Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council

Featured News
1. The Pioneer Valley Labor Market Blueprint
  
  Explore From the EDC Nov 30 2018 Workforce
  
  As you know, the Workforce Skills Cabinet (WSC) is requiring a Mid-Point Report be submitted to the WSC by December 15, 2018. We have been given a template to follow and are aggressively assembling the required collateral to form our narrative. We are excited about sharing with the WSC the progress that has been made since we began the Implementation phase in the late spring, 2018. As with the Blueprint, we expect the Secretary’s and/or their staff and others will review the Mid-Point Report and share their thoughts with us. We continue to believe that as we begin ...
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2. UMass water technology lab could spur new developments
  
  Explore masslive.com Oct 15 2018 Education
  
  Thirty companies are in the pipeline, waiting to use a $3.9 million water technology demonstration center that could be built at the University of Massachusetts in as soon as two years. About 250 people attended the "Innovations and Opportunities in Water Technologies" conference Monday at the Amherst campus. Now the job is to get the money, already called for in a 2014 state bonding bill, and include it in a state spending budget, said Richard K. Sullivan Jr., president and CEO of the Economic Development of Western Massachusetts.
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  Mentions: University of Massachusetts Amherst Clean Energy Center
3. MassHire: Employment boards, job centers take on new name, statewide brand
  
  Explore masslive.com Sep 7 2018 Workforce
  
  What used to be the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County is now the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board. The former CareerPoint in Holyoke is now the MassHire Holyoke Career Center, and the former FutureWorks is now the MassHire Springfield Career Center. It is all part of a statewide rebranding of Massachusetts' 29 career centers and 16 workforce boards, which used to go by 45 different names. They're now part of the unified MassHire brand, with a consistent logo and themed website addresses and social media handles. It's statewide, so the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board is now ...
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  Mentions: Domenic J. Sarno Springfield Holyoke
4. Pre-opening VIP party underway as MGM Springfield poised to launch $960 million casino resort
  
  Explore masslive.com Aug 23 2018 Tourism
  
  Glitzy slot machines, expectations and the chatter of thousands of suited and gowned guests filled the gaming floor Thursday as the "MGM Springfield VIP preview party" got underway. Local officials like Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, the face of the seven-year pitch behind the project, and representatives of international giant MGM attended the celebration before the Friday opening of a $960 million casino resort. The development of 2 million square feet in the South End of the City of Homes is scheduled to open at 11 a.m. Friday.
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  Mentions: Domenic J. Sarno Springfield The Republican
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From the EDC
1. Amherst BID hires Gabrielle Gould as new executive director
  
  Explore From the EDC 19 hours, 7 min ago by Scott Merzbach
  
  A longtime Nantucket resident with extensive experience in starting businesses and fundraising is the new executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District. Gabrielle Gould, who moved with her family to Amherst in January after 20 years on the island, will assume the leadership role on Monday. Gould replaces Sarah la Cour, who stepped down in May after six years at the helm as the BID’s second executive director. Gould said she is prepared to work with downtown businesses and get ready for the annual Celebrate Amherst block party, which will be held Sept. 19. “My specific goals over ...
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2. Manufacturing association to host event at STCC with Congressman Neal
  
  Explore From the EDC Jun 7 2019 Education , Manufacturing by Jim Danko
  
  Representatives of manufacturing companies in Western Massachusetts will host a workforce development discussion on Monday at Springfield Technical Community College featuring U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal as keynote speaker.
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  Mentions: General Dynamics Springfield Technical Community College Springfield
3. The Economic Development Council/Springfield WORKS seeking full-time Commonwealth Corp Service Members
  
  Explore From the EDC Jun 5 2019 Workforce by Anne Kandilis
  
  The Economic Development Council Western Mass/Springfield WORKS to host two full-time Commonwealth Corps service minded interns to serve as Community Alignment Specialists for the Springfield WORKS Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Working Cities Challenge initiative. The Commonwealth Corps Community Alignment Specialists will build and align partnerships to promote two generation and whole family approach to jobs with residents, employers, education institutions, City and community leaders.
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  Mentions: Springfield Boston Fed
4. AMHERST AREA CHAMBER TO HOLD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PANEL & RECEPTION
  
  Explore From the EDC May 30 2019 by Claudia Pazmany
  
  The Amherst Area Chamber presents its first Economic Development Panel discussion on Wednesday, May 29, 2019 4-6PM at The Old Chapel at UMass Amherst. The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to partner with Bobrowski and Vickery, LLC and the University of Massachusetts Amherst and to make this event possible.
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  Mentions: University of Massachusetts Amherst Ann Burke
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Western Massachusetts Business News
1. Holyoke Medical Center Expands Services in Westfield
  
  Explore BusinessWest 15 hours, 22 min ago Health Care
  
  Holyoke Medical Center announced expanded healthcare services in Westfield, including family medicine, women’s services, gastroenterology, walk-in care, and more. Holyoke Medical Group Family Medicine, an affiliate of Holyoke Medical Center, has relocated to 140 Southampton Road in Westfield. The office offers care for the entire family, including pediatrics, adult primary care, women’s health, and geriatric care. Dr. Thomas Graziano and Deborah Pisciotta, MS, PA-C, are accepting new patients. The office is open weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. To make an appointment, call (413) 535-4800.
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2. Aerosmith delivers with first of 4 shows marking MGM Springfield anniversary - masslive.com
  
  Explore masslive.com 19 hours, 12 min ago Tourism
  
  For those who want loud, eardrum splitting rock 'n' roll music delivered with a blinding, stroke-inducing light show, veteran rockers Aerosmith delivered on Wednesday night and showed they have not lost their mojo. It’s been nearly 30 years since the Bad Boys of Boston “walked this way” to downtown Springfield. Their appearance at the MassMutual Center — the first of four booked by MGM Springfield to celebrate the casino’s first year anniversary — was a sellout before a crowd of 5,128.
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3. Springfield Public Schools head into new year with enhanced music and art programs, hiring 34 teachers - masslive.com
  
  Explore masslive.com 19 hours, 15 min ago Education
  
  When students in Springfield head back to classes next week, they will be greeted by some new friendly faces. To enhance the music and visual arts programs in the Springfield Public Schools, the school district has hired 34 full-time teachers for the 2019-20 school year, Chief Communications Officer Azell Cavaan said.
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4. Learning Curves
  
  Explore BusinessWest Aug 21 2019
  
  It’s been nearly a full year since MGM Springfield opened its doors in Springfield’s South End. It’s been a year of learning — for both the casino’s team and the consuming public as well. As the headlines have announced, the casino has fallen well behind projections for gross gaming revenues (GGR), but in most all of the other ways to measure the success of the operation, it has not underperformed.
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5. Tourism & Hospitality
  
  Explore BusinessWest Aug 21 2019 Tourism
  
  As the clock ticks down the start of another Big E, an elaborate and well-choreographed effort is underway to get everything set for opening night. As it turns out, this is just one of the myriad traditions synonymous with this annual celebration of New England.
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6. Springfield OKs clean-wood processing facility at former Bay Street junkyard
  
  Explore masslive.com Aug 20 2019
  
  Northern Tree Service was recently granted city approval to move forward with plans for a clean-wood-waste processing facility on Bay Street that will benefit the city financially and transform a blighted former junkyard. The city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development approved the application for the waste wood business this month after receiving a legal opinion the Law Department that the project does not need a special permit from the City Council.
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7. Thorndike Mills closing: What’s replacing the rug maker at the Big E?
  
  Explore masslive.com Aug 20 2019
  
  Thorndike Mills will close forever by the end of this year and will no longer sell its locally manufactured, nationally famous braided wool rugs from a high-profile booth in the Massachusetts Building at the Big E. Instead, when the Eastern States Exposition opens Sept. 13, the space will be filled by the Springfield Thunderbirds American Hockey League team and by My Main Squeeze, a fresh juice company from East Longmeadow, said Frances Pearson, fairs coordinator for the state Department of Agriculture and Massachusetts Building manager for the Big E.
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8. Manufacturers gather in Westfield for pig roast, networking
  
  Explore masslive.com Aug 20 2019 Manufacturing
  
  Nearly 100 people in the precision manufacturing industry and associated businesses gathered Monday night for the 13th annual Mainline Drive Pig Roast, sponsored by the Western Massachusetts chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association.It’s a chance, said association president Kristin Carlson, for business networking and socializing and to raise some money for the Larry A. Maier Memorial Education Fund. Named in honor of Carlson’s late father, the fund supports and promotes manufacturing education for children in fifth grade and up.
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9. Chicopee’s Downtown; a Developing Story
  
  Explore BusinessWest Aug 19 2019
  
  our years ago, a $7,500 grant from MassDevelopment helped to fund the first annual Downtown GetDown block party in Chicopee. Mayor Richard Kos understands why that was a good investment. “They like the idea of people coming downtown, because when they do, it gives other people impetus to want to develop the downtown,” he told BusinessWest. In that first year, he went on, “the block party really removed a lot of question marks. People say there’s no parking downtown. Well, we had 15,000 people over a weekend, and no one complained about parking. It was not an ...
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10. Quality Beveridge of Taunton buys Williams Distributing of Chicopee, making it leading supplier of Anheuser-Busch beers in Massachusetts
  
  Explore masslive.com Aug 19 2019
  
  Quality Beverage of Taunton is buying 69-year-old Williams Distributing, the company that brings Budweiser, Yuengling and other beers to bars and store shelves across Western Massachusetts. The deal, which needs the approval of Williams Distributing’s suppliers, will make Quality Beverage the Bay State’s leading supplier of Anheuser-Busch InBev brand products. The transaction is expected to close in October, according to a statement issued Monday. The two sides didn’t disclose a sales price.
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Picture Gallery

Amherst BID hires Gabrielle Gould as new executive director From the EDC

Manufacturing association to host event at STCC with Congressman Neal From the EDC

The Economic Development Council/Springfield WORKS seeking full-time Commonwealth Corp Service Members From the EDC

AMHERST AREA CHAMBER TO HOLD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PANEL & RECEPTION From the EDC

The Pioneer Valley Labor Market Blueprint From the EDC

UMass water technology lab could spur new developments masslive.com

MassHire: Employment boards, job centers take on new name, statewide brand masslive.com

Pre-opening VIP party underway as MGM Springfield poised to launch $960 million casino resort masslive.com

Holyoke Medical Center Expands Services in Westfield BusinessWest

Aerosmith delivers with first of 4 shows marking MGM Springfield anniversary - masslive.com masslive.com

Springfield Public Schools head into new year with enhanced music and art programs, hiring 34 teachers - masslive.com masslive.com

Learning Curves BusinessWest
Western Massachusetts- It's Your Move