For the record, the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce’s Bill Christopher considers himself a “return here.” After born and raised in Cambridge, Bill left town to attend Swathmore College in Vermont and then thirty-five years as a healthcare executive.
It was never his intention to be away for so long. Still, after he and his wife decided to move back to Dorchester in 2015, he found that his years off the Shore gave him a unique perspective on how things have changed, mostly for the better in his opinion, in his native Cambridge.
In fact, by the end of 2019, Dorchester was “cooking with gas” economically. Businesses were thriving, tourism was up, and downtown Cambridge was reaping the benefits of new entrepreneurs opening up unique stores and restaurateurs. It all looked like everything was heading in the right direction until a world pandemic came along.
The COVID crisis is clearly not over, and Dorchester County, like the rest of the country, will need to endure its severe health and economic consequences for at least four to six months longer. Still, as Bill noted in his Spy interview a few weeks ago, things are looking pretty good. While none has been spared, and there remains a lot of financial pain in downtown Cambridge, and throughout the county, there remains a momentum in the region that has withstood this severe blow.
And that is a reason he sees the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel now and five years down the road.
This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce, please go here.
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