Page 11 - BusinessWest April 14, 2021

Andrew
Surprise says a well- developed and vibrant downtown will help Palmer attract more businesses.
job since January, Surprise looks to help chamber members increase their engage- ment with state and local officials, as well as identify economic programs to benefit the area.
He has already begun working on a grant for downtown Palmer through the Transformative Development Initiative,
a MassDevelopment program. The grant provides incentives for businesses to locate in condensed areas, like downtown settings, that are walkable.
“That’s a positive for us because Palm- er’s downtown is very walkable,” Surprise said.
He is also applying to the Massachu- setts Cultural Council to have downtown Palmer designated as a cultural district. In addition to being a walkable area, a community must show it hosts arts and cultural events on a regular basis.
Surprise admits these projects will take several years to be successful, but the effort would be worth it. “A well- developed and vibrant downtown will help us bring in other businesses.”
As part of his outreach to local officials, he reminds them of Palmer’s tradition and contin- ued relevance as a manufacturing town.
“There has been a lot of talk on the national level about restoring manufacturing jobs,” he said, adding that communities like Palmer that have plenty of available land could be attractive to Boston-area high-tech companies looking for manufacturing space. “Palmer is well-placed for manufacturing facilities; its access to major high- ways makes it easy to get products to Boston,
Hartford, Albany, and New York City.”
The chamber recently conducted a survey
among its members to find out how they weath- ered the pandemic. Results so far show that two-thirds of businesses have been able to avoid employee layoffs. By finding alternatives such as reducing hours, many avoided having to reduce their staffs.
“Palmer is well-placed for manufacturing facilities; its access to major highways makes it easy to get products to Boston, Hartford, Albany, and New York City.”
“We conducted the survey to learn what types of services the chamber could offer to help busi- nesses find success going forward,” Surprise said, noting that these are only preliminary results, as all surveys have not yet been returned.
As a first step, the chamber is planning a num- ber of seminars for small businesses to help them increase foot traffic and bring in new customers through approaches such as digital marketing.
“Many small businesses are not familiar with digital or social media marketing, and it’s really a necessary tool in the 21st century,” he noted.
Palmer
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are looking to identify the right location, and they want to make sure it’s shovel-ready.
“I want to be so ready that, if we were told they could helicopter in a train station and drop it where a site was selected, we want to be ready for that helicopter,” he said.
Engine of Opportunity
The economic potential of a train stop in Palmer is not lost on Andrew Surprise, CEO of Quabog Hills Chamber of Commerce. On the
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