MetroWest495 Biz

Getting companies and employees to the area actually isn't only about what goes on with payroll, but also the status of Main Street, district classrooms and other quality-of-life factors. Recruiting and selecting new employees for high- skill positions isn't always easy. Recognizing this, more and more area communities are making strides in pumping up their amenities in order to increase business and economic opportunity. Take Westborough, for instance — home to BJ's Wholesale Club, Integrated Genetics, eClinical- Works, BNY Mellon, Astra Zeneca, and other companies — which was just voted No. 14 out of 50 of 2015's "Best Places to Live" by Money magazine, a publication that gave it accolades in 2005 and 2007 as well. Last year, Family Circle magazine named Westborough one of the 10 best towns in the country for families. With roughly 18,500 residents, Westborough has a small-town feel with good parks, low crime rates, water recre - ation and good schools — with a Boston commute of about 45minutes. "The greatest challenges we hear from busi- nesses is that they can't get talent from Boston or even Worcester," said Westborough Economic Development Committee Coordinator Francisco Torres. "We want to pull that life science sector in. We're really seeing high, well-paying jobs increase ... we're trying to get people to live in Westborough." So should the goal of MetroWest communities be to become family-friendly, in order to draw companies to the area? An even more pro-active move, says Robert Halpin — who led efforts for a "Choose Fram- ingham" initiative in the past and a "Choose Framingham for Business" campaign last year — is to appeal to younger folks before they are ready to start families. 18 MetroWest495 Biz | October 2015 A ttracting qualified employees to MetroWest is not a simple case of "show me the money." As an alternative to Boston as a place to work and play — with lower housing costs and easier commutes for those in biotech, sciences, advanced manufacturing and other industries — communities have been ramping up the benefits so that employees can find them here, right in their own backyard. BY SUSAN SHALHOUB Special to MetroWest495Biz How to lure the workforce: Fostering community appeal A downtown shot of Westborough, which was voted one of 2015's "Best Places to Live" by Money Magazine. P H O T O S / E M I L Y M I C U C C I

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