Page 10 - BusinessWest January 9, 2023

EDITORIAL >>
What We Want to See in 2023
Business West
As we turn the page on 2022 and look ahead to a year filled with question marks, those of us at BusinessWest offer up some thoughts on what we’d like to see in the year ahead.
Some wishes would fall in the category of ‘obvious’ — a slow- ing of inflation, fewer and less dramatic interest-rate hikes (how about none at all?), improvement on the workforce front, and some real movement on job growth — while others might be less obvious. Here’s a short list:
Less Whitewater
The past three years have been a long, grueling grind for area businesses, large and small. They have had to cope with COVID, a workforce crisis, supply-chain issues, dramatic price increases, recession fears, waning consumer confidence, a microchip short- age, incessant employment-law challenges, cybersecurity issues, the various challenges of remote work, early retirement among Baby Boomers ... the list doesn’t seem to end, and we certainly forgot a few.
The region’s business community could use a break, a breath- er, some real ‘party like its 2019’ normalcy, not the new normal. Let’s hope some is coming in 2023.
A More Impactful MGM Springfield
Let’s start by saying the casino complex on Main Street has had to deal with everything on the list above, just like everyone else. So it has certainly not had an easy ride since the parade that marked its grand opening in late August 2018. That said, few if any would say that MGM Springfield has had anything close to the kind of economic impact we were all hoping for, if not expect- ing, when it was blueprinted and then built.
Yes, it has had a stake in several meaningful initiatives, like the project to revitalize the old Court Square Hotel. But, overall, gaming revenues are not what were projected, and the same can be said for vibrancy in the casino area, the list of things to do at
OPINION >>
the complex, meetings and conventions, and impact. We’ve said it before, and it bears repeating ... there are many days when, if you didn’t know there was a casino on Main Street, you wouldn’t know there was a casino on Main Street. This needs to change, and hopefully we’ll see some progress in 2023. Maybe sports bet- ting will help.
Continued Growth of the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem
This has been one of the better economic-development sto- ries of the past several years, and the region needs to continue and build upon its efforts to encourage entrepreneurship. As the immense competition for manufacturers and other kinds of busi- nesses, and the jobs they create, only increases, perhaps the most realistic opportunities for growth in this region are of the organic kind. Progress in this fashion comes slowly and, in most cases, undramatically. But we have to continue to plant seeds.
Relief on the Workforce Front
We’re not sure if or how it can happen, but the area’s employ- ers need some relief from the crushing workforce crisis. As the stories that begin on page 13 clearly show, workforce is the issue that is keeping business owners and managers up at night. Worse, it’s keeping many businesses from reaching their full potential and realize some of the opportunities that are coming their way.
The region and the state cannot simply wave a wand and bring thousands of people into the workforce. But what they can do is continue and accelerate the work to make this state more attrac- tive, not just for businesses, but for the people who will work at them, by creating more affordable housing and taking other steps to bring people here instead of compelling them to look or move elsewhere to find a job, start a career, or write the next chapter. BW
PUBLISHER
John Gormally
[email protected]
EDITOR & ASSOCIATE
PUBLISHER
George O’Brien
[email protected]
SALES MANAGER &
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Kate Campiti
[email protected]
SENIOR WRITER
Joseph Bednar
[email protected]
STAFF WRITER
Kailey Houle
[email protected]
ADVERTISING
CONSULTANTS
Kate Campiti
[email protected]
Kathleen Plante
[email protected]
ART DIRECTOR
Mike Nasuti
[email protected]
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Christine Longhi
[email protected]
MARKETING & EVENTS
MANAGER
Melissa Hallock
[email protected]
OFFICE MANAGER
Cindy Sears
officemanager@ businesswest.com
Entire contents of this pub- lication are Copyright
©2023, and cannot be reprinted in whole or part without special written permis- sion by the publisher. Yearly subscription price is $45.00. BusinessWest assumes no responsibility for mistakes in advertisements, but will make corrections if written notice is received within 7 days of publication date. BusinessWest reserves the right to reject an advertisement it deems mis- leading or inappropriate.
1441 Main Street Springfield, MA 01103 (413) 781-8600 Fax (413) 781-3930
Cyber Center Brings Many Benefits
BY RICK SULLIVAN
Over the past decade, the city of Springfield has made many advancements towards the goal of job formation and opportunity. We have continued the trend of job develop-
ment, now with an added focus on technology. In an effort to bring the Pioneer Valley’s largest city into the forefront of the cyber realm, the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Coun- cil (EDC) has been facilitating the development of this industry over the years, which has successfully led to a new, on-the-ground investment project, now spearheaded by Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), with an emphasis on careers in technology.
Located at Union Station directly in downtown, this state-of- the-art technology center will offer education and hands-on job training to individuals looking to seek careers in the tech field. This initiative provides an opportunity to grow and develop a workforce that will ensure long-term job stability and meet the ever-growing cyber needs of community businesses.
Four components will drive this project and allow the com- munity at large to not only benefit, but contribute to its success in meaningful ways:
• Educational offerings: Colleges and universities in the region such as STCC, Bay Path University, UMass Amherst, Western New England University, Elms College, and Springfield College will provide training opportunities to students, leading to jobs in the future.
10 JANUARY 9, 2023
• Municipality involvement: Technology experts are always in demand and rarely available within governmental sectors. This program will provide access to trained and skilled individuals, ready for hire.
• Military support: Westover and Barnes Air Force bases have already expressed interest in being able to train their workforce in the ever-growing field of technology. Both employers plan to support and hire from within the program.
• Small-business benefits: Manufacturing and other sectors are constantly seeking individuals with cyber certification. This new center will provide the much-needed resources to bring cut- ting-edge technologies to local businesses.
This project has significant state financial backing, having just received its first $1.5 million in grant funding. The design stage of the project has begun, and the center is slated to be open and accepting participants during the fall of 2023. This center is an essential economic-development strategy to modernize and inno- vate the business infrastructure. We expect to see substantial growth in the cyber-industry arena, benefiting the financial and economic vitality of the region.
For more information on this project and its progress, visit www.westernmassedc.com. BW
Rick Sullivan is president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council.
<< OPINION >>
BusinessWest