I am a selectman from a small Massachusetts town, in the Blackstone River valley. This is a very pleasant rural area, and also was the first industrial corridor of America. Everywhere you see msotly abandoned mills, some of them 150+ years old. The first industrial revolution came and went! Now, I am convinced that we can turn the BV into SV east! I have been to San Jose, CA-and the quality of life there is terrible! Overcrowding, loss of scenic beauty, and all the ills of urbanization have made Silicon Valley into a hell hole! So, I am trying to turn our valley into SV East-we have all the advantages:cheap land, open spaces, access to technology and venture capital (Boston is just 45 miles up the road). So how do I approach these SV high-tech executives, and convince them to move their operations here? Would free factory sites do the trick? Bill gates…are you listening?
Interesting.
Though, keep in mind that Silicon Valley was once a beautiful agricultural area, surrounded by lush, green forest and golden yellow hills.
I’m sure the Blackstone Valley had, in it’s heydey, been covered in soot and grime from the factories.
Ah, the price of success. Be careful what you ask for.
I thought old mills were the Silicon Valley of the East.
Didn’t one of the first mini-computer makers start in one?
Perhaps you may want to start with finding a developer interested in converting an old industrial site into a technology park or something. There are plenty of similar sorts of projects here in Boston, and I’d imagine that the Blackstone Valley would offer much larger sites than are available in Boston, and would thus be suited for more of the manufacturing end of things.
Also, the computer boom has come and gone. You aren’t far from the 495 area, which I’m guessing is going to be the end of the geographical expansion of that industry westward from Boston. So, you should probably find out what the next boom will be (if I knew, I’d be investing), and try to entice that industry to move in.
The location seems good. Between Boston, New York City, and Stanford there is a lot of capital in the region. The 128 and 495 belts offer a wide variety of technology companies. What I’m guessing would be best to bring aboard are companies that are just expanding to the point where they will need the space soon, but can’t afford an established area. What sort of resources can the town itself offer? What price would be required to cover your ass in case it fails?
DEC, that’s the one I was thinking of. In an old wollen mill in (?) Millford Ct.
Hey, let’s not go fucking with my Blackstone Valley. I just moved back here (RI) from Silicon Valley and am glad for it.
There’s a huge “attitude” difference between the Silicon Valley and the Blackstone Valley. That’s going to be the first hurdle to overcome, I’d say. There’s a lot more of a NIMBY attitude in the Blackstone Valley than the Silicon Valley…
To begin with you will need to start up a couple of world-class Universities. After that, build some of the finest nuclear and aerospace research facilities. Add a superior deepwater port, excellent freeways and toss in some of the best weather on earth.
Once you have seeded your location with these facilities and infrastructure you will have a remote chance of luring in the talent and enterprenural mindset required to build another Silicon Valley.
Hrm. Yes. That and keep the original name of the place.
“Silicon Valley” irks me. What’s wrong with Santa Clara Valley?
Oh, yes, that’s right. People like memorable, catchy names.
So, I suppose you better come up with a nifty little nom de emplacement to thrill the silly marketeers.
I spent about 40 minutes replying to this thread. Posted it, too. A few minutes later – poof, it was gone. Reloaded – nope, not there.
Damn. Especially considering that I’m a planner who is fairly well versed in economic development, too.
Lemme’ recap in a paragraph.
Tech companies and techies seek not “quality of life” as perceived by many communities, but rather 1) an agglomeration of other tech companies, and/or 2) a lifestyle in the region that will attract prospective employees. “Lifestyle” does not mean cheap housing, good schools, low taxes or friendly people, but rather elements of a bohemian lifestyle, outdoors recreational opportunities that go beyond bike paths and ordinary state parks, and the presence of “peers.”
I highly suggest you study Fort Collins, Colorado. Not a dime of corporate welfare went into attracting businesses to Northern Colorado, yet FC went from a hick town to a tech mecca in ten years.
find a way to remove worcester.
while leaving coney island hot dogs behind.
It sounds nowhere nice as;
The Valley of the Heart’s Delight
[sup]Its original name.[/sup]
buddy1 wrote
Well, I’m an SV high-tech executive, and you haven’t sold me a bit.
First off, most in SV would not describe it as a hell-hole, with a “terrible” quality of life. Not even close. And even though the economy is in the crapper, SV still has the very brightest in the high-tech industry and the most cash in the investment community. Both of those quantities in huge disproportional abundance. And smarts and bucks translate into opportunity. Opportunity is what I (and other corporate types) want to hear about. Not scenic beauty.
After reading your insulting post, my first reaction is to tell you that a snotty attitude from a third-rate farm-town will not get you far in attracting value from here to there.
I hope you don’t convey that attitude to others you try to attract.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Bill H. *
The availability of venture capital definitely helps, and there’s a lot to be had in Silicon Valley. That, and the agglomeration of other tech companies, make the area ideal for budding startups. The Blackstone Valley has easy access to venture capital in Boston, but not the agglomeration of resources.
The lack of venture capital is definitely a strike against a region – look at Buffalo, New York, which has a terrific base for establishing tech, such as an incredibly dense fiber network, about as thick of a pipeline as you’ll find anywhere in the world, colleges on every corner, a low cost of living, quaint urban neighborhoods, abundant high culture, a fantastic nightlife, cheap airfares to most of the country, hungry economic development agencies with open wallets, and a location that’s very close to the financial center of Canada.
Buffalo is hurting, though. Why? Taxes are mentioned, as are the old-school 1960s Chicago-style political structure that still dominates. There’s no venture capital, though. Lifestyle, too, leaves a lot to be desired – it’s a region whre beer, brats, bingo, bowling, da’ Bills, and Chiavetta barbecue at Our Most Holy Precious Lady of the Blood of the Hundred Martyred Saints dominate. Think about it – there’s no Whole Foods in the entire Buffalo region, and only three microbreweries. Fort Collins, a much smaller metro, has two such stores, and eight microbreweries. While a tech company doesn’t consider brewpubs and organic yuppie supermarkets, per se, they are “lifestyle indicators.” Tech companies are drawn to places offering balsalmic vinegar, skiing and single track – not mullets, a keg of Genny Cream at the fire house, and abundant Bob Seger and .38 Special on Twofer Tuesdays.
The cities where tech has taken off without much venture capital – Fort Collins, Boise, and Austin – did so without the benefit of venture capital. They offered a lifestyle that was ideal for young, very well educated professionals.
Cost of living? Traffic? Usually not a factor. Given the opportunity of living in a studio apartment in San Jose, or a three bedroom, two bath four-square in Worchester, the techies will take the apartment. The opportunity and lifestyle are there, and “quality of life” to techies can’t be measured in traditional factors such as good public schools or cheap housing.
“Snotty?” “Third rate?” I think you’re being more insulting and condescending than the OP deserved.
There are lots of us techies who prefer the scenic beauty. And who are more than a little turned off by the crowded conditions and extraordinarily high prices of the Silicon Valley. While “hell hole” is a strong word, for many of us, “land of the 1.5 hour commutes” translates into roughly the equivalent thing.
The thing is, what employers want is rarely what employees want, which is why so many of us work in anonymous office parks just off of major highways.
If I wanted to promote a town, I’d do it pretty much the way the OP suggested – concentrate on infrastructure, property values, rural living, access to culture.
It is true, though, that having an intellectual stimulating atmosphere would help. So arranging the world class university or two nearby would be a good start.
Brown University
Boston University
Boston College
Northeastern
Tufts University
Not really Blackstone Valley or Boston, but UMass Amherst is worth mention, as is the entire UMass system.
If you’re including BU and BC, might as well include Harvard and MIT, on the other side of the Charles River. Also, I think Yale might be closer than UMass Amherst. And even closer is Worcester Polytechnic Institute. So, I think the presitgious university angle is covered.
Hee, yeah… leave it to me to forget the obvious ones. Yeah, um, I didn’t mention MIT and Harvard and Yale cuz they were just… evident. Or something. 
Thanks for finishing the point I was trying to make, waterj2
Well, the problem with the Boston-based Universities is that they’ve already spawned their little technological ghetto which mostly stayed inside the I-495 corridor. A university has to be close enough so that you can get out of work and go hang out in a cafe/bookstore watching the coeds go by.
See, part of the way that Universities spawn high tech is that students graduate and don’t want to leave the area, so they start businesses there. Going to school in Boston, New Haven, Worchester, or Amherst doesn’t generate a fondness for the Blackstone River valley, although it may generate a fondness for New England in general.
Ok, so maybe I was too snotty myself there.
But if you’re really serious about selling this, you gotta work on basic selling skills. When someone comes into your hat store, you don’t tell him he looks like crap as an incentive to try one of your berets.
Here is some serious advice:
Find or create a success story. Find a high-tech business in your town, or bring one high-tech business into your town. Make sure they are happy. They’re not happy currently? That’s fine because they’ll tell you what will make them happy. Get them enthralled. Now you know what businesses want from your town, now you are delivering it, and now you have a successful example. Build a campaign around this success. Advertise using this company as an example. “Networks R Us was in SV and very unhappy. They moved here and profits increased, costs went down and their shareholders can’t stop smiling.” Of course how you spread the word depends on your budget. Be sure to build additional success stories and add them to your message as you go along. Success breeds success.