Diversity is a growing topic inside businesses big and small, especially those with a human resources department. But what about the small local businesses that make up the majority of our Chamber membership?

The Chamber is always searching for new ways to boost inclusiveness in the workforce. We’ve researched 4 reasons that your small business should also care about diversity, equity and inclusion. And we even have some conversation starters you can swipe.

If you’re looking to promote greater equity, inclusion and diversity in your own workplace, consider our 4 key reasons for making these principles a top priority.

Promoting diversity help business leaders achieve a greater sense of empathy towards their employees and clients, but it can also allow organizations to gain a significant advantage over their competitors.

1. Expanding Your Workforce

When employers keep an open mind during the recruitment process, they’re far more likely to attract more qualified employees to their business. Talent spans across all genders, races and ethnicities, and only employers who make an effort to seek out underrepresented groups will have the opportunity to strengthen their existing workforce. Your current employees are also likely to feed off of the innovative ideas that their diverse coworkers offer, which can help boost creativity throughout your organization as a whole.

2. Improving Your Reputation

According to research, about 67 percent of job candidates factor diversity into their career decisions. If you establish yourself as an organization that cares about diversity, equity and inclusion, job seekers will notice. This positive association that others attach to your company helps improve your business’s reputation as a whole. Likewise, organizations are more likely to retain existing employees if they make a point of promoting diversity. This is because employees tend to identify more strongly with a company if it reflects their personal beliefs.

3. Build Trust Among Customers

Your customers see your employees before they ever see the owner, and employees are often the first people your clients interact with. If your workforce lacks diversity, your clients may be wary of putting their trust in your business, especially if they belong to an underserved population. When your employees represent the widest array of races, ethnicities and sexual orientations, the widest array of clients will also feel included. By incorporating diversity into your workforce, you’ll also be better able to understand and cater to the needs of your client base.

4. Boost Productivity

Diversity, equity and inclusion isn’t just about improving the way others perceive your business. These tenants also play a critical role in your company’s output. Studies have shown that diverse groups tend to perform better as a whole than homogeneous groups. This is because members of diverse groups bring a wide variety of talents, skills, opinions and perspectives to the table. When these abilities are combined, employees have the opportunity to come up with innovative solutions to problems and work through these issues at a faster rate.

Help Your Small Business Grow by Promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace

Your small business can benefit in a multitude of ways by embracing diversity, equity and inclusion. From improving your overall reputation to expanding your workforce, you can strengthen nearly every aspect of your business by incorporating these principles into your company’s mission. At the end of the day, you’ll have happier employees and clients when you make inclusion a priority in your workplace.

The phrase “natural leader” can be a little intimidating for people who question their ability to direct a team. As a business owner, you’ve probably thought about leadership often, including ways to help your team achieve more and how to mentor employees with potential into becoming managers that others look up to, emulate, and respect.

Fortunately, leadership isn’t a born-in trait that’s exclusive to only a charismatic few. Leaders set the tone for a business no matter how large or small, and the best ones understand how to implement these tips with their own leadership style.

Lead Through Listening

As a leader, you’re the person that others turn to when they have a question, a concern about the business, or a problem with a customer or product. You can’t solve problems effectively unless you fully understand them, so attentive listening is the best first step. Ask open-ended questions, and re-state what the other person is saying to ensure that you fully understand.

To practice active listening, remember to wait before speaking, and resist the urge to finish someone else’s sentences. This communicates to the other person that what they’re saying has value and that you care about their input.

Communicate Clearly

Imagine the directions to assembling a piece of IKEA furniture. The company certainly isn’t known for clear communication! Likewise, if the directions that you give your team aren’t clear and specific, you’ll either have a lot of questions and confusion or end up with a result that’s far away from what you needed.

When communicating, be specific, and show, not just tell, what you mean. Include an example of what a finished product should be, or communicate with your team what the desired outcome is. For example, if you want to raise customer satisfaction survey scores, directions can include:

• Smile and greet every customer
• Offer to demonstrate a product
• Thank them by name, by reading their credit card or loyalty card information
• Asking how their experience was
• Inviting them to fill out a customer survey, if the customer gave a compliment

All of these are things that workers can do specifically, that contribute to the desired result.

Delegate Specifics

As a business owner, you need to be working on your business, not in your business. You hired your team because of their skills and abilities, so step back and allow them to shine in their own way, whether it’s developing their own relationships with regular clients or taking the initiative to improve the overall appearance of your goods in stock. Smart delegation creates a feeling of pride and ownership in their job for many employees.

Set a Respectful Example

You earn respect by treating others with respect. While it may be tempting to say “because I’m the boss, that’s why,” or dismiss what you perceive as an insignificant problem out of hand, when you brush off your employees, or worse, treat them poorly, with a raised voice or snappy words, you’re creating an atmosphere of fear and distrust, neither of which inspire people to follow you as a leader.

Takeaway

These tips are good ones not just for developing your leadership skills, but also for life. Active listening, clear communication of expectations, and treating others with respect don’t just make you a great leader, it can also improve your relationships outside of work, including those within your local business community and your fellow Chamber members.

As of this writing, President Biden is working to garner support for two major plans, a $2.3T infrastructure bill dubbed the American Jobs Plan announced in March and a $1.8T American Families Plan. The American Families Plan, if approved, would include: a national paid family and medical leave benefit similar to Massachusetts that would include a 12 year ramp up period; over $200B for two years of pre-K for every student; $109B for two years of community college, and grants to expand access for high-demand programs. The infrastructure plan would include: $479B for transportation infrastructure improvements to roads, bridges, public transit, Amtrak, electric vehicle production, and airports. The plan aims to spur job creation through projects designed to improve drinking water, update the electric grid, expand broadband access, and modernize buildings. It would also provide incentives for companies that manufacture products within the country, and calls for higher wages, with the President pitching a $15 minimum wage. Biden’s plans call for increasing the income tax rate for the top 1 percent of earners from 37 percent to 39.6 percent, along with higher tax rates on capital gains and dividends on individuals earning more than $1M, and eliminating other corporate tax provisions.

At the state level, Governor Baker set an end date of June 15, 2021 for the Commonwealth’s State of Emergency.  The Baker-Polito administration and state legislature each continue to work on a solution for the unemployment solvency issue facing the state and impacting small businesses across the Commonwealth.  On April 1, Governor Baker authorized $7B in borrowing in an effort to stabilize the state’s trust fund.  This law also limited the average rate hike to 18.5 percent; however, businesses are still seeing dramatic increases, even ones who kept full staff throughout the pandemic.  The state is set to receive billions from the federal government in recovery funds and the Chamber has joined with other business groups and most of the members of our legislative delegation in advocating that those funds be put into the UI trust fund to ease the burden on the business community. In other advocacy efforts, the Chamber was also part of a joint letter sent out in March to Energy Secretary Theoharides on the Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2030 and the need for a measured approach using available resources and we testified at a transportation hearing in support of Phase II of the Twin Cities Rail Trail project in the region.

While the State House continues to operate largely remotely, the state budget is operating on a normal timeline as opposed to the current fiscal year. The Governor released his $45.6B proposed budget in January. The House released their $47.716B proposed budget on April 14, while the Senate released their $47.6B proposed budget on May 11. Once the Senate debate wraps up, the budgets will head to conference committee where the two branches work out their differences on the budget. The Chamber has been working closely with members of the region’s delegation and several coalitions throughout the budget process to advocate for economic development priorities, support for the workforce development pipeline, and increases to funding that will aid in economic recovery for North Central Massachusetts and help the industries hit hardest by the pandemic.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Travis Condon, the Chamber’s public affairs manager, at (978) 353-7600, ext. 224; or via email at tcondon@northcentralmass.com.

New regional economic development plan sets a path forward for growth, opportunities in North Central Massachusetts.

In the 1990s, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce led a major community and business-based planning effort that resulted in a bold strategy to advance the economy of the
region into the future. The regional plan, which led to the implementation of several economic development programs across the region, resulted in great success.

Following implementation of the plan, the region continues to benefit from a strong economic impact of tourist dollars and manufacturing jobs, while also supporting existing businesses with lending programs, and new start-ups with financial and business assistance.

In the past 25 years since the previous plan was developed, North Central Massachusetts has certainly changed! Our region now offers opportunities where one can open a small business in an old mill, build furniture in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, learn to design a video game in a tech lab, or even visit a farm or orchard for fresh produce. We’ve seen the region’s 26 cities and towns and the former Fort Devens experience their own economic challenges and opportunities. But these communities have also come out of these scenarios stronger than before due to the combined strength of our region where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

In early 2020, the Chamber and its affiliate organizations hired RKG Associates, a national economic development consulting firm, to help us develop a new Regional Economic Development Plan and learn how the region should position itself over the next ten to fifteen years. With the collaboration of regional business and community leaders, dignitaries, the boards of directors at the Chamber, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation and Visit North Central Massachusetts, three steps were identified as the region looks toward success through the year 2035: defining goals, assessing and defining market opportunities, and identifying recommendations and actions to advance economic development. By utilizing data and stakeholder input, the new Regional Economic Development Plan revealed several strengths and opportunities for which the region can compete for businesses, employees and residents. It also identified weaknesses and threats for the region to acknowledge and respond to effectively in the months and years ahead.

“A central tenant of this plan is growing our region from within,” said Roy M. Nascimento, President & CEO, North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “The goals and recommendations included in the plan are structured to help the region come together and provide opportunities for each city and town across our region to succeed.”

The plan analyzed the demographic, economic and real estate markets, as well as target industries, and identified five themes. These themes include leveraging the region’s industry and business growth opportunities, enhancing regional equity through talent and workforce development and infrastructure for economic potential, advancing innovation and entrepreneurship, and improving the delivery of economic development efforts, programs, and funding.

North Central Massachusetts was compared to five other regions both within Massachusetts and other states, including Greenville County in South Carolina and the Lehigh Valley Region in Pennsylvania. The five comparison regions are comprised of those inside Massachusetts that are seen as peers or have a composition the region may want to strive for. The two regions outside Massachusetts (Greenville and Lehigh Valley) were chosen because of their robust manufacturing and transportation/logistics sectors and both are experiencing significant job growth compared to national averages.

“By utilizing a benchmarking exercise, we were able to understand the strengths and opportunities North Central Massachusetts has compared to other regions,” added Nascimento. “This also gives us a portrait of how the region may look to improve its competitive position over time.”

When the team began working on the plan, the economy of Massachusetts and the United States was experiencing a long period of economic growth with very low unemployment rates and positive growth emanating toward North Central Massachusetts from the Greater Boston region. Those positive growth trends were quickly diminished in March 2020 with the rapid spread of COVID-19 and the ensuing shutdown of the national economy.

“The pandemic has shifted the context of economic development across the entire ecosystem,” added Nascimento. “While it is difficult to predict the short- and long-term systemic impacts and changes presented by the pandemic, the goals developed for the plan were structured to address current and near-term needs through the economic recovery, as well as looking past the recovery to a future where the region prioritizes strategic yet organic growth that is cultivated from within.”

One of the more pressing challenges for the region’s employers is attracting and retaining younger workers who are interested in the region’s most concentrated areas of employment in health care, advanced manufacturing, and government and public services industries. While these sectors represent strong and stable industries, job opportunities in health care and manufacturing offer a wide array of pay grades that require both highly-skilled and entry level workers. Additionally, the region’s industrial sector has experienced an increase in higher-paying, higher-tech firms within the chemical manufacturing, electronic product manufacturing, research & development, and computer systems design, among others.

“Looking ahead, we need to focus on strengthening and growing the advanced manufacturing, logistics, distribution and health care industries, with an emphasis on continuing to develop the skills of our younger workers,” said Barbara Mahoney, President & CEO of Leominster Credit Union who also serves as Chair of the North Central Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board and as a member of the Chamber’s Economic Development Taskforce that helped develop the plan “We know by building the skills of today’s workforce to accommodate tomorrow’s technology we can remain a competitive and attractive region for employers and employees alike.”

As for the region’s demographics, post-retirement residents make up an increasing share of the region’s population, with a modest increase expected in the next ten years. “With an aging population, the region is likely to experience an increase in health care utilization,” said Winfield Brown, President & CEO of Heywood Hospital and another member of the Economic Development Taskforce “The need for additional healthcare and social services is likely to thrive and will serve as one of the key industry sectors for growth over the next ten years.”

The region’s large geography means that while some communities function within the economy of larger anchor cities like Boston or Worcester, others rely more heavily upon North Central Massachusetts markets like Fitchburg and Leominster. What’s interesting is that more workers who live in the northern and western parts of the region tend to commute to other North Central Massachusetts communities and not out of the region.

“As the region begins to heal from the pandemic, we believe our opportunities for tourism in North Central Massachusetts will serve the region well as individuals and families may find easily drivable amenities, food and farm attractions, and arts and culture venues here in the region as an appealing and affordable option rather than traveling by air or to destinations in the U.S. and around the world,” said Henry Tessman, General Manager of Great Wolf Lodge and a member of the Taskforce  “Given the effects of the pandemic on the restaurant and retail industry in the near term, there is uncertainty around the demand for future skilled workers; however, this could also present an opportunity to support growth in local businesses if skilled workers are looking at the region as a place to open their own business and hire locally.”

Perhaps the region’s greatest single advantage in economic development is its ability to serve as a “pressure valve” for Greater Boston’s overheated real estate market. From a cost perspective, real estate in the region is far less expensive than other Massachusetts regions and, in some cases, also more cost-effective than comparable regions outside of Massachusetts. Lease rates, rents, and housing purchase prices are generally lower in North Central Massachusetts than in the other three Massachusetts regions, with residential rents as much as $1,000 less per month. While the cost of living in the region is less expensive, average earnings for jobs in North Central Massachusetts are in line with those jobs in the Greenville and Lehigh Valley regions, but $30,000 – $40,000 less than MetroWest and Route 128.

“The current, demanding real estate market in North Central Massachusetts is a true testament of the draw this region is for individuals and families who want the convenient access to amenities with a more affordable cost of living,” said Matthew Fournier, Owner of Elite Construction & Design and a member of the Taskforce “What used to be a weekend destination for apple picking or leaf peeping is now a place where we call previous visitors our neighbors.”

While the Regional Economic Development Plan shows the strengths, opportunities, threats and weaknesses of NCM, it does not portray what we who live and work in North Central Massachusetts have known all along: that our home here is where the heart is.

To view the Regional Economic Development Plan in its entirety, click here.

With the lifting of travel restrictions and COVID-19 rates improving, Visit North Central Massachusetts (VNCM) has resumed its destination marketing efforts to help attract more visitors to our region’s businesses and attractions.  We launched a campaign in the Spring called “Discover Your Next Adventure” to target the weekend and day trip markets. We have been executing this campaign through multiple channels including print, digital, and social media.  We secured print advertising in AAA Magazine, Yankee Magazine, Boston Spirit Magazine and Bay State Parent.  We also utilized branded content campaigns promoting the region to day trippers through AAA Northeast and several other media publications.  Our efforts align with the pent-up demand as consumers, who have been unable to travel since the lockdown in mid-March of 2020, are looking for new unique and outdoor experiences. The pandemic solidified a new interest in outdoor activities that sets up our region in a position for increased success. We have seen strong demand for hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking and other activities. We also continue to invest in social media and curating new relevant local content highlighting activities and businesses in our region. We produced five new “Taste of North Central” videos promoting our local businesses and attractions. The videos that have been published so far have garnered over 20,000 views. Our Facebook page saw 248,900 impressions since the launch of the spring campaign, which represents a 390% increase over the same period the previous year. Our www.visitnorthcentral.com website also has seen strong traffic with a 16% increase in visitors over the same period last year.

As of April 1, 2021, our new Spring/Summer 2021 edition of the Guide to North Central Massachusetts hit the stands.  The visitor guide is our primary publication promoting the communities of North Central Massachusetts and includes information on our local communities, a calendar of events, stories about the region and much more.  We have invested in expanding the distribution this year. The guide will be available through AAA offices throughout New England and hundreds of new locations including hotels, visitor centers, attractions and airports, including Logan and Worcester.  We are also distributing it in Canada, an important market for our region.

In other news, the Johnny Appleseed Visitor Center in Lancaster has started to see an uptick in visitation since the Spring.  Our staff at the center is looking forward to a busier season going into Summer as more and more people resume traveling.  We still have all of our safety measures and protocols in place.  We also recently applied for a matching capital grant from the state to make some renovations and improve the experience for our 165,000 annual visitors.  Our vision is to not only be the best visitor center in the state, but to also transform the center into a destination that provides an engaging experience and encourages visitors to learn more about the region’s communities, local attractions and businesses.

As we move in to the Summer, we will continue our efforts to attract consumers that will be critical to the recovery of our local businesses and economy.