Page 16 - BusinessWest June 23, 2021

Westfield
Continued from page 14
relocating.”
As an example, he cited Myers Infosystems,
which recently relocated from Northampton into the site of the former Piccolo’s restaurant on Elm Street, and cited energy costs and high-speed internet as key considerations in that decision.
Survive and Thrive
Eric Oulette, executive director of the Greater
“We are still early in the process with cannabis in Westfield, so, from a revenue perspective, we consider these eggs we have not yet put in our basket.”
Westfield Chamber of Commerce, said many of the businesses in Westfield were able to stay open last year because they quickly adapted once the pandemic hit. In particular, he pointed to the adjustment restaurants made last June when they were able to offer outdoor dining.
“They figured it out and made outdoor dining another feature they could offer,” Oulette said. “It was successful and allowed them to keep their doors open.”
With only a few chain restaurants in the city, Oulette said local restaurants are able to promote
their individual per- sonalities and offer many different expe- riences. That environ- ment also encourages other types of small businesses to locate in Westfield.
Humason told
the story of three
new businesses that opened in April on School Street. Hill- town Chic (small gifts, candles, etc.), Be Bella Boutique (clothing), and Boho Hair Studio are all women-owned businesses. The own- ers got together and decided to hold their grand openings on the same day.
“We went right down the street and cut the ribbon in front of each shop,” Humason said. “It felt like a street carnival, and the businesses all received extra publicity for it.”
Speaking of new businesses, Westfield has granted four licenses for cannabis dispensaries. Only one, Cannabis Connection, is currently open, with the others at various stages of getting ready to open.
“We are still early in the process with cannabis in Westfield, so, from a revenue perspective, we consider these eggs we have not yet put in our basket,” Humason said.
As businesses pick up their activity, he added,
Mayor Donald Humason said the city was successful meeting the needs of residents, students, and seniors during the pandemic, and will now put more focus on business needs.
they will need more workers — and, like every- where else, Westfield has far more job openings than candidates.
In May, Mestek joined with the chamber and about a dozen other businesses and held a job fair in the field across from Mestek, with each exhibi- tor setting up a tent to speak with interested job seekers.
The idea for the job fair started with Peter Letendre, plant manager at Mestek, which manu-
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16 JUNE 23, 2021
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