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Holyoke
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on High Street, and Raw Beauty Brand as a couple of the many examples of how the agency has helped individuals move from concept to business reality.
There are now several dozen such businesses, she said, adding that EforAll provides many services and support, but mostly helps businesses make the many connections they need to get off the ground or to that prover- bial next level.
“We do our part to help them figure out how to navigate the issues they face and know who to connect with
in each municipality, whether it’s Holyoke, Chicopee, or wherever, and enable them to make those relation- ships,” she told BusinessWest.
Meanwhile, another growth area is tourism and hospitality, said Garcia, noting that the planned sports com- plex, announced at a well-attended press conference at the Volleyball Hall of Fame, is part of that mix.
Another part is the growing list
of festivals and other annual events, including Fiestas Patronales de Holy- oke, which, in its second year, drew thousands of visitors to the city and established itself as an emerging tradition.
Already well-established are the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade, which last year celebrated its 70th anniver- sary, and accompanying road race, both of which are family events and economic engines for the Holyoke economy.
Hayley Dunn, president of this year’s parade and road race, noted that this year’s parade is actually on March 17, which adds another ele- ment of intrigue and also means that it comes earlier than most years, which raises more concern about the weather, which is often a big part of the story.
The bigger parts are the ways families and communities come together to mark the occasions — the road race has its own huge follow- ing — and how they provide a huge boost for area businesses. Indeed, a Donahue Institute study conducted several years ago found that parade weekend injects $20 million into the local economy. And there are dozens of events across several communities in the weeks leading up to the parade that also fuel the hospitality sector.
“The parade may go down the streets of Holyoke, but it’s truly a regional event,” Dunn said. “Other cities that are part of our parade — Springfield, Chicopee, Westfield, and others — have their own events as well. Meanwhile, the road race is a huge block party. Both events really support our local businesses.”
Bottom Line
Getting back to his newsletter,
“The parade may go down the streets of Holyoke, but it’s truly a regional event.”
doing a great job.’ I said, ‘you’re looking at him.’”
Beyond his work on Facebook and Instagram, Garcia, working with other city officials, is doing what he can to generate more of these positive devel- opments — on fronts ranging from clean tech to tourism to housing.
And while it’s still early in the new year, it appears he’ll have quite a bit more to write about in 2024. BW
“From the Mayor’s Desk,” Garcia said it’s just one of the many ways in which he’s trying to inform people about all the good things happening in his city.
Others include extensive use of
social media, as in extensive. And, from all accounts, effective.
“Someone approached me one time and said, ‘whoever is handling your public relations and communications is
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