Letter From The Editor: Watching & Learning
Welcome to the June issue of the quarterly MetroWest495 Biz magazine. Summer is here, and you might be tempted to think that companies will slow down and take it easy for a couple of months.
But that's not what we've found while putting this issue together. Instead of vacations and relaxation, businesses across MetroWest are thinking about how to confront the challenges presented by the so-called "Great Recession" and how to make the most of the nascent recovery.
As each month goes by, we become more convinced that what businesses are looking for as the economy recovers isn't a return to pre-recession business conditions, but for something that can be considered the new normal.
The Itinerary
What the new normal looks like is not fully known, but you'll get glimpses of it throughout this issue of MetroWest495 Biz.
The cover story, which begins on page 16, finds small, downtown business districts across MetroWest searching for ways to change with the times and stay alive. To an increasing degree, downtown merchants and service providers are turning to each other, as members of advocacy groups, for support and strategy. Can they convince consumers to shop downtown? Can they withstand the enormous pressures put on small businesses by the struggling economy? There's more optimism out there than we expected.
On page 28, you can read about a company on the opposite end of the spectrum, TJX Cos. Inc. in Framingham. TJX is already known for aggressiveness, but is ratcheting up growth plans as a result of successful and disciplined execution during the downturn.
For TJX, it looks like the new normal is even better than the old normal.
In Hopkinton, we find Caliper Life Sciences Inc. The company is profiled beginning on page 24. The biotechnology and pharmaceuticals products and services firm has spent years trying to find its true identity.
It has acquired and sold a variety of companies along the way, keeping what it values and discarding unneeded weight. Today, the company is coming off its first ever quarterly profit and seems to have found its niche as a firm that provides the kind of expensive research and development work large pharmaceutical companies can no longer afford to do themselves.
And if you're shopping in MetroWest, chances are you've visited the retail paradise that is Route 9.
The gnarly stretch of road can seem like a traffic nightmare, and it's the subject of a feature on page 22. But look around next time your vehicular progress is slow. In defiance of almost every tenet of modern urban planning, there is almost literally something for everyone on Route 9 and its popularity continues unabated.
Also in this issue, you'll find feature stories about community bank competition in Metro-
West on page 30, and how MetroWest is overcoming and learning from the environmental sins of its industrial past on page 20.
We've also included columns on the current state of the region's commercial real estate market and how Verizon plans to usher in a new wave of wireless communication technology from a new facility in Waltham.
We hope that you will find this June issue of
MetroWest495 Biz educational and entertaining.
Not only does it contain the features mentioned above, it also provides regular features like our Out & About section of local events and photos, a rundown of local news in the Roundup section and our By the Numbers page, which provides vital stats on the region.
Please, enjoy the June issue of MetroWest495 Biz, and as always, we welcome your comments, criticisms and suggestions. You can reach us via e-mail at MetroWest495Biz@wbjournal.com or via phone at 508-755-8004.
Cover Story
No Finer Place
Downtown merchants across MetroWest are turning to each other for help surviving the recession.
Inside Features
Sins Of The Past
Industry is no longer the mortal enemy of the environment, and an uneasy truce is kept by businesses committed to learning from the mistakes of past generations.
This Is What Vibrant Looks Like
Say what you want about Route 9. The roadway works. We take a look at how it became what it is today and what the future holds for MetroWest's main drag.
Science & Business
Caliper Life Sciences of Hopkinton posted its first quarterly profit late last year, and says it has found its niche. Find out how the company backs scientific innovation with business brainpower.
Fickle Fashion
TJX Cos. of Framingham has put the massive theft of customer data behind it and spent the recession raking in record sales thanks to a ruthlessly fast and efficient business model.
Waiting Game
The region's community banks say they've got lots of cash. Why are they hanging onto it so tightly?
Departments
Event calendar and photos.
A statistical view of the region.
Tech Bubble
Columnist Michael Puttré takes us to the future home of 4G network development, the Verizon Technology Innovation Center in Waltham.
The Real Angle
And insider's view of the local commercial real estate market.
What It Takes
Q&A with Mark Shirman, founder of GlassHouse Technologies, Framingham.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments