Page 8 - BusinessWest December 7, 2020

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Litigation
Evan Plotkin wants to convert three floors within 1350 Main St. to space where people can both live and work, an example of how the region may be able to benefit from the changes brought about by the pandemic.
ing everything from workforce to housing stock to public safety — that have to be overcome. Also, there remains considerable work to do when it comes to simply getting the word out about Western Mass. and all that it has to offer.
Meanwhile, as for trying to convince companies and state agen- cies to move here — something Plotkin has been doing aggressively for some time now — he said there are cost and logistical concerns that remain stumbling blocks.
“When I talk to people about this, I see a lot of heads nod in agree- ment — they see why this region makes sense on many levels,” he said. “The pushback comes with people not wanting to uproot themselves and make that move. We have to be able to overcome that.”
For this issue, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at how the pan- demic may change the landscape in some positive ways, and also what has to happen for the region’s fortunes to improve.
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Moving Sentinents
Plotkin told BusinessWest that, whenever he meets attorneys or other professionals from Boston or New York — and that’s often — he invariably makes a point of asking them where they’re based and how much they’re paying to do business there.
He then offers a pitch for this region, letting the individual across the table know that things are less expensive and — in some ways, at least — better here.
“I’ll say, ‘you know what ... you can probably do a lot better here,’” he said. “I’ll tell them, ‘if you have a big office, maybe you can keep an office in Bos- ton and move your back-room opera- tions here.’”
“Because of the pandemic, quality of life has become something that people can really consider when they’re determining their work/life balance — you don’t need to be in the expensive big cities to be able to have the kinds of jobs people are looking for.”
Moving forward, the assignment for
the region, said those we spoke with,
is to take these pitches, these efforts
to sell the region, to a higher plane — now more than ever, because of what the pandemic has shown people.
In short, Sullivan noted, it has demonstrated that people can work remotely, and effectively, and that companies don’t necessarily need to lease as much space as they’re leasing now, or lease it in high-traffic
8 DECEMBER 7, 2020
FEATURE BusinessWest
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