17 growing Mass. firms named winners of MassEcon Impact Awards

Watertown, MA MassEcon, the state’s private sector partner in promoting business growth in Massachusetts,  today announced its Twelfth Annual Team Massachusetts Economic Impact Award winners, recognizing 17 companies for their outstanding contributions to the Massachusetts economy. The companies were selected on the basis of job growth, facility expansion, investment, and community involvement since Jan. 1, 2014. The winners – three from each of the state’s five geographic regions, plus two Community Heroes – will be honored at a luncheon on Nov. 24, 2015, with an address by governor Charles Baker. The luncheon will be at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, with Citizens Bank as presenting sponsor. The winning companies (listed below), including the two “Community Heroes,” were selected after site visits and a reception with their competitors and judges at Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP. MassEcon will also be recognizing Massport as a Global Leader for the impact on the regional economy created by Logan Airport’s 46 nonstop flights to international destinations. “These awards are a great recognition of the diverse and growing business community throughout the Commonwealth,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash. “We look forward to our continued partnerships with the business community to foster meaningful private sector investment and growth.” “MassEcon is honored to celebrate these companies for their commitment to Massachusetts,” said Susan Houston, executive director of MassEcon. “Their investment and job growth  stimulates benefits in all regions of the Commonwealth, and we are excited to publicly acknowledge the achievements of these outstanding corporate citizens.” “Supporting the MassEcon Impact Awards is part of Citizens Bank’s commitment to strengthening communities where we live and work,” said Quincy Miller, president, Citizens Bank, Massachusetts. “The Impact Awards recognize and congratulate diverse businesses that are thriving because they have invested in Massachusetts by creating jobs for its citizens.” Community Heroes: Jack’s Abby (Framingham) and Microtek (Chicopee) Global Leader: Massport ABOUT MASSECON MassEcon, founded in 1993, is a non-profit, non-partisan entity that serves as the state’s private sector partner in promoting Massachusetts as the premier choice for business growth.  Its services include the state’s only Site Selection Service – including the online ReadyMass 100 portfolio - which helps expanding and relocating companies find a home in the Commonwealth; the Research & Information Service, which provides companies with the information they need to evaluate the Commonwealth as a location to grow; and the Massachusetts Ambassadors, a network of civic and corporate leaders who help market Massachusetts as a place to do business. www.massecon.com.  About the Winning Companies Gold Award winners for each region: TripAdvisor of Needham, Greater Boston – TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website that allows users to find travel and planning tips, invested $135 million in its new headquarters. The 282,000 s/f in Needham accommodates 385 new employees with high-end amenities. www.tripadvisor.com GE Healthcare of Marlborough, Central – GE Healthcare Life Sciences, which sells bioreactors, diagnostic tools, and other gear for biotech drug manufacturing, relocated two New Jersey sites to combine with a Massachusetts operation to create its United States headquarters in Marlborough. GE Healthcare invested $27 million in a 210,000 s/f and added 250 jobs.  www.gehealthcare.com Aspen Technology of Bedford, Northeast – Aspen Technology produces process optimization software for manufacturing and employs 225 people in Massachusetts. The company consolidated its locations in Burlington, Mass., and Nashua, N.H., to invest $12.9 million in 140,000 s/f in Bedford.  www.aspentech.com Joseph Abboud Manufacturing of New Bedford, Southeast – Founded in 1929, Joseph Abboud manufactures men’s clothing, from sportswear to formalwear, in New Bedford. The company invested $9 million in 59,500 s/f and added 240 new jobs. www.josephabboud.com Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing of Lee, Western Massachusetts – Located in 40,000 s/f in Lee, Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing works to provide the safest sterile drug products for clinical use and small-scale requirements. The company invested $10 million in the expansion and created 13 jobs. www.berkshiresterilemanufacturing.com Silver and Bronze Award winners: Greater Boston Baxalta of Cambridge, Silver – Baxalta is a global biopharmaceutical leader developing, manufacturing and commercializing therapies for orphan diseases and underserved conditions in hematology, oncology and immunology. Following a multi-national search, Baxalta chose Cambridge as the hub of its Global Innovation Center The company occupies 206,000 s/f and invested nearly $30 million. Baxalta plans to hire 500 people by the end of 2015. www.baxalta.com Carbonite of Boston, Bronze – Carbonite, a cloud-based security company, invested more than $8 million in its 53,000 s/f expansion in Boston’s Downtown Crossing. The company added nearly 300 new employees. www.carbonite.com Central Great Wolf Lodge of Fitchburg, Silver – Great Wolf Lodge is a national resort company that has located its newest facility in Fitchburg. The company renovated and added a 40,000 s/f waterpark to an existing under-utilized facility. The expansion investment totaled $68.5 million and helped to create 505 new jobs. www.greatwolf.com SanDisk of Marlborough, Bronze – Headquartered in California, flash storage device company SanDisk consolidated from Westford to a 60,000 s/f in Marlborough, hired 38 new employees, and invested $16 million. www.sandisk.com Northeast Southwick of Haverhill, Silver – Owned by Brooks Brothers, Southwick manufactures tailored men and women’s clothing. To accommodate the company’s rapid growth, Southwick invested $6.5 million for a 140,000 s/f expansion and created 60 new jobs in Haverhill. www.southwick.com Energi of Peabody, Bronze – Energi, based in Peabody, is one of the 10 fastest growing companies in Massachusetts, specializing in providing risk management and insurance solutions to energy companies. Energi created 35 new jobs and invested $1.8 million its 42,000 s/f space. www.energi.com Southeast LaFrance Hospitality of Wareham, Silver – LaFrance Hospitality operates hotels, function facilities and dining operations, choosing Wareham to augment its other Massachusetts locations. The company invested $10 million in a 60,000 s/f expansion and created 33 new jobs. www.lafrancehospitality.com South Shore Millwork of Norton, Bronze – Since 1991, South Shore Millwork has been New England’s premier luxury architectural millwork provider for high-end commercial and residential sites. The company invested $7 million in a 47,000 s/f expansion in Norton and added 17 jobs. www.southshoremillwork.com Western Massachusetts Kennametal of Greenfield, Silver – Kennametal’s Greenfield location manufactures high-speed steel blanks and custom solution taps. The facilities were renovated to accommodate 70 more employees and more equipment. Kennametal invested $4.2 million for a 140,000 s/f expansion. www.kennametal.com Mohawk Fine Papers of South Hadley, Bronze – Mohawk Fine Papers, a manufacturer of fine papers and envelopes, a fourth-generation family-owned company based in New York, expanded in South Hadley with $2.5 million invested in 112,342 s/f facility and created 19 jobs  in its first Massachusetts location. www.mohawkconnects.com Community Heroes Awards: Jack’s Abby Brewing Company of Framingham – Framingham brewing company Jack’s Abby began with three brothers who enjoyed making home-brewed beer. Now the company has invested nearly $6 million in a 67,000 s/f expansion and plans to have 35 new employees by the end of 2015.  Its presence is a critical component in the revival of downtown Framingham.  www.jacksabby.com Microtek of Chicopee – Founded in 1983 with the mission to provide employment to individuals with disabilities in an integrated business setting, Microtek provides custom cable and wire configurations for equipment used in the medical, scientific and security industries worldwide. Since January 1, 2014, the company expanded by 32,000 s/f and increased its employee count by 35. Today, 10 percent of its workforce is comprised of disabled individuals.  Microtek invested $2 million in the Chicopee facility and $300,000 in systems. www.microtek-cables.com For more information, please contact: Annie O’Connell, MassEcon communications director at aoconnell@massecon.com