Page 11 - BusinessWest August 7, 2023

“This year’s topic focus is going to be resilience and collaboration, but collaboration with technology, and specifically around AI. We want to help people move from fear and panic to ‘how is this tool going to benefit my business?’ There will be some hands-on experimenting and learning with AI.”
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Easthampton
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ably hundreds of these ventures in and around Easthampton.
Recognizing the existence of, and the need to support, these businesses and those behind them, the chamber applied for and received a seed grant from MassDevelopment to conduct a feasibility study for the WorkHub facility. The results of that study verified the need and essentially confirmed that this was the project for the chamber at this time in its history and the city’s history, said Bel- liveau, adding that the chamber’s board voted to raise funds for the initiative and get the ball rolling.
The total price tag is roughly $500,000, which
includes construction, a website, branding, and
marketing, she noted, and to date, the chamber has
raised $180,000 for the venture, with a $50,000
contribution from Sourcepass, an Easthampton-
based IT-solutions company being the latest gift. There has also been a $100,000 ARPA earmark, as well as a $25,000 donation from Easthampton Savings Bank and $5,000 from Greenfield Sav- ings Bank.
Belliveau said WorkHub will provide more than physical space for as many as 18 small businesses following a complete renova- tion of the chamber’s space. Indeed, she said the goal is to position it as an educational hub as well to help entrepreneurs succeed, thus creating a “vibrant, lively, healthy local economy and regional ecosystem.”
She said the facility would be ideal for artists, freelance writers, consultants, and ‘digital nomads’ — those who travel from job to job but still might need a home base of sorts. It will include worksta- tions, a conference room, private spaces (she called them ‘phone booths’) for phone calls and teleconferencing, and light adminis- trative support. There is really nothing like it in Easthampton, she
The One Ferry Project remains a work in progress, with several renovated mills and some still waiting to be reimagined.
Staff Photo
emphasized, and it should receive a strong response.
As noted earlier, the hub represents the latest and most visible
evidence of ongoing evolution at the chamber, Belliveau said, noting that it is moving more toward economic development and profes- sional development than the pure networking that has character- ized this and other chambers in the past.
Other examples include the women’s professional-development conference called she-
LEADS, the latest installment of which was staged in June, and
Easthampton
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