NEWTON-NEEDHAM REGIONAL CHAMBER INBUSINESSNewton-Needham Regional Chamber 281 Needham Street, Upper Level Newton, MA 02464 PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 19316 NEWTON, MA

March-April 2020 volume 2-2020

Newton-Needham Regional Chamber281 Needham Street, Upper LevelNewton, MA 02464

PRESORT STDU.S. POSTAGEPAIDPERMIT NO. 19316NEWTON, MA

2020 PLATINUM PARTNER

INBUSINESSServing Greater Boston’s inner western suburbs

NEWTON-NEEDHAM REGIONAL CHAMBER

Current plan for growth is just not working

President’s Report

(continued on page 7)

Northland vote could impacteconomic growth for generations


– By Cindy Bailen –

The first thing you notice is the scale.It’s massive: The size of three football

fields. Industrial in feel – with vibrant, pixi-

lated murals and warm wood on the walls – the interior of NBCUniversal’s new complex gives a nod to the color palette for each of the four stations that are now call-ing Needham home: NBC10, NECN, Tel-emundo Boston and NBC Sports Boston.

Their old headquarters on Wells Av-enue in Newton was about the size of the new site’s garage. But there’s intimacy inside this 160,000 incredible square foot of studio and office space on B Street in

The new NBCUniversal Boston Media Center is home to four media stations. Photo: Mark Garfinkel

Needham too. Collaboration is built into the design, with informal meeting and seating areas everywhere. Gourmet cof-fee stations are ubiquitous throughout the facility and kitchen spaces are luxuri-ous. More formal conference rooms, set up for teleconferencing, are named for Boston streets and landmarks.

Nearly 400 employees who toil in the news and sports operation, HR, sales, creative services, and programming, will ultimately work in the new space, a fully gutted and rehabbed former site of Gen-eral Dynamics.

According to NBC10 General Manager Mike St. Peter, the Needham location was

– By Greg Reibman –

Newton voters will soon decide if the Northland Investment Corp can build its previously-approved 24 acre mixed use development at the corner of Needham and Oak Streets.

But much more is at stake than just this forward-thinking project.

What’s actually at stake on March 3 is the future of economic development in Newton and across our region.

Yes, this is that important. Here’s why: Northland spent more than three years

presenting, modifying and negotiating

their project. They attended literally hun-dreds of community meetings, followed by 16 public hearings and funded multiple traffic studies, environmental impact re-ports and design reviews.

After listening to community input, they reduced the project from 2 million to 1.1 million square feet. They offered to fund free electric shuttle buses every ten minutes to Newton Highlands. They agreed to a $10 million package of com-munity benefits, including money to renovate Countryside Elementary School, fund traffic mitigation and water and


Route 128 needs land use leadership

– By Amy Dain –

There has been a lot of press about Greater Boston’s housing shortage and growth pains. The suburbs are over-restricting development, home prices are escalating and traffic is still stealing family dinners and putting jobs at risk.

What has garnered less attention is Greater Boston’s plan for growth — what the plan is, and what it should be. No place in Greater Boston is aching more for attention — for leadership and a plan — than the Route 128 corridor, the thrumming artery of Greater Boston’s geographic center.

Greater Boston’s current, de facto plan for growth is primarily to add hous-ing incrementally to the region’s many downtowns and village centers, which are walkable and well-served by public transportation and to toss larger projects to the municipal peripheries, especially to parcels that are fenced in between high-ways, tracks, and water. If it were feasible,


Coworking company Workbar is com-ing to the Needham Crossing section of N-Squared Innovation Center in April.

The Boston-based company’s 17,000-square-foot location at 117 Kend-rick Street will be Workbar’s 10th Greater Boston location and the largest of three co-working locations operating in Needham.

Other Needham coworking options include Staples Studio Needham at 163 Highland Ave. and, closer to Needham Center, the locally-owned Burbspace at 1329 Highland Ave. The UMass Amherst at Mount Ida campus will also soon be

Workbar to open in N2 this springopening innovation and collaborative space in Newton (see page 20).

“From the start of the N-Squared proj-ect we’ve been working to attract cowork-ing partners to add flexibility to our office inventory,” said Greg Reibman, president of the Newton-Needham Regional Cham-ber. “Workbar is a leader in creating spaces conducive to helping entrepreneurs and smaller companies scale and fits perfectly into a neighborhood that’s already home to TripAdvisor, SharkNinja, BigBelly Solar and the new NBCUniversal.

NBCUniversal’s new HQ opens400 employees, four stations relocate to Needham

2 • INBusiness • Newton-Needham Regional Chamber • March-April, 2020 617-244-5300 • www.nnchamber.com

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617-244-5300 • www.nnchamber.com INBusiness • Newton-Needham Regional Chamber • March-April, 2020 • 3

Business BriefsPlans to reimagine Muzi Ford, Channel 5 sites are put on hold

See more Business Briefs on page 21

Eisenhut joins Needham Planning BoardBruce Eisenhut has been appointed to the Needham Planning Board. A former member of the board for 15 years, Eisenhut will fill the position temporarily until the town holds elections April 14, 2020. He replaces Liz Grimes who has stepped down from the board.

Eisenhut’s appointment comes as the Planning Board prepares to propose zoning articles aimed at updating allowed commercial uses for the area where Muzi Ford and WCVB-TV are located.

During his previous three-term tenure on the Planning Board, the attorney sup-ported zoning changes that allowed for a wider variety of commercial uses as a way to encourage development within targeted areas of Needham, the Needham Times reports.

He was the lone vote in 2015 against a zoning change that allowed a medical mari-juana business to open in Needham. Eisenhut said the dispensaries should be allowed in a wider area of town and local approval should not be limited to retail locations only, according to the Times.

Chamber offers scholarshipsfor Newton and Needham seniorsThe Newton-Needham Regional Chamber will once again offer scholarship op-portunities to two deserving students who either live in Needham or Newton and/or who attend school in Needham or Newton and who have been accepted at, and intend to attend, an accredited college or university in the next academic year. The student(s) selected will have a check (approximately $2,000) sent to their college or university to be applied toward tuition upon successful completion of their first semester. Selection will be made by a panel of local leaders who will review all ap-plications completed by the submission deadline of March 27, 2020 (postmark date.) Decisions will be made based on a combination of the application’s completeness and accuracy, student transcripts, letter of recommendation and responses to essay questions. To apply and for full details go to www.nnchamber.com/scholarship

PRESIDENT:Greg [email protected] DIRECTOR:Lise Q. [email protected] DIRECTOR:Katherine [email protected] SERVICES:Tiffany [email protected] [email protected]

The Newton-Needham Regional Chamber has a proud history of providing leadership and support and advocacy for the business and cultural vitality of Newton and Needham Massachusetts. We are a nonprofit membership organization and are not affiliated with any other Chamber of Commerce locally or nationally.

INBUSINESS is published by theNewton-Needham Chamber of Commerce, Inc. ©2020

281 Needham St., Upper Level, Newton, MA 02464 617-244-5300 • www.nnchamber.com

CONTRIBUTORS:Cindy BailenCharlie BreitroseMark SokollPHOTOGRAPHERS:Mark GarfinkelSteven Sulewski PhotographyADVERTISING:Eastern Advertising, 617-965-0222NEWSPAPER PRODUCTION:Stephen Hamilton, Union PrintworksPRINTING:GateHouse Media New England

Chamber/UMass to present Congressional forumThe candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat currently occupied by Rep. Joseph Kennedy in the 4th Congressional District have been invited to participate in a forum on April 14 at 8 a.m. at the UMass Mount Ida Campus Student Center, 777 Dedham St, Newton. The forum is presented by Newton Needham Regional Chamber and UMass Amherst at Mount Ida.

A major initiative to rezone two prime parcels along I-95 will not be going before Needham Town meeting this spring, as originally hoped.

Last October, an effort to rezone parcels currently home to Muzi Ford and WCVB-TV had majority support of Needham Town Meeting but fell 22 votes shy of a required super majority vote. Town leaders had expressed interest in trying again but decided in early February to postpone any action.

Without a zoning change, Planning Board member Ted Owens recently warned residents that the parcels could one day wind up as a strip mall or Amazon warehouse residents. At that same meeting some residents questioned the need to rush and ex-

pressed familiar concerns about traffic. Others acknowledged the economic benefits of allowing new uses for the parcels, including calls for housing which was not part of the first plan. Others supported a change but stressed the need for thoughtful traffic mitigation and prioritizing sustainability.

“It’s disappointing but understandable,” said Chamber President Greg Reibman. “They ran out of time. But there’s potential to build something amazing there that would be great for our economy and a win for Needham’s tax base.

“We look forward to what comes next.”

Watertown meets state 40Baffordable housing standardWatertown has gained protection from having dense residential projects allowed under the Chapter 40B law after being certified by the state that the municipality meets a rarely used qualification.

Under Chapter 40B, communities in Massachusetts have to meet certain level of affordable housing or else they must allow the construction of housing projects with 25 percent affordable housing. Communities can qualify for “Safe Haven” and avoid Chapter 40B projects. Most do so by having 10 percent or more of its housing units sold or rented at affordable rates, as determined by federal and state officials. Some communities have met that criteria, but Watertown does not (it has just over 7 percent.) Watertown has 1,105 affordable units, but would need 447 more to reach 10 percent.

However, town officials used another method to get the protection — looking at the percentage of land devoted to affordable housing. Watertown Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon credited the hard work of two of the town’s senior planners Gideon Schreiber and Laurel Schwab. Town officials believe Watertown is just the second community to get Safe Harbor using the land percentage criteria.

“It does not mean we can stop housing from happening,” Magoon said. “But it means the work will have to be consistent with the (town’s) zoning rules and regulations.”

The calculation was done after a 40B project was proposed on Coolidge Hill Road. The town’s calculation came in at 2.29 percent, and state officials did their own cal-culation, which was 1.74. The state’s calculation added developable land that had not been part of the town’s calculation, including Mt. Auburn Cemetery.

Watertown is more secure in keeping its safe harbor than those communities who met the 10 percent criteria. Those communities count the total number of affordable units and compare it to a number based on the 2010 Census, but Magoon notes that after the 2020 Census, the number of housing units will increase for most communi-ties, increasing the target to reach 10 percent, Magoon said.

The recent calculation from the state only covers the Coolidge Hill Road project, Magoon said. Any future Chapter 40B Projects, including the one proposed for the former Sterritt Lumber site at 148 Waltham St., will have to be recalculated. Magoon is confident, however, that the town’s Safe Harbor will be reconfirmed.

--Charlie Breitrose



Membership DirectorLise Q. Elcock

Linda Sloane Kay to chair chamber’s board of directors

Annual chamber sponsors step up once again

The Newton-Needham Regional Cham-ber’s board of directors elected Linda Sloane Kay, vice chair of Century Bank, to a two-year term as the chamber’s new chair.

Kay replaces Chris Teachout who has completed his two-year term and will re-main on the executive board as immediate past chair.

“It’s a great honor to be leading this organization, particularly because I grew up in Newton and I’ve lived in the area my entire life,” said Kay. “This is the com-munity I’m most connected to. It’s where my business is. It’s where I know the most people. And it’s where I believe I can do the most good.”

The chamber board also reelected, Michael St. Peter, president and general manager at NBC10 Boston as vice chair. Samantha Sherman, chief development and external relations officer for Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham and Mark Sokoll, CEO at Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston, were elected as vice chairs.

Dan Brent, vice president of finance and operations at William James College was reelected treasurer. John Spino, a founding partner at Dwyer, Spino and Goncalves will serve as clerk and chair of the chamber’s governance committee.

Linda Sloane Kay, vice chair of Century Bank and newly-elected chair of the chamber’s Board of Directors, with Boston Globe managing director Linda Henry at the chamber’s fall business breakfast this past November.

Five local business leaders are also be-ginning three year terms as members of the chamber’s board of directors in Janu-ary: Christopher Allen, general manager of the Boston Marriott Newton; Jay Kim COO at the Foundation for MetroWest; Tamara King principal with the Boston Ballet School in Newton; John Rufo, principal of Form + Place; and Maggie Smith vice president, head of marketing for WS Development.

“I’m so excited to be working with this impressive group of local business and nonprofit leaders who make up our executive team, our board and our overall membership,” Kay added. “Our chamber is filled with individuals who look beyond their own business and share a common commitment to our region’s success.”

Century Bank is a 50-year-old regional bank with 27 branches in greater Boston and one that is about to open in Salem, NH, and over $5 billion of total assets. Kay also serves on the board of advisors for Newton-Wellesley Hospital; the board of the Back Bay Association; member of the Corporation, Partners Healthcare System; member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee of Boston University College of General Studies; member of the Advi-sory Board of Hebrew Senior Life; and is on the President’s Council at Cambridge

College. She has been instrumental in the successful annual fundraising initia-tives for the Dimock Community Health Center, Cardinal Cushing Centers, Regis College and Catholic Charities, among others.

“I’m very grateful to Chris Teachout

for his leadership and friendship as our board chair for the past two years and I’m excited to work with Linda and our new executive board and directors as we continue our efforts to take this chamber to the next level,” said Greg Reibman, the chamber’s president.

– By Lise Elcock –

It’s always a good sign when your biggest supporters quickly sign on for another year…so I’m especially happy to have so

Newton-Wellesley Hospital returns as the presenting sponsor for the chamber’s popular Spring Seasonings: A Taste of Our Towns restaurant tasting event on April 27.

many of our annual partners returning in 2020.

The significant funding by our annual partners makes it possible for the cham-ber to offer our robust calendar of qual-

ity events and educational programming while also spending quite a large portion of our time and efforts on advocating on behalf of the business community.

In turn, coming onboard as an an-nual partner sends a powerful signal back to the area’s leading business and civic leaders as well as consumers that your business is committed to enhancing our region’s economic and cultural vitality.

The Village Bank once again steps up as the chamber’s highest level Platinum Partner, allocating its sponsor dollars to-wards the Women in Networking Series, an Annual Members Celebration in June and the Children’s Charitable Golf Tourna-ment on Aug. 3.

“As an active member of the Chamber for more than 70 years, The Village Bank is honored to help support the variety of initiatives the chamber provides to strengthen our community,” says Joe De Vito, the bank’s president and CEO. “The bank is proud to do our part to ensure that businesses – and all members of the com-munity – benefit from the many programs, advocacy, and support the chamber

provides each year. Thank you, Newton Need-ham Regional Chamber.”

As in past years, Need-ham Bank is the chamber’s Emerald Part-ner and returns as the presenting sponsor of one of the chamber’s largest events, our Annual Fall Breakfast. This year the bank has also signed on as the title sponsor for our four main Needham-centric events: Needham Night, the spring and fall street fairs, and the Blue Tree Lighting.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Wellesley Bank and Direct Federal Credit Union return as Diamond Level partners and will be joined by Century Bank and Lasell Uni-versity which have both increased their sponsor commitments for 2020.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital will be the presenting sponsor for the chamber’s



Spring Seasonings restaurant tasting event on April 27 for a third year in a row while Wellesley Bank stays committed to underwriting the chamber’s Nonprofit Committee efforts and the monthly edu-cational Small Business and Professional Development workshops.

Direct Federal Credit Union found the chamber’s Real Estate Series to be a good match for the launching of its new business banking and commercial loan lines. DFCU also remains committed to supporting the Needham street fairs and the N-Squared Block party, happening right in its backyard.

Century Bank’s sponsored events include the popular and ever-growing monthly Networking before Nine (former-ly Coffee Connects) which brings together a cross-section of new and prospective members for an hour of casual and fast-paced conversation. Century will also be underwriting the new Government Affairs messaging & programming, keeping our members up-to-date on local, regional and state infrastructure, transportation, housing and other business-related trend-ing news.

In looking at various ways to get more engaged with Newton and its surrounding community, Lasell University is looking to the chamber to provide them with the opportunity to connect with business, civic and other nonprofit organizations through increased engagement in cham-ber committees, programming and events.

“Lasell has had a long-standing rela-tionship with the chamber and is very excited to expand this partnership in 2020,” states Adrienne Franciosi, Assistant Vice President, Graduate and Professional Studies at the university. Lasell becomes the title sponsor of the chamber’s Young Professional Group series, adding a repre-sentative onto the committee and hosting at least one marquee event for the group.

“This year, through a greater presence, Lasell is eager to deepen its roots in the community, expand on existing partner-ships while developing new ones, and foster employment opportunities for its students,” Franciosi adds.

Confirmed returning Gold Level partners include Cambridge Savings Bank, the sole sponsor of the chamber’s NBCUniversal Boston Media Center bash on March 11 and a returning golf tournament sponsor; The Street, target-ing its dollars towards the Women in Net-working and Spring Seasonings tasting events; and Eastern Bank the presenting sponsor of the Spring Business Breakfast since 2016.

In 2020 The Bulfinch Group is sup-porting Needham Night, the Fall Business Breakfast and joining in on the golf tour-nament for the first time. ALL CPAs will be focusing on the spring and fall break-fasts; Rockland Trust takes over as our ShopLocal presenting sponsor and steps up its support of the Needham street fairs to bring awareness to its newest branch.

Chamber welcomes the 2020 annual sponsorsKaplansky Insurance was a first-time

presenting sponsor of Needham Night; William James College will be lending its support to the launch of the Professional Development Series; and One Wingate Way is spreading its dollars across cham-ber programming reaching its target markets of women, real estate and health & wellness professionals.

The chamber welcomes Staples Con-nect as a new Gold Level sponsor as they bring their newly launched coworking and classroom store concept to their Needham location. Not only will Staples Connect be sponsoring the chamber’s New Member Open Houses and Small Business workshops, they’ll also be host-ing these two series at their brand new space in 2020.

Additional annual sponsors are still in the process of reviewing the chamber’s opportunities for 2020 and will be an-nounced in the next issue of INBusiness.

This secure funding at the beginning of the year enables the chamber to look at the entire year when planning out how to best serve our members’ needs in 2020. Thank you to the businesses and nonprofit organizations who make this possible.

For information about becoming a chamber partner, please visit our website (https://www.nnchamber.com/partner-ships/become-an-annual-partner) or con-tact me at [email protected] or 617-244-1864.

(continued from page 5)

– By Mark Sokoll –

On Jan. 5, I had the privilege of repre-senting JCC Greater Boston at the “March Against Hate” in New York City sponsored by the New York Jewish Federation (UJA) to demonstrate solidarity toward ending anti-Semitic acts of hate, harassment and violence. It feels strange in the wake of such violence to say the day was energiz-ing, but it truly was. Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge with close to 30,000 people was inspiring and deeply moving. I met native New Yorkers who deeply ap-preciated those of many faiths, and from many places far from New York.

As we were walking across the bridge, a Jewish man from New York was pushing a stroller next to me. Looking at my JCC Greater Boston hat he asked, “You came

No Hate. No Fear.Anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem

Mark Sokoll

all the way from Boston?” He thanked me for coming, shook my hand, and pointed to his apartment building just to the right of the bridge. The Statue of Liberty was visible in the harbor just beyond. It was an eloquent moment amidst a sea of people walking to demon-strate the power of our collective humanity.

As we walked, I lis-tened to another father use the time to explain to his young son that some people do bad things to Jewish people and that it is against the law. He explained what the law is, how it helps to keep people safe, and protects them. He pointed to the south, toward the Statue of Liberty.

As our eyes met we both smiled. Lis-tening to him plant seeds of the values we hold so dear in the United States of America, was a powerful moment for me. It was all happening while a group

with megaphones in the background chanted “2-4-6-8 no more violence no more hate.” It struck me as a beautiful coincidence that our annual theme for JCC Greater Boston is “Planting Seeds for the Future.” Listening to this father, in this critical mo-

ment, made that image come to life.It was an honor to march alongside

our Boston Jewish community leader-ship, including Marc Baker of Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), Jeremy Bur-

ton of the Jew-ish Community Relations Coun-cil (JCRC), and Robert Trestan of the ADL. We are committed to and continue to work with these organi-zations and so many others to fight against anti-Semitism by amplifying community dialogues to understand and combat ris-ing anti-Semitism here and around the world. Collective action and community responses with a multitude of allies within and beyond the Jewish community is the only way forward.

This is a hard and unsettling moment for our entire Newton-Needham commu-nity and for many many others elsewhere. We are taking action on every level to keep people safe, while also pushing commu-nity leadership, including at the state level, to make concrete changes.

And it’s starting to happen. On Jan. 6, I attended the ceremonial signing of a nonprofit security grant bill in Governor Baker’s office, who has just increased the pool of security funds for synagogues and community centers. I’m proud of our state leadership for continuing to recognize the importance of security for all our public religious institutions.

As we have seen throughout history, moments like these call for us to show up, act up, and speak up. Our community has a powerful history of rising up to fight back against the forces of anti-Semitism, racism, and bigotry. I am honored to be a part of the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber, a group of business and com-munity leaders who are committed to building communities of which we can all be proud. I look forward to working to-gether to address issues of anti-Semitism and hate, without fear, and invite you to please join me in choosing vigilance, unity and action.

Mark Sokoll is president/CEO JCC Greater Boston and vice chair of the New-ton-Needham Regional Chamber’s Board of Directors.

‘This is a hard and unsettling moment for our entire Newton-Needham community and for many many others elsewhere.’


chosen over a number of other possible sites. Places they considered inside Boston proper felt “landlocked” to the executive team. NBCUniversal felt the N-Squared Innovation District location made the most sense as an ideal spot for news gath-ering because of its convenient access to I-95 and the Mass Pike. Availability of on-site parking contributed to the appeal of the site, and as St. Peter said, “The Town of Needham has been very accommodating.”

With the new complex, NBCUniversal is also making a considerable investment in Greater Boston, said St. Peter, who is also vice chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

“There’s no question that NBC is in it for the long haul,” said St. Peter. “They’ve made a commitment to do things right to serve the community.”

The company hired Gensler Architects who worked with VP of Technology, Keith Barbaria and a committee of NBCU em-ployees to create the dream workspace.

The result is a new $125 million media center that’s light-filled and completely modern, with state-of-the-art technology throughout. The impressive broadcast newsroom offers 27 75-inch monitors surrounding its 30-foot ceiling. There are six control rooms in the building and

NBC invests $125M in new facility in the N-Squared Inno District

“There’s no question that NBC is in it for the long haul,” said G.M. Mike St. Peter. “They’ve made a commitment to do things right to serve the community.” Photo: Mark Garfinkel

The NBCUniversal Boston Media Center is light-filled and completely modern, with state-of-the-art technology throughout. The impressive broadcast newsroom offers 27 75-inch monitors surrounding its 30-foot ceiling. Photo: Mark Garfinkel

See NBC’s new studiosfor yourself!Join the chamber for a night of networking and news on March 11, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the new NBCUniversal Boston Media Center. Tour the state-of-the-art media cen-ter – and get a behind the scenes look at a live broadcast of the evening news. Bakers’ Best catered refreshments will be provided. Sponsored by Cambridge Savings Bank.Tickets are $75 members, $100 nonmembers. Register at nnchamber.com

any control room can produce any show. Each station has its own studio, with giant LED screens showing high-resolution images of Boston-area scenes.

The building’s café is outfitted with high-end designer ap-pliances by Bosch and Fisher & Paykel. It’s an ideal lunch spot for people who work on-site, but it is also so immaculate and stylish that any of the stations could shoot a cooking show there if they so desired.

The building offers other employee perks, including a size-able, fully-equipped fitness center with lockers and showers. With two interior courtyards, employees will find plenty of reasons to hang out in nice weather. A small private office allows employees to sign up to confer online with medical personnel about their health issues. On-air staff get ready in private changing rooms, and there’s a large makeup area done up in the style of a sports locker room.



Newton-Needham Regional Chamber Upcoming EventsGo to nnchamber.com to register.

Women In Networking

Lunch at Latina Kitchen and BarWhen: Tuesday, February 25, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.Where: Latina Kitchen and Bar, 30 Dedham Avenue, NeedhamCost: $24/open to members and nonmembers, advanced RSVP required

Make lots of connections over lunch at one of Needham’s newest restaurants. Our popular Women in Networking lunch series is usually open exclusively to chamber members, but we’re opening the doors to both members and nonmembers to try out the brand-new Latina Kitchen and Bar. Latina features innovative Latin American dishes in an upscale setting. You’ll sample many of their signature offerings including arepas, empanadas, soups and sandwiches with a buffet style luncheon (tax, tip and soft drink included).

Sponsored by:

Q Special Event

Behind the Scenes:An Evening of networking and News at NBCWhen: Wednesday, March 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m.Where: NBCUniversal Boston Media Center 189 B Street, NeedhamCost: $75/members, $100/nonmembers**

Our first big networking event of 2020 is going to be a showstopper. You’ll get a first look at NBCUniversal’s expansive new home in the N-Squared Innovation District. Tour the state-of-the-art media center – and get a behind the scenes look at a live broadcast of the evening news. Afterwards, you’ll enjoy Bakers Best catered refreshments while making lots of new connections with chamber members and area business professionals.

** Join the chamber today and attend for free

Sponsored by:

IYoung Professionals Group

Networking Happy Hour atDistrict 118When: Wednesday, February 12, 5:30-7 p.m.Where: District 118, 118 Needham Street, NewtonCost: Free/members & nonmembers

Unwind after work with craft beverages and delicious appetizers at Needham Street’s District 118. Get to know fellow area young professionals and build your network in a friendly, relaxed setting. The chamber’s Young Professionals Group offers networking opportunities and other events geared

Sponsored by:

Governmental Affairs Series

The Economic Development Impact of the Northland ProjectWhen: Thursday, February 13, 8-9 a.m.Where: 281 Needham Street, NewtonCost: Free/Advanced Registrarion requested

Join the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and local business leaders for a discussion about the economic development impacts of the Northland Newton project. We’ll explain why the chamber supports this project and discuss how it could impact workforce, traffic and transportation, tax revenues, other businesses along Needham Street, and overall economic development in Newton and around the region. And we’ll leave lots of time for your questions.

Nonprofit Series

Volunteer Engagement:How to build a program that works for everyoneWhen: Tuesday, February 25, 8:30-10:30 a.m.Where: Wellesley Bank Home Office – Cafeteria 100 Worcester Street, WellesleyCost: Free/members, $10/nonmembers

Successful nonprofit organizations thrive on volunteers while for-profit businesses use volunteering to foster team-building, professional development and give back. Join us for a panel discussion exploring how your nonprofit can attract and sustain volunteer support or how your business can best engage your employees in a meaningful volunteer role. We’ll hear from representatives from Cradles to Crayons and Family ACCESS of Newton, two nonprofits with well-earned reputations for engaging corporate groups and individual volunteers for short and long-term projects that have deep, memorable impact. And we’ll get tips from Tali Golan, director of Social Impact at TripAdvisor, about their wildly successful employee engagement programs.

Our panelists:• Marguerite Dowd, Director of Operations,

Cradles to Crayons• Debra Bush, Director of Early Literacy

Program, Family ACCESS of Newton• Tali Golan, Director of Social Impact,

TripAdvisor

Sponsored by:

Professional Development

Expand Your Referral NetworkWhen: Wednesday, February 26, 8:30-10 a.m.Where: William James College, Rm. 404 One Wells Avenue, NewtonCost: Advanced Registration: $10/members, $20/nonmembers Day of Event: $20/members, $30/nonmembers

It’s time to meet the right people! The people who return your calls. The people who answer your questions. The people who send you leads. In this dynamic and interactive presentation led by Elevator Pitch Coach Andrew Winig you’ll learn and practice three key skills for getting better results from business networking. Our natural and conversational approach will open up more opportunities to meet the right people, strengthen relationships, follow up effectively, and expand your referral network. You’ll also learn advanced techniques you can use immediately to start business conversations, discover relevant connections, and inspire people to call you.

Sponsored by:

Coffee Connect

Networking Before Nine atNew Rep TheaterWhen: Thursday, March 19, 8-9 a.m.Where: New Rep Theater, 400 Talcott Avenue, Building 131, 3rd Floor, WatertownCost: Free/members & nonmembers

Start your morning networking in Watertown at New Rep Theater’s offices at The Arsenal on the Charles. Make lots of connections, get your caffeine fix, explore this historic property and make solid business contacts in under an hour. Attending our signature morning networking series (open to member and nonmembers, who may attend up to three) is the quickest way to expand your professional network and get to know the chamber, our programs and members.

Sponsored by:

Small Business Seminar

Sense and Respond: How Businesses Can Innovate and Stay CompetitiveWhen: Friday, March 20, 8:30-10 a.m.Where: Staples Connect 163 Highland Avenue, NeedhamCost: Advanced Registration: $10/members, $20/nonmembers Day of Event: $20/members, $30/nonmembers

How you create, deliver and capture value for companies and customers is what becomes your business model. Long-term differentiation of your products and services from competitors is becoming increasing difficult as technology advances, industries evolve and markets change. At this interactive event, led by Allexe Law, you will learn steps you can take to get ready for the future. Allexe is an executive coach and business consultant with ArtScience Group who advises companies on strategies to advance growth and their leadership. evant connections, and inspire people to call you.

Sponsored by:


Women In Networking

Lunch at theNeedham SheratonLink CaféWhen: Thursday, March 26, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.Where: Sheraton Needham Hotel, 100 Cabot Street, NeedhamCost: $24/open to chamber members only, advanced registration required

The team at the Sheraton’s Link Café is unveiling a brand new spring menu, and we’ll be among the first to try. Get to know fellow chamber members while enjoying a buffet luncheon featuring their new offerings. Our Women in Networking lunch series is a great way to make deeper connections in a casual, relaxed setting, while enjoying some of the best restaurants in the Newton Needham area. Networking begins at 11:30 and lunch will be served at noon. Registration fee includes meal, non-alcoholic beverage, tax and tip. Space is limited and advanced registration is required.

Sponsored by:

Save the DatesFriday, March 13:Annual Newton St. Patty’s Day Political Breakfast at Dunn-Gaherin’s

Tuesday, April 14:Fourth Congressional District Candidates Forum at UMass atMount Ida Campus

Monday, April 27:Spring Seasonings:A Taste of Our Towns

Saturday, June 6:Needham’s Spring Street Fair

Wednesday, June 24:Annual Members Celebration

Monday, August 3:Annual Children’s CharitableGolf Tournament(early bird registration open now!)

AN OLD-FASHIONEDICE CREAM PARLORAND RESTAURANT

Employers offered a path to helping address the opioid epidemicA new program designed to address the opioid epidemic provides businesses with tools to manage the crisis’ devastating im-pact on workers, families and productivity.

Mass CARES (Massachusetts Commu-nication and Awareness around Recovery and Employer Support), was created by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and businesses in response to a report issued from the MTF last year that high-lighted the significant economic and fiscal impact the opioid crisis has had on the Commonwealth.

The report, The Opioid Epidemic: An issue of Substance, found that Massachu-setts is at the epicenter of the crisis, with an average of 30.2 opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people in 2016—up from an average of below 10 just six years prior. In comparison, the average number of opioid-related deaths for the United States as a whole was 13.1 per 100,000 people that same year.

The study also made it clear that em-ployers play a critical role in a solution to this crisis.

MTF is hoping to move the needle on this critical societal and workforce issue, says MTF President Eileen McAnneny. The goal is to enable and challenge em-ployers to increase awareness of the signs and consequences of opioid use disorder in the workplace and offer tangible ways to address it.

“Mass. CARES is a natural outgrowth of the groundbreaking and eye-opening report that MTF issued 14 months ago” said McAnneny. “In addition to the human and societal reasons for engaging in this effort, there is also an economic impera-tive for doing so.”

Participating employers will agree to take four actions over the course of 2020 to make their workplaces more recovery-friendly as a way to address opioid use disorder in the workplace.

Mass. CARES provides suggested ac-tion steps in the areas of risk assessment, benefit analysis and revision, worksite improvements, community-based solu-tions and reducing stigma but encourages employers to be innovative and bold in the actions they choose to take.

Participating employers will also: • Challenge other employers to get

involved through promotion of the initiative

• Agree to share action steps and their impact with MTF for aggregate inclu-sion in a report

• Attend quarterly discussions with like-minded employers to share best practice, successes and challenges

• Apply for designation as a recovery-friendly workplace

By engaging with Mass. CARES em-ployers will also experience benefits:

• Retaining a healthier, more produc-tive and motivated workforce

• Saving lives by promoting awareness and reducing the stigma of substance

use disorders, treatment and recov-ery services

• Improving the lives of your employ-ees, customers, business partners, friends, and family while strengthen-ing our communities and improving our economic future.

For information about how your company can participate in Mass CARES go to https://mass-cares.com/ or call 617-720-1000.

Customers pour through the doors at the Staples Connect grand opening in Needham to check out the newly redesigned store which now includes coworking space, a podcast studio and a spotlight classroom in addition to retail.


“We’re really looking forward to wel-coming the Workbar team and their member companies to N-Squared.”

Workbar Needham is easily accessible via Route 128/I-95, and offers a convenient workspace solution for professionals com-muting from the south and west of Bos-ton. It will also be served by shuttle service to the Newton Highlands MBTA station, free and dedicated parking, a full-service cafeteria, a fully equipped fitness center,

Workbar offering 50 percent off discount forchamber members at N2 Inno District location

Mount Ida/UMass innovation space welcomes its first tenantThe Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst in Newton is welcoming its first resi-dent company to its newly-launched innovation and collaboration space.

CoachUp, the nation’s leading private coaching provider, is relocating to the campus from its prior headquarters in Newton Upper Falls.

“We’re excited to move our headquarters to the Mount Ida Campus,” said John Kelley, CEO of CoachUp. “UMass Amherst is dedicated to creating a vibrant, col-laborative community for students and innovative companies, and we now have access to an incredible talent pool for CoachUp internships and employment.

“UMass has been a leader in sports management and computer science pro-grams, and we hope to tap into those resources to help drive growth and innova-tion in the years ahead.”

The CoachUp relocation allows the City of Newton to retain the early-stage com-pany, which had outgrown its previous location. The 72-acre Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst, located in the N-Squared Innovation District, connects the state’s flagship public research university to the Greater Boston business community.

The campus provides lab, office and co-working space with parking, dining, recreation facilities and other amenities to resident companies and industry part-ners. CoachUp is occupying 2,000 square feet of office space.

“We’re interested in partnering with companies like CoachUp that are seek-ing multi-level engagement with the university, including providing experiential learning opportunities for students via internships,” said Jeff Cournoyer, managing director of the Mount Ida Campus. “Building these types of connections between UMass Amherst and the Greater Boston business community is central to the vi-sion for the Mount Ida campus.”

Founded in 2012 by sports tech entrepreneur Jordan Fliegel, CoachUp is a platform for coaches and athletes to connect for sports training and serves as a business management tool for coaches. Backed by sports superstars including NBA champion and MVP Stephen Curry, Super Bowl champion and MVP Julian Edelman, and NHL Hall of Famer Cam Neely, CoachUp’s platform has quickly become the top sports coaching provider in the $17 billion industry.

CoachUp will provide professional development opportunities for UMass Amherst students in sports management, software development, marketing and other areas.

“Employee recruitment is the biggest challenge for Boston-area companies, so having access to the pipeline of talent UMass Amherst provides is valuable,” said Kathryn Ellis, director of the UMass Amherst Innovation Institute. “Profes-sional development opportunities provided by internship programs represent one engagement, which can lead to research collaborations and other student and faculty collaborations.”

For more information about industry partnership opportunities on the Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst, please contact the UMass Innovation Institute at [email protected].

café/lounge, lobbies and outdoor space, the Needham location has been designed specifically to enhance community, pro-ductivity and wellness. It will also provide opportunities for students from UMass Amherst’s Mount Ida Campus to interact with the Workbar community.

As a pre-opening special, Workbar is of-fering members of the Newton-Needham Chamber 50 percent off their first two months of coworking if they join by 2/29.

“There is no denying Boston’s profile as an innovation hub is rising and Work-bar has been on the forefront of it within the city limits and beyond by creating strong ecosystems of coworking and office spaces designed for cutting-edge businesses and individuals. Our newest location in Needham will further enforce our mission of supporting innovators in Greater Boston,” said Workbar CEO Sarah Travers.

Eric Schlager, CEO at the Bulfinch

Companies, Inc. said the company is pleased to have Workbar join the list of notable tenants at 117 Kendrick Street.

“The property’s recent repositioning with improved amenities and common areas will further enhance Workbar’s co-working environment, said Schlager. “Our collaboration with Workbar will provide coworking opportunities to companies within the N-Squared Innovation District, in synergy with Bulfinch’s substantial portfolio.”

Staples Studio

Burbspace

Coworking in NeedhamWorkbar Needham, 117 Kendrick Street, Opening April 1.Contact: [email protected]

Staples Studio Needham, 163 Highland Avenue, Now open.Contact: [email protected]

Burbspace, 1329 Highland Avenue, Now open.Contact: [email protected]



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Community GivingSince it’s inception in 2011, the Wellesley Bank Charitable Foundation has donated over $1 million to non-profit organizations in our communities.

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“Every day, we provide high quality work to our customers.

We simply do our job.”

Mark F. SilvermanPresident and CEO, Needham Resident

Much More ThanTrucks and a Warehouse!

In 1979, Mark Silverman, a student at Northeastern University, bought a used truck with his credit card and began to move furniture to earn money. That student venture turned into a business that’s been successful for over 40 years.

Mark’s Moving now offers a wide range of moving and storage services, including local and long-distance residential and corporate moving, air freight, container shipping, record storage management, disposal, packing and unpacking services, portable storage containers, warehousing and fire and flood remediation, senior relocations, decluttering, furniture fixture and equipment moves for the hospitality industry and medical equipment relocations.

When residential customers need temporary storage, the company can provide on-site storage containers or storage in its warehouses. Both long-term and short-term storage options are available.

The company’s volume of long-distance moves continues to grow, as does its specialty services. One

way the company handles donations is through a charitable foundation Silverman founded called

Mark’s Northeastern Furniture Foundation.

The foundation collects new and used furniture and helps distribute it to families in need.

A strong believer in giving back to the community, Silverman said the company is also actively involved with many local and national charities: “We’re much more than trucks and a warehouse.”

For more information,call 508.983.6000 or 1.800.966.MARK.Also visit us online at marksmoving.com.


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Needham Night honors some of the town’s finestThe chamber’s 3rd Annual Needham Night in January was the biggest yet, filling the Sheraton Needham’s ballroom with over 250 of the town’s business leaders, town and state officials, merchants, nonprofit organizations and local residents eager to honor Needham Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick for her 30 years of service and hear from Stacy Madison of Stacy’s Pita Chips fame.

The event had tremendous support from the Needham business community. Needham Bank and Kaplansky Insurance were presenting sponsors. Additional event support came from Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham, Brookline Bank, The Bulfinch Group, Charles River YMCA, North Hill, Staples Connect and Staples Studio, and The Kendrick with Capron Lighting and Sound donating their AV services.

Following a lively cocktail hour, the evening kicked off with annual awards given to businesses and individuals who go above and beyond in contributing to the economic and cultural vitality of Needham.

Paula Jacobson, executive director of the YMCA received the inaugural Commu-nity Impact Award in recognition of the partnerships she’s fostered, her operational improvements to the Y, launch of new programs, an increase in community giving, and her ability to be everywhere she’s needed whenever she’s needed.

Tina Burgos, Eileen Baker and Karen Loughery were named Businesspersons of the Year for their efforts to support shopping local by creating a map of merchants, bringing back a sidewalk sale to Needham Center, organizing a local Small Business Saturday and creating a holiday punch card for shoppers to enter into a raffle to win a shopping spree at all participating merchants.

And Boylston Properties received the annual Sparkle Award for transforming a downtown storefront into a vibrant home for the new Pancho’s Taqueria, a Rockland Trust branch featuring a virtual teller, and returning tenants Treat Cupcake and BID medical offices.

After dinner Fitzpatrick was honored for her 30 years of town service by Select Board Chair John Bulian and State Representative Denise Garlick, both of whom have worked with Kate for decades in her various town positions. The Needham School Committee and the Needham League of Women Voters were just two of the many town and civic groups that came to the event specifically to congratulate Fitzpatrick for her recognition.

Madison riveted the audience with her journey from pushcart vendor to one of the largest snack companies in the country. And why after selling her company to the Frito Lay division of Pepsi Co and starting a family, she regrouped and opened Stacy’s Juice Bar right here in Needham. She treated all attendees to samples of her next venture - the BeBOLD energy bar - which is just now making its way into the supermarket aisles.

Barrielynn Wise, The Sangria Lady, Barbara Ridge, Suffrage 100MA and Natalie Rodriguez, Forme Barre-Chestnut Hill connect during a pre-program cocktail reception at the 3rd Annual Needham Night, which drew 250 professionals, nonprofit and community leaders.

Needham Bank CEO Joe Campanelli and BID-Needham Hospital President John Fogerty chat during dinner at Needham Night. Needham Bank and Kaplansky Insurance were presenting sponsors of the event, BID-Needham was an event sponsor.

Charles River YMCA Executive Director Paula Jacobson, Needham Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick and Stacy’s

Juicebar/BeBold/ Stacy’s Pita Chip founder Stacy Madison. Madison was the keynote speaker at the

event, which also honored Fitzpatrick for 30 years of service to the Town of Needham and recognized

Jacobson with a Community Impact Award.

State Senator Becca Rausch, Covet + Lou’s Tina Burgos, Proud Mary’s Karen Loughery and Eileen Baker, and State Senator Mike Rush. Burgos, Loughery and Baker were named the 2020 Businesspersons of the Year for their combined efforts organizing Needham Center merchants and spearheading shop local initiatives and events.

Photos by Steven Sulewski Photography


Front, left to right: Virginia Carnahan (BID-Needham), John Fogerty (BID-Needham), John Rufo (Form+Place, Chamber Board of Directors), Samantha Sherman (BID-Needham, Newton-Needham Chamber Vice Chair), Seana Gaherin (Dunn-Gaherin’s, Chamber Board of Directors), and Barry Coffman (BID-Needham). Back: Needham Night Keynote Speaker Stacy Madison, Alyssa Kence (BID-Needham),Lucinda Zuniga (BID-Neeham), Kelly Wallace (BID-Needham), Linda Kay (Century Bank, Chamber Board of Directors Chair).

Seana Gaherin (Dunn-Gaherin’s Food & Spirits and a member of the chamber’s board), Josh Seadia (JMJ Commerical Realty) and Ryan Barrett (ORAM Corporate Advisors) at a chamber after hours event at The Village Bank in January.

Joe De Vito (president & CEO, The Village Bank) chats with Larry

Berman (Berman Adjusters) at an after hours event held in Jan. at The Village Bank’s new Needham Street operations center in the N-Squared Innovation District.

Robert Glazer, Needham resident and Founder & CEO of Acceleration

Partners led a workshop based on themes from his new book Elevate:

Push Beyond Your Limits and Unlock Success in Yourself and Others in

December. The sold-out event was hosted and

sponsored byThe Bulfinch Group.

Employee burnout and resilience specialist Faun Zarge was among 100+ chamber members and future members at Networking before Nine at Serena + Lilly’s gorgeous new Chestnut Hill showroom in January.

Needham Select Board Member Moe Handel, Owner Effie McCormick and Board Member

Margie Margolis, Jennifer Landrein and Executive Director Sandra Robinson of

the Needham Community Council gather together to celebrate the opening of the new

Just Be – The Beauty Room. The Needham Community Council was the selected

nonprofit beneficiary of the generous donation from Just Be – The Beauty Room.


Member News

West Suburban YMCA and The Second Stephost MLK Day of ServiceOver 130 volunteers attended a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event at the West Suburban YMCA on Jan. 20. The service event was a joint project between the West Suburban YMCA and The Second Step, with the goal of packing “blessing bags” for families and individuals who have been affected by domestic violence. Volunteers of all ages gathered at the Y and packed 175 blessing bags filled with toiletries, hygiene items, and cold weather accessories. Items for the bags were collected during a supply drive in the 4 weeks leading up to the event on MLK Day.

Communicating complex environmentalmanagement dataObbagy Consulting completed an assignment for a federal agency assessing the viabil-ity of innovative approaches to communicating complex environmental management data to the public. Proposals included the development of new technologies, extending the mission of nonprofits, educating high school students, and much more. The range of responses underscored the level of innovation that exists in promoting sound en-vironmental governance practices. Five applicants were selected to test the proposed solutions to promote understandable and sustainable environmental communications.

Celebrating 50 years in NewtonJohn P. Nixon Insurance Agency opened the doors at the current location on Sept. 1, 1970. In 2020, they celebrate 50 years in business and in the community, all while providing quality customer service.

Staff from the West Suburban YMCA and The Second Step hold up ‘’blessing bags’’ created for survivors of domestic violence.

Victoria Regia Bridal named winner ofThe Knot “Best of Weddings 2020”Owner Rosely Rupinski announced that Victoria Regia Bridal has been selected as 2020 winner of The Knot “Best of Weddings”, an accolade representing the highest-and most-rated weddings professionals as reviewed by real couples, their families and wedding guests on The Knot. In 2020, only five percent of hundreds of thousands of local wedding professionals listed on The Knot received this distinguished award.

Neighborhood content expansionTOURIT is pleased to announce that they will be expanding their Needham neigh-borhood content throughout 2020. Local guides to restaurants, businesses, parks & recreation, real estate and employment opportunities are a few to expect. These guides will showcase all of Needham using a variety of new innovative content, such as their Virtual Tours, Interactive Storybooks, Aerial Photos & Video, 360 Panoramas, as well as descriptive and informative publications. TOURIT plans to have 3 of these guides released in early spring, with more coming throughout the summer.

Boston Edits expands services offeredCopywriting, copyediting, and proofreading will always be offered by Boston Edits, LLC but they recently announced the expansion of collateral services in 2020 including the following: Website Content Management and Build-Out, Social Media Manage-ment and Public Relations Announcements, Templates and Fillable Form Production, Book Reviews, Blog and Editorial Calendar Management and Marketing Collateral Production.

Sweet Treat moving into Arsenal YardsWatertown residents with a craving for a Cherry Garcia or Chunky Monkey will be able to feed their sweet tooth in their own backyard soon.

Arsenal Yards announced on its Instagram feed that Ben & Jerry’s is the latest food offering being added to the redeveloped Arsenal Mall. The national chain began in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vt., and will serve its unusual and tasty flavor combinations in Watertown.

Ben & Jerry’s has about a dozen locations in the Greater Boston area, with the clos-est to Watertown currently in Harvard Square.

Arsenal Yards will include a movie theater, restaurants, retail and space for biotech companies.


Member EventsArtists build skills onlineWebsites for Artists, a workshop, will explore how to use a website as a business tool for creative products. Led by RISD adjunct professor Clara Lieu, the workshop is sponsored by the Newton Art Association and will be held Thurs. March 19, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Newton City Hall auditorium. Cost: $15. A second NAA event in March, an artist demonstration focusing on using opaque watercolor, will be held Thurs. March 12, starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Newton Senior Center. The session, led by Vicki Paret, is free and open to the public.

Unraveling the link between head trauma andneurodegenerative disordersHead trauma significantly impacts the health of our bodies. Impacts ranging from car accidents, concussions, or repetitive head trauma from sport, we’re beginning to see the links between head trauma and brain diseases such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and Dementia. Join them on May 7 at 6 pm for an interactive workshop where we will dive deep into what the research is showing, early signs to pay attention to, and the newest treatment options for these brain disorders. RSVP [email protected] or 617-431-6517.

Needham Mothers Out Front Green CrawlMothers Out Front’s mission is to ensure a swift, complete, and just transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean, renewable energy and a healthier climate. They are hosting a Green Crawl on Sat. May 9 from 1-5 p.m., featuring Needham residents opening their homes to locals to showcase their green/energy efficient solutions, such as solar panels, electric calls, air source heat pumps, composting, induction stoves and more.

United Way’s STEM Leadership ReceptionJoin United Way’s STEM Leadership Reception on March 26 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at the Revere Hotel in Boston. Each year, the event welcomes leaders from tech, life sciences, and engineering to network in support of building the future pipeline of STEM leaders. Last year, over 300 STEM industry leaders raised over $200,000 from sponsors including IBM, Rapid7, Partners Healthcare, and Coverys. We have an exciting program featuring a hands-on experiment, as well as words from some of the industry’s leading players.

Vantages & Vistas: Students of Michael Wilson Exhibition & Opening ReceptionThe New Art Center presents Vantages & Vistas: Students of Michael Wilson. There will be an opening reception on Thurs. Feb. 6, from 6-8 pm. Admission is free and open to the public. Artwork is available for purchase. High resolution images available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Mothers Out Front - Green Crawl

Farm Grill and Bird’s Hill Pharmacy join forces for healthy eatingGreek restaurant Farm Grill & Rotisserie of Newton and Bird’s Hill Compounding Pharmacy of Needham are joining forces to help patrons enjoy the potential health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, such as lowering heart disease risks. On Sat. Feb. 29 from 1-3 pm, Functional and Integrative Dietitian Tamara Luck, RDN, LDN of Bird’s Hill Compounding Pharmacy will be at Farm Grill, answering questions about how to incorporate the restaurant’s Mediterranean staples into a healthy lifestyle. For more information, please contact Farm Grill at 617-964-7766 or Bird’s Hill Pharmacy at 781-449-0550.

Charles River Center hosts 25th annual galaThe Building A Dream Gala will be held on May 1 at The Westin Waltham Boston. Honoree and recipient of the Maria McTernan Leadership Award is Golf For All, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of people with disabilities. The evening includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, silent auction, dinner, awards program and live auction. Proceeds benefit the 950 people with developmental disabilities supported by the Charles River Center in thirty communities. With over 400 attendees, it is an opportunity for businesses to support a local nonprofit and introduce their services. To purchase tickets or for information on sponsorship packages, visit charlesrivercenter.org/gala or call 781-972-1030.

PANS/PANDAS: When childhood strep causesdisabling anxiety, OCD and moreThe Dearborn Academy Speaker Series is bringing together experts to share infor-mation on the little-known but disabling PANS/PANDAS syndromes. The diseases can occur when strep, other infections or environmental factors cause a misdirected immune response resulting in inflammation on a child’s brain, which, in turn, can trigger the sudden onset of ADHD, OCD, disabling anxiety, a decline in math and reading skills, and more. Our panel will provide the latest information on causes and treatment. #DearbornSpeaksPANS/PANDAS: Thurs. March 12 from 6-7:30 p.m., Dearborn Academy, 575 Washington St., Newton. Register: bit.ly/DA-PANS-PANDAS

Personnel AnnouncementsKaplansky Insurance announced the promotion of Peggy Herlihy to Vice President of Commercial Lines. Since joining Kaplansky in 2015, Peggy has shown a tireless dedication to both the agency and their clients. The Commercial Lines VP is respon-sible for ongoing development, implementation, and supervision of the agency’s commercial lines department staff and operations.

H H H H H H H H H H H HE3 Financial Planning in Needham announced that Andrea Stackland-Winterer, John Patrick Foley, and Jennifer LaFrance were recently named 2020 FIVE STAR Wealth Manag-

ers for overall client satisfaction. 2020 FIVE STAR Wealth Managers are selected by their peers as satisfying objective eligibility and evaluation cri-teria associated with providing quality services to clients in our market region. John can be reached at 781-444-4907.

Peggy Herlihy

Andrea Stackland-Winterer John Patrick Foley Jennifer LaFrance


we would be building in the highway cloverleaves.

It is estimated that Greater Boston needs hundreds of thousands of new homes to shelter everyone who would like to live here and to stabilize home prices. Our current plan is not getting us there, or to a less car-dependent layout.

Take Needham as an example. Ap-proximately 15 years ago, people in Needham began planning to allow more housing in Needham Center. Their plans originated in a movement that promotes transit-oriented development (TOD) — building in walkable, vibrant, connected places, where it should be nice to live, and where you do not need your car for every excursion from your home.

Needham Center has a train station, an excellent selec-tion of restaurants, an old-time hardware store, a brick Georgian Revival town hall, and a white steeple church. On its green, you will find frolicking kids, perhaps some real ones and definitely the sculpted bronze metal ones.

A decade ago, Needham revised its zoning to allow more housing in the cen-ter. Since then, the town has permitted one project, with 10 units, in the center. Meanwhile, in the last few years, Need-ham has permitted three projects on the edge of town, bordering Route 128, with 52, 136, and 390 dwelling units. The 390 apartments, at The Kendrick, are on the Newton side of Route 128, far from the rest of Needham.

This pattern of development is seen throughout the region and particu-larly along Route 128. In recent decades, Wellesley has permitted one residential project, with 30 apartments, in Wellesley Square. Wellesley’s 2018 Draft Unified Plan recommends rezoning the office and industrial districts by Route 128 for more development, including apartments and condos. “Because of their location, they have little impact on the residential com-munity,” the plan says.

Wellesley is now deliberating on a proposal for a few hundred dwelling units in Wellesley Office Park, Greater Boston’s premier mid-century corporate campus, hidden between highways and the Charles, also on the Newton side of Route 128, far from the rest of Wellesley.

We should be allowing even more hous-ing in our historic centers — a relatively straightforward task to grow places that already function well. The layout of our

Needham has permitted only one new housing project downtown, but three bordering Route 128.

downtowns and village centers came from an era when the scale of lives, of commu-nities, was primarily walkable.

Redevelopment of the Route 128 cor-ridor is less straightforward. The original buildout, from the 1960s to 1980s, was oriented for automobiles; now the corri-dor needs new infrastructure to connect development to the region via pedestrian paths, bike lanes, train lines, bus routes, boat launches and roads. Moreover, devel-opment along the corridor affects multiple municipalities and involves coordination across levels of government and sectors of the economy, including residential and commercial. The Route 128 cor-

ridor is calling out for a team captain and a game plan.

Route 128 is not the hin-terlands. Route

128 is already a major job hub, where office workers gather in dated buildings surrounded by epic pavement, now ripe for redesigns. Train stations dot the cor-ridor in Woburn, Waltham, Newton, Dedham, Westwood, and Quincy (where Route 128 becomes Route 93). The 128 corridor runs close to a dozen, or more, Colonial-themed village centers, and their ivy-dressed public libraries and indie restaurants. Also, the Charles River flows with potential along much of 128. If you live and work along the 128 corridor, you really should be able to kayak to work, or at least ride a bike along the river from Dedham to Waltham, and then onward to Cambridge and Boston.

Many of the recent redevelopments along Route 128 have represented an upgrade from the original single-use, stand-alone office parks, strip malls and apartment buildings. Developers have been combining uses at lifestyle centers – at Westwood’s University Station on Route 128, for example – but these developments are still designed primarily for car-access. They are isolated projects with hard edges.

Some people might think that we can no longer build functioning downtowns from scratch; Greater Boston has not seen it done in our lifetimes. The last coordi-nated, sustained and well-funded attempt at urban planning involved bulldozing entire gritty, thriving, working-class neigh-borhoods and assembling mega-parcels for private, car-oriented redevelopment. Mid-century’s bold solutions yielded to a visual migraine of monumental concrete and modernist hubris, the silencing of ar-chitectural songs composed in the regular

rhythms of windows, doors, and front steps. The governmental action gifted the region with the guttural homesickness and despair of forced uprootedness. Then the reckoning brought a new era of cau-tiousness, visceral preservationism, and development quarantine that has made for a housing shortage, a traffic crisis, so-cial isolation, and charmless new places.

Better land use planning should be in our wheelhouse. Greater Boston is a superpower in innovation and real estate itself is one of our economy’s engines. Plus, Greater Boston has several large-scale planning successes to anchor on, such as the Deer Island Wastewater Treat-ment Plant that keeps the Atlantic from being a cesspool and the HarborWalk that stretches 43 miles along Boston’s shore-line. The Route 128 corridor is crying out for the same kind of public leadership that

made such marvels possible.Such leadership is necessary to guide

public investment, to coordinate across municipalities and sectors and govern-mental departments, and to harness the market for place-making and broadly beneficial growth.

We need a pro-growth agenda for Greater Boston. We should be adding even more housing to our charming his-toric centers, and building new centers, along Route 128, that are worthy of our heritage.

Amy Dain is a public policy researcher and consultant who recently wrote the re-port, “The State of Zoning for Multi-family Housing in Greater Boston.” This column originally appeared in Commonwealth Magazine at commonwealthmagazine.org. Republished with the author’s permission.

The Route 128 corridor is ‘crying out’ for leadership

‘No place in Greater Boston is aching more for attention — for leadership and a plan — than the Route 128 corridor.’



Watertown Business Briefs– By Charlie Breitrose –

Boylston, Behrens playfully respond toGlobe columnist’s dismissal of inner burbs After the Boston Globe published a column touting Kendall Square and dismissing Watertown and other inner suburban communities as destinations for biotech companies, one Watertown’s leading developers responded with a cheeky full-page ad in the paper.

“When the Boston Globe Com-pares Watertown to Kendall Square, We’re Grateful,” the ad created by Boylston Properties read. “For some in biotech, the measure of happi-ness might not be ‘the highest rents in New England.’ It might be the ability to build your own company, nurture your science, welcome new colleagues, or even ride a bike and row along the Charles River.”

In the Jan. 26 Globe article, head-lined “Sorry, Watertown,” columnist Scott Kirsner interviewed biotech execs and investors and quoted Ja-son Pontin, a biotech investor about the decision to move startup Trilogy Sciences from Watertown to Kendall Square. He said: “We investors don’t want to schlep out to Watertown for the companies we’ve invested in, and the talent and advisers don’t want to work there.” Some biotech execs said they are willing to pay rents twice as high as Watertown, and one said that even being just a mile from Kendall, in Cambridgeport, made him feel like he was out of the loop.

Boylston Properties, which owns Arsenal Yards and has created space for biotech companies in one of the historic Army Arsenal buildings, ran the ad entitled: “It’s okay. Apology accepted.”

Boylston pointed out that over $1 billion has been invested by biotech companies in Watertown, and they talked about the benefits of being in town.

“We love Watertown because it’s a town with a growing population of families, young professionals, and great jobs at growing companies,” the ad read. “A town building two new LEED Gold, Net-Zero elementary schools, plus a new high school.”

The ad also highlighted the additions to Arsenal Yards, including a movie theater, several restaurants and more.

Jeff Behrens, CEO of the biotech coworking space LabShares Newton, also offered a response to Kirsner’s column.

“Money matters — at least to some. If a company is born with an A round of funding of $50 million or more, then perhaps it can justify paying Kendall Square prices. For many biomedical startups with more meager means — grant funding or modest angel fund-ing — cash matters. The money saved on space can be invested in scientific progress,” he wrote in a letter to the editor.

It’s time to appreciate that Greater Boston is the biotech hub, not just Cambridge. Top research institutions and companies exist throughout the region. The Route 128 tech corridor birthed many successful growth companies a generation ago, and it is doing so once again,” Behrens added.

Watertown’s first marijuana dispensarycould open soonThe doors to Watertown’s first marijuana dispensary could open in early 2020, serving medical patients at first and adult-use customers in a year or so.

Natural Selections received approval from Watertown officials in 2017, and will open the dispensary at 23 Elm Street in East Watertown when they get ap-proval from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission. Chief Operating Officer Aidan O’Donovan hopes Natural Selections will be on the CCC’s February agenda.

The dispensary’s operators were back in front of the Planning and Zoning boards in January to get permission to open to sell adult-use marijuana (also called recreational) from the same storefront. This will not likely begin for another year, O’Donovan told the ZBA.

Some officials worry about people lining up outside the business and cars backing up out of the parking lot to get access to the dispensary when it opens for recreational sales. Natural Selections said it will start with a reservation system, where customers must get a time slot before coming in. This is designed to avoid the lines seen at dispensaries such as NETA in Brookline.

Representatives from Natural Selections said NETA is the busiest dispensary not just in the Bay State, but in the country. They added that more dispensaries will be opening in nearby communities of Boston, Newton and Cambridge before they can start selling adult-use marijuana in Watertown.

Zoning Board members worried that the original condition for approving the special permit was ambiguous because it referenced reviewing the reservation plan after one week. O’Donovan worried a permanent reservation system would mean customers going to other dispensaries, or that the reservations could be reinstated if anyone ever sees a line.

Eventually, the Zoning Board agreed to allow the reservations to be removed when the dispensary can demonstrate it does not need it. The reservations would not be reinstated unless there are consistent lines out the door and/or traffic problems caused by customers of the facility.

Watertown students tour local pharma companyAbout two-dozen Watertown High School AP biology students got an inside look at a real biotech lab that is working on cures and vaccinations for diseases, including HIV and hepatitis.

The students took the field trip to Enanta Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Arsenal Street in December for what company officials call a Lunch & Learn.

The group of mostly juniors and seniors got to see the different phases of de-veloping a drug, and talk to people working on the cures. Last spring, the WHS AP chemistry classes took a similar tour of Enanta.

Enanta CEO Jay Luly said Enanta started inviting science classes from WHS to visit the company’s headquarters on Arsenal Street as a way to give back to the community.

“I put a challenge out to the company a few years ago to do this — any way we can give back to the community,” Luly said. “There are lots of ways Fidelity and other companies can give back. We can’t do that from the monetary perspective, but we can help people think about careers and what they want to study.”

On the tour, the students met scientists working in the medicinal chemistry lab, where researchers try to develop new pharmaceuticals. They saw a drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic lab, where scientists research how effective a chemical compound will be when it reaches its target. Also, the group saw a biology and virology lab — the lab where researchers study the diseases which they are trying to cure.

The students also heard from Enanta employees, who told them what they did to get where they are today. They also gave tips for getting experience while they are in college, such as internships and using connections that their profes-sors may have.

Charlie Breitrose is editor and publisher of Watertownnews.com

Boylston Properties responded to a Boston Globe column dismissing Watertown with this full page ad


sewer infrastructure. They increased the open space to ten acres, adding a splash park and playground that were specifically requested by neighbors. They introduced cutting edge environmental standards. They reduced residential parking spaces and pushed all the parking underground. They agreed to spend $1.5 million under-grounding utility lines.

The final result was a project that has the enthusiastic support of a broad coalition of housing advocates, environ-mentalists and civic groups, as well as the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber.

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and a super majority of the Newton City Council offered their resounding support too.

Supporters have praised Northland’s thoughtful design and transportation mitiga-tion plan. They were excited to be adding much-needed work-force housing (includ-ing 140 permanently affordable units) along with 180,000 square feet of brick and beam office space and 115,000 square feet of retail, including subsi-dized rent for mom and pop merchants. They laud the addition of a “senior friendly” apartment building and the use of ground-breaking passive house technology. And the chamber is especially enthusiastic about the economic benefits, amenities and vibrancy we believe this development will bring to the Needham Street corridor, Newton and the region.

Now imagine earning all that support and still losing your project because a boisterous anti-development group -- which refused your repeated invitations to meet with you -- launched a ballot drive that would torpedo your project.

Yes, that’s correct: Over three years, Right Size Newton, the opposition group behind the referendum, never once sat down with Northland to say what size project they felt was “the right size.”

So now it all comes down to March 3. If Northland’s project is rejected on Super Tuesday, we won’t just lose a well-thought out, thoroughly-vetted, sustainable, proj-ect. Newton’s reputation as a great place to do business takes a hit too.

Think about it. Why would any other developer or investor ever choose to build

here? Who would want to invest all that time and expense going through a vigor-ous land use process only to have it over-turned by opponents who never even had the courtesy to meet with you?

No one.This could have a devastating impact

on economic development in Newton for a generation.

Meanwhile, what would happen to all those asphalt acres between Needham Street and Newton Upper Falls if the “no” vote prevails?

Northland will have to make a tough decision as to what they should do with their investment. One possible route would be to build housing under the state’s

40B affordable law, which allows develop-ers to bypass zoning laws in communities like Newton, where less than ten percent of the housing stock meets the affordable standard.

Under 40B, North-land could potentially build upward of 1,800 apartments, instead of the proposed 800. But all the amenities that the city council so care-

fully negotiated – the free shuttles, open space, money and millions in mitigation and green infrastructure -- would be lost. Yes, we could still get a lot of needed hous-ing -- and that’s a big plus -- but only with greater traffic, poorer design and fewer sustainable benefits.

And every other developer witnessing what just happened to Northland would likely follow the 40B path elsewhere in Newton because 40Bs can’t be overturned by referendum.

Communities do better when the developers and municipal leaders work collaboratively to address their housing needs and meet their 40B threshold (as Needham has done) because it allows opportunities to negotiate the kinds of benefits Northland has offered.

That’s why there’s much more at stake than just Northland’s wonderful project.

I hope you will join the chamber and the broad coalition of housing advocates, envi-ronmentalists and other civic groups who are working hard to deliver a resounding “Yes for Newton’s Future” on March 3.

Northland’s opponents repeatedly declined invitations to discuss the project

‘If Northland’s project is defeated on March 3, we won’t just lose a really well-thought out, thoroughly-vetted, environmentally significant, project. Newton’s reputation as a great place to do business takes a hit too.’


The project would transform 24 acres into a vibrant, sustainable, amenity-rich community.

Why the chamber supports the Northland Newton projectThe Newton-Needham Regional Chamber’s Board of Directors has voted unani-mously to support Northland Investment Corporation’s proposed mixed-use devel-opment on Needham and Oak streets. Highlights include:

Housing for our workers: Housing supply is critical to our ability to attract companies to locate and grow here. Northland provides 800 units of desperately-needed apartments, including 140 affordable units. Not every worker wants to live in a house with a yard and garage. Northland will provide the housing diversity and flexibility that can bring new workers and employers here, while also serving seniors and others looking to downsize.

A new hub for small and midsized companies: The historic Saco-Pettee Mill building will provide 180,000 square feet of Class A brick and beam office space that can become home for the small and mid-sized employers that are driving Massa-chusetts’ innovation economy but have struggled to find aspirational, amenity-rich space in Newton. Saco-Pettee represents a 10 percent increase in overall Class A office inventory in the N2 Innovation District (including Wells Ave and Needham Crossing); an increase we believe to be the right size for this market.

Multi-modal transportation: The board believes Northland has created a re-sponsible Transportation Demand Management program and have confidence in results of a peer review of the program as proposed. We’re excited about the robust, modern, free shuttle system that will be available to all workers, residents and shop-pers in the region. We view this proposed public-private system as a building block to creating more regional shuttles and reducing congestion across the region. We also applaud the commitment of $5 million to explore new transportation initiatives; such as connecting the Greenway to the Green Line or converting the old MBTA rail bridge into a bike path to Needham. This project will be fully integrated into Mass DOT’s Needham Street reconstruction project, making the entire corridor more walkable and safer for all modes of travel.

Placemaking: Northland’s Newton project creates public gathering spaces that are too scarce now and that are integral to the success of a vibrant live, work, play community. Ten acres of open space, including a central common where hundreds of people can gather, a splash park, dog park, the historic mill park featuring a restored South Meadow Brook water feature and other public spaces are the amenities that will make this project a success, not just for tenants, but for our entire community.

Subsidized retail: When Northland stepped up to rescue the New England Mobile Book Fair from moving to another community, we were reminded once again of the challenges facing our cherished, local merchants. This project sets aside 10,000 square feet at a discounted rate for our independent merchants and is sure to enhance the development’s overall shopping experience.

Northland’s vision is Newton’s vision: There is no daylight between this project and the goals of the Needham Street Vision Plan, Newton’s Economic Development Strategy and the Chamber’s N2 Innovation District project. This proposal won’t just transform 24 acres into a vibrant, thoughtful, sustainable, amenity-rich community. It will activate and energize Needham Street and beyond; bringing new business, new jobs, new tax revenue and vitality to our city.


Business Briefs(continued from page 3)

New web tool explores MetroWest’smost critical issuesAs the region navigates significant changes, the Foundation for MetroWest has launched “Impact MetroWest,” an interactive website -- at www.impactmw.org – that’s designed to identify the area’s most pressing issues and jumpstart the search for solu-tions. Over 50 indicators provide insight into the trends over the last decade across several dimensions - the economy, education, civic engagement, our health, transpor-tation and housing systems, and more. The data is designed to serve as a report card for the region, but also as a spark to drive change.

“MetroWest residents see the changes taking place around them, but they may not understand what’s driving those changes,” said Judy Salerno, executive director, Foundation for MetroWest. “Impact MetroWest illuminates a common path forward by providing tangible evidence of where we are as a region and generating conversa-tions about where we want to go and how we can get there together.”

Village Bank to award $50K in scholarshipsThe Village Bank is now accepting college scholarship applications from local high school seniors. Seventeen scholarships totaling $50,000 will be awarded to college-bound students of the Class of 2020. The scholarships can be applied toward tuition, room and board, or supplies at an accredited college or university. The application deadline is April 10, 2020. Complete rules, requirements, and application forms are available at local high schools and at The Village Bank’s branches in Auburndale, Newton Centre, Newtonville, Nonantum, Newton Highlands, Waban, West Newton and Wayland. The information is also available online at village-bank.com.

Chamber calls for landmark rules changeThe Newton City Council is considering a temporary ban on landmarking historic buildings in order to rethink the current rules.

Historic landmarking is the highest level of historic preservation and places sig-nificant restrictions on what a building owner can do to the property that extends far beyond cosmetic changes. Yet under current regulations, any individual city councilor can nominate a property for “urgent” landmarking, while owners are given only two weeks to defend their properties.

That’s exactly what happened to the owners of seven buildings in West Newton, who were left scrambling to comprehend the landmarking rules and then incur the cost of securing legal representation, when freshman City Councilor Julia Malakie filed an “urgent” landmarking request for all seven properties, one day after taking office in January.

“We should all cherish and strive to protect the properties that reflect Newton’s his-tory and sense of place,” said Chamber President Greg Reibman. “But under current rules, any city councilor has the unique power to request ‘urgent’ landmark status. This means no property owner of an older building is safe from having the same “urgent” process foisted upon them.”

The process, Reibman said, needs thoughtful review.“These properties represent critical investments for small property owners and/or

family trusts. This is their livelihood. It’s how they support their families and their retirements. They pay taxes. They deserve the same respect residents deserve.”

Mount Ida Campus to host vet tech degree programUMass Amherst has received approval from the state Department of Higher Ed to offer a new bachelor of science degree in veterinary technology. The new four-year program, which will include two years of study at the university’s Amherst Campus, followed by two years of study at the Mount Ida Campus in Newton, begins this fall.

Current UMass Amherst students have the option to transfer from other animal science majors to veterinary technology this semester. Incoming first-year students will have the option to choose the veterinary technology major beginning in fall 2020. This new degree program represents a re-design of the Mount Ida College veterinary technology program, which UMass Amherst adopted upon the acquisition of the for-mer college’s Newton campus.

“This is the first UMass Amherst degree program designed to incorporate the state-of-the-art facilities at the Mount Ida Campus,” said John J. McCarthy, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. “By leveraging the large animal facilities in Amherst, the small animal facilities in Newton and the career networks in both locations, the program offers veterinary science students a unique and comprehensive academic and professional development experience.”

Students graduating from the bachelor’s degree program will be prepared for a ca-reer as a veterinary technologist working in veterinary clinics or hospitals, assisting in biomedical research or continuing on to graduate school. Hands-on experiences along with diverse internship opportunities will prepare students to graduate into a field in which employment is projected to grow by 19 percent nationally by 2028, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

New sites considered for NewCALNewton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s efforts to find a new location for senior center has shifted to seven potential sites. Last year, Albemarle Field in Newtonville, had been considered for the project which uses the working title, Newton Center for Active Liv-ing, or NewCAL. But Albemarle is no longer considered an option.

Sites considered at a recent meeting include: the Newton Center triangle parking lot; the existing Senior Center location in Newtonville; the former Aquinas Junior College on Jackson Road; West Newton Armory on Washington Street, the Education Center on Walnut Street; the Police Headquarters in West Newton Square and colocation with West Suburban YMCA in Newton Corner.

While older residents have been the building’s primary focus, Fuller would like the “building and the programming to be designed to meet the unique interests and needs of older residents while also opening doors to multi-generational programming when possible and appropriate.”

Send your input to [email protected].

Needham DPW to assist with downtown sidewalk clearance The Needham Department of Public Works has launched a pilot snow clearing program in the downtown business district to help customers and employees better access restaurants, retail stores and other businesses during and immediately after snow storms.

Under the pilot program, the town will deploy snow clearing equipment downtown area during designated snow and ice events. However, commercial business owners, tenants, occupants or agents in charge are still responsible for snow and ice removal as mandated by the Town’s Commercial Property Sidewalk Regulation.

“Snow and ice storms can adversely affect our local business and make it hard for customers to visit the shops and restaurants they rely on,” said Rick Merson, director of Public Works. “Through this pilot program, we’re working with business owners in the downtown area to try to minimize the impact our winter weather plays on their daily operations and make it easier for customers to access their stores.”

As part of the snow clearing pilot, the town purchased a stand-on sidewalk snow vehicle that is more maneuverable than a traditional sidewalk plow. It enables the operator to push through and relocate snow as it goes through difficult snow banks, faster than a push-behind snow blower. The pilot area includes sidewalks on both sides of Great Plain Avenue between Chapel Street and Highland Avenue and sidewalks on both sides of Chapel Street and Highland Avenue between Great Plain Avenue and May Street At the conclusion of the winter season, the program will be evaluated to determine success.

Chamber housing video wins awardA video exploring the devastating impact the region’s housing shortage is having on local employment took home the prize for “best short film” at annual Mass Creator Awards in January. The video was made by the Another Age Productions, a Newton-based production company that specializes in producing corporate videos, television commercials, and original programs for Fortune 500 companies such as TJMaxx and Biogen, in partnership with the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber.

The winning PSA was the centerpiece of the chamber’s campaign to promote both the approval of local housing projects and Gov. Charlie Baker’s Housing Choice Bill. Each year, the Mass Creator Awards honor the best work in television and media throughout the state.


Welcome to the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber

To learn about the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber and membership benefits, call Lise Elcock at 617-244-1864 or

email [email protected]

Beyond BookSmartMerri Minnich

[email protected](844) 337-5455

460 Hillside Avenue, Suite CNeedham, MA 02494

http://www.beyondbooksmart.comProvides one-on-one executive function coach-

ing services for adolescents and adults.

Business ClassSusan Callender


607 Boylston Street, Suite 400-LBoston, MA 02116

https://businessclass.expert

Catalyst Ventures Dev.Darryl Settles


604 Columbus AvenueBoston, MA 02118

https://www.cvdboston.com/Real Estate Developer & Investor.

Curran Antonelli, LLPPeter Antonelli

[email protected](617) 207 8670

177 Huntington Avenue, 17th FloorBoston, MA 02115

http://www.curranantonelli.comLaw firm handling bankruptcy, commercial

litigation, real estate and transactional matters.

Hearthstone HomeBarbara Jones


1038 Great Plain AvenueNeedham, MA 02492

http://hearthstoneneedham.comEnjoy a unique shopping experience at Hearth-

stone Home in Needham Center. Browse in this comfortable at-home setting for upholstered furni-ture, home accents, vases, lamps, throws, mirrors, gifts and more!

Mindfulness Tutoring & ConsultingSusan Alves

(617) 515-5285http://MindfulnessTutoring.com

Mindfulness Tutoring and Consulting provides services in three areas:

Tutoring (Homework Support, SAT and ACT Preparation, Writing Support);

Consulting for individual professionals and businesses (Enhancing verbal and written com-munication);

Educational Advocacy (Partnering with families for a variety of school-related tasks).

myHRpeeps LLCSusan Flinn


http://www.myHRpeeps.commyHRpeeps aspires to be your most trusted HR

Advisor. We work with companies of all shapes and sizes in multiply industries. In addition, to our HR Expertise we are now offering One Stop Solution to complement our HR Service Offerings for our clients to have us handle their Payroll, Benefits and Compliance needs.

Newton DentistryRoland Vanaria DDS


73 Lexington Street, Suite 204Newton, MA 02466

http://www.newtondentistryma.comNewton Dentistry is a general, cosmetic, pedi-

atric, emergency, implant, and sedation dentistry practice. The dental clinic also serves patients in Waltham, Waban, and Auburndale.

Penzo ConsultingMichael Penzo


http://www.penzoconsulting.comEnvironmental Consultant Sole Practitioner

offering Massachusetts LSP services, Hydrogeologi-cal Services. Environmental Site Assessment and Remediation Services. Our clients include but are not limited to Law Firms; Financial Institutions; Real Estate Developers, and other environmental consulting firms.

SMR Consulting, Inc.Andrew Cohen

[email protected]

One Gateway Center, Suite 508Newton, MA 02458http://www.smr.us

The outsourced IT department for your busi-ness. We strive to provide world-class IT support to businesses of all sizes, no matter your technical challenges.

Soma Physical Therapy Jim Reutenik


220 Reservoir Street, #32Needham, MA 02494

https://somaptandrehab.com/We strive to provide holistic care using hands

on, one‑on‑one, individualized treatments. We em-power you to be an active contributor in the healing process through continued communication, educa-tion, and the integration of self‑care exercises. Our mission is to treat the root of the problem; getting you back to what you love.

Tandem Care AssociatesDaniel Forbes


30 Nagog Park, Suite 201Acton, MA 01720

http://www.tandemcareassociates.comTandem Care Associates was founded in 2017

with the goal of improving the lives we touch through the compassionate delivery of quality client-centered care and a holistic family approach. Our unique style of service is delivered by highly-trained caregivers with specialized knowledge of those suffering from memory care issues and a Tan-dem Care management model for close oversight of our clients? changing needs. We strive to provide clients with a consistent team of experienced care-givers who help them stay healthier and happier in their own home.

TOURIT, LLCShane Cullen


https://tourit.worldInnovative marketing content for your space.

Virtual Tours, Interactive Storytelling, and Aerial Photo and Video. TOURIT is designed to take new and emerging technologies and integrate them into your marketing strategy. From Real Estate, to Res-taurants, to Art Exhibits and Recruitment we are always looking to expand out solutions to industry professionals looking to showcase their spaces.

TWOB Office MaidsMaria Paola


153 Rumford AvenueAuburndale, MA 02466

http://www.twobofficemaids.comTWOB Office Maids is a division of The Women

of Boston. We Specialize in cleaning offices of any kind. We use safe products and get the job done.

WorkbarBobby Murphy


399 Boylston Street, 6th FloorBoston, MA 02116

http://www.workbar.comWorkbar is coworking designed for you, right

where you need it. Productive office space for companies of all sizes, downtown and down the street from home.

Happy Anniversary

30+ YearsNixon Insurance Agency (80 years)

Anchor Insurance Group, Inc. (65 years)Veterans Taxi (56 years)

Newton Plaza Hotel Boston (48 years)WCVB-TV (48 years)

Petrini Corporation (48 years)Legal Sea Foods (44 years)

Newton-Wellesley Hospital (43 years)Schlesinger and Buchbinder, LLP (41 years)

North Hill (36 years)

20 YearsAD-Vantage, Inc.

10 YearsFox and Hounds Properties

5 YearsBlue on Highland

Family ACCESS of NewtonFirstLight Home Care of West Suburban

BostonGoldfish Swim School Goldman Law Group

Golin Web DesignGreentail Table

Intrum Real Estate Management and De-velopment

Kim M. Rubin Attorney at LawLimmudBoston

Rancatore’s Ice Cream and YogurtSOAR 55

SolarOne Solutions, Inc.

Member Anniversaries in March and April1 Year

Adriana Kopinja PhotographyAzimuth Psychological

BaramorBay State Physical Therapy

Gibson|Sotheby’s International Real Estate - Parker|Sammut

Betsy Millane RealtorBurbspace

Cherkas Home ImprovementColliers International Boston

Conviser Property GroupCorkin Insurance Agency Inc

Craft Beer Cellar - NewtonEngel & Völkers - Newton

Excel IPFaun Zarge

Highland Financial GroupHipstitch

Hopsters Brewing CompanyHouse of Tandoor

Hyde Community CenterJiffy

Juice PlusLindamood Bell Learning Processes

Mothers Out Front Needham Living Magazine

New Year’s NeedhamNewton Community Farm

Orchard Park RealtyPEX Health and Fitness

PuroClean of NatickRemember Productions

Steinfeld CommunicationsSteward Needham Primary Care

Team ID RealtyTennant Lubell, LLC

The Station DinerVeterinary Emergency Group

Victoria Regia BridalWaterstone Advisors, LLC


Ordering is easy — just visit us at wegmans.com/parties, or stop in and talk with one of our Catering team members

at your Wegmans store. 200 Boylston Street • Newton, MA 02467 • 617.762.2000

Barbara, Patient

HEALTHCARE:

A BETTER WAY STARTS HERENWH.org

Dora Tavel-Sanchez LuzProprietress, Farmhouse and Buttercup

Investing in our community; Investing in your business’ success.

We were impressed by the bank’s community involvement. They are very approachable and extremely hands-on. So when it came time to expand, Needham Bank was a natural financing choice for us.

“ “

At Needham Bank we’re committed to helping your business succeed. Experience a one-on-one banking relationship and the latest in banking tools and technology that will take your business to the next level. To learn more about the Needham Bank business banking experience, visit NeedhamBank.com or call Senior Vice President, Commercial & Industrial Lending Team Leader, Larry Pitman at 781-474-5948.

MEMBER FDIC | | MEMBER SIF


Documents

NEWTON-NEEDHAM REGIONAL CHAMBER INBUSINESSNewton-Needham Regional Chamber 281 Needham Street, Upper Level Newton, MA 02464 PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 19316 NEWTON, MA