In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.
These five things can cover a whole range of subjects and issues that we feel are pertinent to understanding what’s going on in the city and the cities and towns surrounding Worcester.
In today’s edition – January 7, 2021 – District 1 City Councilor Sean Rose will hold weekly virtual office hours starting Saturday, BBB recognizes two Worcester County businesses, the Innovation Institute issues ‘Connect Tech’ challenge, ArtsWorcester issues a call for art, and Anna Maria to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
Worcester City Councilor Hosts Weekly Virtual Office Hours
Worcester City Councilor for District 1, Sean Rose, will hold weekly office starting on Saturday, January 9, hosted virtually on Zoom.
Rose will discuss topics submitted by residents of the district prior to the end of the business day each Thursday.
To submit a topic of interest or register to attend, residents may email [email protected] and include your name and address.
The meeting will be held from 10 AM until noon each Saturday.
BBB Recognizes Two Worcester County Businesses
The Better Business Bureau [BBB] of Central New England announced Polar Beverages in Worcester and Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon as two of three winners of its 2020 Awards for Marketplace Excellence.
The Awards celebrate businesses in BBB Central New England service area that epitomize corporate responsibility that uphold the ethical standards of the Better Business Bureau.
Polar Beverages is the largest independent soft-drink bottler in the United States. The fourth-generation family-owned business was founded in Worcester in 1882. Dunn & Bradstreet reports the company’s annual revenue at $396 million in 2020.
Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon, founded in 1963, has grown to become home to over 850 exotic animals from around the world. It is privately owned by the Brewer family and does not receive federal, state or local funding of any kind.
Valet Park of America in Springfield was the third award recipient.
Massachusetts Innovators Wanted For ‘Connect Tech’ Challenge
The Innovation Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and Lever have announced the Connect Tech Innovation Challenge, the fourth in a series of innovation accelerator programs to identify and grow innovative solutions to challenges presented by COVID-19.
The Connect Tech Innovation Challenge will focus on entrepreneurs and start-ups. Entrepreneurs will complete a six-week acceleration program to develop and grow COVID-inspired innovations that have potential to spark economic recovery and strengthen the flow of goods, services, and information. The Connect Tech innovations developed will enhance resiliency against future disruptions in industries including ecommerce, manufacturing, digital health, fintech, and edtech.
The program culminates with a final pitch competition on April 9th, where a panel of expert judges will award $40,000 to the winning startup-up and $10,000 to the runner up.
Applications are now open to Massachusetts-based companies that are less than two years old, have less than $500,000 in annual revenue, and are developing products or services that focus on “connection technologies.”
Applications are due on February 19 and finalists will be selected by February 26th.
Visit the Innovation Institute website for more information.
ArtsWorcester Call for Art
ArtsWorcester announces a call for art for Inside Voices: A Members’ Exhibition in partnership with the Fitchburg Art Museum [FAM].
This is the ninth “Call and Response” collaboration between ArtsWorcester and FAM.
The call for art is informed by a selection of ten works from the Museum’s permanent collection that are loaned to ArtsWorcester, to be exhibited in ArtsWorcester’s main galleries at 44 Portland Street.
Current ArtsWorcester membership is required to submit. All work must be registered online. The deadline is Friday, February 26, 2021.
Visit the ArtsWorcester website for more information and registration information.
Anna Maria College Turns 75 in 2021
Anna Maria College will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2021 with many community events and programs.
The events will culminate in the annual Service and Success Gala where the Presidential Award for exhibiting Anna Maria’s mission and values will be awarded to selected alumni and friends of the College.
The Sisters of St. Anne established Anna Maria College on April 23, 1946 in Marlborough and decided to offer additional access to higher education in the region. Anna Maria’s success enabled the College to move to Paxton in 1951 and become a co-educational institution in 1974.
Anna Maria offers undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs both on ground and online with over 1500 students currently enrolled.
Lead image courtesy: EDITED – Anna Maria College/Facebook
