Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | June 10, 2019 | wbjournal.com FRESH ten24's David Crouch eyes workforce development as he advises Gov. Baker on the Mass. economy BY DEVINA BHALLA Worcester Business Journal Intern Ignite your employees' interest with a modern plan design. Learn more: Get "Does your re rement plan address these 6 essen al elements?" hhconsultants.com/ignite perspective A t the intersection of tech- nology companies, start- ups, and Worcester small businesses is ten24 and its president, David Crouch. ten24 specializes in cloud-based so- ware, a company riding the long-term transition to a regional economy based on service and technology. Crouch founded ten24 in 2008 and moved it to Worcester five years ago. In May, Crouch became one of 36 people across the state appointed to the Massachusetts Economic Development Planning Council, tasked with providing recommendations to Gov. Charlie Baker on how to maximize the state's economic future. Crouch has never been on a council like this before, but his unique point of view will help the council's input. "As part of this council, priorities for me are listening to the state as a whole and what the different businesses are talking about, but also having a focus on the Worcester area and what things can help us and this community and my business as well," Crouch said. Creating a workforce One of the biggest stresses for Crouch lies in workforce development. "ere are common issues that every- one is talking about and seem to be high David Crouch (left) was recommended for the economic council by Craig Blais of the Worcester Business Development Corp. priority. One is workforce develop- ment," Crouch said. All around the state, different indus- tries are suffering from not having the necessary amount of skilled workers to fill their positions, he said. ten24 competes with soware com- panies around the country for soware engineers. Manufacturers are con- stantly looking and recruiting machine engineers, struggling to fill the roles. Part of developing a workforce within a region is having the infrastructure to support workers through amenities like transportation, housing, entertain- ment and a desirable lifestyle. Worces- ter, though surrounded by colleges potentially providing a young, robust workforce, has trouble enticing students to stay aer graduation, Crouch said. "Part of it is doing whatever we can do to make Massachusetts and Central Mass. more attractive to students coming out," said Crouch. First listen, then understand Massachusetts law requires the for- mation of an Economic Development Planning Council every four years to inform the governor of the needs of businesses. e council meets in regions all around Massachusetts, having up to eight round table discussions on topics like business growth and startup com- panies for roughly 40 minutes. rough these conversations, the representatives gain perspective on local economic challenges and what people want to happen. ey facilitate important and productive conversation between community and council mem- bers to help them to formulate their input for the governor's economic plan. "is council is more than a require- ment for us," said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, at the Worcester regional meeting of the council, held at the end of May. Crouch was recommended to the council by Craig Blais, president & CEO of the Worcester Business Development Corp., who sat on the council four years ago. ten24's building is a WBDC development, which is how the two got to know each other. e other members of the council from Central Massachusetts are Leslie Greis, owner and founder of Worcester manufacturer Kinefac Corp.; Luis Pe- draja, Quinsigamond Community Col- lege president; and Dan Rea, executive vice president of real estate development for the Pawtucket Red Sox, who are moving to Worcester in 2021. Crouch did not know much about the council or its role beforehand. However, since going to the induction ceremo- ny on May 13 and his first meeting in Springfield, Crouch has gained a lot from this process. Simply hearing people discuss challenges and areas they want to im- prove help bolster his perspective on the state's economy. ey "asked us to go to these meet- ings to listen, more than anything else," Crouch said. Crouch learned a lot just in his first session in Springfield, learning about differing economic and social needs within a large city other than Worcester. e needs in Springfield and Worcester, though, were similar, he said, such as needing better workforce development. Aer Springfield's meeting, Crouch reflected on how a lot of capital is concentrated in the Boston area. Further away from Boston, producing working capital becomes much more difficult. Worcester businesses could benefit from having more local resources, whether it be money, people, or buildings, he said. "From conversations we had when we got together as a council and everyone went around and talked about some of the things they're interested in and are top of mind for them personally and from what we heard in Springfield … it's pretty common. Workforce develop- ment, housing, transportation were all common themes," said Crouch. ese shared priorities allow each of Leslie Greis, Economic Development Planning Council

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