Spencer

The Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership is running a joint program with Greentown Labs in Somerville focused on connecting startups with manufacturers so they can learn from one another.

The largest solar array ever to be situated over a brownfield in Massachusetts has been completed and is now set to serve Central Massachusetts communities and organizations.

Community banks -- striving to compete against multi-billion conglomerates while maintaining their strong local ties -- are taking a creative approach to combine their power while retaining their identities.

SpencerBANK and Southbridge Savings Bank will merge their mutual holding companies, bringing together their assets while continuing to remain independent, the banks announced Wednesday.

Dick Fiske Sr. and his Heart to Heart Foundation of North Brookfield was honored by the Children's Smile Coalition at Hanover Theatre in Worcester last month.

For local nonprofits, it can be a never-ending marathon to gather the dribs and drabs of money that keep the lights and the paychecks signed, which explains the enthusiasm in the voice of Joseph Cox when he talks of the $2 million his EcoTarium received from the Worcester-based C Jean and Myles McDonough Charitable Foundation.

Spencer-based FLEXcon announced Tuesday that it has collaborated with Ellington, Conn.-based Action Packaging Systems to create a label resilient enough for oil filter container caps.

FLEXcon of Spencer will work with an Illinois manufacturer to provide label and parts finishing to printers and manufacturers, as well as converters, or businesses that combine raw materials, the company announced Monday.

Greater Worcester is a good place for businesses to operate, but a looser regulatory environment could make the region even better, especially in the face of an increasingly competitive global marketplace, according to four business leaders who engaged in a panel discussion Wednesday morning.

Imperial Distributors, of Worcester and Auburn, is this year's Richard B. Kennedy Business of the Year. It is one of several awards announced Wednesday by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, along with presenting sponsor Fidelity Bank.