Business

Charles River Chamber Hosting Event in Watertown, Welcomed 450 at Fall Business Breakfast

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The Charles River Regional Chamber hosted a big crowd at the annual Fall Business Breakfast last week, and will be in Watertown next week for a morning of coffee and networking at a local fitness studio. On Friday, Nov. 15, the Chamber will be at Fly Together Fitness from 8:30-9:30 a.m. The fitness studio is located at 100 Parker St. The event is free and open to members and future members. The Chamber provided the following details:

Enjoy morning conversations over coffee while networking with local professionals at the brand-new Fly Together Fitness studio in the heart of Watertown.

Business

Preserving Tradition: Watertown Woman Turned Her Family’s Passion for Jams Into a Business

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Hanna Opdahl sells her homemade jams and preserves at the Watertown Farmers Market, at other markets, and online. (Contributed Photo)

Jams and jellies run in the family. Or at least, they do for Hanna Opdahl, Watertown resident and owner of Berry Mari and Belle. 

What began as a hobby shared by Hanna and her mother, Marianne, is now a small business that crafts and sells small batch novelty jams, jellies, and marmalades. 

“I grew up jamming, canning, and gardening with my parents and I loved it,” said Hanna. “My mom is an incredible cook and is always coming up with fun experimental recipes and flavors.”  

Originally from Oregon, Hanna relocated to Watertown a little over three years ago after accepting a job offer in Boston. “It was a little bit of a scary jump, but I was very excited to come out here.

Business

Warby Parker Opening in Arsenal Yards This Weekend

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The latest store opening at Arsenal Yards is Warby Parker, and the store will have a grand opening on Saturday. See details in the announcement from Arsenal Yards below. Just in time for early holiday shopping, Warby Parker’s new Arsenal Yards location will make it easier for our Watertown and greater Middlesex County customers to access all their eye care needs in one place. The perfect destination to get ahead of your holiday shopping, Arsenal Yards will carry the brand’s full assortment of optical and sun offerings (including our latest Entro collection), our brand of daily contact lenses Scout by Warby Parker, gift cards, eyewear accessories, in addition to third-party contacts and in-store eye exams. 

Customers can also use their FSA/HSA dollars towards prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses (including blue-light-filtering, anti-fatigue, light-responsive, and progressive lenses) as well as contact lenses, readers, and eye exams.

On opening day, Saturday, October 26th, customers will receive a special Warby Parker tote with purchase.

Business

Watertown Resident Named Woman to Watch by MassCPAs

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Tracy Noga

Watertown resident Tracy Noga, PhD, CPA, was selected as a 2024 Women to Watch Award winner by the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants (MassCPAs), the professional association of certified public accountants, representing over 11,500 members. The awards recognize women who have made outstanding contributions to the accounting profession, their communities, their firms or companies and to the development of women as leaders.  

Noga, professor and accounting department chair at Bentley University, is one of seven women selected to receive a 2024 Women to Watch Award. She is being honored in the Experienced Leader category, reserved for women with more than 15 years of experience in accounting. Awards are also presented in the Emerging Leader category, which is reserved for women with fewer than 15 years of experience in the profession. 

“MassCPAs is proud to recognize these exceptional women for their outstanding contributions to the accounting profession and their communities,” said Zach Donah, CAE, president and CEO of MassCPAs. “Tracy’s leadership and dedication have made a significant impact on our industry, and we’re excited to celebrate her achievements.” 

Noga brings over 25 years of diverse accounting experience to her role as a leader in academia and professional practice.

Business

2 Life Science Companies Sign Leases at Galen Street Building

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Elkus Manfredi ArchitectsA view from Water Street of the life sciences building at 66 Galen St. A prominent life science building on Galen Street Watertown has signed two tenants, developers announced on Friday. LifeMine Therapeutics will lease the fourth floor of 66 Galen, a 225,000 sq. ft. life science lab building on the Southside of Watertown.

Business

Watertown Store Named 2024 Mass Save Climate Leader

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The Sponsors of Mass Save® announced the 2024 Mass Save Climate Leaders. This distinguished recognition honors 19 entities across Massachusetts for their ongoing efforts to curb energy use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and guide the Commonwealth to a net-zero future. One Watertown store made the list. The 2024 Mass Save Climate Leaders represent a range of industries and sectors including museums, grocery, education, healthcare, hospitality, municipalities, and more. Each honoree has shown a deep commitment to addressing the climate crisis by taking significant measures toward a sustainable future through energy efficient upgrades.  

The 2024 cohort of Climate Leaders is helping Massachusetts lead the nation in energy efficiency and meet the Healey-Driscoll administration’s ambitious 2050 climate goals by reducing environmental impacts and lowering energy costs. Each honoree exemplifies how environmentally conscious actions drive economic success and a positive climate future for the Commonwealth. 

The 2024 Mass Save Climate Leaders are: 

Acton-Boxborough Regional School District 

Berkshire Family YMCA 

BioMed Realty 

Boston College 

Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program 

Bristol Community College 

BXP 

City of Boston 

City of Melrose 

Fitchburg Art Museum 

Hampton Inn & Suites Cape Cod – West Yarmouth 

Häns Kissle 

Mass General Brigham – Martha’s Vineyard Hospital 

Moderna, Inc. 

Munters Corporation 

Roche Bros.

Business

Belle’s Burgers Takes Over Wild Willy’s Spot in Watertown

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Belle’s Burgers announces it will take over the Wild Willy’s location in Watertown. (Photo from Belle’s Burgers’ Facebook page)

A favorite spot for burgers in Watertown will continue to be a burger joint, but will have a new brand. Wild Willy’s has become Belle’s Burgers and Ice Cream. Belle’s promoted the change on its Facebook page (formerly the Wild Willy’s Watertown page) saying that they will have “Same Great Food, Same Great Staff.” The Wild Willy’s website has a message saying that the restaurant at 46 Arsenal Street is no longer affiliated with Wild Willy’s.

Business

Culture Pop Soda Leasing Part of Former Sasaki Building on Pleasant Street

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The building at 64 Pleasant Street in Watertown has been redeveloped into lab and life sciences space. (Photo by SGA)

The following announcement was provided by Berkeley Investments:

Berkeley Investments (Berkeley) recently announced that Culture Pop Soda, a rapidly growing functional soda brand, will be leasing over 6,000 square feet of space in the company’s 64 Pleasant Street development in Watertown, Massachusetts. 

Culture Pop joins current tenant Via Separations, a growing clean tech startup, which signed a lease for more than 50,000 square feet of Class A lab space last year. Situated along the Charles River in Watertown, 64 Pleasant was recently redeveloped by Berkeley into a dynamic new hub of innovative companies, and was recently the location chosen by Governor Maura Healey to promote her climate tech Initiative investment of $1.3 billion, from the headquarters of Via Separations. “We’re excited to relocate our offices to 64 Pleasant Street in Watertown,” says Tom First, Founder and CEO of Culture Pop Soda and co-founder of Nantucket Nectars. “This building’s rich history of innovation, research and product development is a perfect fit for our brand.