An expert in business revitalization will become Fitchburg’s director of economic development and chief marketing officer next week.
Jerry Beck, a Fitchburg resident who was most recently director of marketing and community engagement for the Fitchburg Art Museum, will move into his new role at City Hall on Dec. 19, according to a statement from Mayor Lisa Wong. Beck has been a consultant, educator and advisor to several civic and educational institutions, including the New England Foundation for the Arts, Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts, the statement said. His efforts at economic revitalization and transformation include a Civil War-era fort on an island in Boston Harbor, a block-long textile mill complex and smoke stack, a baseball field and warehouse space in Boston’s Fort Point Channel.
“Jerry has decades of experience in developing historic buildings and working with the private sector to attract businesses, and will hit the ground running,” Wong said. “His ability to draw funding and attention on the state and national level is exactly what Fitchburg needs to generate substantial business growth and ignite investment here in Fitchburg.”
Beck added, “This is an extraordinary opportunity to help the community I live in to become an even more vibrant destination for businesses, families and tourists.”
