Congratulations to the Towns Sign Bylaw Committee and Chamber representative Karen Kenney for their hard work over the past 18 months. Article 6 through 15 sought to amend various aspects of the town's sign bylaw. Sign Bylaw Review Committee and Planning Board member Jeff Cohen said the articles are meant to make the sign bylaw more clear, something of an unattainable goal. 

"We wanted to change the one size fits all approach to signage in Bedford," Cohen said. "The sign bylaw is an imperfect document."

In order to expedite the presentation of the articles, Selectman Mark Siegenthaler motioned to have Articles 6 through 15 presented together, allow time for questions on each article, and then have each article voted on separately. This motion passed unanimously. 

Articles 6 through 15 addressed issues pertaining to the sign bylaw including redefining what a sign is in the bylaw, allowing businesses that remain open all night to keep their signs illuminated overnight, creating more lenience for political signage on private property and allowing barber poles to rotate and be internally illuminated. 

  Bedford Suffers from an Identity Crisis.

By Art Smith - Art Smith Associates

I suspect that many business owners and many of the prospective business owners hoping to succeed in Bedford suffer at the hands of an age old concept entitled "Small Town Character". In our quest to preserve an 18^th century sense of place we have lapsed into a coma of sorts, a coma that lends little regard to the development of a well regarded and successful business community, especially at the small business plateau.

Our zoning bylaws, our resource regulations, our sign bylaw all were developed, created and voted to preserve a Center and commercial strips that are outdated and obstructive if we wish to encourage a success based small business community. All of these permitting prerequisites were created in order to propel the rate of growth away from the community center, to control the size and scope of small business enterprise and to secure and protect our "small" image. Simultaneously we created commercial and business zones and districts as a point of encouragement for business growth and development while failing to adjust our statutes to support success and accommodate either large, mid or small business enterprise. As an example we established a limited business zone that is dominated in part by the effect of a historic district and its subjective analysis of what is deemed "appropriate", is strangled by limitations non conducive to the establishment of a true destination tenancy and seemingly doomed to failure by legislative decree for the minimization of effective lighting and signage that otherwise would be conducive to business success.

So wise at the time we created an industrial zone far from the Center that in effect became cut off from the heart of the Community discouraged in part by a total lack of public transportation and insufficient public parking for those souls who came looking for services.

All this exacerbated by a financial collapse the effect on Bedford being the closure of many of our larger corporate tenancies thereby radically changing the proportion of the contribution residential property owners must contribute to cover the loss in tax revenue. With fewer corporate tenancies the smaller the customer base for those small businesses that rely on those day time employees looking for services in Bedford. Collapsing services in Bedford merely feeds the down turned market.

A key to change is in the education of Town Meeting, the only place ultimately where change can come from.

 10 Tips to a Better Work Day 

1. Decide to be a happy person. As Lincoln observed, most people, most of the time, can choose how stressed or happy, how troubled or relaxed they want to be. Choose to be happy.
2. Watch and Read less news.  As a recovering news addict, I know this can be difficult because the stock market fluctuates, politicians politic, and sports teams compete.  But, most of the time, you don't need the stress.  So, just don't watch.  I think it was Henry Thoreau who noted that if you've ever read about a train wreck, you understand the principle and don't need to know any more about it.
3. Practice the Attitude of Gratitude.   We all have so much to be grateful for.  Just thanking the many people who assist us, encourage us, teach us and open doors for us could take all day!
4. Take Time.  Eat when you're hungry, nap when you need it.  Get your ears scratched whenever possible!
5. Laugh everyday.  Hear a joke, tell a joke, laugh at yourself, laugh with your friends and family and co-workers.   There are very few medicines as powerful as laughter, and I don't think you can over-dose, although it is addicting!
6. Love well.  Express your affection, appreciation, friendship and warmth to those around you, and they will almost always respond in the most amazing ways!  Be generous--it pays great dividends!
7. Work hard.  This one comes as a bit of a surprise, but there is tremendous satisfaction in being competent, and joy in completing our assigned tasks.  One of the great sources of happiness is to do work that is worthy of you, and to do it well.
8. Learn something new, everyday.   To be happy, most of us must also be growing, expanding, learning and challenging ourselves.  Read, listen, adapt and stretch to accommodate new ideas and new information.
9. Use your body as it was designed.   Walk and run, stretch, throw things, and lift things.  Dance!  Exercise is good, but so is making love, mixing up a batch of cookies, or exchanging backrubs.   You have a body and it can be either a source of joy, or a source of aches and pains.  Your choice.
10. Avoid toxins.  I prefer writing positives (things to do) rather than negatives (things to fear), but reality says there are negative people and there are bad chemicals, stressful noises, and unsafe places.   Don't go there!  Avoid poisons whenever possible.  It seems to work out better that way.

   What the Chamber did in March...

Business Development Commitee Update

 Established a Retail Task Force whose goal it is to make it easier for retail businesses to do business in Bedford. The Task Force is looking at a variety of issues such as Making Town Government more aware of business Issues, helping establish a town liaison for a new business coming to Bedford, ensuring retail business viewpoints are represented at town committee meetings and more. Stay tuned for more details.

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THE EDGE

 More Information

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 The Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is

Now Seeking Applicants for the 2013

Employer of Choice Award

Don't Miss Your Opportunity to be honored!

Deadline for Applications is May 24, 2013

Click Here to Take the On Line Survey

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 Middlesex Savings Bank
is holding a

                                                             FREE SEMINAR

                                        SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING 101:

                                        the tools you need to build your business.

                                Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Visit www.middlesexbank.com/businesssuccess to register or see a Branch Manager for additional information

What does marketing mean to your business? Have you put together a marketing strategy or allocated a budget? Do you have an updated website or maybe a commercial on the radio? Are you placing ads in your local paper or reaching your customers on social media? Is there anything more you could be doing to reach your target audience? We will show you the smart way to approach marketing your business.

Join us as we invite Jay Nelson of Sprague Nelson, a veteran of New England marketing, along with Kevin Conley of Long Distance Tire and Scott Grinley from Mobile Medical Diagnostic Services for a panel discussion on small business marketing.

Please register by April 19, 2013 by visiting www.middlesexbank.com/businesssuccess

We look forward to seeing you at our Business Success Seminar.

Registration: 7:30-8:00am
Presentation: 8:00-9:00am
Q & A: 9:00-9:30am

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   ALEWIFE SHUTTLE TO CROSBY DRIVE

     offers guaranteed ride home program

CHAMBER CONNECTIONS 

I am a Bedford Business
video...... 

Next taping in April sign up now

 

CHAMBER CALENDAR 

April 6
Pay It Forward Launch Party
Town Center
Shawsheen Room
3-5 PM    
 

April 10
Catch the Net
Brightview Concord River
Concord Road
Billerica, MA
5:30 -7:30 PM

April 11
Board of Directors Meeting
Bedford Police Station
7:30 AM 
    

April 18
Working Women Alliance
Town Center Flint Room
12 Mudge Way
noon    
 

April 23
Multi-Chamber Networking Event
Embassy Suites Boston/Waltham, 550 Winter S550 Winter St., Waltham
5:30-7:30 PM

April 25
Pay It Forward Day & Celebration
John Glen Middle School
6-8 PM  
 

April 30
Small Business Marketing 
Sheraton Framingham Hotel
1657 Worcester Road
Framingham, MA 01701
7:30-9:30

SAVE THE DATE 

May 4 

May 8
 Servpro Expo

May 23
Healthy Bedford by Design

June 4
Cambridge Savings Bank Senior Prom Stroll

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