Page 36 - BusinessWest January 6, 2025

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Outlook
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economy, one with low unemployment, relatively low inflation, and modest but persistent growth. It’s strong enough that the Fed is worried that it might have to slow it down again.
What happens with the economy over the next sev- eral quarters depends on those factors listed above, he said, adding that large-scale deportations, as promised by Trump, could hurt several sectors from
a workforce perspective, including agriculture, con- struction, and hospitality.
Meanwhile, Trump vows to continue tax cuts and eliminate taxes on Social Security, tips, and overtime work, will certainly raise the deficit and may trigger higher inflation.
“If all the policies he’s talked about are imple- mented, the national debt is going to really increase,” Nakosteen said. “At some point, that will really affect bond markets, interest rates may increase, and you might even see inflation go back up just because of that.
“At the moment, if the status quo was maintained ... the economy is strong, and there’s no indication it’s going to weaken,” he went on, adding that, given the strong talk leading up to November, the status quo is unlikely.
Growth Engines
As for regional economic development, Sullivan offered many reasons for optimism, with many of them contained in those earmarks within the state’s economic-development bond bill.
“There’s an exciting one for $30 million around food science, leveraging the leadership at UMass
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“There has to be a balance within area communities — we have to figure out how we can fill these empty storefronts.”
Amherst and the great work they’re doing there,”
he said. “There’s $40 million identified for Greater Springfield around quantum computing, quantum manufacturing, leveraging the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke, and there’s an additional commitment by the Com- monwealth in cybersecurity, which is going to con- tinue to grow.
“These are all important sectors — they’re impor- tant today, and they’re going to be more important tomorrow and for the next generation,” he went on, adding that growth of these sectors means new, important, good-paying jobs for the region, some of which will not require a college degree.”
On the minus side, workforce issues continue to nag businesses across virtually all sectors, an ongo- ing challenge that has many concerned.
“We’re just not getting people walking through the doors, young or old, who want to work defined hours,” Campbell told BusinessWest. “And when we talk with people in our industry, they say the same thing — the biggest concern is workforce, and I don’t see anything out there to indicate that things are going to change any time soon.”
Melendez, meanwhile, said there are new busi- nesses being opened in the downtowns of the region’s
“Roller coasters are really one of the cornerstones of our investment strategy.”
our team of carpenters treats that like their baby.” As for the new Quantum Accelerator coaster, it is
being constructed in an area of the park known as Crack Axle Canyon, on the site of the former Goliath coaster.
A significant investment — Carmichael was not at liberty to get into specifics — the new coaster gives the park its first entry into the emerging straddle- coaster bracket, its first new coaster since the Joker opened in the Gotham City section of the park in 2017, and its 12th coaster overall.
Others include the Wicked Cyclone, originally
the wooden Cyclone, which was reconstructed and retracked with steel in 2015; Pandemonium, opened in 2005; Batman: the Dark Knight, unveiled in 2002; Flashback, Catwoman’s Whip, and Superman, all opened in 2000; and Riddler’s Revenge, formerly the Mind Eraser, which dates back to 1997.
Carmichael said the Quantum Accelerator, which has been in the planning stages for several years now, is a good complement to the other coasters and rides in the park, and is seen as a family attraction. And, just as with the premieres of other coasters on that list above, the introduction of the Quantum Accelera- tor is expected to pique the interest of roller-coaster
many gateway cities, including Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, Westfield, and Pittsfield, but there would be more of them, and these communities would cer- tainly benefit if more landlords were willing to negoti- ate and structure rental agreements to give entrepre- neurs time — and terms — to get some roots down.
He cited the example of Las Cangiris, a new Latin restaurant in downtown Springfield, in the location of the short-lived Crazy Crab eatery, which managed to negotiate a favorable lease that will give it a better chance at survival.
“There has to be a balance within area commu- nities — we have to figure out how we can fill these empty storefronts,” he said, adding that doing so ben- efits not only individual entrepreneurs, but also cen- tral business districts across the region.
Unfortunately, he went on, too many landlords are content to “wait for Superman,” as he put it, mean- ing a national chain willing to pay a high rate, or let a property sit vacant and take the losses to help reduce their tax burden.
Melendez pointed to ongoing discussions among Boston city councilors about a tax on long-vacant property in an effort to stimulate movement and fill empty storefronts. He said this region may not need to go there, necessarily, but it does need a concerted effort to put this real estate to productive use. “Everyone has to play ball together,” he said. “We’ve been filling storefronts across Western Mass., and people are people successful, but they’re one-offs; what we need to start doing is filling city blocks and city districts to make a true impact.” BW
enthusiasts, generate new visitation, and create some strong word-of-mouth enthusiasm.
“Roller coasters are really one of the cornerstones of our investment strategy,” he explained. “That’s because they can be anchor rides; they are the type of rides that are repeater rides, ones that our guests will be wowed by, they’ll be amused by, they’ll tell all their friends and family, ‘you’ve got to come ride this.’ And there was no better example of that than when we opened the Superman ride in 2000.”
Bottom Line
While the park supplies experiences and last-
ing memories for guests, it provides the same for
its employees, said Carmichael, noting that most of them are young, many of them are in their first job, and many others are certainly in their first position of leadership. In each case, work at Six Flags is a learn- ing experience, and one they’ll remember, he noted.
“Because I’ve been at the park so long, I can’t
tell you how many times I’ve bumped into former supervisors, team leaders, and team members on the midway, and they always seem to have a similar nar- rative,” he told BusinessWest. “They say, ‘oh my gosh, that was the best time, we had so much fun back in those days.’ I’m really proud to continue the legacy of leadership development that we’ve been able to pro- vide over the last quarter-century.”
That’s just one of the traditions that will continue in 2025 at a regional attraction that has always had the ride stuff. BW
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Six Flags
rebranded Six Flags New England was among the few that called back. Carmichael came north, and his internship, as such opportunities very often do, became a career.
“I’d always known, my whole life, that I wanted to work in the theme-park industry,” he said, adding that he got his start as opening supervisor for the Super- man: Ride of Steel roller coaster, opened in 2000, which he joked was the most difficult assignment he’s had in his career.
There have been several since he first arrived in Agawam, mostly on the operations side. He eventually earned the title director of Operations in 2008, and stayed in that job for several years before leaving to become park president of Six Flags St. Louis in 2016.
He stayed in that post for two years before get- ting an opportunity to “come home,” as he put it, and become president of Six Flags New England.
Since taking the helm, he has led the park through the challenging COVID period and its aftermath,
and now the latest course of expansion, especially a new roller coaster, giving the park 12 in its portfolio, including the wooden Thunderbolt, opened in 1941 and now one of the oldest rides within the Six Flags family of parks.
Carmichael described it as much more than a blast from the past.
“We proudly reinvest in the Thunderbolt every year — it’s one of the best rides in the region and a point
of pride for us,” he explained. “There’s a certain crew and a certain amount of hard work that goes into making sure that you have a good, smooth, fun, and enjoyable ride experience on a wooden coaster, and
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