Navigating together strengthens Holyoke

UNLIKE 2021, where businesses were navigating inand-out of unemployment, closures, decreased hours and working to find a way to successfully pivot amidst a global pandemic, 2022 faced its own unique challenges: increased product pricing; demands for working wages; and a strong need for grant funding.

Serving the Greater Holyoke community, we have seen remarkable business growth, but as a chamber of commerce, we need to continue to be creative in how we maintain relevance in a growing society that can easily find the tools a chamber typically offers for free on the internet. Over the past year, the Greater Holyoke Chamber has gone through a rebranding — showcasing a fresh and modern logo, a membership structure that is comparable to our local economy and offers free networking events for our members.

We have seen tremendous growth over the past year, growing our membership by 45 new members. Leading the chamber, it is important for me to be the bridge for our businesses and for our community because the community’s support is necessary for our local businesses to thrive.

Holyoke is now celebrating its 150th year which will bring our community together and, in turn, support our businesses. The chamber is honored to play an instrumental role in the milestone as acting as its fiscal sponsor, aid in organizing an annual gala and being a point of contact for folks looking to sponsor our birthday year.

We work closely with the city of Holyoke and a variety of city leaders and organizations to bring people from all over into Holyoke to celebrate and support our local businesses and the events that they are holding, and hope that you choose to come and the city’s marketing efforts, address quality of life by beautifying underutilized spaces and creating a better-lived experience in downtown Holyoke for residents and visitors alike. Re-establishing retail is a challenge in any area, including downtown Holyoke. Addressing underutilized properties and blight is necessary for cultivating a safe and welcoming retail environment. The Office of Planning and Economic Development is actively working with the MassDevelopment TDI fellow on numerous projects and partnerships to provide on-the-ground economic development expertise and collaborative leadership. The TDI fellow will have access to various tools to help accelerate development on High Street.

Complementing public art in Holyoke, the Puerto Rican Cultural District is currently being established in partnership with city government and Nueva Esperanza. The Puerto Rican Cultural District will offer more opportunities and funding for public and private spaces around the city.

To support this project, the city has established the El Corazon Advisory Committee, a decision-making body in the heart of the city. The district and El Corazon placemaking project are brought to life through activities and embracing Puerto Rican culture. This is essential in reviving and celebrating the culture of Holyoke.

For more information on the 150th celebration and projects, visit Exploreholyoke. com. If you would like to volunteer for the 150th celebration, please email konstans@

Above, Edwin David Sepulveda, from Puerto Rico, stands in front of a 50-foot by 85-foot wall mural he created on a building on High Street in Hoyloke on June 19, 2022. Sepulveda

Left, celebrate our birthday with us.

Additionally, MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) is a program for Gateway Cities designed to accelerate economic growth within focused districts. The program works with cross-sector partnerships to engage community members in actionable planning, implement local economic development initiatives, and spur further public and private investment. Through this initiative, the chamber and our TDI fellow have begun to form a High Street Business Association. During our kickoff, we brought together dozens of business owners to share information about upcoming holyoke.org to find out how you can get involved.

Aaron Vega is director of planning and economic development for the city of Holy- oke. To learn more about the city, its economic development initiatives and the 150th anniversary celebration, go online to holyoke.org.