Wellesley Home to Some of the Best Places to Work in America

Roche Bros. and Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare make list of top 150 companies for which to work.

There must be something in the water, because a national survey ranked two Wellesley companies among the top 150 places to work in the nation.  Wellesley businesses Roche Bros. and Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare joined 11 other Massachusetts companies on the list of best businesses to work for compiled by WorkplaceDynamics of Exton, Pa., according to a report in the Boston Globe. Wellesley was snubbed by the Forbes "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, however. Th factors considered in WorkplaceDynamics' rankings include the organization’s leadership, direction, and connection to its employees, Doug Claffey, chief executive of WorkplaceDynamics told the Globe. Some of the keys to employee happiness, according to the report, include "making …

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Wellesley’s Changing Landscape [PHOTOS}

Some of the changes to building facades in Wellesley.

Wellesley has changed somewhat dramatically over the course of the last couple years. New businesses, fixed facades and revamped business districts have contributed to the landscape of the town in 2012.

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Business Owners: 5 Fast, Easy Steps to Better Connect with Customers

In this quick video, we show you how to claim listings in Patch Places to better promote your business through Wellesley Patch

When Wellesley Patch launched, editors and freelancers ventured to local businesses to collect information for our directory. Now, Patch Places is a spot where users can find descriptions, hours, accepted payment methods and much more for spots around town. All users can add events taking place at local spots, can rate the business on a scale of one to five stars, and can add a review. But owners of local businesses get extra bonuses when they claim a listing. Owners or managers should search for their business listing and select "claim you listing" in order to make updates to the page. A form will pop up asking for your name, contact information, and proof of ownership. Within a few days, someone from Patch should contact you to verify …

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Mom's Moment

How to Sustain Wellesley Square

Columnist Deb Robi reflects on the town’s changing downtown area.

Last fall, Patch asked neighbors to weigh in on what business they would like to see attracted to wonderful Wellesley Square.  Things in the square haven't been wonderful lately, and many favorite stores closed their doors in 2011. We have said goodbye to Rugged Bear, Betsy's, Clark's  and Ann Taylor in the square. Different Drummer said goodbye to Wellesley, while Neena's Lighting moved to Linden Square. Remember Cooleys-Marco Polo, Kaps and other sentimental favorites in the square? Thanks to the Wellesley Community Art Project, storefronts have been looking lively while the area makes its way through a difficult economic downturn. It appears that the square is poised to make a great comeback, despite the fact that parking can be a …

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Swellesley: Jimmy’s Café to Close Jan. 31

The 24-year-old restaurant will close its doors at the end of the month.

A longtime Linden Street bistro will close this month. According to the Swellesley Report last week, Jimmy's Cafe at 151 Linden St. will close Jan. 31. Owner Bedros Kaya told Swellesley he decided to close due to “tough times.”

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Business and Home Owners Will Continue to Pay Same Tax Rate

After months of discussion, the board decided to stick with a single tax rate for business and home owners in 2012.

Residential and commercial property owners will continue to pay the same tax rate based on a unanimous Board of Selectmen decision at a hearing Monday night. Each member of the board put an end to months-long discussion about whether to create two separate tax rates split between residential property owners and commercial property owners. If the selectmen had decided on the split, commercial property owners could have seen a spike in their annual tax bills of $10,567, which reflects the median amount if there were to have been a maximum allowable 50 percent shift. “I’m still waiting to hear a compelling reason to make a policy change,” said Board Chair Barbara Searle. “This change would be huge, and it isn’t something we should experiment …

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: Sept. 30

Your daily roundup of news and events.

1.    We hope the kids enjoyed their day off from school yesterday for Rosh Hashanah. Now there's just one more day until the weekend. 2.    Next Wednesday will be an early dismissal day for the High School and Middle School. 3.    Tomorrow, author Katie Smith Milway will read from her book “The Good Garden” from 3 to 5 p.m. at the library. The event is part of Wellesley Reads Together, which began yesterday with a scarecrow decorating event. 4.    There was some rain yesterday, but today should be sunny, according to the National Weather Service. NWS calls for a high temperature near 78 degrees today. 5.    Thanks for participating in this week’s Patch Picks. Feel free to keep it going.

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