Beverly Office Park Owner To Offer Gas Stipend Through End Of 2022

BEVERLY, MA — A Beverly-based commercial real estate firm is providing its employees a fuel stipend through the end of the year to help offset soaring commuting costs.

The Cummings organization, which includes Beverly's 2-million-square-foot Cummings Center office park and the 54-acre Dunham Ridge business and technology center, will offer employees $1 for every hour worked — up to $40 per week — to its 650 employees statewide.

"We hope that this measure helps to ease the pain at the pump as our colleagues commute to work or enjoy summer road trips," Cummings CEO Dennis Clarke said. "It's just one more way to express our gratitude for the dedication of our exceptional team."

Clarke said the estimated payout will cost the company more than $600,000 through December 2022.

"Cummings is a regional employer, so we have colleagues traveling from all over Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire," said Beverly resident and Cummings Properties Chief Design Officer Jim Trudeau, who travels to Cummings' Woburn headquarters. "This is definitely a welcome contribution to offset commuting costs."

AAA reports that the average price of a gallon of gas in Massachusetts jumped all the way from $2.92 one year ago to $4.79 as of June 2.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)