Business Development

With a reputation as a hub for arts and culture, Berkshire County also boasts a rich history of manufacturing and technology. That’s something local business leaders and officials are looking to highlight and build upon with the creation of the long-awaited Berkshire Innovation Center. The project, which has faced delays due to funding shortfalls since…

In a neighborhood struggling to regain some momentum, any new development matters — no matter how humble. Literally, in the case of Humble Pie, a restaurant with a façade as nondescript as its name and a farm-to-table ethos that has quickly won over locals since opening in December on Main Street in the Three Rivers…

A Holyoke businessman who plans to convert a historic mill building that dates to the 1840s has been given the go-ahead to begin the project. The City Council voted 12-0 last week to grant a special permit to Mount Holyoke Development, owned by Herbert Berezin, which will allow him to convert the long-vacant 65,000 square-foot,…

Seeing is believing. That is the message from Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the city’s development officer, Kevin Kennedy, as they describe the outlook for economic development in Springfield in 2018. One just needs to look around the city. Among dozens of projects citywide, construction plows ahead on the new $960 million MGM Springfield casino…

As the regional director of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Western Office, my dual role as a manager and adviser allows me to coach business owners, share lessons learned and my experience to help them avoid costly mistakes. Our specialty, though, is to help our clients secure capital to buy, start or grow a…

Two new hotels, a downtown mill conversion, construction of an assisted-living facility and a variety of other smaller projects will total more than $87 million in business investment in the city this year. “Last year’s announcements have become this year’s ribbon cuttings,” Mayor Richard J. Kos says. The major project on tap for 2018 is…

The city of Westfield has taken a precise, multi-year approach when it comes to economic development, focusing on two main areas, urban renewal downtown and a possible industrial park on the city’s North Side. Both areas have had projects slowly cooking on the back-burner for many years and are this year’s priority for Mayor Brian…