Page 13 - BusinessWest September 5, 2022

Crews work to create a parking lot for the planned redevelopment of Building 8 at the Ludlow Mills, one of many new developments at the complex.
industrial town that grew from the Ludlow Mills complex.
Randall’s Farm has certainly benefited from the growth in and around Ludlow, she said, add- ing that it draws regular, daily traffic from those living in the community, but also steady traffic from those an exit or two down the pike.
“We have customers from within a 20-mile
radius,” Randall said, adding that business has been solid this year, and she is expecting the fall, the busiest time for this enterprise, to be very busy as the region continues the two-year-long process of returning to normal from the pan- demic and its many side effects.
The pandemic and its aftermath have brought changes at Randall’s — it has discontinued many of its entertainment-related endeavors, including a corn maze and workshops on various subjects — and challenges, including the workforce issues that have impacted businesses in every sector.
Overall, the pandemic has been for Randall’s what it has been for many business ventures, she
Staff Photo
said — a valuable learning experience. “COVID taught us a lot of lessons on what
works and what doesn’t, and it’s taught us that we can adapt quickly to whatever was coming down the pike,” she explained. “We didn’t miss a beat; we had the same issues that everyone else did
— some people may have retired sooner, while others stopped working sooner during the first
“If we can create some kind of plan for that area, that will be helpful, in terms of letting the development community know that we’re open for business and we’re ready to go if they want to come to Ludlow and put some shovels in the ground.
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months of the pandemic, but we persevered, and I think we become stronger because of what we learned.”
Heading into the busy fall season, Randall’s, like other businesses, continues to face work- force challenges — there are some days when
it does not have a donut maker, for example — but Randall believes it will be ready. The biggest challenge may be climate, specifically a lack of rain and its still-unknown impact on pumpkins, apples, and other crops grown locally.
BusinessWest
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
SEPTEMBER 5, 2022 13