Sustainable Berkshires - Small Business

See the Small Business Report at the link below based on the forums hosted as a joint initiative of BRPC and 1 Berkshire as both entities are currently developing economic development strategies for the region. BRPC is in the process of drafting a long-range plan for the Berkshires, which includes economic development. 1Berkshire, as a relatively new entity in the region, is working to identify priority strategies for implementation in the next year or two. Together, these two efforts will help organize and implement a consistent set of short- and long-term actions to help advance economic development in the region. These forums are a starting point. Please stay tuned for future events and public workshops to be held on this topic over the summer of 2012 and check www.sustainableberkshire.org for updates and event announcements on the regional plan.

The Top Three Issues Identified were:

1. Make municipal permitting faster and easier to navigate (27 votes)

2. Better understanding of existing services offered through municipalities and other economic development groups (13 votes)

3. Better access to capital through local banks (10 votes)

Click Here for the full report