Putting Clinton On The High Tech Map | Wachusett puts out welcome mat for IT, biotech
Photo/livia gershon
Frank Leonard, president of Baesis, says Clinton could be a hot spot for high tech.
No major highways run through town. Manufacturing is still the economic sector that employs the most people. Locals claim an old-fashioned, walkable downtown as one of the biggest draws.
But, if you believe the leader of a small IT company that just moved to town, Clinton, Mass., could be one of the next big things for small- and medium-sized, technology-driven companies in the state. He's now lobbying other IT companies he knows to join him in the area.
Bring Your Friends
Frank Leonard, president of Baesis, which provides hardware, software and services to law firms, said the nine-person company moved from Boxborough to Clinton about two months ago, largely in search of cheaper rent.
But he said there are plenty of other things to recommend the town - its central location which makes it easy to get to clients around New England, a fiberoptic backbone that runs up the center of town and an environment that supports new businesses.
âIt's got some great upside, it really does,â he said. âThe town is very business friendly and the people are very business friendly.â
Now, Leonard said, he's talking to four other IT companies he knows about coming to the Wachusett area. He said one, based in Westborough, will probably end up settling in Clinton or neighboring Sterling. Others, from Natick, Northborough and Worcester, may make the same move when their current leases end, he said.
Donald Lowe, the town's economic development director, said he's pleased but not surprised at Leonard's willingness to be a cheerleader for the area.
âEvery time we get a new business in here, or new people in to run a business, it just seems like they're really bubbling over with enthusiasm,â he said.
Lowe said it helps that, despite not being on a major highway, the town is just 10 minutes from Interstates 495 and 190 and only a little farther from Route 2 and Interstate 290. Another plus for some companies, particularly those in biotechnology, is the nearly universal town water and sewer.
âIf you're trying to attract, especially biotech companies who might need significant amounts of water, we are well under our usage cap,â he said.
Not everyone sees Clinton or its neighbors as a high-tech Mecca. The Massachusetts High Technology Council's 2007 rankings of municipalities that are friendly to tech businesses places it in the middle of the pack, 176th of the state's 351 communities. The council gives the town relatively high marks for the number of college graduates within a 30-minute drive and the percentage of 10th graders who do well on the state's math exam, but it's less pleased with the split tax rate and the fact that only 3.2 of the community's workforce is in technology.
Attractive Price Point
Still, to Leonard, the biggest issues are economics and geography. He said places like Grafton (number four on the MHTC list) and Northborough (number 50) are just too expensive.
âIt's a natural progression,â he said. Although, he added, towns like Clinton need to be poised to take advantage of companies' migration. âOtherwise they're just going to go right by us and go out into the western portions of the state.â
Lowe said that's just what he and others in the area are trying to do. He's the chair of a newly formed committee of the Wachusett Chamber of Commerce dedicated to promoting and guiding economic development in the area. He's also pushing to create four new âexpedited permittingâ sites in town and to change zoning laws to allow biotechnology companies to put large buildings on certain lots. Residents will vote on those measures at the annual town meeting on June 23.
Lowe acknowledges that so far he doesn't know of any biotech companies that are looking at Clinton, but he said it's best to be prepared.
âI'm not saying that if we build it they will come,â he said, âBut if we don't build it they can't come.â
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