MetroWest495 Biz

Susan Herzberg, CEO of Boston Heart Diagnostics, said town policies on permitting have changed during her four years with the company, a span in which the company has negotiated a few different leases. Coupled with Framingham's natural attributes, she thinks the more business-friendly approach makes the town a true destination for tech firms. Herzberg described herself as "very bullish on the area." "I think we're a great alternative to the traffic and cost of downtown Bos- ton or Cambridge. There are wonder- ful, livable communities in MetroWest and good schools, so it's great for young families," Herzberg said. Boston Heart, which develops test- ing products to diagnose cardiovas- cular disease, first chose Framingham because of the work it did with the Framingham Heart Study when it was still a clinical-stage company. In the world of cardiovascular medicine, the name "Framingham" has meaning beyond the town, Herzberg said. Located on Crossing Boulevard off Route 9, Boston Heart continues to expand its workforce with the help of incentives from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, and will reach 400 employees by the end of the year. It's clear that the town is a good place to be from a practical standpoint, too. Many of the companies that supply equipment for Boston Heart's laboratory work are located in close proximity, which is critical for a lab that runs seven days a week and deals with perishable human samples. "We really can't have down time," Herzberg said. Defining a cluster Boston Heart's reliance on other companies for supplies is one element found in successful industry clusters, which are like economy ecosystems that offer local businesses the products and services they need to operate, said Pat Larkin, director of the Innova- tion Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC). Other important elements are access to venture capital, talent and support systems, adequate infrastructure, and strong regional economic leadership. "That's when you start to see real clustering impacts," Larkin said. Determining whether the area con- tains a true tech cluster, or is just home to a strong tech sector, is a bit subjec- tive, but Larkin believes Framingham and the MetroWest and the broader Interstate 495 regions enjoy most of the key elements. Applause CFo takes notes from big-name neighbors Diversity is also important, accord- ing to Chris Malone, chief financial of- fer at Applause, a Framingham mobile software testing company formerly known as uTest. A young tech company, Applause made Framingham its home last fall when it moved its headquarters from Southborough to two stories at the Framingham Technology Park on Pennsylvania Avenue. The usual fac- tors, like access to talent and the right space, made Framingham a prime lo- cale, but Malone also appreciates being part of a mix of established companies and startups. "When you look at our neighbors and see Genzyme, Bose, even EMC down the road (in Hopkinton), those are legitimate brands that have been in the market for a long time," Malone said. "Psychologically, that's very important." Applause recently expanded overseas when it acquired a German company, establishing a European headquarters there. With a trove of successful companies nearby, Malone said Framingham is a perfect place to anchor Applause as it continues to expand its global reach. Local amenities like hotels and restaurants are necessary for doing business, but perhaps most important is the quality of the workforce in Me- troWest, Malone said. "It certainly feels like a technology cluster," Malone said. Big business look to grow, too With commercial real estate rates far lower than those found in Greater Boston, cost is certainly a factor for new companies that settle in Framing- ham and other MetroWest towns. But established businesses are still growing their footprints here, too. Genzyme, for example, opened a six-story biologics manufactur- ing facility on New York Avenue in October 2012, adjacent to the Cam- bridge company's new manufactur- ing site, a $330-million project under construction. And nearby Bose Corp. is rumored to be considering expan- sion of its Mountain Road campus on nearby parcels on Pennsylvania Avenue. Joanne Berthiaume, a spokes- woman for Bose, declined to comment on expansion plans. Framingham Town Manager Robert Halpin said the owner of the parcels, The Congress Group of Boston, has been working with the Planning Board to redevelop the parcels, though Halpin has only heard speculation as to which companies might be interested. A shared workforce Whatever growth potential the Framingham Technology Park has, it's already part of a major economic engine, said Arthur Robert, the town's director of community and economic development. Paired with the 9/90 Corporate Center, which is home to Staples Inc. among other companies just across Route 9, Robert said the s page 25 MetroWest495 Biz | August 2014 21 FRAMINghAM Susan herzberg, CeO of Boston heart Diagnostics, is "bullish" on Framingham. P h o t o / C o u r t e s y

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