Location, Location, Location

As a business location, Holyoke is highly accessible through a network of highways, railways, and airports.  Interstate Route 91 connects the City directly north and south with Vermont, Canada, Hartford, New Haven, and New York City.  The Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) provides convenient access east and west to both Boston and Albany.  Interstate bus service from Holyoke is available through Peter Pan Bus Lines.  Regional bus service is provided by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority which connects the Holyoke Mall, Holyoke Hospital, the Central Business District, Holyoke Community College and numerous other locations with the region including Springfield, Northampton (Smith College), Amherst (University of Massachusetts) and many other sites throughout the area.

Holyoke is served by the Boston & Maine Railroad for north and southbound traffic and locally by the Pioneer Valley Railroad, which switches to a number of other railways.  By air, Bradley International Airport is 40 minutes away in northern Connecticut.  Westover Air Base, Westover Metropolitan Airport, and Barnes Airport are approximately 10 minutes from Holyoke.

Workforce Development

Holyoke’s resources for employment and training are exceptional and growing, and continue to be integral parts of the community’s economic development strategy.

The Holyoke Employment Partnership, staffed and housed at the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, has coordinated and advocated for workforce development resources since its founding in 1987.

The key resources for both employers and job-seekers are Hampden County’s award-winning One-Stop Career Centers.  CareerPoint, located in Holyoke, was created by a group of business and education partners under the leadership of the Holyoke Employment Partnership.  FutureWorks, located in Springfield, is also a non-profit organization.  Both centers provide an outstanding array of services aimed at creating a quality workforce for the employers of Hampden County.

The Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce has been designated a Workforce Innovations Network (WINS) partner by the U. S. Chamber of Commerce.  As such, it is working with Chambers in El Paso, TX and Durham, NC in developing new workforce strategies and serving as a model for other communities across the country.  Through Working Knowledge, the Chamber has developed innovative workplace education and training services in the health care and paper converting industries. Additionally, it has conducted labor market research through a U. S. Department of Labor grant that will assist the Chamber and the community to direct future effort and resources to the highest possible benefit to residents, employers, and the region’s economy. 

Holyoke Works

Holyoke Works is regionally recognized as one of the area’s premiere workforce development programs. Offering in-house and on-site job-training, Adult Basic Education, GED, and English speaking and literacy instruction, Holyoke Works has ample experience in helping employers prepare their workforce for the constantly changing challenges they face in today’s job market.

 Holyoke Works also provides instruction and training to individuals in need of skills development and employment. These services are provided at no cost to those eligible for Workforce Investment Act services, City of Holyoke Community Development Block Grants, and through Massachusetts Department of Education grants.

Contact Larry Bay or June Lupien at (413) 532-2683 and learn how you, as an individual or an employer, can take advantage of a dynamic workforce development opportunity.

Holyoke Utilities

The City continues to offer the important benefit of discounted electricity rates to local businesses.  The Holyoke Gas & Electric Department supplies, electricity, gas, and steam to commercial, industrial, and residential customers in Holyoke.

The Holyoke Gas & Electric Department offers a state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure throughout the City. 
A fourteen- mile fiber-optic ring supplies technologically advanced connections to users.  HG&E is now a full-service Internet Service Provider and sells high-speed data, Internet and/or voice connections to businesses,

as well as dial-up Internet services to residents and businesses.  For more information, please call 536-9444 • www.hged.com