LOWELL
CITY COUNCIL
James L. Milinazzo
MAYOR
Kevin P. Broderick
VICE MAYOR
Edward "Bud" Caulfield
Franky D. Descoteaux
Rodney M. Elliott
William F. Martin
Joseph M. Mendonça
Rita M. Mercier
Patrick O. Murphy
OFFICE OF THE
CITYMANAGER
Bernard F. Lynch
CITY MANAGER
Adam Baacke
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER/
DPD DIRECTOR
Theresa Park
DIRECTOR OF
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
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| MONDAY, MAY 16, 2011 Pre-Certification Workshop by the Office of Supplier Diversity 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Middlesex Community College Federal Building, Assembly Room 33 Kearney Square Lowell, MA 01852 TUESDAY, MAY 17 and THURSDAY, 19, 2011 Quickbooks Seminar 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Lowell Small Business
Assistance Center 88 Middle Street, Room 202 Lowell, MA 01852 RSVP: 978-322-8402 TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2011 Small Business Challenges 7:30AM-9:30AM Citi Performing Arts Theatre 270 Tremont Street Boston, MA WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011 Massachusetts Medical Device Development (M2D2) New Facility Open-House Preview 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Wannalancit Mills Building, 2nd Floor 600 Suffolk Street Lowell, MA 01854 THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2011 City of Lowell Small Business Fair and CEO Luncheon 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center 50 Warren Street Lowell, MA 01852 MONDAY, MAY 23, 2011 Free Legal Workshop for Small Business, Economic Justice Project 6:00PM-8:00PM Middlesex Community College-Federal Building, Assembly Room 33 Kearney Square Lowell, MA 01852 RSVP: lgsmith@lawyerscom.org TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2011 Coffee Hour in the Sandbox! 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Boott Cotton Mills 115 John Street Lowell, MA 01852 TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2011 The SBA Advantage 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Thomas P. O'Neill Federal Building 10 Causeway Street, Room 265 Boston, MA JUNE 2-3, 2011 TiECON East 2011 June 2: 2:00 PM - 9:30 PM June 3: 8:00 AM - 9:30 PM The Westin Hotel Waltham, MA 02452 TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2011 Strategic Business Owner Coaching Workshop 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce 131 Merrimack Street Lowell, MA 01852 |
| Join our list |  | | | | ENTREPRENEURSHIP DRIVES NEW ECONOMY | | | Coworking Space for Entrepreneurs  | | Dogpatch Labs, Cambridge MA |
Entrepreneurship and innovation have helped shape the country's economy and are poised to drive a new era of prosperity. With the
recession in our rearview mirror, entrepreneurship and innovation will play vital roles as key contributors to new job growth, conducting business locally, and investment into communities both financially and socially. The federal government has recognized the importance of entrepreneurs and innovation and has launched Startup America, an initiative to celebrate entrepreneurship. But for innovation to flourish in Massachusetts, state and local governments and organizations must implement various strategies to foster entrepreneurs in their community. Here in the city of Lowell, needs of commercial property owners and entrepreneurs must be aligned to support start-ups, and to better understand the environment in which entrepreneurs flourish. On March 29th, the City of Lowell's Economic Development department visited Cambridge, MA and toured three very different co-working spaces, including the Cambridge Innovation Center, Dogpatch Labs, and Performable Inc to get a better understanding of how coworking space would be feasible in our city. Coworking space is a style of work which involves shared office space yet independent activity. It is highly attractive to entrepreneurs and start-ups that have few or no employees. Coworking spaces have been found to be a more cost effective option for entrepreneurs and start-ups who can not afford their own building. The proximity of the businesses in coworking space almost guarantees sharing, energy, and serendipitous collaborations between very similar and diverse companies according to Xconomy. Cambridge Innovation Center is a coworking space of 350 small businesses in 130,000 SF with the space roughly broken down to 400 SF that allows for a business of 4-8 people. While on the other hand Dogpatch Labs and Performable Inc. were an open floor plan with each business having its own desk. All of these spaces had shared conference rooms, and common areas with kitchens, and free internet. The idea of coworking space like these three spaces is not to build up the companies and crank them out of the space before they are ready, but for top entrepreneurs be able to work collaboratively and work in an encouraging environment. It has been proven that the model of coworking is a very successful tool in helping small businesses and entrepreneurs get off the ground and improve their success rate in the world. The City of Lowell possesses many qualities that make it attractive to entrepreneurs - access to valuable cutting-edge research, peer networking opportunities, cultural and recreational amenities, and much more. Adapting buildings for coworking space would clinch Lowell as the next go-to destination for entrepreneurs. The three examples offered here are just some of the ways to affordably retrofit space to meet the needs of entrepreneurs' work style. To learn about the three spaces described please contact the Office of Economic Development or visit www.cictr.com, www.performable.com , or www.dogpatchlabs.com. To learn more about Startup America visit the White House's Startup America site. |
| SMALL BUSINESS WEEK - 2011 | |  In an effort to celebrate and acknowledge the importance of the estimated 26.2 million small businesses and entrepreneurs in the nation the President has proclaimed May 16th- May 20th as National Small Business Week. Now more than ever small businesses play a crucial role in the economic well-being of America. On May 19th 2011 the City of Lowell will be holding its fourth annual Small Business Week Resource Fair to show support and provide valuable resources available for local small businesses. To find out more information please visit the event website or follow our new city Twitter account at: CityofLowellMA. |
| LOWELL KEEPS MOVING FORWARD |
| | Hamilton Canal District On Monday, April 11th, city, state and local officials joined together to celebrate the groundbreaking of the $4.72 million Canal Street Bridge and Jackson Street improvement project located in the Hamilton Canal District. This is just another step forward in this $800 million project that is transforming 15 acres of vacant and  | | L. to R.: City Manager Bernard F. Lynch, State Senator Eileen Donoghue, State Representative Tom Golden, U.S. Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, and Mayor James Milinazzo at the site of the Canal Street Bridge and Jackson Street improvement |
underutilized downtown land into a more vibrant community. The new bridge will allow access to the new Hamilton Canal District for both pedestrians and automobiles. This portion of the project also includes improvements to the sidewalks, lighting, and streetscapes so it will make it more inviting for potential residents and tourists. Funding of this project was possible through $2 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the federal Community Development Block Grant program and matching funds from the state's Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. Phase 1 of the Hamilton Canal District, when completed, will be home to 55,000 SF of commercial space in the redeveloped Freudenburg building and 130 new affordable artist live-work units at the Appleton Mills. Construction for the new $175 million judicial courthouse is scheduled to commence in spring/summer 2012. To learn more please visit www.hamiltoncanal.com . UMass Lowell UMass Lowell continues to expand; a new $40 million classroom facility is on the rise at the University's South campus. The new 69,000 square-foot building will be home to the Health and Social Sciences (HSS) which has three of the most popular majors at UMass Lowell: psychology, nursing, and criminology. The four floor building will contain seven classrooms, 16 seminar/project rooms, eight conference rooms and 72 faculty offices. The expected completion is spring of 2013.This marks the second time in a year that UMass Lowell has broken ground for a new building. Construction began last year at this time for the new Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center which will be home to nanotechnology, plastics engineering, biomedicine and electro-optics. To learn more information about the status of these projects visit www.uml.edu. |
| DEVELOPMENT SERVICES GOES ONLINE | | In an effort to increase transparency and customer service at the City of Lowell's Development Services Division they are now providing development project information online. Project information will be made available for developments seeking Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals or Conservation Commission approval. Also all development projects already seeking review and permitting from the city's major land-use boards will also be available. By publicizing this project information the City hopes to encourage greater resident participation in decision-making processes and continue to improve city user services. To learn more please call the Division of Development Services at 978-674-4144 or visit the Development Services website. |
| COMMUNITY TEAMWORKS LOOKS TO FURTHER ENTREPRENEURSHIP | | | Starting a business is a life-long goal for many; unfortunately a significant amount of low-income entrepreneurs cannot attain this goal due to limited access to capital and valuable resources. Community Teamworks Inc., located in Lowell, is bridging this gap by successfully applying for and receiving a JOLI (Job Opportunities for Low Income) grant to develop the Lowell Initiative to Further Entrepreneurship (LIFE) which will support self-employment and microenterprises that will provide jobs to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals trained in family child care, energy and construction related fields, and farming. Through the LIFE program, entrepreneurs will be able to take advantage of entrepreneurial guidance, social support, and have access to financial resources to get their business up and running. Community Teamworks, Inc. conducted a significant amount of research and found that the industries selected for LIFE will be able to provide self-employment and microenterprises. The creation of these new businesses will also improve the Lowell community as a whole, by creating jobs and lowering the unemployment rate, which in return will increase money being spent throughout the community. To learn more about Community Teamworks, Inc.'s programs and services please visit www.comteam.org. |
| UMASS-LOWELL RESEARCHERS RECEIVE $50K IN NEW TECH GRANTS | | | Through their Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property Technology Development Fund, the University of Massachusetts has given out $200,000 in grants to eight UMass researchers, which include two research teams comprised of Lowell and Worcester researchers. Each researcher or team received $25,000 to advance commercial development of their projects which include a high-tech bandage and miniature pressure sensors that can be inserted into blood vessels to help heart attack patients. The high-tech bandage is a product by a team led by Stephen McCarthy and Raymond Dunn, both professors at UMass Lowell's Plastics Engineering Department and Ronald Ignotz and Scott Wharram, professors at the Department of Plastic Surgery at UMass Worcester. The "Biodegradable Bandage for Wounded Skin Regeneration," is a bandage that can accelerate healing, deliver drug therapies to a wound site and then dissolve as the skin regenerates itself. The second team consisted of Xingwei Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UMass Lowell and Kurt Barringhaus, assistant professor of medicine at UMass Worcester. Their device, "Disposable Miniature Pressure Sensors in Cardiology," has the potential to help cardiologists better evaluate patients prior to angioplasty, the process of mechanically widening a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel using stents. Lowell is quickly becoming home to many innovative medical device companies through the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) and its soon to be completed incubator facility. Additional information on M2D2 can be found at www.uml.edu/m2d2. |
LOWELL BUSINESSES IN THE NEWS
| |  Litle & Co. Lowell based company, Litle & Co., was the recipient of the 2011 Stevie Award in the New Product & Service category IVR or Web Service Solution for Litle Vault, the company's platform-integrated card tokenization service in Miami, Florida. The payment processing company behind leading ecommerce and consumer-direct brands which include Overstock.com and Ancestory.com, also received a runner-up nod in the Back Office Customer Service Team of the Year. This isn't the first Stevie Award for Litle & Co., last year the company received the e-Commerce Customer Service Award. Held yearly, the Stevie Awards honor and generate public recognition to the efforts, accomplishments, and positive contributions of companies and business people worldwide. Litle & Co. is a leading payment management and processing platform for businesses that sell goods and services to merchants. The company is headquartered at Cross Point Towers. www.litle.com.
Xenith
Xenith LLC, a Lowell based company has raised $10.5 million for its high-tech football helmet that has been designed to prevent concussions. The funds have come from 61 equity investors. Xenith is the creator of the X1 helmet, which is based on two patent-pending technologies: one, a chin strap designed to fit the helmet better to the head; the other, shock absorbers that were designed to respond to different levels of impact. Xenith has been making a name for themselves throughout the country, with concussions becoming a recurring injury in sports. To learn more about this innovative company visit their website www.xenith.com. |
NEW BUSINESSES IN LOWELL
| | | Stop in at Indigo Salon and Day Spa at 165 Merrimack Street in downtown Lowell where you can receive a variety of beautifying and rejuvenation services including a haircut, manicure, or massage! Visit www.indigo-dayspa.com. Looking for a night out in Lowell where you can enjoy some live jazz, comedy, and drinks stop in at Back Page located at 15 Kearney Square. Visit www.backpagelowell.com. Need a morning or afternoon break; stop by the new King's Coffee on Market Street for a hot coffee or cappuccino to get you going! Looking for a new outfit and shoes to match? Then stop in at Persona Boutique located at 51 Market Street or visit their website at www.shop-persona.com . Stop in George's Textiles at 350 Merrimack Street, with a new store and website; come see what they have to offer! Visit www.georgestextiles.com. |
iSHOP LOWELL: BUY NOW, WIN LATER!
| | | When you shopped or dined in downtown Lowell and spent over $25 this spring you were qualified for a chance to win either an iPod product, a season pass to the Lowell Summer Music Series or the grand prize of the new iPad. Over 1,100 people entered throughout the ten weeks and spent over $70,000 in downtown retail establishments and restaurants. Visit www.lowell.org to see pictures of the winners and to see a list of the participating businesses! Also follow our new city's Twitter account for iShop updates and special offers from downtown businesses! |
WORKING TO BETTER SERVE YOUR BUSINESS
| Make sure to check out our new website to learn more about Lowell's Economic Development Office and the resources and opportunities available for any business!
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