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Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Boston World Partnerships pumped 200 new jobs into city
By Rodney H. Brown
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Boston World Partnerships celebrated its one year anniversary last night at the Liberty Hotel, touting what can only be described as a level of success beyond even their highest expectations. At least that was what the night’s most famous speaker, Mayor Thomas Menino said. “The information that they bring forward to me is just astounding,” Menino said of BWP’s success at connecting both global and local businesses with the experts and resources they need to move forward — in Greater Boston, of course.
According to statistics they released last night, BWP in its first year was responsible for creating 200 new jobs in Boston and retaining 115 jobs, resulting in an economic impact of $38 million in statewide spending.
“I wish some people in other positions in the government understood that creating jobs is the best way to move the economy, and that’s what BWP does,” Menino said.
BWP was founded by Menino, and it tapped former Boston chief economic development officer and director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority Mark Maloney as BWP president.
Maloney spoke to Mass High Tech about the first year of BWP and its future.
MHT: What are some of the high-tech successes in BWP’s first year?
Maloney: We have created a website that generates connections beyond us, which is very important. We have 175 Connectors whose job it is to further connections, and so thousands of connections have been made. We try to count the connections, but something might come from this conversation that I won’t even know of that you will be able to further. But we do keep statistics and tonight we are going to be sharing some of the thousands of connections that have been made. (That is) way above average of websites of this kind to get and share information.So we have created a platform that is actually working to break through the barriers of not being able to access. The scientist can access software but can’t often access space. The realtor can’t always access the scientist. We have a scientist in Romania who wanted to develop a pharmaceutical program. One of the Boston Connectors convinced him to use an Italian venture capitalist but said, ‘You have to operate out of the Greater Boston area’ because this is where those things are happening. So it’s a Romanian, an Italian venture funder, and this gentleman in Boston is from Romania himself, but it’s all going to be done in Boston. Certainly some of the work will be done in Romania, and the venture capitalist will make money in Italy — we’re all happy that that all happens — but in fact Boston also gets a piece of the attention. And I think that because there is a credible third party that isn’t paid to tell the true story we have the best sales people in the world — 175 of them.
John Harthorne of MassChallenge — we’ve been working with him to help them locate a space to have all of the challenge workers working in the same place. But I don’t mean to say we are only about space — I’m a real estate guy, I have been all my life, and so I do get into the space thing. I’m a junkie as far as that is concerned.
MHT: What are the differences between running BWP and running the BRA?
Maloney: The singular difference is that I have the opportunity to work with people that are coming from the ground up to develop their business. In government it is very hard not to come from the top down and try to reach through the established system and mechanism to get to people who are coming up. I think I did a great job at the BRA, but I think I do perform better in a one-on-one basis with people. I am truly an entrepreneur. I came from that background before the BRA, tried to bring that to the BRA, and made some success I think. But as an entrepreneur, I like to work one on one with people who are sparking my imagination and my creative spirit. And this is different. We work with people individually to help them succeed. In turn we ask them to tell their story to their global network. Therefore telling the story that Boston is a prime sponsor of collaboration and global networking, keeping our image as a global innovator precise and up to date.
MHT: What are the goals for next year?
Maloney: We have been funded by the State Department to travel to Dublin to create our first international chapter, so Boston World Partnership will be opening a branch over there. Part of what we did to open Boston is to make sure that the participants shaped the program, so we have been hesitant to go too far afield, but (David McLaughlin, executive director of BWP) believes he has found the right person he believes will adopt the philosophy appropriately. The State Department wanted us to get involved because of the business cycle being down in Ireland and because of the strong connection to the Boston area. So we do intend to see a series — maybe as many as six or seven — international chapters started next year. That’s a goal. London is next — the council general from London to New England is a Connector. He understands his job is to do economic development for the United Kingdom here.
I couldn’t help my connectors if I couldn’t reach through the barriers and break the ceilings. A lot more of the barrier breaking has to go on next year too. We are going to focus on getting some of that accomplished.
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