The City of Boston has many resources available for business of all types. Some of the assistance is tied to the type of business and the business location. Some of the types of assistance are as follows:

 

• Technical assistance to assist you when dealing with the City's planning and licensing agencies. Whether it is help with getting a building permit, defining a scope of work, obtaining a zoning variance to getting your business open we have programs for you.
• The City of Boston has a façade and signage improvement program that will assist you in presenting a good public face to your business. The façade program is a matching grant program which provides up to $7,500 per "storefront" renovated (many business have more than one "storefront"). The program also allows for up to $2,500 to pay for new signage, there is no match required for this part of the program. All projects are subject to our design approval process.
• We can assist you with the design of you building, signage or logo.
• We can help you develop a business plan.
• We can work to connect you with other sources of public and private funds.

 

So in conclusion, yes there are resources available for "green" business within the City.

Colleague:

It all depends on size of city and your needs. Some examples:

• Cities-County-State may have web-sites where they will feature or link local businesses.
• Also, they are always looking for interesting web content, so if you have a story to tell, they may host it
• All states have a service funded by the Dept of Defense that - for free- allows you to establish an account to receive bid information from the federal government Procurement Technical Assistance Programs (or PTAPs) will guide you thru the processes. Note, it is a process, not a quick fix, but may provide long-term client base.
• Also, some entities host "Buy Local" initiatives

Check their web-sites under Economic Development or Business Assitance. Hope that helps.

The City provides some one on one technical assistance as well as occasional seminars on marketing for small business. The City can help you improve you public image through design assistance and image development. If your business is located within one of the City's 19 Main Streets districts additional resources are potentially available.

There are a number of initiatives with in the City to promote Green Building. These programs are primarily handled by the Boston Redevelopment Authority or the City's Environment department. The City strongly encourages Green Building techniques and energy conservation. The City is currently working to develop a energy conservation and Job Creation Loan fund in conjunction with Boston Connects Inc. This loan pool will be available to business located within the City's Empowerment Zone.

Boston Buying Power is one of the Mayor's newest initiatives. The goal of the program is to aggregate small business owners together so that they can obtain Electricity and Gas at better prices than they are currently paying. Any business is eligible and there is no cost to join. Currently over 100 business have joined the program and are experiencing energy savings of over 20% on the base NSTAR rate. We anticipate that this program will grow significantly over the next year. There have been 3 electricity buys so far with another anticipated by the end of the month. Hopefully we will also be able to do a gas purchase by mid March at the same level of savings. For more information please go to Bostonbuyingpower.com. The sign up is easy!

 

For those business located outside of Boston our partner, Taylor Consulting and Contracting can assist you with joining the Boston Buying Power purchasing pool. Your participation will help everyone, the larger the energy purchase the greater the discount. Once again please visit Bostobutingpower.com or call 888-317-3923 for more information.

The City obtains many goods and services by Requests for Proposals. This is a formal legal process. The City of Boston's website has information about current Requests for Proposals. The web address is http://www.cityofboston.gov/purchasing/bid.asp . These bids are also published in the City Record, along with a lot of other interesting information. This is available on line at http://www.cityofboston.gov/purchasing/

What type of networking groups do you have? Our local chamber offers 1 night a month where you can come and network with other business owners? Do you feel sessions like this are beneficial? What should you take too or take from sessions like this? What should be the focus?

Thanks for taking a look at our website! This is a great way to explore what resources the City has to offer. The answers to your questions are as follows....

Start Early. Prepare your application well in advance of the date you wish to start any activity that may require a license; it can take time to get a license approved, especially if you need a permit that requires inspections or approval from multiple city departments (e.g., Inspectional Services -Building and Health Divisions, Consumer Affairs, Fire, Transportation) or qualifying exams.
Take Steps in the Right Order. Knowing what is required to obtain the permit will save you time and aggravation. For example, know what documents you will need to submit with the application and prepare them in advance. If the permit you need requires multiple agency approval or both City and State approval, you should get them in the order indicated.

Know the Rules. You need to be informed about what you can and cannot do under the regulation or law because - even if you don't know the rules - inspectors do. Before you commit to a location. If you have questions, call the relevant agency and ask.

As we all know time is money and knowledge is a great time saver. Always ask first. Make sure you are on the right track! The Office of Business development is here to help you. Feel free to call 617-635-0355 and someone will be there to assist you in getting to the next step.

All signage is subject to City approval. The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) administers the City's sign codes. The Office of Business Development can assist you in getting your signs approved. It is always important to get your sign approved before you have it fabricated. The Office of Business Developement offers a signage program, it is actually part of the ReStore Program. In general the first $2,500 of the cost of a sign can be reimbursed. You must apply to the program and recieve design approval before you order or put up the sign. There are currently funds available for this program. we can also help with the design of your sign.

As a general rule the City does not allow the placement of sandwich board signs on the sidewalk.

The City does offer some technical assistance through nonprofit providers on marketing efforts.

I hope that that city you are considering relocating to is Boston! Each City has its own way of communicating information on Zoning and Regulations. The best place to start is on the City's website. Boston's web site (CityofBoston.gov) is an excellent starting point to research this information. As a general rule the Zoning regulations are complex and subject to interpretation. Do your homework before you make any long term commitments. Most City Websites have a search feature, search for Business assistance, or Economic Development. In Boston the best palace to start is at The Office of Business Development. Most larger cities have some variation of this department. When in doubt give a call or send an email and ask. Cities and towns are always looking for new business to add to the local economy.

The City is always looking for new and better ways to engage it's residents and Business, whether it is through community organizations, City sponsored programs, or on the Web, the City seeks to build a sense and spirit of community. Any suggestions you have to improve our contact with business would be gladly accepted. And no matter what add the City of Boston as a friend!