The Economic Development Council of Western Mass., working in conjunction with area young professionals’ societies and something called the Senior HR Roundtable, has developed a DVD called It’s Your Move to show young people with career options why they should make the Pioneer Valley one of those options. The DVD is part of a much broader focus on recruitment and retention designed to make the region more competitive now, and especially in the future, when competition for top talent will be only be heightened.

Click here to read the full article in Business West  http://businesswest.com/details.asp?id=2082

Posted 7/9/09

Downtown Idea Exchange provides detailed case studies, practical news reports, how-to information and hundreds of real-world examples of how traditional downtowns, business improvement districts, main street communities and others are growing and prospering.

Click here to read the article on investing in public safety for our downtowns > http://www.downtowndevelopment.com/perspectives/dixperspectives031509.pdf

Posted 7/1/09

A large number of local jobs in education and health care put Springfield in the center of a new economic ranking of the largest 100 metropolitan areas in the country.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/new_economic_study_ranks_sprin.html

The Western Massachusetts EDC launched a brand new marketing video titled "It's your Move"
to showcase living and working in Western Massachusetts. 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cKBCU_LaTU

Springfield wants outsiders to know it’s the city of 50 firsts.

But as far as the first years of the new millennium go, there’s plenty that the state’s third-largest city would rather forget.

A federal public corruption probe launched in 2000 unleashed years of embarrassing prosecutions targeting housing authority officials, the head of a publicly funded homeless shelter and employees at a state-funded career training center.

Read the full story here >

Evan Plotkin looks at Springfield’s downtown and he sees an oasis for the region’s artistic and cultural community. With the city’s parks and museums, the Basketball Hall of Fame, the River Walkalong the Connecticut River, and the area’s bus lines and rail providing access to and from the city, the only thing Springfield lacks, in Plotkin’s mind, is the political will to transform the city’s base economy over to the arts.

Read the full story here > http://springfieldintruder.com/?p=1910

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AFTER

For more information, visit http://www.ericgrohemurals.com/projects/diamond.html

A group of city leaders in Springfield paid a visit to Pittsfield to meet with Mayor James Ruberto and his cultural development team and toured the downtown.

After a stop at city hall, the Springfield group visited the refurbished Colonial Theater which symbolizes the
re emergence of Pittsfield as an economic and cultural center, as well as the Barrington Stage which many call the fastest growing arts venue in Berkshire County.

Evan Plotkin of Samuel D. Plotkin and Associates, sees Springfield as being able to follow suit, "Pittsfield is now the cultural hub of this region and Springfield has every reason to be that for our region."

Springfield city councilor Tim Rooke was impressed by what he saw and would like to see Springfield do what  Pittsfield has already done when it comes to cultural development and attracting artists to the downtown area, "They give them an overwhelming feeling of being welcomed into the city as a new business and I think we have to duplicate all of those in the city of Springfield if we really want to see something happen."   

To check out the full interview by ABC 40's Ray Hershel, click here:
http://www.abc40tv.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=3807910&at1=News&h1=Springfield

When a tenant is quoted a rate for a gross lease, especially a full service lease, the landlord has calculated all the building expenses and other costs associated with installing that tenant into the space at that time. The year the lease commences is called the “Base Year”. Because he has no control over increased costs in things like utilities, Real Estate taxes and other maintenance items, a landlord must always have a way to recuperate those costs otherwise over time cash flow will turn negative (not good for either party). So language is inserted into the lease whereby the tenant reimburses the landlord for the tenants pro-rata (in proportion) share of those expenses “over the Base year”. So if utilities were $3.00 per square foot when the lease was signed (Base Year) and go to $3.15 in year two, then the tenant will be billed for $.15/Sf.
- Bill Low, VP