Former Salem planner tapped to head North Shore Alliance

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February 24, 2009

By Chris Cassidy The Salem News Tue Feb 24, 2009, 06:00 AM EST

SALEM — Bill Luster has been named the first president of the newly formed North Shore Alliance for Economic Development, a group aimed at establishing the North Shore as an economic region and promoting opportunities across the area.

Luster is a former Salem planning director and will be giving up his job as a local developer to take on the new, $95,000-a-year position full time.

The alliance will represent 30 North Shore communities from Salem to Salisbury.

The initial funding came entirely from private businesses and institutions, though the goal down the road is to secure some state funds, which other similar alliances already receive.

We talked with Luster recently about his new job and what the alliance could mean for the North Shore.

Q: So what exactly is the North Shore Alliance?

A: Primarily, the alliance was established to create a North Shore region with a brand and an image, so that businesses, government and institutions start to think of the North Shore as a region from an economic development standpoint.

Q: What opportunities do you see down the road?

A: Retention is going to be an important part of the economy over the next few months — retaining the businesses we have, creating better opportunities for success, making sure transportation projects are getting done. Maybe having some involvement with a gas tax hike versus toll increases for the business community. I think economic development and transportation issues are going to be where we'll spend a lot of time.

Q: How do you think the North Shore is different from other regions in the state?

A: What the North Shore has is a quality of life for people that own and work in a company, and we want to sell that to small-, mid- and larger-size companies.

Q: What kinds of companies?

A: The six clusters of the economy we'll be focusing on initially ... biotech, creative economy, health care, manufacturing, tourism and green products, companies that deal with sustainable products and green products.

Q: What are you doing your first few weeks on the job?

A: We're in the very early stages. We're getting a Web site up, making sure people know what the North Shore Alliance is so we have a presence to the world and get some identity.

We also need to work with the Statehouse and get a state appropriation that most of the other regional economic commissions and alliances and councils get.

We also just got our phone installed — that's a big accomplishment.

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