High Tech Council Launches Municipal/Legislative Tracking Website

For Immediate Release
March 31, 2006

Contact: Cort Boulanger
(339) 222-2442

MassTrack Ranks Competitiveness of State's 351 Communities

The Massachusetts High Technology Council, which represents CEOs from the state's leading technology employers, today launched MassTrack, a dynamic website designed to provide data to technology employers and employees on how state and local political leaders measure up to the technology community’s agenda. The site ranks all 351 Massachusetts cities and towns on a range of variables that measure tax policy, workforce strength, and openness to development and growth. MassTrack can be accessed at www.masstrack.org.

"Despite the fact that technology firms are part of a growing global economy, competitiveness starts at home," said Council President Christopher R. Anderson. "The goal of the community rankings is to create a competitive foundation for a statewide, technology-based economic strategy."

The community information provided through MassTrack brings into focus the competitive priorities of technology employers and employees in 10 core variables, including the density of technology workforce, new housing created, tax rate differential and environmental permits issued. An interconnected ranking of state senators and representatives will be released this summer after the close of the legislative session.

"We envision MassTrack will be a valuable tool for a variety of constituencies: technology CEOs and employees, policy makers, the media and elected officials," said Anderson. "No other site offers the same breadth and depth of information related to the competitiveness of the state's technology climate."

Anderson noted that Hopkinton (#1) and Bedford (#10), towns from technology-heavy areas of the state, fared well in the rankings. But other communities not known as innovation hotspots, like 6th ranked Lakeville, scored well because of favorable tax policies and developable space for growth.

MassTrack was developed over the past year with the input of technology CEOs, statisticians, corporate site selection specialists, and public policy development experts. The 10 ranking variables are derived from the most current data available from a variety of public and private sources. A full explanation of how the rankings were constructed can be found on the methodology page of MassTrack.

MassTrack provides visitors the opportunity to explore interactive, color-coded maps of the state based on the MassTrack ranking and individual variables. A visitor can focus on a specific variable and quickly determine which communities are favorable or unfavorable for that competitive priority. In addition to the variables used for ranking, MassTrack collects other data points of interest to the public.

Anderson noted that a connected legislative ranking and assessment system will be scientifically weighted and more proactive than other legislative scorecards. The weights of the votes will be tied directly to the Council's annual CEO survey, which sets the Council's agenda each year. And Council staff will work to identify and publicize upcoming MassTrack votes so legislators understand how that issue will impact their overall rating.

About the Massachusetts High Technology Council
The Massachusetts High Technology Council is composed of CEOs from the state's top technology employers who work to make Massachusetts a more competitive place for technology growth. Council members run leading global companies from all sectors of the state's diverse technology economy. In 2004, the Council launched the Massachusetts Defense Technology Initiative, which led the state's efforts to preserve the state's two top defense technology installations, Hanscom Air Force Base and the Natick Soldier Systems Center.

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