Month: November 2016

BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration has released “The Massachusetts Opioid Epidemic: a Data Visualization of Findings from the Chapter 55 Report.” The visualization can be viewed at www.mass.gov/chapter55.

This website is designed to complement the recent release of the Chapter 55 Report, an unprecedented public/private partnership that reviewed opioid-related data sets from a variety of sources to better understand the opioid epidemic. The report was a product of the Chapter 55 of the Acts of 2015 signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker in August 2015.

“This project represents our latest effort to use and present data to better understand the opioid epidemic and inform our residents about one of the great public-health challenges of our time,” Baker said. “It is also an example of drawing talent from across state government and working with our external partners to create a tool that makes this important report accessible to more people.”

The online site, produced by a MassIT and the Mass. Department Public Health (DPH) partnership, is an online, multi-media resource which illustrates and explains the complex nature of the disease of addiction, the role that legal prescription medications and illegal substances play in the epidemic, its impact across the demographic spectrum in Massachusetts, and what steps are being taken to address this fundamental public-health crisis in communities across the state.

“The Chapter 55 report was truly groundbreaking in the depth of its analysis and its use of advanced data to understand the underlying causes of opioid-related deaths,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders. “We hope that this new way of communicating the data helps underscore the challenges ahead and our resolve for addressing this crisis.”

Led by DPH, the Chapter 55 analysis involved 10 data sets from 5 different government agencies. In total, 29 groups from government, higher education, and the private sector provided information and expertise. This level of partnership is what makes the Chapter 55 report a milestone achievement in Massachusetts. Before this legislation was passed, such a comprehensive look at the opioid epidemic in the Commonwealth would not have been possible.

“This innovative tool takes us beyond charts and statistics in a way that allows even greater insight into the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts,” said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel. “We hope it will be a useful resource to help inform policymakers, stakeholders, and community members understand where we are, and how we move forward.”

David Griffin Sr. Named Treasurer of PFHS Board of Directors

By BusinessWest Staff November 30, 2016

HOLYOKE — The Dowd Insurance Agencies announced that David Griffin Sr. was selected as treasurer for the new Pope Francis High School board of directors.

Pope Francis High School is a faith-based, college-preparatory school serving grades 9-12, formed through the merger of Cathedral and Holyoke Catholic high schools, and currently operating out of the former Holyoke Catholic building. A new, state-of-the-art facility is under construction on Wendover Road in Springfield and is slated to open for the 2018-19 academic year.

“I have strong ties with both legacy schools — I’m an alumnus of Holyoke Catholic, and three of my children were educated at Cathedral,” Griffin said. “Participating on the new Pope Francis High School board is one way I can help ensure that Catholic secondary education remains a viable option here in the Pioneer Valley.”

Griffin is a principal and the executive vice president and treasurer of the Dowd Insurance Agencies. He has more than 35 years of experience in the insurance industry. He is a licensed insurance advisor as well as a certified insurance counselor.

Griffin is also very active in the community. He has served as president of the West Springfield Chamber of Commerce, West Springfield Rotary, Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, Springfield Country Club, Hampden County Insurance Agents, and chair of Mont Marie Health Care Center.

Community to Remember Loved Ones at Tree of Love Ceremony

By BusinessWest Staff November 30, 2016

PALMER — As the holiday season approaches, the Baystate Wing Auxiliary has set the date for its annual Tree of Love ceremony. This special event, created to honor and remember loved ones, features ornaments that can be purchased, personalized, and placed on the tree with names in memory of family and friends.

“There is a definite comfort in coming together with others to remember someone, especially during the holidays,” said Teresa Grove, president of the Auxiliary and Philanthropy officer for the Baystate Health Eastern Region, which includes Baystate Wing and Baystate Mary Lane Outpatient Center.

The ornaments may be purchased for $5 for a single name and $10 for a family. In addition, the community is invited to be part of an event held on Sunday, Dec. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m., when the decorated Tree of Love will be displayed in the lobby located on the ground floor of the hospital. This special event will include fellowship, refreshments, and festive music by Voices of Love and Remembrance.

“The Tree of Love is our annual tradition that warms our hearts as we remember loved ones and celebrate their lives,” said Carol Doyle, an auxiliary member who coordinates the event. All proceeds benefit the Baystate Wing Auxiliary, which in turn donates needed equipment and other items for the benefit of patients to the hospital. The funds from this year’s event will benefit the Baystate Wing Hospital Emergency Department expansion project.

For more information about the Tree of Love or to purchase an ornament, stop in the Baystate Wing Hospital Gift Shop or call Doyle at (413) 267-9219.

Marijuana Measure Brings Far More Questions than Answers

Cover Story

Seeing Through the Smoke

On Nov. 8, voters said ‘yes’ to Question 4, the so-called Massachusetts Marijuana Legalization Initiative. But that’s all they said ‘yes’ to. What happens now, concerning everything from whether marijuana shops can be licensed, to where and how many of them, remain somewhat unsettling question marks that municipalities will need to resolve.

Peter Vickery says ballot questions are, for the most part, “blunt instruments.”

And by that he meant that, generally speaking, these questions are broad in meaning, as opposed to sharp, or specific, and are usually to be considered a starting point, with the details to be colored in later.

And so it is with the Massachusetts Marijuana Legalization Initiative, a.k.a. Question 4 on this month’s election ballot. In simple terms, the question asks the voter whether he or she supports a proposal to legalize marijuana but also regulate it in ways similar to alcoholic beverages. And they can only vote ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ said Vickery, an employment law attorney based in Amherst, a community where the vast majority of voters — something approaching 70% — did in fact vote ‘yes.’

But that’s all they voted for, he went on, adding that all those ‘yes’ votes do not mean the town will want or support several marijuana shops in its vibrant downtown — or even one of them.

“People change — opinions change,” he explained. “What people were voting on was a ballot question. And what ballot questions do is let you vote ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ You know by the end of the election that the people have spoken, but it’s not always easy to tell what they’ve said.

“What they’ve said in Amherst is ‘yes’ to Question 4,” he went on. “But whether they thought ‘yes’ to Question 4 in terms of wanting several marijuana shops in our downtown — I don’t really know if that’s what they were voting in favor of.”

Peter Vickery describes ballot questions as ‘blunt instruments,’ short on needed specifics.

And this sentiment essentially dominates every corner of the state, where the phrase ‘I don’t really know’ is being uttered by all kinds of people concerning all manner of topics related to recreational marijuana and its legalization — from how to license and tax those seeking to set up shops, to how many jobs this industry (and it can certainly be called that now) will create in the Bay State.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, in a published press release and also follow-up remarks to BusinessWest, probably spoke for every elected official in the state when he said, “we’re in uncharted waters, and in such should take a step back, maybe a proper time-limited moratorium, so that we can proceed with extreme caution.”

The mayor, who wasn’t shy in his opposition to the question before the election, went on to say that before municipalities like Springfield do anything with regard to this measure, the state has to come forward and perhaps eliminate or mitigate many of the question marks that now define this matter.

“I do believe that the state must look at a more progressive tax to deal with all the — pardon the pun — headaches of eventual expenses vs. revenues,” said Sarno, citing issues ranging from public safety enforcement to employment and addiction issues, and more, adding that until such specifics are known, the city is in many ways operating in the dark.

And that hardly makes it unique among the state’s 351 municipalties, most of which are trying to shed some light — or at least some conjecture — on the matter.

That was the goal of one presentation in Amherst a few weeks ago, a conversation moderated by Vickery and hosted by the Business Leadership for Amherst Area Strategies (BLAAST).

Dominic Sarno

I do believe that the state must look at a more progressive tax to deal with all the — pardon the pun — headaches of eventual expenses vs. revenues.”

The program included the city’s police chief, a former marijuana retailer from Colorado, a member of the state’s opioid taskforce, and one of the authors of the ballot question, said Tim O’Brien, president of the Amherst area Chamber of Commerce, adding that it’s a good example of the kind of fact-checking and opinion-taking that all cities and towns should embark upon as they consider how to best live with Question 4.

“Something that was illegal is now legal, and we have to ready to observe some change,” he said. “There may be some unintended consequences, but we’ll have to deal with those. There are a great many unknowns at this point.”

For this issue, BusinessWest tries to answer some of the questions concerning the marijuana law and its implications for municipalities and businesses alike. But, and this will become clear in the course of this discussion, specific answers are difficult to come by.

Joint Concerns

So perhaps it’s best to start with what we do know, which, all things considered, isn’t much apparently.

Here’s how the ballot question’s official summary reads:

The proposed law would permit the possession, use, distribution, and cultivation of marijuana in limited amounts by persons age 21 and older and would remove criminal penalties for such activities. It would provide for the regulation of commerce in marijuana, marijuana accessories, and marijuana products and for the taxation of proceeds from sales of these items.

The proposed law would authorize persons at least 21 years old to possess up to one ounce of marijuana outside of their residences; possess up to 10 ounces of marijuana inside their residences; grow up to six marijuana plants in their residences; give one ounce or less of marijuana to a person at least 21 years old without payment; possess, produce or transfer hemp; or make or transfer items related to marijuana use, storage, cultivation, or processing.

The measure would create a Cannabis Control Commission of three members appointed by the state Treasurer which would generally administer the law governing marijuana use and distribution, promulgate regulations, and be responsible for the licensing of marijuana commercial establishments. The proposed law would also create a Cannabis Advisory Board of 15 members appointed by the governor. The Cannabis Control Commission would adopt regulations governing licensing qualifications; security; record keeping; health and safety standards; packaging and labeling; testing; advertising and displays; required inspections; and such other matters as the Commission considers appropriate. The records of the Commission would be public records.

The proposed law would authorize cities and towns to adopt reasonable restrictions on the time, place, and manner of operating marijuana businesses and to limit the number of marijuana establishments in their communities. A city or town could hold a local vote to determine whether to permit the selling of marijuana and marijuana products for consumption on the premises at commercial establishments.

The proceeds of retail sales of marijuana and marijuana products would be subject to the state sales tax and an additional excise tax of 3.75%. A city or town could impose a separate tax of up to 2%. Revenue received from the additional state excise tax or from license application fees and civil penalties for violations of this law would be deposited in a Marijuana Regulation Fund and would be used subject to appropriation for administration of the proposed law. Marijuana-related activities authorized under this proposed law could not be a basis for adverse orders in child welfare cases absent clear and convincing evidence that such activities had created an unreasonable danger to the safety of a minor child. The proposed law would not affect existing law regarding medical marijuana treatment centers or the operation of motor vehicles while under the influence.

It would permit property owners to prohibit the use, sale, or production of marijuana on their premises (with an exception that landlords cannot prohibit consumption by tenants of marijuana by means other than by smoking); and would permit employers to prohibit the consumption of marijuana by employees in the workplace. State and local governments could continue to restrict uses in public buildings or at or near schools. Supplying marijuana to persons under age 21 would be unlawful.

The proposed law would take effect on Dec. 15, 2016.

So given all that, what do we know? Well, for starters, we know that marijuana use is still forbidden by federal law, a not-so-minor detail that impacts a great many of those question marks moving forward.

And we know that, contrary to what some might believe, the new law does not enable individuals to show up at the workplace stoned — just as they can’t show up drunk. Those basic laws of the business world still exist.

After that, there is mostly just speculation and concern, perhaps in equal quantities. For example:

• Elected officials in border communities are already concerned that people will drive across state lines to buy marijuana products in their municipality — and then drive back to where they came from, perhaps after they’ve consumed some of those products, creating public safety issues;

• Health officials are concerned about the potential impact of the measure on everything from hospital emergency rooms (Colorado, which legalized marijuana four years ago, has experienced a significant jump in patients seeking emergency medical treatment for complications related to suspected marijuana use) to the health of young children, especially with regard to one segment of marijuana products known as ‘chewables;’

• Employers and employer groups are concerned that the new law (while it doesn’t green-light being under the influence on the job) may blur some of the previously sharp lines when it comes to drug testing and other matters.

As Sarno said — and he’s far from the only public official to use the term — these are uncharted and somewhat dangerous waters.

“The people have spoken, so we’ll move forward accordingly,” said the mayor. “What I’m concerned about is that the state has yet to get it in gear and issue any specifics on this.”

Actually, he listed a number of concerns, from employment law matters, to worries about increased drug addiction, to the many hidden costs that may result from this measure.

“I keep hearing that the costs of this program really outweigh the revenues,” he went on. “And who does that fall upon? The municipalities.”

Look West, Young Man

To navigate these uncharted waters, cities, towns, individual elected officials, and some business leaders, are looking for some answers, or at least some help in formulating them.

And for most, this means googling ‘Colorado, legalization of marijuana,’ or words to that effect. And there’s plenty to read, which is good, said O’Brien with a laugh, noting that even if there was money in the budget for a trip to the Centennial State — and there isn’t — he would likely be doing his research with his laptop anyway.

“There’s this thing called the Internet, and along with telephones, it does a pretty good job of providing information,” he said, adding that Massachusetts can, and must learn from Colorado about what has worked, why, what hasn’t worked, and what can be done differently.

Bob Nakosteen

They say they have a $1 billion recreational marijuana industry that creates 18,000 jobs; that’s 1, 8, zero, zero, zero. That’s what they say … and this is from the proponents of legalized marijuana, so maybe that has to be taken with a grain of salt.”

Bob Nakosteen, a professor of Management at UMass Amherst, who was approached to discuss some of the business ramifications of Question 4, has also turned his attention to Colorado.

Some of the numbers are intriguing, he said, while wondering out loud just how reliable they are.

“They say they have a $1 billion recreational marijuana industry that creates 18,000 jobs; that’s 1, 8, zero, zero, zero,” he said, using some additional emphasis to get his point across. “That’s what they say … and this is from the proponents of legalized marijuana, so maybe that has to be taken with a grain of salt.

“I’m not expecting that many jobs here,” he went on, adding that there is already an infrastructure in place for medical marijuana (made legal in this state a few years ago) and this may impact the number of ‘new’ jobs to result from Question 4’s passage.

What is generally conceded is that the marijuana business will not sprout up like a weed (pun intended), quickly or easily, and the industry locally is almost certain to be dominated by smaller firms, most of them home-grown (another pun) startups or locally owned partnerships, in large part because of the federal ban on marijuana, which makes it difficult to operate in many states.

As Kris Kane, the Boston-based president of the marijuana investment and consulting firm 4Front Ventures, told the Boston Globe recently, “The notion that there are these gigantic, big-money players running in to take this whole thing over is just fiction.

“There’s no Phillip Morris, no Anheuser Busch, no cannibus division at Bank of America,” he went on. “Even the most successful company is still barely in the growth stage.”

Still to be determined in Springfield, Amherst, and everywhere else in the Bay State for that matter, is just how many of these home-grown enterprises will earn the privilege of growing or selling marijuana products, where (meaning which areas will be zoned for such activity), and under what conditions (meaning the specific terms printed on the licenses), said Nakosteen.

He noted that even Amherst, an extremely liberal community dominated by tens of thousands of college students and known to some as the ‘People’s Republic of Amherst,’ is as big a question mark in this regard as the proverbial ‘next town.’

“While Amherst is, in most all ways, a very liberal community, when it comes to business, it can be quite conservative, and I think there would be some resistance to large numbers of marijuana shops,” said Nakosteen, noting that new ventures must generally endure a comprehensive review of their plans and a long list of conditions, architectural and otherwise, before being able to do business. “It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out.”

This is especially true in the downtown, which is quaint and diverse, and therefore a draw for students, their families, professionals, tourists, retirees, and other constituents, said Nakosteen, adding that it competes in many ways with Northampton’s downtown.

And at this time, no one really knows whether a marijuana shop — or two or three — would become a competitive advantage or disadvantage.

“Amherst has enough trouble competing with Northampton anyway, in terms of the attractiveness of downtown for spending money, other than the students at UMass,” he told BusinessWest. “Downtown Amherst has been challenged for as long I’ve been here, and Northampton, as it’s developed, has become the more attractive destination. What would marijuana shops mean for that equation?”

He asked the question, but didn’t feel qualified to answer it, which means he is not unique.

And while Amherst, because it is a liberal college town, is perceived by many to be a litmus test of sorts on the marijuana matter, or a community to be watched, Vickery hopes ample amounts of attention will also be focused on far-less-affluent cities and towns.

“I expect people to watch Amherst, but I would hope that they would not watch it exclusively, and would also look for the impact on less-affluent communities like Holyoke and Springfield, and also Orange and Athol,” he said. “There is already a huge addiction and substance abuse problem in those communities. I think Amherst will be able to cope, but other communities that are less well-off will bear the brunt of policies designed for the comfort of the middle class.”

Where There’s Smoke …

Returning to his comments about ballot questions being blunt instruments, Vickery said Amherst, and other communities across the state, will find out just how blunt.

“As the implications become more manifest, as the town starts to consider over the next few years what the ramifications might be for the downtown Amherst economy and the impact on the wider community, from the standpoint of public health, public safety, etc., that 70% may be chimerical,” he explained. “It may be 70% in favor of the state-wide law, but in our backyards … that’s a much different question.”

And certainly only one of many hanging over the ballot measure and what will happen because of it.

As Sarno noted, Springfield, like most all communities to be sure, will be taking some steps back before it takes any forward in this uncharted territory.

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

O’Reilly, Talbot & Okun Associates Finds Cost Efficient Environmental Solutions

Environment and Engineering Sections

Beneath the Surface

The ground beneath the former Westinghouse manufacturing plant is cleaned up by OTO so Chinese rail car maker CRRC MA USA can build a factory there.

The firm known colloquially as OTO has been involved in most of the major building projects that have taken place across the region in the past few decades — everything from the major addition at Baystate Medical Center to construction of a subway-car manufacturing plant in Springfield’s east end. But much of the company’s work goes unnoticed, because it takes place before the heavy machinery arrives. To say their work is important, though, would be to only, well, scratch the surface.

Jim Okun and his partners often joke that no one ever sees their best work.

Indeed, it generally takes place where almost no one goes; although O’Reilly, Talbot & Okun Associates (OTO) has been involved in almost every major building project in Western Mass. for the last 20 years, the bulk of work that the specialty geo-environmental engineering consulting firm does is literally beneath the ground.

“Our work often takes place before the heavy equipment shows up,” Okun said about the Springfield firm. “We deal with the environmental safety of soil and water as well as the engineering properties of soil in or around a new development.”

In other words, they determine not only whether the ground is contaminated by pollutants, but also address whether it can and will remain stable beneath the weight of a new structure.

From left, Jim Okun, Mike Talbot, Kevin O’Reilly and Bob Kirchherr specialize in different areas, which gives their firm the ability to handle complex environmental and engineering problems.

Founding Partner Mike Talbot used the Leaning Tower of Pisa as a prime example of what can go wrong without a preliminary assessment.
“The tower is a classic case of building on bad soil,” he said, explaining that it was erected on a former river estuary and sank into the ground due to the soft, sand-like texture of the dirt under the south side of the monument.

Today, thanks to geo-engineering research and best practices, things like this can be prevented, but it takes expertise combined with creative thinking to solve problems in a way that saves time and money, qualities that are generally unexpected since issues are fairly common.

For example, OTO was recently called to assess a building site in Holyoke, and although the surface appeared clean, research showed it had been home to a former mill, and hazardous materials were found in the old cellar hole area.

Although some companies would have removed all of the contaminated soil and taken it to a landfill, OTO found a way to improve and compact the dirt so it didn’t present any safety risk to humans and could withstand the weight of a new building, steps that ultimately saved the developers a substantial amount of money.

List of Engineering Firms in the Region

The firm also addresses issues that come to the surface when contaminants are found in buildings set to be demolished, or environmental issues are uncovered when a business or school starts to make improvements to, or put an addition on, an existing structure.

“We’re not really consultants, we’re problem solvers,” said Partner Bob Kirchherr. “We stay current with changing regulations and by combining our skills and using scientific techniques we are able to find cost-effective solutions that allow new structures to be built.”

OTO’s work involves an equal mix of projects for commercial, institutional, and government clients across New England and includes asbestos consulting, environmental assessments, geotechnical engineering, human health risk assessment, and related practices. They also work with homeowners on issues such as cleanup after an oil tank has leaked.

About 70% of its jobs are in Massachusetts, but over the past few years its reputation has led to work in other states, and the firm has projects underway in Connecticut; it just started two in New Orleans, and is about to begin one in Dallas.

“Clients like our approach to solving problems,” O’Reilly said, noting that the company uses scientific methods and regulatory knowledge to resolve challenging situations in a way that is practical, pragmatic and cost-effective.

For this edition and its focus on Environment & Engneering, BusinessWest looks at some of the “invisible” problems that O’Reilly, Talbot & Okun Associates has uncovered and what they have done to solve them.

Diverse Talents

The company was founded in 1994 by Kevin O’Reilly, Mike Talbot, and Jim Okun who had worked together at another environmental consulting/engineering firm and wanted to go off on their own.

They set up shop in East Longmeadow, but two years later merged with Enviro Comp in Springfield and moved the business to Springfield.

Kirchherr joined the trio as their fourth partner at the time of the merger.

“It was a good fit because there was a lot of synergy. We had worked on projects together,” O’Reilly said, noting that the merger allowed them to expand the services they offered because Enviro Comp specialized in asbestos remediation, industrial monitoring, and compliance with regulations.

Today the firm has 30 employees, and each partner has a specialty that complements the others and allows the firm to deal with complex projects from start to finish.

O’Reilly focuses on environmental consulting and compliance in Massachusetts, and investigates and plans for the cleanup of waste disposal sites, including brownfields.

Cleaning the soil after an oil leak at a home is one of the most stressful jobs the firm encounters due to the anxiety it causes homeowners.

Talbot concentrates on geotechnical engineering and Massachusetts Contingency Plan compliance; Okun also focuses on MCP compliance; but his expertise includes PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) assessment and management; risk assessment and brownfields development.

Kirchherr specializes in asbestos management; indoor air quality and industrial hygiene; safety and environmental compliance; and lead inspection and management.

“Most companies don’t have the skills needed to deal with environmental, soil, and building issues so people come to us because we do it all,” Okun said.

Talbot noted that people often drive by sites and wonder why they have remained vacant, but in those instances there is usually a problem because banks require an environmental site assessment before investing in a project because they want to understand the risks and costs associated with building.

The principals at OTO say there are few sites today without problems, because almost every desirable business location has had at least one building on it and when they are demolished, it’s uncommon to find clean soil beneath.

“Today every site has challenges and every project requires all of our skills,” Talbot told Business West.

For example, a few weeks ago a seemingly straightforward job suddenly turned complex. The firm had been hired to investigate the foundation of an existing building that a client wanted to repurpose, but it discovered that it had once served as a gas station and had to be torn down.

Problems also arise due to chemicals called PCBs that were used in building materials in the U.S. between 1950 and 1979.

Kirchherr says the caulk around windows in schools often contains PCB’s, so when a city or town decides to replace single panes with energy efficient glass, the putty has to be tested and toxic ingredients in the caulk can complicate the project.

Unearthing Solutions

Projects the firm has undertaken range from work at individual homes and in large buildings and developments, and include the new addition to Baystate Medical Center and the recently built Roger Putnam Vocational Technical High School. OTO also recently completed work for Chinese rail car maker CRRC MA USA which is building a factory in Springfield on the site of the former Westinghouse manufacturing plant. It was a brownfields site, and OTO assisted the former owner with cleanup, including asbestos removal in the old building, but then had to make sure the soil met standards that would allow CRRC to build there.

Talbot said the land contained a lot of loose soil and the firm designed a solution to compact it using a special technique that will allow it to support the weight of the rail cars manufactured inside the building. It then provided engineering services to design a new foundation.

The revitalization of Ludlow Mills was another project that required considerable environmental remediation, and the firm worked closely with Kenneth Delude, recently retired president of WestMass Area Development Corp. on that project; and also helped get Lee Premium Outlets off the ground, assistance needed because a portion of the land near the entrance was once home to a mill that dated back to the Civil War.

Clients include the Diocese of Springfield; Smith College; Amherst College; Springfield College; American International College; and private schools such as Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, and projects include work at Six Flags New England that was necessary before rides such as the Superman Coaster could be built.

And in some instances, the firm has been at a site almost immediately after a problem is discovered. For example, 15 minutes after the 2011 tornado finished wreaking havoc throughout Western Mass, Kirchherr walked down to a family member’s home across the street from the former Cathedral High School and helped efforts to stabilize the building with the Diocese of Springfield’s emergency response team.

“We identified long-term safety related issues with regards to a potential renovation because it was not known at the time if the building would be reused,” Kirchherr said, explaining that their work included litigation with the insurance company because the initial settlement offer was inadequate.

“It was a very complex project that required a lot of interaction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but we provided services throughout the process,” he continued, adding that he serves on the Diocese of Springfield Building Commission and is a member of the board of trustees for St. Michael’s Academy.

O’Reilly Talbot & Okun has also undertaken a lot of preconstruction work for the City of Springfield. A site assessment before the Basketball of Fame was built turned out to be another involved project, because 19 buildings had to be demolished to make room for the new museum.

“We also provided litigation and oversight assistance when the former Union Station in Springfield was taken by eminent domain,” Kirchherr said, adding they worked on that project from start to finish.

The firm’s residential jobs often involve leaking oil tanks, which is difficult work.

“You can only dig so far under a house without undermining the foundation, and you have to meet stringent soil and groundwater standards. Vapors can rise from the ground, get into the house and cause risk to occupants, and the oil can also impact a person’s neighbors as it can migrate into groundwater,” O’Reilly said, explaining that in some cases a ventilation system must be installed to pipe air from below the floor of a home into the atmosphere for years after the leak.

“These are the most stressful projects we do because they affect people personally,” he said.

Changing Landscape

Ensuring that soil is clean and the ground is stable for new projects, along with assessing old buildings for environmental hazards before they are reused or torn down are services that fall under the umbrella of O’Reilly Talbot & Okun Associates.

“It’s a very dynamic field so we keep on top of all of the regulatory issues,” Talbot said. “New solutions to old problems come up all the time, and we offer the latest and best practices available.”

So even though the work they do is something most people never see or even think about, it has been critical to economic growth in Western Mass. and always begins far below the ground.

Kick Open the Door — then Go Forward

Opinion

By Elizabeth Barajas-Román, Valerie Bassett, and Ann Bookman

As directors of organizations working to elevate women’s civic leadership, we salute Sec. Hillary Rodham Clinton on the historic and courageous campaign she led as the first woman to run for president of the United States as the nominee of a major political party.

But to come, are the highest stakes our nation has faced since its founding. How do we ensure the door of opportunity not only remains open — but opens wider — for women of color, LGBTQ people, and immigrants, as well as including low-income white and rural residents who feel left behind?

As the results of the recent election show, the majority of our elected officials do not look like the population they represent. In Massachusetts only 25.5% of the total seats on Beacon Hill are occupied by women. Throughout the history of the United States, 1,917 men have been elected to the Senate, whereas only 46 women have held this post; until now, only two of whom were women of color. In the 115th Congress, the overall number of women will remain the same, but nine new women of color, will enter Congress in 2017, three in the Senate and six in the House.

That’s why the work of our organizations is more critical than ever before. The Women’s Fund of Western Mass. fuels progress toward gender equity by funding the most promising solutions, collaborating with results-oriented partners, and by elevating the collective power of local women to take charge, and to lead with purpose. The Women’s Fund of Southeastern Mass. creates pathways for women to economic independence through funding and leading a regional agenda for change, advocacy, and education. The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at UMass Boston’s McCormack Graduate School has a dual mission:

• To advance the political leadership of women in both the public and nonprofit sectors, with particular focus on women of color; and

• To design and implement public policies that will advance economic security for all women and their families by raising the minimum wage, closing the wage gap, providing caregiving supports, and other critical issues.

Together, we are creating hope, higher expectations, and alliances among diverse women that are essential to helping create the America we believe in.

So where do we go from here?

Prioritize the work of organizations serving women. Organizations like ours have paved the way for significant milestones reached over the past year, including a new equal pay law. We’re also working at a direct service level to increase women’s access to financial literacy or negotiation training, building cross-sector partnerships at the community level that encourage solutions-orientated dialogue often with local businesses, and investing in research that can be used by advocates and policymakers to drive systems-level change. Organizations like ours amplify the power of women to transform their lives, and the lives of the people in their community.

Support policy advocacy efforts and train women to lead the way. Research shows that high-visibility political campaigns by women make girls think differently about their own futures: they begin to imagine they too, could one day lead. The goals for political leadership are broad: More women in elected office, appointed positions, and more women leading nonprofit organizations and grassroots campaigns. While progress on policies that impact women’s lives may be stalled on the federal level in the foreseeable future, we are optimistic about action and change on the state and local level. In fact, state and local action — coordinated across New England — is now likely to be across the most fruitful avenue for policy change; and

• Invest in cross-racial, cross-class, and cross-gender alliances. Millions of women sit at the center of several overlapping and intersecting social identities – and they suffer the related systems of oppression, domination, or discrimination that come with the territory. Investing in the visibility and inclusion of all women is the only way to ensure success. We will go forward truly together or not at all.

We celebrate the wins and learn from the losses. We rest from the recent flurry of campaigning and retool for the campaigns and social change work ahead. Most importantly, we must continue to grow a broad and diverse coalition to fight for equity and economic justice for all. Count us in.

Elizabeth Barajas-Román is CEO of the Women’s Fund of Western Mass.; Valerie Bassett is executive director of the Women’s Fund of Southeastern Mass.; and Ann Bookman is director of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy, and Clinical Professor, Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs, McCormack Graduate School.

Getting to Real

Opinion

Editorial

Behold … the Power of Cranes.

Maybe that should have been the title placed on the latest update on economic development initiatives throughout Springfield, hosted last week by the city and the Springfield Regional Chamber.

Instead, they chose ‘Springfield, Rising to New Heights, subtitled ‘The Renaissance is Real,’ which is a serious play on the crane-themed invitation to the event. It features an extremely detailed rendering of the giant crane at the MGM Springfield site, which has become a very famous addition to the city’s skyline.

The crane art and the accompanying subtitle are appropriate when juxtaposed together. Indeed, countless people have said (out loud or to themselves) that they didn’t really believe the MGM project was real until they saw those cranes. (MGM President Mike Mathis would have a ready response in such cases: ‘We always thought it was real.’

In some ways, the same conversational tones can be used for the city itself, although when it comes to a true renaissance, the city will have to do better than the ‘crane test.’

While progress (totaling a whopping $3.307 billion in public and private investments) really does seem genuine on many fronts — from Union Station to the subway-manufacturing plant; from MGM to vast amounts of entrepreneurial energy; from new places for people to live, to new places for them to work and play — one might still have a hard time convincing those in the city, and those looking from the outside, that this is the real thing.

That’s because it’s easy to make people believe it isn’t. As evidence, look no further than the piece that ran in the Boston Globe this month concerning MGM’s casino, the city’s image problem concerning crime, and how the latter might impact the former.

Complete with a close-up shot of razor wire on a building downtown and beginning with what amounts to a recreation of a drive-by shooting just blocks from the MGM site, the story also includes this quote from City Council President Michael Fentin: “We have a perception problem. People don’t want to come into the city; they say “I’m not going into that war zone.”

We’re not sure what he was attempting to do with that quote — maybe draw a line between perception and realty — but all he really did was blur the line and make ‘war zone,’ the one phrase everyone will remember from that piece.

But in a way, he helped make our point. You can’t just say the renaissance is real, you have to prove it. And right now, the city still has some work to do in that regard.

The cranes in the sky will generate some believers, but to generate more of them, the city must continue to move in the right direction on crime and the perception of it. Even if ‘war zone’ is extreme and represents the view of the minority, public safety remains a real concern.

And while doing that, the city must do more to tell its story — and tell it to people living outside the city limits. The story is good and getting better all the time, and others need to hear it.

Maybe with some additional PR and work to reduce crime, more people will come to the conclusion that this renaissance is, in fact, real.

At the Gaudreau Group, Women Have Thrived in Non-traditional Roles

Sections Women in Businesss

The Producers

Jules Gaudreau stands in the middle of a long line of women in key positions at the Gaudreau Group.

The Gaudreau Group in Wilbraham is like most other insurance and financial service agencies in terms of the products and services it offers to clients. It is different, though, in the fact that an extraordinarily large number of high-level positions have been filled by women. This development wasn’t exactly planned, but then again, it wasn’t really an accident, either.

Jules Gaudreau has been in the financial services field for more than three decades, more than enough time to know that this industry has moved well beyond that old catch-phrase ‘the insurance man.’

Until fairly recently, it was, in fact, a man who sold you insurance and updated your account when it needed updating, said Gaudreau, adding that while women have been a big part of this business for decades, their roles were generally restricted to service work, especially in personal lines.

That’s were. Indeed one doesn’t hear that phrase ‘insurance man’ much anymore. And this is especially true at Gaudreau, where one might only hear it in the context in which the company’s president used it — as an anachronistic descriptor better suited to another decade.

And also, and this is more important, that phrase wouldn’t in any way be an accurate method of describing the workforce at this Wilbraham-based company.

The firm has what would, by almost any measure, be considered a large and impressive number of women in top positions, with many of them serving as ‘producers,’ as they’re called in this business.

This development wasn’t exactly planned, meaning the company didn’t set out to create this kind of gender balance in such positions, said Gaudreau, adding quickly that it didn’t really come about by accident, either.

Instead, the current situation materialized through an atmosphere that certainly encourages women to consider and then seek out producer roles, said Gaudreau. But more importantly, it developed because of solid role models, effective mentoring, teamwork, and the success of those who have put some non-traditional titles next to their names on their business cards.

“I really believe in a meritocracy,” he explained. “The women in my firm are where they are because they’re really good at what they do. They just happen to be female.”

BusinessWest talked with three of these women, all producers. They have different stories, and took different paths to get where they are, but there are many common denominators — from simple business ambition to a desire to work in a position where they can help people.

Judy Davis

Judy Davis, an employee-benefits strategy advisor, was a long-time dental hygienist when she decided she needed something else. “I didn’t want to be in a room looking inside mouths all day — and people didn’t seem to like my bubbly personality,” she explained, adding that she segued into financial services and has spent the past 34 years in the field, never once choosing to look back.

“I answered an ad in the paper, back when there were help-wanted ads in the paper, and was hired by a very powerful MassMutual agent, and worked for him for two years,” she explained. “I was a sponge; I just loved insurance — I really became interested in the field.”

She said she’s been recruited to several jobs within the industry — joining Gaudreau this past spring — and at each stop “wanted to be the boss; I wanted to be in charge, a leader in the business.”

Jenny MacKay

Jenny MacKay, a member of BusinessWest’s most recent 40 Under Forty class, had mostly the same career goals, only she didn’t have to shift her employment focus. She was still a student at Western New England University, majoring in financial services, and not at all sure what she would do with her degree, when she attended a presentation by a panel of speakers comprised of WNEU management graduates.

One of them was working for Northwestern Mutual, and her remarks certainly caught MacKay’s attention.

“He started out in the internship program at Northwestern, and he walked into the downtown Springfield office, saw its high ceilings, beautiful offices, powerful people, and everyone driving a Lexus,” she recalled. “And he said, ‘I wanted to drive a Lexus, so I started an internship there.’ And before the talk was over, I decided I want to drive a Lexus, too, and I started an internship there.”

Moving the story forward, she said she had a license to sell insurance before she could legally buy alcohol.

Tracy Goodman

As for Tracy Goodman, she refers to her present role in personal insurance sales as an “accidental career,” but also “where I should be,” which means this isn’t really an accident.

She started out in human resources, took some time out to raise a family, and, during that time, realized that she needed to get back in the business world. She began at an AFLACK office, and soon after arriving a manager asked what she was doing behind a desk when she should be out selling. And that’s what she’s been doing ever since.

For this issue and its focus on Women in Business, we talked at length with Davis, MacKay, and Goodman about not only their success in this field, but also why women can, and usually do, thrive in these roles and consider them an attractive career option.

Policy Shift

To help explain the way things are now (especially at his firm), and why, Gaudreau first did some flashing back 40 or 50 years ago, using his own memory and anecdotal evidence to get his points across.

“When I first came into the business, what women did was serve as service people,” he explained. “Most of it was because that’s where women entering the workforce in the 1940s went — service.

“MassMutual had these giant typing pools, huge rooms filled with women,” he went on. “When you needed something typed, you’d hit a button, and one of the people who didn’t have anything to type came up and grabbed what you needed done. It was very random.”

Things changed, he went on, because the modern consumer changed, he told BusinessWest, and so did selling methods to a large degree.

“It’s not about telling and yelling and selling anymore, which was the traditional optic of what the insurance guy was like — the insurance man,” he went on. “Telling people and then selling them — that’s what’s he did. Today, it’s much more consultative, and I think women have much more ability to listen, to learn, build rapport, and solve problems. What people are looking for is servant leadership; they’re looking for people to listen to them and solve their problems, as opposed to telling people things.”

Davis agreed, and, without stereotyping either gender, said women, by and large, possess more of the qualities customers are looking for in a salesperson, especially those related to listening and solving problems.

“I have a very large book of business in employee benefits and passion for my clients,” she explained. “I think my clients feel that, and this is what helps us become successful women in business.”

She said employee benefits has become a very complex matter in recent years, especially for smaller companies that lack their own, dedicated human resources department, and must navigate a sea of products, programs, and corresponding acronyms, themselves.

Such firms need a partner, she said, and women possess many of the skills required to serve in that role.

“We’re an extension of a human resource department,” she explained, “and people value our input.”

MacKay concurred, noting that early on (remember, she got her insurance license at age 20) she decided she would rather work with business owners than a husband-and-wife team gathered around the conference room table.

“Business owners just seem to get it and understand why insurance and financial services is important,” she explained. “And this led me down the path to employee benefits, because I could then work with business owners on a regular basis. My problem was I didn’t know anything about health insurance.”

Suffice it to say, she’s learned, first while serving the accounts of producers, and then becoming one herself.

Summing up her career to date, she said she always possessed an interest in financial services — and in selling — but needed some direction when it came to determining that this is what she should be selling.

Sales Force

Goodman’s story is somewhat similar. When she was told that she shouldn’t be behind a desk and should instead be out selling, she had her doubts, to say the least.

“I laughed and said ‘that’s ridiculous,’” she recalled. “I went home, and every single person in my family and personal world said ‘thank God you finally realized that you’re supposed to sell.’

“I started winning trips, doing great, and meeting all my numbers,” she went on, adding that she was recruited by another insurance company to grow personal lines before joining Gaudreau last April.

She said that while her story is unique in some ways, there are many women who don’t believe they should be in sales or financial services, for whatever reasons, and they are possibly overlooking a career option that enables them to put their strengths to work in a way that’s rewarding on many levels.

She summed it up by relating a recent meeting with a client that speaks to not only her acquired talents, but the basic skills possessed by many women — whether they know it or not.

“I sat down with a business owner and we walked through all of his insurance, and the end, he said ‘I have been waiting for years for someone like you to help me understand what I have, what I need, and what kind of coverage I should own.’

“I like that challenge,” she went on, hinting strongly that other women might, as well. “Every case for me is different, and I like solving the problem and closing the sale.”

MacKay echoed those thoughts, adding that sales work is, in many ways, entrepreneurial in nature, and many women have such tendencies — again, whether they know it or not.

“I came from a family of all entrepreneurs,” she said, noting that they all own different court-reporting operations. “So I grew up with the entrepreneurial spirit of freedom of work, working for yourself, making your own decisions about how you spend your valuable time.

“This role here allows me the best of both worlds,” she went on. “I get to work for an employer where there’s training and there’s leadership, and someone to hold my hand and teach me new things, so I’m not completely out there on my own. But as a producer, I’m in charge of my own income destiny, I’m in charge of my own time, I can make my own decisions about what I want to be and what I want to do. Many women would thrive in such situations.”

The Bottom Line

MacKay actually eschewed the Lexus in favor of a BMW. But the point to the exercise hasn’t changed, even if the hood ornament has.

There are rewards in sales and across the broad financial services sector, she and the others we spoke with said using one clear voice. Sometimes women get into this field by accident, but success doesn’t come accidentally.

It comes from hard work, listening to the client, and working in a partnership to solve a problem. These are talents that most women possess or can attain, and therefore they should not close the door on this career option.

By being proactive — and entrepreneurial — they can further retire that phrase ‘insurance man.’

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

Building Permits

Building Permits Departments

The following building permits were issued during the months of October and November 2016.

Agawam

OMG
153 Bowles Road
$600,000 — Construct structure over tank

OMG
153 Bowles Road
$900,000 — Alteration to existing building

Pride
6 North Westfield St.
$3,000 — Remodel interior for Dunkin’ Donuts moving out

Amherst

Amherst College
220 South Pleasant St.
$91,000 — Replace all windows, rebuild back stairs, replace all interior trim

Amherst College
220 South Pleasant St.
$25,000 — Subdivide existing space for a classroom in Mead Art Building

Amherst College
220 South Pleasant St.
$129,000 — Steel canopy structure

Grace Episcopal Church
14 Boltwood Ave.
$1,100 — Repair front porch

PJC Riverside Partners LLC
27 Montague Road
$168,874 — Repaving of existing property

Deerfield

Atlantic Furniture
5 Industrial Dr. West
$26,000 — Sheet metal

Deerfield Academy
488 Greenfield Road
$5,299 — Attic and basement insulation

Habitat Post & Beam
21 B Elm St.
$10,000 — Interior renovations

East Longmeadow

Charles Richard
40 Baldwin St.
$86,000 — New commercial warehouse

Greenfield

278-302 Main St. LLC
278 Main St.
$30,000 — Replace windows

Green River Cemetery Assoc.
56 Wisdom Way
$15,125 — Roofing

Martin’s Farm
341 Plain Road
$13,000 — Construct office addition

Hadley

Comfort Inn
237 Russell St.
$5,000 — Increase existing window opening to allow for installation of new laundry equipment

Hadley Garden Center
285 Russell St.
$8,400 — Replace greenhouse roof with metal roofing

Big Y Supermarket
Russell Street
$147,400 — Interior alterations to existing supermarket

Pet Hotel
155 Russell St.
$110,000 — Install new gas-fired heating, cooling, and ventilating unit

Longmeadow

GPT Longmeadow LLC
738 Bliss Road
$324,500 — Complete interior finishes to newly constructed J.Crew store

GPT Longmeadow LLC
746 Bliss Road
$744,500 — Complete interior finishes to new CVS pharmacy

Ludlow

Edward Godin
1077 Center St.
$31,500 — Solar panels

Key Bank
314 Center St.
$20,000 — Signs (four illuminated, two non-illuminated)

Millerwood Properties
45 Ravenwood Dr.
$35,000 — Cell-tower alterations

Sprint
456 C Center St.
$125,000 — New construction

Northampton

Coca-Cola Co.
45 Industrial Dr.
$57,000 — Remove section of wall to replace old tanks

Congregation B’Nai Israel
253 Prospect St.
$10,000 — Greenhouse

Linda Manor LLC
349 Haydenville Road
$38,000 — Renovation

Northampton Historical Society
46 Bridge St.
$7,700 — Insulate basement walls of Damon House

ServiceNet
131 King St.
$5,000 — Replace windows

Smith College
30 Belmont Ave.
$26,000 — Construct new handicap ramp

Palmer

Baldyga’s Auto Body
1360 Park St.
$233,500 — Interior buildout for new body shop

Baldyga’s Auto Body
1360 Park St.
$39,463 — Sprinkler system

Camp Ramah
39 Bennett St.
$124,800 — Install new foundation for cafeteria

Girly’s Grill
1315 Park St.
$4,200 — Replace bulkhead

Palmer Green Associates LP
1 Beacon Dr.
$77,500 — Sheet-metal work for renovations at Palmer Green

Pride Limited Partnership
1047 Thorndike St.
$107,000 — Construct new waiting area and consult room for Rite Aid

Pride Limited Partnership
1033 Thorndike St.
$1,400 — Repair and replace roof

South Hadley

Maraline Development Corp.
21 Industrial Dr.
$6,400 — Install new door with exit signage

Mount Holyoke College
50 College St.
$4,437,846 — Blanchard Hall community dining project, foundation and structural steel

Southwick

Black Rabbit Farm
358 North Loomis St.
$297,000 — Farm store and brewery

Dollar Tree
515 College Highway
$184,000 — Retail store

Springfield

Baystate Health
257 Marvin St.
$2,979,271 — Erect new combined heat and power plant

Columbia Gas
2025 Roosevelt Ave.
$50,000 — Install foundation for mechanics shop addition to materials depot building

Greylock Group LLC
170 Switzer Ave.
$178,200 — Build garage

Mental Health Assoc.
995 Worthington St.
$770,000 — Erect community center building

Western New England College
1215 Wilbraham Road
$50,000 — Place modular solar lab on concrete piers

Ware

Baystate Mary Lane Hospital
85 South St.
$118,810 — Re-roof Davis Building

Country Bank
15 South St.
$125,000 — Interior renovations

Dunkin’ Donuts
139 West St.
$18,000 — HVAC; replace three rooftop units

West Springfield

Berkshire Bank
220 Westfield St.
$2,100 — Strip and re-roof existing accessory structure

Christy Real Estate
136 Bliss St.
$1,200 — Build four dressing rooms; other renovations

Farmington Savings Bank
85 Elm St.
$56,995 — Roofing and insulation

Welcome Inn
2033 Riverdale St.
$20,000 — Strip and replace shingle roof

Wilbraham

Ampersand Collins Hydro LLC
176 Cottage Ave.
$69,405 — Roof-mounted solar system

Penalty Increases, Electronic Reporting and Much, Much More

Law Sections

OSHA’s Big Year

By John Gannon, Esq. and Susan Fentin, Esq.

John S. Gannon

Susan G. Fentin

Over the past several months, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced a number of regulatory changes that may have slipped under your radar during the summer season.

The changes are not favorable to the business community and may call for significant changes to your workplace practices.

Increased penalties

Effective August 1, 2016, OSHA’s maximum fines for safety violations went up a massive 78%. Serious violations, which previously maxed out at $7,000 per violation, will now increase to maximum of $12,471 per violation.

Similarly, the failure-to-abate penalty will also max out at $12,471 per day, which is up from $7,000. Willful and repeat violations will cap at $124,709 per violation, which is up from $70,000. Given the dramatic increase, employers should consider auditing workplace safety practices to evaluate OSHA citation risk.

Electronic reporting data available to the public

OSHA also announced a final rule back in May 2016 that will require certain employers to electronically submit worker injury and illness data starting in 2017. Notably, OSHA intends to post this information on a website available to the public. This means the information will be instantaneously available to other interested parties, including customers, competitors, attorneys and union organizers.

Contractors reviewing project bids may consider this information as part of the bidding process. The agency explained that it will post the data on its public website so that “prospective employees [can] identify workplaces where their risk of injury is lowest.”

Employers that are not exempt from OSHA’s injury and illness record-keeping rules are already required to keep track of their workers’ injuries and illnesses in what is commonly called an “OSHA log.” However, only certain serious injuries currently require direct reporting to OSHA, such as work-related fatalities, amputations and inpatient hospitalizations.

The new rule will require non-exempt employers to directly report far more injury and illnesses data on an annual basis.

The reporting frequency and content will vary depending on the size and industry of the business. Establishments with 250 or more employees that are currently required to keep OSHA injury and illness records must electronically submit information from all OSHA Forms 300 —including Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses); Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses); and Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report) — by July 1 each year. However, in 2017, only information on the Form 300A will need to be submitted. Establishments with 20-249 employees that are classified in a high-hazard industry with historically high rates of occupational injuries and illnesses only need to electronically submit information from OSHA Form 300A.

Employers can find out whether their industry is classified as high-hazard by visiting this website: https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/NAICScodesforelectronicsubmission.pdf

Reporting of workplace injuries

The electronic reporting rule also includes provisions aimed at improving safety without discouraging employee reporting of injuries. The “anti-retaliation” language is meant to protect employees from being punished for reporting workplace injuries.

For example, the rule requires employers to inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses free from retaliation, which many employers already do in a company handbook. However, the rule also states that several common practices may be deemed retaliatory, including:

• Automatically conducting post-accident drug testing of injured employees;

• Maintaining rules or policies that discipline employees who do not immediately report workplace injuries; and

• Maintaining incentive programs that reward employees for experiencing no recordable workplace injuries or illnesses.

The limitation on post-accident drug testing has caused the most concern within the business community. OSHA explained that post-accident testing is not prohibited outright. Instead, according to the agency, testing should be limited to situations where drug use is likely to have contributed to the accident.

For example, if the employer has reasonable suspicion to suspect the accident is linked to drug use, testing would be permissible. Factual circumstances surrounding the accident, such as odor or bloodshot eyes, may give rise to reasonable suspicion of drug use. Employers should consider implementing a drug-testing policy into their handbook or policy manual that addresses reasonable suspicion testing.

Although the new rule has no impact on random testing, Massachusetts employers must remember that random drug testing is only permissible in limited circumstances.

The anti-retaliation provisions of the final rule were originally set to take effect in August 2016, but have been delayed until Nov. 1, 2016, so that OSHA can “conduct additional outreach and provide educational materials and guidance for employers.” Even so, employers that engage in any of the practices listed above should consult with employment counsel.

John S. Gannon is an associate at the firm of Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C.; (413) 737-4753; [email protected]. Attorney Susan G. Fentin has been a partner at Skoler, Abbott & Presser since 2004. Her practice concentrates on labor and employment counseling, advising large and small employers on their responsibilities and obligations under state and federal employment laws, and representing employers before state and federal agencies and in court. She speaks frequently to employer groups, conducts training on avoiding problems in employment law, and teaches master classes on both the FMLA and ADA; [email protected]; (413) 737-4753.

Chamber Corners

Chamber Corners Departments

AMHERST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.amherstarea.com
(413) 253-0700

• Dec. 2: 40th Year Merry Maple Celebrates, 3-6:30 p.m., on the Amherst Town Common. Please come join us during the traditional lighting of the downtown tree on the Amherst Commons. The Amherst Fire Station will have an open house, followed by hay rides from Muddy Brook Farms, crafts in the Amherst Town Hall for children, the Amherst Regional Middle School Chorus will join us on the front steps of the Town Hall and warm the air with holidays songs. All can enjoy the UMass Marching Band followed by the big moment, the tree lighting. Hot apple cider and cider doughnuts will be sold by the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, donated by Atkins Farms Country Market.
Cost: Free and open to the public. There are still sponsorship opportunities available for this event; please contact the Chamber office (413) 253-0700 or e-mail [email protected].

• Dec. 12: Holiday After 5 & AmherstWorks Ribbon Cutting 5 p.m.-7 p.m., at AmherstWorks, 11 Amity St., Amherst. Sponsored by: PeoplesBank and Young Professionals of Amherst. Please join the Amherst Area Chamber and the Young Professionals of Amherst at our annual holiday party sponsored by PeoplesBank. Mid-December is an ideal time of year to see familiar faces, build fresh relationships, and be part of the fun as we welcome new members to the chamber. As a special feature that evening, we’ll also be cutting the ribbon of Amherst’s new co-working space, AmherstWorks. Tours of the facility will be available and everyone will have a chance to win one of our special holiday raffle prizes.
Cost: $10/members, $15/non-members. Register online at www.amherstarea.com or call (413) 253-0700

EAST OF THE RIVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE/ERC 5
www.erc5.com
(413) 575-7230

• Dec. 6: ERC5 Holiday Government Party, 5-7 p.m., at Pasquale’s Restaurant and Tavern, 642 North Main St., East Longmeadow. Come one and all for a fun-filled and informative night of networking at Pasquale’s Restaurant & Tavern in East Longmeadow. The ERC5 has invited elected officials and department heads from our five towns. Cost: $25/members, $35/non-members. Register online at www.erc5.com Sponsorships available.

FRANKLIN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.franklincc.org
(413) 773-5463

• Dec. 16: 34th Annual FCCC Holiday Breakfast & The Recorder “Citizen of the Year” Award, 7:20-9:05 a.m. Hosted by; Deerfield Academy Dining Commons, Albany Road, Deerfield. Come celebrate the holidays with Franklin County Chamber of Commerce members, employees and guests, at a sumptuous breakfast buffet provided by Deerfield Academy. Gary Maynard & Friends will perform seasonal musical entertainment before and during breakfast through the generosity of The Skip Hammond Family. Cost: $25/members and their employees, $28/non-members. All breakfast reservations must be paid by Dec. 12 unless other arrangements are made with the chamber office. Reserve by Dec. 10; call (413) 773-5463.

• Dec. 1: Workshop: Business Basics, 9-11:15 a.m., at the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Conference Room, 395 Main St., Greenfield — Masonic Hall Condominium Building. Learn the whole nine yards of starting a business. This free workshop, presented by Allen B. Kronick, Senior Business Advisor, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network Western Regional Office, will focus on business fundamentals, from startup considerations to business plan development and funding sources. It is designed for owners of existing businesses as well as those who are planning to start one. The workshop will help entrepreneurs write a business plan and provide structure to starting/managing their venture. Cost: No charge, but pre-registration is required. Register online at www.franklincc.org.

GREATER CHICOPEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.chicopeechamber.org

(413) 594-2101

• Dec. 1: Holiday Party, 4:30-6:30 p.m., at the Collegian Court, 89 Park St., Chicopee. Sponsored by PeoplesBank. Enjoy hors’ douevres, cash bar, door prize, and wish each other a wonderful holiday season and New Year. Door-prize entry with business card, win a beautiful holiday decoration made by Heidi. Cost: Free for all chamber members to attend. Register by emailing [email protected]

GREATER HOLYOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.holyokechamber.com
(413) 534-3376

• Dec. 21: Chamber After Hours December 2016, 5-7 p.m. Sponsored and Hosted by the Delaney House, Three Country Club Road, Holyoke. This business networking event in a festive atmosphere includes a 50/50 raffle, door prizes, and money (scratch ticket) wreath. Cost: $10/members, $15/non-members. Public registration has closed. Call (413) 534-3376 for more information.

GREATER NORTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.explorenorthampton.com
(413) 584-1900

• Dec. 9: Microsoft Excel: Tips, Tricks & Shortcuts, 9-11 a.m., at the
Northampton Chamber of Commerce, 325A King Street, Northampton, MA 0106. Sponsored by: Pioneer Training. This workshop will present our favorite tips, tricks and shortcuts that we have collected and developed over 15 years of teaching and using Microsoft Excel. Topics will include shortcuts for selecting ranges, using Autofill to create a series of dates or numbers, setting the print area, using page break preview, adding headers and footers, and using page layout view. This workshop is full.

• Dec. 7: Arrive @ 5, 5-7p.m., at Silverscape Design, 1 King St., Northampton. Sponsored by: BusinessWest, Johnson & Hill Staffing Service, PeoplesBank, and WEEI. Arrive when you can, stay as long as you can. A casual mix and mingle with your colleagues and friends. Cost: $10/members. Register online at www.explorenorthampton.com.

GREATER WESTFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.westfieldbiz.org
(413) 568-1618

• Dec. 5: Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 8-9 a.m., at Behavioral Health Network, Inc., 77 Mill Street, Westfield. Please join us for our monthly Mayor’s Coffee Hour with Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan. Cost: Free and open to the public. Call Pam at the chamber office at (413) 568-1618 to register for this event so we may give our host a head count.

• Dec. 16: Holiday Chamber Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., at Tekoa Country Club, 459 Russell Road, Westfield. Sponsored by: Westfield State University, Baystate Health, Savage Arms, Easthampton Savings Bank, and Walmart. A 50/50 raffle will support two Citizen’s Scholarships. As this event gets closer, online registration will be made available. Cost: $25/members, $30/non-members, For more information or to donate a door prize for the event, please call Pam at the chamber at (413) 568-1618.

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CHAMBER
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• Dec. 13: Ladies Networking Night, 5-7 p.m. Hosted by: Cooper’s Curtains & Gifts 161 Main St, Agawam. This event will be featuring special sale items from their extensive collection of gifts, home and women’s apparel. Make new friends, create business contacts, enjoy the refreshments and celebrate the season. Cost: Free admission

QUABOAG HILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.qhma.com
(413) 283-2418

• Dec. 4: Holiday Open House, 1:30-3:30 p.m., at Keep Homestead Museum, 35 Ely Road, Monson. Holiday Open House with Gay Palach at the piano for a sing-a-long Cost: Free, donations accepted.

• Dec. 8: Christmas Concert and Dinner, 6-9 p.m., at Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge. Experience an evening of festive cocktails, fine dining and a special holiday concert presented by The Worcester Chamber Society, a mixed classical chamber ensemble performing selections of Baroque music with a holiday theme. Learn more about The Worcester Chamber Society at http://worcesterchambermusic.org/ Menu: 1st course: Tossed mixed greens with Parmesan Tuile; entrée: Braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables (vegetarian entrée available by request); dessert: Chocolate peppermint cake. Cost: $55/Old Sturbridge Village members; $65/non-members. Register online at https://www.osv.org/event/christmas-dinner-concert-2016.

• Dec. 10 and 11: Fall Workshop Showcase 2016, 7 p.m. on Dec. 10 and 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 11, at the Palmer Historical & Cultural Center 2072 Main St., Three Rivers. Greene Room Productions acting students and the GRP Professional Youth Acting Troupe Kids Tour join to perform a wonderful evening of family friendly entertainment. Visit www.qhma.com for show details. Cost: $6-$15. Contact Erin Wallace at (413) 668-7284 for more information.

SOUTH HADLEY & GRANBY CHAMBER
www.shgchamber.com
(413) 532-6451

• Dec. 2: 28th Annual Holiday Stroll — Photos with Santa, 5:45-7:30 p.m., at South Hadley Town Common at the Intersection of Route 116 and 47. The event begins at 5:45 p.m. with the Michael E. Smith Middle School Choir, then Santa lights the Holiday Tree at 6 p.m. There will be a parade down Route 116 with Santa and the elves. The evening includes music from the South Hadley Community Band and the Berkshire Hills Music Academy. Parents can take a photograph of the kids with Santa, and more. It’s a great family event.

• Dec. 7: Networking event, noon, at Yarde Tavern 3 Hadley St, South Hadley. Network and meet new people. We suggest you bring some business cards. If you really want to make your mark, have a one-minute elevator pitch ready during introductions. Show up with a friend or colleague if you like, and make some new friends and business relationships. Who knows what positive results will happen next. Cost: Free to attend. RSVP to [email protected].

SPRINGFIELD REGIONAL CHAMBER
www.myonlinechamber.com
(413) 787-1555

• Dec. 7: SRC December 2016 Business@Breakfast, 7:15-9 a.m., at the
Log Cabin, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke. Sponsored by United Personnel. ‘Generational Differences in the Workplace,’ panel presentation. Millennials in the workplace — how are you changing your recruitment and on-boarding processes to attract this new population? Once they are on board, what steps are you taking from an employee engagement perspective to keep them happy? Learn from some of the senior HR professionals in the region on how to integrate Millennials into your workplace with the GenX and Baby Boomer employees, the positive impacts the generation is having on your workplace, and the biggest challenges you face as you integrate multiple generations to work together. Saluting Robinson Donovan — 150 years & Collins Electric — 110 years. Emcee, Ryan Smith, “The Voice the Thunderbirds.” Cost: $22.50/members in advance ($25 at door), $30 General admission in advance ($35 at door). Public registration is closed.

• Dec. 14: Springfield Regional Chamber “The Art of Networking” After 5. 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Hosted by: Ninth Floor Art Gallery, 1350 Main Street, Springfield
Cost: $5/members, $10/non-members. Reservations may be made online at www.springfieldregionalchamber.com

WEST OF THE RIVER
www.ourwrc.com
413-426-3880

• Dec. 7: 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Wicked Wednesday, hosted by: Farmington Bank, 85 Elm St., West Springfield. Wicked Wednesdays are monthly social events, hosted by various businesses and restaurants. These events bring members and non-members together to social network in a laid-back atmosphere. Cost; Free/member, $10/non-members (Event is open to the public-must pay at the door if you’re a non-member) For more information contact the chamber office at 413-426-3880 or email us at [email protected]

• Dec. 15: 12 p.m.-2 p.m., Google Lunch Seminar/SCORE, Hosted by: West Springfield Public Library-Community Room, 200 Park St, West Springfield, Let SCORE give valuable tips on how to effectively use GOOGLE to market your business. Cost: Free
Register online: www.westoftheriverchamber.com or call 414-426-3880

• Feb. 9: 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m., Multi-Chamber Lunch N Learn Seminar on Roberts Rules of Order, hosted by: Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave, West Springfield. Enjoy lunch while learning about Roberts Rules of Order with guest speaker, Robert MacDonald. Cost: $35 per guest – Sponsorship Opportunities are available for this event. For more information contact the chamber office at 413-426-3880 or email us at [email protected]

• Feb. 22: 7 a.m.-9 a.m., Legislative Breakfast, hosted by: Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave, West Springfield. The Breakfast will have a panel of various legislatures and our Mayors discussing community concerns, giving updates on our towns, and taking Q&A from the audience. Cost: $30/members $35/non-members. Register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com or contact the chamber office at 413-426-3880 or email us at [email protected]

Real Estate Transactions

Departments Real Estate

The following real estate transactions (latest available) were compiled by Banker & Tradesman and are published as they were received. Only transactions exceeding $115,000 are listed. Buyer and seller fields contain only the first name listed on the deed.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

ASHFIELD

605 Old Stage Road
Ashfield, MA 01330
Amount: $215,000
Buyer: Joshua F. Lemay
Seller: Michael S. Bromberg
Date: 10/31/16

BUCKLAND

75 Elm St.
Buckland, MA 01338
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Mary Knipe
Seller: Robert D. Howson LT
Date: 10/28/16

COLRAIN

429 Main Road
Colrain, MA 01340
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Robert H. Bennett
Seller: FNMA
Date: 10/31/16

CHARLEMONT

8 Mountain Road
Charlemont, MA 01339
Amount: $196,649
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Sarah J. Prince
Date: 10/17/16

DEERFIELD

14 Hoosac Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Kelley A. Sagan
Seller: Melissa Jane Gardiner RET
Date: 10/24/16

30 Old Main St.
Deerfield, MA 01342
Amount: $1,882,500
Buyer: Deerfield Academy
Seller: Richard W. Wilby
Date: 10/27/16

ERVING

35 River Road
Erving, MA 01344
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Jessie Sutherland
Seller: Alan N. Emond
Date: 10/31/16

GILL

21 Camp Road
Gill, MA 01354
Amount: $159,000
Buyer: Dylan C. Grigsby
Seller: Norman P. Coburn
Date: 10/20/16

GREENFIELD

577 Bernardston Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $199,000
Buyer: Vaughan L. Thompson
Seller: Gregory A. Larouche
Date: 10/31/16

9 Devens St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: W&W Realty LLC
Seller: Lamar Realty LLC
Date: 10/28/16

80 Ferrante Ave.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $194,000
Buyer: Marilyn O. Jacque
Seller: Melissa Bourbeau
Date: 10/31/16

47 Lincoln St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $169,400
Buyer: Tess A. Champoux
Seller: Tamara A. Beauregard
Date: 10/24/16

63 Main St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $6,355,597
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: FL Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/20/16

122 Main St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: Richard W. Wilby
Seller: Stanton E. Abrahamson
Date: 10/28/16

192 Plain Road
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $251,000
Buyer: Brandon V. Toponce
Seller: Kelli M. Steele
Date: 10/21/16

39 Riddell St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $147,000
Buyer: Elizabeth M. Diamond
Seller: Timothy R. Putnam
Date: 10/26/16

46 Sauter Lane
Greenfield, MA 01301
Amount: $220,900
Buyer: Donald L. Babets
Seller: Gail M. Hescock
Date: 10/21/16

HAWLEY

213 West Hawley Road
Hawley, MA 01339
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Richard G. Fried
Seller: Lorraine Marx-Singer
Date: 10/21/16

LEVERETT

9 Number 6 Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $164,000
Buyer: Ashley M. Hanas
Seller: Kristin V. Sheedy
Date: 10/19/16

Teawaddle Hill Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Amount: $231,900
Buyer: Janet S. Pozar
Seller: Timothy H. Hiebert TR 2007
Date: 10/21/16

MONROE

12 Main Road
Monroe, MA 01350
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: John J. Caron
Seller: Kurt D. Gagne
Date: 10/17/16

MONTAGUE

57 Avenue A
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Lin H. Zhang
Seller: Lin Feng
Date: 10/20/16

12 Federal St.
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Nationstar Mortgage LLC
Seller: John W. Lapinski
Date: 10/18/16

23 G St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Amanda L. Nash
Seller: Karlson Properties LLC
Date: 10/18/16

2 Henry Ave.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Henry W. Longley
Seller: Robert F. Pogoda
Date: 10/27/16

Industrial Blvd.
Montague, MA 01351
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: Town Of Montague
Seller: River Bluff Realty LLC
Date: 10/31/16

130 L St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $6,355,597
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/20/16

178 L St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Michael R. Pendriss
Seller: Laurie J. Callahan
Date: 10/18/16

79 L St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $6,355,597
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/20/16

83 L St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $6,355,597
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/20/16

65 Millers Falls Road
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Paula A. Gagnon
Seller: Chester Chin
Date: 10/28/16

6 Unity St.
Montague, MA 01376
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: David Hentz
Seller: James C. Tower
Date: 10/31/16

209 Wendell Road
Montague, MA 01349
Amount: $134,400
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Jason A. Tuthill
Date: 10/20/16

NEW SALEM

9 Earl Whitaker Road
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $182,500
Buyer: Daniel A. Bartlett
Seller: Katherine L. Doyle
Date: 10/31/16

17 West Main St.
New Salem, MA 01355
Amount: $218,000
Buyer: Amy J. Zurba
Seller: Dennis P. O’Loughlin
Date: 10/31/16

NORTHFIELD

4 Main St.
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Randolph D. Brown
Seller: Joseph Medeiros
Date: 10/24/16

629 Mount Hermon Station Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $157,500
Buyer: Bowie L. Thornton
Seller: Dwayne E. Sirum
Date: 10/20/16

288 Winchester Road
Northfield, MA 01360
Amount: $299,000
Buyer: Melissa Goodhind
Seller: Shawn B. Shippee
Date: 10/31/16

ORANGE

64 Briggs St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $208,000
Buyer: Bryan J. Long
Seller: Briggs Street RT
Date: 10/17/16

25 Camp Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: James P. Fennelly
Seller: Matthew G. Blanchard
Date: 10/17/16

202 Daniel Shays Hwy.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $141,000
Buyer: Randall Croto
Seller: Cathy A. Preston
Date: 10/27/16

299 East Road
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $118,000
Buyer: Dale Rice
Seller: Michele A. Sabourin
Date: 10/26/16

140 Prentiss St.
Orange, MA 01364
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: Reginaldo Schwanz
Seller: Jamie J. Scibelli
Date: 10/27/16

SHELBURNE

264 Bardwells Ferry Road
Shelburne, MA 01370
Amount: $287,500
Buyer: Fernanda Harrington
Seller: Mary R. Torras TR
Date: 10/19/16

705 Little Mohawk Road
Shelburne, MA 01340
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Lorraine A. Thibault
Seller: Alexander Macleish-Zale
Date: 10/28/16

SHUTESBURY

35 Hidden Meadow Road
Shutesbury, MA 01072
Amount: $745,000
Buyer: Ajay Khashu
Seller: M. Hendricks NT
Date: 10/19/16

SUNDERLAND

45 Plumtree Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $234,500
Buyer: Jessica A. Fydenkevez
Seller: Rice, Cynthia L., (Estate)
Date: 10/31/16

130 Plumtree Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $334,000
Buyer: Vrishali Javeri
Seller: Scott R. Ingram
Date: 10/17/16

83 Russell St.
Sunderland, MA 01375
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Thomas J. Russo
Seller: Paul Bolte
Date: 10/17/16

WHATELY

136 Haydenville Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Quintin J. Clough
Seller: Roger W. Trudeau
Date: 10/28/16

33 Laurel Mountain Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Madeleine Geschwind
Seller: David J. Dunny
Date: 10/31/16

372 State Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $6,355,597
Buyer: CH Realty 7 & CG Mact Bird
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/20/16

148 Westbrook Road
Whately, MA 01093
Amount: $373,000
Buyer: Enace J. Lococo
Seller: Keith A. Jenkins
Date: 10/21/16

HAMPDEN COUNTY

AGAWAM

10 Abbey Lane
Agawam, MA 01001
Seller: Jeffery J. Dubiel
Date: 10/31/16
Amount: $415,000
Buyer: Kelly A. Passerini

28 Alhambra Circle South
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Dundar Ozdemir
Seller: Beverly Hollman-Hoekstra
Date: 10/28/16

487 East Columbus Ave.
Agawam, MA 01105
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

6 Lealand Ave.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

123 Meadowbrook Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Steven M. Signet
Seller: Domenick J. Pinsao
Date: 10/31/16

520 Montgomery St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

667 North St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Joseph D. Bushey
Seller: Katherine D. Diroma
Date: 10/28/16

82 Northwood St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $179,900
Buyer: Nathaniel J. Ehle
Seller: Mary A. Knowles
Date: 10/28/16

10 South Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

6-10 South Westfield St.
Agawam, MA 01030
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

62 Suffield St.
Agawam, MA 01001
Amount: $257,250
Buyer: Roy Properties LLC
Seller: Kimball Realty Group LLC
Date: 10/24/16

BLANDFORD

3 Wyman Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Amount: $179,300
Buyer: Jeremy M. Pienkowski
Seller: Helen E. Flyte
Date: 10/24/16

BRIMFIELD

71 East Hill Road
Brimfield, MA 01010
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: James J. Fitzpatrick
Seller: Andrew Cahill
Date: 10/26/16

CHICOPEE

49 6th Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $192,000
Buyer: Jessica C. Clark
Seller: Zyndorski, Thomas J., (Estate)
Date: 10/27/16

70 Barre Circle
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $292,000
Buyer: Maritza A. Reyes
Seller: Gerard J. Lacasse
Date: 10/26/16

106 Beauregard Terrace
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Doris Dygon
Date: 10/31/16

21 Belmont St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Pedro Rodriguez-Alamo
Seller: Stanley J. Mrzyglod
Date: 10/27/16

77 Bostwick Lane
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: John H. Dion
Seller: Lisa A. Midura
Date: 10/20/16

11 Boutin St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Kenny A. Young
Seller: US Bank
Date: 10/21/16

203 Buckley Blvd.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Maureen Kennedy
Seller: Eric K. Guilbert
Date: 10/26/16

50 Calvin St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Joseph W. Pieczarka
Seller: Miroslawa Mazgula
Date: 10/31/16

Cochran St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Viktoriya Gladysh
Seller: Pragosa, Antonio C., (Estate)
Date: 10/20/16

70 Deroy Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Jaleel Dewberry
Seller: Joseph E. Bielin
Date: 10/26/16

45 Dresser Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $136,320
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: James F. Hebert
Date: 10/18/16

31 Eldridge St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Steven P. Davis
Seller: Paul J. Shephard
Date: 10/21/16

15 Franklin St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Stanley H. Czaplicki
Seller: Fregeau Associates Inc.
Date: 10/18/16

529 Front St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Peter Surreira
Seller: Nursing Registry Inc.
Date: 10/28/16

78 Gelinas Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $226,000
Buyer: Maria G. Koziol
Seller: David T. Bunten
Date: 10/28/16

80 Hajec Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Frederick J. Skrabely
Seller: Joseph M. Trojanowski
Date: 10/25/16

14 Harrison Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $136,000
Buyer: Nathaniel M. Mish
Seller: Andrew L. Noga
Date: 10/26/16

48 Hillman St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $178,000
Buyer: Harry E. Santiago
Seller: Gail J. Fitzpatrick
Date: 10/18/16

232 Lafayette St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Kassem Z. Kabbout
Seller: Jaafar Hamadeh
Date: 10/19/16

18 Lemay St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Juan Rentas
Seller: Alicia Robert
Date: 10/20/16

30 Loomis Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: William P. Millette
Seller: Lechowicz, Adam, (Estate)
Date: 10/20/16

14 Macek Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Alexandra E. Valcourt
Seller: Darlene M. Gill
Date: 10/20/16

159 Meadow St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $178,500
Buyer: Kash Reddy LLC
Seller: White Birch Garden Apts.
Date: 10/21/16

2012 Memorial Dr.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

10 Myrtle St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Lizanne Padilla
Seller: Anthony Resnick
Date: 10/21/16

292 New Ludlow Road
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: House Of Refuge International Inc.
Seller: Fairview American Legion
Date: 10/31/16

759 Pendleton Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $164,900
Buyer: Gerald H. Lane
Seller: Ryan A. Andrews
Date: 10/26/16

35 Reedstone Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Joann E. Cibelli
Seller: MA Home Buyers LLC
Date: 10/31/16

31 Southwick St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Viktoriya Gladysh
Seller: Pragosa, Antonio C., (Estate)
Date: 10/20/16

72 Summit Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $158,000
Buyer: Stephen G. Peterson
Seller: Gary D. Ogulewicz
Date: 10/31/16

271 Wheatland Ave.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Pavlo Tsykhotskyy
Seller: Edward S. Bury
Date: 10/28/16

89 Woodcrest Circle
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Annette L. Menard
Seller: Wilmington Savings
Date: 10/31/16

5 Woodlawn St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Ali A. Bahadly
Seller: Natalya Stelmashova
Date: 10/28/16

EAST LONGMEADOW

45 Bayne St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $193,000
Buyer: Christina E. Daviaux
Seller: Xiu P. Lin
Date: 10/26/16

32 Fenway Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $350,000
Buyer: Taylor M. Foy
Seller: James A. Campion
Date: 10/24/16

54 Franconia Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $309,000
Buyer: Esa Ly
Seller: Daniela R. Labarre
Date: 10/31/16

18 Holy Cross Circle
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $179,000
Buyer: Danny M. Arlin
Seller: Luigi Leone
Date: 10/28/16

10 Lynwood Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $126,000
Buyer: Jeffrey J. Timm
Seller: Jeffrey J. Ethier
Date: 10/28/16

69 Maplehurst Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $138,000
Buyer: Quang Luu
Seller: Lena M. Maruca
Date: 10/31/16

204 North Main St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

17 Orchard Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $367,500
Buyer: Christopher W. Mailman
Seller: John F. St.Clair
Date: 10/28/16

157 Smith Ave.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $211,200
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Bilal Khalid
Date: 10/21/16

52 Somers Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $154,900
Buyer: Chester Chin
Seller: Mark D. Nooney
Date: 10/28/16

49 Speight Arden
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Nathan J. Lavallee
Seller: Wendy A. Crutchfield
Date: 10/28/16

23 Villanova St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01108
Amount: $234,000
Buyer: Corey P. Lynch
Seller: James F. Stanek
Date: 10/26/16

1 Winterberry Lane
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Amount: $417,000
Buyer: Michael F. Welsh
Seller: Gary D. Poehler
Date: 10/25/16

HAMPDEN

205 Glendale Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $469,000
Buyer: Bryan C. Worley
Seller: Mark M. Silva
Date: 10/31/16

212 Glendale Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Beverly M. Hartwell
Date: 10/26/16

500 Glendale Road
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $269,000
Buyer: Joshua A. Cusson
Seller: Marilyn P. Wood
Date: 10/21/16

70 Valleyview Dr.
Hampden, MA 01036
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Silvia A. Galvan
Seller: Michael Grossi
Date: 10/20/16

HOLLAND

2 Old County Way
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Rebecca A. Perri
Seller: Maple Ledge Associates
Date: 10/17/16

16 Shore Dr.
Holland, MA 01521
Amount: $172,500
Buyer: Jason C. Spratt
Seller: David J. Chartier
Date: 10/25/16

HOLYOKE

132-134 Beech St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Randolf N. Cartagena
Seller: Maritza A. Reyes
Date: 10/26/16

8 Cranberry Dr.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Karen M. Clark
Seller: Susan E. Krom
Date: 10/27/16

439 High St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: JFR Investment Inc.
Seller: Nuevo Cuba Supermercado
Date: 10/28/16

47-49 Hitchcock St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $132,000
Buyer: Bank Of New York Mellon
Seller: Christopher P. Labelle
Date: 10/20/16

218 Madison Ave. West
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $296,556
Buyer: PHH Mortgage Corp.
Seller: Jane Odil-White
Date: 10/24/16

74 Madison Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $223,000
Buyer: Michael G. Corduff
Seller: Hassan, William E., (Estate)
Date: 10/21/16

845-851 Main St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $589,000
Buyer: CIG 3 LLC
Seller: Holyoke Jerome Realty
Date: 10/21/16

853-855 Main St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $589,000
Buyer: CIG 3 LLC
Seller: Holyoke Jerome Realty
Date: 10/21/16

1632 Northampton St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Galieo Way LLC
Seller: Almark Realty LLP
Date: 10/31/16

32 Norwood Terrace
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Jabet Lopez
Seller: Adrian A. Swistak
Date: 10/31/16

9 Orchard St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $194,900
Buyer: Don R. Burelle
Seller: Thomas F. Glasheen
Date: 10/21/16

8 Roosevelt Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: PNC Bank NA
Seller: Elsie I. Irizarry
Date: 10/21/16

9 Ross Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $183,000
Buyer: Andrew Steplar
Seller: David Kadlewicz
Date: 10/27/16

46 Saint James Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Rebecca L. Farley-Dimino
Seller: Christopher Coffelt
Date: 10/31/16

45 Vernon St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $589,000
Buyer: CIG 3 LLC
Seller: Holyoke Jerome Realty
Date: 10/21/16

47-49 Vernon St.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $589,000
Buyer: CIG 3 LLC
Seller: Holyoke Jerome Realty
Date: 10/21/16

143 Whiting Farms Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Gary Rome
Seller: Geraldine A. Troie
Date: 10/17/16

LONGMEADOW

62 Bel Air Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Sole Realty LLC
Seller: Helen M. Strycharz
Date: 10/24/16

175 Brookwood Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Andrew K. Fortune
Seller: Richard P. MacDonald
Date: 10/17/16

47 Chatham Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $410,000
Buyer: Timothy P. Bombard
Seller: Stuart R. Chipkin
Date: 10/31/16

9 Churchill Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $560,000
Buyer: Joel Illouz
Seller: Harlan M. Wahrman
Date: 10/28/16

136 Franklin Road
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $296,000
Buyer: Angela R. Nunez-Vazquez
Seller: Deborah A. Grogan
Date: 10/31/16

27 Glenwood Circle
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Hugh L. Kirk
Seller: Christine A. Sanford
Date: 10/31/16

170 Hopkins Place
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $317,500
Buyer: Daniel R. Godbout
Seller: William Ames-McCormick
Date: 10/27/16

18 Osceola Lane
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $430,000
Buyer: Timothy S. Johnson
Seller: James M. Woolsey
Date: 10/26/16

60 Williston Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Amount: $618,000
Buyer: Gaurav Chawla
Seller: Deborah S. Anderson
Date: 10/31/16

LUDLOW

34 Adams St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Susan M. Moffett
Seller: John J. Collins
Date: 10/31/16

30 Americo St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Joao A. Dias
Seller: US Bank
Date: 10/20/16

425 Center St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

105 Clearwater Circle
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $324,900
Buyer: Joseph Alexander
Seller: Christopher A. Garrity
Date: 10/28/16

252 Elizabeth Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $359,000
Buyer: Sherrel Pinnock
Seller: Steven E. Pomerantz
Date: 10/28/16

308 Howard St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $184,900
Buyer: Terisha C. Farrell
Seller: Stacy A. Burgess
Date: 10/25/16

64 Irla Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $342,500
Buyer: Bruno J. Pula
Seller: John F. Muse
Date: 10/24/16

66 John St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Shelby J. Beauchemin
Seller: Sapphire Property Dev. LLC
Date: 10/17/16

Mariana Way #8
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Manuel M. Costa
Seller: M&G Investors LLC
Date: 10/20/16

36 Newbury St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: George H. Adams Jr RT
Seller: Antonio Carvalho
Date: 10/18/16

31 Stivens Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Christopher A. Garrity
Seller: Dolores M. Pouliot
Date: 10/31/16

695 West St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Michael A. Morais
Seller: William L. Laughlin
Date: 10/20/16

84 Westover Road
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $2,000,000
Buyer: Taxiway LLC
Seller: E&R Ludlow LP
Date: 10/31/16

20 White St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Maria D. Depina
Seller: Carmella A. Stebbins
Date: 10/28/16

28 Wood Dr.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Amount: $206,000
Buyer: Elisabete E. Goncalves
Seller: Catherine C. Brisson
Date: 10/31/16

MONSON

101 Carpenter Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Christopher R. Nothe
Seller: Sharon L. Bliss
Date: 10/31/16

8 Gates St.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Nelson L. Carpentier
Seller: Michael E. Griffin
Date: 10/17/16

92 Lakeshore Dr.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $248,243
Buyer: Bank New York Mellon
Seller: David B. Sullivan
Date: 10/25/16

16 Pease Ave.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $184,000
Buyer: Ross C. Flowers
Seller: Randy P. Pascale
Date: 10/31/16

100 Peck Brothers Road
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Pennymac Loan Services
Seller: Jose A. Diaz
Date: 10/28/16

23 Reynolds Ave.
Monson, MA 01057
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Nicolas Bates
Seller: Christopher P. Gaj
Date: 10/26/16

PALMER

232 Breckenridge St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $182,500
Buyer: Maple Ledge Associates
Seller: John Lizak Inc.
Date: 10/31/16

234 Breckenridge St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $182,500
Buyer: Maple Ledge Associates
Seller: John Lizak Inc.
Date: 10/31/16

3 Cedar Hill St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Brian M. Varney
Seller: Timothy J. Siddle
Date: 10/17/16

2095-2097 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Robert C. Desroches
Seller: Jeffrey A. Sansoucy
Date: 10/17/16

2338 Main St.
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $115,200
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Eileen M. Chesley
Date: 10/24/16

2 Mason St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $167,000
Buyer: Christopher A. Bergeron
Seller: Helen O. McDonald
Date: 10/19/16

34 Nipmuck St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $278,000
Buyer: Richard D. Brohman
Seller: Kenneth A. Tetreault
Date: 10/26/16

1520 North Main St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Hashmi LLC
Seller: Leslie M. Skowyra
Date: 10/25/16

2144 Palmer Road
Palmer, MA 01080
Amount: $162,500
Buyer: Jacob Ritter
Seller: Shirley A. Danek
Date: 10/28/16

3049 Pleasant St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $164,900
Buyer: Kelly J. Hayward
Seller: Bernadette A. Coyer
Date: 10/28/16

19 Ware St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Amount: $170,880
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Crystal A. Floyd
Date: 10/28/16

RUSSELL

461 Huntington Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Charles C. Paulson
Seller: Oleksak, Elizabeth J., (Estate)
Date: 10/18/16

620 South Quarter Road
Russell, MA 01071
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Nicholas Haftmann
Seller: Robert J. Colson
Date: 10/21/16

SPRINGFIELD

28-30 Ainsworth St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $156,000
Buyer: Elaine B. Scalia
Seller: Dino D. Dalmolin
Date: 10/27/16

81 Amore Road
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $129,900
Buyer: Leila Hurst
Seller: Devon Boreland
Date: 10/26/16

113 Appleton St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $186,500
Buyer: Alexandra A. Ludwig
Seller: Ashley E. Whalen
Date: 10/24/16

106 Balfour Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Gina Desantis-Rodriguez
Seller: 70 Milford Street RT
Date: 10/27/16

21 Barry Wills Place
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: Tera L. Drummer
Seller: Amy L. Bresh
Date: 10/28/16

1535 Bay St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $470,000
Buyer: Grahams Construction Inc.
Seller: Bay St Commercial Realty
Date: 10/26/16

299 Bay St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: New Canaan Properties LLC
Seller: MNL Management LLC
Date: 10/27/16

119 Bellwood Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $118,384
Buyer: RHL Properties LLC
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 10/17/16

55 Blueberry Hill St.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $124,900
Buyer: Pearlie M. Richardson
Seller: Mechelle R. Montel
Date: 10/24/16

1315 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

117-119 Brunswick St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $129,717
Buyer: Yellowbrick Property LLC
Seller: Yellowbrick Property LLC
Date: 10/24/16

120 Catalina Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: William McMillian
Seller: Adams, Adele D., (Estate)
Date: 10/24/16

128 Cedar St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $139,000
Buyer: Arlington Dixon
Seller: Roger W. Williams
Date: 10/25/16

209 Chalmers St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Honora X. Sullivan-Chin
Seller: Joshua A. Macy
Date: 10/31/16

615 Chestnut St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $287,500
Buyer: Walgreen Eastern Co. Inc.
Seller: TD Bank
Date: 10/18/16

24 Converse St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $140,756
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Michael J. Nordquist
Date: 10/18/16

118 Corona St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Edward A. Hernandez
Seller: Andre L. Lamoureux
Date: 10/21/16

15 Daviston St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Kathy R. Szulc
Seller: Jorge Perez
Date: 10/28/16

166 Dwight Road
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Ramesh Biswa
Seller: Oussama Awkal
Date: 10/31/16

119 East St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Mariely Diaz
Seller: Joseph A. Nadeau
Date: 10/31/16

40 East Bay Path Terrace
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Elmer Rodriguez
Seller: London Realty LLC
Date: 10/21/16

833 East Columbus Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

190 Eddywood St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: Paul V. Allard
Seller: Susan T. McIntyre
Date: 10/24/16

194 Ellsworth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Michael S. Cruise
Seller: Michael F. Welsh
Date: 10/31/16

22 End St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Teodocio Santiago
Seller: Scott D. Miller
Date: 10/17/16

274 Forest Park Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Paul J. Starnes
Seller: Sarah Kirchner
Date: 10/27/16

22 Gatewood Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $139,900
Buyer: Jabbar H. Payton
Seller: Melro Associates Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

60 Gourley Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $173,000
Buyer: Melvin Morales
Seller: Rafael Diaz
Date: 10/18/16

92-94 Governor St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: Angel Coll
Seller: Sean M. Baker
Date: 10/28/16

38 Greenleaf St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Fahaira E. Faour
Seller: JMJ Holdings LLC
Date: 10/21/16

25 Groton St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $119,000
Buyer: David W. Rice
Seller: John E. Dorn
Date: 10/17/16

187 Hanson Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $176,000
Buyer: Alexis Ostolaza
Seller: Joseph Laflamme
Date: 10/28/16

386 Hermitage Dr.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $185,500
Buyer: Melvin Lopez
Seller: Joseph L. Hudson
Date: 10/28/16

15 Irene St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Elizabeth A. Scanlon
Seller: Minh Lam
Date: 10/24/16

182 Jasper St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $142,080
Buyer: Mid-Island Mortgage Corp.
Seller: Jocephus Grant
Date: 10/21/16

136 Joan St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Nicholas R. Paquet
Seller: John H. Dion
Date: 10/20/16

237-239 Kent Road
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Ana M. Salazar
Seller: Emiliana Rivas
Date: 10/28/16

16 Kirk Dr.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Aeisha D. Lewis
Seller: AJES Enterpries LLC
Date: 10/20/16

23 Lafrance St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $133,300
Buyer: FNMA
Seller: Imadeddine A. Awkal
Date: 10/24/16

155 Lang St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $159,000
Buyer: Jinting Cen
Seller: Tok Chang
Date: 10/31/16

442 Liberty St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: New Canaan Properties LLC
Seller: WQN Management LLC
Date: 10/27/16

33 Lorimer St.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Santiago Figueroa
Seller: Lifang Luo-Cayode
Date: 10/31/16

3-5 Los Angeles St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Chantel Tejeda
Seller: FNMA
Date: 10/31/16

630 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $4,035,307
Buyer: NEC Ventures 2 Inc.
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

36-38 Malden St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: New Canaan Properties LLC
Seller: MEI Management LLC
Date: 10/27/16

27 Marmon Court
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Brandon L. Mitchell
Seller: Meagan I. Michel
Date: 10/26/16

67 Melha Ave.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Jaer J. Martinez
Seller: Ruth I. Nunez
Date: 10/31/16

187 Naismith St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $289,900
Buyer: Matthew S. Lamb
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 10/27/16

97-99 Noel St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: Timothy Williams
Seller: Dustin Ruby
Date: 10/25/16

40 Orchard St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Altranais Home Care LLC
Seller: Sergiy Shovgan
Date: 10/31/16

417 Parker St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $122,000
Buyer: Lilliam E. Morales
Seller: Carlos Resto
Date: 10/26/16

60 Patterson Ave.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $159,900
Buyer: Cruz Rosario
Seller: Lillian Williams
Date: 10/31/16

6 Penncastle St.
Springfield, MA 01129
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Brandon S. Krause
Seller: Marshall F. Stockwell
Date: 10/28/16

45 Perkins St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $171,500
Buyer: Felix M. Rivera
Seller: Alicia Stacy
Date: 10/21/16

112 Pilgrim Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Abraham Hernandez
Seller: Joseph T. Sullivan
Date: 10/31/16

591 Plainfield St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Amount: $127,000
Buyer: Nilsa M. Morales
Seller: Felix Romero
Date: 10/31/16

277 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Winna I. Lozano
Seller: James F. Hart
Date: 10/19/16

1350 Plumtree Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $163,200
Buyer: Deutsche Bank
Seller: Deloris Wilson
Date: 10/28/16

48 Redden St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $149,900
Buyer: Daniel C. Mcnally
Seller: Michael C. Jurkowski
Date: 10/27/16

15 Redstone Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Joshua T. Smith
Seller: Laura M. Whitehouse
Date: 10/28/16

9-11 Richelieu St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: New Canaan Properties LLC
Seller: MEI Management LLC
Date: 10/27/16

50 Rochford Circle
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $153,000
Buyer: Christian D. Ramirez
Seller: Amanda R. Santaniello
Date: 10/26/16

24-26 Sachem St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $124,800
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Linette Otero
Date: 10/21/16

192 Saint James Ave.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Juan O. Rodriguez
Seller: Julio Soba
Date: 10/26/16

121 Samuel St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $171,898
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Jose M. Perez
Date: 10/18/16

32 Shumway St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $126,000
Buyer: Jerome Mcnair
Seller: Rays Mobile Home Park Inc.
Date: 10/21/16

34 Signal Hill Circle
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Samantha J. Ferriter
Seller: Calvin J. McFadden
Date: 10/21/16

30 Skyridge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01128
Amount: $167,500
Buyer: Brian Webber
Seller: James P. Macken
Date: 10/28/16

32 Starling Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $139,175
Buyer: Daniel J. Burke
Seller: Kesheng Feng
Date: 10/28/16

730 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

1371 Sumner Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $142,000
Buyer: Deyanira M. Lopez
Seller: Felix Antigua
Date: 10/18/16

147 Sunridge Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Michael J. Culhane
Seller: Meagan E. Lignar
Date: 10/24/16

83 Superior Ave.
Springfield, MA 01151
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Harry Perez
Seller: Joseph Aimua
Date: 10/28/16

8 Tallyho Dr.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Roland D. Gelinas
Seller: Colin M. Kendrick
Date: 10/28/16

67 Thompson St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Jennifer L. Hogan
Seller: Cheryl J. Piper
Date: 10/31/16

54 Thornfell St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $177,500
Buyer: Steven Lamica
Seller: JMMA Realty Group LLC
Date: 10/31/16

523 Tiffany St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Sandy Gonzalez
Seller: Nu-Way Homes Inc.
Date: 10/24/16

70 Tyler St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Amount: $125,000
Buyer: Katiria Echevarria
Seller: Christopher Delrio
Date: 10/28/16

13 Wells St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Sabrina Kraus
Seller: Bretta Construction LLC
Date: 10/31/16

77 West Broad St.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

720 West Columbus Ave.
Springfield, MA 01105
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

35 Wayne St.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $133,000
Buyer: Jesus Vazquez
Seller: Greater Springfield Habtt
Date: 10/17/16

193-195 White St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Amount: $132,500
Buyer: Patrick J. Butler
Seller: SLC Associates LLC
Date: 10/20/16

186 Whittum Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $124,000
Buyer: Wells Fargo Bank
Seller: Vincent Washington
Date: 10/21/16

1200 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

120 Wildwood Ave.
Springfield, MA 01118
Amount: $190,000
Buyer: Anthony P. Disantis
Seller: Jay Liverseidge
Date: 10/31/16

117 Wollaston St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $128,834
Buyer: Johanna Vasquez
Seller: Deutsche Bank
Date: 10/28/16

75 Wrenwood St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: HSBC Bank
Seller: Gregory R. Desrosiers
Date: 10/28/16

SOUTHWICK

155 Berkshire Ave.
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $263,500
Buyer: James P. Macken
Seller: Angelo S. Melloni
Date: 10/28/16

113 Feeding Hills Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $207,000
Buyer: Aaron M. Rothman
Seller: A. E. Karathanasopoulos
Date: 10/27/16

110 Hillside Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $182,000
Buyer: N&K Realty LLP
Seller: Alice R. Engelhardt
Date: 10/20/16

5 Kline Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $132,500
Buyer: Pari Hoxha
Seller: Florence F. Solek
Date: 10/18/16

26 Laurel Ridge Road
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $466,450
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Richard T. Carter
Date: 10/19/16

13 Lexington Circle
Southwick, MA 01077
Amount: $649,900
Buyer: Sean M. Hoye
Seller: Jay M. Passerini
Date: 10/31/16

WALES

27 Shore Dr.
Wales, MA 01081
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Joanne Robinson
Seller: Boronski, Robert S., (Estate)
Date: 10/25/16

WEST SPRINGFIELD

31-37 Allen St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $174,000
Buyer: MZ Holdings LLC
Seller: Jose L. Denoronha
Date: 10/24/16

70 Beech Hill Road #70
West Springfield, MA 01030
Amount: $279,900
Buyer: Thomas J. Dion
Seller: Beech Hill Construction
Date: 10/17/16

103 Bonair Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Christopher D. Marini
Seller: Jon P. Roberts
Date: 10/27/16

15 Cataumet Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $372,000
Buyer: HSBC Bank
Seller: Charles P. Gaudino
Date: 10/20/16

39 Humphrey Lane
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $245,000
Buyer: Paul J. Shepard
Seller: Peter A. Caci
Date: 10/21/16

60 Kelso Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Christy Real Estate LLC
Seller: Fusco, Mario J., (Estate)
Date: 10/18/16

85 Morton St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $198,680
Buyer: Melissa K. Tavares
Seller: Richard Paskowsky
Date: 10/28/16

145 Ohio Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Janet E. Hicks
Seller: Ann M. Cook
Date: 10/21/16

20 Paulson Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Daniel J. McCarthy
Seller: Robin A. Barker
Date: 10/18/16

1386 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $135,000
Buyer: Abrahamson Properties LLC
Seller: Stella Hartig
Date: 10/31/16

1446 Piper Road
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Center For Human Dev. Inc.
Seller: Brightside Inc.
Date: 10/28/16

1130 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

31 Spring St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $124,900
Buyer: Bishnu Tamang
Seller: Carl J. Dombrowik
Date: 10/20/16

65 Van Horn St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $169,900
Buyer: Susan T. Frasca
Seller: CIG 2 LLC
Date: 10/28/16

35 Wayside Ave.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $450,000
Buyer: JLL Real Estate LLC
Seller: Valley Machine Knife
Date: 10/20/16

2667 Westfield St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

735 Westfield St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

226 Woodmont St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Amount: $171,000
Buyer: Jason A. Small
Seller: Avdey Adzigirey
Date: 10/28/16

WESTFIELD

24 Allen Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Karen Spaulding-Hawks
Seller: Hector M. Alcaide
Date: 10/20/16

45 Beveridge Blvd
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $157,000
Buyer: Stephanie M. Closser
Seller: Croteau, Marguerite E., (Estate)
Date: 10/20/16

164 Birch Bluffs Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $164,900
Buyer: Andrew Lami
Seller: Danielle L. Hale
Date: 10/19/16

71 Court St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: AAH Training LLC
Seller: Patricia M. Hebert
Date: 10/25/16

18 Day Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $189,000
Buyer: Lynn Curran
Seller: Gerald Oleksak
Date: 10/31/16

39 Egleston Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Adam J. Simpson
Seller: Baron C. Maruca
Date: 10/21/16

29 Flynn Meadow Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Joshua Bury
Seller: RSP Realty LLC
Date: 10/21/16

115 Foch Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Kyle R. Porter
Seller: Della Ripa Real Estate
Date: 10/28/16

27 Gladwin Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Michael Sears-Raposo
Seller: Nathan R. Labarge
Date: 10/21/16

144 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Bhim Khadka
Seller: Margaret M. Davis
Date: 10/31/16

227 Granville Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Andrea L. Vann
Seller: Kyrsten L. Scott-Smith
Date: 10/28/16

16 Hamilton Way
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Ann M. Goyette LT
Seller: Robin E. Feyre
Date: 10/31/16

100 Hillside Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Sharee J. Delcamp
Seller: Ronald J. Lebarron
Date: 10/21/16

274 Hillside Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $200,000
Buyer: Jason A. St.Mary
Seller: Michael B. St.Mary
Date: 10/17/16

166 Joseph Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $249,900
Buyer: Benjamin R. Christopher
Seller: Jeffrey P. Zabielski
Date: 10/25/16

27 Joyce Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $185,000
Buyer: Jaime A. Valladares
Seller: Robert B. Bocash
Date: 10/24/16

21 Laurel Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $175,000
Buyer: Courtney E. Kazierad
Seller: Bao N. Tong
Date: 10/27/16

83 Lindbergh Blvd.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: John C. Velis
Seller: Michael S. Raposo
Date: 10/31/16

29 Linden Ave.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Constantin Bulat
Seller: Ernest T. Samson
Date: 10/31/16

9 Llewellyn Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Michael Sheenan
Seller: Donna L. Goncalves
Date: 10/20/16

20 Old Holyoke Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $295,000
Buyer: David L. Smith
Seller: James E. Krupienski
Date: 10/21/16

47 Ridge Trail Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $300,000
Buyer: Bao N. Tong
Seller: Zeyad Elsayed
Date: 10/27/16

47 Salvator Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $383,000
Buyer: Jeffrey P. Zabielski
Seller: Francis P. Siska
Date: 10/25/16

304 Shaker Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $186,000
Buyer: Alison Green
Seller: Anton Gthanov
Date: 10/28/16

90 South Maple St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

7 Saint Pierres Lane
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Sergey Kulyak
Seller: Gail Y. Beaudoin
Date: 10/21/16

7 West Silver St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $134,400
Buyer: PNC Bank
Seller: James A. Curran
Date: 10/17/16

136 Westwood Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $239,900
Buyer: Marcia J. Orlandi
Seller: Martone, Eva A., (Estate)
Date: 10/27/16

92 White St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: Proud Properties LLC
Seller: Warren H. Jr&N J. Hill IRT
Date: 10/20/16

WILBRAHAM

2788 Boston Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $44,668,949
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/19/16

15 Brookside Circle
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $355,000
Buyer: Armando Camerota
Seller: William F. Leahy
Date: 10/28/16

2 Brooklawn Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Sheila S. Biermann
Seller: Kevin J. Biermann
Date: 10/21/16

20 Decorie Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $290,000
Buyer: Chi C. Wong
Seller: Alexander Hernan
Date: 10/28/16

43 Faculty St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $240,000
Buyer: Wilbraham & Monson Academy
Seller: Judith A. Gamble
Date: 10/25/16

2 Inwood Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $199,900
Buyer: Chad M. Fidalgo
Seller: Lafleur, Paul J. Jr, (Estate)
Date: 10/28/16

8 Jill Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: James S. Burke
Seller: John A. Moylan
Date: 10/21/16

492 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Marc E. Boudreau
Seller: Sheralee A. Tershner
Date: 10/17/16

952 Main St.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $316,000
Buyer: Thomas R. Burgess
Seller: Ryan D. Motter
Date: 10/25/16

107 Manchonis Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $144,000
Buyer: Paul V. Cloutier
Seller: FNMA
Date: 10/31/16

4 Oakridge Dr.
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $272,000
Buyer: Irving D. Danio
Seller: Arthur F. Bopp
Date: 10/17/16

807 Tinkham Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $253,000
Buyer: Christopher M. Ott
Seller: Paul J. Faiken
Date: 10/17/16

951 Tinkham Road
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $256,000
Buyer: Daniel J. Dickson
Seller: Wilson Sally J., (Estate)
Date: 10/31/16

8 Willow Brook Lane
Wilbraham, MA 01095
Amount: $145,000
Buyer: Kent Pecoy & Sons Construction
Seller: 601 Main Street LLC
Date: 10/18/16

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

AMHERST

1185 Bay Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $280,450
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Tracy L. Sliwa
Date: 10/19/16

27 Chesterfield Dr.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $325,000
Buyer: Luanne C. Wu
Seller: Chang FT
Date: 10/28/16

993 East Pleasant St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Christopher M. Fruean
Seller: Barbara Zecchi
Date: 10/28/16

105 Heatherstone Road
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $400,000
Buyer: Thomas C. Long
Seller: Darity, William A. Sr., (Estate)
Date: 10/28/16

25 Hedgerow Lane
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $263,700
Buyer: Edith S. Howe
Seller: Saran Youen
Date: 10/17/16

23 Morgan Circle
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $281,200
Buyer: Gayle W. Hsiao
Seller: Rita B. Kropf RET
Date: 10/31/16

510 North Pleasant St.
Amherst, MA 01002
Amount: $320,000
Buyer: Phi Sigma Kappa Alpha
Seller: Phi S. Kappa
Date: 10/28/16

BELCHERTOWN

350 Bardwell St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Roger C. Phillips
Seller: David J. Baceski
Date: 10/27/16

216 Bay Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $165,000
Buyer: Aaron M. Avery
Seller: Marshall E. Minott
Date: 10/28/16

66 Clark St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $299,900
Buyer: Marc J. Solomon
Seller: M. David Piercey
Date: 10/31/16

Emily Lane
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $485,875
Buyer: Melvin D. Piercey
Seller: JP Builders Inc.
Date: 10/28/16

465 Federal St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $150,100
Buyer: Corey R. Amelisko
Seller: Dennis M. Goldrick
Date: 10/28/16

23 Juckett Hill Dr.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $233,000
Buyer: Maxim Borishkevich
Seller: Lori C. Bland
Date: 10/28/16

90 Old Enfield Road
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $180,000
Buyer: Michael E. Davis
Seller: Deborah A. Madden RET
Date: 10/19/16

5 Old Farm Circle
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: Shel Terwood Management
Seller: Stevenson, W. E. III, (Estate)
Date: 10/21/16

95 Railroad St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $230,000
Buyer: Douglas M. Delisle
Seller: Mary M. Brown
Date: 10/19/16

156 South Washington St.
Belchertown, MA 01007
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Christopher P. Gaj
Seller: Robert L. Stephens
Date: 10/28/16

CUMMINGTON

5 Mount Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: Frank T. Noel
Seller: Marilyn G. Dube
Date: 10/18/16

50 Potash Hill Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $275,000
Buyer: Matthew Macgregor-Martin
Seller: Kevin F. Mahoney
Date: 10/21/16

82 West Cummington Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Amount: $154,000
Buyer: Douglas Macuch
Seller: Morey INT
Date: 10/25/16

EASTHAMPTON

72 Briggs St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $210,000
Buyer: Stanley Zygo
Seller: Matthew A. Still
Date: 10/28/16

5-7 Greenwood Court
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $235,000
Buyer: Laura C. Biddulph
Seller: Dennis J. Meehan
Date: 10/31/16

63 Highland Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Kevin Netto
Seller: Todd Potasky
Date: 10/26/16

119 Holyoke St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $261,500
Buyer: Jess A. Hendricks
Seller: Austin C. Rogers
Date: 10/21/16

74 Mount Tom Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $207,500
Buyer: M. K. Smith-Stackhouse
Seller: Robert P. Laferriere
Date: 10/28/16

124 Northampton St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $9,018,563
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/20/16

397 Northampton St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $9,018,563
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/20/16

80-82 Parsons St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $199,500
Buyer: Daniel B. Tompkins
Seller: Keith D. Powers
Date: 10/21/16

10 Pine St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $150,000
Buyer: James P. Zilaro
Seller: Debarbieri, Linda A., (Estate)
Date: 10/27/16

16 Plaza Ave.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $241,000
Buyer: Rosemary C. Oshei
Seller: Kessler, Elsie M., (Estate)
Date: 10/18/16

23 Rabideau Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $221,000
Buyer: Kevin D. May
Seller: Etavab RT
Date: 10/28/16

8 Sheffield Dr.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Andrew J. Beaulieu
Seller: Pamela L. Provencher
Date: 10/28/16

GOSHEN

36 Main St.
Goshen, MA 01032
Amount: $225,000
Buyer: Colin Hutt
Seller: Pearl L. Judd
Date: 10/31/16

13 South Chesterfield Road
Goshen, MA 01096
Amount: $129,500
Buyer: Bank Of America
Seller: Kelly S. Gougeon
Date: 10/31/16

GRANBY

14 Acrebrook Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Westover Metropolitan Development
Seller: Bruno J. Pula
Date: 10/21/16

553 Amherst Road
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $153,900
Buyer: Penni Martorell
Seller: RRCH 4 LLC
Date: 10/24/16

326 Chicopee St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Gary D. Poehler
Seller: Frederick Skrabely
Date: 10/25/16

128 School St.
Granby, MA 01033
Amount: $212,500
Buyer: Douglas M. Macy
Seller: Valorie Macy
Date: 10/18/16

HADLEY

9 Bayberry Lane
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $740,000
Buyer: Salvatore P. Verdi
Seller: Kevin C. Quinlan
Date: 10/20/16

123 East St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $189,200
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Marciano Boudreau
Date: 10/31/16

73 Huntington Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Scott R. Ingram
Seller: Hal Rosenthal
Date: 10/31/16

Knightly Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Miguel E. Zavala
Seller: Zaskey, Alexander J., (Estate)
Date: 10/27/16

1 Nikkis Way
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $604,000
Buyer: Stephen H. Belgrad
Seller: Bercume Construction LLC
Date: 10/17/16

24 Norwottuck Dr.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $359,900
Buyer: Nathan R. Labarge
Seller: Ione R. Albertson
Date: 10/21/16

150 Rocky Hill Road
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $285,000
Buyer: Chan Y. Park
Seller: David L. Nelson
Date: 10/31/16

490 Russell St.
Hadley, MA 01035
Amount: $9,018,563
Buyer: CH Realty VII/CG Mact Bird LLC
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/20/16

HATFIELD

113 Bridge St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $120,000
Buyer: Neil A. Kelley
Seller: Kevin S. Quinn
Date: 10/21/16

199 Linseed Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $270,500
Buyer: Shawn M. Robinson
Seller: Pineview RT
Date: 10/31/16

152 Pantry Road
Hatfield, MA 01088
Amount: $205,000
Buyer: Luke B. Longstreeth
Seller: James A. Golonka
Date: 10/28/16

4 Plain Road
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $500,000
Buyer: Katherine E. Cameron
Seller: Jeffrey B. Barden
Date: 10/31/16

24 Pleasant View Dr.
Hatfield, MA 01038
Amount: $425,000
Buyer: Kevin A. Brigham
Seller: Jacqueline F. O’Connell
Date: 10/31/16

NORTHAMPTON

8 Blackberry Lane
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $714,000
Buyer: Jacqueline F. O’Connell
Seller: Dominic J. O’Connell
Date: 10/31/16

249 Crescent St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $717,000
Buyer: Eleanor R. Wakin
Seller: Henry W. Rosenberg
Date: 10/31/16

16 Elizabeth St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $310,000
Buyer: Paul R. Bachand
Seller: Deborah Dunphy
Date: 10/28/16

985 Florence Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $169,000
Buyer: US Bank
Seller: Sandra L. Wheeler
Date: 10/21/16

304-308 King St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $1,400,104
Buyer: NEC Ventures 2 Inc.
Seller: F. L. Roberts & Co. Inc.
Date: 10/20/16

69 North Maple St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $270,000
Buyer: Lisa A. Darragh
Seller: Rebecca C. Flynn
Date: 10/27/16

64 Ridgewood Terrace
Northampton, MA 01060
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Meghan E. McCormick
Seller: Kevin Brigham
Date: 10/31/16

151 Riverside Dr.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: James Callan
Seller: Kathleen M. Newman
Date: 10/27/16

97 Sandy Hill Road
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Keith M. Brick
Seller: Brick, Judith R., (Estate)
Date: 10/28/16

194 Spring St.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $388,000
Buyer: Nathan Zajac
Seller: Ruth Haas
Date: 10/27/16

220 Spring Grove Ave.
Northampton, MA 01062
Amount: $220,000
Buyer: Nicole A. Fritz
Seller: Kirby, Eileen, (Estate)
Date: 10/21/16

PELHAM

14 Gulf Road
Pelham, MA 01002
Amount: $280,000
Buyer: Ernst Jean-Louis
Seller: Judith Seelig
Date: 10/19/16

SOUTH HADLEY

6 Alvord St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Michael E. Regish
Seller: Diane M. Mullen
Date: 10/21/16

49 Bridge St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $140,000
Buyer: Christopher Roy
Seller: Jessica J. Taylor
Date: 10/31/16

15-1/2 North St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $195,000
Buyer: Kevin A. Casimiro
Seller: Stephen H. Rehm
Date: 10/26/16

20 Priestly Farms Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $364,900
Buyer: Diane P. Gnepp LT
Seller: Beverly P. Howells
Date: 10/21/16

Red Bridge Lane #21
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $130,000
Buyer: Luis Builders Inc.
Seller: Kelly Candon
Date: 10/26/16

430 River Road
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $330,000
Buyer: Gregory Schweitzer
Seller: Donald E. Mahall
Date: 10/25/16

15 Rivercrest Way
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $370,000
Buyer: Thomas G. Natale
Seller: Rivercrest Condominiums
Date: 10/31/16

130 Woodbridge St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Amount: $209,000
Buyer: Hope Denison-Keenan
Seller: Gary Steigerwalt
Date: 10/28/16

SOUTHAMPTON

30 Hillside Meadows Dr.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $229,900
Buyer: Linda J. Andress
Seller: Heath B. Jones
Date: 10/26/16

58 Line St.
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $265,000
Buyer: Amy Paquette
Seller: David Merriam
Date: 10/28/16

7 Old Harvest Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $445,000
Buyer: Debra H. Rogers
Seller: David M. Lepine
Date: 10/21/16

8 Parsons Way
Southampton, MA 01073
Amount: $365,000
Buyer: David Z. Merriam
Seller: Robert H. & B. M. Laprade TR
Date: 10/28/16

WARE

104 Greenwich Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $160,000
Buyer: David B. Edgar
Seller: Paul D. Mahar
Date: 10/21/16

9 Laurel Dr.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $155,000
Buyer: Todd M. Allard
Seller: Anita M. Jamilowski
Date: 10/27/16

95 Maple St.
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $145,500
Buyer: Wilmington Savings
Seller: Donald L. Prouty
Date: 10/18/16

111 Monson Turnpike Road
Ware, MA 01082
Amount: $172,000
Buyer: Christopher J. Goodrow
Seller: Anthony E. Hoynoski
Date: 10/28/16

WESTHAMPTON

67 Main Road
Westhampton, MA 01027
Amount: $260,000
Buyer: Winifred Gorman
Seller: Claude A. Laprade
Date: 10/21/16

WILLIAMSBURG

101 Adams Road
Williamsburg, MA 01039
Amount: $335,000
Buyer: Mark A. Marino
Seller: Paul D. Matteson
Date: 10/31/16

44 Nash Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $170,000
Buyer: Elaine M. Wills
Seller: Christopher J. Gulow
Date: 10/24/16

61 South St.
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $375,000
Buyer: Benjamin B. Demerath
Seller: Julie A. Sylvester
Date: 10/31/16

34 Village Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA 01096
Amount: $441,791
Buyer: Iiene Goldstein
Seller: Bowen 2012 RET
Date: 10/28/16

WORTHINGTON

7 Corbett Road
Worthington, MA 01098
Amount: $250,000
Buyer: Gregory S. Tompkins
Seller: Christina M. Corsac
Date: 10/28/16

Some Common Mistakes that Can Come to a Head for Brewers

Features

Some Stout Challenges

By Tom Dowling, CPA, CFE, MST

You did it! You finally opened your brewery and can brew beer all day, every day! All of that paperwork you did to open your brewery is a thing of the past. No more worries about organizational documents, bank agreements, lease agreements or federal, state, and local licensing.

If only these sentiments were accurate. Reporting and licensing requirements never truly go away. Further, add in the nuances of small business ownership, staff management, and (if you’re a young business) cash-flow issues, and managing your brewery can be an extremely complicated endeavor lined with many hidden pitfalls. My hope, however, is to provide some information to make one of those areas, at least, a bit more manageable.

As you likely already know, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has a number of requirements that you must meet on a daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. Often these requirements can be cumbersome and sometimes (worst-case scenario) left forgotten. Recently however, the TTB issued a report that detailed the most common brewery compliance and tax issues that have been encountered. What follows is a breakdown of those issues, the most common mistakes made and some ideas for addressing them at your brewery and with your staff.

• Daily Records of Operations. Brewers must complete and maintain daily records and reports that capture information about brewery operations. This list of items required to be recorded is quite lengthy and includes items such as materials received and used in the production of beer, amount of beer produced, packaging of beer, beer consumed at the brewery, and beer that is destroyed (oh no!) or lost due to theft or breakage.

The most common mistakes found on these reports include the failure to report the amount of beer returned to the brewery, beer destroyed, beer removed for lab samples, and the maintenance of supporting documents for losses and shortages. Now you may be asking yourself, what’s the worst that could happen if I fail to record this information? Well, if brewers fail or refuse to keep proper records or do not allow TTB officers to inspect these records, the brewer may be fined up to $1,000 and/or could potentially be imprisoned for up to one year for each offense.

• Inventory counts. Brewers must take a physical inventory of beer at least once per month. This inventory must be recorded and available for inspection when requested. Inventory records must include the date the inventory was taken, quantity of beer on hand, losses and shortages, and most importantly, the signature — under penalties of perjury — of the person taking the inventory. The most common errors found include lack of signature, failure to take inventory each month, inadequate documentation of losses and shortages and the inventory records not agreeing to the Brewer’s Report of Operations (BROP).

• BROP. Brewers are required to submit BROPs by the 15th day after the end of the reporting period. The BROPs are filed either monthly or quarterly, the frequency is dependent upon the quantity of barrels produced by the brewer each year. The BROPs are extremely important because they support the brewer’s excise tax returns. Guess what supports the BROPs? You got it, the daily records and inventory records (time to re-read items 1 and 2).

• General record-keeping mistakes. Most other record-keeping falls into the ‘general’ category. This category includes items that support your daily record keeping, inventory counts, and BROPs. The most common mistakes made with the general record keeping include failure to maintain supporting documentation, summary records, book inventory records, and inaccurate explanations for beer shortages or inventory sheets that do not reflect operations accurately.

• Record Retention. You may not have any problem with the first four items, but this next one may surprise you. Brewers are required to maintain TTB required records for a period of “not less than three years” and in addition to that, these records must be maintained at the brewery and can only be stored off brewery premises upon approval by the TTB. So instead of finding space for one more pallet of cans, you may want to consider ensuring you have the space for some filing cabinets — because you’re going to need them.

Now you are probably asking yourself, with all this record keeping, when will I find time to actually brew the beer? Let’s face it, this stuff doesn’t sound like fun, and is most likely put off to the very last minute, creating a higher probability of errors. As a brewery, you should first educate and train all staff on these requirements, implement a system of review to ensure a second set of eyes are present to catch common mistakes, and schedule and assign these reporting duties to staff.

These simple steps may help you avoid penalties and TTB compliance findings.

Tom Dowling, CPA, CFE, MST is a manager with the Holyoke based public accounting firm, Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.; (413) 322-3494; [email protected].

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.
BELCHERTOWN

Bojar CO, 1 Old Amherst Road, Belchertown, MA 01007. Ellis Bojar, same. Creation, publication and distribution of books and other written materials and intellectual property.

CHICOPEE

Diniz Pro Services Inc., 24 Casino Ave., Chicopee, MA 01030. Guilherme Diniz Jeronimo, same. Janitorial.

FLORENCE

CSE Inc., 41 Main St., #2R, Florence, MA 01062. Steven Aronstein, same. Consulting services.

HOLYOKE

Holyoke Charley’s Philly Steaks Inc., 50 Holyoke St., Holyoke Mall, #r128, Holyoke, MA 01040. Meeyoung Cho-Lee, 524 Hillside St., 1st Floor, Ridgefield, NJ 07657. Retail, fast food restaurant.

Holyoke Housing Lyman Corporation, 475 Maple St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Marilyn Sanabria, 20 Resnic Blvd., Holyoke, MA 01040. Purpose of organization is to finance, develop, package, insure, manage, regulate, control, acquire and own diverse types of housing designed to provide, decent, safe, sanitary and suitable living accommodations of any and every type and kind to all persons of low, moderate and middle income within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

MMF Inc., 224 Westfield Road, Holyoke, MA 01040. Marilyn A. Fitzgerald, 163 Madison Ave, Holyoke, MA 01040. Convenience and package store.

MONSON

CJ Group Inc., 50 Childs Road, Monson, MA 01057. Julie A. Johnson, same. Consulting services.

PITTSFIELD

Concierge2go Inc., 82 Wendell Ave., Suite 100, Pittsfield, MA 01201. William Pierce, same. Tech development.

Deputy Chief Bruce Kilmer Memorial Inc., 86 Anita Dr., Pittsfield, MA 01201. Jammie Boehm, same. Fundraise in memory of Bruce Kilmer and provide small scholarships to college students, donate to other funds that are associated with community service, civil service, first responders, firefighters and police.

SOUTHWICK

First Choice Academy Inc., 5 Revere Road, Southwick, MA 01077. Benjamin Marc Beaulieu, same. Provide certified nursing assistant training.

SPRINGFIELD

Holyoke City Wide PTO Inc., 1391 Main St., Suite 201, Springfield, MA 01103. Tamara A. Lawrence, 77 Columbus Ave., Holyoke, MA 01040. To sponsor, develop, offer and/or promote services and programs for charitable and educational purposes, which will benefit the Holyoke Public Schools, the City of Holyoke School Department and/or any of the individual parent-teacher organizations or booster clubs.

WEST SPRINGFIELD

Batool Express Inc., 231 River St West Springfield, MA 01089. Murad Drifish, same. Trucking.

Hillenbrand Inc., 46 Morgan Road, West Springfield, MA 01089. Philip Hillenbrand, same. Restaurant.

Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy Thrives in a Shifting Law Landscape

Law Sections

Courting Change

Shareholders A Craig Brown, right, and Michael Sweet, like most of the attorneys at Doherty Wallace Pillsbury & Murphy have a number of practice areas.

When four respected attorneys came together 49 years ago to form Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, they had solid ideas about where they would focus their practice. But in the decades since, this Springfield-based institution, while still true to its corporate and litigation roots, has become far more nimble, specialized, and adaptable to changes in the legal field driven by regulatory shifts, technological advances, and evolving client needs. In doing so, it has forged one of the region’s true local success stories.

Laws, as any attorney knows, are far from static. And a law firm that wants to not only survive, but thrive and grow over five decades must recognize how to pivot and adapt.

Take, for example, education law, an area where Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy has bolstered its roster of attorneys in recent years.

“The business of running a school or college is subject to more regulation than you would ever believe,” said shareholder Craig Brown, noting that the firm’s clients include American International College, Williston Northampton School, and Wilbraham & Monson Academy. “They have to sort through a lot of regulatory challenges, and they have a lot of employment-law issues right now. At AIC, they’re wrestling with the idea of shared governance; the faculty feels they have a voice in decision making that affects the academic side of the house. Where is the line drawn?”

Another recent challenge for educational institutions is making their websites accessible to people with disabilities, which is now required by law.

“Schools are a lot like businesses, but they have this regulatory climate,” Brown added. “It’s an emerging area of the law.”

Another example of an evolving area of the law is intellectual property. Shareholder Deborah Basile spearheads Doherty Wallace’s practice in this field, and enjoys the challenge.

“I love working with inventors and working with businesses that have new product lines,” she told BusinessWest. “They want to protect some intellectual property surrounding those, or have developed a new feature in a product line they’ve sold for a long time.”

The Internet has added new wrinkles as well.

“Everyone has a website now; that’s the way we do business, and using the Internet properly and carefully is another aspect of my practice,” she explained. “For example, a manufacturing company needs to be careful in terms of what to expose or disclose in terms of a unique business method or unique product.”

That said, recent modifications in patent law have made it easier for inventors to protect themselves, she added — the rare societal trend that may make her work easier, not thornier. In any case, “identifying what your intellectual property is and protecting it going forward is a critical growth area for us.”

Doherty Wallace, now boasting about two dozen attorneys, has been based in Springfield since its inception, when four attorneys with diverse strengths came together in 1967.

“Fred Pillsbury was generally recognized as the best litigator in the area,” Brown said. “He was named a judge just two years earlier, but it was too boring, so he came off the Superior Court bench. Lou Doherty was a well-regarded business and general corporate lawyer. Bob Murphy was a labor lawyer, and Dudley Wallace was a tax lawyer.”

The firm slowly built on that core — including Lou Doherty’s son, Paul, who led the firm for decades until his passing in January — and their commitment was evident to their younger associates.

“Fred Pillsbury was a magnet for business, and an engine that helped grow the firm,” Brown said, explaining that he had a nerve disorder that eventually took his life, but even when he could barely function, he still came in to practice as much as he could. “It was a remarkable thing.”

Today, the firm maintains — as it always has — strong roots in business law and litigation, but has become more specialized over time.

“The days of one lawyer with one assistant who types are fading,” said shareholder Michael Sweet. “Everyone here is focused on how to best staff projects in the most effective way for clients.”

Information Age

The key, as always, is smart change, Sweet said, even as the firm extends its lease at Monarch Place — where it has done business since the tower opened — for another 10 years.

“One of the key aspects of the decision to stay here long-term is recognizing we’re not done adapting,” he said. “We realize things are going to change, and when we planted our roots here, we knew we could be successful here, and have the capacity to grow and change.”

Computer technology has added layers of challenge to the practice of law, Sweet noted.

“The tech world in general has impacted this profession like it has everything else. The focus is on efficiency and specialization,” Sweet said, adding that the firm has continually recruited attorneys with expertise in growing specialty areas, from Basile, who launched the intellectual-property group, to a pending hire to bolster the firm’s depth in employment law, a field that is seeing plenty of change due to a constantly shifting regulatory landscape. “We continue to look at our clients and ask, ‘what kinds of services do our clients need?’ and then we go out and recruit in those areas.”

Shareholders Jeffrey Meehan, left, and Barry Ryan, are among the players on the large and talented team at Doherty Wallace Pillsbury & Murphy.

Technology has also changed the way people behave, which also affects the practice of law, said shareholder Jeffrey Meehan. Take, for example, all the smartphone video being instantly recorded of … well, everything, from crimes in progress to protests gone awry. That has a major impact on the world of litigation, which is Meehan’s specialty.

The digital culture will even shape the firm’s upcoming renovation of its office, with a library used for decades to store bound books of information to be replaced by a finance and accounting department that needs more space.

But while so much data is at lawyers’ fingertips via computer these days, the information age has also made clients less patient, Brown noted. The past model of putting correspondence in the mail and waiting days or weeks for a response just doesn’t cut it anymore. “Instead, you’re e-mailing a document and expecting a review within a very short amount of time. Over the course of hours, literally, you can negotiate, make changes, and finalize the transaction documents. That puts an incredible amount of stress on a lawyer.”

Still, one key to being successful is to use the technology to benefit client relationships, not hinder them, Sweet said, stressing that relationships are still cultivated with care at the firm, not in haste. “We’re definitely not built on one quick hit with e-mails. We have not lost focus on the relationships, which, at the end of the day, are more important than those e-mails.”

Basile agreed. “We’re entrenched in the old-fashioned virtues of what it was like to be a lawyer back in the ’60s and ’70s, how you provided personal services on a slow and steady basis. But we also have to keep up with what we need to compete in this very responsive world we live in.”

Other changes at Doherty Wallace are being driven by retirements and new opportunities for veteran attorneys. The firm lost two long-time members recently to judgeships, as Michele Ouimet-Rooke was appointed a District Court judge earlier this year, and last week, Michael Callan was sworn in as a Superior Court judge.

“So we’ve been looking at the future and making investments in the future,” Brown said, “which we need to do to continue to be viable.”

Deep Roots

Brown has seen plenty of change in the city that has dominated his life. He was born in Springfield and has fond memories of a thriving downtown, and then, once the bustle of the peak years faded, of efforts to revitalize it, with redevelopment projects like Market Place, which Doherty Wallace was involved in.

“There was an ongoing attempt to pull Springfield up, and it never worked, and the effort stopped for a while,” he said. But now, he added, major economic-development pieces like MGM Springfield and Union Station, and a general sense of renewal downtown, has people excited again. “It’s an abundance of changes that create opportunities and bring Springfield to where we’d all like it to be — a thriving city.”

Doherty Wallace will enjoy the benefits of that renewed energy, Sweet said, at least for the next 10 years and, in all likelihood, much longer.

“The fact that we’re sitting here in downtown Springfield when other firms have left is telling,” he added. “At the end of the day, what you do as an organization is more important than what you say, and our firm has made a decision to stay here long-term. That’s more evidence of how we feel about the region. We’re hiring new lawyers, and we’re fortunate to have a lot of business, and interest from lawyers who want to come work here.”

Basile agreed. “There are a lot of great things about Springfield, and the people here at Doherty Wallace are really hopeful about the future,” she said. “We see the big picture, and we’re committed to the city.”

Brown told BusinessWest the region has never seen a project with as much transformative potential as the casino, due partly to the way it will be integrated with the entire downtown and have the ability to attract more business, which in turn may attract more residents, in a cycle of growth.

Meehan hopes so. He says the Pioneer Valley has always been a “poor cousin” to Boston as far as business growth, wealth, and opportunities, and noted that developments like the casino have run concurrent to backward steps as well, like Bank of America leaving the downtown area. “I’m scratching my head about that because they seemed to have some business here.”

One constant at Doherty Wallace, no matter the economic climate, has been a focus on volunteerism and community involvement, something Paul Doherty, famous for helping out with local organizations and initiatives, often without having to be asked.

“He set the example of how to be involved in the community,” Brown said. “It’s deeply part of the culture here, and everyone feels it, and everyone is encouraged to commit to the community.”

Sweet went even further, noting that this culture is one of the things that attracts people to work at Doherty Wallace. “It’s one of the reasons I chose to work here. We’re a significant part of the community in all ways.”

A Significant Loss

Brown recalls being hired to work alongside Doherty in 1977; in the interview, he was asked how he felt about working Saturdays. He immediately realized that this was a workplace that demanded much, but he learned the work was immensely rewarding as well.

“Paul was the leader of this law firm,” he said. “He set the tone in terms of the culture, the community involvement, the quality of lawyering. He was very focused on us providing the highest-quality service at all times.”

Basile agreed. “Paul was my mentor. He taught me how to be a lawyer,” she said. “The sad thing is, he wasn’t done. He had more to do. He was still committed to this city, to this law firm, and to inspiring those of us he left behind.”

Brown said Doherty knew everyone, and everyone knew him — and he valued those relationships far beyond his practice.

“Those relationships are what has endured over the decades, and those lessons on how to be a lawyer, how to give back to the community,” he told BusinessWest. “That’s all Paul Doherty. We were blessed to have him as long as we had him, and we still have him with us.”

That sentiment provides more than enough motivation for this half-century-old law firm that has experienced plenty of change, and welcomes whatever may come next.

Joseph Bednar can be reached at [email protected]

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcies Departments

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

Agresto, Angela M.
41 Corticelli St.
Florence, MA 01062
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/18/16

Ames Living Spaces
Ames Spaces
Ames, Scott A.
PO Box 123
Oakham, MA 01068
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/16

Artioli, Sharyn K.
a/k/a Artioli, Sharon K.
47 Aspen Road
Springfield, MA 01128
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/16

At Home With Wendy
Brodeur, Wendy M.
116 Main Blvd.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/28/16

Bernardara, Alan B.
Bernardara, Yvette M.
12 Leonard St.
Adams, MA 01220
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/16

Brooks, Melissa A.
24 Belmont St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/31/16

Broverman, Mark S.
35 Caravelle Dr.
Longmeadow, MA 01106
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/16

Bruno, Maria
21 Sylvan St.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/18/16

Carleton, Stephen Scott
Carleton, Mary Louise
230 Conway St.
Greenfield, MA 01301
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/27/16

Cesan, Molly C.
82 Aldrew Terrace
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/30/16

Chabot, Stacy Joseph
573 Pequoig Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/16

Clark, Pauline
20 Montrose St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/20/16

Colon, Miriam
58 Stanley Court
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/28/16

Cote, Aaron
46 Deslauriers St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/17/16

Curtis, Dawn A.
235 State St., Unit 11
Springfield, MA 01103
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/20/16

Davis, Terry
963 Montgomery St.
Chicopee, MA 01013
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/20/16

DeCosta, Pamela Rita
573 Pequoig Ave.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/16

Deshais, Christine M.
373 Commonwealth Ave.
Springfield, MA 01108
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/20/16

Drollett, Margaret A.
1 High St.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/19/16

Farousi, Tarek M.
28 Lamb St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/20/16

Gebo, Richard L.
Gebo, Lisa M.
33 Cleveland St.
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/27/16

Georges, Donald
10 Leo Dr.
Granby, MA 01033
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/25/16

Germain, Michelle S.
a/k/a Phillips, Michelle S.
a/k/a LaValley, Michelle S.
1 Dana St.
Athol, MA 01331
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/16

Glynn, Erica Zoe
495 Main St., Apt 7
Ashfield, MA 01330
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/27/16

Grant, Harvey M.
79 Old Farm Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/21/16

Harrington, Nicholas J.
Harrington, Jennifer L.
408 Dalton Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/16

Heitke-Felbeck, Michael
248 Amherst Road, Apt. 331
Sunderland, MA 01375
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/21/16

Jeserski, Susan A.
378 Northwest St.
Feeding Hills, MA 01030
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/16

Kearney, Lori A.
97 Saint John St.
Palmer, MA 01069
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/28/16

Kenworthy, Elaine T.
a/k/a St. Marie, Elaine T.
PO Box 203
Russell, MA 01071-0203
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/16

Kubik, Thomas E.
515 Clayton Road
Ashley Falls, MA 01222
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/27/16

Labonne, Keith
43 West Main St.
Orange, MA 01364
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/19/16

Lafreniere, Gilbert J.
Lafreniere, Jacqueline M.
a/k/a Coon, Jacqueline
86 Montgomery St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/28/16

Lander, Warren N.
10 Sherman St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/16

Laprade, Wayland
7 High St.
Ware, MA 01082
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/19/16

Lopez, Gloria E.
a/k/a Quinones, Gloria
27 Farnsworth St
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/28/16

Lopez, Juan A.
27 Farnsworth St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/28/16

McCollum, Kendrah E.
186 Main St. #3
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/21/16

Michalski, Jennifer Melissa
a/k/a Gauthier, Jennifer M.
P.O.Box 590
Hatfield, MA 01038
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/18/16

Morales-Torres, Carmen M.
20 Lafayette St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/20/16

Morgan, Ralph A.
710 Church St.
North Adams, MA 01247
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/25/16

Noska, Maria A.
10 Sherman St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/16

Nuttelman, Mary Lynn
a/k/a Tarczynski, Mary Lynn
74 Gunn Road
Southampton, MA 01073
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/18/16

Peetros, Samantha
259 River Road
Agawam, MA 01001
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/28/16

Perry, Tina Marie
9 Victorian Dr.
West Springfield, MA 01089
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/16

Pike, Dennis G.
293 Papermill Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/28/16

Reyes, George L.
Reyes-Moran, Cristina Y.
241 Rosewell St.
Springfield, MA 01109
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/18/16

Richer, Michelle D.
58 Camden St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/19/16

Rodriguez, Hector
Rodriguez, Ruth M.
360 North Elm St.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/31/16

Roncarati, Ronald
309 Parker St.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/24/16

Rose, David
49 Anson St.
Chicopee, MA 01020
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/28/16

Santiago-Cintron, Christian L.
45 Ramah St
Springfield, MA 01104
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/20/16

Scopa, Frances Donna
20 Willmark Ave.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/28/16

Shaughnessy, Gwendolyn I.
120 Appleton Ave.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/25/16

Shaughnessy, Thomas J.
95 Creamery Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/25/16

Shaw, Madeline
1938 Page Blvd.
Indian Orchard, MA 01151
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/19/16

Solomon, Deborah A.
48 Hamilton St.
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/31/16

Sustache, Ruth D.
16 Beacon Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/20/16

Thornton, Virginia L.
6 8th St.
Turners Falls, MA 01376
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/25/16

Wieland, Jennifer
93 Homestead Ave.
Holyoke, MA 01040
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/20/16

Wood, James A.
Wood, Sandra J.
55 Valley View Dr.
Westfield, MA 01085
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/31/16

Yell, Mary E.
12 Gaugh St.
Easthampton, MA 01027
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/17/16

Zabowski, Mark E.
PO Box 4604
Chicopee, MA 01014
Chapter: 13
Filing Date: 10/22/16

Ziemba, Zaza
93 Better Way
Springfield, MA 01119
Chapter: 7
Filing Date: 10/24/16

Andrew Steiner Tapped to Lead Leavitt Family Jewish Home

LONGMEADOW — Andrew Steiner has been named executive director of JGS Lifecare’s Leavitt Family Jewish Home (JNH). He brings more than 20 years of diverse experience improving the quality of care and quality of life of seniors. He will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Joint Commission-accredited, 200-bed, long-term-care nursing home located in Longmeadow.

Before joining JGS Lifecare, Steiner served as president of Sycamore Health Care Consultants, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in senior housing and health care, policy and compliance, reimbursement programming, healthcare technology integration, operations and turnaround management, marketing, and real-estate investment.

In addition, Steiner has served as the executive director of the 205-bed Abbott Terrace Health Center in Waterbury, Conn. In this role, he implemented and managed programs for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, pulmonary rehabilitation, and cardiac care management. He also developed and implemented partnerships with regional hospital networks and delivered significant improvements in patient care and customer-service outcomes.

Prior to this, Steiner served as director of Strategic Planning for National Health Care Associates in Wethersfield, Conn., coordinating business planning and strategies for more than 40 skilled-nursing facilities in six states with more than 4,000 beds under management.

“Andrew clearly brings to JNH a wealth of administrative experience in clinical, long-term, and sub-acute settings, as well as a diverse programming background,” said Martin Baicker, president and CEO of JGS. “His wide-ranging skills and expertise will be a critical asset to JNH as we introduce the patient-centered ‘green house’ model of care in our nursing home over the next few years. We feel confident that, under his leadership, this new range of service will continue to grow our legacy of more than a century of proud caretaking, and fulfill our mission to provide quality eldercare services to the people of our community.”

Steiner teaches health systems management at the University of Connecticut School of Business. He is also active on many local boards and organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford and Hartford Hospital, and has served the Florida Health Care Assoc., the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, and Dominican University.

Steiner holds a master of public health degree in community health sciences and gerontology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration, emphasis in marketing, from the Kogod School of Business Administration, American University, Washington, D.C. He is licensed as a nursing-home administrator in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Hartford Focuses on Bringing Life to Downtown

Community Spotlight Features

Community Spotlight

Mayor Luke Bronin and Jamie Bratt stand in front of the 95-year-old Hartford Times building on Prospect Street that will become the center of University of Connecticut’s new downtown campus.

Jamie Bratt says that when many people think of Hartford, they envision the city as it was decades ago; a bustling metropolis where a lot of people worked and lived.

A sharp decline began in the ’80s, but over the past decade there has been a gradual upswing, and a flood of investments that began several years ago are aimed at restoring it to its former vibrancy.

“It’s a very exciting time for the city,” the director of Economic Development told BusinessWest. “One of the things that makes Hartford attractive is its size. It has an extremely robust arts and cultural scene, great restaurants, and access to the movers and shakers in state government, but it’s a small city that’s easy to get to.”

Mayor Luke Bronin, who took office in January, agrees and says economic development is focused on three main areas downtown: increasing the number of residential living units; adding new transportation options; and growing the number of medical and educational facilities.

The city is making major inroads on all three fronts, but the first is critical to growth, and there has been a concerted partnership between the City of Hartford and the state to increase the number of downtown residences.

“We’ve added 650 units over the past five years and the projects hold a lot of promise,” Bronin said, noting that many of the new apartments are in converted office buildings, the majority have been completed over the past 18 months, and the Capital Regional Development Authority (CRDA) established by Gov. Dannell Malloy to stimulate economic development and new investment in and around Hartford has served as an economic engine by providing gap financing and coordinating a significant number of public-private partnerships.

And although surveys indicated that downtown housing would be difficult to rent out, that prediction has been proven to be inaccurate. “Studies showed we would be lucky if five units a month were leased,” Bratt said. “But developers have been beating performance expectations and have been leasing 10 to 20 units a month.”

She added that the majority of renters come from outside of the city and are Millennials; the average age of people leasing new units is 40, although empty nesters also comprise a fair share of that population.

“Millennials don’t want to have a lot of property or a large house. They like to live in cities and a large number don’t have cars or a driver’s license,” Bratt contined.

Increasing the number of people who live downtown will balance the weekday versus weekend equation, because in recent years there has been a decided difference, as the population on weekends is reduced by 100,000 people.

“We’ve focused on establishing a balanced equilibrium and so far we have been very successful,” Bratt told BusinessWest. “The jobs are here and if residential living follows, retail growth will increase in response to it.”

The CRDA has also been working to expedite what Bronin referred to as a “long and stagnant development effort” on Front Street, which is finally coming into its own as a restaurant and entertainment district.

“It was a wasteland before, but now there’s a collection of retail shops and restaurants across from the Hartford Convention Center. They all involve new construction and have become a strong draw for residents,” Bronin said, explaining that the Front Street neighborhood includes the Marriott Hotel and the Connecticut Science Center, which attract large numbers of visitors as well as business travelers.

There is also a new 121-unit apartment building that was built as part of the second phase of the Front Street District development project that features 15,000 square feet of street-level retail space with five stories of studio and one and two-bedroom apartments priced at market rates.

For this edition, BusinessWest takes an inside look at major changes taking place in downtown Hartford that are expected to promote vibrancy and make the city an attractive place to live, work and play.

Laying the Groundwork

The University of Connecticut (UConn) left the city in 1970 and moved to West Hartford, but it is returning to its former home and creating a large campus downtown.

“It will really add energy and feet on the street,” Bronin said, adding that the university is part of the push to attract more educational facilities to the city because they have been shown to increase growth, diversity, and job options.

Indeed, UConn and city and state leaders have said the 220,000- square-foot downtown campus will transform the area into a thriving neighborhood with 2,300 students and 250 faculty members, especially since food service will be limited, which will make downtown eateries inviting.

The center of the UConn Greater Hartford Campus will be situated in the old Hartford Times building, which is undergoing a $115 million renovation. Its façade is being maintained, but the interior is being entirely renovated, and a three-story atrium and classroom building will be added to the back of the building. The new campus is expected to open sometime in 2017.

Other institutions of higher learning add to the mix. Bronin noted that Trinity College is a long-standing Hartford institution, the University of St. Joseph has its School of Pharmacy in a state-of-the art building downtown, and Capital Community College redeveloped the former G. Fox building 10 years ago.

“It was a huge risk for them, but they were early pioneers in downtown development,” he noted.

News is also taking place on the medical front: Hartford Hospital held a ribbon cutting earlier this month for its new $150 million Bone and Joint Institute downtown. Surgery is expected to begin next month and will help the hospital compete with leaders in bone and joint surgery in New York and Boston.

The new facility will create jobs and draw visitors and other medical professionals to Harford as is expected that the hospital will collaborate with other medical facilities. “Hartford Hospital is a growing major employer and has become a center for many medical subspecialties,” Bronin told BusinessWest. “We’ve worked closely with them on their new building and another one that is under construction on the southern edge of their downtown campus that will house a training center for robotic surgery, which is a program that brings in healthcare professionals from all over the country.”

The third critical pillar of economic development is transportation, and the planned increase in commuter rail service will make a difference, especially to people who choose to live or work downtown. Twenty trains a day are expected to start running in 2018 that will travel between Springfield and New Haven, Conn.

“They will be a major driver of economic growth and the combination of new housing, medical, and educational facilities will really support revitalization of a vibrant city center,” Bronin said, adding that the rail service will extend to New York, and the hope is that Massachusetts will complete the link between Worcester and Springfield.

Additional access to the city may come via the I-84 viaduct that runs over the city. Bronin said the roadway is reaching the end of its useful life and the Connecticut Department of Transportation is planning work that would lower sections and reconnect it to parts of the city.

Hartford also just adopted a Complete Streets policy, and earlier this month was feted as a Bicycle Friendly Community by The League: Bicycle Friendly America.

In addition, 10 streetscape projects are in various stages of development and two are finishing up downtown, that include widening the promenade that borders Bushnell Park.

Varied Ventures

Economic development is also taking place north of the downtown area. Chester Bowles Park public housing complex, which was built after World War II in the city’s Blue Hills neighborhood, is being demolished to make way for a new mixed-use development called Willow Creek. Hundreds of old buildings have been taken down and 62 mixed-income rentals and 29 town houses are being built as the first phase of the project, which will cost about $40 million.

The park is part of a larger, 130-acre complex that includes Westbrook Village, which contains 360 units of public housing on 65 acres that were also built after WWII. The plan is to demolish outdated structures and replace them with a mixed-use development that will include housing, retail, and commercial space.

Bronin said the project is especially significant because Westbrook Village fronts Albany Avenue, which is a main city corridor.

The CRDA has $20 million set aside for neighborhood development in the North End Promise Zone,” he told BusinessWest, explaining that the federal designation gives the area priority in terms of funding because it has been deemed “high need.”

Entrepreneurship in Harford is also poised to grow, thanks to two projects.

Avon residents Bryan Patton and his wife Devra Sisitsky have raised $1.3 million to build the state’s largest Maker Space at the Colt Armory Complex. They hope to attract 400 members and plan to outfit the space with CNC machines, lathes, a sand-blasting booth, a water-jet cutting machine, a metal-fabrication area, design software and monitors, 3D printers and other equipment that could be used by hobbyists and professionals for a monthly fee.

Another space for start-ups known as Innovate Hartford recently opened at 20 Church St. with the goal of bringing in 100 high-tech companies a year to a 27,500-square-foot space in Stilts Building.

Bronin said the former Colt Armory was one of the first factories in the nation and a tremendous amount of repurposing has been done there.

“The city has partnered with the state and private investors to revitalize the residential neighborhood and attract new commercial tenants,” he noted, adding that the National Park Service adopted a large portion of the complex and turned two buildings into a museum that will become part of a national park.

The Capewell Horse Shoe Nail Company building, which is a 10-minute walk from downtown, fell into disrepair about 30 years ago but has also been redeveloped.

“The Corporation for Independent Living purchased it, turned it into apartments and began leasing them a few weeks ago,”Bratt noted, explaining that the building is one of about 15 properties that have been under construction, with the majority being renovated for residential use.

“They include diverse options; some are affordable housing and others are market-rate,” she said. “Hartford is a wonderful choice for anyone interested in an urban lifestyle.”

Ongoing Progress

Officials say attracting Millennials to the city, bolstering transportation options, creating new maker space, and adding new medical and educational facilities will make a real difference in downtown Hartford’s vitality.

“Revitalization all comes down to feet on the street, and that is increasing,” Bratt said. “Progress is a patchwork quilt of individual projects slowly knit together over time and each one of these projects is a patch that will help make the city more beautiful, walkable, and connected.”

Hartford at a glance

Year Incorporated: 1784
Population: 125,432 (2014)
Area: 17.95 square miles
County: Hartford
Residential Tax Rate: $74.29 (at 30% of fair market value)
Commercial Tax Rate: $74.29 (at 70% of fair market value)
Median Household Income: $72,275 (2015)
Family Household Income: $91,759 (2015)
Type of Government: Mayor, City Council
Largest Employers: State of Connecticut, Hartford; United Technologies Corp.; Yale New Haven Health System
* Latest information available

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.

Franklin Superior Court

K & K Acoustical Ceilings Inc. v. Shawmut Woodworking & Supply Inc. and Travelers Casualty and Surety Co. of America
Allegation: Monies owed for labor and materials: $44,469.32
Filed: 10/20/16

Susan Boss v. Town of Leverett and Leverett School Committee
Allegation: Failure to pay agreed-upon insurance premium costs: $3,000
Filed: 10/21/16

Franklin District Court

A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Co. v. Triple D Inc.
Allegation: Monies owed for unpaid workers’ compensation premiums: $5,102
Filed: 10/17/16

Naveed Butt v. BMW of Riverside, LLC a/k/a BMW of Riverside
Allegation: Breach of contract, unfair trade acts and practice: $18,000
Filed: 10/27/16

Pure Pro Massage Oils Inc. v. Polysciences Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract, negligence: $5,940
Filed: 10/31/16

Hampshire Superior Court

Main Street America Assurance Co. as subrogee of Hai Cheng d/b/a International Food Market, Wing Wong LLC, and Greggory Thornton d/b/a Greggory’s Pastry Shop v. Alliance Laundry Systems LLC, Robertshaw Controls Co. Inc., Richard Czarniecki individually and d/b/a Hadley Coin Op Laundromat
Allegation: Subrogation claim: $426,166.31
Filed: 10/18/16

Mi Tierra Corp. v. Alliance Laundry Systems LLC, Robershaw Controls Co. Inc., Richard Czarniecki individually and d/b/a Hadley Coin Op Laundromat, Norwottuck Inn Holding Co., and Encharter Insurance LLC
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury and property damage: $297,636.46+
Filed: 10/25/16

Peerless Insurance Co. a/s/o Norwottuck Inn Holding Co., et al v. Alliance Laundry Systems LLC, Robershaw Controls Co. Inc., Richard Czarniecki individually and d/b/a Hadley Coin Op Laundromat
Allegation: Negligence, property damage, and products liability: $4,186,353.38
Filed: 10/26/16

Ace Fire and Water Restoration Inc. v. Stephen M. Bishop and Jacqueline G. Bishop
Allegation: Monies owed for services, labor, and materials: $38,569.50
Filed: 11/9/16

Bozzuto’s Inc. v. Serios Inc. d/b/a Serios Market
Allegation: Monies owed for goods sold and delivered: $32,349.40
Filed: 11/10/16

Gerard Provost v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Allegation: Negligence resulting in fall down stairs at McGuirk Stadium at UMass Amherst causing injury: $56,799.76
Filed: 11/3/16

Hampden District Court

Barbara Bushey v. Wal-Mart Associates Inc.
Allegation: Violations of wage-and-hour laws, unpaid wages: $18,529.56
Filed: 11/15/16

Westfield District Court

Ethan Senterfitt v. Salona America
Allegation: Breach of contract; monies owed for services rendered: $2,474.79
Filed: 10/25/16

Maureen Sullivan Joins Springfield Regional Chamber Team

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Regional Chamber announced that Maureen Sullivan has been named its director of marketing and communications, effective Dec. 1.

Sullivan will be responsible for the strategic direction, development, management, and implementation of all aspects of marketing, public relations, social media, media relations, and communications efforts. She replaces Nancy Creed, who assumed the role of chamber president in August.

Sullivan comes to the chamber with extensive marketing and communications experience, most recently as president of the Maureen Sullivan Media Group, an advertising and marketing firm focused on developing branding, marketing strategies, advertising, and event marketing.

Prior to her founding her own business in 2013, she served as the marketing director for the Republican, where she directed corporate and internal communications, community engagement, loyalty programs, and sponsorships. Before being promoted in 1999 to marketing director, Sullivan served as the newspaper’s promotional manager, responsible for all internal communications, advertising sales, and event marketing.

Sullivan is the founder of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” a successful, award-winning event series for women. She produced and managed the series of events attended by more than 2,100 women, launched its profitable merchandise line, and launched its digital and print publication with a reach of 376,000.

Sullivan also produced an award-winning television commercial and has been named one of the Top 10 Women in Business by the Women Business Owner’s Alliance.

Before joining the Republican, Sullivan served in similar capacities with the Hartford Courant and the Transcript-Telegram in Holyoke.

She is a board member of Unify Against Bullying, a nonprofit that raises money to fund anti-bullying projects in schools; a former member of the Holyoke Cultural Council appointed by Mayor Alex Morse; and a former board member with the Newspaper Assoc. of America and the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts. She is a graduate of UMass with a degree in journalism and communications.

Doing Business As Certificates

DBA Certificates Departments

The following business certificates and trade names were issued or renewed during the months of October and November 2016.

Amherst

Megan Alissa
1236 Bay Road
Megan Alissa Glann

Monesson-Olson Photography
368B Northampton Road
Alexandra Monesson-Olson

Shuuko Kyudo
893 West St.
Samuel Kanner and Carrie Bergman

Berkshiretown

All Sat Cos.
45 River St.
Michael Lemieux

Ed Leary Home Improvement
46 South Liberty St.
Edwin Leary

J.G. Austin
378 West St.
Joseph Austin

LYH Designs
170 Summit St.
Lauralee Harrington

The Promethian Project
29 Federal St.
Steven Opalenik

Chicopee

Baiano’s General Cleaning and Painting
23 Wildermere St.
Elias Ivo Jr.

Chretien Home Improvement
54 Olko Circle
Donald Chretien

Da-Vi Nails
591 Memorial Dr.
Chinh Dinh Pham

Mini Creek
40 Sunset Dr.
Douglas Zerlaut

Old Time Builders
28 Allen St.
Joseph Ramah Jr.

Pavlo Dukach
128 Hampden St.
Pavlo Dukach

Union Mart
457 Granby Road
Mohammad Shahid

Easthampton

Awentree
102 Cottage St.
Winifred Tannetta

Orion Handyman Services
16 Harrison Ave.
Dylan Jacobus

Greenfield

Creek Massage Therapy
116 Federal St.
Heather Creek

Greenfield Games
228 Main St.
Seth Lustig

Greenfield Tailors
205 Main St.
Muhammad Yasin

In Touch Bodywork by Wendy L. Mooney
40 School St. #4
Wendy Mooney

West Woods Massage
28 Federal St.
Abigail Pratt

Holyoke

Dairy Market
1552 Dwight St.
Sagheer Nawaz

First Choice Academy
187A High St.
Benjamin Beaulieu

KBBK Arts/Witchcreek Arts
202 Walnut St.
Betty Kaplowitz and Kristen Bachler

Magnolia Transport
20 Magniolia Ave.
Eugenio Bermudez

Ludlow

Fall Fields Farm
515 Holyoke St.
Clarke Kennedy

Family Pawn
242 East St.
Star Duong

Hair by Sam
247 East St.
Samantha Kinsey

Northampton

Chameleons Hair Salon
2 Conz St. #64
Teri Woodland, Kathleen Molongoski, and Michael Marvin

Dunbar Associates
1152 Burts Pit Road
Joseph Dunbar

Evaluation for Action
217 Cardinal Way
Lonnie Kaufman

POP Collective
150 Main St.
Katherine MacColl

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

River Valley Transcription
18 Denise Court
Alicia Stewart

Tart Baking Co.
192 Main St.
Mukunda Feldman

VNA & Hospice of Cooley Dickinson Inc.
168 Industrial Dr.
Priscilla Ross

Palmer

Denny’s Epicks
51 Squier St.
Jay Heinicke

Lazy Lady Farm
60 Olney Road
Paul Lukaskiewicz

Libiszewski Property Management
1 Belchertown Road
Guy Libiszewski

P.D.S.
51 Squier St.
Jay Heinicke

River East School-to-Career Inc.
1455 North Main St.
Loretta Dansereau

Riverview Auto Sales LLC
22 Wilbraham St.
John Day

Sabo’s Landscaping Inc.
1201 Calkins Road
Scott Sabourin

South Hadley

J & D Services
65 North Main St.
Dory Nickerson

Ron’s Precision Automotive
504 Granby Road
Ronald Paul

Z & Z Overhead Door
34 School St.
Christopher Zimmek

Southwick

ATV Construction Design
5 Coyote Glen
Tim Matsuk

Berkshire Pump & Power
15 Jeffrey Circle
Bryan St. Amand

Lularoe
8 Logie Lane
Ashley Barnett

Millie’s Country Store
208 College Highway
Amkitkymur Putel

Springfield

Asian Mini Market
405 Dickinson St.
Long Thanh Nguyen

Boston Road F. L. Roberts
1313 Boston Road
Tony El-Nemr

Chill @ Wills
436 Dwight St.
Willie Williams

Computer Emergency
25 Powell Ave.
Mikhail Marmuliou

East Columbus Ave. Sunoco
487 East Columbus Ave.
Tony El-Nemr

East Columbus F.L. Roberts
833 East Columbus Ave.
Tony El-Nemr

Hall of Fame F.L. Roberts
720 Hall of Fame Ave.
Tony El-Nemr

Lioness for the Female Entrepreneur
396 Canon Circle
Dawn Leaks

Margie’s Wedding Shop
659 Branch Parkway
Margaree Robinson

Northeast Powersports
219 Berkshire Ave.
Felix Santana Jr.

Phoenix Cultural Accessories
811 State St.
Kirby Carter

R & R Remodeling, LLC
55 Grand St.
Carlos Rivera

Santiago Landscaping
25 George St.
Luis Santiago

Sarver Enterprises, LLC
906-910 State St.
Mohammad Sarver

Springfield Golden Nozzle
915 East Columbus Ave.
Tony El-Nemr

Springfield Sunoco #04057
93 West Broad St.
Tony El-Nemr

Sumner Ave. F.L. Roberts
730-744 Sumner Ave.
Tony El-Nemr

Ware

CTS Plumbing & Heating Co.
200 Old Belchertown Road
Christopher Salva

Lularoe
80 Beaver Road
Heather Boivin

Lyrom Services, LLC
313 Palmer Road
Paul Moryl, Gail Moryl, and Bill Moryl

Sunny Side Storage, LLC
313 Palmer Road
Paul Moryl, Gail Moryl, and Bill Moryl

Woodsmiths
5 Anna St.
Mark Smith and James Smith

Westfield

Danek Flooring Inc.
77 Mill St., 12A
Jacob Danek

David Ritchie Plumbing & Heating
35 Barbara Lane
David Ritchie

Egerton Home Improvments
26 Skipper Lane
Ethan Egerton

Furrow Engineering
199 Servistar Industrial Way
Frank DeMarinis

The Independent Market Networker
60 Arnold St.
Brian Hoose

Joslad & Associates, P.C.
10 Nicholas Lane
Joseph Aimua

Southern States Coop Inc.
323 Lockhouse Road
Southern States Coop Inc.

West Springfield

ATC Group Services LLC
73 William Franks Dr.
Brian William

Becky Jacobsen Boutique
82 Chestnut St.
Rebecca Jacobsen

Footit Health Care Store
340 Memorial Ave.
Richard Spafford

Imaginal Imaging Photography
52 Hillside Ave.
Kristopher Wyman

Industrial Realty Co.
1314 Union St.
Robert Reilly

Katerina’s Beauty Salon
446 Main St.
Katerina Belyshev

Nailtique Spa
1817 Riverdale St.
Hung Do

One Shop Solutions Inc.
130 Elm St.
Naveen Kumar Sharma

Pro Tool and Machine
349 Cold Spring Ave.
Mirolslaw Guzek

Rotary Liquors
52 Park St.
Jennifer Demerski

People on the Move

Departments People on the Move

HUB International New England, a division of HUB International Limited, announced that, effective Dec. 1, Timm Marini, will lead the Personal Lines Division for HUB International New England. This is in addition to his responsibilities of overseeing the Western Mass. offices and serving on HUB’s executive management team. Marini will lead the Personal Lines teams, which consist of close to 150 employees in more than 20 offices located throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island. His areas of focus will be developing and implementing sales and marketing strategies that result in value and pricing options while always meeting the underlying goal of delighting the customer. “Developing an exceptional team is imperative in this fast-paced, technology-driven industry,” said Charles Brophy, CEO and Regional President, Eastern Region of HUB International New England. “The first person that came to mind for this position, without a doubt, was Timm Marini. His vision, leadership abilities, skillful thinking, discipline, and tact for customer service will be a great benefit for HUB New England as we continue to grow and expand into new markets.” HUB New England was built through partnerships with long-standing, local brokerages housing years of experience in consulting on property and casualty insurance, personal insurance, and employee-benefits programs for New England businesses and individuals. As a full-service brokerage, HUB New England has access to the resources of a large, international company with local service and expertise.

•••••

Jeffrey Sullivan, chairman of the Greater Holyoke Chamber Centennial Foundation, announced that Tessa Murphy-Romboletti was chosen to lead the Foundation’s entrepreneurship program, known as SPARK. She was chosen by a committee made up of Holyoke’s entrepreneurial ecosystem partners, including Hilda Roque of Nuestra Raices, Maria Pagan of the Holyoke Public Library, Harry Montalvo of Easthampton Savings Bank, Jeffrey Hayden of Holyoke Community College, board chairman Jeffrey Sullivan, and Kathleen Anderson, president of the Chamber Foundation. “As the new SPARK program manager, Murphy-Romboletti will oversee the Co-starter Launch Class, develop programming for entrepreneurs and small businesses to help them overcome hurdles in opening their own business, and work with mentors and those that can offer some expertise to new business owners,” Sullivan said. “Murphy-Romboletti will also be responsible for development, fund-raising, and community outreach.” Added Anderson, “we are extremely excited to have Tessa join our team. The interview committee chose Tessa to lead this effort because of her expansive knowledge of the city, especially the central business district, her knowledge of the SPARK program, and her skills in grant writing, which will go a long way in the development of the SPARK program and building Holyoke’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.” Murphy-Romboletti has worked for the city of Holyoke for the last five years in both the Office of the Mayor and currently as development specialist for the Office of Planning & Economic Development. In this role, she has provided assistance to both new and existing business owners while acting as a project manager for several development projects within the city’s urban-renewal plan. Her experience in project management, grant writing, and communications, along with her experience working in the public sector, will serve the organization in its continued efforts to support Holyoke’s entrepreneurial community. “I have always been inspired by SPARK’s goal to identify and develop home-grown talent from residents within the city in order to create jobs, expand our tax base, and fill vacant space,” Murphy-Romboletti said. “I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to work for the city that I love for the last four years, where I’ve met great people and passionate members of our community. I am looking forward to continue working with residents and business owners in this new capacity, and can’t wait to get started.”

•••••

Thom Fox

Giombetti Associates recently welcomed Thom Fox as its new Chief People Officer. Since 2013, Fox has managed a strategic consultancy focused on revenue and profitability solutions through the discovery of what customers want and don’t want. With a command of the fact-finding process and mastery of asking deeper-level, thought-provoking questions, he worked with stakeholders to build strategies yielding a larger likelihood of success. These solutions earned his clients a tremendous amount of personal and professional growth. Prior to founding his consultancy, Fox served for 18 years at a social enterprise, helping to build the organization from a startup into a national brand producing an excess of $50 million in annual revenues. He served in a variety of roles, including education coordinator, marketing director, community outreach director, author and subject-matter expert, spokesperson, and strategist. Fox’s advice has been featured in media outlets such as Forbes, MarketWatch, the Huffington Post, Fox Business, and others. He is also an award-winning philanthropist, volunteering as a board member for Suit Up Springfield, and supporting the business community as a facilitator for Valley Venture Mentors, producer and host of The Engine on NewsRadio 560 WHYN, and a member of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s Plan for Progress Committee. Throughout his career, Fox has built partnerships and relationships, engaged people in taking an active participation in their own growth and development, and coached entrepreneurs and community leaders to embrace change. Working in these collaborative settings, he experienced the toll that failure (and success) plays in a team dynamic. These experiences ignited a passion within him to motivate people to move in the same direction, believing that, if they do, they can reach any destination they choose. These experiences also instilled within him the desire to help people, teams, and organizations reach their full potential — a natural fit with the core beliefs at Giombetti Associates. Fox will be charged with continuously improving the design and content of various team-building and leadership-development offerings. He will help deliver and facilitate team-building initiatives, learning workshops, and coaching to individuals and executives alike. He will also support Giombetti’s effort to solve one of its clients’ ongoing challenges: finding good people. He will help ensure that clients have enhanced access to high-performing individuals and innovative leadership training. As an entrepreneur and consultant, Fox understands the challenges of starting and scaling a business. His time in corporate America also exposed him to the damages created by telling people what they want to hear. He has worked with Silicon Valley-based ventures, mom-and-pop startups, and established businesses on their way to becoming multi-million-dollar ventures. Throughout it all, he has maintained the philosophy that people are transformed through lovingly critical feedback and supportive services empowering them with the ability to become the best version of themselves. Giombetti Associates is a leadership institute providing pre-employment assessment, leadership training and development, team building, talent sourcing and acquisition, conflict resolution, strategic business coaching, M&A consulting, and a few other areas of expertise, with personality and behavior serving as the foundation to all of them.

•••••

OrthoLite, a leading provider of comfort and performance insoles, announced three new additions to its marketing and sales team, including Dan Legor as Director of Marketing; Andy Downes as Sales Manager, Key Accounts; and Matt Hennessey as Sales Manager, Performance East. These new appointments will support OrthoLite’s dedication to strengthening partner relationships across the globe. In his new role, Legor will manage all aspects of marketing while elevating the brand’s global marketing and branding strategies. As an accomplished senior marketing professional, he brings more than 20 years of experience to OrthoLite. Most recently, he was the director of E-commerce at Lindt & Sprungli, and prior to that he was the head of U.S. Marketing at ECCO Shoes, senior Marketing manager at Timberland, and Retail Marketing manager at the Rockport Co. Downes brings more than 20 years of product and sales experience to OrthoLite, and was most recently the Key Account sales manager for Inov-8 footwear. During his 13 years at Nike, he held sales and product-related roles in a variety of business units such as Running Specialty, Custom Footwear, and Special Make-up Groups. From Nike, he joined Adidas as category manager, Running Footwear for several years before moving to Innov-8. Hennessey brings more than 16 years of senior-level sales and development experience to OrthoLite and most recently was the Product Development manager at Sperry. Prior to Sperry, he was a senior Development manager at Under Armour Footwear and a senior developer at New Balance Footwear, along with holding the National Sales manager position at Xterra. “We’re thrilled to have these dynamic professionals joining our team and helping to drive continued growth within each of the key sales channels,” said Pamela Gelsomini, OrthoLite president. “The number-one priority of the sales and marketing team is to help our footwear partners sell more shoes by delivering the most comfortable product to their consumers. This has fueled our success together over the years, so we will continue to invest in ways to help each of these brands exceed their goals with OrthoLite. Dan’s deep leadership experience in brand strategy will help to shape new marketing initiatives with our footwear partners and with the brand overall. Andy and Matt also share OrthoLite’s unwavering commitment to deliver world-class service and collaborative support.”

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Emily Doucette

FIT Staffing, an information-technology staffing and recruiting company based in Springfield and Enfield, Conn., announced that Emily Doucette has joined the team as a technical recruiter. Doucette has extensive recruiting and HR experience in the information-technology and aerospace-engineering industries. At FIT, she is responsible for sourcing and screening technical talent for Massachusetts and Connecticut clients. She has a bachelor’s degree in business management and an MBA from Springfield College. She is also a member of the adjunct faculty at Springfield College and teaches business management to undergraduate students.

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Northeast IT Systems Inc. announced Joe Bishop as the latest addition to its growing team. Bishop spent four years at Yankee Candle, where he was a candle maker. He then went on to work at NCR Corp., where he spent two years working on POS systems and ATMs. His latest work experience included working for an IT company for 10 years as a PC technician. When asked what got him interested in computers, Bishop accredited it to having a computer at a young age — his first one, in fact, at just 4 years old. He and his grandfather would spend time on the computer downloading games after school. When it comes to his profession, he said he s always learning new things. “There is so much to learn in the IT field that there’s never a dull moment.” Bishop studied computer networking at Porter and Chester Institute in Chicopee. His certifications include Network+, A+, MCP, and CCNA.

•••••

Kim Lavallee

Carrie Muller

DiGrigoli Salon announced that Kim Lavallee has been promoted from Master Stylist to Elite Stylist, and Carrie Muller has been promoted from Junior Stylist to Senior Stylist. Both are alumni of the DiGrigoli School of Cosmetology. Lavallee joined the DiGrigoli Salon artistic team in June 2011 and has made major strides in her career since then. In addition to doing hair, Kim is also a skilled makeup artist, both in cosmetic and special effects, and is often featured on WWLP-22News and Mass Appeal showcasing her talents. Muller started with DiGrigoli Salon this past February and has already been promoted twice. As the salon manager, she has many responsibilities, but she remains eager to learn and grow artistically as a stylist. This dedication has resulted in a strong clientele base and a continual refinement of her skills. DiGrigoli Salon, located at 1578 Riverdale St. in West Springfield, is owned by Paul DiGrigoli and has been offering professional beauty services to the public since 1987.

Champ Law Donates Turkeys to Holyoke Boys & Girls Club

HOLYOKE — Champ Law was grateful for the opportunity to donate 10 turkeys to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke for the Thanksgiving tables of local families. This is the second year that Champ Law has donated Thanksgiving turkeys through the Boys & Girls Club.

Attorney Adam Basch, who delivered the turkeys to the Boys & Girls Club on Nov. 22, noted that “Champ is proud to support our community in many ways, and this annual Thanksgiving donation is particularly meaningful. We are grateful for the chance to visit with the wonderful staff and kids at the Boys & Girls Club, and to be able to meet a few of the families who will enjoy the turkeys on Thanksgiving. Making those connections is important to us.”

Champ Law is a local, full-service firm focusing on personal-injury law.

Picture This

Departments Picture This

Email ‘Picture This’ photos with a caption and contact information to [email protected]
A photo essay of recent business events in Western Massachusetts November 28, 2016

Government Reception

The Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce staged its annual Government Reception on Nov. 17 at the Carriage House at Storrowton Tavern in West Springfield. Below, from top to bottom, left, State Sen., Eric Lesser, left, and State Rep. Joseph Wagner, meet with Dawn Creighton, Western Mass. director for A.I.M.; Dan Glanville and Eileen Leahy of Comcast Business; From left, state Sen. James Welch, West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt, and Agawam City Councilor Richard Theroux; Springfield City Councilor Bud Williams with Annamarie Golden, administrative fellow in the Office of Government and Community Relations at Baystate.
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Watch This

Donna Harvey, right, assistant director of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Elms College, was the lucky winner of an Apple watch, raffled off at the Western Mass. Business Expo on Nov. 3 by event sponsor Johnson & Hill, represented here by Tiffany Appleton, director of the company’s Accounting and Finance Division.
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Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley Elects Richard Sawicki Jr. President

SPRINGFIELD — Richard Sawicki Jr. has been elected president of the 1,700-member Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley. The election took place at the association’s annual membership meeting held earlier this month at the Delaney House in Holyoke. Sawicki is office manager and real estate sales agent with Sawicki Real Estate in Amherst.

As president, he will oversee the association’s activities and operations, including meetings of the board of directors, and act as a liaison to the association’s various committees. He is the official spokesperson of the association on issues related to the real-estate industry and the local housing market.

The other 2017 officers and directors are Edward Alford, president-elect; Kelly Bowman, treasurer; Susan Drumm, secretary; and Lou Mayo, immediate past president. The directors include Elias Acuna, Suzi Buzzee, Shawn Bowman, Peter Davies, Janise Fitzpatrick, Ray Hoess-Brooks, Susan Rheaume, and Russell Sabadosa.

Organized in 1915, the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley is a professional trade organization serving Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties.

Volunteers Needed for VITA Tax-preparation Program

SPRINGFIELD — Volunteers are needed to participate in this year’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. VITA offers free tax preparation for low- to moderate-income residents in Hampden County. The program relies on dedicated volunteers to provide free tax preparation from late January through mid-April. No experience is necessary, and all volunteers are trained by the Internal Revenue Service. Volunteers prepare taxes, greet clients, translate, and coordinate VITA sites.

“Last year our volunteers completed more than 5,000 tax returns, free of charge,” said Jennifer Kinsman, United Way director of Community Impact. “These volunteers are an enormous asset to our community.”

The VITA program runs from Jan. 29 through April 15. Volunteer training will take place in December. For more information or to volunteer, call (413) 263-6500 or (413) 612-0206.

Programs, Events By Inspired Marketing Live Up to that Name

Sections Women in Businesss

Tapping Potential

Jill Monson-Bishop says women who own businesses can benefit from creating a team of advisors who can support them.

That famous quote from Oprah Winfrey — “Follow Your Passion: It is What Will Lead to Your Purpose” — is emblazoned in oversized letters on a wall in the waiting room of Inspired Marketing Inc. in Springfield.

The quotation is in line with the belief system embraced by the company’s self-named ‘chief inspiration officer,’ Jill Monson-Bishop, a title she put on her business card when she established her full-service advertising company, then went on to hire team members with a driving desire to help clients realize their goals.

The climate within the office was also carefully orchestrated: there are three dogs on-site most days; they sport the titles ‘employee satisfaction manager,’ ‘customer experience associate,’ and ‘siesta manager.’ Everyone has a pair of comfortable slippers under their desk, and not only is collaboration encouraged, milestones of any kind are announced and celebrated.

It’s a formula that has led to success: Over the past three years Inspired Marketing has retained 93% of its clients and increased revenue by 362%.

“We don’t strive to be the number-one local marketing agency and win awards,” Monson-Bishop said. “Our aim is to have our clients win awards and reach goals and know that everyone here is invested in their growth.”

Indeed, awards have been forthcoming: One client was feted with a Better Business Torch Award; others were finalists for the honor; and still others have been named Super 60 companies by the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce for revenue and revenue growth.

Monson-Bishop tells new clients she doesn’t just want to purchase media for them, create a logo, or do graphic design; instead, she wants to be part of their team. That vision has materialized, and one business sends her their weekly sales report.

“I’m part of their growth or struggle depending on the week,” she noted.

She took pride in the fact that one client, the Good Dog Spot was recently able to open a second location, which was among its goals, and says she and her team have been invited to a number of company holiday parties.

Team members at Inspired Marketing have increased revenue over the past three years by 362% and retained 93% of their clients.

One thing she focuses on is creating synergistic relationships between clients. For example, when Square One needed a pizza donation, she approached Frankie and Johnnie’s Pizzeria. Today the restaurant donates pizza to the non-profit once a month and employees and families involved with Square One frequent the eatery and buy lunches there, which they hadn’t been doing in the past. In addition, Frankie & Johnnie’s will cater an event for Square One next year.

Another example is a collaboration between Bob Pion Buick GMC; Square One; and the American International College Men’s –D1 Ice Hockey team.

AIC had planned to stage a toy drive at a December ice hockey game, and, thanks to Inspired Marketing, Bob Pion has volunteered to donate a truck, the toys will go to Square One, and every donor will receive a ticket to another AIC hockey game.

“I believe businesses are stronger together and if they can find opportunities to work together, they can grow together,” Monson-Bishop said “Our clients know we put our heart into what we do. If I write a press release and the media uses it, my teammates come running down the hall to tell me. They get very excited when we help a business attain success.”

Personifying Beliefs

Monson-Bishop says starting her own business has been the most difficult and rewarding thing she has ever done.

“I love being an employer,” she said, “being able to watch people’s dreams come true and being part of it.”

The decision to launch her advertising firm was made after her mother died unexpectedly at age 56. The loss was devastating, but also prompted the thought, “What if I only get 56 years on this planet? What would my legacy be?”

Monson-Bishop had worked as a radio broadcaster, and when her mother passed away she was selling coupon advertising and making more money than she ever had in her life. “But I didn’t want my legacy to be selling 50% off pizza coupons,” she said.

“I enjoyed working with clients and had found that small and medium-sized businesses were not being served by advertising agencies. Many were good at what they did but they had no idea how to spend money effectively on marketing,” she noted, explaining that the belief was reinforced by Butler Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, which had been in business for 30 years, and became her first client.

Monson-Bishop launched her new venture by renting a desk in a friend’s Springfield office. She moved to Agawam after hiring one part-time employee; then moved back to Springfield two years ago, which is a city she truly loves.

“I just purchased a Victorian in the Historic McKnight area, and believe the city is on the cusp of a renaissance. Great things are happening and I want to be part of them,” she said, noting that she also owns another house in the City of Homes.

Today Inspired Marketing has five team members in addition to Monson-Bishop and gets help from two interns every college semester.

Their business is split equally between marketing and events, and clients include Smith & Wesson; Northwestern Mutual, American International College and the City of Springfield School Department; as well as smaller businesses.

They also work with a number of nonprofits including Valley Venture Mentors and the Zoo in Forest Park. “They do so much for us and we need to support them,” Monson-Bishop said, noting that last year, Inspired Marketing staged a Tiny Tea to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Square One’s popular fundraiser. Dignitaries included Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse who enjoyed tea seated at a child’s table. They wore hats and the event attracted a lot of media attention.

The crew also takes pride in coming up with creative advertising ideas. When they did a campaign for one non-profit they mailed reading glasses to potential donors with a note that said, “See the difference we can make,” then went on to explain the charity’s mission.

Another client received the attention it was seeking when Inspired Marketing did a mailing that contained scratch tickets with a note that said, “You wouldn’t throw away the enclosed without taking a chance on it. Take a chance on us and you will win every time;” while a press release delivered to media outlets about a classic-car cruise night contained matchbox cars; and another client’s business blossomed due to a marketing promotion in which packets of seeds were mailed with handwritten notes that said, “Let us help your business grow.”

Unique Challenges

Monson-Bishop believes female entrepreneurs face challenges unique to their gender. Her own accomplishments are significant: not only has she grown from a sole entrepreneur to a thriving advertising firm; she lost 125 pounds 3 1/2 years ago, has kept it off and been sugar-free for more than 1,200 days; was chosen as a BusinessWest 40 Under Forty 2010 class member, among other honors.

When she was notified about the most recent award, “I only celebrated for about 10 seconds,” she said, adding that she believes it’s easier for women to praise other people’s accomplishments and victories than take pride in their own.

“We tend to beat ourselves up for mistakes and need to learn to celebrate our own accomplishments and say ‘thank you’ when we receive a compliment,” she noted.

She believes her weight loss has led business professionals to take her more seriously and is now able to purchase a professional wardrobe, which was difficult to do when she was 125 pounds heavier.

Monson-Bishop has an advisory board composed of 10 local business leaders who have guided her over the years by providing honest and critical input. She shares her financial information with them and believes every female business owner could benefit from creating her own confidential circle of supporters.

“When you have a hard day or have to make a difficult decision, it helps to have someone to talk to, and that person isn’t always your spouse,” she said.

The founder of Inspired Marketing also feels many women suffer from what she calls the “Wizard of Oz Syndrome,” which is her metaphor for the imposter syndrome.

“The world may see you as the big and powerful Oz, but sometimes you feel like the man behind the curtain who is afraid to have it pulled back and be found out,” she said.

But testimonials from clients say that Monson-Bishop and her crew are truly inspired, have the ability to attract attention and help clients succeed.

Blazing a Path

Monson-Bishop not only used personality and drive as criteria when she began hiring people, today when a new position is created all team members are included in interviews with prospective job candidates to ensure they are a good fit.

Heather Ruggeri was thrilled the team chose her to be vice president and chief events officer, even though her credentials didn’t exactly match the job description.

“But she had a willingness to learn; a desire for absolute customer satisfaction and it was evident that she was deeply loyal. She didn’t want a job, she wanted to be part of something,” Monson-Bishop said, adding that Ruggeri is one of many team members whose professional achievements have made her proud.

Kristin Carlson was hired immediately after graduating from Fitchburg State University, and says her fellow team members have become like family and whenever they reach a goal, it is viewed as cause for celebration.

“I have run down the hall to Jill’s office when we have achieved something such as getting 10,000 Likes on a client’s Facebook page,” said Carlson. “We get excited about things here.”

That enthusiasm is generated by passion and the purpose that Monson-Bishop has found since she started her business venture. “You only get one chance at life, and this is it,” she said.

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Ad Club to Get a Taste of Abandoned Building Brewery Dec. 14

EASTHAMPTON — Advertising and media professionals are planning to toast the holiday season on Wednesday, Dec. 14 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Abandoned Building Brewery, 142 Pleasant St., Easthampton.

“Normally, we stay quiet with events during the holiday season,” said Kelly McGiverin, chair of the events committee for the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts, “but we decided to give people a chance to put away the spreadsheets, whiteboards, and calculators to enjoy some of the spirits of the season — in this case, ales, IPAs, and stouts.”

The event, which will include a brewery tour with owner Matt Tarlecki, is open to the public. The cost is $10 for Ad Club members and $20 for non-members. To register, visit adclubwm.org, call (413) 736-2582, or e-mail [email protected].

Unemployment Decreases Across Massachusetts in October

BOSTON — Local unemployment rates decreased in 22 labor market areas, increased in one, and remained the same in another area in the state during the month of October, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported. Compared to October 2015, the rates were down in all areas.

Ten of the 14 areas for which job estimates are published recorded seasonal job gains in October, with the largest gains in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Springfield, Worcester, and Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton areas. The Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead and Haverhill-Newburyport-Amesbury areas had no change in job levels over the month, while seasonal losses occurred in the Barnstable, Pittsfield, and Taunton-Middleborough-Norton areas.

From October 2015 to October 2016, 13 of the 15 areas added jobs, with the largest percentage gains in the Haverhill-Newburyport-Amesbury, Taunton-Middleborough-Norton, Leominster-Gardner, and Worcester areas.

In order to compare the statewide rate to local unemployment rates, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the statewide unadjusted unemployment rate for October was 2.7%.

Last week, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 3.3% in the month of October. Across the nation, Massachusetts experienced the largest over-the-year drop in the unemployment rate of any state, down 1.5% from October 2015, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The statewide seasonally adjusted jobs estimate showed a 5,500 job loss in October, and an over-the-year gain of 71,400 jobs.

The unadjusted unemployment rates and job estimates for the labor market areas reflect seasonal fluctuations and therefore may show different levels and trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates.

The estimates for labor force, unemployment rates, and jobs for Massachusetts are based on different statistical methodology specified by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Valley Transporter Marks 30 Years in Business

AMHERST — Known from its tagline as “the easy way to the airport” for people all over Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties, Valley Transporter is celebrating three decades in business in the Pioneer Valley.

The livery business began when Gary Bosselait and his sister Valerie bought a van and a telephone answering machine in 1986 and started taking reservations for and delivering passengers to area train depots and airports, including Bradley, Logan, and JFK.

Now, Valley Transporter employs more than 40 staff members, including reservationists, round-the-clock dispatchers, and drivers, and maintains a commitment to diversity.

“Our fleet is clean and well-maintained. It has achieved an economy of scale that allows it to provide affordable, 24-hour local transport on demand, and charters are a growing part of the business,” Bosselait said. “Valley Transporter has taken its place in the local economy by making airports readily accessible. We not only provide a service, but we help stimulate commerce by being a trusted part of the regional transit network.”

Passengers who travel with Valley Transporter include college students, vacationers, business travelers, groups and individuals coming to the region for events and conferences, and people in need of a ride to and from medical appointments.

Valley Transporter provides hourly shared rides from Northampton, Amherst, Springfield, Greenfield, and other towns and cities along the I-91 corridor to Bradley, most for under $60, including tip. With 10 fuel-efficient minivans and 10 larger vans, the Amherst-based company takes reservations by phone, e-mail, and online at www.valleytransporter.com.

Bosselait said Valley Transporter has weathered setbacks that included the virtual standstill in travel in the months after 9/11, which would have put it out of business without the help of its bankers. “We are proud that slow and steady growth has made us a stable and reliable part of the expanding livery sector in Western Massachusetts.”

Bay Path to Present Annual Winterfest Dec. 7

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University will host its annual holiday performance of Winterfest on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. An annual tradition, Winterfest celebrates themes of peace and light and features music, dance, poetry, caroling, and inspirational messages from leaders in the community, with a reception to follow.

Winterfest takes place on the university’s Longmeadow campus in Mills Theatre at Carr Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

HRMA Presents ‘Surviving an Incidence of Violence at your Workplace’

CHICOPEE — On Nov. 29^, HRMA of Western New England will present a half-day session on both prevention and operational strategies for handling an incident of workplace violence at a school or business.

This session is geared toward both human resources and operations professionals and will feature specific topics such as: ‘Lockdown vs. Evacuation’; ‘Fear: Is it good or bad’; ‘It all comes down to policy’; ‘The Office is High Ground,’ and much more. The end result of this course will also provide all attendees with a base “mindset” and thought process that will keep them as safe while they are away from work as much as it does while they are at work.

This event runs from noon to 4 p.m., with a buffet lunch included. Tickets are $75.00. For more information, please contact Allison Ebner at (413) 789-6400 or [email protected].

SSO Moves Offices to 1441 Main St.

SPRINGFIELD — Now offering its patrons a more convenient location and validated parking, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra has moved its Administrative and Box Offices to 1441 Main St., Springfield and, at the same time, has gained greater visibility and modern, expanded new space.

The SSO invites all subscribers, volunteers and patrons, as well as everyone in the downtown area, to its official Grand Opening of the new space, centrally located across from Tower Square on the ground floor level in the TD Bank Building, on Nov. 29 from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. in the lobby of the TD Bank building. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served, and members of the Springfield Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Nikki Stoia, will provide entertainment.

As a special thank you to its supporters, all who attend will receive their choice of two free tickets to one of two upcoming classical concerts: A Life in Opera – Celebrating Leontyne Price on Feb. 18 or Nights in the Gardens of Spain on April 8.

The grand opening will feature an official ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor Dominic Sarno in the lead, and including Maestro Kevin Rhodes, SSO Board of Trustees President Dr. David Gang, SSO Board of Trustees Chairman John Chandler and SSO Executive Director Peter T. Salerno.

For more information about the grand opening event or to attend, contact the Susan Beaudry, (413) 733-0636, ext. 111.

2 Named to Faculty Positions at WNEU School of Law

SPRINGFIELD — Western New England University President Anthony S. Caprio has announced the appointment of two new faculty members in the University’s School of Law.

Mark Worthington is serving as the director of Elder Law and Estate Planning Program in his new position in the Western New England University School of Law. Attorney Worthington has been in private practice exclusively in special needs law, elder law, and estate planning for the past 24 years. He has been a member of the LLM faculty as an adjunct since the program’s inception. He is widely recognized as a national leader the field of Elder Law having lectured and written for the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

Worthington is a graduate of the University of Rochester, Northeastern University School of Law, and Boston University School of Law. As adjunct faculty, he has been teaching courses in Medicaid Planning and Planning with Grantor Trusts.

Henry J. Boroff has been a visiting professor and jurist in residence at Western New England University School of Law since July of 2016, and previously an adjunct professor at the law school since 1996. From 1993 until his retirement in 2016, he served as a United States bankruptcy judge for the District of Massachusetts, handling cases throughout Massachusetts, as well as in New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Judge Boroff was chief judge of the Massachusetts Bankruptcy Court from 2006 until 2010, and from 1996 through 2016 an appellate judge on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the First Circuit.

Judge Boroff is a graduate of Boston University, and Boston University Law School, and teaches courses in Bankruptcy and Secured Transactions.

Agawam Couple Opens Baseball, Softball Training Facility

WESTFIELD — Dave and Karen Sweeney of Agawam recently purchased the assets of the former Extra Innings Westfield franchise from Nabil and Julie Hannoush of Westfield. And Nov. 1, they opened their own family-run baseball and softball training facility, Players Edge New England, in the same space at 99 Springfield Road, which they will lease from the Hannoushes.

Like its predecessor, Players Edge New England will offer batting practice and player development to teams and individual baseball and softball players in the region, and the organization will also offer one-on-one coaching, practice space for the Players Edge Expos—a travelling youth baseball team—and group clinics for teams throughout the year.

“We’re as committed to softball as we are to baseball,” Dave Sweeney, c-owner, noted.

The facility is also open to the public daily from noon to 9 p.m., and it is available to businesses and corporations as staff meeting, event and retreat space. Additional hours are available upon request.

Sweeney, a longtime entrepreneur and the owner of viz-bang! productions in Agawam, is excited to partner with his wife, Karen, in a venture that will also include their children, Jake Sweeney, 16, a pitcher and infielder on the Agawam High School varsity baseball team, and Julia, 13, who is active in swimming and music.

“I’m most excited about working together as a family and having something Karen and I can do together, and having it be built around baseball and youth sports is pretty awesome, too,” Dave Sweeney said. “We have an opportunity to have a positive impact on the community at large.”

The Sweeneys were connected to the facility several years ago through their son Jake, who has been taking one-on-one pitching lessons from Carl Hanselman, a former pro baseball player who coached at the former Extra Innings Westfield.

When Sweeney learned the former owner did not intend to continue the franchise, Hanselman connected him to the Hannoushes, and they were open to the Sweeneys’ purchase of the assets.

“The timing has worked out well,” said Dave Sweeney. “I’ve been self-employed for 12 years now, primarily in the communications and video production industries. Periodically, you need to step back and re-evaluate. I was in the process of doing just that when this opportunity presented itself.”

Jake has played on area baseball teams since he began playing baseball in Agawam Little League, and Dave Sweeney has coached Agawam Little League, the Agawam High School varsity Fall League team and in the John L. Sullivan League.

Karen Sweeney brings her financial acumen and experience to the operation. She also has valuable facilities maintenance experience, having worked in that area for Fitness First and CrossFit in Agawam and at Westfield Evangelical Free Church.

Players Edge New England will offer the following services:

Tunnel rentals, or batting cage rentals, for individual practice and player development;
One-on-one coaching through the Coaches in Residence Program;
Practice space for the Players Edge Expos, a youth travelling baseball team that will compete in the NEAAU league this summer;
Ongoing group clinics for baseball and softball teams in the region;
Event space for area businesses and corporations;
Softball and baseball pitching machines for use by the public daily from noon to 9 p.m.; and
Video- and virtual-based baseball play via a Hit Trax machine.

Dave Sweeney will continue to operate his video production business, viz-bang!, on a part-time basis, and will offer video recording services at Players Edge to high school students who need a video highlighting their skills for college recruiters.

Bay Path to Present ‘Work-life Balance for Women in STEM ’

By BusinessWest Staff November 21, 2016

LONGMEADOW — Dr. Marlene Belfort, distinguished professor in the Departments of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Sciences, UAlbany, SUNY, will give a free and open-to-the-public presentation describing her STEM research journey over three continents while raising three sons. Work-life Balance for Women in STEM will take place on Nov. 30, at 5:30 p.m., at Bay Path University in Mills Theatre at Carr Hall on the Longmeadow campus.

Belfort’s presentation will discuss the challenges, rewards, sacrifices, and satisfactions of weaving together the two intense activities of research and parenting. An internationally-renown researcher, Belfort will give equal time to some of the major discoveries she has achieved in her career in the field of molecular genetics of mobile elements (introns and inteins) in microbes.

After graduating with a B.S. degree from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, Dr. Belfort received her Ph.D. degree in molecular biology at the University of California at Irvine, and performed post-doctoral work at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel and at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.

Dr. Belfort’s research interests are in splicing, mobility and evolution of self-splicing introns and inteins, and their application to biotechnology and medicine. In addition, a goal of hers is to promote the careers of women in science, on which she has written, and for which she was recognized by the American Society for Microbiology with the Alice Evans Award for her contributions toward fostering the advancement of women.

Belfort’s presentation is sponsored by Bay Path’s Center of Excellence for Women in STEM (CEWS), created in response to the overwhelming need for education, advanced training and continued support for women who are beginning or advancing careers in STEM. Registration is strongly recommended and available at http://www.baypath.edu/womeninstem.

City, Chamber to Present ‘Rising to New Heights’

By BusinessWest Staff November 21, 2016

SPRINGFIELD — Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced that the city and the Springfield Regional Chamber will co-host ‘Rising to New Heights,’ Nov. 22, at 4 p.m. at City Stage. The event, which will outline current economic development initiatives in Springfield, will be followed by a reception at 5:30 p.m.

“We’re proud to join the chamber in this exciting event to update the region on the progress of so many important projects in Springfield,” said Sarno. “The city is seeing unprecedented development and this event will highlight that growth.”

The event will feature new video and images from projects including MGM Springfield, Union Station, CRRC Railways and others, with a presentation led by Kevin Kennedy, the city’s chief development officer.

“We hope this gives an opportunity for the business community to engage with both the city and the Chamber on the immense activity in Springfield,” said Kennedy. “Now is the time to invest in Springfield and become part of this positive wave of development.”

The Springfield Regional Chamber is serving as sponsor and co-host of the event. The Chamber’s core mission has remained constant in its history — to promote, support and enhance the economic health of the business community and the region.

“We’re thrilled to join Mayor Sarno with so much outstanding news in Springfield,” said Nancy Creed, President of the Chamber. “Our members and our business community as a whole have a keen interest in the economy of Springfield and are quite excited about the tremendous progress being made.”

The event will take place at City Stage theater at 1 Columbus Center. Free parking will be offered in the Columbus Center Garage. Those interested in attending should register in advance at: www.springfieldregionalchamber.com.

Columbia Gas Presents Winter Coats to Square One Children

By BusinessWest Staff November 21, 2016