Unum US

Bob Bowditch, one of the founding members of the Worcester Business Development Corporation said it best, interrupting a speaker who was explaining his hopes for the newly created WBDC at a community meeting held in the 1960s. He said “We do not hope for the WBDC to succeed, we expect the WBDC to succeed.”

Fittingly, the WBDC has named its prestigious award in honor of Mr. Bowditch’s legacy and have used his test of expectations to select the annual recipient.

Typically, the Bowditch Award goes to individuals who have made significant contributions to the economic vitality of Worcester and the region. This year, we have broken with tradition and have selected a corporation, Unum US.

The company Vision Statement begins, “Unum is a company committed to being there when others need us most.” Nowhere is that statement truer than in Worcester.

In 1997, Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company acquired Paul Revere Life Insurance Company, which had been a major corporate presence in downtown Worcester since 1895. When Unum merged with Provident in 1999, they kept their commitment to Worcester, maintaining their office complex, their workforce, and their impressive record of social responsibility and corporate philanthropy.

In 2009, Unum made a decision to relocate its Worcester offices to the new CitySquare development in downtown Worcester. They had other options and could have gone elsewhere, but true to their Vision Statement, they chose to go where they were needed most—downtown Worcester.

By becoming the first tenant in the ambitious CitySquare II development, financed by the Hanover Insurance Group, Inc., Unum has helped jump start a project which will transform downtown. They lease more than 194,000 square feet of office space in a beautiful new building. The WBDC applauds the decision of the entire CitySquare team for targeting the building for LEED Silver Certification.

Since its founding in 1848, Unum has been known for “breaking new ground.” For choosing to continue that tradition by literally breaking new ground in downtown Worcester, the WBDC enthusiastically and gratefully selects Unum as the 2013 recipient of the Robert S. Bowditch Economic Development Award. In choosing Worcester, Unum’s President and CEO Tom Watjen and Unum’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Kevin McCarthy and their entire Unum team have honored Mr. Bowditch’s legacy and made it possible for the Unum workforce and their families to continue to call Worcester home.

Past Bowditch Award Recipients include:

2012

David P. Forsberg

2011

Timothy P. Murray

2010

Charles and Janet Birbara

2009
Mary DeFeudis and Frederick Eppinger

2008
 WPI and Dr. Dennis D. Berkey
             
2007
Robb and Madeleine Ahlquist
             
2006
Charles F. Monahan, Jr.
 
2005
John M. Nelson
 
2004
Abbott Research Center

Dr. Alejandro A. Aruffo
             
2003
John LaPoint

Sheila Ide
             
2002
The Crowley Family
 
2001
Robert E, Maher Jr.

Joseph A. Podbielski, MD

Alan M. Stoll
             
2000
William J. Short
 
1991
John D. Hunt