Marlborough Economic Development Corporation

On the lookout for new businesses

MEDC — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:48:55 +0000

May 13, 2012 — Community Advocate — Like officials in neighboring communities, Marlborough’s Economic Development Corporation is searching for ways to bring new business to the city in order to reduce the tax burden on residents.

The city’s Finance Committee recently approved the transfer of $200,000 from the Economic Development account, which is funded by a hotel rooms tax, to fund new initiatives focused on attracting additional economic activity.

Proposed new initiatives include: (1) increasing sports tourism spending, (2) buying customer relationship software to create a database on area businesses, and (3) creating an “urban village” at the eastern end of Route 20.

Proposal #2 would allow officials to track information about local businesses, as well as those in surrounding towns, including such data as the expiration dates of their leases. This would allow Marlborough representatives to retain existing businesses while enticing others to relocate to Marlborough.

The story originally appeared here.

“Marlborough Works!”: City to Host Free Ráesumáe and Interview Workshop

MEDC — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:08:10 +0000

MARLBOROUGH, MASS., May 10, 2012 — On behalf of Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant, Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and Quinsigamond Community College will sponsor the Professional Résumé and Interview Workshop on Wednesday, May 30, at the Science Lecture Hall of Marlborough High School, 431 Bolton St., 6-8:30 p.m. This workshop is part of the job fair initiative announced by Mayor Vigeant before the City Council in early April. Now known as “Marlborough Works!”, this event is free and open to the public. The deadline to register is Friday, May 18, 2012.

The May 30 workshop will target both the unemployed and those who are looking to change jobs. “This résumé workshop will play an important role in allowing our residents to put their best foot forward to prospective employers,” said Mayor Vigeant. “By partnering with Quinsigamond Community College, which will lead this workshop, our city is going the extra mile to help make our residents more competitive in today’s job market.”

Workshop attendees will be instructed on how to create an effective résumé and land job interviews. Career experts will delve into how job candidates can avoid making key mistakes when writing their résumés and discussing their career history with potential employers. And they will give examples of responses job candidates should make when asked difficult questions.

Registration for the Professional Résumé and Interview Workshop is limited to the first 40 respondents. For more information or to register, call Quinsigamond Community College at 508-751-7900 or go to http://cce.qcc.mass.edu. Registration is required for this event.

All participants will be eligible for priority registration and pre-admission to the “Marlborough Works!” Job Fair, scheduled for June 13. The idea of having a local job fair originated out of Mayor Vigeant’s early outreach to the Marlborough business community as part of his administration’s efforts to retain quality businesses and attract new ones to the city. “It was very clear to me after several meetings that we had a number of well-known companies looking to add to their workforce,” he said. “I thought a job fair was the best way to build a bridge between the companies in our city and the talented residents we have who are waiting for an opportunity to come their way. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

About Marlborough Economic Development Corporation: MEDC is the state-chartered economic development corporation for the City of Marlborough, Massachusetts, working to foster economic development, job growth and community revitalization and development in the city.

TJX Buys Marlborough Property, Keeps Framingham as HQ

MEDC — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:24:19 +0000

May 7, 2012 — Marlborough Patch — Late last week the TJX Company announced at Framingham Town Meeting that it planned to maintain its corporate headquarters in Framingham, causing concern in Marlborough that this would affect the company’s plans to expand into Marlborough.

The company, which owns TJ Maxx, Marshall’s and Home Goods, purchased a Marlborough property owned by Fidelity in late April.

“TJX is pleased to have completed its purchase of two buildings located at 300 and 400 Puritan Way in Marlborough,” said a representative of the company at the time. “This space is expected to house certain home office operations and will help TJX accommodate its future growth plans.”

Mayor Arthur Vigeant’s office said the announcement by TJX should not affect any future plans for the expansion to Marlborough.

“As far as Marlborough is concerned, we are still moving forward with everything we’ve agreed to, and are looking forward to having TJX as part of our community in the near future,” said Michael Berry, executive aide to Vigeant.

TJX issued a statement saying that it plans to use both the Marlborough and Framingham campuses to further its business plan.

“We continue to work toward keeping our world headquarters at 770 Cochituate Rd. in Framingham and are optimistic that we will do so,” said Sherry Lang, senior vice president of global communications. “Along with the Puritan Way buildings in nearby Marlborough, we believe these two campuses will help us fulfill our vision of being a $30 billion, then a $40 billion global value retailer.”

Framingham’s interim town manager, Valerie Mulvey, told the Worcester Business Journal that town officials had been conducting ongoing discussions with TJX since October to keep the headquarters in Framingham.

“We are working with Framingham to agree on a tax structure that we believe would benefit both the company and the town,” added Lang in her statement. “We are very much looking forward to continuing our strong partnership with Framingham for many more years to come.

“With a workforce of over 11,000 Associates in Massachusetts, staying in the Commonwealth and helping it as we grow and create jobs is important to us. Staying in Framingham is also important to us as many of our Associates live in and around the Town,” she said. “TJX supports many local non-profit organizations and our home office Associates help support local businesses. Our Company has been part of the Framingham community and enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with the Town for many years.”

TJX plans to renovate the former Fidelity properties at 300 and 400 Puritan Way in Marlborough, and eventually house “certain home office operations” beginning in the summer/early fall of 2013, said the company.

The original story appeared here.

Officials talk economic development in Marlborough

MEDC — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:08:37 +0000

May 3, 2012 — The MetroWest Daily News — Marlborough Economic Development Corp. officials are proposing several initiatives meant to spur economic activity and reduce taxes on residents.

Arthur Bergeron, the group’s executive committee chairman, gave a presentation to the Finance Committee on Monday in which he outlined several initiatives that included: increase sports tourism spending; keep better track of companies in Marlborough and surrounding towns; and create an “urban village” on Rte. 20

The group came before the Finance Committee seeking a $200,000 transfer from the Economic Development account, which is funded by a hotel rooms tax approved by the City Council in 2010. The Finance Committee voted to approve the transfer.

Bergeron said a portion of the money, which is the primary funding source for the economic development agency, will go toward new initiatives.

One of the things the office wants to do, Bergeron said, is buy customer relationship software called Salesforce.

Tim Cummings, the economic development group’s operations director, said yesterday that the software will help manage data collected on local businesses and properties through another piece of software called CoStar.

Cummings said the two programs will allow the agency to monitor properties in and out of the city to see which leases are expiring.

Mayor Arthur Vigeant, a member of the group’s team of “ambassadors,” or an agency staff member could reach out to Marlborough companies whose leases are about to expire to prevent them from moving, or contact a company in a nearby town to entice them to move to the city, Cummings said.

The agency is also looking to boost sports tourism, Bergeron said. It has received a $15,000 grant from the MetroWest Tourism and Visitors Bureau and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism to help expand a Thanksgiving weekend hockey tournament at the New England Sports Center.

Cummings said the agency will focus on Canadian hockey teams for the North American Fall Championship because visitors would likely visit local stores for Black Friday deals.

Cummings said an “urban village” committee led by City Council President Patricia Pope is looking into a corridor study for an eastern swath of Rte. 20 to try to increase economic activity there.

Downtown, Bergeron said, the group is in talks with the owner of 173 Main St., which was destroyed in a fire two years ago and is now a vacant lot.

Bergeron said the economic development group hopes to cheaply and temporarily lease the land from the owner to create a green space or park downtown for the summer months — until the owner comes up with a long-term plan for the property.

The agency is also looking to revamp the Taste of Marlborough festival and Brewfest to attract more visitors to downtown. Cummings said officials hope to work with event organizer Bob Kane to turn the event into a weekend-long jazz festival next year.

The story originally appeared here.

Weetabix moving offices to Marlborough

MEDC — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:56:43 +0000

April 20, 2012 – The Item – The Weetabix Co. headquarters will move to Marlborough this summer.

Spokesman Federico Meade said the relocation involves employees in the administrative offices, and will likely take place in June or July.

The company’s Green Street warehouse and Cameron Street manufacturing facility will remain in town.

Meade said the move is necessary because the company, which makes whole-grain cereal and snacks, is expanding.

“We’re experiencing incredible growth in all aspects of the company, and we’re hiring,” Meade said.

The new headquarters will be at 300 Nickerson Road, Marlborough.

“We’re moving just down the road,” Meade said.

It is unclear what the vacated office space will be used for. Meade said the management team envisions several options currently under discussion.

This story originally appeared here.

An update on cultural-district designation request

MEDC — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:22:50 +0000

April 19, 2012 – The MetroWest Daily News – Residents and officials looking to make the downtown area a cultural destination say the process to get a special designation from the state is underway.

Marlborough Downtown Village, working with the Marlborough Economic Development Corp. and the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce, will soon apply to the state to have a portion of downtown designated as a “cultural district.”

“We’re starting to pull it together,” said Mary Scott, chairwoman of Marlborough Downtown Village. “We seem to be really moving forward.”

A group of downtown merchants and representatives from downtown and economic development organizations met with an official for the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the fall to talk about the idea.

The Cultural Council’s Cultural District program, launched last spring, allows towns and cities to designate certain geographic areas as cultural districts.

The designation, organizers say, will open up the city to grant possibilities down the line and attract visitors to local businesses.

Scott said Downtown Village, working closely with the Economic Development Corp., has completed an application to enroll in the program, but said a few steps remain.

She said the application has been sent to Mayor Arthur Vigeant’s office and has received approval there.

Next, it must go to the City Council, which needs to adopt a resolution supporting the initiative.

Scott said organizers are still working with city councilors on the proposal. She said that while they had originally hoped to get the application out in time for a May deadline, she said they might have to shoot for the next application period in the fall.

Scott said the designation would fall in line with the Downtown Village’s general plan to make downtown a hub of arts and commerce. She said the group has been following the recommendations of a 2010 report from Tufts University students on how to enhance the downtown.

The Marlborough Economic Development Corp. last year also released an exhaustive report recommending ways to enhance economic development across the entire city.

Susanne Morreale-Leeber, chamber president and CEO, said the designation will dovetail with other events, such as the Taste of Marlborough. She said it will also boost the city’s profile in the eyes of potential visitors.

“It enables us to almost have a pinpoint on the map of cultural venues,” she said. “A healthy downtown is a healthy community.”

This story originally appeared here.

Mayor highlights his first 100 days

MEDC — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:51:17 +0000

April 10, 2012 – The MetroWest Daily News – Mayor Arthur Vigeant introduced a few new initiatives, including a city-sponsored job fair, last night and highlighted the achievements he has made so far during his first term in office. In an address to the City Council to mark his first 100 days in office, Vigeant announced that the city, in partnership with the Marlborough Economic Development Corp. and Quinsigamond Community College, will host a jobs fair in June.

“This jobs fair is a bold but necessary step, not only to help our city residents who may be struggling, but also to help the many businesses in our area that are in need of talented individuals to join their workforce,” he said.

Vigeant said he is unaware of any other town or city in the state that has directly sponsored a jobs fair.

He said the idea came out of a series of calls he made to the city’s largest employers after taking office this year. Vigeant said he plans to continue to contact more local companies before the jobs fair to boost interest.

Before the event, Quinsigamond will help the city hold employment readiness and resume workshops for people looking for jobs.

Vigeant said there will be some cost associated with the program and asked the City Council for its cooperation as his office tries to move the plan forward.

He said the impending arrival of TJX and agreements he has reached with city unions are among his office’s top accomplishments so far.

“I am happy to report that in our short time working together for the people and businesses who call Marlborough home, we have had several early achievements that I am pleased to highlight for you tonight,” he said.

Vigeant said the decision by TJX Companies to buy two buildings on Puritan Way from Fidelity Investments will be a financial boon for years to come.

“Not only will this enhance the vacant Fidelity property, but infuse an additional 1,600 jobs to our city that will help our local and family-owned establishments,” he said.

Vigeant shared credit for the TJX deal with the City Council and the Marlborough Economic Development Corp.

This story originally appeared here.

Marlborough district seeks cultural status

MEDC — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:51:49 +0000

March 25, 2012 – The Boston Globe – In an effort to generate more business, Marlborough Downtown Village, an organization of residents, business, and property owners, has been trying since 2010 to attract artists and other cultural enterprises to the Main Street area while preserving and reusing historic buildings.

This year, group members are hoping for a boost to their efforts by getting the area designated as a cultural district by the state, a move that will make it eligible for grants.

Together with the regional chamber of commerce and the city’s Economic Development Corporation, the village group will ask Mayor Arthur Vigeant and the City Council to apply for the cultural district designation.

“We have been trying to work on the arts and activities that are more artistically and culturally related,’’ said Mary Scott, the group’s chairwoman.

If the collaborative effort can make the Main Street district “a historical and cultural attraction, people will start to come,’’ she said.

Susanne Morreale-Leeber, president and chief executive of the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the group plans to submit the application by next Sunday to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the decision would be announced sometime in the spring.

The state agency will be looking for things that set the Main Street district apart from other areas of the city, and that will draw people in, she said.

Morreale-Leeber thinks the Main Street district already has the cultural and historic flavor the state is looking for, with sites such as the old fire station, City Hall and the Walker building, a variety of restaurants, small downtown parks offering entertainment, and two art galleries.

“It’s a positive move for the city to designate an area because we have so many cultural and arts events. We have a beautiful Main Street,’’ Morreale-Leeber said, and the designation “will encourage more people to come downtown.’’

Vigeant would not commit to supporting the application, but he said he thinks the initiative is moving in a positive direction.

If the designation is approved, Marlborough would be eligible to apply for grants and programs that benefit cultural districts.

Tim Cummings, director of operations for the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation, said the group has “worked really hard to put this thing together because it will benefit residents, business owners, and revitalize the economy of the city.’’

This story originally appeared here.

Marlborough officials hopeful about TJX proposal

MEDC — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:34:11 +0000

March 16, 2012 – Community Advocate – Last year local officials were stunned by the news that Fidelity Investments was planning on vacating their Marlborough campus by the end of 2012 and relocating 1,100 employees to Rhode Island or New Hampshire. Now, with the announcement that the TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) has decided to purchase two of the soon to be vacant Fidelity buildings, officials are hopeful that the city will once again be on the upswing.

Sherry Lang, senior vice president of global communications for TJX, said in a March 8 press release that the company was, “pleased to have signed a purchase and sale agreement for two buildings located at 300 and 400 Puritan Way in Marlborough.” to Rhode Island or New Hampshire. Now, with the announcement that the TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) has decided to purchase two of the soon to be vacant Fidelity buildings, officials are hopeful that the city will once again be on the upswing.

At the March 12 City Council meeting, the council discussed a proposed Tax Increment Financing (“TIF”) plan between the city and TJX. They also discussed a communication from Jeffrey Naylor, Sr., an executive vice president of TJX, regarding the TIF.

TIFs offer tax breaks to developers, by providing tax increment financing exemptions on the incremental increase of the assessed value of real property. A community must be located in an area designated by the state as an Economic Opportunity Area (EOA) in order to issue TIFs. A TIF must first be approved by municipal vote and then be certified by the state’s Economic Assistance Coordinating Council (EACC). Companies that are granted TIFs must also comply with certain standards, such as agreeing to retain a number of jobs, creating new ones, and filing a report with the state each year.

In his letter, Naylor said the significant new capital investment is estimated to be $117.2 million. Approval for the TJX project will provide higher and better use of the existing buildings located within the area that are currently largely vacant, stated Naylor in the proposal.

Among the economic benefits to the city are the relocation of 1,600 permanent full-time employees and 75 newly created full-time positions over the first five years of the TIF agreement. Local approval of the agreement will allow TJX to pursue state tax incentives authorized under the Mass. Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP). The EDIPs combined state and local tax incentives are expected to partially offset the state’s generally higher business costs, Naylor stated in his letter. The 700,000 square feet of office space can accommodate both a single headquarters site and “a significant component of a ‘dual-site’ headquarters operation,” he added.

The company’s headquarters are currently located at 770 Cochituate Road in Framingham. That property, along with the two Marlborough buildings, would provide TJX with, “two major campuses operating in close proximity to one another,” Lang noted in her statement. She added that the company did not expect the move to occur before late summer or early fall of 2013.

Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant also released a statement regarding the proposed deal.

“Working with City Council President Trish Pope and the members of the City Council, I look forward to working with the leaders from TJX and the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation to finalize a competitive package that will allow new investments to be made in Marlborough while bringing needed revenue to the city, and most importantly, jobs for our residents,” he said.

If the council approves the proposal, the application and proposed TIF Agreement will be reviewed by a committee composed of the City Assessor, City Planner and a member of the City Council for approval.

Lang said TJX would not be commenting further on the proposed move or the number of employees the company expected to transfer to the new campus until a future date.

TJX Companies include TJ Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls.

This story originally appeared here.

Marlborough giving TJX tax break

MEDC — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:17:03 +0000

March 9, 2012 – The Boston Globe – The mayor of Marlborough said Thursday night that the city has agreed to provide a tax break to help lure retail giant TJX Cos. to a pair of office buildings being vacated by Fidelity Investments.

Mayor Arthur Vigeant said in a statement that the city has agreed in principle to a tax increment financing plan to help TJX expand into the buildings at 300 and 400 Puritan Way.

An aide to the mayor, Michael Berry, said the agreement will cover 20 years, but he said he could not provide the amount of the anticipated tax break because the deal is not final.

The matter is expected to go before the City Council on Monday night.

In his statement, Vigeant said: “Working with City Council president Trish Pope and the members of the City Council, I look forward to working with the leaders from TJX and the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation to finalize a competitive package that will allow new investments to be made in Marlborough while bringing needed revenue to the city, and most importantly, jobs for our residents.’’

TJX said Wednesday it is buying the buildings and will move an unspecified number of employees to the complex. The two buildings contain about 715,000 square feet, enough room for about 4,000 employees, according to brochure drafted by Cushman & Wakefield, the real estate firm that marketed the buildings.

TJX, which operates the T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods chains, said the Marlborough buildings will “house certain home office operations and will help TJX accommodate its future growth plans.’’

In a statement, company spokeswoman Sherry Lang also said TJX is “working hard to maintain our home office location at 770 Cochituate Road in Framingham, which, together with Marlborough, would provide TJX with two major campuses operating in close proximity to one another.’’

The transaction fills a giant hole in the Interstate 495 office market, where Fidelity’s decision to leave a year ago contributed to growing vacancies and declining rents. Overall vacancy in Marlborough’s office buildings is currently about 37 percent, but will decline to 22 percent once the TJX transaction is finalized, according to Cassidy Turley FHO, a real estate services firm.

This story originally appeared here.