BOSTON, Massachusetts – September 15, 2011 – Twenty-three finalists from across the state gathered at the UMass Club last night to compete for the Team Massachusetts Economic Impact Awards, awarded annually by MassEcon (the Massachusetts Alliance for Economic
Development). These finalists, representing companies from Boston to the Berkshires, gave oneminute elevator pitches describing their growth in the Bay State over the past eighteen months.
Secretary of Housing and Economic Development, Greg Bialecki, was the featured guest at the event. The awards celebrate companies that have made an outstanding contribution to the Massachusetts economy. The winners from each region will be announced in October and
recognized at an awards luncheon on November 22rd in Boston.
The finalist companies range in size and are from many different industries, including software, manufacturing, life sciences, and clean energy. MassEcon selected the finalists based on their job growth, facility expansion, and investment since January 1, 2010, as well as other criteria including community involvement.
Finalists compete on a regional basis, defined as West, Central, Southeast, Northeast, and Greater Boston. Out of the finalists, a gold, silver, and bronze winner will be selected from each region.
“We’ve been seeing stories and headlines that indicate that New England is outpacing the rest of the country in economic recovery,” said Bob Brustlin, Chairman of MassEcon. “It’s great to recognize the progress that Massachusetts is making by honoring the businesses that are contributing to this growth.”
“As we climb out of the recession, it is important to recognize that there are businesses across the state that are expanding,” Susan Houston, Executive Director, MassEcon added. “With these awards, we see that growth in the Commonwealth is not limited to one region or one industry. These finalists come from every region of the state and represent a diverse group of industries.”
The companies chosen as finalists for the 8th ANNUAL TEAM MASSACHUSETTS ECONOMIC IMPACT AWARDS are listed below.
WEST:
Coca-Cola – Northampton
Smith & Wesson – Springfield
General Dynamics AIS – Pittsfield
Iredale Mineral Cosmetics – Great Barrington
SOUTHEAST:
AirXchange – Rockland
Horizon Beverage – Norton
Reinhart Food Service – New Bedford
NORTHEAST:
Eliassen Group – Wakefield
Ferro-Ceramic Grinding – Wilmington
GT Advanced Technologies – Salem
Solectria Renewables – Lawrence
Kiva Systems – North Reading
Jessica’s Brick Oven – North Andover
CENTRAL:
A123 Systems – Westborough
Acacia Communications – Maynard
BJ’s Wholesale Club HQ – Westborough
Biomedical Research Models – Worcester
Simonds International – Fitchburg
GREATER BOSTON:
BioScale – Lexington
Communispace – Boston
Dassault Systemes – Waltham
HubSpot – Cambridge
Porter & Chester – Canton and Woburn
