Mass., North Shore Tech Councils to Partner Up (Boston Herald)

By Jay Fitzgerald  |   Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Two high-tech groups in Massachusetts are joining forces to boost their political clout and networking capabilities.

Stopping short of calling the deal a full-fledged merger, the Massachusetts High Technology Council and the North Shore Technology Council announced yesterday a new partnership that will allow dues-paying members to share resources in both groups.

The MHTC, which has a paid staff, signed a “letter of understanding” creating the partnership with NSTC and its volunteer staff.

The MHTC has only 100 members, but the group includes many of the largest high-tech and biotech firms in the Bay State, such as Analog Devices and Biogen Idec.

NSTC has more members at 340, but they tend to be smaller companies, though its ranks include Varian Semiconductor of Gloucester and Analogic of Peabody.

John Colucci, president of NSTC and an attorney at the McLane Law Firm, said the MHTC has lobbying clout that NSTC members don’t have, while NSTC has a strong tradition of networking.

“It’s really about their public advocacy for our members,” he said. “They get access to smaller innovative businesses.”