Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council

Featured News
1. 2020 Western Mass Developers 3D Virtual Conference
  
  Explore From the EDC Oct 28 2020 Business Development
  
  Western Mass professionals! If you missed the Western Mass Developers Conference, presented by MassMutual, the conference is still open until November 20th. Register by clicking the link below for access to the fully virtual Developers Conference - you can view the exhibit hall, watch all of the dynamic panel discussions in the auditorium, catch the keynote from Governor Baker, experience the lightning presentations, download resources, and more.
  
  Register today: developwesternmass.vfairs.com
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  Mentions: MassMutual
2. 2020 Western Mass Developers Conference Slated for Oct. 21
  
  Explore BusinessWest Oct 20 2020
  
  The Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) invites the community to join its annual developers conference, presented by MassMutual. The 2020 Western Mass Developers Conference will feature a keynote address from Gov. Charlie Baker and a welcome address from Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, and will connect business leaders, developers, real-estate professionals, site selectors, economic-development professionals, and public officials from Western Mass. and across the Northeast.
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  Mentions: Domenic J. Sarno MassMutual Springfield
3. 2020 Virtual Western MA Developers Conference
  
  Explore From the EDC Oct 7 2020 Business Development
  
  Join us to explore the many development opportunities on the horizon in Western Mass! The 2020 Virtual Western MA Developers Conference will connect business leaders, developers, real estate professionals, site selectors, economic development professionals, and public officials from Western MA and across the Northeast.
  
  WHO: Economic Development Council of Western MA (EDC) and Economic Development Partners (EDP)
  What: The Western MA Developers Conference
  When: Wednesday, October 21, 2020 9am - 3pm
  
  Click Here to Register
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4. Entrepreneurs, college presidents, politicians discuss a better business collaboration between eastern and Western Massachusetts
  
  Explore masslive.com Aug 19 2020 Education , Entrepreneurship
  
  Business leaders, college presidents, politicians and state economic development leaders joined in an online seminar to discuss better ways the entire state can come together to share resources and produce products. More than 350 people signed on to listen to or participate in the first EastWest Exchange on Wednesday. The event covered ways to localize supply chains and better share business and innovation from the eastern part of the state with that being done in Western Massachusetts.
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  Mentions: Holyoke Community College Springfield Technical Community College Springfield
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From the EDC
1. Virtual Town Hall: Latest on COVID-19 Safety - What You Need to Know for Yourself and Your Family
  
  Explore From the EDC Nov 23 2020 by Jessica Collins
  
  Join us on Tuesday, November 24, 2020 from 4:00-5:00 pm for a virtual town hall to hear the latest on COVID-19 and how you can keep yourself and your family safe.
  
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  Mentions: Baystate Health Springfield Holyoke
2. Big Y looks to hire 1,000 in all stores, HQ, distribution center
  
  Explore From the EDC Nov 20 2020 by Jim Kinney
  
  Big Y has more than 1,000 job openings in all areas of the company in response to its expansion and growth, the Springfield-based, family-run chain said Wednesday. There are openings at all Big Y supermarkets, as well as its Fresh Acres Specialty Market, Table & Vine Fine Wines and Spirits, Big Y Express gas and convenience stores, Fresh & Local Distribution Center and Store Support Center.
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  Mentions: Big Y Foods Springfield Westfield
3. Mayor Sarno Joined with City and State Officials for the Reopening of Pynchon Plaza
  
  Explore From the EDC Nov 19 2020 by Bill Baker
  
  Mayor Domenic J. Sarno joined with Executive Director of Parks, Buildings, and Recreation Management (PBRM) Patrick Sullivan, Chief Development Officer (CDO) Tim Sheehan, Director of Capital Asset Construction Peter Garvey, Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood, Governor Baker’s Western Massachusetts Director Patrick Carnevale, President and CEO of the Springfield Museums Kay Simpson, Springfield Public Library Director Molly Fogarty, Executive Director of the Springfield Cultural Partnership Karen Finn, Executive Director for the Springfield Business Improvement District (BID) Chris Russell, and Attorney Melina Phelps from Bulkley Richardson for the reopening of Pynchon Plaza on Dwight Street.
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  Mentions: Domenic J. Sarno MassMutual Springfield
4. Chicopee brownfield project that has cost millions -- and spanned 15 years -- close to completion
  
  Explore From the EDC Nov 18 2020 Business Development by Jeanette Deforge
  
  A brownfield project that a former mayor described as the state’s worst legal and environmental quagmire is coming to an end, and the former factory property could be ready for redevelopment in a year. The city is scheduled to go out to bid to remove asbestos, PCBs and other hazardous waste from the last three contaminated buildings on the former Uniroyal factory complex at the end of November. The work is expected to take eight months to a year and will ready the property for development by the beginning of 2022, said Lee M. Pouliot, director of the city ...
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  Mentions: MassDevelopment Michael D. Bissonnette Chicopee
5. See all From the EDC articles
Western Massachusetts Business News
1. Law Firm to Present Free Paid Family and Medical Leave Webinars for Employers
  
  Explore BusinessWest Nov 25 2020
  
  Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. announced it will hold two complimentary webinars in December to help employers prepare for the new Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. “On January 1, 2021, PFML will be a reality in Massachusetts,” said attorney John Gannon, a partner at Skoler Abbott. “Once the program takes effect, Massachusetts employees will be eligible to take up to 12 weeks of paid family leave — up to 26 weeks in certain circumstances — and up to 20 weeks of paid medical leave. We expect that employees will immediately start filing claims, as many may have been waiting for ...
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  Mentions: Springfield
2. Demore’s Automotive Owner to Make Holidays Brighter for Palmer Families
  
  Explore BusinessWest Nov 25 2020
  
  Jay Demore, owner of Demore’s Automotive in Palmer, believes in supporting the community. This week, more than 300 people in Palmer will have Thanksgiving meals thanks to the efforts of Demore; his sister JoAnn, operations manager at the auto shop; and a few customers who have come to the shop with checks for as much as $200 and $300.
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  Mentions: Palmer
3. Progress Continues on Projects in Longmeadow - BusinessWest
  
  Explore BusinessWest Nov 25 2020
  
  For Longmeadow Town Manager Lyn Simmons, it’s been quite a first year on the job. With 16 years of experience in municipal government in of Northampton — the last six years as chief of staff for Mayor David Narkewicz — Simmons became Longmeadow’s town manager a year ago this month. After three months on the job, Longmeadow — like the entire world — found itself in uncharted territory.
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  Mentions: Northampton
4. Berkshire County COVID-19 Adaptation Fund to Benefit Small Businesses
  
  Explore BusinessWest Nov 24 2020
  
  The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC), in partnership with the office of state Sen. Adam Hinds, announced the availability of grant funds through the Berkshire County COVID-19 Adaptation Fund. Grants through this program will help businesses and organizations with up to 25 employees address expenses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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  Mentions: Berkshire Regional Planning Commission
5. Cannabis Industry Promises Workforce Opportunities
  
  Explore BusinessWest Nov 23 2020 Business Development
  
  When a new industry in Massachusetts reaches $1 billion in sales in only four years, it certainly gets people’s attention. The Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) recently announced that, four years after legalizing cannabis for adult recreational use, and only two years after the first retail shops opened, this relatively new industry surpassed that $1 billion mark on Oct. 30. “There are a lot of jobs that go along with a billion dollars in industry activity,” said Jeff Hayden, vice president for Business and Community Services at the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development at Holyoke Community College (HCC).
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  Mentions: Holyoke Community College Holyoke
6. Bright Nights Will Be a Bright Spot in a Trying Year
  
  Explore BusinessWest Nov 23 2020 Tourism
  
  Judy Matt says the Spirit of Springfield (SOS) exists for one reason — to entertain residents across the region and create some memories. It hasn’t been able to do any of that to this point in 2020, obviously, and Matt, the long-time executive director of the nonprofit agency, has been frustrated and disappointed by this reality. Annual events such as the pancake breakfast (long heralded as the world’s largest), the Fourth of July fireworks, and the Big Balloon Parade have been wiped off the calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there remains uncertainty about whether any of those ...
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  Mentions: Springfield Judy Matt
7. Region’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry Proves Resilient
  
  Explore BusinessWest Nov 23 2020 Tourism
  
  When the Big E recently announced the sale of 100 ‘golden tickets’ — lifetime passes for the holder and a guest, plus parking and other perks — for $1,000 each, it was an exciting promotion for fans of the annual fair and a way to keep the event top of mind during a year when it was called off because of the pandemic.
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  Mentions: Mohegan Sun Springfield Holyoke
8. Holyoke Community College Honored for Pushing Electric-vehicle Adoption
  
  Explore BusinessWest Nov 23 2020
  
  Holyoke Community College (HCC) was honored by the MassEVolves consortium for taking steps to expand the use of electric vehicles (EV) on campus. The third annual MassEVolves recognition ceremony was held on Nov. 18 to highlight Massachusetts leaders in the adoption of electric vehicles. The virtual event was co-hosted by the national nonprofit Recharge America, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
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  Mentions: Holyoke Community College Holyoke
9. Local College Students Compete for $150 in Online Grinspoon Pitch Contest
  
  Explore BusinessWest Nov 23 2020
  
  The Grinspoon Entrepreneurship Initiative’s first online, fully remote regional pitch competition took place on Nov. 17. Twenty-one students from area colleges delivered 60-second pitches to an audience of their peers in Zoom breakout rooms. After a popular vote, four finalists were selected to receive $50 each. Next came the final competition. Winning the grand prize and a total of $150 was Jenny Jung, a junior at Amherst College.
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  Mentions: Amherst College Amherst
10. A Paycheck Protection Program Update
  
  Explore BusinessWest Nov 20 2020
  
  For many of us, 2020 has been nothing but a new four-letter word. Unemployment has run rampant, long-standing businesses have shuttered their doors, people have gotten sick, and many have lost loved ones. Those businesses remaining open have had to deal with shutdowns, employees on medical leave, and, ultimately, having to create a whole new way of doing business. To help businesses from a financial standpoint, the U.S. Congress intervened with the CARES Act back in March. A significant component of this act was the creation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a series of government loans overseen by ...
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Picture Gallery

Virtual Town Hall: Latest on COVID-19 Safety - What You Need to Know for Yourself and Your Family From the EDC

Big Y looks to hire 1,000 in all stores, HQ, distribution center From the EDC

Mayor Sarno Joined with City and State Officials for the Reopening of Pynchon Plaza From the EDC

Chicopee brownfield project that has cost millions -- and spanned 15 years -- close to completion From the EDC

2020 Western Mass Developers 3D Virtual Conference From the EDC

2020 Western Mass Developers Conference Slated for Oct. 21 BusinessWest

2020 Virtual Western MA Developers Conference From the EDC

Entrepreneurs, college presidents, politicians discuss a better business collaboration between eastern and Western Massachusetts masslive.com

Law Firm to Present Free Paid Family and Medical Leave Webinars for Employers BusinessWest

Demore’s Automotive Owner to Make Holidays Brighter for Palmer Families BusinessWest

Progress Continues on Projects in Longmeadow - BusinessWest BusinessWest

Berkshire County COVID-19 Adaptation Fund to Benefit Small Businesses BusinessWest
Western Massachusetts- It's Your Move