Tocci Building Corp recently hosted our March Network gathering at their headquarters in the charmingly restored Guastavino Tile Factory. It was a wonderful event with great food and conversation. Everyone was treated to an informative discussion regarding the historical significance of the Woburn Public Library’s architecture and the design dilemmas presented when planning the upcoming expansion. We had several raffle winners for the Joe’s American Bar & Grill gift cards as well as for tickets to the upcoming Library fundraiser.

On April 14th, the Library Foundation will be hosting an evening with Anthony Amore, author of The Art Of The Con and the Head of Security and Chief Investigator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum since 2005. Mr. Amore will regale the audience with tales of daring art thefts and scams that cost millions. Described as an “engrossing read about brazen, artful scams through fakes and forgeries,” The Art of the Con (available for sale the night of the event) uses Amore’s decades of experience as a security expert to reveal true-crime stories of art gallery grifters who reap millions from unsuspecting dealers and collectors.

For the first time ever, framed and matted prints of paintings from the Woburn Public Library’s collection will be for sale as part of the evening’s silent auction. There will be drawings, Woburn students’ interpretations of paintings from the Library’s collection, and light refreshments with a cash bar.

The Foundation would like to thank the Event Sponsor – Lawton Real Estate, Inc. – and additional sponsors – Janis Research Company, LLC, Massachusetts Independent Bankers Association, Paul J. Lennon, DDS, and Tocci Building Companies- for their generous donations.

Tickets are $10.00 before the event and are available for purchase at the Woburn Public Library’s main desk. At the door, tickets will be $15.00.

For more information, please emailinfo.wplfoundation@gmail.com

Join us for our “Welcome Spring” Network Gathering at the Landscape Express Design Showroom on Wednesday, April 13th.

woburn-showroom-inside-1

Greg Kaknes and the Landscape Express team are very proud of their new design showroom. As you can see, there is a lot to be proud of with tons of amazing design ideas for your outdoor spaces. Please join us and for this great business networking opportunity and who knows, you may even find some inspiration to make the most of your outdoor space too.

woburn-showroom-inside-4

Please RSVP soon out of consideration for our hosts.

Catering will be provided by Revolution Catering.

A fund has been established to help the merchants whose storefronts were lost in the massive downtown fire. On Tuesday, March 8th a massive 3 alarm fire devastated a block of businesses in downtown Woburn.
Several local merchants lost everything in their businesses.These are not just businesses but our friends and neighbors who have now lost their sole means of supporting their families.
David Hunt of Woburn has established a fund at TD Bank in Woburn that will be distributed to these merchants so they can continue to pay their rents, mortgages and other living expenses.
100 % of all donations will be divided among the merchants whose businesses were burned out and not able to quickly reopen.
Please help us by also sharing this through your social media! You can donate to help these merchants by sending a check to:
Woburn Downtown Fire Relief Fund
c/o TD Bank 280 Montvale Ave. Woburn, MA 01801
No donation is too big or too small

 

We had a great morning at our recent “Meet Your Local Government Breakfast”. We had many local and state elected officials and officers in attendance as well as lots of Woburn business men and women. The Woburn Chamber of Commerce would like to thank everyone who took time out of their busy schedule to attend and participate in this important biannual event. The morning included an important discussion on the current opiate epidemic facing the Commonwealth. Senator Donnelly spoke of the recent passing of the opioid addiction bill and Woburn’s Substance Abuse Program Coordinator, Richard Jolly was present to answer question and counsel businesses facing this issue. Mayor Galvin emphasized his support and open door for businesses to continue to grow in Woburn. Representative Jim Dwyer and City Council President Rich Haggerty both spoke about their vision for the future of Woburn. All who spoke mentioned their great confidence that Woburn is and will continue to be an important location for business in Massachusetts.

We would also like to give a special thatnks to Frank Vento and his staff at the Crowne plaza for sponsoring and hosting this event. As always, they went above and beyond to make sure all went smoothly.

Pictured above: Frank Vento, Crowne Plaza Woburn and Jim Dwyer, Massachusetts State Representative.

Susan Hartmere is more than a business woman and past president of the Woburn Chamber of Commerce. She is also a humanitarian who travels the world every year with the Rotarians on a “volunteer vacation”. Her most recent travels brought her to Guyana where she helped to build a playground which is handicapped accessible.

We hope you enjoy these great photos of Susan and the beautiful children she met on her trip.

The first one is of a girl who loved to braid (called plaiting) my hair.
hair plaiting
The picture of the baby piranha is of the one I caught in the rainforest’s river.
…baby teeth, with the potential to do some real damage.
piranha's teeth
I just had to include the pan of beans picture. Every meal – even breakfast!
pan of beans
Next, (top of page) there is one of my buddy Charles. He has down syndrome and didn’t speak a word. He waited for our van every morning. When I took a break from the unrelenting sun on the basketball court, he would hang with me. He was fascinated with the pictures on my phone.
Then, there’s one of me painting the outline of a Rotary logo with my finger. Previously, it had been done in the morning with chalk, but rain was in the forecast which would have washed the outlines away. An assortment of different brushes of different widths was not to be had, so, we improvised.
painting lines w finger
Last is one of me and some of the children. They were just so wonderful!
sh & group of children
I hope you enjoy these pictures.
The Woburn Chamber of Commerce would love to hear how you and your business are working to make the world a better place. Do you volunteer, donate, raise money for any special cause? Why is it important to you? When you share your stories with us, we can share them with our readers too.

 

You are invited to Tocci Building Companies— located in the enchantingly restored Guastavino Tile Factory for an evening of networking, hors d’oeuvres, and information. On March 23rd from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. You’ll have an opportunity to tour the building and then hear the latest about Woburn’s most famous historic landmark—the library.

This is a business networking event that you won’t want to miss!

Larry Rideout, Woburn resident, CEO/Owner of Gibson Southeby’s, and president of the Woburn Library Foundation will give a brief presentation about the expansion to bring the business community up to date. Larry and other Foundation Directors will be on hand to answer any questions.

As always, our networking events are free to attend and we welcome you to invite friends and colleagues. Free gift card raffles- don’t forget your business cards! The Woburn Chamber of Commerce hosts monthly free networking events.

Kindly RSVP, it is important for our hosts!

“Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s largest event and the biggest fundraising event in the world. Once you experience Relay For Life, you will never forget it. It is equal parts celebration, remembrance, and taking action against cancer. You will make lifelong friends and you will be forever motivated to make a difference in this cause that affects us all. We hope you can join us at Relay For Life of Woburn on May 21-22, 2016 at Library Park Field! Visit www.relayforlife.org/woburnma to register or learn more.

 

From research to education, prevention to diagnosis, and treatment to recovery, the American Cancer Society provides support to everyone impacted by cancer and envisions a world free from the pain and suffering of cancer. Help us make it happen!”

Pictured above is Meghan Flaherty (with her late parents), Team 64 Captain and 2015 Top Fundraiser. In her own words she explains the significance of Relay For Life,

“I love Relay because it makes me feel both empowered and supported. I participated in my first relay after losing both of my parents to cancer in a short period of time. Not only did Relaying make me feel as though I was making a difference in the battle against this horrible disease, but in the Relay community I found such a supportive network of people who have been through similar experiences as caregivers. Relay is truly an incredible experience that changed my perspective during a time when I needed it most.”