North Shore Alliance for Economic Development

The Alliance's Small Business Technical Assistance and Educational Programs include: Alliance Policymakers Series, Business Clinics partnering the Massachusetts Office of Business Development and the Enterprise Center and the future of work symposium.

The Alliance also participates in the Governor's Workforce Skills Cabinet as a a member of the North East Regional Planning Team and Regional Labor Market Blueprint Presentation Team. The Massachusetts Workforce Skills Cabinet aligns the Executive Offices of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, and Housing and Economic Development toward a comrehensive economic growth agenda.

The Alliance commissioned the Center for Economic Development & Sustainability (CEDS) at Salem State University to produce the North Shore Region Business Snapshot Report. The Alliance will use and share this clear and compelling data to advance its economic development efforts that promote economic sustainability and growth.

The Alliance supports regional business recruitment, retention, growth and coordination with the following activities: Convening quarterly meeting of city/town planners and Economic/Community Development Directors; offering 5 Partnership initiatives with MOBD; updating Regional Priority Developments & Downtown Districts site listing for North Shore cities and towns; promoting regional activities through Alliance Weekly Newsletter, website, calendar of regional events & forums and social media; and developing and fostering regional partnerships.THE ALLIANCE BUSINESS SUPPORT IN FY23 INCLUDED SMALL BUSINESS WORKSHOPS OFFERED RANGING FROM TOPICS INCLUDING: CAPITAL, CASHFLOW, E-COMMERCE, LOANS, BUSINESS PLANS, STATE CERTIFICATION, MARKETING, ANDINTRODUCTIONS TO STATE AND FEDERAL RESOURCES. The North Shore Alliance for Economic Development focused its FY23 efforts on the Future of Work through Regional Readiness, Revitalization and Small Business Support to the 30 communities (including four gateway Cities) it serves through its existing/expanded offerings, new program initiatives and strategic regional partnerships.The Alliance's FY23 REDO Grant aligned its work to support and compliment the Commonwealth's Partnership for Growth and Partnership for Recovery priorities.Out FY23 REDO Grant work focused on five(5) areas: Regional Economic Data, Small Business Support/Equity/Competitiveness, Workfoce Development & Training, Regional Revitalization and Regional Communication and promotion.Programs to support these five ares included: Regional Economic Snapshot Update-North Shore Business Composition Report, Future of Work: Exploring the Competitive Landscape 2023: Workforce Trends, Impact of Remote Work and New Employer/Employee Relations Report, North Shore Business Diversity Directory-Phase 2, #Lead the Change with Equity-Women Owned Business Roundtable, Small Business Resource Webinars, MOBD Partnership Initiatives, Future of Work Symposium, Job Fair, Online Priority Development Site Listing (Phase 2) - Community Spotlights, Quarterly Economic Development Directors & Community Planners Meetings, Strategic Partnership Economic Development Projects, North Shore Conversations Podcasts, Alliance Policymakers Series, and Alliance Website/Weekly Electronic Newsletters/Social Media.The Alliance's REDO Grant funding for FY23 totalled $170,600 ($60,000 Alliance and $110,000 for for Regional Partnership Projects) to continue its impactful work on the North Shore and lower Merrimack Valley that has benefitted the region during this stabilization and revovery period in process.