Central Mass. South

Two new Main Street businesses -- one recently opened and one forthcoming -- were each granted a $10,000 grant from the Town of Webster, as well as a $10,000 refundable tax credit from the state, the Massachusetts Economic Assistance Coordinating Council announced on Monday.

The founder and longtime leader of Oxford laser manufacturer IPG Photonics, Valentin Gapontsev, has stepped into an executive chairman role, as the company named its chief operating officer as his replacement as CEO.

People are on the move at Community Healthlink, Northern Bank & Trust, Cornerstone Bank and more.

According to an April report from the National Association of Homebuilders, which indicated lumber prices have tripled during the pandemic, that increase over the last year has added nearly $36,000 to the cost of a new single-family home.

Brian Treitman is worried the rising cost of meat – made worse by an industry ransomware attack this week – is going to put a sustained strain on his two popular BBQ restaurants: B.T.’s Smokehouse in Sturbridge and B.T.’s Fried Chicken and BBQ in Worcester.

Amazon is moving forward with a plan for a prospective distribution center and warehouse in Charlton, which the company estimates will include a $300-million investment and produce at least 1,000 new jobs.

Nichols College in Dudley has scored Massachusetts 45/100 on the latest iteration of the school’s biennial Massachusetts Women’s Leadership Index, which is overseen by the college’s Institute for Women’s Leadership.

Cannabis company Heal, Inc. opened its first dispensary on Friday, officially setting up shop at 660 Main St. in Sturbridge.

In Worcester Business Journal's annual list of the most influential people in the Central Massachusetts economy, the Power 50, one-third of those listed have ties to the manufacturing industry.

Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration has awarded the amount of $5.3 million for the Share Winter Streets & Spaces program, according to an announcement by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.