Economic Development
Town of Lakeville
346 Bedford Street
Lakeville, MA 02347
508-946-8803
508-946-0112
Welcome to the Town of Lakeville! This guide is to help entrepreneurs navigate through the process of starting a business in our town. The information within may also be helpful to existing business owners, who already provide Lakeville with their products or services. We hope we’ve piqued your interest and stand ready to assist you!
Introduction:
‘Lakeville’s natural and municipal resources, scenic landscapes, and major highway access provide a wonderful location for people to both live and work. The Lakeville Economic Development Committee presents this helpful guide to Lakeville’s entrepreneurs in an effort to assist those interested in locating a business in Lakeville. I extend my sincere appreciation to all who played a role in the development of this guide.’
Aaron Burke, Selectman, Town of Lakeville and Chair, Economic Development Committee
Why Lakeville?
Lakeville is a town of approximately 10,600 residents situated nearly 40 miles south of Boston and 40 miles east of Providence, RI. It is a town of great beauty and is dominated by four major lakes, four golf courses and acres of preserved open space. The opportunities for recreational enjoyment are plentiful, through swimming at the town beach at Clear Pond Park, sporting events at Ted Williams Camp, boating on Long Pond, kayaking in many of the local rivers and hiking in nearby state parks.
In order to maintain the natural beauty and charm of Lakeville, the Town has identified, in conjunction with the South Coast Rail Corridor Plan, certain priority development areas that the town would like to offer for your consideration.
Highlights of Development in Lakeville, Massachusetts:
- • Ready access to Major Highways – Route 24, Interstate 495, Route 140, Route 18 and Route 44.
- • Rural beauty and open spaces, leading naturally to ecotourism.
- • Central location perfect for retail development situated between Boston and Providence.
- • Priority Development Areas (PDA’s).
- • Expedited permitting on the 65 acre (+/-) former Lakeville Hospital site.
- • Median family income greater than $85,000.
- • Recent traffic improvements at the junction of Routes 105 and 79.
- • Location of the terminus of the MBTA commuter rail to/from Boston.
- • Home to the Cape Flyer, the only public transportation train directly to Cape Cod.
- • Home to the annual Lakeville Art and Music Festival.
While all of the above are compelling reasons to start your business in Lakeville, the driving force behind the town rests with the folks who live here. Lakeville residents are proud of their town and its heritage and beauty. All you need to do is take a stroll or drive through our town – maybe you’ll be one of the many who have come to play and ended up staying!
Now that you’ve heard all these great things about Lakeville, don’t you think it would be a great place to start your business? If so…read on…
Let’s face it; every business and industry is different, regardless of where you locate. This guide is meant to provide a path for you to follow, in addition to the contacts associated with the steps along the way. The best place to start is with a checklist:
- • BUSINESS PLAN – every small business owner should have a plan in place which outlines the type of business they want to start, how they will operate, background information on the owner, financial projections and more. After all…would you take a trip around the world without a road map? Probably not – and business ownership is no different! There are many business plan formats on the internet and it doesn’t really matter which one you use. For a relatively simple format, visit www.seedcorp.com and you can download an easy to follow business plan booklet. For those who do not have internet access, call SEED Corporation at 508-822-1020 and a paper copy can be mailed to you.
Preparing a business plan can be a daunting task. There are several free resources available to entrepreneurs to help you through the process:
SEED Corporation
80 Dean Street
Taunton, MA 02780
508-822-1020
www.seedcorp.com
SEED holds free business plan preparation workshops throughout the region, on a monthly basis. Their schedule can be found on the website listed above. Contact SEED if you are starting a business, are in the early phases or an existing operation seeking financing and/or technical assistance. A representative will meet with you to discuss your needs and provide guidance.
For one-on-one assistance, please consider the following agencies:
Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network (MSBDC)
Southeast Regional Office
200 Pocasset Street
Fall River, MA 02721
508-673-9783
www.msbdc.org/semass
The MSBDC provides one-on-one business management counseling, in addition to monthly workshops on various business-related topics. It’s not necessary to travel to Fall River, as the counselors meet throughout Southeastern MA. What to do? Give them a call and tell them you’re thinking about starting a business in Lakeville. They’ll provide you with meeting sites close to Lakeville or the town or city in which you live.
Mass Development
99 South Main Street Suite 230, Fall River, MA 02721
508-678-0533
www.massdevelopment.com
Lenders. Developers. Job creators. At MassDevelopment, we offer financing and real estate solutions to support companies and nonprofits, increase housing, eliminate blight, and drive economic growth across Massachusetts.
SE Mass SCORE (For the Life of Your Business)
60 School Street
Brockton, MA 02301
508-587-2673
www.sema.score.org
SCORE also provides one-on-one business management counseling. Again, you don’t have to travel to the main office in Brockton, as counselors also meet at a number of Chamber of Commerce offices throughout Southeastern MA.
Center for Women and Enterprise (CWE)
Administrative Offices & Eastern Massachusetts Center – Boston
24 School St., 7th Floor
Boston, MA 02108
617-536-0700
Rhode Island Center – Providence
132 George M. Cohan Blvd., 2nd Floor
Providence, RI 02903
401-277-0800
www.cweonline.org
The Center for Women and Enterprise provides one-on-one business management counseling, in addition to workshops on business-related topics. Predominantly held in either Boston or Providence, please visit their website or call for additional information.
For business collaboration and networking opportunities:
Cranberry Country Chamber of Commerce
9 Clayton Road – P.O. Box 409
Middleboro, MA 02346
508-947-1499
www.cranberrycountry.org
The Cranberry Country Chamber of Commerce provides regional leadership and by membership, joins together the resources of local communities.