Bedford Chamber Business Development Committee presents Economic Goals to Selectman
By Chris Gambon |
Members of the Bedford Chamber of Commerce (COC) addressed the Board of Selectmen Monday night on how the community can better encourage business owners, specifically owners of small businesses, to choose Bedford when determining what town to bring their business to.
Chairman of the COC Business Development Committee, Adam Schwartz, said economic development has become an area of increasing concern for Bedford residents, as there are several visible locations around town advertising vacancies in commercial space.
"People in town have been concerned about economic development in Bedford," Schwartz said. "People notice a lack of business, especially in the Crosby Drive area."
Vacancies in the Crosby Drive area draw concern from Bedford residents despite the fact that the area is on the outskirts of town, Schwartz said.
Schwartz said 30 to 40 percent of office space in the Crosby Drive area is currently vacant.
"This leads to a depression of real estate value in the area," Schwartz said.
Schwartz said this public concern stems from a rise in taxes, which coupled with less commerce in town, leaves the onus to fall on Bedford residents.
The COC is aiming to work with the Selectmen to make it easier for businesses to set up shop in Bedford, Schwartz said.
"The Selectmen have been looking at economic development in town and we are hoping to come to solutions that make it easier for businesses to come to town," Schwartz said.
These solutions could include simplifications to the permitting and signing process, creating an expediated proccess for small business owners looking to come to Bedford.
"A lot of the town committees that small business owners have to go to only meet once or twice a month," Schwartz said. "We want to ask the Selectmen how can we give these small business owners three sheets of paper for the permitting process so they only have to come before the committee once."
Schwartz said there have recently been many steps in the right direction in creating a healthy retail environment in Bedford.
The recent announcement of the Middlesex 3 coalition, a regional public partnership dedicated to promoting the region's competitive advantages, will provide Bedford with more resources for attracting commerce to the area, Schwartz said.
Commerce in Bedford has recently shown signs of improvement, Schwartz said, with several restaurants announcing new locations in town, in addition to the Blake Block construction coming closer to completion.
Chipotle recently announced a new location coming to 343 Great Road, while Panera announced a possible new location at 213 Burlington Road. |
Overcoming the Hum-Drum Response...with a Word
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By Geoffery Moore
You ever get the nagging feeling that something you've written-an ad, email, letter, article, or presentation of an idea-is getting a hum-drum response?
You know what a hum-drum response is? First they hum, instead of paying attention to your words. Then they drum you out of their minds.
And it happens all the time! People are awash in an ocean of words. And, what's worse, they've become jaded. They've heard it all before, and they've also figured out that most of the words they see or hear really don't say much worth hearing.
No wonder they hum...and drum.
So what can you do? For one thing, you can remember the power a single word.
You can commit to the difficult task of finding exactly the right word to say what you want to say...a word that really means something to readers...a word that makes customers sit up and pay attention...a word that raises eyebrows, gets heads nodding.
It can take courage to find that word, because one of the best ways to gain attention and credibility is to use a word that simply tells the truth.
As Mark Twain said, "Always tell the truth; it will gratify some people and astonish the rest." And there is something astonishing about honesty.
When Volkswagen was selling their Beetles in the 60s, they found such a word. The word was: ugly. They created a famous ad with a picture of the Beetle and the headline:
It's ugly, but it gets you there.
"Ugly" was honest, refreshing, surprising. But back in the day, "ugly" was also a counter-culture statement. "Ugly" spoke to college students who were wearing ripped blue jeans, protesting against the establishment, and going to Woodstock.
"Ugly" was also practical, economical. It said: who needs to pay a lot of extra money just for a fancy name brand anyway?
And one thing is for sure. "Ugly" didn't get a hum-drum response.
Mark Twain also said, "The difference between using almost the right word and exactly the right word is like the difference between hitting someone with a lightning bug...or a lightning bolt."
So keep looking for exactly the right word. The discipline and persistence you bring to looking for that word will make you a better writer and communicator...and help you overcome the hum-drum response.
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Sales & Marketing Jumpstarts is written by Geoffery Moore, president of Geoffery Moore Marketing and author of Think Like a Customer To Market Like a Genius.He can be contacted at 603-353-4700 or [email protected].His website is www.YourBestMarketingMove |
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Sign Bylaw Review Committee Deals With Questions, Large and Small |
Member Jeff Cohen says the tasks that the Sign Bylaw Committee faces have both minor and far-reaching implications.
On the one hand, reviewing punctuation and grammar of the current
At the same time, he acknowledged that periodic housekeeping of
this sort is important to do. Additionally, as a member of both the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board, Cohen also sees weekly examples of how people struggle to understand the current bylaw and how hard it can be for Town committees to interpret it. For these reasons, two of the goals of the Sign Bylaw Review Committee are to disentangle the bylaw's structure and to improve it grammatically.
As for the more far-reaching aspects of the Committee's work, the sign bylaw has a direct impact on the visual appearance of the town, which is a quality of life issue. Businesses are also helped or hindered by whether they can effectively use signage to advertise their location. For
Cohen said that the Committee has canvassed a variety of business owners, hailing from different parts of town. They report that the current bylaw is not especially friendly to them so the Committee is considering a change that would allow different styles of signage in different zones of town.
"What may be appropriate for a Crosby Drive business might not be appropriate for The Great Road," Cohen explained. But, he emphasized, that while it wanted to help business, the Committee did not want to turn Great Road into Route 1. Read more
Board of Director Karen Kenney is a member of the Sign Bylaw Committee | |
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Suzanne & Company Holiday House Tour
December 9, 2012
1-4 PM
Tickets on sale at Suzanne & Company, New England Nursery & Great Road Gallery & Framing and at www.bedfordchamber.org
Adults- $20.00
Seniors - $15.00
Children 8-12 - $10.00
A portion of the proceeds fund the Charles Hume Scholarship
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What the Chamber did in October? |
Catch the Net -Flatbread Company
The Goddard School Trunk or Treat
Board of Directors
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Flatbread Host Joe Sylva |
| John M leading Catch the Net |
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BEST TRUNK WINNERS
THE HIGGINS GROUP |
| Art Smith & Christine Pinney |
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Doubletree Bedford Glen Hotel | |
Business Development Committee Update
Business Development- The committee is putting togethe two new programs-
Bedford First Program- A member to member discount program which will be rolled out in January, details to follow.
I'm A Bedford Business Video promotion. Mix of businesses to include retail, personal services, high tech, etc... |
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ST. MICHAEL CRAFT FAIR - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17
The annual St. Michael Holiday Craft Fair will be held on Saturday, November 17, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the St. Michael Parish Center, 90 Concord Rd., Bedford, Mass, 01730. The popular event features holiday and gift items, local crafters and artisans, a white elephant sale, and a bake sale, including homemade apple pies in time for Thanksgiving. Plus, a huge raffle of gift baskets, blankets, jewelry, gift cards, and other donated items. Delicious, low-cost luncheon items served as well. There is no admission fee.
Crafters, artisans and independent vendors are invited to purchase a table for display and sales. Donations for the white elephant sale and bake sale are welcome. Contact Kathy Clark at [email protected] or 781-275-6630 for more information.
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ALEWIFE SHUTTLE TO CROSBY DRIVE
offers guaranteed ride home program |
Did you know the 128 Business Council's offfers guaranteed ride home, along with several other member benefits such as
- DEP Rideshare Regulation Compliance
- RideMatching
- Guaranteed Ride Home
- Commuter Benefits Events
- Shuttle Bus Services
- Transportation Advocacy Programs
128 Business Council could be your one-stop resource for alternative transportation and pro-sustainability solutions for the 128 West region. Their shuttles connect major employers, institutions and communities to public transit (MBTA stations), making commuting more effective and reducing Route 128 West and related roadway congestion.
Please contact the Chamber office at 781-275-8503 if your company is interested in participating in this Shuttle Program and/or if you know some other companies in the Crosby Drive area that you think would be interested.
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CHAMBER CALENDAR
November 6 ELECTION DAY Voting at JGMS 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
November 8 Board of Directors Meeting Bedford Police Station 7:30 AM
November 13 Special Town Meeting Bedford High School 7:30 Click here for warrant
November 17 St Michael Craft Fair Concord Road Bedford, MA 9:00 AM -2:00 PM December 9 Suzanne & Company Holiday House Tour 1-4 PM December 15 Celebrating Business Failures Aloft Lexington 727 Marrett Rd Lexington, MA 02421 8-10 AM Limited space
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2012 Chamber Members
Acme Packet Inc Advanced Media Web
Art Smith & Associates
Atlantic Capital Strategies
Atria Longmeadow
Baldwin Insurance
Baudanza Electric
B2B CFO
B&D Agency
Bedford Acupuncture Center
Bedford Car Wash
Bedford Center for the Arts
Bedford Children's Center
Bedford Farms
Bedford Funeral Home,
Bedford Historical Society
Bedford Plaza Hotel
Bedford Montessori School
Bedford Motel
Bedford Orthodontics
Bedford Research Association
Bedford Rug Company
Brightview Concord River
Brookline Bank
Brown & Brown, P.C.
Cafe Darling
Cafe Luigi
Callahan's Karate Studio
Calling All Pets
Cambridge Savings Bank
Carlton & Duran CPAs
Carleton-Willard Village
Christine Pinney Marketing
CouponSurfer.com
Cranberry Hill Associates
Dalya's
Design 1 Kitchen & Bath
Design Photo
Dr. Dianne Bridgeman
Dr. Kiana Kaymanesh
Dr. Oscar DePriest
DSA Printing
Edward Jones/Britton Wilson
Edward Jones/ Barb Davis
Elm Brook Place
EMD Millipore
Empirix
Enterprise Bank
First Parish
Flatbread Company
Frank Webb's Bath Center
Fujifilm Recording Media U.S.A.
Garrison Knight Financial Planning
GE Infrastructure Sensing, Inc.
Genetti's Wine & Spirits, Inc
Get In Shape for Women
Great Road Gallery & Framing
Grow a Stronger Family
Hanscom Federal Credit Union
Harold Nichols Insurance Agency
Heritage at Bedford Springs
Inner Visions Interiors
JRM Antiques
Inside Outside Staging
Kamate Fitness
Keller Williams Realty
Latady Design
Leary Auto Repair
Lexington Symphony
Live Life Well
Massage Therapy Associates
Mettler -Toledo Thorton
McCullough Associates, Inc
Middlesex Savings Bank
Minuteman Volkswagen Inc.
New England Nurseries, Inc.
NIGHTSEA
North Road Chiropractic
Organix Spa & Salon
OrganizingWorks!
Panospin Studios
Patents Etcetera and Minuteman Legal Services
Patriot Pediatrics
Peter Quinn Insurance Agency
Progress Software
Pulte Homes of New England
Quality Database Design
Rental Car Momma
Richard Egan Insurance AgencyRight At Home
Salon Alfonse
Salon OZ Scotia Lights Serenity Yoga Servpro of Lexington/Bedford
Simply Your Home
Slak Chiropractic Group Spencer Company
St. Michael's Parish Center
Stonebridge at Burlington
TD Bank
The Bedford Citizen
The Bedford Minuteman
The Boardroom Bistro
The Divorce Collaborative
The Edge Sports Center
The Goddard School
The Higgins Group
The MITRE Corporation
The Tired Dog
The UPS Store
Town Planner
Vela Ventures
Watson Law Offices
What Army
William Raveis Real Estate
Women's Financial Network
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