Year: 2007

The Jobs Outlook for the Year Ahead

Potential applicants for jobs at the L.S. Starrett Co. learn about modern machining on a bus that had been converted into a mobile training center.

The L.S. Starrett Co. in Athol, a maker of precision tools, needed an influx of talented workers. Plenty of folks living in or near the town on the border of Franklin and Worcester counties needed a job — but lacked the necessary skills.

So they hopped a bus to a better future.

Michael Truckey, director of the Franklin Hampshire Career Center in Greenfield, said his agency worked with the Mass. Manufacturing Enterprise Program to set up a training center on wheels — a converted bus, actually — and boarded nine people at a time for two-week training cycles to bring them up to speed on necessary manufacturing skills. The result? After two months, Starrett was able to hire 27 new workers.

“It was about showing people what the opportunities are right there on ground level,” Truckey said. “A lot of machine shops have an aging workforce, so they’re trying to figure out creative ways to meet their employee needs.”

It’s a story being told over and over across the Pioneer Valley: good jobs are available, but job seekers remain plentiful, in part because they lack the skills necessary to take on the work. It explains why many fret over the region’s employment outlook at the same time that others report positive signs.

Consider Manpower Inc., for instance, which recently reported that Springfield-area businesses expect to hire at a bullish rate early in 2008, with 53% of the companies surveyed planning to hire more employees and only 7% looking to reduce payroll. But even those projections come with a caveat.

“It seems positive, but when you dig into the results, it does show that most of these intentions are slight,” said Cathy Paige, a local spokesperson for Manpower. “So I don’t want to put an overly optimistic spin on this, like companies are planning to hire hundreds of people at a time. Some of this is replacement of attrition, not necessarily additional hiring.”

Still, she said, the survey results show a more-positive outlook, particularly in the manufacturing sector, which, while not booming, is showing signs of life.

“Even if it’s one head, I’ll take it, because it’s not a decrease,” Paige told BusinessWest. “Those [in manufacturing] are the best kind of jobs for an economy, because they spin off other jobs, like taking orders, shipping, and receiving. Studies have shown that 100 manufacturing jobs lead to 25 to 40 support jobs, in most cases.”

Mixed Signals

Still, on the ground in Springfield, reports remain mixed. “At the beginning of the year, we started off gangbusters, but it’s not ending the year that way,” said Mary Ellen Scott, president of United Personnel in Springfield, which works with employers to find administrative, warehouse/light industrial, and medical office support workers. “And I would say it’s like that across the board.”

Scott attributed that trend to some anxiety among employers about a possible recession looming. “What I’ve heard is people predicting that 2008 will not be a booming year, and I think the more we hear the ‘r-word,’ the more we talk ourselves into it,” she said. “And any time there’s talk about a business outlook that’s not positive, people get very nervous about what they’re spending, and hiring is one of those things they look at.”

Even strong pockets of hiring aren’t necessarily good news, Paige noted. “Most of the hiring activity has been in the service sector, which is typically not a great sign because service jobs don’t pay as much as, say, durable and non-durable goods.”

But obscured in these trends is the fact that many employers, particularly in manufacturing, want to hire new workers, but continue to grapple with a skills gap in the Pioneer Valley — one that the region’s career centers are trying to close through training and awareness programs.

“After the downsizing that happened in the 1980s and 1990s, when a lot of mass production moved elsewhere, you still have a hub of niche companies that survived — but you don’t just walk in without skills,” Truckey said. “Those companies don’t employ hundreds anymore; they might hire 15 or 50, so their margins are tighter. Their machines do more than they used to, and they need people with technical skills, a background in math, computers, or programming … it’s a specialty thing.”

Truckey said his agency still has “eight or nine pages” of job postings — heavily weighted toward hospitality, service, and health care, but including some solid manufacturing jobs as well — and is working with employers on training programs.

“We want to upgrade the skills of people presently employed, and we’re also looking at ways to train unemployed people for these types of jobs,” he said. “When you had larger machining companies, they used to bring trainers in and had their own apprentice programs. But that doesn’t happen as much now.”

Part of the problem is simply attracting job seekers to the manufacturing field, because many of them hold outdated perceptions of what such jobs are like.

“Machining is a clean industry now, and I don’t think the public knows how clean it is — and you can make some pretty good money working for these companies,” Truckey told BusinessWest. “At a recent legislative breakfast, we talked about trends over the past 25 years like green products and recycling. One owner of a machine company talked about how they used to use oils, and the toxicity of those products, and how it’s totally different today; his oils are of a non-toxic nature now. People don’t know that.”

Rexene Picard, executive director of FutureWorks Career Center in Springfield, said manufacturers are taking the problem seriously.

“Local employers are coming together and forming partnerships, saying, ‘we just can’t keep stealing people from each other; we’ve got to have a pipeline.’ So they’re partnering with trade and vocational schools, as well as offering training for their own incumbent workers to bring them up to the next level.”

Picard noted that 26,000 new jobs were created in Massachusetts over the past year, but at the same time a similar number of job vacancies persist.

“That’s a sign of a chronic skills gap,” she said, noting that FutureWorks plans multiple job fairs to raise awareness of the opportunities available in Western Mass., as well as launching some cross-border initiatives in Northern Conn.

“These jobs have been out there for awhile, and the job seekers are out there too, but they don’t have the necessary skills to close the gap. Still, I’d say there’s more good news than bad.”

Labor Daze

The skills gap isn’t just a regional problem. Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration has made it a focus of its economic development efforts, attempting to get people trained for the most in-demand professions. Of particular interest in Boston is health care, which continues to be the state’s top-employing industry, encompassing 450,000 workers, or 15% of the state’s workforce — a trend not expected to let up in the coming years.

“Closing the skills gap in Massachusetts is our top priority,” asserted Suzanne Bump, secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, in a statement last month. “It is important that we pursue sector training through programs such as the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund to bridge that gap. Additionally, we are working with the Board of Higher Education and regional workforce boards to increase post-secondary educational opportunities.”

“Long-term investments in training and education go a long way toward easing the skills gap,” agreed Nancy Snyder, president of the Commonwealth Corp., a statewide workforce-development agency. “A strong economy requires a competitive business community and well-paying jobs for residents; upgrading workers’ skills in coordination with our employers serves both.”

Picard said those goals can’t be met soon enough, with area employers reporting fewer hires at the moment than they did late in 2006, although health care, warehousing, education, government jobs, and — to some extent — manufacturing all show positive signs. FutureWorks has begun working with some larger employers, such as Big Y and the Sisters of Providence Health System, to assess their needs and help them meet their hiring and growth goals.

Meanwhile, by using grant money for education and training programs, “we’re trying to get people to consider skilled manufacturing as a career path,” she said. “But things don’t turn around quickly; they take a little bit of time.”
And sometimes a bus.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at[email protected]

Three Keys to Beating Procrastination …Today!

Often, It’s a Matter of Finding the Passion and Motivation to Do the Job

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“There’s really no rush to get this done, so it can wait another week.”

“This task isn’t that important anyway; it’ll get done when I find the time.”

All these statements are signs of procrastination. How many do you find yourself muttering on a regular basis?

While everyone procrastinates from time to time — whether it’s completing a work project or cleaning the garage — too much procrastination in your life can derail even the best-laid plans.

Procrastination occurs for a number of reasons and in varying degrees. The most prevalent reasons for procrastination are: 1) unanswered questions about the task, 2) unresolved fears about doing the task, and 3) insufficient motivation to take on something new. All of these reasons are internal, and really have nothing to do with the task itself; they all relate to something the person has to resolve within himself or herself.

So if you have a few unfinished projects looming over your head and can’t seem to muster the initiative to get them done, put the following procrastination-busting tips into play today.

Find your Passion

If you’re passionate about something, you don’t need an outside motivator to get it done, nor do you fear the task or have unresolved questions about it. So the big question is, how do you find your passion? There are actually two routes to take for identifying your passion: either it’s some aspect of the work you already do, or it’s something close to your heart. Keep in mind that for either of these options, your passion doesn’t have to be something you’re good at; it just has to be something meaningful to you — something that gets you excited to get out of bed in the morning. Once you can unlock the passion for something, you’ll find the procrastination disappears.

But what if you’re stuck in a situation or job you’re not passionate about but fear leaving due to financial or other constraints? How can you beat procrastination under those circumstances? Remember … life is too short to be in a situation you don’t like. First consider talking to your supervisor about new opportunities you can take on within your current position. Chances are, you once found passion in your current job, but maybe your responsibilities have become mundane or repetitive and you have lost some of that passion. Taking on new responsibilities will rejuvenate the passion you once felt. Also, you could consider making a lateral move to remain loyal to your current company, but take on new challenges.

Granted, finances may be a consideration as well. If that’s the case for you, then start looking for reasons why you are in that job or situation to begin with. Something drew you to that position initially. Find out that reason, and you may be able to uncover some aspect of your current situation that you are passionate about and that can motivate you to achieve greater goals.

Choose a Motivational Buddy or Dream Team

Often, other people can motivate you to keep going when you’re suffering from procrastination. Your buddy or team can consist of anyone, such as a spouse, co-worker, boss, or sibling, as long as the people you choose will truly hold you accountable for taking (or not taking) action. Make sure you choose people you feel comfortable talking to about your goals and aspirations. Detail to your team exactly what you want to do and why, as well as how you plan to accomplish the goal. Then, make sure your team can monitor what you’re doing on a regular basis.

Think of this approach like having a workout buddy. Even though you want to go to the gym three times a week and work out for 45 minutes each time, sometimes you need another person to keep you on track and to make sure you actually show up at the gym at 6 a.m. The same holds true for other goals in your life. So assemble your dream team and keep them apprised of your progress. With a little help from outsiders, you can beat procrastination and reach new heights of success.

Get Moving

Newton’s Law of Motion states that objects in motion will stay in motion. That’s why you have to do something, no matter how small, to get going toward your goal and beat procrastination. Every one of us is full of potential energy — energy that has not yet started in motion. But once some sort of motion starts, it will keep going. Therefore, you have to take some step, even a small one sometimes, to start the momentum. Once you do, continuing the activity will be a lot easier.

Have you ever wondered why the most successful people in the world seem to grow even more successful with each passing year? It’s because they don’t stop once they’ve started. They use the momentum and energy they’ve accumulated to reach even higher levels of success. They get the cycle going, and they don’t let it stop.

For example, if you have to write a report for work and keep procrastinating the project, tell yourself that all you have to do is write one paragraph or even just a couple of sentences. Those initial words you write will give you the momentum to keep going, and before you know it you’ll be “in the groove” and will have the entire report done.

Often, small steps are the best way to complete a given task and end procrastination. Consider the Great Wall of China. It’s the largest man-made structure on the planet and an amazing sight to behold. Most people automatically assume that the wall was built using large stones or boulders. In fact, the wall is constructed with many small bricks, not large stones; life is the same way.

Successful people are simply the right combination of small bricks. Therefore, if you can focus on the little things rather than on accomplishing the most major things all in one shot, you’ll eventually have something quite magnificent to behold. Greatness always starts with the little things, and action of any sort will always stop procrastination in its tracks.

Take Action Today

Procrastination is a deadly killer of dreams, goals, careers, and life’s happiness. Don’t allow procrastination to hold you back any longer. By finding your passion, enlisting the help of others, and taking small action steps, you can overcome procrastination and achieve your full potential.

So make the decision today to get out and do something. And remember … nothing meaningful ever happens by accident.

Doug Vermeeren is an author and motivational speaker on goal setting and human performance. As the author of ‘Accelerated Achievement’ and ‘Amazing Success,’ he has interviewed more than 400 top achievers and developed a concrete method for achievement and success;www.douglasvermeeren.com

A Local Call

Economic-development Leaders Focus on ‘Building Blocks’

Russell Denver says the region needs a comprehensive strategy to close the skills gap that is leaving many positions unfilled at area companies.

Allan Blair calls it the “rush to the green.”

That was his way of describing a regional and national thrust toward environmentally friendly technologies, products, and practices that made its presence known in Western Mass. in 2007, in terms of some new businesses and jobs, and may be a harbinger of an economic development niche for Western Mass.

“It’s not a tsunami of growth that’s going to hit us, certainly,” said Blair, director of the Economic Development Council of Western Mass., in reference to this green wave. “But it’s a very encouraging segment that happens to have some national momentum around it, some state momentum, and some incentives that are being prepared on the state level to nurture it. And that’s exciting because it’s new, it’s fresh, and we have a chance to grab our share.”

These ‘green’ advances, such as the emergence of SunEthanol, an Amherst-based venture that is trying to revolutionize the production of ethanol through the use of something called the Q-microbe, were some of the highlights of a year that Blair described as mostly “vanilla” from an economic-development standpoint. There were no big “hits,” as he called them, in terms of new employers or relocations, but, conversely, there were no big losses, either.

“The economy is chugging along in medium gear,” he told BusinessWest, “and given some of the things happening nationally, that’s not such a bad thing.”

Absent those large hits, the region essentially worked on what Blair called “building blocks,” the ‘green’ movement being just one of them. Others include ongoing efforts to retain and possibly grow the region’s precision manufacturing base; maintaining and bolstering the strong health care and higher education sectors; and continued progress in efforts to revitalize Springfield.

There was also considerable movement on what would have to be called the transportation front, with a new direct flight from Bradley International Airport to Amsterdam, and the arrival of low-cost airline Skybus at Westover Municipal Airport. The carrier will soon have two arrivals and departures each day, with flights from and then to Columbus, Ohio and Greensboro, N.C.

Taken together, these building-block-bolstering efforts have provided some momentum for 2008, said Russell Denver, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield. He told BusinessWest that while the national economic picture might be quite fuzzy, and there are several factors that could impact things locally in terms of job growth, new business development, and continued progress in Springfield, he is optimistic about this region and its prospects for the short and long term.

But cautiously so.

He said that perhaps the biggest of those building blocks to improved economic health and well-being is workforce development, and in Greater Springfield, there is much work to be done in this regard. Specifically, the region has to mount an offensive to close the gap between the skills required by area employers and those possessed by most job seekers and the unemployed, and thus fill an alarmingly high number of vacancies and assure prospective new employers that the region can meet their workforce requirements.

“The fact that we have so many jobs available is a good sign, but the fact that we don’t have enough qualified individuals to fill these jobs is a real negative; the high drop-out rates that we’ve seen recently in Springfield and Holyoke, especially, have come home to roost,” said Denver, who told BusinessWest that an action plan will be prepared early next year to map a strategy for improving the quality of the region’s workforce.

Bill Ward, executive director of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, which will draft the report at the request of outgoing Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan, said it will go well beyond drop-out rates and focus on factors — ranging from early childhood education to English as a Second Language; from getting more people into area nursing schools to keeping college graduates in this market — that will eventually yield a better-qualified pool of workers.

“There are some very challenging characteristics to the city of Springfield,” he said, “including a high drop-out rate, a low rate of college graduates within the workforce population, low MCAS scores … these are disturbing trends within the workforce and the population that need to be addressed.”

Beyond these workforce issues, Denver sees many positive developments, from the emergence of greater fiscal stability in Springfield to the availability of permitted land in the city’s Memorial Industrial Park; from continued healthy growth in new small businesses to new opportunities in tourism.

In this, our annual ‘Economic Outlook’ focus, BusinessWest looks at the prospects for 2008 and beyond, and the issues that will determine if, where, and how growth occurs.

How Green Grows the Valley?

Looking toward the year ahead, Blair acknowledged that the regional and national forecasts are punctuated by question marks and growing concern about a recession. Many of the issues that will determine what happens with the economy — from energy prices to the subprime lending crisis and credit crunch; from soaring construction costs to the strength of the dollar (or lack thereof) — are simply beyond this region’s control.

“So we need to focus on the things that we can control,” he said, “and to try and be ready when opportunities do arise.”

This theme of ‘being ready’ is a common thread with many of the region’s economic-development strategies, said Blair, including workforce quality-improvement efforts, readying parcels like the former York Street Jail and Chapman Valve site in Springfield for development, initiatives to put qualified machinists in the pipeline, and even casino gambling.

“Everyone wants to get in that game,” he said, referring to several area communities that have passed referendums supporting casinos or are readying sites for facilities, “and we don’t even know what the game is yet.”

And it is especially relevant with regard to the ‘green’ movement, said Ellen Bemben, director of the Regional Technology Council, which is developing a multi-faceted strategy for cultivating a green-related cluster in the Knowledge Corridor.

Scientists and entrepreneurs will need facilities in which to incubate and grow new ventures, she said, and they will need a workforce that can help take ideas from the lab to the workplace. “Some of those just getting started are being urged to relocate to Worcester and Cambridge,” she said, noting two of the burgeoning centers for biotech-related businesses, “and we’re going to have to work hard to keep those people here in the Valley.”

Bemben told BusinessWest that SunEthanol, which has garnered press across the country and is starting to amass needed capital, is easily the most visible of the green-related ventures taking root in the region. The company looks to use the Q-microbe, discovered in the soils off a hiking trail on the Quabbin Reservoir (hence the name) to create ethanol from a wide range of plant materials, rather than corn, thus speeding and facilitating production of the alternative fuel.

But there are many others flying under the radar screen. And they encompass several different components of what is becoming a broad sector, including photovoltaic (solar power) businesses and installations, fuel-cell makers, alternative-fuel providers, and even windpower operations. And there is apparently great interest in further development.

“We’re getting so many hits on the EDC’s Web site from companies offshore, in Europe, or on the West Coast that want to put something on the ground here, and a lot of it is photovoltaics,” she explained. “I’ve never seen so many inquiries, and there’s so many different ways to go in terms of the products necessary for these installations.”

Both Bemben and Blair tend to group sustainable energy and biotech developments under the same (green) roof with regard to cluster development and jobs, and Bemben believes there may be anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 people employed in this sector across Massachsetts and into Northern Conn., with vast potential for more, especially in sustainable energy because of a quicker path from the lab to the production plant.

“If you look at biotech and the number of years it takes to come up with new products and delivery systems,” she said, “and compare it to fuel cells, photovoltaics, and biofuels, the latter has a better chance for a quick turnaround.”

Blair agreed, but stressed repeatedly that virtually every region of this state and many other areas around the country are trying to get into this game, and the competition will be steep, meaning that the region has to put its best foot forward and be aggressive — and ready.

Especially if Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan to pump $1 billion into the biosciences effort is passed by the Legislature — and most believe it will — and $100 million a year will be made available to players in that market for research and development.

“This region has to be positioned to get some of that windfall,” said Blair. “As an economic developer, you try to identify trends early, rather than when they’re over; this is one that we should be paying attention to, and we will be paying attention to.”

Getting to Work

The emerging ‘green’ cluster is one of many that will need skilled workers, at a time when many already-developed sectors, including health care, precision machining, and financial services, are struggling mightily to fill vacancies.

“I go on the Web sites of major employers once a week to see what they have for job openings,” said Denver, referring to the hospitals, colleges, and some major manufacturers in Springfield and across the Valley. “I’m hearing the same thing — there are jobs, just not enough qualified and educated people to fill those jobs.”

This trend applies to not only the private sector, but also the public sector, he continued, noting, for example, that area communities have hundreds of openings for teachers every summer, and most struggle to fill them.

“You start to ask the question, ‘where are we going to find all these workers?’ he said. “‘Why are the people we have here now not capable of filling these jobs?’”

Filling existing vacancies and closing the sizable skills gap is of paramount importance to the region and its future, said Ward, and for obvious reasons.

“There’s a very real connection between the ability to grow your labor force and your ability to grow your economy,” he explained. “If you don’t have labor force growth, you can’t get economic growth; so we have to grow some of our own, and we have to do a better job with the people we have here.”

The workforce plan will identify strategies for doing just that, he said, noting that this will be a collaborative effort involving area employers, economic development agencies, colleges, and other groups. “This will be demand-driven — we’ll be focusing on employer needs — and we’ll be seeking additional resources, public and private,” he said. “And the backbone of this plan must involve across-the-board, new, and better ways to address the adult literacy problem, the English-as-a-second-language problem, and the missing soft skills that employers are complaining about.”

When it comes to the precision machining sector, it’s hard skills, or the lack thereof, that is dogging those in that industry.

Larry Maier, owner of Peerless Precision in Westfield and president of the local chapter of the National Machine Tooling Assoc. (NMTA), didn’t raise his name, but implied that shop owners are feeling a little like Sisyphus pushing that rock. Finding enough qualified machinists is certainly an uphill battle.

A recent survey of area shops revealed vacancy numbers that project to somewhere between 400 and 500 job openings in the region, he said. Meanwhile, with a retirement rate of 3% to 4%, there are another 200 or so vacancies each year, and the six area vocational high schools are graduating perhaps 30 or 40 people a year that are qualified for only entry-level jobs.

All this math provides ample evidence of the challenge facing area shops, most of which are either farming out work it can’t handle due to a shortage of workers (Peerless is in this category) or simply turning it down.

“That’s 30 in and 200 out — so there’s a real disconnect,” said Maier. “We’re fighting two battles at the same time; first, we need people to replace retirees, and two, we need people so we can stop turning away work; it’s retention and growth simultaneously.”

There has been some progress made toward putting more bodies in the pipeline, he continued, noting programs involving Springfield Technical Community College, Asnuntuck Community College, and the Mass. Career Development Institute to enhance the training of those already in the field or actively looking to entering it, and the resumption of the Manufacturing Technology program at Putnam Vocational High School in Springfield next month. But the sector must be diligent in pursuit of new avenues for gaining machinists, even if there is a downturn in the economy, because it takes several years for qualified help to come out of the pipeline.

“Take the Putnam program, for example; it will be four years before an entry-level person graduates from it — that’s a long time,” said Maier. “To get a skilled machinist, one who could replace a retiree, that takes another five to 10 years.

“That’s why, when we started this initiative, we said, ‘whatever you do, it will take a minimum of five years to really get the spigot flowing,’” he continued. “So anytime you back off because of a downturn in the economy, it’s going to take you five years to refill the pipeline.”

Courting Growth

Workforce issues comprise one of many challenges still facing Springfield in particular, said Denver, who, like Blair, noted that the city, through the Finance Control Board, has managed to put itself back on more-solid financial footing, and probably has the worst of its public relations problems behind it.

In fact, it has started to pick up some positive press both locally — in the form of a coordinated marketing campaign built around the theme “Springfield’s Back” — and nationally, including a large spread in United Airways Magazine that was seen by an estimated 5 million people.

But while the city is seeing progress in some areas, said Denver, considerable work remains to reduce both crime and fear, improve on those aforementioned drop-out rates, and put some abandoned or underutilized parcels — several of them identified in the Urban Land Institute report on Springfield — back to productive use.

The York Street Jail is slated for demolition early next year, he said, and there is considerable interest in the site, including that of an unnamed developer who has forwarded a proposal to build an indoor basketball court complex that will attract youth tournaments and build on the riverfront’s basketball- and fitness-related development pattern.

The Chapman Valve plant in Indian Orchard is also slated to be razed soon, said Denver, providing several different development prospects, and a request for qualifications will be issued shortly for 31 Elm St. in Court Square, which could be converted into a hotel or market-rate housing.

The broad goal is to make Springfield a more attractive destination for tourists, professionals, and business owners, said Blair, noting that while many area communities are thriving despite Springfield’s recent problems, a healthier City of Homes benefits the region as a whole.

“Springfield is three times larger than any other community in the region — it’s the center for a lot of things that are important to us as a region and define our region,” he said. “So we need to pay attention to the city, and we have to do everything we can to help it recover.”

Airbus can help in this regard, he said, by making the city and its attractions more accessible. The carrier started flying
n and out of Westover in mid-July, and five months later, Blair is still closely monitoring the passenger counts on the inbound and outbound Columbus flights.

“There’s been a few dips, but overall, we’re still seeing about 100 people on the outbound flights and maybe 130 on the inbounds,” he said, noting that the numbers may change following a schedule shift from early evening to midday. Inbound flights now arrive in Chicopee at 11:30 a.m., and the outbound departs an hour later.

“Some people like the change, and other people don’t,” said Blair, noting that some business travelers preferred getting in to Columbus at night, giving them a full day in the city the next day, while others like getting into Ohio earlier in the day and perhaps catching a connecting flight to another destination.

Monitoring passenger volume is a big part of the effort to gauge the economic impact of Skybus, said Blair, noting that the service is providing a boost to several tourism- and hospitality-related businesses. It is hoped that the airline — and continued improvements to Springfield’s image and finances — will bolster the tourist sector and bring more business to the MassMutual Convention Center.

“The arena is doing great, but the convention business is still rather anemic,” he said of the two-year-old facility. “There’s a lot of competition for those conventions, and we’re in there slugging it out. It takes some time to become a player in the market, and we’ll get there because this area has a lot to offer.”

Overall, Blair said he believes Springfield, despite some lingering concerns about education and public safety, has turned some kind of corner.

“I have a feeling of empowerment in Springfield that I didn’t sense two years ago,” he said. “I feel optimistic, and I think we all need to be optimistic — realistic, but optimistic.”

Riding a Cycle

Returning to the subject of the national economy and its impact on the Pioneer Valley, Blair said that even in down times there is “movement,” meaning job growth in the form of new ventures and relocations.

“Looking back, I’d say that some of our better years have come during down cycles,” he said, citing some large-scale developments in the early ’90s, at the height of that recession, and others in the mid-’80s, during another downturn.

If history can repeat itself, maybe the region can enjoy a more exotic flavor when it comes to economic development. Perhaps pistachio — it’s green.

George O’Brien can be reached at[email protected]

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of December 2007.

Bear Auto
517 Springfield St.
John G. Kudlic

Clarke Collectibles
550 Southwick St.
Ronnie Clarke

Endless Creativity
94 Wagon Wheel Dr.
Jenna K. Hollon

Motor City Car Co.
91 Ramah Cir.
Richard J. Conlon

Nails 2000
1325 Springfield St.
Timmy Agugen

New England Therapeutic
27 Howard St.
Joy Poggi

The End Results
667 Springfield St.
Catherine A. Marble

Tuffie MacQueen
111 Clover Hill Dr.
Joan Guernsey

CHICOPEE

Advance Tax
32 Montgomery St.
Andrew J. Fox

Apatar Inc.
195 Meadow St.
Renat R. Khasanshyn

Apaxys Global Ventures
195 Meadow St.
Renat R. Khasanshyn

Brunelle Funeral Home
811 Chicopee St.
Carriage Funeral Holdings Inc.

Chuck’s Auto Sales
78 West St.
Paul M. Torpey

Don Roy’s Auto Body & Appearance Center
1416 Granby Road
Donald J. Roy

Eagle Eyes Painting
160 South St.
Evelyn Andrade

East Street Auto Center
245 East St.
DonDav Enterprises Inc.

Economy Transmission Repair
955 Meadow St.
Albert Timothy Tetrault

King Ward Coach Lines
70 Justin Dr.
Dennis King

Santos Cleaning Service
41 Sullivan St.
William P. Santos

Spirit Staffing
48 Newbury St.
Craig Skorupski

SuperCuts
601 Memorial Dr.
Christopher Von Pechman

EASTHAMPTON

Back on the Rack
121 Main St.
Rachel & Jillian Tarr

Cherry Picked Books
101 Main St.
Tammie Bannon

Peter Pan Café
46 Pleasant St.
Sandra Wheeler

EAST LONGMEADOW

Associate Plumbing & Heating
30 Benjamin St.
Adriano Puis

Bardelli’s Florist
178 North Main St.
Debbi Bordelli

Hafey Funeral Service
120 Shaker Road
Carriage Funeral Holdings Inc.

GREENFIELD

Bacci Yarn Shop
114 Wells St.
Debra Mathey

Casey Storage Solutions
1135 Bernardston Road
Stile’s Lake Investments III

Fim Salon
395 Deerfield St.
Herdis Eriksson

Gregg Mullins DDS
40 School St.
Gregg Kent Mullins

Kimplin’s Auto Repair
144 Shelburn Road
Darryl Allen Kimplin

HADLEY

Bay Road Firewood
35 Lawrence Plain Road
Kenneth Koehler

Beynons Beehive
Hampshire Mall
Chris Beynon

HOLYOKE

Borders
50 Holyoke St.
Edward J. Jackson

Gold Star Service
11 Lincoln St.
Michael J. Lempke

Magicland Preschool & Childcare Center
251 Appleton St.
Virgen Lopez

Michael J’s Service Center
11 Lincoln St.
Michaels J. Lempke

Momo Food Mart
78 Cabot St.
Syed Ansar Ali

Victoria’s Secret
50 Holyoke St.
Robert Stecki

LUDLOW

Arena
79 East St.
Gabriel Gonzga Nogueira

LONGMEADOW

GDF Home Improvement
100 Westmore Lane
Glenn D. Friedrich

PALMER

Fuller Floors
2281 Baptist Hill Road
Connie Fuller

American Fiber Sales
21 Wilbraham Road
Susan Corbets

SOUTHWICK

B & E Aircraft Components
10 Hudson Dr.
John A. Wilander

Cammisa Courier
142 Berkshire Ave.
Eric G. Cammisa

SPRINGFIELD

Moe’s Vintage
172 Eastern Ave.
Frank Callender

Mundo Mobile
1104 Main Street
Maria Alban

Orthodontics & Prosthetics
300 Birnie Ave.
Salvatore Labella

Pets Inns Of America
100 Verge St.
Laura M. Pozzuto

Pipetek
49 Judson St.
Graham J. Boggis

Puerto Rico Restaurant
152 Rifled St.
Dilenia Almonte

Roberts
67 Liberty St.
Michael L. Jiles

Saigon Restaurant LLC
398-400 Dickinson St.
May Cun

Super Starz
253 Bay St.
Carlene Marsh

T G I M C
74 Kenyon St.
Anthony B. Gillylan

Watch Repair PRO
1655 Boston Road
Jesus Navarro

Zibby Home Improvement
182 Wollaston St.
Zbigiview Kiedos

WESTFIELD

Automation New England
19 Waterford Dr.
Gerhard Tepley

Little Black Dog Gallery
16 Union Ave.
Jackie French Koller

Main Games
2 Main St.
John Krok

Reed Tile Contractors
10 Washington St.
Daniel C. Reed

Skyline Services
292 Lockhouse Road
Robert Iacovelli

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Beauty Gate Salon and Day Spa
1646 Riverdale St.
Elzbieta Chmiel

Century Auto Service
1615 Riverdale St.
Peter Platanitis

Felix Contracting
61 Pheasant Crossing
Andrew Felix

Home Staff
1111 Elm St.
Massachusetts Health Corporation

Longhorn Steakhouse
1105 Riverdale St.
Rare Hospitality Inc.

Nicole Joseph’s Air Brush Tanning
11 Pleasant St.
Beatrice Thibault

Precision Auto Repair
179 Bosworth St.
James Stephenson

Speedy Quick Delivery
17 Fairview Ave.
Sergey Kolomoets

V.N. Construction
1103 Morgan Dr.
Vladimir Nakhabenko

Degrees of Latitude

AIC Renews Its International Focus with a Series of Programs Around the World

Roland Holstead, vice president for Educational Enterprise at AIC.

The new international focus at American International College is producing some intriguing visuals: Chief Marketing Officer Craig Cote on an Irish hillside; Peter Miller, vice president of Admissions, sitting atop a camel; and Roland Holstead, vice president for Educational Enterprise, posing with a young Italian police officer named Andrew Scibelli, to name a few.

Each image is proof of a new focus at AIC to put greater emphasis on the ‘international’ part of its name. Founded in 1885 with a primary goal of educating immigrants, the private, four-year institution in Springfield is returning to its roots in one sense, but also planting new seeds as it launches a series of new, diverse programs around the globe.

In 2007 alone, AIC unveiled four new international programs, and is formulating plans for more. These initiatives span three continents and are diverse in and of themselves, including an international MBA, a master’s in education for teachers from virtually any country, and two study-abroad programs, one of which could soon morph into a trans-continental exchange.

AIC’s president, Vince Maniaci, said renewing the college’s international presence has long been at the top of his to-do list, and this year’s explosion of activity in that arena is proof that the campus, and the world, is ready for AIC’s return to the global marketplace.

“In today’s world and economy, educational partnerships are more important than ever,” he said. “Since 9/11, many colleges and universities have pulled away from international opportunities, but a number of factors have converged to make our international programming particularly timely.”

These factors include the widely held belief that American colleges remain the best in the world, but also the current weak state of the U.S. dollar, which is making the nation’s higher education offerings even more attractive to residents of other countries.

As such, Holstead, who’s done a fair amount of globetrotting this year and has taken to calling himself the “vice president of new stuff” recently, said he’s noticed a shift on AIC’s campus — a new attitude among faculty, staff, and students as they survey new prospects on the horizon.

“We’re very excited about it,” he said. “We want to expand our regional, national, and international reputation as being a college of opportunity.”

Pyramid Scheme

The first of these opportunities was announced in July of this year: a master’s degree program in Cairo, Egypt. It’s based in an educational compound of sorts, which includes kindergarten through 12th-grade classes and a technical school. AIC has introduced a master’s in International Education to the campus, designed to further the education of teachers hailing from several countries.

Holstead said 21 teachers are currently enrolled in the course track, some from Egypt, but others from the Ukraine, Jordan, Lebanon, Poland, and other countries. He added that they’ll graduate in July of next year, on the occasion of AIC’s 123rd anniversary.

It’s a notable day for the college, and the Egyptian graduation was planned to coincide deliberately, but that’s not the most notable connection the program has to AIC’s Springfield campus.

Rollin Baldwin, a 1944 graduate of AIC, was instrumental in securing a spot for the college in Egypt, having spent the bulk of his career promoting education, including through the creation of new schools.

Baldwin co-founded MEANS, the Middle East Association of National (independent) Schools, in 1995, as a non-profit organization that designs programs for ‘American-style’ schools awarding diplomas. It’s also an approved NGO — non-governmental organization — in Egypt.

“He was connected to the accrediting boards, and met with us to talk about opportunities,” said Holstead. “We each felt it was a natural for us to provide a master’s for teachers, especially those recruited to teach in Egypt.”

Moving forward, there are additional international initiatives on the horizon that are benefiting from Baldwin’s international influence, including plans to offer college courses in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico through the Baldwin School, an English-language, college preparatory institute he also founded.

Across the Pond

On the other side of the Atlantic, however, new international initiatives are rolling out just as briskly.

Following the creation of the master’s track in Cairo, AIC cemented a partnership with the Mountbatten Institute in London, as part of an MBA degree program that is also internationally focused. The institute, a student exchange and business-training organization founded in 1984, has long offered post-graduate study and internship opportunities for international students, each year placing more than 500 graduates in a variety of companies in New York and London.

Through this new relationship, those graduates may now earn their master’s in Business Administration from AIC, by adding in courses designed by AIC and Mountbatten faculty.

Students enrolled in the exchange earn a portion of the credits toward their degree in London, and a portion at the AIC/Mountbatten Graduate Study Center in Bangkok, Thailand, taking courses in global business leadership, Asian political and economic developments, and analysis of Asian company organization and business practices, among others.

The U.K. will soon be host to another AIC offering, as well: a semester-long study-abroad program for stateside AIC students will commence in January, on the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland.

Holstead said this study-abroad opportunity is unique because it forges a connection between Western Mass. and a place with which some residents are familiar; many trace their roots back to the peninsula, located in the west of County Kerry.

“Irish descended from the region are very prevalent in the area,” he said. “I’ve read that more than 6,000 came to this area after World War II.”

Building on that existing connection between Dingle and Springfield, students accepted into the program will complete three courses during their stay examining the social structures and cultural aspects of Ireland, and the politics and economics of the European Union.

“There’s an applied, experiential aspect to these courses,” said Holstead. “The economics course is probably the most formal, but the courses complement each other to create a solid program that increases the students’ global knowledge base.”

Students will travel throughout Ireland as part of the program as well, he said, noting that Galway, Dublin, Limerick, and Belfast are on the itinerary, and students will also make a trip to Brussels, Belgium as part of their study of the E.U.

“There, they’ll be able to sit in on debates and discussions that will be very globally relevant,” said Holstead. “It’s an amazing opportunity.”

International Flavor

Further, the study-abroad program in Ireland will also serve as a precursor to a second European study-abroad initiative, said Holstead, which will take its cue from the heritage of many Springfield residents of Italian descent. Beginning in September of next year, AIC will launch a semester-long program in Salerno, Italy, similar to that taking place on the Dingle Peninsula.

Unlike the Irish program, though, the Italian program is planned to include two phases: a semester-long study-abroad for AIC students, and later an undergraduate degree program for Italian students, who would complete two years of courses in Italy and complete their education in Springfield as upperclassmen.

Maniaci said that raising AIC’s international profile should not be relegated to programs abroad for American students. Rather, he hopes to further strengthen the flagship campus through an influx of students from various countries, backgrounds, and cultures.

“Our name gives us a brand and a visibility advantage that is consistent with our heritage and original mission,” he said. “Our name also creates a comfort level for families concerned that their students may not be welcome in an American institution. It tells them that not only will they receive a welcome at AIC, they should anticipate and expect such an atmosphere.”

And as that atmosphere continues to evolve, AIC’s image — at home and abroad — is increasingly coming into focus.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Taking the Oath

On Dec. 7, a total of 66 new lawyers, including 26 Western New England College School of Law graduates, were sworn in during a pair of formal sessions of the Supreme Judicial Court held in School of Law’s Moot Courtroom.

Below, new lawyers are sworn in before Supreme Judicial Court Justice John M. Greaney. At left, Greaney congratulates WNEC School of Law graduate Alyson Krauss of Palmer.

Cutting the Ribbon

City and state dignitaries officially opened Raymour & Flanigan’s newly constructed, 61,500-square-foot, two-story showroom at 895 Riverdale Street in West Springfield, Nov. 30. Doing the honors are, from left, Mickey Grabner, regional sales manager of Raymour & Flanigan; state Rep. James Welch; state Sen. Stephen Buoniconti; Dave Redekas, vice president of Sales for Raymour & Flanigan; Edward Gibson, West Springfield Mayor; Pamela Langlois, West Springfield store manager; Ben Orbach, vice president of Operations of Raymour & Flanigan; Ken Moss, vice president, Real Estate Development for Raymour & Flanigan; Vicky D’Agostino, director of Communications for Raymour & Flanigan; and Linda Neal, regional trainer for Raymour & Flanigan.

Check This Out

Jennifer Gabriel, assistant vice president and Public Affairs officer at TD Banknorth, presents a check for $50,000 to Springfield Technical Community College President Ira Rubenzahl for the college’s major gifts campaign. The largest single contribution made by the bank’s charitable foundation, the gift will assist STCC in maintaining state-of-the-art technology and labs campus-wide.

Branching Out in the Orchard

With an official ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local political and business leaders, Hampden Bank opened its Indian Orchard office at 187 Main St. on Dec. 12. The facility marks the bank’s eighth full-service office location in Hampden County. Shown at the ceremony are, left to right, Thomas R. Burton, president and CEO of Hampden Bank; Russ Denver, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield; Springfield Mayor-elect Domenic Sarno; Susan Craven, president of the Indian Orchard Citizen’s Council; Luis Rivera, assistant manager; and Nicole Dionne, office manager.

Contract Claus

Santa’s best friend at the South Hadley Chamber of Commerce’s’ Holiday Stroll on Dec. 7 was Bill Schenker, who greeted more than 200 youngsters and heard their Christmas wishes. The Michael E. Smith Middle School Singers led by Marilyn Steele serenaded the crowd with holiday songs, along with five other musical groups.

Cambridge College Open House

Jan. 5: The Cambridge College Springfield Regional Center will host an enrollment open house beginning at 9 a.m. Prospective students will be able to meet with admissions counselors, financial aid representatives, program coordinators, and faculty members to ask questions about the application process, licensures, and the Cambridge College adult learning model. For more information, contact Meaghan Prendergast at (800) 829-4723, ext. 6623, or at [email protected].

University Without Walls

Jan. 8, 19, 23; Feb. 2, 12, 23: University Without Walls (UWW), an adult bachelor’s degree completion program at UMass Amherst, is conducting information sessions this winter for individuals interested in applying. Classes are offered on campus, online, and in blended format (mostly online, with a few live meetings). Information sessions run approximately 90 minutes and are conducted at the UWW office, 100 Venture Way, Room 229A, Hadley. For more information on dates and times, visit www.umass.edu/uww or call (413) 545-1378.

Communications Conference

Jan. 9: Western New England College and the Valley Press Club will offer professionals a chance to hone their communication skills and learn about the latest technology during the fifth annual communications conference from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on WNEC’s main campus. Getting Noticed in the 21st Century is the theme for the day-long event which is intended for business professionals, staff of nonprofit organizations, and students looking to communicate more effectively. Participants will have the chance to choose from 14 workshops designed to sharpen skills, explore new technologies, and provide interaction with reporters and editors from local media outlets. Roundtable discussions with members of mainstream and alternative media outlets are also planned, as well as a special panel discussion on promoting Western Mass. as a place to live and work. During the conference luncheon, the Valley Press Club will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to broadcaster Keith Silver. For conference fees and more information, visit www.wnec.edu/communications.

Camera Classes

Jan. 16, 23, 30; Feb. 6: Iris Photo & Digital of Northampton will offer several digital point-and-shoot camera classes this winter, including “Basic Camera Class” on Jan. 16, “Intermediate Camera Class” on Jan. 23, “Advanced Camera Class” on Jan. 30, and “Basic Photo Editing Class” on Feb. 6. Classes run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the shop at 164 Main St. Classes cost $35, and individuals can save $20 when attending all four. For more information, call (413) 586-8417 or visit www.iris-photo.com.

Howdy University

Jan. 30: The Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (GSCVB) will present Howdy University, a half-day hospitality-training seminar at the Kittredge Center at Holyoke Community College. The keynote speaker will be Doug Price, author of License to Serve, one of the premier ‘how-to’ books in the hospitality-training industry. Price is senior vice president of professional development for Destination Marketing Assoc. Intl. in Washington, D.C. The seminar, which will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude at noon, is designed to train front-line hospitality professionals who interact with customers on a daily basis. Suggestions will be offered to help workers deal with unruly customers and successfully resolve customer complaints and issues. In addition, attendees will be given a copy of License to Serve. The cost to attend Howdy University is $50 for GSCVB members, $75 for non-members, and $25 for full-time college students. For additional information or to reserve a space, contact Aimee Tryba at (413) 755-1343 or [email protected].

MTEL Prep Course

Feb. 9, 16, 23; March 1: Elms College in Chicopee will offer the Mass. Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) communication and literacy prep course this winter for candidates seeking teaching licenses in Massachusetts. The 12-hour prep course will be offered on four consecutive Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon in the Springfield Room, lower level of the Mary Dooley College Center. The cost is $100 for Elms students and alums, and $150 for the general public. For registration information, call the Division of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education at (413) 265-2445.

The following business incorporations were recently recorded in Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties and are the latest available. They are listed by community.

AMHERST

Depalma Salon Inc., 6 University Dr., Amherst 01002. Felice Depalma, 26 Hatter Hill Road, Medfield 02052. Hairdressing, manicuring, beauty shop, health, and beauty spa business.

CHICOPEE

Craniosacral and Massage Center Inc., 101 East St., Suite 201, Chicopee 01020. Gina Welch, 16 Anniversary St., Springfield 01104. Massage and therapy salon.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Accomplished Associates Inc., 36 Elm St., East Longmeadow 01028. Laura A. Stevens, same. Real estate sales, brokerage and development.

Goprok Ambulance Service Inc., 82 Birch Ave., East Longmeadow 01028. Ibrahim Folorunso, same. Ambulance service (routine and emergency).

HOLYOKE

Currant Group Corp., 4 Open Square Way, Suite 319, Holyoke 01040. Hamenth Swaminathan, same. (Foreign corp; DE) Providing goods and services in the information technology industry.

JAF Carpet Installations Corp., 341 Walnut St., Holyoke 01040. Jose Quizhpe, same. Floor installation.

LONGMEADOW

Belleclaire Holdings Inc., 126 Belleclaire Ave., Longmeadow 01106. Michael J. Barbieri, same. Energy conservation audits, insulation, contracting.

Forest Park Fine Homes Inc., 87 Forest Glen Road, Longmeadow 01106. Leslie Clement, same. Real estate development.

LUDLOW

Santos Family Chiropractic Inc., 239 East St., Ludlow 01056. Helena Santos, 175 Tinkham Road, Springfield 01129. To render chiropratic care and rehabilitation services.

MONTAGUE

Tibetan Yung Drung Bon Arts Inc., 27 North Leverett Road, Montague 01351. Judy Ellen Marz, same. Retail Tibetan art.

NORTHAMPTON

Legacy Financial Solutions Inc., 10 Coram Farm Road, Northhampton 01532. Sean R. McCann, same. Financial services.

SPRINGFIELD

Latino Radio Broadcasting Network Corp., 190 Commonwealth Ave., Springfield 01108. Guillermo R. Negron, same. Radio and television live performance and agent.

The Law Offices of Daniel D. Kelly Inc., 115 State St., Suite 300, Springfield 01103. Daniel D. Kelly, same. Law office.

Tong Tong Beauty Center Corp., 127 Parkside St., Springfield 01104. Tong
Wang, same. Body work.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Northeast Consulting Concepts Inc., 680 Westfield St., West Springfield 01089. Susan J. Brenelle, 33 Woodcliff, Westfield 01085. Mortgage services.

WILBRAHAM

Flodesign Wind Turnbine Corp., 380 Main St., Wilbraham 01095. Stanley Kowalsksi, III, same. Engineering, design, manufacture, sale of wind turbines.

The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.

Amo, Christine P.
Amo, David M.
72 Fairway Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/09/07

Babula, Marcin
23 Primrose St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/13/07

Bernard, Michelle L.
18 East Main St., Apt. 4
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Blair, Christine M.
16 Edward St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/05/07

Brodeur, Sidney J.
1937 East St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/06/07

Brown, Lennox L.
71 Gates Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Bruno, G. Stephen
a/k/a Bruno, George S.
209 East Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/01/07

Casasnovas, Jorge L.
28 Federal St., Apt. A
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/14/07

Clark, Jenniffer Michelle
Clark, David Gregory
38 Greenleaf St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/13/07

Clark, Lewis
Clark, Doris M.
179 Albemarle St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/06/07

Connors, Carl J.
150 Morton St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/08/07

D’Agostino, Thomas
D’Agostino, Nancy V.
172 Cedar Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Domnarski, Amber E.
56 Olney Road
Palmer, MA 01069-9876
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/14/07

Dupuis, James F.
15 Covel St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/08/07

Ficara, Paul C.
Ficara, Sarah C.
7 Wilbraview Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/02/07

Gahres, Diane Patricia
P.O. Box 71
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/13/07

Garrett, Melissa A.
44 Forest Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/01/07

Gedminas, Russell P.
Gedminas, Barbara G.
34 Phillip Ave
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Germaine, Ronald J.
137 Sierra Vista Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Greenglow Inc.
TruePresence
Green, Daniel Michael
498 South Gulf Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Grundy, Dawn Elizabeth
65 Shawnigan Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Guimond, Denise M.
a/k/a Carpenter, Denise M.
a/k/a Lang, Denise M.
132 East Brimfield Hollan
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Harnden, Brian Steven
Harnden, Jennifer Lyn
263 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/07/07

Hart, Melody M.
47 Sunnymeade Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/09/07

Hreschuk, Sandra M.
146 Horseshoe Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Kardisco, Robert P.
Beeler-Kardisco, Angela M.
61 State St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/06/07

Kim, Hue Ly
a/k/a Kim, Vana
86 Balfour Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Laplante, Kevin M.
Laplante, Charlene M.
71 Hathorne St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/02/07

LaRoche, Philip A.
9 Yorktowne Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/02/07

Lillie, Cheryl A.
338 West Main St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/12/07

Lombardo, Angelo
195 Roosevelt Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/14/07

Lopez, Irma L.
62 Locust St., #1
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Marrocco, Scott A.
Marrocco, Suzanne L.
17 Michael St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Maruca, Michael J.
Maruca, Melissa J.
39 Jenness St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/01/07

Maynard, Kerri E.
14 Stratford Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

McIntire, Monica A.
McIntire, Ian K
10 Dubois St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Monte, Scott
Monte, Carol
58 Hunt St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/09/07

Morra, Thomas A.
51 Pine St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/08/07

Murray, Grace G.
129 Olmsted Dr.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/08/07

Nye, Gregory William
Nye, Robyn Leslie
188 Pleasant St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/14/07

Ortiz, Myriam Ivette
140 Wellington St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Papineau, Diane M.
P.O. Box 1155
Warren, MA 01083
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/01/07

Parris, Linda M.
100 Moreland St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/01/07

Plasse, Christina N.
92 North Main St.
South Deerfield, MA 01373
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Prouty, Deborah Therese
12 Greenpoint Cir.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Rosenberg, Merton I.
556 Converse St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/09/07

Russo, James Anthony
Monette-Russo, Tina Anne
63 Meredian St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Shults, Geri Ellen
657 Glendale Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Sluder, Joseph A.
Sluder, Elise M.
a/k/a Boudreau, Elise
35 Stone Valley Road, Apt. C1
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Smith, Malcolm F. E.
9 South Maple St., Apt. 3
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/13/07

Sobolewski, Marek
Sobolewski, Danuta D.
11 Sherman St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/05/07

St. Germain, Donald M.
170 Forest Hills Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/02/07

T.A. Woodworking
Asimakopoulos, Athnasios
510 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/13/07

Tanon, Kristine N.
123 Lowell St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/01/07

Tebo, Ronald J.
Tebo, Sandra L.
864 Cronin Road
Warren, MA 01083
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/07/07

The Old Travelers Restaurant
Buelow, Mark D.
Buelow, Cindy T.
a/k/a Leblanc, Cindy T
99 Graham St.
Gardner, MA 01440
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Tillman, Maurice Page
16 Kay St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/06/07

Truong, Jacky
646 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Valdes, Ivelisse
38 Brentwood St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/15/07

Veroneau, Thomas A.
Veroneau, Mari R.
6 Main St.
Wales, MA 01081
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/13/07

Wassung, Robert G.
92 West St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/10/07

White, Charles E.
49 Ionia St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/07/07

White, Claire P.
53 West Crystal Brook Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/07/07

Whitsett, Bryant K.
242 Pheland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/08/07

Whitsett, Sherri
242 Pheland St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 11/08/07

Capital Ideas

Federal Tax Credit Program May Help Build Some Momentum in the Valley

Capital Ideas

They’re called New Market Tax Credits, a federally funded economic development vehicle designed to spur activity in low-income urban and suburban areas. Few developers and business owners in the region know they exist, and fewer still know (or want to know) how they work. But they’ve been used to bridge financing gaps needed to bring projects like the River Valley Market in Northampton (below) to fruition, and could be a useful tool in the broad effort to revitalize neighborhoods in Springfield and other area communities.

Austin Miller has been involved with commercial and residential development for more than 30 years now. To bring various projects to fruition, he’s tapped clients into a number of government-funded programs, and through those experiences has come to one of those ‘death-and-taxes-like’ conclusions:

“When you’re dealing with government programs, two things always get you in trouble,” he explained. “The first is trying to use logic, because the government never uses logic, and the second is to try to think simply, because nothing is ever simple. If you keep those two things in mind, you might get there.”

All this goes double, maybe triple, for something called New Markets Tax Credits, a relatively new, U.S. Treasury-funded method for spurring development in lower-income, underserved areas across the country. This is a complex product, so much so that, when asked what language he uses to explain how they work, Miller said simply, “usually, I don’t even try.”

Instead of focusing on what these tax credits are and exactly how they work, Miller, a principal with Springfield-based MBL Housing & Development, which has consulted on a number of area projects, prefers to talk about why developers might want to consider them as a viable option for closing gaps in project funding, and when and where they might be applied.

Locally, this includes ventures like the Holyoke Health Center and, more recently, the River Valley Market now taking shape on King Street in Northampton, a unique venture described by those involved as a “locally grown food cooperative” that’s member-owned.

The 17,000-square foot marketplace, which will sell locally produced foods and other products and is nearly ready to open its doors, has received nearly $7.5 million in funding from a variety of sources, both traditional and non-traditional. The former includes debt financing from Bank of Western Mass. and several subordinate, or secondary, lenders, including the Western Mass Enterprise Fund (WMEF), a nonprofit community loan fund, which made $300,000 available in working capital.

The WMEF has also partnered with Portland, Maine-based Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI) and its associate, Trans Capital Investments, to bring $2.03 million in new markets tax credits to the project, a key development in making the venture possible, said Chris Sikes, executive director of the WMEF.

Sikes and Miller, who served as a development consultant for the River Valley project, both told BusinessWest that NMTCs can help spur development efforts in Springfield — several sections of the city meet income guidelines spelled out by the Treasury Department for the program — and many other communities in the Pioneer Valley. The challenge, they say, is to make developers and nonprofit groups aware of the tax credits, the benefits they bring to borrowers, and how they make projects like the River Valley Market ultimately doable.

“The tax credits provide about a 30% discount on a project,” said Sikes, noting that this is the percentage of the loan amount (roughly equal to the tax credit given the investor) that is essentially forgiven. “If you had a $1 million project, at the end of seven years, it’s down to roughly a $700,000 project, depending on how the deal is structured.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for this region,” he continued, “we now have access to these tax credits, and we need to take full advantage of that opportunity.”

Taxing the Imagination

To help explain how NMTCs may help with financing projects in Springfield, Sikes, in a presentation to city officials several months ago, offered a PowerPoint synopsis he called “New Markets Tax Credits Lite.”

Like Miller, he found himself moving quickly through the math portions of the exercise that explain why the credits are an attractive option for investors — debt and equity investors earn a federal income tax credit, calculated on the amount provided, over seven years: 5% for each of the first three years and 6% for the next four years — and focusing instead on how they might help revitalize neighborhoods.

“Our mission at the enterprise fund is to create economic opportunity for low- and moderate-income communities in Western Mass., and the way we do that is to bring capital into the region, whether it’s our own or others’,” he explained, noting that, while the WMEF provides loans ranging from $500 to $300,000 and other types of financing, the more important numbers concern the amount of capital its activities leverage. “What matters is that the right kinds of capital get into the region to help it grow.”

And the NMTC has become a new and potentially powerful tool for meeting that mission.

The program was created in 2000 by the Community Tax Relief Act of 2000, for the purpose of leveraging capital from investors to spur economic development in urban and rural low-income communities. Roughly $3 billion in tax credits are made available each year, and there is mounting competition for them, said Sikes.

Language provided by the Treasury Department’s Community Affairs Division and its Insights publication provides ample evidence that Miller is right about government programs not being simple. In describing NMTCs, Insights serves up an alphabet soup of acronyms to describe who can use the tax credits and how.

“With the Treasury Department, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) and the Internal Revenue Service (through Section 45D of the Internal Revenue Code) jointly administer the program,” it starts.

“A prospective recipient of new markets tax credits must be certified by the CDFI Fund and a qualified community development entity (CDE) before submitting an application for a tax credit allocation. An NMTC application is evaluated by the CDFI Fund on the basis of the CDE’s business strategy, capitalization strategy, management capacity, and projected community impacts.

“The NMTC process works as follows: The CDFI Fund allocates NMTCs to CDEs which, in turn, offer them to investors in return for equity capital. The proceeds from investors are referred to as Qualified Equity Investments (QEIs). CDE allocatees and other parties such as equity fund managers, market the availability of NMTCs to prospective investors at the institutional and individual level.

“Using the QEI proceeds, a CDE makes its financial assistance available to eligible businesses known as Qualified Active Low-Income Community Businesses (QALICBs). ‘Substantially all’ of the QEIs, defined as 85%, must be deployed by the recipient CDE within one year in Qualified Low Income Community Investments (QLICs). The QLICs comprise a host of financial and technical assistance to eligible businesses: investing in or lending to these business enterprises; investing in or lending to CDEs; purchasing loans from CDEs; and providing financing counseling and other services (FCOS) by the CDE to organizations, including nonprofit and organizations, to assist with business plan development, financial analysis, financing, and similar activities.”

That’s the simple explanation. There are another 20 pages of dizzying text outlining various models — ‘bank-operated’ and ‘third-party’ — as well as financing structures (leveraged and non-leveraged), key risks, regulatory issues, and other considerations.

All developers and business owners really need to know, at least at the outset, is that the tax credits can be used to help support a wide array of ventures that share common challenges — especially the fact that many don’t easily qualify for traditional financing to cover all or part of their need.

This was the case with the River Valley project, Sikes recalled, noting that discussions between backers of that venture, which eventually became a QALICB, and the WMEF began nearly three years ago.

It took some time, he said, to piece together a complex financing collaborative that would eventually include seven lenders (led by the Bank of Western Mass.), one investor, and 26 guarantors.

“This was not only a very complicated deal, but it involved the entire Northampton community to put it together,” he explained, noting that the NMTCs were pivotal, and the project became eligible because that one small area off King Street is the only one in Northampton that meets the definition of ‘low-income community’ or ‘New Markets Tax Credits Zone’ as set by the Census Bureau — a poverty rate of at least 20% or median income of up to 80% of the area or statewide median, whichever is greater.

This was the first foray into the Pioneer Valley for Coastal Enterprises, said Sikes — the $30 million Holyoke Health Center project was supported by Boston-based Mass. Housing Investment Corp. — and it took some time to materialize. He expects that there will be many more, and that they will come together more quickly and easily.

Developing Interest

A look at CEI’s New Markets Tax Credits portfolio, assembled by its subsidiary, Capital Management LLC, shows the many diverse ways the credits can be put to use. CEI has been awarded nearly $250 million in credits to date and has put them to work in ways ranging from sustainable forestry initiatives to marine businesses; from tourism ventures to manufacturing companies. Projects include:

• Katahdin Forest Management: $32.5 million of NMTC capacity to finance 300,000 acres of sustainable working timberlands in North Central Maine, part of the financing needed to reopen the Great Northern Paper Company mills, preserving or re-activating 620 jobs;

• Gulf of Maine Research Institute: $4.1 million of NMTC capacity used to provide long-term debt financing for the institute’s marine research/education laboratory in Portland, Maine, with a principal mission of supporting the fishing industry in the Gulf of Maine;

• Fralo Plastech Manufacturing: $6.2 million of NMTC capacity used to facilitate an equity investment in an early-stage manufacturer of engineered plastic septic tank systems located in Upstate New York and utilizing recycled plastic; and

• Ingraham Community Services: $4 million of NMTC capacity to allow Ingraham, a community-based nonprofit that provides crisis response, residential, and support services to purchase a building in downtown Portland to consolidate disparate operations into one location so it can reduce its rental costs and take advantage of greater operational efficiencies.

These examples show how NMTCs can be put to work in the Pioneer Valley, said Sikes, noting that, while there are limitations on how and where they may be applied — they cannot be used for affordable housing projects, for example — they can be a practical tool for economic development in this region.

He pointed to Court Square in Springfield — where a boutique hotel was planned, then shelved, but still remains a viable option — and the so-called State Street Corridor, as examples of where they might be effectively utilized.
“The State Street area was made for these tax credits,” he explained. “They could play a large role in generating investments in that corridor.”

Overall, Coastal weighs requests for tax credits based on several criteria, the first being that a project must make economic sense, said Sikes, adding that there must also be tangible benefits for the community or specific neighborhood.

“Coastal wants its projects to have an impact,” he explained. “They want the money to mean something. This isn’t about building a few McDonald’s; that’s not what this is for.”

As the benefits to be derived from the tax credits — for both the investors and the borrowers — become known and understood and developers and business owners become more savvy with regard to them, competition for NMTCs continues to mount, said Sikes. “Coastal Enterprises has put out about $200 million of credits, and they probably have another billion-and-a-half in the pipeline, because as people find out this, they want to get involved.

“That said, Coastal Enterprises wants to do more deals in this market,” he continued, adding that he projects that $50 million or $60 million could be brought into the region, as long as CEI continues to receive its current allotment.

We need to get some projects together, and we can do that if more people become aware of the tax credits and what a great opportunity they represent.”

The Bottom Line

Like Sikes, Miller said more investors and borrowers are becoming more savvy about NMTCs, because they add up to attractive, relatively low-risk deals for both sides of the transaction.

These deals are not simple, in keeping with Miller’s thoughts on government-funded programs, and sometimes the rules pertaining to them are not exactly logical. But in many ways, these deals make sense — and they make for intriguing possibilities for future economic development.

George O’Brien can be reached at[email protected]

Dr. Michael J. Spink has joined the practice of Facial Cosmetic & Maxillofacial Surgery, P.C., and the office of Dr. Richard J. Fraziero in East Longmeadow.

•••••

Karen Desjeans has been appointed Staff Assistant to Holyoke Community College President William Messner; she will serve alongside fellow Staff Assistant Colleen Cameron.

•••••

Ace Fire & Water Restoration Inc. in West Springfield has announced the following:
• Nicole M. Sorel has been appointed head of its newly formed Cleaning and Packout Department, and
• Linda M. St. Marie has been named Office Manager.

•••••

The American Tree Farm System, along with BASF Corp., has named Cinda Jones of Cowls Land and Lumber Co. in North Amherst as the winner of the BASF Outstanding Achievements in Sustainable Forestry Award for 2007.

•••••

Human Resources Unlimited Inc. announced the following:
• Patrick Leary, Partner of Moriarty & Primack, P.C., has been named to its Board of Directors;
• Joel Morse, Sales and Marketing Manager of Marcus Printing, has been named to its Board of Directors, and
• Charlene Smolkowicz, Commercial Credit Analyst of Bank of Western Massachusetts, has been named to its Board of Directors.

•••••

Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture announced the following:
• Jessica Cook has joined the staff as a Program Coordinator. She will oversee CISA’s efforts to study and develop salad greens and meat-processing options that will help more local farmers to get their products to market, and
• Allison Neher has joined the staff as a Program Assistant.

•••••

Cooley Dickinson Hospital-affiliated surgeons Drs. Christopher Marvelli, Holly Michaelson, and Timothy O’Brien have created a new name for their general surgery practice — Hampshire Surgical Care at 76A Carlon Dr. Marvelli, Michaelson, and O’Brien are all board-certified general surgeons, and specialize in advanced minimally invasive and robotic surgery, including surgeries of the colon and gastrointestinal tract as well as breast surgery.

•••••

Leonard Pansa, Vice President of Human Resources for the Sisters of Providence Health System, has met the criteria to advance to Fellow status at the American College of Healthcare Executives and is board-certified in health care management. Pansa received Fellow status as a result of his continued achievement in meeting high standards of professional development, excellence, and leadership as a health care executive.

•••••

Joel Anderson has joined Viega, LLC, a Kansas-based plumbing and radiant heating supplier, as District Sales Manager for Western Mass. In his new role, Anderson will be the face of Viega to area commercial contractors, architects, engineers, and plumbers.

•••••

Clara M. Elliot

Clara M. Elliot has been named Dean of Human Resources at Holyoke Community College.

•••••

Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity announced the following staff appointments:
• Jennifer Schimmel has been named Executive Director;
• Sean T. Mitchell has been named Director of Development, and
• Lise M. LeTellier has been named Volunteer Coordinator.

•••••

Ric Skinner has joined Tighe & Bond in Westfield as Director of Geographic Information Systems. He is a certified GIS professional with 20 years of experience.

•••••

Anna Brandenburg has been named Program Coordinator and Training Librarian for the Springfield City Library.

•••••

Adam Novitt has been named Director of Pelham Library. He also works at the Forbes Library in Northampton.

•••••

Hope Kelley, head professional at The Ranch Golf Club in Southwick, has been named the 2007 PGA Merchandiser of the Year at a Public Golf Course by the Connecticut Section of the PGA of America. The award recognizes excellence in business and merchandising at private, public, and resort golf facilities. Kelley is a 12-year member of the PGA and has overseen the golf operations at the Ranch since 2004.

•••••

Gary F. O’Grady has joined Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. as Municipal Banking Officer. He has offices at 24 North St., Pittsfield, and 31 Court St., Westfield. O’Grady will oversee the Government Banking Department, which specializes in banking services for municipalities and other governmental entities and agencies.

•••••

Motivational speaker, educator, and humorist Dr. Steve Sobel has been asked to address 100 top student-athletes at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., on Feb. 3. He will speak on “Leadership, Motivation, and Teambuilding.” Sobel’s practice is based in Longmeadow.

Group Think

IBS Charges Ahead with a Unique Management Model Focused on the Future

The team at Innovative Business Systems; president Dave DelVecchio is fourth from left in the front row.

‘Five Guys.’

That’s how the team at Innovative Business Systems (IBS), an information technology support and sales firm in Easthampton, refers to its owners.

It’s an inauspicious term, perhaps, that is nevertheless part of a democratic culture at IBS that began when a group of employees — Dave DelVecchio, Brian Scanlon, Scott Seifel, Ben Scoble, and Sean Benoit — bought the company from founder Bill Tremblay in August 2003.

It wasn’t a coup — DelVecchio, now the company’s president, said Tremblay’s reign was a benevolent dictatorship. And as the company moves forward, it carries with it Tremblay’s initial mission: to provide a high level of service, from both a technical and a human standpoint.

But DelVecchio added that the structure also allows the owners to bring their collective experience in information technology to the management side of the business.

“It allows us to continue Bill’s vision, with our own unique spin,” he said. “We’ve been a team since the day we signed the papers. The percentages of ownership vary, but only come into play two times a year, at annual meetings.”

It’s also a management style that’s becoming increasingly notable as IBS nears the close of one of its busiest years to date; DelVecchio estimates that the company will end the year with the highest annual gross revenue figure in its 20-year history.

Such growth is tempered by a few trends in the IT industry that can pose challenges — among them shrinking profit margins and a continuing need for appropriately trained staff, as technology changes — but it’s a good indicator, said DelVecchio, of the pace at which IBS is growing and how it’s achieving that growth: through an increased amount of “soup-to-nuts clients,” as he calls them.

“The number of companies who know where they want to go in terms of technology is higher than ever before,” he said. “They’re looking at technology upgrades as an essential task, and budgeting accordingly. Plus, 70% to 80% of those businesses want regular service.

“The writing on the wall is that IT firms can’t just sell products,” he continued, “and as technology continues to march forward with a focus on efficiency and the needs for the future, that beginning-to-end approach is typically smoother for us, and for the end user.”

Strength in Numbers

IBS began as a software-development outfit under Tremblay’s management in 1987, and maintains that aspect of the business. Tremblay, now dubbed ‘president emeritus,’ still serves as a consultant and field representative for the company from South Carolina, where he now lives and where one of IBS’s largest software clients, Carolina Eastern, an agricultural wholesaler, distributor, and retailer, is based.

The firm also handles PC sales, data analysis, networking, hardware and software support, repair, and maintenance services for businesses of all sizes.

DelVecchio said the majority of the small and medium-sized businesses IBS services are located in the 413 area code, while its growing presence in the financial-services sector covers about a three-hour radius, from Cape Cod to Connecticut. Additionally, its software-development arm has a national reach, with clients in New Mexico, Florida, Oklahoma, Illinois, Colorado, and several other states.

About 60% of those annual gross revenues are derived from work with banks and credit unions — both those with their own existing IT departments and those without. DelVecchio explained that, due to the increasing need for a high level of security and well-planned disaster-recovery methods in the banking industry, even those institutions with well-heeled technology departments are seeking outside vendors to offer certain services or to perform audits of existing systems.

“More than ever, banks and credit unions need to outsource because they need redundancies built in to support their environments,” he said.

The remaining 40% of IBS’s client list is made up largely of small-to-medium-sized, privately owned businesses, many of which are not large enough to have their own IT departments but view the need for constantly updated technology as a growing necessity. These companies, both for-profit and nonprofit entities, span a wide range of sectors, from health care to manufacturing.

“IT is the core of many day-to-day functions,” said DelVecchio, “and it’s becoming more cost-effective for even the smallest companies, when as recently as two or three years ago, it was not. These are, essentially, very powerful technologies being implemented behind the scenes that double as small business solutions, often available for companies with five employees or less.”

Data, Data Everywhere

DelVecchio said the biggest issue IBS is addressing of late is that of access to data: from various computers, company locations, or remotely, from virtually anywhere. This could translate into outfitting a financial institution’s loan officers with laptops and scanners, for instance, so they can bring the service directly to a client, or supplying home care nurses with tablet PCs, on which they can access and input up-to-date medical information on a patient.

Data access is also an important consideration in terms of disaster recovery. No longer is it safe to store data in a static office environment; rather, DelVecchio said the trend is toward multiple back-up systems that protect the integrity of information, but also allow for that data to be retrieved from any computer.

“Current technologies ensure access to information, and that a business will not be crippled by the inability to get at it,” he said, noting that this new attention being paid to data recovery resulted in part from lessons learned following 9/11. “There were some major financial institutions in the Twin Towers that never recovered. Some were located in the North Tower, and had their recovery systems located in the South Tower.

“People have heeded that warning.”

In general, said Delvecchio, business owners and managers across the board are recognizing the importance of technology to their daily operations.

“They are asking themselves the big question: can they support their clients, even without a bricks-and-mortar facility,” he said. “People are getting more forward-thinking, even in those sectors that have historically been less proactive about technology for various reasons, such as nonprofits. They understand that they are a business first and a nonprofit second, and technology allows them to focus on what they know, and do it well.”

In response, IBS has entered into a number of new vendor relationships in 2007 to continue addressing the myriad needs of its client base, signing on to sell and service such new industry standards as Citrix Solution Advisor, a secure remote-connectivity platform that can be integrated with virtually any existing IT environment.

The company also became a ‘Symantec SMB (again, small to medium-sized business) Specialization’ partner in October, gaining access to a wide range of benefits including priority and advanced technical support access on behalf of clients, and a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in August, the technology giant’s highest designation, demonstrating expertise in the installation and support of Windows servers and related technologies.

The increased awareness has also widened the marketplace, and as such made the need for planned growth at IBS more pressing.

“We need to be our own best customer,” said DelVecchio. “We’re expanding our own infrastructure along with our clients, improving remote access, taking care of our internal technology, and making sure the ever-important human aspect is being taken care of.”

Expansions to staff are inevitable, he continued, and network engineers, particularly those with Microsoft certification, are in particular demand.

This growth pattern also calls, however, for a longer look at retention as well as recruitment.

“There is generally a very high burnout ratio connected to IT,” he said. “Technology recycles every five years, self-education is imperative, and clients’ needs are endless. Three years is a normal period of time for a staff member to be with a company — this affects that company, but also its clients, who are forever being transferred to new contacts to handle their issues.”

But DelVecchio said he and his fellow owners have experienced these pressures first-hand, and treat them as a real but curable problem. They’ve put several safety nets in place, including assigning secondary contacts to every job, and approaching benefits packages creatively and in concert with employees when possible.

The ownership team alone provides for a stable base, but half of IBS’ 20-person staff has been with the company for five years or longer. Over the past two years, there’s been no turnover at all.

DelVecchio said that’s probably the best example he can give when explaining the collaborative environment at IBS, and how it is pushing the business through one of the most dynamic times in technological history.

“We transitioned from one owner — a benevolent dictatorship — to an employee group through a careful succession plan,” he said. “With Bill’s vision intact, we’ve become a successful ongoing venture; the technology changes, but the concept stays the same.”

As such, IBS’s mission persists — multiplied by five.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

OPINION

Building a Better Springfield

Thirty years ago, all of Massachusetts was caught in the economic maelstrom that followed the exodus of manufacturers from New England. Since then, Greater Boston’s economy of ideas has turned Massachusetts into America’s fifth-richest state, while some of our cities, like Springfield, remain mired in poverty.

What should we do about the vast gulf that separates thriving Boston from faltering Springfield? Good urban policies put people ahead of place. The Springfield region has a chance for rebirth by focusing on the quality-of-life policies that attract smart, entrepreneurial people.

But revitalization is far less important than a brighter future for Springfield’s children. If we can deliver that brighter future, even if those children eventually move far from Springfield, then we shouldn’t worry if the city itself keeps shrinking.

Manufacturers once located in Springfield because of transportation advantages, including the Connecticut River and a junction of two major rail lines. Springfield’s edge in moving goods made it a center for rifles and Rolls-Royces, gas pumps and motorcycles. Urban clusters of smart people produce innovation; Springfield gave us basketball and America’s first gasoline-powered car.

As the cost of moving goods plummeted, manufacturing left New England for cheaper climes, and Springfield fell into decline. While older, colder cities with a strong skill base switched from making goods to making ideas, only 16% of Springfield’s adults have a college degree. The city hasn’t reinvented itself. Today, one-fifth of Springfield’s families are poor.

The most important response to such poverty is to invest in schools and safety. Unfortunately, most declining cities have neither the funds nor the leadership to revamp their schools.

In a move that brings great credit to both men, Gov. Deval Patrick put former rival Chris Gabrieli in charge of Springfield’s external Finance Control Board. Gabrieli combines a passion for schools with a reputation for independent competence. Perhaps he can persuade others that more spending on such troubled school districts as Springfield can be a wise investment.

Increased spending on Springfield’s schools should be tied to performance and innovation. Troubled school districts, like Springfield, must try new approaches, including embracing competition from charter schools and incentives for students and teachers.

While good regional policies for Springfield can go beyond schools, they should still focus on the human capital that is the real engine of local economies. Some people see salvation in a light rail line between Hartford and Springfield. But the era in which rail can make a city is long past. Today, the Springfield region’s modest densities make new rail lines inappropriate. Can it possibly make sense to spend hundreds of millions of dollars — money that could go toward Springfield’s children — on a rail line?

Good regional economic policy also shouldn’t try to micromanage industrial decisions. Neither I nor state officials can tell whether Springfield should invest in biotech or bikes. A better approach is to turn Springfield into a consumer city that will attract entrepreneurs who want to live there. It should follow the Providence model: attract well-educated people who are tired of high Boston prices.

Springfield has a beautiful housing stock and a region crammed with great educational institutions. If Greater Boston persists in making its housing unaffordable, then Springfield can provide an alternative. Indeed, Springfield’s future looks almost bright when we consider how unlikely it is that Greater Boston will build enough housing to meet demand.

I am rooting for Springfield, but there is no shame in decline. The region should try to revitalize itself by improving its quality of life. But it should also remember that taking good care of a smaller and smaller population is far better than chasing an unattainable return to former glory.

Edward L. Glaeser, a professor of Economics at Harvard, is director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston.

Our Workforce Is a Work in Progress

As he talked with BusinessWest about regional economic development and the prospects for 2008, Allan Blair said the region was due — make that overdue — for a “big hit.”

By that, Blair, director of the Economic Development Council of Western Mass., meant the arrival or relocation to the Pioneer Valley of a major employer, creating several hundred new, hopefully well-paying, jobs. And he’s right, the Valley hasn’t seen such a ‘hit’ for a while now.

And while it’s possible we may see one in the year ahead — as Blair explained, there is still movement among corporations even in economic downturns, one of which is expected for 2008 — this is not the shape economic development is likely to take for the near future.

Even though Western Mass. still has comparatively ample amounts of developable land (the Chicopee River Business Park, for instance) and boasts a much lower cost of doing business than Boston and other areas of the state and the country, major manufacturers are simply not coming to the Northeast and the Pioneer Valley. In fact, this region is struggling just to hold onto what’s here.

Meanwhile, ‘big hits,’ what few there are, in biotech, are occurring in Worcester or Cambridge, which have established clusters of companies in that sector.

Which means that, unless something unexpected happens, growth is going to come organically, from new-business development and growth of companies that have already planted roots in the Valley.

For this to happen, economic development leaders have to put renewed emphasis on workforce development and close a wide skills gap that is preventing many area companies — from hospitals to machine shops; public school systems to paper makers — from filling existing vacancies.

This is not a breaking news story — employers up and down the Valley have been complaining for years about not being able to find enough qualified workers — but the problem is becoming acute, and it is in many ways stifling growth (meaning economic development) in the area.

Thus, we’re pleased to see that a comprehensive action plan will be prepared early next year to address workforce-development issues. This plan will be demand-driven, says Bill Ward, director of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, and must be, because the economy won’t grow and companies can’t reach their full potential if those who comprise the region’s workforce don’t possess the specific skills that employers need.

Baystate Health can’t fill hundreds of current vacancies — and it has a $239 million expansion project on the drawing board that will probably add hundreds if not thousands of new positions over the next decade. Meanwhile, other health care providers struggle to find nurses, technicians, and other personnel; school systems tax their resources and imaginations to find teachers; machine shops have to turn down millions of dollars worth of work because they don’t have enough qualified people; and area pre-schools are staffed largely by people without college degrees.

All this leads people like Russ Denver, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, to wonder out loud, “where are we going to find all these workers?”

The challenge for 2008 and beyond is to find ways to stop asking that question and instead develop a real, long-term strategy for answering it.

Such a strategy, or plan, might not fit the working definition of “big hit,” but it would provide a big boost to a region that knows only too well that workforce development is indeed economic development.

The following building permits were issued during the month of December 2007.

AGAWAM

Shoemaker Self-Storage LLC
444 Shoemaker Lane
$45,000 — Build 42 self-storage units

St. Anne’s Country Club Partnership
781 Shoemaker Lane
$125,000 — Construction of a wireless telecommunication center

CHICOPEE

CBL Associate Properties, Inc.
601D Memorial Dr.
$90,000 — Interior fit out of existing space for Radio Shack

Chris Von Pechman
601B Memorial Dr.
$117,000 — Interior fit out of existing space for SuperCuts

Thomas Sweeney
1469 Memorial Dr.
$198,500 — Construction of a coffee shop

EASTHAMPTON

City of Easthampton
43 Main St.
$100,000 — Renovations to cell tower

Florence Savings Bank
5 Main St.
$4,500 — Replace damaged front entry

Sullivan Easthampton LLC
136-148 Pleasant St.
$28,600 — Installation of three-level mechanical conveyor

GREENFIELD

Greenfield Housing Authority
1 Elm St.
$53,000 — Repair fire damage

John E. Michael
46 Forest Ave.
$2,000 — Minor repairs

Judith Stein
70 Federal St.
$5,700 — Renovate existing bathrooms to handicap accessible

Susan M. Renfrew
64 Mohawk Trail
$3,000 — Strip and re-roof

HOLYOKE

Sullivan Holyoke Property Associates, Inc.
11 Berkshire St.
$5,000 — Framing and siding of existing windows

NORTHAMPTON

Hospital Hill Development LLC
209 Earle St.
$1,525,000 — Construct 21,000-square-foot building

Linda J. Corley
525 Pleasant St.
$42,000 — Move cooler and enlarge bar countertop

Northampton Historical Society
66 Bridge St.
$2,000 — Replace exterior door

St. John’s Episcopal Church
48 Elm St.
$95,000 — Strip & shingle roof

SOUTH HADLEY

Anthony’s
500 New Ludlow Road
$53,000 — Install sprinklers

Fire District #1
Industrial Dr.
$175,000 — Install Communications Tower

SPRINGFIELD

City of Springfield
70 Tapley St.
$8,000 — Alter office space from storage to Community Development Department offices

Joseph Pafumi
354 Main St.
$129,700 — Repair fire damage

Mass Mutual Insurance
1500 Main St.
$27,500 — Revise office partitions in Suite 222 Tower Square

Related Springfield Associates
185 Dwight St.
$99,000 — Renovation of existing building and installation of new roof

Wassan Avenue Partners
116 Wasson Ave.
$83,000 — Construct an 18-by-36-foot pump & treatment center

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Developers Diversified
3300 Enterprise Pkwy.
$179,000 — Renovate 5,400 square feet of existing commercial space

Pugliano Realty
1020 Memorial Ave.
$90,000 — Renovate 9,412 square feet of commercial space

By Their Own Admission

Colleges Pair Technology and Human Connection to Attract Students

Joe Wagner, director of Admissions at Elms College, counsels student Lauren LeBlanc.

For years, college admissions was a fast-paced field that always held a few constants — standardized test scores were commonplace; applications were arduous tasks; and the bulk of the action happened once high school students reached the midpoint of their junior year. All of that has been flipped on its axis, however, as the process becomes more dynamic, and continues to change the world in which admissions professionals work.

Mary DeAngelo, director of undergraduate admissions at Springfield College, defines hers as an ever-changing field.

Joe Wagner, director of admissions at Elms College in Chicopee, says that in the past few years, he’s found himself working in a whole new arena. And Julie Richardson, dean of enrollment management for traditional programs at Bay Path College in Longmeadow, simply calls it a zeitgeist.

“High school students today — the Millennials — are so involved, it’s unprecedented,” she said, noting that a number of factors have converged in recent years to effectively change the face of college admissions.

For years, the process was defined by a sudden frenzy among college-bound students in their junior year; SAT prep frazzled nerves, piles of glossy viewbooks choked mailboxes, and applications were meticulously completed in ballpoint pen, sealed in a manila envelope along with a personal check and a personal essay, and sent off, marking the start of weeks of waiting and nail-biting.

Today, though, those archetypal images have been cast aside in favor of online applications and Web-based research. Students are asking more questions, and asking them earlier.

As for the SATs, they still exist — measuring math and verbal skills in high school cafeterias across the nation. But truth be told, admissions professionals say even standard aptitude isn’t as big a deal as it used to be.

Instead, colleges and universities, especially smaller, private institutions like Springfield, Elms, and Bay Path, are working toward streamlining their operations to cater to an increasingly engaged audience. They’re reaching a greater number of students at various points in their high school careers, and delivering the most relevant information to them at that time. They’re noticing a trend toward more-involved parents, and working toward striking a balance that keeps moms and dads informed, while still underscoring the importance of follow-through by the child.

In the face of dwindling numbers of high school students, especially in New England, schools are performing their due diligence to ensure that every applicant understands the missions of their institutions, to boost not only admission, but also retention.

And admissions departments everywhere are tying this all together with one constant — the power of technology.

Beyond Bricks and Mortar

More than any other starting point, said DeAngelo, an institution’s Web site has become the most important aspect of the college-search process. Many students now use the Web as a virtually exclusive search tool, and that alone is causing a shift in how admissions counselors reach them.

“Certainly, the use of technology has increased dramatically over the past few years, and it’s growing every year,” said DeAngelo. “There has been an increase in visitation of college Web sites, and we find that when students are initiating a search, they’re starting with the Web, so we don’t rely on traditional guidebooks anymore. We’re very conscious that what’s on the site is easy to access and interesting.”

Wagner agreed, adding that about 50% of Elms’ applicants now apply online.

“We still reach students in traditional ways, through high school visits and college fairs, but E-mails, instant messaging, and information on our Web site take the place of mass mailings,” he said. “Students use the Web site more than ever, and it’s easier than ever to stay in touch with them.”

Technology does, however, present a few new challenges for colleges and universities as it matures. Wagner said he’ll soon be taking a look at Elms’ online application process, for instance, which currently requires that the processing fee be mailed separately. That can lead to what are known as ‘ghost applications,’ or students who apply online as a way to test the waters.

“That means it’s actually too easy to fill out an application online, so we have to be cautious about letting that process become more of a glorified inquiry,” he said.

More than a mode of communication, however, Richardson said that incorporating technology-based initiatives into college-admissions practices is a necessary step in streamlining the experience for high school students, who today expect to receive different levels of support from colleges and universities as they move through the process.

“Schools have to incorporate the tech piece to keep up with the students themselves, because they are so tech-savvy,” she said. “But it can’t be all technology. The ideal point is where art meets science, offering better, more sophisticated tools, but holding on to a personal touch.”

One such tool used often by admissions offices is predictive modeling, the often-database-driven process of using information to create a statistical model for future behavior. In the case of college admissions, it’s used to hone in on where students are coming from — their home states, cities, and schools, for instance — and also what channels they’ve used to connect with a college — via the Web, a phone call, or an in-person visit, to name a few avenues.

“There’s so much information about measurement and surveying, and looking at trends,” Richardson said. “But we’re not just relying on anecdotal bits. We’re using our gut instinct, and testing that with measurement tools to make sure we’re headed in the right direction.”

Diving in at the Shallow End

That’s more important than ever, she noted, given the diminishing numbers of high school-aged college applicants.

“National demographics show the high school population beginning to decline, especially in the Northeast,” said Richardson. “We’ve hit the peak, and there’s been a lot of panic about passing it, but the key is to be responsive.”

She said part of that means offering options to students, be they courses, living arrangements, or scheduling choices, and understanding that the term ‘traditional student’ is becoming more archaic every year.

“The challenge is to cater to lifelong learners,” she said. “Students today learn online, at night, through Saturday school, and through traditional options, and those schools that are responsive to what students need and want will be most successful.”

DeAngelo said that to prepare for the eventuality of fewer students applying to college in New England, Springfield College will be spending more time on initiatives to recruit students from outside of the college’s traditional recruiting area.

“We’ll be doing some national college fairs, beginning in the South and in the Southwest,” she said, “and we’ll be looking at ways to engage students to come and visit the campus students from a distance. We have to bring the campus to them early in the process, because typically students at a distance don’t have the opportunity to visit until much later.”

To help make that early connection, DeAngelo said the college has also reached out to its alumni to work more closely with the Admissions Department.

“Springfield College has some great alums all over country, and we’re fortunate to have them working for us. They’re often more able than anyone to identify students who are a good fit for the college.”

Sophomoric Behavior

DeAngelo told BusinessWest that college admissions departments are seeing other changes, including a trend toward serving a pool of potential applicants that is beginning the college search earlier than ever before.

“The process has really accelerated,” she said. “I think this Millennial group of students is one with parents who are college-educated, so it’s been talked about at home early and often.”

As recently as five years ago, most colleges were not dealing with high school sophomores, but now, that’s the norm, she explained.

“Students enter their junior year having been heavily engaged for several months. Clearly, they’re starting earlier, and we need to plan programs as a result to respond to that need.

“It’s really become a year-round process,” she continued, “serving different groups of students at the different times.”

Richardson said she, too, has noticed a diverse set of students in the admissions pipeline at the same time, and added that because the needs of a sophomore are different than a senior or a junior, the onus is on admissions counselors to provide the most appropriate information.

“We start reaching out when they’re sophomores,” she said, “but it’s not a hard sell at that point. It’s more about getting them in the know about judging what will be a good fit for them, the ins and outs of the application process, and financing options.

“That way, they go into the process a little more informed; starting earlier, and with smaller pieces.”

To further assist in that support process, Richardson said informational events are taking on a larger role at Bay Path. Once, open houses on college campuses were relegated to specific weekends or times of year, but no more, she said.

“More than ever, admissions officers are getting to know their students,” she said. “I feel as though we have an event happening every month, and there’s more catering to these students going on. Open houses aren’t just held on Columbus Day weekend anymore, and that, on the whole, makes students feel more comfortable.”

It also makes parents more comfortable, and that’s a more important consideration when dealing with Millennials than it has been in the past.

“Parents are involved more, and I think that’s a big part of what’s going on,” she said. In general, they’re very involved in the lives of this generation. As such, students are making more joint decisions with their parents.”

Wagner said that in some ways that’s a good thing, but not always.

“This is a new, generational thing,” he said. “Parents are very much involved now, and they help us ensure that we’re providing the level of attention to safety and assistance they expect. But at the same time, it’s important that students handle as much of the admissions process themselves as possible. It’s an important step in striking out on their own for the first time.”

To Test or Not to Test

As for decisions on which students are admitted, that process is changing too.

Wagner said that generally, strong school records still carry the most weight, as do patterns of community service and co-curricular involvement — two variables that are indicative, he said, of the ideal student for Elms.

“We have a message and a branding that is important to us as a small, private, Catholic college,” he said. “Often, that message is important to the students who find Elms is their best fit, so we spend a great deal of time matching the strengths of the college with the strengths of our applicants.”

Concerning the SATs, many institutions across the country have gone ‘SAT-optional.’ Cambridge-based FairTest, a non-profit organization that advocates for improvements to student, faculty, and school evaluations, maintains a list of colleges and universities that have chosen to make SAT scores an optional inclusion with an application.

Massachusetts is home to 18 SAT-optional colleges, including Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College, and Simons Rock College of Bard in Western Mass. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Stonehill College, Wheaton College, Newbury College, and College of the Holy Cross are also on that list.

They’re still used at Elms, though there’s no set minimum score that applicants must reach, said Wagner, adding that more than anything, they’re used as a supplemental deciding factor for scholarships or within particularly competitive programs, such as nursing.

“Elms still requires the SAT, but only uses the score in evaluation after it’s been determined how strong a school record is,” he said.

Springfield College takes a similar approach to SAT scores, said DeAngelo. “A pattern of achievement is weighed more heavily than the SATs,” she explained. “We use the SATs, but they’re not as significant as in the past. We use several other factors that are more personal in nature.”

Beyond that, said Wagner, there’s no guidebook as to how admissions departments should proceed. Despite the advent of new technology, colleges are largely taking an organic approach to admitting students — reaching them through Web-based channels and supporting them with the latest tools, but also choosing the student population that best reflects the vision of the institution they’ll one day represent.

“There’s no magic to it,” he said. “Providing as much information as possible to the types of students we’re looking for is the only key.”

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Energized State

Local Chamber Leader Creates a New Agency for the Commonwealth

Deb Boronski perceived need for a ‘state’ chamber in the Commonwealth, and created the Mass. Chamber of Business & Industry.

Deb Boronski says she started thinking about the concept a few years ago.

Through her involvement with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Northeast Board of Regents, she met and talked often with those directing statewide chambers, something Massachusetts has never had, and that Boronski started to think it could possibly use.

Over time, any doubts about such need, at least in her mind, were erased. And thus, after several months of planning, Boronski, long-time senior vice president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield (ACCGS), has launched something called the Mass. Chamber of Business & Industry Inc.

That’s the MassCBI, for short, a mostly Web-based organization that will be run out of an office Boronski is now leasing in East Longmeadow. But it will, she says, represent businesses across the state and, in essence, provide a louder, stronger voice than chambers representing individual cities (like Chicopee’s and Holyoke’s) and regions (like the ACCGS, which has seven chambers representing nearly 2,000 members).

“Our primary focus will be on state issues, those that affect every business in the Commonwealth — we’re going to inform, educate, and then advocate on behalf of businesses so we can affect positive change,” said Boronski, who described her start-up venture as a logical next step for the state — and for her from a professional-development standpoint.

“I’ve been in this position for 10 years now,” she said of her work with the ACCGS. “I’m ready for a new and bigger challenge.”

Jeffrey Albright believes that a state chamber can succeed in Massachusetts, primarily because he’s seen such an organization work effectively in another Northeast industrial state. He’s member executive of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry, an entity that has been in place since 1916, and currently represents members in all 67 of the state’s counties.

Albright told BusinessWest that while local and federal legislation certainly affects business owners, the most impactful proposals usually emerge on the state level. And the PA Chamber, as his agency is called, provides what he described as a “unified voice” on the ‘Hill.’

“The reason all organizations form is to take advantage of the collective power, strength, and unity of the group,” he said. “Numbers speak; this is clout, this is influence. When we go to the Hill we can tell legislators just how many people we have in each of those legislative districts that they represent — and we can tell them what these people are thinking about the issues they’re voting on.

“You might have some local chambers that have very close relationships with their legislators,” he continued, referring to his state. “But quite frankly, when you take that number to the Hill and try to get something passed, let’s see how well you do. Without the support of other legislators, you’re not going to get anything accomplished.”

Boronski, who will leave the ACCGS in early February, said she expects the MassCBI will provide a similar, unified voice. Explaining how such a statewide chamber operates, and how it works to complement smaller chambers, not compete with them, is part of a broad education process that she has already embarked on. This assignment will continue for some time, she told BusinessWest, and eventually take her from Williamstown to Nantucket.

“You eat an elephant one bite at a time,” she said of her plans to take the MassCBI to every corner of the state. “I’m going to take this one bite — one city or town or region — at a time.”

Chamber Music

As he talked about the PA Chamber, what it does, and how it works, Albright made frequent use of that word ‘clout.’

He said that this is what his group provides to roughly 24,000 members (those who pay dues) and customers (those who don’t but participate in chamber-sponsored programs and events). And this clout comes from a combination of that number and the word ‘chamber,’ which carries a good amount of weight, especially with elected officials.

With its size and clout, the PA Chamber is able to help level the playing field in a state where the Southwest (Pittsburgh area) and Southeast (Philadelphia and its suburbs) quadrants are well-represented, but most other areas feel neglected, he said.

“What we try to do as a state chamber is enlarge the pie, from an economic development standpoint, and see that everyone gets a slice,” he explained. “First and foremost, what we do is advocacy — we’re the voice of the business community.”

Enlarging the pie is one way to describe what Boronski wants to accomplish with the MassCBI, and she said her experience with the ACCGS provided some inspiration for her venture in the form of ample evidence that there is indeed strength in numbers.

She said that through affiliation with the ACCGS, smaller chambers have access to information, expertise, lobbyists, and programs. But even the affiliated chambers are limited in what they can do because of their size and specific geographic focus, so she wants to take that model to a much wider stage — the entire state.

“The ACCGS does a great job — but that’s just Greater Springfield,” she said. “The Worcester chamber does a good job in that city, and the Boston chamber does, too. But there needs to be a united voice; when the Massachusetts Chamber of Business & Industry goes to Boston, it speaks for the Berkshires, Boston, and everyone in between.”

The business plan for the statewide chamber is still a work in progress, said Boronski, and it is being shaped by trends and issues involving chambers across the country, and the need for what she described as a “support system” for these municipal and regional chambers.

The MassCBI will fill this role through a variety of products and services, said Boronski, whose preliminary marketing materials list several of them, including:

• Membership programs, including discount programs involving health, life, and dental insurance, as well as car rentals, shipping, and even Monster.com;

• Monthly updates through a MassCBI E-news service, offered free to members, that will provide monthly reviews of legislative and political news (the Web site — www.masscbi.com — goes live Jan. 2);

• Vote for Massachusetts.com, another online service that enables members to access the voting records of their state and national legislators, and also voice their opinions on issues;

• Employee training seminars on subjects including human resources, employment law, workplace safety, and health care;

• Regulatory compliance publications — reference guides covering employers’ rights and responsibilities under state and federal employment, safety and health, tax, and environmental laws;

• Events including a “congressional dinner,” an annual meeting, a legislative reception, and regular breakfast roundtables she calls “Eggs and Issues.”

While the times and places for these events have not been finalized, Boronski expects many of them to be staged in the Worcester area, middle ground for members at either end of the state.

Getting Down to Business

While finalizing the roster of services, Boronski says she must also go about the task of selling the MassCBI, and convincing business owners that there is real value in what she’s calling the “membership investment” — which ranges from $299 to $2,000 depending on the size of the company’s workforce.

For this, she’ll call on previous experience with chambers — she was also long-time president of the Chicopee chamber — and also in marketing (which she’s taught at the college level), development, and even as a business author.

In 1994, for example, she wrote You Don’t Need a Crystal Ball! Visualize Your Future Success Through Market-oriented Strategic Planning. This is a manual of sorts for those starting a business, trying to take one to the next level, or just trying to figure out what the next step might be. There are chapters on identifying one’s customers, doing market research, analyzing competition, performing self-analysis, assessing the business climate, and, finally, formulating a strategy.

Boronski has followed her own manual as she’s gone about creating the MassCBI, and will continue to do so as works to build a membership base, crystalize her mission, and develop a suite of products and services.

She told BusinessWest that she did some extensive research before she embarked on her venture, and it revealed a clear need for a state chamber, even at a time when chamber membership is declining in many regions of the country, and when the Commonwealth boasts a statewide business group — the Associated Industries of Mass. (AIM) — that already provides many of the services planned for the MassCBI.

“We have AIM, we have the Employers Assoc. of the Northeast, and other groups, but there is room for everyone, and not every one program or organization fits every need,” she said. “While AIM is a magnificent resource for the state of Massachusetts, it can’t possibly meet every need for every business.

“AIM is also not a chamber of commerce by name,” she continued. “It’s an association, and that is different; there are associations for everything. A chamber of commerce is a significantly different creature that has a more united voice.”

When asked how she intends to build membership, Boronski said she’s having a number of databases prepared, and has a number of target audiences she’s trying to reach. Current chamber members are a logical starting point, she explained, because they obviously have some level of support for the concept.

“If they see value in a local chamber, they’re likely to also see value in a state chamber,” she said, noting that she plans to speak before area chambers, Rotary clubs, and other business-related groups to outline her venture.

But a state chamber may provide a solid alternative for those who are not part of a local chamber because they don’t have the time to take part in programs and events because they’re too busy trying to grow their businesses.

“The state chamber is mostly Internet-based — it’s information, education, and advocacy, so members don’t have to be involved,” she said. “Many people are busy and don’t feel they have the time to commit once they make an investment in an organization. And if you’re going to be active in a local chamber and get value from your membership, you have to make an investment in time and network.”

But she reiterated that she wants the MassCBI to complement existing chambers, not compete with them.

“Every business should support their local chamber, first and foremost,” she said. “But they can also support a state chamber and even the national chamber — and they should, because each one plays a different but important role in advocating for the business community.”

Network News

Albright said he was one of several members of the Northeast Board of Regents who advised Boronski to meet what he considers an unmet need in the Bay State.

“It looked to me that (Massachusetts) had a lot of strength in its local chambers, but didn’t have an overall umbrella, or an organization that can pull them all together when needed,” he explained. “It sounds like they’re doing a lot of things individually very well, but collectively, the strength of the group [a state chamber] can do even bigger and broader things.”

Time will tell if he’s right with that assessment.

George O’Brien can be reached at[email protected]

Economic Outlook 2008

Cover Story

What’s in the Forecast for the Nation and Region?

December 24, 2007

As 2007 winds to a close, the talk is about the ‘r-word’ — recession. Some economists say the country will likely be in one by mid-year, but others say the nation and region are due merely for a sluggish year with fairly modest growth. Locally, economic-development leaders are buoyed by a more fiscally stable Springfield and the beginnings of a ‘green’ cluster. But there are concerns, especially about the need to close an alarming skills gap that is preventing many employers from filling job vacancies.

A Local Call: Regional Economic-development Leaders Focus on ‘Building Blocks’

Odds Are: Experts Say the Nation Will Likely Skirt a Recession, but All Bets Are Off

Fueling Anxiety: Energy Prices Are One of the Wild Cards for 2008

Employing a Strategy: The Jobs Outlook for the Year Ahead

The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT

Katherine M. L. Jones – For the estate of Susan E. Jones v. Seacoast Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
Allegation: Malpractice and wrongful death: $1,000,000+
Filed: 10/31/07

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

John Clark v. Chez Josef Inc.
Allegation: Injury due to negligent maintenance of piano bench: $21,069.45
Filed: 10/26/07

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Atlantic Polymers, Inc. v. Hydross, LLC
Allegation: Breach of contract and non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $71,180.18
Filed: 11/21/07

BBS Treated Lumber of New England v. Eastern Lumber & Millwork Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold & delivered: $48,015.98
Filed: 11/27/07

Riverside Industries v. The City of Holyoke acting through its Public School Systems
Allegation: Breach of contract: $770,261.75
Filed: 11/07/07

Universal Electric Company v. Anderson Builders Inc. and Basada Realty LLC
Allegation: Failure to pay under the terms of a construction contract: $69,625.21
Filed: 11/23/07

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT

Nebraskaland Inc. v. La Segunda Food Corp.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $15,384.30
Filed: 10/30/07

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

Yankee Printing Group Inc. v. Presstek Inc.
Allegation: Lost business revenue: $6,260.00
Filed: 11/19/07

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Caitlin E. O’Connor v. Agnoli Sign Company
Allegation: Motor vehicle negligence: $14,000.00
Filed: 10/15/07

Ideal Kitchens Home Improvement v. Blake & Associates Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods and services sold: $7,487.00
Filed: 10/12/07

J. Norbert Properties LLC v. J.T. Murray Real Estate
Allegation: Breach of real estate contract: $7,500.00
Filed: 10/24/07

Joseph Wayne Simpson v. Ames Design Inc.
Allegation: Breach of construction contract: $20,000.00
Filed: 10/11/07

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Erik Jackson v. Liacos Landscaping
Allegation: Improperly installed retaining wall: $2,000.00
Filed: 11/01/07

Booming Job Market Expected for Region

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield-area employers expect to hire at a bullish pace during the first quarter of 2008, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. Among survey participants, the region’s employment outlook is expected to be the 10th strongest in the nation. From January to March, 53% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 7% expect to reduce their payrolls, according to Manpower spokesperson Cathy Paige of the Springfield office. Another 40% expect to maintain their current staff levels. For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in non-durable goods manufacturing, wholesale/retail trade, finance/insurance/ real estate, services, and public administration. Employers in durable goods manufacturing voice mixed hiring intentions, while hiring in construction, transportation/public utilities, and education is expected to remain unchanged. After seasonal adjustments have been applied to the survey results, U.S. employers foresee a solid start to 2008 and expect to maintain a steady hiring pace. Of the 14,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 22% expect to add to their payrolls during the first quarter of 2008, while 12% expect to reduce staff levels. Another 60% expect no change in the hiring pace, and 6% are undecided about their January-March hiring plans.

People’s Virtual Magazine Features Bright Nights

SPRINGFIELD — Bright Nights at Forest Park is being showcased alongside nine other holiday attractions from across the country on www.people.com/holidayfun. Attractions also included on the Web site include Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Disney World in Orlando, Fla., the Fountains of the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and the Christmas Boat Parade in Newport Beach, Calif. There is also Colonial Williamsburg, Chicago’s holiday tree, San Antonio’s Paseo Del Rio Holiday Festival, and the River of Lights in Albuquerque, N.M. Under the Springfield icon, there is an image of the Seuss Land arch and a short video. Bright Nights was selected by researchers at People magazine when they discovered the holiday lighting experience via the Internet. For more information on Bright Nights, visit www.brightnights.org or call the Spirit of Springfield at (413) 733-3800.

AIM’s Business Confidence Index Off in November

BOSTON — The Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Business Confidence Index dropped 1.6 points in November to 53.6 as concern grew among state employers that a spreading financial crisis and declining home prices could signal a significant economic slowdown if not an outright economic recession. Survey respondents’ ratings of business conditions in Massachusetts and nationally tipped to marginally negative from marginally positive in October, although assessments of their own companies’ situations remained more favorable, according to Raymond G. Torto, co-chair of AIM’s Board of Economic Advisors and principal, Torto Wheaton. The decline, he noted, is the third in four months and leaves the index at its lowest point since June 2006, and 5.9 points below its level of last November. The monthly Index is based on a survey of AIM-member companies across the state, asking questions about current and prospective business conditions in the state and the nation, as well as for their respective organizations.

Survey: Corporate Support Consistent For Social Responsibility Programs

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Corporate social responsibility programs have been in the public spotlight in recent years, but a new survey suggests these initiatives have long been popular with companies. Almost three-quarters (73%) of chief financial officers recently polled said programs that support charitable giving or community involvement are important to their organizations. The results mirror a similar survey conducted in 2002. Even though businesses have long recognized the importance of giving back to the communities they serve, growing interest in corporate responsibility efforts may be prompting firms to become more sophisticated at communicating their good works to employees and the larger business community, according to Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources, developer of the survey. McDonald added that charitable initiatives help businesses attract and retain an engaged workforce by establishing an emotional tie between employees and the company. Active social responsibility programs enhance a firm’s reputation among clients, customers, and community partners, noted McDonald.

Chamber’s Tap Program Grants Assist Small Businesses

SPRINGFIELD — The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield Inc. (ACCGS) has announced the availability of state grant funds through two programs that are targeted to assist small businesses in the city. The first program for technology assistance provides grants of up to $2,500 to qualified applicants to improve their knowledge on Quick Books, inventory control programs and/or the creation of Web sites to promote their businesses. The second program provides grants of up to $5,000 for certain service costs incurred when a business moves into a vacant storefront in the city. For details on eligibility, applicants should contact Russell Denver, president, ACCGS, at (413) 755-1304 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Existing-home Sales to Trend Up in 2008

WASHINGTON — Existing-home sales are projected to trend up in 2008, with pending home sales showing a slight near-term rise, according to the latest forecast by the National Association of Realtors®. However, a recovery for new-home sales is unlikely before 2009. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the worst part of the credit crunch has already worked its way through the data. “The unusual mortgage disruptions that peaked in August were clearly seen in lower home sales that were finalized in September and October, so the market was underperforming,” he said. “Now that mortgage conditions have improved, some postponed activity should turn up in existing-home sales over the next couple of months, and I expect sales at fairly stable to slightly higher levels.” The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in October, increased 0.6% to an index of 87.2 from an upwardly revised reading of 86.7 in September. It was the second consecutive monthly gain, but remained 18.4% below the October 2006 index of 106.8. “The broad trend over the coming year will be a gradual rise in existing-home sales, but because sales are exceptionally low in the final months of 2007, total sales for 2008 will be only modestly higher than 2007,” Yun said. The PHSI in the Northeast jumped 16.0% in October to 80.6 but is 11.1% below a year ago. In the West, the index rose 8.4% to 87.3 but is 16.9% lower than October 2006. The index in the Midwest slipped 1.4% in October to 85.5 and is 11.7% below a year ago. In the South, the index dropped 7.8% in October to 91.6 and is 25.3% below October 2006. Existing-home sales are likely to total 5.67 million this year, the fifth highest on record, rising to 5.70 million in 2008, in contrast with 6.48 million in 2006. Existing-home prices should be down 1.9% to a median of $217,600 for all of 2007, and then rise 0.3% to $218,300 in 2008. New-home sales are forecast at 788,000 this year and 693,000 in 2008, down from 1.05 million 2006; no sustained improvement is seen for new homes until 2009. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is estimated to rise slowly to the 6.4% range by the end of 2008, with additional cuts in the Fed funds rate lowering short-term interest rates.

Credit Report

HCC Joins National Initiative to Reduce High School Drop-out Rates

Students in Western Mass. have a brand-new opportunity for success open to them.

Holyoke Community College (HCC) has launched a nationally recognized initiative aimed at curbing high school dropout rates called Gateway to College.

First put into practice at Portland Community College (PCC) in Portland, Ore., the program addresses the needs of youths ages 16 to 20 who have dropped out of high school or who are at risk for dropping out. HCC is one of five institutions that were chosen by PCC to replicate the Gateway to College program this year, and in turn is part of a national initiative to establish 250 so-called ‘Early College High Schools’ by 2010.

HCC is the first college in the region to launch such a program for at-risk high-school students; there are currently two other similar efforts in the Commonwealth, at Mt. Wachusett Community College in Gardner and Massasoit Community College in Brockton.

In Western Mass., two other community colleges offer early-college programs — Greenfield Community College, which partners with students from Greenfield High School and Amherst Regional High School to offer college credit for doing work in high school, and Springfield Technical Community College, which allows high school students to take courses on campus, but does not specifically target at-risk students.

Jeff Hayden, vice president for business and community services at HCC, said the initiative will be supported locally by HCC and the Springfield and Holyoke public schools, and will assist up to 350 students over three years, with the help of a $350,000 grant from PCC. Public-school funding will also be added to the mix.

Hayden added that dropout rates in Springfield and Holyoke amount to a significant problem, amounting to about 50% of the high-school-aged population in both cities. “The really important piece here is the collaboration with the Springfield and Holyoke communities,” he said. “They’re not just working with us — they’re working with each other, too. The school districts deserve a lot of credit for recognizing a problem and taking steps to fix it.”

Hayden added that Gateway has become one of three early-college programs on campus, joining a similar initiative managed by the Springfield School District and another that resulted from a partnership between HCC and the Hampshire Educational Collaborative, called Mt. Tom Academy, which serves students living in Hampshire County.

“Over the past several years, we’ve been working on ways to connect with local school districts to service students who find that the traditional high school doesn’t work for them,” said Hayden. “We’ve seen that we need to give students access to the college so they can be successful and gain college credit, and if there are a variety of access points, we can further increase their chances for finding their own niche.”

Hayden said the program will work by identifying program candidates — drop-outs with some high-school credit and those at risk to drop out residing in Springfield and Holyoke — and enrolling them in high-school-level courses at HCC. The program results in a high school diploma from a student’s former high school, as well as college credit and a springboard to further college-level coursework at the college.

There are some requirements for acceptance — students must exhibit at least an eighth-grade reading level and must have some level of high-school credit already applied.

Once students are accepted, however, Gateway provides a number of support mechanisms in addition to traditional coursework, including an initial ‘foundation semester’ that focuses on preparing students for the college experience. Core skills in reading, writing, and math are strengthened, and ancillary skills such as organization and study habits are also covered.

In the second semester, students enroll as traditional college students at HCC, with the added benefit of appropriate assistance from administrators and professors, who are notified of a student’s Gateway status.

Other students, however, are not, and while this seems like a small point, Hayden said he believes it’s a tenet of the program that will allow it to flourish.

“The Gateway students will work with professors to get the support they need, but to other students, they’ll be just another college student,” he said. “We attended a workshop at PCC last year to better understand the program and the process, and one thing we heard from the students in Portland again and again is that they identify as college students, and that change in attitude made all the difference. With the change came a new responsibility that I think we’re going to see here, as well.”

The Early College High School Initiative is coordinated on a national level by Jobs for the Future, and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its partners, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The Gateway to College program will begin at HCC early next year.v

Life In a‘Boutique Economy’

Report Urges Action on Job Creation in the Commonwealth

Dana Ansel says Massachusetts simply can’t be expected to be one of the leading states when it comes to job creation — and for several reasons.

First, the Commonwealth has an older economy, and most of its square mileage has been developed, especially in the Eastern part of the state, thus limiting commercial and residential development. Meanwhile, businesses across many sectors, but especially manufacturing, are discovering how to do more with fewer or the same number of people — leading to strong gains in productivity, but not employment — and many other parts of this country and other nations are becoming more competitive in several of the fields that have generated job growth in the Bay State.

“So it would be unrealistic to think that Massachusetts would be at or near the top of the chart,” said Ansel, research director for the Mass. Institute for a New Commonwealth, or MassINC, who added a quick ‘but…’
“We can do better than 49th.”

That’s exactly where the state sits, behind only Michigan, which has been devastated by ongoing cutbacks within the auto industry, in terms of jobs gained since the peak of the last economic boom in early 2001.

The Bay State’s relatively poor showing in this statistical category is at the heart of a new MassINC report, undertaken in concert with the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University, titled “Mass. Jobs: Meeting the Challenges of a Shifting Economy.”

This shift is toward something those at MassINC are calling a “boutique economy,” one that, according to MassINC President Gregory Torres, “rewards well-educated and skilled workers in knowledge-based sectors, but offers fewer options for everyone else.”

Michael Meeropol, an Economics professor at Western New England College, calls it something else — the ‘winner-take-all economy.’

“Instead of a solid middle class, we have a sliver of a very wealthy group driving the economy,” he said. “There has been an unbelievable skewing of income distribution and wealth.”

Regardless of what it’s called, this shift has played a big part in the state’s sluggish job-growth performance, and MassINC officials are imploring civic and business leaders to recognize that the landscape has changed and make needed adjustments — and soon. That’s because, if the state stays on this track, revenues will be constrained, and out-migration will likely increase as residents seek opportunities elsewhere.

Ansel told BusinessWest that MassINC issued the 110-page ‘Mass. Jobs’ report with the goals of drawing attention to the Commonwealth’s job-creation problem, prompting dialogue and then action to generate some improvement in that realm, and also providing a mix of opportunities for all workers.

“There are two levels of jobs — there are quality jobs, and then there are just ‘jobs,’ and they’re both important, here and in any state,” she said. “We’ve done well, for the most part, on the quality side, but we still need plain old jobs; such jobs are a key piece of driving revenue for the state.”

The report suggests several steps, including everything from growing the number of so-called export-based jobs, which bring dollars into Massachusetts, to filling the estimated 90,000 existing job vacancies in the state, which cross several sectors, to improving the business climate in the Bay State.

In this issue, BusinessWest takes an indepth look at the report and what its findings mean for the long-term health of the Commonwealth.

Work in Progress

For the record, the top five states in the nation for job growth over the past six years, or since the peak before the last recession, are Nevada (a 27% gain), Arizona (17.9%), Wyoming (15.1%), Idaho (14%), and Florida (12.6%). Massachusetts (-3.7%), behind only Michigan (-6.3%), shouldn’t really be compared to most of those at the top, which are seeing huge growth in development and spikes in population, said Ansel.

But it can be compared to other New England states and 10 so-called ‘competitor states’ — these include New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, California, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, and Florida — and it doesn’t compare well.

Four New England states have added jobs over the past six years, while New Jersey has seen 2.3% growth, and New York has “just about broken even,” said Ansel, noting that the Bay State is one of only six states that have not recovered all those jobs lost during the last recession, when employment plunged more than 6%. In fact, Massachusetts remains 100,000 jobs below its peak employment level of 3.3 million in early 2001.

There are several reasons for this, said Ansel, noting that when the recession hit, Massachusetts had a large number of jobs in the technology sector, which was extremely hard-hit by that downturn and has yet to fully recover.

“At the peak of the boom in 2001, the Massachusetts economy was more dependent on high-tech jobs than most other states,” she said. “The recession wiped out high tech jobs here and everywhere; we had built a lot of our economic success on an industry that suffered some of the greatest losses.”

But there were other factors as well, including a nationwide decline in manufacturing jobs, as well as mounting competition for jobs in the knowledge industries. Indeed, the Bay State’s share of high-tech jobs nationwide has declined, from 4.2% in 2000 to 3.9% in 2005, showing clearly that other states are becoming more competitive. Also, the high cost of doing business in the Commonwealth — when compared with other states and other nations — no doubt has played a role in the low rate of job growth, she said.

Despite a net job loss, some sectors have added new positions, said Ansel, thus changing the composition of the state’s economy toward that ‘boutique’ characterization, manifested by a shift toward knowledge-based sectors, such as health care and biotech, that often require highly specialized employees who hold at least a bachelor’s degree.

While suffering losses in manufacturing and high-tech, Massachusetts doubled the national rate in adding biotech jobs (15% vs. 7%) between 2000 and 2005. In that period, Massachusetts added 10,000 new biotech jobs, bringing the sector to about 75,000 jobs in Massachusetts, or 2.4% of the state’s payroll jobs. By comparison, manufacturing, despite large job losses, still accounts for about 9% of Massachusetts jobs, including some biotech manufacturing positions.

And while Massachusetts trailed the nation in job creation, it was among the leaders in productivity, an important measure of economic health. The state’s level of labor productivity ranks seventh-highest, and since 2001, it has grown faster than the nation’s (11.5% versus 10.6%). In 2005, the productivity level of an employee in Massachusetts was $94,150 in real output per worker, compared with $83,920 nationally.

These statistics and others point to a shift toward a ‘boutique economy,’ said Ansel, noting that this term was contrived by the report’s authors to describe what’s happening within the Commonwealth’s borders.

“It captures a significant shift in the economy toward knowledge industries,” she explained. “While we do have an overall record of job loss, we are still creating jobs in some sectors; where we’re creating jobs and where we’re losing them is not the same place, and as a consequence, the economy is shifting.”

Laboring State

The MassINC report lays out four principles that could form an economic vision and agenda to be shared by the administration, Legislature, business community, and labor community, said Ansel, adding that the report recommends a long-term strategy that includes creation of export jobs, better workforce training to fill current vacancies, improvements to the business climate, and a regional approach to meet varying needs across the state.

The report’s four main recommendations are:

Setting a target goal for the number of new export-based jobs created. “Because export jobs — those linked to selling goods and services out-of-state — bring revenue into the state and generally offer higher pay to workers, they embody the characteristics of ‘good jobs’ in the economy, said the report’s authors. “Export-based jobs and not specific sectors should be the emphasis of a long-term strategy.”
Filling the existing vacancies. A Massachusetts job vacancy survey in late 2006 revealed more than 90,000 openings. The vacancies indicate a willingness of employers to hire more workers, said Ansel, but may also show the need to better educate and train a workforce that has the required skills to fill the slots.
Creating a more favorable business climate that streamlines permitting for business expansion across Massachusetts and addresses expenses, such as energy costs and unemployment benefits and policies. “Economic policy should encourage and assist Massachusetts companies looking to grow here,” said the report’s authors.
Taking a regional approach. “Because economic conditions and needs vary across the state, efforts to develop strategies must focus on regional strengths,” the report concluded. “The specific strengths will determine what growth opportunities are best suited for a region. State leaders should also develop an urban strategy for cities outside Greater Boston that are lagging the rest of the state in job creation.”

Ansel called the 90,000 job openings in the state “low-hanging fruit,” comparatively, because it is generally considered easier to fill positions that companies have open and desire to fill than to create new jobs.

But the fact that the jobs remain open at a time when unemployment is relatively high indicates a mismatch between the skills needed for those positions and what the available labor market possesses. Thus, closing that gap is a priority for the state, said Ansel.

“That number (90,000) is the highest since the state started doing the job-vacancy survey in 2002,” she said, adding that there were 75,000 openings reported in the previous survey, undertaken in 2006. “It’s significant, and it sends a mixed message in the sense that there is some appetite on the part of employers to hire people, which is good. But at the same time, if they’re not able to fill those positions, that’s a real problem; vacancies are increasing across the country, but the implications are greater here because of how slow our job creation has been.”

Many of the openings are in health care and related sectors, said Ansel, and perhaps half of them could be handled with a year of college education. The challenge ahead, she said, is to create the right programs and motivate people to enter them.

Ira Rubenzahl, president of Springfield Technical Community College, agreed. He said his school doing its part by focusing on health and technology programs, designed to assist area employers with vacancies they’re struggling to fill — and also on improving access to higher education.

“This report clearly indicates that education is the key to the new economy,” he said, adding that he considers the findings sobering, but not at all surprising. “Our economy has shifted, it is knowledge-based, and we have to properly prepare people if they’re going to succeed in that economy.”

Meerepol, while acknowledging that Massachusetts is struggling with job creation, said the problem exists nationwide, and it needs to be addressed. He said the trend toward greater productivity brings benefits to individual companies, but not to the country or individual states.

“Over time, even in good times, really efficient companies are shedding workers like crazy, and when things pick up, they learn to produce more with the same number of people,” he said, noting reports showing that nationwide, there are fewer job losses and fewer gains. “One of the reasons why job growth is so slow in Massachusetts is because of this surge in productivity, and that’s also why we’re seeing the loss of so many manufacturing jobs across the country.

“You want that growth in productivity, but you want it to benefit many people in terms of income; when that happens, you get the mass-market increases that lead to job growth,” he continued. “The reason why the economy experienced some significant job growth in the late 1990s was that, for the first time in 20 years, lower-income people were enjoying rather significant gains in income.”

Solutions to the job-growth problem won’t come easily, said Meeropol, especially if elected officials resist what he fully understands is political kryptonite — raising taxes and putting the proceeds to work creating jobs, a strategy that has worked during several periods in the nation’s history, including World War II, the late ’60s, and the Reagan years.

“There have been several times when we’ve seen a rise in total government revenue, a rise in taxes, and the percentage of total government spending rose, which is a rise in spending, and the economy boomed like crazy,” he said.

It’s an obvious thing, but no one is willing to go that route; it’s good economics, but terrible politics.”

Bust with No Boom

Compounding matters for the Bay State is the national economy, and the very real possibility of another recession, said Ansel, noting that the state simply won’t recover all the jobs it lost during the last downturn before entering another one.

This scenario puts even more emphasis on forging new and better job-creation strategies, she continued, because jobs are critical, and the competition for them is mounting.

And this is just a part of life in a boutique economy.

George O’Brien can be reached at[email protected]

Piercing Insights

Acupuncture Therapy Slowly Making Gains in the Mainstream

Debra Rusenko says many Americans don’t understand acupuncture or have anxieties about it, but the treatment is attracting a growing number of satisfied converts.

Chi — the traditional Chinese concept of a life force or energy — isn’t an easy concept to explain. Debra Rusenko needed a growl and a resigned sigh to describe it.

“If you’re driving down the highway and someone cuts you off, you go, ‘grrrrr,’” she said. “And at the end of a long day, you’re tired, you cook dinner, then later you see the dinner dishes and go, ‘uuuhhh.’ You want to balance your ‘grrrrr’ with your ‘uuuhhh.’”

Rusenko, as a licensed acupuncturist with Abundant Wellness Center in Chicopee, helps people do just that. She can discuss the benefits of acupuncture from both the American perspective — how properly inserted needles reduce muscle tension and stress and improve circulation — and from the traditional Chinese perspective.

That philosophy, which might date back as much as 5,000 years, is based on chi, and how sickness and pain are basically imbalances in the flow of the body’s energy. Acupuncture is a way of restoring the balance, making it perhaps the earliest example of a holistic approach to health.

“From an Eastern perspective, acupuncture can be understood as the means of balancing the yin and yang of the body, as well as opening up and balancing the channels that run through the body, and balancing the chi — the life force that flows through the body,” added Jacob Wenger, a licensed acupuncturist who plies his trade at Laprise Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Springfield.

“In a healthy body, chi flows freely and unhindered,” he continued, “but when the body becomes diseased or stressed, the chi is blocked, and this leads to pain and discomfort. The Chinese have a saying: ‘if there’s movement, there’s no pain, and if there’s no movement, there’s pain.’ So acupuncture makes sure that the movement of chi is balanced in the body.”

For a practice that has been around for at least 2,000 years and perhaps as many as 5 millennia, acupuncture has fairly recent roots in America, having been in common use for no more than 40 years. But although it’s still considered an alternative therapy by mainstream medicine, a slow acceptance has emerged in some quarters, particularly on the West Coast and in other progressively minded regions — like Western Mass.

Sharp Focus

Acupuncture is anything but a one-size-fits-all solution to medical problems, Rusenko said.

“Every time someone asks me questions about acupuncture, I tailor my answers to their personal background and what they’re coming in for,” she said, noting that the four most common complaints are body pain, stress, digestive problems, and women’s issues, such as premenstrual syndrome, menopause, and infertility. That’s right — acupuncture, she said, has been shown to increase the success rate of in-vitro fertilization treatments.

There are different forms of acupuncture practiced throughout the world; for example, Chinese acupuncture uses a different type of needle — about the width of a dog whisker — inserted deeper than in the traditional Japanese style. But all recognize the basic set of meridians, or lines of the body, along which needles are inserted.

“Rivers flow in more than one place,” Rusenko said by way of explaining how a needle inserted in a certain place can affect the health of an organ or tissue elsewhere. “Nobody actually knows why or can prove the theory, but there’s plenty of empirically based evidence. As they say, billions of Chinese people can’t all be wrong, even if the modern scientific method of double-blind studies isn’t great at proving or disproving the effects. But lots of studies have demonstrated an excellent effect on specific things, like back pain and migraines.”

“Essentially, every culture gets introduced to the basics of acupuncture, and adds to it,” Wenger said. “In the West, we focus a lot on balancing the nervous system by releasing endorphins, and by releasing trigger-point muscle fibers that are caught in contraction by placing the needle into that trigger.”

Some might be skeptical of a practice which, as Rusenko admitted, is best proven anecdotally. But Wenger isn’t surprised that increasing numbers of people are giving it a try.

“I think people are becoming frustrated with the limitations of Western medicine,” he said. “Western medicine is great for acute situations and for dealing with infectious diseases, but when it comes to chronic conditions and long-term care, it doesn’t work as well as some of the alternative treatments. More and more people are trying acupuncture every day, and it’s becoming more accepted within each state as far as the legality of the practice and insurance coverage.”

Rusenko agreed, noting that “New England has become more aware of alternative therapies, and the West Coast has been doing it for a little longer.”

She noted that closed, Communist societies shut off much of Asian culture from the West for a long time, but starting in the 1960s and 1970s, acupuncture and other practices began to filter across the ocean. “Around the ’70s, relations started to open up, and Asian medicine specifically became a point of interest here, and Americans started studying it,” she said.

Not surprisingly, the biggest barrier for some people considering acupuncture is needle anxiety — and practitioners understand that’s a very natural reaction.

“There’s a common misconception that acupuncture hurts, but it shouldn’t hurt if done properly,” Rusenko said. “It’s common to feel a sensation of dullness, heaviness, tingling, sensations you can’t put your finger on … but there shouldn’t be a burning sensation, and it shouldn’t feel sharp.

“Most of the time, people don’t feel the needle being inserted,” she noted, unwrapping one of the thin, flexible, stainless-steel needles she uses — just once, of course — on patients, “It just feels like a tap on the skin.”

“Many people come in with hypodermic needle fear,” Wenger added, “and there’s definitely a level of anxiety with the first treatment: ‘is this going to hurt?’ ‘It’s strange to have needles all over my body.’ But generally, after the first treatment, people are pretty relaxed, and it makes sense to them.”

Pinning Down the Problem

To Rusenko, it all comes down to what each patient needs.

“I see 10 different headaches in a day, and rarely do I perform the same treatment twice,” she said. “It’s very individualized and tailored for the patient.”

It can also be a complementary therapy for patients also receiving chiropractic care or massage. Rusenko said people can achieve some relief from muscle tension and aches and pains through such modalities, but she believes acupuncture is a less fleeting solution — or, at the very least, a good partner to those other therapies.

“Acupuncture can make the chiropractic treatment last longer,” she said. “It can make the pain relief from massage therapy last longer. The goal is the same — maintenance for body pain — but adding a little acupuncture to the mix has a tendency to reduce discomfort over a longer period of time.”

Wenger agreed that acupuncture treatments are by their nature very individualized. “It’s different than Western medicine in that we’re not just treating the symptom, we’re looking at the whole body and searching for the underlying root of discomfort and disease.”

Rusenko believes acupuncture will become even more effective as it moves further into the mainstream because, right now, it’s typically a patient’s final course of action.

“We’re usually the last stop, which is unfortunate, because the sooner you get the treatment, the faster it will work,” she said. “As a general rule, with someone who has had shoulder pain for 12 years, it will take longer to make an impact than on someone who has had it for 12 days. People tell me, ‘I have surgery scheduled in three months; can you fix me instead?’ Well, yes, but I wish I had seen you 11 1/2 years ago.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at[email protected]

Present and Accounted For

Michael Niziolek of Hasbro Games applauds after Jacob Colson, a student at the Montessori School of West Springfield, hangs his ‘Act of Kindness’ slip on the Hasbro Children’s Giving Tree at the Eastfield Mall, and then shares his ‘act’ with audience members and bystanders by talking about it over the microphone. In the foreground are some of the toys and games that will be donated by Hasbro to underprivileged children in the Springfield area through the Giving Tree program.

In Good Company

Human Resources Unlimited recently recognized several area businesses and one outstanding volunteer during its third annual Stakeholders Meeting. HRU awarded its prestigious Sheldon B. Brooks Award, given to a company that has a track record of employing individuals with disabilities for at least 10 years, to Papa Gino’s on Boston Road in Springfield. At below, Papa Gino’s District Manager Ted David accepts the award.

Above, a baseball bat, symbolizing the HRU Rookie of the Year Award, is accepted by Judy C’Mero, manager of Borrowers Services at the Springfield Public Library, in recognition of her organization’s support of employment for individuals with disabilities.

Steps in the Right Direction

Crew members from Kurtz Construction in Westfield pause briefly during recent work rebuilding stairs at Holyoke Community College: front row, from left, Tito Cruz, Joe Stryker, Gene Kurtz, Mikhail Mokan, and Max Fletcher; back row, from left, Vitaly Denisyuk, Pat Martin, Ralph Mastello, and Ivan Biley.

Pychon Winners Celebrated

The Advertising Club of Western Mass. recently staged its annual Pynchon Awards dinner at Chez Josef in Agawam. At right are this year’s recipients: from left, Dan Roulier, president of Dan Roulier & Associates; Carol Leary, president of Bay Path College; and Al Zippin, of the Springfield School Department. At left, Leary accepts her award from Ad Club President Alta Stark and Joel Morse, a member of this year’s selection committee.

The $250 Martini

Hannoush Jewelers and Max’s Tavern are partnering with the YMCA of Greater Springfield in a unique fund-raising venture for the Y. It’s called the Pandora Martini, which was unveiled on Nov. 21. This martini sells for $250, but it comes with a Pandora charm bracelet (retail value $170), that features three sterling-silver charms and two Murano beads. Hannoush is donating the Y charm, and Max’s is donating the martini, enabling the YMCA to receive $100 from each martini sold. These donations will be used to help the Y in its efforts to provide financial assistance to hundreds of children and families in need of affordable before- and after-school programs, summer camp, youth and teen drop-in centers, and youth fitness centers. At the Nov. 21 event are, from left, Mary Gancarz, district manager for Hannoush; James Morton, president and CEO of the Y; AnnMarie Harding, director of Public Relations for Max’s; and John Thomas, general manager of Max’s.

The following building permits were issued during the month of October 2007.

AGAWAM

Agawam Plaza, LLC
79 Springfield St.
$150,000 — Interior renovation for new Steve & Barry’s retail store

BGM Realty LLC
237-241 South Westfield St.
$450,000 — Construction of single-story, 550-square-foot bank and retail building

Ellen – Dave LLC
151 Springfield St.
$30,000 — Create administrative offices within existing space

CHICOPEE

City of Chicopee Parks and Recreation Department
Aldenville Common
$50,000 — Construction of gazebo

David Truong
591 Memorial Ave.
$8,000 — Install nail salon inside Wal-Mart

FPS Inc.
1284 Memorial Ave.
$420,000 — Construction of Burger King restaurant

EASTHAMPTON

Easthampton Savings Bank
36 Main St.
$108,000 — 28 replacement windows

John Dunphy
49-53 Union St.
$1,800 — Interior renovations

Williston Northampton School
20 Greenwood Ct.
$182,600 — Replace guard system around perimeter of rink

GREENFIELD

Franklin County Community Development
9 Bank St.
$100,000 — Remove and replace windows and entry door. Remove interior vestibule glass.

Key Program Inc.
139 Shelburne Road
$34,000 — Replace two fire escapes

One Arch Place Inc.
5 Arch St.
$10,500 — Re-roof

St. James Episcopal Church
8 Church St.
$3,900 — Rebuild chimney from roofline

HOLYOKE

Holyoke Mall Company, LP
50 Holyoke St.
$250,000 — Remodel existing Charlotte Russe retail store

Holyoke Mall Company, LP
50 Holyoke St.
$279,000 — Remodel existing Sephora retail store

NORTHAMPTON

HS Gere & Son’s Inc.
115 Conz St.
$2,614,884 — Renovate and construct 6,669-square-foot addition

Kissell, Inc.
168 Industrial Dr. Suite 4
$125,000 — Fabricate 3 rooms and replace HVAC system

Paul H. D’Amour
158 North King St.
$102,078 — Fit up shell for real estate offices

Smith College
4 Nielson Dr. — Dewey House
$29,000 — Replace front porch stairs, decking, and trim boards

SOUTH HADLEY

Verizon Wireless
99 East River Dr.
$3,000 — Install communications tower

SPRINGFIELD

Baystate Medical Center
3601 Main St.
$1,645,000 — Interior fit out of third-floor office space and addition of elevator

Baystate Medical Center
759 Chestnut St.
$226,000 — Renovation to existing Simulation Center

Jorge L. Colon
130 Carew St.
$4,000 — Build a handicap ramp

New England Funeral & Cremation Center LLC
25 Mill St.
$6,500 — Interior renovations

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Cantanopoli’s Restaurant
261 Union St.
$25,000 — Renovate interior of existing restaurant

Costco Wholesale
119 Daggett Dr.
$50,000 — Convert retail space

The Challenge — and Opportunity — for Domenic Sarno

Charles Ryan is living proof that being mayor of a city under the auspices of a finance control board doesn’t insulate one from the intricacies of politics.

Ryan didn’t invent the city’s controversial trash fee in his basement, and he didn’t recruit Ed Flynn to apply to be police commissioner, implore him to take the job, or go seek the Milwaukee police chief’s position just over a year after coming to Springfield.

But Ryan was saddled with all that, and this is part of the reason why, come mid-January, he will once again be ‘former’ mayor of Springfield. Domenic Sarno, who defeated Ryan last month, should take note of all this, but we’re not exactly sure just what the lessons are — other than, as we said, the control board’s presence doesn’t make an elected mayor Teflon-coated.

Still, the board does provide a sort of buffer zone between the mayor and the voting public, in that the board takes most of the heat from the citizenry for things like the trash fee — or at least it should — and that the panel is, in effect, running the city. Thus, Sarno doesn’t face the usual pressure that newly elected officials encounter when it comes to making good on campaign promises.

For example, Sarno can lobby to remove the trash fee, and if the control board does, he’s a hero. If not, well, at least he tried. The same goes for public safety issues, a widely supported call to give the police commissioner’s job directly to Deputy Chief William Fitchet (Sarno backed that plan, but the board voted 3-2 for an open search), and other matters.

So Sarno is in a somewhat enviable position as he takes on what is a rather large challenge — getting Springfield ready for a return to self-governance. We have some advice for him and his transition team in that regard.

First, keep the control board right where it is. We’ve said this a thousand times, and we’ll say it again: everyone wants Springfield to be self-governed, but it is not yet ready for that step. There is still work to be done on public safety, education, economic development, and institutionalizing changes in how things are done here. The individuals who have achieved progress in these areas should be allowed to continue their work (it won’t ever really be finished).
Avoid cronyism and the influence peddlers. Perhaps the best thing about the control board’s influence is that a good measure of cronyism has been removed, and there is, or should be, more confidence that those running Springfield are appointing people because of what they know, not who they know or who they supported in the mayoral race. Likewise, there should be more confidence that steps are being taken because they are in the best interests of the city, not because they benefit one group or individual. There can be no backsliding on this matter.
Follow the ULI blueprint: Considerable time, effort, and money went into the Urban Land Institute’s report on Springfield, which identified some immediate priorities, including re-use of the federal building downtown, revitalizing the Court Square area, sparking investments in the South End, and finding new uses for the old York Street Jail and Chapman Valve properties. These are worthwhile undertakings, and the city should maintain focus on them.
Support the proposed change to how Springfield is governed. Why wouldn’t he? The plan calls for lengthening the mayor’s term from two to four years and hiking the salary to $150,000 (a 50% raise). But it also calls for appointment of a chief administrative officer, and this means sharing power. This can be done, and we believe it should be done.
Continue to accentuate the positive. All is far from being right with Springfield, but the picture is brighter than it was a few years ago, and it’s time to let the world know that. Money is tight, but some should be found to aggressively market Springfield, and continue the work undertaken over the past few months to put a positive spin on the City of Homes and convince many different audiences that this is a great place to live, work, and operate a business.

These are just a few suggestions for Sarno and his team, which, as we said, faces a stern set of challenges — but also has a great opportunity to move Springfield forward.</

United Financial Completes Second-step Conversion

WEST SPRINGFIELD — United Financial Bancorp Inc., the proposed Maryland holding company for United Bank and the successor company for United Financial Bancorp Inc., recently completed the syndicated offering portion of its second-step conversion. Orders for a total of 6,464,968 shares at a purchase price of $10 per share have been accepted in the syndicated offering, for which Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc. acted as lead manager. The company also received orders for 3,097,532 shares in the subscription offering and the community offering portion of its second-step conversion, including 753,834 shares to be issued to the employee stock ownership plan. As a result, the company anticipates that 9,562,500 shares will be sold in the subscription offering, community offering, and syndicated offering combined. In addition, upon the completion of the conversion and stock offering, each public stockholder of United Financial-Federal will receive 1.04056 shares of the company’s common stock in exchange for each of his or her shares of United Financial-Federal common stock. The company has also received the regulatory, stockholder, and depositor approvals necessary to complete the second-step conversion. The transaction is scheduled to close Dec. 3, at which time United Mutual Holding Company will cease to exist.

Hasbro Launches Annual Children’s Giving Tree Program

EAST LONGMEADOW — Hasbro Inc. recently launched its 23rd annual Hasbro Children’s Giving Tree, providing toys and games, as well as food over the holidays, to underprivileged children in the Springfield area. The initiative runs through Dec. 14 and is located at the Eastfield Mall in Springfield. As part of the program, Hasbro will donate toys and games through the United Way of Pioneer Valley and the Salvation Army of the Greater Springfield area. Hasbro officials encourage community members to donate nonperishable food items at the Eastfield Mall, which will be distributed to Rachel’s Table in Springfield. Food donations can be dropped off Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. In addition, area residents are welcome to display ‘Acts of Kindness’ messages, which will be displayed on the Giving Tree through the duration of the program. ‘Acts of Kindness’ forms are available at www.hasbro.org under ‘special programs,’ and on site at the Giving Tree.

Falcons Charities Tops $400,000 Mark in Giving

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Falcons Hockey Club and its related charitable organization, Springfield Falcons Charities, recently announced it has donated $400,000 over 12 years throughout the Pioneer Valley and also Northern Conn. Organizations that have benefited from the charitable program over the years include Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, the Springfield Sliders Sled Hockey Program, the Springfield School Volunteers – Time Out for Reading Program, the New England Junior Falcons Hockey Program, the YMCA, Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity, and the Baystate Health Foundation. For more information on Springfield Falcons Charities, contact Carole Appleton, vice president of Falcons Charities, at (413) 739-3344, ext. 112.

Warfield House Inn Undergoing Renovations

CHARLEMONT — John Warfield Glaze, owner of the Warfield House Inn at Valley View Farm, has several changes in store for his restaurant business. In October, he closed the Warfield House Restaurant and will reopen it in the spring as a full-service banquet facility, catering to group tours, weddings, and special events. The restaurant originally opened in 1997 with one service bar and two small dining rooms, and over the years a pub was added for additional seating. The banquet facility will seat 130 guests and will boast a bridal suite. In addition, the pavilion, which seats 200 guests, also features a bridal suite. Glaze also noted that the 12-room bed and breakfast will remain open throughout the year and will feature a fresh new look for the spring. For more information, visit www.warfieldhouseinn.com.

HRU Honors Businesses, Supporters

SPRINGFIELD — Human Resources Unlimited (HRU) recently recognized three area businesses and one outstanding volunteer during its third annual Stakeholders Meeting. HRU awarded its prestigious Sheldon B. Brooks Award to Papa Gino’s on Boston Road in Springfield. The award, named after a longtime HRU board member, is given to a company that has a track record of employing individuals with disabilities for at least 10 years. The Rookie of the Year Award was presented to the Springfield Public Library. This award is given to a business partner that has worked with HRU for less than a year and a half and that demonstrates a commitment to hiring individuals with disabilities. Also, the Employer of the Year Award was presented to the Newman Center Cafeteria at UMass Amherst. The award is given to a company that has worked with a HRU program for more than one year and that shows a strong commitment to employing individuals with disabilities. Lastly, HRU presented the Armand Tourangeau Volunteer of the Year Award to Betty Lou Shepard for her volunteer services in support of HRU’s Forum House in Westfield. She was nominated due to her advocacy on behalf of those with mental illness.

Peebles Opens in Southampton

SOUTHAMPTON — Stage Stores Inc. recently brought its brand-name apparel, accessories, cosmetics, and footwear for the entire family to town. The company operates under the Peebles name throughout New England, as well as the Mid-Atlantic, Southeastern, and Midwestern regions, and under the Bealls, Palais Royal, and Stage names throughout the South Central states. The company touts its unique retailing concept and niche by offering a broad range of nationally recognized brand-name merchandise with a high level of customer service. The local store employs approximately 18 people and is located at 10 College Highway. The company opened 47 stores this year, and expects to open 70 in 2008.

UMass To Host National Fuel Cell Research Center

AMHERST — The UMass Amherst will create a new research center focused on the cutting edge of hydrogen fuel cell science, the National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced, awarding a three-year, $1.5 million grant to the Fueling the Future Chemical Bonding Center. The center is one of only three in the nation funded through the NSF’s chemistry program that focuses on renewable energy, providing UMass Amherst a prominent role in the effort to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. The award also positions the campus to garner $30 million in additional funding, according to the NSF. The initial $1.5 million award is for a three-year period; centers that demonstrate “high potential” then will be eligible for $15 million in additional funding over five years, and another $15 million after that. The center will also have extensive education and outreach at all levels, playing a key role in addressing the human resources needed for the rapidly growing area of renewable energy technology. The center will also have a Web-based interactive network that acts as a public portal where educators, students, and the public can get accurate information on chemical energy topics.

FDIC Relocating Regional Office

SPRINGFIELD — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will move its regional field office to 1350 Main St. on Dec. 15, citing the need to meet federal government code requirements. For 15 years, the FDIC’s offices have been located at 489 Whitney Ave., Holyoke, but the current building does not meet the federal government’s seismic requirements. The new office space, for 32 staffers, will feature 6,000 square feet in the Sovereign Bank building.

Physician Opens Venture Focused on Memory Disorders

SPRINGFIELD — Emily Grandey, MD recently opened a venture, called Memory Wellness, that is a specialized psychiatry practice for patients with memory disorders. Grandey will offer consultation and follow-up for patients who have memory problems ranging from mild impairments in daily functioning to all stages of Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. She will offer complete differential diagnostic evaluations of such patients, along with the most current interventions available to slow down or stop the progression of these illnesses.

Healthy Progress

Health New England Earns National Top-10 Ranking

Peter Straley says Health New England’s high ranking in U.S. News & World Report reflects the health plan’s ongoing commitment to preventative care and outreach to members.

Health plans are increasingly stressing — and putting a dollar value on — preventative care. Springfield-based Health New England has been touting its programs in that vein for years.

The two trends came together recently in the pages of U.S. News and World Report, which ranked HNE ninth in its annual report on the top 250 health plans in the U.S.

Each year the magazine works with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) to determine the rankings. Health plans are rated on a variety of measures, including access to care and service, overall member satisfaction, preventative care, and overall quality.

Peter Straley, president and CEO of Health New England, said this is the highest ranking his company has ever achieved. “This is an example of how a small plan like HNE can have a big impact, even on a national level,” he said.

The experts who assembled the rankings put a premium on preventative health, and the magazine focused its feature article accompanying the listings on programs that support general wellness, from discounted gym memberships and free cholesterol screenings to small perks for quitting smoking, losing weight, or reaching other health goals.

It was in this area that Health New England particularly shone on the U.S. News and World Report ranking, earning the maximum score of 5 in the category of prevention. Within the category, HNE’s programs promoting preventative health for children and adolescents scored the maximum 5 points, as did those for women’s reproductive health. The health plan’s programs for cancer prevention and the timely immunization of children and adolescents both scored 4 out of 5.

“We’re proud to have this independent affirmation of those very things that we believe set us apart,” Straley told Business-West. “And those are the things that touch our members most directly, the way the health plan reaches out and engages our members.”

Specifically, he mentioned the postcards HNE sends to members on their birthdays reminding them of key health screenings people of their age and gender should undergo. “In this busy world, we don’t assume that people remember those things; they have a lot of their plates. So we try to reach out.”

Similarly, “if you or your child has asthma, we’re going to reach out to you with a phone call or letter and suggest ways we can help you manage that condition so you can have the highest quality of life possible given that condition,” Straley added.

Meanwhile, the report also ranked HNE highly in the category of treatment, particularly its coverage of diabetes, heart disease, and behavioral health treatment, all of which scored the maximum 5 points. Straley noted that the health plan employs nurses whose only job is to reach out to members with chronic conditions to help them manage their condition, medications, and other treatment.

“We want to touch our members directly, reach out to them with something that surprises them and says we’re willing to invest in their health,” he said.

Health New England has served Western Mass. since 1985 and now boasts more than 100,000 members and about 5,000 employers in the network. HNE employs more than 200 people at its offices in Springfield and Pittsfield, and its service area covers Franklin, Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire, and parts of Worcester counties.

The Health New England listing, detailing how the plan scored in every category and subcategory, can be accessed at www.usnews.com/listings/health-plans/ commercial/health_new_england.

New England-based health plans dominated the rankings, placing eight plans on the top 10, with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care topping the list.

Other locals in the top 10 included Tufts Associated HMO (#2), Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England (#3), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass. (#4), ConnectiCare (#5), HealthNet of Conn. (#6), and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Conn. (#10).

Saving Grace

401k Coach Program is a Nationwide Resource for Financial Professionals

The 401k Coach Program team in its Springfield offices.

Charlie Epstein, a financial advisor based in Springfield and owner of the 401k Coach program, isn’t looking for fame (necessarily), but he is selling his message on a national stage.

“I love getting out there and doing a little ‘edutainment,’” he said, noting that in the five years since he launched the 401k Coach program, which works with retirement-planning professionals to help them strengthen their business practices and, ultimately, their bottom lines, he’s traveled around the country sharing a detailed plan of action.

Americans have some real issues with saving money for retirement, he said, and moreover the financial-advising profession is one that is more complex and competitive than ever before, currently handling about $4 trillion in 401(k) assets. But before he gets to the nitty-gritty, Epstein is careful to break the tension with a story or two — he reminds his pupils that Mick Jagger is the new face of retirement, for instance, and at 64, even Jagger is still hard at work.

Epstein’s audiences have included advisors working with Nationwide, ING, MassMutual, and other firms, and the 401k Coach program’s unique approach to explaining often-tough concepts is garnering some great reviews.

Among other accolades, Epstein was recently included in 401k Wire’s list of the 50 top influencers in the industry for 2007. The news service, an affiliate of InvestmentWires, one of the most well-respected financial-services publications in the country, placed Epstein at No. 28 not only for his success as a financial advisor, but for his latest contributions to the sector.

And with a little bit of creativity, Epstein, who has a background in acting as well as financial services, is positioning 401k Coach for further ovations.

Encore Performances

Epstein created the 401k Coach program in 2002 as a means to train financial advisors across the country to optimize their businesses, in turn strengthening the investments and saving habits of their clients.

The program was designed specifically for financial professionals such as insurance agents, brokers, financial planners, CPAs, third-party administrators (TPAs), and plan providers — companies hoping to introduce their own retirement products to new audiences. Participants must commit to at least one year of membership in the three-year program, and sessions occur every 90 days, so key concepts and skills can be repeatedly revisited and reinforced.

Epstein has boiled these tenets down to 10 components he says are critical to building any retirement-planning business. Four of these, plus the 10-point system itself, are trademarked, and include the 401k Business Development Matrix, which deals specifically with pricing services; the 401k Coach Retirement Plan Solution, a six-step sales and service process; and the Quantum Leap, which introduces various management tools and systems aimed at spurring growth within a 401(k) business.

Many of these tools and systems are also trademarked properties of 401k Coach, and are designed to further assist financial professionals in initiating change. But there are other, broader attitudes Epstein tries to instill as well, such as taking the ‘old’ thinking, figuratively and literally, out of the retirement-planning equation. He refers to retirement plans as ‘desirement plans,’ which better reflects why people must save, and how financial advisors can help make the things their clients have worked for in life reality.

The first year of the program focuses on sales, including creation of a marketing system, developing and packaging an advising process, and mastering practice management, while in the second year, members learn to employ ‘repeatable systems’ for leveraging alliances in the marketplace and generating recurring opportunities, among other topics. Finally, in the third year, participants explore ways to create entrepreneurial capital, from branding a practice to acquiring the competition.

Epstein said the genesis of the multi-faceted program was his frustration with the financial advising industry, of which he’s been a part for 26 years.

“There was no one source to which practitioners could go to create success,” he said. “No one was teaching us how to be entrepreneurs, and people, my peers, needed to know their value. Financial professionals give away so much of their knowledge for free, in hopes of one day selling a product. But individuals don’t approach us for products — they approach us to learn from what we know.”

Epstein explained that there are several standards of service that all fiduciaries must adhere to legally and ethically, including disclosing fees, educating plan participants, and monitoring trends, but a financial advisor can meet all of these requirements and still fall behind in terms of business development and assembling a strong base of clients and referrals.

“This is a business in which we’re always asking ‘why?’” he said. “Why should I partner with this company or that? Why should I choose a certain product over another? We have to keep recreating the tools we use and how we assist our clients.”

What’s more, Epstein added, the financial marketplace is more saturated than ever before; entities that were once sources of referrals for fiduciaries, such as banks and credit unions, are now competitors.

“We’ve never had to market ourselves before,” he said. “This industry is being turned inside-out, and there’s $14 trillion in retirement plans out there. That means not only is this profession a full-time specialty, but it’s also one that requires incredible rigor.”

The Biggest Piece of the Pie

But beyond the challenges facing financial professionals today, there’s another, broader issue at hand that Epstein said plays a large role in moving 401k Coach forward, and that is the state of saving in the U.S.

Drawing a pie on a notepad in front of him, Epstein illustrated the problem.

“This here,” he said, carving out a slice, “is what you know.”

Then, carving out a second, similarly sized slice, Epstein pointed out that just as much of that pie is devoted to what people don’t know about financial planning.

“But that still leaves half of the pie, and that half is what we don’t know we don’t know,” he explained. “Therein lies the importance of the financial advisor: the people who are in the trenches, identifying what people don’t know, every day.”

But it’s not just financial professionals who need to step up their game. While Epstein focuses on training his peers through 401k Coach, there’s a marked trickle-down effect to business owners and individuals, who gain a better understanding and appreciation for retirement planning from their advisors.

“There is a huge savings problem in this country right now, and I want to inspire people to save,” he said. “People need to get responsible, and 401k Coach is well-positioned to make an impact. We’ve worked with 500 financial advisors, and I’m just getting started. Our goal is to work with 5,000.”

As the program continues to evolve, Epstein said a sort of master class is being added for members who have completed two years of coaching. The first session will be held in March on a dude ranch in Arizona, and its central theme will prompt financial advising companies to evaluate where their businesses will be, or could be, in three years.

Other opportunities are surfacing as well, as a greater number of industry players get acquainted with the 401k Coach model and approach Epstein with new proposals. These include coaching in more specific arenas, including marketing and hiring.

“I expect that we’re going to keep going in that direction, offering more specific advice and firm consulting,” he said, adding that he’s also working on a book that will help advisors and laymen alike think more deeply about long-term planning.

Fame: I’m Gonna Save Forever

“Maybe then I can be on Oprah!” Epstein joked, adding quickly that, while his primary mission is not to secure his 15 minutes of fame, any extra exposure does plenty to drive the central theme of the 401k Coach program home: that a retirement plan is successful only if it leaves individuals with enough money to actually retire.

Today, said Epstein, this dictum applies to virtually everyone, and requires everyone’s involvement.

“Pension plans are dead — it’s a global economy now, and the 401(k) plan is America’s savings plan,” he said. “But everyone has to take it upon themselves to make it work, and I want to inspire people to save.”

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT

Michael Elbery v. Lincoln Logs LTD et al
Allegation: Breach of contract: $260,500.00
Filed: 11/26/07

GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Jean Dwight v. R.A.C Builders Inc.
Allegation: Medical expenses and lost wages due to noxious fumes in the workplace: $10,000
Filed: 10/31/07

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Claire Kida v. Acres Medical Associates Inc.
Allegation: Negligence and personal injury due to fall: $135,000+
Filed: 10/23/07

Cynthia Williams v. Cumberland Farms Inc.
Allegation: Negligence and personal injury: $31,880
Filed: 11/08/07

Diamond Water Systems Inc. v. Falcetti and Clark Electrical Supply Company
Allegation: Damages caused by defective parts sold by defendant: $33,000
Filed: 10/23/07

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT

Arcadia Insurance v. East Coast Construction Services
Allegation: Property damage due to negligent plumbing work: $10,940.77
Filed: 11/01/07

Christian Fitzgerald v. Ian Schein, M.D.
Allegation: Medical malpractice: $22,191.20
Filed: 10/12/07

Daniel R. Cooper v. Burrows Company
Allegation: Breach of contract: $56,601.20
Filed: 9/13/07

Rena Ducharme v. Big Y Foods Inc.
Allegation: Fall due to negligence: $143,663
Filed: 11/27/07
Tiger Press v. Connecticut Valley Bindery Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract: $105,444
Filed: 10/10/07

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT

Daytech LLC v. Seasonal Décor
Allegation: Unpaid rent and utilities: $15,642.23
Filed: 10/30/07

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

Northampton Lumber Company v. Northampton Rehabilitation
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $9,241.04
Filed: 10/31/07

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Mary Mirski v. D’Angelos Sandwich Shop
Allegation: Negligence and personal injury: $6,039
Filed: 10/16/07

Richard Thompson v. West Springfield Auto Parts
Allegation: Motor vehicle negligence: $6,608.66; Filed: 10/07/07

Terry Macharia v. Bertera Metro-Jeep Chrysler Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract: $15,000
Filed: 10/11/07

United Rentals Inc. v. BTR Framing, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of construction goods and services: $127,043.43
Filed: 10/07/07

Waxcessories v. Country Candle Company Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $15,480.62
Filed: 10/09/07

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT

Ruth Ohayon v. Patrick Kelley Roofing and Siding
Allegation: Damage caused by improperly installed roof: $2,000
Filed: 10/18/07

Superior Car Care v. Elmwood Auto
Allegation: Negligence causing property damage: $10,601.44
Filed: 10/30/07

Bright Nights

Through Jan. 1: Bright Nights at Forest Park in Springfield opened Nov. 21 and runs Wednesdays through Sundays until Dec. 9. Bright Nights will then be open nightly from Dec. 12 through Jan. 1. Buses run nightly from 5 to 6 p.m., and cars from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 6 to 11 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays. For more information on admission, call (413) 733-3800 or visit www.brightnights.org.

UMass Dinner Forum

Dec. 11: The UMass Family Business Dinner Forum will host two topics, “The Starbucks Experience: Lessons in Leadership to Spark You and Your Business to Unimaginable Success,” and “Should We Grow Our Business by Acquisition?” Registration is required. For more information and to register, contact Ira Bryck at (413) 545-1537 or via e-mail at [email protected].

The After 5

Dec. 12: The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield Inc. will host its next After 5 networking social from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Springfield, One Monarch Place. Persons attending the event are asked to bring a nonperishable food item to donate to local charities. The After 5 is an opportunity for business professionals to network with more than 250 other professionals in a casual setting. The cost is $10 for members and $15 for non-members, and all reservations must be in writing. To sign up, visit www.myonlinechamber.com or call (413) 733-1313 for more information.

Boston Wine Festival

Jan. 11-April 4: Hosted by the Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf, Boston, the 19th annual Boston Wine Festival will conduct its grand opening events on Jan. 11. This year’s events will include a variety of evening receptions, wine seminars, dinners, and themed brunches. For a complete schedule, visit www.bostonwinefestival.net.

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of November 2007.

AGAWAM

Bob Johnson Enterprises
425 Meadow St.
Robert Johnson

Hydraulics Unlimited
1211 Springfield St.
William Granfield

Main Street Deli
713 Main St.
Frank R. Locke

Pearly Whites LLC
29 Avalon Place
Vladimir Ruha

Sebastian I
333 Walnut St. Ext.
Paul A. Sandlin

Shear Pizzazz
833-835 Springfield St.
E. Linda Mills-Audette

St. Anne’s Country Club Partnership
781 Shoemaker Lane
Paul Napolitan

Yuriy’s Finish Carpentry
529 Mill St.
Yuriy Gavridov

CHICOPEE

A-Certive Removal Services
72 Arcade St.
Justin D. Dansereau

City Tire Company Inc.
1885 Memorial Dr.
Peter Greenberg

CranioSacral and Massage Center
105 East St.
Gina Welch

Dragon House Designs
374 East Main St.
RoseAnn Caputo

Helping Hands
29 Forest St.
Charlotte M. Rich

Journey Communications
28 Mettinger Lane
Mahendra D. Thomas

Kumiegg’s Auto
397 Hampden St.
Anthony L. Kumiegg

Smart Looks II
1512 Memorial Dr.
Brenda Lee Fortin

The Brass Tap
66 Cabot St.
Melissa A. Laurin

Tony’s Auto Repair
341 Chicopee St.
Antonio M. Fonseca

Westside Carpenters
1 A Gardener Road
Viktor Gorobinskiy

EASTHAMPTON

SBNI
63 Clark St.
Scott Brown

Snak Connection
P.O. Box 44
Diane Fry

Tunnel 7
82 Maple St.
Derek Allara

EAST LONGMEADOW

Ernest Financial Group
180 Denslow Road
John J. Ernest

The UPS Store
444A North Main St.
Lawrence M. Crasnick

TRM Marketing LLC
286 Millbrook Dr.
Trupti Mali

GREENFIELD

Account Store
124 Log Plan Road
Joseph Easton

Beauty Bears and Baubles
39 Washburn Ave.
Caroline Abercrombie

Gallery Morgan
192 Main St.
Laura Morgan

The Break Place
95 Wildwood Ave.
John Daignault

Yankee Self Storage
74 Mohawk Trail
Cheryl Ingersoll

HADLEY

All That’s Natural
367 Russell St.
Gual Guez

Whole Foods Market Group
327 Russell St.
Roberta Lang

HOLYOKE

Chris’s Cut & Design
910 Hampden St.
Christine M. Blair

Hilda’s Consulting Firm
267 West Franklin St.
Hilda Colon

Holyoke Tower Associates
582 Pleasant St.
James N. Sullivan

PHA LLC
41 Chestnut St.
Dennis Fitzpatrick

Toys & More
50 Holyoke St.
James Dent

LUDLOW

Esteem Skin Care
733 Chapin St.
Carol Santini

LONGMEADOW

Christopher M. Kelly — Electrician
79 Hillcrest Ave.
Christopher M. Kelly

Talbot’s
672 Bliss Road
The Talbot’s Inc.

PALMER

Belchertown Bridals
4400 High St.
Kathleen Mailhot

Mark Gilbert’s Auto Repair
24 Orchard St.
Mark Gilbert

SG Anderson
1 McDowell Dr.
Scott G. Anderson

SOUTHWICK

Marks Realty
389 North Loomis St.
Nora Marks

Jimmy’s Pizza
81 Point Grove Road
James Stellato

Three Lakes Kitchens
92 Bungalow St.
Jeffrey Paul Murphy

SPRINGFIELD

2-N-1 Grocery
74 Eastern Ave.
Dilcia Rodriguez

Bakana Express Courier
5 Harbour Road
Joe Amoakah

Baystate Home Infusion
211 Carando Dr.
Brian Simonds

Darnell Mallard
177 Walnut St.
Darnell Mallard

El Rincon Café Restaurant
137 Chestnut St.
Pedro Gonzalez

Ethica Unlimited
2924 Main St.
Fermin Galarza

Figures-And-Collectibles
40 Dubois St.
Frank J. Morales

Flow Barber Shop
278 Oakland St.
Radames Perez

Freetricity of Western MA
56 Bessemer St.
Scott Franklin

Gemini-Camelot
125 Main St.
Valerie Paul

Kenny Travel & Tours
510 Armory St.
Quenides N. Urabaez

WESTFIELD

Donaly Designs
47 Wood Road
Donna Tougas

Robert’s Fence Co.
11 Church St.
Mark A. Roberts

Sullivan & Sons
919 Southampton Road
Rachel Sullivan

Westfield Equipment Services
11 Airport Dr.
Josh Toomey

Westfield Vacuum Center
281 Notre Dame St.
Annette Burl

WEST SPRINGFIELD

EID Store
22 Crestview Dr.
Salim Ibrahim

Firestone Complete Auto Care
501 Memorial Ave.
BFRC Corporation

Infinity Auto Rental Inc.
52 Baldwin St.
Joseph Gallo

K&G
1150 Union St.
Claudia Pruitt

Olympia Ice Center
125 Capital Dr.
Massachusetts Skating Corporation

Subway LLC
356 Memorial Ave.
Navin Patel

Sil Pada Designs
735 Amostown Road
Diane L. Stawiarz

Storrowton Tavern
1305 Memorial Ave.
Vintage Inc.

Titan U.S.A.
140 Baldwin St.
Ralph S. Colby

The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.

Acevedo, Hector L.
Dominguez, Myriam
566 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/22/07

Aroyo, Ramon A.
80 Parkside St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/16/07

Bell, Eleanor C.
287 Osborn Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/17/07

Benard, Richard Edward
Benard, Juliette Marie
17 Whitin Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/25/07

Boivin, Lynn A.
a/k/a Brunelle, Lynn A.
100 East Street
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/25/07

Bourgeoise, Edward Richard
326 Westwood Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/18/07

Boyd, Mary R.
a/k/a Donahue, Mary R.
633 Springfield Street
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/23/07

Brunelle, James C.
112 Stebbins St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/19/07

Bullard, Frank Henry
Bullard, Lillian Arlene
108 Fisherdick Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/25/07

Cappelli, James T.
29 January Hill Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/18/07

Casey, Donna G.
53 Chauncey St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/19/07

Castonguay, Paul T.
49 Rest Way
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Chalue, Phyllis M.
1 Willow Circle
C/O Meadowbrook Acres
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/23/07

Chenevert, Thomas E.
Chenevert, Tammie L.
62 Shepard Road
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Conti, John P.
1 Springfield St., Apt. A-204
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/19/07

Critelli, Ralph A.
19A Veazie St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/17/07

Dead Goat Motorsports
Bonzek, Brent Paul
120 Green St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/22/07

DeBarge, Mark E.
DeBarge, Marie A.
32 Southworth St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Dube, Etienne S.
Jereczek-Dube, Kelly Ann
204 Papermill Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/22/07

Dube, Pamela J.
36 Lyman Road
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Everett, Catherine U.
400 Britton St., Apt.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/17/07

Feliciano, Manuel P.
Feliciano, Isabel M.
8 McKeag Ave. 1st Fl.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/29/07

Flores, Ramona
262 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/29/07

Fontaine, Paula K.
a/k/a Easton, Paula K.
79 Guertin Avenue
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/16/07

Frazier, George H.
Frazier, Tammy A
8 Cambridge St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/18/07

Galeziowski, Eugene Anthony
63 Beekman Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Grazia, Adelina
6 Druids Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/25/07

Grogan, Michael R.
102 Pleasant St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Grogan, Noreen A.
P.O. Box 1035
Greenfield, MA 01302
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/27/07

Haas, Jeffrey A.
Haas, Sandra J.
58 Green St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/16/07

Handfield, Joseph R
410 Meadow St. Apt. 31
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/24/07

Haugabook-Jordan, Lisa M.
4 Priscilla Street
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/16/07

Hochreich, Herman B.
a/k/a Hochreich, Skip
272 Garden Hill Street
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/26/07

Housey, Tramesa D.
58 Burr St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/22/07

Humiston, Sally Leigh
PO Box 240
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/25/07

Jette, Eric Arthur
Jette, Theresa Courchane
a/k/a LeMay, Theresa Courchane
968 Chicopee St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Jordan, Anthony L.
459 Page Blvd.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/19/07

Jovan, Alexander
165 Clarendon Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/26/07

Kelly, Pamela L.
136 Stafford Road
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/16/07

Kilian, Darcey M.
P.O. Box 12
South Barre, MA 01074
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/30/07

LeBlanc, Gary M.
95 Sumner Ave., Unit 3
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/22/07

Loudfoot, Gina I
16 Conifer Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/29/07

Mack, Christina
54 Holden St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/29/07

Manfredi, Maria Felicita
309 Chapin Ter.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/26/07

Marshall, Justin
46 Park St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/16/07

Martin, Carole E.
49 Rest Way
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Mastey, Richard S.
51 Hastings St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/07

Mecham, Elizabeth D.
50 Sunridge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/07

Miranda, Gabriel E.
115 Eddy St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/29/07

Njoku, Lynda C.
a/k/a Anyiam-Dyson, Lynda C.
44 Daviston Street
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/25/07

Nolan, Jessica Marie
31 FIeld St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/07

Nondo’s Mass Inspection
Bongiorni, Mark Joseph
Bongiorni, Ann Barbara
10 Bronson Ter.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/26/07

O’Neil, Michael J.
14 Weaver Road
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/18/07

Palazzi, Gabriel R.
Palazzi, Sherran
35 High Meadow Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/23/07

Parker, Elijah
91 Margerie St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/22/07

Pasini, Robert M.
111 Lumae St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/19/07

Pettograsso, Ralph J.
Pettograsso, Michelle D.
115 McArthur St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Proffitt, Casey
24 Aspen St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/30/07

Rivera, Angelo
P. O. Box 1785
Westfield, MA 01086
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/07

Rivera, Lisa
P. O. Box 1785
Westfield, MA 01086
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/07

Roberts, Alan D.
93 Regency Park Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/07

Roth, Adrienne
a/k/a Dastoli, Adrienne C.
11 Church Street
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/17/07

Thompson, Woodrow W.
64 Ellsworth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/25/07

Tran, Fredrique
14 Walden St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Walker, Colette
305 Greenaway Dr.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Weissman, Lee L.
Weissman, Allison
445 Roosevelt Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/07

Willette, Steven J.
925 Berkshire Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/23/07

Williams, Casey
a/k/a Demers, Casey A.
57 Davis St.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/27/07

Williams, Robert
57 Davis St.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/27/07

Wilson, Mark S.
Wilson, Amanda J.
119 Firglade St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/07

Zhirnova, Inna A.
101 Pine St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/18/07

A Package Deal

AM Lithography Expands Its Operations in Holyoke

Jamie Meadows says creating AM Packaging, AM Litho’s sister company, was one of the firm’s best moves.

Print, die-cut, fold, glue.

It’s a fairly simple process, and a set of procedures that is translating into new developments and strong annual growth at AM Lithography and its burgeoning sister company, AM Packaging.

The printing company extended its reach into the packaging industry seven years ago, and this year, that move has necessitated an expansion into a new facility on Winter Street in Holyoke that has the company and the city chalking one up for the team.

AM Lithography (‘AM Litho’ for short), based in Chicopee, was founded in 1985 by Allen Meadows, who remains the company’s president. Over the past 25 years, AM Litho has grown steadily, providing commercial sheet-fed printing services to a wide range of clients across the Northeast, particularly in the financial services and academic fields.

Jamie Meadows, director of sales, said AM Litho was presented with the opportunity to diversify into the packaging market by addressing the needs of an existing customer at the start of the decade, and that request has since led to the creation of AM Packaging.

Meadows said that, above all else, he sees that move as an achievement integral to the company’s identity and success.

“It’s the best thing we’ve ever done,” he said. “We’ve doubled our sales almost every year, and last year, we grew more than 50%.”

That pace signaled the possible need for expansion early on, said Meadows, and as orders continued to increase, the space required for these new products — boxes, folders, and other types of plastic and paper-based packages of all kinds — necessitated a move.

“On the packaging side, we became a company with a national reach very quickly,” he said, noting that while AM Litho prefers to keeps its client list confidential, jobs can include virtually any kind of product packaging for both corporate and retail use.

Like the printing sector in general, it’s a specialty that experiences both ups and downs. But lately, the arrow has been pointing upward at AM Packaging.

“This is a business in which we have peaks and valleys regularly; it’s not uncommon to have a very busy time followed by a slow spot,” said Meadows. “But after launching AM Packaging, we had four or five months in a row when we were just slammed, and we were simply running out of room.”

With plenty of orders lining up on the horizon as well, Meadows said he began touring manufacturing locations across the region, including in Chicopee, Agawam, and Holyoke.

“But as soon as I walked into the Winter Street location, I knew that was home. It was modern and clean, and had everything we were looking for.”

Making a Case

The 59,000-square-foot facility was once owned and occupied by Laminated Paper, which sold the location to AM Litho in July of this year. AM Litho has committed to investing more than $6 million in the building, which includes the purchase price, updates to its infrastructure, new equipment, and staffing costs.

Meadows said the benefits offered by the city of Holyoke were one draw toward the location, and a large aspect of the decision to not only purchase the Winter Street building, but also enter into a collaborative partnership with the city, aimed at fostering economic growth.

“The incentive programs they offered were great,” he said, listing the willingness of the Office of Economic and Industrial Development and Holyoke Gas and Electric to work with the company on various issues, as well as a tax-increment financing, or TIF, arrangement.

Kathleen Anderson, director of Holyoke’s Office of Planning and Industrial Development, said that collaborative approach between the city and AM Litho began very early in the process.

“Originally, I believe they approached the mayor’s office,” she said, “and they wanted to learn more about the incentives that Holyoke could offer.”

The process began, she continued, with a meeting between city officials, AM Litho’s management, and HG&E — and also a question: why Holyoke?

“Whenever someone comes to us from another community, we always ask if they’ve approached their own community first,” she said. “We’re more interested in regionalism and helping all Western Mass. communities across the board, not taking business away from anyone. Others have done the same for us.”

Anderson said AM Packaging’s need to expand necessitated an amount of space that wasn’t readily available in Chicopee, prompting a search in Holyoke. But the conversations also helped to address some of the company’s own questions and concerns, according to John Dyjach, assistant director of the Office of Economic and Industrial Development.

“They wanted to get a feel for the future of the area they were considering,” said Dyjach. “They wanted to know if it was positioned for positive growth, and if the Winter Street corridor was an area that was up and coming in general. They didn’t want to be the only ones there.”

Dyjach said Laminated Paper had taken exceptional care of the property, which was on the market for a little more than two years before AM Lithography completed its purchase.

“It’s a great, modern building, and we had a lot of people interested,” he said, “but it was a particularly good fit for AM Litho’s operations.”

In addition, the industrial section of the city also includes two properties appropriate for rehabilitation, the former Ampad manufacturing facility, and also a few parcels of land that are drawing interest from both local and out-of-state parties.

Employer Benefits

Beyond the potential for new growth on Winter Street, though, Dyjach said the city also offers industrial property owners many different levels of assistance that proved to be attractive to AM Litho.

First, there’s the role of MIDAC, the Mayor’s Industrial Development Advisory Committee, which pairs city officials with business owners to form a group with the sole purpose of attracting and retaining industrial activity. One of MIDAC’s offerings is the opportunity for potential property owners to network with current property owners, and to get answers from objective sources to sometimes-tough questions about doing business in Holyoke.

“People know it’s our job to pitch the city,” said Dyjach, “and fostering conversations with other business owners who aren’t being paid to do that allows for a level of trust to be developed.

“It also allows business owners to network with each other and, hopefully, do business with one another,” he added. “We’re as proactive as we can be to find good matches for the city and its business community.”

And on a more tangible level, the TIF, offered by the city in concert with the Commonwealth, is designed to give new industrial property owners the opportunity to save money in the early years of developing a new business venture.
There is a 100% property tax exemption in the first year of ownership, 75% the following year, 50% the third, and 25% in the fourth year, said attribution. The program spans five years; in the final year, the property owner pays all taxes, but is eligible for additional benefits from the state.

“It’s a substantial savings — tens of thousands of dollars,” said Dyjach, “and in the long run, it helps property owners increase the value of their facilities, by freeing up funds for renovation and other improvements.”

Anderson said the program has been in place for several years, and reflects Holyoke’s standing as a regional economic target area in the state. Chicopee, Westfield, and Easthampton share the same distinction.

“It creates a significant payback for the city by allowing for investments in new jobs and revenue gains,” she said. “The criteria for inclusion is a good-faith effort on the part of the company to hire people from within the city, particularly those in low- to moderate-income brackets.”

Pulp Non-fiction

Meadows said that part of the bargain has been a relatively easy task thus far, given the rapid growth of AM Packaging.

“We’re committed to hiring at least two Holyoke residents in the first three months of operation,” he said. “We’ve been there four months now, and we’ve added eight employees.”

The company, which now employs a total of about 150 employees in Chicopee and Holyoke, is also positioned for what Meadows said he expects will be rapid growth.

“Our short-term, modest goal would be to grow 25% in the next year,” he said. “But that’s a goal we could blow out of the water. AM Packaging is becoming a serious player in the area and a major part of our business.”

That said, Meadows, and also officials in Holyoke, hope the growing company will print, die-cut, fold, and glue its way to greatness — and, in the process, seal a positive fate for the Paper City.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Having a Ball

The ballroom of the Springfield Sheraton was the site for the annual Bright Nights Ball, the major fundraiser for the Spirit of Springfield, staged on Nov. 17. More than 400 people turned out for the black-tie affair, which had a Monopoly theme (Hasbro Games was the sponsor), and featured a live auction that netted more than $30,000 for the Spirit of Springfield. Clockwise, from right, Urban League of Springfield President Henry Thomas, U.S. Congressman Richard Neal, Spirit of Springfield Director Judith Matt, and Springfield Mayor-elect Domenic Sarno; volunteer hostess Stephanie Malikowski and host Thomas Murca display Monopoly Express games. Those purchasing the $50 items also won chances to win prizes; (left to right) Dr. Fraud Madawwar, Joan Hebert, Col. (ret.) Ron Senz, Sarno, Leila Mudawwar, and Dr. Ronald Kanagaki; Josephine Sarnelli and Jeff Lander from Small Planet Dancers.

Positive Steps

Partnering institutions that brought the Alvin Ailey II dance company (at left) to Springfield’s CityStage for two performances are represented by, left to right, John Wilson, Springfield College; Naomi White-Innis, American International College; Jose Tolson, Elms College; Kent Alexander, Elms College; Troy Powell, associate artistic director, Alvin Ailey II; Helen Caulton-Harris, Springfield Department of Health and Human Services; Myra Smith, Springfield Technical Community College; William Blatch, Black Men of Greater Springfield; Janine Fondon, Unity First News; and Ira Rubenzahl, President of STCC.

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT

Gilbert & Son’s Insulation Inc. v. Sturbridge Hills Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract: $11,841.34
Filed: 9/24/07

Jazmin Castro v. Michael’s Towing
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury: $2,255
Filed: 10/10/07

Pamela & Edward Rivera v. Neighborhood Home Improvement
Allegation: Breach of contract for home improvements: $9,500
Filed: 10/12/07

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT

Dorothy A. Tyler v. Montague Energy Group, LLC
Allegation: Breach of contract and fiduciary duty: $50,000
Filed: 10/26/07

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT

Bernadine Smith v. CitiMortgage Inc.
Allegation: Predatory lending and unfair trade practices: $175,000
Filed: 10/4/07

Elio Alfonso v. Commerce Insurance Company
Allegation: Breach of contract: $8,500
Filed: 10/18/07

Mark & Debra Discawicz v. Town of Ludlow
Allegation: Negligence causing damage to home: $150,000
Filed: 10/17/07

Mauricio Martinez, Reymundo Lopez, and Luis Morales v. Armida Arreola and Transcontinental Refrigerated Lines
Allegation: Motor vehicle negligence: $150,000
Filed: 10/15/07

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT

Broadcast Music Inc. v. Iron Horse Music Hall
Allegation: Breach of contract: $3,107.97
Filed: 10/11/07

Chiropractic Healthcare Centers v. National Grange Insurance Company
Allegation: Breach of contract — non-payment of medical bills: $2,403.12
Filed: 5/15/07

Danny M. Sola and Juanita Santos v. Infinity Auto Repair & Detailing
Allegation: Negligent repair of auto and unfair and deceptive acts and practices: $7,500
Filed: 10/1/07

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT

Baker Tanks Inc. v. Hydropress Environmental Services
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $13,678.19
Filed: 10/17/07

PALMER DISTRICT COURT

Richard and Jennifer Toelken v. Windmere LLC and Newcastle Development Corp.
Allegation: Breach of purchase and sale agreement and construction of new home; failure to return security deposit: $17,000
Filed: 10/15/07

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT

A. Boilard Sons Inc. v. R. L. Lafley Construction Co.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods and materials: $11,032.95
Filed: 10/16/07

Kelvin Quamina v. Caribbean American Cultural Center
Allegation: Breach of contract: $4,234.27
Filed: 9/28/07

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT

George Panagos v. Thomas Tomlinson d/b/a Hire Image
Allegation: Negligence in reporting of plaintiff as guilty of felony instead of misdemeanor: $2,000
Filed: 10/1/07

Robert Todt v. Borges Construction
Allegation: Suing for damages done to home: $7,184.79
Filed: 9/27/07

Got it Covered?

Business Best-sellers and Local Favorites That Are Bound to Please

It’s been a robust year for business titles, examining everything from daily work habits to global economic change. What follows is a list of popular titles available this holiday season, currently featured on amazon.com and the New York Times Best-seller lists:

• The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching!: Written by business guru Jeffrey Gitomer, author of the series Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Books, ‘Cha-Ching’ offers a series of suggestions geared toward improving sales.

• The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World: Currently the top-selling business title at Amazon.com, this retrospective from author Alan Greenspan takes a look at the increasingly global economy through the lens of his own life, including his childhood, his 18-year tenure as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, and the events on and following Sept. 11, 2001.

• The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich: A popular title this year for obvious reasons, Timothy Ferriss’s ‘4-hour Workweek’ theory was derived from more than five years of research, following successful people who have abandoned the ‘deferred-life’ plan for gaining wealth.

• Ready To Wear: An Expert’s Guide to Choosing and Using Your Wardrobe: A featured speaker at Baypath College’s Annual Women’s Conference this year, author Mary Lou Andre offers tips for matching wardrobe with lifestyle, organizing a closet, and developing an efficient shopping strategy on a budget.

• Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World: A departure from the usual presidential memoir, this new title by Bill Clinton focuses on philanthropy and the practices corporations, small businesses, and individuals are adding to their daily lives to foster change on both local and global levels.

• Living Longer Working Stronger: Simple Steps for Business Professionals to Capitalize on Better Health: Kevin Fosnocht examines the link between healthy bodies and healthy careers, offering suggestions for more-balanced diets, better sleep habits, and maintaining good health while traveling.

• Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die: Written by Chip and Dan Heath and inspired by Malcolm Gladwell’s blockbuster The Tipping Point, ‘Made to Stick’ explains why six tenets — simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories — make some ideas unforgettable.

…in addition to business titles, we’ve compiled a selection of books, fiction and non-fiction, penned by a few of the region’s many authors:

• Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s: A memoir penned by local businessman John Elder Robison, owner of Robison Service in Springfield, ‘Look Me in the Eye’ examines life growing up ‘different,’ overcoming obstacles, finding success, and finally reevaluating strengths and weaknesses after being diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.

• Golfing In New England: The Essential Guide for the New England Golfer: Published by Amherst guidebook publisher New England Cartographics, this guide was written by John Da Silva and edited by Valerie Vaughan, describing more than 600 public, semi-private, and resort courses in the six New England states. Course statistics, greens fees, directions, and other information is provided, as well as detailed listings of other golfing resources in each state such as golf retailers, driving ranges, golf schools, touring clubs, private golf courses, and golf associations. The guide is one of several outdoor activity guides published by New England Cartographics, all of which are available at necartographics.com

• An Execution in the Family: One Son’s Journey: Written by Western New England College professor Robert Meeropol, this memoir recounts his life and experiences following the execution of his birth parents, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

• Songs from a Lead-Lined Room: Notes — High and Low — from My Journey through Breast Cancer and Radiation: This memoir from Palmer resident Suzanne Strempek Shea, who usually writes fiction, recounts her experiences with breast cancer and radiation therapy.

• 1940: Now available for pre-order at Amazon.com, this novel by Northampton author Jay Neugeboren begins on the eve of World War II and follows a woman whose father has mysteriously disappeared. The book will be available in April 2008.

Compiled by Jaclyn Stevenson

Create a UMass Presence That Will Have a Real Impact in Springfield

It’s been talked about for years, but there now appears to be some real movement in the efforts to give UMass a physical presence in downtown Springfield, and perhaps elsewhere in this region.

Looking for ways to help spark Springfield’s recovery, and also to spread the economic development wealth that the university holds, at least potentially, Gov. Deval Patrick and his administration are talking with greater urgency about creating some kind of “UMass presence” in Springfield — perhaps as part of the broad State Street corridor development/redevelopment effort.

No one knows what such a development might look like, but the parties — Patrick and his secretary of Housing and Economic Development, Daniel O’Connell; UMass administrators; and Springfield officials — have agreed that this is worth at least talking seriously about.

We concur, but would advise that all these parties perform some real due diligence and mastermind a strategy that would make a UMass presence here a long-term asset and not a quick fix designed to make it look like the Patrick camp was doing something to help Springfield. Meanwhile, this UMass presence mustn’t threaten other institutions of higher learning that have been in Springfield for decades; instead, it should complement what one or more of these schools may be doing and inspire other partnerships down the road.

Here’s one idea, actually taken from the governor’s so-called Springfield Partnership. Under the category of ‘potential future investments,’ the document lists a possible feasibility study on the development of a renewable-energy research center. If we assume for the moment that such a study reveals that this research center is indeed feasible, then it seems logical that UMass, working in concert with Springfield Technical Community College and perhaps other schools in the city, could be a catalyst for such a center.

STCC and its Technology Park (which sports a photovoltaic installation on its roof) have identified renewable energy as not merely the focus of a potential degree program, but as a very real economic-development strategy for the region, one that could, that’s could, bring large numbers of jobs to Greater Springfield — not tomorrow or next year, but over the next few decades.

It is only a matter of time, and probably not much of it, before there is an aggressive regional and national push to bring renewable energy sources to the marketplace. If the dire predictions about soaring prices for gasoline and heating oil in the coming months become reality, and the economy suffers greatly, then there will be a louder cry for alternative fuels like wind power, solar power, and others.

And just as Worcester has become a center for development in the broad biosciences field, Western Mass., and specifically Springfield, could become the hub for renewable energy research and product development.

Worcester’s base of biotechnology-related businesses wasn’t built overnight — and it’s certainly still in the early stages of development. It started with research at colleges located in and near the city, research that eventually led to jobs and, for Worcester, a reputation as a place where such businesses can get started and eventually grow.

The same can happen here, and renewable energy is just one example of how the university can help spawn some real, long-term economic development in the Greater Springfield area.

To establish a UMass presence in Springfield merely to help fill space in one or more commercial properties — the old Technical High School, for example — or maybe to help some downtown businesses by increasing foot traffic, isn’t the kind of big thinking that’s needed here.

Those at the university, the Statehouse, and Springfield City Hall need to start a dialogue about the ways UMass can make some major contributions to the local economy in a meaningful way, and for decades to come.

Panera Bread Opens in Chicopee

CHICOPEE — Panera Bread opened its 4,500-square-foot bakery/café on Memorial Drive on Nov. 23, featuring intimate seating areas, comfortable chairs, a fireplace, a community table, and free WiFi Internet access. Panera Bread offers a variety of artisan breads and other specialty breads, along with bagels, pastries, baked goods, and hot and cold espresso beverages. Chicopee’s site is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, offering hand-tossed salads, signature sandwiches, and hearty soups served in edible sourdough bread bowls. Panera Bread also operates bakery/cafés in West Springfield, Hadley, and East Longmeadow.

Big Y Celebrates Grand Opening

NORTHAMPTON — The D’Amour family celebrated the grand-opening celebration of its Big Y World Class Market on North King Street on Nov. 8 with a cake-cutting ceremony.

HCC Recognized By National Council

HOLYOKE — Region I of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations recently announced that Holyoke Community College (HCC) has been chosen to receive five first-place (Gold) and two third-place (Bronze) Medallion Awards for its public-relations efforts. HCC was recognized for its success in feature and news story placement, writing, event and publication marketing, transportation advertising, and publication design. The National Council for Marketing & Public Relations represents marketing and PR professionals at 600 community and technical colleges in the United States, Canada, and Scotland.

Hatch Mott MacDonald Relocates

HOLYOKE — Hatch Mott MacDonald, a consulting engineering firm, has moved its offices to 150 Lower Westfield Road. The firm provides engineering services in the transportation, tunnels, water, wastewater, environmental, pipeline, and utility markets.

Researcher Awarded $737,000 NIH Grant

SPRINGFIELD — Alan Schneyer, a scientist at the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute (PVLSI), has been awarded a research grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. The grant, titled “Physiologic Roles of Activin and Myostatin Antagonists,” provides Schneyer with $737,000 to conduct research into diabetes over the next three years. He recently joined PVLSI from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Schneyer noted that his research will focus on looking for hormones that “lead to more and better-functioning insulin-producing cells.” In particular, the grant will fund studies on a protein called Follistatin, which plays an important role in normal development and appears to cause proliferation of insulin-producing cells.

Bay Path Receives Foundation Grant

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path College is the recipient of a $30,000 grant from the Berkshire Bank Foundation – Pioneer Valley, which establishes an endowed scholarship fund to support adult women who are earning their college degree through Bay Path’s One-day-a-week Saturday program. Michael Oleksak, president of the Berkshire Bank Foundation – Pioneer Valley, noted that it chose Bay Path’s innovative program since education is one of its main priorities.

Square One Adds Go FIT Program to Curriculum

SPRINGFIELD — Square One, formerly Springfield Day Nursery, recently announced the incorporation of the Go FIT program into its curriculum. Square One operates day-care and after-school programs in several locations serving more than 1,000 children daily in Greater Springfield and Holyoke. The ultimate goal of the collaboration, which includes partners like Springfield College, Partners for a Healthier Community, and the Food Bank of Western Mass., is to improve the overall health and well-being of families and children in the local communities.

Berkshire Hills Assets Climb

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Hills Bancorp, parent company of Berkshire Bank, recently reported 2007 third-quarter core income of $4.4 million. Core income increased by $0.01 per share before one-time items and Berkshire’s investment in new branches. Third-quarter core 2006 income was $4.7 million. Last year’s results included a $0.03 per-share one-time catch-up dividend received from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston. Berkshire’s investment in de novo branches increased expenses by $0.03 per share to $0.07 per share in this year’s third quarter, compared to $0.04 per share in 2006 (all per-share numbers are after-tax).

MassMutual Has Record Payout

SPRINGFIELD — MassMutual recently announced it has approved the payment of about $1.38 billion in dividends to eligible participating policyholders in 2008 — an 11.2% increase over the approved payout for 2007 and the largest ever for the company since it was founded in 1851. The total approved payout for 2008 reflects a dividend interest rate of 7.9% on most of its eligible participating policies, the company’s highest rate in five years. The previous record amount was the 2007 approved dividend payout of $1.25 billion.

City Contractor Achieves Firestone Award

SPRINGFIELD — Firestone Building Products Company recently named Morris Roofing & Sheet Metal Corp. a recipient of the 2007 Partner in Quality Award. The award recognizes the company for its commitment to installing quality roofing systems. The award recognizes contractors who installed a minimum of four warranteed Firestone roofs in each of the past five years, maintained at least 1 million square feet of Firestone roofs under warranty, and achieved an annual Quality Incidence Rating (QIR) of 2.0 or less. The Firestone QIR measures each contractor’s quality performance based on warranty repair incidences per million square feet under warranty.

Stuff a Stocking Receives Help From Baystate Rug

CHICOPEE — Stuff a Stocking’s campaign is underway, and Baystate Rug and Flooring has made a corporate donation to the local organization to kick off the holiday season. Stuff a Stocking tries to contribute at least two or three toys and food certificates to needy families in the city during the holidays. Stuff a Stocking organizers will host a breakfast buffet on Dec. 9 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Moose Family Center on Fuller Road to raise funds for its cause. For more information, contact Jorge Morgado at (413) 237-5316.

Business Weaving with Bread Bags

SPRINGFIELD — Valley Vogue Collections, a small business based in Indian Orchard Mills, has introduced a new series of bags that are woven from bread bags collected from Palmer’s Converse Middle School cafeteria. Dubbed the “Bread Bag,” the lunch bag is not only strong and durable, but can be rinsed and dried in time for the following day. Valley Vogue Collections plans to debut the lunch bag at a series of fairs and shows this holiday season.

All About You, LLC Debuts

WESTFIELD — Marge Pietras and Holly Proulx have opened All About You, LLC, a professional home-care company servicing clients and families in Hampden and Hampshire counties. The company specializes in case management, personal care, home management, and skilled nursing services. Both women are professional nurses who, combined, have more than 50 years of skilled nursing and administrative experience.

W.F. Young Purchases S.C. Firm

EAST LONGMEADOW — W. F. Young Inc. recently announced the acquisition of Equine America Inc., a South Carolina company that sells horse care products. Equine America product lines’ sales and marketing will be headquartered here. Tyler Young, president of W. F. Young, noted that the purchase of Equine America represents a significant step to broaden its product line and expand its market share within the equine health care industry. W. F. Young is best known for its Absorbine line of horse care products and the Absorbine Jr. line of consumer health care products.

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