​Event Context

​Across Massachusetts, a generation of business owners is getting ready to retire. Many of the businesses they built (the corner manufacturer, the neighborhood grocer, the family-run shop) are in danger of closing when they do. Across New England and New York, more than 200,000 small business owners plan to retire in the next few years, and only 17% have a documented exit plan. When those businesses close, communities lose jobs, local wealth, and the anchors that keep main streets alive.

​The Northeast Transition Initiative (NETI) has done new analysis of business succession and employee ownership across the Commonwealth, with a closer look at Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, and Lawrence. It maps which businesses are at risk, where they are, which industries and jobs are most exposed, and how much could be kept in local hands through employee ownership. Please join us for a first look at these findings and a conversation about what they mean for your community.

​What to Expect at the Convening

• ​The State of Business Succession in Massachusetts. New data focused on Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, Lawrence and a state-wide approach shows which businesses are at risk, which industries and jobs are most exposed, and what's at stake for local economies. We'll also look at how much business value could move to employees through ownership transitions.

• ​Voices from the Field. NETI Fellows talk about what business succession looks like on the ground in their communities. The fellowship is a 9-month program for economic and workforce development practitioners and policymakers to build their knowledge, skills and networks dedicated to exit planning and employee ownership.

• ​Networking Lunch. Meet colleagues from across the state working in economic and community development.

• ​Regional Breakouts. Work hands-on with maps and local data for Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, Lawrence, and the rest of the Commonwealth. See what the analysis shows about your community, compare notes with peers nearby, and tell us what you'd want to explore next.

​Who will be there?

​Whether you set policy, fund programs, or support small businesses directly in Massachusetts, you'll leave with a clearer picture of what's happening in your community, new data and tools to work with, and connections to others doing this work across the Commonwealth.