We are excited to share the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion September newsletter featuring news, updates, and information from our Cabinet. | | ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND INCLUSION | |
MAYOR MICHELLE WU APPOINTS EMILY KNIGHT AS NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CHIEF
Earlier this month, Mayor Wu announced the appointment of Emily Knight as the City of Boston’s new Economic Development Chief. Knight will begin serving in the role on October 19.
A longtime Boston resident, Knight has spent her career at the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development. Most recently, she has served as President and CEO of The Engine, where she shaped the organization’s strategic direction and built partnerships with industry leaders, educational institutions, and public sector partners to help tech companies grow and bring breakthrough technologies to market.
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NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE BUSINESS FOR THE 2027 LEGACY BUSINESS AWARDS
Last week, Mayor Wu and the Office of Small Business announced the launch of the nomination period for the fifth annual Legacy Business Awards. Nominations will be accepted through Friday, October 30.
Residents are encouraged to nominate long standing businesses that have been located within the city of Boston for at least 10 years and contribute to the cultural, historical, and societal fabric of their community or neighborhood. To nominate a business, residents can use the online form or call the Office of Small Business at 617-635-0355 for assistance.
To date, 120 local businesses representing over 4,500 years of service to Boston’s neighborhoods have been honored through the Legacy Business Program. By recognizing and supporting legacy businesses on an annual basis, this program supports Mayor Wu’s vision for Boston being a family-friendly and vibrant city that creates more opportunities for residents to build generational wealth.
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MAYOR WU AND THE CITY OF BOSTON CELEBRATE THE LEGACY OF ALLAN’S FORMAL WEAR
On Sunday, September 20, the City of Boston celebrated the legacy of Allan’s Formal Wear in Dorchester with the dedication of Allan and Joycelyn Edwards Way, and proclaimed September 20, 2026 to be Allan and Joycelyn Edwards Day in the city of Boston.
For nearly 60 years, Allan’s Formal Wear has been a pillar of community for so many families in Dorchester, Roxbury, and all across Boston. Allan takes the time to build trust with every single customer, and every member of this community. And side-by-side with Allan, Jocelyn made the family business feel like home for generations of Boston families.
In 2022, the City of Boston announced the Legacy Business Program with an event at Allan’s Formal Wear, and Allan’s was one of the first 30 Boston businesses to receive a Legacy Business Award in May 2023.
The Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion extends our congratulations to Allan and Joycelyn Edwards as they celebrate this milestone for their business.
Visit Allan’s Formal Wear at 594 Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester and learn more about their business at allansformalwear.com.
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SAVE THE DATE FOR SUPPLIER DIVERSITY WEEK
October 26-30, 2026
Mayor Wu and the City of Boston’s Department of Supplier Diversity will celebrate the fourth annual Supplier Diversity Week from October 26 to October 30, reaffirming the City’s commitment to supporting local, diverse businesses.
During Supplier Diversity Week, the Department of Supplier Diversity will host a series of free workshops, networking events, and opportunities designed to help small and diverse businesses better understand City contracting, connect with buyers and resources, and build the knowledge and relationships needed to compete for public-sector work.
The Department will also release the Equity in Contracting Report for Fiscal Year 2026.
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ROCHE GENENTECH INNOVATION CENTER CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING IN ALLSTON
On September 16, Mayor Wu and Governor Maura Healey joined the team at Roche Genentech Innovation Center Boston for their grand opening at 100 Western Avenue in Allston.
Located at Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus, the Roche Genentech Innovation Center Boston will serve as Roche’s Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism (CVRM) hub. With the new center, Roche and Genentech are expanding their footprint within Greater Boston, leveraging local talent and anchoring an entrepreneurial hub at Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus.
The Innovation Center brings together scientists from across discovery research, clinical development, artificial intelligence and data science disciplines, and creates an end-to-end research environment spanning early-stage discovery through late-stage clinical development.
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BUSINESS STRATEGY TEAM ATTENDS BOSTON FINTECH WEEK
September 22-25, 2026
Representatives from our Business Strategy team participated in Fintech Sandbox's Boston Fintech Week.
As a sponsor of the week’s programming, the City hosted a coffee break on Tuesday, where Business Strategy Manager Shanice Wallace represented the City and delivered opening remarks, highlighting Boston’s growing fintech industry and the City’s commitment to supporting companies building and expanding in Boston.
International Business Strategy Manager Yuxi Wang joined International Acceleration Day for a panel discussion, “Pros and Cons: Choosing Boston over New York, Miami, or San Francisco.” The conversation explored Boston’s strengths and considerations for international fintech companies evaluating where to establish and grow their U.S. presence, including access to talent, capital, financial services, research institutions, and the broader innovation ecosystem.
Boston Fintech Week provided an important opportunity for our team to engage with the global fintech community and reinforced Boston’s position as a welcoming hub for international companies.
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BUSINESS STRATEGY TEAM ATTENDS STARTUP BOSTON WEEK
September 14-18, 2026
Representatives from our Business Strategy team attended Startup Boston Week's Ecosystem Fair on Tuesday, September 15. At the event, the team highlighted city programs, resources, and support available to startups and growing businesses. The Ecosystem Fair connected founders and members of the startup community.
Startup Boston Week is an annual conference led by Startup Boston that brings together Boston’s startups, founders, and entrepreneurs. Learn more about Startup Boston at startupbos.org.
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LICENSING BOARD APPROVES NEW BATCH OF LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATIONS
The Boston Licensing Board continues to approve new liquor licenses across Boston’s neighborhoods. This month, the Board approved a new zip code-restricted beer and wine license for Klin Thai in West Roxbury.
During the month of September, the Licensing Board approved applications from the following beer and wine licensees to upgrade to all alcohol licenses:
The Licensing Board also recently approved hours extensions for the bar at the Courtyard Marriott (extended hours from 10:30pm to 2am) and 89 Charles (extended hours from 12am to 1am).
In addition, the Board awarded Common Victualler licenses to HeyTea Harrison (Chinatown, 75 Harrison Ave) and Mia Map (Dorchester, 16 Bowdoin Ave). HeyTea is a Chinese-based chain known for their fruit tea, matcha, cloud foam, and more. Mia Map is a "coffee shop, boba tea and juice bar offering light street food."
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TOURISM, SPORTS, AND ENTERTAINMENT
OPEN STREETS BOSTON: ALLSTON-BRIGHTON
October 4 | Brighton Ave. and Harvard Ave. | 10:30 am - 3 pm
Open Streets Boston will transform Brighton Ave. and Harvard Ave. between Cambridge St. to Commonwealth Ave., into a vibrant, car-free boulevard featuring live music, food trucks, kid's activities, and much more!
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BUSINESS STRATEGY
DEALFLOW MIXER: CONNECTING FOUNDERS AND INVESTORS
October 16 | Downtown Boston | 9:30 am
Startup Boston and the City of Boston are bringing together pre-seed and seed-stage founders building product-based startups and investors who back product-driven companies for this Dealflow Mixer.
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TOURISM, SPORTS, AND ENTERTAINMENT
OPEN STREETS BOSTON: ROSLINDALE
October 18 | Roslindale Square | 10:30 am - 3 pm
Get ready for the first-ever Open Streets Boston event in Roslindale! Roslindale Square between Belgrade Avenue and Washington Street will transform into a vibrant, car-free boulevard featuring live music, food trucks, kid's activities, and much more!
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BUSINESS STRATEGY
IS THIS ACTUALLY A BUSINESS? FINDING PRODUCT-MARKET FIT
October 21 | Virtual Event | 9 am - 10 am
Join Startup Boston and the City of Boston for a virtual conversation with founders and startup leaders who will break down what product-market fit actually looks like in the early stages of building a company.
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BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL
Boston landlord offers startups free office space, with a catch
Build617, a co-building space for startups, opened in Downtown Boston last week. The property owner is commercial landlord Synergy, which has committed to let startups stay rent-free for about a year. [READ MORE]
THE BOSTON GLOBE
The new owners of Tropical Foods in Roxbury? The employees.
As Tropical Foods co-owners (and brothers) Ronn and Randy Garry began succession planning, they turned to a foundation-backed investment firm to create an Employee Stock Ownership Plan that gives employees a stake in the company’s future. [READ MORE]
BISNOW
'We're At A Juncture': Downtown Boston Retail Finds Its Post-Pandemic Footing
The City and other partners are reimagining Downtown by developing a broad series of strategies to support the mission of ensuring that Downtown is a vibrant, 24 hour neighborhood. [READ MORE]
DORCHESTER REPORTER
Wu taps innovation executive Knight as new economic development chief
The Dorchester Reporter spotlights Mayor Wu’s appointment of Emily Knight as the City of Boston’s next Economic Development Chief. [READ MORE]
WBUR
What's behind Boston's buzzy new coffee shops?
Interim Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Donald Wright speaks with WBUR about Boston’s buzzy new coffee shops, noting that nearly 40 new storefronts selling coffee have opened up in Boston since 2025. [READ MORE]
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BOSTON BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: TOAST
Toast a global technology platform built for restaurant and retail businesses. They are headquartered in Fort Point.
From the busiest local restaurants and shops to large hospitality brands, Toast helps owners and operators manage their businesses more efficiently, drive guest demand, and build lasting success.
In this recent video, Toast Chief People Officer Mike Gutner shares how Boston’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem has been critical to Toast’s success over the years.
Discover more about Toast at pos.toasttab.com and learn how Toast gives back to local communities at toast.org.
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Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion
1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201
econdev@boston.gov
617-635-5729
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