Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts visited Haverhill in April to announce that the City is the first of 16 regional "growth districts" designed to be magnets for new business development. The "regional growth districts" are key to the Governor’s long-term economic development strategy for the State. The districts are targeted for older mill towns and cities near highways or other transportation. The state will help the city or town clear land, secure needed permits and improve infrastructure in the hopes of luring businesses.
This presents a golden opportunity for Haverhill to boost its relevance in the global economy and find its niche in the creative and innovative economies.
The Governor has focused much of his energy to date on the bio-tech and clean energy sectors. The bio-tech industry is clearly centered in Greater Boston, while the clean energy sector is more dispersed across eastern Massachusetts.
However, one look at the Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council’s (MVEDC’s) nifty new web site at http://www.merrimackvalley.info/ reveals that the life sciences, clean energy and green technology sectors have a presence in the cities and towns to the west of Haverhill, but not in Haverhill or the cities and towns to its east.
Preliminary Thoughts on How to Reverse Trend
I had the pleasure to attend a regional economic development meeting this past week sponsored by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) (http://www.mvpc.org/.) The MVEDC and the MVPC play complementary roles in economic development. MVPC tends to focus on supporting infrastructure and long term trend analyses, while the MVEDC works directly with industry. Both organizations should play key roles in developing and implementing economic development plans across the region – including the plan to help Haverhill leverage Governor Patrick’s regional growth district designation. Two key strategies discussed that could be applied in Haverhill and region are highlighted below.
Agility is Key Enabler
While large Federal and State grants serve a useful purpose in developing infrastructure, agile funding mechanisms that have less red tape are needed to lure emerging creative and innovative companies. This could be a loan pool with $50K stipends that are fast tracked to qualifying businesses.
Quickly identifying and preparing available properties for immediate use was also identified as a priority. If the traditional model is followed, it may take several years to acquire Federal and State grants to redevelop a property. Bob Halpen, MVEDC President and CEO, astutely commented: “that equates to 2-3 business cycles for the companies seeking a facility.” Mr. Halpen suggested to identify and redevelop five properties from across the region to show tangible progress.
Stakeholder Collaboration across Region Critical to Success
There was wide agreement that the various stakeholders from across the region, including academia, financiers, Government and industry, need to collaborate to help each other succeed in the global economy. The Merrimack Valley Regional Innovation Network (MVRIN) is being developed to provide both on-line and face-to-face emerging technology collaboration opportunities at places like NECC’s Technology Center in Haverhill, so that partnerships can readily be formed to co-develop new products and services. Doing business abroad was cited as an example benefit of regional collaboration. Perhaps a partner has had success in doing business in China and can share those best practices across the region, as opposed to each company starting from scratch on their own. Workforce development is a key ingredient for success. That includes providing our children with the appropriate knowledge and skills for the 21st century.
It is recommended to identify two of Bob Halpen’s five pilot sites at Haverhill’s Hilldale Industrial Park and at a mill building in the downtown respectively. The Hilldale Industrial park is ripe for next generation companies while the downtown is in dire need to diversify. An influx of creative and innovative jobs and talent with pizzazz would suit the downtown well. Then, perhaps Haverhill can become the Innovation Hub of the eastern edge of the Merrimack Valley, like it once was.