Small Business

A trio of regional business organizations in Massachusetts threw their support behind gig economy giants in the growing debate over pay and benefits for the state's more than 200,000 app-based drivers.

A Shrewsbury man who owned auto repair shops in Everett and Worcester has been sentenced to two and a half years in jail over a fraud scheme during which prosecutors say he damaged customers’ cars with a sledgehammer in order to inflate appraisal repair quotes.

With Massachusetts on track to end the year with a multi-billion dollar surplus, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday proposed a two-month sales tax holiday that would give consumers a break from the state's 6.25 percent sales tax in August and September in an effort to drive shoppers to local businesses.

Haley’s Antiques and Publishing in Athol received a coronavirus impact recovery loan from the North Central Massachusetts Development Corp.

Rachel Lopez, president of the Fitchburg human resources outsourcing company Resource Management, has been elected as chair of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce board of directors, the organization announced on Monday.

128 Business Council Executive Director Monica Tibbits-Nutt said companies and employees have proven that they don't need to be in the office five days a week.

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.

After the coronavirus pandemic forced changes to work life – particularly an increase in remote work and a decrease in the need for office space – the results of this survey seem to suggest businesses are reverting to their traditional thinking.

Despite the rough past 16 months and the pandemic’s continued impact on the economy, local forecasters are optimistic about the short- and long-term future of the Central Massachusetts business community, especially as statewide restrictions have been lifted and vaccination rates rise.

As Central Massachusetts, and the nation, recovers from the sharpest recession in its history, companies around the region are coping with the same situation.