Reeves and the council decided not to stand by idly. The city launched several measures designed to keep small businesses afloat and prevent large corporations from moving out:

. The council unanimously passed a new zoning package for Cambridgeport that encourages development of light industry.

. The City created the Cambridge Business Development Center (CBDC) to help individuals start new businesses.

. The city council launched the Cambridge Industrial Financial Authority (CIDFA) to provide bond financing and credit enhancement for growing corporations.

. The council adopted the "Cambridge Employment Plan" to encourage businesses to hire local residents, particularly women and minorities.

. Cambridge is discussing a joint program with MIT to provide free technical training for residents and help create a labor pool for biotech firms.

. City officials are actively considering offering tax exemptions to some key companies.

. The city manager's office is in the process of rewriting Cambridge's parking freeze, which limits the amount of parking spaces--and hence the amount of development that can be created in the city.

The city's two new agencies, CBDC and CIDFA, are intended to help both "Mom and Pop" businesses and growing corporations.

The CBDC offers guidance for individuals interested in starting and running new businesses. The federally funded agency employs full time director and hopes to revitalize the depressed Central Square business district.

The CIDFA works with banks to provide bond financing and loan pools for young businesses that the city considers promising.

But city officials are paying the closest attention to the biotech firms, Cambridge's primary growth industry.

"We are talking to them about their needs," says Michael H. Rosenberg, assistant city manager for community development. "There have been direct communication improvements."

Cambridge recently submitted a proposal to MIT that would allow residents to take free technical courses designed to prepare them for biotech industries.

"If we want to keep [biotech industries] in Cambridge, then it's to our advantage to create the labor pool," says Rosenberg.