Professional Services

As businesses throughout Central Massachusetts go back to operations, there are many legal and safety precautions they have to keep in mind and follow. 

After two of his opinion columns were not allowed to be published, Bill Shaner quit GateHouse and started his own Worcester news opinion website.

Companies with new hires and promotions include UniBank, Vision Advertising, Westfield State University and Bay State Savings Bank, among others.

During an interview on the WBJ Podcast, Dr. Mark Johnson, chair of neurosurgery at UMass Memorial Health Care, said the scope and longevity of the protests following the police killing of Minneapolis black man George Floyd show the public attitudes and policies creating racism in America are beginning to be dismantled.

A small number of area businesses and organizations plan to commemorate Juneteenth in some form on Friday this year, another indicator of renewed momentum behind the Black Lives Matter movement. 

In the wake of the police killing of unarmed Minneapolis man George Floyd and the subsequent protests against institutional racism, Dr. Mark Johnson from UMass Memorial Health Care said Central Massachusetts business leaders have an important role to play in creating real change.

Area business and organization leaders are stepping into the public forum to denounce systemic racism and racial violence perpetrated against black communities.

As businesses around Central Massachusetts reopen after being shut down for more than two months, their staffs and their customers are adjusting to new regulations and policies, as the companies try to maximize their revenue while limiting the risk of further spread of coronavirus, all while hoping customers remain calm about the restrictions.

As protests continue across America over the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis — including a protest in Worcester on Monday night — the presidents of six Worcester colleges expressed frustration over racial injustice and sympathy for Floyd and protestors while calling for a systematic change in how the country deals with race relations.

John C. "Jack" Roche has been named to the WBJ Power 50, an annual listing of the most influential people in the Central Mass. economy. He joins the WBJ Podcast to discuss operating globally while focusing locally.