Somerville the Next Innovation Hub? Panel to Discuss Possibility

SOMERVILLE, MA – Greater Boston's startups have found a home in Cambridge, so what's stopping more from moving down the street? That's the question the Chamber of Commerce hopes to answer at a panel discussion next week entitled "The Next Innovation Center: Why Not Somerville?"

The Feb. 28 forum will address how the City of Somerville can capitalize on the current market environment and become a regional jobs and innovation center. The event will begin at 4 p.m. at the Holiday Inn-Bunker Hill, 30 Washington Street.

"The forward momentum of the Green Line Extension and the innovative zoning currently before
the Board of Alderman provide a unique opportunity for the City to lure anchor life science
tenants to major squares, including Union Square," Stephen Mackey, Chamber president and CEO, said in a statement.

Panelists include Robert Coughlin, president and CEO of MassBio; Kermit Baker, chief economist of the American Institute of Architects and senior research fellow at Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies; and Peter Bekarian, managing director of Jones Lang Lasalle.

The panel will touch on how Somerville can use lessons learned from nearby innovation clusters to build an ecosystem from the ground up; following the forum, attendees may speak with panelists during a reception.

Image via Somerville Chamber of Commerce