Lynn EDIC touts ’09 accomplishments

LYNN – Business in the city may not be booming, but 2009 did bring some investment and growth, according to the Lynn Economic Development and Industrial Corp. (EDIC) annual report.Among the accomplishments were the opening of the Blue Ox restaurant on Oxford Street, the growth of Sidekim Foods, finalization of plans and funding for expansion of the Lynn Community Health Center, the purchase of new quarters by Flowers By Lorraine, the opening of KevMoe Imaging on Wheeler Street and establishment of the Cleantech InnoVenture Center green-tech business incubator in the J.B. Blood Building.According to the report, Willow Labs has continued its growth in a newly renovated building on Union Street where about 150 employees provide drug testing services. The company added a walk-in medical center, pharmacy and deli.Last year also saw the completion of the MV24 residential lofts in a former industrial building on Mount Vernon Street and the arrival of the first wave of tenants. The city has also made progress developing its waterfront, with the relocation of electrical transmission lines expected to begin in May.”During the next decade, you will see development where power lines once stood. It is our ultimate goal to transform the waterfront into a bustling, pedestrian-friendly destination for residents and visitors alike,” said EDIC Executive Director James Cowdell. “Downtown Lynn is also going through a transformation of its own. More and more urban professionals and families are moving into state-of-the-art lofts and shopping and dining in our business district.”Despite the challenging economy, the EDIC has continued to provide financing for local businesses, he said, citing city-supported ventures that have blossomed and become part of the community’s commercial fabric.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said she was encouraged by the EDIC success stories, noting that the report “provides a glimpse into some thriving Lynn businesses, all of which took advantage of the resources and expertise offered by the EDIC.”Referring to the Lynnway power line relocation project, she said, “Lynn’s waterfront has long been a spectacular, yet underutilized asset. The city has taken steps to change that, with the development of the Waterfront Master Plan.”Cowdell emphasized that the waterfront will soon become a 100-acre tract of land ripe for development, with no power lines to impede designs. “It’s a game changer. In the future, you’ll see people shopping and living in that area, and families enjoying the oceanfront,” he said. “It’s going to change the face of Lynn.”In the downtown business district, the Blue Ox restaurant has proved successful and become a piece of the puzzle in the redevelopment of downtown. As Cowdell put it, downtown Lynn badly needed a good restaurant that could thrive over the long term. The winning combination emerged as Mark Dejoie, principal of the Lynn Restaurant Group, Inc., and Matt O’Neil, executive chef and part owner.The restaurant surpassed $1 million in gross sales within seven months of opening and currently has 24 employees.The Lynn Community Health Center plans to construct a two-story, 29,300 square-foot building in the parking lot adjacent to its main site at the corner of Union and Buffum streets. The downtown clinic serves over 30,000 patients – nearly a third of the city’s population.”The new addition will benefit employers who rely on a healthy workforce, children who rely on healthy teachers and caregivers, and all of us who benefit from healthy neighbors and a healthy community,” said Lori Berry, the center’s executive director. “More importantly, it will create more than 150 jobs.”For Robin Keighley, 2009 marked the purchase of a building at 541 Boston St. with help from the EDIC. She and her mother, Lorraine, founded the floral business 19 years ago, operating out of a rented location. “EDIC was very helpful and generous,” she said. “They gave me a fantastic rate on a loan and I appreciate that.”The Clea