The Partnership is a public/private leadership organization directly involved in determining the outcome of issues critical to the greater Salem Community. Members of the Partnership believe that a strong community creates a prosperous business climate. The goal is to bring all sectors of the City together to revitalize Salem.
The Results!
Creative Economy Research & Action Plan
On April 15, 2008, ConsultEcon Inc. in association with Karl F Seidman Consulting Services presented the research key conclusions and identified the action plan to grow this sector as part of the region's economic development plan. View all documents and materialsNewsletter on Economic Growth Initiatives in Salem -Winter 2008
-Success stories and How to be successful in Salem (PDF)
Welcome to the Salem Partnership's website. The partnership differs from other business organizations as its role is to focuses on key specific projects. Presently, its focus is on:The renovation and expansion of the Courts Complex inSalem. This has been a longtime project for The Partnership. On July 18, 2005, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey came to Salem and announced the funding of $106 million to move this project forward toward completion in 2010. Since that time, The Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM), the state agency which oversees renovation and construction projects for the Commonwealth, formed a Citizen's Steering Committee for the Courthouse Project. This working committee consists of community leaders, whose purpose is to keep interested parties informed and to get input into this major economic initiative for the city and the region. Since the committee was initiated, they have met on numerous occasions as needed.To date, DCAM has acquired three private houses and a church. One of the houses is scheduled to be moved and it is hoped that the other two houses can be moved as well. The historic church will be moved to the front of the site and will be the cornerstone of the new courts complex. The architectural firm of Goody, Clancy and Associates has been selected as the designer and is working on both the renovation of the Probate & Family Court / Registry of Deeds Building and the new Judicial Center. Public meetings have been held and it is hoped that construction will begin in late fall 2007 or early in 2008.The Salem Port Development Project. Part of this project is a ferry service from Salem to Boston and in June 2006, this service was initiated. The City of Salem obtained a three-year lease from the Salem Harbor Power Station, owners of the Blaney Street docking site, and through funding from the Seaport Advisory Council a dock was built at the site. The City also obtained a grant from the Department of Transportation to purchase a ferry. The Salem Partnership and the City formed a Ferry Committee with three sub-committees, site preparation, procurement of a vessel, and Marketing Committee. Lieutenant Governor Healey, the Mayor of Salem and other dignities took the inaugural run from Boston to Salem on June 22, 2006. The ferry now in its second year, is highly successful, doubling its rider ship of 2006. From May to the end of October, the ferry is transporting both commuters and visitors eight times a day, seven days a week between these two great cities.The third major project that the Partnership is focusing on is The Creative Economy Initiative. In 2003,in conjunction with The Enterprise Center at Salem State College, a 38-person task force was formed to develop this initiative. One of the task force's first actions was to commission an economic impact study conducted by the Eagle-Tribune Publishing Company. The results of this study are available on this website under "creative economy initiative."The Task Force then brought Charles Landry, author of "The Creative City" to the region for four days. He toured the region, met with cultural, business and government leaders, ran an all day workshop for the Task Force and presented an action plan to 150 of the regions leading CEO's at the 17th Annual Dinner of the Salem Partnership on April 7, 2004. The action plan is also available on this website.One of the recommendations was to "deepen the research". With this goal in mind, The Salem Partnership and the Enterprise Center at SSC held 7 focus group dinners with 72 people representing 60 companies in the fall of 2004. One of the major outcomes of the focus groups was that members of the Creative Economy want their own Creative Economy Association and the Creative Economy Association of the North Shore (CEANS) was formed in 2005 and presently has over 100 members.The next Creative Economy Initiative project was the first statewide conference entitled: The Innovation Agenda: Growing the Creative Economy in Massachusetts. This was held at the Hotel Hawthorne and the Peabody Essex Museum on May 3, 2006 with over 200 speakers and participants in attendance. To quote one participant, "This is the first time that the right speakers were in the right room with the right participants." From all reports, the conference was a huge success.A final report and action plan was prepared and in April 2007 at a legislative breakfast in Boston, plans for creating a Creative Economy Council was announced by Representative Bosley, House Chair of the Economic Development and Emerging Technology Committee. Charles Landry, on a return visit to Salem, advocated for a state-wide initiative at that breakfast. Later, he gave a presentation on "The Creative Economy Initiative World-Wide" and signed copies of his latest book, "The Art of City Making" at a reception at PEM. He also gave a workshop sponsored by Salem State to over 70 educators entitled "Can Creativity Be Learned"?Presently through the efforts of Senator Frederick E. Berry and Representative John D. Keenan, funding has been obtained to provide further research on this the Creative Economy sector and to further the efforts of CEANS.
Patricia H. Zaido
Executive Director
The Salem Partnership
The Salem Partnership
Site created and maintained by Net Atlantic Inc.