What struck William Marshall about towns in the Nashoba Valley when he arrived there 26 years ago is a sense of belonging.
The Army veteran said the presence of Fort Devens steeped the host communities in military history, and the transitory nature of the military required locals to form bonds much more quickly than in other locales. The result, he said, is an acceptance of diversification that allowed the communities to be welcoming, even after the closure of Fort Devens in 1996.
Today, Marshall – who will retire as president and CEO of North Middlesex Savings Bank some time this year (a date hasn’t been chosen) said he belongs “heart and soul” to the Valley. He is the only chairman the 18-year-old Devens Enterprise Commission (DEC) has ever had. The commission is a governor-appointed, land-use authority for the the 4,400-acre Devens Regional Enterprise Zone.
Meg DeLorier, chief of staff at DEC, said Marshall is the go-to person in the Valley to get anything of economic significance accomplished.
Marshall also serves as advisory director for the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce; as trustee of the Nashoba Valley Health alliance; on the advisory committee for the United Way of North Central Massachusetts; as a director of the Savings Bank Retirement Association; and is a member of the Massachusetts Bankers Association.
Colleague Patricia Thorpe noted that Marshall tends to the Valley’s civic and service needs, as well as its financial needs. He is a member of the Ayer-Shirley-Harvard Rotary Club, American Legion Post 139, and the Retired Military Officers Association. He has been active with the Loaves & Fishes Pantry at Devens.
Under his leadership, the bank has supported the Indian Hill Performing Arts Center in Littleton, the Pepperell Business Association, Lunenburg Library and Shirley Meeting House, Grotonfest, and has sponsored local road races, youth programs and senior citizen centers.
Thorpe said Marshall leads by example.
“There is a very real difference between a leader and a boss,” she told Banker & Tradesman. Marshall “inspires people to recognize their full potential and has gained the trust of every member of our staff. Respectful of others’ opinions, he treats all fairly and exhibits competence and confidence.”
It isn’t always easy, particularly in Nashoba Valley. The re-emergence of Fort Devens as the Devens Industrial Park has seen many highs and lows. When the base was first selected for closure, the region was still mired in the real estate recession of early 1990s. It was a “triple-whammy,” Marshall noted, because the base had previously been targeted for expansion as a technology center, and expectations ran high. Instead, business and land values were adversely affected.
“We really suffered a tremendous downturn on that, but that’s what coalesced the communities at that time to revitalize the whole structure here” and to develop a reuse plan, Marshall said. “Those hardships allowed us to coalesce into a firm community bond and move forward.”
