Beverly Office Park Owner Offers Employee Heat Subsides As Rates Rise

BEVERLY, MA — Cummings Properties is aiming to help its 650 employees offset rising heating costs this winter through a three-month subsidy of up to $184 per month.

The company, which operates the 2 million-square-foot Cummings Center office park and 54-acre Dunham Ridge business and technology center in Beverly, said the total payout is expected to be about $440,000.

"We recognize the financial strain of increased heating costs for our colleagues and hope this new benefit will provide some measure of relief," Cummings Chairman and CEO Dennis Clarke said. "This offering is one way to thank Cummings team members for their valuable contributions to our organization's success."

Employees of the Cummings Foundation's two not-for-profit senior living communities, New Horizons at Choate (in Woburn) and New Horizons at Marlborough, are also eligible for the stipend.

Cumming said employees will receive a stipend of $1 for every hour worked, up to $40 per week, from Jan. 1 through April 1.

This summer, the Cummings organization similarly offered employees a $1 stipend per hour worked to help offset rising gasoline costs.

"We are a mission-driven organization, focused on supporting the communities in which we operate," Clarke said. "Our commitment to employees is an important part of that."

(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.)