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EDC discusses Collins Center report on minority- and women-owned businesses, seeks follow-up and outreach
Summary
Economic Development staff summarized a Collins Center assessment of Westborough’s minority- and women-owned businesses, highlighting recommendations on online permitting, outreach and the business one-stop; committee discussed measurement, the Shop Westborough directory and potential next steps for public engagement.
Mark presented findings from a Collins Center engagement, part of a 2021 rapid-recovery program, describing local outreach, interviews and recommended steps to improve access for minority- and women-owned businesses. He said the town is already advancing online permitting and one-stop processes and has begun moving economic development materials to the town’s portal.
The report, based on survey respondents, included a figure that drew attention in the meeting: a business-directory summary that indicated 59% of respondent businesses identified as minority- or women-owned. Committee members cautioned that the percentage reflects survey respondents rather than the entire local business universe and asked for a follow-up measurement strategy. Mark agreed the follow-up was feasible and said he would explore contacting the Collins Center for a future follow-up survey.
Members discussed using the town’s communication channels and Westborough TV to create short, targeted videos or handouts (for example, a two- to three-minute “How to open a business in Westborough” clip) and suggested re-examining the Shop Westborough directory data and possible sponsorship or hosting solutions to preserve the searchable resource.
Committee members also asked about how satisfaction by department was being shared and measured; Mark said he could share report findings with departments and recommended the EDC define priority follow-ups and measurable goals at a future meeting. The committee endorsed further work on outreach, communications and follow-up metrics, and asked Mark to collect member feedback for a September meeting to prioritize actionable items.
Separately in EDC updates Mark reported completing distribution of ARPA grants: “we just completed giving out 12, $5,000 grants to businesses in Westborough,” which he said should soon clear accounting and checks would be issued to recipients.
