1Berkshire joins with community partners to lay the groundwork for an Inclusive digital economy now and for the future.
By Benjamin Lamb
Posted September 19, 2022
The Berkshires has long been the fertile ground for innovation, thought leadership, creativity, and a “go-getter” spirit. Our region has always fostered collaboration; we have welcomed strategic risk-taking and supported going “outside the box.” We were home to globe-changing advancements in train technology and micro capacitors; we embraced the notion that the “creative economy“ could be a driving force in a rural landscape.
The Berkshires has always done what needs to be done to ensure that current and next generations will have an economic environment that nurtures aspiration, commitment and advancement. This is the type of history and culture that has driven much of our work at 1Berkshire and is exactly what inspires us to push the envelope even further. To that end, we are excited about growing and nurturing an inclusive digital and tech-enabled economy, and a rural innovation hub, right here in the Berkshires.
Often in my work here at 1Berkshire, I reference the concept of planting a date palm. For those who don’t know, a date palm tree takes about 100 years of growth before it will bear fruit. Big deal, right? Well yes, it is, because the person who planted the date palms that we currently benefit from never got to appreciate the fruit of their own labor (pun intended). Instead, planting that date palm was an investment in the future. This idea applies daily to the work we do here in the region. Regularly, we are investing time, energy, and resources into strategic partnerships, programs, developments, and opportunities for sustained regional success, even though we may not see their ultimate benefit during our time. It takes having faith in something bigger, greater, and longer-lived than one’s own job, position, or existence, to make a meaningful difference for the future.
