OUR STORY

The Watertown Business Coalition emerged in 2019 from the collaboration of two devoted Watertowners: Doug Orifice, a non-business-suit-wearing financial planner with a punk spirit and Bob Airasian, a calm-demeanored real estate broker with years of experience volunteering in Watertown already. What they wanted was a space for Watertown business people to be able to come together and just talk. They didn’t see anything offering this at the time. So they set about starting something themselves. With that simple goal of just getting people in a room together, they got over 80 people to show up to the Watertown Business Coalition’s first gathering in November 2019 at Donohue’s Bar and Grill through only word-of-mouth and a few emails. They knew they were on to something.

Then COVID hit and the WBC started to grow into something more than just a networking group. They started initiatives like the Watertown Arts Market to help creative businesses struggling with the weight of the times. They started the annual Life Science Panel to open communication between the growing sector and the Watertown community. When planned construction started to worry East End business owners, the WBC started regular East End Business Leaders meetings that included business owners and city officials to help them navigate the challenges. Doug and Bob have represented the WBC members in conversations with city officials during the development of the Watertown Square Area Plan. The list of initiatives continues to grow over the years as Watertown continues to grow.

The heart of the Watertown Business Coalition is open, honest, conversation and the urge to build a stronger community. That’s why the WBC still hosts regular networking events, where folks can get together to simply talk, but also where people can get to know their fellow business owners and nonprofit organizers. Where we can knit the business community tighter, make sure we have each other’s backs, and figure out what we want and what we need, and how we can be proactive.

Interested in being part of this? Come to an upcoming event and say hello. Join our mailing list to get weekly updates on the WBC and other news and happenings within the city. Ready to dive right in? Become a member today.