The Sterling Economic Development Committee (EDC) will host a business networking breakfast and roundtable discussion on Thursday, October 25, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., at Sterling National Country Club, located at 33 Albright Road. The goal of the forum is to showcase Sterling as a place for new and existing businesses to call home and thrive.
“The region is changing, and when you look at our surrounding towns – Clinton, Leominster, Worcester – they’re getting more and more competitive,” says event organizer and moderator Lex Thomas of Lex Thomas Communications. “We want Sterling to be a destination businesses consider when they’re looking for a location in which to build or expand.”
Jim Patacchiola has served as a member of the EDC since its inception in February 2013 and has been the chair for the past four years. He says that enabling networking among Sterling businesses and creating a dialogue between Sterling businesses and the town committees and boards are at the top of the priority list at the forum.
“The business forum is important because we want to hear from the business community about what help they need from the town that will facilitate their business growth and prosperity in Sterling,” Patacchiola says. “The ideal outcome would be the establishment of a Sterling Business Association by the business community here.”
The EDC has been working with the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission to research and figure out a way “to correct the complex zoning issues along the Route 12 corridor, which we believe is an impediment to business longevity here,” he says.
Discussion topics for the business forum include what makes Sterling a good place to do business, challenges to business owners in Sterling, how businesses in Sterling can support each other and help each other to grow, and how the town can support local businesses.
Thomas is providing consulting to the Town of Sterling regarding overall town growth and development. She came up with the idea for the business forum and has been working closely with Christy Mylott, District Director, Office of Senator Dean Tran; North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce Public Affairs Manager Chris McDermott; and Sterling Town Administrator Ross Perry to create a vision for the forum and beyond that focuses on long-term economic advancement in Sterling.
“We’re still in the early stages,” says Thomas. “Our goals are long-term, but we want to get the ball rolling. The short-term goal is to get businesses networking with one another and get them talking to the town and the EDC so that we get a sense of what works in town, what doesn’t, what processes are needed, what the town can do to make Sterling a great place to do business for both existing and in-coming businesses, and how businesses can help each other to succeed.”
Sterling’s tax rate depends largely on businesses, and residents pay higher taxes when businesses leave. When businesses are looking for a place to locate or relocate, one of the major things they look at is the school system, which has long been a draw for people moving to town.
“Increasing the number of businesses in town stabilizes our economy and our tax base, which has an effect on housing and tax rates. Everything is connected,” says Thomas.
In addition to what Thomas, the EDC, and others have been working on, town government has hired a town planner to create a master plan, something the town hasn’t had in over 50 years. According to Patacchiola, the town planner will be the “key person” working on the rezoning of Route 12 and business growth in general.
“A master plan is vital in making decisions about how the town is going to grow and the direction it will take in the future,” says Thomas. “When towns apply for grant funding, there usually has to be a master plan in place. [Town Administrator] Ross Perry is adept at going for grants and is knowledgeable about the process. Getting our master plan in place is a major step toward achieving many of our future goals.”
The other members of the EDC are Board of Selectmen representative Maureen Cranson, Rosanne Mapp, Paul Cathcart, Mike Pineo, Brian Kindorf, and Richard Maki.
All local businesses are invited to attend the forum. For more information and to RSVP by October 19, contact Lex Thomas at lex@lexthomas.com or 978-870-5757.