Regions
West/The Berkshires and Pioneer Valley
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Competitive Advantages
Access & Infrastructure
Competitive Business Environment
The Berkshire Region's Highly Skilled Workers
The Pioneer Valley Region's Educational Resources
Quality of Life
Business
Resources
Access & Infrastructure
Western
Massachusetts, with
its two major urban
centers, Pittsfield
and Springfield,
offers low cost
locations in close
proximity to the
major metropolitan
markets of the
Northeast.
Interstates 90 and
91 connect the
region to additional
economic markets
inside and outside
Massachusetts,
including New York,
Connecticut,
Vermont, and Canada.
The rail system is
well developed with
established
north-south and
east-west service. Bradley
International
Airport in
Connecticut and Albany
International
Airport in New
York offer extensive
air service at
accessible terminal
facilities. The
Lower Pioneer Valley
region is the
strategic crossroad
for all digital
fiber optic networks
serving the
Northeast, with
points of presence
for AT&T, MCI
WorldCom, Sprint,
and Frontier. The
"Berkshire
Connect"
initiative is
enhancing the
Berkshire region's
telecommunications
infrastructure to
support its growing
information
technology and
multimedia
industries.
Competitive Business Environment
Western Massachusetts
offers companies a
competitive cost
structure; the region's
wages, industrial land
prices, and housing
costs are highly
competitive with other
urban northeast regions.
In addition, over 125
established software
companies offer a full
range of information
systems products and
services. Major employers include
Berkshire
Life, Country
Curtains, Crane &
Company, General Dynamics Defense Systems, General
Electric, Hasbro,
Inc., KB
Toys, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Smith & Wesson Corporation, and Spalding Sports Worldwide.
The Berkshire Region's Highly Skilled Workers
The large
population of
engineers, machine
operators, and
technical experts
provide a mature and
skilled work force
for the region's
fabricated metals,
paper, and plastics
industries. One of
the Berkshire
region's strengths
relative to the rest
of the Commonwealth
is its high
population of
skilled
manufacturing
workers.
The Pioneer Valley Region's Educational Resources
After Greater Boston, Western Massachusetts has the largest
concentration of college
students in New England.
The Pioneer Valley's
numerous educational
institutions provide a
highly skilled work
force and many training
opportunities. Several
of the nation's leading
liberal arts colleges
are located in the
region as is the main
campus of the University
of Massachusetts in
Amherst, which includes
the Center
for Real-Time and
Intelligent Complex
Computing Systems. Springfield
Technical Community
College (STCC) and
its Center
for Business and
Technology provide
contract training and
consulting to area
employers. STCC's Technology
Park is also
designated by the
Massachusetts
legislature as the state
Center for
Telecommunications and
Information Technology.
Furthermore, STCC
directs the National
Center for
Telecommunications
Technologies (NCTT),
which is an Advanced
Technological Education
(ATE) Center serving as
a national model for the
instruction of
telecommunications
engineering technology.
Quality of Life
Exceptional
cultural and
natural
resources
provide a
locational
advantage in
attracting and
retaining
employees.
Berkshire County
hosts important
cultural
institutions
such as the
summer home of
the Boston
Symphony
Orchestra at
Tanglewood, the Clark
Art Institute,
the Massachusetts
Museum of
Contemporary Art,
and the Norman
Rockwell Museum.
Outdoor
recreational
resources
include ski
areas, golf
courses, a vast
network of state
parks, and the
Massachusetts
segment of the
Appalachian
Trail. The
Connecticut
River in the
Pioneer valley
is a valuable
natural resource
and recreational
asset. In
addition, the
region benefits
from the
cultural
amenities
associated with
14 public and
private higher
educational
institutions
with a college
population
exceeding
60,000.
Business Resources
Affiliated
Chambers of
Commerce of
Greater
Springfield
Berkshire
Chamber of
Commerce
Berkshire
Economic
Development
Corporation
Berkshire Plastics Network
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission
Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts
Franklin Regional Council of
Governments
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
West/The Berkshires and Pioneer Valley Chambers of Commerce
Massachusetts
Office of Business
Development
Western
Regional Office
Tel:
(413) 784-1580, Fax:
(413) 739-9175
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