Page 11 - BusinessWest August 19, 2024

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Easthampton
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Getting Down to Business
As Belliveau talked with Business- West at WorkHub on Union earlier this month, all was quiet.
Indeed, the rows of desks and half- desks (there are 18 in all), the confer- ence room available for rent to tenants, and the common kitchen area were empty.
She expects things will be much dif- ferent in a few weeks, when the facility officially opens its doors. She’s spent several years bringing her vision
for the hub to fruition because she believes there’s a strong need for such a facility in Easthampton, and she expects its vast potential to be realized.
“There’s a whole shadow economy in Greater Easthampton.”
“We’ve had a lot of inquiries,” she said, adding that the $450,000 facilty was inspired by anecdotal but also statistical information indicating that there are large numbers of entrepre- neurs working from their homes who would prefer to be in a co-working space if one became available to them. Also, there are professionals working remotely, fully or partially, who would likewise prefer not to be home on occasion.
“There’s a whole shadow economy in Greater Easthampton,” Belliveau explained. “And we’re trying to help those who are part of that informal, shadow economy into a more formal space and give them the opportunity to have professional space when they need it. And some people are finding that, since they’re working remotely, every now and then it’s just nice to be with others and get that creative-ener- gy collaborative and their innovative juices flowing.”
WorkHub provides such opportuni- ties, she said, adding that talk about creating such a facility began well before the pandemic, and the need has only increased since then.
DelVecchio, who has long been involved with the chamber, agreed, noting that iniatives like WorkHub on Union and CO.STARTERS represent a shift of sorts when it comes to the overall mission of the chamber.
“Traditionally, when people think about a chamber, the first thing
that comes to mind is business- to-business networking — After-5 events — and that is a component to the overall chamber value proposi- tion,” he explained. “But the chamber has other value propositions, one of which is economic development, par-
ticularly for budding entrepreneurs. So we see as part of our mission helping build the next generation of Greater Easthampton-based businesses and giv- ing them an opportunity to build their organizations.”
Businesses like Hide’n’Sneakz, and entrepreneurs like Stacey Blanco.
She said she and Israel were attract- ed to Easthampton because of both the
Easthampton
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