When the Regional Technology Corp. was formed, the organization was charged with raising the technology profile in Western Mass. Now, a number of changes and developments in the technology sector, as well as in the Commonwealth are returning some positive results. But as RTC President Ellen Bemben says, the mission to spread the word — and the knowledge — is ongoing.

If Ellen Bemben, president of the Western Mass. Regional Technology Corporation, could choose one word to best define the RTC, she says it would be ‘access.’

By that, she means access to education, information, and assistance for its members — more than 100 strong scattered across Western Mass. and Northern Conn. — but also access to those member companies themselves, afforded to virtually anyone in the world who is ready to do business with them.

“Western Mass. is redefining itself, and this is a very exciting time,” said Bemben. “Companies are changing, and we’re working diligently to prepare our members for the commercial habits and trends of today, including best practices.

“In all areas of technology, we’re picking up speed,” she continued, “and people are starting to see that the companies doing well, and doing amazing, immediately applicable things, are not elsewhere. They’re here.”

That’s more than a vote of confidence from Bemben; rather, it’s a sign of success on the part of the RTC, which was formed in the early years of this decade to foster just such a rebirth.

The RTC was launched in 2003, following a study of the region’s technology clusters commissioned by the Economic Development Council of Western Mass. and UMass Amherst. That report verified what many in the region already knew: that there was a need to understand and support the technology-based businesses in the area, and in turn to swell their ranks.

After working with the Battelle Memorial Institute (a private, not-for-profit applied science and technology development firm headquartered in Columbus, Ohio) to formulate a more targeted technology development plan, UMass was able to secure a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, which led to the formation of the RTC (as an affiliate of the EDC), and of the three ‘technology clusters’ on which it focuses. These clusters — biotechnology and life sciences, manufacturing and materials, and information technology — also have their own networks that are managed by the RTC, created to provide a sort of virtual meeting space for professionals working in each field.

More specifically, the Bioeconomic Technology Alliance (BETA) works with companies and individuals in the biotechnology and life sciences sectors, while MMTN, the Materials and Manufacturing Technology Network, works with precision manufacturers, suppliers, and other businesses and academic institutions working with or studying materials such as plastics, paper, polymers, adhesives, and coatings. Finally, TEC, the Technology Enterprise Council, focuses its efforts toward the IT field, to advance growth in information and communication technologies.

It’s a broad, multi-faceted mission that’s only getting larger as technology changes. Bemben said much of the media’s attention of late is focused on biotech, especially in Massachusetts, where Cambridge serves as the heart of a spreading ‘supercluster’ that has already engulfed Worcester and continues to incrementally spread west.

Biotech and life sciences are also a hot-button issue in the Commonwealth due to Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposal to commit $1 billion to the sector, made last year. But the technology landscape of Western Mass. isn’t limited to bioeconomics, and Bemben said equally intriguing changes are being seen in all aspects of technology.

“For one, IT is back,” she said emphatically. “TEC is up and running like crazy — folks are showing up for meetings and proving that there is definitely an IT community here that wants to be heard.”

Networking Specialists

Bemben said that for years following the dot-com crash of the late 1990s and early 2000s, IT companies struggled with everything from sparse business to negative perceptions regarding the longevity of their field. But those days are coming to a close, she added, and there’s a new attitude in the air. What’s more, it’s an attitude that’s catching the attention of some IT professionals east of Worcester.

“IT is thriving, and we’re really excited,” she said. “These people were so thirsty to have their own organization, the activity kicked in about a year ago and hasn’t slowed down.”

This activity includes seminars and classes led by TEC members for the business community at large, addressing key IT issues that most offices will see and contend with in the current technology climate. For example, a ‘digital marketing’ course launched last year has sold out every time it has been held, and has led to a new course in ‘viral marketing,’ which refers to the changing ways companies are reaching new audiences through technology such as E-mail blasts. As both people and technology become more sophisticated, said Bemben, E-mail-based marketing is beginning to move away from being seen as pesky spam and more akin to an announcement in the local newspaper.

“There are ways of reaching people more effectively now through E-mail,” she said, “and everyone uses E-mail, so it’s not going to go away.

“This course also represents the second level in our educational efforts,” Bemben added. “The first course was sort of ‘digital marketing 101,’ and we’ve moved on to ‘201.’”

And, as she found out, it’s not just local business owners who are attending these seminars. After looking over a few recent roster sheets, Bemben noticed people driving in from Greater Boston to take advantage of the one-day information sessions.

“They said it’s a perfect mix — they learn what they need to learn by driving to a course about an hour away,” she said. “Some of them said it seemed like the most accessible option to them, and I think it’s important to note that they’re learning the information they need from our members, who all do business in this region.”

Toeing the Production Line

That focus on education is a big part of the RTC’s work within the other clusters, too. On the manufacturing end, Bemben said efforts are channeled most frequently into workforce development, a pervasive issue that is seen both locally and across the nation.

Bemben was recently appointed to the Commonwealth Covenant Fund board of trustees, a body administered by Treasurer Tim Cahill to administer funds for scholarships to increase and enhance the manufacturing employee pool. The board will begin its work with a $5 million appropriation for STEM courses — science, technology, engineering, and math — that will award scholarships to students enrolled in STEM-based majors.

“Right now, the funds, the board, and the paperwork are all in place, and we’ll start marketing this program in a month or two,” said Bemben. “Our overall goal, though, will be to make this as sustainable as possible.”

The Commonwealth Covenant Fund and other initiatives focused on workforce development were created in response to the changing face of manufacturing in the state, especially in Western Mass., where the sector had long been a predominant source of jobs. While the sector has declined, Bemben said there are some changes happening that are promising for the region, among them a blending of high-level manufacturing expertise with that of the RTC’s other, emerging clusters of IT and biotech.

“MMTN was a totally different network three years ago,” she said. “A lot of companies disappeared, but now, we’re not just seeing new companies taking their place. We’re seeing the old companies coming back with new strategies to work within new markets, filling new niches.”

Medical device manufacturing, for one, is a major area of opportunity for companies looking to shift gears. This is an example of how domestic manufacturing is changing on the whole — moving away from more simple products and parts and toward increasingly sophisticated components — and joining forces with the burgeoning biotechnology field by coupling the necessary hardware with developing technologies.

“You can’t make a widget or a pail anymore,” said Bemben. “Today, manufacturing is more intricate and highly regulated. Whoever is still manufacturing here already knows this — these are the companies who were strategic enough to see things were not going to get better without change.”

Bemben said there are a number of companies in the area that fit this description, including Vaupell Plastics in Agawam, a custom injection molding outfit that has recently made an investment to renovate its plant to accommodate ‘clean-room’ manufacturing, a more stringent, sterile practice often used in the creation of medical devices.

In addition, East Longmeadow-based Texcel has signed a contract with the medical testing and development lab Microtest in Agawam, to make what are called ‘combo’ parts — components that are coupled with electronics to create drug delivery systems and other complex items.

“Nanotechnology burst onto the scene a few years ago, and that’s driving more micromolding and nanomanufacturing,” said Bemben.

Three Become One

These new strides are also leading toward a greater homogenization of all three technology clusters — manufacturers working with biotechnologies, labs integrating more sophisticated IT systems, and so on.

“This cross-pollination across all three areas is a neat part of what’s happening today,” Bemben said. “Everything is driven by IT now, and many components necessary to life sciences and other areas like aerospace are changing the face of manufacturing.”

However, there’s another constant — ‘green’ business — that binds these sub-groups together, and that, Bemben said, could lead to a fourth network within the RTC.

“Green is undoubtedly the hot-button issue today, and it’s an extremely broad topic,” she said. “This is a huge second wave of excitement after life sciences opened up for us. It affects several different areas of technology, and everyone seems to be moving in the same direction.”

Bemben added that, while the pressures associated with going green affect all three types of businesses associated with the RTC’s networks, this new concentration also creates opportunities in a myriad of areas, including alternative-energy development.

“There’s particular interest in photovoltaics in the Northeast,” said Bemben. “Solar panels, wiring, solar cells, installation … these are all new growth areas that can create new jobs.”

She said green is so important that the RTC has already formed a special-interest group focused on green policies and trends, and this could morph into a full-blown network such as the MMTN, TEC, or BETA. The working title for the new group is CleanTEC, but GreenTEC is being bandied about, too.

Further, the green movement coupled with the many other changes to the marketplace are spurring a positive growth period for the Western Mass. technology clusters, she said, that is marked by an increased number of jobs in the manufacturing and materials sector, with the IT sector running a close second in that regard.

“And Massachusetts continues to be seen as a good business address for those working in life sciences,” Bemben noted. “There’s more interest than ever coming from the European Union and the West Coast, and that’s going to have an effect on the work we’re doing in Western Mass., not just in Cambridge.”

Bemben concluded that, while her biggest hope is that interest in the region will continue to mount in terms of technology development, the work of the RTC is focused on making this an area that demands notice, instead of merely welcoming it.

It’s all about access, she said, which the RTC is ready and willing to grant.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at

stevenson@businesswest.com