North County

Fostering a business-friendly atmosphere takes a village, but leading the charge in Marlborough are two key players: Mayor Arthur Vigeant and Susanne Morreale Leeber, president and CEO of the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce.

At first glance, anyone holding the title of director of the Fitchburg Art Museum wouldn't seem to have much influence outside the cultural community. But Nick Capasso isn't just anyone.

Ralph Crowley Jr. is not only the president and CEO of Worcester's most visible company, the $450-million Polar Beverages, but he is also a true believer in the city.

Inside Route 128, incubators for early-stage companies are numerous, but in MetroWest and Greater Worcester, the options are far more limited. But two local nonprofit leaders, Kevin O'Sullivan, president and CEO of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives in Worcester, and Barbara Finer, CEO of TechSandBox in Hopkinton, have been pioneers on the incubation frontier and are leading ongoing efforts to increase resources to help local startups thrive.

Douglas Petersen was a fixture in North Central Massachusetts business circles before last year, but his status hit new heights when his Workers' Credit Union announced it hit the $1-billion asset mark, which led the firm to pay out $2 million in dividends to its members, the first ever give-back program in its 101-year history.

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.

Power comes in many forms, but from power derives influence; and how people use that influence is ultimately reflective of the power they hold.

Last month, the City of Worcester was getting ready to solicit bids for a new wave of...

On a seven-acre plot of land in Devens, a Winchester-based behavioral health consulting company is in midst...

Clearly, tobacco use and good health are mutually exclusive. But how far should health care providers go...