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Date: 12/1/2020
EASTHAMPTON – On Nov. 20, the city virtually launched Blueprint Easthampton, a resource navigator to support and encourage entrepreneurship and innovation in the city.
Mayor Nicole LaChapelle said this tool is a series of commitments to building local resilience, innovation, and wealth. She added that it encourages and tackles barriers for people who are innovators.
“This community is existing and very strong in Easthampton but it is informal and while talent is universal, opportunity is not. Blueprint Easthampton looks at the opportunities that have strong barriers around them and takes those barriers down with a series of programs and resources,” LaChapelle said.
She added that Blueprint has done work with their reopening advisory committee that serves consumers and small businesses around their comfort level of operating a business during a pandemic, as well as how to pivot and rebuild or reinvent their businesses.
“I feel strongly that the city needs to stand with this community, this energy, it is key, not only for right now but as we come out of this pandemic and the associated economic issues that will occur because of those, we need to be ready. We can stand stronger now and we will step forward stronger with the help of these programs,” LaChapelle said.
According to the Blueprint website, earlier this year, the National League of Cities selected Easthampton to be part of the City Innovation Ecosystem program. The National League of Cities is an almost 100-year-old nonprofit that represents and advocates for the needs of America’s municipalities at the national level.
Philip Berkaw, who manages the City Innovation Ecosystem program at the National League of Cities, said he thinks of LaChapelle and Easthampton when people talk about small cities making big waves and said this Blueprint Easthampton is another example of the mayor working in support of small businesses.
“If you are a small entrepreneurial or a small business owner in Easthampton or wanting to move to Easthampton, you know where you can find resources to get access to capital, to develop a network, to find mentorship all in one place. It’s one more city access that will make Easthampton a really attractive place to start a business,” Berkaw said.
As part of Blueprint Easthampton, the city selected SourceLink to support the mapping of the city’s entrepreneurship resource programs and organizations that help small businesses grow, and SourceLink also accessed and benchmarked how the city is doing with available resources.
Rob William, a director at Source Link, said Blueprint Easthampton not only supports local entrepreneurs but it will also benefit from the national network of ecosystem builders who have a wealth of knowledge to share.
Resource partners do not have to be in Easthampton. If someone wishes to add their business to the resource navigator database, is in need of resources, or has questions, they can email be@easthamptonma.gov or visit www.blueprinteasthampton.com.
Project Coordinator Kasey Corsello said she and the mayor embarked on this journey in the midst of a pandemic and understood how important this work is to support people.
Corsello noted she understands the importance of these resources because she and her husband opened a butcher shop with no experience of owning a business, so they relied on resource partners.
“Being a business owner is like a roller coaster, you have to be okay with uncertainty. Some people are not and I think having the support of resource partners- it is a partnership because it can be very emotional, especially when we are looking at how do we make it, especially in the early stages of a business,” Corsello said.
She continued that resource partners are important to have because they are experts and thinking of things that business owners do not think about.
LaChapelle said Blueprint Easthampton is for businesses that start on eBay or Etsy and gradually move to a storefront or even for businesses that want to move to an online format for reasons like their business model or a pandemic.
Sen. Ed Markey made an appearance at the virtual event to show his support of LaChapelle and the Blueprint Easthampton.
“All of you know that I believe Mayor LaChapelle is a brilliant innovator, a super effective leader, and a committed fighter for working people in Easthampton,” he said. “Right now, Massachusetts small businesses are fighting for their economic survival. Many have had to face the difficult decisions of whether to lay off staff, cut hours, or close their doors, all through no fault of their own. This pandemic is not their fault but it has a dealt a severe financial blow to the more than 670,000 small businesses across the Commonwealth.”
He added that now as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country there is another possible shutdown looming so the small businesses need the help to get through this. He said small businesses are the engine of the country’s economy.
“As the federal government continues to delay long overdue financial assistance to small business owners, Easthampton’s local government has stepped up to ensure that the city small businesses and entrepreneurs can survive this downturn,” Markey said.
Markey continued that as the city continues to lead, he promises to do his part and take the issue of small businesses needing help to the Senate.