Editorial 2

Another Company Bets on Springfield

It has been written — and Aaron St. John believes it’s true — that economic development is a three-legged stool, with the legs being access to talent, quality of life, and access to capital. A region with all three, the theory goes, should be able to attract and retain businesses and, in some cases, foster entire industries.

When it comes to Western Mass., quality of life has never been in question. Families and employers alike praise the region’s lower cost of living than, say, Boston, as well as its natural resources, myriad recreation opportunities, and access to major highways and Bradley International Airport, just to name a few traits.

And the talent being pumped out by the Pioneer Valley’s colleges and universities is unquestioned; the challenge has always been keeping them in the region with attractive career opportunities.

But St. John, co-founder of video-game developer HitPoint Studios (see related story page 6), says accessing capital hasn’t always been easy for entrepreneurs in Western Mass. — but that’s changing. His company recently won $1.25 million in funding from River Valley Investors and MassMutual’s Springfield Venture Fund, two entities that provide capital for entrepreneurs and small businesses trying to grow in Western Mass.

And efforts to keep talent local have picked up steam in recent years as well, with the rise of entities like Valley Venture Mentors, Tech Foundry, and others dedicated to mentoring and training the kind of workforce that companies looking to locate or grow here will need.

HitPoint is only six years old, but its rapid growth and reputation in the social and mobile gaming world — and its rising image as an independent game developer — makes its move last week to downtown Springfield big news. More accurately, it’s one more headline in what has become a string of activity downtown, with entrepreneurs, established businesses, and colleges all clamoring to have a presence on or near Main Street.

But is Springfield really a better landing spot for a promising game developer than, say, Cambridge or Silicon Valley, just to name two regions where investors were actively checking out HitPoint? St. John and company co-founder Paul Hake say yes — and they believe there’s room for many other firms in their field to grow alongside them.

In fact, some are already here. Two years ago, Hampshire College hosted a symposium of area companies involved in video-game design and development, and the overriding message that day was that there’s no reason why Greater Springfield or the broader Pioneer Valley can’t become a recognized hub for that industry.

Cambridge didn’t become the impressive high-tech cluster it is today overnight. Neither did the Research Triangle in North Carolina. Both, however, took advantage, in various ways, of those three stool legs: access to talent, quality of life, and access to capital.

They also benefited from huge doses of creativity, vision, and entrepreneurial spirit, and we believe this region possesses those in spades. And every bit of news about a company growing in the Valley or taking a chance on Springfield only makes that clearer.

St. John said he wants people to look at his industry, and other high-tech clusters, and ask, “why not Western Mass.?”

Good question.