EASTHAMPTON, MA - The City’s entrepreneurial initiative, Blueprint Easthampton, is shifting operations to the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, strengthening a long-standing partnership. The Chamber is adapting to innovative tools to grow and support business. Blueprint Easthampton has been a part of its acceleration since 2019. Today’s announcement formalizes what has been happening piecemeal over the pandemic. This partnership allows informal and micro-businesses to expand and diversify, including English and Spanish curricula, local technical support, and co-working space. 

“While the Blueprint Easthampton Partnership currently offers a platform to connect resource partners to our local entrepreneurs and micro businesses, the potential of future support through education and technical assistance is limitless. I am over the moon over these possibilities and all this means for our community!” Moe Belliveau, Executive Director, The Chamber of Greater Easthampton.

This partnership ensures support to provide a creative, thriving local economy by supporting informal businesses of the grey economy into successful, sustainable formal businesses with consistent resiliency. Over the winter, the transition will be more apparent to members of the community and accessible to anyone seeking direction. 

“I could not be more excited over the direction of The Chamber. The vision of providing a concrete and tangible way of helping our local economy comes alive with this partnership with The City of Easthampton. Blueprint Easthampton is a natural fit for the WorkHub on Union co-workspace project that The Chamber is bringing to fruition.” Laurie Lamoureux, President, The Chamber of Greater Easthampton

Blueprint Easthampton came together with the Mayor’s work with the National League of Cities to better understand the components of a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem and develop consensus on what a flourishing ecosystem should look like in the Easthampton area. The Chamber’s evolution to its WorkHub model is partly funded by the state’s Local Rapid Recovery Plan and an FY23 earmark out of Senator John Velis and Representative Carey's offices.