For additional information, please contact:
Benjamin Lamb
1Berkshire Director of Economic Development
blamb@1berkshire.com
518-312-6363
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1Berkshire Announces $605,000 in Regional Economic Development Organization Funds for Initiatives in the Berkshires
May 19, 2022 – Berkshire County, MA – 1Berkshire is excited to announce that it has been the recipient of over $605,000 in Regional Economic Development Organization grant funding as part of the recently-announced $2.1 million in funding through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development and the Massachusetts Office of Business Development. As the Regional Economic Development Organization (REDO) for the Berkshires, 1Berkshire spearheaded the applications for a variety of collaborative endeavors to help inject high-impact capital into a breadth of targeted endeavors to collectively support the regional economy. On top of the previously-announced and -launched business resource translation project and the more-recently-launched Best Foot Forward Facade Improvement micro-grant program, these grant funds from the Commonwealth will go towards a breadth of projects including:
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The expansion and relaunch of the 1Berkshire jobs thing. This effort has allowed 1Berkshire to add new digital features to their successful job posting platform that focuses marketing investment into recruiting applicants from outside markets. The newly-relaunched platform is now housed on Berkshires.org, providing increased organic interaction with visitors and those interested in moving to the region. Check out this newly-relaunched platform at https://berkshires.org/living-
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Downtown commercial district signage in the Town of Adams. Partnering with the Town of Adams and proAdams, this effort will invest in signage that will help promote pedestrian foot traffic around the commercial corridors of Adams, while also connecting visitors to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail and Greylock Glen with the retail centers in the Town.
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Great Barrington Art Box project. Working with the Town of Great Barrington, this effort will contribute to the region’s continuously-expanding creative placemaking portfolio by supporting the creation and installation of vinyl art coverings on a series of downtown electrical boxes in the heart of Great Barrington, as a means to contribute to the aesthetics and visitor experience in the Town.
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The Mohawk Theater facade and marquee improvement project. Partnering with the City of North Adams, this funding will support significant improvement and updates to this historic landmark that is a visual anchor in the City’s downtown. By updating the visuals and functionality of the marquee, this effort will not only improve the viability of redevelopment of the Mohawk in the future, but will also bring this visual beacon in the downtown back to life as a means to help drive foot traffic throughout the commercial district.
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North Adams permitting guide and best practices. Working hand in hand with the City of North Adams and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, this funding will allow for updates and improvements to the permitting processes and user navigation of permitting systems in the City to help make the pathway to opening a business in North Adams more accessible and user friendly.
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Pop Up North Berkshire seasonal pop-up shop program. Partnering with the North Adams Chamber of Commerce and proAdams, along with the Town of Adams and the City of North Adams, this effort will bring to bear up to four pop-up businesses across the two communities for seasonal operations going into the summer of 2022. With two businesses already lined up to be up and operating by July, this effort will help occupy vacant storefronts and contribute to the diverse array of businesses and downtown destinations in both communities.
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Content generation for online outdoor recreation asset map and commerce connectivity. Working with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and with an array of regional outdoor recreation stakeholders, this effort will provide vital content for an upcoming online outdoor recreation website that will help visitors not only navigate the 300+ outdoor recreation assets across the region, but also assist visitors to those locations find their way into our breadth of downtowns to help drive commerce directly from our outdoor recreation economy amenities.
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Williamstown downtown banner project. Partnering with the Williamstown Chamber of Commerce, this effort will result in a brand new installation of high quality, enlarged, visually-attractive banners throughout the downtown corridors of Williamstown as a means to inform visitors of the opportunities at their fingertips, and to highlight the beauty of the Williamstown area.
1Berkshire is proud to be able to support so many of our engaged communities, businesses, and regional partners in bringing these resources into the Berkshires. Benjamin Lamb, 1Berkshire’s Director of Economic Development notes “It is rare that these types of high-impact, rapid activation funds are made so quickly available for efforts in the region, so it’s extremely exciting to not only have the resources at our disposal, but also to have this special opportunity to work tactically with so many incredible partners to turn those resources into action” he adds “this is a great case study of how the collaborative spirit we have here in the Berkshires allows us to make the most of opportunities when they become available.”
As the various projects move forward, updates and information about them will be made available on 1Berkshire’s website at 1Berkshire.com. For more information or inquiries, please contact Benjamin Lamb at blamb@1berkshire.com
About 1Berkshire
1Berkshire is a county-wide organization focused on economic development and promotion of the region as a preferred place to visit, to live, and to grow a business. It provides programs that connect businesses with each other and with potential customers and works to develop future leaders and support entrepreneurs. For more information, visit 1Berkshire.com.
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