Western Mass Economic Ecosystem Summit
The North Adams Partnership is proud to have been a strategic planning and implementation partner of the 8th Western Massachusetts Economic Ecosystem Summit, a quarterly convening held last Friday that focused on advancing long-term economic growth and strengthening regional collaboration and advocacy across Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties.
The summit centered on renewable energy, food systems, advanced manufacturing, sustainability, regional readiness, and the future economy of Western Massachusetts. Through presentations, panel discussions, and facilitated working sessions, participants explored strategies to better align local and regional efforts with statewide economic development priorities and investment opportunities.
A featured panel discussion, “Powering Western Massachusetts: Energy, Equity, and Regional Economic Opportunity,” examined the intersection of climate initiatives, public health, economic development, and equitable implementation. Facilitated by Lydia Berry of ReVision Energy, the conversation featured Dee Boyle-Clapp of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Arts Extension Service, Samantha Hamilton of the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, and Cassandra Holden of the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity.
The summit also included a fireside chat with Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council President and CEO Aaron Vega and Vice President Xiomara Albán DeLobato, along with presentations from the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and the Massachusetts Center for Advanced Manufacturing. Speakers highlighted current initiatives and emerging opportunities across climate, innovation, advanced manufacturing, and food systems sectors.
Afternoon working sessions focused on collaborative strategy development, identifying shared regional priorities, and contributing to ongoing data collection efforts that will help inform a collective regional report scheduled for release in Fall 2026.
The event was sponsored by the Springfield Creative City Collective, Valley Venture Mentors, and the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, with strategic planning and implementation support from partners including the North Adams Partnership and 1Berkshire. The initiative was funded through MassDevelopment/TDI and the Barr Foundation as part of the broader TDI Creative Cities initiative supporting arts-based economic development.
