Linda Dorcena Forry

Yesterday the Committee embarked on our fifth listening tour, this time in the MetroWest. We spent the day meeting with a variety of small businesses and closed the day with a roundtable discussion at the Framingham Town Hall.

To start off we headed to Marlborough to meet with Wes Tuttle, President of The New England Sports Center.  The Sports Center is huge, with 5 NHL sized ice rinks as well as a fitness center, restaurant, and arcade.  What was truly interesting was the way in which the center acts as an economic stimulator for the city of Marlboro, providing local restaurants and hotels with business throughout the entire year.  By their estimates, visitors to the Sports Center accounted for 25,000-30,000 hotel stays annually in the region. The center is looking for more ways to partner with the State to bring in international events.

Our next stop, The Red Barn Coffee Grinders in Southborough, gave us a great perspective on the struggles of cafes and small restaurants in the current economy.  We sat down with Mark and Lisa Verrochi, the husband and wife team that founded Red Barn from inside their own red barn back in 1997.  They echoed the challenges we’ve heard in the past regarding health care affordability and the recent uptick in sales tax. They also detailed how new health care and tax filing documentation is making it difficult for the business to expand because the administrative work takes up so much time.

In Hopkinton, we then visited Hy9, an alternative energy supplier.  We were privileged to meet with the founder and chief scientist, 93 year old Walter Juda.  We also had a great conversation about the possibilities for demonstration projects and what we at the State House might be able to do to further the success of this small business and the spread of clean, cost saving technology.

The Roundtable for the MetroWest tour was held at the Framingham Town Hall. The turnout was great, not only did we have a pretty full house but those that attended were eager to engage and discuss their problems. The difficulties in complying with health care regulations  were once again a focus of the discussion. My Senate co-chair Michael Moore and I will be working on this issue in the coming weeks.

We headed back to Beacon Hill with a lot to consider and discuss.  Small businesses are essential to the financial success and job retention in the Commonwealth, and it’s clear we need to act and provide relief soon. Thanks again to all the business leaders who came out. We hear you and will work on your behalf.