Trending developments vol 3, issue 9
- 1. FROED Hires Microloan Coordinator/Technical Assistance Specialist 2 Halftime Sports Bar & Grille Grand Opening 2 Fall River by the Numbers 3 Restoration of the for- mer Abbey Grill/Great Hall Venue 3 Sales TA Workshop 4 Fall Rivers Finest 4 Inside this issue: September 2014 Volume 3, Issue 9 FALL RIVER OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Trending Developments FROED Board of Directors: Officers Mayor William A Flanagan, Chairman/Ex-officio Frank Marchione, President James M. Karam, Vice President Carlos A. DaCunha, Treasurer Alan F. Macomber, Clerk At-Large Members Joseph Baptista Paul C. Burke Francisco Cabral Nicholas M. Christ Robert Cooper Mark Cordeiro Larry Couto Jerry Donovan Bruce Fernandes Alfredo M. Franco Craig A. Jesiolowski Stephen R. Karam Michael Lund Joseph A. Marshall George Matouk, Jr. Paul S. Medeiros Joan Menard Kenneth R. Rezendes Anthony Riccitelli Joseph Ruggeiro, Sr. Ron Rusin James P. Sabra Len Sullivan Ex-Officio Members Joseph D. Camara Carl Garcia Craig A. Jesiolowski Atty. William G. Kenney Meg Mayo-Brown John J. Sbrega James Wallace Corporate Counsel Atty. James W. Clarkin Non-Voting Members Robert A. Mellion FROED Staff: Kenneth Fiola, Jr., Esq. Executive Vice President Janet A. Misturado, Director of Administration Louise A. Methot, Financial Services Representative Maria R. Doherty, Network Administrator Lynn M. Oliveira, Economic Development Coordinator Valarie Lacasse, Microloan Coordinator/Technical Assistance Specialist Fall River Office of Economic Development One Government Center Fall River, MA 02722 Phone: (508) 324-2620 Fax: (508) 677-2840 http://froed.org While the Cherry & Webb Building located at 139 South Main Street in Fall River has routinely housed various educational pro- grams ranging from middle school to collegiate pro- grams, the recent additions of the UMass Dartmouth International Program and now the Atlantis Charter Schools new ninth-grade class positions the building as the educational hub of the downtown. Not only is this a positive opportunity for the students of each program to experi- ence the Citys downtown, but it is also a positive sign for downtown businesses that will now have a new customer base that will act as an economic engine for the area. Attorney Kenneth Fiola, Jr., Executive Vice President of the Fall River Office of Eco- nomic Development is pleased to see students mov- ing into the downtown not- ing, Not only will these stu- dents offer a new clientele to the downtown businesses, but they will bring a new energy and a breath of fresh air to the area, which will translate to economic and creative opportunities for the community. (Continued on page 2) ATLANTIS CHARTER SCHOOL Looking for a job? Visit froed.org then select the Current Employment Opportunities tab. Next click Job Search and this will launch an interactive database. Within this database alone there are currently 976 employment opportunities within a 5 mile radius of Fall River. 976 Jobs Available Above: New classroom space for the Atlantis Charter School at the Cherry & Webb Building in downtown Fall River
- 2. Page 2 Trending Developments (Continued from page 1) The Atlantis Charter School currently has two additional buildings locat- ed on South Main Street and Park Street to accom- modate their kindergarten to Grade 8 program. The Grade 9 program, which was offered to the out- going Grade 8 class as well as a limited number of new applicants will be housed in the Cherry & Webb Building. The school is looking to establish a Career Acade- my to expose Atlantis new high school students to college level course work as well as industry professionals. It is likely a natural synergy will emerge between the Atlan- tis Charter School and the UMass programs that al- ready exist within the building. For additional information about the Atlantis Charter School please visit, atlantiscs.org. Ms. Lacasse is a creden- tialed management pro- fessional skilled in the commercial lending field. With twenty eight years of sales and management experience, Ms. Lacasse has extensive knowledge of banking/lending rules/ regulations, policies/ procedures, originating/ underwriting and closing procedures. Attorney Kenneth Fiola, Jr., Executive Vice Presi- dent of the Fall River Of- fice of Economic Devel- opment is pleased to wel- come Ms. Lacasse to FROED noting, Valarie has a great deal of skill and experience in the field of lending and I know she will be a strong asset not only to our Mi- croloan program, but to our office as a whole. We are very happy to have her on board. For additional infor- mation about the FROED Microloan program please visit our website at http://froed.org or contact Valarie J. Lacasse at 508- 324-2620 or v.lacasse@froed.org. On Wednesday, Septem- ber 10, 2014, Mayor Wil- liam A. Flanagan along with members of the Fall River community joined Halftime Sports Bar & Grille to celebrate the res- taurants grand opening. Located at 502 Bedford Street, this family owned establishment offers sports pub fare and boasts of 10 high definition tele- visions in the main dining room along with even more throughout the com- plex. Similarly, Halftime is the only sports bar in town with the full NFL ticket and UFC live events. It is also a great venue to host events from birthday parties to busi- ness meetings. Halftime also delivers lunch Mon- day-Friday from 11am- 2pm. Halftime is open Sunday- Wednesday from 4pm- 12am and Thursday- Saturday from 4pm-2am. For additional information visit Halftimes website at www.thehalftimebar.com. Atlantis Charter School FROED Welcomes New Staff Member: Valarie J. Lacasse Halftime Sports Bar & Grille Grand Opening The Fall River Office of Economic Development (FROED) has recently hired Valarie J. Lacasse as the new Microloan Co- ordinator/Technical As- sistance Specialist. As a member of the FROED team, Ms. Lacasse will be responsible for the direct implementation, coordi- nation, and development of assistance services and reporting of micro-loan activity to the Small Business Administration. FROED established the Microloan Fund assis- tance program with funds provided by the Small Business Administration made available under the American Recovery and Reinstatement Act of 2009 and is intended to assist start-up businesses and relocation or expan- sion of existing business- es. Businesses must have fewer than 500 employ- ees and less than $3.5 million in revenues. Un- der the Microloan pro- gram, FROED provides loans up to $50,000, which can be used for working capital, equip- ment, machinery, furnish- ings, fixed assets and paying off existing (credit card) debt.
- 3. Page 3 Trending Developments Fall River by the Numbers *Source: American Community Survey, 2010-2012 Bringing the Abbey Grill Back to Life A popular venue for histori- ans, visitors and locals alike, the Abbey Grill/Great Hall was not only a beauti- ful structure in downtown Fall River, but a wonderful venue for dining and events. Many were sad to see the location close in 2009, but the recent sale and renova- tion of the property have many interested in the fu- ture of the 100 Rock Street location. Current owner Andrew Lombardi who has vast ex- perience in restoring histor- ic buildings has been work- ing tirelessly to resurrect the abandoned facility. The work completed at the facility includes repairing and replacing slates on the roof, window replacement, including stained glass repair, and masonry work on the exterior. Interior work includes restoring the bar and woodwork throughout the building including flooring. All of the work being done on the facility is done uti- lizing the appropriate ma- terials and craftsmanship to maintain the historical integrity of the buildings. The work done to the facil- ity has focused on the Ab- bey Grill portion of the building, which could reo- pen as a restaurant within a few months. Management is currently working to create the appropriate culi- nary team to reposition the venue as a culinary desti- nation in Fall River. Work on the Great Hall portion of the facility is ongoing and will likely take a couple of years to complete. Percent of Gateway City Residents Born Abroad or in Puerto Rico Above: 100 Rock Street, former Abbey Grill and Great Hall Gateway City Average = 25%
- 4. One Government Center Fall River, MA 02722-7700 Phone: 508-324-2620 Fax: 508-677-2840 E-mail: info@froed.org Mission statement of the Fall River Office of Economic Development: Incorporated in 1978 as a 501(c)(4) corporation to promote the prosperity and general welfare of the citizens of Fall River through the stimulation of economic strength and expansion of new and existing business. Keeping Fall River working in Fall River. FALL RIVER OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT For more information please visit our website: www.froed.org Page 4 Selling is not telling! Great sales people are MADE not born. Sure, some people take to selling like a duck takes to the water, but we all need to learn how to swim. If were going to be success- ful in our own small busi- ness, we need to learn how to sell. Join Dennis Cal- lanan, seasoned sales pro- fessional and SCORE Counselor, for a workshop to improve your businesss ability to sell. Since the biggest reason for small business failure is not enough sales, come learn about: The sales process Ideas to engage the customer & build rela- tionships Strategic selling vs. product or price selling Techniques to control the sales call An outline for mental preparation before every sales call If you want to be successful in business, you need to improve your sales abilities! This FREE event will be held on September 17, 2014 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Cherry & Webb/UMass Dartmouth Building, 139 South Main Street 4th floor, Fall Riv- er, MA and is sponsored by the Fall River Office of Economic Development. Space is limited, so please register on line at www.msbdc.org/semass and click on event calendar or call us at 508-673-9783 x10. Metered parking is available on South Main Street. Additional parking is available for a fee at the Third Street Garage, locat- ed on Third Street. Funded in part through a coop- erative agreement with the U. S. Small Business Administra- tion. Brothers Albert and Alfred Wong were born in Fall River in 1926 and 1932, respective- ly. Their parents were first generation Chinese immi- grants who owned Fredrick Wongs Hong Kong Restau- rant on South Main Street. In 1926, the Wong family established the Oriental Chow Mein Company in Fall River, which produces the Hoo Mee brand fried chow mein noodles. Both Albert and Al- fred joined the family busi- ness and helped grow it into the Fall River institution it is today. For more than 75 years the Oriental Chow Mein Compa- ny has been providing fried chow mein noodles to restau- rants, schools, hospitals and supermarkets. Albert Wong passed away in 1995, but Alfred Wong, along with Alberts six children and twelve additional employees still run this family owned and operated company. Born to Sell: Mastering the Sales Process In 2009 the Oriental Chow Mein Company facility located on 8th Street in Fall River caught on fire from sparks from a frying machine early one morning. The fire left consumers scram- bling to find a replacement noo- dle while the facility was closed, but few individuals or restau- rants were able to find a worthy replacement. To consumers delight, after 6 months of recon- struction the facility was able to open again and provide custom- ers with the authentic fried chow mein noodles they had been missing for half of a year. Chow mein sandwiches are a staple of Fall River and consist of a brown gravy-based chow mein mixture placed between halves of a hamburger style bun. If you are unfamiliar with the chow mein sandwich, we rec- ommend you visit a Fall River Chi- nese restau- rant to try one! (Article contributed by MSBDC) Fall Rivers Finest: Wong Brothers