WESTBOROUGH – The town’s newest economic development coordinator is getting better acquainted with her new job and the community.
During the annual Downtown Trick-or-Treat event on Tuesday, Oct. 29, Lara Crawford handed out candy, and visited several businesses, dressed as the March Hare from “Alice in Wonderland.”
She is now prepping for another town tradition – the annual Holiday Stroll and Tree Lighting on Sunday, Dec. 1.
“I hope to continue community engagement,” she said.
Crawford was born in Newton. She worked with her mother in a small business in Newton and later in Nantucket.
She earned her master’s in business administration; her first job was with the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s Back Streets program.
“I loved being the ‘in between’” with the city’s businesses and municipal officials, she said.
She moved to Austin, Texas, where she learned about the world of clean energy and green buildings.
“I got to know the technology,” she said.
She then went to Houston, where she learned the oil and gas business.
Back in Massachusetts, Crawford left the workforce for several years. She got back into it when the EDC coordinator position became available.
When asked why she took the job, Crawford said, “Westborough has a lot of open and green space. This is a town with a lot of valuable assets.”
She currently lives in Wellesley Hills.
Since she began in early October, Crawford has been developing a range of programs and initiatives, from acquainting developers and real estate offices with the town’s new zoning amendments, to signage and online permitting.
Over the long term, Crawford said she would like to develop more economic opportunities based on “where the town’s strengths in industry lie.”
“She has done a great job of certainly thinking outside the box,” said Community Development Director Fred Lonardo.
Crawford presented some of these programs during her first appearance at the Economic Development Committee on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
