New Bedford

Thanks for bringing Innovate MA down to New Bedford. Great discussion today. As I mentioned during the meeting, one thing that I think would be really useful is to start some dialogues around some clear areas of competence that Massachusetts can both market and use as a way to build connections among the different gateway cities.

Two that immediately come to mind are:

Manufacturing Innovation

• Long history / remaining pockets of strong presence in New Bedford and Fall River.
• Clear intersection point with other MA gateway cities like Lowell and Lawrence.
• Opportunities to bring innovative technology and business practices to traditional businesses that are struggling to survive and grow.

Food Innovation

• Hidden thriving agriculture industry in Southeastern MA.
• New Bedford fisheries industry.
• Intersection point with other MA ports such as Gloucester and other agricultural areas (Western MA?)
• Opportunities to bring technology innovation (such as Internet of Things technology that Chris R. mentioned during the meeting) to agriculture.

Any other thoughts on possible areas of competence that we could highlight? Would it make sense to start with these two and then branch out as other ideas arise?

I'd be willing to take the lead on starting a thread on the Manufacturing Innovation topic to get the ball rolling if there's interest.

I think starting some threads on topics like this that are of interest across geographic boundaries would a great way to get discussions flowing among multiple cities and give folks some specific reasons to band together.

I might be stating the obvious here, but another point that I think is worth mentioning and might help make the case for considering these other pockets outside of the 128 beltway, is just to consider the sheer volume of commuters that trek into Boston from much farther than even the 495 beltway.

If you add in the folks that have intentionally avoided working in Boston, not only to avoid the 2 hour commute, but willing to take the hit in pay to have a better quality of life, then I think that makes a great case for looking outside the Rt. 128 beltway.

Point being that although Boston might be the hub, there's A LOT of talent that is commuting from great distances into Boston.

Definitely a good point, Phil. In my case, I work remotely for a software company in CA and live in Westport. I could definitely find a better title, more money, etc. if I looked for something new at a Boston-based tech company, but I like where I live, and avoiding the lost time of commuting is a significant value to me. I did it for several years, and it took a toll on me – both mentally and physically.

I think promoting the network of coworking spaces that exist in the gateway cities (including Groundwork here in NB) is an interesting play. There are many companies is highly competitive / expensive recruiting areas like San Francisco and New York that may be a bit more open to bringing on remote workers onboard if there were pockets of them clustered in coworking spaces versus individual people sitting in their homes.

It could also be a draw for non-US companies that are trying to establish their first US presence. They will be less likely to have any preconceived views on say New Bedford vs. Boston and will be more likely to judge a location on it's merits.

I'm in the same position as you Doug. I have never worked in Boston and I've thought about it a couple of times and even interviewed for companies in Boston, but I talk myself out of it as I'm driving in for the interview because of the time it took to get there for the interview alone in off peak hours.

I haven't had the fortune of being able to telecommute, but I've been able to find employment as a software engineer in the 30-45 minute commute window. I'm in a little different position in that most of my work has been in the embedded world, so telecommuting wouldn't be much of an option as I need hardware and test facilities. Although with coworking space, it would even solve that problem.

I did perk up a bit when I heard Chris R. talk about tech in the agriculture, because I've actually talked to a few people about exactly that. Having a mesh sensor network out in a field which monitor soil conditions and watering needs to allow for more precise crop care. Saves money and is better for the environment in unnecessary watering and fertilization.

Sorry, inner geek got away from me there a bit. But it's something I've been kicking around with a few other colleagues.

Phil: you might want to check out Irrigation Automation Systems in Whitinsville, MA http://www.irrigationautomation.com/. They've been doing this kind of work for years.

Hi Marcia,
Thanks for the link. That is pretty much exactly what we were thinking about. Haven't moved much beyond the "talking" stage because I'm sure there's no shortage of companies out there doing that sort of work.

It's not exactly south coast, but it's great to see that it's not Boston either. I think this is exactly the type of start up that Doug and the rest of the team that was at the lunch on Tuesday was referring to when they were talking about highlighting some of the tech that is not focused in Boston

Hi Phil. You're welcome. They used to be owned by KC Enterprises in Buzzards Bay. Don't know the reason for the change.

Are you working with remote sensors now?

Marcia,

I have worked with sensors in the past. I did have a whole right up, but I've removed it as it's not really appropriate for this thread.

I would be more than happy to discuss with you offline if you're interested.

Yes, I am interested. My email is capecoder AT capecoder DOT com