54 Worcester Business Journal | October 28, 2024 | wbjournal.com
BY LAURA FINALDI
Special to WBJ
T
he U.S. military base known
as Fort Devens closed in 1996,
jettisoning more than 7,000
local military and civilian jobs
and gutting a huge driving force of the
North Central Massachusetts economy.
But in less than 30 years, the former base
has established itself as a master-planned
business community, an innovation center
with companies in the cybersecurity,
biotechnology, and healthcare fields.
The Devens evolution
A three-decade transformation of the
shuttered Army base is bearing fruit.
What's next for the budding innovation hub?
Aer the military le, management
of the former base was transferred to
MassDevelopment, the commonwealth's
quasi-public economic development
agency. Over three decades, the agency
attracted businesses to the area, especially
manufacturing companies requiring a large
footprint to produce their goods. Devens
has 4,400 acres of space, touching the
nearby towns of Harvard, Shirley and Ayer,
and its companies employ more than 6,000
people – nearly as many as worked there
during its military heyday.
Kelly Arvidson, senior vice president
Kelly Arvidson, MassDevelopment senior vice
president, business development
COURTESY MASSDEVELOPMENT
35th Anniversary
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