Page 10 - BusinessWest May 2, 2022

Community Spotlight
If business openings are any indication, Amherst is poised for a strong rebound from a pandemic that has been very rough
on its mostly tourism-and-hospitality-based economy.
Gabrielle Gould, executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District (BID) said that, by the end of August by her estimation, at least 13 new businesses will have opened in downtown Amherst.
“We’re watching a lift that we haven’t seen in a long time,” said Gould, who shares office space
“Overnight, nearly 50,000 people left the area. It was like turning off a light switch.”
with the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce and its executive director, Claudia Pazmany.
The two women and their organizations are working together along with town officials to drive economic empowerment and development for Amherst, and, as recent events demonstrate, it’s working.
Pazmany has presided over 10 ribbon cuttings over the past few months and her calendar has plenty more of these celebrations scheduled in the coming weeks and months.
“Many of these businesses opened during the pandemic and now want to celebrate because they have lasted and even grown their business- es,” Pazmany told BusinessWest.
All this activity in Amherst represents a strong comeback of sorts from the many side-effects of the pandemic. As the community where UMass Amherst and Amherst College are located, it has been described as the quintessential college town. When the pandemic hit and colleges were shut down, the economic impact was abrupt and severe.
“Overnight, nearly 50,000 people left the area,” Gould recalled. “It was like turning off a light switch.”
One way to get an idea of the economic impact colleges have on the town is to look at the number of undergraduate students there. But Gould pointed out that the real impact of stu- dents on a town must include all the people who support them, like faculty, staff, and even all the friends and parents who visit the students. When the pandemic hit and campuses were aban- doned, Amherst experienced what life would
10 MAY 2, 2022
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
BusinessWest
Amherst at a glance
YEAR INCORPORATED: 1759
POPULATION: 39,482
AREA: 27.7 square miles
COUNTY: Hampshire
RESIDENTIAL TAX RATE: $21.82
COMMERCIAL TAX RATE: $21.82
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $48,059
MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $96,005
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT: Town Council, Town Manager
LARGEST EMPLOYERS: UMass Amherst; Amherst College; Hampshire College
* Latest information available
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