​The South Shore Chamber’s Economic Development Corporation has received Regional Economic Development Organization (REDO) designation from the Massachusetts Office of Business Development for 2023. This designation will help to facilitate regional projects that help grow businesses, support our workforce and contribute to the Massachusetts economy.

The South Shore Chamber’s Economic Development Corporation is one of only twelve organizations statewide to receive this designation.  The REDO grants serve as a connection and conduit between start-ups, small businesses, and growing businesses in the region to state resources and support. Services include informational and educational programs on starting businesses, growing businesses, and the promotion of state programs that assist small businesses. Funds will support the creation of small business resources & local chamber programming, possible regional workforce initiatives, ongoing industry sector analysis and market insights, platforms for community infrastructure conversations, and a more robust South Shore 2030 website.

This year as part of this grant, the Economic Development Corporation was able to secure a $75,000 special project addendum for a local non-profit in Norwell. The funds will be used for capital improvements that drive future job growth and workforce development in the cultural economy.

“We are pleased to receive this designation that gives us resources to help our businesses and non-profits,” said Peter Forman, CEO of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce.

ROCKLAND, MA AND ALEXANDRIA, VA, ISSUED AUGUST 31, 2022… The South Shore Chamber of Commerce has been named one of three Communications Excellence Best In Show winners by ACCE, the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. ACCE is the leading national association for chambers of commerce and economic development organizations representing over 1,600 members, and more than 9,000 industry professionals.

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce initially won the 2022 Award for Communication Excellence for “Overall Best Campaign” for their Hello! South Shore campaign. Hello! South Shore is a regional destination marketing campaign that was created and designed to assist the regional recovery from the economic impact of COVID-19. After receiving a Regional Pilot Project Grant through the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, the Chamber partnered with local towns, businesses, and organizations to create a series of excursions that ran throughout the summer. The excursions were designed to spotlight arts, culture, history, outdoors, food, shops, recreation, holiday events, farmers’ markets, and neighborhoods across the South Shore. 

The campaign was the first to formally promote the South Shore region. It’s companion website www.hellosouthshore.com encouraged 600,000+ residents to think of “local” as more than their own neighborhood or town and promoted broader exploration. This was accomplished through an exciting and robust marketing campaign—launched in less than six weeks— spotlighting discovery and the many excursions across the 25 cities and towns the chamber represents. The Chamber enlisted local business members for campaign creation including logo and creative development as well as media placement. The campaign launch spanned three months during the summer of 2021 with 125 unique communications produced and delivered through email, radio, social media, billboard, magazine, and other forms of media. The website, www.hellowsouthshore.com, is still very much the hub for all the excursions and places to visit in the region. 

As a result of this groundbreaking campaign for the South Shore Chamber, Hello! South Shore reached nearly a million impressions in just 13 weeks. The project also provided countless local businesses, organizations, and events the much-needed support they deserve as they recover from operational losses due to the pandemic.

The Best In Show Award was announced live at the ACCE Annual Convention held July 27 in Indianapolis. The Hello! South Shore campaign competed against major metro chambers and regional chambers in 3 other award categories including Digital Media, Website, Print & Electronic Publications. 

“Effective communications and storytelling are crucial to supporting a chamber’s mission and showcasing its impact,” said ACCE President & CEO Sheree Anne Kelly. “The South Shore Chamber of Commerce’s innovative efforts to help drive engagement and make a difference in the region it serves are inspiring and very deserving of this recognition.”

“Looking ahead and beyond recovery, the Hello! South Shore project is directly linked to our larger economic and community development goals as part of the South Shore 2030 Plan,” explained Peter Forman, president & CEO of the 121-year-old chamber. “If you’re thinking about a campaign to brand your region, think local. Marketing the assets of your community to outsiders falls flat if the local businesses and residents don’t recognize and value those assets first.”

A panel of communications and marketing professionals from ten U.S.-based chambers of commerce evaluated entries submitted for this year’s competition. Entries were organized by category — based on the chamber’s annual revenue. Judges presented 13 Awards of Excellence and three Best in Show awards.

About the South Shore Chamber of Commerce
The South Shore Chamber of Commerce is the largest, not-for-profit business organization in the region and holds a 5-Star Accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  Funded by members and partner businesses for over 120 years, our mission is to cultivate a stronger South Shore economy by encouraging a robust and diverse business climate; and by supporting the local members and communities we represent.  We know when businesses succeed, our communities succeed. To learn more, please visit www.southshorechamber.org or call 781-421-3900.

About the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives
Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) is the professional society supporting the people who lead local, regional, statewide, and international chambers of commerce and related business and economic development organizations. Our membership includes more than 1,600 business/civic organizations worldwide. We provide our members with information resources, thought leadership, education programs, original research, benchmarking, retirement security, and access to a network of peers. For information, visit www.acce.org.

DOWNLOAD Presentation: Ashley Lane, Perry CRE
DOWNLOAD Presentation: Patrick Andrews, Break Rock Brewing Co.
DOWNLOAD Presentation: David Gilmore, Kingston Collection
DOWNLOAD Presentation: Ed Callahan & Lisa Berardinelli, Hanover Crossing
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READ South of Boston Spotlight (NEREJ)
READ The Patriot Ledger coverage of Session 1
READ The Patriot Ledger coverage of Session 1

Forum recap: Our housing initiative calls for 44,000 units of new housing in order for our economy to grow 1%. One of the most common barriers for more housing in the suburbs is water/wastewater issues. We were joined by experts from Smart Growth America, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Town of Scituate for a discussion on challenges in suburban build-out due to current limits on infrastructure capacity. During the session, panelist highlighted: 

• Water & Wastewater capacity’s importance for economic development (in our region and others)
• Importance of planning & resource allocation when availability is scarce (focus on concentration of development – more mixed use properties that answer residential and commercial/retail needs/wants)
• Opportunities for regional or multi-municipal collaboration & coordination. 

Check out the video recording and speaker presentations below. 

​​This work would not be possible without our Funders – thank you to Rockland Trust Bank, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, Cape Cod Lumber, Fireking Baking Company & Sullivan Tire for your continued support of our Housing Initiative. ​​We welcome the opportunity to speak with you further about our 2030 work and ways to get involved and engaged. Please contact Courtney Bjorgaard at [email protected] to learn more. ​

Thank you to our Senators and Representatives who approved the Housing Choice legislation as part of the larger $625 million economic development bill. The South Shore Chamber of Commerce was an early supporter of this proposal to promote more housing. By collaborating, advocating, and supporting housing initiatives on state and municipal levels, we see housing production as an economic development strategy that increases our region’s housing choices and improves our region's economic competitiveness. 

The legislation encourages cities & towns to adopt zoning best practices related to housing development by a changing the threshold from a super-majority (66%) to a simple majority vote (51%) on 9 types of zoning reform. It does not mandate towns to make zoning changes, but gives them the tools to introduce new housing types and support local economic activity and growth. 

Our South Shore 2030 vision is to create an environment for current and future businesses and our resident workforce to thrive. Housing is a major component in creating this environment and our Housing Initiative encourages more housing options that attract the next generation of workers and keep our population of retirees here in our region. This housing choice legislation helps to advance our goals of adding an additional 44,000 housing units to the region by 2030, a critical initiative in our larger South Shore 2030 economic development agenda.

​​“The state’s housing crunch is not just a Boston problem, but also a suburban problem. The legislation will help communities allow the type of housing in the right area that helps promote community stability and economic growth. We reached out to our legislative delegation this week to reiterate the importance of this piece of the bill for our housing initiative and encouraged by their action,” said Peter Forman, President & CEO of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce.

News coverage from Patriot Ledger: 
​https://www.patriotledger.com/story/news/2021/01/06/legislature-greenlights-625-million-economic-development-spending/6562705002/

Housing Choice Initiative Announcement (December 2017) including comments from Chamber President & CEO, Peter Forman. 

This session offered attendees an opportunity to explore current and future thinking about housing and transit-oriented developments across the region. This was the second in a 3-part series focused on better informing our business community and regional leaders about opportunities and challenges around housing production across our region. We hope this series inspires business leaders to get involved in our economic development work and be a part of our South Shore 2030 plan. The series is brought ​to you by the South Shore Chamber’s Housing Committee, a working committee of committed professionals from various backgrounds committed to housing as an economic development strategy for the region. Our Housing Initiative work is made possible through generous funding from Rockland Trust Bank, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, Cape Cod Lumber, Fireking Baking Company & Sullivan Tire. 

Forum Recap: Callie Clark, Director of Policy at the Center for Housing Data at Mass Housing Partnership (MHP) and Dr. Tracy Corley, TOD Fellow at MassInc provided expertise and insight into current transit-oriented development thinking, placemaking strategies and offered an in depth analysis of what development looks like at a variety the South Shore's transit stops. As we work towards a goal of 44,000 new homes added to the South Shore by 2030, we continue to remain optimistic about the role that TODs will play in getting us to this number, offering more diverse housing options and focusing on connecting people and places.

​This work would not be possible without our Funders – thank you to Rockland Trust Bank, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, Cape Cod Lumber, Fireking Baking Company & Sullivan Tire for your continued support of our Housing Initiative. ​​We welcome the opportunity to speak with you further about our 2030 work and ways to get involved and engaged. Please contact Courtney Bjorgaard at [email protected] to learn more. ​

(Photos courtesy of Elisif Photography)

Mr. Mark Melnick of The Donahue Institute spoke at the South Shore Chamber's Economic Outlook breakfast co-sponsored with Envision Bank.  We are pleased to share his presentation which included some nice comparisons on how the South Shore stacks up with the rest of the state on key economic factors.   It validated some of our work on South Shore 2030 to make the region economically stronger.  We were particularly impressed with three slides:

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1. Slide 9  shows we are 1/3  below (less competitive) the state’s concentrations of jobs in the high talent/high salaried Professional and Technical service industry mix but more concentrated than the state’s overall share in the financial services (by almost 70%) and retail  (by 30%) sectors. That illustrates one of the underlying challenge facing the South Shore.  Some of our largest job sectors are in contracting industries that are shedding jobs while at the same time we have a smaller share of some key sectors that are growing and have higher paying jobs. Our challenge becomes how do we expand and attract the growth sectors.  We believe we do it by growing the talent and workforce available on the South Shore.
2. Slide 22 compares the percentage of family income going to housing. That has declined for homeowners since the recession but has stayed high for apartment owners.  The percentage of course depends on two factors:  household incomes and the cost of the housing. Overall we believe this supports our housing agenda. It suggests we are not building enough of the housing product (multi-family such as apartments) that young professionals are looking for.  That keeps apartment rents too high for many younger people. That in turn limits our ability to grow the workforce.   
3. Finally, slide  27 nicely captures our transportation and economic challenge.  (This compares the middle section of the South Shore). We have 1/3 more residents commuting out of the area for jobs than workers coming in from other regions.  This reinforces information from our Original 2030 study that the entire South Shore has more people leaving the area for jobs than coming in for jobs.   And most of our traffic heads North to or through Boston.  While we continue to work on the Boston commute for our residents the better solution to the transportation problem is creating more jobs in the region so residents have better employment choices than driving to Boston.