The 2000s and Beyond – Meeting the needs of the 21st Century

LIDC has entered the 21st Century with the same dedication to community and the regional economy as when the organization was founded. At the start of this new millennium, the Industrial Park continues to grow as businesses relocate to Littleton and expand into new space. There is a new emphasis on high-tech operations, both in the companies who have been here for decades and in those who have more recently arrived.

As LIDC President Greg Eastman puts it: “It’s not your grandfather’s shoe factory anymore,” and LIDC continues to partner with employers and educators to ensure Littleton’s economy remains viable in a global market.

The Littleton Coin Company’s move from its 19,000-square-foot Union Street building in 1999 provided the space for LIDC to help establish an educational center that would further boost the regional economy by presenting the training employers were seeking in an increasingly technology-based market.

LIDC partnered with the Northern Community Investment Corporation (NCIC) to seek funding to establish the Littleton Learning Center, which was funded through donations from 17 local businesses and a $1 million Community Development Block Grant. The Learning Center opened in the former Coin Company building in 2000. Now called the Paul J. McGoldrick Center, the building houses Head Start, the New Hampshire Employment Security offices, and White Mountains Community College (WMCC).

Furthering its efforts to support the education and skills local employers seek, LIDC also partnered with NCIC to secure a grant to purchase two CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machines, which are located at the Littleton High School’s Hugh J. Gallen Career and Technical Center. The machines are accessible to Littleton students, as well as those from other area high schools and those enrolled at WMCC. Evening classes have been offered at the Tech Center in a collaborative effort between the high school, WMCC, and area businesses, including Burndy, Robotec, and Genfoot America.

Meanwhile, the Industrial Park is booming. FedEx built a new 40,000-square-foot building in 2010, which ushered in the arrival of Secured Network Services arrived in 2011 and that company’s expansion in 2015. Rotobec, Littleton Coin Company, and FedEx have expanded in recent years. And 2016 marked a huge community collaboration in the Industrial Park, with Tender Corporation – the Park’s second tenant, way back in the 1980s – moving into a new, state-of-the-art, 117,000-square-foot building. Appalachian Stitching was able to then pursue a much-needed expansion by moving into the former Tender building.

LIDC also continues its efforts at to encourage good economic health outside of the Industrial Park. To this end, LIDC is working with the Littleton River District to enhance the downtown area and maintains partnerships with several other organizations in the region, all focused on positive economic development.