By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Westborough – Local and state officials, including keynote speaker Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, joined local business leaders to honor a number of Westborough companies at the Westborough Economic Development Committee’s (EDC) Fourth Annual Celebratory Event Dec. 1.
In welcoming the audience to the event, Deborah Penta, the EDC chair, noted that the town’s reputation was that it was a “progressive and pro-active place to do business.” Approximately 600 jobs had been added to the two over the past year, with another 2,500 retained, she noted. An additional 1,500 were possible for the coming years, she added.
As a resident of Shrewsbury and former state representative whose district covered Westborough, Polito is well-familiar with the town. Now, as lieutenant governor under Gov. Charlie Baker, she is committed, she said, to helping to help all areas of the commonwealth, including the 495 area, become as best positioned as possible going forth as they compete with other states and countries.
“Massachusetts is one of the top innovative areas in the country with really smart people,” she said. “We need to continue to be that way to be competitive.”
It was important, she added, that state and community leaders continued to invest in schools and that ways were created to make college more accessible for more people.
“Our most important asset is our people,” she added. “We need to double down on re-training workers and put more of what is in the workforce into the classrooms.”
Polito noted that the 26 proposals from Massachusetts communities submitted for a new second Amazon headquarters allowed her and Baker “the opportunity to see confidence from those communities.”