Page 12 - BusinessWest Sept. 29, 2021

Editorial
A Big Opportunity for the Region
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The proposal to create a data center on aggregated land in the northwest corner of Westfield is big in every respect. Big as in the pricetag — $2.7 billion, almost three times
larger than the MGM Springfield project — and also big in terms of the number of buildings (10), the number of square feet (upward of 2 million), the amount of energy that will be used, the number of total jobs it will create ... the list goes on.
Where this project (see story on page 6) also comes up big is in the realm of opportunity. Just how big an opportunity we don’t know yet, but there is certainly potential for this project to be per- haps merely the first such facility to serve the needs of the sector known as Big Data.
Granted, sites like the one in Westfield, which can check a wide array of boxes pertaining to everything from power to fiber to high- way access, are extremely rare. But this region does hold the poten- tial to be more of a player in the world’s quest for data and ways to store and provide it, and this project might be a catalyst for more development down the road.
Before we get to that, let’s address the Westfield project itself. In many ways, it seems like the perfect development initiative for the city and the region. It is proposed for industrially zoned land that is difficult to develop and has gone begging for a new use for decades now.
Most of the other proposed uses involve large amounts of truck traffic (warehouses) or power production, neither of which sit
well with residents. The data center would be almost invisible to the community and would provide needed jobs, tax revenue, and potential support businesses.
Opinion
It would be like the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke on a much, much larger scale.
This is the kind of development the region has been looking for. Granted, the number of jobs involved is not as high as some would like, especially when we’re talking about a development that will be spread out over about 90 acres of a 155-acre parcel. But these are the proverbial good jobs at good wages — starting salaries will be in the $85,000 to $100,000 range — that all communities have been looking for, those that are better in most all ways than those in dis- tribution, retail, and tourism and hospitality.
And the best part about all this is that the jobs will be in a rela- tively new and emerging sector, one with almost unlimited growth potential. Not every region or every community has a chance to break into this sector, but the 413 now does.
There aren’t enough suitable parcels to create several centers like the one proposed for Westfield. In fact, this could be one of
a kind — and would be one of the largest such facilities in the country. But there is potential for smaller-scale facilities given this region’s abundance of land, relatively inexpensive power (espe- cially communities with their own utilities, such as Holyoke and Westfield), comparatively low cost of living, and many institutions of higher learning, several of which offer cybersecurity and related programs.
The Westfield project still has a number of hurdles to clear. While it has some momentum and many likable qualities, projects on this scale do not come together easily.
But if it does come to fruition, it could open the door to more. Maybe much more.
It might be the start of something big. v
Hispanics Play Growing Role in Economy
By Eduardo Crespo
President George H.W. Bush proclaimed the first Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 14, 1989
to honor the achievements of Hispanic- Americans.
Sept. 15 was chosen as the date of com- memoration because it is the anniversary of the independence of five Hispanic coun- tries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, all of which declared independence in 1821. In addi- tion, Mexico, Chile, and Belize celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16, 18, and 21, respectively.
Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the accomplishments of Hispanic-Americans, who have enriched our culture and society and helped make America into the incred- ible country it is today. Hispanic-American men and women embody the American values of devotion to faith and family, hard work, and patriotism through their count- less contributions as leaders, innovators,
entrepreneurs, and members of our Armed Forces.
They have in the process helped to build a better future for all Americans.
Hispanic-Americans also continue to support our economy and society as busi- ness owners, professionals, teachers, and public servants. We should recognize their achievements and contributions to our national story.
The Hispanic market has shown unprecedented income growth in the U.S. even as Hispanic-Americans have become an important sector of the workforce. It’s what I call ‘the Hispanic Opportunity,’ a unique phenomenon in U.S. history in which Hispanic demographic growth is ascending rapidly while the white popula- tion is declining.
These developments have together created immense opportunities in the marketplace.
Indeed, progressive, market-driven
brands and employers are creating new paradigms incorporating Hispanics as part of their core business strategies and corpo- rate culture. Marketing campaigns today must be culturally relevant and linguisti- cally appropriate, not merely translations of content developed for other audiences.
Only consumer brands that cater to His- panics will achieve meaningful success.
Also, one out of four residents under the age of 18 is Hispanic, meaning the future of America depends on how well they do in terms of education, work, and achieving the American dream. v
Eduardo Crespo, an immigrant from Ecuador, is a bilingual/bicultural professional and founder and CEO of Hispanic Market Solution in Lawrence. This article first appeared on the Associated Industries of Massachusetts blog.
12 SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
OPINION
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