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And Now, A Little Optimism

By
Opinion
As 2005 winds to a close, economic analysts are focusing their attention on the year ahead and what it might bring. For the most part, the forecasters aren’t very hopeful.

Indeed, they look at the recent surge in energy prices, the prospects for higher interest rates, and continued losses of population and innovative talent in the Bay State, and generally conclude that ’06 will be a time of slow and unspectacular growth.

That’s one way of looking at things. From a regional perspective, and without discounting what the scholarly analysts have to say, BusinessWest looks more positively toward the year ahead. In some ways, we have to; considering what the past few years have brought Springfield and the surrounding region, things can only get better.

But with a less cynical eye, we can say that the City of Homes, and, to a lesser extent, the entire region, are turning a page. If nothing else, many people feel comfortable saying that the worst is now behind us.

Granted, there is a long way to go, and if Judge Constance Sweeney’s ruling that the Albano administration improperly froze teachers’ wages is upheld, then the city will be faced with an even deeper budget crisis. But there are some signs of progress:

• The MassMutual Center is open for business:Granted, we have yet to see any of the big conventions and shows we’ve been promised, but the center is big, bold, and it has people talking. Better still, it is providing people with new and different reasons to come downtown – from chamber trade shows to the Bright Nights Ball – and this can only help Springfield in the long run.

• Some Movement on the Riverfront:After years of talk, we have a formal, approved plan for development of the old Basketball Hall of Fame. It’s a $9 million sports and fitness complex that the developers and the Springfield Riverfront Development Commission (SRDC) believe will effectively complement the new Hall, its tenants, and neighbors. If they’re right (work is expected to be completed in 12-15 months) then the city will gain some valuable momentum in its efforts to make the riverfront a true destination spot. That’s good, because another development team is looking at a hotel proposal for Riverfront Park, several options for the York Street Jail, and some other parcels along West Columbus Avenue.

• Progress on the Smith& Wesson Property:This is another project that has been years in the making, and the fact that the city is close (or at least much closer) to landing tenants for the property, is a positive sign. Springfield needs many things, but at the top of the list are tax revenues and jobs. The property at Smith & Wesson holds promise for both.

• Strength in the Suburbs:As we’ve noted many times before, other cities and towns in the region are thriving.

Northampton is enjoying explosive growth, and more lies ahead due in part to the longawaited redevelopment of the former Northampton State Hospital site. Westfield is on the verge of adding hundreds of new jobs in the distribution sector, and has an industrial park primed for development. In Chicopee, a city rocked by the indictment of its sitting mayor on extortion charges seems poised to put that sad episode behind and move forward.

•Eds and Meds:Two pillars of the region’s economy – education and health care – are positioned for continued growth. As the Baby Boom generation nears retirement, the already steady health care sector will continue to add jobs across a wide spectrum. Meanwhile, the area’s colleges and universities are continuously adding new programs and services to bolster the economy. From the Virtual Hospital at STCC to the soon-to-open Kittredge Business Center at Holyoke Community College, the schools are developing new ways to spur entrepreneurship and train people for the jobs of tomorrow.

This optimism must be tempered somewhat by the recent ruling on the Springfield teachers contract, which might ultimately wind up costing the city $30 million, undoing all of the budget progress made by the Control Board. Meanwhile, the ongoing epidemic of crime in Springfield must be curbed if the city is to move forward.

If Springfield can manage to somehow navigate that whitewater – and that is a big ‘if,’ then there is reason to believe that 2006 holds the promise of better times.

Bay Path Expands Entrepreneurial Lecture Series into a ’Summit’’

By
Brenda Wishart
Sections Supplements
Brenda Wishart

Brenda Wishart says Bay Path·s expanded Entrepereneurship and Innovative Thinking program will broaden the school’s audience.

Brenda Wishart says the E-mail responses started coming in only a few hours after the invitations to Bay Path College’s Innovative Thinking & Entrepreneurship Summit went out.

She soon became intrigued not only with the quantity of RSVPs, but the diversity as well.

“We started hearing from students and professors here, as well as from several area organizations,” said Wishart, director of the Entrepreneurship Program at Bay Path. “But we also heard back from a number of area small business owners, and this was something new.”

And it was also one of the primary motivations behind Bay Path’s initiative to
expand its Innovative Thinking and Entrepreneurship lecture series, launched
two years ago, into what organizers are now calling a “summit.”

The free, evening program, set for Nov. 14, will feature a number of speakers and panel discussions designed to help those thinking about starting a business to take the first step — and those already doing business to take the next step, said Wishart.

The summit is just one of many entrepreneurship- related ventures that will be funded by a $143,000, three-year Coleman Foundation grant received this past summer.Other programs to be supported by the grant include everything from a cooperative education initiative to a summer program in entrepreneurship for area high school girls.

Wishart said the Nov. 14 summit will be a combination information exchange, networking opportunity, and business resource program, and it was conceived as part of a broad effort on the part of Bay Path administrators to broaden the school’s focus on entrepreneurship and innovation.

Wishart borrowed from both of those words to create a term — entrevation — that she uses to describe a course she teaches within Bay Path’s business program each spring. But that same characterization can be applied to the summit, she said, which was created, much like the class, to help inspire potential entrepreneurs — but also to assist those who have already chosen that
path, individuals who started with an idea and a rough idea of where they wanted to go with it.

People like Nadja Piatka.
The summit’s keynote speaker, Piatka was an unemployed, single mother who took a passion and talent for baking — and a $100 investment — and founded a venture called Three Blondes and Brownie. That venture grew and eventually took the name Najda Foods Inc., a multi-million venture that supplies what are known as ‘healthy muffins’ to McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada and ‘healthy brownies’ to Subway restaurants throughout Canada and 27 U.S. states.

“Her story offers some inspiration and some important lessons for everyone,” said Wishart.

BusinessWest looks this issue at the Bay Path summit, and also at the school’s wider efforts to foster entrepreneurial thinking in the Valley.

Peaking Their Interest

The titles given to the various breakout sessions scheduled at the summit speak to the event’s mission: Accessing Capital to Finance New and Growth Ventures;Integrating Branding and a Customer-centric Sales Culture; Launch — There’s Help at Every Step of the Way; and Attracting and Retaining Stellar Employees.

The sessions address the many challenges facing small business owners today, said Wishart, including the need to seek help when it’s appropriate and knowing where to go to get it.

Providing a forum where such questions can be asked and answered was one of the many goals set by Bay Path administrators as they set about the task of expanding their focus on entrepreneurship and innovative thinking and community involvement in that realm.

The college created its entrepreneurship program in 2001 to provide broad, experiential learning opportunities for students aspiring to become entrepreneurs and innovators.

Early components of the program included curriculum, in the form of three courses related to entrepreneurship; Innovations in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Wishart’s Entrevation, and also an Innovator’s Roundtable, comprised of area CEOs and business owners. They provide advice and expertise regarding the skills required of students interested in starting their own business or in entering the job market.

In 2003, with the help of an elevator grant from the Coleman Foundation, the
school launched its lecture series with an address from now former MassMutual
Chairman and CEO Robert O’Connell. The program continued last year with an inspiration address from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and will continue on Nov. 15 with an address from Yankee Candle President and CEO Craig Rydin.

The lecture series attracted a number of students and faculty at Bay Path, said
Wishart, as well as area economic development leaders, business executives, and representatives of area business-development agencies ranging from local chambers of commerce to the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network.

The school wanted to broaden the audience to include area small business owners, and conceived a program around their many needs and challenges. The end product is the inaugural summit, she said, adding that college plans to continue the event for at least the next three years.

Other programs to be funded by the Coleman Foundation grant include:

• A cooperative education program, in which students will be placed in area small businesses, where they will gain hands-on experience in an environment that will allow them to fully explore what is required to be an entrepreneur;

• Expanded business partnerships beyond the summit, including an expansion
of the Innivators’ Roundtable;

• Student development and networking, a program that would provide additional opportunities outside the classroom for students to develop their interest in business ownership; and

• A summer program in entrepreneurship for high school girls that would act as a bridge between area youth entrepreneurship programs and the initiatives at Bay Path.

Summit attendees will have the opportunity to attend two of four scheduled breakout sessions, said Wishart, adding that each offers information and insight that people can take back to their businesses the next morning.

‘Accessing Capital to Finance New and Growth Ventures’ addresses one of the most challenging — and intimidating — aspects of putting an idea or business in motion, said Wishart. The session will provide navigational
advice from Maria Goncalves, senior vice president of TD Banknorth; Richard
Steele, managing member of Longmeadow Capital, a venture capital firm; Marjorie Feldman, owner and president of Al’s Beverage Company, a soft drink concentrate distributor; and Daniel Roulier, founder and president of Roulier Associates, a real estate development company.

Lori Klimach, senior vice president of the Wholesale Division at Yankee Candle, will lead the discussion titled ‘Integrating Branding and a Customer-centric Sales Culture.’ The program will focus on the critical mission of establishing a brand identity at both an organization and a product/service level.

Donna Mullen Good, CEO of the Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE) will lead the session titled ‘There’s Help at Every Step of the Way.’ Her non-profit company has helped more than 10,000 entrepreneurs (of both genders) start and grow their businesses, and provides education, training, technical assistance, legal advice, and access to debt and equity capital at each stage of business development.

Team-building will be the focus of discussion at the fourth of the break-out sessions, ‘Attracting and Retaining Stellar Employees.’ It will feature Marc Criscitelli, vice president of Employee Benefits for the insurance agency Field, Eddy & Bulkley, John Mayhbury, owner and president of Maybury Material
Handling, and Dave Rattner, owner and president of Dave’s Soda and Pet Food City.

Together, they will address subjects to include motivational tips, special incentives, and competitive benefits that are cost-effective and rewarding to employees and employers alike.

View from the Top

Wishart is expecting at least 200 attendees for the summit, and perhaps as many as 350 — she was still amassing RSVPs at press time.

While she doesn’t know the final tally, she does know the event will further the
school’s mission to expand its entrepreneurship and innovative thinking programs, and thus help create and grow more of the small businesses that drive the local economy.

To register for the summit, or for more information, call (413) 565-1229, or visitwww.baypath.eduand select ‘entrepreneurship summit.’

An Energetic Course

By
Opinion
At the Region’s Colleges
The headband read ‘president.’
That was the only clue most people had that the man helping students unload refrigerators and stereo systems on moving-in day at American International College a few weeks ago was none other than the institution’s recently named chief executive — Vincent Maniaci.

He told the local press that his box-lifting escapades were his way of telling students and their parents that the school was going to be there for them. We can see even more symbolism in his desire to break a sweat and get his hands dirty.

Indeed, we count Maniaci among a host of new or relatively new college presidents that are bringing a sense of energy to their schools, and thus to the larger economic development engine that is the region’s higher education system.

The Valley’s seats of higher learning have always been an important cog in the development of the region’s workforce. But an injection of new blood at several area institutions fosters hopes for continued growth of these schools and more and greater relationship-building with the business community that will benefit the entire region.

In other words, we should look forward to more of the imagination and inspiration we have seen at Bay Path College, which has flourished under the leadership of President Carol Leary. The institution has added several degree programs, introduced a women’s leadership conference, and injected a broad focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, among other initiatives.

And we should also see more of the leadership and creative risk-taking that we have witnessed at Springfield Technical Community College, which, under the leadership of former President Andrew Scibelli, created a technology park and enterprise center that are currently home to dozens of businesses employing nearly 1,000 people.
A quick look around the region reveals some of the reasons for the optimism:

  • At STCC, there are new examples of innovation and community involvement, including the recent relocation of the municipal police academy to the historic campus, as well as talks about creation of a high school, geared specifically toward students interested in math and science, at the campus;
  • At Elms College, another new president with a strong track record for community involvement and raising a school’s profile, is at the helm. Jim Mullen comes to the Chicopee institution from the University of North Carolina at Ashville, where he succeeded in both boosting enrollment and involving students and faculty in the community. He has already pledged to do the same at The Elms.
  • At Holyoke Community College, work is nearing completion on the Kittredge Business Center, a facility that will add a new and intriguing layer to the work currently being done at STCC, Bay Path, UMass, and other schools to foster entrepreneurship and help business owners clear the many hurdles they face.

There are other signs of progress; Springfield College has launched an ambitious, $40 million building program, and Westfield State College, with its new athletic and convocation center, is looking to forge new partnerships with the residents and businesses of that city. Meanwhile, Western New England College, which has also expanded its campus, recently opened a facility called the Law and Business Center for Advancing Entrepreneurship. It will utilize the talents of law and business students, and their faculty, to help fledgling entrepreneurs with matters ranging from trademarks to business plans.

At UMass, perhaps the biggest economic engine in the Pioneer Valley, president Jack Wilson and Chancellor David Lombardi are aggressively forwarding plans to double the amount of research grants awarded the university. And with those research dollars comes the promise of new businesses — and jobs.

Maniaci may have the sternest challenge — and greatest opportunity — of all the area’s college presidents. His school, directed by Harry Courniotes for nearly four decades, finds itself in need of a spark and in search of niche it can exploit. Meanwhile, it has to overcome a budget deficit.

Its new president brings energy — and a strong back — to his assignment, and we’re confident that AIC, with help from area graduates and business leaders, can return to prominence.

By
Departments

Electronic Medical Record Seminar

Sept. 16: The Health Care Services Division of Meyers Kalicka, P.C., will present a seminar, EMR — What Does it Mean?, at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Enfield, from 8 a.m. to noon. The program will examine the many aspects of EMR (electronic medical record) and their implications for health care companies. The registration fee is $75 per participant, and is due Sept. 9. Space is limited. To register, or for more information, call (413) 536-8510.

Ethical and Financial Issues For Women

Sept. 27: The Women’s Fund of Western Mass. and the Estate Planning Council of Hampden County Inc. will jointly sponsor an evening focusing on ethical and financial issues for women. Featuring breakout sessions on a variety of topics and a keynote speech by well-known consultant Kristi Nelson, Planning Your Ethical and Financial Estate: Take the Time to Plan the Use of Your Money — How Your Values Live Through Your Life and Beyond will take a unique, value-based approach to estate planning for women. Local speakers presenting during the program include Kent Faerber of the Community Foundation of Western Mass., alonf with area lawyers and financial planners.The event, to be staged at Western New England College, is open to the public, and pre-registration with the Women’s Fund is requested by Sept. 16. To register, or for more information, call (413) 529-0087, or visit [email protected]. The cost is $20 and includes a light meal.

Realtors Conference, Tradeshow

Sept. 27: The Mass. Assoc. of Realtors (MAR) will stage its 2005 conference and trade show, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester. The oneday conference, which is open to all real estate licensees, will include a trade show and education sessions for real estate agents and brokers looking to enhance their business skills and learn new specialty areas of practice to advance their careers. The MAR conference will offer a wide range of of program options for participants, including a series of sales training sessions designed to increase agent productivity, a special curriculum track on realtor technology, multiple continuing education courses, and a series of educational seminars designed specifically for broker-owners and managers. In all, the program will offer attendees up to 6 hours of continuing education credits and more than 15 educational seminars. The opening general session will feature nationally recognized real estate trainer Terry Watson, whose motivational presentation will identify strategies for achieving goals and inspire agents and brokers on how to take their business from ‘good to great.’ Registration fees are $158 for realtors, and $228 for non-members. For more nformation or to register, call (800) 725-6272.

Entrepreneurship Hall Dinner

Oct. 6: The Class of 2005 will be inducted into the Western Mass. Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame at ceremonies to begin at 4:30 at the Andrew M. Scibelli Enterprise Center in the STCC Technology park. A dinner to honor the inductees is slated for later that evening at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House. Those being inducted this year are: Sister Mary Caritas and the Sisters of Providence, founders of Mercy Medical Center; Joshua Brooks, founder of the Eastern States Exposition; William L. Putnam, founder of WWLP Television, Channel 22; Mary Lyon, founder Mt. Holyoke College; Fran & Teddi Laurin, founders of Laurin Publishing; and Joseph Napolitan, founder of Napolitan and Associates. At the dinner, STCC will also present its County Achievement Awards to entrepreneurs in Hampden, Hampshire, Berkshire, and Franklin counties. There will be a reception at 6 followed by dinner at 7. For more information on the dinner or to order tickets, call (413) 755-4477. Those interested in attending the induction ceremonies,
please call William Kwolek at (413) 755-4477.

O P I N I O N

By
Opinion
Learning a Lesson from China
China has shed its fabled economic isolation and is now a world-class trader that uses its advantages of size, scale and cost to compete in the international marketplace. The consensus is that within a generation or two, China’s economy will equal America’s.

How did China advance so dramatically?

Historically, China has always had vast resources and formidable power — but has only intermittently sought engagement with the wider community of nations. After many years of walling itself from the outside world, China is again welcoming foreign investment and engaging in international trade. While others debate globalization, China has mastered it.

Some are alarmed at the pace of China’s economic expansion and seek to constrain it. We have seen the elements of this strategy in various proposals to erect barriers to U.S. imports of Chinese goods.

Not only are these attempts to inhibit China’s international trading unrealistic, they are potentially damaging to the U.S. economy and job growth. A prosperous China with a rapidly expanding middle class represents one of the most significant opportunities for the United States.

U.S. producers across nearly every industrial sector — from commercial aircraft to medical devices to integrated circuits — recognize China as one of the world’s most promising export markets. Boeing, for example, will soon begin filling an order for 60 new commercial airplanes for China. Limiting U.S.-China trade might actually do more to inhibit job growth in Seattle than in Shanghai.

U.S. agriculture also has a growing stake in China trade policy: Since it joined the WTO in 2001, China has become one of the fastest growing markets for U.S. farm products, with exports tripling from $1.7 billion to $6.1 billion in 2004.

And that’s just the export story. Last year, affiliates of U.S. companies doing business in China sold more than $75 billion worth of products to Chinese consumers and businesses.

Clearly, the U.S. has nothing to gain by adopting a protectionist posture. Rather than attempting to constrain the competition, we should adopt a strategy that will amplify our own strengths. Such a strategy has five elements:

  • First, we must take advantage of the economic opportunities in our own hemisphere. Congressional approval of CAFTA was an important step toward creating more outlets for products made in the U.S. This should be followed by a revitalized effort to complete the Free Trade Area of the Americas, covering 34 nations.
  • Second, we should deepen the Transatlantic Business Dialogue and work towards the creation of a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union. This would stimulate growth and provide an incentive for Western Europe to undertake reforms needed to keep their economies internationally competitive;
  • Third, we must intensify our trade program in Asia in order to benefit from the increasing economic interdependence among the region’s nations. Most importantly, we should build on the success of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent trip to the U.S. to deepen our trade relationship with India. And the U.S. should accelerate trade negotiations with Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, and open talks with Japan and Korea. China is already moving aggressively to tie neighboring economies to its own.
  • Fourth, we must ensure a successful conclusion to the global negotiations in the World Trade Organization. This will further encourage China and virtually every important trading nation to live up to their WTO commitments and play by the rules of foreign trade;
  • Finally, if we are going to meet this new competitive challenge, we must get our own house in order. The biggest concern of American industry, according to a recent Commerce Department survey, is not foreign imports but domestic policies and problems. Manufacturers cite rising healthcare costs, burdensome taxation, excessive regulation, and inadequate investment in research and education as the prime constraints to long-term competitiveness.

China’s successful economic expansion is creating new wealth, for Chinese citizens and for Americans. As a society founded upon free enterprise, let’s not complain that today’s Chinese businesspeople are becoming too enterprising. We can learn a lesson from China: Isolation is not the answer. Instead, we must do what our nation does best: foster innovation, encourage entrepreneurship and boost productivity. That is how America will prosper.

Sy Sternberg is chairman and chief executive officer of New York Life Insurance Company. This opinion was first published in The Wall Street Journal on August 9, 2005.

Building an Entrepreneurial Infrastructure

By
Features
It’s called the Regional Entrepreneurship Index.

That’s the name given to a relatively new measure, for lack of a better word, of entrepreneurial activity in a community. The index was created by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy and the Edward Lowe Foundation, and it takes into account several different statistics with regard to business creation and subsequent growth.

The recently conducted study using the index involved 394 communities, and Springfield was one of them. The City of Homes placed 76th overall, just ahead of Providence, R.I., and behind a diverse group of cities and towns ranging from Las Vegas (2nd overall) and Boston (29th) to Bend, Ore. (7th), and top-finisher, Glenwood Springs, Colo. Springfield even finished first in one category — something called "average annual change in new-firm births," at 11.73% between 1990 and 2001.

That’s what we know. What we don’t know is what all this means. As one analyst said — and we agree with him — being highly ranked in this study cannot be a bad thing. But just how good a thing is it, and what does it say — and mean — for Springfield?

Indeed, while the study has good intentions, its results are certainly open to interpretation. For example, it does not differentiate between a new business with one employee and one with 100 or 1000, and Springfield obviously has far more of the former than the latter.

Through the efforts of several area agencies, including the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and it’s TAP (Technical Assistance Program), Springfield Technical Community College and its small business incubators, the Mass. Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and the Western Mass. Enterprise Fund (WMEF), many small businesses have been created and nurtured. But the vast majority of these ventures are very small, with 10 employees or fewer.

Contrast this with Las Vegas, where a new business might be a billion-dollar hotel and casino, or Boston, where the venture might be a pharmaceutical company. What’s more, Springfield finished 317th in terms of the percentage of firms growing "rapidly." Considering these factors, it’s easy to see why the value of the Regional Entrepreneurial Index, and a ranking of 76th, could be called into question.

But while there are some problems with this new measure and its findings are certainly subjective, if one looks past the numbers there are some positive qualitative indications that can be seen.

First and foremost, we believe, Springfield’s fairly strong ranking shows that there is a solid infrastructure in place to support startups and existing small businesses and help them survive the rugged first few years of existence.

The TAP, for example, offers technical assistance to existing small businesses, specifically minority-owned ventures, as well grants of up to $2,500, to be used for everything from equipment to marketing. The Andrew M. Scibelli Enterprise Center at the Technology Park at STCC houses two incubators, one for students and the other for more-established ventures. The former currently boasts fledging businesses in everything from energy bars to designer umbrellas, while the latter hosts several successful businesses, from Banana Publishing, which puts out a cross-border phone book, to a local franchise for ValPak.

The WMEF, meanwhile, has provided loans to businesses that don’t qualify, for one reason or another, for traditional bank financing, and the MSBDC offers a host of services to start-ups and existing businesses, from help with a business plan to assistance with adjusting to changes in the marketplace.

Most of the businesses helped along by these agencies and others in the Valley are quite small — a good number are sole proprietorships — and many will remain small. But all have the potential to someday become major employers. And in the meantime, each small business puts more Valley residents to work and contributes, in many ways, to the overall health of the region’s economy.

While the full meaning of the Regional Entrepreneurship Index is a subject for debate, this area’s commitment to promoting new-business development is not. The infrastructure now in place should continue to swell the ranks of new ventures in Springfield and the surrounding region, and this certainly bodes well for the future.

Master Plan

By
Sections Supplements
Bay Path’s New MBA to Introduce ’Entrevation’ To the Business Community
Bay Path College has been gradually adding entrepreneurial programming with the goals of broadening both the educational experience of its students and the school’s reach within the region’s business community for several years. Now with a new MBA serving as the crown jewel of those initiatives, the college is no longer building momentum, but capitalizing on the unique niche it has already developed.

Bay Path College began its Innovative Thinking and Entrepreneurship Lecture Series three years ago, calling further attention to the school’s burgeoning entrepreneurial focus within its undergraduate business program.

The college also created an Innovators’ Roundtable, consisting of area business leaders from Western Mass. and Connecticut, to serve as both advisors and mentors to business students. And somewhere in between entering students into the regional business concept program (and seeing those students take top honors) and coining a new term to describe a core class within the business program ‚ entrevation ‚ a light bulb went on collectively above the heads of Bay Path administrators and professors. Soon, plans went into motion to create a new master’s degree program in business administration that would build on the college’s existing entrepreneurial momentum.

That light bulb is now part of all informational materials regarding the college’s newest graduate degree program, an MBA in Entrepreneurial Thinking and Innovative Practices. It is often accompanied by the story of Thomas Edison, who didn’t actually invent the light bulb ‚ British inventor Warren De la Rue did ‚ but instead took an existing product, improved it, and effectively marketed it.

Classes within the new master’s program, the college’s fourth, will begin in October. And just as it stems from a greater push for entrepreneurial programming campus-wide, Janette Ruder, director of the program, expects that its addition to the college’s academic repertoire will also enhance existing programs as well as the overall economic health of the region, as it prepares students for business ownership, career advances, and to make a greater impact within their chosen industries.

"There has really been a campus-wide effort to strengthen our entrepreneurial programming and make it a more distinctive part of the education we offer," said Ruder. "Over the past three years we have added courses and secured a grant from the Coleman Foundation to begin the lecture series and other programs. There has been an overall focus on the development of cooperative education, and it’s within that context that we created the MBA."

Brenda Wishart, director of the undergraduate entrepreneurial program and the creator and professor of the entrevation course, agreed with Ruder that the MBA represents the latest step in a wider effort to bring a new way of thinking to today’s business students, and added that it is expected to bring greater notoriety to existing programs and events at Bay Path.

"We are definitely building on existing things," she said, "and there are also programs that are still developing. Everything that is happening or being planned will include a lot of theory, but will also include the application of skills in real-world environments, and to see how positive and effective that synergy is can be exciting."

The Business of Books and Brainstorming

Wishart said students the new graduate are expected to bring a new layer of experience and insight to the entrepreneurial programming, noting that existing programs at Bay Path will be a large part of the MBA coursework, including the annual lecture series, which last year featured Bob Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, and this year will welcome Craig Rydin, president and CEO of Yankee Candle. The students will also interact closely with the Innovators’ Roundtable and participate in entrepreneurship challenges.

The new program is tailored toward working professionals, however. It can be completed in a year or spaced out over two years, and includes components, Ruder explained, that were designed to preserve the traditional core elements associated with an MBA, and also incorporate coursework geared toward teaching more fluid skills. These include developing and executing new ideas, services, and products in the workplace, and strengthening and enhancing creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

Those skill sets, Ruder said, are of increasing importance in today’s workplace, be it a large corporation or a small business venture, due to changing consumer preferences and technology, an expanding global marketplace, and unique financial pressures that require forward-thinking interventions.

"We completed a year of market research before presenting the idea for this specific MBA program," she said. "To offer a degree that would address specific challenges, we knew it had to be one that was both innovative and traditional ‚ a traditional MBA, but with an emphasis on a new way of thinking."

Most MBA programs, Ruder explained, are similar in their coursework and structure, and have been for some time. That’s because the traditional MBA model follows a specific pattern of theory, application of skills, and study of several areas of business including management, finance, and marketing, which has proven to be largely beneficial for students.

For that reason, Ruder said the MBA in Entrepreneurial Thinking and Innovative Practices will not surrender those more traditional components in favor of more modern, or ’cutting-edge’ teaching methods. Instead, it will incorporate new components and teaching practices into that model in order to introduce the ideas of growth and creation in today’s business climate.

"It’s a balancing act," she said. "An effective MBA program should be knowledge-based, and we cannot drift too far into the creativity side of things and risk losing the necessary meat and potatoes that students need. There will be a constant back-and-forth in this program, to ensure that students are getting a rich educational experience."

To that end, the structure of the program has been tailored to include three specific layers of business lessons ‚ both practical and theory-based in nature.

"There will be courses in those core skills ‚ finance, management, and qualitative decision-making, for instance," said Ruder. "There will also be business courses that introduce the ideas surrounding growth strategies and entrepreneurial management ‚ essentially, looking at the ’big plan.’

And finally, courses will be incorporated that address the overall awareness of the environment in which we operate," she continued. "These will examine ethics and legal issues, for instance, and will all be pulled together will constant application, discussion, workshops, and the incorporation of current themes in business and across the nation."

William Sipple, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Bay Path, said several local business leaders and entrepreneurs contributed to the development of the degree program, in part through the Innovators’ Roundtable.

"What we found was an increasing need for people in business to be able to think in creative ways," he said, "and also that there was room for a niche such as this in the region. Just as those leaders have assisted us in developing the program, we think this MBA is going to be good for the overall development of the region. This area fosters a lot of new or reinvented businesses, and we are trying, with this degree, to offer core business skills that are extremely relevant to local business as a whole."

That relevance to the business world is a key factor that is emphasized often by the program’s directors and faculty, and in the program’s literature, in part to better explain the very nature of the program. Sipple said one danger related to the title of ’entrepreneurial thinking’ is that often, people associate it with opening a new business, and fail to see the program’s relevance to other career paths.

"We hope to teach courses geared toward a new way of thinking," he said, "but this is not necessarily a degree just for people who want to start their own business. It’s an MBA program very much rooted in core disciplines, with the flavor of being able to think beyond the norm, see new uses for existing skills, or react to issues to best address the needs of a given organization. We believe that, following our research of several industries, that this is the edge that people need to manage their companies and themselves."

Lighting the Way

The added thrust of innovation within Bay Path’s new MBA program has made organizing the program and translating its unique aspects to prospective students a challenge. But Ruder said the college has relied heavily on its existing infrastructure within the entrepreneurial arts to best explain the strengths of the new program.

"I’ve never seen such synergy between the development of a new program and the existing rhythm of a college," she said, repeating a word that Wishart had already used to describe Bay Path’s entrepreneurial efforts. "I think the whole environment here is entrepreneurial, and as we meet with prospective students, we are explaining to them that they will embody one of the region’s most recent answers to the needs of the business community ‚ college prepared professionals with a solid core of business experience and knowledge, with the added ability to think differently, and more effectively."

In short, Ruder hopes the college’s first class of MBA students will leave Bay Path prepared to create a more innovative business world and a thriving local economy; or even invent ‚ and market ‚ a better light bulb.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Incorporations

By
Departments

The following business incorporations were recorded in Hampden and Hampshire counties between mid-July and mid-August, the latest available. They are listed by community.

AGAWAM

Agawam Family Physicians, P.C., 141 Main St. Agawam 01001. Michael J. Jawitz, 17 Wyman St., Agawam 01001. To practice medicine.

Atlas Founders Inc., 36 Hampden Lane, Agawam 01001. Peter J. Carras, 28 Powder Hill Road, Middlefield, CT 06455. George L. Vershon Jr., 36 Hampden Lane, Agawam 01001, treasurer. A foundry manufacturing products of tin and other metals, etc.

Deluxe Limousine Inc., 81 Ramah Circle, Agawam 01001. Edward Dersarkis, same. Limousine service.

P & G Realty Holding Corp., 36 Hampden Lane, Agawam 01001. Peter J. Carras, 28 Powder Hill Road, Middleton, CT 06455. George L. Vershon Jr., 36 Hampden Lane, Agawam 01001, treasurer. A real estate holding company.

Sports Performance Inc., 11 South Bridge Dr., Agawam 01001. Steven J. Hurwitz, 467 Laurel St., Longmeadow 01106. To enhance performance in sports and sport-related activities for children and adults.

Vallid Laboratories Inc., 295 Silver St., Agawam 01001. Debra Vallides, same. (Foreign corp; CT) To test food and portable water, acquire related instruments, etc.

AMHERST

Artshow Amherst Inc., 409 Main St., c/o Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, Amherst 01002. March Lambert, 83 North Whitney St., Amherst 01002. Nonprofit) To attract visual artists to the area, provide related services, etc.

Tiancheng International Inc., 345 Lincoln Ave., #511, Amherst 01002. Wai Ning Chan, same. Import and export agent.

CHICOPEE

Cardinal Complete Door Distributor Inc., 38 Wheatland Ave., Chicopee 01013. Francis D. Cardinal, same. To sell and install doors, hardware,
security products, etc.

Chicopee Storage Inc., 1981 Memorial Dr., #187, Chicopee 01020. Barbara E. Donahue, 105 Hampshire Ct., Deptford, NJ 080965. John J. Santanielle, 134 Carol Ann St., Springfield 01128. To provide warehousing.

Multiline Warehousing and Transportation Inc., 181 Kendall St., Chicopee 01020. Stanislaw Borawski, 1221 Dundix Road, Unit 153, Miississaugo, On Lay 3Y9 CAN. Agnes Ruszczyk, 181 Kendall St., Chicopee 01020, registered agent. Warehousing and transportation.

Pauly Whally Inc., 205 Chicopee St., Chicopee 01013. Paul L. Boyd, same. To operate a restaurant.

FEEDING HILLS

Agawam Alexander’s Inc., 660 North Westfield St., Feeding Hills 01030. Barry Szymojko, 373 North Westfield St., Feeding Hills 01030. To operate a restaurant and bar.

FLORENCE

Easthampton Mortgage Company Inc., 28 Sylvan Lane, Florence 01062. Anthony Andersen, same. Mortgage brokerage.

Parent-Teacher Organization of John F. Kennedy Middle School Inc., 100 Bridge Road, Florence 01062. Cathleen E. Santosus, 73 Barrett St., #2098, Northampton 01060. (Nonprofit) To provide resources to support an excellent, well-rounded education for JFK Middle School children, etc.

GRANBY

Granby Grain Inc., 108 West State St., Granby 01033. Paul E. Grenier, 29 1/2 Sczygiel Road, Ware 01082. To sell, at retail, grain and other farm products.

Stony Falls Mini Golf Inc., 84 East St., Granby 01033. Stephen Douglas McCray, same. Leisure time activities.

HADLEY

Asian International Imported Food Market Inc., 206 Russell St., Hadley 01035. Ry B. Som, 447 Amherst Road, Belchertown 01007. Retail sale of groceries.

Western Massachusetts Gymnastics Association Inc., 200 Old Lyman Road, South Hadley 01075. Marie Boucino, 86 Sabin St., Belchertown 01007. (Nonprofit) To improve the sport of gymnastics in Massachusetts, foster national and international amateur sports competition, etc.

HAMPDEN

Radharaman Corp., 63 Somers Road, Hampden 01036. Prahaladbhai V. Patel, 4308 Newkirk Ave., North Bergen 07047. To operate convenience stores-gas stations.

HOLYOKE

Certified Real Estate Appraisers Inc., 330 Whitney Ave., Suite 232, Holyoke 01040. Chris E. Monalakis, 219 Christopher Terrace, West Springfield 01089. Real estate appraisals.

Gangster Enterprises Inc., 245 Stafford Road, Holland 01521. John Reed, same. Manufacturing, selling, franchising of motorcycles, etc., related goods and restaurant related thereto.

Lean On Me Inc., 48 Franklin St., Suite 1, Holyoke 0040. Yvonne Garcia, 361 Chestnut St., Holyoke 01040. (Nonprofit) To educate and improve the lives of young people and their families living around the intersection of Franklin and Chestnut St., in Holyoke, etc.

Patriot Towing and Recovery Inc., 81 Brook St., Holyoke 01040. Roselee T. Williams, same. Towing of vehicles.

School Based Services Inc., 72 Front St., Holyoke 01040. John A. Foley Jr., 1308 Northampton St., Holyoke 01040. To provide a complete range of administrative and financial services to educational entities, etc.

LONGMEADOW

Saillant Realty Corp., 908 Shaker Road, Longmeadow 01106. Eduardo A. Saillant, 34-10 84th St., Apt. H, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. Donna Taylor, 908 Shaker Road, Longmeadow 01106, registered agent. Real estate investment.

LUDLOW

Big John Inc., 60 Ravenwood Dr., Ludlow 01056. John P. Green, P.O. Box 115, Ludlow 01056. Machine shop and metal works.

Leonard Enterprises Inc., 17 Deponte Dr., Ludlow 01095. William B. Leonard, same. To purchase, renovate and sell renovated houses.

Starlight Entertainment Inc., 83 Church St., Ludlow 01056. Charles J. Stagnaro, same. Sales and service of vending machines.

NORTHAMPTON

The Breast Form Fund Inc., 14 Center St., Northampton 01060. Judith Pine, 28 Perkins Ave., Northampton 01060. (Nonprofit) To provide breast prosthesis and/or post-mastectomy bras to uninsured or under-insured women, etc.

Class Action Network Inc., 245 Main St., #207, Northampton 01060. Felice Yeskel, 137 State St., Amherst 01002. (Nonprofit) To educate people about issues of social class and money, publish related literature, etc.

Comprehensive Life Coaching Inc., 349 Coles Meadow Road, Northampton 01060. Cheryl L. Pascucci, same. To address health and wellness of individuals by self-assessment, self-management, etc.

ESD Electronics Inc., 64 Gothic St., Suite 6, Northampton 01060. Wilfried Voss, 158 Log Plain Road, Greenfield 01301. Software and hardware development and sales.

Harlow Inc., 196 Main St., Northampton 01060. Robert G. Burdick Jr., 67 Cherry St., North Adams 01247. To deal in leather and silver items.

James E. Clayton Jr., DMD, P.C., 243 King St., Suite 112, Northampton 01060. James E. Clayton Jr., 63 Prospect St., Northampton 01060. To provide dental services.

MMY Associates Inc., 41 Main St., Northampton 01060. Teh-Jing Sun, 40 Appalossa Lane, West Springfield 01089. To operate a bar and restaurant.

Northampton Aeronautics Inc., Old Ferry Road, Northampton 01060. Robert J. Bacon, 22 Overlook Dr., Westfield 01085. To operate an airport.

Precision Audio Inc., 376 Easthampton Road, Northampton 01060. Jose R. Fernandez, 89 Edgewood Ave., Chicopee 01013. To operate an automobile accessories business.

R.G. McGee Inc., 76 Crescent St., Suite 1, Northampton 01060. Richard G. McGee, same. Planning, development and restoration of historical structures.

The Western Massachusetts Library Club Inc., 20 West St., Northampton 01060. Dorothy O. Carmody, 281 Chauncey Walker St., #22PVP, South Hadley 01007. (Nonprofit) To promote library services and librarianship in Western Mass.

PALMER

Shree Vallabha Krupa Corp., 1458 North Main St., Palmer 01069. Virendrakumar Dahyabhai Patel, 37 Whytleville Road, London E7 9LP, England. Ashokkumar Dahyabhai Patel, 1040 North Pleasant St., Apt. 518, Amherst 01002, treasurer. Restaurant and food service.

SPRINGFIELD

Hands for Change Outreach Inc., 38 Hunter Place, Springfield 01109. Lawrence Johnson, 39 Lamont St., 2nd Fl., Springfield 01109. (Nonprofit) To provide various outreach programs to benefit the residents of Hampden County, etc.

Iglesia De Dios Pentecostal, Un Nuevo Renovacion Inc., 758 Main St. West Springfield 01089. Luis A. Baes, 30 Laurel St., Springfield 01107. (Nonprofit) To provide for the civic, social and educational welfare of people in need of supportive services, etc.

Laravee Builders Inc., 83 Pilgrim Road, Springfield 01118. David B. Laravee, 65 Woodbridge Circle, Chicopee 01020. Residential construction.

Last Frontier of Springfield Inc., 477 State St., Springfield 01105.
Charles Burlingham, 238 River Road, Agawam 01001. (Nonprofit) To own and operate a general restaurant, cafe, lounge.

NACCE Inc., 1 Federal St., Springfield 01105. Thomas A. Goodrow, 33 Cynthia Place, Feeding Hills 01030. (Nonprofit) To foster economic vitality for local communities through entrepreneurship education programs in community colleges, etc.

Paramount Pizza Inc., 1626 Main St., Springfield 01105. Halil Turan, 49 Lancashire Road, Springfield 01104. A restaurant business.

Salsakids Inc., 1242 Main St., Suite 301, Springfield 01103. Nector Garcia, 120 Oak Grove Ave., Springfield 01109. (Nonprofit) To improve the lives of at-risk children, teens and their families, etc.

Sergey Inc., 1725 Page Blvd., Springfield 01104. Sergey Privedenyuk, same, president, treasurer and secretary. Catering.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corp., 2100 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield 01102. Roy C. Cuny, same. (Foreign corp; NY) Manufacture of firearms and related products.

Springfield School Volunteers Foundation Inc., 195 State St., P.O. Box 1410, Springfield 01102. Robert Bolduc, 49 Woodsley Road, Longmeadow 01106. (Nonprofit) To assist and carry out the purposes of Springfield School Volunteers, Inc., etc.

TMS Cartunes and Electronics Inc., 100 Verge St., Springfield 01129. George A. Romano III, 17 Aldrew Terrace, Springfield 01119. Auto electronics sales and installation.

Universal Kitchen & Bath Inc., 113 Harkness Ave., Springfield 01108. Craig S. O’Connor, same. General contracting.

Western Medical Supply Inc., 1500 Main St., Suite 2308, Springfield 01115. Bradford A. Miller, 6 Valley Ln., Garrison, NY.10524. Jerry B. Plumb, 1500 Main St., Suite 2308, Springfield 01115, registered agent. To supply durable medical equipment.

Worthington Associates Inc., 21 Prescott St., Springfield 01108. Michael E. Chagnon, 52 DePalma St., Feeding Hills 01030. To deal in real estate.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Ashley Management Inc., 117 Park Ave., Suite 201, West Springfield 01009. Donna M. LaFond, 27 Hilton St., Chicopee 01020. To deal in real estate.

Pioneer Valley Enterprises Inc., 209 Main St. West Springfield 01089. Kristin L. Salha, same. Financial and consulting services.

Power Seal Inc., 80 Wilder Terrace West Springfield 01089. William D. Berte, same. Cleaning, maintenance, pressure washing.

WESTFIELD

Diversified Restaurant Concepts of Westfield Inc., 15 Knox Circle, Westfield 01085. George Flevotomos, same. Restaurant and related services.

K & B Lumber Inc., 100 Apremont Way, Westfield 01085. Keith B. Cressotti, 60 Piper Road, West Springfield 01089. To deal in construction materials and supplies.

Motorsports Policy and Prevention Network Inc.,
60 Lindbergh Blvd., Westfield 01085. Michael G. Pease, same. (Nonprofit) To engage in any civic, educational, charitable and benevolent purpose.

Piper Green Estates Inc., 60 Cardinal Lane, Westfield 01085. Mark T. Bergeron, same. To deal in real estate.

Entrepreneurial Thinking

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Features
Jack Wilson has some ambitious goals for the five-school University of Massachusetts system he now leads. He wants UMass to be more visible and much more of a force in economic development initiatives across the state. In a word, he wants the school to be indispensable to the Commonwealth.

Since being named president of UMass this past spring, Jack Wilson has been busy, as he put it, "telling our story.î

He has spoken to business and civic groups from one end to the state to the other. He’s penned op-ed pieces for publications ranging from The Republican to Mass High Tech magazine. And he’s appeared before editorial boards at most of the state’s major publications.

The blitz has a purpose, Wilson told BusinessWest: making a distinct connection between the five-campus university and economic development efforts in the Commonwealth. The connection has always been there, he said — thousands of jobs have come out of research at the university and thousands more have been retained through various workforce initiatives — but more people need to understand it and take part in it.

"The path to economic and social development in the state goes through UMass,î he explained, using phrases he would repeat often. "We see the university as an indispensable partner in economic development of the Commonwealth.

"When you look at economic development across the United States, you quickly discover that it goes best in an area around outstanding university research universities,î he continued, citing Research Triangle Park in North Carolina and Silicon Valley as just two examples. "The same holds true in Massachusetts; if you took UMass out of the picture, 90% of the research that took place outside of Route 128 would disappear.î

As he pushes his message, Wilson is also taking steps to see that the rhetoric becomes reality. To make UMass the economic development engine he envisions, it must have more and better partnerships — with business, government, non-profits, other colleges and universities, and its own alumni.

Such partnerships have led to success stories involving all five campuses, he said, citing the collaboration between UMass-Amherst and Baystate Health System in the creation of a biosciences research center as just one example.

"We want to partner will all sorts of community groups,î he said. "This could be industry giants like Raytheon, or it could be entities like the Boston public schools, which we’re joining in a math/science partnership that’s part of a $12 million externally funded program high-quality match and science opportunities,î he said. "We have another one called the Urban Scholars Program, in which we’re partnered with community groups focused on minority groups and providing them with educational opportunities.î

While the partners and the specific missions vary, the common denominator is economic development, said Wilson, noting that efforts in this realm include everything from new job creation to making sure the state’s workforce can take on the jobs of today — and tomorrow.

Wilson said he has a number of specific and general goals for the university. For starters, he wants to double the amount of public and private research grants received by the university — from the current $300 million to $600 million, perhaps within five years. He also wants to take the school’s endowment, currently at $170 million, to new heights.

Meanwhile, he wants to create what he called a "unified brandî for the university. By this, he meant that current students and faculty members, as well as alumni of the five schools in the UMass system will think of themselves as part of a larger entity, rather than graduates of a specific school.

With new strategic alliances, and an increasingly entrepreneurial approach within the university itself, UMass can emerge as one of the nation’s premier public university systems, said Wilson, adding that he is committed to making this happen.

"We want to be a willing partner in social and economic development most broadly construed,î he said, "not narrowly construed.î

Degrees of Progress

After he was named interim president of UMass following the resignation of William Bulger in September 2003, Wilson said he had to think long and hard about whether he wanted to pursue the job on a permanent basis.

"To be honest, if they had offered me a permanent position at that time, I would have declined, because it wasn’t clear to me that we had the support it would take to be successful,î he said, referring to both public and private constituencies. "It wasn’t until I worked three and four months and I felt that the situation was coming together nicely and that we were going to have the support from the business community and we were going to have the support from the governor’s office, the Legislature, and the alumni, that I decided to become a candidate.î

That support came in a number of forms, he explained, noting the Legislature made a strong commitment in the budget, especially with an appropriation for long-unfunded contractual raises for faculty and staff, and the governor included a number of capital projects. Meanwhile, Wilson noted a strong measure of support from members of the business community, many of whom he worked with during creation of report titled Choosing to Lead: The Race for National R&D Leadership and New Economy Jobs.

Touted as the Massachusetts Technology Road Map, the report was organized by Mass Insight Corp., a Boston-based public policy firm, and Batelle, an Ohio-based economic development consulting firm. It concluded that UMass is one of the state’s key economic drivers, a resource that should be exploited for new business development and job creation.

"I sat down with many different constituencies, and had some rather frank discussions about where they want this university to be, and how it fits in with development strategies in the Commonwealth,î Wilson said. "I was very pleasantly surprised to find that there was a great deal of bi-partisan support for a strong state university.

"These things are like a snowball,î he went on. "It starts small and it keeps getting bigger and bigger, and at some point you say, ëthis is going in the right direction, let’s keep it going.’î

With such commitments, Wilson said the university can proceed with confidence in its efforts to take a larger role in economic development efforts across the Commonwealth. And as he moves ahead with his plans, Wilson can call on many of his own experiences for inspiration.

Indeed, Wilson knows what it takes to bring a concept through the university research stage, the venture-capital-raising stage, into development, and then through the process of going public. He did just that at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. While working there as the J. Erik Johnson ’22 Distinguished Professor of Physics, Engineering Science, Information Technology, and Management, he spun off a software development company called ILINC.

The company was built through three rounds of venture capital from Exponential Investors, Intel Corporation, the New York State Science and Technology Foundation, and GeoCapital Investors. The venture, known later as LearnLinc, eventually merged with Allan Communications and Gilat Communications to form the publicly traded Mentergy Corporation.

That business venture came as Wilson was filling his resume with achievements in academia, in both the classroom and administration.

Wilson earned a degree in Physics from Thiel College in Greenville, Pa., and his Ph.D. from Kent State University. He taught physics at Sam Houston State University, and eventually served as chairman of the Physics Department and director of the Division of Chemistry, Physics, and Physical Sciences.

He then moved to the University of Maryland, where he taught physics and science, and later to Rensselaer, where he served in a variety of positions. These included acting provost, acting dean of Faculty, dean of Undergraduate and Continuing Education, director of the Lois J. and Harlan E. Anderson Center for Innovation in Undergraduate Education, and co-director of the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship.

He exited LearnLinc in 2000, at the height of the tech market and just before the sector turned south. He pocketed more than enough to retire, but wasn’t ready to do so. Instead, he went looking for a new challenge, and found one when he came to UMass to bolster its fledgling online education initiative.

He took a program with only a handful of courses and students and guided it to exponential growth. When he become interim president, the online program served nearly 15,000 students and involved 40 different degree and certificate programs.

It was this diverse background, including many levels of work in academia and business over a 35-year career, that made Wilson a logical choice for interim and then permanent president at the university. And it is this mix that he believes will help in the process of creating the strategic alliances he says are crucial to the school’s continued growth and development.

Stern Test

There are five schools in the UMass system — Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and Worcester (UMass Medical) — and Wilson says each one has made significant contributions to their respective regions — and the state as a whole — and will look to increase its involvement in the years to come.

The day he spoke with BusinessWest, Wilson also addressed business groups in the New Bedford-Fall River region of the state, now known collectively as the South Coast. The message delivered there was similar to the one being sent across the state.

"I told them that we’re here to do our part; we’re willing to be your partner,î he said, adding that this same message is being across the state.

When asked how partnerships come together, Wilson cited the case of a $40 million research center created out of work at the Amherst campus. This was an initiative where all the pieces to the puzzle — university research and both public and private participation — fell into place.

Known as CASA, the Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere, was inspired by the work of UMass-Amherst professor David McLaughlin, who devised of method of using low-level radar to radically improve weather-forecasting capabilities and also provide new tools for monitoring airborne toxins generated by pollution or terrorism.

The initiative was moved forward thanks to a $1 million gift from Amherst philanthropists John and Elizabeth Armstrong, which helped trigger $5 million in seed money from the Commonwealth and support from Massachusetts businesses. This multi-faceted support eventually led to a $17 million engineering research center grant from the National Science Foundation.

"That’s an example of what can happen when the necessary components come together,î Wilson said. "CASA shows how effective partnerships can make things happen.î

With $320 million in public and privately funded research and development, UMass ranks third in that category in Massachusetts (behind Harvard and MIT) and fourth in New England (behind Yale). It also has a faster R&D growth rate than the national average. But Wilson believes it can be doing much better, and the Mass. Insight/Battelle report echoes that sentiment.

"We want to double our research — the questions are: how fast can we get that done and do we need to do to get it done?î he said, adding that while there is no how-to manual on such initiatives, the university will start by focusing on what Wilson called its "core businesses,î while developing new ones.

"There are a number of factors involved — we want to focus on the areas where we have expertise, but also on what the specific community needs are,î he said. "We know the biomedical business is going to be very big, so we have to figure out how we’re going to play in that. We know that the marine sciences and ocean engineering are also going to be big, and we know that information technology and telecommunications will continue to be a strength. We have to gauge all our opportunities and make the most of each one.î

Wilson said there has been a gradual shift in the research arena from private schools to public schools and especially what he called the "super publics.î This has coincided with huge growth in the scale of research and, recently, a loss of market share in the Bay State.

To get those research dollars back, and to fully capitalize on the shift from private to public schools, he said, UMass must focus on strategic alliances such as the one with Baystate involving bioscience.

While endeavoring to boost research, Wilson also wants to grow the school’s endowment. He said UMass has been lagging behind other state universities in this arena, and he and UMass/Amherst Chancellor John Lombardi are forwarding plans to help the school catch up.

"Other institutions, like Michigan and Penn State have been after this a lot longer than we have,î he explained. "In fact, it’s only been in the last five years that there’s been any focus on this at all. So we have a long way to go.î

Meanwhile, he wants to strengthen the UMass ëbrand.’ He said each of the five schools has, and must maintain, its own identity, but they must work together to promote the larger entity.

Wilson drew parallels to a family.

"Siblings compete with one another,î he explained. " But they also work together for the benefit of the family, and that’s what we have here, a family.î

Overall, Wilson wants the university to become more entrepreneurial in its approach to all its ventures, and to set the bar higher in pursuit of its goals.

"We don’t want to set our sights on being average,î he said. "We want to set our sights on being one of the world’s great public universities. That means we shouldn’t be striving for national averages in anything we do. Instead, we should be comparing ourselves to the top schools and then competing with them — and we have a ways to go to get there.î

Class Act

When asked to describe his role as president of the UMass system, Wilson said it’s his job to set an overall direction for the system and provide it with the resources it needs. To do this effectively, he must keep the school in the public eye or, as he put it, continually tell its story.

This explains why Wilson has used the airwaves and publications’ op-ed pages with such frequency in recent months.

"If we don’t step up and tell our story, it’s our fault,î he said, adding that with strong visibility the school can position itself for continued support.

"It’s all about partnerships,î he stressed repeatedly. "We want people to know that we’re here and ready to work with them. That how we can reach our goals — and that’s how we can become indispensable.î

George O’Brien can be reached at[email protected]

Fueling the Region’s Economy

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Features
An economic impact report on the Technology Park at Springfield Technical Community College reveals that the facility has generated more than 2,000 jobs, directly and indirectly. The report’s author says, however, that the real return on the significant investments made in the park will come perhaps 10 or 20 years from now, when its various job-creation initiatives bear fruit across the Valley.

John Mullin calls it the "Silicon Valley effect."

That’s a term that some of those studying the nation’s technology sector use to describe the free exchange of ideas, or "cross-pollination," as Mullin described it, that goes on when technology professionals work in the same office complex or even the same community. That exchange helps generate new breakthroughs and, therefore, growth within that technology cluster — or so the theory goes, he explained.

This phenomenon, as hard to quantify as it might be, is just one of the tangible and intangible economic benefits that have resulted from the creation of the Technology Park at Springfield Technical Community College, said Mullin, director of the Center for Economic Development at UMass and one of the authors of a new report on the park’s economic impact on the region.

While the Silicon Valley effect may be hard to measure, most other benefits from the creation of the park are not, he said, noting that the facility has created 860 jobs in direct employment (a number that was higher when the tech sector was healthier) and another 1,223 jobs generated indirectly. Meanwhile, the 18 companies in the park have a total payroll of $22.5 million and annual purchases of $17 million.

The economic impact study was commissioned by Appleton Corp., the company that manages the park, to gauge the contributions the facility has made to the local economy, said Mullin. When put on the drawing board, the park was envisioned as an economic engine that would put valuable industrial real estate back on the tax rolls and facilitate growth of the technology sector. The report has concluded that those goals have been met or exceeded.

"I think that this is a great success story, not because the college quickly filled the park or because they immediately had a return on investment," he explained, "but because they put a major industrial/office facility to a highly imaginative and productive use, and made the thing work.

"The real return on this is not today or in five years; it’s going to be in 10 years or 20," he continued, referring to the park’s many programs aimed at job creation, including the Springfield Enterprise Center.

STCC President Andrew Scibelli agreed, but he said there may be more good news coming out of the park in the next few months. There is one vacant building remaining in the complex, and it may soon become the focus of efforts to grow the biomanufacturing sector in this region.

He said that intiative, still in its formative stage, would, like other components of the tech park, create synergies with programs at the college. Such relationships are perhaps the most important aspect of the facility, he said.

"We didn’t want to be just a landlord," Scibelli said at a press conference to announce the report’s findings. "We’ve had hundreds of students who have affiliated with companies across the street."

BusinessWest looks this month at the grades the tech park earned on its first report card, and what might happen next at the award-winning facility.

Crunching the Numbers

Mullin said that maybe the best thing about the attractive statistics compiled on the tech park (see box, below) is that they were tallied during what he called the "rock bottom" of the current economic slowdown.

Indeed, the direct employment figure of 860 is well below the high-water mark at the tech park of more than 1,000 jobs, recorded when the tech sector was much healthier, he said. Meanwhile, the number of indirect jobs created by the park — a figure derived using a standard multiplier that assumes that each job in the park creates an additional 1.4 jobs in the community — has also been higher.

Mullin, who has studied a number of old mill complexes in the Northeast that have been converted into tech centers, said most companies in that sector have seen employment dip 20% to 25% over the past few years, a number that is consistent with what he found at the STCC facility. Many of those companies are now poised to grow.

Thus, the already impressive numbers could look better in the years ahead, he said, adding that, while the quantity of jobs is an important statistic, the quality is also of note.

He said it is likely that the Digital complex, which had been largely vacant since the company moved out in June 1993, would have been converted to warehouse use if the technology park had not been created with the help of state and federal funding. And warehouse positions would pay considerably less than the manufacturing and management jobs that currently exist in the facility, he noted.

While the technology park has not replaced all the jobs that existed in that location when Digital was at its height, Mullin explained, the more reasonable yardstick when gauging economic impact is what the next probable use of the complex would have been. In that respect, the tech park has become an asset for that area of Springfield and the region as a whole.

Its benefits take a number of forms, said Mullin, adding that while it is reasonable to assume that some of the tenants in the park would have located in other office buildings and manufacturing complexes around the region if the facility had not been created, the combination of attractive lease rates (well below area Class A rates), the resources of the college across the street, and synergies created by having tech companies clustered together made Springfield more attractive to some companies.

"I don’t think there’s any doubt that the technology park made the Springfield market more attractive to some people," he said. "I think this project definitely helped to grow the tech cluster in this area."

Down to a Science

Looking to the future, the college is now training its sights on another emerging sector of the economy — biotechnology and, more specifically, what is now known as biomanufacturing.

As Scibelli explained, companies that are creating new pharmaceuticals and medical devices need trained employees to produce those products. The remaining undeveloped building in the tech park, known as 103B, could be targeted for existing and startup biotechnology companies that would benefit from the college’s associate’s degree program in biotechnology and the students that graduate from it.

Such a program, Scibelli said, would complement the Baystate Medical Center-University of Massachusetts-Amherst Biomedical Research Institute by providing both the physical space and the workforce needed for companies that will be spun off by that initiative.

Meanwhile, another component of the tech park, the Springfield Enterprise Center (SEC), is creating new jobs by fostering entrepreneurship. The center includes a small business incubator, which has already graduated several tenants that have relocated to other sites in the Valley. It also has a student incubator and houses the college’s Entrepreneurial Institute, which includes programs for area elementary and secondary school students, as well as a college degree program.

The SEC model has become so successful that the college is now attempting to sell it — in both a figurative and literal sense — to community colleges across the country.

To that end, the school has formed the National Assoc. for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) and has scheduled a conference for this October to introduce other colleges to the STCC model and educate them on how to emulate it, said Scibelli.

The various educational and job-creation programs at the tech park have earned it several honors. These include the U.S. Department of Commerce’s 2001 Excellence in Urban or Suburban Economic Development Award, as well as the International Economic Development Council’s 2002 Excellence in Economic Development Award.

More important than the awards, said Scibelli, are the jobs the park has created and the promise of more employment opportunities down the road. "When we first conceived the Technology Park, we did so with the firm belief that it would become a source of jobs and act as fuel for the region’s economic engine," Scibelli said. "The economic impact report quantifies what we already knew — that this tech park has become one of the cornerstones of regional economic development."

Technically Speaking

Mullin told BusinessWest that he was not immediately sold on the concept of the Silicon Valley effect. "Let’s just say I needed some convincing," he said, adding that he got it when he listened to a report on how the phenomenon has impacted the growth of the Route 128 corridor in the eastern part of state.

He didn’t need any convincing on the impact of the tech park, however. He said the numbers — and the programs behind those statistics — speak for themselves.

And the best news is that they will only get better.