We are excited to share the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion October newsletter featuring news, updates, and information from our Cabinet. | | ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND INCLUSION | |
BOSTON MAIN STREETS FOUNDATION HONORS LOCAL BUSINESSES AT ANNUAL AWARDS CELEBRATION
On Monday, October 26, Mayor Michelle Wu, City of Boston Chief of Economic Development Emily Knight, and representatives from the Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Cabinet joined the Boston Main Streets Foundation for their annual Awards Celebration.
The evening honored Boston’s small businesses and the people that contribute to Boston’s neighborhoods.
During her remarks, Chief Knight emphasized the City’s commitment to investing in our neighborhoods, supporting our Main Streets, and celebrating the small businesses that make Boston dynamic across all neighborhoods.
Our office extends congratulations to all businesses and volunteers who received awards.
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OEOI STAFF ATTEND MASS BLACK EXPO
On Tuesday, October 6, Mayor Wu and Economic Opportunity and Inclusion staff, including Deputy Chief Donald Wright, Director of Small Business Aliesha Porcena, and Director of Supplier Diversity Andrea Swain attended the 2026 Mass Black Expo at the Omni Seaport Hotel.
The Mass Black Expo (MBE), hosted by the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA), is the Commonwealth's premier event for showcasing businesses, organizations, and allies committed to building a more equitable economy. The Mass Black Expo provides an opportunity for residents across the Commonwealth to connect, exchange ideas, build relationships, and discover new pathways for business growth, entrepreneurship, and wealth creation.
The event featured keynote conversations, panel discussions, interactive workshops, 50 Black-owned businesses, networking opportunities, procurement matchmaking, and curated experiences, aimed at providing attendees with the connections, knowledge, and access needed to compete for contracts, grow sustainable businesses, and create lasting economic impact.
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MAYOR WU AND LICENSING BOARD ANNOUNCE POLICY UPDATES TO IMPROVE THE PROCESS OF OPENING A RESTAURANT IN BOSTON
On Tuesday, October 26, Mayor Wu and the Boston Licensing Board held a press conference at Marabou Café in Mattapan to announce a series of reforms to make it easier and faster to open and operate a restaurant in Boston.
The City is proposing zoning changes to eliminate unnecessary reviews, streamline the process for transferring restaurant ownership, and provide clearer guidance for business owners navigating City permits and licenses. Together, these reforms will help reduce costs, support entrepreneurs, and allow more businesses to open across neighborhoods.
Additionally, Mayor Wu announced the appointment of Ava Callender Concepcion as the new Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing (MOCAL), Chair of the Boston Licensing Board, and Chair of the Boston Cannabis Board. Concepcion will begin serving in her role on November 4.
Most recently, Concepcion served as a Commissioner on the Boston Licensing Board. Prior to her position on the Board, Concepcion served as Acting Chair and a Commissioner on the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, the state agency responsible for licensing, compliance, and policy development across the Commonwealth's legal cannabis industry.
Concepcion succeeds Kathleen Joyce, who has served as Executive Director of MOCAL and Chair of the Boston Licensing Board since 2018. During her tenure, Boston implemented significant licensing reforms, expanded neighborhood access to liquor licenses, and supported the continued growth of the city's restaurant, hospitality, entertainment, and special events industries.
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NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE BUSINESS FOR THE 2027 LEGACY BUSINESS AWARDS
Last month, Mayor Wu and the Office of Small Business launched the nomination period for the fifth annual Legacy Business Awards. Nominations will be accepted through Friday, November 13.
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.
The Dorchester Reporter recently published an op-ed by Director of Small Business Aliesha Porcena detailing the importance of Boston’s legacy businesses. She noted that the City has honored nearly 20 Dorchester businesses through the program over the past few years. Read the full op-ed.
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MAYOR WU AND THE CITY OF BOSTON HONOR REGINA PIZZERIA WITH STREET DEDICATION
On Monday, October 19, Mayor Wu and the City of Boston honored the 100th anniversary of Regina Pizzeria with a street dedication. Now, the area around Regina Pizzeria, located at 11 ½ Thatcher Street, will be known as “Regina Pizzeria Square." Chief of Economic Development Emily Knight, Director of Small Business Aliesha Porcena, and Small Business Program Assistant Kim Garofalo attended the event.
In 2025, the City honored Regina Pizzeria as a Legacy Business.
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MAYOR WU AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND INCLUSION STAFF ATTEND YES/BOSTON INNOVATION CHALLENGE FINALE AND SHOWCASE
On Tuesday, October 20, Mayor Wu and Economic Opportunity and Inclusion staff attended the Yes/Boston Innovation Challenge Finale and Showcase, where 11 startups shared their plans to connect food innovation with better health outcomes.
The Yes/Boston Innovation Challenge sought to accelerate and scale these efforts by mobilizing entrepreneurship and innovation to deliver tangible, locally relevant impact. Under the leadership of the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Citi, Deloitte and MassChallenge, the initiative brought together public, private, nonprofit and community stakeholders to activate Boston’s robust innovation ecosystem. By attracting talent and empowering local ventures, Yes/Boston positioned the city as a living laboratory for inclusive and sustainable growth at the intersection of health access, resilience and sustainable food systems.
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MAYOR WU AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND INCLUSION STAFF ATTEND YES/BOSTON INNOVATION CHALLENGE FINALE AND SHOWCASE
Chief of Economic Development Emily Knight and Director of Business Strategy Alia Forrest recently attended the MedTech Conference at the Thomas M. Menino Convention and Exhibition Center, where they connected directly with local medtech companies shaping the future of healthcare.
More than 4,400 attendees from over 40 countries attended the MedTech Conference in Boston this year, making it the largest gathering in the event's history.
Our team extends a thank you to MassMedic for a fantastic tour of the event and to the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center for their partnership. Together, we are keeping our region at the forefront of global life sciences innovation!
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BUSINESS STRATEGY TEAM WELCOMES DELEGATIONS TO CITY HALL
Throughout October, the Business Strategy team welcomed multiple delegations to Boston City Hall to discuss Boston’s business landscape, local business and investment resources, and how the City provides support to companies looking to expand or relocate to Boston.
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SOUTH KOREA
On Monday, October 19, the team welcomed a delegation from South Korea to Boston City Hall. The delegation included SparkLabs, one of Korea’s leading venture capital firms, as well as five South Korean startups exploring global expansion opportunities.
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SINGAPORE
On Thursday, October 22, the team welcomed a delegation of medical technology companies from Singapore. The visit introduced these emerging MedTech companies to Boston's life sciences ecosystem, discuss opportunities for U.S. market expansion, and share resources available to international businesses looking to establish a presence in Boston.
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KYOTO CITY, JAPAN
On Tuesday, October 27, the team welcomed a delegation from Kyoto City, Japan. Building on the two cities’ longstanding sister-city relationship, the discussion explored opportunities for collaboration across startups and innovation, creative industries and cultural exchange, and university and ecosystem partnerships.
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DEPARTMENT OF SUPPLIER DIVERSITY CELEBRATES SUPPLIER DIVERSITY WEEK
From October 26 to October 30, the Department of Supplier Diversity celebrated the fourth annual Supplier Diversity Week, highlighting the City’s efforts to expand opportunities for local and diverse businesses. Throughout the week, the City hosted events and workshops to connect businesses with resources and contracting opportunities while fostering a more inclusive business community.
From Fiscal Year 2023 to Fiscal Year 2026, the City spent $504 million in discretionary funds with certified minority- and women-owned business enterprise (M/WBEs), a 115 percent increase over the $234 million spent during Fiscal Years 2019 to Fiscal Year 2022. The City also awarded $752 million in contracts to certified M/WBE during fiscal years 2023-2026, a 132 percent increase over the $324 million awarded during the previous four-year period. In Fiscal Year 2026, the City had 1,076 actively certified businesses across its M/WBE and small and small-local (S/LBE) businesses.
The City of Boston is continuing this work, and outlines recent achievements in the annual Equity in City Contracts Report for FY26. Additional information about the City’s efforts is available on the Equitable Procurement webpage.
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| TOURISM, SPORTS, AND ENTERTAINMENT | | | |
CITY OF BOSTON BRINGS FREE BIKE PROGRAMMING TO RESIDENTS THROUGH RIDE AND CHILL EVENT
On Sunday, October 11, the City of Boston hosted Ride and Chill in Franklin Park. Residents and visitors of all ages and experience levels took part in events including a 9-mile bike ride throughout Franklin Park and surrounding neighborhoods, a 2.5-mile family-friendly ride, a half-mile loop for beginners and balance-bikers, and a festival at the Shattuck picnic area.
Ride and Chill builds on the Franklin Park Action Plan, which aims to create a more welcoming and connected park experience by better integrating Circuit Drive into the Park, strengthening partnerships with local and regional organizations and expanding and diversifying programming and events.
By connecting residents with community resources and hands-on support, the event helped riders of all ages and experience levels feel more comfortable and confident on two wheels.
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OPEN STREETS BOSTON DEBUTS IN ROSLINDALE SQUARE
The 2026 Open Streets Boston season concluded with Open Streets Boston - Roslindale on Sunday, October 18.
During Open Streets, Roslindale Square transformed into a vibrant, pedestrian-focused boulevard where residents and neighbors shopped with local businesses and vendors along Poplar Street, Corinth Street, and Birch Street. Attendees also enjoyed performances from local artists and family-friendly activities throughout the route.
Thank you to Manifested Events for their planning and execution of four incredible Open Streets Boston events this year. We look forward to the return of Open Streets Boston in 2027!
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SMALL BUSINESS
HR SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
November 2 | Virtual Event | 10 am - 11:30 am
This session presented by The Griffin Collective is designed for business owners who are preparing to hire employees or beginning to build teams and need guidance on establishing compliant HR practices and operational infrastructure.
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BUSINESS STRATEGY
COFOUNDER MATCHING: MEET YOUR FUTURE FOUNDING TEAM
November 9 | Register to see address | 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Join Startup Boston and the City of Boston for structured networking, where you will create new relationships and get one step closer to finding that critical business partner you need on your team.
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SMALL BUSINESS X SUPPLIER DIVERSITY
CERTIFICATION AND CONTRACTING BASICS FOR VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESSES
November 18 | Virtual Event | 9:30 am - 10:30 am
The City of Boston is partnering with the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office to share the basics of business certification at the State and City level, and best practices for accessing the right contracts for your business.
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ALLSTONIA
Open Streets in Allston Brighton opens doors for small businesses and pedestrians
Allstonia spotlights the experience of Open Streets Allston-Brighton from local residents and business owners. [READ MORE]
BOSTON.COM
A major project planned for Nubian Square is changing. Here’s how.
Rising costs and a weaker office market are pushing the developer to replace planned office and lab space with a smaller workforce training and arts facility. [READ MORE]
BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL
MassChallenge leaves Seaport after 15 years for Fenway neighborhood
The move takes MassChallenge out of the only Boston neighborhood it has occupied since 2009. It wants to be closer to major hospitals and healthcare companies. [READ MORE]
THE BOSTON GLOBE
Wu proposes changes to make it easier to open a restaurant in Boston
Mayor Wu’s administration Tuesday proposed a series of tweaks to the city’s dense zoning code, aimed at simplifying that process. The measures would include accelerating the review process for ownership transfers and allowing more restaurants in commercial and mixed-use areas. [READ MORE]
THE DAILY FREE PRESS
Boston local businesses reflect on annual small business award as nominations open for 2027
Senior Neighborhood Business Manager Emily Patrick shares more about the nomination period for the 2027 Legacy Business Awards. [READ MORE]
THE PRESS AND JOURNAL
How Moray is building business ties with Boston after World Cup ‘made everyone in city a Scotland fan’
The Press and Journal spoke to City of Boston Director of Business Strategy Alia Forrest and the Moray Chamber of Commerce about the growing business relationship between the two areas. [READ MORE]
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BOSTON BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: MANIFESTED EVENTS
Nearly 10 years ago, Shana Bryant turned a skill she had developed through years of community organizing, volunteer work, and operations management into Manifested Events, a minority- and woman-owned business certified with the Department of Supplier Diversity. Based out of Grove Hall, the firm specializes in community and economic development, placemaking, and large-scale public programming.
Today, Bryant and her team produce events ranging from conferences and celebrations to street activations serving thousands of residents throughout greater Boston.
Read more about Manifested Events and how a contract with the City of Boston changed the trajectory of their business in the FY26 Equity in City Contracts Report.
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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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