Business View Civil and Municipal | February 2021

47 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL FEBRUARY 2021 AMESBURY , MASSACHUSETTS would be manufacturing,” Gove explains. “We have active manufacturers in the community today and a long history of manufacturing, whether it was carriages or automobiles – we actually manufactured the first electric car. Our largest manufacturer now is Munters Corporation, a company that dehumidifies and dries the air. They work with aeronautics, with agriculture, automotive, and a lot of different industries.” In fact, many of Amesbury’s businesses work in conjunction with other nearby businesses. The city’s location in the Merrimack Valley makes it easy for them to collaborate and source from each other with a lot accessible to them within the region. “The location also makes Amesbury desirable for new businesses to set down roots,” says Angela Cleveland, Director of Community and Economic Development for Amesbury. “In addition to businesses co-locating together within Amesbury, we do consider ourselves part of the regional economy – we are looking at the entire Merrimack Valley together, from the City of Lawrence at one end to our next door neighbor in Newburyport. I think businesses know that we are accessible with the junction of two major roads, but also right next to New Hampshire, so people can dip into Amesbury quickly for things that may not be accessible to New Hampshire.” Amesbury also offers businesses financial incentives, including a tax increment finance incentive that is currently being used by a hotel, a manufacturer, and a sports complex in the city. “There are a lot of different ways that these businesses have used the TIF to help them remove some of the barriers to entry and to welcome them into our community,” says Cleveland. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in downtown Amesbury. A recent revitalization of the downtown made use of its historic Mayor, Kassandra Gove Director of Community and Economic Development, Angela Cleveland