Business

Chamber’s Spring Breakfast Features Monster.com Founder, Non-Profit Panel

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The Charles River Regional Chamber’s Spring Business Breakfast will be on Friday, May 15, 7-9:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Needham. See details in the announcement from the Chamber, below. The Spring Business Breakfast is our annual May gathering of 200+ business, nonprofit, and civic leaders from across Newton, Needham, Watertown, Wellesley, Brookline and the broader region. This year’s keynote speaker is Needham High grad Jeff Taylor, a serial entrepreneur best known as the founder of Monster.com — one of the earliest internet companies to transform the job search. As founder and CEO of Boomband, he’s building the replacement: an AI-native talent marketplace that ditches the static resume in favor of dynamic “Dossiers” designed to put human discovery back at the center of hiring.

Around Town

LOCAL MEDIA DAY — Chamber: We’re Lucky — Let’s Not Take it for Granted

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April 9 is the inaugural Local Media Day, and the Charles River Regional Chamber reminded members of the role that news sites covering community news provide. Charles River Chamber President and CEO summed it up well in his message in the Chamber’s newsletter on Thursday morning. Watertown has not only the online news source, Watertown News, but also local cable news produced by Watertown Cable Access Television Corp., with newscasts Thursday evenings, along with coverage of City meetings, sports, and other events around town. If you don’t have cable, you can still watch live and on-demand online at wcatv.org. Watertown News depends on the support from advertisers, as well as donations from readers (including Patreon members).

Around Town

EARTH DAY: Watertown DPW Hosting Event, Multiple River Cleanups

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Volunteers from State Rep. Steve Owens 2023 Charles River Cleanup. (Contributed Photo)

Watertown has multiple ways to help out for Earth Day in 2026, including a recycling event where you can get compost and a tree, and Charles River cleanups. See details below. Watertown DPW Hosting Earth Day Event

Watertown Public Works will be hosting an Earth Day Event on Saturday April 11, 2026, from 9:00am – 1:00pm at the Jewish Community Day School Parking Lot – 57 Stanley Ave., for Watertown residents only (bring your ID).The event includes paper shredding, subsidized mattress collection ($25/mattress drop off vs the usual $50 for pickup), textile collection, Styrofoam collection, Black Earth Compost’s Compost/Soil and a tree sapling giveaway. More information will be available closer to the event.

Letters

LETTER: Chamber Encourages Council to Adopt Local News Day Resolution

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The following letter was sent to City Council President Mark Siders by the Charles River Regional Chamber:

Dear Council President Sideris,

On behalf of the Charles River Regional Chamber, I write to urge the Watertown City Council to designate April 9 as Local News Day. Local media play a pivotal role in our community — reporters hold municipal leaders accountable, spotlight neighborhood concerns, celebrate local achievements and keep residents informed in ways no national outlet can. Without strong local journalism, civic life suffers. Waltham’s City Council recently passed a resolution joining a national movement to recognize April 9 as Local News Day, reconnecting residents with trusted local outlets, and sustaining local journalism for generations to come. Watertown should do the same.

Business

Watertown Restaurants Will be Spotlighted at Chamber’s Spring Seasonings Event on April 13

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Watertown’s Nzuko restaurant will be appearing at the Charles River Chamber’s Spring Seasonings Event. The Charles River Chamber announced the lineup for the 2026 Spring Seasonings event, which spotlights restaurants from Watertown, Newton, Wellesley, and Needham. See which Watertown eateries will be featured at the event in the announcement from the Chamber, below. Watertown’s vibrant restaurant scene will be on full display at Spring Seasonings: A Taste of Our Towns, happening on Monday, April 13, from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Newton Marriott. Hosted by the Charles River Regional Chamber and presented by The Village Bank, the event brings together top culinary talents from across the region.

Business

Charles River Chamber Panel Looked at How Watertown Became a Life Science Hub

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A panel of speakers discussed the life science industry in Watertown at an event hosted by the Charles River Regional Chamber. From left, City Manager George Proakis, Boylston Properties President Mark Deschenes, CEO of Labshares Phillip Borden, and C4 Chief People Officer Kelly Schick. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Eleven years ago, 25 life science companies had facilities in Watertown. Today, more than four times that many companies are located in the City, making it one of Massachusetts’ life science hubs. On March 10, the Charles River Regional Chamber’s life science panel, “Watertown’s Life Science Future,” looked at how the City became one of the hottest centers for biotechs, and what’s next.

Business

Chamber Hosting LGBTQIA+ Morning Meetup in Watertown

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The Charles River Regional Chamber will host an LGBTIA+ Morning meetup on Friday, March 20 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Fly Together Fitness in Watertown. The event is free and open to LGBTQIA+ members and non-members. See more information provided by the Chamber below. Rise and connect! Our popular LGBTQIA+ Networking Series is switching things up — trading the evening cocktails for morning coffee and heading back to one of our favorite community spaces.Join us at Fly Together Fitness, a proudly LGBTQIA+-owned pole and dance studio in the heart of Watertown, for a morning dedicated to LGBTQIA+ professionals looking to make real business connections across industries.Complimentary coffee provided.

Business

Chamber Hosting Panel on Fraud Prevention & What Small Businesses Need to Know

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The Charles River Regional Chamber will host a panel on fraud prevention and response. The free webinar will feature a panel of speakers, including Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. See details from the Chamber below. Fraud is one of the fastest-growing and most costly threats facing small businesses today. From payment and payroll scams to phishing, identity theft and vendor fraud, bad actors are becoming more sophisticated — often targeting businesses with limited time, staff and safeguards.