About a dozen business- and civic-minded folks gathered for last month’s Methuen Business Alliance informational meeting, where Mayor DJ Beauregard, Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce President Katie Cook (foreground) and guests exchanged ideas about overcoming challenges and working together in search of success.
ML photos by Melissa Fili
Last month, the inaugural info session of the Methuen Business Alliance (MBA) included about a dozen business- and civic-minded participants eager to share stories, cut through red tape, make connections and thrive.
MBA is a division of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce. It was created by GHCC President and CEO Katie Cook in partnership with Mayor DJ Beauregard.
The goal is “to give local business owners a stronger collective voice, greater access to city resources, and more opportunities to connect with residents, neighboring businesses and community organizations,” according to Cook. The end game is “to make Methuen a thriving place to live, work, shop and invest.”
“We’re excited to see Methuen’s business community come together in such a meaningful way,” said Cook. “This alliance represents a true partnership between City Hall and local businesses. It’s about ensuring that Methuen’s entrepreneurs feel heard, supported and connected, both to city leadership and to one another.”
The meeting was held at Comfort Home Care, 147 Pelham St., and these gatherings are open to all local business owners, nonprofit leaders and community members (see box).
Beauregard, who less than 48 hours prior had been re-elected as mayor, addressed the group about his vision for the alliance and the city from a business standpoint.
He called the Alliance “in essence, a business support group that’s able to connect businesses with the city and other local entities. … This is a great opportunity for businesses to share your concerns, your ideas, your thoughts so that we can incorporate all of that in the way we’re trying to make Methuen more business-friendly.”
Discussions ranged from speeding up the city’s permit process and bringing new life to empty buildings to creating shared office space sites and the pros/cons of being on the New Hampshire border.
MBA is all about accessing resources and making connections.
“There’s a lot of money in the state for businesses. How can we start driving some of that money into Methuen?” said Cook, who previously worked in state government and is the new owner/publisher of MethuenLife’s sister papers Haverhill Life and Salem Life. “Non-profits should not be paying taxes on their electric bill and so many of them are. … You can get that money back in your pocket and not be paying it forward with just a simple energy audit.”
“We want to start driving those types of resources back into Methuen to help you guys save a bunch of money to then fill up your building, reinvest into your employees …” she added. “Our goal is to educate everybody in Methuen about the resources out there.”
Find out more about MBA events, membership and benefits at HaverhillChamber.com.
Neil Hunter, who is on Methuen’s Community Development Board and works as a business mentor, shares thoughts on mixed-use developments.
