PITTSFIELD — Economic development in the Berkshires is changing. To find out more about those changes, The Eagle recently sat down with Ben Lamb, director of economic development at 1Berkshire Strategic Alliance, the county’s state-designated economic development agency.
Here’s what he told us:
What is your role at 1Berkshire in assisting small businesses?
BEN LAMB: Most directly, we run the Berkshire Starts program, which is really focused on startups and entrepreneurs.
We work with MCLA and run the Business Boot Camp. We also do Get Mentored, which is an intensive, five-month, mentor program for five entrepreneurs to help them get really launched into either their current business growth or potential new business.
And then, we just do a lot of one-on-one with new businesses. Anybody that’s really looking for help, we’re sort of a one-stop-shop for that.
The last piece of that sort of ecosystem is the entrepreneurial meet-ups all over Berkshire County. We do those monthly as an opportunity for entrepreneurs and innovators to come together and get to know each other and do some networking and discover new ways that they can work together. Read more on page 10 >>
