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Celebrating 60

Holyoke Community College staged a 60th anniversary gala on June 7, on the college campus. Hundreds of alumni, current and former faculty and staff, and assorted friends of the college turned out to celebrate six decades of perseverance and innovation.


Above, from left, Former Mass. Lt. Governor Donald Dwight, former HCC President David M. Bartley, and former Holyoke Mayor William Taupier share some memories.


Dwight, whose family published the former Holyoke Daily Transcript, shows one of the papers from the days after a spectacular fire leveled the college and the school was fighting for its life.


View of the Future

Springfield Technology Community College recently staged pinning ceremonies for students in its School of Health. These are the 15 graduates of the Radiography program, within the Diagnostic Medical Imaging department. Other students in that department specialized in Sonography and Nuclear Medicine.


Coming to a Head

Brewmasters Tavern recently staged ground-breaking ceremonies for its new brewery, formerly the Williams House at 4 Main St., Williamsburg. The O’Leary Company, a design-build general contractor to design and construct the 3,975 square-foot, two-story addition. This addition will have a historic New England barn design and will house the brewing equipment.

Sections Supplements
Long-delayed Union Station Project May Still Get on Track
Union Station

Union Station

When the state Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) recently awarded Springfield $350,000 to create a new development plan for Union Station, it revived the hopes of those who believe the project holds the promise of economic development, higher property values, and a more vibrant lifestyle in downtown Springfield.

One thing it does not promise is instant gratification.

“This is a very large, complex, and lengthy project — a project that will take years to be completed,” said David Panagore, Springfield’s economic development director. “That said, there are substantial state and federal resources already leveraged.”

Indeed, $37 million in federal dollars alone have been earmarked toward the project, $7 million of which has already been spent on efforts to slow the building’s deterioration, including asbestos removal and a new roof. But the project has been stalled ever since.

As envisioned several years ago, an intermodal transportation project at Union Station, integrating intra-city and inter-city bus lines, taxi service, and Amtrak rail service — in addition to possible retail and office components — would cost $115 million to complete. Supporters of the project see that as a worthy investment.

“This project is a key step in the city regaining its stride as the driver of the Western Mass. economy,” Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray said in announcing the latest state grant.

That EOT grant was awarded to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA), which will work with the city and the Springfield Redevelopment Authority to develop a new, economically viable plan for the long-delayed project.

“The job here in Washington is getting the funding, and we’ve gotten a significant amount,” said U.S. Rep. Richard Neal. But now comes the hard part. The rest of the funds have long been frozen by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), which requires a certain degree of progress — and an economically feasible plan — before the funding becomes available in Springfield.

“I agree with holding the funding back,” Neal told BusinessWest. “You need progress, you need benchmarks, and you need some achievement. At the same time, you can’t overstate how difficult these projects are.”

With the vision of Union Station as a mixed-use boon for Springfield apparently still alive, city officials and planners hope the next several months provide answers — and some real progress on a project that some had considered dead in the water.

Train Not in Vain

On the contrary, said Neal, noting that transportation-oriented developments that mix transit with housing, restaurants, retail, and office space are on the rise nationwide. He cited a recent Wall Street Journal article detailing how cities across the U.S. — from Charlotte and Denver to Arlington, Va. and even Naugatuck, Conn. — have been banking on multimodal transit projects as economic drivers.

In fact, 100 such developments have already been completed across the country, with another 100 in the pipeline.

Research suggests benefits that go beyond mere transportation convenience. For example, the Journal article noted, economists from the University of North Texas found that, between 1997 and 2001, office properties near suburban Dallas Area Rapid Transit stations increased in value 53% more than comparable properties not served by rail, and values of residential properties rose 39% more.

That’s especially relevant in Springfield, which has been trying to attract more downtown commercial development and higher-value housing.

“These projects are very difficult, and the buildings we’re talking about here are old,” Neal said, referring to the two existing Union Station structures, totaling 213,000 square feet. “But there’s an emerging pattern across the country where these projects are beginning to catch on.”

He mentioned similar restorative projects he has observed in St. Louis and Albany — one a major metropolis, and one a city around Springfield’s size — as “impressive accomplishments” that might be duplicated here in Western Mass.

But the first step toward realizing that vision is a new plan. The PVTA will hire a consultant by the end of August, who will be charged with presenting a feasibility study and project plan to be submitted to state and federal agencies six months later.

“In the past, the prior administration had spent all the planning dollars that were made available by the EOT and the FTA, and this gives us a fresh start,” said Mary MacInnes, PVTA administrator. “If we didn’t have this funding, there would be no way for us to prepare a plan.”

The plan, she said, must propose a transportation component, detailing how PVTA buses, Peter Pan buses, taxis, and trains would serve the station. To that end, she said it’s important to involve potential stakeholders such as Peter Pan and Amtrak — which owns the actual track — early in the process. “We want to get these organizations in on the ground floor.”

Peter Picknelly, president of Peter Pan Bus Lines, said he wants to be involved in any discussion of the redevelopment of Union Station, which was built in 1926 but has been largely vacant for the past four decades.

“The reason we’ve been involved in these meetings is that the project cannot be viable without the inter-city bus,” Picknelly said. “We’re the major transportation component in this city. I don’t mean to be arrogant, but I don’t believe the project works without us.” He noted that 11,000 people enter the current downtown bus terminal every day, making it the most-trafficked building in Springfield.

Picknelly’s vision for Union Station goes beyond moving the bus terminal there, however. He told BusinessWest that he wants to work with the project’s development team to examine the possibility of making the Peter Pan company the site’s major tenant, moving its operations to Union Station and occupying up to 30,000 square feet of office space.

“If done correctly, this will be very good for downtown Springfield,” Picknelly said, noting that Peter Pan has participated in the Union Station revival efforts in Worcester and Hartford. “Those stations have been successful with trains, buses, and taxis combining. So we’re very supportive of this project. It could be the catalyst for real economic development downtown.”

Next Stop, Springfield

However, said Panagore, the first step is producing a study that grounds the eventual redevelopment in economic reality.

“Who are the projected users, and based on that, what would be the transit-related uses?” he asked. “Is there too much office space? Is it right-sized, or should it be smaller? We need to make a viable project that works for Springfield’s market realities.”

He said Springfield officials would like to avoid as much as possible the funding model of Worcester, in which the city underwrites a portion of the cost of its Union Station operations.

“At the end of the day,” Panagore said, “this needs to be sustainable, it has to be feasible, and it has to pay for itself.”

Whether or not the city can answer those questions could decide the fate of the federal money already earmarked, he said. “The federal government is looking for us to meet these benchmarks. Those funds are currently available, but we have to make sure they stay available.”

Neal said it’s a goal worth pursuing, not only because of the project’s projected economic benefits, but because of the significant emotional ties Union Station has for the city.

“This is where soldiers shipped off for World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, which highlights its significance in history,” he said. “But it also has considerable opportunity for the future.”

Still, with so much money on the line, said Panagore, city officials know that it’s crucial to get the details right, no matter how long the planning process might take.

“In everything we participate in, whether it’s the State Street Alliance or the work we’ve done with market-rate housing downtown, we’re making sure we do our work, our due diligence, up front,” he said. “What we want to create are sustainable, viable projects based on more than a wing and a prayer.

“We’ve been a big champion of this project,” he added. “Those funds were made available for Springfield, and they need to stay in Springfield.”

Neal agrees. “This has enormous potential,” he said. “And securing $37 million is no easy task in Washington.”

Neither, it seems, is bringing a complex, multi-modal transit project to fruition. But for those who believe Union Station could one day be a revitalizing force in downtown Springfield, it’s time — and eventually money, they hope — well-spent.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at[email protected]

Sections Supplements
Why 24/7 Won’t Get You Where You Want to Go

Not a day goes by when you ask someone how they’re doing, and they say, “busy!” We are overloaded and in serious danger of letting busyness get in the way of our success. When you are overscheduled, and can do nothing more than block and tackle through your day, you are not making time for what matters most in your career.

Successful people learn to make the leap from overscheduled professional to strategic leader. The leader’s job is not to do the work of the organization. It is to inspire others to accomplish the goals of the enterprise. The leader must articulate the vision and strategy and motivate others to accomplish clear goals. If you don’t make that your priority, you will never be as successful as you deserve to be.

Why Multi-tasking Fails

Many people believe they can multi-task their way to success. Sheryl, the senior vice president of a firm, won kudos from her team with her enormous capacity to take on projects and get things done. She was a consummate multi-tasker. Not only that, she was available to her team. She answered E-mail within minutes. Of course, that meant she worked into the wee hours of the night.

The feedback from her bosses was that she needed to become “more of a leader.” What they meant was that she needed to delegate activity and set a direction for the organization. They said she had the potential to run the firm someday if she could communicate this vision and drive results.

Even her team recognized that Sheryl needed to become more of a leader. They wished, for example, that she would make time for presentations and tout their great work to senior management. Sheryl said she was too busy to put together a presentation, and she felt it was practically impossible to carve out time.
She mistakenly believed it was impossible to change the way things were.

The Big Myth: You Cannot Multi-task Your Way to Success

Multi-tasking and busyness will only take you so far in your career. Yes, it’s great to be a hard worker, and everyone loves a boss who is responsive. But fill up your day with routine, mundane tasks, and you miss your real job.

Time and time again, when the company says that someone in its organization is high-potential but not ‘strategic,’ that’s a danger sign. It means that person is in danger of hitting a glass ceiling and getting stuck.

Fortunately, Sheryl took this to heart. She finally realized she couldn’t ‘do’ her way to success. She cleared her calendar and started delegating to her direct reports. She delayed some activities and actually deleted things she didn’t need to do. Then we worked on creating and articulating her vision and strategy. She also delivered presentations to senior management. It took time, but she was able to change her habits and therefore alter perceptions.

Case Study: Why Your Own Comfort Zone Will Kill You

Tom had a very different challenge. He always took time to speak to groups inside and outside his company. In fact, he was promoted to president of his division because he was good at standing up and speaking.

However, after his promotion, his focus remained on speaking, and he was failing to communicate with his own team. Eventually a mutiny began to unfold in Tom’s department. He was away so often that his employees would ask, “Tom who?” His absentee style meant he rarely scheduled meetings with his team, and even when he did, he was known to cancel because, you guessed it: he was “too busy.”

Danger Signs — You Are Not Spending Time Wisely

Tom was making a common mistake — doing what he enjoyed doing most, which meant not communicating with another very important audience. When he was promoted, he failed to develop new work habits that would help him be seen as a leader in his organization. This was compounded when he started blaming busyness. It was obvious he wasn’t making good use of his time.

Tom was never able to come to grips with this time-management challenge. He never set his priorities straight. One year later he was moved to an individual contributor role where he could continue his public speaking.

How to Avoid the Busy Trap and Do What’s Important

How do you know you’re spending time wisely, doing the things that will make you successful in the long term?

  • Get feedback on your communication strengths and weaknesses, as well as your time management. Ask a trusted advisor how you are doing.
  • If the feedback shows you need to improve, don’t blame others. Managing your time and communicating at the leadership level is up to you.
  • Be aware that if you have 500 E-mails in the inbox and 35 meetings on next week’s calendar, you are in danger of drowning in the day-to-day.
  • Block out strategic time. Think, write, and develop your own, strong viewpoint.
  • Write, present, and speak regularly. You will save time by communicating to your important audiences what needs to be done and encouraging them to do it.
  • Develop your skill at delivering your message in a clear, powerful way. Nothing is a bigger time-waster than having to go over the same messages again and again.

Case Study in Leadership Communication: Charlie

Charlie, the CEO of a troubled organization, was in a turnaround situation. He had to get the entire organization to see his vision and execute his strategy. Nothing would happen unless he convinced people to change. They had to be on board.

Charlie took a risky step. He decided to write a candid, forthcoming weekly E-mail to update everyone on the strategy and let them know whether the news was good or bad.

Every Friday afternoon, Charlie took the time to sit down and write. He put a lot of time and thought into this communication. Something amazing happened. People not only read the E-mail, they loved it. They forwarded it to other stakeholders who had a role in making change happen.

Good things started happening. The company turned around. People got behind the effort. Charlie credits those messages for his success in overcoming a very difficult situation.

Five Steps to Success

Managing your calendar and focusing more time on leadership and communication is a matter of thinking differently about your role in the organization. These five Rs can help you set priorities, manage your time, and effectively communicate with all of your important audiences.

Think of these 5 Rs as steps to success: recalibrate, rethink, retreat, reprioritize, and release.

Recalibrate

Recalibrate how you think about your role. Remember, your job is to lead. Instead of getting mired in the minutia of day-to-day business, take three hours, close your door, and brainstorm on strategy. When you start by taking small steps such as setting aside three hours of strategic thinking time on your calendar every week, you’ll find you want more. The only way to find time is to put it on your schedule.

Rethink

Rethink by analyzing and synthesizing information as you go. In all of your daily meetings and conversations, listen with a critical mind. For example, take time to encourage debate in a meeting so you refine your viewpoint. Ask questions. Challenge assumptions. This is a time-saver because when you more efficiently gather information, you can make decisions more quickly and move on to the next issue.

Retreat

Retreat regularly, in the office and on the road, in order to consider what’s important now. Your business is changing all the time, so you need to stay on top of it. These private retreats can happen any time of day. For example, if you want to prepare for a meeting, close your door, close your eyes, and think about the outcome you want. Jot down ideas. Even five or 10 minutes of preparation in a retreat can make a difference.

Reprioritize

We all get trapped in our own routines. We believe we have to attend certain meetings or oversee certain projects. We believe we are being productive. Yet if we are honest, there are high-priority activities that we are not doing. Be honest with yourself about how you are spending your time, and get your priorities aligned with your major goals.

Release

Release your ideas to the world. Don’t waste time thinking, reviewing, or revising once you have a direction. For example, I often speak to CEOs who know exactly where they want to take the organization, yet people in the company haven’t heard it. This may be one of the biggest time wasters. Set up meetings and presentations, formal and informal, and deliver your messages.

Suzanne Bates is president and CEO of Wellesley-based Bates Communications, and author of ‘Speak Like a CEO: Secrets for Commanding Attention and Getting Results.’ She is a former television news anchor who now works as an executive coach, speaker, and consultant;www.bates-communications.com

Sections Supplements
Some Groundbreaking Developments for WNEC’s Law School
Anthony Caprio and Arthur Gaudio

WNEC President Anthony Caprio, left, and Arthur Gaudio, dean of the law school, say the addition and planned renovations will modernize the school and more thoroughly integrate it with the rest of the college.

Arthur Gaudio took his pen and started tapping on features showcased in an architectural rendering of the $5.5 million, 10,500-square-foot addition and accompanying renovations to the Western New England College School of Law, which he serves as dean.

He started with the front entrance, which is rather unremarkable as front entrances go, except for the direction it faces — toward the rest of the Wilbraham Road campus. Since the law school was incorporated onto that campus in 1978 after operating out of offices in downtown Springfield, Gaudio explained, it has faced Bradley Road, giving the school a touch of separation that was never really appropriate, and is far less so today.

Indeed, the new entrance and its configuration is a small but significant bullet point with regard to the expansion, the first since the 100,000-square-foot S. Prestley Blake Law Center opened its doors. It is a symbolic gesture, designed to show how the law school is collaborating with other departments within the college, said Gaudio, building synergies for the betterment of both institutions.

“These include the Law and Business Center for Advancing Entrepreneurship, a joint Juris Doctor/MBA degree, a Biomedical Engineering/JD degree, and other initiatives,” he said, adding that, moving forward, more programs at the college will link with the law school in some way. “From a figurative standpoint, our new front door shows greater integration with the college.”

All other features of the expansion and renovation are rooted in 21st-century legal education, or, more specifically, how it is different than the 20th- or 19th-century models. While the subject matter being taught is in many ways the same as it was years ago, the methods for teaching it are not. Modern classrooms must be equipped with the latest telecommunications technology, Gaudio explained, and the renovation efforts will enable the law school to accommodate both current innovations — and the next generation of them as well.

The law school project is the most ambitious capital project undertaken as part of Transformations: The Campaign for Western New England College, the largest fund-raising effort in the college’s history, said long-time WNEC President Anthony Caprio, noting that the campaign is more than $18 million toward its $20 million goal.

Thus, the start of construction at the Blake Center is just one of many ground-breaking developments at the college, he said.

Digging for Evidence

Tracing the history of the law school, Gaudio said it opened in 1919 as part of the Springfield division of Northeastern University. Classes were small, some with as few as three people, he explained, and they were held in several locations downtown, including the old YMCA.

Incorporated as the Western New England College School of Law in 1951, the institution remained downtown for the next 20 years. In the early ’70s, school leaders decided to bring the law school to the Wilbraham Road campus and launched a capital campaign for the facilities. The school operated out of a building on Tinkham Road in the years before the Blake center opened its doors.

Talk about expansion of that facility began seven years ago, said Caprio, and centered mostly on the library and the need to make it a larger, more efficient facility. In more recent years, he explained, it became clear that other components, especially classrooms, needed to be modernized.

As he talked about the expansion and renovations, Gaudio stressed repeatedly that the school itself isn’t getting bigger — meaning from the standpoint of enrollment.

He said the college placed caps on enrollment several years ago — although there has been a surge in applications over the past five years even as numbers have dipped at other institutions — in an effort to maintain high standards for the school, which recently earned top marks at its most recent accreditation.

In fact, it was re-accredited unconditionally, which is rare, said Gaudio, and no doubt a reflection of both programmatic changes that have been made in recent years and blueprints for a larger law center.

Elaborating, he said the project, which will essentially add a floor to the Blake building, is designed to better serve students, give faculty members better and more modern facilities in which to teach and mentor students, and give several facilities and programs an opportunity to grow and better serve those utilizing them.

At the top of this list is the law school library, which will be expanded to become what Gaudio called a “fully integrated information center” that would serve current students, faculty, and the community as a whole. More than 60% of the lawyers working in Hampden County are graduates of WNEC law, he said, and many make use of the school’s law library.

The planned renovations will expand the library’s footprint, said Gaudio, noting that all administrative offices, including admissions, will be relocated into the addition, providing several thousand more square feet for the library. But, in essence, the project will remove the library’s walls, from a physical standpoint, and make the Blake building as a whole a learning and research center.

“The edge of the library is no longer the edge of the library — it’s the edge of the building,” he said, adding that, through wireless technology, students will be able to access information digitally. “We’re expanding the places where you can receive library information and materials, thus allowing people the opportunity to advance their education.”

Beyond the expansion and streamlining of library facilities and operations, the law school project, designed by Tessier & Associates, with Fontaine Brothers serving as general contractor, will also focus on classrooms, said Gaudio, and specifically the school’s commitment to small, 50-student teaching sections and the new era of information technology in which learning takes place.

This means that some of the current classrooms will be refurbished and made smaller, while others will undergo similar modernization and made larger.

“When this building opened, professors used the standard whiteboard at the front of the room; they talked, and students took notes,” Gaudio explained. “We’re moving from notebook paper and pen to notebook computer and mouse, and we are accommodating all the technology that people use to teach now — from PowerPoint to online materials.

“We’re coming up to date,” he continued, “but we’re doing more than that — we’re looking down the road and anticipating what we’ll need to stay on the cutting edge in legal education.”

The renovated Law Center will also house the College’s Law and Business Center for Advancing Entrepreneurship, a joint effort of the college’s law school and School of Business that has been housed at the Scibelli Enterprise Center at Springfield Technical Community College since it opened in 2005.

The entrepreneurship center works with area small business owners by linking them with law and business students who act as unpaid consultants, providing assistance with everything from choosing a business entity to writing a business plan.

The larger facilities, located right on campus, will enable the center to serve more start-up and small businesses, said Caprio. “It will help furnish the best foundation to sustain their companies,” he said, “while developing them into thriving commercial enterprises, and contribute to a new era of economic and social prosperity for the region.”

Case Summation

As he looked closely at the architectural rendering, Gaudio noticed that someone had somehow placed his face on one of the ‘people’ who appear in the drawing.
Laughing off this development, sort of, he said he doesn’t mind being the face of the law school’s expansion and renovation.

The real face, however, is the new front door, which has the law school looking in a new direction — literally and figuratively.

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

Sections Supplements
HCC Celebrates 60 Years — and a Tradition of Perseverance and Innovation
David Bartley

David Bartley, past president of HCC, poses with a caricature of himself, drawn as part of the college’s 60th anniversary celebration.

David Bartley, former president of Holyoke Community College, said the institution’s 60th anniversary, marked this year, has caused him to remember HCC’s past and look to its future, as well as the changes higher education has seen across the country.

“We used to run colleges with chalk and talk,” he said. “Today, there’s $100,000 worth of equipment in a classroom that has to be continuously updated, and that’s not ever going to change.”

It has indeed been a good month for reflection for both Bartley and HCC’s current president, William Messner, who took his post three years ago. The duo represents two-thirds of HCC’s history of leadership; its first president, George Frost, served from 1947 to 1975, then Bartley held that position until 2003.

“It’s a little daunting to be one of only three presidents,” said Messner, “but what I take away from this 60th anniversary is the overwhelming positivity surrounding the institution. Every individual I’ve talked to recently cites the college’s significant effect on their life, and so it is my job to take that legacy to the next level.”

From the Ground Up

Even with only three presidents in six decades, the college has indeed had a colorful run. It was founded in 1946 as Holyoke Graduate School, and in 1947 changed its name to Holyoke Junior College following state-level legislation that permitted municipal higher education programs to do so.

Frost was the college’s only full-time employee for six years, before Ellen Lynch was appointed his secretary. They shared an office in what was once the cloakroom of the old Holyoke High School building. Additional full-time employees — two full-time professors — were not hired for another five years, in 1958.

Frost called students personally with end-of-semester grades and announcements, and the school funded faculty salaries and operating expenses with tuition payments only — which were $6 per credit for Holyoke residents and $7 for non-residents.

In 1961, Holyoke Junior College moved from its temporary home in Holyoke High School to the former Elmwood Elementary School on South Street, where it remained for six years. In 1965, the institution joined the state community college system and changed its name to Holyoke Community College. Four years later, the college moved again to the Holyoke High School building, which by that time had been turned over to HCC following the construction of a new high school.

Less than four months later, however, disaster struck — the building went up in flames (the cause was thought to be a faulty ventilation fan in the attic), leaving nothing but a brick shell. Operations were returned quickly to the Elmwood Elementary School, and students missed only one day of classes. But a new threat soon surfaced.

With the newly opened Springfield Technical College (now STCC) only a few miles away, the Mass. Board of Regional Community Colleges backed a move to relocate HCC’s students to STC and forego building a new home for the former.

Remembering the fire and the precipice on which it placed HCC, Bartley quoted John F. Kennedy.

“Victory has 100 fathers, and defeat has none,” he said. “The fire in 1968 had a lot of people saying we only needed one college in this section of the Valley, and we did a lot of work to point out why we needed two. Now, there are two very successful community colleges in the area, and we believe we had our victory.”

Out of the Frying Pan…

Indeed, a group of Holyoke-based civic leaders, educators, and business owners formed the Friends of Holyoke Community College and lobbied to save HCC. Holyoke’s mayor at the time, William Taupier, and the president of the state senate, Sen. Maurice Donahue, a friend of Frost’s, were among those who supported the cause, and in 1969, a temporary building on the site of the fire had been erected.

Plans for a new campus were unveiled, and the current campus on Homestead Ave. was opened in 1974.

Frost retired soon after his so-called “final task” was completed, and Bartley took the helm, beginning his nearly three-decade-long career as HCC’s president. His first act at the post was to appoint his predecessor as founding director of the alumni association.

All of these stories, and countless others, were on Bartley’s mind this month, when the college celebrated formally with a number of community, civic, and business leaders from across the region.

“I was delighted that we were able to talk about the past, but the real key is the future,” said Bartley. “I think some of the challenges of yesterday are still there — the college has to keep abreast of developing curricula nationwide, and make sure courses are relevant to the industries of today.”

During his tenure, Bartley watched the advent of computer technology take a front-row seat in higher education. He said the adoption of modern modes of telecommunication went relatively smoothly at HCC, but it also marked a cultural shift on college campuses across the country that brought with it some new hurdles to clear.

“People understood it was necessary, or else the students would change and evolve faster than the curriculum,” he said. “We expanded the electronics offerings dramatically, while staying true to the basics.

“The college has always been current, but challenges revolve around funding new programs, and that’s not going to get any cheaper as time goes on,” he added. “Education is a slow and labor-intensive industry, and because its core product is the imparting of knowledge, it will always be that way.”

Messner agreed, noting that he, too, has seen some of those pervasive challenges shaping decisions at HCC, as well as a host of new concerns.

“Fifty percent of the work day is spent on resource development,” he said. “It’s no secret that competition for state dollars is becoming more acute, and we have to fill the gap some way.”

The college recently completed the Gift of Opportunity campaign to help close that gap, raising $5.2 million — $1.2 million beyond its goal. In addition, a number of programs are in place to capitalize on HCC’s existing strengths and address burgeoning challenges.

“We’ve been doing several things over the past few years to ensure that the quality of programming, and the education the institution has been known for, stays solidly in place,” said Messner. “We’ve needed to build the number of full-time faculty since that number eroded, primarily through attrition, between 2001 and 2003, when the state was suffering economically.”

He said that cutting back on faculty during tight financial times is a good short-term economic strategy, but has an adverse effect in the long term. Currently, the faculty has been boosted to represent the same numbers as in 2001, and as enrollment grows, further additions are planned.

“We’re filling about a dozen spots now,” he said, noting that lowering faculty-to-student ratios is just one part of a larger move to improve operations across the campus. “Another thing we’re doing a better job of is assessing how we are doing in general. We’re looking specifically at how new students are treated — we’ve been involved in a nationwide program called Foundations of Excellence, for instance, which provides support to institutions in assessing the freshman experience.”
Those initiatives are just two examples of an ongoing objective at HCC: to stay available to the community at large.

“The demographics in this area are changing dramatically,” said Messner. “Many individuals are coming to the region with a lack of education, or a lack of a tradition of education, both of which are intrinsic to a strong workforce. As the population has changed, we have needed to change our approach in terms of reaching out to these groups that are part of the community.”

Messner said a wide array of initiatives have been put into place to recruit students and enhance their college experience, ranging from an outreach program geared toward the Latino population to college programs for high school students, to introduce them to the campus and allow them to experience higher education early on.

“We’re also working with students who haven’t come through the high school pipeline and instead took the GED, and are looking for the next step,” he said. “We’re using the GED as a new pathway into HCC, and that’s an example of one strategy to make higher education more accessible.”

These initiatives, in turn, have two divergent goals: the provision of quality education for a diverse community, and the creation of a steady stream of both individuals and resources aimed at workforce development in the region.

One of the most notable developments in that regard was the $18 million Kittredge Workforce Development Center, which opened in 2006. The 55,000-square-foot, five-story building is home to the school’s Business Division and HCC’s Community Services Department, which offers many of the programs Messner spoke of, including GED preparation and testing and summer youth programs.

The center also hosts a number of economic-development and workforce-development-related agencies. These include HCC’s Center for Business and Professional Development, which offers a wide range of workforce-development services designed to assess employee skills, identify knowledge gaps, and conduct training to remediate deficiencies; WISER, home to the country’s leading database for international trade statistics, which relocated to HCC from UMass in 2005; and the Western Mass. office of the Mass. Export Center, will offers market research, export training, and international business development resources.

The center also features 4,000 square feet of conference/meeting spaces equipped with high-speed and wireless Internet, videoconferencing, and state-of-the-art lighting and projection. Messner said the center is an excellent example of new technology and modes of thinking taking HCC’s long-held strength in community, career, and resource development to a new, more relevant level.

“Workforce development has been a strength for 60 years,” he said, “and with the new business building, we can expand into a variety of programs that we didn’t have 20 years ago, and there will be even more opportunity for the students to move forward. Workforce development offerings have increased by 20%, and we’re just gearing up.”

Those programs, said Messner, are just one aspect of bringing a long-held mission at HCC forward into fast-changing times. Concurrently, both he and Bartley hope that some strengths at the college stay largely the same, serving as a foundation for further growth in the future.

Blaze of Glory

“I, for one, am appalled by lecture halls holding 500 people,” said Bartley. “No learning takes place, and that’s not what a community college does. It’s certainly not something I ever hope to see at HCC.”

Looking back on 60 years and looking ahead to the next 60, Bartley mused that today’s dynamic, computer-based presentations in the classroom and the cutting-edge technology of the Kittredge Center are developments that were necessary to bring HCC current in a fast-changing world.

But a little chalk-talk can still take an institution a long way — out of the fire, and into the fight.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Sections Supplements
Candlewood Suites Takes Aim at the Extended-stay Market
Ray Desai

Ray Desai was looking for an established, well-respected hotel brand to bring to his property on Riverdale Street in West Springfield — and found one in Candlewood Suites.

“Consider us home.”

That’s the marketing pitch used by the Candlewood Suites chain of hotels, and Ray Desai believes that phrase sums up perfectly what his latest entrepreneurial venture provides. Specifically, a home away from home for those who are going to be on the road — or out of their own home — for an extended period.

This constituency includes consultants, contract nurses, construction managers on out-of-town assignments, doctors recently hired by area hospitals, executives settling into new jobs before they settle into the area, and people remodeling their houses or condos. Each of these groups is represented on the current guest list at the 71-room Candlewood Suites facility that Desai constructed on the site of the former Roadway Inn he owned for several years on Riverdale Street in West Springfield.

An immigrant from Gujarat, India, Desai segued into the hospitality business following a stint working for the Conn. Department of Health as a chemist. He cut his teeth in the hotel business working beside his brother, who came to the U.S. about a decade before Desai did and eventually came to own a string of hotels in the Northeast.

Desai started with the Roadway Inn, originally an independent operation known as the Knoll Motel, and later acquired the Econo Lodge on Elm Street in West Springfield. He wanted a new, more modern venture for the Roadway property, however, and waited patiently for the right franchise opportunity, one that would give him a somewhat unique niche in the region’s highly competitive hospitality sector.

He found one in Candlewood Suites, which be believes is the leader in the so-called extended-stay category within the hotel sector, status achieved through a sharp focus on replicating ‘home’ in every way possible, from a pool and fully equipped gym to flat-screen televisions, kitchens with full sets of appliances, and a gazebo and barbecue grill outside.

“It’s home for people who can’t be at home,” said Desai, who invested $6.5 million in the venture, which he expects will not be his last in this region. He told BusinessWest that he is looking at several sites in Western Mass., and will likely add to his portfolio in the years ahead.

For now, though most of his concentration is focused on Candlewood, and gaining a large share of the expanding extended-stay market in the Pioneer Valley.

Staying Power

It is Wednesday, and the ‘cupboard’ is, well, almost bare — but not for long.

That’s the name of a small grocery store, for lack of a better term, located just off the front lobby that is a feature at all Candlewood Suites facilities. Stocked with items ranging from ice cream bars to microwavable dinners to bagels, the cupboard is a popular stop for those on extended stays who don’t want to travel to area restaurants, and also for those who choose the hotel for a weekend stay while visiting Six Flags or any of the region’s other tourist attractions.

There were many such guests that week, which explained why the cupboard needed to be restocked, said Susan Daley, the facility’s general manager, adding that the store is one of many amenities that has helped the hotel get off to a fast start since it opened last Christmas.

Winter is a relatively slow period in the local hotel industry, she explained, but a good time to open a new facility because it gives staff an opportunity to work out any kinks and fine-tune efforts in the broad realm of customer service. This is important, she said, because a hotel’s ability to approximate ‘home’ comes not only with amenities and a look — but also with a feel.

“And here, people do feel that they are at home,” she explained. “They feel comfortable, and because many are here for extended stays, they almost become family.

“You come to know everyone by their first names because you see them every day; you don’t get that experience at other hotels.”

These were the tangibles and intangibles that appealed to Desai as he was looking for a brand he could bring to the Roadway Inn site. This was a quest complicated by the fact that most major chains are well-represented in the area, and most of the familiar names in the industry already have sites on Riverdale Street.

One brand that hadn’t penetrated the market was Candlewood Suites, a member of the Intercontinental Hotels Group, which also includes Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, Hotel Indigo, and Staybridge Suites. There are now more than 100 Candlewood Suites locations across the country, including three in Massachusetts (the others are in Braintree and Burlington), and two in Connecticut — in Meriden and a recently opened facility near Bradley International Airport.

Thorough research and market analysis provided Desai with the supporting evidence needed to convince the International Hotels Group that there was, indeed, room for another extended-stay facility in the Greater Springfield area — there are already several in the region. That research concluded that the Valley’s many colleges, hospitals, and other major employers would provide an adequate base for room occupancy. Meanwhile, the region’s strong tourism base and location off major highways would provide additional support.

The Roadway Inn was razed in late 2005, with construction of the Candlewood Suites, which would take roughly a year to complete, started soon thereafter.
Desai said the chain has strict standards with regard to room size and amenities — which he met — but he also built in several features that would not be considered standard equipment. These include the pool and Jacuzzi, located in the basement, which have become popular with both families and health-conscious professionals alike, said Daley.

Another non-standard feature is the gazebo, complete with a gas grill, which has become a popular option for cooking, eating, and relaxing during the summer months.

Sixteen of the 71 rooms are larger, two-room suites, popular with those staying several weeks or months, while the rest are comprised of one larger room. All rooms come complete with a full kitchen, the aforementioned flat-screen TV, DVD player, Internet access, and other features.

To date, business has been steady and improving, said Daley, with occupancy rates near 60% on weekdays and higher on weekends, especially since Six Flags opened. To build on that solid start, the management team, which also includes sales director Tina Lenke, is working to build relationships with area companies that make use of extended-stay facilities, while also building awareness of a brand that is well-known in other parts of the country, but not necessarily in the Pioneer Valley.

“Experienced travelers know that name, and some look for it wherever they go — they want to stay at a Candlewood,” said Daley. “Our job is to make acquaintances with those who don’t know the name.”

Checking Out

As she offered a tour of the facilities, Daley stopped at one of the suites. Among the items she pointed out was a laundry basket placed at the bottom of the closet.
Each room comes with one, and the laundry facilities in the basement are offered free of charge. It’s a small but rather unique service within the industry, Daley said, noting that at most hotels, guests are scrambling to find quarters.

“It’s just another way we try to make feel comfortable, like they’re at home,” she said. “This isn’t really home …. but it’s close.”

Cover Story
Hotel Northampton’s New Owners Bring Global Appeal to a National Landmark
June 25, 2007

June 25, 2007

When they arrived at the Hotel Northampton as members of the management team assembled by new owners in 1992, Mansour Ghalibaf and Tony Murkett quickly found that the King Street landmark was not as hospitable as they would have hoped. Now the hotel’s owners themselves, the partners, who helped write an inspiring and still-ongoing turnaround story at the 80-year-old facility, have plans to give this local icon some worldwide appeal.

When Tony Murkett, one of the owners of Hotel Northampton, arrived in the U.S. via Great Britain earlier this month, co-owner Mansour Ghalibaf had some news for him.

“He said, ‘I’m sorry, but we’re completely booked — we’ll have to find somewhere else for you to stay,’” said Murkett, who picked up his bags and drove down Route 9 to Hadley, where he checked into the recently opened Courtyard Marriott.

“But that’s good news,” Murkett added quickly. “I think any hotel owner would be just as overjoyed as I was to be booked out of his own place.”

Murkett and Ghalibaf, who collectively bring more than 60 years of experience to their new venture, purchased the 80-year-old landmark for $11.8 million on Oct. 23, 2006. Earlier this month, they held a gala to celebrate the purchase, and to thank their many colleagues, employees, and friends.

But they were also commemorating an already-long history with the hotel, having served as its senior management team for 15 years prior to taking ownership. During that time, the two men played integral roles in rescuing the hotel from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, restoring its historic beauty, and revamping its suite of services to attract the most discerning guests.

As its owners, they are not wont to rest on their laurels, however. There are plenty of plans brewing for the building, which is listed on the Historic Hotels of America roster, and as such, has some considerable cache both locally and nationally.

One of the most pressing orders of business, the partners say, will be to preserve that reputation, and make it even stronger worldwide.

Up Ahead in the Distance

Work to that end began for Ghalibaf and Murkett in the early 1990s. The hotel was purchased from David, Neil, and Steven Rostoff, by Norwegian hospitality mogul Egil Braathen, now in his nineties, who at one time owned a vast array of properties in locations around the globe. At the time, the hotel was in dire financial straits — Steven and David Rostoff were later sentenced to jail after being found guilty of fraud.

Murkett, a hotelier with more than 35 years of experience who was once one of the U.K.’s youngest hotel managers, at the posh Grovener House in London at age 33, said Braathen, a mentor, asked him to look after the property for him.

“He had a huge empire around the world,” said Murkett, “and is a great friend. I felt confident about the opportunity.”

Braathen actually bought Hotel Northampton sight unseen, and oversaw its operation from afar, entrusting Murkett, who served as a liaison between Europe and the States, and Ghalibaf, who first signed on as general manager in 1990 under the Rostoffs’ management, with the details.

Ghalibaf has been a hospitality professional for 28 years, the bulk of that time spent in Boston, in a number of positions within Sheraton and Hilton hotels.

“I started in the front office, and have worked in almost every position since then — food service, housekeeping, accounting, and management,” he said. “Because I gained knowledge in so many departments, I eventually became a sort of trouble-shooter, or internal auditor.”

When he first arrived at Hotel Northampton as its comptroller Ghalibaf had to validate that reputation rather quickly. He said the historic establishment was in Chapter 11, but also had a number of organizational and infrastructure problems. When he took on the position, one of his first tasks was to actually turn on a cobwebbed computer that would track the hotel’s progress — and its budget.

“The place was in disrepair,” he said. “I was hired to essentially create a better management system; in many ways, it was still being run as a sort of mom-and-pop shop. We did everything we could to get it out of bankruptcy — we put things in place to create projections and goals, track finances, and improve the service and care of our clients. We also began renovations at that time.”

Murkett and Ghalibaf, who was soon promoted to general manager, remained Braathen’s trusted advisors, pulling the Hotel Northampton out of the red and also making gradual, yet constant, improvements and repairs to nearly every aspect of the property. Since 1992, the renovations have totaled more than $7 million.

Improvements have included the addition of six new luxury suites on the Gothic Street side of the property dubbed Gothic Gardens, a renovation and redesign of the hotel’s ballroom, and upgrades to both rooms and facilities, including the exterior of the building, its food service area, and Wiggins Tavern, its onsite restaurant.

Curbside appeal was improved, and fencing around the perimeter of the building — for security as well as a better definition of the property — was also added.
“Together, we changed the rules a bit regarding the way the hotel was run,” said Murkett, “and in the process, we developed a rather nice friendship. We’ve been two chaps in it together from day one.”

A Shimmering Light

When Braathen decided to sell the property, he gave Murkett and Ghalibaf right of first refusal, and the two chose to finish what that had started — the preservation of an historic site — but also begin their own small empire.

“My personal plan for this property is to keep the quality consistent and to improve as much as we can,” said Ghalibaf, who noted the deal was financed by Florence Savings Bank. “Taking over its ownership was a very comfortable arrangement; we have a good relationship with the previous owner, and that relationship was very important to the well-being of the hotel. I’m happy to say we’ve done better every year than the last since 1992.”

Ghalibaf continues to oversee day-to-day operations, keeping a close eye on everything from guest relations to ongoing renovations. When he spoke with BusinessWest, he had just finished helping the maintenance staff hang a framed photo of the Dalai Lama, a recent guest, who joins the ranks of famous visitors to the hotel including John F. Kennedy, Bob Dylan, and king of Saudi Arabia.

Attention to detail has led to some prosperous business niches for the hotel, including the banquet sector. Today, the hotel hosts about 100 weddings a year, as well as a large number of corporate events.

“One of the reasons we are very popular for weddings is simply because when the bride leaves the ballroom for the lobby, she doesn’t come face-to-face with another bride,” said Ghalibaf. “And nearly every prestigious company in the Valley has used us for their hospitality needs — the ambiance and the quality we strive to maintain has no match, especially because of its historic nature.”

But that’s not to say there isn’t room for further improvements or changes to the current business model.

“We’d like to add an additional 50 or 60 rooms,” Ghalibaf said, “and if the opportunity to do so presents itself in the future, that will definitely happen.”

Murkett concurred. “At the top of our minds is expansion,” he said, noting that in years past, there have been negotiations to acquire the gas station adjacent to the property with the goal of constructing either additional rooms, a parking garage, or perhaps both.

Those talks fell through, but Murkett said the plans are not dead on the vine.

“We are still minded to do that — we have 108 rooms at the moment and one ballroom, and we’d like to put ourselves in the convention market fairly and squarely,” he said. “To do so, we need more guest rooms and larger ballroom space.”

In addition, renovations both large and small are an everyday reality at the property, and both partners said they see no signs of slowing in that regard.

“We have a constant refurbishment program that never seems to stop, but that has kept us well ahead of the game,” said Murkett. “We’re currently thinking of a new bedroom and bathroom project, and we’re also concentrating our efforts around food and presentation. Our chef (Robert Tessier) is very entrepreneurial, and we let him be so, because that’s how that department flourishes.”

Ghalibaf added that Wiggins Tavern is also slated to receive a slightly new identity.

“There are some plans to reorganize and make the tavern even more of a presence,” he said, “and that’s an example of expanding on good business — it’s doing very well.”

Murkett, who maintains a post at the Sloan Club in London’s upscale section of Chelsea, visits Hotel Northampton six to eight times a year, and, as he’s found out, doesn’t always have a bed waiting for him. That’s a trend he’d like to see continue.

“We’ve seen it rise from a hotel on its knees in the early 1990s,” he said, “so in our minds, anything is possible, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t go even higher.

“We have an incredible following locally,” he added. “I’m always amazed by how the hotel touches lives. Because of that, we do well as a leisure hotel, and the local community serves as our cornerstones —supporting us, but also lending the flavor that makes us special.”

While optimism abounds, the partners face a number of challenges as they work to expand and continually improve the hotel. Across the hospitality sector, staffing is a pervasive issue, and as the landmark continues to raise its profile, its employees must reflect that same standard of excellence.

“Recruitment is a challenge, as is finding and keeping good people,” said Murkett. “There is a huge demand for service people in this part of America, and there’s a great demand for good people everywhere. It’s one aspect of this business we need to remain mindful of, because it ensures that we’re always competitive — it’s easy to become complacent when business has been good to us over the years.”

Awareness of what other establishments are offering is another part of maintaining that competitive edge, he said, and remaining aware of the wants and needs of various consumer sectors — leisure travelers, but also business and family-stay guests — is a key element of a successful hospitality venture. It ensures that rooms are well-appointed for a variety of clients, and, in turn, that they are easily booked.

Ghalibaf said the partners’ acceptance that their work to improve and promote the hotel will never truly be done is one reason why they have succeeded.

“It all comes down to working continuously within a business plan,” he said, “one that results in clients who are loyal.”

What a Lovely Place

And Murkett, who found no room at his own inn this month, agrees that it’s a wonderful life.

“I love it,” he said. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to manage some beautiful properties, and this hotel is one.”

He continues to believe so even from the outside, walking away from Hotel Northampton with his suitcase in hand — happy to let others enjoy the comfort and character that took 15 years to create, and is still in the making.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Departments

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

Alexander, Marilyn
23 Riviera Dr.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/18/07

Amato, Beverly D.
P.O. Box 1105
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/18/07

Bard, Bryan S.
19 Woronoco Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/31/07

Baronas, Lisa M.
P.O. Box 476
Ashfield, MA 01330
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/30/07

Baysinger, Tina M.
210 Loomis St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/23/07

Bloo Solutions
Beaudry, Jeremiah Andrew-Rene
63 Ludger Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/18/07

Borelli, David S.
P.O. Box 269
West Warren, MA 01092
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/22/07

Borelli-Huckins, Jennifer E.
57 Hillside Village
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/22/07

Bronson, David J.
60 Little Alum Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/24/07

Burke, Kathleen S.
224 Elm St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/18/07

Canuel, Joseph Robert
49 Maple St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/18/07

Christianson, Charles R.
Christianson, Ruth A.
1 Powers Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/24/07

Ciepiela, Jane Jennifer
25 Livingston Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/29/07

Circosta, Samuel R.
171 Morton St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/16/07

Crocker, Donald W.
Sierra Landscaping
20 Elm St.
P.O. Box 471
Monson, MA 01057
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/30/07

Curtis, Cynthia L.
802 Alden St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/30/07

Dauphinais, Anthony B.
125 Chapman St., Apt. #2
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/22/07

Gaffney, Tracy A.
a/k/a Schlichting, Tracy A.
350 Meadow St., Apt. 6
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/16/07

Gaines, Daniel L.
Gaines, Lori Ann
148 Maple St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/18/07

Gamelli, Linda L.
44 Elbert St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/16/07

Garcia, Aurora
97 Somerset St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/16/07

Gariepy, Kelly P.
a/k/a St. Pierre, Kelly
184 Susan Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/30/07

Granger, Michael F.
25 Roanake St.
West Springfield, MA 01089-3711
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/28/07

Green, Paris Y.
a/k/a Green, Paris Yulonda
62 Corey Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/21/07

Hedblom, Tymythy H.
51 Edwards Road
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/16/07

Hudson, Kelly L.
a/k/a Heil Hudson, Kelly L
43 Sherman Hill Road
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/30/07

Hutchins Tool & Engineering Co. Inc.
1047 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/16/07

 

Koenig, Jeffrey M.
689 Elm St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/22/07

Kuczarski, Christopher F.
Kuczarski, Charlene H.
187 Winton St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/29/07

Latour, Nathan A.
23 Washington St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/30/07

Lefrancois, Harvey J.
Lefrancois, Jenny R.
a/k/a Noyes, Jenny R.
153 Freedom St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/22/07

Markol, Peter J.
Markol Custom Homes
Markol Builders
31 Dry Hill Road
Montague, MA 01351
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/30/07

Martin, Michael
PO Box 238
Chester, MA 01011
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/30/07

McQuillan, Catherine M.
40 Oak Ridge St.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/28/07

Niedlzielski, Robert John
24 Howard Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/31/07

Patnode, Roger C.
59 Mobile Home Way
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/21/07

Reed, Susan
P.O. Box 1004
Dennisport, MA 02639
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/18/07

Schrems, Stephen A.
7 Deerfield Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/22/07

Scott, Kenneth P.
Scott’s Heating Service
Scott’s Heating Fuel
36 Longview Dr.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/30/07

Smith, Charles
Soldiers Home
110 Cherry St
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/30/07

Smith, Donald A.
115 Birchland Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/17/07

Soha, Matthew R.
31 Summer St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/25/07

Sprague, Theresa L.
125 April Lane
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/21/07

Stewart, Renee M.
5 Laramee Green West
Springfield, MA 01151
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/25/07

Sullivan, John P.
2063 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/24/07

Sweet, Adam R.
708 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/23/07

Tobin, Jeanne Marie
D/B/A USborne Books
7 Deerfield Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/22/07

Tucker, Scott A.
211 Cady St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/24/07

Walas, Edward A.
50 Chestnut St. #10
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/30/07

Wandrei, Jason R.
6 Smith St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/30/07

Watson, Lancelot V.
31 Ely Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/29/07

Wilson, Cynthia J.
1031 Liberty St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/22/07

Wolfe, Jessica A.
86 Woodruff St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 05/29/07

Young, Donnette D.M.
26 Leonard St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 05/21/07

Departments

Friendly Sale Brings Showdown to an End

WILBRAHAM — The board of directors for Friendly Ice Cream Corp. has unanimously approved a sale of the chain to a division of the private equity firm Sun Capital Partners Inc., a move that will head off a proxy battle showdown and end a bitter lawsuit filed by the company’s cofounder that accused the current chairman of mismanagement. The $337 million deal was struck on June 17 and it is expected to close this year. The all-cash deal calls for payment of $15.50 per share, an 8.2% premium over the closing price of the company’s stock on the Friday before the sale was announced. The deal requires the resignation of all board members, except George Condos, who recently took over as president and CEO. While the long-term ramifications of selling Friendly’s to Sun Capital Partners, which has turned around such brands as Bruegger’s Bagels and Fazoli’s, a casual Italian restaurant chain, are not known, short-term, the move some relative peace to the company. In addition to the lawsuit filed by cofounder S. Prestley Blake against chairman Donald Smith, the company was also staring a potentially ugly proxy fight involving its largest shareholder, Sardar Biglari, who was offered a seat on the board, but demanded two.

Goyette Admits to Extortion

SPRINGFIELD — Former Chicopee Mayor Richard R. Goyette pled guilty to extortion in a public courtroom June 13 after watching two videotapes showing him taking bribes from Charles M. Swider, a local towing company owner, and Donald Szczebak, a real estate developer in Chicopee, another FBI informant. Goyette is charged with two counts of extorting $5,000 from contractors doing business with the city. Goyette faces up to 51 months in federal prison, and is expected to be sentenced on Oct. 3. He is the first Chicopee mayor to be indicted.

Mixed-use Project Planned for Palmer Parcel

PALMER — A mountainous 150-acre parcel off Route 32 is being considered for a mixed-use project that could include office and retail space as well as housing. The parcel, owned by Northeast Realty Associates of East Longmeadow, is adjacent to a Massachusetts Turnpike exit, which makes the site even more desirable for developers, according to company officials. The project is still in its infancy, but the first phase of the front 10 acres has already received Planning Board approval. Northeast recently received a one-year extension of its special permit for that phase that includes a fast-food eatery, a gas station-convenience store and bank, and two family-style restaurants. Northeast officials note that future plans could include a hotel, a residential component, and a casino if casino gambling becomes legal in the state.

Developer Pulls Out Of Westfield Hotel Project

WESTFIELD — Local businessman John E. Reed has walked away from a proposed downtown hotel and transit center venture with the city after considerable personal regret. At one time Reed considered the proposed 48-room hotel a legacy project of his; however, at this time he feels the project would be a losing proposition financially. Reed noted that considerable delays on the public side of the project, as well as a recent announcement of a new 86-room Holiday Inn Express near the Massachusetts Turnpike Interchange, led to his decision. Community Development Director James M. Boardman noted that the city will continue plans for the transit center portion of the project and will search for a new developer to create the hotel concept.

FDR Museum Selects Chicopee for New Home

CHICOPEE — The original historic Chicopee Public Library in Market Square will be transformed over the coming months to accommodate the Franklin D. Roosevelt American Heritage Center Museum (FDR Center Museum), which recently vacated Worcester’s Union Station. Dr. Joseph J. Plaud, president and founder of the museum, said the new space is significantly larger than the Worcester location, with greater potential for further development in the future. The FDR Center Museum will also become an active partner with Elms College in the establishment of a Roosevelt Public Policy Institute to teach students about the New Deal legacy, provide students with internships and other learning opportunities, and formulate and promote public policies based upon the principles of the New Deal. In addition, Plaud sees the museum as a centerpiece for downtown Chicopee cultural offerings to children, college students, area residents, and tourists interested in the history and culture of the generation that fought the Great Depression and World War II.

Survey: Orientation Programs Can Be Effective

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Although businesses want new staff to hit the ground running, some firms may be hindering employees by not offering enough resources during their first days on the job. According to a recent survey, one-third of workers said their employers offered no formal orientation program when they joined the company. This could be a missed opportunity — a large majority of respondents (87%) who received this type of training said it helped prepare them for success with the organization. To be effective, the orientation process must be an ongoing one, according to Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. He added that managers should consider assigning new staff a mentor who can provide guidance and answer questions. The survey was developed by Robert Half International, and includes responses from 492 full- or part-time workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments.

Pet Services Directory Available

NORTHAMPTON — A directory listing local pet care providers is now available thanks to the efforts of local businesswomen Elise Gouge and Alyssa B. Ward. The directory includes veterinarians, trainers, groomers, doggie day cares, kennels, pet sitters, and dog walkers. All providers have been evaluated to ensure they offer progressive, high-quality services for pet owners, according to Ward. The free directory is available at the offices of listed providers, and can also be viewed at www.petbehaviorsconsulting.com or at www.friendlypettraining.com.

SBA Launches Patriot Express Loan Initiative

BOSTON — The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced the launch of a comprehensive initiative that focuses on the agency’s full range of financial, procurement, and technical assistance programs for the military community. The capstone of this initiative is a streamlined loan product based on the SBA Express loan program. The Patriot Express Initiative includes new and enhanced programs and services for veterans and members of the military community wanting to establish or expand small businesses. For more information, visit www.sba.gov.

New Center Seeks To Assist Low-Income Workers

SPRINGFIELD — A new worker center in the South End hopes to prevent the exploitation of hourly wage earners through its grassroots efforts. Formerly known as the Anti-Displacement Center, the Alliance to Develop Power Worker Center/Casa Obrera is an affiliate member of the Pioneer Valley Central Labor Council and member of the AFL-CIO. Members associated with the Anti-Displacement Center worked alongside unionized members on their own time to give the two-story building a major facelift. Supplies were subsidized through grants awarded by the Community Foundation of Western Mass. The center will focus its efforts on protecting the wages of workers in the region, and to expose contractors who violate the state’s prevailing wage laws.

Boomers Expected to Put Off Retirement

WASHINGTON — Baby Boomers are now easing into their 60s, and many expect to delay retirement longer than their parents and grandparents, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. Studies note that aging Boomers are better-educated with higher incomes and longer life expectancies than previous generations. Boomers also tend to have fewer children and are less likely to be married, leaving them with fewer options for assistance as they age. Researchers predict that, due to higher rates of divorce and separation, this trend could result in greater financial hardship for aging Baby Boomers. Researchers note that some Boomers will have to continue working because they can’t afford to retire, and some will continue working by choice. Presently, there are about 78 million Baby Boomers, those born from 1946 to 1964. The oldest will turn 62 next year, the age at which they become eligible for Social Security benefits.

CFO Survey: Integrity Most Desired Leadership Quality

MENLO PARK, Calif. — The mark of a good leader may lie in his or her ability to be honest and upstanding, a new survey suggests. Nearly one-third (31%) of chief financial officers (CFOs) polled said the most important quality for a business leader to possess is integrity. Experience and communication skills followed, each receiving 27% of the response. The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and includes responses from 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees.

Departments

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

AGAWAM

Agawam Bowl
359-363 Walnut St. Ext.
Frank Montagna

C. Fullam Electric
218 Adams St.
Chad Fullam

J.B. Home Improvement
161 Adams St.
Joe Bucalo

Main St. Deli
713 Main St.
Frank R. Locke

Odyssey II
339 North Westfield St.
Laurel Curran

Western Mass Business Women Monthly
27 Emerson Road
Denice L. Emery-Ferrero

AMHERST

Amherst Hairstylist
40 Main St.
Susan Carson

Amherst Hairstylist
40 Main St.
Heather McCory

Amherst Hairstylist
40 Main St.
David Yando

David Companic Construction
27 Southpoint Dr.
David M. Artiga

Salon Divine
15 Pray St.
Sara Overgaard

CHICOPEE

ENSERV
84 Bonner St.
Todd Edward Szydziak

Handy Info 4 Life
847 McKinstry Ave.
Michelle E. Blair

IMAG Investigations
28 Andover Road
Robert G. Spear

J&G Landskaping
17 Dwight St.
Jose M. Gonzalez

Neighborhood Pizza
159 Grove St.
Kenneth Omerhi

The Glass Miser
18 McKinley Ave.
Francis J. Czepiel

Versatile Networks Consulting
3 Carriage Road
Joseph Andrew Lorenzatti

EASTHAMPTON

Between Breath and Bone
14 High St.
Faith Jackson

Facteau Tree Farms
74 Lovefield St.
Richard Facteau

Wave Books
116 Pleasant St.
Lori Shine

EAST LONGMEADOW

Blanchard Drywall Services
70 Somers Road
James Donald Blanchard

Cabelo
51 Prospect St.
Lillian Buettner

Cabelo
51 Prospect St.
Collette Iampietro

Cabelo
51 Prospect St.
Donna L. Brayton

Centro Linguistico Italiano
444A North Main St.
Rocco A. Mesiti

Triad Therapeutic Massage
4 Crane Ave.
Beth Morin

GREENFIELD

Green River Yoga
158 Main St.
Jean Erlbaum

Interiors By Design
250 High St.
Elizabeth Feeley

Magical Child
134 Main St.
Mary Walsh-Martel

Palazzo’s Pizza
228 Federal St.
Joanne & Michale Marchand

Pretty Nails
209 Main St.
Thang Son

The Beancake Company, LLC
324 Wells St.
Francis Mozea Jr.

HADLEY

Country Nissan
151 Steepleview Dr.
Carla Cosenzi

HOLYOKE

Golden China
455 South St.
Chow Man Cheng

Kim Lee Nails
322 Appleton St.
Luy Thanh Nguyen

Ortiz Repair Towing
75 Clemente St.
Jose Ortiz

Pier One Imports
98 Lower Westfield Road
Marvin J. Girouard

Pool Tech
238 Linden St.
Richard J. Dupuis

LONGMEADOW

Consulting For Businesses
6 Elizabeth Circle
Tanya Garibian

Staged to Sell
86 Lincoln Road
Robert F. Chalero

LUDLOW

JL Massa Collision Inc.
287 Miller St.
John Massa

Michael Janeczek Photography
77 Rood St.
Michael Janeczek

Rutabaga Gallery
5 Sewall St.
Elizabethann Koscher

Subway of Ludlow
477 Center St.
Mark J. Devoto

Thompson & Bell
358 Sewall St.
James V. Thompson

West End Lock & Key
137 West Ave.
James Coxon

NORTHAMPTON

Affordable Used Cars
14 East St.
Raymond Learned

Cozy Home Performance
74 Lyman Road
Mark M. Lante

Life Grows On
3 Olive St.
Greg Sandler

Pajama’s
2 Conz St.
Christopher Halla

Paradise City Painting
173 State St.
Joshua John Perry

Rick’s Auto Repair & Sales
442 Elm St.
Richard Mott

Sam’s
235 Main St.
Samuel Harbey

 

The Collared Scholar
537 Easthampton Road
Debra Wysocki

Unit 7
16 Fort Hill Terrace
Erik Olsson

PALMER

Breckenridge Realty
111 Breckenridge St.
William G. Cutter

Burns Family Enterprise
3012 Grass St.
Hugh Burns, Jr.

Country Memorials
1303 Calkins Road
Judith A. Kane Zelek

Country Rose Florist
1182 Park St.
Patricia M. Kinner

Cutting Corner
1312 Main St.
Carol J. R. Henrigues

Deer Run Engineering
2146 Rear Main
Mark M. Bogacz

Diane & Company
1581 North Main St.
Diane St. Amand

Don’s Auto Detailing
6 Beech St.
Donald Ely

DW’s Fiberoptics
21 Wilbraham St.
Donald Smith

Aries Repair and Radiator
1281 South Main St.
Eric Gilbert

Fancy Nails
1035 Thorndike St.
Mot Nguyen

GAF Home Improvement
14-16 Harding St.
George Anthony Flagg

SOUTH HADLEY

Amanda Rodriguez Productions
12 Ranger St.
Amanda Rodriguez

G&P S&D Express
77 Riverboat Village Road
Patricia Fanska

Gentry Design
10 North Main St.
Mark Sherman

SOUTHWICK

Campbell Contractors
631 College Highway
Robin Campbell

Preferred Real Estate Services LLC
610 College Highway
Bobbie Jo Thibault

Virtual Assistant Solutions
130 Vining Hill Road
Judith Stevens Bernath

SPRINGFIELD

D & F Transportation
172 Lebanon St.
David Falley

A M Construction
23 East Hooker St.
Angel Maldonado

Academy of Mixed Martial Arts
1490 Allen St.
Walter J. Lysak Jr.

Ara Convenience
560 State St.
Mohammad R. Shaikh

Bob’s Pro Saltwater Pools
550 Alden St.
Robert C. Maurice

C.J.S.
66 Flint St.
Joel Cruz Sr.

Cathy’s Food Consulting Services
807 Worthington St.
Caterina Cardenuto

CLJ Electrical Services
16 Monson Ave.
Charley Lee Jackson

Clothing-Ect.com
59 Maryland St.
Barbara Stone

CQ
351 Bridge St.
Leonard Weitz

Dash Time
123 Kent Road
Nadhir Adbul-Wadud

Express Auto Detail
8 Harding St.
Eli Diaz

Family D. Stores
257 Edendale St.
Robert Joseph

Frachard Photography
53 Everett St.
Richard Santiago

J.R’s General Construction
185 Hampden St.
Jose M. Rodriguez

JK Subways, LLC
550 Sumner Ave.
Maryann Russo

Justin Mundell Construction
15 Phoenix St.
Justin Mundell

JVC Construction Services
9 Radner St.
Patricia Carbone

Kofi Fuah
45 Cambridge St.
Kofi Fuah

Lazy Valley Winery
34-40 Front St.
Scott D. Santaniello

Lopez Painting & Wood Flooring
873 Worthington St.
Eugenio Lopez

Los Cangri Barber Shop
737 Liberty St.
Basilio Castro

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Balise Collision Repair Center
1800 Riverdale St.
Balise Motor Sales Co.

Balise Honda
1371 Riverdale St.
Balise Motor Sales Company

Bob Johnson Enterprises
1967 Westfield St.
Robert J. Johnson

Dedicated Drywall
174 Main St.
David Joseph Whitlock

Point Staffing Services
425 Union St.
Paul Marc Associates

Reliable Home Improvement
10 Butternut Hollow
Vladimir Melnichuk

WESTFIELD

ABC Antiques & Crafts
658 Montgomery Road
Eloise Adair

Gifted Thoughts-N-Things
12 Glenwood Dr.
Deborah Niles

New England Property Maintenance
2071 East Mountain Road
Edmund L. Maloney

RTL Pet Supply
35 Schumann Dr.
Richard Simmons

Sullivan Flooring
39 Alquat St.
Michael Sullivan

Transcon Technologies Inc.
53 Mainline Dr.
Pablo Nyarady

VMD Construction
756 North Road
Viktor Davidenko

Departments

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

AGAWAM

ADYS Mortgage Inc., 67 Hunt St., Agawam 01001. Adam J. Dubilo, 7 East Circle, East Longmeadow 01028. Mortgage broker.

TW Home Improvement Inc., 24 Dwight St., Agawam 01001. Timothy S. Wyckoff, same. Home improvement.

AMHERST

Financial Development Agency Inc., 49 South Pleasant St., Amherst 01002. Matthew Blumenfeld, 335 Middle St., Amherst 01002. To serve not-for-profit organizations with cost-effective grant writing, capital campaign and marketing services.

La Piazza Ristorante Inc., 30 Boltwood Walk, Amherst 01002. Mauro Aniello, 12 Lady Slipper Lane, Hadley 01035. Restaurant.

CHICOPEE

American Team Cleaning Services Inc., 94 Woodbridge Road, Chicopee 01022. Maggie O. van Zandt, same. Commercial cleaning service.

Cote’s Family Restaurant Inc., 582 Chicopee St., Chicopee 01013. Michael Cote, 31 Rowley St., Agawam 01001. Full-service family restaurant.

EASTHAMPTON

Mantis Graphics Inc., 1 Adams St., Easthampton 01027. Bradley J. Robbins, same. Graphic art production.

Stop and Wash Inc., 13 Matthew Dr., Easthampton 01018. Timothy McLane, same. To operate a laundromat.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Olympic Inc., 611 North Main St., East Longmeadow 01028. Chong T. Lee, 34 Tanglewood Dr., Longmeadow 01106. To instruct Tae-Twon-Do martial art, promote sportsmanship, etc.

Pattenaude Enterprises Inc., 191 Chestnut St., East Longmeadow 01028. Scott Pattenaude, same. Rent inflatables — sell spices wholesale and retail.

GRANBY

Digisoft Inc., 56 Morgan St., Granby 01033. Wayne P. Masse, same. To develop, manufacture, and sell computer software, operating systems, etc.

GREENFIELD

Cunill America Inc., 21 Mohawk Plaza, Suite 4, Greenfield 01301. Xavier Cunill, same. (Foreign corp; DE) Wholesale distribution of silver goods.

HADLEY

Mass Frenzy Inc., 2 Frallo Dr., Hadley 01035. Ralph W. Loos, same. (Nonprofit) To foster girls national amateur basketball competition, etc.

Valley Technology Outreach Inc., 84 Russell St., Hadley 01035. Delchie Bean, same. (Nonprofit) To collect technology equipment from schools, businesses, etc., to be refurbished and donated or sold to nonprofit organizations.

HAMPDEN

Hampden House Catering Inc., 128 Wilbraham Road, Hampden 01036. Dana R. Gahres, 131 Stony Hill Road, Hampden 01036. Catering business.

HOLYOKE

Angel Rivera Inc., 360 High St., #2, Holyoke 01040. Saiid Rivera, same. Retail.

Baystate Technology Solutions Inc., 199 Hillside Ave., Holyoke 01040. William P. Glover, same. Computer solutions.

HOLLAND

JJL Biomed Services Inc., 58 East Otter Dr., Holland 01034. Jeffrey J. Lafleur, same. To test biomedical patient related equipment in nursing and other health care facilities.

 

NORTHAMPTON

3 J Massad Inc., 54 Easthampton Road, Northampton 01060. Linda W. Massad, 63 Florence Road, Easthampton 01027. Gas station.

Main Street Motion Media Inc., 52 Olive St., Northampton 01060. Kathleen Evelyn Kamping, same. (Nonprofit) To educate and expand our community’s relationship to each other and the world through film and media arts, etc.

PALMER

Mangoes Inc., 233 Wilbraham Road, Palmer 01065. Felipe El Karim, 37 Brookfield Road, Brimfield 01010. Restaurant.

SOUTH HADLEY

Marlin Inc., 89 Amherst Road, South Hadley 01075. David Marlin, same. Computer software sales.

SOUTHWICK

Canterbury Lane Homeowners Assocation Inc., 106 Coes Hill Road, Southwick 01077. David W. Berry, same. (Nonprofit) To hold title to and maintain common areas in the Centerbury Lane, Westfield subdivision, etc.

SPRINGFIELD

44 Record Company Inc., 137 Undine Circle, Springfield 01109. Alex A. Nieves, same. Music recordings and promoter.

Andrew S. Jusko, M.D., P.C., 299 Carew St., Springfield 01104. Andrew S. Jusko, 1134 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow 01106. The practice of ophthalmology.

Angel Touch Cleaning Services Inc., 1655 Main St., Springfield 01103. Iris Enid Garcia Morales, 19 Arthur Picard Cir., Indian Orchard 01151. Cleaning and construction.

Brican Inc., 155 State St., Springfield 01103. Brian Gibbons, 80 Champlain Ave., Springfield 01151. General contractor; commercial construction.

Children Living with Aids Network-Kenya Inc., 1341 Sumner Ave., Springfield 01118. George Kasiligwa Kahi, 76 Ambrose St., Springfield 01109. (Nonprofit) To assist in caring for the orphans of the HIV/AIDES pandemic and affected children, etc.

Community Empowerment Services Corp., 736 State St., Springfield 01109. Linda Wellington, 20 Matthew St. Springfield 01128. Job placement, vocational evaluation, skill training.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Bancroft Chrysler Jeep Inc., 499 Riverdale St., West Springfield 01089. Aldo M. Bertera, 162 Forest Ridge Road, West Springfield 01089. The retail sale and service of new or used automobiles, trucks, etc.

Racers Edge Performance Inc., 196 Baldwin St., West Springfield 01089. Anthony Stack, 618 Allen St., Springfield 01108. Sales/repairs.

WESTFIELD

G&F Custom Built Homes Inc., 419 Springdale Road, Westfield 01085. Shaun C. Giberson, 76 Wolcott Ave., West Springfield 01089. Real estate development and management business.

Morse Hospitality Concepts Inc., 19 Lockhouse Road, Apt. 9-1, Westfield 01085. Joshua Morse, 492 Federal St., Montague 01351. Hospitality.

WILBRAHAM

Madden Insurance Agency Inc., 132 River Road, Wilbraham 01095. Karen L. Madden, same. An insurance producer.

Departments


Karen Buell

PeoplesBank in Holyoke recently announced the appointment of Karen Buell as a Mortgage Consultant. She will focus on Internet-based lending for residential mortgage and home equity products in addition to managing and assisting customers.

•••••

Karen P. Cardoza, owner of Karen Cardoza Handcrafted Jewelry of East Longmeadow, has been named the 2007 Business Woman of the Year by the Women Business Owners Alliance. She designs and creates a wide range of jewelry using gems, freshwater pearls, and 14-carat gold and silver fill.

•••••

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company in Springfield has announced it has elected Thomas C. Barry as the newest member of its Board of Directors. Barry is CEO and founder of Zephyr Management, L.P., a New York City-based specialized investment firm.

•••••

Alan Schneyer, Ph.D., has joined the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute in Springfield as a distinguished scientist. Schneyer’s research concerns the reproductive and metabolic roles of follistatin and follistatin like-3 proteins. Also, he recently received a research grant from the National Institutes of Health to support this work.

•••••

Angela M. Moorhouse has been promoted to Vice President of Direct Banking at TD Banknorth. She is in charge of the call centers in Springfield and in Lewiston, Me.

•••••

United Bank in West Springfield has hired Victoria Graffam as Security and Bank Secrecy Act Officer.

•••••

Berkshire Bank in Pittsfield has announced that Maura Kelly has been named Vice President of Cash Management. She is a certified treasury professional.

•••••

Century 21 Pioneer Valley Associates announced the following:
• Bruce Dearborn and Naomi Gendron have joined their firm, and
• Arthur Haskins III, Terry Bartus, and Erica Burns have completed the CREATE 21 New Agent Training Program.

•••••

Concetta Calitri has joined Ayre Real Estate in Agawam as an Associate.

•••••

American Rug in Holyoke has hired Diana L. Fitzpatrick as a Design Consultant.

•••••


Donna L. O’Shea

Health New England announced the following promotions:
• Dr. Donna L. O’Shea has been named Medical Director;

 

 

 


Julie Bodde

• Julie Bodde has been named Director of Finance;

 

 

 


Joanne Walton

• Joanne Walton-Bicknell has been named Reporting and Analysis Manager, and

 

 

 

 


Patrick O’Shea

• Patrick O’Shea has been appointed Statutory, Budget, and Tax Manager.

•••••

 

 

Peter Vecchiarelli, with Nutmeg Isuzu Trucks of West Springfield, has joined the Professional Landcare Network.

•••••

The board of directors of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce has appointed Patty Brandts as Executive Director of the Chamber.

•••••

Meyers Brothers Kalicka has hired Jamie L. Barber as a Senior Associate in the Holyoke office.

•••••

The Mass. Community Development Finance Corp. has named Charlene Golonka as its Lending Representative for Western Mass. Golonka will be responsible for Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties.

•••••

Robert S. Wheten has been named Commercial Credit Officer at Easthampton Savings Bank.

•••••


Russell Fleury

Tighe & Bond of Westfield announced the following:
• Michael McManus has joined the firm as a Registered Professional Engineer;
• Michael Petrin has joined the firm as a Registered Professional Engineer, and
• Russell Fleury has relocated to the firm’s Worcester office. Fleury is an Environmental Scientist who provides regulatory compliance and permitting support to the firm’s client base.

•••••

The Springfield Business Improvement District has promoted Christopher J. Castellano to Operations Manager.

•••••

The members of the Mass. Alliance for Economic Development recently elected Directors for 2007. They include:
• William Hines, President and Chief Executive Officer of Interprint Inc.;
• Joe O’Leary, Senior Vice President and Regional Executive of Sovereign Bank;
• Rob Reilly, Vice President of Fidelity Real Estate Co., and
• Glenn Steiger, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co.
Re-elected Directors are:
• Carol Adey, Executive Director of CoreNet Global New England;
• Robert Brustlin, Chief Executive Officer and President of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin;
• Peter Corbett, Director of Foulston & Storrs, and
• Girard Sargent, Senior Vice President and Division Executive for middle-market commercial banking at Citizens Bank.
Directors elected as Officers include Michael DiGiano as Chairman, Girard Sargent as Vice Chairman, Tim Horan as Treasurer, and Robert Brustlin as Clerk.

•••••

The Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce announced the following during its recent annual meeting:
• James M. Lavelle, General Manager of the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department, has been elected Chairman of the Board;
• Stephen Corrigan of Mountainview Landscape was awarded the Henry A. Fifield Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service to the Chamber;
Officers elected included:
• Israel Schepps of Mastex Industries, First Vice Chairman;
• Stephen Corrigan of Mountainview Landscape, Second Vice Chairman;
• Deborah Buckley of Goss & McLain Insurance Agency, Treasurer;
• Carol Katz of Loomis Communities, Assistant Treasurer;
• Atty. John Driscoll of Resnic, Beauregard, Waite & Driscoll, Clerk, and
• Atty. John Ferriter of Ferriter & Ferriter, Past Chairman.
Elected to three-year terms on the Board of Directors were:
• Daniel O’Neill of Westfield Bank;
• Sheryl Quinn of Holyoke Geriatric Authority;
• James Sagalyn of Holyoke Machine Co., and
• Jeffrey Sullivan of United Bank.
Re-elected to three-year terms were:
• Douglas Bowen of PeoplesBank;
• Kathleen Buckley of Holyoke Medical Center, and
• Jorge Gomez of McDonald’s Restaurants.
Elected to two-year terms were:
• Wolfgang Schloesser of Ruwac Inc., and
• Joshua Vassallo of Country Inn & Suites.

•••••

Chicopee Savings Bank announced the following:
• Darlene M. Libiszewski will serve as Vice President of Information Technology;
• Jill D. Fox will serve as Vice President of Sales and Branch Administration, and
• Tammy L. Howe will serve as Assistant Vice President of Cash Management.

•••••

Veritech Corp. announced the following new members to its leadership team:
• David Sweeney has been named Vice President of Business Development & Operations. He will oversee all revenue growth, relationship building, and Veritech’s overall marketing and positioning;
• Carl Fortin, Chief Financial Officer, will oversee financial forecasting and the establishment of accounting policies and procedures, and
• Kimberly Mawaka-St. Marie, Comptroller, will oversee the day-to-day financial and accounting operations, financial reporting, and the company’s financial affairs.

•••••

Sherri L. Gagne has been named Media Director for the Momentum Group in East Longmeadow. Handling a wide variety of broadcast, print, and online media, Gagne will be responsible for research, planning, negotiation, implementation, and monitoring.

•••••

The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce recently announced its newly appointed board of directors members. They are:
• Vicki S. Donahue, Partner at Cain Hibbard Myers & Cook, P.C., where her practice focuses on corporate and real estate law;
• Joan Bancroft, President of Berkshire Life Insurance Co. of America, and
• Laura Cece, Director of Finance and Chief Procurement Officer for the City of North Adams.

•••••

Dr. Louis J. DeCaro, a South Deerfield podiatrist, has been elected to the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Podiatric Medical Society, an affiliate of the American Podiatric Medical Association. He is a staff member at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and Baystate Franklin Medical Center.

•••••

Janelle Soucia has joined Country Bank as a Retail Mortgage Originator serving the Wilbraham area.

•••••

George R. Ditomassi, a Holyoke native and 1957 graduate of the UMass Amherst, has been elected to the college’s Foundation Board of Directors. In addition to earning his bachelor’s degree in Business from the college in 1957, Ditomassi served in the U.S. Army as a finance officer and was honored as a distinguished military graduate. In 1980 he graduated from the advance placement program at Harvard College.

Sections Supplements
Noted Photojournalist Diana Mara Henry’s B&B Offers a Snapshot of Springfield
Diana Mara Henry

Diana Mara Henry stands at the entrance to her bed and breakfast in the Forest Park section of Springfield.

A bloodhound named Holly recently stole Diana Mara Henry’s heart.

The dog arrived at Henry’s bed and breakfast, Lathrop House in the Forest Park section of Springfield, on a clear summer day with her trainer and a British film crew, which was following Holly on her trek from West Virginia to Massachusetts, where she would make an attempt at becoming a K-9 with the State Police.

“It was our first celebrity canine,” said Henry, an acclaimed photojournalist by trade, whose photos are housed in both the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian.

As a photographer, Henry said her eye is trained to find beauty in unexpected places, just as she did in Holly’s droopy, forlorn face.

She also found it in a large home on Sumner Avenue with peeling paint, and within the beleaguered city in which it stands.

Henry said her daughter was readying to attend Miss Hall’s boarding school in Pittsfield, and she wanted to be close enough to see her on weekends and holidays. She was also drawn to Springfield’s vibrant Jewish community and the close proximity to Boston and New York, which would simplify business trips for her ongoing photography business.

“Springfield is a nicer, more cosmopolitan, open-minded city than any other in which I’ve lived, and I speak with some knowledge of other places,” said Henry.

Indeed, she has traveled to countless locales and has called California, Texas, and New York City home during different times in her life.

“When I first came to the area, I thought I might like to live here, and I asked where the bed and breakfasts were in Forest Park,” she added. “I was astounded to find out that there weren’t any. There are so many beautiful houses, and the idea that others might want to visit the area, as I did, spurred the renovations and the move to open a B&B.”

She said the business augments her photography practice, but more importantly allows her to thrive in Springfield, the city of her choosing.

New Beginnings

Henry easily recalls the date she moved into the Lathrop House: Sept. 10, 2001. She said she spent the bulk of that first year making gradual improvements, fixing an antiquated heating system, stripping windows, and refurbishing radiators, one task at a time.

In 2002, Henry moved on to the exterior of the landmark, replacing its roof and repainting in the original ‘painted lady’ shades of rose and cream. In the garden, new plantings were added and a seating area constructed where an above-ground pool once stood.

Work inside continued, including a full sanding and refinishing of the original hardwood floors, re-hanging of stained glass panels, and retiling of the fireplace, among many other tasks.

In December 2003, Henry welcomed her first guest to the newly established B&B, a father traveling from Virginia to Boston with his son, touring colleges. It was only when he was preparing to leave that he revealed he was actually U.S. Rep. Robert Goodlatte of Virginia, by quietly handing Henry his card. She has preserved it on page 1 of her now nearly filled guest book.

“I’m not one who’s prone to fainting,” she joked, “but when I realized who he was, I came close. What a great way to start.”

Since then, business has grown steadily at the Lathrop House. Henry said she’s seen about a 30% increase in bookings each year since she opened, and welcomes guests ranging from business travelers to visiting families to foreign tourists.

“I have a few antique dealers who stay during the Brimfield antique show,” she said, “and a few people who come for the Big E. I think many of our guests are indicative of aspects of Springfield’s economy — parents visiting college students, professors, people changing careers and looking for a fresh start. Some people rent the whole house for a group, attending reunions or graduations.”

Her guests are people (and sometimes pooches) looking for an alternative to more traditional hotel experiences.

“We have a more relaxed atmosphere,” Henry said. “People can come to breakfast in their PJs or stretch out on the couch with a movie and some popcorn … all things you wouldn’t do in a hotel. That’s especially nice for those people who travel a lot —hotels are hard on them. They can make life feel artificial.”

There are modern amenities available at Lathrop House, including wireless Internet access, fax and copy services, in-room refrigerators stocked with soft drinks and snacks, and cable television, but it’s the homespun touches that make it unique.

The Little Things …

Breakfast is served family-style at a rectangular table in the salon. Fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, juice, tea, and coffee dominate the menu. Guests are welcome to invite friends, family, or business associates to the B&B to enjoy breakfast with them at no cost, and also to take advantage of the garden and backyard for small gatherings.

Two short-haired cats, Bobbie and Toesey, serve as concierges, leading guests to their rooms (if they are so inclined). Robes are given as gifts to visitors, and children and pets are welcome (the latter with a few restrictions). The B&B is also kosher.

Each of the rooms is decorated differently, featuring antiques and eclectic pieces, including a number of one-of-a-kind pieces of art from Henry’s collection.

Several of her own photographs — Bella Abzug on the wall, Andy Warhol on the bookcase — grace the common rooms and bedrooms, and French impressionistic originals hang along with flea market finds, gifts from friends and colleagues, and family heirlooms — including a portrait of Henry’s mother that hangs stoically over a twin bed.

“Many bed and breakfasts are taking the posh route, becoming more like boutique hotels,” she said. “This is truly a homestyle B&B with interesting art and Victorian surroundings, but not pretentious. Guests can feel free to order a pizza.”

The house itself also has an intriguing history. Built in 1899, its original owner was real estate developer F.W. Lathrop, who oversaw its construction. The design resembles Southern Colonial most closely, including a double veranda and four two-story-high columns that frame the home’s oak vestibule.

The vestibule opens into the house’s main room, revealing twin staircases that lead to the second and third floors.

Throughout the 20th century, the Lathrop House served as the first home of Temple Sinai, now located on Dickinson Street in Longmeadow, and later as the Lubbavitch Yeshiva Academy.

An art school operated from the house for a time as well, and that artistic feel was maintained when Patrick and Frances Griffin, its immediate past owners, bought the house and lent their own talents to the décor of the home.

Patrick painted murals on the ceiling of a front room called the morning room — big, bulbous clouds on a pale blue sky — and a water and forest scene in the downstairs washroom, and Frances stenciled the kitchen, hallway, and an upstairs billiard room. Those decorations remain today, often serving as conversation pieces among overnight guests.

As the establishment becomes more well-known, Henry said she’d like to increase ‘day use,’ welcoming corporate meetings or retreats and cultural events, such as poetry readings. She’ll continue to blend some modern touches into the house, setting her sights next on installing some flat-screen televisions, but said she will remain true to the home’s unique look, in part by cultivating the spreading garden and sitting area outside.

It’s a good blending of tradition with technology; Henry is able to market her B&B as a slice of history, while still taking advantage of the hospitality industry’s many Web-based tools for exposure. Her Web site,www.dianamarahenry.com/lathrop, includes a directory of things to do in Western Mass. sponsored by the Mass. Office of Travel and Tourism, and many restaurants and attractions have placed reciprocal links on their sites.

In addition, guests can now book directly through travel sitesexpedia.comandhotels.com.

“Relaxation is a part of the draw, but when they’re booking, people still want it done quickly,” Henry said of the developments.

The Big Picture

Guests like Holly, the big, lumbering bloodhound, who trotted quickly to Lathrop House’s front door and settled in easily once she’d checked into her room.

She, too, turned her visit to Springfield into a new life, passing the State Police exam and joining its ranks. There are others in Henry’s guestbook who have done the same, finding new careers and choosing to stay in the area.

Once, the B&B was a sprawling estate with an overgrown backyard. But today, it’s a home away from home.

And for Henry, it’s just home.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

Opinion

You have to give Gov. Deval Patrick some credit. He’s been thinking big lately. Make that very big.

Universal preschool. All-day kindergarten. Free community college tuition and fees. A longer school day and year. A $1 billion life sciences commitment. Extension of a commuter rail line to New Bedford. Property tax breaks for low- to moderate-income homeowners. And perhaps as many as 1,000 new police officers. These are all things he’s put on the table over the past several weeks.

And in doing so, he’s drawn loud applause from educators, the tech sector, public safety administrators, and other constituencies. He’s also spawned some serious skepticism among legislators, conservative think tanks, and political analysts who are wondering out loud just how in the world he’s going to pay for all this.

Indeed, the growing consensus seems to be that Patrick will get only a few, if any, of these proposals funded at a time when there is still a budget deficit, and the chances of the Legislature raising taxes are slim and none.

So it seems to many that Patrick is simply getting people’s hopes up for things that won’t be funded, thus setting himself up for a big political fall when he fails to convert on any of these commitments to the Commonwealth.

Maybe, maybe not.

It is our hope that the doubts — as well-founded as they may be — do not stifle the needed serious discussions on these matters that may eventually lead to some of them becoming reality. That’s because many of these proposals make a good deal of sense.

Start with universal preschool. This has long been touted as a necessary ingredient in the daunting task of re-energizing struggling urban centers in the state, including Springfield and Holyoke, and local economic development leaders have put early childhood education at the top of their priority list for the region. Study after study has shown that when children are exposed to a regimented learning environment early on, they are less likely to drop out of school later in life. These statistics are contrasted against the state’s dramatic drop in the rankings concerning the number of children enrolled in pre-kindergarten; the Commonwealth has slipped to roughly 10% of its 4-year-olds in pre-K, which is about half the national average.

The problem is, universal preschool is expensive — a projected $600 million annually. Also expensive is lengthening the school day and year — $1.3 billion per year, according to some estimates — and free tuition at community colleges, nearly $200 million annually.

But both steps would certainly help Massachusetts remain competitive with other states and other countries at a time of intense fighting for those good jobs at good wages that every municipal leader wants. Community colleges have long been touted as one of the state’s most effective economic development resources because they provide skills that are needed in a modern, technology-driven economy, and graduating students tend to stay in the market in which they were educated.

Community colleges are relatively inexpensive — only a few thousand dollars per semester — but they are still out of the reach of some people of limited means. Free tuition would provide access to a college education for greater numbers of Bay State residents, and thus create skilled employees for companies screaming for qualified help.

Other components of the Patrick agenda are equally worthwhile, especially the investment in life sciences, which many believe will be the proverbial ‘next big thing’ for the state’s economy. But all of them come with steep price tags, and lawmakers show no inclination to raise taxes or create new sources of revenue, such as legalized casino gambling.

Not long after Patrick unveiled his 10-year vision for education in the Commonwealth, something he called “cradle to career,” he likened skeptics of his plan to those who challenged President John F. Kennedy’s mission to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s.

But the federal government backed up that bold pledge with what amounted to a blank check for NASA. Patrick won’t get a blank check, and he may not get any kind of check. But that shouldn’t stop him from thinking big — preferably, very big.-

Opinion
The Coming Crisis for Medicare

The trustees of the nation’s Medicare trust funds have released their 2007 annual report, and once again the news is grave. As the result of health care costs increasing at a much greater rate than wages, the hospital insurance trust fund is projected to be exhausted by 2019. Indeed, Medicare is in far worse shape than the Social Security trust funds, which are also ailing but are not projected to run dry until 2041.

The one glimmer of hope in this bleak picture is that a “Medicare funding warning” has been triggered for the first time by the numbers in the trustees’ report. This action will finally force Washington to address Medicare seriously, and fix a system that threatens to bring our economy to its knees not many years from now.

Medicare’s main source of money is supposed to be the dedicated revenues generated by premiums and payroll taxes. But because of the rapid growth of Medicare expenditures, program costs financed by general revenues are projected to exceed 45% in 2013.

Under the 2003 Medicare reform law, whenever a forecast says that the 45% threshold will be crossed within the next seven years, the trustees are to issue a determination of “excess general revenue Medicare funding.” That determination has now been made in two consecutive years, so a “Medicare funding warning” has now been declared.

The warning requires President Bush to propose legislation that responds to the alert by early February 2008. The law then requires Congress to consider the president’s proposals on an expedited basis.

No one can predict the outcome of this exercise. But it will at least focus lawmakers’ attention on an incontrovertible fact: Medicare is not just undercapitalized; it’s a severely flawed system. Revenues and spending are inherently mismatched.

Exacerbating the problem is the fact that over the past 40 years, medical costs have outstripped economic growth by 3% annually. Advances in medical technology and patient treatment have driven of this trend; while the benefits of these advances are obvious, the price tag is huge.

With this crisis looming, why have no serious efforts been made to treat the root of the Medicare problem? For one thing, there are few, if any, incentives to prudently control the cost of medical treatment. It is well-documented that retirees will undertake treatment as long as the value of that care is more than their co-payment. As for providers of medical care, such as doctors, nurses, and hospitals, any desire to restrain costs through cheaper treatment alternatives is often overridden by self-interest or the perception that more expensive treatments are in order.

Finally, politicians have virtually no short-term incentives to tackle the Medicare problem. The reason is clear: any change that leaves the elderly worse off than before will lead to swift condemnation and ballot-box reprisals by a large and vocal segment of the population. And pressure from much younger workers who fund Medicare is nearly non-existent.

However, more encouraging signs may come from individual states’ experiments with health care, particularly those of Massachusetts and California. If a state can build a comprehensive medical care solution, it can provide guidance and even encouragement for a national approach.

Given the magnitude of the problem, there is unlikely to be a silver bullet. To bring costs and benefits closer together, policies need to target the inequities caused by incentives that tend to increase costs at an alarming rate.

Even this may be insufficient. Increases in taxes, cuts in benefits, and possibly means-testing of beneficiaries may be needed. Implicit in such policy change is the realization that all stakeholders — not just the young — need to bear the burden of making Medicare sustainable. It may be tough medicine to swallow, but we can’t keep blindly passing Medicare’s costs on to future generations.-

Thomas J. Healey is a senior fellow at the Kennedy School of Government. This article first appeared in the Boston Globe.

Features
Springfield Chamber Leader Promotes Action, Not Talk
Victor Woolridge

Victor Woolridge has seen some inspiring turn-around stories in his travels, and he believes Springfield can be added to that list.

Victor Woolridge was busy gathering up the material he wanted to read on his flight to Buffalo, which was scheduled to leave in a few hours.

“I’ve had a lot of practice at this,” he told BusinessWest, noting that his job as managing director of the Real Estate Finance Group at Babson Capital Management LLC forces him to travel frequently. Name a city and he’s probably been there — often.

And in the course of all that travel, amassed through 27 years of work with MassMutual and its subsidiary, Babson, Woolridge has seen some inspiring turn-around stories.

“I’ve been to a lot of places that people had pretty much given up on,” said the Springfield native, listing sections of New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and other, smaller cities. “Years ago, people had nothing good to say or think about Harlem, but now it is the place to be. It’s the same with the inner harbor in Baltimore and on 13th and 14th streets in Washington. Not long ago, you wouldn’t walk down those streets; now, there’s a real renaissance going on there.”

Exposure to such success stories is one of the reasons why Woolridge, the recently elected chairman of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, is optimistic about the prospect of adding the City of Homes to that list he offered. But he admits that there is much work to be done in a community that is recovering from near-bankruptcy, political scandal, and lots of bad press, and is just starting to see some momentum.

And as he assesses the challenges ahead for Springfield, Woolridge started by telling BusinessWest that he can see some direct parallels between what he does for a living — assessing high-yield investment opportunities for Babson — and his work with the Chamber and other groups trying to achieve progress in Springfield.

“In both cases, it’s about moving the ball forward,” he said, adding that, roughly translated, this means moving beyond the talk and actually getting things done.

“There is such a thing as analysis paralysis,” he said, referring to both the investment opportunities he and other members of the Real Estate Finance Group must weigh — and the many recommended plans of action for Springfield. “If you sit there and analyze all day long, you’re never going to get the deal. You have to get in there and put something on the table and advance the ball.”

And Woolridge says he’s seeing signs of that happening in Springfield.

Indeed, he told BusinessWest that, in recent months, he’s observed a change within both the Chamber and City Hall — a movement from talk to action that he intends to continue and accelerate.

Woolridge referred often to the recently completed Urban Land Institute (ULI) study of the City of Homes. The report lists a number of priorities, including downtown and the Court Square area, the South End neighborhood of the city, and the soon-to-be-vacant federal building on Main Street. As he begins his two-year stint as chairman of the Springfield chamber, Woolridge said one of his priorities is to help ensure that the ULI report becomes much more than good reading.

“Oftentimes, these reports sit on a shelf and gather dust,” he said. “We can’t let that happen in this case; there’s too much at stake for Springfield.”

In a wide-ranging interview, Woolridge talked about the Chamber, Springfield, some of those turn-around stories he’s witnessed, and what it will take to write one in his hometown.

Progress Report

Woolridge recalled one of his first meetings as an officer with the Springfield Chamber, and some comments he made then.

“I said, ‘everyone has obvious sympathy for the leper, but no one is willing to touch him,’” he remembers. “But every physician knows that for the sick patient to get better, someone has to touch him.”

Springfield was in many ways a sick patient at that time, he continued, noting that there was perhaps too much watching on the part of the Chamber and other groups in the city in the past, and not enough direct involvement, or touching. But this is a pattern he’s seen change.

“I’ve seen much more energy when it comes to the matters facing the city — not just talking about it, but strategizing, and saying ‘what do we do about it?’ and becoming a more active force in seeing these things happen,” he said. “On top of that, we’ve been discussing — we’re not there yet — how we can be better stewards or watchdogs over not just implementation of these things, but standards for how things get done so we don’t slide back into the kinds of problems we’re experienced over the past several years.”

Woolridge told BusinessWest that this greater willingness to touch the patient in recent years, an attitudinal change encouraged by his immediate predecessors on the Chamber, Mary Ellen Scott and Carol Baribeau; Mayor Charles Ryan; Economic Development Director David Panagore; and others, bodes well for the city.

That’s because direct action, not talk, is the only way to achieve progress with the many issues facing Springfield, including poverty, homelessness, public safety, economic development, workforce development, zoning, and creating a more business-friendly City Hall.

“We decided it was important to take a look at our zoning and procedures to make sure that they were competitive, streamlined, and that people understood them,” he said, adding that he helped initiate discussions with developers who compared and contrasted Springfield’s model with others to create a qualitative database for action. “Hopefully, at the end of the day, we’ll have a comprehensive set of zoning procedures so that people can track from A to Z how to get a transaction done in the city of Springfield.

“Our process was deemed to be not as friendly as other neighboring communities as well as other cities,” he continued, adding that he and others visited other cities to see how they handled things. “It just makes sense to try to fix the system, because if you save people time and money and make it a pleasant experience, then that gives you an opportunity for more business.”

Streamlining zoning codes and the overall development process is just one example of how city and civic leaders are progressing from talking about the patient to touching him, said Woolridge, adding that the ULI is certainly another.

The process of preparing the report gave people an opportunity to listen, exchange ideas, and, in many cases, vent, he said, adding that with the report in hand, the city and its leaders must do something with it, or else risk losing some of the momentum that’s been achieved.

“Some of the recommendations in that report need to be pursued,” he said, returning to his warnings on overanalysis that can stifle action. “This is an outline, a framework, that provides a direction; the best way to move is to take a step forward, do something, and do your analysis on the way to building a new city.

“You can’t analyze ad nauseum,” he continued. “You have to work the problem and figure it out along the way.”

Agenda Items

Woolridge told BusinessWest that he’s thankful for having two years as chairman at the Chamber; one is simply not enough time to finish some of the work started by others, let alone start and advance new initiatives.

Assessing priorities for the city and the Chamber, he said there are specific and general goals for both. With the Chamber, he wants to increase membership, improve visibility, and make the organization more directly involved with key issues. Also, he wants to continue working with the state Legislature on business-related measures, and with the Finance Control Board on its ongoing efforts to bring fiscal stability to the community.

As for the city, priorities include everything from poverty and homelessness to devising ways to make the community’s great ethnic diversity more of a cultural and economic asset.

“That diversity should be fully embraced and seen as a clear positive for the city,” he said. “Right now, it isn’t.”

Another issue to be addressed, he said, is the preponderance of affordable and subsidized housing in the city, at the expense of market-rate units that could attract more professionals to many neighborhoods and breathe life into the city’s downtown. There has been some quality single-family home construction in outlying areas of the city, he noted, adding that the next step is to continue this trend into the core of the community.

“We have to stabilize our economy by bringing in higher-quality real estate that attracts higher-income people to help lift the entire economic boat of the city,” he said. “If you continue to build poor-quality housing, then ultimately you end up with a city that’s full of poor-quality housing. And how then do you attract people of better means, if you will, into a community like that?

“It’s a domino effect,” he continued. “The tax base gets impaired because you don’t have a good balance between affordable and market rate, and when the tax base gets impaired the infrastructure is impaired, and your school buildings and other municipal facilities can’t get repaired; it’s a spiral downhill because you can’t generate enough tax base.”

Achieving a balance between affordable and market-rate housing is easier said than done, he acknowledged, adding quickly that he’s seen it done — in cities like Boston, New York, Chicago, and also smaller communities like Greenville, S.C. In those cities, developers have created 80/20 mixes that attract professionals (the market-rate component is the ‘80’) but without, in his words, “casting aside” lower-income constituencies.

Housing is one of those areas where there has been mostly talk in Springfield, said Woolridge, adding this isn’t getting the job done.

As with other issues, the city needs to move on the housing dilemma or, as he said many times, move the ball forward.

“We’re never going to know all the answers, and no matter how hard you search, the target keeps moving,” he said. “You have to move with it, and you have to get things done; you learn along the way, you make mistakes along the way, but that’s all part of the process.”

Plane Speaking

As he prepared to shuffle off to Buffalo, Woolridge took a minute to show BusinessWest one of his group’s latest investment gambits — a high-rise office tower in what might be his favorite destination: Chicago.

“It’s a wonderful city, and it’s transformed itself into a European-style city,” he said, adding that by this he meant an attractive mix of arts, green space, and architecture. “What I like most about Chicago is that there’s an overall vision for the city and its neighborhoods.”

And by advancing the ball, that city is turning vision into reality, he said, adding that the same can happen in Springfield if talk can be turned into action.

“There are some who maybe have given up on Springfield,” he continued. “But you never know … this could someday be the place people want to be.”

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

Features
This Is a Simple Process Anyone Can Learn

If you’re one of the many business professionals today trying to do more in less time, you know that delegation is a must. Unfortunately, the majority of business people reveal that they dislike delegating.

Either they believe the delegated task will “fall through the cracks” and never get done, or that it will get done, but not to their liking. As such, they refuse to delegate anything to anyone unless it’s absolutely necessary, and even then they often opt to work longer hours rather than turn the task over to someone else.

Realize, though, that not delegating causes more stress to you and leads others to believe that you don’t trust them or don’t want them to take on new responsibilities. That’s when people view you as a “control freak” who refuses to let anything go.

The good news is that effective delegation follows a simple process that anyone can learn. And whether you’re a manager overwhelmed with deadlines and meetings or a business owner trying to stay on time with multiple projects and travel schedules, the following five tips will enable you to delegate effectively and be more productive.

1. Be committed to the full delegation cycle.

Proper delegation is actually a cycle. Think of it like the links of a chain, where each link interacts with others. Every link has four points, just as the delegation cycle does.

The top of the link intertwines and comes away from the link above it. This represents the task coming to you from some other source, such as a supervisor or customer.

The link then circles around and interacts with the links next to it and below it. One side of the interaction represents you delegating portions of the assignment to others.

The other side of the interaction represents you following up to get a report from the people you delegated to.

Finally, the link completes the cycle and returns to its point of origin. This represents you forwarding the report, decision, or findings to the source that originally gave you the task.

Be sure to complete all four points of interaction with every assignment. If you neglect any of these four points, the link is broken, and the chain loses its strength. That’s when the delegation process fails.

2. Delegate in writing.

Often the delegation process breaks down because the person being delegated to is unclear on the details of the assignment. And rather than ask you for clarification (and possibly appear incompetent), the person sits on the assignment, hoping you’ll give some additional clues about what you really want. That’s why you need to put every delegated task in writing.

The written document can be a simple E-mail, or it can be something more formal, such as a detailed process sheet. The purpose of writing the task out is that it causes you to slow down enough and include all the details someone needs to complete the task successfully. Additionally, your written note provides clarification for the person who receives it. He or she can refer back to your written instructions while doing the task to make sure the work is being done right.

Yes, written delegation takes more time then verbal delegation. However, remember that for every minute you spend writing out the details, you save one hour in execution.

3. Train your team members to report back on time.

In your written instructions, be sure to tell people when you want them to report back to you, both with progress updates and the final product. Be specific. For example, rather than say, “please give me regular updates on your progress,” say, “please provide me a status update every Friday at 2 p.m. for the next two months, or until the project is completed.” And instead of saying, “finish this by Wednesday,” say, “please complete this task by noon on Wednesday.” Being specific removes any guesswork and enables your team to live up to your expectations.

When team members report back on time, make a big deal about it. Thank them for completing the assignment, and congratulate them for reporting back within the timeframe outlined. Likewise, when they fail to report back on time, make an even bigger deal about it. Even if they completed the task but didn’t report back to you with the final product, help them realize that reporting back is every bit as important as getting the task done. With every delegated assignment, you need to reinforce the importance of reporting back in a timely manner.

4. Use a reminder system to ensure proper followup.

Never delegate an assignment and completely leave it up to the other person to make sure it gets done. Just as the person you delegate to needs to be accountable for reporting in, you need to be accountable for following up.

Your reminder system can be your daily planner, a tickler file system, or any other system that works for you. Place a note in your reminder system to follow up with a team member if you have not received the report, update, or task as requested. So if you give the team member the deadline of Friday at 2 p.m. for a progress update, then you enter into your own reminder system to follow up with the person at 4 p.m. if he or she does not meet that deadline. Give the team member the full opportunity to report to you before you track the individual down for followup.

Important: Only follow up when the person misses a requested update or deadline. You don’t want to train people that you will be following up with them on a regular basis, because that leaves the task’s responsibility with you. Rather, you want to train them that they are expected to report back to you, making them responsible for the delegated item. That’s why you set the progress updates and deadlines in writing. If they don’t report as scheduled, you must follow up. If they don’t report and you don’t follow up, the delegation cycle is broken, and the process fails.

5. Report back to the person you received the assignment from.

Just because you receive the delegated task back completed (and to your satisfaction) doesn’t mean you’re done. Always remember to complete the cycle by reporting back to the person who initially gave you the task. Tell your boss the findings; give the customer the information he or she needed; share your report with the board. Keep the communication chain intact so others learn that they can trust you as well.

Delegate to Win

If you want to free up some of your time so you can focus on your core duties or income producing activities, you need to delegate effectively. So examine those tasks that are repetitive in nature and decide which ones someone else can do. Then delegate effectively by writing out your task, training people to report on time, doing proper followup, and finally completing the cycle and reporting your results.

Taking the time to get the delegation process right pays great dividends, in the form of increased productivity, on-track company objectives, and reduced work-related stress.

Christi Youd is a speaker, trainer, and president of Organize Enterprise, LLC. Trained by the National Association of Professional Organizers, she has more than 20 years of experience helping companies and individuals increase productivity with organization, time management, and change;www.organizeenterprise.com

Sections Supplements
Employers’ Healthcare Reform Compliance Deadline Looms

Starting July 1, 2007, the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law takes full effect, and all businesses will have to comply with it.

The law affects various-sized businesses in different ways and will have a significant impact upon the health care benefits employers must offer their employees. The goal of the legislation is to create an opportunity for access to health care coverage for a larger range of employees. While some elements of the Mass. Health Care Reform Law took effect in 2006, there are certain aspects of the law slated to take effect this summer.

The Mass. Health Care Reform Law is far reaching, and there are numerous requirements for employers of different sizes. For example, the law will require an employer with 11 or more full-time employees to ensure that least 25% of those full-time employees are covered by an employer-sponsored plan or some other qualified plan (such as a spouse’s), or pay at least 33% of employees’ premiums for health coverage. The law requires employers to offer a Section 125 plan that uses pre-tax dollars for health insurance premiums and also permits employees with dependents up to age 26, or for two years after the dependent loses IRS dependent status (whichever comes first), to access employer-sponsored plans, regardless of their “student status.” Finally, the law mandates that employer contributions to the health insurance premiums do not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees.

The law imposes three new employer responsibilities. The first requires employers to permit employees to pay for health care coverage with pre-tax dollars. Known as a Section 125 plan, or cafeteria plan, this responsibility does not require employers to provide health care coverage to employees, but it does require employers to disclose their Section 125 plan with the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector. The cafeteria plan requirement takes effect July 1, and applies to employers with more than 11 employees.

The second responsibility requires employers to distribute information statements with health care coverage information. Also known as a ‘coverage statement,’ this is similar to tax form 1099 because employers are required to distribute it when necessary, and employees are required to file the form with their income tax returns. The coverage statement requirement takes effect July 1, and it is suggested that employers prepare to distribute the forms in early January 2008 for tax year 2007.

Finally, employers are also responsible for distributing a health insurance responsibility disclosure form to employees who refuse their company’s health coverage. This third responsibility applies to employers with 10 or more employees, and employers will be required to keep the forms for three years.

The law also provides for an employer surcharge for state-funded health care costs. The ‘employer surcharge’ or ‘free rider surcharge’ requires employers with more then 10 employees to pay a portion of the costs incurred by employees who receive health care benefits from the Commonwealth’s Free Health Care Pool. The surcharge will be imposed if all employees seek free health care five times in one year or one employee seeks health care three times in one year.

The cost of the surcharge will vary between 10% or 100% depending upon the extent of free care. Additionally, it is worth noting that employers are also exempt up to $50,000 before the surcharge is imposed. They may be exempt from the surcharge if they participate in a partnership insurance plan, if they comply with Section 125, or if there is a collectively bargained contract that covers an employee who sought free coverage.

The Mass. Health Care Reform Law also creates greater opportunity for employees to gain access to health care benefits. Under a program called the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, businesses with fewer than 50 employees will be able to purchase health insurance from the Authority for their employees. Employees will also be able to purchase affordable health care coverage through the Authority using pre-tax dollars.

In addition, employers will be able to take advantage of the expanded Insurance Partnership Program under the reform law. As in the past, the Insurance Partnership Program provides incentives to small businesses with less then fifty employees that pay at least 50% of the cost of employer-sponsored health care coverage. The Insurance Partnership provides subsidies to employers and employees depending on the type of plan the employer is sponsoring. Under the reform law, the eligibility requirement has been increased to 300% of the federal poverty level for a household of three.

The law also added several new restrictions, including double-dipping the subsidies from the employer and employee side. The measure essentially closed a loophole that in some cases permitted sole proprietors to receive subsidies as the employee and the employer.

Finally, it is worth noting that there are subtle differences in the language of the Mass. Health Care Reform Law. Do not confuse ‘providing’ and ‘non-providing’ with ‘contributing’ and ‘non-contributing’ when referring to an employer’s role in health care coverage. ‘Non-providing’ employers may be subject to a free rider surcharge whereas ‘non-contributing’ employers are not exempt from the fair share requirement.

The new health care law’s goal is to ensure that each and every resident in Massachusetts has health insurance. The burden of accounting for this goal falls on the shoulders of employers who are now required to keep track of whether their employees are covered by health insurance. Unfortunately, this social goal has fiscal consequences that may result in penalties and surcharges if the law is not properly followed.

Since the last provisions of the Mass. Health Care Law are about to become required on July 1, it is advisable that employers consult with an attorney regarding their obligations.

Kevin V. Maltby, Esq., is an associate with Bacon & Wilson, P.C. He is a former prosecutor for the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office with extensive jury trial and courtroom experience. His practice concentrates on litigation, employment, and family matters. He also handles personal injury and product liability; (413) 781-0560;[email protected].

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Marx Entertainment Stays a Step Ahead of the Public’s Vibe
Mark Ashe

Mark Ashe, owner of Marx Entertainment, says his industry has changed considerably, but he’s made both small steps and big leaps to stay current.

When Mark Ashe started his career in the DJ entertainment and event services industry, he’d walk into a job with two milk crates full of albums to spin.

Today, his digital music library includes more than 500,000 songs, with plenty of room for more. He suspects the computer-based system will continue to expand, not unlike his repertoire of services overall, which has grown from a one-man operation that began in the early 1980s to an all-inclusive event-production business, Marx Entertainment, based in Enfield, Conn.

The company now provides DJ services, live entertainment, video production, party rentals such as tents, tables, and chairs, and a number of ‘fun extras,’ including virtual reality and carnival games. New products and services are being added continuously, due to the ever-changing requests of the public and, subsequently, the changing face of the traveling entertainment sector.

Ashe said his business — once called Mark’s Rolling Dance Revue and since updated to have a more contemporary feel and better reflect its diverse services — has grown as it has adapted to the gradual changes this industry has seen.

“The learning curve never ends,” he said. “There are constant changes and new ideas, and what I do is look at all of the ideas out there, and decide what I think can work.”

Put the Needle on the Record

Ashe, an East Longmeadow native, first got the bug for disc jockeying and event production in 1979, when he was working as a self-described “gopher” for the Springfield radio station WAQY. He said at the time, DJs were few and far between, and usually relegated to dance clubs and bars.

“I was driving around the area, doing promotions, and I just got the itch,” Ashe recalled. “At the time, DJs were hard to find; it wasn’t like it is now.”

With no real path to follow, Ashe began blazing his own trail, by studying the club DJs of the late 1970s and early 1980s across the Northeast, sometimes with a pad and pen in hand as others partied around him. He then entered the dance clubs in Western Mass. on his own, and in early 1981, he’d acquired enough equipment and expertise to begin bringing nightclub-inspired entertainment to outside events.

Most of those early gigs were birthdays, anniversary parties, or school dances. Weddings, he said, had yet to become a major player in the DJ entertainment sector. Soon, that trend began to take shape, and Ashe was poised to capitalize on the new market.

The volume of couples seeking DJ services for their wedding day began to increase in the early 1990s, and has risen steadily ever since. Demand for such services has since escalated in other arenas, including the corporate and family markets, which have opened new doors for Marx Entertainment.

“I always knew I didn’t want to be a one-man show forever,” said Ashe. “I wanted to stay involved and working, which I do, but I also wanted to be known as a company that could provide basic DJ services as well as big, dynamic productions.”

Ashe said a number of business moves in the past have helped shape Marx Entertainment into the company it is today, and that focus on growth continues.

“We’ve gradually changed along with the industry,” he said, “but we’ve also taken some big leaps along the way.”

On the Road Again

One of the first was the formation of the Commonwealth’s first DJ training school, which Ashe opened in Agawam and operated for four years in the early 1990s. The endeavor eventually proved to be too much of a draw on his core business, but Ashe noted that several of his students later came to work for him, boosting his staff as well as the breadth of services he could offer.

“It was a great way to identify and train talent,” he said, “and in the end it benefited Marx. We started to develop a reputation in Massachusetts, and from that our Connecticut business began to grow.”

To capitalize on his reputation in Western Mass. and a new set of clients in Connecticut, Ashe chose to move his business from Agawam to Enfield in 2004. He now serves clients in both states as well as New York, New Jersey, Florida, and beyond (services for ‘destination events’ are also part of the Marx business model).

He also continues to study the industry and its trends across the country and the globe, both on his own time and at national industry conferences, and constantly adds new offerings to the Marx repertoire.

These include theme decoration and event-planning services, a wide variety of specialty event production such as simulated drive-in movies, and full video production for all types of events. Ashe is now in the process of incorporating ‘green-screen’ technology into his business as well, to offer simulated movies and music videos featuring event guests.

Some of these event-production developments have been major hits for Marx, like interactive games such as Dance Revolution, virtual golf simulators, and a ‘micro-reality’ racetrack that puts party-goers in the driver’s seat — sort of.

Others have been middle of the road in terms of client interest, such as casino tables. But Ashe keeps the service listed in order to serve those customers who are interested, and to remain prepared for a sudden boom in casino party planning — a possibility that isn’t farfetched.

Some ideas, he admits, have flopped. He’ll be doing away with foam pits for kids or college students, for instance, because interest wasn’t as high as he’d hoped, and maintenance of the apparatus can be time-consuming.

But the process of building a multi-faceted event-production company from a solo disc jockey service is one that has been characterized by trial and error, as Ashe carves a niche in an industry he has also helped to define.

While still learning new tricks of the trade, Ashe has shared his own insights with fellow event producers and DJ services. He’s served as a contributing editor for well-known trade publications such as Mobile Beat and the DJ Times, and also serves as a speaker at industry events such as the two largest national DJ conferences in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.

That national presence might have offered some of the inspiration Ashe needed to make another of those big moves he spoke of often with BusinessWest.

Extreme Entertainment

He said that about five years ago, he noticed an emerging trend toward more family-centric events in particular — a desire to create larger, more memorable affairs with unique entertainment, including elaborate themes, live dancers, and sophisticated games.

The problem, which Ashe saw as an opportunity, was that Western New England had few, if any, such event-production companies handling get-togethers of that magnitude.

“There were no resources for high-end parties like that,” he said. “People were going to New York to find talent in that area.”

So, Ashe said he followed suit.

“New York City is teeming with out-of-work actors, dancers, or just people who were born to do one or both,” he said. “There are plenty of people looking for work down there, so I went to find the talent, and brought them here to come work for me.”

His staff of 28 is now comprised in part by professional emcees and ‘dance motivators,’ who perform at events but also work to keep guests active and engaged. Since this aspect of the company took shape, Ashe said his bar- and bat mitzvah business has skyrocketed. Now, so-called ‘extreme 16’ parties, popularized by reality shows such as MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen, are taking both 15th and 16th birthday parties (usually among teen-aged girls) to a new level, and further boosting Marx’s client list.

“We’re offering New York-style productions that aren’t over the top,” he said, noting that this still-new aspect of Marx Entertainment has also spurred some cross-over into the corporate market. “Apparently, the big kids want to play, too.”

Not content to rely on this emerging trend, though, Ashe has recently made another move, this time teaming with a partner, Andrew Jensen, to form a sister company to Marx called JenMark, which will focus on producing corporate conferences and trade shows.

His first foray into this market will promote his own industry. Ashe is preparing to roll out a vendor show at the Connecticut Expo Center on Oct. 7. The show will resemble a wedding expo, but will center on the super-sized events for kids and teens that Marx has already seen growing in popularity.

Ashe said he is sending invitations this month to potential vendors, ranging from caterers to novelty providers to fellow DJs, and hopes to secure 150 booths for an anticipated 2,000 visitors. He’s already working on hiring an MTV VJ for the event, and the Jewish Ledger has signed on as a media sponsor. Other sponsorships are in the works, too.

Fast Forward

The venture is a daunting one, but one that Ashe said has a market, and fills a need — or at least, a strong want.

“One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that entertainment always seems to survive,” he said. “Through depression or recession, people still find a way to throw great parties. I think it’s something that keeps us connected.”

And while Ashe’s record albums have taken on a new function, serving as art on his office walls instead of entertaining a crowd, they provide a link to the past and vivid reminders that, in this business, one can’t get ahead by standing still.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

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The Arbors Moves Well Beyond Old-school Thinking
The Arbors, Chicopee

The Arbors, Chicopee

The Arbors recently opened its fifth assisted-living facility in Greenfield, giving the company a wide-ranging presence across Western Mass. at a time when the need for assisted-living services is on the rise. But the Arbors’ most striking success story might be in Chicopee, where seniors sometimes get to hang out with the little kids next door.

Say you’ve got a prime slice of real estate on Memorial Drive in Chicopee, you’re building an assisted-living facility, and you’ve got several acres left over. What do you do?

In some cases, it depends on your kids.

A few years ago, siblings Carol Veratti and Ernie Gralia III faced that very question upon purchasing the land on which they would build their third Arbors assisted-living center, following facilities in Amherst and Taunton.

With 12 acres in reserve, the partners decided to provide a chance for Veratti’s son, Gary, and her son-in-law, Shad Hanrahan, to run a very different business on the property — but one equally focused on caring for others. And that’s how Arbors Kids was born.

“I went to school for early childhood education, and so did my brother-in-law, so we said, ‘let’s build a child-care center,’” said Hanrahan, now director of Arbors Kids.

Today, it stands along Route 33 as a testament to seizing opportunities — and providing unique interactive experiences for children and seniors alike. And it makes the Arbors one of the few companies providing on-site services to clients ranging in age from a few weeks old to 101.

Getting On with Life

That 101-year-old at the Arbors in Chicopee speaks to the fact that not all senior citizens need regular nursing care these days, said Noreen Geraghty, wellness coordinator.

Indeed, when Veratti and Gralia made their transition from construction into business management, it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. In the years following that decision, the average age of Massachusetts residents would continue to rise; meanwhile, not only are senior citizens living longer, but they’re often active and relatively healthy. Those trends — which aren’t likely to reverse course in the coming years — increased the need for assisted-living services.

“We were actually contractors; my dad was a contractor, too,” Veratti said. “We had built housing for the elderly and several nursing homes. We became friendly with some of the owners of the nursing homes, and that led to our transition into assisted living.”

After successfully launching the Arbors at Amherst, Veratti and Gralia went about expanding their business, gradually opening sites in Taunton, Chicopee, and Westfield; the Arbors at Greenfield, which opened on June 1, brings the tally to five centers. Each site includes an Alzheimer’s unit called Reflections, which provides a higher level of care.

The basic assisted-living model at the Arbors offers residents 45 minutes of personal care per day, from bathing, dressing, and light housecleaning to help removing a hearing aid or an escort walking to the dining room.

“I know our staff goes in there more than 45 minutes a day, too — sometimes just to visit,” said Sondra Jones, marketing coordinator.

Medication reminders are an important factor as well, she said. “Sometimes families come to us because mom is forgetting to take her medications, and they’re busy going to work and taking care of their own kids. Here, they don’t have to worry about it.”

However, Jones said, there’s a fine line in assisted living defining what the nurses’ aides on staff can and cannot do for residents. For example, while the nursing staff can remind seniors to take their medications, they cannot crush pills, and residents must be able to swallow them on their own. An aide might help guide the hand of a resident putting in eyedrops, but cannot actually squeeze the dropper.

In many cases, the reminder is the important thing — and is often a key reason why the resident has been placed in assisted living, Geraghty said.

“We have plenty of situations where a daughter comes in and administers medications,” Jones said. “There’s no medicine cart here; residents keep medications in the privacy of their own apartments.”

Senior Circuit

As Geraghty explained, assisted living isn’t meant to be nursing care; that’s why nursing homes exist, for those who need help with daily living that goes beyond a few minutes a day. Meanwhile, the Arbors hosts monthly clinics for blood pressure, vision, hearing, and foot care.

“What’s nice is that this model keeps them independent,” she said. “The goal is for them to stay as independent as they can. And to that end, the building doesn’t have a medical-center feel to it. The apartments feel like home, and we don’t wear uniforms beyond khakis and white shirts.”

“We’re not walking around in scrubs like a nursing-home or hospital environment,” Jones agreed.

She said the Arbors keeps residents occupied with a steady menu of games, activities, and outings, but she noted that they organize many such efforts themselves. This active lifestyle, she suggested, is one reason why assisted living is becoming more popular among seniors who don’t need the round-the-clock care of a nursing home.

“People have told me, ‘my mom fell and broke her hip; she was in rehab, but now I want to get her out of there,’” Jones said. “Sometimes people in nursing homes are so overmedicated that they can’t talk. But here, it’s the socialization that keeps them going — the activities we have, and everyone getting out and doing things together. It’s like an older high school. They can even be gossipy and have certain cliques.”

That said, residents know they’re not teenagers anymore, and they look out for each other, Geraghty said. “At meal times, they’ll knock on each other’s doors,” she said. “They know who’s more forgetful and who missed lunch or who hasn’t eaten for awhile.”

If an aide feels like a resident needs the attention of a doctor, family will be notified, while an ambulance will be called immediately for emergency situations. “Of course, many of them do get sick,” Geraghty said. “We send them out to the hospital, they recuperate, and they come back.”

Many go far beyond merely recuperating. One resident swims three times a week at Elms College — one of many at the Arbors who seem a long time away from nursing-home life.

The Kids Next Door

If the need for assisted-living services is on the rise, Hanrahan learned quickly that education-focused child care is in demand as well; he has seen Arbors Kids gradually become one of the area’s larger centers, with plenty of parents waiting for an opening.

“We started with just a basic infant program, a preschool program, and a small summer camp,” he said, a model that has since grown to include 154 children at the Chicopee site, three off-site after-school programs, a before-school program, and a much larger summer camp — “and a lengthy waiting list.”

He said he and his brother-in-law aimed to build an educational program geared toward getting children ready for kindergarten, but also one built around fun, with a curriculum of creative arts, movement, and music in addition to the expected language skills, motor skills, and number and letter recognition. Those aspects of child care wouldn’t be out of place at any accredited facility. However, the intergenerational program is a different story.

“We’ll have classroom visits, with the residents next door doing projects with the older children on a weekly basis,” Hanrahan said. “The kids also have tea parties with the residents. And they’re working on a garden for the first time, and the residents are helping the children manage the garden.”

Meanwhile, the younger children interact with the seniors as well through seasonal activities such as Easter egg hunts, pumpkin picking days, and Halloween trick-or-treating in the Arbors corridors.

“Believe me, the older people enjoy those things more than the children do,” Hanrahan said, “especially the ones who don’t have grandchildren in the area.”

Since opening the child-care arm of the business, the Arbors has also taken over management of the Mason-Wright Retirement Community in Springfield, as well as the child-care center at that property, which had been a Springfield Day Nursery site.

Hanrahan said he would like to see expansion of the after-school programs the Arbors offers, but chuckled when asked whether another full-service child-care facility is on the horizon. Running one center — keeping up with accreditations; juggling curricula, programs, and food service; and maintaining low turnover on the staff — has been a successful venture, he said, but an all-consuming one.

Still, at the end of the day, it’s the one-on-one interaction he enjoys the most.

“I like greeting the parents every day,” Hanrahan said. “We’re a family business that takes pride in taking care of your family.”

No matter how young, or how old.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at[email protected]

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The Zanger Company Has Made Polish Pottery a Household Name
Gloria Smith

Gloria Smith, owner of the Zanger Company

Characterized by delicate patterns and vibrant colors, Polish pottery is now a household name in the United States, thanks in large part to the vision and entrepreneurial drive of Gloria Smith, owner and president of the Zanger Company in Suffield. Smith, who originally sold cutlery, first saw the pottery at a massive product expo in Germany in 1989, and envisioned a market for it in the U.S. Her instincts were pretty good; Zanger sales have risen from $450,000 to $11 million in those 17 years, and the pottery now has a cult following among collectors.

Since the first order was placed, the artists at Ceramika Artystyczna in Poland have been on a first-name basis with Gloria Smith, owner of the Zanger Company, which imports and sells the pottery the factory creates.

When Smith first visited the company that creates hand-fired, hand-painted stoneware, Communist rule was a very recent memory, and there were no computers or fax machines to process the orders that filter into the factory from all over the world. It was a small operation powered by the deft artistry of its employees, largely women, who hunched over each piece to carefully decorate them with traditional patterns.

Smith was sold.

“When you decide to stick with something, it’s not always an easy road,” she said, “but it’s about staying with something you believe in. I saw a philosophy and a spirituality flowing into this pottery.”

A lot has changed since that first visit in the early 1990s. Ceramika Artystyczna has grown to employ 350 people and thrive as one of the most successful factories in Poland. Much of that success can be attributed to brisk American sales thanks to Smith, its largest distributor, and her company, Zanger, based in Suffield, Conn. in a large warehouse decorated with color photographs of women, still bent over their artwork.

“It has been a gift to build a business on these beautiful ceramics,” said Smith. “The factory grew and evolved with us, and I am very protective of it.”

Having a Bowl

Smith’s path to becoming an entrepreneur and hugely successful importer was one that unfolded in front of her, she said, providing the direction she needed to find a rewarding career that offers a unique, quality product. She began as an educator, teaching English as a Second Language for eight years before trying her hand at sales in the computer industry.

“I needed a change,” she said, and in 1987, she found it. Alfred Zanger, who owned a company that imported high-end cutlery from Europe, was looking to sell his business, and Smith became aware of the opportunity.

She said she didn’t have any retail experience at the time, and had never penned a business plan — the late 1980s were also a time when few women were choosing to make the career leap to business owner. But Smith was both ready and willing.

She chose to retain the company’s name, and for two years she carried stock similar to what Zanger offered. But she had the desire to find a product with some sort of deeper meaning or impact, and in 1989, Smith traveled to a large product expo to continue her quest.

“The magic of the story is this: picture a show the size of the Holyoke Mall times 10, and all the products that were there to choose from,” she said. “Just about everyone was represented; the aisles and rows of vendors was mind-boggling. I scoured the place to find something unique.”

The search took hours and countless passes through the many vendor booths. On the day Smith was scheduled to fly home, she still hadn’t found just the right thing, and decided to go back to the trade show for one more look.

It was at that point that a small display of painted ceramics caught her eye.

The stoneware was and is created in Poland, in a small town on the German and Czech borders called Boleslawiec, which harvests the clay used in its creation from the Bobr river. Each piece is hand-painted with delicate patterns that are devised in the factory and characterized by traditional Polish designs and colors, especially a deep blue that graces nearly every finished plate, bowl, and teapot.

“The region has long been a potter’s community,” Smith explained. “The clay from the river is taken out in huge chunks and processed, and it’s not porous, so it’s very durable and can be used regularly for cooking and baking.”

That’s one reason why Smith was drawn to the pottery. She suspected that its usability paired with its beauty would resonate with American consumers, and 20 years later, brisk sales are proving that her hunch was right on. Still, introducing Polish pottery to the U.S. (Smith was the first) has been a long process, and only now is Smith’s climb to greatness beginning to level.

What’s in a Name?

In 1989, Smith was unable to forge a relationship with Ceramika Artystyczna directly, as Poland was still under Communist rule, and outside business partners were strictly regulated. She instead began a partnership with a German company, Heise, to procure the pottery and bring it stateside. Smith later found out that the factory’s employees filled orders with no business name or address on them — they simply read ‘Gloria.’

After the Iron Curtain fell, Smith was able to visit the factory for the first time, and to begin working with it directly.

“The relationship has been no different than watching a child grow,” she said. “It’s an emotional thing for me, because they’ve become like my family, and we’ve grown both of our businesses through mutual respect, honesty, and loyalty.”

The Zanger Company’s success has been largely responsible for the phenomenal growth of the factory, which has significantly upgraded its internal processes and equipment.

A kiln that once required 24-hour stoking with coal, for instance, has been replaced with a series of sophisticated gas ovens. Those advances are paired with long-held traditions for superior artistry, and even today, with thousands of orders to be filled, only 14 hands touch each piece, and designers complete about six pieces a day.

“The quality is much different now,” said Smith. “It’s become the best factory in Poland, and the vision of the artists is a huge part of that. They’ve been given a chance to truly show their potential, and they do so.”

Indeed, Zanger has grown considerably since its first year selling Polish pottery. Sales totaled $450,000 then, and last year, that figure had risen to $11 million. Smith said the operation is largely a wholesale provider, regularly delivering a wide range of products — everything from decorative bowls to full sets of dinner plates, and smaller sundries like coffee cups and salt and pepper shakers — to retailers across the country. Zanger also sells Polish pottery via its Web site and from its warehouse in Suffield.

Still, she said it took about a decade for the product to be readily recognized in the U.S., where she is the largest distributor of Polish pottery in the nation and one of only two (the other wholesaler is located in Pennsylvania).

An opportunity to introduce the stoneware to a large, national audience came in 2003, when an executive from QVC, a cable home-shopping channel, spotted the pottery at a trade show and offered Smith the chance to appear in a one-hour spot.

Smith never got the chance to finish that appearance — all of her product sold out in 26 minutes — but a long-standing relationship with the channel was born. Her success also earned Smith a Q-Star Award from the channel for quality and innovation.

“Every show we did got bigger after the first,” she said. “Polish pottery has a strong presence, and QVC had a tremendous impact on the product and branding it.”

Life on a Platter

Smith’s ongoing success with her product has allowed her to give back in various ways, sometimes holding open houses at her Suffield facility and donating the profits to area charity and advocacy organizations, such as Community Health Resources of Connecticut, for which she’s a board member.

Smith also works closely with Bay Path College and its entrepreneurship program. “Women love to see other women succeed,” she said.

And in Poland, an artist may have just finished her latest piece for one of her most influential clients, carefully setting it aside for Gloria and reflecting on her own success.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at[email protected]

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Clerkships Give Students a Taste for How the Law Works
Kendra Berardi and Paul Rothschild

Law Clerk Kendra Berardi and Paul Rothschild, who directs the clerking program for the Springfield firm Bacon & Wilson.

“Flattering and terrifying at the same time, but mostly terrifying.” That’s how one clerk now working at an area law firm described what it’s like to be handed a case file and told to file a motion. This is the essence of clerking for a firm — a year-long experience, in most cases, which provides an invaluable line on a resume, but, more importantly, forms a bridge between the classroom and the courtroom.

Beth Lux had no idea just how “messy” life can get.

“It’s been really eye-opening and interesting to see how people treat each other and to see how business is actually conducted in the real world,” she told BusinessWest. “It’s amazing; you’ll be reading, and say to yourself, ‘wow … she said what?’ and ‘he did what?’ It’s really messy out there.”

Gaining an appreciation for this dark side of society has been just one of many learning experiences Lux has taken home — and will soon take to her profession — from her work as a law clerk at the Springfield firm Bacon & Wilson and involvement with litigation involving everything from business disputes to property borderline squabbles.

Beyond the large dose of reality, she’s also acquired a real taste of what it’s like to be a lawyer, something she said a textbook, as well-written as it may be, simply can’t provide.

“It’s definitely different than being in the classroom; I learned how to formulate a strategy and attack a problem,” she said, adding that she’s learned by doing, and also watching and listening. “I spent a lot of time sitting in attorneys’ offices listening to them talk to the clients on the phone. It gave me a chance to observe how to talk to clients, handle certain situations, and learn which questions to ask. It was … incredible.”

That’s a word you hear often from those who have clerked on their way to entering the legal profession, a step described by most as an effective bridge between the classroom and the courtroom, a much-needed conveyance from the theoretical world to the real one.

“It’s interesting and fun to see how the law is applied,” said Spencer Stone, who is three months into a clerkship at the Springfield-based firm Hendel & Collins, which specializes in bankruptcy work. “It’s great to go to court and see how the attorneys argue a case. In law school, you essentially sit there and stare at a textbook, reading the end result of a case; you never see how it actually gets to that point.”

Clerkships are essentially part-time jobs (full-time in many cases during the summer months) that bring practical benefits to both the employee and the employer.

The former, as already described, gets some real-world experience and an important — and valuable — line on a resume. And sometimes he or she gets a job with the firm they clerked with. As for the latter, they get some talented, energetic, and fairly low-cost ($13 to $20 per hour is the range locally) help that can make a dent in a workload and perhaps offer some insight into the latest developments in some aspects of the law. And sometimes, they get an associate out of the deal.

“One of my partners, George Roumeliotis, started as a clerk here,” said Joe Collins, one of the founding partners of Hendel & Collins, who said the firm has had a law student in its office on an almost constant basis since it opened 25 years ago.

“We talk to a lot of really good candidates, but they have no practical experience whatsoever,” he told BusinessWest, referring to interviews conducted prior to hiring clerks for a summer or school year. “The practice of law isn’t really knowing the law; it’s knowing how to make things work, knowing how to draft a pleading, and knowing how to persuade someone to do what your clients wants done. And that’s the part they learn here.”

Layla Taylor has been through two clerkships. The first was at Springfield-based Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn, and it eventually led to a job at the firm, which specializes in employment law. The second was a short stint at the Brattleboro-based Kramer Law Offices, a required step toward becoming licensed in Vermont.

She described both as valuable learning experiences that have given her a more in-depth understanding of the law and specific aspects of it.

“When you go into a clerkship situation, you learn very fast the difference between a theoretical understanding of the law and the practice of law,” she said. “This is your first experience in a legal setting; it enables you to get your foot in the door and test the waters.”

A Case of Extreme Enthusiasm

Kendra Berardi called it a “problem,” but then quickly retracted that comment, realizing instantly that this wasn’t the right word.

Through two years of law school at Western New England College, she has been expecting to encounter some subject matter, some area of the law that simply didn’t appeal to her so she could draw an imaginary line through it and thus narrow her focus to those things she does like.

But those expectations haven’t been met. “I haven’t met a part of the law that I can’t see myself doing someday.”

Which is most definitely not a problem, because Berardi wants to be a litigator, and such individuals need to be well-versed — and fairly proficient — in most all aspects of the law. “Litigators don’t have to pick what areas to get into,” she said, adding that this is one of many reasons she expects to thoroughly enjoy the next step — a clerkship with Bacon & Wilson — in the process of realizing a career ambition she first set down at age 8.

Berardi started her clerkship only two weeks before she spoke with BusinessWest, but already she was gauging the thoroughness of the experience, and using many of the same words Lux used weeks after her tour of duty ended.

“An attorney will ask you a question because they don’t know the answer, and they’ll send you off to do the research and report back — which is at all times flattering but also terrifying, because they’re going to rely on your research,” she said. “So you’d better do it right.

“Sometimes, you get a case file, and some of them are pretty big, and an attorney will say, ‘go write this motion,’ which is also flattering and terrifying, but mostly terrifying,” she continued. “But it’s great, because that’s the closest any of us will come to being a lawyer until we pass the bar and become a lawyer. And it’s far less scary to do it now, when there are so many people to make sure that if you have a question, it gets answered, and if you’re confused, they’ll make sure you’re not.”

This is the essence of clerking, a tradition-laden step in the process of becoming a licensed practitioner of the law. Clerkships come in many varieties — some are with judges, non-profit agencies, or district attorneys — and differ in their lengths, pay scales, and workload. All have the same basic mission, though: to provide practical experience for the student and, as Lux said, some insight that can’t be gained in the lecture hall.

Paul Rothschild, a partner with Bacon & Wilson and chair of its litigation department, has been leading the firm’s clerkship program, for lack of a better word, for more than 20 years. He told BusinessWest that the clerks are an integral part of the team at the firm, and that he enjoys the work with what he called “newly minted people.”

The firm generally has three or four clerks on duty in the cramped lower level of the State Street offices at any given time, and these individuals will work with most of the firm’s 38 lawyers during their tenure.

Traditionally, the firm has recruited heavily from Western New England College, but has had clerks from other institutions, including UConn, that are within commuting distance. As at most firms, the clerkships start with full-time work in the summer between the second and third year of law school, and continue on a part-time basis (10 or 12 hours is the norm) for the following school year.

Rothschild said the clerkship program is, among other things, a recruiting tool. The firm rarely hires individuals directly out of law school, he explained, but five lawyers now with the firm, three partners and two associates, first clerked there.

He said the key to making the experience worthwhile for the student and the firm is to give the clerk “meaningful work, not busy work.”

Case in Point

Collins agreed, and said that his firm, like most, is looking for certain abilities, tangibles, and intangibles when screening and interviewing candidates for clerkships. Above all else, the firm wants individuals who can write and, overall, communicate effectively.

That’s because much of their work involves pleadings, motions, and other documents. But Collins wants his clerks to get what he called a full experience, and not just “sit in a closet and write.”

“We want to give them a sense for how to practice law,” he explained, adding that there are many things that go into this equation. For example, he and other lawyers at the firm take clerks with them to Bankruptcy Court, and he took Stone to a recent program staged by the Boston Bar Assoc. after Stone helped prepare material for it.

“That doesn’t really benefit the firm directly,” he said of his decision to have the clerk attend the event. “But I feel it’s important when a law student comes on board to give him a feel for everything. We want them to sit in on client meetings and participate in forming a strategy.”

By doing so, he said, the firm can get a real feel for whether the clerk in question may be a good candidate for full employment later. “We really need know how individuals think and how they’d respond to certain circumstances, and that’s why we expose them to a lot of different activities.”

Taylor told BusinessWest she was exposed to a full range of employment law matters and legal processes — and in very short order — at Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn. The firm wasn’t advertising for a clerk when she sent in her resume in 2003, but it did have a need for someone who could help with some ongoing litigation.

After working on that initial project, the firm gave her a number of other assignments, and it was in the course of handling them that Taylor gained an appreciation for the specialty of employment law and a desire to make it a career.

“This is one of the benefits of clerking. Employment and labor law is very diverse; there’s litigation, collective bargaining, a lot of negotiating, and quite a bit of administrative law work,” she explained. “And there’s also a lot of counseling of employers to help them comply with the law.

“From very early on, I was able to get a broad range of assignments, and I was able to see projects through to completion, which is important,” she continued. “I didn’t come in here with the expectation of getting a job; I just wanted to get my foot in the door, get some legal experience, and find out if it was something I was interested in — or something I wouldn’t be interested in, because then I would look to other areas of the law.”

Stone started working at Hendel & Collins in March on a part-time basis, and is now in the office full-time for the summer. He said that he learned very quickly that there’s a big difference between writing within an academic setting and the legal community.

“I learned an entirely new way to write, and learned it fast,” he said, adding that he’s spent much of his time to date drafting motions, complaints, answers, and other court documents, while also analyzing specific cases. “You get a little bit of everything here, and I think it’s really going to help me be a better lawyer.”

Lux was on her way to a job interview with a Brattleboro law firm when she spoke with BusinessWest via cell phone. She said her clerkship will make her better-prepared for her first job — wherever it is — because of the wide range of work she has handled and the number of lawyers she has learned from.

“I learned a lot from observing the lawyers, everything from how they asked questions to how they took notes,” she explained. “And I can pick and choose the things that might work for me in my practice.”

Meanwhile, through her involvement with many different kinds of litigation, she has gained an appreciation for how to do research, or what she called “detective work,” to determine what is important in a legal matter and what isn’t, and get at the issues and evidence that will decide a case.

“Sometimes things will turn on a word,” she explained. “There’s this moment where you go, ‘aha, that’s what happened,” she said. “Sometimes a client will say, ‘this is what happened, this is what’s important,’ and it’s not — it’s something else.

“I learned how important it is to be part detective,” she said, “and find out what really went down.”

Final Remarks

“Scary and empowering.”

Those are two of the adjectives that Lux summoned to capsulize her experiences at Bacon & Wilson, adding, again, that these are not emotions one experiences while reading about cases in a textbook.

“Life is not a classroom,” she said, adding that, like others who have clerked, she believes the experience has helped prepare her for both the rigors of a legal career and a real world that is … well, messy.

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

Departments

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

A to Z Home Improvement Inc.
McGowan, Edward T.
39 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/30/07

Absolute Cleaning Inc.
Metayer, Gregory A.
708 Chapin St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/17/07

Aponte, Marta N.
1663 Carew St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/17/07

Barry, Karen E.
a/k/a Howe, Karen E.
23 Doe Hollow Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/07

Behne, Christian H.
Behne, Sandra L.
D4 Woodstream Dr.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/16/07

Bhukal, Randy N.
58 North Alhambra Circle
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/07

Blake, Ryan A.
31 Highland Ter.
PO Box 545
Gilbertville, MA 01031
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/20/07

Camacho, Maribel
60 Pembroke Circle
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/26/07

Cardaropoli, Joanne R.
P.O. Box 65
Greenfield, MA 01302
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/17/07

Cardinale, Nicholas F.
Cardinale, Denise M.
51 Pine Grove St
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/18/07

Carter, Tara Kim
a/k/a Duquette, Tara K.
82 Mitchell Dr., Unit T
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/17/07

Congelos, Joseph P.
Congelos, Sandra M.P.
P.O. Box 707
Warren, MA 01083
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/26/07

Cosimini, Ruth L.
102 Doane Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/24/07

Crespo, Fernando Luis
a/k/a Negron, Fernando Crespo
72 Acushnet Ave., Apt 1
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/07

Cunningham, Edward J.
Cunningham, Ann Marie
53 Prospect St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/23/07

Delore, Holly M.
18 Summer St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/23/07

Duda, Diane E.
99 Nassau Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/17/07

Eastwest Realty, Inc.
Hebert, Daniel V.
Hebert, Patricia Anne
a/k/a Aube, Patricia Anne
265 Shaker Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/27/07

Ellsworth, James E.
34 Howard St., 2nd Fl.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/18/07

Felix, John Paul
70 Franklin St.
Lee, MA 01238
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/19/07

Figueiredo, Celso T.
Figueiredo, Soledade L.
50 Pond St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/20/07

Frisbie, Robert R.
15 Lavander Lane
Springfield, MA 01129
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/23/07

Gellert, Walter G.
Gellert, Jutima
88A Congamond Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/19/07

Gent, John P.
Gent, Rebecca L.
a/k/a Flebotte, Rebecca L.
26 Ivan St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/20/07

Godburn, Mark R.
520 Sheffield Plain Road
Sheffield, MA 01257
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/25/07

Hagberg, Thomas
177 Birchland Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/24/07

Holly, Marc T.
Holly, Ruth
111 Bemis Road
Warren, MA 01083
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/17/07

Hutchins, Donald Clarke
1047 Longmeadow St.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/23/07

Jaaskelainen, Toivo W.
Jaaskelainen, Cecile M.
171 Thalia Dr.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/25/07

Kum, Roger Olston
128 Benton St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/30/07

Laguerra, Brenda Ivette
82 Mitchell Dr., Unit T
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/17/07

Lambert, Linda J.
a/k/a Chahal, Linda J.
153 South St., Apt. 50
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/22/07

Langlois, Sharon A.
59 Pheasant Hill Dr.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/26/07

Larese, Marion C.
33 Worthy St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/07

 

LeBeau, Sandra Lee
20B Phins Hill Manor
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/25/07

Lemelin-Bliss, Keith D.
Lemelin-Bliss, Stephanie L.
105 Rosewell Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/24/07

Lent, Diana M.
PO Box 165
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/26/07

Lignar, Joseph S.
PO Box 642
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/28/07

Liyanage, Gunadasa D.
1358 Main St., Apt 4
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/21/07

Makkiya, James
122 Barna St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/24/07

Malcolm, Jennifer Lynn
a/k/a Ciuk, Jennifer L.
71 Valley St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/25/07

Marcil, Howard R.
Marcil, Hazel
a/k/a Lugo, Hazel
44 Old Orchard Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/07

Marsh, Renate M.T.
158 Piney Lane
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/25/07

Mason, Christopher S.
Mason, Jamie D.
67 Robak Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/19/0

Molina, Rafael
Molina, Audeliz
59 Maple St., Apt. 6
Springfield, MA 01105
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/17/07

Morrison, Stephen
Morrison, Patricia L.
229-231 Meadow St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/24/07

Picard, Thomas E.
49 Cottage Ave.
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/30/07

Poirier, Kathleen
56 Tokeneke Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/18/07

Poudrier, Jacques J.
1130 Burnett Road
Chicopee, MA 01020-4638
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/23/07

Richardson, Luzviminda
91 Horseshoe Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01022
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/30/07

Riopel, Sean Raphael
158 Skyridge St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/30/07

Roberts, Timothy J.
Roberts, Michelle P.
10 Gaylord St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/24/07

Rodriquez, Brenda Iris
28 Johnson St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/20/07

Russell, David M.
Russell, Corinne E.
197 Pomeroy Meadow Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/07

Russell, Laurie J.
a/k/a Weyers, Laurie J.
42 Cloverdale St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/18/07

Schack, Susan Ann
27 Fairfield Ter.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/28/07

Serrano, Heather M.
73 Barrett St. #2091
Northampton, MA 01060
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/17/07

Smith, Joseph E.
31/33 Price St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/27/07

Sullivan, Daniel P.
23 Drexel St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/24/07

Sullivan, John F.
Sullivan, Sherry
a/k/a Nataro, Sherry
73 Carson St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/19/07

Talbot, Jean M.
132 Mayfair Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/25/07

Thornton, Christopher J.
94 Thompson St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/07

Vitali, Albert Vincent
Vitali, Marie Rose
10 Truehart Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/17/07

Welch, Jacqueline Ann
a/k/a Babiec, Jacqueline Ann
1583 Riverdale St., #2
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/23/07

White, William H.
14 Hanover St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/30/07

Williams, Arlene Laura
25 Collins St., Apt. C
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 04/27/07

Wilson, Theresa Mae
a/k/a Brown-Muritala, Theresa
14 Arbutus St., 2nd Fl.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 04/23/07

Departments

MassMutual Purchases Winmark Equipment Finance

SPRINGFIELD — Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) recently announced its purchase of Winmark Equipment Finance (Winmark), which had become one of the nation’s leading equipment-lending-finance companies since its founding in 2004. Winmark will now operate under the name MassMutual Asset Finance and will become a member of the MassMutual Financial Group of companies. MassMutual was one of the founding partners of Winmark along with Boston-based CrossHarbor Capital Partners, with each providing 50% of the original equity. MassMutual purchased all the shares of Winmark that it did not already own as part of the transaction. Terms were not disclosed. The firm is headquartered in Foxborough.

Decorated Products Receives Business Excellence Award

WESTFIELD — Decorated Products was recently named one of the winners of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield’s Pioneer Valley Business Excellence Award. The award is based on the belief that quality management is the key to this country’s prosperity and long-term strength. Jeffrey Glaze, president of Decorated Products, said the company was able to reach the high expectations of the award because of his employees’ outstanding commitment to quality and excellence. The “Torch of Excellence” Award will be given to Glaze and his staff at the annual meeting and awards ceremony of the Chamber on June 21. Decorated Products specializes in the manufacturing of name plates, decals, roll labels, and signage.

Baystate Health Receives National Award

SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health recently received a 2007 Environmental Leadership Award from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E), a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the American Hospital Association. Baystate received the national award for developing programs that set industry wide benchmarks for environmental stewardship. Baystate, which has received awards from H2E for six years in a row, was also inducted into H2E’s Environmental Leadership Circle in recognition of its sustained commitment to environmental excellence.

Williams House to Become Brewery

WILLIAMSBURG — Brewmasters Tavern recently conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new brewery at the former Williams House on Main Street. Anthony Rizo, one of the owners of the Brewmasters Tavern, has hired The O’Leary Company to design and construct the 3,975-square-foot, two-story addition. The addition is expected to have a historic New England barn design and will house the brewing equipment.

Spalding Provides Curriculum To 1.1 Million Students

SPRINGFIELD — Spalding is spreading the word on the scientific principles of its popular NEVER FLAT basketball in classrooms across the country. “The Science of Basketball” curriculum, which provides more than 11,000 science teachers across the country with handouts and posters, began this spring and will be used as part of sports science curriculum for years to come. Spalding officials expect the materials to reach more than 1.1 million students. The plans and curriculum handouts include ‘Meet a Basketball Scientist,’ ‘The Way the Ball Bounces,’ ‘The Energy of the Game,’ and ‘The Science of the Shot.’ Spalding’s program is in partnership with Weekly Reader Corporation Custom Publishing.

AIM Mutual Insurance Companies Assigned A Rating

BURLINGTON — A.M. Best Company, the nationally recognized insurance rating organization, recently upgraded the financial strength rating for the AIM Mutual Insurance Companies to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent). At the same time, A.M. Best revised the Companies’ outlook to stable from positive. The A (Excellent) rating was assigned to the AIM Mutual Insurance Companies and its members, which consist of Associated Industries of Mass. Mutual Insurance Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Associated Employers Insurance Company. Similarly, Mass. Employers Insurance Company, an AIM Mutual subsidiary formed earlier this year, received a financial strength rating of A (Excellent) with a stable outlook. All companies are based in Burlington. In its report A.M. Best cited the companies’ excellent capitalization, strong operating performance and conservative reserving practices, as well as the inherent benefits derived from the group’s sponsor, Associated Industries of Mass., Inc.

Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the months of May and June 2007.

AGAWAM

Affordable Cleaning
7 William St.
Yegeniy Kiforishin

Center Stage at Chez Josef
176 Shoemaker Lane
Chez Josef, Inc.

Chic Collections
337 Walnut St. Extension
Mary Ann Zicolella

Circle Cleaners
9 South End Bridge Circle
Brenton Blair

Ferrentino’s
7 South End Bridge Circle
Giovanni Ferrentino

Goodfellaz Grill & Brew
360 North Westfield St.
Richard J. Girard, Jr.

K.A.S. Courier Service
83 Kanawha Ave.
Kevin T. Barry

Mahe Lumber & Millwork
257 Garden St.
Claude Ward Horner

Maynard Builders
15 Agnoli Place
Paul Maynard

MD Photography Service
332 South St.
Michael F. Dialessi

National Home Inspection Company, LLC
27E Castle Hills Road
Gary Desellior

Nuts 4 Nuts LLC
8G Castle Hills Road
Joanne Attardi

Tahir Transport
181 Elm St.
Brenton Blair

Tattletails
111 Clover Hill Dr.
Joan Guernsey

The New England Relocation Group
723 Main St.
Eastern Massachusetts Real Estate LLC

The UPS Store
417 Springfield St.
Richard J. Tessier

RAH Roofing
79 Poinsettia St.
Robert Humes

Tolli’s Pizzeria
349 North Westfield St.
George P. Dulchinos

Waterfresh
53 Ramah Circle South
David Centracchio

Wow That Looks Good Landscaping
85 Peros Dr.
Christopher G. Bellerose

Y & V Products
7 Willliams St.
Yevgeniy Kiforishin

AMHERST

Birdsong Bed & Breakfast
815 South East St.
Carol Gray

Briggs Framing & Construction
7 Willow Lane
Brett Briggs

Greene Framing & Construction
170 East Hadley Road
Benjamin Greene

Haffey Center for Attention & Memory
433 West St.
Mark & Nancy Haffey

Kelli Salon Divine
15 Pray St.
Kelli Richardson

CHICOPEE

Berthold Enterprises
52 Falmouth Road
David C. Berthold

Carlson, Landry, Lyons, Stearns and Yerrall, GMAC Real Estate
1847 Memorial Dr.
Eastern Massachusetts Real Estate, LLC

Carlson GMAC Real Estate
1847 Memorial Dr.
Eastern Massachusetts Real Estate, LLC

GMAC Real Estate
1847 Memorial Dr.
Eastern Massachusetts Real Estate, LLC

New England Swirl, LLC
340 McKinstry Ave.
Eugene R. Lapierre

Repairs Plus
38 Northwood St.
Kelly Nadeau

The New England Relocation Group
1847 Memorial Dr.
Eastern Massachusetts Real Estate, LLC

EASTHAMPTON

ABC Dresses
116 Pleasant St.
Karen Andrade

Easthampton Concrete
40 Division St.
Steve Kolodziej

Henry Polissack Books
116 Pleasant St.
Henry Polissack

Little Monkey Studios
116 Pleasant St.
Edward Hougen

EAST LONGMEADOW

Blanchard Drywall Service
70 Somers Road
James Donald Blanchard

M & M Landscaping
275 Maple St.
Matthew Petlock

GREENFIELD

All About You
275 Main St.
Mark A. Eaton

Bill Sheckels Furniture
71 Madison Circle
William Sheckels

BioPlay Sports
2 Village Green
Frederick Bourassa

Don’s Clothes Washer/Dryer Service
31 Colrain St.
Patricia Spinelli

J & M Futon
108 Federal St.
Jeffrey Wayne

Mirling’s Bakery
100 Federal St.
Elizabeth Johnson

Nancy’s Nails
84 Norwood St.
Nancy Edwards

New Fortune Restaurant
249 Mohawk Trail
Lillian Do

PerfumeOnMe.com
55 Orchard St.
Andrey Agapov

HADLEY

Butterfly
48 Russell St.
Kam Chow Lau

J & N Realty
4 Sunrise Dr.
John & Nancy Mieczkowski

Off The Wall Games
41 Russell St.
Kevin Wall

HOLYOKE

Beeline’s Therapeutic Massage
1057 Main St.
Jacqueline E. Clayton

Evert Auto Repair
56 Jackson St.
Adalberto Bernal

Il Familia Ristorante and Pizzeria
420 High St.
Christian Nieves

La Plazita Market
341 Appleton St.
Ana D. Tavarez

Mazzu Landscaping & Painting
210 South St.
John Mazzu

Salida del Sol Paso
24 Jones Ferry Road
Jose F. Rubero

The Paper Route
50 Holyoke St.
Barbara Gallo

Thee Unctuarium
236 Lyman St.
Sheyda Liz Rodriguez

 

LONGMEADOW

Arnold Construction Services
196 Wimbleton Dr.
Bruce Arnold

A.F. Carosella Electrical Services
56 Cobblestone Road
Alexander F. Carosella

LUDLOW

Hairstyles by Helena
7 Sewall St.
Helena Ferreira

Hick-or-Rock Farm
312 Miller St.
Paul Cocchi

M & A Fresh Produce
4 White St.
Nil Atmaca

Princess Nails
6 Chestnut St.
Henry Hoang

NORTHAMPTON

Angela’s Cleaning Service
115 Williams St.
Angela Cash

Drong-Ba Western Tibit
106 Sandy Hill Road
Susan A. Kornacili

Ghippie Music
1 Bratton Court
Cinamon Blair

Hair Phanatix
241 Main St.
Regina Figueroa

Jerry Suejkovsky
241 Main St.
Jerry Suejkovsky

Kevin’s Haircuts
128 King St.
Kevin Ovitt

PALMER

Pereira Custom Golf Carts
17 Hobbs St.
John D. Perry

Rick’s Parkside Drive In
1189 Park St.
Frederick Giuliani

SOUTH HADLEY

Bluebird Airport Shuttle
19C Hadley Village
Richard A. Hunter

Hedgeway Herbals
10 Waite Ave.
Anthony Kelly-Niziolek

SOUTHWICK

EZ Tech Group Inc.
221 Klaus Anderson Road
Jason P. Gates

SPRINGFIELD

Jav Enterprises
1106 Carew St.
John A. Vaquez

JT Builders
278 Denver St.
Jack Tardy

Lopez Painting & Wood Flooring
873 Worthington St.
Eugenio Lopez

Lu’s Yaks
130 Fenwick St.
Linda M. Sheehan

Main St. Gulf
679 Main St.
Raney Shabaneh

Maple Mart
155 Maple St.
Shamim Qureshe

Mark Daniels
139 Acrebrook Road
Mark Robert Daniels

Mezzanotte
220 Worthington St.
Joyce Breault

New England Lab Systems
32 Van Buren Ave.
Fritz Bosquet

Patient Care Of Massachusetts
182 Sumner Ave.
Mavis Henry

Physician Hose Calls
96 Firglade Ave.
Gregg Wolff

R.L.M. Productions
141 Waldorf St.
Rich A. Morganstern

Rovirus Boutique
135 Boston Road
Iris Ward

Royal Seasons Restaurant
339 Boston Road
Fatima V. Tavares

Rudy Express
58 Chester St.
Rudy Bowden

Saigon Restaurant
398 Dickinson St.
May Cun

Saint James Mini Mart
328 St. James Ave.
Domingo Castillo

Sai Mai Video & Gift Shop
285 Belmont Ave.
Hanh Nguyen

Tom’s Copy Centre World
47 Kulig St.
Thomas Francais

Trash Removal
50 Silver St.
Angel Perez

Treadwell Enterprise
115 Garfield St.
James Roberts

Triskelion, Inc.
684 Belmont Ave.
Tony Navarro

Universal Landscaping
17 Governor St.
Brenda Vazquez

Unlimited Cuts
12 Orange St.
Roberto A. Melendez

Vazquez Auto
638 Worthington St.
Samuel Vaquez

Vine Motors
712-722 Boston Road
John Francis Vigneri

William Lee Electrician
41 Kipling St.
William Lee

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Direct Power Sports, LLC
409 Main St.
Gilbert Perez

Elm Market & Package Store
246 Elm St.
Walter A. Rickus

Hassan Enterprize, LLC
168 Birch Park Circle
Hamza Jan

Harbor Freight Tools
1150 Union St.
Steven Michael Segi

The Nail Nook
11 Pleasant St.
Cory Lynn Theobold

Wolf Brothers
32 Park Ave.
Yana Kolomoets

WESTFIELD

Arrow Gas
28 Arch Road
Bob Kowalchik

Asian Food Market
284 Southampton Road
Hyun Soo Kim

B & B Auto & Truck Repair
28 Mechanic St.
Benjamin J. Aspinall

D & A Services
1 Milton Ave.
Brian M. Demas

Debbie Reynolds Dance Academy
132 Elm St.
Debbie Reynolds

R & W Auto Body
946 Southampton Road
Walter Babbin

Zar Mart
121 North Elm St.
Sadia Gul

Departments

Designs on a Career

Christopher Zarlengo, vice president of Marketing for STCU Credit Union, and Amy McNeil, an intern from Springfield Technical Community College’s Graphic Arts Technology program, check proofs of the credit union’s annual report. McNeil, who recently graduated from STCC in the Commercial Arts program, was responsible for the design of the credit union’s annual report.



Open for Business

Owners of the newly opened Courtyard by Marriott hotel on Route 9 in Hadley recently staged a get-together for staff, contractors who built the facility, and friends of those involved with the venture. Above are many of the principals in the Hampshire Hospitality Group, which made the Marriott the latest addition to its roster of area hotels and inns: from left, Grazyna Vincunas, Ken Vincunas, Lynn Travers, Curt Shumway, COO of the Hampshire Hospitality Group, Bob Shumway and Ed O’Leary.

At right, from left, Ed Newalu, director of Food and Beverage for the Hampshire Hospitality Group; Sherri Willey, special projects coordinator for HHG; Sean Welch, general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott; and Michelle Boudreau, director of Sales and Marketing for HHG.


Groundbreaking Developments

A groundbreaking ceremony was on May 29 to signal the beginning of construction at Rivers Landing, a combination health club, entertainment, and dining venue that will be located at the site of the former Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The complex will feature L.A. Fitness, and is being developed by Springfield natives Peter Pappas, a real estate developer, and Dr. Michael Spagnoli, a chiropractor. From left to right are: Rivers Landing project consultant James Langone; State Rep. Rosemarie Sandlin (D-Agawam); Clerk of Courts Brian Lees; U.S. Rep. Richard Neal; Bill Horner, senior vice president of L.A. Fitness; Springfield Economic Development Director David Panagore; Pappas; Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan; Spagnoli; John Doleva, president and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame; Gary Magnuson, an officer with Citizens Bank, which is financing the project; and Paul McDonald, chairman of the Springfield Riverfront Development Corp.

Ware-based FamilyFirst Bank recently broke ground for a new office on Route 9 in East Brookfield. The branch will offer a full range of banking products and services to families and businesses in Western Worcester County. On hand for the groundbreaking ceremony were members of the bank’s board of directors and executives. From left are, Michael Audette, president; Gail A. Piatek, chairman of the board; Charlie Miller, project manager of NES Group; Claire Bothwell and Louis Masse, directors of FamilyFirst Bank.

Opinion
Hunger Does Not Discriminate

Recently, the nation observed National Hunger Awareness Day. The Food Bank of Western Mass. — the region’s hub of public emergency and privately donated foods — and local partners hosted public education events. This year’s theme was The Face of Hunger May Surprise You, and it was quite appropriate.

That’s because it regularly surprises me. Last month, a corporate volunteer at our 30,000-square-foot warehouse in Hatfield shared with me that when she was a child, her mom struggled to put food on the table. Or, I’ll never forget the time a successful businessman approached me after a presentation at a local civic club to confess that his wife secretly collected food stamps after he was laid off from work early in their marriage.

More and more Americans are vulnerable to income and, in turn, food insecurity due to job insecurity, stagnant wages relative to the rising cost of living, high levels of debt, divorce, or a sudden accident. One out of three households that receive food from the Food Bank has at least one working adult. Hunger does not discriminate.

The term “hunger” — the recurrent and involuntary access to food due to lack of resources — conjures up images of starving children in the Third World. Yet, 10 million people in the United States experienced “very low food security” in 2005 according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last fall. Hunger, simply put, has become a permanent feature in United States, despite our being one of the richest and most productive countries on the planet. Worse still, another 17 million people are food-insecure — at risk of hunger due to difficulties putting adequate food on the table on any given day.

The good news is that 3 million fewer people were food-insecure nationally in 2005. The bad news is that food insecurity has increased in many high-cost states like Massachusetts. This seemingly intractable feature of our societal landscape is both an urban and rural phenomenon.

Chronic food insecurity is on the rise as evidenced by a growing demand for emergency food from the Food Bank. Last year, almost 6 million pounds of food — or approximately 4.5 million meals — went to 400 frontline nonprofit programs: food pantries, meal sites, shelters, day care centers, after-school programs, and councils on aging. Half of this food travels to Hampden County.

Our economic system may not ensure that everyone is guaranteed adequate food. Our society should. It’s the right thing to do on moral and economic grounds. We know that food insecurity is a leading cause of poor health and educational achievement among children. Healthier, well-fed families are more productive on the job and at home.

The Food Bank is committed to making food available to those who need it now. We are equally committed to reducing the need for emergency food tomorrow. To do this, the public must embrace public policy that can achieve this end. Right now, Congress is considering the Feeding America’s Families Act (H.R. 2129), the nutrition title in the U.S. farm bill. Co-sponsored by Mass. Rep. Jim McGovern, this act, if approved, will improve access to food stamps and raise the minimum monthly household benefit level from $10 to $32, among other things. The unrealistic $10 benefit level was set decades ago, and today, the average benefit equals one dollar per person, per meal.

Just as food stamps assist families with accessing food by supplementing earned income, so, too, public policy can improve the quality of food available and the choices that families make about the food that they consume. Improved public health will reduce public costs elsewhere. On Beacon Hill, the Legislature is considering Protect our Children’s Health: An Act to Promote Proper School Nutrition (H.B. 2168). Soda and junk food are feeding an epidemic of obesity and diabetes among our children. This bill will require public schools to provide nutritious food options to help children learn good eating habits and reduce the risk of health problems. Supporting these two public policies are crucial steps to ensuring a hunger-free Western Mass.

Andrew Morehouse is executive director of the Food Bank of Western Mass Inc.; (413) 247-0312.