Greater Worcester

It’s been 35 years since Worcester Regional Airport saw its passenger traffic peak when 354,000 travelers passed through the airport’s terminal in 1989.

The proliferation of artificial intelligence and home health care, and the introduction of delivery drones are just some of the tools expected to change the future of medicine in Central Massachusetts and beyond.

In 2016, 53.6% of Massachusetts voters cast a ballot in favor of legalizing marijuana like alcohol, kicking off the creation of an industry that has so far led to more than $6 billion in sales.

As the economic climate has shifted over the decades, some Central Massachusetts companies have left the region.

Tracking Central Massachusetts tourist locations’ decisions and challenges – and how they handled them over the last three decades – is an exercise in business strategy. How do you get people to keep coming to your attraction?

Like so many of the nation’s indoor shopping centers, the Galleria slowly died over the 20 years after it opened. Today, the former mall space is known as CitySquare.

As leaders, they ably represented two of Central Massachusetts’ longest-running institutions: each intricately tied to Isaiah Thomas. One turned his bequeathed library into the world’s preeminent repository of pre-20th-century print materials in what is now the United States. The other invoked the patriot printer’s name for its annual award to citizens who serve Worcester with distinction.

"I’ll admit that writing about the Worcester County restaurant scene spanning 35 years has made my head spin," writes Barbara Houle.

While Central Massachusetts business leaders have seen substantial diversification among small business owners in the past three decades, the same cannot be said for those among the area’s highest-paid.

How do you whittle 35 years of headlining business news down to a couple thousand words and a few pages? You don't. But here, we take our best shot to highlight the companies, individuals, and moments that left a lasting impression.