In November, the Metro South Chamber of Commerce held its 110th Annual Meeting & Expo in celebration of 110 years of fostering economic vitality and businesses working together for the future of the Metro South region.
Over 400 members of the business community and more than 30 exhibiting businesses gathered to make new connections and renew existing ones, hear from our inspiring guest speaker Anthony Everett, anchor, WCVB Channel 5, “Chronicle”, and recognize individuals and businesses for their service to the region, all while enjoying a delicious meal curated by Chef Charles Hermann, Culinary Institute of America at the Multipurpose Auditorium at Adult & Teen Challenge in Brockton.
We are thankful to have the opportunity to partner with lead sponsors South Shore Bank, UMass Donahue Institute, and Bridgewater State University; supporting sponsors JM Pet Resort and OpenCape Corporation; and contributing sponsors & community partners: North Easton Savings Bank, OCES – Old Colony Elder Services, Eastern Bank, BinStar, Brockton Area Transit Authority, Hutcheon’s Flowers & Homes-McDuffy Florist, The Enterprise of Brockton, Brewster Ambulance, Concord Foods, Brockton Community Access, Adult & Teen Challenge Massachusetts, and the New Heights Charter School ensemble.
Photos courtesy of Rich Morgan Photography – visit us on flickr to view the full photo album. Missed the event? Don’t worry, we recorded it for you – thanks BCA!
2023 Economic Impact Award Recipients
The Metro South Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to honor ten local businesses whose economic contributions have significantly benefitted the region. These businesses have impacted Metro South by creating jobs and adding to the rich business culture by providing valuable products, resources, and services to help our region thrive. Whether small entrepreneurs or large institutions, the following businesses are recognized for their investments and contributions to the economic development of the Metro South region.
1. Ann’s Palace
277 Main Street, Brockton | (508) 857-1679
Ann’s Palace is a 23,000 square foot luxury function hall, venue, and lounge newly opened in downtown Brockton. The multifunctional hall at 277 Main St. gives partygoers a kiss of the tropics with murals of key historical places in Haiti with Romantic chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Their full kitchen and bar can fit over 2,000 people standing and 800 seated. Clients can request cuisine from Cape Verde, Haiti, Italy, China – whatever you’re in the mood for.
2. Binstar
20 Stockwell Drive, Avon | (508) 835-8247
BinStar is New England’s destination for a fun & sustainable shopping experience. BinStar opened its flagship store and distribution center in Avon, MA in June of 2023 where owner Jack Laughlin invested $500,000 in a 17,000 sq ft. retail location that employees 23 and has brought 22 additional jobs to the region. BinStar’s first-of-its-kind retail experience provides high-quality retail returns to its customers at high-value prices. BinStar saves returns, which frequently end up in landfills, and delivers a unique, treasure-hunt experience for its customers. So far, BinStar has saved over 100 tons of retail products from landfills. Their hours are Monday – Saturday, 10am-8pm and Sunday 10am-6pm. Starting wages for associates is $18/hour.
3. Bridgewater Credit Union, a Division of Merrimack Valley Credit Union
1095 Washington Street, Hanover | (800) 356-0067
Founded in 1955, Merrimack Valley Credit Union (MVCU) is a state-chartered community and employer-based credit union with more than $2.3 billion in assets. The corporate office is located in Lawrence, MA with 19 locations in Amesbury, Bridgewater, Brookline, Danvers, Dorchester, Fairhaven, Haverhill, Hanover, Lawrence, Marlborough, Methuen, North Andover, Plymouth, Quincy, Tewksbury, Waltham, Worchester. MVCU currently serves more than 115,000 members, primarily in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. MVCU also serves more than 1,100 employer groups, including two major Massachusetts employers, Raytheon Technologies and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. MVCU offers a wide range of savings and loan products, commercial services and digital banking to meet the financial needs of a growing member base. This award is in recognition of Bridgewater Credit Union’s $2.1 million investment in the new branch located at 1095 Washington Street (RT 53) in Hanover, where four new full-time jobs have been created.
4. Brockton Housing Authority
45 Goddard Road, Brockton | (508) 588-6880
Brockton Housing Authority recently took on numerous projects to bring their existing properties up to date and future-ready. These improvements are making BHA infrastructure more sound, more comfortable, and more energy efficient for residences that will provide benefits for decades to come. Projects spanned ADA upgrades to roof replacements including 4 Abington Housing Authority Capital projects, 12 BHA State Capital projects, and 32 BHA Federal Capital Fund projects.
5. Cabo Vegan
20 Main Street, Brockton | (508) 638-8333
What began as a small catering venture out of couple Tomé Andrade and Valery Teixeira’s home has developed into Brockton’s first of its kind downtown storefront where they prepare and sell traditional Cape Verdean food with a twist – it’s 100% plant-based. The duo started the business three years ago when one of their dishes went viral on Facebook and launched their business almost overnight. At Cabo Vegan Restaurant and Market, you can find veganized pastels and cachupa, as well as New England favorites like BBQ sliders, toasted “lobster-less rolls” made with heart of palm, and “chuna rolls” made with chickpeas! Their dining area is adorned with beautiful murals by Yellow Leaf Design depicting tropical Cape Verde scenery, as well as an abundance of living plants bringing a sense of calmness and healing energy to the Cabo Vegan experience.
6. Healthier You Wellness Partners
340 Pleasant Street, Brockton | (508) 583-1157
Healthier You Wellness Partners provides state-of-the-art health and wellness services to Massachusetts residents in a wide range of settings including their newly purchased headquarters at 340 Pleasant Street, Brockton and through their recently expanded Healthier You family of companies. The Healthier You Adult Foster Care (HY – AFC) Program provides valuable caring assistance to adults 16 years and older who, because of illness, weakness, disability, or advanced age, cannot live safely at home alone. This program is designed for those who do not require constant 24-hour monitoring but do need a significant amount of daily assistance. Many of Healthier You’s Adult Foster Care clients receive care at no cost and is funded by MassHealth’s AFC program, which provides a stipend per day for personal care services. Healthier You provides the region with 35 jobs while also making community volunteer work a priority – Healthier You has worked on projects with Father Bill’s & MainSpring, Servants of Hope food pantry, and Sharing is Caring for refugee awareness.
7. “McElwain School Apartments” | 242-250 Main Street, Bridgewater
Capstone Communities (617) 539-6492
MPZ Development (617) 645-3534
Capstone Communities and MPZ Development joined the Town of Bridgewater to reimagine the McElwain School Apartments, a new mixed-income housing apartment community located at 242-250 Main Street, just outside Bridgewater’s vibrant town center and bustling Route 28 corridor. The project spans 75,000 sq ft/3.7 acres, created 60 construction and 2 permanent jobs, and an investment of $29.2M. The McElwain School Apartments provides a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments totaling 57 units, 51 of which are affordable in perpetuity. The site contains three buildings – the historic McElwain School was converted to 16 apartments; a new 38-unit Passive Housing building; and a three family Greek Revival home was rehabilitated. The site includes a whimsical steampunk sculpture designed by local artist Bruce Rosenbaum, a public nature-themed playground, a community room available to the Bridgewater community, and a resident fitness center. The project utilized local, state, and federal affordable housing and historic resources. Both companies specialize in public/private partnerships to construct mixed-income, adaptive reused apartment communities. The Town of Bridgewater contributed over $1.2M in Community Preservation Act resources. The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities provided significant resources and the Massachusetts Housing Partnership is the $5M+ permanent loan lender.
8. Porter and Chester Institute
609 Belmont Street, Brockton | (774) 360-8300
Porter & Chester Institute has come to the great City of Champions at 609 Belmont Street, Brockton! Career education and training at Porter & Chester’s Brockton campus is designed to give students the technical skills needed to become a valued employee in today’s competitive workforce. Drawing from Easton, Bridgewater, Whitman, Avon, Abington, Stoughton and other surrounding towns, Porter & Chester Institute offers career training programs in the fields of automotive (automotive technology), computers (computer aided drafting and design, computer and network technology), trades (career industrial, commercial, and residential electrician; HVACR [heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration]), healthcare (dental assisting, medical assisting), and more online program options.
9. Rockland Recovery Behavioral Health
374 Old Post Road, Sharon | (855) 430-0191
Rockland Recovery Treatment Centers expanded their service area this year when they opened a new location at 374 Old Post Road in Sharon, Rockland Recovery Behavioral Health. With sober living locations in Weymouth, Dorchester, and Rockland, their new facility offers a range of different
therapies. Rockland Recovery treats mental health conditions in an outpatient level of care. They offer day treatment, an intensive outpatient program (IOP), and an alumni program. Rockland Recovery has gender-specific treatment for various mental health conditions, along with specialized tracks for stress, self-harm, and more. They have a trauma-informed approach to treatment and tailor recovery to each client’s unique needs.
10. South Shore Bank
1280 Belmont Street, Brockton | (781) 682-3715
South Shore Bank, established more than one hundred eighty years ago, is a mutual bank headquartered in Weymouth with sixteen locations including its newest branch on Belmont Street in the city of Brockton. The new branch located in Michael’s Plaza is a modern facility featuring a virtual face-to-face attendant in addition to a dynamic team of community-based bankers led by Marina Oliveira, Banking Center Officer. South Shore Bank recently joined forces with Dedham Savings Bank and has grown into one of the largest mutual banks south of Boston. With a combined deposit size of more than four billion dollars and twenty-five branches, South Shore Bank’s recent addition of the Brockton branch has also produced numerous grants to local non-profit organizations and the creation of a new Metro South Leadership program designed to foster familiarization, greater knowledge and an expanded network for new and emerging leaders within the community. South Shore Bank is led by Bank president and CEO, Jim Dunphy.