Western Mass EDC Members Tour The Republican in Springfield
Western Massachusetts business and civic leaders gathered in Springfield for a behind-the-scenes look at The Republican’s printing and packaging operation, followed by an evening of connection at White Lion Brewing Company’s Pridelands.
Some of the best ways to understand the strength of Western Massachusetts are to get inside the businesses and institutions that help make the region work.
On August 12, members and partners of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council did exactly that.
The evening began at The Republican where Western Mass EDC members received a behind-the-scenes look at the newspaper’s Springfield printing and packaging operation. From there, the group continued to White Lion Brewing Company’s Pridelands for an informal member gathering and an opportunity to connect across organizations and industries.
It was a simple concept: open the doors of a regional institution, bring leaders together and create the kind of access and conversation that rarely happens in the course of a normal workday.
The result offered a clear example of what regional economic development can look like in practice.
A different view of a familiar Western Massachusetts institution
The Republican, a founding member of the Western Mass EDC, has long been part of the business and civic fabric of the region.
Yet even people who have lived and worked in Western Massachusetts for years may never have seen what happens behind the scenes.
Mark French, Chief Revenue Officer of The Republican/MassLive.com/El Pueblo Latino, led members through the facility, offering a firsthand look at the scale, people and processes behind the operation.
For Tara Brewster of Greenfield Savings Bank, that access was what made the experience stand out.
“Once I saw that there was a tour of The Republican in downtown Springfield, my interest was instantly piqued because I had never been invited to tour The Republican,” Brewster said. “Being able to tour such an iconic business like The Republican is just an incredible opportunity.”
What struck her most was the difference between knowing an organization exists and actually seeing how it operates.
“I love an in-person experience and being able to say firsthand what you saw, the magnitude of the operation,” she said.
Brewster also came away with a stronger appreciation for The Republican’s place in the region, describing the institution as “an absolute major anchor of our entire region.”
That perspective is part of what makes experiences like this valuable. Western Massachusetts is home to companies and institutions doing consequential work every day. Creating opportunities for regional leaders to see those operations firsthand builds a deeper understanding of the assets already here and the people behind them.
Who was in the room mattered, too
The experience was about more than the tour itself.
It brought together leaders from across business, banking, philanthropy, media, higher education, workforce development, municipal government, nonprofits and economic development.
Among those participating were Charles D’Amour of Big Y, Megan Burke of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Western Mass EDC President and CEO Aaron Vega, representatives from Western Mass News, and leaders connected to organizations throughout the region.
That mix matters because economic development does not happen within a single organization, industry or municipal boundary.
A stronger regional economy depends on employers, educators, financial institutions, municipalities, nonprofits, media organizations, funders and economic development partners understanding one another and having the relationships necessary to work together when opportunities arise.
An event in Springfield can serve a much larger regional purpose when the people in the room bring perspectives, relationships and responsibilities from communities across Western Massachusetts.
Connecting Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties
For Brewster, that regional perspective is personal.
She lives in Hampshire County and works for Greenfield Savings Bank, connecting her professionally to Franklin County. Her involvement with the Western Mass EDC adds another layer of relationships throughout Hampden County and the broader region.
Rather than seeing those geographies as separate, she sees value in connecting them.
“I represent not only Hampshire County, where I live and where I grew up, but also Franklin County because of my employer, Greenfield Savings Bank,” Brewster said. “I am so excited to combine them with the hat of Hampden County so that we can really strengthen the region as a whole rather than as separate pieces.”
That is an important idea for Western Massachusetts economic development.
Workers cross municipal and county lines every day. Businesses serve customers throughout the region. Colleges educate students from dozens of communities. Employers recruit from a regional labor market. Investments made in one community can create opportunities well beyond its borders.
The more connected those communities and institutions become, the stronger the region’s ability to compete for talent, investment, business growth and opportunity.
Membership is more valuable when members participate
Brewster, a newer member of the Western Mass EDC, also pointed to another important part of the experience.
Membership alone does not create value. Participation does.
“Being a member of anything, membership takes partnership, it takes involvement,” Brewster said. “The opportunities that are provided by the EDC need to be grabbed. They need to be accepted by the membership.”
That distinction speaks directly to the role of the Western Mass EDC.
The organization can create access, convene leaders, make introductions, share information, amplify members and create opportunities to experience different parts of the regional economy.
The greatest value comes when members use that access to build relationships, learn from one another and identify opportunities to collaborate.
More than another networking event
For Vega, experiences like the Republican tour are part of a larger effort to showcase Western Mass EDC members while strengthening relationships throughout the regional business community.
“We have such great members at the Western Mass EDC, and any opportunity we have to highlight those members and have other members and partners see behind the scenes strengthens our collaborations and the reasons why we choose Western Mass,” Vega said.
That creates a different standard than simply putting another event on the calendar.
A valuable member experience should help someone discover a business they did not fully understand, meet a leader they should know, learn something new about the regional economy or begin a conversation that continues long after the event ends.
“These quarterly membership engagement activities are another way that we convene, connect and advocate for our region,” Vega said.
Continuing the conversation at Pridelands
After the tours, members continued the evening at White Lion Brewing Company’s Pridelands in downtown Springfield.
The setting was intentionally informal. There was no lengthy program or panel discussion. Instead, leaders had time to continue conversations from the tour, meet people outside their usual networks and learn more about what others across the region are working on.
Those interactions are easy to underestimate.
Regional collaboration is built through major initiatives and formal partnerships, but it is also built one relationship at a time.
A future partnership, introduction, investment or business opportunity can begin with something as simple as two people having enough time to understand what the other is trying to accomplish.
Helping Western Massachusetts see more of itself
The Republican tour also points to a larger opportunity.
Throughout Western Massachusetts, businesses and organizations are manufacturing, hiring, educating, investing, innovating, serving communities and creating opportunities every day.
Many of those stories are not widely known outside the organizations doing the work.
The Western Mass EDC can help change that.
By opening doors, bringing leaders together, highlighting member businesses, sharing regional successes and amplifying the work already happening across Western Massachusetts, the EDC can help the region better understand its own strengths while making those strengths more visible to people outside it.
The EDC does not need to own every good thing happening in Western Massachusetts.
Its value is often greatest when it helps connect the people doing the work, elevate their stories and create opportunities for the region to move forward together.
The evening at The Republican was one example of what that can look like.
Organizations represented
Organizations represented during the evening included:
American International College •
Bay Path University •
Beacon Bank •
Big Y •
City of Chicopee •
Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts •
Focus Springfield •
Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce •
Greenfield Savings Bank •
Liberty Bank •
Mass Development •
The Republican/MassLive Media •
UMass Amherst •
United Way of Pioneer Valley •
Western Builders •
Western Mass News •
White Lion Brewing Company
Additional Western Mass EDC members, partners and guests also participated in the evening.
Get connected with Western Mass EDC
The Western Mass EDC brings together businesses, institutions and leaders working to strengthen the regional economy and create more opportunity across Western Massachusetts.
Interested in becoming part of that network?