State Launches Two Initiatives to Attract Businesses

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BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll administration has launched two initiatives to strengthen Massachusetts' position as a top destination for businesses: the Business Front Door, a digital-focused platform designed to connect businesses with personalized guidance to navigate state funding opportunities and incentives, and Why Massachusetts, a new website designed to attract businesses to locate and grow in the state. 
 
The Business Front Door was a recommendation from the administration's 2023 economic development plan and will leverage the resources and policy tools developed in collaboration with the state Legislature as part of the nearly $4 billion economic development bill, the Mass Leads Act, which Gov. Maura Healey signed in November 2024. 
 
"These new tools promote what we in Massachusetts already know: that this is one of the best places in the world to do business," said Healey. "With the launch of the Why Massachusetts website and the Business Front Door, we are ushering in a new era of technology-forward business engagement that prioritizes clarity, efficiency and personalization, and underscores our administration's commitment to fostering a competitive business environment."
 
Why Massachusetts promotes the state's global leadership in innovation, talent and quality of life while showcasing the key industry sectors where Massachusetts leads, including life sciences, artificial intelligence, climate tech and advanced manufacturing. The site highlights the data-driven reasons why businesses thrive in Massachusetts, including top rankings in education, health care, and quality of life; world-class research institutions; a highly educated workforce; and access to global markets.  
 
Complementing the site, the Business Front Door is a streamlined platform that serves as a one-stop shop for business owners and entrepreneurs looking to start, expand or relocate to Massachusetts. This new platform provides a clear pathway for businesses to work with "Team Massachusetts," which includes the Executive Office of Economic Development, its quasi-government economic development partners, and other agencies and offices across state government focused on supporting businesses.  
 
"We have heard from businesses across Massachusetts that they need a simpler way to learn about and access state resources, and these new tools address that by streamlining our efforts to support businesses into one user-friendly online platform," said Economic Development interim Secretary Ashley Stolba. "The Business Front Door ensures that every type of business across every industry, from emerging startups in life sciences to established enterprises in manufacturing, can receive comprehensive guidance and support from our administration."
 
The Business Front Door offers businesses a full concierge service that involves a user-friendly online portal through which they can access a tailored list of resources such as grant funding, loans, and technical assistance. Each business that enters the Business Front Door portal is assigned a "Navigator" from Team Massachusetts who will serve as a single point of contact for the business, offering guidance on issues and questions as they explore state resources.  
 
Within the concierge portal, the businesses can submit questions about their needs and a member of Team Massachusetts will respond directly. The portal also connects owners with key information, advisors and partners that can support their growth, and it opens virtual office hours for all businesses. 
 
Visit www.mass.gov/BFD for more information.

Tags: economic development,   

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North Adams Updated on Schools, Council President Honored With 'Distinction'

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff

Superintendent Timothy Callahan gives a presentation on the school system at Tuesday's City Council meeting. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council got an update on what's up in the school system and its president was inducted into the mayor's Women's Leadership Hall of Fame.
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey, as the city's first woman mayor, established the Hall of Fame in 2022, during March, Women's History Month, to recognize local women who have had a positive impact on the city. Past inductees have included the council's first woman president Fran Buckley, Gov. Jane Swift and boxing pioneer Gail Grandchamp. 
 
She described President Ashley Shade as a colleague and a friend and a former student. 
 
"Ashley is known not just for her leadership, but for her compassion, her ability to listen, to understand and to stand up for those whose voices are often gone unheard," the mayor said. "She has been a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ plus community and marginalized communities at both the local and national level here in North Adams."
 
Elected in 2021, Shade is the first openly transgender person to hold the role of council president in Massachusetts. She also leads the first-ever woman majority council in the city's history. 
 
The McCann Technical School graduate also has served on boards and commissions, "always working to make our city more inclusive, equitable and welcoming," said the mayor. "Ashley not leads not only with strength, but with a heart, and our community is a much stronger place because of it."
 
Shade, wearing her signature pink suit, was presented with a plaque from the mayor designating her a "woman of distinction."
 
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