Fall River Office of Economic Development

In 1978, the City of Fall River established the private, nonprofit Fall River Office of Economic Development (FROED) as its "one-stop shop" for business and economic development. The office maintains a professional staff that is organized into four main areas - finance, business development and marketing, business retention and project administration. Fall River Industrial ParkFROED helps business

es evaluate the many advantages of locating in Fall River, offering aggressive incentive programs including low-interest financing, tax exemptions, employee recruitment and training services, and site selection assistance. We also provide consultation and technical support in areas ranging from permitting to international trade assistance. These programs complement Fall River's low business costs and can be packaged with other private and public sector incentives. All of our services are free of charge. Over the years, FROED has loaned nearly $61 million to more than 520 new and expanding businesses, leveraging nearly $205million in private investment. These loans have helpedBattleship Massachusetts create and retain over 12,300 jobs, nearly a quarter of Fall River's total workforce. Our loan portfolio includes a mixture of startups, local expansions and relocations that have taken advantage of such programs as the low-interest Business Advantage Fund and innovative Microloan Fund.

Operating as usual