Engaging Community for Economic Development

While working in Economic Development for the City of Boston, I met a young couple who were interested in opening a new business in the South Boston Waterfront. She worked in the fitness industry, he was in life-sciences, and they were already parents of a toddler with another baby on the way. Very simply, they said to me, “We brew great beer. We found a small space on Congress Street, and we need a lot of help to open it.”

At that time, the neighbors, mostly artists in Fort Point Channel, were skeptical of Mayor Tom Menino’s new vision of their neighborhood as a place where entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity could flourish and thrive. I arranged for the hopeful brewers to meet with the neighbors at a Friends of Fort Point Channel Business Committee meeting and to present their new business concept. On a Friday morning at 8am, we all came together to talk about the new venture and how it would compliment the fabric of the community. The neighborhood fell in love with the young brewers and their beer, and we all toasted to a new beginning.

When the brewers needed zoning variances with the city, the Fort Point Channel neighborhood sent 150 letters and packed the Zoning Board meeting in support. These entrepreneurs successfully opened their first space on Congress Street and Trillium Brewery was born.

That’s when I learned the importance and the power of bringing people together before something new or different happens in a community. I think of communities in terms of growth rather than change. People want to understand the journey and have an opportunity to participate in the process and its success.

On Sunday, Melrose hosted our first public beer garden, something many members of this community have wanted for quite some time. This family-friendly event, with more than 1,000 community members of all ages on the lawn of the Beebe, gave Melrose an opportunity for the community to have fun, meet new neighbors, and just be together. It started with one person who built a coalition of partners to ensure a great day. Also importantly, the three vendors (the brewer and two local food trucks) all made record sales and Melrose made history.

Yes, these two stories happen to have beer in common. However, the message really focuses on the value of bringing a community together to create their shared future.

For more details on how I will drive economic development for a vibrant city that we can all enjoy, visit SamforMelrose.com