Overview
In October 2025, Wave Maker Forum attendees detailed four key areas of focus: workforce, housing, environment, and culture. Scroll down the page to learn more about these key areas. Each section includes an overview of small business challenges, and opportunities, followed by a summary of the most recent session's notes as well as resources referencing active Wave Makers and partners across the Cape, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Plymouth.
The Cape’s blue economy thrives when people can live, work, and innovate here year-round. The path forward requires regional collaboration, workforce investment, and housing reform — supported by clear communication and community engagement.
The February 2026 forum confirmed a strong and encouraging takeaway:employer priorities are highly aligned with initiatives already underway through the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
Rather than uncovering competing agendas, discussions reinforced that the region is positioned to accelerate progress by tightening coordination, improving communication, and focusing on a small number of shared actions. Across all four breakout topics, participants demonstrated a clear willingness to engage, not only identifying challenges but offering concrete ways their organizations can contribute.
Key Takeaways (Across All Topics)
- Alignment is Real — Now Execution Matters. Employers consistently recognized existing programs, partnerships, and policy efforts that support Blue Economy growth. The opportunity is no longer discovery; it is integration and scale.
- Workforce and Housing Remain the Primary Constraints. While progress is visible, workforce availability and attainable housing continue to define the region’s economic ceiling.
- Employers Want to Be Active Partners
Participants signaled strong interest in:- Hosting interns and apprentices
- Co-designing training pathways
- Sharing data
- Participating in regional planning
Engaging in policy education
This represents a major shift from stakeholder feedback → shared ownership.
- Regional Thinking Must Replace Local Silos. A recurring theme across discussions was the need to operate more regionally - particularly in housing, infrastructure, environmental planning, and municipal collaboration.
The Wave Makers Forum is a collaboration between the Cape Cod Blue Economy Foundation and the Center for Community and Professional Education (CCAPE) at Cape Cod Community College. For more information on Wave Makers, please contact Katy Acheson at katy@capecodchamber.org. To learn about other employer forums and/or propose new ideas, visit CCape Employer Forums.
Recommendations for an Actionable Roadmap
Good News:
Employer priorities strongly align with regional economic strategies.
The Risk:
Without tighter coordination, progress may remain fragmented.
The Opportunity:
Employers are ready to shift from stakeholders to co-creators.
Focus on a small number of shared priorities and maintain employer engagement
Immediate Leadership Focus:
- Reinforce regional collaboration
- Prioritize workforce + housing
- Assign ownership to shared initiatives
- Demonstrate early wins
Near-Term (0–12 Months)
- Highest Impact / Most Achievable
- Create a centralized hub for training and career pathways
- Expand employer participation in internships and apprenticeships
- Improve communication across existing initiatives
- Convene regular regional coordination forums
- Mid-Term (1–3 Years)
- Advance workforce housing partnerships
- Align environmental infrastructure projects with talent pipelines
- Scale certification programs tied to regional demand
- Strengthen employer advisory structures
- Long-Term (3–5 Years)
- Establish fully integrated workforce ecosystems
- Expand attainable housing supply
- Normalize regional planning approaches
- Position the Cape as a national Blue Economy leader
Guiding Principle:
Coordinate before creating. Scale before reinventing.
ADDITIONAL NEXT STEPS
- Convene a Regional Blue Economy Action Coalition (Wave Makers) to align on priority “Initiatives in Motion” (ex. CEDS housing, training, infrastructure initiatives) for businesses to understand impacts and engage and guide locally.
- Develop joint funding proposals to expand regional training facilities and programs/certifications along with partnering with businesses to expand internships, apprenticeships, and retraining for youth and late-career entrants
- Create a Blue Economy Awareness Campaign and use shared communications platforms for data, job boards, and blue economy storytelling.
Have ideas or questions? Reach out using the contact form below or email katy@capecodchamber.org
