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office parks generate 9,000 jobs, about 20 percent of the town's 45,000 jobs. "I don't think there are many other places that concentrate so many jobs in such a small place," said Robert, who worked in various state economic development positions before taking his current job. Still, Robert prefers to think about cluster development on a regional level, saying it's not limited to one area of town, or one community. Com- panies that are part of a cluster are generally interested in a "broader set of resources available in the region." And, like others, Robert thinks the qualifications of the workforce are a major asset to companies. Robert said as employees of area companies develop their careers and change jobs, they gather specialized training, which is valuable to other local employers. "We have TJX to the east, BJ's in Westborough … all of which help provide that combination of industry knowledge and technical skills embed- ded in a very strong labor pool that they're ultimately sharing," Robert said. Marlborough's new coup Not to be forgotten is Marlborough, which has made huge strides recently in attracting life sciences. Earlier this month, General Electric announced it would locate its life sciences divi- sion in the city's Marlborough Hills office park (formerly Forest Park). That news follows a series of positive business news for the city: GE joins Quest Diagnostics, the medical testing company, at the former Hewlett-Pack- ard campus. And medical device giant Boston Scientific recently moved west from Natick to Marlborough, opening its new global headquarters near the intersection of interstates 290 and 495. Attracting a new generation Despite the recent wins, there's room for improvement. In Me- troWest, planners are targeting the commute. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council has issued a set of transportation improvement recom- mendations to simplify the commute for people working in Framingham's office parks along Route 9, and the town is considering how it might pursue them. Robert said many stakeholders would like to see easier access from the parks to the Massachusetts Turnpike. Encouraging the development of res- taurants and other consumer services closer to the office parks is also an important goal, as is the development of nearby housing, which Robert said is attractive to young workers who would rather not own cars. "Our challenge is to attract and retain a new generation," Robert said. n MetroWest495 Biz | August 2014 25 FRAMINghAM s page 21 Worcester Business Journal's WORCESTER2025 Power Breakfast Series Worcester Business Journal's WORCESTER2025 POWER BREAKFAST SERIES Worcester Business Journal's POWER BREAKFAST SERIES WORCESTER2025 Tuesday, sepTember 30, 2014 7:30am – 10:00am Coral Seafood Restaurant 225 Shrewsbury Street • Worcester, MA 01604 Cost: $40 Pre-registration required. www.wbjournal.com/2025healthcare Please join us for this special breakfast forum! A s part of Worcester Business Journal's celebration of 25 years of reporting on the business community of Central Massachusetts and MetroWest, we are producing this special breakfast event that will take a look at the long term future of our region's health care industry. As one of the dominant sectors of our region's economy, the outlook for this industry is critical to the region's economic prosperity. In this forum we'll explore what challenges, changes and opportunities lay ahead. Don't miss this important discussion - register today! HealTH Care Presenting sponsors John D. Halamka, MD Chief Information officer, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical school Tobias Barker Vice President of Medical operations for MinuteClinic, CVs Eric Dickson President and CEo, UMass Memorial Health Care speakers: Dr. Armin Ernst President/CEo, Reliant Medical Group Erik G. Wexler CEo, Northeast Region, tenet Healthcare Media sponsor marc@marcserraproductions.com 508-341-4710 www.marcserraproductions.com www.youtube.com/MarcSerraProductions • Corporate Video • Corporate Profiles • Product Demo Reels • Local Commercials • Video Resumes • Insurance Videos • Real Estate Videos • General Photography Marc Serra Productions Take your company's message to new heights… Tell your story with a custom video!