Gardner

It's our annual look at three business executives in Central Massachusetts - and one organization - that have made big differences. This year's honorees come from four distinct industries. Here are their stories.

Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) will launch a six-week training program in advanced manufacturing next month at its Devens campus, and is recruiting students, the Gardner-based school announced.

Web and graphic design services provider Agape Creative of Leominster has been acquired by InConcert Web Solutions of Gardner, InConcert announced today. Financial terms were not disclosed.

A business plan competition put on by Mount Wachusett Community College encourages entrepreneurs to develop their ideas and perhaps win a prize.

Despite the launch of new contracts for some of its products, Precision Optics of Gardner reported a net loss of more than $296,000 in its latest fiscal quarter, deeper than the $211,000 it lost in the same quarter last year.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association has been on the move in Central Massachusetts in recent months. In July, registered nurses at Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer voted to join the union. Two months later, RNs at Athol Hospital did the same.

The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts has announces five grants to support a range of projects throughout the region — all of which are expected to improve the health of the area population.

Precision Optics of Gardner closed its fiscal year by reaching a sales record while reducing losses, the company said Tuesday.

Gardner received a $200,000 MassWorks grant Monday that will assist a $1.5 million expansion of New England Peptide (NEP) in the city's Summit Industrial Park.

There's no question that the health care landscape is shifting — for patients, doctors and medical centers, as well as insurers. As one way to adapt, Harrington HealthCare System in Southbridge and Heywood Hospital in Gardner have formed a partnership that is the first of its kind in the state, and, according to experts and those involved, could serve as a local and national model for community healthcare systems.