Room to grow
Bay State companies find needed space at Devens
Ten years after Fort Devens closed, the former Army base, reborn as Devens, has become an economic driver for the region.
The announcement of plans by Bristol-Myers Squibb for a $1.1 billion manufacturing facility demonstrated Devens’ potential to attract jobs and economic activity to Massachusetts.
The latest additions to the Devens roster hint at a slightly different role: providing Massachusetts companies with the room they need to expand and grow.
Integrated Process Technologies Inc. of Marlboro, which was established in a basement, has been forced to move several times to accommodate its expanding operations. It will buy and renovate a 25,102-square-foot building in the Jackson Innovation and Technology District.
Odic Inc. of Westford will move its electronics design operation into a 3,474-square-foot building it will buy at Devens.
The Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, which manages Devens, will provide borrowing support for both projects.
The farsighted efforts by state and town officials provide a worthy model of effective economic redevelopment.