Pittsfield Businesses Named Finalists Economic Impact Awards

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. Mayor Peter Marchetti announced that two Pittsfield businesses, Hot Plate Brewing Co. and Interprint, were respectively named as Silver and Bronze Awardees for the 2023 MassEcon Economic Impact Awards.
 
According to MassEcon, the Economic Impact Awards celebrate companies throughout the Commonwealth for their contributions to the state's economy. Each awardee must meet three criteria including locating a new operation in Massachusetts or expanding operations resulting in added jobs and facility investment, social impact with community involvement/philanthropic efforts and internal/external equity, diversity and inclusion practices.
 
To honor these accomplishments, members of the public are invited to attend a celebration at Hot Plate, at 1 School Street, on Thursday, April 18 from 5-7 p.m. In addition, this event will include an opportunity to network with new business owners who have recently opened in Pittsfield.
 
"Interprint and Hot Plate are prime examples of thriving businesses within their industries," said Mayor Peter Marchetti. "Pittsfield continues to support the expansion of business and introduction of new businesses throughout our community."
 
The city has a variety of incentives to offer support to existing businesses who are looking to expand their operations or new businesses that want to relocate to Pittsfield.
 
Sarah Real, Owner and Head Brewer and Mike Dell'Aquila, co-founder and general manager opened Hot Plate Brewing Company in early 2023. 
 
Real is an award winning and nationally recognized home brewer.
 
The city provided Hot Plate with $140,000 of Pittsfield Economic Development funding for the creation of four full-time jobs with the addition of part-time staff positions. In addition, Hot Plate received $125,000 from the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation for a small business loan and technical assistance grant.
 
"We're thrilled to be recognized as a Silver Awardee by MassEcon, and we definitely see this as a win for the whole community," said Real. "If it weren't for support from the City, Pittsfield residents, and all of the collaborators we've had the chance to work with, we wouldn't have been able to meet and exceed some of Hot Plate's admittedly ambitious goals."
 
Interprint, a manufacturing business located in the city since 1985, is constructing a 57,000 square foot
manufacturing facility to accommodate a project that includes three new printing presses. The city provided a 10-year tax increment financing agreement for creating 20 permanent full-time manufacturing jobs by 2025 with a total capital investment of approximately $31 million dollars.
 
"Interprint, Inc. is proud to again be recognized by MassEcon for this expansion project – the largest ever at our Route 41 facility," said Director of Communications, Peter Stasiowski. "The City of Pittsfield's continuing support has paid dividends over our nearly 40-year history as a stable and growing employer whose fulltime workforce will soon exceed 200 for the first time."
 

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BRPC Committee Mulls Input on State Housing Plan

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's Regional Issues Committee brainstormed representation for the county in upcoming housing listening sessions.

"The administration is coming up with what they like to tout is their first housing plan that's been done for Massachusetts, and this is one of a number of various initiatives that they've done over the last several months," Executive Director Thomas Matuszko said.

"But it seems like they are intent upon doing something and taking comments from the different regions across the state and then turning that into policy so here is our chance to really speak up on that."

The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and members of the Housing Advisory Council will host multiple listening sessions around the Commonwealth to hear input on the Healey-Driscoll administration's five-year strategic statewide housing plan.

One will be held at Berkshire Community College on May 15 at 2 p.m.

One of Matuszko's biggest concerns is the overall age of the housing stock in Berkshire County.

"And that the various rehab programs that are out there are inadequate and they are too cumbersome to manipulate through," he explained.

"And so I think that there needs to be a greater emphasis not on new housing development only but housing retention and how we can do that in a meaningful way. It's going to be pretty important."

Non-commission member Andrew Groff, Williamstown's community developer director, added that the bureaucracies need to coordinate themselves and "stop creating well-intended policies like the new energy code that actually work against all of this other stuff."

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