Page 41 - BusinessWest April 1, 2024

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Clean
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is the municipal hydro dam,” he explained. “We have some of the cheapest commercial electricity rates in the state, and as an electro-chemical solution, that’s one of the main variable costs we’re going to have as we scale, and we see that as an enormous asset.”
It’s an asset that could attract other companies in this emerging realm as well, he went on, citing the pending arrival of Sublime Systems, a producer of low-carbon cement, as another sign that Holyoke’s inexpensive power and other selling points are turn- ing heads.
“We see this as a real opportunity, not just with us, but with a range of other companies coming out of the Greater Boston ecosystem that are really going
to drive this next wave of industrial decarbonization,” White said. “There’s an opportunity for Holyoke to be a leading space for the next milestone of scale-up for those companies coming out of Greentown Labs and MIT. The city happens to have this tremendous advan-
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“We see this as a real opportunity, not just with us, but with a range of other companies coming out of the Greater Boston ecosystem that are really going to drive this next wave of industrial decarbonization.”
tage of having a carbon-free, economically competitive energy source as well as a lot of underutilized indus- trial space.”
Meanwhile, the company is working to ensure that it has sufficient talent to meet its future goals, partner-
ference in the com- munity. In 2018, the team established the nonprofit T-Birds Foun- dation to support local initiatives in the areas of health and wellness, youth enrichment, and civil service.
To date, the founda-
tion has made more
than $300,000 in con-
tributions to organiza-
tions and charitable
events throughout the
Pioneer Valley. Mean-
while, team players,
personnel, and mascot
Boomer have combined for more than 1,700 appear- ances since 2016.
“This year, we’ve done over 200 appearances by Boomer. And the players are out every day,” Costa said, through efforts like a reading program and youth hockey initiatives. A couple weeks ago, the team even made its first appearance in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade. “So there are still things we’re unveiling that we haven’t been doing, really good stuff to con- tinue to build on our visibility.”
Wydra praised those efforts to engage the commu- nity, both on and off the ice.
“I think Nate and his team have done a great job of making that team all about family entertainment, and it’s more than just the product they put on the ice. I mean, when they’re winning, it’s a great thing; every- body loves to support a winning team. But they’ve been so creative, the way they interact with the com- munity and the different types of game events they do, the promotions.”
The 2023-24 season has been an up-and-down affair, marked by injuries and, of course, a number of call-ups to the NHL St. Louis Blues, including the head coach, Drew Bannister.
“Almost half the [opening-day] roster is now play- ing meaningful minutes in St. Louis,” Costa said. “That part of the connection is really positive. It’s a little challenging that we don’t control the product, but at the end of the day, we’re controlling the experi-
ing with Springfield Technical Community College on an initiative to create a pipeline of technicians for the years to come.
Bottom Line
Whether Holyoke does, indeed, attract other green- tech companies, and whether Clean Crop reaches the lofty goals it has set for the coming years, remain to be seen.
But for now, the company is already making its mark when it comes to the global issue of seed health, and helping to put Holyoke on the map as a potential home for companies in this sector.
This is a company, and a story, that bears watching as the seeds it has already planted continue to bear many different kinds of fruit. BW
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Hockey
You have people coming in from Wilbraham, Long- meadow, Northampton, whatever, they’re probably going to grab a bite to eat downtown or maybe grab a drink after the game. So there’s a huge impact on our economy when the Thunderbirds play.”
Costa agreed. “We had a feeling we were making a significant impact when you come downtown on one of the game nights and seen the city traffic back up on Columbus, people walking around downtown, all the activity and life downtown. They’re coming to the game, but going out to dinner first, then having a drink afterward.”
Part of the reason the team wanted to quantify the impact with the Donahue Institute study was to show the city and state that the team — and its home, the MassMutual Center — are worth further investment.
“We’ve seen the growth and impact. We know what we’re doing internally, but we wanted to be able to quantify it,” Costa said, adding that the team is a main reason why the dilapidated parking garage next to the arena was torn down and is being rebuilt.
“Without the bodies at the games and this much activity, it was more of a risk, but there was a lot of confidence on the city and state side that what we were doing as the main tenant in this building was tremendous.”
The T-Birds’ economic impact also translates into jobs throughout the region. Since the team’s inaugu- ral season, it has doubled the number of jobs created from 112 in 2017 to 236 in 2023. The study esti- mates that income per job created by the T-Birds is approximately $76,000 for the Pioneer Valley and that each job at the Thunderbirds creates or supports 3.28 other jobs elsewhere in the Pioneer Valley.
Costa said he, Managing Partner Paul Picknelly, and the rest of the ownership group always believed this success was possible.
“We knew what we were taking on. We knew we’d have to set up the business the right way and invest the right way, and I have to give credit to the owner- ship who allowed me to invest the right way, staff up, do the game promotions and theme nights.”
Community Assist
In addition to supporting local businesses, the Thunderbirds have been dedicated to making a dif-
Boomer leads a contingent from the T-Birds in their first Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade last month.
Photo by Lucas Armstrong
ence. And the Blues have done a good job sending us a team that’s exciting.”
Indeed, center Adam Gaudette leads the entire AHL in goals scored, and the team, in general, has been high-scoring and fun to watch, Costa added. The team also ranks third in the league in percentage to capacity, meaning the percentage of total seats in the arena that are sold each night.
“That’s a real barometer for our success, and it’s probably creating some urgency and demand in the marketplace,” he said. “Our building size is perfect for the American Hockey League market. We see the dichotomy in Hartford. They’ve got a big building, and they’ve done a nice job this year; they’ve taken a look at what we’re doing in Springfield and adopted some best practices that we do here. And that’s helped their attendance. But they’ve got a 15,000-seat building, and it’s not as easy to create the atmosphere.”
An energetic fan experience, robust community support, quantifiable economic impact, and soaring ticket sales — that’s a recipe for success for any hock- ey team, whether it makes the playoffs or not. BW
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