Wellesley Business Buzz: Open source firm Alfresco calls Wellesley home; Wellesley Transportation has a ride for you; MassHort taps new leader
This week’s Wellesley Business Buzz is sponsored by Wellesley Transportation. Owned and operated by Thomas Shinnick since 1995, Wellesley Transportation, formerly known as College Taxi, has been proudly serving Wellesley and the surrounding communities for over 100 years. Originally established in 1912, Wellesley Transportation provides on-time airport, local and long-distance transportation in luxury vehicles. For reservations, call or text 781-235-2200.
Open source firm Alfresco calls Wellesley home
Alfresco Software, a software company whose offerings are designed to smooth work processes, has announced that its new headquarters will be at 100 Worcester St. in Wellesley starting in November. Alfresco, which has 350 employees globally and 35 of them in Boston, originally had its base in San Mateo, Calif., along with a big UK presence.
Beefing up its Boston-area presence is no shock considering Alfresco got acquired last year by Boston-area private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners. Alfresco, like The Swellesley Report, started in 2005.
Alfresco is one of numerous technology companies with a big or growing presence in the Boston area (e.g., Acquia, Red Hat) that supports organizations adopting open source software. The beauty of open source technology is that it’s free and can be modified by anyone. Where companies like Alfresco come in is offering additional products and enhancements, as well as support, to make open source technology more valuable, reliable and secure for businesses and other organizations.
If Alfresco’s new 7,000 sq. ft. location sounds like a sweet commute, you can check out the company’s careers page. I looked myself after seeing Alfresco describe itself as a company that “builds, markets and delivers the most innovative, cloud-native digital business platform that enables its customers to build process and content intensive apps quicker than ever before as well as reduce their operational costs and improve customer and employee satisfaction.” Looks like they could use someone like me to explain to humans what they do.
More: Where to dine al fresco in Wellesley
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MassHort taps new president
Massachusetts Horticultural Society, which has its headquarters at the increasingly fenced-in Elm Bank Reservation on the Wellesley/Natick/Dover lines, has appointed James Hearsum as its president and executive director. He’s expected to take on those roles early next year.
Hearsum has been executive director of St. Andrews Botanic Garden in Scotland since May 2014.
According to MassHort, as executive director of St. Andrews Botanic Garden, “Hearsum has been responsible for renewal in all aspects of the organization’s guest experience, outreach, and educational programs, particularly by welcoming previously unreached communities. Notable developments include establishment of a sustainable Urban Farm, Butterfly House and Community Hub, in addition to a core focus on horticultural excellence. Previously, Hearsum was curator at the Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan.
MassHort has had an interim director in place for about the past year.
