The latest Natick, Mass., business news:

Natick Outdoor Store sold to longtime employee

Natick Outdoor Store has announced that longtime owner Henry Kanner is retiring and that Greg Stabile, store manager since 2015, has purchased the business at 38 North Ave.

Natick Outdoor Store started in 1947 and has provided an alternative to big box stores over the years for everything from sports equipment to shoes and other clothing.

Kanner has led the business over the past 40 years.

Stabile has been with Natick Outdoor Store since 2009, and is consistently involved in the community at Natick Center Associates meetings and events like Natick Days and Natick Nights.

“I am really excited to take over especially because I already know that the model works,” Stabile says. “We carry good products at good prices and we always have people here who can help you out. Our staff is terrific, works hard, and cares about the customers.”

Know of businesses coming or going in Natick? Let us know: natickreport@gmail.com

Funds raised for Advocates, presented at Mall

Advocates, which run the Autism Welcoming Center at Natick Mall through its Autism Alliance, has been presented with $50,000 through the generosity of Commonwealth Care Alliance and CareSource employees via their 2026 workplace giving campaign.\

Advocates, in Framingham, serves more than 50,000 people across the state.

Former car dealership site available for lease

The former Chambers Motorcars building at 157 West Central St. in Natick is available for lease at $25 per sq. ft. The 18,285 building has been vacant for some time.

Expand your reach (and support local news) by advertising on Natick Report.

The latest Natick, Mass. business news:
 

ScrubaDub celebrates 60 years as family business

 
Alex Paisner, director of people and culture at Natick’s ScrubaDub, is among the third-generation members of the family that play key roles in running the car wash business that launched in Watertown 60 years ago and now has its headquarters on Rte.9 in Natick. He emphasizes that it was no done deal that the Paisner siblings and cousins from his generation would wind up in the family business, and not all of them did.

“We were all required to live and work elsewhere outside of the bubble,” he says, noting that in fact he and his brother Ian and cousin Mat did all have successful careers before joining ScrubaDub. There was no assumption of entitlement or that any of them would know how to run ScrubaDub before getting broader business experience.

Their grandparents Marshall and Elaine Paisner started the company in 1966, and their sons Bob and Danny have been running it in more recent years.

One of the third-generation’s goals is to rededicate the business to being involved locally, as could be seen by ScrubaDub’s presence at the recent Natick Days community celebration. ScrubaDub also regularly supports the Pie in the Sky bake sale-style fundraiser, among other charitable endeavors.

“We’ve done way too good a job being a big national brand, and many people don’t realize how small we are,” Paisner says of the company, which runs about two dozen car washes across New England. ScrubaDub employs about 30 people at its Natick location, which includes headquarters offices and a car wash.

As part of his job, Paisner works to get feedback and ideas from frontline and backroom employees.

While the third-generation Paisners have joined ScrubaDub in the past 10-to-15 years, the company has many non-family members who have spent decades working for the business, some rewarded with generous scholarships for themselves and their children. “We have great homegrown stories” involving the hiring of immigrants who learned English on the job and earned good livings for themselves and their families, Paiser said.

Founder Marshall Paisner stepped down “cold turkey” after 30 years at the top, and shared what he learned on the job in a 1999 book called “Sustaining The Family Business: An Insider’s Guide To Managing Across Generations.” Marshall had a “stewardship mindset,” Alex said, that ScrubaDub tries to keep going.

In years to come you can look for upgrades at ScrubaDub in Natick, which a few years back acquired rights to Rhode Island Avenue in the middle of its setup to improve traffic flow. It’s also planing to improve the exterior and interior of its tunnels, and its point-of-sale system.

More immediately, ScrubaDub will celebrate its 60th birthday by turning back the clock with $2 Express Car Washes at all locations. Employees will be wearing throwback outfits in Natick and Framingham, cupcakes will be given away, and birthday cake scented car washes will be available Sept. 23-Oct. 7.
 

Expand your reach (and support local news) by advertising on Natick Report.

Founder of Natick’s ThinkLite being recognized as immigrant entrepreneur

 
Dinesh Wadhwani, founder and CEO of Natick’s ThinkLite, will be honored with the Barry M. Portnoy Immigrant Entrepreneur Award this November for his contributions to the state’s economy and communities. ThinkLite focuses on indoor air purification.

The Barry M. Portnoy Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards Celebration event will be held on November 5, 2026, at the Royal Sonesta Boston. Tickets are available online

Wadhwani, who immigrated to the United States from Ghana, founded ThinkLite in 2009 while studying entrepreneurship at Babson College. The business initially focused on smart lighting, but has expanded both its focus and its reach.

 
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our work

The latest Natick, Mass., business news:
 

Guild Hall Learning opening

 
Guild Hall Learning, which markets itself as an innovation and learning hub, is opening in Natick at 19 Willow St. It has other locations in Cambridge and Woburn.

It’s got an open house slated for Sept. 26, noon-4pm. You can try drone and combat robot workshops for free that day, along with many other activities, including a family talk about AI.

Ryan Galloway, director of Guild Hall Learning, emphasizes that the business is much more than a coding school. “We focus on hands-on STEM, engineering, robotics, game development, 3D printing, digital technology, and creative problem-solving. Our goal is to give kids a place where they can build, experiment, try things, make mistakes, and figure things out for themselves,” he writes.

Natick is attractive because of its accessibility from other communities, and what Guild Hall Learning sees as an opportunity to bring something different to town.

The business, which is located alongside Global Children School, includes a digital interactive presentation studio that will host performances, talks, training, and more. Guild Hall offers memberships for kids ages 12+ and ages 8-11 years old.
 

Expand your reach (and support local news) by advertising on Natick Report

Operation Playhouse held at MathWorks

 
MathWorks earlier this month took part in Operation Playhouse, with employees building four themed playhouses for the children of New England military veterans and military families.

The project, held at the Apple Hill Campus in Natick, was done in partnership with Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester.

Operation Playhouse has been going since 2014.