August 11, 2003

ROMNEY HOLDS THIRD “JOBS FIRST” FORUM

Takes his jobs campaign to Framingham, solicits feedback from local business leaders

FRAMINGHAM – Governor Mitt Romney today held the third in a series of “Jobs First” forums across the Commonwealth as he took his campaign to stimulate job growth on the road to the MetroWest region of the state.

At the forum, which was held at Lifeline Systems in Framingham, Romney outlined his six-point TOPS program – Tapping Our Potential in the State – to get the Massachusetts economy back on track. He also solicited input from Framingham-area business leaders about how the state can help with their needs.

Romney pledged that his Administration will focus on the employment needs of all regions of the Commonwealth, including MetroWest.

“I am committed to putting Massachusetts back to work,” Romney said. “As difficult as our challenges are, we have enormous potential – a diverse economy, a highly educated workforce and major academic and research institutions.”

“But we can only be successful by working together, all of us, Democrats and Republicans, business and labor, to create an environment that allows job growth and development to take place,” he added.

In outlining his six-pronged TOPS program, Romney said government can play an important role in economic development by doing the following:

· Preserving a stable and competitive tax base;

· Holding down the cost of doing business in Massachusetts;

· Taming the high cost of housing by increasing the supply;

· Connecting our higher education system to regional workforce needs;

· Reforming state government to improve the delivery of services; and

· Working aggressively to bring more jobs to the state.

“In order to put Massachusetts back to work, the most important thing that government can do is to create the right environment for economic expansion and job growth. Employers will do the rest,” said Romney.

At the forum, Romney also joined company officials in announcing an expected 15-year capital investment of $11 million for Lifeline Systems and the creation of 187 new jobs for the MetroWest region.

Founded in Cambridge in 1974 by Dr. Andrew Dibner, Lifeline Systems provides communications equipment and personal response services to its subscribers, primarily the home elderly and disabled.

In 2000, Lifeline moved their corporate headquarters to Framingham and renovated almost 100,000 square feet of an old Denison Mill building at 111 Lawrence Street. Lifeline spent almost $20 million on this renovation and currently houses both a call center and manufacturing facility at their headquarters.

In addition to their investment, Lifeline agreed to expand their workforce to 600 in return for a 15-Year Tax Increment Financing (TIF) from Framingham and the 5 percent Investment Tax Credit (ITC) from the Commonwealth. In November 2000, Lifeline was approved by the Commonwealth’s Economic Assistance Coordinating Council (EACC) as a certified project under the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP).

The most recent phase of their expansion – a $2 million renovation of a 29,000 square foot building across the street at One Clark’s Hill – has recently been completed.

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