Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | August 7, 2017 | Worcester Business Journal 21 Believe in Central Mass. The Worcester Business Journal welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Please send submissions to Brad Kane, editor, at bkane@wbjournal.com. A fter decades of quietly lying under the radar, the city of Worcester is rapidly being revital- ized. Developers are finally taking a harder look at our properties, and the future couldn't look brighter. How does a fast-growing economy, wanting to say yes to many outside developers who will bring precious dollars into our city, retain its heart and soul – the culture of our community? If you want to look for a healthy community, look to its arts scene. In the past three to five years, we have seen restaurants, hotels, farmer's markets, and small but highly suc- cessful entrepreneurial endeavors continue to thrive here. Even Main South – a neighbor- hood with a tough reputation – holds many hidden gems such as the Nine Dot Gallery and Tito's Bakery. More than a century ago, Worcester's bustling streets were home to hard-working immigrants who represented the heart and soul of the city's thriving industrial econo- my. Today, the city is home to a very similar scene: hard- working individuals, many of whom are immigrant fami- lies bringing a wealth of culture, collaboration and joy to this densely populated heart of Massachusetts. In cities like Providence, Baltimore and Alexandria, Va. visitors and residents have access to a host of creative opportunities throughout every region of the city. Whether you are a viewer or a maker, you will have something to take part in to help you to deeply connect with the culture of the area. This is what makes a city memorable; this is what makes a city a place that people want to call home. In a recent visit to AS220, a highly successful arts cen- ter in Providence, R.I. growing for the past three decades, I witnessed a fashion show accompanied by a film and musical performance put on by a group of local, at-risk youth from a community center. It was a highly moving and dramatic performance, highlighting such subjects as Black Lives Matter, immigration and expressing identity. In speaking with the staff, I learned that this is one of many rapidly growing community-based arts and culture programs changing the way that the city connects with all of its residents. As a city with rich cultural heritage, Worcester needs to set the stage for a thriving and sustainable cultural dis- trict expanding well into communities such as Main South. The city, the state, as well as local foundations and businesses, all need to healthily support initiatives hold- ing the promise of reaching our extremely diverse group of residents and visitors alike. Endeavors such as incuba- tors, community centers, public art projects, theaters and makerspaces are the key to preserving the vibrant culture on which Worcester was founded. Laura Marotta is the executive director of Creative Hub Worcester. Artistic space influences the economy V I E W P O I N T E D I T O R I A L BY LAURA MAROTTA Special to the Worcester Business Journal Laura Marotta WO R D F R O M T H E W E B Comment of the issue "It depends on the employees' job function, some can be done in flex time, others need coverage in the office." - Anonymous commenter, July 25, on a WBJ poll asking employers if they had a policy allowing workers to leave the office to care for an aging adult WBJ Tweet of the month "What Roseland 'expects' from P&B, etc isn't working. Time for them to adjust to reality. #Worcester" - NewEnglandCarpenters (@NERCC), Jul 28, on the 145 Front St. developer's response to the NLRB complaint filed against one of its subcontractors W Facebook feedback "Where are these jobs?" -Pat Falcone, July 28, on the Worcester metropolitan area adding 1,000 jobs from May to June "Go get em Carpenter's Local 107! When you fight for one worker you are fighting for all workers!" -Steve Quist, July 27, on the local carpenter's union filing a National Labor Relations Board complaint over safety concern at the 145 Front St. development in Worcester A positive attitude can go a long way. Simply having good feelings won't prevent a sinking ship from slipping beneath the waves or turn a bad busi- ness model into a profitable one, but having faith the path you are in is the right one and investing in continuing that journey can yield tangible results. Stock prices are – in part – based on a belief that companies' leadership, systems and products are best set up to excel in the market- place. If a company's revenues and profits meet or outperform expectations – based on its history and industry – its stock price goes up; if it doesn't, the stock price goes down. As a destination, especially for visitors and tour- ists, Central Massachusetts has lagged behind the Bostons, Cape Cods, Berkshires and Nantuckets of the state. Rightfully so, as those destinations have shaped their marketing pitches over decades, showcasing their charm and many amenities while Central Massachusetts has struggled to form a cohesive narrative for its varied attractions like Old Sturbridge Village, Tower Hill Botanic Garden and Worcester Art Museum. The region lacks a central location for visitors to travel into, and it has never been made entirely clear all these attractions are all within about 25 minutes of downtown Worcester. Discover Central Massachusetts is a fresh start at marketing the region (See Grant Welker's story on Page 8). Started two years ago out of Destination Worcester and the defunct Central Massachusetts Convention & Visitors Bureau, DCM is working to find a voice for the region – even though Worcester is the only one of its 35 communities actively contributing money to these efforts. Of its $650,000 budget this year, $500,000 came from Worcester, $98,000 from the state and the rest from individual attractions. While a few towns might not care about attracting tourists, DCM needs support from more than one community. If even half of the remaining 34 communities pitched in an average of $10,000 each (or 1/50th of what Worcester throws in), that would nearly dou- ble the state contribution. The problem is the understandably budget-conscious communities – even ones like Auburn and Sturbridge with repre- sentatives on the DCM board – want proof DCM is worth the investment. The chicken-and-the-egg issue with this thinking is DCM will have a hard time proving its worth with limited funding and will remain Worcester-centric in its marketing with Worcester kicking in the bulk of its money. Surrounding towns are going to have to take a leap of faith not only will a rising tide lift all boats but an investment in regional marketing will yield pos- itive results for their communities. Worcester Regional Airport will take a different kind of leap of faith, but nonetheless remains a vital piece of infrastructure in attracting visitors – not just tourists but others like business officials and convention goers. The Massport facility is in the midst of a $32-million upgrade to its landing system, hoping the increased reliability in flights' ability to land will offset airline's hesitations over the high-elevation, out-of-the-way location, as well as a national industry trend of flights moving away from smaller and midsize airports. The move appears to have yielded positive results, as JetBlue says it will start regular flights from Worcester to New York City once the upgrade is complete. Only the market response and airline decision-making will show if this $32 million will lead to sustained growth, but Massport and local officials must con- tinue this level of investment in the facility. W

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