Month: March 2011

‘Be the Authority’
March 16: Claudia Gere of Claudia Gere & Co. will present a lecture titled “Be the Authority & Attract More Customers” from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Scibelli Enterprise Center, 1 Federal St., Springfield. The lecture is hosted by the Mass. Small Business Development Center. Gere will explain how to create written content to demonstrate your expertise, establish yourself as an authority, and create trust. Templates, formulas, and how-tos will be provided. The fee is $40. For more information, call (413) 737-6712, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

The Price of Presenteeism
March 22: Presenteeism is the lost productivity that occurs when employees come to work but perform below expectations due to illness, low morale, or life-issue distractions. A 1999 study sponsored by the Employers Health Coalition calculated that lost productivity from presenteeism is 7.5 times greater that that from absenteeism. Learn how much presenteeism is costing your company and what you can do to improve employee productivity at a seminar, slated for 8 to 10:30 a.m., sponsored by the Associated Industries of Mass. (AIM) and the Economic Development Council of Western Mass. Panelists will include Patricia Guenette, vice president of Human Resources for Square One; Susan Moore, director of Sales and Marketing for the Loomis Communities; Bob Oldenburg, director of the Baystate Employee Assistance Program; Sandy Reynolds, executive vice president of the Employer’s Resource Group at AIM; and Dawn Creighton, regional membership director for AIM. Registration and a continental breakfast at 8 will be followed by the discussion. For more information or to register for this free event, call (413) 233-9850 e-mail [email protected].

‘High Performance Business Owner
March 23: Westfield Bank on Elm Street, Westfield, will host a lecture, “The High Performance Business Owner,” presented by Gerald Sherman of NorthStar Management Partners. The lecture, sponsored by the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network, is planned from 9 a.m. to noon. The fee is $25. For more information, call (413) 737-6712, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

Naturally 7 at STCC
March 23: Naturally 7 will bring its unique a capella style to Springfield Technical Community College for two free performances in the gymnasium, in Scibelli Hall, at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Their voices are not only the melody, but also the ‘instruments.’ The group refers to this style as ‘vocal play,’ which goes well beyond beatboxing to create flute, horns, drums, and more. Naturally 7’s music has been called faith-infused, although it encompasses secular as well as religious melodies, and includes soul music, rap, rock, R&B, jazz, and folk, as well as their own compositions. Free parking for the performances is available in off-campus lots. Parking passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis in the STCC Human Resources office in Garvey Hall, room 249. For more information or to bring a group, contact Myra Smith at (413) 755-4414.

Cloud Computing
March 24: Kostin, Ruffkess & Co., LLC will host a workshop titled “No More Fluff: The Reality of Cloud Computing” from 9 to 11 a.m. in Farmington, Conn. ADNET Technologies, LLC will lead the workshop on cloud computing and will discuss how cloud services can help a firm plan for growth. The workshop is designed for business leaders, IT executives, and IT professionals. A complimentary continental breakfast will be served. Pre-registration is required by March 22. For more information, visit www.goadnet.com.

Difference Makers Gala
March 24: BusinessWest will salute its Difference Makers Class of 2011 at a gala slated to begin at 5 p.m. at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. Initiated in 2009, the Difference Makers program recognizes individuals and groups making outstanding contributions to the Western Mass. community. You can read more about this event on page 14. For further information on the event or to order tickets ($50 per person, with tables of 10 available), call (413) 781-8600, ext. 10, or visit www.businesswest.com.

Independent Contractor Statute
March 25: Attorney Susan Fentin of Skoler, Abbott & Presser will discuss the amendment to the Mass. Independent Contractor statute in 2004, and how misclassification has caught the attention of the Department of Labor. Fentin will cover the amendment, how it applies to individuals in the workforce, and the steps an employer needs to ensure compliance. The fee is $10. For more information, call (413) 737-6712, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

‘Web Advertising’ Workshop
March 30: Derek Allard of Gravity Switch will present a workshop titled “Web Advertising” from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Scibelli Enterprise Center, 1 Federal St., Springfield. The morning program is sponsored by the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network. Allard will discuss organic search-engine strategies, paid options to help attract visitors to your Web site, defining relevant keywords to target, the importance of Web-site content, building inbound links to your Web site, and paid advertising with Google AdWords and Facebook. The cost is $40. For more information, call (413) 737-6712 or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

USO Dinner Dance
April 2: U.S. Sen. Scott Brown will be the keynote speaker for a 1940s-themed dinner dance titled “As Time Goes By” as the Pioneer Valley United Service Organization (USO) hosts its first formal event to mark its 70 years of service to local families of the Armed Forces. The event is planned from 6 p.m. to midnight at the Delaney House in Holyoke. Brown will speak at 8:30 p.m. The event for the local USO chapter, which operates out of the Westover Air Force Reserve Base in Chicopee, will also honor Checkwriters Payroll, Clear Channel/KIX 97.9, Big Y World Class Markets, and local heroes from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to the Pioneer Valley USO Volunteer of the Year. The evening will begin with a welcome reception, followed by the dinner and program with Brown and the awards presentation. The evening will end with dancing to 1940s swing, R&B, and music from the era of Motown performed by the O-Tones. For tickets or more information, call Al Tracy at the USO Office, (413) 557-3290, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.pioneervalleyuso.org.

Workshop on Mobile Technology
April 13: Chris Amato of Knectar Design and Jeff Hobbs of Advanced Internet will lead a workshop on the various critical aspects of the shift to a mobile-technology landscape from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Scibelli Enterprise Center, 1 Federal St., Springfield. The workshop is sponsored by the Mass. Small Business Development Center Network. Amato and Hobbs will discuss how mobile and smart-phone technology has surpassed expectations to become the leading communications and application technology platform for users in many market sectors. The cost is $40. For more information, call (413) 737-6712, or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

Marketing Basics Workshop
April 20: A workshop led by Dianne Doherty of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network will focus on the basic disciplines of marketing, beginning with research – primary, secondary, qualitative and quantitative. Topics will include advertising, public relations, and the importance of developing a marketing plan. Doherty’s presentation is planned from 3 to 5 p.m. at the TD Bank community room, 175 Main St., Northampton. For more information, call (413) 737-6712, or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

‘Not Just Business as
Usual’
April 26: Al Verrecchia, retired CEO and chairman of the board of Hasbro Inc., will be the keynote speaker for a program titled “Not Just Business As Usual,” presented by the Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) Foundation. The STCC Foundation will capture the energy and excitement of the college’s past, present, and future at the unique affair that will be staged at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House in Holyoke. In addition, two past Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame inductees, Balise Motor Sales and Smith & Wesson, will be honored for their continued success and contributions to the local community. A cocktail and networking reception is planned from 5:30 to 7 p.m., followed by a dinner program from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $175 each or $1500 for a table of 10. Proceeds raised from the event will benefit STCC. For more information, visit www.notjustbusinessasusual.net.
Understanding Financial Reports
April 27: Robb Morton of Boisselle, Morton & Associates will lead a workshop from 9 a.m. to noon on how to read financial statements. Following the presentation at the Scibelli Enterprise Center, 1 Federal St., Springfield, a lunch is planned as well as a question session. The program is sponsored by the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network. The cost is $40. For more information, call (413) 737-6712 or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

Western Mass.
Business Expo
May 4: Businesses from throughout Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties will come together for the premier trade show in the region, the Western Mass. Business Expo. Formerly known as the Market Show, the event, produced by BusinessWest, and staged at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, has been revamped and improved to provide exposure and business opportunities for area companies. The cost for a 10-by-10 booth is $700 for members of all area chambers and $750 for non-members; corner booths are $750 for all chamber members and $800 for non-members, and a 10-by-20 booth is $1,200 for all chamber members and $1,250 for non-members.
For more information, log onto www.wmbexpo.com or www.businesswest.com, or call (413) 781-8600, ext. 10.

Springfield 375th Parade
May 14: The Spirit of Springfield is seeking community involvement for the city’s 375th birthday celebration, which will include a parade that represents all that Springfield has to offer, its roots, and its future. If you have a business or group that would like to get involved in the festivities, call (413) 733-3800 or e-mail [email protected].

EASTEC 2011
May 17-19: EASTEC, the East Coast’s largest annual manufacturing event, will once again be staged at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield. For exhibition or registration details, call (866) 635-4692 or visit www.easteconline.com.

40 Under Forty Gala
June 23: BusinessWest will present its Forty Under 40 class of 2011 at a gala at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, beginning at 5 p.m. The 40 Under Forty program, initiated in 2007, has become an early-summer tradition in the region. This year’s winners will be announced in April. For more information on the event or to order tickets ($60 per person, with tables of 10 available), call (413) 781-8600, ext. 10, or visit www.businesswest.com.

Using New Media
May 18: Gretchen Siegchrist of Media Shower Productions and Robert Malin of Malin Productions will lead a presentation from 9 to 11 a.m. that will teach participants how they can use the new media to grow their social media reach and influence. After an overview of different types of online videos for businesses, they will look at various platforms for sharing videos online including YouTube. The cost is $40 for the presentation at the Scibelli Enterprise Center, 1 Federal St., Springfield. The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network is sponsoring the event. For more information, call (413) 737-6712, or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

Summer Business Summit
June 27-28: The Resort and Conference Center of Hyannis will be the setting for the Summer Business Summit, hosted by the Massachusetts Chamber of Business and Industry. Nominations are being accepted for the Massachusetts Chamber, Business of the Year, and Employer of Choice awards. The two-day conference will feature educational speakers, presentations by lawmakers, VIP receptions, and more. For more information, visit www.masscbi.com.

Chamber Corners: Upcoming Events

Chamber Corners Departments

ACCGS
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• March 16: Professional Women’s Chamber Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., MassMutual Room, Max’s Tavern at the Basketball Hall of Fame. Speaker: Libby Pidgeon, vice president of Human Resources for Big Y Foods Inc. Cost: members $25, non-members $35. To register, contact Lynn Johnson at (413) 755-1310 or e-mail [email protected].

Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce
www.amherstarea.com

• March 16: After 5 joint event with Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, 5 to 7 p.m., Magic Wings Conservatory and Garden, Deerfield. Sponsored by Greenfield Cooperative Bank and Yankee Home Improvement. Cost: members $5, non-members $10.

Chicopee Chamber of Commerce
www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101

• March 16: Salute Breakfast, 7:15 to 9 a.m., MassMutual Learning & Conference Center, 350 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Cost: members $18, non-members $25.

• March 23: 17th Annual Table Top Expo & Business Networking Event, presented by the Chicopee, Greater Holyoke, Greater Easthampton, and Greater Northampton chambers of commerce. Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. More than 175 exhibitors. Exhibitor table fee: $100 (members only). Attendee cost: $5 in advance, $10 at door. Contact above chambers for more information or tickets.

Franklin County Chamber of Commerce
www.franklincc.org
(413) 773-5463

• March 16: Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m., Magic Wings Conservatory and Garden, Deerfield. Co-hosting with Amherst Area Chamber of Comerce. Networking, refreshments, door prizes. Bring business cards. Cost: members $5, non-members $10.

• March 24: GBA Member Showcase, 5 to 9 p.m., Greenfield Grille, 30 Federal St., Greenfield. Refreshments, door prizes, tabletop displays. Cost: free for members of the Greenfield Business Assoc., $5 for the public.

• March 25: Breakfast Series, 7:30 to 9 a.m., Deerfield Inn, Old Deerfield. Theme: “Taking the Risk Out of Business” with Henry Shterenberg, Step-Up Venture University. Music by the Academy at Charlemont. Sponsored by People’s United Bank and the Academy at Charlemont. Cost: members $12 members, non-members $15. Call (413) 773-5463 for reservations.

Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce
www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414

• March 17: St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon, 12 to 2 p.m., Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, One Atwood Dr., Northampton. Honored guest: Shealyn Berube, Greater Easthampton Jr. Miss. Sponsored by Easthampton Learning Foundation and Finck & Perras Insurance Agency. Cost: members $21.95, non-members $23.95.

Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce
www.holycham.com
(413) 534-3376

• March 17: St. Pat’s Salute Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. Sponsored by PeoplesBank and Holyoke Mall. Cost: $20. Call (413) 534-3376 for reservations.

• March 29: Table Top Expo, 5 to 6:30 p.m. (snow date: March 30), Holiday Inn, 245 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke. Sponsored by Ross Insurance Agency Inc. Social Media and Digital Marketing Seminar. Cost: members $15, non-members $20. Includes hot appetizers and cash bar. Call (413) 534-3376 to register, or register online at www.holyokechamber.com.

Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
www.explorenorthampton.com
(413) 584-1900

• March 17: St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m., Pages Loft Restaurant and Events at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, 1 Atwood Dr., Northampton. Cost: $17 per person, $170 for a table of 10.

Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618

• March 18: Annual St. Patrick’s Day March Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m., Scanlon Hall, Westfield State University, 577 Western Ave., Westfield. Sponsored by premium members Westfield Bank, Noble Health Systems, Westfield State University, and Westfield Gas and Electric. Cost: members $25, non-members $30. There are several different member chamber sponsorship levels available to have your company recognized. Contact Marie Quinn for more information, to reserve tickets, or if you have questions, at (413) 568-1618 or [email protected].

More Than Words

Art Therapy Adds a Color to the Palette of Treatment for Alzheimer’s

Amy Creasia says the impact of art therapy at Wingate at Hampden is reflected in the behavior, mood, and interactions of her students with Alzheimer’s.

A picture might be worth a thousand words, but for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s, the value of art knows no boundary.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is both incurable and progressively degenerative. While science has not found a way to prevent it, caregivers, using both pharmaceuticals and various emotional and behavioral therapies, can still lessen the severity of the symptoms and improve quality of life for those afflicted with the disease.
Dr. Simone Alter-Muri, associate professor at Springfield College in the school’s Visual and Performing Arts Department, said that Alzheimer’s might attack the brain, but using the wordless language of art can help that part of the individual that still remains.
“Their mind may be affected,” she said, “but art is the language of the heart.”
Art therapy for AD is a relatively new treatment. But where it might lack a lengthy medical history, the treatment has picked up supporters from both the medical community and the art world.
In her 2005 book When Words Have Lost Their Meaning, art therapist Ruth Abraham wrote that, even as a relatively new resource for treatment of AD, “art therapy proves to be a powerful medium because it bypasses the dominant verbal aspects of brain function.”
A 2009 documentary called I Remember Better When I Paint examines the role of art in the science of treatment for Alzheimer’s. In the film, several renowned researchers and neurologists from leading American medical facilities explain what they have determined to be positive roles for visual and creative arts in the treatment of the disease.
From assisted-care facilities, art therapy has branched out to major museums across the U.S. Since 2006, the Museum of Modern Art in New York has hosted a monthly seminar for people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. Called “Meet Me: Making Art Accessible to People with Dementia,” the program is a guided tour through MoMA’s collections as a means of mental stimulation.
Talking to USA Today at the inception of the now-successful and widely emulated program, Francesca Rosenberg of MoMA’s education department said that “there aren’t that many places for that kind of meaningful recreation for people with Alzheimer’s.
“We wanted to provide a place where families could feel that this was a safe place, that it was a supportive environment,” she continued. “What we’ve noticed is that there’s an awakening. They’re really coming alive before our eyes. For many of them, they are able to make connections to memories, thoughts that they haven’t been able to get hold of for a very, very long time.”
At Wingate at Hampden, a skilled-nursing facility, the experience of art isn’t limited to what the residents can see on the walls.
For the past three years, art educator Amy Creasia has been teaching art classes to the residents there, and she said that the evidence of her efforts is not only the tangible objects created by her students with Alzheimer’s, but in the behavior, mood, and interactions between residents.
“I have one gentleman who never came out of his room and never participated in any of the activities,” she told BusinessWest. “He happened to be in the dining room when I was running a group. I gave him a piece of paper and asked if he wanted to join us, and now he is in my group every single time. He’s doing a series of religious paintings, and I think he is finding some real peace in that.”

Picture of Health
Alter-Muri said that, before the work of one woman in the late 1980s, art therapy for AD was still a blank canvas.
Focusing more generally on the needs of the elderly, Elizabeth Layton and her art therapist, Robert Ault, made significant improvements in her treatment, and took the results to Washington. In 1990, after Layton spoke before Congress, art therapy became recognized as a beneficial treatment for the elderly and was appended to the Older Americans Act of 1965, meaning that facilities receiving federal funding could now budget art therapists in their staff.
“That’s when it became more widely known as a treatment for AD and dementia,” Alter-Muri said, “but people have been using art therapy in various ways for ages. It’s a non-verbal communication, and when dealing with AD, there are so many different stages. When you are holding a lot of yourself in and not able to express yourself, you need some kind of expression, and art can be that language.”
Improved communication is one example of art therapy’s contribution to a person with Alzheimer’s, she explained, and Creasia said that better dialogue can help not only the residents with whom she works, but also their family members.
“One resident’s son used to be an artist, but had stopped painting,” she said. “His mother is a resident here, and was in my class. She didn’t really paint all that much, but she started to. Her son has now come in, and he’s back into painting because his mother does. They have that link now that they didn’t before.”
Some of the projects that Creasia works on in her classes help in dealing with the residents’ memories, a fragile aspect of the mind suffering from AD.
One project she described involved a black-and-white photograph of her students’ hands, holding an object that held some value to them. In painting and coloring over the black-and-white image, the residents concentrated on an image that was close to their own history. An important aspect of art therapy, this allows the person to emphasize the abilities that they do have, and to help improve their concentration.
But working with elements of memory loss can be fraught with complications for those with Alzheimer’s, because there are so many levels of an individual’s own degenerative affliction. In art therapy, one way to further emphasize those abilities that do remain, rather than focusing on those that have been lost, is the simple act of allowing freedom of expression.
“In assisted living there is diminished personal decision-making,” said Alter-Muri. “But if you’re doing an art project, those little choices like an option between using red or blue … this empowers people. That one small choice becomes something very important. In times of immense turmoil, there is the possibility for such a small role to have much-greater repercussions.”
At Wingate, Creasia described a project that she had recently finished called “A Room With a View.”
“The residents painted on watercolor paper a scene that they would like to see out a window — could be a seascape, a landscape, that kind of thing,” she described. “Then we attached that to a backing material that looked like wallpaper, and from there they collaged furniture, flooring, things that they want to put in the room.
“It gave them choices,” she continued, “but it promoted socialization among the residents. On that and many other projects, they work with each other, interact, and provide positive feedback. It’s a really nice situation.”

Memories Are Made of This
While the work created by her students has helped to brighten the walls at Wingate, Creasia said that the Hampden Arts Guild also recognized the efforts she and her students have been making.
“They contacted us and wanted to display some of the work that we do here,” she said. “We had an opening reception for the residents, and that made it really special. Then we brought that exhibit back here and put it up in the foyer. It gave my students recognition and really made them feel good, especially when they saw their work matted, framed, and hung on the wall.”
Memories in the Making is the name of a creative-arts program started by the California chapter of the National Alzheimer’s Assoc. Both Creasia and Alter-Muri said that an exhibition at Springfield College last summer was this area’s first foray under the auspices of that organization. There was work on display from students and faculty of the college, as well as nine assisted-living facilities from the Greater Springfield area.
Memories in the Making supports the work of patients with AD, and then organizes similar exhibits in fine-art settings. Currently, the West Coast chapter prints an annual calendar showcasing the work of its artists.
In the studios at Springfield College, Alter-Muri said the field is rapidly becoming more successful among students, making this treatment an increasingly indelible mark for both patients and caregivers.
“The Alzheimer’s Assoc. is reaching out to our students,” she said. “And at this year’s American Art Therapy Assoc. meeting, one of the major speakers talked about the Memories in the Making program.
“I think you will see art therapy becoming more widely known,” she continued. “It’s an important field in that it can help so many different people in so many different ways.”
And those are words to live by.

Dining Dilemma

Restaurants Strive to Better Accommodate Food Allergies

Perigee’s Dawn LaRochelle says one of her goals is to avoid making people with allergies and other dietary restrictions feel like second-class citizens.

Ralph Santaniello knows something about dietary trends. And he knows the difference between temporary fads and changes that seem more permanent.
“When we opened nine years ago, the big thing was Atkins, no carbs,” said the co-owner of the Federal Restaurant in Agawam. “Today, it’s gluten-free. Back then, we heard someone had a gluten allergy or celiac disease probably once every two or three months. Now it’s at least once a night.”
Dawn LaRochelle has also seen a significant uptick in food allergies. She operates Perigee Restaurant and Apogee Catering in Lee, and says a full 30% of her catering clientele has restrictions based on celiac, a genetic disorder which typically manifests as intestinal sensitivity to gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains.
“I have a tremendous interest in — and concern for — people who have food allergies, as well as with voluntary dietary restrictions, like kosher or vegetarian diets,” LaRochelle said. “I come from a family of physicians, and I’ve seen first-hand the effects of allergies on people and how devastating it is, feeling like they can’t go out, can’t do anything.”
But that’s changing, at least at some restaurants that put a priority on making people with food allergies of all types feel welcome and safe (more on that later). In the meantime, a state law that went into effect last year mandates a series of steps restaurants must take to educate their staff about the dangers of food allergies and avoiding reactions — which can be deadly — in patrons.
Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, an allergist and immunologist with Hampden County Physician Associates, founded the Western Mass. Food Allergy Network several years ago to help the food-allergic public navigate experiences like dining out. He noted that the Massachusetts law, in a way, follows up on federal guidelines for food packaging, which, in recent years, requires the presence of any of seven allergens — eggs, milk, wheat, fish, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts — to be prominently labeled; producers even warn consumers if a food product has been manufactured on shared equipment.
“Obviously, restaurant menus don’t come with that kind of packaging,” Bayuk said. “So the state has begun the process of making sure people know what’s in the dishes.”
This month, HCN examines what’s in the law, why it was implemented, and other ways in which restaurants are ensuring that guests’ experiences are safe, no matter what their allergy.

Something to Chew On
Ming Tsai, chef and owner of Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley and occasional television personality, worked with state Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem to craft the language of the bill and then lobbied on its behalf. A national spokesman for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), Tsai said he wanted the law to mandate simple, inexpensive measures that would be not only effective but realistic for restaurants of all types to implement.
“I’m so proud that Massachusetts is the first state to pass such comprehensive legislation,” Tsai noted in a statement on his Web site after Gov. Patrick signed the bill. “I’ve always said that, if you are in the restaurant industry, it’s your duty to serve everyone safe food.”
FAAN estimates that more than 12 million Americans, 3 million of them children, have food allergies, and that food-related anaphylaxis results in about 150 deaths and more than 50,000 emergency-room visits each year.
Such allergies are also on the rise, though doctors have not determined exactly why. One theory Bayuk has cited, known as the ‘hygeine hypothesis,’ posits that the immune system, which is designed to fight the parasites, worms, and other organisms humans encounter, has less to do these days and has become a bit, well, bored. The idea is that Americans — with their fixation on cleaning products, hand sanitizers, and reluctance to let kids play outside as much as in the past — have created an aseptic environment, and in the absence of those pathogens, our bodies have become oversentitized to allergens, typically proteins, that should pose no threat to humans.
Recognizing this sharp rise in food allergies and how such conditions could threaten diners, the state’s new law requires, among other things:
• The placement in restaurant kitchens of a poster providing general information on food allergies as they relate to food preparation;
• Menus to include a statement that the customer should inform the waitstaff of any food-allergy issue;
• Standard food-service courses to include the viewing of an approved food-allergy video; and
• The state Department of Public Health to develop a voluntary program for restaurants to be designated as ‘food-allergy friendly’ and to maintain a listing of restaurants receiving that designation on its Web site. In order to receive such a designation, restaurants would be required to make available to the public a master list of all the ingredients used in the preparation of each item on the menu. Tsai said this aspect of the law was inspired by the ‘Food Bible’ he keeps at Blue Ginger, detailing all the ingredients used in each menu item.
The year before the Massachusetts law was passed, FAAN produced a 60-page guide for restaurants that includes case studies, best practices, up-to-date research, food-labeling information, and practical strategies for avoiding cross-contamination of food items, as well as suggested procedures for keeping guests safe and steps to prepare for an allergic emergency. Restaurants are able to download and use the guide as a basis for their food-allergy-management programs.
“Studies show that reactions in restaurants are often caused by lack of staff education about food allergy,” said Anne Muñoz-Furlong, founder and CEO of FAAN. “In a number of situations, the guests did not inform the staff of their allergy. Serving guests with food allergies requires staff education and clear communication between guests and staff. This training program helps staff achieve those goals so everyone can have an enjoyable and safe restaurant meal.”
Bayuk sees the law as a good step forward, particularly considering that restaurants tend to vary widely in their treatment of the food-allergy issue.
“Most restaurants, I would say, are open to talking about it, but don’t want to give you any guarantees,” he said, adding that some national chains, like Chili’s, are diligent about posting all their ingredient information online, but other eateries have been slower to educate the public. “It depends on the server in back and the manager; it’s confusing if they don’t understand how foods can cross-react. Parents [of food-allergic children] are used to this, and if they don’t get the answers they want, they’ll just leave.”

Safe Havens
But they don’t always have to leave. LaRochelle, for one, wants every patron at Perigee to feel welcome and safe, regardless of allergy or other dietary restriction.
She told HCN that she got into cooking when she was 15. She had decided to become a vegetarian, but her mother didn’t want to cook separate meals for her, so she learned how to cook for herself. As it turned out, her family liked her food so much that her mother and sister eventually turned vegetarian as well.
LaRochelle, who has since gone back to eating meat, remembers vividly what it was like to go to restaurants as a vegetarian. “My only option was was either pasta primavera — which might have chicken stock in it — or extras of the side vegetables everyone else was getting with their main course. Or I can have X, but without the Y,” she said. “No matter what I did, I always felt like a second-class citizen, like the dinners being prepared for me weren’t as good as everyone else’s.”
So she made a point of producing a menu at Perigee that offers numerous items — clearly marked on the menu as such — that are appropriate in their unaltered form for kosher, vegetarian, and gluten-allergic customers. She’s also willing to alter dishes for diners with other food allergies — her staff is allergy-trained — and the menu, based on what’s in season in the Berkshires, changes regularly, so customers can return again and again without having to repeat the same meal.
“As a patron of the restaurant, you want to feel comfortable. You can grill my servers about anything; I want you taken care of,” LaRochelle said. “I’m in hospitality because I want to be hospitable. At the end of the day, no matter how great the food is, one week later, people aren’t going to remember what they ate or drank, but they will remember how they felt at your restaurant, and if your response to their allergy made the meal something special.”
The Federal’s Santaniello said servers will direct customers to allergen-free options — including a ‘you be the chef’ section where diners can craft their own combination of entrée, sauce, and sides — and said the menu is extensive enough that chefs don’t have to alter many dishes. “We don’t want to take too many things from the entrée, because if we take too much away, you won’t enjoy it,” he said.
Still, “we’re a little different than some restaurants because we’re fine dining, and we make almost everything from scratch,” Santaniello said. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t still some sauces and bases made at a different time, with ingredients in them you can’t take out, but we can tailor entrees to what a person’s needs are. If it’s a gluten allergy, we can make an entrée without gluten. Nut allergy is another big one. The key is to make sure that guests, at the end of the day, have as good an experience as they can despite their allergy to gluten or any kind of food.”
Bayuk is gratified that many restaurants do go out of their way to provide options and reassurance to food-allergic patrons. But the dining-out experience, he said, can still be a minefield.
“I haven’t heard an overwhelming sigh of relief from parents,” he said of the restaurant law. “Every day, I see parents of kids with food allergies, and they still struggle with this. There’s so much more awareness at many places regardless of the state law, so I’m optimistic. But you still need to be careful.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Get Well

A chart of the region’s acute-care hospitals

Click Here
Hospitals BW3.11a

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Departments Picture This

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Breaking New Ground

Officials broke ground March 3 on Boltwood Place, a 12-unit market-rate housing project in downtown Amherst, behind Judie’s restaurant. The project, praised by officials as a way to bring more professionals, and even more vitality, into downtown Amherst, is slated to be ready for occupancy later this year. From left are: Jonathan Tucker, Amherst planning director; John Musante, Amherst town manager; Katie Day Eagan, Dave Williams, and Judie Terapulsky, owners of Boltwood Place; Stephanie O’Keefe, chair of the Amherst Select Board; and Kyle Wilson, principal, along with Williams, of Archipelago Investments, which is spearheading the project.

Link to Libraries

The Monson Savings Bank Foundation recently announced that Link to Libraries of East Longmeadow is one of the recipients of the bank’s foundation awards for 2011. Seen here are, from left: Dodie Carpentier, Hampden branch manager; Susan Jaye-Kaplan, president, Link to Libraries; Monson Savings Bank President Roland Desrochers; Lynn Weiner, Link to Libraries Advisory Committee member; and Link to Libraries co-founder Janet Crimmins.

Court Dockets

Court Dockets Departments

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
Wilfred Tisdell v. AGE Institute of MA Inc.
Allegation: Negligent maintenance of parking lot, causing trip and fall: $25,000+
Filed: 1/24/11

FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT
Phyllis R. Perry, as executrix of the estate of Richard E. Perry v. John G. Savage Realty Corp. and James Fitzgibbons
Allegation: Failure to provide reasonable safety and negligence, causing wrongful death: $10,774.27
Filed: 1/19/11

Siliconezone, LLC v. Lamson & Goodnow, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of goods sold and delivered: $189,026.16
Filed: 2/8/11

HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Raipher Pelligrino Associates, P.C. v. Roger A. Proulx Trust
Allegation: In an effort to avoid payment of legal services, the defendant fraudulently conveyed real estate into his trust: $55,761.50
Filed: 12/8/10

Scarfo Construction v. Shawn’s Lawns Inc., RIV Construction Group, and HD Westfield, MA Landlord, LLC
Allegation: Failure to pay under the terms of a construction agreement: $33,965.10
Filed: 12/8/10

Seaboard Drilling Inc. v. Environmental Associates Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of labor and materials on resurfacing test and environmental engineering services: $45,836.88
Filed: 1/6/11
Woronoco Hydro, LLC v. Woronoco Realty, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment of electrical power supplied: $95,000
Filed: 12/15/10

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Bunker Hill Insurance Co., as subrogee of Amanda and Kathleen Wilson v. Richard’s Fuel & Heating Inc.
Allegation: Failure to make a timely delivery of heating oil, causing freeze-up of plumbing and heating systems: $51,823.23
Filed: 1/31/11

David Atwood, as administrator of the estate of Matthew Atwood v. Center for International Studies Inc.
Allegation: Negligence in supervision and care of study abroad student causing wrongful death: $2 million
Filed: 2/3/11

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT
Compound East, LLC v. Deerfield Woodworking
Allegation: Breach of agreement in which defendant agreed to leave premises in broom-clean condition and to remove all possessions: $4,832.71
Filed: 1/11/11

Wolfpac Technologies Inc. v. Neu Tradition Millwork Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for goods sold and delivered: $18,331.12
Filed: 1/10/11

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
Commonwealth of MA State Lottery Commission v. the Village General Store, Robert E. Jones, Stanley J. Ryes, and Judith M. Jones-Ryes
Allegation: Breach of written contract to forward commissions owed to the Commonwealth as lottery sales agents: $14,256.65
Filed: 1/13/11

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
John Deere Landscapes Inc. v. New England Landscapes & Irrigation and Paul D. Santucci
Allegation: Non-payment for goods sold and delivered: $4,711.97
Filed: 12/21/10

L & B Truck Services Inc. v. Autotech Repossession Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for truck repairs: $10,234.26
Filed: 12/21/10

United Rentals Inc. v. Do Val Remodeling Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $5,207.84
Filed: 12/20/10

United Rentals Inc. v. New England Electrical Contracting Corp.
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $4,942.14
Filed: 12/20/10

United Rentals Inc. v. North Eastern Operations Contracting Group, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $5,299.48
Filed: 12/20/10

United Rentals Inc. v. Prism Developers Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $5,462.29
Filed: 12/28/10

United Rentals Inc. v. RLB Contracting Company, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $5,114.17
Filed: 12/20/10

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Everett J. Prescott Inc. v. Shawn’s Lawns Inc. and Patricia M. Wendell
Allegation: Non-payment for labor and materials supplied on a project: $9,603.72
Filed: 1/20/11

PictureThis

Departments Picture This

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c/o BusinessWest Magazine, 1441 Main Street, Springfield, MA 01103
or to [email protected]

Mary Ellen Scott, president of United Personnel

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal

Russell Denver, right, with PeoplesBank President and CEO Doug Bowen

Outlook 2011
The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield staged Outlook 2011 on Feb. 11. The event featured an address from Gov. Deval Patrick, at right, and remarks from U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (top right, with Patrick and Health New England President Peter Straley at the head table). HNE was the presenting sponsor. At top left, Mary Ellen Scott, president of United Personnel, presents the chamber’s legislative agenda. Above, Russell Denver (right, with PeoplesBank President and CEO Doug Bowen) is saluted as he winds up more than 15 years as ACCGS president.

Court Dockets

Court Dockets Departments

CHICOPEE DISTRICT COURT
Brooke L. Langlais, ppa Victoria I. Morris v. Crickets Corner Learning Center Inc.
Allegation: While under the care of the defendant, the plaintiff was injured by a space heater left unattended: $5,500
Filed: 2/7/11
FRANKLIN SUPERIOR COURT
Rebecca Mae Higgins v. Hampden Custom Vision, Andrew Walkowiak, O.D., and John F. Warren, M.D.
Allegation: Negligence during the course of eye surgery causing permanent vision impairment: $25,000+
Filed: 1/6/11

Takisha Burton v. MA Dept. of State Police
Allegation: Negligence in the operation of a state police cruiser, causing injury: $57,608.61
Filed: 1/10/11
HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Commonwealth Packaging Corp. v. Daniel Fitzgerald and CCES, LLC
Allegation: Failure to perform work in timely manner: $51,702.58
Filed: 12/6/10

Edgar Guerra v. Farmland Foods Inc.
Allegation: Employee discrimination: $25,000+
Filed: 12/6/10

Jacquelynne M. Williams v. City of Holyoke, Robert Kane, and Michael J. Sullivan
Allegation: Claim against municipality for discrimination in the workplace: $248,000
Filed: 12/3/10

Shimizu Corp. v. Dow Roofing Systems Inc.
Allegation: Failure of a roof sold by the defendant: $1,000,000
Filed: 12/6/10

Thomas and Jean Despard v. Lumber Liquidators
Allegation: Breach of contract and warranties of sale: $80,000
Filed: 12/3/10

HAMPSHIRE SUPERIOR COURT
Laurel Arel v. Wing Memorial Hospital and Andrew B. Chertoff, M.D.
Allegation: Failure to diagnose: $400,000
Filed: 1/28/11

Mitchell J. Fondakowski v. Bowditch, LLC
Allegation: Failure to pay wages: $25,000+
Filed: 1/18/11

Walter Warchut, executor of the estate of Sally Warchut v. M. Kubair Kareem, M.D. and Kimat Gul Khatak, M.D.
Allegation: Negligence in diagnosis, resulting in death: $25,000+
Filed: 1/14/11

HOLYOKE DISTRICT COURT
Daybreak Fast Freight Inc. v. New A.D.E. Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for transportation services: $4,068.42
Filed: 1/18/11

Margaret Alexander v. Kmart Corporation
Allegation: Negligence in property maintenance, causing slip and fall: $6,000
Filed: 1/18/11

NORTHAMPTON DISTRICT COURT
Daily Hampshire Gazette Inc. v. Night Timez and William D. Bergren
Allegation: Non-payment of advertising services rendered: $11,174.86
Filed: 1/10/11

SPRINGFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Aydyn Clayton, a minor, ppa Nicole Clayton v. Eastfield Mall shopping center; Central Specialties, LTD; and Tubular Engineering & Supply Co.
Allegation: Negligence causing injury to minor. Two-year-old injured in a stroller offered for use by the Eastfield Mall: $27,810.54
Filed: 1/5/11

Bank of America, N.A. v. Compton Doors Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment of a promissory note: $91,603.94
Filed: 12/16/10

Janet and Michael Young v. BSF Construction Inc.
Allegation: Breach of residential contract for services: $19,769.10
Filed: 1/5/11

The MVA Center for Rehabilitation Inc. v. The Premier Insurance Group
Allegation: Defendant was denied payment for reasonable and necessary medical bills and services rendered: $2,616.45
Filed: 12/13/10

United Rentals Inc. v. Tremont Caulking & Coating Inc.
Allegation: Non-payment for materials, equipment, and services on a construction project: $6,416.59
Filed: 1/6/11

Williams Distributing Corp. v. DEA Entertainment, LLC
Allegation: Non-payment for goods sold and delivered: $4,212.76
Filed: 1/13/11

WESTFIELD DISTRICT COURT
Accurate Mechanical Corp. v. J. Calabrese Farms, LLC
Allegation: Breach of service contract for plumbing and gas pipe work: $10,000
Filed: 1/3/11

Simplicity Engineering, N.E. Inc. v. First Financial Brokerage Inc.
Allegation: Failure to return deposit and breach of contract: $24,353.78
Filed: 1/20/11

Agenda

Agenda Departments

Business Plan Basics
March 3: The Mass. Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Network will host a training session titled “Business Plan Basics” from 10 a.m. to noon at the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, 395 Main St., Greenfield. Allen Kronick, MSBDC, will present the workshop that focuses on management fundamentals from start-up considerations through business-plan development. Topics include financing, marketing, and business planning. The fee is $35. For more information, call (413) 737-6712, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

Dance Your Way to Wellness
March 4: The Chicopee and Greater Holyoke chambers of commerce will stage a fun night out called “Dance Your Way to Wellness” at the Castle of Knights on Memorial Drive in Chicopee, beginning at 6 p.m. The event will feature open dancing — as well as a dance production featuring award-winning dancers and student chamber members — all to the music of After All. Tickets are $40 per person for dinner and the dance production, and $20 for the production and open dancing (after 8 p.m.). For more information or to purchase tickets, call (413) 594-2101.

Transformational Leadership Forum
March 4: Randy Dobbs, author and protégé of General Electric’s legendary CEO Jack Welch, will be the keynote speaker for a forum titled “Transformational Leadership: a Blueprint for Organizational and Individual Success,” at the Western New England College (WNEC) Law and Business Center for Advancing Entrepreneurship in Springfield. Hosted by WNEC and Springfield-based UnityFirst.com, the 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. event will offer insights on how individuals, organizations, and businesses can drive significant business improvement by adapting to change. Dobbs will share many tested concepts from his book, Transformational Leadership. Also, a panel of thought leaders will offer perspectives on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, marketplace, and community. Registration is required to attend the forum, which includes a copy of Dobbs’ book and lunch. To register, call (413) 221-7931 or e-mail [email protected].

National College Fair
March 6-7: The Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield is the setting for the Springfield National College Fair, slated from 1 to 4 p.m. on March 6 and from 9 a.m. to noon on March 7. Sponsored by the National Assoc. for College Admission Counseling, and hosted by the New England Assoc. for College Admission Counseling, the event is free and open to the public. The fair allows students and parents to meet one-on-one with admissions representatives from a wide range of national and international, public and private, two-year and four-year colleges and universities. Participants will learn about admission requirements, financial aid, course offerings, and campus environment, as well as other information pertinent to the college-selection process. Students can register at www.gotomyncf.com prior to attending the event to receive a printed, bar-coded confirmation to use on-site at the fair as an electronic ID.

Forum on Sales
March 9: The Scibelli Enterprise Center, 1 Federal St., Springfield, will be the setting for a program titled “Prospecting, Cold Calls, and Sales, Oh My!” from 9 to 11 a.m. The program, sponsored by the Mass. Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Network, will be presented by Sheldon Snodgrass of SteadySales.com. Snodgrass will discuss ways to approach, qualify, and close prospects, as well as how to keep one’s ego and integrity intact. Additionally, Snodgrass will explain how to distinguish between a high- and low-probability prospect, how to get appointments with decision makers, and how to present who you are and what you do. A complete workbook is included. Fee is $40. For more information, call (413) 737-6712, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

The Vision Project
March 10: The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield will present “The Vision Project,” an event featuring Richard Freeland, Massachusetts commissioner of Higher Education, who will detail a new public higher-education agenda that has taken that name. The talk is slated for noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Springfield Sheraton. A box lunch will be provided. The master plan unites the work of the state’s community colleges, state universities, and the UMass system, while stressing accountability and aspirations for higher-education leadership. Freeland will detail why he believes Massachusetts needs “the best-educated citizenry and workforce in the nation,” and how the state can aspire to improve educational outcomes even in tough economic times. Tickets are $20 for ACCGS members and $30 for non-members. For more information or to order tickets, call (413) 755-1313 or visit www.myonlinechamber.com.

Be the Authority Lecture
March 16: Claudia Gere of Claudia Gere & Co. will present a lecture titled “Be the Authority and Attract More Customers” from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Scibelli Enterprise Center, 1 Federal St., Springfield. The lecture is hosted by the Mass. Small Business Development Center (MSBDC). Gere will explain how to create written content to demonstrate your expertise, establish yourself as an authority, and create trust. Templates, formulas, and how-tos will be provided. The fee is $40. For more information, call (413) 737-6712, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

U.S. Navy Band
Salutes City
March 18: The U.S. Navy Band will treat Springfield to an early birthday gift — a birthday concert — at 7 p.m. at Springfield Symphony Hall. The City of Springfield turns 375 years in May, and the band concert is just one of several events planned to mark the milestone. As the premier wind ensemble of the U.S. Navy, the band will perform a wide range of marches, patriotic selections, orchestral transcriptions, and modern wind ensemble repertoire. Tickets are free and can be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the Spirit of Springfield/U.S. Navy Band, 101 State St., Suite 220, Springfield, MA 01103.

Difference Makers
March 24: BusinessWest will salute its Difference Makers Class of 2011 at a gala slated to begin at 5 p.m. at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House in Holyoke. Initiated in 2009, the Difference Makers program recognizes individuals and groups making outstanding contributions to the Western Mass. community. The 2011 winners — Tim Brennan, Lucia Giuggio Carvalho, Don Kozera, Robert Perry, and Anthony Scott — were profiled in the magazine’s Feb. 14 issue. For more information on the event or to order tickets ($50 per person, with tables of 10 available), call (413) 781-8600, ext. 10; or visit www.businesswest.com.

Lecture on Independent Contractor Statute
March 25: Attorney Susan Fentin of Skoler, Abbott & Presser will discuss the amendment to the Mass. Independent Contractor statute in 2004, and how misclassification has caught the attention of the Department of Labor. Fentin will cover the amendment, how it applies to individuals in the workforce, and the steps an employer needs to ensure compliance. The fee is $10. For more information, call (413) 737-6712, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.msbdc.org/wmass.

Not Just Business as Usual
April 26: Al Verrecchia, retired CEO and chairman of the board of Hasbro Inc., will be the keynote speaker for a program titled “Not Just Business as Usual,” presented by the Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) Foundation. The STCC Foundation will capture the energy and excitement of the college’s past, present, and future at the unique affair that will be staged at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House in Holyoke. In addition, two past Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame inductees, Balise Motor Sales and Smith & Wesson, will be honored for their continued success and contributions to the local community. A cocktail and networking reception is planned from 5:30 to 7 p.m., followed by a dinner program from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $175 each or $1,500 for a table of 10. Proceeds raised from the event will benefit STCC. For more information on the event, visit www.notjustbusinessasusual.net.

Western Mass.
Business Expo
May 4: Businesses from throughout Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties will come together for the premier trade show in the region, the Western Mass. Business Expo. Formerly known as the Market Show, the event, produced by BusinessWest, and staged at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, has been revamped and improved to provide exposure and business opportunities for area companies. The cost for a 10-by-10 booth is $700 for members of all area chambers and $750 for non-members; corner booths are $750 for all chamber members and $800 for non-members; and a 10-by-20 booth is $1,200 for all chamber members and $1,250 for non-members. For more information, log onto www.businesswest.com, or call (413) 781-8600, ext. 10.

EASTEC 2011
May 17-19: EASTEC, the East Coast’s largest annual manufacturing event, will once again be staged at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield. For exhibition or registration information, call (866) 635-4692 or visit www.easteconline.com.

40 Under Forty Gala
June 23: BusinessWest will present its 40 Under Forty class of 2011 at a not-to-be-missed gala at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, beginning at 5 p.m. The 40 Under Forty program, initiated in 2007, has become an early-summer tradition in the region. A team of five judges is currently scoring more than 100 nominations, and the winners will be announced in April. For more information on the event or to order tickets ($60 per person, with tables of 10 available), call (413) 781-8600, ext. 10; or visit www.businesswest.com.

Summer Business Summit
June 27-28: The Resort and Conference Center of Hyannis will be the setting for the Summer Business Summit, hosted by the Mass. Chamber of Business and Industry of Boston. Nominations are being accepted for the Massachusetts Chamber, Business of the Year, and Employer of Choice awards. The two-day conference will feature educational speakers, presentations by lawmakers, VIP receptions, and more. For more information, visit www.masscbi.com.

People On the Move

Departments People on the Move

Robert F. Borawski

Robert F. Borawski has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of Florence Savings Bank. Borawski is President of Borawski Insurance Co. in Northampton. He is a Certified Insurance Counselor and a Licensed Insurance Advisor. Borawski was elected a Corporator of Florence Savings Bank in 1981 and a Director in 1992.
•••••

Abby Mahoney

Abby Mahoney has been selected as Director of Career Services at American International College in Springfield. Mahoney will maintain the career library, Web site, database, and current job listings, as well as plan and conduct career days, job fairs and a majors fair. She will also design and deliver workshops, seminars, and fairs to assist students with job-search strategies such as interviewing, résumé writing, mock interviews, and other related supports. Mahoney will also contact, schedule, and arrange guest speakers from local businesses, the community, and alumni to present information about specific careers.
•••••
Roberta Hillenberg-Gang has been appointed Link Senior Project Coordinator for the Link to Libraries Inc.’s collaboration to offer read-aloud programs to area public elementary schools with Loomis Communities residents.
•••••

Pamela Simpson

Pamela Simpson has been promoted to Commercial Banking Officer at United Bank. Working from United’s Northampton branch, Simpson’s primary responsibility will be business development in the Hampshire County marketplace.
•••••

Denise Remillard

Denise Remillard has joined the Insurance Center of New England in Agawam as Manager of Human Resources.
•••••
Mark A. Germain has been appointed Vice President and Partner in charge of technology at Gomes, DaCruz & Tracy. He will have overall responsibility for the development, implementation, and support of internal technology-related design and procedures as well as providing clients with technology consulting. He will also be responsible for providing accounting and tax services, focusing on the construction and manufacturing industries.
•••••
van Schouwen Associates in Longmeadow announced the following:
• Shannon Filippelli has been promoted to Director of Strategic Communications; and
• Staasi Heropoulos has been hired as Manager of Strategic Communications.
•••••
Kate Reagan has been hired by PeoplesBank as a Mortgage Consultant.
•••••
Attorney Danielle P. Ferrucci has been named a Partner at the law firm of Shipman & Goodwin in Hartford, Conn. Ferrucci’s practice encompasses the areas of estate planning, estate settlement, and trust administration. She also represents individual and corporate fiduciaries and beneficiaries in contested matters in probate courts throughout Connecticut.
•••••
The Chicopee Chamber of Commerce announced the following:
• Richard Kos of Egan, Flanagan & Cohen, P.C., has been named Incoming Chair of the Board of Directors;
• Tina Kuselias of BusinessWest has been named to the Board of Directors;
• Cid Inacio of Chicopee Savings Bank has been named to the Board of Directors;
• Corey Briere of Complete IT Solutions has been named to the Board of Directors;
• Ben Garvey of Insurance Center of New England Inc. has been named to the Board of Directors; and
• Lt. Col. James G. Bishop of Westover Air Reserve Base has been named to the Board of Directors.
•••••
Gregory B. Chiecko, Sales Director at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, has been elected to the International Assoc. of Fairs and Expositions’ Board of Directors and will serve as Chair of Zone 1 of the organization, which includes the Northeast U.S. as well as New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island in Canada.
•••••
Attorney William Hart, specializing in estate planning with the law firm of Bulkley, Richardson & Gelinas, has been appointed to the Professional Advisors Board of the Mason-Wright Foundation. The foundation provides housing and daily-living services to the elderly, regardless of their ability to pay.

Company Notebook

Company Notebook Departments

Bank Employees Collect Items for Soldiers
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Bank conducted a company-wide care-package drive in mid-February through its employee-volunteer program to raise awareness of soldiers’ needs and show troops the support they have throughout Berkshire County, the Pioneer Valley, Eastern New York, and Southern Vermont. Bank officials partnered with local, service-connected organizations to distribute the care packages to soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Customers and the public were invited to participate in the care package drive by donating non-perishable foods, travel-sized toiletries, games, and certain clothing items. Peter Lafayette, Berkshire Bank Foundation’s executive director, noted in a statement that the bank was “very proud” to again sponsor the drive to benefit soldiers from the region. Organizations partnering on the project with the bank were the USO of the Pioneer Valley and Blue Star Mothers of the Capital District.

Springfield Partners for Community Action Relocates Offices
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Partners for Community Action’s main office at 619 State St. and its weatherization office at 284 Main St., Indian Orchard, were moved the week of Feb. 14. Staff moved into renovated office space on the second floor of 721 State St., which houses Springfield Partners New Beginnings Childcare Center on its first floor. The main office phone number, (413) 263-6500, and staff extensions will not change. Weatherization staff can also be reached at this number. Visitors to the second floor of 721 State St. should park in the lot behind the building, which can be accessed from Monroe Street. For more information, visit www.springfieldpartnersinc.com.

Big Y Plans Store in Connecticut
SPRINGFIELD — Big Y Foods Inc. recently announced plans to open a World Class Market in Meriden, Conn. The company’s proposed 55,000-square-foot supermarket will be located in the 125,000-square-foot Townline Square shopping center on North Colony Road at its intersection with South Broad Street. Big Y intends to renovate the location vacated by ShopRite when it relocated to Wallingford in 2010. The Meriden Big Y will employ between 150 and 175 people. In other news, a Big Y World Class Market is under construction in Lee, and one in Franklin is scheduled to start construction later this year. Big Y has also announced plans to develop a Big Y World Class Market in the Foxfield Plaza in Foxborough. Big Y operates markets in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Meriden market will represent Big Y’s investment of approximately $5 million into the community. In addition, the project will provide construction opportunities for local contractors during the renovation process. A late-spring opening is planned.

Authority Approves Baystate’s New ED Plan
SPRINGFIELD — The Massachusetts Public Health Council recently approved Baystate Medical Center’s request to meet urgent community needs by expediting construction of a new emergency department as part of Baystate’s Hospital of the Future project now underway. The council of the Mass. Department of Public Health considers and approves or denies determination-of-need applications for health care building projects such as Baystate’s. The new ED, 70,000 square feet, nearly doubles the number of treatment areas, including a separate pediatric triage and treatment area, an urgent care center, eight rooms specifically designed for behavioral-health services, and an adjacent space for diagnostic imaging such as X-ray scanning. The new ED is scheduled to open by early fall of 2012, just a few months after the March 2012 opening of the first phase of the building project. For more information, visit www.baystatehealth.org/hospitalofthefuture.

UMass Spending on Financial Aid Rises to $130.5M
BOSTON — Illustrating its commitment to affordability, the University of Massachusetts is directing $130.5 million of its own funds to student financial aid this year, according to a recent report to the UMass Board of Trustees Committee on Administration and Finance. During the past eight years, UMass spending on financial aid has risen from $35.6 million to $130.5 million, an increase of 267%. In a statement, UMass President Jack Wilson noted that “we understand that higher education is the path to a better life for students and is critical to our future as a Commonwealth, and therefore the University of Massachusetts is doing everything it can to maintain access and affordability.” According to the report, 25,681, or 61%, of the university’s 41,947 in-state undergraduate students are receiving some amount of need-based financial aid this year.

Kindred Hospital Has Deficiency-free Survey
SPRINGFIELD — Kindred Hospital officials recently announced that its survey for Park View Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, a specialty neurobehavioral unit, was deficiency-free. The center, located within the hospital, provides services to individuals with acquired brain injuries, neuropsychiatric disorders, and other neurological/behavioral disorders. Massachusetts conducts on-site inspections that determine whether its nursing homes meet the minimum Medicare and Medicaid quality and performance standards. During the nursing-home inspection, a team evaluates whether the facility is meeting residents’ needs. Marcia B. Zimmer, executive director of the center, noted in a statement that she was “proud of the team of caregivers.” Zimmer added, “it’s an honor to have a deficiency-free survey, and I would like to thank the staff for their hard work in providing the quality care our residents deserve and expect.”

Baystate Home Infusion Opens Branch at Hospital
WARE — Baystate Home Infusion & Respiratory Services (BHI&RS) recently opened a second store at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital. Located on the first floor of the hospital, the firm offers a wide selection of medical equipment and is staffed by trained advisors. “A great advantage to the retail showroom is that customers can view many different personal-care items and also try out a wide range of medical products such as canes, walkers, crutches, hospital beds, wheelchairs, rollators, and transport chairs,” said Gisele Livingstone, customer service coordinator, in a statement. With trained Sigvaris fitters on staff, the store also offers a wide range of medically approved Sigvaris compression stockings, socks, and hosiery. The firm accepts most major insurances, and staff can work directly with customers to obtain coverage for products and services that qualify.

Easthampton Savings to Open New Loan Center
EASTHAMPTON — William Hogan Jr., president and CEO of Easthampton Savings Bank, announced that the bank will submit building plans to the city of Easthampton to construct a 28,000-square-foot loan center with a banking office at the corner of Northampton and O’Neill streets in town. This facility, which will be called the Easthampton Savings Bank Loan Center, will house the entire lending team and operations departments, as well as provide banking services with a new branch office. Thanks to the recent zone change by the city, there will be a drive-up window and a drive-up ATM at this location. The bank’s current drive-up ATM will be temporarily relocated across the street during construction. “With our expansion into this facility, we will be adding 14 new jobs in the community as well as generating approximately $60,000 annually in new tax revenue to the city,” Hogan said. “We will be constructing this building as green as possible and are currently exploring the feasibility of solar power. We will also provide bike racks to encourage customers to visit the bank from the nearby bike path.” The bank hopes to break ground this summer and be open for business in the spring of 2012. The bank’s main office is located at 36 Main St. in Easthampton.

Briefcase

Briefcase Departments

2011 AIM Global Trade Award Nominations Open
BOSTON — The Associated Industries of Massachusetts International Business Council (AIM-IBC) has announced its call for nominations for the 16th annual Global Trade Awards, which recognize Massachusetts firms, institutions, and public agencies of all sizes that have demonstrated excellence in international trade. This year, a new award category will recognize a globally owned company that has positively impacted the Massachusetts economy. Kristen Rupert, executive director of AIM-IBC, noted in a statement that, “this year, we are focusing attention on the value of internationally owned companies, as their significant presence in the Commonwealth has led to the creation or retention of around 170,000 jobs.”Award winners will be honored at AIM’s Annual Meeting & Luncheon on May 13 at the Waltham Westin Hotel. The deadline for nominations is March 18. Entry forms are available online at www.aimnet.org/international. Since 1996, the Global Trade Awards have recognized more than 60 Massachusetts companies, institutions, and individuals. The AIM International Business Council helps Massachusetts employers engage in international trade and expand their global business activities. Through seminars, referrals, and e-newsletters, the AIM International Business Council provides companies with resources they need. For more information, visit www.aimnet.org/international.

UMass Research Spending Breaks $500M Mark
BOSTON — Research expenditures at the University of Massachusetts reached $536 million in fiscal year 2010, topping the $500 million mark for the first time in the school’s history, according to a statement by President Jack Wilson. Research spending increased by $47 million, rising from $489 million in fiscal year 2009 to $536 million in fiscal year 2010. The additional $47 million represents a 9.5% increase in research expenditures over the previous year. The research numbers, preliminary at this point, will be submitted to the National Science Foundation later this month. “Part of what makes the University of Massachusetts a world-class university is the sustained effort we have made in the past decade to increase research funding throughout all five of our campuses,” said Wilson. “The research work of our faculty is rocket fuel for the state’s innovation economy. It is saving lives, cleaning the environment, and stoking economic development in Massachusetts. Our success in this area is the result of the hard work of the faculty, the leadership of the chancellors and their teams, and the encouragement and guidance we have received from our board of trustees.” With 9.5% growth in research spending, total research expenditures at UMass have been growing at a rate that exceeds the national average. Research expenditures have risen from $320 million in fiscal year 2003 to $536 million in fiscal year 2010. “Research activity at the University of Massachusetts has grown sharply over the past several years, and the Commonwealth and all of its citizens benefit from it,” added Wilson. “The funding we have received creates new companies and new jobs in the state. It provides students with the kind of skills they need to be competitive in the workforce — and most of those students will stay here in Massachusetts to put that knowledge to work in the Commonwealth.” Most of the research that takes place on UMass campuses is externally funded, with the federal government providing research funding through the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and other agencies. According to the new report, preliminary fiscal year 2010 research expenditures by campus were: Amherst, $169 million; Boston, $51.3 million; Dartmouth, $26 million; Lowell, $57.4 million; and Worcester, $232 million. The university’s research-expenditure accomplishment comes on the heels of the recent announcement that UMass is now the eighth-ranked university in the nation in terms of income derived from the licensing of faculty discoveries and products. According to the Assoc. of University Technology Managers, UMass, with more than $71 million in income generated in 2009, was the top Massachusetts university in this ranking. Annual intellectual-property income rose from $20 million in fiscal year 2003 to $71 million during fiscal year 2009.

Personal-bankruptcy Filings Rise 8.5% in State
BOSTON — Personal-bankruptcy filings in Massachusetts jumped almost 9% in 2010, compared to 2009, according to a new report from the Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. There were 17,496 Chapter 7 bankruptcies filed in Massachusetts last year, an 8.5% bump from the 16,118 filed in 2009, and a 45% hike from 12,034 in 2008. Chapter 7 of the U.S. bankruptcy code is the most common option for individuals seeking debt relief, and accounted for 75% of Massachusetts’ bankruptcy filings last year. The fourth quarter saw the slowest quarterly bankruptcy pace of 2010, with 5,423 filers statewide seeking some kind of bankruptcy protection under Chapters 7, 11 and/or 13, compared to 5,350 in the fourth quarter of 2009. The second quarter experienced the most bankruptcy volume, with a combined 6,193 filings. Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings also accounted for almost 75% of all filings tracked by the Warren Group in the fourth quarter. Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings totaled 4,008 in the fourth quarter, a 4.8% decrease from 4,212 during the same period in 2009. People filing under Chapter 7 bankruptcy can eliminate most debt after non-exempt assets are used to pay off creditors. In contrast, Chapter 13 requires debtors to arrange for a three- or five-year debt-repayment plan. Filings under Chapter 13 of the U.S. bankruptcy code surged 52% to 5,392 in 2010, from 3,547 in 2009. The number of Chapter 13 filings rose 26.5% to 1,359 in the fourth quarter of 2010, up from 1,074 filings during the same period in 2009. Chapter 11 filings, which are used for business bankruptcies and restructuring, also rose in 2010; filings increased 10.2% to 237, up from 215 in 2009. Filings decreased in the fourth quarter, however. A total of 56 Chapter 11 bankruptcies were filed in the fourth quarter, down from 64 during the same period in 2009. A total of 23,125 filers statewide sought protection under Chapters 7, 11, and/or 13 of the U.S. bankruptcy code in 2010, up from 19,880 in 2009.

Small Grants Available for Connecticut River Improvement
SPRINGFIELD — Nonprofits, municipalities, and schools within the watershed of the Connecticut River in Massachusetts and Connecticut are invited to submit project proposals that will result in improved river-water quality, ecosystem health, public awareness, and recreational access to the Connecticut River. This project is a joint effort by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the Capitol Region Council of Governments, the Franklin Region Council of Governments, and the Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency, which serve the towns in the Connecticut River watershed. Proposals are due March 18. For more information, visit www.pvpc.org. Funding for this project has been provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

UMass President Praises Obama Decision to Invest in Higher-Ed Innovation
BOSTON — UMass President Jack Wilson recently praised President Obama’s decision to propose the creation of a $123 million fund aimed at fostering reform and innovation in higher education. Wilson called the proposed “First in the World” fund a “farsighted effort to foster educational innovation and to set the stage for long-term national economic growth.” Wilson added that the proposal is consistent with the principles Obama enunciated in his State of the Union address when he said the U.S. must “win the future” by investing in education and by maximizing the capabilities of every student and citizen. Wilson serves as chairman of the National Board of the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). FIPSE’s mandate is to improve post-secondary-educational opportunities across a broad range of concerns. Through its various grant competitions, FIPSE seeks to support the implementation of innovative education-reform projects, to evaluate how well they work, and to share the findings with the larger education community. The funding for the higher-education-innovation fund, which also seeks to increase college-completion rates, was proposed when Obama unveiled his 2012 federal budget.

Smith & Wesson Receives Tax Break
SPRINGFIELD — With a commitment to add 225 full-time jobs and invest millions of dollars in its plant on Roosevelt Street, Smith & Wesson recently received tax incentives totaling $600,000 over a five-year period. The City Council approved the special tax agreement on a vote of 12-1. Councilor Timothy Rooke voted no because he felt the firm had not met hiring obligations in a financing agreement from 1995. John Judge, Springfield’s chief development officer, called the vote a “big win” for the city, adding that it would set the stage for “bigger and better things” from the company. Councilors noted that the new agreement outlines clearly the requirements that the firm must follow, and that reviews will be done to ensure that guidelines are met. John Dineen, vice president of finance for Smith & Wesson, noted during the council meeting that the firm looks forward to working with the city as it has for the past 159 years. Dineen added that Smith & Wesson will begin filling the new jobs within the next month.

State Businesses Report Record Exports in 2010
BOSTON — Global demand for technology products was good news for state businesses, as exports rebounded in 2010 to the highest level since 2008. High-tech instruments, machinery, and equipment rose 11.3% to more than $26 billion, according to the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research (WISER). WISER, based in Leverett, noted that only in 2008 did state firms sell more than $28 billion in overseas sales. Andre Mayer, senior vice president for research at Associated Industries of Massachusetts, noted that the state’s gains fell “far short” of national export growth. Mayer added that the state’s growth lagged behind the nation because its largest trading partners — Canada, Japan, and Europe — are nations recovering slowly from the global recession. The top export market for Massachusetts products in 2010 was the United Kingdom at $3.2 billion.

Chamber Corners: Upcoming Events

Chamber Corners Departments

ACCGS
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• March 2: Business@Breakfast, 7:15 to 9 a.m., Chez Josef, 176 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam. Speakers: Sheriff Michael Ashe and Springfield Police Commissioner n William Fitchett. Cost: members $20, non-members $30. For reservations, contact Cecile Larose at (413) 755-1313 or [email protected].

• March 9: After 5, 5 to 7 p.m., Café Lebanon, Shaker Road, East Longmeadow. Cost: members $10, non-members $20. For reservations, contact Cecile Larose at (413) 755-1313 or [email protected].

Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce
www.amherstarea.com

Chicopee Chamber of Commerce
www.chicopeechamber.org
(413) 594-2101

• March 16: Salute Breakfast, 7:15 to 9 a.m., MassMutual Learning & Conference Center, 350 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Cost: members $18, non-members $25.

Franklin County Chamber of Commerce
www.franklincc.org
(413) 773-5463

Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce
www.easthamptonchamber.org
(413) 527-9414

• March 10: Networking by Night Business Card Exchange, 5 to 7 p.m., hosted and sponsored by Venus & the Cellar Bar, 95 Main St., Easthampton. Door prizes, hors d’ouevres, cash bar. Cost: members $5, non-members $15.

Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce
www.holycham.com
(413) 534-3376

• March 4: Leadership Holyoke Program. Sponsored by PeoplesBank. Presented by the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Holyoke Community College. Speakers, discussions, classroom time, and field trips are included in this 11-week session. Call (413) 534-3376 for details.

• March 4: Dance Your Way to Wellness, Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Dr., Chicopee. Presented by the Greater Holyoke and Chicopee chambers. Cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m., dance program at 8:15 p.m. Cost: $50, includes dinner, show, and dancing. Call (413) 534-3376 for more information.

Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
www.explorenorthampton.com
(413) 584-1900

• March 2: March Arrive @5, 5 to 7 p.m., Pages Loft Restaurant and Events at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, 1 Atwood Dr., Northampton. Cost: $10 for members.

Northampton Area Young Professional Society
www.thenayp.com
(413) 584-1900

• March 10: Party with a Purpose, 5 to 7 p.m., the University Club at UMass Amherst, 243 Stockbridge Road, Amherst. Sponsored by the UMass Fine Arts Center. Cost: members free, non-members $5. For information on the performance, see www.umass.edu/fac/calendar/centerseries/events/philadancodance.html.

Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618

• March 9: March WestNet, 5 to 7 p.m., Westfield Care & Rehabilitation Center, 60 East Silver St., Westfield. Cost: members $10, non-members $15.

Incorporations

Departments Incorporations

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

CHESTER

Big Picture Agency Inc., 86 Chester Road, Chester, MA 01011. Kim Baker, same. Marketing and graphic design services.

EAST LONGMEADOW

Baystate Deaf Senior Citizens Inc., 328 Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Carol Murray, 61 Kennedy Dr., Enfield, CT 06082. Promote educational and social relations with the deaf community.

F & I Coach Inc., 280 North Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01027. Michael Wilkins, 160 Stone Hill Road, East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Sales of automobile after-market service contracts.

GREENFIELD

Colrain Street Inc., 130 Colrain St., Greenfield, MA 01301. Brenda Ament, 520 South Shelburne Road, Greenfield, MA 01301. Real estate development.

HOLYOKE

Adminicus Inc., 903 Dwight St., Holyoke, MA, 01040. David Anthony Caputo, same. Charitable organization organized for educational purposes.

Evolution GS Inc., 20 Hadley Mills Road, Holyoke, MA 01040. Robert Beaulac, 246 Pine Orchard Road, Brandford, CT 06405. Commission merchant-wholesale and retail.

INDIAN ORCHARD

Enhjr Ventures Inc., 93 Grochmal Ave., Lot 117, Indian Orchard, MA 01151. Ernst Harris Jr., same. E-commerce of electronics.

LONGMEADOW

D & D Industries Corp., 95 Dunsany Dr., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Brian John Dahahey, same. Wholesale of adhesive products.

Guideway Inc., 32 Homecrest St., Longmeadow, MA 01106. Richard Golber, 3170 South Ocean Blvd., Unit 504 North, Palm Beach, FL 33480. Marketing and product branding services.

PITTSFIELD

Coha Automotive Group Inc., 130 Pittsfield-Lenox Road, Pittsfield, MA 01201. George Haddad, 150 Blythwood Dr., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Automobile dealership.

SPRINGFIELD

295 Allen St. Inc., 295 Allen St., Springfield, MA, 01103. Yasir Osman, 197 Florida St., Springfield, MA 01103.

Above the Rim Inc., 34 Leatherleaf Circle, Springfield, MA 01109. Steve Anthony James, 9001 South Braeswood Blvd., Apt. 104, Houston, TX, 77074. Celebrates the history of the game of basketball through educational programs, player interviews, and documentary presentations.

American Institute of Historic Preservation Inc., 21 Clarendon St., Springfield, MA, 01109. Ward Hamilton, 5-56th St., Newburyport, MA 01950. Historic preservation forum.

Covenant Realty Inc., 1111 Main St., 2nd Floor, Springfield, MA 01103. Richard Hanks, 85 Cleveland St., Springfield, MA 01104. Real estate services.

Ed Detailing Inc., 122 Chestnut St., #410, Springfield, MA 01103.Ed Valle Jr., same. Car-detailing services.

WESTFIELD

Building Autistic Community Inc., 24 Sunbriar Dr., Westfield, MA 01085. Kate Wallace, 21 Searle Road, Huntington, MA 01050. Avocation and support services to persons on the autism spectrum, their families and allies.

Cloverleaf Realty Group Inc., 110-112 Elm St., Westfield, MA 01085. Thomas Dineen, 11 Woodland Dell Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Real estate services.

Environmental Forensics Inc., 4 School St., Westfield, MA 01085. Nancy Baenziger, same. Provides comprehensive and professional data gathering, scientific analysis, documentation, reasoned substantiation and factual assessment of corporeal sates or material events.

Doing Business as Certificates

DBA Certificates Departments

The following Business Certificates and Trade Names were issued or renewed during the month of February 2011.

AGAWAM

CES Logistics
335 Walnut St.
George Ammirato

Gonyeas Business Support
32 Wildflower Lane
Judith Gonyea

Hidden Treasures
143 Main St.
Laura Albano

Holly’s Consignment
1325 Springfield St.
Holly Kirby

Second Wind Yoga
327 Walnut St.
William Clark

TLC Transport LLC
91 Ramah Circle
Jo-Anne Candido

CHICOPEE

Great China Restaurant
690 Grattan St.
Li Q. Gao

LS Cleaning Services
954 Chicopee St.
Luciano C. Santos

EASTHAMPTON

Aaron’s Roll-Off Service
1 Loomis Way
Joel Keefe

All Things Relaxation
21 South St.
Jessica Berger

Skull Factory
12 Matthew Dr.
Eric Talbot

Three Posies
2 Franklin St.
Bronwen Hodgkinson

EAST LONGMEADOW

Landmark Realtors
60 North Main St.
Thomas Avezzie

Red Carpet Nails
424 North Main St.
Kwang Shin

Vanie’s Hair and Nails
613 North Main St.
Stephanie Le

GREENFIELD

D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches
68 Mohawk Trail
Land Corporation

Soucie Styles
94 Main St.
Amy Soucie

The Laundry
176 Federal St.
Alexander Fiorey

The Solar Express
120 Fox Hill Road
Alexander Fiorey

HOLYOKE

Diaz Auto Sales
829 Main St.
Jose R. Diaz

N.F. Creed Communications
2 Pheasant Dr.
Nancy F. Creed

Vin’s Car Wash
185 South St.
Paul J. Mazzariello

LUDLOW

All Day All Night Fitness
56 East St.
Carol J. Morello

Compass Professional Services
733 Chapen St.
Kathleen Duke

Warrior Nation Xtreme Fighters Alliance
885 East St.
Jess G. Camp

NORTHAMPTON

John Geryk Plumbing & Heating
20 Jackson St.
John T. Geryk

MIS Cleaning
377 Florence Road
Patricia Mizula

Northampton Cab
68 Bradford St.
Seemo Amzil

Paradise Food Group
139 Federal St.
Donna B. Lilborn

Rich Clothing For Men
22 Masonic St.
Nancy Donato

SOUTHWICK

Donna M. Houghton Licensed Massage Therapist
405 North Loomis St.
Donna M. Houghton

Hairsworks Salon
320 College Highway
Paula Zering

New England Academic Specialties
1 Cody Lane
Kristen Coccia

SPRINGFIELD

Ahisha’s Snow Removal
1303 Bay St.
Ahisha L. Fontanez

Anderson Home Improvement
777 St. James Ave.
Frederick C. Anderson

Appleby’s Neighborhood Grille
1349 Boston Road
Rebecca R. Tilden

Car-Venience
6 Lawton St.
Glen D. Porter

Clinton Nursery School
1590 Sumner Ave.
Karen L. Hachadourian

Conquest
351 Bridge St.
AT & T Corporation

Cumberland Farms
70 Parker St.
Cumberland Farms Inc.

CVS Pharmacy
1242 Parker St.
Isabel B. Amado

Doggy Dooz
1512 Allen St.
Paula L. Cox

Downtown Convenience
160 Worthington St.
Nafees Awan

Eternal Nail Salon Inc.
1195 Sumner Ave.
Nicole Chen

Fantastico Wraps and Salads
1500 Main St.
Nazario J. Settembre

Fresh Anointing Ministries
711 Dwight St.
Anthony Darryl

Healing Hands Ministries
158 Chestnut St.
Clive Ryan

Heavenly Essence
280 Oakland St.
Hamzah Latif

House of Tickets
340 Cooley St.
Bruce M. Cooper

Interior Motives Publishing
97 Lumae St.
Keith L. Walker

J. Methe Construction
34 Newport St.
Jeremy D. Methe

WESTFIELD

Gene Paulson Health & Happiness
31 Ridgeway St.
Eugene Paulson

GG’s Auto Repair Inc.
988 Southampton Road
John R. Gagnon

Greg Mastroianni Electrician
110 Joseph Ave.
Greg Mastroianni

Gulfstream
33 Elise St.
Gulfstream Aerospace

Household Handyman
130 Park Dr.
Edwin Pemberton

Leger’s Field Services
77 Valley View Dr.
Gary M. Leger

Lethe-Rasa Freelancing
12 Chestnut St.
Hunter Elliot

Ryan’s Package
31 Franklin St.
Edwin O. Anderson

Seasons for Gifting
19 Old Park Lane
Kathie Mazza

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Atwood Fire & Security
33 Sylvan St.
George Condon III

Coppa Law Group
1012 Memorial Ave.
Vittorio Coppa

Kevin T. Boyle Plumbing and Heating
19 Rochelle St.
Kevin T. Boyle

Long Radio
1102 Riverdale St.
W. T. Mitus Company Inc.

Lower Pioneer Valley Educational
174 Brush Hill Ave.
Anne S. McKenzie

Naatz Law Office
1012 Memorial Ave.
Carrie A. Naatz

New Image Décor N More.com
129 Apple Ridge Road
Linda M. Guiel

Shades of Jade
1138 Memorial Ave.
JB Studios Inc.

Spreading the Word

A chart of the region’s advertising firms

Click here:
Advertising&MarketingFirms 2.11b

For Sale, for Lease

A listing of available commercial properties in Western Massachusetts

Click here:
Commercial Real Estate BW2.11b

Getting Up to Speed

Features

New SPHS CEO Enters the Health Care Fast Lane

SPHS President and CEO Dan Moen

Dan Moen wasn’t looking for a job opportunity when a recruiter invited him to apply for the position of president and CEO of the Sisters of Providence Health System last summer. But after the initial interviews, Moen, then president of Heywood Hospital in Gardner, saw an intriguing career challenge unfolding. Since putting his new title on his business card, Moen has been familiarizing himself with the region, his health care system and its employees, and even the competition. He’s also getting to work on strategic initiatives to confront the myriad hurdles facing all health care providers.

Dan Moen describes himself as “an adrenaline junkie.”
He explained by pointing to several pictures of a red racecar adorning the bookcase of his office. “I race at Lime Rock and Sebring regularly,” he said of two road courses in Connecticut and Florida, respectively. “I started with open wheels, but now I race mostly sports cars, and I love it.”
He continued by grabbing a framed copy of a Worcester-area magazine story highlighting his exploits in something called hydrofoiling, an extreme form of waterskiing in which one is actually riding on a sled-like device several feet above the surface of the water.
Moen is also feeding his habit with his latest career move — assuming the helm at the Sisters of Providence Health System (SPHS). While not as outwardly hair-raising as those other pursuits, this assignment comes with its own stern set of challenges. Indeed, while SPHS and its various component parts, including Mercy Medical Center, are facing the same fiscal challenges as other providers, the system itself has the specific challenge of meeting a mission, set more than a century ago, to essentially serve the historically underserved.
And often, this means programs that struggle to pay for themselves, and often don’t.
Meanwhile, there is the regionwide and nationwide matter of coping with health care reform — or what Moen calls “access reform” — and the need for what he termed “payment reform.”
“Every hospital is going to be challenged over the next three to five years, maybe longer, and moreso than I think we’ve ever seen before,” he told BusinessWest. “The pressures on the cost side are enormous at this point; the state budget is in serious trouble, the federal budget is in serious trouble, and employers are experiencing premium increases on health insurance for their employers that are just unsustainable. Things will have to change.”
All this adds up to a challenge that is bigger and, in some ways but not all, different than the one Moen was facing at Heywood Hospital, a 125-bed facility in Gardner, just north of Worcester. And it was, and is, an intriguing-enough challenge for him to first accept an invitation to interview for the position and then accept it when it was offered.
“At one point I thought I’d finish my career at Heywood — I’d spent 21 years there and was enjoying a good run; it’s a fine institution,” he said. “But when the recruiter called me on this one, it really made me start to think about the rest of my career, and I said to myself, “if I’m going to do something else with my career, now is the time to do it. I looked at this and saw some new challenges for me, and the fit was right.”
Elaborating, Moen said SPHS, with its wide range of services and focus on accountable care (which moves toward rewarding good peformance and better outcomes, rather than sheer volume), represents “where health care is going,” and he wanted to be on the front lines of that movement.
“When you look at some of the work that’s being done here to build a model for accountable-care organizations, I don’t see a lot of institutions at the level we’re at here,” he explained. “Some of them are just getting their hands around what it all means. I’m enthused that we’re already looking at the model of care that’s going to help us be successful in the future, because starting from scratch is a big undertaking.”
For this issue, BusinessWest talked at length with Moen about the challenge he’s accepted, how he’ll approach his latest high-octane endeavor, and topics ranging from physician recruitment to having his major competition (Baystate Health) 800 yards away, instead of 15 miles, as was the case at Heywood.

Getting Revved Up

Dan Moen, seen here in a Mazda, has added racecar driving to his list of adrenaline-pumping activities.

Moen has enjoyed an intriguing, 28-year career in health care, one that has offered him a number of vantage points and insight into services — and those to whom they are provided.
Indeed, he started out as a radiologic technologist, or rad tech, as they’re called, at several hospitals, and later taught that subject at Quinsigamond Community College and Northeastern University.
He said that direct-care experience has helped in a series of administrative roles he’s had in the past quarter-century, including that of CEO at Heywood and, before that, Holden Hospital in Holden, Mass.
“Coming from a direct-patient-care position,” he explained, “my values center around the quality of patient care, the experience the patient has when he or she comes into the institution, building a positive reputation for the institution out in the community, but also connecting with the community and not being isolated.”
Moen told BusinessWest that he certainly wasn’t looking for a career move, and had already turned down a number of recruiters’ requests to interview, when the SPHS position came onto his radar screen.
“I was so involved in what I was doing, and was still having fun with it — we were doing a lot of innovative things,” he said of his work at Heywood. “There wasn’t the opportunity to make a change until the right opportunity came along, and this was it.”
Since arriving on Jan. 24, Moen says he’s spent most of his time listening — to employees, fellow administrators, patients, area business owners, and government leaders — and is just getting started with that exercise.
“The learning curve is just getting to know so many people — hundreds of people in the organization and lots of people out in the community,” he said. “Having been in my previous institution for 21 years, I pretty much knew everything and everybody; one of the exciting things about coming to a new opportunity is getting to meet a lot of new people. Everyone has something to bring to the table, so I try to learn from every conversation I have out there, both inside the organization and outside, because I call it servant leadership, if you will; it’s a situation where I feel we’re really here to help other people do their jobs well, and we’re here to serve the community.
“I see one of my roles being as an information gatherer for the system, and I do that in a lot of different ways,” he continued. “Bringing that information to the institution and talking to people about it will help us make better strategic decisions, both short-term and long-term.”
Looking ahead, he said he has a number of receptions planned to advance the process of meeting and listening. Those constituencies include the medical staff and area business leaders, while at the same time, he’s also reaching out to other hospital CEOs in the region to sound them out on opportunities for collaboration.
“I know all of them very well, but this is a new day, a new opportunity for us to talk about health care needs in the area and how we can meet those needs,” he said. “There may be some things we can do together.”
At Heywood, he recalled, that facility worked with nearby Health Alliance to put a program in place to facilitate access to care. “We were helping patients and their families get health-insurance coverage that they were eligible for; it’s quite a task to get people enrolled in these plans,” he said. “We worked with Health Alliance to make it a multi-town, multi-city effort. This is the kind of thing hospitals can look at.”
Moen noted that he is now in a different kind of competitive situation than he was at Heywood, with Baystate just a few blocks to the north. He said he’s never been afraid of competition, and looks forward to it in this case, but will look for ways to collaborate as well.

A Higher Gear
When asked to describe his management style, Moen came back repeatedly to the adjective ‘collaborative.’ And when pressed to elaborate on what that means to him, he said it entails an inclusive form of management where he delegates where necessary and does not make decisions in a vacuum.
“To me, it’s more about listening than anything else — listening and learning from the people who are really out there doing these important jobs on a day-to-day basis,” he explained. “And that feedback is included when we’re making decisions about the future of the system.
“As CEO, I view myself an orchestra leader,” he continued. “There are a lot of talented people out there in the organization, and it’s my job, and that of the administrative team, to pull all that together, make sure there’s a vision for the future, and that we take steps to get this institution ready for that future. And that’s something I think I have a pretty good history of doing.”
Moen will lead this orchestra at a time when composing quality, efficient health care is a daunting task, and in an environment where the questions about how to change a system that most say doesn’t work come much easier than the answers.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the system to be more efficient, and payment changes will put a premium on wellness and keeping people’s health at optimum levels — whatever that happens to be for the individual,” he continued. “There will be a lot more preventative care, preventing readmissions and exacerbations of chronic illness — that’s what it’s going to be.”
But while acknowledging that all this is the right thing to do, Moen said this thinking runs counter to the way most health care systems have been set up to operate.
“People get into health care because they want to do the right thing and help patients,” he explained, “but the health care system isn’t built to make that happen. But I think we’re going to see some real changes because the status quo, in the bigger health care system, is really unsustainable.
“Something’s going to have to change in our health care system in this country,” he went on. “We’ve done the access reform, and we’ve seen national health care follow Massachusetts on that. But now it comes down to answering the question, ‘how are we going to be able to provide high-quality care and do it at a cost that everyone can afford? The current fee-for-service system doesn’t reward people for doing that.”
While accomplishing the change that seems so necessary won’t be easy, Moen says the needed building blocks are, for the most part, ready and waiting to be put into place.
“We’re caught in this system that doesn’t work as well as we would like, but it will be a more efficient system and one that, I think, will reward the right behaviors if we make some of these payment changes,” he said. “A lot of the pieces are here … you’re going to see more care delivered in the home; you’re going to see intensive medical care delivered in skilled-nursing beds; you’re going to see more work being done on an outpatient basis to prevent hospitalizations. These are just some of the pieces in place.
“The question is, what are the strategies we work on to further improve the Sisters of Providence Health System and make sure we’re well-positioned for what comes down the road?” he continued. “And it could come fast.”

Getting on the Right Track
Summing up his thoughts on health care in general, and his new assignment in particular, Moen said that health care, and running a health care system, “is not necessarily rocket science.”
“It’s making sure the basics are done well, that the planning is done well, getting patients in and out, making sure there’s good quality and a good experience, and planning and implementing new services for the community in the future,” he explained. “Those basics are inherent in any hospital or health care system.”
But taking care of those basics is more challenging than ever before. And while health care isn’t as fast-paced, literally, as racecar driving or hydrofoiling, it will get the adrenaline pumping.
And Moen, as he said, is a junkie. n

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

Profiles in Business

Features

In Business and Life, He’s Faced Peaks and Valleys

Michael Matty, president of St. Germain Investment Management

Mike Matty says there are about 350 people who have reached the so-called ‘seven summits’ — the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. That’s about 50 or so fewer than have been rocketed into space.
“So you’re more likely to run into an astronaut than you are someone who’s done this,” said Matty, who will attempt to join a very exclusive club in May, when he takes on the highest peak in the world, Mount Everest.
He leaves for Nepal in late March, and is training hard for this latest assignment (much more on that later), which is the culmination of a quest that started rather informally and innocuously only about five years ago, when he ventured to central Africa to take on Mount Kilimanjaro, or ‘Kili,’ as those who have scaled it — or tried to — are given to calling it.
“I met a guy on that trip who started talking about these seven summits and how he was going to try and do it,” said Matty, president of Springfield-based St. Germain Investment Management. “But he never did — he climbed Kili, and that was it — his first and last. But I became interested with the prospect of doing it, and now I’m just one big step away.”
Indeed, over the course of the three and a half years or so after Kili, Matty climbed, in succession, Elbrus (Europe); Vinson (Antarctica); McKinley, or Denali, as it’s often called (North America); Kosciuszko/Carstensz (Australia); and Asconcagua (South America), the highest peak not in the Himalayas, which he scaled roughly a year ago.
Each of these mountains was challenging in some, and often several, ways, he said, listing everything from the extreme cold and remoteness of Antarctica to the long travel times to Australia, to the high and unpredictable winds in Alaska — and seemingly every other stop.
The six climbs, and the myriad others at far-less-celebrated peaks, including Mount Washington in New Hampshire, provide Matty with extremely stern tests of his strength, endurance, and patience, which he enjoys. But they also provide something else — much-needed breaks from his day job, or, to be more specific, from the intense attention to national and world events that is needed to do it properly.
“The funny thing about the investment world is that almost everything has a potential impact,” he explained. “So you say, ‘I’m tired of thinking about the news and what’s going on in Egypt and things like that — the heck with this, I’m going to turn on the Weather Channel.’ Well, the Weather Channel’s talking about a hurricane moving into the Gulf, so you start thinking about oil rigs and what’s going to happen there.
“Your mind never gets away from it if you’ve done this forever,” he continued. “That’s one of the nice things about mountain climbing — it gives you a break to get away from it; you don’t know what’s going on anymore. Everything you’re doing is physical as opposed to what I do on the job, which is all mental.”
For this, the latest installment of its Profiles in Business series, BusinessWest talks with Matty about his work, but mostly what he does away from it, and especially that seventh summit. He still has some rigorous training to do, but believes he’s ready, physically and mentally. And while he has plenty of inspiration, he’s bringing along a little more — a decades-old picture of his brother, Billy, who passed away unexpectedly last year at the age of 48, which he intends to leave at the roof of the world.
“It‘s a shot of him when he was a little kid; it was sitting on my father’s dresser for decades,” he continued. “I asked him if I could have it … I said, ‘if I need one little extra push on summit day, that might be it — I need to get his picture up there.’”

On a Grand Scale
As he talked with BusinessWest on a Friday in mid-February, a somewhat casually dressed Matty was prepping for a weekend trip to Mount Washington. This peak in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains is, at 6,288 feet, just over one-fifth the height of Mount Everest.
But scaling it, something Matty’s done more than 50 times by his estimation, is effective training for May’s climb, especially in the nasty weather that was predicted for that weekend.
There is no shortage of weather on Mount Washington, Matty continued, adding that temperatures in mid-winter are just above or, quite often, well below freezing. And that’s without wind, which is almost always howling. In fact, until very recently, Mount Washington proudly held the record for highest wind gust directly measured at the earth’s surface (231 mph), and it regularly hits three digits at the summit.
Matty says it’s all but impossible to climb when the winds get above 60 mph, and that it gets dicey when the gusts get to even half that level, considering that one is on a mountain — and sometimes on a ledge only a few feet wide — with up to 100 pounds on his or her back.
“It’s much more difficult than most can fathom even with a 20- or 40-mph wind,” he said. “I say to people, ‘imagine trying to stand on the roof of a car going down the highway at 65 miles an hour — that’s what a 65 mile-per-hour breeze is. Except on the highway, it’s a steady breeze going in one direction; up there, what you’re getting is wild gusts that are changing direction potentially every second or two as it’s bouncing off of something or shifting. You’re bracing in one direction, and all of the sudden the wind is pushing from that direction. That’s one of the reasons why Mount Washington is such a great training ground.
“We had some really windy days on Asconcagua,” he recalled. “You’d be lying in the tent, and you’d suddenly hear this sound like a freight train rolling down the mountain, and you knew that in another five or 10 seconds you’d be pummeled by a high, high wind. So you’d try to stretch yourself out to the corners of the tent so the wind can’t get underneath the tent. Meanwhile, the side of the tent is getting bent over, and you’re waiting for the poles to snap and hope you don’t get impaled on one of the poles. It’s a worrisome event when you get in those high winds.
There are many things about mountain climbing — especially summits like the seven — that people who have never done anything like this couldn’t easily comprehend, he continued, citing, as another example, the cold encountered in Antarctica.
When he was climbing there, Matty told BusinessWest, the sun was out 24 hours a day, “and it’s just sort of circling around the horizon. And when the sun drops behind one of the mountains … the temperature gets down to about minus-40, and in a hurry. One minute you’re standing there feeling pretty comfortable in just one layer, and then, you’re eating dinner and the sun creeps behind that mountain, and 10 minutes later, the temperature has dropped 30 or 40 degrees; it’s like being in the desert — there’s nothing to hold the heat in. That’s when it’s time to get in the sleeping bag and try to stay warm until the sun pops out on the other side.”
There’s also the remoteness factor to deal with on that continent, he went on.
“Vinson is really in the middle of nowhere,” he explained. “There’s a Russian cargo plane that drops you off on a natural ice runway; it’s a miles-long patch of rock-hard ice that runs parallel to the mountain range. It’s a big, big, big plane, and when it hits the runway, you can’t brake, so you roll for miles after you hit the ground.
“And when that plane takes off, they can’t land again until the winds off the mountains die down,” he continued. “You might call and say, ‘we’re ready to be picked up on your next flight in — but their next flight in … the winds may not shift for two, three, or four weeks. It’s not so bad if you’re prepared for it, but if you have someone with a medical condition, knowing you may be stuck for several weeks can be a real problem. When you watch that plane take off, you know it’s your last link with anything, anywhere — and the anywhere is a four- or five-hour flight to a remote town in South America.”
Matty has compiled all these memories, and many more, in a fairly short career in mountain climbing. He told BusinessWest that, since his youth, he’s always been a hiker — he thought about trekking across the Appalachian Trail and was told that he should do so when he was young, but didn’t — and kept active with that activity into his 40s.
It was at the invitation of Paul Valickus, CEO at St. Germain, that Matty took on what would become the first of the seven ascents — Kilimanjaro — in 2006. In the end, Valickus didn’t go on that trip, but Matty did, and he recalls those conversations with the fellow climber who introduced him to the concept of the seven summits.
“He never went on to do any of the others, but I was getting intrigued talking to him,” Matty recalled. “I said, tongue-in-cheek, ‘geez, there’s only six more after this.’ But then I started thinking about it, and said, ‘Kili’s doable, Asconcagua, the one in South America, is doable, the one in Australia’s doable — long flight, but it’s doable, the one in Russia’s doable, and McKinley, well, that’s doable, but it’s a tough mountain.”

Taking Stock of the Challenge
While staring down mountains over the past several years, Matty, like all those in the financial-services realm, has coped with peaks and valleys of a different kind.
Indeed, while Matty has stories of enduring wind, cold, frostbite, sunburn in strange places (like the tongue and the roof of the mouth), and snow-bridge-hidden crevasses, he has similarly harrowing tales of trying to calm panicked investors in the fall of 2008, when the Dow plunged below 7,000 and the phrase Great Recession was working its way into the lexicon.
It might be an oversimplification, but Matty seems to take the same approach to investment-consultation work that he does to mountain climbing — intense preparation, knowing his subject matter, and looking at what’s directly ahead as well as the bigger picture.
His career in the financial-services sector began in the mid-’80s with Phoenix Mutual in Hartford. There, he took part in a training program that provided exposure to all aspects of the business, from real estate to fixed-income; from high-yield products to stocks, the facet he liked best.
He became an analyst in the stock department and wound up running one of the mutual funds there. When Phoenix started moving some of the fund managers out of Hartford to other locations (something he wasn’t interested in), Matty left to start a company that wrote investment research for hedge-fund managers, mutual-fund managers, and others handling investments.
And while doing that for five years, he said he kept getting phone calls from broker friends about a firm in Springfield (St. Germain) that he should look into.
“I got four or five calls saying I should go talk to those people, and I eventually did, just so when I got calls seven, eight, nine, and 10, I could say, ‘I already talked to them,’” he recalled, adding that his visit led to the kind of opportunity — and lifestyle, away from the congestion and commutes of New York and Boston — that he was looking for.
Matty said St. Germain has a unique (for this industry, anyway) compensation formula, in which people are not paid by commission, a system he supports wholeheartedly.
“People will respond to whatever incentive you pay them, and I’ve seen that in some of the other places I’ve worked,” he explained. “So if you’re going to pay people commissions, you’re going to get people who are going to try to sell product, not people who are going to say, ‘I want to sit down and take care of people the best way I can.’
“That’s a broad overstatement, but there’s a good deal of truth to that,” he continued. “Instead, what I want to compensate people for is taking care of clients, so I say to everyone here who’s talking with clients, ‘every potential client who’s coming in is your potential parent or grandparent — do the right thing for them.”
This approach has succeeded, he said, in helping the company keep clients for the long haul, and properly serve them through the many ups and downs that mark a lifetime of investing and managing money.
“When someone comes in who shouldn’t be in stocks, for example, and the focus should be on ways to pare down debt as this person approaches retirement, we want to send them out with a laundry list of things that they should be doing on the financial-planning side that don’t include a single thing that puts money in our pocket.
“And that’s OK,” he continued. “We’ve been around a long time. We’re not worried about paying the light bills. We don’t need to get every dollar out of every client that comes in the door; what we need to do is treat people well and keep clients for a long time.”

Face Time
Matty knows that people have died trying to climb each of the seven summits — and a good number have lost their lives attempting the challenge now awaiting him.
“Historically, for every 10 people who summit Everest, you’ve had one mortality,” he said, “but it’s much better than that now — you’ve got better gear, people are in better shape … there’s lot of reasons why that number has gone down.”
Still, he has filled out the body-disposal form that is part and parcel to getting a climbing permit for the summit at Everest. It asks him to pick from one of several options with regard to what to do with his body if — and this is a rather large if — it can be recovered should tragedy strike. (He chose cremation in nearby Katmandu.)
“When you climb Everest, you see the bodies,” he said, adding that retrieval is logistically difficult, and people would often have to put their own lives at risk for such recovery exercises, so usually they don’t attempt them.
But Matty — and apparently his colleagues at St. Germain — can maintain a sense of humor about this subject. “They were getting a pool going in the office, so if I came back, they’d be really happy, and if not, there would be a consolation prize,” he joked. “They were going to try to get a few million dollars in insurance on me, but no one would write it.”
Meanwhile, training for the Everest climb is a far more serious matter.
“Right now, I’m working super hard because it’s coming up fast,” he said, adding that he works out with personal trainers four mornings a week at Attain Performance in East Longmeadow, and also uses a so-called versa-climber, what he described as “an endless ladder,” at home.
“The trainers are high-tech in terms of their knowledge of things,” he continued, adding that they’ve worked out with minor-league baseball players and other professional athletes. “When you’re trying to work on a specific muscle group or exercise to mimic something you would do on the mountain, they really know which buttons to push to activate those muscles and build up a lot of strength and endurance, which is what this is all about.”
Many of his workout routines at the gym, from squats to sessions on the treadmill or elliptical machines, are taken on while carrying a pack containing a 50-pound bag of sand, he continued.
When asked if he was worried about a letdown if and when Everest is conquered — feelings of ‘what do I do now?’ — Matty said there will still be plenty of challenges left, both personally and professionally.
“There’s still a lot of interesting stuff out there, like Mount Rainier in Washington State and the Matterhorn in Switzerland,” he said, “And, heck, I’ll be getting too old for this stuff soon anyway.”
Matty told BusinessWest that there isn’t much official recognition that comes with joining those who have scaled the seven summits.
“You get your name on the Web site … and that’s about it,” he said, referring to a list of the members of this exclusive club. “That, and some bragging rights, I guess.”
For scaling Everest, though, he gets to write his name on the wall in the famous Rum Doodle bar and restaurant in Katmandu — and he gets to eat there free for the rest of his life.
All that — and the chance to give his brother’s picture a new home, one with the best view on the planet — is more than enough reward for him.

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

The 40 Under Forty Class of 2011

Features

The Nominations Are In, and the Judges Are Hard at Work

Hector Toledo was getting ready to leave on a long-awaited school-break-week vacation in Maine, where it’s quite cold in February, but there’s still plenty to do. He said he was looking forward to spending some time away from work and with his family, including his in-laws. And while the slate was pretty full, he said there would be some down time to relax.
Well, maybe there was some down time.
Toledo, vice president and Retail Sales director for Hampden Bank, and proud member of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty class of 2008, agreed to be a judge for this year’s program, and further agreed to devote some of his vacation time to the cause. He may have wound up donating more than he planned.
Indeed, Toledo left Hampden Bank headquarters in downtown Springfield with a three-inch-thick packet under his arm, representing the nominations of more than 100 people. Toledo and four other judges will wrap up the scoring of those individuals this week, and then the 40 Under Forty class of 2011 will be known.
The winners will be notified later this week, and the fifth class of 40 will be announced in BusinessWest’s April 25 edition, with the annual gala slated for June 23 at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House.
Kate Campiti, associate publisher and advertising director at BusinessWest, said the heavy workload for this year’s judges speaks well of the 40 Under Forty program, and the region as a whole.
“When we started this initiative, we believed that becoming a member of this club — having a 40 Under Forty award on one’s desk and the ceremonial plaque on one’s wall or cubicle — would become an honor, something to strive for, and it has,” she explained. “Meanwhile, we believed the program would become a way for businesses, nonprofit agencies, and government organizations to showcase their young talent and, in essence, show it off. And that’s happened as well, as evidenced by the number of nominations we’ve received in year five.”
The nominations, which include everything from assorted professionals to entrepreneurs getting businesses off the ground or to the next level, to a high-school student already donating time a number of nonprofits, truly runs the gamut, said Campiti, adding that the judges “really have their work cut out for them this year.”
Those judges are a diverse group, as well, representing several fields within business and two classes of the 40 Under Forty program. They, too, will be recognized on June 23, and they will have earned their applause and BusinessWest’s tokens of thanks (still to be determined to build suspense). Our judges are:

Hector Toledo

• Hector Toledo, who, in addition to his work with the bank, has long been very active in the community. He is currently chair of the Board of Trustees at Springfield Technical Community College (from which he graduated), and has long been active with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Springfield’s libraries, his church, and a host of other nonprofit groups;
• Dianne Fuller Doherty, regional director of the Western Mass. Regional Office of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network (MSBDC) since 1992. Part of the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, the MSBDC offers free and confidential business-advisory services, training programs, and information and referral to small businesses in Western Mass. Previously, she founded and served as president and CEO of Doherty-Tzoumas Marketing, a full-service advertising and public-relations firm based in Springfield. Active in civic affairs in the Greater Springfield area, Doherty is a founder of the Women’s Fund of Western Mass., an

Dianne Fuller Doherty

endowment to support women and girls. She also serves on the boards of the Pioneer Valley Plan for Progress, Bay Path College, the Community Foundation of Western Mass. and the Regional Technology Corp. She is also a board member of Digital Divide Data, a U.S.-based, nonprofit corporation that offers employment and educational opportunities to disadvantaged youth in Cambodia and Laos, by addressing the technology divide;

• Eric Gouvin, a professor of Law at the Western New England College School of Law and director of the WNEC Law and Business Center for Entrepreneurship, which provides a number of services to ‘low-income’ business owners, including clinical support and several forms of community outreach. Prior to joining the faculty at WNEC, Gouvin practiced corporate, commercial, and banking law with a large firm in Portland, Maine. He worked on

Eric Gouvin

matters for business clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small, closely held concerns. He has been very involved in entrepreneurship education, having founded the Small Business Clinic at the WNEC School of Law, serving on the Board of Editors for the Kauffman Foundation’s eLaw Web site, and being a member of the Board of Advisors for the Scibelli Enterprise Center and for the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Initiative. His areas of scholarly interest include corporate, banking, and entrepreneurship law, often with an international or comparative perspective;

• Jeffrey Hayden, director of the Kittrredge Center for Business and Workforce Development at Holyoke Community College, which houses a number of workforce-development programs, the Mass Export Center, and WISER, the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research. Previously, he was the long-time director of the Holyoke Office of Planning and Development and the Holyoke Economic Development and Industrial Corp. In those capacities, he worked on a wide range of economic-development-related programs, and also assisted dozens of small businesses with efforts to locate and expand within Holyoke; and

Jeffrey Hayden

• Michael Vann, a principal with the Vann Group, a professional-services firm that provides small to mid-size businesses with solutions such as accounting and bookkeeping, human resources, recruiting, and strategic advisory services. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the group’s strategic-advisory services and merger/acquisition activities, where he serves as the trusted adviser to several of the group’s key clients. In addition to his duties with the Vann Group, he serves on the Board of the Alden Credit Union and is actively involved in a number of charitable organizations. He is a member of the 40 Under Forty Class of 2007.

Michael Vann

For more information on the 40 Under Forty gala or to order tickets — $60 per person ($50 for members of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield and Northampton Area Young Professionals), with tables of 10 available — call (413) 781-8600, or visit www.businesswest.com.

Editorial

Opinion

Smaller Manufacturing Sector Still Relevant

Tony Fernandez said that, when a long-time Springfield official came to visit him recently at Baystate Metal Solutions’ Armory Street plant, this individual confessed that he long believed the property in question was abandoned and unoccupied. In fact, it had been humming — sometimes at a faster pace than others — for nearly 40 years.
This episode could effectively serve as a metaphor for the region’s manufacturing sector as a whole. To many, this industry is like that property on Armory Street: people drive by, figuratively, look at it quickly, and think there’s nothing going on there — that its day has passed.
In defense of that Springfield official, it would be easy to think this property was abandoned. Once a stable of sorts for the horses in Springfield’s mounted police patrol, it had certainly seen better days and looked shuttered (some renovations are now in progress). And in defense of those who see the manufacturing sector as a once-proud but now rather insignificant part of the region’s economy — well, it might be easy to think that, as well.
But as in the case of the Baystate complex, with the manufacturing sector, one just needs to look a little more closely.
Indeed, as the stories in this issue of BusinessWest relate, there is still a thriving manufacturing sector in this region. In truth, it’s a fraction of its once-massive size, but there is still depth, diversity, jobs, and resilience.
As the stories on Baystate and Hazen Paper reveal, manufacturing companies in this region — and all others — must, even if they’ve been around for 85 years (Hazen) or since 1973 (Baystate), adapt, change, diversify, and create ways to be ever-more resilient.
At Hazen, the third-generation paper converter still counts basic laminating work as its bread and butter. But in recent years, it has created and expanded a holographic division that is doing exciting, cutting-edge work helping graphic artists and packagers use a host of high-tech designs to sell everything from golf balls to toothpaste to Elvis CDs.
Investments required to bring creation and production of these holographic originations were significant and came with considerable risk, but the company made them, because they were necessary, not for survival, but for the company to continue growing in Holyoke and now Berkshire County and Indiana.
At Baystate, meanwhile, new ownership is injecting life into a company that had been declining for several years. A metal fabricator, Baystate, formerly Ace, still creates cabinetry and other components for everything from television transmitters to first-response vehicles on the decks of aircraft carriers.
Baystate has made significant strides in just seven months since Fernandez arrived, but it needs help in the form of local and state grants to help acquire new equipment and bring processes in house.
We hope that this help is forthcoming, and, likewise, we hope that economic-development officials, area lenders, and local leaders will look a little more closely at the existing manufacturing sector — what might appear to be abandoned, vacant property. If they do, they’ll often discover that there’s life inside.
And while it’s critical to support new, sometimes-exotic avenues of job creation — from wind turbines to cellulosic ethanol — investments in a smaller but still-significant manufacturing sector are equally important for the future of this region.

Opinion

Opinion

Business Needs Partnership with Education

A more comprehensive partnership between business and education could benefit both our student population and the economy. The need for expanded educational options, with more focus on career preparation, has been suggested in several recent studies and articles, and is becoming part of the national conversation.
And a new statewide vision can help us set that course.
We’ve read of states and cities with high unemployment where jobs are still unfilled due to a lack of potential employees with the necessary skill set. And according to a recent report, the National Skills Coalition has found that, by 2016, 38% of all job openings will require more than a high-school education.
Additionally, a new study conducted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education notes that, of the 47 million American jobs expected to be created by 2018, only one-third will require a bachelor’s degree. One solution, the report suggests, is to place stronger emphasis on career-focused education. The report also urges employers to expand opportunities for work-based learning by high-school students.
Over the past century, America moved ahead because of the widespread education of its workers. Now, that once-accepted education level has become inadequate, because many jobs previously available for a high-school graduate no longer exist, or at least not in this country.
With lower-skilled and lower-cost jobs moving abroad, could technically advanced products and processes lead to jobs that would be created and retained at home? Do the appropriate academic programs now exist, or can they be established in response to this need? Might the high-school dropout rate decrease if students could see a clear path through education to a useful and satisfying career?
One clear way to answer these questions in the affirmative is to strengthen partnerships — among educational institutions at different levels, and between education and business.
A pathway to progress in American education and jobs is being promoted by Richard Freeland, Massachusetts commissioner of Higher Education, in the Vision Project. This initiative asserts that Massachusetts will be a national leader, and will assess and report on five goals for our 29 public higher-education institutions. These goals include sending more Bay State high-school graduates to college, graduating them from college at a higher rate, measuring their academic achievement, aligning programs with the workforce needs of the state, and closing achievement gaps among different student population groups.
At Springfield Technical Community College, we have been working on these issues for some time, through a variety of means that include:
• Encouraging higher college-enrollment rates through outreach efforts to area high schools, and through scholarship and financial-aid support;
• Focusing on increasing student success through Achieving the Dream initiatives (STCC is the only Western Mass. college selected by the Lumina Foundation for this national, multi-year, grant-funded effort);
• Making sure our career programs lead to jobs in area businesses and organizations;
• Measuring student academic achievements, and comparing the results nationally; and
• Working to close the achievement gap among our varied student populations through focused advising and assistance toward student success.
One goal in the Vision Project — producing graduates that possess the skill sets demanded by business and industry — is the most relevant for this forum. Are we educating appropriately trained graduates for current and future jobs here in Western Mass.?
We believe so, partly because STCC career programs are advised by professionals in those specific industries. We are very grateful to the many businesses, banks, and foundations that have generously contributed toward these academic programs.
A few years ago, we conducted a series of studies in local industries from health care to financial services to manufacturing, and heard that we are, indeed, producing graduates with the requisite skills and knowledge.
We welcome a continued, ongoing discussion with industry leaders. What can we do better? Are there new academic areas that we should explore to assure a solid economic future not only for our graduates, but also for the potential employees needed to allow our regional industry to grow? We look toward an expanded, strengthened partnership between education and business to invigorate the economic vitality of our region.

Ira Rubenzahl is president of Springfield Technical Community College.

Means of Production

A list of the region’s largest manufacturers

Click here:
LargestManufacturers BW2.11b

Through the Roof

What’s Covered — and What’s Not — When Bad Weather Strikes

Kevin Ross says a basic policy will cover most homeowners’ insurance needs, but that’s not always the case.

An ice-covered tree branch fell through your roof? It’s OK; your insurance will cover it. An ice dam caused water to back up under the shingles and seep into your kitchen? Again, no problem. Rapidly melting snow is turning your whole basement into a kiddie pool? Uh-oh.
As the region emerges (hopefully) from what has been an unusually rough season of winter weather, the rapid pileup of snow and ice has caused often-significant damage to many area homes. Fortunately, most of it is covered by the typical homeowner’s insurance policy. But there are some significant exceptions.
When it comes to collapsed or otherwise damaged roofs and siding, as well as water damage caused by damming ice in the gutters, “the loss, the damage to the walls, the drying out and replacement of the insulation, repainting — all that is covered,” said William Grinnell, president of Webber & Grinnell Insurance in Northampton.
In addition, “some companies will also cover a ceratin amount to remove additional snow from the roof — usually just around the affected area, not the whole roof, if you’ve sustained some damage from water already,” he added.
According to the Property Casualty Insurers Assoc. of America (PCI), property insurance is likely to cover some — though not all — damages caused by snow, ice, and wind.
For example, damage to a house caused by a falling tree or branch is covered. Typically, the policy also covers the cost of removing the tree or branch from the house. If a tree in one person’s yard causes damage to a neighbor’s house, the neighbor should file a claim with his own insurance company.
“A winter storm of this magnitude can cause significant damage, and insurers are ready to work with home and auto owners to minimize problems and help make the claims process go as smoothly as possible,” writes Paul Blume, senior vice president of state government relations for PCI.
“In an extremely heavy ice or snowstorm,” he adds, “it is possible for the weight of the ice, snow, or sleet to cause tree branches to break and damage a roof. If that were to occur, the damage to the personal property would be covered. We encourage property owners to report their claims as soon as possible to begin the recovery process.”

Tough Sledding
After a January peppered with snowstorms — with very little of the accumulation having melted — February dawned in the Pioneer Valley with a one-two punch: another foot of snow, followed by ice. It was too much for some roofs, many of which collapsed throughout the region.
A standard homeowner’s policy pays for roof repairs or replacement if the structure caves in due to the weight of the snow and ice, and also covers the loss of any items inside the house damaged or destroyed by the collapse, said Kevin Ross, vice president of Ross Insurance Agency in Holyoke. The exception would be expensive fine arts or collectibles, which are typically covered under their own policy anyway.
But roof damage, while potentially severe when it happens, has not been the region’s top weather threat this year.
“The foremost problem this winter is the ice-dam situation,” Ross said. “That’s where ice builds up in the gutters, and as water melts on the roof, it comes down but has nowhere to go, so it leeches up into the shingles of the house.” That can cause mild to severe damage inside the home, he added, but insurance typically covers it.
Timm Marini, president of FieldEddy Insurance in East Longmeadow, said coverage trends have shifted over time; for example, interior water seepage due to an ice dam was not usually covered 15 years ago, but now it’s standard. And although insurance companies will sometimes alter their coverage patterns for financial reasons (after taking large or concentrated losses), he doesn’t expect any change in the current protection against ice dams.
“Now everyone’s worried that next year we’ll have a drastic change in policies” because of a spike in ice-dam-related claims in 2011, he noted. “I’m saying no. This is a catastrophic event for our area, and there’s going to be some relief available through the federal government. But, though policyholders might see an increase in the cost of their premiums over time, the availability of that type of coverage will not go away unless we have multiple years of this stuff.”
If a home loses power during a storm event and is rendered unlivable for any significant time, Ross said, any loss of income from a home business or rental income would be covered by a typical policy as well.
According to the PCI, the various impacts of storm-related power outages are handled in different ways. For example, loss of refrigerated food caused by a power failure that originates away from the residence is generally not covered. However, the homeowner’s policy may reimburse an individual for additional living expenses — such as temporary housing, restaurant meals, overnight parking, and laundry services — when the property is determined to be uninhabitable due to damage or loss of power.

Out of Luck
So, what’s not covered when it comes to weather damage?
For one thing, the PCI reports, damage to trees, shrubbery, and other plants during a storm is not covered under a standard policy. If a tree or branch falls but doesn’t damage any structure, there’s usually no coverage for removing the tree or branch.
More serious is the potential for thickly accumulated snow to thaw quickly and seep into the basement. The agency executives we spoke to agreed this is not covered — even if the homeowner has purchased separate flood insurance, which applies to a widespread event, not a single home.
“A flood is defined as, you’re underwater, and your neighborhood is underwater; it’s not just water that runs into your basement,” Ross said.
And when it comes to wind and rain damage, a little common sense comes into play, too, Grinnell said. “If a windstorm comes and strips the shingles off, what comes in the house is covered. On the other hand, if a storm comes blowing through an open window, that damage would not be covered.”
And as the spring thaw turns into summer, Ross said, homeowners would be well-advised to take the lessons of the past two months and inspect their homes for any needed repairs before the next harsh winter.
“I strongly encourage everyone to make sure their gutters are working properly and directing water away from the foundations,” he said. “It’s a very small fix, but it can save you a lot of heartache.”

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

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Filling in the Canvas

ICNE Dave Florian, Bill Trudeau, and Dean Florian

Former Banquet Hall Gives ICNE Plenty of Food for Thought

From left, Dave Florian, Bill Trudeau, and Dean Florian, stand near the front entrance of the new headquarters for Insurance Center of New England.

When Insurance Center of New England commenced a search for new headquarters space last year, the focus soon centered on the former Oaks banquet facility on Suffield Street in Agawam. The site provided ample parking, room to grow, space to expand a health-and-wellness initiative, and even acreage on which to start an employee-managed vegetable garden. In short, this was an exercise in stretching the imagination — and the limits of creative space utilization.

Bill Trudeau was pointing to the spots where the treadmills, elliptical machines, and spinning bikes would go, and conjecturing on what the room would look and feel like when fully ready for occupancy.
“It’s not going to be the Y … it’s not going to be LA Fitness,” he said of the workout room still taking shape at the new headquarters for Insurance Center of New England. “But it’s going to be really nice, a big step up for us.”
Those same words would be appropriate for just about every aspect of ICNE’s new home — from the spacious conference room, decorated with modern art and equipped for videoconferencing, to the locker rooms across the hall from the gym, to the inviting front lobby — that was creatively carved out of the former Oaks banquet facility on Suffield Street in Agawam, with some 5,000 square feet left over to lease out to prospective tenants.
The company moved in last month, completing a project that had been in the works for some time, but that moved forward in earnest when the Oaks property quietly, and unofficially, went on the market early in 2010.
As Trudeau, the company’s president, explained, ICNE had been fairly content in its now-former home at 246 Park St. in West Springfield, where it had leased up to 12,000 square feet since 1987. But the company’s principals had essentially decided a few years ago that they would much rather own their space than lease.
After efforts to acquire the Park Street property were unsuccessful, the company started looking at a host of other options, said CEO Dean Florian. These actually included other leasing alternatives — space in some downtown Springfield office towers was looked at — but mostly focused on new building or renovation possibilities.
And there were not many viable options, he continued, adding that the company did consider a building lot at the end of Route 57 in Agawam. But the search essentially ended when Trudeau, Florian, and his brother, Dave, the company’s executive vice president and CFO, toured the Oaks property in early 2010 and started considering the myriad possibilities it presented.
“This building offered us a lot of flexibility,” said Dave Florian. “We had what amounted to a blank canvas we could fill in as we wanted. And working on that canvas has been a lot of fun.”

Space Exploration
Creating this broad work of art — meaning reuse of the building and adjoining five acres, including parking for several hundred cars — has been a nine-month project that has allowed ICNE executives, working in collaboration with Springfield-based Corporate Designs, architect Roy Brown, and office furniture firm the Lexington Group, to stretch their collective imaginations.
“There were literally hundreds of decisions to be made,” said Trudeau, “about where people were going to sit, which offices would go where, what colors would be used on the walls, the tiling in the bathrooms. Our designers always gave us plenty of options, and we always worked with the goal of providing an attractive environment for employees and customers.”
Outside, the company has removed the Oaks’ Greek-inspired look — complete with columns and decorative concrete lions — and put in a new entrance and new signage. Meanwhile, large stretches of asphalt have been torn up and replaced with green spaces, including a vegetable garden to be tended by employees now given one more reason to eagerly await the arrival of spring.
Inside, everything in the former kitchen area has been removed, and that section is now part of the space that will be leased out. Meanwhile, the spacious former banquet area, capable of sitting some 400 people, has been apportioned and outfitted to maximize efficiency and customer service, said Trudeau, while also providing a comfortable work area that addresses current trends in the modern workplace.
This includes everything from ergonomics and ‘green’ design elements to the colors on the walls (earth tones chosen to enhance livability and productivity) to the gym, which is in keeping with a company-wide focus on improving employee health and well-being.
Indeed, when BusinessWest last visited ICNE’s Park Street facility, it was to hear about a comprehensive initiative — now part of the culture at the company — that involved everything from smoking-cessation efforts to an organized walking program to an ever-present bowl of fruit in the company’s kitchen.
The fruit is still available in what is now a larger kitchen, the smoking-cessation program continues to draw results, and the walks still happen, except now along a more-rural stretch with fewer traffic issues. But soon, the employees will have a workout area that Trudeau says is part of a larger campaign for ICNE to essentially practice what it preaches to its clients — that good employee health promotes greater productivity and also lowers the cost of insuring a workforce.
The gym is still a work in progress, with pieces of equipment still arriving, but it is expected to be fully ready for use in a few weeks, said Trudeau, who counts himself among those who will be regular users.
And while getting into the business of operating a gym, sort of, ICNE is venturing into the real-estate sector as well, and is already marketing, in a quiet way, its available square footage.
Trudeau told BusinessWest that there are positives and negatives to being a landlord with space available at this time. The economy, while improved, is still in a recovery mode, he explained, adding that many business owners and managers are still being cautious about undertaking moves and expansions.
At the same time, though, many businesses that have been hunkering down for a years while the recession played itself out are now in a growth mode, and there is some pent-up demand for quality space. There is abundant supply for that demand, Trudeau acknowledged, adding quickly that ICNE believes it has the right product in the right place at the right time.
“There is a lot of office-space inventory on the market right now,” he acknowledged. “But this is a good location and attractive space; there are some good opportunities here.”

Room for Improvement
ICNE has slated an open house to showcase its new home on March 31.
By then, the large snowbanks now partially obscuring the view from Suffield Street will be gone or much lower in stature (one can only hope), and the gym will be fully outfitted.
There won’t be anything growing in the garden at that time, but the company didn’t want to wait until summer to show what it had done with its blank canvas, said Dave Florian, who is obviously proud of the way it’s been filled in.
“It took some imagination,” he said, looking at the building from the parking lot, “but we had plenty of that to work with.”

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

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