in the development of mobile tools that let patients track their vital signs and communicate with doctors.

Geoffrey Dancey first came to work for Melvin Cutler at his investment advisory firm when Dancey was an intern out of Clark University.

Local stakeholders are in the process of re-pitching a $34-million downtown Framingham satellite campus of Massachusetts Bay Community College to the Baker Administration after a host of community college capital projects across the state have been put on hold.

Launched in 2008 with much fanfare by the Patrick Administration, the Massachusetts Life Science Center -- a 10-year, $1-billion investment in catalyzing growth in the life science industry in the state -- has achieved some measurable success.

Webster First Federal Credit Union committed $50,000 in scholarships to members over next five years, a continuation of the John J. Campana Scholarship program.

When consumers look at beer and soda bottles on store shelves, they see several brands competing for the same dollars, but to Central Massachusetts firms like Polar Beverages and Wachusett Brewing Co., all those bottles and cans mean money.

AG AGAINST PIPELINEAttorney General Maura Healey released a study on Wednesday that calls into doubt the need...

The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce works to recruit, retain and incubate businesses in the region. We must understand the region's assets and market for business looking to move or expand.