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A list of all Market Show exhibitors

AffiliaTED CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE OF GREATER SPRINGFIELD INC.

(413) 787-1555

1441 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103

www.myonlinechamber.com

Booth: 94

An African American Point of View

(413) 796-1500

688 Boston Road, Suite B

Springfield, MA 01119

www.afampointofview.com

Booth: 84

Am B Care Ambulance Service

(877) 624-4199

100 Verge St.

Springfield, MA 01129

www.ambcare.com

Booths: 115-117

American Convention Services

(413) 739-6811

50 Turnbull St.

Springfield, MA 01104

Booth: 5

AmericanInternational College

(800) 242-3142

1000 State St.

Springfield, MA 01109

www.aic.edu

Booth: 182

American Laser Centers

(800) 242-3142

1111 Elm St.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.americanlaser.com

Booth: 4

Answer is Fitness

(413) 782-7587

1739 Allen St.

Springfield, MA 01118

www.answerisfitness.com

Booths: 88 & 89

Associated Builders Inc.

(413) 536-0021

4 Industrial Dr.

South Hadley, MA 01075

www.abuilders.com

Booth: 185

Azon Liquors

(413) 786-0015

384 Walnut St. Ext.

Agawam, MA 01001

www.azonservices.com

Booths: 127 & 128

Bert Hill Moving and Storage

(413) 485-0050

978 Southampton Road

Westfield, MA 01085

www.berthill.com

Booth: 114

BFP Associates

(413) 739-2352

1233 Westfield St., Suite One

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.bfpassociates.com

Booth: 134

Branford Hall Career Institute

Healthcare Education Center

112 Industry Ave.

Springfield, MA 01104

(413) 781-2276

www.branfordhall.edu

Booths: 165 & 166

Branford Hall Career Institute

TechnicalTraining Center

189 Brookdale Dr.

Springfield, MA 01104

(413) 732-0546

www.branfordhall.edu

Booths: 165 &166

BusinessWest & The Healthcare News

(413) 781-8600

1441 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103

www.businesswest.com

Booth: 25

CambridgeCollege

570 Cottage St.

Springfield, MA 01104

(413) 747-0204

www.cambridgecollege.edu/springfield

Booth: 82

Casual Elegance Inc.

(413) 596-2334

P.O. Box 9

Wilbraham, MA 01095

Booths: 51-53

Chamber Insurance Program/Connecticare

(800) 953-4467

P.O. Box 581

Orange, CT 06477-0581

www.citrust.com

Booth: 192

Charter Business

1-888-GET-CHARTER

355 Front St.

Chicopee, MA 01013

www.charter-business.com

Booth: 105

Chicopee Savings Bank

(800) 662-0974

70 Center St.

Chicopee, MA 01014

www.chicopeesavings.com

Booth: 99

Citizens Bank

(413) 589- 0111

33 Center St.

Ludlow, MA 01056-2788

www.citizensbank.com

Booth: 186

Clarion Hotel and Conference Center

(800) 870-0486

1080 Riverdale St.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.wsclarionhotel.com

Booth: 74

Clear Channel

(413) 781-1011

1331 Main St., Suite 400

Springfield, MA 01103-1621

www.clearchannel.com

Booth: 56

Collegeof our Ladyof the Elms

(413) 594-2761

291 Springfield St.

Chicopee, MA 01013-2839

www.elms.edu

Booth: 22

Comcast Business Services

(413) 730-4540

3303 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01107-1111

www.comcast.com/business

Booth: 50

Command Security Corporation

(413) 746-2349

601-1605 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103

Booth: 72

Concero Networks

(413) 525-4900

P.O. Box 772

East Longmeadow, MA 01028

www.conceronetworks.com

Booth: 106

Cooperative Systems

(860) 523-1000

282 Murphy Road

Hartford, Connecticut 06114

www.coopsys.com

Booth: 54

Country Bank

(413) 967-6221

75 Main St.

Ware, MA 01082

www.countrybank.com

Booth: 190

Crestview Country Club

(413) 786-2593

Shoemaker Lane

Agawam, MA 01001

www.crestviewcc.org

Booth: 42

Curry Printing

(413) 785-1363

191 Elm St.

West Springfield, MA 01089-2726

www.curry-printing.com

Booth: 93

n Cyalume Technologies Inc.

(888) 858-7881

96 Windsor St.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.cyalume.com

Booth: 73

Development Associates

(413) 789-3720

630 Silver St.

Agawam, MA 01001

www.devassociates.com

Booth: 2

DiGrigoli Salons

(413) 827-8888

1578 Riverdale St.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.digrigoli.com

Booths: 195 & 196

Disability Management Services Inc.

(413) 747-0990

1350 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103-1641

www.disabilitymanagementservices.com

Booth: 110

Eastfield Mall

(413) 543-8000

1655 Boston Road, Unit A11

Springfield, MA 01129-1130

www.eastfieldmall.com

Booth: 101

EDC of Western MAss

(413) 593-6421

1441 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103-1449

www.westernmassedc.com

Booth: 126

Ener-G-save, a program sponsored by Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation

(866) 634-3021

380 Union St.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.ener-G-save.org

Booth:112

East of the River 5 Town Chamber of Commerce

(413) 755-1309

1441 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103-1449

www.myonlinechamber.com

Booth: 157

Fallon Community Health Plan

(508) 368-9395

One Chestnut Place

Worcester, MA 01608

www.fchp.org

Booth: 60

FastSigns

(413) 732-9900

1102 Riverdale St.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.fastsigns.com

Booth: 11

FasttrackAirportParking

(800) 590-6789

24 Ella Grasso Turnpike

Windsor Locks, CT 06096

www.avistarparking.com/fasttrack

Booth: 3

First National Merchant Solutions

(860) 584-9294

87 Atkins Ave.

Bristol, CT 06010

www.firstnationalmerchants.com

Booth: 103

Freedom Credit Union

(413) 739-6961

P.O. Box 3009

Springfield, MA 01101-3009

www.freedomcoop.com

Booth: 199

Get Set Marketing, LLC

(413) 781-7800

125 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01105

www.getsetmarketing.com

Booth: 10

The Graduate School at Bay Path College

(413) 565-1000

588 Longmeadow St.

Longmeadow, MA 01106-2292

www.baypath.edu

Booth: 189

Health New England

(413) 233-3178

One Monarch Place, Suite 1500

Springfield, MA 01144-1500

www.healthnewengland.com

Booths: 90 & 100

 

H.L. Dempsey Company

(413) 736-8742

103 Baldwin St.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.hldempsey.com

Booths: 35 & 45

HolyokeCommunity College

(413) 538-7000

303 Homestead Ave.

Holyoke, MA 01040-1099

www.hcc.edu

Booth: 144

Holyoke Gas & Electric Department

(413) 536-9463

One Canal St.

Holyoke, MA 01040

www.hged.com

Booths: 197 & 198

Holyoke, Chicopee, Springfield Head Start Inc.

(413) 788-6522

30 Madison Ave.

Springfield, MA 01105

www.hcsheadstart.org

Booth: 68

JMP Environmental consulting

(413) 967-5601

439 Belchertown Road

Ware, MA 01082

www.jmpec.net

Booth: 36

Johnson & Hill Staffing Services Inc.

(413) 746-3535

95 State St., Suite 501

Springfield, MA 01103

www.jhstaffing.com

Booth: 120

King Ward Coach Lines

(413) 539-5858

70 Justin Dr.

Chicopee, MA 01022

www.kingward.com

Booths: 175-179

Law Office of Kimberly L. Stevens

(413) 306-6030

82 Main St., Suite 4

West Springfield, MA 01089

stevenslawma.com

Booth: 191

LibertyMutual

(413) 567-2000

175 Dwight Road

Longmeadow, MA 01106

www.libertymutual.com

Booth: 98

Lil’ Dogs

(413) 583-3435

393 East St.

Ludlow, MA 01056

www.lildogs.com

Booth: 65

Marcus Printing Company Inc.

(413) 534-3303

750 Main St.

Holyoke, MA 01040

www.marcusprinting.com

Booth: 66

MassLive, LLC

(413) 733-2000

32 Hampden St., 4th Floor

Springfield, MA 01103

www.masslive.com

Booths: 70 & 80

MassMutualCenter

(413) 787-6610

1277 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103

www.massmutualcenter.com

Booth: 92

Mercy Medical (Bloodmobile)

(413) 748-9000

271 Carew St.

Springfield, MA 01104

www.mercycares.com

Booths: 146-149

McNamara Waste Services, LLC

(413) 566-8300

P.O. Box 327

East Longmeadow, MA 01028

www.mcwaste.com

Booths: 6-9

Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.

(413) 536-8510

330 Whitney Ave., Suite 800

Holyoke, MA 01040

www.meyerskalicka.com

Booth: 63

Moriarty & Primack, P.C.

(413) 739-1800

1414 Main St., Suite 1300

Springfield, MA 01144

www.mass-cpa.com

Booth: 95

Northeast Security Solutions Inc.

(413) 733-7306

33 Sylvan St.

West Springfield, MA 01089-3441

www.northeastsecuritysolutions.com

Booth:113

Patriot Energy Group

(413) 732-0272

201 Westfield St., 2nd Floor

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.pariotenergygroup.com

Booth:113

Peter Pan Bus Lines

(413) 781-2900

P.O. Box 1776

Springfield, MA 01102-1776

www.peterpanbus.com

Booths: 75-79

PioneerValleyPlanning Commission

(413) 781-6045

26 Central St., Suite 34

West Springfield, MA 01089-2742

www.pvpc.org

Booth: 47

Porter & Chester Institute

(413) 593-3339

134 D
long Circle

Chicopee, MA 01022

www.porterchester.com

Booth: 13

ProShred Security

(413) 596-5479

75 Post Office Park

Wilbraham, MA 01095

www.proshred.com

Booth:140

Protective Security Services

(413) 569-1335

630 Silver St., Suite 9C

Agawam, MA 01001

www.myprotectivesecurity.com

Booth: 86

Reeds Landing Retirement Community

(413) 782-1800

807 Wilbraham Road

Springfield, MA 01109

www.reedslanding.com

Booths: 15 & 16

Regional Employment Board of Hampden County Inc.

(413) 755-1357

1441 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103-1449

www.rebhc.org

Booth: 168

Reminder Publications

(413) 525-3247

280 North Main St., Suite 1

East Longmeadow, MA 01028

www.thereminder.com

Booth: 207

The Republican

(413) 788-1000

1860 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103

www.masslive.com

Booth: 81

Resavue Exhibits

(860) 627-6399

10 Stran Road

Milford, CT 06460

www.resavue.com

Booth: 20

Robert Charles Photography

(413) 525-4263

33 Prospect St.

East Longmeadow, MA 01028

www.robertcharlesphoto.com

Booth: 155

Roger Sitterly & Son Inc.

(413) 737-2641

P.O. Box 2530

Springfield, MA 01101

www.sitterlymovers.com

Booth: 91

Ron Alberti’s After Hours DJ

(413) 562-2632

1310 Russell Road

Westfield, MA 01085

www.afterhoursdj.net

Booths: 43-44

Rosa’s Candies Inc.

(413) 736-4591

54 Robbins Road

Springfield, MA 01104

www.rosasfudge.com

Booth: 181

Select Comfort

(413) 552-3690

50 Holyoke St.

Holyoke, MA 01040

www.selectcomfort.com

Booth: 150

Sage Engineering, LLC

(413) 562-4884

199 Servistar Industrial Way, Suite 2

Westfield, MA 01085

www.sage-llc.com

Booth: 85

Sheraton Hotel/Columbus Hotels

(413) 781-1010

One Monarch Place

Springfield, MA 01144

www.sheraton.com/springfieldma

Booth: 160

Springfield Business Improvement District

(413) 781-1591

1441 Main St., 1st Floor

Springfield, MA 01103

www.springfielddowntown.com

Booth: 193

SpringfieldCollege

(413) 748-3000

263 Alden St.

Springfield, MA 01109-3797

www.springfieldcollege.edu

Booth: 96

SpringfieldFalcons Hockey Club

(413) 739-3344

45 Falcons Way

Springfield, MA 01103

www.falconsahl.com

Booth: 55

STCU Credit Union

(413) 732-9812

145 Industry Ave.

Springfield, MA 01104

www.stcu.com

Booth: 67

Steve Lewis Subaru

(413) 584-3292

48 Damon Road

Northampton, MA 01060

www.stevelewis.subarudealer.com

Booths: 38 & 39, 48 & 49

T-Mobile, USA

(617) 630-3101

60 Wells Ave.

Newton, MA 02459

www.t-mobile.com

Booth: 200

Turley Publications Inc.

(413) 283-8393

24 Water St.

Palmer, MA 01069

www.turley.com

Booths: 153 & 154

United Personnel

(413) 736-0800

1331 Main St., Suite 100

Springfield, MA 01103-1669

www.unitedpersonnel.com

Booth: 180

United StatesPostal Service

Phone:(413) 731-0502

1883 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01101-9998

www.usps.com

Booth: 119

Valley Communications Systems Inc.

(413) 592-4136

20 First Ave.

Chicopee, MA 01020-4619

www.valleycommunications.com

Booths: 187 & 188

Verizon

(413) 731-8606

365 State St.

Springfield, MA 01105

www.verizon.com

Booth: 62

WesternNew England College

(413) 782-3111

1215 Wilbraham Road

Springfield, MA 01119-2693

www.wnec.edu

Booth: 71

Westover Job Corps

(413) 593-5731

103 Johnson Road

Chicopee, MA 01022

www.westoverjobcorps.com

Booth: 169

WFCR 88.5 FM/WNNZ 640 AM PUBLIC RADIO

(413) 577-0779

Hampshire House, UMass

131 County Circle

Amherst, MA 01003-9257

www.wfcr.org

Booth: 87

WGBY

(413) 781-2801

44 Hampden St.

Springfield, MA 01103-1286

www.wgby.org

Booth:111

Whalley Computer Associates

(413) 569-4200

One Whalley Way

Southwick, MA 01077

www.wca.com

Booth:130

Whalley Technology Corridor

Communications Solutions Partners

Booth: 131

n Blue Moon Industries

www.bluemoonind.com

Booth: 121

 

cisco

www.cisco.com

Booth: 132

Direct Color Systems

www.directcolorsystems.com

Booth: 134

Epson America

www.epson.com

Booth: 123

Meru Wireless Networks

www.merunetworks.com

Booth: 133

Okidata

www.okidata.com

Booth: 124

Zix Corporation

www.zixcorp.com

Booth: 122

Wilbraham & MonsonAcademy

(413) 596-6811

423 Main St.

Wilbraham, MA 01095

www.wmacademy.org

Booths: 151 & 152

WMAS Citadel Broadcasting Corporation

(413) 737-1414

1000 West Columbus Ave.

Springfield, MA 01105

www.947wmas.com

Booth: 12

Women’s Partnership

(413) 739-2731

c/o Hatheway Homes & Properties

West Springfield, MA 01090

www.myonlinechamber.com

Booth: 102

Zasco Productions, LLC

(800) 827-6616

340 McKinstry Ave., Suite 400

Chicopee, MA 01013

www.zascoproductions.com

Booths: 202 & 203

Zip N Sort Mail Services

(413) 443-9071

20 Taconic Park Dr.

Pittsfield, MA 01201

http://www.zipnsort.com

Booth: 129

The Zoo in Forest Park

(413) 733-2251

P.O. Box 80295

Springfield, MA 01138

www.forestparkzoo.com

Booth: 64

Sections Super 60
Depth, Diversity Define the 2013 List of Top-performing Companies

Super60logoJeffrey Ciuffreda says there are a number of encouraging signs to take from this year’s roster of Super 60 companies — the 24th compilation of the region’s top-performing businesses.
For starters, there are the numbers — for both revenue and revenue growth — posted by the winners, said Ciuffreda, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, which has presented the program since 1990. He noted that companies in the first category averaged more than $35 million last year and combined for more than $1 billion. Meanwhile, one-third of the companies in the revenue-growth category averaged in excess of 50% growth over the past three years, and the average for those 30 honorees was 49%.
These figures speak to how well the area business community has rebounded from the deep and lengthy recession that began in 2008, said Ciuffreda, noting that another positive sign is the diversity represented by this year’s list, which includes everything from colleges to technology companies; healthcare facilities to manufacturers; financial-services firms to retailers.
The number of small, and in some cases very small, businesses on the list is also encouraging, he noted, adding that perhaps the most noteworthy quality when it comes to this year’s roster is the number of first-timers; there are seven, the largest group of newcomers in several years.
“To get new folks on there shows that maybe over the past few years, when people had their heads down and were just surviving, there were some businesses that were experiencing pretty good progress,” he told BusinessWest, adding that their participation in Super 60 shows a desire to tell their story. “It’s a good sign for the economy when you can get new businesses that can exhibit that kind of growth.”
Still another source of encouragement is the large number of companies — 12 in all — that qualified for both categories, said Ciuffreda, noting that this stat indicates that some larger companies have been experiencing strong growth.
The 2013 edition of the Super 60 will be feted at the program’s annual luncheon on Oct. 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Chez Josef in Agawam. The event will feature introductions of the winners and include a presentation on a unique business venture in the region — Simple Diaper and Linen, a growing enterprise that has mastered the technique of eco-friendly laundering.
Principals Angie Gregory and Jessica Montagna will detail the company’s profound growth and unique business model, and thus continue a pattern of letting emerging entrepreneurs take center stage at the Super 60 lunch. In recent years, Paul Kozub, founder of V-One Vodka, and Stanley Kowalski, founder of FloDesign, have been keynoters.
Meanwhile, for this issue, BusinessWest spotlights the 60 winners (snapshot profiles begin on page 21) in both the total-revenue and revenue-growth categories.
Topping the former is Springfield College, led by new president Mary-Beth Cooper, followed by Noonan Energy Corp., a residential heating and cooling company, and Whalley Computer Associates Inc., a Southwick-based technology-solutions firm.
Whalley is one of six companies in the category to also qualify for the revenue-growth list. The others are Gandara Mental Health, Joseph Freedman Co. Inc., Maybury Associates, Millennium Power Services Inc., and Tighe & Bond.
Topping the revenue-growth category (where there are actually 31 winners)  is Mahan Slate Roofing Co. Inc., which specializes in slate and copper roofing for residential, institutional, and commercial structures, followed by Paragus IT, the Hadley-based outsourced IT solutions firm, and Troy Industries Inc., a U.S. government contractor that designs and manufactures small-arms components and accessories.
Troy was one of six in that category to also qualify for the total-revenue list. The others are ABLE Machine Tool Sales Inc., the Futures Health Group, LLC, NUVO Bank, Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc., and Titan USA Enterprises Inc.
To be considered, companies must be based in Hampden or Hampshire counties or be a member of the ACCGS, have revenues of at least $1 million in the last fiscal year, be an independent and privately owned company, and have been in business at least three full years. Companies are selected based on their percentage of revenue growth over a full three-year period or total revenues for the latest fiscal year.
For more information regarding the Super 60 or to make reservations for the luncheon, call (413) 755-1313 or order online at www.myonlinechamber.com.  Tickets cost $50 for ACCGS members and $70 for non-members.

Elizabeth Taras can be reached at [email protected]

TOTAL REVENUE

* Indicates company qualifed in both categories

1. Springfield College
263 Alden St., Springfield
(413) 748-3000
www.springfieldcollege.edu
Mary-Beth Cooper, President
Founded in 1885, Springfield College is a private, independent, coeducational, four-year college offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs with its Humanics philosophy — educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others.

2. Noonan Energy Corp.
86 Robbins Road, Springfield
(413) 734-7396
www.noonanenergy.com
Ted Noonan, President
Founded by Timothy Noonan in 1890, the fifth-generation energy company is now led by Ted Noonan, and installs, replaces, maintains, and upgrades heating and cooling systems throughout the Pioneer Valley.

3. Whalley Computer
Associates Inc. *
One Whalley Way, Southwick
(413) 569-4200
www.wca.com
John Whalley, President
WCA is a locally owned family business that has evolved from a hardware resale and service group in the ’70s and ’80s into a company that now focuses on lowering the total cost of ownership of technology and productivity enhancement for its customers. Whalley carries name-brand computers as well as low-cost performance compatibles.

Aegis Energy Services Inc.
55 Jackson St., Holyoke
(800) 373-3411
www.aegisenergyservices.com
Lee Vardakas, Owner
Founded in 1985, Aegis Energy Services is a turn-key, full-service provider of combined heat and power systems (CHPs) that generate heat and electricity using clean, efficient, natural-gas-powered engines. These modular CHP systems reduce a facility’s dependence on expensive utility power, reduce energy costs, and reduce one’s carbon footprint.

American International College
1000 State St., Springfield
(800) 242-3142
www.aic.com
Vincent Maniaci, President
The 128-year-old private, coeducational, liberal-arts school is interracial, interfaith, and international. One of the keystones of the AIC experience is the opportunity to interact with students from many different backgrounds. The college is organized into schools of Arts, Education, and Sciences; Business Administration; Health Sciences; and Continuing Education.

Associated Electro-Mechanics Inc.
185 Rowland St., Springfield
(800) 288-4276
www.aemservices.com
Elayne Lebeau, Owner/CEO
Associated Electro-Mechanics is a diversified, one-stop industrial sales and service center servicing the New England region and beyond, with a variety of industrial repair and rebuilding services.

The Association for Community Living
220 Brookdale Dr., Springfield
(413) 732-0531
www.theassociationinc.org
Barbara Pilarcik, Executive Director
For 60 years, the Association For Community Living has been creating opportunities, building relationships, and improving lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. The agency’s caring and experienced workforce empowers individuals with developmental disabilities to live with dignity, bringing fulfillment, community, and valuable relationships into their lives.

Baystate OB/GYN Group Inc.
2 Medical Center Dr., #206, Springfield
(413) 794-8484
www.bogg.com
dr. Howard Trietsch, managing partner
Caring for patients for more than 25 years, Baystate Ob/Gyn Group Inc. offers experienced care for pregnancy, gynecology, menopause, and surgical gynecology for women from teens through the elder years at four office locations in the region.

Braman Chemical Enterprises
147 Almgren Dr., Agawam
(413) 732-9009
www.braman.biz
Gerald Lazarus, President
Braman has been serving New England since 1890, using state-of-the-art pest-elimination procedures for commercial and residential customers. The company has offices in Agawam, Worcester, and Lee, as well as Hartford and New Haven, Conn.

Bridgeport National Bindery Inc.
662 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 789-1981
www.bnbindery.com
Bruce Jacobsen, Executive Vice President
A full-service bindery with on-demand book-printing capabilities, BNB offers a wide variety of binding styles and professional rebinding services, including binding for libraries, pre-binding, textbooks, editions, and conservation. The company also offers digitization, the process of reformatting a print item into an electronic format.

Charter Oak Insurance and Financial Services Co.
330 Whitney Ave., Holyoke
(413) 374-5430
www.charteroakfinancial.com
Peter Novak, General Agent
A member of the MassMutual Financial Group, Charter Oak been servicing clients for 127 years. The team of professionals serves individuals, families, and businesses with risk-management products, business planning and protection, retirement-planning and investment services, and fee-based financial planning.

City Tire Company Inc.
25 Avocado St., Springfield
(413) 737-1419
www.city-tire.com
Peter Greenberg, President
Brothers Peter and Dan Greenberg, the third generation of a family-owned business founded in 1927, have grown the business to 11 locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The company offers one-stop shopping for tires of all shapes and sizes and a full complement of maintenance and repair services.

Commercial Distributing Co. Inc.
46 South Broad St., Westfield
(413) 562-9691
www.commercialdist.com
Richard Placek, Chairman
Founded in 1935 by Joseph Placek, Commercial Distributing Company is a family-owned and operated business servicing more than 1,000 bars, restaurants, and clubs, as well as more than 400 package and liquor stores. Now in its third generation, the company continues to grow through the values established by its founder by building brands and offering new products as the market changes.

The Dennis Group, LLC *
1537 Main St., Springfield
(413) 746-0054
www.dennisgrp.com
Tom Dennis, CEO
The Dennis Group offers complete planning, design, architectural, engineering, and construction-management services. The firm is comprised of experienced engineering and design professionals specializing in the implementation of food-manufacturing processes and facilities.

Environmental Compliance Services Inc.
588 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 789-3530
www.ecsconsult.com
Mark Hellstein, CEO
For more than 25 years, ECS has specialized in environmental site assessments; testing for asbestos, lead, indoor air quality, and mold; drilling and subsurface investigations; and emergency-response management.

Gandara Mental Health Inc. *
147 Norman St., West Springfield
(413) 736-8329
www.gandaracenter.org
Dr. Henry East-Trou, CEO
Focusing on the Latino/Hispanic community, Gandara Center provides substance-abuse recovery, mental-health, and housing services for men, women, children, adolescents, and families throughout the Pioneer Valley.

Joseph Freedman Co. Inc. *
115 Stevens St., Springfield
(888) 677-7818
www.josephfreedmanco.com
John Freedman, President
Founded in 1891, the company provides industrial scrap-metal recycling, specializing in aluminum, copper, nickel alloys, and aircraft scrap, and has two facilities in Springfield — a 120,000-square-foot indoor ferrous facility and a 60,000-square-foot chopping operation.

Delaney Restaurant Inc. / The Log Cabin
500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke
(413) 535-5077
www.logcabin-delaney.com
Peter Rosskothen, President
The Delaney House restaurant offers 13 private-themed rooms for any special occasion, with seating for up to 260. It offers two dining options — fine dining and the more casual Mick. The Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House offers banquet facilities for weddings, showers, anniversaries, engagement parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, business meetings, holiday parties, and other events.

Marcotte Ford Sales
1025 Main St., Holyoke
(800) 923-9810
www.marcotteford.com
Bryan Marcotte, President
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department. Marcotte has achieved the President’s Award, one of the most prestigious honors given to dealerships by Ford Motor Co., on multiple occasions over the past decade.

Maybury Material Handling *
90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-4216
www.maybury.com
John Maybury, President
Since 1976, Maybury Material Handling has been designing, supplying, and servicing all types of material-handling equipment throughout New England. Maybury provides customers in a wide range of industries with solutions to move, lift, and store their parts and products.

Millennium Power Services Inc. *
79 Mainline Dr., Westfield
www.millenniumpower.net
(413) 562-5332
Michael Pellegrini, President
Founded in 2000, Millennium Power Services is a full-service valve-repair shop and manufacturer of new valve parts. With a fleet of mobile machine shops, the company offers on-site service throughout the U.S., which allows customers to monitor their jobs, and also offers emergency valve service both at customer sites and in shops located in Massachusetts, Maine, and Florida.

PC Enterprises d/b/a Entre Computer
138 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
(413) 736-2112
www.pc-enterprises.com
Norman Fiedler, CEO
Entre assists organizations with procuring, installing, troubleshooting, servicing, and maximizing the value of technology. In business since 1983, it continues to evolve and grow as a lead provider for many businesses, healthcare providers, retailers, and state, local, and education entities.

Poly-Metal Finishing Inc.
1 Allen St # 218, Springfield
(413) 781-4535
www.poly-metal.com
Jason Kudelka, President
Poly-Metal Finishing Inc. has served the metalworking industry for more than three decades and specializes in providing the aerospace, military, and com­mercial sectors with complete anodic services: sulfuric anodizing, color anodizing, chromic, hardcoat, polylube pro­cessing, chemical conversion of aluminum, and pre-bond coatings.

Rediker Software Inc.
2 Wilbraham Road, Hampden
(800) 213-9860
www.rediker.com
Richard Rediker, President
Rediker software is used by school administrators across the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, and is designed to meet the student-information-management needs of all types of schools and districts.

Rocky’s Hardware Inc.
40 Island Pond Road, Springfield
(413) 781-1650
www.rockys.com
Rocco Falcone II, President
With locations throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, the family-run business founded in 1926 is a fully stocked, convenient source for not only typical hardware-store items but also a line of goods for the home, yard, and garden.

Sarat Ford Lincoln
245 Springfield St., Agawam
(413) 789-5400
www.saratford.com
Jeff Sarat, President
Founded in 1929 by John Sarat Sr., Sarat Ford has become the largest Ford dealership in Western Mass., and today, grandson Jeff Sarat leads the company. The full-service dealership includes a state-of-the-art body-shop facility, and a new, 10,000-square-foot expansion offers a 24-bay service center that houses a $1 million parts inventory featuring Ford, Motorcraft, Motorsport, and a variety of other specialty manufacturers.

Spectrum Analytical Inc.
11 Almgren Dr., Agawam
(413) 789-9018
www.spectrum-analytical.com
Hanibal Tayeh, CEO
For more than a decade, Spectrum Analytical Inc. has provided quantitative analysis of soil, water, and, more recently, air samples, as well as petroleum products. Consulting firms, industries, municipalities, universities, and the public sector are among the constituencies that make up the client list.

Tighe & Bond Inc. *
53 Southampton Road, Westfield
(413) 562-1600
www.tighebond.com
David Pinsky, President
Launched in 1911, Tighe & Bond specializes in environmental engineering, focusing on water, wastewater, solid-waste, and hazardous-waste issues, and provides innovative engineering services to public and private clients around the country and overseas.

United Personnel Services Inc.
1331 Main St., Springfield
(413) 736-0800
www.unitedpersonnel.com
Patricia Canavan, President
United provides a full range of staffing services, including temporary staffing and full-time placement, on-site project management, and strategic recruitment in the Springfield, Hartford, and Northampton areas, specializing in administrative, professional, medical, and light-industrial staff.

W.F. Young Inc.
302 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow
(800) 628-9653
www.absorbine.com
Tyler Young, CEO
This family-run business prides itself on offering a variety of high-quality products that can effectively improve the well-being of both people and horses with its Absorbine brands.

REVENUE GROWTH

* Indicates company qualifed in both categories

1. Mahan Slate Roofing Co. Inc.
P.O. Box 2860, Springfield
(413) 394-3513
www.mahanslate.com
John Mahan, Vice President
While Mahan Slate Roofing does not install asphalt shingle roofing or commercial flat roofing, they do specialize in beautiful and lasting slate and copper roofing for residential, institutional, municipal, and commercial structures. Mahan also has a full sheet-metal shop, which allows the company to produce a wide range of copper products including custom gutters and downspouts, and it designs snow-guard systems, often a much-needed accessory for slate roofs.

2. Paragus IT
84 Russell St., Hadley
(413) 587-2666
www.paragusit.com
Delcie Bean IV, President
While still in high school, Delcie Bean founded Paragus IT in 1999, first under the name Vertical Horizons and then Valley ComputerWorks. The name Paragus, short for asparagus, one of Hadley’s most famous agricultural products, has grown dramatically as an outsourced IT solution for area clients. From information technology solutions to CMR-17 compliance to EMR implementation, the Paragus experts in computer systems and information technology provide business computer service, computer consulting, information-technology support, and other proactive services to small and medium-sized businesses.

3. Troy Industries Inc. *
151 Capital Dr., West Springfield
(413) 788-4288; (866) 788-6412
www.troyind.com
Steve Troy, CEO
Troy Industries was founded on the principle of making reliable, innovative, over-engineered products that function without question when lives are on the line. All products are American-made and designed to perform flawlessly under intense battle conditions. The choice of special ops, law enforcement, and war fighters worldwide, Troy Industries is a leading U.S. government contractor that designs and manufactures innovative, top-quality small-arms components and accessories and complete weapon upgrades.

ABLE Machine Tool Sales Inc. *
800 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 786-4662
www.ablemts.com
Alan Lockery, President
ABLE Machine Tool Sales distributes some of the world’s finest machine tools, but it also offers clients the Able Metrology Tech Center, providing measurement tools to suit manufacturing-inspection requirements. ABLE’s experienced sales staff and service technicians are given extensive training, and the company is factory-authorized to assist with mechanical and electrical repairs, preventive maintenance programs, and employee-training programs.

Adam Quenneville Roofing and Siding
160 Old Lyman Road, South Hadley
(413) 536-5955
www.1800newroof.net
Adam Quenneville, CEO
Adam Quenneville offers a wide range of residential and commercial services, including new roofs, retrofitting, roof repair, roof cleaning, vinyl siding, replacement windows, and the no-clog Gutter Shutter system. The company earned the 2010 BBB Torch Award for trust, performance, and integrity.

Advance Welding
47 Allston Ave., West Springfield
(413) 734-4544
www.theperfectweld.com
Christopher Kielb, President
Since 1978, Advance Welding has served its clients with high-quality welding, brazing, and metal fabrication with state-of-the-art facilities and more than 100 years of combined welding experience. The company recently added 6,000 square feet of new facilities and actively participates as role models to young people who may someday seek a career in welding, by showing that the manufacturing industry still thrives in America.

Aegenco Inc.
55 Jackson St., Springfield
(413) 746-3242
Spiro Vardakas, President
Aegenco, an energy-conservation consulting firm, has grown steadily since its inception in 2005.

REVENUE GROWTH
* Indicates company qualifed in both categories

1. Mahan Slate Roofing Co. Inc.
P.O. Box 2860, Springfield
(413) 394-3513
www.mahanslate.com
John Mahan, Vice President
While Mahan Slate Roofing does not install asphalt shingle roofing or commercial flat roofing, they do specialize in beautiful and lasting slate and copper roofing for residential, institutional, municipal, and commercial structures. Mahan also has a full sheet-metal shop, which allows the company to produce a wide range of copper products including custom gutters and downspouts, and it designs snow-guard systems, often a much-needed accessory for slate roofs.

2. Paragus IT
84 Russell St., Hadley
(413) 587-2666
www.paragusit.com
Delcie Bean IV, President
While still in high school, Delcie Bean founded Paragus IT in 1999, first under the name Vertical Horizons and then Valley ComputerWorks. The name Paragus, short for asparagus, one of Hadley’s most famous agricultural products, has grown dramatically as an outsourced IT solution for area clients. From information technology solutions to CMR-17 compliance to EMR implementation, the Paragus experts in computer systems and information technology provide business computer service, computer consulting, information-technology support, and other proactive services to small and medium-sized businesses.

3. Troy Industries Inc. *
151 Capital Dr., West Springfield
(413) 788-4288; (866) 788-6412
www.troyind.com
Steve Troy, CEO
Troy Industries was founded on the principle of making reliable, innovative, over-engineered products that function without question when lives are on the line. All products are American-made and designed to perform flawlessly under intense battle conditions. The choice of special ops, law enforcement, and war fighters worldwide, Troy Industries is a leading U.S. government contractor that designs and manufactures innovative, top-quality small-arms components and accessories and complete weapon upgrades.

ABLE Machine Tool Sales Inc. *
800 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 786-4662
www.ablemts.com
Alan Lockery, President
ABLE Machine Tool Sales distributes some of the world’s finest machine tools, but it also offers clients the Able Metrology Tech Center, providing measurement tools to suit manufacturing-inspection requirements. ABLE’s experienced sales staff and service technicians are given extensive training, and the company is factory-authorized to assist with mechanical and electrical repairs, preventive maintenance programs, and employee-training programs.

Adam Quenneville Roofing and Siding
160 Old Lyman Road, South Hadley
(413) 525-0025
www.1800newroof.net
Adam Quenneville, CEO
Adam Quenneville offers a wide range of residential and commercial services, including new roofs, retrofitting, roof repair, roof cleaning, vinyl siding, replacement windows, and the no-clog Gutter Shutter system. The company earned the 2010 BBB Torch Award for trust, performance, and integrity.

Advance Welding
47 Allston Ave., West Springfield
(413) 734-4544
www.theperfectweld.com
Christopher Kielb, President
Since 1978, Advance Welding has served its clients with high-quality welding, brazing, and metal fabrication with state-of-the-art facilities and more than 100 years of combined welding experience. The company recently added 6,000 square feet of new facilities and actively participates as role models to young people who may someday seek a career in welding, by showing that the manufacturing industry still thrives in America.

Aegenco Inc.
55 Jackson St., Springfield
(413) 746-3242
Spiro Vardakas, President
Aegenco, an energy-conservation consulting firm, has grown steadily since its inception in 2005.

American Pest Solutions Inc.
169 William St., Springfield
(413) 781-0044
www.413pestfree.com
Robert Russell, President
For nearly 100 years, American Pest Solutions has been taking care of families and business owners to keep their properties free from ants, bedbugs, rodents, roaches, termites, and other harmful pest infestations. By utilizing products and pest-treatment solutions designed to minimize impacts on the surrounding environment, American takes an ecologically sensitive approach to pest control for the environmentally concerned client.

Axia Insurance & Affiliates
933 East Columbus Ave., Springfield
(413) 788-9000
www.axiagroup.net
Michael Long, CEO
“AXiA” translates from Greek to mean ‘value, capability, merit, and worthiness’; it’s Axia Insurance’s philosophy of doing business. Representing several carriers for commercial clients, Axia also represents other personal-insurance companies specifically for MassMutual employee services, but can service to anyone for personal lines.

Con-Test Analytical Laboratory
39 Spruce St., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-2332
www.contestlabs.com
Thomas Veratti Sr., Founder
Established in 1984, Con-Test provides environmental consulting and testing services to a variety of clients throughout Western Mass. The laboratory-testing division originally focused on industrial hygiene analysis, but rapidly expanded to include numerous techniques in air analysis, classical (wet) chemistry, metals, and organics, and has the capability for analyzing nearly all water, air, soil, and solid materials.

Dynamic Dock & Door Inc.
64 Lowell St., West Springfield
(413) 731-1114
www.dynamic-dock-door.com
Bret Leveillee, Vice President
Dynamic Dock and Door is a complete materials-handling company specializing in loading-dock equipment, overhead doors, storage systems, and energy conservation. Providing companies across New England and New Jersey for more than 20 years with quality overhead door and loading-dock equipment, installation, and service, the company has recently added installation, sales, and service of traditional commercial man doors to its product and service mix.

FIT Solutions
25 Bremen St., Springfield
(413) 733-6466
www.fitsolutions.us
Jackie Fallon, President
Since 2004, FIT Solutions has been partnering with clients, from small-business owners who have only a few IT needs to large companies that have small IT departments, to provide the best candidates for a variety of IT positions. Meeting with the hiring manager, FIT Solutions determines the exact qualifications and skills needed, as well as the personality traits desired in order to find candidates that fit an array of technology-based positions. FIT Solutions now serves both the Massachusetts and Connecticut markets.

Fletcher Sewer & Drain Inc.
824a Perimeter Road, Ludlow
(413) 547-8180
www.fletcherseweranddrain.com
Teri Marinello, President
Since 1985, Fletcher Sewer & Drain has provided service to homeowners as well as municipalities and construction companies for large pipeline jobs from Western Mass. to Southern Conn. From unblocking kitchen sinks to replacing sewer lines, this woman-owned company keeps up-to-date with all the latest technology, from high-pressure sewer jetters to the newest camera-inspection equipment.

The Futures Health Group, LLC *
136 Williams St., Springfield
(800) 218-9280
Peter Bittel, CEO
The Futures Health Group provides special-education and clinical services and management to 25,000 students and individuals. Bittel has more than 35 years of clinical and executive leadership experience in the areas of special education, rehabilitation, and developmental disabilities.

The Gaudreau Group
1984 Boston Road, Wilbraham
(413) 543-3534
www.gaudreaugroup.com
Jules Gaudreau, President
A multi-line insurance and financial-service agency established in 1921, the Gaudreau Group combines the traditional service philosophy of an agency with the talents of a dynamic marketing organization. With the expertise and resources that enable clients to respond to an ever-changing economic environment, the agency offers a broad range of insurance and financial products from basic life, home, and auto insurance to complex corporate services, employee benefits, and retirement plans.

GMH Fence Co. Inc.
15 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-3361
www.gmhfence.com
Glenn Hastie, Owner
Serving the Western Mass. area for more than over 20 years, GMH Fence Co. is one of largest and most respected fence companies in the region. The fencing contractor offers quality service and fence installations from a selection of wood, aluminum, steel, and vinyl fencing that are durable and virtually trouble-free for residential, commercial, and industrial fencing requests.

Janice Yanni, DDS, PC
180 Westfield St., West Springfield
(413) 739-4400
www.yanniorthodontics.com
Dr. Janice Yanni, Owner
It’s never too early or too late to think about improving a smile, and Yanni Orthodontics has a mission to make all their patients smile. Dr. Janice Yanni specializes in orthodontic treatment for children, teens, and adults with offices in West Springfield as well as Tolland, Conn., using the latest in technology and a variety of treatment options, including Invisalign, Invisalign Express, Incognito, Six Month Smiles, and traditional braces.

Lattitude
1338 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
(413) 241-8888
www.lattitude1338.com
Jeff Daigneau, Owner
Executive chef and owner Jeff Daigneau opened Lattitude in 2007 and offers a unique, continually changing menu, based on local, seasonal product and his own classically trained talent for inimitable cuisine. The recent addition of a large outdoor patio-bar area for dining and live music will complement new interior expansions, including a new, 80-seat banquet room. Lattitude offers private, on-site events as well as off-site catering for 10 to several hundred people.

Market Mentors, LLC
1680 Riverdale St., West Springfield
(413) 787-1133
www.marketmentors.com
Michelle Abdow, Principal
A full-service marketing firm, Market Mentors handles all forms of marketing, including advertising in all mediums, media buying, graphic design, public relations, and event planning.

NetLogix Inc.
181 Notre Dame St., Westfield
(413) 586-2777
www.netlgx.com
Marco Liquori, President
NetLogix offers a wide range of IT services, including equipment sales; managed network services and remote monitoring; network design, installation, and management; network security and firewalls; disaster-recovery and business-continuity services; VoIP; wi-fi; and more.

NUVO Bank & Trust Co. *
1500 Main St., Springfield
(413) 787-2700
www.nuvobank.com
M. Dale Janes, CEO
Chartered in 2007, NUVO is an independent, locally owned bank that provides deposits, residential and commercial loans, and cash-management services for both personal-banking and business-banking needs.

O’Connell Professional Nurse Service Inc.
14 Bobala Road, Suite 1B, Holyoke
(413) 533-1030
www.opns.com
Francis O’Connell, President
For more than two decades, O’Connell Professional Nurse Service Inc., (O’Connell Care at Home and Healthcare Staffing) has grown to deliver a range of home-health and staffing services across the Pioneer Valley. Services range from nursing care and geriatric healthcare management to advocacy and transportation.

Powervestors, LLC
55 Jackson St., Holyoke
(413) 536-1156
www.aegisenergyservices.com
Spiro Vardakas, Owner
Powervestors provides services in power-generating equipment installation throughout the region.

R & R Industries Inc.
195 Rocus St., Springfield
(413) 733-2118
www.randrind.com
Bruce Robinovitz, President
Family-owned and operated since 1957, R & R Industries is a full-service metal and auto recycler serving Western Mass. and Northern Conn., providing recycling and container services to commercial, industrial, and residential customers.   The company also purchases all ferrous and non-ferrous metals at market prices and supplies hard-to-find auto parts for older models.

Robert F. Scott Co. Inc.
467 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow
(413) 567-7089
Leonard Rising III, President
Robert F. Scott Co. Inc. (known as Longmeadow Garage) is a locally owned and operated, full-service gasoline and automotive service station. Its staff includes ASE-certified technicians well-versed in all makes and models.

Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc. *
235 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 789-6700
www.specialtybolt.com
Alan Crosby, CEO
Founded in 1977, Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc. is a distributor of innovative fastener solutions. The company has engineering resources on staff to help determine the optimum fastener for each application, and utilizes state-of-the-art technology along with more than 30 years of experience to help clients achieve their objectives.

Titan USA Enterprises Inc. *
140 Baldwin St., West Springfield
(888) 482-6872
www.titanman.com
Ralph Colby, CEO
For almost four decades, Titan USA Enterprises has served industrial distributors as a manufacturer of premium-quality, solid-carbide, high-speed steel and cobalt cutting tools.

United Industrial Services Inc.
120 Almgren Dr., Agawam
(413) 789-0896
www.unitedindustrialinc.com
Tony Reopel, Vice President
From the simplest hand truck to the most sophisticated conveyor systems and in-plant racking layouts, United Industrial Services has been providing material handling solutions for every size of business for more than 30 years. The company supports sales, leasing, rentals, parts, and services for all forms of industrial mechanical needs, and offers OSHA experts to provide guidelines for safe operation of every machine sold.

Universal Plastics Corp. *
75 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke
(800) 553-0120
www.universalplastics.com
Joseph Peters, CEO
Since 1965, Universal Plastics has been a leading force in the custom thermoforming industry. It specializes in precision custom thermoforming, a plastic-manufacturing process that converts a sheet of plastic into a highly detailed finished product with less tooling investment than other plastic molding processes.

Whalley Precision Inc.
28 Hudson Dr., Southwick
www.whalleyprecision.com
DAVID WHALLEY, PRESIDENT
Whalley Precision Inc. is a family-owned small business and full-service manufacturing company/FAA repair station founded in 1990. The company performs general fabrication, machining, and assembly. Its services include CNC/manual milling and turning; ID, OD, and surface grinding; jig boring; honing; MIG and TIG welding; metal forming; and robotic welding and assembly. In addition to carbon steel, the company routinely works with stainless steel, aluminum, space-age alloys and plastics, and materials such as Inconel and Kovar, as well as various other hardened materials.

Wright Architectural Millwork Corp.
115 Industrial Dr., Northampton
(413) 586-3528
www.wrightmw.com
Walt Price, President
Wright Architectural Millwork embraces current technology, blending digital technology and traditional craftsmanship for the highest quality of millwork solutions, which can be found in the facilities of some of the world’s best-known companies and institutions. The firm procures and works with non-wood materials (such as stone, glass, leather, fabrics, and architectural metals), integrating them into quality woodwork for complete, customized designs.vv
American Pest Solutions Inc.
169 William St., Springfield
(413) 781-0044
www.413pestfree.com
Robert Russell, President
For nearly 100 years, American Pest Solutions has been taking care of families and business owners to keep their properties free from ants, bedbugs, rodents, roaches, termites, and other harmful pest infestations. By utilizing products and pest-treatment solutions designed to minimize impacts on the surrounding environment, American takes an ecologically sensitive approach to pest control for the environmentally concerned client.

Axia Insurance & Affiliates
933 East Columbus Ave., Springfield
(413) 788-9000
www.axiagroup.net
Michael Long, CEO
“AXiA” translates from Greek to mean ‘value, capability, merit, and worthiness’; it’s Axia Insurance’s philosophy of doing business. Representing several carriers for commercial clients, Axia also represents other personal-insurance companies specifically for MassMutual employee services, but can service to anyone for personal lines.

Con-Test Analytical Laboratory
39 Spruce St., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-2332
www.contestlabs.com
Thomas Veratti Sr., Founder
Established in 1984, Con-Test provides environmental consulting and testing services to a variety of clients throughout Western Mass. The laboratory-testing division originally focused on industrial hygiene analysis, but rapidly expanded to include numerous techniques in air analysis, classical (wet) chemistry, metals, and organics, and has the capability for analyzing nearly all water, air, soil, and solid materials.

Dynamic Dock & Door Inc.
64 Lowell St., West Springfield
(413) 731-1114
www.dynamic-dock-door.com
Bret Leveillee, Vice President
Dynamic Dock and Door is a complete materials-handling company specializing in loading-dock equipment, overhead doors, storage systems, and energy conservation. Providing companies across New England and New Jersey for more than 20 years with quality overhead door and loading-dock equipment, installation, and service, the company has recently added installation, sales, and service of traditional commercial man doors to its product and service mix.

FIT Solutions
25 Bremen St., Springfield
(413) 733-6466
www.fitsolutions.us
Jackie Fallon, President
Since 2004, FIT Solutions has been partnering with clients, from small-business owners who have only a few IT needs to large companies that have small IT departments, to provide the best candidates for a variety of IT positions. Meeting with the hiring manager, FIT Solutions determines the exact qualifications and skills needed, as well as the personality traits desired in order to find candidates that fit an array of technology-based positions. FIT Solutions now serves both the Massachusetts and Connecticut markets.

Fletcher Sewer & Drain Inc.
824a Perimeter Road, Ludlow
(413) 547-8180
www.fletcherseweranddrain.com
Teri Marinello, President
Since 1985, Fletcher Sewer & Drain has provided service to homeowners as well as municipalities and construction companies for large pipeline jobs from Western Mass. to Southern Conn. From unblocking kitchen sinks to replacing sewer lines, this woman-owned company keeps up-to-date with all the latest technology, from high-pressure sewer jetters to the newest camera-inspection equipment.

The Futures Health Group, LLC *
136 Williams St., Springfield
(800) 218-9280
Peter Bittel, CEO
The Futures Health Group provides special-education and clinical services and management to 25,000 students and individuals. Bittel has more than 35 years of clinical and executive leadership experience in the areas of special education, rehabilitation, and developmental disabilities.

The Gaudreau Group
1984 Boston Road, Wilbraham
(413) 543-3534
www.gaudreaugroup.com
Jules Gaudreau, President
A multi-line insurance and financial-service agency established in 1921, the Gaudreau Group combines the traditional service philosophy of an agency with the talents of a dynamic marketing organization. With the expertise and resources that enable clients to respond to an ever-changing economic environment, the agency offers a broad range of insurance and financial products from basic life, home, and auto insurance to complex corporate services, employee benefits, and retirement plans.

GMH Fence Co. Inc.
15 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-3361
www.gmhfence.com
Glenn Hastie, Owner
Serving the Western Mass. area for more than over 20 years, GMH Fence Co. is one of largest and most respected fence companies in the region. The fencing contractor offers quality service and fence installations from a selection of wood, aluminum, steel, and vinyl fencing that are durable and virtually trouble-free for residential, commercial, and industrial fencing requests.

Janice Yanni, DDS, PC
180 Westfield St., West Springfield
(413) 739-4400
www.yanniorthodontics.com
Dr. Janice Yanni, Owner
It’s never too early or too late to think about improving a smile, and Yanni Orthodontics has a mission to make all their patients smile. Dr. Janice Yanni specializes in orthodontic treatment for children, teens, and adults with offices in West Springfield as well as Tolland, Conn., using the latest in technology and a variety of treatment options, including Invisalign, Invisalign Express, Incognito, Six Month Smiles, and traditional braces.

Lattitude
1338 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
(413) 241-8888
www.lattitude1338.com
Jeff Daigneau, Owner
Executive chef and owner Jeff Daigneau opened Lattitude in 2007 and offers a unique, continually changing menu, based on local, seasonal product and his own classically trained talent for inimitable cuisine. The recent addition of a large outdoor patio-bar area for dining and live music will complement new interior expansions, including a new, 80-seat banquet room. Lattitude offers private, on-site events as well as off-site catering for 10 to several hundred people.

Market Mentors, LLC
1680 Riverdale St., West Springfield
(413) 787-1133
www.marketmentors.com
Michelle Abdow, Principal
A full-service marketing firm, Market Mentors handles all forms of marketing, including advertising in all mediums, media buying, graphic design, public relations, and event planning.

NetLogix Inc.
181 Notre Dame St., Westfield
(413) 586-2777
www.netlgx.com
Marco Liquori, President
NetLogix offers a wide range of IT services, including equipment sales; managed network services and remote monitoring; network design, installation, and management; network security and firewalls; disaster-recovery and business-continuity services; VoIP; wi-fi; and more.

NUVO Bank & Trust Co. *
1500 Main St., Springfield
(413) 787-2700
www.nuvobank.com
M. Dale Janes, CEO
Chartered in 2007, NUVO is an independent, locally owned bank that provides deposits, residential and commercial loans, and cash-management services for both personal-banking and business-banking needs.

O’Connell Professional Nurse Service Inc.
14 Bobala Road, Suite 1B, Holyoke
(413) 533-1030
www.opns.com
Francis O’Connell, President
For more than two decades, O’Connell Professional Nurse Service Inc., (O’Connell Care at Home and Healthcare Staffing) has grown to deliver a range of home-health and staffing services across the Pioneer Valley. Services range from nursing care and geriatric healthcare management to advocacy and transportation.

Powervestors, LLC
55 Jackson St., Holyoke
(413) 536-1156
www.aegisenergyservices.com
Spiro Vardakas, Owner
Powervestors provides services in power-generating equipment installation throughout the region.

R & R Industries Inc.
195 Rocus St., Springfield
(413) 733-2118
www.randrind.com
Bruce Robinovitz, President
Family-owned and operated since 1957, R & R Industries is a full-service metal and auto recycler serving Western Mass. and Northern Conn., providing recycling and container services to commercial, industrial, and residential customers.   The company also purchases all ferrous and non-ferrous metals at market prices and supplies hard-to-find auto parts for older models.

Robert F. Scott Co. Inc.
467 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow
(413) 567-7089
Leonard Rising III, President
Robert F. Scott Co. Inc. (known as Longmeadow Garage) is a locally owned and operated, full-service gasoline and automotive service station. Its staff includes ASE-certified technicians well-versed in all makes and models.

Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc. *
235 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 789-6700
www.specialtybolt.com
Alan Crosby, CEO
Founded in 1977, Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc. is a distributor of innovative fastener solutions. The company has engineering resources on staff to help determine the optimum fastener for each application, and utilizes state-of-the-art technology along with more than 30 years of experience to help clients achieve their objectives.

Titan USA Enterprises Inc. *
140 Baldwin St., West Springfield
(888) 482-6872
www.titanman.com
Ralph Colby, CEO
For almost four decades, Titan USA Enterprises has served industrial distributors as a manufacturer of premium-quality, solid-carbide, high-speed steel and cobalt cutting tools.

United Industrial Services Inc.
120 Almgren Dr., Agawam
(413) 789-0896
www.unitedindustrialinc.com
Tony Reopel, Vice President
From the simplest hand truck to the most sophisticated conveyor systems and in-plant racking layouts, United Industrial Services has been providing material handling solutions for every size of business for more than 30 years. The company supports sales, leasing, rentals, parts, and services for all forms of industrial mechanical needs, and offers OSHA experts to provide guidelines for safe operation of every machine sold.

Universal Plastics Corp. *
75 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke
(800) 553-0120
www.universalplastics.com
Joseph Peters, CEO
Since 1965, Universal Plastics has been a leading force in the custom thermoforming industry. It specializes in precision custom thermoforming, a plastic-manufacturing process that converts a sheet of plastic into a highly detailed finished product with less tooling investment than other plastic molding processes.

Whalley Precision Inc.
28 Hudson Dr., Southwick
www.whalleyprecision.com
DAVID WHALLEY, PRESIDENT
Whalley Precision Inc. is a family-owned small business and full-service manufacturing company/FAA repair station founded in 1990. The company performs general fabrication, machining, and assembly. Its services include CNC/manual milling and turning; ID, OD, and surface grinding; jig boring; honing; MIG and TIG welding; metal forming; and robotic welding and assembly. In addition to carbon steel, the company routinely works with stainless steel, aluminum, space-age alloys and plastics, and materials such as Inconel and Kovar, as well as various other hardened materials.

Wright Architectural Millwork Corp.
115 Industrial Dr., Northampton
(413) 586-3528
www.wrightmw.com
Walt Price, President
Wright Architectural Millwork embraces current technology, blending digital technology and traditional craftsmanship for the highest quality of millwork solutions, which can be found in the facilities of some of the world’s best-known companies and institutions. The firm procures and works with non-wood materials (such as stone, glass, leather, fabrics, and architectural metals), integrating them into quality woodwork for complete, customized designs.vv

Sections Supplements
A list of exhibitors taking part on May 5

Adam Quenneville Roofing & Siding

(413) 536-5955

160 Old Lyman Road

South Hadley, MA 01075

www.1800newroof.net

Booths: 25 & 26

Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield Inc.

(413) 787-1555

1441 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103

www.myonlinechamber.com

Booth: 74

After Hours DJ & AV Rental

(413) 562-2632

1310 Russell Road

Westfield, MA 01085

www.afterhoursdj.net

Booths: 43 & 44

American Convention Services

(413) 739-6811

Springfield, MA 01104

www.americanconventionservice.net

Booth: 31

An African American Point of View

(413) 796-1500

688 Boston Road, Suite B

Springfield, MA 01119

www.afampointofview.com

Booth: 84

Answer Is Fitness

(888) 270-3640

1739 Allen St.

Springfield, MA 01118

www.answerisfitness.com

Booths: 68 & 69

Bay Path College

(800) 782-7284

588 Longmeadow St.

Longmeadow, MA 01106

www.baypath.edu

Booth: 189

Bert Hill Moving and Storage

(413) 485-0050

978 Southampton Road

Westfield, MA 01085

www.berthill.com

Booth: 114

BusinessWest & The Healthcare News

(413) 781-8600

1441 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103

www.businesswest.com

Booth: 54

Career Point

(413) 532-4900

850 High St.

Holyoke, MA 01040

www.careerpointma.org

Booth: 138

Catuogno Court Reporting and Sten-Tel Transcription

(413) 746-8100

One Monarch Place, 1414 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01144

www.catuogno.cc

Booth: 50

Chicopee Savings Bank

(800) 662-0974

70 Center St.

Chicopee, MA 01014

www.chicopeesavings.com

Booth: 99

Clear Channel Radio

Phone (413) 781-1011

1331 Main St., Suite 400

Springfield, MA 01103

www.mix931.com

Booth: 56

Comcast Business Services

(413) 730-4540

3303 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01107-1111

www.comcast.com/business

Booth: 34

Constellation New Energy

(617) 772-7500

116 Huntington Avenue, Suite 700

Boston, MA 02116

www.newenergy.com

Booth: 102

Country Bank

(413) 967-6221

75 Main St.

Ware, MA 01082

www.countrybank.com

Booth: 92

Crestview Country Club

(413) 786-2593

Shoemaker Lane

Agawam, MA 01001

www.crestviewcc.org

Booth: 42

DiGrigoli Salons

(413) 827-8888

1578 Riverdale St.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.digrigoli.com

Booths: 195 & 196

Eastfield Mall

(413) 543-8000

1655 Boston Road, Unit A11

Springfield, MA 01129

www.eastfieldmall.com

Booth: 192

EDC of Western Mass.

(413) 593-6421

1441 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103

www.westernmassedc.com

Booth: 73

Elms College

(413) 594-2761

291 Springfield St.

Chicopee, MA 01013

www.elms.edu

Booth: 110

Fandotech

(866) 514-4415

78 Interstate Dr.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.fandotech.com

Booth: 115

Fasttrack Airport Parking

(800) 590-6789

24 Ella Grasso Turnpike

Windsor Locks, CT 06096

www.avistarparking.com/fasttrack

Booth: 27

Forest Park Zoo

(413) 733-2251

302 Sumner Ave.

Springfield, MA 01138

www.forestparkzoo.org

Booth: 194

Freedom Credit Union

(413) 739-6961

P.O. Box 3009

Springfield, MA 01101

www.freedomcoop.com

Booth: 199

FutureWorks

(413) 858-2800

1 Federal St., Building 103-3

Springfield, MA 01105

www.getajob.cc

Booth: 72

Get Set Marketing, LLC

Phone (413) 781-7800

125 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01105

Booth: 65

Hampton Inn & Days Inn

Phone (413) 593-1500

600 Memorial Dr.

Chicopee, MA 01105

www.chicopee.hamptoninn.com

Booth: 131

Harrington Insurance Agency Inc.

(508) 219-0209

www.harringtonsaves.com

Booth: 190

Health New England

(413) 233-3178

One Monarch Place, Suite 1500

Springfield, MA 01144

www.healthnewengland.com

Booths: 90 & 100

H.L. Dempsey Co.

(413) 736-8742

103 Baldwin St.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.hldempsey.com

Booths: 35 & 45

Holyoke Community College

(413) 538-7000

303 Homestead Ave.

Holyoke, MA 01040

www.hcc.edu

Booth: 60

Holyoke Gas & Electric Department

(413) 536-9463

One Canal St.

Holyoke, MA 01040

www.hged.com

Booths: 197 & 198

H&R Block

www.hrblock.com

Booth: 86

La Voz Hispana Newspaper

(203) 865-2272

51 Elm St., Suite 307

New Haven, CT 06510

www.lavozhispanact.com

Booth: 63

Landmark at Monastery Heights

(413) 781-1282

110 Monastery Ave.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.landmarkseniorliving.com

Booth: 96

Liberty Mutual Insurance

(413) 567-2000

175 Dwight Road

Longmeadow, MA 01106

www.libertymutual.com

Booth: 98

Lincoln Culinary Institute

(866) 672-4337

1760 Mapleton Ave.

Suffield, CT 06078

www.lincolnedu.com/schools/lincoln-culinary-institute

Booth: 180

MacDuffie School

(413) 734-4971

One Ames Hill Dr.

Springfield, MA 01105

www.macduffie.org

Booth: 61

n Mary Kay Cosmetics

(413) 530-1786

www.www.marykay.com/jmcnulty8

Booth: 137

MassLive, LLC

(413) 733-2000

32 Hampden St., 4th Floor

Springfield, MA 01103

www.masslive.com

Booths: 70 & 80

MassMutual Center

(413) 787-6610

1277 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103

www.massmutualcenter.com

Booth: 91

McIntire Business Products

(800) 847-2463

128K Hall St.

Concord, New Hampshire 03301

www.mbp-inc.com

Booth: 17

Mercy Medical Center Bloodmobile

Phone (413) 748-9000

271 Carew St.

Springfield, MA 01104

www.mercycares.com

Booths: 175-179

Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.

(413) 536-8510

330 Whitney Ave., Suite 800

Holyoke, MA 01040

www.meyerskalicka.com

Booth: 30

MJ Norton Security Inc.

(888) 734-0707

318 Griffith Road

Chicopee, MA 01022

www.mjnortonsecurity.com

Booth: 132

Moriarty & Primack, P.C.

(413) 739-1800

1414 Main St., Suite 1300

Springfield, MA 01144

www.mass-cpa.com

Booth: 95

NECS

(800) 321-NECS

www.necs.biz

Booth: 183

New England Financial Group

(860) 521-2250

17 North Main St.

West Hartford, CT 06107

www.nefghartford.com

Booth: 83

New England Tractor Trailer Training School

(800) 243-3544

32 Field Road

Somers, CT 06071

www.nettts.com

Booth: 184

Northeast Security Solutions Inc.

(413) 733-7306

33 Sylvan St.

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.northeastsecuritysolutions.com

Booth: 82

Peter Pan Bus Lines

(800) 343-9999

P.O. Box 1776

Springfield, MA 01102

www.peterpanbus.com

Booths: 75 & 76

Pioneer Valley Planning Commission

(413) 781-6045

60 Congress St., Floor 1

Springfield, MA 01104

www.pvpc.org

Booth: 133

Porter & Chester Institute

(413) 593-3339

134 Dulong Circle

Chicopee, MA 01022

www.porterchester.com

Booth: 3

ProShred Security

(413) 596-5479

75 Post Office Park

Wilbraham, MA 01095

www.proshred.com

Booth: 140

Regional Employment Board of Hampden County Inc.

(413) 755-1357

1441 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103

www.rebhc.org

Booth: 103

Reminder Publications

(413) 525-3247

280 North Main St., Suite 1

East Longmeadow, MA 01028

www.thereminder.com

Booth: 207

The Republican

(413) 788-1000

1860 Main St.

Springfield, MA 01103

www.masslive.com

Booth: 81

ResaVue Exhibits

(860) 627-6399

10 Stran Road

Milford, CT 06460

www.resavue.com

Booth: 1

Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical High School

(413) 787-7424

1300 State St.

Springfield, MA 01109

www.sps.springfield.ma.us

Booths: 200 & 201

Roger Sitterly & Son, Inc.

(800) 533-1171

P.O. Box 2530

Springfield, MA 01101

www.sitterlymovers.com

Booth: 87

Royal & Klimczuk, LLC

(413) 586-2288

1350 Main St., 4th Floor

Springfield, MA 01103

www.rkesq.com

Booth: 89

RRD Technologies

(413) 786-5255

80 Ramah Circle South

Agawam, MA 01001

www.rrd-tech.com

Booth: 185

Sage Engineering and Contracting Inc.

(413) 562-4884

199 Servistar Industrial Way, Suite 2

Westfield, MA 01085

www.sage-llc.com

Booth: 135

Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel

(413) 781-1010

One Monarch Place

Springfield, MA 01144

www.sheraton.com/springfieldma

Booth: 160

S.J. Services Inc.

(800) 281-1665

52 Robbins Road

Springfield, MA 01104

www.sj-services.com

Booth: 94

Spirit of Springfield

(413) 733-3800

101 State St., Suite 220

Springfield, MA 01103

www.spiritofspringfield.org

Booth: 40

Springfield Armor

(413) 746-3263

One Monarch Place, Suite 220

Springfield, MA 01144

www.nba.com/dleague/springfield

Booth: 62

Springfield Business Improvement District

(413) 781-1591

1441 Main St., 1st Floor

Springfield, MA 01103

www.springfielddowntown.com

Booth: 191

Springfield College

(413) 748-3000

263 Alden St.

Springfield, MA 01109

www.springfieldcollege.edu

Booth: 101

Springfield Falcons Hockey Club

(413) 739-3344

45 Falcons Way

Springfield, MA 01103

www.falconsahl.com

Booth: 125

STCU Credit Union

(413) 732-9812

145 Industry Ave.

Springfield, MA 01104

www.stcu.com

Booth: 67

Steve Lewis Subaru

(413) 584-3292

48 Damon Road

Northampton, MA 01060

www.stevelewissubaru.com

Booths: 38 & 39, 48 & 49

TD Bank

(413) 748-8231

1441 Main Street

Springfield, MA 01103

www.tdbank.com

Booth: 85

United Personnel

(413) 736-0800

1331 Main St., Suite 100

Springfield, MA 01103

www.unitedpersonnel.com

Booth: 64

Univision-TV 43

(860) 278-1818

One Constitution Plaza, 7th Floor

Hartford, CT 06103

www.wuvntv.com

Booths: 32 & 33

Valley Communications Systems Inc.

(413) 592-4136

20 First Ave.

Chicopee, MA 01020

www.valleycommunications.com

Booths: 187 & 188

Verizon

(800) 941-9900 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (800) 941-9900      end_of_the_skype_highlighting 

www.verizon.com

Booth: 55

Western Mass Wellness, LLC

(413) 732-9355

West Springfield, MA 01089

www.westernmasswellness.com

Booth: 53

Western New England College

(413) 782-3111

1215 Wilbraham Road

Springfield, MA 01119

www.wnec.edu

Booth: 71

Westfield State College

(413) 572-8020

577 Western Ave.

Westfield, MA 01086

www.wsc.ma.edu

Booth: 105

Westover Job Corps

(413) 593-4000

103 Johnson Road

Chicopee, MA 01022

www.westoverjobcorps.com

Booth: 2

WFCR 88.5 FM & WNNZ 640 AM Public Radio

Phone (413) 577-0779

Hampshire House, UMass

131 County Circle

Amherst, MA 01003-9257

www.wfcr.org

Booth: 104

WGBY

(413) 781-2801

44 Hampden St.

Springfield, MA 01103

www.wgby.org

Booth: 93

Whalley Computer Associates

(413) 569-4200

One Whalley Way

Southwick, MA 01077

www.wca.com

Booth: 15

Wilbraham & Monson Academy

(413) 596-6811

423 Main St.

Wilbraham, MA 01095

www.wmacademy.org

Booths: 57 & 58

WMAS 94.7 FM & ESPN 1450 AM

(413) 737-1414

1000 West Columbus Ave.

Springfield, MA 01105

www.947wmas.com

www.espnspringfield.com

Booth: 14

Zasco Productions, LLC

(800) 827-6616

340 McKinstry Ave., Suite 400

Chicopee, MA 01013

www.zascoproductions.com

Booths: 202 & 203

Sections Super 60

Success Stories Offer Measures of Optimism

Super60logoThe Springfield Regional Chamber’s annual Super 60 lists have consistently reflected the depth and diversity of the region’s economy, and the Class of 2015 is no exception. Ranked by Total Revenue and Revenue Growth, this year’s honorees reflect the vibrancy of sectors ranging from healthcare to manufacturing; retail to financial services — and much more.

A quarter-century after its inception, the Super 60 program continues to document not only the growth and sustained success of area businesses, but the vitality of the local economy.

The Springfield Regional Chamber — formerly the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield — has been issuing annual lists of its largest-revenue and fastest-growing members since 1990, documenting, over time, the businesses that keep the region running.

“There’s a reason we break it down by Revenue Growth and Total Revenue,” said Jeffrey Cuiffreda, Springfield Regional Chamber president. “I think it shows we have a lot of mature industries on the largest-revenue list, and to get to that level, you have to be around a long time and have a stable base, and that shows the good foundation of our economy.

“At the same time,” he went on, “we’re finding newer and newer companies that come along, and that’s oftentimes where the growth comes from. There’s usually a good cross-section of industries there, which shows the diversity of the growing companies that add to our employment base.”

Being named to the Super 60 has also become a bragging right for businesses large and small, and a highly anticipated fall tradition. The Super 60 companies will be honored at a luncheon on Friday, Oct. 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Chez Josef in Agawam, presented by Health New England and sponsored by Berkshire Bank, WWLP-TV22 News, and Zasco Productions.

To be considered, companies must be headquartered in Hampden or Hampshire counties or be a member of the Springfield Regional Chamber, have revenues of at least $1 million in the last fiscal year, be an independent and privately owned company, and have been in business at least three full years. Companies are selected based on their percentage of revenue growth over a full three-year period or total revenues for the latest fiscal year.

“Small business is the backbone of our region, and the success of this year’s winners is a clear indication that our regional economy is strong,” Ciuffreda said, adding that, while all winners in the Total Revenue category had revenues in excess of $4 million, one-third exceeded $30 million. The Total Revenue winners combined for more than $1 billion in revenues.

In the Revenue Growth category, all winners had growth in excess of 20%, while one-third had growth in excess of 65%. In addition, 11 companies in the Total Revenue category also qualified for the Revenue Growth category, and 19 companies in the Revenue Growth category also qualified for the Total Revenue category. Each was placed in the list where it ranked highest.

Topping the Total Revenue category is NUVO Bank & Trust Co. in Springfield, followed by Whalley Computer Associates Inc. in Southwick and Sarat Ford-Lincoln in Agawam. In the Revenue Growth category, Springfield-based City Enterprise Inc., a woman-owned commercial and residential builder, finished on top for the second straight year, followed by Aegenco Inc. in Springfield and Holyoke Community College Foundation Inc.

Emily and Oliver Rich, founders of Tea Guys, will keynote the Oct. 23 Super 60 luncheon. Founded in 2002, Tea Guys has steadily expanded, tapping into the strong consumer demand for superior tea products. The company has expanded its online platform to include a brick-and-mortar location in a 10,000-square-foot retail store and production facility in Whately. Boasting more than 120 blends, the company offers its blends as loose teas, K-style cups, and a tea beverage concentrate product for the hospitality industry, and are sold nationwide.

Luncheon reservations are $50 for Springfield Regional Chamber members and $70 for non-members. To reserve tickets, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com or e-mail Sarah Mazzaferro at [email protected].

TOTAL REVENUE

* Qualified for both lists

1. Nuvo Bank & Trust Co.*
1500 Main St., Springfield
(413) 787-2700
www.nuvobank.com
Dale Janes, CEO
NUVO Bank is a locally owned, independent small-business bank located in downtown Springfield. NUVO provides loans, deposits, and cash-management services for personal-banking and business-banking needs.

2. Whalley Computer
Associates Inc.*
One Whalley Way, Southwick
(413) 569-4200
www.wca.com
John Whalley, President
WCA is a locally owned family business that has evolved from a hardware resale and service group in the ’70s and ’80s into a company that now focuses on lowering the total cost of ownership of technology and productivity enhancement for its customers. Whalley carries name-brand computers as well as low-cost performance compatibles.

3. Sarat Ford-Lincoln
245 Springfield St., Agawam
(413) 789-5400
www.saratford.com
Jeff Sarat, President
Founded in 1929 by John Sarat Sr., Sarat Ford has become the largest Ford dealership in Western Mass., and today, grandson Jeff Sarat leads the company. The full-service dealership includes a state-of-the-art body shop, and a new, 10,000-square-foot expansion offers a 24-bay service center that houses a $1 million parts inventory featuring Ford, Motorcraft, Motorsport, and a variety of other specialty manufacturers.

Associated Electro-Mechanics*
185 Rowland St., Springfield
(800) 288-4276
www.aemservices.com
Elayne Lebeau, Owner/CEO
Associated Electro-Mechanics is a diversified, one-stop industrial sales and service center servicing the New England region and beyond, with a variety of industrial repair and rebuilding services.

The Assoc. for Community Living
220 Brookdale Dr., Springfield
(413) 732-0531
www.theassociationinc.org
Barbara Pilarcik, Executive Director
For 60 years, the Assoc. for Community Living has been creating opportunities, building relationships, and improving lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. The agency’s caring and experienced workforce empowers individuals with developmental disabilities to live with dignity, bringing fulfillment, community, and valuable relationships into their lives.

Baltazar Contractors Inc.*
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow
(413) 583-6160
www.baltazarcontractors.com
Frank Baltazar, President
Baltazar Contractors has been a family-owned and operated construction firm for more than 20 years, specializing in roadway construction and reconstruction; all aspects of site-development work; sewer, water, storm, and utilities; and streetscape improvements.

Bay State Elevator Co.
275 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 786-7000
www.bseco.com
Harold Potts, President
Established in 1908, Bay State Elevator works with architects, builders, and business owners to install state-of-the-art elevators of all sizes and shapes. The company also specializes in modernization and maintenance of elevator systems. It boasts six offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Vermont.

Braman Chemical
Enterprises Inc.
147 Almgren Dr., Agawam
(413) 732-9009
www.braman.biz
Gerald Lazarus, President
Braman has been serving New England since 1890, using state-of-the-art pest-elimination procedures for commercial and residential customers. The company has offices in Agawam, Worcester, and Lee, as well as Hartford and New Haven, Conn.

Charter Oak Insurance &
Financial Services Co.*
330 Whitney Ave., Holyoke
(413) 374-5430
www.charteroakfinancial.com
PETER NOVAK, GENERAL AGENT
A member of the MassMutual Financial Group, Charter Oak been servicing clients for 127 years. The team of professionals serves individuals, families, and businesses with risk-management products, business planning and protection, retirement planning and investment services, and fee-based financial planning.

Community Enterprises Inc.
441 Pleasant St., Northampton
(413) 584-1460
www.communityenterprises.com
Dick Venne, President and CEO
In 1972, some progressive staff members at Northampton State Hospital applied for and received a small grant to develop a program to train residents to live and work outside the hospital. In the 40 years since, Community Enterprises has grown into a multi-faceted program that supports the employment, educational, and independent-living goals of people with disabilities in three states.

Cutchins Programs for
Children & Families Inc.
78 Pomeroy Terrace, Northampton
(413) 584-1310
www.cutchins.org
Jay Indik, Executive Director
Cutchins Programs for Children & Families boasts 37 years of providing care not easily found in today’s healthcare environment. It offers residential, outpatient, and special-education services for children and families struggling with the effects of trauma and mental illness in a sanctuary of safety and love.

The Dennis Group*
1537 Main St., Springfield
(413) 746-0054
www.dennisgrp.com
Tom Dennis, CEO
The Dennis Group offers complete planning, design, architectural, engineering, and construction-management services. The firm is comprised of experienced engineering and design professionals specializing in the implementation of food-manufacturing processes and facilities.

Environmental Compliance
Services Inc.*
588 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 789-3530
www.ecsconsult.com
Mark Hellstein, President and CEO
For more than 25 years, ECS has specialized in environmental site assessments; testing for asbestos, lead, indoor air quality, and mold; drilling and subsurface investigations; and emergency-response management.

Filli, LLC d/b/a Con-Test
Analytical Laboratory*
39 Spruce St., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-2332
www.contestlabs.com
Thomas Veratti Sr., Founder
Established in 1984, Con-Test provides environmental consulting and testing services to a variety of clients throughout Western Mass. The laboratory-testing division originally focused on industrial hygiene analysis, but rapidly expanded to include numerous techniques in air analysis, classical (wet) chemistry, metals, and organics, and has the capability for analyzing nearly all water, air, soil, and solid materials.

Gandara Mental Health Inc.*
147 Norman St., West Springfield
(413) 736-8329
www.gandaracenter.org
Dr. Henry East-Trou, CEO
Focusing on the Latino/Hispanic community, Gandara Center provides substance-abuse recovery, mental-health, and housing services for men, women, children, adolescents, and families throughout the Pioneer Valley.

Holyoke Pediatrics
Associates, LLP
150 Lower Westfield Road, Holyoke
(413) 536-2393
www.holyokepediatrics.com
Carole Hebert, Manager
Holyoke Pediatric Associates is the largest pediatric practice in Western Mass., serving patients from Pioneer Valley communities at offices in Holyoke and South Hadley. The group medical practice comprises board-certified pediatricians, certified nurse practioners, and more than 75 clinical, nutritional, and clerical support staff, and has served the healthcare needs of infants, children, and adolescents since 1971.

Kittredge Equipment Co. Inc.*
100 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 304-4100
www.kittredgeequipment.com
Wendy Webber, President
Founded in 1921, Kittredge Equipment Co.is one of the nation’s leading food-service equipment and supply businesses. It boasts 70,000 square feet of showroom in three locations — Agawam, Williston, Vt., and Bow, N.H., making it the largest total showroom in New England, with in-stock inventory of equipment and smallware consisting of more than 7,000 different items. The company also handles design services, and has designed everything from small restaurants to country clubs to in-plant cafeterias.

Marcotte Ford
1025 Main St., Holyoke
(800) 923-9810
www.marcotteford.com
Bryan Marcotte, President
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department. Marcotte has achieved the President’s Award, one of the most prestigious honors given to dealerships by Ford Motor Co., on multiple occasions over the past decade.

Maybury Associates Inc.
90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-4216
www.maybury.com
John Maybury, President
Since 1976, Maybury Associates Inc. has been designing, supplying, and servicing all types of material-handling equipment throughout New England. Maybury provides customers in a wide range of industries with solutions to move, lift, and store their parts and products.

Poly-Metal Finishing Inc.
1 Allen St # 218, Springfield
(413) 781-4535
www.poly-metal.com
Jason Kudelka, President
Poly-Metal Finishing Inc. has served the metalworking industry for more than three decades and specializes in providing the aerospace, military, and com­mercial sectors with complete anodic services: sulfuric anodizing, color anodizing, chromic, hardcoat, polylube pro­cessing, chemical conversion of aluminum, and pre-bond coatings.

Rediker Software Inc.
2 Wilbraham Road, Hampden
(800) 213-9860
www.rediker.com
Richard Rediker, President
Rediker software is used by school administrators across the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, and is designed to meet the student-information-management needs of all types of schools and districts.

Riverside Industries Inc.
One Cottage St., Easthampton
(413) 527-2711
www.rsi.org
Charlene Gentes, President
Now in its 45th year, Riverside Industries provides individualized services combining life-skills development, rehabilitation, and employment options for more than 270 adults living with developmental disabilities from 33 communities. Riverside also offers a wide range of innovative therapies and programs, including music, art, farming, yoga, and other classes.

Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc.
235 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 789-6700
www.specialtybolt.com
Kevin Queenin, President
Founded in 1977, Specialty Bolt & Screw (SBS) is a full-service solutions provider of fasteners, vendor-managed inventory (VMI) programs, and c-class commodities. Based in Agawam, it has locations in Valcourt, Quebec; Juarez, Mexico; Queretaro, Mexico; Rovaniemi, Finland; and Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Tighe & Bond Inc.
53 Southampton Road, Westfield
(413) 562-1600
www.tighebond.com
David Pinsky, President
Having celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011, Tighe & Bond specializes in environmental engineering, focusing on water, wastewater, solid-waste, and hazardous-waste issues, and provides innovative engineering services to public and private clients around the country and overseas.

Troy Industries Inc.
151 Capital Dr., West Springfield
(413) 788-4288; (866) 788-6412
www.troyind.com
Steve Troy, CEO
Troy Industries was founded on the principle of making reliable, innovative, over-engineered products that function without question when lives are on the line. The choice of special ops, law enforcement, and war fighters worldwide, Troy Industries is a leading U.S. government contractor that designs and manufactures innovative, top-quality small-arms components and accessories and complete weapon upgrades.

United Personnel Services Inc.
1331 Main St., Springfield
(413) 736-0800
www.unitedpersonnel.com
Patricia Canavan, President
United provides a full range of staffing services, including temporary staffing and full-time placement, on-site project management, and strategic recruitment in the Springfield, Hartford, and Northampton areas, specializing in administrative, professional, medical, and light-industrial staff.

Valley Opportunity Council Inc.
35 Mount Carmel Ave., Chicopee
(413) 552-1554
www.valleyopp.com
Stephen Huntley, Executive Director
The Valley Opportunity Council (VOC) is the largest and most diverse community-action agency in the region. It has a network of support and collaborative services that include energy assistance, nutrition, early education and childcare, adult education, senior services, housing, money management, and transporation.

W.F. Young Inc.
302 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow
(800) 628-9653
www.absorbine.com
Tyler Young, CEO
This family-run business prides itself on offering a variety of high-quality products that can effectively improve the well-being of both people and horses with its Absorbine brands.

WestMass ElderCare Inc.*
4 Valley Mill Road, Holyoke
(413) 538-9020
www.wmeldercare.org
Priscilla Chalmers, Executive Director
WestMass ElderCare is a private, nonprofit agency with a mission to “to preserve the dignity, independence, and quality of life of elders and disabled persons desiring to remain within their own community.” The agency offers a variety of services for elders, their families and caregivers, and persons with disabilities. Programs and services include supportive housing, home care, options counseling, adult family care, nutrition programs, adult foster care, and group adult foster care.

Westside Finishing Co.
15 Samosett St., Holyoke
(413) 533-4909
www.wsfinish.com
Brian Bell, President
A leading powder coater, Westside Finishing began more than 30 years ago as a liquid-coatings job shop. Today, it offers a much wider array of services, including silk screening, pad printing, trucking, sub-assembly, final packaging, and more. Over the years, Westside has significantly increased the size and volume capability of parts it is able to coat by installing new coating equipment, increasing inventory, and bringing new members onto the team.

REVENUE Growth

* Qualified for both lists

1. City Enterprise Inc.*
38 Berkshire Ave., Springfield
(413) 726-9549
www.cityenterpriseinc.com
Wonderlyn Murphy, president
City Enterprise Inc. offers skilled general-contracting services to the New England region. The company prides itself on custom design and construction of affordable, quality homes and the infrastructure surrounding each project.

2. Aegenco Inc.*
55 Jackson St., Springfield
(413) 746-3242
Spiro Vardakas, President
Aegenco, an energy-conservation consulting firm, has grown steadily since its inception in 2005.

3. Holyoke Community College Foundation Inc.
303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke
(413) 552-2546
www.hcc.edu/the-hcc-foundation
Erica Broman, executive director
The Holyoke Community College Foundation was created four decades ago to help the college meet the needs of the region’s citizens and workforce, by raising both funds and awareness and supporting programs and activities in keeping with the mission of the college.

Aegis Energy Services Inc.*
55 Jackson St., Holyoke
(800) 373-3411
www.aegisenergyservices.com
Lee Vardakas, Owner
Founded in 1985, Aegis Energy Services is a turn-key, full-service provider of combined heat and power systems (CHPs) that generate heat and electricity using clean, efficient, natural-gas-powered engines. These modular CHP systems reduce a facility’s dependence on expensive utility power, reduce energy costs, and reduce one’s carbon footprint.

CanAm Fibers*
100 State St., Ludlow
(413) 525-9018
www.canamfibers.net
Peter Meuiner, president
CanAm Fibers has established itself as a well-known and highly respected supplier of varied and specialty-grade paper products to export markets, particularly third-world countries, a segment that allows CanAm to offer domestic suppliers a feasible and economically advantageous avenue in which to dispose of excess material.

Chemex Corp.*
11 Veterans Dr., Chicopee
(413) 331-4460
www.chemexcoffeemaker.com
Liz Grassy, president
The Chemex coffeemaker was invented in 1941 by Dr. Peter Schlumbohm. Made simply from non-porous, borosilicate glass and fastened with a wood collar and tie, it brews coffee without imparting any flavors of its own. Chicopee-based Chemex Corp., a family-owned company, manufactures Chemex coffeemakers, bonded filters, handblown water kettles, and accessories for worldwide distribution.

Detector Technology Inc.*
9 Third St., Palmer
(413) 284-9975
www.detechinc.com
Jay Ray, president
Detector Technology is a leading manufacturer of products and systems for OEM and equipment manufacturers, specializing in channel electron multipliers, glass extrusion and fabrication, and motion-control products. With a state-of-the-art fabrication and production facility, An ISO 9001-certified commapny, DeTech has been delivering for its customers for more than 20 years.

East Baking Company Inc.*
104 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke
(413) 536-2300
www.eastbaking.com
Danny Serra, President
East Baking Co. offers a full line of fresh and frozen bakery products, with an extensive product line including everything from wraps and pitas to yeast rolls and frozen dough, with full-service distribution in Western Mass. and Connecticut.

Fletcher Sewer & Drain Inc.
824a Perimeter Road, Ludlow
(413) 547-8180
www.fletcherseweranddrain.com
Teri Marinello, President
Since 1985, Fletcher Sewer & Drain has provided service to homeowners as well as municipalities and construction companies for large pipeline jobs from Western Mass. to Southern Conn. From unblocking kitchen sinks to replacing sewer lines, this woman-owned company keeps up to date with all the latest technology, from high-pressure sewer jetters to the newest camera-inspection equipment.

The Gaudreau Group
1984 Boston Road, Wilbraham
(413) 543-3534
www.gaudreaugroup.com
Jules Gaudreau, president
A multi-line insurance and financial-service agency established in 1921, the Gaudreau Group combines the traditional service philosophy of an agency with the talents of a dynamic marketing organization. With the expertise and resources that enable clients to respond to an ever-changing economic environment, the agency offers a broad range of insurance and financial products from basic life, home, and auto insurance to complex corporate services, employee benefits, and retirement plans.

Grand Prix International Inc.*
34 Front St., Indian Orchard
(413) 543-8887
www.grandprixintl.com
Michael Fisher, President
Since 1978, Grand Prix International has grown to become a leading independent game manufacturer, offering a wide range of services, from graphic design to project management, manufacturing, and freight forwarding. GPI has extensive experience with custom product packaging, specializing in plastic molding, tins, clamshells, blister cards, set-up boxes, neck boxes, wood boxes, and displays.

Hampden County Career
Center Inc. d/b/a CareerPoint
850 High St., Holyoke
(413) 532-4900
www.careerpointma.com
David Gadaire, executive director
Since 1996, Hampden County Career Center Inc., d/b/a CareerPoint, has been serving the workforce and economic-development needs of individual job seekers, social-service agencies, and the business community throughout Hampden County and beyond. The center transforms the maze of complex, bureaucratic employment and training programs into one seamless service-delivery system for job seeking and employer customers alike.

Hayden Corp.*
333 River St., West Springfield
(413) 734-4981
www.haydencorp.com
John Hayden, President
Founded in 1919, Hayden Corp. is an ISO 9002-2008 registered provider of thermal spray coatings and other wear- and corrosion-control surfaces, providing comprehensive pre- and post-surfacing services, including preparatory machining, finish grinding, and metallurgical coating quality analysis.

Human Resources Unlimited Inc.*
60 Brookdale Dr., Springfield
(413) 781-5359
www.hru.org
Don Kozera, President and CEO
HRU’s programs annually help more than 1,500 people with physical and mental disabilities or who are disadvantaged by poverty or homelessness, by providing a unique and holistic approach to skill building, job-readiness training, placement, and support. Each year, HRU works with about 140 area employers, providing them with a skilled, reliable workforce while simultaneously creating employment opportunities for its members.

James J. Dowd & Sons
Insurance Agency Inc.*
14 Bobala Road, Holyoke
(413) 538-7444
www.dowd.com
John Dowd Jr., President and CEO
Founded in 1898, Dowd is one of the oldest, most experienced insurance agencies in Massachusetts. The staff includes fully licensed and certified insurance and financial services agents and brokers with a full complement of professional license and designations to insure that clients receive proper insurance and financial-services guidance.

Kielb Welding Enterprises
d/b/a Advance Welding
47 Allston Ave., West Springfield
(413) 734-4544
www.theperfectweld.com
Christopher Kielb, President
Since 1978, Kielb Welding Enterprises, d/b/a Advance Welding, has served its clients with high-quality welding, brazing, and metal fabrication with state-of-the-art facilities and more than 100 years of combined welding experience. The company recently added 6,000 square feet of new facilities and actively participates as role models to young people who may someday seek a career in welding.

Lancer Transportation & Logistics*
311 Industry Ave., Springfield
(413) 739-4880
www.sulco-lancer.com
Todd Goodrich, President
Lancer Transportation & Logistics is a licensed third-party freight brokerage company. Since 1979, Lancer has been providing full-service transportation-brokerage services throughout North America.

Ludlow Heating & Cooling Inc.
1056 Center St., Ludlow
(413) 583-6923
www.ludlowheatingandcooling.com
Karen Sheehan, President
In business since 1978, Ludlow Heating & Cooling is a full-service energy company dedicated to providing quality heating and cooling products, including home heating oil, boilers, furnaces, hot-air systems, humidifiers, air cleaners, and air-conditioning systems. Services include home heating-oil delivery, 24-hour emergency service, annual tuneups, and equipment installations.

Market Mentors, LLC*
30 Capital Drive, Suite C, West Springfield
(413) 787-1133
www.marketmentors.com
Michelle Abdow, principal
A full-service marketing firm, Market Mentors handles all forms of marketing, including advertising in all mediums, media buying, graphic design, public relations, and event planning.

Northeast IT Systems Inc.
777 Riverdale St., West Springfield
(413) 736-6348
www.northeastit.net
Joel Mollison, President
Full-service IT company providing business services, managed IT services, backuop and disaster recovery, and cloud services, as well as a full-service repair shop for residential customers, including file recovery, laptop screen replacement, PC setups and tuneups, printer installation, virus protection and removal, and wireless installation.

O’Connell Professional
Nurse Service Inc.*
14 Bobala Road, Holyoke
(413) 533-1030
www.opns.com
Francis O’Connell, president
For more than two decades, O’Connell Professional Nurse Service has grown to deliver a range of home-health and staffing services across the Pioneer Valley. Services range from nursing care and geriatric healthcare management to advocacy and transportation.

ONsite
Mammography, LLC*
815 N Road, Westfield
(413) 642-3759
www.osmammo.net
Karl Schmidt, President and CEO
ONsite Mammography is the develops and operates digital mammography services within the ob/gyn profession. It offers a comprehensive portfolio of project-management, installation, and operational services that eliminate the administrative burden to physicians and staff, thereby allowing them to remain focused on the delivery of quality patient care, which can now include digital mammography.

Orthotics & Prosthetics Labs Inc.
300 Birnie Ave., Suite 3, Springfield
(888) 432-5488
www.oplabs.com
Jim Haas and Blaine Drysdale, Owners
Orthotics & Prosthetics Labs provides physician-directed orthotic and prosthetic services to meet the personal needs and improve the health status of the area people. It offers a complete range of quality orthotic and prosthetic devices and services, specializing in custom-made braces and prosthetic limbs, but also stocking the most popular off-the-shelf braces.

Paragus Strategic IT*
84 Russell St., Hadley
(413) 587-2666
www.paragusit.com
Delcie Bean IV, president
While still in high school, Delcie Bean founded Paragus IT in 1999, first under the name Vertical Horizons and then Valley ComputerWorks. Under the Paragus name, it has grown dramatically as an outsourced IT solution for area clients. From information technology solutions to CMR-17 compliance to EMR implementation, Paragus provides business computer service, computer consulting, information-technology support, and other proactive services to businesses of all sizes.

PC Enterprises d/b/a Entre Computer*
138 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
(413) 736-2112
www.pc-enterprises.com
Norman Fiedler, CEO
PC Enterprises, d/b/a Entre Computer, assists organizations with procuring, installing, troubleshooting, servicing, and maximizing the value of technology. In business since 1983, it continues to evolve and grow as a lead provider for many businesses, healthcare providers, retailers, and state, local, and education entities.

Pioneer Valley Financial
Group, LLC
535 East St., Ludlow
(413) 589-1500
www.pvfinancial.com
Joseph Leonczyk, Charles Myers, and Ed Sokolowski, Managing Partners
Realizing a need to provide a comprehensive, relationship-focused approach to financial planning, the partners at PV Financial Group opened their doors in 2002. Serving both individuals and organizations, the firm’s financial planners and financial advisors craft unique strategies for each client based on individualized needs, tolerances, and time horizons.

Powervestors II, LLC
55 Jackson St., Holyoke
(413) 536-1156
www.aegisenergyservices.com
Spiro Vardakas, Owner
PowerVestors provides services in power-generating equipment installation throughout the region.

Squier Lumber & Hardware Inc.*
5 Squier Ave., Monson
(413) 267-5542
www.squierlumber.com
Chris Haley and Kevin Haley, Owners
Serving the local community since 1874, Squier is the oldest continuously operating business in Monson. It offers lumber, building materials, paint, garden supplies, hardware, windows, doors, wood pellets and bagged coal, hearth products, and pellet, coal, and wood stoves.

Universal Plastics Corp.*
75 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke
(800) 553-0120
www.universalplastics.com
Joseph Peters, CEO
Since 1965, Universal Plastics has been a leading force in the custom thermoforming industry. It specializes in precision custom thermoforming, a plastic-manufacturing process that converts a sheet of plastic into a highly detailed finished product with less tooling investment than other plastic molding processes.

V&F Auto Inc.
443 Springfield St, Agawam
(413) 789-2181
www.vfauto.com
Frank Palange, owner and president
Since 1988, V & F Auto Inc. has been a local, family-owned and -operated auto-repair center servicing Agawam and neighboring areas. As an approved AAA auto-service shop, its ASE-certified technicians have years of experience working on both domestic and import vehicles of all makes and models and can work with customers to find cost-effective repair and maintenance alternatives.

Sections Super 60
Program Marks 25 Years of Honoring the Top-performing Companies

Super60logoIt started a quarter-century ago.

The program was smaller — it was known as the Fabulous 50 back then — and was conceived as a fund-raising event for what is now the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield (ACCGS), and also as an opportunity to celebrate the top-performing companies that characterized the region’s diverse economy.

Along the way, it has become a fall tradition, and the phrase ‘Super 60 company’ has become a bragging right for businesses large and small, said ACCGS President Jeff Ciuffreda, as he referenced the class of 2014.

It will be celebrated on Nov. 14 at Chez Josef in Agawam, which has traditionally been sold out for the Super 60 luncheon, and should be this year as well.

And, as in the previous 24 years, the Super 60 lists are characterized by diversity — in a number of forms (see snapshots below). First, geographically. Nearly 20 cities and towns in Western Mass. are represented by the companies in the Total Revenue and Revenue Growth categories, including both the larger cities, such as Springfield, Holyoke, and Westfield, but also the smaller towns, such as Ware, Belchertown, and Southwick.

There’s also diversity in terms of the industrial sectors represented on those lists. There are winners from the financial-services sector, retail, manufacturing, education, healthcare, technology, service, distribution, construction, and the region’s large nonprofit realm. And there’s diversity in terms of size, with some of the region’s largest employers on the Total Revenue list, and some of its smaller rising stars on the Revenue Growth compilation.

Add it all up, and this year’s winners provide ample reason for optimism as the region continues to battle its way back from the prolonged recession that began in 2007.

“Small business is the backbone of our region,” said Ciuffreda, “and the success of this year’s winners is a clear indication that our regional economy is strong.”

This strength is reflected in the numbers posted by this year’s winners. The average revenue of the companies in the Total Revenue category exceeded $35 million, with combined revenue of more than $1 billion. Meanwhile, one-third of the companies in the Revenue Growth category posted growth in excess of 50%, with the average growth of all honorees in that category at more than 49%.

Topping the Total Revenue category is West Springfield-based Balise Motor Sales, which now boasts more than 20 facilities (new- and used-car dealerships, collision-repair shops, and car washes) in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Placing second is the Stavros Center for Independent Living, with NUVO Bank & Trust Co. placing third.

In the Revenue Growth category, Springfield-based City Enterprise Inc., a woman-owned commercial and residential builder, finished on top, followed by Troy Industries Inc. and Chemex Corp.

Also, 16 companies qualified for both categories. They include the Dennis Group, Gandara Mental Health, Joseph Freedman Co., Maybury Associates, M.J. Moran, Northeast Treaters, NUVO Bank & Trust Co., PC Enterprises (Entre Computer), Pioneer Valley Concrete Services, Premier Source Credit Union, Tighe & Bond, Troy Industries, Universal Plastics Corp., and Whalley Computer Associates. Each was placed in the category where it finished highest.

The winners will be saluted at the annual luncheon, which this year will feature Friendly Ice Cream President and CEO John Maguire as keynote speaker.

Maguire is credited with engineering a strong turnaround at the company, which began with a single shop in Springfield in 1935, grew into a regional powerhouse, but struggled through the ’90s and the first part of this century, eventually filing for bankruptcy.

The celebration luncheon is presented by Health New England and sponsored by Hampden Bank, Zasco Productions, and WWLP-TV22.

Reservations for the luncheon are required and can be made online at www.myonlinechamber.com or by e-mailing Sarah Mazzaferro at [email protected]. Tickets are $50 for ACCGS members, $70 for non-members. The deadline for reservations is Nov. 7.

Fast Facts:

What: The Super 60 Luncheon
When: Nov. 14, 11:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Where: Chez Josef, Agawam
Keynote Speaker: John Maguire, president and CEO, Friendly’s
For more Information: Visit www.myonlinechamber.com

TOTAL REVENUE

1. Balise Motor Sales
122 Doty Circle, West Springfield
(413) 733-8604
www.baliseauto.com
Jeb Balise, President and Dealer
Now one of the largest retailers of new and used automobiles in New England, Balise Motor Sales, which traces its roots back to 1929, operates more than 20 dealerships, collision-repair shops, and car washes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Brands sold and serviced include Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Lexus, Mazda, Nissan, Scion, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen. The company now employs more than 1,000 people at its various facilities.

2. Stavros Center for Independent Living
210 Old Farm Road, Amherst
(413) 256-0473
www.stavros.org
Jim Kruidenier, Director
The Stavros Center for Independent Living, founded in 1976, is one of the oldest independent-living centers in the country. It is the goal at Stavros to give people with disabilities the tools to take charge of their life choices, act on their own behalf, and overcome situations that reduce their potential for independence. The company operates three offices, in Amherst, Springfield, and Greenfield. Offerings include deaf and hard-of-hearing services, housing services, building services, options counseling, a transition-to-adulthood program, personal-care-attendant services, and many others.

3. Nuvo Bank & Trust Co. *
1500 Main St., Springfield
(413) 787-2700
www.nuvobank.com
Dale Janes, CEO
NUVO Bank is a locally owned, independent small-business bank located in downtown Springfield. NUVO provides loans, deposits, and cash-management services for personal-banking and business-banking needs.

The Assoc. for Community Living
220 Brookdale Dr., Springfield
(413) 732-0531
www.theassociationinc.org
Barbara Pilarcik, R.N., Executive Director
For 60 years, the Assoc. for Community Living has been creating opportunities, building relationships, and improving lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. The agency’s caring and experienced workforce empowers individuals with developmental disabilities to live with dignity, bringing fulfillment, community, and valuable relationships into their lives.

Charter Oak Insurance and Financial Services Co.

330 Whitney Ave., Holyoke
(413) 374-5430
www.charteroakfinancial.com
Peter Novak, General Agent
A member of the MassMutual Financial Group, Charter Oak been servicing clients for 127 years. The team of professionals serves individuals, families, and businesses with risk-management products, business planning and protection, retirement planning and investment services, and fee-based financial planning.

City Tire Company Inc.
25 Avocado St., Springfield
(413) 737-1419
www.city-tire.com
Peter Greenberg, President
Brothers Peter and Dan Greenberg, the third generation of a family-owned business founded in 1927, have grown the business to 11 locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The company offers one-stop shopping for tires of all shapes and sizes and a full compliment of maintenance and repair services.

Commercial Distributing Co. Inc.
46 South Broad St., Westfield
(413) 562-9691
www.commercialdist.com
Richard Placek, Chairman
Founded in 1935 by Joseph Placek, Commercial Distributing Co. is a family-owned and -operated business servicing more than 1,000 bars, restaurants, and clubs, as well as more than 400 package and liquor stores. Now in its third generation, the company continues to grow through the values established by its founder by building brands and offering new products as the market changes.

The Dennis Group, LLC *
1537 Main St., Springfield
(413) 746-0054
www.dennisgrp.com
TOM DENNIS, CEO
The Dennis Group offers complete planning, design, architectural, engineering, and construction-management services. The firm is comprised of experienced engineering and design professionals specializing in the implementation of food-manufacturing processes and facilities.

Environmental Compliance Services Inc.
588 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 789-3530
www.ecsconsult.com
MARK HELLSTEIN, PRESIDENT AND CEO
For more than 25 years, ECS has specialized in environmental site assessments; testing for asbestos, lead, indoor air quality, and mold; drilling and subsurface investigations; and emergency-response management.

Gandara Mental Health Inc. *
147 Norman St., West Springfield
(413) 736-8329
www.gandaracenter.org
Dr. Henry East-Trou, CEO
Focusing on the Latino/Hispanic community, Gandara Center provides substance-abuse recovery, mental-health, and housing services for men, women, children, adolescents, and families throughout the Pioneer Valley.

Joseph Freedman Co. Inc. *
115 Stevens St., Springfield
(888) 677-7818
www.josephfreedmanco.com
John Freedman, President
Founded in 1891, the company provides industrial scrap-metal recycling, specializing in aluminum, copper, nickel alloys, and aircraft scrap, and has two facilities in Springfield — a 120,000-square-foot indoor ferrous facility, and a 60,000-square-foot chopping operation.

Kittredge Equipment Co. Inc.
100 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 304-4100
www.kittredgeequipment.com
Wendy Webber, President
Founded in 1921, Kittredge Equipment Co.is one of the nation’s leading food-service equipment and supply businesses. It boasts 70,000 square feet of showroom in three locations — Agawam, Williston, Vt., and Bow, N.H., making it the largest total showroom in New England, with in-stock inventory of equipment and smallware consisting of more than 7,000 different items. The company also handles design services, and has designed everything from small restaurants to country clubs to in-plant cafeterias.

Marcotte Ford Sales
1025 Main St., Holyoke
(800) 923-9810
www.marcotteford.com
BRYAN MARCOTTE, PRESIDENT
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department. Marcotte has achieved the President’s Award, one of the most prestigious honors given to dealerships by Ford Motor Co., on multiple occasions over the past decade.

Maybury Associates Inc.*
90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-4216
www.maybury.com
John Maybury, President
Since 1976, Maybury Associates Inc. has been designing, supplying, and servicing all types of material-handling equipment throughout New England. Maybury provides customers in a wide range of industries with solutions to move, lift, and store their parts and products.

Northeast Treaters Inc./Chemical Wood Treaters *
201 Springfield Road, Belchertown
(413) 323-7811
www.ntreaters.com
David Reed, President
Northeast Treaters, founded in 1985 in Belchertown, is a manufacturer of pressure-treated lumber. In 1996, an additional facility was added in Athens, N.Y. to produce fire-retardant treated lumber.

Quabbin Wire & Cable Co. Inc.
10 Maple St., Ware
(413) 967-6281
www.quabbin.com
Paul Engel, President
Quabbin Wire & Cable Co. is a privately held corporation that manufactures a variety of thermoplastic shielded and unshielded cables that are sold through distribution. Cable applications and markets include local area networks (LANS), industrial LAN systems, telecommunications systems, control and Instrumentation, process-control interconnect, computer peripherals, low-capacitance data, point-of-sale equipment, sound and audio instrumentation, fire alarm and security systems, medical devices, and custom-designed signaling applications.

Rediker Software Inc.

2 Wilbraham Road, Hampden
(800) 213-9860
www.rediker.com
RICHARD REDIKER, PRESIDENT
Rediker software is used by school administrators across the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, and is designed to meet the student-information-management needs of all types of schools and districts.

Sarat Ford Lincoln
245 Springfield St., Agawam
(413) 789-5400
www.saratford.com
Jeff Sarat, President
Founded in 1929 by John Sarat Sr., Sarat Ford has become the largest Ford dealership in Western Mass., and today, grandson Jeff Sarat leads the company. The full-service dealership includes a state-of-the-art body shop, and a new, 10,000-square-foot expansion offers a 24-bay service center that houses a $1 million parts inventory featuring Ford, Motorcraft, Motorsport, and a variety of other specialty manufacturers.

Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc.
235 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 789-6700
www.specialtybolt.com
Kevin Queenin, President
Founded in 1977, Specialty Bolt & Screw (SBS) is a full-service solutions provider of fasteners, vendor-managed inventory (VMI) programs, and c-class commodities. Based in Agawam, it has locations in Valcourt, Quebec; Juarez, Mexico; Queretaro, Mexico; Rovaniemi, Finland; and Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Spectrum Analytical Inc.
11 Almgren Dr., Agawam
(413) 789-9018
www.spectrum-analytical.com
Hanibal Tayeh, CEO
For more than a decade, Spectrum Analytical Inc. has provided quantitative analysis of soil, water, and, more recently, air samples, as well as petroleum products. Consulting firms, industries, municipalities, universities, and the public sector are among the constituencies that make up the client list.

Springfield College
263 Alden St., Springfield
(413) 748-3000
www.springfieldcollege.edu
Mary-Beth Cooper, President
Founded in 1885, Springfield College is a private, independent, coeducational, four-year college offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs with its Humanics philosophy — educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others.

Tighe & Bond Inc. *
53 Southampton Road, Westfield
(413) 562-1600
www.tighebond.com
David Pinsky, President
Having celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011, Tighe & Bond specializes in environmental engineering, focusing on water, wastewater, solid-waste, and hazardous-waste issues, and provides innovative engineering services to public and private clients around the country and overseas.

United Personnel Services Inc.
1331 Main St., Springfield
(413) 736-0800
www.unitedpersonnel.com
PATRICIA CANAVAN, PRESIDENT
United provides a full range of staffing services, including temporary staffing and full-time placement, on-site project management, and strategic recruitment in the Springfield, Hartford, and Northampton areas, specializing in administrative, professional, medical, and light-industrial staff.

University Products Inc.
517 Main St., Holyoke
(413) 532-3372
www.universityproducts.com
John Magoon, President
University Products is one of the nation’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of materials for conservation, restoration, preservation, exhibition, and archival storage. The company’s catalog includes thousands of paper and plastic enclosures, specialty tapes and adhesives, preservation framing supplies, and archival storage boxes. In addition, it distributes furnishings, tools, equipment, chemicals, and other materials that contribute to the field of preservation.

Valley Fibers Corp.

75 Service Center Road, Northampton
(413) 584-2225
www.yarn.com
Steve Elkins, CEO
Valley Fibers Corp., operating as Webs Amera’s Yarn Store, was founded in 1974, and ships products for knitters, weavers, and spinners in Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, the continental U.S., and internationally. Products consist of all forms of natural and man-made fibers for clothing and accessories in addition to crochet accessories, tools, and more.

Valley Opportunity Council Inc.

35 Mount Carmel Ave., Chicopee
(413) 552-1554
www.valleyopp.com
Stephen Huntley, Executive Director
The Valley Opportunity Council (VOC) is the largest and most diverse community-action agency in the region. It has a network of support and collaborative services that include energy assistance, nutrition, early education and childcare, adult education, senior services, housing, money management, and transporation.

WestMass ElderCare Inc.
4 Valley Mill Road, Holyoke
(413) 538-9020
www.wmeldercare.org
Priscilla Chalmers, Executive Director
WestMass ElderCare is a private, nonprofit agency with a mission to “to preserve the dignity, independence, and quality of life of elders and disabled persons desiring to remain within their own community.” The agency offers a variety of services for elders, their families and caregivers, and persons with disabilities. Programs and services include supportive housing, home care, options counseling, adult family care, nutrition programs, adult foster care, and group adult foster care.

Whalley Computer Associates Inc. *
One Whalley Way, Southwick
(413) 569-4200
www.wca.com
JOHN WHALLEY, PRESIDENT
WCA is a locally owned family business that has evolved from a hardware resale and service group in the ’70s and ’80s into a company that now focuses on lowering the total cost of ownership of technology and productivity enhancement for its customers. Whalley carries name-brand computers as well as low-cost performance compatibles.

YMCA of Greater Springfield
275 Chestnut St., Springfield
(413) 739-6951
www.springfieldy.org
Kirk Smith, President and CEO
The YMCA of Greater Springfield, established in 1852, is the fourth-oldest Y in the world, second-oldest in the country, and third-oldest in North America only to Montreal and Boston. The Y provides services annually to more than 115,000 members, and the program participates in 14 cities and towns across the region. Facilities include the Downtown Springfield YMCA Family Center, the Scantic Valley YMCA Family Center in Wilbraham, the Agawam YMCA Wellness & Program Family Center, and the Dunbar YMCA Family & Community Center in Springfield.

* Indicates company qualifed in both categories

REVENUE GROWTH

1. City Enterprise Inc.
38 Berkshire Ave., Springfield
(413) 726-9549
www.cityenterpriseinc.com
Wonderlyn Murphy, president
City Enterprise Inc. offers skilled general-contracting services to the New England region. The company prides itself on custom design and construction of affordable, quality homes and the infrastructure surrounding each project.

2. Troy Industries Inc. *
151 Capital Dr.,
West Springfield
(866) 788-6412
www.troyind.com
Erhan Erden, president
Troy Industries is a leading U.S. government contractor that designs and manufactures innovative, top-quality small-arms components and accessories and complete weapon upgrades. Many iconic firearms manufacturers incorporate Troy products into their weapons, including Smith & Wesson, Sturm Ruger & Co., Viking Tactics, POF-USA, LaRue Tactical, LWRC International, Noveske, and HK Defense.

3. Chemex Corp.
11 Veterans Dr., Chicopee
(413) 331-4460
www.chemexcoffeemaker.com
Liz Grassy, president
The Chemex coffeemaker was invented in 1941 by Dr. Peter Schlumbohm. Made simply from non-porous, borosilicate glass and fastened with a wood collar and tie, it brews coffee without imparting any flavors of its own. Chicopee-based Chemex Corp., a family-owned company, manufactures Chemex coffeemakers, bonded filters, handblown water kettles, and accessories for worldwide distribution.

American Pest Solutions Inc.
169 William St., Springfield
(413) 781-0044
www.413pestfree.com
Robert Russell, president
For about a century, American Pest Solutions has been taking care of families and business owners to keep their properties free from ants, bedbugs, rodents, roaches, termites, and other harmful pest infestations. By utilizing products and pest-treatment solutions designed to minimize impacts on the surrounding environment, American takes an ecologically sensitive approach to pest control for the environmentally concerned client.

Boys & Girls Club Family Center Inc.
100 Acorn St., Springfield
(413) 739-4743
www.bgcafamilycenter.org
O’Rita Swan, executive director
The Boys & Girls Club Family Center, featuring a regulation-size gym, a full-size indoor swimming pool, and rooms where kids study and play, is devoted to the idea that children need a place where they are nurtured, protected, and loved. The center offers a variety of activities for children and teens, at all times of the day and early evening. Open year-round, its programs include a pre-school program, after-school program, teen drop-in program, and summer camp.

CanAm Fibers
100 State St., Ludlow
(413) 525-9018
www.canamfibers.net
Peter Meuiner, president
CanAm Fibers has established itself as a well-known and highly respected supplier of varied and specialty-grade paper products to export markets, particularly third-world countries, a segment that allows CanAm to offer domestic suppliers a feasible and economically advantageous avenue in which to dispose of excess material.

Convergent Solutions Inc.
9501 Post Office Park, Wilbraham
(413) 509-1000
www.convergentsolutions.com
Arlene Kelly, CEO
A healthcare billing solutions provider founded in 2006, Convergent Solutions provides hardware and software products that help eliminate human error in medical billing processes, thus helping bring down the cost of healthcare.

Dietz & Co. Architects Inc.
17 Hampden St., Springfield
(413) 733-6798
www.dietzarch.com
Kerry Dietz, CEO
Dietz & Co. provides a full range of architectural services in the public and private sectors, including work in housing, education, healthcare, commercial facilities, historic preservation, and sustainable projects. The firm seeks to bring the benefits of integrated design into all its projects, from individual buildings to entire neighborhoods.

FIT Solutions, LLC
25 Bremen St., Springfield
(413) 733-6466
www.fitsolutions.us
Jackie Fallon, president
Since 2004, FIT Solutions has been partnering with clients, from small-business owners who have only a few IT needs to large companies that have small IT departments, to provide the best candidates for a variety of IT positions. Serving both the Massachusetts and Connecticut markets, FIT Solutions determines the exact qualifications and skills needed, as well as the personality traits desired, in order to find candidates that fit an array of technology-based positions.

The Gaudreau Group
1984 Boston Road, Wilbraham
(413) 543-3534
www.gaudreaugroup.com
Jules Gaudreau, president
A multi-line insurance and financial-service agency established in 1921, the Gaudreau Group combines the traditional service philosophy of an agency with the talents of a dynamic marketing organization. With the expertise and resources that enable clients to respond to an ever-changing economic environment, the agency offers a broad range of insurance and financial products from basic life, home, and auto insurance to complex corporate services, employee benefits, and retirement plans.

GMH Fence Company Inc.
15 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-3361
www.gmhfence.com
Glenn Hastie, owner
Serving the Western Mass. area for more than over 20 years, GMH Fence Co. is one of largest and most respected fence companies in the region. The fencing contractor offers quality service and fence installations from a selection of wood, aluminum, steel, and vinyl fencing that are durable and virtually trouble-free for residential, commercial, and industrial fencing requests.

Haluch Water Contracting Inc.
399 Fuller St, Ludlow
(413) 589-1254
Thomas Haluch, president
For 30 years, Haluch Water Contracting has served the region as a water-main construction and excavation contractor specializing in water, sewer, pipeline, and communications and power-line construction.

Hampden County Career Center / CareerPoint
850 High St., Holyoke
(413) 532-4900
www.careerpointma.com
David Gadaire, executive director
Since 1996, Hampden County Career Center Inc., d/b/a CareerPoint, has been serving the workforce and economic-development needs of individual job seekers, social-service agencies, and the business community throughout Hampden County and beyond. The center transforms the maze of complex, bureaucratic employment and training programs into one seamless service-delivery system for job seeking and employer customers alike.

Holyoke Community College Foundation Inc.
303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke
(413) 552-2546
www.hcc.edu/the-hcc-foundation
Erica Broman, executive director
The Holyoke Community College Foundation was created four decades ago to help the college meet the needs of the region’s citizens and workforce, by raising both funds and awareness and supporting programs and activities in keeping with the mission of the college.

Innovative Business Systems Inc.
161 Northampton St,. 
Easthampton
(413) 584-4274
www.for-ibs.com
Dave DelVecchio, president
For a quarter-century, IBS has provided information-technology solutions designed to meet the stated business objectives of its customers through a process-oriented, consultative approach, with services including exchange conversions, data-replication solutions, disaster recovery and business continuity, and much more.

Janice Yanni, DDS
180 Westfield St., West Springfield
(413) 739-4400
www.yanniorthodontics.com
Dr. Janice Yanni, owner
Dr. Janice Yanni specializes in orthodontic treatment for children, teens, and adults with offices in West Springfield as well as Tolland, Conn., using the latest in technology and a variety of treatment options, including Invisalign, Invisalign Express, Incognito, Six Month Smiles, and traditional braces.

M.J. Moran Inc. *
4 South Main St., Haydenville
(413) 268.7251
www.mjmoraninc.com
James Moran, CEO
The M.J. Moran company was formed in February of 1978 and has steadily grown in size. Services include plumbing, HVAC systems, process piping systems, high-pressure gas and steam systems, medical-gas systems, design/build services, and mechanical construction management. Repeat customers include Top Flite/Callaway Golf, Milton Bradley, Suddekor, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, Eaglebrook School, Northfield Mount Hermon, and the Cooley Dickinson Hospital.


Market Mentors, LLC

1680 Riverdale St., West Springfield
(413) 787-1133
www.marketmentors.com
Michelle Abdow, principal
A full-service marketing firm, Market Mentors handles all forms of marketing, including advertising in all mediums, media buying, graphic design, public relations, and event planning.

Netlogix Inc.
181 Notre Dame St., Westfield
(413) 586-2777
www.netlgx.com
Marco Liquori, president
NetLogix offers a wide range of IT services, including equipment sales; managed network services and remote monitoring; network design, installation, and management; network security and firewalls; disaster-recovery and business-continuity services; VoIP; wi-fi; and more.

Northeast Security Solutions Inc.
33 Sylvan St.,
West Springfield
(413) 733-7306
www.northeastsecuritysolutions.com
George Condon, president
Northeast Security Solutions takes a unique, integrated approach to security by bringing together locks, access control, alarms, safes, camera systems, and door-replacement systems to enhance clients’ security.

O’Connell Professional Nurse Service Inc.
14 Bobala Road, Holyoke
(413) 533-1030
www.opns.com
Francis O’Connell, president
For more than two decades, O’Connell Professional Nurse Service has grown to deliver a range of home-health and staffing services across the Pioneer Valley. Services range from nursing care and geriatric healthcare management to advocacy and transportation.

Paragus Strategic IT
84 Russell St., Hadley
(413) 587-2666
www.paragusit.com
Delcie Bean IV, president
While still in high school, Delcie Bean founded Paragus IT in 1999, first under the name Vertical Horizons and then Valley ComputerWorks. Under the Paragus name, it has grown dramatically as an outsourced IT solution for area clients. From information technology solutions to CMR-17 compliance to EMR implementation, Paragus provides business computer service, computer consulting, information-technology support, and other proactive services to businesses of all sizes.

PC Enterprises / Entre Computer *
138 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
(413) 736-2112
www.pc-enterprises.com
Norman Fiedler, CEO
PC Enterprises, d/b/a Entre Computer, assists organizations with procuring, installing, troubleshooting, servicing, and maximizing the value of technology. In business since 1983, it continues to evolve and grow as a lead provider for many businesses, healthcare providers, retailers, and state, local, and education entities.

Pioneer Valley Concrete Service Inc. *
66 North Chicopee St., Chicopee
(413) 534-8171
Dan Smith, owner and president
Pioneer Valley Concrete Service is one of the largest open-shop concrete contractors in New England with experience in warehouse, industrial, institutional, foundation, flatwork, and mass concrete construction, with single-limit bonding capacity in excess of $12 million and aggregate bonding capacity in excess of $20 million, and more than 80 field personnel in addition to a fully staffed office.

Premier Source Credit Union *
232 North Main St.,
East Longmeadow
(413) 525-2002
premier-sourcecu.com
Bonnie Raymond, CEO and president
Premier Source Credit Union (formerly Kelko Credit Union) was founded in 1941 by the employees of Kellogg Envelope Co. Kelko merged with Twin Meadows Federal Credit Union in 2000, with Spalding Employees Credit Union in 2001, and with Embeco Credit Union (Hasbro Games) in 2006. Combining the resources of these credit unions has allowed it to continue providing personal attention, while expanding its products and services.

Topato Corp.
14 Industrial Parkway, Easthampton
www.topatoco.com
Jeffrey Rowland, president
Topato Corp. is a widely recognized online retailer of webcomic and related merchandise established around 2004 by artist Jeffrey Rowland. Its services are exclusively for established, original, independent Internet creators with a proven record of solid updates and a considerable existing audience.

Universal Plastics Corp. *
75 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke
(800) 553-0120
www.universalplastics.com
Joseph Peters, CEO
Since 1965, Universal Plastics has been a leading force in the custom thermoforming industry. It specializes in precision custom thermoforming, a plastic-manufacturing process that converts a sheet of plastic into a highly detailed finished product with less tooling investment than other plastic molding processes.

V&F Auto Inc.
443 Springfield St, Agawam
(413) 789-2181
www.vfauto.com
Frank Palange, owner and president
Since 1988, V & F Auto Inc. has been a local, family-owned and -operated auto-repair center servicing Agawam and neighboring areas. As an approved AAA auto-service shop, its ASE-certified technicians have years of experience working on both domestic and import vehicles of all makes and models and can work with customers to find cost-effective repair and maintenance alternatives.

Valley Home Improvement Inc.
340 Riverside Dr.,
Florence
(413) 517-0158
www.valleyhomeimprovement.com
Steven Silverman, owner
Valley Home Improvement has specialized in home improvement, renovations, and remodeling service in Leeds, Hadley, Amherst, Sunderland, Florence, and Northampton since it was founded in 1991. Home-improvement and remodeling services include kitchen design, bathrooms, additions, sunrooms, screen porches, basement finishing, weatherization/insulation services, garages, and custom cabinetry and countertops.

Westside Enterprises Inc.
1004 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam
(413) 786-1414
www.westsideenterprises.com
Gary Mitchell, president
With a proven track record for project management and superior craftsmanship, Westside Enteprises is a general contractor offering project management, consulting/site management, project estimating, contract negotiations, quality-control management, subcontractor coordination, material purchasing and handling, site work, interior fit-up, and in-house craftsmen. Other specialties include all types of landscaping, retaining walls, snow removal, and emergency construction.

* Indicates company qualifed in both categories

Cover Story Sections Super 60

Saluting Success

super60logoA large technology company that has been a fixture in Western Mass. for decades and a craft-beer startup that has quickly shot from obscurity to a large cult following may boast very different histories, but they have one thing in common: they are the top honorees in this year’s Super 60 awards.

“The success of this year’s winners is a clear indication that our regional economy is strong and reflects the diverse nature of our industries,” said Nancy Creed, president of the Springfield Regional Chamber, which is presenting the Super 60 honors for the 28th year. A celebration event honoring this year’s class will be held Friday, Oct. 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Chez Josef in Agawam.

Whalley Computer Associates Inc. of Southwick placed atop this year’s Total Revenue listing, followed by Marcotte Ford Sales Inc. of Holyoke and Commercial Distributing Co. Inc. of Westfield. In the Revenue Growth category, which recognizes the fastest-growing firms in the region, Tree House Brewing of Charlton tops the 2017 list, followed by Five Star Transportation Inc. of Southwick and LavishlyHip, LLC, an online outfit based in Feeding Hills.

“In just two short years of operation, Tree House Brewing, Inc., has moved straight to the top of the Revenue Growth category in its first year as a Super 60 winner,” she said.  “And LavishlyHip, an online retailer that garnered the top honors last year has returned in the top three this year.”

To be considered, companies must be based in Hampden or Hampshire counties or be a member of the Springfield Regional Chamber, have revenues of at least $1 million in the last fiscal year, be an independent and privately owned company, and be in business at least three full years. Companies are selected based on their percentage of revenue growth over a full three-year period or total revenues for the latest fiscal year.

Creed noted that this year’s winners hail from 17 communities across the region and represent all sectors of the economy, including nonprofits, transportation, energy, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, retail, and service. One-quarter of the Total Revenue winners exceeded $30 million in revenues. In the Revenue Growth category, one-quarter of the top 30 companies had growth in excess of 100%.

Four companies in the Total Revenue category also qualified for the Revenue Growth category, while 15 companies in the Revenue Growth category also qualified for the Total Revenue category, although each honoree is listed in only one category.

Tickets to the Oct. 27 event cost $60 for chamber members, $75 for general admission. Reservations may be made for tables of eight or 10. The deadline for reservations is Wednesday, Oct. 18. No cancellations will be accepted after that date, and no walk-ins will be allowed. Reservations must be made in writing, either online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com or by e-mail to [email protected].

Total Revenue

1. Whalley Computer Associates Inc.
One Whalley Way, Southwick
(413) 569-4200
www.wca.com
John Whalley, president
WCA is a locally owned family business that has evolved from a hardware resale and service group in the ’70s and ’80s into a company that now focuses on lowering the total cost of technology and productivity enhancement for its customers. Boasting nearly 150 employees, Whalley carries name-brand computers as well as low-cost compatibles.

2. Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.
1025 Main St., Holyoke
(800) 923-9810
www.marcotteford.com
Bryan Marcotte, president
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department. Marcotte has achieved the President’s Award, one of the most prestigious honors given to dealerships by Ford Motor Co., on multiple occasions over the past decade. It also operates the Marcotte Commercial Truck Center.

3. Commercial         Distributing Co. Inc.
46 South Broad St., Westfield
(413) 562-9691
www.commercialdist.com
Richard Placek, Chairman
Founded in 1935 by Joseph Placek, Commercial Distributing Co. is a family-owned, family-operated business servicing more than 1,000 bars, restaurants, and clubs, as well as more than 400 package and liquor stores. Now in its third generation, the company continues to grow by building brands and offering new products as the market changes.
A.G. Miller Co. Inc.
57 Batavia St., Springfield
(413) 732-9297
www.agmiller.com
Rick Miller, president
Early in its history, A.G. Miller made a name in automobile enameling. More than 100 years after its founding in 1914, the company now offers precision metal fabrication; design and engineering; assembly; forming, rolling, and bending; laser cutting; punching; precision saw cutting; welding; powder coating and liquid painting; and more.

Aegenco Inc.
55 Jackson St., Springfield
(413) 746-3242
www.aegisenergyservices.com
Spiro Vardakas, president
Aegenco, an energy-conservation consulting firm and the manufacturing arm of Aegis Energy Services, has grown steadily since its inception in 2005.

Aegis Energy Services Inc.
55 Jackson St., Holyoke
(800) 373-3411
www.aegischp.com
Lee Vardakas, owner
Founded in 1985, Aegis Energy Services is a turn-key, full-service provider of combined heat and power systems (CHPs) that generate heat and electricity using clean, efficient, natural-gas-powered engines. These modular CHP systems reduce a facility’s dependence on expensive utility power, reduce energy costs, and reduce one’s carbon footprint.

Baltazar Contractors Inc.
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow
(413) 583-6160
www.baltazarcontractors.com
Frank Baltazar, president
Baltazar Contractors has been a family-owned and operated construction firm for more than 20 years, specializing in roadway construction and reconstruction in Massachusetts and Connecticut; all aspects of site-development work; sewer, water, storm, and utilities; and streetscape improvements.

Braman Pest
147 Almgren Dr., Agawam
(413) 732-9009
www.bramanpest.com
Gerald Lazarus, president
Braman has been serving New England since 1890, using state-of-the-art pest-elimination procedures for commercial and residential customers, and offering humane removal of birds, bats, and other nuisances through its wildlife division. The company has offices in Agawam, Worcester, and Lee, as well as Hartford and New Haven, Conn.

City Enterprises Inc.
38 Berkshire Ave., Springfield
(413) 726-9549
www.cityenterpriseinc.com
Wonderlyn Murphy, president
City Enterprises Inc. offers skilled general-contracting services to the New England region. Priding itself on custom design and construction of affordable, quality homes and the infrastructure surrounding them, the firm executes its mission in a way that supports community empowerment through job opportunities and professional development.

filli, lcc d/b/a con-test                                     analytical laboratory
39 Spruce St., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-2332
www.contestlabs.com
THOMAS VERATTI SR., FOUNDER
Established in 1984, Con-Test provides environmental consulting and testing services to clients throughout Western Mass. The laboratory-testing division originally focused on industrial hygiene analysis, but expanded to include techniques in air analysis, classical (wet) chemistry, metals, and organics, analyzing water, air, soil, and solid materials.

EG Partners, LLC d/b/a Oasis Shower Doors
646 Springfield St., Feeding Hills
(413) 786-8420
www.oasisshowerdoors.com
tom daly, President
Oasis Shower Doors, New England’s largest designer, fabricator, and installer of custom frameless glass shower enclosures and specialty glass, has rapidly expanded its operations in recent years, with showrooms located at Feeding Hills, Weymouth, and Peabody, Mass., as well as Avon, Conn.

Fuel Services Inc.
95 Main St., South Hadley
(413) 532-3500
www.fuelservices.biz
Steve Chase, President and CEO
Full-service home-comfort and energy-solutions firm offering heating oil and propane delivery; plumbing, air-conditioning, and natural-gas services; installation of heating, cooling, water, and indoor-air-quality equipment; and more. The company serves more than 30 communities in Western Mass. and provides 24-hour emergency service.

The Futures Health Group, LLC
136 William St., Springfield
(800) 218-9280
www.discoverfutures.com
Brian Edwards, CEO
Futures provides occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language therapy, special education, nursing, mental health, and other related services to schools and healthcare facilities across the U.S. Founded in 1998, it continues to be managed by expert practitioners in their fields.

The Gaudreau Group
1984 Boston Road, Wilbraham
(413) 543-3534
www.gaudreaugroup.com
Jules Gaudreau, president
A multi-line insurance and financial-service agency established in 1921, the Gaudreau Group helps clients respond to an ever-changing economic environment. The agency offers a broad range of insurance and financial products from basic life, home, and auto insurance to complex corporate services, employee benefits, and retirement plans.

Haluch Water Contracting Inc.
399 Fuller St, Ludlow
(413) 589-1254
Thomas Haluch, president
For more than 30 years, Haluch Water Contracting has served the region as a water-main construction and excavation contractor specializing in water, sewer, pipeline, communications, and power-line construction.

JET Industries Inc.
307 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 786-2010
www.jet.industries
Michael Turrini, president
Jet Industries Inc. is a leading design build electrical, mechanical, communications and fire sprinkler contractor. What began as a small, family-run oil company founded by Aaron Zeeb in 1977 has grown into one of the nation’s largest companies of its type with over 500 employees servicing projects all across the country.

Kittredge Equipment Co. Inc.
100 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 304-4100
www.kittredgeequipment.com
Wendy Webber, president
Founded in 1921, Kittredge Equipment Co.is one of the nation’s leading food-service equipment and supply businesses. It boasts 70,000 square feet of showroom in three locations. The company also handles design services, and has designed everything from small restaurants to country clubs to in-plant cafeterias.

Lancer Transportation & Logistics and Sulco Warehousing & Logistics
311 Industry Ave., Springfield
(413) 739-4880
www.sulco-lancer.com
Todd Goodrich, president
In business since 1979, Sulco Warehousing & Logistics specializes in public, contract, and dedicated warehousing. Lancer Transportation & Logistics is a licensed third-party freight-brokerage company that provides full-service transportation-brokerage services throughout North America.

Louis and Clark Drug Inc.
309 East St., Springfield
(413) 737-7456
www.lcdrug.com
Skip Matthews, president
Since 1965, Louis & Clark has been a recognized name in Western Mass., first as a pharmacy and later as a resource for people who need home medical equipment and supplies. Today, the company provides professional pharmacy and compounding services, medical equipment, independent-living services, and healthcare programs.

Maybury Associates Inc.
90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-4216
www.maybury.com
John Maybury, president
Since 1976, Maybury Associates Inc. has been designing, supplying, and servicing all types of material-handling equipment throughout New England. Maybury provides customers in a wide range of industries with solutions to move, lift, and store their parts and products.

Notch Mechanical Constructors
85 Lemay St., Chicopee
(413) 534-3440
www.notch.com
Steven Neveu, president
A family-owned business since 1972, Notch Mechanical Constructors provides piping installation and repair services to facilities throughout southern New England. Its team has the capacity to address process and utility piping challenges at any business within 100 miles of its locations in Chicopee and Hudson, Mass.

O’Connell Care at Home
One Federal St., Bldg. 103-1, Springfield
(413) 533-1030
www.opns.com
Francis O’Connell, president
For more than two decades, O’Connell Care at Home, formerly O’Connell Professional Nurse Service, has grown to deliver a range of home-health and staffing services across the Pioneer Valley. Services range from nursing care and geriatric healthcare management to advocacy and transportation.

PC Enterprises Inc. d/b/a Entre Computer
138 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
(413) 736-2112
www.pc-enterprises.com
Norman Fiedler, CEO
PC Enterprises, d/b/a Entre Computer, assists organizations with procuring, installing, troubleshooting, servicing, and maximizing the value of technology. In business since 1983, it continues to evolve and grow as a lead provider for many businesses, healthcare providers, retailers, and state, local, and education entities.

Rediker Software Inc.
2 Wilbraham Road, Hampden
(800) 213-9860
www.rediker.com
Andrew Anderlonis, president
Rediker software is used by school administrators across the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, and is designed to meet the student-information-management needs of all types of schools and districts. For example, 100,000 teachers use the TeacherPlus web gradebook, and the ParentPlus and StudentPlus web portals boast 2 million users.

Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc.
235 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 789-6700
www.specialtybolt.com
Kevin Queenin, president
Founded in 1977, Specialty Bolt & Screw (SBS) is a full-service solutions provider of fasteners, vendor-managed inventory (VMI) programs, and C-class commodities. Based in Agawam, it has locations in Valcourt, Quebec; Juarez, Mexico; Queretaro, Mexico; Rovaniemi, Finland; and Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Troy Industries Inc.
151 Capital Dr., West Springfield
(413) 788-4288
www.troyind.com
Steve Troy, CEO
Troy Industries was founded on the principle of making reliable, innovative, over-engineered products that function without question when lives are on the line. Troy is a leading U.S. government contractor that designs and manufactures innovative, top-quality small-arms components and accessories and complete weapon upgrades.

United Personnel Services Inc.
1331 Main St., Springfield
(413) 736-0800
www.unitedpersonnel.com
Patricia Canavan, president
United provides a full range of staffing services, including temporary staffing and full-time placement, on-site project management, and strategic recruitment in the Springfield, Hartford, and Northampton areas, specializing in administrative, professional, medical, and light-industrial staff.

W.F. Young Inc.
302 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow
(800) 628-9653
www.absorbine.com
Tyler Young, CEO
This family-run business prides itself on offering a variety of high-quality products that can effectively improve the well-being of both people and horses with its Absorbine brands.

Webber & Grinnell Insurance Agency Inc.
8 North King St., #1, Northampton
(413) 586-0111
www.webberandgrinnell.com
Bill Grinnell, president
Webber and Grinnell’s roots can be traced back to 1849, when A.W. Thayer opened an insurance agency on Pleasant Street in Northampton. The agency, which offers automotive, business, homeowners, employee benefit, and other types of products, serves more than 5,000 households and 900 businesses throughout Western Mass.

WestMass ElderCare Inc.
4 Valley Mill Road, Holyoke
(413) 538-9020
www.wmeldercare.org
Priscilla Chalmers, Executive Director
WestMass ElderCare is a private, nonprofit agency with a mission to preserve the dignity, independence, and quality of life of elders and disabled persons desiring to remain within their own community. Programs include supportive housing, home care, options counseling, adult family care, nutrition programs, and adult foster care.

Revenue Growth

1. Tree House Brewing Company Inc.
129 Sturbridge Road, Charlton
(413) 523-2367
www.treehousebrew.com
Nate Lanier, Damien Goudreau, Dean Rohan, Owners
The opening of a 45,000-square-foot facility in Charlton speaks to the recent growth of this brewery. Tree House was founded in Monson 2011, but in 2015 counted just one employee and 55 barrels of cellar space. The new facility can accommodate 50,000 barrels of cellar space, which will enable the brewery to produce up to 125,000 barrels a year.

2. Five Star Transportation Inc.
809 College Highway, Southwick
(413) 789-4789
www.firestarbus.com
Nathan Lecrenski, president
Five Star provides school-bus transportation services to school districts and charter schools throughout Western Mass. From its launch a half-century ago with a single bus route, the company currently services more than 12 school districts and operates a fleet of more than 175 vehicles.

3. Lavishlyhip, LLC
Feeding Hills
www.lavishlyhip.com
Rika Woyan, owner
This online retailer of jewelry and accessories offers accessory collections from the latest top designers. By meeting with the designers in their showrooms and at industry events, it stays on top of what is trending. Shoppers will find hip and classic jewelry for women and men, cashmere, silk and blend scarves, and hair accessories.

Adam Quenneville Roofing and Siding Inc.
160 Old Lyman Road, South Hadley
(413) 525-0025
www.1800newroof.net
Adam Quenneville, CEO
Adam Quenneville offers a wide range of residential and commercial services, including new roofs, retrofitting, roof repair, roof cleaning, vinyl siding, replacement windows, and the no-clog Gutter Shutter system. The company has earned the BBB Torch Award for trust, performance, and integrity.

Alliance Home Improvement Inc.
375 Chicopee St., Chicopee
(413) 331-4357
www.alliancehomeinc.com
sergiy suprunchuk, president
Alliance is a professional local contractor providing quality and reliable residential services. Its products are Energy Star certified, and most of them have lifetime warranty provided by the manufacturer. Services include siding, windows, doors, roofs, gutters, faux stone siding, and custom-built homes.

Baystate Blasting Inc.
36 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow
(413) 583-4440
www.baystateblasting.com
Paul Baltazar, president
Baystate Blasting, Inc. is a local family owned and operated drilling and blasting firm located in Ludlow, Massachusetts that began in 2003.   Sitework, heavy highway construction, residential, quarry, portable crushing and recycling, ATF licensed dealer of explosives as well as rental of individual magazines.

Center Square Grill
84 Center Square, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-0055
www.centersquaregrill.com
Michael Sakey, Bill Collins, Proprietors
Center Square Grill serves up eclectic American fare for lunch and dinner, as well as an extensive wine and cocktail selection and a kids’ menu. The facility also has a catering service and hosts events of all kinds.

Charter Oak Insurance &                        Financial Services Co.
330 Whitney Ave., Holyoke
(413) 374-5430
www.charteroakfinancial.com
Peter Novak, General Agent
A member of the MassMutual Financial Group, Charter Oak been servicing clients for more than 125 years. The team of professionals serves individuals, families, and businesses with risk-management products, business planning and protection, retirement planning and investment services, and fee-based financial planning.

Chicopee Industrial Contractors Inc.
107 North Chicopee St., Chicopee
(413) 538-7279
www.chicopeeindustrial.com
Carol Campbell, president
Founded in 1992, Chicopee Industrial Contractors is an industrial contracting firm specializing in all types of rigging, heavy lifting, machinery moving, machine installation, millwrighting, machine repair, heavy hauling, plant relocations, concrete pads, foundations, and structural steel installations.

Community Transportation Services
288 Verge St., Springfield
(413) 732-1500
Houshang Ansari, president
Community transportation is a locally owned medical, elderly, and VIP transportation service founded in 1991. Its goal is to provide the community with safe and affordable transportation services. It is especially committed to meeting the transportation needs of senior citizens and the physically and mentally challenged.

Courier Express Inc.
20 Oakdale St., Springfield
(413) 730-6620
www.courierexp.com
Eric Devine, president
Courier Express is committed to providing custom, same-day delivery solutions for any shipment. Its focal point is New England, but its reach is nationwide. The company strives to utilize the latest technologies, on-time delivery, customer service, and attention to detail to separate itself from its competitors.

Court Square Group Inc.
1350 Main St., Springfield
(413) 731-5294
www.courtsquaregroup.com
Keith Parent, president
Court Square is a technical strategic advisor to the life-science and biotech industries. Consulting services include business analysis and consulting, information security and disaster recovery, SharePoint and document management, long-term archiving, project management, and much more.
FIT Staffing Inc.
25 Bremen St., Springfield
(413) 363-0204
www.fitstaffingsolutions.com
Jackie Fallon, president
FIT Staffing, founded in 2005, provides a personal approach to connecting companies to the right IT professionals. FIT takes the time to meet the hiring manager to determine the exact qualifications, skills, and personality traits for the client’s ideal candidates. Meanwhile, FIT’s extensive listing of local IT openings is continuously updated.

Fletcher Sewer & Drain Inc.
824A Perimeter Road, Ludlow
(413) 547-8180
www.fletcherseweranddrain.com
Teri Marinello, president
Since 1985, Fletcher Sewer & Drain has provided service to homeowners as well as municipalities and construction companies for large pipeline jobs. From unblocking kitchen sinks to replacing sewer lines, Fletcher keeps up to date with all the latest technology, from high-pressure sewer jetters to the newest camera-inspection equipment.

Gleason Johndrow Landscaping Inc.
44 Rose St., Springfield
(413) 727-8820
www.gleasonjohndrowlandscaping.com
Anthony Gleason II, David Johndrow, Owners
Gleason Johndrow Landscape & Snow Management offers a wide range of commercial and residential services, including lawn mowing, snow removal, salting options, fertilization programs, landscape installations, bark-mulch application, creative plantings, seeding options, pruning, irrigation installation, maintenance, and much more.

Kelley & Katzer Real Estate, LLC
632 Westfield St., West Springfield
(413) 209-9933
www.kelleyandkatzerrealestate.com
Joe Kelley, Christine Katzer, Co-owners
Kelley & Katzer combines more than 40 years of real-estate experience with a modern approach. It is involved every step of the way of the real-estate process, guiding clients with a hands-on approach and knowledge of the real-estate market, blended with a genuine understanding of clients’ needs.

Knight Machine & Tool Company Inc.
11 Industrial Dr., South Hadley
(413) 532-2507
Gary O’Brien, owner
Knight Machine & Tool Co. is a metalworking and welding company that offers blacksmithing, metal roofing, and other services from its 11,000-square-foot facility.

Market Mentors, LLC
30 Capital Dr., Suite C, West Springfield
(413) 787-1133
www.marketmentors.com
Michelle Abdow, principal
A full-service marketing firm, Market Mentors handles all forms of marketing, including advertising in all mediums, media buying, graphic design, public relations, and event planning.

Martinelli, Martini & Gallagher Real Estate Inc.
1763 Northampton St., Holyoke
(413) 736-7232
www.buywesternmass.com
Paul Gallagher, president
Gallagher Real Estate boasts four locations in Holyoke, Agawam, South Hadley, and Springfield, offering commercial and residential sales and leasing services, as well as a real estate school and a separate division devoted to handling property-management needs.

North Atlantic Trucking Inc.
100 Progress Ave., Springfield
(413) 455-3981
www.northatlantictrucking.com
James Vieu, Director of Fleet Services & Financials
North Atlantic Trucking began by hauling a variety of products, including paper, plastic, metal, and more. The company is rapidly growing with a current fleet of 15 vehicles providing transportation services for miscellaneous products throughout the U.S.

Northeast IT Systems Inc.
777 Riverdale St., West Springfield
(413) 736-6348
www.northeastit.net
Joel Mollison, president
Northeast is a full-service IT company providing business services, managed IT services, backup and disaster recovery, and cloud services, as well as a full-service repair shop for residential customers, including file recovery, laptop screen replacement, PC setups and tuneups, printer installation, virus protection and removal, and wireless installation.

Paragus Strategic IT
112 Russell St., Hadley
(413) 587-2666
www.paragusit.com
Delcie Bean IV, president
While still in high school, Delcie Bean founded Paragus IT in 1999, first under the name Vertical Horizons and then Valley ComputerWorks. Under the Paragus name, it has grown dramatically as an outsourced IT solution, providing business computer service, computer consulting, information-technology support, and other services to businesses of all sizes.

Rock Valley Tool, LLC
54 O’Neil St., Easthampton
(413) 527-2350
www.rockvalleytool.com
Elizabeth Paquette, president
Rock Valley Tool is a 17,000-square-foot facility housing a variety of both CNC and conventional machining equipment, along with a state-of-the-art inspection lab. With more than 40 years of experience, the company provides manufactured parts to customers in the aerospace, commercial/industrial, and plastic blow-molding industries.

Rodrigues Inc.
782 Center St., Ludlow
(413) 547-6443
Antonio Rodrigues, president
Rodrigues Inc. operates Europa Restaurant in Ludlow, specializing in Mediterranean cuisine with an interactive dining experience, presenting meals cooked on volcanic rocks at tableside. Europa also offers full-service catering and banquet space.

Royal, P.C.
270 Pleasant St., Northampton
(413) 586-2288
www.theroyallawfirm.com
Amy Royal, owner
Royal, P.C. is a woman-owned law firm that exclusively represents and counsels businesses on all aspects of labor and employment law. It represents a wide range of businesses throughout the New England states and nationally, and is an approved panel counsel for insurance companies that provide employment-practices liability insurance to employers.

Safe & Sound Inc.
428 East St., Chicopee
(413) 594-6460
www.safeandsoundhq.com
Michael Laventure, owner
Since 1983, Safe and Sound Inc., a family-owned company, has been providing customers with a wide selection of quality components such as home theater speakers, audio/video receivers, amplifiers, subwoofers, as well as car audio, remote starters, and security.

Taplin Yard, Pump & Power
120 Interstate Dr., West Springfield
(413) 781-4352
www.fctaplin.com
Martin Jagodowski, president
Taplin has been servicing the local area since 1892, and is an authorized dealer for parts, equipment, service, and accessories for a wide range of brands. It boasts a large inventory of zero-turn mowers, commercial lawn equipment, lawnmowers, lawn tractors, trimmers, blowers, generators, pressure washers, pole saws, sprayers, chainsaws, and more.

Valley Home Improvement Inc.
340 Riverside Dr.,
Florence
(413) 517-0158
www.valleyhomeimprovement.com
Steven Silverman, owner
Valley Home Improvement has specialized in home improvement, renovations, and remodeling service since 1991. Home-improvement and remodeling services include kitchen design, bathrooms, additions, sunrooms, screen porches, basement finishing, weatherization/insulation services, garages, and custom cabinetry and countertops.
VertitechIT
4 Open Square Way, #310, Holyoke
(413) 268-1600
www.vertitechit.com
Michael Feld, CEO
Calling itself a group of advisors, confidantes, strategists, and innovators for hire, Vertitech has, in its own words, created a new path to IT transformation, aiming not just to solve technical problems, but to develop the strategic solutions that make an organization or healthcare institution thrive.

Western Mass  Demolition Corp.
50 Summit Lock Road, Westfield
(413) 579-5254
www.wmdemocorp.com
Dale Unsderfer, president
Western Mass Demolition Corp. has a wide range of services to meet clients’ demolition and recycling needs, including complete structure removal, selective works, emergency and fire on call, lowboy and equipment hauling, building separation, abatement and remediation, concrete cutting and breaking, oil-tank removal, recycling, reuse, and salvage.

Cover Story

29th Annual Compilation Celebrates the Depth, Diversity of Business Community

Launched nearly three decades ago, the Springfield Regional Chamber’s Super 60 program (originally the Fabulous 50 before it was expanded) has always acted like a giant telescope, bringing the breadth and depth of the region’s business community clearly into focus. And the 2108 lists are no exception. Businesses on the Total Revenue and Revenue Growth categories represent nearly every business sector — from healthcare to financial services, from marketing to dentistry, from construction to retail. There are some who have been hearing their names called at the Super 60 lunch for decades now, and others who will hear it for the first time. Overall, the lists put the region’s many strengths and immense diversity clearly on display. The Super 60 will be celebrated at the annual lunch on Oct. 26 at Chez Josef, starting at 11:30 a.m. The Super 60 awards are presented by Health New England and sponsored by Farmington Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, the Republican, and Zasco Productions.

Total Revenue

1. WHALLEY COMPUTER
ASSOCIATES Inc.
One Whalley Way, Southwick
(413) 569-4200
www.wca.com
John Whalley, president
WCA is a locally owned family business that has evolved from a hardware resale and service group in the ’70s and ’80s into a company that now focuses on lowering the total cost of technology and productivity enhancement for its customers. Boasting nearly 150 employees, Whalley carries name-brand computers as well as low-cost compatibles.

2. MARCOTTE FORD SALES INC.
1025 Main St., Holyoke
(800) 923-9810
www.marcotteford.com
Bryan Marcotte, president
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department. Marcotte has achieved the President’s Award, one of the most prestigious honors given to dealerships by Ford Motor Co., on multiple occasions over the past decade. It also operates the Marcotte Commercial Truck Center.

3. TIGHE & BOND INC. *
53 Southampton Road, Westfield
(413) 562-1600
www.tighebond.com
DAVID PINSKY, PRESIDENT & CEO
Tighe & Bond is a full-service engineering and environmental consulting firm that provides a wide array of services, including building engineering, coastal and waterfront solutions, environmental consulting, GIS and asset management, site planning and design, transportation engineering, and water and wastewater engineering.

A.G. MILLER CO. Inc.
57 Batavia St., Springfield
(413) 732-9297
www.agmiller.com
Rick Miller, president
Early in its history, A.G. Miller made a name in automobile enameling. More than 100 years after its founding in 1914, the company now offers precision metal fabrication; design and engineering; assembly; forming, rolling, and bending; laser cutting; punching; precision saw cutting; welding; powder coating and liquid painting; and more.

BALTAZAR CONTRACTORS
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow
(413) 583-6160
www.baltazarcontractors.com
Frank Baltazar, president
Baltazar Contractors has been a family-owned and operated construction firm for more than 20 years, specializing in roadway construction and reconstruction in Massachusetts and Connecticut; all aspects of site-development work; sewer, water, storm, and utilities; and streetscape improvements.

CHARTER OAK INSURANCE & FINANCIAL SERVICES CO. *
330 Whitney Ave., Holyoke
(413) 374-5430
www.charteroakfinancial.com
Peter Novak, General Agent
A member of the MassMutual Financial Group, Charter Oak been servicing clients for more than 125 years. The team of professionals serves individuals, families, and businesses with risk-management products, business planning and protection, retirement planning and investment services, and fee-based financial planning.

CITY ENTERPRISE INC.
52-60 Berkshire Ave., Springfield
(413) 726-9549
www.cityenterpriseinc.com
WONDERLYN MURPHY, PRESIDENT & CEO
City Enterprise Inc. is a general contractor with a diverse portfolio of clients, including the Groton Naval submarine base, Westover Air Reserve Base, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Park Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, and many others.

COMMERCIAL DISTRIBUTING CO. INC.
46 South Broad St., Westfield
(413) 562-9691
www.commercialdist.com
Richard Placek, Chairman
Founded in 1935 by Joseph Placek, Commercial Distributing Co. is a family-owned, family-operated business servicing more than 1,000 bars, restaurants, and clubs, as well as more than 400 package and liquor stores. Now in its third generation, the company continues to grow by building brands and offering new products as the market changes.

CON-TEST ANALYTICAL LABORATORY (Filli LLC)
39 Spruce St., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-2332
www.contestlabs.com
TOM VERATTI, FOUNDER, CONSULTANT
Established in 1987 and founded by Thomas and Kathleen Veratti, Con-Test Inc. provides industrial hygiene and analytical services to a broad range of clients. Originally focused on industrial hygiene analysis, the laboratory testing division has expanded its capabilities to include numerous techniches in air analysis, classical (wet) chemistry, metals, and organics.

DAVID R. NORTHUP ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS INC.
73 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 786-8930
www.northupelectric.com
DAVID NORTHUP, PRESIDENT
David R. Northup Electrical Contractors Inc. is a family-owned and operated, full-service electrical, HVAC, and plumbing contractor. The company specializes in everything from installation and replacement to preventative maintenance; indoor air-quality work to sheet-metal fabrication.

FREEDOM CREDIT UNION
1976 Main St., Springfield
(800) 831-0160
www.freedom.coop
GLENN WELCH, PRESIDENT & CEO
Freedom is a full-service credit union based in Springfield serving a wide range of business and consumer clients. Freedom has its main office on Main Street, with other offices in Sixteen Acres (Springfield), Feeding Hills, Ludlow, Chicopee, Easthampton, Northampton, Turners Falls, Greenfield, and the Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy.

THE FUTURES HEALTH GROUP, LLC
136 William St., Springfield
(800) 218-9280
www.discoverfutures.com
Brian Edwards, CEO
Futures provides occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language therapy, special education, nursing, mental health, and other related services to schools and healthcare facilities across the U.S. Founded in 1998, it continues to be managed by expert practitioners in their fields.

GARY ROME HYUNDAI INC. *
150 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke
(877) 830-4792
www.garyromehyundai.com
GARY ROME, President
Gary Rome is the largest Hyundai dealership in the nation after a new, much larger facility opened in 2017. The company’s mission statement is to “provide our customers with a consistent sale and service experience that satisfies each person’s needs and exceeds their expectation in a clean and comfortable environment.”

GOVERNORS AMERICA CORP. – GAC MGMT. Co.
720 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 786-5600
www.governors-america.com
Governors America Corp. is a privately held engine-control company that provides complete design, development, production, and marketing capabilities for electro-mechanical and electronic devices that are used for engine control. The engine-control products are used in a wide range of industries, including generator set, material handling, marine propulsion, mining, locomotive, and off-highway applications. Governors America has developed an advanced line of electronic governing and fuel-control systems with accessories.

HOLYOKE PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATES, LLP
150 Lower Westfield Road, Holyoke
(413) 536-2393
www.holyokepediatrics.com
KATHY TREMBLE, Care Coordinator
Holyoke Pediatric Associates is the largest pediatric practice in Western Mass., serving patients from the Pioneer Valley at offices in Holyoke and South Hadley. The group medical practice comprises board-certified pediatricians, certified nurse practitioners, and more than 75 clinical, nutritional, and clerical support staff, and has served the healthcare needs of infants, children, and adolescents since 1971.

JET INDUSTRIES INC.
307 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 786-2010
www.jet.industries
Michael Turrini, president
Jet Industries Inc. is a leading design-build electrical, mechanical, communications, and fire-sprinkler contractor. What began as a small, family-run oil company founded by Aaron Zeeb in 1977 has grown into one of the nation’s largest companies of its type, with more than 500 employees servicing projects all across the country.

KITTREDGE EQUIPMENT CO. INC.
100 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 304-4100
www.kittredgeequipment.com
Wendy Webber, president
Founded in 1921, Kittredge Equipment Co. is one of the nation’s leading food-service equipment and supply businesses. It boasts 70,000 square feet of showroom in three locations. The company also handles design services, and has designed everything from small restaurants to country clubs to in-plant cafeterias.

LANCER TRANSPORTATION & SULCO WAREHOUSING & LOGISTICS *
311 Industry Ave., Springfield
(413) 739-4880
www.sulco-lancer.com
Todd Goodrich, president
In business since 1979, Sulco Warehousing & Logistics specializes in public, contract, and dedicated warehousing. Lancer Transportation & Logistics is a licensed third-party freight-brokerage company that provides full-service transportation-brokerage services throughout North America.

LOUIS & CLARK DRUG INC.
309 East St., Springfield
(413) 737-7456
www.lcdrug.com
Skip Matthews, president
Since 1965, Louis & Clark has been a recognized name in Western Mass., first as a pharmacy and later as a resource for people who need home medical equipment and supplies. Today, the company provides professional pharmacy and compounding services, medical equipment, independent-living services, and healthcare programs.

MAYBURY ASSOCIATES INC.
90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-4216
www.maybury.com
John Maybury, president
Since 1976, Maybury Associates Inc. has been designing, supplying, and servicing all types of material-handling equipment throughout New England. Maybury provides customers in a wide range of industries with solutions to move, lift, and store their parts and products.

NOTCH WELDING & MECHanICAL CONTRACTORS INC. *
85 Lemay St., Chicopee
(413) 534-3440
www.notch.com
Steven Neveu, president
A family-owned business since 1972, Notch Mechanical Constructors provides piping installation and repair services to facilities throughout Southern New England. Its team has the capacity to address process and utility piping challenges at any business within 100 miles of its locations in Chicopee and Hudson, Mass.

O’REILLY, TALBOT & OKUN ASSOCIATES INC.
293 Bridge St., Suite 500, Springfield
(413) 788-6222
www.oto-env.com
JIM OKUN, KEVIN O’REILLY, MIKE TALBOT, principals
O’Reilly Talbot & Okun is a specialty geo-environmental engineering firm, specializing in asbestos management, brownfields redevelopment, environmental site assessment, indoor air quality and industrial hygiene, MCP compliance, vapor intrusion, geotechnical engineering, lead inspection, PCB assessment and management, and other services.

P.C. ENTERPRISES INC. d/b/a ENTRE COMPUTER
138 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
(413) 736-2112
www.pc-enterprises.com
Norman Fiedler, CEO
PC Enterprises, d/b/a Entre Computer, assists organizations with procuring, installing, troubleshooting, servicing, and maximizing the value of technology. In business since 1983, it continues to evolve and grow as a lead provider for many businesses, healthcare providers, retailers, and state, local, and education entities.

PARAGUS STRATEGIC IT
112 Russell St., Hadley
(413) 587-2666
www.paragusit.com
Delcie Bean IV, president
While still in high school, Delcie Bean founded Paragus IT in 1999, first under the name Vertical Horizons and then Valley Computer Works. Under the Paragus name, it has grown dramatically as an outsourced IT solution, providing business computer service, computer consulting, information-technology support, and other services to businesses of all sizes. 

REDIKER SOFTWARE INC.
2 Wilbraham Road, Hampden
(800) 213-9860
www.rediker.com
Andrew Anderlonis, president
Rediker software is used by school administrators across the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, and is designed to meet the student-information-management needs of all types of schools and districts. For example, 100,000 teachers use the TeacherPlus web gradebook, and the ParentPlus and StudentPlus web portals boast 2 million users.

SANDERSON MacLEOD INC.
1199 South Main St. Palmer
(413) 283-3481
www.sandersonmacleod.com
MARK BORSARI, PRESIDENT
Launched in 1958 by Ken Sanderson and Bruce MacLeod, Sanderson MacLeod invented the first twisted-wire mascara brush. Today, it is an industry leader in the making of twisted wire brushes for the cosmetics industry, the healthcare sector, the OEM-cleaning brush market, the firearm-cleaning brush market, and many others.

TIGER PRESS (Shafii’s Inc.)
50 Industrial Dr., East Longmeadow
(413) 224-1763
www.tigerpress.com
JENNIFER SHAFII
TigerPress is an award-winning, ISO 9001 & FSC-certified custom printing company featuring the latest digital prepress and printing technology. The company manufactures folding cartons, marketing and educational printed products, fulfillment services, and indoor and outdoor signs.
TROY INDUSTRIES INC.
151 Capital Dr., West Springfield
(413) 788-4288
www.troyind.com
Steve Troy, CEO
Troy Industries was founded on the principle of making reliable, innovative, over-engineered products that function without question when lives are on the line. Troy is a leading U.S. government contractor that designs and manufactures innovative, top-quality small-arms components and accessories and complete weapon upgrades.

UNITED PERSONNEL SERVICES *
1331 Main St., Springfield
(413) 736-0800
www.unitedpersonnel.com
Patricia Canavan, president
United provides a full range of staffing services, including temporary staffing and full-time placement, on-site project management, and strategic recruitment in the Springfield, Hartford, and Northampton areas, specializing in administrative, professional, medical, and light-industrial staff.

WESTSIDE FINISHING CO. INC.
15 Samosett St., Holyoke
(413) 533-4909
www.wsfinish.com
BRIAN BELL, PRESIDENT
Founded in the early 1980s, Westside Finishing is a family-owned business specializing wide array of services, including silk screening, conveyorized powder coating, batch powder coating, pad printing, trucking, sub-assembly, final packaging, and more.

Revenue Growth

1. FIVE STAR TRANSPORTATION INC. *
809 College Highway, Southwick
(413) 789-4789
www.firestarbus.com
Nathan Lecrenski, president
Five Star provides school-bus transportation services to school districts and charter schools throughout Western Mass. From its launch a half-century ago with a single bus route, the company currently services more than 12 school districts and operates a fleet of more than 175 vehicles. 

2. BAYSTATE BLASTING INC.
36 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow
(413) 583-4440
www.baystateblasting.com
Paul Baltazar, president
Baystate Blasting, Inc. is a local family-owned and operated drilling and blasting firm located in Ludlow that began in 2003. Services include site work, heavy highway construction, residential work, quarry, portable crushing, and recycling, and it is an ATF-licensed dealer of explosives as well as rental of individual magazines.

3. IN-LAND CONTRACTING INC.
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow
(413) 547-0100
Denis Baltazar, Treasurer
In-Land Contracting is a general contractor specializing in garages, exterior work, parking lots, and other types of work.

AMERICAN PEST SOLUTIONS INC.
169 William St., Springfield
(413) 781-0044
www.413pestfree.com
BOB RUSSELL, PRESIDENT
Founded in 1913, American Pest Solutions is a full-service pest-solutions company. With two offices, in Springfield and Hartford, Conn., the company serves residential and commercial customers, offering inspection, treatment, and ongoing protection.

BAYSTATE RESTORATION INC.
69 Gagne St., Chicopee
(413) 532-3473
www.baystaterestorationgroup.com
MARK DAVIAU and DON ROBERT, OWNERS
Baystate Restoration Group is a 24-hour emergency service-restoration company specializing in all areas of restoration and insurance claims due to fire, water, smoke, mold, storm, and water damage to homes and businesses.

BURGESS, SCHULTZ & ROBB, P.C.
200 North Main St., Suite 1, South Building, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-0025
www.bsrcpa.com
ANDREW ROBB, MANAGING PARTNER
Burgess, Shultz & Robb is a full-service accounting firm specializing in accounting, auditing, tax, and business planning for closely held businesses and nonprofit organizations, trusts, and estate services.

CENTER SQUARE GRILL (Fun Dining Inc.)
84 Center Square, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-0055
www.centersquaregrill.com
Michael Sakey, Bill Collins, Proprietors
Center Square Grill serves up eclectic American fare for lunch and dinner, as well as an extensive wine and cocktail selection and a kids’ menu. The facility also has a catering service and hosts events of all kinds.

CHICOPEE INDUSTRIAL CONTRACTORS INC.
107 North Chicopee St., Chicopee
(413) 538-7279
www.chicopeeindustrial.com
Carol Campbell, president
Founded in 1992, Chicopee Industrial Contractors is an industrial contracting firm specializing in all types of rigging, heavy lifting, machinery moving, machine installation, millwrighting, machine repair, heavy hauling, plant relocations, concrete pads, foundations, and structural steel installations.

COURIER EXPRESS INC.
20 Oakdale St., Springfield
(413) 730-6620
www.courierexp.com
Eric Devine, president
Courier Express is committed to providing custom, same-day delivery solutions for any shipment. Its focal point is New England, but its reach is nationwide. The company strives to utilize the latest technologies, on-time delivery, customer service, and attention to detail to separate itself from its competitors.

E.F. CORCORAN PLUMBING & HEATING CO. INC. *
5 Rose Place, Springfield
(413) 732-1462
www.efcorcoran.com
CHARLES EDWARDS and BRIAN TOOMEY, Co-OWNERS
E.F. Corcoran Plumbing and Heating, founded in 1963, is a full-service plumbing and HVAC contractor. Services include 24-hour plumbing service, HVAC system installs, design-build services, energy retrofits, system replacements and modifications, gas piping, boilers, and more.

EOS APPROACH, LLC / Proshred Security international
75 Post Office Park, Wilbraham
(413) 596-5479
www.proshred.com
JOE KELLY, OWNER
Proshred is an industry leader in on-site shredding and hard-drive destruction. The company offers a number of services, including one-time paper shredding, ongoing shredding service, hard-drive destruction, product destruction, document scanning, and drop-off shredding.

EWS PLUMBING & HEATING INC.
339 Main St., Monson
(413) 267-8983
www.ewsplumbingandheating.com
BRANT STAHELSKI, PRESIDENT
EWS Plumbing & Heating Inc. is a family-owned and operated company that designs and installs plumbing and HVAC systems. A full-service mechanical contractor, the company specializes in both residential and commercial applications.

FLETCHER SEWER & DRAIN INC.
824A Perimeter Road, Ludlow
(413) 547-8180
www.fletcherseweranddrain.com
Teri Marinello, president
Since 1985, Fletcher Sewer & Drain has provided service to homeowners as well as municipalities and construction companies for large pipeline jobs. From unblocking kitchen sinks to replacing sewer lines, Fletcher keeps up to date with all the latest technology, from high-pressure sewer jetters to the newest camera-inspection equipment.

GALLAGHER REAL ESTATE *
1763 Northampton St., Holyoke
(413) 536-7232
www.gogallagher.com
PAUL GALLAGHER, OWNER
Gallagher Real Estate is an independent brokerage that operates in Hampshire and Hampden counties in Massachusetts and Hartford County in Connecticut, and specializes in both residential and commercial properties. The company has offices in Holyoke, South Hadley, East Longmeadow, and Springfield.

GLEASON JOHNDROW LANDSCAPING INC.
44 Rose St., Springfield
(413) 727-8820
www.gleasonjohndrowlandscaping.com
Anthony Gleason II, David Johndrow, Owners
Gleason Johndrow Landscape & Snow Management offers a wide range of commercial and residential services, including lawnmowing, snow removal, salting options, fertilization programs, landscape installations, bark-mulch application, creative plantings, seeding options, pruning, irrigation installation, maintenance, and much more.

GMH FENCE CO. inc. *
15 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-3361
www.gmhfence.com
GLENN HASTIE, OWNER
Serving the Western Mass. area for nearly a quarter century, GMH Fence Co. is one of the largest fence companies in the region. The company offers fence installations from a selection of wood, aluminum, steel, and vinyl fencing for residential and commercial customers.

KNIGHT MACHINE TOOL CO. INC.
11 Industrial Dr., South Hadley
(413) 532-2507
Gary O’Brien, owner
Knight Machine & Tool Co. is a metalworking and welding company that offers blacksmithing, metal roofing, and other services from its 11,000-square-foot facility.

L & L PROPERTY SERVICES, LLC
582 Amostown Road, West Springfield
(413) 732-2739
www.
RICHARD LAPINSKI, OWNER
L&L Property Services LLC is a locally owned company providing an array of property services, including lawn care, snow removal, sanding, excavations, patios and stonewalls, hydroseeding, and more.

MARKET MENTORS, LLC *
1680 Riverdale St., West Springfield
(413) 787-1133
www.marketmentors.com
Michelle Abdow, principal
A full-service marketing firm, Market Mentors handles all forms of marketing, including advertising in all media, media buying, graphic design, public relations, and event planning.

MORAN SHEET METAL INC.
613 Meadow St., Agawam
(413) 363-1548
PAUL MORAN, OWNER
Founded in 1993, Moran Sheet metal is a family-owned company specializing in custom fabrication and installation of HVAC systems for commercial clients across Western Mass. and into Central Mass.

NORTHEAST IT SYSTEMS INC.
170 Lockhouse Road, Westfield
(413) 736-6348
www.northeastit.net
Joel Mollison, president
Northeast is a full-service IT company providing business services, managed IT services, backup and disaster recovery, and cloud services, as well as a full-service repair shop for residential customers, including file recovery, laptop screen replacement, PC setups and tuneups, printer installation, virus protection and removal, and wireless installation.

RAYMOND R. HOULE CONSTRUCTION INC.
5 Miller St., Ludlow
(413) 547-2500
www.rayhoule.com
TIM PELLETIER, PRESIDENT
Raymond R. Houle Construction specializes in commercial and industrial construction. Services include general contracting, construction management, and an integrated construction-assistance program.

RODRIGUES INC.
782 Center St., Ludlow
(413) 547-6443
Antonio Rodrigues, president
Rodrigues Inc. operates Europa Restaurant in Ludlow, specializing in Mediterranean cuisine with an interactive dining experience, presenting meals cooked on volcanic rocks at tableside. Europa also offers full-service catering and banquet space.

SECOND WIND CONSULTANTS
136 West St., #102, Northampton
(413) 584-2581
www.secondwindconsultants.com
AARON TODRIN, PRESIDENT
Second Wind Consultants is a Better Business Bureau-accredited business debt-relief consulting firm that helps companies avoid bankruptcy or litigation through a debt workout.

SKIP’S OUTDOOR ACCENTS INC.
1265 Suffield St., Agawam
(413) 786-0990
www.skipsonline.com
JOHN and SCOTT ANSART, OWNERS
Skip’s Outdoor Accents specializes in a wide range of outdoor products, including sheds and garages, gazebos, swingsets, outdoor furniture, yard and garden products, weathervanes and cupolas, indoor furniture, playhouses, and pet structures.

SUMMIT CAREERS INC.
85 Mill St., Suite B, Springfield
(413) 733-9506
www.summetcareers.inc
DAVID PICARD, OWNER
Summit Careers provides temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire services for clients in a variety of sectors, including light industrial, warehouse, professional trades, administrative, accounting, and executive.

TAPLIN YARD, PUMP & POWER (M. Jags Inc.)
120 Interstate Dr., West Springfield
(413) 781-4352
www.fctaplin.com
Martin Jagodowski, president
Taplin has been servicing the local area since 1892, and is an authorized dealer for parts, equipment, service, and accessories for a wide range of brands. It boasts a large inventory of zero-turn mowers, commercial lawn equipment, lawnmowers, lawn tractors, trimmers, blowers, generators, pressure washers, pole saws, sprayers, chainsaws, and more.

VANGUARD DENTAL, LLC
1730 Boston Road, Springfield
(413) 543-2555
www.vanguarddentistry.com
DR. YOGITA KANORWALLA, PRINCIPAL
Vanguard Dental is a full-service dental practice specializing in same-day crowns, dental implants, root canals, bridges and dentures, Invisalign, and cosmetic dentistry.

WANCZYK EVERGREEN NURSERY INC.
166 Russell St., Hadley
(413) 584-3709
www.wanczynursery.com
MICHAEL WANCZYK, OWNER
Wanczyk Nursery has been a premier plant grower in the Pioneer Valley since 1954. The family-owned business offers many kinds of trees, shrubs, bushes, and flowers.

WEBBER & GRINNELL INSURANCE AGENCY INC.
8 North King. St., #1, Northampton
(413) 586-0111
www.webberandgrinnell.com
BILL GRINNELL, PRESIDENT
Webber & Grinnell’s roots can be traced back to 1849, when A.W. Thayer opened an insurance agency on Pleasant St. in Northampton. The agency offers automotive, homeowners, and business coverage, as well as employee benefits.

Special Coverage Super 60

A Tradition Returns

The Super 60, the Springfield Regional Chamber’s annual celebration of thriving companies in Western Mass., was riding high in 2019, when the program marked its 30th year.
Since then … well, you know the story. A pandemic and a wave of economic impacts not only curtailed live events in 2020 and 2021, but created anything but a festive environment for local businesses.
But the program is back this year, and chamber members are ready to celebrate success — and each other.
“It’s super exciting that we’re returning to in-person events in general, and we’re very excited to get back to Super 60,” said Diana Szynal, executive director of the Springfield Regional Chamber. “That’s an award that recognizes the success of local businesses, and it’s going to feel really good to be in person, celebrating business success.”
The Super 60 program celebrates the success of the fastest-growing privately owned businesses in the region. Businesses that rank in the top 30 of the Total Revenue and Revenue Growth categories for 2022 represent all sectors of the economy, including nonprofits, construction, insurance, finance, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, and more. Some have been named to the Super 60 once or many times before, and some are brand-new to the list.
 They are profiled below, with the top five in each category ranked and the rest listed alphabetically.

The Super 60 Luncheon

The annual Super 60 luncheon will be held on Thursday, Nov. 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. The keynote speaker will be Myke Connolly, the serial entrepreneur behind the successful marketing venture known as Stand Out Truck.

Szybnal said she first connected with Connolly when she was leading the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce and noticed the breadth of his activities in Western Mass.

“I was fascinated by his story, his energy, and his presence on social media and locally, and I thought he would be perfect to talk to all of us about his success,” she told BusinessWest. “And what better time than when we’re celebrating local success stories?”

The cost to attend the Super 60 luncheon is $60 for members and $75 for general admission, and reserved tables of eight or 10 are available. Visit myonlinechamber.chambermaster.com/eventregistration/register/6186 to sign up for what promises to be an inspiring afternoon.

TOTAL REVENUE

1. Fontaine Brothers Inc.
2. Whalley Computer Associates Inc.
3. Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.
4. Tighe & Bond
5. Springfield Automotive Partners LLC
American Environmental Inc.
Andrew Associates
Appleton Corp.
Axia Group Insurance Services Inc.
Baltazar Contractors
Bart Truck Equipment LLC
Baystate Blasting Inc.
Baystate Crushing and Recycling Inc.
Chicopee Industrial Contractors Inc.
City Enterprise Inc.
The Dowd Agencies LLC
E.F. Corcoran Plumbing & Heating Co. Inc.
Freedom Credit Union
Hogan Technology Inc.
Keiter Corp.
Knight Machine Tool Co. Inc.
L & C Prescriptions Inc.
M. Jags Inc.
Market Mentors LLC
Maybury Associates Inc.
Paragus Strategic IT
Pioneer Valley Financial Group LLC
Sanderson MacLeod Inc.
Springfield Hockey LLC
V & F Auto

REVENUE GROWTH

1. Vanished Valley Inc.
2. Monty’s Motorsport LLC
3. Campora Construction Co Inc.
4. City Enterprise Inc.
5. Fontaine Brothers Inc.
Axia Group Insurance Services Inc.
Bart Truck Equipment LLC
Baystate Blasting Inc.
Baystate Crushing and Recycling Inc.
Chicopee Industrial Contractors Inc.
The Dowd Agencies LLC
Embracing The Creative Child LLC
FIT Staffing
Keiter Corp.
Knight Machine Tool Co. Inc.
L & C Prescriptions Inc.
L & L Property Service LLC
Ludlow Eye Care P.C.
M. Jags Inc.
The Markens Group
Market Mentors LLC
Maybury Associates Inc.
Northeast Security Solutions Inc.
Pioneer Valley Financial Group LLC
Sanderson MacLeod Inc.
Seaboard Drilling Inc.
Springfield Automotive Partners LLC
Springfield Hockey LLC
Tavares and Branco Enterprises Inc.
V & F Auto

Total REVENUE

1. Fontaine Brothers Inc.
510 Cottage St., Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 781-2020
www.fontainebros.com
David Fontaine Sr., President
Fontaine Brothers offers services such as general contracting, with a focus on K-12 schools, higher education, commercial properties, historical renovations, municipal work, and green buildings, as well as construction management. The firm has been family-owned and operated for 89 years.

2. Whalley Computer Associates Inc.
One Whalley Way, Southwick, MA 01077
(413) 596-4200
www.wca.com
Michael Sheil, President
Whalley Computer Associates offers data-center services, cloud backup, managed services, training, desktop services, network services, and staff-augmentation services. The company focuses its work in the corporate, finance, healthcare, K-12, higher education, retail, and SMB industries.

3. Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.
1025 Main St., Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 650-9041
www.marcotteford.com
Mike Marcotte, President
Marcotte Ford Sales is a car dealership selling and financing new and used cars, trucks, and SUVs. The dealership also offers a wide range of parts and services, such as tires, brakes, oil changes, repairs, and alignment checks.

4. Tighe & Bond
53 Southampton Road, Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 562-1600
www.tighebond.com
Robert Belitz, President and CEO
Tighe & Bond offers engineering, design, planning, and environmental-consulting services, with focuses in building, transportation, water and wastewater engineering, coastal and waterfront solutions, environmental consulting, GIS and asset management, landscape architecture and urban design, civil engineering, and site planning.

5. Springfield Automotive Partners LLC
295 Burnett Road, Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 624-4100
www.mbspringfield.com
Peter and Michelle Wirth, owners
Springfield Automotive Partners is the parent company of Mercedes-Benz of Springfield. With a showroom in Chicopee, the dealership sells new and used cars, as well as financing and buying back cars. The location offers service, parts, and tires for all maintenance needs, and provides roadside assistance and vehicle inspections.

American Environmental Inc.
18 Canal St., Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 322-7190
www.amerenviro.com
Charles Hughes, President
American Environmental is a family-owned business providing services like asbestos abatement, structural demolition, boiler removal, commercial lead abatement, concrete cutting, floor preparation, interior demolition, water-jet blasting, roll-off service, and shot blasting. It has worked with property managers, schools, universities, hospitals, churches, stores, industrial sites, and public facilities.

Andrew Associates
6 Pearson Way, Enfield, CT 06082
(860) 253-0000
www.andrewdm.com
Tina Bazarian, Owner and CFO;
Graeme Bazarian, President
Andrew Associates is a printing and mailing service that makes signage and graphics for businesses, nonprofits, and government, with services including bindery, kitting, insertion, and postal presort. It also specializes in data security and analysis to better target viewers.

Appleton Corp.
800 Kelly Way, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 536-8048
www.appletoncorporation.com
Matt Flink, President
Appleton Corp., a division of the O’Connell Companies, provides property, facilities, and asset-management services, along with accounting and financial services, to managers and owners of commercial and residential properties across New England.

Axia Group Insurance Services Inc.
84 Myron St., Suite A, West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 788-9000
www.axiagroup.net
Michael long, CEO
Axia Group Insurance Services is an independent insurance agency that provides personal lines of insurance, business insurance, and employee benefits, as well as group insurance plans. It represents numerous insurance companies, such as Liberty Mutual, MAPFRE, MassMutual, and Progressive.

Baltazar Contractors
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 583-6160
www.baltazarcontractors.com
Paulo Baltazar, President
Baltazar Contractors is a heavy civil construction company with services in utility construction, roadway construction, site work and development, culvert/bridge construction, earth support and shoring, and trenchless technology. It was started 29 years ago and has remained family-owned.

Bart Truck Equipment LLC
358 River St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 737-2766
www.barttruckllc.com
James DiClementi, President
Bart Truck Equipment is a heavy-duty parts and trucking service company, offering different bodies (dump, platform, utility/service), snow plows and other winter removal equipment, truck-mounted generators, hook lifts and roll-offs, and more. It also custom-builds and fabricates parts for clients. It serves contractors, landscapers, fleets, municipalities, utility companies, and homeowners.

Baystate Blasting Inc.
36 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 583-4440
www.baystateblasting.com
Dinis Baltazar, President and CEO
Baystate Blasting offers services in ledge and rock removal, rock blasting, and rock crushing. It performs large and small construction-site preparation, road and highway work, line drilling and trench work, quarry shots, and residential work such as foundations and inground pools. It is federally licensed as both a dealer and user of explosive materials.

Baystate Crushing and Recycling Inc.
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 583-7856
Dinis Baltazar, President and CEO
Baystate Crushing and Recycling is a family-owned drilling and blasting firm that provides a full range of rock-blasting and rock-crushing services, including site work, heavy highway construction, residential work, quarry, and portable crushing and recycling. A federally licensed dealer of explosives, it offers rental of individual magazines and is a sister company to Baystate Blasting Inc.

Chicopee Industrial Contractors Inc.
107 North Chicopee St, Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 538-7279
www.chicopeeindustrial.com
Carol Campbell, President and CEO
Chicopee Industrial Contractors is a woman-owned industrial contracting firm that specializes in rigging, heavy lifting, machinery moving, machine installation, millwrighting, machine repair, heavy hauling, plant relocations, concrete pads, foundations, and structural steel installations. It is celebrating its 30th year in business.

City Enterprise Inc.
52-60 Berkshire Ave., Springfield, MA 01109
(413) 726-9549
www.cityenterpriseinc.com
Wonderlyn Murphy, President and CEO
City Enterprise is a minority- and woman-owned design, build, and renovation construction firm specializing in government, municipal, and commercial projects. It has performed work on the Springfield Armory, various UMass locations, the Northampton VA Medical Center, and the Donohue Federal Courthouse. This is its eighth consecutive year on the Super 60 list.

The Dowd Agencies LLC
14 Bobala Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 538-7444
www.dowd.com
John Dowd Jr., President and CEO
The Dowd Agencies is an insurance agency that provides personal (automotive, renters, home, and condominium) and business (liability, commercial auto, liability, and more) insurance, as well as employee benefits. It also offers group packages for personal and business plans. The Dowd Agencies has been family-owned since 1865, welcoming its fifth generation in 2019.

E.F. Corcoran Plumbing & Heating Co. Inc.
5 Rose Place, Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 732-1462
www.efcorcoran.com
Brian Toomey, President
E.F. Corcoran Plumbing & Heating is a full-service plumbing and HVAC contractor, offering 24-hour plumbing services, HVAC installation, gas piping, boilers, heat recovery, and more. It serves the commercial, industrial, medical, and institutional industries and has performed work for Baystate Noble Hospital, Springfield College, UMass, Mercy Medical Center, and Stop & Shop.

Freedom Credit Union
1976 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 739-6961
www.freedom.coop
Glenn Welch, President and CEO
Freedom Credit Union is a credit union that offers banking and loan services to businesses, the cannabis industry, and individuals. It also offers insurance plans for individuals and an investment-services division. The institution is celebrating its centennial in 2022.

Hogan Technology Inc.
81 East St., Easthampton, MA 01027
(413) 585-9950
www.teamhogan.com
Sean Hogan, President
Since 1986, Hogan Technology has offered a range of technology services to businesses, which now include audio-visual installation, cable installation, digital signage, and network infrastructure installation. Now run by Sean and his brother Andy, Hogan offers business clients value-added benefits including a trained team of certified installation and support professionals.

Keiter Corp.
35 Main St., Florence, MA 01062
(413) 586-8600
www.keiter.com
Scott Keiter, President
Keiter Corp. is a construction-services company working with clients on residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects of all sizes. The firm is divided into four divisions: Keiter Builders, Keiter Homes, Hatfield Construction, and Keiter Properties. The company has performed work for Amherst College, Bacon Wilson in Northampton, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Look Park.

Knight Machine Tool Co. Inc.
1 Industrial Dr., South Hadley, MA 01075
(413) 532-2507
www.knightmachine.net
Gary O’Brien, President
Knight Machine Tool Co. Inc. specializes in machine and inspection equipment, such as head lathes, grinders, drill presses, calipers, and gages. It also offers turning, milling, round and flat lapping, EDM wire cutting, wet surface grinding, assembly, plating, and more. The company is ITAR-registered and ISO-certified.

L & C Prescriptions Inc.
155 Brookdale Dr., Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 781-2996
www.medibubble.com
Dr. Kara James, President
L & C Prescriptions, the parent company for Louis & Clark Pharmacy, provides medication solutions to individuals, healthcare providers, and assisted-living, independent-living, and memory-care communities, and offers online prescription refills, MediBubble pre-packaged pills, blister packs to manage daily medications, vial synchronization, consultations with registered pharmacists, and a delivery service.

M. Jags Inc.
197 Main St., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 781-4352
www.taplinyardpumpandpower.com
Martin Jagodowski, President
M. Jags, also known as Taplin Yard, Pump and Power Equipment, is a supplier of water pumps, water conditioners, pump-repair services, and yard and garden power equipment. It offers new and used parts and services for repairs, as well as financing options and a parts finder on its website.

Market Mentors LLC
155 Brookdale Dr.,
Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 787-1133
www.marketmentors.com
Michelle Abdow, President
Market Mentors helps other businesses with marketing, advertising, public relations, graphic design, and website design. It serves the automotive, educational, energy, banking and finance, healthcare, insurance, industrial and manufacturing, legal, nonprofit, retail, political, services, sports, and entertainment sectors, and has worked with multiple companies on the Super 60 list, like the Dowd Agencies and Freedom Credit Union.

Maybury Associates Inc.
90 Denslow Road,
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
(888) 629-2879
www.maybury.com
John Maybury, President and CEO
Maybury Associates is a material-handling equipment company that provides parts and services, warehouse design, rentals, and products for sale to businesses big and small. It offers forklifts, cleaning equipment (sweepers, scrubbers, industrial and commercial vacuums, etc.), racking, conveyors, dock equipment, modular office construction materials, and more, and has been awarded with the MHEDA Most Valuable Partner award 12 years running.

Paragus Strategic IT
112 Russell St., Hadley, MA 01035
(413) 587-2666
www.paragusit.com
Delcie Bean IV, CEO
Paragus Strategic IT is an technology provider for small to medium-sized businesses in Western and Central Mass., offering both outsourced and co-managed IT experiences, allowing the client to choose what their preferred IT management looks like. Paragus serves the legal, manufacturing, medical and dental, cannabis, veterinary, insurance, and nonprofit sectors, among others.

Pioneer Valley Financial Group LLC
535 East St., Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 589-1500
www.pvfinancial.com
Charles Meyers, Edward Sokolowski, and Joseph Leonczyk, Founding Partners
Pioneer Valley Financial Group is a financial-planning service, offering services in retirement planning, business planning, asset growth, college funding, estate planning, tax planning, and risk management. It serves retirees, professionals, service members, young adults, and small and medium-sized businesses.

Sanderson MacLeod Inc.
1199 South Main St., Palmer, MA 01069
(866) 522-3481
www.sandersonmacleod.com
Mark Borsari, President and CEO
Sanderson MacLeod innovates, manufactures, and sources wire brushes, stylets, and assemblies. It serves the medical, cosmetic, firearms, and OEM industries. The company invented the twisted-wire mascara brush, the ZTip, and multiple other patented designs.

Springfield Hockey LLC
1 Monarch Place, Springfield, MA 02110
(413) 746-4100
www.springfieldthunderbirds.com
Nathan Costa, President
Springfield Hockey LLC, better known as the Springfield Thunderbirds, is the local affiliate of the St. Louis Blues and and the American Hockey League’s 2021-22 Eastern Conference Champion. The team gives back to the community in multiple ways, like the Thunderbirds Foundation, Stick to Reading school programs, Hometown Salute, Frontline Fridays, and more.

V & F Auto
443 Springfield St., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 789-2181
www.vfauto.com
Frank Palange, President
V & F Auto is an automotive repair company that offers vehicle sales and financing as well as auto services, including brake repairs, alternator repairs, oil changes, engine repairs and maintenance, radiator and cooling system maintenance, and more. It has been family-owned since 1988.

REVENUE GROWTH

1. Vanished Valley Inc.
782 Center St., Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 610-1572
www.vanishedvalley.com
Mike Rodrigues, Restaurant Owner;
Josh Britton, Brewery Owner
Vanished Valley Inc. is a small-batch brewery that is family- and pet-friendly and holds events in its taproom and beer garden. The restaurant menu includes appetizers, pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, and barbeque. On tap, the brewery offers IPAs, seltzers, lagers, ales, and stouts, as well as wine and spirits.

2. Monty’s Motorsport LLC
1 Arch Road, Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 642-8199
www.montysmotorsports.com
Monty Geer, Owner
Monty’s Motorsport is a parts, sales, service, and gear store for motorsport vehicles, such as four-wheelers, dirt bikes, motorcycles, electric bikes, street bikes, and more. It offers new and used vehicles, with financing options available, as well as services such as winterization, battery inspections, accessory installations, chain adjustments, oil and filter changes, and full engine rebuilds.

3. Campora Construction Co Inc.
43 Owens Way, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 610-1660
www.camporacc.com
Mario Campora, President
Campora Construction specializes in full-scale building construction and sidewalk, patio, and driveway installation for residential, commercial, and governmental projects. Services include custom home design and construction, complete home rebuilds from fire damage, home additions and sunroom installation, concrete demolition and infills, and commercial office fit-outs.

4. City Enterprise Inc.
52-60 Berkshire Ave., Springfield, MA 01109
(413) 726-9549
www.cityenterpriseinc.com
Wonderlyn Murphy, President and CEO
City Enterprise is a minority- and woman-owned design, build, and renovation construction firm specializing in government, municipal, and commercial projects. It has performed work on the Springfield Armory, various UMass locations, the Northampton VA Medical Center, and the Donohue Federal Courthouse. This is its eighth consecutive year on the Super 60 list.


5. Fontaine Brothers Inc.
510 Cottage St., Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 781-2020
www.fontainebros.com
David Fontaine Sr., President
Fontaine Brothers offers services such as general contracting, with a focus on K-12 schools, higher education, commercial properties, historical renovations, municipal work, and green buildings, as well as construction management. The firm has been family-owned and operated for 89 years.

Axia Group Insurance Services Inc.
84 Myron St., Suite A, West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 788-9000
www.axiagroup.net
Michael long, CEO
Axia Group Insurance Services is an independent insurance agency that provides personal lines of insurance, business insurance, and employee benefits, as well as group insurance plans. It represents numerous insurance companies, such as Liberty Mutual, MAPFRE, MassMutual, and Progressive.

Bart Truck Equipment LLC
358 River St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 737-2766
www.barttruckllc.com
James DiClementi, President
Bart Truck Equipment is a heavy-duty parts and trucking service company, offering different bodies (dump, platform, utility/service), snow plows and other winter removal equipment, truck-mounted generators, hook lifts and roll-offs, and more. It also custom-builds and fabricates parts for clients. It serves contractors, landscapers, fleets, municipalities, utility companies, and homeowners.

Baystate Blasting Inc.
36 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 583-4440
www.baystateblasting.com
Dinis Baltazar, President and CEO
Baystate Blasting offers services in ledge and rock removal, rock blasting, and rock crushing. It performs large and small construction-site preparation, road and highway work, line drilling and trench work, quarry shots, and residential work such as foundations and inground pools. It is federally licensed as both a dealer and user of explosive materials.

Baystate Crushing and Recycling Inc.
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 583-7856
Dinis Baltazar, President and CEO
Baystate Crushing and Recycling is a family-owned drilling and blasting firm that provides a full range of rock-blasting and rock-crushing services, including site work, heavy highway construction, residential work, quarry, and portable crushing and recycling. A federally licensed dealer of explosives, it offers rental of individual magazines and is a sister company to Baystate Blasting Inc.

Chicopee Industrial Contractors Inc.
107 North Chicopee St, Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 538-7279
www.chicopeeindustrial.com
Carol Campbell, President and CEO
Chicopee Industrial Contractors is a woman-owned industrial contracting firm that specializes in rigging, heavy lifting, machinery moving, machine installation, millwrighting, machine repair, heavy hauling, plant relocations, concrete pads, foundations, and structural steel installations. It is celebrating its 30th year in business.

The Dowd Agencies LLC
14 Bobala Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 538-7444
www.dowd.com
John Dowd Jr., President and CEO
The Dowd Agencies is an insurance agency that provides personal (automotive, renters, home, and condominium) and business (liability, commercial auto, liability, and more) insurance, as well as employee benefits. It also offers group packages for personal and business plans. The Dowd Agencies has been family-owned since 1865, welcoming its fifth generation in 2019.

Embracing The Creative Child LLC
55 Deer Park Dr., East Longmeadow, MA 01028
(413) 525-1500
www.embracingthecreativechild.com
Sarah Gale, Owner
Embracing The Creative Child offers applied behavioral analysis (ABA) programs for children and young adults with developmental disabilities. Programs are geared towards the individual’s needs. Programs include at-home ABA programs, social skill groups, school consultations, and professional development for educators.

FIT Staffing
9½ Market St., Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 733-6466
www.fitstaffingsolutions.com
Anthony Ciak, Division Manager
FIT Staffing is an IT recruitment agency for both the employee and employer that serves all of New England. The agency offers a job search board similar to Indeed, and is affiliated with Maraton Staffing, ASA Recruitment, and the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast.

Keiter Corp.
35 Main St., Florence, MA 01062
(413) 586-8600
www.keiter.com
Scott Keiter, President
Keiter Corp. is a construction-services company working with clients on residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects of all sizes. The firm is divided into four divisions: Keiter Builders, Keiter Homes, Hatfield Construction, and Keiter Properties. The company has performed work for Amherst College, Bacon Wilson in Northampton, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Look Park.

Knight Machine Tool Co. Inc.
1 Industrial Dr.,
South Hadley, MA 01075
(413) 532-2507
www.knightmachine.net
Gary O’Brien, President
Knight Machine Tool Co. Inc. specializes in machine and inspection equipment, such as head lathes, grinders, drill presses, calipers, and gages. It also offers turning, milling, round and flat lapping, EDM wire cutting, wet surface grinding, assembly, plating, and more. The company is ITAR-registered and ISO-certified.

L & C
Prescriptions Inc.
155 Brookdale Dr.,
Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 781-2996
www.medibubble.com
Dr. Kara James, President
L & C Prescriptions, the parent company for Louis & Clark Pharmacy, provides medication solutions to individuals, healthcare providers, and assisted-living, independent-living, and memory-care communities, and offers online prescription refills, MediBubble pre-packaged pills, blister packs to manage daily medications, vial synchronization, consultations with registered pharmacists, and a delivery service.

L & L Property
Service LLC
582 Amostown Road, West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 732-2739
Todd Lapinski and Eddie Lapinski, Owners
L & L Property Service is a locally owned company providing an array of property services, including lawn care, snow removal, sanding, excavations, patios and stone walls, hydroseeding, and more. It is a family-owned business.

Ludlow Eye Care P.C.
200 Center St., #1, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 583-3600
Dr. Catarzyna Babinski, Owner
Ludlow Eye Care is a practice specializing in optometry and offering eyeglass fittings, adjustments, repairs, sunglasses, and contact lenses. It also offers specialty glasses, such as blue-light glasses, computer glasses, kids’ glasses, reading glasses, and rimless frames.

M. Jags Inc.
197 Main St., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 781-4352
www.taplinyardpumpandpower.com
Martin Jagodowski, President
M. Jags, also known as Taplin Yard, Pump and Power Equipment, is a supplier of water pumps, water conditioners, pump-repair services, and yard and garden power equipment. It offers new and used parts and services for repairs, as well as financing options and a parts finder on its website.

The Markens Group
1350 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 686-9199
www.markens.com
Ben Markens, President; Jennie Markens, Partner
The Markens Group is an association management group that provides outsourced professional services including strategic leadership, financial management, event planning, member services, marketing and communications, program management, website and social-media services, and general administration to trade associations, membership societies, and not-for-profits.

Market Mentors LLC
155 Brookdale Dr., Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 787-1133
www.marketmentors.com
Michelle Abdow, President
Market Mentors helps other businesses with marketing, advertising, public relations, graphic design, and website design. It serves the automotive, educational, energy, banking and finance, healthcare, insurance, industrial and manufacturing, legal, nonprofit, retail, political, services, sports, and entertainment sectors, and has worked with multiple companies on the Super 60 list, like the Dowd Agencies and Freedom Credit Union.

Maybury Associates Inc.
90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028
(888) 629-2879
www.maybury.com
John Maybury, President and CEO
Maybury Associates is a material-handling equipment company that provides parts and services, warehouse design, rentals, and products for sale to businesses big and small. It offers forklifts, cleaning equipment (sweepers, scrubbers, industrial and commercial vacuums, etc.), racking, conveyors, dock equipment, modular office construction materials, and more, and has been awarded with the MHEDA Most Valuable Partner award 12 years running.

Northeast Security Solutions Inc.
33 Sylvan St., #1, West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 732-8748
www.northeastsecuritysolutions.com
George Condon III and David Condon, Co-owners
Northeast Security Solutions supplies security products and services within Western Mass., Northern Connecticut, and Southern Vermont. It offers door hardware, key control, locks, safes, burglar alarms, fire alarms, surveillance cameras, access control, and fire-extinguisher testing and inspections, and has been family-owned for the past 30 years.

Pioneer Valley Financial Group LLC
535 East St., Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 589-1500
www.pvfinancial.com
Charles Meyers, Edward Sokolowski, and Joseph Leonczyk, Founding Partners
Pioneer Valley Financial Group is a financial-planning service, offering services in retirement planning, business planning, asset growth, college funding, estate planning, tax planning, and risk management. It serves retirees, professionals, service members, young adults, and small and medium-sized businesses.

Sanderson MacLeod Inc.
1199 South Main St., Palmer, MA 01069
(866) 522-3481
www.sandersonmacleod.com
Mark Borsari, President and CEO
Sanderson MacLeod innovates, manufactures, and sources wire brushes, stylets, and assemblies. It serves the medical, cosmetic, firearms, and OEM industries. The company invented the twisted-wire mascara brush, the ZTip, and multiple other patented designs.

Seaboard Drilling Inc.
649 Meadow St., Chicopee, MA 01013
(800) 595-1114
www.seaboarddrilling.com
Jeffery Campbell, President and CEO
Seaboard Drilling is a geotechnical and environmental drilling services firm. It offers geotechnical and environmental borings, installation of standard and small-diameter monitoring wells, peizometers, geotechnical instruments, remedial recovery wells, and direct-push soil probing and sample retrieval.

Springfield Automotive
Partners LLC
295 Burnett Road,
Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 624-4100
www.mbspringfield.com
Peter and Michelle Wirth, owners
Springfield Automotive Partners is the parent company of Mercedes-Benz of Springfield. With a showroom in Chicopee, the dealership sells new and used cars, as well as financing and buying back cars. The location offers service, parts, and tires for all maintenance needs, and provides roadside assistance and vehicle inspections.

Springfield Hockey LLC
1 Monarch Place,
Springfield, MA 02110
(413) 746-4100
www.springfieldthunderbirds.com
Nathan Costa, President
Springfield Hockey LLC, better known as the Springfield Thunderbirds, is the local affiliate of the St. Louis Blues and and the American Hockey League’s 2021-22 Eastern Conference Champion. The team gives back to the community in multiple ways, like the Thunderbirds Foundation, Stick to Reading school programs, Hometown Salute, Frontline Fridays, and more.

Tavares and Branco
Enterprises Inc.
1428 Center St., Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 547-6667
www.villaroserestaurant.com
Tony Tavares, Owner
Tavares and Branco Enterprises owns and operates the Villa Rose Restaurant, lounge, and banquet hall, specializing in Portuguese and American cuisine. With a capacity of 150, the facility caters for parties, funerals, and weddings of 30 people or more. Villa Rose also offers breakfast and brunch for those who are looking to book a shower, seminar, business meeting, corporate functions, and more.

V & F Auto
443 Springfield St., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 789-2181
www.vfauto.com
Frank Palange, President
V & F Auto is an automotive repair company that offers vehicle sales and financing as well as auto services, including brake repairs, alternator repairs, oil changes, engine repairs and maintenance, radiator and cooling system maintenance, and more. It has been family-owned since 1988.

Special Coverage Super 60

Reconfigured Program Recognizes Businesses, Nonprofits in Five Categories

After almost 40 years, Super 60 was in need of a change. This year, it got one.

The Springfield Regional Chamber revamped its popular business-recognition program in 2023 to honor companies and organizations across five categories, not merely the traditional ‘Revenue’ and ‘Growth.’

The new categories are ‘Start-Up,’ ‘Give Back,’ and ‘Non-Profit.’ The Start-Up category recognizes businesses that have achieved remarkable success during their early years of operation, the Give Back category recognizes businesses that made significant contributions to local communities and organizations, and the Non-Profit category recognizes organizations that have displayed selfless dedication to serving the community through exceptional programming and support.

These additions have successfully invited many new businesses to the podium for the awards ceremony, to be held on Nov. 9 at the MassMutual Center, said chamber President Diana Szynal.

“What we want to accomplish with these new categories is recognition that there are different measures of success,” she told BusinessWest. “And it’s a way to award more members across various sectors for their success.”

This year’s winners represent numerous communities across many industries, including dining, automotive, manufacturing, finance, sports, and many more.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible diversity and innovation within our business community through this year’s Super 60 program,” Szynal said. “Small businesses are the heart and soul of our region, and we’re excited to celebrate so many nonprofits that make a difference in our community. As we continue to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic, it’s more important than ever to shine a light on the accomplishments and unwavering resilience of our local businesses and nonprofits.”

Save the Date

The awards program — sponsored by Health New England, WWLP-22 News, bankESB, Stand Out Truck, Marketing and Cupcakes, the Republican, and Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. — will feature keynote speaker Ashley Kohl, president and founder of Ohana School of Performing Arts, and emcee Rich Tettemer, WWLP anchor.

Tickets for the event — $60 for chamber members and $75 for non-members — can be purchased at springfieldregionalchamber.com. Tables of eight and 10 can also be reserved.

The event attracts more than 500 business leaders each year. The honorees, 12 per category, are:

Revenue:


Whalley Computer Associates Inc.
Mercedes Benz of Springfield
Tighe & Bond Inc.
Adam Quenneville Roofing & Siding Inc.
American Environmental Inc.
Baltazar Contractors Inc.
Baystate Blasting Inc.
Braman Chemical Enterprises Inc.
Freedom Credit Union
Golden Years Homecare Services
Keiter Corp.
L&C Prescriptions Inc.

Growth:


Springfield Hockey LLC
The Coating House Inc.
Link to VR
Ace Asphalt Maintenance Inc. 
Court Square Group Inc.
Jack Goncalves & Sons Inc. 
Monty’s Motorsports LLC 
Tobiko Sushi 
Tavares and Branco Enterprises Inc./Villa Rose
Vanguard Dental LLC 
Vanished Valley Inc. 
Yellow Ribbon Trucking Inc.  

Start-Up:


Monsoon Roastery LLC
Something Royal Party Co.
Mango Fish Art / Proud of U Jewelry
Ludlow Animal Clinic Inc.
Western Mass Heating, Cooling & Plumbing Inc.
Link to VR
Upscale Socks
Rozki Rides
1636 North
Colorful Resilience
Bridge2Homecare LLC
Feel Good, Shop Local 

Give Back:


Anderson Cleaning
Appleton Corp.
Focus Springfield Community TV
Gary Rome Hyundai Inc.
Keiter Corp.
Mercedes Benz of Springfield
MGM Springfield
Pioneer Valley Financial Group
Polish National Credit Union
Springfield Hockey LLC
Stand Out Truck
Tavares and Branco Enterprises Inc./Villa Rose  

Non-Profit:


Springfield Partners for Community Action Inc.
Valley Opportunity Council Inc.
413 Elite Foundation
Second Chance Animal Services Community Veterinary Hospital
The Horace Smith Fund
Hampden County Career
Center Inc.
Caring Health Center
WestMass ElderCare Inc.
Springfield Rescue Mission
Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts
Revitalize Community Development Corp.
Clinical & Support Options Inc.

REVENUE Category

Whalley Computer Associates Inc.

One Whalley Way, Southwick, MA 01077

(413) 596-4200

www.wca.com

Michael Sheil, President

Whalley Computer Associates offers data-center services, cloud backup, managed services, training, desktop services, network services, and staff-augmentation services. The company focuses its work in the corporate, finance, healthcare, K-12, higher education, retail, and SMB industries.

Mercedes-Benz of Springfield

295 Burnett Road, Chicopee, MA 01020

(413) 624-4100

www.mbspringfield.com

Peter and Michelle Wirth, Owners

Mercedes-Benz of Springfield serves the Springfield area from its Chicopee facility filled with the latest Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The dealership also includes an expert service center, parts center, and tires center. Factory-certified experts offer professional service, maintenance, and repairs, including one-hour express service.

Tighe & Bond Inc.

53 Southampton Road, Westfield, MA 01085

(413) 562-1600

www.tighebond.com

Robert Belitz, President and CEO

Tighe & Bond offers engineering, design, planning, and environmental-consulting services, with focuses in building, transportation, water and wastewater engineering, coastal and waterfront solutions, environmental consulting, GIS and asset management, landscape architecture and urban design, civil engineering, and site planning.

Adam Quenneville Roofing & Siding Inc.

160 Old Lyman Road, South Hadley, MA 01075

(413) 536-5955

www.1800newroof.net

Adam Quenneville, CEO

Adam Quenneville Roofing & Siding offers a wide range of residential and commercial services, including new roofs, retrofitting, roof repair, roof cleaning, vinyl siding, replacement windows, and the no-clog Gutter Shutter system. The company has earned the BBB Torch Award for trust, performance, and integrity.

American Environmental Inc.

18 Canal St., Holyoke, MA 01040

(413) 322-7190

www.amerenviro.com

Charles Hughes, President

American Environmental is a family-owned business providing services like asbestos abatement, structural demolition, boiler removal, commercial lead abatement, concrete cutting, floor preparation, interior demolition, water-jet blasting, roll-off service, and shot blasting. It has worked with property managers, schools, universities, hospitals, churches, stores, industrial sites, and public facilities.

Baltazar Contractors Inc.

83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow, MA 01056

(413) 583-6160

www.baltazarcontractors.com

Paulo Baltazar, President

Baltazar Contractors is a heavy civil construction company with services in utility construction, roadway construction, site work and development, culvert and bridge construction, earth support and shoring, and trenchless technology. The company has remained family-owned over three decades in business.

Baystate Blasting Inc.

36 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow, MA 01056

(413) 583-4440

www.baystateblasting.com

Dinis Baltazar, President and CEO

Baystate Blasting offers services in ledge and rock removal, rock blasting, and rock crushing. It performs large and small construction-site preparation, road and highway work, line drilling and trench work, quarry shots, and residential work such as foundations and in-ground pools. It is federally licensed as both a dealer and user of explosive materials.

Braman Chemical Enterprises Inc.

147 Almgren Dr., Agawam 01001

(413) 732-9009

www.braman.biz

Gerald Lazarus, President

Braman has been serving New England since 1890, using state-of-the-art pest-elimination procedures for commercial and residential customers, and offering humane removal of birds, bats, and other nuisances through its wildlife division. The company has offices in Agawam, Worcester, and Lee, as well as Hartford and New Haven, Conn.

Freedom Credit Union

1976 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103

(413) 739-6961

www.freedom.coop

Glenn Welch, President and CEO

Freedom Credit Union is a credit union that offers banking and loan services to businesses, the cannabis industry, and individuals. It also offers insurance plans for individuals and an investment-services division. The institution celebrated its centennial in 2022 and regularly involves customers and the community in philanthropic outreach.

Golden Years Homecare Services

16 Shaker Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028

(413) 209-8208

www.goldenyearsusa.com

Cesar Ruiz Jr., President and CEO

Golden Years Homecare is dedicated to providing exceptional, in-home care to clients, offering peace of mind, dignity, and comfort. Comprehensive and personalized care meets the needs of clients and their families through the careful matching of client and caregiver. Golden Years offers programs including aroma, music, and laughter therapies, as well as specialized veteran and dementia care.

Keiter Corp.

35 Main St., Florence, MA 01062

(413) 586-8600

www.keiter.com

Scott Keiter, President

Keiter Corp. is a construction-services company working with clients on residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects of all sizes. The firm is divided into four divisions: Keiter Builders (commercial and institutional construction), Keiter Homes (residential construction), Hatfield Construction (excavation, site work, and structural concrete), and Keiter Properties (real estate and rental).

L&C Prescriptions Inc.

155 Brookdale Dr., Springfield, MA 01104

(413) 781-2996

www.medibubble.com

Dr. Kara James, President

L&C Prescriptions, the parent company for Louis & Clark Pharmacy, provides medication solutions to individuals, healthcare providers, and assisted-living, independent-living, and memory-care communities, and offers online prescription refills, MediBubble pre-packaged pills, blister packs to manage daily medications, vial synchronization, consultations with registered pharmacists, and a delivery service.

 Growth Category

Springfield Hockey LLC

1 Monarch Place, Springfield, MA 02110

(413) 746-4100

www.springfieldthunderbirds.com

Nathan Costa, President

Springfield Hockey LLC, better known as the Springfield Thunderbirds, is the local affiliate of the St. Louis Blues and and the American Hockey League’s 2021-22 Eastern Conference champion. Playing its home games at the MassMutual Center since its inception in 2016, the team gives back to the community in multiple ways, like the Thunderbirds Foundation, Stick to Reading school programs, Hometown Salute, Frontline Fridays, and more.

The Coating House Inc.

15 Benton Dr., Suite 14, East Longmeadow, MA 01028

(877) 987-3100

www.thecoatinghouse.com

Kim Casineau, President

The Coating House is a fastener and hardware supplier and authorized Loctite service center, allowing it the ability to serve customers in a wide range of industries. The company has been sealing and locking fasteners, fittings, and bolts since 1980 and is a woman-owned company and a pioneer in the pre-applied process.

Link to VR

501 Boylston St., 10th Floor, Boston, MA 02116

(617) 588-2109

www.linktovr.com

Edward Zemba, CEO

Link to VR is an XR media agency that helps organizations implement growth-based solutions using the VR/AR platform. It offers in-house development and partnership opportunities to enterprise customers ready to leverage the transformative technology of spatial computing. Whether it’s on-boarding leadership teams or designing custom XR solutions, it strategically positions clients to realize the full potential of this computing platform.

Ace Asphalt Maintenance Inc.

63 Doyle Ave., Springfield, MA 01104

(413) 537-6156

www.aceasphaltco.com

James Gordon, Owner

For more than 20 years, Ace Asphalt Maintenance has been a premier paving company serving Western Mass. and Northern Conn., offering a one-year warranty on all driveway installations. Services include asphalt driveways, commercial sealcoating, commercial paving, crack filling, patching, and asphalt milling.

Court Square Group Inc.

1350 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103

(413) 746-0054

www.courtsquaregroup.com

Keith Parent, CEO

Court Square Group is a leading managed-service technology company with a focus exclusively on life science. Its business-focused approach has supported many life-science startups as well as some of the largest life-science companies. The team’s expertise provides technical, compliance, and audit-readiness support.

Jack Goncalves & Sons Inc.

172 Munsing St., Ludlow, MA 01056

(413) 583-8782

Joquin Goncalves, President and Treasurer

Jack Goncalves & Sons primarily operates in the excavation and grading and building construction industry, and has been in business for more than a half-century.

 

Monty’s Motorsport LLC

1 Arch Road, Westfield, MA 01085

(413) 642-8199

www.montysmotorsports.com

Monty Geer, Owner

Monty’s Motorsport is a parts, sales, service, and gear store for motorsport vehicles, such as four-wheelers, dirt bikes, motorcycles, electric bikes, street bikes, and more. It offers new and used vehicles, with financing options available, as well as services such as winterization, battery inspections, accessory installations, chain adjustments, oil and filter changes, and full engine rebuilds.

Tobiko Sushi

110 Airport Road, Westfield, MA 01085

(413) 642-8155

www.tobiko-sushi-sushi-restaurant.business.site

Sokharun Yim, Owner

Located in the terminal building at Westfield-Barnes Airport, this eatery opened as Papps Bar & Grill in 2014. A change in ownership brought a new focus, and Tobiko Sushi now specializes in sushi, ramen, and hibachi. Taking advantage of its close-up airport location, large windows offer views of the Barnes complex and the landscape beyond.

Tavares and Branco Enterprises Inc./Villa Rose

1428 Center St., Ludlow, MA 01056

(413) 547-6667

www.villaroserestaurant.com

Tony Tavares, Owner

Tavares and Branco Enterprises owns and operates the Villa Rose Restaurant, lounge, and banquet hall, specializing in Portuguese and American cuisine. With a capacity of 150, the facility caters for parties, funerals, and weddings of 30 people or more. Villa Rose also offers breakfast and brunch for those who are looking to book a shower, seminar, business meeting, corporate functions, and more.

Vanguard Dental LLC

1876 Boston Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095

(413) 543-2555

www.vanguarddentistry.com

Dr. Yogita Kanorwalla, Owner

Yogita Kanorwalla, DMD, has more than 15 years of experience in dentistry. She utilizes the latest technology and techniques, with services including dentures, cosmetic dentistry, root-canal therapy and endodontics, extractions, same-day crowns, restorative dentistry, sedation dentistry, periodontics, dental implants and restorations, teeth whitening, Invisalign, sports guards, dry-mouth therapy, patient forms, and laser snoring treatment.

Vanished Valley Inc.

782 Center St., Ludlow, MA 01056

(413) 610-1572

www.vanishedvalley.com

Mike Rodrigues, Restaurant Owner;

Josh Britton, Brewery Owner

Vanished Valley Inc. is a small-batch brewery that is family- and pet-friendly and holds events in its taproom and beer garden. The restaurant menu includes appetizers, pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, and barbeque. On tap, the brewery offers IPAs, seltzers, lagers, ales, and stouts, as well as wine and spirits.

Yellow Ribbon Trucking Inc.

265 Bay Road, Hadley, MA 01035

(413) 320-2644

www.yellowribbontrucking.com

Chris Omasta, Owner

Yellow Ribbon Trucking was established to fill the need of large trucks and heavy hauling services for local construction. It specializes in assisting general contractors and paving companies in facilitating the transportation of materials to and from job sites. It offers trucking, light excavations, landscaping, and snow-removal services, and works with homeowners, businesses, and contractors on the state and federal levels.

 START-UP CATEGORY

Monsoon Roastery LLC

250 Albany St., Springfield, MA 01105

(413) 366-1123

www.monsoonroastery.com

Tim Monson, Owner

Monsoon is an environmentally conscious community coffee roaster with the goal of helping people drink better coffee both at home and on the go. It offers a walk-up, espresso bar where customers can order coffee drinks to enjoy on an outdoor patio, or coffee cans to take home. It also offers an array of local treats from neighboring businesses.

Something Royal Party Co.

Agawam, MA

(413) 334-2548

www.somethingroyalpartyco.com

Alexandria Holbrook, Owner

Something Royal Party Company was established in 2021, aiming to bring joy and magic to even the smallest of events. This party company specializes in live character interactions, including additional add-on services to customize an event to bring a child’s dream to life. Something Royal provides high-quality costumes, wigs, and other materials, and its characters look and act as if they walked directly out of their movies and storybooks.

Mango Fish Art / Proud of U Jewelry

Easthampton, MA

(833) 446-2646

www.mangofishinc.com

Lori Novis, Founder

By weaving creativity with social responsibility, Mango Fish aims to empower and address women living in poverty through employment opportunities and mentoring. Founder Lori Novis later realized that the jewelry business she started while living in the Caribbean could be scaled up to showcase and highlight the official colors of educational institutions and sororities, and created the Proud of U. gift collection.

Ludlow Animal Clinic Inc.

200 Center St., #13, Ludlow, MA 01056

(413) 583-4222

Dr. Eva Rodriguez, Owner

Ludlow Animal Clinic offers a variety of services to dogs and cats. It provides on-site dental treatment, vaccinations, parasite prevention, surgery, radiology, geriatric medicine, hematology laboratory services, and end-of-life counseling. Dr. Eva Rodriguez has an interest in general wellness, preventive medicine, internal medicine, and dermatology.

Western Mass Heating, Cooling & Plumbing Inc.

4 South Main St., Suite K, Haydenville, MA 01039

(413) 268-7777

www.westernmassheatingcooling.com

Scott Cernak, CEO

For more than two decades, the team behind Western Mass Heating & Cooling serviced the residential market in Western Mass. under M.J. Moran. Spun off as a separate company in early 2020, the company has a wealth of experience in the residential HVAC and plumbing sectors. Services include indoor air quality, heating systems, cooling systems, and plumbing services.

Link to VR

501 Boylston St., 10th Floor, Boston, MA 02116

(617) 588-2109

www.linktovr.com

Edward Zemba, CEO

Link to VR is an XR media agency that helps organizations implement growth-based solutions using the VR/AR platform. It offers in-house development and partnership opportunities to enterprise customers ready to leverage the transformative technology of spatial computing. Whether it’s on-boarding leadership teams or designing custom XR solutions, it strategically positions clients to realize the full potential of this computing platform.

 

Upscale Socks

Springfield, MA

(413) 219-3088

www.upscalesocks.com

Lenny Underwood, Owner

Upscale’s collection of socks includes colorful, vibrant, fun, and meaningful styles for the entire family. The socks are made from 80% combed cotton, 17% spandex, and 3% nylon. Since its inception, it has supported local nonprofit organizations and schools with its Suit Your Soles campaign, matching a sock donation for every purchase. Upscale has also given away college scholarships to a deserving scholars.

Rozki Rides

Springfield, MA

(413) 314-3154

www.rozkirides.com

Jessica Rozki, Owner

Rozki Rides provides professional, reliable transportation services for children and teens. With door-to-door service along a diverse range of locations ranging from school to virtual learning facilitation programs to grandma’s house, Rozki gets children safely to their destination. The company also offers charter services for trips and transportation to wedding parties, showers, and other special events.

1636 North

220 Worthington St., Springfield, MA 01103

(413) 785-4025

www.1636north.com

Julie Molinary, Owner

Touting ‘elevated dining,’ 1636 North offers on-site dining (including outdoor seating) as well as catering services. Reflecting a variety of culinary influences, entrees range from herb-crusted New Zealand lamb chops to blackened lemon pepper salmon to Caribbean jerk chicken.

Colorful Resilience

201 Park Ave., Suite 9, West Springfield, MA 01089

(413) 213-2979

www.colorfulresilience.com

Mayrena Guerrero, CEO

Colorful Resilience is an outpatient mental-health services office that provides therapy (primarily, but not exclusively) to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, first-generation, and immigrant individuals. Due to a lack of clinical representation and cultural competency in the mental-health field, these communities have historically been underserved, and Colorful Resilience hopes to remedy such disparity.

Bridge2Homecare LLC

120 Maple St., Springfield, MA 01103

(413) 285-7755

www.bridge2homecare.net

Jessica Dennis, Owner

Bridge2Homecare is a healthcare agency specializing in a wide range of skilled-nursing services. Its goal is to help patients overcome an illness or injury and regain independence and self-sufficiency. It offers services for individuals who need assistance with skilled-nursing services, memory care (for those with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease), orthopedic recovery care, post-surgery recovery care, and more.

Feel Good, Shop Local

www.feelgoodshoplocal.com

Michelle Wirth, Founder

Fueled by the COVID-19 crisis, Michelle Wirth founded Feel Good Shop Local in 2020 to ensure that local small businesses would not be left out of the online shopping and discovery experience. Focused on selling consumer lifestyle goods and services, it has brought local small businesses and artisans of Western Mass. and Northern Conn. to one online marketplace for customers to discover, shop, and have items shipped to their door.

GIVE BACK CATEGORY

Anderson Cleaning

103 Wayside Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089

(413) 306-5053

www.andersoncleaning.com

Anderson Gomes, President and CEO

Anderson Cleaning’s commercial services include office cleaning, healthcare cleaning, janitorial cleaning, supply management, day porter services, post-mortem cleaning, consulting services, biohazard remediation, and green cleaning. Its portfolio includes healthcare facilities, offices, retail stores, and industrial businesses. It earned Green Seal Certification, emphasizing its dedication to eco-friendly cleaning.

Appleton Corp.

800 Kelly Way, Holyoke, MA 01040

(413) 536-8048

www.appletoncorporation.com

Matt Flink, President

Appleton Corp., a division of the O’Connell Companies, provides property, facilities, and asset-management services, along with accounting and financial services, to managers and owners of commercial and residential properties across New England. Its services include transportation management, real-estate services for nonprofits, troubled-asset and repositioning services, and development analysis.

Focus Springfield Community TV

1200 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103

(413) 241-7500

www.focusspringfield.com

Stephen Cary, Interim Executive Director

The mission of Focus Springfield is to improve quality of life for Springfield residents by stimulating economic development, community building, education, training, and promoting the benefits of living, learning, and working in the city. The station showcases the cultural and educational achievements of local citizens and provides training to encourage individual and community-based programming.

Gary Rome Hyundai Inc.

150 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke, MA 01040

(413) 536-4328

www.garyromehyundai.com

Gary Rome, President

In its 26 years of operation, Gary Rome Hyundai, offering new and used vehicle sales, service, and parts, has become one of the most successful Hyundai dealerships in the U.S., and was named TIME magazine’s Dealer of the Year for 2023. Recognized in many ways for his dealership’s community involvement and support of local organizations, Gary Rome was also named a Difference Maker by BusinessWest earlier this year.

Keiter Corp.

35 Main St., Florence, MA 01062

(413) 586-8600

www.keiter.com

Scott Keiter, President

Keiter Corp. is a construction-services company working with clients on residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects of all sizes. The firm is divided into four divisions: Keiter Builders (commercial and institutional construction), Keiter Homes (residential construction), Hatfield Construction (excavation, site work, and structural concrete), and Keiter Properties (real estate and rental).

Mercedes-Benz of Springfield

295 Burnett Road, Chicopee, MA 01020

(413) 624-4100

www.mbspringfield.com

Peter and Michelle Wirth, Owners

Mercedes-Benz of Springfield serves the Springfield area from its Chicopee facility filled with the latest Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The dealership also includes an expert service center, parts center, and tires center. Factory-certified experts offer professional service, maintenance, and repairs, including one-hour express service.

 

MGM Springfield

One MGM Way, Springfield, MA 01103

(413) 273-5000

www.mgmspringfield.mgmresorts.com

Chris Kelley, President and COO

MGM Springfield recently celebrated five years of operation in downtown Springfield, offering a host of slot machines and table games, numerous restaurants, a hotel, and entertainment at Symphony Hall, Roar! Comedy Club, ARIA Ballroom, the MassMutual Center, and an outdoor plaza.

Pioneer Valley Financial Group

535 East St., Ludlow, MA 01056

(413) 589-1500

www.pvfinancial.com

Charles Meyers, Edward Sokolowski, and Joseph Leonczyk, Founding Partners

Pioneer Valley Financial Group is a financial-planning service, offering services in retirement planning, business planning, asset growth, college funding, estate planning, tax planning, and risk management. It serves retirees, professionals, service members, young adults, and small and medium-sized businesses.

Polish National Credit Union

46 Main St., Chicopee, MA 01020

(413) 592-9495

www.pncu.com

James Kelly, President and CEO

Since its inception in 1921, Polish National Credit Union has grown to meet the needs of its communities, offering personal, business, insurance, and investment services. As a full-service community credit union, it now boasts eight branches located in Chicopee, Granby, Westfield, Southampton, Hampden, and Wilbraham.

Springfield Hockey LLC

1 Monarch Place

Springfield, MA 02110

(413) 746-4100

www.springfieldthunderbirds.com

Nathan Costa, President

Springfield Hockey LLC, better known as the Springfield Thunderbirds, is the local affiliate of the St. Louis Blues and and the American Hockey League’s 2021-22 Eastern Conference champion. Playing its home games at the MassMutual Center since its inception in 2016, the team gives back to the community in multiple ways, like the Thunderbirds Foundation, Stick to Reading school programs, Hometown Salute, Frontline Fridays, and more.

Stand Out Truck

98 Lower Westfield Road, Suite 120, Holyoke, MA 01040

(413) 356-0820

www.standouttruck.com

Mychal Connolly, President and CEO

Stand Out Truck is an advertising company with a marketing mindset and a love for traffic. Its digital mobile billboard trucks spread clients’ messages to commuters and at events. Mobile ads on the truck launch businesses, share creative projects, and tell businesses’ professional stories, and the impact is significant; vehicle advertising can generate up to 70,000 daily impressions.

Tavares and Branco Enterprises Inc./Villa Rose

1428 Center St., Ludlow, MA 01056

(413) 547-6667

www.villaroserestaurant.com

Tony Tavares, Owner

Tavares and Branco Enterprises owns and operates the Villa Rose Restaurant, lounge, and banquet hall, specializing in Portuguese and American cuisine. With a capacity of 150, the facility caters for parties, funerals, and weddings of 30 people or more. Villa Rose also offers breakfast and brunch for those who are looking to book a shower, seminar, business meeting, corporate functions, and more.

 NON-PROFIT CATEGORY

Springfield Partners for Community Action Inc.

721 State St, Springfield, MA 01109

(413) 263-6500

www.springfieldpartnersinc.com

Paul Bailey, Executive Director

Springfield Partners for Community Action’s mission is to utilize and provide resources that assist people in need to obtain economic stability, ultimately creating a better way of life. It does so through home and energy services, income-tax assistance services, money-management services, transportation services, veterans’ services, and youth and family services.

Valley Opportunity Council Inc.

35 Mount Carmel Ave., Chicopee, MA 01013

(413) 552-1554

www.valleyopp.com

Stephen Huntley, Executive Director

The Valley Opportunity Council (VOC) is the largest and most diverse community-action agency in the region. It offers a network of support and collaborative services that include energy assistance, nutrition, early education and childcare, adult education, senior services, housing, money management, and transporation.

413 Elite Foundation

393 Belmont Ave., Springfield, MA 01108

(413) 354-8326

www.413elite.com

SirCharles Evans, Owner

The 413 Elite Foundation’s mission is to create a winning community through the game of basketball. Its purpose is to provide mentorship, education, and coaching for a broad community where children and young adults can develop life and leadership skills, and it does so by nurturing endowment, encouraging philanthropy, and promoting efficiency in the management of funds.

Second Chance Animal Services Community Veterinary Hospital

67 Mulberry St., Springfield, MA 01105

(413) 739-2343

www.secondchanceanimalservices.org

Sheryl Blancato, CEO

Second Chance Animal Services is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that operates community veterinary hospitals in Springfield, North Brookfield, Southbridge, and Worcester; subsidized rates are provided to underserved communities. Last year, Second Chance helped more than 44,000 pets through full-service veterinary care, spay/neuter services, adoption services, community and educational outreach programs, training, and a pet-food pantry.

The Horace Smith Fund

16 Union Ave., Suite 2K, Westfield, MA 01085

(413) 739-4222

www.horacesmithfund.org

Josephine Sarnilli, Executive Director

For more than a century, the Horace Smith Fund has helped Hampden County students finance their dreams of higher education. Award opportunities are available to residents of Hampden County who have graduated from eligible local secondary or private schools. This year, the fund awarded a total of $316,000 to local students in scholarships and fellowships.

Hampden County Career Center Inc.

850 High St., Holyoke, MA 01040

(413) 532-4900

www.careerpointma.com

David Gadaire, President and CEO

Since 1996, Hampden County Career Center Inc., now doing business as MassHire Holyoke Career Center, has been serving the workforce and economic-development needs of individual job seekers, social-service agencies, and the business community throughout Hampden County and beyond, offering a seamless service-delivery system for job seeking, career training, and employer services.

 

Caring Health Center

1049 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103

(413) 739-1100

www.caringhealth.org

Tania Barber, President and CEO

The mission of Caring Health Center is to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity by providing accessible, value-driven healthcare for diverse, multi-ethnic communities in Western Mass. The organization provides a wide range of health services at eight locations in and around Springfield.

WestMass ElderCare Inc.

4 Valley Mill Road, Holyoke, MA 01040

(413) 538-9020

www.wmeldercare.org

Roseann Martoccia, Executive Director

This agency’s mission is to preserve the dignity, independence, and quality of life of elders and disabled persons desiring to remain within their own community. It offers services for elders, their families and caregivers, and people with disabilities. Programs and services include supportive housing, home care, options counseling, adult family care, nutrition programs, elder mental health, family caregiver support, and health-insurance counseling.

Springfield Rescue Mission

10 Mill St., Springfield, MA 01108

(413) 732-0808

www.springfieldrescuemission.org

Kevin Ramsdell, Executive Director and CEO

The Springfield Rescue Mission is a leader in meeting the needs of the poor and homeless in Greater Springfield. As an emergency shelter, mobile feeding program, rehabilitation and transformation center, and transitional living facility, it provides food, shelter, clothing, medical attention, Christian counseling, literacy training, and advocacy, free of charge.

Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts

1160 Dickinson St., Springfield, MA 01108

(413) 737-4313

www.jewishwesternmass.org

Nora Gorenstein, CEO

The Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts cares for Jews in need and creates vibrant Jewish life in Western Mass., Israel, and around the globe. Through its community-building and fundraising efforts, the federation supports vital educational and social-service programs locally and globally.

Revitalize Community Development Corp.

240 Cadwell Dr., Springfield, MA 01104

(413) 788-0014

www.revitalizecdc.com

Colleen Loveless, President and CEO

Revitalize CDC performs critical repairs on homes of low-income families with children, the elderly, military veterans, and people with special needs. It improves community health by addressing poor housing conditions, performing assessments and interventions for adults and children with asthma, making home improvements that allow seniors to safely remain in their homes, and working with healthcare partners to address food insecurity and chronic health conditions.

Clinical & Support Options Inc.

8 Atwood Dr., Suite 301, Northampton, MA 01060

(413) 773-1314

www.csoinc.org

Karin Jeffers, President and CEO

CSO’s mission is to provide responsive and effective interventions and services to support individual adults, children, and families in their quest for stability, growth, and a positive quality of life. Services include crisis and emergency services; outpatient mental health; family-support programs; community-based programs; and shelter, housing, and homelessness efforts.

Sections Supplements
Region’s Top-performing Companies to Be Honored on Oct. 29
Super Sixty

Super Sixty

Formerly called The Fabulous 50, the Super 60 has become a tradition in Western Mass., a celebration of successful businesses. That tradition will continue with this year’s Super 60 lunch on Oct. 29 at Chez Josef. Individual companies will be honored, but the event will be recognizing the bigger picture — the depth and diversity of the region’s business community.

Russ Denver says the annual Super 60 luncheon has become a celebration of business success in Western Massachusetts.
For 22 years now, nearly 1,000 people have been gathering at Chez Josef not merely to honor the 60 winners in the Total Revenue and Revenue Growth categories (there were 10 fewer in the early days when the program was called the Fabulous 50), but to recognize the depth and diversity of the business community, and the number of success stories being written every year.
“We’re honoring individual companies and the people who manage them,” said Denver, “but we’re also celebrating the sum of what the 60 companies mean for this region, and that is a vibrant, diversified economy — a chain with many strong links.”
The 2010 event, slated for Oct. 29, will be more of the same, said Denver, noting that this year’s 60 companies — and both categories of entries — represent virtually every sector of the economy, from financial services to education; from human services to manufacturing; from health care to retail.
Combined, the companies in the Revenue category recorded sales of more than $850 million in 2009, said Denver, Meanwhile, companies in the Growth column averaged revenue increases of at least 35%.
The top finisher in the Revenue category, Whalley Computer Associates in Southwick, has been a regular at the top of that chart for the past several years. Springfield College, one of two area colleges to make the Super 60 (American International College qualified in revenue growth) placed second, while Sarat Ford in Agawam, placed third.
In the Growth category, Convergent Solutions in Wilbraham, a medical-billing-solutions company, finished at the top of the charts, while FIT (Fallon Information Technology) Solutions LLC, an IT placement-services company, finished second, and Universal Mind, a digital-solutions agency, placed third.
Both categories are defined by diversity, as the accompanying business profiles starting on page 27 clearly show.
The Revenue category includes the Center for Human Development, the Log Cabin, Pinsley Railroad Co., Rocky’s Hardware, Tighe & Bond, and W.F. Young, among others. The Growth ledger, meanwhile, includes Consolidated Health Plans, Adam Quenneville Roofing and Siding, Holyoke-Chicopee-Springfield Head Start, United Personnel, Valley Communications, and the YWCA of Western Massachusetts.
The Oct. 29 luncheon will be from 11:30 to 1:30. The keynote speaker will be Steven Little, a business-growth expert who will deliver a talk titled “The Milkshake Moment: Overcoming Stupid Systems, Pointless Policies, and Muddled Management to Realize Real Growth,” which is also the title of one of his books. A former president of three fast-growth companies, Little now advises business owners and managers. He is a former consultant for Inc. magazine, and is the author of several other books, including The 7 Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Growth and Duck and Recover: the Embattled Business Owner’s Guide to Survival and Growth.
For more information on the luncheon or to order seats ($50 for chamber members, $70 for non-members), call (413) 787-1555. n

TOTAL REVENUE
(Top 3, then the remaining listed alphabetically)

Whalley Computer Associates Inc.
One Whalley Way, Southwick, MA 01077
(413) 569-4200
www.wca.com
John Whalley, president
WCA is a locally owned family business that has evolved from a hardware resale and service group in the 1970s and 1980s into a company that now focuses on lowering the total cost of ownership of technology and productivity enhancement for its customers. Whalley carries name-brand computers as well as low-cost performance compatibles.

Springfield College
263 Alden St., Springfield, MA 01109
(413) 748-3000
www.springfieldcollege.edu
Dr. Richard Flynn, president
Founded in 1885, SC is a private, independent, coeducational, four-year college offering undergraduate and graduate-degree programs with its Humanics philosophy — educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others.

Sarat Ford Sales Inc.
245 Springfield St., Agawam, MA 01001
(888) 254-2911
saratford.dealerconnection.com
John Sarat Jr., CEO
Founded in 1929, Sarat has grown to become the largest Ford dealership in Western Mass. The third-generation business sells a wide variety of new and used vehicles and boasts a 24-bay service center with a $1 million parts inventory, and has received Ford’s Distinguished Achievement Award for excellent customer service multiple times.

American International College
1000 State St., Springfield, MA 01109
(800) 242-3142
www.aic.edu
Vincent Maniaci, president
Launched in 1885, AIC is a private, coeducational, four-year institution in the geographic center of Springfield. Liberal arts serves as the core in all its academic offerings, and the college is organized into schools of Arts, Education and Sciences; Business Administration; Health Sciences; and Continuing and Extended Studies.

Associated Electro-Mechanics Inc.
185 Rowland St., Springfield, MA 01107
(413) 781-4276
www.aemservices.com
Elayne Lebeau, CEO
Associated Electro-Mechanics Inc. is the largest independent industrial service center in the Northeast, providing industry with services that cover electrical, mechanical, machining, welding, and field services. Its multifaceted field-service crews and a staff of electrical and mechanical engineers complement the departmentalized staff operations.

Center For Human Development
332 Birnie Ave., Springfield, MA 01107
(413) 439-2252
www.chd.org
James Goodwin, CEO
CHD was founded in 1972 on a philosophy of helping people in the community, a major departure from the prevailing system of placing people in institutions. Almost four decades later, CHD is still providing vital support to needy children, people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities, the elderly, and the homeless.

Chez Josef Inc.
176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 786-0257
www.chezjosef.com
Linda Skole, president
Chez Josef has 40 years of experience in culinary and special-event planning, specializing in corporate events, nonprofit fund-raisers, holiday parties, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and off-premise catering. Executive Chef Marcel Ouimet was recently awarded the “Chef of the Year” honor by the Western Mass. Restaurant Assoc.

CSW Inc.
45 Tyburski Road, Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 800-9522
www.cswgraphics.com
Laura Wright, president
CSW Inc. has provided integrated services for packaging since 1937, including brand support, brand visualization, creative services, image engineering, flexographic printing plates, steel rule cutting dies, and workflow coordination. CSW has facilities in Ludlow; Rochester, N.Y.; and Toledo, Ohio to service national and international brands.

Delaney Restaurant Inc.
500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 535-5077
www.logcabin-delaney.com
Peter Rosskothen, president
The Delaney House restaurant offers 13 private, themed rooms for any special occasion, with seating for up to 260. It offers two dining options — fine dining and the more casual Mick — and has been voted Best Brunch in the Pioneer Valley.

Dimauro Carpet & Tile Inc.
185 Shaker Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028
(413) 525-1991
www.dimaurocarpet.com
Vincent Dimauro, president
For more than 30 years, Dimauro has been a provider and installer of carpet, tile, and wood and laminate flooring for residential and business customers in Western Mass. and Northern Conn.

Disability Management Services Inc.
1350 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 523-1126
www.disabilitymanagementservices.com
Robert Bonsall Jr., president
Founded in 1995, DMS is an independent, full-service third-party administrator and consulting firm, specializing in the management of individual and group disability products. DMS is headquartered in Springfield, with an additional office located in Syracuse, N.Y., and employs more than 200 professional associates.

Environmental Compliance Services Inc.
588 Silver St., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 789-3530
www.ecsconsult.com
Mark Hellstein, CEO
For more than 25 years, ECS has specialized in environmental site assessments; testing for asbestos, lead, indoor air quality, and mold; drilling and subsurface investigations; and emergency-response management.

Insurance Center of New England
246 Park St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 750-7101
www.icnegroup.com
Dean Florian, president
In operation since 1866, Insurance Center of New England Group (ICNE Group) is a locally owned, independent insurance agency, providing full-service insurance solutions for individuals and businesses.

Joseph Freedman Co. Inc.
115 Stevens St., Springfield, MA 01104
(888) 677-7818
www.josephfreedmanco.com
John Freedman, president
Founded in 1891, the company provides industrial scrap-metal recycling, specializing in aluminum, copper, nickel alloys, and aircraft scrap, and has two facilities in Springfield — a 120,000-square-foot indoor ferrous facility, and a 60,000-square-foot chopping operation.

Kittredge Equipment Co.
100 Bowles Road, Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 304-4100
www.kittredgeequipment.com
Wendy Webber, CEO
Serving a variety of establishments and institutions for more than 80 years, Kittredge is a one-stop, full-service equipment and supplies dealership for the food-service industry, with three showroom locations — in Agawam, Natick, and Williston, Vt.

The Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House
500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 535-5077
www.logcabin-delaney.com
Peter Rosskothen, president
Set against the Mount Tom range, the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House offers quality banquet facilities for events including weddings, showers, anniversaries, engagement parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, business meetings, holiday parties, and more.

Marcotte Ford Sales
1025 Main St., Holyoke, MA 01040
(800) 923-9810
www.marcotteford.com
Bryan Marcotte, president
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and feature a full service department. Marcotte has achieved the President’s Award, one of the most prestigious honors given by Ford Motor Co., for nine years.

Maybury Material Handling
90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028
(413) 525-4216
www.maybury.com
John Maybury, president
Since 1976, Maybury Material Handling has been designing, supplying, and servicing all types of material-handling equipment throughout New England. Maybury provides customers in a wide range of industries with solutions to move, lift, and store their parts and products.

Northeast Treaters Inc.
201 Springfield Road, Belchertown, MA 01007
(413) 323-7811
www.netreaters.com
David Reed, president
Northeast Treaters was founded in 1985 as a manufacturer of pressure-treated lumber. In 1996, an additional facility was added in Athens, N.Y. to produce fire-retardant treated lumber and kiln-dried before- and after-treatment products.

Pinsly Railroad Co. Inc.
53 Southampton Road, Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 568-6426
www.pinsly.com
John Levine, CEO
Pinsly Railroad Co., founded in 1938, is one of the oldest short-line railroad companies in the country. Pinsly focuses on acquiring short-line railroads and revitalizing branch and feeder lines of Class I and regional carriers. It now owns and operates numerous railroads and warehouse/distribution facilities.

Rediker Software Inc.
2 Wilbraham Road, Hampden, MA 01036
(800) 213-9860
www.rediker.com
Richard Rediker, president
Rediker Software is used by school administrators across the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, and is designed to meet the student-information-management needs of all types of schools and districts.

Robert F. Scott Co. Inc.
467 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow, MA 01106
(413) 567-7089
Leonard P. Rising III, president
Robert F. Scott Co. Inc. (known as Longmeadow Garage) is a locally owned and operated, full-service gasoline and automotive service station. Its staff includes ASE-certified technicians well-versed in all makes and models.

Rocky’s Hardware Inc.
40 Island Pond Road, Springfield, MA 01118
(413) 781-1650
www.rockys.com
Rocco Falcone II, president
With locations throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, the family-run business founded in 1926 is a fully stocked, convenient source for not only typical hardware-store items but also a line of goods for the home, yard, and garden.

Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc.
235 Bowles Road, Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 789-6700
www.specialtybolt.com
Alan Crosby, CEO
Founded in 1977, Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc. is a distributor of innovative fastener solutions. The company has engineering resources on staff to help determine the optimum fastener for each application, and utilizes state-of-the-art technology along with more than 30 years of experience to help clients achieve their objectives.

Spectrum Analytical Inc.
11 Almgren Dr., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 789-9018
www.spectrum-analytical.com
Dr. Hanibal Tayeh, CEO
For more than a decade, Spectrum Analytical Inc. has provided quantitative analysis of soil, water, and, more recently, air samples, as well as petroleum products. Consulting firms, industries, municipalities, universities, and the public sector are among the constituencies that make up the client list.

Sullivan & Associates Inc.
551 East Columbus Ave., Springfield, MA 01105
(413) 733-6100
www.sullivanandassoc.com
Linda Sullivan, executive director
Sullivan & Associates provides individualized residential and day programs for people with developmental disabilities, interfering behaviors, and mental-health concerns. Its programs are based on a philosophy of unconditional positive regard.

Tighe & Bond Inc.
53 Southampton Road, Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 562-1600
www.tighebond.com
David Pinsky, president
Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2011, Tighe & Bond specializes in environmental engineering, focusing on water, wastewater, solid-waste, and hazardous-waste issues, and provides innovative engineering services to public and private clients around the country and overseas.

Titan USA Enterprises Inc.
140 Baldwin St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(888) 482-6872
www.titanman.com
Ralph Colby, CEO
For almost four decades, Tutan USA Enterprises has served industrial distributors as a manufacturer of premium-quality, solid-carbide, high-speed steel, and cobalt cutting tools.

University Products Inc.
517 Main St., Holyoke, MA 01040
(800) 628-1912
www.universityproducts.com
David Magoon, CEO
University Products is a group of companies run by a family with roots in the archiving business that offers products to restore, preserve, and display collectibles, photographs, paper documents, and heirlooms.

W.F. Young Inc.
302 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow, MA 01028
(800) 628-9653
www.absorbine.com
Tyler Young, CEO
This family-run business prides itself on offering a variety of high-quality products that can effectively improve the well-being of both people and horses with its Absorbine brands.

GROWTH
(Top 3, then the remaining listed alphabetically)

Convergent Solutions Inc.
95 Post Office Park, Wilbraham, MA 01095
(413) 509-1000
Arlene Kelly, CEO
A health care billing solutions provider founded in 2006, Convergent Solutions provides hardware and software that help eliminate human error in medical billing processes, thus helping bring down the cost of health care.

FIT Solutions, LLC
25 Bremen St., Springfield, MA 01108
(413) 733-6466
www.fitsolutions.us
Jacqueline Fallon, CEO
FIT (Fallon Information Technology) Solutions provides staffing services for local IT positions. Launched in 2004 and serving both Massachusetts and Connecticut, the company doesn’t focus on the quantity of openings in the market, but takes a personal approach to staffing by focusing on quality.

Universal Mind Inc.
94 North Elm St., Suite 306, Westfield, MA 01085
(866) 429-2481
www.universalmind.com
Brett Cortese, CEO
Universal Mind is a digital-solutions agency specializing in custom, enterprise-grade, interactive applications for the Web, desktop, kiosks, and mobile and embedded devices. It creates engaging user experiences for customers on any device they use, strengthening client relationships, reducing operating costs, and opening new revenue streams.

Adam Quenneville Roofing and Siding
160 Old Lyman Road, South Hadley, MA 01075
(413) 525-0025
1800newroof.net
Adam Quenneville, CEO
Adam Quenneville offers a wide range of residential and commercial services, including new roofs, retrofitting, roof repair, roof cleaning, vinyl siding, replacement windows, and the no-clog Gutter Shutter system. The company earned the 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for trust, performance, and integrity.

American International College
1000 State St., Springfield, MA 01109
(800) 242-3142
www.aic.edu
Vincent Maniaci, president
Launched in 1885, AIC is a private, coeducational, four-year institution in the geographic center of Springfield. Liberal arts serves as the core in all its academic offerings, and the college is organized into schools of Arts, Education and Sciences; Business Administration; Health Sciences; and Continuing and Extended Studies.

The Axia Group
73 Market Place, Springfield, MA 01115
(413) 205-2942
www.axiagroup.net
Michael Long, CEO
Professionals in five offices across the Pioneer Valley provide a variety of personal insurance products for automobiles, homes, and watercraft, as well as commercial lines that range from liability insurance, property coverage, and workers’ compensation to employee benefits and fiduciary and surety coverage.

Benchmark Carbide
572 St. James Ave., Springfield MA 01109
(413) 732-7470
www.benchmarkcarbide.com
Paul St. Louis, president
A manufacturer of carbide end mills and reamers, Benchmark (a division of Custom Carbide Corp.) sells its products to distributors throughout the continental U.S. and Canada. Its extensive line of products includes its bestselling aluminum series and its patented variable-helix end mills.

Braman Chemical Enterprises
147 Almgren Dr., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 732-9009
www.braman.biz
Gerald Lazarus, president
Braman has been serving New England since 1890, using state-of-the-art pest-elimination procedures for commercial and residential customers. The company has offices in Agawam, Worcester, and Lee, as well as Hartford and New Haven, Conn.

Center For Human Development
332 Birnie Ave., Springfield, MA 01107
(413) 439-2252
www.chd.org
James Goodwin, CEO
CHD was founded in 1972 on a philosophy of helping people in the community, a major departure from the prevailing system of placing people in institutions. Almost four decades later, CHD is still providing vital support to needy children, people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities, the elderly, and the homeless.

Communication Solutions Partners Inc.
One Whalley Way, Southwick, MA 01077
(413) 569-4200
www.csp-net.com
Paul Whalley, vice president
Communication Solutions Partners (CSP) is a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) and an affiliated company of Whalley Computer Associates. CSP provides many of the basic services of a telecom company, such as local and long distance, voice over IP, Internet, and data services.

Complete Healthcare Solutions Inc.
1497 North Main St., Palmer, MA 01069
(800) 250-8687
www.completehealthcaresolutions.com
Michael Penna, CEO
Founded in 1994, CHS provides affordable software solutions for small to mid-sized health care practices. The company helps customers with electronic medical records, practice-management software, medical billing, document management, data security, and a host of other services.

Consolidated Health Plans Inc.
2077 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 733-4540
www.consolidatedhealthplan.com
Kevin Saremi, president
Established in 1993, Consolidated Health Plans is a leader in providing third-party claims administration of medical, dental, disability, flex, accident, and life insurance programs for employees and college students throughout the country.

The Dennis Group, LLC
1537 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 746-0054
www.dennisgrp.com
Tom Dennis, CEO
The Dennis Group offers complete planning, design, architectural, engineering, and construction-management services. The firm is comprised of experienced engineering and design professionals dedicated to excellence in the implementation of food-manufacturing processes and facilities.

FieldEddy Insurance
96 Shaker Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028
(413) 233-2100
www.fieldeddy.com
Samuel Hanmer, president
One of the fastest-growing independent insurance providers in Western Mass., FieldEddy offers financial services, commercial insurance, personal insurance, and employee benefits. Its family of agencies offers a complete range of services for personal and business needs.

Footit Surgical Supplies Inc.
340 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 733-7843
www.footit.com
Marc Lucas, president
Footit Health Care Store has been providing the region with medical and health-maintenance products since 1953. It stocks various styles of walkers, wheelchairs, athletic braces, incontinence products, scooters, access ramps, mastectomy forms and bras, lift chairs, stairway elevators, diabetic shoes, wound-care products, and more.

Gandara Center
147 Norman St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 736-8329
www.gandaracenter.org
Dr. Henery East-Trou, CEO
Focusing on the Latino/Hispanic community, Gandara Center provides substance-abuse recovery, mental-health, and housing services for men, women, children, adolescents, and families throughout the Pioneer Valley.

The Gaudreau Group
1984 Boston Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095
(800) 750-3534
www.gaudreaugroup.com
Jules Gaudreau Jr., president
The Gaudreau Group is an insurance and financial-services agency serving neighboring families and businesses since 1921. It offers a consultative approach to assessing needs and risks and then offering a custom solution.

Haluch Water Contracting Inc.
399 Fuller St., Ludlow, MA 01056
(413) 589-1254
Thomas Haluch, president
For 26 years, Haluch has served the region as a water-main construction and excavation contractor specializing in water, sewer, pipeline, and communications and power-line construction.

Holyoke-Chicopee-Springfield Head Start Inc.
30 Madison Ave., Springfield, MA 01105
(413) 788-6522
www.hcsheadstart.org
Janis Santos, executive director
Holyoke-Chicopee-Springfield Head Start is committed to providing low-income children and their families with a source of support for a brighter future. It does so by providing high-quality, comprehensive child-development services to enrolled children and empowering families to achieve stability in their home environment.

Jet Industries Inc.
307 Silver St., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 781-2010
Michael Turrini, president
Jet Industries manufactures aircraft engines, parts, and equipment, as well as turbines and turbine-generator sets and parts, aircraft power systems, flight instrumentation, and aircraft landing and braking systems.

The Markens Group
1350 Main St., Suite 1508, Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 686-9199
www.markens.com
Ben Markens, president
Markens has guided hundreds of businesses toward excellence since 1988. It provides services in strategic management, profit planning, sales and marketing, mergers and acquisitions, and more.

Mental Health Association Inc.
995 Worthington St., Springfield, MA 01109
(413) 734-5376
www.mhainc.org
Linda Williams, executive director
The Mental Health Assoc. Inc. provides residential and support services to enhance the quality of life for individuals challenged with mental impairments. Affordable quality housing, advocacy, and public education are part of the agency’s dedication to empowering individuals to develop their fullest potential.

Moriarty & Primack P.C.
One Monarch Place, Springfield, MA 01144
(413) 739-1800
www.mass-cpa.com
Jay Primack, CEO
While audit and tax services continue to be a dominant aspect of the accounting firm’s business, practice professionals also provide a wide range of services in the areas of tax-planning and tax-compliance services.

Pioneer Spine & Sports Physicians
271 Park St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 785-1153
www.spinesports.com
Dr. Scott Cooper, CEO
The practice specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of neurologic and musculoskeletal disorders. While best known for expertise in sports medicine and spine care, it treats a wide variety of conditions. In addition to routine non-operative care, the practice also provides the latest in minimally invasive and reconstructive surgery of the spine.

Proshred (EOS Approach Inc.)
75 Post Office Park, Suite 7401, Wilbraham, MA 01095
(413) 596-5479
www.proshred.com
Joseph Kelly, CEO
Proshred is a paper-shredding company providing secure on-site document-shredding and recycling services for safeguarding private information, maintaining legislative compliance, and protecting public image.

Spectrum Analytical Inc.
11 Almgren Dr., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 789-9018
Dr. Hanibal Tayeh, CEO
For more than a decade, Spectrum Analytical Inc. has provided quantitative analysis of soil, water, and air samples, as well as petroleum products. Consulting firms, industries, municipalities, universities, and the public sector are among the constituencies that make up the client list.

Sullivan & Associates Inc.
551 East Columbus Ave., Springfield, MA 01105
(413) 733-6100
www.sullivanandassoc.com
Linda Sullivan, executive director
Sullivan & Associates provides individualized residential and day programs for people with developmental disabilities, interfering behaviors, and mental-health concerns. Its programs are based on a philosophy of unconditional positive regard.

United Personnel Services Inc.
1331 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 736-0800
www.unitedpersonnel.com
Mary Ellen Scott, president
United provides a full range of staffing services, including temporary staffing and full-time placement, on-site project management, and strategic recruitment in the Springfield, Hartford, and Northampton areas, specializing in administrative, professional, medical, and light-industrial staff.

Valley Communications Systems Inc.
201 First Ave., Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 592-4136
www.valleycommunications.com
James Tremble, president
Valley is a diversified communications company serving New England with broadband TV distribution systems, satellite-dish installations, data and voice cabling, computer interactive whiteboards, data/video projection equipment and systems, videoconference room design, telephone systems, sound systems, security systems, and AV equipment.

YWCA Of Western Massachusetts
One Clough St., Springfield, MA 01118
(413) 733-7100
www.springfieldy.org
Mary Riordan, executive director
The YWCA is a worldwide organization seeking to bring women of diverse backgrounds together to work toward a common vision of peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all people. The YWCA of Western Massachusetts is a private, not-for-profit charitable corporation and a certified woman-owned business.

Sections Super 60

Growth Engine

super60logoNow in its 27th year, the Springfield Regional Chamber’s Super 60 program celebrates the success of the fastest-growing privately-owned businesses in the region. This year’s class, which will be feted on Oct. 28 at Chez Josef, hail from 17 communities across the region and represent all sectors of the economy, including nonprofits, transportation, energy, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, retail, and service, with the winners in the Total Revenue category combining for more than $1.3 billion in revenues last year, and the Revenue Growth winners all posting gains in excess of 25% — and one-third recording more than 60% growth. It goes to show, says chamber President Nancy Creed, that “small business is the backbone of our region and our continued growth engine, and the success of this year’s winners is a clear indication that our regional economy is strong.”

Total Revenue

1. Stavros Center for Independent Living Inc.

210 Old Farm Road, Amherst

(413) 256-0473

www.stavros.org

Jim Kruidenier, Executive Director

Stavros helps people with disabilities develop the tools and skills they need to take charge of their own lives, through programs and services designed to meet the needs of individuals of any age or disability as they work to achieve the life goals that are important to them. Stavros also advocates to bring an end to discrimination in employment, healthcare, or anywhere else.

 

2. Springfield College

263 Alden St., Springfield

(413) 748-3000

www.springfieldcollege.edu

Mary-Beth Cooper, President

Founded in 1885, Springfield College is a private, independent, co-educational, four-year college offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs guided by its Humanics philosophy — educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others.

 

3. Whalley Computer Associates Inc.

One Whalley Way, Southwick

(413) 569-4200

www.wca.com

John Whalley, President

WCA is a locally owned family business that has evolved from a hardware resale and service group in the ’70s and ’80s into a company that now focuses on lowering the total cost of ownership of technology and productivity enhancement for its customers. Whalley carries name-brand computers as well as low-cost performance compatibles.

 

Baltazar Contractors Inc.

83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow

(413) 583-6160

www.baltazarcontractors.com

Frank Baltazar, President

Baltazar Contractors has been a family-owned and operated construction firm for more than 20 years, specializing in roadway construction and reconstruction; all aspects of site-development work; sewer, water, storm, and utilities; and streetscape improvements.

 

Behavioral Health Network Inc.

417 Liberty St., Springfield

(413) 747-0705

www.bhninc.org

Katherine Wilson, President and CEO

BHN is a nonprofit community behavioral-health service agency that has been providing services to children, adult, families, and communities in Western Mass. since 1938. It offers comprehensive, outcome-driven, affordable, and culturally appropriate behavioral healthcare to people of all ages and income levels in multiple settings within its communities.

 

Braman Chemical Enterprises Inc.

147 Almgren Dr., Agawam

(413) 732-9009

www.braman.biz

Gerald Lazarus, President

Braman has been serving New England since 1890, using state-of-the-art pest-elimination procedures for commercial and residential customers. The company has offices in Agawam, Worcester, and Lee, as well as Hartford and New Haven, Conn.

 

City Tire Company Inc.

25 Avocado St., Springfield

(413) 737-1419

www.city-tire.com

Peter Greenberg, President

Brothers Peter and Dan Greenberg, the third generation of a family-owned business founded in 1927, have grown the business to 11 locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The company offers one-stop shopping for tires of all shapes and sizes and a full compliment of maintenance and repair services.

 

Collaborative for Educational Services

97 Hawley St., Northampton

(413) 586-4900

www.collaborative.org

William Diehl, executive director

This nonprofit educational service agency is committed to reaching and educating learners of all ages, and is experienced in working with educators to help students learn and succeed. It partners with school districts and schools to help them assess their programs and improve services, instruction, student learning, and achievement, and trains teachers, administrators, and educational leaders seeking licensure or skill development.

 

Commercial Distributing Co. Inc.

46 South Broad St., Westfield

(413) 562-9691

www.commercialdist.com

Richard Placek, Chairman

Founded in 1935 by Joseph Placek, Commercial Distributing Co. is a family-owned, family-operated business servicing more than 1,000 bars, restaurants, and clubs, as well as more than 400 package and liquor stores. Now in its third generation, the company continues to grow through the values established by its founder by building brands and offering new products as the market changes.

 

Community Enterprises Inc.

441 Pleasant St., Northampton

(413) 584-1460

www.communityenterprises.com

Dick Venne, President and CEO

In 1972, some progressive staff members at Northampton State Hospital applied for and received a small grant to develop a program to train residents to live and work outside the hospital. In the 40 years since the creation of that original program, Community Enterprises has grown into a multi-faceted program that supports the employment, educational, and independent-living goals of people with disabilities in three states.

 

The Dennis Group

1537 Main St., Springfield

(413) 746-0054

www.dennisgrp.com

Tom Dennis, CEO

The Dennis Group offers complete planning, design, architectural, engineering, and construction-management services. The firm is comprised of experienced engineering and design professionals specializing in the implementation of food-manufacturing processes and facilities.

 

Filli, LLC d/b/a Con-Test Analytical Laboratory

39 Spruce St., East Longmeadow

(413) 525-2332

www.contestlabs.com

Thomas Veratti, General Manager

Established in 1984, Con-Test provides environmental consulting and testing services to a variety of clients throughout Western Mass. The laboratory-testing division originally focused on industrial hygiene analysis, but rapidly expanded to include numerous techniques in air analysis, classical (wet) chemistry, metals, and organics, and has the capability for analyzing nearly all water, air, soil, and solid materials.

 

Grand Prix International Inc.

34 Front St., Indian Orchard

(413) 543-8887

www.grandprixintl.com

Michael Fisher, President

Since 1978, Grand Prix International has grown to become a leading independent game manufacturer, offering a wide range of services, from graphic design to project management, manufacturing, and freight forwarding. GPI has extensive experience with custom product packaging, specializing in plastic molding, tins, clamshells, blister cards, set-up boxes, neck boxes, wood boxes, and displays.

 

HAPHousing (HAP Inc.)

322 Main St., Suite 1, Springfield

(413) 233-1500

www.haphousing.org

Peter Gagliardi, President and CEO

Over 40 years, HAPHousing has earned a reputation for providing innovative forms of housing assistance to tenants, homebuyers, homeowners, and rental-property owners. HAPHousing is the largest nonprofit developer of affordable housing in Western Mass., and a collaborative partner in urban neighborhood revitalization.

 

Holyoke Chicopee
Springfield Head Start Inc.

30 Madison Ave., Springfield

(413) 788-6522

www.hcsheadstart.org

Janis Santos, Director

Since 1965, HCS Head Start Inc. has been providing high-quality early-childhood-education services for children and families in in Western Mass., including Holyoke, Chicopee, Springfield, Ludlow, Palmer, and Granby. Head Start provides a solid foundation for children to gain necessary skills to enter kindergarten and to be successful in life.

 

Human Resources Unlimited Inc.

60 Brookdale Dr., Springfield

(413) 781-5359

www.hru.org

Don Kozera, President and CEO

HRU’s programs annually help more than 1,500 people with physical and mental disabilities or who are disadvantaged by poverty or homelessness, by providing a unique and holistic approach to skill building, job-readiness training, placement, and support. HRU works with area employers, providing them with a skilled, reliable workforce while simultaneously creating employment opportunities for its members.

 

Kittredge Equipment Co. Inc.

100 Bowles Road, Agawam

(413) 304-4100

www.kittredgeequipment.com

Wendy Webber, President

Founded in 1921, Kittredge Equipment Co.is one of the nation’s leading food-service equipment and supply businesses. It boasts 70,000 square feet of showroom in three locations, with in-stock inventory of equipment and smallware consisting of more than 7,000 different items. The company also handles design services, and has designed everything from small restaurants to country clubs to in-plant cafeterias.

 

Lancer Transportation & Logistics and Sulco Warehousing & Logistics

311 Industry Ave., Springfield

(413) 739-4880

www.sulco-lancer.com

Todd Goodrich, President

In business since 1979, Sulco Warehousing & Logistics specializes in public, contract, and dedicated warehousing. Lancer Transportation & Logistics is a licensed third-party freight-brokerage company that provides full-service transportation-brokerage services throughout North America.

 

Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.

1025 Main St., Holyoke

(800) 923-9810

www.marcotteford.com

Bryan Marcotte, President

The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department. Marcotte has achieved the President’s Award, one of the most prestigious honors given to dealerships by Ford Motor Co., on multiple occasions over the past decade. It also operates the Marcotte Commercial Truck Center.

 

Multicultural Community Services
of the Pioneer Valley Inc.

1000 Wilbraham Road, Springfield

(413) 782-2500

www.mcsnet.org

Paul Conlon, Executive Director

Multicultural Community Services of the Pioneer Valley is committed to providing culturally and ethnically responsive supports that enhance the capacities of individuals with developmental disabilities, and their families, to maximize their quality of life as individuals and as members of the larger community.

 

Northeast Treaters Inc.

201 Springfield Road, Belchertown

(413) 323-7811

www.netreaters.com

David Reed, President

Northeast Treaters was founded in 1985 as a manufacturer of pressure-treated lumber. In 1996, an additional facility was added in Athens, N.Y. to produce fire-retardant treated lumber and kiln-dried before- and after-treatment products.

 

PC Enterprises Inc. d/b/a Entre Computer

138 Memorial Ave., West Springfield

(413) 736-2112

www.pc-enterprises.com

Norman Fiedler, CEO

PC Enterprises, d/b/a Entre Computer, assists organizations with procuring, installing, troubleshooting, servicing, and maximizing the value of technology. In business since 1983, it continues to evolve and grow as a lead provider for many businesses, healthcare providers, retailers, and state, local, and education entities.

 

Pathlight Inc.

220 Brookdale Dr., Springfield

(413) 732-0531

www.pathlightgroup.org

Ruth Banta, Executive Director

For 60 years, Pathlight, formerly the Assoc. for Community Living, has been creating opportunities, building relationships, and improving lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. The agency’s caring and experienced workforce empowers individuals with developmental disabilities to live with dignity, bringing fulfillment, community, and valuable relationships into their lives.

 

Sarat Ford-Lincoln

245 Springfield St., Agawam

(413) 789-5400

www.saratford.com

Jeff Sarat, President

Founded in 1929 by John Sarat Sr., Sarat Ford has become the largest Ford dealership in Western Mass., and today, grandson Jeff Sarat leads the company. The full-service dealership includes a state-of-the-art body shop, and a recent expansion offers a 24-bay service center that houses a $1 million parts inventory featuring Ford, Motorcraft, Motorsport, and a variety of other specialty manufacturers.

 

Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc.

235 Bowles Road, Agawam

(413) 789-6700

www.specialtybolt.com

Kevin Queenin, President

Founded in 1977, Specialty Bolt & Screw (SBS) is a full-service solutions provider of fasteners, vendor-managed inventory (VMI) programs, and C-class commodities. Based in Agawam, it has locations in Valcourt, Quebec; Juarez, Mexico; Queretaro, Mexico; Rovaniemi, Finland; and Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

 

Tighe & Bond Inc.

53 Southampton Road, Westfield

(413) 562-1600

www.tighebond.com

David Pinsky, President

Founded in 1911, Tighe & Bond specializes in environmental engineering, focusing on water, wastewater, solid-waste, and hazardous-waste issues, and provides innovative engineering services to public and private clients around the country and overseas. It has expanded its footprint over the past several years to grow to more than 275 employees in several locations throughout the Northeast.

 

Troy Industries Inc.

151 Capital Dr., West Springfield

(413) 788-4288

www.troyind.com

Steve Troy, CEO

Troy Industries was founded on the principle of making reliable, innovative, over-engineered products that function without question when lives are on the line. The choice of special ops, law enforcement, and war fighters worldwide, Troy Industries is a leading U.S. government contractor that designs and manufactures innovative, top-quality small-arms components and accessories and complete weapon upgrades.

 

United Personnel
Services Inc.

1331 Main St., Springfield

(413) 736-0800

www.unitedpersonnel.com

Patricia Canavan, President

United provides a full range of staffing services, including temporary staffing and full-time placement, on-site project management, and strategic recruitment in the Springfield, Hartford, and Northampton areas, specializing in administrative, professional, medical, and light-industrial staff.

 

Valley Opportunity
Council Inc.

35 Mount Carmel Ave., Chicopee

(413) 552-1554

www.valleyopp.com

Stephen Huntley, Executive Director

The Valley Opportunity Council (VOC) is the largest and most diverse community-action agency in the region. It has a network of support and collaborative services that include energy assistance, nutrition, early education and childcare, adult education, senior services, housing, money management, and transporation.

 

WestMass ElderCare Inc.

4 Valley Mill Road, Holyoke

(413) 538-9020

www.wmeldercare.org

Priscilla Chalmers, Executive Director

WestMass ElderCare is a private, nonprofit agency with a mission to preserve the dignity, independence, and quality of life of elders and disabled persons desiring to remain within their own community. The agency offers services for elders, their families and caregivers, and people with disabilities. Programs and services include supportive housing, home care, options counseling, adult family care, nutrition programs, adult foster care, and group adult foster care.

Revenue Growth

1. Lavishlyhip, LLC

Feeding Hills

www.lavishlyhip.com

Rika Woyan, Owner

This online retailer of jewelry and accessories offers accessory collections from the latest top designers. By meeting with the designers in their showrooms and at industry events, it stays on top of what is trending. Shoppers will find hip and classic jewelry for women and men, cashmere, silk and blend scarves, and hair accessories.

2. City Enterprises Inc.

38 Berkshire Ave., Springfield

(413) 726-9549

www.cityenterpriseinc.com

Wonderlyn Murphy, president

City Enterprises Inc. offers skilled general-contracting services to the New England region. The company prides itself on custom design and construction of affordable, quality homes and the infrastructure surrounding each project.

3. 3BL Media, LLC

136 West St. #104, Northampton

(866) 508-0993

www.3blmedia.com

Greg Schneider, CEO

Founded in 2009, 3BL Media is a leading news-distribution and content-marketing company focused on niche topics including sustainability, health, energy, education, philanthropy, community, and other social and environmental topics. The company works with organizations including multinational corporations, SMEs, and nonprofits to distribute multi-format media assets through social, traditional, and new-media channels.

Aegenco Inc.

55 Jackson St., Springfield

(413) 746-3242

www.aegisenergyservices.com

Spiro Vardakas, President

Aegenco, an energy-conservation consulting firm and the manufacturing arm of Aegis Energy Services, has grown steadily since its inception in 2005.

Aegis Energy Services Inc.

55 Jackson St., Holyoke

(800) 373-3411

www.aegisenergyservices.com

Lee Vardakas, Owner

Founded in 1985, Aegis Energy Services is a turn-key, full-service provider of combined heat and power systems (CHPs) that generate heat and electricity using clean, efficient, natural-gas-powered engines. These modular CHP systems reduce a facility’s dependence on expensive utility power, reduce energy costs, and reduce one’s carbon footprint.

Bart Truck Equipment, LLC

358 River St, West Springfield, MA 01089

(413) 737-2766

www.barttruckllc.com

James DiClemente, Owner and Service Manager

Bart Truck Equipment, LLC offers a wide range of products including dump bodies, hoists, platform bodies, utility/service bodies, refuse equipment, hook lifts and roll-offs, snow plows, sanders, lift gates, truck-mounted cranes, central hydraulic systems and tractor wet lines, van equipment, pusher and tag axles, truck-mounted generators and compressors, strobe lights, toolboxes, snow- and ice-control equipment, enclosed trailers, leaf loaders, and much more.

Baystate Crushing
& Recycling

83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow

(413) 583-7856

Paul Baltazar, Owner

Established in 2002, Baystate Crushing & Recycling is in the business of heavy construction equipment rental and leasing.

Charter Oak Insurance & Financial Services Co.

330 Whitney Ave., Holyoke

(413) 374-5430

www.charteroakfinancial.com

Peter Novak, General Agent

A member of the MassMutual Financial Group, Charter Oak been servicing clients for 127 years. The team of professionals serves individuals, families, and businesses with risk-management products, business planning and protection, retirement planning and investment services, and fee-based financial planning.

Courier Express Inc.

20 Oakdale St., Springfield

(413) 730-6620

www.courierexp.com

MICHAEL DEVINE, CEO

Courier Express is committed to providing custom, same-day delivery solutions for any shipment. Its focal point is New England, but its reach is nationwide. The company strives to utilize the latest technologies, on-time delivery, customer service, and attention to detail to separate itself from its competitors.

Detector Technology Inc.

9 Third St., Palmer

(413) 284-9975

www.detechinc.com

Jay Ray, President and CEO

Detector Technology is a leading manufacturer of products and systems for OEM and equipment manufacturers, specializing in channel electron multipliers, glass extrusion and fabrication, and motion-control products. With a state-of-the-art fabrication and production facility, An ISO 9001-certified commapny, DeTech has been delivering for its customers for more than 20 years.

Environmental Compliance Services Inc.

588 Silver St., Agawam

(413) 789-3530

www.ecsconsult.com

Mark Hellstein, President and CEO

For more than 25 years, ECS has specialized in environmental site assessments; testing for asbestos, lead, indoor air quality, and mold; drilling and subsurface investigations; and emergency-response management.

Fletcher Sewer & Drain Inc.

824A Perimeter Road, Ludlow

(413) 547-8180

www.fletcherseweranddrain.com

Teri Marinello, President

Since 1985, Fletcher Sewer & Drain has provided service to homeowners as well as municipalities and construction companies for large pipeline jobs from Western Mass. to Southern Conn. From unblocking kitchen sinks to replacing sewer lines, this woman-owned company keeps up to date with all the latest technology, from high-pressure sewer jetters to the newest camera-inspection equipment.

Fun Dining Inc. d/b/a Center Square Grill

84 Center Square

East Longmeadow MA 01028

(413) 525-0055

www.centersquaregrill.com

Bill Collins and Michael Sakey, Owners

Collins and Sakey launched this ‘creative American grill’ in 2014, incorporating influences from South America, classic French cooking, New Orleans, Jamaica, Asia, and other cuisines. The restaurant features a few different dining areas, from a formal dining room to a small room for private events to a lively bar area, and boasts a well-regarded wine program.

Gandara Mental Health Center Inc.

147 Norman St., West Springfield

(413) 736-8329

www.gandaracenter.org

Dr. Henry East-Trou, CEO

Focusing on the Latino/Hispanic community, Gandara Center provides substance-abuse recovery, mental-health, and housing services for men, women, children, adolescents, and families throughout the Pioneer Valley.

GMH Fence Co. Inc.

15 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow

(413) 525-3361

www.gmhfence.com

GLENN HASTIE, OWNER

Serving the Western Mass. area for more than over 20 years, GMH Fence Co. is one of largest fence companies in the region. The fencing contractor offers quality service and fence installations from a selection of wood, aluminum, steel, and vinyl fencing that are durable and virtually trouble-free for residential, commercial, and industrial fencing requests.

Knight Machine & Tool Company Inc.

11 Industrial Dr., South Hadley

(413) 532-2507

Gary O’Brien, Owner

Knight Machine & Tool Co. is a metalworking and welding company that offers blacksmithing, metal roofing, and other services.

  1. Jags Inc.

120 Interstate Dr., West Springfield

(413) 781-4352

Martin Jagodowski, President

Established in 2006, M. Jags Inc., doing business as Taplin Yard, Pump & Power Equipment, has sold and serviced outdoor power equipment to residential, commercial, and landscape companies; municipalities; and nonprofit organizations.

Maybury Associates Inc.

90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow

(413) 525-4216

www.maybury.com

John Maybury, President

Since 1976, Maybury Associates Inc. has been designing, supplying, and servicing all types of material-handling equipment throughout New England. Maybury provides customers in a wide range of industries with solutions to move, lift, and store their parts and products.

Michael’s Party Rentals Inc.

1221 South Main St., Palmer

(413) 583-3123

www.michaelspartyrentals.com

Michael Linton, President

Michael’s Party Rentals was started as Party Tent Rentals in 2000 by Linton and his brother, Ryan, as a small, one-tent operation. In 2003, Michael bought Ryan’s half of the business, renamed it Michael’s Party Rentals, and expanded the inventory. Today, the company operates year-round, every day, and the 9,000-square-foot warehouse holds more than 100 tents of all sizes, tables, chairs, dance floors, staging, lighting, and other equipment.

MicroTek Inc.

2070 Westover Road, Chicopee

(413) 593-1025

www.mclabs.com

Don Slivensky, CEO

Since 1991, MicroTek has been an industry-leading, single-source provider of business training and meeting rooms, virtual training platforms, and instructor sourcing services. It boasts the resources and expertise to execute a total training delivery solution to any client of any size, anywhere in the world.

O’Connell Care At Home

One Federal St., Bldg. 103-1, Springfield

(413) 533-1030

www.opns.com

Francis O’Connell, president

For more than two decades, O’Connell Care at Home, formerly O’Connell Professional Nurse Service, has grown to deliver a range of home-health and staffing services across the Pioneer Valley. Services range from nursing care and geriatric healthcare management to advocacy and transportation.

Orthotics &
Prosthetics Labs Inc.

300 Birnie Ave., Suite 3, Springfield

(888) 432-5488

www.oplabs.com

Jim Haas and Blaine Drysdale, Owners

Orthotics & Prosthetics Labs provides physician-directed orthotic and prosthetic services to meet the personal needs and improve the health status of the area people. It offers a complete range of quality orthotic and prosthetic devices and services, specializing in custom-made braces and prosthetic limbs, but also stocking the most popular off-the-shelf braces.

Paragus Strategic IT

112 Russell St., Hadley

(413) 587-2666

www.paragusit.com

Delcie Bean IV, President

While still in high school, Delcie Bean founded Paragus IT in 1999, first under the name Vertical Horizons and then Valley ComputerWorks. Under the Paragus name, it has grown dramatically as an outsourced IT solution for area clients. Paragus provides business computer service, computer consulting, information-technology support, and other proactive services to businesses of all sizes.

Powervestors II, LLC

55 Jackson St., Holyoke

(413) 536-1156

www.aegisenergyservices.com

Spiro Vardakas, Owner

Powervestors, a division of Aegis Energy Services, provides services in power-generating equipment installation throughout the region.

Rediker Software Inc.

2 Wilbraham Road, Hampden

(800) 213-9860

www.rediker.com

Andrew Anderlonis, President

Rediker software is used by school administrators across the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, and is designed to meet the student-information-management needs of all types of schools and districts.

Rodrigues Inc.

78 Center St., Ludlow

(413) 547-6443

Antonio Rodrigues, President

Rodrigues Inc. operates Europa Restaurant in Ludlow, specializing in Mediterranean cuisine with an interactive dining experience, presenting meals cooked on volcanic rocks at tableside. Europa also offers full-service catering and banquet space.

Tech Roofing Service Inc.

267 Page Blvd., Springfield

(413) 737-5546

www.techroofing.com

Joe Narkawicz, President

Since its founding in 1975, Tech Roofing has installed, repaired, serviced, and maintained commercial, industrial, and residential roofs throughout New England and New York. A minority-owned business, Tech Roofing Service is nationally certified by the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council.

Universal Plastics Corp.

75 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke

(800) 553-0120

www.universalplastics.com

Joseph Peters, CEO

Since 1965, Universal Plastics has been a leading force in the custom thermoforming industry. It specializes in precision custom thermoforming, a plastic-manufacturing process that converts a sheet of plastic into a highly detailed finished product with less tooling investment than other plastic molding processes.

Webber & Grinnell
Insurance Agency Inc.

8 North King St., #1, Northampton

(413) 586-0111

www.webberandgrinnell.com

Bill Grinnell, President

Webber and Grinnell’s roots can be traced back to 1849, when A.W. Thayer opened an insurance agency on Pleasant Street in Northampton. The agency, which offers automotive, business, homeowners, employee benefit, and other types of products, serves more than 5,000 households and 900 businesses throughout Western Mass.

Yankee Home Improvement

36 Justin Dr., Chicopee

(413) 341-5259

www.yankeehomeimprovement.com

Ger Ronan, Owner

Ger Ronan’s decision to start a contracting business came after a bad experience with a local contractor in 2002. So he launched a home-improvement company with the goal of getting it right, in the realms of windows, bathrooms, roofing, siding, and more. Today, in addition to his main location, Ronan also operates eight satellite locations in BJ’s stores.

Super 60

Recognition Program Marks 30 Years with Oct. 25 Event

Now in its 30th year, the Springfield Regional Chamber’s Super 60 program celebrates the success of the fastest-growing privately-owned businesses in the region. Businesses on the Total Revenue and Revenue Growth categories for 2019 represent all sectors of the economy, including nonprofits, transportation, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, retail, and hospitality. Some have been named to the Super 60 once or many times before, and some are brand-new to the list.

This year’s Super 60 Celebration event will take place on Friday, Oct. 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Chez Josef in Agawam. Sheila Coon, founder of Hot Oven Cookies, will be the keynote speaker at the event, which is presented by Health New England and sponsored by People’s United Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, the Republican, MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board, and Zasco Productions.

Hot Oven Cookies began in 2015, when Coon started baking cookies for her children while she was in culinary school. She started her business as a cookie-delivery service. With business education from Valley Venture Mentors and SPARK EforAll in Holyoke, the delivery business expanded to a food truck, from which Coon began selling cookies from her repertoire of more than 100 recipes, inspired by her children, at farmers’ markets and other events. When her food truck constantly sold out of cookies, Coon knew there was potential for more.

Coon is also a graduate of the first cohort of RiseUp Springfield, a seven-month, intensive, hands-on program for established and small business owners, powered by Interise’s StreetWise ‘MBA’ curriculum in collaboration with the city of Springfield, the Assoc. of Black Business & Professionals, and the Springfield Regional Chamber.

In just four short years, Coon has found sweet success with Hot Oven Cookies. In 2018, she and her husband, David, opened the brand’s first retail location at 1597 Main St. in Springfield. She has plans to open a production facility in Agawam to accommodate her current business as well as plans for a wholesale business and an online store with national shipping of Hot Oven’s uncooked frozen cookie dough.

“Hot Oven Cookies is an example of a true entrepreneurial story about how an idea, a passion, or a hobby can become a thriving business with dedication and taking advantage of the small-business resources available in Western Massachusetts,” said Nancy Creed, president of the Springfield Regional Chamber. “We are thrilled to have a graduate of the first cohort of RiseUp Springfield take the stage at Super 60 to share her success story.”

The event costs $60 for chamber members and $75 for general admission. Reservations may be made for tables of eight or 10. The deadline for reservations is Wednesday, Oct. 16. No cancellations are accepted after that date, and no walk-ins will be allowed. Reservations must be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com or by e-mailing [email protected].

Total Revenue:

1. Whalley Computer Associates Inc.*
2. Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.
3. Tighe & Bond*
Arrow Security Co. Inc.
Baltazar Contractors
Bob Pion Buick GMC Inc.
Center Square Grill (Fun Dining Inc.)
Charter Oak Financial
Commercial Distributing Co. Inc.
Con-Test Analytical Laboratory (Filli, LLC)
Court Square Group Inc.
David R. Northup Electrical Contractors Inc.
The Dowd Agencies, LLC
E.F. Corcoran Plumbing & Heating Co. Inc.*
Freedom Credit Union
Governors America Corp. / GAC Management Co.*
Haluch Water Contracting Inc.
Holyoke Pediatrics Associates, LLP
JET Industries Inc.
Kittredge Equipment Co. Inc.
Lancer Transportation / Sulco Warehousing & Logistics
Louis and Clark Drug Inc.
Maybury Associates Inc.*
Paragus Strategic IT
Rediker Software Inc.
Rock Valley Tool, LLC
Skip’s Outdoor Accents Inc.
Tiger Press (Shafii’s Inc.)
Troy Industries Inc.
United Personnel Services Inc.

Revenue Growth:

1. The Nunes Companies Inc.
2. Brewmasters Brewing Services, LLC
3. Christopher Heights of Northampton
A.G. Miller Co. Inc.
Adam Quenneville Roofing & Siding Inc.*
American Pest Solutions Inc.
Baystate Crushing and Recycling Inc.
Burgess, Schultz & Robb, P.C.
City Enterprise Inc.*
Courier Express Inc.
EOS Approach, LLC / Proshred Security International
Gallagher Real Estate
GMH Fence Company Inc.
Goss & McLain Insurance Agency Inc.
Greenough Packaging & Maintenance Supplies Inc.
Kenney Masonry, LLC
Knight Machine Tool Company Inc.
L & L Property Service, LLC
Ludlow Heating and Cooling Inc.
Michael’s Party Rentals Inc.
Oasis Shower Doors (EG Partners, LLC)*
Pioneer Valley Financial Group, LLC
R.R. Leduc Corp.*
Sanderson MacLeod Inc.
Springfield Thunderbirds (Springfield Hockey, LLC)
Summit Careers Inc.
United Industrial Textile Products Inc.
Villa Rose Restaurant (Tavares and Branco Enterprises Inc.)
Webber & Grinnell Insurance Agency Inc.*
Westside Finishing Co. Inc.*

*Qualified in both categories

Total Revenue​

1. Whalley Computer Associates Inc.*
One Whalley Way, Southwick
(413) 569-4200
www.wca.com
John Whalley, President
WCA is a locally owned family business that has evolved from a hardware resale and service group in the ’70s and ’80s into a company that now focuses on lowering the total cost of technology and productivity enhancement for its customers.

2. Marcotte Ford Sales Inc.
1025 Main St., Holyoke
(413) 536-1900
www.marcotteford.com
Bryan Marcotte, President
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department. Marcotte has achieved Ford’s President’s Award multiple occasions over the past decade. It also operates the Marcotte Commercial Truck Center.

3. Tighe & Bond*
53 Southampton Road, Westfield
(413) 562-1600
www.tighebond.com
Robert Belitz, President and CEO
Tighe & Bond is a full-service engineering and environmental consulting firm offering myriad services, including building engineering, coastal and waterfront solutions, environmental consulting, GIS and asset management, site planning and design, transportation engineering, and water and wastewater engineering.

Arrow Security Co. Inc
124 Progress Ave., Springfield
(413) 732-6787
www.arrowsecurity.com
John Debarge Jr., President
This company provides security for all types of clients and issues, including industrial plant security, patrol services with security checks for homeowners, free security surveys, and more provided by a management team that consists of a diverse group of professionals with law enforcement, private-sector security, and military backgrounds.

Baltazar Contractors
83 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow
(413) 583-6160
www.baltazarcontractors.com
Frank Baltazar, President
Baltazar Contractors is a family-owned construction firm specializing in roadway construction and reconstruction; all aspects of site-development work; sewer, water, storm, and utilities; and streetscape improvements in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Bob Pion Buick GMC Inc.
333 Memorial Dr., Chicopee
(413) 206-9251
www.bobpionbuickgmc.com
Rob Pion, General Manager
Bob Pion Buick GMC carries a wide selection of new and pre-owned cars, crossovers, and SUVs, and also offers competitive lease specials and a full service department.

Center Square Grill (Fun Dining Inc.)
84 Center Square, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-0055
www.centersquaregrill.com
Michael Sakey, Bill Collins, Proprietors
Center Square Grill serves traditional American food, with hints of classically prepared French sauces, Latin-inspired fish dishes, and standard Italian repertoire. The facility also has a catering service and hosts events of all kinds.

Charter Oak Financial
330 Whitney Ave., Holyoke
(413) 539-2000
www.charteroakfinancial.com
brendan naughton, general agent
Charter Oak’s services include risk management (including life insurance, disability income insurance, and long-term-care insurance), business planning and protection, retirement planning and investments, and fee-based financial planning.

Commercial Distributing Co. Inc.
46 South Broad St., Westfield
(413) 562-9691
www.commercialdist.com
Richard Placek, Chairman
Commercial Distributing Co. is a family-owned business servicing more than 1,000 bars, restaurants, and clubs, as well as more than 400 package and liquor stores. Now in its third generation, the company continues to grow by building brands and offering new products as the market changes.

Con-Test Analytical Laboratory (Filli, LLC)
39 Spruce St., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-2332
www.contestlabs.com
Tom Veratti, Founder and Consultant
Con-Test Inc. provides industrial-hygiene and analytical services to a broad range of clients. Originally focused on industrial-hygiene analysis, the laboratory-testing division has expanded its capabilities to include numerous techniques in air analysis, classical (wet) chemistry, metals, and organics.

Court Square Group Inc.
1350 Main St., Springfield
(413) 746-0054
www.courtsquaregroup.com
Keith Parent, President
Court Square is a leading managed-services company that provides an audit-ready, compliant cloud (ARCC) infrastructure for its clients and partners in the life-sciences industry.

David R. Northup Electrical Contractors Inc.
73 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 786-8930
www.northupelectric.com
David Northup, President
This is a family-owned, full-service electrical, HVAC, and plumbing contractor that specializes in everything from installation and replacement to preventive maintenance, indoor air-quality work, and sheet-metal fabrication.

The Dowd Agencies, LLC
14 Bobola Road, Holyoke
(413) 538-7444
www.dowd.com
John Dowd, President and CEO
The Dowd Agencies is the oldest insurance agency under continuous family ownership, and one of the most long-standing, experienced insurance agencies in Massachusetts.

E.F. Corcoran Plumbing & Heating Co. Inc.*
5 Rose Place, Springfield
(413) 732-1462
www.efcorcoran.com
Charles Edwards and Brian Toomey, Co-owners
E.F. Corcoran is a full-service plumbing and HVAC contractor. Services include 24-hour plumbing service, HVAC system installs, design-build services, energy retrofits, system replacements and modifications, gas piping, boilers, and more.
Freedom Credit Union
1976 Main St., Springfield
(800) 831-0160
www.freedom.coop
Glenn Welch, President and CEO
Freedom is a full-service credit union serving a wide range of business and consumer clients. Freedom has its main office on Main Street in Springfield, with other offices in Sixteen Acres, Feeding Hills, Ludlow, Chicopee, Easthampton, Northampton, Turners Falls, Greenfield, and Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy.

Governors America Corp. / GAC Management Co.*
720 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 786-5600
www.governors-america.com
Sean Collins, President
GAC is a leading provider of engine-governing and system controls to a worldwide list of equipment manufacturers and power providers. The engine-control products are used in a wide range of industries, including generator set, material handling, marine propulsion, mining, locomotive, and off-highway applications.

Haluch Water Contracting Inc.
399 Fuller St., Ludlow
(413) 589-1254
Thomas Haluch, President
Haluch Water Contracting’s main lines of business include sewer contracting, underground utilities, and water-main construction.

Holyoke Pediatrics Associates, LLP
150 Lower Westfield Road, Holyoke
(413) 536-2393
www.holyokepediatrics.com
Kathy Tremble, Adair Medina, Care Coordinators
HPA is the largest pediatric practice in Western Mass., providing primary-care services as well as lactation counseling, behavioral-health services, and patient education. HPA has a medical laboratory drawing site and also provides in-hospital support for new mothers.

JET Industries Inc.
307 Silver St., Agawam
(413) 786-2010
Michael Turrini, President
Jet Industries manufactures aircraft engines, parts, and equipment, as well as turbines and turbine generator sets and parts, aircraft power systems, flight instrumentation, and aircraft landing and braking systems.

Kittredge Equipment Co. Inc.
100 Bowles Road, Agawam
(413) 304-4100
www.kittredgeequipment.com
Wendy Webber, President
Kittridge Equipment is a $57 million equipment and supply giant. It boasts 70,000 square feet of inventory and warehouse, handles design services, and has designed everything from small restaurants to country clubs to in-plant cafeterias.

Lancer Transportation & Logistics / Sulco Warehousing & Logistics
311 Industry Ave., Springfield
(413) 739-4880
www.sulco-lancer.com
Todd Goodrich, President
Sulco Warehousing & Logistics operates a network of distribution centers. Lancer Transportation & Logistics is a DOT-registered contract motor carrier providing regional, national, and international truckload and LTL delivery services.

Louis and Clark Drug Inc.
309 East St. Springfield
(413) 737-2996
www.lcdrug.com
Skip Matthews, President
Louis & Clark provides prescriptions for individuals and institutions and helps those who need home medical equipment and supplies. The company also provides professional pharmacy and compounding services, medical equipment, independent-living services, and healthcare programs.
Maybury Associates Inc.*
90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow
(888) 629-2879
www.maybury.com
John Maybury, President
Maybury Associates has more than 80 employees and is a distributor for about 1,300 manufacturers. The company designs, supplies, and services a wide variety of handling equipment throughout New England, and provides customers in a wide range of industries with solutions to move, lift, and store their parts and products.
Paragus Strategic IT*
112 Russell St., Hadley
(413) 587-2666
www.paragusit.com
Delcie Bean IV, President
Paragus has grown dramatically as an outsourced IT solution, providing business computer service, computer consulting, information-technology support, and other services to businesses of all sizes.

Rediker Software Inc.
2 Wilbraham Road, Hampden
(800) 213-9860
www.rediker.com
Andrew Anderlonis, President
Rediker Software has been providing school administrative software solutions for more than 35 years. Rediker Software is used by school administrators across the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, and is designed to meet the student-information-management needs of all types of schools and districts.

Rock Valley Tool, LLC
54 O’Neil St., Easthampton
(413) 527-2350
www.rockvalleytool.com
Elizabeth Paquette, President
Rock Valley Tool is a precision-machining facility housing both CNC and conventional machining equipment, along with a state-of-the-art inspection lab. With more than 40 years of experience, the company provides manufactured parts to customers in the aerospace, commercial/industrial, and plastic blow-molding industries.

Skip’s Outdoor Accents Inc.
1265 Suffield St., Agawam
(413) 786-0990
www.skipsonline.com
John and Scott Ansart, Owners
Skip’s Outdoor Accents specializes in a wide range of outdoor products, including storage sheds, gazebos, swingsets, and outdoor furniture, offering installation and delivery to sites with limited or no access. Skip’s shed and gazebo delivery is free to most of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Tiger Press (Shafii’s Inc.)
50 Industrial Ave., East Longmeadow
(413) 224-2100
www.tigerpress.com
Reza Shafii, Jennifer Shafii, Owners
TigerPress is a sustainable, eco-friendly printer, using green technology and operating in a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing plant. The company offers digital printing, commercial printing, and custom package printing all under one roof.

Troy Industries Inc.
151 Capital Dr., West Springfield
(866) 788-6412
www.troyind.com
Steve Troy, CEO
Troy Industries is an industry leader that designs and manufactures innovative, top-quality small arms components and accessories and complete weapon upgrades. All products are American-made and designed to perform flawlessly under intense battle conditions.

United Personnel Services Inc.
289 Bridge St., Springfield
(413) 736-0800
www.unitedpersonnel.com
Tricia Canavan, President
United provides a full range of staffing services, including temporary staffing and full-time placement, on-site project management, and strategic recruitment in the Springfield, Hartford, and Northampton areas, specializing in administrative, professional, medical, and light-industrial staff.

Revenue Growth

1. The Nunes Companies Inc.
658 Center St., Ludlow
(413) 308-4940
www.nunescompanies.com
Armando Nunes, President
The Nunes Companies offers services such as sitework, road construction, and roll-off dumpster rentals, relying on leadership, quality, and cutting-edge technology to get the job done.

2. Brewmasters
Brewing Services, LLC
4 Main St., Williamsburg
(413) 268-2199
Dennis Bates, Michael Charpentier, Owners
Brewmasters Brewing Services is a small craft brewery offering a wide variety of services, including contract brewing and distilling.

3. Christopher Heights
of Northampton
50 Village Hill Road, Northampton
(413) 584-0701
www.christopherheights.com
michael taylor, executive director
Christopher Heights is a mixed-use community located in a natural setting that features scenic mountain views and walking paths. Residents and staff each bring their own experiences and talents, which are recognized and often incorporated into social activities and programs.

A.G. Miller Co. Inc.
53 Batavia St., Springfield
(413) 732-9297
www.agmiller.com
Rick Miller, President
A leader in the metal-fabricating industry, the company’s services include precision metal fabrication; design and engineering; assembly; forming, rolling, and bending; laser cutting; punching; precision saw cutting; welding; powder coating; and liquid painting.

Adam Quenneville Roofing & Siding Inc.*
160 Old Lyman Road, South Hadley
(413) 536-5955
www.1800newroof.net
Adam Quenneville, CEO
Adam Quenneville offers a wide range of residential and commercial services, including new roofs, retrofitting, roof repair, roof cleaning, vinyl siding, replacement windows, and the no-clog Gutter Shutter system. The company has earned the BBB Torch Award for trust, performance, and integrity.

American Pest Solutions Inc.
169 William St., Springfield
(413) 781-0044
www.413pestfree.com
Bob Russell, President
American Pest Solutions is a full-service pest-solutions company founded in 1913. With two locations, the company serves residential and commercial customers, offering inspection, treatment, and ongoing protection.

Baystate Crushing and Recycling Inc.
36 Carmelinas Circle, Ludlow
(413) 583-4440
www.baystateblasting.com
Paul Baltazar, President
Baystate Blasting Inc. is a family-owned drilling and blasting firm that provides a full range of rock-blasting and rock-crushing services, including sitework, heavy highway construction, residential work, quarry, and portable crushing and recycling. An ATF-licensed dealer of explosives, it offers rental of individual magazines.

Burgess, Schultz & Robb, P.C.
200 North Main St., South Building,
Suite 1, East Longmeadow
(413) 525-0025
www.bsrcpa.com
Andrew Robb, Managing Partner
Burgess, Schultz & Robb, P.C. is a professional certified public accounting firm providing audit, tax, business-advisory, and business-management services to private businesses, trusts, tax-exempt organizations, and individuals.
City Enterprise Inc.*
52-60 Berkshire Ave., Springfield
(413) 726-9549
www.cityenterpriseinc.com
Wonderlyn Murphy, President
City Enterprises Inc. is a general contractor with a diverse portfolio of clients, including the Groton Naval submarine base, Westover Air Reserve Base, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Park Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, and many others.

Courier Express Inc.
111 Carando Dr., Springfield
(413) 730-6620
www.courierexp.com
Eric Devine, President
Courier Express is committed to providing custom, same-day delivery solutions for any shipment and a courteous, prompt, and professional delivery agent. The company ships everything from a single envelope to multiple pallets.

EOS Approach, LLC / Proshred Security International
75 Post Office Park, Wilbraham
(413) 596-5479
www.proshred.com
Joe Kelly, Owner
Proshred specializes in the secure, on-site information destruction of confidential and sensitive documents, computer hard drives, and electronic media. It is an ISO 9001:2008 certified and NAID AAA certified mobile shredding company.
Gallagher Real Estate
1763 Northampton St., Holyoke
(413) 536-7232
www.gogallagher.com
Paul Gallagher, Owner
Gallagher Real Estate is an independent brokerage that operates in Hampshire and Hampden counties in Massachusetts and Hartford County in Connecticut. The company specializes in both residential and commercial properties and has offices in Holyoke, South Hadley, East Longmeadow, and Springfield.

GMH Fence Co. Inc.
15 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow
(413) 525-3361
www.gmhfence.com
Glenn Hastie, Owner
GMH Fence Co. is one of the largest fence companies in the region, offering fence installations from a selection of wood, aluminum, steel, and vinyl fencing for residential and commercial customers.

Goss & McLain Insurance Agency Inc.
1767 Northampton St., Holyoke
(413) 534-7355
www.gossmclain.com
Deborah Buckley, President
Goss & McLain is an independent insurance agency offering a diverse portfolio of personal and business property and liability insurance, as well as life and health insurance. It also insures homes, cars, and businesses and protects against personal and business liabilities.
Greenough Packaging & Maintenance Supplies Inc.
54 Heywood Ave., West Springfield
(800) 273-2308
www.greenosupply.com
Craig Cassanelli, President
Greenough is a distributor of shipping, packaging, safety, breakroom, janitorial, cleaning, and facility-maintenance supplies. It also offers custom solutions to customers, such as printed bags, cups, and napkins, as well as custom packaging, including printed tape, boxes, stretch wrap, and strapping.

Kenney Masonry, LLC
P.O. Box 2506, Amherst
(413) 256-0400
www.kenneymasonry.com
Sarahbeth Kenney, Owner
Kenney Masonry is a family-owned company with more than 150 years of combined construction experience working with brick, block, stone, and concrete on commercial, institutional, public, and residential projects.

Knight Machine Tool Company Inc.
11 Industrial Dr., South Hadley
(413) 532-2507
Gary O’Brien, Owner
Knight Machine & Tool Co. is a metalworking and welding company that offers blacksmithing, metal roofing, and other services from its 11,000-square-foot facility.

L & L Property Service, LLC
582 Amostown Road, West Springfield
(413) 732-2739
Richard Lapinski, Owner
L & L Property Services is a locally owned company providing an array of property services, including lawn care, snow removal, sanding, excavations, patios and stone walls, hydroseeding, and more.

Ludlow Heating and Cooling Inc.
1056 Center St., Ludlow
(413) 583-6923
www.ludlowheatingandcooling.com
Karen Sheehan, President
Ludlow Heating & Cooling is a full-service energy company dedicated to providing quality heating and cooling product services including new system installation, oil heat delivery, and maintenance to an existing system.

Michael’s Party Rentals Inc.
1221 South Main St., Palmer
(413) 589-7368
www.michaelspartyrentals.com
Michael Linton, Owner
Michael’s Party Rentals operates year-round, seven days a week. Its 9,000-square-foot warehouse holds more than 100 tents of all sizes, tables, chairs, dance flooring, staging, lighting, and an extensive array of rental equipment for any type of party.

Oasis Shower Doors
(EG Partners, LLC)*
646 Springfield St., Feeding Hills
(800) 876-8420
www.oasisshowerdoors.com
Thomas Daly, Owner
Oasis is New England’s largest designer, fabricator, and installer of custom frameless glass shower enclosures and specialty glass, offering a wide array of interior glass entry systems and storefronts, sliding and fixed glass partition walls, back-painted glass, and switchable privacy glass for bedrooms, offices, and conference rooms.

Pioneer Valley
Financial Group, LLC
1252 Elm St., Suite 28, West Springfield
(413) 363-9265
www.pvfinancial.com
Joseph Leonczyk, Charles Myers, Senior Partners
PV Financial helps clients pursue their goals through careful financial planning and sound investment strategy. Services include retirement planning, asset growth, business planning, college funding, estate planning, and risk management.

R.R. Leduc Corp.*
100 Bobala Road, Holyoke
(413) 536-4329
www.rrleduc.com
Robert LeDuc, President
Since its inception in 1967, the R.R. Leduc Corp. has been a family-owned business that specializes in precision sheet metal and custom powder coatings. The company produces a variety of products for the communication, military, medical, electronics, and commercial industries.

Sanderson MacLeod Inc.
1199 South Main St., Palmer
(413) 283-3481
www.sandersonmacleod.com
Mark Borsari, President
From breakthrough brush innovation projects to supply-chain integration, Sanderson MacLeod leverages its experience and know-how in ways that produce high-quality twisted-wire brushes for its customers.

Springfield Thunderbirds (Springfield Hockey, LLC)
45 Bruce Landon Way, Springfield
(413) 739-4625
www.springfieldthunderbirds.com
Nathan Costa, President
The Springfield Thunderbirds are a professional ice hockey team and the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Florida Panthers. Since the team began to play in the area in 2016, it has formed the T-Birds Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity that benefits causes in Springfield and surrounding Pioneer Valley communities.
Summit Careers Inc.
85 Mill St., Suite B, Springfield
(413) 733-9506
www.summitcareers.inc
Bryan Picard, Owner
Summit Careers is a full-service staffing and recruiting firm that provides temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire services for clients in a variety of sectors, including light industrial, warehouse, professional trades, administrative, accounting, and executive.

United Industrial Textile Products Inc.
321 Main St., West Springfield
(413) 737-0095
www.uitprod.com
Wayne Perry, President
UIT is a family-owned manufacturer that has been making high-quality covers for commercial, military, and industrial applications for more than 60 years. Craftsmen at the company specialize in the creation of custom covers that are manufactured to each client’s unique specifications.

Villa Rose Restaurant (Tavares and Branco Enterprises Inc.)
1428 Center St., Ludlow
(413) 547-6667
www.villaroserestaurant.com
Tony Tavares, Owner
Nestled across from the Ludlow reservoir, the Villa Rose offers fine dining in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere. The restaurant offers a private room with availability for weddings, receptions, showers, anniversaries, and any other banquet function from 30 to 175 people.

Webber & Grinnell
Insurance Agency Inc.*
8 North King St., Northampton
(413) 586-0111
www.webberandgrinnell.com
Bill Grinnell, President
Webber and Grinnell has provided insurance protection for thousands of individuals and businesses throughout the Pioneer Valley for more than 150 years. The agency is balanced between business insurance, personal insurance, and employee benefits.

Westside Finishing Co. Inc.*
15 Samosett St., Holyoke
(413) 533-4909
www.wsfinish.com
Brian Bell, President
Westside Finishing is a family-owned business specializing in a wide array of services, including pre-treatment/cleaning, conveyorized powder coating, batch powder coating, silk screening, pad printing, masking, packaging, and trucking.

Features
Region’s Business Successes Will Be Feted on Oct. 28

Formerly called the Fabulous 50, the Super 60 — a celebration of successful and growing businesses — has become an annual tradition in Western Mass. This year’s Super 60 lunch, slated for Oct. 28 at Chez Josef, will honor individual companies, but also recognize the diversity and vibrancy of the entire local business community — a worthwhile message as the economy continues its slow recovery.

Jeffrey Ciuffreda says the annual Super 60 luncheon is more than a recognition of individual achievement in business, although it is definitely that, too.
It’s also a celebration of Western Mass. as a whole.
“I believe this program is a great showcase of our region and truly shows the diversity of our employment base, our businesses, which is our strength,” said Ciuffreda, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, which sponsors the event. “The list of winners includes human-services providers, manufacturers, institutions of higher education, technology, environmental firms, insurers, and more.”
And that’s a positive message at a time when the economy continues to slog toward some semblance of forward momentum. The Super 60, Ciuffreda said, is an opportunity to honor some of the success stories being written across Western Mass. during these uncertain times.
For 23 years now, the luncheon at Chez Josef in Agawam has toasted the chamber’s top 30 companies in the total revenue and revenue growth categories (there are actually 53 businesses being honored this year, as seven overlap both lists). This year’s event is scheduled for Oct. 29, and will feature as a keynote speaker Paul Kozub, president of V-One Vodka.
“The two categories allow one to see businesses in a couple of important ways,” Ciuffreda said. “Revenue speaks for itself oftentimes in the size of a company or in its longevity. The Revenue growth category oftentimes includes newer companies who have solidified their base and are beginning to show real growth, or companies that have been around for some time and continue to do the right things and therefore grow in our area.
“The program has always been well-received and attended by more than 500 people,” he added. “Oftentimes the winners use this award in their marketing and advertising, and the public realizes the significance of it.
The companies being honored represent virtually every sector of the economy, from financial services to education; from human services to manufacturing; from health care to retail.
The top finisher in the total revenue category is Savage Sports Corp. in Westfield, followed by Springfield College (which made the top three last year as well) and Hannoush Jewelers. NUVO Bank & Trust, chartered four years ago, is the top company in the revenue growth category for 2011, followed by Convergent Solutions in Wilbraham (last year’s top growth company) and Samuel’s in Springfield. Those six companies alone demonstrate the diversity of the Super 60.
Average revenue for the top 30 companies in total revenue exceeded $28 million in 2010. In the growth category, the average growth for the top 30 companies was 23%, and half of them recorded revenue growth in excess of 30%.
The luncheon will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The keynote speaker, Kozub, is a classic example of the entrepreneurial spirit running through the Pioneer Valley. His father ran a successful family business, and his grandfather produced and distributed his own vodka during the 1930s. Inspired by those stories, Kozub started making vodka at home, visiting Poland several times to perfect the recipe.
Six years ago, V-One Vodka made its debut in 10 liquor stores and five restaurants. In the first year, Kozub spent all of his time visiting restaurants and liquor stores with samples of his product. Today, V-One is widely distributed and considered one of the top vodkas in the world.
Ciuffreda called Kozub “a businessperson who fits the mold of an entrepreneur and started his own company within the last 10 years and has met with great success, not just regionally but nationally and internationally. It is safe to assume that many of the award winners started as Paul did: with an idea, with a product, and with great determination.”
For more information on the Super 60 luncheon or to order seats ($50 for chamber members or $70 for non-members), call (413) 787-1555. n

TOTAL REVENUE

American International College
1000 State St., Springfield, MA 01109
(800) 242-3142
www.aic.edu
Vincent Maniaci, President
Launched in 1885, AIC is a private, co-educational, four-year institution in the geographic center of Springfield. Liberal arts serves as the core in all its academic offerings, and the college is organized into schools of Arts, Education, and Sciences; Business Administration; Health Sciences; and Continuing and Extended Studies.

Associated Electro-Mechanics Inc.
185 Rowland St., Springfield, MA 01107
(413) 781-4276
www.aemservices.com
Elayne Lebeau, CEO
Associated Electro-Mechanics Inc. is the largest independent industrial service center in the Northeast, providing industry with services that cover electrical, mechanical, machining, welding, and field services. Its multi-faceted field service crews and a staff of electrical and mechanical engineers complement the departmentalized staff operations.

City Tire Co. Inc.
25 Avocado St., Springfield, MA 01101
(413) 737-1419
www.city-tire.com
Peter Greenberg, President
With 11 locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire, City Tire offers quality tires from a number of top brands, while its service department specializes in alignments, oil changes, brakes, suspension, and more.

Delaney Restaurant Inc. / The Log Cabin
500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 535-5077
www.logcabin-delaney.com
Peter Rosskothen, President
The Delaney House restaurant offers 13 private-themed rooms for any special occasion, with seating for up to 260. It offers two dining options — fine dining and the more casual Mick. The Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House offers quality banquet facilities for weddings, showers, anniversaries, engagement parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, business meetings, holiday parties, and more.

The Dennis Group, LLC
1537 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 746-0054
www.dennisgrp.com
Tom Dennis, CEO
The Dennis Group offers complete planning, design, architectural, engineering, and construction-management services. The firm is comprised of experienced engineering and design professionals dedicated to excellence in the implementation of food-manufacturing processes and facilities.

Disability Management Services Inc.
1350 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 523-1126
www.disabilitymanagementservices.com
Robert Bonsall Jr., President
Founded in 1995, DMS is an independent, full-service third-party administrator and consulting firm, specializing in the management of individual and group disability products. DMS is headquartered in Springfield, with an additional office located in Syracuse, N.Y., and employs more than 200 professional associates.

Environmental Compliance Services Inc.
588 Silver St., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 789-3530
www.ecsconsult.com
Mark Hellstein, CEO
For more than 25 years, ECS has specialized in environmental site assessments; testing for asbestos, lead, indoor air quality, and mold; drilling and subsurface investigations; and emergency response management.

Hannoush Jewelers Inc.
1655 Boston Road, Unit B7, Springfield, MA 01129
(888) 325-3935
www.hannoush.com
Norman Hannoush, CEO
Since it opened its first store in 1980, Hannoush Jewelers has grown its network to more than 50 company-owned and franchised locations throughout the U.S. The chain operates under a philosophy of family ownership and personal attention to detail, and boasts more than 400 professionally trained employees.

Insurance Center Of New England
1070 Suffield St., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 781-2410
www.icnegroup.com
Dean Florian, President
In operation since 1866, Insurance Center of New England Group (ICNE Group) is a locally owned, independent insurance agency, providing full-service insurance solutions for individuals and businesses. It operates six locations throughout Massachusetts.

Jet Industries Inc.
307 Silver St., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 781-2010
Michael Turrini, President
Jet Industries manufactures aircraft engines, parts, and equipment, as well as turbines and turbine generator sets and parts, aircraft power systems, flight instrumentation, and aircraft landing and braking systems.

The Gaudreau Group
1984 Boston Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095
(800) 750-3534
www.gaudreaugroup.com
Jules Gaudreau Jr., President
The Gaudreau Group is an insurance and financial-services agency serving neighboring families and businesses since 1921. It offers a consultative approach to assessing needs and risks and then offering a custom solution.

Joseph Freedman Co. Inc.
115 Stevens St., Springfield, MA 01104
(888) 677-7818
www.josephfreedmanco.com
John Freedman, president
Founded in 1891, the company provides industrial scrap-metal recycling, specializing in aluminum, copper, nickel alloys, and aircraft scrap, and has two facilities in Springfield — a 120,000-square-foot indoor ferrous facility, and a 60,000-square-foot chopping operation.

Kittredge Equipment Co.
100 Bowles Road, Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 304-4100
www.kittredgeequipment.com
Wendy Webber, CEO
Serving a variety of establishments and institutions for more than 80 years, Kittredge is a one-stop, full-service equipment and supplies dealership for the food service industry, with three showroom locations — in Agawam, Natick, and Williston, Vt.

Marcotte Ford Sales
1025 Main St., Holyoke, MA 01040
(800) 923-9810
www.marcotteford.com
Bryan Marcotte, President
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department. Marcotte has achieved the President’s Award, one of the most prestigious honors given to dealerships by Ford Motor Co., on multiple occasions over the past decade.

Maybury Material Handling
90 Denslow Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028
(413) 525-4216
www.maybury.com
John Maybury, President
Since 1976, Maybury Material Handling has been designing, supplying, and servicing all types of material-handling equipment throughout New England. Maybury provides customers in a wide range of industries with solutions to move, lift, and store their parts and products.

Mental Health Association Inc.
995 Worthington St., Springfield, MA 01109
(413) 734-5376
www.mhainc.org
Linda Williams, Executive Director
The Mental Health Assoc. Inc. provides residential and support services to enhance the quality of life for individuals challenged with mental impairments. Affordable quality housing, advocacy, and public education are part of the agency’s dedication to empowering individuals to develop their fullest potential.

Rocky’s Hardware Inc.
40 Island Pond Road, Springfield, MA 01118
(413) 781-1650
www.rockys.com
Rocco Falcone II, President
With locations throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, the family-run business founded in 1926 is a fully stocked, convenient source for not only typical hardware-store items but also a line of goods for the home, yard, and garden.

Sarat Ford Sales Inc.
245 Springfield St., Agawam, MA 01001
(888) 254-2911
saratford.dealerconnection.com
John Sarat Jr., CEO
Founded in 1929, Sarat has grown to become the largest Ford dealership in Western Mass. The third-generation business sells a wide variety of new and used vehicles and boasts a 24-bay service center with a $1 million parts inventory, and has received Ford’s Distinguished Achievement Award for excellent customer service multiple times.

Savage Sports Corp.
100 Springdale Road, Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 568-7001
www.savagearms.com
Albert Kasper, President
Founded in 1995, Savage Sports Corp. designs and manufactures center-fire rifles, rim-fire rifles, shotguns, and muzzleloaders for the hunting and shooting sports industries. It also offers firearms, ranges, bullet traps, and accessories.

Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc.
235 Bowles Road, Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 789-6700
www.specialtybolt.com
Alan Crosby, CEO
Founded in 1977, Specialty Bolt & Screw Inc. is a distributor of innovative fastener solutions. The company has engineering resources on staff to help determine the optimum fastener for each application, and utilizes state-of-the-art technology along with more than 30 years of experience to help clients achieve their objectives.

Spectrum Analytical Inc.
11 Almgren Dr., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 789-9018
Dr. Hanibal Tayeh, CEO
For more than a decade, Spectrum Analytical Inc. has provided quantitative analysis of soil, water, and, more recently, air samples, as well as petroleum products. Consulting firms, industries, municipalities, universities, and the public sector are among the constituencies that make up the client list.

Springfield College
263 Alden St., Springfield, MA 01109
(413) 748-3000
www.springfieldcollege.edu
Dr. Richard Flynn, CEO
Founded in 1885, Springfield College is a private, independent, coeducational, four-year college offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs with its Humanics philosophy — educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others.

Tighe & Bond Inc.
53 Southampton Road, Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 562-1600
www.tighebond.com
David Pinsky, President
Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2011, Tighe & Bond specializes in environmental engineering, focusing on water, wastewater, solid-waste, and hazardous-waste issues, and provides innovative engineering services to public and private clients around the country and overseas.

Titan USA Enterprises Inc.
140 Baldwin St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(888) 482-6872
www.titanman.com
Ralph Colby, CEO
For almost four decades, Titan USA Enterprises has served industrial distributors as a manufacturer of premium-quality, solid-carbide, high-speed steel, and cobalt cutting tools.

United Personnel Services Inc.
1331 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 736-0800
www.unitedpersonnel.com
Mary Ellen Scott, President
United provides a full range of staffing services, including temporary staffing and full-time placement, on-site project management, and strategic recruitment in the Springfield, Hartford, and Northampton areas, specializing in administrative, professional, medical, and light-industrial staff.

Universal Plastics Corp.
75 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(800) 553-0120
www.universalplastics.com
Joseph Peters, CEO
Since 1965, Universal Plastics has been a leading force in the custom thermoforming industry. It specializes in precision custom thermoforming, a plastic-manufacturing process that converts a sheet of plastic into a highly detailed finished product with less tooling investment than other plastic molding processes.

Valley Communications Systems Inc.
201 First Ave., Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 592-4136
www.valleycommunications.com
Edward Tremble, President
Valley is a diversified communications company serving New England with broadband TV distribution systems, satellite-dish installations, data and voice cabling, computer interactive whiteboards, data/video projection equipment and systems, videoconference room design, telephone systems, sound systems, security systems, and AV equipment.

W.F. Young Inc.
302 Benton Dr., East Longmeadow, MA 01028
(800) 628-9653
www.absorbine.com
Tyler Young, CEO
This family-run business prides itself on offering a variety of high-quality products that can effectively improve the well-being of both people and horses with its Absorbine brands.

Whalley Computer Associates Inc.
One Whalley Way, Southwick, MA 01077
(413) 569-4200
www.wca.com
John Whalley, President
WCA is a locally owned family business that has evolved from a hardware resale and service group in the 1970s and 1980s into a company that now focuses on lowering the total cost of ownership of technology and productivity enhancement for its customers. Whalley carries name-brand computers as well as low-cost performance compatibles.

YMCA of Greater Springfield Inc.
275 Chestnut St., Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 739-6951
www.springfieldy.org
Kirk Smith, CEO
The YMCA focuses on youth development, with child-care, educational, and enrichment programs; on healthy living, with programs in exercise, fitness, and nutrition; and on social responsibility, with scholarships and social-services programs. Also includes the Scantic Valley Y Family Center in Wilbraham.

REVENUE GROWTH

ABIDE INC.
P.O. Box 886, East Longmeadow, MA 01028
(800) 696-2243
www.abideinc.com
Frank Tilli, CEO
With more than 14 years of experience, Abide is an environmental contracting and restoration firm using the latest equipment and technology. It provides abatement services to remove environmental hazards, as well as general contracting services to rebuild and restore facilities following remediation.

Acme Metals & Recycling Inc.
64 Napier St., Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 737-3112
www.acmerecycling.com
George Sachs, President
For more than 70 years, Acme Metals & Recycling has been a leader in state-of-the-art recycling services,  offering consultations, on-site evaluations, plant dismantling, demolition services, and more. It also provides steel mills, paper mills, foundries, and overseas markets with valuable materials recycled from its facilities.

American International College
1000 State St., Springfield, MA 01109
(800) 242-3142
www.aic.edu
Vincent Maniaci, President
Launched in 1885, AIC is a private, coeducational, four-year institution in the geographic center of Springfield. Liberal arts serves as the core in all its academic offerings, and the college is organized into schools of Arts, Education, and Sciences; Business Administration; Health Sciences; and Continuing and Extended Studies.

Benchmark Carbide
572 St. James Ave., Springfield MA 01109
(413) 732-7470
www.benchmarkcarbide.com
Paul St. Louis, President
A manufacturer of carbide end mills and reamers, Benchmark (a division of Custom Carbide Corp.) sells its products to distributors throughout the continental U.S. and Canada. Its extensive line of products includes its best-selling aluminum series and its patented variable-helix end mills.

Braman Chemical Enterprises Inc.
147 Almgren Dr., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 732-9009
www.braman.biz
Gerald Lazarus, President
Braman has been serving New England since 1890, using state-of-the-art pest elimination procedures for commercial and residential customers. The company has offices in Agawam, Worcester, and Lee, as well as Hartford and New Haven, Conn.

Complete Healthcare Solutions Inc.
1497 North Main St., Palmer, MA 01069
(800) 250-8687
www.completehealthcaresolutions.com
Michael Penna, CEO
Founded in 1994, CHS provides affordable software solutions for small to mid-sized health care practices.  The company helps customers with electronic medical records, practice-management software, medical billing, document management, data security, and a host of other services.

Consolidated Health Plans Inc.
2077 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 733-4540
www.consolidatedhealthplan.com
Kevin Saremi, President
Established in 1993, Consolidated Health Plans is a leader in providing third-party claims administration of medical, dental, disability, flex, accident, and life insurance programs for employees and college students throughout the country.

Convergent Solutions Inc.
9501 Post Office Park, Wilbraham, MA 01095
(413) 509-1000
www.convergentsolutions.com
Arlene Kelly, CEO
A health care billing solutions provider founded in 2006, Convergent Solutions provides hardware and software products that help eliminate human error in medical billing processes, thus helping bring down the cost of health care.

Dietz & Co. Architects Inc.
17 Hampden St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 733-6798
www.dietzarch.com
Kerry Dietz, CEO
Dietz & Co. provides a full range of architectural services in the public and private sectors, including work in housing, education, heath care, commercial facilities, historic preservation, and sustainable projects. The firm seeks to bring the benefits of integrated design into all its projects, from individual buildings to entire neighborhoods.

Duval Precision Grinding Inc.
940 Sheridan St., Chicopee, MA 01022
(413) 593-3060
Ronald Duval, CEO
Since its inception in 1988, Duval Precision Grinding has specialized in precision grinding, metal coating, and engraving.

EOS/Proshred
75 Post Office Park, Suite 7401, Wilbraham, MA 01095
(413) 596-5479
www.proshred.com
Joseph Kelly, CEO
Proshred is a paper-shredding company providing secure on-site document shredding and recycling services for safeguarding private information, maintaining legislative compliance, and protecting public image.

The Futures Health Group, LLC
136 Williams St., Springfield, MA 01105
(800) 218-9280
Peter Bittel, CEO
The Futures Health Group provides special education and clinical services and management to 25,000 students and individuals. Bittel has more than 35 years of clinical and executive leadership experience in the areas of special education, rehabilitation, and developmental disabilities.

Gandara Center
147 Norman St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 736-8329
www.gandaracenter.org
Dr. Henery East-Trou, CEO
Focusing on the Latino/Hispanic community, Gandara Center provides substance-abuse recovery, mental-health, and housing services for men, women, children, adolescents, and families throughout the Pioneer Valley.

Kittredge Equipment Co.
100 Bowles Road, Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 304-4100
www.kittredgeequipment.com
Wendy Webber, CEO
Serving a variety of establishments and institutions for more than 80 years, Kittredge is a one-stop, full-service equipment and supplies dealership for the food service industry, with three showroom locations — in Agawam, Natick, and Williston, Vt.

Litron Inc.
207 Bowles Road, Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 789-0700
www.litron.com
Mark Plasso, President
Litron was founded in 1997 as a laser welding and laser systems company, but has grown to incorporate four distinct, yet interrelated, divisions: open-air laser welding, laser systems, microwave electronic packaging, and glovebox hermetic sealing. The company services the aerospace, medical, and industrial markets.

Marcotte Ford Sales
1025 Main St., Holyoke, MA 01040
(800) 923-9810
www.marcotteford.com
Bryan Marcotte, President
The dealership sells new Ford vehicles as well as pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs, and features a full service department. Marcotte has achieved the President’s Award, one of the most prestigious honors given to dealerships by Ford Motor Co., on multiple occasions over the past decade.

The Markens Group
1350 Main St., Suite 1508, Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 686-9199
www.markens.com
Ben Markens, President
Markens has guided hundreds of businesses toward excellence since 1988. It provides services in strategic management, profit planning, sales and marketing, mergers and acquisitions, and more.

Moriarty & Primack, P.C.
One Monarch Place, Springfield, MA 01144
(413) 739-1800
www.mass-cpa.com
Jay Primack, CEO
While audit and tax services continue to be a dominant aspect of the accounting firmís business, practice professionals also provide a wide range of services in the areas of tax-planning and tax-compliance services.

NetLogix Inc.
181 Notre Dame St., Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 586-2777
www.netlgx.com
Marco Liquori, President
NetLogix offers a wide range of IT services, including equipment sales; managed network services and remote monitoring; network design, installation, and management; network security and firewalls; disaster-recovery and business-continuity services; VoIP; wi-fi; and more.

NUVO Bank & Trust Co.
1500 Main St., Springfield, MA 01115
(413) 787-2700
www.nuvobank.com
M. Dale Janes, CEO
Chartered in 2007, NUVO is an independent, locally owned bank that provides loans, deposits, and cash-management services for both personal-banking and business-banking needs.

O’ConnelL CARE AT HOME & HEALTHCARE STAFFING
14 Bobala Road, Suite 1B, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 533-1030
www.opns.com
Francis O’Connell, President
For more than two decades, O’Connell Care at Home and Healthcare Staffing has grown to deliver the a wide range of home health care and staffing services across the Pioneer Valley. Services range from nursing care and geriatric health care management to advocacy and transportation.

PC Enterprises / Entre Computer
138 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 736-2112
www.pc-enterprises.com
Norman Fiedler, CEO
PC Enterprises (d/b/a Entre Computer) assists organizations with procuring, installing, troubleshooting, servicing, and maximizing the value of technology. In business since 1983, it and continues to evolve and grow as a lead provider for many businesses, health care providers, retailers, and state, local, and education entities.

Pioneer Spine & Sports Physicians
271 Park St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 785-1153
www.spinesports.com
Dr. Scott Cooper, CEO
The practice specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of neurologic and musculoskeletal disorders. While best-known for expertise in sports medicine and spine care, it treats a wide variety of conditions. In addition to routine non-operative care, the practice also provides the latest in minimally invasive and reconstructive surgery of the spine.

Robert F. Scott Co., Inc.
467 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow, MA 01106
(413) 567-7089
Leonard Rising III, President
Robert F. Scott Co. Inc. (known as Longmeadow Garage) is a locally owned and operated full-service gasoline and automotive service station. Its staff includes ASE-certified technicians well-versed in all makes and models.

Samuel’s
1000 West Columbus Ave., Springfield, MA 01105
(413) 732-7267
www.samuelstavern.com
Edward Grimaldi, CEO
Located at the Basketball Hall of Fame, Samuels is a sports bar that takes as its motto “It’s better to eat in a bar than to drink in a restaurant,” and backs it up with a menu strong on new American cuisine, seafood, tapas, and an extensive selection of wine and other drinks.

Sarat Ford Sales Inc.
245 Springfield St., Agawam, MA 01001
(888) 254-2911
saratford.dealerconnection.com
John Sarat Jr., CEO
Founded in 1929, Sarat has grown to become the largest Ford dealership in Western Mass. The third-generation business sells a wide variety of new and used vehicles and boasts a 24-bay service center with a $1 million parts inventory, and has received Ford’s Distinguished Achievement Award for excellent customer service multiple times.

Springfield College
263 Alden St., Springfield, MA 01109
(413) 748-3000
www.springfieldcollege.edu
Dr. Richard Flynn, CEO
Founded in 1885, Springfield College is a private, independent, coeducational, four-year college offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs with its Humanics philosophy — educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others.

United Personnel Services Inc.
1331 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 736-0800
www.unitedpersonnel.com
Mary Ellen Scott, President
United provides a full range of staffing services, including temporary staffing and full-time placement, on-site project management, and strategic recruitment in the Springfield, Hartford, and Northampton areas, specializing in administrative, professional, medical, and light-industrial staff.

Valley Communications Systems Inc.
201 First Ave., Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 592-4136
www.valleycommunications.com
Edward Tremble, President
Valley is a diversified communications company serving New England with broadband TV distribution systems, satellite-dish installations, data and voice cabling, computer interactive whiteboards, data/video projection equipment and systems, videoconference room design, telephone systems, sound systems, security systems, and AV equipment.

YWCA Of Western Massachusetts
One Clough St., Springfield, MA 01118
(413) 733-7100
www.springfieldy.org
Mary Johnson, Executive Director
The YWCA is a worldwide organization seeking to bring women of diverse backgrounds together to work toward a common vision of peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all people. The YWCA of Western Massachusetts is a private, not-for-profit charitable corporation and a certified woman-owned business.

Banking and Financial Services

Developments of Interest

By Mark Morris

John Howland calls the recent flood of deposits an “unprecedented” situation.

John Howland calls the recent flood of deposits an “unprecedented” situation.

John Howland admits that the word ‘unprecedented’ is overused these days. But for him and others in the banking business, it seems like the right word to describe all that’s going on.

Howland, president and CEO of Greenfield Savings Bank, was talking specifically about the record amounts of deposits flooding into banks — and what’s happening with those deposits, or not happening, as the case may be.

In the early months of the pandemic, from January to June of 2020, banks in the U.S. saw a surge of nearly $2 trillion in deposits. At that time, most people were staying close to home and had reduced their spending to necessities.

As a local example, PeoplesBank reported deposit increases of 33% since last April, or nearly $700 million in additional deposits.

More deposits arrived as businesses applied for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and consumers received stimulus checks from the government. During normal times, money gets deposited but does not stay in an account for long. These days, however, deposits are staying and growing to an extent Howland and his counterparts in Western Mass. have never seen before.

And while record deposits would seem like a good thing, all that cash is sitting still, for the most part, and the key to any bank generating revenue and earning profits is loaning its deposits out to borrowers.

“I never thought I would say there are too many deposits and not enough people to lend the money to,” said Tony Worden, president and chief operating officer of Greenfield Cooperative Bank. “The point of our business is to get deposits … so this goes against everything we were taught.”

In normal times, banks take in deposits and lend that money out to businesses and individuals. Balancing the number of loans to deposits helps determine what interest rates will be paid to savers and charged to borrowers. Banks profit on the difference between the two.

“I never thought I would say there are too many deposits and not enough people to lend the money to. The point of our business is to get deposits … so this goes against everything we were taught.”

But these are certainly not normal times. These days, banks have record deposits and diminished loan demand — for several reasons, which we’ll get into later — which translates to lower interest rates for savers and borrowers, as well as lower profits for banks.

Howland pointed out that the lower interest rates are great news for people looking for a business loan or a mortgage.

“The residential and commercial rates are down to levels that were inconceivable 10 years ago,” he said, adding that, moving forward, banks will be competing much harder to entice people to borrow money than deposit it.

 

By All Accounts

There are many theories as to why deposits have soared at area banks — and why those deposits are going largely untouched.

Dan Moriarty, president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank, suggested that once people tightened their spending during the pandemic, they may have changed their overall spending patterns, which is in many ways good for consumers, but not for the overall economy.

“It’s good for consumers to increase their savings and their capacity to have money, but it also slows down the economy,” Moriarty told BusinessWest. “We believe there is still some pent-up rebound spending by both consumers and businesses that we will be seeing.”

Howland agreed, noting that there are a number of reasons contributing to the surge in deposits, with one of them bring what he called a “flight to quality.”

“With all the uncertainty in the world, people understand that putting their money into a bank where their deposits are insured by the FDIC is one of the safest moves you can make,” he said, adding that, despite the consistently upward movement of the stock markets, many consumers are seeking a safe harbor in which to park their money.

Tony Worden says he never expected there to be too many deposits and not enough people to lend to.

Tony Worden says he never expected there to be too many deposits and not enough people to lend to.

As for the business of converting those deposits into loans — and revenue — many of those same factors are holding some consumers back from borrowing, said those we spoke with, although many have pressed ahead with purchases of new cars, new homes, and vacation homes.

Meanwhile, a number of businesses, still struggling to fully recover from the pandemic, are being cautious about moving ahead with expansions or new ventures. And for those that have the confidence to move forward, the current workforce crisis is keeping them from doing so.

Indeed, Worden said the current labor market is affecting activity in commercial lending. “We have businesses that can’t take on all the jobs they want because they don’t have enough staff to get them done.”

Moriarty agreed, but spoke optimistically about the prospects for improvement when people return to the workforce in large numbers. “Once our businesses can hire the staff they need and expand their products and services, they may look to the banks to borrow and grow.”

The surge in deposits and frustrating inability to put much of them to work has been one of many stories to unfold during what has been a challenging — and very different — year for area banks.

They all played a key role in helping businesses apply for PPP loans when they became available last spring. During two rounds of PPP loan offerings, Moriarty said, Monson Savings processed 565 loans totaling nearly $50 million.

In the early days of the pandemic, qualifications for PPP loans included every small business that was affected by COVID-19. Tom Senecal, president and CEO of PeoplesBank, said many applied because they didn’t know if they were going to be impacted.

“It’s good for consumers to increase their savings and their capacity to have money, but it also slows down the economy. We believe there is still some pent-up rebound spending by both consumers and businesses that we will be seeing.”

“There were many businesses that thought they were going to be hit hard but really weren’t,” he noted, giving an example of construction companies that were closed early in the pandemic but were then designated as essential and allowed to reopen.

Worden added that many companies that received PPP loans in the first round didn’t touch the money until it became clear their loan would be forgiven by the government. Once they figured out how to get loan forgiveness, they didn’t sit on the next round.

“We’ve had around 96% of our first- and second-round PPP loans forgiven with no denials,” he said. “The only ones who haven’t been forgiven have all started the process.”

All the bankers who spoke with BusinessWest said they were grateful to process PPP loans for area businesses. Worden said the urgency to get the first-round applications done required an “all hands on deck” approach that brought in many outside the loan department. His story reflects similar efforts from the other banks.

Dan Moriarty

Dan Moriarty says the pandemic changed people’s spending patterns, which may not be good for the overall economy.

Another dominant story during the pandemic was the real-estate boom, driven in part by record-low interest rates. Moriarty said activity on the buying and selling side has been brisk for some time. “We’ve seen a lot of activity where people are moving into a new house or buying a second home, whether it’s for vacation or an investment.”

The low interest rates have also brought a significant increase in people looking to refinance their mortgage.

“While it’s smart for people to refinance their current debt to get a lower rate, it doesn’t necessarily create new funds for the bank,” Worden said.

In early 2020, Monson Savings opened a new branch in East Longmeadow to increase its access to more companies and consumers. Moriarty admitted he had some anxiety about the timing.

“We made the decision back when no one predicted the pandemic would last so long,” he said, noting that, after a soft opening in August 2020, the branch has performed far above its forecasted numbers. “We’ve seen deposits increase 40% to 50% from when we opened.”

 

Bottom Line

All the bankers we talked with agreed the next three to six months will give everyone a better idea of where the economy, COVID, and the prospects for area banks are headed.

“I think we need to focus on getting through these next few months, and let’s get through the Delta variant,” Worden said. “We all have short-range goals, but we’re also keeping our eye on the long range.”

And that long-range forecast will hopefully call for taking that surge in deposits and putting it to work in ways that will bolster the local economy.

Cover Story
As Gas Prices Soar, Business Owners Feel the Squeeze…
Cover Sept. 19, 2005

Cover Sept. 19, 2005

In this climate of staggering gas prices, businesses across all industries are struggling with both a new set of financial hardships and the crafting of an appropriate response. Most say they are trying to avoid measures that amount to panic, and are instead focused on creative solutions that will enable them to maintain client relationships — and also stay afloat until the storm passes.

Dennis Scibelli sees trouble brewing. His coffee delivery business, Break Time based in Springfield, is feeling the squeeze of gas prices that soared in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and have generally been much higher than they were a year ago. And the price of gas isn’t his only concern.

Indeed, the rising cost of fuel has contributed to hikes in prices for everything from sugar packets to paper cups. To add insult to injury, the price of coffee has climbed as well, as many warehouses and production facilities in Louisiana were decimated by the recent hurricane.

“It’s killing us,” Scibelli lamented. “We’re in the service industry, so how are we supposed to tell a customer that we just can’t deliver? We have to continue on, and we’re doing the best we can to curb our costs.”


Ed Dersarkis is owner of Deluxe Limousine, located in Agawam, Mass.

Scibelli’s plight is in many ways similar to that of business owners across virtually every sector of the economy. There is the immediate challenge of responding to the sharp spike in gas prices after Katrina and the larger issue of how the price at the pump impacts the cost of doing business. In short, everything costs more, from plywood to pizza.

This puts business owners between a rock and a hard place. They need to stay afloat and, hopefully, in the black. At the same time, however, they need to maintain clients and steady business relationships for he long-term.

This is a delicate balancing act, as Ed Dersarkis will tell you. As owner of Deluxe Limousine Service in Agawam, he’s impacted by gas prices in a number of ways, including the many pre-written corporate contracts he has, most of which were penned when gas prices were roughly half what they are currently.

Dersarkis said he plans to honor those contracts until the end of the year, at which time he said he’ll employ surcharges to help close the gap that the gas price explosion created, but will split the difference of any increases with his clients, absorbing 50%. The tactic, he said, is designed to keep prices down and to maintain a reputation of fair pricing, as well as to approach the gasoline crisis more conservatively.

“To increase prices creates the risk of pricing oneself out of the market,” he said. “And the worst thing I could do would be to increase prices across the board based on the cost of fuel. That’s a panic response and you can’t be constantly adjusting your prices to match your costs. It’s much smarter business to remain consistent.”
It’s that fine line between providing consistent service to clients and curbing costs that is undoubtedly the greatest concern for business owners in all industries, and it’s prompting many, like Dersarkis, to get creative in their business plans for the coming fiscal year.

BusinessWest looks this issue at the soaring prices at the pump impact area businesses, and how they respond.

“It’s killing us. We’re in the service industry, so how are we supposed to tell a customer that we just can’t deliver? We have to continue on, and we’re doing the best we can to curb our costs.”

Cost and Effect

Tom Demers, vice president of Finance and Supply Chain at Kleer Lumber in Westfield, a manufacturing company that produces plastic trimboard – an alternative to wood – said soaring oil prices touch every aspect of the business.

“Everything that goes out of here goes out on a flatbed truck,” he explained. “And as the price of oil goes up, so does the price of resin (used to make the plastic lumber Kleer manufactures).”

Those shifts in costs have prompted management at Kleer to look both externally and internally to reduce costs, reevaluate operations and procedures, and keep an even closer eye on competition, to ensure that any adjustments they do make to the company’s structure do not affect competitiveness in the marketplace.

“Everybody is feeling the burn,” Demers explained, noting that raising the cost of the company’s products will likely be part of the response to the gas quandary. “But it’s important to keep an eye on efficiency. We’re monitoring our costs quarterly … we don’t have a doomsday outlook, but we need to continue to examine ways to lower our cost base. That’s just the name of the game today.”

Scibelli concurred. He said small surcharges have been added to all deliveries — a necessary step — but the company’s response is much broader.

“Most people understand that we have to do that,” he said of the surcharges, which have been implemented by businesses ranging from cab fleets to golf courses. “But that doesn’t cover the whole nut. We can’t pass on the total cost, so naturally we have to absorb some, and that means we’re making less of a profit.”

To further address the problem, Scibelli has turned to reducing the number and length of ‘outs,’ or the number of times in a week that delivery trucks will make the rounds to their various customers in Western Mass., and asking clients to place larger orders less frequently in order to achieve that goal. Eventually, he suspects that he’ll also have to reduce his service radius, rather than expanding the business into new markets.

And, like all business owners, he’s being imaginative. “We’re utilizing UPS more than we ever did,” he explained. “That saves more than gas money – it saves the time the trucks are on the road, driver costs … it’s one example of how and why people need to really start to get creative out there.

“We’re doing OK,” he continued, “but it’s a day-to-day battle and a weekly concern. We’re just like the average consumer in that we’re chasing the best gas prices around Western Mass., too – I’m on the phone telling my drivers where to go every morning. You just have to.”

“To increase prices creates the risk of pricing oneself out of the market. And the worst thing I could do would be to increase prices across the board based on the cost of fuel. That’s a panic response and you can’t be constantly adjusting your prices to match your costs. It’s much smarter business to remain consistent.”

Small, delivery-oriented businesses like Break Time aren’t the only ones feeling a direct hit from costs at the pump, however. Those in the transportation industry are probably those feeling the crunch most immediately. Dan Crowley, vice president of Operations for Palmer Dedicated Logistics, which sells dedicated truck services to various businesses to meet their transportation needs, said his entire industry has undoubtedly been affected, although business has remained steady in the face of rising fuel costs.

“Diesel and unleaded fuel have both gone up in price, so that hurts us,” he said. “We’ve had to impose a fuel surcharge of about 45 to 50 cents on every mile run. If we tried to absorb those costs, we’d definitely be in the loss column.

“Consumers are paying those extra charges when they pay for nearly everything,” he continued. “It’s all being passed along. Business can always be better, but we’ve been able to cope … the entire economy is based on moving goods and services, and that’s not going to go away.”

Pumping for Information

Amid the general gloom over the gas-price issue there are some possible silver linings — and even some attempts to seize the moment. Indeed, businesses and organizations are urging local consumers to take advantage of local goods and services, in order to save on fuel costs and support the local economy as it weathers this, its most recent economic storm.

Bob Kaufman, owner of Bob’s Discount Furniture, has taken to the airwaves with his suggestion to local shoppers, in a recent commercial that asks them to avoid high gas prices and instead “Come on down to Bob’s.”

Meanwhile, area tourism leaders say the ugly numbers at the pump may prompt people to take in local attractions rather than hit the road for extended trips. Wayne McCary, president of the Eastern States Exposition, said he is hopeful that attendance will get a boost for this year’s fair, which runs through Oct. 2, as Northeast residents look for entertainment and travel options closer to home.

Dersarkis told BusinessWest that, in some ways, higher fuel costs actually promote more business for limo companies. He said he has seen early indications of continued health due to greater interest in chartered transportation for events both corporate and leisure in nature.

“People are starting to carpool to conventions and seminars or to Red Sox games, and splitting the cost to hire a car service rather than fill up their own gas tank,” he explained.

“It’s a day-to-day battle and a weekly concern. We’re just like the average consumer in that we’re chasing the best gas prices around Western Mass., too – I’m on the phone telling my drivers where to go every morning. You just have to.”

Pride Gasoline Stations, meanwhile, has chosen a unique approach to the issue of gasoline supply and prices in the nation overall. The company has made the proactive move of switching all of its stations over to a 90-10 mixture of traditional gasoline and ethanol, a corn-based bio-fuel. While that has little effect on prices, it does address the more global issues of petroleum supply, demand, and dependence on foreign oil, as well as that of the overall health of the U.S. economy.

“Ethanol is a renewable source of energy,” said Ellen Carra, director of marketing for Pride. “It reduces our dependence on foreign oil because it replaces crude oil, and gives work to U.S. farmers.

“Use of ethanol will cut the U.S. trade deficit by $34 billion by 2012,” Carra continued, noting that Pride is the first chain in the state to convert to a bio-fuel mixture, and 20 states in the nation already require it, including neighboring Connecticut and New York. “Pride has a commitment to fair pricing and responsible energy use and I think the two go hand in hand. As more suppliers begin to focus on changing their own tanks over to a blend, it’s going to create a real win-win for our economy.”

And Carra added that Pride gas stations don’t see themselves as on the other side of the fence of the current gas crisis; all but one of Pride’s stations include a retail component, she explained, and the rising costs of goods delivered to the stores, particularly those supplied by local vendors who cannot absorb costs as easily as larger, national companies, have indeed been felt.

“Those companies are having to tack on anywhere from $1 to $3.50 in surcharges for each delivery, and those costs definitely add up,” she explained. “This is something we’re dealing with on both fronts everyday.”

Crude Estimates

Coping, and waiting for the gas price fever to break, is what most businesses are doing today.

Taking a ‘this, too, shall pass’ attitude helps with the day-to-day struggle, said Scibelli, as does acknowledgement that the current crisis is not going to change how
people live or conduct business.

“People are just not going to stay in their homes and hide until these prices go down,” he said. “I’m a business owner, but I’m a consumer, too. I have an SUV … am I going to cancel my weekend plans? No, because when all is said and done we still need to strive for a quality of life here.”

“So my life really mirrors my business … I can’t increase what I’m doing right now, but I can do the best I can with what I have.”?

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Cover Story Sections Tourism & Hospitality

Fun in the Sun

summertimedpartSummertime is a great time to get away, but in Western Mass., it’s also a great time to stick around and enjoy the many events on the calendar. Whether you’re craving fair food or craft beer, live music or arts and crafts, historical experiences or small-town pride, the region boasts plenty of ways to celebrate the summer months. Here are 35 ideas to get you started, in a region that’s home to many more.

July

Pioneer Valley Beer & Wine Festival
300 North Main St., Florence
www.lookpark.org
Admission: $35 in advance, $40 at the door
July 1: Hungry — or thirsty — for something to do as the summer months take hold? Look Park presents its second annual Beer & Wine Festival at the Pines Theater from noon to 5 p.m. Attendees will get to sample local beer and wine from the Pioneer Valley, live music, and a host of local food vendors. Non-drinkers (designated drivers and under 21) may purchase tickets for $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

Berkshires Arts Festival
380 State Road, Great Barrington
www.berkshiresartsfestival.com
Admission: $7-$14; free for children under 10
July 1-3, Aug. 17-20: Ski Butternut may be best-known for … well, skiing, of course. But the property also plays host to the Berkshires Arts Festival, a regional tradition now in its 16th year. Thousands of art lovers and collectors are expected to stop by to check out and purchase the creations of more than 200 artists and designers, inclouding more than 40 exhibiting for the first time.1berkshiresartsfestival

Fireworks Shows
Various Locations
July 1-4: The days surrounding Independence Day are brimming with nighttime pageantry throughout the Pioneer Valley. Holyoke Community College kicks things off on June 30. July 1 brings a display at Beacon Field in Greenfield and Szot Park in Chicopee, while on July 3, Michael Smith Middle School in South Hadley and East Longmeadow High School get into the act. July 4 will bring the spectacle to Riverfront Park in Springfield, McGuirk Stadium at UMass Amherst, and Six Flags New England in Agawam.

Old Sturbridge Village Independence Weekend Celebration
1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge
www.osv.org
Admission: $14-$28; free for children under 4
July 1-4: At this celebration of America, visitors can take part in a citizens’ parade, play 19th-century-style ‘base ball,’ march with the militia, make a tri-cornered hat, and sign a giant copy of the Declaration of Independence. Children and families will enjoy the friendly competition of the Farm Yard Games, and a reproduction cannon will be fired. On July 4, a citizen naturalization ceremony will take place on the Village Common.

2monsonsummerfestMonson Summerfest
Main Street, Monson
www.monsonsummerfestinc.com
Admission: Free
July 4: In 1979, a group of parishioners from the town’s Methodist church wanted to start an Independence Day celebration focused on family and community, The first Summerfest featured food, games, and fun activities. With the addition of a parade, along with booths, bands, rides, and activities, the event has evolved into an attraction drawing more than 10,000 people every year.

Dog Shows
1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
www.thebige.com
Admission: Free
July 5-9, Aug. 24-27: The Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds certainly haven’t gone to the dogs, but it will seem that way for five days in July, when Yankee Classic Cluster Dog Shows shows take over the Better Living Center. On tap are dog shows from the Kenilworth, Holyoke, Farmington, and Naugatuck Kennel Clubs. Then, in August, the fairgrounds will host dog shows from the Newtown, Ox Ridge, and Elm City Kennel Clubs.

Made in Massachusetts Festival
1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
www.madeinmassfest.com
Admission: $20 general admission, $35 for admission plus tasting combo ticket
July 8-9: The Eastern States Exposition will host this festival featuring craft vendors and products unique to Massachusetts. The event will showcase the state’s top breweries, wineries, local food, live entertainment, specialty crafts, and much more. In addition, kids will enjoy a mobile arcade full of games, a laser-tag arena, huge obstacle courses, bounce houses, an inflated soccer ball arena, face painting, and more.

Brimfield Outdoor Antiques Show
Route 20, Brimfield
www.brimfieldshow.com
Admission: Free
July 11-16, Sept. 5-10: After expanding steadily through the decades, the Brimfield Antique Show now encompasses six miles of Route 20 and has become a nationally known destination for people to value antiques, collectibles, and flea-market finds. Some 6,000 dealers and close to 1 million total visitors show up at the three annual, week-long events; the first was in May.

Yidstock
1021 West St., Amherst
www.yiddishbookcenter.org/yidstock
Admission: Festival pass, $236; tickets may be purchased for individual events
July 13-16: Boasting an array of concerts, lectures, and workshops, Yidstock 2017: The Festival of New Yiddish Music brings the best in klezmer and new Yiddish music to the stage at the Yiddish Book Center on the campus of Hampshire College. The sixth annual event offers an intriguing glimpse into Jewish roots, music, and culture.

Post #351 Catfish Derby
50 Kolbe Dr., Holyoke
www.post351catfishderby.com
Admission: $10 entry fee
July 14: The American Legion Post #351 touts its 37th annual Catfish Derby as the biggest catfish tournament in the Northeast. Fishing is open to the Connecticut River and all its tributaries. The derby headquarters and weigh-in station are located at Post #351. A total of $1,425 in prize money is being offered, with a first prize of $300. Three trophies are available in the junior division (age 14 and younger).

Green River Festival
One College Dr., Greenfield
www.greenriverfestival.com
Admission: Weekend, $119.99; Friday, $34.99; Saturday, $64.99; Sunday, $64.99
July 14-16: For one weekend every July, Greenfield Community College hosts a high-energy celebration of music; local food, beer, and wine; handmade crafts; and games and activities for families and children — all topped off with four hot-air-balloon launches and a spectacular Saturday-night ‘balloon glow.’ The music is continuous on three stages, with more than 40 bands slated to perform.

Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival
300 North Main St., Florence
www.glasgowlands.org
Admission: $5-$16, free for children under 6
July 15: Staged at Look Park, this 23nd annual festival celebrating all things Scottish features Highland dancers, pipe bands, a pipe and drum competition, animals, spinners, weavers, harpists, Celtic music, athletic contests, activities for children, and the authentically dressed Historic Highlanders recreating everyday life in that society from the 14th through 18th centuries.

Positively Holyoke Summer Concerts
221 Appleton St., Holyoke
www.holyokerotary.com
Admission: Free
July 19, July 26, Aug. 2, Aug. 9: The Holyoke Rotary Club  will present a series of four Wednesday night concerts at Holyoke Heritage State Park, featuring, in order, Darik & the Funbags, Out of the Blue, Union Jack, and Trailer Trash. The concerts begin at 6 p.m., but a beer garden and grill will open at 5:30. Parking is free, and the rain date for each concert is the following day.

Franklin County Beer Fest
66 Thunder Mountain Road, Charlemont
www.berkshireeast.com
Admission: $25 in advance, $30 at the door
July 22: Join fellow brew enthusiasts for an afternoon of food, music, and drink. The second annual Franklin County Beer Fest will be held at Berkshire East Mountain Resort and will feature beer from several local breweries, local ciders, and local mead and libations. ID required. Online ticket buyers before July will receive a souvenir glass.

3oldsturbridgecraftbeerOld Sturbridge Village Craft Beer & Roots Music Festival
1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA
www.osv.org
Admission: $14-$28; free for children under 4
July 23: OSV’s craft beer festival is back, with more brews, bands, and bites than ever before. More than 30 craft breweries from across New England will offer an opportunity to sample and purchase some of the region’s top beers, ciders, and ales, while local chefs prepare farm-to-table fare. At five indoor and outdoor stages, more than a dozen musical artists will bring the sounds of Americana, bluegrass, country, folk, and roots music.

Hampden County 4-H Fair
1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
www.easternstatesexposition.com
Admission: Free
July 29: More than 200 young people from Hampden County, and 4-H members from Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Worcester counties, will showcase projects they have made, grown, or raised during the past year. Events include a horse show and other animal exhibitions, a fun run, a talent show, a fashion revue, a lead line and wool competition, and more.

August

West Side Taste of the Valley
Town Common, West Springfield
www.westsidetaste.com
Admission: Free
Aug. 10-13: This community event annually draws over 30,000 people from all over the Pioneer Valley to sample various dishes from a diverse mix of restaurants. The weekend is also highlighted by family-friendly entertainment, live musical acts, a midway of rides and games for kids and teens, animal rides, a petting zoo, and Saturday’s class car cruise, a display of classic, antique, and special-interest cars owned by local residents.

Middlefield Fair
7 Bell Road, Middlefield
www.middlefieldfair.org
Admission: TBA
Aug. 11-13: The Highland Agricultural Society was established in 1856 for the purpose of holding the agricultural fair in Middlefield. In those days, it was known as the Cattle Show, and the grounds were filled with local farmers’ prized cattle. Although the fair has changed in its 150-plus years, it retains that tradition, adding food, a truck pull, a petting zoo, animal exhibits, rides, games, and live including Ray Guillemette Jr.’s Elvis tribute, “A-Ray of Elvis.”

4springfieldjazzrootsSpringfield Jazz and Roots Festival
Court Square, Springfield
www.springfieldjazzfest.com
Admission: Free
Aug. 12: The fourth annual Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival will offer a festive atmosphere featuring locally and internationally acclaimed musical artists. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend and enjoy featured performers including Lizz Wright, Miles Mosley, Rebirth Brass Band, Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Christian Scott, Zaccai Curtis & Insight, Natalie Fernandez, and Community Grooves.

5westfieldairshowWestfield International Airshow
175 Falcon Dr., Westfield
www.westfieldairshow.org
Admission: Free; upgraded paid seating available
Aug. 12-13: The first airshow at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in seven years will feature the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, a team of F-16 fighter jets that fly in close proximity. Other displays include the Geico Skytypers, a team of six pilots who create aerial smoke messages in the sky, as well as the Third Strike wingwalking act, the the Black Daggers U.S. Army Parachute Team, and a host of others.

Westfield Fair
137 Russellville Road, Westfield
www.thewestfieldfair.com
Admission: $6-$8, free for children under 12
Aug. 18-20: One of the earlier late-summer agricultural fairs that proliferate across Western Mass., the 90th edition of the Westfield Fair promises traditional fare like livestock shows, an antique tractor pull, live music, rides and games, an animal auction, a craft barn, a petting zoo, midway rides, and, of course, lots of food.

Cummington Fair
97 Fairgrounds Road, Cummington
www.cummingtonfair.com
Admission: $5-$12, free for children under 10
Aug. 24-27: The Cummington Fair was initiated in 1883 as the Hillside Agricultural Society. Today, it lives on as a showcase for agriculture and livestock in the region, in addition to a robust schedule of entertainment, featuring live music, magic, a demolition derby, a lumberjack show, the Kenya Acrobats, a square dance, crafts, games, food, and much more.

Downtown Get Down
Exchange Street, Chicopee
www.chicopeegetdown.com
Admission: Free
Aug. 25-26: Now in its third year, Chicopee’s downtown block party, which drew 15,000 people to the streets around City Hall last year, will feature live music from nine bands, as well as attractions for children, local food vendors, live art demonstrations, and, for the first time, a 5K race.

Celebrate Holyoke
Downtown Holyoke
www.celebrateholyokemass.com
Admission: Free
Aug. 25-27: Celebrate Holyoke is a three-day festival that made its return in 2015 after a 10-year hiatus, drawing an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 people downtown over the course of the weekend. This year’s festival will include live musical performances, food and beverages from local restaurants, activities for children, and goods from local artists and makers.

September

Stone Soul Festival
1780 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield
www.ssfestival.weebly.com
Admission: Free
Sept. 1-3: New England’s largest African-American festival offers family-oriented activities, entertainment, and cultural enrichment, and is a vehicle for minority-owned businesses to display their wares and crafts. Entertainment at Blunt Park includes gospel, jazz, R&B, and dance. Sunday’s free picnic includes ribs and chicken cooked by talented pitmasters, backed by live gospel music performed by local and regional choirs.

Three County Fair
41 Fair St., Northampton
www.threecountyfair.com
Admission: $8-$10
Sept. 1-4: For almost 200 years, the Hampshire, Franklin & Hampden Agricultural Society has promoted agriculture, agricultural education, and agricultural science in the Commonwealth. The purpose remains the umbrella under which the Three County Fair is presented to the public. But the fair also includes carnival rides and games, thoroughbred horse racing, crafts, and, of course, plenty of food.

Blandford Fair
10 North St., Blandford
www.theblandfordfair.com
Admission: $5-$10, free for children under 6
Sept. 1-4:
Not much has changed in almost 150 years of the Blandford Fair, but that’s what makes it so charming. Fairgoers can witness the classic rituals of the giant pumpkin display, the pony draw, and the horseshoe tournament, plus more modern additions, like the fantastically loud chainsaw-carving demonstration and the windshield-smashing demolition derby.

Franklin County Fair
89 Wisdom Way, Greenfield
www.fcas.com
Admission: $7-$10, free for children under 9
Sept. 7-10: Named one of the “10 Great New England Fairs” in 2015 by Globe magazine, the 169th edition of the Franklin County Fair will roll into the Franklin County Fairgrounds with every type of fair food imaginable, midway rides, and entertainment ranging from bands and roaming clowns to a ventriloquist, demotion derby, livestock shows, horse draws, a truck pull, and much more.

Glendi
22 St. George Road, Springfield
www.stgeorgecath.org/glendi
Admission: Free
Sept. 8-10: Every year, St. George Cathedral offers thousands of visitors the best in traditional Greek foods, pastries, music, dancing, and old-fashioned Greek hospitality. In addition, the festival offers activities for children, tours of the historic St. George Cathedral and Byzantine Chapel, vendors from across the East Coast, icon workshops, movies in the Glendi Theatre, cooking demonstrations, and more.

Hilltown Brewfest
837 Daniel Shays Highway, New Salem
www.hilltownbrewfest.com
Admission: $35 in advance, $40 at the door
Sept. 9: The ninth annual Hilltown Brewfest is a fund-raiser for local fire departments. The event at Cooleyville Junction promises a relaxing afternoon featuring some 30 brands and 100 brews of beer, wine, cider, and Berkshire Distillery products. Selections include products by both local craft brewers, winemakers, and distillers in the Quabbin and Pioneer Valley regions as well as similar craft producers across New England.

8mattoonstreetMattoon Street Arts Festival
Mattoon Street, Springfield
www.mattoonfestival.org
Admission: Free
Sept. 9-10: Now in its 45th year, the Mattoon Street Arts Festival is the longest-running arts festival in the Pioneer Valley, featuring about 100 exhibitors, including artists that work in ceramics, fibers, glass, jewelry, painting and printmaking, photography, wood, metal, and mixed media. Food vendors and strolling musicians help to make the event a true late-summer destination.

FreshGrass Festival
1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams
www.freshgrass.com
Admission: $48-$110 for three-day pass
Sept. 15-17: The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is known for its musical events, and the Fresh Grass festival is among the highlights, showcasing more than 50 bluegrass artists and bands over three days. This year, the lineup includes Brandi Carlile, Railroad Earth, the Del McCoury Band with David Grisman, Shovels & Rope, Del & Dawg, Bill Frisell, and many more.

9bigeThe Big E
1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
www.easternstatesexposition.com
Admission: $8-$12; 17-day pass $20-$40
Sept. 15 to Oct. 1: It’s still the big one, and there’s something for everyone, whether it’s the copious fair food or the livestock shows, the Avenue of States houses or the parades, the local vendors and crafters or the live music — this year featuring Cole Swindell, the Village People, Martin Sexton, Sheila E., the Sugarhill Gang, Fastball, the Lovin’ Spoonful, and many more.

Belchertown Fair
Main Street, Belchertown
www.belchertownfair.com
Admission: Free
Sept. 22-24: This community fair, which draws more than 30,000 visitors every year, celebrates the town’s agricultural roots as well as its active growing community. The weekend features a wide variety of family-friendly activities, from an exhibit hall and animal exhibitions to a parade, plenty of live music, pumpkin decorating for kids, a balloon twister, and an old-time beautiful baby show.

Old Deerfield Craft Fair
10 Memorial St., Deerfield
www.deerfield-craft.org
Admission: $7, free for children under 12
Sep. 23-24: This award-winning show has been recognized for its traditional crafts and fine-arts categories and offers a great variety of items, from furniture to pottery. And while in town, check out all of Historic Deerfield, featuring restored, 18th-century museum houses with period furnishings, demonstrations of Colonial-era trades, and a collection of Early American crafts, ceramics, furniture, textiles, and metalwork.

Travel and Tourism

Fun in the Sun

Summertime is a great time to get away, but in Western Mass., it’s also a great time to stick around and enjoy the many events on the calendar. Whether you’re craving live music or arts and crafts, historical experiences or small-town pride, the region boasts plenty of ways to celebrate the summer months. Here are a few dozen ideas to get you started.

June

Granby Charter Days
Dufresne Park, Route 202, Granby, MA
www.granbycharterdays.com
Admission: Free
• June 14-16: This annual town fair celebrates the adoption of Granby’s charter in 1768. This year’s event promises an array of local vendors and artisand, arts and crafts, contests, tractor pulls and an antique tractor show, an oxen draw, helicopter rides, a petting zoo, live music headlined by Trailer Trash, midway rides, a pancake breakfast, fireworks, and more.

Worthy Craft Brew Fest
201 Worthington St., Springfield, MA
www.theworthybrewfest.com
Admission: $35-$45
• June 15: Smith’s Billiards and Theodores’ Booze, Blues & BBQ, both in the city’s entertainment district, will host two dozen breweries, live music, and food served up by Theodores’, Thai Chili Food Truck, and Nora Cupcake Co. The event will also feature a home-brew contest; Amherst Brewing will make the winner’s beer and serve it at next year’s Brew Fest.

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
358 George Carter Road, Becket
www.jacobspillow.org
Admission: Prices vary
• June 19 to Aug. 25: Now in its 86th season, Jacob’s Pillow has become one of the country’s premier showcases for dance, featuring more than 50 dance companies from the U.S. and around the world. Participants can take in scores of free performances, talks, and events; train at one of the nation’s most prestigious dance-training centers; and take part in programs designed to educate and engage audiences of all ages.

Out! for Reel LGBT Films
274 Main St., Northampton, MA
www.outforreel.net
Admission: $7-$12
• June 22: Out! For Reel LGBTQ Films celebrates National Pride Month with a mini film fest at the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton. This year’s theme is “This American Lesbian Life: Uplifting (and Fun) Stories in Short Films.” Out! For Reel invites everyone in the community to enjoy these entertaining, inspiring, and award-winning films.

New England Food Truck Festival
1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, MA
www.nefoodtruckfest.com
Admission: $6-$35
• June 22-23: The New England Food Truck Festival, on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition, is the largest event of its kind in New England, featuring close to 50 of New England’s premier food trucks, live music, and family fun. An array of entertainment is slated throughout the weekend, from local bands to face painting, to enjoy along with a taco, grilled cheese, or hundreds of other tasty options.​

The Capitol Steps
55 Lee Road, Lenox, MA
www.capsteps.com
Admission: $49
• June 28 to Aug. 30: Since they formed in 1981, political satirists the Capitol Steps have recorded more than 30 albums and can be heard four times a year on NPR during their “Politics Take a Holiday” specials. They will release their new CD, The Lyin’ Kings, in time for their annual summer residency at Cranwell Spa and Golf Resort. Cranwell performances are nightly excluding Tuesdays throughout the summer.

July

Old Sturbridge Village Independence Weekend Celebration
1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge
www.osv.org
Admission: $14-$28; free for children under 4
• July 3-4: At this celebration of America, visitors can take part in a citizens’ parade, play 19th-century-style ‘base ball,’ march with the militia, make a tri-cornered hat, and sign a giant copy of the Declaration of Independence. Children and families will enjoy some friendly competition with games, and a reproduction cannon will be fired. On July 4, a citizen naturalization ceremony will take place on the Village Common.

Monson Summerfest
Main Street, Monson
www.monsonsummerfestinc.com
Admission: Free
• July 4: In 1979, a group of parishioners from the town’s Methodist church wanted to start an Independence Day celebration focused on family and community. The first Summerfest featured food, games, and fun activities. With the addition of a parade, booths, bands, rides, and activities, the event — now celebrating its 40th anniversary — has evolved into an attraction drawing more than 10,000 people every year.

Berkshires Arts Festival
380 State Road, Great Barrington
www.berkshiresartsfestival.com
Admission: $7-$14; free for children under 10
• July 5-7: Ski Butternut may be best-known for … well, skiing, of course. But the property also plays host to the Berkshires Arts Festival, a regional tradition now in its 18th year. Thousands of art lovers and collectors are expected to stop by to check out and purchase the creations of more than 175 artists and designers, and take in a performance by ‘chamber-folk’ trio Harpeth Rising on July 6.

Brimfield Outdoor Antiques Show
Route 20, Brimfield
www.brimfieldshow.com
Admission: Free
• July 9-14, Sept. 3-8: After expanding steadily through the decades, the Brimfield Antique Show now encompasses six miles of Route 20 and has become a nationally known destination for people to value antiques, collectibles, and flea-market finds. Some 6,000 dealers and close to 1 million total visitors show up at the three annual, week-long events; the first was in May.

Yidstock
1021 West St., Amherst
www.yiddishbookcenter.org/yidstock
Admission: Festival pass, $236; tickets may be purchased for individual events
• July 11-14: Boasting an array of concerts, lectures, and workshops, Yidstock 2019: the Festival of New Yiddish Music brings the best in klezmer and new Yiddish music to the stage at the Yiddish Book Center on the campus of Hampshire College. The eighth annual event always offers an intriguing glimpse into Jewish roots, music, and culture.

Green River Festival
One College Dr., Greenfield
www.greenriverfestival.com
Admission: Weekend, $139.99; Friday, $44.99; Saturday, $69.99; Sunday, $64.99
• July 12-14: For one weekend every July, Greenfield Community College hosts a high-energy celebration of music; local food, beer, and wine; handmade crafts; and games and activities for families and children — all topped off with hot-air-balloon launches and Friday- and Saturday-evening ‘balloon glows.’ The music is continuous on three stages, with more than 35 bands slated to perform.

Northeast Balloon Festival
41 Fair St., Northampton, MA
www.northeastballoonfestival.com
Admission: $7.50-$15; free for children under 13
• July 12-14: This annual event, held at the Three County Fairgrounds, features balloon rides, walk-in balloons, nighttime balloon glows, and pilot meet-and-greets, as well as a vendor expo, craft beer, live music, and more. More than 30 of New England’s top food trucks will offer an array of tastes, while amusement rides and a petting zoo have been added for the first time.

Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival
300 North Main St., Florence
www.glasgowlands.org
Admission: $5-$18, free for children under 6
• July 20: Celebrating its 26th anniversary this year, the largest Scottish festival in Massachusetts, held at Look Park, features Highland dancers, pipe bands, a pipe and drum competition, animals, spinners, weavers, harpists, Celtic music, athletic contests, activities for children, and the authentically dressed Historic Highlanders recreating everyday life in that society from the 14th through 18th centuries.

Celebrate Ludlow
Ludlow Fish & Game Club
200 Sportsmans Road, Ludlow, MA
Admission: Free
• July 27: Celebrate Ludlow began in 2000 as an extension of a parade and picnic in 1999 to celebrate the town’s 225th anniversary, and has continued annually ever since. The event, held at Ludlow Fish & Game Club and put on with the help of numerous local nonprofit organizations, typically features live bands, food, games, activities for children, and fireworks to cap off the evening.

Hampden County 4-H Fair
1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
www.easternstatesexposition.com
Admission: Free
• July 28: More than 200 youth from Hampden County, and 4-H members from Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Worcester counties, will showcase projects they have made, grown, or raised during the past year. Events include a horse show and other animal exhibitions, a fun run, a talent show, a scavenger hunt, raffle drawings, arts and crafts, and more.

August

High Hopes Music and Arts Festival
One MGM Way, Springfield, MA
www.mgmspringfield.com
Admission: $25-$35
• Aug. 3: Paddle Out Productions is partnering with MGM Springfield to bring a day of music, food, and arts to the Plaza at MGM Springfield. Renowned Queen tribute band Almost Queen will headline the bill and will be joined by Roots of Creation’s Grateful Dub, a reggae-infused tribute to the Grateful Dead; the Eagles Experience; and local acts Atlas Grey and Joon.

Kids Safety Expo
1000 Hall of Fame Ave., Springfield, MA
www.kidssafetyexpo.com
Admission: Free
• Aug. 3: Children and parents can combine fun activities with critical safety education during the 11th annual Kids Safety Expo at the Basketball Hall of Fame. Attendees will have meet-and-greets with area law-enforcement officers, popular characters, and local mascots, and the first 500 children who attend will receive complimentary bicycle helmets.

Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival
Court Square, Springfield
www.springfieldjazzfest.com
Admission: Free
• Aug. 10: The sixth annual event will offer a festive atmosphere featuring dozens of locally and internationally acclaimed musical artists. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend. This internationally heralded festival has become a powerful expression of civic pride, uniting the region’s diverse cultural communities through music, arts, education, and revelry.

Downtown Get Down
Exchange Street, Chicopee
www.chicopeegetdown.com
Admission: Free
• Aug. 23-24: Downtown Chicopee will once again be transformed into a massive block party. Now in its fifth year, the event — which typically draws some 15,000 people to the streets around City Hall — will feature live music from nine bands, as well as attractions for children, local food vendors, live art demonstrations, and a 5K race on Aug. 24.

Celebrate Holyoke
Downtown Holyoke
www.celebrateholyokemass.com
Admission: Free
• Aug. 23-25: Celebrate Holyoke is a three-day festival that made its return in 2015 after a 10-year hiatus. This year’s festival, expected to draw more than 10,000 people downtown, will include plenty of live musical performances, food and beverages from local restaurants, activities for children and families, and goods from local artists, crafters, and creators of all kinds.

Red Fire Farm Tomato Festival
7 Carver St., Granby, MA
www.redfirefarm.com
Admission: $5; free for children under 8
• Aug. 24: When the tomatoes are ripe and delicious in the August fields, Red Fire Farm hosts its annual Tomato Festival. Attendees can taste (and buy) a rainbow of tomato varieties grown on the farm and vote for their favorites. Bands play out back while visitors snack on food from local vendors, go on a wild edibles walk, pick cherry tomatoes, listen in on a cooking workshop, and more.

September

Glendi
22 St. George Road, Springfield
www.stgeorgecath.org/glendi
Admission: Free
• Sept. 6-8: Every year, St. George Cathedral offers thousands of visitors the best in traditional Greek foods, pastries, music, dancing, and old-fashioned Greek hospitality. In addition, the festival offers activities for children, tours of the historic St. George Cathedral and Byzantine Chapel, vendors from across the East Coast, icon workshops, movies in the Glendi Theatre, cooking demonstrations, and more.

Mattoon Street Arts Festival
Mattoon Street, Springfield
www.mattoonfestival.org
Admission: Free
• Sept. 7-8: Now in its 47th year, the Mattoon Street Arts Festival is the longest-running arts festival in the Pioneer Valley, featuring about 100 exhibitors, including artists that work in ceramics, fibers, glass, jewelry, painting and printmaking, photography, wood, metal, and mixed media. Food vendors and strolling musicians help to make the event a true late-summer destination.

FreshGrass Festival
1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams
www.freshgrass.com
Admission: $48-$135 for three-day pass; free for children under 6
• Sept. 20-22: The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is known for its musical events, and the Fresh Grass festival is among the highlights, showcasing more than 50 bluegrass artists and bands over three days. This year, the lineup includes Greensky Bluegrass, Calexico and Iron & Wine, Andrew Bird, Mavis Staples, Kronos Quartet, Tinariwen, Steep Canyon Rangers, and many more.

All Summer Long

Valley Blue Sox
MacKenzie Stadium, 500 Beech St., Holyoke
www.valleybluesox.com
Admission: $5-$7; flex packs $59-$99
• Through. Aug. 1: Western Mass. residents don’t have to trek to Boston to catch quality baseball. The Valley Blue Sox, two-time defending champions of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, play close to home at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke. Frequent promotional events like postgame fireworks and giveaways help make every game a fun, affordable event for the whole family.

Westfield Starfires
Bullens Field, Westfield, MA
www.westfieldstarfires.com
Admission: $7-$10
• Through. Aug. 4: The newest baseball team to land in Western Mass., the Starfires, a member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, is playing its inaugural season at Bullens Field in a city with plenty of baseball history. The league itself has been expanding and growing its attendance in recent years, and 30 of its players were drafted last June by major-league organizations.

Berkshire Botanical Garden
5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA
www.berkshirebotanical.org
Admission: $12-$15; free for children under 12
• Through. Oct. 11: With 15 acres of public gardens, Berkshire Botanical Garden’s mission is to fulfill the community’s need for information, education, and inspiration concerning the art and science of gardening and the preservation of the environment. In addition to the garden’s collections, visitors can enjoy workshops, special events, and guided tours.

Crab Apple Whitewater Rafting
2056 Mohawk Trail, Charlemont
www.crabapplewhitewater.com
Admission: Varies by activity
• Through. Oct. 14: Wanna get wet? Crab Apple is a third-generation, multi-state family business that operates locally on the Deerfield River in the northern Berkshire Mountains of Western Mass. Its rafting excursions range from mild to wild, full- or half-day runs, in rafts and inflatable kayaks. In short, Crab Apple offers something for everyone, from beginners to more experienced rafters.

The Zoo in Forest Park
293 Sumner Ave., Springfield, MA
www.forestparkzoo.org
Admission: $5-$10; free for children under 1
• Through. Oct. 14: The Zoo in Forest Park, located inside Springfield’s Forest Park, is home to more than 175 native and exotic animals representing a large variety of species found throughout the world and North America. Meanwhile, the zoo maintains a focus on conservation, wildlife education, and rehabilitation, while offering special events like Zoo on the Go, guided tours, and discovery programs.

Six Flags New England
1623 Main St., Agawam, MA
www.sixflags.com/newengland
Admission: $46.99; season passes $75.99
• Through. Oct. 27: Continuing an annual tradition of adding a new major attraction each spring, Six Flags New England recently unveiled Cyborg Hyper Drive, a spinning thrill ride in the dark. Other recent additions include Harley Quinn Spinsanity, the Joker 4D Free Fly Coaster, the looping Fireball, and the 420-foot-tall New England Sky Screamer swings. And the Hurricane Harbor water park is free with admission.

Historic Deerfield
84B Old Main St., Deerfield, MA
www.historic-deerfield.org
Admission: $5-$18;
free for children under 6
• Year-round: This outdoor museum interprets the history and culture of early New England and the Connecticut River Valley. Visitors can tour 12 carefully preserved antique houses dating from 1730 to 1850, and explore world-class collections of regional furniture, silver, textiles, and other decorative arts. Summer activities include educational lectures, cooking demonstrations, and exhibitions of period items and art.

 

Cover Story Sections Travel and Tourism

Hot Tips

Vacations are highlights of anyone’s calendar, and summertime is, admittedly, a perfect time to get away. But it’s also a great time to stay at home and enjoy the embarrassment of riches Western Mass. has to offer when it comes to arts and entertainment, cultural experiences, community gatherings, and encounters with nature. From music festivals and agricultural fairs to zoos and water activities — and much more — here is BusinessWest’s annual rundown of some of the region’s outdoor highlights. Have fun!

 

MUSIC, THEATER, AND DANCE

FreshGrass Festival
1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA
www.freshgrass.com
Admission: $46-$119 for three-day pass; $350 for VIP ‘FreshPass’
Sept. 14-16: The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is known for its musical events, and the Fresh Grass festival is among the highlights, showcasing close to 50 bluegrass artists and bands over three days. This year, the lineup includes Indigo Girls, Trampled by Turtles, Flogging Molly, Béla Fleck, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, and many more.

Green River Festival
One College Dr., Greenfield, MA
www.greenriverfestival.com
Admission: Weekend, $129.99; Friday, $34.99; Saturday, $69.99; Sunday, $64.99
July 13-15: For one weekend every July, Greenfield Community College hosts a high-energy celebration of music; local food, beer, and wine; handmade crafts; and games and activities for families and children — all topped off with hot-air-balloon launches and Friday- and Saturday-evening ‘balloon glows.’ The music is continuous on three stages, with more than 35 bands slated to perform.

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA
www.jacobspillow.org
Admission: $25 and up
Through Aug. 26: Now in its 86th season, Jacob’s Pillow has become one of the country’s premier showcases for dance, featuring more than 50 dance companies from the U.S. and around the world. Participants can take in scores of free performances, talks, and events; train at one of the nation’s most prestigious dance-training centers; and take part in community programs designed to educate and engage audiences of all ages. This year’s highlights include a season-opening performance by the Royal Danish Ballet, a visit from the ever-popular Pilobolus, and an artist-curated program by New York City Ballet’s Daniel Ulbricht.

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
14 Castle St., Great Barrington, MA
www.mahaiwe.org
Admission: Varies by event
Year-round: The beloved Mahaiwe Theatre dates back to 1905 — continuously running programs since its opening — and underwent an extensive, $9 million renovation starting in 2003. Today, the theater seats just under 700 and hosts year-round arts programming, including music, dance, theatre, opera, talks, and movie classics. It’s leaders say Mahaiwe is a staple and a resource: its live performances inspire tens of thousands of audience members each year, its embrace of modern technology supplements programming with live, high-definition satellite broadcasts from around the world, and its year-round schedule enhances the quality of life for those who reside in and visit the Berkshires.

Old Sturbridge Village Craft Beer & Roots Music Festival
1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA
www.osv.org
Admission: $14-$28; free for children under 4
July 21: OSV’s craft beer festival is back, with more brews, bands, and bites than ever before. Eighteen craft breweries from across New England will offer an opportunity to sample and purchase some of the region’s top beers, ciders, and ales, while barbecue pork, brats, burgers, and more will be available. At five indoor and outdoor stages, more than a dozen musical artists will present the sounds of Americana, bluegrass, country, folk, and roots music.

Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival
Court Square, Springfield, MA
www.springfieldjazzfest.com
Admission: Free
Aug. 11: The fifth annual Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival will offer a festive atmosphere featuring locally and internationally acclaimed musical artists. More than 10,000 people are expected to hear sounds from a mix of well-known artists and up-and-comers. Headliners announced so far include Maceo Parker, Pedrito Martinez Group, and Jon Cleary, with more announcements expected soon.

Tanglewood
297 West St., Lenox, MA
www.bso.org
Admission: Varies
Through Sept. 14: Tanglewood has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937, and like previous years, it has a broad, diverse slate of concerts in store for the 2018 season, including the Festival of Contemporary Music on July 26-30 and performances by the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras, ensembles of the Tanglewood Music Center, and internationally renowned guest artists from the worlds of classical, jazz, American songbook, Broadway, rock, pop, and dance.

Williamstown Theatre Festival
1000 Main St., Williamstown, MA
www.wtfestival.org
Admission: $60-$75
Through Aug. 19: Six decades ago, the leaders of Williams College’s drama department and news office conceived of an idea: using the campus’ theater for a summer performance program with a resident company. Since then, the festival has attracted a raft of notable guest performers, with this year’s names including Matthew Broderick (The Closet, June 26 to July 4) and Mary-Louise Parker (The Sound Inside, June 27 to July 8). The 2018 season’s seven productions will spotlight a range of both original productions and works by well-known playwrights.

HISTORY AND CULTURE

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
1000 Hall of Fame Ave., Springfield, MA
www.hoophall.com
Admission: $16-$24; free for children under 5
Year-round: The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is home to more than 300 inductees and more than 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Hundreds of interactive exhibits share the spotlight with skills challenges, live clinics, and shooting contests. A $44 million capital campaign is funding a two-phase renovation project, with the first phase, including new dome lighting, a main lobby overhaul, and significant renovation of the Hall’s theater, now complete.

Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival
300 North Main St., Florence, MA
www.glasgowlands.org
Admission: $5-$16, free for children under 6
July 21: Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the largest Scottish festival in Massachusetts, held at Look Park, features Highland dancers, pipe bands, a pipe and drum competition, animals, spinners, weavers, harpists, Celtic music, athletic contests, activities for children, and the authentically dressed Historic Highlanders recreating everyday life in that society from the 14th through 18th centuries.

Glendi
22 St. George Road, Springfield, MA
www.stgeorgecath.org/glendi
Admission: Free
Sept. 7-9: Every year, St. George Cathedral offers thousands of visitors the best in traditional Greek foods, pastries, music, dancing, and old-fashioned Greek hospitality. In addition, the festival offers activities for children, tours of the historic St. George Cathedral and Byzantine Chapel, vendors from across the East Coast, icon workshops, movies in the Glendi Theatre, cooking demonstrations, and more.

Historic Deerfield
84B Old Main St., Deerfield, MA
www.historic-deerfield.org
Admission: $5-$18; free for children under 6
Year-round: Historic Deerfield, founded in 1952, is an outdoor museum that interprets the history and culture of early New England and the Connecticut River Valley. Visitors can tour 12 carefully preserved antique houses dating from 1730 to 1850, and explore world-class collections of regional furniture, silver, textiles, and other decorative arts on display in the authentic period houses and in the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, a state-of-the-art museum facility. Check out the website for a packed roster of summer activities, including educational lectures, cooking demonstrations, and exhibitions of period decoration, textiles, furniture, and art.

Pocumtuck Homelands Festival
Unity Park, 1st Street, Turners Falls, MA
www.nolumbekaproject.org
Admission: Free
Aug. 4: This fifth annual celebration of the parks, people, history, and culture of Turners Falls is a coordinated effort of the Nolumbeka Project and RiverCulture. The event features outstanding Native American crafts, food, and live music, as well as demonstrations of primitive skills. The Nolumbeka Project aims to preserve regional Native American history through educational programs, art, history, music, heritage seed preservation, and cultural events.

Shakerfest
1843 West Housatonic St., Pittsfield, MA
www.hancockshakervillage.org
Admission: $65-$70 for all access; individual activities priced separately
Aug. 18: Hancock Shaker Village will present a day of music, ballads, storytelling, and dance — a place where musicians blend with the audience, and there’s no backstage. From food to free tours of ancient medicinal herb gardens, this festival offers numerous experiences to enjoy with the music, including afternoon harmony and dance workshop; an evening performance in the barn that combines traditional song and dance with new compositions, movement, and projections inspired by the Shakers who built the barn; and a rollicking barn dance.

Stone Soul Festival
1780 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield, MA
www.stonesoulfestival.com
Admission: Free
Aug. 31 to Sept. 2: New England’s largest African-American festival offers family-oriented activities, entertainment, and cultural enrichment, and is a vehicle for minority-owned businesses to display their wares and crafts. Entertainment at Blunt Park includes gospel, jazz, R&B, and dance. Sunday’s free picnic includes ribs and chicken cooked by talented pitmasters, backed by live gospel music performed by local and regional choirs.

Yidstock
1021 West St., Amherst, MA
www.yiddishbookcenter.org/yidstock
Admission: Festival pass, $236; tickets may be purchased for individual events
July 12-15: Boasting an array of concerts, lectures, and workshops, Yidstock 2018: The Festival of New Yiddish Music brings the best in klezmer and new Yiddish music to the stage at the Yiddish Book Center on the campus of Hampshire College. The seventh annual event offers an intriguing glimpse into Jewish roots, music, and culture.

FAIRS AND FESTS

Berkshires Arts Festival
380 State Road, Great Barrington, MA
www.berkshiresartsfestival.com
Admission: $7-$14; free for children under 10
n July 6-8: Ski Butternut may be best-known for … well, skiing, of course. But the property also plays host to the Berkshires Arts Festival, a regional tradition now in its 17th year. Thousands of art lovers and collectors are expected to stop by to check out and purchase the creations of more than 200 artists and designers.

The Big E
1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, MA
www.easternstatesexposition.com
Admission: $10-$15; free for children under 5; 17-day pass $20-$40
Sept. 14-30: As regional fairs go, it’s still the big one, and there’s something for everyone, whether it’s the copious fair food or the livestock shows, the Avenue of States houses or the parades, the local vendors and crafters or the live music. But it’s not the only agricultural fair on the block. The Westfield Fair kicks things off Aug. 18-20, followed by the Blandford Fair and the Three County Fair in Northampton Aug. 31 to Sept. 3, the Franklin County Fair in Greenfield on Sept. 6-9, and the Belchertown Fair on Sept. 21-23, to name some of the larger gatherings.

Celebrate Holyoke
Downtown Holyoke, MA
www.celebrateholyokemass.com
Admission: Free
Aug. 24-26: Celebrate Holyoke is a three-day festival that made its return in 2015 after a 10-year hiatus, and typically draws more than 10,000 people downtown over the course of the weekend. This year’s festival will include live musical performances, food and beverages from local restaurants, activities for children, and goods from local artists and makers.

Downtown Get Down
Exchange Street, Chicopee, MA
www.chicopeegetdown.com
Admission: Free
Aug. 24-25: Now in its fourth year, Chicopee’s downtown block party, which typically draws about 15,000 people to the streets around City Hall, will feature tons of live music, as well as attractions for children, local food vendors, live art demonstrations, and the Get Down 5K Race.

Franklin County Beer Fest
66 Thunder Mountain Road, Charlemont, MA
www.berkshireeast.com
Admission: $25 in advance, $30 at the door
July 21: Join fellow brew enthusiasts for an afternoon of food, music, and drink. The third annual Franklin County Beer Fest will be held at Berkshire East Mountain Resort and will feature beer from several local breweries, local ciders, and local mead and libations. Online ticket buyers will receive a souvenir glass.

Mattoon Street Arts Festival
Mattoon Street, Springfield, MA
www.mattoonfestival.org
Admission: Free
Sept. 8-9: Now in its 46th year, the Mattoon Street Arts Festival is the longest-running arts festival in the Pioneer Valley, featuring about 100 exhibitors, including artists that work in ceramics, fibers, glass, jewelry, painting and printmaking, photography, wood, metal, and mixed media. Food vendors and strolling musicians help to make the event a true late-summer destination.

Monson Summerfest
Main Street, Monson, MA
www.monsonsummerfestinc.com
Admission: Free
July 4: In 1979, a group of parishioners from the town’s Methodist church wanted to start an Independence Day celebration focused on family and community, The first Summerfest featured food, games, and fun activities. With the addition of a parade, along with booths, bands, rides, and activities, the event has evolved into an attraction drawing more than 10,000 people every year.

River Celebration
350 Linden St., Brattleboro, VT
www.ctriver.org/celebration
Admission: $15; free for children 12 and under
June 16: The Connecticut River Conservancy will host this family-friendly event at the Retreat Farm in Brattleboro. Morning excursions including a pontoon cruise on the Connecticut River, a paddling adventure in the Meadows, a freshwater mussel ecology workshop, a fly-casting workshop, and more. Enjoy live music by River Rhapsody and lunch by Tito’s Taqueria and Vermont Country Deli. Additional activities include an ice-cream-making workshop and several demonstrations open all day: a stream table, a soil-infiltration table, a water-quality testing station, and more. Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman will moderate the “Farm/River Roundtable: Doing Right by Our Rivers.”

Worthy Craft Brew Fest
201 Worthington St., Springfield, MA
www.theworthybrewfest.com
Admission: $45 in advance, $50 at the door
June 16: Smith’s Billiards and Theodores’ Booze, Blues & BBQ, both in the city’s entertainment district, will host more than 25 breweries, with music by Feel Good Drift and the Radiators Soul and Rhythm and Blues Revue, and food served up by Theodores’, Mercado Food Truck, and Nora Cupcake Co. The event will also feature a home-brew contest; Amherst Brewing will make the winner’s beer and serve it at next year’s Brew Fest.

MORE FUN UNDER THE SUN

Berkshire Botanical Garden
5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA
www.berkshirebotanical.org
Admission: $12-$15; free for children under 12
Through Oct. 8: If the flora indigenous to, or thriving in, the Berkshires of Western Mass. is your cup of tea, try 15 acres of stunning public gardens at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge. Originally established as the Berkshire Garden Center in 1934, today’s not-for-profit, educational organization is both functional and ornamental, with a mission to fulfill the community’s need for information, education, and inspiration concerning the art and science of gardening and the preservation of the environment. In addition to the garden’s collections, among the oldest in the U.S., visitors can enjoy workshops, special events, and guided tours.

Crab Apple Whitewater Rafting
2056 Mohawk Trail, Charlemont, MA
www.crabapplewhitewater.com
Admission: Varies by activity
Through Oct. 8: Wanna get wet? Crab Apple is a third-generation, multi-state family business that operates locally on the Deerfield River in the northern Berkshire Mountains of Western Mass. Its five separate rafting excursions range from mild to wild, full- or half-day runs, in rafts and inflatable kayaks. In short, Crab Apple offers something for everyone, from beginners to more experienced rafters.

Great New England Air & Space Show
57 Patriot Ave., Chicopee, MA
www.greatnewenglandairshow.org
Admission: Free; upgraded paid seating available
July 14-15: The 2018 Great New England Air & Space Show at Westover Air Reserve Base will feature popular attractions like the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, who last performed in Chicopee in 2008. But note the subtle change to the event title — ‘Space Show.’ That’s because the Air Force operates the largest space program in the world, and the Great New England Air & Space Show is entering a new phase by incorporating elements of space and cyberspace capabilities of military and civilian contractors.

Lupa Zoo
62 Nash Hill Road, Ludlow, MA
www.lupazoo.org
Admission $10-$15; free for children under 2
Through Nov. 4: Lupa Zoo brings the African savannah to Western Mass. residents. The late Henry Lupa fulfilled his lifelong dream of creating a zoo right next to his Ludlow house, filling it with hundreds of animals and instilling a warm, familial atmosphere. Visitors to the 20-acre can be entertained by monkeys, feed giraffes on a custom-built tower, and marvel at the bright colors of tropical birds. In addition to offering animal shows and animal-feeding programs, the staff at Lupa Zoo promotes conservation and sustainability.

Post #351 Catfish Derby
50 Kolbe Dr., Holyoke, MA
www.post351catfishderby.com
Admission: $10 entry fee
July 20-22: The American Legion Post #351 touts its 38th annual Catfish Derby as the biggest catfish tournament in the Northeast. Fishing is open to the Connecticut River and all its tributaries. The derby headquarters and weigh-in station are located at Post #351. A total of $1,425 in prize money is being offered, with a first prize of $300. Three trophies are available in the junior division (age 14 and younger).

Six Flags New England
1623 Main St., Agawam, MA
www.sixflags.com/newengland
Admission: $57.99-$67.99; season passes $109.99
Through Oct. 28: Continuing an annual tradition of adding a new major attraction each spring, Six Flags New England recently unveiled Harley Quinn Spinsanity, an extreme pendulum ride that sends guests soaring 15 stories in the air at speeds up to 70 mph. Other recent additions include the Joker 4D Free Fly Coaster, the looping Fireball, and the 420-foot-tall New England Sky Screamer swings — in addition to a raft of other thrill rides. But fear not: the park has attractions for everyone along the stomach-queasiness spectrum, from the classic carousel and bumper cars to the giant wave pools and lazy river in the Hurricane Harbor water park, free with admission.

Springfield Dragon Boat Festival
121 West St., Springfield, MA
www.pvriverfront.org
Admission: Free
June 23: The sixth annual Springfield Dragon Boat Festival returns to North Riverfront Park. Hosted by the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club, this family-friendly festival features the exciting sport of dragon-boat racing and will include music, performances, food, vendors, kids’ activities, and more. The festival is an ideal event for businesses and organizations looking for a new team-building opportunity, and provides financial support for the Riverfront Club as it grows and strengthens its presence in Springfield and the Pioneer Valley.

Valley Blue Sox
500 Beech St., Holyoke, MA
www.valleybluesox.com
Admission: $5-$7; season tickets $99
Through Aug. 1: Western Mass. residents don’t have to trek to Boston to catch quality baseball. The Valley Blue Sox, defending champions of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, play close to home at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke. These Sox feature a roster of elite collegiate baseball players from around the country, including some who have already been drafted into the major leagues. Frequent promotional events like postgame fireworks and numerous giveaways help make every game at MacKenzie Stadium a fun, affordable event for the whole family.

 

 

 

Construction Special Coverage

Framing the Issue

Few industries have been immune to the supply shortages and rising costs that have plagued the world economy over the past few months, but construction is especially vulnerable, relying heavily on materials — most notably lumber and steel, but dozens more as well — riddled by soaring prices. The good news is that demand for work is high, but many still worry about the long-term implications of a cost problem with no end in sight.

 

By Mark Morris

Early in 2020, several lumber mills and steel plants expected demand for their products to take a nosedive once the pandemic hit, so they slowed down or closed some of their operating plants. Instead, after only a brief hiatus in March, home and commercial construction resumed — and then significantly increased.

For Bob Boilard, vice president of Boilard Lumber, the decreased supply of lumber and growing demand have created multiple challenges. Orders for lumber that once took a week for delivery now have vague timetables and constantly changing prices.

“Pricing right now is set at the time of shipment, so we don’t know exactly what it’s going to cost us until it’s on the back of a truck,” Boilard said.

Because lumber prices change so often, Boilard and dealers like him study the commodity market every day to make sure they stay current. At press time, an eight-foot 2-by-4, used primarily to frame houses and certain commercial buildings, had increased to $11, up from $4 several months ago, a price hike of 175%.

Nick Riley

Nick Riley says shortages are nothing new in construction, but so many types of materials being in short supply at one time is very uncommon.

Construction professionals have called this an unprecedented time. Price hikes and shortages of certain building materials are nothing new to the construction industry, but no one has seen inflation and scarcity of so many supplies that go into building a house or a business.

BusinessWest spoke with several construction managers who said we are currently in a perfect storm of greatly increased demand, COVID-related manufacturing slowdowns, and, literally, storms.

For instance, back in February, ice storms knocked out the power grid in Texas, shutting down several resin plants there and in neighboring Louisiana for several weeks. The resins from these plants are used in a broad range of building products, from adhesives to make plywood to the plastic that insulates electric cables. The resins are also used in many paints and primers.

“This is the first time I’ve seen drastic increases and shortages affect this many products. In the past, we’ve seen oil prices drive up the cost of roofing shingles, but never across the board with nearly every building material.”

Dan Bradbury, director of Sales and Marketing for Associated Builders, said the commodity price he follows closely is cold rolled steel. Most of the structures his company builds are pre-engineered metal buildings for commercial and industrial use.

“Cold rolled steel prices have increased 225% since last August,” Bradbury said. Due to shortages in getting the steel, he tells customers the building they order today will be delivered in about 20 weeks. Before COVID-19, that same project would take 10 to 12 weeks.

Increases and shortages don’t end with commodities, but also affect other materials involved in construction. Craig Sweitzer, co-owner of Sweitzer Construction, said an electrical contractor told him about the price instability of a heavy-duty cable used in commercial applications.

“His supplier would only hold the price for one day,” Sweitzer said. “Usually, our material prices are good for 15 days, so we’re not used to seeing this.”

What makes this time different is the broad array of materials impacted, said Nick Riley, owner of N. Riley Construction.

The price of a basic 2-by-4 has risen by 175% in recent months.

The price of a basic 2-by-4 has risen by 175% in recent months.

“This is the first time I’ve seen drastic increases and shortages affect this many products,” he noted. “In the past, we’ve seen oil prices drive up the cost of roofing shingles, but never across the board with nearly every building material.”

As someone who builds medical and dental offices, Sweitzer uses steel studs in place of 2-by-4 wood studs for interior wall partitions. At one time, the two products were close in price. While prices for both have increased, a steel stud is now far less expensive than wood.

“While the price of a steel stud has increased about 30%, it’s well below the double and triple price hikes we’ve seen with wood,” he said, adding that he’s also experienced shortages in random materials such as joint compound to finish walls, acoustical insulation, and interior doors. “There’s a particular style of door we use that once took a week to get. Now it can take eight weeks, and the price has increased.”

 

Steady On

Despite shortages and price hikes, the construction managers we spoke with are all grateful to have plenty of work scheduled.

“I’m fortunate to be busy, and at the same time, it’s incredibly stressful to keep everyone happy and meet deadlines,” Riley said. “It’s a crazy time right now.”

To manage some of that craziness, he has invested in a new tool, a CRM (customer relationship management) system.

“Through our system, we can keep everyone on the same page, and it allows customers to check in on their project,” Riley said. “By staying in closer contact with our customers, they’ll know immediately about any issues that might slow down a project.”

Managing expectations becomes essential when prices and timelines are uncertain. When someone wants a fast turnaround on a project, Bradbury gives them straight talk. “We’re honest and upfront with our customers as to what’s realistic,” he said.

Some customers have chosen to delay their projects, anticipating that prices may come down. Bradbury said that may work for some, but when a company needs a building to grow their business, they can’t always wait it out.

“My advice is to build it sooner rather than later because we are more likely to see further price increases,” he said. “Also, with lead times so long, the sooner you get in the queue for your project, the better off you’ll be.”

Beyond materials, shortages have also extended to the human element. Riley said finding laborers for home building has always been challenging, and the increased demand for new homes only exacerbates an already-tough situation.

One of the thorniest challenges to solving supply shortages, Boilard noted, involves finding truckers to move the goods. “You can’t get drivers to get behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer. There are lots of trucking jobs open right now, but few people to fill them.”

Construction workers were deemed essential during the pandemic, so their time off the job was brief. Bradbury said the short shutdown allowed his company to retain most of its workers. “Some of our subcontractors have felt labor shortages, but we are grateful that has not had a significant impact on our business.”

When COVID first hit, Sweitzer gave all his employees a raise to make sure they were compensated well enough to stay with his company. “We’ve been lucky because we have an extremely good and loyal crew. I’ve found that good labor is worth the investment.”

 

Looking Ahead

Predictions on when prices and supplies might stabilize is anyone’s guess. Boilard explained that his company determines its lumber-buying needs early in the year, which these days is a real challenge. If a dealer stocks up heavily now only to see prices eventually crash, they are stuck with expensive inventory in a market that no longer supports those higher prices.

This building under construction shows how much cold rolled steel Associated Builders uses in a project.

This building under construction shows how much cold rolled steel Associated Builders uses in a project.

“It’s not a fun time because we have to do a balancing act of meeting our customers’ needs without having too much inventory on hand,” he said.

Riley has seen conflicting predictions about lumber prices dropping either at the end of 2021 or sometime in 2022. He’s seen lumber and electrical wire come down before, but he’s more concerned about other materials that go into building a house.

“In my years in business, when windows, siding, and roofing shingles increase in price, I’ve never seen them come back down,” he said. “I think increases like that are here to stay.”

Bradbury said he can’t predict what will happen in his industry, but he hopes to see the supply of steel catch up to demand by the end of this year. “My best guess is supply will get better and lead times will improve before we see prices start to stabilize.”

Sweitzer noted that he has a degree in management, while his two sons have degrees in economics and business administration, so they often discuss what may lie ahead. And their conversations have been optimistic.

“Markets always find some level of equilibrium, and I believe that will happen in this market,” he said. “Market equilibrium may take a temporary vacation, but it has always returned, and I think it will again.”

Cover Story

Cover June 15, 2015

Our Annual Guide to Summer Fun in Western Mass.

Vacations are highlights of anyone’s calendar, and summertime is, admittedly, a perfect time to get away. But it’s also a great time to stay at home and enjoy the embarrassment of riches Western Mass. has to offer when it comes to arts and entertainment, cultural experiences, community gatherings, and encounters with nature. From music festivals and agricultural fairs to zoos and water activities — and much more — here is BusinessWest’s annual rundown of some of the region’s outdoor highlights. For a more comprehensive list go HERE. Have fun!





Music, Theatre, and Dance

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
358 George Carter Road, Becket
(413) 243-0745; www.jacobspillow.org
Admission: $19 and up
June 13 to Aug. 30: Now in its 83rd season, Jacob’s Pillow has become one of the country’s premier showcases for dance, featuring more than 50 dance companies from Cuba, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Canada, and across the U.S. Participants can take in 200 free performances, talks, and events; train at one of the nation’s most prestigious dance-training centers; and take part in community programs designed to educate and engage audiences of all ages. Never Stand Still, the acclaimed documentary about Jacob’s Pillow, will be screened on Aug. 30 at 4:30 p.m.
JacobsPillow

Tanglewood

297 West St., Lenox
(617) 266-1200; www.bso.org
Admission: $12 and up
June 19 to Sep. 5: Tanglewood has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937, and like previous years, it has a broad, diverse slate of concerts in store for the 2015 season, including the Festival of Contemporary Music on July 20, the String Quartet Marathon on July 29, Chamber Music Concerts on Sundays throughout July and August, and a roster of popular-music shows featuring Sheryl Crow with the Boston Pops, Diana Krall, Huey Lewis and the News, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, and Idina Menzel. To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Tanglewood has also commissioned some 30 new works for performance during the 2015 season.

Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival / Bang on a Can Plays Art / Fresh Grass Festival
1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams
(413) 662-2111; www.massmoca.org
Solid Sound: Festival pass, $149; individual days, $65-$99
Bang on a Can Plays Art: Festival pass, $75; individual concerts, $5-$24
Fresh Grass: Festival pass, $93
The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is known for its roster of musical events during the summer. Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival (June 26-28) returns with three days of music — from the festival’s namesake band plus dozens of other artists — and an array of interactive and family activities. The Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival, a residency program for composers and performers, is highlighted by Bang on a Can Plays Art (July 25 to Aug. 1), a weeklong series of shows culminating in a blowout finale on Aug. 1. Finally, the Fresh Grass Festival (Sep. 18-20) showcases more than 20 bluegrass artists and bands over three days. Whatever your taste in music, MassMOCA delivers all summer long. And check out the galleries, too.MassMoCA

Williamstown Theatre Festival
1000 Main St., Williamstown
(413) 597-3400; www.wtfestival.org
Admission: $35 and up
June 30 to Aug. 23: Six decades ago, the leaders of Williams College’s drama department and news office conceived an idea: using the school’s theater for a summer performance program with a resident company. Since then, the festival has attracted a number of notable guest performers, including, this summer, Kyra Sedgwick, Blair Underwood, Cynthia Nixon, Eric Bogosian, and Audra McDonald. This season will spotlight a range of both original productions and plays by well-known writers such as William Inge and Eugene O’Neill, as well as a number of other programs, such as post-show Tuesday Talkbacks with company members.

CityBlock Concert Series
Worthington and Bridge streets, Springfield
(413) 781-1591; www.springfielddowntown.com/cityblock
Admission: Free
July 2 to Aug. 27: The Stearns Square Concert Series reverts to its original name this year, but the Thursday-night lineup remains studded with national touring acts and local lights, including Jane Monheit (July 2), Jon Butcher Axis (July 9), Willie Nile (July 16), Cinderella’s Tom Keifer (July 23), Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers (July 30), Denny Laine of Wings (Aug. 6), Dana Fuchs Band (Aug. 20), and FAT (Aug. 27). The 6:30 p.m. shows will be preceded at 4:30 p.m. by a new Local Music Showcase on a second stage, featuring up-and-coming acts. The series is sponsored by the Springfield Business Improvement District.

Green River Festival
Greenfield Community College, One College Dr., Greenfield
(413) 773-5463;
 www.greenriverfestival.com
Admission: Weekend, $99.99; Friday, $19.99; Saturday, $59.99; Sunday, $59.99
July 10-12: For one weekend every July, Greenfield Community College hosts a high-energy celebration of music; local food, beer, and wine; handmade crafts; and family games and activities — all topped off with four hot-air-balloon launches and a spectacular Saturday-night ‘balloon glow.’ The music is continuous on three stages, and this year features Steve Earle & the Dukes, Punch Brothers, Tune-Yards, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, J Mascis, and more than three dozen other artists. Children under 10 can get in for free, and they’ll want to, as the family-friendly festival features children’s music performers, a kids’ activity tent, games, circus acts, a Mardi Gras parade, and other surprises.

Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival
Court Square, Springfield
(413) 303-0101; springfieldjazzfest.com
Admission: Free
Aug 8: The second annual Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival celebrates the emergence of Springfield’s Cultural District and promotes an arts-driven, community-oriented, and sustainable revitalization of the city. The event will offer a festive atmosphere featuring locally and internationally acclaimed musical artists, dance and theater workshops, local arts and crafts, and plenty of food. More than 5,000 people are expected to attend and enjoy the sounds of jazz, Latin jazz, gospel, blues, funk, and more. The festival is produced by Blues to Green, which uses music and art to celebrate community and culture, build shared purpose, and catalyze social and environmental change.

Community Gatherings

WorthyCraftWorthy Craft Brew Fest / Valley Fest
Worthy Craft Brew Fest: 201 Worthington St., Springfield, MA
(413) 736-6000; www.theworthybrewfest.com
Valley Fest: Court Square, Springfield, MA
(413) 303-0101; www.valleybrewfest.com
Admission (both): Free
If you like craft beer, you’re in luck this summer, with two events coming to downtown Springfield. On June 20, Smith’s Billiards and Theodores’ Booze, Blues & BBQ, both in the city’s entertainment district, will host some 20 breweries, with music by General Gist and the Mexican Cadillac. The event will also feature a home-brew contest; Amherst Brewing will make the winner’s beer and serve it at next year’s Brew Fest. Then, on Aug. 29, White Lion Brewing Co. will host its inaugural beer festival, called Valley Fest, at Court Square. MGM Springfield will be the presenting sponsor. More than 50 breweries and many local food vendors will converge downtown, and attendees will have an opportunity to sample more than 100 varieties of beer and hard cider alongside pairing selections by local chefs.

Springfield Dragon Boat Festival
121 West St., Springfield, MA
(413) 736-1322; www.pvriverfront.org
Admission: Free
June 27: The third annual Springfield Dragon Boat Festival returns to Riverfront Park. Hosted by the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club, this family-friendly festival features the exciting sport of dragon-boat racing and will include music, performances, food, vendors, kids’ activities, and more. Watch the dragon-boat races, starting at 9 a.m., and stay for a day of fun along the riverfront. The festival is an ideal event for businesses and organizations looking for a new team-building opportunity, and provides financial support for the Riverfront Club as it grows and strengthens its presence in Springfield and the Pioneer Valley.

BerkshiresArtsBerkshires Arts Festival
Ski Butternut, 380 State Road, Great Barrington
(845) 355-2400; www.berkshiresartsfestival.com
Admission: $6-$13; children under 10, free
July 3-5: Now in its 14th year, the Berkshires Arts Festival has become a regional tradition. Thousands of art lovers and collectors are expected to descend on the Ski Butternut grounds to check out and purchase the creations of more than 175 artists and designers, as well as experiencing theater and music from local and national acts. Founded by Richard and Joanna Rothbard, owners of An American Craftsman Galleries, the festival attracts top artists from across the U.S. and Canada. Visitors can also participate in interactive events like puppetry and storytelling, all the time enjoying a respite from the sun under tents and in the ski resort’s air-conditioned lodge.

Monson Summerfest
Main Street, Monson
(413) 267-3649; www.monsonsummerfestinc.com
Admission: Free
July 4: In 1979, a group of parishioners from the town’s Methodist church wanted to start an Independence Day celebration focused on family and community, The first Summerfest was held at the church, featuring food, games, and fun activities. With the overwhelming interest of nonprofit organizations in town, the event immediately grew, and relocated onto Main Street the following year. With the addition of a parade, along with booths, bands, rides, and activities, the event has evolved into an attraction drawing more than 10,000 people every year. The festivities will be preceded this year by a town fireworks display on June 27.

BrimfieldAntiqueBrimfield Antique Show
Route 20, Brimfield, MA
(413) 283-6149; www.quaboaghills.com
Admission: Free
July 14-19, Sep. 8-13: What began humbly — when a local auctioneer decided to hold open-air auctions on his property, and grew into a successful flea market — eventually began including neighboring properties as it grew. It expanded in the ’80s and ’90s to a one-mile stretch of Route 20 on both sides, and these days, the Brimfield Antique Show is a six-mile stretch of heaven for people to value antiques, collectibles, and flea-market finds. Some 6,000 dealers and close to 1 million total visitors show up at the three annual, week-long events (the first was in May). The Brimfield Antique Show labels itself the “Antiques and Collectibles Capital of the United States,” and — judging by its scope and number of visitors — it’s hard to disagree.

Iron Bridge Dinner
Iron Bridge over Deerfield River, Shelburne Falls and Buckland, MA
(413) 625-2526; www.mohawktrail.com
Admission: TBA
Aug. 16: Local restaurants and food providers will prepare an elegant, one-of-a-kind dinner on the Iron Bridge for ticket holders at sunset. Seating is at 5:30 p.m., and dinner begins at 6 p.m. Athletes from the Mohawk Athletic Assoc. will serve the meal, while local musicians serenade the diners. The Iron Bridge spans the towns of Buckland and Shelburne, and this event, modeled after a similar community dinner in France, celebrates all the connections there are between the two communities. Held rain or shine. Tickets go on sale July 17.

Agricultural Fairs
Various locations and admission costs; see websites:
www.thewestfieldfair.com; www.cummingtonfair.com; www.3countyfair.com; www.theblandfordfair.com; www.fcas.com; www.belchertownfair.com
Starting in late August and extending through September, the region’s community agricultural fairs are a treasured tradition, promoting agriculture education and science in the region and supporting the efforts of local growers and craftspeople. The annual fairs also promise plenty of family-oriented fun, from carnival rides to animal demonstrations to food, food, and more food. The Westfield fair kicks things off Aug. 21-23, followed by the Cummington Fair on Aug. 27-30, the Blandford Fair and the Three County Fair in Northampton on Sept. 4-7, the Franklin County Fair in Greenfield on Sept. 10-13, and the Belchertown Fair on Sept. 18-20, to name some of the more popular gatherings.

History and Culture

HancockShakerHancock Shaker Village
1843 West Housatonic St., Pittsfield, MA
(413) 443-0188; 
www.hancockshakervillage.org
Admission: $8-20; children 12 and under, free
In 1774, a small group of persecuted English men and women known as the Shakers — the name is derived from the way their bodies convulsed during prayer — landed in New York Harbor in the hopes of securing religious freedom in America. Nearly 250 years later, their utopian experiment remains available to the public in the restored 19th-century village of Hancock. Through 20 refurbished buildings and surrounding gardens, Shaker Village successfully illuminates the daily lives of its highly productive inhabitants. After spending a day in the recreated town, visitors will surely gain a greater appreciation of the Shakers’ oft-forgotten legacy in the region.

Yidstock
Hampshire College, 893 West St., Amherst
(413) 256-4900; www.yiddishbookcenter.org/yidstock
Admission: Concert pass, $160; tickets may be purchased for individual events
July 16-19: Boasting an array of films, concerts, lectures, and workshops, Yidstock 2015: The Festival of New Yiddish Music lands in Amherst in mid-July. The fourth annual Yidstock festival will bring the best in klezmer and new Yiddish music to the stage at the Yiddish Book Center. The festival includes concerts, lectures, and music and dance workshops.
The weekend will offer an intriguing glimpse into Jewish roots and jazzy soul music through popular Yiddish bands like the Klezmatics, Klezperanto, Sklamberg & the Shepherds, and more. The festival pass is sold out, but four-day concert passes and tickets to individual events are still available.

Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival
Look Park, 300 North Main St., Florence, MA
(413) 862-8095; www.glasgowlands.org
Admission: $16; children 6-12, $5; under 6, free
July 18: This 22nd annual festival celebrating all things Scottish features Highland dancers, pipe bands, a clan parade, sheep herding, spinners, weavers, harpists, Celtic music, athletic contests, activities for children, and the authentically dressed Historic Highlanders recreating everyday life in that society from the 14th through 18th centuries. Inside the huge ‘pub’ tent, musical acts Albannach, Soulsha, Prydein, Jennifer Licko, Charlie Zahm, and the Caseys will keep toes tapping in the shade. Event proceeds will benefit programs at Human Resources Unlimited and River Valley Counseling Center.

Pocumtuck Homelands Festival
Unity Park, 1st St., Turners Falls, MA
(413) 498-4318; www.nolumbekaproject.org
Admission: Free
Aug. 1: This celebration of the parks, people, history, and culture of Turners Falls is a coordinated effort of the Nolumbeka Project and RiverCulture. The event features outstanding Native American crafts, including baskets, pottery, jewelry, and demonstrations of primitive skills; Native American food; and live music by Native American flute maker Hawk Henry, Medicine Mammal Singers, Urban Thunder Singers, and the Visioning B.E.A.R. Singers. Attendees may also take part in craft activities, storytelling, and traditional dances. The Nolumbeka Project is dedicated to the preservation of regional Native American history through educational programs, art, history, music, heritage seed preservation, and cultural events.

OldSturbridgeOld Sturbridge Village Family Fun Days
1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, MA
(800) 733-1830; www.osv.org
Admission: Adults, $24; children, free
Sep. 5-7: Bring the whole family to Old Sturbridge Village on Labor Day weekend, when the largest outdoor history museum in the Northeast opens its doors to children for free (normally, youth admission is $8). Guests are invited to play baseball the way early New Englanders did, make a craft, join a game of French & English (tug of war), meet the oxen in training, try their hand at marbling paper, see a puppet show, watch a toy fire-balloon flight, visit the Freeman Farm, stop and see craftsmen at work, and much more. In addition, the weekend will feature appearances by Bob Olson, performing 19th-century magic, as well as the Old Sturbridge Village Singers and the Old Sturbridge Village Dancers. Let your kids step back into the 1830s and enjoy the last summer weekend before school.

Glendi
St. George Cathedral, 22 St. George Road, Springfield, MA
(413) 737-1496; stgeorgecath.org
Admission: Free
Sep. 11-13: Every year, St. George Cathedral offers thousands of visitors the best in traditional Greek foods, pastries, music, dancing, and old-fashioned Greek hospitality. In addition, the festival offers activities for children, tours of the historic St. George Cathedral and Byzantine Chapel, various vendors from across the East Coast, icon workshops, movies in the Glendi Theatre, cooking demonstrations, and a joyful atmosphere that the whole family will enjoy.

Old Deerfield Craft Fair
10 Memorial St., Deerfield, MA
(413) 774-7476; www.deerfield-craft.org
Admission: $7; children under 12, $1
Sep. 19-20: With New England in its autumnal splendor, the village setting for the Old Deerfield Craft Fair couldn’t be more picturesque. This award-winning show has been recognized for its traditional crafts and fine-arts categories, and offers a great variety of items, from furniture to pottery. And while in town, check out all of Historic Deerfield, an authentic, 18th-century New England village, featuring restored museum houses with period architecture and furnishings, demonstrations of Colonial-era trades, and a world-famous collection of Early American crafts, ceramics, furniture, textiles, and metalwork.

More Fun Under the Sun

Berkshire Botanical Garden
5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA
(413) 298-3926; www.berkshirebotanical.org
Admission: $15; children under 12, free
If the flora indigenous to, or thriving in, the Berkshires of Western Mass. is your cup of tea, try 15 acres of stunning public gardens at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge. Originally established as the Berkshire Garden Center in 1934, today’s not-for-profit, educational organization is both functional and ornamental, with a mission to fulfill the community’s need for information, education, and inspiration concerning the art and science of gardening and the preservation of the environment. In addition to the garden’s collections, among the oldest in the U.S., visitors can enjoy workshops, special events, and guided tours.

BerkshireEastBerkshire East / Zoar Outdoor
Berkshire East: 66 Thunder Mountain Road, Charlemont, MA
(413) 339-6617; www.berkshireeast.com
Zoar Outdoor: 7 Main St., Charlemont, MA
(800) 532-7483;
 www.zoaroutdoor.com
Admission: Varies by activity
Neighbors and friendly rivals in Charlemont, Berkshire East and Zoar Outdoor don’t shut down when ski season ends in early spring; they morph into hubs for warm-weather fun. Berkshire East touts its 5,450-foot mountain coaster, as well as three different zipline canopy tours, whitewater rafting and ‘funyaking’ on the Deerfield River, and other activities. Meanwhile, Zoar Outdoor also offers plenty of options for the adventurous soul, from kayaking, whitewater rafting, and canoeing on the river to rock climbing and ziplining in the trees down a scenic mountain. The staff also lead overnight rafting and zipping tours into the wilderness.

Lady Bea Cruise Boat
1 Alvord St., South Hadley, MA
(413) 315-6342;
 www.brunelles.com
Admission: $10-$15; kids 3 and under, free
Interstate 91 is not the only direct thoroughfare from South Hadley to Northampton. The Lady Bea, a 53-foot, 49-passenger, climate-controlled boat operated by Brunelle’s Marina, will take boarders up and back on daily cruises along the Valley’s other major highway: the Connecticut River. If you don’t feel like sharing the 75-minute narrated voyage with others, rent the boat out for a private excursion. Amenties include a PA system, video monitors, a full bar, and seating indoors and on the sun deck — but the main attraction is the pristine water, sandy beaches, and unspoiled views along the river. Summer cruises generally run Thursday through Sunday.

Lupa Zoo
62 Nash Hill Road, Ludlow, MA
(413) 583-8370; www.lupazoo.org
Admission $8-12; children under 2, free
Lupa Zoo brings the African savannah to Western Mass. residents. The late Henry Lupa fulfilled his lifelong dream of creating a zoo right next to his Ludlow house, filling it with hundreds of animals and instilling a warm, familial atmosphere. Visitors can be entertained by monkeys, feed giraffes on a custom-built tower, and marvel at the bright colors of tropical birds. In addition to offering animal shows and animal-feeding programs, the staff at Lupa Zoo promotes conservation and sustainability.

Nash Dinosaur Track Site & Rock Shop
594 Amherst Road, South Hadley, MA
(413) 467-9566;
www.nashdinosaurtracks.com
Admission: Adults, $3; children, $2
Walk where the dinosaurs walked, literally. It’s hard to believe that the first documented dinosaur tracks found in North America were on the shores of the Connecticut River, near today’s site of Nash Dinosaur Track Site and Rock Shop in South Hadley. Originally uncovered in 1802 by a farmboy plowing his family farm, the findings weren’t officially called dinosaur tracks until the 1830s. Over the years, thousands of dinosaur tracks have been discovered; many were sold to museums and private individuals all over the world, but many more can be seen due to the extensive work of Carlton S. Nash. Visit the site and learn about some of this region’s earliest inhabitants, and also about the geology of the area.

Six Flags New England
1623 Main St., Agawam, MA
(413) 786-9300; www.sixflags.com/newengland
Admission: $59.99; season passes, $66.99
Continuing an impressive run of adding a new major attraction each spring, Six Flags New England recently unveiled the Wicked Cyclone, converting the 1983 wooden coaster into a wood-steel hybrid with overbanks, corkscrews, and plenty of air time. Other recent additions include the 409-foot-tall swings of New England Sky Screamer, the 250-foot Bonzai Pipeline enclosed waterslides, and the massive switchback coaster Goliath — in addition to a raft of other thrill rides, like the award-winning Bizarro coaster. But fear not: the park has attractions for everyone along the stomach-queasiness spectrum, from the classic carousel, bumper cars, and two kiddie-ride areas to the giant wave pools and lazy river in the Hurricane Harbor water park, free with admission.

Valley Blue Sox
MacKenzie Stadium, 500 Beech St., Holyoke
(413) 533-1100; www.valleybluesox/pointstreaksites.com
Admission: $4-$6; season tickets, $89
Through Aug. 1: Western Mass. residents don’t have to trek to Boston to catch quality baseball (and this year, that’s especially true). The Valley Blue Sox, members of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, play close to home at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke. These Sox feature a roster of elite collegiate baseball players from around the country, including some who have already been drafted into the major leagues. Myriad food options, frequent promotional events like postgame fireworks, and numerous giveaways throughout the season help make every game at MacKenzie a fun, affordable outing for the whole family. Play ball!

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Features Special Coverage

Feeding Frenzy

Cheryl Malandrinos says the pandemic changed

Cheryl Malandrinos says the pandemic changed how people look at how they work and where they live, sparking greater demand for homes in Western Mass.

“A $180,000 house going for $275,000 … it can’t continue this way, or else the average homeowner won’t be able to afford a mortgage, and then the market will have to stabilize.” That’s a quote from a Realtor who spoke with BusinessWest last January about the low supply and high prices of homes in Western Mass. A year later, the situation has, simply put, not stabilized, with the region remaining an in-demand destination for remote workers and new housing stock still lagging. For potential buyers, it’s a situation that demands patience — and, again, hope for a correction down the road.

In her 25 years as a Realtor, Nancy Hamel has never seen anything like it.

Looking back at 174 houses sold in Amherst last year, 63 sold for more than $500,000, said Hamel, who is a top-producing agent with Jones Group Realtors. “That’s crazy. For years, we just had a handful sell for over $500,000.”

She rattled off some actual examples: a home with an asking price of $410,000 going for $511,000. A $595,000 listing selling for $675,000. A $649,000 listing topping out at $740,000. “It could just be underpriced, or it could be it rang all the right bells.”

Mostly, though, it’s supply — and that’s an issue in residential real estate that has pushed home prices into the stratosphere.

“Supply has just been very strange,” said Amy Hamel, Nancy’s daughter and partner on her team at Jones — and someone who, unlike Nancy, focuses primarily on the buyers’ side. It can be hugely frustrating.

“Lack of inventory has played a role in people panicking to find suitable housing,” Amy continued. “More people are able to work remotely now because a lot of companies decided to do that long-term because it’s worked so well. They’re saying, ‘why have communal space when we’re doing the same amount of revenue, or more, having employees work from home?’”

As a result, buyers have flocked to Western Mass. — and other attractive regions of the U.S. when it comes to quality of life — and the existing housing stock is not sufficient to meet demand.

“We see a lot of people moving here from all over — from New York, or from out west, Arizona, New Mexico. People are picking a place on a map, and Amherst is definitely a top place for people to come to,” she explained. “So prices are going up more than I could have ever imagined. Money is coming in from all over the place.”

“When it comes from high-home-value regions like California, where a half-million doesn’t seem as expensive for a home, that drives up prices for locals, for whom that is an intimidating chunk of change,” Amy said. “What they’re paying beyond the asking price is unlike anything I’ve seen in my 15 years.

“A lot of people are saying it’s been the best year for Realtors,” she went on. “Not really, unless you’re a top listing agent. Working on the buying-agent side has been very frustrating. I’ve had a lot of buyers put in many, many different offers before they found something, and still I have a lot of buyers laboring because they’re being outbid. And it’s not like they haven’t put in strong offers.”

Nancy noted that her daughter lost out on $14 million in offers last year. “She just got outbid — by people with cash, people offering $50,000 over asking price and still not getting it.”

“A lot of people are saying it’s been the best year for Realtors. Not really, unless you’re a top listing agent. Working on the buying-agent side has been very frustrating.”

She took one buyer from California on a virtual tour over FaceTime, who made an offer immediately, and well over asking price.

That’s great for sellers and listing agents, she admits, “but I’m having concerns. What are working people going to do? If you haven’t made money in real estate, it’s very hard to buy in now.”

Locally, in her Amherst-area market, “it could affect people who apply to UMass because professors don’t want to live far away and teach; they want to live in a 20-mile radius,” she noted. “But South Hadley’s expensive, Belchertown’s exploding, Hadley … forget it, and Northampton’s out of sight.”

The pricing has forced some creativity, to say the least, Nancy said. “People are waiving inspections; that’s scary to me. And I’m seeing an awful lot of parents step up to the plate and help. They say, ‘I’d rather help my kids when my eyes are open, rather than having them get it when I’m gone, and I don’t get to see the joy.’

Amy (left) and Nancy Hamel say they’ve never seen home prices where they are now

Amy (left) and Nancy Hamel say they’ve never seen home prices where they are now, sometimes selling close to $100,000 over the asking price.

“I’m grateful — we’re lucky to be a listing agency,” she went on. “But a lot of my colleagues are disappointed they’re in this feeding frenzy. If they’re new and working with buyers, it’s a lot of work to place an offer — a lot of paperwork, disclosures, everyone has to sign, get pre-approval … to do all that work just to be disappointed. The feeding frenzy is just cuckoo.”

 

Shifting Sands

Cheryl Malandrinos, president of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley (RAPV), said the pandemic caused people to look differently at how they work and, in turn, where they live.

“They decided they didn’t really need to live as close to their offices if they were going to be able to stay remote for the time being. So we’ve definitely seen a shift here,” she told BusinessWest. “We did see buyers from the outside area, from other states, come into the Valley as well. So we continue to struggle with low inventory and rising prices throughout. The reality is, we haven’t been able to produce housing for quite some time. That has not helped us any.”

At the end of 2021, inventory in the region was 30% down when compared to December 2020, and prices rose about 15.4%, on average, over that same time period — which is remarkable, considering that articles like this one — discussing the same issues of a supply crunch and high selling prices — were being written a year ago, too.

One issue is that Millennials are increasingly entering the market, and they’re looking for affordable homes. “The reality is 41% of total buyers are first-time homebuyers, so entry-level homes are high demand,” Malandrinos said, and those homes aren’t being built at the rate buyers demand — especially during a lumber shortage. “It’s hard to build that first-time-homebuyer, entry-level home and make it affordable.”

“A lot of my colleagues are disappointed they’re in this feeding frenzy.”

For that reason and others, she said, Realtors and economists expect demand to continue to soar in 2022, especially with the prospect of the Fed raising interest rates. “Buyers will keep us busy in the winter season, looking for homes and hoping to secure them while the rates are still historically low, which gives them more purchasing power.”

Last year, the median price of an existing single-family home nationally jumped to an all-time high of $357,900, up 23% from 2020, according to the National Assoc. of Realtors (NAR).

“Supply-chain disruptions for building new homes and labor shortages have hindered bringing more inventory to the market,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “Therefore, housing prices continue to march higher due to the near record-low supply levels.”

Yun noted that inflation and the pace of price appreciation is expected to subside next year. At NAR’s recent Real Estate Forecast Summit, economists and housing experts agreed that inflation would likely ease in 2022 at a 4% rate, while home prices are expected to rise at a moderate pace of 5.7%.

So what does that mean for buyers? “You have to be prepared because you’re going to face a fair amount of competition in the marketplace,” Malandrinos said. “Gone are the days when you could find something and, a few days later, think about talking to a lender.

“You need to be prepared right away — engaging a Realtor as soon as possible, getting pre-approved, so you’re all set once you find what you want, because you’re not going to have time to second-guess it,” she continued. “You have to move forward with a strong offer. We’re still most likely going to see things selling over asking price, with multiple offers on properties that are well-priced.”

At the end of 2021, listings lingered on the market 22 days on average, but that number is skewed by a few outliers. “In reality, many properties are leaving the market before that.”

What she doesn’t recommend is acting out of panic — for instance, by waiving inspections. “I’m not one, in good conscience, to recommend that. Maybe you’re saying, ‘I want to hold off my inspection and reserve the right to withdraw, but don’t expect you to do any repairs.’ That’s also a way to get around that.”

 

Street-level View

Nancy Hamil has seen downtown Amherst values rise to 20% higher than similar properties in other neighborhoods, and one factor might be that migration into Western Mass. from people in urban centers who still want to live near amenities.

Lawrence Yun

“Supply-chain disruptions for building new homes and labor shortages have hindered bringing more inventory to the market. Therefore, housing prices continue to march higher due to the near record-low supply levels.”

“People covet living in downtown Amherst; they love to be able to walk places. Northampton is the same,” she said, noting that apartment rents are also on the rise, again impacted by supply and demand, and people priced out of the home-buying market needing a place to live.

“I do think affordable housing needs to stabilize to some extent because prices have gone a little beyond where I thought they would be in our area,” Amy Hamel added. “I do wonder what this year is going to be like. There are many factors that play into the market, and especially with COVID still running rampant, it’s going to be interesting to see how this year plays out.”

The pandemic did change the way homes are shown, Malandrinos said, with 2020 givijg rise to virtual tours using 360-degree videography.”

“That stayed with us and likely will continue, as it makes everyone feel safer,” she said, while noting that in-person tours are still common, though some sellers are leaning more toward open houses instead of many individual showings.

“Some people are still concerned about safety, so you have to work with your Realtor and make a plan that makes sense for you,” she noted. “Often, properties come on the market, and Realtors defer showings and have many people come in at once instead of private showings.”

It’s not unusual, she added, for those tours to have a set layout, with interested buyers entering by one door, following a path, and leaving by a different door. “As we go back to in-person showings, we’re trying to keep it as normal as possible, but as safe as possible, too.”

She pointed to the state’s Housing Choice Initiative, created a few years ago to incentivize communities to build more housing stock, as one way to increase supply.

“I really hope for a market correction so more people can afford to come into the market,” Nancy Hamel said. “I remember, when I was young, we didn’t require these huge down payments, and a house cost $50,000. Home ownership shouldn’t be only for the wealthy.”

Malandrinos agreed. “Buyers are tired,” she said. “It’s not unusual to hear, ‘my buyer lost out on their third property.’ Everyone benefits when there’s more equity in the market. I hope we get there, but we’re not there yet.”

There’s only so much comfort those words bring to people who feel they’re priced out of the kind of home they want in Western Mass.

“It’s easy for people to get frustrated, but stick with it. There is a property for you,” she added. “You need to be confident and come in with a strong offer you’re comfortable with — and hang tight.”

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Sections Supplements
Provider Contact Charges Services
Ashton Services
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126 Fenn St., Pittsfield, MA 01201 (413) 442-7805;www.berkshire.net
Michael Bathrick $19.95/month standard dial-up;one-time $19.95 set-up fee Dial-up locations throughout Mass. and N.H.;multiple phone lines; full-time system administrator
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1 Federal St., Bldg. 111, Springfield, MA 01105
(413) 732-6336;www.choiceonecom.com
N/A $19.95/month dial-up Dedicated Internet access; dedicated DSL; fractional and T1access; speeds from 128k to 1.54 megabytes; serving the (413) Greater Springfield area
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1441 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103 (413) 732-5088;www.conversent.com
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Features
Will Falling Gas Prices Be Good for Business?

The downward trend in fuel prices has delighted consumers, but businesses have mixed thoughts when assessing the long-term impact.

The downward trend in fuel prices has delighted consumers, but businesses have mixed thoughts when assessing the long-term impact.

In 2008, as gas prices hit $4 per gallon, the blame game heated up as well, with Congress berating oil-company CEOs for profiteering during an economic slowdown, and the execs sniping at Congress for restricting drilling and refining at home, contributing to a dependence on oil-rich but often-unfriendly foreign governments.

Caught in the middle of that exchange were average Americans, who — already buffeted by an economic crash that bled jobs and drained retirement portfolios — increasingly found themselves diverting money from other household needs in order to fill up the gas tank.

At the same time, businesses of all kinds were forced to make tough decisions, from retail stores pondering whether to pass hefty shipping surcharges to customers, to construction firms seeing profits shrink as the cost of fuel and supplies far outstripped what they had anticipated during the bid process.

Now that gas prices have reversed course and plummeted, even dipping below $2 for regular at many stations in Massachusetts, one would expect those trends to be reversed, giving businesses some reprieve from six years of sky-high rates.

Not so fast.

“What I’ve found funny is that a lot of our paper suppliers — paper companies and different media outlets that make deliveries here — put on a gas surcharge,” said Steve Lang, president of Curry Printing in West Springfield. “But it never seems to come off. When we’re dealing with UPS, they’ll add their little surcharge in there for high gas prices, but it doesn’t come off when the prices come down.”

In fact, some analysts say the plunge in global oil prices will eventually affect small businesses in negative ways. Expected cutbacks and layoffs in the oil industry could be felt in related industries, such as the housing market in areas where petroleum companies operate, as well as restaurants and retailers that rely on oil-industry workers as their customers, Rohit Arora, CEO and co-founder of Biz2Credit, wrote in Inc.

“Lower oil and gasoline prices have many, many benefits for consumers and will likely help vitalize auto-industry sales and the spending of newly found disposable income,” he noted. “This is good news for small-business owners, of course. However, prices that are too low could eventually have serious negative implications longer-term.”

In short, while consumers are pleased with more money in their pockets, the impact on businesses of all kinds remains mixed, and uncertain.

Food for Thought

Retail businesses are anticipating that more disposable income will trickle down as increased sales. But so far, that hasn’t happened at Big Y, said Claire D’Amour, the chain’s vice president for corporate communications.

“Right now, it’s hard to tell, I think,” she told BusinessWest. “Low gas prices means there’s more disposable income, more cash in people’s wallets, but whether that’s translated into opportunities for higher sales, well, we haven’t seen anything specifically pointing to that this year.”

In reality, she noted, “after 2007, people changed their shopping patterns; they became more thrifty. With more money in their wallets now, will we see that change? We did have robust sales for the holiday season, which we’re happy about. But is that a reflection of gas prices? It’s hard to be sure.”

In fact, consumers aren’t seeing lower prices at food stores, for reasons that extend far beyond the retail sector. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, recent food-production challenges include a cattle herd that’s been much smaller than normal, which affects beef prices, and poor weather in the West that has hindered certain crops. High wheat production, on the other hand, has kept cereal and bread pricing relatively stable.

Still, the U.S. Department of Labor reports that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all items rose just 0.8% over the past 12 months, the second-lowest rise in the past 50 years, exceeded only by 2008, the year financial markets — and the economy in general — spun into crisis. The 2014 CPI has much to do with energy costs, which fell 10.6% over the year, with gasoline falling 21%.

The drop is due mainly to the highest global oil production since 1989, but industry analysts differ when it comes to how long this period might last.

“Most of us in the industry are surprised that it’s fallen as hard and fast as it has,” Ryan Lance, CEO of ConocoPhillips, said at a meeting of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “I don’t know that I have a real good answer to that question, other than it doesn’t feel like the fundamentals would support that kind of fall.”

Instead, Lance predicts oil prices will rebound faster than anticipated, as they did in 2009, on the heels of the Great Recession. “People were worried about the global economy, and prices went to $30, $40 a barrel, and just a matter of months later, it was back to $100 a barrel,” he said. “And that’s the kind of volatility we’re in.”

After a strong holiday season, Big Y executives are unsure how gas prices will affect consumer behavior heading into 2015.

After a strong holiday season, Big Y executives are unsure how gas prices will affect consumer behavior heading into 2015.

On the other hand, Larry Zimpleman, chairman and CEO of Principal Financial Group, told the Wall Street Journal that he predicts the era of relatively tight supplies controlled by OPEC, and resulting high energy prices, to be coming to an end.

The reasons why are numerous, including continuing sluggish growth in both emerging and developed economies, reducing the demand for oil; new technologies, such as fracking, making previously shuttered oil fields productive once again, increasing the volume of oil coming onto the market; and continued incremental improvement in alternative sources of energy, like wind and solar. “Thus,” he said, “I think pressure is likely to remain on oil prices for an extended period.”

That’s good news for general contractors, said Craig Sweitzer, president of Craig Sweitzer & Co., a construction firm in Monson with seven employees.

“It’s absolutely huge,” said Sweitzer, who has seven gas-powered vehicles in his fleet. “We’re lucky, because we decided to upgrade and give everyone a truck last year, which we’d never done before. Add in insurance and taxes and fuel, and it was a huge windfall to have gas prices go down. We drive big trucks that consume a lot of fuel; it’s a very big part of our expenses.”

He noted that some contruction-related industries — like road pavers, which use oil in their asphalt products — have clauses built into their contracts that protect against sudden increases in fuel prices, “but we’re the little guys, and people don’t typically do that with us. The airlines, for instance, pre-buy on their contracts, but we’re completely prey to the market.”

Moving On Down

The drop in energy prices is equally welcome at other businesses that use a lot of gas, like commercial movers.

“In our case, there are two parts to our company,” said Rod Sitterly, president of Sitterly Moving & Storage in Springfield. “One would be local household and commercial moving. Gas prices have very little effect there because everything is local; the truck sits there for five hours, then goes two miles to its destination. So, for the local household and local commercial jobs, there’s very little effect. Some moving companies were charging a fuel surcharge for those moves, but we never did.

“The long-distance moves, that’s a totally different story,” he continued. “Obviously, fuel is a bigger segment of the cost. The major movers, the major van lines — we’re with Atlas, for example — for the moment, they have an 8% fuel surcharge that has been as high as 14%, so there has been a significant decline in that.”

He noted that this environment stems from the days when industry rates were regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission, and companies were allowed to tag on fuel surcharges to reflect rising gas prices.

“Since deregulation, you can charge whatever you want, and over time, a lot of charges have gone away — but the fuel surcharge never did,” Sitterly said. “For long-distance moving, obviously it has a big effect. Even people moving themselves to Florida or someplace long-distances often don’t consider how much they’ll pay to get to their new location.”

Big Y, with more than 50 stores across the region, saw its fuel surcharges on produce trucked from California and other distant locales increase by $1 million in just six months in 2008, when oil prices shot up. While those fees are not an issue right now, D’Amour said, the company is not yet benefiting in other ways one might expect now that energy prices have fallen.

“In terms of our utilities, a lot of utility rates get locked in, so they’re not fluctuating,” she said, adding that the chain has also seen little decrease in production costs — say, for canned goods — passed down to retailers. “We’re not seeing reductions, but there’s a huge lag time.”

As for how less-expensive gas might change customer spending habits, she reiterated that Big Y, like other businesses, are still waiting for positive signs.

“There were lots of lessons learned from 2008 in terms of how people buy — ­whether they might splurge here or there [with extra cash] or pay off another credit card. Right now, it’s hard to tell.”

For others, like Sweitzer, the benefits are clear and immediate — and come with a political upside.

“Now that America is one of the largest oil producers, you feel good buying gas; it’s a win-win economically and culturally,” he told BusinessWest. “Everyone feels it. I’m sure a lot of people had a better Christmas because of the extra money in their pockets.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Chamber Corners

1BERKSHIRE
www.1berkshire.com
(413) 499-1600

• Oct. 17: Chamber Nite, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Hillcrest Commons, 169 Valentine Road, Pittsfield. Chamber networking event. Free for members.

• Oct. 24: Good News Business Salute, featuring Women in Business Month, 5-7 p.m, hosted by Seven Hills Inn, 40 Plunkett St., Lenox.

• Oct. 28: Berkshire Young Professionals Event, 4-8 p.m., hosted by St. James Place, 352 Main St., Great Barrington.

AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.amherstarea.com
(413) 253-0700

• Oct. 4: A+ Awards Banquet, 5-9 p.m., hosted by UMass Student Ballroom, 280 Hicks Way, Amherst. Each year, the chamber takes a moment to collectively celebrate the outstanding achievements of community members and entities that contribute to the growth and well-being of the place we choose to work and live. Cost: $80, $75 for a table of 10. Register at amherstarea.com.

• Oct. 24: Multi-chamber Oktoberfest, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Hadley Farms Meeting House, 41 Russell St., Hadley. Register at amherstarea.com.

• Oct. 25: Legislative Breakfast, 7:30-9:30 a.m., hosted by Lord Jeffery Inn, 30 Boltwood Ave., Amherst. The annual legislative breakfast brings together legislators, local officials, and business leaders to network and discuss current and upcoming policy issues. Cost: $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Register at amherstarea.com.

GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101

• Sept. 19: Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Tru By Hilton, 440 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Chief greeter: Tony Cignoli. Keynote speaker: state Rep. Joseph Wagner. Series sponsored by United Personnel, Westfield Bank, Holyoke Medical Center, Polish National Credit Union, Gaudreau Group, Spherion Staffing Services, PeoplesBank, and Interstate Towing Inc. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members. Sign up online at www.chicopeechamber.org/events or call (413) 594-2101.

• Sept. 28: Chamber Seminar: “Authenticity in Leadership,” 9-11 a.m., hosted by Residence Inn, 500 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Presenter: Lora Wondolowski of Leadership Pioneer Valley. Presented by Westfield Bank. Cost: $15 for members, $20 for non-members. Sign up online at www.chicopeechamber.org/events or call (413) 594-2101.

• Oct. 2: Multi-chamber Business Table Top Expo, 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Sponsored by LaQuinta Inns & Suites, Holyoke Medical Center, Westfield Bank, BusinessWest, and Polish National Credit Union. The Greater Chicopee, Greater Holyoke, South Hadley & Granby, Springfield Regional, and Quaboag Hills chambers of commerce will host more than 100 vendors in this networking event. Vendor tables are booking now at $125, with a $25 charge for electricity. Light refreshments and a cash bar will be available. Sponsorship packages are still available. Free to the public to attend. Register a vendor table online at chicopeechamber.org/events, and ask about the new-member discount.

• Oct. 17: Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by MassMutual Learning & Conference Center. Featuring a community planning update. Chief greeter: Lee Pouliot, city of Chicopee. Keynote speaker: Tim Brennan, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Sponsored by United Personnel, Westfield Bank, Holyoke Medical Center, Polish National Credit Union, Gaudreau Group, Spherion Staffing Services, PeoplesBank, Lisa Vachon, CPA, and FutureWorks. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members. Sign up online at chicopeechamber.org/events.

GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414

• Sept. 23: Breakfast, 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., hosted by Springfield Country Club, 1375 Elm St., West Springfield. The Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce joins with other area chambers to provide information concerning the nursing ballot initiative. There will be a continental breakfast and networking beginning at 7:30 a.m., folllowed by a panel discussion beginning at 8 a.m. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

• Sept. 28: Women & the Art of Risk, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., hosted by the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. A women’s leadership event featuring workshops, discussions, and career-development opportunities, all led by distinguished women from the Pioneer Valley. Hear personal and professional stories of how taking calculated risks led these women to new adventures and made them stronger leaders. The keynote speaker is Dr. Valerie Young, an internationally recognized expert on impostor syndrome. Cost: $119, or $875 for a table of 10. Pre-registration is a must. For more information, a schedule of the day’s events, and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

• Oct. 2: “The Story Behind the Grand Bargain,” 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., hosted by the Log Cabin, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. A joint event with the Springfield Regional Chamber and 1Berkshire. Lunch will be 11:30 a.m. to noon, and the program will follow from noon to 1 p.m. Nancy Creed, president of the Springfield Regional Chamber, and John Regan, executive vice president of Government Affairs at Associated Industries of Massachusetts, will explain the details of the compromise bill and what it means for businesses. You will learn how they negotiated the compromise with a grassroots coalition and what that process could mean for future hot-button issues and how they affect business. Cost: $30 for members, $40n for non-members. Register at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com. Greater Easthampton Chamber members register with code GBE18.

• Oct. 11: Networking by Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Abandoned Building Brewery, 142 Pleasant St., Unit 103A, Easthampton. Sponsored by Tunnel 7 and Fran’s Fine Editing. Food and door prizes will be available, along with a cash bar. Cost: $10 fir members, $15 for non-members. Pre-registration is suggested. For more information and to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.holyokechamber.com
(413) 534-3376

• Sept. 19: Chamber After Hours, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Gateway City Arts, 92 Race St., Holyoke. Join us for our first After Hours of this fiscal season. The team down at Gateway City Arts is excited to host this networking event in its Biergarten and Bistro. Cost: free to members who register in advance, $10 at the door and for non-members.

• Sept. 21: Now in its 30th season, the chamber and Holyoke Community College present Leadership Holyoke, to be held over a series of eight days. Faculty members from HCC will participate as instructors and facilitators, and community leaders will participate as speakers and discussion leaders. Cost: $600 for all eight sessions. Sign up at holyokechamber.com.

• Sept. 28: Women and the Art of Risk, hosted by the Log Cabin, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. A women’s leadership event, in conjunction with the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, featuring workshops, discussions, and career-development opportunities, all led by distinguished woman from the Pioneer Valley. Hear personal and professional stories of how taking calculated risks led these women to new adventures and made them stronger leaders. Sign up at easthamptonchamber.org.

GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.explorenorthampton.com
(413) 584-1900

• Oct. 2: October Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., a networking event and chamber open house hosted by the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. Sponsored by Pioneer Training. Cost: $10 for members.

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618

• Sept. 20: Workshop: “Cybersecurity for Cloud-based Solutions: Emphasis on Endpoints in the Data Center,” 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., hosted by Tekoa Country Club, 459 Russell Road, Westfield. Presented by Norhals Group LLC, Carbon Black, and VMWare’s Cloud Force Security. Continental breakfast and lunch will be served. Cost: $45. For sponsorships or registration questions, e-mail [email protected] or call (413) 568-1618. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org/events.

• Sept. 21: September Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., hosted by 104th Fighter Wing ANG, 175 Falcon Dr., Westfield. Platinum event sponsor: Baystate Noble Hospital; gold sponsors: Savage Arms, United Bank, and Westfield Gas & Electric; silver sponsor: A Plus HVAC Inc; bronze sponsors: Armbrook Village, Governor’s Center, Micro Abrasives Corp., and Rehab Resolutions. Join us to hear from keynote speaker Tim Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Immediately following breakfast, we will take the 2019-20 directory centerfold photo, and those who have the time can take a tour of the base. Cost: $25 for members, $40 for non-members. For sponsorships or registration questions, e-mail [email protected] or call (413) 568-1618. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org/events.

• Sept. 28: Workshop: “Social Media in the Workplace,” 8:30-10 a.m., hosted by Holiday Inn Express, 39 Southampton Road, Westfield. Presented by attorney Timothy Netkovick of Royal P.C. Cost: free for mmembers; $30/non-members (Paid in Advance). For sponsorships or registration questions, e-mail [email protected] or call (413) 568-1618. To register, visit www.westfieldbiz.org/events.

• Oct. 1: Mayor’s Coffee Hour with Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Armbrook Village, 51 North Road, Westfield. Free and open to the public. Sign up online at www.westfieldbiz.org/events or call the chamber at (413) 568-1618 to register so we may give our host a head count.

• Oct. 4: Multi-Chamber Lunch & Learn, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern Carriage House, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Rick Lord, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, will offer a barometer of the regional business climate and the historic ‘grand bargain’ legislation that promises to have profound effects on businesses and employees. Cost: $30 for members, $40 for non-members (cash or credit paid at the door). Sign up online at www.westfieldbiz.org/events. For sponsorships or more information, call the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

• Oct. 4: Ticket to Ride, hosted by the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round, 221 Appleton St., Holyoke. In honor of Manufacturing Month, manufacturers are invited to don casual business attire for a ride down the rails to the Merry-Go-Round in Holyoke. Aboard, you will be treated as a VIP, with an open bar and free hors-d’oeuvres. Non-manufacturers welcome as well. Space is limited. This event is free and open to the public. Sign up online at www.westfieldbiz.org/events or call the chamber at (413) 568-1618 to register.

• Oct. 10: October After 5 Connection, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Chester Railway Station, 10 Prospect St., Chester. Refreshments will be served, and a 50/50 raffle will benefit the chamber’s scholarship fund. Bring your business cards and make connections. Cost: free for members, $10 for non-members (cash or credit paid at the door). Sign up online at www.westfieldbiz.org/events. For sponsorships or more information, call the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

FRANKLIN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.franklincc.org
(413) 773-5463
 
• Sept. 28: Monthly Breakfast Series, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Franklin County Technical High School, 82 Industrial Blvd., Turners Falls. Full breakfast will be served during the program, which will feature the kickoff of the United Way of Franklin County’s fundraising campaign. Register at franklincc.org or e-mail [email protected].
 
SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER
www.springfieldregionalchamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• Oct. 2: “The Story Behind the Grand Bargain,” 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., hosted by the Log Cabin, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. Cost: $30 for members, $40 for non-members, $45 at the door. Register by visiting www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mailing [email protected], or calling (413) 755-1310.

• Oct. 2: Multi-chamber Business Table Top Expo, 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Presented in collaboration with the Greater Chicopee, Greater Holyoke, Holyoke, Greater Westfield, and Quaboag Hills chambers. Cost: $125 for exhibitors. Register by visiting www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mailing [email protected], or calling (413) 755-1310.

• Oct. 17: Deadline for Super 60 reservations. Register by visiting www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mailing [email protected], or calling (413) 755-1310.

• Oct. 26: Super 60 Awards Celebration, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Chez Josef, 176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. Join us as we celebrate the success of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the region. Cost: $60 for members, $75 for non-members, $100 at the door. Register by visiting www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mailing [email protected], or calling (413) 755-1310.

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.ourwrc.com
(413) 426-3880

• Sept. 18: September Legislative Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., hosted by Chez Josef, 176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. Join us as we listen to an informative panel discussion with our elected officials. State senators, state representatives, and local mayors will update guests on all things politics. The presenting sponsor is Horizon Services; premier sponsors include the Insurance Center of New England, Health New England, Polish National Credit Union, and Republic Services; and preferred sponsors include Reliable Temps, Spherion Staffing, Westfield Bank, and Partners Restaurant & Catering. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• Oct. 4: Multi-chamber Lunch & Learn, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Enjoy lunch while learning about the future of our business climate with guest speaker Richard Lord, CEO of Associated Industries of Massachusetts. Cost: $30. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected].

• Oct. 18: Networking Lunch, noon to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Crestview Country Club, Agawam. You must be a member or guest of a member to attend. Enjoy a sit-down lunch while networking with fellow chamber members. Each attendee will get a chance to offer a brief introduction and company overview. The only cost to attend is the cost of your lunch. Attendees will order off the menu and pay separately the day of the event. We cannot invoice you for these events. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• Oct. 25: Food Fest West, 5:30-8 p.m., hosted by Springfield Country Club, West Springfield. Local restaurants show off their cuisine at this well-attended event, which also features a DJ, raffle, and entertainment. Vote for your favorite restaurant. Proceeds raised by Food Fest West will go toward the Partnership for Education and the WRC Educational Fund, which provides grants to businesses for on-the-job training and continuing-education needs. Cost: $35 in advance, $45 at the door. Tickets may be purchased online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com. For more information about this event, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected].

Holiday Gift Guide Sections

Wilson “Hope” Golf Box Set: $299.99
Dave DiRico’s Golf Shop and Racquet Center
A pink golf set made for the starter or intermediate woman golfer; a portion of proceeds go towards breast-cancer research.
21 Myron St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 734-4444; www.davediricogolf.com

 

iSound Fire: $29.99
Ideal for iPod, iPhone, iPad, and any audio device with a 3.5mm output; powerful built-in speaker allows music to be heard with depth and clarity; built in Li-ion battery (5-hour life at 70% volume).
2078 Memorial Dr., South Hadley, MA 01075
(413) 535-0200; www.familywireless.com
(See website for other locations)

 

explorenorthampton.com Gift Card:
Any Denomination
Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
Honored at more than 60 Northampton shops, restaurants, salons; purchase at the Northampton Visitors Center or online; reload funds at any time and check balance online.
Northampton Visitors Center
99 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 584-1900; www.explorenorthampton.com

 

Old World Italian Gift Basket: $100
Frigo’s Foods
From the northern village of Dolo, Italy, the Frigo family has been serving Western Mass. since the 1950s; the Old World Italian basket holds a mix of seasonal gourmet products; other baskets in different prices available
90 William St., Springfield, MA 01105; (413) 732-5428
159 Shaker Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028
(413) 525-9400; www.frigofoods.com

 

Kia or Volvo Remote Car Starter Kits:
$350 – $595
Fathers & Sons Dealer Group
Kia and Volvo factories now offer factory-brand car starters that are compatible with each car’s wiring system; can be ordered with new car purchase or as a gift accessory.
Kia: $350-$595 installed (depending on year of car)
468 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089
(877) 484-3442
Volvo: $519 installed
989 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089
(877) 332-8579; www.fathers-sons.com

 

The GET Skiing Program: $89
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort
Guaranteed Easy Turns (GET) program offers a learn-to-ski class and free lift ticket for gift giver.
37 Corey Road, Hancock, MA  01237
(413) 738-5500; www.jiminypeak.com

 

Family Sports Basket: Various Prices
Create your own sports basket for a family by purchasing tickets or gift cards/promotions from these local museums and sports teams (based on a family of four):
 

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: $76 Family Four Pack
Children 4 and under free
1000 Hall of Fame Ave., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 781-6500; www.hoophall.com

 

Springfield Falcons Hockey: $40
Falcons’ Dunkin’ Donut Holiday Hat Trick Package; $80 value includes two hats, two Falcons tickets for any game, two $5 Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards.
45 Falcons Way, Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 739-3344; www.falconsahl.com

 

Springfield Armor: $49
All-You-Can-Eat Four-Game Plan includes tickets to four basketball games (Jan. 5 and 26, Feb. 9, March 23) two of which include all-you-can-eat hot dogs, popcorn, and soda (Jan. 26 and March 23); one Springfield Armor hat; one Springfield Armor t-shirt; starts at $49; team plays at MassMutual Center.
One Monarch Place, Suite 220, Springfield, MA 01144
(413) 746-3263; www.armorhoops.com

 

Family Fun History Basket: Various Prices
Create your own history and educational basket for a family by purchasing tickets or gift cards/promotions from these local museums and organizations (all based on a family of four):

 

Zoo in Forest Park and Education Center: $23 Family Four Pack
Adults: $6.75; senior citizens: $4.75; children ages 5-12: $4.75; children up to age 4: $2.50
302 Sumner Ave., Springfield, MA 01138
(413) 733-2251; www.forestparkzoo.org

 

Historic Deerfield: $34 Family Four Pack
Adults: $12; children 6-17: $5; children under 6: free
84B Old Main St., Deerfield, MA 01342
(413) 774-5581; www.historic-deerfield.org

 

Springfield Museums: $46 Family Four Pack
Adults: $15; seniors: $10: college students: $10: children 3-17: $8; children 2 and under: free
21 Edwards St., Springfield, MA 01103
(800) 625-7738; www.springfieldmuseums.org

Custom Holiday Floral Centerpiece: $20 and up
A New Leaf Flower Shop
A social enterprise of the nonprofit Center for Human Development (CHD); people with mental health and developmental challenges grow beautiful plants and create fabulous flower arrangements; full-service florist, handcrafted jewelry and specialty items.
50 Warehouse St., Springfield, MA 01118
(413) 733-2179; www.chd.org/anewleaf

 

1st Timer Learn to Ski Package: $75
Ski Butternut
With lift ticket, rentals, and lesson included, it’s a $135 value for only $75. Then keep coming back for more lessons, also with lift tickets and rental included, for only $100 per session.
380 State Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230
(413) 528-2000; www.skibutternut.com

 

Troy Rear Folding BattleSight: $119.00
Troy Industries
Durability and dead-on accuracy have made Troy Industries Folding BattleSights the hands-down choice of special ops and tactical users worldwide.
151 Capital Dr., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 788-4288; www.troyind.com

 

Cellulite-reducing Clay Mask Treatment: $65
SkinCatering at Bella Vita Salon
Deluxe body mask targets the cellulite on hips and the backs of thighs and includes a relaxing therapeutic back massage; results last 7-10 days.
491 Granby Road, South Hadley, MA 01075
(413) 539-0793; www.skincatering.com

 

Brightside Angel Kringle Candle: $18
Brightside for Families and Children
New Brightside Angel Kringle Candle features a vanilla lavender fragrance offered online and at O’Connell’s Convenience Plus locations; proceeds directly benefit more than 400 local children and their families with in-home counseling and family support.
271 Carew St., Springfield MA 01102
(413) 748-9920; www.brightsideangels.com

 

A Nonprofit Donation in Someone’s Name: Any Denomination
Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
Give a gift in honor of a family member, friend, or colleague to the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts’ Annual Fund. Gifts to the Annual Fund help the Foundation support the region through scholarships for students and grants for nonprofits.
1500 Main St., Suite 2300, Springfield, MA 01115
(413) 732-2858; www.communityfoundation.org

 

Petra Azar Necklace: $235
Hannoush Jewelers
A brand-new collection; great for any age (even for those with shoulder or hand mobility issues); pendant is actually the magnetic clasp; comes in silver and gold; necklaces, bracelets, and rings.
1655 Boston Post Road, Springfield, MA 01129
(413) 439-2830; www.hannoush.com
(Check website for other locations)

 

Zip Line Canopy Tour: $94
Zoar Outdoor
The three-hour zip line canopy tour leads adventurers on an aerial trek though the woods by means of 11 zip lines, 2 sky bridges, and 3 rappels suspended in the trees (April 1 to Nov. 24, 2013); cost is per person.
7 Main St., Charlemont, MA 01339
(800) 532-7483; www.zoaroutdoor.com

 

Atkins Savory Suppers: $55
Atkins Farms Country Market
The Pioneer Valley’s first meal prep and assembly center; Savory Suppers allows one to prepare economical entrees quickly and easily with farm-fresh ingredients that can be taken home, frozen, and prepared when convenient; session includes 3 entrees to assemble or gift card can be purchased in any denomination.
1150 West St., South Amherst, MA 01002
(413) 253-9528; www.atkinssavorysuppers.com

 

Wine and Chocolate Tasting
Hosted by Michael Quinlan: $40
Table & Vine
Table & Vine will help one explore chocolate and wine together, with eight pairings. Cost is per person; reservations required.
1119 Riverdale St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 736-4694; www.tableandvine.com

 

Collectible Children’s Patriotic Drum: $34.95
Noble & Cooley Drum
Tin-body drum, strung with white cord and leather ears, has patriotic theme of Uncle Sam surrounded by eagles, stars, and stripes (carrying strap and sticks included); dates back to 1906. Visit the museum, www.ncchp.org
42 Water St., Granville MA 01034
(413) 357-6321; www.noblecooley.com

 

Mudpie Sentiments Serving Collections: $26.95 – $56.95
Cooper’s Gifts and Curtains
Beautiful thoughts and sentiments on ceramic, brushed silver, and glass tableware.
161 Main St., Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 786-7760; www.coopersgifts.com

 

Manny’s Olive Oil: $15.99
Fresh from the tree to the bottle; cold-press olive oil straight from the Island of Crete, Greece; order online or purchase in local food outlets.
(413) 233-2532; www.mannysoliveoil.com

Chamber Corners Departments

1BERKSHIRE
www.1berkshire.com
(413) 499-1600

• March 21: Chamber Nite, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Lee Bank, 75 North St., Pittsfield. Bring your business card to enter to win our door prize. Register online at www.1berkshire.com.

• March 28: Career Fair, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., hosted by Berkshire Community College, Paterson Field House, 1350 West St., Pittsfield. Get in front of Berkshire-based businesses at this annual event. Connect with employers looking to hire. You may also choose to exhibit, and recruit new employees, grow your business, and get in front of hundreds of job seekers. The event is free and open to the public. If you are interested in exhibiting or attending, visit www.1berkshire.com.

• April 18: Good News Business Salute, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Berkshire Hills Country Club, 500 Benedict Road, Pittsfield. Join us for our morning breakfast, where we will honor members and announce the winner of this year’s Esther Quinn Award. Cost: $35-$45. Register online at www.1berkshire.com.

• April 26: Creative Resources Conference, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., hosted by Stationery Factory, 63 Flansburg Ave., Dalton. The format has three tracts, with a total of nine workshops for creatives, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. More information to come. Register online at www.1berkshire.com.

AMHERST AREA
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.amherstarea.com
(413) 253-0700

• April 26: Margarita Madness, 5:30-7:30 p.m., hosted by Lord Jeffery Inn, 30 Boltwood Ave., Amherst. Come taste margaritas and vote for your favorite. There will also be delicious dishes from participating restaurants and dozens of great raffle prizes. Cost: $30 pre-registered, $40 at the door. Register online at www.amherstarea.com.

FRANKLIN COUNTY
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.franklincc.org
(413) 773-5463

• April 20: Monthly Breakfast Series, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Greenfield High School, 21 Barr Ave., Greenfield. Full breakfast will be served during the program, which will feature an Entrepreneur of the Year panel. Sponsored by Franklin County Community Development Corp. and the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board. Cost: $13 for members; $16 for non-members. Register at franklincc.org or by e-mailing [email protected].

• April 26: Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center, 289 Main St., Greenfield. Networking event with special guest Sue Dahling Sullivan from Massachusetts ArtWeek. Come kick off the debut of ArtWeek in Western Mass. Refreshments and cash bar will be available. Cost: $10. Register at franklincc.org or by e-mailing [email protected].

GREATER CHICOPEE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101

• March 21: St. Patrick’s Day Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by the Delaney House, 1 Country Club Road, Holyoke. Chief greeter: John Beaulieu, city of Chicopee and St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. Keynote speaker: Sean Cahillane, Irish Cultural Center. Sarah the Fiddler will perform. Sponsored by United Personnel, Westfield Bank, Holyoke Medical Center, Polish National Credit Union, Gaudreau Group, Sunshine Village, Spherion Staffing Services, and PeoplesBank. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members. Sign up online at chicopeechamber.org/events.

• April 3: Chamber Seminar: “Pay Equity,” presented by Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast, 9-11 a.m, hosted by La Quinta Inn & Suites. Sponsored by Westfield Bank. Cost: $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Sign up online at chicopeechamber.org/events.

• April 11: Multi-chamber Table Top Expo: “A Taste of Commerce,” 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Bartley Center at Holyoke Community College. Table fee of $150 includes table, two entrance passes, a light supper, and parking. Admission: free with pre-registration only, $15 at the door. Sign up at chicopeechamber.org/events.

• April 19: Business After Hours: A Salute to the ’70s Disco Party, 4:30-6:30 p.m., hosted by Ohana School of Performing Arts. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Sign up online at chicopeechamber.org/events.

• April 24: B2B Speed Networking, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Chicopee Boys and Girls Club. For more information, visit chicopeechamber.org/events.

• April 25: Salute Breakfast at the Moose Family Center: “Easy, Cost-neutral Sustainability for Businesses,” 7:15-9 a.m. Chief Greeter: Phil Norman, CISA. Keynote: Center for EcoTechnology. Sponsored by United Personnel, Westfield Bank, Holyoke Medical Center, Polish National Credit Union, Gaudreau Group, Sunshine Village, Spherion Staffing Services, and PeoplesBank. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members. Sign up online at chicopeechamber.org/events.

GREATER EASTHAMPTON
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414

• March 27: “Strength-based Leadership” featuring Colleen DelVecchio, certified Clifton Strengths Coach. The second of a two-part series (see Feb. 27 listing above). For more information, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber office at (413) 527-9414.

• April 4: Networking by Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Suite3 in the Mill 180 Building, 180 Pleasant St., Easthampton. Sponsored by Suite3. Take your connection building to the next level when we partner with the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce on this Networking by Night event. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for future members. For more information, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber office at (413) 527-9414.

• April 11: Multi-chamber Table Top Expo: “A Taste of Commerce,” 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Bartley Center at Holyoke Community College. Friends and colleagues can come together for new networking opportunities and new features such as Made in Mass., Minute Clinic, and Food for Thought. Admission: free with online registration, $15 at the door. Table space is still available. For more information, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber office at (413) 527-9414.

GREATER HOLYOKE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.holyokechamber.com
(413) 534-3376

• March 21: Chamber After Hours, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Slainte Restaurant, 80 Jarvis Ave., Holyoke. Sponsored by Expert Staffing. Meet up with your business associates for networking and food. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Sign up online at holyokechamber.com. Call the chamber at (413) 534-3376 if you would like to bring a door prize or if you’re interested in a marketing table for $25.

• April 4: Women in Leadership Series, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by HCC Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke. Join us April through July to learn from area CEOs while networking with your peers from the region. An elegant lunch prepared by students from the Holyoke Community College Culinary Arts program will provide the setting, which will create the opportunity for a meaningful dialogue on some key leadership issues for those building their careers. Each month your table will join one of the region’s leading CEOs.

• April 11: Multi-chamber Table Top Expo: “A Taste of Commerce,” 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Bartley Center at Holyoke Community College. Presented by the Greater Holyoke, Greater Chicopee, Greater Easthampton, Greater Northampton, South Hadley/Granby, and Quaboag Hills chambers of commerce. Vendor tables cost $150. Admission: no charge with advance registration, $15 at the door. This event sells out. Call (413) 534-3376 or your local chamber to reserve a table.

• April 18: Chamber After Hours, 5-7 p.m., sponsored and hosted by Fairfield Inn & Suites, 229 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke. Meet up with your friends and business associates for a little networking. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Feel free to bring a door prize. Sign up online at holyokechamber.com.

• April 20: Economic Development Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Holyoke Community College, Kittredge Center, PeoplesBank Conference Room. Learn from EMPATH about how to break the cycle of poverty and utilize the bridge to self-sufficiency theory to approach economic mobility. EMPATH helps low-income people achieve long-term economic mobility, and has developed a holistic approach to mentoring backed by the latest brain science that busts through silos and combats chronic stress. Event emcees are Mary Coleman, EMPATH; Dr. Christina Royal, Holyoke Community College; and Kathleen Anderson, Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. Cost: $25 for members, $30 for non-members and walk-in guests.

GREATER NORTHAMPTON
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.explorenorthampton.com
(413) 584-1900

• April 4: April Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Suite3 in the Mill 180 Building, 180 Pleasant St., Easthampton. Sponsored by Applied Mortgage, H&R Block, and MassDevelopment. A networking event. Cost: $10 for members.

• April 11: Protecting Your Data from Security Risks, 9-11 a.m., hosted by Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Presented by Pioneer Training. CyberSafe is a two-hour workshop for non-technical users that focuses on using technology without compromising personal or organizational security. Students will learn the skills they need to protect digital data on computers, networks, mobile devices, and the Internet. They will learn how to identify many of the common risks involved in using technology, such as phishing, spoofing, malware, and social engineering, and then learn how to protect themselves and their organizations from those risks. Pre-registration is required, and space is limited. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for non-members. To register, visit goo.gl/forms/pX8YUuC25YdMsLjD2.

• April 11: Multi-chamber Table Top Expo: “A Taste of Commerce,” 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Bartley Center at Holyoke Community College. A networking event. Cost: $150 for a table for members, $225 for a table for non-members, $10 walk-in fee for members.

GREATER WESTFIELD
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618

• April 2: April Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by the Arbors, 40 Court St., Westfield. Join us for our monthly Mayor’s Coffee Hour with Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan. Event is free and open to the public. Register online at www.westfieldbiz.org so we may give our host a proper count. For more information, call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

• April 11: WE2BA High School Career Fair, 7:45-11:30 a.m., hosted by Westfield State University at the Woodward Center, 395 Western Ave., Westfield. Don’t miss the chance to help shape our future through workforce development in our community. Join us to help inspire Westfield High School and Westfield Technical Academy students with career exploration. More than 400 students will be in attendance. We are looking for 75 vendors to participate. The vendor tables are free. Register online at www.westfieldbiz.org. For more information, call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

• April 11: April After 5 Connection, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Betts Plumbing & Heating Supply Inc., 14 Coleman Ave., Westfield. Refreshments will be served. A 50/50 raffle will benefit the chamber scholarship fund. Bring your business cards and make connections. Cost: free for members, $10 for non-members (cash or credit paid at the door). Register online at www.westfieldbiz.org. For more information, call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

• April 24: Home & Business Community Marketplace & Tabletop Event, 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by the Ranch Golf Club, 65 Sunnyside Road, Southwick. An opportunity to market and sell your products and services to area residents and businesses. Sip and shop your way through the marketplace with a beer and wine tasting, live music, and a chance to vote for your favorite nosh at the food court. Cost: $50 for vendor rental space (table not included; bring your own, six feet or less with tablecloth), $75 for vendor table (includes six-foot table; bring your own tablecloth). Attendance is free to the public. For more information, contact Southwick Economic Development at (413) 304-6100.

SOUTH HADLEY & GRANBY
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.shgchamber.com
(413) 532-6451

• March 28: Educational Breakfast: “Tax Law Changes for Businesses,” 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by South Hadley Public Library, 2 Canal St., South Hadley. This presentation by Thomas Foley, a experienced CPA who specializes in business taxes, will present the new tax-law changes that will impact businesses of every size beginning this year. There will be a light breakfast. This event is free of charge and open to the community. For further information and to register, visit www.shgchamber.com or call the chamber office at (413) 532-6451.

• April 11: Multi-chamber Table Top Expo: “A Taste of Commerce,” 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Bartley Center at Holyoke Community College. This business networking and marketing event, now in its 24th year, will provide business professionals and entrepreneurs an opportunity to promote their businesses — to “strut their stuff.” Tables are available for $150. Admission is free if you pre-register with the chamber or $15 at the door. Whether you plan to be a participating vendor or want to simply attend, go to www.shgchamber.com for more information or to register, or call (413) 532-6451.

• April 19: Business After 5, 4:30-6:30 p.m., hosted by Ohana School of Performing Arts, 470 Newton St., South Hadley. Sponsored by Berkshire Hills Music Academy. This Everything 70’s Disco Party is a networking event for members and friends of the chamber. We are joining with the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce on this event, so there will be many new business colleagues to meet and greet over the three floors of studio space. The event will feature music, food, beverages, and dancing. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. For further information and to register, visit www.shgchamber.com or call the chamber office at (413) 532-6451.

• April 22: Mohegan Sun bus trip, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Proceeds support the chamber’s scholarship fund and its two community Councils on Aging. There are bonuses on food and other pluses included in the cost. Bus departs from and returns to the former Big Y parking lot at 501 Newton St. Cost: $35. For further information and to register, visit www.shgchamber.com or call the chamber office at (413) 532-6451.

• April 24: An Educational Breakfast: “Cybersecurity: What We All Need to Know,” 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by PeoplesBank and Loomis Village, 20 Bayon St., South Hadley. We will learn how cybersecurity impacts our own lives, both personally and professionally. The presentation will be led by Joseph Zazzaro, senior vice president, Information Technology, and David Thibault, first vice president, Commercial Banking at PeoplesBank. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. For further information and to register, visit www.shgchamber.com or call the chamber office at (413) 532-6451.

SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER
www.springfieldregionalchamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• March 20: C-Suite Conversations & Cocktails, 5-7 p.m., hosted by CityStage, One Columbus Center, Springfield. Members-only event featuring MGM President Mike Mathis. Cost: $25. For reservations, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.

• March 29: Speed Networking, 3:30-5 p.m., location to be determined. Cost: $20 for members in advance ($25 at the door), $30 general admission in advance ($35 at the door). For reservations, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.

WEST OF THE RIVER
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.ourwrc.com
(413) 426-3880

• April 4: Wicked Wednesday, 5-7 p.m., hosted by CHD Cancer House of Hope, West Springfield. Wicked Wednesdays are monthly social events, hosted by various businesses and restaurants, that bring members and non-members together to network in a laid-back atmosphere. For more information about this event, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• April 12: Networking Lunch, noon to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Lattitude, West Springfield. Must be a member or guest of a member to attend. Enjoy a sit-down lunch while networking with fellow chamber members. Each attendee will get a chance to offer a brief sales pitch. The only cost to attend is the cost of lunch. Attendees will order off the menu and pay separately that day. We cannot invoice you for these events. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• April 26: Coffee with Agawam Mayor Sapelli, 8:30-10 a.m., hosted by Agawam Senior Center Coffee Shop, 954 Main St., Agawam. Join us for a cup of coffee and a town update from Mayor Bill Sapelli. Questions and answers will immediately follow. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected].

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY
OF GREATER SPRINGFIELD
springfieldyps.com

• April 19: YPS Third Thursday: “Career Development & Networking,” 5-7 p.m., hosted by Lattitude Restaurant, 1338 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Cost: free for YPS members, $10 for non-members.

Autos Sections
Information Technology Changes the Way Vehicles Are Sold

Sara Holmes

Sara Holmes says leasing vehicles comprises half the new-car business at Lia Toyota Scion of Wilbraham.

Sara Holmes says the way new cars are sold has changed dramatically in the last decade, largely due to the Internet, which allows people to compare and contrast the price of vehicles.

“Ten years ago, when people came into a showroom, the starting place for negotiations was the window sticker, and the whole process could take several hours. Today, an entire negotiation can be completed in about 20 minutes because people know what they want and how they want to pay for it,” said Holmes, general manager of Lia Toyota Scion of Wilbraham, adding that 80% of sales there are Internet-driven.

Howard Sackaroff agrees. “Years ago, most new-car sales were almost impulse buys. But today, people plan for a purchase and do a lot of research before they even visit a dealer,” said the general manager of Curry Honda and Curry Nissan in Chicopee. “They check safety, fuel economy, and reliability, and sites such as Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book not only provide them with invoices and suggest the amount they should expect to pay, they also give them the value of their trade-in. So by the time consumers show up, they have already made a decision, which makes the process much smoother.”

The trend is reflected at other local dealerships, including Bertera Subaru in West Springfield, where General Sales Manager Mark Noel said the majority of people who visit are ready to make a purchase. “They come to the showroom prepared to buy, as opposed to beginning a search,” he said.

Although customers who have never driven a Subaru may return more than once, he added, “they have already shopped at home, decided what best suits their needs, and gotten the pricing out of the way so the process is a lot shorter and less contentious than it used to be.”

Since price ultimately attracts business, aggressive online marketing programs have become a necessity for dealers. There are many different approaches, such as one used by Curry, where people can choose a specific car, then hit a button on a website to reserve it.

“When that happens, they receive a return e-mail with the lowest possible price,” Sackaroff said. “It lists the features and benefits of the vehicle they have chosen, but they also receive five alternative choices that are similar to the vehicle with their lowest price. It takes negotiation out of the equation.”

He noted that he sets prices weekly or bimonthly based on supply and demand, but admits a small bit of “wiggle room” can remain, and on occasion the price is reduced in the showroom by $50 or $100 — “but that’s it.”

Howard Sackaroff

Howard Sackaroff says style changes in new cars typically take place every four to six years.

Noel agrees. “Dealers have always had to be competitive, but competition has increased due to the Internet,” he said. “So, once a person locates the lowest price online, it is really the best price out there. All that is left is negotiating the cost of service plans and the person’s trade-in.”

In fact, Joe Soucy calls the Internet “the equalizer.”

“Manufacturers have bridged the pricing gap between brands, and the days of negotiating a price that is thousands of dollars less than the starting point are gone,” said Soucy, general sales manager for Bob Pion Buick GMC in Chicopee. “Today, people search to find who has the vehicle with the equipment they want at the price they want to pay, and any negotiations that do take place are usually in hundreds of dollars.”

But price isn’t the only consideration. Service also plays into the equation, so local dealers do everything possible to cater to their clients.

“Several weeks ago, a customer was dissatisfied with a new car that developed a transmission problem two weeks after he bought it. In the old days, it would have been repaired under the warranty, but I gave him a new car,” Sackaroff said, adding, “we maintain an advantage based on our reputation and on referrals, so we always try to do the right thing.”

Sales managers concur that excellent customer service is more important than ever before, especially since people who have a bad experience can document it on sites such as Angie’s List and Google, where it can be read by millions of viewers.

“For us,” Holmes said, “it’s about keeping people happy at the end of the day.”

Unrealistic Expectations

Although dealers typically make less than $1,000 on a new car, people still enter showrooms who haven’t done any research, don’t believe how small the profit margin is, and become skeptical when they are told there is no room to negotiate.

“We showed a customer a factory invoice yesterday, but he thought it was phony,” Sackaroff said. “So the salesman had to go online and show him the price of cars on Edmunds.”

Noel has had similar experiences. “People don’t always believe the dealer. But showing them a trusted third-party source makes it so much easier,” he agreed.

According to Soucy, one of the things some customers fail to take into account is that destination prices and preparation work are not included in the invoice. “For example, truck steps are installed upon arrival, and the price of a vehicle can differ according to trim levels. But in some instances, people need to shop at other dealers to find they have reached the end of the negotiating road. “

Joe Soucy

Joe Soucy said customers have a tendency to overstate the value of their trade-in vehicles.

There is room for negotiation, however, when it comes the buyer’s trade-in. Still, dealers say many people are unrealistic. “Some look up what the vehicle would sell for in the retail market as opposed to its trade-in price. And people tend to believe the information they have gathered themselves as opposed to what a dealer tells them,” Noel said.

Holmes agrees. “There are tools online that allow people to play appraiser, and when they get here, they have decided what their car is worth,” she said, adding that emotional attachments can play into the equation. “I have had customers who have named their car. They think, because they love it, it has to be worth more than we tell them.”

Soucy said people also often overestimate their vehicle’s condition. “Everyone thinks their car is in great condition, and that’s what they check off when they visit an Internet pricing site.”

Value also depends on the amount of work a car, SUV, or truck will need before it can be resold. In order for a vehicle to be certified, it must meet stringent requirements, which can include new tires and brakes, in addition to things such as an oil change. “We spend $1,500 on average to certify a car, even if it is very clean when we get it,” Sackaroff said.

Soucy said every discount possible is included in an online price, and the margin of profit is lower on entry-level vehicles than on high-end models. He explained that discounts are what the dealer is allowed to chop off of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price — a figure that is generally lower on cars than on trucks — while rebates are determined by the manufacturer.

“If a model is being closed out, the rebates are usually higher,” he explained. “However, many factors play into discounts and manufacturers’ rebates. And although deals in auto sales are a preconceived notion, people have the belief that a holiday or the end of the year is when they will get the best deal. But that may or may not be true.”

Sackaroff agrees, noting that there is often only $50 to $100 difference in the price, and there may not be much difference in the vehicle other than the model year. “When I was a kid, new cars were always styled differently. But today, styling changes only take place every four to six years.”

In other words, Noel said, “no one has any idea what a manufacturer will offer in six months, so now is always the best time to buy a car.”


Special Conditions

People can save several thousand dollars by purchasing dealer demos, which typically have been driven only 5,000 to 6,000 miles and are registered as new cars with full warranties. “They are generally good buys, as we depreciate their price. Plus, we see many people with Hondas and Nissans that have more than 150,000 miles on them, so an extra 6,000 miles doesn’t make much of a difference when they turn them in,” Sackaroff explained.

Holmes agrees. “Demos are discounted below invoice by $500 to $2,000, depending on how popular the car is,” she said, adding that special pricing is also often available to new college graduates and people serving in the military. “Manufacturers are helping young people get started, so college graduates don’t usually need a co-signer.”

Leasing is another option — one that’s becoming more popular, said Holmes, noting that about half of Lia Toyota Scion’s new cars are leased. “Today, most people are budget-conscious, and leasing helps keep payments low,” she added, explaining that new cars offer the latest safety features along with free maintenance, which typically includes oil changes and tire rotations. In addition, a variety of mileage plans can be factored into the price. “But if you drive 30,000 miles a year, a lease may not be the best option.”

However, Soucy thinks leasing is the best way for most people to acquire a new vehicle. “You are only accountable for payments during the lease period, and the bank takes all of the risk,” he said, recalling that, when gas prices skyrocketed, people who leased could walk away from vehicles that got low mileage. “And if the manufacturer stops making the model, the person who leases it is not responsible for the fact that it is worth less when the lease ends. We sign zero-down leases every day.”

All that said, the Internet remains the most significant reason why the car-buying experience has changed, and local dealers told BusinessWest it has been been a boon to business. “It has expanded our market and allowed us to see more people. We have sold cars to people in Florida, Washington, and California,” Noel said, explaining that most people who travel great distances do so because they want a specific used vehicle, as opposed to a new one.

But showroom managers agree that a dealer’s customer-service reputation can be the deciding factor in where people purchase a vehicle. “People want to buy from salespeople who are knowledgeable and who they feel they can trust,” Holmes said. “It’s all about trust, and when the process is easy, buyers are happier, and we are happier too.”

Sackaroff concurs. “The changes in negotiation have made life easier for me and for my salespeople,” he said. “But you still have to earn your business, and we have earned the trust of the community and the families in it.”

Sections Supplements
Seeking to Break Out of Ongoing Stagnation

The Pioneer Valley in Western Mass. has gone through the kinds of cycles that are typical of evolving economies in both the state and nation. But what has been occurring over the past 20 years presents a curious mismatch between appearance and hard data.

By appearance, the region would seem to be in a difficult position; companies, especially ones that once offered high-wage manufacturing jobs, have been closing their doors, victims of the forces of globalization and creative destruction. Poverty rates are high and increasing. And the region continues to see a net out-migration of residents. But at the same time, data nonetheless shows that jobs and income are still growing, albeit slowly. The region has not experienced the rapid economic growth seen elsewhere during the mid- to late-1990s, but neither has it suffered the sharp drop-off seen in other regions in recent years.

In short, the region continues to economically hold its own, especially in the past few years and especially in its level of employment. But progress is slow — indeed, some have described the Pioneer Valley’s economic condition as one of ongoing stagnation. More than anything else, this study of the last 20 years of economic and demographic development in the Pioneer Valley reveals an economic landscape that is missing a dynamic growth sector that can provide a growing number of high-paying jobs — and a sense of economic identity for the region.

During the 19th century, the Pioneer Valley was America’s first Silicon Valley, where innovation led to a thriving manufacturing sector. The use of interchangeable parts in manufacturing, which saw its origins in the production of armaments for the military at the Springfield Armory, revolutionized production processes. As a consequence of this advance, a thriving machine tooling and precision metal working sector developed in the region.

But throughout the 20th century, both major and small employers have gone out of business, a process that continues as manufacturing plants close. The manufacturing economy void has been partly filled by the ‘Ed-Med’ sector — ‘Ed’ stands for education or more generally ‘knowledge creation’ and ‘Med’ stands for the medical, or, more broadly health care. Ed-Med is by far the most important current employer in the Pioneer Valley. But this positive development cannot mask a significant area of alarm: the incidence of poverty in the region, which exceeds that of the state (and, in the case of Hampden County, that of the nation).

While the region has not experienced the same dire fate as other American cities that have lost their economic base, the Pioneer Valley has suffered from comparison with the eastern part of Massachusetts, especially the metropolitan Boston area. This has been especially true when looking at the secular pattern of real (price adjusted) per capita income. While per capita income has been growing in the region, its rate of growth has fallen significantly behind that of the state as a whole, and especially that of metropolitan Boston.

Employment – the “Ed-Med” Influence

From the business cycle peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s to the peak in the most recent business cycle, employment in the Pioneer Valley grew by 2.5%, from 319,739 in 1989 to 328,000 in 2004. National employment growth was a considerably more robust 14.8% during the same period, and statewide growth was 3.8%. The Boston metropolitan/northeastern part of the state experienced employment growth of 4.7% over the same period. The Pioneer Valley has, however, seen somewhat stronger employment growth recently. From the trough in employment in 1995 until 2004, employment grew by a bit more than 7%, from about 306,000 to about 328,000.

In the Boston/Northeastern part of the state, employment peaked in 2002 and then began to decline. The Pioneer Valley, however, did not see a drop in employment through 2004. Nor did it experience a drop in employment during the recent recession, unlike Eastern Massachusetts, where the sharp loss of jobs followed a period of relatively robust job growth. The knowledge creation segment of the economy is broad, and the Pioneer Valley encompasses many of its activities, including information (media production and distribution, telecommunications), professional and technical services provision, management services, and educational services. Combined, such knowledge creation sectors accounted for nearly 60,000 employees, or 21% of all Pioneer Valley employment in 2004.

One of the more prominent employers in this sector is the flagship Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts system, which is the largest piece of a regional higher education cluster. Surrounding UMass are four well-known small liberal arts colleges: Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College. These five institutions form the Five College System, which allows students in any of the colleges to enroll in classes in all of them. The five colleges employ a total of nearly 9,000 people, not counting a large number of student employees on all the campuses, especially that of the University of Massachusetts. But while this concentration of employment is important to the Pioneer Valley economy and identity, it has not been a growth area, or even a particularly dependable sector. In particular, UMass has suffered from severe budget cuts in recent years, and only now is beginning to replace some of the jobs that were lost.

After education, the next most important employment sector is health care, which accounts for 16% of regional employment, nearly 44,000 people. This sector consists not only of health care, as traditionally defined, but also “social and community services,” such as homeless shelters and community kitchens. Despite its steep decline, traditional manufacturing remains an important employer, accounting for 11% of the region’s total employment in 2004, or more than 32,000 people.

Considerable economic development efforts, as well as investment dollars from the state, have resulted in the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, a collaboration between Baystate Medical Center and UMass. While its primary stated goals are clinical, the collaboration is designed to create the environment from which to launch commercially successful development and manufacture of biomedical and other health-related products. This type of activity is broadly defined as ‘advanced technology manufacturing.’ While this activity now accounts for only 1% of Pioneer Valley employment, its potential is important.

Population Trends Reflect the Economy

Recent population patterns in the Pioneer Valley closely mirror the path of the economy. Population growth in the region over the past 20 years has been very slow, growing from 646,000 in 1980 to 680,000 in 2000, for an increase of just 5.2%. Over the same period, population grew in Massachusetts by more than twice as much (10.7%) and in the United States by nearly 23%.

Perhaps the most troubling pattern in population change in the region is its continuing net out-migration. Since 1990, the region has lost a net of nearly 35,000 people to out- migration. This number is the result of considerable ‘churning’ – in other words, it is the outcome of the interaction between flows of in-migration and out-migration. During this period, more than 130,000 people moved into the region while more than 165,000 people moved out. There was been a sharp increase in the volume of net out-migration in the last year for which data is available, 2004.

Much of the migration into and out of the Pioneer Valley involves short-distance moves. Many of these gross flows cancel out, leaving small net (though slightly negative) changes due to migration. By far the largest in- and out-flows have been to and from the border state of Connecticut.

There are also significant flows probably associated with retirement from the labor force. The largest net out-flow of migrants from the Pioneer Valley — nearly 13,000 net out-migrants over the period — was to Florida. This represents one-third of all net out-migrants from the Pioneer Valley since 1990.

Most other destinations/origins of Pioneer Valley migrants are close by, either in New England or New York state (with which the Pioneer Valley had a positive net migration flow). California and Arizona also received relatively large net flows of migrants.

Within the state, the Pioneer Valley has a net negative migration balance with most other regions. The Berkshire and Central regions are the only of the state’s regions with which the Pioneer Valley has a positive net migration. Two regions in the state, metropolitan Boston and the Cape and Islands, have the largest magnitude of negative net migration balance with the Pioneer Valley. Much of the migration to the Cape and Islands may, again, be associated with labor force retirement.

It is encouraging that for all this net out-migration, a good deal of in-migration to the region is also occurring. Typically, when a region is truly stagnating, migration is uniformly in the ‘out’ direction, with very little in-migration. The Pioneer Valley has certainly not experienced that pattern. And a significant portion of the negative net migration may well be due less to economic forces than to retirement.

Nonetheless, the reality remains that net migration has been consistently negative for over a decade. Migration tends to be highly selective of the very members of a population upon which the future is based: Younger, better-educated, and with better income/occupational prospects.

There has been considerable migration within the Pioneer Valley, the net result of which has been a drain on the population of Hampden County, where the cities of Springfield and Holyoke are located. Since 1990, Hampden County has gained more than 29,000 migrants from within the Pioneer Valley, nearly 30,000 of them from Hampshire County. Over the same period, Hampden County lost over 34,000 residents to Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The net effect of this in- and out-migration has been a drain on the population of Hampden County. Nearly 5,000 net migrants have left Hampden County for Hampshire and Franklin Counties, most of them to Hampshire County.

Income and Poverty

The pattern of per-capita income in the region, especially relative to the state, is instructive of the pattern of the regional economy over time. The region’s per capita income has been consistently lower than that of the state as a whole, though that fact is at least partly compensated by a lower cost of living, especially in housing. Still troubling, however, is the pattern of change over time. In 1970, per capita income in the Pioneer Valley was nearly 90% that of the state and more than 80% that of metropolitan Boston. Since then, the region’s per capita income has deteriorated. In 2003, Pioneer Valley per capita income was 75% of the state’s and 66% t of metropolitan Boston’s.

The relative deterioration of regional incomes is a secular, rather than a cyclical, phenomenon. Over the course of the business cycle, whether increasing or decreasing, the changes the region experiences in per-capita income are always more muted than the change experienced in the state. The Pioneer Valley does not rise as high or fall as far as the state. The economic dynamism of the eastern part of the state has never translated well to the Pioneer Valley.

This region did not fully share in either of the two most recent sustained state economic expansions of the 1980s and the 1990s. The other side of the picture is that the Pioneer Valley also did not suffer as badly as Eastern Mass. when recession replaced expansion. Because it is a hotbed of technology, Massachusetts experiences economic cycles that are at times excessive. The bad news is that the Pioneer Valley has long since lost its high technology sectors; the offsetting news is that its economic cycles have been less extreme.

The incidence of poverty provides another measure of the region’s income circumstances. In 2004, the U.S. Bureau of the Census defined the poverty threshold for a family of four as a total household income of $19,157. The poverty rate in the Pioneer Valley has consistently been higher than that for the state. This is especially so in Hampden County, where the poverty rate also exceeds that of the nation. Of the three counties in the region, only Hampshire County has a poverty rate that is less than that of the state.

Perhaps an even more telling measure of regional poverty is the share of students eligible for the free and reduced school lunch program. A study recently completed by the UMass contained the following analysis of this data:

“The federal poverty level is too low to properly assess the number or proportion of children from low-income families. Federal school lunch subsidies cover children from families with incomes up to 165% of the poverty level…

“The percentage of public school students eligible to receive reduced-price or free school lunches in the Pioneer Valley is alarming,” the report continues. “In the 2003-04 and 2004-05 school years, 40% of public school students in the region resided in households with incomes no higher than 165% of the poverty level. No region in the state has a higher percentage of low-income students. Public school systems in cities such as Boston or Worcester have comparable percentages of low-income students, but the regional concentration of low-income students in the Pioneer Valley is approximately one-third higher than any other region in the state. The Pioneer Valley’s low-income students are concentrated in the region’s cities, Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee; however, many of the region’s rural school districts are also home to high concentrations of low income students.”

The Cost of Housing

The Pioneer Valley has less expensive housing than the eastern part of the state, a cost advantage that many in the region hope will help promote increased economic growth. A Boston Globe report late last year explained:

“Housing prices in Western Mass. have risen much faster this year than in the Boston area, fueled by Bostonians moving farther from the city in search of lower prices, according to a report released yesterday…

“Between January and November, the median price of a single-family home rose 13.3% from a year earlier in Hampden County, where Springfield is located; 10.9% in Hampshire; and 10.3% in Franklin. Depending on traffic and the time of day, these counties are around a 90-minute commute each way from Boston, though they’re much closer to employers along Interstate 495 or in the Worcester and Framingham metropolitan areas.

“The condo market in Western Mass., while smaller than Boston’s, is sizzling. The number of condo sales surged nearly 28% this year in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin. The median condo price rose 28.9% in Franklin County in 2005; 18.9% in Hampden; and 18.2% in Hampshire, according to Warren Group. Condo prices were up 1.8% in Suffolk, and 8.5% statewide. Despite the price increases, the gaps between east and west remain huge. For example, the median price of a Hampden County condo was $124,900 this year, up from $105,000 last year. The median condo price in Suffolk County was $340,000, up from $333,850 last year.”

This may mark the beginning of a significant development for the region. Though it is too early to determine if this trend of housing price-driven movement to the region will continue and grow, especially with home prices flat or falling across the state. But this is at least an indication that the Pioneer Valley has some natural advantages — and these may again be grounds for hope.

Conclusion

In 1999 Benchmarks published a profile of the Pioneer Valley economy. In the conclusion of that study was the following assessment:

“There is a considerable effort under way to revive and remake the economy of the Pioneer Valley … at the moment, those forces have resulted in a flat or slightly growing regional economy. The difficult task of spawning genuine economic development lies ahead.”

< >Seven years later there seems little reason to modify this statement. The Pioneer Valley, despite its illustrious economic history and reputation for offering a high quality of life, remains stagnant and without direction.

Robert Nakosteen is on the faculty of the Isenberg School of Management at the UMass Amherst and is executive editor of Benchmarks, the university’s quarterly report on the state economy. This story originally appeared in Benchmarks.

Insurance Sections

No End in Sight

Maura McCaffrey

Maura McCaffrey says health plans work with drug companies to negotiate prices and with community physicians to assess patient needs, but rising costs continue to be a concern.

It’s a well-publicized issue in an election year, so it’s no surprise that lawmakers — including several presidential candidates — have been teeing off on soaring drug prices.

“Americans pay, by far, the highest prices for prescription drugs in the entire world,” Bernie Sanders recently noted. “A life-saving drug does no good if the people who need it cannot afford that drug.”

He pointed out that nearly one in five Americans between ages 19 and 64 did not get at least one prescription filled last year because they did not have enough money.

“There is no question that medicines help millions of people live healthier and longer lives, and can also prevent more expensive illnesses and treatments,” Sanders continued. “However, it is unacceptable that the United States now spends more than $370 billion on prescription drugs, and spending is rising faster than at any point in the last decade.”

Rising drug prices are having tangible effects on consumers, including those in Massachusetts. Among 16 carriers that recently testified before the state Division of Insurance, the first quarter of 2016 saw an average rate increase of 6.3%. They were asked to present the data used in determining their proposed rate filings for small-group plans in the second quarter of 2016. There are other reasons behind the increases, including the cost of expanding coverage under the Affordable Care Act, but drug prices are universally cited as a driving factor.

Meanwhile, even amid ever-louder complaints from lawmakers and the media, Pfizer, Amgen, Allergan, Horizon Pharma, and other manufacturers have raised U.S. prices for dozens of branded drugs since late December, with many of the increases between 9% and 10%, according to the Wall Street Journal. Overall, prescription-drug spending rose 12.2% in 2014, after just 2.4% growth in 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported.

What’s Happening?

There are a number of factors at play, ranging from the fact that the U.S. government doesn’t regulate drug prices to rising development and production costs; it can take more a decade and more than $1 billion to get a new drug approved. Still, there’s plenty of opportunity, industry critics say, to bring relief to patients.

“Their argument is we can — we can raise prices on this, the market will bear it, people like this drug, they rely on it, their physician will write it,” Marco Rubio recently told an audience on a campaign stop, blasting drug companies. “And so, because we can, we do. And it’s just pure profiteering.”

Insurance companies are feeling the pressure, Maura McCaffrey, president of Health New England (HNE), told BusinessWest. “Health plans have a responsibility to manage the pricing of these pharmaceuticals.”

They do this in two major ways, she explained. The first is to work with a pharmacy benefit manager, a third-party liaison between drug companies and insurers, to negotiate the drug prices. “Over the past year, Health New England did a very large renegotiation with its pharmacy contracts, and that has been very beneficial to members in Western Massachusetts.”

The second strategy is HNE’s clinical care assessment committee, which includes both primary-care and specialty physicians and meets eight times a year to discuss new medications — how they compare with current offerings and who the most appropriate patients would be.

“We come up with clinical criteria to make sure the right people have access to the right medications,” McCaffrey said, adding that, if the drug in question treats an uncommon condition, the committee will go into the local medical community to find additional specialists who can speak to that topic.

Difficult Spot

At the gathering before the Division of Insurance, Elin Gaynor, HNE’s assistant general counsel, cited several recent examples of unsustainable drug prices, including $259,000 per year for a drug treating cystic fibrosis, $118,200 per year for a breast-cancer medication, and more than $100,000 annually for a new hepatitis C treatment.

“As a community, we must be willing to tackle some very tough questions,” added Michael Caljouw, vice president of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. “What is the right price for new drugs and therapies? What is the appropriate use of them? Who decides? How can we achieve a better balance between medical advances and affordability?”

In making coverage decisions, McCaffrey told BusinessWest, safety and effectiveness always trump cost. “Then, if it looks to be a safe and efficacious medication, we look at what else is on the market and compare the safety profiles and efficacy profiles. The last thing we do is compare the cost profiles. We do this every time.”

Dr. Peter Bach, a physician and director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, recently explained in the New York Times that drug manufacturers are hamstrung by the complexity of biology, government regulations, and shareholder expectations for high profit margins.

What they’re not saying, he went on, is that they take advantage of laws that force insurers to include virtually all expensive drugs in their policies, and an industry philosophy that demands that every new healthcare product be available to everyone — no matter its cost or how little it actually helps.

In late 2014, the New England Journal of Medicine detailed a number of ways drug companies take advantage of this system. For instance, they buy up the rights to inexpensive generic drugs, lock out competitors, and raise prices. In one example, albendazole, a drug used to treat certain kinds of parasitic infection, was approved 20 years ago and, as recently as 2010, had a wholesale cost of $5.92 per day. Three years later, it was $119.58.

“Many of these drugs remain key therapeutic tools. The number of prescriptions for albendazole has increased dramatically in part because the drug has increasingly been used to treat parasitic infections in refugees,” explained the report’s authors, Drs. Jonathan Alpern, William Stauffer, and Aaron Kesselheim.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends presumptive treatment of refugees arriving in the U.S. if they have not had prior treatment,” they went on. “Because the people who need albendazole are generally disadvantaged, the costs resulting from the enhanced demand and associated price increases are largely borne by the patients themselves through substantial out-of-pocket payments or by taxpayers through public insurers such as Medicaid and the Refugee Medical Assistance program.”

The albendazole situation is hardly unique, they added. “It is well-known that new, brand-name drugs are often expensive, but U.S. healthcare is also witnessing a lesser-known but growing and seemingly paradoxical phenomenon: certain older drugs, many of which are generic and not protected by patents or market exclusivity, are now also extremely expensive.”

For example, the price of captopril, which is used for hypertension and heart failure, increased by more than 2,800% between November 2012 and November 2013, from 1.4 cents to 39.9 cents per pill. Similarly, the price of clomipramine, an antidepressant also used for obsessive-compulsive disorder, increased from 22 cents to $8.32 per pill, and the price of doxycycline hyclate, a broad-spectrum antibiotic introduced in 1967, increased from 6.3 cents to $3.36 per pill.

The practice infuriated a number of U.S. lawmakers, who teed off on drug companies last month during a session of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

“I find it so disturbing and unconscionable that a company would buy up a decades-old drug that it had no role in developing … and then would hike up the price to such egregious levels that it’s having an impact on patient care,” said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the committee.

Beyond the Status Quo

Solutions have been difficult to come by, but Bach suggests one: what if insurance companies weren’t required to cover all drugs? He explained that, in Europe, many countries reject a handful of drugs each year based on their high cost and relatively low effectiveness — so companies are forced to offer their products at attractice prices.

As a result, prices in Europe for prescription drugs are typically 50% below what U.S. consumers pay. The pharmaceutical industry might argue, he went on, that drug spending accounts for just 10% of all healthcare spending, but that equals around $300 billion per year — no small number.

And those costs are being passed on to patients. The Wall Street Journal noted that Lilly’s drug Cyramza will cost the average Medicare patient $2,600 per month without supplemental insurance — more than most Medicare-age people earn each month, before taxes.

It would make sense, Bach argued, to do one of two things: free insurers and government programs from the requirement to include all expensive drugs in their plans, or demand that policymakers set drug prices in the U.S. equal to those seen in Europe. “Either approach would be vastly superior to the situation we have today.”

The New England Journal of Medicine report offered another strategy for bringing prices under control. The authors suggest that substantial increases in the price of an unpatented drug could trigger the FDA to issue a public announcement seeking other manufacturers for generic versions of the product. Companies responding to such a request could receive expedited reviews of their manufacturing processes, and generic-drug user fees could be waived to further increase incentives for potential competitors.

Meanwhile, they concede, there is little that consumers can do.

“Some patients seek to acquire these drugs in other countries, since many of them are widely and inexpensively available outside the U.S., but such foreign sources may be of variable quality. Until regulatory and market solutions are implemented to reduce prices for these older drugs, patients requiring such drugs and the physicians treating them will continue to be faced with difficult choices.”

McCaffrey said Health New England is trying to maintain as much consumer choice as possible, but not at the expense of ballooning rates.

“Going into 2016, one of our top priorities is to make sure people have access to the medications they need,” she noted, “but at the same time make sure we can control premiums for them so they can afford the health insurance that gives them access to the medications they need.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Cover Story

The Rising Cost of … Everything

To understand what’s happening in today’s global economy, one UMass economist said it’s helpful to picture it as a grid filled with connected nodes. When one of those nodes — manufacturing, distribution, shipping, you name it — is disrupted, the impact is felt by everyone. These days, those disruptions are occurring across the supply chain, and for many different reasons, causing costs to soar — both for businesses and their customers. It’s a major concern with no simple solution, and some worry that rising prices may derail what is otherwise looking like an economy in recovery.

When people sit down at a restaurant, Bryan Graham says, they don’t usually consider how their favorite meals and ingredients get there. They just expect them to be there.

It’s not always a smooth process, and the last couple months, especially, have been a challenge.

“There have been shortages on everything — things you wouldn’t think about, everything from the beverage side to the food side,” said Graham, regional manager for the Bean Restaurant Group, which boasts a family of 11 eateries throughout the region, from Johnny’s Tavern in Amherst to the Boathouse in South Hadley to the Student Prince in Springfield.

And those shortages have a financial impact, he went on. “Increases in prices have gone through the roof — to the point where we’ve moved some things off the menu because we can’t keep up with the prices; we’re losing money.”

The company has taken to switching menu items or brands of ingredients to keep up with price fluctuations, Graham added. “We’d always purchase one brand of canned tomatoes or one brand of ketchup, but we’re seeing brands being short, so we have to switch brands to get by without running out of product day to day.”

It makes for an odd market, he said. “You place your order, and you don’t really know if it’s all coming in until you open the truck and you’re short one or two items.”

It’s not something customers typically notice — until their favorite appetizer is suddenly unavailable. “Ninety percent of our customers are really understanding. The other 10% are like, ‘what do you mean I can’t have this?’ Unfortunately, we don’t want to charge you $40 for 10 chicken wings. Most people are pretty good about it.”

Bryan Graham says high food prices have forced the occasional menu change

Bryan Graham says high food prices have forced the occasional menu change because the Bean Restaurant Group doesn’t want to pass exorbitant costs to customers.

Nationally, food prices rose 0.4% in April, both at restaurants and on grocery shelves. Prices are up 2.4% from May 2020.

But it’s not just food. Rising prices for … well, almost everything have become one of the leading economic stories of 2021. One reason is a positive of sorts — the economy is reopening at high speed. Unfortunately, in some cases, supply chains have been slow to respond to growing consumer demand.

For example, American steel manufacturers all but shut down production last spring as the pandemic took hold and the economy imploded. But as the recovery ramped up, mills were slow to resume full production, creating a massive steel shortage, one that has severely impacted building costs.

Meanwhile, sawmills also shut down lumber production last spring to brace for a housing slump that never arrived — and now, with the housing market on fire, both in new construction and home improvement, lumber shortages have sent consumer prices soaring. In fact, the median sale price of existing homes nationwide surged by 17.2% in March to a record $329,100.

Anna Nagurney, the Eugene M. Isenberg chair in Integrative Studies at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, said soaring prices in construction are a natural result of home-improvement activity increasing during the pandemic, while home buying never really slowed.

“People haven’t been traveling or anything, so they’ve been improving their homes, building decks, and so on,” she said. “Now we’ve seen the price of lumber has escalated dramatically in the last couple of months.”

The pandemic messed with supply and demand in unexpected ways, but now that the economy is reopening and consumers want to go out and spend (and, in many cases, have been saving those stimulus checks for that purpose), supply has run into a number of roadblocks, from the slow ramp-up of the lumber and steel industries to serious delays in freight shipping (more on that later) to a shortage of workers putting additional strain on businesses.

“People want bigger homes, better homes, they have more money, the federal government has been pretty good to people … there’s just much more demand for products,” Nagurney said.

Anna Nagurney

Anna Nagurney

“People haven’t been traveling or anything, so they’ve been improving their homes, building decks, and so on. Now we’ve seen the price of lumber has escalated dramatically in the last couple of months.”

She noted that the Trump administration was more overt about pursuing trade wars, and while back-and-forth tariffs haven’t been as much of an issue lately, the U.S. is still not on great terms with China, which significantly impacts the cost of steel, aluminum, and rare-earth metals. “The geopolitics is scary.”

Gas prices are on the rise as well, which impacts every sector of the economy, said Peter Picknelly, chairman and CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines.

“Rising fuel has an effect on everyone — people have to ship things, produce things … it’s not just gas, but everything we buy,” he said. “Chicken and beef and produce, they all need machinery to harvest; that’s all fuel. You have to transport it; that’s all fuel. Rising fuel costs are a significant hit to the average consumer.”

 

Easing the Burden

In the case of lumber, the shortage has been exacerbated by existing tariffs. In the spring of 2017, the Trump administration hit Canada with tariffs of up to 24% on lumber. During the final months of his presidency, those tariffs were slashed to 9%, but the National Assoc. of Home Builders is calling on the Biden administration to temporarily remove the 9% tariff on Canadian lumber to help ease price volatility.

Supply-chain issues aren’t helping, from the six-day Suez Canal shutdown in March to clear the container ship Ever Given to the cyberattack that shut down the Colonial Pipeline earlier this month, to a critical shortage of shipping containers worldwide, particularly in Asia. Companies are waiting weeks for containers to become available and paying premium rates to secure them, causing shipping costs to skyrocket.

Peter Picknelly says fuel prices affect more than the transportation sector he works in

Peter Picknelly says fuel prices affect more than the transportation sector he works in, impacting everything from manufactured goods to the processing and delivery of food.

“The containers are not where they’re supposed to be,” Nagurney said. “It’s like a puzzle. We need to move them. That’s one of the reasons we can’t get some of the goods from China, like furniture. The prices of shipping containers have gone up as a result because they’re not where they should be.”

Margeaux MacDonald knows that well. As imports manager for East Coast Tile, which supplies Best Tile in Springfield, she is dealing with significant delays in bringing material in from Europe and Asia.

“There are huge delays right now,” she said. “We could have a booking on an actual boat and might not have a container to put the material in. Or, we’ve been bumped from boats because the vessel is overbooked. It’s frustrating — it’s taking four weeks, depending on where the stuff is. In Portugal, the booking is awful; it’s taking forever to get on the boat.”

The backups are affecting shipping costs — significantly. As one example, she cited a container from Turkey that currently costs four times as much to book as it did only a few months ago. “That’s just to pay for the container to get on the ocean carrier.”

Not all locations have gone up as dramatically, MacDonald added, noting that rates from Italy have more or less doubled — not as bad as the Turkey situation, but not ideal. “And we’re not the only ones seeing delays,” she said, citing a company she works with that’s trying to get a container of material from Brazil to New York, and has been delayed more than a month.

“I’m relatively new in this position, but I’ve definitely picked the brains of veterans across the industry, and a lot of people have said to me, ‘I’ve never seen this — I’ve been in the industry for 25 years, and I’ve never seen the volume and delays coming right now.’”

“I’m relatively new in this position, but I’ve definitely picked the brains of veterans across the industry, and a lot of people have said to me, ‘I’ve never seen this — I’ve been in the industry for 25 years, and I’ve never seen the volume and delays coming right now.’”

The problem doesn’t end when the product is shipped, she added. With huge backups in ports, truckers are sometimes waiting hours to load, and instead of hauling two or three loads a day, they might get only one. And returning empty containers to port has become more difficult as well. All these factors raise prices down the supply line. “There are a lot of moving pieces.”

It’s helpful to think about supply chains holistically to convey what’s going on, Nagurney said, describing the global economy as a grid of connected nodes representing manufacturing sites, warehouses, freight service providers, distribution centers, and demand points. A disruption at any of those nodes reverberates throughout the grid — and the economy has endured many such disruptions over the past year, on both the supply and demand sides.

“We’ve seen all sorts of shocks — supply shocks, different kinds of demand shocks, and, more recently, what’s happening with freight issues, from port congestion to the Ever Given blocking freight in the Suez Canal.

“With lumber, some of it has to do with higher tariffs on Canadian lumber,” she went on. “We don’t have containers in the right places to ship lumber. Freight costs are going up, and there’s all sorts of demand on imports from Europe.”

In short, things are chaotic right now, and that globally connected grid is under plenty of stress.

 

Inflation Spikes

Which brings us back to rising prices on, again, almost everything. U.S. consumer prices in April increased 4.2% from a year earlier, more than the 3.6% economists had predicted, and the largest 12-month increase since September 2008.

The biggest driver of last month’s inflation jump, CNN reported, was a 10% increase in used cars and trucks, which accounted for more than one-third of the overall inflation increase. Over the past year, used-car prices rose 21%, due in large part to a spike in demand — as people sought to travel last year without relying on public transit — just as car manufacturers were closed or running at diminished capacity.

Other factors in April’s inflation report include rising costs for furniture — a casualty of the shipping backlog — and hotels, airline tickets, and recreational activities, a trend that speaks to growing demand among Americans to get back to normal life.

Restaurants are feeling that demand, and are struggling, in many cases, to staff up to meet it.

“More places are reopening, and restrictions are being lifted,” Graham said. “That goes to supply and demand — demand was down for so long, and now it’s back up.”

However, he noted, federal unemployment benefits have kept service workers — who are in some cases, being paid more for not working — away from available jobs.

Bob Bolduc knows this story well. The CEO of Pride Stores said he recently shuttered four stores because he didn’t have anyone to staff them — and he blames unrealistically generous unemployment benefits.

“We’ve been competing with the government for 15 months now, and we’re not getting through to them,” he said. “The real story is how much the government is paying, and how that’s driving prices up unrealistically.

“We’re all paying the same people, for the same labor, two to five dollars an hour more than we normally do, and the definition of inflation is when you pay a lot more but don’t get anything more for it,” he went on. “The biggest factor is that we’re competing with the government for labor — the government is paying people to stay home, and we’re trying to get them to come back to work.”

The frustration is palpable, Bolduc said. “People say they can’t get a job, but we offer them jobs, and they don’t show up. They just want to come in and apply to say they applied. And nobody checks; they’re just giving it away. It’s been that way for 15 months now, and it’s worse than you realize. People have no idea.”

State officials have heard such complaints from business owners, however, and announced last week that, starting in mid-June, Massachusetts will more diligently require proof of genuine job-search activity as a condition of accessing unemployment benefits.

At the same time, Bolduc said, “other prices are going crazy — on everything. Convenience items and food are up at least 10%, maybe pushing 15%, and I don’t see an end in sight.”

For some industries, rising prices can be a benefit.

“We always view our largest competitor as passenger automobiles,” Peter Pan’s Picknelly said. “Historically, when fuel starts going over $3.50, we see a significant increase in passengers because it’s just too expensive for people to travel, so they look for alternatives in the bus.”

If anything, rising fuel prices — married to a desire among people to get away this summer — has benefited Peter Pan’s business, Picknelly explained, noting that Cape Cod trips are almost 100% booked, while he sees similar interest in destinations like New York and Washington, D.C. The reason is that people are looking to travel a little closer to home — in range of a drive, not a flight — and see bus travel as an affordable, low-stress option.

High gas prices should also benefit the company’s commuter buses by making public transit more attractive, he said, noting that the average city bus gets about 280 passenger miles to the gallon, as opposed to about one-tenth of that for cars.

 

The Struggle Continues

That makes for an environmentally friendly byproduct of a challenging economic season. And Nagurney doesn’t separate the economy from the environment — in fact, she believes business and industry leaders need to adopt techniques from disaster management because climate change remains a factor in the global economy.

“Things aren’t going to get better — we’ll see more storms, more floods, more hurricanes, sea levels rising, even more things like the fires we had on the West Coast. Climate change will lead to a greater frequency of natural disasters, and that will affect global supply chains, and it’ll take longer to get products.”

For now, though, most businesses are just focused on when the short-term stress will end. And no one really knows the answer to that.

“In January, we thought this will probably last until March,” MacDonald said of the shipping delays. “In March, we heard it might fizzle out by the summer. We’re almost to summertime, and I’m releasing things from Spain that can’t get a booking until the beginning of July.

“And we’re seeing a huge increase in sales, too,” she added. “There’s a huge need in the United States, and we’re trying to pump as much material as we can into the States, but it’s a struggle.”

 

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

 

Chamber Corners Departments

1BERKSHIRE

www.1berkshire.com

(413) 499-1600

• April 18: Good News Business Salute, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Berkshire Hills Country Club, 500 Benedict Road, Pittsfield. Join us for our morning breakfast, where we will honor members and announce the winner of this year’s Esther Quinn Award. Cost: $35-$45. Register online at www.1berkshire.com.

• April 26: Creative Resources Conference, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., hosted by Stationery Factory, 63 Flansburg Ave., Dalton. The format has three tracts, with a total of nine workshops for creatives, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. More information to come. Register online at www.1berkshire.com.

AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.amherstarea.com

(413) 253-0700

• April 26: Margarita Madness, 5:30-7:30 p.m., hosted by Lord Jeffery Inn, 30 Boltwood Ave., Amherst. Come taste margaritas and vote for your favorite. There will also be delicious dishes from participating restaurants and dozens of great raffle prizes. Cost: $30 pre-registered, $40 at the door. Register online at www.amherstarea.com.

FRANKLIN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.franklincc.org

(413) 773-5463

• April 20: Monthly Breakfast Series, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Greenfield High School, 21 Barr Ave., Greenfield. Full breakfast will be served during the program, which will feature an Entrepreneur of the Year panel. Sponsored by Franklin County Community Development Corp. and the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board. Cost: $13 for members; $16 for non-members. Register at franklincc.org or by e-mailing [email protected].

• April 26: Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center, 289 Main St., Greenfield. Networking event with special guest Sue Dahling Sullivan from Massachusetts ArtWeek. Come kick off the debut of ArtWeek in Western Mass. Refreshments and cash bar will be available. Cost: $10. Register at franklincc.org or by e-mailing [email protected].

GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.chicopeechamber.org

(413) 594-2101

• April 3: Chamber Seminar: “Pay Equity,” presented by Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast, 9-11 a.m, hosted by La Quinta Inn & Suites. Sponsored by Westfield Bank. Cost: $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Sign up online at chicopeechamber.org/events.

• April 11: Multi-chamber Table Top Expo: “A Taste of Commerce,” 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Bartley Center at Holyoke Community College. Table fee of $150 includes table, two entrance passes, a light supper, and parking. Admission: free with pre-registration only, $15 at the door. Sign up at chicopeechamber.org/events.

• April 19: Business After Hours: A Salute to the ’70s Disco Party, 4:30-6:30 p.m., hosted by Ohana School of Performing Arts. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Sign up online at chicopeechamber.org/events.

• April 24: B2B Speed Networking, 8-9 a.m., hosted by Chicopee Boys and Girls Club. For more information, visit chicopeechamber.org/events.

• April 25: Salute Breakfast at the Moose Family Center: “Easy, Cost-neutral Sustainability for Businesses,” 7:15-9 a.m. Chief Greeter: Phil Norman, CISA. Keynote: Center for EcoTechnology. Sponsored by United Personnel, Westfield Bank, Holyoke Medical Center, Polish National Credit Union, Gaudreau Group, Sunshine Village, Spherion Staffing Services, and PeoplesBank. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members. Sign up online at chicopeechamber.org/events.

GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.easthamptonchamber.org

(413) 527-9414

• April 4: Networking by Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Suite3 in the Mill 180 Building, 180 Pleasant St., Easthampton. Sponsored by Suite3. Take your connection building to the next level when we partner with the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce on this Networking by Night event. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for future members. For more information, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber office at (413) 527-9414.

• April 11: Multi-chamber Table Top Expo: “A Taste of Commerce,” 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Bartley Center at Holyoke Community College. Friends and colleagues can come together for new networking opportunities and new features such as Made in Mass., Minute Clinic, and Food for Thought. Admission: free with online registration, $15 at the door. Table space is still available. For more information, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber office at (413) 527-9414.

• May 10: Networking by Night, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Amy’s Place, 80 Cottage St., Easthampton. Sponsored by bankESB. There will be food and door prizes. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. For more information, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org or call the chamber office at (413) 527-9414.

GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.holyokechamber.com

(413) 534-3376

• April 4: Women in Leadership Series, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., hosted by HCC Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., Holyoke. Join us April through July to learn from area CEOs while networking with your peers from the region. An elegant lunch prepared by students from the Holyoke Community College Culinary Arts program will provide the setting, which will create the opportunity for a meaningful dialogue on some key leadership issues for those building their careers. Each month your table will join one of the region’s leading CEOs.

• April 11: Multi-chamber Table Top Expo: “A Taste of Commerce,” 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Bartley Center at Holyoke Community College. Presented by the Greater Holyoke, Greater Chicopee, Greater Easthampton, Greater Northampton, South Hadley/Granby, and Quaboag Hills chambers of commerce. Vendor tables cost $150. Admission: no charge with advance registration, $15 at the door. This event sells out. Call (413) 534-3376 or your local chamber to reserve a table.

• April 18: Chamber After Hours, 5-7 p.m., sponsored and hosted by Fairfield Inn & Suites, 229 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke. Meet up with your friends and business associates for a little networking. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Feel free to bring a door prize. Sign up online at holyokechamber.com.

• April 20: Economic Development Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by Holyoke Community College, Kittredge Center, PeoplesBank Conference Room. Learn from EMPATH about how to break the cycle of poverty and utilize the bridge to self-sufficiency theory to approach economic mobility. EMPATH helps low-income people achieve long-term economic mobility, and has developed a holistic approach to mentoring backed by the latest brain science that busts through silos and combats chronic stress. Event emcees are Mary Coleman, EMPATH; Dr. Christina Royal, Holyoke Community College; and Kathleen Anderson, Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. Cost: $25 for members, $30 for non-members and walk-in guests.

GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.explorenorthampton.com

(413) 584-1900

• April 4: April Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Suite3 in the Mill 180 Building, 180 Pleasant St., Easthampton. Sponsored by Applied Mortgage, H&R Block, and MassDevelopment. A networking event. Cost: $10 for members.

• April 11: Protecting Your Data from Security Risks, 9-11 a.m., hosted by Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Presented by Pioneer Training. CyberSafe is a two-hour workshop for non-technical users that focuses on using technology without compromising personal or organizational security. Students will learn the skills they need to protect digital data on computers, networks, mobile devices, and the Internet. They will learn how to identify many of the common risks involved in using technology, such as phishing, spoofing, malware, and social engineering, and then learn how to protect themselves and their organizations from those risks. Pre-registration is required, and space is limited. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for non-members. To register, visit goo.gl/forms/pX8YUuC25YdMsLjD2.

• April 11: Multi-chamber Table Top Expo: “A Taste of Commerce,” 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Bartley Center at Holyoke Community College. A networking event. Cost: $150 for a table for members, $225 for a table for non-members, $10 walk-in fee for members.

• May 4: Annual Spring Swizzle, 6:30-10:30 p.m., hosted by Eastside Grill, 19 Strong Ave., Northampton. A networking event. Cost: $75; $100 for two. Purchase tickets at www.chamberspringswizzle.com.

• May 9: May Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., host to be announced. Sponsored by Northeast Solar and the Lusteg Wealth Management Group – Merrill Lynch. A networking event. Cost: $10 for members.

• May 17: Workshop: “Microsoft Excel Tips, Tricks & Shortcuts,” 9-11 a.m., hosted by Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Presented by Pioneer Training. This workshop will present our favorite tips, tricks, and shortcuts we have collected and developed over 20 years of teaching and using Microsoft Excel. Topics will include shortcuts for selecting ranges, using autofill to create a series of dates or numbers, setting the print area, using page-break preview, adding headers and footers, and using page-layout view. You’ll learn how to group spreadsheets in the same workbook in order to type or format more than one sheet at the same time, as well as how to create 3D formulas that calculate across several spreadsheets in the same workbook. Participants are encouraged to bring laptops and follow along with the instructor, but this is not required. Cost: $35 for members, $45 for non-members. Pre-registration required at goo.gl/forms/pX8YUuC25YdMsLjD2.

• June 6: June Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Glendale Ridge Vineyard, 155 Glendale Road, Southampton. Sponsored by Northeast Solar, MassDevelopment, and Kuhn Riddle Architects. A networking event. Cost: $10 for members.

• June 21: Workshop: “Microsoft Word: Advanced Tips, Tricks & Shortcuts,” 9-11 a.m., hosted by Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. Presented by Pioneer Training. This workshop will go beyond the basics and explore some of Word’s more advanced features. You’ll learn how to use Word styles to make global changes to a document quickly and easily. The class will also cover working with templates to automate document creation. You’ll learn to use several of Word’s features for working with longer documents — adding a table of contents, inserting section breaks, inserting headers and footers, and inserting and modifying page numbers. Cost: $35 for members, $45 for non-members. Space is limited, and pre-registration is required at goo.gl/forms/pX8YUuC25YdMsLjD2.

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.westfieldbiz.org

(413) 568-1618

• April 2: April Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., hosted by the Arbors, 40 Court St., Westfield. Join us for our monthly Mayor’s Coffee Hour with Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan. Event is free and open to the public. Register online at www.westfieldbiz.org so we may give our host a proper count. For more information, call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

• April 11: WE2BA High School Career Fair, 7:45-11:30 a.m., hosted by Westfield State University at the Woodward Center, 395 Western Ave., Westfield. Don’t miss the chance to help shape our future through workforce development in our community. Join us to help inspire Westfield High School and Westfield Technical Academy students with career exploration. More than 400 students will be in attendance. We are looking for 75 vendors to participate. The vendor tables are free. Register online at www.westfieldbiz.org. For more information, call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

• April 9: April After 5 Connection, 5-7 p.m., hosted by Betts Plumbing & Heating Supply Inc., 14 Coleman Ave., Westfield. Refreshments will be served. A 50/50 raffle will benefit the chamber scholarship fund. Bring your business cards and make connections. Cost: free for members, $10 for non-members (cash or credit paid at the door). Register online at www.westfieldbiz.org. For more information, call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

• April 24: Home & Business Community Marketplace & Tabletop Event, 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by the Ranch Golf Club, 65 Sunnyside Road, Southwick. An opportunity to market and sell your products and services to area residents and businesses. Sip and shop your way through the marketplace with a beer and wine tasting, live music, and a chance to vote for your favorite nosh at the food court. Cost: $50 for vendor rental space (table not included; bring your own, six feet or less with tablecloth), $75 for vendor table (includes six-foot table; bring your own tablecloth). Attendance is free to the public. For more information, contact Southwick Economic Development at (413) 304-6100.

SOUTH HADLEY & GRANBY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.shgchamber.com

(413) 532-6451

• April 11: Multi-chamber Table Top Expo: “A Taste of Commerce,” 4:30-7 p.m., hosted by Bartley Center at Holyoke Community College. This business networking and marketing event, now in its 24th year, will provide business professionals and entrepreneurs an opportunity to promote their businesses — to “strut their stuff.” Tables are available for $150. Admission is free if you pre-register with the chamber or $15 at the door. Whether you plan to be a participating vendor or want to simply attend, go to www.shgchamber.com for more information or to register, or call (413) 532-6451.

• April 19: Business After 5, 4:30-6:30 p.m., hosted by Ohana School of Performing Arts, 470 Newton St., South Hadley. Sponsored by Berkshire Hills Music Academy. This Everything 70’s Disco Party is a networking event for members and friends of the chamber. We are joining with the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce on this event, so there will be many new business colleagues to meet and greet over the three floors of studio space. The event will feature music, food, beverages, and dancing. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. For further information and to register, visit www.shgchamber.com or call the chamber office at (413) 532-6451.

• April 22: Mohegan Sun bus trip, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Proceeds support the chamber’s scholarship fund and its two community Councils on Aging. There are bonuses on food and other pluses included in the cost. Bus departs from and returns to the former Big Y parking lot at 501 Newton St. Cost: $35. For further information and to register, visit www.shgchamber.com or call the chamber office at (413) 532-6451.

• April 24: An Educational Breakfast: “Cybersecurity: What We All Need to Know,” 7:30-9 a.m., hosted by PeoplesBank and Loomis Village, 20 Bayon St., South Hadley. We will learn how cybersecurity impacts our own lives, both personally and professionally. The presentation will be led by Joseph Zazzaro, senior vice president, Information Technology, and David Thibault, first vice president, Commercial Banking at PeoplesBank. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. For further information and to register, visit www.shgchamber.com or call the chamber office at (413) 532-6451.

SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER

www.springfieldregionalchamber.com

(413) 787-1555

• April 4: Business@Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m, hosted by Delaney House, One Country Club Road, Holyoke. Featuring the Mayor’s Forum with Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, West Springfield Mayor William Reichelt, and newly elected Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, who will be interviewed by Western Mass News anchor Dave Madsen. Cost: $25 for members in advance ($30 at the door), $35 general admission ($40 at the door). To make a reservation, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.

• April 5: Leadership Institute Graduation, 6 p.m., hosted by Springfield Sheraton, One Monarch Place, Springfield. Cost: $40 for members. To make a reservation, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.

• April 25: Beacon Hill Summit, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., day-long trip to the State House to meet legislators. Cost: $180 for members, $225 general admission, which includes transportation, lunch, and reception. To make a reservation, visit www.springfieldregionalchamber.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (413) 755-1310.

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.ourwrc.com

(413) 426-3880

• April 4: Wicked Wednesday, 5-7 p.m., hosted by CHD Cancer House of Hope, West Springfield. Wicked Wednesdays are monthly social events, hosted by various businesses and restaurants, that bring members and non-members together to network in a laid-back atmosphere. For more information about this event, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• April 12: Networking Lunch, noon to 1:30 p.m., hosted by Lattitude, West Springfield. Must be a member or guest of a member to attend. Enjoy a sit-down lunch while networking with fellow chamber members. Each attendee will get a chance to offer a brief sales pitch. The only cost to attend is the cost of lunch. Attendees will order off the menu and pay separately that day. We cannot invoice you for these events. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• April 26: Coffee with Agawam Mayor Sapelli, 8:30-10 a.m., hosted by Agawam Senior Center Coffee Shop, 954 Main St., Agawam. Join us for a cup of coffee and a town update from Mayor Bill Sapelli. Questions and answers will immediately follow. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880 or [email protected].

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY OF GREATER SPRINGFIELD

springfieldyps.com

• April 19: YPS Third Thursday: “Career Development & Networking,” 5-7 p.m., hosted by Lattitude Restaurant, 1338 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Cost: free for YPS members, $10 for non-members.

Uncategorized
Facility Capacity Contact Person Services

The MassMutual Center1277 Main St.,Springfield, MA 01103          (413) 271-3221; Fax: (413) 787-6645

2,237     (ballrooms A,B,&C; five mtg. rooms with 1,367 cap.)

Tabitha Mahoney

Largest function space in Western Mass., overlooking Court Square; weddings, banquets, meetings; floor to ceiling windows; arena;  Boston Culinary Group caterers providing on-site catering for all occasions – common fare to exquisite dining. Web site:www.massmutualcenter.com

Chez Josef            176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam, MA 01001  (413) 786-0257; Fax: (413) 786-0316

1,800

Jean Allen

Full service; for weddings, books entertainment, photographer, videographer, cake, invitations, limo, bridal shops, flowers, coordinating, and complementary consulting; for business meetings, can locate hotels with shuttle service; overnight accommodations; senior entertainment; holiday parties; bus-tour shows and luncheons; free parking;  premier off-premise catering; grand ballroom; open to the public Mother’s Day, New Year’s Eve. Web site:www.chezjosef.com

The Log Cabin 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke, MA 01040            (413) 535-5077; Fax: (413) 535-1096

1,000

Barbara Griffin

Wedding or bridal showers; anniversary or engagement parties; bar/bat mitzvahs; business meetings; banquets or holiday parties. Planning, full service,  cuisine; accommodations for 50 to 1,000 guests. Web site:www.thelogcabin.com

Sheraton Springfield Hotel  One Monarch Place, Springfield, MA 01103 (413) 263-2009; Fax: (413) 732-7560

1,000 Grand Ballroom 500

Steve Keegan

Weddings: flowers, Rolls Royce; for business, audio-visual equipment, rear screen projection, lighting, sound, computer presentations, teleconferencing; 18 rooms, three for meetings; high-speed Internet; holiday parties. Web site:www.sheraton-springfield.com

The Delaney House  Country Club Road, Holyoke, MA 01040 (413) 532-1800; Fax: (413) 533-7137

800

Lynn Brunelle

Custom menus and accommodations for large receptions, corporate events, or banquets for up to 260 guests; intimate dinner parties for 10 or more. Two garden terraces for outdoor settings. Groups up to 14 can choose from an international fusion  restaurant menu.  Web site:www.delaney-house.com

The Oaks 1070 Suffield St., Agawam, MA 01001  (413) 786-5500 or (800) 333-6257
Fax: 786-6966

750

Thomas  Sophinos

Full-service banquet facility; three wedding packages to choose from; four gazebos; guaranteed prices, will work within client’s budget; accommodating trade shows, business meetings, company holiday parties, business tours for dinner shows, and much more; we do not charge 18% house or service charge.Web site:www.theoaksinc.com

Yankee Pedlar Inn 1866 Northampton St., Holyoke, MA 01040 (413) 532-9494; Fax: (413) 536-8877

750 250 for weddings

Kimberlee
Clayton-McGrath

Full-service facility; four wedding packages to choose from; ceremony sites, bridal suites, and overnight accommodations; award-winning chef; seven unique rooms for meetings, anniversaries, and other events. Web site:www.yankeepedlar.com

Castle of Knights 1599 Memorial Drive, Chicopee, MA 01020            (413) 532-2000; Fax: (413) 552-3923

700

Scott
Samuelson

Catering and conference facility for business functions and social events. Web site:www.castleofknights.com

Best Western Sovereign Hotel  and Conference Center 1080 Riverdale St.  West Springfield, MA 01089 (413) 781-8750; Fax: (413) 731-5999

In the ballroom:  700 theater-style,  500 banquet-style; smaller rooms  seat 10 to 24

Mariann
Zenitz

The facility hosts a wide range of functions, including meetings and conferences, social events, fundraisers, award banquets, conventions, reunions, and weddings.Web site:www.sovereignhotelcs.com

Basketball Hall of Fame  West Columbus Ave., Springfield, MA 01105 (413) 781-6500; Fax: (413) 781-1939

600 sit-down 1,300 for socials

Joe Hevey

Full-service facility capable of hosting a wide array of events. Facilities include Center Court, which can hold 600 for a sit-down dinner; Max’s Tavern; the MassMutual            Room, a board room for business meetings; a 200-seat theater; a McDonalds for children’s parties; exhibit gallery for banquet functions.  Web site:www.hoophall.com

Marriott Hotel  1500 Main St., Springfield, MA 01115  (413) 781-7111; Fax: (413) 731-6939

500

Linda Mensher

A wide range of services: weddings, business functions, meetings, reunions, conventions; 11 different rooms. Web site:www.marriott.com

Oak Ridge Golf Club 850 South Westfield St., Agawam, MA 01001 (413) 786-5886; Fax: (413) 821-0060

450 for banquets 300 for weddings

Jennifer  Dandurand

Books only one wedding per day; outdoor photo opportunities; gazebo; provides golf outing packages with dinner for business groups. Web site:www.oakridgegc.com

Holiday Inn Holidome & Conf. Center 245 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke, MA 01040 (413) 534-3311; Fax: (413) 533-8443

425 for banquets
1,000 for socials

Tracie Tarbox

Full-service facility; wedding and conference packages; audio-visual equipment; high-speed Internet access.  Web site:www.hiholyoke.com

Clarion Hotel and Conference Center  1 Atwood Dr., Northampton, MA 01060            (413) 586-3903; Fax: (413) 586-1723

400

Melissa
Vontour

Eight rooms to accommodate smaller meetings and functions; wedding planning       services; audio-visual equipment; company parties; graduation parties; outdoorpavilion; indoor/outdoor pool. Web site:www.hampshirehospitality.com

Chateau Provost 85 Montcalm St., Chicopee, MA 01020 (413) 532-2100; Fax: (413) 536-8371

350

Janice
Mahoney

Audio-visual facilities for business seminars; can book entertainment, invitations, cakes, flowers for weddings; individualizes service for specific needs; baby  grand piano. Web site:www.chateauprovost.com

The Elmcrest Country Club 105 Somerville Road, E. Longmeadow, MA 01028            (413) 525-2186; Fax: (413) 789-4087

350

Pamela
Vadnais

Weddings, showers, dinner dances; family-owned; banquet room  can be split into two smaller rooms for smaller functions rooms with dining facilities. Web site:www.elmcrest.cc

The Knights of Columbus Banquet Hall 460 Granby Road, Chicopee, MA 01020 (413) 598-8621

350

Alexis
Birney

Corporate events, weddings, banquets, showers, funeral collations, light buffet, dinner, breakfasts. Web site:www.KofC69.com

Crestview Country Club 280 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam, MA 01001  (413) 786-2593; Fax: (413) 789-4087

300

Ernest
LaRocca Jr.

Beautiful outdoor panoramic photo opportunities; outdoor ceremonies; only  one event per day; professional culinary and service staff; business meetingrooms with dining facilities. Web site:www.crestviewcc.org

The Ludlow Country Club Tony Lema Drive, Ludlow, MA 01056 (413) 583-8666; Fax: (413) 596-9972

300

Linda
Ghini

Weddings, banquets, special occasions, and other functions.; outside caterers welcome          Web site:www.ludlowcountryclub.com

Park Inn 450 Memorial Drive, Chicopee, MA 01020  (413) 739-7311; Fax: (413) 594-5005

300

Carol
DeGray

Catering; full meeting setup; audio-visual, classroom or theater style; can accommodate different rooms for meetings and meals; high-speed Internet.

The Hampden Country Club 128 Wilbraham Road, Hampden, MA 01036              413) 566-3136; Fax: (413) 566-5304

300

Paula
Dubord

Panoramic views; breakfast, lunch, and dinner; wedding packages;  create-your-own menu option; two bars; dance floor. Web site:www.hampdencountryclub.com

Max’s Catering at the  Basketball Hall of Fame West Columbus Ave., Springfield, MA 01105  (413) 746-6299; Fax: (413) 746-5559

280 500 for socials

Rachel
Bombard

Full-service banquet facilities, corporate and private; will customize events  to fit specific needs; exclusive caterer to the Basketball Hall of Fame.  Web site:www.maxrestaurantgroup.com

School Street Bistro &  Columbia Meeting House 29 School St., Westfield, MA 01085       (413) 562-8700; Fax: (413) 562-8704

250
(400 for socials)

Doreen
Vadnais

The restaurant’s Columbia Meeting House handles a wide variety of events, including corporate functions, weddings, baby and bridal showers, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, and anniversaries; also hosts performances. Web site:www.schoolstreetbistro.com

Union Station            125 A Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 586-5366; Fax: (413) 586-5359

225

Stephen
Godet

Full-service facility; wedding packages and planning; bridal suite; provides ancillary services and can custom-design menu.  Available for meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Located in century-old railroad station. Web site:www.unionstationrestaurant.com

Carriage House at the Barney Estate            200 Trafton Road, Springfield, MA 01108  (413) 787-7733; Fax: (413) 787-6770

200

Paula
Lynch

Victorian elegance for weddings, showers, receptions, business meetings, and corporate gatherings. Historic carriage house in Forest Park includes outdoor terrace, gazebo, and tent seating for 200; indoor facilities include Pecousic Villa Banquet Room and meeting rooms for business needs. Web site:www.barneycarriagehouse.com

Hotel Northampton 36 King St., Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 587-8108; Fax: (413) 585-0210

200
(300 for socials)

Erinn
Fitzgerald

Full-service facility, wedding packages; can handle all details including invitations and limo booking.  Audio-visual equipment for business meetings; wireless  Internet; Newly-renovated Grand Ballroom, two additional ballrooms, two boardrooms, two restaurants. Web site:www.hotelnorthampton.com

The Baymont Inn and Suite  Road, Chicopee, MA 01013  (413) 592-9101

150

Lisa
Nai

Business meetings, conferences, social functions, restaurant and lounge, 357 Burnett conference rooms

The Federal 135 Cooper St., Agawam, MA 01001  (413) 789-1267

125

Christina
Presnal  Coffey

Banquet, off-premise catering, spoon hors d’oeuvres, private parties,  business meetings. Web site:www.thefederalrestaurant.com

Sections Supplements
This Unique Event Will Put Businesses in Front of Decision Makers

Mine Your Business

Mine Your Business

In 2008, the Greater Holyoke and Chicopee Chambers of Commerce commenced a search for an event that would be an alternative to the traditional trade show and typical networking event. What has emerged for 2010, and Nov. 4, to be more specific, is Mine Your Business, or what is being described as a networking and sales- building opportunity for companies across the region. Presented by BusinessWest, this unique event will give participants a chance to tell their stories in front of actual decision makers. Here’s a look at how Mine Your Business will unfold, and who will be taking part..

Peter Rosskothen says he gets some of his business at the Log Cabin-Delaney House from referrals, and still more from essentially showing people what he can do — putting on an event that prompts people to think of his venues when it’s their turn to stage a get-together.
But Rosskothen, co-owner of those Holyoke institutions, says that networking remains a big part of efforts to fill the calendars at both locations, and that’s why he does a lot of it. “It’s important to get in front of people, remind them you’re there, start new relationships, and strengthen existing ones,” he told BusinessWest.
For all these reasons, Rosskothen is a participant and strong supporter of Mine Your Business, what is being described as a networking and sales-building event slated for Nov. 4 at the Kittredge Center at Holyoke Community College. He said the gathering, presented by BusinessWest and sponsored by several area companies, including the Log Cabin-Delaney House, will give those involved a chance to not only tell their stories, but tell them to an audience of decision makers.
“And this is the audience you want to be reaching,” he said. “And that’s what makes this event different. At a trade show or a typical networking event, you get some exposure and you meet quite a few people, but you don’t generally get to see the decision makers, the people you need to be seeing.”
Here’s how it works: participating companies will send two representatives to the event — a decision maker and a top sales executive. This team will then meet a series of other teams for eight-minute discussions, or encounters, during which introductions can be made, information can be shared, relationships can be initiated or taken to a higher level, and, down the road, sales can be made.
With this sequence of events in mind, Kate Campiti, associate publisher and advertising director at BusinessWest, said that event organizers have incorporated the slogan ‘it’s where the conversation starts’ into Mine Your Business promotional efforts.
“People tend to do business with people they know and trust, people they have a relationship with,” she explained. “Relationships start when people get to know each other and come to understand their respective businesses can help one another.”
At press time, nearly two dozen companies, representing several business sectors, had signed on to take part in Mine Your Business. The list includes financial-services providers, printing companies, office-supply companies, a Ford dealer, and much more. Profiles of participating companies begin on page 21.
There is still plenty of time for companies to reserve space, however.
In addition to the Greater Holyoke and Chicopee Chambers of Commerce, Mine Your Business is being sponsored by First American Insurance, Holyoke Community College, Marcotte Ford, and Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
For more information or to reserve space, call the Greater Holyoke Chamber at (413) 534-3376, the Chicopee Chamber at (413) 594-2101, or BusinessWest at (413) 781-8600.

A to Z Moving & Storage Inc.
380 Union St., Suite One, West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 736-4440
www.a-zmovers.net
A to Z can move individuals and businesses, and no job is too small or too large. A to Z can also store excess files — and a customer’s active ones — as well as providing delivery and pickup when needed them. All customers are treated with courtesy and professionalism.

ABC 40 and Fox 6 WGGB-TV
1300 Liberty St., Springfield, MA 01104
(413) 733-4040
www.wggb.com
As Springfield’s only locally owned TV stations, a commitment and access to local communities, support of viewers, and strength of programming combine to make WGGB-TV ABC 40 and Fox 6 a valuable partner to create visibility and awareness for local businesses.

BusinessWest
1441 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103
(413) 781-8600
www.businesswest.com
Founded in 1984, BusinessWest is the region’s premier business publication bringing local business news, trends, and information to nearly 30,000 readers. Published bi-weekly, BusinessWest is read by business owners, presidents, CEOs, senior managers, and professionals throughout Western Mass., and it is committed to the region’s economic health, vitality, and future.

Comcast Business Class
222 New Park Dr., Berlin, CT 06037
(413) 730-4579
www.business.comcast.com
Comcast Business Services offers Western Mass. businesses a one-stop solution for all of their communication needs. With business-class Internet, voice, and TV, companies can leverage the power of Comcast’s fiber-optic network while enjoying the convenience of one provider for all three services and 24/7 customer support.
 

Deliso Financial and Insurance Services
540 Meadow St., Suite 108, Agawam, MA 01001
(413) 785-1100
www.delisofinancialservices.com
After 20 years in the financial-services industry, Jean Deliso’s passion for finance and strategic planning led to the creation of Deliso Financial and Insurance Services in 2000. Deliso Financial and Insurance Services is a comprehensive financial-management agency.

First American Insurance Agency Inc.
510 Front St., Chicopee, MA 01021
(413) 592-8118
www.faiagency.com
This family-owned insurance agency is proud of its local heritage and committed to its strong principles of personal service. Founded in 1986 by President Ed Murphy, First American Insurance Agency is a proud example of the region’s powerful entrepreneurial spirit, growing to become a leading insurance agency specializing in both personal and commercial lines of coverage.

Hadley Printing
58 Canal St., Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 536-8517
www.hadleyprinting.com
For more than 100 years, Hadley Printing has provided high-quality printing to a wide range of clients throughout the Northeast. Hadley Printing’s excellent reputation is a result of company values reflecting honesty, integrity, and a strong work ethic. Customers trust and respect Hadley Printing for high-quality work and exceptional service.

Holyoke Community College
303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 552-2500
www.hcc.edu
Since 1946, Holyoke Community College has been a gateway to quality education and career advancement. Seeking to realize their dreams and aspirations, more than 100,000 students have come through the doors of the college. Today, HCC serves more than 9,000 students annually in more than 100 associate degree and certificate options, and more than 5,500 in non-credit and workforce-development courses.

Holyoke Gas & Electric/HGE.net
9 Suffolk St., Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 536-9300
www.hged.com
Formed in 1902, HG&E is a municipally owned utility that provides electricity, natural gas, and fiber-optic Internet services to more than 18,000 customers. Its mission to customers is to provide competitive energy rates, reliable service, and excellent customer service.
 

INK Products
25 Grove St., Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 594-7533
www.inkprod.com
INK Products was established in 1996 with the intent to bring businesses competitive prices on a wide variety of printing and office supplies, and to provide businesses with a source of answers to any questions regarding their supply needs. Service like this is not available at superstores or mail-order companies.

The Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House
500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 535-5077
The Delaney House
1 Country Club Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 532-1800
www.logcabin-delaney.com
Beautiful settings and Old World charm have given the Log Cabin and the Delaney House a reputation as premier banquet facilities and restaurants in the Valley. Attention to detail, exclusive service, and unrivaled menus distinguish the quality options offered to customers.
Marcotte Ford
1025 Main St., Holyoke, MA 01040
(800) 842-0699
www.marcotteford.com
Marcotte Ford is a premier new Ford and used car dealer. With a friendly and helpful sales staff, highly skilled mechanics, and multiple automotive certifications, Marcotte’s mission is to make every customer a customer for life by consistently offering superb customer care, competitive prices, and a knowledgeable staff.

Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
330 Whitney Ave., Suite 800, Holyoke, Massachusetts 01040
(413) 536-8510
www.meyerskalicka.com
Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. is the largest independently owned and operated CPA firm based in Western Mass. Its mission is to provide professional services of superior quality and value to enable clients to achieve their goals. Every MBK client, from individual proprietorships to multi-million-dollar international organizations, receives the personal attention of one of the partners.
  

Moriarty & Primack
One Monarch Place, Suite 1300, Springfield, MA 01144
(413) 739-1800
www.mass-cpa.com
Moriarty & Primack, P.C. was founded in 1993 by the late Richard Moriarty and Jay Primack. At that time, each had 18 years of diversified public-accounting experience with Big Four firms. Today, many individuals on the staff have a large-accounting-firm background. The firm and its affiliates have a total professional staff of 28, of whom 17 are certified public accountants.
 

Northeast Security Partners
33 Sylvan St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(413) 733-7306
www.northeastsecuritysolutions.com
Northeast Security Solutions is a company driven by the goal of achieving total customer satisfaction in everything it does. It’s the only one-stop security company in the area offering mechanical and electronic security integration, saving customers time, money, and ‘buck-passing’ between suppliers.

Ondrick Natural Earth
729 Fuller Road, Chicopee, MA 01020
(413) 594-8803
www.ondricknaturalearth.com
Ondrick Natural Earth is the Greater Springfield’s most comprehensive supplier of landscaping and building stone. With an impressive inventory, a knowledgeable sales staff, and a homeowner-friendly store, Ondrick meets landscape, architectural, and building-stone needs, from wall and patio stone to natural thin stone veneers.
 

Peter Pan Bus Lines
P.O. Box 1776 , Springfield, MA 01102
(800) 343-9999
www.peterpanbus.com
Peter Pan is one of the largest privately owned intercity bus companies in the industry, with the most modern fleet on the road. Its new, state-of-the-art motorcoaches have changed bus travel, offering passengers amenities such as wi-fi, electrical outlets for laptops and cell phone chargers, tray tables, extra legroom, safety restraints, and more.

Telemundo
866 Maple Ave., Hartford, CT 06114
(860) 956-1303
www.zgsgroup.com
This Spanish-language, American television network is operated by ZGS Communication, a Hispanic-owned company with a profound commitment to serving the local communities where it conducts business.

Valley Engraved Gifts & Awards
120 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke, MA 01040
(888) 226-5252
www.signature-engravers.com
Valley Engraved Gifts & Awards, a division of Signature Engraving Systems, is a privately held corporation and an offshoot of United Innovations Inc., an engineering design firm. Now the benchmark for computerized engravers, Signature has evolved to not only develop better tools and systems, but also educate the industry about personalization so they can benefit from increased margins and experience the pleasure of making their customers happy.

United Bank
95 Elm St., West Springfield, MA 01089
(866) 959-2265
www.bankatunited.com
United Bank is a federally chartered stock bank headquartered in West Springfield. The bank has been doing business in the Pioneer Valley since 1882. Today, it has more than $1.5 billion in assets and offices throughout the Greater Springfield area.

Valley Computer Works
84 Russell St., Hadley, MA 01035
(413) 587-2666
www.valleycomputerworks.com
Valley Computer Works has been selling and servicing computers in the Pioneer Valley since 1999. It offers a wide array of services for residential and commercial clients. Fueled by a growing client base and the constant expansion of its staff and facilities, Valley Computer Works has established itself as a premier computer consulting, sales, and service business.

Chamber Corners Departments

AMHERST AREA
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.amherstarea.com
(413) 253-0700

• Oct. 19: Chamber After 5, 5-7 p.m., at the Hitchcock Center, 845 West St., Amherst. Sponsored by Encharter Insurance and UMassFive College Federal Credit Union. Join the chamber and celebrate the new, 9,000-square-foot Hitchcock Center opening. This will be New England’s first public environmental education center to meet the Living Building Challenge. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register online at www.amherstarea.com.

• Oct. 27: Chamber Legislative Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the Lord Jeffery Inn, 30 Boltwood Ave., Amherst. Sponsored by Eversource. The annual legislative breakfast brings together legislators, local officials, and business leaders to network and discuss current and upcoming policy issues. Guest speakers: Senate President Stan Rosenberg, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, and state Reps. Ellen Story and John Scibak. Cost: $15 for members, $20 for non-members. Register online at www.amherstarea.com.

FRANKLIN COUNTY
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.franklincc.org
(413) 773-5463

• Oct. 18: Free Legal Clinic, noon to 3:30 p.m., at the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, 395 Main St., Greenfield – Masonic Hall Condominium Building. The Western Mass Regional office of the MSBDC announced that the law firms of WMassBizLaw have offered to hold a free legal clinic. Individuals, entrepreneurs, and small-business owners will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one for 30 minutes with attorney Sarah Willey to discuss general legal questions such as corporate structure, leases, contracts, insurance, employment, franchising, and various other business-related issues. Cost: free. Register online at www.franklincc.org.

• Oct. 28: October Chamber Breakfast with Francois Nivaud, 7:30-9 a.m., at the Greenfield Community College Dining Commons, 1 College Dr., Greenfield. Nivaud was recently appointed executive director of the Mass. Office of Travel & Tourism. He has spent his career in the world of hospitality by operating hotels and consulting with groups and businesses in this field. He will share his plans for marketing Massachusetts to both domestic and international visitors, as well as new initiatives that his department will undertake. He is committed to partnerships and strengthening relationships with the 16 Regional Tourism Councils, as evidenced by his visits to all regions within weeks of his appointment. Cost: $13 for member, $16 for non-members. Register by Oct. 21 at www.franklincc.org or by calling (413) 773-5463.

• Nov. 18: November Chamber Breakfast with John B. Jurst, 7:30-9 a.m., at Greenfield Country Club, 171 Country Club Road, Greenfield. The speaker will be John Hurst, President of RAM, the Retailers Assoc. of Massachusetts. RAM is a trade association that represents some 3200 retail stores by advocating for them in this changing retail climate. RAM voices concerns about potential legislation, labor laws and rights, compensation, loss prevention, and other factors related to retailing, whether a megastore or the mom-and-pop shop downtown. What is the future of retailing? This discussion is a timely one just before holiday shopping begins. Cost: $13 for members, $16 for non-members Register by Nov. 11 at www.franklincc.org or by calling (413) 773-5463.

• Dec. 16: Annual Holiday Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., at Deerfield Academy, 7 Boyden Lane, Deerfield. A bountiful buffet will be presented by the Academy chefs. The program will be sponsored by the Recorder, and tributes will be offered to the recipient of its Citizen of the Year award. A selection committee pores over the many nominations that are received and makes the difficult choice just prior to the event. Awardees are recognized for their volunteer work in their community, as well as many acts of kindness during their lives. There are also gift bags for those attending. Register early at www.franklincc.org or by calling (413) 773-5463.

GREATER CHICOPEE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101

• Oct. 19: October Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at Summit View Banquet & Meeting House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members. Register online at www.chicopeechamber.org.

• Oct. 26: Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m., at the Arbors at Chicopee, 929 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Oktoberfest theme with band, food, and cash bar. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register online at www.chicopeechamber.org.

• Nov. 1: Multi-Chamber Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m., at Mill 180 Park, 180 Pleasant St., Easthampton. Cost: $10 members, $15 for non-members.

• Nov. 16: Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., hosted by Collegian Court restaurant, 89 Park St., Chicopee. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members.

GREATER EASTHAMPTON
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414

• Oct. 19: Medallion Speaker Forum Fall, noon to 1:30 p.m. Hosted by Innovative Business Systems, 161 Northampton St., Easthampton. State Rep. John Scibak joins the forum and gives his insight on how you can be most effective when you need to be. Cost includes boxed lunch from Riff’s Joint. Space is limited. For additional information, e-mail [email protected]. Cost: $20. Register online at www.easthamptonchamber.org or by calling the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

• Nov. 9: Hampshire County Business Bash, 5-7 p.m., at the Lord Jeffery Inn, Amherst. A tri-chamber business-expo networking event. Enjoy business building, networking, complementary appetizers, cash bar, and local brewery beer tasting. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register online at www.easthamptonchamber.org or by calling the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

• Nov. 10: Checkpoint Legislative Summit, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Hosted by the Log Cabin, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. The Chamber of Greater Easthampton joins in presenting a multi-chamber event with the Chicopee, Hadley, Holyoke, and Westfield chambers. Bring your questions or concerns to this open forum with area legislators, featuring keynote speaker Lt. Gov. Karen Polito. Cost: $45 for members registering before Oct. 31, $55 for non-members. After Oct. 31, all registration will be $55. For more information or to register, visit www.easthamptonchamber.org, or call (413) 527-9414.

GREATER NORTHAMPTON
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.explorenorthampton.com
(413) 584-1900

• Oct. 28: 2016 New Member Orientation, 3-4 p.m., at the chamber offices, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. This is the chance to tell us more about your business and how the chamber can best serve you. Meet other new members and learn how to make the most of your chamber membership. Cost: Free. RSVP to (413) 584-1900 or  [email protected].

GREATER WESTFIELD
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618

• Nov. 7: Mayor’s Coffee Hour with Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan, 8-9 a.m., at Netlogix, 48 Court St., Westfield. This event is free and open to the public. Call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618 to register.

• Nov. 9: After 5 Connection, 5-7 p.m., at the Holiday Inn Express located at 39 Southampton Road, Westfield. Sponsored by It’s PAWSible! Dog Training Center. Refreshments will be served. Bring your business cards and make connections. Cost: free for members, $10 cash for general admission. To register, call the chamber office at (413) 568-1618.

• Nov. 16: 56th annual Meeting and Awards Dinner, 5:30 p.m., at East Mountain Country Club, 1458 East Mountain Road, Westfield. Congratulations to 2016 award winners: Firtion Adams, 2016 Business of the Year; Westfield Technical Academy, 2016 Nonprofit Business of the Year; and George’s Jewelers. Inc., 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award. The event sponsor is Staples, and the registration table sponsor is the Gaudreau Group. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Cost: $50 for chamber members, $60 for general admission. RSVP by Nov. 11 appreciated, but no refunds after that date.

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CHAMBER
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• Nov. 3: PWC Expo Headline Luncheon, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at the MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield. Featuring Andrea Haslet-Davis, ballroom dancer, runner, and Boston Marathon bombing survivor. Cost: $40. Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com.

SOUTH HADLEY & GRANBY
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.shgchamber.com
(413) 532-6451

• Oct. 19: Economic Forum Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., at Willits-Hallowell Conference Center at Mount Holyoke College. James Hartley, professor of Economics, will speak on the economy. A buffet breakfast will be provided. Cost: $22 members, $27 for non-members. E-mail [email protected] to RSVP.

• Nov. 3: Spotlight on South Hadley Businesses, 7-9 p.m., at South Hadley High School. After leaving BusinessWest’s Western Mass. Business Expo, have dinner, then go to Spotlight on South Hadley Businesses. Know Your Town and the South Hadley & Granby Chamber of Commerce are partnering to host a free program featuring your business. It’s like a chamber table-top or craft-fair event, but it’s free to businesses and the public. It’s free to have a table with your business information and promotion (posters, takeout menus, job applications, handouts, business cards, etc.). E-mail [email protected] to RSVP or to have questions answered about this opportunity.

SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• Oct. 28: Springfield Regional Chamber Super 60, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at Chez Josef, 176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. Celebrating the 60 fastest-growing, privately held companies in the region. Presented by Health New England and sponsored by Farmington Bank. Presented in partnership with the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce. Cost: $50 for members, $70 for non-members. RSVP deadline: Oct. 19. Reservations may be made online at www.professionalwomenschamber.com.

• Nov. 3: Springfield Regional Chamber Expo Business@Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the MassMutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield. Featuring Laura Masulis, MassDevelopment fellow, speaking on “The Rise of Innovation.” Cost: $30 for members in advance, $30 for general admission, and $35 for walk-in admission. Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com.

• Nov. 9: Springfield Regional Chamber Lunch ‘n’ Learn, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at the Colony Club, 1500 Main St., Springfield. “The New Overtime Law and the Pay Equity Law — Their Impact to You” will be presented by John Gannon, attorney with Skoler Abbott & Presser, P.C. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for general admission. Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com.

• Nov. 15: Springfield Regional Chamber Speed Networking, 7:15-9 a.m. Location to be determined. Cost: $20 for members in advance ($25 at the door), $30 for general admission. Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com.

• Nov. 17: Springfield Regional Chamber Government Reception, 5-7 p.m., at the Carriage House, Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. An evening of informal conversation with local and state leaders. Cost: $50 for members in advance, $70 for general admission. Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com.

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.ourwrc.com
(413) 426-3880

• Oct. 18: Multi-Chamber Lunch & Learn, noon-2 p.m., at the Storrowton Tavern/Carriage House, West Springfield. Enjoy a buffet lunch while networking with fellow business people. John Regan, AIM’s executive vice president for Government Affairs, will discuss the matters that passed on Beacon Hill, those that didn’t, and what may be in store for the next legislative session that begins in January 2017. Cost: $35. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or e-mail [email protected].

• Oct. 26: Food Fest West, 5:30-8 p.m., at Crestview Country Club, Agawam. The event will feature the foods of area restaurants including Chez Josef, Crestview Country Club, Partner’s, and many more. Proceeds raised by Food Fest West will go toward the Partnership for Education and the WRC Educational Fund, which provides grants to businesses for on-the-job training and continuing-education needs. Cost: $25 in advance, $35 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• Nov. 1: Coffee with Mayor Cohen, 8-9:30 a.m., at the Agawam Senior Center Coffee Shop, 954 Main St., Agawam. Join us for a cup of coffee and a town update from Mayor Richard Cohen. Questions and answers will immediately follow. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or e-mail [email protected].

• Nov. 15: Coffee with Mayor Reichelt, 8-9:30 a.m., at the West Springfield Public Library Community Room, Park Street, West Springfield. Join us for a cup of coffee and a town update from Mayor Will Reichelt. Questions and answers will immediately follow. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or e-mail [email protected].

Sections Travel and Tourism

What Summertime Blues?

SummerHappeningsDPart

In the mood for some live music or theater? Or are art shows and antiques more your style? How about clambering through the trees or soaring on roller-coaster tracks? Whatever your taste, Western Mass. boasts plenty of ways to enjoy the summer months, making any day potentially a vacation day. Here are 25 ideas to get you started, in a region that’s home to many, many more.

July

> Berkshires Arts Festival
Ski Butternut, 380 State Road, Great Barrington
(845) 355-2400; www.berkshiresartsfestival.com
Admission: $7-$14; free for children under 10

July 1-3: Ski Butternut may be best-known for … well, skiing, of course. But the property also plays host to the Berkshires Arts Festival, a regional tradition now in its 15th year. Thousands of art lovers and collectors are expected to stop by to check out and purchase the creations of more than 175 artists and designers, as well as experiencing theater and music from local and national acts. Founded by Richard and Joanna Rothbard, owners of An American Craftsman Galleries, the festival attracts top artists from across the U.S. and Canada.

1Fireworks>Fireworks Shows Various Locations

July 1-4: Independence Day weekend is brimming with nighttime pageantry throughout the Pioneer Valley. The Valley Blue Sox in Holyoke kick things off with fireworks following its July 1 game. July 2 brings displays at Beacon Field in Greenfield, while on June 3, Michael Smith Middle School in South Hadley and East Longmeadow High School get into the act. July 4 will bring the spectacle to Riverfront Park in Springfield and McGuirk Stadium at UMass Amherst. And Six Flags in Agawam will light up the night on July 2, 3, and 4.

> Brimfield Antique Show
Route 20, Brimfield
(413) 283-6149; www.brimfieldshow.com
Admission: Free

July 12-17, Sept. 6-11: After expanding steadily through the decades, the Brimfield Antique Show now encompasses six miles of Route 20 and has become a nationally known destination for people to value antiques, collectibles, and flea-market finds. Some 6,000 dealers and close to 1 million total visitors show up at the three annual, week-long events; the first was in May. The Brimfield Antique Show labels itself the “Antiques and Collectibles Capital of the United States,” and — judging by its scope and number of visitors — it’s hard to disagree.

2GlasgowLands-2> Glasgow Lands Scottish  Festival
Look Park, 300 North Main St., Florence
(413) 862-8095; www.glasgowlands.org
Admission: $16; $5 for children 6-12; free for kids under 6

July 16: This 23nd annual festival celebrating all things Scottish features Highland dancers, pipe bands, a pipe and drum competition, animals, spinners, weavers, harpists, Celtic music, athletic contests, activities for children, and the authentically dressed Historic Highlanders recreating everyday life in that society from the 14th through 18th centuries. Inside the huge ‘pub’ tent, musical acts Enter the Haggis, Soulsha, Albannach, Screaming Orphans, and Charlie Zahm will keep toes tapping in the shade. Event proceeds benefit programs at Human Resources Unlimited and River Valley Counseling Center.

> Pioneer Valley Beer & Wine Festival
Look Park, 300 North Main St., Florence
(413) 584-5457; www.lookpark.org
Admission: $35 in advance, $40 at the door

July 30: Hungry — or thirsty — for something to do as the dog days of summer take hold? Look Park presents its first annual Beer & Wine Festival at the Pines Theater from noon to 4 p.m. Attendees (over age 21 with ID) will get to sample local beer and wine from the Pioneer Valley, live music, and food vendors including Local Burger, La Veracruzana, and Sierra Grille.

August

> Pocumtuck Homelands Festival
Unity Park, 1st Street, Turners Falls
(413) 498-4318; www.nolumbekaproject.org
Admission: Free

Aug. 6: This annual celebration of the parks, people, history, and culture of Turners Falls is a coordinated effort of the Nolumbeka Project and RiverCulture. The event features outstanding Native American crafts, food, and live music by Theresa ‘Bear’ Fox, Mohawk (Wolf Clan), ‘wave artist’ Mixashawn, the Medicine Mammals Singers, and Kontiwennenhawi, the Akwasasne Women Singers. Also featured will be the Black Hawk Singers, the Visioning B.E.A.R. Circle Intertribal Coalition Singers, a Penobscot hoop dancer, round dancing, elder teachings, craft activities, storytelling, and traditional dances. The Nolumbeka Project aims to preserve regional Native American history through educational programs, art, history, music, heritage seed preservation, and cultural events.

3SpringfieldJazz

> Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival
Court Square, Springfield
(413) 303-0101; springfieldjazzfest.com
Admission: Free

Aug. 6: The third annual Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival will offer a festive atmosphere featuring locally and internationally acclaimed musical artists, dance and theater workshops, local arts and crafts, and plenty of food. More than 5,000 people are expected to attend and enjoy the sounds of jazz, Latin jazz, gospel, blues, funk, and more. Featured performers include Taj Mahal, Eric Krasno Band, Joey DeFrancesco Trio, Terri Lyne Carrington Group, Samirah Evans and Her Handsome Devils, Rayvon Owen, Heshima Moja and Ofrecimiento, and Jose Gonzalez and Banda Criolla. The festival is produced by Blues to Green, which uses music to bring people together, uplift and inspire, and help build a more equitable and sustainable world.

> Agricultural Fairs
Various locations and admission costs; see websites
www.thewestfieldfair.com; www.theblandfordfair.com; www.3countyfair.com; www.fcas.com; www.belchertownfair.com

Starting in late August and extending through September, the region’s community agricultural fairs are a much-loved tradition, promoting agriculture education in Western Mass. and supporting the efforts of local growers and craftspeople. The annual fairs also promise plenty of family-oriented fun, from carnival rides to animal demonstrations to food, food, and more food. The Westfield fair kicks things off Aug. 19-21, followed by the Blandford Fair and the Three County Fair in Northampton on Sept. 2-5, the Franklin County Fair in Greenfield on Sept. 8-11, and the Belchertown Fair on Sept. 23-25.

September

> Stone Soul Festival
Blunt Park, 1780 Roosevelt Ave., Springfield
(413) 636-3881; www.ssfestival.weebly.com
Admission: Free

Sept. 2-4: Stone Soul began in 1989 as a community reunion picnic aimed at gathering together the Mason Square Community. It has since evolved into a three-day event, and New England’s largest African-American festival. Stone Soul aims to provide family-oriented activities, entertainment, and cultural enrichment, and is a vehicle for minority-owned businesses to display their wares and crafts. Entertainment includes gospel, jazz, R&B, and dance. Sunday’s free picnic includes ribs and chicken cooked by talented pitmasters, as well as barbecued beans, cole slaw, and more, with the backdrop of an afternoon of live gospel music performed by local and regional choirs.

4MattoonStreet> Mattoon Street Arts Festival
Mattoon St., Springfield
(413) 736-0629
www.mattoonfestival.org
Admission: Free

Sept. 10-11: Now in its 44th year, the Mattoon Street Arts Festival is the longest-running arts festival in the Pioneer Valley, featuring about 100 exhibitors, including artists that work in ceramics, fibers, glass, jewelry, painting and printmaking, photography, wood, metal, and mixed media. Food vendors and strolling musicians help to make the event a true late-summer destination.

> Glendi
22 St. George Road, Springfield
(413) 737-1496
www.stgeorgecath.org/glendi
Admission: Free

Sept. 9-11: Every year, St. George Cathedral offers thousands of visitors the best in traditional Greek foods, pastries, music, dancing, and old-fashioned Greek hospitality. In addition, the festival offers activities for children, tours of the historic St. George Cathedral and Byzantine Chapel, various vendors from across the East Coast, icon workshops, movies in the Glendi Theatre, cooking demonstrations, and a joyful atmosphere the whole family will enjoy.

> Fresh Grass
1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams
(413) 662-2111; www.freshgrass.com
3-day pass: $99 for adults, $89 for students, $46 for ages 7-16

Sept. 16-18: The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is known for its musical events, and the Fresh Grass festival is among the highlights, showcasing more than 50 bluegrass artists and bands over three days. This year, the lineup includes Old Crow Medicine Show, Glen Hansard, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, The Devil Makes Three, Rosanne Cash, the Infamous Stringdusters, and many, many more. Also on tap are new-artist competitions (with prizes totaling $25,000) and bluegrass workshops open to festival attendees.

All Summer Long

> Berkshire
Botanical Garden
5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge
(413) 298-3926
www.berkshirebotanical.org
Admission: $15; free for kids under 12

Through Oct. 10: If the flora indigenous to, or thriving in, the Berkshires of Western Mass. is your cup of tea, try 15 acres of stunning public gardens at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge. Originally established as the Berkshire Garden Center in 1934, today’s not-for-profit, educational organization is both functional and ornamental, with a mission to fulfill the community’s need for information, education, and inspiration concerning the art and science of gardening and the preservation of the environment. In addition to the garden’s collections, among the oldest in the U.S., visitors can enjoy workshops, special events, and guided tours.

> CityBlock Concert Series
Worthington and Bridge streets, Springfield
(413) 781-1591
www.springfielddowntown.com/cityblock
Admission: Free

Through Aug. 25: Downtown Springfield’s annual Thursday-evening summer music series is again studded with a mix of national touring acts and local lights, starting with FAT on June 30 in Court Square. The shows then move to Stearns Square for the rest of the summer, and include Ricky Nelson Remembered (July 7), Forever Motown (July 14), the Machine (July 21), Natalie Stovall and the Drive (July 28), Terry Sylvester (Aug. 4), Max Creek (Aug. 11), Blessid Union of Souls (Aug. 18), and the Shadowboxers (Aug. 25). The presenting sponsor for the shows is MassMutual, and the series is presented by the Springfield Business Improvement District. See article on page 27 for more information.

> Crab Apple
Whitewater Rafting
2056 Mohawk Trail, Charlemont
(413) 625-2288; www.crabapplewhitewater.com
Admission: $110-$116 through Sept. 11; $99 after Sept. 11

Through Oct. 9: Wanna get wet? Crab Apple is a third-generation, multi-state family business that operates locally on the Deerfield River in the northern Berkshire Mountains of Western Mass. Its five separate rafting excursions range from mild to wild, full- or half-day runs, in rafts and inflatable kayaks. In short, Crab Apple offers something for everyone, from beginners to more experienced rafters.

> Hancock Shaker Village
1843 West Housatonic St., Pittsfield
(413) 443-0188; www.hancockshakervillage.org
Admission: $8-20; free for children 12 and under

Through October: In 1774, a small group of persecuted English men and women known as the Shakers — the name is derived from the way their bodies convulsed during prayer — landed in New York Harbor in the hopes of securing religious freedom in America. Nearly 250 years later, their utopian experiment remains available to the public in the restored 19th-century village of Hancock. Through 20 refurbished buildings and surrounding gardens, Shaker Village illuminates the daily lives of its highly productive inhabitants. After spending a day in the recreated town, visitors will surely gain a greater appreciation of the Shakers’ oft-forgotten legacy in the region.

JacobsPillowSuchuDance-BRuddick-2008> Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
358 George Carter Road, Becket
(413) 243-0745; www.jacobspillow.org
Admission: $25 and up

Through Aug. 30: Now in its 84rd season, Jacob’s Pillow has become one of the country’s premier showcases for dance, featuring more than 50 dance companies from the U.S. and around the world. Participants can take in scores of free performances, talks, and events; train at one of the nation’s most prestigious dance-training centers; and take part in community programs designed to educate and engage audiences of all ages. This year’s events introduce a quirky, charming company from Germany, the explosive footwork of South American gauchos, inspiring ballet companies from across the U.S., astounding flex dancers from the streets of Brooklyn, and 12 high-flying men from Algeria — plus, more live music than ever before. See article on page 25 for more information.

> Lady Bea Cruise Boat
1 Alvord St., South Hadley
(413) 315-6342; www.brunelles.com
Admission: $10-$15; free for kids 3 and under

Through Labor Day: If you’re in the mood for a scenic meander up and down the Connecticut River, consider the Lady Bea, a 53-foot, 49-passenger, climate-controlled boat operated by Brunelle’s Marina, which typically runs Thursday through Sunday between South Hadley and Northampton. If you don’t feel like sharing the 75-minute narrated voyage with others, rent the boat out for a private excursion. Amenties include a PA system, video monitors, a full bar, and seating indoors and on the sun deck — but the main attraction is the pristine water, sandy beaches, and unspoiled views along the river.

6Mahaiwe> Mahaiwe Performing
Arts Center
14 Castle St., Great Barrington
(413) 528-0100; www.mahaiwe.org
Admission: Varies by event

Year-round: The beloved Mahaiwe Theatre dates back to 1905 — continuously running programs since its opening — and underwent an extensive, $9 million renovation starting in 2003. Today, the theater seats just under 700 and hosts year-round arts programming, including music, dance, theatre, opera, talks, and movie classics. It’s leaders say Mahaiwe is a staple and a resource: its live performances inspire tens of thousands of audience members each year, its family and educational events are vital to the region, its embrace of modern technology supplements programming with live, high-definition satellite broadcasts from around the world, and its year-round schedule enhances the quality of life for those who reside in and visit the Berkshires.

> Nash Dinosaur
Track Site and
Rock Shop
594 Amherst Road, South Hadley
(413) 467-9566; www.nashdinosaurtracks.com
Admission: $3 for adults; $2 for children

Year-round: Walk where the dinosaurs walked, literally. It’s hard to believe that the first documented dinosaur tracks found in North America were on the shores of the Connecticut River, in 1802, near today’s site of Nash Dinosaur Track Site and Rock Shop in South Hadley. Over the years, thousands of dinosaur tracks have been discovered; many were sold to museums and private individuals all over the world, but many more can be seen due to the extensive work of Carlton S. Nash. Visit the site and learn about some of this region’s earliest inhabitants, and also about the geology of the area.

7PeacePagoda> New England Peace Pagoda
100 Cave Hill Road, Leverett
(413) 367-2202
www.newenglandpeacepagoda.com
Admission: Free

Year-round: A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa, a monument to inspire peace, designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. Most peace pagodas built since World War II have been built under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii, a Japanese Buddhist monk. Fujii was greatly inspired by his meeting with Mahatma Gandhi in 1931 and decided to devote his life to promoting non-violence. In 1947, he began constructing peace pagodas as shrines to world peace.

> Ramblewild
110 Brodie Mountain Road, Lanesborough
(844) 472-6253; www.ramblewild.com
Admission: $69 for adults, $59 for youth

Year-round: Aerial parks are an outdoor activity in and among the trees that offer excitement, challenge, and personal growth for families and adventurists of all kinds. At Ramblewild, the focal point is a central wooden platform about 10 feet above the ground from which eight aerial obstacle courses originate, meandering from tree to tree at various heights through the forest. Each course consists of 15 to 17 elements (high wires, ziplines, balancing logs, rope ladders, cargo nets, suspended bridges, etc.) that meander through a pristine hemlock forest. These tree-to-tree challenge courses are designed to have a profound impact on visitors’ self-confidence — while having lots of fun, of course.

8SixFlags> Six Flags New England
1623 Main St., Agawam
(413) 786-9300
www.sixflags.com/newengland
Admission: $61.99; season passes $91.99

Through oct. 31: Continuing an annual tradition of adding a new major attraction each spring, Six Flags New England recently unveiled Fireball, a looping coaster, and rethemed Bizarro to its original Superman motif, adding a virtual-reality component (via goggles) to boot. Other recent additions include the Wicked Cyclone, the 420-foot-tall New England Sky Screamer swings, the 250-foot Bonzai Pipeline enclosed waterslides, and the massive switchback coaster Goliath — in addition to a raft of other thrill rides. But fear not: the park has attractions for everyone along the stomach-queasiness spectrum, from the classic carousel and bumper cars to the wave pools and lazy river in the Hurricane Harbor water park, free with admission.

> Valley Blue Sox
Mackenzie Stadium
500 Beech St., Holyoke
(413) 533-1100
www.valleybluesox/pointstreaksites.com
Admission: $4-$6; season tickets $79

Through Aug. 1: Western Mass. residents don’t have to trek to Boston to catch quality baseball. The Valley Blue Sox, members of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, play close to home at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke. These Sox feature a roster of elite collegiate baseball players from around the country, including some who have already been drafted into the major leagues. Frequent promotional events like postgame fireworks and numerous giveaways help make every game at MacKenzie Stadium a fun, affordable event for the whole family.

> Williamstown Theatre Festival
1000 Main St., Williamstown
(413) 597-3400; www.wtfestival.org
Admission: $40 and up

Through Aug. 21: Six decades ago, the leaders of Williams College’s drama department and news office conceived of an idea: using the campus’ theater for a summer performance program with a resident company. Since then, the festival has attracted a raft of notable guest performers. This season will spotlight a range of both original productions and plays by well-known lights such as Tennessee Williams (The Rose Tattoo) and Wendy Wasserstein (An American Daughter), as well as a number of other programs, such as post-show Tuesday Talkbacks with company members.

Joseph Bednar can be reached a  [email protected]

Building Trades

Super Bowls

Michael Preli works on the lathe

Michael Preli works on the lathe in his basement in Suffield.

 

Michael Preli’s career has been one of constant advancement — not necessarily in title or income, but in job satisfaction. And he’s a long way from where he started, in the auto-body field.

“My father is a frame technician for auto body. And I always thought that’s what I wanted to do,” Preli told BusinessWest. “So I started working in a body shop when I left school. I did that for a couple of years.”

What he didn’t expect was that he’d come to like wood more than metal.

Auto-body work “didn’t bring me the satisfaction I thought it would,” he recalled. “Metal is cold and dirty and dusty — like, the dust sticks to you.”

Meanwhile, his rented house, on the same property he worked at, needed some improvements, including a new door. He did the job himself, even though he had never done any woodworking.

“I got a lot of satisfaction from it. My boss came over and looked at it and said, ‘wow, you did a really nice job on this.’ I said, ‘oh, thanks.’ And that stuck with me for a while. So, when an opportunity came up to do framing for houses, I took it, and I left the world of auto body. Thank God.”

These days, Preli owns his own home-based business in Suffield, Conn., Cellar Dweller WoodTurning, creating and selling a host of artful pieces, including plates, bowls, urns, and decorative pieces. But it took a couple more steps to get there, as we’ll see.

Starting with framing, which he characterized as work with “a lot of brute force, not a lot of finesse. I always gravitated toward the jobs that took more patience, and my overseers saw that and placed me there.”

“It got my wife motivated, too, because she could see that, with a young child, I had an opportunity to do something from home instead of going back to work.”

Indeed, Preli started focusing on finish work, such as crown molding, fireplace mantles, door frames, doors, and windows. “I did that for many years, along with remodeling and renovating. And then I got into doing furniture, which took more patience and required more solitary-type work.”

Even through the decade he spent making furniture out of a rented shop, he never saw himself in woodturning, a craft that uses a wood lathe and hand-held tools to create symmetrically shaped pieces. “I thought I loved making furniture. But now that I’ve stepped away from it, did I really like doing furniture? I mean, I felt like I did.”

He switched gears, however, after his landlord passed away, and he lost his shop and moved all his tools back home, returning to commercial finish work while he and his wife, Kathryn, decided to start a family; their son was born in 2019.

“I was still working very hard, but my wife’s a doctor. She makes way more than I’ll ever be able to make. So she was going to continue working, and I planned to stay home until the kid was old enough to talk, and then go back to work.”

Then a pandemic struck, and that changed everything.

 

Crafting a Career

Specifically, it forced Preli to be home even more than he had planned to, and introduced a hobby into his life.

In some ways, he said the isolation many people faced during COVID was a blessing to his own household. “We even got COVID — we got colds and got over it — but it gave me a chance to put my tools down for the first time ever. This was the first time ever I hadn’t been working. I mean, I dropped out of high school young to work. Now I was home with my boy the whole time. It was wonderful. That’s when I picked up woodturning, just as a hobby.”

Showing off the lathe in his basement, Preli noted that “it’s a specific type of woodworking. The only thing I can do on that machine is round work, and that’s what I got into.”

Soon, the hobby started filling the Prelis’ kitchen with bowls and other items.

“I always undervalue my work, but my wife was like, ‘man, this stuff is coming out great.’ I’d been giving out a lot of stuff, giving gifts to my family. And of course, they said, ‘yeah, thanks, Mike, it looks great.’ But they’re my family. I could have given them anything, and they would say that.”

items Michael Preli sold

These are some of the items Michael Preli sold at the recent Suffield Summer Fair.

What convinced Preli that they weren’t just being polite was a craft-selling event at a local Tractor Supply Co., where his wife decided to set up shop.

“I said, ‘don’t do it, Kathryn. You’re going to spend the whole day there. It’s hot out. Don’t bother,’” he recalled. “She said, ‘I’m going to do it.’ She set herself to it, and she made a killing. We sold so much stuff. I didn’t think anyone would buy anything, but we sold a lot. It gave me some inspiration, and it got my wife motivated, too, because she could see that, with a young child, I had an opportunity to do something from home instead of going back to work.”

After all, he said, commercial finish work can be a six-days-a-week gig, and they both preferred Michael to be mainly home during that time.

“It’s nice to know that something I made with my hands is going to be the object of beauty beauty in someone’s home for a long time.”

“So it just worked out great,” Preli said. “And slowly, we started doing these craft fairs, and the revenue was good. We made it happen. My wife takes care of all the logistics for these shows and fairs.”

Those events take place most weekends and are the main sales source; online sales haven’t been so robust, and Preli believes that might be partly because he sells tactile items that people want to touch — and are far more likely to buy once they do.

“Plus, online, there are so many options,” he said. “I’m not the only guy selling wood bowls there; there are thousands and thousands. And shopping online, you want to save money, so you gravitate toward something less expensive, maybe not the best quality … but to each his own. We do very well in person.”

Michael Preli

Michael Preli says he was surprised when his creations first met an eager reception with buyers.

He enjoys talking to customers, especially when he hears what they plan to do with the items they buy. “I don’t know what anyone would ever do with some of these things I make, but they buy them. And it gives me some ideas, too. It’s nice to know that something I made with my hands is going to be the object of beauty beauty in someone’s home for a long time.”

When he started out, Preli worked with a number of different finishes, but most people gravitated to his half-epoxy, half-wood hybrid pieces that boast a smooth, shiny finish, so that’s the work he focuses on. “People love this stuff. They sell almost instantly.”

 

Joy in the Journey

While Preli didn’t think of woodturning during his framing or furniture-making days, he said the trajectory seems natural now; essentially, as his work became finer in scope, he loved it more.

“I get a lot of joy from it. My wife is proud of me. My family is proud of me. I have time for my son. I’m very happy with it.”

He said many people come home from work and spend time with their hobby, but he feels like the Cellar Dweller business is a hobby-like experience: something he does for fun that also generates income.

“That thing you’re compelled to do, I get to do that every day,” he said. “And it requires such a high level of concentration and patience. Everything melts away; it’s very much tunnel vision. I get to do that, and I’m so lucky.

“I keep it small, and I would say it’s a good life,” he continued. “The stress from doing commercial work, competing, bidding, dealing with different people — you know, some people aren’t as pleasant as others — and just being stuck in traffic and shopping for stuff at Home Depot … that’s all gone. It’s a relief.”

 

Opinion
You feel it at the gas pump every day – the cost of fuel continues to rise. These increases impact the price of many products, including other fuels — and electricity, which impacts every business, large and small.

Understanding why the price of electricity fluctuates — and is currently rising — doesn’t ease the pain, but it will give business owners some important perspective, and perhaps an appreciation of how the energy business has changed over the past several years.

With the utility industry deregulated and electricity now being purchased in the competitive market as any other commodity, customers are more exposed to market volatility. As with other commodities, various factors can impact the price consumers will pay for electricity supply. Global impacts, such as the war in Iraq, the death of Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd, or threats of terrorism, will impact the market. Weather also plays a large role in pricing – clearly evident in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Here in New England, fuel is the biggest driver of electricity pricing. Much of New England’s generating plants are powered by oil or natural gas. As these fuel prices rise and the cost to generate electricity increases, the cost for that electricity supply will also increase.

To illustrate the impact all these factors have on pricing: on August 15, electricity supply on the market was priced at 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). The following day saw a slight dip in supply price – 9.7 cents per kWh. Two weeks later, the day Hurricane Katrina hit, the market price started out in the morning at 10.8 cents per kWh. By the day’s end, the price had increased to 11.1 cents per kWh.

Unfortunately, these factors not only play a role in pricing, but can impact the financial success, competitiveness, and economic development of our business community. Western Mass. Electric Co. (WMECO) customers who are not on competitive supply will see an impact by this market volatility in the fourth quarter pricing. Beginning Oct. 1, medium/large commercial and industrial customers (rate classes G-2, T-4, T-2, I-1, I-3, PR and Contracts) will see a fixed rate of 9.715 cents per kWh, up from a third quarter price of $7.625.

There are options to battler these rising prices, starting with conservation. WMECO can provide businesses with experience and expertise to reduce their energy usage, lower costs, and improve productivity and overall competitiveness. Through these conservation programs, the utility can also offer a variety of incentives for the installation of cost-effective, energy saving measures – in some cases, with no investment on the business’s part. From lighting upgrades to new construction, WMECO encourages its customers to contact us for more information about these programs (800-835 2707) or on the Web at www.wmeco.com and click on “How to Save Energy.”

Businesses also have option of choosing a supplier. WMECO encourages you to educate yourself on choosing a supplier, then contact the licensed suppliers in Massachusetts and evaluate the rates they are able to offer you.

As prices vary with each customer, it is often difficult to predict whether or a specific business will be able to obtain a lower price. However, suppliers may be able to offer a longer-term contract which can help companies better manage their budget and operating costs. Information to help choose a supplier and negotiate a contract as well as a list of licensed suppliers is available on the WMECO Web site, as well as through through the Department of Telecommunications and Energywww.mass.gov/dte) and the Division of Energy Resources;www.mass.gov/thepower.
While WMECO — or any utility — cannot control nor predict what occurs in the competitive market, it does make every effort to mitigate the price volatility. The utility conducts several competitive bid processes throughout the year to secure the lowest possible price available on the market at the time of bid, and it purchases blocks of supply at various times throughout the year to minimize the price impact.

The utility has also committed to keeping its distribution rates stable through 2006. For more information on WMECO rates, visit the “Basic Service Pricing” section ofwww. wmeco.com.

Rodney O. Powell is president and chief operating officer of Western Mass. Electric Co.; (413) 787-9293.

Chamber Corners Departments

ACCGS

www.myonlinechamber.com

(413) 787-1555

 

• Feb. 6: Business@Breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., at the Springfield Marriott. The monthly Business@Breakfast series pays tribute to individuals, businesses, and organizations for major contributions to civic and economic growth and for actions that reflect honor on the region. The Business@Breakfast gives your company exposure to business owners, upper management, and salespeople. For reservations, contact Cecile Larose at (413) 755-1313.

• Feb. 13: Murder Mystery! After Hours, 5-7 p.m. at City Place Inn and Suites, 711 Dwight St., Springfield. For reservations, contact Cecile Larose at (413) 755-1313.

 

AMHERST AREA

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.amherstarea.com

(413) 253-0700

 

• Jan. 23: Chamber After Five, 5-7 p.m. Location to be announced. Admission is $5 for members, $10 for non-members. Visit

www.amherstarea.com for more information.

• Feb. 13: Amherst Area Chamber Breakfast, 7:15-9:05 a.m., at the Hampshire College Red Barn. Features a Hampshire County Regional Tourist Council update. Cost is $17 for members, $20 for non-members. RSVP to [email protected] or register online at www.amherstarea.com.

• Feb. 27: Chamber After 5, 5-7 p.m. at the Hampshire Athletic Club, 90 Gatehouse Road, Amherst. Admission is $10 for members, $15 for non-members. For more information, visit www.amherstarea.com.

 

CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.chicopeechamber.org

(413) 594-2101

 

• Feb. 20: February Annual Meeting/Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the Castle of Knights. Tickets are $20 for members, $26 for non-members.

• Feb. 27: February Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m., at NUVO Bank & Trust Co. Admission is $5 for members, $15 for non-members.

 

FRANKLIN COUNTY

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.franklincc.org

(413) 773-5463

 

For more information on our upcoming events, visit the chamber online at www.franklincc.org.

 

GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.easthamptonchamber.org

(413) 527-9414

 

• Jan. 24: Chamber Annual Meeting and Annual Awards Dinner, 5 p.m., Southampton Country Club. We’ll review a successful 2012 and celebrate member milestones. The event will feature presentation of awards for Business, Business Person, and Community Service Members of the Year. Event Sponsor is Easthampton Savings Bank. Cost is $30 per person, inclusive. For more information, e-mail [email protected].

 

GREATER HOLYOKE

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.holycham.com

(413) 534-3376

 

• Jan. 16: Chamber Business Networking, 5-7 p.m., at Homewood Suites, 375 Whitney Ave., Holyoke. Sponsored by CareerPoint. Admission is $10 for members and $15 cash for non-members. If you are a member of the hospitality industry or a small retailer, please attend as the chamber’s guest at no charge. Call the chamber at (413) 534-3376 to register, or visit holyokechamber.com to sign up.

• Jan. 17: The Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce and the Holyoke Police Department are teaming up to co-host the chamber’s Open House and a ribbon cutting at the grand opening of the department’s ‘Hub’ office. The events will take place at 176 and 177 High St., 4-7 p.m. Both events are open and free to the public.

• Jan. 28: Basics of Marketing Seminar, 8:30-10 a.m., chamber office. Learn some free and low-cost ideas on marketing your business. Cost is $10 for members and $20 for non-members. A continental breakfast is included in the price. Call the chamber at (413) 534-3376 to register or visit holyokechamber.com to sign up.

 

GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.explorenorthampton.com

(413) 584-1900

 

• Feb. 6: Arrive @5, 5-7 p.m., at Easthampton Savings Bank, 241 Northampton St., Easthampton. Arrive when you can, stay as long as you can; a casual mix and mingle with colleagues and friends. Admission is $10 for members, $15 for non-members.

 

NORTHAMPTON AREA YOUNG PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY

www.thenayp.com

(413) 584-1900

 

For more information on our upcoming events, visit the society online at www.thenayp.com.

 

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CHAMBER

www.professionalwomenschamber.com

(413) 755-1310

 

• Jan. 16: Business Expo, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at Max’s Tavern at the Basketball Hall of Fame. Sign up to showcase your company’s products and services or to attend the event. Display price includes a draped table and lunch for one. General-admission tickets include specialty sandwiches, fruit, chips, and dessert. Tabletop cost (includes one lunch ticket): $70 for PWC members, $100 for non-members. Admission cost (lunch included): $25 for PWC members, $35 for non-members.

 

QUABOAG HILLS

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.qvcc.biz

(413) 283-2418

 

For more information on our upcoming events, visit the chamber online at www.qvcc.biz.

 

 

 

SOUTH HADLEY/GRANBY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.shchamber.com

(413) 532-6451

 

For more information on our upcoming events, visit the chamber online at www.shchamber.com.

 

THREE RIVERS

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.threeriverschamber.org

413-283-6425

 

For more information on our upcoming events, visit the chamber online at www.threeriverschamber.org.

 

WEST OF THE RIVER

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.ourwrc.com

(413) 426-3880

 

• Feb. 6: Wicked Wednesday, 5-7 p.m., at Chez Josef, 176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. Free for chamber members, $10 for non-members. Wicked Wednesdays are monthly social events, hosted by various businesses and restaurants, that bring members and non-members together to network in a laid-back atmosphere. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or e-mail [email protected].

• Feb.  28: Legislative Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., at Springfield Country Club, 1375 Elm St., West Springfield. Panel of elected officials will include state Reps. Nicholas Boldyga and Michael Finn, Agawam Mayor Richard Cohen, West Springfield Mayor Greg Neffinger, and state Sen. Michael Knapik. Tickets are $25 for members, $30 for non-members. For more information, contact the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or e-mail [email protected].

 

GREATER WESTFIELD

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.westfieldbiz.org

(413) 568-1618

 

• Feb. 4: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., at Miss Sweets, 4 Russell Road, Westfield. The mayor will share information about what’s happening in the city. For more information or to register, contact Pam Bussell at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618.

• Feb. 13: February WestNet, 5-7 p.m., at Shaker Farms Country Club, 866 Shaker Road, Westfield. Meet chamber members and bring your business cards. Sponsored by Ashton Services. Admission is $10 for chamber members, $15 for non-members. Payment can be made in advance or at the door with cash or check. Walk-ins are welcomed. Call the chamber at (413) 568-1618 or e-mail Pam Bussell at [email protected]. Your first WestNet is always free.

 

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY OF GREATER SPRINGFIELD

www.springfieldyps.com

 

• Jan. 17: January Third Thursday Networking Event, 5-7 p.m. at he Colony Club, 1500 Main St., Springfield. The event is free for members, $10 for non-members. For more information, visit www.springfieldyps.com/events.

• Feb. 21: February Third Thursday Networking Event, 5-7 p.m., at Samuel’s Tavern, 1000 West Columbus Ave, Springfield. The event is free for members, $10 for non-members. For more information, visit www.springfieldyps.com/events.

Chamber Corners Departments

AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.amherstarea.com
(413) 253-0700

• Oct. 19: Chamber After 5, 5-7 p.m., at the Hitchcock Center, 845 West St., Amherst. Sponsored by Encharter Insurance and UMassFive College Federal Credit Union. Join the chamber and celebrate the new, 9,000-square-foot Hitchcock Center opening. This will be New England’s first public environmental education center to meet the Living Building Challenge. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register online at www.amherstarea.com.

• Oct. 27: Chamber Legislative Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the Lord Jeffery Inn, 30 Boltwood Ave., Amherst. Sponsored by Eversource. The annual legislative breakfast brings together legislators, local officials, and business leaders to network and discuss current and upcoming policy issues. Guest speakers: Senate President Stan Rosenberg, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, and state Reps. Ellen Story and John Scibak. Cost: $15 for members, $20 for non-members. Register online at www.amherstarea.com.

FRANKLIN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.franklincc.org
(413) 773-5463

• Oct. 6: Business Basics Workshop, 9-11 a.m., at the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, 395 Main St., Greenfield – Masonic Hall Condominium Building. This free workshop, presented by Allen Kronick, senior business advisor, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network Western Regional Office, will focus on business fundamentals, from startup considerations to business-plan development and funding sources. It is designed for owners of existing businesses as well as those who are planning to start one. Cost: free. Register online at www.franklincc.org.

• Oct. 7: “Grow Your Business with E-mail & Social Media,” 9:30 a.m. to noon, at the Greenfield Community College Downtown Center, 270 Main St., Greenfield. Join Liz Provo, authorized local expert for Constant Contact, as she helps you learn how to create a marketing strategy that combines e-mail and social media for maximum results. Cost: $5. Register online at www.franklincc.org.

• Oct. 18: Free Legal Clinic, noon to 3:30 p.m., at the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, 395 Main St., Greenfield – Masonic Hall Condominium Building. The Western Mass Regional office of the MSBDC announced that the law firms of WMassBizLaw have offered to hold a free legal clinic. Individuals, entrepreneurs, and small-business owners will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one for 30 minutes with attorney Sarah Willey to discuss general legal questions such as corporate structure, leases, contracts, insurance, employment, franchising, and various other business-related issues. Cost: free. Register online at www.franklincc.org.

GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101

• Oct. 4: Table Top Expo & Business Networking Event, 4:30-7 p.m., at the Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Hosted by the Greater Chicopee, Greater Holyoke, Greater Westfield, and Springfield Regional Chambers of Commerce. With approximately 120 businesses represented and 400 visitors, the Table Top Expo and Business Networking Event is an excellent marketing tool for area businesses. Cost: $125 for an exhibitor table (includes two tickets), $5 for pre-registered admission. Register online at www.chicopeechamber.org.

• Oct. 14: Auction/Wine & Beer Tasting, 6-9 p.m., at Hadley Farms Meeting House, 41 Russell St., Hadley. Country chic theme with entertainment by Sarah the Fiddler. Cost: $40, or $35 each for two or more. Register online at www.chicopeechamber.org.

• Oct. 19: October Salute Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at Summit View Banquet & Meeting House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. Cost: $23 for members, $28 for non-members. Register online at www.chicopeechamber.org.

• Oct. 26: Business After Hours, 5-7 p.m., at the Arbors at Chicopee, 929 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Oktoberfest theme with band, food, and cash bar. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register online at www.chicopeechamber.org.

GREATER EASTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414

• Oct. 13: Networking by Night, 5-7 p.m., at Fort Hill Brewery. Sponsored by Advanced Restoration Group. An evening of connecting and business building. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register online at www.easthamptonchamber.org, or by calling the Chamber of Greater Easthampton at (413) 527-9414.

• Oct. 19: Medallion Speaker Forum Fall, noon to 1:30 p.m. Hosted by Innovative Business Systems, 161 Northampton St., Easthampton. State Rep. John Scibak joins the forum and gives his insight on how you can be most effective when you need to be. Cost includes boxed lunch from Riff’s Joint. Space is limited. For additional information, e-mail [email protected]. Cost: $20. Register online at www.easthamptonchamber.org or by calling the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

• Nov. 9: Hampshire County Business Bash, 5-7 p.m., at the Lord Jeffery Inn, Amherst. A tri-chamber business-expo networking event. Enjoy business building, networking, complementary appetizers, cash bar, and local brewery beer tasting. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register online at www.easthamptonchamber.org or by calling the chamber at (413) 527-9414.

GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.holyokechamber.com
(413) 534-3376

• Oct. 19: Chamber After Hours, 5-7 p.m. Hosted and sponsored by Westfield Bank, 1642 Northampton St., Holyoke. The Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce invites you to an evening of casual networking. Cost: $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Register online at www.holyokechamber.com.

GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.explorenorthampton.com
(413) 584-1900

• Oct. 5: Arrive @ 5, 5-7 p.m., sponsored by Innovative Business Systems Inc., Pioneer Training, and Florence Bank. This the networking event you don’t want to miss. More than 300 attendees are expected, with food donated by our member restaurants and cold brews donated by the Northampton Brewery. Call chamber for location. Cost: $10 for members. To register, visit www.explorenorthampton.com, call (413) 584-1900, or e-mail [email protected].

• Oct. 28: 2016 New Member Orientation, 3-4 p.m., at the chamber offices, 99 Pleasant St., Northampton. This is the chance to tell us more about your business and how the chamber can best serve you. Meet other new members and learn how to make the most of your chamber membership. Cost: Free. RSVP to (413) 584-1900 or  [email protected].

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618

• Oct. 3: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., at the American Inn, One Sawmill Park, Westfield. Join us for our monthly Mayor’s Coffee Hour with Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan. This event is free and open to the public. Call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618 to register for this event so we may give our host a head count.

• Oct. 12: Oktoberfest After 5 Connection, 5-7 p.m., at East Mountain Country Club, 1458 East Mountain Road, Westfield. Bring your business cards for our annual speed connecting. Refreshments will be served. Cost: $10 for members, $15 cash for non-members. To register, call (413) 568-1618. As this event gets closer, an online registration will be made available.

SOUTH HADLEY & GRANBY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.shgchamber.com
(413) 532-6451

• Sept. 27: Ribbon cutting for the new South Hadley & Granby Chamber of Commerce Office, 5 p.m. Join the chamber as it cuts the ribbon for its new office location at 2 Lyman St., South Hadley, next to the new Plains Elementary School. The chamber is now co-located with ERA Laplante Real Estate. There will be light food, beverages, a tour of the new office, and prizes. Cost: free. RSVP to Executive Director Dale Johnston at [email protected] so the appropriate amount of food and beverage is available.

• Oct. 19: James E. Hartley, PhD, professor of Economics at Mount Holyoke College, speaks at 7:30 a.m., at the Willits-Hallowell Conference Center at Mount Holyoke. Hartley will speak on the economy. A buffet breakfast will be provided. Cost: $22 for members, $27 for non-members. E-mail [email protected] to RSVP.

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CHAMBER
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• Sept. 28: PWC Headline Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Munich Haus, 13 Center St., Chicopee. Featuring psychic medium Angelina Diana. Cost: $30 for PWC members, $40 for general admission. Reservations may be made online at www.professionalwomenschamber.com. The Professional Women’s Chamber is a division of the Springfield Regional Chamber.

WEST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.ourwrc.com
413-426-3880

• Oct. 5: Wicked Wednesday, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Cyber Exchange, West Springfield. Wicked Wednesdays are monthly social events, hosted by various businesses and restaurants, that bring members and non-members together to network in a laid-back atmosphere. For more information about this event, call the chamber office at (413) 426-3880, or register at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

• Oct. 26: Food Fest West, 5:30-8 p.m., at Crestview Country Club, Agawam. The event will feature the foods of area restaurants including Chez Josef, Crestview Country Club, Partner’s, and many more. Proceeds raised by Food Fest West will go toward the Partnership for Education and the WRC Educational Fund, which provides grants to businesses for on-the-job training and continuing-education needs. Cost: $25 in advance, $35 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

Cover Story
25 Ways to Enjoy Everyone’s Favorite Season

SummerInTheValleyIt’s officially summer in the Pioneer Valley, an exceedingly enjoyable, if all-too-short time marked by a seemingly endless variety of diversions. Some of these — Six Flags, Tanglewood, and Jacob’s Pillow come to mind — are well known, or should be. But others fall into that ‘best-kept-secret’ category, and shouldn’t. These include everything from the Holyoke Blue Sox to the Nash Dinosaur Tracks in South Hadley; from one of the few remaining drive-in movie theaters (located near the New Hampshire border) to the often-overlooked Quabbin Reservoir. For this issue, BusinessWest offers 25 intriguing suggestions for how one can devote some time during this summer in the Valley. There are myriad more, but these provide a good indication of what this region has to offer during everyone’s favorite time of the year.

Berkshires Arts Festival

www.berkshiresartsfestival.com
Ski Butternut, 380 State Road, Great Barrington, MA
(845) 355-2400
Schedule: July 4-6 and July 12-14
Admission: $5-12

The Berkshires Arts Festival has proven to be so successful in its 12 years of existence that organizers have expanded the event into a second week. The festival attracts hundreds of acclaimed artists and big-time collectors from across the country for two consecutive weekends, transforming Butternut from a ski lodge into an outstanding art gallery. And while the artwork is the main focus, the festival also provides musical entertainment from renowned local, national, and international acts. Visitors can also participate in fun, interactive events like a puppetry and storytelling workshop. Besides, it’s hard to turn down tented AC and free parking.

Berkshire Botanical Garden

www.berkshirebotanical.org
5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, MA
(413) 298-3926
Schedule: May 1 to Oct. 14, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Admission: Free for members; adults, $15; seniors, $12; students, $12; children under 12, free

If the flora indigenous to, or thriving in, the Berkshires of Western Mass. is your cup of tea, try 15 acres of stunning public gardens at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge. Originally established as the Berkshire Garden Center in 1934, today’s not-for-profit, educational organization is both functional and ornamental, with a mission to fulfill the community’s need for information, education, and inspiration concerning the art and science of gardening and the preservation of the environment. In addition to the garden’s collections, among the oldest in the U.S., visitors can enjoy workshops, special events, and summer-guided tours on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 10 a.m., from June 15 through Sept. 1.

Blandford Fair

www.theblandfordfair.com
10 North St., Blandford, MA
Schedule: Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30 to Sept. 2
Admission: $5-10

Not much appears to have changed in the 145 years of the Blandford Fair, but that’s what makes it so charming. This Labor Day weekend, at the 146th edition of the event, fairgoers can witness the classic rituals of the giant pumpkin display, the pony draw, and the horseshoe tournament. Most likely not seen in the earlier days is the fantastically loud but always-intriguing chainsaw-carving demonstration and the windshield-smashing demolition derby, both highlights of this year’s fair. With many more exhibits and attractions to offer, a weekend at the Blandford Fair is a wonderful way to close out the summer.

BridgeOfFlowers

Bridge of Flowers

www.bridgeofflowersmass.org
Shelburne Falls, MA
Schedule: April 1 to Oct. 30
Admission: Free
Where can you find Siberian Iris and Iris Germanica (the bearded beauties, of course), Wild Wings, Ghost Train, Fire Breather, or False Indigo? The Bridge of Flowers, of course. With interesting names, and even more amazing flowers, this once-abandoned trolley bridge is now a garden pathway, cared for by the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club Bridge of Flowers Committee for more than 80 years. While advances in transportation doomed its original use, the bridge eventually bloomed as a tourist attraction, and from bulb season to Dahlia season, and every bloom season in between, it welcomes flower followers from all over the country.

Brimfield Antique Show

www.quaboaghills.com
Route 20, Brimfield, MA
(413) 283-6149
Schedule: July 9-14, Sept. 3-8 (Tuesday-Sunday); open from sunrise to sundown
Admission: Free
Call it tkotchke heaven, or adopt the old phrase ‘one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.’ But whatever your connection to this wide variety of aged items, you’ll find folks flocking to a mile-long stretch of antiques and collectibles along Route 20 in Brimfield during six days in July, rain or shine. The annual Brimfield Antique Show labels itself the “Antiques and Collectibles Capital of the United States,” and it’s hard to disagree when, during the course of three events a year — in May, July, and September — the shows attract 6,000 dealers who buy, sell, and trade items from bygone eras to more than 130,000 antiques aficionados from around the world.

Green River Festival

www.greenriverfestival.com
Greenfield Community College
One College Dr., Greenfield, MA
(413) 773-5463
Schedule: July 20-21
Admission: $65-75; weekend pass, $90; children 12 and under, free

The Green River Festival remains the Pioneer Valley’s one-stop option for fans of both hot-air balloons and eclectic musical acts. Located on the Greenfield Community College campus, the festival began in 1986 as purely a hot-air-balloon affair, but quickly integrated musical entertainment into the event. Now, the festival features a packed weekend lineup including acclaimed musicians drawn from an assortment of traditional as well as unconventional genres such as ‘high-intensity gypsy swing’ and ‘adventurous folk.’ Sore from the high-intensity dancing, visitors can sample the local cuisine, try their hand at a crafts workshop, or check out all the action from above in a colorful balloon.

HancockShakerVillage

Hancock Shaker Village

www.hancockshakervillage.org
1843 West Housatonic St., Pittsfield, MA
(413) 443-0188
Schedule: Through Oct. 27
Admission: $8-18

In 1774, a small group of persecuted English men and women known as the Shakers — the name is derived from the way their bodies convulsed during prayer — landed in New York Harbor in the hopes of securing religious freedom in America. Nearly 250 years later, their utopian experiment remains available to the public in the restored 19th-century village of Hancock. Through 20 refurbished buildings and surrounding gardens, Shaker Village successfully illuminates the daily lives of its highly productive inhabitants. After spending a day in the recreated town, visitors will surely gain a greater appreciation of the Shakers’ oft-forgotten legacy in the region.

2013BlueSoxOpeningDay

Holyoke Blue Sox

www.holyokesox.com
MacKenzie Stadium, 500 Beech St., Holyoke, MA
(413) 533-1100
Schedule: June 6 through early August (playoffs Aug. 4-12)
Tickets: $4-6; children 5 and under, free; group rates available

Valley residents do not have to trek out to Boston in order to catch a Sox game this summer. The Holyoke Blue Sox, members of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, play close to home at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke. These Sox may not have David Ortiz batting cleanup, but they do feature a roster comprised of elite collegiate baseball players from around the country, including some who have already been drafted into the major leagues. Frequent promotional events like postgame fireworks and numerous giveaways help make every game at MacKenzie Stadium a fun, affordable event for the whole family.

JacobsPillow

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival

www.jacobspillow.org
358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA
(413) 243-0745 (box office)
Schedule: June 15 – Aug. 25
Admission: $22 and up

As the 81st season of Jacob’s Pillow opens this summer, the annual dance festival finds itself firmly rooted as one of the premier venues for dance in the U.S. The picturesque, 220-acre campus in the Berkshires is a national historic landmark, and was recently awarded a National Medal of Arts by President Obama. Dance enthusiasts will surely marvel at the 350 free and ticketed recitals performed by celebrated companies from around the world, but any devotee of the arts will enjoy Jacob’s Pillow’s other offerings of photography and art exhibits, seminars, discussions, and film screenings, many of which come at no cost.

Lady Bea Cruise Boat

www.brunelles.com
1 Alvord St., South Hadley, MA
(413) 315-6342
Schedule: May through early October
Admission: $10-20; season passes available

Western Mass. residents should be reminded that Interstate 91 is not the only direct thoroughfare from South Hadley to Northampton. The Lady Bea will take you up and back on daily cruises along the Valley’s other major highway: the Connecticut River. If you don’t feel like sharing the 75-minute narrated voyage with others, rent the boat out for a private excursion. Or take advantage of the entertainment and themed cruises that feature local artists. Just like your car, the Lady Bea is climate-controlled and chock full of amenities, though your Honda Civic doesn’t come equipped with a full bar.

LupaZoo

Lupa Zoo

www.lupazoo.org
62 Nash Hill Road, Ludlow, MA
(413) 583-8370
Schedule: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Tickets: $6-10

Lupa Zoo brings the African savannah to Western Mass. residents. The late Henry Lupa fulfilled his lifelong dream of creating a zoo right next to his Ludlow house, filling it with hundreds of animals and instilling a warm, familial atmosphere. At Lupa Zoo, you can be entertained by monkeys, feed giraffes on a custom-built tower, or marvel at the bright colors of tropical birds. In addition to offering animal shows and animal-feeding programs, the staff at Lupa Zoo promotes conservation and sustainability, so if you’re thinking about heading to the zoo, grab your bike from the garage and start pedaling.

MASS MoCA’s Bang on a Can

www.massmoca.org
1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA
(413) 662-2111
Schedule: Museum summer hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Bang on a Can: July 15 to Aug. 3, weekdays, 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 4:30 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $15; students, $10; children 7-16, $5; children 6 and under, free; members, free

MASS MoCA has a big-bang theory that large-scale, contemporary art isn’t the only interesting reason to venture to the northwest corner of the Commonwealth. So at MASS MoCA, the former 19th-century factory buildings turned art galleries, the annual Bang on a Can music series turns the whole campus into a spontaneous combustion chamber for music from talented students and renowned guest conductors. Daily gallery recitals offer an extra measure of creative expression during a visit to the multiple buildings housing contemporary forms of art. Bang on a Can recitals are free with museum admission.

Mountain Park at Mount Tom

www.iheg.com/mountain_park_main.asp
Mountain Park Access Road off Route 5, Holyoke, MA
(413) 586-8686 (box office)
Schedule: July 27 and Aug. 16; 8 p.m.
Admission: $31-75

Tucked inside dense woods near the base of Mount Tom is one of the Valley’s hidden gems. What began as a recreation area near a trolley station more than 100 years ago became a popular amusement park in the early to mid-1900s, only to fade from the landscape in the late ’80s. Reconstituted as a concert venue in 2009, Mountain Park is back in favor and playing host to established musical groups in a summer concert series. This summer, jam to English prog-rockers Yes (July 27) and Boston punk stars Dropkick Murphys (Aug. 16) at the park’s scenic amphitheater.

MtSugarl;oaf

Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation

www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/msug
300 Sugarloaf St., South Deerfield, MA
(413) 665-2928
Schedule: May through October, dawn to dusk
Admission: Free

If you really want to commemorate your summer of 2013, then you might want to drive or climb the steep road up Mount Sugarloaf in South Deerfield to take some photos with the family at one of the most picturesque locations in Western Mass. Indeed, the view from the Observation Tower atop the peak, overlooking the curved, tree-lined Connecticut River far below, is the most brochure-worthy, and published, image of this region. The state reservation, which consists of two summits, North and South Sugarloaf, boasts more than 500 acres of land for picnicking, picture taking, and hiking the many trails.  Be warned, some of the trails will be quite challenging … and provide some of the most stunning views of the Connecticut River Valley.

Nash Dinosaur Track Site and Rock Shop

www.nashdinosaurtracks.com
594 Amherst Road, South Hadley, MA
(413) 467-9566
Schedule: Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $3; children, $2

Walk where the dinosaurs walked, literally. It’s hard to believe that the first documented dinosaur tracks found in North America were on the shores of the Connecticut River, near today’s site of Nash Dinosaur Track Site and Rock Shop in South Hadley. Originally uncovered in 1802 by a farmboy plowing his family farm, the findings weren’t officially called dinosaur tracks until the 1830s. Over the years, thousands of dinosaur tracks have been discovered; many were sold to museums and private individuals all over the world, but many more can be seen due to the extensive work of Carlton S. Nash. Visit the site and learn about some of this region’s earliest inhabitants, and also about the geology of the area.

NoprthfieldDriveIn

Northfield Drive-In

www.northfielddrivein.com
981 Northfield Road, Hinsdale, New Hampshire
(603) 239-4054
Schedule: Fridays and Saturdays at dusk, rain or shine
Admission: Adults, $9.50;
children under 12, $5.50

Take a trip back in time to the Northfield Drive-In and experience summer movie watching like your parents used to do … under the stars. Serving Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont for 65 years, the venue welcomes families to gather for a summer Friday or Saturday evening of clean, fun-filled entertainment, which includes two or three first-run movies. And don’t forget the hot dogs, pizza slices, and hot, buttered popcorn from the snack bar, of course.

Quabbin

Quabbin Reservoir

www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/quabbin
485 Ware Road, Belchertown, MA
(413) 323-7221
Schedule: Open dawn to dusk, year-round
Admission: Free

If you love the outdoors, there is nothing but pure nature on more than 25,000 acres overlooking the man-made, 412-billion-gallon Quabbin Reservoir. A warm summer day can be filled with hiking, biking, picnicking, nature photography, fishing, and wildlife watching, especially the growing population of resident eagles. After flooding five towns, the Commonwealth created the Quabbin during the 1930s as the main drinking-water source for the city of Boston. It has since become the ‘accidental wilderness’ due to the thousands of acres of protected watershed area. Be sure to visit the Quabbin Interpretive Services Program in the Quabbin Visitor Center to learn more about this carefully regulated, yet open-to-all, park.

SixFlags

Six Flags New England

www.sixflags.com/newengland
1623 Main St., Agawam, MA
(413) 786-9300
Schedule: Six Flags: weekdays, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., weekends, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Hurricane Harbor: weekdays, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; weekends, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Admission: $45-55; advance tickets and season passes available

Summer doesn’t have to be filled with lazy days. Consider a free-fall through a 250-foot enclosed waterslide at Six Flags New England called the Bonzai Pipeline. Just launched this summer, the all-new, 65-foot tall waterslide complex is in Hurricane Harbor water park and joins numerous rollercoasters boasting foreboding names like Scream, Mind Eraser, and Cyclone — and, of course, the world-famous Bizarro coaster, the centerpiece ride of the popular theme park. But fear not: the park has attractions for everyone along the stomach-queasiness spectrum. The carousel and bumper cars are significantly closer to sea level, as are the two giant wave pools in Hurricane Harbor. No matter what type of ride you prefer, Six Flags will provide many smiles — or screams — on a summer day.

stearnschristine

Stearns Square Concert Series

www.springfielddowntown.com
Worthington and Bridge streets
Springfield, MA
(413) 781-1591
Schedule: Thursdays, July 11 through Sept. 12; opening bands, 6-7:30 p.m.; headline bands, 8-9:30 p.m.
Admission: Free

The sounds of guitars, saxophones, and drums bouncing off the buildings in downtown Springfield tells you it’s summer in the city when the Stearns Square Concert Series makes its run from July 11 to Sept. 12. What started 13 years ago as the coolest free Thursday-night summer concert series to liven up the cerntral business district has become the hottest outdoor spot to catch a diverse range of live music, people watch, and marvel at the spectacle of motorcycles parked along the park that have given the successful series a secondary moniker — ‘Bike Night.’ This year’s slate of performers includes internationally acclaimed musicians Ana Popovic (Aug. 8), Springfield native Taj Mahal (July 18), and returning favorites FAT (Aug. 22), Roomful of Blues (Aug. 29), and Georgia Satellites (Sept. 5), to name a few.

Tanglewood

Tanglewood

www.bso.org
297 West St., Lenox, MA
(617) 266-1200
Schedule: June 23 through Sept. 1
Admission: $21 and up

For outdoor music, Tanglewood represents the best of what Western Mass. has to offer. This beautiful campus in Lenox has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937, and has been drawing visitors from around the country for just as long. Pack some sandwiches for a picnic, throw a blanket and folding chairs in the car, and take in a magical evening of music on the lawn. While Tanglewood always puts forth its fair share of classical programs with superb concert soloists, it also offers performances by contemporary groups, like this summer’s shows by the Steve Miller Band and Guster, for those more inclined to the Beatles than Beethoven.

Western Mass. Vineyards and Wineries

www.masswinery.com
Various towns in Western Mass.
Schedule: Check websites
Admission: Free

Western Mass. is the perfect place to ‘wine’ down with friends at a winery, and there are several to choose from. Consider Green River Ambrosia in Greenfield (ever heard of honey wine?); or Mount Warner Vineyards in Hadley, open by appointment; or the Black Birch Winery in Southampton, which offers summer wine tastings on weekends. If you’re still thirsty for more local variety, try the Amherst Farm Winery in Amherst, Les Trois Emmes Winery & Vineyard in Hadley, or the Pioneer Valley Vineyard in Hatfield, which all have retail shops to explore as you’re sipping the fruits of the past year’s labor.

Williamstown Theatre Festival

www.wtfestival.org
1000 Main St., Williamstown, MA
(413) 597-3400
Schedule: June 26 through Aug. 18
Admission: $20 and up; some events free

For 58 years, the Williamstown Theatre Festival on the campus of Williams College has been offering Tony Award-wining theater in the Berkshires. During that time, the theater venue of the Main Stage and Nikos Stage has attracted such performers as E.G. Marshall, Blythe Danner, Colleen Dewhurst, and Christopher Reeve, and the summer of 2013 will be no different. The festival will present a range of both classical and original productions, late-night cabarets, free theatre, and other special programs like the Family Friday Workshops, from 4 to 6 p.m. from July 5 to August 9.

Yidstock

www.yiddishbookcenter.org/yidstock
Yiddish Book Center
Hampshire College, 893 West St., Amherst, MA
(413) 256-4900
Schedule: July 18-20, 7 p.m.; July 21, noon, 2, 4, and 7 p.m.
Admission: $8-38; festival pass: $135 for members or $175 general admission; pass includes admission to all concerts, lectures, and workshops

Forget Woodstock; discover the best in klezmer and new Yiddish music at the 2nd annual Yidstock. Set on the stage at the Amherst-based Yiddish Book Center, the weekend will offer an engaging glimpse of Jewish roots and jazzy soul music through popular Yiddish bands like the Klezmer Conservatory Band, Klezperanto, Margot Leverett & the Klezmer Mountain Boys, and the Yidstock All-Stars. Come early on Friday for a lecture on lost Hebrew musical treasures or learn Yiddish folk dance.

ZoarOutdoors

Zoar Outdoor

www.zoaroutdoor.com
7 Main Street, Charlemont, MA
(800) 532-7483
Schedule: Through Oct. 15
Admission: Varies; family packages available

This summer it may be time to cancel that Netflix account and take advantage of the many outdoor opportunities found at Zoar Outdoor. Zoar offers virtually every option available to the adventurous soul in Western Mass.: kayaking, rock climbing, white-water rafting, canoeing, and ziplining in the trees down a mountain that overlooks the Deerfield River. Zoar offers on-site camping and lodging to those itching to escape the pressures of the city and suburbia. For those inclined to get really close to nature and experience the Berkshires in the trees and on the water, the staff at Zoar also lead overnight rafting and zipping tours into the wilderness.

The Zoo in Forest Park and Education Center

www.forestparkzoo.org
Forest Park, 302 Sumner Ave., Springfield, MA
(413) 733-2251
Schedule: Weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; weekends, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: $4-8.50

Located in Springfield’s historic Forest Park, the Zoo and Education Center offers a number of exhibits and educational programs to the Valley’s animal lovers. Visitors to the zoo can behold the power of an African lion and alligator, or determine for themselves whether the Madagascar hissing cockroach lives up to its name. Children can be especially engaged at the Zoo in Forest Park through Zoo Camp and the Crew in Training volunteer program. End the visit with a train ride through the grounds.