Wednesday, September 9, 2009

News from City of Lowell's Office of Economic Development

FALL 2009
Images of Lowell, MA
OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR BUSINESS!
IN THIS ISSUE
Lowell Developer Conference
New Court in Hamilton Canal District
Buy Art - Buy Lowell
Workforce Development Opportunities in Lowell
Specialty Materials, Inc. - Weaving a Path to the Future
Merrimack Community College is "Pressed for Success"
City of Lowell - Alive. Unique. Inspiring.

LOWELL
CITY COUNCIL


Edward "Bud" Caulfield
MAYOR

Rita M. Mercier
VICE MAYOR

Kevin P. Broderick
Rodney M. Elliott
Alan W. Kazanjian
Michael J. Lenzi
William F. Martin
Armand P. Mercier
James L. Milinazzo
 
OFFICE OF THE
CITY MANAGER


Bernard F. Lynch
CITY MANAGER
 
Adam Baacke
 ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER/
DPD DIRECTOR
 
Theresa Park
DIRECTOR OF
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
September 16, 2009
Lowell Developer
Conference
8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Lowell National Historic Park
Visitor Center
304 Dutton Street
Lowell
 
September 16, 2009
Young Professionals
of Greater Lowell
 Business Leadership Forum

Lowell Memorial Auditorium
50 E. Merrimack St.
Lowell
 http://www.ypgl.org/
Event_pics.aspx?ID=63
 
September 16, 2009
An Evening
Just for Networking
5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
US Trust/Bank of America
Private Wealth Management
Long Lane Room
2nd Floor
100 Federal Street
Boston
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/
calendar/?op=event_details&listing_id=39171

 
September 22, 2009 -
September 24, 2009

7th R+D Product Development
Innovation Summit
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Four Points Sheraton &
Conference Center
1151 Boston - Providence Turnpike (Route 1)
Norwood
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/
calendar/?op=event_details&listing_id=35579

 
September 24, 2009
14th Annual
Business-to-Business Expo
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Chelmsford Radisson
10 Independence Drive
Chelmsford
http://www.greaterlowellchamber.org/docs/expoFlier.doc
 
September 24, 2009
Small Business Solutions Forum
7:30 AM- 9:30 AM
Westin Hotel
70 Third Avenue
Waltham
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/
calendar/?op=event_details&listing_id=38781

 
October 2, 2009
MassMEDIC's 11th Annual
MedTech Investors Conference
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston
 http://www.massmedic.com/
meetings.htm

 
October 6, 2009
MassBio Investors Forum, Executing the Biotech Business Model:
A New Direction for Biotech

7:30 AM - 6:15 PM
Sheraton Boston Hotel
39 Dalton Street
Boston
http://www.massbio.org/membership/
calendar/440-11th_annual_massbio

 
October, 6, 2009
Health Care Reform:
"The Promise Versus the Realty...
for Small Business"
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Bentley University,
LaCava Conference Center
175 Forest Street
Waltham
http://www.sbane.org/Events/
Directions.asp#Location200

 
November 12, 2009
Lowell's Buy Art Campaign
6:30 PM -  8:00 PM
Loading Dock Galley at Western Avenue Studios
122 Western Avenue
Lowell

Just a boring divider... Nothing to see here...

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our readers?

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and
contact information to
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LOWELL DEVELOPER CONFERENCE
On September 16, 2009 developers, commercial brokers, architects, site selectors, and business representatives from the Greater Boston region will converge on Lowell to participate in the city's Developer Conference. The conference will showcase Lowell's premiere locations for prospective businesses and developments. The conference is being conducted by MassDevelopment, a state development financing agency that provides financial tools and real estate expertise, in conjunction with the City of Lowell. The event will illuminate Lowell's successes in real estate development, public investments, public-private partnerships, workforce development and commercial innovation. Participants will tour the city and its highlights, as well as potential (redevelopment sites.

The conference will present information on Lowell's competitive advantage, including its designation as an Economic Target Area, a Renewal Community, and a HUBZone.  If you are a developer or business owner who is interested in this conference, you may RSVP to Noël Fisher at 617-603-3123 or nfisher@massdevelopment.com. There is no charge to attend this event, however, space is limited and registration is required by Friday, September 11, 2009.
NEW COURT IN HAMILTON CANAL DISTRICT
 Currently located at 360 Gorham Street, the Lowell Trial Court will be finding itself a new home in the soon-revitalized Hamilton Canal District (HCD) near the Gallagher Terminal. The new Trial Court, a 250,000 sq. ft. building, is being constructed in conjunction with the City of Lowell's $800M HCD redevelopment by Trinity Financial. In June of 2009 the city achieved a tremendous milestone when they closed the sale of the 3+ acre parcel to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  

Architect's model of the proposed courthouse.RIGHT: Architect's model of the planned Trial Court in the Hamilton Canal District. The new building will
include Juvenile, Housing, Probate, Family, District, and Superior Courts, now seated at various locations around the city.










Since then, work has began on the site with the demolition of the mill and storage buildings between Jackson and Middlesex Streets. The preliminary estimated schedule for the new Lowell Trial Court, an $175M investment, envisions design completion in FY2010, with construction to ensue in FY2011 and completion in FY2012. The new trial court is intended to be a comprehensive justice center that will contain the Superior Court, District Court, Juvenile Court, Housing Court, and Probate & Family Court.  For more information about the new Lowell Trial Court and the Hamilton Canal District visit www.hamiltoncanal.com.

Demolition of old storeage buildings on the courthouse dite.

ABOVE: The former Appleton Manufacturing Co. storehouse and Bay State Storage/McLaughlin warehouse (both built ca. 1915) were among four buildings recently demolished as part of the first phase of development for the new court building.

BUY ART - BUY LOWELL
Buying art can be intimidating for new shoppers and established patrons alike. What should you buy? Where should you buy it? What is a commissioning process? Selling art can be no less difficult as artists try to connect with potential buyers in tough financial times while continuing to produce quality work.

Organized by the Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL) and local arts organizations and galleries, Lowell's upcoming Buy Art Campaign aims to make the process easier and more fun for all involved by introducing potential buyers to the local art opportunities right here in Lowell. With well over 500 artists living and working in Lowell, buying local art can be a simple and rewarding step in stimulating the local economy.
Lowell's Buy Art Campaign will offer tours of galleries and studios, meetings with art liaisons trained in helping patrons and businesses buy art, and seminars on the value of buying local art for your home or place of business. The campaign kick off event will take place Thursday, November 12th from 6:30-8:00 PM in the Loading Dock Gallery at Western Avenue Studios. Drop in to see the art, network with your peers, hear about the value of buying local art from satisfied patrons in the business community, and pick up a copy of our new Guide to Buying Lowell Art, your comprehensive resource on buying local art and the Lowell arts scene.

For more information, contact LZ Nunn at lznunn@lowellma.gov or 978.674.1480.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
IN
LOWELL
Middlesex Community College (MCC) and University of Massachusetts-Lowell (UML) are already well-known for developing new skills and talents among college-age population, but what may not be so obvious is their work with businesses to retrain workforce to accommodate changing industry needs. Both MCC and UML deliver customized training programs to meet companies' specific requirements.

Middlesex Community College (MCC), with campuses in Lowell and Bedford, supply the education and training tools to tackle issues for a wide range of employees and skill levels such as managerial, technical, production, health, language and literacy. The customized training programs at MCC offer:
�    On-site training at your location
�    On-campus training
�    Credit and non-credit courses
�    Various workshops
�    Certificate and degree programs

UMass Lowell provides similar customized training programs as MCC. They provide on-site training at businesses, credit and non-credit courses, and certificates. The university also offers businesses and employees intensive seminars that help businesses address a specific business concern. Some topics of upcoming seminars include:
�    Effective Organizational Skills
�   Building High Performance Teams
�    Risk Management
�    Project Management: Planning and Scheduling

In additional to these readily available training resources, the Greater Lowell Workforce Investment Board (GLWIB) and the Lowell Career Center further support investment in workforce development. GLWIB assists with workforce expansion and retention and also allocates grants that aim to upgrade business workforce so the business can become more strategically placed in this competitive marketplace. The state also offers many different Workforce Training Funds for a wide variety of businesses. To see if your business is eligible for these visit:
http://www.mass.gov?pageID=elwdconstituent&
L=2&L0=Home&L1=Businesses&sid=Elwd

To learn more about Middlesex Community College, UMass Lowell, and GLWIB's, and Lowell Career Center programs visit their websites:
www.middlesex.mass.edu/CorporateEdAndTraining/ 
www.ContinuingEd.uml.edu/corporate/ 
www.glwib.org/ 
www.careercenteroflowell.org 
SPECIALTY MATERIALS, INC. - WEAVING A PATH TO THE FUTURE WITH HIGH-TECH FIBERS IN LOWELL
1449 Middlesex Street in Lowell is an historic mill building that is home to the innovative company, Specialty Materials Inc. (SMI). Specialty Materials Inc. is known throughout the world for producing advanced fibers and materials for the aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial segments of the composites industry. Currently, SMI is manufacturing boron fiber and silicon carbide which are found in a variety of products that range from hockey sticks to Boeing F-15 fighter planes. The materials produced by this local company expand the range of creative solutions for engineers and manufacturers.

Specialty Materials' advanced fibers and materials allows for greater innovation in product design. The materials combine characteristics of high compression strength and stiffness with low weight, making them invaluable in aircraft parts like the F-15's stabilizers and wings for Predator unmanned air vehicles on station in the Middle East, as well as for golf shafts, hockey sticks, and bicycle frames here at home. These properties are essential in decreasing weight in the planes and improved response and feel in the sporting goods. SMI's newest application for their advanced fibers os their use in solar panels which will continue to be a growth industry.

An unmanned drone aircraft using SMI's composite materials.

Aircraft like the Predator Unmanned Air Vehicle shown use composite fibers from Specialty Materials Inc. for their strength and light weight.


SMI's innovation extends to nanotechnology - they have now developed a plasma synthesis technique which creates nano-sized particles of boron powder. The boron nanopowder will result in the best magnetic properties for magnesium diboride {MgB2), a high-temperature superconducting material. This will lower the cost and increase the availability of MgB2 superconductor wires, which will lead to better superconductor-based equipment for future medical imaging systems. 

SMI is a privately-owned small business that was formed in 2001 but the processes, facilities, and equipment were previously owned and operated by Textron Systems. This boron fiber plant located at SMI has been in operation for over 35 years. The plant is home to hundreds of CVD reactors for working with gasses at high temperature and controlled pressure and two production lines for boron prepreg tape manufacturing.

SMI has seen tremendous growth in the past eight years, with their sales tripling and the number of employees doubling. The company plans to continue their success in Lowell by producing the best boron, silicon carbide, and advanced materials possible.  
MERRIMACK COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS
"PRESSED FOR SUCCESS"
Unemployed college graduates and qualified professionals are looking at creative solutions to give them a leg-up on their job search. At Merrimack College, a networking group meets weekly on Mondays to exchanges idea, resources and potential leads in a supportive, professional environment.

This job search group, called "Pressed for Success," is comprised of about 70 members of various ages, qualifications, and career interests looking for either full or part time employment opportunities. A business seeking to hire employees, in addition to accessing the services at the Lowell Career Center, may inquire further about Pressed for Success by contacting Arleen Bradley at:
pressedforsuccess.@comcast.net.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at Newsletter@LowellMA.gov.
 
Sincerely,
 
The Economic Development Office
Division of Planning & Development
JFK Civic Center; 50 Arcand Drive
Lowell, MA, 01952
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