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Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao cuts the ribbon marking the launch of the Massachusetts Founders Network developed by Lever.
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Jeffrey Thomas of Lever addresses the gathering at the Porches. Featured on the MFN is Brandale Randolph, founder of 1854 Cycling Co., a high-end bicycle assembly company.
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Lever Launches Massachusetts Founders Network to Support Startups

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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From left, state Sen. Paul Mark, state Rep. John Barrett III, Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Deputy Director Patrick Larkin and Mayor Jennifer Macksey listen to Lever's Jeffrey Thomas at Studio9 in North Adams. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A statewide one-stop source for networking, collaboration and resources for innovative entrepreneurs — Massachusetts Founders Network — was launched on Wednesday with support from state and local officials. 
 
"This is a hybrid, digital and human platform to help startups in Massachusetts advance more quickly," said Jeffrey Thomas, executive director of Lever, a local nonprofit catalyst and resource for startups. "Time and money are startup founders' most precious resources. And our hope is that MFN will save them time and help them access funding."
 
Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao joined the gathering at Porches Inn's Studio 9 that included Lever board members and representatives from some 20  accelerators, incubators and innovation centers. The event was also livestreamed.
 
"I know firsthand how perilous it is to be on that roller coaster ride," said Hao, reflecting on her own time as an executive with online pharmacy startup PillPack that Amazon bought for $753 million in 2018. "And amazingly, we'd pulled it off by figuring it out, talking to previous founders, talking to lots of venture folks, getting lots of advice, and we had an amazing outcome selling to Amazon."
 
Lever Inc. was awarded $25,000 in seed money last year by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to develop a hybrid program of "digital, remote and in-person" to connect entrepreneurs with like-minded peers and mentors.
 
MTC is the lead funder along with sponsorships from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. 
 
"These are the groups for the state that are really injecting energy and capital resources into the innovation ecosystem," Thomas said.
 
Membership offers portals to news, commentary, events, advice, directories, personal experiences, trends, information, sessions with experts in their fields, and resources and tools.
 
Hao said the launch was personal in terms of her experience in startups and private equity, and because of its location in the Berkshires, where she attended Williams College and has a home in Williamstown. 
 
"I love spending time here. And from being out here, I know how much takent we have here. And how interestings, exciting, creative things are happening," she said. "And as we think about our state's economic development, how can we leverage that and really accelerate and amplify that."
 
The secretary said the Healey-Driscoll administration is focused on how to make Massachusetts the best for citizens to start a career, live their best lives and raise their families by helping entrepreneurs large and small grow their businesses and be successful. 
 
"Throughout all that, we think about the three big pillars of equity, affordability and competitiveness," Hao said. "And we think about that across all of our regions, all the incredibly diverse talent we have."
 
She later attended a Berkshire Skills Cabinet roundtable at the Berkshire Innovation Center in Pittsfield with Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler and Workforce and Labor Secretary Lauren Jones. 
 
Patrick Larkin, deputy director of the MTC, noted Hao is the chair off the quasi-state agency's board and that its goals are aligned with the administration's.
 
"Our hope, Jeffrey, is that the MFN will help founders throughout the commonwealth to succeed more quickly, more efficiently, advancing the state's innovation economy, creating jobs and ensuring our continued competitiveness," he said, adding the chief strengths with the ecosystem has been the support organizations. "It has really been the secret sauce for our innovation economy in Massachusetts, and I think the secretary so eloquently described that in her remarks."
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey said she was thrilled how the project would showcase the "small but mighty" North Adams region.
 
"North Adams has a long history of innovation, leading back to the 19th century," she said. "Levers work will help to ensure that innovation continues here and organic, and throughout the commonwealth."
 
Also speaking were state Sen. Paul Mark and state Rep. John Barrett III, who recalled how bad the economy had gotten after the closure of Sprague and its unlikely renaissance through the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and the creative economy.
 
"This is a great day for a lot of reasons and I can't get into all the technology and what is going to be but I do eventually know there is going to be additional jobs. It's going to be in a better economy throughout the state of Massachusetts," he said. 
 
"We know there are limited resources. So we make sure that we use those resources effectively and put them where you're going to have greatest impact," said Mark. 
 
"I think this going to lead to more people taking that risk, trying to make their ideas heard and, hopefully, finding the support that they need. And at the same time what place could be better than North Adams and Northern Berkshire."
 
Thomas sees Founders Network as a direct extension of the work Lever has been doing since 2014.
 
"Our mission goals have always been about empowering innovators, to leverage markets to solve problems. And we've always operated in a way that is inclusive as possible, simply for the practical reason that entrepreneurs are everywhere," he said. "We never know where the next great idea is going to come from."

Tags: entrepreneurs,   lever,   ribbon cutting,   state officials,   

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Main & Mill: A Vibrant New Restaurant on Main Street

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — You can now enjoy another eatery on Main Street by well-known restaurant siblings Colleen and Sean Taylor.

Their restaurant Main & Mill opened for the first time Tuesday, bringing their vision of creating something vibrant and new to downtown North Adams.

"We have created Main & Mill to be part of our day. It's very seasonal ingredients, thoughtful cooking, beauty, beautiful presentation and dishes. And we really wanted to be part of the community, the downtown area, and start a vibrant area on this end, which has been shuttered for a while," said Colleen.

The building is owned by Ginko on Main Street LLC, which has granted 20 years exclusive possession of the property to Latent Builds as the developer. Jack and Suzy Wadsworth, behind Ginko, are development partners with Karla Rothstein and Salvatore Perry of Latent.

The bank closed in early 2021 and was purchased by Ginko late that year. Plans for the property unveiled three years ago envisioned a restaurant, retail, a park and rooftop bar. 

Colleen saw potential and said she initially wanted the building when it first went up for sale. Being good friends with Rothstein and Perry, she helped them design the kitchen and the bar before learning in March that she could lease it as a restaurant space, something she told them would be a great idea.

She said one of the most important things about the restaurant was the collaboration between Rothstein, Perry, and the Wadsworths, who put a lot of time and energy into the building.

"If Sean and I had done it, we would not be able to do what the collaboration supported. The collaboration of the three of us being able to really have that kind of money to put in down here. The design that the architecture firm that Carla and Sal own is stunning," she said. "The time and effort, everyone came together to do this in a really trusting manner."

The two wanted the restaurant to be an all-day venture, so people could eat at any point throughout the day, all week long.

"We wanted it to be open for coffee and socialization in the morning where people can meet, have their cup of coffee, have a quiche, a vegetarian quiche, or croissant or yogurt. Something intentional with their coffee," she said. "Then move into a lunchtime for the downtown business or anybody, and then go into supper, dinner, with drinks later into the evening. So have it really be open all day long, so that there wasn't a void on any particular day."

They also wanted to do something different than the other restaurants they owned.

"We didn't want to mimic any other restaurant in town. We wanted to bring something that was inspiring, something that had some familiar things that people would see, and other things that we would bring to them for them to experience," she said.

As a woman business owner, Colleen said she wanted to bring a female chef into the kitchen. 

Colleen brought on Chef Anna DeRose, who she said puts twists on a lot of her dishes.

"So we have a creme brulee, but our creme brulee is topped with marshmallow," she said. "Our creme brulee is like almost two desserts in one. It's a s'mores creme brulee. So you could have a s'mores, and you could have a creme brulee - but when you put both of them together, fireworks go off."

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