Westmass helps identify and manage all aspects of the economic development process - by Jeffrey Daley

The Westmass Area Development Corporation (Westmass) is an experienced, private not-for-profit industrial and business development corporation created to promote and assist business growth in western Massachusetts. Westmass accomplishes these goals by developing properly zoned and fully permitted industrial park land resources and assisting organizations with development and redevelopment real estate opportunities at the crossroads of New England in the four western-most counties in Massachusetts.

Westmass has been successfully developing industrial and business park resources for more than 60 years and as a result today it has the most experienced and knowledgeable staff available to assist companies seeking a prime western Massachusetts business location. Westmass’ demonstrated record of success includes development of over 2,500 acres in 13 industrial parks and projects; enabling the build-out of over 12 million s/f of commercial space and residential units; leveraging $400 million in invested resources on our developments; and helping create over 10,000 jobs.

Westmass is an affiliate of the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts and a significant partner in the coordinated “one-stop shopping” approach to commercial and industrial development in western Massachusetts. If your company is growing and expanding and you are looking for an exceptional opportunity in western Massachusetts, Westmass can help with just one call. Westmass provides site selection information and analysis, feasibility studies, utility evaluations, and comprehensive permit management. Westmass currently offers over 200 acres of master-planned, industrially zoned land resources in two active mature park locations, Chicopee River Business Park and the historic Ludlow Mills complex.

Located at the intersection of I-90 and I-291/91, Chicopee River Business Park has large and small sites available for office and manufacturing users. The historic Ludlow Mills complex, owned and managed by Westmass, currently encompasses approximately 130 acres, and more than 50 historic mill buildings with 1.1 million s/f of developable space. Today, Westmass oversees the conversion of this more than 120-year-old historic mill complex into a modern, mixed-use, development which balances residential, commercial, and industrial uses with greenspace and recreational amenities. Currently, the mill complex contains approximately 30 businesses and 300 employees whose uses range from healthcare, light industrial, warehousing uses and a brewery as well as recreation and hospitality. The Ludlow Mills complex includes a unique and wide-ranging set of existing uses and buildings, vacant land, infrastructure, and other features and opportunities.

When you have the professional support of Westmass’ staff, we become your project’s advocate and proponent and are there with you every step of the way. Tell us your business needs, and our experienced staff will help you from conception to completion as we assist in everything from site selection to permitting, grant writing and administration and project management. We will manage the entire process for you and your contractor. While this summary may seem like an oversimplification, our success lies in thorough and exceptional preparation and successful implementation.

Westmass executes development projects ranging from business park development to the adaptive reuse of historic buildings to the remediation of challenged industrial sites. Projects are completed through a variety of methods, including acquisition and public-private partnerships, while applying our expertise in the financial planning and implementation stages. We also manage complicated financial negotiations involving different federal, state, and local funding sources to bring projects to a successful outcome. In particular, we at Westmass can assist developers and communities by leading in the following areas:

• Acquisition – Purchase of select properties for new development, redevelopment, or adaptive reuse.

• Joint Ventures – Working closely with other partners including municipalities and private developers to create significant economic development projects.

• Commercial & Industrial Development – Creating development opportunities for the expansion of new commercial and industrial activities.

• Redevelopment – Transforming formerly developed land and buildings into new commercial investment opportunities.

• Brownfields – Leveraging increased economic viability to former industrial sites that require remediation prior to redevelopment activities.

We focus on a methodology that ensures every project is planned, scheduled, updated, maintained, and communicated thoroughly and objectively. This approach can be customized to meet the unique needs of any project or organization. Every community or institution, no matter its size or complexity, requires an ongoing economic development effort to ensure financial sustainability. The primary role of Westmass is to help identify and manage any and all stages of the economic development process – from initial project conception to completion and is engaged throughout all stages. From brownfield clean-up to financial structuring, our team provides all the tools, techniques, and strategies to bring any economic and real estate project to fruition in western Massachusetts.

Jeffrey Daley is the president & CEO of Westmass Area Development Corp., Springfield, Mass.