Month: March 2008
Best in Show
The Ad Club of Western Mass. staged its annual ADDY Awards ceremony on March 20 (a list of winners begins on page 61). Here, Best in Show winner Brendan Ciecko of Ten Minute Media poses with Ad Club president Alta Stark and Francisco Sole of Baystate Health, the ADDYs gold sponsor.
Hometown Heroes
The American Red Cross of the Pioneer Valley staged its sixth annual Hometown Heroes Breakfast on March 20, honoring eight individuals who have shown courage, kindness, and unselfish character through acts of heroism.
Bill Trudeau of the Insurance Center of New England presents an American Red Cross Hometown Heroes Award to Missionary Bertha Brown, volunteer program director of the Victory Temple C.O.G.I.C. food pantry, for her extraordinary service and dedication to the poor and hungry in West Springfield.
Mark Morris (left), director of Public Relations for Health New England, presents a Hometown Heroes Award to Brian Strange of Chicopee, who rescued an 87-year-old Springfield man who was trapped in his burning, overturned car after a crash on the Massachusetts Turnpike.
The following building permits were issued during the month of March 2008.
| AGAWAM Hillside Development Corporation Six Flags New England AMHERST Miles Herter CHICOPEE Pride EAST LONGMEADOW Doblewood LLC GREENFIELD 233 One LLC Argotec Inc. Franklin Associates HADLEY Sandon Pearson Target Corporation HOLYOKE First Light and Power | LONGMEADOW GPT Longmeadow LLC NORTHAMPTON SF Properties SOUTH HADLEY South Hadley Housing Authority SPRINGFIELD Haymarket Square Associates Mass Mutual Ryder System Inc. St. George Orthodox Greek Cathedral Venture Properties, LLC WESTFIELD Lucier Development Mark Lavalley WEST SPRINGFIELD 99 Restaurant |
The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.
| Al Leger Home Improvement, Abair, Brian A. Alston, Mary E. Arts & Flowers Badillo, Robert Baez, Maria M. Barnes, Robert L. Beauliere, Cedric Bell, Turman R. Bessette, Richard Allen Bousquet, Kelli E. Brust, Dean S. Burns, Mark Thomas Candido, Michael L. Capen, Nancy Carchedi, Jason Corey Carlson, Christina L. Chirgwin, Gary W. Christopher, Jonathan R. Cocco, Leonard L. Collins, Corey L. Creative Temp Services Czelusniak, John L. Diaz Rivera, Maribel Doleva, Joan C. Driver, Edward B. Duffy, Susan J. Eaton, Vicki Lee Fein, Jonathan L. Felt, Lynn M. Fenn, Darrin T. Flores, Carmelo Fontanez, Gill L. Gallerani, Ernest Gaskins, Arthur R. Ghassemi, Ebrahim Gondek, Debra A. Gossman, David Paul Granger, Geraldine M. Gregory, Bonnie S. Hannon, Martha M. Harley’s Janitorial Service Hayward, Rebecca L. Hogan, Ann M. Janisieski, Stephen F. Keeney, Robert F. Kuzin, Paul N. | Litwin, Jeffrey M. Lussier, Jeffrey Matthew Mainville, Raymond A. Marcoullier, George E Martin, Christian A. McCormack, Timothy J. McNeil, Theodore R. Melendez, Estervina Michaud, Michael P. Miller, Elton W. Morann, Ernest W. Moskal, Tracey Napolitan, John M. Pacheco, Lenin Pelletier, Bernard Racine, Katherine Y. Ramonas, Roy V. Rapa, Timothy J. Reed, Matthew B. Richards, Ernest W. Rios, Juan Jose Rivera, Pedro Rovero, Donald Paul Roy, Lucy R. Ryan, John C. Sharp, Kathy A. Sicard, Donald P. Singleton, Herbert L Smith, Edwin D. Solomon, Steven C. Soto, Angel Spruell, Judy Szczepanski, Roger P. Szenkum, Irmgard I. Talbot, Theresa E. Taylor, Charles S. Thomas, Amanda E. Trigo, Christopher J. Typrowicz Painting VanAnne, Heather Veremey, Judith Mary Vreeland, Glenn Allan Wallner, Robert J. Wetherell, Ellen C. Williams, Heather-Jill Kuzmeskus Young, Steadman John Landry, Susan M. |
Life in the Quirky Northampton Real Estate Market
Each time I pass by the Ten Thousand Villages store on Main Street in Northampton a retail chain that sells what is described as fair-trade products from 100 artisan groups in 30 countries I am reminded of how I perceive the Northampton office real estate market: 10,000 psychotherapists.
Northampton is honeycombed with countless small-office users. Some are attorneys, some financial advisors and other professions, but most seem to be related to providing some sort of mental health counseling. The net result is that, in the aggregate, they all occupy a vast amount of space in very small increments about 200 square feet on average.
They are all over town. Much of the upper-floor space on both sides of Main Street hasnt changed much from the days of Sam Spade. Small offices with translucent-glass-paneled doors and creaky wooden floors. All are walk-ups, although some buildings do have elevators. The former Elks Lodge on Gothic Street was sold several years ago and converted into very handsome office space. What was once a tired and fairly wide-open building is now the home of dozens of social service or mental health practices. This is typical all along the Route 9 corridor into Florence and Haydenville as well. And nowhere is this pattern more apparent that at the Potpourri Plaza on King Street.
This community of small users is generally a favorable one from a landlords perspective, in that many tenants in one building have a tendency to spread the risk. But it makes it very difficult for a company in need of 5,000 square feet or more to find space in the city. Many companies looking to expand simply cant find large blocks of space in the market. Everyone wants to be downtown, and who can blame them?
The largest single office user in Northampton is Disney Publishing, which occupies 10,000 square feet at the former post office building on Pleasant Street.
In 2006, Disney relocated from another downtown site, the Roundhouse Building, which contains 15,000 square feet of truly unique space. That building, just off Pulaski Park, proved too large for Disney, which was downsizing at the time. Also, the building was about to go through a protracted environmental remediation by Baystate Gas. That project will be concluded within the next few weeks, and the building will once again be available to accommodate the needs of larger users.
Another large space, at 109 Main St., was most recently occupied by Fleet Bank, a victim of the merger and acquisition quicksand, and is in the process of being leased. The owners have responded aggressively to unmet requirements in the market, and the results are becoming apparent.
The top floor of Thornes Marketplace is also being converted into much needed larger blocks of downtown office space fortunately, however, not at the expense of relocating PACE into nearby street-level space on Main Street.
I expect this available supply of larger blocks of downtown office space to be absorbed in the next 12 to 18 months. Once the inventory is depleted, the only alternative will be new construction elsewhere.
The project planned for King Street, a commercial-office mix at the former Lea Honda dealership site, was out of step and has stalled. Rents associated with new construction there, coupled with a less-than-desirable strip location, have proven to be impassable obstacles for the project. The Hospital Hill commercial development, at the site of the former Northampton State Hospital, will offer a more desirable office venue than King Street, but its a far cry from downtown. And, as previously mentioned, everyone wants to be downtown.
Several office-conversion projects that are not located downtown have succeeded nonetheless. The Cutlery Building complex in the Baystate section of the city is near capacity and offers affordable and somewhat non-traditional office space. The building has plenty of on-site parking and is located in a safe rustic setting along the Mill River. While such office locations can succeed as alternatives to downtown, they often prove to be much more challenging.
Northamptons allure is so compelling that, most days, we are willing to endure the inconvenience of circling the block for a parking place only to wait again for a table at one of downtowns many wonderful restaurants.
I guess thats why those 10,000 psychotherapists are there, too ready to help us work out all such stresses and pressures in our lives.
John Williamson is president of Springfield-based Williamson Commercial Properties; (413) 736-9400.
2007 Regional ADDY Winners Announced
Best in Show: Lily Allen microsite, by Ten Minute Media
Amid the mysterious tricks of professional mentalists and the acrobatic feats of award-winning trapeze artists, the creative professionals of Western Mass. had a chance to show their own magic at the second annual regional ADDY Awards, staged March 20 at CityStage in Springfield. The event was hosted by the AdClub of Western Mass., in conjunction with the American Advertising Federation, and this year celebrated the best design and marketing materials the region has to offer in an atmosphere worthy of any circus or carnival.
The competition awarded 61 gold, silver, and bronze ADDYs to various marketing and design firms and in-house graphics and advertising departments that do business in all four counties of Western Mass. The winners were culled from more than 160 entries, and gold and silver ADDY winners are eligible to move on to the national-level competition in June.
The 2007 regional ADDY winners are listed below by category. The entrant as well as the client for which a project was created appear next to each award, as well as the names of staff who contributed to each entry.
BusinessWest congratulates the 2007 ADDY winners, and wishes luck to the local companies moving on to the next level.
Best in Show
Ten Minute Media,
for Lily Allen LDN microsite, Capitol Records
Sales Promotion
(Exhibits and Displays)
n Point-of-purchase, trade show exhibit
Bronze Winstanley Associates, for Smith & Wesson trade show exhibit
Ralph Frisina, Creative Director
David Morrison, Art Director
Annette Ragan, ACD, Copywriter
Collateral Material
(Stationery, Brochures, Annual Reports, Posters, etc.)
n Stationery package
Silver Rob and Damia Design, travel stationery for Babydue Travel
Rob Stewart, Designer
Damia Stewart, Producer
n Annual Report
Silver John C. Otto Printing, for Springfield College Annual Report
Radwell Communication by Design, Designer
Bronze Springfield Technical Community College, for STCC Annual Report
Kerry Tufts, Designer/Production Manager
Setta McCabe, Director of Public Relations
AM Lithography, Printer
Bronze Baystate Health, for Baystate Health Annual Report
Bronze TSM Design, for Vision 2006 Mass. Mutual Wholesale Electric Co.
Marisa Fillippone, Designer
David Tuohey, Copywriter
Bassette, Printer
n Brochure, four-color
Silver TigerPress, for Image the Possibilities, Williston Northampton School
Silver Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. for MBK 3D Capabilities, Meyers Brothers Kalicka
Silver Robert Charles Photography, for Exceeding All Expectations, DuRocher Florist
Edward Zemba, Creative Director
Leah Martin, Photographer
Robert Francis, Photographer
Julia Goldberg, Designer
Kara Lavelle, Designer
Susanna Zemba, Designer
Graphi Studio, Printer
Pip Printing, Printer (stickers)
Silver Bidwell ID, for Glenmeadow brochure, Glenmeadow Retirement Community
Todd Verlander, Creative Director
Bronze TSM Design, for Convergence, Environmental Compliance Services
Noel Szado, Designer
Nancy Urbschat, Copywriter
Marcus Bordeaux, Printer
Bronze Radwell Communication by Design, for the MacDuffie School admissions viewbook
Laura Radwell, Designer
Hadley Printing, Printer
n Publication design
Bronze TigerPress, for Supermodels, Supermodels LLC
n Posters, single
Gold W.F. Young Inc. for Absorbine 115th anniversary poster, W.F. Young Inc.
Jamie Young, Art Director
Amy Johnquest, Artist
Bronze lshd advertising, for USCRA North American Vintage Grand Prix poster, USCRA
Bob Demetrius, Creative Director, Account Executive
n Posters, campaign
Bronze Springfield Technical Community College, for STCC Black History Month posters, STCC
Kerry Tufts, Designer, Production Manager
Myra Smith, VP Human Resources and Multicultural Affairs
n Special event material/invitations
Gold Health New England, for City of Bright Nights Ball 2007 Invitation, Spirit of Springfield
Leslie Bercume, Manager of Advertising & Graphic Design
Greg Desrochers, Hadley Printing
Direct Marketing
Silver TSM Design, for Get Watermarked, Southworth Paper
Noel Szado, Designer
Soren Johnson, Copywriter
AM Lithography, Printer
Silver lshd advertising, for MassMutual IRA Consolidation direct mailer
Paul McCullen, Account Executive, Creative Director
Fred Crisp, Art Director
Margot Zalkind, Copywriter
Bronze chemetal/treefrog for Cubes and Tiles postcard, interior51.com
Meg Broughton, Graphic Designer
Geoff Schaefer, Creative Director
Out-of-home Advertising
(Billboards and Placards)
n Single
Gold Advertus Media, for In the Way, Westfield State College
Adam Wright, Creative Director
Todd Lemieux, Graphic Artist
n Campaign
Gold Winstanley Associates, for Hampden Bank Evolved billboards
Ralph Frisina, Creative Director
David Morrison, Art Director
Annette Ragan, ACD, Copywriter
Consumer or Trade
Publication Advertising
n Fractional page, four-color
Silver chemetal/treefrog for Palpable Angst, chemetal
Geoff Schaefer, Creative Director, Copywriter, Art Director
Bronze chemetal/treefrog for More metal than , chemetal
Geoff Schaefer, Creative Director, Copywriter, Art Director
n Full page, four-color
Silver Winstanley Associates, Suddekor Dimension Ad, Suddekor LLC
Ralph Frisina, Creative Director
Meghan Dewar, Art Director
Annette Ragan, ACD, Copywriter
Mark McCarty, Photographer
n Campaign, four-color
Gold chemetal/treefrog for Interior51 campaign, Interior51.com
Geoff Schaefer, Creative Director, Copywriter, Art Director
Brent Hale, Art Director, logo
Gold Winstanley Associates, for Hardigg Animal Testing campaign, Hardigg Industries
Ralph Frisina, Creative Director
David Morrison, Art Director
Annette Ragan, ACD, Copywriter
Mary Doherty, Graphic Designer
Bronze lshd advertising, for Holyoke Medical Center Short Stay print campaign, HMC
Bob Demetrius, Creative Director
Susan Martin, Account Executive
Fred Crisp, Art Director
Paul Pereira, Art Director
Laura Cunha, Production
Newspaper Advertising
n Black and white
Gold Cardinale Design, for Six campaign, Hadley Printing
Kathy Cardinale, Art Director
Don Forest, Designer
Hadley Printing, Printer
Interactive Media
n Web sites, B-2-B, HTML/other
Silver chemetal/treefrog for chemetal Web site
Geoff Schafer, Creative Director, Copywriter, Art Director
Tony Palleschi, Web Programmer
n Web sites, consumer, Flash
Gold visual concepts media, for Spalding Web site
Silver Ten Minute Media, for Natalie Cole Web site, Verve Music Group / UMG
Silver Ten Minute Media, for Mick Jagger Web site, Atlantic Records
n Web sites, consumer, HTML/other
Silver Ten Minute Media, for Triple Crown Records Web site, Triple Crown Records
Silver visual concepts media for Peter Pan Web site, Peter Pan Bus Lines
Silver Del Padre Visual Productions, for RileyMartin. com, Riley Martin Enterprises
Nino Del Padre, Creative Director
Mark Archer, Producer
Joe Maki, SEO Programmer
n Interactive media, online, microsites and minisites
Bronze Ten Minute Media, for Dan in Real Life Soundtrack microsite, Virgin Records
Radio
n Local, 60 seconds or more
Gold Goff Media, for Lie Detector, Providence Auto Body
David Goff, Producer
David Brinnel, Writer, Sound Engineer, Talent
n Television
Gold Winstanley Associates, for Hampden Bank Evolved TV spot
Ralph Frisina, Creative Director
David Morrison, Art Director
Annette Ragan, ACD, Copywriter
Mixed Media
(Cross Platform)
n Campaigns
Gold Winstanley Associates, for Hampden Bank Evolved Banking
Ralph Frisina, Creative Director
Annette Ragan, ACD, Copywriter
David Morrison, Art Director
Mary Doherty, Graphic Designer
Bronze TSM Design, for Game Face, Springfield Falcons
Deborah Walsh, Designer
Jim Langone, Photographer
Penfield Productions, Video Producer
Jason Gonat, Talent
Brandon Dionne, Talent
Ryan Flinn, Talent
Advertising for the
Arts and Sciences
n Collateral, brochures and sales kits
Gold TigerPress, for Japanese Tea Wares, Smith College Museum of Art
Silver Rob & Damia Design, for Williams 62 Center Season calendar, for Williams College Center for Theater and Dance
Rob Stewart, Designer
Damia Stewart, Producer
Ben Ruddick, Photographer
Olli Chanoff, Copywriter
Bronze Rob & Damia Design, for UMass Fine Arts Center Season brochure
Rob Stewart, Designer
Damia Stewart, Producer
n Collateral, Posters
Bronze Rob & Damia Design, for Nutcracker poster, the Ballet Center at Manchester
Rob Stewart, Designer
Damia Stewart, Producer
Public Service
n Collateral, brochures and sales kits
Gold TSM Design, for On the Way Home, Friends of the Homeless
Deborah Walsh, Designer
Nancy Urbschat, Copywriter
Jim Langone, Photographer
Getty, cover photo
Bassette, Printer
Mt. Tom Box, Printer
Silver Rob & Damia Design, for Media Reform Information Sheets, Free Press
Rob Stewart, Designer, Illustrator
Damia Stewart, Producer
n Collateral, posters
Bronze Rob & Damia Design, for Step it Up Rally Poster, Step It Up Northampton
Rob Stewart, Designer
Damia Stewart, Producer
Advertising
Self-promotion
n Creative services and industry suppliers, consumer
Silver TigerPress, for TigerPress 2008 calendar
Bronze Six-point Creative Works, for Convicted: Non-profit Marketing
Marsha Montori, Copywriter
David Wicks, Art Director
White Point Imaging, Photography
n Creative services and industry suppliers, direct
Gold Winstanley Associates, for Winstanley Nothing
Ralph Frisina, Creative Director
Meghan Dewar, Art Director
Annette Ragan, ACD, Copywriter
Bronze Robert Charles Photography, for Celebrating Life in Motion fall mailer
Edward Zemba, Creative Director
Robert Francis, Photographer
Leah Martin, Photographer
Julia Goldberg, Designer
Kara Lavelle, Designer
Susanna Zemba, Designer
Lucky Designs, Printer (postcards)
Pip Printing, Printer (stickers)
Marathon Press, Printer (belly band)
n Creative services and industry suppliers, cards and other printed materials
Gold Winstanley Associates, holiday greeting
Ralph Frisina, Creative Director
David Morrison, Art Director
Annette Ragan, ACD, Copywriter
Winstanley Staff, assembly
n Campaign, single medium
Bronze TSM Design, for Breakout Work, AdClub of Western Mass.
Noel Szado, Designer, Illustrator
Soren Johnson, Copywriter
Hadley Printing, Printer
Elements of Advertising
n Logo
Bronze Bidwell ID, for Glenmeadow Retirement Community
Todd Verlander, Creative Director
Bronze Bidwell ID, for Page Product Design
Todd Verlander, Art Director
Mark Verlander, Designer
Bronze lshd advertising, for Bacon & Wilson P.C.
Bob Demetrius, Creative Director
Mario Pereira, Creative Director
Maya Whitman, Art Director
Aliya Mamdani, Account Executive
Laura Cunha, Production
n Illustration, illustration campaign
Silver MicaBlue Creative, for Paintbox Theatre
Silver Rob & Damia Design, for Media Reform Illustrations, Free Press
Rob Stewart, Illustrator
The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.
CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT
Chicopee Mason Supplies Inc. v. Masonry Restorations of Boston Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold & delivered: $4,051.20
Filed: 3-04-08
Gilbert & Son Insulation v. VIP Home Associates, LLC
Allegation: Balance due for insulation services rendered: $3,595.85
Filed: 3-03-08
Instar Services Group v. David Poulin & Sons Construction Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract and negligence: $20,650
Filed: 3-12-08
GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT
David Tower v. Rice Oil Co.
Allegation: Personal injury due to slip and fall: $10,528.18
Filed: 2-20-08
HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Lease Corporation of America v. Len’s Heating & Cooling Inc.
Allegation: Breach of lease agreement: $66,554.03. Filed: 2-07-08
Liberty Mutual Insurance Company v. Rio Minas Roofing
Allegation: Non-payment of workers’ compensation policy: $87,054
Filed: 2-12-08
Mary Laporte v. Tammy Table d/b/a Yellow Jackets of Springfield, TNC, and Hideaway Bar & Grill
Allegation: Failure to have workers’ compensation insurance: $144,244.86
Filed: 1-23-08
Richard T. Jordan III v. Gamestop a/k/a EB Games
Allegation: Employment discrimination based on handicap and failure to reasonably accommodate: $50,000+
Filed: 1-05-08
William S. Carrol v. AOS Operating System
Allegation: Breach of contract: $60,000
Filed: 1-16-08
HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Alandev, LLC v. East Coat Construction Services
Allegation: Breach of contract for construction services: $130,000
Filed: 3-14-08
Howard Gorniak v. Hardigg Industries
Allegation: Wrongful termination: $61,000
Filed: 3-13-08
John & Brandy Sullivan v. Anthony’s Residential Contracting
Allegation: Breach of contract and negligence: $32,044.95. Filed: 2-20-08
HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT
Gerard Morrissette v. Greater Holyoke YMCA
Allegation: Negligence in property maintenance causing injury: $7,652.62
Filed: 3-06-08
Sylvan Corporation v. Mid-Atlantic Postal Properties Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract: $6,619.82
Filed: 3-04-08
NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
Anthony’s Dance Club v. Presstek Inc.
Allegation: Lost business revenue due to negligence: $5,554
Filed: 3-07-08
Fleetcor Technologies Operating Company LLC v. Healy Transportation Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $6,144.71
Filed: 3-10-08
Liberty General Contracting Inc. v. Anderson Builders Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract and unpaid invoice: $35,823.80. Filed: 3-13-08
Interim Capital LLC v. Papa George Pizza
Allegation: Breach of contract and failure to pay promissory note: $4,537.93
Filed: 3-13-08
Steven Koledziej v. Scottish Inn
Allegation: Personal injury due to negligence in property maintenance: $3,534
Filed: 3-12-08
PALMER DISTRICT COURT
Bruce Gilbert v. Bertera Chevrolet Inc. and Todd T. Lamb
Allegation: Negligence in motor vehicle operation causing injury: $12,261
Filed: 3-11-08
Pioneer Valley Renovators v. Penn Lyon Homes Corporation
Allegation: Breach of contract for construction of modular home: $14,588.96
Filed: 3-11-08
SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Jacqueline Stratos v. TLC Health Care Services, Inc.
Allegation: Failure to pay wages & commissions: $7,000
Filed: 1-09-08
Medeiros Real Estate Investments LLC v. Frame & Picture Shoppe
Allegation: Breach of lease contract: $22,575
Filed: 1-11-08
Pramco Cv7, LLC v. Let’s Go Bakery Inc.
Allegation: Default on commercial promissory note and guaranty agreement: $22,966.43
Filed: 1-10-08
WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Lawrence Pooler & Stacy MacQueen-Pooler v. Sears Roebuck & Co. & Liberty Transportation Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract: $12,600.72
Filed: 3-04-08
Atlas TC Proves that Good Communication Equals Good Business
Atlas TC co-owner Steve Bandarra (left) and staff member Patrick Correia say efficiency and communication are two tenets of their company.
When Steve Bandarra and Nate DeLong decided to found Atlas TC, an IT consultancy firm based in Holyoke, they first pledged to do a few things differently than other, similar businesses theyd seen.
There are little signs of that objective scattered throughout the Atlas TC offices; a row of bamboo chutes in their offices foyer suggests a certain environmental consciousness, bright yellow paint on the walls speaks to the staffs creativity, and the receptionist is a friendly black lab-boxer mix named Lucy.
Its a space that, deliberately, says come in, we speak your language, and indeed, thats a major aspect of the Atlas TC business model. Bandarra and DeLong call it translation services, noting that they specialize in changing geek into English.
Sometimes, translation refers to a specific task, literally breaking down complicated terms for a client into more easily digestible pieces. But in addition, translation is an overriding part of Atlas TCs culture, which begins with staff members doing their best to talk to clients in a clear, concise way, and to bag the industry jargon that often creates a rift between techies and the rest of the world.
To a lot of people, the industry terms just sound like gibberish, said Bandarra. Its up to us to help them understand. Its not their job to make sense of the lingo its ours.
Another tenet on which Atlas TC (short for Atlas Technology Consulting) has been built is no technology for technologys sake. While Bandarra is a self-confessed techno-junkie and DeLong has a long technology background that includes military training, they both agree that not every bell and whistle is applicable to every situation.
Weve seen people being sold way more than they needed, said Bandarra. Its OK to be excited about technology; thats why we do what we do. But that excitement needs to be tempered with an understanding of the specific needs a client has.
These two major prongs of the original business plan have created a successful spot within the areas burgeoning IT sector for Bandarra, DeLong, and their staff, which is expected to grow by at least 50% this year. Theyve carved a niche for themselves serving a wide range of clients in various industries, many of which are mid-sized firms that have reached a turning point in terms of growth and, in turn, their technological needs.
Many of these are companies that have been around for a while, perhaps with a patched-together network that worked fine for a while, Bandarra said. Theyve reached a point where theyre ready for something that, essentially, works the way its supposed to. In other words, our clients did what they needed to do to get started, and now, theyre ready to grow up and, as the saying goes, go to the next level.
Bandarra said its exciting to work with businesses at this juncture in their legacies, not only because he sees the ways his team can play an integral role in a companys growth, but also because in many ways, Atlas TC is at the same transitional spot as its clientele, doing well and ready to turn a corner to head for new avenues.
Words Matter
When he spoke with BusinessWest, Bandarra was joined by Patrick Correia, who has been with the company nearly two years (DeLong was recuperating from minor surgery).
The firm and its staff work on two sides of the same IT coin one half, led by Bandarra, focuses on business development, while the other, led by DeLong, puts most of its efforts into understanding and introducing new technologies. Correia, who works primarily in customer support on the so-called techie side, said he was drawn to the company in large part due to the promises of communication and efficiency its founders made to themselves upon starting the company in 2004.
I think using buzzwords can be a way of excluding or even controlling people, he said, and its important to put things on a level that a particular person can understand. That level is different for every client, but its what every person needs and deserves.
Bandarra added that translating complicated and ever-changing technical terms for clients sounds like a small service at first, but it has become one of the bigger drivers for Atlas TC, particularly as it rolls out a host of new offerings this year.
It reminds our clients that they are in control of their businesses and their destinies were just here to help them, he said.
Specifically, Atlas TC works with various companies to offer a menu of services that include network therapy, designed to give slow computers a jump, and hardware guide service, through which staff help clients choose the best systems for their business. The company also offers Web-development services, database creation and maintenance, security enhancements, and complete system builds. Two of its largest areas of concentration today are security and remote access, which often go hand-in-hand.
People are still realizing they can access files and networks from anywhere, said Bandarra. Our job is to bring a mix of access and security to them, and to educate our clients about the realities of the threats out there. No one should be terrified of viruses and hackers security is a must for everyone, but its not that scary if you use best practices, and again, its our job to bring those to the table.
That philosophy also extends to another aspect of the IT consulting model. After Atlas TC staff have translated and educated, theyll often draft an action plan for a client, which in turn sometimes helps a client secure work or products from other IT firms.
When a project gets bigger, well sometimes shift to operate in a different capacity, Bandarra explained, noting, however, that other times, it leads to a much deeper relationship with a company. We have the ability to work with an IT department or as an IT department, preparing budgets and plans for the next year. Financially, it makes sense for the client because theyre not paying a full-time employee, and at the same time, each of us here has our own individual strength.
Host with the Most
However, thats not to say Atlas TC isnt adding to its own repertoire as well. In 2007, the company began gearing up for a new virtual-hosting service that uses a more-efficient approach to providing and managing space within individual servers.
Most servers use a lot of power, but using virtual servers is a way to provide the same functionality while consuming less power, and lowering cooling costs, said Bandarra.
Plus, like Atlass computer new computer recycling program, which will reduce electronic waste by appropriately disposing of some units and donating others to area non-profits and educational bodies, Bandarra said a major driver behind adding virtualization to its list of services are the green components it creates. This allows us to be more eco-friendly as well as more customer friendly.
This technology also only recently became more accessible and affordable to small and medium-sized businesses, added Correia, making its introduction to Atlas TCs client base that much more important.
Thats the beauty of being a smaller business, he said. We have the agility to stay on top of emerging technology, and to roll things out to our clients when the time is right.
That attention to timing refers back to Atlas TCs golden rule of providing necessary technology that helps businesses run more smoothly.
We maintain the perspective needed to bridge business needs with new technology, he said. More than anyone else today, IT professionals like us are in a position to help businesses identify new opportunities.
I Won the Sandbox
In addition, theres no shortage of businesses to help, either. Bandarra said Atlas TC does very little formal advertising, relying on its Web site (which has two versions, on written in English and the other in the universal language of IT geek) and word of mouth, which is keeping referrals brisk and workloads big.
So many people out there need our services, he said. Theres competition, but there are a lot of clients. The sandbox is huge, and its an exciting place to be.
While Bandarra said he, DeLong, and his staff are looking forward to long careers in that same sandbox, theyre also keeping an eye on new opportunities and developments that will help them, and their clients, open new doors.
Their own front door, in the meantime, is under the watchful eye of a black dog in a bright yellow room.
Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at
The Teen Job Crisis
In the 1990s, many young people worked both year-round and seasonally in communities across Massachusetts in construction, retail, finance, parks and playgrounds, and community centers. Today, however, the level of national joblessness for teens is greater than at any time over the past 60 years, and this summer will produce a new record unemployment rate unless we take action now.
The collapse of the teen labor market has affected all demographic and socioeconomic groups. There are, however, large gaps in teen employment rates across race-ethnic and income groups. During an average month in 2007, only 20% of black teens across the nation had jobs, compared to 30% of Hispanics and 40% of white non-Hispanics.
The teen job market in Massachusetts has also collapsed since the late 1990s. Despite modest growth in overall payroll employment, the states teen employment rate last year was only 38%, a 30-year low. The state is no longer a national leader in the employment of teens, whether in school or out of school.
There are many reasons to care about rising youth joblessness. Path dependency is strong in teen employment behavior. The more teens work this year, the more they work next year. Less work experience today leads to less work experience tomorrow and lower earnings down the road. Disadvantaged teens who work in high school are more likely to remain in high school than their peers who do not work. Teens who work more in high school have an easier transition into the labor market after graduation. National evidence shows that pregnancy rates for teens are lower in metropolitan areas where female teen employment rates are higher.
Congress had an opportunity to boost teen and young adult employment this year when it passed a fiscal stimulus package to boost consumer spending. Yet despite efforts led by U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy and evidence that job-creation programs have been found to be effective in creating new jobs for teens, particularly low-income teens, the White House and the congressional leadership killed the proposal to add $1 billion to create jobs for teens and unemployed young adults.
There are a variety of workforce-development strategies that can be pursued to boost teen employment opportunities this year.
First, the summer youth employment program funded by Congress for the past 35 years to create jobs in the nonprofit and public sectors should be reinstituted with an appropriation of at least $1.5 billion. Funds also could be used by state and local workforce investment boards to subsidize jobs for teens in the private, for-profit sector.
Second, the existing network of one-stop career centers should be assigned a priority to recruit and place teens in jobs.
Third, recent efforts by the Patrick administration to create year-round jobs for youth should be expanded in every region of the Commonwealth and supported by the Legislature.
Fourth, state funding for school-to- career connecting activities programs that support local workforce boards to develop year-round and summer intern jobs for high school teens should be expanded to boost access to a wider variety of jobs in the states economy.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary payroll numbers for February are down 63,000 jobs from the previous month. The governor must provide leadership to engage Congress, the business community, and elected officials to follow the lead of Boston, where Mayor Thomas Menino has aggressively recruited jobs for teens in private sector firms.
Young people are leaving Massachusetts in record numbers. The state needs to make youth joblessness a priority in order to keep them here.
Andrew Sum is director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University. Don Gillis is executive director of the Mass. Workforce Board Assoc.
MassMutual Touts Breast Cancer Awareness Program
SPRINGFIELD — MassMutual recently concluded its innovative, year-long 2007 breast cancer awareness program that featured a series of financial donations and seminars to benefit the cause. MassMutual donated close to $100,000 in sponsorships of breast cancer awareness-related events, including the Danskin Triathlon Series and American Cancer Society “Making Strides” events, and donated more than $80,000 in contributions to organizations supporting breast and other cancer causes in 25 states. Also, more than 1,500 women were educated at MassMutual-sponsored seminars that taught women about the importance of preparing financially for unexpected life events, such as breast cancer. MassMutual further supported awareness efforts by continuing to make available its informational brochure that informs women about financial preparedness, insurance, and breast cancer. For more information on the brochure, visit www.massmutual.com/women
Peter Pan, Greyhound Launch BoltBus
SPRINGFIELD — BoltBus, a division of Greyhound Lines affiliated with Peter Pan, was recently launched, offering inexpensive fares and free Wi-Fi Internet access and power outlets for laptops and other electronic devices. In addition to high frequency of departures and low fares, the new entry into the inter-city bus business will offer comfortable seats, with leather seating available on select coaches, extra leg room, and street-side service in New York City and Washington, D.C. Customers can board the street-side service in New York City at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue near Penn Station and also in South Manhattan at 6th Avenue and Canal Street. The street-side service is also available in Washington near the Metro Center Station at 11th and G Street. Service into and out of Boston will be at the South Station Bus Terminal. Tickets are available for purchase in advance by logging onto boltbus.com or from a driver before boarding. One-way fares between New York and Washington start at $1, plus a booking fee. The highest fare will adjust based on market demand. All tickets are non-refundable.
Formal Affair Opens
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Formal Affair, a new tuxedo and tailor shop, opened March 8 on Westfield Street. Owner Kevin Kousch, the former manager of the R.S.V.P. Formalwear Shop at Yale Genton, has more than 20 years of experience in retail, specifically men’s clothing. The new store carries “first-quality, top-name, designer tuxedos at discounted prices,” according to Kousch. He added that there are five distinct styles of designer tuxedos to choose from, and all are fresh and custom-tailored specifically for the customer. Kousch noted that Formal Affair has the largest on-site selection of men’s formalwear in New England. Store hours are weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on the 581 Westfield St. site, call (413) 781-4889 or visit www.formalaffairtux.com
Skybus Adds Florida Service
CHICOPEE — Skybus Airlines recently announced new service beginning June 1 between Chicopee and St. Augustine, Fla., as well as Punta Gorda in Southwest Florida. Reservations for the new service, as well as for all Skybus flights from Aug. 1 to Sept. 2, are available at www.skybus.com. Skybus offers 10 seats at $10 on every flight, every day. Skybus officials noted that it will have to adjust its schedule to help deal with the unprecedented increase in the cost of fuel. The adjustments will include some flight reductions as Skybus focuses on improving customer service and meeting demand on its most profitable routes.
Southworth Acquires Byron Weston
AGAWAM — Southworth Company recently announced the acquisition of the Byron Weston Co. from Crane & Co. Inc. of Dalton. Byron Weston is the leading brand of cotton fiber archival paper in the U.S., according to Southworth President David Southworth. Its permanent record papers are used for recording deeds; land records; birth, marriage, and death certificates, as well as other government records. Southworth noted that the addition of Byron Weston brings another trusted brand and leadership in the permanent-papers market to the Southworth product line. Southworth Company produces premium paper products and specialty papers. Byron Weston’s manufacturing operations will be transferred to Southworth’s Turners Falls facility. Southworth said he does not expect an interruption in service to customers during the transition.
There were a number of story lines and theories to consider in the wake of the state Houses resounding rejection (108-46) of Gov. Deval Patricks plans to locate three resort casinos across the Commonwealth and most of them involved politics, not the real issue, which is job creation.
While some analysts were speculating that the vote provided ample evidence of the decline in power wielded by organized labor, many others were saying that House Speaker Salvadore DiMasi essentially showed Patrick, and everyone else, whos boss around here. Still others were commenting that Patrick still has a long way to go when it comes to leadership skills and working with the Legislature, not in spite of it, to achieve real progress.
These individuals have a point, and we hope the governor learns from this setback; he basically contrived a casino plan, worked up some numbers on new jobs that didnt stand up to scrutiny, and dared the Legislature to approve the plan or find some other way to generate revenues and close a $1.3 billion gap. Thats a textbook example of how not to get things done.
In the wake of the House vote, casino backers vowed that they would be back (what else would they say?), and racetrack owners said they would continue their hard push to get slot machines in their facilities. They may succeed, but does anyone really care? Theres no real job creation in slots and nothing by way of benefits for Western Mass. Meanwhile, the Wampanoag tribe will likely proceed with its bid to gain approval from the federal government to locate a casino in Middleborough a plan that helped inspire the governor to act and blueprint a plan that would generate the state some licensing fees.
While all this talk goes on, we hope that there will be some real action to address the basic challenge facing this state, and that is to create some good jobs for people who dont necessarily have the skills to compete in the so-called knowledge economy or to get serious about helping those individuals acquire those skills. And were not sure that anything real will happen as long as the casino option if we can call it that is still out there.
Weve supported the resort casino plan because we view it as a way to bring jobs and vibrancy to places like the Quaboag region one of the leading candidates for a site is a parcel off the turnpike exit in Palmer that dont appear to have many options amid the ongoing decline in the manufacturing sector and some geographic disadvantages.
Maybe its time to refocus efforts on creating some options for Quaboag, and also New Bedford, Holyoke, Pittsfield, and Springfield, and this will be a stern challenge.
Indeed, DiMasi and others in the House are soon going to find that rejecting casinos was the relatively easy part of this equation. Finding new sources of jobs and revenues (beyond hikes to cigarette and gas taxes) is going to be much more difficult. But this is priority one for Massachusetts, because this challenge like casino supporters, apparently wont go away easily.
Perhaps the biosciences and green business development can help comprise an answer. The Legislature can start by priming this pump with research dollars and tax incentives and hope that, somehow, these sectors can produce tens of thousands of jobs that can be filled by the existing labor force. We have our doubts about whether this will happen.
Beyond simple tax hikes and some wishful thinking about green businesses, many in the Legislature are simply waiting for that proverbial next big thing, and theyve already been waiting for a long time. Instead of waiting, they need to act.
DiMasi and others in the House are calling the casino vote a victory. Maybe it is, but unless the Legislature can manage to find some other ways to bolster this states economy and generate some real momentum and jobs, then it will be a hollow victory indeed.
Springfield Developer Bucks Current Trends with Unique, Retro-inspired Project
Leslie Clement has always had a creative mind.
She graduated from Indiana University with a Liberal Arts degree, having studied dance, music, art, and culture for many years of her life. But eventually, she said, she had a revelation.
“I realized my degree prepared me for absolutely nothing,” said Clement, who soon started searching for more practical applications for her far-reaching creative interests. She recalled one of her favorite hobbies as a child — her father would often channel Clement’s flair for thinking outside of the box into small building projects — and took a dramatic leap onto a new career path, studying to be a carpenter’s apprentice in the late 1970s.
The apprenticeship, completed with the Springfield Carpenters Union Local 108, required four years of working construction, as well as specialty skills such as draftsmanship, finish carpentry, surveying, and estimating.
A number of intriguing jobs followed, including work on a series of bridges for Interstate 391 and a downtown highrise, but the more views of the city she saw, the more changes Clement wanted to make.
“In Springfield, I saw a city that needed a lot,” she said, “but more than anything, it needed help with its poor self-image.”
So she set out to do something about it.
Raise the Rafters
Clement’s first solo project in the housing sector was a home restoration in the historic Maple Hill section of the city, which later led to the renovation of 14 additional National Historic Register properties in concert with a team of tradespeople (funding for these projects included financing from limited partnerships, private funding, loans, and grants).
“These were incredible, historic homes, and a number of the projects had strict criteria for renovation,” she said, noting that, upon completion of that suite of projects, she’d developed an interest in and respect for historical design, as well as the city’s assets.
Soon though, it was on to new endeavors, including a condominium conversion in a Victorian mansion in Holyoke, the Wyndhurst Condominiums overlooking the Connecticut River on Crescent Hill in Springfield, and nine homes on a parcel of land abutting Lake Massasoit in the East Forest Park section of the city. The latter ultimately sold for a total of $1.05 million over the course of 18 months.
By that time, the early 1990s, Clement had also become a real estate broker as well as a developer, and this began to further shape her home-building goals.
“I began to see home sales from a reverse perspective,” she explained. “Instead of only saying, ‘if I build it, they will come,’ I started saying, ‘if I build it, there’s still a chance they won’t come.’”
Stepping back to take a broader look at the home-building landscape, Clement said she saw a huge disconnect between the labors of love required to restore an old home to its former glory and what was happening in the new-home market.
At that time, she told BusinessWest, few developers were building homes in urban areas based on consumer wants or demands.
She added that without something interesting to draw buyers into — or keep them within — an urban area like Springfield, those with the means to purchase new, moderate- to high-end homes soon flee to new areas or suburbs.
“Nobody was building what people wanted,” Clement said. “There was a lot of cookie-cutter activity going on, and I saw a huge opportunity being missed — to give people some beautiful, interesting homes that they were instantly attracted to.”
The Forest Through the Trees
Thus, her latest project, now being developed under the company name Forest Park Fine Homes, is one answer to the question of how to retain these homeowners.
“This community has a ton of urban professionals,” said Clement. “That’s a lot of money that’s going unnoticed in this city, and people are leaving for other places or not even considering Springfield as a destination.
“But often, these are people who are looking for interesting properties,” she continued, “something with great architecture that doesn’t look like everything else — and the goal here is to reach those untapped markets.”
Located off of Tiffany Street not far from the Longmeadow town line, the new neighborhood Clement is now in the process of developing abuts the southern end of Forest Park and is about a half-mile away from Franconia Golf Course.
Today, Clement’s varied experiences lend a number of additional titles to her business card, including general contractor, designer, and listing agent. All of these skills are being put into play in creating her new niche neighborhood in the City of Homes, and Clement estimates they also save her about $5,000 per property in general development costs.
She purchased the 12-acre parcel from a private owner in 2004, again with the help of private investors and financing through United Bank, and from that parcel has created 37 individual lots with the assistance of Springfield-based architect Phil Burdick.
“He suggested we created little clusters of homes on small streets that branch off of the main road, which is Brentwood,” said Clement, adding that this idea was also in line with the historic-inspired type of homes she wanted to build.
Until 1943, when the town line was moved, she explained, this area was actually part of Longmeadow, and was dubbed ‘Franconia Village’ on some historical maps.
She added that when constructing new homes on the previously undeveloped land, she wanted to honor the area’s heyday, and modeled some of her plans after the 1920s-era ‘craftsman style,’ the originals of which can still be seen in historic parts of the Forest Park section of Springfield and in Longmeadow.
June Gets Her Way
These homes typically have large front porches and use natural materials when available, including wood shingles, stone walls woven throughout the landscaping, and detached garages that Clement said “make for a friendlier-looking street.”
The lots are spaced out across five roadways. Grace Street represents what will be the final phase of the project, including 18 lots that have yet to be developed. Also in process are home plans on Craig and Bassing streets, which will accommodate houses in the $300,000 to $390,000 range, and on South Park Avenue, building is now in process on 11 homes in the $290,000 to $340,000 range, slated for completion in or around spring 2008.
But the current jewel of Clement’s project is June’s Way, named for her daughter and including six lots on a private cul-de-sac. Four homes, each unique in design and ranging in price from $330,000 to $390,000, have already been completed, while two lots remain for construction.
The finished homes on June’s Way are geared, Clement said, toward empty-nesters and urban professionals. In contrast to the retro feel of the houses’ exteriors, the floor plans inside are more modern and informal, with a ‘bungalow’ feel. They feature bedrooms on both the first and second floors, most with adjoining private bathrooms, which can accommodate ‘aging-in-place’ living for older Americans planning to stay in the home or living with elderly parents.
The homes also have a relatively small footprint, between 2,200 and 2,600 square feet per lot, but the wide-open floor plans inside are meant to maximize space.
All of these features, Clement said, work together to create a quality product that is in keeping with her goal to offer something new and yet solid to Springfield’s real-estate market.
“People move for real needs,” she said. “The need for more space, proximity to schools, etc. This development offers these things, and with slightly better design and better buyer targeting, we’re attracting the right people.”
National Staging
The project is attracting some positive press for Springfield, too. It was recently featured in Builder magazine as one of five “bright spots” across the nation that have taken “design’s high road” and reached some positive benchmarks.
Builder identified Clement’s project along with others in Las Vegas, Portland, Ore., Los Angeles, and Fowler, Mich. (a stretch between Detroit and Lansing). While sales volume isn’t the best indicator of the Forest Park lots’ success — seven homes have been built and sold since construction began — the magazine took particular note of the going rates for these homes. New, single-family properties in Springfield typically sell for between $275,000 and $315,000, but Clement’s properties are averaging $75,000 above that or more, and prices haven’t slid in the four years since the project started, regardless of the tepid state of the current housing market.
“I think that’s proof that details make the difference, and people appreciate quality,” said Clement, wiping a speck of dust off of the bay window seat and flicking the ambient lights off in the kitchen.
It would also seem she’s found an outlet for a lifetime of creative thinking.
Avanti Skin Centers Puts a New Face on Cosmetic Procedures
They’re called ‘lunchtime procedures,’ and they’re not just for the Hollywood set anymore.
Treatments such as Botox injections, ultrasound facials, and chemical peels were once seen as the beauty secrets of the elite, but increasingly, they’re becoming more common, as well as safer, more effective, and less expensive.
One of the biggest selling points of these cosmetic procedures of late, however, is speed.
Dr. Raj Birudavol, director of operations for Avanti Skin Centers in Springfield, said that once, there were tell-tale signs that someone “had some work done”: a few days missing from work, for example, and physical signs as the body healed.
“In the past, these types of treatments would leave people with swelling or red faces, but not anymore,” said Birudavol. “There are few signs, and there’s very little, if any, downtime.”
Avanti Skin Centers opened in Springfield just under a year ago, and while Birudavol said it’s a business poised to capitalize on new acceptance of cosmetic treatments from all types of people, he also hopes to play an important role in educating clients about their options, and about the preventative measures they can take to protect and care for their skin.
“We insist on education,” he said. “We can help people identify problems, and it’s not all about ‘the big sell.’ Many people, especially young women, don’t know what to do to protect their skin from damage, and many kinds of damage — from the sun, or acne, for example — are avoidable.”
Saving Face
To that end, a visit to Avanti usually begins with a skin analysis, using the Visia Digital Skin Analysis system, which takes a deep, multi-layered look at the face and what damage is present.
“From there, we teach people how to prevent further damage, and how to maintain the health of their skin,” said Birudavol, adding that there are several treatment options from which to choose if a client decides to pursue them.
Avanti’s services include laser hair removal; microdermabrasion, pulsed-light therapy that treats skin damage non-invasively; non-surgical facelifts; Botox injections and dermatological wrinkle-fillers such as Restylane; and chemical and enzyme peels.
The center also offers a wide range of medical-grade products for skin repair and maintenance — brands such as Skin Medica, Skin Essentials, and Illustre Essenza.
Birudavol said all of this represents a growing sector of medicine.
“Aesthetic centers are becoming very popular,” he said, “and because the procedures and products are minimally invasive, it’s more accepted. People didn’t want to talk about it before, but now, many people are realizing that medical-grade products and procedures are more effective than what they can buy over the counter.”
Often, these treatments produce results that last for several months, said Birudavol, and this is another draw toward medically based skin treatments.
The Light Fantastic
Take, for instance, one of Avanti’s most popular offerings, the Regenique procedure, which combines three technologies. First, a medical microdermabrasion system removes the topmost layer of the skin, essentially smoothing and polishing. Second, an ultrasound treatment deep-heats the layers of the skin while electrical stimulation massages the tissue. Finally, non-allergenic skin products are combined with a silicone mask to address specific skin conditions or issues, forcing toxins out of the body.
Regenique is designed to treat the effects of aging skin by reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and discoloration; reduce the visibility of scars and acne; restore even coloration in cases of hyperpigmentation; remove tenderness and swelling after surgery, including liposuction; or lighten stretch marks. Clients generally schedule a few weeks of treatment, but Birudavol said many see results after one session.
“Having the treatment once a month can keep you looking fresh for a while,” he said. “We call it ‘1,000 facials at once.’”
Other popular treatments at Avanti include Titan, the non-surgical facelift that uses infrared light to tighten skin, and 3D Skin Rejuvenation, a pulsed-light or ‘photorejuvenation’ therapy that treats several of the issues associated with sun damage.
These treatments vary in price, but begin at about $100, speaking to the new affordability of these ‘lunchtime procedures.’
That’s not to say the equipment used for some of these treatments is easy to come by, particularly lasers that can cost upwards of $200,000. Still, all of the equipment used at Avanti has been FDA-approved, and as technology continues to improve, Birudavol said Avanti is positioned to add even more services to its repertoire in the future. These include several minimally invasive or non-invasive treatments and procedures, such as ‘body sculpting,’ which uses medical fillers to correct small imperfections such as acne scars or even a slightly crooked nose.
“We’re hoping to add more laser procedures, too,” he said. “Photomedicine is really taking off.”
To allay any lingering fears among potential clients, Birudavol said medical skin care may not be for everyone, but added that medical supervision is virtually constant at the center, and aestheticians are trained to use the laser systems by the equipment manufacturers.
Avanti is staffed by two physicians (medical director Dr. Craig Schacher rounds out the team) and two full-time aestheticians, in addition to a number of support staff focused on management, marketing, and patient coordination. The venture’s next move, said Birudavol, will be to continue its educational efforts and to forge new collaborations with other beauty-centric companies in the area.
“We’d like to hold more open houses to explain to people what we do, and especially to reach out to young people and tell them what they can do to take care of themselves better,” he said.
He’s also working now on an effort to create what he calls “makeover teams,” that, through partnerships with dentists, salons, and other outfits, will address issues with hair, skin, and teeth as a whole, and suggest options to improve all three.
Brave New World
All of these efforts are aimed, he said, at arming people with the information they need to make positive decisions about their health and appearance.
“There are so many things that people can do, and if they’re not afraid, they have even more options,” said Birudavol. “It’s a new world … and they say in this new world, 60 is the new 50.”
Many Are Finding New, Rewarding Careers in Health Care
One worked as an electrician, another as an advertising production specialist, and a third for the post office. They all had decent jobs with good companies, but something was missing from the equation in each case. So the individuals in question transitioned into careers in health care, and became part of a nationwide trend in the process.
Ron St. Peter, a 14-year veteran of the U.S. Postal Service, had a steady career with good benefits. But something was missing.
“It was a good job, but in some ways it wasn’t rewarding,” he told BusinessWest. “It didn’t fulfill my inner drive for knowledge, to learn, and to make a difference.”
St. Peter’s mother-in-law is a nurse, and she “put a bug” in his ear to test the waters in health care, he said. So he took classes in Anatomy and Biology at Holyoke Community College, and then decided he was intrigued enough to begin training as a nurse.
Today, St. Peter is continuing his education while working at Baystate Medical Center as a nursing assistant in the surgical stepdown unit, which is where patients go directly after surgery. He’d eventually like to work in the emergency room or intensive care unit — “I’d like that fast-paced, quick-decision environment where I can apply the knowledge I’ve gained and help people who really need it” — and knows he can likely write his own ticket to whatever nursing niche he wants.
That’s because the nation is in the midst of a nursing shortage that’s expected to get worse, for several reasons: Americans are living longer, the average age of nurses is currently in the 40s, and colleges are grappling with a shortage of nurse educators to teach the next generation.
So, yes, St. Peter and many others can indeed call their own shots, which is why nursing has become an attractive second career option for many. And it’s not just nursing.
Depending on the region, medical facilities nationwide are struggling with shortages of physicians and specialists ranging from physical therapists to laboratory technicians — and people working within other business sectors are taking notice.
Consider, for example, Elizabeth Bresnahan, a 1994 graduate of Western New England College, who parlayed a degree in Business Administration into a nine-year stint as an analyst with the national Dow Jones call center.
“I did lots of reporting, spreadsheets, databases, focusing on agent productivity and making things more efficient, and training my co-workers in using applications,” she said — not exactly the seeds of a career in health care.
But when the company began outsourcing many of its operations, Bresnahan saw the writing on the wall as an opportunity.
“Having a family with two small boys, my perspective started to change,” she said. “The Monday-to-Friday grind wasn’t working, and I wanted something with a little more flexibility.” She also wanted something stable in which she could advance her career without constant fear of downsizing. “Western Mass. is tough. It’s hard to find a place where you can grow and move up professionally. I didn’t want to keep starting over every two or three years.”
And as long as people get sick, she said, there will always be opportunities to help them get well. So she decided to enroll in the Respiratory Therapy program at Springfield Technical Community College, a track that tends to attract people with work experience who are looking for second careers, as opposed to recent high-school graduates.
In this issue, BusinessWest talks with several local professionals who have made, or are making, a transition into health care as a second career. The challenges of going back to school, especially after starting a family, can be daunting, but they say the rewards of a stable career with plenty of personal fulfillment are worth the effort.
Prescription for Change
A desire for a more people-oriented career played into Marla Zlotnick’s decision to switch from a 10-year stint in advertising to a new career as a pharmacy technician.
“I was a print producer — I coordinated print advertising and magazine advertising for ad agencies, and trafficking of the materials and print buying,” she said.
But she had always been oriented to community service, she explained, and longed for something with more contact with the public. Through her exposure to hospitals in her advertising career, she had come to see health care workers as a dynamic, caring group of people. So she joined them, starting with Target, which offers on-the-job training to new pharmacy techs as they work toward certification.
She now works for Baystate Health, helping pharmacists fill prescriptions and handling everything from insurance issues to inventory and ordering — and, of course, dealing with patients at the register. It’s an entry-level position, but one that affords her crucial exposure — not only to the field of pharmacy, but also to other medical professionals.
“I’ve had an opportunity to work with doctors, nurses, and patients,” she said. “Now I can decide, moving forward, if I want to go to pharmacy school, or nursing school, or something else.”
With members of the massive Baby Boom generation entering their senior years, openings for nurses, physical therapists, medical assistants, health-information technicians, and physician assistants in particular are expected to multiply over the next seven years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, even health fields that don’t involve direct care of very ill patients, such as dieticians and counselors, are expected to grow faster than average through 2014.
Although the trend toward health care as a second career has been gaining steam in recent years, the sector has long been viewed as a stable industry for people looking for a change. Ask Paul Podmore.
It was 1994, and Podmore — an electrician with a decade of experience under his toolbelt, mainly wiring residential homes — was feeling the itch to return to school and start a second career. But what career?
He got married early that summer, and just two weeks after the wedding, his wife wound up hospitalized at UMass Medical Center in Worcester for more than two months. “I spent pretty much every day there, helping the nurses take care of her,” he said. “One of the nurses on the night shift suggested that I think about going to nursing school, which I hadn’t even thought of.”
Like St. Peter, Podmore had nurses in his family — two sisters and his mother-in-law, to be exact — and soon he decided he’d give that world a try, so he enrolled in a program at UMass Amherst, graduating in 1996.
“I’ve been doing this ever since,” he said, spending a decade in the cardiac telemetry unit at Mercy Medical Center before moving to the cardiac catheter lab at Baystate Medical Center for 17 months, then recently returning to Mercy as a nurse in the fast-paced Emergency Department.
Podmore said he enjoys interacting with people from all walks of life on the job, but admits his work often doesn’t make for cheerful dinner-table chat.
“You have to be hardworking, and you have to be compassionate. It’s humbling at some points. You’re seeing people at the core of who they are,” he told BusinessWest.
What makes the intensity worthwhile, he said, is being able to make a difference at that terrible moment in someone’s life.
“You’re working there, helping the doctor, and you see a person in the middle of a heart attack, screaming or moaning and having chest pain,” he said. “Then the blockage is opened, and a few minutes later the patient is feeling better. To be part of a team that does that, to see people improve, is very rewarding.”
Like nursing, respiratory therapy offers a range of work schedules and settings — from hospitals to nursing homes to home care — that can help families balance work and home life, Bresnahan said. But she, like the others, mainly touts the direct-care aspects of the job, and the way it promises to keep her on her toes.
“Numbers don’t lie,” she said of her former job. “One thing leads to another leads to another. But here, it’s changing all the time, and you have to be flexible. You’re working with people, not with spreadsheets or databases. Just think of the impact you have on the patient — everyone needs to breathe, and as the respiratory therapist, you have a lot of control over that.”
Counting the Cost
That’s a theme that others who spoke with BusinessWest kept returning to — the satisfaction gained from helping people at a time of need. To many such career-switchers, it’s worth the inevitable financial hit that comes not only from the loss of a steady income but the cost of tuition.
“It has been difficult, but my wife has been really understanding, and she has enabled us financially to take the loss in pay,” said St. Peter. “I’ve really enjoyed school, and I enjoy the health field now that I’m in it. The opportunities, the technology, and the ability to advance all intrigue me.”
Bresnahan called her decision very stressful and difficult, “but my husband has been very supportive,” she said. “We planned ahead and tried to anticipate what would happen. I was accustomed to being employed full-time, and I have a part-time job now.
“I also have to factor in school,” she continued. “I need time to study, but I also have a family, and the kids have homework. The first time around, going to WNEC, I only had to worry about myself, but now I have to worry about everyone around me. There’s a lot more riding on it this time, so I’m definitely taking it more seriously than before.”
The other side of the coin, said Podmore, is that health care can often provide needed scheduling flexibility for families. In fact, he was able to remain home on weekdays with his twin boys for two years, working only weekends and allowing his wife to continue her career.
“The other good thing is that this field is not dependent on the economy,” he said. “You might not get rich, but you can always find a job that provides a good, steady income.”
“It’s definitely a transition, but it’s been great,” said Zlotnick. “You have to be prepared to start again, but I think being in this field is definitely worth it.”v
The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.
CHICOPEE DISRICT COURT
Theresa Szkolt v. Johnson Construction
Allegation: Breach of contract for construction services: $4,600
Filed: 1-28-08
WJF Geoconsultants Inc. v. Bernard Brunelle & Triple B Auto Service Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of environmental services: $6,771.25
Filed: 2-07-08
FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT
Gilbert R. Lanoue v. Big Y Foods Inc.
Allegation: Negligence in dispensing of drug causing personal injury: $6,200
Filed: 1-31-08
GREENFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Sherwin Williams Company v. Todd Baker Decoration
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $2,870.15
Filed: 2-13-08
HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Helen Santaniello v. James Harrington & Hawk Liquors & Spirits Inc.
Allegation: Breach of purchase and sales contract: $325,000
Filed: 12-28-07
Mary Lewandowski, administratrix of the estate of Fred Lewandowski v. Edward Steven Ballis, M.D.
Allegation: Medical negligence causing death: $25,000+
Filed: 1-23-08
Miriam Rosa v. Goodwill Industries Inc.
Allegation: Other negligence and personal injury: $25,000+
Filed: 2-01-08
Nicholas Lynch v. Douglas G. McAdoo, M.D. and Emergency Medicine Associates
Allegation: Medical malpractice: $25,000
Filed: 1-30-08
Roger Cortis Jr. v. Crystal Brook Landscape Construction Inc.
Allegation: Motor-vehicle negligence: $26,258.55
Filed: 1-20-08
Taylor M. Coutant v. Eastern States Expo and North American Midway Entertainment
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury while entering amusement ride: $526,136.18
Filed: 2-05-08
HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
David Bogardus v. Packaging Corporation of America
Allegation: Negligent failure to maintain property, causing injury: $601,768.27
Filed: 1-16-08
Pramco CV8, LLC v. J & P Dunham Truck & Tractor Service, LLC
Allegation: Default on commercial promissory note and guaranty agreements: $27,275.32
Filed: 1-24-08
William and Ann Marie Woods v. Wagner Spray Technology Corporation
Allegation: Negligence in design and manufacture of product causing fire damage: $200,000+
Filed: 1-24-08
HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT
Ramon Suarez v. El-Ro Realty and Pleasant Realty Apartments, LLP
Allegation: Negligent maintenance of property causing injury: $6,331.59
Filed: 1-18-08
NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
Assured Nursing Services Inc. v. Somerset Longterm Care, LLC d/b/a Poet’s Seat Health
Allegation: Principal due on promissory note: $29,764.31
Filed: 2-15-08
Fierst, Pucci, & Kane LLP v. Replay Studios GMBH
Allegation: Failure to pay for legal services rendered: $9,705.39
Filed: 2-14-08
McCarthy, Burgess, & Wolff v. Northeast Woods & Waters Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of balance on equipment lease: $11,885
Filed: 2-14-08
PALMER DISTRICT COURT
Budget Truck Rental LLC v. Liberty Transportation Inc.
Allegation: Motor vehicle negligence: $9,676.72
Filed: 1-30-08
SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Alan Planky v. Regency Pontiac
Allegation: Breach of car sales contract: $7,235.47
Filed: 1-03-08
WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Abraham Forish v. YMCA of Greater Westfield Inc.
Allegation: Negligent maintenance of exercise equipment causing injury: $21,000
Filed: 2-04-08
The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of March 2008.
| AGAWAM Agawam Machine Co. Basile Tile C&G Enterprises Corporate Housing of Western Mass. Curley’s Lawn Service Darker Image Euphoria Skincare James Typrowicz Painting & Wallpapering Liberty Plaza Raynor’s Landscaping Root Beer Garden Foods The Chop Shop CHICOPEE Chicopee Senior Supportive Daycare Program Donald Ruel Electric Paus LLC The Hem & Ha Fun Company EAST LONGMEADOW Carrington LLC Forrest Web Design Marcus Tile Partnership New England Consignment & Resale GREENFIELD Cowan’s Garage Northern Woolies Pleasant Street Community Garden Renewal Crafts HADLEY Hedgehog Farms Nail Pro HOLYOKE Aerie by American Eagle Cache Circuit City Dunkin Donuts Joey’s Renovation LUDLOW Cornerstone Customer Countertops East Street Variety Funstop LLC Paul’s Tree Service NORTHAMPTON Brooksie Creative Services Curves Hungry Ghost Bread | Jackson & Conner LLC Maren Brown Associates, LLC On A Whim Consignments PALMER Chuck’s Furniture Service RJ Truck Repair SOUTH HADLEY Mr. Hood Totally Polished SOUTHWICK DRW Trucking Co. SPRINGFIELD Maxim Lingerie Showroom Mily’s Beauty & Style MRB Home Improvement New England Hair Products Nocturnal Enterprises Quick Stop Food Mart Something to Talk About Talk of the Town Restaurant The Rich Look Fine Auto Service The Zone Tropical Ice Dream True Perfection Unice International Group Valley Adz Western Mass Warriors Wholesale Auto Outlet Your Valley Gifts WESTFIELD Artemis Painting, LLC Lucky Nails & Spa Pioneer Valley Floor & Tile Tekoa Mountain Coffee Roasters Union Park Condo Association Wendy’s WEST SPRINGFIELD Aardvark Property Holdings, LLC Country Meat, LLC Hampton Inn West Springfield Northeast Commercial Remodeling Point Blank Paintball Inc. Quality Cars 4 Less Rexel |
How a Team Effort Brought Liberty Mutual, and 300 Jobs, to Springfield
Bob Greeley shows off the space in the Technology Park at STCC that will soon be occupied by Liberty Mutual.
It was called Project Evergreen.
Why? Apparently no one from this region who was involved with it has a clue, nor should they, really. Thats because they dont name these initiatives, these so-called blind searches waged on behalf of companies that are looking for office space or real estate on which to build and dont want the world to know theyre looking.
No, that honor goes to site selectors, said Mike Greaney, senior vice president of business development for the Economic Development Council (EDC) of Western Mass. And he told BusinessWest that such regional and national outfits are getting quite creative in this regard. Indeed, projects code-named Ajax, Mercury, Apollo, Sunshine, and even Oceans Eleven have come across his desk and E-mail box in recent months, he said, adding that the EDC might be involved to one degree or another with more than a dozen at any given time.
Very few have worked out as well as Evergreen.
At an elaborate yet top-secret (until the very last minute) ceremony staged at the Technology Park at Springfield Technical Community College, it was announced that Liberty Mutual will be assuming 55,000 square feet in the park (the company inked a 10-year lease), for a customer service call center operation that will employ about 150 people to start and perhaps 300 or more down the road.
Gov. Deval Patrick, eager to showcase examples of job growth and retention across the Commonwealth, turned out for the announcement, ensuring a good crowd (150 people, many of whom had no idea what was being announced) and lots of press which wanted to know more about casinos than call center jobs, but thats another story. Patrick was preceded to the podium by Edmund Kelly, president, chairman, and CEO of Boston-based Liberty Mutual, who eventually uttered a line that economic-development leaders in this region have been waiting to hear from someone like him for decades.
Massachusetts is not an expensive state in which to do business, he said in his heavy Irish accent, if you stay outside of Route 495.
Few of the press accounts, which included an item in Forbes via the Associated Press, picked up on the comment, which didnt seem to faze Allan Blair, president of the EDC, who told BusinessWest that, when it comes to Evergreen and the ceremony to announce its conclusion, we couldnt have scripted it any better.
Whether the Liberty Mutual deal will help the region write more happy endings of this ilk remains to be seen, but Blair believes it has clearly created some momentum, because of the star quality of the company in question (95th on the Fortune 500 list, with $26 billion in revenues in 2007), the sector represented (financial services), Liberty Mutuals desire to add jobs in Massachusetts but look outside Boston, and, perhaps most importantly, an apparent willingness on the part of the Patrick administration to help steer such companies to the western part of the state, and especially Springfield.
Were seeing a genuine effort on the part of this administration to sell Western Mass. in the east, in an appropriate manner, and thats all we ask for, he said. But were seeing more aggressive behavior on the part of this administration than any previous one in this regard, and its very welcome.
That said, Blair was quick to note that, despite this sentiment from the Patrick administration, Liberty Mutual conducted Evergreen by the book, meaning that the company was out to find the best fit it could in Massachusetts or the Northeast (most believe this search extended into Connecticut), not necessarily Springfield. This means the company became effectively sold on this region, and this bodes well for other sales jobs involving other projects with imaginative code names still in progress.
In this issue, BusinessWest goes behind the scenes on Project Evergreen to show how such initiatives proceed, why this one ended successfully, and what it might mean for the region.
Policy Statement
Blair says its not uncommon for a search initiative such as Evergreen to have what he called a big lull.
It comes, he explained, when the site selector stops talking with the representatives of one community and starts talking to those in another while keeping that first locale on the hook, as he put it.
Its a somewhat nerve-wracking time, which in this case lasted about a month, he said, adding that its one of many aspects of such blind searches that make them both exhilarating and frustrating.
They generally keep you in the dark right up until the very end, he explained, noting that communities, or regions, usually have no idea with whom theyre competing or where they stand in a search until the party in question makes up its mind. You usually dont know you didnt get it until they make an announcement somewhere else.
Meanwhile, the current weakened state of the economy and generally uncertainty about the future have added some new wrinkles and layers of anxiety to the equation with many projects, said Greaney.
Sometimes you lose out in these searches, he explained, but in a lot of cases, companies are simply delaying their decisions, giving us an on-hold category that appears to be growing.
Evergreen isnt in that category, because Liberty Mutual is eager to take advantage of the states shift to a managed-competition system for auto insurance, and because, by many accounts, the Patrick administration was eager to get a deal done and in Springfield.
The search on behalf of Liberty Mutual started late last summer, when, said Greaney, representatives of the Boston-based site section company CresaPartners first dropped the code name Evergreen, and issued a request for information and, later, another for proposals to suit an unnamed client searching for roughly 30,000 square feet of office space for an undesignated use.
That number would eventually increase twice, in fact, said Greaney, adding that the EDC eventually submitted six or seven possible locations spread across the region, including the STCC Technology Park, located on the grounds of the former Springfield Armory.
Dave Panagore, director of Economic Development for Springfield, said careful consideration was made to ensure that several downtown Springfield properties were included in the discussion, although none were apparently able to match the tech parks mix of facilities, fiber-optic connectivity, infrastructure, and ample on-site parking.
Still, there were some logistical hurdles to be cleared to enable the park to accommodate Liberty Mutual, said Robert Greeley, president of RJ Greeley Co., leasing agent for the park, who noted quickly that no one involved knew it was Liberty Mutual for some time.
All we knew was that it was a significant financial institution, Boston-based, he said, and that the governors office wanted to try and make a deal in Springfield. For a while, we thought it might be Fidelity.
Those aforementioned hurdles included some shuffling to get the desired footprint, he explained, noting that at the heart of the discussions was a former call center operated in the park by RCN, which occupied roughly 90,000 square feet before shutting down that facility in 2003. Roughly half that space would eventually go to Western Mass. Electric Co. (WMECO), which moved many of its personnel and operations into the park in 2004.
To accommodate Liberty Mutual, tech park administrators initiated talks with WMECO that would end with that company effectively giving back about one-third of its space, enabling the park to put together a 30,000-square-foot block of space on one floor that will house phase one of Liberty Mutuals plans, with subsequent phases to go in adjoining spaces.
This was certainly not an off-the-shelf deal, said Greeley. It required some maneuvering and, on WMECOs part, a great deal of cooperation that enabled us to get this done.
Art of the Deal
In response to a question from BusinessWest as to how and why Liberty Mutual came to Springfield and the technology park, Kelly said the choice made perfect sense, which is another remark that Blair and others longed to hear.
He based that assessment on a combination of this regions comparatively lower cost of doing business; infrastructure, meaning the citys fiber-optic network and the facilities within the tech park itself; and workforce quality and quantity.
Whether the region can turn these advantages, coupled with the positive press from the Liberty Mutual lease and support from the Patrick administration, into more jobs for the region remains to be seen.
But Blair believes the pieces are in place for more success stories like Evergreen, especially if business owners can be persuaded, as Kelly was, to consider locations in this part of the state, and then become properly incentivized to locate in the Valley.
I think it certainly makes a difference to the site-selector community and also the CEO community when they read about decisions like Liberty Mutuals, Blair told BusinessWest. Everyone is looking for lower-cost places, and when a leading company like this one makes a move like this, others notice; this will definitely help us.
Greaney concurred, adding that the Patrick camp is doing more than any administration in recent memory to prompt companies to choose Western Mass.
The Liberty Mutual deal didnt swing on this, but many times, as we compete, state incentives become a big factor in the decisions, he explained. Were seeing that this administration is becoming as creative in putting incentive packages together in Western Mass. as other administrations historically were for Eastern Mass., Fort Devens, and places like that. So we have to give the Patrick administration high marks for that.
But beyond whatever push the governor and his administration may have provided, there were other factors in Liberty Mutuals decision that bode well for the Valley, said Greaney, noting, especially, the cost factor.
We know that part of the analysis the company and its consultants did was a geographic continuum of wages, he explained. There were two intersecting lines one was labor availability, and the other was wage rate; where they got to a rate they could swallow but still had a sufficient labor pool, that was the ideal, and they found it here.
Overall, it was a combination of factors that appealed to Liberty Mutual and will appeal to others, he said. The infrastructure needs matched the workforce needs, which matched the wage rates that Liberty Mutual needs to be competitive; all the arrows pointed to Springfield.
Paul Stelzer, president of Appleton Corp., which manages the tech park and many other commercial properties in the region, said Evergreen went as well as it did because of teamwork and the parties effectively playing the roles to which they were assigned.
The EDC was the front door it got Liberty Mutual here to take a look, he explained. But then, the region responded: the Regional Employment Board answered labor force concerns, and an appropriate site with the needed infrastructure was assembled. All the pieces came together thats how you prevail in a search like this one.
Collision Course
Greaney told BusinessWest that he has received more than a few electronic congratulatory notes from site selectors in the wake of Evergreens successful conclusion.
They know how hard it is to close a deal like that, and they also know what it means to the region to have a Liberty Mutual choose to come here, he said, adding that while this is a fairly close-knit community, news of Evergreen has traveled far and fast.
Thats just one of the many positive aspects of this deal, one for which, as Blair said, it would be difficult to imagine a better script.
The task at hand is to write more of them.
George OBrien can be reached at[email protected]
Firms Look at Office Design with New Eyes to Reduce Stress, Increase Efficiency
Earthy colors, a selection of fine teas, water sculptures bubbling quietly in a corner, and whimsical images of butterflies hidden in various nooks and crannies.
A description of the newest trendy café in Northampton? Not quite.
This is the scene upon walking into Dr. Sue Keller’s dental office, Strong and Healthy Smiles, in Florence. Keller moved into her new offices in April of last year, leasing space in the former Florence Sewing Machine building.
Before she opened her doors to patients, however, she hired an architect to help her maximize the space’s historical strengths. She also hired a color consultant, a feng shui expert, a marketing and branding firm, and a ‘design and ergonomics specialist’ with experience in the dental industry.
The result is anything but clinical. Subdued shades of peach and amber adorn the walls, with a little magenta here and there to add some personality. The reception area isn’t furnished with straight-back chairs, but rather with full recliners, and the hallway to treatment rooms is lined with seashell-inspired sconces emitting diffused light.
Keller said it has long been her goal to create such an environment — one that alleviates stress for patients who otherwise would often want to be anywhere but at the dentist.
“I had a feeling for what I wanted: something soft and gentle with no hard edges, inspired by nature,” she said. “The result is something that doesn’t look like a medical office at all.”
Amy Jamrog, a financial planner with the Jamrog Group, part of the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, also does business out of an historical space — the former National Felt Building in Northampton. And she, too, has transformed her offices into a modern mecca of peace and tranquility, for reasons that are similar to Keller’s.
“Having a financial conversation is already uncomfortable,” said Jamrog. “The last thing people need is to walk into a stuffy atmosphere.”
That said, visitors to her offices will notice a blend of lime green, blue, and turquoise as they enter the Jamrog Group. In the lobby, magazines that all-too-often announce the bad news of the month have been replaced with inspirational books and other light reading.
In Jamrog’s own office, the absence of a traditional desk is notable, and across the hall in the conference room, a bright red, the color of prosperity, has been used in the décor, including two paintings of cranes (they also signify good fortune).
“Everything was by design, to make this as friendly and welcoming a space as possible,” Jamrog said of her office’s unique color schemes and layout. “I know it will be a great appointment when a client walks in for the first time and says, ‘this is not what I expected.’”
Taking the Leap
Keller and Jamrog are two business owners who’ve created new office environments using the various, diverse tenets of a trend that’s gathering steam across the country.
The notion of modern office design to create various outcomes — greater productivity and reduced stress among them — is one being seen across many different industries in both urban and more rural areas, and, in many cases, can lead to major cultural shifts within companies of all sizes.
It draws from various disciplines, including architecture, organizational development, and interior design, and is being used to affect more than just an office’s look and appeal. Rather, modern office design practices are also being utilized to improve the bottom line.
Alonzo Canada, directing associate at Jump Associates — a unique firm with a national reach that creates growth strategies for clients, including through office design — has seen the effects of this trend first-hand. Headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., with additional offices in New York City, Canada said Jump works with companies of various sizes in a wide range of industries across the country, from financial giants to retail outfits, and increasingly, a wide range of businesses are looking for ways they can foster change within their four walls.
“Typically, companies approach us when they’re ready to enter new markets or explore new offerings — and usually, they’ve tried a couple of things already that didn’t produce the results they wanted,” said Canada. “Ultimately, we help them achieve their objectives through equal parts social research — who they are, who their clients are, and what both need — as well as engineering and design, and business planning. We help companies become more innovative, and to define what types of culture are needed to build broadly within specific business units.
“That’s where the space design component comes in most often, because that’s where we affect culture and behavior.”
In the past, Jump has designed office, product, and strategy overhauls as part of broader efforts to affect future growth and a company’s overall identity. Clients include Nike, Target, Procter & Gamble, and Hewlett Packard (HP), among many others. Perhaps the best example of design as a way to affect culture, however, can be seen in Jump’s own offices, dubbed JumpSpace.
The property is made up not of departments, for instance, but ‘neighborhoods,’ which allow staff within various disciplines to work together. The company also has an extensive library, ‘front porches’ where teams can post ideas and images relevant to specific projects (thus prompting feedback from passersby), and zen rooms, where employees can work alone quietly or even relax with a cup of tea or a quick siesta.
The building didn’t feature a staircase before Jump Associates moved in, but Canada said stairs and escalators have been proven to have such a profound effect on idea generation that a set of stairs, painted bright orange, was quickly installed.
There are other aspects of JumpSpace that serve as a showcase of ideas for other firms to consider, said Canada, listing glass partitions in project rooms to allow natural light to filter in, ‘enclaves’ for impromptu meetings or group work, and two outdoor patios.
One of Canada’s favorite features at JumpSpace is the Traincar Café, a space modeled after the dining cars on locomotives that doesn’t offer food, but instead an intimate space in which to work, hold informal meetings, and generate new ideas — which are scrawled on the provided napkins at each table.
“I’m proud of the Traincar Café,” he said. “It’s modeled after the typical art-deco diner tables and booths of the 1950s, although the furniture is contemporary. It’s familiar and cozy, and oddly enough, it’s one of the most-used spaces at Jump. People naturally gravitate there, and start working there.”
Canada added that these types of environments are a prime example of how design can be used to reach goals and benchmarks.
“Ultimately, they help a company to achieve a strategic objective,” he said. “Often in today’s modern workplace, facilities managers think about space with the wrong frame of mind, pitting economical, efficient use of space against productivity, and those two get in the way of each other. Progressive companies see that it’s OK to take a hit in areas such as adding square footage or amenities, because they know they will make that loss up in the work produced by happy, healthy employees.”
All Projects Great and Small
The changes need not always be major undertakings — Jamrog has injected a bit of fun into her office environment by allowing each staff member to add their own playlists to a community iPod that plays throughout the day.
“No Muzak here,” she said. “It’s all funky, fun, and light.”
Adding to that injection of fun in the workplace are brimming bowls of chocolate candies and a gong near the conference room, which new clients are encouraged to ring when they sign on, and staff are likely to tap when certain successes have been achieved.
“It might take some clients aback at first, but it’s just one way that we’ve made celebration a normal part of the workplace,” Jamrog said.
For Keller, who had comfort in the front of her mind when planning her dental office, the intrigue of a gong is replaced with home- or hotel-grade sinks for patients and staff — striking glass bowls with elegant gold fixtures and the same nature theme that permeates the space — accompanied by neat pyramids of rolled hand towels.
Instead of candy jars, Keller fills the office with fresh flowers, and urges patients to pick a bloom to take home at the end of their appointment.
And less noticeable but no less important, she said, are the ‘pocket doors’ built into work areas, which slide closed, creating a sort of false wall and sound barrier when a staff member is using various pieces of equipment.
“Good design doesn’t always equal high cost,” she said, noting that while she did make some considerable investments in the space early on, including ‘floating ceilings’ in treatment rooms to create a more sterile environment without altering the mill building’s historic charm, and a floor plan that incorporates natural lines and curves at every turn, she has some further ideas for small changes with the patient in mind.
“We’re sensitive to where people’s gaze falls in a medical office such as this,” she said. “Color and rounded shapes are important to us; we use color-corrected lightbulbs to soften glare, and the treatment rooms are designed to keep all equipment behind the patient.”
Her next move won’t be so involved, but nonetheless she still smiles when she thinks about it.
“I want to have an artist come in and paint a long branch that people can follow with their eyes,” she said. “It will be small and subtle, with a caterpillar crawling across.
“And at the end of the branch,” she concluded, “the caterpillar will turn into an awesome butterfly.”
One Source Financial Focuses on Dollars and Sense
When asked to describe what his company does and how it does it, Robert Berriman talked at length about wealth management, retirement planning, insurance, benefits packages, and how One Source Financial works to educate clients about making smart choices within each realm. He then summed it all up in a different but decidedly more economical fashion: “We do the right thing — even when no one is looking.”
Robert Berriman likes to say that he works in the “trust business.”
Not in a literal sense, although he can certainly help someone set up virtually any kind of trust product, but figuratively speaking, as in an industry where he must earn and then maintain the trust of the clients with whom he works.
And this subject of trust is no small concern in this broad sector, he explained, because the matter at hand is someone’s money — or, looking at things a different way, their future.
That’s why Berriman, president of East Longmeadow-based One Source Financial Group Inc. and a 30-year veteran of the wealth management and retirement-planning business, has, as an unofficial company slogan — it’s not printed on any literature that he’s aware of — “we do the right thing … even when no one is looking.”
Of course, with the Internet and instant availability to information, people can be looking all the time, he continued, but that’s another very literal interpretation of his thoughts. The truth is, people aren’t looking all the time, and thus they need the trust factor, he said, stressing again that such trust has to be earned.
The fact that Berriman is accomplished in this regard is reflected in his large and diverse client list, which includes everything from high-net-worth individuals to small companies to firms with 500 employees. He and his staff have assembled that clientele by effectively focusing not on individual products, but on the concept of creating plans.
“Planning is more important today than it ever has been,” he explained, adding that people are more sophisticated about investing and overall financial planning than they were 20 or even 10 years ago, but still need help understanding products and services and forging a plan. “People are concerned about their future, and they’re being told every day by the federal to be concerned about their future. So more people are doing things, but they need help doing them.”
Berriman’s company recently instituted a name change — he followed the advice of some colleagues in his sector and “took my name off the business” — but everything else about it has been a constant, he said. And by that, he meant that the firm, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, has always been in the business of finding solutions, and not simply selling products or services.
And this has been the case whether the client, be it an individual or business owner, was interested in retirement plans, wealth management, asset allocation, or one or more types of insurance, including life, health, disability, property, and long-term care.
Berriman has a few quantitative measures of success on his resume — especially inclusion in something called the Top of the Table; Million Dollar Round Table, or MDRT. This is an organization that recognizes only the top 1% of financial producers — not only in this country, but worldwide — and Berriman has been a member in good standing for many years now.
But he prefers the more qualitative benchmarks for achievement in this sector, especially the clients that have been with him for decades, as well as different generations within many families that are on the client list — constituencies that have slightly different needs and approaches when it comes to accumulating wealth and managing it.
“One of the things that I’m most proud of is that I have a number of clients — retirement plan clients, 401(k) clients, and others, who have been with me for more than 25 years,” he explained. “Through all the gyrations and transitions with those companies and those people, they stayed here, and there’s a reason — we look after their interests.”
This track record bodes well for Berriman as he takes stock of the company at 20 and continues down a path toward strong but controlled growth.
In this issue, BusinessWest looks at how One Source lives up to its new name, and how it has responded to the many changes within this sector to provide bits of advice — and those solutions — that are, to borrow an industry term, on the money.
Stock and Trade
Considerable time and effort went into the company’s name-change exercise, said Berriman, noting that it was undertaken late last year as part of the ongoing, broad strategic initiative to grow the firm.
He didn’t engage the services of a marketing consultant, but instead put his staff — many of whom have been with him for many years — to work on the matter. In other words, he took the team approach, which is how the company goes about everything it handles.
Starting with the simple goal of retiring ‘Berriman & Associates’ — the name put on the business in 1996 after a previous partnership was discontinued — “because that doesn’t say anything about who we are or what we do,” the staff looked at a number of options, said Berriman, and decided, in rather democratic fashion, on One Source Financial Group.
The proposed new name was run by clients (there were four different mailers on the subject) to make sure they were comfortable with it and understood that nothing else was changing, and eventually chosen because it does say at least something about what the company does. It also connotes a little about how it does business, as it basically invites clients to think about the firm as a single source for a host of needs — retirement planning, benefits, and others — rather than using several sources.
“It’s not about one-stop shopping, really,” said Berriman, “but to indicate that this a place, one source, for expertise on a wide range of products and services.”
This has been Berriman’s approach since he first started working in this sector in 1975.
He started as a broker/agent with Travelers Insurance in Hartford, and decided after a few years that this was not a career path he wished to stay on. He went into retirement plan marketing for the company, essentially traveling around the country teaching agents and brokers how to sell and design qualified retirement plans, before going to work for Springfield-based Palmer Goodell Insurance in the early ’80s.
There, he handled advanced sales, estate planning, and deferred compensation. After seven years with PG, he partnered with John Caulkins to form Berriman & Caulkins, a collaboration that lasted nearly a decade before the two parted ways and Berriman created Berriman & Associates.
The company has grown steadily over the years, in terms of everything from assets under management (that number is now $150 million) to the size of the staff; from the the portfolio of clients to the roster of services. To continue and accelerate that growth pattern, the company intends to emphasize its strengths, especially experience and diversity, market itself aggressively, and demonstate its ability to respond to changes within the industry.
Achieving Balance
Elaborating, Berriman told Business-West that while the roster of products and services offered by wealth-management and retirement-planning companies has been fairly constant over the years — they now come in more flavors than ever before — there have been a host of changes within this sector, many of them fueled by technology.
When the Internet first came into prominence, he explained, many predicted that the instant access to untold volumes of information that it provided would spell trouble for professionals in this sector because individuals and companies could, in theory, become do-it-yourselfers.
Instead, those in this business, as in others, like insurance, have found that the opposite is true. They’ve discovered that the Internet gives people information, but also (usually, at least) an understanding that they need someone to help them to make educated decisions about what to do with all that information.
“What the Internet has done is open up the investment world to more people, and made people more knowledgeable about the investment side than they were years ago,” Berriman explained. “But when it gets to the point where they’ve accumulated a little money, they want someone to help them. People came to understand that this wasn’t about just going out and buying and selling things, but having a real plan, and for that, people do need help.
“The industry has changed dramatically, especially with the communication we have and all the information we have, and the need to help people make sense of that information,” he continued. “When I started in this business, the interest rates didn’t change for three years — it wasn’t even something we thought about. Now, they change every day.”
Beyond technology, this field has changed to the extent that there are now many more players in it, said Berriman, all of them vying for the rights to help people create and then manage wealth and retirement savings.
To stand out, companies have to do more than offer a large suite of products and services — although that certainly helps. They also have to serve the client, said Berriman, who noted that this often comes down to efforts to advise and educate them about choices and which ones make the most sense for them.
Education also comes in the subjects of why people are investing and accumulating wealth for the future, and how this is a long-term exercise, he continued. This helps cut down on the number of calls that come in when the Dow is down 200 points (there have been several of those days already this year) and when the monthly and quarterly IRA statements come in the mail.
“It’s all a product of how you explain things to people up front — that retirement is a long-term process,” he said. “We’re not spending a lot of time on the phones these days talking to people because of the work we did up front; if you’re explaining the process effectively at the start, then you don’t have to jump through hoops and re-educate people during times like this.”
But more importantly, education creates more-informed clients who are thus able to take the information available to them, as well as consulting services from a professional, and chart an effective course.
“I have a new salesperson, and one of the things that I keep telling her is that this is not a product business, it’s a service business,” he explained. “If you do the right service for the client, whatever the product is just fits.”
The Bottom Line
Berriman told BusinessWest that he’s proud of his standing within the Million Dollar Round Table. It’s an indicator of success within this sector and, by his way of thinking, a barometer of that all-important intangible known as trust.
Without it, the numbers wouldn’t be there, he explained, and nor would the clients that have been with him for decades or succeeding generations of members within many families.
Those measures of success are also the byproduct of trust — and doing the right thing, even when no one is looking.
Joe LoBello Looks Back on 45 Years in Banking — and Ahead to the Future of the Industry
Joe LoBello admits that it wasn’t the kind of career move most bankers in his position would want to make — and he didn’t want to make it either, at least at first.
But then again, and looking back with the benefit of hindsight, he says it was a very logical career move, one he would likely regret not taking.
In was late 1991, and the local banking community was still recovering from its worst nightmare since the Great Depression. LoBello, who had joined Third National Bank as a management trainee in early in 1963 after earning his MBA at UMass, had risen through the ranks at that institution, which would later become part of New England Merchants Corp., then Bank of New England (BNE) and eventually Fleet — “I went through four mergers, but my desk never moved,” he joked — and part of history as that strange saga unfolded.
Fast-forwarding through that tumultuous period, LoBello said that he was still standing after an unsuccessful attempt to buy what was then Bank of New England West out from under the troubled BNE, and the eventual sale of a successor, bridge institution to Fleet. In fact, he was regional president for Fleet, which had big plans for him, when he was approached by a headhunter looking for an eventual successor to long-time Peoples Savings Bank Chief Executive Warren Rhoades.
“I told him I wasn’t interested,” recalled LoBello, adding quickly that he was urged by some of the board members at tiny Peoples to reconsider that sentiment — and he did, and eventually took over at Peoples in 1992. The rest, as they say, is banking industry history.
When he came to Peoples, LoBello did so with the goal of creating what he called “another Third National,” meaning a respected, community-minded institution, and by most all accounts, he did just that.
LoBello, who officially retired after 45 years in banking earlier this year, left what is now known as PeoplesBank much larger and stronger than he found it. Now with $1.5 billion in assets (five times bigger than when he started), Peoples has 14 branches, has moved well beyond its roots in Holyoke, and has more, quite aggressive expansion plans on the table.
This is a blueprint LoBello helped draft in his final years at the bank, a strategic plan crafted in response to changes within the financial-services industry, a firm belief in the concept of community banking, and forecasts for continued consolidation within the sector.
“Banks have to grow to make money,” said LoBello, noting quickly that growth comes hard in a region like the Pioneer Valley, which has been largely stagnant for many years. “We have far fewer banks than we did years ago, but most experts say there are still too many, and there will be more shaking out in the years to come.”
LoBello admitted to BusinessWest that there are times when he might be tempted to stay around the business and see how it all turns out — “it’s going to be interesting to watch; there’s going to be a lot of action.” But he’s content to watch from afar (Arizona, at the moment) while lowering his golf handicap.
In this issue, BusinessWest talks at length with LoBello, the now-former dean of the region’s banking community, about what he’s witnessed through nearly five decades in banking, and what the future holds for this still-changing business sector.
Generating Some Interest
Looking back on his decision to accept that offer and come to PeoplesBank, LoBello said he made it because he desired a return to where he started his career in this business, and where he flourished — community banking.
“I did it because I had a vision that banking was starting to change,” he recalled, citing the impact of deregulation and reiterating his basic mission to create another “old Third National” when he came to the PeoplesBank headquarters on High Street.
“Third National was the leading financial institution in the region,” he recalled, referring to the bank he knew into the mid-’80s. “It was very philanthropic and had a great reputation for caring. I always said of Peoples, ‘I’m going to rebuild it the way Third National was.’”
To achieve that end, he said, he would follow what he called the “Third National recipe,” which boiled down to hiring good people, assembling a strong board of directors, being a good corporate citizen (the bank had a strong philanthropic track record, and LoBello served on countless board and commissions), and focusing on the customer.
These were lessons he learned over the course of nearly three decades with Third National and, later, BNE and Fleet. “I had some great teachers — that was the best training ground anybody could have had,” LoBello recalled. “I had two great mentors in Buzz Harrington and Bill Brunelle, who were legendary bankers, and we had a very prestigious board, maybe the greatest collection of business leaders ever assembled on one board.”
The Third National experience didn’t end the way LoBello would have liked, but then again, few could have predicted how the banking community would be turned upside down in those dark days of the late ’80s and early ’90s, when many banks failed and hundreds of careers, including his, took unexpected turns.
LoBello first came to PeoplesBank as executive vice president, and just a few months later, he succeeded Rhoades, and took over with a plan — to expand the bank’s reach, in terms of both physical presence and products and services. Specifically, he added a commercial-lending component, which was another of the old Third National’s strengths, and a big part of his resume.
Indeed, he was head of the bank’s commercial-lending division for seven years, during which time he built a portfolio and acquired, in his words, a “very strong following” that he would soon put to his advantage.
“I took my board to Boston and spent a lot of money on them,” he recalled. “We went to the Boston Harbor Hotel, and I wined and dined them; I persuaded them to buy into the plan I was putting together.”
Branching Out
When LoBello came to PeoplesBank, the financial services industry was in the midst of change, specifically deregulation, or what LoBello also called “regionalization,” wherein banks were allowed to cross state lines and essentially expand wherever and whenever they desired.
“I could see that regionalization was coming, that Western Mass. was a region, and that you needed to be in every community,” he explained, noting that convenience is the main driving force in this industry today. “We knew we couldn’t just stay in and around Holyoke — we had to go regional. I said to myself that I wanted to beat everyone to the punch, especially the community banks, and create a franchise that is represented in every major city and town.”
The push outward started in South Hadley and continued in Longmeadow, Hadley, Amherst, and East Longmeadow. Today, the PeoplesBank franchise continues to expand its reach; in late 2006, LoBello announced a major initiative to build six new branches, a strategic initiative that will eventually take the bank to Springfield (a branch in 16 Acres has opened, and a second location in the city is planned), West Springfield, Northampton, and other communities where it has historically lacked a presence.
The territorial push would seem ill-advised at a time when many in the industry would say the region is already seriously overbanked, but LoBello says this is the direction in which in this sector is headed.
“If you’re going to stay in the game, you must have convenience, an effective distribution system,” he explained. “It’s counter-intuitive in some ways to have all these branches, but you have to do it. There’s too many banks chasing too little business, but you’re not going to get any of that business if you don’t expand geographically.
“And as a result of adding all these branches and incurring that expense, banks will eventually hit the wall down the line,” he continued, “and that’s going to be another driving force in them having to merge together. But there’s no other way; it’s a Catch 22 — if you stay where you are, you’re going to shrink.”
For all these reasons, building a large franchise will help properly position PeoplesBank for the day — probably not too far down the road — when some of the area institutions that have gone public in recent years will be acquired by larger, regional institutions, leaving PeoplesBank as the largest, and one of the few, pure community banks left in the region.
As he surveys the scene in the local banking community, LoBello says there are fewer players today than when he started, or even 15 years ago, but probably still too many, by most estimations. This fact of life will eventually lead to more consolidation that will change the size and character of the field in the years to come.
“There are a lot of small banks in this country, and what you’ll see is a lot of banks consolidate regionally,” he explained. “So you’ll have two levels of banking — the big, international megabanks, and more regional banks that are focused on areas like Massachusetts and New England.”
Safe Bets
As he talked with BusinessWest just before leaving for Arizona and the golf course, LoBello said he was spending some time looking back over archival material from his lengthy career — and enjoying the ride.
“It’s fun to look back,” he said, pausing again to review his career decision in 1991. “Going from big to small like that … it usually doesn’t go that way,” he said of career paths in banking. “But I’m glad that in my case, it did.”
That’s because he took the script he learned at the old Third National Bank and followed it, to the letter. And thus, he ended his career the same way he started it — helping to set the standard for excellence in community banking.
How to Develop and Effectively Execute an Exit Strategy
There’s a common question on the minds of entrepreneurs when they think about retirement: ‘how can I eventually get out of my business and not lose my shirt?’ The answer is simple: Develop an exit strategy a few years before your desired retirement, and simply execute it.
Take the case of Chuck, a 65-year-old-going-on-21, life-of-the-party type of guy. He sported a big smile, and joked with everyone. But he was plagued by a gnawing question: “in 10 years, I want to exit my business, take care of my employees, have enough money to live out my retirement dreams, and guarantee that my daughter inherits everything if something happens to me. Some people may want to get every dime they can when they sell, but these are the most important things to me. How do I pull this off?”
Chuck had been an entrepreneur for his entire life and, about 20 years before, started his current business from scratch. Due to his insatiable appetite for nonstop improvement, his business blossomed into one of the largest in Southeast Florida.
Chuck felt a great deal of loyalty to his employees, and wanted to develop a plan to sell the business to his general manager, Carlos. Since Carlos was a young person with a family, he didn’t have many financial assets. Chuck needed to develop a plan that would make the buyout process affordable for Carlos, while simultaneously assuring that his daughter would get fair value if anything happened to him.
To develop a quality exit strategy, business owners like Chuck need to follow some important steps. They are:
Step One: Create a financial plan. In Chuck’s case, the plan helped identify how much income he would need after retirement to fulfill his dreams. This number determined how much money Chuck would need in his retirement savings, and from the sale of the business on the day that he retires.
Step Two: Maximize retirement savings now. Over the next several months, Chuck consulted with his financial advisors and developed a comprehensive financial plan. A thorough analysis revealed that Chuck needed to put $5,000 per month into a retirement savings plan. Since IRAs and 401(k)s allow limited funding, a defined benefit pension plan was a good choice for the company. These plans work best with an older owner who has younger employees — in Chuck’s case, a perfect match. This plan allowed Chuck to put $60,000 a year into savings, all of which was tax deductible. The tax savings alone helped fund a portion of the plan: a true win-win.
Step 3: Determine the company’s worth. Chuck didn’t want the expense of hiring a valuation analyst to compute his company’s worth. To come up with an approximate value, Chuck and his financial advisors went through an exercise to determine the amount of net cash from the business to Chuck in the previous year. A good rule of thumb to use is three to five times that number equals the value.
Step 4: Establish a transfer strategy for the business to the buyer. Because Carlos didn’t have much money or assets, he would not be able to simply go to the bank and get a loan to pay for the business. To solve this challenge, annual performance incentives were created for the company. If the business met those performance incentives, Carlos, as general manager, would be gifted 5% of the stock of the company at the end of each year until he reached 49% ownership in year 10. At that point, Carlos would be a 49% owner with a 10-year track record, and a bank would likely be willing to loan him half of the business’ value to complete the buyout of Chuck’s interest.
Step 5: Get it in writing. Now Chuck needed to sit down with an attorney and get all this in writing. Since his advisors had done most of the legwork already, they were able to specifically tell the attorney what was needed, which saved a considerable sum in legal fees. The attorney drafted a stock purchase agreement for Chuck and Carlos. The agreement laid out the performance incentives and where the stock would be held, stipulated that the shares would be non-voting, and required Carlos to buy Chuck out at the end of the 10-year period. The attorney also created a trust, which laid out the transfer of Chuck’s assets to his daughter in case he died.
This type of buyout strategy is useful when the owner wants to sell to an employee or family member. The key element that allows these plans to succeed is time. The greater the amount of time the business owner plans for the exit of his business, the greater his chance of success. If Chuck simply woke up one day and said, “I can’t take it anymore,” there’s no way that Carlos could buy him out. Everyone knows a business owner who’s had health problems or unexpectedly passed away, causing the business and all its value to go down the tubes. This could have been avoided in almost every case by taking the time to create an exit plan.
Another key element in making your exit strategy succeed is to work with advisors who have extensive experience with this type of planning. Many quality CPAs and attorneys don’t fall into this category, yet they’re smart enough to bring in an outside advisor who does. Also, it’s important that the advisors work as a team, so that everyone is on the same page, working toward the business owner’s goals.
Chuck’s plan was enacted five years ago, and all has gone exactly as planned. Chuck’s still the life of the party, and loves seeing his vision turned into reality. Financial peace of mind hasn’t changed him one bit — when his friends get together, they all smile, shake their heads and marvel at the character everyone knows as Chuck.
Home and Garden Show Planners Have a Win-win Attitude
The theme of this years Western Mass. Home and Garden show is Springboard to Achieving Your Dreams, and that name speaks not only to the emphasis on ideas for property improvement, but also to a wide array of prizes available to attendees this year, among them a $6,000 rent or mortgage stipend that could be just the boost many area residents need to reach their goals.
Tina Smith, sales director for the Home Builders Assoc. of Western Mass. (HBAWM), which has organized and sponsored the show for 53 years, said the raffle prize will be paid in monthly installments of $500 per month to the winner. She said its just one example of the kind of draw the association tries to create for the home show each year the promise of ideas and resources that address real needs, and can offer a leg up.
We always have prizes, but this year Id say we have quite a bit, she said. And the grand prize in particular was designed to appeal to consumers in the midst of the mortgage crisis.
Beyond that, the prize is part of a larger contest that will offer a number of items donated by the shows vendors, all valued at $100 or more, such as rugs, tools, and services. Attendees will be given a game card that can be stamped at a number of booths throughout the show, and later entered into the raffle.
Smith said the system was devised to encourage visitors to the show to take in all it has to offer specifically, 350 vendors staffing 800 booths spread across three acres at the Eastern States Exposition grounds.
Were trying to reinforce how big the show actually is, said Smith, noting that as of last year, it was ranked the seventh-largest home and garden show in the country, and has long been New Englands largest and oldest.
Further, the show will include a wide array of home improvement, gardening, landscaping, and interior design showcases, such as an expansive flower and garden display in the Stroh Building featuring waterscapes and floral exhibits. The Sherwin Williams Design Showcase will surround the garden displays, offering new trends in furniture and home décor, and the ReStore Home Improvement Center will hold a tent sale in an outdoor exhibiting area, selling surplus and used building materials including cabinets, doors, and windows.
Finally, Smith said the HBAWM will again staff its Ask the Experts booth, offering answers to home improvement questions, referrals, and copies of the associations 2008/2009 Consumers Guide to the Home Building and Remodeling Industry.
If that doesnt whet the home-improvement appetite, though, there are even more prizes to be had, including a $10,000 kitchen makeover, Red Sox tickets (raffled by Clear Channel Radio to benefit St. Jude Childrens Hospital), a flat-screen television from Mannys TV and Appliance, and an overnight trip to New York City to view a live taping of The Rachael Ray Show donated by WGGB ABC40, with transportation provided by Peter Pan Bus Lines and accommodations at the Hilton Garden Inn.
We always say the home show is an excellent place to get ideas, but now, its not a bad place to win some nice things, said Smith, adding that families are encouraged to attend the show, and attractions for attendees of all ages will be available throughout the weekend.
WMAS radio will be sponsoring a local celebrity chef cooking demonstration, for example, and for the young at heart, the Springfield Falcons mascot, Screech, will appear Thursday evening, while Fenways own Wally the Green Monster will visit on Sunday. In addition, the HBAWMs own mascot, Hooter the Owl, will be on hand along with the Shriners clowns throughout the event.
The Western Mass. Home and Garden Show will kick off on Thursday, March 27 and continue through Sunday, March 30. Tickets are $10 each or $9 for senior citizens age 60 and over; $3 discount coupons are also available via the home shows Web site,westernmasshomeshow.com.
The following building permits were issued during the month of March 2008.
| AGAWAM GAC Realty Trust AMHERST Amherst Associates Inc. Amherst Associates Inc. Amherst Associates Inc. EV Realty Trust CHICOPEE American Renal Associates Chicopee Housing Authority Child Development Center D’Angelos EAST LONGMEADOW Council on Aging Salon Karma GREENFIELD Mark Sirum HADLEY Eden Avant | HOLYOKE D’Angelos O’C Ingleside LLC LUDLOW Constantine & Christine Dourountondakin NORTHAMPTON Coolidge Northampton, LLC Cooley Dickinson Hospital PALMER Pioneer Valley Group LLC SPRINGFIELD Cooley Street Associates Diocese of Springfield Rent Prop LLC WEST SPRINGFIELD T.D. Bank North Insurance Vadim Kot |
The following bankruptcy petitions were recently filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Readers should confirm all information with the court.
| Abdoo, Sinnet Abelin, Mark A. Benson, Robert Alan Brown, Jeanette E Brown, Thomas D. Connaughton, Kristine L. Czuchra, Shawn P. DeJesus, Carlos M. Deveneau, Angela J. Filipkowski, Edward Joseph Gaetan, Francisco Galeucia, Andrea L. Geng, Paul F. Gonzalez, Anna Rosa Gorman-Welcome, Brigitte Gringauz, Vlad Grochowski, Wojciech Z. Hundley-Slater, Lisa D. Lyons, John C. Magnan, Anne Masse, Jonathan Michael Matta, Kimberly Marie Mitchell, Cecilia S.
| Moore, Katherine Ann Patingre, Brian E. Pelchat, Thomas C. Pelegano, Shawn R. Poirot, Nathan J. Procell, Floyd A. Provenzano, Steve M. Ptaszkiewicz, Thomas Stanley Romano, Carmelina Sanocki, Angela L. Senquiz, Kourtney Skinner, Susan A. Stewart, Lori Cass Stoddard, Raymond Ellsworth Strycharz, Gerald L. Suares, Denise M. Tatro, Ronald Cliford The Dance Party Trottier Mark Ward Colette, Ethlinda Whidden, Michelle Lynne Witter, Donald D. |
Farren Care Center Specializes in Turning Lives Around
Jim Clifford, administrator of the Farren Care Center, describes the unique facility as a “safety net” for a challenging constituency.
Its called specialized long-term care.
Thats an industry term, and maybe the most expeditious way to categorize the services provided at the 122-bed Farren Care Center (FCC) in Turners Falls. But the phrase doesnt begin to describe what goes on inside the walls of this former acute-care hospital built more than century ago and often outside them, as well.
To become a resident at what is often referred to as simply the Farren, individuals must have been rejected for admission at no fewer than five traditional nursing homes. Most have been turned down by a multiple of that number, and Jim Clifford, administrator at FCC, recalls one man who was rejected by 75 such facilities before he eventually came to his new home on Montague City Road.
The nos from traditional care centers are prompted by dual diagnoses, or combinations of needs that Clifford describes as me, me meaning medical and mental, or psychological and an inability to adequately meet them. Specific conditions vary with each individual, he explained, but the common denominator is that the sum of their problems places their care requirements into the realm of the extraordinary.
And with the phasing out of mental-health facilities such as Northampton State Hospital and Belchertown State School nearly two decades ago, the Sisters of Providence Health System recognized a need to serve this challenged and challenging constituency, and responded by creating a truly unique care center at the site of the former Farren Memorial Hospital.
There, dedicated, specially trained staff members work to provide a better quality of life for residents ages 30 to 90, but often, the caring doesnt stop when a life is over.
Indeed, there are many spaces in St. Annes Cemetery in Turners Falls that have been set aside for residents of the Farren. The facility, through various funding mechanisms and partnerships, ensures that individuals who have no family to speak of and many at FCC fall into this category are given proper funeral services and burial.
For most residents thats the term staff members prefer over patients or clients the Farren will indeed be their last address, because no other facility can fulfill their needs, and their condition will not improve to the extent that they can live in another setting.
But some, perhaps 10% and a number that is trending upward by some accounts, will be discharged to a group home or perhaps even their own apartment because they have improved.
Michele is one such individual. She told BusinessWest that she has very much enjoyed her stay at Farren, which she described as much better than any of the many traditional nursing homes shes been in, but is nonetheless looking forward to the day, probably weeks or a few months away, when it will end.
And I hope it will be permanent, she said of her pending relocation to a group home in the Boston area, knowing that many who are discharged eventually return to FCC. Its going to be hard for me at first, but Im going to be ready, and work hard so I dont have to come back.
In this issue, BusinessWest goes inside a little-known, often misunderstood health care facility to examine not only the specialized variety of care provided there, but how it is provided.
Starting Points
As she talked about FCC and its mission, Anne Nusbaum, its director of Nursing, got right to the larger point.
We take these people who are so difficult, and we change their lives around, she said rather emphatically. We give them a quality of life theyve either never had or havent had for many years.
Elaborating, Nusbaum said staff members at FCC give residents a fresh start we dont care what these people have done before and then help them make the most of it, by providing some things that many residents hadnt seen much, if at all, before arriving at the facility.
These include such tangibles and intangibles as an extended family (in this case, the staff and other residents), some positive reinforcement, and activities, such as gardening, parlor games, or van trips into the community, that fill their time and their lives.
Its been this way since Farren Memorial, opened in 1899 in a broad act of philanthropy on the part of construction company owner Bernard Farren, was transitioned into specialty long-term care nearly two decades ago.
Tracing the history of the facility, Clifford said that a changing competitive landscape eventually doomed Farren as an acute-care hospital, and that by the mid-80s, the SPHS had began exploring alternative roles for the four-story complex that would help the system fulfill its mission specifically to meet the needs of generally underserved segments of the population.
Eventually, the system focused on specialized long-term care, a need exacerbated by the mainstreaming of mentally disabled individuals by the closing of Northampton State Hospital and similar facilities across the state. An extensive licensing process ensued, said Clifford, and the Farren eventually opened its doors in 1990.
It is the only facility of its kind in the state and one of the few in the Northeast, he continued, noting that referrals come from across the Commonwealth and New England, and sometimes well beyond. There is an extensive waiting list that ensures nearly 100% occupancy.
Residents who meet that rather stern entry requirement being rejected by at least five traditional nursing homes have a variety of medical and psychological conditions that are bound by the adjective extreme.
These people arent criminally insane; they just have behaviors that make it hard to treat them elsewhere, said Clifford, who used the term safety net to describe Farren and its purpose.
These behaviors vary, and include schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorders, aggressiveness, and other maladies that go well beyond dementia.
From a care perspective, the facility was designed to provide each resident with a level of dignity, said Nusbaum, while treating combinations of conditions that are beyond the scope of most other long-term care facilities.
Meanwhile, from a practical perspective, FCC helps dual-diagnosis individuals stay out of acute-care hospitals, where care would be much more expensive than it is at Farren and draining on an already overburdened system.
One of the stated goals for this facility when they created it was to prevent or reduce hospitalizations, Clifford said. A lot of these people lived in community settings of one sort or another, and were constantly in and out of the hospital for exacerbation of their psychiatric behaviors.
Such problems would often prevent them from being returned to the community, he said, before and until their condition was stabilized, which is one of Farrens primary reasons for being.
Life-and-death decisions
When asked how the Farren goes about providing that quality of life, that dignity in life and death that he and others continually referenced, Clifford said it comes down to compassion and a broad team approach to providing care.
And while each case is different, there is what Clifford described as a nuts-and-bolts approach to creating care plans, or strategies, for individuals.
It starts with an overall assessment that begins long before a resident actually arrives at FCC, he said, noting that extensive reviews, which include face-to-face evaluations, are carried out by the facilitys admissions director, the nurse manager for the unit the individual in question will live in, and other staff members.
The assessment process continues after a resident arrives, he said, noting that a nurse manager, nurses, certified nurse assistants (CNAs), social workers, and others are all involved in putting together a care plan. The overall process assessing an individual, identifying problems and issues, developing a care plan, implementing the plan, and continually re-evaluating the resident is similar to that found in traditional long-term care facilities, with the difference being the nature and scope of the interventions needed to stabilize these individuals, he said.
In such an environment, some residents thrive and improve to the point where they are ready to be discharged, said Nusbaum, who cited Michele as one of several comparatively younger residents who have re-entered the community, or soon will if their progress continues as expected.
While such discharges are still somewhat rare, they are the stated goal, especially for younger residents, she explained. When someone comes here in their 30s or 40s, we dont want them to spend the rest of their life at Farren.
Michele will be returning to the Boston area and a group home there soon that was her word and gave credit to staff members who helped stabilize her condition and enable her to find new levels of independence.
She had high praise for one of the foundations of care at Farren its so-called milieu program, or package of activities staged between 7 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. every day. The concept of activities is common to all long-term care facilities, said Nusbaum, but owing to the severity and complexity of medical and psychological conditions prevalent among residents, staff members must be especially creative in this realm.
Customize was the word she used to describe how programs are tailored for individual units or specific residents.
As an example, she referenced a clambake, staged last year, that was crafted so that even residents with swallowing disorders and there are many of them could partake and enjoy the festivities. Other activities include gardening Farren has extensive facilities, all at wheelchair height to enable all residents to take part and also parlor games, excursions off site for ice cream or apple picking, for example, and an annual strawberry festival,
And some activities dont fall neatly into the traditional daily schedule, said Nusbaum, noting a recent meteor shower that occurred around 2 a.m. Some staff members not on duty at that time actually came in to work at that hour to help take residents outside so they could get a glimpse of the rare occurrence.
Such efforts on behalf of the staff help provide a sense of involvement that has been missing from the lives of many residents, she continued, adding that it extends to the last days of ones life and even beyond.
Some of the patients have outlived family members or are alienated from family, Nusbaum explained, adding that when these individuals approach the end, there is no one to be with them for their final days or hours, and when they die, theres no one to make arrangements and bid farewell.
Farren staff members fill in under both circumstances, continuing that sense of community.
No one dies alone here, she said, adding that staff members often volunteer their own time to be with residents at the end. When residents pass on, FCC staff members stage memorial services on site, and those without family or for whom no arrangements have been made more than 25 since the program started in 2002 are buried in St. Annes, with their own grave marker.
Its a very unique program, Clifford said of the burial service, carried out with the help of a local church and funeral home. We carry that sense of involvement beyond the grave.
Care Package
Even for those who are never discharged from FCC, there is a better quality of life than what existed before they arrived, said Nusbaum.
She told BusinessWest that shell often hear staff members at traditional nursing homes say of individuals who eventually wind up at Farren, that person was really a challenge!
Well, we love people like that here, she continued, adding that such an attitude makes FCC special, and uniquely qualified to change such lives around.
George OBrien can be reached at[email protected]
The Regional Homebuilders Association Focuses on Education to Strengthen the Market
The team at the Homebuilders Assoc. of Western Mass. stands in front of their offices, designed to look like a private home, on Cadwell Street in Springfield.
The team at the Homebuilders Assoc. of Western Mass. stands in front of their offices, designed to look like a private home, on Cadwell Street in Springfield.
Theres a quaint, stone-walled home that seems out of place on Cadwell Street in Springfield, the industrial roadway on which its located.
But inside, theres much more going on than Sunday dinners. This is the headquarters of the Homebuilders Assoc. of Western Mass. (HBAWM), a member-driven organization formed in 1939 to promote the trade of residential construction as a whole, as well as responsible practices therein and affordable home ownership.
The building was constructed in 1998 by some of the associations 550 members who hail from all four counties in Western Mass. and represents the only physical offices maintained by any of the five regional home-builders associations in the Commonwealth.
The Cadwell Street facility is home to an extensive library and meeting space for use by both the association and its members when needed. Operated by a staff of six, it serves as a model home of sorts, too; the molding is a little different in each room, as are the windows, cabinets, floors, and color schemes, and builders often use these examples to show clients.
Beyond a spiffy home base, though, the HBAWM is also one of the most active such organizations in the country. The groups annual Spring Home and Garden Show, this year slated for March 27-30, is one of the 10 largest in the nation, and was joined last year by a second show held in the fall, which is more lifestyle-based, focused on topics like home entertainment and healthy living rather than the nitty-gritty of building and remodeling.
The HBAWM also conducts educational, charitable, and promotional efforts throughout the year for both consumers and members. These are steered by several volunteer-based committees and a 40-member board of directors, also volunteers, many of whom are past presidents of the association who hold a term for one year (this years president is Paul LeClerc, co-owner of LeClerc Bros. Inc. in Chicopee).
Members range from seasoned professionals to small-business owners just starting out, and the associations executive director, John Lilly, said theres no shortage of topics to discuss.
We just completed a construction licensing class, as well as an OSHA certification class, and our members have asked us to look into holding courses in small business ownership, he said, noting that informational sessions are another major aspect of the HBAWMs educational offerings.
As a member of both the state association of home builders and the national association, members can take advantage of information on many different levels, added Lilly, noting that this focus on current information and professional development is a key tenet of the HBAWM. If we educate ourselves, were armed to make better decisions, and gradually raise the standards for residential building. Plus, were better-prepared to pass that education on to consumers.
Banking on It
Lillys own story is an intriguing one he spent 36 years in the banking industry before signing on to lead the HBAWM in December. While he admits hes no builder, the respect and admiration he has for this profession is evident in his remarks, as well as his plans for the future as he settles into his post.
Continued education is at the top of my list, as are addressing liability issues and doing whatever we can to help our members, he said. The people doing it right the registered builders who keep on top of changing laws, regulations, and trends are finding it increasingly difficult to compete in this economy. Our goal is to educate them on how to do their jobs as best they can, and to educate consumers that when selecting a contractor, its important to compare apples to apples.
In other words, comparing reputable, licensed contractors to one another, and in the case of the HBAWMs membership base, Lilly says thats each and every one of them.
The amount of time people put into this organization is significant. We have a membership committee, a legislative committee, an ethics committee, a spring home show committee, a fall home show committee, and a lot of camaraderie. Youd think that all of the builders in the area would be in competition, and while thats sometimes true, thats not the attitude within the organization.
Lilly said outside pressures tend to create a bond between like-minded professionals, and the home-building industry is not immune to that.
At the top of the current list of concerns are the state of the regions economy and the health of the real-estate market, both of which directly impact the building sector. Meanwhile, there are legislative issues, safety concerns, regulatory questions to be answered, and new trends to explore.
For example, there is a new state law that will go into effect July 1 of this year that the organization is working diligently to publicize among the building and renovating community, which will require contractors specializing in roofing and window and siding installation to be licensed with the state. Previously, these professionals needed only to be registered. In addition, rumblings on the state level to pass legislation requiring formal continuing education for contractors are being tracked closely.
And there are other discussions surrounding the day-to-day challenges of doing business, especially in this challenging economic climate. Tina Smith, sales director for the HBAWM, who has been with the organization for just under 20 years, said that, largely, builders in the area seem to be holding strong, although they certainly arent enjoying boom times.
Overall, builders are doing OK. A lot have been through this in the past, and I think they were able to see this coming and adapt, she said, noting that the health of the building industry often fares better in Western Mass. because of the wide availability of open, developable space. We have cycles like everyone else, but its not as dramatic a downturn as in other regions of the country.
The Trends of the Trade
Lilly added that while remodeling often becomes a sign of a tight economy, certain trends in the building sector today, including aging in place work for older Americans and green building, lend themselves to renovations and additions.
Green is the biggest thing, said Lilly. People are trying to work through what green means in todays market.
He added that the HBAWM has recently formed a green committee to further study its effect on the building trade; it recently voted to recommend promoting green building as an organization.
The HBAWM is also in the midst of efforts to bolster its own ranks and those of the homebuilding and renovating trade in general, to prepare for the future of the industry. It does so through scholarships made available to high school and trade school students to further their educations or start their own businesses, amounting to $20,000 annually.
In addition, the association takes on a certain amount of charity work each year, sponsoring the Pioneer Valley chapter of the American Red Cross Hometown Heroes event, for instance, and participating in a Springfield-based program called Christmas in April, during which members and staff of the HBAWM provide both financial and in-kind assistance to individuals and families in need, completing minor home improvement projects, yardwork, and small construction projects, such as building handicapped-accessible ramps.
The association also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity on a regular basis. Lilly said its an excellent way for builders to give back without taking too much time from their own job sites.
We have a lot of very busy members, he said, referring not just to their businesses but their work within the association. Our members want to move the association forward for the good of everyone involved.
An Open-door Policy
And as he walks through the 5,500-square-foot building that the HBAWM calls home, Lilly takes note not just of the recessed lighting and the dramatic staircase, but also of the staff members stuffing envelopes, putting the finishing touches on marketing materials for the spring home show, and straightening the shelves in the resource library.
Our staff learns from our members, and at the same time, we do a great deal of lobbying on their behalf, he said. Overall, its a system with which Im very impressed.
Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at
Ad Club’s Second Annual ADDY Awards Slated for March 20
The Advertising Club of Western Mass. asked marketers across the region to show them some magic this year, and now the group is gearing up to return the favor.
On Thursday, March 20, the Ad Club will unveil the winners of the regions second annual ADDY awards competition at a ceremony at CityStage that will feature a magical theme. Kicking off at 5 p.m., the ADDY awards will begin with a cocktail reception at which all of the regional entries will be on display for viewing. In all, 170 entries were received this year representing various media, including print, Web, radio, and television, from creative firms and in-house marketing departments across all four counties of Western Mass.
In addition to the entry displays, however, which this year will include two multi-media stations to view or listen to audio-visual projects, the reception will feature magician and mentalist Michael Paul, who recently completed a show in Las Vegas and will circulate through the crowd performing his unique brand of tricks.
Continuing this visual theme, members of the Nimble Arts circus production company, an award-winning collection of performers based in Brattleboro, Vt., will lead attendees into the main event with a floor acrobatic display, followed by a trapeze act performed by the companys founders, Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion.
Following the performance, trophies will be presented to winners, and Paul will perform a more formal magic act for the audience as part of the festivities, which will conclude with a coffee and dessert finale.
The advertising collateral for the event, including posters, invitations, and tickets, also promotes the show us your magic theme, and were designed by last years winner of Best in Show, Winstanley Associates of Lenox.
Representing the first level of a three-tier national competition for the advertising and marketing industry, the regional ADDYs recognize creative excellence in all media including print, broadcast, interactive, out-of-home, and public-service advertising. Those contestants who take home a silver or gold ADDY are eligible to continue on to the next, national level of competition.
Four judges, each part of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) network that sponsors the ADDYs, judged the areas entries last month. Anne McFadden, creative director emeritus for Blattner Brunner Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Don Brown, past president of the Houston Advertising Federation of Houston, Texas; Jim Clark, creative director with Clark & Co. of Niceville, Fla.; and Scott Mackey, president and creative director of Mackey Ink of Norfolk, Va., chose 60 winners from the entry pool.
The AAF, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C, is the countrys leading trade association for the advertising industry. The Ad Club joined late last year, and the ADDY awards competition has replaced the Ad Clubs former annual competition, the Creative Merit Awards.
The presenting sponsor for this years ADDYs ceremony is Baystate Medical Practices, and silver sponsors are Hampden Bank, Health New England, and St. Germain Investing Services.
Tickets are $50 for members and $60 for non-members; reservations may be made at the Ad Clubs Web site,adclubwm.org, or by calling (413) 736-2582.
The national ADDYs will be awarded in June 2008.
A Primer on the Emerging Trend of Pet Estate Planning
Some people consider their pets to be members of their family. Other people have made a career out of breeding, raising, and/or sheltering animals. When animal owners pass away, if they have not made provisions for the continuing care of their animals, the outcome can be disastrous.
Often, the recipient of the animal does not want to, or is not prepared to, take on the responsibility of providing ongoing care. As a result, the animals are then euthanized, neglected, or abandoned. In order to provide for the ongoing welfare of their animal after their demise, the estate plan of the animal owner should specifically address the disposition and care of the animal.
When an animals owner passes away, the animal will pass through the decedents estate as personal property, just as would a lamp, a couch, or a bedroom set. As such, the ongoing ownership of the animal should be addressed in the animal owners last will and testament. In addition to distributing the animal to a new owner or caretaker, most often, an animal owner will desire to establish a trust for the benefit of their pet.
Although approximately half of the 50 states do recognize pet trusts, unfortunately, at this time, Massachusetts is not one of them. While it is not possible to create an enforceable trust solely for the benefit of an animal, it is possible to establish an enforceable trust for the benefit of the animals caretaker.
One of the most important decisions when planning for an animal is determining who will serve as the animals caretaker. It is also important to name at least one alternate caretaker, if not several, who would provide care if the originally named caretaker was unable to do so. The most commonly named caretakers are relatives, friends, the animals veterinarian or breeder, or an animal shelter or sanctuary.
A number of animal sanctuaries have emerged that will provide care for an animal until its demise. These facilities vary greatly in terms of the environment they provide, the cost of placing an animal within the sanctuary, and the type of compensation accepted. Some sanctuaries may accept only cash donations, while others are willing beneficiaries of a charitable remainder trust. The animal owner should approach the intended caretaker to ensure that the caretaker is willing to accept this responsibility and on what terms, because nothing destroys a plan faster than when the intended caretaker refuses the responsibility.
The next important decision is determining how the caretaker will be paid. The caretaker may receive funds to cover all verified expenses associated with caring for the animal. Normal and customary expenses would include housing, food, veterinary care, grooming, and burial and cremation fees. Another alternative is to provide a lump sum to the caregiver based on the care to be provided until the animals demise. Providing a lump sum may encourage the caretaker to skimp on the animals needs in order to allow the caretaker to retain the funds personally. In this regard, an independent party should be empowered to inspect the animal to ensure that it is being properly maintained. Inspections should take place in the animals home environment and should also be permitted to be made randomly.
The animal owner should also address the final disposition of the animal and of any funds remaining when the animal has passed away. Here, the inclusion of strict guidelines concerning euthanasia should be considered. If the caretaker retains the funds remaining upon the animals passing, an unscrupulous caretaker may seek to euthanize the animal without cause simply to retain the funds.
A comprehensive estate plan will also provide for the ongoing care of the animal should the owner lose the capacity to handle his own affairs, whether due to physical or mental illness. The health care proxy, which is a document naming someone to make health care decisions for the owner, and the durable power of attorney, which is a document naming someone to make financial decisions for the owner, should contain special provisions acknowledging the animal and providing for the animals ongoing care.
Most often, a durable power of attorney will authorize the person named to handle a laundry list of financial transactions. When an animal owner is incapacitated, the animal must be placed with a custodian, and money must be spent to provide ongoing care. To avoid any controversy regarding the care and custody of the animal, the power of attorney should authorize the person named to take custody and control of the animal if need be. The document should further authorize the person named to arrange for someone to provide care for the animal, even to the extent that said care would require additional monetary compensation to the caretaker.
The health care proxy should notify the person named and/or medical personnel that the incapacitated person is an animal owner and that the animal is dependent upon that owner for care. While medical personnel will certainly first attend to the owners care, if the owner remains incapacitated, the language of the health care proxy will remind the person named, and should alert medical personnel, of the need to ensure the ongoing care of the animal.
When an estate plan takes into consideration the issues raised here, the owner has taken the steps necessary to ensure the ongoing care of their pet. The animal will then receive the best substitute care possible for that of their original owner. Without such a plan, the fate of the animal is at best uncertain, and at worst unspeakable.
Gina M. Barry is a partner with the law firm of Bacon Wilson, P.C. She is a member of the National Assoc. of Elder Law Attorneys, the Estate Planning Council, and the Western Mass. Elder Care Professionals Assoc. She concentrates her practice in the areas of estate and asset protection planning, probate administration and litigation, guardianships, conservatorships, and residential real estate; (413) 781-0560;[email protected]
How Professional Liability Insurance Can Protect You
Faced with the very real possibility of a lawsuit arising at some point in their careers, todays professionals have become savvier about protecting themselves.
Consequently, professional liability coverage is one of the fastest-growing segments in the insurance industry. It is also one of the more complicated. This type of policy is structured very differently from general liability policies, and it contains some unique terminology like consent to settle, retroactive date, and a tail.
Professional liability is a specialized type of liability insurance protection for professionals such as physicians, attorneys, certified public accountants, insurance producers or directors, or officers of corporations, though coverage is definitely not limited to these professions. In any situation where you are acting as a professional and are supposed to know what you are doing, but make an error, this is the coverage you need.
Medical malpractice is the most well-known example; when a doctor makes a mistake resulting in damages to the patient, this type of coverage will apply.
While general liability usually covers an entity or business, professional liability covers the act of an individual. For example, lets say you own an office building and you fail to keep the entryway ice-free during the winter. When someone slips and falls, your general liability will cover you. You have failed to maintain a safe environment and are therefore negligent, so you are at fault. The situation had nothing to do with an individual acting in a professional capacity.
A professional liability policy comes to your defense if someone brings suit claiming your professional acts caused them damage. It really does not matter if you were at fault or not anyone can sue for anything. In many lawsuits the biggest expense can be the legal fees you could easily lose thousands of dollars simply because someone felt they had a case. Your professional liability policy needs to be structured to cover your legal fees.
There are some critical details to consider when shopping for professional liability insurance. First, some policies will include a consent to settle clause. If your reputation is important to your business, you should make sure you consider a policy that includes such a provision. This clause simply means that the insurance company will need the insureds consent to settle a claim. The reason for including it is to protect your image, since settling might seem to imply guilt or at least some fault. However, the insurance company may determine that it makes monetary sense for it to settle out of court. It will want to do so despite the fact that your reputation may be tarnished. It is becoming more common for this clause to be left out, so be sure to ask for it.
Most common insurance polices (such as an automobile policy) are occurrence forms, where the policy that is in place at the time an accident happens is the policy that reacts to the claim. In professional liability cases, the damage done by an error may not be realized for some time; it may be years later when a claim is filed. This is considered a claims-made policy in which it is the timing of the claim, not the incident, that matters. In this case it does not matter what policy was in force when the error happened, but rather which one is in effect at the time the claim is filed.
Suppose a lawyer is being sued for an error she committed 15 years ago. The claim is filed today; 15 years ago the lawyer had coverage with a limit of $100,000, and now she has a policy with a limit of $2 million. The lawsuit will be in todays dollars, as should be the insurance coverage.
Lastly, what happens when you retire or change careers?
You can extend coverage past the end of your last policy with something called a tail. This provision extends coverage for a certain number of years in case a claim should arise. This is a relatively inexpensive way to cover yourself once you have ceased operations. It is less expensive because there is no new activity to increase your exposure.
There are many ways to structure your professional liability policy. Therefore, it is worth discussing your options with a professional. If you serve clients and are supposed to know what you are doing, you just might find yourself the defendant in a lawsuit. It is always good to know you have an insurance policy ready to respond to your situation.
Joseph Rusenko, AAI is an account executive with First American Insurance Agency in Chicopee;jrusenko@faiagency. com
Historical architect draws from past experience
March 17, 2008 Cover
The act of giving old buildings new life is a discipline that requires endless study and research, but also creative thinking for architects whove chosen to focus on this aspect of their field. Stephen Jablonski is one such professional, whose work can be seen across the Pioneer Valley and beyond. He says many think his line of work is staid and stuffy, but his portfolio of projects in Western Mass. shows that it is anything but.
Architect Stephen Jablonski works out of one of the oldest homes in Springfield, the Alexander House, built in 1811.
It was recently moved to accommodate the new federal courthouse on State Street, and some feared that the building wouldnt make it to its destination. But with nary a crack in sight, it stands original columns, windows, and elliptical, cantilevered staircase intact.
This building is in line with the work that I do, said Jablonski, who has focused on a specialty known as historical architecture, a specific niche within the industry, for the majority of his career. A lot of architects want to knock things down to show what they can really do, but I slow down and explain what a building like this is made of, and why its important.
The Alexander Houses spiral staircase, for instance, is unique because it uses no supports the design alone makes it sturdy and because its the only known elliptical, cantilevered staircase in the city.
Its also just one of many examples of intriguing design that Jablonski can offer when discussing historical architecture. His is a discipline that draws from countless architectural styles and implements an equally large number of methods, but still, Jablonski said his field is one that has taken some hard knocks.
The perception is that historical architects are not cutting-edge, he said, or that were frumpy and boring and wear bow ties. While I do have a large collection of bow ties, the perception is not accurate. There is an innate creativity associated with historical work, and there are plenty of craftsmen to recreate historical structures.
And while historical architecture is often seen as a specialty that recreates the past but shies away from devising anything new, Jablonski said this, too, is a fallacy. The field is broad, including historical restoration and renovation, but also the design of, additions to, and replacements of buildings. Its never the same, he said, and every job is a new challenge that opens up a world of possibilities.
When creating something new, most of society tends to go in a banal direction, he said. It may be new, but often, new buildings are designed to look more like everything else, not less.
Whats more, Jablonskis specialty sometimes makes him an anomaly within his own profession.
As an architect, everything you do is focused on change, but how things change is really the essence of historical architecture, he said. Building standards vary from property to property; some are broad-brushed, and some are very strict. The guidelines are necessary, especially because historical renovation or replication can be very expensive. Thats where the real creativity comes in.
The Nuts and Bolts
As an historical architect, Jablonski has a set of specific concerns that he must consider with every project. Theres considerable research to do before even setting pencil to plans, for instance, and its aimed at developing a keen understanding of how a building was constructed, what its been used for in the past, and how many changes have taken place within its walls since they were erected.
You have to appreciate what a building was designed for, he said, and look for any changes in use. You also need to make a good record of whats there; often, existing drawings are incomplete, and in any case, you dont want to confuse the map for the territory.
Further, properties that have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places offer their own design challenges, including standards set forth by the Secretary of the Interior. These center on preserving the historical integrity of a building by requiring the use of in-kind materials, for example (a copper roof can only be patched with copper; finding the right storm window can take months).
Jablonski attended the School of Architecture at Syracuse University and said that, even as a student, he had to forge his own path to study historical buildings and their design.
Syracuse has a very modern program, so I more or less had to train myself, he said. We were discouraged, for instance, from using color when drafting plans, whereas I always wanted to use color in my designs. I never wanted to wrap a building in steel or something to make a statement. To me, theres something about a patina of age that adds character that is real.
His passion for history remained strong through college, and Jablonski began his career in Boston in the early 1980s, later relocating to Northampton in 1987 and practicing there until 1994, when he relocated again to Springfield. Today, Jablonskis firm includes three employees, and works frequently with other architects, drafters, and craftsmen in the area. Their renovations and restorations can be seen across Western Mass., and the company is beginning to expand its reach toward the eastern part of the state and into Connecticut.
Jablonskis first historical project in the area was at Holyokes Wistariahurst Museum, a National Historic Register property. The work began with restoration of the Bell Skinner bedroom, but over the past decade, his firm has completed interior and exterior restoration to the museums siding, paint schemes, roofs, and conservatory.
The Skinner bedroom renovation was followed by an interior renovation project at the Sacred Heart Church in Springfield, restoring floor patterns and long-faded color schemes. That led to a particular professional focus on places of worship for the firm.
Id never worked on a big church before, but I liked the approach, he said. The parish didnt want to change their church, but rather embellish what it already had, and maintain its character.
His work at Sacred Heart led to similar projects across the region, including the Holy Spirit Chapel at St. Michaels Cathedral in Springfield, the Old First Church in Holyoke, First Congregational Church of South Hadley, and Worcesters Hadwen Park Congregational Church.
Jablonskis calling card can be found in many other locales, too. His portfolio includes the Latino Professional Building in Holyoke, the Barney Carriage House at Forest Park, the Brennan and Admissions buildings at Springfield College, and the Museum of Fine Arts at the Springfield Museums.
In all of these projects, said Jablonski, close attention was paid to the use of lasting and traditional materials, natural light, custom woodwork, well-thought-out circulation, and blending old with new. Energy efficiency, affordability, and the ability to stand up to wear and tear are also important considerations, as in any architectural endeavor, which brings Jablonski to another defense of his trade: the intrinsic green qualities of historical construction.
The big thing now in the building industry is going green, and in my mind theres nothing greener than preserving what you already have, he said.
A City of Stories
Others are beginning to understand this, and while the surge in interest regarding historical architecture of late is helping to expand Jablonskis radius of influence, he said Springfield provides plenty of work.
There arent too many cities like Springfield, of this size with world-class buildings, he said. It looks the way it does because of the people who came here, often to manufacture things. There is no predominant architectural style because of the multitude of periods of growth we see Greek revival, neoclassic, arts and crafts my job includes not just architecture, but making sure people understand the regions resources, especially when theyre feeling down on their luck.
Jablonski said that in Springfield, as in many urban centers attempting to spur a rebirth, the first instinct of many is to raze older buildings that are long past their heydays.
People dont see these properties with the eyes that I see with, he said. Does Springfield have some dust on it? Yes, but I urge people to understand that once a building is gone, its next to impossible to recreate what we once had.
Theres a lot of talk about this city as a glass thats either half-full or half-empty, he continued. I see many of the same problems other people cite, but from my point of view, the glass is more than half-full, and its a beautiful glass.
Currently, hes in the middle of a project that speaks to that belief, designing what will be the newest addition to the Springfield Quadrangle the Museum of Springfield History. Slated to open in 2009, the facility will be located in the former telephone operating building on the corner of Edwards and Chestnut streets, and will house such firsts for the city as the GeeBee plane, a Silver Shadow Rolls Royce, and an original Indian motocycle.
This project is the type of work I love to do, said Jablonski. But its also the first time that the museums have expanded outside of the perimeter of the Quad, and the first new museum to be constructed since the Depression.
He added that the project includes both renovation aspects and new construction.
Were finalizing drawings for an addition now, and renovation to the existing building is about 50% completed, he said. Were adding a lot of vertical space and not a lot of square footage, but this will still be the largest exhibit space at the Quad.
He noted that the Museum of Springfield History will also offer a new type of museum experience to the city, its residents, and, most importantly, visitors to the region.
This is going to be totally different, because it will attract the male population, Jablonski explained. The museums do an excellent job catering to many different groups, but theyre pretty much maxed out on women and kids. With the cars, airplanes, and guns that are part of Springfields history on display, the missing population can be drawn in, as we showcase what has also been a missing part of Springfields story.
A New Way of Seeing Things
For Jablonski, the project couples an important mission with a rewarding architectural challenge, creating the perfect kind of historical project.
Its a combination of the architecture I love and the opportunity to do something important in the city where I make my home, he said.
He can see the project from his second-floor window at the Alexander House as well, in addition to a handful of others hes completed, and a few at which hed like to try his hand.
I think I have a quality product in historical renovation, he said, and I have a constantly broadening scope. One thing I dont want to ever become is isolated, working on plans in the proverbial ivory tower of a locked-up office. Inspiration is critical.
To that end, Jablonski can sometimes be seen strolling the streets of Springfield, pausing at a building and perhaps asking passersby, what do you see?
Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at
Bringing A Sense of Accountability to the ‘Plan’
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Timothy Brennan
Since it was first blueprinted in 1994, the regions Plan for Progress has identified growth strategies for the Pioneer Valley, and helped to keep area business and civic leaders focused on the proverbial big picture. What had been missing from the equation with the plan, according to some involved with it, was a method for actually measuring progress with regard to those strategies. A recently implemented accountability system was designed with the specific goal of filling that void.
Timothy Brennan equated it to checking the gauges on a cars dashboard.
We need to be able to see if we have enough gas to get where we want to go, he explained. We need to see if everythings working the way we want.
It was with this well-thought-out analogy that Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, summed up an elaborate effort to add a strong measure of accountability to the regions so-called Plan for Progress and the many strategic components imbedded within it.
The plan, first drafted in 1994 as a road map of sorts for guiding the Valley out of the seemingly endless recession of the early 90s, has evolved over the years, but its basic mission has remained the same: to give the region focus points for growth and economic development that will enable it to effectively compete against other economic-development regions across the country.
The document, which has been updated and expanded for its 10th anniversary, has no less than 14 individual bits of strategy from improving and enriching K-12 education to enhancing high-tech and conventional infrastructure to revitalizing the Connecticut River. A small army of area business and civic leaders has been assembled to address these strategic components and develop action plans for addressing them.
What was missing from the equation, according to some involved with the plan, was a measure of accountability, or a means to measure the progress being made with each of these strategic points or not being made, as the case may be.
And what has emerged over the past several months is a system that fills that void, said Brennan, who told BusinessWest that it uses numbers, not words, to gauge (theres that word again) whether the region is moving forward on a specific issue, going backward, or remaining in neutral another automotive term.
We didnt want to use words alone to measure progress, he said, noting that there was a certain subjectivity to the one-paragraph narratives that had been used to create progress reports, for lack of a better term, in the past.
We wanted to do this in a metric fashion to give it a harder edge.
To illustrate how the new accountability system works, Brennan and Molly Jackson-Watts, the PVPCs Regional Information and Policy Center manager, focused on one of four larger groupings of strategic components within the plan in this case Strategic Grouping III: Supply the Region with an Educated, Skilled, and Adequately Sized Pool of Workers. Within this group are four of the plans 14 strategy points:
There is a also a list of six so-called indicators, ranging from average MCAS test scores (including breakouts for the regions urban core and rural school districts) to the median age of the regions workforce to the number of older workers (55 to 75 years old) who remain engaged in the regions workforce.
These and others are all telling statistics, said Brennan, who noted that for some, including most MCAS scores, the region is trending down, while for others, like the number of older workers, the region is gaining ground.
What does it all mean? Well, thats open to interpretation, said Brennan, and also subject to comparisons with other regions similar to this one. Indeed, part of any attempt to quantify progress is to put any numbers in perspective, and this is the next challenge for those involved in this initiative.
We knew that there was another piece of this coming down the road, he explained. It involves not just issuing ourselves a report card, but taking our report card and putting it against peer regions. Thats the next thing we have to do.
In this issue, BusinessWest takes an indepth look at the the plans new accountability system, and focuses on the broad workforce strategy grouping to show how it works and why its important to the programs success.
Statistics Course
Brennan told BusinessWest that the search for a system of accountability for initiatives like the Plan for Progress is not exactly a recent phenomenon. Its been a topic of discussion nationally, at meetings and conferences involving agencies (like the PVRPC) that fall under the auspices of the federal Economic Development Administration.
Theyve been on this for more than six years, since the start of the Bush administration, really, said Brennan. They kept saying that these planning efforts across the country needed to have to a more rigorous measurement system. So Id go to these meetings, put my hand up, and say, got any examples that you can show us to help us along?
The standard answer, which almost became comical, was, no you go figure it out, he continued. Theyd say, this is what we want, but we havent figured it out yet you go find a way.
So he and some of the others involved with the Plan for Progress did, although Brennan admits to being somewhat defensive the first time it was suggested that the plan needed more accountability. Such prompting came from several members of the initiatives executive board, especially former Stanhome CEO John Gallup.
He challenged everyone, Brennan said of Gallup. He said, we have a plan, and were trying to follow it, but its time to reach beyond what we had been doing and do it better. In general terms, he said, is there a better way for us to be accountable than what we have now?
Over the course of several months, a team involved with the plan pieced together that better way, an accountability system that essentially gauges progress and awards a score, or rating. Such ratings are 1, 2, or 3, to connote a negative trend, a neutral trend, or a positive trend, respectively.
Going into this exercise, Brennan said that those involved with it had several fears or concerns, but two that really stood out.
First, there was acknowledgement that individuals and groups can manipulate numbers to show virtually whatever they want to show. Plan for Progress leaders wanted to avoid such appearances, and focused on objective questions, or statistical points, that would reduce or eliminate such doubts. Second, there was the fear that by putting numbers, or scores, out for everyone in the region to see, there would be a focus on the negative, which is something else that organizers wanted to avoid.
Overall, architects of the new system wanted something intrinsically simple, yet effective, and conducted a good amount of research to achieve that end.
We had done a fair amount of study into systems of measurement in other metropolitan areas, and it helped us identify what we wanted and didnt want, Brennan explained. We came across one in Cleveland, for example, that had 300 indicators. They spent millions of dollars on it, and it lasted about two years before it melted down. So we knew we didnt want to go with something that was so laborious that you couldnt maintain it.
Developers of the new system also wanted the results to be readily accessible, so they put a new section on the PVPC Web site (www.pvpc.org) called The Plan for Progress/Region Wide Performance Indicators Summary, which is updated as new data is available, said Jackson-Watts.
Number of Possibilities
As they pieced together their accountability system, organizers settled on four strategy groupings. In addition to the workforce category, which Brennan said is perhaps the most critical set of issues facing the region, there are others titled Strengthen and Expand the Regions Economic Base, Foster Means of Regional Competitiveness, and Enhancements Fostering the Regions Business Climate and Prospects for Sustainable Economic Growth.
Each grouping has three or four of the strategic components that were set down within the expanded, revamped plan. The expand the economic base grouping, for example, has three strategic elements attract, retain, and grow existing businesses and priority clusters, promote small businesses and generate flexible risk capital, and market our region.
The workforce strategy grouping, which is focused primarily on the matters of supply and demand with regard to skilled labor, now and for the foreseeable future, produced some fairly mixed results for the region in this case, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties as a visit to the performance indicators summary section of the PVPC Web site clearly shows.
Overall, the section earned a 1.9 rating, showing a neutral trend, but there was great fluctuation in the numbers for individual indicators. While the percentage of students scoring proficient or above on the MCAS third-grade English test increased 1.7% between 2006 and 2007, for example, the percentage of students passing the MCAS math test (administered in 10th grade) decreased 4.2% across the Valley between 2005 and 2006, the latest numbers available. Meanwhile, the high school dropout rate for the region was virtually unchanged (up 0.9%), while the percentage of high school graduates in the workforce among those ages 25 or older increased nearly 6%.
What do these dashboard gauges, as Brennan called them, show at this time? In some cases, as with the MCAS math scores, they show where work needs to be done, he explained, adding quickly that it is generally difficult to extract meaningful findings unless or until the numbers are compared to peer regions.
In the meantime, though, the numbers provide a base on which future years can be assessed, giving the region some direction in matters such as workforce development, which will be a challenging realm as Baby Boomers retire and the smaller generations that succeed them are asked to step up.
There is a major focus on supply, in this region and everywhere else, and with good reason, said Brennan. Thats because we know theres going to be a huge exodus of workers, in probably 2010 or 2011, when people will hit age 65 and reach retirement, or at least soft retirement. One of the big questions is whether were going to have worker shortfalls in the New England states, and most of us think there will be.
Numbers gathered in the workforce grouping can help area development leaders gauge how the region will fare up to the supply challenges, he continued, by offering indications on everything from the sheer number of bodies in the workforce to the overall quality of that constituency.
Were in a new economy, a global economy, and were not chasing smokestacks anymore, were chasing talent thats what makes an economy grow, he said, adding that the new accountability system should help the region assess just how its faring in that chase.
Summing things up, Brennan said the assembled numbers hold up a truly objective mirror to the region and its strategies regarding growth and competitiveness.
The idea was to try to be as candid as possible tell the good stuff but also tell the bad stuff to make it as believable as possible, he explained. But also, dont be afraid tell it like it is and hope, particularly with those things that were not doing so well on, that we have something to shoot for.
At the same time, the numbers can help us clear up some of the misconceptions about this region, he continued. There are many out there, and the numbers can help separate fact from perception.
Off the Charts
When asked to elaborate on what numbers can do that words cant do, or do as well, when it comes to gauging progress, Brennan said the numerical statistics hit harder and speak in a louder voice, one thats much harder to ignore.
By going to numbers, youre forcing yourself to get more rigorous, he said, referring to those involved with carrying out the plan. Its less easy to weasel out of problems, but its also easier to celebrate successes.
Like the plan itself, its accountability system is a work in and about progress. It is already showing great promise as a method for showing area economic developers when to hit the gas, and what problems or issues they may confront further down the road.
And thats what dashboard gauges are for.
George OBrien can be reached at[email protected]
Cash Flow Workshop
March 19: Robb Morton of Boisselle, Morton & Assoc. LLP will present “Understanding Your Company’s Cash Flow” from 9 to 11 a.m. as part of the ongoing training seminars sponsored by the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network in Springfield. The workshop is slated at the Andrew M. Scibelli Enterprise Center, One Federal St., Springfield. The cost is $40. For more information, call (413) 737-6712 or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.
Working Clutter-free
March 19: The Women’s Partnership of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield presents “Working Clutter-free” from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel in West Springfield. Carleen Eve Fischer Hoffman, owner of The Clutter Doctor Inc., will help participants explore ways to create order in the office through simple organizing techniques. The cost is $25, and reservations can be made by contacting Diane Swanson at the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, 1441 Main St., Springfield; by fax at (413) 755-1322; or via E-mail at [email protected]
Seminar on Undergraduate Programs
March 20: Cambridge College will host an informational session on its Bachelor of Arts-Multidisciplinary Studies and Bachelor of Science-Human Services programs for working adults from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Boardroom of the Springfield Marriott. For more information, contact Mary A. Nelen, undergraduate admissions counselor, Cambridge College, at (800) 829-4723, ext. 6617, or via E-mail at [email protected]. To view more Cambridge College offerings, visit www.cambridgecollege.edu
Digital Marketing Seminars
March 21: The Regional Technology Corporation’s Technology Enterprise Council network will conduct a series of five seminars this year focused on digital marketing. The first seminar, “Viral Marketing,” is planned from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the tele-classroom at Springfield Technical Community College’s Technology Park. Seminars also planned include “Using Social Networks as Marketing Tools,” “Business Blogging,” “Using Video to Enhance Marketing,” and “Web Trends.” The March 21 event is free to RTC members and $50 to non-members. Advance registration is required and can be made by calling (413) 755-1314 or by E-mailing April Cloutier at [email protected].
Adult Fitness/ Wellness Fair
March 22: As part of its commitment to total wellness, the Springfield YMCA is hosting a “New Attitude – New You Fit Fair” for adults from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Health screenings will include blood pressure, cholesterol level, glucose level, and body composition. Other offerings will include physical therapy and chiropractic assessments, product samples, raffle prizes, total body health and beauty tips, basic financial and consulting tips, healthy food and soft drink samples, and a fitness wear fashion show. For more details, call the YMCA at (413) 739-6951, ext. 145, or visit www.springfieldy.org
Peacebuilding Workshops
March 26: As part of its free 2008 Speaker Series, Elms College in Chicopee will host a workshop titled “Peacebuilding” by Hedley Abernethy, peacebuilding education advisor for Catholic Relief Services, at 3 p.m. Abernethy will also participate in a panel discussion on “Peacebuilding” with Michael True, Ph.D., professor emeritus of English at Assumption College, and Sharon Shepela, Ph.D., professor of Psychology at the University of Hartford, at 7:30 p.m. Meeting locations were not available at press time. Visit www.elms.edu for more information.
Panel Discussion on Civil Rights Lessons
March 26: “Unsettled Histories: Civil Rights Lessons from Jena and Beyond” will feature civil rights advocate and law professor Margaret Burnham and legal investigator Terry Davis discussing their work on behalf of a Jena 6 student. The 7:30 p.m. panel discussion will be conducted in Gamble Auditorium, and is free and open to the public. For more information, call (413) 538-3071.
YPS Celebrates March Madness
March 27: The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield marks its one-year anniversary during its monthly social at the MassMutual Center from 5 to 7 p.m. Highlighting March Madness and the NCAA Elite Eight Division II basketball championship in downtown Springfield, YPS has partnered with the Collegiate Championship Committee of Greater Springfield for its March social. While attendance is free with YPS membership, non-members are welcome for $5 per person. The event will be held on the second floor, outside the main ballroom, overlooking Court Square. Active networking will be accompanied by hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and lively entertainment. Tickets for that evening’s semifinal games will be available during the event. March corporate sponsors are BusinessWest and Avanti Skin Care, and the nonprofit spotlight is the United Way of Pioneer Valley. For more information, visit www.springfieldyps.com
Create-a-Strategy Lecture
March 27: Representatives of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will host a lecture from 9 to 11 a.m. titled “Create-a-Strategy” as part of the ongoing training seminars sponsored by the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network, with offices in Springfield and Pittsfield. Participants will learn to create a seven-sentence marketing strategy that informs and drives marketing campaigns, media selection, messaging, and marketing budgets. Also, learn the secret of delighting the few to attract the many and how to describe your target market and identify your niche. The cost is $40. For more information on the lecture that will be conducted at the Chamber office, 75 North St., Pittsfield, call (413) 499-0933 or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass
‘Green’ Workshop
March 27: Andrea Nager Chasen, assistant regional director for the Climate Change Project of Western MA, will present “Climate Change,” a 45-minute workshop and discussion on how an individual can help reduce the problems of a warming atmosphere and climate. Her 7 p.m. lecture is planned in Mills Theater in Carr Hall at Bay Path College in Longmeadow as part of its Kaleidoscope spring lecture series. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.baypath.edu
Cultural Diversity Reading
March 27: Elms College in Chicopee will present “Ferociously Yours: Poetry as Resistance,” a reading celebrating cultural diversity, in the Alumnae Library Theater at 8 p.m. The reading will include diverse performance pieces and new works by several poets. The event is free and open to the public, and there will be an opportunity to purchase books and CDs from the performers after the reading. For more information, contact Alexander at (413) 265-2343.
Walking with Dinosaurs
March 27-30: “Walking with Dinosaurs – the Live Experience,” based on the award-winning BBC television series, will be staged at the Mullins Center in Amherst for seven shows. Ten species are represented from the entire 200-million-year reign of the dinosaurs. The show depicts the dinosaurs’ evolution, complete with the climatic and tectonic changes that took place, which led to the demise of many species. For ticket information, call (413) 733-2500 or visit www.ticketmaster.com
Legislative Breakfast
March 28: The presidents of Greenfield Community College, Holyoke Community College, Westfield State College, and Springfield Technical Community College will host a legislative breakfast at STCC, beginning with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on the seventh floor of Scibelli Hall. The formal program begins at 8 and will feature discussions on public higher education in Massachusetts. For more information, call STCC at (413) 755-4906.
‘Globalizing Gender?’
March 31: The Five College Women’s Studies Research Center in South Hadley will host a presentation titled “Globalizing Gender?: Militarization, ‘New Wars’ and the Global Economy” by Dubravka Zarkov, Ford Associate from the Institute of Social Studies. Zarkov looks at the nexus of the economy and militarism as a contemporary global condition, asking whether this nexus is dependent on specific notions and practices of masculinities and femininities, and thus in need of reproducing them. The free event is open to the public. For more information on the event, visit www.fivecollege.edu/sites/fcwsrc or call (413) 538-2275.
UMass Exhibition
April 1-12: The Augusta Savage Gallery at UMass Amherst will present an exhibition titled “Charles ‘Teenie’ Harris: Rhapsody in Black and White,” featuring works by the late, famed photographer of Pittsburgh. The gallery will feature a talk by choreographer Ronald K. Brown at 7 p.m. during the closing reception on April 11 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The show documents the historic and daily events of the Pennsylvania city’s African-American community between 1936 and 1975. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (413) 545-5177.
Workshop on Branding
April 2: John Bidwell of Bidwell ID will present a workshop on “Branding” from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Andrew M. Scibelli Enterprise Center, One Federal St., Springfield, as part of an April Mornings Marketing Series, sponsored by the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network in Springfield. The series continues on April 9 and April 16. The cost is $40 for one workshop, $75 for two workshops, $100 for three, and $125 for the series. For more information, call (413) 737-6712 or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass
The following business incorporations were recently recorded in Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties and are the latest available. They are listed by community.
| AGAWAM BELCHERTOWN CHICOPEE ABA Convenience Inc., 1031 Chicopee St., Chicopee 01013. Faisal R. Khan, 59 New Ludlow Road, Chicopee 01020. To operate a convenience store and gas station. Chicopee Public Library Foundation Inc., 339 Front St., Chicopee 01013. Carl E. Sittard, 38 Fletcher Circle, Chicopee 01020. (Nonprofit) To support the restoration, improvement, and function of the Chicopee Public Library, etc. Maun Convenience Inc., 810 Meadow St., Chicopee 01013. Mehreen S. Ahmed, 8 Osceola Lane, Longmeadow 01106. To operate a convenience store and gas station. National Amateur Fight League Inc., 327 East St., Chicopee 01020. Louis A. Thouin, III, same. To carry on the business of Martial Arts and Boxing, training, managing, and competing throughout the USA, etc. EASTHAMPTON Sisyphus Woodworking Inc., 1 Cottage St., Easthampton 01027. Gregory W. Larson, 9 David St., Easthampton 01027. Woodworking education and related activity. HADLEY Dennis R. Bernashe Electrical Inc., 46 East Carew St., Unit No. 2, South Hadley 01075. Dennis R. Bernsahe, 1 Island Road, Holland, 01521. Electrical contractor. HAMPDEN AllBrite Restoration Inc., 51 Oak Knoll Dr., Hampden 01036. Vincent Mineo, 147 Maple St., Hampden 01036. Maintenance and restoration. HOLYOKE Mary’s Meadow at Providence Place Inc., 5 Gamelin St., Holyoke 01040. Joan Mullen, same. (Nonprofit) To continue providing high quality, mission-driven services to members of the Sisters of Providence, etc. Massachusetts Academy of Ballet Educational Training Association Inc., 4 Open Square Way, Holyoke 01040. Charles Flachs, 113 Amherst Road, South Hadley 01075. (Nonprofit) To educate residents of Holyoke and area about the art of classical ballet at schools, senior centers, etc. LONGMEADOW ORANGE Grrr! Gear Inc., 84 Prescott Lane, Orange 01364. Christine A. Noyes, same. Wholesale and retail sale of apparel and sporting goods. | RUSSELL Pavel’s Construction Inc., 56 Patriots Path, Russell 01071. Pavel Usatyy, same. Construction. SPRINGFIELD B4You Inc., 608 Main St., Springfield 01104. Mukesh Patel, 120 Hannah Niles Way, Braintree 02184. Convenience store. F & T & A Inc., 71 Wexford St., Springfield 01118. Thomas Grimaldi, same. Rental real estate. Family Pizzeria Europa Jerry Inc., 715 Sumner Ave., Springfield 01108. Gennaro Buonfiglio, 141 Blueberry Hill Road, Longmeadow 01106. Pizza restaurant. Hampden Bank Charitable Foundation, 19 Harrison Ave., Springfield 01102. Thomas R. Burton, same. (Foreign corp; DE) To provide funding to support charitable causes and community development activities. Jennings Real Estate Services Inc., 73 Chestnut St., Springfield 01103. Kevin M. Jennings, same. Real estate. Mano A Mano Mission Foundation Inc., 55 Pendleton Ave., Springfield 01109. William Ortiz, same. (Nonprofit) To promote positive spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health to the young, old, widows, aliens and the spiritual warriors of Christ, etc. Valley Radio Reading Service Inc., 1 Federal St., Springfield 01105. Catherine Banks, 33 Beechwood Ave., Springfield 01108. (Nonprofit) To provide blind-and print-impaired Western Massachusetts individuals with current information from print media, etc. WESTFIELD Traveler-er Inc., 94 Falley Dr., Westfield 01085. Thomas R. Mihalek, same. Medical software for travelers in emergencies. TRM Consultants Inc., 94 Falley Dr., Westfield 01085. Thomas R. Mihalek, same. Marketing, strategic planning, and governmental affairs. Westfield Youth Lacrosse Inc., 31 Gladwin Dr., Westfield 01085. Paul Jones, same. (Nonprofit) To promote and support youth lacrosse athletes for local, statewide national and international lacrosse competitions, etc. WILBRAHAM Hapi World Inc., 16 Hemingway Road, Wilbraham 01095. Omar Faruk, MD, same. (Nonprofit) To establish mobile health clinics and ultimately to build hospitals to provide free basic medical care to the sick and poor worldwide, etc. Lawn Partners Inc., 1223 Stony Hill Road, Wilbraham 01095. David F. Elliot, same. Chemical lawn care. |
Celebrating Black History
On Feb. 23, Springfield Technical Community College hosted a Black History Month lecture series that featured Dr. Touissant King Hill, above, a cousin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who spoke on behalf of the King family; Dr. Julius Garvey.
Above, youngest son of Marcus M. Garvey, considered the father of contemporary Black Nationalism, who spoke about his father’s legacy;
And Roger Steffens, biographer of Bob Marley (seen on the screen behind him), who showed archival film footage of the late singer. The 4th annual Black History Month lecture series was sponsored by WTCC-FM, the STCC Diversity Council, and Roots and Branches, a subsidiary of Lindsay Entertainment Network.
Sim-ply Generous
MassMutual recently made a $150,000 donation to Springfield Technical Community College’s School of Health and Patient Simulation. Above, the donation will allow STCC to create a high-level surgical simulation suite through renovations, upgrades, and new equipment purchases. Trish Robinson, senior vice president and head of Government Relations at MassMutual, delivers a symbolic check to STCC President Ira Rubenzahl. Students, from left to right, are: Saraya Markham-Warren, Cherie Rodriguez, Tasheen Khan, Franklin Eboso, Edyth Mello, Kristen Beiermeister, Kalie Cadieux, Robin Desrusseaux, Derrick Donahue, Crystal Branton, Mandi Babcock, Betsy Wassmann, and Gary Myler.
Taking Action
More than 2,000 nurses from around the world attended the 39th Biennial Convention of Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society for Nurses, in Baltimore recently. The theme was Vision to Action: Global Health through Collaborations. Nurses from 33 countries presented 850 presentations describing research and projects designed to improve worldwide health care by advancing nursing science, practice, education, administration, and policy development. The local Beta Zeta at Large Chapter received the seventh Chapter Key Award, which honors chapters that excel in chapter-related activities, such as membership recruitment and retention, publicity and programming, and professional and leadership development. Pictured here from left to right are: front, Meghan Midghall, Joyce Thielan, Kathleen Scoble, and Sheila Rucki; back, Brian Bracci, Gail Bean, Micheline Asselin, Donna Zucker, Jean Walachy, Deb Dickson, and Karen Rousseau.
The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of February 2008.
| AGAWAM Blimpie Sub & Salads Chamberlin Construction Dragon Conditioning E.B. Specialty Chicken Hampden Fence Supply Co. Mahoney Enterprises Modern Landscapes R.C. Designers The Milkman & Company Richy’s Tree Service RNK Auto Sales Spectrum Consulting Untold Stories CHICOPEE Constable’s Office Kelly Goodkowsky Massage Therapy Lulu New England Pellett LLC EAST LONGMEADOW Classic Pro Moriarty Dogtown The Pyncheon House York Boiler of Western Mass. GREENFIELD Country Hyundai Inc. Eugene’s Elite Construction Nic Nac Shak Poet Seat Auto Appraisal Western Mass Food Processing Center HADLEY CAV Motors TDK Plumbing & Heating The Publishing Collaborative HOLYOKE 260 Easthampton Rd. Operation Co., LLC Arts of Politics Maranata Grocery Store Tony’s Shop Value Discount Inc. LUDLOW 9 to 5 Business Solutions Biermann Plumbing & Heating Larry’s Auto Body Steve Santos Landscaping NORTHAMPTON City Sports Grille | Computronics Delap Real Estate LLC J.W. Pottery Intended Action Life Coaching Kommineni Art Glass PALMER Universal Construction SOUTH HADLEY Bella Vita Full Service Salon & Spa SOUTHWICK Spike’s Custom Design SPRINGFIELD 2gb Entertainment Black Diamond Transport Daly Appraisal Services Deliso Financial & Insurance Dieni Property Services Dogg Shop Music Spot Executive K9 Gator Jazz Enterprises Gaudino’s Global Ventures Inc. Gonzalez Market Integral Services Jackson & Mayers Investment Joseph Realty Kara Kennedy Construction Le Sparkle Cleaning Services WESTFIELD Brazee Finance Chad’s Oasis CollegePrepExpress Michael Mottola Electric Stop & Go Quick Food WEST SPRINGFIELD Corner Pantry Gooseberry Skin Care Homestead Improvement Service Letlong Labor Service Ready Motors Rocky’s West Side Wheel and Frame Western Mass Property Management |
MMWEC, Evergreen Solar Announce Project
LUDLOW — The Mass. Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC) recently announced it is working with Evergreen Solar Inc. to advance solar-power opportunities for customers of Massachusetts municipal utilities. MMWEC and Evergreen Solar are installing pilot photovoltaic (PV) systems on schools, municipal buildings, and other high-profile sites in communities served by municipal utilities. These installations will serve to promote renewable energy and as a visual statement of MMWEC’s commitment to solar power in conjunction with Gov. Deval Patrick’s “Commonwealth Solar” program. Additionally, MMWEC plans to work with Evergreen Solar to develop a municipal program that will provide incentives for municipal utility customers to purchase solar systems for both residential and commercial installations.
Berkshire Chamber Redesigns Web Site
PITTSFIELD — The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce has redesigned its Web site with a new site interface, enhanced navigation, and site map reorganization. The new site will also allow the Chamber to update important information including networking events, newsletters, event photo galleries, and up-to-date member business information. A searchable online directory of member businesses has also been enhanced through the implementation of new Web-based software created especially for membership organizations such as chambers of commerce. In addition, members will access an improved members-only subsection through a secure user name and password assigned by the chamber. The members-only area will allow users to update company and individual information, and post news releases and events to provide increased exposure for member businesses. The Web site also features event registration enhancements, allowing registrants to register other employees from their company through a few simple clicks. The new site is located at www.berkshirechamber.com
Baystate Tax Service Expands
AMHERST — Richard Holbrook of Baystate Tax Service has recently added offices in Bernardston and Amherst. Baystate Tax Service specializes in small-business and individual tax compliance, and also offers bookkeeping and payroll services in addition to consulting. Holbrook is a 20-year veteran of offering public accounting, tax compliance, and consulting services.
MassMutual Offers Elite Advisor Program
SPRINGFIELD — MassMutual’s Retirement Services Division is introducing a new Elite Advisor Program that recognizes loyal retirement-plan advisors who consistently strive to provide outstanding service to MassMutual retirement plans. Charter members of MassMutual’s new program who have already met the criteria will be notified of their qualification over the next several weeks. For more information, call MassMutual at (866) 444-2601.
Merrill Lynch Supports Falcons
SPRINGFIELD — Merrill Lynch has purchased a major season-ticket package to help the Springfield Falcons launch its season-ticket drive, according to Bruce Landon, Falcons president. Merrill Lynch has committed to 50 Falcons youth full-season ticket packages and 10 adult full-season ticket packages for the 2008-09 season. Landon noted that Merrill Lynch’s commitment to the team is the type of corporate involvement the Falcons need for its ticket drive to “get off on the right foot.” The ticket packages will be used as part of the Falcons Friends Program, an initiative that will provide local youth groups throughout the Pioneer Valley and northern Conn. with tickets to Falcons’ home games throughout the 2008-09 campaign. The goal of the Falcons’ current season-ticket-package campaign is 500 new packages by June 1. For more information on the program, call (413) 739-3344.
Have Computer Stress? Need a Massage?
NORTHAMPTON — From now through mid-summer, TechCavalry Inc. will be giving away free 30-minute massages to clients with the most stressful computer issues. During daily door-to-door services for both small businesses and the home user, TechCavalry technicians will be on the lookout for the most stressed-out clients who could benefit from a massage. TechCavalry has teamed up with Karen LeTourneau Massage to revitalize not only one’s technology but also one’s mental well-being. TechCavalry services include server installations, PC and Mac hardware and software installation, operating system upgrades, Internet set-up and assistance, security checks, networking, data cleaning, PC and Mac tune-ups, training, virus detection, digital camera set-up, accessory installation, printer troubleshooting, and childproofing. For more information, visit www.techcavalry.com or call (413) 586-7070.
