Central Mass. South

The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and the development arm of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday announced a partnership to bring microloan services to the city of Worcester and South Worcester County.

Many members of the military, industrial workers, and U.S. Olympic team athletes all benefit from products made by Vibram, a manufacturer of high-performance soles.

The latest movers and shakers from the region's businesses.

Webster Five Bank will donate $25,000 to Harrington HealthCare over two years.

With the help of a $1.5-million tax-exempt bond from MassDevelopment issued on Tuesday, Worcester early education nonprofit The Guild of St. Agnes will buy a 19,600-square-foot child care center.

A day after Warren Group analysts announced near-record home sales and sale prices for the month of November, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors reported Wednesday that the inventory of homes for sale last month hit its lowest level since the trade group began tracking the basic metric in January 2004.

Southbridge Credit Union announced Tuesday evening it had promoted its chief sales and retail officer to CEO on a temporary basis, filling a position left vacant by a departing CEO.

This fall, Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association President and CEO Lynn Nicholas said we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to changes in Massachusetts health care.

The long-time McDonald's fast-food restaurant in Auburn will be converted into professional offices.

Southbridge medical provider Harrington HealthCare System has officially cut the ribbon on its new 16-bed mental illness and substance abuse facility in Webster and expects to begin accepting patients by early January at the latest, according to a company announcement Friday.