Secretary Kennealy Meets With North Reading, Chamber Officials

Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy visited North Reading on May 18, stopping at two local businesses and meeting with state and local elected officials and representatives from the Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce to discuss the post-pandemic needs of the local business community.

Secretary Kennealy’s visit also provided an opportunity to highlight the $24,745 Travel & Tourism Recovery (TTR) Grant awarded to the Chamber in April, which is being used to implement the Chamber’s “Shop the Readings” marketing program to encourage residents to support local businesses.

Among the local officials welcoming the Secretary to North Reading were Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto; Select Board members Kathryn Manupelli, Liane Gonzalez, and Vincenzo Stuto; and Town Planner/Community Planning Administrator Danielle McKnight. Chamber Executive Director Lisa Egan, Chamber President Josh Harrington, House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) also joined the Secretary for his visit.

Accompanying Secretary Kennealy were Undersecretary of Community Development Ashley Stolba and Lucas Patenaude, Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.

The day’s itinerary began with a stop at Brissonte Gifts & Home Décor on Main Street, where owner Colleen Perry discussed the many challenges her family-run business encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic and the steps she took to adapt to these challenges. In addition to providing contactless pickup and other expanded options for her customers, Perry also focused on using social media to draw in customers and increasingly relied on traffic generated by a website that she set up prior to the pandemic.

The next stop was a visit to the Horseshoe Grille, where owner Pat Lee hosted the Secretary and other participants in the restaurant’s outdoor tent for a discussion of the TTR grant, ways to improve the business climate, and other recovery issues that need to be addressed as the state emerges from the pandemic. One point of agreement among the participants was the need to underscore the importance of consumers continuing to support local businesses even after pandemic restrictions are loosened to ensure their long-term survival and the many economic benefits that support entails.

“I appreciate Secretary Kennealy taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with members of North Reading’s town government and business community to discuss their ideas for helping local businesses succeed in emerging from the pandemic on a solid financial footing,” said Jones. “The pandemic has altered the commercial and retail business landscape and has highlighted the importance of engaging in creative ways of rethinking how the state can best support the local business community moving forward to position Massachusetts for a strong economic recovery.”

“Local commerce is the lifeblood of the economy and nurturing and supporting Shop Here First and Shop the Readings efforts with funds and administrative input from Secretary Kennealy and the Baker Administration moves us closer to a fuller recovery for local businesses,” said Senator Tarr. “We see this as a vital partnership that will pay dividends in new opportunities for consumers and businesses alike.”

“The Chamber is very grateful for the MOTT grant which has funded our new Shop the Readings program, to be launched on June 1st,” commented Josh Harrington, Chamber President. “This program is well-timed as restrictions are easing and consumers have an increased awareness of supporting local businesses,” continued Harrington.

To learn more about the Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce and its “Shop the Readings” initiative, please visit https://readingnreadingchamber.org/ and shopthereadings.com.