Massachusetts DHCD Teams Up with CRA Economic Development to Boost LRRP Efforts

CRA Economic Development to Boost LRRP Efforts

Boston, MA June 18th, 2021 – CRA Economic Development is proud to announce its collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in its Local Rapid Recovery Program (LRRP). We will be working with community leaders at the state and local level to empower entrepreneurs with our blend of business and technology expertise.   

“Our retail and restaurant thought leadership and impactful work with the Boston Main Streets Foundation allowed us to win this opportunity with DHCD,” said Grant Cohen, Managing Partner, CRA Economic Development. “This is an exciting opportunity to further cement our value to state and local agencies seeking to transform main street economies, in Massachusetts, and across the United States.”   

The RRP Program provides participating municipalities in Massachusetts the opportunity to develop actionable, project-based recovery plans tailored to the unique economic challenges and COVID-related impacts to downtowns, town centers, and commercial areas across the commonwealth.   

“The impact of COVID-19 is still a serious threat to every small business community in Massachusetts,” said Joe Lawlor, Managing Partner, CRA Economic Development. “Our program is geared to lessen this threat while also providing the fundamentals which ensure long-term sustainability.”  

Rapid Recovery Plans will include analysis and exploration of challenges, barriers, strategies, and actions, with a focus on developing tactical and strategic project recommendations that help communities achieve their recovery goals. The program provides technical assistance through Plan Facilitators assigned to each community applicant (e.g., city, town, or nonprofit entity) and Subject Matter Experts who are available to help seed ideas for project recommendations through best-practices webinars, and whose support will help inform and further refine project recommendations through individual and group consultations.   

About Cambridge Retail Advisors  

Cambridge Retail Advisors (CRA) is an innovative and independent retail store and restaurant consulting firm dedicated to providing superior service and enduring value to our clients. CRA combines its consultants’ deep retail and restaurant business knowledge and cross-functional capabilities to deliver and implement client specific strategy, technology, and process solutions. CRA’s Economic Development Practice focuses the expertise of CRA’s industry experts on small-business empowerment efforts at the local level. The firm’s unique combination of industry focus, knowledge-based approach, and rapid, end-to-end solution deployment helps clients achieve their maximum business potential. CRA’s consulting services include:  

Strategy                                                  Business Intelligence
                Business Process Optimization       

Point of Sale (POS)                               Mobile POS                                   Store Systems and Operations   

Payment Security                                 CRM                                               Customer Experience & Engagement    

Order Management                             eCommerce                                  Merchandise Management   

Unified Commerce                               Supply Chain                                 Micro-fulfillment  

CFOaaS                                                   Private Equity  

For more information, visit: https://cambridgeretailadvisors.com