CRA-ED Team
The CRA-ED team is comprised of development experts, fundraisers, and community leaders – each also having a background in corporate IT and strategy. Please find their abbreviated bios are below.
Ken Morris
Founder and Partner
Ken has 40+ years of experience in economic development for retailers and restaurants, most recently as the Founder and Managing Partner at Cambridge Retail Advisors Economic Development (CRA). Ken is a member of the board of directors of the Boston Main Streets Foundation a non-profit organization serving the city and developed a program to democratize technology previously only available to chains and make it available to independently/minority owned restaurants and retailers in the Boston neighborhoods which is spreading across the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to CRA, Ken was the founder and Managing Partner of Boston Retail Partners (BRP), before BRP he was CEO & President of LakeWest Group and the former founder of KMG Solutions, a software company that developed solutions for the retail industry. Prior to founding KMG, Mr. Morris was the founder and CEO of CFT Consulting and CFT Systems which were dedicated to serving retailers and restaurants for their technology needs. Ken’s experience includes strategy, selection, development and deployment of Point of Sale, e-commerce, catalog, and traditional retail solutions for independent retailers and restaurants as well as large chain locations. He has also held various senior management positions at Lord & Taylor, Filenes, Talbot’s, Stop & Shop Supermarkets, Grossman's (Home Improvement), Sears and was Director of the New England Retail Technology Practice for Deloitte.
Marty Whitmore
Founder and Partner
Marty is a Senior Information Technology Executive possessing excellent leadership and management skills, His background includes 20+ years with TJX Cos. Inc. where he was responsible for all Global Store Systems. He also held the position of Senior Vice President Global Infrastructure Services. Marty provides a track record of delivering consistent results through strong alignment with the business. Marty possesses outstanding strategic planning skills with an understanding of the need to consistently deliver tactically. He has an excellent ability to communicate technical issues to non-technical colleagues. He has expertise in all aspects of Retail Systems, Application Development, Application Support, Infrastructure, Service Delivery and Security. Marty has worked in all aspects of retail as he also spent two years with Starmount Systems in Austin, TX as Vice President of Software Development and Implementation.
Grant Cohen
Founder and Partner
Grant serves as a Managing Partner in CRA's Economic Development Practice founded in 2019. The firm has worked with the Boston Main Streets Foundation (BMSF) leading an impactful technology initiative and the MA-Department of Housing and Community Development (MA-DHCD) on their Local Rapid Recovery program targeted at aiding communities affected through the pandemic. CRA-Economic Development is a proud Allied Partner of Main Street America. Prior to his work around the Commonwealth, he has developed impact programming for Esperanza International, The First Tee, RISPCA and the Amos House. He has more than six years’ experience as a management consultant working within the retail, restaurant, and consumer product goods industries. He holds a B.A. from the University of Richmond. Grant and his wife Mariela live in Providence, RI.
Joe Lawlor
Founder and Partner
Since the inception of CRA ED, Joe has worked tirelessly for the advancement of small businesses alongside a dedicated team of passionate professionals. He brings to the team over a decade of small business consulting and mentoring experience spanning retail, restaurant, and service sectors. In that time, he has worked with over 100 businesses from Maine to Massachusetts. Alongside individual consultations, he has also collaborated with local town councils and economic committees to tackle macro socioeconomic issues. Most recently he has been engaged on economic development projects involving the Boston Main Streets Foundation (BMSF) and MA-Department of Housing and Community Development (MA-DHCD) to further the interest of small business communities throughout the state of Massachusetts. These projects have been multiyear endeavors which forged lasting partnerships between CRA ED and the Massachusetts state government, various NPO’s, and technology vendors. Educational Background: University of Maine – MBA, BS Marketing, BS Management, Public Relations Minor