Month: April 2010

Media Director, Garvey Communication Associates Inc. Age: 26

As she talked with BusinessWest for this profile, Mary Fallon was thinking about what she might do on her first real outing with Lashanna, her first ‘little sister,’ whom she had just met through Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The list of options — which includes hiking, playing soccer or basketball, shopping, or dog-walking, among others — reveals just some of the things Fallon enjoys when she’s not working as media director for Springfield-based Garvey Communication Associates. Especially the dog-walking part.

Fallon counts her 95-pound weimaraner, Riley, as her best friend. “We do everything together,” she said, noting that the two walk her neighborhood in Springfield for at least an hour a day, more on weekends. Lashanna is apparently a dog lover, so the two should hit it off.

Her current involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters is the latest example of how Fallon mixes her job responsibilities — which include public relations, media buying, and social media — with civic involvement. A veteran Facebook user, she is also adept in applying Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn, among other vehicles, and is becoming well-known and regarded as a social-media expert. “I do a little bit of everything,” she said, “which makes each day different and my job challenging, but also fun.”

In the community, Fallon has donated time, energy, and expertise to several organizations and causes. She helped lead efforts to collect personal care and clothing items for the homeless for St. Francis Chapel, a downtown Springfield shelter. She recorded a radio public-service announcement, used social-media channels to build awareness of what the chapel was doing, and coordinated media coverage to further spread the word. Fallon is also a volunteer and presenter for Media and Marketing for Middle School, a vocational mentoring program at the Zanetti School in Springfield.

When asked where her career might take her, Fallon said she has yet to think that through. For now, she’s focused on what she and Lashanna might do next weekend, and what route the next walk with Riley might take.
—George O’Brien

Age 26: Media Director, Garvey Communication Associates Inc.

As she talked with BusinessWest for this profile, Mary Fallon was thinking about what she might do on her first real outing with Lashanna, her first ‘little sister,’ whom she had just met through Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The list of options — which includes hiking, playing soccer or basketball, shopping, or dog-walking, among others — reveals just some of the things Fallon enjoys when she’s not working as media director for Springfield-based Garvey Communication Associates. Especially the dog-walking part. Fallon counts her 95-pound weimaraner, Riley, as her best friend.

“We do everything together,” she said, noting that the two walk her neighborhood in Springfield for at least an hour a day, more on weekends. Lashanna is apparently a dog lover, so the two should hit it off. Her current involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters is the latest example of how Fallon mixes her job responsibilities — which include public relations, media buying, and social media — with civic involvement.

A veteran Facebook user, she is also adept in applying Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn, among other vehicles, and is becoming well-known and regarded as a social-media expert. “I do a little bit of everything,” she said, “which makes each day different and my job challenging, but also fun.”

In the community, Fallon has donated time, energy, and expertise to several organizations and causes. She helped lead efforts to collect personal care and clothing items for the homeless for St. Francis Chapel, a downtown Springfield shelter. She recorded a radio public-service announcement, used social-media channels to build awareness of what the chapel was doing, and coordinated media coverage to further spread the word.

Fallon is also a volunteer and presenter for Media and Marketing for Middle School, a vocational mentoring program at the Zanetti School in Springfield. When asked where her career might take her, Fallon said she has yet to think that through. For now, she’s focused on what she and Lashanna might do next weekend, and what route the next walk with Riley might take.

—George O’Brien

Age 37: President and CIO, Berkshire Money Management Inc.

There are many in Berkshire County who are thankful for Allen Harris’ support; most have two legs, but others have four.

At the February Berkshire Job Summit, 200 of the county’s largest and most ambitious employers met to hear Berkshire Money Management’s thoughts — and, specifically, Harris’ — on how they can invest in themselves. “It’s OK to go ahead and start investing in your business,” he told attendees. “Hire that new employee, buy that new piece of equipment, if that’s what will grow your business. While others are hesitant in the marketplace, now is the time to act on some opportunities, instead of waiting too long for those opportunities to pass by.”

It was a hard, direct message in a fearful economy, and by any account, sage advice for all those in attendance. But there is one group that benefits from Harris’ expertise on a daily basis who couldn’t even get in the door that day.

His wife, Stacey Carver, is the president of the New England Basset Hound Rescue, and by extension, he said, “I’m co-president. She holds the title, and I volunteer alongside her.”

Such is the commitment from this avowed animal lover that when BMM opened its new headquarters a few months ago, the site was chosen for its adjacent vacant lot. “We also bought that to put in a playpen of sorts for the dogs,” he said.

“They come to the office and hang out with us.”

A dog’s life, indeed. With close to $240 million under management, BMM is doing quite well. Harris explained that market advice isn’t a commodity — clearly there are winners and losers.

Squarely in that former camp, Harris said that, with his current employee base, he can double his operations without stretching the business. “So that’s our first goal.” But, the animal lover in him asked to end his profile with the same sign-off from his weekly radio program. Attaching equal importance to $240 million in investment management, he said, “don’t forget to spay or neuter your pets.”

—Dan Chase

James Leahy: 36

Pharmaceutical Sales Representative, Alcon Laboratories; Holyoke City Councilor

James Michael Leahy’s father emigrated from Ireland to South Boston and married the daughter of two Irish immigrants.

“Nothing was handed to them. I saw how hard they worked, and that’s been ingrained in me,” said Leahy, adding that his father admired former Boston Mayor James Michael Curley — so much that he named his son after him. “He told me stories about how this mayor helped immigrant people who were struggling. And I’ve been given so much in life that I feel I should give back.”

Over the years, Leahy has served the community with financial philanthropy and volunteer work for organizations including the YMCA, the Holyoke Children’s Museum, the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round, and the Holyoke Boys Club, as well as overseeing the very well-attended 2010 St. Patrick’s parade and road race. Then there’s the Holyoke City Council; he was first elected at age 24 and is now serving his sixth term.

“I work on quality-of-life issues, safe streets, keeping Holyoke affordable, bringing new business into the city,” he said. He helped the Police Department procure financing for bulletproof vests and is working to get them tasers as well, and he received a proclamation from former Mayor Michael Sullivan for testimony in a notable rape case.

Leahy balances all this with about 50 hours of work each week at Alcon Laboratories, a worldwide leader in vision products. There, he trains new employees and sits on a human-resources diversity board among his everyday responsibilities, which focus on products for glaucoma, allergies, and dry eye.

Considering all those roles, it’s no wonder that he makes family time count. A member of Springfield Country Club, he takes turns bringing his kids (ages 9, 8, and 4) to play a few holes of golf in the evening and then shares some one-on-one time over ice cream.

“That’s my quality time with my children,” he said. But it sounds like Leahy strives for quality with all his time.

—Joseph Bednar

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Kristin Leutz: 37

Vice President of Philanthropic Services, the Community Foundation of Western Mass.; Founder and Owner, Home Yoga

Kristin Leutz is a certified Kripalu yoga instructor who practices its tenets on and off the mat, using her talents to serve others and make the world a better place.

“Women and wellness are my passion; I focus all of my philanthrophic and volunteer time on them,” she said. “The health of women is key in making a community thrive, and I believe there is an inherent connection between them.”

Since women do the majority of caretaking for children and families, it’s critical for them to also care for themselves, Leutz says, because what they do has a ripple effect on the community, which eventually extends to the world at large. “So I focus on supporting women, health, and wellness in any way I can.”

To that end, Leutz is a board member of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, and was an advisory board member for Fit Together of Hadley. She is a pro-bono advisor for the Women’s Fund and a volunteer for Motherwoman, the Women’s Leadership and Policy Institute, and the White House Project.

She was the recipient of a MassMutual Financial Group Human Resources Excellence Award, is a certified conflict mediator, and created a highly successful job-share team at the Community Foundation, which is responsible for a $7 million annual fund-raising program. In her capacity there, Leutz and her team help people provide funds to charitable organizations in the Pioneer Valley.

The ability to share a job allows her to operate her business, Home Yoga, and teach the discipline to individuals in their homes as well as at local businesses.

It’s that balance that allows Leutz to succeed on and off the job. The mother of two is frequently asked to speak at professional conferences, and uses her background in organizational development and psychology to inspire others.

“The work that I do,” she said, “helps me meet my responsibility as a citizen of the world.”—Kathleen Mitchell

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Julie Cowan: 39

Vice President of Commercial Lending, TD Bank

Opportunity.

It’s a prospect that inspires and motivates Julie Cowan in both her professional and personal life. “I’m about opportunity, and what I do professionally and for volunteer service are connected, even though it may not seem that way,” she said.

“My work as a commercial lender is about economic opportunity — giving businesses a chance to expand and grow.”

That extends to her personal life, as Cowan believes it’s important to be involved and walk the walk at organizations she belongs to. She is a board member of the United Way of Hampshire County, co-chair for its 2009-10 campaign year, and an advocate who spends untold hours promoting the organization. Cowan has been a United Way donor since college and a volunteer in Hampshire County since 1996. She chaired its audit committee and served on its funds-allocation committee, acting as its chairperson for three years.

She is also chair of the campus steering committee for Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton and a committee member of its Perfect Match fundraiser. In addition, she is active in the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce and the Northampton Area Young Professionals.

“The Clarke School is about giving a deaf or hard-of-hearing child the opportunity to speak, which opens a world of possibilities,” she said. “And United Way opportunities range from giving a single parent the chance to work, as we offer scholarships for after-school care, to the opportunity for an abused woman to have a safe place to stay, to letting people know where their next meal is coming from.

“I was a Girl Scout because of a United Way scholarship, and now I have an opportunity to give back,” she explained. “When I first started giving, I could only afford $5 a paycheck.”

But that has grown, along with her leadership and commitment. “I give my time and money, and hopefully help build resources for both organizations. It’s what you are supposed to do; it’s what being a citizen is.”

—Kathleen Mitchell

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Ian Vukovich: 27

Project Manager, Florence Savings Bank

When Ian Vukovich is asked, as he often is, just what a project manager does at a bank, his response is, “very exciting work.”
“Here at FSB it’s essentially change management,” he explained. “So I’m involved with new initiatives, some vendor management, some contract negotiations. And it’s generally projects that span more than one department. So while it could be potentially difficult to find that ownership initially, that’s where I come in.”

With Vukovich at the helm, the bank has undertaken several successful new programs, including one popular initiative he oversaw this year called Free Tunes Checking. He added that the role gives him exposure and interaction with all the senior executives at FSB, and from the perspective of someone who aspires to continue his ascension within the banking ranks, this is what interested him most when he took the job just over two years ago.
But Vukovich’s leadership role doesn’t stop at the office door. “At FSB we have a big commitment to the community,” he said.

When the bank was approached by the Dakin Pioneer Valley Human Society for a “young, energetic person” to sit on its board, Vukovich got the nod. He has, over time, joined the finance, nominating, and executive committees. And when the president of the Northampton Area Young Professionals stepped down recently, again, it was Vukovich who was elected to take that spot, along with the seat on the Northampton Chamber of Commerce board of directors which comes with that title.

He says that, professionally, the sky’s the limit for where he will go next, and with his track record it’s pretty easy to agree. But one stop along the way will be this May, when he finally finishes his MBA at UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management.

Still, Vukovich stays modest despite a stellar résumé. “You just do your best every single day,” he said, “and hope others recognize that.”—Dan Chase

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Nancy Bazanchuk: 37

Program Director of Disability Resources,
Center for Human Development

Nancy Bazanchuk says that when individuals with disabilities are competing in sports, they feel like athletes, not individuals who happened to be disabled.

And she should know.

Born with a congenital condition that required amputation of both her legs above the knee, Bazanchuk didn’t let that stop her from becoming a varsity swimmer while attending Bridgewater State University. And she’s making it her life’s work to help others enjoy the experience of competing in the pool, on the ice, or in the gym.

For the past 13 years, Bazanchuk, the highest scorer among this year’s field of 40 Under Forty candidates, has been program director of Disability Resources for the Center for Human Development. Now, as then, this is a department of one full-time employee, but since Bazunchuk — described as not simply the face of the program but its heart and soul — started, Disability Resources has seen exponential growth, from serving 69 individuals to more than 800. They range in age from 3 to 97.

Those numbers speak to her commitment to empower people with physical disabilities through participation in sports ranging from wheelchair soccer to golf; from biking to bowling; from dance to track and field. The most recent addition to that list is sled hockey, with a team — the Western Mass Knights — that recently competed in a tournament in Westfield.

Bazanchuk, who provides case management for 125 people with disabilities every year, played a key role in the creation of that squad, which filled a void after several area young people aged out of a Shriners sled-hockey unit and were looking for a team — and a way to keep competing. And she’s also the goalie.

“How many people get to play sports as part of their job?” she queried when BusinessWest asked about the rewards she takes from her work. She then elaborated, noting that she takes great pride in helping people build self-esteem and feel like they’re part of the community.

While also feeling like athletes.

—George O’Brien

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David Beturne: 35

Director of Program Services,
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County

David Beturne says it’s very simple to make a difference in a child’s life.

It’s a belief he is passionate about, and one that has led him year after year to raise thousands of dollars for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County via its annual Bowl for Kid’s Sake.

“Children are the most vulnerable population,” he said, adding that he was lucky to grow up in a nurturing family with parents who were positive role models.

His desire to ensure that every child knows that someone cares inspired Beturne to choose his career field and go above and beyond his job duties. “A lot of times we make things very complicated,” he said. “All I ask folks to do is get involved and have fun with kids. To me, fund-raising is not a big deal. It’s just opening the door for other people to get involved. Someone may not be able to take on the commitment of becoming a volunteer for a year. But they can come and bowl with us, and that will help.”

Beturne knows what it means to be busy. Besides his full-time job, he and his wife, Julie, have two sons, ages 7 and 5; he coaches their soccer teams and his younger son’s tee-ball team. Such involvement led him to create a Lunch Buddies program with his executive director, where the only commitment required is to have lunch with a child for an hour once a week at their school.

Beturne is a Lunch Buddies volunteer himself for a third grader. “We spend our time playing games and having fun. Last week, we played football with all of his friends,” he said.

“I believe in being a role model for children who want or need one. There is nothing more powerful for a child than realizing that someone is in their life because they want to be there, not because they have to do it. That’s where the magic is, when someone cares enough.” —Kathleen Mitchell

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Karen Buell: 27

Internet Branch Officer, PeoplesBank

Karen Buell played three sports at Houghton College in Upstate New York — soccer, basketball, and track and field — and she’s still quite an athlete.

She ran in the recent Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Road Race, and, while her time wasn’t her best (actually, it was her worst) — “it was hot; when you’re training in the winter, when it’s in the 30s and 40s, and then you get 75 on the day of the race, that’s a little toasty” — she was happy to be out there competing.

Maintaining a sharp competitive edge is one of many life lessons Buell took away from her college athletic experiences, and she takes it to work every day as Internet Branch officer at Holyoke-based PeoplesBank.

“Twice in soccer we went to the nationals, so I’ve played at a really high level,” she explained. “You learn a lot from that; there are always challenges to overcome. Teamwork plays a big part in it; you have to rely on team members, and there are going to be people with strengths that you don’t have, and you need them for that, and you might have strengths that they can’t provide.”

Another quality she’s borrowed from sports is discipline. “Being an athlete requires a person to be disciplined,” she explained, “to perfect their talents through practice, and even research the best ways to get results.”

These lessons from athletic competition, plus a strong faith in God, have helped Buell blend success in her profession — she’s risen quickly in the ranks, from assistant manager to mortgage consultant to Internet branch officer — with considerable work within the community, much of it ‘green’ in nature. She has helped coordinate Habitat for Humanity projects, planned a Transportation Day for MassRides to help people find carpool matches, and served as project lead for the second annual Environmental Fair on Earth Day. She also teaches financial literacy to children in local schools, and is vice president of the Northampton Area Young Professionals.

Considering all this, it’s easy to see why she’s considered a winner — on the job and off. —George O’Brien

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Damon Cartelli: 39

President, Owner, and General Manager, Fathers & Sons Inc.

When he’s not managing auto dealerships, Damon Cartelli likes to take his family out fishing on his boat.

“It’s great to get out there … it’s relaxing, a great way to relieve some stress,” said Cartelli, who acknowledged that there have been quite a few stress-inducers recently for all those in auto sales, including the team at Fathers & Sons, the business his father, Bob, started and that he acquired in September 2008.

“That was just as the economy was collapsing; everyone blamed me for the meltdown,” joked Cartelli, adding that the Great Recession has been a long, ongoing headache for car dealers, but just one of many. For Fathers & Sons, the demise and recent rebirth of Saab, one of several luxury brands the dealership handles, has been a significant issue. Meanwhile, Cash for Clunkers, while it stimulated some sales, also induced considerable red tape and heartburn.

But Cartelli says the family business has steered its way through much of the trouble, and has high expectations for 2010, especially as Saab makes its returns (the first models should be in the showroom in a few weeks) and Audi continues to grow market share. Meanwhile, Cartelli continues the maturation process that is part and parcel to taking on the titles ‘owner’ and ‘president.’

Beyond his time spent on the water fishing, Cartelli also enjoys skiing, another family affair: his son, Jack, is 3 and just getting started, while his daughter, Brynn, 6, is already keeping up with her parents on black-diamond runs at resorts like Stowe.

And, yes, as one might expect, as owner of a dealership that sells high-performance luxury cars, he does get to try out some nice rides for months at a time. Recently, that includes an Audi A-8 and a Porche Cayan, an SUV.

For the next several months, though, his vehicle of choice will be a Ford F-350 pickup, which he needs to tow his boat.

“I don’t have to feel guilty about that, though,” he laughed. “The family owns a Ford store in Greenfield.”—George O’Brien

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