On November 6th, 2013, the Somerville Chamber of Commerce hosted local businesses and community leaders at the Somerville Holiday Inn for the 67th Annual Dinner, sponsored by the Bunker Hill Community College and East Cambridge Savings Bank. As active members in the Somerville community and CRE market, several of ABG’s agents were in attendance to enjoy this exciting evening.
The highlight of the evening was the keynote speech. The speech was delivered by John Harthorne , founder and CEO of MassChallenge. He spoke about the journey that he went through while starting MassChallenge, beginning with his exit from Bain Company to the launch of MassChallenge. Mr. Harthorne’s MassChallenge, a startup accelerator and competition, has created somewhat of a “startup renaissance” in the Great Boston Area over the last several years.
In addition to the dinner, the 2013 Powderhouse Awards for excellence in business and economic categories were given out. Here is the list:
- Green Business Award – Greentown Labs
- Business Neighbor of the Year – Flatbread Company
- Small Business of the Year – Brooklyn Boulders
- Non Profit of the Year – Walnut Street Center
- Excellence in Public Service – Somerville Fire Department
- Excellence in Dining & Nightlife – Johnny D’s Uptown Restaurant & Music Club
- Distinguished Service to the Chamber – Rod Laurenz, Laurenz Financial
- Excellence in Economic Development – John Harthorne, MassChallenge
- John W. Fitzgerald Lifetime Achievement Award – Thomas Patrick Bent
We would like to thank the Somerville Chamber of Commerce for making this event possible, by helping keep the tradition alive. It has become a valuable tradition within the Somerville community, and ABG Realty is glad to be a part of it year after year.